The third emperor of the Míng dynasty: temple-name originally Tàizōng 太宗 (changed in 1538 by Jiājìng to Chéngzǔ 成祖, by which name he is more commonly known in later sources), posthumous-title Wénhuángdì 文皇帝, era-name Yǒnglè 永樂. Personal name Zhū Dì 朱棣. Born 1360 CE; died 1424 CE, having ruled from 1402 (after seizing the throne from his nephew the Jiànwén emperor in the Jìngnán 靖難 war).
His reign is a foundational era of the Míng dynasty:
- Relocation of the capital from Nánjīng to Beijing (begun 1406, completed 1421) and the construction of the Forbidden City.
- The famous Zhèng Hé 鄭和 maritime expeditions (1405–1433, with Zhèng Hé’s first six voyages under Yǒnglè).
- The compilation of the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn 永樂大典 (the great Yǒnglè encyclopedia, 1403–1408).
- The production of the Sìshū / Wǔjīng dàquán 四書五經大全 imperial Confucian-canonical compilations (1417).
- The northern campaigns against the Mongols.
His Buddhist program was equally substantial:
- Sponsorship of the Northern Yǒnglè canon (Běizàng 北藏) — begun 1410 in Beijing, completed 1440 under Zhèngtǒng — the standard Northern-Míng imperial canon.
- Continuation of the Southern Yǒnglè canon (begun 1372 under his father Tàizǔ, completed 1399).
- Tibetan Buddhist patronage, including imperial publication of Tantric texts (the Hevajra-mūla-tantra) and Tibetan-Buddhist preceptors at court.
- Construction of the famous porcelain pagoda at Báoēnsì 報恩寺 in Nánjīng (begun 1412).
- Commissioning of the Dà Míng sānzàng fǎshù (KR6s0007, 1419) — the standard Buddhist fǎshù lexicon — under Tiāntái-master Yīrú 一如.
His personally composed Buddhist works are preserved in three substantial collections in the Kanripo:
- Dà Míng Tàizōng Wénhuángdì yùzhì xùzàn wén (KR6s0063, P1610, 1 juan, ten prefaces and encomia).
- Zhū fó shìzūn rúlái púsà zūnzhě shénsēng míng jīng (KR6s0064, P1611, 40 juan).
- Zhū fó shìzūn rúlái púsà zūnzhě míngchēng gēqū (KR6s0065, P1612, 51 juan).
The two latter works, totaling 91 juan, are extended Buddhist devotional compilations that may have been edited by court-monastic teams under his imperial sponsorship rather than literally composed by him personally. Together with the preface-collection KR6s0063, they constitute one of the most substantial bodies of Míng imperial Buddhist literature.
Source: standard Míng dynastic sources (Míngshǐ 明史, j. 5–7 Chéngzǔ běnjì); imperial Buddhist works at KR6s0063–KR6s0065; the Northern Yǒnglè canon prefatory matter.