Daman Hongren
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Hongren (, 601–674),
posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
''Daman'', was the 5th
Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
of
Chan Buddhism Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and So ...
(
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
: 禅宗五祖). Hongren is said to have received
Dharma transmission In Chan Buddhism, Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken Lineage (Buddhism), lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' (''kechimyaku'') theoretica ...
from
Dayi Daoxin Dayi Daoxin ( Chinese: 道信; Pinyin: ''Dàoxìn;'' Wade–Giles: ''Tao-hsin;'' Romanji: ''Dōshin''), who lived from 580–651, was the fourth Chán Buddhist Patriarch, following Jianzhi Sengcan ( Chinese: 鑑智僧璨; Pīnyīn: ''Jiànzhì S ...
and passed on the symbolic bowl and robe of transmission to
Huineng Dajian Huineng (); (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713), also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch or Sixth Ancestor of Chan (traditional Chinese: 禪宗六祖), is a semi-legendary but central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Buddhi ...
, the Sixth and last Chan Patriarch.


Biography

As with all the early Chan patriarchs, many of the details of Hongren’s life are uncertain and much of his biography is layered with legend added well after his death. The following biography is based on Chan traditional sources.


Childhood

Hongren was born in Huangmei with the family name Chou. His father abandoned the family but Hongren displayed exemplary filial duty in supporting his mother. Although the ''Records of the Teachers and Disciples of the Lankavatara'' claim that Hongren’s father abandoned the family, Chan scholar John McRae points out that Hongren’s residence was converted to a monastery, implying that Hongren’s family was probably wealthy and prominent locally. Furthermore, mention of Hongren doing menial labour would only be of significance if this were unusual, indicating that Hongren was of upper-class birth.


Chán-studies under Daoxin

At the age of either seven or twelve, Hongren left home to become a monk and began his studies under
Daoxin Dayi Daoxin ( Chinese: 道信; Pinyin: ''Dàoxìn;'' Wade–Giles: ''Tao-hsin;'' Romanji: ''Dōshin''), who lived from 580–651, was the fourth Chán Buddhist Patriarch, following Jianzhi Sengcan ( Chinese: 鑑智僧璨; Pīnyīn: ''Jiànzhì ...
, who, according to tradition, immediately recognized his insight: :Daoxin met Hongren on a road in Huangmei. Daoxin asked his name. :Hongren replied, “I have essence but it is not a common name.” :The Chan master asked, “What name is it?” :Hongren said, “It is the essence of Buddhahood.” :Daoxin replied, “Have you no name?” :Hongren said, “None, because essence is empty.” :With this, Daoxin passed on the teaching and the robe (making Hongren the next Patriarch of Chan). The Ch’üan fa pao chi (''Annals of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure''), written approximately 712, says that Hongren was quiet and withdrawn, diligent in his menial labors, and sat in meditation throughout the night. He “never looked at the Buddhist scriptures” but understood everything he heard.McRae, 1986:263 After some ten years of teaching, the record claims that “eight or nine of every ten ordained and lay aspirants in the country had studied under him.” Hongren stayed with Daoxin until the latter’s death in 651. Presumably, he was with Daoxin when the master was at Ta-lin ssu on Mount Lou and followed him to Mount Shuangfeng, one of the “twin peaks” of Huangmei.


Teachings


East mountain Teaching

Hongren was significant in the development of early Chinese Chan. The teachings of both Daoxin and Hongren became known as the “East Mountain Teachings”, but Hongren was the more prominent of the two. Later tradition has it that Hongren, after Daoxin’s death, moved the community of
monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...
to the East Peak, the easterly of the “Twin Peaks”. The teachings of Daoxin and Hongren became known as the
East Mountain Teaching East Mountain Teaching () denotes the teachings of the Fourth Ancestor Dayi Daoxin, his student and heir the Fifth Ancestor Daman Hongren, and their students and lineage of Chan Buddhism. ''East Mountain Teaching'' gets its name from the East M ...
. The East Mountain Teachings were seen as the “authentic” Chan Buddhist teachings as promoted by Hongren’s student,
Yuquan Shenxiu Yuquan Shenxiu (, 606?–706) was one of the most influential Chan masters of his day, a Patriarch of the East Mountain Teaching of Chan Buddhism. Shenxiu was Dharma heir of Daman Hongren (601–674), honoured by Wu Zetian (r. 690–705) of t ...
(606?-706), the most prominent Buddhist monk of his time. Hongren’s significance can be noted by the fact that a compilation of his teachings, presumably shortly after his death, the ''Treatise on the Essentials of Cultivating the Mind'', () is the earliest collection of the teachings of a Chan master.


Meditation practice

Although Hongren’s students included Vinaya specialists,
sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...
translators, and
Huayan The Huayan or Flower Garland school of Buddhism (, from sa, अवतंसक, Avataṃsaka) is a tradition of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy that first flourished in China during the Tang dynasty, Tang dynasty (618-907). The Huayan worldview is ...
and
Pure Land A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). Th ...
devotees, Hongren’s teaching focused on meditation practice. According to the ''Treatise on the Essentials of Cultivating the Mind'', Hongren's basic teaching was that the Pure Mind was obscured by “discriminating thinking, false thoughts, and ascriptive views.” Eliminating false thoughts and maintaining a constant awareness of one’s natural enlightenment ensures Nirvana naturally arises. Two meditation techniques are specifically mentioned in the Treatise. Hongren is said to have instructed, "Look to where the horizon disappears beyond the sky and behold the figure ''one''. … It is good for those beginning to sit in meditation, when they find their mind distracted, to focus their mind on the figure ''one''." The Chinese character for "one" is a single horizontal line, resembling a horizon, and metaphorically represents the unity of the mind and Buddha nature. He also taught that the meditator should observe the mental processes within: "View your own consciousness tranquilly and attentively, so that you can see how it is always moving, like flowing water or a glittering mirage. …until its fluctuations dissolve into peaceful stability. This flowing consciousness will disappear like a gust of wind. When this consciousness disappears, all one’s illusions will disappear along with it."


Influence

Hongren was held in high esteem by later Chan-adepts in the ancient capital cities of
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
and
Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
in the early eighth century, when Chan moved from a rural base to the centre of Chinese power, in the major urban areas and the imperial court.Dumoulin, 1994-1988:101-102


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hongren, Daman 601 births 674 deaths *5 Tang dynasty Buddhists Chinese Zen Buddhists People from Huangmei County