was a Japanese monk credited with playing an influential role in the founding of

Buddhism in Japan Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

. In C.E. 653, the original Dōshō travelled to China, studying under the Buddhist monk

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

, whose travels to India were immortalized in the book ''

Records of the Western Regions The ''Records of the Western Regions'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Datang Xiyuji'' or ''Da Tang Xiyu Ji'' and by various other translations and Romanized transcriptions, is a narrative of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang's nine ...

''. His studies centered on Xuanzang's Weishi, Chinese variant of Indian

Yogācāra Yogachara (, IAST: ') is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through the interior lens of meditation, as well as philosophical reasoning (hetuvidyā). ...

, but he was also exposed to

Chinese Chán Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song ...

while there, which would later lead to his influence on the founding of

Japanese Zen :''See also Zen for an overview of Zen, Chan Buddhism for the Chinese origins, and Sōtō, Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku for the three main schools of Zen in Japan'' Japanese Zen refers to the Japanese forms of Zen, Zen Buddhism, an orig ...

Buddhism.Heinrich Dumoulin, James W. Heisig, Paul F. Knitter, Zen Buddhism : a History: Japan, p5. World Wisdom, Inc, Sep 25, 2005 In China, the school is known as Wéishí-zōng (, "Consciousness Only" school), or Fǎxiàng-zōng (, "Dharma Characteristics" school). In Japan, it is known as or . After returning from China, Dōshō became a priest at Gangō-ji, one of the great temples, the

Nanto Shichi Daiji Nanto Shichi Daiji (南都七大寺), literally "the seven great temples of the southern capital (meaning the city of Nara)", is a historical common name generally referring to the powerful and influential seven Buddhist temples located in the Na ...

, in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. His teachings were based on the consciousness-only philosophy taught by Xuanzang, which in Japanese he called Hossō. It was at Gangō-ji that later he founded Japan's first meditation hall. There is a legend about his return from China that says Xuanzang had given him a magical kettle in which he could prepare medicines that could cure any illness. The monk travelling with Dōshō was supposedly cured before embarking on the sea trip back to Japan. However, while at sea a great storm came upon them. A diviner on board said that the sea god wanted the kettle. Dōshō at first resisted, but eventually gave in, and the storm immediately abated.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dosho 629 births 700 deaths Japanese Buddhist clergy Buddhist clergy of the Asuka period