Secrets on Cultivating the Mind

Introduction

Jinul, founder of a reformed meditation community at Songgwangsa, wrote this short guide in question-and-answer form; its exact date is uncertain. It explains why the Buddha must be sought in one’s own mind rather than outside and sets out his central teaching: sudden awakening followed by gradual cultivation. Awakening is like the birth of a child, who has all its faculties but must still grow strong; habits formed over many lives are worn down only gradually, through concentration and wisdom practised together. Jinul thereby mediated between Seon (Zen) meditation and the doctrinal study of Hwaeom (Huayan). The text remains basic reading in Korean Buddhism, whose Jogye order regards him as a founding figure.

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• Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarchc. 780 · Huineng