Explanation of Passages from the Platform Sutra

Original text: 师示众云：善知识，何名坐禅?此法门中，无障无碍，外于一切善恶境界，心念不起，名为坐。内见自性不动，名为禅。

Explanation: The Sixth Patriarch said: "In this dharma gate of seated meditation, there is not a single obstruction. When you sit, toward all the sense objects of the six dusts—whether wholesome or unwholesome—do not let your mind give rise to thoughts; this is called concentration, named 'sitting.' When engaged in meditative sitting, do not sit emptily; you must have contemplation. Only through contemplation and investigation can you see your own self-nature, and seeing that the self-nature is originally unmoving—this is Chan (dhyāna). Seated meditation is precisely about seeing the mind and seeing the nature; seated meditation is not about thinking of nothing at all, not about applying the mind to nothing, and not about entering into a state of meditative concentration. True seated meditation means being able to see that your own self-nature is originally unmoving and unshaken."

Original text: 善知识，何名禅定？外离相为禅，内不乱为定。外若著相，内心即乱；外若离相，心即不乱。本性自净自定。只为见境，思境即乱。若见诸境心不乱者，是真定也。

Explanation: The concept of Chan concentration (dhyāna-samādhi) is: externally free from marks — that is Chan (dhyāna); internally undisturbed — that is concentration (samādhi). This means that externally one must be free from all marks—that is what the Heart Sutra speaks of as no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas, no six faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses, no five aggregates and eighteen realms, no Four Noble Truths, no the six pāramitās of the bodhisattva—no marks at all. Internally undisturbed means not giving rise to discrimination toward any object-mark, not being shaken, having no mental thoughts—this is Chan (dhyāna).

Then who does "this one" refer to? It is the tathāgatagarbha. When you sit there cultivating Chan concentration, the mind is not disturbed by any object, and your mind is thus concentrated. In fact, this refers to the tathāgatagarbha being free from all marks—externally free from all marks, while internally still undisturbed. The tathāgatagarbha is never a disturbed mind; the tathāgatagarbha is forever within Chan concentration. If, while in Chan concentration, you grasp at all object-marks, and wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, good and bad (kuśala-akuśala, satya-mithyā, śubha-aśubha) all come forth, then your mind is disturbed—this is having neither Chan nor concentration. If the deluded mind, like the true mind, is also undisturbed, then there is Chan concentration. The meaning of this passage must be explained by separating the two natures of the true mind and the deluded mind. The earlier statement speaks of the self-nature of the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha; the latter part says that when you cultivate Chan you must not grasp at marks—if you grasp at marks the mind will be disturbed, and there will be no Chan concentration. If you wish to have Chan concentration, externally you should be free from all marks, not grasping at any mark; when your mind is undisturbed, only then can there be Chan concentration.

Then who possesses Chan concentration? The tathāgatagarbha is just like this: He is free from all marks, His mind is undisturbed—He is Chan concentration, forever in samādhi. Your self-natured pure mind is intrinsically pure, is originally within Chan concentration, is originally concentrated and undisturbed, and does not need you to cultivate Him. Rather, you must rely on Him to cultivate your own deluded mind, letting the deluded mind also become pure and enter into samādhi. Do not give rise to thoughts and grasp at marks upon seeing objects; do not let the mind be disturbed. When our deluded mind sees objects and deliberates (manasikāra/manana) upon them, the mind becomes disturbed and grasps at marks. If the deluded mind can see all objects with an undisturbed mind, this is truly Chan concentration.

The tathāgatagarbha can also discern all external dharmas and corresponds to all external dharmas, yet His mind does not cognize the specific object-marks of all dharmas; He does not know wholesome or unwholesome, beautiful or ugly, right or wrong—therefore His mind is undisturbed, and the tathāgatagarbha is true samādhi. He is operating upon all dharmas—not unmoving, but moving yet unmoving. While operating upon all dharmas, He does not discern the marks of wholesomeness or unwholesomeness, right or wrong of the dharmas; therefore His mind is undisturbed—this is the true great samādhi of nāga-like immovability (nahāta-mahā-samādhi).