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{{Short description|Founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism (died 866)}}
[[file:RinzaiGigen.jpg|thumb|Japanese painting of Linji]]

'''Linji Yixuan''' ({{Lang-zh|t=臨濟義玄|s=临济义玄|hp=Línjì Yìxuán|w=Lin-chi I-hsüan|first=t}}; {{langx|ja|臨済義玄}} ''Rinzai Gigen''; died 866 CE) was a [[Tang dynasty]] (618-907) Chinese monk and teacher of the [[Hongzhou school]] of [[Chan Buddhism|Chinese Chan]] ([[Zen]]). Linji was the leading figure of Chan Buddhism in the Tang, and the ''Recorded Sayings of Linji'' (''Linji yulu''), which contains his teachings, is seen as a major Chan/Zen text which exemplifies the iconoclastic and [[antinomian]] spirit of Chan/Zen.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=1}} He is also known by the posthumous title Huizhao Chanshi ({{lang|zh|慧照禪師}}, “Meditation Master of Illuminating Wisdom”).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=77-78}}

Linji was a student of [[Huangbo Xiyun]] and is also considered to be the founder of the influential [[Linji school]] of Chan. This school actually developed in the [[Song dynasty]] (960-1279) among descendants of Linji, who created various mythic stories about Linji in the process of founding their new school of Zen.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=2}} Today he is seen as the founder of the various Linji regional traditions, including the Japanese [[Rinzai school]], the contemporary [[Korean Seon]] schools (all which consider themselves to be of the "Imjae" line, i.e. Linji) and the [[Lâm Tế]] school of [[Thiền|Vietnamese Zen]].{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=81}} 

==Biography==

===Sources===
Information on Linji is based on the ''Linji yulu'' and other sources like the ''[[Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall|Zutang ji]],'' ''[[The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp|Jingde chuan-denglu]]'', ''Song gaoseng zhuan'' (''Song-dynasty Biographies of eminent monks''), and the ''Tiansheng guang-denglu (Tiansheng-era Extensive record of the transmission)''.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=4-6}}{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=64}} However, the composition of these sources, like the ''Linji yulu'', occurred over various stages of historical development, culminating in the Song dynasty version of the ''Linji yulu'' published by the Linji school.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=4}} This text thus includes stories and passages attributed to Linji by later authors. As such, according to Albert Welter, "the life of the historical person Linji is shrouded in legend."{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=4}} Yanagida Seizan also writes "If we construct a chronology of the master’s life it must be a tentative one only, based for the most part upon traditional material rather than upon facts that can be substantiated with historical accuracy.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=64}} 

===Life===
According to the sources, Linji was born during the [[Emperor Xianzong of Tang|Yuanhe]] era (806–820) into a family named Xing ({{lang|zh|邢}}) living in Nanhua ({{lang|zh|南華}}), Cao ({{lang|zh|曹}}) Prefecture (modern [[Yanzhou, Jining|Yanzhou]] {{lang|zh|兖州}} in [[Shandong|Shandong Province]]).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=65}} Little is known of his early life. According to the ''Guzunsu yulu'' (''Recorded sayings of the ancient worthies''), "After shaving his head and receiving the full precepts, he frequented the lecture halls; he mastered the [[vinaya]] and made a thorough study of the [[Sutra|sutras]] and [[Shastra|śāstras]]."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=66}} Yanagida Seizan writes that his teachings indicate that Linji was knowledgeable in the Mahayana sutras and also "show the influence of works of the [[Huayan]] {{lang|zh|華嚴}} (Avataṃsaka) and [[East Asian Yogācāra|Weishi]] {{lang|zh|唯識 }}(“Consciousness-only”; Yogācāra) schools."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=66}} Seizan also mentions that he seems to have been expert in the teachings of Yogācāra, since the ''Zutang ji'' depicts Linji's first meeting with Dayu as being a discussion on the ''[[Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra|Treatise on the stages of Yogācāra practice]]'' (''Yuqie lun'' {{lang|zh|瑜伽論}}).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=66}}   

After this period of study however, Linji turned to meditative practice, as sermon 18 of the ''Record of Linji'' states "But later, when I realized that they were only remedies to help the world and displays of opinion, I threw them all away, and, searching for the Way, I practiced meditation."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=66}} Linji then traveled to [[Jiangnan]] where he met Chan master [[Huangbo Xiyun]] ({{lang|zh-Hant|黃蘗希運}}), at some point between 836 and 841.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=67}} He likely stayed with Huangbo at Mount Huangbo for about three years until he had a great enlightenment.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=67}} According to sources like the ''Record of Linji'', Linji questioned Huangbo three times about the central meaning of Buddhism and Huangbo struck him three times. Then Huangbo sent Linji to meet the reclusive monk Dàyú ({{lang|zh|大愚}}). After exchanging some words with this monk, Linji attained an awakening or (見性, [[Kenshō|jianxing]]). He then returned to Huangbo and told him what had occurred. Huangbo slapped Linji, saying “You lunatic, coming back here and pulling the tiger’s whiskers!” Then Linji responded with a loud shout.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=67}} After this event, Linji stayed with Huangbo for some time, or he may have traveled to practice with Dayu for a time as well. The various sources differ on this issue.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=68}} 
[[file:Linji monastery02.JPG|thumb|Linji temple]]
[[File:Chengling pagoda.JPG|thumb|The Chengling pagoda at [[Linji Temple]] is believed to contain the remains of Linji.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=vii-viii}}]]
In around 849 or 850 Linji, an older forty year old, left on a pilgrimage.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=64}} Little is known of this pilgrimage, though the Chuandeng lu mentions that he visited Bodhidharma’s memorial tower in Henan.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=64}} In about 851, Linji settled in Zhenzhou, [[Hebei]] where he led a small temple located southeast of the city of Zhenzhou. It was known as the [[Linji Temple|Linji yuan]] ({{lang|zh|臨濟院}}, “Temple Overlooking the Ford”) since it was on the banks of the [[Hutuo River]]. It is the name of this temple which gave Linji his name.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=69}} Linji's temple may have been supported by the Wang family patriarch [[Wang Yuankui]] {{lang|zh|王元逵}} (d. 855) or one of his sons.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=70}} 

Linji lived and taught in this temple for about ten years. Linji's students included [[Zhaozhou Congshen]]''',''' [[Puhua]], Sansheng Huiran, Baoshou Yanzhao, Xinghua Cunjiang, Mayu, Longya Judun, Dajue, and Xingshan Jianhong.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=73}} In about 863 or 864, Linji left Linji temple to accept an invitation by Lord Jiang Shen, regional commissioner of Hezhong, who had his seat at Puzhou ({{lang|zh|蒲州}}).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=75-76}} From Puzhou, Linji traveled to Weifu on the invitation from Grand Marshal and President of the Grand Imperial Secretariat, Lord He. At Weifu, he stayed at Jiangxi Chanyuan Temple ({{lang|zh|江西禪院}}), of Guanyin si ({{lang|zh|觀音寺}}).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=75-76}} He stayed at this temple for a year, receiving visitors, until his death.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=77}} The Linji Lu describes his death as follows:

<blockquote>Suddenly one day the master, although not ill, adjusted his robes, sat erect, and when his exchange with Sansheng [Sansheng Huiran] was finished, quietly passed away. It was on the tenth day of the first month in the eighth year of Xiantong &#91;18 February 867] of the Tang dynasty.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=77}} </blockquote>

=== Posthumous influence ===
[[file:Pavilion of shared history, Jingshan, 2023.jpg|thumb|Pavilion in memory of the shared origin of Chinese Linji and Japanese Rinzai in Jingshan Temple]]
After Linji's death, his disciples then cremated him and built a memorial pagoda for the master's remains in the capital of Daming Prefecture. The Chinese emperor decreed that Linji was to receive the posthumous title "Huizhao Chanshi" ({{lang|zh|慧照禪師}}, “Meditation Master of Illuminating Wisdom”).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=77-78}}

According to Yanagida Seizan, "Linji died probably in his early or mid-fifties, and thus did not reach the advanced age of many of the illustrious masters of his time. Nor did he leave a large body of notable disciples to disseminate his style of Chan."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=78}} 

Of Linji's small body of disciples, only [[Xinghua Cunjiang]]'s line of transmission survived.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=78}} Very little is known of Cunjiang's heir Nanyuan Huiyong.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=78}} The three succeeding figures from Nanyuan: Fengxue Yanzhao, Shoushan Shengnian, and Fenyang Shanzhao, all remained in the Yellow river area.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=78}} According to Albert Welter, "While the inspiration for the Linji Chan faction was, of course Linji Yixuan, the real founder of the movement was, as noted previously, Shoushan Shengnian (926—993), a fourth-generation descendant."{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=112}}

Fenyang Shanzhao's heir, Shishuang Chuyuan, transmitted the Linji lineage to Southern China. Shishuang was instrumental in promoting and expanding the influence of the [[Linji school]].{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=78}} Over time, this tradition became one of the largest and most influential schools of [[Chan Buddhism|Chan]] in East Asia, with branches in Japan ([[Rinzai school|Rinzai]]), Korea and Vietnam. 

Linji's students compiled and passed on his teachings in various sources, the most famous of which is the ''Recorded Sayings of Linji (Linji yulu)''.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=83}}
== The ''Record of Linji'' and other sources ==
[[Image:A statue of Linji Yixuan.JPG|thumb|A statue of Linji Yixuan under the southern gate of [[Zhengding]] [[Hebei]], [[China]]]]
The ''Linji yulu'' ({{lang|zh|臨濟語錄}}; Japanese: ''Rinzai-goroku'', ''Recorded Sayings of Linji'') or ''Línjìlù'' for short, is a collection of sayings and anecdotes attributed to Linji which is traditionally considered to be the main source of Linji's teachings. The full title is ''Zhenzhou linji huizhao chanshi yulu'' ({{lang|zh|鎭州臨濟慧照禪師語錄}}, ''Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Huizhao of Linji in Zhenzhou'').<ref>{{cite journal |last=Barber |first=Allan W. |url=https://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/DLMBS/en/search/search_detail.jsp?seq=596709 |title=The Education of Linji |journal=Studies in Zen Buddhism {{lang|ja|&#91;ゼンガク ケンキュウ&#93;}} |year=2018 |location=Kyoto, Japan |volume=96}}</ref> 

The standard edition of the ''Linji yulu'' (c. 1120) was not completed until two hundred fifty years after Linji's death (866)."{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=82}} Thus parts of the text likely reflects the concerns of the [[Song dynasty]] Linji school rather than that of Linji in particular.{{sfn|Welter|n.d.}} The standard edition was first included within the massive ''Tiansheng guangdeng lu'' by the lay believer Li Zunxu (a student of Guyin Yuncong) in 1036 and it was independently printed in 1120 by Yuanjue Zongyan at Mount Gu in Fuzhou (present-day [[Fujian]]).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=83}}  

Yanagida Seizan writes that "we have no way of determining exactly what the earliest version of the ''Linji lu'' was like or when it was compiled."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=82}} In spite of this, Yanagida Seizan still held that the main twenty two sermons in the ''Linji yulu'' "provide us with an account of the man and his teaching".{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=72}}  

Furthermore, earlier passages from Linji's sermons can be found in texts compiled before the 12th century, such as the ''Zutang ji'', the ''Zongjing lu,'' the ''Jingde Chuan-deng lu'' and the ''Tiansheng guang-denglu (Tiansheng-era Extensive record of the transmission)''.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=4-6}}{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=64}} These passages contain minor differences with the parallel passages from Linji's sermons found in the  ''Linji yulu'' according to Yanagida.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=82}}  

Albert Welter also notes that the earliest fragments of Linji's teachings are found in the ''[[Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall|Zutang ji]]'', which was compiled in 952.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=82}} However, regarding the contents of the ''Linji lu'', he writes: 
<blockquote>Ultimately, the story of the Linji lu is the story of a movement that found its voice and identity through the image and alleged teachings of Linji. What these teachings represent are not the words of one man, which are in any case irretrievable, but the combined aspirations of the movement as a whole, projected onto the persona of Linji as founder. Linji wrote nothing himself. Our knowledge of his teachings allegedly depends on notes taken by students of his sermons, lectures, dialogues, and other interactions. The names of those who originally kept such notebooks are unknown to us. Eventually, fragments of Linji's teachings were included in Chan transmission records.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=83}}</blockquote>

The ''Linji yulu'' contains stories of Linji's interactions with teachers, contemporaries, and students. The recorded lectures are a mixture of the conventional and the [[Iconoclasm|iconoclastic]]; those who resented the iconoclastic nature of Linji discourse saw him as “one of the most infamous Chinese Chan masters who censored traditional Buddhist practices and doctrines.” <ref>{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1080/23729988.2019.1686872 | doi=10.1080/23729988.2019.1686872 | title=How the Mount Wutai cult stimulated the development of Chinese Chan in southern China at Qingliang monasteries | date=2019 | last1=Keyworth | first1=George A. | journal=Studies in Chinese Religions | volume=5 | issue=3–4 | pages=353–376 | s2cid=213258968 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> Despite the iconoclasm, however, the ''Linji yulu'' reflects a thorough knowledge of the [[sutras|''sūtra''s]]. Linji's style of teaching, as recorded in that text, exemplifies Chán development in the [[Hongzhou school]] ({{lang|zh|洪州宗}}) of [[Mazu Daoyi|Mazu]] and his successors, such as [[Huangbo Xiyun|Huangbo]], Linji's master.

==Teachings==
{{Zen Buddhism}}
{{Chinese Buddhism}}
{{Japanese Buddhism}}

=== Iconoclasm ===
The ''Linju lu'' presents Linji as an iconoclastic teacher who used shocking language in vernacular Chinese to disrupt the tendency of his listeners to grasp at concepts such as [[Buddhahood|buddhas]], patriarchs, [[Bodhisattva|bodhisattvas]], [[Bhūmi (Buddhism)|stages of practice]] and levels of attainment.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=26}} He famously said, "If you meet a buddha, kill the buddha."{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=52}} While Linji's language may sound extreme, it reflects an attitude which considers grasping at buddhas, [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|bodhi]], [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvana]], [[Dharma]], and other such related Buddhist concepts, as a kind of delusion. As Burton Watson observes:

{{Blockquote|The message of Lin-chi's sermons, reiterated with almost wearisome persistence, is that his followers are allowing all this talk of goals and striving, of buddhas and patriarchs, to cloud their outlook and to block the path of understanding. All such words and concepts are external and extraneous postulations, attachment to which is just as much a delusion and impediment as attachment to any crasser objective, such as sensual gratification or material gain. Again and again he exhorts them to put aside all such external concerns and to turn their gaze within, where the [[Buddha-nature]] inherent in all beings is to be found.<ref>{{harvp| Watson|1999| pp= xxi-xxii}}</ref>}}

Such sentiments can already be seen in earlier Chan sources. For example, [[Shenhui]] points out that while lust for wealth and sex is "gross falsity," activating one's intention to grasp bodhi, nirvana, [[Śūnyatā|emptiness]], purity, and concentration is "subtle falsity."<ref>McRae, John R., Robson, James, Sharf, Robert H., Vries, Fedde de and Buswell, Robert E.. Zen Evangelist: Shenhui, Sudden Enlightenment, and the Southern School of Chan Buddhism, page 54, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2023</ref> Likewise, [[Huangbo Xiyun|Huangbo]] said that to conceive of a buddha is to be obstructed by that buddha, while the ''[[Bodhidharma#Attributed works|Bloodstream Sermon]]'' criticized the worshipping of buddhas as holding onto appearances.<ref>The Zen Teaching of Huang-po on the Transmission of Mind, translated by John Blofeld, page 71, Grove Press, Inc. New York, 1958</ref><ref>Pine, Red. The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, p. 25. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Nov 1, 2009.</ref>

===Non-dependency ===
According to Linji, Zen students fail to make spiritual progress because they lack faith in themselves and are thereby "twisted and turned" by whatever environment they encounter.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=23}} They cling to phrases and are obstructed by words like "common mortal" and "sage," and for Linji, this is to still be dependent on something.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=36}} Rather than rely on buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the Chan patriarchs, Linji taught his listeners that they should be non-dependent persons of the Way: 
{{blockquote|You listening to the Dharma, if you are men of the Way who depend on nothing, then you are the mother of the buddhas. Therefore the buddhas are born from the realm that leans on nothing. If you can waken to this leaning on nothing, then there will be no Buddha to get hold of. If you can see things in this way, this is a true and proper understanding.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=36}}}}

===True person===
Although we may be "twisted and turned" by dependencies and externals, Linji taught that the true person, the one who "has the ability to speak dharma and listen to it," is a "solitary brightness"{{sfnp|Broughton|Watanabe|2013|pp=40, 45, 77, 128}} (or the one "shining alone," {{zh|labels=no|l=|p=gū míng|c=孤明}}){{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=163}}who is not swayed by various situations or environments:
{{blockquote|Followers of the Way, this lone brightness before my eyes now, this person plainly listening to me—this person is unimpeded at any point but penetrates the ten directions, free to do as he pleases in the threefold world. No matter what environment he may encounter, with its peculiarities and differences, he cannot be swayed or pulled awry.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=33}}{{refn|group=note|Japanese commentators associate solitary brightness with "mind," "original nature," "natural face," "original source of all the buddhas," "the ārya knowledge of awakening on one's own," "the dharma substance of the mind ground," and "The thing 'you let loose to fill up the dharmadhātu and roll up so that it is not enough to stand up a single strand of hair'."<ref>The Record of Linji: A New Translation of the Linjilu in the Light of Ten Japanese Zen Commentaries, translated by Jeffrey L. Broughton with Elise Yoko Watanabe, page 163, note 52; page 179, note 131; page 252, note 604; Oxford University Press 2013</ref>}}}}

Similarly, Linji described the mind as a "single bright essence" (or "one pure radiance," {{lang|zh|一精明}}) which is formless and penetrates all directions.<ref>{{harvp|Watson|1999|p=25}}</ref>{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=165}} According to Linji, because this mind is formless, it is everywhere emancipated, and thus there was no need to go "rushing around everywhere looking for something."<ref>{{harvp|Watson|1999|pp= 25-26}}</ref> Instead, Linji advised his listeners to stop and take a good look at themselves.<ref>{{harvp|Watson|1999|pp=  26-27}}</ref>

Another way in which Linji referred to the true person was "the true man with no rank" ({{zh|labels=no|p=wúwèi [[Zhenren|zhēnrén]] |c=無位真人}}). According to Welter, all early sources agree that the notion of "the true man with no-rank" (which can also mean "a sage without any location") was a major teaching of Linji.{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=87}} In what is perhaps the earliest source of this teaching, the ''[[Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall|Zutang ji]]'', it is presented as follows:{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=87}} 
{{blockquote|On one occasion, the Master (Linji) addressed the assembly: "I, a mountain monk, tell you clearly—within the body-field of the [[Skandha|five skandhas]] there is a true man with no-rank, always present, not even a hair's breadth away. Why don't you recognize him?" 

Then, a monk asked: "What is this true man with no rank?" 

The Master struck him, and said: "The true man with no-rank—what an impure thing."}}

Other sources contain similar statements. In the [[The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp|''Chuandenglu'']], for example, Linji says, "within your lump of red flesh there is a true man with no rank, constantly entering and exiting the openings of your face." When a monk asks who the true man is, Linji responds by saying, "The true man with no rank—what a dried lump of shit!"{{sfn|Welter|2008|p=88}}{{refn|group=note|Japanese commentators on the ''Linji lu'' associate the lump of red flesh, or the "red-meatball," with the first of the four types of mind in [[Guifeng Zongmi|Zongmi's]] ''Chan Prolegomenon;'' and the true man, or true person, with Zongmi's "real mind."<ref>The Record of Linji: A New Translation of the Linjilu in the Light of Ten Japanese Zen Commentaries, translated by Jeffrey L. Broughton with Elise Yoko Watanabe, pages 145-146, notes 31 & 32,  Oxford University Press 2013</ref> Regarding the four types of mind, Zongmi says: "The first is helituoye. This means the mind that is a lump of flesh. This is the mind in each of the five viscera in the body. [...] The second is the pondering-of-objective-supports mind. This is the eight consciousnesses [vijñāna], because all [eight] are capable of pondering as objective supports their own sense objects. [...] The third is zhiduoye [citta]. This means the mind that accumulates and produces, because only the eighth consciousness accumulates [karmic] seeds and produces the [seven] active [consciousnesses]. [...] The fourth is ganlituoye. This means real mind or true mind. This is the true mind."<ref>Jeffrey L. Broughton, Zongmi on Chan, page 117, Columbia University Press, 2009</ref>}}

===Faith===
Linji criticized relying on methods and practices in order to realize this true person. He said that to engage in religious practice was to generate [[Karma in Buddhism|karma]] keeping one bound to the realm of birth and death, while "the real person," "this person who is right now listening to the Dharma," is without any adornments or practices.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=43, 44}} Instead of reliance on practices to see our innate nature, Linji taught that we should simply have [[Faith in Buddhism|faith]] ({{zh|labels=no|p=xìn |c=信}}) in it: "Just have faith in this thing that is operating in you right now. Outside of it, nothing else exists."{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=41}}{{refn|group=note|Compare with [[Foyan Qingyuan|Foyan]]: "I always tell you that what is inherent in you is presently active and presently functioning, and need not be sought after, need not be put in order, need not be practiced or proven. All that is required is to trust it once and for all. This saves a lot of energy."<ref>Instant Zen: Waking Up in the Present, translated by Thomas Cleary, page 8, North Atlantic Books, 1994</ref>}}

According to Buswell, faith for Linji was not blind acceptance, but an inherent faculty emanating constantly from the enlightened nature, and was thus equivalent to the "innate functioning" of the mind-essence.<ref>Buswell Jr., Robert E. The "Short-cut" Approach of ''K'an-hua'' Meditation: The Evolution of a Practical Subitism, in ''Sudden and Gradual Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought'', page 342, edited by Peter Gregory, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1987, 1991.</ref> Buswell also notes the striking difference between Linji's teachings, in which faith plays a prominent role, and the teachings of the later [[Linji school]] master [[Dahui Zonggao|Dahui]], who valued doubt over faith.<ref>Buswell Jr., Robert E. The "Short-cut" Approach of ''K'an-hua'' Meditation: The Evolution of a Practical Subitism, in ''Sudden and Gradual Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought'', page 354, edited by Peter Gregory, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1987, 1991.</ref>{{refn|group=note| Linji speaks of doubt negatively. For example: "A moment when your mind is in doubt is delusion,"<ref>Three Chan Classics, page 21, Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1999</ref> and "If you have a moment of doubt, delusion enters your mind."<ref>Three Chan Classics, page 25, Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1999</ref> See also the famous ''[[Xinxin Ming]]'' (Faith-Mind Inscription): "Small views of foxy doubts / Are too hasty or too late / Attach to them, the measure will be lost / Certain to enter on a deviant path / Letting go of them, it goes naturally."<ref>Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume 8, Chan Poetry and Inscriptions, translated by Randolph S. Whitfield, page 86, Books on Demand, 2020</ref>}}

=== Nothing to do ===
In addition to faith, Linji also emphasized non-seeking and ''wú shì'' ({{lang|zh|無事}}), a term often translated as "nothing-to-do," but which also has the meaning of no affairs, no concerns, no matters, and no business.<ref>{{cite journal |first= Daisetz T. |last=Suzuki |title=Rinzai on Zen |page=15, note 7 |journal=Chicago Review |volume=12 |issue=2 |date=Summer 1958 |doi=10.2307/25293449}}</ref> He says:

{{blockquote|Followers of the Way, as I look at it, we're no different from [[The Buddha|Shakyamuni]]. In all our various activities each day, is there anything we lack? The wonderful light of the six faculties has never for a moment ceased to shine. If you could just look at it this way, then you'd be the kind of person who has nothing to do for the rest of his life.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=24}}}}

Accordingly, Linji taught that there was no need to make any special effort. Instead, we have simply to be ordinary: "Followers of the Way, as to buddhadharma, no effort is necessary. You have only to be ordinary, with nothing to do—defecating, urinating, wearing clothes, eating food, and lying down when tired."{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|pp=11}}As Jinhua Jia points out, this recognition of the fundamental value of the human being echoes the teachings of [[Mazu Daoyi]], for whom everyday ordinary activities were the function of buddha-nature.<ref>Jinhua Jia, The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- through Tenth-Century China, page 76, State University of New York Press, 2006</ref>

Linji also connects non-doing with [[Turning the light around|"turning one's light around"]] ({{zh|labels=no|p=fǎn zhào|c=返照}}), a term that occurs throughout various Chan texts, such as [[Guifeng Zongmi|Zongmi's]] ''Sub-commentary to the [[Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment]]'' (where it refers to recognizing one's [[original enlightenment]]).{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|pp=28, 174-175}} According to Linji, when we stop our seeking and turn our own light in upon ourselves, we will on that very instant have nothing to do.{{sfn|Sasaki|2009|p=28}}{{refn|group=note|Compare with the ''[[Xinxin Ming]]'':<br /><br />"In self-illumination, vast and clear,<br />The mind’s power exerts itself no more."<ref>Three Chan Classics, page 126, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1999</ref>}}

However, "turning one's light around" does not necessarily imply anything like staring at the mind or concentrating within. Linji quotes [[Shenhui|Shenhui's]] well-known criticism of such things as arresting the mind, staring at silence, summoning the mind to focus it on externals, controlling the mind to make it clear within, and concentrating the mind to enter into meditation.{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=43}} Moreover, Linji says that looking for something within is just as wrong as seeking externally, since there's nothing within that can be grasped: "Outside the mind there is no Dharma, and even inside the mind it can't be grasped. So what is there to seek for?"{{sfnp|Watson|1999|p=43}}{{refn|group=note|Compare with the following, attributed to Baozhi:<br /><br />"Inward looking, outward looking, all are bad"<ref>{{cite book |author=Shi Daoyuan {{lang|zh-Hant|釋道原}} |title=Records of the Transmission of the Lamp |title-link=Records of the Transmission of the Lamp |volume=8: Chan Poetry and Inscriptions |translator-first=Randolph S. |translator-last=Whitfield |date=2020 |orig-year=1004-1007|isbn=9783751939737 |publisher= Books on Demand GmbH |location=Germany |page=27}}</ref>}}

==Lineage==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border:1px solid black"
|-
|||'''Chinese characters and [[Wade-Giles]] Romanization'''
||'''Life dates'''
||'''Việt name'''<ref>See [[:vi:Thể loại:Thiền sư Trung Quốc|Thiền Sư Trung Quốc]] for a list of Chinese Zen Masters in Vietnamese.</ref>
||'''Japanese name and Romaji'''
||'''Korean Hangeul and [[Revised Romanization of Korean|South Korean Revised Romanization]]'''
|-
|28 / 1||{{lang|zh|達磨}} / [[Bodhidharma|Damo]]||?||{{lang|vi|達磨 / Đạtma}}||{{lang|ja|だるま}} / Daruma||{{lang|ko|달마}} / Dalma
|-
|29 / 2||{{lang|zh|慧可}} / [[Dazu Huike|Shenguang Huìke]]||487–593||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Huệ Khả|Huệ Khả]]}}||Eka||{{lang|ko|혜가}} / Hyega
|-
|30 / 3||{{lang|zh|僧璨}} / [[Sengcan|Jianzhi Sengcan]]||?–606||{{lang|vi|Tăng Xán}}||Sōsan||{{lang|ko|승찬}} / Seungchan
|-
|31 / 4||{{lang|zh|道信}} / [[Dayi Daoxin|Dongshan Daoxin]]||580–651||{{lang|vi|Đạo Tín}}||Dōshin||{{lang|ko|도신}} / Doshim
|-
|32 / 5||{{lang|zh|弘忍}} / [[Daman Hongren|Huangmei Hongren]]||601/2–674/5||{{lang|vi|Hoằng Nhẫn}}||Kōnin||{{lang|ko|홍인}} / Hongihn
|-
|33 / 6||{{lang|zh|慧能}} / [[Huineng|Caoxi Huineng]]||638–713||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Huệ Năng|Huệ Năng]]}}||Enō||{{lang|ko|혜능}} / Hyeneung
|-
|34 / 7||{{lang|zh|南嶽懷讓}} / [[Nanyue Huairang]]||677–744||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Nam Nhạc Hoài Nhượng|Nam Nhạc Hoài Nhượng]]}}||Nangaku Ejō||{{lang|ko|남악회양}} / Namak Hweyang
|-
|35 / 8||{{lang|zh|馬祖道一}} / [[Mazu Daoyi]]||709–788||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Mã Tổ Đạo Nhất|Mã Tổ Đạo Nhất]]}}||Baso Dōitsu ||{{lang|ko|마조도일}} / Majo Toil
|-
|36 / 9||{{lang|zh|百丈懷海}} / [[Baizhang Huaihai]]||720?/749?–814||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Bách Trượng Hoài Hải|Bách Trượng]] Hoài Hải}}||Hyakujō Ekai||{{lang|ko|백장회해}} / Paekchang Hwehae
|-
|37 / 10||{{lang|zh|黃蘗希運}} / [[Huangbo Xiyun]]||?–850||{{lang|vi|Hoàng Bá Hy Vận}}||Ōbaku Kiun||{{lang|ko|황벽희운}} / Hwangbyeok Heuiun
|-
|38 / 11||{{lang|zh|臨濟義玄}} / Linji Yixuan||?–866/7||{{lang|vi|[[:vi:Lâm Tế Nghĩa Huyền|Lâm Tế]] Nghĩa Huyền}}||Rinzai Gigen||{{lang|ko|임제의현}} / Imje Euihyeon
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Buddhism in China]]
* [[Dharma Drum Retreat Center]] – Chán Buddhism retreat center
* [[List of Rinzai Buddhists]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
<!-- B -->
* {{Citation |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Broughton|first2=Elise Yoko |last2=Watanabe |year=2013 |title=The Record of Linji: A New Translation of the Linjilu in the Light of Ten Japanese Zen Commentaries|place=New York |publisher=Oxford Academic |isbn=978-0199936434}}
* {{Citation | last =McRae | first =John | year =2003 | title =Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism | publisher =The University Press Group Ltd | isbn =978-0-520-23798-8}}
<!-- S -->
* {{Citation |first=Ruth Fuller |last=Sasaki|editor-first=Thomas Yuho |editor-last=Kirchner |year=2009 |title=The Record of Linji|place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0824833190}}
<!-- W -->
* {{cite book | last =Watson | first =Burton | year =1999 | title =The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi | publisher =Columbia University Press}}
* {{Citation | last =Welter | first =Albert | year =n.d. | title =The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments | url =http://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/HistoricalZen/welter_Linji.html}}
* {{Citation |last=Welter |first=Albert |year=2008 |title=The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy: The Development of Chan's Records of Sayings Literature |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195329575}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation |last=Lowenstein |first=Tom |title=The Vision of the Buddha: Buddhism: The Path to Spiritual Enlightenment |date=2002 |publisher=Duncan Baird |isbn=1-903296-91-9 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=McMahan |first=David L. |year=2008 |title=The Making of Buddhist Modernism |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518327-6 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Schloegl |first=Irmgard |title=The Zen Teaching of Rinzai |publisher=Shambhala Publications |place=Berkeley |year=1976 |isbn=0-87773-087-3 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Schlütter |first=Morten |year=2008 |title=How Zen became Zen: The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China |place=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |isbn=978-0-8248-3508-8 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Watson |first=Burton |year=1999 |title=The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi: A Translation of the Lin-chi lu |place=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=0-231-11485-0 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |last=Welter |first=Albert |year=2006 |title=Monks, Rulers, and Literati: The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism |publisher=Wisdom Books |ref=none}}{{missing ISBN}}
* {{Citation |url=http://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/HistoricalZen/welter_Linji.html |first=Albert |last=Welter |title=The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments |date=n.d. |website=thezensite |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |first=Linji |last=Yixuan |title=The Zen Teaching of Rinzai: The Record of Rinzai |translator=Irmgard Schloegel |place=Berkeley |publisher=Shambhala |year=1976 |series=The Clear Light Series |isbn=978-0394731766 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090508050510/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T47/1985_001.htm Taisho Tripitaka Vol. 47, No. 1985] The Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association online Chinese character text of ''The Record of Linji'' (臨濟録 ''Linji Lu'')
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080515105708/http://www.foucault.info/$/parrhesia/linji/ Japanese translation of Linji]

{{S-start}}
{{s-rel|bu}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Linji school|Linji]] [[Chan Buddhism|Chan]]/[[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] patriarch
| before = [[Huangbo Xiyun]]
| after = [[Xinghua Cunjiang]]
| years = 
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Zen}}
{{Buddhism topics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yixuan, Linji}}
[[Category:9th-century Chinese philosophers]]
[[Category:866 deaths]]
[[Category:Chinese scholars of Buddhism]]
[[Category:Tang dynasty Buddhists]]
[[Category:Chan Buddhist monks]]
[[Category:Tang dynasty philosophers]]
[[Category:Rinzai Buddhists]]
[[Category:Spiritual teachers]]
[[Category:Chinese Zen Buddhists]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Philosophers from Shandong]]
[[Category:People from Dongming County]]