Biographies of the Eighteen Eminent Virtuous Ones of Donglin (東林十八高賢傳)

About 東林十八高賢傳

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Biography of the Eighteen Eminent Sages of Donglin This text was composed by the Tang dynasty monk Śākya-someone, recording the deeds of Master Huiyuan of Donglin Monastery on Mount Lu during the Eastern Jin dynasty, who together with eighteen eminent sages formed a society for Buddha‑recitation and jointly cultivated pure karma. The biography reflects the historical background of the early development of the Pure Land school, detailing the cultivation and Dharma‑propagation journeys of these eminent monks, and illuminating the teaching of rebirth in the Western Pure Land through Buddha‑recitation. Although this biography has been lost, as an important document of Chinese Buddhist Pure Land tradition, it exerted a profound influence on the later spread of Pure Land faith and the model of communal practice. It remains a significant source for the study of early Pure Land history and the thought of Master Huiyuan.