Difference between revisions of "Seng-ts'an"
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'''[[Seng-ts'an]]''' | '''[[Seng-ts'an]]''' | ||
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[[Jianzhi Sengcan]] (J. [[Kanchi Sosan]])<br/> | [[Jianzhi Sengcan]] (J. [[Kanchi Sosan]])<br/> | ||
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[[僧璨]] (d. 606) (PY [[Sengcan]]; Jpn [[Sosan]]) | [[僧璨]] (d. 606) (PY [[Sengcan]]; Jpn [[Sosan]]) | ||
| − | Also known as the [[Meditation Master]] Chien-chih. The | + | Also known as the [[Meditation Master]] [[Chien-chih]]. The [[third patriarch in the lineage of Zen]] ([[Ch'an]]) [[Buddhism in China]]. He studied the [[Zen]] teachings under the [[second patriarch]], [[Hui-k'o]]. When [[Buddhism]] was suppressed by [[Emperor Wu]] (r. 560-578) of the [[Northern Chou dynasty]], he hid himself on a mountain where he continued his practice. [[Seng-ts'an]] transferred the [[Zen]] teachings to [[Tao-hsin]]. He authored the work On [[Trust]] in the [[Heart]]. |
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| + | [[Jianzhi Sengcan]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[僧璨]]) ([[died]] 606) (Wade–Giles: [[Chien-chih Seng-ts'an]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Kanchi Sosan]]) is known as the [[Third Chinese Patriarch of Chán]] after [[Bodhidharma]] and [[thirtieth Patriarch]] after [[Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha]]. | ||
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| + | He is considered to be the [[Dharma]] successor of the second {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[Patriarch]], [[Dazu Huike]] ([[大祖慧可]], Wade–Giles: [[Ta-tsu Hui-k’o]], [[Japanese]]: [[Taiso Eka]]). [[Sengcan]] is best known as the putative author of the famous [[Chán]] poem, [[Xinxin Ming]] (W-G: [[Hsin-hsin Ming]]. Inscription on [[Faith in Mind]], [[信心銘]]). | ||
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{{Wiki|Biography}} | {{Wiki|Biography}} | ||
| − | The year and place of Sengcan’s [[birth]] is unknown, as is his family [[name]]. | + | |
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| + | The year and place of [[Sengcan’s]] [[birth]] is unknown, as is his [[family]] [[name]]. | ||
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[[Huike]] | [[Huike]] | ||
| − | It is said that [[Sengcan]] (old spelling: | + | |
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| + | It is said that [[Sengcan]] (old spelling: [[Tsang Tsan]]) was over forty years old when he first met [[Huike]] in 536 and that he stayed with his [[teacher]] for six years. ([[Dumoulin]], p 97) It was [[Huike]] who gave him the [[name]] [[Sengcan]] (“[[Gem Monk]]”). | ||
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The [[Transmission]] of the [[Lamp]] entry on [[Sengcan]] begins with a koan-like encounter with [[Huike]]: | The [[Transmission]] of the [[Lamp]] entry on [[Sengcan]] begins with a koan-like encounter with [[Huike]]: | ||
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[[Sengcan]]: I am riddled with [[sickness]]. Please absolve me of my [[sin]]. | [[Sengcan]]: I am riddled with [[sickness]]. Please absolve me of my [[sin]]. | ||
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[[Huike]]: I have absolved you. You should [[live]] by the [[Buddha]], the [[Dharma]], and the [[Sangha]]. | [[Huike]]: I have absolved you. You should [[live]] by the [[Buddha]], the [[Dharma]], and the [[Sangha]]. | ||
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| − | After receiving [[transmission]], [[Sengcan]] lived in hiding on Wangong Mountain in [[Yixian]] and then on Sikong Mountain in southwestern [[Anhui]]. Thereafter, for ten years he wandered with no fixed [[abode]]. | + | There are discrepancies about how long [[Sengcan]] stayed with [[Huike]]. The [[Transmission of the Lamp]] records that he “attended [[Huike]] for two years” after which [[Huike]] passed on the robe of [[Bodhidharma]] and [[Bodhidharma’s]] [[Dharma]] (generally considered to be the [[Lankavatara Sutra]]), making him the [[Third Patriarch of Chan]]. |
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| + | According to [[Dumoulin]], in 574 the accounts say that he fled with [[Huike]] to the [[mountains]] due to the [[Buddhist]] persecution underway at that [[time]]. However, the [[Lamp]] records claim that after giving [[Sengcan]] [[Dharma transmission]], [[Huike]] warned [[Sengcan]] to [[live]] in the [[mountains]] and “Wait for the [[time]] when you can transmit the [[Dharma]] to someone else.” as a | ||
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| + | {{Wiki|prediction}} made to [[Bodhidharma]] ([[Huike’s]] [[teacher]]) by [[Prajnadhara]], the twenty-seventh [[Chan]] {{Wiki|ancestor}} in [[India]], foretold of a coming calamity. | ||
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| + | After receiving [[transmission]], [[Sengcan]] lived in hiding on [[Wangong Mountain]] in [[Yixian]] and then on [[Sikong Mountain]] in southwestern [[Anhui]]. Thereafter, for ten years he wandered with no fixed [[abode]]. | ||
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[[Daoxin]] | [[Daoxin]] | ||
He met [[Daoxin]], (580-651) a [[novice]] [[monk]] of just fourteen, in 592. [[Daoxin]] attended [[Sengcan]] for nine years and received [[Dharma transmission]] when he was still in his early twenties. | He met [[Daoxin]], (580-651) a [[novice]] [[monk]] of just fourteen, in 592. [[Daoxin]] attended [[Sengcan]] for nine years and received [[Dharma transmission]] when he was still in his early twenties. | ||
| − | Subsequently, [[Sengcan]] spent two years at {{Wiki|Mount Luofu}} (Lo-fu shan, {{Wiki|northeast}} of Kung-tung (Canton)) before returning to Wangong Mountain. He [[died]] sitting under a [[tree]] before a [[Dharma]] assembly in 606. | + | Subsequently, [[Sengcan]] spent two years at {{Wiki|Mount Luofu}} ([[Lo-fu shan]], {{Wiki|northeast}} of [[Kung-tung]] ([[Canton]])) before returning to [[Wangong Mountain]]. He [[died]] sitting under a [[tree]] before a [[Dharma]] assembly in 606. |
| − | [[Dumoulin]] notes that a {{Wiki|Chinese}} official, | + | [[Dumoulin]] notes that a {{Wiki|Chinese}} official, [[Li Ch’ang]] found [[Sengcan’s]] grave in [[Shu-chou]] in 745 or 746. |
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| + | [[Sengcan]] received the {{Wiki|honorary}} title [[Jianzhi]] [[鑑智]] (“[[Mirror Wisdom]]”) from the {{Wiki|Tang dynasty}} [[emperor Xuan Zong]]. | ||
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Teachings | Teachings | ||
[[Sengcan]], like [[Bodhidharma]] and [[Huike]] before him, was reputed to be a [[devotee]] and specialist in the study of the [[Lankavatara Sutra]], which [[taught]] the elimination of all [[duality]] and the “{{Wiki|forgetting}} of words and [[thoughts]]”, stressing the [[contemplation]] of [[wisdom]]. | [[Sengcan]], like [[Bodhidharma]] and [[Huike]] before him, was reputed to be a [[devotee]] and specialist in the study of the [[Lankavatara Sutra]], which [[taught]] the elimination of all [[duality]] and the “{{Wiki|forgetting}} of words and [[thoughts]]”, stressing the [[contemplation]] of [[wisdom]]. | ||
| − | However, McRae describes the link between [[Bodhidharma]] (and therefore [[Sengcan]]) and the [[Lankavatara Sutra]] as “[[superficial]]”. The link between this [[sutra]] and the “[[Bodhidharma]] school” is provided in Tao-hsuan’s Further | + | However, McRae describes the link between [[Bodhidharma]] (and therefore [[Sengcan]]) and the [[Lankavatara Sutra]] as “[[superficial]]”. The link between this [[sutra]] and the “[[Bodhidharma]] school” is provided in [[Tao-hsuan’s]] [[Further Biographies of Eminent Monks]] where, in the {{Wiki|biography}} of [[Fa-ch’ung]] he “stresses that [[Hui-k’o]] was the first to [[grasp]] the [[essence]] of the [[Lankavatara Sutra]]” and includes [[Sengcan]] as one who “discoursed on but did not write about the profound message of the [[Lankavatara Sutra]]. Due to the lack of [[Wikipedia:Authenticity|authentic]] {{Wiki|evidence}}, comments on [[Sengcan's]] teachings are speculative. |
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Writings | Writings | ||
| − | Although [[Sengcan]] has [[traditionally]] been honored as the author of the [[Xinxin Ming]] (W-G:Hsin-hsin | + | Although [[Sengcan]] has [[traditionally]] been honored as the author of the [[Xinxin Ming]] (W-G:[[Hsin-hsin Ming]]), most {{Wiki|modern}} [[scholars]] dismiss this as unlikely and improbable. |
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Limited sources | Limited sources | ||
| − | The historical record of [[Sengcan]] is extremely limited. Of all the [[Chan | + | The historical record of [[Sengcan]] is extremely limited. Of all the [[Chan patriarchs]], [[Sengcan]] is the most {{Wiki|ambiguous}} and the least known: |
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| + | We have no certain [[information]] regarding [[Seng-ts’an]]. The course of his [[life]] lies in {{Wiki|darkness}}.” | ||
| − | + | [[Further Biographies of Eminent Monks]] | |
| − | Further | + | {{LTSW|000}} |
| + | The earliest recorded note naming [[Sengcan]] is in [[Further Biographies of Eminent Monks]] (645) ([[Japanese]], [[Zoku kosoden]]; Pin-yin, [[Hsu kao-seng chuan]]) by [[Tao-hsuan]] (?- 667) where [[Sengcan]] is named, immediately after [[Huike’s]] [[name]], as one of seven [[disciples]] of [[Huike]] in a biographical entry of the [[Lankavatara sutra]] [[master]], [[Fa-ch’ung]] (587-665) No further [[information]] is given. | ||
| − | + | It was not until the [[Records of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure]] ([[Sh’uan fa-pao chi]]), compiled about 710 and drawing on the stories in the [[Further Biographies of Eminent Monks]], that a [[teaching]] “[[lineage]]” for [[Chan]] was created. Some have speculated that it was merely the fact that [[Sengcan’s]] [[name]] immediately followed [[Huike’s]] [[name]] in the [[latter]] work that led to him {{Wiki|being}} named as the [[Third Patriarch of Chan]]. | |
| − | + | [[Transmission of the Lamp]] | |
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| − | Therefore, the {{Wiki|biography}} that follows is garnered largely from [[traditional]] {{Wiki|biographies}} of [[Sengcan]], mainly the [[Transmission | + | Therefore, the {{Wiki|biography}} that follows is garnered largely from [[traditional]] {{Wiki|biographies}} of [[Sengcan]], mainly the [[Transmission of the Lamp]]. |
| − | Most of what is known about his [[life]] comes from the [[Wudeng Huiyuan]] ([[Compendium of Five Lamps]]), compiled in the early 13th century by the [[monk]] [[Puji]] at [[Lingyin Temple]] in {{Wiki|Hangzhou}}. The first of the five records in the compendium is a text commonly referred to as the [[Transmission | + | Most of what is known about his [[life]] comes from the [[Wudeng Huiyuan]] ([[Compendium of Five Lamps]]), compiled in the early 13th century by the [[monk]] [[Puji]] at [[Lingyin Temple]] in {{Wiki|Hangzhou}}. The first of the five records in the compendium is a text commonly referred to as the [[Transmission of the Lamp]] and it is from this text that most of the [[information]] about [[Sengcan]] is garnered. |
However, it should be kept in [[mind]] that most {{Wiki|modern}} [[scholars]] have some [[doubts]] about the historical accuracy of the [[Lamp]] records. | However, it should be kept in [[mind]] that most {{Wiki|modern}} [[scholars]] have some [[doubts]] about the historical accuracy of the [[Lamp]] records. | ||
Latest revision as of 13:02, 26 December 2023
Seng-ts'an
Jianzhi Sengcan (J. Kanchi Sosan)
僧璨 (d. 606) (PY Sengcan; Jpn Sosan)
Also known as the Meditation Master Chien-chih. The third patriarch in the lineage of Zen (Ch'an) Buddhism in China. He studied the Zen teachings under the second patriarch, Hui-k'o. When Buddhism was suppressed by Emperor Wu (r. 560-578) of the Northern Chou dynasty, he hid himself on a mountain where he continued his practice. Seng-ts'an transferred the Zen teachings to Tao-hsin. He authored the work On Trust in the Heart.
Jianzhi Sengcan (Chinese: 僧璨) (died 606) (Wade–Giles: Chien-chih Seng-ts'an; Japanese: Kanchi Sosan) is known as the Third Chinese Patriarch of Chán after Bodhidharma and thirtieth Patriarch after Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha.
He is considered to be the Dharma successor of the second Chinese Patriarch, Dazu Huike (大祖慧可, Wade–Giles: Ta-tsu Hui-k’o, Japanese: Taiso Eka). Sengcan is best known as the putative author of the famous Chán poem, Xinxin Ming (W-G: Hsin-hsin Ming. Inscription on Faith in Mind, 信心銘).
Biography
The year and place of Sengcan’s birth is unknown, as is his family name.
Huike
It is said that Sengcan (old spelling: Tsang Tsan) was over forty years old when he first met Huike in 536 and that he stayed with his teacher for six years. (Dumoulin, p 97) It was Huike who gave him the name Sengcan (“Gem Monk”).
The Transmission of the Lamp entry on Sengcan begins with a koan-like encounter with Huike:
Sengcan: I am riddled with sickness. Please absolve me of my sin.
Huike: Bring your sin here and I will absolve you.
Sengcan (after a long pause): When I look for my sin, I cannot find it.
Huike: I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
There are discrepancies about how long Sengcan stayed with Huike. The Transmission of the Lamp records that he “attended Huike for two years” after which Huike passed on the robe of Bodhidharma and Bodhidharma’s Dharma (generally considered to be the Lankavatara Sutra), making him the Third Patriarch of Chan.
According to Dumoulin, in 574 the accounts say that he fled with Huike to the mountains due to the Buddhist persecution underway at that time. However, the Lamp records claim that after giving Sengcan Dharma transmission, Huike warned Sengcan to live in the mountains and “Wait for the time when you can transmit the Dharma to someone else.” as a
prediction made to Bodhidharma (Huike’s teacher) by Prajnadhara, the twenty-seventh Chan ancestor in India, foretold of a coming calamity.
After receiving transmission, Sengcan lived in hiding on Wangong Mountain in Yixian and then on Sikong Mountain in southwestern Anhui. Thereafter, for ten years he wandered with no fixed abode.
Daoxin
He met Daoxin, (580-651) a novice monk of just fourteen, in 592. Daoxin attended Sengcan for nine years and received Dharma transmission when he was still in his early twenties.
Subsequently, Sengcan spent two years at Mount Luofu (Lo-fu shan, northeast of Kung-tung (Canton)) before returning to Wangong Mountain. He died sitting under a tree before a Dharma assembly in 606.
Dumoulin notes that a Chinese official, Li Ch’ang found Sengcan’s grave in Shu-chou in 745 or 746.
Sengcan received the honorary title Jianzhi 鑑智 (“Mirror Wisdom”) from the Tang dynasty emperor Xuan Zong.
Teachings
Sengcan, like Bodhidharma and Huike before him, was reputed to be a devotee and specialist in the study of the Lankavatara Sutra, which taught the elimination of all duality and the “forgetting of words and thoughts”, stressing the contemplation of wisdom.
However, McRae describes the link between Bodhidharma (and therefore Sengcan) and the Lankavatara Sutra as “superficial”. The link between this sutra and the “Bodhidharma school” is provided in Tao-hsuan’s Further Biographies of Eminent Monks where, in the biography of Fa-ch’ung he “stresses that Hui-k’o was the first to grasp the essence of the Lankavatara Sutra” and includes Sengcan as one who “discoursed on but did not write about the profound message of the Lankavatara Sutra. Due to the lack of authentic evidence, comments on Sengcan's teachings are speculative.
Writings
Although Sengcan has traditionally been honored as the author of the Xinxin Ming (W-G:Hsin-hsin Ming), most modern scholars dismiss this as unlikely and improbable.
Limited sources
The historical record of Sengcan is extremely limited. Of all the Chan patriarchs, Sengcan is the most ambiguous and the least known:
We have no certain information regarding Seng-ts’an. The course of his life lies in darkness.”
Further Biographies of Eminent Monks
The earliest recorded note naming Sengcan is in Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (645) (Japanese, Zoku kosoden; Pin-yin, Hsu kao-seng chuan) by Tao-hsuan (?- 667) where Sengcan is named, immediately after Huike’s name, as one of seven disciples of Huike in a biographical entry of the Lankavatara sutra master, Fa-ch’ung (587-665) No further information is given.
It was not until the Records of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure (Sh’uan fa-pao chi), compiled about 710 and drawing on the stories in the Further Biographies of Eminent Monks, that a teaching “lineage” for Chan was created. Some have speculated that it was merely the fact that Sengcan’s name immediately followed Huike’s name in the latter work that led to him being named as the Third Patriarch of Chan.
Transmission of the Lamp
Therefore, the biography that follows is garnered largely from traditional biographies of Sengcan, mainly the Transmission of the Lamp.
Most of what is known about his life comes from the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of Five Lamps), compiled in the early 13th century by the monk Puji at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. The first of the five records in the compendium is a text commonly referred to as the Transmission of the Lamp and it is from this text that most of the information about Sengcan is garnered.
However, it should be kept in mind that most modern scholars have some doubts about the historical accuracy of the Lamp records.
