Chǒngjung Musang
| English Phonetics | Chǒngjung Musang |
|---|---|
| Sort Name | Chǒngjung Musang |
| Birth: | 680 |
|---|---|
| Death: | 756 |
| Notes on dates: | alt. 684-762 |
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Chǒngjung Musang. (C. Jingzhong Wuxiang; J. Jōshu Musō (680-756, alt. 684-762). Korean-Chinese Chan master of the Tang dynasty; because he was of Korean heritage, he is usually called Musang in the literature, following the Korean pronunciation of his dharma name, or Master Kim (K. Kim hwasang; C. Jin heshang), using his Korean surname. Musang is said to have been the third son of a Silla king and was ordained in Korea at the monastery of Kunnamsa. In 728, he arrived in the Chinese capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) and had an audience with the Tang emperor Xuanzong (r. 712-756), who appointed him to the monastery of Chandingsi. Musang subsequently traveled to Chu (in present day Sichuan province) and became a disciple of the monk Chuji (alt. 648-734, 650-732, 669-736), who gave him dharma transmission at the monastery of Dechunsi in Zizhou (present day Sichuan province). He later resided at the monastery of Jingzhongsi in Chengdu (present-day Sichuan province; later known as Wanfosi), which gave him his toponym Chǒngjung (C. Jingzhong). Musang became famous for his ascetic practices and meditative prowess. Musang also began conferring a unique set of precepts known as the three propositions (sanju): “no recollection” (wuji), which was equated with morality (śīla); “no thought” (wunian) with concentration (samādhi); and “no forgetting” (mowang) with wisdom (prajñā). He also taught a practice known as yinsheng nianfo, a method of reciting the name of the Buddha by extending the length of the intonation. Musang’s prosperous lineage in Sichuan came to be known as the Jingzhong zong line of Chan. Musang seems to have taught or influenced several renowned Chan monks, including Heze Shenhui (668-760), Baotang Wuzhu (714-774), and Mazu Daoyi (707-786); he also played an important role in transmitting Chan to Tibet in the 750s and 760s. (Source: "Chǒngjung Musang." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 187. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
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