Platform Sūtra of Sixth Patriarch Part I
六祖壇經
Wong Weng Hon
The Platform Sūtra of Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng (惠能638-713 C.E) is a record of the discourses delivered by Hui-neng to a group of learned audience during the Chinese Tang Dynasty. The public Dharma discourses were delivered in the hall of Ta Fan Temple in the city of present-day Guangzhou, China. The audience consisted of the Chief Minister Wei of Shao Zhou, government officials, Confucian scholars, Bhikkhus, Bhikkhunis, Taoists and lay devotees numbering over a thousand learned audience.
Hui-neng was a wood seller hailing from a poor family. His father died prematurely. Once, he delivered his fire woods to a customer dwelling in a motel, he overheard the Diamond Sūtra recited a by traveller in the vicinity of the motel. Having heard the portion of the Sūtra ‘Dwelling on nothing and produce the (pure) mind (無所住而生其心), he was instantaneously enlightened. Hui-neng was actually illiterate. This mirrors that his previous karmic affinity was sharp. He manifested the Dharma-eye (法眼) to discern the profound Diamond Sūtra which is the abridgement of the Long Discourses of the Perfection of Wisdom (Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtras大品般若經) like the Heart Sūtra.
Platform Sūtra expounds three fundamental liberation devices of Śākyamuni Buddha, namely, liberation by formlessness (無相解脫門), liberation by no-mind (無念解脫門), and liberation by non-dwelling (無住解脫門). Formlessness refers to the mental liberation due to intuitive discernment of signlessness, marklessness or characteristiclessness. No-mind connotes mental release due to the abandonment of ordinary consciousness. Non-dwelling means liberation by non-grasping (無執) upon all phenomena or the five aggregates (五蘊). All these three liberation devices work on an identical principle of the annihilation of self or ego. The annihilation of self or ego is effected through intuitive penetration into the universal Truth of three universal characteristics (三法印Impermanence-Suffering-Insubstantiality) in terms of Dependent Co-arising (緣起法). The one and only ultimate Truth embodied in the three universal characteristics is none other than the Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality.
1.菩提自性, 本來清淨; 但用此心, 直了成佛.
The original nature of enlightenment is intrinsically pure;
If one utilizes this mind of original nature,
one instantaneously becomes enlightened.
The original nature of all sentient beings is intrinsic self-awareness or generally designated as the Buddha-nature(佛性). It is originally pure. Whoever intuitively discerns this great perfection of the Buddha-nature, he or she is instantaneously enlightened and liberated from suffering. This is self-redemption of making an inward journey to the original purity of the human heart. The original mental purity is the centre of the heart in which human divine supremacy dwells. All esoteric religions, such as Vedānta of Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam promulgate this innate supremacy of Man. Whoever sees or loves God returns to this intrinsic Great Perfection of Man.
The chan or zen poem below was composed by Shen-hsiu (神秀605-706 C.E), one of two eminent Buddhist disciples of 5th Chinese chan or zen patriarch, Hung-jen (弘忍601-674 C.E). Shen-hsiu’s poem was a response to his master’s desire to evaluate the level of the profoundity of Dharma discernment his disciples. The master desired to evaluate their levels of gnosis through their compositions of chan or zen poetry. Whoever had the most profound intuitive apprehension of the true teaching (Saddharma) of the Buddha would be conferred the 6th Chinese chan or zen patrriachship.
Shen-hsiu was a great Chinese scholar and a Buddhist cultivated monk with a large following in the monastery. His poem was exhibited on the wall of his monastery thus:
2.身是菩提樹, 心如明境台; 時時勤拂拭, 勿使惹塵埃.
The body like a bodhi tree,
The mind like a clean mirror;
Polish it diligently;
Do not allow it to be sullied with dust.
Shen-hsiu compared the human personality to be akin to a bodhi tree which can grow and develop through discernment of Saddharma, that is knowing the ultimate Truth or True Self of the human personality (microcosm; micro-reality) in relation to the macrocosm – the macro-reality of the cosmos. He also likened the human mind to be akin to a clean mirror which can reflect all objects which appear on and disappear from the mirror. Most importantly, the appearing and disappearing of all objects do not sully or defile the clean face of the mirror. The mirror is untouched by the diverge images coming and going. This connotes the equanimity of a liberated mind which is free from attachment and aversion.
Shen-hsiu admonished us to meditate diligently so that our mind is always pure and uncorrupted. Having read the poem of Shen-hsiu, Hong-jen admonished his disciples to venerate and bow to the poem daily and practised accordingly. The master Hong-jen opined that the poem did have an edifying value though it was still not profound enough in gnosis. Consequently, Shen-hsiu did not qualify himself to be conferred the sixth chan patriarchship. Anyway, the master instructed the Saṅgha members in his temple to worship the poem and practised daily according Shen-hsiu’s gradual method of Dharma cultivation. The poem was ideal for gradual cultivation, and development consummating and culminating eventually in fruitful gradual enlightenment. It is a gradual method of chan or zen training.
Having read the poetry of Shen-hsiu displayed on the wall at the corner of the monastery, another quiet, solitary, extremely brilliant Buddhist disciple of Hung-jen, Hui-neng (638-713 C.E) was inspired to compose his own chan poem to be evaluated by his Master. He composed a chan or zen poetry verbally. It was written on the wall by another monk as Hui-neg was illiterate. The chan or zen poem was historically significant as it sowed the first seed and paved the way to the development and transmission of chan or zen Buddhism subsequently in China. Later, it was transmitted to Korea, Vietnam and Japan long after his demise. Chan or zen Buddhism has now been transmitted throughout the world including the west hitherto.
Hui-neng prescribed sudden or instantaneous enlightenment method of discernment of the Buddha-mind. The Buddha-mind is revealed and manifested when the wisdom of penetrating singlessness, no-mind or non-dwelling is realized. The perception of signlessness, the self–actualization of no-mind or the establishment of non-dwelling is the entrance into the gate of non-duality (入不二法門). Entrance into the gate of Non-duality is living the ultimate Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Non-dual mind is non-discriminative wisdom (無分智). Non-discriminative wisdom is the perfection of wisdom by which the illusion and unreality of the multiplicity of the empirical world are discerned intuitively. The perception of signlessness is the apprehension of emptiness of inherent existence(空無自性). The self-actualization of no-mind is the silence of the mind in which false conceptualization (戲論) ceases to function. Non-dwelling is the non-grasping upon the five aggregates as this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me.
Hui-neng’s chan or zen poem captivated and mesmerized his Master Hong-jen in terms of his profound intuitive discernment of the Saddharma (正法). Soon, the master personally and secretly invited Hui-neng to listen to his instructions on Diamond Sūtra without the knowledge of other monks. After Hui-neng was instructed fully on the Diamond Sūtra by his Master, he was supremely enlightened. He was conferred the Sixth Chinese chan or zen patriarchship. He was advised to leave the monastery at night immediately as the jealousy of other monastic members might assail him psychologically. Hui-neng was then a too junior to receive the great honour of being conferred the sixth patriarchship. His poetry is reproduced below. It has become a master- piece of Buddhist literature and a golden guide to discern the ultimate Truth of Reality – emptiness of inherent existence or the dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality.
3.菩提本無樹, 明鏡亦非台; 本來無一物,何處惹塵埃?
The bodhi tree is not originally a tree.
The clean mirror is not a standing mirror
Originally, everything is empty;
Where can it be sullied with dust?
Hui-neng discerned that the bodhi tree is actually not a tree. The mirror is also not a mirror ultimately. In short, bodhi tree and mirror are insubstantial or empty of inherent of existence. In other words, all phenomena are empty of self-natures. Bodhi, tree, mirror and all other phenomena in the empirical world (multiplicity of the world) are mere linguistic designations, appellations, or labels which are illusive and unreal. Signs, marks, or characteristics described by words or language do not mirror the real truth. They are all denied or negated because they do not exist in the ultimate sense just as the Heart Sūtra negates or deconstructs all phenomena to reveal the emptiness (of inherent existence), illusiveness and unreality of the phenomenal world.
At this juncture, it is important to know the distinction between conventional truth(世俗諦) and ultimate Truth (勝義諦). Conventionally, all phenomena exist in terms of signs, marks or characteristics conceptualized erroneously by the ordinary worldlings. Even though knowledge of conventional truth is illusive and unreal, human beings still require concepts and language to communicate with one another in daily, social or business intercourses. They cannot be denied even after the knowledge of ultimate Truth of emptiness (空) or insubstantiality or non-self (無我) is intuitively discerned and realized.
The golden advice of the Middle Path advocated by the Mādhyamika School of Buddhist Thought,founded by Mahāyāna celebrated savant, Nāgārjuna, is pertinent and pragmatic. Nā̄gārjuna’s advice concurs with the exposition of the Sūtras of Perfection of Wisdom and Diamond Sūtra. The golden admonition is the formula of the three-fold-truth of one-mind-in-three -contemplations as follows:
- First contemplation: Dharma
- Second contemplation: Not Dharma
- Third Contemplation: Still Dharma
The first contemplation of ‘Dharma’ (phenomenal world) is the recognition of the conventional truth as an illusion and unreality. The second contemplation of ‘not Dharma’ is negation or deconstruction of dharma to unveil the ultimate Truth of Emptiness (Śūnyatā) of inherent existence. Emptiness connotes absence of permanent, immutable self-identity or intrinsic nature (svabhāva). It does not connote nothingness which means nihilism or annihilationism. Emptiness is the right vision of Dependent Co-arising of (Pratītyasamutpāda) negating or deconstructing both absolute existence (atthitā) and absolute non-existence (n’atthitā). This middle view doctrine is expounded by the Śākyamuni Buddha in the Kaccāyanagotta-sutta( S2.17). Therefore, the Buddha, having unveiled the emptiness of the multiplicity and their corresponding linguistic designations or appellations, admonishes us to utilize language without ontological commitment. Ontology obsesses and defiles human mind. Emptiness of inherent existence is synonymous with dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality or the Dharma realm of Unity (Dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda). |
