Ingen

Ingen Ryūki (traditional Chinese: 隱元隆琦; pinyin: Yǐnyuán Lóngqí; Japanese: 隠元隆琦) (December 7, 1592 – May 19, 1673) was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and monk of Linji Chan Buddhism from China.^[1] He is most known for founding the Ōbaku school of Zen in Japan.

Biography

Ingen was born on December 7, 1592, in Fuqing, Fujian, during China's Ming dynasty. Ingen's father disappeared when he was five. At age 20, while searching for him, Ingen arrived at Mount Putuo off Zhejiang province, where he served tea to monks. At 28, after the death of his mother, he was ordained as a monk at his family temple - Wanfu Temple, Mount Huangbo, Fujian. Ingen's teachers there were Miyun Yuanwu and Feiyin Tongrong. In 1633 he received dharma transmission from the latter, and in 1637 served his first term as abbot. His second term as 33rd abbot of the temple began in 1646 and at this time he is credited with helping Mount Huangbo to develop into a thriving Buddhist centre.

In 1654, after repeated requests of

On May 21, 1673 (Enpō 1, 5th day of the 4th month), he died at Mampuku-ji.^[2]

Calligraphy

Ingen was a skilled calligrapher, introducing the Ming style of calligraphy to Japan.

Ingen's published writings encompass 35 works in 46 publications in 4 languages and 226 library holdings.[3]

• 1979 — Complete Works of Ingen (新纂校訂隱元全集, Shinsan kōtei Ingen zenshū, OCLC 019817244)

See also

• Egoku Dōmyō

Notes

References

• Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge:
  ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
• OCLC 311322353