Sugyoroku (Record of the Mirror of the Essential Teaching) (宗鏡録)

Sugyoroku is a book of the Buddhism theory compiled in 100 volumes by Enju EIMIN, the monk who lived during the times between Wu-yueh in the Chinese Godai Jikkoku era and early Northern Sung Dynasty period.

It was established in 961.

The compiler Enju was a Zen monk who entered the priesthood under the tutelage of Reizan SUIGAN, a disciple of Gizon SEPPO. Enju subsequently became Shiho (to inherit the dharma from a priest master) of Tokusho TENDAI. This book was the main literary work of Enju written in the format in which learned priests of various sects interactively exchanged questions and answers extracted from the key sentences of literary works that were the gist of the teachings of various sects such as Yuishiki, Kegon and Tendai in addition to Zen but, ultimately, those different views were consolidated under the principles of 'Shinshu' (another term for the Zen Sect).

This stance on consolidating various sects was also detected in "Manzen Dokishu" and, when 'Zenjo Soshu' (the Joint Practice of Zen and Pure Land) and 'Kyozen Icchi' (the Convergence of Zen and the Teachings) were advocated later on, the book written by Enju came to attract attention.

It is included in "Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo" (A collection of Buddhist Scriptures compiled in 100 volumes), Volume 48, 'Shoshu bu' (All the sects) Chapter 5.

[Original Japanese]