Ryōkei Shōsen
Ryōkei Shōsen ( Japanese 龍 渓 性 潜 ; * September 15, 1602 in Kyōto ; † 1670 drowned near Osaka ) was a Buddhist monk of the early days of Ōbaku-Zen, who through his contacts with the resigned Tennō contributed significantly to its establishment in Japan.
Life path
Ryōkei Shōsen was born as the second son of Okamura Sei'ichirōs . In gratitude that the father recovered from a serious illness, the family chose the boy for a spiritual career. At the age of eight he was given to the Tō-ji , the main temple of the Shingon-shū . Up to the age of 16 he was trained in the teachings of esoteric Buddhism.
After he had left this temple, he was ordained by Chūshitsu Genshō in Jiun-san Fumon-ji, a small temple of the Rinzai-shū in Tonda ( Settsu Province ). After the death of his teacher, he went on a journey for several years and then, still comparatively young, became the fifth ruler of this temple. At this time he received inka ( 印 可 ) as confirmation of his enlightenment from Hakubo Eryō , a master of the Myōshin-ji lineage. When he died in 1629, Ryōkei Shōsen succeeded him as abbot of a secondary temple of Ryōan-ji .
Soon thereafter, the appointment as head of the Myōshin-ji took place. In 1651 he was then abbot of this important temple and was awarded a purple robe by the Tennō . At this time he first became acquainted with the teachings of the Chinese Zen master Yin-Yüan , who, already old, was going to Nagasaki . When he was the abbot of Myōshin-ji for the second time, he invited Yin-yüan to Kyōto, which he was only able to accept as a foreigner after obtaining permission from Bakufu . The procured free movement finally made it possible Yin-yuan in Uji the Manpuku-ji as the main temple of shū Obaku to start. In 1664 Ryōkei received inka again from Yin-yüan, making him the first Japanese Dharma successor of this master. In the same year he was commissioned as colonel to re-establish the Hōrin-san Shōmyō-ji in Hino . Originally built by Shōtoku Taishi , this temple burned down in the late 16th century.
Ryōkei promoted the new line of Zen, Ōbaku, which united the teachings of the Rinzai -Zen with those of the Shin-shū , through his close contact with the Go-Mizunoo -in (r. 1612-29; † 1680) since 1661. The abdicated Tennō was in contact with Ryōkei for decades. In 1665 Ryōkei ordained a daughter of Go-Mizunoo, who then received the teizen hakuju -Kōan as a task in 1667 . Due to his answer, he received some time later, as the only Japanese ruler ever, Inka von Ryōkei, about the validity of which a dispute broke out among dogmatists after his death. In 1669, Ryōkei received the honorary title Daishūshōtō Zenji from Go-Mizunoo .
In the eighth month of 1670 Ryōkei held lectures for laypeople in the Reiki-san Kyūshin of Osaka. On August 23, he was trapped in the swelling nearby rivers Kizu and Yasuhara and drowned. Before that, he still had time to write a farewell poem, which was found. In the official genealogy of the Ōbaku, he is considered the 33rd generation patriarch since Huangbo Xiyun . In his memory, the Kao-chü'an ( 高 泉 ) used, three stupas were built: in the Mampuku-ji, in Shōmyō-ji and in Keizui-ji (Tonda).
Literature and Sources
- Helen Baroni: Obaku Zen. The Emergence of the Third Sect of Zen in Tokugawa Japan . University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu 2000, ISBN 0-8248-2195-5
Remarks
- ↑ "The oak tree in the garden" 37. Fall of Mumonkan
- ↑ Japanese calendar
- ↑ Ōbaku-shū kanroku
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ryōkei, Shōsen |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 龍 渓 性 潜 (Japanese); Daishūshōtō Zenji (honorary) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Buddhist monk of the early days of Ōbaku Zen |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 15, 1602 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kyoto |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1670 |
| Place of death | at Osaka |