Shanakavasa

Shanakavasa was the third Indian patriarch of Chan, receiving transmission from Ananda. According to traditional accounts, he was born wearing a robe of shana hemp, which was considered a miraculous sign. He was known as a powerful teacher who spread the Dharma throughout Kashmir and central Asia, establishing monastic communities along the ancient trade routes.

Shanakavasa trained many students and is particularly noted for recognizing the exceptional capacity of Upagupta and transmitting the essence of awakening to him. His legacy bridges the earliest disciples of the Buddha and the subsequent flowering of Indian Buddhism. The Chan tradition regards him as holding the flame of direct mind-to-mind transmission and passing it faithfully across generations.