Xiangyan Zhixian
Xiangyan Zhixian (Japanese: Kyōgen Chikan; c. 820–898) was a Tang dynasty Chan master of the Guiyang school. A Dharma heir of Guishan Lingyou, the story of Xiangyan's enlightenment is rather famous in the Chan and Zen traditions.
Also recorded as Shi Zhixian · Zhixian · Xideng dashi · Xiangyan heshang
Xiangyan Zhixian
- Died
- 898
- Nationality
- Tang dynasty
- Occupation
- poet
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wikidata · Q9383234 · wikipedia · Xiangyan Zhixian
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Biography
According to this story, he had been an accomplished scholar of Buddhist sūtras, but for many years had made very little headway in his meditation practice. One day, his master asked him what his original face was before birth, to which he could not respond. He subsequently burned his sūtras and left the monastery because he could not figure it out. One day, while working, he heard the sound of a tile striking the ground and attained enlightenment. Additionally, there is a kōan attributed to Xiangyan in The Gateless Gate: the story is that of a man hanging in a tree by his teeth being asked why Bodhidharma came west; how the man is to react became this famous kōan.
Xiangyan Zhixian was a poet.
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Xiangyan Zhixian, revision 1341179697 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Baroni, Helen J. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 141. 2002. 0-8239-2240-5.
- 2.Keown, Damien. A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. 111. 2003. 0-19-860560-9.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 28 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Xi XiAuthor
- Xi ZhengAuthor
- Xia WanchunAuthor
- Xiang JianzhangAuthor
- Xiao GuanyinAuthor
- Xiao HongAuthor
- Xiao SanAuthor
- Xiao SongAuthor
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