Línjì Yìxuán (臨済義玄; Wade-Giles: Lin-chi I-hsüan; Japanese: Rinzai Gigen) (died 866) was the founder of the Linji school of Chán Buddhism during Tang Dynasty China. Linji was born into a family named Xing (邢) in Caozhou (modern Heze in Shandong), which he left at a young age to study Buddhism in many places.
Linji was trained by the Chan master Huángbò Xīyùn (黃蘗希運; Huang-Po Hsi-Yun) but, according to the Record of Linji, enlightened while discussi...
more
Línjì Yìxuán (臨済義玄; Wade-Giles: Lin-chi I-hsüan; Japanese: Rinzai Gigen) (died 866) was the founder of the Linji school of Chán Buddhism during Tang Dynasty China. Linji was born into a family named Xing (邢) in Caozhou (modern Heze in Shandong), which he left at a young age to study Buddhism in many places.
Linji was trained by the Chan master Huángbò Xīyùn (黃蘗希運; Huang-Po Hsi-Yun) but, according to the Record of Linji, enlightened while discussing Huángbò's teaching during a conversation with the reclusive monk Dàyú (大愚). Linji then returned to Huángbò to continue his training after awakening. In 851, Linji moved to the Linji temple in Hebei, where he took his name, which also became the name for the lineage of his form of Chán Buddhism. The Linji school ultimately became the most successful and widespread of the Five Houses of Chan.
Linji's own teaching was greatly inspired by his master's, and was characterized by abrupt, harsh encounters with students, aiming to bring about the...
less
