Caoxi Zen Studies (II)

Author: Shi Mofeng Compiler/Nationality:
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 2003-01-01
Features: This verse embodies the thought that is entirely consistent with the later "Buddhas are ordinary beings, and ordinary beings are Buddhas." The latter highlights the characteristics of the cultivation and enlightenment method (application), representing an advancement of the former. "Buddhas are ordinary beings" (emptiness is form) is an inevitable destiny, a law governing ordinary beings. However, this objective and inevitable destiny only becomes a powerful force over people when they are deluded and unable to understand it. Once delusion turns to enlightenment, then "ordinary beings are Buddhas" (form is emptiness). When ordinary beings understand their true origin, the origin is no longer the origin, and ordinary beings themselves become the origin, becoming completely free beings. That objective and inevitable destiny then becomes the will and choice of ordinary beings, something they can freely control—i.e., their free will. At this point, the causal relationship and the principal-subordinate relationship between Buddha and ordinary beings are dissolved, and thus the distinction between Buddha and ordinary beings disappears. At this moment, ordinary beings become fully enlightened, all-powerful Buddhas. This is similar to "When one is enlightened, the Lotus Sutra turns for one; when one is deluded, the Lotus Sutra turns for one." The early thoughts of the Sixth Patriarch were already extremely profound and beyond human reach, but they were still an understanding of what predecessors had described. The original doctrine of the Sixth Patriarch was born after receiving and being inspired by the transmission from the Fifth Patriarch, which is "self-nature is Buddha." When the Sixth Patriarch heard the Fifth Patriarch teaching the "Diamond Sutra" up to "arising a mind without attachment in nothing," he experienced great enlightenment and realized that "all Dharma is inseparable from self-nature." He also said, "How could I have expected self-nature to be inherently pure; how could I have expected self-nature to be inherently unborn and undying; how could I have expected self-nature to be inherently complete; how could I have expected self-nature to be inherently un; how could I have expected self-nature to be able to give rise to all Dharma." He also stated, "The Dharma I teach does not deviate from self-nature," demonstrating his profound understanding of the meaning of "self-nature is Buddha." Self-nature originally refers to the true suchness of all Dharma's essence, possessing an unchanging, unborn, undying, and transcendent nature beyond time and space, hence it is said that all Dharma is impermanent and without self, and thus has no self-nature. Moreover, since all Dharma is the manifestation of true suchness, self-nature, as a characteristic unique to true suchness, evolves into the characteristics of all Dharma, like the wetness of water or the warmth of fire. The self-nature spoken of by the Sixth Patriarch simultaneously encompasses both meanings while resolving and transcending them, entering an inconceivable realm. At this moment, self-nature is also non-self-nature, the dissolution of self-nature itself, while also being the highest realization of self-nature. Thus, the self-nature of the Sixth Patriarch is a true self-nature that is both empty and substantial, non-self-nature, an all-encompassing and fully enlightened Buddha, the undifferentiated unity of Buddha and ordinary beings, heaven and the world. "Self-nature is Buddha" is the essence of the Sixth Patriarch's teachings and his philosophical doctrine, which is most fully embodied in his teachings at Daxing Temple and is also reflected throughout the entire "Platform Sutra." It can be said that everything the Sixth Patriarch taught was an embodiment of "self-nature is Buddha," and the Chan school that followed him has been a development and manifestation of this meaning. To understand "self-nature is Buddha," one must first "recognize one's own mind and see one's own nature." Without recognizing self-nature, one cannot attain Buddha even after countless kalpas of searching. So, how does one recognize self-nature? Without using the mind, without focusing the attention, without seeking inwardly, without seeking outwardly, just focusing on oneself. At this moment, the mind is free of others, naturally without thoughts of inner and outer. When the mind is free of inner and outer, it naturally transcends space. At this moment, there are no past thoughts, no future thoughts; without past and future, there is no birth and death, naturally transcending time. When focusing on oneself, the mind is not concerned with existence or non-existence, nor with form or emptiness. When focusing on oneself, the mind is free of others, naturally also free of the thought of "oneself." In this way, while completely affirming oneself, one also completely dissolves oneself. Such self-nature that transcends time and space, is beyond existence and non-existence, and is non-self-nature is the true self-nature. Recognizing this self-nature naturally leads to enlightenment. The doctrine of "self-nature is Buddha" revitalizes the previous Buddhist scriptures, giving them new meaning and vitality. For example, when teaching Prajna, the Sixth Patriarch spoke of "self-nature Prajna," believing that "all Prajna wisdom arises from self-nature, not from outsiders." He said, "One's own nature inherently possesses Prajna wisdom." This "self-nature Prajna" is the innate, awakened mind of all people. The transmission of the mind in Chan is precisely this mind. "Using wisdom constantly to observe leads to enlightenment without relying on texts," such wisdom is beyond expression and is the true wisdom of Buddhism, hence it cannot be conveyed through words. "Self-nature Prajna" is the foundation and result of ordinary beings becoming Buddhas, as well as the method and tool for becoming Buddhas. Only by returning to recognize self-nature Prajna can one truly become a Buddha. If one seeks outwardly, one will only attain worldly knowledge and wisdom, which becomes an obstacle to the path. When explaining the Dharma of the Pure Land of Merits, the Sixth Patriarch proposed "the Pure Land within the body." This gave the Pure Land doctrine a completely new meaning. He believed that purity and impurity depend not on east or west but on delusion and enlightenment. When the mind is deluded, all encountered is defiled land; when the mind is enlightened, all is pure land. Deluded people do not recognize the Pure Land within their own bodies, wishing east or west, creating their own distinctions of purity and impurity. Their minds have already become defiled, and their bodies are also in defiled land—how can they attain the Western Pure Land! If one recognizes "self-nature Western," purifying oneself, then one's body is free of defilement, and one can attain the Pure Land within the body. The Western Pure Land is right before one's eyes, present in this very moment—why seek it outwardly? The Sixth Patriarch's "Pure Land within the body" and "self-nature Western" broke the Chinese of the Western world and the external Amitabha, guiding people to have confidence in themselves, love themselves, purify themselves, and attain enlightenment. Theoretically, this deepened and embodied the meaning of "self-nature is Buddha," and practically benefited the liberation and enlightenment of people at the time. When speaking of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, the Sixth Patriarch also connected them to self-nature. He believed that "the mind's non-attachment is self-nature precepts; the mind's non-turbulence is self-nature concentration; the mind's non-delusion is self-nature wisdom." Thus, precepts, concentration, and wisdom became the internal will and state of one's own mind, no longer external constraints or goals. At this moment, precepts, concentration, and wisdom all return to the functioning of the mind, naturally without temporal sequence or meaningful distinction. "Concentration is the body of wisdom, and wisdom is the application of concentration. When wisdom arises, concentration is in wisdom; when concentration arises, wisdom is in concentration." Therefore, concentration and wisdom are one and the same, naturally without distinction of priority. When wisdom arises, the mind is free of movement and stillness, naturally always concentrated; when concentration arises, the mind is free of discrimination and defilement, naturally always wise. He also said, "The essence is non-thought, the form is non-phenomena, and the foundation is non-attachment." "Non-thought" means thought without thought," "non-phenomena" means phenomena without phenomena." In all circumstances, not clinging to any phenomenon is non-attachment. Thus, the non-thought of the Sixth Patriarch is not simply calming the mind, making it motionless, and not thinking of anything. It is not to be free of thought without thought, but to be free of thought within thought, i.e., to realize that thought itself is not thought, hence thought without thought—this is self-nature non-thought. Non-phenomena and non-attachment are the same in meaning. When teaching Chan concentration, the Sixth Patriarch also said, "Separating from phenomena externally is Chan; not being chaotic internally is concentration; external Chan and internal concentration together are Chan and concentration." He believed that "self-nature's stillness is Chan," and "the mind's non-turbulence is self-nature concentration." When self-nature is still, naturally it is always concentrated, without entering or exiting—this is true Chan and concentration, most natural, simple, and effortless, requiring no effort to observe purity or still the mind. At the same time, it is also the most difficult to grasp. At this moment, there is no distinction of purity and defilement, no appearance of movement or stillness, and no effort of the mind—thus not bound by purity, not deluded by the mind, naturally light and at ease, naturally attaining self-nature Prajna true wisdom. But by thinking of self-nature, there is no movement or stillness. When there is no movement or stillness, one attains true concentration—this is self-nature Chan concentration. The Sixth Patriarch also clearly instructed learners in the "transmitting incense and repenting" method to "purify their minds, cultivate their actions, see their own Dharma-body, and see the Buddha within their own minds," directly revealing the essence of "self-nature is Buddha," and urging learners to rely on their self-nature Three Jewels, to save themselves, to discipline themselves, and to become Buddhas on their own. He believed that self-nature contains the Three Bodies of Buddha. One's own nature is inherently pure, which is the pure Dharma-body. One's thoughts and transformations give rise to all phenomena, which is the self-nature embodiment. Self-nature is neither good nor evil, which is the true suchness, also the complete. Self-nature is inherently Buddha, hence becoming a Buddha cannot be sought outwardly, only inwardly sought. The way to become a Buddha can only rely on self-power, self-enlightenment, self-cultivation, and self-realization, not on external Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. "Self-nature saves itself is called true salvation." In this way, the Sixth Patriarch completely entrusted the responsibility and right of becoming a Buddha to all ordinary beings. Destiny became one's own choice. When the mind is upright, one naturally attains the path of people and Buddhas, entering the Pure Land of heaven. When the mind is crooked, one naturally falls into evil paths, entering the defiled land of hell. Chan is renowned for its method of transmitting the mind, but the Sixth Patriarch did not systematically explain the meaning of "the mind." However, he mentioned self-mind many times and said, "self-mind is Buddha." The self-mind is the original mind of self-nature. This is the mind transmitted by the Sixth Patriarch. The mind has purity and defilement, delusion and enlightenment, good and evil—these distinctions are deluded minds. Chan transmits the undifferentiated true mind, vast in capacity, pervading the void, formless and invisible, beyond description by language. All Buddhist schools speak of the true mind, but what is the true mind and how to recognize it are difficult to clarify. The Sixth Patriarch provided a concise and direct explanation: the true mind is the original mind of self-nature, the mind everyone inherently possesses. When one thinks of self-nature, the mind is nature, and nature is the mind—mind and nature are unified and enter the realm of all Buddhas. This mind is the mind of Buddha. When the self-mind is deluded, nature is the mind; when the self-mind is enlightened, the mind is nature. When one constantly thinks of self-nature, self-nature is the self-mind, and thus the self-mind naturally attains self-nature Prajna, naturally awakening—hence, "self-mind is Buddha." The method of transmitting the mind of the Sixth Patriarch is also known as the Southern School's sudden method. This sudden enlightenment method was later vigorously promoted by Shenhui, seemingly becoming the fundamental characteristic of Huineng's transmission. However, the sudden method of teaching originated from the time of the Sixth Patriarch and originally included the "sudden teaching method." But the Sixth Patriarch did not overly emphasize the distinction between sudden and gradual. He believed that "the Dharma has no sudden or gradual, only people who are swift or slow." It is because of the swiftness or slowness of people's roots that there are sudden or gradual methods. Swift-rooted people see nature quickly, hence there is the sudden enlightenment method; slow-rooted people see nature slowly, hence the gradual enlightenment method is established. Thus, sudden and gradual methods have no higher or lower distinction. Those with swift roots should study the sudden method, while those with slow roots should study the gradual method. Sudden and gradual methods are all means of seeing nature, and the Dharma itself has no sudden or gradual.