Hongzhi Zhengjue (, ), also sometimes called Tiantong Zhengjue (; ) (1091–1157),
/ref> was an influential Chinese

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk who authored or compiled several influential texts. Hongzhi's conception of ''silent illumination'' is of particular importance to the Chinese

Caodong Caodong school () is a Chinese Chan Buddhist sect and one of the Five Houses of Chán. Etymology The key figure in the Caodong school was founder Dongshan Liangjie (807-869, 洞山良价 or Jpn. Tozan Ryokai). Some attribute the name "Cáodòng" ...

Chan and Japanese

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngshān L ...

Zen schools. Hongzhi was also the author of the ''

Book of Equanimity ''Book of Equanimity'' or ''Book of Serenity'' or ''Book of Composure'' (Chinese: 從容錄, Cóngróng lù; Japanese: 従容錄, ''Shōyōroku'') is a book compiled by Wansong Xingxiu (1166–1246), and first published in 1224. The book comprise ...

'', an important collection of ''kōan''s.

Life

According to the account given in Taigen Dan Leighton's ''Cultivating the Empty Field'', Hongzhi was born to a family named Li in Xizhou, present-day

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

province. He left home at the age of eleven to become a monk, studying under Caodong master Kumu Facheng (枯木法成), among others, including Yuanwu Keqin, author of the famous ''kōan'' collection, the ''

Blue Cliff Record The ''Blue Cliff Record'' () is a collection of Chan Buddhist kōans originally compiled in Song China in 1125, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, and then expanded into its present form by Chan master Yuanwu Keqin (1063–1135; ).K. Sekida, ...

''. In 1129, Hongzhi began teaching at the Jingde monastery on

Mount Tiantong Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

, where he remained for nearly thirty years, until shortly before his death in 1157, when he ventured down the mountain to bid farewell to his supporters.

Texts

The main text associated with Hongzhi is a collection of one hundred of his kōans called the ''

'' (). This book was compiled after his death by

Wansong Xingxiu Wansong Xingxiu () or Wansong Yelao () (1166–1246) was a Chinese Buddhist monk who lived under the Jin dynasty and Mongol Empire. He was an influential member of the Caodong school of Chan Buddhism. Biography Wansong was born into the Cai fa ...

(1166–1246) at the urging of the Khitan statesman

Yelü Chucai Yelü Chucai (; mn, Urtu Saqaltu "Longbeard", written in Chinese characters as "", July 24, 1190 – June 20, 1244), courtesy name Jinqing (), was a Khitan statesman from the imperial clan of the Liao dynasty, who became a vigorous adviser and ...

(1190–1244), and first published in 1224, with commentaries by Wansong. This book is regarded as one of the key texts of the

Caodong school Caodong school () is a Chinese Chan Buddhist sect and one of the Five Houses of Chán. Etymology The key figure in the Caodong school was founder Dongshan Liangjie (807-869, 洞山良价 or Jpn. Tozan Ryokai). Some attribute the name "Cáodòng" ...

of Zen Buddhism. A collection of Hongzhi's philosophical texts has also been translated by Leighton. Hongzhi is often referred to as an exponent of Silent Illumination Chan ( in Japanese). Aside from his own teacher, Eihei Dōgen—the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan—quotes Hongzhi in his work more than any other Zen figure.

Sources

*''Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi''. Edited and translated by Taigen Dan Leighton. Tuttle Library of Enlightenment. Boston; Rutland, Vermont; Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000 (revised, expanded edition). *''The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans''. Translation and commentary by

Gerry Shishin Wick Gerry Shishin Wick is a Soto Zen roshi, author, oceanographer and abbot of Great Mountain Zen Center in Berthoud, Colorado, which he founded in 1996. He is one of the twelve Dharma Successors of the late Taizan Maezumi, receiving Dharma transmis ...

. Boston: Wisdom Publication 2005. *''The Book of Serenity''. Translated by Thomas Cleary. Hudson, New York: Lindisfarne Press, 1990.

References

External links

English translation of Shōyōroku
1091 births 1157 deaths Chinese spiritual writers Chan Buddhist monks Chinese Zen Buddhists Soto Zen Buddhists Song dynasty Buddhist monks Song dynasty writers People from Linfen Writers from Shanxi Silence {{China-writer-stub