This paper is a study on Renshan Jizhen’s 仁山寂震 (1631-1697) recently discovered Renshan Heshang Baohua Yulu 仁山和尚寶華語錄. By examining its content as found in four different versions, this paper aims to clarify Renshan Jizhen’s thought and his Chan teaching methods. Renshan Jizhen was not only an important dharma-heir of Poshi Honbi 剖石弘璧 (1599-1670), but also one of the most influential masters among the third generation of the Sanfeng lineage in the early Qing Dynasty. As a prolific author, his works span more than 160 volumes including “A Commentary on the Jingan Sanmei Sutra,” i.e., Jingang Sanmei Ging Tongzong Ji 金剛三昧經通宗記, the “Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā Repentance,” i.e., Dabore Chanfa 大般若懺法, as well as collections of poems, recorded sayings and lamp transmission stories. Among these works, Renshan Heshang Baohua Yulu represents a complete work on the early stages of Chan practice. By exploring Jizhen’s self-positioning as Chan master and analyzing his Chan teaching style, this paper proposes that Jizhen’s teachings employed both directly pointing to a person’s mind and skill-in-expediency, including beating-and-shouting, huatou 話頭, Chan principles and scripture teaching. He viewed Poshi Honbi as his main role model and developed a structure of Chan practice that represented Dengshan 鄧山, with flexible application of diverse expediencies and directly pointing to mind.
