Xíngguān 行觀, zì Língjī 靈機 (“Numinous Trigger”); often referred to as Zīfú Língjī 資福靈機 from his abbacy at the famous Húzhōu Wǔkāng Xiángfèngshān Zīfúsì 湖州武康翔鳳山顯忠崇孝資福禪寺. LínjìYángqí dharma-heir of Fèiyǐn Tōngróng 費隱通容 (1593–1661), thus a co-disciple of Mùchén Dàomǐn 木陳道忞, Yǐnyuán Lóngqí 隱元隆琦, Shíguān Xínglíng 行凌 (cf. KR6q0542) etc. Born 明萬曆丙辰正月廿三日寅刻 = 1616-03-10 Gregorian; died 康熙辛酉九月廿九日子時 = 1681-11-08, age 66, sēnglà 49. Native of Lóngxī 龍溪 (Fújiàn); lay surname Zhōu 周.
Formation. Vegetarian from childhood. At 20 was struck by an experience of wúcháng (impermanence), grew despondent and went to Jiǔyún Huìtán 九雲慧曇 to take tonsure. First cān-fǎng under Tiāntóng Yuánwù 天童圓悟 (= Mìyún); then Jīnsù Fèiyǐn. One night during a sudden thunderstorm “the wú 無 gōngàn dropped away — mountains and rivers congealed into a single piece — limitless joy.” Appointed shìxiāng (incense-attendant). One day Fèiyǐn used the proverb “zuǒbiān bànjīn yòubiān bāliǎng” 左邊半觔右邊八兩 (half a jīn on the left, eight ounces on the right) — at this Xíngguān huòrán 豁然. Submitted a verse, was rebuked, sweated profusely, and at length grasped the quánjī dàyòng (whole-trigger great-function); presented a second verse on the wú gōngàn and received final yìnkě.
Abbacies (two). Húzhōu Wǔkāng Xiángfèngshān Xiǎnzhōng Chóngxiào Zīfú chánsì 湖州武康翔鳳山顯忠崇孝資福禪寺 (built initial hut 崇禎甲申春 = 1644 spring; took formal abbacy 順治甲午冬 = 1654 winter — 30 years total residency); Jiāxīngfǔ Shíménxiàn Fúyán chánsì 嘉興府石門縣福嚴禪寺 (entered 康熙辛亥 = 1671 on the invitation of regional gentry).
Disciples (twenty-one). Zhìqióng Jìfāng 至卭寂方 寂方 (compiler of his yǔlù, native of Mǐn 福清, lay 許), Rúbò Pèi 茹檗霈, Sōngān Zhèng 嵩庵正, lay disciple Wèi Wēi 魏巍, etc.
Work. KR6q0562 《靈機禪師語錄》 6 juan, J39 B448, compiled by fǎsì Zhìqióng Jìfāng 寂方 děng biān. Three prefaces are preserved in juan 1, including one labeled zhòngkè (重刻) and one kèzhèng (刻正), indicating a corrected reissue.
Buried at Zīfúsì Lóngshān 資福寺龍山 in Húzhōu.
Sources. 《五燈全書》 vol. 71, vol. 91; 《靈機禪師語錄》 vol. 6 〈行狀〉, 〈翔鳳山顯忠崇孝資福禪寺靈機和尚塔銘〉.
name: 行觀 pinyinName: Xíngguān / Gyōkan alternateNames: [Gyōkan, ぎょうかん] dynasty: 日本 birthDate: deathDate: cbdbId: dilaAuthorityId: created: 2026-05-12 updated: 2026-05-12
Gyōkan 行觀 (dates uncertain; fl. probably late-medieval to early-modern Japan), Jōdoshū monk of the Seizan-school catechetical tradition, author of KR6t0345 Jōdo hōmon dai-zu meimoku 淨土法門大圖名目 — a gloss-edition / explanatory companion to 覺融 Kakuyū’s earlier Jōdoshū hōmon dai-zu KR6t0344. The meimoku (topical-headings) format is characteristic of the Seizan-school gakumon-bukkyō catechetical genre.
Gyōkan is not separately attested in the standard Pure-Land historiographical sources; the work was first printed in Bunka 13 / 8 / upper-third = 1816 by Chōzan 超山 of Saikō-ji 西向寺 in west Kyoto, which gives only a terminus ante quem. Gyōkan’s actual composition-date is probably late-medieval to early-Edo, given the typical lag between composition and first printing in the Seizan-school textual corpus. This person is to be distinguished from the homonymous Chinese LínjìYángqí Chán master Xíngguān 行觀 (1616–1681; zì Língjī 靈機) treated above.