禅Masters

Meiho Sotetsu

meiho-sotetsu
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Sōtō

Meiho Sotetsu

1277 – 1350

Lineage of Meiho SotetsuSōtō school

Meihō Sotetsu (明峰素哲, 1277–1350) was Keizan Jōkin's elder principal Dharma heir, founder of the Yōkō-ji branch of the early Sōtō school and abbot of Daijō-ji in Kaga, the temple Tettsū Gikai had established after the Sandai sōron[1]. Tradition places him alongside Gasan Jōseki as the two heirs through whom the early-Sōji-ji and early-Daijō-ji communities were transmitted: in the standard medieval Sōtō genealogy he is the senior heir, and Daijō-ji and Yōkō-ji preserved the original ascetic-monastic emphasis of the Eihei-ji-Daijō-ji line[2].

Although Gasan's lineage came eventually to dominate the medieval and modern Sōtō school, Meihō's branch — passed through his own heirs Mugai Chikō and others — remained an important countervailing influence, and Yōkō-ji continued to serve as Keizan's mortuary temple and one of the school's two head institutions for several centuries[3].

Names

dharma · enMeiho Sotetsu
alias · enMeihō Sotetsu
alias · zh明峰素哲

Disciples of Meiho Sotetsu 3 named

Teachers and lineage of Meiho Sotetsu

Teacher / root master:

Full lineage of Meiho Sotetsu →

Teachings

  • verseDeath Verse of Meihō Sotetsu

    (traditional attribution)

    Seventy-four years, this borrowed lantern. Now I return it to Keizan's hands. Where the flame went — do not ask. The room has never been dark.

    Meiho Sotetsu

  • dialogueThe Two Heirs of Keizan

    (traditional attribution)

    A monk asked: 'They say you and Gasan are the two heirs of Keizan — the right hand and the left. Which is which?' Meihō said: 'I am the hand that holds the brush. Gasan is the hand that rings the bell. Together we write and ring. But Keizan's calligraphy and Keizan's sound — those we did not make.' Monk: 'Then what did you receive?' Meihō raised his right hand and his left hand simultaneously. Monk: 'I do not understand.' Meihō: 'Good. Misunderstanding would be much worse.'

    Meiho Sotetsu

Other masters in Sōtō

Master Record Sources

  • birth datehigh — multiple authoritative sources
  • death datehigh — multiple authoritative sources
  • schoolmedium — one authoritative source

8 supporting citations on record (see Sources above).

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