Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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?”
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.
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.”
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.
In 536 BC, Bodhidharma felt it was time to depart. He gathered his disciples and said, “Share your understanding of enlightenment.”
Bodhidharma, also known as Da Mo in Chinese, was the 28th patriarch of Indian Buddhism and the first patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism.