Definition
Reading: Shokei Eun/Shokei kaiki/Shokei Kaiun/Shokei Eki / Reading (ZH): Zhāngjìng Huáiyùn
Zhangjing Huaiyun (章敬懷惲) is a Zen monk of the Tang dynasty.
The name of 章敬懷惲 (Zhangjing Huaiyun) has another form: 懷暉. There are several theories about how to read this name in Japanese. Some people read it as “kaiki,” some read it as “kaiun,” and some read it as “eki.” In literature from the Showa period, it was written as 懷惲 (Eun). I used that form as a reference.
He was a native of Tong’an in Quanzhou (Fujian Province), and his secular surname was Xie.
He attained enlightenment under Mazu Daoyi, but he shunned fame and fortune, choosing to live in seclusion. Despite this, people gathered around him, and his community flourished. In the tenth year of the Yuanhe era (815 AD), he reached the age of sixty and passed away. He was posthumously granted the title “Zen Master 大覚 (Great Awakening)” by Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Q&A
- Q: Why did many people gather around Zhangjing Huaiyun, even though he avoided fame and wealth and lived in seclusion?
- A: Because even though he avoided fame and wealth and lived quietly, many monks from all over the country gathered to admire his deep enlightenment and high virtue, so his community naturally flourished.
