Jixing Chewu
Jixing Chewu (c. 1741–1810) was a Chinese Buddhist monk who became known as the twelfth patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism. He was also called Mengdong and “Hongluo Chewu” for his connection with Mount Hongluo. He started as a Chan monk in the Linji school but later left Chan to devote himself entirely to Pure Land practice. The main source about his life is the Brief Sketch of the Life of Chan Master Chewu by the monk Mulian.
Chewu was born in Fengrun County, Hebei. As a youth he studied many classical texts. At 22, illness helped him realize life’s impermanence, which led him to ordain at Sansheng Hermitage and later take full monastic vows at Xiuyun Temple. He studied with several respected teachers in Chan, Yogācāra, and sutras, and in 1768 he studied Chan under Cui Ru Chun at Guangtong Temple, where he received Cui Ru Chun’s mind seal and became his student. He eventually became abbot of Guangtong Temple for about 14 years.
Feeling that something was missing, Chewu was inspired by Yongming Yanshou’s writings on Pure Land and decided to practice Pure Land Buddhism. He abandoned Chan and, in 1792, became abbot of Juesheng Temple for eight years. In 1800 he retired to Zifu Temple on Mount Hongluo to live a secluded life, but his teaching drew many followers and the temple grew into a center for communal Pure Land practice. He gained great respect and the title “Hongluo Chewu.” He passed away in 1810. Later scholars such as Yinguang honored him as a key Pure Land patriarch.
Chewu urged Pure Land practitioners to cultivate bodhicitta (compassionate mind), have faith, and vow to recite the Buddha’s name to be reborn in the Pure Land. He emphasized four mental states; even one of these can make karma fruitful. He taught that reciting the Buddha’s name, in speech or in mind, purifies the mind and helps realize the Pure Land. He argued that Pure Land practice is more straightforward and reliable than Chan meditation, and that one should focus mainly on the name of Amitabha.
He insisted that practitioners keep the Buddha’s name in mind at all times and warned that neglecting it can lead to regression. He promoted exclusive practice of nianfo (Buddha recollection) because life is too short to waste time on other approaches.
On the philosophical side, Chewu drew on Yogācāra mind-only thought, teaching that the Pure Land is a mind phenomenon. He explained this with the idea of sympathetic resonance (ganying): when the Buddha’s mind and the practitioner’s mind resonate, they are interconnected. Nianfo helps us realize that Amitabha and the Pure Land are within the mind, and that the Buddha is already aware of us.
Chewu’s main contribution was his clear explanation of how nianfo works through the mind and the non-dual relationship between mind and Buddha.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:25 (CET).