Lâm Tế

Thiền

Lâm Tế

Branch of Linji

The Lâm Tế school is the Vietnamese form of the Chinese Linji tradition, formally established in Vietnam during the seventeenth century by Chinese monks carrying the late-Ming Linji revival lineage of Miyun Yuanwu. The most important transmission was through Nguyên Thiều (1648–1728), a Chinese monk from Guangdong who arrived in Vietnam around 1665–1677 and established the Linji lineage in the central and southern regions. His dharma grandson Liễu Quán (1670–1742) became the first native Vietnamese to receive Linji dharma transmission, founding the Liễu Quán dharma line that 'Vietnamized' the tradition and remains the dominant Buddhist lineage in central Vietnam to this day. Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926–2022), the globally influential Zen teacher and peace activist, was the 42nd generation of the Lâm Tế school and 8th generation of the Liễu Quán line.