Chinese Buddhism，which had entered a period of decline after the rule of China by the Mongols, came into life again in the middle of the sixth century. The Ch'an School was no exception. The Ch'an master of the era not only emphasized the experience of realization and the discipline of religious life but also attached much importance to the tracing of the school's lineage. The masters in the late Ming Dynasty left 50 works on Ch'an，comprising 386 volumes, and 65 works in the form of scriptural commentaries, comprising 269 volumes. Although the devision of Lin Chi and Tsao Tung remained，many outstanding masters of the time did not belong to either of the two sects. Another characteristic of the Ch'an masters of the late Ming Dynasty was their effort in compiling and teaching real examples of realization and methods of practice. This paper, which is based on ten historical works on Ch'an and the related records of dialogues and biographies, is a detailed investigation into 117 Ch'an masters of the late Ming Dynasty and the early Ch'ing Dynasty. It is divided into eight sections.
