The Sixth Patriarchs Sutra

7:30pm Pacific time, USA

August 9, 2013 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monk
at 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, California 94010, open to public (phone 650-6925912) (Listen live or recorded audio explanations at www.wondrousdharma.org)

Q&A The meaning of Wonderful, and Dharma Flower Chapter 7 Bhiskhu Chih Chang empty space
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Verse for opening a sutra Na Mwo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha (3x) Homage to the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (3x) The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma, In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to encounter, Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my sight and hearing, I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true and actual meaning.
Exhortation to uphold the Dharma: 24

At that time in the country Adorned with All Pure Light, there was a Bodhisattva by the name of Wondrous Sound, who had, for a long time, planted the roots of virtue by making offerings and drawing near to limitless hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of Buddhas and had accomplished profound wisdom. He had obtained the Samadhi of the Wonderful Banner, the Samadhi of the Dharma Flower .(The
Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra) b
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Q&A
Question : There are many kinds of Samadhis; there is for example,

the Samadhi of the Wonderful Banner Appearance, the Samadhi of Dharma Flower, the Samadhi of Sun Revolution and the Samadhi of No Strife. How do the samadhi arise and what can we learn from them?
Answer :

Samadhi is the concentration or the stillness and calming of the mind. The samadhi of the Wonderful Banner describes the samadhi that comes from understanding the real appearance of everything is without appearance, yet there is nothing that is not included. 3

Q&A How could a samadhi arise from the wisdom knowledge of understanding real appearance of everything?

Wonderful existence does not really exist because they are ultimately empty; true emptiness is not totally empty; they dont obstruct each other.

There is no reality in everything; all sense objects are like dust in empty space; the four elements of the dust will ultimately return to emptiness.
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Q&A The Samadhi of the Dharma Flower is to understand the non duality between cause and effect; non duality of provisional and real; the concept of level and equal without high or low. There is ultimate equality from beginning to the end in the Ten Realities: the reality of the appearance, the reality of the nature, the reality of the substance, the reality of the power, the reality of the function, the reality of the causes, the reality of the conditions, the reality of the effects, the reality of the retributions, and the reality of ultimate equality from beginning to the end. Whatever you experience today, is a cause planted in the past; this is the ultimate equality or non duality between true and 5 false, common and sagely.

Q&A When you combine the Samadhis of Wonderful Banner Appearance and the Dharma Flower, it is the knowledge and vision and purity of the Buddha; that is

everything is made by the mind that is empty and unmoving, and yet everything or wonderful existence is not apart from the original empty mind; everything will ultimately return to stillness and emptiness.

Q&A The samadhi of Sun Revolution is the samadhi the mind that does not dwell anywhere, analogous to the sun revolving around the earth.

The samadhi of No Strife is holding to the view of not contending at all times and in all situation because there is absolutely no self, other people, living beings and a life.

Q&A A verse from the Great Master Sixth Patriarch will also show the intertwining of wisdom and samadhi, and that the Dharma Flower Sutra teaches the seeing the nature through understanding the Wonderful Banner (Principle) and the Dharma Flower. With speech and mind both understood, Like the sun whose place is in space, Just spread the seeing-the-nature way Appear in the world to destroy false doctrines.

Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: The Master said, What instruction did he give you? Try

to repeat it to me.
Comments:

Let me know what you understand from the instructions of High Master Ta Tung.

Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Chih Chang said, After arriving there, three months

passed and still I had received no instruction. Being eager for the Dharma, one evening I went alone into the Abbots room and asked him, What is my original mind and original substance?
Comments:

Eager or brash?

He chose eager because of the consciousness of the self. Good question that points to the heart of the teaching of the Buddha.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung then said to me, Do you see empty space?

Yes, I said, I see it. Ta Tung said, Do you know what appearance it has? I replied, Empty space has no form. How could it have an appearance?
Comments:

Eager or brash? Brash because he didnt address Ta Tung as the High Master, but by his name. Nothing is attained. Do you get anything from emptiness?

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung then said to me, Do you see empty space?

Yes, I said, I see it. Ta Tung said, Do you know what appearance it has? I replied, Empty space has no form. How could it have an appearance?
Comments:

The original mind is without appearance. With the Dharma Realm as substance, what could be outside? With empty space as function, what is not included?
Master Hsuan Hua) (Venerable
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung said, Your original mind is just like empty space. To understand that nothing can be seen is called right seeing; to know that nothing can be known is called true knowing. There is nothing blue or yellow, long or short. Simply seeing the clear, pure original source, the perfect, bright enlightened substance, this is what is called seeing ones nature and realizing Buddhahood. It is also called the knowledge and vision of the Tathagata. Comments:

Recognize your original mind and see the nature. What is our original nature like? Like empty space Clear is the oceanic nature of enlightenment; Flawlessly clear it is, and wondrous at its origin.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang It is not the confused empty space that comes from delusion: But from within that fundamental mind that understands, Objects appear and with creation of these objects then The fundamental understanding vanishes.

Then from confusion and delusion, empty space appears;

14 And all the worlds come into being clinging to that space;

Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung said, Your original mind is just like empty

space. To understand that nothing can be seen is called right seeing; to know that nothing can be known is called true knowing. There is nothing blue or yellow, long or short. Simply seeing the clear, pure original source, the perfect, bright enlightened substance, this is what is called seeing ones nature and realizing Buddhahood. It is also called the knowledge and vision of the Tathagata.
Comments:

Recognize the original mind that is wisdom mind unattached and patient mind, see the Buddha nature. How can we arrive this wisdom and patient mind?...

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang In the first stage of freeing a faculty, one understands that the self is empty. Once that emptiness is fully understood, one can become free of attachment to phenomena. Once one is free from attachment to phenomena, then both self and phenomena have been emptied and will no longer arise. This is the patience that the Bodhisattva develops by means of samadhi (stillness of mind) the patient with the state in which no mental objects come into being.
(Shurangama Sutra)
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung said, Your original mind is just like empty

space. To understand that nothing can be seen is called right seeing; to know that nothing can be known is called true knowing. There is nothing blue or yellow, long or short. Simply
seeing the clear, pure original source, the perfect, bright enlightened substance, this is what is called seeing ones nature and realizing Buddhahood. It is also called the knowledge and vision of the Tathagata. Comments:

Seeing is simply seeing; turn around the obstacles of affliction. Let go of your views of seeing is simply seeing; turn around 17 the obstacles of knowing.

Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Ta Tung said, Your original mind is just like empty

space. To understand that nothing can be seen is called right seeing; to know that nothing can be known is called true knowing. There is nothing blue or yellow, long or short. Simply seeing the clear, pure original source, the perfect, bright enlightened substance, this is what is called seeing ones nature and realizing Buddhahood. It is also called the knowledge and vision of the Tathagata.
Comments:

The proper knowledge of a Buddha is that the original empty mind produces everything and everything will return to the original mind.
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How do we apply this principle in our daily life?

Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang Now that we know ultimately everything is empty and still then we would be patient in the midst of everything, let go of attachments to self and dharmas.

What do we mean and how do we see everything as empty and still? Now you see a lightning flash, Now you dont see it anymore.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua says:

This like a great empty space: originally there is nothing there, but then suddenly there is a flash of lightning. Now do you see or not?
Bodhisattva Manjusri says in the Shurangama assembly:

And thus does space arise within the great enlightenment, Appearing like a bubble on the sea,
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang And thus do beings with outflows and the worlds uncountable Arise within that empty space, and when space disappears And when that bubble bursts could the three realms not vanish? In the eyes of the Bodhisattvas, the coming into being and the ceasing of the Solar system is like a blink of an eye.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Although I heard his instruction, I still do not

understand and beg you, O Master to instruct me. The Master said, Your former masters explanation still retains the concepts of knowing and seeing; and that is why you have not understood.
Comments:

Concepts, principles or practices are meant to take you to the other shore; when you arrive at the other shore, you must let go of the concepts, principles or practices.

Now do you understand the wordless dharma?

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra: Now, I will teach you with a verse:

Not to see a single dharma still retains no-seeing, Greatly resembling floating clouds covering the sun.
Comments:

When you still have a knowledge of no seeing, it is like clouds covering the brilliance of the sun.

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra:

Not to know a single dharma holds to empty knowing, Even as a lightning flash comes out of empty space.
Comments:

Now you know Now you empty this knowledge from your mind. Just like a lightning flash; when it is over, it returns to empty space.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra:

This knowing and seeing arise in an instant. When seen wrongly, can expedients be understood?
Comments:

When the mind moves even with a single thought of either knowing nothing or seeing nothing, then you have not understood the principle of no seeing.

Two obstacles common people experience: obstacles of knowing and the obstacles of afflictions.
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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra:

If, in the space of a thought, you can know your own error, Your own spiritual light will always be manifest.
Comments:

But, if you understand that you shouldnt hold to the notion of understanding and practicing emptiness, then you see your original nature.

There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, no way and no understanding, and no attaining.

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva, through reliance on prajna paramita, is unimpeded in his mind.

Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream thinking far behind.

Ultimately nirvana! (Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra)

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Chapter 7 Bhikshu Chih Chang

Sutra:

Hearing the verse, Chih Chang understood it with his heart and mind, and he composed this verse: Without beginning, knowing and seeing arise. When one is attached to marks bodhi is sought out.
Comments:

Since time without beginning, I have remained in confusion because of the obstacles of knowing and the obstacles of afflictions.

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Dedication of merit
May every living beings, Our minds as one and radiant with light Share the fruits of peace, with hearts of goodness luminous and bright. If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in giving unity May their minds awake, to great compassion, wisdom and to joy. May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their grief and pain; May this boundless light break the darkness of their endless night. Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns into paradise; 29 May all become compassionate and wise (2x)

Dedication of merit
I vow that merit made from this deed will become, Adornments for the Pure Land of Bu-ddhas. Repaying the four kinds of kindness above, And aiding those in three paths below. May all who see and hear of this deed Bring forth the resolve to reborn In the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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