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Chan and Zen Buddhism maintain records of their historical teachers who have passed the Dharma from generation to generation in an unbroken line since the time of the Buddha. This vertical line is a lineage of ancestors which provides validation of the Chan/Zen experience of the teachers of the present generation. The act of passing the dharma to a new teacher and thereby extending lineage is referred to as dharma transmission. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... The cultural elements of Buddhism vary by region and include: Buddhist cuisine Buddhist art Buddharupa Art and architecture of Japan Greco-Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist sacred art Buddhist music Buddhist chant Shomyo Categories: Buddhism-related stubs ... The history of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama. ... Contents: Top - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The following is a List of Buddhist topics: A Abhidharma Ahimsa Ajahn Ajahn Chah Ajanta Aksobhya Alexandra David-Néel Amara Sinha B... Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region. ... The percentage of Buddhist population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004 [1]. Other sources used were CIA Factbook [2] and adherents. ... An image of Gautama Buddha with a swastika, traditionally a Buddhist symbol of good luck, on his chest. ... The Buddhist temple Wat Chiang Man, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which dates from the late 13th century Buddhist temples and monasteries, sorted by location. ... Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ... There is great variety in Buddhist texts. ... Before Common Era Trad. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Dharma is a sanskrit word and a concept of eastern religions. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ...

Some of the links in the chain have been seriously challenged by historians such as Charles Yampolsky. In particular, there is little or no other evidence linking any of Indian teachers before Bodhidharma to the Zen sect specifically. Even so the concept of lineage remains useful. Even if a lineage cannot verifiably be linked all the way back to the time of the Buddha, at least having several generations of undeniably unbroken Dharma transmission provides some validation of the consistency of the experience and teaching that is transmitted along that line. Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Dharma transmission is the act of passing the Zen or Chan Buddhist doctrine from a master to student. ...

For the Chan and Zen traditions the first Patriarch in the lineage after the Buddha was Mahakasyapa. Thereafter there were another 26 ancestors in India before Bodhidharma travelled to the East to carry the Dharma to China in the 5th century CE. Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Originally a patriarch is a man who exercises autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Mahākāśyapa (摩訶迦葉) or Kāśyapa was a brahman of Magadha, who became one of the principal disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha and who convened and directed the first council. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Dharma is a sanskrit word and a concept of eastern religions. ...

Six generations later Huineng was the famous 6th Chinese Patriarch (33rd in line from the Buddha) in the 7th century CE. As Chan subsequently flourished in China there were many branches in the lineage, some of which later died out and some of which continue unbroken to the present day. Huineng (638 - 713) was a Chinese Chan monk who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition. ... Originally a patriarch is a man who exercises autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ...

Some of these lines were transmitted to Japan, establishing the Zen tradition. Perhaps the most famous of these transmissions to Japan was that of Dogen who travelled to China for Chan training in the 13th century CE, and after receiving Dharma transmission in the Caodong line he returned to Japan and established the Soto line. The Linji line was also tranmitted to Japan where it became known as the Rinzai line. Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Dōgen Zenji Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; January 19, 1200 - September 22, 1253) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan. ... Chán is a major school of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism. ... Caodong (Chinese 曹洞宗) is a Chinese Zen Buddhist sect founded by Dongshan Liangjie and his Dharma_heirs in the 9th century. ... Soto (曹洞宗; Japanese: sōtō-shū; Chinese Caodong Zong) is one of the two major Japanese Zen sects. ... Japanese painting of Linji Yixuan (Jap. ... There is a disputed proposal that this article should be merged with Rinzai and Linji. ...

External links

• Schools of Zen Buddhism at the Zen Buddhism WWW Virtual Library
• Caodong and Linji lineage chart of present day Chan Master Sheng-yen