禪宗=Ch'en Buddhism; 中國禪宗史=The History of Ch'en Buddhism; 禪宗譜系=The Leadership Lineage of Ch'an Buddhism; 政教關係=The Relationship Between Politics and Religions
Despite the advancements in the studies on Ch'en Buddhism history, there appears to be very little systematic discussion and research on the formation and the evolution of the leadership lineage in early Ch'en Buddhism community. In particular, there is very little scholarly discussion revolving around the practice of "retreating to somewhere covert(退藏於密)" of Patriarch Shenxiu(神秀) and Patriarch Huineng(慧能). This research aims to answer those questions by analyzing relevant literature. This study hypothesizes that the gradual evolution of the leadership lineage in early Ch'en Buddhism community is shaped by the political environment within the community. The reason of "retreating to somewhere covert(退藏於密)" of Shenxiu(神秀) and Huineng(慧能), which is also one of the Buddhist traditions, is mainly for eluding conflicts of interest among factions of Ch'en Buddhism and keeping their distance from politics.