Tantra Yogin

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The Dunhang version of the Platform Sutra (sections 12-19), Philip J. Ivanhoe, tr.

(12) ...Good and learned friends, perfect understanding and insight are inherently within each person.
But because of the delusion of their (conditioned) minds, they are unable to attain self-enlightenment.
They must seek out a great and learned friend who will show them the way and help them see their true nature.
Good and learned friends, enlightenment is the completion of wisdom.

(13) Good and learned friends, this teaching of mine takes stability and insight as its basis.
Never be deluded into saying that insight and stability are separate.
Stability and insight are a single substance—not two.
Stability is the substance of insight;
insight is the function of stability.
Where there is insight, stability is within the insight.
Where there is stability, insight is within the stability.
Good and learned friends, this is the principle of the identity of stability and insight.
Students of the Way take heed!
Do not say that stability precedes and gives rise to insight or that insight
precedes and gives rise to stability.
This is to regard stability and insight as separate.
Those who embrace such a view profess a dualistic teaching.
If what one says is good but one’s mind is not good, there is no identity of insight and stability.
If one’s mind and what one says both are good, then internal and external are one, and there is identity of stability and insight.
The practice of self-enlightenment does not lie in verbal arguments.
If one argues about which comes first (stability or insight) one will never settle the matter.
Instead, one will generate (false notions) of things and the self and will never escape the Four States.

(14) Universal samadhi is to act with straightforward mind at all times:
in motion or at rest, sitting or lying down.
The Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra says,
“Straightforward mind is the field of the Way.
Straightforward mind is the Pure Land.”
Do not falsely flatter the true Way by paying lip service to straightforwardness.
One who talks about universal samadhi but does not practice straightforward mind is not a disciple of the Buddha.
Only the practice of straightforward mind
—not clinging to any attachments—
can be called universal samadhi.
Deluded individuals are attached to phenomena.
They cling to universal Samadhi and to the notion that straightforward mind is sitting motionless, eliminating delusions and not allowing thoughts to arise. They think this is universal samadhi.
But if one follows this kind of practice, one becomes like an insentient thing. In fact, this kind of practice is an impediment to the Way.
The Way must be allowed to flow freely.
Why would one impede it?
As long as the mind does not abide in phenomena, the Way flows freely. If the mind abides, then it is fettered.
If sitting motionless (constitutes right practice) it would have been wrong for Vimalakirti to scold Sariputra for sitting in the forest.
Good and learned friends, I have also seen those who teach people to sit viewing the mind and viewing purity, to remain motionless and to not allow thoughts to arise.
Exerting themselves in this manner, deluded individuals fail to become enlightened and clinging to this (method) can even cause them to go insane. There have been several hundred cases in which this has happened.
Therefore to teach in this way is a grave mistake.

(15) Good and learned friends,
in what way are stability and insight an identity?
(They are an identity) in the same way that a lamp and its light (are an identity.
Where there is a lamp, there is light.
Without the lamp there is no light.
The lamp is the substance of the light;
the light is the function of the lamp.
Though they are two, they are not two in substance.
Stability and insight are like this.

(16) Good and learned friends, in the dharma
there is no sudden or gradual.
(However)among people there are those with heightened spiritual capacity and those with low spiritual capacity. Deluded individuals pursue the gradual (method).
Enlightened individuals cultivate suddenly.
To realize one’s original mind is to see one’s original nature.
Those who are enlightened realize that from the very start there is not the slightest difference.
Those who are unenlightened remain forever in the cycle of transmigration.

(17) Good and learned friends, this teaching of mine, has been handed down from long ago and all (who have taught it) have taken no-thought as its cardinal doctrine, no phenomena as its substance and non-abiding as its basis.
(What do we mean by these?)
No-phenomena is to be among phenomena yet separate from them.
No-thought is to have thoughts yet not think them.
Non-abiding is the fundamental nature of human beings.
Successive thoughts should not abide.
Past, present and future thoughts should succeed one another without being cut off.
If a single thought is cut off, the Dharma Body separates form the physical body. As successive thoughts arise, they should not abide in any dharma.
If a single thought abides, then successive thoughts will abide.
This is called being fettered.
If succeeding thoughts do not abide in any dharma then there will be no fettering.
This is to take non-abiding as the basis.
Good and learned friends, (no-phenomena means) to separate from all phenomena.
Just be able to separate from all phenomena and the substance of your nature (will remain) clean and pure.
This is why we take no-phenomena as the substance.
To remain unstained in every environment is called no-thought.
In one’s thoughts, one should separate from every environment and not give rise to thoughts of any dharma.
If one stops thinking about everything, one will eliminate all thoughts.
(But) if even a single thought is cut off, one will die and be reborn somewhere else.
Followers of the Way take heed!
Do not be obsessed with thoughts of the dharma.
It is bad enough if you yourself go astray.
(But) to lead others into delusion, unaware of one’s own delusion, is to slander the sutras and the dharma.
This is why no thought is the cardinal doctrine (of our teaching).
Deluded individuals have thoughts about their environment and based upon these thoughts, they generate false views.
All passions and erroneous thoughts arise in this way.
This is why no-thought is taught as the cardinal doctrine of this teaching. People of the world!
Separate yourselves from phenomena and do not generate thoughts.
If one is without (such) thoughts then even (the thought of) no-thought will not be established.
What (thoughts) should one be without?
What are (true) thoughts?
To be (without) thoughts is to be separate from all the passions of dualism. Thusness is the substance of thought and thought is the function of Thusness. Ithoughts arise from one’s true nature, then one’s seeing, hearing and sensing will be unstained in every environment and one’s (true) self will always be present.
The Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra says,
“Externally, skillfully distinguishing the phenomena of various dharmas. Internally, remaining unmoved within the first principle.”

(18) Good and learned friends, in this teaching, sitting in meditation has never involved viewing the mind or viewing purity, nor (does this teaching) say one should remain motionless.
Suppose one advocates viewing the mind.
(Such a) mind is, from the very start, a delusion.
And since delusions are illusory there is really nothing to view.
Suppose one advocates viewing purity.
(But) one’s nature, in itself, is pure.
Only because of deluded thoughts is thusness covered over and obscured. Apart from deluded thoughts, the nature is pure.
If one does not see the fundamental purity of one’s own nature and instead stirs up one’s mind to view purity, this will only generate delusions of purity.
This delusion is without a basis (in reality), therefore we know that those who view it are viewing a delusion.
Purity lacks a phenomenal form, yet some establish a phenomenal form of purity and call this (right) practice.
Those who do this obstruct their own fundamental nature and end up being fettered by purity.
If one is motionless, one does not take note of the errors and faults of others.
This is the nature (being) motionless.
Deluded individuals keep their physical bodies motionless, but as soon as they open their mouths, they speak of the right and wrong others have done.
(This is to) stray from and turn one’s back on the Way.
Viewing the mind and viewing purity are in fact great obstructions to the Way.

(19) Now that we know this to be the case, what do we, who follow this teaching, call “sitting meditation?”
In our teaching, (sitting meditation) is to be completely without obstructions.
Externally, not to allow thoughts to go out to any environment is “to sit.”
(Internally), to see one’s original nature and maintain one’s composure is “to meditate.”
What do we call meditative stability?
Eternally, to separate from phenomena is meditation.
Internally, to maintain one’s composure is stability.
If externally there is some phenomenon, internally one’s nature remains composed.
Fundamentally, one is pure and stable.
Only when one is affected by the environment is one’s composure upset.
If one separates from phenomena and maintains one’s composure, then there is stability.
Externally, to separate from phenomena is meditation.
When internally (and externally) one maintains one’s composure, there is stability.
Externally meditating and internally stable---therefore we call it “meditative stability.”
The Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra says,
“Suddenly and completely, one regains one’s original mind.”
The Discipline of the Bodhisattva says,
“Fundamentally, one’s nature is clean and pure.”
Good and learned friends, see your own nature and your own purity.
Cultivate and practice your own nature.
If you yourself put into practice the Dharma Body and you yourself carry out the practice of the Buddha, then you yourself will perfect the Buddhist Way.