Foyan Qingyuan

Foyan Qingyuan was a Yangqi line master of the Song dynasty whose recorded dialogues are among the most accessible and widely read in the Chan tradition. His collected talks, known as the Instant Zen, present Chan teaching in a direct, conversational style that strips away the formality of monastic discourse. He emphasized that awakening is not something exotic or distant but is the simple, clear functioning of the mind in everyday life.

Foyan's teaching often returned to the theme of not making things complicated: "Just be aware of what is presently happening, and you will be enlightened." This insistence on simplicity and immediacy reflects the Yangqi tradition at its best—cutting through the layers of technique and interpretation to the bare fact of present awareness. His talks have remained popular with practitioners because they require no specialized knowledge, only an honest willingness to look at one's own mind.