The wisdom and practice of "true emptiness". Huineng on MahaPrajnaParamita!

This is a long one, but for those who haven't dug into the Platform Sutra...

Begin!

^{Translation is McRae}

Huineng early on begins to explain the great teaching of "MahaPrajnaParamita"

“What is ‘mahā’? Mahā means ‘great.’ The ratiocination of the mind is vast, like space, which is boundless. [Space] is also without square and round, large and small. It is also neither blue, yellow, red, nor white. It is also without above and below, long and short. It is also without anger and without joy, without affirmation and without negation, without good and without evil, without beginning and end. The fields of the Buddha are all identical to space. The wondrous natures of people of this world are empty, without a single dharma that can be perceived. The emptiness of the self-natures is also like this.

A Warning:

“Good friends, don’t listen to me explain emptiness and then become attached to emptiness. The most important thing is not to become attached to emptiness. If you empty your minds and sit in quietude, this is to become attached to the emptiness of blankness.

“Good friends, the space of this world embraces within itself the myriad things and [all] the images of form. The sun, moon, and stars; and the mountains, rivers, and earth; the springs and streams that enrich the plants and forests; bad people and good people, bad dharmas and good dharmas; the heavens and hells; all the great oceans and the mountains, including Sumeru: all of these exist within space. The emptiness of the natures of the people of this world is also like this. Good friends, that the self-natures can embody the myriad dharmas is ‘great.’ The myriad dharmas are within people’s natures. If one perceives the goodness and badness of people without ever grasping or rejecting [their goodness and badness], one will not become tainted or attached. For the mind to be like space is called ‘great.’ Therefore, it is said [to be] ‘mahā.’

Another:

“Good friends, the deluded speak with their mouths, but the wise practice with their minds. Furthermore, there are deluded people who empty their minds and sit in quietude without thinking of anything whatsoever, claiming that this is great. You can’t even speak to these people, because of their false views!

My favorite line:

“Good friends, the ratiocination of the mind is vast and great, permeating the dharmadhātu (i.e., the cosmos). Functioning, it comprehensively and distinctly responds [to things]. Functioning, it knows everything. Everything is the one [mind], the one [mind] is everything. [With mind and dharmas] going and coming of themselves, the essence of the mind is without stagnation. This is ‘prajñā.’

^{Remember Huangpo on the transmission of mind!}

Okay, we continue...

“Good friends, all prajñā wisdom is generated from the self-natures. It does not enter us from outside. To not err in its functioning is called the spontaneous functioning of the true nature. When the one [mind] is true, all [things] are true. When your minds are considering the great affair, you will not practice the small path. Do not be always speaking of emptiness with your mouth without cultivating the practice in your minds! That would be like an ordinary person claiming to be a king! You will never attain anything [this way. Such persons] are not my disciples.

“Good friends, what is prajñā? In Chinese(English), it is called wisdom. To always practice wisdom in all places, at all times, and in all moments of thought, without stupidity—this is the practice of prajñā. A single moment’s stupidity and prajñā is eradicated, a single moment’s wisdom and prajñā is generated. The people of this world are stupid and deluded and do not see prajñā. They speak of prajñā in their mouths but are always stupid in their minds. They always say to themselves, ‘I am cultivating prajñā.’ In every moment of thought they speak of emptiness, without recognizing true emptiness. Prajñā is without shape or characteristics, it is the mind of wisdom. To have such an understanding is called the wisdom of prajñā

“What is ‘pāramitā’? This is an Indian word; in Chinese it is ‘arriving at the other shore.’ If one understands the meaning [of Buddhism,] one transcends samsara; if one is attached to one’s sensory realms, samsara is activated, just as waves [arise on] water. This is called the ‘other shore,’ therefore it is said to be ‘pāramitā.’

The Kicker!!!

“Good friends, the deluded person recites with his mouth, and he does so with falsity and error. To practice in every moment of thought is called the true nature. To be enlightened to this Dharma is the Dharma of prajñā, to cultivate this practice is the practice of prajñā. To not cultivate this is to be an ordinary [unenlightened] person. To cultivate this in a single moment of thought is to be equivalent to the Buddha in one’s own body.

The summary!

“Good friends, ordinary people are buddhas, and the afflictions are bodhi. With a preceding moment of deluded thought, one was an ordinary person, but with a succeeding moment of enlightened thought, one is a buddha. To be attached to one’s sensory realms in a preceding moment of thought is affliction, but to transcend the realms in a succeeding moment of thought is bodhi.

​

Good friends of r/zen Let this be your succeeding moment!

<3 - R.S.M.

Submitted January 30, 2020 at 07:51AM by royalsaltmerchant https://ift.tt/2U8cd9q