Daosui
Tang dynasty Buddhist monk
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Daosui was a native of Chang'an. His birth and death dates are not clearly recorded in historical sources. His secular surname was Wang. Before ordination, he served in the Tang court as a Jiancha Yushi (Censor). Later, he renounced his prestigious position, became a monk, and received the full bhikṣu precepts at the age of 24.
Originally, Daosui was a high-ranking official in the Tang government. However, he retired from his official position and entered the monastic life. During the Dali era (766–779), he became a disciple of Zhanran, the sixth patriarch of the Tiantai school, studying with him at Miaole Monastery (妙樂寺). Over the course of five years, he diligently pursued his studies and ultimately attained an understanding of the essential principle of the Tiantai school. He was praised for his profound insight into subtle and profound doctrines, free from attachment or obstruction. Zhanran commended his understanding of the Dharma, even saying, "You, my disciple, can succeed in advancing my teachings." Consequently, Zhanran entrusted Daosui with the Zhiguan Fuxing Ji (Supplementary Notes on Śamatha-Vipaśyanā), hoping that Daosui would promote the Tiantai meditation teachings. Daosui's talent even earned the admiration of Yuanhao, another of Zhanran's disciples.
Afterward, Daosui continued his travels, giving lectures throughout the Jiangnan region. In 796, he entered Mount Tiantai and undertook the task of guiding the monastic community there. Throughout this period, he tirelessly lectured on the Lotus Sūtra, the Mohe zhiguan, and the precepts in various cities, including Yangzhou.
In 804, while Daosui was traveling from Mount Tiantai to Longxing Temple in Linhai, Taizhou, to deliver a lecture on the Mohe Zhiguan, he encountered the Japanese monk Saichō, whom he took as a student. After Saichō had completed his studies at Mount Tiantai, he returned to Taizhou and devoted himself to copying scriptures. Later, Daosui, along with Yizhen, conferred the Mahayana Bodhisattva Precepts (Perfect Teaching Bodhisattva Precepts) upon Saichō. That same year, Saichō returned to Japan and founded the Japanese Tendai school, which integrated Tiantai, Esoteric (Mikkyō), and Chan teachings into a unique tradition. Out of respect, Saichō and his disciples honored Daosui as the founding patriarch of the Japanese Tendai school.
Some of his Chinese disciples include Qianshu, Shousu, and Guangxiu.
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Teachings
Daosui's view of Tiantai teaching was a syncretic one, matching the spirit of the times. He advocated the integration of the various Buddhist schools of Chinese Buddhism (Vinaya school, Heze Chan, Mantrayana) under the umbrella of Zhiyi's universalist Tiantai school.
As a student of Zhanran, Daosui upheld and expanded on his master's views. He developed the integration of the Huayan teaching of "nature-origination" (xingqi) as found in Fazang into the Tiantai teaching of "nature-inclusion" (xingju), as well as defending the doctrine of the "Buddha-nature of the insentient" as taught in works like Zhanran's Adamantine Scalpel (金剛錍 Jin'gang Pi).
Furthermore, as noted by Paul Groner, Daosui teachings on meditation "may have varied from standard T'ien-t'ai practices":
Chih-li 知禮 (960-1028), a Sung dynasty monk who tried to reform the T'ien-t'ai School, noted that Tao-sui's teaching on T'ien-t'ai meditation practices deviated from the orthodox position. Chih-li's charge is especially interesting when it is juxtaposed with Saichō's statement that Tao-sui taught him how to realize the three views in an instant (isshin sankan) through a single word. This passage suggests that Tao-sui may have utilized Ch'an practices.
Daosui's syncretism influenced the Japanese monk Saichō, who developed his new Japanese Tendai tradition in a similar syncretic direction, merging esoteric Buddhism with the Tiantai teachings.