洪州宗是馬祖道一及其門徒所傳的禪宗之正系。論文敘述馬祖道一及其門徒百丈懷海、大珠慧海，懷海的門徒黃檗希運、溈山靈祐，以及靈祐門徒仰山慧寂等人的心性思想；重點評述了洪州宗人提出的「平常心是道」的命題以及在此基礎上展開的「觸類是道」、「即心即佛」與「非心非佛」、「清淨本心」與「見聞覺知」、「心即是佛」與「無心是道」、「有情無佛性」與「無情有佛性」等思想內涵及其實質。文章通過以上論述進而說明洪州宗禪風的特色：一、視發揮主體的自主性精神，強調修行主體是禪修的決定因素，主體的意識（心）是禪修的內在根據，主張直指人心，縱任心性，充分地發揮主體意識的能動作用。二、提倡自然主義的修行原則，認為人們的日常行為運作都是內在佛性的全體顯現，一切皆真，由此而特別重視養神存性，任運自然，在自然運作中實現自我超越。三、表現為鮮明的 生活世俗化傾向，此宗提倡隨順自然的生活禪，主張在現實生活中實現超越的神聖目的。這種精神的內在超越，排除了對彼岸世界的追求。四、具有方法上的反知解特徵，此宗提倡直指人心，見性成佛，由此強調直覺的體俉，反對知解，廣泛採用不定型、無規範的修行形式，發展出諸如隱語、動作、棒喝等種種「機鋒」，?簽ぁ葫あ雱_定語言文字對學道證悟的作用。

　　　　　 The Hong Zhou sect was a branch of Zen thinking propagated by Ma-tzu Dao-yi and his followers. The sect's ideology was advocated by Ma-tzu Dao-yi and his disciples Bai-jiang Huai-Hai, Da-zhu Hui-hai. It was also advocated by Huai-hai's disciples Huang-bo Xi-yun and Gui-shan Ling-you. Finally, it was advocated by Ling-you's disciple Yang-shan Hui-ji, among others. The sect's main tenet held that “the calm mind is the Dao”. Achieving this tenet was through such notions as: “Direct intuition is the Dao”, “the truth is in the mind, the truth is in the Buddha” and its corollary “the truth is not in the mind, the truth is not in the Buddha”, “pure mind” and its corollary “sense direct knowledge”, “the mind is the Buddha” and its corollary “no mind is the Dao”, and finally “even animate things do not possess the Buddha nature” and its corollary “even inanimate things possess the Buddha nature”. After addressing these above tenets, this article would then like to explain some of specific characteristics of the Hong Zhou Zen Sect; (1) Advocated development of the subject's own spirit, emphasizing that cultivating the subject is the deciding factor in the realization of the Zen-nature. The subject's consciousness (the mind, 心) is the basis for the internal cultivation of the Zen-nature. Their motto was “directly to the mind of the person, releases the mind's nature”. Thus bringing completely into play the capacities of the consciousness. (2) Promoted a principle of natural cultivation. The sect considered people's everyday behavior to be a complete expression of an internal Buddha nature, all is truth. From this aspect, the sect particularly advocated a cultivation of a godly-nature. They believed that in everyday activities one is able to find a transcendence. (3) Expressed a distinct Zen lifestyle. In everyday, practical existence, one's goal is to realize a transcendent nature. This inherent, transcendent spirit eliminated a pursuit of other worldliness. (4) A methodology that was anti-analysis. The sect advocated a direct intuition of one's mind, seeing your nature and completing your Buddha-self. Any sect emphasizing this direct, intuitive understanding of the subject has no use for a broad-based analytic approach to knowledge. In a cultivation methodology with no set norms, knowledge is expressed in such things as riddles and rousing people into understanding. This they did to prove the inability of language in coming to understand the Dao.