Chan, from Sanskrit dhyāna, is a Mahāyāna Chinese Buddhist tradition. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song dynasties. By the Ming
Liao dynasty statue of the Eleven Headed Guanyin in Dule Temple in Tianjin, China.
The Chinese character for Buddha, fó on a temple
Bodhidharma with Dazu Huike. Painting by Sesshū Tōyō, 15th century.
Guifeng Zongmi was a Tang dynasty Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar who is considered a patriarch of both the Huayan school and Chan Buddhism. Zongmi wrote a number of works on several Mahayana Sutras
Potrait of Guifeng Zongmi (Japanese: Keihō Shūmitsu) from the Kegon-affifiated temple of Tōdai-ji in Nara, Japan. 15th century.