Retreats

How do we find Enlightenment?

The challenging autobiography of Hui Neng

Hui Neng (an illiterate wood cutter in ancient China) overheard someone in the street reciting the Diamond Sutra, and had an immediate response to the truth contained in its words. His path was one of immediate realisation without previous practise and study, giving us another clue as to where exactly we should look for and cultivate our Dharma practise.

Everyone likes a good story, particularly when it is meaningful and insightful. One of my favorite stories in Buddhism is how Hui Neng (whom Bhante Sangharakshita identifies as a spiritual genius in the Buddhist tradition) came to be a Buddhist, what his reception from others was like when he arrived at a Buddhist monastery to learn more, and how the community there responded to his meteoric rise to abbot.

This story addresses questions like if we practice the Buddha's teachings, does Enlightenment happen gradually or is it a sudden irruption? How important is intellectual understanding? Ethical purity? Do we need to memorise Buddhism? Does our ethical practice need to be spotless? Or is the possibility and potentiality of Enlightenment simply obvious and understandable to anyone who is receptive, regardless of previous study and practise?

In addition to exploring Hui Neng's autobiography, we will also be taking a short look at the Diamond Sutra which is part of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings (which also includes the Heart Sutra and the Ratnagunasamcayagatha). By including this, we will recreate the conditions which transformed Hui Neng like a thunderbolt strike bypassing the rational logical mind, not necessarily through the heart, but even more directly and therefore more mysteriously to the deepest seat of consciousness.

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