This paper seeks to clarify the origins of the term shifangsi 十方寺,which was previously considered to have originated with the Chan sect in China, but which actually existed in China before the rise of Chan, and in fact originated in India.
Kanai Tokuyuki 金井徳幸 argued that it began in the Five Dynasties, and Liu Changdong 劉長東 traced its origins to the Tang. They disagree about the date, but agree in tracing the term to Chan in China.
However, the term can be seen in the Tang before the arisal of Chan. Specifically, it appears in references to the Tang Vinaya masters Xijue 希覚 and Huize 慧則 in the Zenghui ji増輝記.In fact, the origin goes back to India. This is based on a description in Mujaku Dōchū’s 無著道忠 Zenrin shōkisen 禅林象器箋 which discusses sources from the Tang and earlier.
