Suzuki Shōsan: Difference between revisions

Shōsan Suzuki
Shōsan Suzuki
Title	Samurai; Zen monk
Personal life
Born	February 5, 1579; Japan
Died	July 28, 1655 (aged 76)
Religious life
Religion	Zen Buddhism

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Suzuki Shōsan (鈴木正三, February 5, 1579 – July 28, 1655) was a Japanese samurai who served under the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Shōsan was born in modern-day Aichi Prefecture of Japan. He participated in the Battle of Sekigahara and the Battle of Osaka before renouncing life as a warrior and becoming a Zen Buddhist monk in 1621.

Zen training

Shōsan traveled throughout Japan seeking out Zen masters and trained in several hermitages and temples, most notably at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto training under Gudō Toshoku (1577–1661). In 1636 Shōsan created a Zen booklet entitled Fumoto no Kusawake (or, Parting the Grasses at the Foot of the Mountain).

Shōsan trained under a little-known Zen master, Daigu Sochiku, who allowed Shōsan to keep his original name. Shōsan never actually received inka but was one of many in the Tokugawa period to claim jigo-jishō or "self-enlightenment without a teacher". He was a Zen Master who amassed a large following. In 1642, Shōsan, along with his brother, built 32 Buddhist temples in Japan. One was a Pure Land Buddhist temple in which he honoured the shōguns Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada. Shōsan went on to write several treatises before his death in 1655 at 76 years old.

Niō Zen

Suzuki Shōsan developed his own style of Zen, Niō Zen “仁王不動禪”, or Guardian King Zen. Shōsan instructed his students to meditate on the Niō, the fierce-looking Guardians that represent Vajrapani and can be seen at the gates of many Buddhist temples, to help them channel energy to use in meditation and in developing vitality, courage and "death energy" or the readiness to confront death at any moment which are the most important characteristics of a warrior.^[1]

Shosan's dedication to bringing Buddhism to people from all segments of society intensified as he grew older. He believed that the virtue of Buddhism depended on its usefulness to one's country and people in the real world. Shosan taught that true enlightenment comes during one's daily tasks. Whether one is "tilling fields, or selling wares, or even confronting an enemy in the heat of battle, direct enlightenment will occur at key moments of one's day to day life".^[2] Shosan saw true enlightenment in an untraditional way by discarding the belief that enlightenment can only occur in matters of direct recluse or the renouncement, and therefore true Buddhism has nothing to do with "gentle piety or theory, even though most monks were taught to practice in this manner".^{[citation needed]} Sometimes he asked learners to physically emulate the postures of the Niō, as well as other warrior deities like Fudo and Bishamonten, to aid them in concentration. The energy gained by thinking about the Niō was purported to help learners develop a warrior's fortitude, and to overcome the evil energies that inhibited them from progressing towards enlightenment.^[3]

Works

Mōanjō (盲安杖, "A Safe Staff for the Blind"), 1619
Fumoto no Kusawake ("Parting the Grasses at the Foot of the Mountain"), 1636
Ha Kirishitan (破切支丹, "Crush Christianity"), 1642
Roankyō (驢鞍橋, "Donkey Saddle Bridge"), 1648
Ninin Bikuni (二人比丘尼, "Two Nuns"), 1664
Banmin Tokuyō (萬民徳用, "Right Action for All"), 1661

References

^ Braverman, Arthur. The Warrior of Zen. New York: Kodansha International, 1994.
^ The Samurai Zen of Suzuki Shosan, King Winston L, Asian Humanities Press, 1986
^ Helen Josephine Baroni (June 2002). The illustrated encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-8239-2240-6. Retrieved 26 March 2012.

External links

Suzuki Shōsan memorial hall (in Japanese)

[1] Braverman, Arthur. The Warrior of Zen. New York: Kodansha International, 1994.

[2] The Samurai Zen of Suzuki Shosan, King Winston L, Asian Humanities Press, 1986

[Baroni2002-3] Helen Josephine Baroni (June 2002). The illustrated encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-8239-2240-6. Retrieved 26 March 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Japanese samurai (1579–1655)}}
-{{merge from|Niō Zen|date=March 2012}}
+{{family name hatnote|Suzuki|lang=Japanese}}
 {{Infobox religious biography
-|background = #FFD068 | color = black
 |name = Shōsan Suzuki
-|image =
+|image = Suzuki Shôsan.jpg
 |caption =
 |birth name =
 |alias =
 |dharma name =
-|birth_date = {{Birth date|1579|2|5}}
+|birth_date = February 5, 1579
 |birth_place = [[Japan]]
 |death_date = {{Death date and age|1655|7|28|1579|2|5}}
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 |website =
 }}
+{{ZenBuddhism}}
-{{Nihongo|'''Suzuki Shōsan'''|鈴木正三||extra=February 5, 1579&ndash;July 28, 1655}} was a [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[samurai]] who served under the [[Shogun]] [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]. Shōsan was born in modern-day [[Aichi Prefecture]] of Japan. He participated in the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] and the [[Battle of Osaka]] before renouncing life as a warrior and becoming a [[Zen monk|Zen Buddhist monk]] in 1621.
+{{Nihongo|'''Suzuki Shōsan'''|鈴木正三||extra=February 5, 1579&nbsp;– July 28, 1655}} was a [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[samurai]] who served under the ''[[shōgun]]'' [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]. Shōsan was born in modern-day [[Aichi Prefecture]] of Japan. He participated in the [[Battle of Sekigahara]] and the [[Battle of Osaka]] before renouncing life as a warrior and becoming a [[Zen monk|Zen Buddhist monk]] in 1621.
+==Zen training==
 Shōsan traveled throughout Japan seeking out [[Zen Master|Zen masters]] and trained in several [[Hermitage (religious retreat)|hermitages]] and [[Zen temple|temples]], most notably at [[Myōshin-ji]] in [[Kyoto]] training under [[Gudō Toshoku]] (1577–1661). In 1636 Shōsan created a Zen booklet entitled ''Fumoto no Kusawake'' (or, ''Parting the Grasses at the Foot of the Mountain'').
-Shōsan trained under a Zen master we know little about, [[Daigu Sochiku]], who allowed Shōsan to keep his original name. Shōsan never actually received ''[[inka]]'' but was one of many in the Tokugawa period to claim [[Jigo jisho]] or "self-enlightenment without a teacher." He was a Zen Master who amassed a large following. In 1642, Shōsan, along with his brother, built 32 Buddhist temples in Japan. One was a [[Pure Land Buddhism|Pure Land Buddhist]] temple in which he honoured the Shoguns Tokugawa Ieyasu and [[Tokugawa Hidetada]]. Shōsan went on to write several treatises before his death in 1655 at 76 years old.
+Shōsan trained under a little-known Zen master, [[Daigu Sochiku]], who allowed Shōsan to keep his original name. Shōsan never actually received ''[[Dharma transmission|inka]]'' but was one of many in the Tokugawa period to claim ''[[jigo-jishō]]'' or "self-enlightenment without a teacher". He was a Zen Master who amassed a large following. In 1642, Shōsan, along with his brother, built 32 Buddhist temples in Japan. One was a [[Pure Land Buddhism|Pure Land Buddhist]] temple in which he honoured the ''shōguns'' Tokugawa Ieyasu and [[Tokugawa Hidetada]]. Shōsan went on to write several treatises before his death in 1655 at 76 years old.
+==Niō Zen==
+Suzuki Shōsan developed his own style of Zen, ''Niō Zen'' “仁王不動禪”, or ''Guardian King Zen''. Shōsan instructed his students to meditate on the ''[[Niō]]'', the fierce-looking Guardians that represent [[Vajrapani]] and can be seen at the gates of many Buddhist temples, to help them channel energy to use in meditation and in developing vitality, courage and "death energy" or the readiness to confront death at any moment which are the most important characteristics of a warrior.<ref>Braverman, Arthur. The Warrior of Zen. New York: Kodansha International, 1994.</ref>
+Shosan's dedication to bringing Buddhism to people from all segments of society intensified as he grew older. He believed that the virtue of Buddhism depended on its usefulness to one's country and people in the real world. Shosan taught that true enlightenment comes during one's daily tasks. Whether one is "tilling fields, or selling wares, or even confronting an enemy in the heat of battle, direct enlightenment will occur at key moments of one's day to day life".<ref>The Samurai Zen of Suzuki Shosan, King Winston L, Asian Humanities Press, 1986</ref> Shosan saw true enlightenment in an untraditional way by discarding the belief that enlightenment can only occur in matters of direct recluse or the renouncement, and therefore true Buddhism has nothing to do with "gentle piety or theory, even though most monks were taught to practice in this manner".{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} Sometimes he asked learners to physically emulate the postures of the Niō, as well as other warrior deities like Fudo and Bishamonten, to aid them in concentration. The energy gained by thinking about the Niō was purported to help learners develop a warrior's fortitude, and to overcome the evil energies that inhibited them from progressing towards enlightenment.<ref name="Baroni2002">{{cite book|author=Helen Josephine Baroni|title=The illustrated encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smNM4ElP3XgC&pg=PA240|access-date=26 March 2012|date=June 2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-2240-6|page=240}}</ref>
 ==Works==
 * {{Nihongo|''Mōanjō''|盲安杖||"A Safe Staff for the Blind"}}, 1619
+* ''Fumoto no Kusawake'' ("Parting the Grasses at the Foot of the Mountain"), 1636
 * {{Nihongo|''Ha Kirishitan''|破切支丹||"Crush Christianity"}}, 1642
 * {{Nihongo|''Roankyō''|驢鞍橋||"Donkey Saddle Bridge"}}, 1648
 * {{Nihongo|''Ninin Bikuni''|二人比丘尼||"Two Nuns"}}, 1664
 * {{Nihongo|''Banmin Tokuyō''|萬民徳用||"Right Action for All"}}, 1661
+==References==
+{{reflist|2}}
 ==Further reading==
 *''Warrior of Zen: The Diamond-Hard Wisdom Mind of Suzuki Shosan'' by [[Arthur Braverman]]
+*Nakamura Hajime, Johnston, William (1967). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383220 Suzuki Shōsan, 1579–1655 and the Spirit of Capitalism in Japanese Buddhism], Monumenta Nipponica 22 (1/2), 1–14 {{registration required}}
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.geocities.jp/shimizuke1955/1185suzukisayousan.html Suzuki Shōsan memorial hall] {{ja icon}}
+*[http://www.geocities.jp/shimizuke1955/1185suzukisayousan.html Suzuki Shōsan memorial hall] {{in lang|ja}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Suzuki, Shosan
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = February 5, 1579
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Japan]]
-| DATE OF DEATH     = July 28, 1655
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Shosan}}
 [[Category:Samurai]]
 [[Category:People from Aichi Prefecture]]
-[[Category:Zen Buddhist monks and priests]]
+[[Category:Zen Buddhist monks]]
 [[Category:1579 births]]
 [[Category:1655 deaths]]
 [[Category:Japanese Zen Buddhists]]
 [[Category:Soto Zen Buddhists]]
+[[Category:Edo period Buddhist clergy]]
+[[Category:17th-century Japanese philosophers]]
-{{zen-stub}}
-{{Japan-hist-stub}}
-[[ja:鈴木正三]]
-[[tr:Suzuki Şōsan]]
-[[zh:鈴木正三]]

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