Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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One day, Chan Master Danxia Tianran lay sprawled across the Tianjin Bridge in Luoyang City. When Governor Zheng Yuqing passed by during an official inspection, his guards demanded: “Why block the governor’s path?”
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Danxia Tianran was a famous Chan master in Tang Dynasty. Once he was traveling with a fellow practitioner. They encountered a muddy path after heavy rain, and the river had risen, making it difficult to pass.
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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.”
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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.
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In 536 BC, Bodhidharma felt it was time to depart. He gathered his disciples and said, “Share your understanding of enlightenment.”
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Bodhidharma, also known as Da Mo in Chinese, was the 28th patriarch of Indian Buddhism and the first patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism.