Tetto Giko
Tetto Giko
1295 – 1369
Tettō Gikō (徹翁義亨, 1295–1369) was the principal Dharma heir of Shūhō Myōchō (Daitō Kokushi) and the second-generation transmitter of the Daitoku-ji line of the Ōtōkan stream of Rinzai Zen[1]. He succeeded Daitō as abbot of Daitoku-ji at his teacher's death in 1337 and oversaw the early consolidation of the temple as a distinct alternative to the Gozan establishment, refusing — like Kanzan Egen at Myōshin-ji — to enter the official Gozan ranking system[2].
The line through Tettō → Gongai Sōchū → Kasō Sōdon → Ikkyū Sōjun preserved the Daitō-school self-image as a "rigorous" branch of Rinzai through the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, providing the institutional continuity that allowed Daitoku-ji to survive the disruptions of the Nanboku-chō and early Muromachi periods and emerge in the fifteenth century as a major centre of Zen-tea culture[3].
Names
Disciples of Tetto Giko
Teachers and lineage of Tetto Giko
Teacher / root master:
Teachings
- proverbFlag on the Mountain
Plant the lineage flag on the mountain. The wind will tear it; rebuild it. The students who stay are the ones who can patch a flag in a storm.
- proverbSmall Temple
Better a small temple where the floor is swept than a large one where the doctrine is admired. A swept floor is itself a doctrine.
- proverbNight Bell
The night bell rings for those who are still awake. The dharma rings for those who are willing to be woken. Both rings are a single sound.
Other masters in Rinzai
Master Record Sources
- datesZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
1295-1369
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Tetto Giko
- schoolZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Rinzai
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Shuho Myocho