自初祖達磨倡禪至五祖弘忍為一味。弘忍弟子，有慧能神秀二弟子，分南北二宗。慧能於江南布化，故云南宗。神秀入洛陽而其道盛，故云北宗。此中至後世極隆盛者，南宗也。五家七宗之分派悉屬於此下，因此後世以南為禪之正宗，以慧能稱六代之祖。
The Southern sect, or Bodhidharma School, divided into northern and southern, the northern under 神秀 Shen-hsiu, the southern under 慧能 Hui-nang, circa A.D. 700, hence 南能北秀; the southern came to be considered the orthodox Intuitional school. The phrase 南頓北漸 or 'Southern immediate, northern gradual' refers to the method of enlightenment which separated the two schools.
達摩到中國來傳禪，到五祖弘忍的時候，有慧能神秀二位弟子，慧能在江南布化，叫做南宗，神秀在北方布化，叫做北宗。