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Six Inches Off Ground
A famous Zen teaching states:“Before practicing Zen, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers.While practicing Zen, mountains are no longer mountains, rivers no longer rivers. After mastering Zen, mountains are again mountains, rivers again rivers.”
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Stone as Buddha, Buddha as Stone
Chan Master Nanquan Puyuan (748–834 CE) was a respected disciple of Mazu Daoyi, one of the great figures in Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhism.
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The Question of Death
Chan Master Sengmi of Shenshan received Dharma transmission from Chan Master Yunyan Tancheng. He was a renowned Chan master during the Tang Dynasty in Tanzhou (present-day Changsha region, Hunan Province).
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Capacity to Contract and Expand
Master Wude (947–1024 CE), also known as Master Shan Zhao, was a prominent Chan (Zen) master of the Song Dynasty and a key figure in the Lingji (Rinzai) lineage. Born in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, he became a disciple of Master Shoushan Xingnian and played a crucial role in shaping Chinese Chan Buddhism during the…
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Find your own umbrella
A seeker sheltering from rain under an eave saw a Zen master passing with an umbrella and called out:“Master! Ferry all beings to deliverance — take me with you!”
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Vajra breaks, vows endures
Chan Master Wuxiang was originally a prince of the Silla Kingdom (modern-day Korean Peninsula). He later took monastic vows at Gyeongnam Temple in Silla. In 728 CE, he journeyed across the sea to Tang China to seek Buddhist teachings. At Dechun Temple in Zizhou (present-day Ningguo Temple in Zizhong County, Sichuan Province), he became…