became a disciple of the Linji master Yuanwu Keqin
(1063–1135), the author of the famous gong’anan-
thology, the Biyan lu(Blue Cliff Record).
As one of the most influential Chan masters of his
time, Zonggao had close associations with many pow-
erful Confucian scholar-officials. His connection with
the antipeace party led to his involvement in Song
court factional strife, which resulted in his exile from
1143 to 1156 to the remote Hunan and Guangdong
provinces. After the exile, however, Zonggao regained
his prominence. He was summoned by the emperor to
the court, where he was presented with a purple robe
and given the cognomen Dahui (Great Wisdom). He
spent his last years at Mount Jing in Zhejiang and died
in 1163.
Dahui Zonggao is best known for his contribution
to the evolution of Chan gong’anmeditation. He ad-
vocated the use of huatou,the critical phrase of a
gong’an,as a meditative object, and he emphasized the
peculiar role of DOUBTin his teaching of huatouin-
vestigation. He believed that the practice of huatouwas
not only the most effective means to enlightenment
but also a Chan practice that laypeople could easily
adopt in the midst of their mundane activities. It was
under Daihui Zonggao that gong’anChan came to be
known as kanhuaChan (Chan of investigating the
[critical] phrase).
The chronology of Dahui Zonggao’s life was
recorded in detail by one of his disciples and attached
to the Dahui Pujue chanshi yulu(Discourse Record of
the Chan Master Dahui Pujue). Other works attributed
to Dahui Zonggao include Zongmen wuku(Arsenal of
the Chan School) and Zhengfayan zang(Treasury of the
True Dharma Eye).
See also:Chan School
Bibliography
Buswell, Robert E., Jr. “The ‘Short-cut’ Approach of K’an-hua
Meditation: The Evolution of a Practical Subitism in Chi-
nese Ch’an Buddhism.” In Sudden and Gradual: Approaches
to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought,ed. Peter N. Gregory.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1987.
Cleary, Christopher, trans. Swampland Flowers: Letters and Lec-
tures of Zen Master Ta Hui.New York: Grove Press, 1977.
Levering, Miriam L. “Ch’an Enlightenment for Laymen: Ta-hui
and the New Religious Culture of the Sung.” Ph.D. diss. Har-
vard University, 1978.
DING-HWAHSIEH
ZONGMIGuifeng Zongmi (780–841) is a unique figure in the
CHAN SCHOOL, who sought to bridge Chan and the
canonical teachings (jiao) of Buddhism. His early ed-
ucation at home and at a Confucian academy gave him
a background in the classical canon unknown to the
typical Tang-dynasty Chan master. He trained under
a master in the Shenhui lineage of Chan and practiced
intense Chan sitting in remote settings for a decade,
yet he also studied canonical exegesis for two years un-
der the exceedingly erudite HUAYAN SCHOOLscholar
CHENGGUAN(738–840).
Zongmi collected Chan texts into an enormous
Chanzang (Chan Pitaka), which has since been lost.
His two most important extant works are his intro-
duction to the Chan Pitaka,titled Chanyuan zhuquanji
duxu(Prolegomenon to the Collection of Experience of
the Chan Source), and a short treatise titled Pei Xiu shiyi
wen(Imperial Redactor Pei Xiu’s Inquiry [on Chan]).
Originality, creativity, and lack of bias are the hall-
marks of these two works. The former propounds the
identity of the canonical teachings and Chan, and
champions all-at-once awakening and step-by-step
practice; the latter provides a synopsis of the histories,
teachings, and practices of the Chan houses of the day.
The Chan Prolegomenon postulates three “theses”
(zong) of Chan: Mind-Only Chan; Voidness Chan; and
Dharma Nature Chan, which are expressions, geared
to Chinese propensities and preferences, of the corre-
sponding three types of Indian sutras and treatises.
Zongmi’s influence on later Chan was exceptionally
strong in Korea, where the Chan tradition is known as
So ̆n. Korean So ̆n’s absorption of all the traditions of
Buddhism coincides with Zongmi’s orientation.
CHINUL(1158–1210), one of the greatest figures of the
So ̆n tradition, was a transmitter of Zongmi’s stance;
his magnum opus is based on Pei’s Inquiry.See also:ChinaBibliography
Gregory, Peter N. Tsung-mi and the Sinification of Buddhism.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991.
Kamata Shigeo, ed. Zengen shosenshutojo,tr. Kamata Shigeo.
Zen no goroku 9. Tokyo: Chikuma shobo, 1971.JEFFREYBROUGHTONZONGMI