A Study On The Contradictions And Compatibilities In The Ideas Of Practice Within Platform Sutra

Zen is a sect of Buddhism in China.And Platform Sutra is a landmark work of Buddhism in China.My study shows that the sudden enlightenment in the Platform Sutra refers to the fundamental non-discriminating wisdom of cognizing the suchness.At this time,there is no subject and object,so it is called the sudden.Although Platform Sutra focuses on sudden enlightenment,it still has much space to describe the gradual training of application non-discriminating cognition and subsequently-attained non-discriminating cognition.For example,Huineng’s students spent a lot of time practicing before and after Enlightenment.Practicing application non-discriminating cognition will result in fundamental non-discriminating wisdom.And the fundamental non-discriminating wisdom is the cause of subsequently-attained non-discriminating cognition.Hence,the sudden and the gradual training seem to be contradictory,but in reality they are harmonious.The sudden enlightenment advocated by Huineng only achieved a point of dharma body Buddha,and it was still far from the perfect Buddha.Although the suchness is far from all kinds of binary oppositions,there are differences in the wisdom of knowing the suchness.Thus,the Diamond Sutra said “saints differ as how to understand asa ?skrta-dharmāh,and Huineng also needs many times sudden enlightenment to perfect his wisdom.Huineng believes that attachment practice will lead to contaminated goodness,so he said that people can not become a Buddha through practice.But he also believes that selflessness practice can become a Buddha,so he said that people need to practice as a Buddha.Because only the selflessness perfumation can finally make the uncontaminated seeds current.The selflessness practice is based on the fact that non-practice as the essence and practice as a function.Therefore,practice and non-practice are neither two things nor one thing.Based on the principle of selflessness practice,the Platform Sutra has further developed a unique interpretation of meditation and ethics,forming a one-practice absorption thought and a unique ethical concept away from the two sides.From the perspective of essence including function,Platform Sutra believes that all beings have three Buddha-bodies and four kinds of Buddha-wisdom from the beginning,so the bodies and wisdom is not cultivated,but people who want to gain the bodies and wisdom need to practice.Besides,When the Platform Sutra mentions that Buddha-nature can not be increased or decreased,it refers to the essence Buddha-nature;when it comes to thefact that Buddha-nature can be increased or decreased,it refers to the function Buddha-nature.Essence Buddha-nature and function Buddha-nature are neither two things nor one thing.So,Huineng sometimes said that Buddha-nature cannot be increased or decreased.Sometimes he said that it can be increased or decreased.This seems contradictory,but it is actually harmonious.