Master Sengguang Huike (487–593 CE), often simply known as Huike, was the second patriarch of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism and a direct disciple of Bodhidharma, the founder of the school. His life and teachings played a pivotal role in establishing Chan Buddhism in China.
The monk Shenguang took a sharp blade and severed his left arm before Bodhidharma to demonstrate his resolve for Dharma.
Bodhidharma said:
“All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sought truth without clinging to body or life. Though you only cut off an arm, your determination suffices.”
He then renamed Shenguang “Huike.”
Huike pleaded: “Master, pacify my restless mind!”
Bodhidharma demanded:
“Bring me your mind, and I shall pacify it.”
Huike replied: “I searched for my mind but cannot find it.”
Bodhidharma retorted:
“If you could find it, would it be your true mind?”
Bodhidharma continued:
“I have pacified your mind — do you see it now?”
At this, Huike awakened instantly:
“Now I realize all phenomena are intrinsically empty!
Bodhi is not distant —
The Bodhisattva reaches the ocean of prajna without moving a thought;
Attains nirvana’s shore without stirring consciousness.”
Bodhidharma confirmed: “So it is.”
Huike asked: “Is this Dharma recorded in words?”
Bodhidharma declared:
“My Dharma transmits mind to mind, beyond written words.”
Philosophical Notes
Severing Arm = Severing Attachment:
Huike’s act symbolizes transcending bodily fixation — true seeking requires abandoning all possessions, even life itself.
“Bring Me Your Mind” as Sword of Emptiness:
Bodhidharma’s command exposes:
The mind cannot be located >> Revealing its empty, ungraspable nature
“Pacification” occurs when seeking stops >> Restlessness vanishes upon realizing no “mind” exists to pacify.
Wordless Transmission:
“Transmitting mind to mind” embodies Zen’s essence: Truth is conveyed through silent awareness, not scriptures. Texts are fingers pointing at the moon — never the moon itself.
Chan Essence:
Huike’s awakening (“all phenomena empty”) erupted when Bodhidharma’s dialogue shattered his conceptual search:
No “mind” to find = Emptiness (sunyata)
No “pacification” needed = Suchness (tathata)
No words required = Direct mind-essence realization
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