Guishan Lingyou
Guishan Lingyou was a Chinese Chan master during the Tang dynasty and the founder of the Guiyang school.
Life
- 771: born under the secular surname Zhao, born in Changxi, Fujian province
- 785: became a Buddhist monk at age 15, received tonsure ceremony at Shanjian Temple in Fujian, received the monastic precepts at Longxing Temple in Hangzhou where he studied sutra and Vinaya Pitaka.
- 793: at age 23, followed Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai, as his dharma heir disciple
- 820: in 805 Zhao left the temples of Fujian to go on a spiritual journey at the age of 34. Zhao spent years in the mountains to express his gratitude for a Buddhist deity through a daily set of 10,000 punches followed by prayers everyday without rest for 15 years. Upon descending from the mountains, Zhao was famed and revered for his ability to
- 853: died at age 83