Posted on by Teoh Kian Koon

Bro Teoh’s 9th Sept 2018 Sunday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the outline short notes and audio links to our 9th Sept 2018 Sunday class recording for sharing by all:

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-180909.pdf (Outline Short notes link)

https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/85-Summary-of-6th-Patriarch-9-Sept-2018.mp3 (audio link)

or at:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/35xl4ulrzyka2m6/85%20Summary%20of%20%206th%20Patriarch%209%20Sept%202018.MP3?dl=0
www.dropbox.com
Shared with Dropbox
Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh
 
From: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com></teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Sent: 12 September 2018 09:04
Subject: Re: SUNDAY Class at WPCS DATED 9 Sept 2018

Dear Mun Yuen and all,

Below are the edited outline short notes for our Sunday class dated 9th Sept 2018.

Outline short notes for 6th Patriarch’s Platform Sutra (lesson 85) dated 9th Sept 2018

  1. The class commenced with Gratitude Puja to the Triple Gem and Dharma Protectors in conjunction with our rather successful completion of the6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra teaching by Brother Teoh after a period of 3 years and 3 months of weekly sharing held at WPCS.

  2. After the puja, Brother Teoh also expressed his gratitude towards Sister Lee and the committee of  WPCS for allowing him to share those beautiful  Dharma in WPCS and he also relate the earlier rather unique conditions behind how he was invited to share the Dharma in WPCS in the year 2012.

  3. The 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra is the only sutra by a lay person that was accorded the same status as other sutras of the Buddha.

  4. Brother Teoh then explained the importance of having true Dharma friends (Kalyanamittas) to walk the Path of Dharma. (To refer to our https://broteoh.com   website for more details.)
    broteoh.com
    The Source is the Oneness nature or the Toa.It is the source or beginning of all the Myriads things. Pure awareness is the silent mind without any mind activity or movement as yet.It is only aware but it is capable of seeing things as they are (direct seeing). When one input the content of consciousness via wrong views into the pure consciousness, the mundane mind comes into being.

  5. Brother Teoh did a review and summarized the 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra teaching as below:

  • The sutra started with Bodhidharma (1st Patriarch) setting foot in China.
  • Then comes the Prediction of the Mahayana teaching taking deep roots in China after  the  advent of the 6th Patriarch (Master Hui Neng) 200 years later. 
  • Analogy of the flag and wind dharma: Which moves, flag or wind? Flag moves because the mind through the seeing consciousness perceives the flag moving. Wind moves because the mind through the hearing and tactile consciousness perceives the wind moving. Without mind, how can flag or wind moves? It is Mind that creates the perception of movement hence the reason why Hui Neng said, ‘neither the flag or wind move but your mind moves’. 
  • Normal merits vs pure merits. Normal merits are performed with mark of a self having the greed for merits. Pure merits are performed via  understanding (without the evil roots of greed, hatred and delusion).
  • Bodhisattvas are Enlightened Beings walking the Path of dharma to perfection to realize Samma Sambuddhahood.
  • The poems by Hui Neng and Shen Hsiu are the essence of the 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra’s teaching which is similar to the Heart Sutra’s teaching. (To refer to Bro. Teoh’s Heart Sutra short notes book – page 8 onwards for more detail explanation.)

 

  1. Poems by Shen Hsiu (show that his practice or cultivation is still at the Theravada level and it is mainly thought based for he still haven’t realized his true mind or true nature). 

 The body is like a Bodhi tree, 身是菩提樹，             Mind is like a mirror bright on a stand; 心如明鏡臺。

 Time and again polish until it shines, 時時勤拂拭，  (Above is incorrect understanding because Shen Hsiu misunderstood and he thought  the  mundane mind is the real mind. He created duality via the mundane mind and cling on to the perfect and the pure while rejecting the dust or defilement. This means his mundane mind which is the thought is still active so how can he develop thesilent mind to awaken or insight into truth).                                                 So that no dust can alight, 勿使惹塵埃。                 {Above is incorrect understanding because the mundane Mind/thought has created the duality of wholesome (pure) and unwholesome (dust)}.

b.   Poem by Hui Neng:

Bodhi is basically not a tree, 菩提本無樹，(Bodhi or Enlightenment is not a tree, but a realization; an awakening).

The true mind is neither the bright mirror nor the stand; 明鏡亦非臺。                                                    Originally there is nothing,  本來無一物，                  (True mind has nothing.)                                                             Where can dust alight? 何處惹塵埃。

    • Just relax, silent and maintain awareness then the mundane mind will slow down and cease. When the mundane mind ceases, there is no creation of duality anymore because there is no thought. Meditation must be develop with understanding.
    • Hui Neng’s advice before his passing away is:  ‘Understand your mind and see your nature within. Do not grief after his passing away for that is contrary to the Dharma. Have gratitude but not grief or attach to the form or image that has gone the way of nature’.

  1. Within this conditioned world, all are conditioned dharma. That is they are alldependent originating following nature’s laws hence they are not real. They areall dream like, an illusion, a bubble and a shadow, leading to suffering if one lack wisdom. So do not be deluded by them.

  2. The present moment which is the only reality in life, arise and passed away very fast. Spit second it is gone so how real can life be? Form and mind are the same. They keep on appearing and disappearing.

  3. The true mind has no duality, so no suffering. Silent your mind to experience thepeace and the stillness within.

  4. Four essential conducts of the ariyan Sangha :  i) Of Good conduct (e.g. keep precepts, generous, kind and helpful); ii) Of Upright conduct (e.g. righteous, sincere and honest), iii) Of Wise conduct (have right views and wisdom) &  iv) Of Dutifulconduct (form & mind’s duty towards the law of Karma, regardless whether one is enlightened or not). Check whether these qualities are in you or not to know whether you are a true disciple of the Buddha. These qualities are also found in the Noble Eightfold Path which liberates the mind.

  5. An enlightened person is always aware and mindful and their mind does not dwell or cling on to things. 

  6. Dharma is not a knowledge based. Dharma is never apart from life. Must be able to apply Dharma in life for life itself is where the dharma is.

  7. Story of Master Xu Yun (Empty Cloud).

  8. Sister Chwee’s questions on Hui Neng being born without a mundane mind and meaning of no mark.

  9. Brother Ng’s sharing on his faith in Brother Teoh.

  10. Diamond sutra teaching is very abstract: The Buddha said ‘Because there are no beings to be saved, there are beings to be saved’! 

  • This means under ultimate truth, “there are no beings to be saved” because everything is anatta (empty and non-self) and this wisdom must  be realised so that one will not be deluded by the form and mind but within the conditioned world of conditioned dharma there is such a thing as the law of karma that the form and mind is subject to so that is the reason why to the Buddha there are still beings to be saved.

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