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Enlightenment at the Butcher’s Block
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AnaWhile walking through the marketplace, Baoji overheard a customer tell a butcher:“Cut me a pound of lean meat!”
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The nun who tripped on an invisible thread
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AnaThe nun Xuanji of Wenzhou, ordained during the Tang Jingyun era (710–711 CE), meditated in stone caves on Great Sun Mountain. One day she reflected: “Dharma-nature is inherently pure — why cling to stillness over noise?” She journeyed to meet Master Xuefeng.
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Seek verification at Caoxi
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AnaYongjia Xuanjue, a monk from Wenzhou, initially practiced Tiantai meditation until he awakened upon reading the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. Lacking a master’s confirmation, he met Dongyang Xuance — a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng — who urged him to seek verification at Caoxi.
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Seek herbs, Buddhahood and Dao in the mountains
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AnaChan Master Sikong Benjing, a renowned Tang Dynasty monk and direct heir of Huineng, presided over Erzu Temple on Sikong Mountain since 713 CE. In 744, Emperor Xuanzong dispatched envoy Yang Guangting to gather herbs in the mountains, where he encountered the master.
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The Unbowed Dharma
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AnaFu Dashi (497–569 CE), dharma name Shanhui, was a devoted Buddhist practitioner who, throughout his life, never became a monk but cultivated the path as a lay follower (upāsaka). At the age of twenty-four, he received guidance from Master Bodhidharma, which inspired him to vow deep commitment to spiritual practice. He later achieved great…
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The Clay Buddha and the Missed Dharma
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AnaMaster Huineng (638–713 CE), also known as the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, is one of the most influential figures in Chinese Buddhist history. Born into a poor family and uneducated, he attained enlightenment upon hearing a recitation of the Diamond Sutra, and later became a disciple of the Fifth Patriarch, Master Hongren.