Difference between revisions of "Daoxin"
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[[Dayi Daoxin]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[道信]]， Wade–Giles: [[Tao-hsin]]) ([[Japanese]]: [[Dōshin]]) (580–651) was the [[fourth Chán Buddhist Patriarch]], following [[Jianzhi Sengcan]] [[僧璨]] ([[died]] 606) (Wade–Giles: [[Chien-chih Seng-ts'an]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Kanchi Sosan]]) and preceding [[Hongren]] {{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[弘忍]]) (601–674). | [[Dayi Daoxin]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[道信]]， Wade–Giles: [[Tao-hsin]]) ([[Japanese]]: [[Dōshin]]) (580–651) was the [[fourth Chán Buddhist Patriarch]], following [[Jianzhi Sengcan]] [[僧璨]] ([[died]] 606) (Wade–Giles: [[Chien-chih Seng-ts'an]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Kanchi Sosan]]) and preceding [[Hongren]] {{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[弘忍]]) (601–674). | ||
| + | [[File:Baolin04.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
| + | The earliest mention of [[Daoxin]] is in the [[Hsü kao-seng chuan]] ([[Further Biographies of Eminent Monks]] (645) (Pin-yin, [[Xu gao-seng zhuan]]; [[Japanese]], [[Zoku kosoden]];) by [[Tao-hsuan]] (d. 667)) | ||
| − | + | A later source, the [[Ch'üan fa pao chi]] ([[Annals of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure]]), written around 712, gives further details of [[Daoxin's life]]. | |
| + | As with many of the very earliest [[Chan masters]], the accuracy of the historical record is questionable and in some cases, [[contradictory]] in details. The following {{Wiki|biography}} is the [[traditional]] story of [[Daoxin]], culled from various sources, [[including]] the [[Wudeng Huiyuan]] ([[Compendium of Five Lamps]]), compiled in the early thirteenth century by the [[monk]] [[Dachuan Lingyin Puji]] (1179–1253). | ||
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| + | [[File:Ch tou-13.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
{{Wiki|Biography}} | {{Wiki|Biography}} | ||
| − | [[Daoxin]], whose surname was [[Ssu-ma]], was born in or close to [[Huai-ning]], [[Anhwei]], {{Wiki|north}} of the {{Wiki|Yellow River}}. He began studying [[Buddhism]] at the age of seven and although his [[teacher]] was a man of impure [[moral conduct]], [[Daoxin]] maintained the [[Buddhist]] [[ | + | [[Daoxin]], whose surname was [[Ssu-ma]], was born in or close to [[Huai-ning]], [[Anhwei]], {{Wiki|north}} of the {{Wiki|Yellow River}}. |
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| + | He began studying [[Buddhism]] at the age of seven and although his [[teacher]] was a man of impure [[moral conduct]], [[Daoxin]] maintained the [[Buddhist morality]] on his [[own]] without his [[teacher’s]] [[knowledge]] for five or six years. | ||
According to [[Wikipedia:Jianzhi Sengcan|Jianzhi Sengcan’s]] chronicle in the [[Compendium of Five Lamps]], [[Daoxin]] met [[Sengcan]] when he was only fourteen years old. The following exchange took place: | According to [[Wikipedia:Jianzhi Sengcan|Jianzhi Sengcan’s]] chronicle in the [[Compendium of Five Lamps]], [[Daoxin]] met [[Sengcan]] when he was only fourteen years old. The following exchange took place: | ||
| − | [[Daoxin]]: I ask for the [[Master’s]] [[compassion]]. Please instruct me on how to achieve release. | + | [[Daoxin]]: I ask for the [[Master’s]] [[compassion]]. Please instruct me on how to achieve [[release]]. |
[[Sengcan]]: Is there someone who constrains [binds] you? | [[Sengcan]]: Is there someone who constrains [binds] you? | ||
[[Daoxin]]: There is no such [[person]]. | [[Daoxin]]: There is no such [[person]]. | ||
| − | [[Sengcan]]: Why then seek release when you are constrained by no one? | + | [[Sengcan]]: Why then seek [[release]] when you are constrained by no one? |
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| + | Upon {{Wiki|hearing}} these words, [[Daoxin]] was [[enlightened]]. He attended to [[Sengcan]] for the next nine years. | ||
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| + | When [[Sengcan]] went to [[Mount Lo-fu]] he refused permission for [[Daoxin]] to follow him, saying “The [[Dharma]] has been transmitted from [[Patriarch]] [[Bodhidharma]] to me. I am going to the {{Wiki|South}} and will leave you [here] to spread and {{Wiki|protect}} [the [[Dharma]]). | ||
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| + | ”(from the [[Ch’üan fa pao chi]]) For ten years he studied with [[Zhikai]] at [[Great Woods Temple]] on [[Mount Lu]]. | ||
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| + | [[Zhikai]] (Wade–Giles: [[Shih-k’ai]]) was an {{Wiki|adept}} of the [[Taintai]] and [[Sanlun]] schools and also chanted the [[Buddha’s]] [[name]] as part of his [[practice]]; | ||
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| + | [[Daoxin’s]] [[practice]] was influenced by these other schools. | ||
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| + | [[Daoxin]] received [[ordination]] as a [[monk]] in 607. | ||
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| + | In 617,[[ Daoxin]] and some of his [[disciples]] traveled to [[Ji Province]] ({{Wiki|modern}} [[Ji'an City]] in [[Jiangxi]] Province) and entered the town, which was under siege by bandits.[[Daoxin]] [[taught]] the residents the [[Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra]] ([[Perfection of Wisdom]]) which [[caused]] the bandits to abandon their siege. | ||
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| + | [[Daoxin]] eventually settled at [[East Mountain Temple]] on [[Shuangfeng]] ("[[Twin Peaks]]") where he [[taught]] [[Chan Buddhism]] for thirty years and attracted large numbers of practitioners, some records say five hundred [[laypeople]] and [[monks]]. | ||
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| + | In 643 the [[Wikipedia:Emperor Tai Zong|emperor Tai Zong]] invited [[Daoxin]] to the {{Wiki|capital}} city but [[Daoxin]] refused to appear. | ||
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| + | Three times the [[emperor]] sent emissaries and three times [[Daoxin]] refused the invitation. The third [[time]] the [[emperor]] instructed to either bring back [[Daoxin]] or his head. | ||
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| + | When the emissary related this instruction to [[Daoxin]], [[Daoxin]] exposed and stretched out his neck to allow the emissary to chop off his head. The envoy was so shocked he reported this event to the [[emperor]], who then honored [[Daoxin]] as an exemplary [[Buddhist monk]]. | ||
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| + | In August, 651, [[Daoxin]] ordered his students [[to build]] his [[stupa]] as he was soon to [[die]]. | ||
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| + | According to the [[Hsü kao-seng chuan]], when asked by his [[disciples]] to [[name]] a successor, [[Daoxin]] replied, “I have made many deputations during my [[life]].” He then [[died]]. | ||
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| + | The [[Wikipedia:Emperor Tai Zong|emperor Dai Zong]] honored [[Daoxin]] with the posthumous [[name]] “[[Dayi]]” ([[Great Healer]]). | ||
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| + | ===Teachings== | ||
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| + | The teachings of [[Daoxin]] (and his successor, [[Hongren]]) are known as the {{Wiki|East}} [[Mountain Teachings]], a precursor to the flowering of [[Chan]] on a national scale some seventy-five years later at the beginning of the eighth century. Of significance is that [[Daoxin]] was the first [[Chan master]] to settle at one spot for an extended period of [[time]], developing a {{Wiki|stable}} {{Wiki|community}} [[life]] which would lead to [[monastic]] [[Chan]] communities throughout [[China]]. | ||
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| + | [[Dumoulin]] speculates that as [[alms]] begging was no longer viable (due to the size of [[Daoxin’s]] {{Wiki|community}} and its [[relative]] isolation from centers of population), the [[monks]] had no choice but to work in the fields and develop administrative skills as well as engage in [[meditation]] [[practice]]. | ||
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| + | Henceforth, [[Chan]] [[practice]] could no longer be confined to the [[meditation]] hall but the [[spirit]] of [[practice]] had to extend to the daily duties as well. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The need to extend [[religious]] [[practice]] to all aspects of one’s [[life]] became a {{Wiki|central}} theme in [[Chan]] teachings. | ||
| − | + | As the record of [[Daoxin’s]] teachings (The [[Five Gates of Daoxin]]) did not appear until the second decade of the eighth century, after [[Hongren’s]] record, its historical accuracy is in some [[doubt]]. | |
| − | + | The [[Chronicle of the Lankavatara Masters]], which appeared in the early eighth century, has [[Daoxin]] quoting from the [[Prajnaparamita]] ([[Perfection of Wisdom]]) and [[Pure Land sutras]] but whether study of these [[sutras]] formed part of [[Daoxin’s]] teachings is unlikely. | |
| − | + | It is clear, however, that [[Daoxin]] [[taught]] [[meditation]]. | |
| − | + | The [[Zen]] [[scholar]] [[Seizan Yanagida]] stated that the expression “[[samadhi]] of one [[practice]]” was the [[heart]] of [[Daoxin’s]] [[practice]]. | |
| − | |||
| − | The | + | The [[Five Gates of Daoxin]] quotes him as saying “[[Buddha]] is the [[mind]]. Outside of the [[mind]] there is no [[Buddha]].” In a later chronicle he is quoted exhorting his students to “Sit earnestly in [[meditation]]! |
| − | + | Sitting in [[meditation]] is basic to all else….Do not read the [[sutras]], discuss with no one!” (ibid) On his deathbed, the [[Compendium of Five Lamps]] records that [[Daoxin]] said, “All of the {{Wiki|myriad}} [[dharmas]] of the [[world]] are to be dropped away. Each of you, {{Wiki|protect}} this [[understanding]] and carry it into the {{Wiki|future}}.” | |
</poem> | </poem> | ||
{{W}} | {{W}} | ||
[[Category:Chan]] | [[Category:Chan]] | ||
| + | {{ChineseTerms}} | ||
Latest revision as of 01:13, 15 November 2020
Dayi Daoxin (Chinese: 道信， Wade–Giles: Tao-hsin) (Japanese: Dōshin) (580–651) was the fourth Chán Buddhist Patriarch, following Jianzhi Sengcan 僧璨 (died 606) (Wade–Giles: Chien-chih Seng-ts'an; Japanese: Kanchi Sosan) and preceding Hongren Chinese: 弘忍) (601–674).
The earliest mention of Daoxin is in the Hsü kao-seng chuan (Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (645) (Pin-yin, Xu gao-seng zhuan; Japanese, Zoku kosoden;) by Tao-hsuan (d. 667))
A later source, the Ch'üan fa pao chi (Annals of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure), written around 712, gives further details of Daoxin's life.
As with many of the very earliest Chan masters, the accuracy of the historical record is questionable and in some cases, contradictory in details. The following biography is the traditional story of Daoxin, culled from various sources, including the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of Five Lamps), compiled in the early thirteenth century by the monk Dachuan Lingyin Puji (1179–1253).
Biography
Daoxin, whose surname was Ssu-ma, was born in or close to Huai-ning, Anhwei, north of the Yellow River.
He began studying Buddhism at the age of seven and although his teacher was a man of impure moral conduct, Daoxin maintained the Buddhist morality on his own without his teacher’s knowledge for five or six years.
According to Jianzhi Sengcan’s chronicle in the Compendium of Five Lamps, Daoxin met Sengcan when he was only fourteen years old. The following exchange took place:
Daoxin: I ask for the Master’s compassion. Please instruct me on how to achieve release.
Sengcan: Is there someone who constrains [binds] you?
Daoxin: There is no such person.
Sengcan: Why then seek release when you are constrained by no one?
Upon hearing these words, Daoxin was enlightened. He attended to Sengcan for the next nine years.
When Sengcan went to Mount Lo-fu he refused permission for Daoxin to follow him, saying “The Dharma has been transmitted from Patriarch Bodhidharma to me. I am going to the South and will leave you [here] to spread and protect [the Dharma).
”(from the Ch’üan fa pao chi) For ten years he studied with Zhikai at Great Woods Temple on Mount Lu.
Zhikai (Wade–Giles: Shih-k’ai) was an adept of the Taintai and Sanlun schools and also chanted the Buddha’s name as part of his practice;
Daoxin’s practice was influenced by these other schools.
Daoxin received ordination as a monk in 607.
In 617,Daoxin and some of his disciples traveled to Ji Province (modern Ji'an City in Jiangxi Province) and entered the town, which was under siege by bandits.Daoxin taught the residents the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Wisdom) which caused the bandits to abandon their siege.
Daoxin eventually settled at East Mountain Temple on Shuangfeng ("Twin Peaks") where he taught Chan Buddhism for thirty years and attracted large numbers of practitioners, some records say five hundred laypeople and monks.
In 643 the emperor Tai Zong invited Daoxin to the capital city but Daoxin refused to appear.
Three times the emperor sent emissaries and three times Daoxin refused the invitation. The third time the emperor instructed to either bring back Daoxin or his head.
When the emissary related this instruction to Daoxin, Daoxin exposed and stretched out his neck to allow the emissary to chop off his head. The envoy was so shocked he reported this event to the emperor, who then honored Daoxin as an exemplary Buddhist monk.
In August, 651, Daoxin ordered his students to build his stupa as he was soon to die.
According to the Hsü kao-seng chuan, when asked by his disciples to name a successor, Daoxin replied, “I have made many deputations during my life.” He then died.
The emperor Dai Zong honored Daoxin with the posthumous name “Dayi” (Great Healer).
===Teachings==
The teachings of Daoxin (and his successor, Hongren) are known as the East Mountain Teachings, a precursor to the flowering of Chan on a national scale some seventy-five years later at the beginning of the eighth century. Of significance is that Daoxin was the first Chan master to settle at one spot for an extended period of time, developing a stable community life which would lead to monastic Chan communities throughout China.
Dumoulin speculates that as alms begging was no longer viable (due to the size of Daoxin’s community and its relative isolation from centers of population), the monks had no choice but to work in the fields and develop administrative skills as well as engage in meditation practice.
Henceforth, Chan practice could no longer be confined to the meditation hall but the spirit of practice had to extend to the daily duties as well.
The need to extend religious practice to all aspects of one’s life became a central theme in Chan teachings.
As the record of Daoxin’s teachings (The Five Gates of Daoxin) did not appear until the second decade of the eighth century, after Hongren’s record, its historical accuracy is in some doubt.
The Chronicle of the Lankavatara Masters, which appeared in the early eighth century, has Daoxin quoting from the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) and Pure Land sutras but whether study of these sutras formed part of Daoxin’s teachings is unlikely.
It is clear, however, that Daoxin taught meditation.
The Zen scholar Seizan Yanagida stated that the expression “samadhi of one practice” was the heart of Daoxin’s practice.
The Five Gates of Daoxin quotes him as saying “Buddha is the mind. Outside of the mind there is no Buddha.” In a later chronicle he is quoted exhorting his students to “Sit earnestly in meditation!
Sitting in meditation is basic to all else….Do not read the sutras, discuss with no one!” (ibid) On his deathbed, the Compendium of Five Lamps records that Daoxin said, “All of the myriad dharmas of the world are to be dropped away. Each of you, protect this understanding and carry it into the future.”
