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Ch'an Schools
The Five Houses (or schools) arose almost quite naturally from the fertile spiritual ground of China's Tang and Song dynasties. There were more schools than just these five. Why these five schools gained prominence throughout history is not generally known; however, it was probably a combination of accessibility, preference, and whatever the hell suits you the most.
The Five Houses as we know them today are: Guiyang, Linji, Caodong, Yunmen, and Fayan.
Guiyang- this school is a combination of teachings from two masters; Master Guishan and Master Yangshan, master and disciple respectively. They taught Chan with a kind of mystic quality; using symbols and such. This school only lasted a few generations and eventually died out.
Linji- this school is todays most prominent Chan school. In China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea this school is so prominent that to be a Linji monk (or nun) means mostly just to be a Buddhist monk (or nun). I have always been in the Linji school; even though I've always prefered Yunmen. This school emphasizes the use of gongans (koans) as they're main practice of meditation. Also the Teachings of Master Linji himself are highly regarded, you can find a translation of the Linjilu or Record of Linji on barnesandnoble.com, his teachings are strong and soft.
Caodong- this school is the second most prominent school of Chan today. It is more preserved in it's Japanese form called Soto. This school empasizes mostly a style of sitting meditation called Silent Illumination. The name of the school is composed of the names of two masters, Master Dongshan and Master Caoshan, once again Master and disciple respectively. I have read the Record of Dongshan and much of the literature of this school. There are many beautiful and graceful elements to this school. It is probably the most gentle of all the Chan schools.
Yunmen- this school is named after one of the last (if not the last) Great Chan Masters of the Classical Age. His teachings are considered extremely harsh. Well-known for his "One-word barrier," this teaching is known to be very difficult to grasp, even though it doesn't seem so hard to me; but that's besides the point. There are some rumors that this school has continued to this date; however it is generally thought to have died out. There is a translation of his record however; and you can find that out Barnesandnoble.com as well.
Fayan- is the last of the Five Houses. This school is generally thought to be the most literary of the five. Master Fayan was and is considered to have been the progenitor of the Literary Period of Chinese Chan or Zen.
Just to briefly note that there are two types of transmission within China. One is Precept Transmission and the other is Dharma Transmission. The two are entirely different, but not unrelated. When you recieve the Bhikshu Precepts or full ordination you are given a name with three part, ex: Shi Fa Xing. Shi, like Arhat said, is kind of the family name. Fa is the generational name, it means Dharma and comes from the Linji school. Xing is the name given to me by my master recognizing that I am of this particular characteristic or something he would like to see me develop. It means Action or Practice.
Dharma Transmission means that you are of a certain level in your practice or have studied under a certain Master. Thus you can be transmitted the precepts in the Linji school but receive the Dharma from the Caodong school. Or vice versa. this is the reason being for all of the confusion concerning the Chinese tradition within the West. Most of the schools have also rejected a lot of study and thus few really know the history or the written teaching more than what they here word of mouth. Much of the Chinese tradition has been in shambles in the recent 100 yrs. However, there has been a slow revival starting from the Great modern day Chinese Chan Master Xu Yun. He died in the middle of last century but has been slowly (I mean that too) gaining prominence and his disciples (or disciples' disciples are beginning to teach in the West. You may like to check a couple sites hsuyun.org and hsuyun.com
Take care
The Five Houses (or schools) arose almost quite naturally from the fertile spiritual ground of China's Tang and Song dynasties. There were more schools than just these five. Why these five schools gained prominence throughout history is not generally known; however, it was probably a combination of accessibility, preference, and whatever the hell suits you the most.
The Five Houses as we know them today are: Guiyang, Linji, Caodong, Yunmen, and Fayan.
Guiyang- this school is a combination of teachings from two masters; Master Guishan and Master Yangshan, master and disciple respectively. They taught Chan with a kind of mystic quality; using symbols and such. This school only lasted a few generations and eventually died out.
Linji- this school is todays most prominent Chan school. In China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea this school is so prominent that to be a Linji monk (or nun) means mostly just to be a Buddhist monk (or nun). I have always been in the Linji school; even though I've always prefered Yunmen. This school emphasizes the use of gongans (koans) as they're main practice of meditation. Also the Teachings of Master Linji himself are highly regarded, you can find a translation of the Linjilu or Record of Linji on barnesandnoble.com, his teachings are strong and soft.
Caodong- this school is the second most prominent school of Chan today. It is more preserved in it's Japanese form called Soto. This school empasizes mostly a style of sitting meditation called Silent Illumination. The name of the school is composed of the names of two masters, Master Dongshan and Master Caoshan, once again Master and disciple respectively. I have read the Record of Dongshan and much of the literature of this school. There are many beautiful and graceful elements to this school. It is probably the most gentle of all the Chan schools.
Yunmen- this school is named after one of the last (if not the last) Great Chan Masters of the Classical Age. His teachings are considered extremely harsh. Well-known for his "One-word barrier," this teaching is known to be very difficult to grasp, even though it doesn't seem so hard to me; but that's besides the point. There are some rumors that this school has continued to this date; however it is generally thought to have died out. There is a translation of his record however; and you can find that out Barnesandnoble.com as well.
Fayan- is the last of the Five Houses. This school is generally thought to be the most literary of the five. Master Fayan was and is considered to have been the progenitor of the Literary Period of Chinese Chan or Zen.
Just to briefly note that there are two types of transmission within China. One is Precept Transmission and the other is Dharma Transmission. The two are entirely different, but not unrelated. When you recieve the Bhikshu Precepts or full ordination you are given a name with three part, ex: Shi Fa Xing. Shi, like Arhat said, is kind of the family name. Fa is the generational name, it means Dharma and comes from the Linji school. Xing is the name given to me by my master recognizing that I am of this particular characteristic or something he would like to see me develop. It means Action or Practice.
Dharma Transmission means that you are of a certain level in your practice or have studied under a certain Master. Thus you can be transmitted the precepts in the Linji school but receive the Dharma from the Caodong school. Or vice versa. this is the reason being for all of the confusion concerning the Chinese tradition within the West. Most of the schools have also rejected a lot of study and thus few really know the history or the written teaching more than what they here word of mouth. Much of the Chinese tradition has been in shambles in the recent 100 yrs. However, there has been a slow revival starting from the Great modern day Chinese Chan Master Xu Yun. He died in the middle of last century but has been slowly (I mean that too) gaining prominence and his disciples (or disciples' disciples are beginning to teach in the West. You may like to check a couple sites hsuyun.org and hsuyun.com
Take care
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