View source for Philosophy:Lineage (Buddhism)

{{short description|Lines of transmission in different schools of Buddhism}}
{{MahayanaBuddhism}}
{{Tibetan Buddhism}}

A '''lineage''' in [[Religion:Buddhism|Buddhism]] is a line of transmission of the Buddhist teaching that is "theoretically traced back to the [[Biography:Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] himself."{{sfn|Haskel|2001|p=2}} The acknowledgement of the transmission can be oral, or certified in documents. Several branches of Buddhism, including [[Religion:Chan Buddhism|Chan]] (including [[Philosophy:Zen|Zen]] and [[Unsolved:Korean Seon|Seon]]) and Tibetan Buddhism maintain records of their historical teachers. These records serve as a validation for the living exponents of the tradition.

The historical authenticity of various Buddhist lineages has been subject to debate. Stephen Batchelor has claimed, speaking about specifically Japanese Zen lineage, "the historicity of this “lineage” simply does not withstand critical scrutiny."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Batchelor|first=Stephen|title=The Lessons of History|url=https://tricycle.org/magazine/lessons-history/|journal=Tricycle: The Buddhist Review|volume =10| issue =2|date=Winter 2000|access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref> Erik Storlie has noted that transmission "is simply false on historical grounds."<ref>{{cite web|last=Storlie|first=Erik|title=Lineage Delusions: Eido Shimano Roshi, Dharma Transmission, and American Zen|url=http://sweepingzen.com/lineage-delusions-eido-shimano-roshi-dharma-transmission-and-american-zen/|publisher=Sweeping Zen|date=February 8, 2011|access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref> Edward Conze said "much of the traditions about the early history of Chan are the inventions of a later age."<ref>{{cite book|last=Conze|first=Edward|author-link=Edward Conze|title=Buddhism: Its Essence and Development|page=201|publisher=Courier Corporation|year=2003|isbn=9780486430959}}</ref>

==Vinaya==
In the lineage of the [[Philosophy:Vinaya|vinaya]], the requirements for ordination as a [[Philosophy:Bhikkhu|bhikkhu]] ("monk") or a bhikkhuni ("nun") include the presence of at least five other monks, one of whom must be a fully ordained preceptor, and another an acharya (teacher). This lineage for ordaining bhikshunis became extinct in the [[Philosophy:Theravada|Theravada]] school and in Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, when [[Philosophy:Samanera|śrāmaṇerikā]]s like Tenzin Palmo wanted full ordination, she had to travel to [[Place:Hong Kong|Hong Kong]].

==Mahasiddha==
Lineages in the [[Biography:Mahasiddha|Mahasiddha]] tradition do not necessarily originate from Gautama Buddha, but are ultimately grounded, like all Buddhist lineages, in the [[Religion:Adi-Buddha|Adi-Buddha]].

==Chan and Zen lineages==

===Construction of lineages===
The idea of a patriarchal lineage in Chan Buddhism dates back to the epitaph for Fărú (法如 638–689), a disciple of the 5th patriarch, Hóngrĕn (弘忍 601–674). In the ''Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices'' and the ''Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks'', Daoyu and Huike are the only explicitly identified disciples of Bodhidharma. The epitaph gives a line of descent identifying Bodhidharma as the first patriarch.{{sfn|Dumoulin|1993|p=37}}{{sfn|Cole|2009|p=73–114}}

In the 6th century biographies of famous monks were collected. From this genre the typical Chan-lineage was developed:
{{quote|These famous biographies were non-sectarian. The Ch'an biographical works, however, aimed to establish Ch'an as a legitimate school of Buddhism traceable to its Indian origins, and at the same time championed a particular form of Ch'an. Historical accuracy was of little concern to the compilers; old legends were repeated, new stories were invented and reiterated until they too became legends.{{sfn|Yampolski|2003|p=5-6}}}}

[[Biography:D. T. Suzuki|D. T. Suzuki]] contends that Chan's growth in popularity during the 7th and 8th centuries attracted criticism that it had "no authorized records of its direct transmission from the founder of Buddhism" and that Chan historians made [[Biography:Bodhidharma|Bodhidharma]] the 28th patriarch of Buddhism in response to such attacks.{{sfn|Suzuki|1949|p=168}}

===Six patriarchs===
The earliest lineages described the lineage from Bodhidharma to Huineng. There is no generally accepted 7th Chinese Patriarch.<ref>[http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-MISC/mag83546.htm 禪宗第七祖之爭的文獻研究]</ref>

The principle teachers of the Chan, Zen and Seon traditions are commonly known in English translations as "[[Religion:Patriarch|Patriarch]]s". However, the more precise terminology would be "Ancestors" or "Founders" ({{zh|c=祖|p=zǔ}}) and "Ancestral Masters" or "Founding Masters" ({{zh|c=祖師|zǔshī}}), as the commonly used Chinese terms are gender neutral. Various records of different authors are known, which give a variation of transmission lines:


===Continuous lineage from Gautama Buddha===
Eventually these descriptions of the lineage evolved into a continuous lineage from Gautama Buddha to Bodhidharma. The idea of a line of descent from Gautama is the basis for the distinctive lineage tradition of Chan.

According to the ''Song of Enlightenment'' (證道歌 ''Zhèngdào gē'') by Yǒngjiā Xuánjué (665–713),{{sfn|Chang|1967}} one of the chief disciples of Huineng, Bodhidharma was the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism in a line of descent from Gautama Buddha through his disciple Mahākāśyapa:
{{quote|Mahakashyapa was the first, leading the line of transmission;<br/>
Twenty-eight Fathers followed him in the West;<br/>
The Lamp was then brought over the sea to this country;<br/>
And Bodhidharma became the First Father here<br/>
His mantle, as we all know, passed over six Fathers,<br/>
And by them many minds came to see the Light.{{sfn|Suzuki|1948|p=50}}}}

The ''[[Unsolved:Denkoroku|Denkoroku]]'' gives 28 patriarchs in this transmission,{{sfn|Cook|2003}}{{sfn|Diener|1991|p=266}} and 53 overall:


===Transmission to Japan===
Twenty-four different Zen lineages are recorded to be transmitted to Japan. Only three survived until today. Sōtō was transmitted to Japan by [[Biography:Dōgen|Dōgen]], who travelled to {{wipe|China}} for Chan training in the 13th century. After receiving [[Philosophy:Dharma transmission|Dharma transmission]] in the Caodong school, he returned to Japan and established the lineage there, where it is called the Sōtō.

The [[Religion:Linji school|Linji school]] was also transmitted to Japan several times, where it is the Rinzai school.

== Pure Land Buddhism ==
Unlike the other Buddhist lineages, Pure Land Buddhism does not maintain a strict master-disciple relationship, however, in various countries, certain teachers and monks have been acknowledged as having furthered the tradition either through new insights, or through promulgation of the teachings.  Such teachers rarely lived at the same time as other "patriarchs", but contributions are recognized as a lineage.

=== Chinese ===

In the Chinese Buddhism, the thirteen patriarchs that promulgated the Pure Land tradition in China are:<ref name="jones2">{{cite book | last1 = Jones | first1 = Charles B. | title = Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice (Buddhist Foundations) | publisher = Shambhala | year = 2021 | isbn = 978-1611808902 | pages=82–95}}</ref>
# Lúshān Huìyuǎn (334-416)
# Shàndǎo (613-681)
# Chéngyuǎn (承遠, 712-802)
# Fǎzhào (法照, dates unknown)
# Shǎokāng (少康, d. 805)
# Yǒngmíng Yánshòu (永明延壽, 904-975)
# Shěngcháng (省常, 959–1020)
# Yúnqī Zhūhóng (雲棲袾宏1535-1615)
# Ǒuyì Zhìxù (蕅益智旭1599–1655)
# Xíngcè (行策, 1628–1682)
# Shíxían (實賢, 1686–1734)
# Jìxǐng Chèwù (際醒徹悟, 1741–1810)
# Shì Yìnguāng (釋印光, c. 1861–1940)

=== Japanese ===
In Jōdo Shinshū and Jodo Shu Buddhist traditions, "Patriarch" refers to seven Indian, Chinese and Japanese masters leading up to the founder of their respective schools.  Both traditions agree with the list of patriarchs up to Genshin.

<ref name="jsri">{{cite book | last1 = Watts | first1 = Jonathan | last2 = Tomatsu | first2 = Yoshiharu | title = Traversing the Pure Land Path | publisher = Jodo Shu Press | year = 2005 | isbn = 488363342X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Buswell|first1=Robert|last2=Lopez|first2=Donald S.|author-link2=Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fWKngEACAAJ|year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-15786-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |title=Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and teachers 
 |url=http://www.jodo.org/about_plb/buddhas.html 
 |access-date=2015-05-26 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802075832/http://www.jodo.org/about_plb/buddhas.html 
 |archive-date=August 2, 2013 
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Pure Land Lineage|url=http://jsri.jp/English/Pureland/lineage.html|access-date=2015-05-26|archive-date=2020-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125032631/http://www.jsri.jp/English/Pureland/lineage.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" style="margin:auto;"
|-
! Name
! Dates
! Japanese Name
! Country of Origin
| Contribution
|-
| [[Biography:Nagarjuna|Nagarjuna]]
| 150–250
| {{nihongo|'''Ryūju'''|龍樹||}}
| India
| First one to advocate the Pure Land as a valid Buddhist path.
|-
| [[Biography:Vasubandhu|Vasubandhu]] 
| ca. 4th century
| {{nihongo|'''Tenjin'''|天親||}} or {{nihongo|'''Seshin'''|世親|}}
| India
| Expanded on Nagarjuna's Pure Land teachings, commentaries on Pure Land sutras.
|-
| Tan-luan
| 476–542(?)
| {{nihongo|'''Donran'''|曇鸞||}}
| China
| Developed the six-syllable nembutsu chant commonly recited, emphasized the role of Amitabha Buddha's vow to rescue all beings.
|-
| Daochuo
| 562–645
| {{nihongo|'''Dōshaku'''|道綽||}}
| China
| Promoted the concept of "easy path" of the Pure Land in comparison to the tradition "path of the sages". Taught the efficacy of the Pure Land path in the latter age of the Dharma.
|-
| Shandao
| 613–681
| {{nihongo|'''Zendō'''|善導||}}
| China
| Stressed the importance of verbal recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name.
|-
| Genshin
| 942–1017
| {{nihongo|'''Genshin'''|源信||}}
| Japan
| Popularized Pure Land practices for the common people, with emphasis on salvation.
|-
| Hōnen
| 1133–1212
| {{nihongo|'''Hōnen'''|法然||}}
| Japan
| Developed a specific school of Buddhism devoted solely to rebirth in the Pure Land, further popularized recitation of name of Amitabha Buddha in order to attain rebirth in the Pure Land.  A patriarch in the Jōdo Shinshū tradition only.
|}

==Tibetan Buddhism==
The 14th Dalai Lama, in the foreword to ''Karmapa: The Sacred Prophecy''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Karmapa: The Sacred Prophecy|publisher=Kagyu Thubten Choling Publications Committee|year=1999|location=New York}}</ref> states:<blockquote>Within the context of Tibetan Buddhism, the importance of lineage extends far beyond the ordinary sense of a particular line of inheritance or descent. Lineage is a sacred trust through which the integrity of Buddha's teachings is preserved intact as it is transmitted from one generation to the next. The vital link through which the spiritual tradition is nourished and maintained is the profound connection between an enlightened master and perfectly devoted disciple. The master-disciple relationship is considered extremely sacred by all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.</blockquote>

===Karma Kagyu===

====Possession of lineage====
[[Biography:B. Alan Wallace|Wallace]]<ref>Chagmé ''et al.'', 1998: p.&nbsp;22</ref> renders into English a citation of Karma Chagme ({{bo|w=karma chags med}}, fl. 17th century) that contains an embedded quotation attributed to Nāropā (956–1041<small> CE</small>):
{{quote|The crucial, primary qualification of a spiritual mentor is stated by Naropa, "The qualification of a spiritual mentor is that he possesses the lineage."<br>
''The Single Meaning of the Vajra Speech'' [Wylie: rDo rje'i gsungs dgongs pa gcig pa] states, "There is great profundity in the connection within the lineage of the holy Dharma." The real lineage of the realization of this Dharma, which transfer blessings,{{refn|group=lower-alpha|"In the Buddhist context, the term blessing should not be understood in terms of grace as in the case of theistic religions. Rather, it relates to the sense of inspiration received...which transforms or awakens the potentials inherent within an individual's [[Philosophy:Mindstream|mental continuum]]. Thus, the Tibetan word ''byin-rlabs'' is interpreted to mean: 'to be transformed through inspiring magnificence'."<ref>[[Biography:Padmasambhava|Padmasambhava]] (composed); Terton Karma Lingpa (revealed); Gyurme Dorje (translated); Graham Coleman (editor); Thupten Jinpa (editor) with the [[Biography:14th Dalai Lama|14th Dalai Lama]] (introduction) (2005, 2006). ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead''. First Complete Translation. Strand, London, UK: Penguin Books. {{ISBN|978-0-14-045529-8}}, p.448</ref>}} is the unbroken rosary of Buddhas...".<ref>Chagmé, Karma (author, compiler); Gyatrul Rinpoche (commentary) & Wallace, B. Alan (translator) (1998). ''A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga''. Ithaca, New York, USA: Shambhala Publications. {{ISBN|978-1-55939-071-2}}; {{ISBN|1-55939-071-9}}, p.22</ref>}}

====Preservation of lineages====
Gyatrul (b. 1924),<ref>Source: {{cite web|url=http://www.tashicholing.org/gyatrul_rinpoche_bio.htm |title=Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche – Tashi Choling Center for Buddhist Studies |access-date=2009-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229225510/http://www.tashicholing.org/gyatrul_rinpoche_bio.htm |archive-date=2008-12-29 }} (accessed: Wednesday March 25, 2009)</ref> in a purport to Karma Chagme, conveys Dilgo Khyentse's '[[Philosophy:Samaya|samaya]]', diligence and humility in receiving [[Unsolved:Empowerment (Vajrayana)|Vajrayana empowerment]], lineal [[Philosophy:Dharma transmission|Dharma transmission]] and [[Philosophy:Lung (Tibetan Buddhism)|''rlung'']], as rendered into English by [[Biography:B. Alan Wallace|Wallace]] (Chagmé ''et al.'', 1998: p.&nbsp;21):
{{quote|With respect to oral transmission, even if the lineage is impure, it is not a problem. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche often sought out and received any oral transmission he thought was on the verge of disappearing. It made no difference who was giving it. He would receive it and, in turn, pass it on to make sure that the lineage remained unbroken.<ref>Chagmé, Karma (author, compiler); Gyatrul Rinpoche (commentary) & Wallace, B. Alan (translator) (1998). ''A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga''. Ithaca, New York, USA: Shambhala Publications. {{ISBN|978-1-55939-071-2}}; {{ISBN|1-55939-071-9}}, p.21</ref>}}

===Chöd===
[[Philosophy:Chöd|Chöd]] is an advanced spiritual practice known as "Cutting Through the Ego."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bodhicitta.net/Chod.htm|title=Chod – Cutting Through the Ego|last=Rinpoche|first=Yangthang |year=1991|access-date=2009-06-04}}</ref> This practice, based on the [[Philosophy:Prajnaparamita|Prajnaparamita]] sutra, uses specific [[Philosophy:Meditation|meditation]]s and [[Philosophy:Vajrayana|tantric]] ritual.

There are several hagiographic accounts of how chöd came to Tibet.<ref name="books.google.co.uk">{{cite book|last=Edou|first=Jérôme|title=Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd|publisher=Snow Lion Publications|year=1996|isbn=978-1-55939-039-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQULAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>  One ''namtar'' (hagiography) asserts that shortly after [[Philosophy:Kamalaśīla|Kamalaśīla]] won his famous debate with Moheyan as to whether Tibet should adopt the "sudden" route to enlightenment or his own "gradual" route, Kamalaśīla enacted ''[[Philosophy:Phowa|phowa]]'',  transferring his [[Philosophy:Mindstream|mindstream]] to animate a corpse polluted with contagion in order to safely move the hazard it presented.  As the mindstream of Kamalaśīla was otherwise engaged, a mahasiddha named Dampa Sangye came across the vacant ''kuten'' or "physical basis" of Kamalaśīla. Dampa Sangye was not karmically blessed with an aesthetic corporeal form, and upon finding the very handsome and healthy empty body of Kamalaśīla, which he assumed to be a newly dead fresh corpse, used phowa to transfer his own mindstream into Kamalaśīla's body. Dampa Sangye's mindstream in Kamalaśīla's body continued the ascent to the Himalaya and thereby transmitted the Pacification of Suffering teachings and the Indian form of Chöd which contributed to the Mahamudra Chöd of Machig Labdrön. The mindstream of Kamalaśīla was unable to return to his own ''kuten'' and so was forced to enter the vacant body of Dampa Sangye.<ref name="Thrangu, Khenchen 2007">Thrangu, Khenchen & Klonk, Christoph (translator) & Hollmann, Gaby (editor and annotator)(2006).  ''Chod – The Introduction & A Few Practices''.  Source: [http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/chod.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227052501/http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/chod.htm |date=2021-02-27 }} (accessed: November 2, 2007)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lionsroar.name/tantric_glossary.htm |title=Tantric Glossary |access-date=2007-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130111603/http://lionsroar.name/tantric_glossary.htm |archive-date=2016-01-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Philosophy:Dharma transmission|Dharma transmission]]
*[[Social:Gotra|Gotra]]
*[[Religion:Religious order|Religious order]]
*Sangharaja
*Zen lineage charts

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha|2}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last=Chang | first=Chung-Yuan | title=Ch'an Buddhism: Logical and Illogical | journal=Philosophy East and West | volume=17 | year=1967 | pages=37–49 | url=http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/ew27057.htm | doi=10.2307/1397043 | jstor=1397043 | issue=1/4 | publisher=Philosophy East and West, Vol. 17, No. 1/4 | access-date=2012-08-22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524224311/http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/ew27057.htm | archive-date=2011-05-24 | url-status=dead }}
* {{Citation | last =Cole | first =Alan | year =2009 | title =Fathering Your Father: The Zen of Fabrication in Tang Buddhism | place =Berkeley, Los Angeles, London | publisher =University of California Press | isbn =978-0-520-25485-5}}
* {{Citation | last =Cook | first =Francis Dojun | year =2003 | title =Transmitting the Light: Zen Master's Keizan's Denkoroku | place = Boston | publisher =Wisdom Publications}}
* {{Citation | last1 =Diener | first1 =Michael S. | others=and friends | year =1991 | title =The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen | place =Boston | publisher = Shambhala}}
* {{Citation|last=Dumoulin |first=Heinrich |title=Early Chinese Zen Reexamined: A Supplement to ''Zen Buddhism: A History'' |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=20 |issue=1 |year=1993 |pages=31–53 |issn=0304-1042 |doi=10.18874/jjrs.20.1.1993.31-53 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite book| last =Haskel| first =Peter| year =2001 | title =Letting Go: The Story of Zen Master Tōsui| publisher =University of Hawaii Press| url =http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&q=0824824407| isbn = 0-8248-2440-7}}
* {{Citation |last=Suzuki |first=D.T. |year=1948 |title=Manual of Zen Buddhism |url=http://consciouslivingfoundation.org/ebooks/new2/ManualOfZenBuddhism-manzen.pdf |access-date=2006-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721180753/http://consciouslivingfoundation.org/ebooks/new2/ManualOfZenBuddhism-manzen.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-21 |url-status=dead}}
* {{Citation | last =Suzuki | first =D.T. |  year =1949 | title =Essays in Zen Buddhism | place =New York | publisher =Grove Press | isbn =0-8021-5118-3}}
* {{Citation | last =Yampolski | first =Philip | year =2003 | title =Chan. A Historical Sketch. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori | place =Delhi | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081016011725/http://www.simhas.org/lineages.html The Lineages and History of Buddhism]
*[http://vajrayana.triratna.info/Chod-tradition.html Chö/Chöd/Lineages associated with Machig Labdrön]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120819140600/http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/ZenPages/ZenSchools.html Schools of Zen Buddhism] at the Zen Buddhism WWW Virtual Library
*[http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln360/Images360/ancestors.pdf Zen Ancestors in China – The Five Houses]
*[http://westernchanfellowship.org/lineage/lineage.html Caodong and Linji lineage chart] of present-day Chan Master Sheng-yen
* Buddhist masters


[[Category:Buddhist philosophical concepts]]

{{Sourceattribution|Lineage (Buddhism)}}