Master Muyun’s Verses on the Essential Point of the Fundamental (牧雲和尚宗本投機頌)

About 牧雲和尚宗本投機頌

Ming · by 通明撰　附病遊遊刃．病遊初草．病遊後草

41,596 · about 139 min

The Reverend Muyun's Verses on the Fundamental Principle and the Opportunity for Awakening is a Buddhist scripture composed by the Chan master Tongming of the Ming dynasty, supplemented by additional texts including Wandering in Illness, The First Draft of Wandering in Illness, and The Later Draft of Wandering in Illness. This work emerged from the Chan monastic communities of the late Ming period. It employs the form of verse to elucidate the essential principles of the Chan school and the methods of seizing the opportunity for awakening, blending the style of the Linji lineage with the characteristics of literati Chan. It reflects the unique insights of Chan monks of that era into the cultivation and realization of mind-nature. Its content encompasses the investigation of Chan principles, the practice of cultivation, and the verification of attained states. The language is concise yet profound in meaning. Holding significant influence in the Buddhist history of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it provides a valuable document for studying the evolution of late Chan thought and its forms of practice, offering deep inspiration for the development of Chan studies in later generations.