At that time, Master Hongren, the fifth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, was in his old age and wanted to choose a suitable successor, so he asked his disciples to write a verse to explain what kind of understanding he had achieved in Zen. At this time, Shen Xiu, the great disciple of t

At that time, the fifth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, Hongren , Master was in his old age and wanted to choose a suitable successor, so he asked his disciples to write a verse (Zen poem) to explain what kind of understanding he had achieved in Zen. At this time, Shen Xiu, the great disciple of the fifth ancestor of Hongren, wrote a famous verse with his hand:

body is a Bodhi tree,

heart is like a mirror platform.

wipe it frequently, and

do not let there be dust.

Everyone applauded and was willing to give in. They all thought that Shenxiu had already had a very profound understanding of Zen, and he was the one who succeeded him. At that time, Huineng was just a monk who assisted in cooking in the kitchen. After learning about Shenxiu's verse, he made targeted modifications:

Bodhi no tree, and

mirror is not a platform.

There is nothing at all,

where can dust be caused?

Finally, Hongren passed the robe and bowl to monk Huineng ( Sixth Patriarch Huineng's golden body is enshrined in Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan, Guangdong). Huineng Later spread Zen Buddhism (Southern Buddhism) in the south. Huineng was illiterate, but had a very high understanding. The major difference between the Zen sects he spread and other sects in the past is that it points directly to the original mind and realizes the nature and becomes a Buddha. In other words, he transformed the Buddhist practice method of gradual cultivation and hard work in the past into the "sudden enlightenment" practice method. Speaking of this, everyone can understand why Chinese people particularly appreciate Zen because Zen has a way of taking tricks. Of course, it is not a slander of , Master Huineng . Huineng had a passage specifically explaining this, saying, "Those who are not of the highest aptitude will not enter this door." If you do not have the highest aptitude and the highest wisdom, you will not be able to practice Zen. Therefore, Huineng’s original intention is not to take advantage of tricks, but Zen can prosper in China, which is related to the Chinese being good at taking advantage of tricks and utilitarian and impatient.