Yuánmì 元謐
Late-Míng / early-Qīng Cáodòng 曹洞 Chán master, zì Jiànrú 見如 (alternate zì Qùrán 閴然). Fourth of the four principal dharma-heirs of 慧經 Wúmíng Huìjīng (1548–1618) in the Shòuchāng 壽昌 revival, alongside Wúyì Yuánlái, 元鏡 Huìtái Yuánjìng, and 元賢 Yǒngjué Yuánxián — but famously the most reclusive of the four, “whose shadow did not leave the mountain for decades” and “who did not consider using the tongue fit work for a Buddhist.” Native of Nánchéng 南城 (Jiànchāngfǔ, Jiāngxī), lay surname Hú 胡. 30 December 1579 – spring 1649 (lunar 萬曆 7.12.3 – 順治 6 jǐchǒu 己丑), shìshòu 71, sēnglà 50.
At twenty-one gave up meat and wine and sought ordination from Huìjīng at Bǎofāng, who declined on the grounds that his parents were still living; was tonsured instead at Fǔzhōu Jīnshān Kǎifǎ 金山鎧法. Returned to Bǎofāng; later trained at the Jīnlóu hermitage. His awakening came in two stages: a shěng 省 opening while bumping into a millstone he was pulling; a definitive breakthrough in the vegetable garden when — having silently asked “what is the way?” during the rain — a frog croaked three times and left him unable to name anything. In Wànlì 45 (1617) travelled to Wǔtái; returning via Jīnlíng Tiānjièsì he learned of Huìjīng’s impending death and rushed back to Shòuchāng, where he was given the final dharma-transmission.
Lived quietly at Shòuchāng for more than twenty years, emerging publicly only under the sustained pressure of 道盛 Juélàng Dàoshèng (who came back to sweep Huìjīng’s stupa and forced the abbatial seat on him) and of the layman Hǎiàn jūshì 海岸居士. Returned later to Bǎofāng and revitalised Lónghúsì 龍湖禪寺. Died at 71.
His single-juan yǔlù (KR6q0364; X72 n1434), compiled against his stated wishes by the disciple 道璞 Dàopú from quietly-collected fragments, was prefaced by Lǐ Chánggēng 李長庚 in 1638 and by Huáng Duānbó 黃端伯 in 1637 — both prefacing what amounts to a monument to Chán reticence. No named dharma-heirs of note.