Definition
Reading: Jizō Keichin / Reading (ZH): Dìzàng Guìchēn
地蔵桂琛 (Dizang Guichen) is a Chinese Zen monk who was active from the late Tang dynasty through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He is known as the master of Fayan Wenyi, the founder of the Fayan school. Dizang Guichen's Zen style disliked verbal discussions and logic; instead, it was extremely practical, thoroughly emphasizing "the reality right before one's eyes here and now" and "daily practice."
Q&A
- Q: Why did Dizang Guichen dislike verbal discussions and logic?
- A: Because he believed that the true Way of Buddhism exists right inside the reality before our eyes and daily practice, rather than drowning in discussions inside our heads.
Young training monks at that time valued traveling to various places to exchange passionate discussions about questions like "What is Buddhism?" However, Dizang Guichen saw through this, knowing that no matter how grand a discussion was, it was meaningless if it was separated from daily life. Therefore, to a monk who was proud of such discussions, he replied, "Here, we plow the fields, make rice, and eat it," confronting him with the preciousness of everyday life.
