Shenhui

Shen today or Shen-hui (神會) was the seventh patriarch of the legitimate line of the Bouddhisme Chan and the founder of its branch Heze or Ho-tse (荷澤), active until the end of the Dynastie Tang, from where its title of Maître of Heze (荷澤大師). Its posthumous name, decreed by the Suzong emperor, is Zhenzong Dashi (真宗大師), Maître of the true doctrines . According to the sources, it would have had at its death 73 or 83 years. The dates given for its birth vary between 668 and 686, those proposed for its death between 748 and 762. Some consider that he is the true initiator of the movement Subitiste in the place of Huineng of which he proclaimed successor.

Biography

Beginnings

Born Gao (高), originating in Xiangyang with the Hubei, it was versed in the traditional confucéens, the CAD De Jing and the Zhuang Zi , and would have been interested in Buddhism for the first time by reading the passages relating to it in the Livre of Han posterior . It then gave up its projects of career to enter to the monastery of Guochang (國昌寺) where it was ordered by the Master Haoyuan (顥元). It practiced then during three years with the monastery of Yuquan (玉泉寺) in Hubei under the direction of Shenxiu.

Huineng and Chan of the South

In 700, when Shenxiu was called at the court by Wu Zetian, he would have advised with the monks not being able to follow it to join his school-fellow Huineng in Shaozhou in the province of Guangdong. During its stay in the South, Shenhui would have also returned visit in Xingsi (行思), another disciple of Huineng, ancestor of the lines Soto and Hogen. From return at Huineng, it accepted the succession from it. In 720, it was named with the monastery Longxing (龍興) of Nanyang to the Henan. It is there that it became acquainted with the poet Wang Wei. It obtained the support of the principal civils servant of the county, Zhang Wanqing (張萬頃) and Wang pi (王弼).

Recommending the exclusive teaching of the sudden illumination, it was during its southernmost stay drawn aside of the dominant branch of Chan, Dongshan (東山), founded by Daoxin and Hongren and then represented by Puji, successor of Shenxiu. In 734 (or 732), the day of the Festival of the lanterns, it organized with the monastery of Dayun (大雲寺) with Huatai (滑台) in Henan a large gathering called Kumbhamelâ (無遮大會), on the occasion of which it discussed against a Dongshan Master. It is there that it publicly blamed for the first time the value and the legitimacy of Dongshan, applicant whom this school taught only the method gradual, lower, and whom his line did not kill directly from Bodhidharma, Hongren having indicated Huineng and not Shenxiu like successor. He will lay down his written doctrines between 745 and 753 in the Essentiel of the doctrines (顯宗記), on which the image of Chan of the South " is founded; subitiste" against Chan of North " gradualiste". The specialists in second half of the 20th century since called somewhat this vision into question, and consider that the thought of Huineng was attached to that of the Dongshan school, which taught at the same time the methods sudden and gradual. Shenhui would be the true promoter of the integral subitism.

Imperial recognition

During nearly ten years after its first public challenge, Shenhui, charismatic speaker who had known to attract themselves partisans cultivated and placed well, continued his attacks against Dongshan, which on its side held good. In 745, invited by the prefect and poet Song Ding (宋鼎), it settled with the monastery of Heze (荷澤寺) with Luoyang, whose school which is claimed of him draws its name. In 753 the minister Lu Yi (盧奕) made it drive out capital for disorder of the law and order. He went successively to the Jiangxi, the mount Wudang and in his area of origin, Xiangyang. The exile was not prolonged a long time: in 755 burst the rebellion of An Lushan, and in 756 Shenhui, answering the call of the emperor, successfully undertook a selling campaign of certificates of monk intended to provide military funds. In thanks, the Suzong emperor recalled it and made rebuild the monastery of Heze destroyed by the rebellious army. Shenhui died a little later and its stupa was set up with the monastery Baoying (寶應寺).

Towards the end of the 8th century, the school of the South had replaced that of North, Dongshan, like forms dominant of Chan. In 796, some thirty years after the death of Shenhui, the Dezong emperor ordered to the crown prince to convene an assembly of Chan Masters to designate the seventh patriarch officially: it will be him. Its nomination is confirmed by the Éloge with the seventh patriarch (七祖贊) and a stele with the monastery of Shenlong (神龍寺). Huineng thus became at the same time the sixth official patriarch.

Heze

Shenhui is chief of line of the Heze branch which will join Wuming (無名) and Faru. She will not survive the Tang dynasty and will know six Masters whose last is Zongmi (宗密 780 - 841), historian of Chan. She carried out towards the end a synthesis with Huayan at the time of the fourth patriarch of this school, Chengguan (澄觀).

Writings

Shenhui left several writings including one great part was gathered by its disciples in the Recueil of the remarks of Shenhui de Heze (荷澤神會語錄), but most important because perhaps only really of him, is the Essentiel of the doctrines the illumination (顯宗記), in which one finds the essential principles of the doctrines of the South. A version, entitled Stanzas on the Prajna of the sudden awakening to the not-production (頓悟無生般若頌), was discovered with Dunhuang. The Collection and the Essentiel of the doctrines are included in the Transmission of the lamp (傳燈錄) (ref. Taisho 2076,458c25-459b6)

See too

Chan
Zen

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