Yamaguchi-Sekkei, Manzan-Dohaku

Place: Bingo Province (Present Hiroshima Prefecture)

Born: 1635

Death: 1715

Biography:

Yamaguchi-Sekkei, Manzan-Dohaku was a priest of Soto Sect in the early Edo period. He was originally from Bingo Province (present Hiroshima Prefecture) and his secular surname was Fujii. His Go (pen name) was Dojin FUKKO. At the age of 10, he entered the Buddhist priesthood under the guidance of Dohan ISSEN of Ryuko-ji Temple. When Dohan resigned from the post at Ryuko-ji Temple, Dohaku accompanied him and went to the east region of Japan. He practiced Zen meditation under Bunshun KOSHU and Soko GESSHU. He succeeded the teachings of Soko GESSHU. As the successor of Soko, he assumed the position of the chief priest of Daijo-ji Temple in Kaga Province (present Ishikawa Prefecture). Along with his mentor priest Soko and Zuiho MENZAN, he advocated the restoration of the sect's tradition and strived for the rehabilitation of shiho (succession of the lineage of sect) and kiku (regulations) in the sect. In the Soto Sect at that time, other than Hoto (the lineage of sect) that was inherited from a mentor priest to a disciple by means of menju (face to face transmission) (nin-po), there was also another Hoto that was inherited by means of succeeding the position of chief priest of a temple (garan-ho), and under such circumstances, there were a variety of abuses resulting from such confusion. Under such circumstances, Dohaku and others asserted that only menju shiho of isshi-insho (a rule whereby a priest who received menju from his mentor priest shall not change his mentor priest during his whole life) (nin-po), which the founder Dogen valued, should be regarded as legitimate. The campaign by Dohaku and others affected Jisha-bugyo. He was also known as an artist and created the artwork 'Attaining a Great Enlightenment upon Hearing the Sound of a Bamboo Hit by a Stone' in 1715.