Northern-Sòng Tiāntái 天台 master; sobriquet Shénzhào 神照 (also referenced as Shénzhào Běnrú 神照本如, Shénchào 神炤, Rúhǔ 如虎). DILA Authority A000338. Born 982; died 4 July 1051, aged 70.
Principal disciple of Sìmíng Zhīlǐ 四明知禮 (知禮, 960–1028) at the Yánqìngsì 延慶寺 in Sìmíng. Subsequently teacher of Yǒuyán 有嚴 (有嚴, 1021–1101). Through this lineage Shénzhào Běnrú is one of the principal second-generation transmitters of the Sòng shānjiā 山家 Tiāntái tradition founded by Zhīlǐ.
Major work: the Pǔxián guān jīng yìshū 普賢觀經義疏 (KR6d0123, X35n0650, 2 juan) — a substantial Sòng-period subcommentary on the Pǔxián guān jīng 普賢觀經 (T277, the standard Tiāntái epilogue text to the Lotus Sūtra). The work was subsequently extended (xùjiě 續解) by Chǔxián 處咸 and divided-and-collated (fēnhuì 分會) by the Japanese Tendai monk Liàngrùn 亮潤.
Note: distinct from the Tang-period Běnrú 本如 of Silla (DILA A009579), a southern-Chán disciple of Nányuè Huáiràng 南嶽懷讓.
Sources: Sìmíng zūnzhě jiàoxíng lù 四明尊者教行錄 (X1937); Fózǔ tǒngjì 佛祖統紀 (T2035); DILA A000338; X78n1549_p0247c05.