Yunqi Zhuhong

Yunqi Zhuhong (Chinese: 雲棲袾宏; pinyin: Yúnqī Zhūhóng; Wade–Giles: Chu Hung; 1535–1615), also named Zhuhong, was a Chinese Buddhist monk during the late Ming Dynasty. His name Yunqi derives from his monastic residence on Mount Yunqi (雲棲山) hence "Zhuhong of Yunqi [Mountain]". In Chinese Buddhism, Yunqi Zhuhong is best remembered as the Eighth Patriarch of the Pure Land tradition, and is known for his analysis of the Pure Land thought, and reconciling "mind-only" interpretations with more literal "Western Pure Land" interpretations. Along with his lay follower, Yuan Hongdao, Zhuhong wrote extensively on the Pure Land and defended its tradition against other Buddhist critics, while analyzing the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha within the larger Buddhist context.^[1][2] Zhuhong was also an avid editor of Buddhist liturgical texts, and he recodified the manuals of various rituals such as the Yujia Yankou rite and the Shuilu Fahui ceremony, which remain widely performed in contemporary Chinese Buddhism.^[3][4] Despite being regarded as a Patriarch of the Pure Land tradition, Zhuhong's contributions also extend to the other Buddhist traditions besides Pure Land, such as Chan and Esoteric Buddhism, which is reflective of the historically non-sectarian nature of Chinese Buddhism.^[5] For instance, he wrote the Chan Whip Anthology (Chinese: 禪關策進; pinyin: Chánguān Cèjìn), a survey of Chan Buddhist literature from the Tang dynasty to the Ming dynasty, which has served as a Chan handbook in both China and Japan since its publication in 1600.^[6] Another example is his recodification of the tantric Yujia Yankou rite, where he incorporated and made commentary regarding various esoteric Buddhist material, including the offering of a maṇḍala during the rite and the invocation or presence of various esoteric deities such as the maṇḍala of the Thirty-seven Deities (Chinese: 三十七尊; pinyin: Sānshíqī zūn) in the Diamond Realm.^[3] He was also recorded as having performed the rite himself numerous times.^[3]

Furthermore, Yunqi Zhuhong rebuilt the local monastery on Mount Yunqi, and earned a reputation as a reformer and disciplinarian.^[2]

In contemporary western sources, Yunqi Zhuhong is also remembered for his rebuttal to Roman Catholicism, with his writings a direct rebuttal to the Jesuit Matteo Ricci (利瑪竇).