Luohan Guichen (羅漢桂琛)

Luohan Guichen

867 – 928

Lineage of Luohan Guichen Qingyuan line school

Luohan Guichen (羅漢桂琛, 867–928), also known as Dizang Guichen after his temple at Mount Dizang in Zhangzhou (Fujian), was the principal Dharma heir of Xuansha Shibei and the teacher of Fayan Wenyi^[1]. The lamp records describe a probing, unhurried teaching style, characterised less by the abrupt shouts and strikes of the Linji line than by carefully turned questions that thrust the student back on their own resources^[2].

His most cited exchange — preserved in the *Jǐngdé Chuándēng Lù*, the *Bìyán Lù* (Case 20), and the *Wúménguān*-stream literature — is the meeting with the still-unawakened Fayan during a snowstorm: "Where are you going?" "On pilgrimage." "What is pilgrimage for?" "I don't know." "Not knowing is most intimate" (不知最親切)^[3]. This formula became one of the most-quoted Chan utterances on the limits of conceptual knowing, and through Fayan and the Fayan house it shaped the late-Tang/early-Song integration of Chan with Huayan and Tiantai thought.

Names

dharma · enLuohan Guichen

honorific · enDizang

alias · enLo-han Kuei-ch'ên

alias · enRakan Keichin

alias · jaRakan Keichin

alias · zh羅漢桂琛

Disciples of Luohan Guichen 3 named

Fayan Wenyiprimary · 885 – 958
Longji Shaoxiuprimary · Dates uncertain
Qingxi Hongjinprimary · Dates uncertain

Teachers and lineage of Luohan Guichen

Teacher / root master:

Xuansha ShibeiRoot teacher / master · 835 – 908

Full lineage of Luohan Guichen →

Teachings

dialogueDizang's Closeness
(traditional attribution)
Fayan asked Dizang (Luohan Guichen), "Where are you going?" Fayan said, "I am going on pilgrimage." Dizang said, "What is the purpose of pilgrimage?" Fayan said, "I don't know." Dizang said, "Not knowing is most intimate." Xuedou's verse: The road of pilgrimage stretches ten thousand li. / Who has gone there, who has returned? / "I don't know"—three words. / From this, mountains and rivers are vast.
Respondent: Fayan Wenyi, Luohan Guichen
sayingThe Ground Under Your Feet
(traditional attribution)
Dizang said to his assembly: "When you look for Buddha, you push Buddha away. When you look for Dharma, you obscure Dharma. What is left when you stop looking? The ground under your feet. Have you examined this ground? You have been standing on it since before you were born."
Luohan Guichen
dialogueNot Knowing Is Most Intimate
Fayan was about to leave the monastery on pilgrimage. Luohan Guichen asked him, "Where are you going?" Fayan said, "I'm going on pilgrimage." Luohan asked, "What is the purpose of pilgrimage?" Fayan said, "I don't know." Luohan said, "Not knowing is most intimate." At these words, Fayan had a great awakening.
Respondent: Fayan Wenyi, Luohan Guichen

Other masters in Qingyuan line

Nanyue Daoxuan596 – 667
Shitou Xiqian700 – 790
Danxia Tianran738 – 824
Tianhuang Daowu748 – 807
Yaoshan Weiyan751 – 834
Daowu Yuanzhi769 – 835

Master Record Sources

datesChart of the Chan Ancestors
867-928
Reliability: scholarly
nameChart of the Chan Ancestors
Luohan Guichen
Reliability: scholarly
schoolChart of the Chan Ancestors
Qingyuan line
Reliability: scholarly
koan_refsChart of the Chan Ancestors
12,20
Reliability: scholarly
nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Luohan Guichen
Reliability: editorial
teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Xuansha Shibei
Reliability: editorial