Commentary on the Platform Sūtra of Sixth Patriarch (六祖壇經句解)
Chapter 2 : Wisdom般若品二
Wong Weng Hon
- 若無塵勞, 智慧常現, 不離自性.
If there are no vexations caused by sensual stimuli, wisdom is always arisen. You are not separated from your original Self.
The six sense organs(六根) always come into contact with the corresponding six objects of perception (六塵). If no vexation is aroused from the contact between the six sense organs and the corresponding objects of perception, one’s reaction is equanimous(平等心). Being equanimous is being neither attached (不取) to pleasant nor averse (不舍) towards the unpleasant. This mind of equanimity (upekkhā舍心) is considered to be the mind of purity(淨心). It is not separate from the one’s True Self (真心). This True Self is the pure and infinite consciousness of the Buddha-mind (佛心). The development and cultivation of Six Transcending Perfections (Prajñāpāramitā六度波羅蜜多) is to rediscover and resurrect the Buddha-mind. The universal soteriological (解脫) goal for all adherents of major world’s religions is the communal goal of dying before one dies (大死一番). The false self (妄心) of self-centric ego must be annihilated to resurrect the Buddha-mind or the Truth Body (Dharmakāya法身).
- 悟此法者, 即是無念.
Whoever is awakened to this Dharma, his mind is free of wandering thoughts (state of no-mind).
Whoever has intuitively discerned the Buddha-nature(佛性), manifests the Buddha-mind(佛心). The Chan supreme masters designate the enlightenment mind (bodhicitta菩提心) as the state of ‘ No-mind’(無心). ‘No-mind’ does not mean that the mind is lost or ceases to function. It connotes that the mind is free from mental obsessions(戲論) and is liberated from attachment and aversion. In other words, the intellectual or conceptual mind is directed and empowered by the intuitive mind (直覺心). The intuitive mind purifies the intellectual mind. It is the Buddha-mind of non-greed (不貪), non–hatred(不嗔) and non-delusion(不癡). It is the nirvāṇ̣ic mind (涅盤心) which is completely appeased dispositionally. It is the complete appeasement of volitional activities (平伏行蘊). All actions become non-action (無為). Non-action is one that is not directed and empowered by self-centric ego(私心). It is non-action resulted from the cessation of the grasping upon (放下我執) the five aggregates as this is I; this is mine; this belongs to me.
- 無憶無著, 不起誑妄.
Devoid of past thoughts and grasping , conceit and false thoughts are not arisen
When the Buddhist Gnostic is liberated from detachment from past
thoughts, he or she is also liberated from grasping or clinging. Without
grasping , arrogance (我慢) and erroneous conceptualizations and
obsessions due to false mental constructs are not produced. The higher
fetters (業縛) of attachment to the world of form, attachment to the
formless world, conceit , restlessness and ignorance are obliterated.
Consequently, complete release from suffering is gained.
- 用自真如性,以智慧常照.
Functioning with the suchness of the original Self, one’s wisdom always illuminates.
When the Gnostic is able to utilize his true Self of the Buddha-mind annihilating the false mind, the wisdom of insight (悟智) illuminates the Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā空) of the empirical world. Perceiving the Emptiness of the world is discernment of the Unity of Existence (一真法界). The Unity of Existence is Unity in the multiplicity (一即一切) and the multiplicity in the Unity (一切即一). Unity of Existence is the Insubstantiality of the five aggregates.
The illusiveness and unreality (虛妄) of the multiplicity of empirical world are intuitively discerned and realized. The ultimate Reality of the systemic Unity of Existence of the world is unveiled. He intuitively discerns the Unity of existence behind the multiplicity. The world or universe is just the dependently co-arisen Unity of Existence (緣起正法). Everything is dependently co-arisen from the unity of a cause and a set of conditions. The interconnectedness of conditioning and being conditioned is the Principal Order of Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamutapāda).
He intuitively discerns the conventional truth in the ultimate Truth(勝義諦); he also intuitively discerns the ultimate Truth of Unity in the conventional truth of multiplicity. The Buddhist Gnostic intuitively penetrates into the highest knowledge of bipolar Reality that Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form(色即空;空即色) ; Form does not differ from Emptiness and Emptiness does not differ from Form (色不異空;空不異色). This bipolar Reality is the process reality of the ontology of dynamic process becoming. The dynamic process becoming is the incessant flow of unity of causes and conditions (因緣和合).
- 於一切法, 不取不舍,即是見性成佛道.
Confronting all phenomena , one is neither attached nor averse. This discernment of original Self unveils the Buddha-nature.
When the Gnostic confronts with the external sense stimuli, he or she is not defiled by attachment nor is he or she defiled by aversion. Having discovered the original Self, he or she consummates the Buddhahood. He is liberated from vexation (煩惱) or suffering (苦) of the saṃsāric(生死) world because his self-centric ego has been effaced. He has put a complete end to suffering (滅苦). The destruction of the cankers (漏盡) in his mind is consummated. There is nothing more to be done. The highest fruit of this knowledge of emancipation (解脫自在) is the manifest of perfect wisdom (智) and virtue (德). The liberated Buddhist is perfectly self-protected. Perfectly protecting himself or herself, he or she protects and guides others.
|
