Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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–Meng Haoran For miles and miles I sail and float; High famed mountains are hard to seek. By riverside I moor my boat, Then I perceive the Censer Peak. Knowing the Monk Yuan’s life and way, I love his solitary dell. His hermitage not far away, I hear at sunset but the bell.
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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…
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Chan Master Zhizang (735–814 CE), also known as Xitang Zhizang, was a renowned Tang Dynasty master. Ordained young, he became a close disciple of Mazu Daoyi at thirteen, later honored among the Three Great Disciples of Hongzhou alongside Baizhang Huaihai and Nanquan Puyuan. He studied with National Preceptor Huizhong and trained under Ox-Head School’s…
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After inheriting the Dharma at Dongshan Temple in Huangmei, Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) journeyed south. Finding Baolin Monastery in ruins, he lodged with villagers, hosted by scholar Liu Zhilue.
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Master Sengcan was the third patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism and a direct disciple of Master Huike, who received the Dharma from Bodhidharma. He is best known for composing the seminal work “Xinxin Ming” (“Verses on the Faith-Mind”), which emphasizes the realization of non-duality and the oneness of mind and Buddha-nature.
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Yulin Tongxiu (1614–1675CE), Dharma name Tongxiu, courtesy name Yulin, commonly known as National Master Yulin, was a renowned Chan master of the Linji (Rinzai) school during the transition period between the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. He once served as abbot of Baoren Temple in Wukang, Zhejiang Province. In 1658, he was summoned…
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Chan Master Wuye (760-821), a prominent Tang Dynasty monk, was a revered disciple of Mazu Daoyi and a key figure in the Hongzhou school of Chan Buddhism. Renowned for his unwavering commitment to ascetic practice. He declined three imperial summons from two different emperors. Lived for decades in rigorous seclusion across Zhongnanshan and Shangluo…
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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…
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During the Tang Dynasty, Chan Master Baizhang Huaihai was renowned for his strict adherence to monastic rules and his profound teachings.