Yuánjìng 元鏡
Late-Míng Cáodòng 曹洞 Chán master, zì Huìtái 晦臺 (also 慧臺 in variant texts), 別號 Zhànlíng 湛靈. Best known through his principal abbacy at Wǔyíshān Dōngyuàn 武夷山東苑 (Dōngyuàn Jìng 東苑鏡). Dharma-heir of 慧經 Wúmíng Huìjīng (1548–1618) in the Shòuchāng 壽昌 Cáodòng revival — dharma-brother of 元賢 Yǒngjué Yuánxián and of Wúyì Yuánlái. Native of Jiànyáng 建陽 (Fújiàn), lay surname Féng 馮. 20 July 1577 – 20 August 1630 (lunar 萬曆 5.6.25 – 崇禎 3.7.13), shìshòu 54, xià 26.
Studied the Śūraṃgama and Yuán-jué sūtras deeply as a young monk; attained a first opening on the Vimalakīrti’s “why is this room empty, without even an attendant?” passage; a second, definitive awakening on the Complete Enlightenment’s chapter on “suí-shùn jué-xìng 隨順覺性.” Presented these attainments to Huì-jīng at Shòu-chāng in Tiān-qǐ Gēng-xū 庚戌 (1610) and received yìn-kě. After Huì-jīng’s death (1618) was installed by the Yú 余 family of Jiàn-yáng at the Dōng-yuàn jìng-shì 靜室 on Wǔ-yí, and in the winter of Tài-chāng Gēng-shēn 庚申 (1620) was formally requested to preside at the Xiān-tíng Yī-zhī-ān 僊亭一枝庵 — the opening of his public abbatial career, preserved in his yǔlù (KR6q0363).
Works: Huìtái Yuánjìng chánshī yǔlù 晦臺元鏡禪師語錄 (one juan, KR6q0363, X72 n1433, compiled by his dharma-heir 道盛); Wàishān jū shījí 外山居詩集 (one juan). Principal dharma-heir: 道盛 Juélàng Dàoshèng 覺浪道盛 (1593–1659), later abbot of Tiānjièsì 天界寺 in Nánjīng, the author of a twelve-juan yǔlù of his own and the most consequential Shòu-chāng-line figure of the Chóngzhēn / early-Qīng decades. Principal source: his own yǔlù (including the Wǔyí dìyī dài chánzǔ Dōngyuàn Jìnggōng dàshī tǎmíng bìngxù 武夷第一代禪祖東苑鏡公大師墖銘并序 in juan 1).