Daoxuan

Daoxuan renounced at the age of 16 and was fully ordained at 20 years of age. He was eager to practice meditation after receiving his first lecture on the vinaya, but was reprimanded by his master, Zhishou, for neglecting the vinaya before accumulating sufficient merit and virtue. He humbly accepted his master’s advice and practiced so diligently that a relic appeared in a precious box. He later stayed at Zhongnanshan, where he studied and lectured on the Dharmagupta Vinaya. He taught the vinaya at different places and participated in sutra translation projects organized by Xuanzang. At the age of 72 in Jingye Temple he established the ordination platform, which served as an exemplar for future generations. Daoxuan compiled a comprehensive system which embraced the different vinayas and founded the Nanshan Vinaya School. He spent his life composing works on the vinaya and writing biographies of eminent monks. These works later became the guidelines for practitioners of Buddhism.