Who are your Top 5 Mahayana masters of all time?

[Dodatsu]

My top 5:

1. Shinran Shonin, whose teachings i follow.

2. Rennyo shonin, who helped spread the teachings of Shinran Shonin throughout Japan, from which it spread throughout to the world.

3. Inagaki Zuiken, a famous Shin master.

4. Inagaki Zuio, son of (3) and instrumental in translating many Shin texts from Sino-Japanese to English (two published by the Numata Translation Committee)

5.　The Seven Masters - Nagarjuna, Vasubhandhu, Tan-luan, Dao-cuo, Shan-dao, Genshin, Genku

[ChangYuan]

Bodhidharma
Hui Neng
Huike
Sheng Yen
Hsuan Hua

[J.Khedrup]

HH the 14th Dalai Lama

Nagarjuna

Master Hsu Yun

Master Hsuan Hua

Tsongkhapa

[Tenzin Sungrab]

1- Je Tsongkhapa
2- the First Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen
3- Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche
4- Shantideva
5- Dharmakirti

[hungryghost]

i'm gonna be a rebel and do two lists, one for masters of the 'past' and one for recent history...

1.nagarjuna
2.Bodhidharma
3.Joshu
4.Hakuin
5.Dogen

and more recently
1.Philip Kapleau Roshi
2.Sheng Yen
3.Thich Nhat Hanh
4.Hsu Yun (a borderline for the other list?)
5.Shodo Harada Roshi

These 2 lists are in no particular order..

[Namu Butsu]

Shinran Shonin for showing that the laity can attain unsurpassed Enlightenment


Honen Shonin for being so brave to separate from Tendai sect and form the nembutsu way for all people


Thich Nhat Hanh for being the Buddha that he is.


Dharmakara Bodhisatva, though he is symbolic of the shared karmic suffering and his desire to liberate all.

Pema Chodron for sharing compassion through her works and introducing me further into buddhism

[ground]

Gautama Shakyamuni
Nagarjuna
Padmasambhava
Longchempa
Tsongkhapa

[mettafuture]

• Shakyamuni Gautama
• Bodhidharma
• Eihei Dōgen
• Hakuin Ekaku
• Thich Nhat Hanh

[Anders]

Tough. In no particular order

Kumarajiva
Nagarjuna
Hsu Yun
Huineng
Longchenpa

Can't believe I'm the first to mention Kumarajiva!

I would have sneaked in Hanshan Deqing also if I could.

[BFS]

Lord Buddha

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Nagarjuna

Chandrakirti

Je Tsongkhapa

[White Lotus]

1. Harriet Lassale (intiated me into the path of loving compassion).
2. Yave (initiated me into the embodiment of the true buddhahood, which i dont consider myself to have attained.)
3. Tom (who gave me my enlightenment koan (i dont consider myself to be enlightened).
4. Shu An Wu. (mountain monk who initiated me into philosophical freedom.)
5. Bill and Ben. (wandering monks, who have been there for me. they count as one since they share the same mind.)

this is in order of gratitude, Harriet being the most important to me. except for Bill and Ben whom i have a soft spot for.

[kirtu]

I thought it might be worth starting up a topic focussing on who we personally consider to be the 5 greatest Mahayana masters of all time, and a few sentences on what makes them so significant.

It's a very tough question as there are so many great masters esp. in the later half of the 20th century (these masters saved Buddhism from destruction as the worst wars and the fascist, communist and capitalist menaces and intense delusions and defilements swept the world threatening all physical and spiritual life).

Empty Cloud, Xu Yun, would be up there for sure.

AH - ALL TIME - well it gets easier then beginning with Lord Buddha. I had thought you were asking about more recent times.

Lord Buddha, Nagarjuna, Jamyang Khyentse Wango, then it becomes very difficult ...

Kirt

[Huifeng]

Can't believe I'm the first to mention Kumarajiva!

Yeah, Master Kumarajiva is totally under-rated, that's for sure!

[catmoon]

Can't believe I'm the first to mention Kumarajiva!

Yeah, Master Kumarajiva is totally under-rated, that's for sure!

Ha ha! I am the only one who has not fallen to the evil of preferences, for I have no favorites!

How very koanish...

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Catmoon,

Ha ha! I am the only one who has not fallen to the evil of preferences, for I have no favorites!

My 2nd favourite Mahayana master of all time would vouch for the potential efficacy of your non-favouritism!

Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T'san

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

Metta,
Retro.

[ground]

Greetings Catmoon,

Ha ha! I am the only one who has not fallen to the evil of preferences, for I have no favorites!

My 2nd favourite Mahayana master of all time would vouch for the potential efficacy of your non-favouritism!

Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T'san
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.

Great! So we see that preference may entail no preference and that having aversion against preference may entail reinforcement of preference.

[catmoon]

Greetings Catmoon,

Ha ha! I am the only one who has not fallen to the evil of preferences, for I have no favorites!

My 2nd favourite Mahayana master of all time would vouch for the potential efficacy of your non-favouritism!

Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T'san

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

Metta,
Retro.

Actually I was referring to a story from the Blue Cliff Record about the three monks who were travelling under a vow of silence. I forget why but one of them, under pressure of anger or something, finally blurts something out. The second monk retorts "You fool, you have broken your vow!" and third one smiles blissfully and says "Only I have not spoken".

So I thought I would blissfully take on the role of the third idiot, as is my wont.

[BFS]

Great! So we see that preference may entail no preference and that having aversion against preference may entail reinforcement of preference.

[catmoon]

Great! So we see that preference may entail no preference and that having aversion against preference may entail reinforcement of preference.

So you prefer not to prefer?

[retrofuturist]

That would be my preference.



Metta,
Retro.