Platform Sūtra of 6th Patriarch六祖壇經
Chapter 2 : Prajñā般若品二
Wong Weng Hon
- 迷人口念. 當念之時, 有妄有非. 念念若行, 是名真性.
The deluded one utters orally. In oral utterance, there exists the false and the real; the wrong and right. If there exist theory and practice, the true Self is manifested.
When Dharma or Truth is discussed intellectually or conceptually, there arises discriminative or dualistic thought (分別心) between the false and the real or between the wrong and right. Discrimination or duality obscures the ultimate Truth of Reality (勝義諦). When the Dharma or Truth is discussed and put into practice, the true Self (真性) which is the Buddha-nature (佛性) is unveiled. The Buddha-mind (佛心) is manifested. With the Buddha-mind, one acts with wisdom which manifests the equanimity of mind (平等心). Equanmity is neither attachment (取) to pleasant environment nor aversion (舍) toward adverse environment. Equanimity purifies the mind. Mental purification is emancipation (解脫) from suffering .
- 悟此法者, 是般若法; 修此行者, 是般若行.
The Truth, that is discerned, is the Truth is Wisdom; the Truth, that is lived, is practice of Wisdom.
Discernment (徹悟) of Truth of Emptiness ( ‘Sūnyatā空) is the arising of liberative Wisdom (解脫智) of non-discrimination. When there is a unity between the theory and practice (知行合一), one is living in the Truth of Wisdom. One is said to have been liberated from suffering by Wisdom. Whoever has intuitively perceived the Emptiness of the five aggregates (五蘊) is said to have discerned the absolute Truth of Reality (勝義諦). The Truth of Reality is the dependently co-arisen non-dual Unity (緣起一真法界). Non-dual unity is the Truth of Emptiness.
Emptiness of the five aggregates connotes that the five aggregates of form (色), feelings(受), perceptions(想), volitions (行) and consciousness(識) are interdependently integrated or synthesized into the whole human personality. The human personality is not a static substantial entity but a dynamic process becoming of contigent cause (因) and conditions (緣). In the dynamic process becoming of the human personality, the five aggregates are continuously changing and integrating between themselves to produce the conditioned phenomenon designated as a human personality. When the human personality is perceived as a dynamic process becoming, the notion of self-identity or other identity is annihilated. In short, the Process Thought effaces the illusory notion of self-centric ego (私心;小我). Emptiness of the five aggregates is, in reality, the Process Thought that is the right thought of emptiness of all phenomena. It is the thought of dynamic unity of contigent conditions.
Process Thought is the Right Thought of process Reality. Process Thought is the ontology of Emptiness or Insubstantiality. Process Thought or Emptiness or Insubstantialoity obliterates the substantial view of ‘ It is , It is not, both It is and it is not and neither it is nor it is not ‘ (Nāgārjuna’s four-cornered Buddhist logic). Whatever is within the sphere of thought (citta gocara) can be designated with any one of the assertions of the four cornered Buddhist logic. Ultimate Truth is beyond the sphere of four-fold Buddhist logical thought . It cannot be conceived and designated linquistically. Ultimate Truth is ineffable. It is beyond designation. The process reality of dynamic becoming can not be designated because it has no self-identity.
Succinctly put , Process Thought or Emptiness or In substantiality is the insubstantial or empty view of neither absolute existence (有) nor absolute non-existence (無). What is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence is defined by ‘Sā̄kyamuni Buddha as Dependent Co-arising (Pratityasamupada緣起). Therefore, whoever perceives Dependent Co-arising comprehends the Process Thought or Emptiness comprehensively .
- 不修即凡. 一念修行, 自身等佛. 凡夫即佛; 煩惱即菩提.
Whoever does not practise is a sentient being. In every moment of practice, one is the Buddha. A sentient being is innately a Buddha; vexation is enlightenment.
Buddhist central practice is the wisdom of equanimity or non-grasping (無我執) . When one executes the wisdom of equanimity or non-grasping, one instantly manifests the Truth Body (Dharmakāya法身) of the Buddha. Truth Body is the Holy Spirit of the Tathāgata. The Dharmakāya is manifested from the wisdom of eliminating the self-centric ego. Self-centric ego is eliminated from non-grasping upon the five aggregates as this is I ; this is mine; this belong to me. In other words , the perfection of wisdom of Emptiness or Insubstantiality eliminates the self-centric ego or grasping. Dharmakāya is the spiritual state of the complete poverty or extinction of self-centric ego. Monotheistically put , it is synonymous with the Holy spirit of Christ or God. It is consonant with the Sufi state of al-Fanā or Baqā. It is parallel with the concept of Ātman or Brahman in Vedānta of Hinduism.
When Dharmakāya pervades the mind and body of a self-awakened person, one’s Buddha-nature is unveiled and the Dharmakāya is manifested . Consequently , one functions with a Buddha-mind . the Buddha-mind is a mind of perfect equanimity. Equanimity is the complete extinction of attachment and aversion which evokes greed (貪) , hatred(嗔) , delusion (癡), pride (慢) , doubt (疑) and conceit (自大).
A Buddhist Gnostic(智者) perceives that everything is Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā) of inherent existence (niḥsavbhāva無自性). Vexation is Emptiness; Enlightenment is discernment of Emptiness of the five aggregates. In Emptiness or in the ultimate Reality, all phenomena are equal ultimately. Hence , Vexation and Enlightenment are therefore equal in terms of Emptiness. In Emptiness, discrimination ceases. However, a serious reminder to all : Conventionally , vexation is vexation , enlightenment is enlightenment. Conventionally, They are unequal conceptually unequal although they are non-discriminative ultimately. All phenomena are equal in Emptiness or non-discriminative in ultimate analsyis . However, conventionally perceived , they are still discriminative conceptually. This concept of identity of all phenomena is expounded in the doctrine of identity and interdependence (法界緣起) in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra of Hua-yen Buddhism. All phenomena are identical because they are formless or empty of self-nature or other nature. Therefore, they are identical in terms of insubstantial ontology which is the ultimate Reality (paramārtha Satya) of all phenomena. They are not identical in terms of substantial ontology which is the conventional reality (saṃvṛti satya). Therefore, all phenomena are both discriminative as well as non-discriminative . It depends the level of reality by which all the phenomena are perceived. This bipolar perception of all phenomena are the Middle Path philosophy declared by the ‘Sākyamuni Buddha.
- 前念迷即凡夫; 後念悟即佛. 前念著境即煩惱; 後念離境即菩提.
Deluded in a previous moment, one is a sentient being; Enlightened in a subsequent moment, one is a Buddha. Attachment in the previous moment is vexation; Non-detachment in the subsequent moment is enlightenment.
Whether a person is a sentient being or a Buddha (Enlightened Person ; Gnostic)
is strictly contigent upon his or her state of mind or he or her thought moment . Whoever is deluded by the multiplicity of the empirical world is a sentient being . Whoever has discerned intuitively the Truth of Unity in the multiplicity is a Buddha. Alternatively, in a moment of grasping or clinging , one is a sentient being. In a moment of non-grasping or non-clinging, one is a spiritually Buddha. Correspondingly defined, a person sustaining the perfection of wisdom or the Buddha-mind is a Buddha spiritually . A person does not preserve the perfection of wisdom or the Buddha-mind is a sentient being . A moment of letting go is the mind of a Buddha spiritually ; a moment of not letting go is the mind of a sentient being . A person of True Self is a Buddha spiritually; a person of false self is a sentient being. Wisdom is the mother of a Buddha ; ignorance is the mother of a sentient being. Of course physically, a Gnostic is still a human being. At the spiritual reality of Dharmakāya, the Gnostic does not differ from a Buddha. When a Gnostic declares that he is or has become a Buddha, it connotes that he is a self-enlightened human being who is able to direct and empower all his sensual activities with the Buddha-mind (pure and infinite human consciousness) so that his entire body is pervaded with the Dharmakāya. His previously superimposed self-centric ego has ceased to function. Dharmakāya and self-centric ego are mutually exclusive. |
