In reading The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra I was fascinated by the focus on practice here and now. Take for instance this response to an inquiry from a Prefect about reciting ‘Amitabha Buddha’ hoping to be reborn in the Pure Land in the West.

The Master said:

Prefect, listen carefully; I will explain it for you. When the World-Honored One was in the city of Sravasti, he taught about the Western Pure Land as an inducement to practice. The text of the Sutra clearly states, “It is not far from here.” In discussing this, it might appear that it is 108,000 miles away; but it just means that the ten evils and eight wrongs are right within ourselves.¹ Describing it as distant is meant for those with limited capacity. Saying it is nearby is for those with greater ability.

There are two kinds of people, not two kinds of Dharma. Awakening and confusion differ only because discerning may be quick or slow.

Deluded people recite the Buddha’s name seeking rebirth elsewhere; awakened people purify their own minds. That is why the Buddha said, “As the mind is purified, the Buddhaland is purified.”

Sir, even a person of the East is blameless if he simply purifies his mind. However, even a person of the West is at fault if his mind is not pure. When a person of the East does wrong, he recites the Buddha’s name hoping for rebirth in the West. But when a person of the West does wrong, in what country could he seek to be reborn by reciting the Buddha’s name? Ordinary deluded people, unaware of their essential nature, do not realize that the Pure Land is within themselves. So, they long to be born in the East, and they long to be born in the West. To the enlightened person all places are the same. As the Buddha said, “No matter where you are, you are always happy and at ease.” Good Sir, if the ground-of-the-mind is free of anything unwholesome, the West will not be very far away. If you invoke the Buddha’s name yet still hang on to unwholesomeness, it will be hard to gain that rebirth [in the Pure Land].

Good and Wise Friends, I exhort you now: first get rid of the ten evils; in doing so you will have walked one hundred thousand miles. Next, eliminate eight wrongs and you will have covered another eight thousand miles.² If in every moment of thought you keep your essential nature in view, and if in everything you do you are even-minded, true and direct, then in a finger-snap you will arrive there and see Amitabha.

Good Sir, if you just practice the ten good deeds, then why would you further need to seek rebirth there?³ But if you do not rid your mind of the ten evils, what Buddha would come to welcome you? If you awaken to the eternal, direct Dharma, you will behold the West [the Pure Land] in an instant. Without awakening to this, you might recite the Buddha’s name seeking rebirth there, but the road is so long – how could you ever traverse it? I will move the West here in an instant so you can see it right before your eyes. Would you all like to see it, or not?

The entire assembly bowed and said, “If it could be seen right here, why would we vow to be reborn there?! Please, Master, be compassionate; make the West appear for all to see.”

The Master said:

All of you here, a person’s own physical body is the city [of the Pure Land], and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue [and physical body] are its gates. The city is thus made up of five outer entrances, and an additional inner gate – the gate of consciousness. The mind is the ground; and one’s nature is the king. The king dwells on the mind-ground, and as long as the essential nature is present, the king is present. But when the nature departs, there is no king. When the nature is present, the body and mind are well cared for, but when the nature leaves, the body (and mind) fall apart.

Buddhahood is realized within the essential-nature; do not seek for it outside yourself. Confused, the self-nature is a living being; enlightened, the self-nature is a Buddha. Kindness and compassion are Avalokiteshvara; sympathetic joy and equanimity are Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Purifying [oneself) is Shakyamuni; and, to be unprejudiced and free of guile is Amitabha.

Egoism and arrogance are Mount Sumeru. Sensual desires are the oceans’ waters, and the afflictions are its waves. Cruelty is an evil dragon; vanity and dissoluteness are the ghosts and spirits; worldly passions are the fish and turtles; lust and hatred are the hells; and, delusion is the animals.

Good and Wise Friends, always practice the ten good deeds and you can easily reach the heavens. Get rid of egoism and arrogance, and Mount Sumeru topples. Eliminate sensual desires and the oceans’ waters dry up. When the afflictions cease, the waves calm. When cruelty is ended, the fish and turtles are no more. The enlightened nature of the Tathagata radiates an effulgent light on the ground of your own mind. Outwardly, this light illuminates the six gates, and its purity can penetrate through the six desire-heavens. Inwardly, it illumines the essential nature and dispels the three poisons, and retributions like the hells vanish in an instant. Inside and outside are clear through and through-no different from the Western Land. But if you do not cultivate in this way, how could you ever go there?!

It is useful to compare the Sixth Patriarch’s Pure Land to Nichiren’s Pure Land:

The Pure Lands preached in the pre-Lotus expedient sūtras are mere substitutes tentatively shown by replicas of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Eternal True Buddha. In fact, they all are lands of impurity. Therefore, when the true Pure Land was decided in “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the essence of which consists of chapters on the “Expedients” and “The Life Span of the Buddha,” it was declared that this Sahā World is the true Pure Land of the Tranquil Light.

As for the question why, the Lotus Sūtra also recommends the Tuṣita Heaven, the Realm of Peace and Sustenance (Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life), and Pure Lands all over the universe, it is merely that designations of the Pure Lands, such as Tuṣita Heaven and Realm of Peace and Sustenance, preached in the pre-Lotus sūtras are used without modification to name the Pure Lands to be established in this world. It is like names of the three vehicles (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva) mentioned in the Lotus Sūtra, which does not actually preach three different teachings; it preaches the sole teaching leading to Buddhahood. It is stated in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 23, that those who practice this sūtra “will immediately be reborn in the World of Happiness.” In the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 10, Grand Master Miao-lê interprets: “This does not mean the Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life preached in the Sūtra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life.” His interpretation is the same as stated above.

People today without karmic relations with the Lotus Sūtra, wishing to be reborn in the Pure Land to the west, are in fact praying for rebirth in the land of rubble, giving up the Sahā World, which is the true Pure Land. People who do not believe in the Lotus Sūtra will not be able to be reborn even in such lands as Tuṣita Heaven and Realm of Peace and Sustenance, which are in reality the Pure Lands in this Sahā World given such temporary names.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 63

Both the Sixth Patriarch and Nichiren agree that we should see the Pure Land right here where we are.

Notes

1. Ten evils (Skt. Dasa-akusala-karmapatha); they are: 1) killing; 2) stealing; 3) sexual misconduct; 4) lying; 5) slandering; 6) harsh speech; 7) idle talk and gossip; 8) greed; 9) hatred; and, 10) wrong views.return
2. ba xie 八邪, ‘the eight wrong practices or paths. The opposite of the Noble Eightfold Path to awakening (Ch. ba zheng dao 八正道; Skt. ārya-astāngika-marga: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.)return
3. Ten good deeds (Skt. dasa-kusala-karmapatha); they are: 1) not to kill; 2) not to steal; 3) to avoid sexual misconduct; 4) not to lie; 5) avoid slandering; 6) avoid harsh speech; 7) refrain from idle talk and gossip; 8) non-greed; 9) non-hatred; and, 10) right views.return

The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra
The Practice
Practice Beyond Reciting
Seeking the Pure Land in the Wrong Place
NEXT: Our Inherent Buddha Nature

The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra offers an interesting tale about a monk who constantly chants the Lotus Sutra. The lesson is applicable to Nichiren Buddhists.

Bhikshu Fada  was from Hong Province. He had left home to become a monk at the age of seven, and constantly recited The Lotus Sutra. When he came to pay homage to the Master, he bowed but did not touch his head to the ground. The Master scolded him, saying, “If you bow without touching the ground, isn’t that like not bowing at all?”

You must have something on your mind.

What is your practice?”

He said, “I have recited The Lotus Sutra over three thousand times already.”

The Master said, “It doesn’t matter if you recited it ten thousand times. If you understood the Sutra’s meaning, you would not be so overbearing, and might be a fellow cultivator with me. You have applied effort in vain, yet don’t even understand how wrong you are.

Listen to my verse:

The point of bowing is to lower the banner of pride;
So why don’t you touch your head to the ground?
When your ego is in the way, offenses will arise,
But when you forget your achievement, then blessings are supreme.

The Master asked further, “What is your name?”

“Fada,” he answered.

The Master said, “Your name means ‘Dharma Penetrating, but what Dharma have you penetrated?!” He then spoke this verse:

Your name means “Dharma Penetrating,”
And you diligently recite without cease,
You recite in vain, mouthing empty words,
But one who knows his mind is a bodhisattva.

Because we have a karmic connection, I will now explain it to you:

Place your trust in a Buddha beyond words;
And lotuses will bloom from your mouth.

Hearing this verse, Fada remorsefully said, “From now on I will respect everyone. I, your disciple, have been reciting The Lotus Sutra without understanding its meaning, and have always harbored doubts. Venerable Master, your wisdom is deep and vast. Will you please explain the essentials of this sutra for me?”

The Master said, “The Dharma is profoundly penetrating, but your mind has not penetrated it. There is nothing doubtful in the sutra; the doubts are in your mind. You recite this sutra, but what do you think its core teaching is?”

Fada replied, “This student is dull and slow. All along I have only recited by rote, so how could I understand its main purport?”

The Master said, “I cannot read, but if you recite it for me, I will explain it to you.”

Fada then recited the sutra aloud. When he came to the chapter on Parables, the Master said:

Stop there! The central teaching of this sutra has always been about the reasons why the Buddha appears in this world. All of its parables address this. What are these reasons? The sutra says, “All Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, appear in the world because of the One Great Matter.” The One Great Matter is the knowledge and vision of the Buddha.

Ordinary people, confused about the external world, attach to appearances; confused inwardly, they cling to emptiness. If you can remain unmoved by appearances while right in the midst of appearances, and not cling to emptiness while in the midst of emptiness, then inside and out nothing will confuse you. If you understand this teaching, you will gain awakening in an instant. “The Buddha’s knowledge and vision” is simply this.

“Buddha” means awakened. Awakening could be divided into four aspects: one, initiating the Buddha’s knowledge and vision; two, demonstrating the Buddha’s knowledge and vision; three, fathoming the Buddha’s knowledge and vision; and four, becoming one with the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. If you investigate the initiating and demonstrating of the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, you can easily fathom and become one with it. The ‘Buddha’s knowledge and vision’ is just your fundamental true nature becoming manifest.

Be careful not to misconstrue the sutra’s intent by supposing that the “initiating,” “demonstrating,” “fathoming,” and “becoming” it describes is the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, a knowledge and vision that we do not share in. If you interpret it in this way, you discredit the sutra and demean the Buddha. Since the Buddha is already awakened, perfect in knowledge and vision, why would there be any need for him to do it again?! You should now believe that the knowledge and vision of the Buddha is just your own mind; there is no other Buddha.

It is only because living beings cover over their own light with lust and craving for sensory experiences, become enslaved to things outside and disturbed within, that the World Honored One is roused from his samadhi to exhort them to cease, to not seek outside themselves, and instead to realize they are the same as the Buddha. Thus, the [Sutra] speaks of “realizing the Buddha’s knowledge and vision.”

I, too, am always exhorting people to realize the Buddha’s knowledge and vision within their own minds. But ordinary people are perverse; confused and deluded, they do wrong. Their talk may be good, but their minds are bad. Greedy, hateful, envious, fawning and flattering, deceitful, and arrogant, they take advantage of others and harm living creatures. Thus, they only realize the knowledge and vision of living beings.

If you can constantly true your mind, activate your wisdom, observe and illuminate your own mind, refrain from evil while doing all that’s good – this is you, yourself “realizing the knowledge and vision of the Buddha.”

In every moment of thought “realize the Buddha’s knowledge and vision”; don’t realize the knowledge and vision of living beings. Realizing the “Buddha’s knowledge and vision” is to rise above the worldly; realizing the knowledge and vision of living beings is mundane. If you simply labor away reciting [the Sutra], and cling to it as an achievement, how is that any different from the yak fondly admiring its own tail?

Fada said, “Does that mean I shouldn’t bother to recite the Sutra as long as I understand its meaning?”

The Master replied:

How could the Sutra impede your mindfulness? Confusion and enlightenment are in the person; harm and benefit depend on you. If your mouth recites and your mind practices, you “turn” the Sutra; but if your mouth recites while your mind does not practice, then the Sutra “turns” you. Listen to my verse:

When your mind is confused, you are “turned” by the Dharma Flower,
When your mind is awakened, you turn the Dharma Flower.
Reciting the Sutra so long without understanding,
Has made you an enemy of its meaning.
To recite free of thoughts is correct,
With thoughts, your reciting goes wrong.
When both “with” or “without” are gone,
You may ride forever in the White Ox Cart.

Hearing this verse, Fada, wept spontaneously; the words moved him to an awakening. He told the Master, “All these years until today I have never actually ‘turned’ the Dharma Flower (Lotus Sutra); instead I was turned by it.”

Fada further said, “The Sutra says, ‘Even if all the sravakas and bodhisattva disciples of the Buddha were to exhaust their minds trying to comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom, they could never fathom it.’ Now you would have ordinary people simply understand their own minds and call that ‘the knowledge and vision of the Buddha.’ Won’t this cause those lacking superior faculties to doubt and revile the Sutra? Also, the Sutra speaks of three carts, drawn by a sheep, a deer, and an ox, as well as the White Ox Cart. How are these different? Please, explain these once again.”

The Master said:

The Sutra’s meaning is clear; you are the one who is confused.

All the people of the three vehicles cannot fathom the Buddha’s wisdom; the fault lies in their thinking. The more they think, the further away they go. The Buddha originally taught this principle for ordinary people, not for Buddhas. Those who were unable to believe were free to leave the assembly. They were unaware that they were sitting on the White Ox Cart; instead they went outside seeking the three vehicles. How much more clearly could the Sutra say it: “There is only one vehicle, Buddhahood; no other vehicle.” Whether there might be two or three, and all the other countless provisional expedients, with the various stories, parables, and sayings – all these teachings are meant to lead to the One Buddha Vehicle. How can you not understand?! The three carts are provisional, an early and preliminary teaching. The one vehicle is real; meant for here and now. He is only teaching you to leave the provisional and return to the real. Once you return to the true and real, it too has no name.

You should understand that all the treasure and wealth comes from you; the carts’ “use” depends on you. Don’t keep thinking anymore of a “father,” the “children,” or the carts’ “use.” Not ruminating over this is called “holding-in-mind The Lotus Sutra.” Then throughout all time your hands will never drop the Sutra; from morning to night it is always in your mind.

When Fada received this teaching, he was overwhelmed with joy, and recited a verse:

Three thousand recitations of the Sutra Are forgotten with one word from Caoxi [Huineng]
Not grasping the transcendent meaning,
How could I ever stop lifetimes of madness?
Sheep, deer, and ox are just expedient devices, to
Skillfully lay out beginning, midway, and end.
Who could have imagined that within the burning house
Sat the Dharma King all along?

The Master said, “From now on you may be called ‘the sutra-reciting monk.”

From then on, although he understood the profound meaning, Fada continued to recite the Sutra unceasingly.

Clip and save these words:

It is only because living beings cover over their own light with lust and craving for sensory experiences, become enslaved to things outside and disturbed within, that the World Honored One is roused from his samadhi to exhort them to cease, to not seek outside themselves, and instead to realize they are the same as the Buddha. Thus, the [Sutra] speaks of “realizing the Buddha’s knowledge and vision.”

I, too, am always exhorting people to realize the Buddha’s knowledge and vision within their own minds. But ordinary people are perverse; confused and deluded, they do wrong. Their talk may be good, but their minds are bad. Greedy, hateful, envious, fawning and flattering, deceitful, and arrogant, they take advantage of others and harm living creatures. Thus, they only realize the knowledge and vision of living beings.

If you can constantly true your mind, activate your wisdom, observe and illuminate your own mind, refrain from evil while doing all that’s good – this is you, yourself “realizing the knowledge and vision of the Buddha.” In every moment of thought “realize the Buddha’s knowledge and vision”; don’t realize the knowledge and vision of living beings. Realizing the “Buddha’s knowledge and vision” is to rise above the worldly; realizing the knowledge and vision of living beings is mundane. If you simply labor away reciting [the Sutra], and cling to it as an achievement, how is that any different from the yak fondly admiring its own tail?

The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra
The Practice
Practice Beyond Reciting
NEXT: Seeking the Pure Land in the Wrong Place
Our Inherent Buddha Nature