Kanzan Egen
Kanzan Egen
1277 – 1360
Kanzan Egen was a student of Shuho Myocho (Daito Kokushi) and the founder of Myoshinji, which became the largest and most influential Rinzai Zen temple complex in Japan. He completed the Daio-Daito-Kanzan lineage that forms the backbone of modern Rinzai Zen. Through Myoshinji and its many branch temples, Kanzan's lineage eventually became the numerically dominant branch of the Rinzai school.
Like his teacher Daito, Kanzan was known for his austerity and his insistence on the primacy of practice over institutional prestige. He maintained a small, rigorous community and resisted the allure of political patronage that tempted many Zen temples of his era. This commitment to the purity of practice over worldly success became a defining value of the Myoshinji lineage and contributed to its remarkable vitality across the centuries.
Teachings
- sayingPractice Over Institutional Prestige
What use is a grand temple if the monks within it do not practice? A thatched hut where one person sits in genuine zazen is worth more than a thousand golden halls full of idle monks. Do not be impressed by titles, lineage certificates, or temple rank. The only thing that matters is whether you have seen into your own nature. If you have not, then all your robes and ceremonies are just playing dress-up.
Master Record Sources
- datesZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
1277-1360
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Kanzan Egen
- schoolZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Rinzai
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Shuho Myocho