Yunmen Wenyan

Yunmen Wenyan (864–949) was a Chinese Chan Buddhist master whose teachings became the basis of the Yunmen school, one of the Five Houses of Chan.

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Xuefeng Yicun: A Chinese Chan master whose lineage produced several influential schools of Chan. Yunmen studied under Xuefeng and became one of his prominent Dharma heirs.
Chan Buddhism: A Chinese Buddhist tradition emphasizing meditation, direct insight, and teacher-student transmission. Yunmen’s teaching and school belong to this Chinese Buddhist tradition.
Yunmen Guan: A collection of sayings and encounters attributed to Yunmen Wenyan. It gathers the brief exchanges through which his teaching is commonly encountered.
Caodong school: A Chan lineage associated with Dongshan Liangjie and Caoshan Benji, later known in Japan as Sōtō. Its lineage and later practice differ from those of Yunmen’s school.
Dongshan Shouchu: A Chan master traditionally regarded as Yunmen Wenyan’s principal Dharma heir. His teaching helped transmit Yunmen’s lineage after Yunmen’s death.
Five Houses of Chan: Five major Chan lineages that took shape in China during the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Yunmen’s lineage is one of the five traditions grouped under this name.
Blue Cliff Record: A Song-dynasty collection of Chan cases with commentary and verse. Several cases associated with Yunmen became subjects of this influential collection.
Linji school: A Chan lineage founded on the teachings attributed to Linji Yixuan. It is another major House of Chan, with a distinct lineage and teaching legacy.
Fayan Wenyi: A Chan master who founded the Fayan school, one of the Five Houses of Chan. A contemporary lineage founder whose school emerged from the same broader Chan milieu.
Dharma transmission: The recognized passing of Buddhist teaching and lineage from teacher to student. Yunmen’s standing as a lineage founder rests on this Chan practice.