Celebrating the Life of Master Hui-neng, the Beloved Sixth Zen Patriarch

The great enlightened Master Hui Neng is the Sixth and Last Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. We begin with His wise insights gleaned from His lectures and recorded in the Platform Sutra. Hui Neng was born to the Lu family in 638 AD in Xinzhou, Lingnan, now part of Northern Au Lac (Vietnam). Young Hui Neng needed to mature quickly, growing up fatherless and in vulnerable conditions. He was a quick learner, picking up knowledge from everyday life in the marketplace and from the people He spoke with.