Eisai 1141 – 1215
Myoan Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist monk who is credited with introducing the Rinzai school of Zen and the cultivation of green tea to Japan. After two study journeys to Song China, he received the transmission of the Linji Chan lineage and returned to establish Zen monasteries in Kyoto and Kamakura. His Treatise on the Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country defended the new school against Tendai opposition, while his Drink Tea and Prolong Life popularized the medical and meditative use of green tea among the samurai. His teaching shaped the broader Kamakura-period reformation of Japanese Buddhism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Zen is the seal of the Buddha-mind.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Tea cultivates the mind toward simplicity.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Meditation is the gateway to enlightenment.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“The true monk has no need of subtle doctrine; he has only to sit.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“He who has a mind to seek the way will find the way at hand.”