Pu'an Yinsu
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Pu'an Yinsu (普庵印肃) (Born: December 14, 1115|Died August 15, 1169) , given name Yinsu, Dharma name Pu'an, also known as Chan Master Pu'an, Patriarch Pu'an, or Buddha Pu'an (folk variant: Pu An), was a high monk of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism during the Southern Song dynasty. He was born in the fifth year of the Zhenghe era under Emperor Huizong of Song (27th day of the 11th lunar month, 1115 CE; December 14, 1115), in Yuanzhou, Yichun (today’s Yuanzhou District, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province), with the secular surname Yu.[1] In the fourth year of the Shaoxing era (1134 CE) under Emperor Gaozong of Song, he became a monk.[2]
One day, while reading the Avatamsaka Sutra, he came to the phrase: “Reaching the root, emotions are forgotten; knowing the nature of mind, it is united,” and instantly awakened.[3] In the second year of the Qiandao era (1166 CE), he built Cihua Temple at Nanquan Mountain in Yuanzhou, hence also called Nanquan Temple.[4] On the 21st day of the seventh lunar month, fifth year of Qiandao (August 15, 1169), he passed away.[2]
Due to the many miraculous events attributed to him during his lifetime, his cult spread after death.[2] He became a folk Buddhist deity specifically invoked for averting misfortunes and disasters, and his disciples honored him as their patriarch for transmitting profound methods.[2] According to popular belief, Pu'an studied thunder magic from the 30th Celestial Master Zhang Xujing of Mount Longhu, so many Daoist priests and shamans also worshipped him.[5]
Chan Studies
Pu'an not only possessed great spiritual powers, but also profound Chan learning.[6] His Recorded Sayings of Pu'an (《普菴語錄》) prompted the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di to praise: “Its profundity cannot be sought through imagination; its mystical nature cannot be likened to the void.”[7] The Ming scholar-official Zou Yuanbiao read it and considered it to be “directly aligned with the Tathāgata’s true transmission.”[8]
Honorary Titles
After Pu'an Chan Master’s parinirvana, he continued to display divine power, repeatedly dispelling disasters, curing illness, ending droughts, and halting floods for the people.[2]
- In the first year of Jiaxi (1237 CE), for bringing rain, he was granted the title “Jigan Chan Master.”[2]
- In the 10th year of Chunyou (1250 CE), for ending drought, he was elevated to “Miaojì Chan Master”; and for stopping an epidemic, “Zhenjue Chan Master.”[2]
- In the 4th year of Xianchun (1268 CE), he was granted “Zhaoci Chan Master.”[2]
- In the 4th year of Dade (1300 CE), he was promoted to “Dade Chan Master.”[9]
- In the 1st year of Huangqing (1312 CE), he received the title “Huìqìng Chan Master.”[10]
During the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty, Pu'an was elevated to the status of a bodhisattva.[2] The Yongle Emperor evaluated Pu'an: “Perfect in the ten thousand practices, complete in the six supernatural powers, dignified and at ease, boundless in transformation, enlightening the masses in philosophy, universally benefiting all beings, like sweet rain over the six directions, nourishing evenly like the full moon reflected in a thousand rivers, radiance shining in all directions.”[11] In the 18th year of Yongle (1420 CE), he was granted the title: Bodhisattva Pu'an, Supreme Goodness, Vast Benevolence, Perfect Penetration, Wisdom, Jigan, Wondrous Response, Compassionate Aid, True Enlightenment, Illustrious Favor, Huìqìng, Protector of the Nation, Proclaimer of the Teaching, Great Virtue.
Functions in Worship
In Japanese Rinzai Zen temples, Pu'an Chan Master’s spirit tablet is often enshrined in the rear hall to subdue demons and evil spirits.[12] On the 6th and 20th days of each month, Rinzai monks in Japan offer worship and chant sutras before Pu'an’s tablet, praying for the peace of the temple.[13]
In Chinese folk religion, red or yellow paper inscribed with the words “Pu'an arrives, all taboos are null” (普庵到此百無禁忌) is taken to a temple dedicated to Pu'an, circled around his censer, or incense is used to invite Pu'an.[2] The paper is then passed around the censer to become “taboo-resolving” incense-blessing. Posted at home, it can improve feng shui; carried on the body, it can attract good fortune and avert misfortune.[2] Especially when encountering inauspicious clashes or prohibitions indicated by the Chinese calendar and date selection, this method is used.[2] For example, if today forbids traveling southeast, but one must travel southeast, carrying this incense-blessing can avert harm and dissolve calamities. A simpler method, when realizing one has violated a taboo, is to visualize Pu'an’s form in one’s mind and repeat three times: “Pu'an arrives, all taboos are null.”[2]
References
- ^ 《宋史》卷四百三十六《僧傳》
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 吳永猛，1995，《普菴禪師與民間信仰》，南昌：江西人民出版社。
- ^ 《普菴語錄》
- ^ 《宋史》卷四百三十六《僧傳》
- ^ 張繼宗，《崆峒問答》卷十五
- ^ Robert H. Sharf, “Chan Buddhism in Song Dynasty China,” in *The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts*, Oxford University Press, 2004.
- ^ 《明太宗實錄》卷二百五十
- ^ 邹元标，《读普菴语录记》
- ^ 《元史》卷一百八
- ^ 《元史》卷二百八
- ^ 《明太宗實錄》卷二百五十
- ^ Mori Koji, “Japanese Rinzai Temples and Chinese Chan Patriarchal Worship,” *Journal of East Asian Religious Culture*, 2012.
- ^ Mori 2012, p. 87.
Further reading
- 《宋史》卷四百三十六《僧傳》
- 《普菴語錄》
- 吳永猛，1995，《普菴禪師與民間信仰》，南昌：江西人民出版社。
- 張繼宗，《崆峒問答》
- Robert H. Sharf, “Chan Buddhism in Song Dynasty China,” in *The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts*, Oxford University Press, 2004.
- Mori, Koji, “Japanese Rinzai Temples and Chinese Chan Patriarchal Worship,” *Journal of East Asian Religious Culture*, 2012.