弘忍【英】

Hung-jen (Daman Hongren)

定义

中国禅宗五祖，唐代僧人，得到四祖道信心传。道信入寂后继承师席，弘忍发扬禅风，以悟彻心性之本源为旨，守心为参学之要。其禅学被称为“东山法门”。

A noted monk from the Tang Dynasty. Having been taught enthusiastically by the fourth patriarch of the “Intuitional” or Zen school of Buddhism—Daoxin—by transmission from mind to mind, he became the fifth patriarch after Daoxin entered nirvana. He further promoted the practice of meditation and use of intuition, and his aim was to fully understand the nature of mind, which was the core of his inquiries in Buddhism. His Zen teaching is also known as the “East Mountain Teaching”.