Ryōkan
Sign in to savewas a quiet and unorthodox Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life.
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Key facts
- Religious biography.name
- Ryōkan
- Religious biography.caption
- A statue of Ryōkan.
- Religious biography.birth_date
- 1758
- Religious biography.birth_place
- Niigata Prefecture, Japan
- Religious biography.death_date
- 18 February 1831
- Religious biography.religion
- Buddhism
- Religious biography.school
- Sōtō
- Religious biography.title
- Rōshi
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Life as a hermit
- Final years
- Stories of Ryōkan
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
was a quiet and unorthodox Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life.
==Early life== Ryōkan was born in the village of Izumozaki in Echigo Province (now Niigata Prefecture) in Japan to the village headman. He renounced the world at an early age to train at nearby Sōtō Zen temple Kōshō-ji, refusing to meet with or accept charity from his family. Once the Zen master Kokusen visited the temple, and Ryōkan was deeply impressed with his demeanour. He solicited permission to become Kokusen's disciple. Kokusen accepted, and the two returned to Entsū-ji monastery in Tamashima (now Okayama Prefecture).