Yunqi Zhuhong (Chinese: 雲棲袾宏; pinyin: Yúnqī Zhūhóng; Wade–Giles: Chu Hung; 1535–1615), also named Zhuhong, was a Chinese Buddhist monk during the late Ming Dynasty. His name Yunqi derives from his monastic residence on Mount Yunqi (雲棲山) hence "Zhuhong of Yunqi [Mountain]". In Chinese Buddhism, Yunqi Zhuhong is best remembered as the Eighth Patriarch of the Pure Land tradition, and is known for his analysis of the Pure Land thought, and reconciling "mind-only" interpretations with more literal "Western Pure Land" interpretations. Along with his lay follower, Yuan Hongdao, Zhuhong wrote extensively on the Pure Land and defended its tradition against other Buddhist critics, while analyzing the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha within the larger Buddhist context.[1][2]
Furthermore, Yunqi Zhuhong rebuilt the local monastery on Mount Yunqi, and earned a reputation as a reformer and disciplinarian.[2]
In contemporary western sources, Yunqi Zhuhong is also remembered for his rebuttal to Roman Catholicism, with his writings a direct rebuttal to the Jesuit Matteo Ricci (利瑪竇).
- ^ Jones, Charles B. (2019). Chinese Pure Land Buddhism: Understanding a Tradition of Practice. Institute of Buddhist Studies. pp. 52, 70–74. ISBN 978-0-8248-8841-1.
- ^ a b Jones, Charles B. (2021). Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice (Buddhist Foundations). Shambhala. pp. 82–95. ISBN 978-1611808902.