Zhaozhou Congshen趙州從諗
- Born
- 778
- Died
- 897
- Teacher
- Nanquan Puyuan (transmission)
- School
- Chan
Student of Nanquan Puyuan, said to have lived to 120 and taught at Zhaozhou from the age of eighty. His exchanges are among those the koan collections cite most often; his recorded sayings hold the dog, the cypress tree and “go drink tea”.
The dates are the Jingde chuandeng lu’s (1004), which puts his death in the fourth year of Qianning (897) and his age at 120. The account of his life printed with his recorded sayings dates the death only to a wuzi year, which 897 is not, and quotes a stupa inscription giving his age as seven hundred sixty-day cycles, about 115 years.
Writings and records
Related people
Stories
The monks of the east and west halls at Nanquan’s were arguing over a cat. Nanquan picked it up and said: if any of you can say a word, I will spare it; if not, I will cut it in two. No one answered. He cut the cat in two.
Two monks arrived at Zhaozhou’s. He asked the first whether he had been there before. No, the monk said. Go drink tea, said Zhaozhou. He asked the second the same. Yes, I have, the monk said. Go drink tea, said Zhaozhou.
Sources
- Daoyuan (comp.), Jingde chuandeng lu 景德傳燈錄 (1004), Taishō T.2076 · link
- Zhaozhou Zhenji chanshi yulu 趙州真際禪師語錄 (Record of Zhaozhou), Guzunsu yulu 古尊宿語錄, Zokuzōkyō X.1315, fascicles 13–14 (X68n1315_p0076a07–) · link
- Charles Muller (ed.), Digital Dictionary of Buddhism · link
- Andy Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (2011)
Checked against sources 2026-11-03 by pipeline/opus@13efa67. Report an error.