Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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Chan Master Sikong Benjing, a renowned Tang Dynasty monk and direct heir of Huineng, presided over Erzu Temple on Sikong Mountain since 713 CE. In 744, Emperor Xuanzong dispatched envoy Yang Guangting to gather herbs in the mountains, where he encountered the master.
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Zen Master Lingmo, a prominent Tang Dynasty master, first studied under Mazu Daoyi in Jiangxi without awakening. Later, at Mount Heng, he encountered Master Shitou Xiqian.
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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.
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Master Linji Yixuan was a great Chan (Zen) master of the Tang Dynasty and founder of the Linji school,. He is celebrated for his dynamic and direct teaching style, often using shouts, strikes, and paradoxical statements to awaken students from deluded thinking. His core teaching emphasized that everyone possesses Buddha-nature and can realize enlightenment…
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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…
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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…
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Chan Master Yuanguan was a prominent monk in the early Song Dynasty. Posthumously known as Liangshan Yuanguan for his residence at Mount Liang in Dingzhou (modern-day Changde, Hunan), he served as the ninth-generation dharma successor of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and studied under Chan Master Tong’an Guanzhi. His lineage played a pivotal role in…
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Master Xuansha Shibei (835–908 CE) was a prominent Chan (Zen) master of the Tang Dynasty. He and Master Xuefeng Yicun were Dharma brothers under the same teacher.
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National Teacher Huizhong (675-775CE), widely known as Nanyang Huizhong Guoshi or National Teacher Huizhong of Nanyang, was a revered Tang Dynasty Chan master. He served as imperial preceptor to three emperors (Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong), earning the title “National Teacher” (imperial preceptor). Born in Zhuji, Yuezhou (modern-day Zhuji, Zhejiang Province), he mastered the sutras and…