When Sakyamuni Buddha said, I have the Dharma hidden in the eye by taking a golden flower and twiddling it in front of his third eye, everyone present at that gathering was puzzled except for Mahakasyapa, about 2,500 years ago. At that very moment, Mahakasyapa understood the symbolism in his heart and connected with Buddhas heart. Everyone grinned at each other in acknowledgement and then Buddha said, I now have passed the Dharma to Mahakasyapa.

The Dharma (the esoteric heart teaching of Tao) during the time of Buddha was meant to be passed down in secrecy, the way that it had always been done throughout the lineage of Tao propagation. From Mahakasyapa, the esoteric heart teaching was passed on to Ananda and then to another twenty-six Patriarchs until the 28th Patriarch, known as Bodhidharma. When Bodhidharma received the Dharma, he was instructed by his master, Prajnatara, to take the heart teaching back to China. In Chinese history, this significant event was known as the old tide returning to its source.

The esoteric heart teaching of Tao originated from China 5,000 years ago and Bodhidharma suffered immense hardships and went through numerous trials and tribulations in China searching for the right candidate to pass on the heart teaching. The critical turning point came five generations after Bodhidharma, when it was passed on to the 6th Patriarch Hui Neng. The 5th Patriarch Hong Ren was aware that Hui Neng was very close to perceiving the truth and understood his true nature. He then put Hui Neng to the test by assigning him to manual labor in the kitchen.

One day, the 5th Patriarch walked into the kitchen where Hui Neng was pounding rice. Hong Ren said to Hui Neng, A seeker of the path of truth would risk his life for the Dharma, would he not? Before he got the answer from Hui Neng, he further said, Is the rice ready? Hui Neng was wise enough to understand what his master was trying to ask him, which was his readiness to give his life for the sake of seeking truth. Hui Neng replied, It was ready long ago, only waiting for the sift. Hui Neng was implying that he was ready and waiting for Hong Rens guidance and teaching. Then Hong Ren knocked three times on the mortar with his stick and walked out without saying anything.

Hui Neng was wise enough to understand that the gesture was meant for him to go to his master private chamber at the third watch, which was at three oclock in the morning. In the early hours of the morning, Hui Neng proceeded to Hong Rens room. In the privacy of Hong Rens private chamber and using the monks robe to cover the divine transmission so no one else could see, the 5th Patriarch passed on the heart teaching of the Tao to Hui Neng. He then instructed Hui Neng to leave the monastery to transmit the Tao to commoners when the time was right. In addition, he told Hui Neng to cease passing on the traditional robe and begging bowl as authenticating objects for a person with the mandate to pass on the Tao. The esoteric heart teaching of Tao from that point onwards was to be received by commoners who had spiritual affinity with Tao.

It took Hui Neng quite some time and a lot of trials and tribulations along the way before he could complete his mission. After Hui Neng, all Patriarchs given the mandate for the next generation of patriarch were commoners. This signaled a critical shift and turning point of the cycle of Tao propagation. This passing on of the heart teaching in secrecy is divine transmission from one patriarch to another for almost 5,000 years. There are a total of 64 Patriarchs over these 5,000 years and is known as the lineage of Tao or the Golden Thread from Heaven.

Before Hui Neng, the Patriarchs who had the heart teaching were firstly Emperors, Prime Ministers and Scholars (including Lao Tze, Confucius and Mencius) in China (in total 18 generations), then 28 generations of Indian Buddhist Monks in India, 6 generations of monks in China and 12 generations of enlightened commoners in China. The heart teaching no longer remains with the Buddhist monks since Hui Neng and any commoners with affinity now can receive the heart teaching transmitted in the temple of Tao of Heaven because the time is up for the general salvation. This is the saying of my Heavenly Teacher JiGong:

The heart of Stableness must be purified on earth. The path of full enlightenment must be accomplished in the world. Break away with the Form and Shape Affairs of the Door of Emptiness. Should ones mind be free from dust (external disturbances), why does one need to wear the kasaya?

Heart of Stableness means a state of mind where one can stay calm and unperturbed in all external forms and conditions, known as Dhyana in Sanskrit and Zen in Japanese. Path of full enlightenment means the way to perfect universal awareness, Buddhahood. Form and Shape Affair according JiGong it means that some religious staff who live in temples or monasteries may not realize the true essence of Emptiness. On one hand, they are detached with the forms and shapes of a worldly life such as family, career, etc; but on the other hand, they dwell on the forms and shapes of a divine life such as religious rituals, creed, spiritual honor, merits, etc. Kasaya (Jia Sha) means the three regulation-garments of a Buddhist monk. Here, Jia-Sha refers to the uniforms of all religious personnel.

Author: T.A Chew