Myōan Eisai

(noun)

(1141 – 1215) A Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan.

Related Terms

Examples of Myōan Eisai in the following topics:

  • Japanese Buddhism

    • From the 12th and 13th centuries, art in Japan further developed through the introduction of Zen art, which reached its apogee in the Muromachi Period (1337 - 1573), following the introduction of the faith by Dōgen Zenji and Myōan Eisai upon their return from China.

  • Japanese Painting and Sculpture in the Kamakura Period

    • Zen was not introduced as a separate school until the 12th century, when Myōan Eisai traveled to China and returned to establish a Linji lineage, which eventually perished.
    • In 1215, Dōgen, a younger contemporary of Eisai's, journeyed to China himself, where he became a disciple of the Caodong master Tiantong Rujing.

  • Art of Pure Land Buddhism

    • The more philosophical Zen schools were promulgated by monks such as Eisai and Dogen and emphasized liberation through the insight of meditation.