Nonetheless, Bodhidharma did supposedly produce some texts. However, little is known about Bodhidharma.
The sixth Chan patriarch, Huineng (638-713), was the most important figure in the early development of Chan.
A successor of Huineng, known as Shenhui, helped to set up a school of Buddhist practice known as the “Southern School” in which it was taught that enlightenment was a sudden event.
At the same time, another Buddhist school, the Northern School, taught that enlightenment could only be attained gradually.