A lineage is a stream of spiritual transmission, flowing across generations, geography, and cultures, tracing back to the historical Buddha 2,400 years ago. Lineage is important in Buddhism because it shows that a particular community follows an authentic line of teachers and dharma (teachings); thereby certifying that its teachings and practices are genuine. In Zen, this transmission is a direct oral exchange from teacher to student, fostering immediate insight, while Pure Land traditions allow teachings to transcend time and place through the working of Amida Buddha.
At the Buddhist Fellowship (BFF), lineage is not understood as a single, unbroken institutional chain, nor as loyalty to one school or sect. Rather, lineage refers to the living stream of teachers—ancient and modern—whose insights, practices, and compassion directly shape how we understand and live the Dharma today.
As a lay-centered community, BFF draws from both Zen and Pure Land traditions while not being confined by either. Our lineage honors those who made the teachings accessible to ordinary people, emphasized ethical living and awakening in everyday life, and taught liberation as something available here and now. We recognize both historical figures and contemporary teachers whose influence is present in our study, practice, and community life.
What follows is not a claim of exclusive authority, but an expression of gratitude—acknowledging the religious ancestors whose wisdom continues to inform and inspire our path.
Dr. (Rev.) Taitetsu Unno (1929-2014 C.E.)
A distinguished Buddhist scholar and Shin Buddhist minister, Rev. Taitetsu Unno earned his PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Tokyo in 1968 and later had a long teaching career at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. His modern classics, River of Fire, River of Water (1998) and Bits of Rubble Turned into Gold (2002), and numerous magazine articles successfully introduced Shin Buddhism to contemporary audiences throughout the world soldifying his position as the foremost Shin teacher in the Americas. In the early 2000s, Dr. Unno mentored Rev. Lewis, a long-time sangha member of his Northampton Shin Sangha and student of his Noho Lay Teacher Training Program. He personally guided the creation of the early Buddhist Faith Fellowship and is revered as the “grandfather” of our organization. Unno’s legacy inspires us to accept ourselves as we are within the embrace of the Great Compassion (Amida), deeply hear and voice of the Buddha Name (namu-amida-butsu). He offers a practical and sane spiritual path for those entangled in 21st century’s chaotic world.
Venerable Thich Tri Hoang (20th–21st century)
A 43rd-generation Thièn Lâm Tế master and root teacher of our Dharma teacher Rev. Lewis, Thich Tri Hoang founded the Dharma Teacher Order in 2000 to share the scope and breadth of Buddhist teachings in North America. Ordained in 1973 at the Hai Duc Temple in Vietnam, he inherited the 9th-generation Lieu Quán lineage, which integrates Thièn Vietnamese Zen) meditation with Pure Land’s Niệm Phật (nembutsu). His teachings acentuates tolerance, encouraging diverse interpretations of the Dharma, honoring Theravada, Mahayana, Zen and Pure Land wisdom. His legacy directly shapes our Meditation & Talk Sundays, where his emphasis on sitting meditation, open discussions, minimal rituals, and chanting have become the core of our programs.
Lieu Quán (1670 – 1740 C.E.)
A Vietnamese Zen master, Lieu Quán founded the Lieu Quán Thièn lineage, blending meditation with Pure Land devotion. His teachings emphasized compassion, mindfulness, and action. He made the Buddha’s Way accessible to the masses through clear meditative practices and the voicing of the Buddha-name (niệm Phật). As part of his legacy, he established a number of monasteries and revitalized Vietnamese Zen, by mentoring disciples who shared across the country. Lieu Quán’s influence on contemporary Vietnamese Zen and Pure Land teachings has guided many 21st century practitioners like Thich Nhat Hanh and Thich Tri Hoang to awaken to and then share a relatable dharma to all seekers.
Bankei Yotaku (1622 – 1693 C.E.)
Bankei Yōtaku was a Japanese Rinzai Zen master known for articulating the teaching of the “Unborn Buddha Mind,” aka Fusho, emphasizing that awakening is not something to be cultivated or attained but already present and functioning in everyday life. Rejecting unnecessary ritual complexity and elitism, Bankei taught in direct, accessible language to monastics and laypeople alike, opening Zen practice to the wider public. His emphasis on immediacy, simplicity, and innate awakening resonates deeply with contemporary lay practice and the commitment to making the Dharma accessible to all.
Shinran (1173-1263 C.E.)
Shinran was a religious reformer, prolific writer, and religious genius whose rich legacy has traversed the centuries within Japan and around the world. As a faithful disciple of the Buddhist reformer Honen, he furthered developed, innovated, and propagated his teacher’s ideas to the masses. His viewpoints questioned many long-standing Buddhist traditions that no longer spoke to ordinary people and challenged the power of the elites. As a religious revolutionary, he was the first to officially break the monastic celibate tradition by entering into marriage. His spiritual insights brought to Buddhism the idea that even the most lost, unskillful, and wicked were the main concern of the Great Compassion. No longer was emancipation tied to doing solely some religious practice like meditation, Buddha Name (nembutsu) recitation, prayer or chanting to appease a deity or some religious ideal but spiritual liberation was the exclusive domain of universal grace via the awakening of the entrusting mind (shinjin) of the Great Compassion – The Buddha of Inconceivable of Light and Life. After his death, his followers created a new Pure Land School called Jodo Shinshu, The Essence of the Pure Land Way, which would later become Japan’s most prominent Buddhist school.
Shan-Tao (613-681 C.E.)
Of the many masters in our lineage, this well-known Chinese master’s teachings and practices still resonate with hundreds of millions in the 21st century. Among his many contributions to the evolution of Buddhism, he popularized the notion that the Great Compassion (Amida Buddha) as the most important Buddha among the many Buddhas. Importantly, he taught that the Buddha Name (nembutsu) is sufficient enough for spiritual liberation as other practices like visualization and meditation. Importantly, he formulated the Five Practices, expounded the significance of repentance and faith, and created an extensive liturgy that is still used to this day around the world.
Linji Yixuan (810-866 C.E.)
A master of the Tang Dynasty, Linji Yixuan transformed Chan Buddhism with bold methods to awaken sudden enlightenment. Born in Shandong, China, he trained under Huangbo Xiyun, and later developed a bold teaching style recorded in the Linji Lu. His methods, challenging delusions through paradoxical questions (koans), cultivated clarity and spiritual liberation, shaping what would become what we consider as today’s Zen’s dynamic style. His innovations still influence 21st century Thièn Lâm Tế and Japanese Rinzai practices, inspiring meditation and retreats that awaken practitioners to their true nature through zazen. His legacy guides contemporary Zen teachings, fostering liberation through compassionate inquiry and direct experience.
Tan Luan (476-542 C.E.)
This Chinese monastic and scholar wrote extensively on the principal Pure Land scripture, the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, and clearly explained that the Primal Vow of the Great Compassion (Amida Buddha) would emancipate all beings through the voicing of the Buddha Name (nembutsu). Due to his total reliance on the Great Compassion, he was the first to advocate the practice of voicing the Buddha Name, Namo Amitoufo in Chinese, also known as Namu Amida Butsu in Japanese (I entrust myself to awakening of Inconceivable Light and Life) as the best means to spiritual liberation. Importantly, he was the first to teach the concepts of Self Power (Jiriki) and Other Power (Tariki).
Asanga (4th- 5th century C.E.)
Asanga was a foundational Mahāyāna philosopher and teacher whose works helped articulate the path of the bodhisattva grounded in compassion and insight. Traditionally associated with teachings attributed to Maitreya, his writings — including the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra and the Uttaratantra (Ratnagotravibhāga) — emphasize Buddha-nature and the innate potential for awakening present in all beings. His thought supports a vision of liberation that is universal, accessible, and rooted in both wisdom and compassionate activity.
Vasubandhu (4th-5th century C.E.)
An influential philosopher from the Greek influenced Buddhist Kingdom of Gandhara (Pakistan & Afghanistan), and half brother of another famous philosopher of the period, Asanga, was one of the most influential Buddhist thinkers in history, bridging early Buddhist analysis with Mahayana insight. His works, including the Abhidharmakosha and Mahayana treatises connected to Yogacara and Pure Land perspectives, explore the nature of mind, karma, and liberation. His teachings help clarify how intention, awareness, and compassion shape the path to awakening, supporting a view of practice grounded in everyday experience and ethical clarity.
Nagarjuna (150-250 C.E.)
As the most consequential Indian Buddhist teacher and philosopher, he established the Madhayamaka (Middle Way) school of Mahayana and is known by many scholars as the second Buddha. Not only did he develop the philosophy behind the Prajnaparamita Sutras (The Wisdom tradition), and clarified the teaching of shunyata (emptiness) he was the first major philosopher to expand and promote the Pure Land teachings. He taught that the Buddhist teachings offered two paths: The Difficult Path and the Easy Path. He proclaimed that the Pure Land teaching constituted the Easy Path and therefore is the most effective way for the masses to realize enlightenment.
Ashvaghosa (80-150 C.E.)
An Indian poet, and philosopher, Ashvaghosa shaped Mahayana through his famous literary works such as the Buddhacarita, a poetic biography of the historical Buddha. However, his Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana popularized the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha Nature) doctrine, affirming that all beings possess inherent Buddha-nature, a foundational concept that would forever influence Mahayana Buddhism. As a former Brahmin (Hindu) scholar, his conversion to Buddhism enriched his works with philosophical depth, that would influence Zen and Pure Land traditions centuries later. Ashvaghosa’s emphasis on the unborn and innate enlightenment shapes modern practices, inspiring meditation and Buddha-name (nembutsu) practices. His legacy fosters non-dual liberation through both meditation and devotion, guiding contemporary teachings toward awakening for all truth-seekers.
Maitreya (timeless archetypal figure)
Maitreya is revered in Mahayana Buddhism as the bodhisattva associated with loving-kindness and as the future Buddha who will appear when the Dharma has faded from the world. In several Mahayana traditions, he is also understood as a transmitter or preserver of profound teachings on Buddha-nature, nonduality, and the universal potential for awakening, including texts traditionally associated with Asanga and Vasubandhu. In the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, the Buddha directly addresses Maitreya, entrusting him with the responsibility of safeguarding and transmitting the Pure Land teaching for future generations. His presence in the lineage reflects continuity across time, linking compassion, intrinsic awakening, and the promise of liberation accessible to all beings.
Vimilakirti (5th Century B.C.E.)
Presented in the Mahayana sutras as a lay bodhisattva and archetypal figure rather than a historically documented teacher. The central figure of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, he is presented as an awakened lay bodhisattva whose wisdom and compassion rival, and often surpass, that of monastic disciples. Through dialogue, paradox, and silence, he teaches the nondual nature of reality, revealing that distinctions such as sacred and ordinary, lay and monastic, samsara and nirvana ultimately dissolve when seen with clear insight. His life and teaching affirm that awakening is fully accessible within everyday life, relationships, and social responsibility, making him a powerful exemplar for engaged and lay-centered Buddhist practice.
Buddha Shakyamuni (5th century B.C.E.)
Shakyamuni Buddha is the historical Buddha of our age and the source of the living Dharma transmitted across Buddhist traditions. Through his awakening, teaching, and compassionate activity, he revealed the path to liberation grounded in wisdom, ethical conduct, and deep insight into the nature of suffering and freedom. Mahayana traditions understand Shakyamuni not only as an awakened teacher of his time, but as a manifestation of timeless Buddhahood , skillfully appearing in the world to guide beings according to their capacities. His life and teachings continue to inspire paths of awakening rooted in compassion, nonduality, and the liberation of all beings.