Cizhou Faru

Cizhou Faru was a Chan master of the Qingyuan lineage who taught in the Cizhou region. He is recorded in the transmission of the lamp as one who continued the teaching methods of his predecessors, using encounters and exchanges to provoke insight in students rather than offering doctrinal instruction. His practice community contributed to the spread of Chan in areas beyond the major urban and monastic centers.

Faru's presence in the lineage records attests to the wide geographical spread of Qingyuan line Chan during the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Masters like Faru carried the teaching to provincial regions, establishing local traditions that sustained the practice through periods of political upheaval and institutional disruption.