Míngyú 明盂 (Sānyí Míngyú 三宜明盂 / Yúān 愚菴)
Late-Míng / early-Qīng Cáodòng 曹洞 Chán master, 32nd-generation Cáodòng descendant from Dòngshān Liángjiè 洞山良价 in the sub-line Cízhōu Fāngniàn 慈舟方念 → Huànxiū Chángrùn 幻休常潤 → Zhànrán Yuánchéng 湛然圓澄 (1561–1626) → Míngyú. Dharma-brother of Rùjiù Míngxuě / Ruìbái chánshī 明雪 (1585–1641, KR6q0410), though of a distinct sub-line (both are Zhàn-ran heirs but with different continuation-character conventions — 寂 for Míngxuě’s heirs, 淨 for Míngyú’s heirs). Fǎhuì 法諱 Míngyú 明盂, zì Sānyí 三宜, late-life hào Yú 愚 / Yúān 愚菴 (“Foolishness-Hermitage”, for the West Lake retreat he built to attend his widowed mother). A febrile-illness-period hào was Báigǔ dàorén 白骨道人 (“White-Skeleton Taoist”) during his five-year Běijīng period. Lay surname Dīng 丁 of Qiántáng 錢唐 (Hang-zhōu), ancestrally of Sìmíng 四明 (Níngbō). Lifedates 萬曆 27 己亥 – 康熙 4 乙巳 10.11 = 1599 – 17 November 1665, age 67 suì / 46 sēnglà per the tǎmíng by Mùchén Dàomǐn 木陳道忞 in KR6q0411 juan 11.
Formation (1612–1623). At age 14 (1612) took the five lay-precepts from Yúnqī Zhūhóng 雲棲袾宏 (1535–1615) at Yúnqīsì during a Zhōngyuán 中元 ritual. Initial wù 悟 at 16 on the yǔlù of Zhēnjìng Kèwén 真淨克文 (1025–1102). Three years on the Gāofēng zhǔréngōng 高峰主人公 gōngàn, then further realization on the Páng Yùn 龐居士 “tiěniú jiě hǒu 鐵牛解吼” passage. Age 20 (1618): formal tóngxíng status at Zhēnjìsì 真寂寺 under Zhēnjì Wén dàshī 真寂聞大師. Age 23 (1621): full ordination. Early consultations with Hànshān Déqīng 憨山德清 (1546–1623), Xuějiào Yuánxìn 雪嶠圓信 (1571–1647), and Nánmíng 南明. Age 25 (1623): traveled to Yúnmén Xiǎnshèngsì 雲門顯聖寺; received Cáodòng transmission from Zhànrán Yuánchéng on the “fàngxià zhù 放下著” exchange.
Middle years (1624–c.1643). Pilgrimage through Wú and Chǔ; visited Wúniàn Shēnyǒu 無念深有 at Huángbò / Huángmá (c. 1624, the apparent shared-training-period with Guǎngrùn Dàomǐn that the 1648 preface recalls); five years in Yān 燕 (Běijīng region), self-designated Báigǔ dàorén during a multi-year febrile illness. Returned south on Zhàn-ran’s death; bìguān at Yǔxī Shèxīnān 語溪攝心菴.
Abbacies. (1) Shàoxīng Lóngménlǐng 龍門嶺 — brief first abbacy under Gě Qǐzhān tàicháng 葛屺瞻太常 patronage; (2) Huàlùshān 化鹿山 retreat under Qí-family (祁) patronage; (3) Yúnmén Xiǎnshèng Chánsì 雲門顯聖禪寺 — principal abbacy, assumed c. 1644–45 on the death of his dharma-brother Mìfú 密澓, first tenure five years, withdrew 1646 autumn on monastic-dispute grounds, re-installed c. 1649 for a stipulated guāqī 瓜期 three-year term, handed the seat to his dharma-nephew Cényǐn 岑嶾 c. 1652; (4) Sūzhōu GǔZhūmíngsì 姑蘇古朱明寺; (5) Xiùzhōu Fànshòusì 秀州梵受寺; (6) Yuèzhōu Shǔfù 越州蜀阜; plus multiple lecture-visits at Mítuó, Yìngzōng, Fúzhēn, Tiānhuá, Fórì, Zhēnjì (his own home-seat).
Distinctive lecture-Chán ministry. Lectured on the full major-scripture curriculum: Huáyán, Fǎhuā, Léngyán, Léngjiā, Jīngāng, Yuánjué, Fànwǎng, Wéishí — a revival of the TángSòng jiǎngchán 講禪 dual-training tradition, placing Míngyú closer doctrinally to Hànshān Déqīng than to the pure-Chán zhǐtí 直提 position of the Mìyún-line Línjì.
Late years. Retired to West Lake Yúān 愚菴 in Hang-zhōu to attend his widowed mother; mother died 1661 when Míngyú was 63; Míngyú then lived in strict reclusion (“bù xùntú bù fùqǐng bìmén liǎnjī 不訓徒不赴請閉門歛跡”) until his own death 1665. “Kàn lǎosēng dēngchǎng yī xiào 看老僧登場一笑” (“watch the old monk enter the hall and laugh”) were his last words. Buried at Xiǎnshèng on the initiative of head heir Jìngfàn 淨範.
Dharma-heirs. Thirty named sìfǎ 嗣法 heirs in the Cáodòng 淨-generation; twenty chuánjiǎng 傳講 heirs (scripture-lecture lineage); three lay chuánfǎ 傳法 patrons. Principal heir: Jìngfàn 淨範 (head of yǔlù compilation); Qí Jìngchāo 祁淨超 (collation-editor, of the Shàoxīng Qí family); Wéizé 為則 and Tǐngliángtíng 挺俍亭 (post-mortem biographical-custodians); Cényǐn 岑嶾 (Xiǎnshèng successor).
Work: KR6q0411 《三宜盂禪師語錄》 (11 juan, Jiāxīng J27 B189, cut in two stages: 1648 partial-cutting financed by Mùchén Dàomǐn from a manuscript recovered at the nun Jìngqí’s Hǒushān residence, re-integrated c. 1666–67 with Mùchén’s post-mortem tǎmíng). The Fǎhuājīng pǔménpǐn jì is reported to survive separately in the Jiāxīng Canon J39 or nearby (to verify).
Sources: KR6q0411 juan 11 tǎmíng (by Mùchén Dàomǐn, post-1665); juan 1 preface by Guǎngrùn Dàomǐn 廣潤道忞 (= Mùchén in pre-1659 phase, dated 1648 lunar 6); Wǔdēng quánshū 五燈全書 juan 63 Cáodòng roster; Huìmíng gāosēng zhuàn sìjí 會明高僧傳四集 juan 7.