1 00:00:00,464 --> 00:00:02,395 The Platform Sutra holds a line 2 00:00:02,504 --> 00:00:04,415 More piercing than Bodhi has no tree 3 00:00:05,104 --> 00:00:06,615 You have chanted a sutra three thousand times 4 00:00:07,024 --> 00:00:08,314 With extraordinary devotion 5 00:00:08,624 --> 00:00:10,255 Then someone looks at you 6 00:00:10,583 --> 00:00:11,554 And says a single sentence 7 00:00:11,663 --> 00:00:12,535 Suddenly you realize 8 00:00:12,823 --> 00:00:15,074 All three thousand recitations were in vain 9 00:00:15,423 --> 00:00:16,335 The sutra was not wrong 10 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:18,475 Your relationship with it was 11 00:00:18,623 --> 00:00:19,135 Something like this 12 00:00:19,344 --> 00:00:20,995 Really happened in the Platform Sutra 13 00:00:21,572 --> 00:00:21,923 Hello 14 00:00:22,371 --> 00:00:22,842 Everyone 15 00:00:23,212 --> 00:00:24,383 I am Leo Wang 16 00:00:24,795 --> 00:00:27,606 Last time we explored the opening chapter of the Platform Sutra 17 00:00:27,795 --> 00:00:32,407 How Huineng received the Dharma and his five insights into inherent nature 18 00:00:32,796 --> 00:00:34,595 Today we continue 19 00:00:34,596 --> 00:00:36,846 Into the real heart of the Platform Sutra 20 00:00:37,035 --> 00:00:40,235 I want to return to the verse everyone knows 21 00:00:40,236 --> 00:00:42,166 But approach it from another direction 22 00:00:42,596 --> 00:00:43,587 Bodhi originally has no tree 23 00:00:43,916 --> 00:00:45,327 The bright mirror has no stand 24 00:00:45,435 --> 00:00:46,386 Originally there is not a single thing 25 00:00:46,715 --> 00:00:48,626 Where could dust collect 26 00:00:48,976 --> 00:00:50,406 This verse is incredibly famous 27 00:00:50,656 --> 00:00:51,726 How famous 28 00:00:52,135 --> 00:00:54,946 Many people use it as a comforting slogan 29 00:00:55,175 --> 00:00:56,247 When something bothers them 30 00:00:56,455 --> 00:00:57,455 They tell themselves 31 00:00:57,455 --> 00:00:58,787 There was never a single thing anyway 32 00:00:59,095 --> 00:01:02,427 Some even use those words to justify caring about nothing 33 00:01:02,855 --> 00:01:06,626 But if Huineng only meant everything is empty and nothing exists 34 00:01:06,696 --> 00:01:08,926 What was he teaching for all those decades 35 00:01:09,375 --> 00:01:11,807 Was he teaching people to recognize something nonexistent 36 00:01:12,375 --> 00:01:13,587 That makes no sense 37 00:01:13,935 --> 00:01:14,327 So 38 00:01:14,536 --> 00:01:16,527 What does not a single thing really mean 39 00:01:17,056 --> 00:01:18,426 To understand that 40 00:01:18,495 --> 00:01:21,750 We first need to see what it was answering 41 00:01:22,018 --> 00:01:24,429 Shenxiu wrote this verse 42 00:01:24,778 --> 00:01:25,929 As the Platform Sutra records 43 00:01:26,459 --> 00:01:27,709 The body is the Bodhi tree 44 00:01:27,858 --> 00:01:29,110 The mind is like a bright mirror on a stand 45 00:01:29,418 --> 00:01:30,489 Polish it diligently at all times 46 00:01:30,778 --> 00:01:32,069 And let no dust collect 47 00:01:32,498 --> 00:01:33,730 Is there anything wrong with this verse 48 00:01:34,339 --> 00:01:35,409 From the perspective of practice 49 00:01:35,739 --> 00:01:37,030 Nothing at all 50 00:01:37,298 --> 00:01:39,870 It describes a very practical discipline 51 00:01:40,099 --> 00:01:41,170 Your mind is like a mirror 52 00:01:41,578 --> 00:01:42,950 Dust settles on it 53 00:01:42,979 --> 00:01:44,269 You must keep wiping it clean 54 00:01:44,578 --> 00:01:47,470 Every serious practitioner does this 55 00:01:47,899 --> 00:01:51,110 Huineng turns this entire logic upside down 56 00:01:51,418 --> 00:01:52,830 He is not saying stop wiping 57 00:01:53,298 --> 00:01:55,190 He asks a more fundamental question 58 00:01:55,778 --> 00:01:56,730 This thing you are wiping 59 00:01:57,138 --> 00:01:58,090 Has it really become dirty 60 00:01:58,699 --> 00:02:01,349 That is the real power of not a single thing 61 00:02:02,018 --> 00:02:03,818 It does not point to nothing existing 62 00:02:03,819 --> 00:02:07,390 It means there is no fixed unchanging mind that needs polishing 63 00:02:08,519 --> 00:02:10,289 You may have experienced this yourself 64 00:02:10,558 --> 00:02:11,770 Have you ever noticed 65 00:02:11,838 --> 00:02:14,370 One day something makes you intensely anxious 66 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:15,710 The more you think the more anxious you get 67 00:02:15,959 --> 00:02:17,289 And the more anxious you get the more you think 68 00:02:17,678 --> 00:02:19,610 Then suddenly someone calls your name 69 00:02:19,799 --> 00:02:21,810 Or you smell food cooking 70 00:02:22,239 --> 00:02:24,610 For a moment your attention shifts 71 00:02:24,959 --> 00:02:26,610 And you notice the anxiety is gone 72 00:02:26,959 --> 00:02:29,449 You did not force it away 73 00:02:29,479 --> 00:02:30,810 It left on its own 74 00:02:31,079 --> 00:02:31,789 Looking back you wonder 75 00:02:32,318 --> 00:02:33,330 That anxiety 76 00:02:33,359 --> 00:02:34,509 Was it really so substantial 77 00:02:35,079 --> 00:02:37,330 You spent all that time fighting it 78 00:02:37,519 --> 00:02:40,078 Yet it did not even need to be pushed away 79 00:02:40,079 --> 00:02:41,370 It simply dissolved 80 00:02:41,838 --> 00:02:43,529 This is what Huineng meant 81 00:02:43,878 --> 00:02:46,810 The dust is not a concrete entity you must deal with 82 00:02:47,718 --> 00:02:50,129 It is something you mistakenly take to be solid 83 00:02:50,479 --> 00:02:52,050 The harder you work to wipe it away 84 00:02:52,239 --> 00:02:54,650 The more you affirm that it is real 85 00:02:55,118 --> 00:02:56,229 The act of wiping itself 86 00:02:56,598 --> 00:02:59,676 Reinforces the apparent reality of the dust 87 00:03:00,026 --> 00:03:02,997 Using the framework from our earlier episodes 88 00:03:03,344 --> 00:03:05,677 The dust is the imagined nature 89 00:03:06,224 --> 00:03:08,157 The data itself is not dirty 90 00:03:08,224 --> 00:03:11,117 You have attached a label called dirty to it 91 00:03:11,504 --> 00:03:12,937 That label is not in the data 92 00:03:13,344 --> 00:03:15,157 It is in your system of interpretation 93 00:03:15,465 --> 00:03:18,677 And once you attach it you forget you put it there 94 00:03:18,746 --> 00:03:21,397 You think it was always a property of the data 95 00:03:21,746 --> 00:03:25,916 So you struggle to wash away something that never belonged to it 96 00:03:26,624 --> 00:03:29,356 But there is a very subtle trap here 97 00:03:29,465 --> 00:03:31,157 Many people fall into it 98 00:03:31,665 --> 00:03:33,665 If after hearing the verse 99 00:03:33,665 --> 00:03:35,916 You conclude that you need to do nothing 100 00:03:36,146 --> 00:03:38,157 You may be further off than Shenxiu 101 00:03:38,746 --> 00:03:40,236 The later chapters of the Platform Sutra 102 00:03:40,266 --> 00:03:42,277 Deal with precisely this trap 103 00:03:42,814 --> 00:03:46,505 Let me share a remarkable encounter from its chapter on circumstances 104 00:03:46,934 --> 00:03:48,404 There was a monk named Fada 105 00:03:48,974 --> 00:03:50,333 Who became a monk at seven 106 00:03:50,333 --> 00:03:51,904 And kept chanting the Lotus Sutra 107 00:03:52,254 --> 00:03:52,845 How many times 108 00:03:53,453 --> 00:03:54,505 Three thousand 109 00:03:55,054 --> 00:03:56,285 What does three thousand mean 110 00:03:56,814 --> 00:03:59,065 The Lotus Sutra has nearly seventy thousand Chinese characters 111 00:03:59,214 --> 00:04:01,424 Three thousand readings exceed two hundred million characters 112 00:04:01,733 --> 00:04:05,264 He devoted his entire youth to chanting 113 00:04:05,693 --> 00:04:07,785 When Fada came to see Huineng 114 00:04:08,054 --> 00:04:10,584 His head did not touch the ground as he bowed 115 00:04:10,974 --> 00:04:12,905 Huineng noticed and said 116 00:04:13,173 --> 00:04:14,744 In the words of the Platform Sutra 117 00:04:15,094 --> 00:04:15,845 If your bow does not reach the ground 118 00:04:16,172 --> 00:04:16,884 Why bow at all 119 00:04:17,413 --> 00:04:19,305 There must be something in your mind 120 00:04:19,574 --> 00:04:20,724 What have you been cultivating 121 00:04:21,493 --> 00:04:22,004 Fada replied 122 00:04:22,454 --> 00:04:25,025 I have chanted the Lotus Sutra three thousand times 123 00:04:25,494 --> 00:04:26,285 Did you hear that 124 00:04:26,734 --> 00:04:27,765 What did Huineng say 125 00:04:28,294 --> 00:04:30,145 There must be something in your mind 126 00:04:30,453 --> 00:04:32,104 You are carrying something inside 127 00:04:32,573 --> 00:04:33,085 What is it 128 00:04:33,654 --> 00:04:35,864 Those three thousand readings of the Lotus Sutra 129 00:04:36,294 --> 00:04:40,345 Fada regarded his recitations as an achievement 130 00:04:40,494 --> 00:04:42,424 That achievement became a thing 131 00:04:42,773 --> 00:04:44,104 Piled up inside his mind 132 00:04:44,294 --> 00:04:45,205 He came to see Huineng 133 00:04:45,494 --> 00:04:47,345 Carrying that achievement with him 134 00:04:47,494 --> 00:04:51,104 So without realizing it his head did not reach the ground 135 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:52,124 It was not deliberate 136 00:04:52,333 --> 00:04:54,253 That thing was getting in the way 137 00:04:54,803 --> 00:04:56,294 Huineng went on 138 00:04:56,803 --> 00:04:57,674 Your name is Fada 139 00:04:58,123 --> 00:04:59,073 But when have you understood the Dharma 140 00:04:59,722 --> 00:05:01,294 Your name means mastery of the Dharma 141 00:05:01,443 --> 00:05:03,234 But when did you ever master it 142 00:05:03,842 --> 00:05:05,321 You think you have attained something 143 00:05:05,323 --> 00:05:07,054 Because you chanted three thousand times 144 00:05:07,522 --> 00:05:09,193 But three thousand is a quantity 145 00:05:09,563 --> 00:05:10,614 Not understanding 146 00:05:10,883 --> 00:05:12,114 You are reciting sounds 147 00:05:12,482 --> 00:05:13,573 Not grasping the meaning 148 00:05:13,962 --> 00:05:17,054 Then Huineng explained the Lotus Sutra to Fada 149 00:05:17,602 --> 00:05:19,534 And afterward offered a verse 150 00:05:20,042 --> 00:05:21,193 When the mind is deluded the Lotus turns you 151 00:05:21,763 --> 00:05:23,414 When the mind awakens you turn the Lotus 152 00:05:23,683 --> 00:05:24,714 When your mind is deluded 153 00:05:25,203 --> 00:05:26,933 The Lotus Sutra turns you 154 00:05:27,162 --> 00:05:28,813 The scripture leads you around 155 00:05:29,003 --> 00:05:30,073 When your mind awakens 156 00:05:30,563 --> 00:05:32,373 You turn the Lotus Sutra 157 00:05:32,683 --> 00:05:34,893 The scripture becomes a tool in your hands 158 00:05:35,282 --> 00:05:37,534 These are entirely different directions 159 00:05:37,883 --> 00:05:38,594 The very same sutra 160 00:05:38,962 --> 00:05:40,614 With a different relationship to it 161 00:05:40,722 --> 00:05:41,974 Becomes something entirely different 162 00:05:42,881 --> 00:05:44,692 Fada wept when he heard this 163 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:45,792 The Platform Sutra says 164 00:05:46,242 --> 00:05:47,160 On hearing the verse 165 00:05:47,162 --> 00:05:48,032 Fada could not help weeping 166 00:05:48,321 --> 00:05:49,532 And awakened at those words 167 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:50,672 He said 168 00:05:51,321 --> 00:05:52,932 Until this moment 169 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:54,393 I have never turned the Lotus 170 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:56,333 I have only been turned by it 171 00:05:56,840 --> 00:05:58,852 I have never really been reading the Lotus Sutra 172 00:05:59,001 --> 00:06:00,612 The Lotus Sutra has been reading me 173 00:06:01,001 --> 00:06:02,972 I thought I was practicing all along 174 00:06:03,122 --> 00:06:05,213 But practice had taken me hostage 175 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,333 After awakening Fada wrote a verse of praise 176 00:06:08,682 --> 00:06:09,893 Two lines read 177 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:11,552 Three thousand recitations of the sutra 178 00:06:12,042 --> 00:06:13,532 Erased by one sentence at Caoxi 179 00:06:14,001 --> 00:06:15,273 I chanted the sutra three thousand times 180 00:06:15,682 --> 00:06:17,001 But here at Caoxi 181 00:06:17,001 --> 00:06:17,552 A single sentence 182 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:18,932 Made it all disappear 183 00:06:19,641 --> 00:06:21,872 What is the central point of this encounter 184 00:06:22,602 --> 00:06:23,893 Originally there is not a single thing 185 00:06:24,682 --> 00:06:26,093 That thing in the mind of Fada 186 00:06:26,242 --> 00:06:29,321 The merit pride and achievement of three thousand recitations 187 00:06:29,321 --> 00:06:31,532 Something he took to be truly real 188 00:06:31,641 --> 00:06:32,492 Was a thing 189 00:06:32,802 --> 00:06:33,872 And what Huineng wanted 190 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:35,280 Was to help him see 191 00:06:35,282 --> 00:06:37,227 That thing was never there to begin with 192 00:06:37,456 --> 00:06:39,346 This is how a Chan encounter works 193 00:06:39,535 --> 00:06:41,307 Huineng does not argue with you 194 00:06:41,696 --> 00:06:42,807 He points directly to it 195 00:06:43,216 --> 00:06:44,747 What have you added to your mind 196 00:06:45,016 --> 00:06:45,886 Once you see it yourself 197 00:06:46,256 --> 00:06:47,706 That thing shatters 198 00:06:47,935 --> 00:06:50,187 Because it was never a real thing 199 00:06:50,495 --> 00:06:52,346 You built it up yourself 200 00:06:52,656 --> 00:06:53,206 One gesture toward it 201 00:06:53,735 --> 00:06:55,065 And it is gone 202 00:06:55,454 --> 00:06:59,305 Another encounter relates even more directly to not a single thing 203 00:06:59,694 --> 00:07:02,584 A monk mentioned a Chan master named Wolun 204 00:07:02,774 --> 00:07:04,704 And recited a verse Wolun had written 205 00:07:04,974 --> 00:07:06,505 The Platform Sutra records it this way 206 00:07:06,974 --> 00:07:08,005 Wolun has a skill 207 00:07:08,334 --> 00:07:09,784 He can cut off a hundred thoughts 208 00:07:09,974 --> 00:07:11,005 Facing circumstances his mind does not stir 209 00:07:11,334 --> 00:07:12,904 And Bodhi grows each day 210 00:07:13,413 --> 00:07:14,524 Sounds impressive does it not 211 00:07:15,053 --> 00:07:15,764 I have the ability 212 00:07:16,094 --> 00:07:18,545 To cut off every kind of thought 213 00:07:18,894 --> 00:07:19,964 Whatever situation I face 214 00:07:20,094 --> 00:07:21,825 My mind remains completely still 215 00:07:22,253 --> 00:07:23,865 And awakening grows day by day 216 00:07:24,253 --> 00:07:26,125 Is that not the highest level of practice 217 00:07:27,053 --> 00:07:28,264 When Huineng heard it 218 00:07:28,373 --> 00:07:30,945 He said this verse missed the original ground of mind 219 00:07:31,293 --> 00:07:32,404 Practicing this way 220 00:07:32,853 --> 00:07:34,224 Would only bind you 221 00:07:34,574 --> 00:07:36,505 Then Huineng answered with his own verse 222 00:07:37,334 --> 00:07:38,445 Huineng has no skill 223 00:07:38,813 --> 00:07:40,264 He does not cut off a hundred thoughts 224 00:07:40,454 --> 00:07:41,685 Facing circumstances his mind stirs often 225 00:07:42,094 --> 00:07:43,584 How could Bodhi grow 226 00:07:44,765 --> 00:07:46,856 Look closely at these two verses 227 00:07:47,325 --> 00:07:47,916 Wolun says 228 00:07:48,245 --> 00:07:49,257 I have a skill 229 00:07:49,606 --> 00:07:50,197 Huineng says 230 00:07:50,486 --> 00:07:51,817 I have no skill 231 00:07:52,245 --> 00:07:52,757 Wolun says 232 00:07:53,125 --> 00:07:54,817 I can cut off a hundred thoughts 233 00:07:55,245 --> 00:07:55,757 Huineng says 234 00:07:56,125 --> 00:07:57,736 I do not cut off a hundred thoughts 235 00:07:58,166 --> 00:07:58,716 Wolun says 236 00:07:59,046 --> 00:08:00,457 Facing circumstances my mind does not stir 237 00:08:01,005 --> 00:08:01,476 Huineng says 238 00:08:01,846 --> 00:08:03,457 Facing circumstances my mind stirs often 239 00:08:04,005 --> 00:08:04,596 Wolun says 240 00:08:04,885 --> 00:08:06,457 Bodhi grows each day 241 00:08:07,005 --> 00:08:07,517 Huineng says 242 00:08:07,846 --> 00:08:09,497 How could Bodhi grow 243 00:08:10,005 --> 00:08:11,976 He reverses every single line 244 00:08:12,685 --> 00:08:14,116 What is the approach of Wolun 245 00:08:14,711 --> 00:08:15,510 Suppression 246 00:08:15,925 --> 00:08:16,637 A thought appears 247 00:08:17,125 --> 00:08:17,976 Push it down 248 00:08:18,325 --> 00:08:19,036 A feeling appears 249 00:08:19,486 --> 00:08:20,216 Hold it down 250 00:08:20,606 --> 00:08:21,317 An external situation appears 251 00:08:21,726 --> 00:08:22,416 Remain unmoved 252 00:08:23,005 --> 00:08:26,497 This follows the same logic as constant polishing in the verse of Shenxiu 253 00:08:26,925 --> 00:08:28,116 It assumes one thing 254 00:08:28,646 --> 00:08:30,137 Thoughts are the enemy 255 00:08:30,245 --> 00:08:31,415 And must be destroyed 256 00:08:31,843 --> 00:08:33,075 What is the approach of Huineng 257 00:08:33,643 --> 00:08:35,054 Do not wage war on thoughts 258 00:08:35,443 --> 00:08:36,674 When thoughts come let them come 259 00:08:36,924 --> 00:08:38,135 Let them arise when they arise 260 00:08:38,443 --> 00:08:40,015 You do not need to cut them off 261 00:08:40,164 --> 00:08:43,094 Because they were never something you needed to sever 262 00:08:43,684 --> 00:08:44,594 They come on their own 263 00:08:44,924 --> 00:08:45,974 And leave on their own 264 00:08:46,284 --> 00:08:47,755 Your task is not to control them 265 00:08:48,203 --> 00:08:49,655 But to avoid being fooled by them 266 00:08:50,164 --> 00:08:52,974 How could Bodhi grow is a wonderfully subtle question 267 00:08:53,564 --> 00:08:55,094 The phrase simply asks how 268 00:08:55,603 --> 00:08:56,434 How does awakening grow 269 00:08:57,044 --> 00:08:57,855 It does not 270 00:08:58,243 --> 00:09:00,934 Bodhi is not a plant you need to water 271 00:09:01,203 --> 00:09:03,294 It does not grow as you cut off thoughts 272 00:09:03,323 --> 00:09:05,762 One increment today and two tomorrow 273 00:09:05,764 --> 00:09:07,214 Accumulating little by little 274 00:09:07,483 --> 00:09:08,714 It has always been there 275 00:09:09,044 --> 00:09:10,454 Neither more nor less 276 00:09:11,284 --> 00:09:13,214 Your practice is not to make it bigger 277 00:09:13,323 --> 00:09:15,814 Your practice is to stop piling things onto it 278 00:09:16,284 --> 00:09:19,214 This is what not a single thing means in practice 279 00:09:19,804 --> 00:09:21,334 It does not mean nothing exists 280 00:09:21,804 --> 00:09:24,214 It means you need not add anything 281 00:09:24,764 --> 00:09:27,135 Including something called spiritual achievement 282 00:09:27,644 --> 00:09:29,574 Including something called merit 283 00:09:30,083 --> 00:09:32,214 Including something called being awakened 284 00:09:32,804 --> 00:09:34,255 All of these are things 285 00:09:34,684 --> 00:09:36,635 As long as you carry any of them inside 286 00:09:36,963 --> 00:09:38,450 You have gone astray 287 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:39,591 You might ask 288 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:40,950 Then what should I actually do 289 00:09:41,479 --> 00:09:42,351 Do nothing at all 290 00:09:42,765 --> 00:09:43,564 No 291 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,810 The chapter on meditation and wisdom offers precise guidance 292 00:09:48,079 --> 00:09:48,631 Huineng says 293 00:09:49,079 --> 00:09:49,871 In this teaching of mine 294 00:09:50,319 --> 00:09:51,410 From the beginning 295 00:09:51,439 --> 00:09:52,670 We establish no thought as the guiding principle 296 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:53,950 No form as the essence 297 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:55,491 And nonabiding as the foundation 298 00:09:55,959 --> 00:09:58,170 No thought no form nonabiding 299 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,450 Three perspectives on the same thing 300 00:10:01,719 --> 00:10:03,530 No thought does not mean having no thoughts 301 00:10:03,719 --> 00:10:05,231 The text immediately adds 302 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:07,011 Amid thoughts be without thought 303 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:08,271 Thoughts still arise 304 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:10,251 But you are not held hostage by them 305 00:10:10,479 --> 00:10:11,631 Like walking down a street 306 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,439 With all kinds of sounds around you 307 00:10:13,439 --> 00:10:14,519 You hear them 308 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,971 But you do not stop and react to every sound 309 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:19,511 The sounds are there 310 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:20,679 And you are there 311 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:22,807 But nothing makes you stick to them 312 00:10:23,235 --> 00:10:25,086 No form does not mean there are no appearances 313 00:10:25,316 --> 00:10:27,966 The text says to be free of forms amid forms 314 00:10:28,316 --> 00:10:29,567 You see everything 315 00:10:29,635 --> 00:10:33,086 But you do not linger on any appearance and cling to it 316 00:10:33,356 --> 00:10:35,327 Like water flowing through your fingers 317 00:10:35,356 --> 00:10:36,766 You feel its coolness 318 00:10:36,875 --> 00:10:38,846 But the water does not stay in your hand 319 00:10:39,196 --> 00:10:39,667 Nonabiding 320 00:10:39,956 --> 00:10:41,647 This may be the key 321 00:10:41,875 --> 00:10:43,527 The text is very clear 322 00:10:43,716 --> 00:10:45,626 With all phenomena let no thought abide 323 00:10:45,875 --> 00:10:47,047 Then there is no bondage 324 00:10:47,275 --> 00:10:49,086 This is taking nonabiding as the foundation 325 00:10:49,356 --> 00:10:50,715 In relation to everything 326 00:10:50,716 --> 00:10:53,086 Your mind does not settle and cling from thought to thought 327 00:10:53,155 --> 00:10:54,647 Then you are free of bondage 328 00:10:54,796 --> 00:10:55,626 Did you notice 329 00:10:56,115 --> 00:10:58,407 None of these three terms is a denial 330 00:10:58,556 --> 00:11:00,246 Each describes a relationship 331 00:11:00,476 --> 00:11:01,707 Your relationship with thoughts 332 00:11:01,956 --> 00:11:03,514 Your relationship with appearances 333 00:11:03,515 --> 00:11:05,486 Your relationship with everything 334 00:11:06,235 --> 00:11:09,006 Not a single thing does not address a problem with the world 335 00:11:09,115 --> 00:11:11,917 It addresses the rope tying you to the world 336 00:11:12,466 --> 00:11:14,478 Let me explain from another angle 337 00:11:14,787 --> 00:11:16,578 Have you ever used noise canceling headphones 338 00:11:17,147 --> 00:11:17,978 Once you put them on 339 00:11:18,346 --> 00:11:19,998 The surrounding noise disappears 340 00:11:20,306 --> 00:11:22,037 The world seems quiet 341 00:11:22,387 --> 00:11:23,057 But in reality 342 00:11:23,387 --> 00:11:24,705 The noise is still there 343 00:11:24,706 --> 00:11:26,037 You simply cannot hear it 344 00:11:26,387 --> 00:11:27,677 This is the approach of Wolun 345 00:11:27,987 --> 00:11:29,958 He uses a powerful technique 346 00:11:29,987 --> 00:11:32,517 To stop perceiving disturbances outside 347 00:11:32,946 --> 00:11:33,537 The problem is 348 00:11:33,787 --> 00:11:34,697 Take off the headphones 349 00:11:34,946 --> 00:11:36,118 And the noise returns 350 00:11:36,306 --> 00:11:38,037 You must wear them forever 351 00:11:38,627 --> 00:11:41,557 Huineng does not offer you noise canceling headphones 352 00:11:41,907 --> 00:11:43,638 His approach is to help you discover 353 00:11:43,706 --> 00:11:45,397 The noise bothers you 354 00:11:45,426 --> 00:11:47,517 Not because it is so loud 355 00:11:47,706 --> 00:11:52,037 But because a voice inside says this noise should not exist 356 00:11:52,787 --> 00:11:53,978 Your resistance to the noise 357 00:11:54,227 --> 00:11:56,317 Is ten times louder than the noise itself 358 00:11:56,546 --> 00:11:57,777 When you stop resisting 359 00:11:58,027 --> 00:11:58,985 It is still there 360 00:11:58,987 --> 00:12:00,306 But it no longer bothers you 361 00:12:00,306 --> 00:12:01,718 It becomes background sound 362 00:12:01,946 --> 00:12:02,858 This is not endurance 363 00:12:03,107 --> 00:12:04,105 Nor suppression 364 00:12:04,107 --> 00:12:05,478 Nor pretending not to hear 365 00:12:05,706 --> 00:12:08,797 Your relationship with sound has fundamentally changed 366 00:12:08,907 --> 00:12:10,931 From fighting it to living alongside it 367 00:12:11,479 --> 00:12:14,171 This is the deeper meaning of not a single thing 368 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:15,630 The world has not emptied out 369 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:17,610 Everything has not disappeared 370 00:12:17,999 --> 00:12:20,850 Something unnecessary inside your mind has vanished 371 00:12:21,239 --> 00:12:23,610 It might be called my achievement 372 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:25,370 Or my troubles 373 00:12:25,599 --> 00:12:27,571 Or my progress in practice 374 00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:28,870 Whatever its name 375 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:30,839 As long as you carry it inside 376 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:32,011 It is a thing 377 00:12:32,519 --> 00:12:33,671 And Huineng tells you 378 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:34,959 This thing 379 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:36,571 Never belonged to you in the first place 380 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:38,571 You may have felt this too 381 00:12:38,999 --> 00:12:41,411 Sometimes you agonize over something for a long time 382 00:12:41,599 --> 00:12:42,610 Then one day 383 00:12:42,639 --> 00:12:43,470 For no clear reason 384 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:44,850 You stop agonizing 385 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:46,311 Not because you figured it out 386 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:48,210 Not because someone talked you through it 387 00:12:48,359 --> 00:12:50,931 Nor because the situation itself changed 388 00:12:51,599 --> 00:12:53,071 You simply realize 389 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,250 It was not that important 390 00:12:55,479 --> 00:12:56,811 You may even wonder 391 00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:58,630 Why did I care so much before 392 00:12:59,239 --> 00:13:01,291 In that moment when you stop caring 393 00:13:01,399 --> 00:13:05,210 You briefly live in not a single thing 394 00:13:05,479 --> 00:13:05,950 At that moment 395 00:13:06,239 --> 00:13:08,897 There is nothing extra in your mind 396 00:13:09,446 --> 00:13:09,998 The problem is 397 00:13:10,206 --> 00:13:11,397 This state comes quickly 398 00:13:11,607 --> 00:13:12,537 And leaves quickly too 399 00:13:12,926 --> 00:13:15,177 Soon you fill yourself with new things 400 00:13:15,727 --> 00:13:16,397 New worries 401 00:13:16,767 --> 00:13:17,777 New attachments 402 00:13:18,007 --> 00:13:19,578 New ideas about what I should be 403 00:13:20,206 --> 00:13:21,397 That is why Huineng says 404 00:13:21,686 --> 00:13:22,738 Nonabiding is the foundation 405 00:13:23,127 --> 00:13:25,766 He does not ask you to pursue a state without thoughts 406 00:13:25,767 --> 00:13:27,017 That is the path of Wolun 407 00:13:27,326 --> 00:13:30,137 He asks you not to linger on any thought 408 00:13:30,487 --> 00:13:31,317 This thought arrives 409 00:13:31,727 --> 00:13:32,277 You see it 410 00:13:32,527 --> 00:13:33,417 And it passes 411 00:13:33,767 --> 00:13:34,637 The next thought arrives 412 00:13:34,926 --> 00:13:35,478 You see it 413 00:13:35,686 --> 00:13:36,537 And it passes 414 00:13:36,806 --> 00:13:37,277 You do not grasp 415 00:13:37,686 --> 00:13:38,458 And you do not push away 416 00:13:38,767 --> 00:13:40,549 You are simply there 417 00:13:40,899 --> 00:13:43,669 This also explains another common puzzle 418 00:13:44,058 --> 00:13:45,538 If originally there is not a single thing 419 00:13:45,538 --> 00:13:47,850 Why did Huineng spend decades teaching 420 00:13:48,379 --> 00:13:51,309 Because no thing does not mean nothing to do 421 00:13:51,739 --> 00:13:53,789 It means that in everything you do 422 00:13:53,859 --> 00:13:55,029 You pile nothing up inside 423 00:13:55,538 --> 00:13:56,689 Teach when it is time to teach 424 00:13:56,979 --> 00:13:58,429 Eat when it is time to eat 425 00:13:58,499 --> 00:14:00,669 Face questions when they arise 426 00:14:00,859 --> 00:14:02,658 But you do not add to these actions 427 00:14:02,659 --> 00:14:07,669 A self assessment that says I am doing something great 428 00:14:08,099 --> 00:14:08,850 You do the task 429 00:14:09,019 --> 00:14:09,817 And finish it 430 00:14:09,818 --> 00:14:11,715 With neither more nor less inside 431 00:14:12,183 --> 00:14:14,955 Another scene in the Platform Sutra illustrates this 432 00:14:15,383 --> 00:14:17,675 When Huineng arrived at Faxing Temple in Guangzhou 433 00:14:17,824 --> 00:14:19,475 Two monks were arguing 434 00:14:19,864 --> 00:14:21,175 One said the wind was moving 435 00:14:21,464 --> 00:14:22,994 The other said the banner was moving 436 00:14:23,224 --> 00:14:24,915 Huineng approached and said 437 00:14:25,263 --> 00:14:26,014 It is not the wind moving 438 00:14:26,263 --> 00:14:27,014 It is not the banner moving 439 00:14:27,344 --> 00:14:28,555 It is your minds moving 440 00:14:29,064 --> 00:14:30,134 The wind really was blowing 441 00:14:30,584 --> 00:14:31,874 The banner really was waving 442 00:14:32,224 --> 00:14:34,915 But you cared about which one was moving 443 00:14:35,064 --> 00:14:38,195 Because your mind added a layer of judgment 444 00:14:38,624 --> 00:14:39,575 You were discriminating 445 00:14:39,824 --> 00:14:40,822 Taking sides 446 00:14:40,824 --> 00:14:42,955 Insisting that one answer must be true 447 00:14:43,263 --> 00:14:46,154 The moving wind and banner are facts of dependent arising 448 00:14:46,503 --> 00:14:48,075 But the question of which one is moving 449 00:14:48,224 --> 00:14:50,315 Is a product of the imagined nature 450 00:14:50,704 --> 00:14:52,234 You have added a thing to your mind 451 00:14:52,263 --> 00:14:55,589 The insistence on deciding which one is moving 452 00:14:55,979 --> 00:14:57,950 Look at these three encounters together 453 00:14:58,018 --> 00:15:01,150 And the consistency of the teaching becomes clear 454 00:15:01,658 --> 00:15:04,710 For Fada the thing was the merit of three thousand recitations 455 00:15:05,059 --> 00:15:07,830 For Wolun it was the achievement of stopping thoughts 456 00:15:08,219 --> 00:15:11,589 For the two monks it was the urge to distinguish right from wrong 457 00:15:12,059 --> 00:15:13,290 Huineng does the same thing each time 458 00:15:13,579 --> 00:15:14,950 He points out 459 00:15:15,018 --> 00:15:16,509 What you have added to your mind 460 00:15:16,819 --> 00:15:18,989 He never tells you what you should become 461 00:15:19,378 --> 00:15:21,534 He only points out what extra thing you carry now 462 00:15:22,002 --> 00:15:24,322 The theory of seeds we have explored throughout this series 463 00:15:24,323 --> 00:15:27,093 Offers an interesting explanation here 464 00:15:27,602 --> 00:15:30,442 Your cognitive system stores countless seeds 465 00:15:30,443 --> 00:15:32,493 Habitual patterns of reaction 466 00:15:32,843 --> 00:15:34,534 Fada chanted the sutra three thousand times 467 00:15:34,602 --> 00:15:39,014 Each reading reinforced a seed called I am accumulating merit 468 00:15:39,283 --> 00:15:40,921 That seed grew heavier and heavier 469 00:15:40,923 --> 00:15:42,842 So heavy that when he bowed 470 00:15:42,843 --> 00:15:44,493 He could not lower his head all the way 471 00:15:44,882 --> 00:15:47,134 Huineng did not rewrite his storehouse of seeds 472 00:15:47,482 --> 00:15:49,973 He did something simpler and more incisive 473 00:15:50,323 --> 00:15:52,733 He let Fada see that seed 474 00:15:53,122 --> 00:15:53,713 Once it was seen 475 00:15:54,002 --> 00:15:56,134 Its weight began to loosen 476 00:15:56,522 --> 00:15:58,641 Because a seed has power 477 00:15:58,642 --> 00:16:00,774 When you do not know it is there 478 00:16:01,522 --> 00:16:03,573 You think you are choosing freely 479 00:16:03,602 --> 00:16:06,549 But the seed is making the decision for you 480 00:16:07,058 --> 00:16:08,789 Those words not a single thing 481 00:16:08,818 --> 00:16:10,909 In the language of seed theory mean 482 00:16:11,018 --> 00:16:15,430 No seed at the base of your cognition must be kept forever 483 00:16:15,739 --> 00:16:18,149 Including seeds planted by spiritual practice 484 00:16:18,499 --> 00:16:21,149 Including seeds planted by the word awakening 485 00:16:21,418 --> 00:16:23,629 No seed is entitled 486 00:16:23,658 --> 00:16:26,269 To permanent residency in your system 487 00:16:26,859 --> 00:16:28,823 They are all passing visitors 488 00:16:29,051 --> 00:16:32,703 This is why the verse of Huineng goes deeper than that of Shenxiu 489 00:16:33,012 --> 00:16:35,063 Not because Huineng rejects effort 490 00:16:35,171 --> 00:16:37,662 But because he sees a more fundamental problem 491 00:16:38,051 --> 00:16:41,343 When polishing the mirror becomes something you must keep doing 492 00:16:41,492 --> 00:16:44,262 The act of polishing itself becomes a new seed 493 00:16:44,291 --> 00:16:45,823 It takes root in your mind 494 00:16:45,852 --> 00:16:47,542 And becomes a new attachment 495 00:16:47,732 --> 00:16:50,583 You move from clinging to troubles to clinging to practice 496 00:16:50,852 --> 00:16:53,223 You have merely traded for more elegant shackles 497 00:16:53,411 --> 00:16:54,882 When Huineng says not a single thing 498 00:16:55,212 --> 00:16:56,422 He is not telling you to stop practicing 499 00:16:56,691 --> 00:16:58,022 He asks that as you practice 500 00:16:58,051 --> 00:17:00,771 You do not turn practice into another thing 501 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:02,840 This sounds simple 502 00:17:02,841 --> 00:17:04,172 Just a handful of words 503 00:17:04,361 --> 00:17:05,600 But actually living it 504 00:17:05,601 --> 00:17:07,891 May be the hardest part of spiritual practice 505 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,212 Because the final thing you must let go of 506 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,267 Is letting go itself 507 00:17:12,576 --> 00:17:15,628 Today we explored three remarkable encounters in the Platform Sutra 508 00:17:15,896 --> 00:17:19,148 Fada chanted the Lotus Sutra three thousand times yet was turned by it 509 00:17:19,257 --> 00:17:22,507 Wolun tried hard to stop thoughts and became bound by his practice 510 00:17:22,657 --> 00:17:26,587 Two monks argued over wind and banner without seeing their own minds move 511 00:17:26,816 --> 00:17:29,216 All three stories point to the same thing 512 00:17:29,217 --> 00:17:32,827 Not a single thing is not an empty phrase denying everything 513 00:17:32,856 --> 00:17:35,628 It is a way of relating to everything 514 00:17:35,697 --> 00:17:36,327 Without piling things up 515 00:17:36,616 --> 00:17:37,456 Without clinging 516 00:17:37,457 --> 00:17:40,449 Without granting anything permanent residency in your mind 517 00:17:40,557 --> 00:17:41,729 Have you ever had a moment 518 00:17:41,757 --> 00:17:44,129 When you suddenly saw that something you had long clung to 519 00:17:44,357 --> 00:17:45,709 Never really belonged to you 520 00:17:46,238 --> 00:17:48,229 How did that realization feel 521 00:17:48,757 --> 00:17:50,348 Like loss or relief 522 00:17:50,918 --> 00:17:53,123 Share your experience in the comments 523 00:17:53,686 --> 00:17:54,215 I am Leo Wang 524 00:17:54,435 --> 00:17:55,190 See you next time