Interpretation of Passages from the Platform Sūtra

Original text: 师示众云：善知识，何名坐禅?此法门中，无障无碍，外于一切善恶境界，心念不起，名为坐。内见自性不动，名为禅。

Explanation: The Sixth Patriarch said: "In this dharma gate of sitting meditation, there is not the slightest obstruction. When you sit, toward all the realms of the six sense objects, whether wholesome or unwholesome, you should not give rise to thoughts in your mind—this is called sitting. When engaged in meditative sitting, do not sit blankly; you must have contemplation. Only through contemplative investigation can you see your own self-nature; seeing that the self-nature is originally unmoving—this is Chan (dhyāna). Sitting meditation is precisely about seeing one's true mind and awakening to one's nature; sitting meditation is not about thinking of nothing at all, not about applying the mind to nothing, and not about entering a state of meditative concentration. True sitting meditation means being able to see that your own self-nature is originally unmoving."

Original text: 善知识，何名禅定？外离相为禅，内不乱为定。外若著相，内心即乱；外若离相，心即不乱。本性自净自定。只为见境，思境即乱。若见诸境心不乱者，是真定也。

Explanation: The concept of Chan samādhi is: to be outwardly detached from signs is Chan (dhyāna); to be inwardly undisturbed is samādhi. This means that outwardly one must be detached from all signs—that is, as the Heart Sutra says, there is no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; no six faculties, six objects, or six consciousnesses; no five aggregates or eighteen elements; no four noble truths; no the bodhisattva's six perfections—no signs at all. Inwardly undisturbed means not discriminating toward any realm of appearances, not wavering, having no thoughts—this is Chan.

Then who does "this" refer to? It is the tathāgatagarbha. When you sit there cultivating Chan samādhi, the mind is not disturbed by any realm, and your mind is thus in samādhi. In fact, this refers to the tathāgatagarbha being detached from all signs—outwardly detached from all signs, while inwardly still undisturbed. The tathāgatagarbha's mind is never disturbed; the tathāgatagarbha is forever in Chan samādhi. If, while in Chan samādhi, you grasp at all the appearances of realms—when the wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, good and bad all appear—your mind is disturbed, and then there is neither Chan nor samādhi. If the deluded mind, like the true mind, is also undisturbed, then there is Chan samādhi. The meaning of this passage must be explained by distinguishing the two natures of the true mind and the deluded mind. The first statement describes the self-nature of the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha; what follows says that when you cultivate Chan, you should not grasp at signs—if you grasp at signs, the mind becomes disturbed, and there is no Chan samādhi. If you wish to have Chan samādhi, you should outwardly be detached from all signs, not grasping at any signs; when your mind is undisturbed, only then can there be Chan samādhi.

Then who possesses Chan samādhi? The tathāgatagarbha is just like this: He is detached from all signs, His mind is undisturbed—He is Chan samādhi, forever in concentration. Your self-natured pure mind is originally pure, originally in Chan samādhi, originally concentrated and undisturbed; there is no need for you to cultivate Him. Rather, you must rely on Him to cultivate your own deluded mind, so that the deluded mind also becomes tranquil and enters concentration. Do not give rise to thoughts and grasp at signs upon seeing realms; do not let the mind become disturbed. When our deluded mind sees a realm and deliberates upon it, the mind becomes disturbed and grasps at signs. If the deluded mind can see all realms without the mind becoming disturbed, that is truly Chan samādhi.

The tathāgatagarbha can also discern all external dharmas, corresponding to all external dharmas, yet His mind does not cognize the specific appearances of the realms of dharmas; He does not know wholesome from unwholesome, beautiful from ugly, right from wrong—therefore His mind is undisturbed, and the tathāgatagarbha is the true samādhi. He operates upon all dharmas—not unmoving, but moving yet unmoving. While operating upon all dharmas, He does not discern the signs of wholesomeness, unwholesomeness, right, or wrong of those dharmas; therefore His mind is undisturbed—this is truly the great nāga concentration.