Philosopher

Zhi Dun

Overview

Zhi Dun (Chinese: 支遁; 314–366), courtesy name Daolin, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and philosopher. His birth surname was Guan. A Chinese author, scholar and confidant of Chinese government officials in 350, he claimed that all who followed Buddhism would, at the end of their life, enter Nirvana.

According to Kenneth Tanaka, Zhi Dun was a well respected scholar of Neo Daoist philosophy who became a Buddhist. Tanaka also writes that in his works, Zhi Dun explained the metaphysical meaning of the term li (noumenon). Aside from his philosophical works, he also wrote various eulogies, one of which expresses his Pure Land faith in Amitabha and Sukhavati.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Philosophers who discussed Zhi Dun

• Zhuangzi (book)

Ideas Zhi Dun discusses

• Xuanxue
• Princeton University Press
• Zhuangzi (book)
• Pure Land Buddhism
• Exegesis
• Buddhism
• Feng Youlan

Place in the tradition

Part of Timeline of Eastern philosophers.

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