Late-Míng / early-Qīng Cáodòng-school Chan master, sobriquet Tiānrán 天然 (“Naturally-So”). Native of Pānyú 番禺 in Guǎngdōng. Born Wànlì 36 (21 November 1608); died Kāngxī 24 (25 September 1685). DILA A010057.
Resident in his mature years at Lúshān Guīzōngsì 廬山歸宗寺 (whence the designation 歸宗天然圅昰), and at Léifēng 雷峰 (whence the late-life style Léifēnglǎorén 雷峯老人 — “Old Man of Léifēng”). His commentarial output covers a wide range of Mahāyāna texts; the present Bōrě xīnjīng lùn 般若心經論 (X565 = KR6c0184) is his Heart Sūtra commentary.
Hánshì was one of the leading Cáodòng-school masters of the early-Qīng Lǐngnán region. Together with 弘麗 Hónglì (X550 = KR6c0169) and 弘贊 Hóngzàn (X553 + X554), he constitutes the leading Cáodòng-school commentarial triad of the Lǐngnán region in the Míng-Qīng transition. His Heart Sūtra commentary is one of the more philosophically substantive Cáodòng-school readings of the Hṛdaya from this period.
His name is variously written 函是 / 函昰 / 圅昰, with 圅 the unusual variant character used in his preferred self-designation.