Page 180 - The Buddha‘s Noble Eightfold Path

We see some things as good, some as bad; some as pleasant,

some as unpleasant. Some things we like, some we dislike;
some are near, some are far; some are past, some present, and

some future. In this way we assign different characteristics to
things. But in the Samadhi of the Voidness you see that
everything has the same characteristic: it is all Sunyata, all

ultimately real and, in its ultimate depths, all 'the same'.
Inasmuch as everything is basically the same, there is no reason

why one should have different attitudes towards different
things: obviously, one has the same attitude towards everything
and enjoys, therefore, a state of peace, tranquillity, stability and

rest.

Those of you who are interested in Zen, especially in Hui Neng
and his 'Platform Scripture' (also known as The Sutra of Hui
Neng), may be interested to know that both the samadhi of one

characteristic and the samadhi of even-mindedness are
mentioned in the Platform Scripture. This brings us to a very

important point in connection with Zen Buddhism. Hui Neng,
you may remember, says that Samadhi and Prajna (i.e. Wisdom)
are not different but in reality the same thing. He says that

Samadhi is the quintessence of Prajna, and Prajna the function
of Samadhi, and he illustrates this by saying that Samadhi is like

the lamp, i.e. the body of the lamp, and Prajna or Wisdom like
the light of the lamp. *

This identity of, or at least non-duality, of Samadhi and Prajna, is
a very important teaching of Hui Neng and of the Zen school

generally, and some Western students of Zen have found it
difficult and confusing.

• A Buddhist Bible, ed. Dwight Goddard, Beacon Press, Boston 1970, 'Sutra Spoken by
the Sixth Patriarch', Chap. 4, p. 522.

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