National Teacher Huizhong (675-775CE), widely known as Nanyang Huizhong Guoshi or National Teacher Huizhong of Nanyang, was a revered Tang Dynasty Chan master. He served as imperial preceptor to three emperors (Xuanzong, Suzong, Daizong), earning the title “National Teacher” (imperial preceptor). Born in Zhuji, Yuezhou (modern-day Zhuji, Zhejiang Province), he mastered the sutras and Vinaya texts. As one of the Five Great Masters under the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, he stood alongside figures like Xingsi, Huairang, Shenhui, and Xuanjue. Throughout his illustrious life, Huizhong disseminated Chan teachings far and wide, exerting a profound and enduring influence on the development of Chan Buddhism.
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