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五帝三皇是何物

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: what are the five emperors and the three sovereigns?

Senses:

  • This phrase derives from the poem Tigongzixing 題公子行 ( 'The Behavior of Barons' ) by Master Chanyue 禪月大師, which was made famous by way of its quotation by Xuedou Zhongxian 雪竇重顯 in the third case of the Biyanlu 碧巖錄: 'Ma Dashi buan'  馬大師不安 ( 'Master Ma Is Unwell' ). In the context of the latter, questioning the nature of the five emperors and the three sovereigns implies a person with such nobility of mind that he or she is able to ignore the ancient Chinese lords.1 See 五帝, 三皇, and 三皇五帝三王. 〔碧巖錄 T 2003.48.143a7〕 [Stefan Grace; source(s): ZGDJT, Yokoi, Cleary]
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    • Notes

    1. Cleary, Thomas. 1998. The Blue Cliff Record. Tokyo: Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. p. 27.[back]


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    [Dictionary References]

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 0353c

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 176

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    Entry created: 2018-05-08