Zen master; high-ranking Zen monk
Honorific title for a respected Zen monk, especially one recognized by the imperial court. The reading ぜんし is an irregular variant.
That Zen master trained many disciples.
The Zen master's teachings still influence many people today.
Standard kanji spelling for a high-ranking Zen monk.
From Middle Chinese 禪師 (d͡ʑiᴇn ʃiɪ), literally 'meditation master'. The reading ぜんじ is the regular Sino-Japanese on'yomi; ぜんし is an irregular variant.