31 Facts About Ouyi Zhixu

Ouyi Zhixu was a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar in 17th century China.

Ouyi Zhixu is considered a patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land School, a Chan master, as well as a great exponent of Tiantai Buddhism.

Ouyi Zhixu was one of the Four Eminent Monks of the Wanli Era, after Yunqi Zhuhong, Hanshan Deqing, and Daguan Zhenke.

Ouyi Zhixu was a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

Ouyi Zhixu was initially a student of Confucianism and rejected Buddhism, writing various anti-Buddhist tracts.

When he was 19, his father died and Ouyi Zhixu devoted himself completely to Buddhism, studying the sutras and practicing meditation.

Ouyi Zhixu became deeply interested in mantrayana practice in his 30s, particularly the mantra of Ksitigarbha.

Ouyi Zhixu became a public teacher during this time, writing and lecturing extensively.

When he was 37 Ouyi Zhixu experienced various bouts of illness which continued throughout the rest of his life.

Ouyi Zhixu was very influential on Chinese Pure Land Buddhism.

Ouyi Zhixu's work was influential on many later Chinese Buddhists including modern reformists like Taixu, Yinshun, and Hongyi.

The modern Chinese Buddhist teacher Sheng Yen wrote his doctoral dissertation on Ouyi Zhixu, and considered Ouyi Zhixu to be one of the greatest modern Buddhist figures.

Ouyi Zhixu was an eclectic author who wrote on many Chinese Buddhist doctrines and methods.

Ouyi Zhixu was well versed in the different Buddhist traditions of China, and according to his autobiography, he saw himself as being part of an inclusive tradition that included diverse Buddhisms such as Tiantai, Chan, Vinaya, and Pure Land.

Ouyi Zhixu had a non-sectarian view of the various forms of Buddhism, seeing them all as skillful means for sentient beings with different potentials and circumstances.

However, other scholars refuse to pin him down to a single tradition, pointing to other influences in Ouyi Zhixu's writings, including Vinaya, Chan and Pure Land ideas.

For Ouyi Zhixu, reciting the Buddha's name or Buddha-remembrance must be coupled with faith and vows for the optimum practice.

Ouyi Zhixu writes that it is important to practice nianfo with a focused and undisturbed mind, as this will guarantee rebirth in the pure land.

Master Ouyi Zhixu explains how the ultimate principle is unified with conventional phenomena and thus, how the view of the pure land as the absolute reality is in perfect harmony with the view of the pure land as another realm one is reborn into after death:.

Ouyi Zhixu wrote three works on repentance rites from a Tiantai perspective and practiced these rites extensively.

Ouyi Zhixu was deeply interested in Buddhist precepts and the rituals for conferring precepts.

For Ouyi Zhixu, maintaining ethical precepts remained a necessary aspect of the path, even if one relies on the Buddha's response power.

Ouyi Zhixu's Chan teaching has been seen by some scholars as an alternative tradition to the Linji school which was the dominant tradition during the Ming.

Ouyi Zhixu's Chan is guided by figures like Yongming Yanshou and Zibo Zhenke and was practiced together with Pure Land Buddhism.

Ouyi Zhixu had a deep knowledge of Confucianism and in some of his writings he sought to integrate Buddhism and Confucianism, which he saw as deeply compatible and complementary.

Ouyi Zhixu saw Buddhism and Confucianism as approaching the same truth in different ways, writing:.

Ouyi Zhixu wrote a Chan interpretation of the Book of Changes and he said that this was "nothing else but an introduction of Chan into Confucianism, in order to entice Confucians to understand Chan".

Ouyi Zhixu went as far as to write that "Confucianism, Daoism, Chan, Vinaya, Doctrinal Buddhism were nothing but yellow leaves and empty fists", meaning that they were all just skillful means that could be used to attain the One Principle.

Ouyi Zhixu wrote the Bixie ji critiquing Christianity and defending Buddhism against the attacks of Christian Jesuit missionaries like Michele Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci.

Ouyi Zhixu especially focused on critiquing Christian theodicy and Christian ethics.

Ouyi Zhixu criticizes the notion that God would create humans to be both good and evil, and finally he questions why God would allow Lucifer to tempt humans towards evil.