Mind-Benders of Buddhist History
The illiterate woodcutter who became a patriarch
Huineng (638–713) is traditionally described in the Platform Sutra as a poor, illiterate woodcutter from southern China who never learned to read, yet he came to be recognized in the Chan tradition as its Sixth Patriarch, and the text attributed to his teachings remains one of the most influential in Chinese Buddhism. He lived during the Tang dynasty (618–907).
How we know
Huineng, Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, c. 638–713 CE, Tang dynasty (618–907); the Platform Sutra is the text traditionally attributed to him.
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