The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen The Oxhead school (牛頭宗 Niu-t'ou zong) was an important tradition of Chinese Chan Buddhism in the Tang dynasty, which claimed to have been founded by Niutou Farong 牛頭法融 (594–657), whom the tradition regards as a Dharma heir of the Fourth Patriarch Daoxin (580-651).
[2] Their main temple was located at Oxhead Mountain (Niu-t'ou shan) in Chiang-su, near modern Nanjing, hence the name.
[3] Sharf observes that the Oxhead School played a central role in the development of early Chan.
'"[7] According to Whalen Lai, this is taken as a jab at the East Mountain School, which was known to have taught a practice called "pacifying the mind" (anxin 安心).
[16] McRae also understands the Oxhead School as having had a transitional nature which sought to transcend the divide between Northern and Southern Chan.