Mujū

Mujū Dōkyō(Japanese:Vô trụ nói hiểu;1 January 1227 – 9 November 1312), birth nameIchien Dōkyō,was aBuddhistmonk of the JapaneseKamakura period.He is superficially considered aRinzaimonk by some due to his compilation of theShasekishūand similar books ofkoans,but there is good evidence that he was also an eager student of theTendai,Pure Land,andHossosects, and he is occasionally placed in theShingonandRitsusects as well.

Born into the privileged Kajiwara family, he began his service by becoming a page atJufuku-jiat the age of 13. He became a priest at the age of 18, inHitachi Province.He founded Choraku-ji temple inUenoas well as various other temples, and retired at the age of 80. His most important teacher wasEnni,who practiced zazen as well as the engaged study of various traditions.

The only ideology Mujū disapproved of was intolerance, and he "was himself aware of, and intrigued by, the paradox of the position" (Morrell 1985:19). He was disdainful of contemporaries such asNichiren Shoninwho denounced all practices but their own, and he accepted all schools of Buddhism as having a useful teaching, writing in the preface toShasekishūthat "when a man who practices one version of the Way of Buddha vilifies another because it differs from his own sect, he cannot avoid the sin of slandering the Law."

Writings

• Sand and Pebbles(Shasekishū)『 cát đá tập 』
• Mirror for Wives(Tsuma Kagami)『 thê kính 』
• Casual Digressions(Sōdanshū)『 tạp nói tập 』

References

• Tamura Yoshiro. "Kamakura Shin Bukkyo shiso no kenkyu". pp. 290–306
• Robert Morrell.Sand & PebblesAlbany, New York: SUNY Press. 1985.