Master Nan Huai-Chin
Encyclopedia
Nan Huai-Chin is a spiritual teacher of contemporary China
. He is the most eminent student of the renowned lay
Chán
Buddhist teacher Yuan Huan-Xian (Ch. 袁煥仙; 1887–1966), and he has received confirmation of his enlightenment by various masters of the Buddhist traditions. He is considered by many to be a major force in the revival of Chinese Buddhism. While Nan is regarded by many in China as the most important living Chán Buddhist teacher, he is little known outside the Sinosphere
.
, in China's Zhejiang Province to a scholar-class family. In his youth, Nan studied various Confucian
and Daoist
works, and his studies included basic coverage of traditional Chinese medicine
, Chinese literature
, calligraphy
, and poetry
as well. In his youth at the age of 18, he became the provincial martial arts
champion after studying several Chinese martial arts
, including swordsmanship
.
Nan studied social welfare at Jinling University (now merged with Nanjing University
) and later went on to teach at the Central Military Academy in Nanjing
. In the late 1930s at age 21 years of age, Nan became a military commander at the border regions of Sichuan
, Xikang
, and Yunnan
during the Second Sino-Japanese War
. There, he led a local group of 30,000 men against the Japanese invasion.
. In 1942 at age 24, he went on a three year meditation retreat in the Emei Mountains
. It is said that it was there that he verified his enlightenment against the Chinese Buddhist Canon
. During this time, Nan's primary teacher was Yuan Huan-Xian, a renowned lay Buddhist teacher.
In 1945, Nan later traveled to Tibet
to learn the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism. It was there that Kunga Hutuktu, a high-ranking tulku
of the Kagyu
school, also verified Nan's enlightenment. Kunga Hutuktu later gave Nan an additional title of "Vajra Master." Nan is one of the few multidisciplinary experts in the world to be versed in the cultivation schools of Vajrayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Chán Buddhism.
in 1949 where he became a well-known university professor and author. His first book, The Sea of Chán was published in 1956 and was the first in a line of over 40 books and related materials published in his name.
Nan's books have achieved a great deal of popularity in China and Taiwan. In total, more than 20 million copies of his books have been sold in Chinese-speaking countries.http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Sutra-Explained-Huaijin-Nan/dp/0971656126 Some of his more popular works have gone to a 20th printing in Taiwan and his works on Confucianism are used as standard university references in China and Taiwan. Thomas Cleary
, who has translated several of his books into English, has written the following about Nan's works and traditionally holistic teaching approach:
In January 1992, Nan signed a contract with the Chinese government and invested 92 million RMB in the Jinwen Railway, which is the first joint-stock railway in China. In the 1990s, he changed his place of residence from Taiwan to Hong Kong
, where he lived for some time. In 2004, Nan relocated to China where he currently resides near Suzhou.
Center (太湖大學堂), which contains the Wujiang Taihu International School. The school curriculum is meant to combine the best approaches of traditional China and the West. It has unique emphases such as meditation
, ethics
and etiquette
, traditional Chinese medical theory
, and Chinese
and English
recitation.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He is the most eminent student of the renowned lay
Upasaka
Upāsaka or Upāsikā are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, and who undertake certain vows...
Chán
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhist teacher Yuan Huan-Xian (Ch. 袁煥仙; 1887–1966), and he has received confirmation of his enlightenment by various masters of the Buddhist traditions. He is considered by many to be a major force in the revival of Chinese Buddhism. While Nan is regarded by many in China as the most important living Chán Buddhist teacher, he is little known outside the Sinosphere
Sinosphere
In areal linguistics, Sinosphere refers to a grouping of countries and regions that are currently inhabited with a majority of Chinese population or were historically under Chinese cultural influence...
.
Early life and military career
Born 1918 in Wenzhou CityWenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
, in China's Zhejiang Province to a scholar-class family. In his youth, Nan studied various Confucian
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
and Daoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
works, and his studies included basic coverage of traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
, Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
, calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practised and revered in the Sinosphere. This most often includes China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The East Asian calligraphic tradition originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of...
, and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
as well. In his youth at the age of 18, he became the provincial martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
champion after studying several Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
, including swordsmanship
Jian
The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...
.
Nan studied social welfare at Jinling University (now merged with Nanjing University
Nanjing University
Nanjing University , or Nanking University, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China...
) and later went on to teach at the Central Military Academy in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
. In the late 1930s at age 21 years of age, Nan became a military commander at the border regions of Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, Xikang
Xikang
Xikang or Sikang , is a defunct province of the Republic of China , comprising most of the Kham region of traditional Tibet, where Khampas, a subgroup of the Tibetan ethnicity, live. The area is also home to a small minority of Mongol ethnicity...
, and Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. There, he led a local group of 30,000 men against the Japanese invasion.
Buddhist practice
While still young, Nan left his military career so that he could commit himself fully to his study of Buddhism and to meditationBuddhist meditation
Buddhist meditation refers to the meditative practices associated with the religion and philosophy of Buddhism.Core meditation techniques have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and have proliferated and diversified through teacher-student transmissions. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of...
. In 1942 at age 24, he went on a three year meditation retreat in the Emei Mountains
Mount Emei
"峨眉山" redirects here. For the county-level city that Mount Emei is located in, see Emeishan CityMount Emei is a mountain in Sichuan province, China...
. It is said that it was there that he verified his enlightenment against the Chinese Buddhist Canon
Chinese Buddhist canon
The Chinese Buddhist Canon refers to the total body of Buddhist literature deemed canonical in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Buddhism...
. During this time, Nan's primary teacher was Yuan Huan-Xian, a renowned lay Buddhist teacher.
In 1945, Nan later traveled to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to learn the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism. It was there that Kunga Hutuktu, a high-ranking tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
of the Kagyu
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
school, also verified Nan's enlightenment. Kunga Hutuktu later gave Nan an additional title of "Vajra Master." Nan is one of the few multidisciplinary experts in the world to be versed in the cultivation schools of Vajrayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Chán Buddhism.
Academic and personal life
Following the revolution in China, Nan later moved to TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 1949 where he became a well-known university professor and author. His first book, The Sea of Chán was published in 1956 and was the first in a line of over 40 books and related materials published in his name.
Nan's books have achieved a great deal of popularity in China and Taiwan. In total, more than 20 million copies of his books have been sold in Chinese-speaking countries.http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Sutra-Explained-Huaijin-Nan/dp/0971656126 Some of his more popular works have gone to a 20th printing in Taiwan and his works on Confucianism are used as standard university references in China and Taiwan. Thomas Cleary
Thomas Cleary
Thomas Cleary is a prolific author and translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and Muslim classics, and of the Chinese Art of War tradition of strategy and statecraft. He lives in Oakland, California in the United States.-Life and work:...
, who has translated several of his books into English, has written the following about Nan's works and traditionally holistic teaching approach:
In January 1992, Nan signed a contract with the Chinese government and invested 92 million RMB in the Jinwen Railway, which is the first joint-stock railway in China. In the 1990s, he changed his place of residence from Taiwan to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where he lived for some time. In 2004, Nan relocated to China where he currently resides near Suzhou.
Taihu Great Learning Center
Near Suzhou, Nan founded the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) Taihu Great LearningGreat Learning
The Great Learning was one of the "Four Books" in Confucianism. The Great Learning had come from a chapter in the Classic of Rites which formed one of the Five Classics. It consists of a short main text attributed to the teachings of Confucius and then ten commentary chapters accredited to one...
Center (太湖大學堂), which contains the Wujiang Taihu International School. The school curriculum is meant to combine the best approaches of traditional China and the West. It has unique emphases such as meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
, traditional Chinese medical theory
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
, and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
recitation.
Books in English
This is a list of translations of Nan Huaijin's books. The vast majority of books written by Nan have not been translated into the English language from the original Chinese.- 1984 Tao & Longevity: Mind-Body Transformation, Paperback. 1984 ISBN 0-87728-542-X
- 1993 Working Toward Enlightenment: The Cultivation of Practice, Paperback. 1993 ISBN 0-87728-776-7
- 1994 To Realize Enlightenment: Practice of the Cultivation Path, Paperback. 1994 ISBN 0-87728-802-X
- 1995 The Story of Chinese Zen, Paperback. 1995 ISBN 0-8048-3050-9
- 1997 Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen, Paperback. 1997 ISBN 1-57863-020-7
- 2004 Diamond Sutra Explained, Paperback. 2004 ISBN 0-9716561-2-6