• Instantaneous kind of person dont go though IAMness. Huineng didnt go as an example.

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    Actually that is not correct. Huineng initial poem is not about anatta and no mirror but about I AMness.
    The translation taken by
    Myriad Objects
    and Rob Burbea is inaccurate.
    Huineng went through two awakenings. Will elaborate later

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  • Soh Wei Yu
    In platform sutra it says literally "I became Buddha". I can recognize de hanzi for buddha in the text. What you think? Anway Dakpo and Mahamudra in general recognize instantaneous type of person. Any opinion? (not my case :D:D 😃)

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    Huineng's initial poem only expresses I AM, which was why 5th patriarch was still unimpressed. This is the point made by John Tan, my Taiwanese teacher, and a few Mahayana teachers I've seen.
    I explained in 2014:
    Nope. Huineng simply realized the I AM at that time. The 5th patriarch rubbed his no-mirror-stand poem off with his feet saying that too is not an expression of great realization, told him to go meet him at midnight with a cryptic message from his staff. Upon meeting, the 5th patriarch explained the Diamond Sutra, and upon hearing the verse "giving rise to an unsupported mind" he realized "great awakening". This is written in chapter 1 of Platform Sutra
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    Its important to note that at the time Hui-neng wrote the no-mirror-stand (not no-mirror) quote, he has not yet attained great enlightenment. It is more like a realization of the formless I AM, and how the I AM is fundamentally void of sensory/mental obscurations. But this is still way better than Shenxiu, who was still talking from the viewpoint of purifying the mind through shamatha, without any realization of his Mind. Hui-neng's great enlightenment occurred later on.
    A better translation (by me):
    菩提本无树,
    Bodhi (Awareness/Mind/Self) is originally without tree
    明镜亦非台,
    The Clear Mirror (Awareness/Mind) is not a Stand
    本来无一物,
    Originally (in the Source) there is not one phenomena
    何处惹尘埃
    Where does dust alight?
    ................
    Session Start: Fri Nov 04 23:00:58 2005
    Session Ident: ^john^
    [23:00] Session Ident: ^john^ (~john@bb220-255-178-83.singnet.com.sg)
    [23:00] <^john^> Thevoice msg me. Don't say i m around. 🙂
    [23:01] <ZeN`n1th> hahah
    [23:01] <ZeN`n1th> why u ignore him
    [23:01] <^john^> this is a very important site.
    [23:01] <ZeN`n1th> oh ya
    [23:01] <^john^> finally found one that explains how we lost ourselves.
    [23:01] <ZeN`n1th> u gave me the link b4
    [23:01] <ZeN`n1th> i will bookmark it
    [23:02] <^john^> about luminosity and emptiness?
    [23:02] <^john^> the danger of emphasizing luminosity?
    [23:02] <ZeN`n1th> u gave me the link a year ago
    [23:03] <^john^> ic...i can't find the link.
    [23:03] <ZeN`n1th> huh
    [23:03] <^john^> search for about a yr.
    [23:03] <^john^> lol
    [23:03] <ZeN`n1th> lol
    [23:03] <ZeN`n1th> so u found it again?
    [23:03] <ZeN`n1th> me too, i cant find it for a long tie
    [23:03] <ZeN`n1th> time
    [23:03] <^john^> yeah...i was trying to find it.
    [23:03] <^john^> put it into the forum.
    [23:04] <^john^> as for thevoice, not the time yet. 🙂
    [23:05] <ZeN`n1th> oic...
    [23:05] <ZeN`n1th> okie
    [23:05] <ZeN`n1th> hmm so when is the time for thevoice?
    [23:05] <ZeN`n1th> lol
    [23:05] <^john^> lost one more time. 🙂
    [23:05] <ZeN`n1th> lost wat?
    [23:06] <^john^> nowadays many zen books and masters are overemphasizing the luminosity aspect of pure awareness. Found it at the right time. 🙂
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    [00:49] <^john^> it is not difficult to see the emphasis of most zen masters is on pure awareness lucidity and clarity.
    [00:51] <^john^> i must say tibetan masters are more balanced. I
    [00:51] <ZeN`n1th> how about e.g 6th zen patriarch hui neng?
    [00:51] <ZeN`n1th> u saying most/all or only limited to some?
    [00:51] <ZeN`n1th> i mean, some zen masters?
    [00:53] <^john^> yes they are.  
    [00:53] <ZeN`n1th> there are what?
    [00:53] <ZeN`n1th> enlightened?
    [00:53] <ZeN`n1th> btw 6th zen patriarch is enlightened isnt it
    [00:54] <ZeN`n1th> anyway lineages are only passed down to enlightened ppl, so i presume all the zen lineage holders are enlightened?
    [00:55] <^john^> yes
    [00:55] <^john^> not the first time.
    [00:55] <^john^> the popular poem puti ben wu shu.  
    [00:56] <ZeN`n1th> [00:55] <^john^> not the first time. --> huh?
    [00:57] <ZeN`n1th> not the first time on what
    [00:57] <ZeN`n1th> [00:55] <^john^> the popular poem puti ben wu shu.   --> so u mean the poem showcase hui neng's enlightenment?
    [00:57] <^john^> yes
    [00:57] <ZeN`n1th> oic
    [00:57] <ZeN`n1th> anyway u mean first time is what
    [00:58] <^john^> when he wrote the poem.
    [00:58] <ZeN`n1th> u mean Shen-hsiu's poem?
    [00:59] <^john^> after he came out from hiding, he is entirely different.
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> The body is the bodhi tree,
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> The mind is like a clear mirror.
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> At all times we must strive to polish it,
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> And must not let the dust collect.
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> (Yampolsky 130)
    [00:59] <^john^> yes.
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> 2) Hui-neng offers the following alternative verse:
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Bodhi originally has no tree,
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> The mirror(-like mind) has no stand.
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Buddha-nature (emptiness/oneness) is always clean and pure;
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Where is there room for dust (to alight)?
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> (Yampolsky 132)
    [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <^john^> after he came out from hiding, he is entirely different. --> oic..
    [01:00] <^john^> anyway i m not in the position to comment on huineng.  
    [01:01] <^john^> but zen books tend to overemphasize this aspect.
    [01:01] <ZeN`n1th> actually i tink u got the timeline wrong
    [01:01] <ZeN`n1th> it is only after hui neng wrote the poem, and the 5th patriarch was impressed
    [01:01] <ZeN`n1th> then he told hui neng to go into hiding
    [01:01] <ZeN`n1th> lol
    [01:01] <^john^> u will not find much diff between the 'atman'
    [01:01] <ZeN`n1th> icic..
    [01:01] <^john^> yes he told hui neng to go into hiding coz he isn't ready.  
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> isn't ready for?
    [01:02] <^john^> preaching.  
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> icic
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> but when he wrote this poem, he is already enlightened right?
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> 2) Hui-neng offers the following alternative verse:
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Bodhi originally has no tree,
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> The mirror(-like mind) has no stand.
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Buddha-nature (emptiness/oneness) is always clean and pure;
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> Where is there room for dust (to alight)?
    [01:02] <ZeN`n1th> [00:59] <ZeN`n1th> (Yampolsky 132)
    [01:02] <^john^> i think i told utpala few yrs back that xing1 is not xin4
    [01:03] <ZeN`n1th> xing = mind? xin4 = ? faith?
    [01:03] <^john^> xing4 as in nature.
    [01:03] <ZeN`n1th> nature, mind?
    [01:03] <^john^> u know ming xin jian xing
    [01:03] <ZeN`n1th> yes
    [01:04] <^john^> know ur mind and see ur nature
    [01:04] <^john^> nature is emptiness
    [01:04] <^john^> i told utpala ming xin does not mean jian xing4
    [01:04] <ZeN`n1th> then what is ming xin
    [01:05] <^john^> its intuitive perception of consciousness
    [01:05] <ZeN`n1th> icic
    [01:05] <^john^> knowing what is consciousness.
    [01:06] <^john^> but not it's nature.
    [01:07] <^john^> realised its briliance, bright, lucidity, unborn aspect of consciousness
    [01:07] <ZeN`n1th> icic..
    [01:07] <^john^> not the emptiness aspect
    [01:07] <ZeN`n1th> hmm
    [01:08] <ZeN`n1th> but when hui neng wrote this, is he already enlightened or not yet enlightened

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    [01:08] <ZeN`n1th> Fundamentally no wisdom-tree exists,
    [01:08] <ZeN`n1th> Nor the stand of a mirror bright.
    [01:08] <ZeN`n1th> Since all is empty from the beginning,
    [01:08] <ZeN`n1th> Where can the dust alight
    [01:09] <^john^> not completely enlightened from my perspective.  
    [01:09] <ZeN`n1th> huh how come? i tot he already understood emptiness?  
    [01:10] <^john^> which line tell u the characteristic of emptiness?
    [01:11] <ZeN`n1th> i dunnu, but using the analogy of mirror as mind, he said that the mirror is also empty.. so isnt it what u said 'jian xing'?
    [01:12] <^john^> i mean not just in words
    [01:12] <^john^> but which line tell us the meaning of emptiness
    [01:13] <ZeN`n1th> i dunnu leh
    [01:13] <ZeN`n1th> it just says empty lor
    [01:13] <ZeN`n1th> lol
    [01:13] <^john^> lol
    [01:14] <^john^> more on the aspect that the pristine awareness does not lost its lucidity and brightness.
    [01:14] <^john^> no dust can alight.
    [01:14] <ZeN`n1th> oic..
    [01:14] <^john^> even when we are in samsara, it still remain clearly bright.
    [01:15] <ZeN`n1th> icic
    [01:15] <^john^> there is no wisdom needed because it is luminosity itself
    [01:16] <^john^> mirror bright does not require a stand
    [01:16] <ZeN`n1th> oic..
    [01:16] <^john^> empty here is not the essence of the nature, but refers to the formless nature of consciousness
    [01:17] <^john^> essence of emptiness i mean
    [01:17] <ZeN`n1th> oic..
    [01:18] <ZeN`n1th> oh ya i wanted to ask u something another day
    [01:18] <ZeN`n1th> does theravada even teach about luminosity?
    [01:18] <ZeN`n1th> lol
    [01:18] <^john^> direct perception of consciousness is important but must go hand in hand with emptiness.
    [01:18] <^john^> yes
    [01:18] <ZeN`n1th> how
    [01:19] <ZeN`n1th> i mean
    [01:19] <ZeN`n1th> what did theravada says about luminosity
    [01:19] <ZeN`n1th> got mention meh
    [01:20] <^john^> more than what u thought.  
    [01:21] <^john^> u know about vipassana meditation?
    [01:22] <ZeN`n1th> uh ya
    [01:22] <ZeN`n1th> sort of
    [01:22] <ZeN`n1th> y?
    [01:22] <ZeN`n1th> btw mindfulness = awareness right?
    [01:22] <ZeN`n1th> mindfulness = pure awareness
    [01:22] <^john^> yes
    [01:23] <ZeN`n1th> icic
    [01:23] <^john^> in certain sense but mindfulness is an action
    [01:23] <^john^> very good site.
    [01:24] <ZeN`n1th> oic
    [01:25] <^john^> where as pure awareness is the reality
    [01:28] <ZeN`n1th> icic
    [01:42] <^john^> go to go now. Take care.  
    Session Close: Sat Nov 05 01:58:09 2005
    KATINKAHESSELINK.NET
    Karma and Anatta or Non-self and Kamma - Buddha's world
    Karma and Anatta or Non-self and Kamma - Buddha's world

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  • Soh Wei Yu
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    Alan Smith " I always understood the original poem about the mirror needing to be cleaned to be I AM insight."
    No, once you realise I AM you just realise that is what you are and forever untainted by anything. It is not a state that is in need of cleaning.
    Jan 2005:
    [19:21] <^john^> learn how to experience emptiness and no-selfness. 🙂
    [19:22] <^john^> this is the only way to liberate.
    [19:22] <^john^> not to dwell too deeply into the minor aspect of pure awareness.
    [19:23] <^john^> of late i have been seeing songs and poems relating to the luminosity aspect of Pure Awareness.
    [19:23] <^john^> uncreated, original, mirror bright, not lost in nirvana and samsara..etc
    [19:23] <^john^> what use is there?
    [19:24] <ZeN`n1th> oic...
    [19:24] <^john^> we have from the very beginning so and yet lost for countless aeons of lives.
    [19:25] <^john^> buddha did not come to tell only about the luminosity aspect of pure awareness.
    [19:25] <^john^> this has already been expressed in vedas.
    [19:25] <^john^> but it becomes Self.
    [19:25] <^john^> the ultimate controller
    [19:26] <^john^> the deathless
    [19:26] <^john^> the supreme..etc
    [19:26] <^john^> this is the problem.
    [19:26] <^john^> this is not the ultimate nature of Pure Awareness.
    [19:27] <^john^> for full enlightenment to take place, experience the clarity and emptiness. That's all.
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  • Alan Smith
    It seems to me "cleaning the mirror" is like the person who has an I AM insight and is trying to re-confirm the ever-presence of awareness.
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  • Soh Wei Yu
    Admin
    Cleaning the mirror is more like trying to get rid of thoughts to discover or reveal the underlying mirror. That is still someone on the process of trying to realise I AM, not one who had the eureka realisation of what he/she truly is. One who realises I AM just has a total confidence and doubtless certainty of what true Beingness is that cannot be lost -- that the I AM is his/her immediate ground of Being all the time. Although there can still be tendencies to inclined towards nirvikalpa samadhi etc, it is not a really seen as a state nor as something in need of cleaning, nor can it be affected or tainted by any thoughts or activities that comes and goes in the infinite canvas of primordial Beingness/Awareness
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    Soh Wei Yu
    Admin

    Alan Smith Also I wrote in AtR guide the I AM realization is not a maintenance state.
    "What the I AM Realization Is Not
    The key aspect that distinguishes I AM realization from I AM experience is that there is the quality of complete doubtless certainty of Self that is unshakeable, a Eureka moment where you have found out what you truly are, and that certainty remains from that point onwards.
    Furthermore - the I AM is not a fabricated state. It is Unfabricated Presence-Awareness. You do not “cultivate” the I AM Presence. It is not merely a state of Witnessing to be maintained. It is not a maintenance state. It is not a state to be reached through effort and cultivation. Instead it is discovered and directly realized to be one’s doubtless shining core of Existence, much like the clouds dissipating (our misidentification with perceived objects of mind and body as self) revealing the shining sun that was all along present but never noticed.
    If one has an experience of being a Witness or enter into a state of Witnessing, but it needs to be “maintained” or is felt to be “gained” or “lost”, even if one intuits that Witness to be ever-present, that is still an “experience” but not “realization” (see the classifications above). This does not mean after the I AM realization one can never be distracted by thoughts ever, it just means there is a kind of unshakeable certainty of Being that is never lost. You realized this is You without a shadow of doubt, as the ground of Being. As John Tan puts it, “Being freed from individuality -- coming and going, life and death, all phenomenon merely pop in and out from the background of the AMness. The AMness is not experienced as an ‘entity’ residing anywhere, neither within nor without; rather it is experienced as the ground reality for all phenomenon to take place. Even in the moment of subsiding (death), the yogi is thoroughly authenticated with that reality; experiencing the ‘Real’ as clear as it can be. We cannot lose that AMness; rather all things can only dissolve and re-emerges from it. The AMness has not moved, there is no coming and going. This "AMness" is God.”
    The I AM is also not something that one can only “experience” during a state of meditative trance at a faraway mountain shielded from daily life. Someone who realized I AM will come to understand, as John Tan puts it in 2007, “AMness has limitless potential and must be expressed in a relative world in constant interaction.” As the source and ground of everything, AMness is seen to have infinite potentiality to express in, through and as everything.
    The I AM Presence as discovered in Self-Realization is a non-dual, Self-Aware Presence of Being. You realize yourself to be a shining Aware-Presence, but it is not a subject-object awareness where “you” know you are a “presence” that is “aware”, it is not ‘you’ knowing Presence (subject knowing object) but there is only You Being Presence-Awareness. It is a non-dual direct realization and direct taste of Mind. At a later phase, this non-dual luminous taste of ‘existence’ is brought from the background to the foreground into all manifestation, which will be elaborated on in the further chapters of this guide.
    “After Self-Realization, there is a doubtless certainty of Being that was never lost, so I no longer needed to do self inquiry. I had a certainty that Awareness is what I am, and it is not a maintenance state, not something I can 'gain' and 'lose'.” - Soh, 2018
    “You experience of 'Iness" has not come to a point of stillness yet. That is why it is not that sort of Realization I am looking at.” - John Tan to Soh in 2009, one year prior to Soh’s realization of I AM
    If you are still unsure if what you had is a glimpse of recognition or experience of I AM or the doubtless Self-Realization, check out this article - http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2018/12/i-am-experienceglimpserecognition-vs-i.html
    "
    I AM Experience/Glimpse/Recognition vs I AM Realization (Certainty of Being)
    AWAKENINGTOREALITY.COM
    I AM Experience/Glimpse/Recognition vs I AM Realization (Certainty of Being)
    I AM Experience/Glimpse/Recognition vs I AM Realization (Certainty of Being)
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    元音老人:
    神秀说的是渐修,而禅宗是顿悟、顿修、顿证的圆顿法,所以五祖不把衣钵给他。六祖说:“本来无一物。”这就偏空了。所以五祖说:“也没有见性!”若 真见性了,五祖为什么还要三更说法,说到“应无所住而生其心”六祖才大悟呢?这个偈子改一改:“菩提权做树,明镜假作台。”现相妙用啊,暂且做做树台也不 妨!“本来不染污,说净亦尘埃”。有个清净,还是尘埃。本性是不垢不净,空无一物的,垢既无有,净又何来!?但现在把这两个偈子联合起来亦很当用。因为现 代人根钝,不“常常勤拂拭”,扫除妄习,怎能成道?不作“本来无一物”会,又怎能不著有?所以近人说:六祖与神秀大师合起来,六祖是摩醯首罗一只眼,而神 秀是双目圆明,信不诬也。----- 桥流水不流

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  • Soh Wei Yu
    Its sounds right to me, but the sutra says another thing. Anyway who knows? I dont know a case of direct Anatman realization so...

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    Òskar K. Linares
    The sutra clearly states the the 5th patriarch was unimpressed with the original poem, and the poem in Chinese is clearly expressing it as I AMness (not 'no mirror' or anatta as some translated it into). The platform sutra also states that Huineng had a further "great awakening" after meeting 5th patriarch that night, implying his understanding prior was not the great awakening. So our interpretation is correct because we are Chinese readers... lol

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