Five Lamps Complete Record (五燈全書)

About 五燈全書

Qing · by 超永編輯

1,835,535 · about 6118 min

The Complete Compendium of the Five Lamps, compiled by the eminent monk Chaoyong during the Qing Dynasty and completed in the Kangxi era, stands as one of the pivotal historical texts of Chinese Chan Buddhism. This work synthesizes the essence of earlier lamp records such as the *Compendium of the Five Lamps* and systematically organizes the lineage records and discourse anthologies of the Chan school from the Buddha through the early Qing period. Its contents encompass the origins and development of the five houses and seven schools of Chan. With a rigorous approach to historical sources, Chaoyong verified materials and supplemented Chan historical records from the Song and Yuan dynasties onward, rendering the transmission of the Chan dharma lineage more complete and clear. As a definitive summation of Chan lamp records, *The Complete Compendium of the Five Lamps* is not only a core text for the study of Chan history and thought but also a key document for understanding the cultural heritage of Chinese Buddhism. It holds an irreplaceable authoritative status in Buddhist philology and Chan studies.