There are numerous cases where literature has been used to spread the Dharma. There is a chapter in the Avatamsaka Sutra entitled "Entering the Dharma Realm." The chapter speaks of a young pilgrim who traveled and listened to fifty-three masters, learning from them methods of practice and cultivation, but it reads like a long, entertaining novel. In the Lotus Sutra there are chapters and stories which are elegantly written. Many of the sutras convey the Dharma in an artistic manner.

The modern Chinese novel has its roots in the historic novels written in the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, but they in turn adopted literary styles found in the sutras. Buddhist sutras often use a format where a long paragraph of teaching is followed by a verse. In many Chinese historical novels, the order is reversed, chapters beginning with a verse and followed by a story.

STUDENT:

Is it possible to derive results and benefits from music, plays, art and literature that are similar to what can be derived from practice?

SHIH-FU:

I think it is possible with music. For example, during retreat we chant in the morning and evening. Chanting, after all, is music. Some types of music excite people. This is not the kind of music I'm talking about. Music conducive to practice should help people settle down. It can help the mind move from a confused and scattered state to a calmer, more concentrated state.

I have heard that a Korean woman has choreographed a Ch'an dance, and supposedly a person watching it can become settled, clear and calm. If that goal can be attained, then people should be encouraged to watch the dance being performed.