Why the Sixth Patriarch Says Ordinary People Can See Buddha

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch L27

In this session on the Platform Sutra, Khenpo Sodargye continues the dialogue between the Sixth Patriarch Huineng and Bhikshu Fada, a monk who had recited the Lotus Sutra three thousand times but had not grasped its essence. The teaching explores the critical distinction between "turning the sutra" (active realization) and "being turned by the sutra" (passive attachment to words). While affirming the immense merit of chanting and rituals—illustrated by a story from the Tang Dynasty about saving a soul from hell through scripture copying—Khenpo emphasizes that true practice requires integrating the Dharma into one's mind. The lecture also decodes the profound metaphor of the "Three Carts" (Goat, Deer, and Ox) versus the "White Ox Cart," revealing that the ultimate One Vehicle is not something to be sought outside, but the intrinsic Buddha-nature that every being already possesses within the "burning house" of samsara.

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.