Sacred Texts: Buddhism

A Buddhist Bible: Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: Chapter VIII. Royal Patronage

Dwight GoddardTaoism and ZenZen Buddhism

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This is an excerpt from the *Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch*, a foundational Chan (Zen) Buddhist text recording the teachings and life of Huineng (638–713 CE), the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism in Tang Dynasty China. The passage narrates an imperial invitation from the Empress Dowager and Emperor to Huineng, his polite refusal on grounds of illness, and a subsequent doctrinal dialogue between Huineng and the imperial envoy Sit Kan. The central teaching Huineng delivers is a critique of formalistic meditation practice — specifically the idea that seated, cross-legged posture is necessary for enlightenment — arguing instead that the Norm (Dharma) is realized through mind alone, independent of physical technique. The text advances the characteristically Mahayana and Chan position that apparent opposites such as defilement and wisdom, enlightenment and ignorance, are non-dual in their fundamental nature, and that the true Norm transcends all conceptual categories including existence and non-existence. Distinctively, Huineng differentiates his non-dualism from superficially similar heretical teachings by clarifying that "beyond existence and non-existence" does not mean negation or annihilation but points to an intrinsic, unconditioned reality. The passage closes with an imperial edict praising Huineng and endowing his monastery, framing him as a national spiritual treasure whose refusal to leave his mountain is itself treated as exemplary Buddhist practice.

A Buddhist Bible: Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: Chapter VIII. Royal Patronage

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