.
P.319
Introduction
Faith and tradition have held that the Platform
Suutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Liu Tsu T'an Ching)
was preached by the sixth patriarch of the Ch'an
school, Master Hui-neng (638-713). However, since
the discovery of the Tunhuang edition of the text,
there has been much controversy among Japanese and
Chinese scholars concerning the authorship of this
classic. Was it based on the Sixth Patriach's
thought, or was it a forgery by Shen-hui (668-760)?
In this paper I will not discuss these debates.
Instead, I will concentrate on the thought of this
text.
There are two different editions of the Plat-
forms Sutra contained in the 48th volume of the
Taisho Tripi.taka. The first one, which is commonly
called "The Sixth Patriarch's Platform Suutra
unearthed from Tun-huang", has a very long title:
Southern School Sudden Doctrine, Supreme Mahaayaana
Great Perfection of Wisdom: The Platform Suutra
Preached by the Sixth Patriarch Great Master
Hui-neng at the Ta-fan Monastery in Shao-chou
(Nan-tsung t'un-chiao tsui-shang ta-cheng
mo-ke-pan-jo p'o-lo-mi ching Liu Tsu Hui-neng
Ta-shih yu Shao-chou Ta-fa^n ssu shih-fa t'an
ching).The second edition is entitled The Dharma
Treasure Platform Suutra of the Great Master the
Sixth Patriarch (Liu Tsu Ta-shih fa-pao t'an ching)
.This edition is the most widely circulated and has
been commonly usde in China. It was compiled by the
monk Tsung-pao during the chih-yuan era (1335-1340)
of the Yuan dynasty, while the Tun-huang edition was
compiled by Fa-hai who was the disciple of the Sixth
patriarch. It would seem that the Tun-huang text
should be more reliable. Moreover, because the
Tsung-pao edition reads more smoothly, we may
presume that this was the result of improvements
made by later generation through transmission,
copying and literary embellishments of the text.
Recently, a third edition which is known as the
Ts'o-chi text has also come to light. This was a
variant copy of the Tsung-pao edition. There
P.320
are considerable differences among the three texts
in terms of wording. The Tun-huang edition in
particular differs from the other two in the
sequence and order of its paragraphs. From these we
can conclude that the three editions belong to two
different textual traditions. We should not,
however, assert that the original materials
contained in Tsung-pao's edition necessarily
postdated those found in the Tun-huang edition. Such
academic questions concern evidential study of the
redaction of texts-an issue which I shall not go
into here.(1)
What I would like to discuss instead in this
paper is the thought of the Plat-form suutra. In
doing so, I shall consult all available editions of
this text. Using the commonly shared materials which
are found in these editions, I will offer a
comprehensive analysis of this scripture,
synthesizing the key points emphasized in the three
editions.(2)
The System of Thought of the Platform Suutra
As is generally known, Ch'an Buddhism was
transmitted from India by Bodhidharma who, arriving
in china in 527 A.D., eventually became known as the
First Patriarch of the Chinese Ch'an school. The
foundational basis of his thought came from the
La^nkaavataara suutra. Ching-chueh, the disciple of
Shen-hsiu of the Northern school, wrote the Record
of Masters of the La^nkaavataara (Leng-chia shih-
────────────
(1) The earliest research on the various editions of
the Platform suutra was carried out by Ui Hakuju
in Zenshushi kenkyu II (Tokyo, 1939-43). The
Chinese dharma master Yin-shun also discussed
this issue in chapter 6 "The Establishment and
Evolution of the Platform suutra" in his
Chung-huo Ch'an tsung shih. Among Japanese
scholars who have studied this problem, we
should also mention D.T. Suzuki and Yanagida
Seizan. I have consulted two English
translations of the text. They are: The
Plat-form Scripture: the Basic Classic of Zen
Buddhism, translated by Wing-tsit Chan (New
York: St. John's university Press, 1963) and The
Platform Suutra of the Sixth Patriarch,
translated by Philip Yampolsky (New York:
Columbia University press, 1967).
(2) For the purpose of citation, I use the edition
made by Tsung-pao which is No.2008 in
Vol.48(pp.245-265) of the Taisho Tripitaka
(henceforth abbreviated as T.48).
P.321
tzu chi) in which he introduced the system of
transmission of Ch'an Buddhism from India to China.
One can deduce form this that the mainstream of
Northern Ch'an was based on the thought of
La^nkaavataara suutra. However, for the Sixth
Patrriach Hui-neng of the Southern school, although
he accepted this scripture, he nevertheless regarded
the Diamond suutra as the foundational basis for his
own method of Ch'an. Because of this, when one
analyzes the content of the Platform suutra, one can
detect strong presence of tathaagatagarbha
( ju-lai-tseng ) thought due to its indebtedness to
the La^nkaavataara suutra. At the same time, because
it also inheritated the though of perfection of
wisdom system, it puts special emphasis on praj~naa
wisdom. Philosophically, the thought of perfection
of wisdom belongs to the system of suunyataavada and
Maadhyamika, whereas the La^nkaavataara belongs to
the system of vij~naanavada and tathaagatagarbha.
The two represent totally different systems of
Indian Mahaayaana Buddhism. It is therefore very
interesting to see how the Platform suutra manages
to combine the two systems of Maadhyamika and
tathaagatagarbha together.
In point of fact, Platform suutra uses wisdom as
the method and regards tathaagatagarbha as its goal.
It employs the perfection of wisdom's view of
emptiness to destroy the attachments caused by
passions in order to achieve the goal of "realizing
one's clear mind and seeing one's true nature"
(ming-hsin chien-hsing).The so-called "clear mind"
refers to the pure mind devoid of passions; and
"seeing into the true nature" means the seeing of
the Buddha nature within one which is no different
form that of the Buddha. Buddha nature is another
name for tathaagatagarbha, and pure mind is an
alternative name for praj~naa wisdom. The scriputre
uses the praj~naa wisdom in order to accomplish the
purpose of seeing into one's true nature and
becoming a Buddha. Although the two have different
names and come from different sources, they are in
fact the two sides of one entity. If you get hold of
the one, you will also have the other. On the other
hand, if you do not see the one, you will also be
unable to attain the other. In other words, when
one's mind is clear, one will see into one's true
nature. Conversely, if one sees into one's true
nature, one's mind must by necessity be completely
clear and bright.
When we look at praj~naa from the standpoint of
Maadhyamika, once wisdom is attained, the
self-nature of all dharmas will be seen as empty.
This is the goal. Aside form this, we do not search
for tathaagatagarbha, Buddha nature, dharma
P.322
nature or any other goal. However, when we look at
the situation from the point of view of the
tathaagatagarbha system, then praj~naa is only the
funtion, but not the essence. Function must belong
to something else. That is why there arises the
thought of tathaagatagarbha and Buddha nature. For
this reason, although we can detect the thought of
praj~naa in the Platform suutra, the text is
actually based on the foundation of
tathaagatagarbha. This fact cannot be denied.
Perfection of Wisdom Thought in the Platform Suutra
The Platform suutra uses two scriptures repre-
senting the perfection of wisdom philosophy. The
first one is the Diamond suutra and the second one
is Perfection of Wisdom Suutra Spoken by
Ma~nju'srii(3). We can find the following passages
in the Platform suutra which either refer to the
Diamond suutra or quote from the latter directly.
1. In the chapter " One practice " ( Hsing-yu ):
"When Hui-neng heard the sentence, 'One should give
rise to the mind which abides nowhere, ' he
immediately became enlightened. He asked the man
what suutra he was reciting, the answer was Diamond
suutra."(T.48: 348a; T.8:749c)
2. In the same chapter : " The scripture says,
'All phenomena are illusory."' (T.48:348c; T.8:749a)
3. Again in the same chapter : " The patriarch
spread his cassock around Hui-neng so that no one
can see him and lectured the Diamond suutra for him.
When he came to the sentence 'One should give rise
to the mind which abides nowhere, ' Hui-neng
immediately achieved great enlightenment."
(T.48:349a)
4. The entire chapter entitled " Praj~naa " di-
scusses the significance of perfection of wisdom.
It emphasizes the chanting of Diamond suutra, for
doing so will lead to seeing into one's true nature.
It also says, "When one listens to the Diamond
suutra, one's mind will open resulting in
enlightenment." It refers to this method of practice
as "praj~naa samaadhi" (pan-jo san-mei).(T. 48: 351
a-b)
5. The chapter " On calm and Wisdom " (Ting-hui)
quotes the expression
────────────
(3) There are two translations of this suutra con-
tained in the Taisho Tripi.taka. The first one was
translated by Man-t'o-lo-hsien in two volumes (T.8,
No.232) and the other one was translated by
Chia-p'o-lo in one volume(T.8, No.233).
P.323
"samaadhi of oneness" (T-hsing san-mei) which is
found in Perfection of Wisdom Suutra Spoken by
Ma~nju'srii in explaining the statement
"Straighforward mind is the place of practice;
straightforward mind is the Pure Land" emphasized by
the Vimalakiirti suutra.(T.48:352c; T.8:731)
Let us now discuss further the thought and goal
of these perfection of wisdom scriptures quoted in
the Platform suutra, first of all, one cannot
emphasize enough the central importance of the
sentence "Give rise to the mind which abides
nowhere" from the Diamond suutra for the thought of
Platform suutra. Because Hui-neng's stress of this
idea, he became the greatest Ch'an master in the
history of Chinese Ch'an Buddhism. For although this
sentence contains the essence of the teaching of
Diamond suutra, it is not necessarily the most
important passage. Usually, when we discuss the
Diamond suutra, the following passages always
receive attention: "There is no characteristics of
dharma, nor is there characteristics of non-dharma."
" Do not become attached to either dharma or
non-dharma." "There is neither dharma nor
non-dharma." All these sayings aim at the
destruction of attachment. We should become attached
to neither being nor emptiness. Not only the
attachment to being involves being, even the
attachment to emptiness also falls into the extreme
of being. For "emptiness" (kung) and "being" (yu)
are opposed to each other. But according to this
favorite quotation beloved by Hui-neng, although it
highlights the centrality of "non-abiding", it
nevertheless still mentions the "mind". This mind
manifests itself phenomenally as the mind of wisdom.
"Non-abiding" refers to our not abiding in the mind
of passion. But although we do not abide in the mind
of passion, we still must discover the mind of
wisdom. Because we need this mind of wisdom in order
to seek the pure Buddha nature. We also need wisdom
in order to save all sentient beings. Therefore,
there is "being", and not "emptiness". If we link
this sentence with what goes before in the Diamond
suutra, we read that when a bodhisattva who has
purified his/her mind beautifies the Buddha land, it
is the same as not beautifying it, and only in this
manner can we say that the bodhisattva has
beautified the Buddha land. What this means is that
when we in performing all deeds of goodness regard
it as no different from not performing it, only then
can we be said to be performing all deeds of
goodness. Indeed, this mind of purity is the same as
the mind of wisdom which attaches to nothing. When
the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng achieved awakening upon
P.324
hearing this sentence, he achieved accord with the
mind of wisdom. However, the Diamond suutra only
talks about the experience of awakening, which in
and of itself is the purpose. It does not identify
Buddha nature as that which is being realized. This
is different from the understanding of the Sixth
Patriarch.
When the sentence " All phenomena are illusory "
from the Diamond suutra is viewed in context, it
means that the physical characteristics of the
Tathaagata should not be seen as representing the
real Tathaagata. Because the Tathaagata cannot be
measured or limited by his physical characteristics,
or in other words, because the Tathaagata permeates
all phenomena yet, at the same time, is not
identified with any phenomenon, we cannot single out
any one particular characteristic as belonging to
the Buddha. It is only when we are not attached to
any one phenomenon that we can truly see the Buddha.
That is why the sentence after this goes, "When you
see all phenomena as non-phenomena, then you see the
Tathaagata." From the point of view of Platform
suutra, however, although phenomena are illusory,
the nature of mind is nevetheless real. Therefore,
we read in the Platform suutra, "Realize one's
original mind, and see one's original nature."
"Originally there is neither birth nor extinction."
(T. 48: 349a) Such "original mind" and "original
nature" which is neither born nor destroyed cannot
be seen in the Diamond suutra. In this regard, the
Platform suutra shares the same thought as found in
La^nkaavataara suutra which also holds the view that
while phenomena do not exist, nature does.
Although the Platform suutra does not identify
Perfection of Wisdom Suutra Spoken by Ma~nju'srii by
name, the "samaadhi of oneself" which it advocates
comes from the latter. Moreover, the Fourth Patriach
Tao-hsin had already mentioned this practice in his
The Essential Dharma Door of Expedience in Entering
the Way and Pacifying the Mind (Ju-tao an-hsin yao
fang-pien fa-men). This method of practice was
advocated because his goal was to use the teaching
"The mind which recites the name of the Buddha is
the Buddha" put forward in this suutra to explain
the teaching "The mind is the foremost among all the
buddhas" found in the La^nkaavataara suutra.(4) In
this suutra, before the practitioner reaches the
state of "samaadhi of oneself", he is advised to
"reside in a quiet place, give up all random
thoughts and forsake attachment to external
phenomena, concentrate the mind on a single buddha
and chant his name exclusively." After the
practitioner enters into
P.325
the "samaadhi of oneness", he reaches the state
where "the dharma-realm" is of one mark. When he
acts in conformity to the Dharma-realm, this is the
samaadhi of oneself. Since he conforms to the
dharma-realm, there is neither regression nor
destruction. It is unconceivable. There is neither
obstruction nor marks." We now can understand that
in referring to "samaadhi of oneself" Platform
suutra is interested more in the goal of cultivation
than in the perfection of wisdom thought. Moreover,
the emphasis is more on the "samaadhi of oneness"
itself than in the method of entering in the
samaadhi. That is why Platform suutra says, "Always
practice the straightforward mind at all times,
walking, staying, sitting and lying." This passage
is not found in Perfection of Wisdom Suutra Spoken
by Ma~nju'srii, but its meaning agrees well with the
teaching of Vimalakiirti suutra. Because the
dharmarealm is characterized by sameness, there is
neither obstruction nor marks. Because there is no
obstruction, the daily life of walking, staying,
sitting and lying is already in the state of
samaadhi. In a much later Ch'an text Gateless Gate
(wumen kuan) , we read the statement, "Naaga
[Dragon-another name for the Buddha] is always in
samaadhi. There is no time that he is not in
samaadhi." (T.48: 298b) This is the function of
wisdom.
AS for the term " samaadhi of wisdom " ( pan-jo
san-mei), it is only found in the Platform suutra
but not elsewhere. The method of practicing "wisdom
action" (pan-jo hsing) is to chant Diamond suutra
single-mindedly and in doing so, one can enter into
profound dharma-realm and the "samaadhi of wisdom".
The so called "wisdom action" is to separate from
all environment yet without giving rise to the
notion of either birth or extinction. In doing so,
one reaches the state of " coming and going with
total freedom, the essence of the mind is not
attached anywhere." (T.48: 351b) This is the great
wisdom which "does not abide anywhere, and neither
comes from anywhere or goes anywhere." When one uses
this wisdom to observe all dharmas, one can attain
the state of "no-thought, no-rememberance and
nonattachment" which is no other than the "samaadhi
of wisdom" resulting from seeing into one's nature
and realizing buddhahood.
────────────
(4)Tao-hsin's material was included in the Leng-chia
shih-tzu chi. The passages from the Perfection of
Wisdom Suutra Spoken by Mannju'sri that he quoted
can be found in T.8: 1286c-1287a.
P.326
Platform suutra also puts much emphasis on the
phrase "Mahaa Praj~naapaaramitaa" (Great Perfection
of Wisdom) which should be chanted with a pure mind
by the sa^ngha in order to attain wisdom. In
chanting this phrase one should not merely do so
with one's mouth, but must chant it with
coordination between the mouth and the mind. (T. 48:
350a) This is obviously a method of spiritual
cultivation. Hui-neng takes "mahaa" to be the vast
limit of the mind which is as limitless as the empty
space. There is not even one dharma to be obtained,
for one's self-nature is truly empty. But although
Platform suutra speaks of emptiness, it also warns
us against sitting quietly with the mind fixed on
emptiness, for doing so makes us fall into a neutral
kind of emptiness (wu-chi kung) (Ibid). What this
means is that while we should not be attached to any
dharma, we also should not allow our minds to become
empty and hollow. This is to affirm the point of
view of "giving rise to the mind which abides
nowhere" form the method of cultivation. At the same
time, it negates the general mistaken view that the
state of awakening is characterized by "sunken
emptiness and stagnant silence". The awakening of
the Ch'an school refers to the mind which is fully
alive to lively demands of daily living, yet
undisturbed by any external circumstances.
Nirvaa.na and Vimalakiirti Thought in Platform Suutra
In different suutras, tathaagatagarbha receives
many different names, yet all refer to the same
reality, for instance, Buddha-nature (Fo hsing),
Selfnature (tzu-hsing), Dharma-nature (fa-hsing),
Original Nature (pen-hsing) , Storehouse of
Tathaagata (Ju-lai tsang), Storehouse of Dharma
(fa-tsang), True Suchness (chen-ju), and Pure Mind
(ch'ing-ching hsin) and so on. According to the
Platform suutra, the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng
explained the subtle meaning of the Great Nirvaa.na
suutra to the nun Wu-chin-tsang. He himself was
also said to have visited the Dharma Master
Yin-tsung who lectured on the same suutra at the
Fa-hsing Monastery in Canton. The doctrine of "all
sentient beings are possessed of Buddha nature"
comes form the Great Nirvaa.na suutra. The faith in
the thought of Buddha nature was extremely popular
during the time of the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng.
The Vimalakiirti suutra (5) is quoted in several
places in Platform suutra:
1. In the chapter " Wisdom " (Pan-jo pin): " The
Ching-ming [Vimalakiirti] suutra says, 'When one
achieves a breakthrough, one returns immediately to
one's origin-
P.327
al-nature." (T.48:351a)
2. In the chapter " Questions " ( Yi-wen pin ) :
"That is why the Buddha said, 'Because the mind is
pure, that is why the Buddha Land is pure."'
(T.48:352a)
3. In the chapter " samaadhi and Wisdom "(Ting-
hui pin): "As it is stated in Ching-ming suutra,
'The straightforward mind is the place of practice,
and the straightforward mind is the Pure Land."' (T.
14:520b; 14;538c)
4. In the same chapter we find: " Saariputra sat
leisurely in meditation in the forest and was
scoled by Vimalakiirti." (T.48:353a)
5. Again in the same chapter, we read: " That is
why the suutra says. "While one is skillful in
distinguishing various dharmas, one is unmoved in
regard to the First Principal."' (T. 48: 353a;
T.14:357c)
6. In the chapter " One practice" : " The Buddha
Dharma is the method of nonduality." (T.48:349c)
This comes from the chapter entitled "Entering the
Dharmam Door of Non-duality: of the Vimalakiirti
suutra. (T.14:550b-551c)
Judging from the above quotations from the Vima-
lakiirti suutra, we can see that it has exerted an
enormous influence on the Platform suutra. We can at
once mention five key areas where the thought of
Vimalakiirti suutra has a direct bearing on that of
Platform suutra. They are: (1) The view on sudden
enlightenment; (2) the view of pure mind and
straightforward mind; (3)the view that the daily
life of walking, staying, sitting and lying is no
different from cultivation; (4) the view on the
unity between movement and quietitute and (5) the
view on non-duality. Let us now discuss each of
these in some detail.
1. The thought of sudden enlightenment comes
from the tradition of "classification of Buddhist
teachings" (chiao-hsiang p'an-shih). In the history
of Buddhism during the T'ang dynasty (618-907), many
systems of classifying the Buddhist scriptures which
had been brought over from India to China had been
proposed
────────────
(5) There are three translations of the Vimalakiirti
suutra : (1) Vimalakiirtii Suutra Spoken by the
Buddha in two volumes translated by Chih-ch'ien;
(2) The Suutra Spoken by Vimalakiirti in three
volumes translated by Kumaarajiiva; (3) The
Suutra of Immoculate Speech in six volumes
translated by Hsuan-tsang. "Vimalakiirti" is of
course a Sa^nskrit expression. It is usually
translated into Chinese as either "pure name"
(ching-ming) or "immaculate speech" (wu-ko
ch'eng).
P.328
based on their nature and levels. Generally
speaking, scholars believed that the Buddha used the
sudden teaching of direct method when he taught
people of superior spiritual endowment, but used the
gradual teaching of roundabout and sequential method
when he taught people of middle and inferior
spiritual endowment. Since Hui-neng himself attained
awakenign as soon as the heard the sentence "Give
rise to the mind which abides nowhere" from the
Diamond suutra, this was of course the sudden
enlightenment described by the Ching-ming
[Vimalakiirti] suutra as "When one achieves a
breakthrough, one immediately returns to one's
original nature." This is why Hui-neng describes his
method of teaching as "sudden teaching" more than
five times in the Platform suutra. He also says,
"When you suddenly see the Original Nature of True
Suchness (chen-ju pen-hsing), that is the time when
you awaken suddenly to enlightenment." All these
ideas come from the Vimalakiirti suutra.
2. The Platform suutra uses "straighforward mind"
(chih-hsin) and "pure mind" (ching-hsin) to explain
wisdom. It regards wisdom as the function of Buddha
nature and pure mind, while taking the unmoving
self-nature as "samaadhi" (ting) . Therefore,
"samaadhi" and "wisdom" have a comparable
relationship as that between the lamp and its light.
(T.48:352c) If there is no light, it is not a lamp.
But if it is a lamp, it must have light. The two are
non-dual. The mind of the "straighforward mind" is
no other thatn the mind of purity. The reason why a
person has the mind of purity is because he/she has
already seen the Buddha nature through wisdom. The
essence and function are non-dual. If a person acts
with the straigh-forward mind, it must be the pure
mind, and in doing so, he/she will definitely see
the Buddha nature. For this reason, the Sixth
Patriarch advises people not become attached to all
dharmas external to the mind. Only when one departs
from vexations will one attains enlightenment.
3. The idea that daily living is no other than
cultivation was intimately related to the tradition
of monastic Buddhism of southern China. There,
physical labor was necessary in order to maintain
livelihood. This was also connected with the attempt
to popularize Buddhism. Moreover, Hui-neng himself
was originally a wood-cutter who, upon hearing a
sentence from the Diamond suutra was said to have
"achieved enlightenment right away". (T.48:349a)
After he went to the Fifth Patriarch's monastery, he
worked in the kitchen doing all kinds of menial
jobs.
P.329
Even after he achieved thorough awakening, he again
worked as a helper among a group of hunters. That
was why he did not feel the necessity of practicing
sitting meditation for the purpose of clarifying the
mind and seeing into one's nature. On the contrary,
as soon as one can relinquish attachments to all
dharmas, at that very moment, one becomes equal to
the Buddha. Therefore, he quotes with approval this
sentence from the Vimalakiirti suutra: "Saariputra
sat in meditation in the forest and was scolded by
Vimalakiirti." Because of such advocacy by the
Platform suutra, Ch'an Buddhism eventually developed
along totally different directions from those of
Indian Buddhism.
4. Unity between movement and rest is another
unique teaching of Platform suutra. According to the
views of common people, movement and rest are two
different phenomena. When something moves, it is no
longer at rest, but when something is at rest, then
it cannot move. However, from the point of view of
the Platform suutra, the body may move following
external circumstances and the mind of wisdom may
also make appropriate responses, but the essence of
the mind called "True Suchness" is nevertheless
unmoving. (6) Still, one must not think that the
function of wisdom really moves. Wisdom functions as
reflection of environment, but not as attachment to
environment. Reflection reveals the phenomenon of
external environment itself, but attachment is the
function of inner vexations. Since it only reflects,
it does not really move. It is just the image in the
mirror or the shadow in the water: they bear no
relationship to the mirror or water themselves.
However, although this is so, we cannot say that it
has no function. On the contrary, it has a great
function. Because of this, Buddha Dharma can now be
used in the world and one does not have to escape
from the world. The reason why the Ch'an school
could become the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism and,
as such, has enjoyed wide acceptance for so long is
because it enables the practitioner to maintain the
unmoving serene mind in the midst of ever-moving
environment, just as a lotus flower emerges from
dirty mud yet is untainted by it as mentioned in
Buddhist scriptures.
────────────
(6) See the chapters "Praj~naa (Pan-jo) and "Samaadhi
and Wisdom" (Ting-hui) in the Platform suutra
where the relationships between praj~naa, True
Suchness, samaadhi,wisdom and the nature of the
mind are discussed in detail.
P.330
5.The thought of non-duality in the Vimalakiirti
suutra. In this suutra, twenty-seven bodhisattvas
propose twenty-seven different ways to explain the
view of non-duality. All of them try to explain the
principle of neither unity nor diversity by using
two opposed concepts or things.(t.14: 550b-551c)When
we look at worldly phenomena and concepts from all
available branches of knowledge in the world, be
they philosophy, religion or science, we cannot
escape from the viewpoint of dichotomy or duality.
Even when we talk about monism, it still involves
duality. For not only "two" is opposed to each
other, "one" also involves opposition, for a lonely
one cannot be established nor is it possible for it
to appear. "One" is seen only in opposition to
"many". Or, to put it another way, it is possible to
see the essence of totality only from the point of
view of all phenomena. If we speak of "one", the
concepts of "two" and "many" must be in the
background. Therefore, no matter where we stand,
thee is always contradiction and conflict. That is
why Vimalakiirti suutra proposes the view of
non-duality. Non-duality does not mean the same
thing as oneness. Nor does it equal to two. It is
true nonduality. We can also say that "two" is the
two sides of "one", whereas "one" is the totality of
"two". When "one" exists, there must already be
"two", and when "two" is here, then it is not
separate from "one". This is the reason why we find
these expressions in the Platform suutra: "samaadhi
and wisdom are nondual" (T. 48:352c), "movement and
rest are non-dual" (T. 48:349c), "goodness and evil
are non-dual" (Ibid), "sentient beings and Buddha
are non-dual" (T.48:351a), "the worldly and the
other-worldly are non-dual" (T.48:351c) and so on.
Therefore, in the last chapter "Parting admonitions"
(Fu-chu pin) of the Platform suutra, there are
"thirty-six confrontations of active function"
(tung-yung san-shih-liu tui) (T. 48:360 a-b). The
so-called "active function" refers to the function
of wisdom arising from the pure self-nature. The
Sixth Patriarch lists thirty-six pairs of concepts
and phenomena which are opposed to each other so
that his disciples can be made to separate
themselves from the duality and function freely.
This is in fact the extension of the dharma door of
non-duality.
The Thought of Other Scriptures in Platform Suutra
Among the scriptures belonging to the system of
tathaagatagarbha which make their appearances in
Platform suutra, aside from the Great Nirvaa.na
suutra and
P.331
Vimalakiirti suutra which I have mentioned above,
there are also Suutra of Bodhisattva Precepts of
Brahma's Net (Fan-wang P'u-sa chieh ching), Lotus
suutra (Fa-hua ching) . Flower Garland suutra
(Hua-yen ching), Meditation on Amitayus suutra (Kuan
Wu-liang-shou ching) , and Meditation on the
Mind-Ground Which is Born Originally in Mahaayaana
(Ta-cheng pen-sheng hsin-ti kuan ching).
I will now discuss the significance of these
scriptures for the thought of Platform suutra.
1. The Platform suutra syas, " Perspicuity of
speech and perspicuity of mind." The same idea is
usually expressed by another saying:"perspicuity of
meditation, perspicuity of speech (tsung-t'ung,
shuo-t'ung) ." These expressions refer to the
relationship between doctrinal theory and
enlightenment experience. If a person has no
experience in actual enlightenment, he will not
really understand the profound doctrinal tenets
taught by the Buddha. If a person really understands
Buddhist scriptures, he must also has actual
experience of enlightenment. Therefore, although
Hui-neng never received any formal education, he
could understannd the Diamond suutra when he heard
it. Not only that, but he could lecture on Nirvaa.na
suutra. Finally, he could give sermons based on his
own knowledge about the Buddha Dharma and completed
the Platform suutra. This proves that the actual
experience of enlightenment and the understanding of
doctrinal theories correspond to each other. If one
is proficient in one area, one is by necessity
proficient in the other. Since ancient times, these
two sentences have been well-known in Buddhism:
"doctrine issues forth from meditation" (ts'ung
Ch'an ch'u chiao) and "enlightenment is reached with
the aid of doctrinal study" (chi chiao wu tsung).(7)
That Hui-neng could preach Platform suutra is a
proof of "doctrine issuing forth from meditation ".
That he achieved enlightenment after listening to
Diamond suutra is a proof of "reaching enlightment
with the aid of doctrine". Both meditation and
doctrine, in the final analysis, refer to the two
sides of the one reality of Buddha-nature and
self-mind. It is also the manifestation of the
thought of tathaagatagarbha.
2.The thought structure of Suutra of Bodhisattva
Precepts of Brahma's Net belong to the system of
Flower Garland suutra. Therefore, like the latter,
it advocates the pure mind as the basis. Pure mind
is in fact on other than the Buddha nature which is
possessed by all sentient beings. Vimalakiirti
suutra calls it "original
P.332
mind." Enlightenment is to become enlightened to
this original mind of purity which is the original
nature of sentient beings. Because it is also the
Buddha nature which is strong, firm and full of the
power of transformation, it is called the Womb of
Tathaagata when spoken from the perspective of
sentient beings. It hides within itself the original
Buddha because within our self-mind there is hidden
the original Buddha nature. If we can relinquish in
one instant the delusory thought which attaches to
external causations, that is called " suddenly
seeing the original nature of True Suchness" and we
discover that there is no difference between
sentient beings and the Buddha. The thought of pure
mind pervades the Platform suutra. We may also say
that the most honored and the most supremem dharma
door extolled by the Platform suutra is the dharma
door which teaches people to awaken to their
self-mind and see into their self-nature.
3. In the Lotus suutra, there is an analogy
about the Buddha being a rain
────────────
(7) Dharma Master Yin-shun discusses these ideas
thus, "Master 'T'ai-hsu once said, 'T'ien-t'ai
and Hua-yen schools emphasize scriptures. Their
doctrines issue forth from meditation. The Three
Treatises and Consciousness. Only schools
stress treatises and transmission." He then
continues, "But from the development of Buddhist
schools, be they Mahaayaana or Hinayaana, all
must be based on the experience of meditation
and visualization. When doctrines develop out of
meditational experiences and become established
as mainstreams, then scholars begin to emphasize
patriarchal transmission and writing of books."
Studies of Treatises and Masters of Sarvastivada
School (Shuo-yi-chi'ieh-yu-pu wei-chu te lun-shu
yu lun-shih chih yen-chiu) Taipei, Hui-jih
Chiang-t'ang, 1968, p.614. Bodhidharma says this
in his "Two Entrances and Four Acts" (Erh-ju
ssu-hsing): "The entrance through doctrine means
that one reaches enlightenment through the aid
of doctrinal study. Firmly believe that all
sentient beings possess the same true nature
but because it is covered over by delusory
thoughts, the true nature cannot reveal itself.
But when one forsakes wrong views and turn to
truth and practice the steep observation
(p'i-kuan) steadfastly, then one realizes that
there is neither self nor other, but both the
ordinary and the saintly are the same. One
should be firmly rooted in this realization.
When one no longer chases after literary
teachings, one achieves a subtle accord with
principle." (T.48: 369c)
P.333
cloud. The Buddha Dharma is impartial, but because
the endowment of sentient beings is different, the
benefit they receive from the Buddha Dharma will
also differ accordingly. However, Platform suutra
compares rain water to Buddha nature. Since rain
water can nourish all trees and grasses, both
sentient and non-sentient beings can receive benefit
equally. This shows that Buddha nature pervades all
beings. Even beings with no feeling or consciousness
are possessed of Buddha nature. Although this is the
case, Platform suutra also says that when some
fragile plants are overwhelmed by a big downpour,
not only will they be unable to receive any benefit,
they may even become damaged. Therefore, the dharma
door preached by the suutra is like the big
downpour. When people of inferior spiritual root
hears it, it may give rise to obstructions in them.
(T. 9:6c) For this reason, Platform suutra stresses
the fact that although the self-nature of sentient
beings is not different from the Buddha, a person of
small wisdom and inferior root cannot give rise to
the mind of faith.
4.When Lotus suutra speaks of Buddha's knowledge
and understanding, it means the attainment of
Buddhahood. What is known and seen by the Buddha is
the function of complete and perfect wisdom. It is
not the knowledge of sentient beings who are
entangled by the attachments to passions. That is
why the knowledge and understanding of the Buddha
can be taken as the content of Ch'an training.
Still, Lotus suutra does not say that when we attain
the knowledge and understanding of the Buddha, we
also achieve enlightenment and the seeing into our
nature, as put forward by Platform suutra. Whether
the two are identical or not is something which
needs further deliberation. But from the standpoint
of Platform suutra, the two are considered to be
identical.
5. Because Flower Garland suutra advocated cau-
sation by pure mind, it is highly regarded by
Platfarm suutra. Originally, when "taking refuge by
oneself" (tzu kuei-yi) is mentioned in the chapter
called "Pure Practice" in Flower Garland suutra, it
means that the person who takes refuge in the triple
gems has done so himself. That is why in the
following sentence, it further states that he wishes
all sentient beings, like himself, will also receive
benefit from the triple gems. It does not state that
the taking refuge is to take refuge in the triple
gems within one's own mind.This, however, is
precisely the view advanced by Platform suutra. Such
interpretation is acceptable from the standpoint of
the fundamental thought of Flower
P.334
Garland suutra. But Platform suutra uses the idea of
"the self-nature which is the original source is
pure" found in Suutra of Bodhisattva Precepts of
Brahma's Net to explain the gatha of taking refuge
in the triple gem found in Flower Garland suutra.
6. In the age when Platform suutra appeared, the
belief in Amitabha's Pure Land was very popular in
China. Both conceptually and methodologically, the
kind of Buddhist faith in self-nature advocated by
Platform suutra naturally came into conflict with
the belief in rebirth in Amitabha's Pure Land. Pure
Land emphasizes rebirth in Buddha's land relying on
the power of the Buddha. Ch'an, on the other hand,
teaches the purification of one's own mind,
achieving sudden enlightenment, not establishing any
word, not seeking any dharma outside the mind. It
does not see a Buddha outside one's mind. For all
these reasons, it is logical that Ch'an must argue
against the faith in Amitabha's Pure Land. However,
it does not totally negate the value of Pure Land
practice. That is why Platform suutra quotes from
the Meditation on Amitayus suutra this sentence:
"Amitabha Buddha is not far from here. You ought to
concentrate your thoughts on that land and when you
do so, your pure deeds will succeed in your
endeavors." The emphasis is placed on "pure deeds".
Therefore Platform suutra declares, "If you can
purify your mind, you will destroy the obstructions
of ten evils and see into your nature in every
thought." It is because of this that "Amitabha's
land is not far from here". This is the same idea as
the understanding put forward by scholars of later
generations who claim that "Self-nature is Amitabha,
Mind is no other than Pure Land". With this, the
teaching about cultivating three kinds of
blessedness found in the Meditation of Amitayus
suutra became omitted. Form this passage, we must
conclude that the thought of Amitabha Buddha's Pure
Land also belongs to the system of tathaagatagarbha.
For instance, Amitabha Buddha was named Fa-tsang
("Treasury of dharma") when he was in training. The
name implies tathaagatagarbha ("treasury of
Tathaagata").However, Platform suutra cannot accept
the Pure Land teaching about the possibility of
being reborn in Pure Land even by people of evil
mind as long as they chant the name of the Buddha.
From the point of view of Platform suutra, we must
first purify our minds and only then can we be
reborn in Pure Land.
7. The Four Great Vows ( su hung-shin-yuan )
found in Suutra of Meditating on
P.335
Mind-Ground Originally Born in Mahaayaana are the
foundation of bodhisattva precepts. They are also
called the common vows shared by all bodhisattvas in
becoming buddhas. When one gives rise to the mind of
Mahaayaana and wishes to becoming buddhas.
this is the initial mind of
enlightenment made by bodhisattvas. If a person
wants to receive the bodhisattva precepts, he/she
must first confess, make vows, and then take the
three refuges. Platform suutra basically follows
this structure in advising people to take up the
practice of cultivation. However, on top of the Four
Great Vows, the concepts of "self-mind" and
"self-nature" are added by the Platform suutra. This
is because self-mind is the unlimited vast mind of
wisdom, and self-nature is the pure, unmoving, and
obstructionless Buddha nature. Therefore, when we
vow to save number less sentient beings, that does
not mean that there are really sentient beings
outside our mind who can be saved. When we vow to
cut off all vexations, that does not mean that there
are really vexations outside our mind which can be
cut off. When we vow to become proficient in all
dharma doors, that does not mean that there are
really these learnings outside of the mind which can
be mastered. And finally, when we vow to attain the
supreme way of the Buddha, that also does not mean
that there is really this way of the Buddha outside
of the mind which can be attained. For if indeed
this were not the case, then there would have been
sentient beings, vexations, dharma and Buddha
outside of the mind. That would be dualism but not
non-duality. That would be attachment to causation,
but not emancipation and freedom. But precisely
because of this teaching, it has caused much
misunderstanding among many people. When yourself
are still in the midst of vexations, you say that
you have no vexations and not only that, but you
have no need to cut off vexations; when you yourself
do not understand Buddha Dharma, you claim that
there is nothing to understand; when you have no
ability to help sentient beings, you declare that
there are no sentient beings out there who need to
be helped; and when you do not know what Buddhism
is, you consider becoming buddha to be unnecessary.
When one engages in this kind of thinking, one falls
into perverted views. These are the psychological
phenomena which Platform suutra identifies as
"perverted delusion", "wild arrogance", "no good",
"jealousy" and "evil poison".(T. 48:354a)
P.336
Training of the Mind in Platform Suutra
The dharma door of Platform suutra is also
called the "dharma door of nothought" (wu-nien
fa-men). The practice advocated by the suutra is
called the practice of no-thought. There are many
similar terms connected with the concept of
no-thought. We may mention, for instance, the
following: "non-abiding, no-going and no-coming"
(T.48: 350c) , "no-thought, no-remembrance and
no-attachment" (Ibid) , "no-mark" (T.48: 351b) ,
"no-thought is the principle, no-mark is the
essence, and non-abiding is the basis" ( T. 48"
353a), "confession of no-mark" (T.48:353c), and "the
precept of taking three refuges who have no mark:
(T.48:354a).
The term "no-thought" first appears in Awakening
of Faith in Mahaayaana (T. 32:576b). But whether
Platform suutra was influenced by the former, we
have no way of knowing. In the Diamond suutra, there
is also a trace of this idea when it says, "The past
mind cannot be obtained, the present mind cannot be
obtained, and the future mind cannot be obtained."
(T.8:751b) The reason why Platform suutra does not
use "no-mind", but chooses to use "no-thought" is
perhaps because it does not want to confuse the
tainted mind with the pure mind. The self-mind
mentioned in Platform suutra is always the pure
mind. "No-thought" refers to the state when in every
moment of thought, be it prior thought, present
thought, and later thought, not one thought is
tainted by ignorance, arrogance, jealousy and other
undesirable mental activities; moreover, it also
means that in every moment of thought, be it prior
thought, present thought, later thought, not one
thought is bound by the environment facing one. (T.
48:353c) Therefore, it declares, "No-thought is when
the mind is not tainted nor attached to anything."
(T.48:351a)
"Non-abiding, no-going and no-coming" is used to
explain "Mahaa Praj~naaparamitaa (Great Perfection
of Wisdom)". It points to the fact that one can
transcend all vexations with the aid of great
wisdom. Thus Platform suutra speaks about "smashing
the vexations of five aggregates". (T.48:350c) We
cannot say that it is originally non-existent but
now comes to exist. We cannot say that it has always
stayed there and has never departed. We can neither
say that it is nor it is not. In fact, we cannot use
any language to describe it. Similarly, when we make
use of this great wisdom, it can enable our mind not
to become fixated on any one thought, nor become
attracted by any one thought. "Non-abiding" refers
to the present, "no-going" refers to the past, and
"no-coming" refers to the future. What it
P.337
says is that in every single thought, there is not
the idea of "I".This in fact has the same meaning as
"no-self". "No-remembrance and no-attachment"
teaches the idea that "remembrance" and "attachment"
lead to either appropriating or forsaking thoughts
and things of past, present, and future. This leads
to vexations. That is why Platform suutra says,
"Observe all dharmas with wisdom, do not appropriate
or forsake anything. This is seeing your nature and
becoming Buddha." (T. 48:350c)
"No-mark" also comes from Diamond suutra.Earlier
in this essay I quote the sentence from Diamond
suutra, "All phenomena are illusory." (T. 8:749a)
The Diamond suutra also says, "There is no mark of
self, other, sentient beings, or the aged.
Therefore, Saariputra, a bodhisattva should separate
himself from all marks." (T.8: 750b) The three
injunctions of "no mark of self, other, sentient
beings" refer to a sentient being's own self and the
environment in which he lives. The " mark of the
aged ", on the other hand, refers to the phenomena
of temporal activities of sentient beings. The four
"marks" together include all spatial and temporal
relationships and phenomena of sentient beings. That
is why they are called all marks. Only when we
depart from all marks can we discover the supreme
mind of True Suchness. For this reason, Platform
suutra asks us to obtain wisdom with "no-thought",
and to personally experience Buddha nature with
"no-mark". Thus, "no-mark" means to depart from the
mark of opposition between the inner and the outer,
or the mark of opposition between essence and
function.
Practice of Living in Platform Suutra
In the life of Buddhist practitioners,the triple
training in discipline, samaadhi and wisdom is
usually taken to be the standard. Discipline
controls the body, samaadhi controls the mind, and
wisdom provides guidance to the activities of body
and mind. This is the unchanging principle of
Buddhism. Before one received precepts, one must
make vows, and confess. We make vows to show that we
are willing to accept the teaching of Buddhism and
practice the Budddhist path. The Four Great Vows
mentioned in Platform suutra is an example of
vow-making. Confession refers to the confessing with
a sincere heart of all sinful obstructions created
during the three ages of past, present and future.
After ordinary people receive precepts, it is often
that they break the precepts. In that case, they
must
P.338
make confessions. Every time the precepts are
broken, every time they must confess. The more one
confesses, the easier it becomes to keep the
precepts and the possibility of breaking them also
becomes less. Platform suutra encourages this
practice. There is a chapter entitled "Confession"
in which confession, together with vows and taking
three refuges, are mentioned. There is, however, a
difference between this suutra and other scriptures:
namely, it emphasizes the concept of "no-mark". This
means that there is no dharma outside the mind, but
all dharmas manifest from one's own mind. Therefore,
taking refuge in the triple gems means taking refuge
in one's own mind. When one takes refuge in
"enlightenment" with one's mind, in "correctness"
with one's mind and in "purity" with one's mind, one
has already taken refuge in the triple gems. (T.48:
354b)
The usual view is that we sit in meditation in
order to reach the goal of samaadhi and wisdom. On
this point, Platform suutra also differs from the
traditional teaching. When sitting meditation is
mentioned, it usually refers to visualization. In
other words, the meditator uses different methods of
visualization, such as counting breath, meditation
on impurity, or the five meditations for settling
the mind in order to achieve unity between body and
mind and ultimately to transcend the limitation
posed by body and mind.
Platform suutra is critical of this approach. It
says that we should become neither attached to mind,
nor to purity, nor should we become immobile. If we
become attached to the mind, that is illusory
thinking; if we become attached to purity, that is
illusory thought; and only self-nature can
accomplish immobility. That is why Hui-neng says,
"When thought does not arise in the mind, that is
sitting. When self-nature is immobile, that is
meditation. Externally separate from phenomena is
meditation and internally unconfused is samaadhi."
(T.48:353b) This is radically different from the
traditional view of meditation based on sequential
training. According to that view, the practitioner
must first sit down in a quiet place, then places
his/her mind on a set method, gradually reduce the
scattering of the confused mind so that eventually
reaches the state of samaadhi when all thoughts
disappear. The sitting meditation advocated by
Platform suutra, on the other hand, is not at all
like this. Sitting meditation in this suutra means
something quite different: when one gives up all
random thoughts and sees the unmoving self-nature,
that is called "sitting meditation". When a person
reaches this state,
P.339
the mind is naturally unconfused. That is why it is
called samaadhi. Platform suutra further declares
that only this is true meditation, true samaadhi.
Seen from outside, it is meditation, but seen from
inside, it is samaadhi. In actuality, sitting
meditation and meditating samaadhi refer to the same
thing.Perhaps we may regard this as the non-duality
of three-in-one.
◎( This Essay in Chinese Written by Rev. Sheng-yen
was previously published in Vol.3, Chung-Hwa
Buddhist Journal)
P.340
提要
壇經流傳的版本甚多，本文不作考訂。
壇經的思想系統，雖用般若經，實則是沿襲如來藏的觀
點，用般若的空慧，實證真如佛性，即是明心見性。壇經中
引用《金剛般若經》者凡五見，引用《文殊說般若經》者一
處。其目的是在證明相無而性有，強調本心及本性實在，所
引般若經典，乃在取其作為修證的觀行方便，那便是般若三
昧及一行三昧。
壇經引用《維摩經》者計六例，共有五種觀念：頓悟、
守心與直心、行住坐臥的日常生活即是修行、動靜一體、不
二。此外尚可在壇經中見到《大涅槃經》、《菩薩戒經》、
《法華經》、《華嚴經》、《觀無量慧經》、《大乘本生心
地觀經》等的思想。
壇經的心經實踐，名為「無念法門」，它已有無住、無
著、無相等不同的名稱，以無念得智慧，以無著離煩惱，以
無相證佛性。壇經的生活實踐是以懺悔、發願、受三皈依戒
為準則，而又將之導歸心理實踐的「無相法門」。