ABSTRACT
The monk Zan Ning, surnamed Gao, came from a family in present-day Zhejiang Province at the time of the Five Dynasties (907-960 CE) and the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 CE). He took his vows in a place called Yuhang and later joined Ling Yin Monastery in Hangzhou. He was a specialist in Nanshan Buddhism, a Chinese vinaya school. Wellversed in Buddhist precepts, rituals, regulations, he was known as the 'vinaya tiger'. During the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, he was appointed as monk in charge of the Buddhist order in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces in the Wu Yue Kingdom (907-978 CE). The first emperor of the Song Dynasty (r. 976-997 CE) summoned him to the capital, granted him the name of Tong Hui, and bestowed upon him the gift of a purple Buddhist ceremonial robe. Zang Ning was well known for his debating skills, and he deplored the narrow-mindedness and intolerance of some Buddhists.
