The 12th Patriarch of the Pure Land School, Master Che Wu

In the history of Buddhist transmission in Han Chinese regions, the Pure Land School is defined by its distinguishing features of "easy to begin practicing, yielding profound attainments, suited to all three spiritual capacities, and accommodating both sharp and dull faculties," and has converted immeasurable sentient beings over thousands of years. Tracing the successive patriarchs of the Pure Land School, most of their teaching activities and monastic seats were concentrated in the southern regions of Lushan in Jiangxi and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area, with an unbroken lineage and numerous ancestral halls scattered throughout the region. Yet on the vast northern land, the only figure who single-handedly elevated Pure Land teachings to their peak, embedded the practice of Buddha-name recitation deep in the hearts of the people, and was later honored as a patriarch of the age, is Master Che Wu, the 12th patriarch of the Pure Land School – a figure of immense importance and far-reaching influence.

Master Che Wu (1741–1810) held the Dharma name Jixing and the style name Che Wu, and was a native of Fengrun, Hebei. From childhood, he was gifted with exceptional talent, and well-versed in the full breadth of Confucian classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary anthologies, with a deep and solid foundation of learning. Had he followed the conventional secular path, he could easily have won official rank through the imperial examinations and brought honor to his family. But a serious illness in his early life led him to deeply realize the impermanence of worldly affairs and the paramount importance of the matter of birth and death. Wealth, status, and honor are like dreams, bubbles, and illusions; only escaping the cycle of samsara is the most urgent task in life. As a result, he resolutely renounced secular attachments, and formally ordained at the age of 23, embarking on the path of seeking the Way and attaining realization.

After ordination, Master Che Wu practiced with extraordinary diligence and ascetic rigor, studied under countless eminent monks and virtuous teachers, and deeply explored major Mahayana sūtras including the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment, Lotus Sūtra, Śūraṅgama Sūtra, and Diamond Sūtra. He first immersed himself in the Linji Chan lineage, investigated gong'an (public cases), and practiced with fierce diligence, and his reputation for Dharma realization grew with each passing day. He once served as abbot of the Guangtong Temple in the imperial capital of Beijing, and his Chan teaching flourished greatly; at the time, the Buddhist community hailed him as the foremost figure in the Dharma. Even after attaining such high levels of realization in the Chan lineage, Master Che Wu did not rest on his laurels. He knew full well that in this age of Dharma decline, sentient beings have inferior spiritual capacities, heavy afflictions, and countless external distractions. Relying solely on self-power to practice Chan and attain enlightenment is extremely difficult, and practitioners are highly prone to backsliding. The Pure Land path, by contrast, is rooted in the vow power of Amitābha Buddha, centers on faith, vow, and Buddha-name recitation, and allows beings to be reborn in the Pure Land even with residual karmic obstructions, by relying on the Buddha's compassionate power. It is the most reliable, most direct, and most suited to the needs of the present era of all practice methods. Therefore, Master Che Wu followed the example of Master Yongming Yanshou, transitioning from Chan to Pure Land, abandoning Chan to focus exclusively on Pure Land, and dedicated all his lifelong learning and practice to the single phrase "Namo Amitābha Buddha".

In the 5th year of the Jiaqing reign (1800), Master Che Wu retired to the Zifu Temple on Hongluo Mountain in Beijing. His original intention was to distance himself from worldly clamor, focus wholeheartedly on his practice, and spend his remaining years in quiet cultivation. But a master with genuine realization is like a bright lamp in a dark room: he need not summon followers, who come to him of their own accord. Master Che Wu observed the precepts with strict, flawless discipline, and carried himself with a pure, simple Dharma demeanor. He guided all beings with compassion without seeking personal fame, yet his reputation had already spread far and wide. Monks and laypeople from all directions, and Dharma students from every region, flocked to receive his teachings after hearing of his name, and those who came to take refuge in the Dharma and take up Buddha-name recitation came in an endless stream. When faced with the crowds who came to request the Dharma, Master Che Wu put on no airs and indulged in no abstruse, mysterious theories; he only led by example, guiding the assembly in their practice.

He personally led the assembly in manual labor, managed the temple with frugality and diligence, established strict monastic regulations, and was meticulous in morning and evening liturgies and Buddha-name recitation practice. He transformed the originally small, pristine mountain temple into the largest and most influential dedicated Pure Land practice center in northern China during the Qing Dynasty, later revered as the Hongluo Pure Land Practice Center.

In an era when Pure Land teachings were largely flourishing only in the south, Master Che Wu firmly established the Pure Land lineage on the northern land with his deep practice and realization, earnest teachings, and simple, unadorned conduct. He made countless northern Dharma practitioners understand: the practice of Buddha-name recitation transcends all divisions of north or south, high or low status, or wisdom or ignorance. As long as one truly seeks liberation from the cycle of birth and death, generates bodhicitta, and holds the Buddha's name with deep faith and sincere vow, every person can attain true liberation.

All of Master Che Wu's teachings throughout his life were plain and straightforward in language, and sincere in every word, with the core revolving around the three pillars of faith, vow, and practice: faith that the Western Pure Land truly exists, and that Amitābha Buddha's vow power is not false; vow to leave the saha world and be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss; and taking Buddha-name recitation as the primary practice, with precept observance, good deeds, and merit accumulation as supporting conditions. He never spoke of abstruse, supernatural phenomena, did not emphasize empty formalities, and focused solely on true faith, true vow, and true Buddha-name recitation, which was perfectly suited to the practice capacities of ordinary people.

Master Che Wu spent his life transitioning from a Confucian scholar to an eminent monk, from being deeply versed in Chan teachings to exclusively propagating the Pure Land path. He established a dedicated Pure Land practice center in the north, and left precious teachings such as the Recorded Sayings of Master Che Wu for future generations. Later, Master Yinguang, the 13th patriarch of the Pure Land School, greatly admired Master Che Wu, and formally recognized him as the 12th patriarch of the Pure Land School. The Zifu Temple on Hongluo Mountain was also enshrined as a northern Pure Land ancestral hall in the annals of Pure Land history, thanks to Master Che Wu's residence and teaching activities there.

Looking at the entire transmission of the Pure Land School, the south is dotted with ancestral halls and flourishing lineages, while Master Che Wu, with just one person and one temple, lit the lamp of the Pure Land path on the northern land, spreading the wind of Buddha-name recitation across the Yan-Zhao region. He made up for the dearth of Dharma propagation in the north, and kept the wisdom-life of the Pure Land School unbroken. Through his life's practice, he taught later generations this truth: the Dharma is not found in abstruse, mysterious practices, and practice does not require remote, isolated locations. With the single phrase of Amitābha Buddha's name, sincere faith and vow, whether one is in the south or the north, it is all a smooth, direct path home.