Yunmen Wenyan

Yúnmén Wényǎn (862 or 864 – 949 CE), (雲門文偃; Japanese: Ummon Bun'en; also known in English as "Unmon", "Ummon Daishi", "Ummon Zenji"), was a majorChinese Zen master in Tang-era China. He was a dharma-heir of Xuefeng Yicun

Yunmen founded the Yunmen school, one of the five major schools of Chán (Chinese Zen). The name is derived from Yunmen monastery of Shaozhou where Yunmen was abbot. The Yunmen school flourished into the early Song Dynasty, with particular influence on the upper classes, and eventually culminating in the compilation and writing of the Blue Cliff Record.

The school would eventually be absorbed by the Rinzai school later in the Song. The lineage still lives on to this day through Chan Master Hsu Yun (1840–1959).

Biography

Early years

Yunmen was born in the town of Jiaxing near Suzhou and southwest of Shanghai to the Zhang family , apparently in 864 CE. His birth-year is uncertain; the two memorial stele at the Yunmen monastery mention he was 86 years old when he died in 949 CE, which suggests that 864 is his birth year.