Dharma transmission

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Dharma transmission (Chinese: 傳法, Chuánfǎ or 印可, Yīnkě, Korean and Japanese: Inka) is the act of passing the Zen or Chan Buddhist doctrine from a master to student. This one-to-one transmission is said to be traced over 2,500 years back to Gautama Buddha.

It is described by Reginald Ray as the recognition that a student has achieved awakening; realized his or her true Buddha Nature. Since an awakened Buddha realizes the connectedness inherent in all things, it is not "giving" something from the teacher to the student. Instead, it is a recognition that the student has cast off delusion.

In addition to acknowledgment of realization, which also occurs in other contexts (for instance the Harada-Yasutani school for many years had a ceremony acknowledging one's first kensho, which was an acknowledgment of realization but not Dharma transmission) Dharma transmission also includes permission or acknowledgment by the teacher that her or his student has now become a teacher, as well.

According to James Ford in his "Zen Master Who?" in Japanese Soto Dharma transmission is connected to ordination. But Japanese Rinzai and the Harada-Yasutani line, as well as Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean Zen do not connect Dharma transmission to the ordination rituals.