Origins & Early Life

Yunmen Wenyan (Chinese: 雲門文偃; Japanese: Ummon Bun'en; 862 or 864 – 949 CE), was a major Chinese Chan master of the Tang dynasty. He was a dharma-heir of Xuefeng Yicun. Yunmen founded the Yunmen school, one of the five major schools of Chán (Chinese Zen). The name is derived from Yunmen monastery of Shaozhou where Yunmen was abbot.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Yunmen school flourished into the early Song Dynasty, with particular influence on the upper classes, and eventually culminating in the compilation and writing of the Blue Cliff Record. The school would eventually be absorbed by the Linji school later in the Song. The lineage still lives on to this day through Chan Master Xuyun (1840–1959). Yunmen was born in the town of Jiaxing near Suzhou and southwest of Shanghai to the Zhang family, apparently in 864 CE. His birth year is uncertain.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The two memorial stele at the Yunmen monastery states he was 86 years old when he died in 949 CE, which suggests that he was born in 864 CE. While a boy, Yunmen became a monk under a "Commandment master" named Zhicheng in Jiaxing. He studied there for several years, taking his monastic vows at age 20, in 883 CE...

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