Background
Zhu Daoxin was born in Shandong province, however, there is no information about the date of her birth or about her parents.
Zhu Daoxin was born in Shandong province, however, there is no information about the date of her birth or about her parents.
When Zhu Daoxin was young she became a nun. As a novice, she ran errands for the other nuns and would frequently recite sutras as she went about her work so that by the time she was twenty she was able to recite the complete Flower of the Law Sutra (Fahua jing) and Vimalakriti (Weimojie jing) from memory. After receiving full ordination, she observed the monastic rules closely and sought the truth meticulously, her ascetic practices becoming more stringent as she grew older.
As Buddhism gained popularity, the Chinese literati added discussions of Buddhist philosophical concepts to the practice of “pure talk.” In the Eastern Jin period in the south, monks and, to a lesser extent, nuns joined the literati in these gatherings. Although she lived in the north, Zhu Daoxin was skilled at “pure talk” and she gained increased status through her special expertise in The Smaller Perfection of Wisdom. It is said that what she valued in “pure talk” was the logic of the argument; she did not use flowery language. Buddhist scholars throughout the region esteemed her as a master. In her “pure talk,” she elucidated The Smaller Perfection of Wisdom, and perhaps other sutras as well, thus becoming the first nun to expound Buddhist sutras.
A woman named Yang Lingbian, who was a firm believer in the Daoist philosophy of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi (Huang-Lao) and practiced Daoist breathing exercises, had gained many pupils in Luoyang. Between about 366 and 371, however, her teachings were falling out of favor. This coincided with the time when Zhu Daoxin’s teachings were becoming popular and, under the pretext that they shared the same secular surname (Yang), Yang Lingbian tried to get close to Zhu Daoxin. Yang Lingbian and Zhu Daoxin visited one several time and on one occasion Yang Lingbian poisoned Zhu Daoxin’s food. Zhu Daoxin fell ill and although she tried many cures nothing seemed to work. However, she didn't tell anyone whose home she had visited before she got sick.
Zhu Daoxin was meticulous by nature and possessed great powers of concentration. She caused offense to no one and therefore got along well with everybody.
Zhu Daoxin wasn't married and had no children.
