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

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 {{China-reli-bio-stub