Founder of the Linji school. Asked Huangbo three times about the essence of Buddhism and was beaten each time; enlightened after visiting Gaoan Dayu. Known for radical pedagogy: shouts (喝), blows, and paradoxical statements. Developed 'four shouts' and 'four positions of host and guest' frameworks. His recorded sayings (臨濟錄) compiled by Sansheng Huiran are foundational to the koan tradition.
References: Linji school | Wikipedia | 中文维基 | Terebess (Linji Lu) | Encyclopedia of Buddhism | Baidu | CBETA (語錄 T1985) | BDK (Three Chan Classics) | 臨濟語錄 (Sibu Congkan)
View interactive profile →