Zhiyi 538 – 597
Zhiyi (538 – 597) was a Chinese philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Buddhism.
Zhiyi was a Chinese Buddhist philosopher, monk, and the principal founder of the Tiantai school of Mahayana Buddhism, whose lectures at Mount Tiantai in southeastern China set out the most ambitious systematic synthesis of Buddhist thought attempted in East Asia. The Great Calming and Contemplation provided the foundational handbook of Tiantai meditation, while the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra established the canonical exegetical method by which all the various Buddhist teachings could be ordered as the deliberate sequence of a single pedagogy of the Buddha. His doctrine of the threefold truth and the perfect interpenetration of all things shaped the entire later history of East Asian Buddhism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Zhiyi:
“Three thousand realms are present in a single thought.”
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Attributed to Zhiyi:
“The truth is threefold: emptiness, conventional designation, and the middle way.”
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Attributed to Zhiyi:
“All Buddhist teachings are the deliberate sequence of a single pedagogy.”
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Attributed to Zhiyi:
“Cessation and contemplation are the two wings of the same flight.”
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Attributed to Zhiyi:
“Each instant of mind contains all the worlds; recognize this, and the path opens.”
Frequently asked about Zhiyi
- When did Zhiyi live?
- Zhiyi was born in 538 and died in 597.
- Where was Zhiyi from?
- Zhiyi was a Chinese philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Zhiyi associated with?
- Zhiyi was associated with Buddhism.
- What was Zhiyi known for?
- Zhiyi was a Chinese Buddhist philosopher, monk, and the principal founder of the Tiantai school of Mahayana Buddhism, whose lectures at Mount Tiantai in southeastern China set out the most ambitious systematic synthesis of Buddhist thought attempted in East Asia.
- How many quotes are attributed to Zhiyi?
- There are 6 attributed quotations from Zhiyi in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.