The Gateless Barrier
13th century Chinese collection of 48 koans
The Gateless Barrier (Mandarin: 無門關 Wúménguān; Japanese: 無門関 Mumonkan), sometimes translated as The Gateless Gate, is a collection of 48 Chan koans compiled in the early 13th century by the Chinese master Wumen Huikai (無門慧開; Japanese: Mumon Ekai; 1183–1260) during the Song dynasty. The title has a double meaning and can also be understood as Wumen's Barrier; Wumen's name, which literally means "no gate", is the title's first two characters. Wumen's preface indicates that the volume was published in 1228. Each koan is accompanied by a commentary and verse by Wumen. A classic edition includes a 49th case composed by Anwan in 1246. Wuliang Zongshou also supplemented the volume with a verse of four stanzas composed in 1230 about the three barriers of Chan master Huanglong Huinan.
Since the Southern Song dynasty, the Chinese Buddhist canon has not included The Gateless Barrier, but Wumen's disciples brought the work to Japan, where it has been reprinted many times. It is collected in volume 48 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. Along with the Blue Cliff Record and the oral tradition of Hakuin Ekaku, The Gateless Gate is a central work much used in Rinzai School practice. Five of the koans in the work concern the sayings and doings of Zhaozhou; four concern Ummon.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Gateless Barrier” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.