This thesis is a research on the quotations of Chan Master Yuancheng (1561-1626) during the late Ming Dynasty. It mainly discusses the ideas of Chan from its historical background, life story, words and deeds, and influence on Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty. Chan Master Yuancheng is well known as Wandering Wooden Practitioner (San mu Dao Ren “散木道人”. In the nineteenth year’s century (1591), he was handed down from the Cizhou master of a skill as the Buddhist monk of the 35th Caodong school, and also one of the founders of Caodong school in the late Ming Dynasty. Chan Master Yuancheng made a great contribution to that time such as building disciples, laymen believed in him dharma studying. Therefore, he had a certain status in the history of Chan Buddhism and became one of the representatives of Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty. It still nowadays has considerable influence and grow up at Caodong branches. “Chan Master Yuancheng's Quotations” was written by the disciples of Yuancheng and the famous scholars and literati laymen, such as Wu Xing Ding Yuangong, Tao Wangling (1562-1609: at late Ming scholars), Chen Yudian (1554-1638: a poet literary person of Ming Dynasty), Liu Ye, Zhu Jiaxuan and so on, and these published by them. By the way commentary such as: The words and deeds of the Chan master who is described therein are inseparable from the contemporary events of figures, and therefore are conducive to the understanding of contemporary meditation and Buddhism. So far, there has been no in-depth discussion and research on such quotations. The Buddhist Chan theory of Chan Master Yuan Cheng originated from three major sources: The first “Quotations from Yuan Cheng”, the second “The Annotation of the Buddha's Supreme Mantra such as: Śūraṃgama-sūtra Commentary, Sad-dharma Puṇḍárīka Sūtra Annotated Commentary, Vajra-samādhi Sūtra Annotated Commentary, and Brahma-viśeṣa-cintī-paripṛcchā Sūtra Annotated Commentary. The third “Chan-Pure land-Mantra” the influence of Chan Buddhism and other repairs. As a result, the three major sources and flows gather, likened as the sea and the rivers, to carry out the trend of the confluence of the various streams. Therefore, the author intends to trace the source of "Chan Master Yuancheng’s Quotations " in the meaning of Chan thoughts as research purposes and issues. Finally, on the basic clear understanding about “Chan Master Yuan Cheng Quotations”. I will try to figure out the Chan idea of Yuancheng based on the following three points: Buddhahood, Buddhist ideology, engaged of Buddhism. Through the studying of Yuancheng's ideological features, I have a more clear detailed understanding of the connotation of Chan ideology in the late Ming Dynasty, and based on this, we will continue to conduct more in-depth research on Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty.
