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
Buddhamitra did not enter the saṅgha until late in life. When asked how he had practiced before becoming a monk, he said: 'Every meal I prepared was an offering. Every word I spoke to my family was a teaching. Every time I laid down to sleep I entered the great stillness. The gate of the Dharma is not at the monastery entrance—it is wherever you stand right now.' Keizan's verse: Forty years in the household— / not one day apart from the Way. / The monk shaves his head and robes himself. / The householder was already wearing the robe.
- 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
Buddhamitra is counted the ninth Indian patriarch in Chan/Zen transmission lists; the Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia documents his role in the early Indian patriarchal succession.