Linji Buddhism

A drawing of Linji Yixuan, the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism.

The Linji school is a school of Chan Buddhism. It is more of a Buddhist lineage with subtle differences from its parent school (Chan) than an ideologically distinct school. Linji Buddhism features the same beliefs and practices as Chan Buddhism, and most prominently differs in the important texts associated with the school. Linji Buddhism was the most prominent in China during the Song Dynasty (1960 - 1279). Linji Buddhism encapsulated the important aspects of Chan Buddhism in its texts and meditative practices. These important texts presented the core teachings of Chan through stories of the experiences of Linji and discussions from Linji and other important patriarchs to the Linji school.  Because of the importance of literary elements in the Linji school, it received great support from the educated class and the court, and became the dominant school within Chan Buddhism during this time period.

At the end of the Song Dynasty Mongols rose to power in China and Chan teachings began to be mixed with those of other Buddhist school, most notably, Pure Land which led to a decline in the incidence of Linji Buddhism. Since the end of the Song dynasty the prevalence of Linji and Chan Buddhist schools in China has fluctuated. Linji didn’t just stay localized to China, it also spread to Japan where it was the predecessor to the Japanese Zen Rinzai school of Buddhism, which is most often associated with Japanese Samurai. The Linji school also influenced several Buddhist schools in Korea.