Huineng's Platform Sutra When It Essay

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" (Huineng Reader, p.43) in other words, if people freed themselves from the attachments of things, events, and thoughts, then the truth of human purity could flow freely and be recognized.

Finally, the fourth element of Huineng's Platform Sutra was the idea that if people followed the teachings set forth in the Platform Sutra, then enlightenment did not need to take years but could come at any time. Unlike other Buddhists, Huineng taught that it did not take a lifetime of studying and practice to attain enlightenment, in fact, it was people's devotion to the dharma that often became a form of attachment. Instead, it took the recognition of the intrinsic nature of the mind and the liberation from attachments; which could come through the practice of non-thought. If people could accomplished these things, then they could attain sudden, or instant, enlightenment. As Huineng declared to his disciples "those in later generations who obtain my teachings will see and practice this teaching of instantaneous [awakening] just like me." (Huineng Reader, p.44)

Mazu was another Buddhist master who agreed with Huineng that enlightenment could be achieved suddenly and discussed a number of the concepts that Huineng put forth in the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. For instance, Mazu recounted a tale of attempting to attain enlightenment by sitting and polishing a tile. This tale could be considered a parable meant to teach that enlightenment was not achieved by practicing the dharma for years, but instead came from a recognition of the truth. When he stated that "Truth is not something that is in need of cultivation-it's just that you mustn't defile it," Mazu was clarifying Huineng's view that truth was something people already possessed in the form of the intrinsic purity of the mind.

The dharma is an important aspect of Buddhist practice, one that Huineng believed could become an attachment if not properly understood.

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Dharma teachings were described as seeds planted in the earth and rain falling from the sky, but only "once the conditions are in accord, you will see the Way/Truth." (Mazu Reader p.55) Huineng educated people not to become too focused on the dharma and lose sight of the fact that such practices were only there to aid in the realization of the truth. In light of this, Mazu stated that "the mind grasping dharmas drifts into the external that is the world of things…the mind not grasping dharmas, this is [mind in its] true thusness." (Mazu Reader p.57) Like Huineng, Mazu also taught that focusing too much on the dharma could bring people back to the attachments of the world. In other words concentrating too much on the dharma was a form of attachment that could trap people.

And finally, like Huineng, Mazu also seemed to accept the idea that enlightenment could be achieved suddenly. It was the understanding of the truth that brought about enlightenment and that this could happen at any time. If people focused too much on sitting, meditating, and practice of the dharmas, they "will never reach the truth." (Mazu Reader p.54) According to Mazu, enlightenment did not need years of sitting and meditation, it did not need years of study, it only needed the understanding of the truth; something that could happen anytime, anywhere, for anyone......

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