SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Chan Buddhism

  • River Snow

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    River Snow by Liu Zongyuan is one of China’s most famous winter poems. Written while the author was politically exiled, it paints a silent snow world empty of birds and people. The lone angler on the cold river symbolizes the poet himself, preserving his moral integrity against hardship.

  • At Parting [Tang Poems]

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    — Wang Wei Dismounted, I drink with you And ask what you’ve in view. “I can’t do what I will; So I’ll do what I will; I’ll ask you no more, friend, Let clouds drift without end!”

  • The Unbowed Dharma

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    Fu 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…

  • What color is the grass？

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    National Teacher Huizhong (Imperial Preceptor Huizhong), a renowned Tang Dynasty Chan master who studied under Huineng, was revered by three emperors.

  • The governor faces greater peril

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    Master Dao Lin (735 – 833 CE), also known as the Chan Master in Bird’s Nest, was a unique and notable figure in the history of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Known for his unconventional lifestyle and profound teachings, he earned his nickname “Bird’s Nest” due to his habit of residing in an abandoned bird’s nest…

  • It is the mind that is moving

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    The venerable Master Yinzong was a significant figure in Buddhist history. Renowned during the Tang Dynasty for expounding sutras, he specialized in teaching the Nirvana Sutra and served as abbot of Guangzhou’s Faxing Temple (present-day Guangxiao Temple). After leaving Huangmei, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng once visited Faxing Temple to attend Yinzong’s lectures on the…

  • Transmitting mind to mind

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    Master Sengguang Huike (487–593 CE), often simply known as Huike, was the second patriarch of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism and a direct disciple of Bodhidharma, the founder of the school. His life and teachings played a pivotal role in establishing Chan Buddhism in China.

  • Stone as Buddha, Buddha as Stone

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    Chan Master Nanquan Puyuan (748–834 CE) was a respected disciple of Mazu Daoyi, one of the great figures in Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhism.

  • Capacity to Contract and Expand

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    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…