Hongzhi Zhengjue

Hongzhi Zhengjue was the greatest advocate of "silent illumination" (mozhao chan), the Caodong school's distinctive meditation practice. He taught at Tiantong Monastery and composed the verses that would later form the basis of the Book of Serenity (Congrong Lu), one of the two major koan collections alongside the Blue Cliff Record. His teaching emphasized a quality of aware, luminous stillness that neither grasps nor rejects any experience.

Hongzhi's championing of silent illumination brought him into famous conflict with the Linji master Dahui Zonggao, who advocated the huatou (keyword) method. Dahui criticized silent illumination as producing a state of "dead sitting" without genuine insight, while Hongzhi maintained that objectless awareness was itself the expression of awakened mind. This debate defined the two great approaches to Chan meditation that continue to shape practice today. Despite the polemics, Hongzhi and Dahui maintained a personal relationship of mutual respect, and when Hongzhi died, he asked Dahui to serve as abbot of Tiantong in his place.