Myōshin-ji (妙心寺, Myōshin-ji) is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan. The Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism is the largest school in Rinzai Zen. This particular school contains within it more than three thousand temples throughout Japan, along with nineteen monasteries. The head temple was founded in the year 1342 by the Zen master Kanzan Egen (1277-1360). Nearly all of the buildings were destroyed in the Ōnin War in 1467; however, many of the...
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Myōshin-ji (妙心寺, Myōshin-ji) is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan. The Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism is the largest school in Rinzai Zen. This particular school contains within it more than three thousand temples throughout Japan, along with nineteen monasteries. The head temple was founded in the year 1342 by the Zen master Kanzan Egen (1277-1360). Nearly all of the buildings were destroyed in the Ōnin War in 1467; however, many of them have been rebuilt.
A difference between this and other schools of Rinzai Zen is that the Myōshin-ji school does not necessarily follow the set of established kōan for the sake of testing one's stage of enlightenment. Rather the Myōshin-ji school allows the master to specifically tailor kōan to a student's needs and background. This method diverges from the traditionally accepted canon of kōan.
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