SONG OF ENLIGHTENMENT

The Song of Enlightenment is a Chan Buddhist poem that dates back to the middle years of the Tang Dynasty. The text is attributed to the poet-monk Yongjia Xuanjue who was a disciple of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch in the Chan line and the founder of the Southern School of Enlightenment, which puts him and this text in the direct up line of the great Zen tradition.