Gāthā of the Ritual of Buddhist Confirmation

Kan’u Irin (1786-1872) was a Zen monk of the Sōtō sect of Zen in the late Edo Period and early Meiji era. He was called Furyūdōjin. He resided at Jigen’in Temple in Ōmi Province in Bunsei 3 (1820) and at Eikenji Temple in Echizen in Tenpō 14 (1843). He built a monastery at Eikenji Temple, and the number of ascetic monks there is said to have exceeded 100. On the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the death of Dōgen, he instructed trainee monks together with Butsujō Jisen. He was well-informed on Buddhist precepts, and during his lifetime, he performed Kessei (The first day of summer Ango, a Buddhist training retreat held in the summer) and Joke (Assists in educating the priest) 70 times, conducted his own precept giving ceremonies 10 times, and was invited as a preceptor for precept giving ceremonies 97 times. It is said that more than 15,800 people have been given precepts. Along with Jakutan Shunryū, Butsujō Jisen, and others, he was a great priest of the Sōtō sect that marked the end of the Edo period.

This document is thought to be a verse given during Mankai Jōdō (A sermon given at the end of giving the precepts).