Linji Yixuan
Rinzai Zen · d. 866
“If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.”
Linji Yixuan (Rinzai Gigen in Japanese) was a Chinese Chan master and the founder of the Linji school, known in Japan as Rinzai Zen. His teaching was electric — shouts, blows, and paradoxes.
A student of Huang Po, Linji inherited his teacher’s directness but pushed it further, confronting the student with their own nature.
His recorded sayings, the Linji Lu, are among the most vivid documents in Zen literature.
Key teachings
The True Person of No Rank
Your authentic self is not defined by status or attainment. It is what remains when all roles fall away.
Direct Pointing
Cut through concepts to experience reality directly. No intermediary stands between you and truth.
Kill the Buddha
Destroy every fixed idea, even your idea of Buddha. Whatever you cling to becomes an obstacle.
Notable works
The Record of Linji
Dharma talks, encounters, and shouts. The foundational text of Rinzai Zen.
One teaching like this each morning — and Mu, a companion who remembers your path.
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