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一師印證

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: single master certification

Senses:

  • A system of transmission in which a monk receives certification of transmission 印可證明 from a single master and is not allowed any additional accreditation from another master. According to this policy, one should receive a certificate only from his most trusted master, and after receiving it, one should not inquire with masters in other temples. According to Manzan Dōhaku 卍山道白, this system was initially promoted by Dōgen 道元 but faded after his passing. Thus, in 1700, Manzan requested the Tokugawa government to reform this practice. In 1703, despite fierce opposition from such figures as Denson 傳尊, the government banned other forms of transmission such as the temple dharma lineage 伽藍法 and in’in ekishi 因院易師. According to William Bodiford, however, the nature of single master certification in early Japanese Sōtō Zen is unclear. Bodiford indicates that while Manzan derived the concept of single-master-certification from key passages in Dōgenʼs writings, Dōgenʼs biography does not necessarily support this interpretation. In other words, Dōgen himself might have held more than one lineage affiliation (1991, p. 425).

    References:

    Bodiford, William M. 1991. “Dharma Transmission in Sōtō Zen: Manzan Dōhakuʼs Reform Movement.” Monumenta Nipponica: 423–451.

    [Erez Joskovich; source(s): Ui, ZGDJT, JEBD, Nakamura, FGD]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 46

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 0043b

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 132b/145

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 267

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 61b

    Fo Guang Dictionary 63

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)139c

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    Entry created: 2020-09-29