Page "Dharma transmission" Paragraph 17

According to tradition, the sixth and last ancestral founder, Huineng ( 惠能 ; 638 – 713 ), was one of the giants of Chán history, and all surviving schools regard him as their ancestor.

The dramatic story of Huineng's life tells that there was a controversy over his claim to the title of patriarch.

After being chosen by Hongren, the fifth ancestral founder, Huineng had to flee by night to Nanhua Temple in the south to avoid the wrath of Hongren's jealous senior disciples.