Qingyuan Xingsi
Qingyuan Xingsi
Unknown – 740
Qingyuan Xingsi (青原行思, d. 740) is traditionally treated as one of the two senior Dharma heirs of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng (alongside Nanyue Huairang) and the ancestor from whom the Caodong (Sōtō), Yunmen, and Fayan houses all descend[1]. The Tang-period record of his career is thin; the much later *Jǐngdé Chuándēng Lù* preserves the dialogue between Huineng and Qingyuan on "what falls into ranks and what does not," after which Huineng is said to have entrusted him with the Dharma at Mount Qingyuan in modern Jiangxi[2].
Modern scholarship — including the editorial introduction to Yampolsky's *Platform Sūtra* translation — notes that Qingyuan, like Nanyue Huairang, is essentially a constructed pivot in retrospectively organised Tang Chan genealogy: the Chinese lamp records preserve almost no contemporary trace of him, and his historical importance is principally lineal, as the named ancestor of his Dharma heir Shitou Xiqian and through him of the great non-Hongzhou branch of Tang Chan[3].
Names
Disciples of Qingyuan Xingsi
Teachers and lineage of Qingyuan Xingsi
Teacher / root master:
Teachings
- sayingMountains Are Mountains
Before I studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance, I am at rest. For it is just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and rivers once again as rivers.
Before I studied Chan, mountains were mountains and rivers were rivers. After studying Chan, mountains were no longer mountains and rivers no longer rivers. Now, after thirty years, mountains are again mountains and rivers again rivers — but with fewer feet of mine in the way.
- proverbCutting an Axe-Handle
To cut an axe-handle, the model is in your hand. To pass on the dharma, the model is in your life. Look closely at the model; if it has a chip in it, the new handle will too.
- proverbNo Marvels at the Hermitage
There are no marvels at this hermitage. We sweep, we cook, we sit. If you wanted marvels, you should have gone to the city — they sell them cheap there, and they break before you reach home.
- proverbSound of Grass
If you cannot hear the sound of grass growing, you are not yet quiet enough. Sit until you hear it, and you will not be tempted to mistake your speech for teaching.
Other masters in Qingyuan line
Master Record Sources
d. 740
Qingyuan Xingsi
Qingyuan line
- koan_refsChart of the Chan Ancestors
5 1,2
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Qingyuan Xingsi
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Dajian Huineng