This sentence comes from "Master Cao Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen".

Huineng was taught by Hong Ren, the fifth ancestor, inherited the Dongshan method, founded Nanzong, and carried out the teaching method of "pointing directly at people's hearts and regarding nature as Buddha". His popularity in Lingnan has also inspired and influenced the frontier and overseas cultures to some extent. Wang Wei wrote an inscription to Master Nengchan that he "helped the emperor become a king"; At the same time, it also aroused the respect and support of the royal family in the Central Plains. The royal family welcomed Hui Neng to the palace many times and built temples and towers for him.

Extended data

Huineng, the sixth ancestor, created Zen here, which is the ancestral court of Zen.

Zen is China's original creation, and it is a typical China Buddhism. Indian Buddhism only has Zen, but there is no Zen. According to legend, Dharma came to the Northern Wei Dynasty from India and put forward a new practice method. Dharma passed this meditation on to Hui Ke, and Hui Ke passed it on to monks and ladies, and then preached faith and patience. After Hongren, it was divided into two systems: North and South. Shen Xiubei preached Buddhism and established the Northern Sect; Huineng spread Buddhism to the south and established Nanzong.

The northern sect of Buddhism gradually declined in the near future, while Huineng Nanzong gained the orthodox status of Zen Buddhism with the advocacy of disciple Shen Hui and others and the support of the imperial court, thus becoming the mainstream of Buddhism in China and Huineng becoming the actual founder of Zen Buddhism. Due to the six generations from Dharma to Huineng, the traditional old theory regards Dharma as the "ancestor" and Huineng as the "sixth ancestor".