Muju
Encyclopedia
Mujū Dōkyō birth name Ichien Dōkyō, was a Buddhist monk of the Japanese Kamakura period
. He is superficially considered a Rinzai monk by some due to his compilation of the Shasekishū
and similar books of koans, but there is good evidence that he was also an eager student of the Tendai
, Pure Land
, and Hosso sects, and he is occasionally placed in the Shingon and Ritsu
sects as well.
Born into the privileged Kajiwara family, he began his service by becoming a page at Jufuku-ji
at the age of 13. He became a priest at the age of 18, in Hitachi Province
, moving to Kanto for his studies. He founded Choraku-ji temple in Ueno
as well as various other temples, and retired at the age of 80. His most important teacher was Enni
, who practiced zazen as well as the engaged study of various traditions.
The only ideology Mujū disapproved of was intolerance, and he "was himself aware of, and intrigued by, the paradox of the position". (Morrell 1985:19) He was disdainful of contemporaries such as Nichiren Shonin who denounced all practices but their own, and he accepted all schools of Buddhism as having a useful teaching, writing in the preface to Shasekishū that "when a man who practices one version of the Way of Buddha vilifies another because it differs from his own sect, he cannot avoid the sin of slandering the Law."
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
. He is superficially considered a Rinzai monk by some due to his compilation of the Shasekishū
Shasekishu
The , also read as Sasekishū, translated into English as Sand and Pebbles, is a five-volume collection of Buddhist parables written by the Japanese monk Mujū in 1283 during the Kamakura period. It is popularly excerpted in English in 101 Zen Stories....
and similar books of koans, but there is good evidence that he was also an eager student of the Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
, Pure Land
Pure land
A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...
, and Hosso sects, and he is occasionally placed in the Shingon and Ritsu
Ritsu
The Ritsu school of Buddhism is one of the six schools of Nara Buddhism in Japan, noted for its use of the Vinaya textual framework of the Dharmaguptaka, one of the early schools of Buddhism...
sects as well.
Born into the privileged Kajiwara family, he began his service by becoming a page at Jufuku-ji
Jufuku-ji
, usually known as Jufuku-ji, is a temple of the Kenchō-ji branch of the Rinzai sect and the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Ranked third among Kamakura's prestigious Five Mountains, it is number 24 among the pilgrimage temples and number 18 of the temples...
at the age of 13. He became a priest at the age of 18, in Hitachi Province
Hitachi Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Iwashiro, Iwaki, Shimousa, and Shimotsuke Provinces....
, moving to Kanto for his studies. He founded Choraku-ji temple in Ueno
Ueno
Ueno can refer to a number of places in Japan:*Ueno, Mie: a former city in Mie Prefecture, now part of the city of Iga*Ueno, Gunma: a village in Gunma Prefecture:*Ueno, Okinawa: a village in Okinawa Prefecture:...
as well as various other temples, and retired at the age of 80. His most important teacher was Enni
Enni
Enni Ben'en was a Japanese Buddhist monk who studied various forms of Mahayana under the Rinzai teacher Wuzhun Shifan in China. When he returned to Japan, he founded Tōfuku-ji monastery in Kyoto, and practiced zazen as well as other types of Buddhism. His disciples included Mujū.It is believed...
, who practiced zazen as well as the engaged study of various traditions.
The only ideology Mujū disapproved of was intolerance, and he "was himself aware of, and intrigued by, the paradox of the position". (Morrell 1985:19) He was disdainful of contemporaries such as Nichiren Shonin who denounced all practices but their own, and he accepted all schools of Buddhism as having a useful teaching, writing in the preface to Shasekishū that "when a man who practices one version of the Way of Buddha vilifies another because it differs from his own sect, he cannot avoid the sin of slandering the Law."