拈

Readings

Pinyin: niǎn

Wade-Giles: nien

Hangul: 염

Korean MC: yeom

Korean MR: yŏm

Katakana: ネン

Hepburn: nen

niêm

to pick up and handle something with the fingers

• In Chan/Seon/Zen, this term has a couple of meanings: The first is the picking up with the fingers a stick of incense, or flower or other object by a master during the course of a lecture. The second is "to raise up for instruction and analysis," referring to the raising of old gong-an 公案 or earlier Buddhist scriptural passage as a means for instruction. The passage is then analyzed by the teacher for its deeper content. See 拈古. [resp. Charles Muller]

Dictionary References:

Bukkyō jiten (Ui), 849

Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.), 1002b

Kattō gosen (Mujaku Dōchū), 890/50

Koga, 370

Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi), 494

Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura), 1082c

Copyright © 2010 -- Charles Muller

generated: 2013-05-28