Speaker：     Yan Mikeyasu,  Associate Professor

                            Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia,

                            University of Tokyo

Moderator： Liu Chia-Hsing,  Associate Professor

                            Program on Interdisciplinary Studies,

                            National Cheng Kung University

The Transmission of the Lamp Records (denglu) represent one of the most influential textual traditions in Chan Buddhism. More than historical chronicles, these works served as authoritative narratives through which the Chan school articulated its lineage, affirmed its orthodoxy, and constructed its historical identity. Compiled over successive generations, they preserve a rich corpus of religious, historical, and literary materials documenting the transmission of the Dharma across generations.

This lecture examines seven major lamp records, beginning with the Zutang ji (Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall) and culminating in the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of the Five Lamp Records). Through a close comparative analysis of their textual architecture—including both the vertical organization of Dharma lineages and the horizontal ordering of patriarchal succession—Professor Yan explores how each compilation presents a distinctive interpretation of the concept of "transmission of the lamp."