The Master's Physical Strike and the Debate on Feeling Pain

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch L35 The Master's Physical Strike and the Debate on Feeling Pain

In this continuation of the Platform Sutra, Khenpo Sodargye delves into the Sixth Patriarch's profound resolution of the apparent contradictions regarding "permanence" and "impermanence" in the Nirvana Sutra. The Master expertly dismantles rigid views of nihilism and stagnant permanence, revealing the non-dual truth of Tathagatagarbha and guiding Xingchang (Zhiche) to sudden enlightenment. The lesson then introduces the story of Shenhui, a thirteen-year-old boy who travels thousands of miles to meet the Patriarch. Through a sharp exchange of Chan koans—involving physical strikes and debates on feeling pain, and seeing versus not seeing—the Master exposes the ultimate pitfalls of dualistic thinking. Despite being severely criticized initially, Shenhui deeply repents and extensively propagates the Southern Chan teachings in his later years. The teaching concludes by advising true practitioners to fundamentally discard all conceptual thoughts of good and evil to abide purely in their self-nature.