In Chan Buddhism, stories often serve as powerful examples of spiritual insight. One such story is found in the Sixth Patriarch's Platform Sutra, where followers of Shenxiu try to take back a sacred robe and bowl from the Sixth Patriarch. Among them is a man named Hui Ming, a former general who is fast approaching the Sixth Patriarch. The Sixth Patriarch places the robe and bowl on a rock and then hides in the woods nearby. When Hui Ming sees the robe and bowl, he tries to grab them but finds that they cannot be moved. This realization shocks him and shows his wisdom.
Hui Ming then calls out to the Sixth Patriarch that he is seeking Dharma teachings, not the robe and bowl. Recognizing Hui Ming's potential as a practitioner, the Sixth Patriarch instructs him to stop all discursive thoughts and asks him a profound question: "When you are not mentally differentiating good from bad, at just this moment, what is Superior One Hui Ming's original face?" This single line has a profound impact on Hui Ming because of his years of dedicated practice.
But what does it mean to not mentally differentiate good from bad? It means letting go of all thoughts and judgments. When our mind stops differentiating between thoughts, it becomes calm, and we can connect with the Alayavijnana. At that moment, the pointing-out instruction is to recognize that even the Alayavijnana does not have inherent existence.
While there are detailed explanations for this concept, they are usually given by a guru as a form of transmission. However, this introduction offers a glimpse into the power of Chan Buddhism and how even a single line can have a profound impact on one's spiritual journey.
Let's return to the story. As Hui Ming is an experienced practitioner, the Sixth Patriarch does not need to provide him with lengthy explanations. Instead, he simply advises Hui Ming not to differentiate between good and bad and allows him to discover the true nature of reality for himself. When we cease to differentiate between good and bad, what else becomes so evident? This lucid knowingness does not possess its own inherent nature, but it has the potential to give rise to all the phenomena we encounter. So, what exactly is it?
Take a moment to observe your own mind whenever you are in a state of calmness. The key here is to be aware of your mind without conceptualizing or perceiving it as a tangible object. However, this approach of observation is inherently dualistic and ineffective when attempting to perceive the nature of Luminosity. To truly see the nature of Luminosity, the mental consciousness must cease to function, and we must rely entirely on self-awareness to directly perceive its nature. When the nature of the mind is directly perceived, it becomes self-knowing and self-aware, revealing its own nature without any external influence. Otherwise, we fall into the trap of dualism and are unable to perceive the true nature of the mind.
While Hui Ming's awakening is often portrayed as extraordinary, I would argue that it is not as remarkable as it is often made out to be. Rather than a complete awakening, I would describe it as a state of touching, where he simply touches the edge of something extraordinary. This experience helps him to recognize that the nature of the mind is always with him, after years of searching relentlessly. However, Hui Ming possesses the capacity to suddenly realize the nature of the mind through a slight hint from the Sixth Patriarch.
But what does it mean to have the necessary capacity? It refers to practitioners who have laid a solid foundation by completing preliminary practices or who have practiced diligently in past lives. For instance, the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng was able to suddenly see the nature of the mind by hearing a line from the Diamond Sutra: "The mind should act without any attachments." But what does it mean to act without attachments? Whenever the mind is fixed in one place, it creates an attachment. The store consciousness, Alayavijnana, refers to the mind being fixed in a specific place or clinging to a particular condition or state of mind, indicating that the mind is acting with attachment.
As untrained individuals, our attachments are often more severe than we realize. We can become attached to things such as good food, fancy clothing, our families, and romantic love. Attachments manifest as an internal grasp on something that we desire intensely. For non-practitioners, attachment implies grasping at something, while for practitioners, it means being fixated on a particular meditative state due to ignorance of the truth. They may not even be aware that they are caught in such a trap. Simply put, if the mind is not in its most natural and peaceful state, it will inevitably attach to something.
Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, may have been a practitioner in his previous life or may have engaged in many practices before hearing the line from the Diamond Sutra. He had a deep understanding of his mind, which allowed him to realize the nature of the mind when he heard that the mind should act without any attachments and just let it be. Consequently, when he heard this line, he recognized that when there are no attachments, all phenomena are actually his nature–––his mind.
It is important to note that Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, did not fully comprehend the nature of the mind when he first heard the line from the Diamond Sutra. It was not until he went to Dong Shan Monastery and spent eight months husking rice with a mortar and pestle that he gained a complete understanding. It was during this time that the Fifth Patriarch reiterated the teaching that the mind should act without attachments. It was at this moment that Hui Neng understood both the Emptiness and Luminosity of the mind, which are two inseparable attributes of its nature. These two attributes are like two sides of the same coin.
Once Hui Neng had a complete understanding of the nature of the mind, he famously exclaimed five surprising statements:How unexpected! The nature of the mind is originally pure in itself.
How unexpected! The nature of the mind is originally neither produced nor destroyed.
How unexpected! The nature of the mind is initially complete in itself.
How unexpected! The nature of the mind is without movement originally.
How unexpected! The nature of the mind can produce all phenomena.
Hui Neng's famous five sentences express that the nature of the mind is without inherent self-nature, while simultaneously producing all phenomena without movement. Luminosity, which lacks inherent existence, is also empty, thus demonstrating the Inseparability of Luminosity and Emptiness.
Excerpted from: The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
