Mushi-dokugo

Mushi-dokugo (無師独悟), sometimes called jigo-jishō (自悟自証, self-enlightened and self-certified), is a Japanese term used in Zen Buddhism which expresses the phenomenon known as "awakening alone, without a master."

Etymology

Mushi-dokugo (無師独悟) is a Japanese term composed of four Chinese characters, or kanji, meaning "independent realization without a master." The character mu (無) means "without" or "no", shi (師) means "master" or "teacher", doku (独) means "independent" or "alone", and go (悟) means "realization" or "understanding" (satoru), also translated as "enlightenment" (satori). When strung together, the characters literally read, "no (無) master (師) independent (独) understanding (悟)." The equivalent Chinese pronunciation is wúshī dúwù.

Examples of mushi-dokugo

Nōnin (died 1196) is an example of mushi-dokugo:

During the Edo period in Japan, there were a great many priests who proclaimed to be "self-enlightened." These included...

The famous Korean master Jinul could also be seen as an example.