Chengtian Chuanzong

Chengtian Chuanzong was a Yunmen school master who contributed to the tradition during the Song dynasty. He maintained the school's characteristic emphasis on linguistic precision and direct pointing through compressed, vivid expression. His teaching continued the Yunmen approach of using minimal language to maximum effect.

Chuanzong's place in the Yunmen lineage reflects the school's development during the Song dynasty, when its methods increasingly influenced the broader Chan tradition through the Blue Cliff Record and other koan collections. Though the Yunmen school did not survive as an independent institution, its spirit permeated all subsequent Chan practice through these literary works.