Chāochēn 超琛, zì Yīkuí 一揆 (“One Standard”); often referred to as Cāntóng Yīkuí 參同一揆 from her abbacy. Female LínjìYángqí Chán master and one of the major Jiā-xīng-area nuns of the 17th century. LínjìYángqí dharma-heir of Qíyuán Xínggāng 行剛 (1597–1654), thus a sister-disciple of Yìgōng Chāokē 超珂 (1615–1661, cf. KR6q0552). Born 明天啟乙丑六月一日辰時 = 1625-07-04 Gregorian; died 康熙己未七月初四日辰時 = 1679-08-09, age 55, sēnglà 31. Native of Jiāxīng 嘉興; lay surname Sūn 孫.
Pre-tonsure life. Bright as a child, fluent in writing and painting. Married, but her husband contracted illness and never recovered, producing the resolution to leave the world.
Formation. At 26 took tonsure at Méixī Fúshī Qíhéshàng 梅溪伏獅祗和尚 (i.e. her teacher 行剛) at the same monastery in Jiāxīng. That winter, during the 結制 retreat, sat for two seven-day periods; on the 14th day, while four sticks of incense burned, fell into samādhi — “the great earth flat-sunken, completely transparent to the original face.” 順治壬辰 = 1652 at age 28 received fùfǎ. Held abbacy first at Cāntóngān 參同庵, then at Fúshī chányuàn 伏獅禪院 (succeeded her sister-disciple 超珂).
Death. Predicted her own death; on the day, recited a final jì mentioning forty-nine years of penetrating insight, and “in seven springs, the leaves fall to know autumn — this is the time to return to the root.” Died sitting cross-legged.
Works.
- KR6q0553 《參同一揆禪師語錄》 1 juan, J39 B436, compiled by her fǎmèi Pǔmíng 普明 biān + Míngjùn 明俊 lù.
- bá (postface) to her sister-disciple’s KR6q0552 《伏獅義公禪師語錄》, dated 康熙拾柒年蒲月 = 1678-05/06.
- Co-compiler with her sister-disciples of her teacher’s yǔlù KR6q0428 《伏獅祇園禪師語錄》 2 juan, J28 B210.
Sources. 《五燈全書》 vol. 93; 《參同一揆禪師語錄》 vol. 1 〈行實〉.
Secondary literature. Beata Grant, Eminent Nuns: Women Chan Masters of Seventeenth-Century China (University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2009).