Dhyānabhadra (also known as Sunyadisya, Chi-Gong and Zhikong Chanxian) (1289–1363 C.E.) was an Indian

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 and translator. He taught first in China but later came to teach in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

towards the end of the

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

. He was affiliated with

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

schools of

Buddhism 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 ...

Sources

Much of what we know about Dhyanabhadra come from a collection of primary sources from both China and Korea. These include: *Record of Chan Essentials by the Monk Zhikong (Chanyao lu) *Zhikong’s Travel Record (Xinglu) *Zhikong’s Text of the Precepts of (Neither Arising Nor) Non-arising (Wushengjie Jing)

Life

Korean sources including the writings of Yi Saek detail that Dhyānabhadra was born as the third son of a minor chief in

Magadha Magadha was a region and one of the sixteen sa, script=Latn, Mahajanapadas, label=none, lit=Great Kingdoms of the Second Urbanization (600–200 BCE) in what is now south Bihar (before expansion) at the eastern Ganges Plain. Magadha was ruled ...

in 1289 C.E. At the age of eight, he enrolled at

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned '' mahavihara'' ( Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

teacher Vinayabhadra who encouraged him to travel abroad including to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. In 1324, he travelled to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

and from there he arrived in Korea. During his time there, he founded the Hwaeomsa Temple in 1328 which modelled on Nalanda. A stupa inscription claims that he died in China in 1366 C.E. During his time travelling through China and Korea, it was suggested that he had a role in instigating revolts against the ruling Mongols. 10 years following his death, and after the Mongols had been overthrown from Korea, his disciples erected a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as '' śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumam ...

on top of his remains. Much of what we know about him comes from the poetic inscription left on his stupa. He was so revered in Korea that after he died in 1363, King

Gongmin of Goryeo Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

had his relics brought back to the country where they were first placed in the royal palace and later placed at the Hoemsa temple.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhyanabhadra Monks of Nalanda 14th-century Buddhist monks

Sources

Life

See also

References