Buddhamitra
Buddhamitra
2nd c. BCE – Unknown
Buddhamitra ("Friend of the Buddha"), ninth patriarch in the Chan list, is named in the *Jǐngdé Chuándēng Lù* as the disciple of Buddhanandi and teacher of Pārśva. He is one of the few patriarchs in the legendary middle stratum to receive an extended hagiographical narrative in the *Bǎolín Zhuàn* (801) and later transmission-of-the-lamp literature, where he is depicted as a long-time householder who entered the saṅgha late in life under Buddhanandi's instruction and became a renowned teacher in central India[1].
Dumoulin notes that Buddhamitra functions in the lineage as the immediate predecessor of Pārśva, the first figure in the late Indian section who can be tied with confidence to the historical record of the Sarvāstivādin Fourth Council; the placement of Buddhamitra at this hinge gives the Chan list its narrative bridge from the unattested early stratum into the historically grounded middle period[2].
Names
Disciples of Buddhamitra
Teachers and lineage of Buddhamitra
Teacher / root master:
Teachings
- proverbFind the Old King
I told my disciple: there is a son of an old king walking in the marketplace, and he does not yet know who he is. Find him; remind him; and the kingdom is reset by a single sentence.
- proverbOld and Young
An old monk and a young monk study the same dharma differently. The old monk has less time; the young monk has less hurry. Both must learn the other's gift.
Other masters in Indian Patriarchs
Master Record Sources
- datesZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
trad. 2nd c. BCE
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Buddhamitra
- schoolZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Indian Patriarchs
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Buddhanandi