what texts do monks study

[jun_erh]

I've heard that monks "study buddhism" but what does that actually mean in terms of reading materials?

[norther practitioner]

Sutras.

[MasterKiller]

Isn't Ch'an an oral tradition? I thought that was Bodhidharma's point.

[GeneChing]

Actually Tamo's point, at least as I interpret it, was that anything can be a vehicle: oral, martial, written, anything. So of cousre, you still need to study the sutras if you're serious. The sutras that have come up the most in my discussions with Shaolin monks are the The Diamond Sutra and The Platform Sutra. I'd add the Heart Sutra and the Brahmna net Sutra personally.

[bodhitree]

I agree with Gene, bodhidharmas point was to not rely exclusively on text, however I don't beleive he was trying to get students to avoid it all together.

[jun_erh]

are these available in bookstores or libraries in general?

[norther practitioner]

Do a search....
Some of them are on the internet...

I think Doc might have posted a few of them too at russbo.com

[richard sloan]

you can find many of the sutras at russbo, and there is the prajnaparamita at usashaolintemple.org.

platform sutra of hui neng is available at any decent sized bookstore, as well as many, many others.

[bodhitree]

all kinds of buddhist literature for free

buddhanet.net however, much of it is from Pali cannon.

[jun_erh]

what are the ones they chant while hitting the wooden blocks?

[blooming lotus]

there are somany sutras available on line it's crazy...try starting with lankravatta suatr ao the diamond or the heart......

last night I happened to catch an early am doco....just recently they have found some text dating back to the western Zhou dynasty.....that's 1100 - 771 bc!!!!!!!!!! the implications of this are crazy....maybe there will be no text relating to ch'an or shaolin as such but if recording existed then, it's logical to assume that somewhere there will be text relating to shaolin...like te wu-slips of changshan...pre-dated recordings found refering only to han dynasty and post...the truth is out their and sooner orlater it will uncovered...archioligists are doing great work out here and maybe shaolin will gets it's official historical face of iport back after all...stay tuned folks...........

[GeneChing]

Some more on the Diamond Sutra


http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/field/image/Diamond-Sutra.jpg
28 JUNE, 2016 - 00:41 DHWTY
The Diamond Sutra: The Oldest Known Printed Book in the World (http://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-writings/diamond-sutra-oldest-known-printed-book-world-006185)

The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra has been translated from Sanskrit into English variously as the Diamond Sutra , the Diamond Cutter Sutra , the Vajra Sutra and the Vajra Cutter Sutra . This sutra (a Sanskrit word that means a religious teaching or sermon, in particular that of the Buddha) is commonly regarded as one of the most revered texts of Mahayana Buddhism. A copy of this sacred text, which was discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China, has been described as being “the world's earliest complete survival of a dated printed book”.
The Diamond Sutra is part of a larger canon of early Mahayana sutras known as the Prajnaparamita (meaning ‘Perfection of Wisdom’) Sutras. Another well-known sutra in this canon is the Heart Sutra. According to Mahayana Buddhist legend, these sutras were dictated by the Gautama Buddha to his various disciples. These sacred teachings were then kept hidden for 500 years, and is said to have only been discovered when mankind was prepared to learn from them. Scholars, however, are of the opinion that this canon was not created over a few years, but over the centuries.
Whilst these sutras began to be written during the 1 st century BC, the canon was only completed several centuries later.
The Diamond Sutra is said to be a brief text, and it has been claimed that a typical English translation would contain about 6000 words. Nevertheless, the message it contains is deeply profound, and is open to various interpretations. Perhaps one of the most basic interpretations of the Diamond Sutra is that it is an exhortation by the Buddha to his followers to “cut through the illusions of reality that surround them”, and thus coming to a realization of that which is real.

http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Frontispiece.jpg?itok=C_P7w-_3
Frontispiece of the Chinese Diamond Sutra. ( Public Domain )

It is believed that the Diamond Sutra was first translated into Chinese in 401 AD by a Buddhist monk by the name of Kumarajiva. It has been stated that, in the following century, Prince Zhao Ming, a son of the Emperor Wu of Liang, divided the sutra into 32 chapters, and gave each one of them a title. Though these titles are not always used today, these divisions are still in use even today. Another important event in the history of the Diamond Sutra is the enlightenment of Huineng, the Sixth and Last Patriarch of Chan Buddhism. According to Huineng’s autobiography, whist the monk was an adolescent selling firewood in the marketplace, he heard the Diamond Sutra being recited, and as a result, attained enlightenment.

http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Statue-of-Kumarajiva.jpg?itok=mokBG4aZ
Statue of Kumarajiva in front of the Kizil Caves in Kuqa, Xinjiang province, China. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

During the beginning of the 20 th century, a Taoist priest by the name of Wang Yuanlu was the self-appointed caretaker of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. It was during this time that Wang discovered a secret cache of ancient manuscripts, now referred to as the Dunhuang manuscripts. Amongst these ancient treasures was a copy of the Diamond Sutra, which has been described as “the world's earliest complete survival of a dated printed book”.
The person who commissioned this manuscript, as well as its date of production, can be found on the colophon on its inner end. The colophon reads as follows:
“‘Reverently [caused to be] made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong [i.e. 11th May, AD 868].”

http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/Wang-Yuanlu.jpg
Early Photo of Wang Yuanlu. ( Public Domain )

In 1907, the Hungarian-British archaeologist, Sir Aurel Stein, arrived in Dunhuang, and visited the Mogao Caves. He met Wang Yuanlu, and for 130 pounds, managed to bring back to London 24 cases which were filled with manuscripts, as well as five boxes full of paintings, embroideries and art relics. The Diamond Sutra was amongst these artifacts. A different perspective has been given by the National Library of Peking in 1961, which claims that the sutra “was stolen over fifty years ago” by Stein. As a result of its purchase / theft, the copy of the Diamond Sutra from the Mogao Caves is today being housed in the British Library in London.

By Wu Mingren

References
Daley, J., 2016. Five Things to Know About the Diamond Sutra, the World’s Oldest Dated Printed Book. [Online]
Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/Five-things-to-know-about-diamond-sutra-worlds-oldest-dated-printed-book-180959052/?no-ist
diamond-sutra.com, 2016. Diamond Sutra – A New Translation. [Online]
Available at: http://diamond-sutra.com/
Morgan, J., 2012. Buddhism’s Diamond Sutra: The Extraordinary Discovery Of The World’s Oldest Book. [Online]
Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joyce-morgan/diamond-sutra-buddhas-hidden-book_b_1859164.html
O'Brien, B., 2016. The Diamond Sutra. [Online]
Available at: http://buddhism.about.com/od/theprajnaparamitasutra/a/The-Diamond-Sutra.htm
Silkroad Foundation, 2000. The Oldest Printed Text in the World - The Diamond Sutra. [Online]
Available at: http://www.silk-road.com/artl/diamondsutra.shtml
The British Library Board, 2016. Diamond Sutra. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/diamondsutra.html

[DAW]

All of the classic schools of Chan Buddhism pretty much agree that studying or memorizing sutras is pointless. A major component of Chan is looking inward, at yourself. Trying to find Buddha with external disciplines is a fools errand.

[rett2]

All of the classic schools of Chan Buddhism pretty much agree that studying or memorizing sutras is pointless. A major component of Chan is looking inward, at yourself. Trying to find Buddha with external disciplines is a fools errand.

I believe those attitudes were expressed at a time when Chinese Buddhism was overly scholastic, and monks didn't practice meditation. So those statements were meant to correct an imbalance. Later, in China, monks were mostly uneducated and weren't respected; then it was a good idea to encourage them to study more so they could teach more effectively (and maybe for other good reasons). So perhaps it depends on the context and the audience.

Here's a talk by Chan Master Sheng Yen that touches on this subject, in case it's of interest. As usual, he brings a huge dose of common sense (and learning) to the question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQ4jjHqn8I