Linji lu

Linji lu (J. Rinzai roku; K. Imje nok 臨濟錄). In Chinese, “The Record of Linji,” the discourse record (yulu) attributed to Linji Yixuan; also known as the Linji yulu (J. Rinzai goroku 臨濟語錄; "Recorded Sayings of Linji") and the Zhenzhou Linji Huizhao Chanshi yulu. According to the Princeton Dictionary, this text is "one of the most widely read and cited works within the Chan tradition."

The text purports to provide a precise record of Linji’s sermons, teachings, and his exchanges with disciples and guests. However, as with most texts of this genre, "the Linji lu was not compiled until long after Linji’s death (the most popular recension was compiled in 1120, some 250 years after his death) and therefore provides a retrospective portrayal of how the mature Chan school assumed one of its quintessential masters would have taught and conducted himself."

Burton Watson states:

The Lin-chi chan-sbih yu-lu, or Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Lin-chi, often referred to simply as the Lin-chi lu, contains extensive descriptions of the life and teachings of Lin-chi I-hsuan (d. 866), one of the greatest and most influential of the Tang period Chan masters. The text, dubbed the “king” of the yu-lu, or “recorded sayings,” genre, represents the final major formulation of Chan thought in China and, as Yanagida Seizan, a leading Japanese authority on Chan history, has noted, presents an account of Lin-chi and his teachings that is “unparalleled in Chan literature for its vividness and forcefulness.” The work is particularly significant because, though other schools or teaching lines of early Chinese Chan eventually died out, that founded by Lin-chi prospered and in time became the dominant school throughout China. It was one of two schools of Chinese Chan introduced to Japan in the thirteenth century, where it continues in existence today and from whence it has in recent years spread to many other countries of the world. For all those down through the centuries and today who adhere to the teachings of Lin-chi, or Rinzai, as he is known in Japan, the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Lin-chi is a text of prime importance.

Contents

The text is divided into three sections:

1. formal discourses (e.g., shangtang), many delivered at the request of local officials
2. critical examinations (kanbian), viz., his encounters with monks, students, and lay visitors
3. a record of his activities (xinglu), which discusses his enlightenment under Huangbo Xiyun, his meetings with other Chan masters, and so on

Translations

There are numerous English translations, including:

• The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press, 1999).

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Watson, Burton (1999), The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi, Columbia University Press . PDF (1993 edition)
• 臨濟錄, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)