Protection of the Dharma Record (護法錄)

About 護法錄

Ming · by 宋濂著　袾宏輯　錢謙益訂

152,668 · about 509 min

The *Hufa Lu* is a significant Buddhist text from the Ming Dynasty, composed by Song Lian, compiled by Zhuhong, and revised by Qian Qianyi. This work emerged against the historical backdrop of the late Ming Buddhist revival and the integration of the three teachings: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Its primary content consists of Buddhist stele inscriptions, biographies, prefaces, and other writings authored by Song Lian, systematically compiling the life stories and Buddhist thought of eminent monks and great masters from the Yuan to the early Ming period. It simultaneously offers a robust refutation of the anti-Buddhist arguments of its time, defending the orthodox status of Buddhism. This text is not only a crucial historical source for the study of Song-Ming Buddhist history and the relationship between Confucianism and Buddhism, but also, due to its documentary authority, is hailed as a gem of Buddhist historical biography. It holds an important position in both the intellectual and literary history of Chinese Buddhism.