Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform Where does this poem come from

Bodhi has no tree.

Nor is Spiegel a platform.

There was nothing.

Where to stir up dust.

This poem is from the "Six Ancestors Altar Sutra", which was composed by "Six Ancestors Hui Neng".

It refers to the monk's heart being as calm as water, free of distractions, empty of nothing, and dedicated to the Buddha. This is a literal answer, in which the true meaning needs to be realized by oneself.

There are many about the origin of this poem and the life of Master Huineng, so search for yourself. It is recommended to have time to read the "Six Ancestors Altar Sutra", which is good.

It's not a poem, it's a Zen verse, from the Tanjing, the only Chinese monk's work that is enshrined as a "classic".

Read the Altar Sutra.

This is the words of the Sixth Patriarch Hui Ke's enlightenment, because of his brother's: the body is like a Bodhi tree, the heart is like a mirror platform, always diligently wipe, do not cause dust. The Sixth Patriarch felt that the enlightenment was not complete, so he chanted: Bodhi has no tree, the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing originally, where to stir up dust.

Of course, this is a Buddhist language, but I have seen such a poem in "Dream of Red Mansions", which was introduced by Jia Baoyu.

Personally, I believe that these two verses are the abstract embodiment of the two realms of "there is something" and "nothing else". Most of the Buddhist sayings have the purpose of reasoning, but they often use "metaphors" or "allusions", so they cannot be simply understood literally.

The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng is the master of Zen Buddhism, and his Zen theory can be said to have directly fulfilled the greatest possibility that Buddhism could be widely spread after the Tang Dynasty. He "sinicized" Buddhism in India, abandoning the strict rules and precepts and turning it into a faith that could be enjoyed both physically and mentally by anyone, anywhere, and at any time. His words can be said to embody the state of freedom of "nothing and no obstacles", and because of this, we Chinese can all believe in Buddhism, while only some special people in India (especially those who have to endure many rules and precepts) can become Buddhists.

Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not what Taiwan means.

Hello classmates, this sentence comes from the "Bodhisattva and Ode to Ti Ti" by the six ancestors of Zen Buddhism, and it is a response to Shenxiu's "Wu Xiang Verse". Among them, "Bodhi is not a tree" indicates that the essence of Bodhi or enlightenment does not exist in any object, while "the mirror is not a platform" indicates that the essence of the mind is pure and transparent, and does not need to be illuminated by external objects. Huineng's intention to rent and conjecture is to ask people not to be obsessed with things and delusions, but to directly see the nature of the mind and prove themselves to Bodhi.

Meaning: There was no Bodhi tree in the world, and it was named Bodhi because the Buddha realized under this tree. The mirror in my heart is not a spiritual platform, and there is no need to do anything.

The truth of life is just hidden in the plain and tasteless. The seed is the cause, the harvest is the effect, and everything is made by the mind. There are a lot of setbacks in life. Sometimes we complain: why is my luck so bad, why doesn't God help me.

Life is difficult, and understanding life is even more difficult. In the past and now, joy and sorrow are divided evenly, and I can only say that life is impermanent, and none of us knows who is waiting around the corner. However, there is always such a person, such a person, who inherits the ups and downs of my life and gives me joy in my life.

It would be painful to take a simple thing seriously. When you are proud, you should be bearish, and when you are frustrated, you should look away. There are many things in life that can be let go. Only if you can put it down, can you afford it.

Some roads can only be walked alone, and one day they will eventually be separated at a certain ferry. The road of life is destined to be lonely, if you are lucky enough, someone can accompany you for a while, talk and laugh, and it is already full of chains. How long can we be together, and why force it.

Yesterday was fate, and it was a certainty; Tomorrow is luck, everything is possible; Everything today is the root of destiny. Live a good day, and your life will be good; Make good use of today, and luck will be good; Make good use of today, and your destiny will be good.

Be honest about your inner contradictions and stains, and don't deceive yourself. You don't have to be demanding about everything, you come when you come; Don't frown when you encounter something, smile when you laugh; Don't force the result, just do it.

Life is a kind of simplicity, and when the mind is calm, it is peaceful. Don't refuse to be busy, because it's a fulfillment; Don't complain about setbacks, because it's a kind of strength; Don't choose silence, because it's a disservice; Don't refuse to smile, because it's your greatest charm!

1. "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform." The meaning of this sentence is that the body of all beings is a tree of enlightened wisdom, and the mind is like a bright mirror.

2. This sentence is a four-sentence verse of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, which is derived from the two verses of Shenxiu and Huineng, which is intended to explain that all promising methods are like dream bubbles, and teach people not to be delusional and persistent, so that they can see the nature of their minds and prove themselves Bodhi.

3. Bodhi was originally a metaphor for wisdom, and a bright mirror was a metaphor for a quiet mind. Regarding the origin of this poem, the fourth to eighth verses of the "Altar Sutra" have a clear record: the five ancestors Hongren "called the door to come all the people in one day" and asked everyone to "make a side".

And said "if you understand the careless", that is, "pay the law of Ruyi, for six generations." ”

4. This poem, and the one of Shenxiu, has a principled Zheng Chao difference in the cultivation method. Shenxiu's "Wuxiang" made him lose his qualification as the heir of Hongnin, but he became the founder of the Northern Sect. Because Shenxiu emphasized "always diligent wiping", later generations called it "gradual cultivation" with its advocacy of "brushing and balancing dust to see the purity".

Roughly speaking, it means: Although I have no intention of provoking the miscellaneous things of the world, the miscellaneous things of the human world are like dust, which will drift around with the wind, and on the contrary, if you don't mess with it, it will come to my side with the wind.

The troubles of the world are just seeking a pure land, and they don't want to provoke right and wrong, so they sit quietly and quietly. Unfortunately, there are many things in this world that we don't want or don't want if we want or not. I just want to be able to be quiet and have no distractions.

This sentence is a sentence of one of the four famous verses of Master Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, which is intended to explain that all promising methods are like dream bubbles, teaching people not to be delusional and attached, so that they can see their minds and prove themselves Bodhi.

Meaning: There was no linden tree in the first place, and it was not a bright mirror platform. Originally, the four major ones were all leaking the spring sky, and they were stained with dust.

From the Tang Dynasty Huineng's "Bodhi Verse: The Third".

Original text: Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform.

There is nothing in the first place, where is the dust!

Notes: 1) "Bodhi", the transliteration of the ancient Indian (i.e. Sanskrit) bodhi, means enlightenment, wisdom, and is used to refer to the state of a person who wakes up from a dream, suddenly opens up, realizes the truth, and reaches the state of Buddhahood.

2) Spiegel Terrace: The place where monks sit in meditation, according to the second and third of the "Zizhi Ji": "Where the meditation sitting, there are many mirrors to help the mind." ”

3) Dust: Buddhism believes that dust of all kinds is something that pollutes human nature.

Meaning: Bodhi is a path of enlightenment, but what kind of tree is there? The heart is like a mirror platform, but in fact, there is no one at all.

There was nothing, not a single appearance, not a single figure, or a form. Since there is nothing, where does the dust come from? There is simply no place to live.

Appreciation: The heart is self-nature, and ordinary people's thoughts are not the same thing, people's thoughts are cultivated, self-nature is innate, ordinary people are the masters of thought, and obstacles are self-nature.

Buddhism, everything is an illusion caused by delusion and self-nature, not self-nature, the body is also because the heart has dust, dust is delusion, and the illusion of self-nature is involved, of course, the appearance of the body is related to the previous life, dust is delusion, self-nature is complete and pure, delusion is not the mind and non-self-nature.

If a person realizes his own nature, his own nature is the master, and he thinks again, it is not called delusion, everything in life is his own nature at work, his own nature is complete and pure, his nature is empty, dependent and extinguished, very comfortable, there is no delusion at all, what is there to talk about!