The Fayan school, or Fayan House () was one of the
Five Houses of Chán, the major schools of
Chan Buddhism
Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song ...
during the later
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
.
History
Origins
The Fayan school was named after Chinese Zen Master
Qingliang Wenyi (885–958).
Via
Xuefeng Yicun the Fayang school and Yunmen school are traced back to
Shitou Xiqian and
Huineng. Xuefeng was one of the most influential Chán-teachers at the end of the Tang dynasty, when "a widely influential zen center formed around
Xuefeng Yicun". The loss of control by the Tang dynasty, and the accompanying loss of support for Buddhist institutions, lead to a regionally based Chan of Xuefeng and his students.
The ''
Zutang ji'' (祖堂集 "Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall"), compiled in 952, the first document which mentions
Linji Yixuan
Japanese painting of Linji
Linji Yixuan (; ''Rinzai Gigen''; died 866 CE) was a Tang dynasty (618-907) Chinese monk and teacher of the Hongzhou school of Chinese Chan (Zen). Linji was the leading figure of Chan Buddhism in the Tang, and the '' ...
, was written to support the Xuefeng Yicun lineage. It pictures this lineage as heir to the legacy of Mazu and the Hongzhou-school, though Xuefeng Yicun's lineage is traced back to
Shitou Xiqian (700–790). It was written by two students of Zhaoqing Wendeng (884–972), a dharma descendant of
Xuefeng Yicun.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960/979)
During the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period the Fayan school became the dominant school in
Southern Tang (
Jiangxi
; Gan: )
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) and
Wuyue
Wuyue (; ) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China and one of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period#Ten Kingdoms, Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of History of China, Chinese history. It wa ...
. It propagated ''jiaochan yizhi'', "harmony between Chan and the Teaching", in opposition to ''jiaowai biechuan'', "a special transmission outside the teaching", the latter eventually becoming one of the defining slogans of Chan.
Absorption into the Linji school
Over the course of Song dynasty (960–1279), the Fayan school, along with the
Guiyang
Guiyang; Mandarin pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively as Kweiyang is the capital of Guizhou, Guizhou province in China. It is centrally located within the province, on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, eastern part of the Yun ...
and
Yunmen schools were gradually absorbed into the
Linji school
The Línjì school () is a school of Chan Buddhism named after Linji Yixuan (d. 866). It took prominence in Song dynasty, Song China (960–1279), spread to Japan as the Rinzai school and influenced the nine mountain schools of Korean Seon.
Hi ...
.
References
Sources
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Chan schools
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