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The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch L32
In this session on the Platform Sutra, Khenpo Sodargye narrates three distinct koans regarding the verification of enlightenment. First, he discusses Master Zhihuang, who meditated in a hut for twenty years but held a dualistic view of samadhi until the Sixth Patriarch Huineng taught him that the mind is like space—unimpeded and perfectly functioning—rather than a mere void. Second, the lecture covers the arrival of the sculptor Monk Fangbian, who created a lifelike statue of Huineng and received a robe which was then buried with a prophecy for its future discovery, akin to the Terma tradition. Finally, the session contrasts Master Wolun's practice of "cutting off a hundred thoughts" with Huineng’s realization that true Bodhi arises amidst shifting circumstances, illustrating why suppressing mental activity is a form of bondage rather than liberation.
Teachings by Khenpo Sodargye.Zen Buddhism and Zen culture are popular worldwide—do you want to explore their depths? Want to know the legendary story of how the Sixth Patriarch, the ancestral master of the Zen lineage, transformed from an illiterate woodcutter into a great Zen master? Want to grasp the essence of Zen: the key instructions for directly pointing to the mind and seeing one's nature to attain Buddhahood? Want to tame afflictions and dissolve anxiety through Chan meditation? Khenpo Sodargye's teachings on The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch will reveal all of this for you.