The development of Huayan studies during the late Tang, the Five Dynasties and the early Song was slow. Few scholars have paid attention to the masters who made great efforts and contributions to Huayan studies during this period. In particular, as opinions vary, no unanimous conclusion can yet be drawn on the religious genealogy of the Huayan lineage of masters between the Fifth Patriarch Zongmi （780-841） and the Ninth Patriarch Zixuan （965-1038）. That is to say, the identities of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth patriarchs remain unclear. In particular, we still lack information on the Sixth Patriarch, who inherited great teachings from the famous Zongmi. It can be said that in order to re-examine the history of Huayan Buddhism it is very important to review the Sixth Patriarch of the Huayan school. This paper aims to systematically analyse the identity of the Sixth Patriarch.
