禪宗自謂教外別傳，說是靈山會上，如來拈花，迦葉微笑，即是付法。迦葉遂為印度禪宗始祖。秘密相傳，以至二十七祖般若多羅授法于菩提達磨。菩提達磨于梁武帝時來華，是為中國禪宗始祖。達磨傳慧可，慧可傳曾璨，曾璨傳道信，道信傳弘忍，弘忍傳慧能。慧能世稱禪宗六祖，與其同學神秀分為南北二宗。這便是禪宗定祖之大略。這條線上的禪宗傳燈，學界已談得很多，本文想談談從道信這裡旁出一枝的牛頭禪。

Niu-tou Zen presents itself to be a cult of non-official succession. Jia-ye founded the Zen Buddhism in India with Buddha pulcking a flower. Then Jia-ye handed the cult secretly to his successor. The twently-seventh patriarch of Zen Buddhism was Da-mo, who came to China, became the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism and handed it to Hui-ke, who handed it to Zeng-can, who handed it to Dao-xin, who handed it to Hung-ren, who handed to Hui-neng. Hui-neng was called the sixth partriarch, who divided Zen Buddhism into the northern Zen and the southern Zen with his fellow adherent Shen-xiu. This is the sketch of the succession of Zen Buddhism, which the academics have talked a lot about. In this paer, we wish to talk about the subcult of Zen Buddhism founded by Dao-xin, Niu-tou Zen.