Dhyānabhadra
Zhikong Chanxian | |
|---|---|
Dhyānabhadra | |
Portrait of Dhyānabhadra at Silleuksa, South Korea | |
| Title | 108th Chan Patriarch |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1289 CE |
| Died | c. 1363 CE |
| Education | Nalanda |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Lineage | Mahayana |
Dhyānabhadra (also known as Sunyadisya, Chi-Gong and Zhikong Chanxian) (1289–1363 C.E.) was an Indian Buddhist monk and translator who was originally ordained at the monastery of Nalanda.
Later in life, he travelled throughout the Indian subcontinent and eventually reached East Asia arriving first in Tibet and later to China and Korea during the period when the Yuan dynasty was ruling the regions. He was affiliated with the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Along with Śāriputra (1335-1426 CE) and Vanaratna (1384-1468 CE), Dhyānabhadra is among the last recorded Indian Buddhist figures of the pre-modern era. Dhyanabhadra has also been cited as evidence for the continuing operation of Nalanda following its sacking by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1200 CE.