In the "Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch's Altar," there is a saying that goes, "Buddha's nature is neither good nor bad." When Master Huineng of the Sixth Patriarch transformed Master Daoming, he also said, "Do not think of good or evil, this is your true self. So, what is neither good nor bad? How should we understand it?

Master Huineng of the Sixth Patriarch is a great Buddhist leader in Chinese Buddhism. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before him, Arhat, all left some quotations more or less, but there is no one like him who can leave such inspirational quotes. It can be said that the "Six Ancestors Altar Sutra" is a rare Buddhist scripture for Easterners, which has been passed down to countless people since its birth.

We know that Shakyamuni Buddha was an ancient Indian who used Sanskrit, and the Buddhist scriptures were also recorded in Sanskrit. They went through hundreds of years of oral transmission before being recorded and then transmitted to the East, where they were translated by scholars and masters. So, the classic teachings translated from Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures are far from the original intention of Shakyamuni Buddha. Only those with profound wisdom can truly understand what Shakyamuni Buddha wants to say, while the vast majority of people simply cannot read the true meaning of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The female emperor in history, Wu Zetian, once wrote a small poem in her own hand:

The supreme, profound, and subtle method, encountering countless calamities; I am blessed with my observations and wish to understand the true meaning of the Tathagata.

What is the true meaning of Tathagata? No one can explain it clearly, because the profound meaning of Buddhism is very subtle, and even can only be understood without being expressed. Therefore, the closer one is to the time of Buddha, the more one can understand the true meaning of Buddha.

Fortunately, many Bodhisattvas, Pazhi Buddhas, and Arohans came out of the East, especially Master Huineng of the Sixth Patriarch, who left behind a very great classic, the Sixth Patriarch Tanjing, which guided the deeply rooted Buddhists to move towards brightness and become Buddhists.

Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said that the Buddha's nature is neither good nor bad. In fact, for those with deep wisdom roots, it is easy to understand that it is actually the Middle Way. And to practice the Middle Way, it is actually to do everything according to fate, that is, to do nothing, not deliberately do certain things, nor deliberately not do certain things. This is really difficult for some people to understand, so I, Shengzhong, will give a few examples here for analysis.

For example, eating should be practiced according to the Middle Way philosophy, and eating should be a very natural thing. One should eat whatever they have, without disdain, comparison, or greed. If there are only vegetables and radishes in the pot, then eat vegetables and radishes; If there is meat and seafood in the pot, then eat meat and seafood... Do not deliberately refuse because you do not like to eat vegetables and radishes, nor do you refuse to eat meat and seafood because the Buddha says that killing cannot be done. This is the true middle ground.

For example, becoming a monk. According to the Middle Way philosophy, practitioners of Buddhism can choose to become monks or not, depending entirely on their own choices. It is not necessary for those who study Buddhism to become monks, and those who do not become monks are not considered as practitioners of Buddhism; It's not that you have to be filial to your parents at home and cannot become a monk... Parents have the grace of nurturing you, which is true, but it's all due to fate. It doesn't mean that if your parents give birth to you, you have to go through fire and water for them. This kind of "absolute obedience" is actually "fascism". Even ordinary people should resist this fascism, not to mention Buddhist practitioners who cannot do so.

In the eyes of those with profound wisdom, the Middle Way philosophy of Buddhism is actually very easy to understand. However, there are still too many people who do not understand it, and the reason is ignorance. As Lu Xun said, there are too many ignorant people in this world, and it is meaningless to study medicine and save lives on one's own. There is no need to feel unfortunate when a few people die or die.

So, since we have chosen to study and practice Buddhism, we should practice the true essence of Buddhism and strive for neither good nor bad in everything.