Chengyuan

Banzhou Chengyuan (般舟承遠, 713–802) was a Chinese Buddhist monk who is considered the third patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism in China.

Overview Born in Sichuan with the lay surname Xie, Chengyuan studied under Master Tang of Chengdu. In 735 CE he traveled to the Jade Spring Temple (Yuquan Si) in Jingzhou (present-day Jiangling County Hubei), where he ordained as a sramanera under a certain Huizhen. He later traveled to Mount Heng in Nanyue (Hunan), where he received the full ordination from Tongxiang and further studied the sūtras and vinaya. In 765, Master Fazhao left Mount Lu and became a disciple of Master Chengyuan. According to the Nanyue Mituo si Chengyuan Heshang bei (Stele of the Mituo Temple at Nanyue), Fazhao had a vision of Amitabha and the elder Chengyuan on a mountain. This lead him to Mount Heng (Hunan).