Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Four Vehicles - A Commentary


Supreme Vehicle. In the Lotus Sutra, this is called the One Vehicle or the Buddha Vehicle. As Hui-neng notes . . . it doesn't refer to anything or mean anything. It is just our daily practice.

Small Vehicle. . . . observe what a buddha does and listen to what a buddha says, and they read and recite words left by a buddha. But they fail to observe or listen to their own minds, much less depend on their own words.

Middle Vehicle. . . . analyze the mind into its constituent dharmas and consider their nature and relationships. But they fail to see the forest for the trees, much less see the mountain.

Great Vehicle. Bodhisattvas . . . put the teachings of buddhas into practice. But they tend to follow the footsteps of others and fail to establish their own path. Hence, they do not necessarily acknowledge, much less see, their own nature.

---Red Pine, in his commentary on The Platform Sutra---

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