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Jianzhen

Type Figure Region Jiangnan, China Time 688–763 Also known as Jianzhen、Great Monk of the Great Harmony State of Tang

Tang monk, lay name Chunyu, born 688, died 763; ordained at Daming Temple in Yangzhou, master of Vinaya, reached Japan in 753 after six attempts, tra…

Timeline

  1. 688–701Jiangdu (Yangzhou) · YangzhouBorn in Jiangdu, ordained at Daming Temple at fourteen, later received full ordination, studied under eminent monks Dao'an and Hongjing, mastering Vinaya, laying the scholarly foundation for his later preaching and eastward crossing.
  2. 702–742Daming Temple, Yangzhou · YangzhouLong taught sutras and conferred precepts in Yangzhou, strict in discipline, growing in fame with many disciples, becoming a Vinaya authority in the Jianghuai region; at the request of Japanese student monks Ryei and Fusho, resolved to cross east to transmit the Dharma.
  3. 743–753East China Sea route (Yangzhou–Japan) · Sea of JapanFrom 743 five sea crossings failed, enduring storms, official bans and blindness; the sixth, in 753, reached Satsuma, Japan (present-day Kagoshima) with the imperial envoy fleet, completing the mission.
  4. 754–763Nara · NaraConferred precepts on Japanese monks at Todai-ji in Nara, founded Toshodai-ji in 759, systematically transmitted precepts and Tang Buddhist rituals, bringing many sutras, statues and medicines, profoundly influencing Japanese Vinaya and culture.

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