Information on Linji is based on the Línjì yǔlù (臨濟語錄; Japanese: Rinzai-goroku), the Record of Linji. The standard form of these sayings was not completed until two hundred fifty years after Linji's death, and likely reflects the teaching of Chán in the Linji school at the beginning of the Song dynasty rather than that of Linji in particular.[1]
The Línjì yǔlù contains stories of Linji's interactions with teachers, contemporaries, and students. The recorded lectures are a mixture of the conventional and the iconoclastic; those who resented the iconoclasm saw Linji as “one of the most infamous Chinese Chan masters who censored traditional Buddhist practices and doctrines.” [2] Despite the iconoclasm, however, the Línjì yǔlù reflects a thorough knowledge of the sūtras; Linji's style of teaching, as recorded in that text, exemplifies Chán development in the Hongzhou school (洪州宗) of Mazu and his successors, such as Huangbo, Linji's master.
Biographyedit
According to the Línjì yǔlù, 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. He was trained by the Chán master Huángbò Xīyùn (黃蘗希運), but attained kensho 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 CE, Linji moved to the Linji temple in Hebei from which he took his name, and which also became the name for the lineage of his form of Chán.
Linji is reputed to have been iconoclastic, leading students to awakening by hitting and shouting.[3]
Three Mysterious Gatesedit
Chán 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.[4]
Linji is described as using the Three Mysterious Gates to maintain the Chán emphasis on the nonconceptual nature of reality, while employing sūtras and teachings to instruct his students:[4]
The Second Gate is the "mystery in the word", using the Hua Tou[a] for "the process of gradually disentangling the students from the conceptual workings of the mind".
The Third Gate is the "mystery in the mystery", "involving completely nonconceptual expressions such as striking or shouting, which are intended to remove all of the defects implicit in conceptual understanding".
References in popular cultureedit
The titular story of Volume 2 of Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima's manga comic Lone Wolf and Cub revolves around Linji's saying "if you meet a buddha, kill the buddha," in which the protagonist must overcome his self to assassinate a living buddha.
In the manga Gensōmaden Saiyūki by Kazuya Minekura, Genjō Sanzō purports to live by the concept of "無一物 (muichimotsu)," as taught by his teacher Sanzō Kōmyō, who is quoted as saying:
^Stuart Lachs: "The Chinese term Hua-t’ou can be translated as “critical phrase.” Literally it means the “head of speech” or the “point beyond which speech exhausts itself.” In Korean, hua-t’ou are known as hwadu and in Japanese as wato [...] A hua-t’ou is a short phrase (sometimes a part of a koan) that can be taken as a subject of meditation and introspection to focus the mind in a particular way, which is conducive to enlightenment.[web 1]
^George A. Keyworth, “How the Mount Wutai Cult Stimulated the Development of Chinese Chan in Southern China at Qingliang Monasteries,” Studies in Chinese Religions 2019, 5.
^Stuart Lachs (2012), Hua-t’ou : A Method of Zen Meditation
Sourcesedit
Buswell, Robert E. Jr. (1992). "Ch'an Hermeneutics: A Korean View". In Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (ed.). Buddhist Hermeneutics. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press (Kuroda Institute Studies in East Asian Buddhism 6). pp. 231–256.
Keown, Damien. A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN0-19-860560-9
Lowenstein, Tom. The Vision of the Buddha: Buddhism – The Path to Spiritual Enlightenment. ISBN1-903296-91-9
McMahan, David L. (2008), The Making of Buddhist Modernism, Oxford University Press, ISBN978-0-19-518327-6
McRae, John (2003), Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism, The University Press Group Ltd, ISBN978-0-520-23798-8
Schloegl, Irmgard. The Zen Teaching of Rinzai. Shambhala Publications, Inc., Berkeley, 1976. ISBN0-87773-087-3
Watson, Burton (1999), The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi: A Translation of the Lin-chi lu, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN0-231-11485-0
Welter, Albert (n.d.), The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments
Further readingedit
Ruth Fuller Sasaki, The Record of Linji
Welter, Albert (2006), Monks, Rulers, and Literati. The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism, Wisdom Books
Welter, Albert (2008), The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy: The Development of Chan's Records of Sayings Literature, Oxford University Press
Schlütter, Morten (2008), How Zen became Zen. The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, ISBN978-0-8248-3508-8
External linksedit
Wikiquote has quotations related to Linji Yixuan.
The Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association online Chinese character text of The Record of Linji (臨濟録 Linji Lu)
The Zen Teaching of Rinzai (a.k.a. The Record of Rinzai) Translation by Irmgard Schloegel PDF Text
Albert Welter, The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments
linji, yixuan, traditional, chinese, 臨濟義玄, simplified, chinese, 临济义玄, pinyin, línjì, yìxuán, wade, giles, hsüan, japanese, 臨済義玄, rinzai, gigen, died, founder, linji, school, chán, buddhism, during, tang, dynasty, china, japanese, painting, rinzai, gigen, title. Linji Yixuan traditional Chinese 臨濟義玄 simplified Chinese 临济义玄 pinyin Linji Yixuan Wade Giles Lin chi I hsuan Japanese 臨済義玄 Rinzai Gigen died 866 CE was the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism during Tang dynasty China Linji YixuanJapanese painting of Linji Yixuan Jap Rinzai Gigen TitleCh an MasterPersonalBornunknownChinaDied866 CEReligionBuddhismSchoolCh anSenior postingTeacherHuangbo Xiyun Contents 1 Linji yǔlu 2 Biography 3 Teaching style 3 1 Iconoclasm 3 2 Three Mysterious Gates 4 References in popular culture 5 Lineage 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 8 1 Written references 8 2 Web references 9 Sources 10 Further reading 11 External linksLinji yǔlu editSee also Linji school Information on Linji is based on the Linji yǔlu 臨濟語錄 Japanese Rinzai goroku the Record of Linji The standard form of these sayings was not completed until two hundred fifty years after Linji s death and likely reflects the teaching of Chan in the Linji school at the beginning of the Song dynasty rather than that of Linji in particular 1 The Linji yǔlu contains stories of Linji s interactions with teachers contemporaries and students The recorded lectures are a mixture of the conventional and the iconoclastic those who resented the iconoclasm saw Linji as one of the most infamous Chinese Chan masters who censored traditional Buddhist practices and doctrines 2 Despite the iconoclasm however the Linji yǔlu reflects a thorough knowledge of the sutras Linji s style of teaching as recorded in that text exemplifies Chan development in the Hongzhou school 洪州宗 of Mazu and his successors such as Huangbo Linji s master Biography editAccording to the Linji yǔlu 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 He was trained by the Chan master Huangbo Xiyun 黃蘗希運 but attained kensho while discussing Huangbo s teaching during a conversation with the reclusive monk Dayu 大愚 Linji then returned to Huangbo to continue his training after awakening In 851 CE Linji moved to the Linji temple in Hebei from which he took his name and which also became the name for the lineage of his form of Chan Teaching style edit nbsp A statue of Linji Yixuan under the southern gate of Zhengding Hebei ChinaMain articles Zen and Chinese Chan Iconoclasm edit Linji is reputed to have been iconoclastic leading students to awakening by hitting and shouting 3 Three Mysterious Gates edit Chan 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 4 Linji is described as using the Three Mysterious Gates to maintain the Chan emphasis on the nonconceptual nature of reality while employing sutras and teachings to instruct his students 4 The First Gate is the mystery in the essence the use of Buddhist philosophy such as Huayan to explain the interpenetration of all phenomena The Second Gate is the mystery in the word using the Hua Tou a for the process of gradually disentangling the students from the conceptual workings of the mind The Third Gate is the mystery in the mystery involving completely nonconceptual expressions such as striking or shouting which are intended to remove all of the defects implicit in conceptual understanding References in popular culture editThe titular story of Volume 2 of Kazuo Koike amp Goseki Kojima s manga comic Lone Wolf and Cub revolves around Linji s saying if you meet a buddha kill the buddha in which the protagonist must overcome his self to assassinate a living buddha In the manga Gensōmaden Saiyuki by Kazuya Minekura Genjō Sanzō purports to live by the concept of 無一物 muichimotsu as taught by his teacher Sanzō Kōmyō who is quoted as saying Japanese Romanized English 無一物 Muichimotsu Have Nothing 仏に逢えば仏を殺せ Butsu ni aeba butsu w o korose If you meet a buddha kill him 祖に逢えば祖を殺せ So ni aeba so w o korose If you meet your forefather kill him 何物にも捕われず Nanimono ni mo torawarezu Attached to nothing 縛られず Shibararezu Bound to nothing ただあるがままに己を生きる Tada aru ga mama ni onore w o ikiru Live your own life simply as it is Lineage editCHINESE NAME 5 LIFE DATES VIỆT NAME 6 JAPANESE NAME 7 KOREAN NAME 8 28 1 達磨 Damo 達磨 Đạtma だるま Daruma 달마 Dalma29 2 慧可 Shenguang Huike 487 593 Huệ Khả Eka 혜가 Hyega30 3 僧璨 Jianzhi Sengcan 606 Tăng Xan Sōsan 승찬 Seungchan31 4 道信 Dongshan Daoxin 580 651 Đạo Tin Dōshin 도신 Doshim32 5 弘忍 Huangmei Hongren 601 2 674 5 Hoằng Nhẫn Kōnin 홍인 Hongihn33 6 慧能 Caoxi Huineng 638 713 Huệ Năng Enō 혜능 Hyeneung34 7 南嶽懷讓 Nanyue Huairang 677 744 Nam Nhạc Hoai Nhượng Nangaku Ejō 남악회양 Namak Hweyang35 8 馬祖道一 Mazu Daoyi 9 709 788 Ma Tổ Đạo Nhất Baso Dōitsu 마조도일 Majo Toil36 9 百丈懷海 Baizhang Huaihai 720 749 814 Bach Trượng Hoai Hải Hyakujō Ekai 백장회해 Paekchang Hwehae37 10 黃蘗希運 Huangbo Xiyun 850 Hoang Ba Hy Vận Ōbaku Kiun 황벽희운 Hwangbyeok Heuiun38 11 臨濟義玄 Linji Yixuan 866 7 Lam Tế Nghĩa Huyền Rinzai Gigen 임제의현 Imje EuihyeonSee also editBuddhism in China Dharma Drum Retreat Center Chan Buddhism retreat center founded by Ch an master Sheng yen List of Rinzai BuddhistsNotes edit Stuart Lachs The Chinese term Hua t ou can be translated as critical phrase Literally it means the head of speech or the point beyond which speech exhausts itself In Korean hua t ou are known as hwadu and in Japanese as wato A hua t ou is a short phrase sometimes a part of a koan that can be taken as a subject of meditation and introspection to focus the mind in a particular way which is conducive to enlightenment web 1 References editWritten references edit Welter n d George A Keyworth How the Mount Wutai Cult Stimulated the Development of Chinese Chan in Southern China at Qingliang Monasteries Studies in Chinese Religions 2019 5 McRae 2003 a b Buswell 1992 pp 245 246 characters and Wade Giles Romanization See Thiền Sư Trung Quốc for a list of Chinese Zen Masters in Vietnamese Romaji Hangeul and South Korean Revised Romanization extensive article in Mazu Daoyi Web references edit Stuart Lachs 2012 Hua t ou A Method of Zen MeditationSources editBuswell Robert E Jr 1992 Ch an Hermeneutics A Korean View In Lopez Donald S Jr ed Buddhist Hermeneutics Honolulu University of Hawaiʻi Press Kuroda Institute Studies in East Asian Buddhism 6 pp 231 256 Keown Damien A Dictionary of Buddhism Oxford Oxford University Press 2003 ISBN 0 19 860560 9 Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima Lone Wolf and Cub 2 The Gateless Barrier Dark Horse 2000 ISBN 1 56971 503 3 ISBN 978 1 56971 503 1 Lowenstein Tom The Vision of the Buddha Buddhism The Path to Spiritual Enlightenment ISBN 1 903296 91 9 McMahan David L 2008 The Making of Buddhist Modernism Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 518327 6 McRae John 2003 Seeing Through Zen Encounter Transformation and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism The University Press Group Ltd ISBN 978 0 520 23798 8 Schloegl Irmgard The Zen Teaching of Rinzai Shambhala Publications Inc Berkeley 1976 ISBN 0 87773 087 3 Watson Burton 1999 The Zen Teachings of Master Lin Chi A Translation of the Lin chi lu New York Columbia University Press ISBN 0 231 11485 0 Welter Albert n d The Textual History of the Linji lu Record of Linji The Earliest Recorded FragmentsFurther reading editRuth Fuller Sasaki The Record of Linji Welter Albert 2006 Monks Rulers and Literati The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism Wisdom Books Welter Albert 2008 The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy The Development of Chan s Records of Sayings Literature Oxford University Press Schlutter Morten 2008 How Zen became Zen The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song Dynasty China Honolulu University of Hawai i Press ISBN 978 0 8248 3508 8External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Linji Yixuan Taisho Tripitaka Vol 47 No 1985 The Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association online Chinese character text of The Record of Linji 臨濟録 Linji Lu Japanese translation of Linji The record of Linji Translation by Ruth Fuller Sasaki and introduction by Yanagida Seizan The Zen Teaching of Rinzai a k a The Record of Rinzai Translation by Irmgard Schloegel PDF Text Albert Welter The Textual History of the Linji lu Record of Linji The Earliest Recorded FragmentsBuddhist titlesPreceded byHuangbo Xiyun Rinzai Zen patriarch Succeeded byXinghua Cunjiang Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Linji Yixuan amp oldid 1184613465, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
