Zen Buddhism developed in China some fifteen hundred years ago, with Bodhidarma or Daruma being the First Patriarch, and became the dominant form of Buddhism in China in the late Tang Dynasty. This book presents the readers a detailed account of inheriting lineages and sermons of different Zen schools and sects in China.
About the AuthorINTRODUCTION
In 1976, the author published (in Chinese) History of Chinese Zen Masters with eight charts on the dharma lineages. In 1977, the author published (in Chinese) History of Japanese Zen Masters with twenty-eight lineage charts. In the present volume, most of the basic materials are taken from thetwo previous volumes. However, in rendering certain passages from Chinese into English, it is deemed desirable to utilize many excellent translations that are already available to the English-reading public. Although it is possible to give all personal names in English either according to the Chinese pronunciation or to the Japanese pronunciation, in the main text the Japanese pronunciation is preferred for the reason that many English-reading readers are already familiar with the Japanese pronunciation from recent books on Zen. This volume is divided into two parts: each part has eight chapters. Part I is concerned with“History of Zen in China.” Chapter 1 tells the brief story from Daruma the First Patriarch toGunin the Fifth Patriarch. Chapter 2 is concerned with Enō the Sixth Patriarch and his disciples. From the First Patriarch to the Sixth Patriarch, Zen School had a single line of transmission. After Enō, it must be pointed out that Zen lineage did not limit itself to a single line of transmission. As was well known, Enō had at least five prominent dharma-heirs, which included Shen-hui (Jinne), with an Imperial-designated title of the Seventh Patriarch.The two famous branches—Nangaku branch and Seigen branch—are the headings of Chapters 3 and 6, respectively. Both branches flourished from their second-generation masters to the present day. Nangaku's dharma-heir was Baso (Matsu), and Seigen’s dharma-heir was Sekitō (Shih-tou), whose body was recently enshrined at Sōji-ji, Tsurumi, near Yokohama, Japan. In Chapter 3, the Igyō School, founded by Isan and Kyōzan, was included. Chapter 4 is concerned with the Rinzai School (in China). Both the Igyō School and the Rinzai School belo
