Xuejiao Yuanxin

CHINA, Zhejiang, Ningbo; Ming to Qing dynasty (1368–1911)

Born in Yinzhou district of Ningbo, Xiejiao Yuanxin was a monk and artist with an original surname of Zhu. He was a Chan master, calligrapher, and painter who was known to have a perseverant and straightforward demeanor throughout his life. Eventually, he was reputed as a patriarch of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism.
Master Xiejiao resolved to learn the Dharma at age nine after hearing the Amitabha Sutra being chanted. After he renounced at age 29, he traveled to new places to study under Buddhist masters. It is said that when he met with Master Miaozhen at Puji Temple in Jiangsu, he became enlightened, and when he returned to Tiantaishan, on seeing the Chinese characters “Ancient Yunmen,” he immediately gained further enlightenment and vowed to propagate the Yunmen school teachings.
He is the author of four fascicles of Quotes of Chan Master Xiejiao Yuanxin, and his only surviving painting is Six Pine Trees in the Mountain, which features a complimentary verse and is kept at Ho’s Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan.