Huangbo's quote of Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra: on turning inward to our own mind for realization versus chasing after the words taught by teachers and taught in texts

An excerpt of my translation of Huangbo's <Essential Dharma of Mind Transmission>:

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大抵因聲教而悟者。謂之聲聞。觀因緣而悟者。謂之緣覺。若不向自心中悟。雖至成佛。亦謂之聲聞佛。學道人多於教法上悟。不於心法上悟。雖歷劫修行。終不是本佛。若不於心悟。乃至於教法上悟。即輕心重教。遂成逐塊忘於本心。故但契本心不用求法。心即法也。

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Generally those who realise because of oral teachings, are called sound-hearers (sravakas). Those who realise through contemplation of causes-and-conditions¹ , are called condition-awakeners (pratyekabuddhas). If there is no turning inward to our own mind for realization, even if one succeeds in becoming Buddha, one may only be called a sound-hearer Buddha (sravakabuddha). Students-of-the-way mostly attempt to attain realisation through the teachings-dharma, not through the mind-dharma. Even after experiencing kalpas of practice, in the end they are still not the original Buddha² . When realisation is not made through mind, attempting instead to realise through teachings-dharma, this is belittling the mind and favouring the teachings. This leads one to chase after dirt clods³ , [thus] forgetting about the original mind. However, should one just accord with the original mind, there is no need to seek [externally for] dharma. For mind is actually dharma.

1. Contemplation of causes-and-conditions most likely refers to the meditation on the twelve links of dependent origination.
2. It’s interesting that there are three titles related to Buddha described in this passage – original Buddha, sravakabuddha and pratyekabuddha. The sravakabuddha-vehicle and the pratyekabuddha-vehicle are two of the three vehicles mentioned several times in Huangbo's text.
3. Chase after dirt clods refers to a passage in the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra (scroll no. 569) which compares a lion to a dog. In the sutra, it is said that when someone throws dirt clod at a lion, the lion chases after the person, and so the clod-throwing would cease. But when someone throws dirt clod at a dog, the dog chases after the dirt clod instead, and so the clod-throwing would persist.

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How does one turn inward to his/her own mind for realization? How should one just accord with the original mind?

Here's a short passage from Huangbo on the original mind:

學道人莫疑四大為身。四大無我。我亦無主。故知此身無我亦無主。五陰為心。五陰無我亦無主。故知此心無我亦無主。六根六塵六識和合生滅亦復如是。十八界既空。一切皆空。唯有本心蕩然清淨。

(my translation): Students-of-the-way [should] not doubt that the body is of the four great-elements, that the four great-elements are absent of a self, that the self is also absent of a master. Therefore know that this body is absent of self and also absent of master. [Do not doubt that] the mind is of the five skandhas, that the five skandhas are absent of a self and also absent of a master. Therefore know that this mind is absent of self and also absent of master. The bounded combinations of the six (sense) roots, six (sense) dusts and six vijnanas, in their arising and passing-away, are also as such – [absent of self and absent of master]. With the eighteen realms empty, everything is entirely empty. There is only the original mind, absolutely clear and pure.

Submitted February 25, 2019 at 08:30AM by chintokkong https://ift.tt/2H5lmJH