ABSTRACT
Like the text looked at in the last unit, this text was originally written in Chinese by a Chinese monk, rather than being translated from an Indian or Central Asian language. The Essentials for Practicing Calming-and-Insight and Chan Meditation (修習止觀坐禪法要 xiūxí zhǐguān chánfǎ yào; T46.1915) was composed by the monk Zhìyǐ (智顗; 538–597 ce) also called Zhìzhě (智者) ‘Wise One’, who is considered one of the greatest exegetes in China and credited with founding the Tiāntái (天台) school of Buddhism. Tiantai is arguably the most influential of the hermeneutic schools in China, which helped to standardize and elucidate many of the Buddhist teachings coming into China from India and elsewhere. Zhiyi was born in Yǐngchuān (頴川) in Anhui province and became a novice at the age of seven. He took full ordination when he was twenty and spent the rest of his life studying, writing and commenting on important texts. The Tiantai school emphasizes the Lotus Sutra (see Unit Five).
