Rinzai Gigen 臨済義玄

(Línjì Yìxuán)

? - 866 CE

Student of Huangbo Xiyun, iconoclastic founder of a major Chán Buddhist school and one of the Five Houses of Zen, Rinzai; Gigen or Linji fiercely challenged students who accepted the superficial, conceptual meaning of buddhist teachings rather than penetrating the true meaning deeper than the words to find genuine wisdom and understanding. A book of his sayings recorded by one of his students, The Record of Rinzai (Zen Teachings of Rinzai), became one of the main texts for the Rinzai school as well as a big influence on buddhism and the evolution of consciousness in general. Known for his uncompromising approach to teaching that included yelling at and hitting his students, he directly continued the Buddha’s flower-sermon styleof non-conceptual teaching.

Lineages
Apostles of Doubt Zen

Eras

Western

Early Middle Ages (566 – 1095 CE)

Chinese

Tang Dynasty 唐朝 (618 – 907 CE)

Sources

Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Unlisted Sources

Quotes by Rinzai Gigen (11 quotes)

“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. ”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 38. Fruit Over Flowers

Themes: Golden Chains Teachers

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“One is on the way for aeons without leaving his house; one leaves his house without being on the way.”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 47. Effortless Success

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“If you have genuine insight, birth and death will not affect you.”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 39. Oneness

Themes: Death and Dying

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“The more you seek the Buddha and the Dharma, the further away they become.”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 81. Journey Without Goal

Themes: Taoism Wu Wei Buddhism

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“Gain and loss, yes and no - throw them away in one go.”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 48. Unlearning

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“The experience right before your eyes is no different from the Buddhas of all times but you do not believe it and continue looking somewhere else outside.”

Chapters: 1. The Unnamed

Themes: Here and Now

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“There is no buddha, no dharma, no training and no realization - what are you so hotly chasing?”

from Zen Teachings of Rinzai (Record of Rinzai), Irmgard Schloegl translation 1976

Chapters: 29. Not Doing

Themes: Desire Emptiness

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“Stop letting your mind run all over chasing something it has never lost!”

Chapters: 16. Returning to the Root, Meditation

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“The real being, with no status, is always going in and out through the doors of your face.”