Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
After becoming an ordained monk, Danxia traveled to Jiangxi to visit Master Mazu, thanking him for his earlier guidance.
Danxia Tianran was a renowned Tang Dynasty Chan master. Ordained as “Tianran,” he earned the name Danxia Tianran after founding Danxia Temple (also known as Red Clouds Temple or Immortal Clouds Temple) on Mount Danxia in Nanzhao County, Henan. Celebrated for his unconventional methods and iconoclastic wisdom, his ordination story epitomizes these traits.
One day, Zen Master Yuanlu asked Great Pearl Huihai(Dazhu Huihai): “Venerable, do you also exert effort in practicing the Chan?”
Chan Master Dazhu Huihai, a prominent Tang Dynasty monk, was ordained under Master Daozhi at Dayun Temple in Yuezhou. After reading Huihai’s writing (The Essential Gateway to Truth by Sudden Awakening), Master Mazu Daoyi praised him as “Great Pearl” — a Buddhist symbol of awakening and wisdom — hence later generations also referred to…
Fachang, a disciple of the Chan master Mazu Daoyi and a renowned Tang dynasty monk, resided as abbot on Great Plum Mountain (Daimei Shan) in Yuyao, earning him the name “Great Plum Fachang.”
Yunmen Wenyan (864–949 CE) was one of the most influential Chan (Zen) Buddhist masters during the Five Dynasties period in China. Known for his sharp wit and profound teachings, Yunmen played a pivotal role in shaping the development of Chinese Chan Buddhism, particularly through founding the Yunmen School, which became one of the “Five…
Yangshan Huiji was a renowned Tang Dynasty Zen master and co-founder of the Weiyang school, one of the Five Houses of Zen. A principal disciple of Weishan Lingyou, he was celebrated for his poetic Zen dialogues and “circular symbols” — abstract drawings used to provoke awakening.
Dongshan Liangjie was a seminal Chinese Zen master of the Tang Dynasty. He established the Caodong lineage/school with his disciple Caoshan Benji, emphasizing silent illumination (默照禅) — a meditation practice integrating stillness and innate wisdom without forced effort.
During the Tang Dynasty, Chan Master Baizhang Huaihai was renowned for his strict adherence to monastic rules and his profound teachings.