Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng

Hui Neng (638—713), the sixth patriarch of China's Chan Buddhism, was the founder of the Southern Chan School of Buddhism. He promoted the idea of "sudden enlightenment/ awakening" through which one could "discover Buddhahood that is already in his nature". Hui Neng's Chan Buddhism is the sect that sustained for the longest time in China and was infused with rich Chinese cultural symbols.

According to Hui Neng, the Buddha's nature is within every common person and everyone can achieve Buddhahood. What distinguishes the Buddha from common people is enlightenment, although enlightenment is just one step away from ignorance. Enlightenment and Buddhahood can be achieved in a flash of thought when one eradicates unfounded ideas and returns to one's nature. Hui Neng also advocated that Sādhanā or spiritual cultivation cannot be separated from life: People's everyday activities — walking, standing, sitting or lying — are all ways of practicing Chan. His ideas laid a theoretical foundation for the secularization and popularization of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

Chan Buddhism significantly influenced the philosophical thoughts and religious culture in ancient China, while exerting far-reaching impacts on aesthetics, poetry, painting and literature in both ancient China and the wider world. The disciples of Hui Neng compiled Liu Zu tan Jing or the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, based on Hui Neng's life events and teachings. Liu Zu tan Jing is the only work with the title of Jing among all monk-related works in China; it serves as an important reference for studying Chinese and global his-tory of Buddhism, philosophy and culture.

六祖慧能

六祖慧能（638—713），亦稱惠能，是佛教禪宗南宗創始人，也是中國佛教禪宗六祖，倡導“直指人心，見性成佛”的頓悟。以慧能為代表的禪宗，流傳時間最長，是中國本土文化特色明顯的中國佛教宗派。

慧能認為，人人皆有佛性，人人皆可成佛，佛和眾生之間，差別在于是迷還是悟，迷悟只在一念之差。只要消除妄念，回歸自性，一念之間就可以覺悟成佛。他還主張，修行離不開生活，行住坐臥皆是禪，這為中國禪宗的世俗化、生活化奠定了理論基礎。慧能創立的佛教禪宗給中國古代哲學思想和宗教文化的發展帶來重要影響，對古代中國和世界的審美、詩歌、繪畫、文學也都影響深遠。慧能弟子根據慧能的事跡和言論整理成《六祖壇經》，它是中國僧人撰述里唯一被稱為“經”的著作，也是研究中國和世界佛教史、哲學史、文化史的重要典籍。