Ingen
Encyclopedia
Ingen Ryūki (Fuqing
, Fujian
, 1592 - Uji, 1673) was a Chinese
Linji
Chán
Buddhist
monk, poet, and calligrapher.
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 in to a thriving Buddhist centre. In 1654, after repeated requests of Itsunen Shoyu
, he went to Nagasaki, Japan
with around 30 monks and artisans, including his disciple Muyan
. He founded the Ōbaku
sect
. He established the Ōbaku head temple Manpuku-ji at Uji in 1661.
Ingen was also a skilled calligrapher, introducing the Ming style of calligraphy to Japan. Along with his disciples Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi Nyoitsu
, he was one of the Ōbaku no Sanpitsu
("Three Brushes of Ōbaku"). He is known to have carried paintings by Chen Xian with him to Japan.
Fuqing
Fuqing is a county-level city of Fuzhou in Fujian, China.It is located in the eastern part of the province, borders the East China Sea, just southeast of Fuzhou and 45 kilometers from Changle International Airport of Fuzhou. Fuqing city has geographical advantage, for its location between...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, 1592 - Uji, 1673) was a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Linji
Linji
Línjì Yìxuán was the founder of the Linji school of Chán Buddhism during Tang Dynasty China. Linji was born into a family named Xing in Caozhou , which he left at a young age to study Buddhism in many places....
Chán
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk, poet, and calligrapher.
Ingen's father disappeared when he was five. At age 20, while searching for him, Ingen arrived at Mount Putuo
Mount Putuo
Mount Putuo is an island southeast of Shanghai, in Zhoushan prefecture of Zhejiang province, China. It is famous in Chinese Buddhism, and is considered the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara , a revered Bodhisattva in many parts of East Asia...
off Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
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
Wanfu Temple
Wanfu Temple is a temple on Mount Huangbo in Fujian province, China. It is famous as the original temple of Yinyuan Longqi, the temple's 33rd abbot and a Chan master...
, Mount Huangbo
Mount Huangbo
Mount Huangbo is a mountain in Fuqing, Fujian province, China. It is famous for its temples, including:*Wanfu Temple...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. Ingen's teachers there were Miyun Yuanwu and Feiyin Tongrong. In 1633 he received dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
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 in to a thriving Buddhist centre. In 1654, after repeated requests of Itsunen Shoyu
Itsunen Shoyu
Itsunen Shoyu is famous as a Buddhist monk and painter who helped to establish Chan in Japan....
, he went to Nagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with around 30 monks and artisans, including his disciple Muyan
Muyan
Muyan was a Chinese Chan monk who followed his master Yinyuan Longqi to Japan in 1654....
. He founded the Ōbaku
Obaku (school of Buddhism)
The , is , one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.-History:Often termed the third sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan, it was established in 1661 by a small faction of masters from China and their Japanese students at Manpuku-ji in Uji, Japan.Today Manpuku-ji serves as the Ōbaku's head temple,...
sect
Schools of Buddhism
Buddhism is an ancient, polyvalent ideological system that originated in the Iron Age Indian subcontinent, referred to variously throughout history by one or more of a myriad of concepts – including, but not limited to any of the following: a Dharmic religion, a philosophy or quasi-philosophical...
. He established the Ōbaku head temple Manpuku-ji at Uji in 1661.
- May 21, 1673 (Enpō 1, 5th day of the 4th month): The Chinese Buddhist teacher Ingen dies in the ObakuObaku (school of Buddhism)The , is , one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.-History:Often termed the third sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan, it was established in 1661 by a small faction of masters from China and their Japanese students at Manpuku-ji in Uji, Japan.Today Manpuku-ji serves as the Ōbaku's head temple,...
ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
temple, Mampuku-jiMampuku-jiis a temple located in Uji, Kyoto. It is the head temple of the Japanese Ōbaku Zen sect, named after Wanfu Temple in Fujian, China. The mountain is likewise named after Mount Huangbo, where the Chinese temple is situated.-History:...
at Uji.
Ingen was also a skilled calligrapher, introducing the Ming style of calligraphy to Japan. Along with his disciples Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi Nyoitsu
Sokuhi Nyoitsu
was a Buddhist monk of the Obaku Zen sect, and was also an accomplished poet and calligrapher. His teacher Ingen Ryūki, Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi were together known as the "Three Brushes of Ōbaku" or Ōbaku no Sanpitsu.-China:...
, he was one of the Ōbaku no Sanpitsu
Obaku no Sanpitsu
is a name given to a group of three famous Chinese calligraphers who lived in Japan:* Ingen Ryūki, 隱元隆琦 1592-1673* Mokuan Shōtō,木庵性瑫 1611-1684* Sokuhi Nyoitsu, 即非如一 1616-1671...
("Three Brushes of Ōbaku"). He is known to have carried paintings by Chen Xian with him to Japan.
Selected work
Ingen's published writings encompass 35 works in 46 publications in 4 languages and 226 library holdings.- 1979 —