Yuan Xian

• Gushan Yuanxian, a monk known as “Heshang,” had the secular surname Cai and the courtesy name Yongjue, and was a native of Fujian. He lived during the late Ming and early Qing period. In childhood he studied Confucianism; at age twenty he heard the Lotus Sutra and turned to Buddhist studies. At twenty-five he studied texts such as the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and the Lotus Sutra, and visited Shouchang Wuming to seek instruction. At forty he was ordained at Shouchang Monastery, later going to Boshan to study under Wuyi Yuanlai. At forty-five, on his return to Fujian, he attained sudden enlightenment at Jianjin, then stayed at Jinxian Hermitage where he studied the Buddhist canon for three years. From age fifty onward he successively served as abbot at monasteries including Heshan in Jian’an, Gushan in Fuzhou, Kaiyuan Monastery in Quanzhou, and Zhenji Monastery in Hangzhou. His Chan teachings derived from Wuming Huijing, while his Vinaya studies were transmitted from Wengu Guangyin.