Selection from the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: Chapter 1, Part 2 of 2

Venerated Buddhist Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, is a legendary figure in the early history of Chinese Zen Buddhism. He is regarded as the founder of the “Sudden Enlightenment” Southern Zen school of Buddhism. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is a record of both Buddhist Master Huineng’s life and teachings. “Supreme Bodhi must be obtained at the very moment of speaking. In recognizing the original mind, at all times, in every thought, you yourself will see that the ten thousand Dharmas are unblocked; in one truth is all truth and the ten thousand states are of themselves ‘thus,’ as they are. The ‘thusness’ of the mind, just that is true reality.”