Shandao, da shi, 613-681

Shandao (simplified Chinese: 善导大师; traditional Chinese: 善導大師; pinyin: shàndǎo dàshī; Japanese: Zendō Daishi; 613–681) was a Chinese Buddhist scholar monk and an influential figure of East Asian Pure Land Buddhism. Shandao was one of the first Pure land authors to argue that ordinary people can be reborn in the Pure Land by relying on the power of Amitābha Buddha's vows. Due to this, several modern scholars consider Shandao to be the true founder of Chinese Pure Land. According to Alfred Bloom, Shandao "systematized Pure Land thought and brought it to its highest peak of development in China." Shandao was also one of the earliest Pure Land authors to state that faithfully reciting Amitabha's name was sufficient for rebirth in the Pure Land. Shandao's writings had a strong influence on later Pure Land masters, including the Japanese pure land founders Hōnen and Shinran. In Jōdo Shinshū, he is considered the Fifth Patriarch, while in Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, he is considered the second patriarch after Lushan Huiyuan.