Linji school
The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen The Línjì school (Chinese: 臨濟宗; pinyin: Línjì zōng) is a school of Chan Buddhism named after Linji Yixuan (d. 866).
During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than twelve independent states were established, of which only ten are traditionally listed.
This division into various regions and kingdoms led to a diversification of Chan factions[citation needed], reflected in the Five Houses of Chán.
The Fayan school was the first faction to gain recognition at the Song court, due to the influence of the buddhist scholar-official Zanning (919–1001).
[6] It was written by two students of Zhaoqing Wendeng (884-972), a dharma descendant of Xuefeng Yicun, whose lineage was traced back to Shitou Xiqian (700-790).
[6] The Fayang school still has prominence among the competing factions which are portrayed in the Chuangdeng lu, but the growing influence of the Linji-faction is emerging in this document.
Finally, he asserted the superiority of the Linji lineage and its "golden age of Chan" style, thus suiting the then-dominant faction.
[8]Nevertheless, this picture deviates from what is believed to be the character of many of the Chan-masters from earlier times, who were fairly conventional: "they routinely accepted invitations to court, received purple robes and honorary titles, and had monasteries built for them by rulers and officials".
The Tiansheng-Era Expanded Lamp Record (天聖廣燈錄), compiled by the official Li Zunxu (李遵勗)(988-1038) confirms the status of Shoushan Shengnian, but also pictures Linji as a major Chan patriarch and heir to the Hongzhou school of Mazu Daoyi, displacing the prominence of the Fayan lineage.
The Linji yulu opens with lectures given by Ljnji at the request of the prefect Governor and other officials, highlighting the close connection of the Linji-faction with the court.
Chan Buddhism enjoyed something of a revival in the Ming dynasty with teachers such as Hanshan Deqing (憨山德清), who wrote and taught extensively on both Chan and Pure Land Buddhism; Miyun Yuanwu (密雲圓悟), as well as Yunqi Zhuhong (雲棲祩宏, 1535—1615) and Ouyi Zhixu (蕅益智旭).
Linji Chan was "reinvented" during the late Ming by the "revival of beating and shouting practices" by Miyun Yuanwu (1566–1642), whose school was extremely influential and widespread, spreading even to Japan and Vietnam.
[11] With the downfall of the Ming, several Chinese Chan masters fled to Japan, founding the Ōbaku school.
This era saw the publication of the Wudeng yantong ("The strict transmission of the five Chan schools") by Feiyin Tongrong (1593–1662), a dharma heir of Miyun Yuanwu.
[web 1] The now-defunct Fuke-shū also had close ties to the Rinzai school and claimed affiliation with the Linji lineage.
Jinul (知訥) (1158-1210) took over the Hua Tou practice of Dahui, but mixed it with the intellectual teachings of Guifeng Zongmi (780–841).
[18] The Korean Linji school faced the challenge of expressing its teachings of suchness without getting stuck in words or concepts; the alleged use of shouting and beating was instrumental in this non-conceptual expression—after the students were well educated in the Buddhist tradition.
[19] According to Buswell, the Korean Linji tradition used the Three Mysterious Gates (三玄門) schema to maintain the Chán emphasis on the nonconceptual nature of reality, while employing sūtras and teachings to instruct students.
