Dan Peigen 單培根

Dān Péigēn 單培根 (1917-1995)

Biography

Dān began attending private school at age 7. At 17 (1934), he studied Chinese medicine with Chén Zhòngnán 陳仲南, at which point he changed his name to [Francis] “Bacon (Péigēn 培根).” After completing his studies, he began practicing medicine in his hometown, while also writing a thesis on medicine. In 1943 he studied Consciousness-Only 唯識 thought with Fàn Gǔnóng 范古農. He took refuge under Désēn 德森 at Língyán Temple 靈岩寺 in Sūzhōu 蘇州, and took the dharma name Huìběn 慧本 around that time. Dān served as representative for his hometown in the National Chinese Medicine Organization, and also worked with the local branch of the Chinese Buddhist Association 中國佛教協會.

After the reforms of 1979, Dān returned to Buddhist Studies and did a lot of research on Buddhist sutras after 1980. He also gave lectures (primarily on Consciousness-Only and Buddhist logic 因明) at Minnan Buddhist Seminary 閩南佛學院 in the 1980s.

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. 1.1123b.