Tōshi Gisei

Biography

Tōshi Gisei (Touzi Yiqing in Chinese), sometimes called Touzi Qing Huayan, was born in 1032 in Qingshe, near present-day Yanshi in Henan province, during the Northern Song dynasty. According to the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of the Five Lamps), he left his parents at the age of seven to study Buddhism at Miaoxing Temple, where he was first trained in the tradition of the Consciousness-Only School (Yogacara).

Finding the density of these teachings unsatisfactory, he turned to the Huayan (Avatamsaka) school, whose textual study in turn revealed to him the limits of language for expressing ultimate truth. He then went to the Chan master Fushan Fayuan (also known as Yuanjian), a master of the Linji school who had been a disciple of Taiyō Kyōgen.

Gisei resided at Touzi Monastery (投子), from which he derived his name, and taught there until his death in 1083. He was the master of Fuyō Dōkai, who would become the great restorer of the Caodong school.

The Transmission of the Robe and Bowl

Tōshi Gisei is arguably the most singular figure in the Caodong lineage. He never met or studied with the one who is officially considered his predecessor, Taiyō Kyōgen. This situation is a unique exception in the history of Zen, where direct transmission from master to disciple is the absolute rule.

Before dying, Taiyō Kyōgen had entrusted his robe and bowl — symbols of the transmission of the dharma — to Fushan Fayuan (991–1067), one of his disciples who had already received transmission in the Linji school. Fayuan kept these symbols for forty years, seeking a worthy heir. He finally recognized Tōshi Gisei as the true successor of Taiyō and gave him the robe and bowl, making Gisei the "posthumous" heir of Taiyō — without the two men ever having met.

Scholar Morten Schlütter notes that this form of lineage transfer "has no parallel in early Chan literature." The 1101 Xudeng Lu mentions Gisei and nine other disciples of Taiyō, but specifies that Gisei never received transmission directly from Taiyō. The biography by Juefan Huihong (1119) attempts to solidify this fragile link by presenting Gisei as the "true son" of Taiyō.

The Awakening of Fuyō Dōkai

Among the dialogues preserved between Gisei and his disciple Fuyō Dōkai, the most famous recounts the latter's awakening:

Teachings

Gisei, sometimes nicknamed Touzi Qing Huayan due to his deep knowledge of the teachings of the Huayan school, integrated the philosophy of universal interpenetration (the "Indra's net") into his expression of Caodong Chan. His teaching is characterized by a great familiarity with classical texts, combined with the freedom of expression typical of Chan masters.

His dialogues and sermons, preserved in the Transmission of the Lamp compilations, reveal a master concerned with preserving the authenticity of the Caodong transmission while adapting to the challenges of his time. He insists on the necessity of assiduous meditative practice and simplicity — two traits that would profoundly mark his disciple Fuyō Dōkai.

Legacy

As the 45^th patriarch, Tōshi Gisei is the link that allowed the Caodong lineage, on the verge of extinction during Taiyō Kyōgen's lifetime, to regain its vitality. His disciple Fuyō Dōkai (46^th patriarch) is considered the great restorer of the school, and without the transmission that Gisei received from Fayuan, Dōgen would never have encountered Sōtō Zen in Japan.

He is mentioned in the genealogy recited during Sōtō ceremonies (dentō), between Taiyō Kyōgen (44^th) and Fuyō Dōkai (46^th).

Sources

• Morten Schlütter, How Zen Became Zen: The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China, University of Hawai'i Press, 2008
• Andy Ferguson, Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings, Wisdom Publications, 2011 — pp. 410-414
• Wudeng Huiyuan (五燈會元) — Compendium of the Five Lamps
• Juefan Huihong, Chanlin sengbao zhuan (1119) — Chronicle of the Sangha Treasure
• Wikipedia — Touzi Yiqing