Tánluán (, 476–542) was a Chinese
Buddhist monk. He is credited by
Hōnen as the founder of
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
in China. He is also considered the Third Patriarch of
Jōdo Shinshū, a popular school of
Buddhism in Japan.
Tanluan was originally a Buddhist scholar, but after becoming ill, he studied
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
in order to seek the
Elixir of Life
The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means ...
. However, after an encounter with
Bodhiruci
Bodhiruci () was a Buddhist monk from North India (6th century CE) active in the area of Luoyang, China. His 39 translated works include the ''Ten Stages Sutra
The ''Ten Stages Sutra'' (Sanskrit: ''Daśabhūmika Sūtra''; ; ) also known as th ...
, a Buddhist monk from India, Tanluan became a devotee of
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
and burnt his Taoist texts.
[T'an-luan, Pruden, Leo (1975). A Short Essay on the Pure Land, The Eastern Buddhist, New Series 8 (1), 74-95]
Tanluan later wrote his ''Commentary'' on Vasubandhu's ''Treatise on the Pure Land''. The commentary taught that the all beings could be reborn in
Sukhavati
Sukhavati (IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful") is a pure land of Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. It is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure Land, and is the most well-known of Buddhist pure lands, due to the popularity of Pure Land Budd ...
, the
pure land of
Amitābha, through sincere
nianfo
Nianfo (, Japanese: , , vi, niệm Phật) is a term commonly seen in Pure Land Buddhism. In the context of Pure Land practice, it generally refers to the repetition of the name of Amitābha. It is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' (or, "recoll ...
(recitation of a Buddha's name).
Tanluan also had a strong impact on
Daochuo, revered as the Fourth Patriarch of the Jōdo Shinshū school, who once visited his temple.
References
Literature
* Inagaki, Hisao : T'an-luan's Commentary on Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land, A Study and Translation
. 40, 1819; Kyōto, Nagata Bunshōdō, 1998.
* Tanluan: Commentaire au Traité de la naissance dans la Terre Pure de Vasubandhu, texte établi, annoté et traduit par Jérôme Ducor (Bibliothèque chinoise, vol. 31); Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2021; 310 pp. (ISBN: 978-2-251-45089-6)
* Shinko Mochizuki, Leo M. Pruden,Trans. (2000). Pure Land Buddhism in China: A Doctrinal History, Chapter 7: T'an-luan. In: Pacific World Journal, Third Series, Number 2, 149–165. Archived from th
original* Yukio Yamada (2000). T'an-luan's Theory of Two Kinds of Dharma-body as Found in Shinran's Wago Writings, Pacific World Journal, Third Series, Number 2, 99-113. Archived from th
original* Ryusei Takeda (2000). The Theoretical Structure of "Birth in the Pure Land": Based on the Meaning of T'an-luan's "Birth through Causal Conditions", Pacific World Journal, Third Series, Number 2, 31–60. Archived from th
original* Shoji Matsumoto (1986)
The Modern Relevance of Donran's Pure Land Buddhist Thought Pacific World Journal New Series 2, 36-41
476 births
572 deaths
Northern Wei Buddhist monks
Converts to Buddhism
Chinese spiritual writers
People from Xinzhou
Writers from Shanxi
Jōdo Shin patriarchs
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