Hung-jen ［弘忍］ (601–674) (PY Hongren;  Kōnin): The fifth patriarch of the Zen (Ch’an) school in China. In 607, as a young child, he became a disciple of the fourth patriarch, Tao-hsin, and inherited his teachings after practicing under him for thirty years. Hung-jen had many disciples, and Zen Buddhism prospered in his time. Among his most outstanding disciples was Hui-neng, who became the sixth patriarch. Shen-hsiu, another major disciple, founded the Northern school of Zen, while Hui-neng’s teaching came to be called the Southern school.