Nan Huai-Chin

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisNan.

Nan Huai-Chin
Nam hoài cẩn
Nan Huai-Chin in 1945, after descendingMount Emeifrom his hermitage.
Born	(1918-03-18)March 18, 1918 Wenzhou,Zhejiang,China
Died	September 29, 2012(2012-09-29)(aged 94) Suzhou,Jiangsu,China
Alma mater	Republic of China Military Academy
Occupation(s)	Buddhist monk, religious scholar, writer.
Spouses	Wang Cuifeng Yang Xiangwei
Children	Nan Shunquan Nan Xiaoshun Nan Yipeng Nan Guoxi Nan Shengyin Nan Kemeng
Parent	Nan Zhengyu
Relatives	Nan Pinfeng (grandson)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	NamHoàiCẩn
Simplified Chinese	NamHoàiCẩn
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nán Huáijǐn Wade–Giles Nan Huai-Chin
Nan Changtai
Chinese	NamThườngThái
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nán Chángtaì

Yuan Huanxian (Chinese:Viên hoán tiên;1887–1966), one of Nan Huai-Chin's teachers

Nan Huai-Chin(simplified Chinese:Nam hoài cẩn;traditional Chinese:Nam hoài cẩn;pinyin:Nán Huáijǐn) (March 18, 1918 – September 29, 2012) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. A well-respected spiritual teacher in contemporary China, he was considered by many to be the major force in the revival ofChinese Buddhism.While Nan was regarded by many in China as one of the most influentialChan Buddhistteachers andVajrayanateachers, particularly in theCundī practices,he was little known outside theChinese cultural sphere.Nan died at the age of 94 on Sept. 29th, 2012 inSuzhou,China.

Early life and military career

Nan Huai-Chin was born March 18, 1918, to ascholar-officialfamily inYueqingcounty,Wenzhoucity,Zhejiangprovince. In his youth, Nan received a classical education that included variousConfucianandDaoistworks, as well astraditional Chinese medicine,literature,calligraphy,poetry,and other subjects. In his youth at the age of 18, he became the provincialmartial artschampion after studying severalChinese martial artsincluding swordsmanship with thejian.

Nan studied social welfare atJinling University(now merged withNanjing University), and later went on to teach at theRepublic of China Military AcademyinNanjing.In the late 1930s at the age of 21 years, Nan became a military commander at the border regions ofSichuan,Xikang,andYunnanduring theSecond Sino-Japanese War.There, he led a local group of 30,000 men against the Japanese invasion.

Buddhist practice

While still young, Nan left his military career so that he could commit himself fully to his study of Buddhism and tomeditation.In 1942 at age 24, he went on a three-year meditation retreat in theEmei Mountains.It is said that it was there that he verified his experiences against theChinese Buddhist canon.During this time, Nan's primary teacher was Yuan Huanxian ( viên hoán tiên; 1887 – 1966).

In 1945, Nan went to seek out the teachings ofTibetan Buddhism.The 9th Gangkar Rinpoche ( cống cát hoạt phật; 1893 – 1957), a high-rankingtulkuof theKagyuschool, also verified Nan's experiences, giving him the title "Vajra Master."Nan was one of the few multidisciplinary experts in the world to be versed in the cultivation schools of Confucianism, Daoism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Chan Buddhism.

Nan'sDharma namewasTōngchán( thông thiền ).

Academic and personal life

Following the revolution in China, Nan later moved toTaiwanin 1949 where he became a well-known university professor and author, teaching atNational Chengchi University,Chinese Culture University,andFu Jen Catholic University.His first book,The Sea of Chan( thiền hải lễ trắc ), was published in 1955, and was the first in a line of over 40 books and related materials published in his name.

Nan's books have achieved a great deal of popularity in mainland China and Taiwan. In total, more than 20 million copies of his books have been sold in Chinese-speaking countries.Some of his more popular works have gone to a 20th printing in Taiwan and his works on Confucianism such as Another Critical Review of Confucius Analect ( luận ngữ biệt tài ) are used as standard university references in the mainland and Taiwan.Thomas Cleary,who has translated several of his books into English, has written the following about Nan's works and methodology:

There is no question that Master Nan's work is a cut above anything else available from modern authors, either academic or sectarian, and I would like to see his work gain its rightful place in the English speaking world.... [His] studies contain broad learning in all three main traditions of Chinese thought, Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist. Although this comprehensive purview was common to the greatest minds of China since the T'ang dynasty, it is rare among scholars today.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nan mediated secret cross-strait communications between the mainland China and Taiwan.Two of Nan's students were close confidants of Taiwan's PresidentLee Teng-hui,and Nan was approached by his student Jia Yibin about creating a communication channel between Lee Teng-hui and mainland China's PresidentYang Shangkun.Both Jia and Nan mediated cross-straight negotiations, and successfully realized secret chamber meetings between special envoys.In the early 1990s, Nan changed his place of residence from Taiwan toHong Kong.Some secret cross-strait meetings were held at Nan's private residence in Hong Kong.

In January 1992, Nan signed a contract with the Chinese government and invested 92 million RMB in theJinhua–Wenzhou Railway,which is the first joint-stock railway in China. In 2004, Nan returned to the mainland near Suzhou.

Nan died at the age of 94 on September 29, 2012.

Taihu Great Learning Center

InWujiang District, Suzhou,in 2006, Nan founded the 200-acre (0.81 km²)TaihuGreat Learning Center (Thái hồ đại học đường), which contains the Wujiang Taihu International School. The school curriculum is meant to combine the best approaches of traditional China and the West. It has unique emphases such asmeditation,ethicsandetiquette,traditional Chinese medical theory,andChineseandEnglishrecitation.The name of the school is in reference to theGreat Learning,one of the "Four Books"ofConfucianism.

Books in English

This is a list of translations of Nan Huai-Chin's books. The vast majority of books written by Nan have not been translated into the English language from the original Chinese.

• 1984Tao & Longevity: Mind-Body Transformation,Paperback. 1984ISBN0-87728-542-X
• 1986Grass Mountain: A Seven Day Intensive in Ch'an Training With Master Nan Huai-Chin,Paperback. 1986ISBN0-87728-612-4
• 1993Working Toward Enlightenment: The Cultivation of Practice,Paperback. 1993ISBN0-87728-776-7
• 1994To Realize Enlightenment: Practice of the Cultivation Path,Paperback. 1994ISBN0-87728-802-X
• 1995The Story of Chinese Zen,Paperback. 1995ISBN0-8048-3050-9
• 1997Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen,Paperback. 1997ISBN1-57863-020-7
• 2004Diamond Sutra Explained,Paperback. 2004ISBN0-9716561-2-6

Further reading

• Margaret Yuan & Janis Walker, Tr: Grass Mountain: A Seven Day Intensive in Ch'an Training with Master Nan Huai Chin (1986, York Beach, ME, Samuel Weiser) OP
• Master Nan, Book Review: J. L. Walker, Parabola, Vol. 25, No. 2, Summer 2000 pp. 106–110: The Story of Chinese Zen (Thomas Cleary, Tr.; 1995).
• Master Nan, poetry, article: J. L. Walker, Parabola, Vol. XXII, No. 1, Spring 1997, pp. 65–70: Wordgates: Knowing as a Gateway to Spiritual Experience