Shitou Xiqian

Background

He was born in Gaoyao County in Guangdong with the surname Chen.

Career

The details of Shítóu"s life are found in traditional biographies. His years of life are conventionally given as 700 to 790. Shítóu later became a disciple of Huineng"s successor, Qingyuan Xingsi.

After becoming, in turn, Xingsi"s successor, Shítóu resided and taught at Nantai Temple on Mountain.

Nanyue Heng in Hunan. After his death, he was given the honorary posthumous name Wuji Dashi (無際大師).

Physical remains There have been a series of disputed claims regarding the current location of Shitou"s physical remains. There is a mummy at Mountain.

Sekito Temple in Japan which is said to be Shítóu"son

Various Japanese sources state that this mummy was rescued by a Japanese traveller from a fire at a temple in Hunan during the chaos of the rebellion that overthrew the Qing Dynasty (1911–1912). Chinese sources often state instead that it was stolen by Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Researcher James Robson argues that there is little evidence Shitou"s body was mummified and that the remains enshrined at Mountain.

Sekito Temple are likely those of a different monk also named Wuji.

Scholar Mario Poceski writes that Shítóu does not appear to have been influential or famous during his lifetime: He was a little-known teacher who led a reclusive life and had relatively few disciples. Foreign decades after Shitou"s death, his lineage remained an obscure provincial tradition.

Sayings to the effect that Shitou and Mazu were the two great masters of their day date from decades after their respective deaths.

Connections

teacher:

Dongshan Liangjie