Shan-tao
Encyclopedia
- This article is about Shan-tao (Zendō), an influential 7th century Buddhist writer. For other uses of Zendo see Zendo (disambiguation)Zendo (disambiguation)Zendo may refer to:* Zendo, a Japanese meditation hall.* Zendo , a game of inductive logic.* Shan-tao an influential Buddhist writer in the 7th Century....
Shan-tao ' onMouseout='HidePop("10031")' href="/topics/Japanese_language">Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: Zendō) (613-681) was an influential writer for the Pure Land
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism , also referred to as Amidism in English, is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular traditions of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha...
school of Buddhism, prominent in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. His writings had a strong influence on later Pure Land masters including Hōnen and Shinran
Shinran
was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period...
in Japan.
In Jodo Shinshu
Jodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
Buddhism, he is considered the Fifth Patriarch
Jodo Shinshu Patriarchs
The Seven Patriarchs of Jodo Shinshu were seven Buddhist monks who helped develop Pure Land Buddhism. Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, established a lineage for Pure Land Buddhist thought that traced to the time of Shakyamuni Buddha...
.
Biography
Shan-tao was born at Tzu-jou in the present AnhuiAnhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
Province. When he was young, he entered the priesthood and devoted himself to the study of the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life and the Vimalakirti Sutra
Vimalakirti Sutra
The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra , or Vimalakīrti Sūtra, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Among other subjects, the sutra teaches the meaning of nonduality...
. One day, in the year 641
641
Year 641 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 641 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* February 11 – Byzantine...
, he visited the temple of the famous Pure Land master, Tao-cho
Tao-cho
Tao-cho , who lived 562–645, was a Chinese Buddhist scholar of the Nirvana Sutra, but later became an eminent scholar of the Pure Land school. In Jodo Shinshu, he is considered the fourth Patriarch. According to legend, Tao-cho once visited the temple of Tan-luan, and read an inscription on the...
, who happened to be giving a lecture on the Contemplation Sutra
Contemplation Sutra
The Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra , is one of the three major Buddhist sūtras found within the Pure Land branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Amitāyus is another name for the buddha Amitābha, the preeminent figure in Pure Land Buddhism, and this sūtra focuses mainly on meditations involving complex visualization...
. This lecture ultimately inspired him to follow, and then spread the Pure Land Teachings
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism , also referred to as Amidism in English, is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular traditions of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha...
.
Shan-tao dwelt at the monastery of Xiangji Temple in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, which continues to honor his memory and contributions. In his lifetime, Shan-tao wrote five major works on Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism , also referred to as Amidism in English, is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular traditions of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha...
, with his commentaries on the Contemplation Sutra
Contemplation Sutra
The Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra , is one of the three major Buddhist sūtras found within the Pure Land branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Amitāyus is another name for the buddha Amitābha, the preeminent figure in Pure Land Buddhism, and this sūtra focuses mainly on meditations involving complex visualization...
being among the most influential.
Teachings
Shan-tao was one of the first to propose that salvation through AmitabhaAmitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
Buddha could be achieved simply through his name. The practice known as the nianfo
Nianfo
Nianfo , is a term commonly seen in the Pure Land school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
as a way of singular devotion to Amitabha Buddha was all that was needed. In one of his more famous writings, Shan-tao spoke at great length about how simply saying the name of Amitabha Buddha was sufficient for salvation. Centuries later, Shan-tao's writings would have a strong impact on Hōnen and the Pure Land
Pure land
A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...
Buddhist movement in Japan, particularly the Commentaries on the Contemplation Sutra
Contemplation Sutra
The Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra , is one of the three major Buddhist sūtras found within the Pure Land branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Amitāyus is another name for the buddha Amitābha, the preeminent figure in Pure Land Buddhism, and this sūtra focuses mainly on meditations involving complex visualization...
, particularly this statement:
Prior to this, Amitabha was incorporated into wider practices such as those found in the Tien Tai school of Buddhism, as part of complex and often difficult practices. Shan-tao often used imagery such as the "Light and Name of Amitabha" which "embraces" all beings. Ultimately, such writings marked a change in the way Buddhists viewed salvation through Amitabha.
The Three Minds and Four Modes of Practice
Among Shan-tao's teachings are the Three Minds and Four Modes of Practice for Pure Land Buddhism. In the Commentaries, sincere devotion to Amitabha Buddha over the long-term leads to three minds, or states of mind:- The Utterly Sincere Mind
- The Profound, or Deeply Believing, Mind
- The Mind which dedicates one's merit (or good works) toward rebirth in the Pure Land.
In Hymns in Praise of Birth (Wang-sheng-li-tsan ), Shan-Tao taught the Four Modes of Practice that develop through devotion to Amitabha Buddha:
- Reverence shown to Amida Buddha and bodhisattvas in the Pure Land: AvalokitesvaraAvalokitesvaraAvalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
and Mahasthamaprapta. - Wholehearted and exclusive practice of reciting Amitabha's name.
- Uninterrupted, as in routine, practice.
- Long-term practice.
Additional information
- Inagaki, Hisao : Biography of Shan-Tao A comprehensive look at Shan-Tao's life