Platform Sutra
(The Sutra of the 6th Patriarch, Hui Neng)
Chapter 7 – Temperament and Circumstances
Platform Sutra
(The Sutra of the 6th Patriarch, Hui Neng)
Chapter 7 – Temperament and Circumstances
Last update: December 18, 2025
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Source: https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-6th-patriarch-platform-sutra
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(There are no absolute universal truths, methods/practices/paths, goals, only adapted skillful means to combine with more and more perfection of wisdom. All teachings are adapted to individual temperaments and circumstances, to the predominant illusions, conditioning, karma, of individuals. The practices always consist of acting/practicing conventionally/relatively without acting/practicing in absolute terms. Even non-duality, the two truths (dependent origination and emptiness), the ground and its manifestations, the three Jewels, the three kayas, the Buddha-nature, enlightenment, reality as it is (tathātā, suchness, Essence of Mind), saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, are dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, merely imputed by the mind, mere designations/names, conventional truths/tools, empty of inherent existence, non-dual (not many, not one, not two, not neither). Reality is beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all conditioning/karma (individual, collective, cosmic); enlightenment is not produced/caused.)
ANALYSIS:
(Overview of Chapter 7: The teaching are adapted to Individual Temperament and Circumstances
Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra shifts from general discourses to specific dialogues between Huineng and various disciples, illustrating how teachings are adapted to individual temperaments and circumstances.
It recounts Huineng's early post-transmission life, his encounters with seekers, and tailored instructions that reveal the flexibility of the Sudden School.
Through anecdotes, Huineng critiques misconceptions (e.g., literal sutra recitation, rigid samadhi), emphasizing intuitive realization of the Essence of Mind over scholarly or ritualistic approaches.
The chapter highlights non-duality, the irrelevance of external attainments, and the universality of Buddha-nature, ending with a stanza underscoring the dynamic, unattached nature of mind.
A. Essential Teachings
The chapter uses personalized interactions to convey core Chan principles, adapting to each disciple's background:
Adaptation to Temperament and Circumstances:
Teachings are given according to the listener's disposition: e.g., Fa Hai receives clarification on "What mind is, Buddha is," emphasizing Prajna/Vipassana/movement and Samadhi/Samatha/stillness's union for purity. The chapter's title reflects this — Huineng tailors responses to dispel doubts, showing the Dharma's flexibility without compromising essence.
Intuitive Realization Over Literal Study:
Sutra knowledge without insight is futile:
Fa Ta's 3,000 recitations of the Lotus Sutra breed conceit; Huineng explains its aim as "Buddha-knowledge" (inner enlightenment), not external vehicles.
Chih Tung's 1,000 readings of the Lankavatara miss Trikaya and four Prajnas/Wisdoms' inherence in the Essence.
True understanding transcends texts:
"The profundity of the teachings... has nothing to do with the written language."
Non-Duality and Birthlessness:
For Chih Tao, Nirvana is neither annihilation nor eternalism: "Nirvana has neither the phenomenon of becoming, nor that of cessation." It's "perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating," beyond dualities like physical/Dharmakaya or becoming/cessation.
Vehicles (three/small/middle/great) exist in minds, not Dharma:
Chih Ch'ang learns the "Buddha Vehicle" is ultimate, dispensing with makeshifts.
Direct Pointing and Self-Reliance:
Questions reveal paths:
Huai Jang's "unpolluted" response earns prophecy;
Hsing Ssu's rejection of Noble Truths affirms transcendence.
Chih Huang's 20-year samadhi is critiqued as perpetual but not "great" — true samadhi abides nowhere, like infinite space without limitations.
Enlightenment is innate: No external search; "Let your mind be in a state such as that of the illimitable emptiness, but do not attach it to the idea of 'vacuity'."
Critique of Attachment and Conceit:
Conceit blocks insight:
Fa Ta's bowed head omission shows arrogance; Wo Lun's stanza on insulating the mind is misguided—Huineng counters that circumstances react, questioning Bodhi's growth in isolation.
B. Subtle Points
The chapter uses anecdotes to subtly illustrate practical non-duality and the Sudden path's adaptability:
Personalized Transmission:
Huineng's responses match temperament: e.g., Fa Hai's stanza praises practice; Fa Ta's remorse leads to "sutra-reciting Bhikkhu" title, allowing continued recitation with insight. Subtly shows teaching as upaya (skillful means), not rigid doctrine.
Oracle and Prophecy:
Bodhidharma's oracle ("colt... trample the world") for Huai Jang subtly affirms lineage continuity; Huineng's delay in interpretation encourages self-discovery ("the answer should be found within your mind").
Critique of Isolation and Stagnation:
Chih Huang's samadhi is "perpetual" but limited—subtly warns against attachment to states: "That state which you can abide in or leave off is not the great Samadhi." True practice engages life without abiding.
Non-Literal Interpretation:
For Chih Tao, "becoming and cessation" are fallacious — subtly resolves apparent contradictions in the Parinirvana Sutra via non-duality: Nirvana is "everlasting joy" without enjoyer, transcending speculation.
Humor and Irony:
Huineng's self-deprecation ("I do not understand the Buddha Dharma") to a bhikkhu subtly humbles intellectualism; Fang Pien's sculpture rewarded with a robe (divided symbolically) affirms skillful means while prioritizing "nature of Buddha" over art.
Lineage Perpetuation:
Disciples like Hsing Ssu and Huai Jang become lineage holders — subtly shows transmission's organic spread, adapting to circumstances (e.g., Huineng's hill refuge) without formalities.
Everyday Miracles:
Water sprouting from Huineng's staff subtly symbolizes Dharma's life-giving power; the voice announcing Chih Huang's enlightenment affirms collective affinity.
C. This chapter subtly humanizes enlightenment through real interactions, emphasizing that realization adapts to temperament while remaining rooted in non-dual Essence.)
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(Q/A: So, Chapter 7 is about adapting the teachings to individual temperament and circumstances, but also about learning how to act/practice without acting/practicing in general.
Yes, your summary nails the dual-layered essence of Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) in the Platform Sutra — it's both a practical demonstration of Huineng's adaptive teaching style, tailoring responses to each disciple's unique temperament, background, and circumstances (e.g., Fa Hai's scholarly bent gets a stanza on Prajna-Samadhi balance, while Chih Huang's rigid isolation is challenged through dialogue), and a broader lesson in "acting/practicing without acting/practicing" in the absolute sense. This non-dual approach, rooted in wu-wei-like effortless engagement, means practicing conventionally (reciting sutras, meditating, seeking guidance) without reifying it as absolute — free from attachment to forms, stages, or dualities like practice/non-practice, attainment/non-attainment, or self/other. Huineng's interactions reveal that true realization transcends contrived efforts: e.g., "understanding without understanding" (A Bhikkhu), "meditating without meditating" (Chih Huang), or "coming without coming" (Huai Jang), where the Essence of Mind functions spontaneously amid life's flux, embodying tathātā (suchness) without grasping the three spheres (subject-action-object) as inherent. This generalizes the Sudden path: adapt to circumstances relatively, but abide nowhere absolutely, allowing innate Buddha-nature to manifest without pollution or fabrication.)
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(Q/A: In chapter 4 and 7, there is mention of the inseparability, harmony, interdependence, Union of Samadhi and Prajna. But what are Samadhi and Prajna?
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Definitions of Samadhi and Prajna
In the Platform Sutra, Samadhi and Prajna are presented as core concepts in Chan (Zen) practice, particularly in Chapters 4 (Samadhi and Prajna) and 7 (Temperament and Circumstances), where their inseparability, harmony, interdependence, and union are emphasized as essential for realization of the Essence of Mind. Below, I'll define each term based on Huineng's teachings, then explain their union. These definitions draw from the Sutra's direct explanations, avoiding external interpretations unless noted.
Q/A: Yes, Samadhi and Prajna in the Platform Sutra are conceptually similar to Samatha and Vipassana, respectively, but they are not identical terms or practices. In broader Buddhist contexts,
Samadhi often aligns with Samatha (calming meditation or concentration that stabilizes the mind),
while Prajna corresponds to Vipassana (insight meditation or wisdom that penetrates the nature of reality).
However, Huineng's teachings in the Sutra emphasize their non-dual integration as inseparable aspects of the Essence of Mind, rather than as sequential or distinct techniques like in some Theravada traditions.
This unity reflects the Sudden School's approach,
where tranquility (Samadhi) and wisdom (Prajna) arise together
in sudden realization, without separation or hierarchy.
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Samadhi
Basic Definition: Samadhi refers to meditative concentration, tranquility, or inner peace — a state of mental stability where the mind remains unperturbed by external circumstances or internal distractions. It is the "quintessence" or supportive foundation that allows for clear, focused awareness.
Key Teachings from the Sutra:
In Chapter 4: Samadhi is "the quintessence of Prajna," providing the calm base for wisdom to arise. It is attained by keeping the mind "unperturbed, irrespective of circumstances" (echoed in Chapter 5 on Dhyana). Huineng warns against misunderstanding it as mere stillness or suppression of thoughts, which leads to "stagnation" or equating practitioners to "inanimate objects."
In Chapter 7: During a dialogue with Bhikkhu Fa Hai, Huineng states: "Samadhi is 'What Buddha is'." It functions inherently without "becoming" something new, emphasizing its role in maintaining purity of thoughts through practice. Samadhi must "keep pace" with Prajna to avoid imbalance.
Practical Aspect: Samadhi is not passive withdrawal but active equanimity in daily life — e.g., being "mentally unperturbed in all outward circumstances, be they good or otherwise" (Chapter 5). It counters perturbation from attachments, enabling the mind to "attain inner peace."
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Prajna
Basic Definition: Prajna is transcendental wisdom or insight — the penetrating understanding of reality's true nature (tathata or suchness), free from delusions, dualities, or attachments. It is the active, discerning function that illuminates emptiness and non-duality.
Key Teachings from the Sutra:
In Chapter 4: Prajna is "the activity of Samadhi," the dynamic expression that arises from tranquility. It involves "idea-lessness" (not carried away by ideas), "non-objectivity" (not absorbed by objects), and "non-attachment" (treating all as empty). Huineng analogizes it to light from a lamp (Samadhi as the lamp).
In Chapter 7: Prajna is "'What mind is'," the wisdom that must be practiced alongside Samadhi for pure thoughts. It enables seeing beyond forms, as in explaining the Lotus Sutra: "a spark of Wisdom can do away with ignorance which has lasted for ages."
Practical Aspect: Prajna manifests as right views in action — e.g., discriminating phenomena without clinging, or substituting "unreliable and illusive thinking" with insight (Chapter 6). It arises "perpetually" in an enlightened mind, transcending truth/falsehood.
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The Inseparability, Harmony, Interdependence, and Union of Samadhi and Prajna
Huineng repeatedly stresses that Samadhi and Prajna are not separate entities but interdependent aspects of the same non-dual reality, essential for awakening. Their union is the harmonious balance that realizes the Essence of Mind, avoiding extremes like empty tranquility (nihilism) or ungrounded wisdom (speculation).
Inseparability and Harmony (Chapter 4): "Samadhi and Prajna are inseparably united and are not two entities." They coexist instantly: "At the very moment that we attain Prajna, Samadhi is therewith; and vice versa." Like a lamp (Samadhi) and its light (Prajna) — "in name they are two things, but in substance they are one and the same." Without harmony, they are "useless" (e.g., good words without a pure heart). True equilibrium occurs when "our outward appearance and our inner feelings harmonize," eliminating egotism and dualistic arguments about which "comes first."
Interdependence and Union (Chapter 7): In the stanza to Fa Hai: "Prajna is 'What mind is', Samadhi is 'What Buddha is'. In practicing Prajna and Samadhi, let each keep pace with the other; Then our thoughts will be pure." Their union is practical: "The orthodox teaching is to practice Prajna as well as Samadhi." Fa Hai's response affirms this: "Now I know the principal cause of Prajna and Samadhi, Both of which I shall practice to set me free from all forms." This interdependence ensures purity—Samadhi provides stability for Prajna's insight, while Prajna activates Samadhi's function.
Broader Implications: Their union embodies the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] (conventional tranquility and ultimate wisdom) and the Ground (Essence) with manifestations (practice) [UGM]. Misbalance leads to delusion: e.g., Samadhi without Prajna becomes "sitting quietly... without letting any idea arise" (critiqued as a "stumbling block" in Chapter 4). The union enables "thoughtlessness" (wunian) — perceiving without attachment — leading to emancipation.
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In summary, Samadhi is the tranquil foundation, Prajna the illuminating wisdom; their inseparable union is the key to sudden realization, harmonizing inner peace with insightful action in everyday life. This teaching democratizes enlightenment, making it accessible through balanced, non-dual practice rather than ritual or debate.)
TEXT
(Instructions given according to the disciples' temperament and to the circumstances of the case)
Upon the Patriarch's return to the village of Ts'ao Hou in Shao Chou from Huang Mei, where the Dharma had been transmitted to him, he was still an unknown figure, and it was a Confucian scholar named Liu Chih-Lueh who gave him a warm welcome. Chih-Lueh happened to have an aunt named Wu Chin-Tsang who was a bhikkhuni (a female member of the Sangha), and used to recite the Maha Parinirvana Sutra.
After hearing the recitation for only a short while the Patriarch grasped its profound meaning and began to explain it to her.
Whereupon, she picked up the book and asked him the meaning of certain words.
"I am illiterate," he replied, "but if you wish to know the purport of this work, please ask."
"How can you grasp the meaning of the text," she rejoined, "when you do not even know the words?"
To this he replied, "The profundity of the teachings of the various Buddhas has nothing to do with the written language."
This answer surprised her very much, and realizing that he was no ordinary bhikkhu, she made it widely known to the pious elders of the village. "This is a holy man," she said, "we should ask him to stay, and get his permission to supply him food and lodging."
Whereupon, a descendant of Marquis Wu of the Wei Dynasty, named Ts'ao Shu-Liang, came one afternoon with other villagers to tender homage to the Patriarch.
The historical Pao Lin monastery, devastated by war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, was then reduced to a heap of ruins, but on the old site they rebuilt it and asked the Patriarch to stay there. Before long, it became a very famous monastery. After being there for nine months his wicked enemies traced him and persecuted him again. Thereupon he took refuge in a nearby hill. The villains then set fire to the wood (where he was hiding), but he escaped by making his way to a rock. This rock, which has since been known as the 'Rock of Refuge', has thereon the knee-prints of the Patriarch and also the impressions of the texture of his gown. Recollecting the instruction of his master, the Fifth Patriarch, that he should stop at Huai and seclude himself at Hui, he made these two districts his places of retreat.
Bhikkhu Fa Hai, a native of Chu Kiang of Shao Chow, in his first interview with the Patriarch asked the meaning of the well-known saying, 'What mind is, Buddha is.'
The Patriarch replied,
"To let not a passing thought rise up is 'mind'.
To let not the coming thought be annihilated is Buddha.
(i.e. not accepting, not rejecting thought; thinking without thinking)
To manifest all kinds of phenomena is 'mind'.
To be free from all forms is Buddha.
(i.e. thinking without thinking, without apprehending anything)
If I were to give you a full explanation, the topic could not be exhausted even if I took up the whole of one kalpa. So listen to my stanza:
Prajna is 'What mind is', [M]
Samadhi is 'What Buddha is'. [G] [UGM]
In practicing Prajna and Samadhi, let each keep pace with the other;
Then our thoughts will be pure.
This teaching can be understood
Only through the habit of practice.
Samadhi functions, but inherently it does not become [U2T-GM].
The orthodox teaching is to practice Prajna as well as Samadhi.
After hearing what the Patriarch had said, Fa Hai was at once enlightened.
He praised the Patriarch with the following stanza:
'What mind is, Buddha is' is true indeed! [UGM]
But I humiliate myself by not understanding it.
Now I know the principal cause of Prajna and Samadhi,
Both of which I shall practice to set me free from all forms.
Bhikkhu Fa Ta, a native of Hung Chou, who joined the Sangha at the early age of seven, used to recite the Saddharma Pundarika (Lotus of the Good Dharma) Sutra. When he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, he failed to lower his head to the ground (conceit). For his abbreviated courtesy the Patriarch reproved him, saying,
"If you object to lower your head to the ground, would it not be better do away with salutation entirely? There must be something in your mind that makes you so puffed up. Tell me what you do in your daily exercise."
"Recite the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra," replied Fa Ta. "I have read the whole text three thousand times."
"Had you grasped the meaning of the Sutra," remarked the Patriarch, "you would not have assumed such a lofty bearing, even if you had read it ten thousand times. Had you grasped it, you would be treading the same Path as mine. What you have accomplished has already made you conceited, and moreover, you do not seem to realize that this is wrong.
Listen to my stanza:
Since the object of ceremony is to curb arrogance
Why did you fail to lower your head to the ground?
'To believe in a self' is the source of sin,
But 'to treat all attainment as empty' attains merit incomparable!
The Patriarch then asked for his name, and upon being told that his name was Fa Ta (meaning Understanding the Dharma), he remarked, "Your name is Fa Ta, but you have not yet understood the Dharma."
He concluded by uttering another stanza:
Your name is Fa Ta.
Diligently and steadily you recite the Sutra.
Liprepetition of the text goes by the pronunciation only,
But he whose mind is enlightened by grasping the meaning is a Bodhisattva indeed!
On account of conditions which may be traced to our past lives I will explain this to you.
If you only believe that Buddha speaks no words,
Then the Lotus will blossom in your mouth.
Having heard this stanza, Fa Ta became remorseful and apologized to the Patriarch. He added, "Hereafter, I will be humble and polite on all occasions. As I do not quite understand the meaning of the Sutra I recite, I am doubtful as to its proper interpretation. With your profound knowledge and high wisdom, will you kindly give me a short explanation?"
The Patriarch replied, "Fa Ta, the Dharma is quite clear; it is only your mind that is not clear.
The Sutra is free from doubtful passages; it is only your mind that makes them doubtful. In reciting the Sutra, do you know its principal object?"
"How can I know, Sir," replied Fa Ta, "since I am so dull and stupid? All I know is how to recite it word by word."
The Patriarch then said, "Will you please recite the Sutra, as I cannot read it myself. I will then explain its meaning to you."
Fa Ta recited the Sutra, but when he came to the chapter entitled 'Parables' the Patriarch stopped him, saying,
"The key-note of this Sutra is to set forth the aim and object of a Buddha's incarnation in this world. Though parables and illustrations are numerous in this book, none of them goes beyond this pivotal point. Now, what is that object? What is that aim? The Sutra says, 'It is for a sole object, a sole aim, verily a lofty object and a lofty aim that the Buddha appears in this world.' Now that sole object, that sole aim, that lofty object, that lofty aim referred to is the 'sight' of Buddha-Knowledge.
"Common people attach themselves to objects without; and within, they fall into the wrong idea of 'vacuity'. When they are able to free themselves from attachment to objects when in contact with objects, and to free themselves from the fallacious view of annihilation on the doctrine of 'Emptiness' they will be free from delusions within and from illusions without. He who understands this and whose mind is thus enlightened in an instant is said to have opened his eyes for the sight of Buddha-Knowledge.
"The word 'Buddha' is equivalent to 'Enlightenment',
which may be dealt with (as in the Sutra) under four heads:
– To open the eyes for the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
– To show the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
– To awake to the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
– To be firmly established in the Enlightenment-knowledge.
"Should we be able, upon being taught, to grasp and understand thoroughly the teaching of Enlightenment-knowledge, then our inherent quality or true nature, i.e., the Enlightenment-knowledge, would have an opportunity to manifest itself. You should not misinterpret the text, and come to the conclusion that Buddha-knowledge is something special to Buddha and not common to us all because you happen to find in the Sutra this passage, 'To open the eyes for the sight of Buddha-knowledge, to show the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.' Such a misinterpretation would amount to slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Sutra. Since he is a Buddha, he is already in possession of this Enlightenment-knowledge and there is no occasion for himself to open his eyes for it. You should therefore accept the interpretation that Buddha-knowledge is the Buddha-knowledge of your own mind and not that of any other Buddha.
"Being infatuated by sense-objects, and thereby shutting themselves from their own light, all sentient beings, tormented by outer circumstances and inner vexations, act voluntarily as slaves to their own desires. Seeing this, our Lord Buddha had to rise from his Samadhi in order to exhort them with earnest preaching of various kinds to suppress their desires and to refrain from seeking happiness from without, so that they might become the equals of Buddha. For this reason the Sutra says, 'To open the eyes for the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.'
"I advise people constantly to open their eyes for the Buddha-knowledge within their mind. But in their perversity they commit sins under delusion and ignorance; they are kind in words, but wicked in mind; they are greedy, malignant, jealous, crooked, flattering, egotistic, offensive to men and destructive to inanimate objects. Thus, they open their eyes for the 'Common-people-knowledge'. Should they rectify their heart, so that wisdom arises perpetually, the mind would be under introspection, and evil doing replaced by the practice of good; then they would initiate themselves into the Buddha-knowledge.
"You should therefore from moment to moment open your eyes, not for 'Common-people-knowledge' but for Buddha-knowledge, which is supramundane, while the former is worldly. On the other hand, if you stick to the concept that mere recitation (of the Sutra) as a daily exercise is good enough, then you are infatuated like the yak by its own tail." (Yaks are known to have a very high opinion of their own tails.)
Fa Ta then said, "If that is so, we have only to know the meaning of the Sutra and there would be no necessity for us to recite it. Is that right, Sir?"
"There is nothing wrong in the Sutra," replied the Patriarch, "so that you should refrain from reciting it. Whether sutra-reciting will enlighten you or not, or benefit you or not, all depends on yourself. He who recites the Sutra with the tongue and puts its teaching into actual practice with his mind 'turns round' the Sutra. He who recites it without putting it into practice is 'turned round' by the Sutra. Listen to my stanza:
When our mind is under delusion, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra 'turns us round'. With an enlightened mind we 'turn round' the Sutra instead. To recite the Sutra for a considerable time without knowing its principal object Indicates that you are a stranger to its meaning. The correct way to recite the Sutra is without holding any arbitrary belief; Otherwise, it is wrong. He who is above 'affirmative' and 'negative' Rides permanently in the White Bullock Cart (the Vehicle of Buddha)."
Having heard this stanza, Fa Ta was enlightened and moved to tears. "It is quite true," he exclaimed, "that heretofore I was unable to 'turn round' the Sutra. It was rather the Sutra that 'turned' me round."
He then raised another point. "The Sutra says, 'From Sravakas (disciples) up to Bodhisattvas, even if they were to speculate with combined efforts they would be unable to comprehend the Buddha-knowledge.' But you, Sir, give me to understand that if an ordinary man realizes his own mind, he is said to have attained the Buddha-knowledge. I am afraid, Sir, that with the exception of those gifted with superior mental dispositions, others may doubt your remark.
Furthermore, three kinds of Carts are mentioned in the Sutra, namely, Carts yoked with goats (i.e., the vehicle of Sravakas), Carts yoked with deers (the vehicle of Pratyeka Buddhas), and Carts yoked with bullocks (the vehicle of Bodhisattvas). How are these to be distinguished from the White Bullock Carts?"
The Patriarch replied, "The Sutra is quite plain on this point; it is you who misunderstand it. The reason why Sravakas, Pratyeka Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot comprehend the Buddha-knowledge 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 was to ordinary men, not to other Buddhas, that Buddha Gautama preached this Sutra. As for those who cannot accept the doctrine he expounded, he let them leave the assembly. You do not seem to know that since we are already riding in the White Bullock Cart (the vehicle of Buddhas), there is no necessity for us to go out to look for the other three vehicles. Moreover, the Sutra tells you plainly that there is only the Buddha Vehicle, and that there are no other vehicles, such as the second or the third. It is for the sake of this sole vehicle that Buddha had to preach to us with innumerable skilful devices, using various reasons and arguments, parables and illustrations, etc. Why can you not understand that the other three vehicles are makeshifts, for the past only; while the sole vehicle, the Buddha Vehicle, is the ultimate, meant for the present?
"The Sutra teaches you to dispense with the makeshifts and to resort to the ultimate. Having resorted to the ultimate, you will find that even the name 'ultimate' disappears. You should appreciate that you are the sole owner of these valuables and they are entirely subject to your disposal.
When you are free from the arbitrary conception that they are the father's, or the son's, or that they are at so and so's disposal, you may be said to have learned the right way to recite the Sutra. In that case from kalpa to kalpa the Sutra will be in your hand, and from morning to night you will be reciting the Sutra all the time."
Being thus awakened, Fa Ta praised the Patriarch, in a transport of great joy, with the following stanza:
The delusion that I have attained great merits by reciting the Sutra three thousand times over
Is all dispelled by an utterance of the Master of Ts'ao Ch'i (i.e., the Patriarch).
He who has not understood the object of a Buddha's incarnation in this world
Is unable to suppress the wild passions accumulated in many lives.
The three vehicles yoked by goat, deer and bullock respectively, are makeshifts only,
While the three stages, preliminary, intermediate, and final, in which the orthodox Dharma is expounded, are well set out, indeed.
How few appreciate that within the burning house itself (i.e., mundane existence)
The King of Dharma is to be found!
The Patriarch then told him that henceforth he might call himself a 'Sutra-reciting Bhikkhu'.
After that interview, Fa Ta was able to grasp the profound meaning of Buddhism, yet he continued to recite the Sutra as before.
Bhikkhu Chih Tung, a native of Shao Chou of An Feng had read the Lankavatara Sutra a thousand times, but he could not understand the meaning of Trikaya and the four Prajnas. Thereupon, he called on the Patriarch for an interpretation.
"As to the Three Bodies," explained the Patriarch,
"the pure Dharmakaya is your (essential) nature;
the perfect Sambhogakaya is your wisdom;
and myriad Nirmanakayas are your actions.
If you deal with these Three Bodies apart from the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness), there would be 'bodies without wisdom'. If you realize that these Three Bodies have no positive essence of their own (because they are only the properties of the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness)) you attain the Bodhi of the four Prajnas.
Listen to my stanza:
The Three Bodies are inherent in our Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness),
By development of which the four Prajnas are manifested.
Thus, without shutting your eyes and your ears to keep away from the external world
You may reach Buddhahood directly.
Now that I have made this plain to you
Believe it firmly, and you will be free from delusions forever.
Follow not those who seek Enlightenment from without;
These people talk about Bodhi all the time (but they never find it).
"May I know something about the four Prajnas?" asked Chih Tung.
"If you understand the Three Bodies," replied the Patriarch, "you should understand the four Prajnas as well; so your question is unnecessary. If you deal with the four Prajnas apart from the Three Bodies, there will be Prajnas without bodies, in which case they would not be Prajnas."
The Patriarch then uttered another stanza:
The Mirror-like Wisdom is pure by nature.
The Equality Wisdom frees the mind from all impediments.
The All-discerning Wisdom sees things intuitively without going through the process of reasoning.
The All Performing Wisdom has the same characteristics as the Mirror-like Wisdom.
The first five vijnanas (consciousness dependent respectively upon the five sense organs) and the Alayavijnana (Storehouse of Universal consciousness) are 'transmuted' to Prajna in the Buddha stage; while the klista-mano-vijnana (soiled-mind consciousness or self-consciousness) and the mano-vijnana (thinking consciousness), are transmuted in the Bodhisattva stage. These so called 'transmutations of vijnana' are only changes of appellations and not a change of substance. When you are able to free yourself entirely from attachment to sense-objects at the time these so-called 'transmutations' take place, you will forever abide in the repeatedly-arising Naga (dragon) Samadhi. (Upon hearing this), Chih Tung realized suddenly the Prajna of his Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) and submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:
Intrinsically, the three Bodies are within our Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness).
When our mind is enlightened the four Prajnas will appear therein.
When Bodies and Prajnas absolutely identify with each other
We shall be able to respond (in accordance with their temperaments and dispositions) to the appeals of all beings, no matter what forms they may assume.
To start by seeking for Trikaya and the four Prajnas is to take an entirely wrong course (for being inherent in us they are to be realized and not to be sought).
To try to 'grasp' or 'confine' them is to go against their intrinsic nature.
Through you, Sir, I am now able to grasp the profundity of their meaning,
And henceforth I may discard forever their false and arbitrary names.
(Note: Having grasped the spirit of a doctrine, one may dispense with the names used therein, since all names are makeshifts only).
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Chih Ch'ang Section
The "Chih Ch'ang Section" in Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) of the Platform Sutra describes the encounter between Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) and Bhikkhu Chih Ch'ang, a native of Kuei Ch'i in Hsin Chou. Chih Ch'ang, zealous in seeking the Essence of Mind, approaches Huineng with a question about Buddhist vehicles (yana) drawn from the Lotus Sutra (Saddharma Pundarika). Huineng uses this to clarify non-dual realization, adapting his teaching to Chih Ch'ang's intellectual temperament. The dialogue resolves Chih Ch'ang's confusion, leading to his gratitude and role as Huineng's attendant until the Patriarch's death. This section exemplifies how Huineng tailors instructions to dispel doctrinal attachments, emphasizing direct introspection over conceptual distinctions.
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A. Key Events in the Section
Chih Ch'ang's Inquiry: He asks: "Buddha preached the doctrine of 'Three Vehicles' and also that of a 'Supreme Vehicle'. As I do not understand this, will you please explain?"
Huineng's Response: Huineng urges introspection: "(In trying to understand these), you should introspect your own mind and act independently of things and phenomena." He explains the vehicles as mental differentiations, not inherent in the Dharma.
Explanation of Vehicles:
Small Vehicle: Seeing, hearing, reciting the sutra (Sravakas' level).
Middle Vehicle: Knowing and understanding its meaning (Pratyeka Buddhas' level).
Great Vehicle: Putting the Dharma into practice (Bodhisattvas' level).
Supreme Vehicle: Thorough understanding, absorption without attachments, above phenomena, possessing nothing.
Resolution: Chih Ch'ang thanks Huineng, noting: "At all times the Essence of Mind is in a state of 'Thusness'." He becomes Huineng's attendant.
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B. Essential Teachings
This section uses the vehicles metaphor to convey Chan principles, adapted to Chih Ch'ang's confusion:
Distinctions Arise in the Mind, Not the Dharma:
The "Three Vehicles" (small, middle, great) and "Supreme Vehicle" are not absolute but reflect varying mental capacities: "The distinction of these four vehicles does not exist in the Dharma itself but in the differentiation of people's minds." Realize the Essence independently of externals.
Progressive Yet Non-Dual Vehicles:
Vehicles represent levels: recitation (small), understanding (middle), practice (great), complete freedom (supreme). Yet, "there is only the Buddha Vehicle, and... no other vehicles" — others are provisional (makeshifts for the past), while the Buddha Vehicle is ultimate (for the present).
Dispense with Provisionals for the Ultimate:
Resort to the ultimate (Buddha Vehicle) and let even its name disappear: "Having resorted to the ultimate, you will find that even the name 'ultimate' disappears." Attachments to concepts (e.g., second/third vehicles) hinder; true practice transcends them.
Essence of Mind as Thusness (Tathata):
At all times, the Essence is in "Thusness" — unchanging reality. Enlightenment dispenses with makeshifts, revealing innate Buddhahood without seeking externals.
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C. Subtle Points
The narrative embeds nuances through dialogue and adaptation:
Tailored to Temperament:
Huineng probes Chih Ch'ang's understanding subtly, using his question to redirect focus inward ("introspect your own mind"), exemplifying the chapter's theme — teachings fit circumstances without altering essence.
Critique of Conceptual Clinging:
Vehicles as "makeshifts" subtly critiques literalism or gradualism; clinging to them (even supreme) creates duality. The ultimate's "name disappears" warns against reifying enlightenment.
Non-Dual Resolution:
Subtly integrates vehicles into one (Buddha Vehicle), echoing non-duality: no hierarchy in Dharma, only mental views. This avoids tetralemma traps — neither affirming/denying vehicles absolutely.
Role of Gratitude and Service:
Chih Ch'ang's thanks and attendance subtly model post-insight humility; service deepens realization, balancing sudden insight with practice.
Lineage Hint:
As Huineng's attendant until death, Chih Ch'ang's role subtly ensures transmission, linking to the chapter's anecdotes of future lineage holders.
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D. This section subtly demystifies doctrinal complexities, pointing to direct, non-conceptual realization of Thusness as the true path.)
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TEXT:
Bhikkhu Chih Ch'ang, a native of Kuei Ch'i of Hsin Chou, joined the Sangha in his childhood, and was very zealous in his efforts to realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness). One day, he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, and was asked by the latter whence and why he came.
"I have recently been to the White Cliff Mountain in Hung Chou," replied he, "to interview the Master Ta T'ung, who was good enough to teach me how to realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) and thereby attain Buddhahood. But as I still have some doubts, I have travelled far to pay you respect. Will you kindly clear them up for me, Sir."
"What instruction did he give you?" asked the Patriarch.
"After staying there for three months without being given any instruction, and being zealous for the Dharma, I went alone to his chamber one night and asked him what was my Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness). 'Do you see the illimitable emptiness?' he asked. 'Yes, I do,' I replied. Then he asked me whether emptiness had any particular form, and when I said that emptiness is formless and therefore cannot have any particular form, he said, 'Your Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is like emptiness. To realize that nothing can be seen is right seeing.
To realize that nothing is knowable is true knowledge. To realize that it is neither green nor yellow, neither long nor short, that it is pure by nature, that its quintessence is perfect and clear, is to realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) and thereby attain Buddhahood, which is also called the Buddha-knowledge.'
As I do not quite understand his teaching, will you please enlighten me, Sir."
"His teaching indicates," said the Patriarch, "that he still retains the arbitrary concepts of views and knowledge, and this explains why he fails to make it clear to you.
Listen to my stanza:
To realize that nothing can be seen but to retain the concept of 'invisibility'
Is like the surface of the sun obscured by passing clouds.
To realize that nothing is knowable but to retain the concept of 'unknowability'
May be likened to a clear sky disfigured by a lightning flash.
To let these arbitrary concepts rise spontaneously in your mind
Indicates that you have misidentified the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness),
and that you have not yet found the skilful means to realize it.
If you realize for one moment that these arbitrary concepts are wrong,
Your own spiritual light will shine forth permanently.
Having heard this Chih Ch'ang at once felt that his mind was enlightened.
Thereupon, he submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:
To allow the concepts of invisibility and unknowability to rise in the mind
Is to seek Bodhi without freeing oneself from the concepts of phenomena.
He who is puffed up by the slightest impression, 'I am now enlightened,'
Is no better than he was when under delusion.
Had I not put myself at the feet of the Patriarch
I should have been bewildered without knowing the right way to go.
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One day, Chih Ch'ang asked the Patriarch,
"Buddha preached the doctrine of 'Three Vehicles' and also that of a 'Supreme Vehicle'. As I do not understand this, will you please explain?"
The Patriarch replied, "(In trying to understand these), you should introspect your own mind and act independently of things and phenomena.
The distinction of these four vehicles
does not exist in the Dharma itself
but in the differentiation of people's minds.
To see, to hear, and to recite the sutra is the small vehicle.
To know the Dharma and to understand its meaning is the middle vehicle.
To put the Dharma into actual practice is the great vehicle.
To understand thoroughly all Dharmas, to have absorbed them completely, to be free from all attachments, to be above phenomena, and to be in possession of nothing, is the Supreme Vehicle.
"Since the word 'yana' (vehicle) implies 'motion' (i.e., putting into practice), argument on this point is quite unnecessary. All depends on self-practice, so you need not ask me any more.
(But I may remind you that) at all times the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is in a state of 'Thusness'."
Chih Ch'ang made obeisance and thanked the Patriarch.
Henceforth, he acted as his attendant until the death of the Master.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Chih Tao Section
The "Chih Tao Section" in Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) of the Platform Sutra details the interaction between Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) and Bhikkhu Chih Tao, a native of Nan Hai in Kwang Tung. Chih Tao, having studied the Maha Parinirvana Sutra for over ten years without grasping its essence, seeks clarification on a passage about impermanence, becoming, cessation, and Nirvana's bliss. Huineng critiques Chih Tao's dualistic interpretations (eternalism and annihilationism), explaining Nirvana as non-dual "perfect rest" beyond extremes. This leads to Chih Tao's enlightenment, affirmed through a stanza. The section illustrates adapting teachings to intellectual doubts, emphasizing non-dual insight over literal analysis.
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A. Key Events in the Section
Chih Tao's Background and Question: Chih Tao, having recited the Parinirvana Sutra extensively, admits confusion: "All things are impermanent... When both becoming and cessation cease to operate, the bliss of perfect rest and cessation of changes (i.e., Nirvana) arises." He questions which body (physical or Dharmakaya) experiences cessation and bliss, and how the "quintessence of becoming and cessation" (manifesting as five skandhas) relates to Nirvana.
Huineng's Critique: Huineng identifies Chih Tao's views as heretical (Eternalism: assuming a permanent enjoyer; Annihilationism: reducing Nirvana to lifelessness). He explains these stem from craving and ignorance, misinterpreting the Sutra.
Explanation of Nirvana: Huineng describes Nirvana as "perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating," beyond becoming/cessation or enjoyer/non-enjoyer. He utters a stanza rejecting fallacious views (e.g., death/annihilation) and affirming super-eminent understanding: free from discrimination, above affirmation/negation, using senses without attachment.
Outcome: Chih Tao achieves sudden enlightenment, moved to tears, and submits a stanza praising the resolution of his doubts.
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B. Essential Teachings
Adapted to Chih Tao's scholarly temperament, the teachings resolve doctrinal puzzles through non-duality:
Non-Dual Nature of Nirvana:
Nirvana transcends all extremes: neither annihilation (heretics' view) nor eternal enjoyment (implying a separate self). It's "everlasting joy" without an enjoyer, manifesting "perfect rest" where becoming/cessation cease without a "ceasing" concept.
Rejection of Eternalism and Annihilationism:
Views like separate physical/Dharmakaya or "one quintessence with five functions" slander the Dharma, binding to samsara. Ignorance creates such dualities; enlightenment sees skandhas/ego as illusory.
Insight Beyond Speculation:
Sravakas/Bodhisattvas fail to comprehend Buddha-knowledge through speculation; it's for ordinary people via direct realization. Victims of craving mistake Nirvana for suffering, seeking pleasure externally — Buddha preaches to liberate them.
Everyday Non-Duality:
Enlightened ones see all as unreal (dream-like), make no sage/ordinary distinctions, remain unattached even in cataclysms — Nirvana's bliss "changes not."
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C. Subtle Points
The narrative embeds nuances through critique and poetry, highlighting the Sudden path:
Tailored to Doubt:
Huineng probes Chih Tao's confusion subtly, using his words to expose fallacies, exemplifying adaptation: intellectual speculation (e.g., "who enjoys?") is the barrier; direct insight resolves it.
Critique of Dualistic Misreading:
Subtly warns against literalism: assuming an "enjoyer" reifies self; "one quintessence and five functions" limits Nirvana. This echoes tetralemma transcendence — Nirvana beyond becoming/cessation or existence/non-existence.
Poetic Affirmation:
Huineng's stanza subtly integrates opposites (e.g., using senses without "using" arising), modeling non-attachment; Chih Tao's response shows humility, acknowledging prior bewilderment.
Compassionate Purpose:
Buddha's rising from Samadhi subtly highlights teaching as upaya for deluded beings, not for himself — emphasizing Dharma's relational, non-absolute nature.
Sudden Shift:
Chih Tao's tearful enlightenment subtly demonstrates the Sudden path: years of study yield to instant clarity, without gradual steps.
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D. This section subtly demystifies Nirvana as non-dual bliss, urging transcendence of intellectual traps through Essence realization.)
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TEXT:
Bhikkhu Chih Tao, a native of Nan Hai of Kwang Tung, came to the Patriarch for instruction, saying,
"Since I joined the Sangha I have read the Maha Parinirvana Sutra for more than ten years, but I have not yet grasped its main idea. Will you please teach me?"
"Which part of it do you not understand?" asked the Patriarch.
"It is about this part, Sir, that I am doubtful:
'All things are impermanent,
and so they belong to the Dharma
of becoming and cessation (i.e., Samskrita Dharma).
When both becoming and cessation cease to operate,
the bliss of perfect rest and cessation of changes
(i.e., Nirvana) arises.'"
"What makes you doubt?" asked the Patriarch.
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"All beings have two bodies - the physical body and the Dharmakaya," replied Chih Tao. "The former is impermanent; it exists and dies. The latter is permanent; it knows not and feels not. Now the Sutra says,
'When both becoming and cessation cease to operate,
the bliss of perfect rest and cessation of changes arises.'
I do not know which body ceases to exist and which body enjoys the bliss.
It cannot be the physical body that enjoys, because when it dies the four material elements (i.e., earth, water, fire and air) will disintegrate, and disintegration is pure suffering, the very opposite of bliss. If it is the Dharmakaya that ceases to exist, it would be in the same state as 'inanimate' objects, such as grass, trees, stones etc.; who will then be the enjoyer?
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"Moreover, Dharma-nature is the quintessence of 'becoming and cessation', which manifests as the five skandhas (rupa, vedana, samjna, samskara and vijnana). That is to say, with one quintessence there are five functions. The process of 'becoming and cessation' is everlasting. When function or operation arises from the quintessence, it becomes; when the operation or function is absorbed back into the quintessence, it ceases to exist. If reincarnation is admitted, there would be no 'cessation of changes', as in the case of sentient beings. If reincarnation is out of the question, then things will remain forever in a state of lifeless quintessence, like inanimate objects. If this is so, then under the limitations and restrictions of Nirvana even existence will be impossible to all beings; what enjoyment could there be?"
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"You are a son of Buddha, (a bhikkhu)," said the Patriarch, "so why do you adopt the fallacious views of Eternalism and Annihilationism held by the heretics, and criticize the teaching of the Supreme Vehicle?
"Your argument implies that apart from the physical body there is a Dharma body (Dharmakaya); and that 'perfect rest' and 'cessation of changes' may be sought apart from 'becoming and cessation'.
Further, from the statement, 'Nirvana is everlasting joy,' you infer that there must be somebody to play the part of the enjoyer. "Now it is exactly these fallacious views that make people crave for sensate existence and indulge in worldly pleasure. It is for these people, the victims of ignorance, who identify the Union of five skandhas as the 'self', and regard all other things as 'not-self' (literally, outer sense objects); who crave for individual existence and have an aversion to death; who drift about in the whirlpool of life and death without realizing the hollowness of mundane existence, which is only a dream or an illusion; who commit themselves to unnecessary suffering by binding themselves to the wheel of re-birth; who mistake the state of everlasting joy of Nirvana for a mode of suffering, and who are always after sensual pleasure; it is for these people that the compassionate Buddha preached the real bliss of Nirvana. "At any one moment, Nirvana has neither the phenomenon of becoming, nor that of cessation, nor even the ceasing of operation of becoming and cessation. It is the manifestation of 'perfect rest and cessation of changes', but at the time of manifestation there is not even a concept of manifestation; so it is called the 'everlasting joy' which has neither enjoyer nor non-enjoyer.
"There is no such thing as 'one quintessence and five functions' (as you allege), and you are slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Dharma when you state that under such limitation and restriction of Nirvana existence is impossible to all beings.
Listen to my stanza:
The Supreme Maha Parinirvana
Is perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating.
Ignorant people miscall it death,
While heretics hold that it is annihilation.
Those who belong to the Sravaka Vehicle
or the Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle
Regard it as 'Non-action'.
All these are mere intellectual speculations,
And form the basis of the sixty-two fallacious views.
Since they are mere fictitious names invented for the occasion
They have nothing to do with the Absolute Truth.
Only those of super-eminent mind
Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is,
and take up the attitude of neither attachment nor indifference towards it.
They know that five skandhas
And the so-called 'ego' arising from the Union of these skandhas,
Together with all external objects and forms
And the various phenomena of sound and voice
Are equally unreal, like a dream or an illusion.
They make no discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man.
Nor do they have any arbitrary concept on Nirvana.
They are above 'affirmation' and 'negation'
and they break the barrier of the past, the present, and the future.
They use their sense organs, when occasion requires,
But the concept of 'using' does not arise.
Even during the cataclysmic fire at the end of a kalpa,
when ocean-beds are burnt dry,
Or during the blowing of the catastrophic wind when one mountain topples on another,
The real and everlasting bliss of 'perfect rest' and 'cessation of changes'
Of Nirvana remains in the same state and changes not.
Here I am trying to describe to you something which is ineffable
So that you may get rid of your fallacious views.
But if you do not interpret my words literally
You may perhaps learn a wee bit of the meaning of Nirvana!
Having heard this stanza, Chih Tao was highly enlightened. In a rapturous mood, he made obeisance and departed.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Chih Tao Section
Bhikkhu Hsing Ssu, a Dhyana Master from An Cheng in Chi Chou, visits Huineng seeking guidance on directing the mind for attainment beyond usual stages of progress. When asked about his practice, Hsing Ssu replies that he doesn't engage with even the Noble Truths taught by Buddhas. Huineng probes his stage, and Hsing Ssu cleverly retorts that without dealing with the Noble Truths, there can be no stages. Impressed by his insight, Huineng appoints him as leader of the assembly. Later, Huineng instructs him to propagate the Dharma in his native district to ensure its continuity. Hsing Ssu returns to Ch'ing Yuan Mountain, spreads the teachings widely, and upon his death receives the posthumous title 'Dhyana Master Hung Chi'.
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Q/A: What is the message of this Section.
The message of the Hsing Ssu Section in Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra emphasizes the transcendence of conventional stages and practices in spiritual progress, highlighting that true realization of the Essence of Mind lies beyond even foundational Buddhist teachings like the Noble Truths. Hsing Ssu's response — that he engages with nothing, not even the Noble Truths — demonstrates a profound, non-attached understanding, which Huineng recognizes as enlightened insight, appointing him as assembly leader. It underscores the Sudden School's core principle: awakening is not measured by hierarchical stages or doctrinal adherence but through direct, intuitive freedom from all conceptual frameworks, encouraging self-reliant propagation of the Dharma adapted to one's circumstances.
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Q/A: Could it be 'practice/progress conventionally without practicing/progressing in absolute terms. It cannot be about rejecting the Four Noble Truths or any progression.
Yes, your interpretation aligns closely with the non-dual essence of the Hsing Ssu section in Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra, where "practice/progress" is enacted conventionally (as skillful means or upaya, adapting to circumstances and temperaments) without reifying it in absolute terms — avoiding attachment, conceptualization, or viewing it as an inherent, linear attainment. Hsing Ssu's statement that he doesn't engage with even the Noble Truths isn't a literal rejection or negation of them (which would fall into nihilism or one of the tetralemma extremes), nor a denial of progression; instead, it points to transcending conceptual frameworks altogether, as true realization of the Essence of Mind lies beyond dualities like practice/non-practice or stages/no-stages. Huineng's approval and appointment of Hsing Ssu as assembly leader affirm this: the Noble Truths are provisional tools (conventional truth [T1]) for guiding the deluded, but in ultimate reality (tathātā or suchness [T2]), they dissolve into non-abiding awareness [U2T], where "what stage of progress can there be?" This encourages effortless vigilance — practicing without "practicing" as a fixed entity — harmonizing apparent progression with the ground's innate purity, free from opposites.)
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TEXT:
Bhikkhu Hsing Ssu, a Dhyana Master, was born at An Cheng of Chi Chou of a Liu family. Upon hearing that the preaching of the Patriarch had enlightened a great number of people, he at once came to Ts'ao Ch'i to tender him homage, and ask him this question:
"What should a learner direct his mind to, so that his attainment cannot be rated by the (usual) 'stages of progress'?"
"What work have you been doing?" asked the Patriarch.
"Even the Noble Truths taught by various Buddhas I have not anything to do with," replied Hsing Ssu.
"What stage of progress are you in?" asked the Patriarch.
"What stage of progress can there be, when I refuse to have anything to do with even the Noble Truths?" he retorted.
His repartee commanded the great respect of the Patriarch who made him leader of the assembly. One day the Patriarch told him that he should propagate the Dharma in his own district, so that the teaching might not come to an end. Thereupon he returned to Ch'ing Yuan Mountain in his native district. The Dharma having been transmitted to him, he spread it widely and thus perpetuated the teaching of his Master.
Upon his death, the posthumous title 'Dhyana Master Hung Chi' was conferred on him.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Huai Jang Section
The "Huai Jang Section" in Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) of the Platform Sutra recounts the encounter between Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) and Bhikkhu Huai Jang, a Dhyana (meditation) master from Chin Chou. This brief anecdote highlights Huai Jang's innate insight, his recognition by Huineng, and his future role in perpetuating the Chan lineage. It exemplifies the Sudden School's emphasis on direct, intuitive realization of the Essence of Mind (self-nature) through dialogue, rather than formal instruction or gradual cultivation. Huai Jang, initially directed to Huineng by the "National Teacher" Hui An (Whai An) of Sung-Shan Mountain, demonstrates profound understanding in a short exchange, leading to his enlightenment and long-term discipleship.
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Key Events in the Section
Background and Arrival: Huai Jang, already a Dhyana master, visits Hui An but is sent to Huineng at Tsoe-Kai (Cao Xi). Upon arriving, he offers a standard salutation.
The Dialogue: Huineng probes Huai Jang's understanding with koan-like questions:
Huineng: "From whence he came?" (Testing origin and essence.)
Huai Jang: "From Sung Shan."
Huineng: "What thing is it (that comes)? How did it come?" (Pointing to the true nature beyond forms.)
Huai Jang: "To say that it is similar to a certain thing is wrong." (Rejecting comparisons, affirming ineffability.)
Huineng: "Is it attainable by training?"
Huai Jang: "It is not impossible to attain it by training; but it is quite impossible to pollute it." (Acknowledging practice while emphasizing the unpolluted, innate purity of the Essence.)
Huineng's Recognition: Huineng affirms: "It is exactly this unpolluted thing that all Buddhas take good care of. It is so for you, and it is so for me as well." He references a prophecy from Patriarch Prajnatara (Bodhidharma's teacher) about a "colt" (symbolizing Huai Jang) rushing forth to "trample on the people of the whole world" (spreading the Dharma widely), but leaves interpretation to Huai Jang's mind.
Outcome: Enlightened by the exchange, Huai Jang serves Huineng for 15 years, deepening his knowledge. He later teaches at Nan Yueh, perpetuating the lineage, and receives the posthumous title "Dhyana Master Ta Hui (Great Wisdom)" by imperial edict.
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Essential Teachings
This section distills Chan principles through the dialogue, tailored to Huai Jang's temperament (a seasoned meditator seeking confirmation):
The Unpolluted Essence of Mind:
The true nature (Essence of Mind) is inherently pure and cannot be tainted or "polluted" by delusions, training, or external factors. It is the "unpolluted thing" safeguarded by all Buddhas, emphasizing innate Buddhahood over acquired states.
Beyond Comparisons and Attainability:
Reality (suchness or tathata) defies description or similarity: "To say that it is similar to a certain thing is wrong." Training may reveal it, but it isn't "attained" as something new — it's always present, transcending effort or pollution.
Intuitive, Heart-to-Heart Transmission:
Enlightenment arises from direct pointing and intuitive grasp, not lengthy study. Huai Jang's quick retorts show readiness; Huineng's affirmation confirms without elaboration, embodying mind-to-mind transmission.
Prophecy and Lineage Continuity:
The oracle subtly affirms Huai Jang's destined role in spreading Chan (the "colt" trampling the world symbolizes dynamic teaching). Interpretation is internal ("found within your mind"), highlighting self-reliance.
Practice Amid Service:
Huai Jang's 15-year attendance deepens knowledge gradually post-insight, balancing sudden realization with ongoing (gradual) cultivation.
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Subtle Points
The section embeds nuances through its narrative and dialogue, reflecting the chapter's theme of adaptation:
Koan-Like Exchange:
Huineng's questions subtly probe beyond intellectual answers, evoking non-dual insight. Huai Jang's responses avoid traps (e.g., affirming/denying attainability), showing maturity without arrogance.
Critique of External Seeking:
Huai Jang's redirection from Hui An to Huineng subtly critiques incomplete teachings; true confirmation comes from the lineage holder, yet insight is self-verified.
Symbolism of the Prophecy:
The "colt" (young, energetic) implies rapid, widespread Dharma propagation; "trampling" subtly suggests overturning delusions, not harm — left uninterpreted to encourage introspection.
Transition from Seeker to Transmitter:
Huai Jang's service subtly models humility post-enlightenment; his later title "Great Wisdom" affirms the fruit of integrated practice.
Non-Verbal Enlightenment:
No explicit "enlightenment moment" — Huineng's exclamation and Huai Jang's intuitive realization subtly embody sudden awakening through resonance, without fanfare.
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This section exemplifies how Chan adapts to "temperament and circumstances," using dialogue to point directly to the unpolluted Essence, fostering self-realization over doctrinal debate.)
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TEXT:
Bhikkhu Huai Jang, a Dhyana Master, was born of a Tu family in Chin Chou. Upon his first visit to 'National Teacher' Hui An of Sung-Shan Mountain, he was directed by the latter to go to Ts'ao Ch'i to interview the Patriarch. Upon his arrival, and after the usual salutation,
he was asked by the Patriarch whence he came.
"From Sung Shan," replied he.
"What thing is it (that comes)? How did it come?" asked the Patriarch.
"To say that it is similar to a certain thing is wrong," he retorted.
"Is it attainable by training?" asked the Patriarch.
"It is not impossible to attain it by training;
but it is quite impossible to pollute it," he replied.
Thereupon, the Patriarch exclaimed,
"It is exactly this unpolluted thing that all Buddhas take good care of.
It is so for you, and it is so for me as well.
Patriarch Prajnatara of India foretold that under your feet a colt would rush forth and trample on the people of the whole world.
I need not interpret this oracle too soon, as the answer should be found within your mind."
Being thereby enlightened, Huai Jang realized intuitively what the Patriarch had said.
Henceforth, he became his attendant for a period of fifteen years;
and day by day his knowledge of Buddhism got deeper and deeper.
Afterwards, he made his home in Nan Yueh where he spread widely the teaching of the Patriarch. Upon his death, the posthumous title, "Dhyana Master Ta Hui (Great Wisdom) was conferred on him by imperial edict.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Hsuan Chiao Section
The "Hsuan Chiao Section" in Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) of the Platform Sutra narrates the encounter between Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) and Dhyana Master Hsuan Chiao (also known as Yung Chia Hsuan Chiao or Xuanjue), a learned monk from Wenchow versed in T'ien T'ai teachings. Introduced by Huineng's disciple Hsuan Ts'e, Hsuan Chiao arrives with partial insight from the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra but seeks confirmation. Through a spirited, koan-like dialogue testing his understanding of non-duality and birthlessness, Hsuan Chiao demonstrates profound grasp, earning Huineng's praise. He spends one night with the Patriarch, achieving full enlightenment, and later authors "A Song on Spiritual Attainment." Posthumously titled "Grand Master Wu Hsiang" (He who is above form), he is nicknamed the "enlightened one who had spent a night with the Patriarch," highlighting the Sudden School's emphasis on instantaneous/spontaneous, direct transmission beyond formalities.
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A. Key Events in the Section
Background and Arrival: As a youth, Hsuan Chiao studies T'ien T'ai samatha (quietude) and vipasyana (discernment), realizing his mind's mystery via the Vimalakirti Sutra. Meeting Hsuan Ts'e, whose words align with Patriarchal teachings, Hsuan Chiao questions his lack of a confirming teacher. Hsuan Ts'e notes pre-Bhisma Garjitasvara Raja Buddha self-enlightenment was possible, but now requires verification to avoid heresy, and accompanies him to Huineng.
Initial Interaction: Hsuan Chiao circumambulates Huineng thrice but stands without bowing, holding his staff—prompting Huineng's rebuke on embodying precepts. Hsuan Chiao retorts on rebirth's urgency, prioritizing essence over ceremony.
Koan-Like Dialogue: Huineng questions non-grasping of birthlessness; Hsuan Chiao affirms realization frees from rebirth and transiency. Further exchanges on quickness/motion reveal non-duality: "How can there be 'quickness' when motion intrinsically exists not?" Huineng commends his insight into birthlessness.
Overnight Stay and Outcome: Huineng invites him to stay overnight, solidifying his enlightenment. Hsuan Chiao departs, later writing his famous song, spreading teachings, and receiving titles like "Dhyana Master Chen Chiao" (Truly Enlightened).
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B. Essential Teachings
Adapted to Hsuan Chiao's scholarly, confident temperament, the teachings stress non-dual direct pointing:
Non-Dual Nature and Birthlessness:
True insight transcends forms and concepts: "To realize the Essence of Mind is to be free from rebirths; and once this problem is solved, the question of transiency no longer exists." Birthlessness defies description — no "notion" in it.
Beyond Particularization and Discrimination:
Avoid conceptual traps: "Is there a 'notion' in 'birthlessness'?" Particularizing (e.g., consciousness / unconsciousness) misses essence; "that which particularizes is not a notion."
Direct Transmission and Confirmation:
Self-realization needs lineage verification to avoid heresy, but insight is intuitive: Hsuan Chiao's Vimalakirti reading sparks it, Huineng confirms without elaboration.
Effortless Non-Abiding:
Motion/non-motion, movement/stillness, quickness/slowness are illusions; true nature is unattached, responding freely without arising concepts.
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C. Subtle Points
The narrative embeds Chan wit and non-duality through playful dialogue:
Challenging Arrogance with Humor:
Hsuan Chiao's initial non-bowing subtly tests authority; Huineng's rebuke on precepts humbles him, modeling egoless exchange — ceremony curbs arrogance, but urgency trumps form.
Koan Dynamics:
Questions like "Who knows that motion exists not?" subtly probe beyond intellect, turning retorts into pointers: non-duality dissolves "particularizing," affirming ineffability.
Sudden Yet Verified:
Hsuan Chiao's partial insight (from sutra) needs confirmation — subtly critiques unverified self-enlightenment; overnight stay symbolizes brief, profound transmission.
Irony of Departure:
Huineng's "You are going away too quickly" ironically echoes non-motion; Hsuan Chiao's responses affirm timelessness, subtly embodying teaching.
Legacy and Nickname:
The "one-night" epithet subtly highlights Sudden enlightenment's brevity, contrasting lengthy study; his song perpetuates non-dual insight.
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D. This section subtly celebrates intuitive dialogue as the vehicle for sudden awakening, adapted to temperament without rigid structure.)
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TEXT:
Dhyana Master Hsuan Chiao of Yung Chia was born of a Tai family in Wenchow. As a youth, he studied sutras and shastras and was well-versed in the teaching of samatha (inhibition or quietude) and vipasyana (contemplation or discernment) of the T'ien T'ai School. Through the reading of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra he realized intuitively the mystery of his own mind. A disciple of the Patriarch by the name of Hsuan Ts'e happened to pay him a visit. During the course of a long discussion, Hsuan Ts'e noticed that the utterance of his friend agreed virtually with the sayings of the various Patriarchs.
Thereupon he asked, "May I know the name of your teacher who transmitted the Dharma to you?"
"I had teachers to instruct me," replied Hsuan Chiao, "when I studied the sutras and the shastras of the vaipulya section. But afterwards it was through the reading of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra that I realized the significance of the Buddhacitta (the Buddha Mind); and I have not yet had any teacher to verify and confirm my knowledge."
"Before the time of Bhisma Garjitasvara Raja Buddha," Hsuan Ts'e remarked, "it was possible (to dispense with the service of a teacher); but since that time, he who attains enlightenment without the aid and the confirmation of a teacher is a natural heretic."
"Will you, Sir, kindly act as my testifier," asked Hsuan Chiao.
"My words carry no weight," replied his friend, "but in Ts'ao Ch'i there is the Sixth Patriarch, to whom visitors in great numbers come from all directions with the common object of having the Dharma transmitted to them. Should you wish to go there, I shall be pleased to accompany you."
In due course they arrived at Ts'ao Ch'i and interviewed the Patriarch. Having circumambulated the Patriarch thrice, Hsuan Chiao stood still (i.e., without making obeisance to the Master) with the Buddhist staff in his hand.
The Patriarch remarked: "As a Buddhist monk is the embodiment of three thousand moral precepts and eighty thousand minor disciplinary rules, I wonder where you come from and what makes you so conceited."
"The question of incessant rebirths is a momentous one," replied he, "and as death may come at any moment (I have no time to waste on ceremony)."
"Why do you not realize the principle of 'birthlessness', and thus solve the problem of transiency in life?" the Patriarch retorted.
Thereupon Hsuan Chiao remarked, "To realize the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) is to be free from rebirths; and once this problem is solved, the question of transiency no longer exists."
"That is so, that is so," the Patriarch agreed.
At this stage, Hsuan Chiao gave in and made obeisance in full ceremony. After a short while he bid the Patriarch adieu.
"You are going away too quickly, aren't you?" asked the Patriarch.
"How can there be 'quickness' when motion intrinsically exists not?" he retorted.
"Who knows that motion exists not?" asked the Patriarch.
"I hope you, Sir, will not particularize," he observed.
The Patriarch commended him for his thorough grasp of the notion of 'birthlessness';
but Hsuan Chiao remarked, "Is there a 'notion' in 'birthlessness'?"
"Without a notion, who can particularize?" asked the Patriarch in turn.
"That which particularizes is not a notion," replied Hsuan Chiao.
"Well said!" exclaimed the Patriarch. He then asked Hsuan Chiao to delay his departure and spend a night there.
Henceforth Hsuan Chiao was known to his contemporaries as the 'enlightened one who had spent a night with the Patriarch'. Afterwards, he wrote the famous work, 'A Song on Spiritual Attainment', which circulates widely. His posthumous title is 'Grand Master Wu Hsiang' (He who is above form or phenomena), and he was also called by his contemporaries 'Dhyana Master Chen Chiao' (He who is really enlightened).
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: Summary of the Chih Huang Section
The "Chih Huang Section" in Chapter 7 (Temperament and Circumstances) of the Platform Sutra describes the encounter between Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) and Bhikkhu Chih Huang, a Dhyana practitioner from the northern bank of the Huang Ho (Yellow River). Chih Huang, after consulting the Fifth Patriarch, believes he has attained samadhi through 20 years of isolated, continuous sitting meditation. Huineng's disciple Hsuan Ts'e challenges this during a visit, leading Chih Huang to seek Huineng for clarification. Through dialogue, Huineng critiques rigid, abiding samadhi as limited, teaching true meditation as non-abiding, free-functioning awareness in Thusness (tathata). Chih Huang achieves sudden enlightenment, marked by a celestial voice, and later teaches widely in Ho Pei, spreading the Dharma to monks and laity.
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Key Events in the Section
Chih Huang's Background: After advice from the Fifth Patriarch, Chih Huang isolates in a temple for 20 years, maintaining a sitting posture he considers samadhi.
Hsuan Ts'e's Visit and Challenge: Hsuan Ts'e questions Chih Huang's practice, asking if it's conscious or unconscious — arguing unconscious samadhi equates to inanimate objects, conscious to all beings, and his "perpetual" state allows abiding/leaving, not "great Samadhi."
Journey to Huineng: Dumbfounded, Chih Huang asks Hsuan Ts'e's teacher and travels to Ts'ao Ch'i (Cao Xi), recounting the conversation.
Huineng's Teaching: Affirming Hsuan Ts'e, Huineng describes true dhyana/samadhi as perfect Dharmakaya serenity in Thusness — empty skandhas, non-existent sense-objects, no abiding/leaving, quietude/perturbation, or creation — likening mind to infinite space without limitations.
Outcome: Chih Huang enlightens fully, his prior "attainment" vanishing; a voice announces it. He bids farewell, returns to Ho Pei, and teaches extensively.
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Essential Teachings
Adapted to Chih Huang's rigid, isolationist temperament, the teachings critique stagnant practice for dynamic non-duality:
True Samadhi/Dhyana as Non-Abiding:
Samadhi isn't perpetual stillness or abiding/leaving states; it's unperturbed freedom: "There is neither abiding nor leaving in samadhi." Dhyana's nature is non-abiding and uncreative — transcend "abiding in calmness" or "creating a state."
Dharmakaya and Thusness as Foundation:
The Dharmakaya is perfect/serene, with quintessence/function in Thusness (tathata). Skandhas are empty, sense-objects non-existent — mind like illimitable emptiness without vacuity attachment.
Beyond Discrimination and Dualities:
Forget sage/ordinary, subject/object distinctions; let Essence and phenomena be in Thusness: "Let the Essence of Mind and all phenomenal objects be in a state of Thusness. Then you will be in samadhi all the time."
Critique of Isolated, Contrived Practice:
Continuous sitting without insight is limited, like space with "limitations" — true practice functions freely in activity/rest, abiding nowhere.
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Subtle Points
The narrative embeds Chan subtlety through challenge and resolution, tying to non-dual themes like "meditating without meditating":
Koan-Like Probing:
Hsuan Ts'e's questions subtly expose dualism (conscious/unconscious, abiding/leaving); Chih Huang's dumbfounded state primes realization, showing intellectual limits.
Non-Dual Meditation:
True practice is "meditating without meditating" — without apprehending absolutes (e.g., three spheres: meditator/subject, meditating/action, meditation-object as inherent). Spheres are empty, co-arisen illusions; no accepting/rejecting — mind functions without creation or abiding.
Sudden Vanishing of Attainment:
Chih Huang's 20-year "attainment" vanishes instantly — subtly affirms Sudden path: prior effort was contrived; true insight transcends it without rejection.
Cosmic Enlightenment:
The voice announcing enlightenment subtly validates collective affinity, showing realization's ripple beyond individual.
From Isolation to Propagation:
Chih Huang's return to teaching subtly models integration: enlightenment engages the world, not isolates, teaching laity/monks alike.
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This section subtly critiques attachment to "attainment," pointing to effortless, non-abiding awareness as true samadhi — meditating without dualistic grasping.)
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TEXT:
Bhikkhu Chih Huang, a follower of the Dhyana School, after his consultation with the Fifth Patriarch (as to the progress of his work) considered himself as having attained samadhi. For twenty years he confined himself in a small temple and kept up the position all the time. Hsuan Ts'e, a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch on a meditation journey to the northern bank of Huang Ho, heard about him and called at his temple.
"What are you doing here?" asked Hsuan Ts'e.
"I am abiding in samadhi," replied his friend, Chih Huang.
"Abiding in samadhi, did you say?" observed Hsuan Ts'e. "I wish to know whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously. For if you are doing it unconsciously, it would mean that it is possible for all inanimate objects such as earthenware, stones, trees, and weeds, to attain samadhi. On the other hand, if you are doing it consciously, than all animate objects or sentient beings would be in samadhi also."
"When I am in samadhi," observed Chih Huang, "I know neither consciousness nor unconsciousness."
"If that is the case," said Hsuan Ts'e, "it is perpetual samadhi; in which state there is neither abiding nor leaving. That state which you can abide in or leave off is not the great Samadhi."
Chih Huang was dumbfounded. After a long while, he asked, "May I know who is your teacher?"
"My teacher is the Sixth Patriarch of Ts'ao Ch'i," replied Hsuan Ts'e.
"How does he define dhyana and samadhi?" Chih Huang asked.
"According to his teaching," replied Hsuan Ts'e, "the Dharmakaya is perfect and serene; its quintessence and its function are in a state of Thusness. The five skandhas are intrinsically empty and the six sense-objects are non-existent (not existent, not non-existent, no tboth, not neither). There is neither abiding nor leaving in samadhi. There is neither quietude nor perturbation. The nature of dhyana is non-abiding, so we should get above the state of 'abiding in the calmness of dhyana'. The nature of dhyana is uncreative, so we should get above the notion of 'creating a state of dhyana'. The state of the mind may be likened unto space, but (it is infinite) and so it is without the limitations of the latter." Having heard this, Chih Huang went immediately to Ts'ao Ch'i to interview the Patriarch. Upon being asked whence he came, he told the Patriarch in detail the conversation he had had with Hsuan Ts'e. "What Hsuan Ts'e said is quite right," said the Patriarch.
Let your mind be in a state such as that of the illimitable emptiness, but do not attach it to the idea of 'vacuity'. Let it function freely. Whether you are in activity or at rest, let your mind abide nowhere. Forget the discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man. Ignore the distinction of subject and object. Let the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness) and all phenomenal objects be in a state of Thusness. Then you will be in samadhi all the time."
Chih Huang was thereby fully enlightened. What he had considered for the past twenty years as an attainment now vanished. On that night inhabitants of Ho Pei (the northern bank of the Yellow River) heard a voice in the air to the effect that Dhyana Master Chih Huang had on that day gained enlightenment. Some time after Chih Huang bid the Patriarch adieu and returned to Ho Pei, where he taught a great number of men and women, monks as well as the laity.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: The message of the "A Bhikkhu" Section in Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra illustrates the non-dual, paradoxical nature of true realization in the Sudden School: obtaining the "keynote" of the Dharma (the essence of Huang Mei's teaching) transcends intellectual understanding or possession, as it is innate and beyond grasping. Huineng's reply — that one who "understands the Buddha Dharma" can get it, yet he himself does "not understand" it — embodies "acting without acting" (wu-wei-like effortless non-contrivance), where enlightenment arises not through deliberate effort, attachment to knowledge, or dualistic affirmation/negation, but through humble, unattached embodiment of the Essence of Mind, free from reifying "understanding" as an absolute attainment or egoic claim. This humility dissolves the questioner's conceptual trap, pointing to direct insight where the Dharma is lived spontaneously, without "getting" or "not getting" as separate states.
Q/A: So it is obtaining without obtaining, understanding without understanding, without apprehending anything in absolute terms -- like knower, cognition, known, or acquirer, acquiring, acquired.
Yes, exactly — this captures the profound non-dual paradox at the heart of Huineng's teachings in the Platform Sutra, where "obtaining" (realization or enlightenment) is enacted without "obtaining" in an absolute, reified sense, free from grasping at inherent entities like knower (subject), cognition (action), or known (object), or similarly acquirer, acquiring, and acquired (the three spheres of activity). In Chapter 4, Huineng describes true practice as "idea-lessness" (not carried away by ideas), "non-objectivity" (not absorbed by objects), and "non-attachment" (fundamental principle), where the mind engages phenomena without apprehending them as solid or separate — transcending dualities while functioning effortlessly in the conventional world. This "understanding without understanding" avoids the tetralemma traps: not affirming acquisition as real (eternalism), not denying it outright (nihilism), not both in opposition (dualism), nor neither as a transcendent escape. Instead, it's direct insight into tathātā (suchness), where the Essence of Mind is already complete, unpolluted, and self-manifesting, as seen in dialogues like Huineng's humble "I do not understand the Buddha Dharma" (Chapter 7), which embodies realization beyond conceptual possession. By not apprehending absolutes, one "obtains" liberation spontaneously, like the Bodhi tree "growing" amid circumstances without contrived insulation (Wo Lun section).)
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TEXT:
A Bhikkhu once asked the Patriarch what sort of man could obtain the keynote of the teaching of Huang Mei.
"He who understands the Buddha Dharma can get it," replied the Patriarch.
"Have you, Sir, got it then?" asked the Bhikkhu.
"I do not understand the Buddha Dharma," was his reply.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: The message of the Fang Pien Section in Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra highlights the distinction between external skillful means and true realization of Buddha-nature, emphasizing that worldly talents, like Fang Pien's sculptural expertise in creating a lifelike statue of Huineng, are valuable but insufficient without understanding the inner "nature of Buddha" — the non-dual Essence of Mind beyond forms and appearances. Huineng's blessing and robe reward affirm Fang Pien's merit as a "field of merit" for beings, while Fang Pien's division of the robe (for the statue, himself, and future burial with a vow of reincarnation as abbot) symbolizes devotion to preserving the Dharma lineage, yet subtly underscores that ultimate enlightenment transcends physical relics, rituals, or rebirth vows, pointing instead to direct insight amid auspicious circumstances like the miraculous spring.
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Q/A: So the test was to see if Fang Pien understood that there is no inherent subject/sculptor, action/sculpting and object/sculpture. The three spheres of the activity are empty of inherent existence, because dependently co-arisen, interdependent, co-defined, co-evolving, co-imputed by the mind, mere designations/names. Fang Pien should have answered something like that to a Chan Master.
Yes, your interpretation insightfully captures the underlying Zen (Chan) test in the Fang Pien section of Chapter 7, where Huineng's challenge — "Let me see some of your work then" — is not merely a request for literal craftsmanship but a koan-like probe to reveal whether Fang Pien grasps the non-dual, empty nature of all phenomena, including the three spheres of activity (subject/sculptor, action/sculpting, object/sculpture). In Mahayana terms, particularly influenced by Madhyamaka philosophy echoed in the Sutra, these spheres lack inherent existence [T2] because they are dependently co-arisen (pratityasamutpada), interdependent, co-defined, co-evolving, and co-imputed by the mind — mere designations or names without independent reality [T1], illusory like reflections or dreams [U2T]. Fang Pien's initial confusion and response — producing a masterful but form-bound statue — demonstrates proficiency in conventional reality (sculptural "nature") but misses the ultimate insight into Buddha-nature (Essence of Mind), which transcends such reified divisions: no inherent creator (self), creation (process), or created (form), as all arise empty and non-dual. Had Fang Pien answered along those lines — perhaps retorting that "sculpture arises without sculptor, sculpting, or sculpted, empty yet apparent" — he might have shown deeper realization, aligning with Huineng's teachings on non-attachment to dharmalaksana (phenomena/forms) and the formless Essence (e.g., "the nature of Buddha" as unpolluted, beyond grasping). Huineng's laughter and blessing subtly affirm Fang Pien's merit while redirecting him, using the episode to teach that true "work" is effortless realization of suchness (tathātā), not contrived production.
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Q/A: In other words: Instead of simply sculpting, he should have been sculpting without sculpting, without apprehending anything in absolute terms.
Yes, that's a sharp and fitting rephrasing of the deeper lesson in the Fang Pien section — sculpting (or any action) should be performed conventionally as a skillful means, without "sculpting" in an absolute sense, meaning without reifying or grasping at inherent entities like sculptor (subject), sculpting (action), or sculpture (object) as independently real. In Huineng's Chan framework, this embodies non-duality and non-attachment: engage in the activity freely and effortlessly, recognizing the three spheres as empty of inherent existence — dependently co-arisen, illusory manifestations of the Essence of Mind — while transcending the tetralemma (not affirming them as real, not denying their function, not both, not neither). Fang Pien's literal response (producing a form-bound statue) shows mastery of conventional artistry but misses this ultimate insight, hence Huineng's gentle redirection toward realizing the "nature of Buddha" as formless suchness (tathātā), where creation arises without contrivance or pollution. This aligns with the Sutra's broader message: true "work" is ungraspable presence amid phenomena, not bound by absolutes.)
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TEXT:
One day the Patriarch wanted to wash the robe which he had inherited, but could find no good stream for the purpose. Thereupon he walked to a place about five miles from the rear of the monastery, where he noticed that plants and trees grew profusely and the environment gave an air of good omen. He shook his staff (which makes a tinkling noise, as rings are attached to the top of it) and stuck it in the ground. Immediately water spurted out and before long a pool was formed. While he was kneeling down on a rock to wash the robe, a bhikkhu suddenly appeared before him and tendered him homage.
"My name is Fang Pien," said he, "and I am a native of Szechuan.
When I was in South India I met Patriarch Bodhidharma, who instructed me to return to China.
'The Womb of the Orthodox Dharma,' said he, 'together with the robe which I inherited from Mahakasyapa have now been transmitted to the Sixth Patriarch, who is now in Ts'ao Ch'i of Shao Chou.
Go there to have a look at them and to pay your respect to the Patriarch.'
After a long voyage, I have arrived.
May I see the robe and begging bowl you inherited?"
Having shown him the two relics, the Patriarch asked him what line of work he was taking up.
"I am pretty good at sculptural work," replied he.
"Let me see some of your work then," demanded the Patriarch.
Fang Pien was confounded at the time, but after a few days he was able to complete a life-like statue of the Patriarch, about seven inches high, a masterpiece of sculpture.
(Upon seeing the statue), the Patriarch laughed and said to Fang Pien, "You know something about the nature of sculptural work, but you do not seem to know the nature of Buddha."
He then put his hand on Fang Pien's head (the Buddhist way of blessing) and declared, "You shall forever be a 'field of merit' for human and celestial beings." In addition, the Patriarch rewarded his service with a robe, which Fang Pien divided into three parts, one for dressing the statue, one for himself, and one for burying in the ground after covering it up with palm leaves. (When the burial took place) he took a vow to the effect that by the time the robe was exhumed he would be reincarnated as the abbot of the monastery, and also that he would undertake to renovate the shrine and the building.
ANALYSIS:
(Analysis: The message of the Wo Lun Section in Chapter 7 of the Platform Sutra critiques the notion of using contrived methods to isolate or insulate the mind from thoughts and external circumstances, as this approach stems from incomplete realization and leads to greater bondage rather than liberation. Wo Lun's stanza advocates techniques to prevent reactions, implying a controlled, gradual growth of Bodhi (enlightenment), but Huineng counters that true insight in the Sudden School involves no such artificial barriers — circumstances naturally interact with the mind, and questioning how Bodhi can "grow" in contrived isolation highlights the non-dual reality where the Essence of Mind engages freely without attachment or suppression, allowing authentic awakening to arise spontaneously amid life's flux. This underscores the futility of dualistic efforts to "protect" the mind, favoring direct, unattached awareness over manipulative practices.
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Q/A: In short enlightenment is not gained by accepting this or rejecting that, but by realising the true nature of whatever arises.
Yes, in the context of the Platform Sutra and Chan (Zen) teachings, this succinctly captures the non-dual essence of enlightenment: it arises not through dualistic actions like acceptance (clinging) or rejection (aversion), which perpetuate delusion and attachment to opposites, but through direct, effortless realization of tathātā (suchness) — the true nature of all phenomena as empty, interdependent, and illusory yet apparent. As Huineng emphasizes in Chapter 4, true practice involves "non-attachment" as the fundamental principle, treating all things (good/bad, arising/passing) as void without grasping or particularizing them, allowing the Essence of Mind to manifest freely in the present moment without contrivance or effort. This aligns with the union of Samadhi (tranquil awareness) and Prajna (penetrating insight), where whatever arises is seen "as it is," transcending the tetralemma of affirmation, negation, both, or neither.)
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TEXT:
A bhikkhu quoted the following stanza composed by Dhyana Master Wo Lun:
Wo Lun has ways and means
To insulate the mind from all thoughts.
When circumstances do not react on the mind
The Bodhi tree will grow steadily.
Hearing this, the Patriarch said, "This stanza indicates that the composer of it has not yet fully realized the Essence of Mind (tathātā, suchness). To put its teaching into practice (would gain no liberation), but bind oneself more tightly."
Thereupon, he showed the Bhikkhu the following stanza of his own:
Hui Neng has no ways and means
To insulate the mind from all thoughts.
Circumstances often react on my mind,
And I wonder how can the Bodhi tree grow?