Speaker: Venerable Zhi Tong
FGS Institute of Humanistic Buddhism
I. Introduction
Auspicious greetings and welcome to another new episode of English Dharma Service. My name is Zhi Tong. Previously, I shared about the life of Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan School. Last week, I shared one of Master Huineng’s Dharma teachings from the Platform Sutra. Today, I would like to continue with the topic.
The section I’m sharing is from Chapter 3, Resolving the Unresolved. I am also referencing Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s commentary of the Platform Sutra, which is published as The Rabbit’s Horn. A little recap from last episode. Master Huineng was asked about the pure land practice, and he explained that chanting the Buddha’s name is not enough. A practitioner would also need to practice the Ten Wholesome Deeds and the Noble Eightfold Path to purify their body, speech, and mind. If one practices diligently in this way, then the pure land can be realized right here in this present moment.
Let’s continue with the final part of the teaching.
II. How to Practice At Home
Prefect Wei asked, “How can we practice these teachings at home? Please teach us.”
The patriarch said,”I will now speak to you a formless gatha. If you practice it, you will have me present with you always. If you do not practice it, even if you shave your head and become a monastic, of what use is the Dharma to you?”
The gatha says:
With an even mind, why bother upholding precepts? With an upright practice, why meditate? To have gratitude, be filial towards your parents. To be just, have sympathy for others, whether high or low. To yield to others, whether you are honorable or lowly, live in harmony. To be tolerant, do not speak of the wrongdoing of others. If fire can be produced by drilling wood, Certainly the red lotus will emerge from the mud. What tastes bitter is an effective cure. What is grating to the ear is honest advice. Amend your errors and give rise to wisdom, Defend your shortcomings and you lack a sage's mind Daily, constantly practicing to benefit others, Attaining Buddhahood does not come from giving money. Bodhi is found within the mind Why bother looking for the extraordinary outside? Listen to what I have just said and apply it- The West is before your eyes.
Let’s take a deeper look at this formless gatha.
III. Understanding the Formless Gatha
With an even mind, why bother upholding precepts? With an upright practice, why meditate?
The first two sentences are groundbreaking explanations about cultivation. When we commit ourselves to Buddhist practice, we are taught to uphold the Five Precepts and practice meditation. Master Huineng shows us the actual reason we need to uphold precepts and practice meditation.
The essence of upholding precepts is to not violate other people and to respect them. No matter what people we meet in life, we treat them equally. If we maintain a mind of equality at all times, then aren’t the state of our mind even and without discrimination?
So how can we have an even mind? First, we need to realize that both sentient beings and buddhas are principally the same. Everyone possesses buddha nature; hence, everyone has the potential to become buddha. As the saying goes, “Buddhas are awakened sentient beings, and sentient beings are unawakened buddhas.” If we could realize this, then we would not carry any discrimination against anyone and will treat them with respect and care. If we could achieve this, then aren’t we naturally upholding the precepts already?
Furthermore, when we have an even mind, we will not be disturbed by our afflictions . Our mind is naturally in a calm and peaceful state. Then isn’t our mind as tranquil as when we are meditating?
The purpose of upholding precepts is to keep our actions in check, and the reason we practice meditation is to calm our monkey mind and gain deeper insight and wisdom. However, if our mind is naturally even, and our action upright, is there still a need to uphold precepts or practice meditation?
To have gratitude, be filial towards your parents. To be just, have sympathy for others, whether high or low.
This second verse is talking about the virtues of gratitude and fairness. If our heart is filled with gratitude, then naturally, we will take good care of our parents.
If we are fair, naturally we will treat everyone equally and show sympathy and care for their wellbeing.
Buddhist practice can also involve treating each member of the family properly and with respect. Love and affection are part of living the home life, but this affection need not only be between married couples. We can expand our love and affection by being filial towards our parents, maintaining harmony with our brothers and sisters, and being helpful to our friends and relatives.
To yield to others, whether you are honorable or lowly, live in harmony. To be tolerant, do not speak of the wrongdoing of others.
By being humble, we will enjoy a harmonious relationship with everyone.
By practicing tolerance, we learn to hold our tongue and observe before we speak. In this way, we are showing respect to others and maintaining a peaceful and harmonious environment, be it family, workplace, or society.
If fire can be produced by drilling wood, Certainly the red lotus will emerge from the mud.
If we hold a piece of wood or stone in our hands, we don’t see or feel there’s fire within, but when sticks are rubbed together, or when pieces of stones are struck against each other, the action can kindle a fire. This is analogous to our buddha nature. Though we may not perceive that we have buddha nature, it is there intrinsically. Therefore, if we practice diligently, we can still build a pure land in this human world, just as lotus flowers bloom from the mud.
What tastes bitter is an effective cure. What is grating to the ear is honest advice.
This is a common Chinese saying. Most of us prefer sweet food to bitter food. We also like to be praised rather than be criticized. But just as too much sweets will give us cavities, too much praise or sweet words will prevent us from improving. Hence, it is better to take criticism as motivation for change, just as we take bitter medicine to be healthy again.
Amend your errors and give rise to wisdom, Defend your shortcomings and you lack a sage's mind
To err is human. It is normal to make mistakes. But if we take our mistakes as opportunities to better ourselves, then we will give rise to wisdom.
However, if we were to defend our shortcomings and refuse to listen to advice, or make excuses for our mistakes, then we are impeding our personal growth.
Daily, constantly practicing to benefit others, Attaining Buddhahood does not come from giving money.
We can do many good deeds with money, such as donate to disaster relief, educational funds, or other worthy causes. But this is not the only way to practice generosity. Our society needs loving hearts. There are many people who are suffering and in need of help. Kindness and compassion are also wonderful and generous gifts.
As the Sixth Patriarch says, cultivation can be done everywhere and anytime. Benefiting others is our daily practice. As Venerable Master Hsing Yun always says, a smile, a nod, a simple praise are all acts that bring others happiness. Doing good deeds is not limited to making donations in temples. Whenever we give, whether we give our money, knowledge, words, or service, it is practice.
Bodhi is found within the mind Why bother looking for the extraordinary outside? Listen to what I have just said and apply it- The West is before your eyes.
If we could practice according to this formless gatha, then the western pure land of ultimate bliss is right here before our eyes. We do not need to seek it elsewhere. Everyone is our Dharma friends, every situation is our cultivation. We do not need to wait for miracles or look for a sign from the buddhas and bodhisattvas. As long as we have the buddha in our mind, the present moment is the best moment.
IV. Conclusion
Master Huineng spoke again, “Good Dharma friends, practice according to this gatha and see your intrinsic nature until you attain Buddhahood. Time does not wait! You may leave now, I will return to Caoxi. If you still have questions, come and ask me.”
At this time, Prefect Wei, various officials, together with virtuous men and women in the assembly all awakened to the teachings. They accepted the teachings and decided to practice accordingly.
Why do we cultivate? It is because we wish to be a better person. We wish to fulfill our maximum potential. We see there are practitioners who choose to go on a retreat in a secluded place, but Master Huineng tells us that this isn’t necessary. Every moment is the best time to practice. In the morning when you first wake up, don’t rush out of bed, but sit and meditate for five minutes. If you aren’t sure how to meditate, you can sit quietly, practice contemplation, or recite the Buddha’s name. If the morning isn’t convenient for you, then you can meditate for five minutes before you go to bed at night. Just by folding your legs, closing your eyes, and concentrating you can feel peaceful, comfortable, and happy, and the body and mind will become pure. If five minutes isn’t enough, you can try ten minutes, thirty minutes, or even an hour.
Buddhist practice is good for your health, increases confidence and power, and has many other benefits. Never think, “I don’t have the time to practice.” As busy as life is, there’s always time to rest, and you can use that time to practice Chan and even attain awakening. Even being busy can be a form of practice. Chan Masters often says, chopping wood and carrying water are Chan practice. Instead of being worried that you don’t have enough time to practice, worry that you might lack the intention to practice. As long as we have the intention to practice, we are in control of time, instead of time having control over us.
Some people claim that, without someone to guide them, they do not know how to practice. Practice does not have to be difficult. In the Pure Land School, reciting “Namo Amituofo” or Namo Amitabha Buddha or “Namo Guanshiyin Pusa” or Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is a form of practice. Practicing this kind of recitation wholeheartedly and without distraction is also Chan. Bowing before a Buddha statue is also a form of practice, and if you set up a shrine in your home you can even practice there. Reading Buddhist sutras or simply doing good deeds can be practice as well. As long as we are intent on not doing what is unwholesome, and doing what is wholesome, that is practice.
Through practice we can become better people. Master Huineng breaks our preconception that Buddhist cultivation must be done in a certain form or method. Instead, he tells us that every moment in life is an opportunity to cultivate. As the great Buddhist reformer of the twentieth century, Venerable Master Taixu, said, “The Buddha we look up to and take refuge in has perfected his character. By perfecting our own character, we attain Buddhahood.”
Thank you for tuning in to this episode. May you find joy and inspiration in your everyday cultivation! Omitofo.