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Dajian Huineng (Sixth Patriarch of Chan)
Xinzhou (Guangdong), China
Archival Overview
Illiterate woodcutter from southern China who became the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism and author of the Platform Sutra. Established the Southern School of Sudden Enlightenment, democratizing Zen across East Asia.
Biographical Record
Supporting his widowed mother by selling firewood in Canton, Huineng awakened upon hearing a single verse of the Diamond Sutra in the marketplace. Journeying north to the Fifth Patriarch Hongren at Dongshan, he was assigned to the monastery rice-mill.
When monks were asked to write verses showing understanding, head monk Shenxiu wrote of polishing the mirror of the mind; Huineng countered with his immortal verse: "Fundamentally there is not a single thing; where can dust alight?" Inheriting the patriarch's robe, his mummified body remains venerated at Nanhua Temple.
Key Life Milestones
Enlightenment Verse on the Temple Wall
Penned his immortal verse at Huangmei, receiving the Fifth Patriarch's bowl and Bodhidharma's robe.
Discourse on the Flapping Banner
Intervened at Faxing Temple: "It is neither wind nor banner that moves; it is your mind that moves."
Delivery of the Platform Sutra
Delivered teachings at Dafan Temple in Shaozhou, transcribed into the only Chinese text titled a Sutra.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialShaoguan, China