Platform Sutra of Sixth Patriarch六祖壇經: Chapter 2: Perfection of Wisdom般若品二
Wong Weng Hon
- 本性是佛, 離性無別佛. 何名摩訶? 摩訶是大, 心量廣大, 猶如虛空, 無有邊畔.
The original Nature is Buddha-nature. Any thing other than original nature is not Buddha-nature. What is Mahā? Mahā means Great, an infinite consciousness. It is as infinite as the empty space which is borderless.
The innate nature or original Nature(自性) of Man is the absolute essence of the Buddha or Buddha-nature (佛性). It is the inner Heart of Man in which the chatter of mind is silenced (降伏其心). Buddhahood ought to be sought from the inner Heart of Man which is the complete silence of the mind in order to realize Nirvāṇa (涅盤). Nirvāṇa is the Buddha-nature or the Buddha-mind which is the mind of the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā般若波羅蜜多). It is the pure, infinite consciousness of a self-awakened One – the Knower (Jñāni覺知者) of Truth of dependently co-arisen (緣起) Unity (一真) or Non-duality (advaya不二). This pure, infinite consciousness of the self-awakened One is great because this Buddha-mind is unfathomable and infinite. It is as unfathomable and infinite as the empty space which is borderless. This pure, infinite human consciousness can only be manifested by the development of the perfection of wisdom. The perfection of wisdom is developed by the intuitive discernment of the Emptiness (Śūnyatā空) of the five aggregates (五蘊) of form (色), feelings(受), perceptions(想), volitions(行) and consciousness (識).
The perfection of wisdom is said to have arisen when one has obliterated the self-centric ego(我執). He or she has discerned the Emptiness of self (我空) as well as Emptiness of all phenomena (法空). It is soteriologically significant that even grasping upon Emptiness should be avoided. This absolute purity of the mind is known as Emptiness of Emptiness (Śūnyatā-śūnyat̄空空). Emptiness is just akin to the expedient device (upāya) of raft for crossing a river. Having traversed from this shore of the bondage of saṃsāra to the other shore of Nirvāṇa of liberation, the raft should not be carried anymore. It should be abandoned. When one has realized the Truth with the view Emptinesss (Dependently co-arisen Non-duality), the view of Emptiness should be relinquished too. When it is said that everything is empty, it denotes that everything is insubstantial or self-identity less. Anything other than self is Non-self. Non-self (Anattā) is Nibbāna.. Anattā is Emptiness of self or ego.
- 世人妙性本空, 無有一法可得. 自性真空, 亦複如是.
The mysterious nature of Man is Empty. It is existentless. Original Nature is also truly Empty.
Human nature is itself a microcosm(小宇宙) which is micro-unity of cosmos or universe. It is empty of inherent existence(空無自性). It is insubstantial (無我). It is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence (非有非空). Either absolute existence or absolute non-existence can be expressed with language. But neither absolute existence nor non-existence is sheer Emptiness of inherent existence(空性). It is correspondingly depicted as being signless(無相). Emptiness or signlessness is ineffable(不可說). It is mysterious because though it cannot be expressed, it is not nothingness or nihilism(斷滅空). The Original Nature or the Buddha-nature is suchness (自性如是) – neither absolute existence nor non-existence.
- 莫聞吾說空, 便即著空. 第一莫著空. 若空心靜坐, 即著無記空.
Having heard of Emptiness from me, do not be attached to Emptiness. Soteriologically, it is of crucial importance that Emptiness is not grasped upon. If one is meditating with an empty mind, one is attached to neutral Emptiness.
Having heard the exposition of Emptiness by a Buddhist master, one ought not to grasp upon the view of Emptiness of inherent existence (不執空) or Emptiness of defining sign, mark or characteristic (不著相). Clinging upon anything including the view of Emptiness (執空) is a hindrance to the intuitive discernment of Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Clinging is the manifest of self-centric ego. Self-centric ego impedes the experience of self-enlightenment. Egoism and enlightenment are mutually exclusive (我執與菩提不相應).
Wrong views (邪見) must be discarded whilst right view (正見) must not be attached to as one’s possession of views. Any notion of this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me in connection to the five aggregates impedes the supreme path leading to the soteriological goal of Nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is the complete appeasement of kammic formation and the complete silence of the chatter of the noisy human mind. Nirvāṇic consciousness is consummated from one’s perfection of wisdom. Wisdom consummates virtue. The Buddha-mind is redeemed and character formation is thus perfected.
- 自性能含萬法是大. 萬法在諸人性中, 若見一切人惡與善, 盡皆不取不舍, 亦不染著, 心如虛空, 名之為大, 故曰摩訶.
Original Nature encompassing all phenomena is great. Myriad beings or phenomena are mentally constructed by Man. If one perceives the vice and virtue of all people, one is still neither attached nor averse, and undefiled. This is great attainment. It is designated as Mahā.
The Original Nature (自性) is the universal Self of the Buddha-mind (佛心). The Buddha-mind contains or encompasses all phenomena. All phenomena manifested in the limited universe of three-fold world of desire, form and formless are falsely constructed by the mind of Man through mental conceptualizations or imaginations. Experiencing the vice, one is not averse towards it (不舍). Experiencing the virtue, one is not attached to it (不取). Neither attachment nor aversion (不取不舍) is the power of equanimity (舍心).
Equanimity purifies the mind and manifests the Buddha-mind. The Buddha mind is the mind of perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). The Perfection of wisdom is the highest knowledge (paramārtha-jñāna) of Man which consummates human wisdom and virtue. Such a perfect man is released from suffering and incessant journey of transmigration. Perfection of wisdom is the summit of human spiritual attainment – the greatest spiritual harvest or the highest fruit or supramundane blessing obtained(功德無量). Doing good without perfection of wisdom is mere mundane blessing (福德). There is a distinction between supramundane blessing and mundane blessing. The former is the highest fruit of liberation. The latter is the fruits of mundane blessing. |
