Eisai

✶December 15, 1141

†August 8, 1215

1 candle burning, 7 lit in all

About their life

Myōan Eisai or Yōsai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with founding the Rinzai school, the Japanese line of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism. In 1191, he introduced this Zen approach to Japan, following his trip to China from 1187 to 1191, during which he was initiated into the Linji school by the master Hsü an. It is also said that he popularized green tea in Japan, following this same trip. He was also the founding abbot of Shōfuku-ji and Kennin-ji, two of the earliest Zen temples in Japan. He is often known simply as Eisai/Yōsai Zenji (栄西禅師), literally "Zen master Eisai".

Japanese monk

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Biography from the article Eisai on the English Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.