Letter of Certification of Awakening

Ryōan Seiyoku (1288-1363) was a Rinzai Zen monk during the late Yuan dynasty. He was also known as Nandō. A native of Taizhou (Zhejiang Province), he was 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.

A 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 the resident priest of Lingyan Temple. The identity of Kaiin Koji, who received the dharma transmission, is unknown but is thought to have been a lay disciple. Since the letter begins with ‘重與 (given repeatedly),’ it is likely that he had received a letter of dharma transmission before.