The Sixth Patriarch

The following are excerpts taken from the commentary of The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom translated by Red Pine ~

... The Sixth Patriarch Sutra says, "Once, when the Fifth Patriarch was reading the Diamond Sutra, when he got to 'They should give birth to a mind that isn't attached to anything,' the Sixth Patriarch (Hui-neng) was suddenly enlightened and said, "How could I have known my own nature was already pure? How could I have known my own nature was neither created nor destroyed? How could I have known my own nature was already perfect? How could I have known my own nature does not change?' The Fifth Patriarch said, 'Not to recognize your own mind is to study the Dharma to no avail. If, as I was speaking, you recognized your own mind and saw your own nature, you are a leader of men and gods.'"

Hui-neng says, "People who dwell on the sights they see and give birth to thoughts about sights are deluded. People who remain detached from the sights they see and do not give birth to thoughts about sights are awake. People who give birth to thoughts about sights are like a cloud-covered sky. People who do not give birth to thoughts about sights are like a cloudless sky where the sun and moon shine."

Hui-neng says, "Shravakas have long been attached to the perception of dharmas and cling to explanations about what is created. They don't understand that all dharmas are basically empty and that all words are temporary expedients. Suddenly, they hear this profound sutra that all forms do not exist and that buddhahood is instantaneous. Naturally, they are alarmed and frightened. Only those bodhisattvas with deep roots can hear this truth and gladly accept it without becoming distressed. Such people are remarkable indeed."

Submitted August 28, 2020 at 10:50AM by InstantEuphoria https://ift.tt/3lqqaeh