| Over a period of 5,000 years, through the lineage | | | | some other way of salvation, we shall not find it, |
| of Tao, there are 64 Patriarchs and one of them | | | | and though we plod on till death overtakes us, we |
| is Hui Neng. On the Essence of Mind, he said that | | | | shall find only penitence in the end. |
| it is pure by nature and it is the seed of | | | | If you wish to find the true way, right action will |
| enlightenment. By making use of this mind alone | | | | lead you to it directly but if you do not strive for |
| we can reach Sainthood directly and one of his | | | | Buddhahood, you will grope in the dark and never |
| saying is "Sentient beings who sow the seeds of | | | | find it. He who treads the Path in earnest, sees |
| enlightenment in the field of Causation will reap | | | | not the mistakes of the world. If we find fault |
| the fruit of Sainthood. Inanimate objects void of | | | | with others, we ourselves are also in the wrong. |
| Godly-nature sow not and reap not." | | | | When other people are in the wrong, we should |
| This is one of Hui Neng's beautiful stanzas | | | | ignore it, for it is wrong for us to find fault. By |
| (teachings): | | | | getting rid of the habit of fault-finding, we cut off |
| "A master of the Buddhist Canon as well as of | | | | a source of defilement. When neither hatred nor |
| the teaching of the Dhyana School, may be | | | | love disturb our mind, serenely we sleep. Those |
| likened unto the blazing sun sitting high in his | | | | who intend to be the teachers of others, should |
| meridian tower. Such a man would teach nothing | | | | themselves be skilled in the various expedients |
| but the Dharma for realizing the Essence of Mind. | | | | which lead others to enlightenment. |
| And his object in coming to this world would be to | | | | When the disciple is free from all doubts, it |
| vanquish the heretical sects. We can hardly | | | | indicates that his Essence of Mind has been found. |
| classify the Dharmas into 'Sudden' and 'Gradual' | | | | The Kingdom of Buddha is in this world, within |
| but some men will attain enlightenment much | | | | which enlightenment is to be sought. To seek |
| quicker than others. For example, this system for | | | | enlightenment by separating from this world, is as |
| realizing the Essence of Mind, is above the | | | | absurd as to search for a rabit's horn. |
| comprehension of the ignorant. We may explain it | | | | Right views are called 'transcendental' erroneous |
| in ten thousand ways, but all those explanations | | | | views are called 'worldly.' When all views, right or |
| may be traced back to one principle. | | | | erroneous, are discarded, then the essence of |
| To illumine our gloomy tabernacle, which is stained | | | | Bodhi appears. |
| by defilement, we should constantly set up the | | | | This stanza is for the 'Sudden' School. It is also |
| Light of Wisdom. Erroneous views keep us in | | | | called the 'Big Ship of Dharma' (for sailing across |
| defilement, while right views remove us from it, | | | | the ocean of existence). Kalpa after kalpa, a man |
| but when we are in a position to discard both of | | | | may be under delusion, but once enlightened, it |
| them, we are then absolutely pure. | | | | takes him only a moment to attain Buddhahood." |
| Bodhi is immanent in our Essence of Mind and | | | | In the practice of Tao of Heaven, Hui Neng is one |
| attempt to look for it elsewhere is erroneous. | | | | of my spiritual teachers. He is the reincarnation of |
| Within our impure mind the pure one is to be | | | | Bodhisattva Ti-Tsang, also known as The Holy |
| found, and once our mind is set right, we are free | | | | Teacher of the Underworld or Bodhisattva |
| from the three kinds of beclouding (defilement, | | | | Ksitigarbha. |
| evil karma, and expiation in evil realms of | | | | Author: T.A Chew |
| existence). | | | | Website: |
| If we are treading the Path of Enlightenment, we | | | | T.A Chew, an accountant by profession, years |
| need not be worried by stumbling-blocks, provided | | | | ago after a very bright flash of light, saw a holy |
| we keep a constant eye on our own faults. We | | | | being from the underworld and then realized that |
| cannot go astray from the right path. Since every | | | | there are holy beings too in the underworld. The |
| species of life has its own way of salvation, they | | | | teaching of the Essence of Mind in the spiritual |
| will not interfere with or be antagonistic to one | | | | sense was taught by Hui Neng, the reincarnation |
| another. But if we leave our own path and seek | | | | of Ti-Tsang Wang Pusa in Chinese. |