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空也

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: Kūya, Kōya

Senses:

  • A Japanese monk of the Heian period. Kūya (903–972) is best-known as a nenbutsu 念佛 practitioner who walked the streets of Kyōto during the plague years c. 961–964, beating a gong and chanting, "Namu Amida Butsu" for the salvation and healing of the people. He is widely believed to have been of imperial blood, and may have been one of Emperor Daigoʼs sons. As a youth, Kūya seems to have traveled, performing nenbutsu and public works. At the age of 20 he was ordained at the Owari Kokubunji and took the name Kūya. In 938, he came to Kyōto where he continued his nenbutsu practice. In 948, he took the Mahāyāna precepts under Enshō 延勝, a Tendai master, and changed his name to Kōshō 光勝. In 963, he established Saikōji 西光寺, now Rokuharamitsuji 六波羅蜜寺. Rokuharamitsuji houses a famous icon of Kūya, which shows six Amida Buddhas coming out of his mouth—one for each character in the phrase namu amida butsu 南無阿彌陀佛. [Heather Blair]
  • 〔摩訶止觀 T 1911.46.13c12 〕 [Charles Muller]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 217

    Bulgyo sajeon 54a

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 200, 258

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 188b/210

    Fo Guang Dictionary 3470

    Nihon bukkyō jinmei jiten (Saitō and Naruse) 124, 156

    Bussho kaisetsu daijiten (Ono) ⑫158c

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)649b,37c,1330a,4230a

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 284-1

    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