User:Joshua Jonathan/Linji school

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The Linji school was a school of Chinese Chán named after Linji Yixuan (d. 866). It took prominence in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It spread to Japan under the name Rinzai school, and influenced the existing Korean Nine mountain schools.

Tang Dynasty (618-907)
Before the Song Dynasty, the Linji-school is rather obscure, and very little is known about it's early history.

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960/979 CE)
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960/979 CE) was an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. 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.

The spallation of China in various regions and kingdoms led to a diversication of Chán-factions, as refelected in the Five Houses of Chán. The Fayan school was especially influential in the Southern Tang (937-975] in the southern kingdoms of Nan-T'ang (Jiangxi, Chiang-hsi) and Wuyue (Che-chiang). It propagated chiao-ch'an i-chih, "harmony between Ch'an and the Teaching", in opposition to chiao-wai pieh-ch'uan, "a special transmission outside the teaching", the latter eventually becoming one of the defining slogans of Chán.

Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279. The Song Dynasty is divided into two distinct periods: the Northern Song and Southern Song.

During the Northern Song (960–1127), the Song capital was in the northern city of Bianjing (now Kaifeng) and the dynasty controlled most of inner China. 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). After his death this position was taken over by the linji-faction.

The linji-school of the Song Dynasty brought together the classical elements of Zen:
 * The denlu-genre, the "Transmission of the Lamp";
 * The yulu-genre, the recorded sayings of the masters of the Tang;
 * The gongan (koan) collections, describing fictiounous dialogues and interactions between masters and students, supplemented with introductions, commentary and poetry;
 * The Hua Tou practice, the meditative concentration on the "word-head" of a gongan as an aid in attaining kensho;
 * The notion of "a special transmission outside the scripture" as one of the defining characteristics of Zen.

All of these elements, which shaped the picture of the iconoclastic Zen-master who transmits a wordless truth, were shaped by and dependent on literary products that shaped the Traditional Zen Narrative which furthered the position of the Linji-school. This narrative did not describe the actual Chán-practice, neither of the Song-Dynasty, nor of the Tang Dynasty.

The construction of Linji
The Linji-school became the dominant school within Chán at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, due to support from literati and the court. The figure of Linji, as one of the exemplary masters of Chán, was created in a series of writings in the tenth and eleventh century, which supported the Linji-school and contributed to its influence and standing.

Zutang ji (952)
The first mention of Linji is in the Zutang ji (祖堂集 "Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall), compiled in 952, 86 years after Linji's death. The Zutang ji was written to support the Xuefeng Yicun lineage. It pictures this lineage as heir to the legacy of Mazu and the Hongzhou-school. It was written by two sudents of Zhaoqing Wendeng (884-972), a dharma descendant of Xuefeng Yicun, who's lineage was traced back to Shitou Xiqian (700-790). Xuefeng's student Yunmen Wenyan (862 or 864–949 CE) established the Yunmen school, while Xuefeng's "grand-disciple" Fayan Wenyi established the Fayan school.

Jingde Chuangdeng lu (1004)
The Jingde Chuangdeng lu (景德傳燈錄 "Jingde Records of the Transmission of the Lamp"), compiled in 1004 by Daoyuan, is one of the essential Zen-writings. It was compiled by a member of the Fayan school, but published after editorial revision by Yang Yi (974-1020), a leading Song literati figure, and a supporter of the Linji faction at the Song court. 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.

The Jingde Chuangdeng lu first gives brief biographical information on Lijni, followed by Linji's interactions with Hunagbo, to strenghten the claim of Linji's descendancy form Hunagbo and the Mazu-lineage.

The Jingde Chuangdeng lu served several needs and interests:
 * 1) The needs of the Song Dynasty to use Buddhism in centralizing the new state, and maintain good relations with neigboring Buddhist nations;
 * 2) The interests of the Linji-faction, which was dominant around the capital city Bianjing;
 * 3) The wish of the new dynasty to establish it's own cultural style (wen);
 * 4) The needs of literati, who were supporting a cultural style which endorsed free, spontaneous expreesion, different from a more traditional "ancient culture" (guwen).

The convergence of these influences lead to the creation of the image of the iconoclastic Chán-master, who fulfilled all these requirements: "He was free and spontaneous, and so served the liberal wen faction in their struggle against the guwen partisans at court. He was untainted by any need for poltical power, and so did not threaten the authority of the dynasty or its bureaucracy. He was Buddhist, and so could be brought forward when the need arose to show that the empire supported Buddhism. He made for entertaining reading, which suited the needs of a newly-literated reading public. Finally, he asserted the superiority of the Linji lineage and its "golden age of Chan" style, thus suiting the then-dominant faction."

Nevertheless, this picture deviates from the actual Chán-masters, which 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".

Tiansheng Guangdeng lu (1029)
According to Welter, the real founder of the Linji-school was Shoushan (or Baoying) Shengnian (首山省念)(926-993), a fourth generation dharma-heir of Linji. The Tiansheng Guangdeng lu (天聖廣燈錄), "Tiansheng Era Expanded Lamp Record", 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. It also established the slogan of "a special transmission outside the teaching", supporting the Linji-school claim of "Chan as separate from and superior to all other Buddhist teachings".

Linji's teachings are already more or less completed in this document, and he is pictured as the dharma-heir of Huangbo Xiyun (d.850). The Guangdeng lu contains brief biographical details on the life and actions of Linji.

The main elements of classical Chán are fully displaued in the Tiansheng Guangdeng lu: encounter dialogue, enlightenment verses, the sayings of the masters and the commentaries upon these sayings, the lack of historical contextualization and biographical detail.

Sijia yulu (1066-1069)
The Sijia yulu, ("Discourse Records of the Four Masters"), compiled 1066-1069 by Huanglong Huinan (1002-1069), contains the discourse records of Mazu Daoyi (709–788), Baizhang Huaihai (720–814), Huangbo Xiyun (d.850) and Linji, the major patriarchs of the Tang Dynasty according to the Linji faction. In this text, Linji is explicitly placed in line with these teachers of the Hongzhou school school.

Chán orthodoxy was still not sttled by this time. At around the same time the Deshan Sijia lu was compiled, a comparable text containing the records of Deshan Xuanjian (780-865), who's lineage was traced back to Shitou Xiqian, and included the Chán-branch of xuefeng Yicun, Yumen and Fayan. Other Sijia lu included the Huanglong Sijia (compiled 1141) and the Ciming Sijia lu (compiled 1153).

Zhenzhou Linji Huizhao Chansi yulu (1120)
The Zhenzhou Linji Huizhao Chansi yulu ("The record of Linji"), compiled by Yuanjue Zongan in 1120, is the classic version of the record of Linji. Yuanjue Zongan belonged to the Yunmen-faction, and also re-issued the Yunmen yulu, the "Discourse Records of Yunmen".

The separate publication of Linji's records signals the newly acquired status of Linji as one of Chán's major patriarchs. It also reflects the changing identity of Chán during the Song Dynasty, and the growing status of yulu-texts.

The text of Linji's record is the same as in the Tiansheng Guangdeng lu, but in a different order. 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. The biographical data on Linji's life are expanded, and appear at the end of the text.

In the Linji yulu the phrase "a special transmission outside the scriptures" is ascribed to Linji himself. It served as a leading slogan for the establishment of the Linji Chán identity by the Linji-faction of Shoushan Shengnian, and were seen as trademarks of the Linji Chán identity by Yang Yi and Li Zunxu, the court-related literati who had an essential role in the construction of Linji's record and reputation.

Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
The Southern Song (, 1127–1279) refers to the period after the Song lost control of northern China to the Jin Dynasty. During this time, the Song court retreated south of the Yangtze River and established their capital at Lin'an (now Hangzhou). The pricipal figures of the Linji-school also moved to the south.

Dahui and the hua-tou practice
During the 12th century, a clear difference between the Linji and the Caodong schools emerged. The two schools were competing for support of the literati, who became more powerful when the Song-government started to limit her influence on society. Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) of the Caodong-school emphasized silent illumination or shikantaza as a means for solitary practice, which could be undertaken by lay-followers. Dahui Zonggao ((1089–1163) introduced k'an-hua practice, "observing the word-head", as a means of solitary practice. He organized the study of koans into a system, which was exported to Japan in this period.

Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
The Yuan Dynasty was the empire established by Kublai Khan, the leader of Mongolian Borjigin clan, after Mongol conquered the Jin and the Southern Song Dynasty in China. Chán-teachings started to be mixed with Pure Land teachings, as in the teachings of Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323).

Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Chán 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 Chán and Pure Land Buddhism; Miyun Yuanwu (密雲圓悟), who came to be seen posthumously as the first patriarch of the Ōbaku Zen school; as well as Yunqi Zhuhong (雲棲祩宏) and Ouyi Zhixu (蕅益智旭).

Chán was taught alongside Pure Land Buddhism in many Chinese Buddhist monasteries. In time much of the distinction between them was lost, and many masters taught both Chán and Pure Land.

With the downfall of the Ming Dynasty several Chinese Chán-masters fled to Japan, founding the Ōbaku school.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)
The Qing Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Qing or Great Qing, was the last imperial dynasty of China.

In the beginning of the Qing Dunasty Chán was "reinvented", by the "revival of beating and shouting practices" by Miyun Yuanwu (1566–1642), and the publication of the Wudeng yantong ("The strict transmission of the five Chan schools") by Feiyin Tongrong’s (1593–1662), a dharma heir of Miyun Yuanwu. The book placed self-proclaimed Chan monks without proper Dharma transmission in the category of "lineage unknown" (sifa weixiang), thereby excluding several prominent Caodong-monks.

Modern times (after 1912)
After further centuries of decline during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), Chán was revived again in the early 20th century by Hsu Yun (虛雲), a well-known figure of 20th century Chinese Buddhism. Many Chán teachers today trace their lineage back to Hsu Yun, including Sheng-yen (聖嚴) and Hsuan Hua (宣化), who have propagated Chán in the West where it has grown steadily through the 20th and 21st century.

Chán was repressed in China during the recent modern era in the early periods of the People's Republic, but has more recently been re-asserting itself on the mainland, and has a significant following in Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as among Overseas Chinese.