Zen lineage chart: Chinese and Japanese Zen ancestors

I researched and found the different lineage charts for some of the most noteworthy Zen lineages to have taken root in America. These follow below. See my previous post on Indian Zen ancestors for the first 35 names on the list.


...
35. Bodaidaruma (Bodhidharma, d. 532)
36. Taiso Eka (Dazu Huike / Ta-tsu Hui-k’o, 487-593)
37. Kanchi Sosan (Jianzhi Sengcan / Chien-chih Seng-ts’an, d. 606)
38. Daii Doshin (Dayi Daoxin / Ta-i Tao-hsin, 580-651)
39. Daiman Konin (Daman Hongren / Ta-man Hung-jen, 601-74)
40. Daikan Eno (Dajian Huineng / Ta-chien Hui-neng, 638-713)


GUDO NISHIJIMA (SOTO)

…41. Seigen Gyoshi (Qingyuan Xingsi / Ch’ing-yuan Hsing-ssu, 660-740)
42. Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiquian / Shih-t’ou Hsi-ch’ien, 700-90)
43. Yakusan Igen (Yaoshan Weiyan / Yao-shan Wei-yen, 751-834)
44. Ungan Donjo (Yunyan Tansheng / Yun-yen T’an-sheng, 780-841)
45. Tozan Ryokai (Dongshan Liangjie / Tung-shan Liang-chieh, 807-69)
46. Ungo Doyo (Yunju Daoying / Yun-chu Tao-ying, d. 902)
47. Doan Dohi (Tongan Daopi / T’ung-an Tao-p’i, ???)
48. Doan Kanshi (Tongan Guanzhi / T’ung-an Kuan-chih, ???)
49. Ryozan Enkan (Liangshan Yuanguan / Liang-shan Yuan-kuan, ???)
50. Taiyo Kyogen (Dayang Qingxuan / Ta-yang Ching-hsuan, d. 1027)
51. Toshi Gisei (Touzi Yiqing / T’ou-tzu I’ch’ing, 1032-83)
52. Fuyo Dokai (Furong Daokai / Fu-jung Tao-k’ai, 1043-1118)
53. Tanka Shijun (Danxia Zichun / Tan-hsia Tzu-ch’un, d. 1119)
54. Choro Seiryo (Zhenxie Qingliao / Chen-hsieh Ch’ing-liao, 1089-1151)
55. Tendo Sokaku (Tiantong Zongjue / T’ien-t’ung Tsung-chueh, ???)
56. Setcho Chikan (Xuedou Zhijian / Hsueh-tou Chih-chien, 1105-92)
57. Tendo Nyojo (Tiantong Rujing / T’ien-t’ung Ju-ching, 1163-1228)
58. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
59. Koun Ejo (1198-1280)
60. Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309)
61. Keizan Jokin (1264-1325)
62. Gasan Joseki (1276-1366)
63. Taigen Soshin (d. 1371)
64. Baizan Monpon (d. 1417)
65. Nyochu Tengin (Jochu Tengin, 1363-1437)
66. Sekiso Enchu (d. 1455)
67. Taigan Sobai (d. 1502)
68. Kenso Joshun (d. 1507)
69. Jizan Yokun (Jisan Eikun, ???)
70. Daichu Reijo (???)
71. Nan-o Ryokun (???)
72. Daiju Ryuzon (???)
73. Hogan Zensatsu (???)
74. Ryozan Chozen (???)
75. Kisshu Gensho (???)
76. Kigai Mon-o (???)
77. Kanshu Taisatsu (Tenso Juntetsu, ???)
78. Kenkoku Keisatsu (???)
79. Raiten Gensatsu (???)
80. Kengan Zesatsu (???)
81. Hokoku Satsuyu (???)
82. Rotei Shoshuku (???)
83. Fuho Tatsuden (???)
84. Kazan Jakuchu (???)
85. Bunzan Korin (???)
86. Daichu Bunki (Daichu Getsuzan, ???)
87. Choko Bungei (???)
88. Roso Ezen (Roshu Ezen, ???)
89. Ryosai Emon (Reisai Emon, ???)
90. Tokuzui Tenrin (???)
91. Shogaku Rinzui (???)
92. Butsuzan Zuimyo (Masuda, ???)
93. Bukan Myokoku (Niwa, ???)
94. Butsu-an Emyo (Niwa, ???)
95. Zuigaku Rempo (Niwa, 1905-1993)
96. Gudo Wafu (Nishijima, 1919-)

TAIZAN MAEZUMI (SOTO)

…41. Seigen Gyoshi (Qingyuan Xingsi / Ch’ing-yuan Hsing-ssu, 660-740)
42. Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiquian / Shih-t’ou Hsi-ch’ien, 700-90)
43. Yakusan Igen (Yaoshan Weiyan / Yao-shan Wei-yen, 751-834)
44. Ungan Donjo (Yunyan Tansheng / Yun-yen T’an-sheng, 780-841)
45. Tozan Ryokai (Dongshan Liangjie / Tung-shan Liang-chieh, 807-69)
46. Ungo Doyo (Yunju Daoying / Yun-chu Tao-ying, d. 902)
47. Doan Dohi (Tongan Daopi / T’ung-an Tao-p’i, ???)
48. Doan Kanshi (Tongan Guanzhi / T’ung-an Kuan-chih, ???)
49. Ryozan Enkan (Liangshan Yuanguan / Liang-shan Yuan-kuan, ???)
50. Taiyo Kyogen (Dayang Qingxuan / Ta-yang Ching-hsuan, d. 1027)
51. Toshi Gisei (Touzi Yiqing / T’ou-tzu I’ch’ing, 1032-83)
52. Fuyo Dokai (Furong Daokai / Fu-jung Tao-k’ai, 1043-1118)
53. Tanka Shijun (Danxia Zichun / Tan-hsia Tzu-ch’un, d. 1119)
54. Choro Seiryo (Zhenxie Qingliao / Chen-hsieh Ch’ing-liao, 1089-1151)
55. Tendo Sokaku (Tiantong Zongjue / T’ien-t’ung Tsung-chueh, ???)
56. Setcho Chikan (Xuedou Zhijian / Hsueh-tou Chih-chien, 1105-92)
57. Tendo Nyojo (Tiantong Rujing / T’ien-t’ung Ju-ching, 1163-1228)
58. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
59. Koun Ejo (1198-1280)
60. Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309)
61. Keizan Jokin (1264-1325)
62. Gasan Joseki (1276-1366)
63. Taigen Soshin (d. 1371)
64. Baizan Monpon (d. 1417)
65. Nyochu Tengin
66. Kisan Shosan
67. Morin Shihan
68. Taishi Sotai
69. Kenchu Hantetsu
70. Daiju Soko
71. Kinpo Jusen
72. Tetsuei Seiton
73. Shukoku Choton
74. Ketsuzan Tetsuei
75. Hoshi Soon
76. Goho Kainon
77. Tenkei Denson (1648-1735)
78. Zozan Monko
79. Niken Sekiryo
80. Reitan Roryu
81. Kakujo Tosai
82. Kakuan Ryogu
83. Ryoka Daibai
84. Ungan Guhaku
85. Baian Hakujun (1898-1978)
86. Hakuyu Taizan (Maezumi, 1931-1995)

SHUNRYU SUZUKI (SOTO)

…41. Seigen Gyoshi (Qingyuan Xingsi / Ch’ing-yuan Hsing-ssu, 660-740)
42. Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiquian / Shih-t’ou Hsi-ch’ien, 700-90)
43. Yakusan Igen (Yaoshan Weiyan / Yao-shan Wei-yen, 751-834)
44. Ungan Donjo (Yunyan Tansheng / Yun-yen T’an-sheng, 780-841)
45. Tozan Ryokai (Dongshan Liangjie / Tung-shan Liang-chieh, 807-69)
46. Ungo Doyo (Yunju Daoying / Yun-chu Tao-ying, d. 902)
47. Doan Dohi (Tongan Daopi / T’ung-an Tao-p’i, ???)
48. Doan Kanshi (Tongan Guanzhi / T’ung-an Kuan-chih, ???)
49. Ryozan Enkan (Liangshan Yuanguan / Liang-shan Yuan-kuan, ???)
50. Taiyo Kyogen (Dayang Qingxuan / Ta-yang Ching-hsuan, d. 1027)
51. Toshi Gisei (Touzi Yiqing / T’ou-tzu I’ch’ing, 1032-83)
52. Fuyo Dokai (Furong Daokai / Fu-jung Tao-k’ai, 1043-1118)
53. Tanka Shijun (Danxia Zichun / Tan-hsia Tzu-ch’un, d. 1119)
54. Choro Seiryo (Zhenxie Qingliao / Chen-hsieh Ch’ing-liao, 1089-1151)
55. Tendo Sokaku (Tiantong Zongjue / T’ien-t’ung Tsung-chueh, ???)
56. Setcho Chikan (Xuedou Zhijian / Hsueh-tou Chih-chien, 1105-92)
57. Tendo Nyojo (Tiantong Rujing / T’ien-t’ung Ju-ching, 1163-1228)
58. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
59. Koun Ejo (1198-1280)
60. Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309)
61. Keizan Jokin (1264-1325)
62. Gasan Joseki (1276-1366)
63. Taigen Soshin (d. 1371)
64. Baizan Monpon (d. 1417)
65. Shingan Doku
66. Senso Esai (d. 1475)
67. Iyoku Choyu
68. Mugai Keigon
69. Nenshitsu Yokaku
70. Sesso Hoseki
71. Taiei Zesho
72. Nampo Gentaku
73. Zoden Yoko
74. Ten’yu Soen
75. Ken’an Junsa
76. Chokoku Koen
77. Senshu Donko
78. Fuden Gentotsu
79. Daishun Kan’yu
80. Tenrin Kanshu
81. Sessan Tetsuzen
82. Fuzan Shunki
83. Jissan Mokuin
84. Sengan Bonryo
85. Daiki Kyokan
86. Eno Gikan
87. Shoun Hozui
88. Shizan Tokuchu
89. Nanso Shinshu
90. Kankai Tokuan
91. Kosen Baido
92. Gyakushitsu Sojun (187?– 1891)
93. Butsumon Sogaku (1858-1933)
94. Gyokujun So-on (1877-1934)
95. Shogaku Shunryu (Suzuki, 1904-1971)

DAININ KATAGIRI (SOTO)

…41. Seigen Gyoshi (Qingyuan Xingsi / Ch’ing-yuan Hsing-ssu, 660-740)
42. Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiquian / Shih-t’ou Hsi-ch’ien, 700-90)
43. Yakusan Igen (Yaoshan Weiyan / Yao-shan Wei-yen, 751-834)
44. Ungan Donjo (Yunyan Tansheng / Yun-yen T’an-sheng, 780-841)
45. Tozan Ryokai (Dongshan Liangjie / Tung-shan Liang-chieh, 807-69)
46. Ungo Doyo (Yunju Daoying / Yun-chu Tao-ying, d. 902)
47. Doan Dohi (Tongan Daopi / T’ung-an Tao-p’i, ???)
48. Doan Kanshi (Tongan Guanzhi / T’ung-an Kuan-chih, ???)
49. Ryozan Enkan (Liangshan Yuanguan / Liang-shan Yuan-kuan, ???)
50. Taiyo Kyogen (Dayang Qingxuan / Ta-yang Ching-hsuan, d. 1027)
51. Toshi Gisei (Touzi Yiqing / T’ou-tzu I’ch’ing, 1032-83)
52. Fuyo Dokai (Furong Daokai / Fu-jung Tao-k’ai, 1043-1118)
53. Tanka Shijun (Danxia Zichun / Tan-hsia Tzu-ch’un, d. 1119)
54. Choro Seiryo (Zhenxie Qingliao / Chen-hsieh Ch’ing-liao, 1089-1151)
55. Tendo Sokaku (Tiantong Zongjue / T’ien-t’ung Tsung-chueh, ???)
56. Setcho Chikan (Xuedou Zhijian / Hsueh-tou Chih-chien, 1105-92)
57. Tendo Nyojo (Tiantong Rujing / T’ien-t’ung Ju-ching, 1163-1228)
58. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
59. Koun Ejo (1198-1280)
60. Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309)
61. Keizan Jokin (1264-1325)
62. Meiho Sotetsu (1277-1350)
63. Shugan Dochin
64. Tessan Shikaku
65. Keigan Eisho
66. Chuzan Ryoun
67. Gizan Tonin
68. Jogaku Kenryu
69. Kinen Horyu
70. Daishitsu Chisen
71. Kokei Shojun
72. Sesso Yuho
73. Kaiten Genju
74. Suzan Shunsho
75. Chozan Ginetsu
76. Fukujo Kochi
77. Myodo Yuton
78. Hakuho Genteki
79. Ges-shu Soko
80. Tokuo Ryoko
81. Mokushi Soen
82. Gangoku Kankei
83. Gento Sokuchu
84. Kyozan Baizen
85. Sozan Chimon
86. Yozan Genki
87. Kaigai Daicho (Daicho Hayashi)
88. Jikai Dainin (Katagiri, 1928-1990)

JOSHU SASAKI (RINZAI)

...41. Nangaku Ejo (Nanyu Huairang / Nan-yueh Huai-jang, 677-744)
42. Baso Doitsu (Ma-Tzu Tao-I / Mazu Daoyi, 709-788)
43. Hyakujo Ekai (Pai-chang Huai-hai / Baizang Huaihai, 720-814)
44. Obaku Kiun (Huang-po His-yun / Huangbo Xiyun, d. 850)
45. Rinzai Gigen (Lin-chi I’hsuan / Linji Yixuan, d. 866)
46. Koke Sonsho (Hsing-hua Ts’un-chiang / Xinghua Cunjiang, 830-888)
47. Nan’in Egyo (Nan-yuan Hui-yung / Nanyuan Huiyong, d. 930)
48. Fuketsu Ensho (Feng-hsueh Yen-chao / Fengxue Yanzhao, 896-973)
49. Shuzan Shonen (Shou-shan Hsing-nien / Shoushan Xingnian, 925-992)
50. Fun’yo Zensho (Fen-yang Shan-chao / Fenyang Shanzhao, 947-1024)
51. Sekiso Soen (Shih-shuang Ch’u-yuan / Shishuang Chuyuan, 986-1039)
52. Yogi Hoe (Yang-ch’i Fang-hui / Yangqi Fanghui, 992-1049)
53. Hakuun Shutan (Pai-yun Shou-tuan / Baiyun Shouduan, 1025-1072)
54. Goso Hoen (Wu-tsu Fa-yen / Suzu Fayan, 1024-1104)
55. Engo Kokugon (Yuan-wu K’e-ch’in / Yuanwu Keqin, 1063-1135)
56. Kukyu (Hu-ch’iu, 1077-1163)
57. Oan (Ying-an, 1103-1163)
58. Mittan (Mi-an, 1118-1186)
59. Shogen Sogaku (Sung-yuan, 1139-1209)
60. Un’an Fugan (Yun-an P’uyen, 1156-1226)
61. Kido Chigu (Hsu-t’sang Chih-yu, 1189-1269)
62. Daio Kokushi (Shomyo, 1235-1309)
63. Daito Kokushi (Myocho Shuho)
64. Kanzan Egen (Muso Daishi, 1277-1360)
65. Juo Sohitsu (1296-1390)
66. Muin Soin (1326-1410)
67. Tozen Soshin (Sekko Soshin, 1408-1486)
68. Toyo Eicho (1429-1504)
69. Youzan Keiyou (???)
70. Gudou Tosyoku (Gudo Kokushi, 1577-1661)
71. Shidou Bunan (1602-1676)
72. Shoju Rojin (Dokyu Etan, 1642-1721)
73. Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769)
74. Gassan Jitou (1727-1797)
75. Inzan Ien (Shoto Ensho, 1751-1814)
76. Taigen Gisan (Taigen Shigen, 1768-1837)
77. Shoen Daisetsu (Daisetsu Jo’en, 1797-1855)
78. Dokun Joshu (Ogino Dokuen, 1819-1895)
79. Banryo Zenso (1848-1935)
80. Joten Soko (1871-1958)
81. Joshu Sasaki (1907-)

SEUNG SAHN (SON)

…41. Nangaku Ejo (Nanyu Huairang / Nan-yueh Huai-jang, 677-744)
42. Baso Doitsu (Ma-Tzu Tao-I / Mazu Daoyi, 709-788)
43. Hyakujo Ekai (Pai-chang Huai-hai / Baizang Huaihai, 720-814)
44. Obaku Kiun (Huang-po His-yun / Huangbo Xiyun, d. 850)
45. Rinzai Gigen (Lin-chi I’hsuan / Linji Yixuan, d. 866)
46. Koke Sonsho (Hsing-hua Ts’un-chiang / Xinghua Cunjiang, 830-888)
47. Nan’in Egyo (Nan-yuan Hui-yung / Nanyuan Huiyong, d. 930)
48. Fuketsu Ensho (Feng-hsueh Yen-chao / Fengxue Yanzhao, 896-973)
49. Shuzan Shonen (Shou-shan Hsing-nien / Shoushan Xingnian, 925-992)
50. Fun’yo Zensho (Fen-yang Shan-chao / Fenyang Shanzhao, 947-1024)
51. Sekiso Soen (Shih-shuang Ch’u-yuan / Shishuang Chuyuan, 986-1039)
52. Yogi Hoe (Yang-ch’i Fang-hui / Yangqi Fanghui, 992-1049)
53. Hakuun Shutan (Pai-yun Shou-tuan / Baiyun Shouduan, 1025-1072)
54. Goso Hoen (Wu-tsu Fa-yen / Suzu Fayan, 1024-1104)
55. Engo Kokugon (Yuan-wu K’e-ch’in / Yuanwu Keqin, 1063-1135)
56. Kukyu (Hsu-ch’iu Shao-lung, 1077-1163)
57. Oan (Ying-an T’an-hua, 1103-1163)
58. Mittan (Mi-an Hsi-chieh, 1118-1186)
59. Hoan Sozen (P’o-an Tsu-hsien)
60. Wu-chuan Shih-fan
61. Hsueh-yen Hui-lang
62. Chi’an Tsung-hsin
63. Shih-shih Ch’ing-kung
64. Tae-Ko Bo-Wu
65. Whan-Am Hon-Su
66. Ku-Gok Gak-Un
67. Byeok-Ke Joung-Shim
68. Byeok-Song Ji-Eom
69. Bu-Yong Teong-Kwan
70. Cheong-heo Hyu-Jeong
71. Pyeon-Yang Eong-Ki
72. Pung-Joung Heon-Shim
73. Weol-Dam Seol-Je
74. Hwan-Seong Ji-An
75. Ho-Am Che-Jeong
76. Cheong-Bong Keo-An
77. Yul-Bong Cheong-Kwa
78. Keum-Heo Beop-Cheom
79. Young-Am He-Eon
80. Yeong-weol Bong-Yul
81. Man-Hwa Bo Seon
82. Kyong Ho Seong-Wu (1849-1912)
83. Man Gong Weol-Myeon (1872-1946)
84. Ko-Bong Gyeong-Uk (1890-1962)
85. Seung Sahn Haeng-Won (1927-2004)

I didn't Google (my primary research tool :lol: ) every name on the list without a date, but I did the majority of them. It is striking how well documented the Chinese Chan period is, and the significant gap of information for all Soto lineages I researched from about 1300/1400 to about 1900. In comparison, I could find, at the very least, birth and death dates for nearly every teacher in Joshu Sasaki's lineage (Rinzai). Why is that? Are there no significant Soto teachers from that five hundred year window of time? I am very curious about what transpired in the lineage for the school where I seem to have found my spiritual home (Soto).

At some point I'd like to compile a list of references to surviving texts written (or spoken) by teachers throughout the lineage. Strange to think there would be such a gap in the literature for five hundred years of Soto Zen transmission!

Cool, thanks for the info. Same question for the Korean line.
/Rich

Hi Stephanie,

This subject came up as we started the current readings for the book club on Master Keizan's "Denkoroku".

The historical evidence is now clear: Much of the Lineage from Gautama Buddha up through and including the 6th Patriarch in China (Hui Neng) is almost entirely a fiction and paste job. Several of the links in the chain are wholly fictional, some were personages who had no particular connection to Zen, some lived centuries later or never would have met the person claimed as their teacher. Others were real persons (such as Bodhidharma), but the stories about them have been embellished beyond recognition.

Even the great legendary masters of China of the Tang Dynasty, most well known for the various Koan stories associated with them, probably were nothing like the persons depicted in those Koan stories, which were written decades or centuries after they lived.

There are several good books by scholars on the subject. I can recommend very highly ...

Seeing Through Zen by John McRae ...

http://www.thezensite.com/ZenBookReview ... gh_zen.htm

Another book that is must reading for anyone interested in the early history of these things, and also on the origins of the whole "silent illumination vs. Koan introspection Zazen" Hoo Hah ... .

http://www.amazon.com/How-Zen-Became-En ... 0824832558

Another excellent book, but a bit drier ...

Fathering Your Father: The Zen of Fabrication in Tang Buddhism

http://www.amazon.com/Fathering-Your-Fa ... 061&sr=1-1

Here is a good article on Bodhidharma as a semi-fictional character ...

http://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/Phi ... adigm.html

NOW, WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? Well, the consensus, I believe, among most Zen teachers and students who have looked at the topic is ... even if the lineage is not literal, it is the something beyond words that matters. It is our practice here and now that is most vital. It stands for something beyond time, so it is not so important that these people really existed or not. It is rather like Moses may have not been a historical personage ... but, still, in our hearts we can feel "Let My People Go!".

Now, as to later history in Japan, the best books are still ...

Soto Zen in Medieval Japan by Prof, Bodiford

http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Japan-St ... ap_title_0

and for the later period, up until the 18th and 19th century ...

The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Soto Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... _76&fsc=-1

So you asked ...

Quote:

---

Are there no significant Soto teachers from that five hundred year window of time? I am very curious about what transpired in the lineage for the school where I seem to have found my spiritual home (Soto).

---

Oh, there were some wonderful teachers (Menzan basically formulated a lot of what we now take to be Soto tradition, and is controversial for that reason. Some people do not want to admit that he made a lot of our traditions that are now claimed to be older. For example, "Kinhin" was likely mostly his invention, and not something that really existed in its current form before him).

http://books.google.com/books?id=mUKopu ... in&f=false

Tosui and Ryokan are two folks who stand out in the centuries after Dogen and Keizan ...

http://www.amazon.com/Letting-Go-Master ... _lmf_tit_8

http://www.amazon.com/One-Robe-Bowl-Poe ... _lmf_tit_9

There were some other great teachers, although not necessarily translated into English. And there were a whole bunch of folks, the great majority really, who were more just temple priests catering to their flocks ... and not particularly known for anything they said or wrote.

As far as the Lineage here at Treeleaf, through Nishijima Roshi, you can see our whole lineage here.

http://www.treeleaf.org/articles/Treele ... neage.html

My Dharma Brother, Éric Rommeluère, who teaches in Paris, has been trying to research the whole line (with old temple records and ancient diaries and such) and is writing a small book on it ... but I have not seen the results of his research yet. However, most of the figures in the middle are but names ... just like my own great grandfathers and earlier are just names to me, if even that. We had a thread on the subject awhile back ...

viewtopic.php?p=33097#p33097

Gassho, Jundo

Thanks... I missed some of the discussion as I jumped into the Transmission of the Light readings a few sections in. A couple of the books you mentioned look interesting.

What's interesting to me is not so much whether the teachings were transmitted one-to-one in an unbroken lineage--that's pretty easily filed under "myth"--but that this somewhat fabricated lineage chart we have is based more on history than I would have ever assumed. The fact that any of these people on the list were historical people at all is pretty interesting to me. And there's enough in the Indian ancestors section that one can see the skeleton of the "true lineage"--of the passing on of the teachings from generation to generation. Not in the mythic way described... but Ananda and Mahakasyapa were instrumental in passing on the Dharma, as were the teachers in Kanishka's court, and of course Nagarjuna, whose Mulamadhyamakakarika we're still studying today.

It would be interesting IMO to construct a fuller "lineage chart"... one that threw aside the idea of one-to-one transmission throughout the entire history of Buddhism, but actually looked at the people, teachers, and schools in each generation who carried on the teaching. I think the lineage chart gives a bit of a hint of that.

But this is all relevant to the Indian ancestors, easily the part of the lineage chart that is the most constructed. I'll have to do the research, but it seems the majority of the Chinese Chan teachers were historical people whose historical information was at least somewhat well recorded. I would be surprised if this effort to record biographical information about teachers in the lineage just stopped after 1350 and didn't resume until a couple of teaching generations ago. There's at least got to be some musty old documents in temple files somewhere... I am interested in seeing what Eric comes up with.

What's interesting about all of this to me is that the fiction, myth, and fanciful aspects of the lineage all seem to come out of the need to create a story of "patriarchal transmission," which certainly seems to have been a value rooted in culture. I think there is merit to this way of preserving the teachings but I also think there are problems. It places singular attention on one individual instead of a school or community. It creates and maintains all of these scandals we witness that naturally come out of so much power being concentrated in a single person.

I've read some interesting articles and arguments that women prefer learning and working in a non-hierarchical structure, whereas men prefer hierarchy. This screams from the history of Zen transmission and I've found it to be true in my own life. I learn better in groups or even from individuals I regard as peers and friends than from authority figures. When I think about how my practice has developed, I remember interactions with my fellow sangha members more significantly than even dokusan. And I like dokusan... but the reality has been for me that my learning (or un-learning, as it is in Zen) process happens better through ongoing dialogue and interaction, rather than submitting to one singular authority figure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stephanie

What's interesting about all of this to me is that the fiction, myth, and fanciful aspects of the lineage all seem to come out of the need to create a story of "patriarchal transmission," which certainly seems to have been a value rooted in culture. I think there is merit to this way of preserving the teachings but I also think there are problems. It places singular attention on one individual instead of a school or community. It creates and maintains all of these scandals we witness that naturally come out of so much power being concentrated in a single person.

I've read some interesting articles and arguments that women prefer learning and working in a non-hierarchical structure, whereas men prefer hierarchy.

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A little off topic and early to discuss it ... but once we get through the "boys club" that is the Lineage as presented by Keizan (that will take awhile!!), I am leaning to our next book club selection being ...

Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters
This landmark presentation at last makes heard the centuries of the voices of Zen’s women. Through exploring the teachings and history of Zen’s female ancestors, from the time of the Buddha to ancient and modern female masters in China, Korea, and Japan, Grace Schireson offers us a view of a more balanced Dharma practice, one that is especially applicable to our complex lives, embedded as they are in webs of family relations and responsibilities, and the challenges of love and work.

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Women-Beyond- ... 086171475X

But don't you worry your pretty little head about that now. Taigu and I are men, so we will decide on the book. 8)

Gassho, J

I actually had problems with that book, to the point I had to just stop reading it. In my opinion, the author has a clear agenda and I disliked her constant dismissing of the stories of female teachers in the lineage as being too masculinized. I thought it belittled and did a disservice to what few women teachers in Zen history that we have stories about. As a woman who enjoys being female yet who is drawn to things or acting in ways that our culture stereotypes as male or masculine, I don't think that I am somehow not an authentic female because of it. I respect and admire the stories of the tough Zen women and "iron maidens" that have gotten passed down through the generations. While some of the author's research was compelling, it was lost in the constant criticism of these stories as not truly representing women. I, for one, relate to these stories! But by the author's account I don't really count as a real woman so that doesn't matter.

So I consider "Zen Women" to be more of a feminist polemic... more fit for a Women's Studies class about theories of gender constructions in narrative histories... than any sort of record or reverential account of our female Zen ancestors. I sort of like to imagine one of these "iron maidens" whacking Grace Schireson over the head with a kyosaku.

I far prefer the book Women of the Way as a record of women's stories in the lineage. It includes early Indian Buddhist women ancestors but also includes many Chan and Zen female ancestors... without the annoying critical interpolations that bog down "Zen Women."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stephanie

I far prefer the book Women of the Way as a record of women's stories in the lineage. It includes early Indian Buddhist women ancestors but also includes many Chan and Zen female ancestors... without the annoying critical interpolations that bog down "Zen Women."

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I have that book! I found it by accident at a used book store. :D I am not sure why it didn't get the coverage the other book did.