Daowu Yuanzhi

Daowu Yuanzhi was a student of Yaoshan Weiyan and the teacher of Shishuang Qingzhu. He is known for a famous encounter with his Dharma brother Yunyan Tansheng concerning the bodhisattva of compassion. Daowu asked Yunyan, "What does the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion use so many hands and eyes for?" Yunyan replied, "It is like someone reaching behind for a pillow in the night." Daowu said, "I understand." This exchange about the unselfconscious nature of compassion—reaching without deliberation—became a celebrated koan.

Daowu and Yunyan are often presented as complementary dharma brothers whose exchanges reveal the deepening that occurs between practitioners of equal capacity. Their relationship modeled for later generations the vital role of spiritual friendship in Chan practice, where insight is sharpened not only through the teacher-student relationship but through the mutual inquiry of peers.