Similar to the direct introduction in Dzogchen that leads disciples to awakening, there are many such cases in Chan Buddhism. According to the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, after the Fifth Patriarch passed the robe and bowl to the Sixth Patriarch, he secretly sent him away. The other disciples of the Fifth Patriarch then pursued the Sixth Patriarch in an attempt to seize the robe and bowl.
Among them was a man named Huiming, who had once served as a general. He was physically strong and ran very fast, and was about to catch up with the Sixth Patriarch. At that moment, the Sixth Patriarch placed the robe and bowl by the roadside and hid himself. When Huiming saw the robe and bowl, he tried to lift them but found that he could not move them. As a practitioner, he still possessed some spiritual aptitude. Thus he shouted: “Practitioner! Practitioner! I have come for the Dharma, not for the robe!”
After observing him, the Sixth Patriarch realized that this person was worthy of instruction. He then came out and said to Huiming: “Since you have come seeking the Dharma, I will tell you what the Dharma is.” The Sixth Patriarch then asked Huiming to sit down and calm himself, and asked: “Without thinking of good, without thinking of evil—at precisely this moment, what is Venerable Huiming’s original face?” Upon hearing these words, Huiming awakened immediately.
What does “without thinking of good, without thinking of evil” mean? Thoughts of good and evil are all conceptual thoughts. When thoughts come to rest, the mind becomes calm; in fact, this is a return to the ālayavijñāna. Why was merely saying “without thinking of good, without thinking of evil” effective for Huiming? Because Huiming must certainly have been someone who had practiced for a very long time. If someone were to say to us now, “without thinking of good, without thinking of evil,” it would only remain a phrase or a concept. It would not work at all. Not only would it fail to work, it might even produce a counterproductive effect.
“Without thinking of good, without thinking of evil—that is Venerable Huiming’s original face.” This is actually a direct pointing to mind-nature. Not thinking of good or evil means returning to the ālayavijñāna. When you examine what the ālayavijñāna really is, you will discover that it has no substantial essence whatsoever.
What does it mean to have no substantial essence? And what is it that, while lacking substance, nevertheless possesses awareness and luminosity? In fact, this can be explained in great detail. To explain it thoroughly would resemble the way a Dzogchen master gives teachings to a disciple. Of course, I do not truly understand these things myself. If you really wish to understand them, you should seek guidance from authentic great masters. I am merely offering a brief introduction here.
For Huiming at that time, the Sixth Patriarch did not need to provide profound explanations. It was equivalent to simply asking: “When you are not thinking of good or evil, what is the most fundamental thing present? What is it that remains vividly clear? What is this clarity that cannot be found as any substantial entity, yet is able to manifest everything?” Calm yourself and observe carefully—observe your own mind.
To calm oneself and observe your own mind does not mean using conceptual consciousness to think about or feel for some object. The moment you use consciousness or sensation to search for something, that mode of observation inevitably becomes dualistic. You must let conceptual consciousness come to rest and observe through self-luminous awareness. Therefore, when you truly realize your nature, it is necessarily self-knowing and self-illuminating—the mind knowing itself. Otherwise, it becomes dualistic opposition.
Thus Huiming awakened immediately. However, in my view, Huiming’s “great awakening” was not necessarily complete enlightenment. It may have been more of an initial breakthrough. Huiming suddenly realized: “Ah! After searching everywhere—high in the heavens and deep below the earth—it turns out that this has never once been separate from myself!” Because his spiritual faculties were sufficiently mature, he understood at once.
—Excerpted and adapted from The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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