Wuzu Fayan
Wuzu Fayan
c. 1024 – c. 1104
Wuzu Fayan, "Fifth Patriarch Fayan" (not to be confused with the earlier Fayan Wenyi), was a student of Baiyun Shouduan in the Yangqi branch of the Linji school. He taught at Mount Wuzu and was one of the most influential Chan masters of the Song dynasty. His most famous student was Yuanwu Keqin, the compiler of the Blue Cliff Record, making Wuzu the grandfather of one of Chan's most important literary works.
Wuzu's teaching was marked by a quality of penetrating simplicity. In one famous exchange, he said to the assembly, "The old barbarian from the west—if you say he had something special to teach, you slander him. If you say he had nothing special, you contradict yourself. Tell me, what did Bodhidharma bring?" This refusal to allow either affirmation or negation—a hallmark of the Linji style—pushed students beyond all conceptual positions into the freedom of direct seeing.
Names
Teachers
Teachings
- koanMeeting A Zen Master On The Road
Goso said: "When you meet a Zen master on the road you cannot talk to him, you cannot face him with silence. What are you going to do?" Mumon’s comment: In such a case, if you can answer him intimately, your realization will be beautiful, but if you cannot, you should look about without seeing anything. Meeting a Zen master on the road, Face him neither with words nor silence. Give him an uppercut And you will be called one who understands Zen.
- koanAn Oak Tree In The Garden
A monk asked Joshu why Bodhidharma came to China. Joshu said: "An oak tree in the garden." Mumon’s comment: If one sees Joshu's answer clearly, there is no Shakyamuni Buddha before him and no future Buddha after him. Words cannot describe everything. The heart's message cannot be delivered in words. If one receives words literally, he will be lost, If he tries to explain with words, he will not attain enlightenment in this life.
Master Record Sources
Wuzu Fayan
Linji
- koan_refsChart of the Chan Ancestors
35,36 38,45
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Wuzu Fayan
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Baiyun Shouduan