Yuquan Shenxiu - Decline of Northern Chan School

Decline of Northern Chan School

It was the Southern School teaching that has survived to date, creating the myth that Northern Chan was lost over a debate on succession. Though there may be some truth to this account, the historical context shows that the dominance of Southern Chan was largely aided by the regime for political support from lower classes, during the watershed events of the An Shi Rebellion. Shenhui, a follower of Huineng, gained official support and posthumous recognition as the Seventh Patriarch (which by extension made Huineng the Sixth) through his successful efforts in selling ordination certificates to raise funds for the drained imperial treasury. (If there had been no rebellion, Shenhui would have all likelihood remained in exile for the rest of his life). This led to the waning of Shenxiu's views and the dominance of Shenhui's teachings.