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The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch L38 Direct Introduction to the Nature of Mind
In this lesson of the Platform Sutra, Khenpo Sodargye continues with the Master's final instructions. The Sixth Patriarch gathers his disciples to announce that he will enter parinirvana the following month, prompting them to resolve any lingering doubts. While most disciples weep in sorrow, the young Shenhui remains perfectly composed, demonstrating a profound understanding that the master's true essence transcends birth and death. The Master emphasizes that the greatest way to honor a teacher is not through grief or elaborate rituals, but by diligently continuing the propagation of the True Dharma. He then recites the "Gatha of True and False, Motion and Stillness," teaching that true immobility is not dead silence, but is recognized precisely within the movement of our thoughts. He cautions against Mahayana practitioners remaining trapped by the fear of birth and death and stresses the importance of harmony over intellectual disputes. Finally, the Master formally entrusts his teachings as the "Platform Sutra of the Dharma Treasure" and confirms that, fulfilling Bodhidharma's prophecy, the transmission of the patriarch's robe will cease, as the lineage's truth is now firmly established.