Shi Yiru 史一如

Revision as of 22:29, 27 October 2009

Shǐ Yīrú 史一如 (1876-1925)

A scholar of Buddhist Logic, translator of works of Japanese Buddhology, and early confederate of Tàixū 太虛. He taught at the Wuchang Buddhist Seminary 武昌佛學院 during its first year.

• Born 1876 Guāngxù 光緒 2) in Wàn County 萬縣, Sìchuān 四川
• Died between January 24 and February 22, 1925 (乙丑歲正月) in Shànghǎi 上海
• Names 名: Xíchuò 錫綽, Jìnghé 靖和
• Courtesy name 字: Yùrú 裕如
• Dharma name 法名: Huìyuán 慧圓

Biography

Shǐ received a classical education growing up, but in the last years of the Qīng 清 he spent a lot of time studying in Japan, were he learned Japanese and English. He was particularly interested in philosophy. After returning to China, he taught at various colleges in Běijīng 北京. In 1912, the study of Buddhism was in vogue among a number of scholars in Běijīng, including Jiǎng Wéiqiáo 蔣維喬, Xú Wèirú 徐蔚如, Hán Qīngjìng 韓清淨, and Méi Guāngxī 梅光羲. Shǐ was influenced by this trend and began studying Buddhism in detail.

In 1918, Shǐ joined Tàixū 太虛, Chén Yuánbái 陳元白, Jiǎng Zuòbīn 蔣作賓, and Huáng Bǎocāng 黃葆蒼 in establishing the Awakening Society 覺社 in Shànghǎi 上海. They began publishing the periodical Awakening Society Collectania 覺社叢書, which Shǐ took over editing when it became Hǎicháo yīn 海潮音 in 1920.

In September of 1921, the Hǎicháo yīn moved to Běijīng, and Shǐ with it. He returned to the south in August of 1923 (bringing the magazine with him) when he accepted Tǎixū's invitation to be one of the founding teachers at the Wuchang Buddhist Seminary 武昌佛學院. There he worked teaching and doing research. One of his main subjects was Buddhist Logic 因明, for the research of which he used texts both from the available Chinese Buddhist Canon and ones he had acquired whilst studying in Japan. At the Seminary, he was in charge of teaching about Indian Buddhism.

During this period, he translated several texts from Japanese, and helped Wáng Ēnyáng 王恩洋 correct certain mistakes regarding Buddhist Logic in the latter's writings.

In 1924, Shǐ became ill from overwork and returned to Shànghǎi to convalesce. Editorship of the Hǎicháo yin1 was handed over to Shǐ's colleague Táng Dàyuán 唐大圓. In late January or early February of 1925, Shǐ knew his time of death was at hand. He asked his family to bathe him, he donned monk's robes, and chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha, passed away.

Important Works

Written by Shǐ:

• 慧圓居士集

Translations from the Japanese:

• 小乘佛學概論
• 因明入正理論講義
• 中華佛教史^[1]
• 印度佛教史
• 印度六派哲學

Notable Students (at the Wuchang Buddhist Seminary)

• Fǎfǎng 法舫
• Fǎzūn 法尊
• Huìjué 會覺
• Jìchén 寄塵
• Mǎnzhì 滿智

Notes

1. ↑ This translation of the 1907 work 支那仏教史綱 by Sakaino Satoru 境野哲 served as the basis for Jiǎng Wéiqiáo's 中國佛教史.

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. Pp. 1.199b-200c.