The Zen Teachings of Rinzai

Rinzai Gigen, father of the line or school of Rinzai Zen, died January 10th, 866 A.D. His date of birth is unknown, but it is generally taken that his teaching career was not much longer than a decade. The Rinzai Line is one of the Five Houses of Zen, best thought of as teaching styles that developed within the Zen school, following a great master. It was brought to Japan in the 13th century. The historical development of the Zen School is well documented. A bibliography is appended. Rinzai's "Record" was written by his disciples. It contains his teachings, episodes from his training, and from his teaching career.