Hui-neng's Commentary on the DIAMOND SUTRA #7 No Attainment and No Preaching

Hui-neng was opened on hearing the Diamond Sutra being recited and gained realization after having the prior patriarch expound its meaning for him.

Hui-neng's teaching of Zen extolled the practice of the Diamond Sutra and he called it the Diamond Prajnaparamita.

The following is from Cleary's The Sutra of Hui-neng and is part of Hui-neng's commentary on the Diamond Sutra.

Realization without attainment is called true realization; teaching without preaching is called true teaching. Therefore the sutra follows up with a section on no attainment and no preaching,

"Subhuti, what do you think-has the Realized One attained unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment?

Has the Realized One any doctrine to preach?"

Subhuti said, "As I understand the principles expounded by the Realized One, there is no fixed state called unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment, and there is no fixed doctrine for the Realized One to preach."

The "unexcelled" is not attained from outside as long as there are no subject and object in the mind, this is it. Medicine is prescribed according to the illness, teaching is given according to situational applicability-how could there be any fixed doctrine?

In the unexcelled true teaching of the Realized One, the mind fundamentally has no attainment, and yet it is not said not to attain.

It is just because people's perceptions are not the same that the Realized One adapts to their faculties with various expedient methods to induce them to detach from their obsessions. He points out that the wandering minds of all ordinary beings fluctuate unceasingly, acting in pursuit of objects. Of the momentary arising of the preceding thought, the succeeding thought should be aware: since the awareness does not abide, the view does not remain either. That being so, how could there be a fixed doctrine for the Realized One to expound?

In the term unexcelled, the prefix un- means there are no errant thoughts in the mind, "excelled" means there is no conceit in the mind. Complete" means the mind is always in a state of correct stabilization and accurate insight. "Perfect enlightenment" means the mind is always empty and silent. If the ordinary mentality is set aside even for a moment, you see the buddha-nature.

"Why? The doctrines taught by the Realized One are not to be grasped, and not to be preached they are neither truths nor untruths."

Lest people get fixated on the verbal expressions used by the Realized One, fail to realize the formless truth, and mistakenly create interpretations, Buddha says they are not to be grasped. How could there be any fixity in explanations given by the Realized One according to potential and capacity to edify all sorts of people?

Students who do not understand the Realized One's deep meaning but just recite the teachings expounded by the Realized One without realizing the original mind never attain buddhahood. That is why the sutra says the doctrines are not to be preached.

Verbal repetition without mental application is not truth, verbal repetition with mental application, realizing nothing is obtained, is not untruth.

"What is the reason? All saints and sages exist through uncreated truth, yet they have differences."

The understandings of the mentalities of the three vehicles are not the same; their perceptions have differences in depth. That is why it says they have differences

The uncreated truth expounded by Buddha is non dwelling. Non dwelling is formless, formlessness has no origin: what has no origination has no destruction. Clear, free, empty, and silent, perception and action equally enlightened, mirrorlike awareness unobstructed-this is truly the liberated buddha-nature.

Buddha is awakening, awakening is observant awareness, observervant awareness is insightful wisdom, insightful wisdom is prajnaparamita.

Comment:

Hui-neng realized and received the bowl and robe at 24 and was ordained at 39.

This is insightful when considering the non-ordinal relationship between Zen and Buddhism.

The narrative of separation between Buddhism and Zen found on this subreddit is one that was not shared by the Patriarchs of Zen.

I've bolded some of the key points to take away:

How you get realization.

Why it's important to get realization.

Why speaking to realization is 'not untruth'.

Thoughts?

Submitted July 16, 2020 at 12:33AM by NothingIsForgotten https://ift.tt/3gXHHqY