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Baizhang Huaihai (; pinyin: Bǎizhàng Huáihái; Wade-Giles: Pai-chang Huai-hai; ) (720–814) was a Chan Buddhism/Zen master during the Tang dynasty. A native of Fuzhou, he was a dharma heir of Mazu Daoyi (Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu Tao-i). Baizhang's students included Huangbo Xiyun, Linji Yixuan and Puhua.
The image of Baizhang conveyed by the Tang dynasty sources is that of a learned and sagacious monk who is well versed in both the theoretical and contemplative aspects of medieval Chinese Buddhism. Here we encounter Baizhang as a teacher of a particular Chan brand of Buddhist doctrine, formulated in a manner and idiom that are unique to him and to the Hongzhou school as a whole. Nonetheless, he also comes across as someone who is cognizant of major intellectual trends in Tang Buddhism, as well as deeply steeped in canonical texts and traditions. His discourses are filled with scriptural quotations and allusions. He also often resorts to technical Buddhist vocabulary, of the kind one usually finds in the texts of philosophically oriented schools of Chinese Buddhism such as Huayan, Faxiang, and Tiantai. Here the primary mode in which Baizhang communicates his teachings is the public Chan sermon, presented in the ritual framework of “ascending the Dharma hall to” ( shangtang).Regarding his teachings, Poceski notes :
A central idea that infuses most of Baizhang’s sermons is the ineffability or indescribability of reality. Ultimate reality cannot be predicated in terms of conventional conceptual categories, as it transcends the familiar realm of words and ideas. Nonetheless, it can be approached or realized—as it truly is, without any accretions or distortions—as it manifests at all times and in all places. That is done by means of intuitive knowledge, whose cultivation is one of the cornerstones of Chan soteriology. Since the essence of reality cannot be captured or conveyed via the mediums of words and letters, according to Baizhang it is pointless to get stuck in dogmatic assertions, or to attach to a particular doctrine or practice. Like everything else, the various Chan (or more broadly Buddhist) teachings are empty of self-nature. They simply constitute expedient tools in an ongoing process of cultivating detachment and transcendence that supposedly free the mind of mistaken views and distorted ways of perceiving reality; to put it differently, they belong to the well-known Buddhist category of “skillful means” ( fangbian, or Upaya in Sanskrit). Holding on rigidly or fetishizing a particular text, viewpoint, or method of practice—even the most profound and potent ones—can turn out to be counterproductive, as it becomes a source of attachment that impedes spiritual progress. The perfection of the Chan path of practice and realization, therefore, does not involve the attainment of some particular ability or knowledge. Rather, in Baizhang’s text it is depicted as a process of letting go of all views and attachment that interfere with the innate human ability to know reality and experience spiritual freedom.One of his doctrinal innovations is what are called the “three propositions” ( sanju), which are three distinct stages of spiritual realization or progressive ways of knowing:
Baizhang's teachings and sayings have been translated by Thomas Cleary in Sayings and Doings of Pai-Chang. (1978). 9780916820107, Center Publications. ISBN 9780916820107 Baizhang also features in the Wild fox koan.
According to traditional Chan/Zen accounts, Baizhang established an early set of rules for Zen (Chinese Zen) monk discipline, the Pure Rules of Baizhang (; 不立佛殿，唯樹法堂－－唐代叢林的生活規範 ) It was practiced in Ta-chih shou-sheng ch'an-ssu (Jp. Daichijusho-zenji), founded by Baizhang. This monastery contained a monks hall, an innovation which became typical for Chán:
Some believe these rules developed much later in Chan history, and are agreed by the monks Taixu and Hsu Yun.
As the Zen monks farmed, it helped them to survive the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution. These rules are still used today in many Zen monasteries. From this text comes Baizhang's well-known saying "a day without work is a day without food" ().
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