Yongming Yanshou
Yongming Yanshou (Chinese: 永明延壽; Korean: Yongmyong Yonsu)(904–975) was a prominent Buddhist monk during the Five Dynasties in China. He is commonly being associated as a Chan Master and the Sixth Patriarch of PureLand.
He would have served as an official before becoming a monk. He is said to have practiced seated chanting and silent meditation.
Yongming Yanshou is best known for attempting to synthesize the diverse and seemingly contradictory teachings of the various schools of Buddhism that existed in China. He is often associated with Pure Land Buddhism and Zen, but Pure Land largely formed after his lifetime, and he is largely concerned with Tiantai(天台宗) in his writings.
Due to his unique background in both schools, his writing sets a great example that one should not be refrained from knowing different schools of Buddhism when one has already chosen a particular school. The reason is that all schools are equally important and helpful in our self-development. As his poem has mentioned, if one practises Chan(meditation) but without Pureland, one will most likely be lost in the negative realm during meditation. However, if one can practise Chan and Pureland together, one can become a teacher to others in this lifetime, and may become Buddha or Patriarch in future lives