Yunmen Wenyan
Japanese romaji: Ummon Bunen
Cloud Gate Scripture Abandon
| born: 864 died: 949 85 years place: China |
| Chan masters: Xuefeng (J., Seppo), Muzhou (J. Bokushu) Chan disciples: Dongshan Shouchu (J. Tozan Shusho), .... |
| stories: Blue Cliff Record: Case 86, Everybody has his Own Light, .... Wumenguan, Case 21, A Dry Shit Stick Osho Live Zen, ch. 10 Zen: The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest, ch. 2, ch. 3, ch. 7, ch. 10, ch. 13 Zen: The Diamond Thunderbolt, ch. 1, ch. 4 The Miracle, ch. 8 Rinzai: Master of the Irrational, ch. 5 And the Flowers Showered, ch. 9 |
Yunmen is a very well known Zen master, originally
from what's now the Shanghai area of China. He ended
up at Yunmen mountain in Guangdong Province, near
the modern city of Shaoguan--called Yunmen Zen
Temple (see present-day photos).
His roushen, or mummy body, disappeared during the
Cultural Revolution of China (1966-76), and has not
been rediscovered.
from what's now the Shanghai area of China. He ended
up at Yunmen mountain in Guangdong Province, near
the modern city of Shaoguan--called Yunmen Zen
Temple (see present-day photos).
His roushen, or mummy body, disappeared during the
Cultural Revolution of China (1966-76), and has not
been rediscovered.
aka: Yun-Men (old W.G.)
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Zen Masters |
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| Once, Yunmen exclaimed, "Buddhism is just terrific! The tongue is so short." Then he added, "So long." He then said, "When we have finished cutting with a great ax, we rub our hands together." It looks like a puzzle but it is not a puzzle. What he is saying is:"Buddhism is just terrific!" – it is an experience beyond words, beyond explanations, beyond human capacities. Our tongues are so short that they cannot utter the great experience. Our words are so small that they cannot contain the infinity, the eternity, the immortality of the experience. And the experience is so long! Our tongues are so short, our hands are so small, and the moon is so far away... --Osho Zen: The Diamond Thunderbolt, ch. 1 |
Chinese simplified: 云门文偃
| Note: In his original English talks, Osho used the Japanese pronunciations of the Chinese names used in these stories, to a large extent. In his books the names were romanized using Japanese romaji. In the instances where Osho used the original Chinese names, they were romanized in the books using the old Wade-Giles system, now seen very infrequently in world wide usage. The stories shown on this website will attempt to revert to the more accurate original Chinese identification, using modern Chinese pinyin romanization, if the people and places are Chinese. If they are Japanese, then Japanese romaji will be retained. |