Our Lineage

The story of our modern Chan lineage begins at the illustrious Jinshan Monastery, located in the city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China.  Also known as the Chiangtien Ssu, it was one of the leading centers of Chan practice and training and one of the largest monasteries in China. In the words of Venerable Wuming Longyan, “To be a full graduate of Jinshan was the Chinese Buddhist equivalent of being called to serve as a clerk at law to a member of the Supreme Court.” Located on Golden Hill overlooking the Yangtze River, Jinshan was built over 1600 years ago. The tall octagonal structure which is Jinshan’s signature building is the Tower of Benevolence and Longevity. In its heyday, Jinshan was home to over 3,000 monks.

Professor Holmes Hinkley Welch (1924-1981) was a renowned Harvard sinologist who spent many years chronicling Chinese Buddhism. His book The Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900-1950 (Harvard, 1967) is considered to be one of the most complete depictions of early to mid-20th century Chan monastic life ever written. While Professor Welch was researching his book, he journeyed to Hong Kong where he met Master Taizang Xinran.  The Master took him on as a student and subsequently gave him Dharma Transmission with the admonition to pave the way for a Chan monastery in the United States. The Master also gave Professor Welch his personal copy of the Chan Men Ri Sung (Chan Gate Daily Breviary) which became one of the first copies ever to be disseminated to the West. The Chan Gate was the basis for many of the chanting services at the Dragon Flower Chan Temple and eventually at CloudWater Zendo.

Professor Welch published a renowned trilogy of books on the topic of Buddhism in China: The Practice of Chinese Buddhism: 1900 – 1950 (1967), The Buddhist Revival in China (1968), and Buddhism Under Mao (1972). Over fifty years have passed since Welch conducted his fieldwork and historical research, yet the depth of his inquiry, the breadth of his vision, and the clarity of his analysis have lent his scholarship a timeless quality. It continues to prompt inquires into a wide variety of topics, such as Buddhist publishing, modern seminaries, Chinese Buddhists’ responses to modern science, and their connections with global Buddhist movements. Although Welch’s scholarship has had an indisputable influence, and his intellectual legacy remains important to the field, scholars have since begun to delve into sources and deploy methodologies that were unavailable in Welch’s era.

The founder and Abbot of CloudWater Zendo, Venerable Shih Yingfa is a disciple of his root teacher Reverend Koshin Ogui, who he met in 1986. Reverend Ogui was the former Socho (Bishop) of the Buddhist Churches of America, but was also a teacher of Soto and Rinzai Zen. In 1998, Venerable Yingfa was ordained by Reverend Ogui as a Buddhist Sensei (Teacher). Venerable Yingfa also studied Pure Land Buddhism and traditional Buddhist chanting techniques with Japanese Buddhist teacher Shakuni Shunyo. In 1998, Venerable Yingfa received Dharma Transmission from Venerable Wuming Longyan, empowering him to carry on Venerable Wuming’s Linji Chan lineage. As Venerable Wuming’s sole Dharma Heir, Venerable Yingfa assumed the Abbotship of the Dragon Flower Chan Temple following his master’s death. Venerable Yingfa served as the Spiritual Director of the Richard Hunn Association of Chan Study in England and as chairperson of the Northeast Ohio Buddhist Council. In 2008 he was acknowledged as a member of the lineage of renowned Chan Master Xuyun.

Venerable Yingfa is the founder of the Nienfo Chan Order of Buddhist Monks, which is dedicated to the study of Chan as well as the 5 Elements system of Meditative Pure Land Buddhism. He is active in interfaith activities in the greater Cleveland area, and spent 20 years teaching Buddhism and meditation in Ohio prisons. He also teaches a weekly class in the Chinese internal arts of Qigong and Tai Chi.

Venerable Shih Zhongxin worked for 32 years as a public school counselor at the high school level, and began studying with Venerable Yingfa in 2001 at the Golden Wisdom Sangha of Canton, Ohio, an affiliate of CloudWater Zendo.  In 2004 she was ordained as a Lay Buddhist, and in 2006 was ordained as a Shramanera (Novice monk).  She eventually became Resident Teacher of the Golden Wisdom Sangha. In 2009 she took the Precepts of the Fully Ordained, becoming a Bhiksu (fully ordained monk) of the Order. In 2019 she was named a Dharma Heir of Venerable Shih Yingfa.  Venerable Zhongxin facilitated the formation of the Peaceful Lotus Sangha at a Women’s correctional facility in Cleveland, Ohio. She currently heads the Kuanyin Society of CloudWater Zendo, which is dedicated to the study of the teachings and practices related to Kuanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Venerable Shih Zuandao currently serves as the Coordinator of the Zendo’s affiliated meditation group Golden Wisdom Virtual Sangha which meets 4-5 times a month on Zoom. She discovered renowned author Alan Watts in her late teens and developed a deep interest in the Eastern view of life. She started what became a life-long meditation practice while in college studying psychology and counseling. For a number of years she worked as a community organizer in the New York City area, helping to create alternatives in the areas of politics, psychology and culture. In California she worked for the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation as well as the Niroga Institute, which provided mindfulness practices to vulnerable populations such as incarcerated youth and schoolchildren. In 2012 she was ordained as a Lay Buddhist, and in 2016 was ordained as a Shramanera (Novice monk) of the Nienfo Chan Order of Buddhist Monks. She now resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Venerable Shih Yunshan has studied with Venerable Yingfa since the founding of CloudWater Zendo in 1994.  Before joining the Zendo, he served as the business administrator for the Anabasis holistic education center in Sarasota, Florida. He took the vows of a Shramanera (Novice monk) in 1996, and in the 90s and early 2000s served as Retreat Coordinator. Venerable Yunshan, a qualified Reiki Master, has conducted numerous Reiki classes, lectures and shares at CloudWater Zendo. His Reiki expertise was extended to terminal patients at a local Skilled Nursing Facility and residents of an elder care center.  He also conducted seminars on breathing techniques and Qigong exercises for staff at both Kindred Hospital and the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. He was instrumental in planning and constructing the lighting arrangements for the Recitation and Meditation Halls at the Puritas Avenue (West Side) Zendo and the current Zendo on Superior Avenue in Cleveland.

If you would like to read our complete lineage chart, please click Lineage Chart.