Women Ancestors of Zen
Five Women of Early Zen History

By Barbara O'Brien, About.com Guide

Although male teachers dominate the recorded history of Zen Buddhism, many remarkable women were part of Zen history also.

Some of these women appear in the koan collections. For example, Case 31 of the Mumonkan records an encounter between Master Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen (778-897) and a sharp old woman whose name is not remembered.

A famous meeting took place between another old woman and Master Te-shan Hsuan-chien (781-867). Before becoming a Ch'an (Zen) master, Te-shan was famous for his scholarly commentaries on the Diamond Sutra. One day he found a woman selling rice cakes and tea. The woman had a question: "In the Diamond Sutra it is written that past mind cannot be grasped; present mind cannot be grasped; and future mind cannot be grasped. Is that right?"

"Yes, that is right," said Te-shan.

"Then with which mind will you accept this tea?" she asked. Te-shan could not answer. Seeing his own ignorance, he found a teacher and eventually became a great teacher himself.

 
Here are five women who played vital roles in the early history of Zen Buddhism in China.

Zongchi (6th century)

Zongchi was the daughter of a Liang Dynasty emperor. She was ordained a nun at the age of 19 and eventually became a disciple of Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of Zen. She was one of four dharma heirs of Bodhidharma, meaning that she completely understood his teachings.

Zongchi appears in a well-known story. One day Bodhidharma addressed his disciples, asking them what they had attained. Daofu said, “My present view is, without being attached to the written word or being detached from the written word, one still engages in the function of the Way.”

Bodhidharma said, “You have my skin.”

Then Zongchi said, “It’s like Ananda seeing the land of the Buddha Akshobhya. Seen once, it isn’t seen again.”

Bodhidharma said, “You have my flesh.”

Daoyu said, “The four elements are originally empty; the five aggregates are nonexistent. There’s not a single dharma to attain.”

Bodhidharma said, “You have my bones.”

Huike made three bows and stood still.

Bodhidharma said, “You have my marrow.”

Huike had the deepest understanding and would become the Second Patriarch.

Lingzhao (762-808)

Layman Pang (740–808) and his wife were both Zen adepts, and their daughter, Lingzhao, surpassed them both. Lingzhao and her father were very close and often studied together and debated each other. When Lingzhao was an adult, she and her father went on pilgrimages together.

There are a wealth of stories about Layman Pang and his family. In many of these stories, Lingzhao has the last word. The most famous bit of dialogue is this:

Layman Pang said, “Difficult, difficult, difficult. Like trying to scatter ten measures of sesame seed all over a tree.”

Hearing this, the layman's wife said, “Easy, easy, easy. Just like touching your feet to the ground when you get out of bed.”

Lingzhao responded, “Neither difficult, nor easy. On the hundred grass tips, the ancestors' meaning.”

According to legend, one day when Layman Pang was very old, he announced he was ready to die when the sun had reached its height. He bathed, put on a clean robe, and lay on his sleeping mat.

Lingzhao announced to him the sun was covered -- there was an eclipse. The layman stepped outside to see, and while he watched the eclipse, Lingzhao took his place on the sleeping mat and died.

When Layman Pang found his daughter, he sighed, "She has beaten me once more."

Liu Tiemo (ca. 780-859), the "Iron Grindstone"

"Iron Grindstone" Liu was a peasant girl who became a formidable debater. She was called the "Iron Grindstone" because she ground her challengers to bits. Liu Tiemo was one of 43 dharma heirs of Guishan Lingyou, who was said to have 1,500 disciples.

A Country Girl:
Liu Tiemo (ca. 780-859) was born into a Chinese peasant family that lived near Mount Hua, in north central China. She was a short, plain girl who grew up helping her father farm a rich man's plot of land. The family was poor and often hungry. When she was old enough to leave, she left.

Convent Years:
Liu wandered through mountains and towns, often seeking shelter in convents. Eventually she asked to be ordained. She worked hard at study and meditation. After a few years she left the convent and began wandering again.

Zihu Heshang:
Liu Tiemo encountered nuns, monks, and teachers, and won a reputation as a fierce debater. When she met Master Zihu, he told Liu Tiemo that he'd heard she was hard to handle.

"Who says this?" asked Liu.

"It's conveyed from left and right," Master Zihu replied.

"Don't fall down, master," she said, and turned to leave.

But Master Zihu perceived that she had become attached to her skills, and he challenged her. Under Zihu's guidance, Liu lost her ego attachment and the need to prove and defend herself.

Guishan Lingyou:

Liu Tiemo sought out Master Guishan, and studied with him. Master Guishan was a famous teacher with 1,500 students, most of them men. Of these 1,500 he named only 43 his dharma heirs. One of these was Liu Tiemo.

By now people were calling Liu "the Iron Grindstone," because she ground to bits anyone who dared challenge her in debate. It was said she was as sharp as a stone-struck spark.

Blue Cliff Record, Case 24:

The Iron Grindstone is remembered in a koan.

Iron Grindstone Liu arrived at Guishan. Guishan said, "Old cow, you came hah!"

Grindstone said, "In the coming day at Lookout Mountain (Taishan) there is a great assembly to provide monks with a vegetarian meal. Venerable, will you be leaving to go back there?"

Guishan relaxed his body and lay down to sleep.

Grindstone then left.

You can find a dharma talk explaining this mystical exchange here.

Moshan Liaoran (ca. 800s CE)

Moshan Liaoran was a Ch'an (Zen) master and teacher and the abbess of a monastery. Both men and women came to her for teaching. She is the first woman thought to have transmitted the dharma to one of the male ancestors, Guanzhi Zhixian (d. 895). Guanzhi was also a dharma heir of Linchi I-hsuan (d. 867), founder of the Rinzai school.

After Guanzhi became a teacher, he told his monks, “I got half a ladle at Papa Linchi’s place, and I got half a ladle at Mama Moshan’s place, which together made a full ladle. Since that time, after having fully digested this, I’ve been satisfied to the full.”

"Mama" Moshan, Zen Master
By Barbara O'Brien, About.com Guide

Woman of Ch'an's Golden Age:

Moshan Liaoran (ca. 800 CE) was a Ch'an (Zen) master and teacher and the abbess of a monastery in China during Ch'an's golden age. Her skills as a teacher were so formidable that her fame spread throughout China. Both men and women flocked to her for teaching.

Moshan, whose name means "Summit Mountain," was the only woman given a record in the Ching-te ch'uan-teng lu, a compilation of stories about Chinese Ch'an masters written in 1004 A.D. She was also remembered by the Japanese Soto Zen master Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) in the “Raihai Tokuzui” fascicle of Shobogenzo, written in December 1240.

Her Place in the Lineage:

Moshan was the student of Dayu, a hermit teacher remembered also for his association with Linchi I-hsuan (d. 867). Linchi was the founder of the Linchi school of Ch'an, also called the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. Although Linchi officially received transmission from Huang-po Hsi-yun (d. 850), he realized enlightenment while being grilled by Dayu.

Mama Moshan:

Linchi's dharma heir Guanzhi Zhixian (d. 895) also studied for a time under Moshan. Dogen wrote in the "Raihai Tokuzui" that when Zhixian became a teacher, he told his assembly, “I got half a ladle at Papa Linchi’s place, and I got half a ladle at Mama Moshan’s place, which together made a full ladle. Since that time, after having fully digested this, I’ve been satisfied to the full.”

"Its Peak Cannot Be Seen":

From the Ching-te ch'uan-teng lu:

Moshan asked Zhixian, “Where did you just come from?” Zhixian replied, “From the entrance to the road.”

Moshan said, “Why didn’t you come here after blocking it?” Zhixian bowed.

Zhixian asked Moshan, “What is Moshan?”

Moshan responded, “Its peak cannot be seen.”

Zhixian said, “What sort of person dwells in the mountain?”

Moshan said, “Not with forms such as a man or a woman.”

Zhixian said, “Then why don’t you change yourself?”

Moshan replied, “I’m not a fox spirit; why would I want to change?”

Zhixian did obeisance.

Miaoxin (840-895)

Miaoxin was a disciple of Yangshan Huiji. Yangshan was a dharma heir of Guishan Lingyou, the teacher of "Iron Grindstone" Liu. This perhaps gave Yangshan an appreciation of strong women. Like Liu, Miaoxin was formidable debater. Yangshan held Miaoxin in such high regard he made her minister of secular affairs for his monastery. He said, "She has the determination of a person of great resolve. She is truly the one qualified to serve as the director of the office for secular affairs."

Miaoxin, Woman Master of Flag, Wind and Mind
By Barbara O'Brien, About.com Guide

The Nun Miaoxin:

Little is known of Miaoxin's early life, except that she was born about 840 CE. Her nickname, Huaizi, "child of the Huai River," suggests she was born on the banks of the Huai, which flows west to east in central China. The name Miaoxin means "wonderful belief."

Her Place in the Lineage:

Miaoxin was a disciple of Yangshan Huiji. Yangshan was a dharma heir of Guishan Lingyou, which made him a dharma brother to the formidable "Iron Grindstone" Liu.

Yangshan held Miaoxin in such high regard he made her minister of secular affairs for his monastery. He said, "She has the determination of a person of great resolve. She is truly the one qualified to serve as the director of the office for secular affairs."

Flag, Wind, Mind:

Nearly 350 years after Miaoxin's death, she was remembered by the Japanese Zen Master Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) in "Raihai tokuzui," which is the 28th fascicle of his great work, Shobogenzo. Here

is the story Dogen told:

Once in the late afternoon, seventeen monks traveling together from Shu came to Yangshan's monastery to seek an audience with the teacher. Miaoxin greeted them and gave them a place to stay for the night within the offices of secular affairs. They were to see Yangshan in the morning.

Not the Wind, Not the Flag:

That evening, the monks discussed how they would challenge Yangshan to test his understanding. One suggested the well-known koan sometimes called "Not the Wind, Not the Flag." Recorded as the 29th koan of the Mumonkan, this koan is about a teaching of Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Ch'an (Zen).

The koan:

Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said, "The flag is moving."
The other said, "The wind is moving."
The Sixth Patriarch happened to be passing by. He told them, "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving."

Not Wind, Not Flag, Not Mind:

As the monks debated the koan, Miaoxin listened from another room. "How lamentable, you seventeen blind donkeys!" she said. "How many straw sandals have you wasted? The buddha dharma has not yet appeared even in your dreams!"

When the monks were told what Miaoxin had said, they went to her, bowed, and inquired about the Dharma.

Miaoxin then said, "Step forward!"

As the seventeen monks were walking toward her, Miaoxin said, it's not the wind moving, it's not the flag moving, it's not the mind moving."

All the monks realized enlightenment. They thanked Miaoxin and returned to Shu without seeing Yangshan.

Suggested Reading

• Zen 101 -- A Brief Introduction to Zen Buddhism
• Beginner Zen Books -- Best Books for Zen Beginners
• Huineng - Huineng Was the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism

Suggested Reading

• Japanese Tea Ceremony - Chado Is the Japanese Tea Ceremony
• Buddhism and Women -- Is Buddhism a Sexist Religion?
• Shaolin Kung Fu - Kung Fu Monks of Shaolin

Suggested Reading

• My So-Called Zen Practice: Personal Reflections
• Fusatsu - Fusatsu is a Zen Buddhist renewal of vows ceremony
• Buddhism in China: The First Thousand Years

Related Articles

• Women in Buddhism - Buddhism
• 100 Most Important Women in World History
• Zen Practice - Buddhism
• From India to China - Zen

• Bodhidharma -- Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of Zen

http://buddhism.about.com/od/chanandzenbuddhism/a/zenwomen.htm