Moshan Liaoran

Moshan Liaoran was one of the most celebrated female Chan masters, a teacher whose realization was acknowledged by her male contemporaries in a tradition that often marginalized women. When the monk Guanxi Zhixian came to test her, she defeated him in dharma combat so thoroughly that he became her student, an almost unprecedented reversal in the patriarchal structure of Tang dynasty Chan.

In their famous exchange, Guanxi asked, "What is the mountain?" Moshan replied, "Its peak does not reveal itself." Guanxi asked, "Who is the person on the mountain?" Moshan said, "Neither male nor female in form." Guanxi shouted, "Then why doesn't it transform?" Moshan said, "It is not a god, it is not a demon—what would it transform into?" At this, Guanxi submitted and served as her attendant. Moshan's teaching demonstrates that awakened understanding transcends all categories, including gender, and that the Dharma recognizes only the depth of realization, not the social position of the teacher.