"Is There a Separate Status or Stage to Becoming a Buddha?"

Dean Kang Kyung-gu of Dong-Eui University Publishes 'Commentary on the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch'
Translation and Explanation of the Dunhuang Manuscript of Chinese Buddhist Sixth Patriarch Huineng

Dean Kang Kyung-gu of Dong-Eui University, who published 'Pyeongseol Yukjodangyeong'.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] If you awaken instantly, you (the public) also become a Buddha right away. In Buddhism’s ‘sudden enlightenment’ that urges immediate awakening, there is no status or stage for an ordinary person to cross over to become a Buddha. The scripture, preached by the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, Master Huineng, has come alive in easy Korean.

Professor Kang Kyung-gu, Dean of the Dongui Jicheon College of Liberal Arts at Dong-Eui University, recently translated and published the book Commentary on the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Sechang Publishing).

This book translates the Dunhuang manuscript of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, into Korean, divides it into chapters for easier understanding, and adds commentaries organized by theme.

The original Dunhuang manuscript lacks chapter divisions, making it difficult for non-practitioners to read as a single book. Professor Kang, a professor in the Department of Chinese Language at Dong-Eui University, divided it into chapters and sections to produce a more reader-friendly Buddhist scripture.

Professor Kang said, “The most important thing in reading the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is practice. However, due to differences between editions, there are frequent debates about the original meaning of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng’s teachings, so it was necessary to resolve these.”

According to Professor Kang, this book uses the Dunhuang manuscript of the Platform Sutra as the main text for translation, divides it into chapters, and adds commentaries by theme. He also referred to the Huixin edition to divide chapters and compared different contents from various books to verify Master Huineng’s original intent.

Professor Kang explained, “Early Buddhist practice was centered on elite practitioners. Mahayana Buddhism was a revolutionary shift that revealed that the general public was already riding in the chariot of the Buddha’s land and that they themselves possessed the seed of Buddhahood as the protagonists of enlightenment.”

When this Mahayana Buddhism crossed into China and reached Master Huineng, another major transformation occurred. This was the sudden enlightenment school that urged awakening right now.

Professor Kang explained, “In the sudden enlightenment of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, the status and stages of crossing from an ordinary person to a Buddha are completely erased. Therefore, it denies the method of ‘just looking’ meditation practice, and even denies seated meditation and concentration, which focus on concentration and introspection. It removes all interest in practice and the various stages of attainment through it.”

Instead, it presents only the path of immediate practice to confirm the originally pure nature. This demands immediate cultivation and immediate awakening by confirming that the Buddha is revealed through the guest who has come here and now in this very place.

Professor Kang said this is the core of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng’s sudden enlightenment and sudden cultivation, and that everyone can enter the path of immediate awakening through the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. You can encounter his translation and easy-to-understand writing in Commentary on the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch.

Professor Kang has served as president of the Korean Association of Chinese Studies and vice president of the East Asian Buddhist Culture Association. He gave radio lectures on “Journey to the West and Buddhism” on Busan Buddhist Broadcasting and wrote religious columns (Buddhism) for the International Newspaper. His publications include Stories of Heaven, Earth, and People Contained in Chinese Characters, Reading the Faith Chapter with Two Zen Masters, and Journey to the West and the Mind Observation Journey.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.