Seigen Gyōshi - Seigen Gyōshi

A Zen monk from the Tang Dynasty in China. He was the successor (disciple) of Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen Buddhism. His posthumous name was Hongji Zen Master. His secular surname was Liu. He was from Ancheng, Jizhou (Jiangxi Province). He became a monk at a young age, and visited Huineng at Caoxi Baolin Temple (Nanhua Temple), where he attained enlightenment and inherited his teachings. Later, he spread his Zen style at Seiyuanshan Jingju Temple in Jizhou (on the outskirts of Ji'an City) and trained disciples. His distant grandsons gave rise to the Soto, Unmon, and Hogen sects, and from the same school under Nanyue Huaijo came the Rinzai and Igyo sects, which were known as the Five Schools of Chinese Zen Buddhism. There is a famous story that when a disciple asked him the gist of Buddhism, he replied, "How much is the price of rice in Luling?" One of his outstanding successors was Sekitou Kisen. He passed away on December 13, 26th year of Kaigen (28th year according to some sources).

[Fumio Matsuda February 16, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、唐代の禅僧。中国禅宗第六祖慧能(えのう)の法嗣(ほうし)（弟子）。諡号(しごう)は弘済禅師(こうさいぜんじ)。俗姓は劉(りゅう)氏。吉州（江西省）安城の人。幼くして出家、曹渓宝林(そうけいほうりん)寺（南華寺）で慧能に参じ、悟りを開いてその法を嗣(つ)ぐ。のち吉州の青原山静居(じょうご)寺（吉安市郊外）で禅風を振るい、門弟を育成した。その遠孫から曹洞(そうとう)宗、雲門(うんもん)宗、法眼(ほうげん)宗がおこり、同門の南岳懐譲(なんがくえじょう)下から臨済(りんざい)宗、潙仰(いぎょう)宗が出て、中国禅宗の五家(ごけ)といわれた。弟子から仏法の大意を問われ、「盧陵(ろりょう)の米の値はいくらか」と答えたという話は有名。優れた法嗣に石頭希遷(せきとうきせん)がいる。開元(かいげん)26年（一説に28年）12月13日寂。

［松田文雄　2017年2月16日］

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