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禪林寺

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: Zenrinji

Senses:

  • A temple in Kyōto; seat of the Zenrinji Nishiyama sect of the Jōdo school. In 853 the Shingon monk Shinshō 眞紹 bought a Fujiwara estate in the Higashiyama area of Kyōto. It seems that there in 857 he enshrined five icons (a central Birushana and four directional buddhas) that he had started for Emperor Nimmyō at Kanshinji in 854 (cf. Sandai hōroku 三代寶錄). In 863, the temple was admitted to the state temple system as a Jōgakuji and dubbed Zenrinji. Shinshō left the administration of the temple to Shūei 宗叡 in 868. In 877, Retired Emperor Seiwa built a vow hall there and donated surrounding land, and over time the number of halls grew. Though it had initially been associated with the Shingon school, the temple became a center for nenbutsu practice and the Jōdo school in the late 11th century after Eikan 永觀 arrived there. The main icon in the Eikandō hall is a famous image of Amida looking over his shoulder. It is said that when Eikan was going out to do nenbutsu in 1082, Amida got down from the altar to go too—he looked back over his shoulder and has stayed that way. After Eikanʼs tenure, Jōhen 靜遍 and Hōon 法音 came to live at Zenrinji, which became a Jōdo Nishiyama sect temple at that time. In 1264, the Zenrinjiden, Emperor Kameyamaʼs detached palace, was developed into Nanzenji 南禪寺, and though it went into decline for a time, in the Muromachi period it flourished as a devotional center focused on the of maṇḍala belief focused on the Shōjuraigōin 聖衆來迎院. In 1572 Zenrinji was designated the seat of the Nishiyama sect. [Heather Blair]
  • 〔續高僧傳 T 2060.50.510b21〕 [Charles Muller]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 649

    Bulgyo sajeon 452a

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 507

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 337b/374

    Zen Dust (Sasaki) 201

    Fo Guang Dictionary 6465

    Index to the Bussho kaisetsu daijiten (Ono) 384

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 1069-3

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 2001-09-08

    Updated: 2022-07-01