Sengzhao

Sengzhao (Chinese僧肇, Pinyin Sengzhao, W.-G. Seng -chao; jap僧肇, Sojo; approx. 374 -ca 414 ) was a Buddhist monk scholar and philosopher who lived in the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms. As his greatest achievement is considered the written by him essay collection Zhao Lun (肇 论, Zhaolun, tracts of Zhao '), in which the philosophical mysticism of Madhyamaka was presented for the first time in Chinese. Heinrich Dumoulin, looked at the Sengzhao as precursors of the Chan School, judged of him: " The golden age of Buddhism in China at the turn of the 5th century has no glänzerenden representatives brought forth [ ... ] ."

Life

Usually biographical presentation to life Sengzhaos refer to the Gaoseng zhuan from the year 519 After that he came from a poor family in Jingzhao (京兆, Jingzhao ) and has worked at a young age as a copyist, making it the works of Zhuangzi and Laozi was familiar. After he had read but the Vimalakirti Sutra, he turned enthusiastically to Buddhism and became a monk. In the following years, he joined the famous Kumarajiva, where he participated as a personal student intensely deepened his understanding of Buddhism and he helped with the translations of Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese.

The preferred topics in Sengzhaos own writings are Prajna, Shunyata and Nirvana. These Indian terms, he interpreted in terms of traditional Chinese philosophy and contemporary Neo - Daoism, such as Wu wei ( non-action ). From Taoist writings, he took over the principle of non - discrimination, which he took in his interpretation of the Indian scriptures.