The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch and the Study of 36 Relative Dharma in the Activities

ABSTRACT

Although The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is also expressed by letters and spoken words, as far as relying on letters and spoken words we could not find the Essence of Mind, it is represented by the non-dependence on words and letters(不立文字 and 不拘文字). Even though The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is the root of the korean buddhism and the foundation of korean zen, it is common knowledge that in our ordinary life we should rely on letters and spoken words. Noticing Huineng’s solution to this problem is the relative dharma, we think that the meaning is obvious when it is resolved by some misunderstandings on the relative dharma. After classified four questions for these misunderstandings, we will concretize the practical meaning of the relative dharma by addressing these ones in material way. First, “Why does it thirty six relative dharma?” Second, “Why other the relative dharma but the noticed one is rejected?” Third, “How could we teach to others the relative dharma?” Fourth, “How could we make lifelike the meaning of the middle way by using the relative dharma?” Both the first and the second questions is related to the symbolism and both third and fourth ones is related to the practice of the relative dharma in The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. The clue of demonstration to resolve the four questions could be found ‘in the activities of the Essence of Mind’, firstly I address that it is related to the evolving consciousness(轉識) ‘as the process of thinking or reasoning’. And then these activities are revealed by Huineng’s Chaeyong view(體用觀), by these revealing the meaning of the middle way is concretized. From now on as the relative dharma is the way to gain the middle way apart from double sides(不二) and activating the Essence of Mind, it will be justified as the way which in ordinary life we could practice the zen without forgetting the fundamental core of buddhism.