The Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Generations (Lidai fabao ji) is a little-known Chan/Zen Buddhist text of the eighth century, rediscovered in 1900. The text relayss a fascinating sectarian history of Buddhism refracted through the progressive philosophy of Bao Tang founder Chan Master Wuzhu (714–774).
The Lidai fabao ji illustrates Master Wuzhu’s reinterpretation of the Chinese practices of merit, repentance, precepts, and Dharma transmission. These aspects of traditional Buddhism continue to be topics of debate in contemporary practice, making the Lidai fabao ji a vital document of its struggles and compromises. Wendi L. Adamek’s translation brings Master Wuzhu’s experimental community to life and situates his paradigm-shifting teachings within the history of Buddhist thought.
