Platform Sutra
(The Sutra of the 6th Patriarch, Hui Neng)
Chapter 3 – Questions and Answers
Last update: December 18, 2025
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(Incomparable merit is gained by acting more and more in accord with reality as it is (tathātā, suchness, Essence of Mind) as pointed out by the Unions. External or internal dualistic practices are insufficient without combining them with the perfection of wisdom; and vice versa.
This means acting without acting [U2T-in-action], without attachment, reification, effort and absolutes; without apprehending anything in absolute terms; non-dualistically, without opposing/uniting anything in absolute terms; without accepting/rejecting/ changing anything in absolute terms.
Pure Land is not far from here: This non-dualistic approach can purify without purifying the body, speech and mind, transmuting them into the pure inseparable Mind of a Buddha, enlightened activity/speech of a buddha, and Buddha-field.
He who is enlightened in his Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is a Buddha: Wisdom purifies everything: subject/actor/cause, action/causality, object/result/effect; perceiver/knower, perception/cognition, perceived/known; physical/conceptual/mental; individual/collective/cosmic.
It permits to transcend the karmic cycle by transcending the notions of origination/coming/birth, duration/abiding/change, and cessation/going/death about all phenomena/dharmas; saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.
Those who wish to train themselves (spiritually) may do so at home: acting without acting in everything.)
ANALYSIS:
(Overview of Chapter 3: Questions and Answers
Chapter 3 of the Platform Sutra features a dialogue between Huineng and Prefect Wei, addressing common doubts from an assembly. It clarifies misconceptions about merits, the Pure Land, and home practice, emphasizing internal realization over external rituals. Through responses to Wei's questions, Huineng reinforces the Sudden School's focus on the Essence of Mind as the true path to Buddhahood, using metaphors and a "formless" stanza to guide lay practitioners. The chapter ends with the audience's enlightenment, highlighting the accessibility of these teachings.
A. Essential Teachings
The chapter addresses practical queries, distilling Zen principles into actionable insights. Key teachings include:
Distinction Between Merits (Kung Teh) and Felicities:
True merits arise from realizing the Essence of Mind (Dharmakaya), not external acts like building temples or almsgiving, which yield only worldly felicities. Huineng explains Emperor Wu's error: "Merits are to be found within the Dharmakaya, and they have nothing to do with practices for attaining felicities."
Kung (good deserts) is unimpeded mental activity and humility; Teh (good quality) is propriety, non-straying from the Essence, and straightforwardness. Training the mind and body internally cultivates real merits, free from egotism or contempt.
The Pure Land as Internal Purity, Not a Distant Realm:
The Pure Land is not geographically far (108,000 miles symbolize the "ten evils" and "eight errors" within us) but realized through purifying the mind: "When the mind is pure, the Buddha Land is simultaneously pure."
Reciting Amitabha's name alone is insufficient for the ignorant; enlightened ones see the Pure Land everywhere. Eliminate evils and errors to "travel" there instantly: "If we can realize the Essence of Mind at all times... in the twinkling of an eye we may reach the Pure Land."
The body is a "city" with the Essence of Mind as King; internal elements (e.g., self-idea as Mount Meru, defilements as billows) mirror the Pure Land's features. Performing ten good deeds manifests paradise immediately.
Sudden Realization and the Birthless Doctrine:
Understanding the "Birthless Doctrine" ends rebirth cycles, allowing instant/spontaneous sight of the "West." External seeking delays this; internal realization shifts the Pure Land to the present.
Enlightenment transcends location: "No matter where they happen to be, they are always happy and comfortable." Purity of mind absolves "sin" regardless of origin.
Lay Practice at Home Without Monastic Renunciation:
Spiritual training is possible at home; monastery life without true practice is futile, like a "native of the West who is evil in heart."
The "formless" stanza guides: Fair-mindedness replaces precepts; straightforwardness replaces Dhyana. Practice altruism, amend faults for wisdom, and seek Bodhi inwardly, not through charity or mysticism.
Non-Duality of Ordinary and Sacred:
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (e.g., Amitabha as equality, Sakyamuni as pure life) manifest within the mind. Defilements transform into virtues through realization: "the Tathagata of Enlightenment... sends forth a powerful light which illumines... and purifies."
Buddhahood is direct: "Bodhi is to be found within our own mind, And there is no necessity to look for mysticism from without."
B. Subtle Points
The chapter embeds nuanced critiques of ritualism and externalism, using dialogue to reveal deeper insights:
Critique of External Merit-Seeking:
Huineng subtly rebukes hierarchical or materialistic Buddhism (e.g., Emperor Wu's deeds), emphasizing humility and respect as signs of true merits. Contempt for others reveals ego, blocking Teh — a gentle warning against spiritual arrogance.
Metaphorical Mapping of the Body to the Pure Land:
The body-as-city analogy subtly internalizes cosmology: senses as gates, mind as ground, defilements as obstacles. "Shifting" the Pure Land instantly critiques literalism, showing it's a mental state, not a place — aligning with non-dual reality.
Relativity of Distance and Mentality:
The "far/near" of the Pure Land depends on mentality, subtly highlighting individual differences without judgment. For superiors, it's near; for inferiors, far — encouraging self-assessment over comparison.
Transformation Through Elimination:
Subtly, eliminating internals (e.g., self-idea topples Mount Meru, no klesa calms billows) implies enlightenment as cessation, not addition. The inner Tathagata's light purges sins, suggesting innate power over external saviors like Amitabha.
Formless Stanza's Practical Ethics:
The stanza subtly promotes relational harmony (e.g., righteousness aids superiors/inferiors) and perseverance (rubbing wood for fire) as everyday enlightenment. It critiques charity as insufficient without inner Bodhi, avoiding attachment to good deeds.
Audience Response and Transmission:
The collective enlightenment and chant subtly affirm the teachings' immediacy. Huineng's departure invitation implies ongoing guidance, but emphasizes self-practice: "The Dharma waits for no one."
This chapter bridges theory and application, subtly democratizing enlightenment by internalizing sacred elements, encouraging direct insight over reliance on externals.)
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(Q/A: Could we conclude that our impure body, speech and mind are transmuted into the inseparable pure body (Pure Land, Nirmanakaya), speech (enlightened dharma, Sambhogakaya) and mind (Dharmakaya) of a Buddha, transmuted into Reality as it is (tathātā, suchness), simply by realizing their true nature, realizing the true nature of reality, of the Essence of Mind? Or something like that.
Yes, in the context of the Platform Sutra and broader Chan (Zen) teachings, your conclusion aligns closely with the core doctrine of realizing the innate purity and non-duality of the Essence of Mind (zìxìng or self-nature), which transmutes apparent impurities into the enlightened qualities of a Buddha without any fundamental alteration or external intervention. This realization reveals that body, speech, and mind are already inseparable from the Trikaya (three bodies of the Buddha) — Nirmanakaya (manifested form, akin to the Pure Land as an accessible realm), Sambhogakaya (enjoyment body, linked to the enlightened Dharma or teachings that "speak" truth), and Dharmakaya (truth body, the ultimate reality or suchness). Impurities (defilements like greed, hatred, and delusion) are illusory overlays, dissolved instantly upon seeing tathātā (suchness), where "our very nature is Buddha." Let me elaborate step by step, drawing directly from the Sutra's teachings.
The Inherent Purity and Transmutation Through Realization
Huineng emphasizes that the Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure and unchanging, encompassing all phenomena without distinction between pure and impure. In Chapter 2 (On Prajna), he states: "Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure, and if we knew our mind and realized what our nature is, all of us would attain Buddhahood." This realization doesn't "create" purity but uncovers it, transmuting apparent defilements into enlightened manifestations. As you suggest, this is like alchemizing the impure into the pure: "A passing thought that clings to sense-objects is klesa [defilement], while a second thought that frees one from attachment is Bodhi [enlightenment]." The shift is sudden and non-causal — simply seeing the true nature (tathātā) dissolves the illusion of impurity.
In Mahayana terms, this mirrors the Trikaya doctrine:
Impure Body → Nirmanakaya (Pure Land as Manifest Realm): The physical body, tainted by defilements, is transmuted into the Nirmanakaya, the Buddha's manifested form that appears in samsara to teach. In Chapter 3, Huineng internalizes the Pure Land: "This physical body of ours is a city... The mind is the ground. The Essence of Mind is the King." By realizing this, defilements (e.g., "klesa is the billow") calm, and the "Tathagata of Enlightenment" within illuminates, making the body/Pure Land pure. No travel to a distant West is needed; realization "shifts the Pure Land to your presence this very moment."
Impure Speech → Sambhogakaya (Enlightened Dharma): Speech distorted by falsehood or attachment becomes the Sambhogakaya, the "enjoyment body" through which Buddhas communicate Dharma in subtler realms. Huineng links this to straightforwardness and non-attachment: "When our mind functions in a straightforward manner, then it is Teh [virtue]." Realization purifies expression, turning mundane words into enlightened teaching, as seen in the Sutra's "formless" stanzas that convey truth without fixed form.
Impure Mind → Dharmakaya (Ultimate Reality): The deluded mind, clouded by ignorance, transmutes into the Dharmakaya, the formless truth body embodying suchness. Huineng clarifies in Chapter 3: "Merits are to be found within the Dharmakaya," through unimpeded awareness of the Essence of Mind. This is tathātā itself — reality as it is, empty [T2] yet inclusive [T1] [U2T]: "All things are the manifestation [M] of the Essence of Mind [G / U2T] [UGM]."
The transmutation isn't a process but a revelation: impurities are "like billows and waves" on the ocean (mind), subsiding when seen as non-separate from the water (suchness). As Huineng notes in Chapter 1: "The Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure... all things are the manifestation of the Essence of Mind [UGM]."
Realization as the Key: Beyond Causality and Dualism
Your phrasing — "simply by realizing their true nature, realizing the true nature of reality [U2T]" — captures the Sudden School's essence: enlightenment is not produced (caused by effort) nor unproduced (random), but the direct insight into non-duality [Uopp / U2T-opp]. In Chapter 2: "Bodhi is immanent in our Essence of Mind, An attempt to look for it elsewhere is erroneous." This realization transcends the tetralemma (four extremes): not grasping purity/impurity as separate, not both in opposition, not rejecting them for a transcendent "beyond," and not neither (nihilism). It's the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] — conventional appearances (impure body/speech/mind) empty of inherent existence, inseparable from ultimate suchness [U2T / UGM].
Subtly, this avoids "poisonous" grasping: external rituals (e.g., Emperor Wu's temple-building in Chapter 3) reinforce duality and yield only felicities, not merits. True transmutation occurs inwardly: "When the mind is pure, the Buddha Land is simultaneously pure [U3S]." No alchemical effort is needed; realization alone "eliminates at once the three poisonous elements [greed, hatred, delusion]."
Implications and Subtle Points in the Sutra
Non-Dual Integration: The Trikaya aren't hierarchical "upgrades" but simultaneous aspects of one reality. Realizing tathātā integrates them: the impure becomes pure without change, as "ordinary man is Buddha." This democratizes Buddhahood — laypeople at home can achieve it (Chapter 3 stanza: "Bodhi is to be found within our own mind").
Practical Transmutation: Daily life embodies this: amend faults for wisdom, ignore others' wrongs to cut defilement. In Chapter 3: "If you constantly perform the ten good deeds, paradise will appear to you at once." It's not ascetic rejection but seeing impurities as empty, transmuting them into virtues (e.g., mercy as Avalokitesvara).
Warnings Against Misinterpretation: Overemphasizing "transmutation" as a goal could create attachment — Huineng critiques this as "Dharma-ridden." It's effortless: "in the twinkling of an eye," aligning with Prajnaparamita's inconceivable nature.
Broader Mahayana Resonance: This echoes the Avatamsaka Sutra (interpenetration of realms) and Lankavatara Sutra (mind-only), influences on the Platform Sutra. All phenomena are Buddha-reality (tathātā), transmuted via insight.
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In summary, yes — we can conclude that, in the Sutra's view, realizing the Essence of Mind transmutes the impure triad into the Trikaya's purity, revealing them as inseparable expressions of tathātā. This isn't "something like that" but precisely the teaching: enlightenment as the unveiled reality, where "our very nature is Buddha.")
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(Q/A: You mentioned that this is a direct realization of reality as it is (tathātā, suchness, trikaya, or Essence of Mind) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths about all phenomena/dharmas. It also looks like a realization of the Union of the Ground [G] and its manifestations [M] [UGM / U2T-GM].
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Yes, your observation astutely captures the profound non-dual essence of the teachings in the Platform Sutra, where the direct realization of tathātā (suchness) or the Essence of Mind reveals the inseparable Union of the Ground (the ultimate, unconditioned reality, akin to Dharmakaya or emptiness) and its manifestations (the conventional, apparent phenomena, including the Trikaya's expressions like Nirmanakaya and Sambhogakaya).
This mirrors the Madhyamaka-inspired Union of the Two Truths, but in Huineng's Chan framework, it's presented as an immediate, intuitive awakening rather than a philosophical construct. Let me elaborate on this in the Sutra's context, building on our prior discussion.
The Ground as Essence of Mind (Ultimate Truth)
In the Sutra, the "Ground" is synonymous with the Essence of Mind — intrinsically pure, empty, and unchanging, the foundational reality from which all arises. Huineng describes it as "Absolute Emptiness" (Chapter 2), vast like space, neither produced nor annihilated, and the source of all dharmas: "All things are the manifestation of the Essence of Mind." This Ground is tathātā itself — reality "as it is," beyond conceptual proliferations. It's the Dharmakaya (truth body), the formless core of Buddhahood, where "our very nature is Buddha" (Chapter 2). Realizing this dissolves delusions of inherent existence, revealing emptiness not as void but as the boundless capacity that holds everything without attachment.
Subtly, Huineng warns against reifying the Ground as a separate "thing" (purified of its manifestations): seeking it externally (e.g., through rituals) is erroneous, as "Bodhi is immanent in our Essence of Mind" (Chapter 2). This avoids the "poison" of eternalism, emphasizing the Ground's inconceivability — it's not a static base but the dynamic suchness underlying all.
Manifestations as Phenomena/Dharmas (Conventional Truth)
The "manifestations" are the apparent world of forms, defilements, and activities — the skandhas, sense objects, and even impurities like klesa (defilements).
In the Sutra, these are not rejected but seen as inseparable expressions of the Ground: "All things in the universe are the Essence of Mind itself" (Chapter 1). For instance, in Chapter 3, the body is a "city" with defilements as "billows" or "evil dragons," yet upon realization, they transmute — the Pure Land (Nirmanakaya, the manifested realm) emerges as the purified environment, enlightened speech (Sambhogakaya) as straightforward Dharma, and mind as Dharmakaya.
This Union is non-dual: manifestations arise dependently (interdependent, co-defined) from the Ground, empty of self-nature, yet functionally real. Huineng illustrates this in the wind-pennant anecdote (Chapter 1): neither wind nor pennant moves — it's the mind (Ground) manifesting the perception. Grasping manifestations alone (conventional truth) leads to attachment and suffering, while overemphasizing the Ground (ultimate emptiness) risks nihilism — both "poisonous" extremes.
Realization as the Union of Ground and Manifestations
The Sutra's Sudden approach points directly to this Union: realization is the "unsupported thought" (from the Diamond Sutra, referenced in Chapter 1) that sees Ground [G] and manifestations [M] as inseparable [UGM], like water and waves. In Chapter 2: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" (implicitly echoing Prajnaparamita) is enacted through "thoughtlessness" (wunian) — perceiving all dharmas [T1] without attachment [T2] [U2T-in-action], where "when in use it [the mind] pervades everywhere, and yet it sticks nowhere." This transmutes the apparent (impure body/speech/mind) into the Trikaya's purity: the Ground (Dharmakaya) manifests as the Pure Land (Nirmanakaya environment) and enlightened teachings (Sambhogakaya communication), all as tathātā.
Subtle points:
Beyond Dualism and Tetralemma: As you noted, this avoids the four extremes — grasping Ground alone (transcendentalism), manifestations alone (eternalism), both in opposition (dualism), or neither (nihilism). Huineng's stanza (Chapter 2): "When all views, right or erroneous, are discarded/transcended Then the essence of Bodhi appears." Reality is inconceivable, pointed to by the Union, not conceptualized.
Practical Embodiment: No need for gradual purification (enlightenment is not caused/produced); sudden insight reveals the Union instantly (beyond space and time): "Kalpa after kalpa a man may be under delusion, But once enlightened it takes him only a moment to attain Buddhahood" (Chapter 2). Daily life (manifestations) becomes the Ground's expression — e.g., ignoring faults for serenity (Chapter 2 stanza).
Chan Uniqueness: Unlike more scholastic Madhyamaka, Huineng's teaching is experiential (beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation, beyond phenomena, causality, space and time): heart-to-heart transmission (Chapter 1) awakens this Union directly, without intellectual debate. It's the "orthodox teaching" (Chapter 3), countering externalism like Emperor Wu's merit-seeking. (yet, it is explained using dualistic concepts)
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In essence, yes — this realization in the Sutra is precisely the Union of Ground [G / U2T] (Essence of Mind, Dharmakaya, ultimate suchness) and manifestations [M] (phenomena as Trikaya expressions) [UGM], dissolving impurities into enlightened reality. It's the living embodiment of the Two Truths' inseparability, where "Reality as it is" shines forth compassionately and effortlessly.)
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(Q/A: In the context of the Platform Sutra, what is the meaning of 'orthodox teaching'?
In the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Huineng), the term "orthodox teaching" (sometimes translated as "orthodox Dharma," "right Dharma," or "true Dharma") refers to the authentic, direct transmission of the Chan (Zen) Dharma through the mind-to-mind seal (i hsin yin hsin), emphasizing sudden enlightenment by realizing one's innate self-nature (Essence of Mind, tathātā, suchness) without reliance on external rituals, gradual cultivation, or conceptual attachments. This is the unbroken lineage from Shakyamuni Buddha through the Indian Patriarchs (e.g., Bodhidharma) to the Chinese Patriarchs, certified by the transmission of the robe and bowl as symbols of legitimacy up to Huineng. It is the "Sudden Teaching Dharma-door," where enlightenment arises from direct pointing to the mind, seeing one's original nature, and producing an "unsupported thought" free from marks or dualities, leading to immediate Buddhahood. The orthodox teaching is non-dual, transcending opposites [Uopp] like existence/non-existence, production/extinction, or good/bad, and is rooted in the principle that "all the ten thousand dharmas are not separate from the self-nature." It contrasts with "deviant" or erroneous paths, such as self-proclaimed enlightenment without a master's certification, attachment to forms (e.g., sitting in stillness or emptying the mind), or external accumulations like reciting sutras without inner practice.
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A. Specific Context in the Sutra
The term appears in Chapter 3 (Questions and Answers) during Huineng's dialogue with Prefect Wei, who questions Bodhidharma's response to Emperor Wu of Liang. Emperor Wu boasted of his external deeds — building temples, ordaining monks, giving alms, and hosting the Sangha — asking what merits he had accrued. Bodhidharma replied that these yielded "no merits at all," as Wu "did not know the orthodox teaching." Huineng explains that Wu's mind was deluded by erroneous views: such actions produce only "felicities" (worldly blessings or karmic rewards, like planting seeds for future benefits), not true merits (kung teh), which reside in the Dharmakaya (Dharma body) through internal realization of the Essence of Mind. Merits involve unimpeded mental activity, humility (kung), propriety, straightforwardness, and non-attachment (teh), allowing one to perceive the "true, real, wonderful function of your original nature." External practices, while beneficial for blessings, reinforce ego and fail to resolve birth and death if self-nature remains unrecognized. Thus, the orthodox teaching exposes this misunderstanding, prioritizing inner cultivation ("train our own mind") over fame-seeking or material offerings, which Huineng critiques as binding to samsara.
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B. Broader Implications and Subtle Points
Lineage and Authentication: Orthodoxy is tied to the "mind-seal transmission," where the Dharma is passed "using the mind to seal the mind" without words or external symbols post-Huineng (as the robe caused contention). It requires fulfillment of six requisites for a valid Sutra assembly: faith, hearing, time, host (a realized master), place, and assembly, ensuring the teaching is "proper" and not deviant. This subtly critiques self-enlightenment claims or "other religions which hold to the tenet of spontaneity," common in the Dharma-ending age.
Non-Dual Essence: The teaching embodies the Union of the two truths [U2T] (conventional appearances and ultimate emptiness), where self-nature is pure and unchanging, yet manifests all dharmas without attachment. Grasping at external merits (like Wu) is "poisonous" as it reifies duality; true orthodoxy reveals "Bodhi has no tree" (Huineng's verse), where enlightenment is innate and sudden, not produced through effort.
Critique of Ritualism: Subtly, it warns against confusing blessings (external, karmic) with merits (internal, liberating), as seen in practices like Amitabha recitation without mind-purification. Emperor Wu is portrayed as a "greedy-minded ghost" with an oversized ego, dying of starvation due to lacking true merit — illustrating how externalism leads to downfall.
Propagation Vow: The Sutra itself is positioned as a "Dharma jewel" for transmitting the orthodox teaching, with instructions to protect, distribute, and speak according to it to "take humankind across." This democratizes access, as laypeople can realize it at home without monasticism.
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C. Overall, "orthodox teaching" in the Sutra is the essence of Chan: direct, internal awakening to self-nature as the path to Buddhahood, countering externalism and delusion exemplified by figures like Emperor Wu.)
TEXT:
One day Prefect Wei entertained the Patriarch and asked him to preach to a big gathering. At the end of the feast, Prefect Wei asked him to mount the pulpit (to which the Patriarch consented). After bowing twice reverently, in company with other officials, scholars, and commoners, Prefect Wei said,
"I have heard what Your Holiness preached. It is really so deep that it is beyond our mind and speech, and I have certain doubts which I hope you will clear up for me."
"If you have any doubts," replied the Patriarch, "please ask, and I will explain."
"What you preach are the fundamental principles taught by Bodhidharma, are they not?"
"Yes," replied the Patriarch.
"I was told," said Prefect Wei, "that at Bodhidharma's first interview with Emperor Wu of Liang he was asked what merits the Emperor would get for the work of his life in building temples, allowing new monks to be ordained (royal consent was necessary at that time), giving alms and entertaining the Sangha; and his reply was that these would bring no merits ar all. Now, I cannot understand why he gave such an answer. Will you please explain."
"These would bring no merits," replied the Patriarch. "Don't doubt the words of the Sage. Emperor Wu's mind was under an erroneous impression, and he did not know the orthodox teaching.
Such deeds as building temples, allowing new monks to be ordained, giving alms and entertaining the Sangha will bring you only felicities, which should not be taken for merits.
Merits are to be found within the Dharmakaya,
and they have nothing to do with practices for attaining felicities."
The Patriarch went on,
"Realization of the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is Kung (good deserts),
and equality is Teh (good quality).
When our mental activity works without any impediment, so that we are in a position to know constantly the true state and the mysterious functioning of our own mind, we are said to have acquired Kung Teh (merits).
Within, to keep the mind in a humble mood is Kung;
and without, to behave oneself according to propriety is Teh.
That all things are the manifestation of the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is Kung,
and that the quint Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is free from idle thoughts is Teh.
Not to go astray from the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is Kung,
and not to pollute the mind in using it is Teh.
If you seek for merits within the Dharmakaya, and do what I have just said, what you acquire will be real merits.
He who works for merits does not slight others; and on all occasions he treats everybody with respect. He who is in the habit of looking down upon others has not got rid of the erroneous idea of a self, which indicates his lack of Kung. Because of his egotism and his habitual contempt for all others, he knows not the real Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness); and this shows his lack of Teh.
Learned Audience, when our mental activity works without interruption, then it is Kung;
and when our mind functions in a straightforward manner, then it is Teh.
To train our own mind is Kung, and to train our own body is Teh.
Learned Audience, merits should be sought
within the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness)
and they cannot be acquired by almsgiving, entertaining the monks, etc.
We should therefore distinguish between felicities and merits.
There is nothing wrong in what our Patriarch said.
It is Emperor Wu himself who did not know the true way."
Prefect Wei then asked the next question. "I notice that it is a common practice for monks and laymen to recite the name of Amitabha with the hope of being born in the Pure Land of the West. To clear up my doubts, will you please tell me whether it is possible for them to be born there or not."
"Listen to me carefully, Sir," replied the Patriarch, "and I will explain.
According to the Sutra spoken by the Bhagavat in Shravasti City for leading people to the Pure Land of the West, it is quite clear that the Pure Land is not far from here, for the distance in mileage is 108,000, which really represents the 'ten evils' and 'eight errors' within us. To those of inferior mentality certainly it is far away, but to superior men we may say that it is quite near. Although the Dharma is uniform, men vary in their mentality.
Because they differ from one another in their degree of enlightenment or ignorance, therefore some understand the Dharma quicker than others.
While ignorant men recite the name of Amitabha and pray to be born in the Pure Land, the enlightened purify their mind, for, as the Buddha said, 'When the mind is pure, the Buddha Land is simultaneously pure.' "Although you are a native of the East, if your mind is pure you are sinless.
One the other hand, even if you were a native of the West an impure mind could not free you from sin, When the people of the East commit a sin, they recite the name of Amitabha and pray to be born in the West; but in the case of sinners who are natives of the West, where should they pray to be born? Ordinary men and ignorant people understand neither the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) nor the Pure Land within themselves, so they wish to be born in the East or the West. But to the enlightened everywhere is the same. As the Buddha said, 'No matter where they happen to be, they are always happy and comfortable.'
"Sir, if your mind is free from evil the West is not far from here; but difficult indeed it would be for one whose heart is impure to be born there by invoking Amitabha!
"Now, I advise you, Learned Audience, first to do away with the 'ten evils'; then we shall have travelled one hundred thousand miles. For the next step, do away with the 'eight errors', and this will mean another eight thousand miles traversed. If we can realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) at all times and behave in a straightforward manner on all occasions, in the twinkling of an eye we may reach the Pure Land and there see Amitabha.
"If you only put into practice the ten good deeds, there would be no necessity for you to be born there. On the other hand, if you do not do away with the 'ten evils' in your mind, which Buddha will take you there? If you understand the Birthless Doctrine (which puts an end to the cycle of birth and death) of the 'Sudden' School, it takes you only a moment to see the West. If you do not understand, how can you reach there by reciting the name of Amitabha, as the distance is so far? "Now, how would you like it if I were to shift the Pure Land to your presence this very moment, so that all of you might see it?"
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The congregation made obeisance and replied,
"If we might see the Pure Land here
there would be no necessity for us to desire to be born there.
Will Your Holiness kindly let us see it by having it removed here."
The Patriarch said,
"Sirs, this physical body of ours is a city.
Our eyes, ears, nose and tongue are the gates. There are five external gates, while the internal one is ideation. The mind is the ground. The Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is the King who lives in the domain of the mind. While the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is in, the King is in, and our body and mind exist. When the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is out, there is no King and our body and mind decay.
We should work for Buddhahood within the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness), and we should not look for it apart from ourselves. He who is kept in ignorance of his Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is an ordinary being.
He who is enlightened in his Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is a Buddha.
To be merciful is Avalokitesvara (one of the two principal Bodhisattvas of the Pure Land).
To take pleasure in almsgiving is Mahasthama (the other Bodhisattva).
Competence for a pure life is Sakyamuni (one of the titles of Gautama Buddha).
Equality and straightforwardness is Amitabha.
The idea of a self or that of a being is Mount Meru.
A depraved mind is the ocean.
Klesa (defilement) is the billow.
Wickedness is the evil dragon.
Falsehood is the devil.
The wearisome sense objects are the aquatic animals.
Greed and hatred are the hells.
Ignorance and infatuation are the brutes.
"Learned Audience,
if you constantly perform the ten good deeds, paradise will appear to you at once.
When you get rid of the idea of a self and that of a being, Mount Meru will topple.
When the mind is no longer depraved, the ocean (of existence) will be dried up.
When you are free from klesa, billows and waves (of the ocean of existence) will calm down.
When wickedness is alien to you, fish and evil dragons will die out.
"Within the domain of our mind, there is a Tathagata of Enlightenment who sends forth a powerful light which illumines externally the six gates (of sensation) and purifies them. This light is strong enough to pierce through the six Kama Heavens (heavens of desire); and when it is turned inwardly it eliminates at once the three poisonous elements, purges away our sins which might lead us to the hells or other evil realms, and enlightens us thoroughly within and without, so that we are no different from those born in the Pure Land of the West. Now, if we do not train ourselves up to this standard, how can we reach the Pure Land?"
Having heard what the Patriarch said, the congregation knew their Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) very clearly. They made obeisance and exclaimed in one voice, "Well done!" They also chanted, "May all the sentient beings of this Universe who have heard this sermon at once understand it intuitively."
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The Patriarch added, "Learned Audience, those who wish to train themselves (spiritually) may do so at home. It is quite unnecessary for them to stay in monasteries. Those who train themselves at home may be likened unto a native of the East who is kind-hearted, while those who stay in monasteries but neglect their work differ not from a native of the West who is evil in heart. So far as the mind is pure, it is the 'Western Pure Land of one's own Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness)'."
Prefect Wei asked,
"How should we train ourselves at home? Will you please teach us."
The Patriarch replied,
"I will give you a 'formless' stanza. If you put its teaching into practice you will be in the same position as those who live with me permanently. On the other hand, if you do not practice it, what progress can you make in the spiritual path, even though you cut your hair and leave home for good?
The stanza reads:
For a fair mind, observation of precepts (Sila) is unnecessary.
For straightforward behavior, practice in Dhyana (contemplation) may be dispensed with.
On the principle of righteousness, the superior and the inferior stand for each other (in time of need).
On the principle of mutual desire to please, the senior and junior are on affectionate terms.
On the principle of forbearance, we do not quarrel even in the midst of a hostile crowd.
If we can persevere till fire can be obtained through rubbing a piece of wood,
Then the red lotus (the Buddha-nature) will shoot out from the black mire (the unenlightened state).
That which is of bitter taste is bound to be good medicine.
That which sounds unpleasant to the ear is certainly frank advice.
By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom.
By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind.
In our daily life we should always practice altruism,
But Buddhahood is not to be attained by giving away money as charity.
Bodhi is to be found within our own mind,
And there is no necessity to look for mysticism from without.
Hearers of this stanza who put its teaching into actual practice
Will find paradise in their very presence.
The Patriarch added,
"Learned Audience, all of you should put into practice what is taught in this stanza, so that you can realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) and attain Buddhahood directly. The Dharma waits for no one. I am going back to Ts'ao Ch'i, so the assembly may now break up. If you have any questions, you may come there to put them."
At this juncture Prefect Wei, the government officials, pious men, and devout ladies who were present were all enlightened. Faithfully they accepted the teaching and put it into practice.