Zhi Dun

Zhi Dun (314-366), also known by his courtesy name Daolin, was a Buddhist monk and philosopher in China during the Jin dynasty. He belonged to the educated class, and his work helped shape the early spread of Buddhism in China, since he combined training in Neo-Daoist thought with monastic life. Born into a family surnamed Guan, he took the surname Zhi when he was ordained, borrowing it from his preceptor.

He was one of the so-called gentleman-monks, men from aristocratic families who became influential Buddhist monks in the fourth century. His education covered the secular arts, Neo-Daoism, pure conversation and the exegesis of texts. Few of his writings survive, but they are known to have addressed the metaphysical meaning of the term li and the relation between emptiness and matter. He also wrote eulogies and poems, and in one of them he expressed his faith in Amitabha and the Pure Land of Sukhavati, one of the earliest surviving examples of Pure Land devotion in China.

His influence lies in how Buddhism was absorbed into Chinese thought through concepts familiar to scholars. Much of his work was lost, but it survives in later compilations, and he is often seen as a bridge between the Chinese intellectual tradition and Buddhist doctrine.