Ch'an is an abbreviation of the word Ch'an-na, it is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word Dhyana. Ch'an, also translated as Zen, is the teachings and practices of which are directed toward self-realization and lead finally to the complete awakening (enlightenment). In Ch'an, which is often also called the School of Buddha-Mind, sudden enlightenment has played a central role. It stressed meditation over teaching as the shortest, and the steepest way to realizing the Buddha-mind inherent in all of us.

According to legend this special transmission began with the famous discourse of Buddha Shakyamuni on Vulture Peak Mountain (Gridhrakuta). At that time, the Buddha held up a flower before the assembly and the only person who understood the profound meaning of this gesture was Mahakasypa; he responded with a smile. Subsequently, the Buddha announced "Here is the Tathagata's Dharma-eye, profound Nirvanic mind, formless reality, profound and mystical Dharma, wordless doctrine, and the special transmission outside the orthodox teaching; now I transmit it to you Mahakasypa as my successor." Thus Mahakasypa became the First Patriarch of Ch'an in India.

It is said that the special transmission was passed down in an unbroken chain to the twenty-eighth Indian patriarch Bodhidharma, the founder of Ch'an in China. During the reign of the emperor of Liang Wu-ti in the sixth century A.D., Bodhidharma brought Dhyana Buddhism from India to China (Fig. 1, Shau-Lin Temple, the first Ch'an teaching was given here).

In the course of further transmission of the teaching, down to the 5^th patriarch, two lines initially developed:

• The "northern school" of gradual enlightenment: The doctrine is originated by Shen-hsiu, the rival of Hui-neng. Shen-hsiu's teaching was more scholastic and aimed to the ruler level as audiences. This school survived for only a short time.

• The "southern school" of sudden enlightenment: The doctrine is stressed by Hui-neng (638-713) focusing more on the normal people's needs and feelings. It quickly becoming the dominant school.

Hui-neng developed out of the combination of the spiritual essence of Dhyana Buddhism and the teaching of other religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism, in order to suit the trend of merging society in mid-Tang dynasty. With sensitive and dynamic approaches to address the meaning of liberation, Ch'an school combining the speculative with the practical, the metaphysical with the earthy. After that Hui-neng and his immediate successors began the great period of Ch'an, which produced a large number of great masters during Tang and Sung dynasties. Among these were extraordinary masters such as Ma-tsu Tao-I, Pai-chang Huai-hai, Te-shan Hsuan-Chien, Tung-shan Liang-chieh, Chao-shou Tung-shen, and Lin-chi I-hsuan. These masters shaped training methods to fit the needs of their followers' different backgrounds. The flexible teaching became the typical training technique of Ch'an school.

The lineage of the Southern school of Ch'an split into five houses and seven schools. They are differed in details of training style but not in essential content. The five houses and seven schools are

1. The Wei-yang school, found by Ling-You(771-853) and Hwei-chi(807-883).
2. The Lin-chi school, found by I-hsuan(?-867). It later branched off Hwan-long and Young-chi schools.
3. The Tsau-Tong school, found by Wu-ban(807-869).
4. The Win-mane school, found by Wen-Yian(864-949).
5. The Far-yang school, found by Wen-I(885-958).

While Ch'an in China declined after the Sung dynasty and then, through admixture with the Pure Land school during the Ming dynasty, ceased to exist altogether as an authentic lineage of transmission of the Buddha-Mind.