Donran - Donran

Although his birth and death years cannot be determined precisely, he was a Chinese Pure Land Buddhist monk from the latter half of the Northern Wei dynasty to the beginning of the Northern Qi dynasty. He is one of the seven founders of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. His real name is unknown. In Kasai's "Jodo-ron," his birthplace is recorded as Wensui, but according to the "Zoku Kosōden," it is generally believed to have been Yanmen (Shanxi Province). According to the "Zoku Kosōden," when he was under 15 years old, he visited the sacred site of Manjusri Kegen in Mount Wutai, and was so impressed that he became a monk. He was also a master of the Four Treatises, which was popular in Hubei at the time, and studied Nagarjuna's theory of emptiness. When he was in his 50s, he sought the method of immortality to complete his commentary on the Mahasanghika Sutra, and was given 10 volumes of the Sutra of Immortality by Tao Inju (Tao Hongjing). On his way back, he met Tripitaka Bodhiruci in Luoyang, and asked if there was a method of immortality in Buddhism that surpassed the Sutra of Immortality. Bodhiruci spat on the ground and rebuked him, and gave him the Sutra of Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. As a result, he burned the 10 volumes of the Sutra of Immortality and became deeply devoted to Pure Land Buddhism. From then on, he devoted his life to writing and spreading the teachings of Nembutsu, and is said to have died at the age of 67. In Jia Cai's Treatise on Pure Land, he is described as a deceased person who went to the Pure Land with the people, rather than as a scholar. His works include the two volumes of the "Commentary on Pure Land Buddhism," which is the essence of Donran's teachings, as well as one volume of the "Gatha in Praise of Amida Buddha" and one volume of the "A Brief Treatise on the Meaning of the Pure Land of Comfort."

[Tomomichi Nobezuka March 21, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年は正確に断定しえないが、北魏(ほくぎ)後半から北斉初頭にかけての、中国浄土教の僧。浄土真宗の七祖の一人。俗名などについては不明。迦才(かさい)の『浄土論』に、出身地は汶水(もんすい)と記されているが、一般には『続高僧伝』によって雁門(がんもん)（山西省）とされている。『続高僧伝』によれば、15歳に満たないころ、五台山中の文殊化現(もんじゅけげん)の霊跡を訪ね、感銘を受け出家した。そして、当時湖北で盛んであった龍樹(りゅうじゅ)の空観(くうがん)を学んだ四論(しろん)の学匠であった。50歳を過ぎたころ、『大集経(だいじっきょう)』の注釈の完成のために、長生不死の仙法を求め、陶隠居(とういんきょ)（陶弘景(とうこうけい)）に仙経10巻を授かった。帰路、洛陽(らくよう)で菩提流支(ぼだいるし)三蔵にあい、長生不死の法でこの仙経に勝る法が仏法のなかにあるかと問い、地に唾(つば)をして菩提流支に叱責(しっせき)され、『観無量寿経』を授かった。これによって、仙経10巻を焼き捨て、深く浄土教に帰依(きえ)した。以後、著作と念仏の教化とに命を捧(ささ)げ、67歳で没したと伝えられている。迦才の『浄土論』には、学匠としてよりも、民衆とともに浄土へ往生(おうじょう)した往生人として伝えられている。著作には、曇鸞教学の真髄である『浄土論註(ちゅう)』2巻がある。ほかに『讃阿弥陀仏偈(さんあみだぶつげ)』1巻、『略論安楽浄土義』1巻などがある。

［延塚知道　2017年3月21日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例