始祖釋迦牟尼佛。示生於中天竺國。為淨飯聖王之子。尋捨轉輪聖王位。出家成無上道轉大法輪。其後七十九歲垂般涅槃。乃以其大法印付其高第弟子摩訶迦葉。并勅阿難副貳傳化。復以金縷僧伽梨衣。令大迦葉轉付當來補處彌勒佛。其說偈曰。
法本法無法 無法法亦法
今付無法時 法法何曾法
Orthodox Lineage Determination Chart for the Transmission of the Dharma (傳法正宗定祖圖)
About 傳法正宗定祖圖
Song · by 契嵩撰
6,134 · about 20 min
The *Illustrated Records of the Orthodox Lineage of Dharma Transmission* by the eminent Northern Song dynasty monk Qisong is a significant historical treatise of the Chan school. Composed during the Song dynasty, a period of flourishing Chan Buddhism yet frequent disputes over dharma lineage, this work aims to verify and establish the patriarchal lineage of the Chan school—from Śākyamuni Buddha through Bodhidharma down to the Six Patriarchs in China—by integrating images with textual exposition. It systematically presents the transmission lineage of the Twenty-Eight Patriarchs in India and the Six Patriarchs in China, accompanied by illustrative diagrams, thereby reinforcing the orthodoxy and continuity of the Chan dharma lineage. This text holds an important position in Buddhist history. Not only did it consolidate the concept of orthodox dharma transmission within the Chan school, but it also exerted a profound influence on the later compilation of Chan historical records and sectarian identity. It remains a core document for the study of the transmission and development of Chinese Chan Buddhism.