Juzan 巨贊

Revision as of 06:51, 31 May 2009

Jùnzàn 巨贊 (1908-1984)

A Buddhist teacher who participated in the War of Resistance and worked closely with the Communist government after the founding of the PRC.

• Born 1908 (Guāngxù 光緒 34) in Jiāngyīn County 江陰縣, Jiāngsū 江蘇
• Died 1984 in Běijīng 北京
• lay surname 俗姓: Pān 潘
• Name 名: Chǔtóng 楚桐
• Noms de plume 筆名: Yǒuwànjūn 有萬鈞, Zhōuxíng 周行
• Courtesy names 字: Qínpú 琴樸, Dìnghuì 定慧, Jùzàn 巨贊
• Dharma name 法名: Chuánjiè 傳戒

Biography

In 1927, he graduated from Jiāngyīn Normal School 江陰師範學校, and briefly studied at Dàxià University 大夏大學 before returning to Jiāngyīn to teach elementary school.

In 1930, he went to Hángzhōu 杭州 to stay at Língyǐn Temple 靈隱寺. There he began to study Buddhism under 卻非, under whom he took tonsure in [1931]]. Later that year, he went to receive ordination at Bǎohuá Shān 寶華山 and then returned to Língyǐn Temple. There he studied Consciousness-Only 唯識, Tiāntái 天台, and Huáyán 華嚴 thought.

In 1933, he taught at the Sino-Tibetan Institute 漢藏教理院 in Chóngqìng 重慶 for one semester before going to Nánjīng to study at the Chinese Inner Studies Institute 支那內學院 under Ōuyáng Jìngwú 歐陽竟無.

In 1936 he wrote a criticism of he work of Xióng Shílì 熊十力. He also began to make a name for himself with pieces he published in the magazine Buddhist Open Discourse 佛教公論.

In the spring of 1937, Jùzàn took a job teaching at the Minnan Buddhist Seminary 閩南佛學院. With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in July of that year, he fled to Hong Kong and then Guǎngdōng 廣東, where he met Xúyún 虛雲. He finally wen to Nányuè 南嶽 in Húnán 湖南, where he participated in the resistance by organizing several groups.

In 1940, Jùzàn accepted the invitation of Dàōan 道安 to come to Guìlín 桂林 to serve as secretary for the Guǎngxī Buddhist Association 廣西佛教會, and to run the magazine Shīzǐ hǒu 獅子吼. During the period when he was editing that magazine, he also became abbot of Yuèyáshān Temple 月牙山寺, where he carried leftist activities. In 1942, he became abbot of Lónghuá Temple 龍華寺 in Guìpíng 桂平.

At the end of the War, he returned to Hánghzōu, and served on the Zhèjiāng Provincial Buddhist Association 浙江省佛教會 and as secretary of the Hángzhōu City Buddhist Association 杭州市佛教會.

In 1948, he took over for Huìjué 會覺 as principal of the Wulin Buddhist Seminary 武林佛學院, but the school closed that year because of the Civil War. Once again, he fled to Hong Kong.

In 1949, he was invited to participate in several of the various congresses held by the Chinese Communist Party at the beginning of the PRC. In 1950, he helped organize monks and nuns to form the Mahāvira Hemp Bag Factory 大雄麻袋廠, which he saw as a way to reestablish the Chán 禪 spirit of working Buddhist monastics.

In 1953, he participated in the formation of the Chinese Buddhist Association 中國佛教協會. Jùzàn served as chief-secretary, along with Zhōu Shújiā 周叔迦. Jùzàn became Vice President in 1957, and he also became the chief of the Association's organ, Fǎyīn 法音.

During the Cultural Revolution, Jùzàn was imprisoned, but there is not very much information on what else happened to him between 1966 and 1980.

Important Works

• 巨贊文集

Notable Students

Notes

References:

Yú Língbō 于凌波, ed. Xiàndài fójiào rénwù cídiǎn 現代佛教人物辭典 (A Dictionary of Modern Buddhist Persons), 2 vols. (Taipei: Foguang, 2004), 1:203-205a.