Although the Holy Sect has lasted for nearly a thousand years, as a special sect, the secret knowledge it has inherited is naturally self-contained. However, according to the judgments of disciples and other sects, many people still believe that the origin of the Holy Sect's secret knowledge is inseparable from Taoism.
Therefore, even though the Holy Sect has been aloof for so many years, it still has an unusual closeness to Taoism. For the Central Plains sects, Buddhism is strictly classified as an external sect. Therefore, even if a large sect like the Holy Sect has contact with Buddhism, it still maintains a sufficient distance!
However, with the rise of many eminent monks and great virtues in Buddhism in recent hundreds of years, they still attracted the attention of the holy sect. Figures like Gao Yangyi and Sheng Yan were masters who only appeared once in a century. Although they are the main figures of the Holy Sect, they rarely have prejudices. So when they saw Cheng Yuan face to face, they were moved for the first time.
Because of the Sixth Patriarch's name, they can't see them now, but the long line of senior disciples under the Sixth Patriarch's throne have always been geniuses in the world.
Three generations later, Master Weishan Lingyou, whose name was Yuanzhu, and his disciple Yangshan Huiji founded the Weiyang Sect.
Inheriting the same mantle, Mazu's disciples actually created two sects, which shows the power of the Southern Zen sect and the merits of the Sixth Patriarch. In the history of Chinese Buddhist faith tradition, it is an unparalleled event and legend. Rao is a legend of the Holy Sect and should also be impressed by the Southern Zen Buddhism.
If Mazu's original Nanyue sect is included, it is the next lineage of the Sixth Patriarch, and there are three sects in one generation.
As for the other disciple who stayed under the tutelage of the nominal seventh ancestor, Master Qingyuan Xingsi, Master Shitou Xiqian was the most famous.
He lived to be ninety-one years old and was a legend in this era. Although he had many disciples, he was not as famous as Mazu's peers.
Only later did it reach the Liangjie generation in Dongshan. At this time, it was already the end of the Tang Dynasty and many people didn't know it. However, under this great master, there was the famous disciple Cao Shan Benji, and the two of them founded the famous Caodong Sect, which was rumored to be a good story for a while.
Another famous disciple of Master Xiqian is Master Tianhuang Daowu. He passed it on several times to Master Yicun of Xuefeng in the late Tang Dynasty. Master Yicun passed it on to Master Bei, a contemporary highly virtuous teacher, and then to Master Wenyi, a famous contemporary master.
Master Wenyi founded the famous Fayan Sect of this era at Qingliang Temple in Jinling and became the national master of the Tang Dynasty in Jinling today.
Of course, what is worth questioning for future generations is that Master Yicun also had a famous master disciple. This person was a contemporary of Master Shibei. This disciple was Master Wenyan who lived in Yunmen Mountain, Shaozhou. He later founded the Yunmen Sect and was known as Kuangzhen Luohan, and was Master Chengyuan's master.
In this way, Master Wenyi can be regarded as Master Chengyuan’s senior brother! However, because Master Wen Yan has studied a lot, the world has always believed that he belongs to the Mazu lineage. But what he taught in Yunmen Mountain has always been Xuefeng's method of righteousness. This is the main reason why later generations have doubts.
Because Master Daozong was a direct descendant of Mazu's lineage, and Master Wenyan became enlightened in his hands, so according to the sect's inheritance, he should be considered a member of Mazu's lineage. And what Master Wenyan finally inherited in Yunmen Mountain was the mantle of Master Rumin, the Knowledgeable Saint Arhat.
And Master Rumin is also an out-and-out member of the Dharma lineage of Mazu, and is a disciple of Master Da'an, Mazu's second disciple.
He was tasked with passing on the Dharma lineage of two major disciples under Mazu, but the last one passed down by Master Wen Yan was the Dharma lineage of Master Xuefeng Yicun, a disciple of Xi Qian’s sect in Qingyuan. It really baffled the world and became the ancestral hallmark of the Zen sect. A public case. The Holy Sect naturally knew about this matter, but the inside story was not publicized to the outside world.
At this time, Master Wenyan's Dharma lineage is in front of him. Thinking of his world-famous disciples and the disciples who meditate in the ancestral court, anyone will wonder about the legend of Master Wenyan's life!
Later generations thought that he was the leader of several schools during his travels, and later founded the Yunmen Sect in Shaozhou. It cannot be generalized that he inherited his dharma lineage.
But at this time, Linji Sect, Weiyang Sect, Caodong Sect, Fayan Sect, Yunmen Sect and Nanyue Sect were already called the Five Sects and Six Sects in the world! And the Master Chengyuan in front of him, although he is the younger among the disciples of Master Wenyan, is actually the person who truly established his master's sect as the Yunmen Sect!
If Yunmen Mountain is called Yunmen Sect, and if Master Wenyan is the founder, then Master Chengyuan must be the first generation leader! Such a unique person is younger than his disciples. No matter whether people like Gao Yangyi or Sheng Yan were face to face, they couldn't help but be impressed by the monk in front of them!
If Mazu Daoyi had really become the Eighth Patriarch, instead of the Mazu that people call him, I am afraid that the Heze Sect would also be entangled. After all, the Sixth Patriarch's lineage was truly passed on to Shenhui.
Although it turned out that the Heze Sect was later inferior to the Nanyue and Qingyuan schools, Shenhui was still the Seventh Patriarch of Nanchan. Although the imperial court later came under the influence of the dominant Nanyue clan and revered Master Huairang as the seventh ancestor of Zen, from then on Daoyi was still Mazu!
Because Buddhism does not fight!
Of course, some people privately believe that Master Wen Yan caused this incident to happen for a reason. However, it is difficult for future generations to investigate, but considering the ideas followed by Buddhism, and in every generation since Mazu, no one dares to claim to be the ancestor of Nanchan, so even if Nanchan prospers, there is no embarrassment of every generation of ancestors!
Later, Master Shi Bei came from the legal system of Master Xuefeng Yicun, and was recognized by Master Guo Yicun, and he and Master Wen Yan were considered brothers. In addition, Master Shibei later went to Jiangxi to promote Buddhism and became a generation of Zen masters. Master Wenyi, his disciple, was even more outstanding in practicing magic. He received great courtesy from the Southern Tang Dynasty court and became another famous master after Master Yicun. Therefore, many people believe that the lineage of Shenhui will be immortal.
But how could the peaceful small court of the Southern Tang Dynasty compare with the original Great Tang Dynasty?
Geniuses like Gao Yangyi and Sheng Yan naturally understood these allusions. What's more, given their age, they both had some contact with Master Yicun and even Master Shibei.
However, in his later years, Master Xuefeng Yicun recruited the talented Master Wen Yan to join his studies. No one knew whether Master Wen Yi in Jinling had some dissatisfaction at the time. However, some people still secretly speculated that it was Wen Yi who was afraid of his own status and was once again rejected by the founder, Master Yicun, because of the appearance of Master Wen Yan.
Therefore, they were intolerant of Master Wen Yan, who also came from Xuefeng, and preached everywhere that Master Wen Yan was from the Mazu lineage. The intrigues involved, and even the differences among some sects, are of little significance now. After all, Master Wen Yan himself founded the sects of the Yunmen series. It is said that his achievements in Buddhism would surpass Master Yicun himself!
