Huineng
Encyclopedia
Dajian Huineng was a Chinese
Chán
(Zen) monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies. Huineng has been traditionally viewed as the Sixth and Last Patriarch
of Chán Buddhism.
Huineng is said to have advocated an immediate and direct approach to Buddhist practice and enlightenment, and in this regard, is considered the founder of the "Sudden Enlightenment
" (頓教) southern Chán school of Buddhism. His foremost students were Nanyue Huairang
, Qingyuan Xingsi
, Nanyang Huizhong, Yongia Xuanjue and Heze Shenhui.
Some modern scholars have doubted the historicity of traditional biographies and works written about Huineng.
and the Transmission of the Lamp
.
Huineng was born into the Lu family in 638 A.D. in Xinzhou (present-day Xinxing County) in Guangdong
province. His father died when he was young and his family was poor. As a consequence, Huineng had no opportunity to learn to read or write and is said to have remained illiterate his entire life. He may have been a Hmong
or a Miao
. One day while delivering firewood to a store, he hears a customer reciting the Diamond Sutra
and has an awakening. He immediately inquires about the sutra and decides to seek out the Fifth Patriarch Hongren at his monastery on Huang Mei
Mountain. Some later versions of the story have the customer giving him 10 or 100 tael
s of silver to provide for his aged mother. Huineng then embarks on his journey, and after travelling for thirty days on foot, he arrives at Huang Mei Mountain where the Fifth Patriarch is presiding.
From the first chapter of the Ming canon version of the Platform Sutra
:
Hongren immediately asks him to do chores in the rice mill. Huineng chops wood and pounds rice at the monastery for the next eight months.
One day, Hongren announced,
However, the disciples said to each other that they didn't need to write any gathas, and that surely their teacher and head monk, Venerable Shenxiu, would become the Sixth Patriarch. So only Shenxiu wrote a gatha for Hongren. As the head monk, Shenxiu was well respected and under great pressure to produce a gatha that would qualify him as the next patriarch. However, he was uncertain as to his own understanding, and eventually decided to write a poem anonymously on the wall in the middle of the night, announcing his authorship only if Hongren approved. It stated:
When the disciples saw this gatha on the wall, there was a great stir. When Hongren
saw it, he told them, "Practice according to this gatha, you will not fall into the evil realms, and you will receive great benefits. Light incense and pay respect to this gatha, recite it and you will see your essential nature." All the disciples praised and memorized the gatha.
However, privately, Hongren told Shenxiu, "You have arrived at the gate, but haven’t entered it. With this level of understanding, you still have no idea what the supreme Bodhi mind is. Upon hearing my words, you should immediately recognize the original mind, the essential nature, which is unborn and unceasing. At all times, see it clearly in every thought, with the mind free from all hindrances. In the One Reality, everything is real, and all phenomena are just as they are."
Hongren asked Shenxiu to compose another gatha that demonstrated true understanding. Shenxiu tried hard but couldn’t come up with another verse.
When a young novice passed the rice mill chanting Shenxiu's gatha, Huineng immediately
knew this verse lacked true insight. He went to the wall, and asked a district officer there to write a poem of his own for him. The officer was surprised, "How extraordinary! You are illiterate, and you want to compose a poem?" Whereupon Huineng said, "If you seek supreme enlightenment, do not slight anyone. The lowest class may have great insights, and the highest class may commit foolish acts." In veneration, the officer wrote Huineng’s gatha on the wall for him, next to Shenxiu's, which stated:
Huineng then went back to rice pounding. However, this gatha created a bigger stir; everyone was saying, "Amazing! You can’t judge a person by his looks! Maybe he will become a living bodhisattva soon!" However, when the alarmed Hongren came out, he just casually said, "This hasn’t seen the essential nature either," and proceeded to wipe the gatha off with his shoe.
One night, Hongren received Huineng in his abode, and expounded the Diamond Sutra
to him. When he came to the passage, "to use the mind yet be free from any attachment," Huineng came to great enlightenment—that all dharmas are inseparable from the self nature. He exclaimed, "How amazing that the self nature is originally pure! How amazing that the self nature is unborn and undying! How amazing that the self nature is inherently complete! How amazing that the self nature neither moves nor stays! How amazing that all dharmas come from this self nature!"
Hongren told Huineng, "If one recognizes the original mind and the original nature, he
is called a great man, teacher of gods and humans, and a Buddha." He passed the robe and begging bowl as a symbol of the Dharma Seal of Sudden Enlightenment to Huineng.
Although this story is as clearly stated as it can be, it should also be noted that Huineng was not permitted to make himself known as the Sixth Patriarch until later on. This was due to the fear that his fellow monks might be angered that he had been made the Sixth Patriarch and not Shenxiu or one of the other monks who had seniority over him.
in Shaoguan
Prefecture (northern Guangdong
).
Huineng's body was seen by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci
who visited Nanhua Temple in 1589. Ricci told the European readers the story of Huineng (in a somewhat garbled form), describing him as somewhat akin to a Christian ascetic. Ricci names him Lusu (i.e. 六祖, "The Sixth Patriarch").
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Chán
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
(Zen) monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies. Huineng has been traditionally viewed as the Sixth and Last Patriarch
Lineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
of Chán Buddhism.
Huineng is said to have advocated an immediate and direct approach to Buddhist practice and enlightenment, and in this regard, is considered the founder of the "Sudden Enlightenment
Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment has commonly been used in the western world to translate several Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Japanese terms and concepts, especially bodhi, prajna, kensho, satori and buddhahood.-Insight:...
" (頓教) southern Chán school of Buddhism. His foremost students were Nanyue Huairang
Nanyue Huairang
Nányuè Huáiràng was the foremost student of Dajian Huineng, the 6th Patriarch of Ch'an and teacher of one of his Dharma heirs, Mazu Daoyi. The ancestor of two of the Five Houses of Ch'an, Huairang studied with a Vinaya master and became ordained...
, Qingyuan Xingsi
Qingyuan Xingsi
Qīngyuán Xíngsī was a patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Three of the Five Houses of classical Ch'an developed out of his Lineage: the Caodong, Yunmen, and Fayan....
, Nanyang Huizhong, Yongia Xuanjue and Heze Shenhui.
Some modern scholars have doubted the historicity of traditional biographies and works written about Huineng.
Biography
The two primary sources for Huineng's life are the preface to the Platform SutraPlatform Sutra
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch , is a Buddhist scripture that was composed in China. It is one of the seminal texts in the Chan/Zen schools. It is centered on discourses given at Shao Zhou temple attributed to the sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng...
and the Transmission of the Lamp
Transmission of the Lamp
The Transmission of the Lamp is a compilation of biographies of prominent Buddhist monks produced in the Song dynasty by Shi Daoyuan .The first two characters of the title are the Song dynasty reign name , which dates the work to between 1004 and 1007 CE...
.
Huineng was born into the Lu family in 638 A.D. in Xinzhou (present-day Xinxing County) in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province. His father died when he was young and his family was poor. As a consequence, Huineng had no opportunity to learn to read or write and is said to have remained illiterate his entire life. He may have been a Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
or a Miao
Miao people
The Miao or ม้ง ; ) is an ethnic group recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component nations of people, which include Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho Xiong...
. One day while delivering firewood to a store, he hears a customer reciting the Diamond Sutra
Diamond Sutra
The Diamond Sūtra , is a short and well-known Mahāyāna sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā, or "Perfection of Wisdom" genre, and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment...
and has an awakening. He immediately inquires about the sutra and decides to seek out the Fifth Patriarch Hongren at his monastery on Huang Mei
Huang Mei
Huang Mei is a Chinese sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres.Her personal best time is 23.04 seconds, achieved in July 2001 in Chengdu.-Achievements:-References:...
Mountain. Some later versions of the story have the customer giving him 10 or 100 tael
Tael
Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....
s of silver to provide for his aged mother. Huineng then embarks on his journey, and after travelling for thirty days on foot, he arrives at Huang Mei Mountain where the Fifth Patriarch is presiding.
From the first chapter of the Ming canon version of the Platform Sutra
Platform Sutra
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch , is a Buddhist scripture that was composed in China. It is one of the seminal texts in the Chan/Zen schools. It is centered on discourses given at Shao Zhou temple attributed to the sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng...
:
The Patriarch asked me, "Who are you and what do you seek?" I replied, "Your disciple is a commoner from Xinzhou of Lingnan. I have travelled far to pay homage to you and seek nothing other than Buddhahood." "So you're from Lingnan, and a barbarian! How can you expect to become a Buddha?" asked the Patriarch. I replied, "Although people exist as northerners and southerners, in the Buddha-nature
Buddha-natureBuddha-nature, Buddha-dhatu or Buddha Principle , is taught differently in various Mahayana Buddhism traditions. Broadly speaking Buddha-nature is concerned with ascertaining what allows sentient beings to become Buddhas...
there is neither north nor south. A barbarian differs from Your Holiness physically, but what difference is there in our Buddha-nature?"
Hongren immediately asks him to do chores in the rice mill. Huineng chops wood and pounds rice at the monastery for the next eight months.
Becoming the Sixth Patriarch
However, the disciples said to each other that they didn't need to write any gathas, and that surely their teacher and head monk, Venerable Shenxiu, would become the Sixth Patriarch. So only Shenxiu wrote a gatha for Hongren. As the head monk, Shenxiu was well respected and under great pressure to produce a gatha that would qualify him as the next patriarch. However, he was uncertain as to his own understanding, and eventually decided to write a poem anonymously on the wall in the middle of the night, announcing his authorship only if Hongren approved. It stated:
- 身是菩提樹， The body is a Bodhi tree,
- 心如明鏡臺。 The mind a standing mirror bright.
- 時時勤拂拭， At all times polish it diligently,
- 勿使惹塵埃。 And let no dust alight.
When the disciples saw this gatha on the wall, there was a great stir. When Hongren
saw it, he told them, "Practice according to this gatha, you will not fall into the evil realms, and you will receive great benefits. Light incense and pay respect to this gatha, recite it and you will see your essential nature." All the disciples praised and memorized the gatha.
However, privately, Hongren told Shenxiu, "You have arrived at the gate, but haven’t entered it. With this level of understanding, you still have no idea what the supreme Bodhi mind is. Upon hearing my words, you should immediately recognize the original mind, the essential nature, which is unborn and unceasing. At all times, see it clearly in every thought, with the mind free from all hindrances. In the One Reality, everything is real, and all phenomena are just as they are."
Hongren asked Shenxiu to compose another gatha that demonstrated true understanding. Shenxiu tried hard but couldn’t come up with another verse.
When a young novice passed the rice mill chanting Shenxiu's gatha, Huineng immediately
knew this verse lacked true insight. He went to the wall, and asked a district officer there to write a poem of his own for him. The officer was surprised, "How extraordinary! You are illiterate, and you want to compose a poem?" Whereupon Huineng said, "If you seek supreme enlightenment, do not slight anyone. The lowest class may have great insights, and the highest class may commit foolish acts." In veneration, the officer wrote Huineng’s gatha on the wall for him, next to Shenxiu's, which stated:
- 菩提本無樹， Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree;
- 明鏡亦非臺。 The bright mirror is also not a stand.
- 本來無一物， Fundamentally there is not a single thing —
- 何處惹塵埃。 Where could any dust be attracted?
Huineng then went back to rice pounding. However, this gatha created a bigger stir; everyone was saying, "Amazing! You can’t judge a person by his looks! Maybe he will become a living bodhisattva soon!" However, when the alarmed Hongren came out, he just casually said, "This hasn’t seen the essential nature either," and proceeded to wipe the gatha off with his shoe.
One night, Hongren received Huineng in his abode, and expounded the Diamond Sutra
Diamond Sutra
The Diamond Sūtra , is a short and well-known Mahāyāna sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā, or "Perfection of Wisdom" genre, and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment...
to him. When he came to the passage, "to use the mind yet be free from any attachment," Huineng came to great enlightenment—that all dharmas are inseparable from the self nature. He exclaimed, "How amazing that the self nature is originally pure! How amazing that the self nature is unborn and undying! How amazing that the self nature is inherently complete! How amazing that the self nature neither moves nor stays! How amazing that all dharmas come from this self nature!"
Hongren told Huineng, "If one recognizes the original mind and the original nature, he
is called a great man, teacher of gods and humans, and a Buddha." He passed the robe and begging bowl as a symbol of the Dharma Seal of Sudden Enlightenment to Huineng.
Although this story is as clearly stated as it can be, it should also be noted that Huineng was not permitted to make himself known as the Sixth Patriarch until later on. This was due to the fear that his fellow monks might be angered that he had been made the Sixth Patriarch and not Shenxiu or one of the other monks who had seniority over him.
Academic views
According to John Jorgensen, Huineng was a marginal and obscure historical figure, and the hagiography around him that subsequently developed was an invention of Shen-hui (684-758) Jorgensen writes:It was through the propaganda of Shen-hui (684-758) that Hui-neng (d. 710) became the also today still towering figure of sixth patriarch of Ch’an/Zen Buddhism, and accepted as the ancestor or founder of all subsequent Ch’an lineages . . using the life of Confucius as a template for its structure, Shen-hui invented a hagiography for the then highly obscure Hui-neng. At the same time, Shen-hui forged a lineage of patriarchs of Ch’an back to the Buddha using ideas from Indian Buddhism and Chinese ancestor worship.
Quotes
After death
The mummified body of Huineng is kept in Nanhua TempleNanhua Temple
Nanhua Temple is a Buddhist monastery of the Chan School, one of Five Great Schools of Buddhism where Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan School of Buddhism, once lived and taught. It is located 25 km southeast of Shaoguan, China in the town of Caoxi , within Qujiang District...
in Shaoguan
Shaoguan
Shaoguan , historically known as Shaokwan and Shao-chow, is a prefecture-level city in the north of Southern China's Guangdong province...
Prefecture (northern Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
).
Huineng's body was seen by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
who visited Nanhua Temple in 1589. Ricci told the European readers the story of Huineng (in a somewhat garbled form), describing him as somewhat akin to a Christian ascetic. Ricci names him Lusu (i.e. 六祖, "The Sixth Patriarch").
External links
- more images of Huineng's mummy
- Legends in Chan:the Northern/Southern Split, Hui-neng and the Platform Sutra
- Platform Sutra of Hui Neng translated by John R. McRae
- Platform Sutra of Hui Neng translated by C. Humphreys and Wong Mou-Lam
- Hui Neng Page