Definition
Reading: Roso Houn / Reading (ZH): Lǔzǔ Bǎoyún
Luzu Baoyun (魯祖宝雲) was a Zen monk of the Tang dynasty. He was a direct Dharma heir of Mazu Daoyi (馬祖道一). Mazu Daoyi was a famous Zen monk of the Tang dynasty. Luzu was like an older brother to Nanquan Puyuan because they studied under the same master. He only faced the wall to answer. However, he sometimes preached with many words, or answered questions in dialogues.
He lived on Mount Luzu in Chizhou. This area is near present-day Guichi City in Anhui Province. Dongshan Liangjie (洞山良价) visited Luzu when Dongshan was young.(景徳傳燈録 卷第七（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).
Q&A
- Q: Why did Luzu Baoyun only face the wall to answer questions?
- A: Because he knew the limits of words, gave up words, and reached the ultimate silent style of "facing the wall." Master Changsha Jingcen (長沙景岑), who studied under the same master Mazu, revealed, "When Luzu first opened his temple, he spoke many words to his monks." This shows that Luzu was not silent from the beginning.
