Xianyin 顯蔭

Xiǎnyìn 顯蔭 (1902-1925)

Lay surname 姓: Sòng 宋 Name 名: Jīnyún 今雲 Courtesy name 字: Xiǎnyìn 顯蔭 Dharma name 法名: Dàmíng 大明 Born 1902 (Guāngxù 光緒 28) in Chóngmíng County 崇明縣, Jiāngsū 江蘇 Died July 11, 1925 in Shànghǎi 上海

Notable Associates: Dìxián 諦閑 Kanayama Bokushō 金山穆韶

Article editor: Erik Hammerstrom

Xiǎnyìn 顯蔭 (1902-1925) was the first Chinese monk of the 20th century to study Japanese Esoteric Buddhism 東密.

Biography

After he graduated from school at age 17 suì 歲, Xiǎnyìn went to Guānzōng Temple 觀宗寺 in Níngbō 寧波 where he was tonsured under Dìxián 諦閑. The following year (1918) he received full ordination. This was the same year that Dìxián established the Guānzōng Research Society 觀宗研究社 at his temple and Xiǎnyìn became one of the first students, and he graduated in 1920.

After graduation, Xiǎnyìn was asked to write prefaces for Dīng Fúbǎo's 丁福保 Fóxué dà cídiǎn 佛學大辭典 and the Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新修大藏經. Despite his young age, his renown in the world of Buddhist publishing grew steadily, and in 1922 he moved to Shànghǎi 上海 to became chief editor for the publishing section of the Shànghǎi World Lay Buddhist Association 上海世界佛教居士林.

In the fall of 1923, Xiǎnyìn and a lay supporter traveled to Japan, where, on Mt. Koya 高野山, Xiǎnyìn studied Shingon 真言 Buddhism. He received abhiṣeka 灌頂 from Kanayama Bokushō 金山穆韶. During his time in Japan, Xiǎnyìn also worked to create cultural and religious bridges between China and Japan. Because of this, it fell to Xiǎnyìn to arrange for the participation of Japanese representatives in the Second World Buddhist Federation 世界佛教聯合會, which was held in July of 1924. Xiǎnyìn was able to get Kimura Taiken 木村泰賢 and Saeki Teiin 佐伯定胤 to participate, and the meeting was thus able to go forward.

Xiǎnyìn returned to Shànghǎi in January of 1925 after completing his Esoteric studies in Japan. Unfortunately, Xiǎnyìn had become quite ill in Japan, and despite a convalescence in Hángzhōu 杭州, he died in Shànghǎi on July 11, 1925 at the age of 23.

Important Works

Authored By Xiǎnyìn

• 梵字源流考
• 佛法救世之根本要義
• 留東隨筆
• 密教傳燈血脈譜
• 妙法聯華經秘要記
• 日本之密教
• 十八道加行作法秘記
• 顯密對辯章
• 再論真言密教與中華佛法之關係
• 真言密教與中華佛法之關係

Translations from Japanese

• 真言宗綱要

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. Pp. 2.1797a-1799c.