Buddhanandi

Buddhanandi, the eighth patriarch, was a student of Vasumitra and teacher of Buddhamitra. His name means "Delight of the Buddha" or "Joy of Awakening," suggesting the quality of liberated ease that the tradition associated with him. He lived during a period of rich Buddhist activity in India, when monastic institutions and philosophical schools were proliferating.

According to Chan records, Buddhanandi possessed an innate understanding of the Buddha's teaching and transmitted that understanding directly to Buddhamitra without relying on textual elaboration. Each link in the Indian patriarchal chain affirms the possibility of carrying awakening forward across generations through the living encounter between teacher and student.