宗杲禅师年幼时就有绝尘拔俗之英气，而且“灵根夙具，慧性生知”。12岁时投慧云齐公禅师门下为沙弥，17岁受具足戒。

开始游方参禅至曹洞宗门下，很长时间不能契机印心，未得要领。后来离去归到宝峰湛堂禅师门内学禅法。湛堂见其风神爽迈，词锋机锐，倍加器重，让他随侍左右，指引参禅入道捷径。长久没有见机悟道，湛堂禅师词责他：“汝未曾悟，病在意识，领解则为所知障。”湛堂入涅槃之前，将他推举给杨歧派高僧圆悟克勤禅师。宋徽宗宣和六年（1124年），克勤禅师奉诏进京住持天宁寺。

宗杲慕名而至，投在其座下，并深得赞赏，被“印可”而传“心法”，而且得命“分座接众，”成为克勤座下第一大弟子，其思想欲摆脱庄子之影响而不得。然宗杲禅师以他超然的智慧，锐利的机锋，敏捷的辩才，很快名播京都。徽宗得闻宗杲之声望，赐号“佛日”以示嘉奖。

后因金兵进犯开封，宗杲禅师离京星夜赴吴地（今江苏），暂住于虎丘以观时局发展。此时其师克勤禅师迁住江西云居山，宗杲遂前往追随，充任首座之职。此后，宗杲禅师辗转漂游于西湖和闽浙地区，虽历经艰难，但道心更坚，更增强了他追求佛道的信心。最终在临安（浙江杭州）径山开办道场，倡导克勤禅法，于是道业日隆，法缘日盛，“四方纳子，靡然纷集，至一千七百。”

先后参访洞山微、湛堂文准、圜悟克勤等师。宣和年间，与圜悟克勤住东京（开封），大悟后，乃嗣圜悟之法，圜悟并以所著‘临济正宗记’付嘱之。未几，令师分座说法，由是丛林归重，名振京师。大观三年，宗杲往泐潭，投入湛堂文准（1061—1115）门下，先于宣州一带持钵，后入为侍者。文准为真净克文的嗣法弟子，属黄龙派。宗杲在其座下，实受其钳锤陶冶，对其日后禅学思想的成熟是有深刻影响的。宗杲自谓：“宗杲虽参圆悟和尚打失鼻孔，元初与我安鼻孔者，却得湛堂（文准）和尚。”[2] 而文准亦对宗杲极为赏识，以法器期之，以为“非碌碌余子可比”，“他日必能任重致远”。[3] 政和五年（1115），文准入灭，疾亟之际，宗杲问曰：“和尚若不起此疾，教某甲依附谁可以了大事？”文准曰：“有个川勤，我亦不识他，你若见他，必能成就此事。若见他了不得，便修行去，后世出来参禅。”[4] 所谓“川勤”，即指圆悟克勤。次年，亦即政和六年，宗杲受众人之托而往荆南，拜会张商英，请他为文准撰塔铭；宗杲由此与张商英结识，其颖悟乐辩亦甚为张商英所赞叹，因此当宣和二年（1120）的春天，宗杲再次往荆南拜谒张氏的时候，张氏遂欣然为他向克勤作了推荐（张氏即卒于是年）。宣和六年，诏克勤住东京天宁寺，宗杲听说以后，“私自庆曰：此老实天赐我也！”[5] 遂往天宁，于次年挂搭于该寺，由此而得以师事克勤。宗杲在圆悟克勤门下参禅四十二日而悟道，克勤“著《临济正宗记》以付之，俾掌记室，分座训徒。”靖康元年（1126），右丞相吕好问（字舜徒，1064—1131）奏请朝廷，钦宗赐宗杲紫衣及“佛日大师”之号。此后，宗杲尝辗转于江、浙、广、闽诸地，至绍兴七年（1137），因丞相张浚之请而住持余杭径山能仁禅院，僧众多至一千七百余人，“皆诸方角立之士，师（宗杲）行首山令，起临济宗，憧憧往来，其门如市，学徒咨扣，日入玄奥；规绳不立，而法社肃如也。由是宗风大振，号称临济再兴。”[7]

绍兴十年（1140），侍郎张九成（1092—1159，字子韶，号横浦，又号无垢，杭州人）登径山，宗杲与他一起讨论《大学》中的“格物致知”之义，相与甚为相笃。次年四月，九成因父丧，再上径山，在与宗杲的议论当中，或许对朝政亦有所议论。时秦桧专权，力主与金国议和，肆意贬黜抗金名将岳飞、韩世忠等，而张九成则是竭力主张抗金的。《宋史》张九成本传云：“径山僧宗杲，善谈禅理，从游者众，九成时往来期间。（秦）桧恐其议己，令司谏詹大方论其与宗杲谤讪朝政。”是年五月，“敕九成居家持服，服满别听指挥。径山主僧宗杲追牒，责衡州。”[8] 自是宗杲开始了长达十六年流放生涯。他于七月至衡州（今湖南衡阳）贬所；绍兴二十年又被再贬梅州（今属广东省）；至二十五年，得“蒙恩自便”，因此他于绍兴二十六年的正月离开梅州，起程返回浙江，途中曾与谪居安南而此时亦被起复的张九成再次聚会；同年三月，宗杲被旨恢复了僧籍。

绍兴二十七年（1157），宗杲住持明州育王山光孝寺（在今宁波），时年已六十九岁。“裹粮问道者万二千指，百废并举，檀度响从，冠于今昔。”因育王山地势较高，饮水缺乏，众僧甚以为苦，宗杲遂凿泉而为大池；又因僧人众多，粮食不足，又率众围垦海岸闲地，筑涂田数千顷，用赡斋厨；这些举措受到了朝廷的褒奖，诏赐其座，名为“般若”。[9] 绍兴二十八年，宗杲被旨再住余杭径山，“道俗钦慕，如见其所亲”，虽年事已高，然接引后进，未尝少倦。绍兴三十二年，孝宗赐以“大慧禅师”之号。次年，即隆兴元年（1163），宗杲圆寂。嗣其法者八十有四人；门人集其著述讲说，编为《大慧普觉禅师语录》三十卷、《大慧普觉禅师宗门武库》一卷等。

宗杲为一代禅门硕德，临济宗绪之不坠，实赖以扶持。其博通内外典籍，融摄经教，而归于发明本心之旨；和会儒释，融世出世间法于一体，而又慧辩无碍，广与士大夫交游，由是而实致南宋学风以深厚影响。张浚为其撰塔铭，称其“纵横踔厉，无所疑于心，大肆其说，如苏（秦）、张（仪）之雄辩，如孙（武）、吴（起）之用兵，如建瓴水转圆石于千仞之阪；诸老敛衽，莫当其锋。于时贤士大夫，往往争与之游。”[10] 足见其于当时影响之巨。宗杲生逢变乱之世，国家蒙耻，人民流离，故其身虽处于方外，其心却无所局限，以菩提心等于忠义心，爱君忧国，虽得罪而无怨悔，诚非常人之所能，而实为僧中之硕德，人中之英杰。“师虽为方外士，而义笃君亲，每及时事，爱君忧时，见之词气，其论甚正确。……使为吾儒，岂不为名士？而其学佛，亦卓然自立于当世，非豪杰丈夫哉？”[11] 宗杲自己说：“菩提心则忠义心也，名异而体同。但此心与义相遇，则世出世间一网打就，无少无剩矣。予虽学佛者，然爱君忧国之心，与忠义士大夫等。但力所不能，而年运往矣！”[12] “力所不能而年运往矣”，其中正蕴含着他对时局的忧患及其对时政的感叹。而这一特殊的时代生活背景，亦正为我们理解宗杲之禅学思想的基本前提。

 Zongzhi, Zen master (1089-1163), surnamed Xi, was born in Ningguo, Xuanzhou (now Ningguo City, Anhui Province). Xiao Dahui, a famous monk in the Southern Song Dynasty, once lived in Miaoxi Temple. He entered Huiyun Temple at the age of 13, and the next year was Jingde Temple in Zhongjingde County. In Song Xuanhe's six years (1124), he visited Zen Master's Garden in Binzhou to realize Keqin. He is famous for his eloquence in lecturing with the permission of Garden Enlightenment. Seventeen years old, he was born in Huiyun Temple of Dongshan under the Huiqi Gate. The next year he received full precepts.

Shaoxing seven years (1137), Jujieshan Nengren Temple. In the past 11 years, because of dissatisfaction with Qin Hua's policy of capitulating Jinren and negotiating, he was falsely accused of "slandering the dynasty's government" with Zhang Jiucheng, taking away his clothes and clothes and serving as an army in Hengzhou, Meizhou and Yangyu, Fujian. After 26 years of pardon, he resumed his monk's clothes and went to Ayuwang Mountain in Mingzhou. Thirty-two years later, Xiaozong heard his name and called it "Dahui Zen Master" and "Miaoxi Temple" in the imperial book.

After that, he sang and watched Zen in Yunju Mountain, and opened the first place for Zen Buddhism to participate in the conversation. After the silence, Pu Jue and the pagoda called Baoguang.

When Zen Master Zonggai was young, he had the virtue of breaking away from the common customs, and he was "wise and knowledgeable". When he was 12 years old, he was a Shami under the Zen Master Huiyun Qigong. At 17, he received full precepts.

It took a long time for you to visit Fangfang Zen and go to Cao Dong Zong's gate, but you couldn't get the chance to impress and get the gist. Later, he left and returned to Baofeng Zhantang Zen Master to study Zen Buddhism. Zhan Tang saw that his spirit was bright, his words were sharp and highly valued. He let him attend and guide him to the shortcut of Zen meditation. For a long time, Zen master Zhan Tang criticized him: "You have not realized that illness is in consciousness, understanding is a barrier to knowledge." Before Zhan Tang entered Nirvana, he was recommended to Master Yuanwu Keqin, a prominent monk of the Yangqi School. In the six years of Xuanhe (1124) of Huizong in Song Dynasty, Zen Master Keqin was ordered to live in Tianning Temple in Beijing.

Zong Xiao was admired for his fame, threw under his seat, and was deeply appreciated. He was "imprinted" and passed on the "mind method" and ordered to "stand in different seats" to become the first disciple under Keqin's seat. His thoughts wanted to get rid of the influence of Chuang Tzu but could not get rid of it. However, with his transcendent wisdom, sharp edge and agile eloquence, Zongzhi Zen Master soon became famous in Kyoto. Huizong received the reputation of Wen Zonggao and gave the name "Buddha Day" to show his praise.

Later, because the Jinbing invaded Kaifeng, Zen Master Zongxiao left Beijing for Wudi (now Jiangsu) at night to stay temporarily in Huqiu to observe the development of the situation. At this time, his teacher, Master Keqin, moved to Yunju Mountain in Jiangxi Province, and Zonggao went to follow him and assumed the first post. Thereafter, Zen Master Zongzhi wandered around the West Lake and Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. Although he experienced hardships, his Taoist spirit was stronger and his confidence in pursuing Buddhism and Taoism was strengthened. Eventually, in Linan (Hangzhou, Zhejiang) Jingshan, a Taoist venue was opened to advocate the Keqin Chan method. As a result, the Taoist industry grew and the legal edge flourished. "Four sides of Nazi flourished to 1700."

He has visited Dongshan Weiwei, Zhan Tang Wenzhun, Yuewu Keqin and other teachers successively. During Xuanhe's reign, Keqin lived in Tokyo (Kaifeng) with Awakening. After Awakening, Awakening was the method of Awakening, which was instructed by his book "Linji Authentic Record". Soon after, the division was divided into two groups. It was the jungle, named Zhenjing division. In the three years of Daguan, Zongpi went to Fantan and threw himself under Zhan Tang Wenzhun (1061-1115), holding bowls in front of Xuanzhou and then serving as waiters. Wen Jun is a disciple of the descendants of Zhenjing Kewen and belongs to the Huanglong School. Zongpiao, under his seat, was deeply influenced by his forceps and hammers, which had a profound impact on the maturity of his Zen thought in the future. Zong Xiao claimed: "Although Zong Xiao lost his nostrils in the early Yuan Dynasty, he got Zhan Tang (Wen Zhun) monk with my nostrils in the early Yuan Dynasty." [2] Wen Jun also appreciated Zonggao very much, expecting him to be "comparable to the rest of the busy life" and "he will surely have a long way to go in the future". [3] In the five years of Zhenghe (1115), when the literary access was extinguished, Zong Xiao asked, "If monks do not suffer from this disease, who can teach a Jia to depend on?" Wen Jung said, "There is a Chuan Qin, I do not know him, if you see him, you will be able to achieve this. If he is great, he will practice and later generations will come out to meditate. [4] The so-called "Chuanqin" refers to the realization of Keqin. The following year, that is, in the sixth year of Zhenghe, Zong Gao was entrusted by the public to Jingnan, visited Zhang Shangying, and asked him to write a Taming for Wen Zhun. Zong Xiao got to know Zhang Shangying from this, and Zhang Shangying praised him for his insight and argumentation. Therefore, in the spring of Xuanhe and the second year (1120), Zong Gao went to visit Zhang again in Jingnan, and Zhang Xinran recommended him to Keqin (that is the year when Zhang died). Xuanhe lived in Tianning Temple in Tokyo for six years. When Zong Xiao heard about it, he said, "Privately celebrate: This honest God gives me too!" [5] Then he went to Tianning and hung up at the temple the following year, so that he could be diligent in teaching. On the 42nd day of practicing meditation under the door of Keqin, Zonglou realized the Tao. Keqin "wrote Linji Authentic Records to pay for it, and handled it to the Record Room, where the disciples were separated." In the first year of Jingkang (1126), Prime Minister Lv Haowen (Shun Shun Tu, 1064-1131) invited the imperial court to grant the title of "Purple Clothes of Zongzhi" and "Master Buddha and Japan" by Emperor Qinzong. Since then, Zongzhu tasted in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangzhou and Fujian, and in Shaoxing for seven years (1137), at the invitation of Chancellor Zhang Jun, he lived in Nengren Zen Temple in Yuhang Jingshan. There were more than 1,700 monks, all of whom were from all corners. Teachers (Zongzhi) went to the first mountain decree and came to Linji Sect. They looked forward to each other. Their doors were like cities, their apprentices were consulted, and they entered the mysterious mysteries day by day. By Zongfeng Dazhen, known as Linji revitalization. [7]

In the 10th year of Shaoxing (1140), Zhang Jiucheng (1092-1159, Zishao, Hengpu, and Hangzhou native) climbed Mount Jingshan, and Zong Xiao discussed with him the meaning of "learning by nature" in "University", which is quite different from each other. In April of the following year, Jiuguan lost his father and then went up to Mount Jingshan. In the discussion with Zonggao, there may also be some comments on the DPRK's politics. At that time, Qin Huai was an authoritarian, advocating reconciliation with the Kingdom of Jin, wantonly detracting famous anti-Jin generals such as Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, while Zhang Jiucheng strongly advocated anti-Jin. "Song History" Zhang Jiuqian said, "The monks in Jingshan are good at discussing Zen philosophy, and they come and go from tourists to tourists in 90% of the time. (Qin) Huai was afraid of discussing himself. The commander instructed Zhan Dafang on his discussing with Zong Gao and slandering the dynasty. It was May of that year, "Ninety percent of them stay at home and don't listen to commands when they are full. The main monk of Jingshan, Zonggao, pursues the hedgehog and blames Hengzhou. [8] Zishizong Gao began his 16-year exile career. He was demoted from July to Hengzhou (now Hengyang, Hunan Province); Shaoxing was demoted again to Meizhou (now Guangdong Province) in 20 years; and in 25 years, he was "free from grace", so he left Meizhou in the first month of Shaoxing 26 years and started to return to Zhejiang. On the way, he lived in Annan and was reunited with Zhang Jiucheng, who was restored in March of the same year.