Among those eagerly hoping to see Hui Neng was young Xi Qian (希遷). Born on the outskirts of Duanzhou in 700, little did he know that he would one day become as famous as Hui Neng and help spread Ch'an Buddhism to other parts of China. For now, he was just another boy caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment as the crowd awaited the arrival of the renowned monk.

Conversation turned to shouts of exclamation and happiness when the sedan carrying Hui Neng finally appeared on the horizon. Xi Qian pushed through the throng and got close enough to get a good look at Hui Neng. He saw a slim and aged man. He felt the old monk's wrinkles denoted wisdom and erudition more than age.

Intrigued by Hui Neng's appearance, Xi Qian followed the sedan that carried the aged monk to his residence. Later, after the crowds had thinned out, Xi Qian slipped in unnoticed. He knocked on the door of Hui Neng's room and entered, prostrating himself before the venerable monk. Surprised by the young visitor, Hui Neng asked the boy what he wanted. Xi Qian replied matter-of-factly that he looked forward to becoming Hui Neng's disciple.

He went on to relate for Hui Neng an event that had happened to him at a temple when he was eight years old. His mother had taken him to a temple one day to pray. Upon entering the main hall, he noticed a huge statue shining in the candlelight. He asked his mother about the statue, and she replied, "That is the holy Buddha. He is full of compassion and wants to save all people from their miseries."

Xi Qian then said to his mother, "But he's a human being like us! He has the same hands, the same feet, and the same body as the rest of us! If he is a buddha, I can be a buddha too!"

Everyone within earshot of the two was stunned at Xi Qian's words, including his mother. She immediately hushed him. "Don't say that! The Buddha endured many hardships through many rebirths so that he could become the Enlightened One. He is the sage of the world. What makes you think you can be like him?"

Hui Neng laughed and patted the boy's head. The old monk remarked with a smile that he was indeed very smart and insightful to recognize that the Buddha was no different than everyone else. Hui Neng explained to Xi Qian that everyone's intrinsic buddha nature allowed each person the possibility of attaining buddhahood, just as Sakyamuni Buddha had done over a thousand years before. Recognizing that the child had wisdom and courage far beyond other children his age, Hui Neng agreed to accept him as his disciple.

One thing remained before Xi Qian could accept Hui Neng's offer: permission from his parents. Fortunately, that came easily enough. When he returned home and reported his exchange with Hui Neng, his mother simply embraced her son without uttering a sound. Permission to become Hui Neng's disciple was thus granted.

After the New Year, Xi Qian followed Hui Neng to Guo En Temple, also located in Guangdong Province. It was very noisy, with workers bustling to and fro as they built a new pagoda on the temple grounds. Despite the construction and chaos, Hui Neng showed the young man around. The young boy was amazed by what he saw. He had an opportunity to see and touch the exquisite robe and bowl that had been brought from India to China by Bodhidharma as well as the priceless gifts bestowed upon Master Hui Neng by the emperor.

Although Xi Qian was wise beyond his years, he had not outgrown his boyish sense of fun. He quickly made friends among the local children. He spent a lot of time playing with them, picking and eating wild fruit, or swimming in the nearby lakes.

A few months after arriving at Guo En Temple, he followed his master and some other disciples to Bao Lin Temple. This temple was constructed in Guangdong in 502, and was later expanded and renovated to become the main Ch'an temple in southern China.

The novices were responsible for cleaning up the temple. Xi Qian, raised on a farm and no stranger to hard work, found his chores rather easy. When he wasn't working, he studied Buddhist sutras in the library. His days were tiring, but very fulfilling.

In 713, Hui Neng surprised his disciples and others in the temple by predicting his upcoming passing. In preparation, Hui Neng arranged for others to take over the temples of which he was in charge. When the transfer of responsibility had been completed, he returned to Guo En Temple to live out his final days.

On his last day, Hui Neng took a bath and put on new garments. He sat down and crossed his legs. His disciples sensed the end was very near. Some of them were sad, but some had accepted their master's passing with peace. The latter were fully aware of the doctrine that there was no life and death to Ch'an cultivators. Hui Neng urged his disciples to continue on as usual after his death, as though he was still alive. He exhorted them to continue to carry out their mission of spreading the Ch'an philosophy.

At the last moment, Xi Qian stepped forward and took Hui Neng's hand. The young monk asked, "Master, where should I go?"

Hui Neng caressed his head and said to him gently, "Go to si." These were Hui Neng's last words. Soon after, he took his last breath and passed away.

Xi Qian fought back tears as he prostrated himself before his master. He pondered his last words, "Go to si." He decided that Hui Neng had instructed him to begin some serious thinking. (The Chinese word si can mean "to think.") But in this, he was mistaken; "thinking" wasn't what Hui Neng had intended at all. Actually, the elderly Master had used the word "si" to refer to his top disciple, Xing Si (行思). Hui Neng had actually meant that Xi Qian should seek out Xing Si and become his disciple.

After Hui Neng passed away, Xi Qian seemed to grow overnight. It wasn't long before he was a mature young man. Abbot Fa Hai (法海), his new dharma master, taught him and instructed him to read the sutras.

Xi Qian excelled in his studies, and within a few years he had surpassed the other monks in the temple. He traveled around the country visiting other temples, and he enjoyed discussions with monks from other Buddhist sects. The trips enriched his life and laid the foundation for his future thoughts on Ch'an.

He always maintained his privacy after such journeys, ignoring everything around him. One day soon after having returned from a trip, Fa Hai asked him, "Are you all right? You've been sitting all by yourself ever since your return from your journey. What's on your mind?"

Xi Qian replied, "I've seen and experienced many things in my travels. I feel it is necessary to contemplate on everything I've learned before sharing my insights."

Fa Hai replied with a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good. With so many things on earth, it is indeed necessary to seriously ponder them. Is that what Master Hui Neng told you to do?"

Xi Qian replied that his former master had indeed told him to do serious thinking when he said "Go to si." When Fa Hai heard these words, it dawned on him what Hui Neng had meant. He exclaimed loudly, "The master didn't want you to think! He was referring to Master Xing Si, his top disciple! The Master was telling you to go to Master Xing Si for further lessons!"

At that moment, Xi Qian realized his error. It was as if all the problems in his mind had been solved in an instant. Without wasting any time, he bade farewell to Fa Hai and set out to find Xing Si.

It is not known when Xing Si was born, and details of his life are sketchy. He was one of the top disciples of Hui Neng. After becoming enlightened, he resided in Jing Ju Temple, located in today's Jiangxi Province in east-central China. It is also known that he had many disciples himself. In fact, three Ch'an denominations--Yun Men, Cao Dong (founded by Xi Qian), and Fa Yan--can be traced back to him.

When Xi Qian and Xing Si met for the first time, the older dharma master tested the young monk. "Where are you from?" he asked.

"Caoxi," replied Xi Qian, referring to the place where Hui Neng's Bao Lin Temple was located. Xi Qian's answer indicated his studies with Hui Neng and his understanding of Ch'an.

"Have you got anything from Caoxi?" asked Xing Si.

"No, I've never been to Caoxi and I've never lost anything."

"If so, then why did you go there?"

"If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have known I'd never lost anything."

His reply was based on the Buddhist notions of impermanence and fleeting changes. Because time and elemental conditions always move forward, we don't stay at one place forever. We may be at this place at this second, but we may move away the next second. In the Buddhist view, this ever-changing state of everything (including human beings) means that nothing remains real and permanent. So strictly speaking, based on this notion, Xi Qian had never been in Caoxi. Above all, Xi Qian demonstrated to Xing Si that he had transcended the bondage of physical existence and had attained the realm of metaphysics. The "I've never lost anything" referred to the fact that Xi Qian had never lost his buddha nature.

What Xi Qian was saying was that if he had not gone to Caoxi to study under Master Hui Neng's tutelage, he would not have learned that he had the same buddha nature as the Buddha. Once he knew he had it, there was no need for him to look outside of himself for methods leading to enlightenment.

Xing Si was delighted with the young monk's answer, and he happily agreed to accept him as his disciple. From this point on, he stayed at the temple and began to learn from his new master.

Xi Qian lived in the temple for over a decade. He didn't live with the other disciples, but lived exclusively with Master Xing Si. The great monk taught him day and night and asked his opinions on various matters concerning the operation of the temple. All the other disciples could clearly see that Xing Si was training his new disciple to take over the temple one day.

The special treatment Xi Qian received from his master stirred up jealousy among the other disciples. In fact, many of them disliked him from the moment he went to live with their master. They tried to find fault with him whenever possible and report it to their master. Wisely, Xing Si turned a deaf ear to their jealous words.

One day, Xi Qian tricked those disciples who disliked him. That morning, he went into the kitchen to pick up his breakfast but discovered that his bowl contained nothing but water. Instead of making a fuss, he simply took his master's bowl and poured the porridge into his own. He made sure to do this in front of the other monks. He then left quietly, carrying the bowl of porridge with him. To those that witnessed this, it appeared that he had just stolen his master's breakfast!

This action upset the other disciples very much, and they quickly went to report to their master about what he had done. To their surprise, Xing Si simply closed his eyes without uttering a word. Once their voices had died down, Xing Si told them with a smile that Xi Qian had actually brought the porridge to him.

The disciples looked at each other in disbelief, realizing they had been tricked into looking foolish and petty. They bowed with regret and left the room. Xing Si then summoned Xi Qian to his room and scolded him for tricking the other disciples. "I know the other monks have been giving you a hard time out of jealousy, but a spiritual cultivator like you should not irritate them like this. You should repent of what you've done."

Xing Si then took out a letter and asked Xi Qian to deliver it to Master Huai Rang (懷讓) in Fu Yan Temple, located in Hunan Province. Huai Rang was another of Hui Neng's disciples. After he had attained enlightenment, he traveled around until he came to Fu Yan Temple. Once he took up residence there, he began taking in disciples of his own. Xi Qian knew he had to accept his master's order, but he wanted to return quickly. He knew that Xing Si didn't have much time before passing away, and he didn't want to miss a last chance to see him.

At his master's request, Xi Qian traveled to Fu Yan Temple to deliver the letter. However, he did not present the letter immediately upon meeting Huai Rang. Instead, he asked, "What type of condition is it if we don't admire the sages or do not pay heed to our minds?" Xi Qian actually showed that he was brave enough to reverse the normal thought of Buddhism.

Huai Rang shook his head and said, "Your question is too profound. Try another one." Xi Qian replied, "I prefer to be trapped in reincarnation forever, instead of seeking salvation from the Buddha."

Huai Rang didn't say a word, nor was there any expression on his face since he knew Xi Qian would rebut him no matter what his answer was. The best policy for Huai Rang was to remain silent.

After this exchange, Xi Qian left and rushed back to Jing Ju Temple. Xing Si was surprised that his disciple had returned so quickly, so he asked him, "Was there any reply from Huai Rang?"

"No," said Xi Qian.

"Not even an oral message?" inquired Xing Si.

"No," Xi Qian said again.

"What happened?"

"The letter was not delivered, so there was no reply at all. He didn't reply to my questions, even when I asked him directly. You told me to return as quickly as possible, so here I am."

Xing Si sat upright on his bed and lowered his foot. Xi Qian immediately prostrated himself before his master three times. At that very moment, he inherited his master's mantle.

Afterwards, Xing Si said to Xi Qian, "The Buddha's teaching of Ch'an has been passed down for 27 generations in India and six in China. I can tell from the display of your unencumbered thoughts that you are fully aware of the essence of Ch'an, and can emancipate yourself from any bondage in this world. I am now entrusting to you the duty of maintaining Ch'an. Please don't let it disappear. Now, you are free to go."

Xing Si dismissed Xi Qian and took a bath. Then he passed away quietly, sitting cross-legged on his bed. It was the year 740.

After Xing Si's funeral, Xi Qian left the temple.

Xi Qian arrived at Nan Tai Temple in Shanxi Province in 742. Despite his fame, he didn't automatically assume control of the temple. Instead, he built himself a grass hut on a giant rock in the temple compound and lived there. It wasn't long before others had given him the nickname "Master Rock." He lived in the hut for 23 years and observed the world with his own special wisdom the whole time.

The main theme of his observations was to determine who or what possessed a buddha nature. Some Buddhist sects claimed that even plants had a buddha nature. Other denominations held that only sentient beings had a buddha nature. The latter group argued that non-sentient beings couldn't have any buddha nature because the Buddha had never included them in such a way. Xi Qian felt that combining the merits from various denominations was the wisest way to establish his own theory and school of thought.

He wrote an article titled "The Grass Hut Song," in which he stated that every person should believe in himself and depend on himself. The article emphasized that all beings, including plants, had a buddha nature. It also postulated that all creatures, living or not, were equal. The article was a summary of Xi Qian's lifetime of careful observation and thinking.

In 764, he started giving sermons in Nan Tai Temple. No one knew why he suddenly decided to do so, but on the first day the audience filled the temple to capacity. He said that it didn't matter if one carried out spiritual cultivation by means of meditation or studying the sutras, that if one could attain enlightenment, one was a buddha. He argued that mind, buddha, and all living beings were actually the same thing.

According to Xi Qian, the "buddha" was everyone's pure nature. As such, there was no need to seek it outside of oneself. This meant that one was not required to pray before Sakyamuni Buddha's statue in the temple as a means of attaining enlightenment. Master Hui Neng once said that one's own pure mind was a buddha, so each person had to understand his mind. Once he understood it, he would see the buddha. The mind was the buddha and the buddha was the mind.

Xi Qian carried this line of thought even further. He postulated that the Three Realms, the Six Worlds, and all one's worries came from one's own mind. The Buddha saw the universe as consisting of the Three Realms of Sensuous Desire, Form and Formlessness. In the Realm of Sensuous Desire, where our world is situated, there are the Six Worlds of Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animals, Asuras (titanic demons), Human Beings, and Heaven. Each world is a destination for certain living beings to go to based on their karma. Xi Qian said that these worlds did not exist physically, but were just projections of one's mind.

These ideas shocked those in the audience. The Three Realms and the Six Worlds had been repeatedly mentioned in Buddhist sutras. Why would Xi Qian now say they didn't exist?

Xi Qian explained: "According to Buddhist sutras, when the mind is created, all kinds of things are created; when the mind is dead, all matter perishes too. The sutras mean that the Three Realms and the Six Worlds are created by one's mind. If the mind perishes, so does the existence of these worlds."

At this explanation, many in the audience suddenly understood what Xi Qian meant and attained enlightenment on the spot. He went on to explore the essence of Hui Neng's teachings and the merits of other Buddhist sects. His sermon won the hearts of the audience.

At one point in the sermon, Master Shi Li stood up from the audience and asked, "Master, what are our own duties?" (At this time, monks in China had to abide by the precepts, meditate, read sutras, chop firewood, fetch water for the temples, and bring the Buddhist teachings to the public. Sometimes, they even had to do farming. They did all these chores regularly, so Shi Li was asking if these sorts of activities constituted a monk's duties.)

Xi Qian replied, "You should know what your duties are. Why are you asking me about them?"

Puzzled by this reply, Shi Li responded, "A teacher's duty is to teach and to solve the student's questions. If the student doesn't ask his teacher questions, how can the student find the answers?"

Xi Qian then asked him, "Have you ever lost 'yourself' before?"

Shi Li paused, asked himself the same question, and pondered his answer. He realized that when he was hungry he would eat and when he was thirsty he would drink. He could see, hear, talk, walk, and do many things. When he was doing any of these, he never departed from his "self." Only he himself experienced everything he had done. Why had he come and asked Xi Qian about it? He felt very stupid!

As other people watched Shi Li, they noticed sweat rolling down his forehead. The audience became very quiet. No one dared to disrupt his personal inward observation. Suddenly, Shi Li started laughing. He approached Xi Qian, prostrated himself before the master, and then walked out laughing with joy. Some people looked at Shi Li with envy and murmured, "He must have attained enlightenment." In fact, that was exactly what had just happened.

Another monk asked, "What is emancipation?"

An uproar erupted from the audience at this question. They felt that this question was too big and too difficult to answer. When Sakyamuni Buddha was still a prince, he wasted six years following various religious groups to find ways for liberation, but he wasn't successful. When he realized his mistake, he sat under a bodhi tree and attained enlightenment. Only at this point was he emancipated from all human miseries and became the Buddha.

Because of this, the Buddha often talked about how to free oneself from human miseries and reincarnation in his sermons. Various Buddhist schools also listed and described ways for followers to be emancipated or to achieve the same status as the Buddha.

Xi Qian knew the answer very well. The path to emancipation was very straightforward: When one saw one's nature and attained enlightenment, one would be free and liberated. A person's nature was pure, but many people couldn't see their nature and become buddhas. They worried too much and attached themselves to worldly affairs. If they could break their worldly attachments and eliminate their worries, they would recognize their buddha nature, and in so doing become enlightened. Xi Qian knew that this was the path to emancipation and liberation.

Xi Qian then asked this person, "Has anyone or anything ever tied you up?"

The questioner was stunned by the reply, but then realized that since one's nature was always there, no person or thing could put a shackle on him in the first place. Why did he take all the trouble to find ways to "liberate" a self that was already free?

As Shi Li had done a few minutes before, this person prostrated himself before Xi Qian and left the temple. Another person had just attained enlightenment.

Another monk asked Xi Qian what the Pure Land was. He responded, "Has anyone or anything ever made you dirty?"

Someone asked what nirvana was. In return, Xi Qian asked him, "Who gave you life and death?" He meant that a person who still struggles with the problem of life and death in his mind could never attain the complete emancipation of nirvana.

Ch'an conversations like these were once common, especially between Ch'an masters and their disciples. They seem very mystic and incomprehensible to modern ears, but the main purpose of such dialogues was to force people to ponder and think. This helped them shed the slightest attachments and eventually attain enlightenment by bringing out their intrinsic wisdom.

The audiences admired Xi Qian's replies, and his wisdom was spread far and wide. His fame grew during this time and many people flocked to the temple to study with him.

In 790, the 90-year-old monk died peacefully while sitting cross-legged on his bed. The legacy that he left behind was remarkable. Many young monks attained enlightenment because of his teachings. The new disciples in turn helped to spread his teachings further, carrying the Ch'an philosophy to other parts of China and even making it popular in Japan. Xi Qian always encouraged his disciples to seek the buddha nature from within one's mind. Everything, whether a person, a weed or a piece of wood, has its own buddha nature and thus should be treated as an equal. It was highly admirable for Master Xi Qian to promote such a notion in the highly hierarchical Chinese society. He also urged his disciples to keep theory and practice in balance. After perceiving the profound theory of Ch'an, a cultivator should be able to deal with all events with wisdom and a harmonious approach.