Tao Te Ching
Yunmen Wenyan 雲門文偃
(Ummon Daishi, Yúnmén Wényǎn)
862 – 949 CE
The most eloquent Chan master
One of the most famous Zen masters in later day Japan, Ummon founded one of the five major Chán schools in China. This school compiled and wrote the Blue Cliff Record, flourished for hundreds of years, and continues today. Supported by the region's king, and famous throughout China and Korea, Ummon rejected the fame and many offered honors while building a new monastery in a more remote location. Many of his recorded statements later became koans—5 listed in The Gateless Gate, 8 in the Book of Equanimity, and 18 in the Blue Cliff Record.Eras
Chinese
Tang Dynasty 唐朝 (618 – 907 CE)5 Dynasties 10 Kingdoms (907 – 960 CE)
5 Kingdom of Dali 大理国 (937 – 1253 CE)
Liao dynasty (907 – 1125 CE)
Unlisted Sources
Quotes by Yunmen Wenyan (6 quotes)
“Because your own mouth is not good for anything you come to note down my words. It is certain that some day you'll sell me!”
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“This world is such a wide world! Why then do you answer to a temple bell and don ceremonial robes?”
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“If you do not see a man for three days, do not think he is the same man.”
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“I made a great feast in the joss house, but the hungry gods are never satisfied.”
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“If you know that the real thing has been purposefully put aside, you can use a little effort to discover it.”
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“When a monk asked Yunmen: 'What is Buddha?' the master replied: 'A toilet stick.'”
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Quotes about Yunmen Wenyan (1 quotes)
“The absolute reality is inconceivable and inexpressible and the more a master speaks of it, the more he will stray from it. For this reason, Yun Men said that the old masters were talking nonsense and asked the monk if they had stopped 'talking in their sleep'.”
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