With the discovery of Dunhuang manuscripts in the early 20th century, modern academic research on the history of Chan Buddhism began to unfold. One of the most significant discoveries was the departure from the entrenched position of the Southern lineage within traditional Chan histories. It was fully recognized that the orthodoxy of the Southern lineage was not established as claimed in the traditional records, which asserted it was determined by the Fifth Patriarch Hongren (602-675) through Dharma transmission and robe bestowal. Instead, it emerged as the result of several generations of continuous operation, ultimately standing out from among the various lineages of Chan Buddhism. However, despite scholars confirming that the Southern lineage had monopolized Chan transmission by the late 9th century, there remains disagreement on the specific time and the means through which it gained its advantageous position in transmission. This paper argues that although existing theories have their insights, they often lack sufficient material for readers to compare and judge the rise and fall of various lineages effectively. Therefore, it proposes to return to the most intuitive method by collecting the names of key Chan figures from the beginning of the 8th century, when the debate over the orthodox lineage of Chan began, to the late 9th century. Then, it will organize the chronological sequence to examine the scale and distribution of each lineage at different time periods, aiming to establish a basic model of the growth and decline of various lineages. Finally, using this as a guide, it will attempt to unearth materials from the literature that can confirm the rising and falling curve, aiming to propose more convincing hypotheses. This paper will argue that the ultimate rise of Southern Chan was likely unexpectedly catalyzed by the political event of the Huichang persecution of Buddhism. In other words, this trajectory was not necessarily inevitable but rather the accidental result of various circumstances coming together.
Keywords:
Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhism, development landscape, rise and fall of lineages, geographical distribution, Huichang Persecution