Platform Suatra

The Platform Sūtra has a profound impact on its audience. It shapes the figure Huineng who has become one of the six patriarchs in Chan Buddhism through a narration of his dramatic biography and his groundbreaking announcement of the inherent Buddha nature. according to Morten Schlütter, these highlights of the Platform Sūtra, “have remained essentially unchanged through its different versions and today the text still has the power to entertain and inspire readers.” In order to achieve such deep and sustained influence that founds the basis of Chan in East Asian cultures, the Platform Sūtra definitely has a unique approach to weave stories and teachings. During the early period of Buddhism, such innovative style and interpretation of the Buddhist

The Buddhism was initially appealed to the imperial court and social elites, but Huineng, a non-literate commoner who eventually became a patriarch, radically attacks such convention. Coming from the poor southern China, He was raised in great difficulties and had to struggle to earn his living. Huineng’s family background is a sharp challenge of the notion that only elites can practice Buddhism and reach Buddha-nature. He questions such restriction on class identity that “although people may be from north or south, there is fundamentally no north and south in the Buddha-nature.” In this critique, Huineng suggests that there is no difference in the Buddha-nature and everyone regardless of their identity can achieve Buddha-nature. This interpretation embeds a belief that all humans have the same access to Buddhism and Buddha-nature, which expands the audiences of Buddhism beyond elites and welcomes every

In fact, his background and his personality articulated above are in accord with this teaching. For instance, in the first section, northern school Shenxiu’s gradual approach states that: “The body is the bodhi tree; The mind is like a bright mirror’s stand. Be always diligent in rubbing it—Do not let it attract any dust.” Huineng responses to Shenxiu’s verse that “Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree; The bright mirror is also not a stand. Fundamentally there is not a single thing— Where could any dust be attracted?” The gradual teachings emphasize the practice and the sudden teachings based on the Buddha-nature. Just as Peter N. Gregory articulates that, for the northern school, “a teaching or a practice is used as a means to realize a goal” and, for the southern school, it “directly addresses the ultimate nature of reality without any mediation.” Huineng’s teachings critique the “goal” announced by the southern school. It is possible that one may lose this “goal” through the long and tedious practice. Thus, Huineng’s wisdom is that he presents the “goal” in a straightforward way that can be achieved through a sudden enlightenment. Huineng’s teachings emphasize that “if you are enlightened in your mind, then you will see the nature yourself.” In this way, there is no need to merely rely on external practices to achieve an