Commentary:
Chan Master Yung-chia had travelled far and wide crossing many rivers and mountains in search of Chan masters to receive transmission of the message of Chan. Eventually, he met Chan Master Hui-neng who certified his attainment of Birthlessness, that is, he had realized his Buddhahood. The Dharma dialogue between Hui-neng and Yung Chia mirrored that Yung Chia had entered the door of Chan or Non-duality. Hui-neng extolled the superior wisdom of Yung Chia after the Dharma dialogue.
A Chan practioner, having entered the door of Chan or Non-duality, escapes from the incessant cycle of birth and death. But the emphasis of Chan Buddhism is that Chan should be practised in all daily activities while one is still leading a mundane life. One dies before one dies. Chan Wisdom or the Perfection of Wisdom cannot be gained intellectually. It can only be developed through intuitive discernment of Non-duality.
An intuitive leap of understanding the Buddha-nature or no-mind in terms of Non-duality constitutes the experience of sudden enlightenment. No-mind does not mean the absence of mind. It connotes the cessation of ordinary impure, finite consciousness. Non-mind is the enlightened mind of pure, infinite consciousness.
Self-enlightenment is self-realization that human personality and the multiplicity of the empirical world are empty of inherent existence, illusive and impermanent. Not only Buddhism teaches the path to self-enlightenment or gnosis, all other major esoteric religions, such as Hinduism, Christianity and Islamic Sufism expound their respective paths to self-enlightenment or self-wakening to ultimate Truth through apparently diverge pedagogy orientated towards an identical soteriologcal goal.
The common message of all major esoteric religions is that the illusory ego is the cause of human moral fallibilities and vulnerabilities. Religions teach us the source of human vexation or anguish and how to make a return journey to our original home – the inner Heart – the supreme state of Nirvāṇa.
