Several Important Issues Regarding Ch’an Teachings
(A speech delivered on Sep.25, 2001 in the Second International
Academic Conference on the Teachings of the Sixth Patriarch Master Hui Neng
held in Macau )
by Maha Acarya Yang Fo Xing
I.
The Sixth Patriarch’s Ch’an Teachings Have Made Great Contribution to the World
The Sixth
Patriarch, Master Hui Neng, was a reincarnate Bodhisattva born and brought up
in China. His body that has not decomposed for over 1200 years, the things that
he left behind to this world and the historical sites where he once stayed, are
still in existence today, regarded highly as the National Treasures. The
Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra is significant in meaning. The
teachings are orthodox, penetrating and touching, exerting far and extensive
influence.
The Ch’an School originated in India. When the Dharma lineage was transmitted to the 28th Patriarch Master Bodhidharma, who, knowing his strong affinity with the East Land (China), came to spread Buddhism and thus became the First Patriarch of the Ch’an School in China. Seeing that most Chinese relied heavily on scriptural study and tried to understand the profound meanings of Buddhist sutras through studying the literal meanings of the words, which not only made it difficult for them to penetrate the wonderful purport of Buddha nature but also became the barrier to the realization of Buddha nature, he preached the teaching “Non-dependence on words, directly pointing to the heart, realizing the nature to reach Buddhahood”.
When the Dharma
lineage was passed down to the Sixth Patriarch Master Hui Neng, the time was
opportune, and conditions were ripe to spread the Ch’an teachings. Therefore,
he spread the doctrines of the One Vehicle Sudden
Teaching in Lingnan (Guangdong Province) for 37 years, taught, and transformed
countless sentient beings. His Dharma heirs numbered 43, and those who were
enlightened were incalculable. The Dharma lineage was later divided into five
branches. Master Bodhidharma’ prediction long time ago was proven true. His
prophecy quotes as follows:
“My intention of
coming to the East Land (China)
Is to deliver sentient beings under delusion.
When the flower
has five petals,
The fruits will come naturally.”
In the Introduction
to the Buddhism Monthly The Comprehensive Voice, Maha Acarya Feng Da An
wrote: “Guangdong province is famous in the world for spreading the Oneyana
teachings. People, Buddhist practitioners or not, the monks or the laity, as
long as they can penetrate the Wonderful Purport and merge it with their true
nature and body in Oneness, they can handle all the mundane affairs flexibly
and with perfection. They can even use it to benefit sentient beings. As for
Buddhist practitioners who have attained the Wonderful Purport, Vinaya
practitioners will naturally penetrate the essence of precepts, and whatever
they do will conform to Pratimoksa; Pure Land practitioners will definitely be
reborn in the Buddha’s Pure Land; the Sunya School practitioners will
correspond to the True Reality; Dharmalaksana practitioners will attain to the
highest stage of practice with perfection; Dharmata practitioners will
penetrate the origin of Dharma; esoteric practitioners will soon achieve
Siddhi; even the Four Fruitions of Triyana teachings can quickly and completely
abandon their Hinayana views and bring forth the heart of enlightenment
(Bodhicitta). As for non-Buddhist practitioners who have penetrated the
Wonderful Purport of Oneyana, the Confucians will become sages; the Taoists
will reach a state higher than that of Gods and Celestials; emperors and kings
will become so benevolent that the whole country will benefit; scholars will
become the most intelligent people: generals will devote their lives to
protecting the country and its people; officials will truly love the people and
vow not to take bribes; even the ordinary people can be more and more loyal,
filial, upright, righteous and honest. When one is virtuous, it can make him
benevolent. If one’s heart is defiled, it can purify the polluted heart.
Blessed is the Miraculous Usage of the supreme Buddhist Dharma!”
The great
contribution and influence of Ch’an teachings given by the Sixth Patriarch
Master Hui Neng to the world can be proved by this passage.
II.
The Esoteric Meaning of the Sixth Patriarch’s Teaching
“With
Realization of the self-nature One Penetrates the Truth”
The doctrines of the Ch’an School are extensive, profound, and abstruse. However, Master Hui Neng could penetrate the essence, and thus became the Sixth Patriarch after practicing Ch’an with the Fifth Patriarch Master Hong Ren for only eight months. Despite his illiteracy, he could explain Buddhist sutras, giving appropriate replies to people wherever and whenever conditions arose. His responses to their questions were quick and befitted their understanding. His teachings were not only suitable to the people but also in accordance with Buddhist doctrines. He said, “The profundity of Buddhist teachings has nothing to do with written words. With realization of the true nature, one can penetrate the truth.” I believe that the Sixth Patriarch was a Bodhisattva reincarnated in this world with the intention of delivering living beings. He manifested himself in response to people’s spiritual capacity, just like the 32 manifestations of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva.
The Sixth
Patriarch’s teaching that one can penetrate the truth when he realizes the
self-nature corresponds to the esoteric meaning of the famous stanza from the Song of Enlightenment written by one
of his Dharma heirs Master Yong Jia. The gatha quotes “Once get the root, have
no concern for the branch tips. Like a precious moon inside the space filled
with infinite crystal lights. If one can possess this wish-granting pearl, both
he and others will benefit inexhaustibly.” The so-called precious moon refers
to the process of manifestation of Bodhicitta, including the All Seed Nature,
which contains both the Seed Nature of the Tathagata and the Seed Nature of
living beings. It is in complete tranquility and geniality, merged into Oneness
with the Dharmadhatu with boundless illumination. Each Seed Nature can interact
with each other and penetrate into each other. Each Seed Nature can let out and
absorb the illumination of each other. Each Seed Nature has its own
enlightenment and can awaken another. Modern Internet can somewhat be an
analogy. The Song of Enlightenment also quotes “One
nature includes all nature and one Dharma contains all Dharmas. One moon is
reflected in all water, and all the moons in the water are the reflection of
one moon. The Dharmakaya of various Buddhas pervade into my nature, and my
nature is thus merged with the nature of the Tathagata.” For example, with the
All-discerning Wisdom, Guan Yin Bodhisattva can understand all Dharmas. Even
though the Sixth Patriarch was illiterate, as long as he could correspond to
this special feature of Guan Yin Bodhisattva in Samadhi, he could penetrate
everything, and thus give the most appropriate Dharma teachings to people.
III. The Ch’an Teachings Given by the Sixth Patriarch Did Not Result
From Mundane People’s Speculation
The Sixth
Patriarch said: “The reason why Sravakas, Pratyeka Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
cannot comprehend the Buddha Wisdom is because they speculate on it. They may
combine their efforts to speculate. But the more they speculate, the farther
they are from the truth.” It can be concluded from the passage that the Sixth
Patriarch’s teachings were not the result of speculation. If Buddhist
practitioners try to understand Buddhist doctrines through studying the literal
meaning of Buddhist texts, they can hardly penetrate the truth of Buddhism.
Therefore, they must tread the right path when studying or practicing Ch’an as
taught by the Sixth Patriarch. As science attaches importance to experiments
while Buddhism requires actual practice, practitioners should focus their
spiritual cultivation on actual practice with their comprehension of Buddhist
doctrines complementing the hard practice. With progress in actual practice,
their comprehension of the teachings will deepen accordingly. The higher stage
they attain in actual cultivation, the better their comprehension will be. They
can penetrate the wonderful purport of the Sixth Patriarch’s Ch’an teachings only
after they have undergone the following four stages in practice, (1) cutting
off mundane thinking and exerting the heart, (2) retracing from the defilements
and attaining Gen Shen, (3) subduing consciousness so that wisdom emerges, (4)
and realizing the Dharma nature and its function.
Maha Acarya Feng Da An once gave the following instruction, which
quotes: “Ordinary sentient beings only have the External Six Sense Organs. What
they can see is Chen Shen (lit. Dust Body) or the Physical Body, so the
world they perceive is nothing but an illusion comprised by the Six
Defilements. When devoted practitioners subdue their consciousness, they can
attain the two kinds of Internal Pure Consciousness and experience Gen Shen (lit.
Root Body or Original Body). Thus, when they are in the state of this internal
realization of Alaya Form, sentient beings perceived by them is different from
what people see with the flesh eyes. Practitioners with high natural capacity
to practice Oneyana can realize their self-nature quickly. At this stage, in
Samadhi they feel that both the physical body and Gen Shen no longer exist, the
physical body is the Dharmakaya and the filthy land is no different from pure
land. In order to understand the three kinds of bodies mentioned above, practitioners
can use the first six senses to see the physical body (Chen Shen). For Gen Shen
(Root Body), they should subdue the first six senses and the physical body to
rely on the two kinds of pure internal consciousness --- the seventh and eighth
consciousness. For Dharmakaya, they must eradicate both the first six senses
together with the two kinds of pure internal consciousness (at this stage, in
Samadhi they feel that both Chen Shen and Gen Shen vanish) and penetrate the
Dharmakaya with Great Awakening.”
In practice, one
has to experience three kinds of bodies before he attains Buddhahood.
1. Chen Shen. It
is our physical body composed by Alaya Vijnana and the four great elements. The
four great elements are earth, water, fire, and wind. Earth refers to our flesh
and bones. Water refers to the blood. Fire refers to our body temperature that
should be maintained at about 370 C. Wind refers to the breath. The
physical body is illusive, perishable, and easily defiled by ignorance or the
environment. One Chinese proverb can well prove this truth “One blends with the
color of his company”. On the other hand, our ignorance also permeates into
other people’s bodies. So, this physical body is compared to Chen Shen (Dust
Body). Dust refers to defilements.
2. Gen Shen. We seldom hear the term Gen Shen because it is the
intermediate stage of practice. I would like to tell you a true story about
Ch’an masters. Master Ma Zu had one disciple called Deng Yin Feng. After
staying with Ma Zu for some time, he attained certain internal realizations.
Therefore, he decided to leave Ma Zu for further instruction from Ch’an Master
Shi Tou (These two words literally mean stone in Chinese). Ma Zu advised him:
“The Stone is slippery. You cannot seek your instructions there.” Deng Yin Feng
replied: “I only join in the fun on occasion. I don’t care if it is slippery or
not.” Hearing these words, Ma Zu said: “In this way, go and have a try.” Upon
meeting Master Shi Tou, Deng Yin Feng circumambulated him three times, put his
staff on the ground and then inquired: “Master, what’s this?” Shi Tou answered:
“Heaven! Heaven! Heaven!” Deng Yin Feng was at a loss, so he asked again.
However, he was given the same answer. Deng had to travel back to Ma Zu. Master
Ma Zu suggested: “Next time when he says heaven, you just need to utter the
sounds Chi Chi Chi.” With Ma Zu’s support, Deng Yin Feng journeyed back to Shi
Tou. He circumambulated Master Shi Tou three times and put his staff on the
ground. Thinking he would be given the same answer, Deng started: “Master,
what’s this?” To his surprise, Shi Tou uttered: “Chi! Chi! Chi!” (This shows
that Shi Tou was an accomplished Ch’an master. Even at a long distance away, he
could know what Ma Zu told Deng Yin Feng to do. As a matter of fact, these two great
masters could read each other’s mind and they cooperated to instruct Deng in
his Ch’an practice.) With no words to reply, Deng Yin Feng returned to Ma Zu
again. Ma Zu said: “I had told you already that the Stone was too slippery to
seek instruction from.” At last, Deng Yin Feng got enlightened through
contemplating on Shi Tou’s words. He became a remarkable person. Once, two
armies were fighting a battle. He flew into the sky and manifested himself as a
heavenly soldier to stop the battle. As a result, both troops withdrew and the
war ended. When he approached death, he asked his disciples: “Some people
passed into Nirvana in sitting posture and some in reclining posture. Was there
anyone who died handstand?” His disciples replied: “We have never heard of such
things.” At once, he stood upside down and passed away. His body remained
handstand for several days until his sister came. She reproached: “Why are you
still showing off?” All of a sudden, he fell down on the ground.
My Guru Maha Acarya Feng Da An wrote one stanza after he internally
attained to the state of Gen Shen
“Supporting the sky and penetrating the earth extends a hidden dragon
Down to the bottom of the earth and up to the top of heaven
Internally Samadhi achieved and Gen Shen agile
The only reliance to handle worldly affairs flexibly is Prajna”
The
esoteric meaning of the poem is: when a Ch’an practitioner gets the blessings
of an enlightened master, he can experience bright and clear Energy Current (Li
Xian in Chinese) gushing forth from Ming Gen (lit. Source/Root of Life,
about 5cm below one’s navel) to the top of the head. The Energy Current turns
brighter and brighter and clearer and clearer. This is the state of Gen Shen.
In Samadhi, he no longer feels the existence of the physical body. The clear
and bright Energy Current extends down to the bottom of the earth and up to the
top of heaven. In the story mentioned above, Deng Yin Feng had internally
realized the state of Gen Shen. He used the staff as a symbol of Energy Current
and intended to get Shi Tou’s instruction. However, the Energy Current he
experienced was still inside his physical body. So, Shi Tou said: “Heaven!
Heaven! Heaven!” These words actually advised him to develop and extend his
Energy Current upward. Heaven refers to the Heavenly Realms above the human
world, comprised by Caturmaharajayika, Trayastrimsa, Yama, Tusita, Nirmanarati,
Paranirmitavasavartin, the First Dhyana Heaven, the Second Dhyana Heaven, the
Third Dhyana Heaven, and the Fourth Dhyana Heaven. When the Energy Current
reaches the top of Heaven and the bottom of the earth, its great power will
make a practitioner sever the Innate Attachment to Ego so he could attain
Suchness as Intrinsic Void. The stanza written by the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng
also refers to the state of Suchness as Intrinsic Void. (“Originally Bodhi has
no tree. Nor does the bright have a stand. Originally there is not a single
thing. Where can dust alight?”) In
Buddhism, such a state is called as the Seventh Stage of Bodhisattva Development,
i.e., Duramgama (proceeding afar), which actually means that the Energy Current
penetrates the top of Heaven and the bottom of the earth. It is so long that
people call it the Stage of Proceeding afar. (Yuan Xing Di in Chinese). This is
the intermediate stage of Ch’an practice.
3. Dharmakaya. The highest stage of Ch’an practice is the realization
of the Dharmakaya. My Guru wrote a stanza after he attained Dharmakaya. It
quotes as follows
“From Ju Dian (Ming Gen) bursts forth the great and powerful nature
The physical body is immediately transformed into the Samantabhadra
Body
The Fourth Patriarch Nagabodhi had the compassionate wish
To stay in the world for a millennium to benefit the later
generations.”
I will explain the stanza here. Ming Gen is the location for human
consciousness. Consciousness is Alaya Vijnana. Mankind is insignificant in the
universe because of they are limited by the eyes, the ears, the nose, the
tongue, the body, the mind, Manas and Alaya Vijnana that plays the major role.
Alaya Vijnana is located inside the physical body. Accordingly, the physical
body is very small when it is perceived through one’s consciousness. However,
when one practices to a stage where he can receive all Buddhas’ Energies, such
energies will flow from the top of the head to Ming Gen, thus breaking the
confinement of the eight kinds of consciousness. In an instant, in Samadhi, he
experiences that both the physical body and Gen Shen vanish. He only feels that
he penetrates the ten directions of worlds. This body is called as the
Samantabhadra Body. So my Guru wrote, “The physical body is immediately
transformed into the Samantabhadra Body”. When one attains this Samantabhadra
Body, in Samadhi this Body and his True Nature are in Oneness This Body is the
True Nature and the True Nature is the Body. They are in complete unity. The
practitioner experiences complete agility, tranquility, brightness and great
bliss. After my Guru realized this state in his practice, he changed the name
of his residence into Samantabhadra Bodhimandala (Place for Practice). He even
wrote one stanza which quotes:
The loving-kindness of this old man
Is great and boundless forever.”
When the physical body is transformed into Dharmakaya, the
impermanent becomes permanent, the filthy land is turned into pure land, and
illusive happiness becomes true happiness. Up to now, one has reached the state
of Dharmakaya. There is nothing that he cannot penetrate into when conditions
arise and there is nothing that he does not realize with the shining of
his Great Awakening (true and great wisdom). This is called Dharmakaya.
The
Sixth Patriarch was trying to warn people not to practice Ch’an by relying on
their thinking when he said, “The reason why Sravakas, Pratyeka Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas cannot comprehend the Buddha Wisdom is because they speculate on
it. They may combine their efforts to speculate. But the more they speculate,
the farther they are from the truth”. If they rely on speculation, no matter
how hard they practice, they cannot penetrate Buddha wisdom. For example, such
people cannot understand the internal realizations of the two states mentioned
in the above passages.
IV. Prajna Paramita (Non-discriminative
Wisdom)
The Fifth Patriarch Master Hong Ren blessed Hui Neng by expounding to
him the Diamond Sutra. When he
was explaining the verse “One’s heart should not dwell anywhere”, Hui Neng was
enlightened, speaking the five “would have thought”. This is the internal state
of Prajna Samadhi. The highest goal for Ch’an practitioners is the realization
of Prajna Paramita. When one attains Prajna Paramita, he is qualified to
transmit the Mind -seal of Buddha and carry on the Wisdom Life of Buddha.
Therefore, the Fifth Patriarch transmitted the Dharma lineage to Hui Neng,
making him the Sixth Patriarch.
As regards Prajna Paramita, one must understand the following two
problems.
I. What is Prajna Paramita?
Maha Acarya Feng Da An explained the meaning of Prajna Paramita,
saying, “Prajna Paramita is Non-discriminative Wisdom. However,
non-discriminative as used here does not mean general or ambiguous. It is
realized on the basis of subduing consciousness when one’s perception is merged
into the true nature and further into the Great Void to realize the true
nature. At this stage, one’s heart can function miraculously without losing the
clear, illuminating, tranquil state.
(The author’s comment: Many people discriminative Wisdom. For
example, the book called The Great Perfection Ritual Practice written by Lu
quotes as follows “Smell Initiation is conducted in this way. The Guru has
prepared two objects with one emitting exceptional fragrance while the other
stinking unbearably. He asks his followers to inhale the two kinds of smell in
turn. When a practitioner reaches the stage where he cannot smell either the
fragrance or the stench, he has attained the Purity of Nose.”
In addition, one article in a Buddhist magazine mentioned that a
practitioner tried to wash the bowls quickly so he could have more time to
cultivate the way and recite the Buddha’s name. The author of this article
criticized this practitioner as having the mind of discrimination because the
practitioner thought that Buddha recitation was more important than washing
bowls.
The above-mentioned understandings of Prajna are actually ambiguous
and general. They are by no means the essential purport of Prajna. Those people
misuse and misunderstood the esoteric meaning of Prajna Paramita.
In fact, one can only have the Non-discriminative Mind through actual
practice.
In the practice of Ch’an, only after one breaks off one kind of
attachment can he have a higher stage of internal realization. One can only
break off the attachment through actual practice to correspond to the
Non-discriminative Mind and apply it to handle worldly affairs.
For
example, Shen Xiu’s stanza “The body is a Bodhi tree. The mind like a bright
mirror stand. Time and again brush it clean. Let no dust alight.” describes
the first stage or pass of Ch’an Practice when one severs the Discriminative
Attachment to Ego and the Discriminative Attachment to Dharma. As the Innate
Attachment to Ego has been eradicated, vexations still arise when the mind
interacts with outside conditions, so he must restrain himself and keep the
deluded ideas under control when they arise. Therefore, he should regularly
clean the mind so that no dust can gather. As Shen Xiu had already broken off
the two kinds of Discriminative Attachment, naturally his mind was
comparatively pure and calm, beyond the comparison of ordinary people’s mind.
When Hui Neng headed the south after he got the Dharma lineage from Master Hong
Ren, the disciples in the North crowned Master Shen Xiu as the Sixth Patriarch,
so Hui Neng was an eye sore to them. However, Shen Xiu always respected the
Sixth Patriarch Master Hui Neng deeply. For example, he sent his disciple Zhi
Cheng to pay obeisance to the Sixth Patriarch and recommended to Empress Wu
Zetian that Hui Neng was the real Sixth Patriarch who obtained the Dharma and
robe from the Fifth Patriarch.
The Sixth Patriarch’s stanza “Originally Bodhi has no tree. Nor does
the bright have a stand. Originally there is not a single thing. Where can dust
alight?” describes the internal realization when one breaks off the Innate
Attachment to Ego and attains the state of Bhutatathata As Intrinsic Void. As
the various Dharmas are like illusive mirages in the mirror without any
substantial entity, so the last two lines of the stanza say, “Originally there
is not a single thing. Where can dust alight?”
After
the Sixth Patriarch began to spread the sudden teachings of the One Vehicle
Sudden School, Shen Xiu’s disciples in the North feared that all the people
would know that Master Hui Neng was the real Dharma successor of the Fifth
Patriarch, so they asked a man named Zhang Xingchang to assassinate the Sixth
Patriarch. The Sixth Patriarch had attained the supernatural powers. Knowing
that Zhang Xingchang would come to kill him, he put ten Liang of silver on the
table and waited there serenely. At midnight, Zhang Xingchang stole into the
room and waved his sword. The Sixth Patriarch stretched out his neck for the
assasin to cut. With the sword in his hand, Zhang Xingchang cut the Sixth
Patriarch’s neck for three times. However, he felt as if he were cutting into
the air, and the Sixth Patriarch suffered no injury at all. Then the Sixth
Patriarch began to speak, saying, “The good sword is not evil, and evil sword
cannot be good. I only owe you money, but I don’t owe you my life.” Shocked,
the man fainted. The Sixth Patriarch woke him up, telling him to take his leave
with the silver. He further instructed Zhang Xingchang, saying, “You must leave
quickly because I am afraid my disciples will harm you. You can come some other
day in the future in another appearance, and I will teach you.” It can be
concluded from this true story that the Sixth Patriarch had already attained
Bhutatathata of Absolute Void, therefore nothing can harm him. As he entered
the Samadhi of Oneness, he could remain calm when faced with a sharp knife.
Because he had severed the Innate Attachment to Ego and Innate Attachment to
Dharma, he could treat both friends and foes alike without attaching his heart
to anything.
For those who have not severed such kinds of attachment, even if they
speak of non-discrimination, they are not free from discrimination. They talk
about emptiness, but they cannot realize the internal state of emptiness in
which one experiences that his body and mind do not exist. For others who think
that one’s life ends upon death, they hold the stupid and heretical view of
annihilation.)
In the Commentary on the Verses Delineating Eight Kinds of
Consciousness, Maha Acarya Feng Da An commented on the meaning of
the line “The transformation of the perceived division in the contemplation
of emptiness is merely Later Attained Wisdom”. His explanation quotes: “Wisdom
falls into two kinds, the Original Wisdom and the Later-attained Wisdom. The
Original Wisdom means the Dharmadhatu-prakrti-jnana (Wisdom of the Embodied
Nature of Dharmadhatu) thoroughly penetrates Suchness, in which one experiences
complete illumination, awakenedness, and tranquility without the conditioning power in contrast with the
conditioned (e.g. the power of seeing and hearing in contrast with that which
is seen and heard). When one
penetrates this wonderful purport, he has realized the internal state of Prajna
Paramita. The Later-attained Wisdom means that one gets experience from the
various kinds of consciousness and merges it into the nature of Asraya (that on
which anything depends, the basis of the vijnanas) and transforms the Different Forms
of Dharma/Phenomena into the Total Form of Suchness (true nature).
(The author’s comment: In Samadhi, one experiences complete tranquility,
illumination, brightness, awakening, refreshing coolness and complete liberty.)
Besides, the Different Forms of Phenomena can also derive from the Total
Form of Suchness. (The author’s comment: When in use, the Total Form of
Suchness can manifest in different forms for distinction. Take Nagarjuna
Bodhisattva for example. He saw people selling medicine that can make a person
invisible, he smelled it and immediately knew it contained more than seventy
kinds of ingredients. He could even make this kind of medicine. This example illustrates
the above-mentioned teaching that Different Forms of Phenomena are manifested
from the Total Form of Suchness for distinction and application.)
2. Why is it
called Prajna Paramita?
Maha Acarya Feng
Da An said: “Prajna means wisdom. When such wisdom is used in the world, it can
discover the various laws of the mundane world, becoming the origin for all
cultures.”
(The author’s
comment: the following examples can well illustrate this point.
A. Deng Xiaoping, a
former leader in China, after making a correct assessment of the situation in China,
decided to carry out the reform and open-door policy. As a result, both the
material and spiritual civilizations of China have been improved largely; thus,
the country became strong and prosperous in a short time.
B. In the process of
fighting with diseases, ancient Chinese people kept on studying the causes and
therapies for all kinds of diseases, and they compiled the book Huang Di
Nei Jing, a textbook that all students have to study in universities of
traditional Chinese medicines.
C. In order to
resist the aggression and oppression of powerful countries, ancient Chinese
people summed up strategies to combat enemies; thus, the book Sun Zi’s
Strategies came into being, and it is still a reference book for
students in military universities.
D. To further explore
the truth of the universe and life, after summing up the shortcomings of Isaac
Newton’s classic mechanics, Albert Einstein invented the theory of relativity,
making an unprecedented progress in both scientific theory and technology.
Besides, he spoke highly of Buddhism. His scientific achievements made great
contributions to mankind.)
“However, because
they still rely on consciousness, what they discover is only the superficial
laws of the Dust World.”
(The author’s comment: Mankind can rely on consciousness to memorize things, think over problems, analyze, and understand things. Therefore, they can keep on studying and working, and even create miracles. However, such invention and creation are still in the state of the Six Defilement. Besides, such inventions bring people not only benefits but also disadvantages. They greatly improve the living standard and spiritual life of mankind, but heavily pollute air and water indispensable to mankind. As a result, more than fifty percent of living things have become extinct, and people’s health has been seriously damaged. Used for good purposes, scientific inventions can benefit mankind a lot; on the contrary, they can destroy the world also.)
“Prajna Paramita
means reaching the opposite shore. All things in the defiled world are compared
to this shore. Beyond the defiled world exists a wonderful state called the
opposite shore. What is the other shore then? It is the true nature of all the
things in the defiled world, and it cannot be described in words nor understood
by speculation. Those who have realized the true nature only experience great
awakening and brightness illuminating the origin of Dharmadhatu, which is
totally different from knowing the defiled phenomena in this shore. This is why
it is called Prajna Paramita.”
(The author’s
comment: The Sixth Patriarch’s verse “The Buddhadharma is here in the world;
Enlightenment is not apart from the world; To search for Bodhi apart from the
world; Is like looking for a hare with horns” just
refers
to the esoteric meaning of the above-mentioned state. Otherwise, why did he
continue to say another verse “Right views are transcendental; Deviant views
are all mundane”? Mundane people in this world can only use the six kinds of
consciousness, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and the mind, so what they
can perceive is still within the bounds of the Five Kinds of Skhandhas and Six
Dusts, and they cannot penetrate the various kinds of Dharma nature of Five
Kinds of Skhandhas and Six Dusts. In order to realize the various kinds of
Dharma nature, they must practice hard and reach the internal state in which
the consciousness is subdued and true wisdom emerges. Only at this stage can
they correspond to the non-dual state, in which they perceive the material form
of a phenomenon when they apply consciousness and they penetrate its true
Dharma nature when they use true wisdom. Therefore, the Sixth Patriarch said:
“The common people see Skhandhas and Dhatus as two things, but the wise person
comprehends that their nature is non-dual”. As there is no other Dharma nature
apart from the various kinds of Dharma nature of the Five Kinds of Skhandhas
and Six Dusts, the Sixth Patriarch would say that “The Buddhadharma is here in
this world; Enlightenment is not apart from the world (the author’s comment:
This line means that it is not apart from the Five Kinds of Skhandhas and Six
Dusts as perceived by mundane people); To search for Bodhi apart from the world
is like looking for a hare with horns.” Many people quote this famous verse as
the basis for their argument, but they always misunderstand and misuse the
original meaning of this verse.
V. How Did the Patriarch Transmit the
Mind-seal of the Buddha
and Give Buddhist Teachings to Sentient Beings?
Take the Sixth Patriarch teachings given to Chen Huiming for example.
After Hui Neng got the robe and Dharma
from the Fifth Patriarch, he headed south for many days. Several hundred men
were pursuing him, intending to rob him of the robe and bowl from the Fifth
Patriarch. One of the pursuers, whose lay-name was Chen Huiming, was about to
overtake Hui Neng. Hui Neng threw the robe and bowl on a rock and said: “This
robe is nothing but a symbol of faith. How can they be taken by force?” As
Huiming could not pick them up from the rock (The author’s comment: Dharma
protectors made it impossible for Hui Ming to do so), he shouted: “Lay brother,
I come for the Dharma, not for the robe.” (The author’s comment: Unable to lift
the robe and bowl from the rock, Huiming was subjugated and thus began to seek
instruction from Hui Neng). Hui Neng said: “Since your object of coming is for
the Dharma, refrain from thinking of anything and keep your mind attaching to
nothing. I’ll teach you.” (The author’s comment: The Diamond Sutra
says: “How well Tathagata blesses Bodhisattvas.” If practitioner has scattered
thoughts when Buddhas’ Energy Current is conferred upon him, his self-nature
will be veiled. Therefore, Hui Neng reminded him to cut off all mundane cares
so as to experience Buddhas’ Energy Current). Huiming had done this for a
considerable time (The author’s comment: During this time, Hui Neng was
blessing him). Hui Neng said: “When you are thinking of neither good nor evil,
what is, at that particular moment, venerable sir, your real nature?” (The author’s
comment: The Diamond Sutra says: “How well Tathagata
blesses Bodhisattvas.” When Hui Neng saw Huiming had eliminated consciousness
and the light of wisdom illuminated, he took that opportunity to instruct him.).
As soon as Huiming heard such words, he at once became enlightened. (The
author’s comment: Although Huiming felt his heart opened and the internal light
illuminated, he did not understand the esoteric meaning of this state. Upon
hearing this instruction, he became enlightened.) He further asked: “Apart from
those esoteric sayings or ideas handed down by the patriarchs from generation
to generation, are there any other esoteric teachings?” Hui Neng replied: “What
I can tell you is not esoteric. If you turn your light inwardly, you can find
what is esoteric within you.” (The author’s comment: The Message from the West
cannot be explained by words nor understood through pondering. Practitioners
can gradually discover the truth through relying on wisdom derived from
practice. Even though a master’s power of blessings can initiate them to a
higher stage, their practice is the essential element for success. This is why
there is one saying in the Ch’an School “One still needs to carry on his
practice even after he is enlightened.”)
With the powerful blessing of the Hui
Neng, Huiming’s heart opened and the light of enlightenment illuminated. This
state shows that his Buddha-nature begins to develop. It is also the beginning
stage of realizing the self-nature. This
internal insight is the pure consciousness independent of discrimination of
things. The light of enlightenment is pure form or phenomenon. It is the state
a practitioner reaches in the first stage of Ch’an practice. The so-called
enlightenment referred in this state is different from the understanding
through pondering.
The Origin of
Buddhism written by Maha Acarya Feng Da An
quotes: “The practice of Buddhism will have true effect when there lives an
enlightened Transferer of Buddhas’ Energies who is able to obtain the Buddhas’
Energies of the ten directions and confer them on sentient beings. Otherwise,
now matter how hard the practitioners cultivate, the result will be skin-deep,
and they have no hope of attaining fruition…” This conclusion is in agreement
with the Sixth Patriarch’s words.
Both Hui Neng and Shen Xiu were the Fifth Patriarch’s disciples.
Nevertheless, why was the Ch’an practice taught by the Master Hui Neng called
the Sudden Teaching while the practice taught by Master Shen Xiu the Gradual
Teaching? The reason is that the Sixth Patriarch was a completely enlightened
patriarch. His teachings flew from the true nature; he could obtain the
Buddhas’ Energies of the ten directions of the worlds, and then confer them
upon practitioners. His power of blessing was so great that, practitioners with
high spiritual capacity, who once corresponded to this empowerment, could
instantaneously sever karmic obstruction and ignorance and realize the
self-nature. Therefore, his school was called the Sudden School. On the
contrary, Master Shen Xiu had not been enlightened, so he lacked the power to
give Dharma teachings in the same way as the Sixth Patriarch did. He gave
Dharma talks which depart from the true nature, so followers could hardly
achieve Dharma effects rapidly. Thus, his school was called the Gradual School.
After the Sixth Patriarch got the patriarchate from the Fifth
Patriarch, he followed his master’s instruction and did not begin to spread
Buddhism immediately. Instead, he hid himself among the hunters’ team for over
ten years. Later, seeing that the conditions for spread the Buddhist teachings
were ripe, he went to the Fa Xing Temple, presently called Guang Xiao Temple.
At that time, two monks were arguing whether it was the wind or the banner that
was moving. The Sixth Patriarch rose from the assembly and said: “It is neither
the wind nor the banner that is moving. It is your mind that is moving.” His
remark astounded everyone present in the assembly. From then on, Hui Neng
started to give Buddhist teachings to people. The master lived and taught
in Bao Lin Temple (presently called as Nan Hua Temple) in Guangdong Province
for forty years, spreading Buddhist teachings to countless sentient beings. He
preached exhaustively the orthodox and essential teachings of the Ch’an
practice. Later, his five disciples formed the five major branches of the Ch’an
School. The essence of his teachings can be summed up as Three Nons and Two
Kinds of Samadhi. Three Nons refer to the three states internally realized by
practitioners, i.e., Non-thought (thoughtless) as the Object, Non-form as the
Entity, and Non-attachment as the Basis. The Two Kinds of Samadhi are Samadhi
of Oneness and Samadhi of One Form. (The Author’s Note: Interested people can
surf the website T’ang Dynasty Esoteric School the perfect voice net for the
article entitled “Three Nons and Two Kinds of Samadhi --- the Essence of
the Sixth Patriarch’s Teachings” for details. URL:
http://www.tangmi.com)
“Ordinary
Mind Is the Way” As Understood by Worldly People,
and the Pang Family’s Story
The Samadhi of
Oneness is straightforward mind at all times, walking, staying, sitting, and
lying, dealing with things in accordance with situations without involving in
hard-consideration and bending. When the Sixth Patriarch taught sentient
beings, he could answer any question raised by people. His responses were
quick, appropriate and befitted their understanding. Examples are cited to
illustrate this point.
a. When a monk
called Fa Da paid his homage to the Sixth Patriarch, he failed to lower his
head down to the ground. The Sixth Patriarch reproved him, saying: “If your
head doesn’t touch the ground, isn’t it better not to bow? There must be
something on your mind. What do you practice?” Fa Da replied: “I have recited
the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra for three thousand times.”
b. One month before entering Nirvana, the Sixth
Patriarch told his disciples: “I’m leaving this world in the eighth lunar
month. Those who have doubts should ask about them soon.” Fa Hai and other
disciples asked the master to resolve their doubts regarding the Dharmas, and
they inquired about their future practice. The master answered all their
questions in detail. Shi Tou was the youngest disciple. He was the last one to
ask the master. He inquired: “What about me, master?” The master cast him a
look, and then said: “Xun (lit. look for) Si (lit. thinking,
thoughts) Qu (go) Ba” At first, Shi Tou misunderstand the Sixth Patriarch’s
meaning, thinking that the master instructed him to focus his practice on
contemplation. Later he was told by fellow practitioners to seek instruction
from Master Xing Si. He was enlightened under the guidance of Master Xing Si,
became his Dharma Successor, and was called Ch’an Master Shi Tou.
c. One day, the Patriarch wished to wash the robe he inherited, but
could not find good stream. Therefore, he walked to a place about five miles
from the rear of the temple. There he noticed that verdant plants and trees
were growing profusely, and the environment was auspicious. He waved his staff
and stuck it on the ground. Immediately water spurted out and before long, a
pool was formed.
These three
examples are facts of Samadhi of Oneness, the essence of which is
straightforward mind at all times.
Layman Pang got
enlightened under the instructions of Master Shi Tou and Master Ma Zu. Having
resigned from the government office and sunk all his properties into the bottom
of ocean, he went to the countryside with all his family members to work in the
fields, and made a living by making bamboo products. When it was not the busy
time for work in the fields, they would discuss Ch’an practice.
Layman uttered:
“Difficult! Difficult! Difficult! Trying to grasp so many facts is like trying
to spread out sesame seeds on the leaves of a tree!”
His wife said:
“Easy! Easy! Easy! You’ve been studying words, but I study the grass and find
the Buddha Self reflected in every drop of dew.”
His daughter
Lingzhao said happily: “Father and Mother, you two speak such words now.”
Layman Pang asked
his daughter, “Lingzhao, what is your method of practice?”
Lingzhao replied:
“It’s not difficult, and it’s not easy. When I am hungry, I eat. When I’m
tired, I sleep.”
One day, before Layman
Pang began his meditation, he told Lingzhao: “Come to tell me when it is noon
because I have an important thing to do.” Lingzhao nodded her head yes. When it
was noon, she entered the room and told her father: “Father, it should be noon
now but there has been an eclipse of the sun. You should come out and see it
yourself.” Layman Pang rose from his meditation seat and went outside. To his
surprise, there was no eclipse, so he went back into the room. There he found
his daughter dead, her body sitting upright on his meditation seat. Therefore,
he exclaimed: “My daughter is so smart. She is ahead of me to enter Nirvana.”
In fact, Lingzhao already read her father’s mind when he told her to watch for
the sun. Knowing that the father wanted to pass into Nirvana, she entered
Nirvana when her father went out to see the eclipse.
Lingzhao’s words “eat when hungry and sleep when sleepy” actually meant that, no matter whether she was awake or in sleep and no matter what she was doing, she was in the Samadhi of Oneness. She did everything with the straightforward mind, and she was always in a state of complete tranquility and utter agility. Ordinary people who cannot handle things with the straightforward mind always misunderstand and misuse the wonderful purport of Master Ma Zu’s famous saying “Ordinary mind is the Way”. Such misunderstanding and misuse exert bad influence over Buddhist practitioners.
(The author’s
note: Interested people can surf the T’ang Dynasty Esoteric School The Perfect
Voice Net for the article “A Commentary on the Article Entitled ‘Ordinary
Mind Is the Way’” for details. URL: http://www.tangmi.com)