Editing Bodhidharma (section)

=== Six patriarchs ===
The earliest lineages described the lineage from Bodhidharma into the 5th to 7th generation of patriarchs. Various records of different authors are known, which give a variation of transmission lines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
! ''The Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks''<br />Xù gāosēng zhuàn 續高僧傳<br />Daoxuan 道宣<br />(596–667)
! ''The Record of the Transmission of the Dharma-Jewel''<br />Chuán fǎbǎo jì 傳法寶記<br />Dù Fěi 杜胐
! ''History of Masters and Disciples of the Laṅkāvatāra-Sūtra''<br />Léngqié shīzī jì 楞伽師資紀記<br />Jìngjué 淨覺<br />(ca. 683 – ca. 650)
! ''Xiǎnzōngjì'' 显宗记 of Shénhuì 神会
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| 1 ||style="text-align:center;" | Bodhidharma ||style="text-align:center;"| Bodhidharma ||style="text-align:center;"| Bodhidharma ||style="text-align:center;"| Bodhidharma
|- style="text-align:center;" 
| rowspan="2"| 2 || rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | Huìkě 慧可 (487? – 593)
|| Dàoyù 道育 ||style="text-align:center;"| Dàoyù 道育 ||style="text-align:center;"| Dàoyù 道育
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| Huìkě 慧可 (487? – 593) ||style="text-align:center;"| Huìkě 慧可 (487? – 593) ||style="text-align:center;"| Huìkě 慧可 (487? – 593)
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| 3 || style="text-align:center;" | Sēngcàn 僧璨 (d.606) ||style="text-align:center;"| Sēngcàn 僧璨 (d.606) ||style="text-align:center;"| Sēngcàn 僧璨 (d.606) ||style="text-align:center;"| Sēngcàn 僧璨 (d.606)
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| 4 || style="text-align:center;" | Dàoxìn 道信 (580–651) ||style="text-align:center;"| Dàoxìn 道信 (580–651) ||style="text-align:center;"| Dàoxìn 道信 (580–651) ||style="text-align:center;"| Dàoxìn 道信 (580–651)
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 5 || style="text-align:center;" | [[Daman Hongren|Hóngrěn]] 弘忍 (601–674) ||style="text-align:center;"| [[Daman Hongren|Hóngrěn]] 弘忍 (601–674) ||style="text-align:center;"| [[Daman Hongren|Hóngrěn]] 弘忍 (601–674) ||style="text-align:center;"| [[Daman Hongren|Hóngrěn]] 弘忍 (601–674)
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 6 || rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | – || style="text-align:center;" | Fǎrú 法如 (638–689) ||style="text-align:center;"| Shénxiù 神秀 (606? – 706) ||style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2 | [[Huineng|Huìnéng]] 慧能 (638–713)
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| Shénxiù 神秀 (606? – 706) || style="text-align:center;" | Xuánzé 玄賾
|- style="text-align:center;" 
|| 7 || style="text-align:center;" | – ||style="text-align:center;"| – ||style="text-align:center;"| – ||style="text-align:center;"| Xuánjué 玄覺 (665–713)
|}