Fǎyǎn Wényì 法眼文益 (885–958), founder of the Fǎyǎnzōng 法眼宗, the fifth and latest of the Five Houses (五家) of classical Chán. Native of Yúháng 餘杭 (modern Hángzhōu region, Zhèjiāng), lay surname Lǔ 魯. Tonsured at age seven at the Xīndìng Zhìtōng yuàn 新定智通院 under Quánwěi 全偉 (also transmitted as Tóngwěi 同偉 / 仝偉); received full precepts at the Yuèzhōu Kāiyuán sì 越州開元寺; studied the Vinaya and literary-Confucian material under the Vinaya master Xījué 希覺 at Míngzhōu Yùwáng sì 育王寺. Xījué praised him as “the Zǐyóu-and-Zǐxià of my gate”.
Initial Chán study under Chángqìng Huìléng 長慶慧稜 in Fúzhōu 福州 did not produce awakening. Awakened under Luóhàn Guìchēn 羅漢桂琛 (867–928, DILA A010683, also called Dìzàng) at the Dìzàng yuàn 地藏院 on the Ruò lùn fófǎ yíqiè xiànchéng 若論佛法一切見成 (“As for the Buddha-dharma, everything is present and accomplished”) turning phrase, after a sustained month-long exchange during a snowstorm halt. Dharma-heir of Guìchēn; lineage thus Xuěfēng Yìcún 雪峯義存 → Xuánshā Shībèi 玄沙師備 → Luóhàn Guìchēn → Wényì.
First abbacy at Línchuān Chóngshòu yuàn 崇壽院 in Jiāngxī; later summoned to Jīnlíng 金陵 (Nánjīng) by the Southern Táng ruler Lǐ Jǐng 李璟 (r. 943–961), who conferred the title Jìnghuì chánshī 淨慧禪師. Held three principal Jīnlíng abbacies including the Qīngliáng yuàn 清涼院 (hence his zì as Qīngliáng Wényì 清涼文益). Died Zhōu Xiǎndé 5 (958) intercalary seventh month 5th day after ten days’ illness; aged 74, sēnglà 54. Posthumous title DàFǎyǎn chánshī 大法眼禪師; stupa Wúxiàng 無相. Later, under the Southern Táng Lǐ Yù 李煜, re-styled Dàzhìzàng dàdǎoshī 大智藏大導師.
Fǎyǎn-school doctrine is distinguished by its explicit integration of Huáyán lǐshì 理事 metaphysics with Chán dialogue-practice, and by Wényì’s signature turning-phrase wàn xiàng zhī zhōng dú lù shēn 萬象之中獨露身 (“in the midst of all appearances, the body alone stands revealed”). Recorded dharma-heirs include Tiāntái Déshào 天台德韶 (DILA A008355), Qīngxī Hóngjìn 清溪洪進 (Fǎdēng 法燈, A003941), and the chief lineage-bearer Yǒngmíng Yánshòu’s 永明延壽 teacher — Déshào’s heirship leading forward to the Zōngjìng lù tradition.
Wényì also authored the Zōngmén shíguī lùn 宗門十規論 (“Ten Regulations for the School”), the earliest surviving intra-Chán polemical treatise.
Works in the Kanripo corpus: KR6q0077 Jīnlíng Qīngliáng yuàn Wényì chánshī yǔlù 金陵清涼院文益禪師語錄 (1 juan, T47 n1991) — the Míng Wǔjiā yǔlù recension compiled by 圓信 and 郭凝之.
Per DILA A000174: birth c. 885 (yǐ sì reckoning from 958 death at 74); death Zhōu Xiǎndé 5 intercalary 7.5 = 28 July 958; native place Yúháng.