The Transmission of Light: Preface to the Chuandeng Lu Lectures
Throughout history, sacred texts such as the Indian Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita, Laozi's Tao Te Ching, Buddhist sutras, the Bible, and Confucius's I Ching have served specific purposes. These texts either described the state of enlightenment, recorded messages flowing from that enlightened state, or explained how to govern the world through enlightenment.
While all these scriptures spoke from the state and results of enlightenment, the Transmission of the Lamp (Chuandeng Lu) is a uniquely important scripture that records the crucial moment of transformation when a person is about to awaken before their master—that decisive instant of change between states. It illuminates the pivotal moment when transformation can occur: when an egg becomes a chicken, a cocoon becomes a butterfly, a tadpole becomes a frog. It points to that exact moment when the old dies and emerges transformed into something completely different. This is the true essence of the Zen lineage.
What we commonly understand as Zen—sitting in lotus position—is not true Zen. Authentic Zen is when master and disciple mutually envision each other at that pivotal point of transformation and enter into one world together. True Zen is what revealed the realm of essence, the world of light, by pointing to the space between darkness and light.
Zen is the technique by which light has been transmitted as light, from light to light. The Transmission of the Lamp encompasses the language, gestures, and skillful means that arose from this technique and have been passed down through generations.
Though the sentences in the Transmission of the Lamp are simple, its content represents a three-dimensional, audiovisual method and education. Like transmitting a precious sword, it weaves together the secrets that have been passed down for creating such a sword. Therefore, the Transmission of the Lamp cannot possibly be spoken of without mastering those secrets and embodying those technical aspects. This is precisely why the Transmission of the Lamp has been treasured in the attics of Zen monasteries and transmitted as a mystical book.
I do not intend to explain this scripture within the framework of any single religion. While there are countless religions in the world today, if they are truly authentic religions, they are all fundamentally the same. The various scriptures only appear different because they were explained according to the environment, customs, and understanding of people in their respective times. In reality, the core message they all seek to convey is identical. Therefore, you must first consider: "When I first adopted a particular religion, was it not determined by the era, region, and environment I encountered?"
Truth is eternal. It exists everywhere while being simultaneously unique. It is not confined to the West alone, or to India alone, or to any single era. Therefore, you must not cling to something simply because it has been a custom for thousands of years. If you insist only on what you possess, that very attachment becomes the first gate you must break through. Please approach this book only after clearing away the concepts in your mind.
I will speak of this story from multiple angles. Because you hold fixed ideas from various perspectives, I will reexamine the worlds of various scriptures and sages throughout history to explain accordingly. While I could tell countless stories using any single phenomenon, I will illuminate the world of truth, the world of genuine knowledge, and the world of the transcendent through realms that you know, and that you know yet somehow did not know, so that we may meet from as many angles as possible.
※ This text is an excerpt from the preface of Master Sogongja's lectures on the Chuandeng Lu (傳燈錄, Transmission of the Lamp).
The Chuandeng Lu is a core scripture of the Zen tradition that records the process of enlightenment transmission between Zen masters, containing the decisive moments of transformation between master and disciple.
육각나라
