Letter of Certification of Awakening

Ryōan Seiyoku (1288-1363) was a Rinzai Zen monk of the late Yuan dynasty. He was also known as Nandō. He was a native of Taizhou (Zhejiang Province) and a successor of Gulin Qingmao. He lived at Kaifu Temple in Luzhou (Jiangsu Province), Benjue Temple in Jiaxing (Zhejiang Province), and Lingyan Temple in Suzhou (Jiangsu Province). Although he never traveled to Japan, many Japanese monks visited him and many of his Bokuseki (Calligraphy) were brought to Japan.

Letter of dharma transmission is issued when a master inspects a trainee monk’s state of enlightenment and determines that the monk has attained maturity. This letter is said to have been given to Kaiin Koji by Ryōan Seiyoku. From Ryōan Seiyoku’s signature, we know that it was issued in 1346, the year he became a resident priest of Lingyan Temple. Kaiin Koji, who was given the dharma transmission, is unknown, but is thought to have been a lay disciple. Since there is “重與 (given repeatedly)” at the beginning of the letter, it is likely that he had been given a letter of dharma transmission before.