Early-Táng lay Buddhist polemicist and court scholar. Native of Shàngdǎng 上黨 (modern Chángzhì 長治 in Shānxī). Birth and death dates not preserved (active first half of the seventh century, fl. ca. 620–650 under Gāozǔ and Tàizōng). Originally a Confucian-trained literatus, he turned to Buddhism and entered the discipleship of Fǎlín 法琳 (572–640) at Jìfǎsì 濟法寺 — Fǎlín being the principal early-Táng monk-apologist for Buddhism in court debates against Daoist accusations.
He served as Dōnggōng xuéshì 東宮學士 (scholar of the Eastern Palace, attached to the Crown Prince’s establishment) under Tàizōng. In that capacity he composed two works of lasting interest:
- The Fǎmén míngyì jí 法門名義集 (KR6s0004, T2124), a one-juan Buddhist terminological glossary in seven pǐn 品 commissioned by Cén Wénběn 岑文本 (then Yángchéngxiànnán/-zǐ/-gōng 陽城公; ennobled 627, died 645) for the Crown Prince’s reading.
- The Nèidé lùn 內德論 (“Treatise on Inner Virtue”), a Buddhist apologetic treatise preserved in Dàoxuān’s Guǎng hóngmíng jí 廣弘明集, j. 14 (T2103), structured as a refutation of the contemporaneous Daoist Xiàodào lùn 笑道論. The Nèidé lùn is one of the standard sources for the Buddhist side of the early-Táng court polemics.
Source: DILA Buddhist Person Authority A000516; Fóguāng dà cídiǎn 佛光大辭典 p. 2959.