A Commentary Literature on ‘Song of Enlightenment’

Commentary by Paramartha

Chapter 4. Chan or Wisdom

Self-awakened to the Chan of Tathāgata,
Consummating the Six pāramitā-s;
So do the ten thousand expedient means.
Vivid are the Six Realms in illusions.
Upon self-awakening,
Not even a world of the cosmos evident.

The above verse is the 4th portion of the Chan poem ‘The Song of Enlightenment’ which is believed to be composed by Chan master, Huan Chuen Yung Chia (665-713 C.E)  during the Tang Dynasty of imperial China. He was the Dharma successor of two Buddhist masters. Firstly, he was the Chan successor of the Chinese Chan Patriarch, Hui-neng (638-713 C.E) who expounded the profusely  celebrated ‘Platform Sutra of Sixth Patriarch’. He was also the Dharma successor of Master Tien Kung, the 7th Patriarch of the Tien Tai Sect of China. The monks dwelling in Tsao Chi, the monastery of Hui-neng, designated him as ‘The Overnight-enlightened One’. His Dharma name is ‘Min Tao’ meaning ‘Discernment of Dharma’. Chan master, Yung Chia was an exemplar of Buddhist practitionerwho was instantaneously enlightened by sudden method  as hispoem mirrors.   

Commentary

When the wise (vidvān) is self-enlightened or awakened, he or she instantaneously develops the wisdom of Tathāgata known as the state of Chan. With the arising of   wisdom (prajñā) or insight into the true nature of the multiplicity of the empirical world or the myriad things of the cosmos, the six practices of a Wisdom Being  (Bodhisattva) are consummated or perfected. The six perfections of practice (pāramitā-s) are generous giving, precepts, endurance, energy, meditation and wisdom. All other supporting expedient means of practices are also perfected. In short, all practices are supported by the enlightened state of the perfection of Wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). The Perfection of Wisdom is considered to be actualized if and only if  activities are performed cankerlessly or non-karmically. In other words, the mind has been purified without cankers (āsava-s) as the human dispositions or volitional activities (saṃskāra-s) and obsessions (prapañca) have been appeased. Absolute appeasement of obsessions (prapañcopaśama) or false mental conceptualizations  is true self-awakening. The appeasement of obsessions or erroneous conceptualizations actualizes the absolute Silence of the mind. This absolute Silence of the mind which does not move in the midst of all mundane activities is called Nirvāṇa. This is the genuine practice of Chan by a true Chan practitioner.