Comparison of:
http://civet-cat.skandinaviskzencenter.org/civet-cat/mahayana-writings/shurangama-sutra.htm
http://www.buddhistinformation.com/shurangama_sutra.htm
Shurangama Sutra
Da Fo Ding Shou Leng Yan Jing
(Taisho Tripitaka, No. 945)
Sutra of the Foremost
[1][commentary ]
Shurangama at the Crown of the Great Buddha; and
of All the Bodhisattvas' Myriad Practices for Cultivating and
Certifying to the Complete Meaning of the Tathagata's Secret Cause.
Translated during the Tang Dynasty by Shramana Paramiti from central
India.
Reviewed by Shramana Meghashika from Uddiyana
_________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
* [10]Chapter One
* [11]Chapter Two
* [12]Chapter Three
* [13]Chapter Four
* [14]Chapter Five
* [15]Chapter Six
* [16]Chapter Seven
* [17]Chapter Eight
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter One Sutra, Volume 1
Thus I have heard heard:
At one time the Buddha dwelt at the City of Shravasti in the sublime
abode of the Jeta Grove with a gathering of great Bhikshus, twelve
hundred fifty in all.
All were great Arhats without outflows, disciples of the Buddha who
dwelt in and maintained the Dharma. They had fully transcended all
existence, and were able to perfect the awesome deportment wherever
they went.
They followed the Buddha in turning the wheel and were wonderfully
worthy of the bequest. Stern and pure in the Vinaya, they were great
exemplars in the three realms. Their numberless response-bodies took
beings across and liberated them, extricating and rescuing those of
the future so they could transcend the bonds of all mundane
defilements.
The names of the leaders were: the Greatly Wise Shariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana, Maha
Maudgalyayana
, Mahakaushtila, Purnamaitreyaniputra, Subhuti,
Upanishad, and others.
Moreover, numberless Pratyekabuddhas who were beyond learning and
those of initial resolve came to where the Buddha was. All the
Bhikshus were there as well, having the Pravarana at the close of the
summer retreat.
And there were also Bodhisattvas from the ten directions, who desired
counsel in order to resolve their doubts. All were respectful and
obedient to the Awesome But Compassionate One as they prepared to seek
the Secret Meaning.
Then the Tathagata arranged his seat, sat quietly and peacefully, and
for the sake of everyone in the assemby assembly
, proclaimed the profound and
mysterious. At the banquet of Dharma, what the members of the pure
assembly obtained was unprecedented.
The Immortal's kalavinka-sound pervaded the worlds of the ten
directions and Bodhisattvas as many as the Gange's sands gathered at
the Way-place with Manjushri as their leader.
On the day of mourning, King Prasenajit, for the sake of his father,
the former king, arranged a vegetarian feast and invited the Buddha to
the side rooms of the palace. He welcomed the Tathagataa Tathagata
with a vast
array of superb delicacies of unsurpassed, wonderful flavors and
himself invited the Great Bodhisattvas, as well.
Elders and laypeople of the city were also prepared to provide meals
for the Sangha at the same time, and they stood waiting for the Buddha
to come and receive offerings.
The Buddha commanded Manjushri to assign the Bodhisattvas and Arhats
to receive offerings from the various vegetarian hosts.
Only Ananda, who had travelled traveled
far to accept a special invitation
earlier, and had not yet returned, was late for the apportioning of
the Sangha. No senior Bhikshu or Acharya was with him, and so he was
returning alone on the road.
On that day Ananda had received no offerings, and so at the
appropriate time he took up his almsbowl alms bowl
and, as he travelled traveled
through
the city, received alms in sequential order.
As he set out to receive alms from the first to the last donors, his
vegetarian hosts, he thought not to question whether they were pure or
impure; whether they were kshatriyas of honorable name or chandalas.
While practicing equality and compassion he would not select merely
the lowly but was determined to perfect all beings' limitless merit
and virtue.
Ananda was aware that the Tathagata, the World Honored One, had
admonished Subhuti and Mahakashyapa for being Arhats whose minds were
not fair and equal. He revered the Tathagata's instructions on
impartiality for saving everyone from doubt and slander.
Having crossed the city moat moat;
he walked slowly through the outer
gates, his manner stern and proper as he strictly respected the rules
for obtaining vegetarian food.
At that time, because Ananda was receiving alms in sequential order,
he passed by a house of prostitution and was waylaid by a powerful
artifice. On the strength of Kapila's mantra, which came from the
Brahma Heaven, the daughter of Matangi drew him onto an impure mat.
With her licentious body she caressed him until he was on the verge of
destroying the precept-substance.
The Tathagata, knowing Ananda was being taken advantage of by an
impure artifice, finished the meal and immediately returned to the
Sublime Abobe Abode
. The king, great officials, elders, and laypeople
followed along after the Buddha desiring to hear the essentials of the
Dharma.
Then the World Honored One from his crown emitted hundreds of rays of
jeweled light, which dispelled all fear. Within the light appeared a
thousand-petalled
thousand-petal
jeweled lotus, upon which was seated a
transformation-body Buddha in full-lotus posture, proclaiming a
spiritual mantra.
Shakyamuni Buddha commanded Manjushri to take the mantra and go
provide protection, and, when the evil mantra was dispelled, to
support Ananda and Matangi's daughter and encourage them to return to
where the Buddha was.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 1, Part Two
Ananda saw the Buddha, bowed, and wept sorrowfully, regretting that
from time without beginning he had been preoccupied with erudition and
had not yet perfected his strength in the Way. He respectfully and
repeatedly requested an explanation of the initial expedients of the
wonderful shamatha, Samapatti, and Dhyana, by means of which the Tathagatas Thus
Come Ones
of the ten directions had realized Bodhi.
At that time Bodhisattvas as numerous as Ganges' sands, great Arhats,
Pratyekabuddhas, and others from the ten directions, were also
present. Pleased at the opportunity to listen, they withdrew quietly
to their seats to receive the sagely instruction.
Then, in the midst of the great assembly, the World Honored One
extended his golden arm, rubbed Ananda's crown, and said to Ananda and
the great assembly, "There is a samadhi called the King of the
Foremost Shurangama at the Great Buddha's Crown Replete with the
Myriad Practices; it is a path wonderfully adorned and the single door
through which the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions gained
transcendence. You should now listen attentively." Ananda bowed down
to receive the compassionate instruction humbly
.
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You and I are of the same family and share
the affection of this natural relationship. At the time of your
initial resolve, what were the outstanding characteristics which you
saw in my Dharma that caused you to suddenly cast aside the deep
kindness and love found in the world?" Ananda said to the Buddha, "I
saw the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
thirty-two hallmarks, which were so supremely
wonderful and incomparable that his entire body had a shimmering
translucence just like that of crystal.
"I often thought that those hallmarks could not have been born of
desire and love. Why? The vapors of desire are course and murky.
From foul and putrid intercourse comes a turbid mixture of pus and
blood, which cannot give off such a magnificent, pure, and brilliant
concentration of purple-golden light. And so I eagerly gazed upward,
followed the Buddha, and let the hair fall from my head."
The Buddha said, "Very good, Ananda. You should know that from
beginningless
beginning less
time all beings are continually born and continually
die, simply because they do not know the everlasting true mind with
its pure nature and bright substance. Instead they engage in false
thinking. These thoughts are not true, and so they lead to further
transmigration.
"Now you wish to investigate the unsurpassed Bodhi and actually
discover your nature. You should answer my questions with a
straightforward mind. The Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions escaped
birth and death because their minds were straightforward. Since their
minds and words were consistently that way, from the beginning,
through the intermediate stages to the end, they were never in the
least evasive.
"Ananda, I now ask you: at the time of your initial resolve, which
arose in response to Tathagata's Thus Come One's
thirty-two hallmarks, what was it
that saw those characteristics and who delighted in them?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, this is the way I
experienced the delight: I used my mind and eyes. Because my eyes saw
the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
outstanding hallmarks, my mind gave rise to
delight. That is why I became resolved and wished to extricate myself
from birth and death."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "It is as you say, that experience of
delight actually occurs because of your mind and eyes. If you do not
know where your mind and eyes are, you will not be able to conquer the
wearisome mundane defilements.
"For example, when a country is invaded by thieves and the king sends
out his troops to suppress and banish them, the troops must know where
the thieves are.
"It is the fault of your mind and eyes that you undergo
transmigration. I now ask you specifically about your mind and eyes:
where are they now?"
Ananda answered the Buddha, "World Honored One, All the ten kinds of
beings in the world alike maintain that the mind-consciousness dwells
within the body; and as I regard the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
eyes that
resemble blue lotuses, they are on the Buddha's face.
"I now observe that these prominent organs, four kinds of defiling
objects, are on my face, and my mind-consciousness actually is within
my body."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You are now sitting in the Tathagata's Thus Come
One's
lecture hall. Where is the Jeta Grove that you are gazing at?"
"World Honored One, this great many-storied pure lecture hall is in
the Garden of the Benefactor of the Solitary. At present the Jeta
Grove is, in fact, outside the hall."
"Ananda, as you are now in the hall, what do you see first?"
"World Honored One, here in the hall I first see the Tathagata Thus Come One
,
next I see the great assembly, and from there, as I gaze outward, I
see the grove and the garden."
"Ananda, how are you able to see the grove and the garden."
"World Honored One, since the doors and windows of this great lecture
hall have been thrown open wide, I can be in the hall and see into the
distance."
Then, in the midst of the great assembly, the World Honored One
extended his golden arm, rubbed Ananda's crown, and said to Ananda and
the great assembly, "There is a samadhi called the King of the
Foremost Shurangama at the Great Buddha's Crown Replete with the
Myriad Practices; it is a path wonderfully adorned and the single door
through which the Tathagatas of the ten directions gained
transcendence. You should now listen attentively." Ananda bowed down
to receive the compassionate instruction humbly."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "It is as you say. When one is in the
lecture hall and the doors and windows are open wide, one can see far
into the garden and the grove. Could someone in the hall not see the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
and yet see outside the hall?"
Ananda answered: "World Honored One, to be in the hall and not see the Tathagata
Thus Come One
, and yet see the grove and fountains is impossible."
"Ananda, you are like that too.
"Your mind is capable of understanding everything thoroughly. Now if
your present mind, which thoroughly understands everything, were in
your body, then you should first be aware of what is inside your
body. Could there be beings who that
first see the inside of their bodies
before observing external phenomena?
"Even if you cannot see your heart, liver, spleen, and stomach,
still, you should be able to clearly perceive the growing of your
nails and hair, the twist of your sinews, and the throb of your
pulse. Why don't you perceive these things?
If you cannot perceive your internal organs, how could you perceive
what is external to you?
"Therefore you should know that declaring that the aware and knowing
mind is inside the body is an impossible statement."
Ananda bowed his head and said to the Buddha, "Upon hearing the
Tathagata Thus
Come One
proclaim this explanation of Dharma, such a Dharma-sound as
the Tathagata Thus Come One
has proclaimed, I realize that my mind is actually
outside my body.
"How is that possible? For example, a lamp lit in a room will
certainly illumine the inside of the room first, and only then will
its light stream through the doorway to reach the recesses of the
hall. Beings' not being able to see within their bodies but only see
outside them is analogous to having a lighted lamp placed outside the
room, so that it cannot illumine the rroom room
.
"This principle is clear and beyond all doubt. It is identical with
the Buddha's complete meaning, isn't it?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "All these Bhikshus, who just followed me
to the city of Shravasti to go on sequential almsrounds alms rounds
to obtain
balls of food, have returned to the Jeta Grove. I have already
finished eating. Observing the Bhikshus, do you think that by one
person eating everyone gets full?"
Ananda answered, "No, World Honored One. Why? Although these
Bhikshus are Arhats, their physical bodies and lives differ. How
could one person's eating enable everyone to be full?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "If your mind which is aware, knows, and sees
were actually outside your body, your body and mind would be mutually
exclusive and would have no relationship to one another. The body
would be unaware of what the mind perceives, and the mind would not
perceive the awareness within the body.
"Now as I show you my hand which is soft like tula-cotton, does your
mind distinguish it when your eyes see it?"
Ananda answered, "Yes, World Honored One."
The Buddha told Ananda, "If the two have a common perception, how can
the mind be outside the body?
"Therefore you should know that declaring that the mind which knows,
understands, and is aware is outside the body is an impossible
statement." Ananda."
Amanda
said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, it is as the Buddha has
said. Since I cannot see inside my body, my mind does not reside in
the body. Since my body and mind have a common awareness, they are
not separate and so my mind does not dwell outside my body. As I now
consider the matter, I know exactly where my mind is."
The Buddha said: "So, where is it now?"
Ananda said, "Since the mind which knows and understands does not
perceive what is inside but can see outside, upon reflection I believe
it is concealed in the organ of vision.
"This is analogous to a person placing crystal lenses over his eyes;
the lenses would cover his eyes but would not obstruct his vision. The
organ of vision would thus be able to see, and discriminations could
be made accordingly.
"And so my mind is aware and knows, understands, and is aware does
not see within because it resides in the organ: it can gaze outside
clearly, without obstruction for the same reason: it is concealed in
the organ."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Assuming that it is concealed in the
organ, as you assert in your analogy of the crystals, if a person were
to cover his eyes with the crystals and looks at the mountains and
rivers, would he see the crystals as well?"
"Yes, World Honored One, if that person were to cover his eyes with
the crystals, he would in fact see the crystals."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "If your mind is analogous to the eyes
covered with crystals, then when you see the mountains and rivers, why
don't you see your eyes?
"If you could see your eyes, your eyes would be part of the external
environment, but that is not the case. If you cannot see them, why do
you say that the aware and knowing mind is concealed in the organ of
vision as eyes are covered by crystals?
"Therefore you should know that you state the impossible when you say
that the mind which knows, understands, and is aware is concealed in
the organ of vision in the way that the eyes are covered by crystals."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, I now offer this
reconsideration: viscera and bowels lie inside the bodies of living
beings, while the apertures are outside. There is darkness within
where the bowels are and light at the apertures.
"Now, as I face the Buddha and open my eyes, I see light: that is
seeing outside. When I close my eyes and see darkness that is seeing
within. How does that principle sound?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "When you close your eyes and see
darkness, does the darkness you experience lie before your eyes or
not? If it did lie before your eyes, then the darkness would be in
front of your eyes. How could that be said to be `within'?
"If it were within, then when you were in a dark room without the
light of sun, moon, or lamps, the darkness in the room would
constitute your vital organs and viscera. If it were not before you,
how could you see it?
"If you assert that there is an inward seeing that is distinct from
seeing outside, then when you close your eyes and see darkness, your
would be seeing inside your body. Consequently, when you open your
eyes and see light, why can't you see your own face?
"If you cannot see your face, then there can be no seeing within. If
you could see your face, then your mind, which is aware and knows and
your organ of vision as well would have to be suspended in space. How
could they be inside?
"If they were in space, then they would not be part of your body.
Otherwise the
Tathagata Thus Come One
who now sees your face should be part of
your body as well.
"In that case, when your eyes perceived something, your body would
remain unaware of it. If you press the point and insist that the body
and eyes each have an awareness, then you should have two perceptions,
and your one body should eventually become two Buddhas.
"Therefore you should know declaring that to see darkness is to see
within is an impossible statement."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "I have often heard the Buddha instruct the
four assemblies that since the mind arises, every kind of dharma
arises and that since dharmas arise, every kind of mind arises.
"As I now consider it, the substance of that very consideration is
truly the nature of my mind. Wherever it joins with things, the mind
exists in response.
It does not exist in any of the three locations of inside, outside and
in between."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Now you say that because dharmas arise,
every kind of mind arises. Wherever it joins with things, the mind
exists in response. But it has no substance substance;
the mind cannot come
together with anything. If, having no substance, it could yet come
together with things, that would constitute a nineteenth realm brought
about by a union with the seventh defiling object. But there is no
such principle.
"If it had substance, when you pinch your body with your fingers,
would your mind which perceives it come out from the inside, or in
from the outside? If it came from the inside, then, once again, it
should be able to see within your body. If it came from outside, it
should see your face first."
Ananda said, "Seeing is done with the eyes; mental perception is
not. To call mental perception seeing doesn't make sense."
The Buddha said, "Supposing the eyes did the seeing. That would be
like being in a room where the doors could see! Also, when a person
has died but his eyes are still intact, his eyes should see things.
But how could one be dead if one can still see?
"Furthermore, Ananda, if your aware and knowing mind in fact had
substance, then would it be of a single substance or of many
substances? Would its substance perceive the body in which it resides
or would it not perceive it?
"Supposing it were of a single substance, then when you pinched one
limb with your fingers, the four limbs would be aware if it. If they
all were aware if it, the pinch could not be at any one place. If the
pinch is located in one place, then the single substance you propose
could not exist.
"Supposing it was composed of many substances: then you would be many
people. Which of those substances would be you?
"Supposing it were composed of a pervasive substance: the case would
be the same as before in the instance of pinching. But supposing it
were not pervasive; then when you touched your head and touched your
foot simultaneously, the foot would not perceive being touched if the
head did. But that is not how you are.
"Therefore you should know that declaring that wherever it comes
together with things, the mind exists in response is an impossible
statement."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, I also have heard the
Buddha discuss reality with Manjushri and other disciples of the
Dharma King. The World Honored One also said, `The mind is neither
inside nor outside.'
"As I now consider it, it cannot be inside since it cannot see
within, and it cannot be outside since in that case there would be no
shared perception. Since it cannot see inside, it cannot be inside;
and since the body and mind do have shared perception, it does not
make sense to say it is outside. Therefore, since there is a shared
perception and since there is no seeing within, it must be in the
middle."
The Buddha said, "You say it is in the middle. That middle must not
be haphazard or without a fixed location. Where is this middle that
you propose? Is it in an external place, or is it in the body?
"If it were in the body, the surface of the body cannot be counted as
being the middle. If it were in the middle of the body, that would be
the same as being inside. If it were in an external place, would
there be some evidence of it, or not? If there would not be any
evidence of it, that amounts to it not existing at all. If there were
some evidence of it, then it would have no fixed location.
"Why not? Suppose that middle were indicated by a marker. When seen
from the east, it would be to the west, and when seen from the south,
it would be to the north. Just as such a tangible marker would be
unclear, so too the location of the mind would be chaotic."
Ananda said, "The middle I speak of is neither one of those. As the
World Honored One has said, the eyes and forms are the conditions,
which create the eye-consciousness. The eyes make discriminations;
forms have no perception, but a consciousness is created between them:
that is where my mind is."
The Buddha said, "If your mind were between the eyes and their object,
would such a mind's substance combine with the two or not?
"If it did combine with the two, then objects and the mind-substance
would form a chaotic mixture. Since objects have no perception, while
the substance has perception, the two would stand in opposition.
Where could the middle be? If it did not combine with the two, it
would then be neither the perceiver nor the perceived. Since it would
lack both substance and nature, what would such a middle be like?
"Therefore you should know that declaring the mind to be in the middle
is an impossible statement."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, when I have seen the
Buddha turn the Dharma Wheel in the past with Mahamaudgalyayana,
Subhuti, Purna, and Shariputra, four of the great disciples, he often
said that the nature of the mind which is aware, perceives, and makes
discriminations is located neither within nor outside nor in the
middle; it is not located anywhere at all. That very non-attachment to
everything is what is called the mind. Therefore, is my
non-attachment my mind?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You say that the mind with its aware
nature that perceives and makes discriminations is not located
anywhere at all. Everything existing in the world consists of space,
the waters, and the land, the creatures that fly and walk, and all
external objects. Would your non-attachment also exist?
"If it did not exist, it would be the same as fur on a tortoise or
horns on a rabbit. Just what would that non-attachment be?
"If non-attachment did exist, it couldn't be described as a negation.
The absence of attributes indicates negation. Anything not negated has
attributes. Anything with attributes exists. How could that define
non-attachment?
"Therefore you should know that to declare that the aware, knowing
mind is non-attachment to anything is an impossible statement."
Then Ananda rose from his seat in the midst of the great assembly,
uncovered his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground,
respectfully put his palms together, and said to the Buddha:
"I am the
Tathagata's Thus Come One's
youngest cousin. I have received the
Buddha's compassionate regard and have left the home life, but I have
been dependent on his affection, and as a consequence have pursued
erudition and am not yet without outflows.
"I could not overcome the Kapila mantra. I was swayed by it and
almost went under in that house of prostitution, all because I did not
know how to reach of the realm of reality.
"I only hope that the World Honored One, out of great kindness and
sympathy, will instruct us in the path of shamatha to guide the
icchantikas and overthrow the mlecchas."
After he had finished speaking, he placed his five limbs on the
ground and then, along with the entire great assembly, stood in
anticipation, waiting eagerly and respectfully to hear the
instructions.
Then the World Honored One radiated from his face various kinds of
light, lights as dazzlingly brilliant as hundreds of thousands of
suns.
The Buddharealms Buddha realms
quaked pervasively in six ways and thus lands as
many as fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions appeared
simultaneously.
The Buddha's awesome spirit caused all the realms to unite into a
single one.
In these realms all the great Bodhisattvas, while remaining in their
own countries, put their palms together, and listened.
The Buddha said to Ananda, "From beginningless beginning less
time onward, all
living beings and in all kinds of upsidedown upside down
ways, have created seeds
of karma which naturally run their course, like the aksha cluster.
"The reason that cultivators cannot accomplish unsurpassed Bodhi, but
instead reach the level of Hearers or of those enlightened to
conditions, or become accomplished in externalist ways as
heaven-dwellers or as demon kings or as members of the demons'
retinues
is that they do not know the two fundamental roots and so are
mistaken and confused in their cultivation. They are like one who
cooks sand in the hope of creating savory delicacies. They may do so
for as many eons as there are motes of dust, but in the end they will
not obtain what they want.
"What are the two? Ananda, the first is the root of beginningless beginning less
birth and death, which is the mind that seizes upon conditions and
that you and all living beings now make use of, taking it to be your
own nature.
"The second is the primal pure substance of beginningless beginning less
Bodhi
Nirvana. It is the primal bright essence of consciousness that can
bring forth all conditions. Due to these conditions, you consider it
to be lost.
"Having lost sight of that original brightness, although beings use it
to the end of their days, they are unaware of it, and unintentionally
enter the various destinies.
"Ananda, now you wish to know about the path of shamatha with the
hope of quitting birth and death. I will now question you further."
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
raised his golden-colored arm and bent his five
webbed fingers as he asked Ananda, "Do you see?"
Ananda said, "I see."
The Buddha said, "What do you see?"
Ananda said, "I see the Tathagata Thus Come One
raise his arm and bend his
fingers into a fist of light which dazzles my mind and my eyes."
The Buddha said, "What do you see it with?"
Ananda said, "The members of the great assembly and I each see it with
our eyes."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You have answered me by saying that the Tathagata
Thus Come One
bends his fingers into a fist of light which dazzles
your mind and eyes. Your eyes are able to see, but what is the mind
that is dazzled by my fist?"
Ananda said, "The Tathagata Thus Come One
is asking where the mind is located.
Now that I use my mind to search for it thoroughly, I propose that
precisely that which is able to investigate is my mind."
The Buddha exclaimed, "Hey! Ananda, that is not your mind."
Startled, Ananda leapt up from his seat, stood, put his palms
together, and said to the Buddha, "If that is not my mind, what is
it?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "It is your perception of false
appearances based on external objects which causes your true nature to
be deluded and has caused you from beginningless beginning less
time to your present llife
life
to take a thief for yourson your son
, to lose your eternal source, and to
undergo transmigration."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, I am the Buddha's
favorite cousin. It is because my mind loved the Buddha that I was
led to leave the home life. With my mind I not only makes offerings to
the Tathagata Thus Come One
, but also, in passing through lands as many as the
grains of sand in the Ganges River to serve all Buddhas and good, wise
advisors, and in marshalling great courage to practice every difficult
aspect of the Dharma, I always use my mind. Even if I were to slander
the Dharma and eternally sever my good roots, it would also be because
of this mind. If this is not my mind, then I have no mind, and I am
the same as a clod of earth or a piece of wood, because nothing exists
apart from this awareness and knowing.
"Why does the
Tathagata Thus Come One
say this is not my mind? I am startled
and frightened and not one member of the great assembly is without
doubt. I only hope that the World Honored One will regard us with
great compassion and instruct those who have not yet awakened."
Then the World Honored One gave instruction to Ananda and the great
assembly, wishing to cause their minds to enter the state of patience
with the non-existence of beings and dharmas.
From the lion's seat he rubbed Ananda's crown and said to him, "The
Tathagata
Thus Come One
has often said that all dharmas that arise are only
manifestations of the mind. All causes and effects, the worlds as
many as fine motes of dust, take on substance because of the mind.
"Ananda, if we regard all the things in the world, including blades
of grass and strands of silk, examining them at their fundamental
source, each is seen to have a nature, even empty space has a name and
an appearance.
"And so how could the clear, wonderful, pure bright mind, the essence
of all thought, itself be without substance?
"If you insist that the nature which is aware, observes and knows is
the mind, then apart from all forms, smells, tastes, and
tangibles--apart from the workings of all the defiling objects--that
mind should have its own complete nature.
"And yet now, as you listen to my Dharma, it is because of sound that
you are able to make distinctions.
"Even if you could put an end to all seeing, hearing, awareness, and
knowing, and maintain an inner composure, the shadows of your
discrimination of dharmas would remain.
"I do not insist that you grant that it is not the mind. But examine
your mind in minute detail to see whether there is a discriminating
nature apart from sense objects. That would truly be your mind.
"If the discriminating nature you discover has no substance apart
from objects, then that would make it just a shadow of discriminations
of mental objects.
"The objects are not eternal, and when they pass out of existence,
such a mind would be like f ur fur
on a tortoise or horns on a rabbit. In
that case your Dharma-body would come to an end along with it. Then
who would be left to cultivate and attain patience with the
non-existence of beings and dharmas?"
At that point Ananda and everyone in the great assembly was
speechless and at a total loss.
The Buddha said to Ananda, "There are cultivators in the world who,
although they realize the nine successive stages of samadhi, do not
achieve the extinction of outflows or become Arhats, all because they
are attached to birth and death and false thinking and mistake these
for what is truly real. That is why now, although you are highly
erudite, you have not realized sagehood sage hood
."
When Ananda heard that, he again wept sorrowfully, placed his five
limbs on the ground, knelt on both knees, put his palms together and
said to the Buddha. "Since I followed the Buddha and left home, I have
relied on the Buddha's awesome spirit. I have often thought, `There
is no reason for me to toil at cultivation' expecting that the
Tathagata would bestow samadhi upon me. I never realized that he
could not stand in for me in body or mind. Thus, I lost my original
mind and although my body has left the home-life, my mind has not
entered the Way. I am like the poor son who renounced his father and
roamed around.
Therefore, today I realize that although I'm greatly learned, if I do
not cultivate, it amounts to having not learned anything; just as
someone who only speaks of food will never get full."
"World Honored one, now we all are bound by two obstructions and as a
consequence do not perceive the still, eternal nature of the mind. I
only hope the Tathagata will empathize with us poor and destitute
ones, disclose the wonderful bright mind, and open our Way-eyes."
Then from the svastika swastika
"myriad" on his chest, the Tathagata Thus Come One
poured forth gem-like light. Radiant with hundreds of thousands of
colors, this brilliant light simultaneously pervaded throughout the
ten directions to Buddha-realms as many as fine motes of dust,
anointing the crowns of every Tathagata in all these jeweled Buddhalands Buddha
lands
of the ten directions. Then it swept back to Ananda and all the
great assembly.
The Buddha said to Ananda, "I will now erect the great Dharma banner
for you, to cause all living beings in the ten directions to obtain
the wondrous subtle secret, the pure nature, the bright mind, and to
attain those pure eyes.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 2
"Ananda, you have told me that you saw my fist of bright light. How
did it take the form of a fist? How did the fist come to emit light?
How was the fist made? By what means could you see it?"
Ananda replied, "The body of the Buddha is born of purity and
cleanness, and therefore, it assumes the color of Jambu river gold
with deep red hues. Hence, it shone as brilliant and dazzling as a
precious mountain. It was actually my eyes that saw the Buddha bend
his five-wheeled fingers to form a fist which was shown to all of us."
The Buddha told Ananda, "Today the Tathagata Thus Come One
will tell you the
truth: all those with wisdom are able to achieve enlightenment through
the use of examples. "Ananda, take, for example, my fist: If I didn't
have a hand, I couldn't make a fist. If you didn't have eyes, you
couldn't see. If you apply the example of my fist to the case of your
eyes, is the principle the same?"
Ananda said, "Yes, World Honored One. Since I can't see without my
eyes, if one applies the example of the
Tathagata's Thus Come One's
fist to the
case of my eyes, the principle is the same."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You say it is the same, but that is not
right.
"Why? If a person has no hand, his fist is gone forever. But one who
is without eyes is not entirely devoid of sight. "Why not? Try
consulting a blind man on a street: `What do you see?' Any blind
person will certainly answer, `Now I see only darkness in front of my
eyes. Nothing else meets my gaze.' "The meaning is apparent: If he
sees dark in front of him, how could his sight be considered `lost'?"
Ananda said, "The only thing blind people see in front of their eyes
is darkness. How can that be called seeing?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Is there any difference between the
darkness seen by blind people, who do not have the use of their eyes,
and the darkness seen by someone who has the use of his eyes when he
is in a dark room?"
"Stated in that way, World Honored One, there is no difference
between the two kinds of blackness, that seen by a person in a dark
room and that seen by the blind."
"Ananda, if the person without the use of his eyes who sees only
darkness were suddenly to regain his sight and see all kinds of forms,
and you say it is his eyes which see, then when a person in a dark
room who sees only darkness suddenly sees all kinds of forms because a
lamp is lit, you should say it is the lamp which sees.
"If the lamp did the seeing, it would be endowed with sight. But then
we would not call it a lamp anymore. Besides, if the lamp were to do
the seeing, what would that have to do with you?
"Therefore you should know that while the lamp can reveal forms, the
eyes, not the lamp, do the seeing. And while the eyes can reveal
forms, the seeing-nature comes from the mind, not the eyes."
Although Ananda and everyone in the great assembly had heard what was
said, their minds had not yet understood, and so they remained
silent. Hoping to hear more of the gentle sounds of the Tathagata's Thus Come
One's
teaching, They put their palms together, purified their minds,
and stood waiting for the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
compassionate instruction.
Then the World Honored One extended his bright hand that is as soft
as tula cotton, opened his five webbed fingers, and told Ananda and
the great assembly, "When I first accomplished the Way I went to the
Deer Park, and for the sake of Ajnatakaundinya and all five of the
Bhikshus, as well as for you of the four-fold assembly, I said, `It is
because beings are impeded by transitory defilements and afflictions
that they do not realize Bodhi or become Arhats.' At that time, what
caused you who have now realized the various fruitions of sagehood sage hood
to
become enlightened?"
Then Ajnatakaundinya arose and said to the Buddha, "Of the elders now
present in the great assembly, only I received the name
"Understanding" because I was enlightened to the meaning of tranisory transitory
defilements and realized the fruition.
"World Honored One, the analogy can be made of a traveler who stops
as a guest at a roadside inn, perhaps for the night or perhaps for a
meal. When he has finished lodging there or when the meal is
finished, he packs his baggage and sets out again. He does not remain
there at his leisure. The host himself, however, does not leave.
"Considering it this way, the one who does not remain is called the
guest, and the one who does remain is called the host. The transitory
guest, then, is the one who does not remain.
"Again, the analogy can be made to how when the sun rises resplendent
on a clear morning, its golden rays stream into a house through a
crack to reveal particles of dust in the air. The dust dances in the
rays of light, but the empty space is unmoving.
"Considering it is that way, what is clear and still is called space,
and what moves is called dust. The defiling dust, then, is that which
moves."
The Buddha said, "So it is."
Then in the midst of the great assembly the Tathagata Thus Come One
bent his
five webbed fingers. After bending them, he opened them again. After
he opened them, he bent them again, and he asked Ananda, "What do you
see now?"
Ananda said, "I see the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
hand opening and closing in
the midst of the assembly, revealing his hundred-jeweled wheeled
palms."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "You see my hand open and close in the
assembly. Is it my hand that opens and closes, or is it your seeing
that opens and closes?"
Ananda said, "The World Honored One's jeweled hand opened and closed
in the assembly. I saw the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
hand itself open and close
while my seeing-nature neither opened nor closed."
The Buddha said, "What moved and what was still?"
Ananda said, "The Buddha's hand did not remain at rest. And since my
seeing-nature is beyond even stillness, how could it not be at rest?"
The Buddha said, "So it is."
Then from his wheeled palm the Tathagata Thus Come One
sent a gem-like ray of
light flying to Ananda's right. Ananda immediately turned his head
and glanced to the right. The Buddha then sent another ray of light
to Ananda's left. Ananda again turned his head and glanced to the
left. The Buddha said to Ananda, "Why did your head move just now?"
Ananda said, "I saw the
Tathagata Thus Come One
emit a wonderful gem-like light
which flashed by my left and right, and so I looked left and right.
My head moved by itself."
"Ananda, when you glanced at the Buddha's light and moved your head
left and right, was it your head that moved or your seeing that
moved?"
"World Honored One, my head moved of itself. Since my seeing-nature
is beyond even cessation, how could it move?"
The Buddha said, "So it is."
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
told everyone in the assembly, "Normally
beings would say that the defiling dust moves and that the transitory
guest does not remain.
"You have observed that it was Ananda's head moved; yet his seeing
did not move. You also have observed my hand open and close; yet your
you're
seeing did not stretch or bend.
"Why do you continue to rely on your physical bodies which move and on
the external environment which also moves? From the beginning to the
end, this causes your every thought to be subject to production and
extinction.
"You have lost your true nature and conduct yourselves in upside-down
ways. Having lost your true nature and mind, you take objects to be
yourself,
and so you cling to revolving on the wheel of rebirth."
When Ananda and the great assembly heard the Buddha's instructions,
they became peaceful and composed both in body and mind. They
recollected that since time without beginning, they had strayed from
their fundamental true mind by mistakenly taking the shadows of the
differentiations of conditioned defilements to be real. Now on this
day as they awakened, they were each like a lost infant who suddenly
finds its beloved mother. They put their palms together to make
obeisance to the Buddha.
They wished to hear the Tathagata Thus Come One
enlighten them to the dual
nature of body and mind, of what is false, of what is true, of what is
empty and what is existent, and of what is subject to production and
extinction and what transcends production and extinction.
Then King Prasenajit rose and said to the Buddha, "In the past, when
I had not yet received the teachings of the Buddha, I met Katyayana
and Vairatiputra, both of whom said that this body ends at death, and
that this is Nirvana. Now, although I have met the Buddha, I still
wonder about that. How can I go about realizing the mind at the level
of no production and no extinction? Now all in this Great Assembly who
still have outflows also wish to be instructed on this subject."
The Buddha said to the great king, "Let's talk about your body as it
is right now. Now I ask you, will your physical body be like vajra,
indestructible and living forever? Or will it change and go bad?"
"World Honored One, this body of mine will keep changing until it
eventually perishes."
The Buddha said, "Great king, you have not yet perished. How do you
know you will perish?"
"World Honored One, although my impermanent, changing, and decaying
body has not yet become extinct, I observe it now, as every passing
thought fades away. Each new one fails to remain, but is gradually
extinguished like fire turning wood to ashes. This ceaseless
extinguishing convinces me that this body will eventually completely
perish."
The Buddha said, "So it is."
"Great king, at your present age you are already old and declining.
How does your appearance and complexion compare to when you were a
youth?"
"World Honored One, in the past when I was young my skin was moist and
shining. When I reached the prime of life, my blood and breath were
full. But now in my declining years, as I race into old age, my form
is withered and wizened and my spirit dull. My hair is white and my
face is wrinkled and not much time remains for me. How could one
possibly compare me now with the way I was when in my prime?"
The Buddha said, "Great king, your appearance should not decline so
suddenly."
The king said, "World Honored One, the change has been a hidden
transformation of which I honestly have not been aware. I have come
to this gradually through the passing of winters and summers.
"How did it happen? In my twenties, I was still young, but my
features had aged since the time I was ten. My thirties were a
further decline from my twenties, and now at `sixty-two sixty-two
I look back at
my fifties as hale and hearty.
"World Honored One, I now contemplate these hidden transformations.
Although the changes wrought by this process of dying are evident
through the decades, I might consider them further in finer detail:
these changes do not occur just in periods of twelve years; there are
actually changes year by year. Not only are there annual changes,
there are also monthly transformations. Nor does it stop at monthly
transformations; there are also differences day by day. Examining
them closely, I find that kshana by kshana, thought after thought,
they never stop."
"And so I know my body will keep changing until it has perished."
The Buddha told the Great King, "By watching the ceaseless changes of
these transformations, you awaken and know of your perishing, but do
you also know that at the time of perishing there is something in your
body which does not become extinct?"
King Prasenajit put his palms together and said to the Buddha, "I
really do not know."
The Buddha said, "I will now show you the nature which is neither
produced and nor extinguished.
"Great King, how old were you when you saw the waters of the Ganges?"
The King said, "When I was three years old my compassionate mother led
me to visit the goddess Jiva. We passed a river, and at the time I
knew it was the waters of the Ganges."
The Buddha said, "Great King, you have said that when you were twenty
you had deteriorated from when you were ten. Day by day, month by
month,
month-by-month
, year by year until you reached sixty, in thought after
thought there has been change. Yet when you saw the Ganges River at
the age of three, how was it different from when you were thirteen?"
The King said, "It was no different from when I was three, and even
now when I am sixty-two it is still no different."
The Buddha said, "Now you are mournful that your hair is white and
your face wrinkled. In the same way that your face is definitely more
wrinkled then it was in your youth, has the seeing with which you look
at the Ganges aged, so that it is old now but was young when you
looked at the river as a child in the past?"
The King said, "No, World Honored One."
The Buddha said, "Great King, your face is wrinkled, but the
essential nature of your seeing will never wrinkle. What wrinkles is
subject to change. What does not wrinkle does not change.
"What changes will perish, but what does not change is fundamentally
free of production and extinction. How could it be subject to your
birth and death? Furthermore, why bring up what Maskari G oshaliputra Goshaliputra
and the others say: that after the death of this body there is total
annihilation?"
The king heard these words, believed them, and realized that when the
life of this body is finished, there will be rebirth. He and the
entire great assembly were greatly delighted at having obtained what
they never had before.
Ananda then arose from this seat, made obeisance to the Buddha, put
his palms together, knelt on both knees, and said to the Buddha,
"World Honored One, if this seeing and hearing are indeed neither
produced nor extinguished, why did the World Honored One refer to us
people as having lost our true natures and as going about things in an
upside-down way? I hope the World Honored One will give rise to great
compassion and wash my dust and defilement away."
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
let his golden-colored arm fall so his webbed
fingers pointed downward, and demonstrating this to Ananda, said, "You
see the position of my hand: is it right-side-up or upside-down?"
Ananda said, "Being in the world take it to be upside-down. I myself
do not know what is right-side-up and what is upside-down."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "If people of the world take this as
upside-down, what do people of the world take to be right-side-up?
Ananda said, "They call it right-side-up when the Tathagata Thus Come One
raises
his arm, with the fingers of his cotton-soft hand pointing up in the
air."
The Buddha then held up his hand and said: "And so for it to be
upside-down would be for it to be just the opposite of this. Or at
least that's how people of the world would regard it.
"In the same way they will differentiate between your body and the Tathagata's
Thus Come One's
pure
Dharmabody Dharma body
and will say that the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
body is one of right and universal knowledge, while your body is
upside down.
"But examine your body and the Buddha's closely for this upside-downness: upside-down
ness:
What exactly does the term `upside down' refer to?"
Thereupon Ananda and the entire great assembly were dazed and stared
unblinking at the Buddha. They did not know in what way their bodies
and minds were upside down.
The Buddha's compassion arose as he empathized with Ananda and all in
the great assembly and he spoke to the great assembly in a voice that
swept over them like the ocean-tide.
"All of you good people, I have often said that all conditions that
bring about forms and the mind as well as dharmas pertaining to the
mind and all the conditioned dharmas are manifestations of the mind
only. Your bodies and your minds all appear within the wonder of the
bright, true, essential, magnificent mind.
"Why do I say that you have lost track of what is fundamentally
wonderful, the perfect, wonderful bright mind, and that in the midst
of your gem-like bright and wonderful nature, you wallow in confusion
while being right within enlightenment.
"Mental dimness turns into emptiness. This emptiness, in the
dimness, unites with darkness to become form.
"Form mixes with false thinking and the thoughts take shape and
become the body.
"As causal conditions come together, there are perpetual internal
disturbances, which tend to gallop outside. Such inner turmoil is
often mistaken for the nature of the mind.
"Once that is mistaken to be the mind, a further delusion determines
that it is located in the physical body.
"You do not know that the physical body as well as the mountains, the
rivers, empty space, and the great earth are all within the wonderful
bright true mind.
Such a delusion is like ignoring hundreds of thousands of clear pure
seas and taking notice of only a single bubble, seeing it as the
entire ocean, as the whole expanse of the great and small seas.
Refuting the false perception to eliminate the fourth aggregate
and reveal the non-existence of the seventh consciousness
Ananda's wrong view.
"You people are doubly deluded among the deluded. Such delusion does
not differ from that caused by my lowered hand. The Tathagata Thus Come One
says you are pathetic."
Having received the Buddha's compassionate rescue and profound
instruction, Ananda wept, folded his hands, and said to the Buddha, "I
have heard these wonderful sounds of the Buddha and have awakened to
the primal perfection of the wonderful bright mind as being the
eternally dwelling mind-ground.
"But now in awakening to the Dharma-sounds that the Buddha is
speaking, I know that I have been using my conditioned mind to regard
and revere them. Having just become aware of that mind, I dare yet
claim to recognize that fundamental mind-ground.
"I pray that the Buddha will be compassionate and with his perfect
voice explain to us in order to pull our doubts out by the roots and
enable us to return to the unsurpassed Way."
Unreality of illusory causes."
The Buddha told Ananda, "You and others like you still listen to the
Dharma with the conditioned mind, and so the Dharma becomes
conditioned as well, and you do not obtain the Dharma-nature. This is
similar to a person pointing his finger at the moon to show it to
someone else. Guided by the finger, the other person should see the
moon. If he looks at the finger instead and mistakes it for the moon,
he loses not only the moon but the finger also. Why?. Why
, because he
mistakes the pointing finger for the bright moon.
"Not only does he lose the finger, but he also fails to recognize
light and darkness. Why? He mistakes the solid matter of the finger
for the bright nature of the moon, and so he does not understand the
two natures of light and darkness. The same is true of you.
"If you take what distinguishes the sound of my speaking Dharma to be
your mind, then that mind itself, apart from the sound which is
distinguished, should have a nature which makes distinctions. Take the
example of the guest who lodged overnight at an inn; he stopped
temporarily and then went on. He did not dwell there permanently,
whereas the innkeeper did not go anywhere, since he was the host of
the inn.
Falseness of both sense organs and consciousness.
"The same applies here. If it were truly your mind, it would not go
anywhere. And so why in the absence of sound does it have no
discriminating nature of its own?
"This, then, applies not only to the distinguishing of sound, but in
distinguishing my appearance, that mind has no distinction-making
nature apart from the attributes of form.
"This is true even when the making of distinctions is totally absent;
when there is no form and no emptiness, or in the obscurity which
Goshali and others take to be the `profound truth': that mind still
does not have a distinction-making nature in the absence of casual
conditions.
"How can we say that the nature of that mind of yours plays the part
of host since everything perceived by it can be returned to something
else?"
Ananda said, "If every state of our mind can be returned to something
else as its cause, then why does the wonderful bright original mind
mentioned by the Buddha return nowhere? We only hope that the Buddha
will empathize with us and explain this for us."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "As you now look at me, the essence of
your seeing is fundamentally bright. Although that seeing is not the
wonderful essential brightness of the mind, it is like a second moon,
rather than the moon's reflection.
"Listen attentively, for I am now going to explain to you the concept
of not returning to anything.
"Ananda, this great lecture hall is open to the east. When the sun
rises in the sky, it is flooded with light. At midnight, during a new
moon or when the moon is obscured by clouds or fog obscures the moon
, it is dark. Looking out
through open doors and windows your vision is unimpeded; facing walls
or houses your vision is hindered. In such places where there are
forms of distinctive features your vision is causally conditioned. In
a dull void, you can see only emptiness. Your vision will be
distorted when the objects of seeing are shrouded in dust and
vapor; you will perceive clearly when the air is fresh.
"Ananda, observe all these transitory characteristics as I now return
each to its source. What are their sources? Ananda, among these
transitions, the light can be returned to the sun. Why? Without the
sun there would be no light; therefore the cause of light belongs with
the sun, and so it can be returned to the sun.
"Darkness can be returned to the new moon. Penetration can be
returned to the doors and windows while obstruction can be returned to
the walls and eaves. Conditions can be returned to distinctions.
Emptiness can be returned to dull emptiness. Darkness and distortion
can be returned to mist and haze. Bright purity can be returned to
freshness, and nothing that exists in this world goes beyond these
categories."
"To which of the eight states of perception would the essence of your
seeing be reducible? Why do I ask that? If it returned to brightness,
you would not see darkness when there was no light. Although such
states of perception as light, darkness, and the like differ from one
another, your seeing remains unchanged.
"That which can be returned to other sources clearly is not you; if
that which you cannot return to anything else is not you, then what is
it?
"Therefore I know that your mind is fundamentally wonderful, bright,
and pure. You yourself are confused and deluded. You abuse what is
fundamental, and end up undergoing the cycle of rebirth, bobbing up
and down in the sea of birth and death. No wonder the
Tathagata Thus Come One
says that you are the most pathetic of creatures."
Ananda said, "Although I recognize that the seeing-nature cannot be
traced back to anything, but how can I come to know that it is my true
nature?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "Now I have a question for you. At this
point you have not yet attained the purity of no outflows. Blessed by
the Buddha's spiritual strength, you are able to see into the first
dhyana heavens without any obstruction, just as Aniruddha looks at
Jambudvipa with such clarity as he might at an amala fruit in the palm
of his hand.
"Bodhisattvas can see hundreds of thousands of realms. The
Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
of the ten directions see everything throughout pure lands as
numerous as fine motes of dust. By contrast, ordinary beings' sight
does not extend beyond a fraction of an inch.
"Ananda, as you and I now look at the palace where the four heavenly
kings reside, and inspect all that moves in the water, on dry land,
and in the air, some are dark and some are bright, varying in shape
and appearance, and yet all of these are nothing but the dust before
us, taking solid form only through our own distinction-making.
"Among them you should distinguish which is self and which is other.
I ask you now to select from within your seeing which is the substance
of the self and which is the appearance of things.
"Ananda, if you take a good look at everything everywhere within the
range of your vision extending from the palaces of the sun and moon to
the seven gold mountain ranges, all that you see is phenomena of
different features and degrees of light. At closer range you will
gradually see clouds floating, birds flying, wind blowing, dust
rising, trees, mountains, streams, grasses, seeds, people, and
animals, all of which are phenomena, but none of which are you.
"Ananda, all phenomena, near and far, have their own nature.
Although each is distinctly different, they are seen with the same
pure essence of seeing. Thus all the categories of phenomena have
their individual distinctions, but the seeing-nature has no
differences. That essential wonderful brightness is most certainly
your seeing-nature.
"If seeing were a phenomenon, then you should also be able to see my
seeing.
"If we both looked at the same phenomenon, you would also be seeing
my seeing. Then, when I'm not seeing, why can't you see my
not-seeing? not seeing?
"If you could see my not-seeing, it clearly would not be the
phenomenon that I am not seeing. If you cannot not see my not
seeing `not
seeing'
, then it is clearly not a phenomena phenomenon
. How could it not be you?
Besides that, if your you're
seeing of phenomena was like that then when
you saw things, things should also see you. With substance and nature
mixed together, you and, I, and everyone in the world would no longer be
distinguishable from each other.
"Ananda, when you see, it is you who sees, not me. The seeing-nature
pervades everywhere; whose is it if it is not yours?
"Why do you have doubts about your own true-nature and come to me
seeking verification, thinking your nature is not true?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, given that this
seeing-nature is certainly mine and no one else's, when the Tathagata Thus Come
One
and I regard the hall of the Four Heavenly Kings with its supreme
abundance of jewels or stay at the palace of the sun and moon, this
seeing completely pervades the lands of the Saha world. Upon
returning to this sublime lecture hall, the seeing only observes the
monastic grounds and once inside the pure central hall, it only sees
the eaves and corridors.
"World Honored One that is how the seeing is. At first its substance
pervaded everywhere throughout the one realm, but now in the midst of
this room it fills one room only. Does the seeing shrink from great to
small, or do the walls and eaves press in and cut it off?
Now I do not know where the meaning of this lies and hope the Buddha
will extend his vast compassion and proclaim it for me thoroughly."
The Buddha told Ananda, "All the aspects of everything in the world,
such as big and small, inside and outside, amount to the dust before
you. Do not say the seeing stretches and shrinks.
"Consider the example of a square container in which a square of
emptiness is seen. I ask you further: is the square emptiness that is
seen in the square container a fixed square shape, or is it not fixed
as a square shape?
"If it is a fixed square shape, when it is switched to a round
container the emptiness would not be round. If it is not a fixed
shape, then when it is in the square container it should not be a
square-shaped emptiness.
"You say you do not know where the meaning lies. The nature of the
meaning being thus, how can you speak of its location?
Ananda, if you wished there to be neither squareness square ness
nor roundness,
you would only need to remove the container. The essential emptiness
has no shape, and so do not say that you would also have to remove the
shape from the emptiness.
"If, as you suggest, your seeing shrinks and becomes small when you
enter a room, then when you look up at the sun shouldn't your seeing
be pulled out until it reaches the sun's surface? If walls and eaves
can press in and cut off your seeing, then why if you were to drill a
small hole, wouldn't there be evidence of the seeing reconnecting? And
so that idea is not feasible.
"From beginningless beginning less
time until now, all beings have mistaken
themselves for phenomena and, having lost sight of their original
mind, are influenced by phenomena, and end up having the scope of
their observations defined by boundaries large and small.
"If you can influence phenomena, then you are the same as the Tathagata Thus
Come One
.
"With body and mind perfect and bright, you are your own unmoving
Way-place.
"The tip of a single fine hair can completely contain the lands of
the ten directions."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, if this seeing-essence
is indeed my wonderful nature, my wonderful nature should no be right
in front of me. The seeing being truly me, what, then, are my present
body and mind? Yet it is my body and mind, which make distinctions,
whereas the seeing does not make distinctions and does not discern my
body.
"If it were really my mind which caused me to see now, then the
seeing-nature would actually be me, and my body would not be me.
"How would that differ from the question the Tathagata Thus Come One
asked
about phenomena being able to see me? I only hope the Buddha will
extend his great compassion and explain for those who have not yet
awakened."
The Buddha told Ananda, "What you have just now said--that the seeing
is in front of you--is actually not the case."
"If it were actually in front of you, it would be something you could
actually see, and then the seeing-essence would have a location. There
would have to be some evidence of it.
"Now as you sit in the Jeta Grove you look about everywhere at the
grove, the pond, the halls, up at the sun and moon, and at the Ganges
River before you. Now, before my Lion's Seat, point out these various
appearances: what is dark is the groves, what is bright is the sun,
what is obstructing is the walls, what is clear is emptiness, and so
on including even the grasses and trees, and the most minute objects.
Their sizes vary, but since they all have appearances, all can be
located.
"If you insist that your you're
seeing is in front of you, then you should
be able to point it out. What is the seeing? Ananda, if emptiness
were the seeing, then since it had already become your seeing, what
would have become of emptiness? If phenomena were the seeing, since
they had already become the seeing, what would have become of
phenomena?
"You should be able to cut through and peel away the myriad
appearances to the finest degree and thereby distinguish and bring
forth the essential brightness and pure wonder of the source of
seeing, pointing it out and showing it to me from among all these
things, so that it is perfectly clear beyond any doubt."
Ananda said, "From where I am now in this many-storied lecture hall,
reaching to the distant Ganges River and the sun and moon overhead,
all that I might raise my hand to point to, all that I indulge my eyes
in seeing, all are phenomena; they are not the seeing.
World Honored One, it is as the Buddha has said: not to mention
someone like me, a Hearer of the first stage, who still has
outflows, even Bodhisattvas cannot break open and reveal, among the
myriad appearances which are before them, an essence of seeing which
has a special nature of its own apart from all phenomena."
The Buddha said, "So it is, so it is."
The Buddha further said to Ananda, "It is as you have said. No
seeing-essence that would have a nature of its own apart from all
phenomena can be found. Therefore, all the phenomena you point to are
phenomena, and none of them is the seeing.
"Now I will tell you something else: as you and the Tathagata Thus Come One
sit
here in the Jeta Grove and look again at the groves and gardens, up to
the sun and moon, and at all the various different appearances, having
determined that the seeing-essence is not among anything you might
point to. I now advise you to go ahead and discover what, among all
these phenomena, is not your seeing."
Ananda said, "As I look all over this Jeta Grove, I do not know what
in the midst of it is not my seeing.
"Why is that? If trees were not the seeing, why would I see trees?
If trees were the seeing, then how could they also be trees? The same
is true of everything up to and including emptiness: if emptiness were
not the seeing, why would I see emptiness? If emptiness were the
seeing, then how could it also be emptiness?
"As I consider it again and explore the subtlest aspects of the
myriad appearances, none is not my seeing."
The Buddha said, "So it is, so it is."
Then all in the great assembly who had not reached the stage beyond
study were stunned upon hearing these words of the Buddha, and could
not make heads or tails of it all. They were agitated and taken aback
at the same time, having lost their bearings.
The Tathagata, knowing Thus Come One, knowing
they were anxious and upset, let empathy
rise in his heart as he consoled Ananda and everyone in the great
assembly. "Good people, what the unsurpassed Dharma King says is true
and real. He says it just as it is. He never deceives anyone; he
never lies. He is not like Maskari Goshaliputra advocating his four
kinds of non-dying, spouting deceptive and confusing theories.
Consider this carefully and do not be embarrassed to ask about it."
Then Dharma Prince Manjushri, feeling sorry for the fourfold
assembly, rose from his seat in the midst of the great assembly, bowed
at the Buddha's feet, placed his palms together respectfully, and said
to the Buddha, "World Honored One, the great assembly has not awakened
to the principle of the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
two-fold disclosure of the
essence of seeing as being both form and emptiness and as being
neither of them.
"World Honored One, if conditioned forms, emptiness, and other
phenomena mentioned above were the seeing, there should be an
indication of them; and if they were not the seeing, there should be
nothing there to be seen. Now we do not know what is meant, and this
is why we are alarmed and concerned.
Yet our good roots from former lives are not deficient. We only hope
the Tathagata Thus Come One
will have the great compassion to reveal exactly
what all the things are and what the seeing-essence is. Among all of
those, what exists and what doesn't?
The Buddha told Manjushri and the great assembly, "To the Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
and the great Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, who dwell in
this samadhi, seeing and the conditions of seeing, as well as thoughts
regarding seeing, are like flowers in space--fundamentally
non-existent.
"This seeing and its conditions are originally the wonderful pure
bright substance of Bodhi. How could one inquire into its existence
or non-existence?
Manjushri, I now ask you: Could there be another Manjushri besides
you? Or would that Manjushri not be you?
"No, World Honored One: I would be the real Manjushri.
There couldn't be any other Manjushri. Why not? If there were another
one, there would be two Manjushris. But as it is now, I could not be
that non-existent Manjushri. Actually, neither of the two concepts
`existent'or
`existent' or
`non-existent' applies."
The Buddha said, "That is how the basic substance of wonderful Bodhi
is in terms of emptiness and mundane objects.
They are basically misnomers for the wonderful brightness of
unsurpassed Bodhi, the pure, perfect, true mind. Our misconception
turns them into form and emptiness, as well as hearing and seeing.
"They are like the second moon: does that moon exist or not?
Manjushri, there is only one true moon. That leaves no room for
questioning its existence or non-existence.
"Therefore, your current contemplating of the seeing and the mundane
objects and the many observations that entails are all false thoughts.
You cannot transcend existence and non-existence while caught up in
them.
"Only the true essence, the wonderful enlightened bright nature is
beyond pointing out or not pointing out."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, it is truly as the
Dharma King has said: the condition of enlightenment pervades the ten
directions. It is clear and eternal its nature is neither produced nor
extinguished. "How does it differ, then, from the Elder Brahmin
Kapila's teaching of the mysterious truth or from the teaching of the
ash-smeared ascetics or from the other externalist sects that say
there is a true self which pervades the ten directions?
"Also, in the past, the World Honored One gave a lengthy lecture on
this topic at Mount Lanka for the sake of Great Wisdom Bodhisattva and
others: `Those externalist sects always speak of spontaneity. I speak
of causes and conditions which is an entirely different frame of
reference.'
"Now as I contemplate original enlightenment in its natural state, as
being neither produced nor extinguished, and as apart from all empty
falseness and inversion, it seems to have nothing to do with your
causes and conditions or the spontaneity advocated by others. Would
you please enlighten us on this point so we can avoid joining those of
deviant views, thus enabling us to obtain the true mind, the bright
nature of wonderful enlightenment?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "Now I have instructed you with such
expedients in order to tell you the truth, yet you do not awaken to it
but mistake what I describe for spontaneity.
"Ananda, If it definitely were spontaneous, you should be able to
distinguish the substance of the spontaneity.
"Now you investigate the wonderful bright seeing. What is its
spontaneous aspect? Is the bright light its spontaneous aspect? Is
darkness its spontaneous aspect? Is emptiness its spontaneous
aspect? Are solid objects its spontaneous aspect?
"Ananda, if its spontaneous aspect consisted of light, you should not
see darkness. Or, if its spontaneous aspect were emptiness, you
should not see solid objects. Continuing in the same way, if its
spontaneous aspect were all dark appearances, then, when confronted
with light, the seeing-nature should be cut off and extinguished, so
how could you see light?"
Ananda said, "The nature of this wonderful seeing definitely does not
seem to be spontaneous. And so I propose that it is produced from
causes and conditions. But I am not totally clear about this. I now
ask the Tathagata Thus Come One
whether this idea is consistent with the nature
of causes and conditions."
The Buddha said, "You say the nature of seeing is causes and
conditions. I ask you about that: because you are now seeing, the
seeing-nature manifests. Does this seeing exist because of light?
Does it exist because of darkness? Does it exist because of
emptiness? Does it exist because of solid objects?
"Ananda, if light is the cause that brings about seeing, you should
not see darkness. If darkness is the cause that brings about seeing,
you should not see light. The same question applies to emptiness and
solid objects.
"Moreover, Ananda, does the seeing derive from the condition of there
being light? Does the seeing derive from the condition of there being
darkness? Does the seeing derive from the condition of there being
emptiness? Does the seeing derive from the condition of there being
solid objects?
"Ananda, if it existed because there is emptiness, you should not see
solid objects. If it exists because of there are solid objects, you
should not see emptiness: It would be the same with light or darkness
as it would be with emptiness or solid objects.
"Thus you should know that the essential, enlightened wonderful
brightness is due to neither causes nor conditions nor does it arise
spontaneously.
"Nor is it the negation of spontaneity. It is neither a negation nor
the denial of a negation.
"All dharmas are defined as being devoid of any attributes.
"Now in the midst of them, how can you use your mind to make
distinctions that are based on clever debate and technical jargon? To
do that is like grasping at empty space: you only end up tiring
yourself out. How could empty space possibly yield to your grasp?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "If the nature of the wonderful
enlightenment has neither causes nor conditions then why does the
World Honored One always tell the bhikshus that the nature of seeing
derives from the four conditions of emptiness, brightness, the mind,
and the eyes? What does that mean?"
The Buddha said, "Ananda, what I have spoken about causes and
conditions in the mundane sense does not describe the primary meaning.
"
Ananda, I ask you again: people in the world say, `I can see.' What
is that `seeing'? And what is `not seeing'?"
Ananda said, "The light of the sun, the moon, and lamps is the cause
that allows people in the world to see all kinds of appearances: that
is called seeing. Without these three kinds of light, they would not
be able to see."
"Ananda, if you say there is no seeing in the absence of light
then you should not see darkness. If in fact you do see darkness,
which is just lack of light, how can you say there is no seeing?"
"Ananda, if, when it is dark, you call that `not seeing' because you
do not see light, then since it is now light and you do not see the
characteristic of darkness, that should also be called `not seeing.'
Thus, both aspects would be called `not seeing.'"
"Although these two aspects counteract each other, your seeing-nature
does not lapse for an instant. Thus you should know that seeing
continues in both cases. How, then, can you say there is no seeing?
"Therefore, Ananda, you should know that when you see light, the
seeing is not the light. When you see darkness, the seeing is not the
darkness. When you see emptiness, the seeing is not the emptiness.
When you see solid objects, the seeing is not the solid objects.
And by extention extension
of these four facts, you should also know that when
you see your seeing, the seeing is not that seeing . Since the former
seeing is beyond the latter, the latter cannot reach it. Such being
the case, how can you describe it as being due to causes and
conditions or spontaneity or that it has something to do with mixing
and uniting?
"You narrow-minded Hearers are so inferior and ignorant that you are
unable to penetrate through to the purity of ultimate reality. Now I
will continue to instruct you. Consider well what is said. Do not
become weary or negligent on the wonderful road to Bodhi."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, we have still not
understood what the Buddha, the World Honored One, has explained for
me and for others like me about causes and conditions, spontaneity,
the attributes of mixing and uniting, and the absence of mixing and
uniting. And now to hear further that the seeing that can be seen is
not the seeing adds yet another layer of confusion.
"Humbly, I hope that with your vast compassion you will bestow upon us
the great wisdom-eye so as to show us the bright pure enlightened
mind." After saying this he wept, made obeisance, and waited to
receive the sacred instruction.
Then the World Honored One, out of pity for Ananda and the great
assembly, began to explain extensively the wonderful path of
cultivation for all samadhis of the Great Dharani.
And said to Ananda, "Although you have a keen memory, it only
benefits your extensive learning. But your mind has not yet
understood the subtle secret contemplation and illumination of
shamatha. Listen attentively now as I explain it for you in detail
"And cause all those of the future who have outflows to obtain the
fruition of Bodhi.
"Ananda, all living beings turn in the cycle of rebirth in this world
because of two upside-down discriminating false views. Wherever these
views arise, they cause one to revolve through the cycle in accord
with their corresponding karma.
"What are the two views? The first consists of the false view based
on living beings' individual karma. The second consists of the false
view based on living beings' collective karma.
"What is meant by false views based on individual karma?
Ananda, take for example someone who has cataracts on his eyes so that
at night he alone sees around the lamp a circular reflection composed
of layers of five colors.
"What do you think? Are the colors that compose the circle of light
that appears around the lamp at night created by the lamp or are they
created by the seeing?
"Ananda, if the colors were created by the lamp, why is it that
someone without the disease does not see the same thing, and only the
one who is diseased sees the circular reflection? If the colors were
created by the seeing,, then the seeing would have already become
colored; what, then, should the circular reflection that the diseased
person sees to be called?
"Moreover, Ananda, if the circular reflection were a thing in itself,
apart from the lamp, then it should be seen around the folding screen,
the curtain, the table, and the mats. On the other hand, if it had
nothing to do with the seeing, the eyes should not see it. So why
does the man with cataracts see the circular reflections with his
eyes?"
"Therefore, you should know that in fact the colors originate from
the lamp, and the disease of the seeing brings about the reflection.
Both the circular reflection and the faulty seeing are the result of
the cataract. But that which sees the diseased film is not sick.
Thus you should not say that the cause is the lamp or the seeing or
neither the lamp nor the seeing.
"Consider the example of which is neither substantial nor a
reflection. This is because the double image of the moon is merely a
result of applying pressure on the eyeball. Hence, a wise person would
not try to aruge-spelling? argue
that the second moon either has or doesn't have a
form, or that it is apart from the seeing or not apart from the
seeing.
"The same is true in this case: the illusion is created by the
diseased eyes. You cannot say it originates from the lamp or from the
seeing: even less can it be said not to originate from the lamp or the
seeing.
"What is meant by the false view of the collective karma?
Ananda, in Jambudvipa, besides the waters of the great seas, there is
level land that forms some three thousand continents. "East and west,
throughout the entire expanse of the great continent, there are
twenty-three hundred large countries. In the other smaller continents
in the seas there may be two or three hundred countries, or perhaps
one or two, or perhaps thirty, forty, or fifty.
"Ananda, suppose that among them there is one small continent where
there are only two countries. The people of just one of the countries
collectively experience evil conditions. On that small continent, all
the people of that country see all kinds of inauspicious omens.
"Perhaps they see two suns, perhaps they see two moons, perhaps they
see the moon with circles of, or a dark haze, or girdle-ornaments
around them(white them (white
vapor around it, or half around
it ); it);
or comets with
long rays, or comets with short rays, moving (or "flying")stars") stars
,
shooting stars, `ears' on the sun or moon, (evil haze above the sun,
or evil haze besides the sun), (morning) rainbows, secondary (evening)
rainbows, and various other evil signs.
"Only the people in that country see them. The beings in the other
country never do see or hear anything unusual.
"Ananda, I will now summarize and compare these two cases for you, to
make both of them clear.
"Ananda let us examine the case of the being's false view involving
individual karma. He saw the appearance of a circular reflection
around the lamp. Although this appearance seemed to be real, in the
end, what was seen came about because of the cataracts on his eyes.
"The cataracts are the result of the weariness of the seeing rather
than the products of form. However, what perceives the cataracts is
free from all defects. By the same token, you now use your eyes to
look at the mountains, the rivers, the countries, and all the living
beings: and they are all brought about by the disease of your seeing
contracted since time without beginning.
"Seeing and the conditions of seeing seem to reveal what is before
you. Originally our enlightenment is bright. The cataracts influence
the seeing and its conditions, so that what is perceived by the seeing
is affected by the cataracts. But no cataract affects the perception
and the conditions of our fundamentally enlightened bright mind.
The perception that perceives the cataracts is a perception not
affected by the cataracts. That is the true perception of seeing. Why
name it other things like awareness, hearing, knowing, and seeing? T herefore
"Therefore
, you now see me and yourself and the world and all the ten
kinds of living beings because of a disease in the seeing. What
perceives the disease is not diseased.
"The nature of true essential seeing has no disease. Therefore it is
not called seeing.
"Ananda let us compare the false views of those living beings'
collective karma with the false views of the individual karma of one
person.
"The individual person with the diseased eyes can be likened to the
people of that one country. He sees circular reflections, erroneously
brought about by a disease of the seeing. The beings with a
collective share see inauspicious things. In the midst of their karma
of identical views arise pestilence and evils.
"Both are produced from a beginningless beginning less
falsity of seeing. It is the
same in the three thousand continents of Jambudvipa, throughout the
four great seas in the saha world and on through the ten directions.
All countries that have outflows
and all living beings are the enlightened bright wonderful mind
without outflows. Seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are an
illusory falseness brought about by the disease and its conditions.
Mixing and uniting with that brings about a false birth; mixing and
uniting with that creates a false death.
"If you can leave far behind all conditions which mix and unite as
well as those which do not mix and unite, then you can also extinguish
and cast out the causes of birth and death, and obtain perfect Bodhi,
the nature of which is neither produced nor extinguished. That is the
pure clear basic mind, the eternal fundamental enlightenment.
"Ananda, although you have already realized that the wonderful bright
fundamental enlightenment is not orginated originated
by conditions nor is it
originated by spontaneity, you have not yet understood that the source
of enlightenment does not originate from mixing and uniting or from a
lack of mixing and uniting.
"Ananda, now I will once again make use of the mundane objects before
you to question you. You now hold that false thoughts mix and unite
with the causes and conditions of everything in the world, and you
wonder if the Bodhi mind one realizes might arise from mixing and
uniting.
"To follow that line of thinking, right now, does the wonderful pure
seeing-essence mix with light, does it mix with darkness, does it mix
with penetration or does it mix with obstructions? If it mixed with
light, then when you looked at light, when light appeared before you,
at what point would it mix with your seeing? Given that seeing has
certain attributes, what would the altered shape of such a mixture be?
"If that mixture were not the seeing, how could you see the light?
If it were the seeing, how could the seeing see itself?
"If you insist that seeing is complete, what room would there be for
it to mix with the light? And if light were complete in itself, it
could not unite and mix with the seeing.
"If seeing were different from light, then, when mixed together, both
its quality and the light would lose their identity. Since the
mixture would result in the loss of the light and the quality of
seeing, the proposal that the seeing-essence mixes with light doesn't
hold. The same principle applies to its mixing with darkness, with
penetration, or with all kinds of solid objects.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you are right now, once again, does the
wonderful pure seeing-essence unite with light, does it unite with
darkness, does it unite with penetration, or does it unite with solid
objects?
"If it united with light, then when darkness came and the attributes
of light ceased to be, how could you see darkness since the seeing
would not be united with darkness? If you could see darkness and yet
at the same time there was no union with darkness, but rather a union
with light, you should not be able to see light. Since you could not
be seeing light, then why is it that when your seeing comes in contact
with light, it recognizes light, not darkness?
"The same would be true of its union with darkness, with penetration,
or with any kind of solid object."
"Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, as I consider it, the
source of this wonderful enlightenment does not mix or unite with any
conditioned mundane objects or with mental speculation. Is that the
case?"
"The Buddha said, "Now you want to say that the enlightened nature
neither mixes nor unites. So now I ask you further: as to this
wonderful seeing-essence's neither mixing nor uniting, does it not mix
with light? Does it not mix with darkness? Does it not mix with
penetration? Does it not mix with solid objects?
"If it does not mix with light, then there should be a boundary
between seeing and light.
"Examine it closely: At what point is there light? At what point is
there seeing? Where are the boundaries of the seeing and the light?
"Ananda, if there were no seeing within the boundaries of light, then
there would be no contact between them, and clearly one would not know
what the attributes of light were. Then how could its boundaries be
defined?
"As to its not mixing with darkness, with penetration, or with any
kind of solid object, the principle would be the same.
"Moreover, as to the wonderful seeing essence's neither mixing nor
uniting, does it not unite with light? Does it not unite with
darkness? Does it not unite with penetration? Does it not unite with
solid objects?
"If it did not unite with light, then the seeing and the light would
be at odds with each other by their nature, as are the ear and the
light, which do not come in contact.
"Since the seeing would not know what the attributes of light were,
how could it determine clearly whether there is union?"
"As to its not uniting with darkness, with penetration, or with any
kind of solid object, the principle would be the same."
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 3, Part One
"Ananda, you have not yet understood that all the defiling objects
that appear, all the illusory, ephemeral phenomena, spring up in the
very spot where they also come to an end. Their phenomena aspects are
illusory and false, but their nature is in truth the bright substance
of wonderful enlightenment.
"Thus it is throughout, up to the five skandhas and the six
entrances, to the twelve places and the eighteen realms; the union and
mixture of various causes and conditions account for their illusory
and false existence, and the separation and dispersion of the causes
and conditions result in their illusory and false extinction.
"Who would have thought that production and extinction, coming and
going are fundamentally the eternal wonderful light of the Tathagata Thus Come
One
, the unmoving, all-pervading perfection, the wonderful nature of
True Suchness! If within the true and eternal nature one seeks coming
and going, confusion and enlightenment, or birth and death, one will
never find them.
"Ananda, Why do I say that the five skandhas are basically the
wonderful nature of true suchness such-ness
, the Treasury of the Tathagata? Thus Come One?
"Ananda, suppose a person with clear vision were to gaze at clear
bright space. His gaze would perceive only clear emptiness devoid of
anything else.
"Then if that person for no particular reason fixed his gaze, the
staring would cause fatigue. Thus in empty space he would see illusory
flowers and other illusory and disordered unreal appearances.
"You should be aware that the form Skandha is like that.
"Ananda, those illusory flowers did not originate from space nor did
they come from the eyes.
"In fact, Ananda, if they came form space, coming from there they
should also return to and enter space. But if objects were to enter
and leave it, space would not be empty. And if space was not empty,
then there would be no room for it to contain the flowers that might
appear and disappear, just as Ananda's body cannot contain another
Ananda.
"If the flowers came from the eyes, coming from them, they should
also return to the eyes.
"If the image of flowers originated in the eyes, then they themselves
should have vision. If they had vision, when they went out to space,
they should be able to turn around and see the person's eyes. If they
didn't have vision, then in going out, they would obscure space and in
returning they would obscure the eyes.
"But when the person saw the flowers, his eyes should not have been
obscured. But on the contrary, isn't it when we see clear space that
our vision is said to be clear?
"From this you should understand that the form Skandha is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person's hands and feet were relaxed and his entire
body was in balance. He was unaware of his life-processes to the point
that he experienced neither pain nor pleasure. Then for no particular
reason that person might rub his hands together creating the illusory
sensation of friction and smoothness, cold and warmth, and other
sensations.
"You should be aware that the feeling Skandha is like that.
"Ananda, that imaginary contact did not originate in the surrounding
air nor did it originate in the palms.
"In fact, Ananda, if it had come from the air, since the contact
affected the palms, why didn't it affect the rest of the body? Nor
should the air select what it comes in contact with.
"If the sensation came from the palms, there would be no need to rub
the palms together to experience it.
"Besides, if it came from the palms, the palms would experience it
when joined, but when they were not joined, the sense of contact
should return into the palms. And in that case, the arms, wrists,
bones, and marrow should also be aware of its course of entry.
"If you insist that the mind would be aware of is leaving and
entering, then the contact would be a thing in itself that came and
went in the body. What need would there be to wait for the palms to be
joined to experience it and identify it as contact?
"From this you should understand that the feeling Skandha is empty
and false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be atttributed attributed
to either
causes andconditions and conditions
or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person's mouth watered at the mention of sour
plums, or the soles of his feet tingled when he thought about walking
along a precipice.
"You should be aware that the thinking Skandha is like that.
"Ananda, The mouth's watering caused by the mention of plums does not
originate from the plums, nor does it originate in the mouth.
"In fact, Ananda, if the mouths' watering came from the plums, the
plums should speak for themselves, why wait for someone to mention
them? If it came from the mouth, the mouth itself should hear, so
what need would there be to wait for the ear's perception? If the ear
alone heard, then why doesn't it produce the saliva?
"Thinking about walking along a precipice can be explained in the same
way.
"From this you should understand that the thinking Skandha is empty
and false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a swift rapids had waves that follow upon one
another in orderly succession, the ones behind never overtaking the
ones in front. "You should be aware that the activity Skandha is like
that.
"Ananda, that flowing does not arise because of emptiness, nor does it
come into being because of water. It is not identical to the water and
yet it is not separate from either the emptiness or the water.
"In fact, Ananda, if the flow arose because of emptiness, then the
inexhaustible emptiness throughout the ten directions would become an
unending flow, and all the worlds would inevitably be drowned.
"If the swift rapids existed because of water, then they would have to
differ from water, and the location and attributes of their existence
should be apparent. If the rapids were identical to water, then when
the rapids disappeared and became still and clear, the water should
also disappear.
"Suppose the rapids were separate from both the emptiness and the
water. But there isn't anything beyond emptiness, and without water
there couldn't be any flow.
"From this you should understand that the activity Skandha is empty
and false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a man picked up a kalavinka pitcher, up its two
holes, lifted up the pitcher filled with emptiness, and walking some
thousand miles away, presented it to another country. You should be
aware that the consciousness Skandha is like that.
"Ananda, that emptiness did not originate in one place, nor did it go
to another.
"In fact, Ananda, if the emptiness were to come from one place, then,
when the stored-up emptiness in the pitcher was carried elsewhere,
there should be less emptiness in the place where the pitcher
originally was.
"And if it were to enter the other region, when the holes were
unplugged and the pitcher was turned over, one would see emptiness
emerge.
"From this you should understand that the feeling Skandha is empty
and false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Furthermore, Ananda, why do I say that the six entrances are
basically the wonderful nature of True Suchness, the Treasury of the
Tathagata?
Thus Come One?
"Ananda, although the eyes' staring causes fatigue, both the eye and
the fatigue originate in Bodhi. The attributes of the fatigue come
from the staring.
3p 16
"Because of the two false defiling attributes of light and dark,
a sense of seeing is stimulated which in turn draws in those two
defiling attributes. That is called the ability to see. Apart from
these two defiling attributes of light and dark, this seeing is
ultimately without substance.
"In fact, Ananda, you should know that seeing does not originate from
light or dark, nor from the sense organ, nor from emptiness.
"Why not? If it originated from light, then it would be extinguished
when there was darkness, and you would not see darkness. If it came
from darkness, then it would be extinguished when there was light, and
you would not see light.
"If the essence of seeing came from the sense organ, which is
obviously devoid of light and dark, then in that case, basically no
seeing could take place.
"If it came from emptiness, then looking ahead it would see the
shapes of mundane phenomena; looking back, it should see the eye
itself. Moreover, if emptiness itself did the seeing, what would that
have to do with your eye?
"From this you should understand that the eye-entrance is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person suddenly stops up his ears with his fingers.
Because the sense organ of hearing become fatigued, he hears a sound
in his head. However, both the ear and its fatigue originate in Bodhi.
The attribute of fatigue comes from the monotony.
"Because of the two false defiling attributes of motion and stillness,
a sense of hearing is stimulated which in turn draws in those two
defiling attributes. That is called the ability to hear. Apart from
the two defiling attributes of motion and stillness, this hearing is
ultimately without substance.
"In fact, Ananda, you should know that hearing does not originate
from motion and stillness; nor from the sense organ, nor from
emptiness.
"Why not? If it came from stillness, it would be extinguished when
there was motion, and you would not hear motion. If it came from
motion, then it would be extinguished when there was stillness, and
you would not be aware of the stillness.
"If the capacity to hear came from the sense organ, which is
obviously devoid of motion and stillness, then in that case basically
the hearing would not have a nature of its own.
"Suppose it came from emptiness, then emptiness would become hearing
and would no longer be empty. Moreover, if emptiness itself did the
hearing, what would that have to do with your ear?
"From this you should understand that the ear-entrance is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person inhaled deeply through his nose. After he
inhaled for a long time he became fatigued, and then there is a
sensation of coldness in the nose. Because of that sensation,
distinctions of penetration and obstruction, of emptiness and
actuality, and so forth, including all fragrant and stinking vapors
are made. However, both the nose and its fatigue originate in Bodhi.
The attribute of fatigue comes from overexertion.
"Because of the two false defiling attributes of penetration and
obstruction, a sense of smelling is stimulated which in turn draws in
those two defiling attributes. That is called the ability to smell.
Apart from the two defiling attributes of penetration and obstruction,
this smelling is ultimately without substance.
"You should know that smelling does not come from penetration and
obstruction, nor from the sense organ, nor from emptiness.
"Why not? If it came from penetration, the smelling would be
extinguished when there was obstruction, and then how could it
experience obstruction? If i t it
existed because of obstruction, then
where there was penetration there would be no smelling; in that case,
how would the awareness of fragrance, stench, and other such
sensations come into being?
"If the mechanism of hearing came from the sense organ, which is
obviously devoid of penetration and obstruction, then in that case
basically smelling would not have a nature.
"If it came from emptiness then smelling itself should be able to
turn around and smell your own nose. Moreover, if emptiness itself did
the smelling, what would that have to do with your ability to smell?
"From this you should understand that the nose-entrance is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person licks his lips with his tongue. His
excessive licking causes fatigue. If the person is sick, he will taste
a bitter flavor; A person who is not sick will taste a subtle
sweetness. Sweetness and bitterness demonstrate the tongue's sense of
taste. When the organ is inactive, a sense of tastelessness prevails.
However, both the tongue and the fatigue originate in Bodhi. The
attributes of fatigue come from prolonged licking.
"Because the two false defiling attributes of sweetness and bitterness
and of tastelessness, a sense of hearing is stimulated which in turn
draws in those two defiling attributes. That is called the ability to
taste. Apart from the two defiling attributes of sweetness and
bitterness and apart from tastelessness, the sense of taste is
originally without substance.
"In fact, Ananda, you should know that the perception of sweetness,
bitterness, or tastelessness does not originate from sweetness or
bitterness, nor from tastelessness, nor from the sense organ, nor from
emptiness.
"Why not? If it came from sweetness or bitterness, it would cease to
exist when tastelessness was experienced, so how could it recognize
tastelessness? If it arose from tastelessness, it would vanish when
the flavor of sweetness was tasted, so how could it perceive the two
flavors of sweet and bitter?
"If it came from the tongue which is obviously devoid of sweetness,
bitterness, and tastelessness, then in that case taste would not have
a nature.
"If it came from emptiness, then the sense of taste should be
experienced by emptiness instead of by the mouth. Moreover, if
emptiness itself did the tasting, what would that have to do with your
tongue?
"From this you should understand that the tongue-entrance is empty
and false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person were to touch his warm hand with his cold
hand. If the cold were greater than the warmth, the warm hand would
become cold; if the warm were greater than the cold, the cold hand
would become warm. That sensation of warmth and cold is felt through
the contact and separation of the two hands. Fatiguing contact results
in the mingling of warmth and cold. However, both the body and the
fatigue originate in Bodhi. The attribute of fatigue comes from
protracted contact.
"Because of the two false defiling attributes of separation and union,
a physical awareness is stimulated which in turn draws in those two
defiling attributes. That is called the awareness of physical
sensation. Apart from the two sets of defiling attributes of
separation and union, and pleasure and pain, the awareness of
sensation is originally without a substance.
"In fact, Ananda, you should know that this sensation does not come
from separation and union, nor does it exist because of pleasure and
pain, nor does it arise from the sense organ, nor is it produced from
emptiness.
"Why not? If it arose when there was union, it would disappear when
there was separation, so how could it sense the separation? The two
characteristics of pleasure and pain would be the same way.
"If it came from the sense organ, which is obviously devoid of the
four characteristics of union, separation, pleasure, and pain, then in
that case basically no awareness of physical sensation could take
place.
"If it came from emptiness, then the awareness of sensations would be
experienced by emptiness itself. What would that have to do with your
body?
"From this you should understand that the body-entrance is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, suppose a person becomes so fatigued that he goes to sleep.
Having slept soundly, he awakens and tries to recollect what he
experienced while asleep. He recalls some things and forgets others.
Thus, his upsidedownness upside down ness
goes through production, dwelling, change,
and extinction, which are taken in and processed through the mind's
central system habitually, each following the next without ever being
overtaken. That is called the ability to know. The mind and its
fatigue are both Bodhi. The attributes of fatigue come from persistent
thinking.
"The two defiling attributes of arising and ending stimulate a sense
of knowing which in turn grasps these inner sense data, reversing the
flow of seeing and hearing. The place beyond the reach of this flow is
known as the faculty of intellect.
"Apart from the two sets of defiling attributes of waking and sleeping
and of arising and ceasing, the faculty of intellect is originally
without substance.
"In fact, Ananda, you should know that the faculty of intellect does
not come from waking, sleeping, arising or ceasing, nor from the mind
organ, nor from emptiness.
"Why not? If it came from waking, it would disappear during sleep, so
how could it experience sleep? If it came from arising, it would cease
to exist at the time of ceasing, so how could it experience ceasing?
If it came from ceasing it would disappear at the time of arising, so
how could it experience arising?"
"If mental awareness came from the faculty of the intellect, it would
be no more than the physical opening and closing caused by the waking
and sleep states respectively. Apart from these two movements, the
faculty of intellect would be as insubstantial as flowers in space,
and in that case basically no cognition could exist.
"If mental awareness came from emptiness, then emptiness itself should
become cognition. What would that have to do with the mind entrance.
"From this you should understand that the mind-entrance is empty and
false. Fundamentally its nature cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
Moreover, Ananda, why do I say that the twelve places are basically
the wonderful nature of True Suchness, the Treasury of the Tathagata? Thus Come
One?
"Ananda, look again at the trees in the Jeta Grove and the river and
pools.
"What do you think: do these things come into being because the forms
arise and thus the eyes see them, or because the eyes produce the
attributes of form?
"Ananda, if the eyes were to produce the attributes of forms, then
when the eyes looked at empty space, the forms should be obliterated.
Once they were obliterated, everything that had manifested would
disappear. Since the attributes of forms would then be absent, who
would be able to recognize emptiness? The same principle applied to
emptiness.
"If, moreover, forms arose and the eyes saw them, then seeing should
perish upon looking at space, which has no form. Once seeing perished,
everything would disappear and then who would be able to recognize
either emptiness or form?
"From this you should understand that neither seeing, nor form, nor
emptiness can be located, and thus the two places of form and seeing
are empty and false. Fundamentally their natures cannot be attributed
to either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, listen again to the drum being beaten in the Jeta Garden
when the food is ready. The assembly gathers as the bell is struck.
The sounds of the bell and the drum follow one another in succession.
"What do you think: do these things come into existence because the
sound arrives in the vicinity of the ear, or because the ear's hearing
extends to the source of the sound.
"Ananda, once again, if the sound arrived in the vicinity of the ear,
then that would be like when I go on alms rounds to the city of
Shravasti, I am no longer in the Jeta Grove. And so, if the sound
definitely arrived in the vicinity of Ananda's ear, then neither
Maudgalyayana nor Kashyapa would hear it, much less the twelve hundred
and fifty Shramanas who, upon hearing the sound of the bell, come to
the dining hall at the same time.
"Again, if the ear arrived in the vicinity of the sound, that would be
like when I return to the Jeta Grove, I am no longer in the city of
Shravasti. When you hear the sound of the drum, your hearing would
already have gone to the place where the drum was being beaten. Thus,
when the bell pealed, you could not hear that sound--even the less
those of the elephants, horses, cattle, sheep, and all the other
various sounds around you.
"However, without coming or going, there would be no hearing.
"From this you should understand that neither hearing nor sound can be
located, and thus the two places of hearing and sound are empty and
false. Fundamentally their natures cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, you smell the chandana in this censer. When one
particle of this incense is lit, it can be smelled simultaneously
through forty miles around the city of Shravasti.
"What do you think? Is this fragrance produced from the chandana wood?
Is it produced in your nose, or does it arise within emptiness?
"Ananda, once again, if the fragrance were produced from your nose,
what is said to be produced from the nose should come forth from the
nose Your nose is not chandana, so how can your nose have the
fragrance of chandana? When you say you smell a fragrance, it should
enter your nose. Smelling is not defined as the nose emitting
fragrance.
"If it were produced from within emptiness, since the nature of
emptiness is eternal and unchanging, the fragrance should be
constantly present. Why should the presence of the fragrance be
contingent on the burning of dry wood in the censer?
"If it were produced from the wood, since the nature of this incense
is such that it gives off smoke when it is burned, then when the nose
smelled it, the nose should be filled with smoke, which does not
happen. The smoke rises into the air, and before it has reached the
distance, how can the fragrance already be smelled at a distance of
more than ten miles?
"From this you should understand that neither the fragrance nor the
nose's smelling can be located, and thus the two places of smelling
and fragrance are empty and false. Fundamentally their natures cannot
be attributed to either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, twice every day you take up your bowl along with the rest of
the assembly, and among what you receive may be fine-tasting foods,
such as curds, buttermilk, and clarified butter.
"What do you think? Are these flavors produced from emptiness, do
they come forth from the tongue, or does the food produce them?
"Ananda, once again, if the flavors came from your tongue, since you
only have one tongue in your mouth, when that tongue had already
tasted the flavor of curds, then it would not change if it encountered
some dark rock candy.
"If it did not change then it could not be said to be aware of tastes.
Yet if it did change, since the tongue is not made up of many
substances, how could one tongue know so many tastes?
"If the tastes were produced from the food, since food does not have
consciousness, how could it know tastes? Moreover, if the food itself
were to recognize them that would be the same as someone else eating.
Then what connection would that have with what is called your
recognition of tastes?
"If the tastes were produced in emptiness, then when you eat
emptiness, what flavor does it have? Suppose that emptiness had the
flavor of salt. Then since your tongue was salty, your face should
also be salty, and likewise everyone in the world would be like fish
in the sea. Since you would be constantly influenced by salt, you
would never know tastelessness. Yet, if you did not recognize
tastelessness, you could not be aware of the saltiness, either. You
would not know anything at all. How could that be called taste?
"From this you should understand that neither the flavors nor the
tongue's tasting can be located, and thus the two places of tasting
and flavors are empty and false. Fundamentally their natures cannot be
attributed to either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, early every morning you rub your head with your hand.
"What do you think? When the sensation of rubbing occurs, what does
the touching? Does the head or the hand do the touching?
"If the ability to touch were in the hand, then the head should have
no knowledge of it. How could we then say that the head was touched?
If it were in the head, then the hand would be useless, and how could
it be said to have touched?
"If each had the ability to touch, then you, Ananda, should have two
bodies.
"If between the head and the hand only one touch took place, then the
hand and the head would be of one substance. If they were one
substance, then no touch would be possible.
"If they were two substances, to which would the touch belong? The one
that was capable of touch would not be the one that was touched. The
one that was touched would not be the one that was capable of touch.
Nor should it be that the touch came into being between you and
emptiness.
"From this you should understand that neither the sensation of touch
nor the body can be located, and thus the two places of body and touch
are empty and false. Fundamentally their natures cannot be attributed
to either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda, your mind is always conditioned by the three qualities of
good, bad, and indeterminate, which produce patterns of dharmas.
"Are these dharmas produced by the mind, or do they have a special
place apart from the mind?
"Ananda, if they were the mind, the dharmas would not be its defiling
objects. Since they would not be conditions of the mind, how could you
say that they had a location?
"If they were to have a special place apart form the mind, then would
the dharmas themselves be able to know?
"If they had a sense of knowing, they would be called a mind.
Being something other than you and yet not defiling objects, they
would be someone else's mind. Being the same as you, they would be
your own mind. But, how could your mind exist apart from you?
"If they had no sense of knowing, and yet these defiling objects were
not forms, sounds, smells, or tastes, neither cold nor warmth, nor
emptiness. Where would they be located?
"They are not represented in form or emptiness, nor is it likely that
they exist somewhere in the human realm beyond emptiness, for if they
did, the mind could not be aware of them. From where, then, would they
arise?
"From this you should understand that neither dharmas nor the mind
can be located, and thus the two places of mind and dharmas are empty
and false. Fundamentally their natures cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 3, Part Two
"Moreover, Ananda, why do I say that the eighteen realms are basically
the wonderful nature of True Suchness, the Treasury of the Tathagata? Thus Come
One?
"Ananda, as you understand it, the eyes and forms create the
conditions that produce the eye-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the eyes, such that the
eyes are its realm? Or is it produced because of forms, such that
forms are its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the eyes, then in the absence
of emptiness and form it would not be able to make distinctions; and
so, even if you had a consciousness, of what use would it be?
"Moreover, your seeing is neither green, yellow, red, nor white. There
is virtually nothing in which it is represented. Therefore, from what
would the realm be established?
"If it were produced because of form, then when no forms were present
in emptiness, your consciousness would cease to be. Then, why is it
that the consciousness recognizes emptiness?
"If a form changes, you are also conscious of the form's changing
appearance, but your eye-consciousness does not change. Where is the
boundary established?
"If the eye-consciousness did change when form changed, then such a
realm would have no attributes. If it did not change, it would be
constant, and given that it was produced from form, it should have no
conscious knowledge of where emptiness was.
"If they were combined, then there would be a crack inbetween in-between
. If
they were separate, then half of your eye-consciousness would possess
awareness and half of it would lack awareness. With such chaotic and
disordered substances and natures, how could they comprise a realm?
"From this you should understand that as to the eyes and form being
the conditions that produce the realm of eye-consciousness, none of
the three places exists. Fundamentally the natures of the eyes, forms,
and the form realm, these three, cannot be attributed to either causes
and conditions or spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you understand it, the ear and sound create the
conditions that produce the ear-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the ear such that the ear
is its realm, or is it produced because of sound, such that sound is
its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the ear, then since motion and
stillness would be lacking, the ear would not be aware of anything.
Certainly in the absence of awareness, nothing could be known and so
what would characterize the consciousness?
"You may hold that the ears hear, but without motion and stillness,
hearing cannot occur. Besides, how could the combination of the ears,
which are but physical forms, and external objects be called the realm
of consciousness? Once again, then, how would the realm of
ear-consciousness be established?
"If it were produced from sound, then the consciousness would exist
because of sound, and would have no connection with hearing. Without
hearing, the attributes of sound would have no location.
"If the ear-consciousness came from sound, given that sound exists
because of hearing, then what you heard would be the ear-consciousness
itself.
"If the ear-consciousness were not heard, then there would be no
realm. If it were heard, then it would be the same as sound. If the
consciousness were being heard, who would the perceiver and hearer of
the consciousness be? If there were no perceiver, then in the end you
would be like grass or wood.
"Nor should the sound and hearing mix together to form a realm in
between. Lacking a realm in between them, how could those internal and
external phenomena be delineated?
"From this you should understand that as to the ears and sounds being
the conditions that produce the realm of ear-consciousness, none of
the three places exists. Fundamentally the natures of the ears,
sounds, and the realm of awareness of sounds, these three, cannot be
attributed to either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you understand it, the nose and smells create
the conditions that produce the nose-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the nose such that the nose
is its realm, or is it produced because of smells, such that smells
are its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the nose, then in your mind,
what do you take to be the nose? Do you hold that it takes the form
of two fleshy claws, or do you hold it is an inherent ability of the
nature, which perceives smells as a result of motion?
"If you hold that the nose is fleshy claws, flesh is an integral part
of your body and the body's perception is touch. Then it should be
called `body' instead of `nose' and its objects would be those of
touch. Since it would not even be called a nose, how could a realm be
established for it?
"If you hold that the act of smelling is perceived, then, in your
opinion, what is the perceiver? Were the flesh the perceiver,
basically what the flesh perceives is objects of touch, which have
nothing to do with the nose.
"Were emptiness the perceiver, then emptiness would perceive by itself
and the flesh would have no awareness. If that were the case, then
empty space would be you, and since your body would be without
perception, Ananda would not exist.
"If the smells were the perceiver, perception itself would lie with
the smells. What would that have to do with you?
"If you insist that smells of both fragrance and stench are produced
from your nose, then these two wafting smells of fragrance and stench
would not arise from the wood of airavana or chandana Chandala
. Given that the
smells would not come from those two things, when you smelled your own
nose, would it be fragrant or would it stink? What stinks does not
give off fragrance; what is fragrant does not stink.
"If you could smell both the fragrance and the stench, then you, a
single person, would have two noses, and I would now be addressing
questions to two Anandas. Which one would be you?
"If you only have one nose, then fragrance and stench would not have
two separate identities. Since stench would be fragrance and fragrance
would be stench, thereby lacking two distinctive natures, what would
make up the realm?
"If the nose-consciousness were produced because of smells, it would
exist because of smells. Just as the eyes can see but are unable to
see themselves, so, too, if the nose-consciousness existed because of
smells, it should not be aware of smells.
"If it had no awareness, it could not be a consciousness. If the
consciousness were not aware of smells, then the realm could not be
established from smells. If the consciousness was not aware of smells,
then the realm could not be established due to smells.
"Since no realm of consciousness would exist between them, then how
could any of the internal or external phenomena exist either? A nature
of smelling like that would be ultimately empty and false.
"From this you should understand that as to the nose and smells being
the conditions that produce the realm of nose-consciousness, none of
the three places exists. Fundamentally the natures of the nose, smells
and the realm of smelling, these three, cannot be attributed to either
causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you understand it, the tongue and flavors create
the conditions that produce the tongue-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the tongue so that the
tongue is its realm, or is it produced because of the flavors, so that
the flavors are its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the tongue, then all the sugar
cane, black plums, huang-lien, salt, xixing, ginger, and cassia in the
world would be entirely without flavor. Also, when you tasted your own
tongue, would it be sweet or bitter?
"If your tongue's natural flavor were bitter, then what would taste
the tongue? Since the tongue cannot taste itself, who would have the
sense of taste? If the natural flavor of the tongue was not bitter,
then it could not engender tastes. How, then, could a realm be
established?
"If the tongue-consciousness were produced because of flavor, the
consciousness itself would be a flavor. Then the case would be the
same as with the tongue-organ being unable to taste itself. How could
the consciousness know whether it had flavor or not?
"Moreover, the many flavors do not all come from one thing. Since
flavors are produced from many things, the consciousness would have
many substances.
"If the consciousness were a single substance and that substance was
definitely produced from flavor, then when salt, bland, sweet, and
pungent flavors were combined, their various differences would change
into a single flavor and there would be no distinctions among them.
"If there were no distinctions, it could not be called consciousness.
So, how could it further be called the realm of tongue, flavor, and
consciousness?
"Nor could empty space produce your conscious awareness.
"The tongue and flavors could not combine without each losing its
basic nature. How, then, could a realm be produced?
"From this you should understand that as to the tongue and flavors
being the conditions that produce the realm of tongue-consciousness,
none of the three places exists. Fundamentally the natures of the
tongue, flavors, and the realm of the tongue-consciousness, these
three, cannot be attributed to either causes and conditions or
spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you understand it, the body and objects of touch
create the conditions that produce the body-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the body, such that the
body is its realm, or is it produced because of objects of touch, such
that objects of touch are its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the body, the body alone
cannot generate the awareness of contact or separation. What would the
body be conscious of?
"If it were produced because of objects of touch, then your body shouldnot
should not
be necessary. But who can perceive contact with something
other than the body?
"Ananda, things do not perceive objects of touch; the body does.
"What the body knows is objects of touch, and what is aware of objects
of touch is the body. Objects of touch are not the body, and the body
is not objects of touch.
"The two entities of body and objects of touch basically have no
location. If it were the body-consciousness that came in contact with
the body, then it would be the body's own substance and nature. If the
body-consciousness were separate from the body, then it would be like
empty space.
"Since the internal and external aspects can't be established, how can
something be set up between them? Since no such middle can be set up,
the internal and external aspects are by nature empty. From what,
then, would your consciousness be produced?
"From this you should understand that as to the body and objects of
touch being the conditions that produce the realm of
body-consciousness, none of the three places exists. Fundamentally the
body, objects of touch, and the realm of body-consciousness, these
three, cannot be attributed to either causes and conditions or
spontaneity.
"Moreover, Ananda, as you understand it, the mind and dharmas create
the conditions that produce the mind-consciousness.
"Is this consciousness produced because of the mind, such that the
mind is its realm, or is it produced because of dharmas, such that
dharmas are its realm?
"Ananda, if it were produced because of the mind, in your mind there
certainly must be thoughts that give expression to your mind. If there
were no dharmas before you, the mind would not give rise to anything.
Apart from conditions, it would have no shape; thus, of what use would
the consciousness be?
"Moreover, is your mind-consciousness the same as your mind-organ with
its thought processes and discriminations, or is it different? If it
were the same as the mind, then it would be the mind, how could it be
something produced from it? If it were different from the mind, it
shouldn't have any consciousness.
If it didn't have any consciousness, how could it bee be
produced from the
mind? If it did have consciousness, how could the mind be conscious
of itself? Since it is by nature neither the same nor different, how
can a realm be established?
"If it were produced because of dharmas, none of the mundane dharmas
exist apart form the five defiling objects. Consider the dharmas of
form, of sound, of smell, of taste, and of touch: each has a clearly
distinguishable appearance and is matched with one of the five organs.
They are not what the mind takes in.
"If your consciousness were indeed produced through a reliance on
dharmas, then take a look at them now: what does each and every dharma
look like?
"Apart from the attributes of form and emptiness, motion and
stillness, penetration and obstruction, unity and separation, and
arising and ceasing there is nothing at all.
"When there is arising, then form, emptiness, and all dharmas arise.
When there is ceasing, then form, emptiness, and all dharmas cease to
be.
Since the objective causes do not exist, then what does the
consciousness which those causes produce look like? If there is
nothing discernible about the consciousness, how can a realm be
established for it?
"From this you should understand that as to the mind and dharmas being
the conditions that produce the realm of mind-consciousness, none of
the three places exists. Fundamentally the mind, dharmas, and the
realm of the mind-consciousness, these three, cannot be attributed to
either causes and conditions or spontaneity.
"Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, in discussing the
dharmas of mixing and uniting and of causes and conditions, the
Tathagata Thus
Come One
has often said that the transformations of all mundane
phenomena can be discovered in the mixing and uniting of the four
elements.
"Why does the Tathagata Thus Come one
now reject causes and conditions and
spontaneity as well? I do not know what your meaning pertains to.
" Please be so compassionate as to instruct us beings in dharmas that
adhere to the complete meaning of the Middle Way and are not
philosophical speculations.
"At that time the World Honored One said to Ananda, "You have already
renounced the Small Vehicle dharmas of the Hearers and Those
Enlightened to Conditions and have resolved to diligently seek
unsurpassed Bodhi. Because of that, I will now explain the Complete
Meaning of the Middle Way to you.
"Why do you still bind yourself up in mundane philosophical
speculations and false thoughts about causes and conditions?
"Although you are very learned, you are like someone who can discuss
medicines but annot cannot
recognize a real medicine when it is placed
before you. The Tathagata Thus Come One
says that you are truly pitiable.
"Listen attentively now as I explain this point in detail to enable
you and those of the future who cultivate the Great Vehicle to
penetrate to the ultimate reality."
Ananda was silent and awaited the Buddha's sagely instruction.
"Ananda, according to what you say, the mixing and uniting of the four
elements can be discovered in the myriad transformations of all
mundane phenomena.
"Ananda, if the natures of those elements did not mix and unite, then
they could not combine with other elements, just as empty space cannot
combine with forms.
"If the natures of those elements do not mix and unite, they are
themselves transformations in a never-ending process of bringing each
other into being. The continuation of comings into being and ceasings ceasing
to be, of births and deaths, of deaths and births is like the unbroken
wheel of flame that appears when a torch is spun in a circle.
"Ananda, the process is like water becoming ice and ice turning into
water again.
"Consider the nature of earth: its coarsest aspect is the earth
itself; its subtlest aspect is a mote of dust, which at its smallest
would be a particle of dust bordering on emptiness.
"If one divided one of those particles of dust that is barely form to
begin with into seven parts and then split one of those parts,
emptiness itself would be arrived at.
"Ananda, if a particle of dust bordering on emptiness can be divided
to arrive at emptiness, it should be that emptiness can give rise to
form.
"Just now you asked if mixing and uniting doesn't bring about all
mundane transformations.
"You should carefully consider how much emptiness mixes and unites
with itself to arrive at a single particle of dust bordering upon
emptiness. Such a particle could not be composed of other particles of
dust bordering upon emptiness.
"Moreover, since particles of dust bordering upon emptiness can be
reduced to emptiness, of how many particles of such form would
emptiness be composed?
"When those particles of form mass together, a mass of form does not
make emptiness; when emptiness is massed together, a mass of emptiness
does not make form. Besides, although form can be divided, how can
emptiness be massed together?
"You still have not realized that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come
One
, the nature of form is true emptiness and the nature of emptiness
is true form. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma Reealm Realm
.
Beings' minds absorb itaccording it according
to their capacity to know.
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign its origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the mind, are
nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the nature of fire is devoid of identity, being dependent
upon various causes and conditions for its existence. Consider a
family in the city that has not yet eaten. When they wish to prepare
food, they hold up a brass mirror to the sun, seeking fire.
"Ananda, speaking of mixing and uniting, you and I and the twelve
hundred and fifty Bhikshus unite a form a community. However, a
careful analysis of the community reveals that every member composing
it has his own body, family name, clan, and name. For instance,
Shariputra is a Brahman, Uruvilva is of the Kashyapa Kasyapa
clan, and you,
Ananda, come from the Gautama family.
"Ananda, if fire existed because of mixing and uniting, then when your
hand holds up the mirror to the sun to seek fire, does the fire come
out of the mirror? Does it come out of the moxa tinder? Or does it
come from the sun?
"Ananda, if the fire came from the sun, then only would it burn the
moxa tinder in your hand, but as it came across the groves of trees,
it should burn them up as well.
"Suppose it came from the mirror, since it would come out to the
mirror to ignite the moxa tinder, why doesn't the mirror melt? Yet, as
your hand that holds the mirror feels no heat; how could the mirror
melt?
"If the fire came from the moxa tinder, then why would fire be
generated only when the bright mirror came into contact with the
dazzling light?
"Furthermore, on closer examination, you will find that the mirror is
held in your hands, the sun is high in the sky, and moxa is grown from
the ground. So where does the fire come from?
"The sun and the mirror cannot mix and unite, since they are far
apart. Nor can it be that the fire arises spontaneously without an
origin.
"You still have not realized that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of fire is true emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is
true fire. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma Realm. Beings'
minds absorb it according to their capacity to know.
"Ananda, you should know that fire can be generated anyplace where a
mirror is held up to the sunlight. If mirrors were held up to the
sunlight everywhere in the Dharma Realm, fire would be generated
everywhere. Since fire can come forth throughout the whole world, can
there be any fixed place to which it is confined?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people in the world are so deluded as to assign its origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the mind, are
nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the nature of water is mutable, its flowing and stopping are
erratic. Kapila, Chakra, Padma, Hasta, and other great magicians of
Shravasti often hold up instruments to the light of the full moon at
midnight to extract from it the essence of water to mix with their
drugs.
"Does the water come out of the crystal ball that is used, or does it
exist naturally in space? Or does it come from the moon?
"Ananda, if the water came from the distant moon, then, water should
also flow from all the grasses and trees when the moonlight passes
over them on its way to the crystal ball. If it did flow from them,
why wait for it to condense on the surface of the crystal ball? Since
it does not flow from the trees, then the water clearly cannot descend
from the moon.
"If it came from the crystal ball, then it should flow from the
crystal at all times. Why would one have to wait for midnight and the
light of the full moon to receive it?
"If the water came from space, which is by nature boundless, it would
flow everywhere until everything between heaven and earth was
submerged. How, then, could there still be travel by water, land, and
air?
"Furthermore, upon closer examination you will find that the moon
moves through the sky, the crystal ball is held in the hand, and the
pan for receiving the eater is put there by someone. So where does the
water that flows into the pan come from?
"The moon and the crystal ball cannot mix and unite, since they are
far apart. Nor should the essence of water arise spontaneously without
an origin.
"You still have not realized that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of water is true emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is
true water. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma Realm. Beings'
minds absorb it according to their capacity to know.
"A crystal ball can be held up at a certain place, and water will come
forth. If crystal balls were held up throughout the Dharma Realm, then
throughout the Dharma Realm water would come forth. Since water can
come forth throughout the entire world, can there be any fixed place
to which it is confined?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign their origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes., which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the mind, are
nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the nature of wind has no substance, and it is \s
patterns of
movement and stillness are erratic. You always adjust your robe as you
enter the great assembly. When the corner of your samghati robe
brushes the person next to you, the air stirs against that person's
face.
"Does that wind come from the corner of the Kashaya sash, does it
arise from emptiness, or is it produced from the face of the person
brushed by the air"
"Ananda, if that wind came from the corner of the Kashaya, then you
would be clad in the wind, and your kashaya should fly off and leave
your body. But my robe remains motionless and hangs straight down as I
now speak Dharma in the midst of the assembly. Observing my robe
closely, where is the wind in it? The wind could not be stored
somewhere in the robe.
"If the wind arose from emptiness, why wouldn't there be a brushing
motion even when your robe did not move? Since the nature of emptiness
is constant, the nature of the wind should be too. And so when the
wind stopped, emptiness should also cease to be. The lack of wind can
be detected, but what would signify the disappearance of emptiness? If
emptiness came and went, it wouldn't be emptiness. And since it is
empty, how can it generate wind?
"If the wind came from the face of the person it brushed, it would
blow upon you, too. Then while you were setting your robe in order,
how could it blow backwards upon other people?
"Upon closer examination, you will find that the robe is set in order
by yourself, the face blown by the wind belongs to the person by your
side, and the emptiness is tranquil and not involved in movement. So
where does the wind come from that blows in this place?
"The wind and emptiness cannot mix and unite, since they are different
from each other. Nor could the wind exist spontaneously without an
origin.
"You still have not realized that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of wind is true emptiness and the nature of emptiness is
true wind. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma Realm. Beings'
minds absorb it according to their capacity to know.
"Ananda, in the same way that you alone shift your robe slightly and
the air is stirred, so, too, if a similar movement were made
throughout the Dharma Realm, the air would stir everywhere. Since wind
can arise throughout the world, how could there be any fixed place to
which it is confined?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign their origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the conscious
mind, are nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the nature of emptiness has no shape; it is only apparent
because of form. For instance, Shravasti is far from the river, so
when the Kshatriyas, Brahmans, Vaishyas, Shudras, Bharadvajas,
Chandalas, and so forth build their homes there, they dig wells
seeking water. As a square foot of earth is removed, a square foot of
emptiness becomes evident. As ten square feet of earth are removed,
ten feet of emptiness become evident. The depth of the emptiness
corresponds to the amount of earth removed.
"Does that emptiness come out of the earth? Or does it exist because
of the digging? Or does it arise by itself, without a cause?
"Ananda, if that emptiness arose by itself without any cause, why
wasn't it evident even before the earth was dug? All that could be
seen was the vast expanse of solid, impenetrable earth.
"If emptiness came about because of the removal of the earth, then, as
the earth was removed, the entering of the emptiness should be
visible. If no emptiness entered when the earth was first removed,
then how could the emptiness come about because of the removal of the
earth?
"If no removal or entering took place, then there would be no
difference between the earth and emptiness. Not being different, they
would be the same. In that case, wouldn't the emptiness be removed
from the well along with the earth in the process of digging?
"If emptiness appeared because of the digging, then the digging would
bring out emptiness instead of the earth. If emptiness did not emerge
because of the digging, then the digging should only remove the earth.
Why, then, do we see emptiness appear as the well is dug?
"Consider this even more carefully. Look into it deeply, and you will
find that the digging comes from the person's hands engaged in that
act, and the earth exists because of its removal from the ground. So
what causes the emptiness to appear?
"The digging and the emptiness, one being substantial and the other
insubstantial, are not compatible. They do not mix and unite. Nor
could emptiness exists spontaneously without an origin.
"Although the nature of emptiness is completely pervasive and
basically unmoving, you should know that emptiness, earth, water,
fire, and wind are called the five elements. Their natures are true,
perfectly fused, identical with the Treasury of the
Tathagata Thus Come one
, and
neither come into being nor cease to be.
"Ananda, your mind is murky and confused, and you do not awaken to the
fact that the source of the four elements is none other than the
Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
. Is the emptiness you see subject to
removal or entering or is it not subject to removal or entering?
"You still do not realize that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of enlightenment is true emptiness, and the nature of
emptiness
is true enlightenment. That fundamental purity pervades the Dharma
Realm.
"Beings' minds absorb it according to their capacity to know.
"Ananda, wherever there is an empty well, emptiness fills that well.
The same is true of emptiness in the ten directions. Since emptiness
fills the ten directions, how could there be any fixed place in which
it was found?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign their origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the mind, are
nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the seeing-awareness does not perceive by itself. It depends
upon form and emptiness for its existence. You are now in the Jeta
Grove where you see the brightness of the morning and the darkness of
the evening. Deep in the night you see brightness when the moon arises
and darkness are discerned by the seeing.
"Is the seeing identical in substance with brightness, darkness, or
emptiness, or are they not of the same substance? Are they the same
and yet different, or are they neither the same nor different?
"Ananda, suppose seeing shared a single substance with brightness,
darkness, or emptiness. Darkness and brightness cancel each other out.
When it is dark, there is no light; when it is light, there is no
darkness. If seeing were one with darkness, it would cease to exists
in brightness; if it were one with brightness, it would cease to exist
in darkness? Since it would cease to exists, how could it perceive
both brightness and darkness? If brightness and darkness differ from
each other and that seeing has neither existence nor ceasing to exist
how can it be of the same substance with brightness and darkness?
"If the essence of seeing were not of one substance with brightness
and darkness, and you were separate from light, darkness, and
emptiness, then what shape and appearance would the source of the
seeing have?
"In the absence of darkness, brightness, and emptiness, the seeing
would be the same as fur on a tortoise or horns on a hare. How could
there be seeing without the presence of the three attributes of
brightness, darkness, and emptiness?
"How could the seeing be one with darkness and brightness since they
are opposites? Yet, how could it be different from these three
attributes, since in their absence there would be no seeing?
"How could the seeing not be one with emptiness, since no boundary
exists between them? But how could the seeing not differ from
emptiness, since the seeing remains unchanged, regardless of whether
it is perceiving brightness or darkness?
"Examine this in even greater detail, investigate it minutely,
consider and contemplate it carefully. The light comes from the sun
and darkness from the new moon; penetration belongs to emptiness, and
solidity returns to the earth, so where does the essence of seeing
arise from?
"Seeing has awareness while emptiness is inanimate: they do not mix
and unite. Nor could the essence of seeing arise spontaneously without
an origin.
"If the natures of seeing, hearing, and knowing are pervasive and
unmoving, you should know that the stable, boundless emptiness,
together with the unstable elements such as earth, water, fire, and
wind, are together known as the six elements. Their natures are true,
perfectly fused, identical with the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
, and
fundamentally devoid of coming into being and ceasing to be.
"Ananda, your nature is so submerged that you have not realized that
your seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are basically the
Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
. Contemplate seeing, hearing, awareness,
and knowing to see whether they are subject to coming into being and
ceasing to be; whether they are identical or different; whether they
are not subject to coming into being and ceasing to be; and whether
they are neither identical nor different.
"You still do not realize that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of seeing is enlightened brightness, the essence of
enlightenment is bright seeing. That fundamental purity pervades the
Dharma Realm.
"Beings' minds absorb it according to their capacity to know. Just as
the eyes capacity to see pervades the Dharma Realm, so, too, do the
capacities to hear, smell, taste, make contact, and know. All those
capacities are glorious, magnificent qualities. Since they pervade the
Dharma Realm and fill all emptiness in the ten directions, how could
they be found in any fixed location?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign its origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the conscious
mind, are nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"Ananda, the nature of consciousness has no source, but is a false
manifestation based on the six organs and their corresponding objects.
Now, take a look at the entire sagely assembly gathered here. The
observations made by your eyes are similar to reflections in a mirror,
both being devoid of distinction-making distinction making
.
"However, your consciousness will systematically identify what is
seen: that is Manjushri, that is Purna, there is Maudgalyayana, there
is Subhuti, and that one is Shariputra.
"Does the consciousness, which is aware and knows comes from seeing,
from forms, from emptiness, or does it arise suddenly without a cause?
"Ananda, if your consciousness came from seeing, then in the absence
of the four attributes of brightness, darkness, form, and emptiness,
you would not be able to see. Since those attributes would not exist
where would your consciousness come form?
"If your consciousness arose from form rather than form seeing, it
would see neither brightness nor darkness. In the absence of
brightness and darkness, it would not see form or emptiness, either.
Since those attributes would not exist, where would your consciousness
come from?
"If it came from emptiness, it would be neither an appearance nor the
seeing. Without seeing, it could not function, being unable to discern
brightness, darkness, forms, or emptiness by itself. Without
appearances there would be no external conditions, and thus no
location where seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing could be
established.
"Being located at neither of those two places, the consciousness would
be empty, as if non-existent. If it did exist, it would not be a
phenomenon. Even if you could exercise a consciousness, how would it
discern anything.
"If it suddenly comes forth without a cause, why can't you discern the
moonlight within the sunlight?
Investigate this even more carefully, discriminate it in detail, and
look into it. The seeing belongs to your eyes; the appearances are
considered to be the environment, what has an appearance exists. What
lacks appearances does not. What, then, are the conditions that cause
the consciousness to come into being?
"The consciousness moves and the seeing is still; they do not mix and
unite. Smelling, hearing, awareness, and knowing are the same way. Nor
could the condition of consciousness exist spontaneously without an
origin.
"If the consciousness pertaining to the mind did not come from
anywhere, the same would be true of the natures of the seeing,
hearing, awareness, and knowing, which are all complete and tranquil
and do not come from anywhere. They together with emptiness, earth,
water, fire, and wind are together called the seven elements. Their
natures are true, perfectly fused, identical with the Treasury of the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
, and fundamentally devoid of coming into being and
ceasing to be.
"Ananda, your mind is coarse and shallow, and so you do not perceive
that seeing, hearing, and the resulting awareness are Treasury of the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
. Contemplate these six locations of consciousness to see
whether they are identical or different; empty or existent; neither
identical nor different; or neither empty nor existent.
"You still do not realize that in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
the nature of consciousness is bright knowing; enlightened brightness
is the true consciousness. Wonderful enlightenment is tranquil and
pervades the Dharma Realm.
"It encompasses the emptiness of the ten directions and issues forth
from it. How could it have a location?
"Whatever manifests does so in compliance with karma. Ignorant of that
fact, people of the world are so deluded as to assign its origin to
causes and conditions or to spontaneity. These mistakes, which arise
from the discriminations and reasoning processes of the conscious
mind, are nothing but the play of empty and meaningless words.
"At that time, Ananda and the great assembly, filled with the subtle,
wonderful instruction of the Buddha, the Tathagata Thus Come One
, experienced
unhindered physical and mental peace. Everyone in the great assembly
became aware of how his mind pervaded the ten directions, beholding
emptiness in the ten directions as one might look at a leaf or other
held in the palm of one's hand.
"All mundane phenomena became the wonderfully bright primal mind of
Bodhi.
"The essence of the mind became completely pervasive, containing the
ten directions.
"Each person regarded his physical body as being like a particle of
dust blown about in the emptiness of the ten directions; sometimes
visible, sometimes not, or as being lie a single bubble floating on
the clear, vast sea, appearing from nowhere and disappearing into
oblivion. Each person comprehended and knew personally the fundamental
wonderful mind possessed by all as being eternal and never ceasing to
be.
"They bowed to the Buddha and placed their palms together, having gone
through this unprecedented experience. Then, before the Tathagata Thus Come One
,
Ananda spoke verses in praise of the Buddha.
"The wonderfully deep Dharani,
The unmoving Honored One,
The foremost Shurangama King
Is seldom found in the world.
It dissolves away my inverted thoughts
Gathered through billions of eons,
So I needn't endure asamkhyeya aeons eons
To obtain the Dharma body.
"I wish now to achieve the result
And become an honored king,
Who then returns to save beings
As many as Ganges' sands.
I offer this profound thought to all,
Whose numbers are like dust motes in Buddhalands Buddha lands
.
To repay the kindness shown me by the Buddha.
"Humbly I ask the World Honored One to
Certify my vow to come back to the five turbid evil realms,
And as long as even one being has not yet become a Buddha.,
At death I will not enter Nirvana.
"Exalted Hero with awesome strength,
Great kindness and compassion,
Search out and dispel even the subtlest doubts.
"Causing me to quickly attain the supreme enlightenment,
And sit in Way-places in realms of the ten directions.
"Were even the nature of emptiness to entirely melt away,
This vajra mind will never waver.
Chapter Two.
Shurangama Sutra, Volume 4, Part One
Then Purnamaitreyaniputra (Purna)
arose from his seat in the midst of
the great assembly, uncovered his right shoulder, knelt on his right
knee, put his palms together respectfully, and said to the Buddha,
"The most virtuous and awe-inspiring World Honered Honored
One has for the
sake of beings expounded the primary truth of the Tathagata Thus Come One
with
remarkable eloquence.
"The World Honored One often singles me out as the foremost among
speakers of the Dharma. But now when I hear the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
wonderful, subtle expressions of the Dharma, I am like a deaf person
who at a distance of more than a hundred paces tries to hear a
mosquito, which in fact cannot be seen, let alone heard.
"Although the Buddha's clear expressions have succeeded in dispelling
our doubts, we still have not fathomed the ultimate meaning that could
enable us to rise above all delusions. Those who are like Ananda,
although enlightened, have not yet ended their outflows of their
habits.
"Those of us present in the assembly who have reached the stage of no
outflows, despite having ended our outflows, still wonder about the
Dharma spoken by the Tathagata Thus Come One
today.
"World Honored One, if all the mundane sense organs, sense objects,
skandhas, places, and realms are the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
,
why, in that fundamental purity, do the mountains, rivers, great earth
and all other conditioned phenomena suddenly arise, cyclically change
and flow, end, and then begin again?
"Moreover, the Tathagata Thus Come One
said that the basic natures of earth,
water, fire, and wind are perfectly fused, pervade the Dharma Realm,
and are tranquil and eternal.
"World Honored One, if the nature of earth is pervasive, how could it
contain water? If the nature of water is pervasive, fire would not
arise. Further, how do you explain that the natures of fire and water
can each pervade empty space without displacing one another? World
Honored One, the nature of earth is solid; the nature of emptiness is
vacuous. How can they both pervade the Dharma Realm? I don't know what
this doctrine is aiming at.
"I only hope the Tathagata Thus Come One
will compassionately explain in order
to clear the clouds of confusion that engulf all of us in this great
assembly." After saying that, he made a full prostration and
respectfully and expectantly awaited the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
unsurpassed
compassionate instruction.
The World Honored One then told Purna and all the Arhats in the
assembly who had ended their outflows and had reached the level beyond
study, "Today the Tathagata Thus Come One
will explain in depth the truest most
supreme meaning. May those of you in the assembly who are Hearers or
Arhats of a fixed nature who have not yet realized the two kinds of
emptiness and all who are dedicated to the Superior Vehicle reach the
tranquility of the One Vehicle, the true aranya, the proper place of
cultivation. Listen attentively and I will explain it for you." Purna
and the others listened quietly, respecting the Buddha's expression of
Dharma.
The Buddha said, "Purna, you have asked why in fundamental purity the
mountains, the rivers, and the great earth suddenly arise.
"Have you not often heard the Tathagata Thus Come One
expound upon the wonderful
light of the enlightened nature and the bright wonder of fundamental
enlightenment?"
Purna said, "Yes, World Honored One, I have often heard the Buddha
expound upon that subject."
The Buddha said, "You speak of understanding enlightenment; does the
nature understand and is that called enlightenment? Or does
enlightenment initially lack understanding and so you speak of
understanding enlightenment?"
Purna said, "If a lack of understanding is called enlightenment, then
there would be no understanding at all."
The Buddha said, "If there were no understanding at all, then there
could be no understanding of enlightenment. If understanding is added,
then that is not enlightenment. If understanding is not added, then
there's no understanding. But a lack of understanding or ignorance is
not the lucid bright nature of enlightenment.
"The nature of enlightenment certainly includes understanding. It's
redundant to speak of understanding enlightenment.
"Enlightenment is not a kind of understanding. Understanding sets up
an objective realm. Once that objective realm is set up, your false
subjective state arises.
"Where there was neither sameness nor difference, suddenly difference
appears. What differs from that difference becomes sameness. Once
sameness and difference mutually arise, and due to them, what is
neither the same nor different is created.
"This turmoil eventually brings about weariness. Prolonged weariness
produces defilement. The combination of these in a murky turbidity
creates afflictions with respect to wearisome defilements.
"The world comes about through this arising; the lack of any
arising becomes emptiness. Emptiness is sameness; the world,
difference. Those that have neither difference nor sameness become
conditioned dharmas.
"The understanding added to enlightenment creates a light that stands
in mutual opposition with the darkness of emptiness. As a result, wind
wheels that support the world come into being.
"The tension between emptiness and that light creates movement.
The false, persistent light congeals into a solidity that becomes
metal. A lack of enlightenment nurtures that persistence and
causes metal wheels to secure all lands.
"That tenacious unenlightened state creates metal, while the
fluctuations of light cause the wind to rise. The friction between
wind and metal creates fire, which is mutable in nature.
"Metal produces moisture, which causes flame to rise from the fire.
Thus the wheel of water that encompasses all realms in the ten
directions comes about.
"Fire rises and water falls, and the combination becomes tenacious.
What is wet becomes the oceans and seas; what is dry becomes the
continents and islands.
"Because of this, fire often rises up in the oceans, and on the
continents the streams and rivers ever flow.
"When the power of water is less then that of fire, high mountains
result. That is why mountain rocks give off sparks when struck, and
become liquid when melted.
"When the power of earth is less then that of water, the outcome is
grasses and trees. That is why the vegetation in groves and marshes
turns to ashes when burned and oozes water when twisted.
"The interaction of that false dichotomy in turn creates these
elements as seeds and from these causes and conditions comes the
continuity of the world.
"Moreover, Purna, the false understanding is none other than the
mistake of adding understanding to enlightenment.
"After the falseness of the objective realm is established, the
subjective understanding cannot transcend it. Due to that, hearing
does not go beyond sound, and seeing does not surpass form.
"Forms, smells, tastes, objects of touch and the others of the six
falsenesses are realized. Because of them there is a division into
seeing, sensation, hearing, and knowing.
"Similar karma binds beings together; union and separation bring about
their transformations.
"The manifastation manifestation
of light is caused by false view and ignorance.
Competitive views generate hatred; compatible views create love. The
flow of love becomes a seed; the potential foetus fetus
is taken in and
conception occurs. When intercourse takes place, beings with similar
karma are drawn in. From these causes and conditions, the kalaka,
arbuda, and other foetal fetal
stages evolve.
"The womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born
beings come about in response: the egg-born come from thought, the
womb-born are due to emotion, the moisture-born arise from union, and
transformations occur through separation.
"Emotion, thought, union, and separation go through further changes,
and the maturation of such karma causes one to rise or sink. From such
causes and conditions comes the continuity of beings.
"Purna, thought and love become bound together so that people love
each other and cannot bear to be apart. As a result, ceaseless
successive births of parents, children, and grandchildren occur in
this world. And the basis for all that is desire and greed.
"Greed and emotional love feed on one another until the greed becomes
insatiable. The result of that in this world is the tendency of
egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born, and transformation-born beings to
devour one another to the extent that their strength permits. The
basis for all that is killing and greed.
"Suppose a person eats a sheep. The sheep dies and becomes a person;
the person dies and becomes a sheep, the same applies in all rebirths
among the ten categories. Through death after death and birth after
birth, they eat each other. The evil karma one is born with continues
to the bounds of the future. The basis for all that is stealing and
greed.
"'You.
"`You
owe me a life; I must repay my debt to you.' Due to such causes
and conditions we pass through hundreds of thousands of eons in
sustained cycle of birth and death.
"`You love my mind; I adore your good looks.' Due to such causes and
conditions we pass through hundreds of thousands of eons in sustained
mutual entanglement.
"Killing, stealing, and lust are the basic roots. From such causes and
conditions comes the continuity of karma and retribution.
"Purna, these three kinds of upside-down continuity come from adding
understanding to enlightenment. That lack of understanding generates
an internal awareness which gives rise to external phenomena. Both are
born of false views. From this falseness the mountains, the rivers,
the great earth, and all conditioned phenomena unfold themselves in a
succession that recurs in endless cycles."
Purna said, "If this wonderful enlightenment, the wonderful awareness
of fundamental enlightenment, which is neither greater than nor less
than the mind of the Tathagata Thus Come One
, abruptly brings forth the
mountains, the rivers, and the great earth, and all conditioned
phenomena, then now that the Tathagata Thus Come One
has attained the wonderful
emptiness of clear enlightenment, will the mountains, the rivers, the
great earth, and all conditioned habitual outflows arise ever again?"
The Buddha said to Purna, "If a person living in a village were
confused about directions, mistaking south for north, would that
confusion be the result of confusion or of awareness?"
Purna said, "His confusion would be the result of neither. Why not?
Confusion is fundamentally baseless, so how could anything arise
because of it? And as awareness does not produce confusion, how could
confusion arise out of it?"
The Buddha said, "If someone who knows the directions points them out
to the confused person, then once the person who was confused becomes
aware, do you suppose, Purna, that he could lose his sense of
direction again in that village?"
"No, World Honored One."
"Purna, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions are the same way.
Confusion is groundless and ultimately empty in nature. In the past,
there basically was no confusion. It merely seemed as if there were
confusion and enlightenment. When the delusion about confusion and
enlightenment is ended, enlightenment will not give rise to confusion.
"Consider the person who, because of cataracts, saw flowers in space.
Once the cataracts were removed, the flowers in space disappeared.
Were he to rush to the spot where the flowers disappeared and wait for
them to reappear, would you consider that person to be stupid or
wise?"
Purna said, "Originally there weren't any flowers in space. It was
through a seeing disability that they appeared and disappeared. To see
the disappearance of the flowers in space is already a distortion. To
wait for them to reappear is sheer madness. Why bother to determine
further if such a person is stupid or wise?"
The Buddha said, "Since you explain it that way, why do you ask if the
clear emptiness of wonderful enlightenment can once again give rise to
the mountains, the rivers, and the great earth?
"Consider a piece of ore containing gold and other metals mixed
together. Once the pure gold is extracted it will never become ore
again. Consider wood that has burnt to ashes; it will never become
wood again." The Bodhi and Nirvana of all Buddhas, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
,
are the same way.
"Purna, you also asked whether the natures of water and fire would not
destroy each other if the natures of earth, water, fire, and wind were
all perfectly fused and pervaded the Dharma Realm, and whether space
and the great earth would not be incompatible if both pervaded the
Dharma Realm.
"Purna, consider space: its substance is not the various phenomena,
yet that does not prevent all phenomena from being included within it.
"How do we know that? Purna, empty space is bright on a sunny day, and
dark when the sky is cloudy. It moves when the wind rises, it is fresh
when the sky clears. It is turbid and hazy when the weather is foul,
it is obscure when a dust storm breaks out. It casts a bright
reflection on a pool of clear water.
"Do you think these conditioned phenomena come into existence at
different places? Are they created from these conditions themselves or
is their origin in space. If they arise from these conditions, Purna,
then on a sunny day, since the sun is bright, all worlds of the ten
directions should take on the form of the sun. Then why, on a sunny
day do we see the round sun in the sky? If space is bright, space
itself should shine. Then why, when there is a covering of clouds and
fog, is no light evident?
"You should know that the brightness is not the sun, nor space nor
other than the space or the sun. Contemplate how phenomena are ultimately false and cannot
be verified. They are like flowers conjured up in space that cannot
bear fruit. Why, then, investigate how such phenomena appear and
disappear? Contemplate how the nature is ultimately truth and is
solely the wonderful enlightened brightness. That wonderful
enlightened bright mind originally was neither water nor fire. Why,
then, ask about incompatibility?.
"The truly wonderful enlightened brightness is the same way. You
recognize space, and space appears. Recognizing earth, water, fire,
and wind, each will appear. If all are recognized, all will appear.
"How can they all appear? Purna, consider the sun's reflection as it
appears in a single body of water. Two people gaze at it, both at the
same time. Then one person walks east and the other walks west. Each
person, still looking at the water will see a sun go along with him,
one to the east, one to the west, while there seems to be no fixed
direction for the movement of the sun's reflection.
"Don't belabor the question and ask, `If there is one sun, how can it
follow both people? Or if the sun is double, why does only one appear
in the sky?' This is just revolving in falseness, because such things
cannot be proven.
"Contemplate how phenomena are ultimately false and cannot be
verified. They are like flowers conjured up in space that cannot
bear fruit. Why, then, investigate how such phenomena appear and
disappear?
"Contemplate how the nature is ultimately truth and is solely the
wonderful enlightened brightness. That wonderful enlightened bright
mind originally was neither water nor fire. Why, then, ask about
incompatibility?
"Purna, you think that form and emptiness overcome and destroy one
another in the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
. Thus the Treasury of the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
appears to you as form and emptiness throughout the
Dharma Realm.
"And so, within it the wind moves, emptiness is still, the sun is
bright, and the clouds are dark. The reason for this lies in the
delusion of beings who have turned their backs on enlightenment and
joined with the defiling dust. Thus, the wearisome defilements come
into being and mundane phenomena exist.
"Based on wonderful understanding that neither ceases to be nor comes
into being, I unite with the Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
. Thus the
Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
is the unique and wonderful enlightened
brightness, which completely illumines the Dharma Realm.
"That is why, within it, the one is limitless; the limitless is one.
In the small appears the great; in the great appears the small.
"Unmoving in the Bodhimanda, yet pervading the ten directions, my body
contains the ten directions and endless emptiness. On the tip of a
single hair appear the lands of the Jewelled Jeweled
Kings. Sitting in a mote
of dust, I turn the great Dharma wheel, put an end to defiling dust,
and unite with enlightenment, so that true suchness such-ness
, the wonderful
enlightened bright nature, comes into being.
Chapter Three.
"The Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
is the fundamental, wonderful,
perfect mind.
"It is not the mind, nor emptiness, nor earth, nor water, nor wind,
nor fire; it is not the eyes, nor the ears, the nose, the tongue, the
body, or the mind. It is not form, nor sounds, smells, tastes, objects
of touch, or dharmas. It is not the realm of eye-consciousness, nor
any other, up to and including the realm of mind-consciousness.
"It is not understanding, nor ignorance, nor the ending of
understanding or ignorance, nor any other, up to and including old age
and death and the ending of old age and death.
"It is not suffering, nor accumulation, nor extinction, nor the Way.
It is neither knowing nor attaining.
"It is not Dana, nor Shila, nor Virya, nor Kshanti, nor Dhyana, nor
Prajna, nor Paramita,
"nor any other: It is not the Tathagata, nor the Arhats, nor Samyaksambodhi Samyak
Sambodhi
, nor Parinirvana, nor Eternity, nor Bliss, nor True Self, nor
Purity.
"Therefore, it is neither mundane nor transcendental, since the
Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
is the wonder of the mind's primal
understanding.
"It is the mind; it is emptiness, it is earth; it is water; it is
wind; it is fire;
it is the eyes; it is the ears; the nose, the tongue, the body, and
the mind. It is form; it is sounds; smells, tastes, objects of touch,
and dharmas. It is the realm of eye-consciousness, and so forth, up to
and including the realm of mind-consciousness.
"It is understanding and ignorance and the ending of understanding and
ignorance, and so forth up to and including old age and death and the
ending of old age and death. It is suffering; it is accumulation; it
is extinction; and it is the Way. It is knowing and attaining. It is
Dana; it is Shila; it is Virya; it is Kshanti; it is Dhyana; it is
Prajna; and it is Paramita,
and so forth, up to and including the Tathagata, the Arhats, Samyaksambodhi, Samyak
Sambodhi
, Parinirvana, Eternity, Bliss, True Self, and Purity.
"It is both mundane and transcendental, since the Treasury of the
Tathagata Thus
Come One
is the wonderful understanding of the primal mind.
"It is apart from identity and negation. It is identity and negation.
"How can beings in the three realms of mundane existence and the
Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions at the level of
transcendental existence make suppositions about the unsurpassed Bodhi
of the Tathagata Thus Come One
with the minds that they know of, or enter the
knowledge and vision of the Buddha through the medium of worldly
language?
"Consider lutes, flutes, and guitars. Although those can
make wonderful sounds, but if there are no skilled fingers to play
them, their music will never come forth.
"You and all beings are the same way. The precious, enlightened true
mind is perfect in everyone. I apply pressure and the Ocean Impression
emits light; you move your mind, and the wearisome defilements spring
up.
"That happens all because you do not diligently seek the unsurpassed
enlightened Way, but are fond of the lesser vehicle and are
satisfied with little attainment."
Purna said, "My mind and the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
true wonderful pure mind
are no different in their perfect precious enlightenment and complete
understanding. But I have long been plagued with beginningless beginning-less
false
thoughts and have long endured the cycle of rebirth. As of yet my
attainment in the sagely vehicle is not ultimate. The World Honored
One has completely ended all falseness and attained wonderful eternal
truth.
"I venture to ask the Thus Come One why all beings exist in
falseness and conceal their own wonderful understanding, so that
they keep drowning in this deluge?"
The Buddha said to Purna, "Although you have cast off doubts, you
still have not ended residual delusions. I will now question you about
a mundane event.
"Did you hear about Yajnadatta from Shravasti who on impulse one
morning held a mirror to his face and fell in love with the head in
the mirror? He gazed at the eyes and eyebrows but got angry because
he could not see his own face. He decided he must be a mountain or
river sprite, lost control, and ran madly about. What do you think?
Why did this person set out on a mad cause for no reason?"
Purna said, "That person was insane. There's no other reason."
The Buddha said, "What reason can you give for saying that the
wonderful enlightened bright perfection, the fundamentally perfect
bright wonder is false? If there is a reason, then how do you define
false?
"All of your own false thinking becomes in turn the cause for more.
From confusion you accumulate confusion through eon after eon;
although the Buddha is aware of it, he cannot counteract it.
"From such confused causes, the cause of confusion perpetuates itself.
When one realizes that confusion has no cause, the falseness becomes
baseless. Since it never arose, why would you hope for its end? One
who obtains Bodhi is like a person who awakens to tell of the events
in a dream; since his mind will remain awake and clear, why would he
want to hold onto the things in a dream?
"This is especially true for things that lack a cause and are
basically non-existent, such as Yajnadatta's situation that day in the
city. Was there any reason why he became fearful for his head and
went running about? If his madness had suddenly ceased, he still
wouldn't get his head back from someplace else outside; and so before
his madness ceased, how could his head have been lost?
"Purna, falseness is the same way. How can it exist?
"You only need not follow discriminations about the three kinds of
continuity of the world, beings, and karmic retributions. By cutting
off those three conditions, the causes will not arise.
"Then the madness, like Yajnadatta's, will cease by itself. Once it
ceases, Bodhi appears. The supreme, pure, bright mind originally
pervades the Dharma Realm. It is not something obtained from anyone
else. Why, then, toil at cultivation making yourself bone-tired trying
to gain certification?
"Consider a person who has a wish-fulfilling wish fulfilling
pearl sewn into his
clothing but does not know it. Poverty-stricken and ragged, he roams
around begging for food and always on the move. Although he is indeed
destitute, the pearl is never lost.
"Suddenly a wise person points out the pearl: then all his wishes are
fulfilled, he obtains great wealth, and he realizes that the pearl did
not come from somewhere outside."
Then from among the great assembly, Ananda bowed at the Buddha's
feet, stood, and said to the Buddha, "The World Honored One has just
explained about the karma of killing, stealing and lust: when the
three conditions are cut off, the three causes do not arise. Then the
madness, like Yajnadatta's, will cease by itself, and once it ceases,
Bodhi appears. It is not something obtained from anyone else. Those
clearly are causes and conditions; why, then, does the Tathagata Thus Come One
abruptly reject causes and conditions?
"My enlightenments have come about through causes and conditions.
World Honored One, that is not only true of those of us who are young
in years, or who are Hearers still in the process of learning. Mahamaudgalyayana. Maha
Maudgalyayana
, Shariputra, and Subhuti, and others who followed the
elder Brahmans, became enlightened and obtained no outflows upon
hearing the Buddha expound upon causes and conditions.
"Now you say that Bodhi does not come from causes and conditions. That
would make the spontaneity that Maskari Goshaliputra and others
advocated in Rajagriha the primary meaning! I only hope that the
Greatly Kind One will dispel my confusion."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Let us take the case of Yajnadatta in the
city: if the causes and conditions of his madness cease, the nature
that is not mad will spontaneously come forth. The entire principle
of spontaneity and causes and conditions is nothing more than that.
"Ananda, Yajnadatta's head was naturally there; it was a natural part
of him. There was never a time when it was not. Why, then, did he
suddenly fear that he had no head and start running about madly?
"If he naturally had a head and went mad due to causes and conditions,
would it not be just as natural for him to lose his head due to causes
and conditions?
"Basically his head was never lost. The madness and fear arose from
falseness. There was never any change that took place.
Why, then, belabor the point about causes and conditions?
"Had the madness been his natural state, the madness and fear would be
fundamental. Before he went mad, then, where was his madness hidden?
"Had the madness not been his natural state, and his head in fact not
lost, why did he run about in a state of madness?
"If you realize that you have a head and recognize the madness of your
pursuit, then both spontaneity and causes and conditions become idle
theories. That is why I say that once the three conditions cease to
be, the Bodhi mind appears.
"The arising of the Bodhi mind and the ending of the mind subject to
arising and ceasing itself imply arising and ceasing.
"The ending of both arising and ceasing is the effortless Way. If
there is spontaneity then clearly the thought of spontaneity must
arise and the mind subject to arising and ceasing end: but that is
still a case of arising and ceasing.
"To call the lack of arising and ceasing spontaneity would be like
saying that a combination of mundane phenomena that form a single
substance are mixed and united in nature, and that everything not
mixed and united is spontaneous in nature.
"Spontaneity is not natural, and mixing and uniting lack unifying
qualities. Spontaneity and unity alike must be abandoned, and both
their abandonment and their existence cease to be. Achieving that
would be no idle theory.
"Bodhi and Nirvana are still so far away that you must undoubtedly
pass through eons of bitterness and diligence before you cultivate
them and are certified.
"You can memorize the twelve divisions of the Sutras spoken by the
Buddhas of the ten directions and their pure, wonderful principles as
many as the sands of the Ganges river, but that only aids your idle
theorizing.
"Although you can discuss causes and conditions and spontaneity and
understand them perfectly clearly, and people refer to you as the one
foremost in learning, still, the eons upon eons you have spent
saturating yourself with learning, did not help you avoid the trouble
with Matangi's daughter.
"Why did you have to wait for me to use the spiritual mantra of the
Buddha's Crown to put out the fire of lust in Matangi's daughter's
heart, causing her to attain the position of an Anagamin and join a
vigorous group in my Dharma assembly, drying up the river of emotional
love in her and setting you free?
"Therefore, Ananda, your ability to intellectually master the
Tathagata's Thus
Come One's
wonderful secret teachings for eons upon eons is not as
good as a single day of non-outflow cultivation that is intent upon
quitting the two worldly sufferings of love and hate.
"In Matangi's daughter, a former prostitute, emotional love and desire
were dispelled by the spiritual power of the mantra. Now her Dharma
name is
Bhikshuni Bhiksunis
Nature.
"She and Rahula's mother, Yashodhara, both became aware of their past
causes and knew that for several eons they had endured the suffering
of greed and emotional love. Due to their single-mindedness they
became permeated with the cultivation of non-outflow goodness, they
were both freed from their bonds and received predictions. Why, then,
do you cheat yourself and still remain caught up in looking and
listening?"
Chapter Four"
When Ananda and the great assembly heard the Buddha's instruction,
their doubts and delusions were dispelled. Their minds awakened to the
ultimate reality, they experienced both physical and mental light
ease, and unprecedented attainments.
Once again Ananda wept, bowed at the Buddha's feet, knelt, placed his
palms together, and said to the Buddha, "The Unsurpassed, Great,
Compassionate, Pure, and Precious King has instructed me well, so
that, by means of these various causes and conditions, expedients and
encouragements, all of us who were immersed in the sea of suffering
have escaped it. World Honored One,
having heard that explanation.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 4, Part Two
"She and Rahula's mother, Yashodhara, both became aware
of Dharma, I know their past
causes and knew
that for several eons they had endured
the Treasury suffering
of
the Tathagata, the wonderful, enlightened, bright mind, pervades the
ten directions greed
and contains emotional love. Due to their single-mindedness they
became permeated with
the lands cultivation
of Tathagatas throughout non-outflow goodness, they
were both freed from their bonds and received predictions. Why, then,
do you cheat yourself and still remain caught up in looking and
listening?"
When Ananda and
the ten
directions, all great assembly heard
the pure Buddha's instruction,
their doubts
and elegantly adorned kshetras of Wonderful
Enlightened Kings delusions were dispelled. Their minds awakened to
the Tathagata also admonished that erudition is
ultimate reality, they experienced both physical and mental light
ease, and unprecedented attainments.
Once again Ananda wept, bowed at the Buddha's feet, knelt, placed his
palms together, and said to the Buddha, "The Unsurpassed, Great,
Compassionate, Pure, and Precious King has instructed me well, so
that, by means of these various causes and conditions, expedients and
encouragements, all of us who were immersed in the sea of suffering
have escaped it.
"World Honored One, having heard that explanation of Dharma, I know
that the Treasury of the Thus Come One, the wonderful, enlightened,
bright mind, pervades the ten directions and contains the lands of
Thus Come Ones throughout the ten directions, all the pure and
elegantly adorned kshetras of Wonderful Enlightened Kings. The Thus
Come One also admonished that erudition is
of no merit and is not as
good as cultivation.
"So now I am like a wanderer who suddenly encounters a divine king who
bestows upon him an elegant house. Even though he has obtained a
mansion, he has to enter through a door.
"I only hope the Tathagata Thus Come One
will not withhold his great compassion
in instructing those of us in the assembly who are covered by
darkness, so that we may renounce the Small Vehicle and attain at last
the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
Nirvana without residue, the fundamental path of
resolve. May he enable those who are still learning to know how to
subdue the age-old habit of seeking to manipulate conditions to one's
advantage, to obtain Dharani, and to enter in to the knowledge and
vision of the Buddhas." Having said this, he made a full prostration,
and together with the members of the assembly, single-mindedly awaited
the Buddha's compassionate instruction.
The World Honored One then sympathized with the Hearers and Those
Enlightened to Conditions in the assembly, all those who were not yet
at ease with the Bodhi mind. His sympathy also extended to helping
beings in the future Dharma Ending Age after the Buddha's entry into
tranquility to bring forth the resolve for Bodhi. He revealed the
wonderful path of cultivation of the Unsurpassed Vehicle.
He proclaimed to Ananda and to the great assembly, "You have
decisively resolved to attain Bodhi and so you should not grow weary
when it comes to the Wonderful Samadhi Samádhi
of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
. You must first understand two absolutes regarding initial
resolve for enlightenment. What are the two absolutes regarding
initial resolve for enlightenment?
"Ananda, the first absolute is that if you wish to renounce the
position of Hearer and cultivate the Bodhisattva Vehicle, and to enter
the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas, you must carefully consider
whether the resolve on the cause-ground and the enlightenment on the
ground of fruition are the same or different.
"Ananda, it is impossible while on the cause-ground to base one's
cultivation on the mind that is subject to arising and ceasing when in
quest ofthe of the
Buddha Vehicle, which neither arises nor ceases to be.
"For this reason, you should realize that all composite dharmas
belonging to the material world will decay and disappear. Ananda,
contemplate the world: what composite dharmas will not wear out?
"But I have never heard of empty space wearing out. Has anyone every
heard of the disintegration of the void? Why not? Empty space is not a
composite and it can never wear out.
"While you are in your body, what is solid is of earth, what is moist
is of water, what is warm is of fire, and what moves is of wind.
Because of these four bonds, your tranquil and perfect, wonderfully
enlightened bright mind divides into seeing, hearing, sensation, and
cognition. From its it's
beginning to its end you are emersed immersed
in the five
layers of turbidity.
"What is meant by turbidity? Ananda, pure water, for instance, is
fundamentally clear and clean, whereas dust, dirt, ashes, silt, and
the like, are basically solid substances. Such are the properties of
the two; their natures are not compatible. Suppose someone takes some
dirt and tosses it into pure water. The dirt looses its solidity and
the water is deprived of its transparency. The resulting cloudiness is
called turbidity. Your five layers of turbidity are similar to it.
"Ananda, you see that space pervades the ten directions. There is no
division between space and seeing. And yet space by itself cannot
identify its own substance, and seeing alone has nothing to register
awareness of. But the two become entangled in falseness. This is the
first layer, called the turbidity of time.
"Your body appears in full, with the four elements composing its
substance, and from this, seeing, hearing, sensation, and cognition
become firmly defined. Water, fire, wind, and earth fluctuate between
sensation and cognition and become entangled in falseness. This is the
second layer, called the turbidity of views.
"Further, the functions of memory, discrimination, and verbal
comprehension in your mind bring into being knowledge and views. From
out of them appear the six defiling objects. Apart from the defiling
objects the consciousness would lack attributes. Apart from cognition
the objects would have no nature. But they become entangled in a
falseness. This is the third layer, called the turbidity of
afflictions.
"And if day and night there is endless arising and ceasing as your
knowledge and views continually wish to remain in the world, while
your karmic patterns constantly move you to various places. This
entanglement become becomes
a falseness, which is the fourth layer, called
the turbidity of living beings.
"Originally, your seeing and hearing were not of different natures,
but a multitude of defiling objects has divided them into crude
differences. These natures have mutual awareness, but their functions
are in opposition. Sameness and difference arise and they lose their
identity. This entanglement becomes a falseness, which is the fifth
layer, called the turbidity of a life span.
"Ananda, you now want to cause your seeing, hearing, sensation, and
cognition to return to and tally with the eternity, bliss, true self,
and purity of the Tathagata Thus Come One
.
"You should first decide what the basis of birth and death is by
relying on the perfect, tranquil nature, which neither arises nor
ceases.
"By means of this tranquility, influence the empty and false arising
and ceasing so that it is subdued and returns to the source of
enlightenment. The attainment of this source of bright enlightenment,
which neither arises nor ceases, is the mind of the cause-ground.
"Then, you can completely realize cultivation of and certification to
the ground of fruition. To do that much is like purifying muddy water
by placing it in a quite vessel which is kept completely still and
unmoving. The sand and silt settle, and the pure water appears. That
is called the initial subduing of transitory defiling afflictions.
"The complete removal of the mud from the water is called the eternal
severance of fundamental ignorance.
"When clarity is pure to its very essence, then no matter what
happens, there is no affliction. Everything is in accord with the pure
and wonderful virtues of Nirvana.
"The second absolute is that if you definitely wish to bring forth the
resolve for Bodhi and to be especially courageous and dedicated in
your cultivation of the Bodhisattva Vehicle, you must decisively
renounce all conditioned phenomena.
"You should carefully consider the origin of afflictions: who creates
and who endures the beginningless beginning-less
creation of karma and perpetual
rebirth?
"Ananda, if in your cultivation of Bodhi you do not carefully consider
the origin of affliction, you cannot realize where the location of the
upsidedownness
upside-down ness
of the empty and false sense-organs sense organs
and sense-objects
is. If you don't even know their location, how can you subdue them and
reach the level of the Tathagata? Thus Come One?
"Ananda, consider someone who wants to untie a knot. If he can't see
where the knot is, how can he untie it?
"But I have never heard of anyone unbinding empty space. Why not?
Because emptiness has no form of appearance; and so there are no knots
to untie.
"But now your visible eyes, ears, nose, and tongue, as well as your
body and mind are like six thieving matchmakers who plunder the jewels
of your own household.
"And, thus, from beginningless beginning-less
time, because beings and the temporal
and spatial world, have been bound up together, beings are unable to
transcend the material world.
"Ananda, how do we define beings and the temporal and spatial world?
`Temporal' refers to change and flow; `spatial' refers to location.
"You should know by now that north, east, south, west, northeast,
northwest, southeast, southwest, above and below are space. Past,
present, and future are periods of time. There are ten directions in
space and three periods of time.
"All beings come into being because of false interaction. Their bodies
go through changes and they are caught in the temporal and spatial
combinations of this world.
"However, although there are ten directions in space, those known in
the world as north, south, east, and west are the only ones that can
be clearly fixed. Above and below have no position; the intermediates
have no definite direction. Determined clearly to be four in number,
they are then combined with the three periods of time. Three times
four, or, alternately, four times three makes twelve.
"Increase this to the third place; from the tens through the hundreds
to the thousands. The greatest possible efficacy of each of the six
organs is one thousand two hundred.
"Ananda, you can thereby establish their value. Consider how the eyes
see darkness behind and light in front. The front is totally light;
the back is totally dark. With your peripheral vision included, you
can see two thirds around at most. Therefore, its capacity can be
expressed as an efficacy, which is not complete. One third of its
efficacy is without virtue. Know, then, that the eyes have an efficacy
of only eight hundred.
"Consider how the ears hear everywhere in the ten directions, without
any loss. They hear movements, whether far or near, and stillness
without bounds. Know, then, that the organ of hearing is complete with
the efficacy of twelve hundred.
"Consider how the nose smells odors with each inhalation and
exhalation of the breath. It is deficient at the point between the
inhalation and exhalation. The organ of smell can be considered to be
deficient by one third. Know, then, that the nose has an efficacy of
only eight hundred.
"Consider how the tongue can proclaim the entirety of worldly and
transcendental wisdom. Although language varies according to locality,
the principles go beyond boundaries of any kind. Know, then, that the
organ of the tongue is complete with an efficacy of twelve hundred.
"Consider how the body is aware of touch, registering it as pain or
pleasure. When it makes contact, it is aware of the thing touched;
when is isolation, it has no tactile knowledge of other things.
Isolation has a single and contact has a dual aspect. The organ of the
body can be considered as deficient by one third. Know, then, that the
body has an efficacy of only eight hundred.
"Consider how the mind silently includes all worldly and
transcendental dharmas of the ten directions and three periods of
time. Regardless of whether it be sagely or ordinary, everything is
included in its boundlessness. Know, then, that the organ of the mind
is complete with an efficacy of twelve hundred.
"Ananda, now you wish to oppose the flow of desire that leads to birth
and death. You should turn back the flow of the organs to reach a
state of neither arising nor ceasing.
"You should investigate all of the six functioning organs to see which
are uniting, which are isolated, which are deep, which are shallow,
which will penetrate perfectly, and which are not perfect.
"If you can realize which organ penetrates perfectly, you can
thereupon reverse the flow of its
beginningless beginning-less
involvement in false
karma and follow that to perfect penetration. The difference between
that and an organ which is not perfect is like the difference between
a day and an eon.
"I have now revealed to you the fundamental efficacy of the tranquil
perfect brightness of these six. This is what the numbers are. It is
up to you to select which one to enter. I will explain more to aid
your progress in that.
"The Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions, cultivating by means of one
or another of the eighteen realms, attained perfect, unsurpassed
Bodhi. For them, any of those eighteen were generally adequate.
"But you are at an inferior level and are not yet able to perfect
comfortable wisdom among them. Therefore, I shall give you an
explanation, so that you will be able to enter deeply into the door.
"Enter one without falseness, and the six sense-organs sense organs
will be
simultaneously pure.
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, how do we oppose the
flow, enter deeply into one door, and cause the six organs to
simultaneously become pure?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "You have already obtained the fruition of a
Shrotaapana
Srota-apanna
. You have already put an end to the view-delusions that
living beings in the three realms possess, but you do not yet know
that your organs have accumulated habits that are without beginning.
The severing of these habits must be done through cultivation.
Including the numerous subtleties of their arising, dwelling,
changing, and ceasing.
"You should now contemplate the six organs further: are they one or
six? Ananda, if you say they are one, why can't the ears see? Why
can't the eyes hear? Why can't the head walk? Why can't the feet talk?
"If the six organs are definitely six, then as I now explain this
subtle, wonderful Dharma-door for you in this assembly, which of your
six organs is receiving it?" Ananda said, " I hear it with my ears."
The Buddha said, "Your ears hear by themselves? What, then, does that
have to do with your body and mouth? And yet you ask about the
principles with your mouth, and your body displays veneration.
"Therefore, you should know that if they are not one, then they are
six. And if they are not six, they must be one. But you can't say that
your organs are basically one and six.
"Ananda, you should know that these organs are neither one nor six. It
is from being upside-down and sinking into involvements throughout
time without beginning that the theory of one and six has become
established. As a Shrotaapanna Srota-apanna
, you have dissolved the six, but you
still have not done away with the one.
"That is like filling emptiness into differently shaped vessels and
then saying that emptiness is whatever shape the vessel is. And then,
upon getting rid of the vessels, looking at emptiness and saying it is
all the same.
"How can emptiness become the same or different at your convenience?
Even less can you call it `One' or `not one.' You should understand
that the six receptive functioning organs are the same way.
"Seeing occurs because the two attributes of darkness and light and
their like firmly adhere to quietude in what originally was wonderful
perfection. The essence of seeing reflects form and combines with
forms to become an organ. This organ, which was originally the four
pure elements, is called an eye and is shaped like a grape. Of the
four defiling objects that the sense organs located in the head
pursue, this one races out after form.
"Hearing occurs because the two reverberations of movement and
stillness and their like firmly adhere to quietude in what originally
was wonderful perfection. The essence of hearing reflects sound and
resounds with it to become the organ of the ear. The primal
composition of the ear-organ is the purely-defined purely defined
four elements.
Those portions we call the ears are shaped like fresh-curled leaves.
Of the four defiling objects that the sense organs pursue, this one is
loosed upon sound.
"Smelling occurs because the two appearances of penetration and
obstruction and their like firmly adhere to tranquility in what
originally was wonderful perfection. The essence of smelling reflects
the scents and takes in scents to become the organ of the nose. The
primal composition of the nose-organ is the purely-defined purely defined
four
elements. That portion we call the nose is shaped like a double
hanging claw. Of the four defiling objects that the sense organs
pursue this one probes out after scents.
"Tasting occurs because the two blends of blandness and variety of
flavor? And their like firmly adhere to quietude in what originally
was wonderful perfection. The essence of tasting reflects flavors and
becomes entwined with flavors to become the organ of the tongue. The
primal composition of the tongue-organ is in the purely-defined purely defined
four
elements. That portion we call the tongue is shaped like a crescent
moon. Of the four defiling objects that the sense organs pursue this
one craves flavors.
"Sensation occurs because the two frictions of separation and union,
and their like, firmly adhere to quietude in what originally was
wonderful perfection. The essence of sensation reflects contact and
seizes upon contact to become the organ of the body. The primal
composition of the body-organ is in the purely-defined purely defined
four elements.
The portion we call the body is shaped like a table. Of the four
defiling objects that the sense organs pursue, this one is compelled
by contact.
"Knowing occurs because the two continuities of production and
extinction, and their like, firmly adhere to quietude in what
originally was wonderful perfection. The essence of knowing reflects
dharmas and grasps them to become the organ of the mind. The primal
composition of the mind-organ is in the purely-defined purely defined
four elements.
Of the four defiling objects that the sense organs pursue, this one
chases after dharmas.
"Ananda, because understanding is added to enlightenment, the six
sense-organs lose their essence and adhere to falseness, confining
their brilliance.
"Therefore, apart from darkness and light there is no substance to
seeing for you now; apart from movement and stillness, there basically
is no disposition of hearing; without penetration and obstruction, the
nature of smelling does not arise; in the absence of variety and
blandness, tasting does not occur; lacking separation and union, the
sensation of contact is fundamentally non-existent; without arising
and ceasing, knowing is put to rest.
"You only need not follow the twelve conditioned attributes of
movement and stillness, union and separation, blandness and variety,
penetration and obstruction, production and extinction, and brightness
and darkness.
"Accordingly, extract one organ, free it from adhesion, and subdue it
at its inner core. Once subdued, it will return to primal truth and
radiate its innate brilliance. When that brilliance shines forth, the
remaining five adhesions will be freed to accomplish total liberation.
"Do not follow the knowing and seeing influenced by objects before
you. True understanding does not follow from the
sense-organs sense organs
. Yet
lodged at the organs is the potential to discover mutual functioning
of the six organs.
"Ananda, don't you know that now in this assembly Aniruddha is blind
and yet can see; the dragon UpAnanda is deaf and yet can hear; the
spirit of the Ganges River has no nose and yet smells fragrances;
Gavampati has an unusual tongue and yet tastes flavor; and the spirit Shunyata
Sunyata
has no body and yet is aware of contact? In the light of the Tathagata
Thus Come One
, this spirit is illumined temporarily as an ethereal
essence without substance. In the same way, Mahakashyapa, who is also
in this assembly, dwells in the samadhi of extinction, having obtained
the tranquility of a Hearer. He has long since put to rest the
mind-organ, and yet he has a perfectly clear knowledge which is not
due to the mental process of thinking.
"Ananda, if you can completely extract all your organs, you will glow
with an inner brilliance. Then the ephemeral defiling objects and all
the changing phenomena of the material world will become like ice
being melted by hot liquid. In response to your mind, the
transformation will bring unsurpassed enlightenment.
"Ananda, consider a person who has confined seeing to his eyes. If you
suddenly have him close his eyes, he will see darkness before him. The
six organs will be enveloped in total darkness. From head to toe he
will experience that. If the person traces the shape of external
things with his hands, then even though he cannot see, he can
recognize someone from head and toe. Enlightenment is also like that.
"If light were the condition requisite for seeing, then darkness would
bring the absence of seeing. But to perceive without light would mean
that no dark manifestation could obscure the seeing.
"Once the organs and objects suddenly melt away, how could the
enlightened brightness that results be anything but perfect and
wonderful?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, as the Buddha has said,
`The resolve for enlightenment on the cause-ground which seeks the
eternal must be in mutual accord with the ground of fruition.
"World Honored One, the ground of fruition is Bodhi; Nirvana: True
Suchness; the Buddha Nature; the Amala-Consciousness; the Empty
Treasury of the Tathagata; Thus Come One;
the great Perfect Mirror-Wisdom. But
although it is called by these seven names, it is pure and
perfect perfect;
its substance is enduring, like royal vajra, eternal and
indestructible.
"If the seeing, hearing, and the rest are ultimately devoid of
substance apart from light and darkness, movement and stillness, and
penetration and obstruction and the rest then they would be like
thoughts which, apart from immediate sense-objects, do not exist at
all.
"How could an ultimate Annihilationism like that be a cause by which
one cultivates in the hope of obtaining the Tathagatas' Thus Come Ones'
seven-fold
eternal fruition?
"World Honored One, if seeing is ultimately empty apart from light
and darkness, just as thoughts cease of themselves in the absence of
any immediate sense object.
"Then my comparisons become circular, and no matter how carefully I
search, there seems to be no such thing as my mind or what pertains to
it. Just what should be used to seek the Unsurpassed Enlightenment?
"The
Tathagata Thus Come One
previously referred to a tranquil essence, perfect
and eternal. His present contradiction defies belief and is resort to
idle theorizing. How can the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
words be true and actual?
"I only hope the Buddha will let fall his great compassion and
instruct us who do not understand and who are holding on tightly.
The Buddha told Ananda, "You study and learn much, but you have not
yet put an end to outflows. In your mind you know only the causes of
being upside down. But when the true inversion manifests, you really
cannot recognize it yet.
"Lest your sincerity and faith remain insufficient, I will try to make
use of an ordinary event to dispel your doubts."
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
instructed Rahula to strike the bell once, and
he asked Ananda, "Did you hear that?"
Ananda and the members of the great assembly all said, "We heard it."
The bell ceased to sound, and the Buddha again asked, "Do you hear it
now?"
Ananda and the members of the great assembly all said, "We do not
hear it."
Then Rahula struck the bell again. The Buddha again asked, "Do you
hear it now?"
Ananda and the great assembly again said, "We hear it." The Buddha asked
Ananda, "What do you hear, and what do you not hear?."
Ananda and the members of the great assembly all said to the Buddha,
"When the bell is rung, we hear it. Once the sound of the bell ceases,
so that even its echo fades away, we do not hear it."
The Tathagata Thus Come One
again instructed Rahula to strike the bell, and
asked Ananda, "Is there a sound now?"
Ananda and the members of the great assembly all said, "There is a
sound."
After a short time the sound ceased, and the Buddha again asked, "Is
there a sound now?'
Ananda and the great assembly answered, "There is no sound."
After a moment, Rahula again struck the bell, and the Buddha again
asked, "Is there a sound now?" Ananda and the great assembly said
together, "There is a sound."
The Buddha asked Ananda, `What is meant by `sound,' and what is meant
by `no sound?" Everyone in the great assembly including Ananda told
the Buddha, "When the bell is struck there is a sound. Once the sound
ceases and even the echo fades away, there is said to be no sound."
The Buddha said to Ananda and the great assembly, "Why are you
inconsistent in what you say?"
The great assembly and Ananda then asked the Buddha, "In what way
have we being inconsistent?"
The Buddha said, "When I asked if it was your hearing, you said it was
your hearing. Then, when I asked you if it was sound, you said it was
sound. I cannot ascertain from your answers if it is hearing or if it
is sound. How can you not say that is inconsistent?
"Ananda, when the sound is gone without an echo, you say there is no
hearing. If there were really no hearing, the hearing-nature would
cease to be. It would be just like dead wood. If then the bell were
sounded again, how would you know?
"What you know to be there or not to be there is the defiling object
of sound which seems to come into being and cease to be. But how could
the hearing-nature be there or not be there? And if the hearing really
were, as you contend, not there, who would know it was not there?
"And so, Ananda, the sounds that you hear are what rise and cease.
Your hearing-nature does not come into being and cease to be based on
the arising and ceasing of the sounds you hear.
"You are so upside-down that you mistake sound for hearing. No wonder
you are so confused that you take what is eternal to be
Annihilationism. Ultimately, you cannot say that there is no
hearing-nature apart from movement and stillness, from obstruction and
penetration and the rest.
"Consider a person who falls into a deep sleep while napping on his
bed. While he is asleep, someone in his household starts beating
clothes or pounding rice. In his dream, the person hears the sound of
beating and pounding and takes it for something else, perhaps for the
striking of a drum or the ringing of a bell. In his dream he wonders
why the bell sounds like stone or wood.
"Suddenly he awakens and immediately recognizes the sound of pounding.
He tells the members of his household, "I was just having a dream in
which I mistook the sound of pounding for the sound of a drum."
"Ananda, how can this person in the dream-state remember stillness and
motion, penetrability and obstruction? Although he is physically
asleep, his hearing-nature is not unclear.
"Even when your physical existence melts away and your life-force
changes and dwindles, how could that nature melt away and be gone from
you?
"But because beings, from time without beginning, have pursued forms
and sounds and have followed their thoughts as they turn and flow,
they still are not enlightened to the wonderful eternal pure nature.
"They do not accord with what is eternal, but chase after things that
are subject to arising and ceasing. That is what causes them to be
born again and again, flowing and turning in defilement.
"But if they reject arising and ceasing and uphold the eternal truth,
an enduring light will appear, and with that, the sense-organs,
defiling objects, and consciousnesses will disappear.
"Then you must maintain your distance from the defilements of the
manifestations of thinking and the emotional states of consciousness.
Then your Dharma-eye will accordingly become pure and bright. And, how
can you fail to realize Unsurpassed Enlightenment?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, although the Tathagata Thus Come
One
has explained this second absolute, as I now regard someone who
wants to untie a knot, if he cannot find its center, he will never get
the knot undone.
"World Honored One, I and all other Hearers in the great assembly who
are not beyond study are the same way. From time without beginning we
have been accompanied in birth and death by ignorance. We have
obtained these good roots of erudition and are said to have left the
home life, yet in fact we act like someone with recurrent malaria.
"I only hope, Greatly Compassionate One, that you will take pity on us
who are sinking and drowning. What are the knots in our body and mind
and how do we untie them? Your explanation will also enable future
beings who are in suffering and difficulty to avoid the cycle of
rebirth and keep them from falling into the three realms of
existence."
After saying that, he and everyone in the entire great assembly made
full prostrations. He wept profusely, and with sincere anticipation
awaited the unsurpassed instruction of the Buddha, the Tathagata Thus Come One
.
Then the World Honored One took pity on Ananda and those in the
assembly with something left to study, as well as on beings of the
future who have the potential to transcend the world and to develop
insight.
He rubbed the crown of Ananda's head with his hand that shone with
Jambunada purple-golden light. Instantaneously all the Buddhalands Buddha lands
of
the ten directions quaked in six ways. Tathagatas.
Thus Come Ones
as numerous as fine motes of dust, each dwelling in his
respective world, emitted a precious light from the crowns of his
head.
At one and the same time their light went from their own countries to
the Jeta Grove and anointed the crown of the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
head. All
in the assembly received unprecedented benefits.
Then Ananda and everyone in the great assembly heard the Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
as numerous as fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions
speak to Ananda with different mouths but with a single voice.
"Good indeed, Ananda! You wish to recognize your innate ignorance that
causes you to turn on the wheel. The origin of the knot of birth and
death is simply your six sense-organs sense organs
and nothing else.
"You also want to understand unsurpassed Bodhi, so that you can
quickly realize bliss, liberation, tranquility, and wonderful
permanence. It, too, is your six sense-organs sense organs
and nothing else."
Although Ananda heard those sounds of Dharma, he did not yet
understand them. Bowing his head, he said to the Buddha, "How can what
causes me to revolve in the cycle of birth and death and what enables
me to gain bliss and wonderful eternity be the six sense-organs in
both cases and nothing else?'
The Buddha said to Ananda, "The sense-organs and the objects are the
same source. The bonds and their release are not different things. The
nature of the consciousness is empty and false, like flowers in space.
"Ananda, awareness arises because of defiling objects. Phenomena exist
because of the sense organs. The phenomena and the perception are both
devoid of their own natures. They support each other like intertwining
reeds.
"Therefore, creating knowledge within enlightened perception is
fundamental ignorance. To be devoid of perception within enlightened
perception is the non-outflow true purity of Nirvana. Why try to put
something else in these?"
Then the World Honored One, wishing to restate that meaning, spoke
verses, saying:
"In the true nature, conditioned things are empty.
Conditions that arise are like illusions.
Things unconditioned neither arise nor cease.
Unreal they are, like flowers in space.
"To speak of the false is to reveal the true.
But both the false and the true are false themselves.
Since there is neither truth nor untruth,
How could there be perceiver and perceived?
"Between the two no real nature exists;
Thus they are likened to entwining reeds.
The knots and their release have a common cause.
The sages and ordinary people's path are not two.
"Regard the nature of the intertwined:
-
They are neither empty nor existent.
Dark confusion is simply ignorance;
Bringing it to light is liberation.
"The knots must be untied successively,
When the six are released,
Even the one ceases to be.
Select an organ preferred for perfect penetration;
Enter the flow and realize proper enlightenment.
"Extremely subtle, the Adana consciousness,
Makes patterns of habit that flow on in torrents.
Fearing you will confuse the truth with what is not,
I rarely tell you of all this.
"With your own mind, you grasp at your own mind;
What is not illusory turns into illusion.
Do not grasp and nothing will not be illusion.
Since even non-illusion does not arise,
How can illusory dharmas be established?
This is called the Wonderful Lotus Flower,
The Regal Vajra Gem of Enlightenment.
"In this Samapatti that is likened to illusion,
Transcend to the level beyond learning.
"This Abhidharma, incomparable,
Is the single pathway through Nirvana's gate,
Taken by Bhagavans in all the ten directions."
When Ananda and the great assembly heard the unsurpassed,
compassionate instruction of the Buddha, the Tathagata Thus Come One
, this
harmonious and brilliant Geya verse with its clear and penetrating
wonderful principles, their hearts and eyes were opened, and they
exclaimed that this Dharma was unprecedented.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 5, Part One
Ananda put his palms together, bowed, and said to the Buddha, "Having
heard the Buddha's unrestrained, greatly kind, true and actual
expression of Dharma that is pure in nature and wonderfully eternal, I
still have not understood the sequence for releasing the knots so that
when the six are untied, the one is gone also. I only hope you will be
compassionate, and once again empathize with this assembly and those
of the future, by offering us explanation of the Dharma to wash and
rinse away our deep-rooted defilements.
Then, upon the lion's throne, the Tathagata Thus Come One
straightened his
Nirvana robes, arranged his samghati sash, took hold of the table
inlaid with the seven gems, reached out onto the table and picked up
an exquisitely beautiful cloth given him by a god from the Suyama
Heaven.
Then, as the assembly watched, he tied it into a knot and showed it to
Ananda, asking, "What is this called?"
Ananda and the great assembly answered together, "It is called a
knot."
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
tied another knot in the beautiful cloth and
asked Ananda again, "What is this called?"
Ananda and the great assembly once again answered together, "It, too,
is called a knot."
He continued in this pattern until he had tied six knots in the
beautiful cloth. As he made each knot, he held it up to Ananda and
asked, "What is this called?"
And each time Ananda and the great assembly answered the Buddha in the
same way: "It is called a knot."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "When I first tied the cloth, you called it
a knot. Since the beautiful cloth is basically a single strip how
could you give the same answer for the second and third time?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, this beautiful cloth is
just one piece, but the way I understand it, when the Tathagata Thus Come One
makes one tie, it is called a knot. If he were to make a hundred ties,
they would be called a hundred knots. And so now that exactly six knots-not
knots--not
five or seven-have seven--have
been tied in the cloth, why does the Tathagata
Thus Come One
only allow me to speak of one knot and not of two or
three?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "You know that this precious cloth is
basically one strip, but when I made six ties in it, you said it had
six knots. Carefully consider the substance of the cloth: it remains
unchanged except for the knots in it.
"What do you think? You identified the first knot I tied as number
one. Now I am ready to tie the sixth knot. Will you also call it
number one?
"No, World Honored One. If there are six knots, the sixth knot can
never be called the first one. Even if I exhausted all my intelligence
and eloquence in life after life, I could reverse the sequence of
these six knots.
The Buddha said, "So it is. The six knots are not identical. Consider
their origin: they are created from the one cloth and were tied in a
certain order. It would be impossible to scramble that sequence.
"Your six sense organs are also like that. From what was identical,
decisive differences arise."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Assuming you did not want these six knots
and would like there to be just one cloth, how could you achieve that
end?"
Ananda said, "As long as these knots remain, dispute about what they
are and what they are not will arise. Their very existence will lead
to such distinctions as this knot not being that knot and that knot
not being this one. But if the Tathagata Thus Come One
were to untie them all
right now, so that none remained, then there would be no `this' or
`that.' There would not even be anything called `one,' how much the
less `six.'"
The Buddha said, "That is also what happens when the six sense organs
are freed: even the one is gone.
"Because from beginningless beginning-less
time your mind and nature have been
insane and disturbed, you have created false knowledge and views. As
that falseness continues to arise without respite, perception becomes
weary and defilements arise.
"Just like the whirling flowers that appeared when the eyes grew tired
of staring, these too are disturbances that arise without a cause
within the tranquil, essential brightness.
"Everything in the world-the world--the
mountains, the rivers, the earth itself,
as well as birth, death, and Nirvana-is Nirvana--is
these flowers that appear
because of our being turned upside-down by insanity and weariness."
Ananda said, "This weariness is the same as these knots. How do we
untie them?"
The Tathagata Thus Come One
took hold of the knotted cloth, pulled on its left
end, and asked Ananda, "Is this the way to untie them?"
"No, World Honored One."
Then the Buddha pulled on the right end and again asked Ananda, "Is
this the way to untie them?"
"No, World Honored One."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "Now I have pulled the cloth left and right
and still have not been able to undo the knots. What method do you
propose for untying them?"
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, you must untie the
knots from their center. Then they will come undone."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "So it is, so it is. If you want to undo
them, you have to untie them from the center.
"Ananda, the Buddha Dharma I explain arises from causes and
conditions. But that does not imply grasping at the mixing and uniting
of coarse, worldly appearances. The
Tathagata Thus Come One
understands all
worldly and world-transcending dharmas and knows their fundamental
causes and what conditions bring them into being.
"This is so to the extent that I know how many drops of rain fall in
as many worlds away from here as there are dust motes in the Ganges.
The same is true of all the things you can see: Why the pine is
straight, why the brambles are twisted, why the goose is white, why
the crow is black--I understand all these reasons.
"Therefore, Ananda, you can select whichever one of the six sense-organs sense
organs
you wish. If the knots of the sense-organs sense organs
are removed, then
the defiling phenomena disappear of themselves and all falseness
ceases to be. If what remains is not the truth, then where do you
expect to find the truth?"
"Ananda, I now ask you, can the six knots beautiful cloth be untied
simultaneously and released all at once?"
"No, World Honored One. As the knots were originally made in sequence,
now they must be untied in sequence. The substance of the six knots is
the same, but they were not made simultaneously, and so now when they
are undone, how could they be untied simultaneously?"
The Buddha said, "Releasing the six sense-organs is the same way.
When the sense-organ sense organ
begins to be released, one realize realizes
the emptiness
of people first. When the nature of that emptiness is fully
understood, then one is released from dharmas. Once one is freed from
dharmas, neither kind of emptiness will arise.
"That is called the Patience with Non-Production that Bodhisattvas
attain by means of samadhi."
Upon receiving the Buddha's instruction, Ananda, and the great
assembly gained wisdom and awareness that was perfectly penetrating
and free of doubt and delusion.
All at the same time, they placed their palms together, and bowed at
the Buddha's feet. Ananda then said to the Buddha, "Today our bodies
and minds are illumined, and we are happily free from obstruction.
"We have understood the meaning of the ending of the six and the one.
Still, we have not yet progressed to fundamental, perfect penetration.
"World Honored One, we who have drifted and floundered our way through
eon after eon, homeless and alone, had no
idea idea;
we never imagined that
we could meet the Buddha in such a close relationship. We are like
lost infants who have suddenly found their compassionate mother.
If because of this encounter we realize the Way, [it will not have
been in vain]. If we treat these secret instructions with our former
mode of understanding, it will be the same as if we hadn't even heard
them.
"We only wish the Greatly Compassionate One will bestow upon us the
profound secret as the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
final instruction." After
saying this Ananda prostrated himself, withdrew, and silently
anticipated the Buddha's hidden transmission.
Then the World Honored One told all those in the assembly who were
great Bodhisattvas and great Arhats with their outflows extinguished,
"All of you Bodhisattvas and Arhats who are born from within my Dharma
and have attained the stage beyond study, I now ask you: When you
first brought forth your resolve and became enlightened to the
eighteen realms, which one of these brought perfect penetration?
Through which expedient did you enter samadhi?
"Kaundinya, with the others of the first five Bhikshus, arose from his
seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "When I was
in the Deer Park and the Pheasant Garden, I observed the Tathagata Thus Come One
immediately after his accomplishment of the Way. Upon hearing the
Buddha's voice, I understood the Four Truths.
"The Buddha is questioning us Bhikshus. As I was the first to
understand, the
Tathagata Thus Come One
certified me and named me Ajnata. His
wonderful sound was both secret and all-pervasive all pervasive
. It was through
sound that I became an Arhat.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, sound is the foremost means."
Upanishad arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to
the Buddha, "I also saw the Buddha when he first accomplished the Way.
I learned to contemplate the attributes of impurity until I grew to
loathe it and came to understand that the nature of all forms is
unclean. Bare bones and fine dust all return to emptiness, and so both
emptiness and forms are done away with. With this realization, I
accomplished the path beyond study.
"The Tathagata Thus Come One
certified me and named me Upanishad. Objects
of form came to an end, and wonderful form was both secret and all-pervasive all
pervasive
. Thus, it was through the attributes of forms that I became
an Arhat. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been
certified to it, forms
are the foremost means."
The pure youth, Exalted by Fragrance, arose from his seat, bowed at
the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I heard the Tathagata Thus Come One
teach me to contemplate attentively all conditioned phenomena.
"I then left the Buddha and dwelt quietly in a pure abode. I observed
that when the Bhikshus lit `sinking' incense, its fragrant scent
quietly entered my nostrils. I contemplated this fragrance: it did not
come from the wood; it did not come from emptiness; it did not come
from the smoke, and it did not come from the fire. There was no place
it came from and no place it went to. Because of that, my
discriminating mind was dispelled, and I attained the absence of
outflows.
"The
Tathagata Thus Come One
certified me and called me Exalted by Fragrance.
Defiling scents suddenly vanished, and the wonderful fragrance was
both secret and all-pervasive all pervasive
. It was through the adornment of
fragrance that I became an Arhat.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, being exalted by fragrances are the foremost means."
The two Dharma-Princes, Medicine King and Superior Medicine, and five
hundred Brahma gods in the assembly arose from their seats, bowed at
the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, From beginningless beginning-less
eons
until now, we have been good doctors for the world. Our mouths have
tasted many herbs, wood, metals, and stones of the Saha world, a
hundred and eight thousand flavors. We know in detail the bitter,
sour, salty, bland, sweet, and pungent flavors, and the like, in all
their combinations and inherent changes. We have a thorough knowledge
of whether they are cooling or warming, poisonous or non-poisonous.
"While serving the Tathagata Thus Come One
we came to know that the nature of
flavors is neither empty nor existent, nor of the body or of the mind,
nor apart from body or the mind. We became enlightened by
discriminating among flavors.
"The Tathagata Thus Come One
sealed and certified us brothers and named us
Bodhisattvas Medicine King and Superior Medicine. Now in the assembly
we are Dharma Princes who have ascended to the Bodhisattva level due
to having become enlightened by means of flavors.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As we have been certified
to it, the cause of flavors is the foremost means."
Bhadrapala and sixteen awakened lords who were his companions, arose
from their seats, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha:
"We first heard the Dharma and left the home life under King of
Awesome Sound Buddha. Once, when it was time for the Sangha to bathe,
I followed the custom and entered the bathhouse. Suddenly I awakened
to the fact that water does not wash away the dust, nor does it
cleanse the body. And in that moment I became peaceful and attained
the state of there being nothing at all.
"To this day, I have never forgotten that experience. Having left home
with the Buddha, I have advanced beyond study. The Buddha named me
Bhadrapala. Wonderful touch was revealed, and I reached the level of
being a disciple of the Buddha.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, touch is the foremost means."
Mahakashyapa, Bhikshuni, Bhikkhuní
Purple-golden Light and others arose from
their seats, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha:
"In a past eon in this region, I drew near to the Buddha named Sun,
Moon, and Lamp, who was then in the world. I heard the Dharma from him
and cultivated and studied with him. After that Buddha entered
tranquility, I made offerings to his sharira and lit lamps to continue
his light. Bhikshuni. Bhikkhuní
Purple-Golden-Light gilded the Buddha's image.
From that time on, in life after life, my body has always been perfect
and has shone with a purple-golden light. The Bhikshuni Bhikkhuní
Purple-Golden
Light, and others make up my retinue, and we all brought forth the
resolve for Bodhi at the same time.
"I contemplated that the world's six sense-objects change and decay;
they are but empty stillness. Based on this, I cultivated tranquility.
Now my body and mind can pass through hundreds of thousands of eons as
though they were a finger-snap.
"Based on the emptiness of dharmas, I accomplished
Arhatship Arhat-ship
. The
World Honored One says that I am foremost in dhuta ascetic practices.
Wonderful Dharma brought me awakening and understanding, and I put an
end to all outflows. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I
have been certified to it, dharmas are the foremost means."
Aniruddha arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to
the Buddha, "When I first left home, I was fond of sleeping all the
time. The Tathagata Thus Come One
scolded me and said I was no better than an
animal. When I heard the Buddha's scolding, I wept and upbraided
myself. For seven days I did not sleep, and I lost the sight in both
my eyes.
"The World Honored One taught me the Vajra Samadhi Samádhi
of the Delightful
Seeing, which Illumines and is Bright. Without using my eyes, I could
contemplate the ten directions with true and penetrating clarity, just
as if I were looking at a piece of fruit in the palm of my hand. The Tathagata
Thus Come One
certified me as having attained Arhatship Arhat-ship
.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, returning the seeing back to its source is the foremost means."
Kshudrapanthaka arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and
said to the Buddha:
"I am deficient in the ability to memorize and do not have much innate
intelligence. When I first met the Buddha, I heard the Dharma and left
the home life. But, when I tried to remember one line of a verse by
the Tathagata Thus Come One
, I spent a hundred days remembering the first part
and forgetting the last, or remembering the last and forgetting the
first.
"The Buddha pitied my dullness and taught me to relax and to regulate
my breath. I contemplated my breath thoroughly to the subtle point in
which arising, dwelling, decay, and ceasing happen in every moment.
"My mind suddenly attained vast non-obstruction, until my outflows
were ended and I accomplished
Arhatship Arhat-ship
. Beneath the Buddha's seat I
was sealed and certified as being beyond study.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, turning the breath back to emptiness is the foremost means."
Gavampati arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to
the Buddha, "I created an offense that resulted in mouth karma in a
past eon. I slighted a Shramana, and in life after life I've had this
cow-cud sickness.
"The Tathagata Thus Come One
taught me the mind-ground Dharma-door of the purity
of a single flavor. My thoughts ended, I entered samadhi, and learned
by contemplating flavors-how flavors--how
they have no substance and are not
things. As a result my mind transcended all worldly outflows.
"Internally my body and mind were liberated and externally I abandoned
the world. I left the three realms of existence far behind, just like
a bird released from its cage. I separated from filth and wiped out
defilements, and so my Dharma eye became pure, and I accomplished Arhatship
Arhat-ship
. The Tathagata Thus Come One
personally certified me as having
ascended to the stage beyond study.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, returning flavor and turning awareness around is the foremost
means."
Pilindavatsa arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said
to the Buddha:
"When I first resolved to follow the Buddha and enter the Way, I often
heard the Tathagata Thus Come One
explain how there is nothing in this world
that brings happiness. Once, when I was on alms rounds in the city, I
was reflecting on this Dharma-door and did not notice a poisonous
thorn on the road until it had pricked my foot. My mind was aware of
the strong physical pain, but although my awareness experienced the
pain, I was also aware that in my pure heart there was neither pain
nor awareness of it.
"I also thought, `Is it possible for one body to have two awarenesses?'
awareness's?'
Having reflected on this for a short while, my body and mind became
suddenly empty. After twenty-one days, my outflows disappeared and I
accomplished Arhatship Arhat-ship
. The Buddha personally certified me and
confirmed that I had realized the level beyond study.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, purifying the awareness and forgetting the body is the foremost
means."
Subhuti arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to
the Buddha, "From distant eons until now, my mind has been
unobstructed. I remember as many of my past lives as there are sand
grains in the Ganges.
From the beginning, in my mother's womb, I knew emptiness and
tranquility, to the extent that the ten directions became empty and I
caused beings to be certified to the nature of emptiness.
"Having received the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
revelation that the enlightened
nature is true emptiness and that the nature of emptiness is perfect
and bright, I attained Arhatship Arhat-ship
. I suddenly entered into the Tathagata's Thus
Come One's
sea of magnificent, bright emptiness. My knowledge and
views became identical with the Buddhas. I was certified as being
beyond study. In the liberation of the nature of emptiness, I am
unsurpassed.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, all phenomena enter into nothingness until nothingness and what
becomes nothingness both disappear. Turning dharmas back to the void
is the foremost means."
Shariputra arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said
to the Buddha, "From distant eons until the present, my mind and views
have been pure. In this way I have undergone as many births as there
are sand grains in the Ganges. At one glance I am able to understand
all the various transformations and changes of both what is worldly
and what is world-transcending world transcending
without any obstruction.
"Once I met the
Kashyapa Kasyapa
brothers on the road, and walked along with
them. They spoke about causes and conditions, and I awakened to the
boundlessness of my mind.
"I followed the Buddha and left the home life. My seeing-awareness
became bright and perfect, I obtained great fearlessness and became an
Arhat. As one of the Buddha's elder disciples, I am born from the
Buddha's mouth, transformationally, transformation ally
born from the Dharma.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, for the mind and the seeing to emit light and for the light to
radiate throughout both knowing and seeing is the foremost means."
Universal Worthy Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the
Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I have been a Dharma Prince
with as many Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
as there are sand grains in the Ganges.
The
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions tell their disciples who have
the roots of a Bodhisattva to cultivate the Universal Worthy conduct,
which is named after me.
"World Honored One, I use my mind to listen and distinguish the
knowledge and views of beings.
In other regions as many realms away as there are sand grains in the
Ganges, for each being who resolves to practice the conduct of
Universal Worthy, I immediately mount my six-tusked elephant and
create hundreds of thousands of reduplicated bodies which go to those
places. Although their obstacles may be so heavy that they cannot see
me, I secretly rub their crowns, protect and comfort them, and help
them succeed.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. The basic cause I speak of
is listening with the mind, distinguishing at ease, and emitting
light. This is the foremost means."
SundarAnanda arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said
to the Buddha, "When I first left home and followed the Buddha to
enter the Way, I received the complete precepts, but my mind was
always too scattered for samadhi, and I could not attain the state of
having no outflows. The World Honored One taught Kaushthila and me to
contemplate the white spot at the tip of our noses.
"From the first, I contemplated intently. After three weeks, I saw
that when I inhaled and exhaled, the breath in my nostrils looked like
smoke. Internally my body and mind became bright, and externally I
perfectly understood that the world was like crystal, empty and pure.
The smoky appearance gradually disappeared, and the breath in my
nostrils became white.
"My mind opened and my outflows were ended. Every inhalation and
exhalation of breath was transformed into light, which illumined the
ten directions, and I attained Arhatship Arhat-ship
. The World Honored One
predicted that in the future I would obtain Bodhi.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I did it by means of the
disappearance of the breath, until eventually the breath emitted light
and the light completely extinguished my outflows. That is the
foremost means."
Purnamaitreyaniputra arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet,
and said to the Buddha, "For vast eons I have possessed unobstructed
eloquence. When I discuss suffering and emptiness I penetrate deeply
into ultimate reality. In the same way, I feel no fear as I give
subtle, wonderful instruction to the assembly concerning the secret
Dharma doors of as many Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
as there are sand grains in the
Ganges.
"The World Honored One knew that I had great eloquence, and, using his
sound to turn the Dharma wheel, taught me to propagate the Dharma. I
joined the Buddha to help him turn the Dharma wheel. I accomplished Arhatship
Arhat-ship
due to his lion's roar. The World Honored One certified me
as being foremost in speaking Dharma.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used the sounds of
Dharma to subdue demons and adversaries and to melt away my outflows.
That is the foremost means."
Upali arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the
Buddha, "I followed the Buddha in person when he fled the city and
left the home life. I observed the Tathagata Thus Come One
endure six years of
diligent asceticism. I watched the Tathagata Thus Come One
subdue all the
demons, and adherents of external paths and become liberated from all
outflows based on worldly desire and greed.
"I based myself on the Buddha's teaching of precepts, encompassing the
three thousand awesome deportments and the eighty thousand subtle
aspects until both my karma of the nature and karma of restraint
became pure. My body and mind became tranquil, and I accomplished Arhatship
Arhat-ship
.
"In the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
assembly, I record the rules governing
discipline. The Buddha himself certified my mind's upholding of the
precepts and my genuine cultivation of them. I am considered a leader
of the assembly.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I disciplined the body
until it attained ease and comfort. Then I disciplined the mind until
it attained penetrating clarity. After that, both body and mind
experienced keen and thorough absorption. That is the foremost means."
Mahamaudgalyayana."
Maha Maudgalyayana
arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet,
and said to the Buddha, "Once when I was out on the road doing alms
rounds, I met the three Kashyapa brothers-Uruvilva Kasyapa brothers--Uruvilva
, Gaya, and Nadi-who
Nadi--who
proclaimed for me the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
profound principle of
causes and conditions. I immediately brought forth the resolve and
obtained a great understanding.
"The Tathagata Thus Come One
accepted me, I was spontaneously clad in the
kashaya and my hair and beard fell out by themselves. I roamed the ten
directions, having no impeding obstructions. My spiritual
penetrations, which are esteemed as unsurpassed, and I accomplished Arhatship
Arhat-ship
.
"Not only the World Honored One, but the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten
directions praise my spiritual powers as being perfectly clear and
pure, masterful, and fearless.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. By means of unrelenting
attention to the profound, the light of my mind was revealed, just as
water becomes clear when the mud settles. Eventually my mind became
pure and lustrous. That is the foremost means."
Ucchushma came before the Buddha, put his palms together, bowed at the
Buddha's feet, and said to him, "I can still remember how many eons
ago I was filled with excessive greed and desire. The Buddha named
King of Emptiness was in the world, and he said that people with too
much lustful desire turn into a raging mass of fire. He taught me to
contemplate the coolness and warmth found throughout my entire body.
"A spiritual light coalesced inside me and transformed my thoughts of
excessive lust into the fire of wisdom. After that, all the Buddhas
referred to me by the name Fire-Head.
"Due to the strength of this Fire-light Samadhi Samádhi
, I accomplished Arhatship
Arhat-ship
. I made a great vow that when any Buddha accomplishes the
Way, I will be a powerful knight and personally subdue the demons'
enmity.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used attentive
contemplation of the effects of heat in my body and mind until it
became unobstructed and penetrating and all my outflows were consumed.
I produced a blazing brilliance and ascended to enlightenment. That is
the foremost means."
The Bodhisattva Maintaining the Earth arose from his seat, bowed at
the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I remember when Universal
Light Tathagata Thus Come One
appeared in the world in the past. I was a Bhikshu
who continually worked on making level the major roads,
ferry-landings, and the dangerous spots in the ground, where the
disrepair might hinder or harm horse carriages. I did everything from buildding
building
bridges to hauling sand.
"Throughout the appearance of limitless Buddhas in the world I was
diligent in this hard labor. If there were people waiting by the walls
and gates of the cities who needed someone to carry their goods, I
would carry them all the way to their destination, set the things
down, and leave without taking any recompense.
"When the Buddha Vipashyin appeared in the world, there was widespread
famine. I would carry people on my back, and no matter how far the
distance, I would accept only one small coin. If there was an ox-cart
stuck in the mud, I would use my spiritual strength to push the wheels
out and resolve the hardship.
"Once a king asked the Buddha to attend a vegetarian feast. At that
time, I served the Buddha by leveling the road for him as he went.
Vipashyin Tathagata Thus Come One
rubbed my crown and said, `You should level
your mind-ground, then everything else in the world would be level.'
"Immediately my mind opened up and I saw how the particles of earth
composing my own body were no different from all the particles of
earth that made up the world. These particles of dust do not conflict
with our nature, to the point that not even the blade of a sword could
harm it.
"Within the Dharma-nature I awakened to the patience with the
non-production of dharmas and accomplished Arhatship Arhat-ship
. My mind has
returned and I have now entered the ranks of the Bodhisattvas. Hearing
that Tathagata Thus Come One
proclaim the Wonderful Lotus Flower, the level of
the Buddha's knowledge and vision, I have already been certified as
having understood and am a leader in the assembly.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. Upon attentive
contemplation of the body and the environment, I saw that these two
defiling dusts are exactly the same. Fundamentally everything is the
Treasury of the Tathagata Thus Come One
, but then falseness arises and creates
the defiling dust. When the defiling dust is eliminated, wisdom is
perfected, and one accomplishes the unsurpassed Way. That is the
foremost means."
The Pure Youth Moonlight arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's
feet, and said to the Buddha, "I remember that long ago, beyond eons
as many as there are sand grains in the Ganges, there was a Buddha in
the world named Water-God, who taught all the Bodhisattvas to
cultivate the contemplation of water and enter samadhi.
"I reflected upon how throughout the body the essence of water is not
in discord. I started with mucus, phlegm, saliva, marrow, and blood,
and went through to urine and excrement. As it circulated through my
body, the nature of water remained the same. I saw that the water in
my body was not at all different from that in the world outside, even
that in royal lands of floating banners with all their seas of
fragrant waters.
"At that time, when I first succeeded in the contemplation of water, I
could see only water. I still had not gotten beyond my physical body.
"I was a Bhikshu then, and once when I was in Dhyana repose in my
room, a disciple of mine peeked in the window and saw only clear water
filling the entire room. He saw nothing else.
"The lad was young, and not knowing any better, he picked up a tile
and tossed it into the water. It hit the water with a `plunk.' He
gazed around and then left. When I came out of concentration, I was
suddenly aware of a pain in my heart, and I felt like Shariputra must
have felt when he met that cruel ghost.
"I thought, `I am already an Arhat and have long since abandoned
conditions that bring on illness. Why do I suddenly have this pain in
my heart? Am I about to lose the position of non-retreat?'
"Just then, the young lad came promptly to me and related what had
happened. I quickly said to him, `When you see the water again, open
the door, wade into the water, and remove the tile.' The boy was
obedient, so when I re-entered samadhi, he again saw the water and the
tile as well, opened the door, and took it out. When I came out of
concentration, my body was as it had been before.
"I encountered limitless Buddhas and cultivated in that way until the
coming of the
Tathagata Thus Come One
, King of Masterful Penetrations of
Mountains and Seas. Then I finally had no body. My nature and the seas
of fragrant waters throughout the ten directions were identical with
True Emptiness, without any duality or difference. Now I am with the Tathagata
Thus Come One
and am known as a Pure Youth, and I have joined the
assembly of Bodhisattvas.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. By means of the nature of
water.
I penetrated through to the flow of a single flavor, obtained patience
with the non-production of dharmas, and reached the perfection of
Bodhi. That is the foremost means."
The Dharma Prince Vaidurya Light arose from his seat, bowed at the
Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "I can still remember back
through eons as many as sand grains in the Ganges to the time of a
Buddha named Limitless Sound, who instructed the Bodhisattvas that
fundamental enlightenment is wonderful and bright. He taught them to
contemplate this world and all the beings' physical bodies as being
false conditions propelled by the power of wind.
"At that time, I contemplated the position of the world, and I
regarded the passage of time in the world. I reflected on the motion
and stillness of my body. I considered the arising of thoughts in my
mind. There was no difference among all these kinds of motion; they
were all the same.
"I then understood that the nature of movement does not come from
anywhere, nor does it go anywhere. Every single material particle
throughout the ten directions and every deluded being is of the same
empty falseness.
"Eventually the beings in each of the worlds of the
three-thousand-great-thousand world system were like so many
mosquitoes confined in a vessel, droning monotonously. Caught in those
few square inches, their hum built to a maddening crescendo. Not long
after I encountered the Buddha, I attained patience with non-existence
of beings and dharmas.
"My mind then opened, and I could see the country of the Buddha
Unmoving in the east. I became a Dharma Prince and served the Buddhas
of the ten directions. My body and mind emit a light that makes them
completely clear and translucent.
`The.
"The
Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I contemplated the power
of wind as lacking anything to rely on, awakened to the Bodhi-mind and
entered samadhi, meshing with the single, wonderful mind transmitted
by all the Buddhas of the ten directions. That is the foremost means."
Treasury of Emptiness Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the
Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha, "The Tathagata Thus Come One
and I
attained boundless bodies when with the Buddha Samadhi-Light Samádhi-Light
.
"At that time I held in my hands four huge precious pearls, which
shone on Buddhalands Buddha lands
as many as the motes of dust in the ten
directions, transforming them into emptiness.
"In my mind there appeared a great, perfect mirror and from it issued
forth ten kinds of subtle, wonderful precious light that poured out
into the ten directions to the farthest bounds of emptiness.
"All the royal lands adorned with banners were reflected in this
mirror and passed through my body. This interaction was totally
unhindered, because my body was like emptiness.
"Because my mind had become completely compliant, I could enter with
ease as many countries as there are fine motes of dust and could do
the Buddha's work on a wide scale.
"I achieved this great spiritual power from contemplating in detail
how the four elements lack any reliance; how the arising and ceasing
of false thoughts is no different from emptiness; how all the
Buddhalands Buddha
lands
are basically the same. Once I realized this identity, I
obtained patience with the non-existence of beings and dharmas.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used the contemplation
of the boundlessness of emptiness to enter samadhi and attain
wonderful power and perfect clarity. That is the foremost means."
Maitreya Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet,
and said to the Buddha, "I remember when, as many eons ago as there
are fine motes of dust, a Buddha named Light of Sun, Moon and Lamp
appeared in the world. Under that Buddha I left the home life; yet I
was deeply committed to worldly fame and liked to associate with
people of good families.
"Then the World Honored One taught me to cultivate Consciousness-only
Concentration, and I entered that samadhi. For many eons I have made
use of that samadhi as I served as many Buddhas as there are sand
grains in the Ganges. My seeking for worldly name and fame ceased
completely and never recurred.
"When Burning Lamp Buddha appeared in the world, I finally
accomplished the unsurpassed, wonderfully perfect Samadhi Samádhi
of
Consciousness.
"I went on until, to the ends of empty space, all the lands of the Tathagata
Thus Come One
, whether pure or defiled, existent or non-existent, were
transformations appearing from my own mind.
"World Honored One, because I understand Consciousness Only, limitless Tathagatas
Thus Come Ones
flow forth from this nature of consciousness.
Now I have received the prediction that I will be the next to take the
Buddha's place.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I intensely contemplated
the ten directions as originating only from consciousness. When the
consciousness is perfect and bright, one perfects wisdom that
perceives ultimate reality. One leaves behind reliance on others and
attachment to incessant calculating and attains the patience with the
non-existence of beings and dharmas. That is the foremost means."
The Dharma Prince Great Strength, together with fifty-two fellow fellow-
Bodhisattvas, arose from their seats, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and
said to the Buddha:
"I remember when, as many eons ago as there are sand grains in the
Ganges River, a Buddha called Limitless Light appeared in the world.
During that same eon, there were twelve successive Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
, the
last of whom was called Light Surpassing the Sun and the Moon Buddha.
Those Buddhas taught me the Buddha-recitation Samadhi: Samádhi:
"Suppose there are two people, one of whom always remembers the
other, while the other has entirely forgotten about the first one.
Even if these two people were to meet or see each other, it would be
the same as not meeting or seeing each other.
"On the other hand, if two people develop intense memories for one
another, then in life after life, they will be together like an object
and its shadow, and they will never be separated. "The Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions are tenderly mindful of living beings just like
a mother remembering her son. But if the son runs away, of what use is
the mother's concern? However, if the son remembers his mother in the
same way that the mother remembers her son, then in life after life
mother and son will never be far apart.
"If living beings remember the Buddha and are mindful of the Buddha,
they will certainly see the Buddha now and in the future.
"Being close to the Buddha, even without the aid of expedients, they
will awaken by themselves.
"That is like a person who, once perfumed by incense, carries the
fragrance on his body. That is called the adornment of fragrance and
light.
"On the causal ground, I used mindfulness of the Buddha to be
patient with the non-arising of both beings and dharmas. Now in this
world I gather in all those who are mindful of the Buddha, and I bring
them back to the Pure Land.
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I would select none other
than gathering in the six sense faculties through continuous pure
mindfulness of the Buddha to obtain samadhi. That is the foremost
means."
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 5, Part Two
If living beings remember the Buddha and are mindful of the Buddha,
they will certainly see the Buddha now and in the future.
"Being close to the Buddha, even without the aid of expedients, they
will awaken by themselves.
That is like a person who, once perfumed by incense, carries the
fragrance on his body. That is called the adornment of fragrance and
light.
"On the causal ground, I used mindfulness of the Buddha to be patient
with the non-arising of both beings and dharmas. Now in this world I
gather in all those who are mindful of the Buddha, and I bring them
back to the Pure Land.
The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I would select none other
than gathering in the six sense faculties through continuous pure
mindfulness of the Buddha to obtain samadhi. That is the foremost
means."
When Contemplator of the World's Sounds Bodhisattva arose from his
seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said to the Buddha:
World Honored One, I remember when, as many eons ago as there are sand
grains in the Ganges, there was a Buddha in the world named
Contemplator of the World's Sounds. I brought forth the Bodhi-resolve
while with that Buddha, who taught me to enter samadhi through a
process of hearing and reflecting.
"Initially, I entered into the flow of hearing and forgot the place
of entry. Since both that place and the entry were quiet, the two
attributes of motion and stillness cancelled each other out and did
not arise. After that, gradually advancing, the hearing and what was
heard both disappeared.
Once the hearing was ended, there was nothing to rely on, and both
awareness and its objects became empty. When the emptiness of
awareness was ultimately perfected, emptiness and what was being
emptied then also ceased to be. With arising and ceasing gone,
tranquility was revealed.
"Suddenly I transcended the worldly and transcendental, and a perfect
brightness prevailed throughout the ten directions. I obtained two
supreme states.
First, I united above with the fundamental wonderfully enlightened
mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions, and gained a strength
of compassion equal to that of all Buddhas, Tathagatas, Thus Come Ones
.
"Second, I united below with all beings in the six paths, and gained a
kind regard for all living beings.
"World Honored One, because I served and made offerings to the
Tathagata Thus
Come One
Contemplator of Sounds, I received from that Tathagata Thus Come One
a
transmission of the Vajra Samadhi Samádhi
of All Being like an Illusion as One
becomes Permeated with Hearing and Cultivates Hearing. Because I
gained a strength of compassion equal to that of all Buddhas, the
Tathagatas Thus
Come Ones
, I attained thirty-two response-bodies and entered all
lands.
"World Honored One, if Bodhisattvas enter samadhi and progress in
their cultivation until they end outflows and display the perfection
of superior understanding, I will appear in the body of a Buddha and
speak Dharma for them, causing them to attain liberation.
If those who are studying are tranquil and have wonderful clarity and
display the perfection of superior magnificence, I will appear before
them in the body of a Solitarily Enlightened One and speak Dharma for
them, causing them to attain liberation.
"If those who are studying have severed the twelve causal conditions,
and, having severed those conditions, reveal a supreme nature, and
display the perfection of magnificence, I will appear before them in
the body of One Enlightened to Conditions and speak Dharma for them,
causing them to attain liberation.
"If those who are studying have attained the emptiness of the Four
Truths, and, through cultivation of the Way, can enter tranquility and
display the perfection of the magnificent nature, I will appear before
them in the body of a Hearer and speak Dharma for them, causing them
to attain liberation.
"If beings wish to have clear and awakened minds and so do not indulge
mundane desires, wishing to purify their bodies, I will appear before
them in the body of a Brahma King and speak Dharma for them, causing
them to attain liberation.
"If beings wish to be the heavenly rulers and lead heavenly beings, I
will appear before them in the body of Shakra and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If beings wish to attain physical self mastery self-mastery
and to roam throughout
the ten directions, I will appear before them in the body of a god
from the Heaven of Self-mastery and speak Dharma for them, enabling
them to accomplish their wish.
If beings wish to attain physical self-mastery and fly through space,
I will appear before them in the body of a god from the Heaven of
Great Self-mastery and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to
accomplish their wish.
If beings are fond of ruling over ghosts and spirits in order to
rescue and protect their nations, I will appear before them in the
body of a great heavenly general and speak Dharma for them, enabling
them to accomplish their wish.
If beings like to govern the world in order to protect beings, I will
appear before them in the body of one of the Four Heavenly Kings and
speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
If beings enjoy being born in the heavenly palaces and commanding
ghosts and spirits, I will appear before them in the body of a prince
from the kingdoms of the Four Heavenly Kings and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
If beings would like to be kings of people, I will appear before them
in the body of a human king and speak Dharma for them, enabling them
to accomplish their wish.
"If beings enjoy being heads of clans whom those of the world respect
and yield to, I will appear before them in the body of an elder and
speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If beings delight in discussing the classics and keeping themselves
lofty and pure, I will appear before them in the body of an Upasaka
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If beings enjoy governing the country and handling matters of state,
I will appear before them in the body of an official and speak Dharma
for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If beings like divination and incantations and wish to guard and
protect themselves, I will appear before them in the body of a Brahman
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If men who are fond of study and want to leave the home life and
uphold the precepts and rules, I will appear before them in the body
of a Bhikshu and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish
their wish.
If women who are fond of study and would like to leave the home life
and hold the pure precepts, I will appear before them in the body of a
Bhikshuni
Bhiksunis
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their
wish.
"If men delight in upholding the five precepts, I will appear before
them in the body of an Upasaka and speak Dharma for them, enabling
them to accomplish their wish. If women wish to hold the five
precepts, I will appear before them in the body of an Upasika and
speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If women want to govern internal affairs of household or country, I
will appear before them in the body of a queen, noblewoman, or a tutor
of court ladies and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish
their wish.
"If young men wish to remain pure, I will appear before them in the
body of a virgin youth and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to
accomplish their wish.
If maidens want to remain virgins and do not wish to marry, I will
appear before them in the body of a virgin maiden and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
If heavenly beings wish to escape their heavenly destiny, I will
appear before them in the body of a god and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If dragons want to quit their lot of being dragons, I will appear
before them in the body of a dragon and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If yakshas want to get out of their present fate, I will appear
before them in the body of a yaksha and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish.
If gandharvas wish to be freed from their destiny, I will appear
before them in the body of a gandharva and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"If asuras wish to be liberated from their destiny, I will appear
before them in the body of an asura and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish.
If kinnaras kimnaras
wish to transcend their fate, I will appear before them in
the body of a kinnara kimnara
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to
accomplish their wish.
If mahoragas wish to be freed from their destiny, I will appear before
them in the body of a mahoraga and speak Dharma for them, enabling
them to accomplish their wish.
"If human beings like being people and cultivating, I will appear
before them in a human body and speak Dharma for them, enabling them
to accomplish their wish.
"If non-humans, whether with form or without form, whether with
thought or without thought, long to be freed from their destiny, I
will appear before them in the body like theirs and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish.
"These are called the wonderfully pure thirty-two response-bodies that
enter into all lands. They come into being through the effortless
wonderful strength and self-mastery of the Samadhi Samádhi
of Becoming
Permeated with Hearing and Cultivating Hearing.
"World Honored One, also due to the effortless wonderful strength of
this Vajra Samadhi Samádhi
of Becoming Permeated with Hearing and Cultivating
Hearing, I have a kind empathy for all beings in the six paths
throughout the ten directions and the three periods of time. Based on
my physical and mental accomplishments, I can cause beings who
encounter bodies of mine to receive the meritorious virtues of
fourteen kinds of fearlessness.
First: because I do not contemplate sounds themselves, but rather the
contemplator, I can enable beings throughout the ten directions who
are suffering and in distress to attain liberation by ccontemplating contemplating
their sounds ofreciting of reciting
my name.
Second: since I am able to turn my knowledge and views inward, I can
keep beings who are caught in a raging fire from being burned.
Third: since I am able to turn my contemplation and listening inward,
I can keep beings who are floundering in deep water from being
drowned.
Fourth, since my false thinking is cut off and my mind is without
thoughts of killing or harming, I can keep beings who enter the
territory of ghosts from being harmed.
Fifth: since I am permeated with hearing and have realized what
hearing is, so that the six sense-organs have sense organs have
dissolved and returned
to become identical with hearing, I can keep beings from being
wounded, by causing the knives to break into pieces. I can cause
swords to have no more effect than if they were to slice into water,
or if one were to blow upon light.
"Sixth: since my hearing has become permeating and my essential energy
bright, light pervades the Dharma Realm so that absolutely no darkness
remains. Then I can keep beings safe from yakshas, rakshasas,
kumbhandas, pishachas, and putanas by causing the ghosts to be unable
to see them even if they come close to them.
Seventh: since the nature of sound has completely melted away and
through contemplation my hearing has returned to itself, leaving
involvement with false and defiling sense-objects, I can free beings
from the locks of cangues and fetters.
Eighth: when sound is gone and the hearing is perfected, an
all-pervasive power of compassion arises, and I keep beings who are
travelling
traveling
a dangerous road from being robbed by robbers.
Ninth: when hearing permeates, a separation from defiling objects
occurs so that forms no longer act as thieves. Then I can enable with
lust to leave greed and desire far behind.
Tenth: when sound is so pure that there is no defiling object, the
sense-organ and the external state are perfectly fused, and nothing is
matched to anything else. Then I can enable beings who are full of
rage and hate to stop being hateful.
"Eleventh: when the defiling objects have gone, a light spirals, and
the Dharma Realm and the body and mind are like crystal, transparent
and unobstructed. Then I can enableall enable all
dark and dull-witted beings
whose natures are obstructed--all atyantikas--to forever be free from
stupidity and darkness.
"Twelfth: when form dissipates and returns to the hearing, then
unmoving within the unmoving Bodhimanda I can travel among beings
without disturbing anything in their worlds. I can go through the ten
directions making offerings to as many Buddhas, Tathagatas, Thus Come Ones
, as
there are fine motes of dust. Beside each Buddha I become a Dharma
Prince, and I can enable childless beings throughout the Dharma Realm
who wish to have sons to be blessed with meritorious, virtuous, and
wise sons.
Thirteenth: with perfect penetration of the six sense-organs sense organs
, the
light and what is illumined are not two. Encompassing the ten
directions, a great perfect mirror stands in the Empty Treasury of the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
. I inherit the secret Dharma-doors of as many Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
as there are fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions,
receiving them without loss. I can enable childless beings throughout
the Dharma Realm who seek daughters to be blessed with lovely
daughters who are upright, virtuous, and compliant and whom everyone
cherishes and respects.
Fourteenth: In this three-thousand-great-thousand world system with
its billions of suns and moons, as many Dharma princes as there are
grains of sands in sixty-two Ganges Rivers appear in the world,
cultivate the Dharma, and act as models in order to teach and
transform beings. They comply with beings by means of expedients and
wisdom, in different ways for each.
However, because I have obtained the perfect penetration of the
sense-organ and have discovered the wonder of the ear-entrance, after
which my body and mind subtly and miraculously included all of the
Dharma Realm, I can enable beings who uphold my name to obtain as much
merit and virtue as would be obtained by a person who upheld the names
of all those Dharma princes as many as the grains of sand in sixty-two
Ganges Rivers.
World Honored One, the merit of my one name is the same as those many
other names, because from my cultivation I have obtained true and
perfect penetration.
These are called the fourteen powers of bestowing fearlessness; with
them I bless living beings.
Moreover, World Honored One, because I obtained perfect penetration
and cultivated the unsurpassed path to certification, I also became
endowed with four inconceivable and effortless wonderful virtues.
"First: due to my attaining the miraculous wonder of hearing the mind,
the essence of mind was liberated from the organ and states of
hearing. Therefore, there was no distinction among seeing, hearing,
sensation, knowing, and so forth. The enlightenment became a single,
perfect fusion, pure and precious enlightenment. For that reason, I am
able to manifest many wonderful appearances and can proclaim boundless
secret spiritual mantras.
Among those, I may appear with one head, three heads, five heads,
seven heads, nine heads, eleven heads, and so forth, including a
hundred and eight heads, a thousand heads, ten thousand heads, or
eighty-four thousand vajra heads;
two arms, four arms, six arms, eight arms, ten arms, twelve arms,
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen arms, or twenty arms, twenty-four arms,
and so forth until there may be a hundred and eight arms, a thousand
arms, ten thousand arms, or eighty-four thousand Mudra arms;
two eyes, three eyes, four eyes, nine eyes, and so forth including a
hundred and eight eyes, a thousand eyes, ten thousand eyes, or
eighty-four thousand pure and precious eyes, sometimes compassionate,
sometimes awesome, sometimes in samadhi, sometimes displaying wisdom
to rescue and protect living beings so that they may attain great
self-mastery.
Second: Due to my hearing and consideration having escaped the six
defiling objects, just as a sound passes over a wall, they could no
longer be hindered. For that reason I have the wonderful ability to
manifest shape after shape and to recite mantra upon mantra. These
shapes and these mantras dispel the fears of living beings. Therefore,
throughout the ten directions, in as many lands as there are fine
motes of dust, I am known as one who bestows fearlessness.
"Third: due to my cultivation of fundamental, wonderful, perfect
penetration and purification of the sense-organ sense organ
, anywhere I go in any
world I can inspire beings to offer up their lives and valuables to
seek my sympathy.
Fourth: Due to my obtaining the Buddhas' mind and being certified as
having attained the ultimate end, I can make offerings of rare
treasures to the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions and to beings in
the six paths throughout the Dharma Realm.
If beings seek a spouse, they can obtain a spouse. If they
seek children, they can have children. Seeking samadhi, they obtain
samadhi; seeking long life, they obtain long life, and so forth to the
extent that if they seek the great Nirvana, they obtain great
Nirvana."
"The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. From the gateway of the
ear, I obtained a perfect and illumining samadhi that allowed me to
respond at ease to beings' minds. By entering the flow back to the
nature and obtaining samadhi, I accomplished Bodhi. That is the
foremost means.
World Honored One, that Buddha, the Tathagata Thus Come One
, praised me as
having obtained well the Dharma-door of perfect penetration. In the
great assembly he bestowed a prediction upon me and the name
Contemplator of the World's Sounds.
"Due to my contemplation and listening being perfectly clear
throughout the ten directions, the name Contemplator of the World's
Sounds pervades all the realms of the ten directions."
Then the World Honored One upon his Lion's Throne emitted
simultaneously from his five extremities a radiant light which shone
far throughout the ten directions to anoint the crowns of as many
Tathagatas Thus
Come Ones
and Dharma Prince Bodhisattvas as there are motes of dust.
All those Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
also emitted from their five extremities
radiant lights which were as numerous as motes of dust and which came
from the various directions to anoint the crown of the Buddha as well
as the crowns of all the great Bodhisattvas and Arhats in the
assembly.
Groves, trees, pools, and ponds all proclaimed the sound of Dharma.
The lights blended and criss-crossed like a jeweled silken net.
Everyone in the great assembly experienced this unprecedented event
and attained the Vajra Samadhi Samádhi
.
Then the heavens rained down hundreds of precious lotus flowers of
variegated combinations of blue, yellow, red, and white. All the space
in the ten directions turned the colors of the seven gems.
This Saha world, the great earth itself along with the mountains and
rivers disappeared totally, and all that could be seen were lands as
numerous as motes of dust coming together as one realm. Pure praises
in song and chant were spontaneously heard everywhere in celebration.
Then the Tathagata Thus Come One
said to Dharma Prince Manjushri, "You should
now contemplate these twenty-five great Bodhisattvvas Bodhisattvas
and Arhats who
are beyond study.
"Each has explained the initial expedient in his accomplishment of the
Way. All say they have cultivated to true and actual perfect
penetration.
Their cultivation is equal without distinctions of superior and
inferior or earlier and later.
I now wish to cause Ananda to become enlightened, and so I ask which
of these twenty-five practices is appropriate to his faculties, and
which will be, after my extinction, the easiest expedient door for
beings of this realm to enter in order to accomplish the Bodhisattva
vehicle and seek the unsurpassed Way."
Dharma Prince, Manjushri, receiving the Buddha's compassionate
instruction
instructions
, arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and,
basing himself on the Buddha's awesome spirit, spoke verses to the
Buddha.
The sea of enlightenment in its nature is perfect and clear.
Complete, distinct Bodhi is its miraculous source.
But when basic brightness shone so that objects appeared,
With objects' existence, the nature's brilliance faded.
"Confusion about falseness brings about emptiness.
Relying on emptiness, worlds coming into being.
Thoughts settle, forming countries.
Consciousness becomes beings.
The emptiness created within great enlightenment,
Is like a single bubble in all the sea.
Beings subject to outflows and lands like fine dust motes,
All emerge out of empty space.
Just as the bubble bursts, so too, space never existed.
How much the less the three states of being!
"Returning to the source, the nature is not two.
Many are the entrances through expedients;
The sagely nature permeates them all.
Whether compliant or adverse, all situations are
expedient.
Those who initially resolve to enter samadhi,
Progress slow or fast according to the method selected.
"Forms are defiled objects created from thought.
They cannot be discerned by the essence of mind.
How can something not clearly discernible
Be used to gain perfect penetration?
"In sounds, language is intermingled.
But the meaning in a word, a name, a phrase,
In such that no single one can included them all.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Awareness of smells comes through contact with them.
Apart from them, one does not know that they exist.
Since sensation of them is not constant,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Flavors are not to us fundamental by nature.
They only exist when there is something to taste.
Since this sensation is not perpetual,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Touch becomes clear only when something is touched.
Without an object there can be no contact.
Since contact and separation fluctuate,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Dharmas are know as internal defiling dust.
Reckoned as defiling dust, they are certainly sense
objects.
Involvement of subject and object cannot be pervasive;
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
Although seeing itself is lucid and penetrating,
Clearly discerning in front, it cannot discern behind.
Ever reaching only half the four directions,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"The nose's breath penetrates in and out.
But in the rests between there is no air.
These interruptions render it inconsistent.
How can that be used perfect penetration?
"The tongue is not an organ without a function;
Flavors form the source of its sensation.
When flavors cease, it knows nothing at all.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"It is the same for the body as for objects of touch.
Neither can be regarded as a perfect awareness.
With defined and limited invisible divisions,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Mental knowledge is a mass of deliberating.
What it perceives is never profound insight.
Unable to get beyond reflection and thought,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
The seeing-consciousness combines three aspects.
Probe its origin: it has no appearance.
Since its very substance is variable,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"The essence of hearing penetrates the ten directions,
For those who have already developed great causes,
Those of initial resolve cannot enter this way.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Reflecting on the nose is a provisional method.
It only serves to gather in and settle the mind.
Once settled, the mind is simply still.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
Those of former accomplishment enlightened by
Speaking Dharma through the medium of language,
But since words and phrases are not free of outflows,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Refraining from transgressions only controls the body.
For one lacking a body, there is nothing to restrain.
Since its source is not all-pervasive,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"Spiritual penetrations are based on past causes.
What connection have they with distinguishing dharmas?
Conditioned thought is not apart from things.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"One may contemplate the nature of earth,
But it is firm and solid, not penetrable.
Whatever is conditioned is not the sagely nature.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"One may contemplate the nature of water,
But such mental reflection is not the true and real.
This state of suchness such-ness
is not an enlightened view.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"One may contemplate the nature of fire,
But admitting dislike is not true renunciation.
This expedient cannot be one for beginners.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"One may contemplate the nature of wind,
But movement and stillness are not non-dual.
Duality cannot bring highest enlightenment.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"One may contemplate the nature of emptiness.
But its aspect is murky and dull, lacking awareness.
Whatever is unaware is different from Bodhi.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
One may contemplate the nature of consciousness;
Yet one is regarding a consciousness that is not
eternal.
Even the thought of it is empty and false.
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
All activities are impermanent;
So, too, mindfulness has its origin in arising and
ceasing.
Since at any given time the factors propelling cause and
effect differ,
How can that be used to reach perfect penetration?
"I now inform the World Honored One,
The Buddha appearing in the Saha world:
In this land the true substance of teaching
Resides in hearing the sounds purely.
If one wants to attain samadhi samadhis
,
Hearing is the best way to enter.
"Apart from suffering, liberation is found.
How excellent is he who contemplates the world's sounds!
Throughout eons as numerous as Ganges' sands.
He enters Buddhalands Buddha lands
as many as fine dust motes.
Obtaining great power of self-mastery,
He bestows fearlessness on living beings.
"Wonderful is the sound of Contemplator of the World's Sounds,
A pure sound, like the ocean's roar.
He saves the world and brings peace to all within it.
He has transcended the world, and his attainment is
eternal.
I now evaluate, Tathagata, Thus Come One
,
What the Contemplator of Sounds has just explained:
Consider someone in a quiet place, who,
When drums are rolled throughout the ten directions,
Can hear at once the sounds from all ten locations.
That is actual true perfection.
"The eyes cannot see through solid forms.
The mouth and the nose are much the same.
The body registers awareness only through contact.
The mind, tangled in thoughts, lacks clear connections.
Sounds can be heard even through solid walls.
The ears can listen to things both near and far.
None of the other five organs can match this.
It, then, is penetrating true and real.
"The nature of sounds is based in motion and stillness.
One hears according to whether there is sound.
With no sound, there is said to be no hearing.
But this does not mean that the hearing-nature is gone.
"In the absence of sound, the nature is not ended;
Nor does it arise in the presence of sound.
Entirely beyond arising and ceasing.
It is, then, truly eternal.
Ever-present, even in dream-thinking,
It does not disappear when conditions and thought are
gone.
Enlightened, this contemplation transcends cognition,
Reaching beyond both the body and the mind.
Now, in the Saha world, the theory of sounds
Has been proclaimed and understood.
Yet beings are confused about the source of hearing.
They follow sounds and so turn and flow.
Ananda's power to remember was exceptional;
Yet he fell prey to a deviant plot.
Was it not from heeding sounds that he was nearly lost?
By turning back the flow, one will be above falseness.
"Ananda, listen attentively:
I rely upon the Buddha's awesome power,
In describing to you the Vajra King,
A samadhi inconceivable that is like an illusion.
It is the true mother of all Buddhas.
You may hear the secret Dharma-doors
Of Buddhas as numerous as motes of dust,
But without first renouncing desire and outflows,
You may amass learning, and still make mistakes.
"You exploit learning to uphold the Buddhahood of the Buddhas.
Why don't you try to hear your own hearing?
Hearing does not arise spontaneously;
It gets its name due to sounds.
But when hearing returns and is free of sound,
What does one call that which is set free?
As soon as one sense-organ returns to the source,
All the six are liberated.
"Sight and hearing are like an illusory covering.
The triple realm, a vision of flowers in space.
When hearing reverts, the covering of the sense-organs
is gone.
The defiling dust gives way to pure and perfect
insight.
"With ultimate purity, the light is penetrating.
A stillness shines and includes within it all of
emptiness .
Looking at the world from this point of view,
Everything that happens is just like a dream.
Matangi's daughter, too, is part of the dream.
Who was able, then, to physically detain you?
"Consider a shadow puppeteer at work,
Making the dolls seem as real as people.
Although one sees them move about freely,
They are really governed by a set of strings.
Cease operating the controls and they become still.
The entire illusion was never really there.
"The six sense-organs are also thus.
At first there was one essential brightness.
Which split into a six-fold combination.
If but one part ceases and returns,
All six functions will stop as well.
Responding to a thought, defiling objects vanish,
Becoming pure and wonderful perfect brightness .
"If there is residual defilement, one must still study.
When the brightness is ultimate, one becomes a Tathagata Thus Come
One
.
Ananda, and everyone in the great assembly,
Turn around your mechanism for hearing.
Return the hearing to hear your own nature
The nature will become the supreme Way.
That is what perfect penetration really means.
"That is the gateway entered by Buddhas as many as dust motes.
That is the one path leading to Nirvana.
Tathagatas.
Thus Come Ones
of the past perfected this method.
Bodhisattvas now merge with this total brightness.
People of the future who study and practice
Will also rely on this Dharma.
Through this method I, too, have been certified.
Contemplator of the World's Sounds Bodhisattva was not
the only one.
"The Buddha, the World Honored One,
Inquired of me which expedient,
Would save those in the final eon
Who seek to escape the mundane world,
And perfect the mind of Nirvana:
The best way is to contemplate the sounds of the world.
All the other kinds of expedients
Require the awesome spirit of the Buddha.
In some cases they bring immediate transcendence,
But they are not the customary means of practice,
Spoken for those of shallow and deep roots alike.
I bow to the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
and the Tripitaka
And to those inconceivable Ones with no outflows,
Trusting they will aid those in the future,
So that no one will doubt this method.
It is an expedient easy to master; an appropriate teaching for
Ananda
And for those floundering in the final age.
They should use the ear organ to cultivate
A perfect penetration surpassing all others
That is the way to the true mind."
Thereupon, Ananda and all in the great assembly experienced a clarity
of body and mind upon receiving such profound instruction. They
contemplated the Buddha's Bodhi and Parinirvana like someone who,
having travelled traveled
far on business, knows that he is on the road home,
although he has not yet returned completely.
Throughout the entire assembly, the gods, dragons, and all the
eightfold division, those of the two vehicles who were not yet beyond
study, as well as all the Bodhisattvas of initial resolve, as numerous
as the sands in ten Ganges Rivers, found their fundamental mind and,
far removed from dust and defilement, attained the purity of the
Dharma eye.
The Bhikshuni Bhikkhuní
Nature attained Arhatship Arhat-ship
after hearing this verse, and
limitless beings brought forth a matchless, unequaled resolve for
anuttarasamyaksambodhi.
Chapter Five
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 6
Ananda straightened his robes and then, in the midst of the assembly,
placed his palms together and bowed. His mind was perfectly clear, and
he felt a mixture of joy and sorrow. His intent was to benefit beings
of the future as he made obeisance and said to the Buddha, "Greatly
Compassionate World Honored One. I have already awakened and attained
this Dharma-door for becoming a Buddha, and I can cultivate it without
the slightest doubt. I have often heard the Tathagata Thus Come One
say, `Save
others first; then save yourself. That is the aspiration of a
Bodhisattva. Once your own enlightenment is perfected, then you can
enlighten others. That is the way the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
respond to the
world.' Although I am not yet saved, I vow to save all beings of the
Dharma-ending Age.
"World Honored One, those beings are from the Buddha's time, and there
will be as many deviant teachers propounding their teachings, as there
are sand grains in the Ganges. I want to enable those beings to
collect their thoughts and enter samadhi. How can I cause them to
reside peacefully in a Way-place, far away from exploits of demons,
and be irreversible in their resolve for Bodhi?"
At that time, the World Honored One praised Ananda in front of the
whole assembly, saying, "Good indeed! How good it is that you have
asked how to establish a Way-place and to rescue and protect beings
who are sunk in the morass of the final age. Listen well, now, and I
will tell you."
Ananda and the great assembly agreed to uphold the teaching.
The Buddha told Ananda, "You constantly hear me explain in the Vinaya
that there are three decisive aspects to cultivation. That is,
collecting one's thoughts constitutes the precepts; from the precepts
comes samadhi; and out of samadhi arises wisdom. These are called the
Three Non-Outflow Studies.
"Ananda, why do I call collecting one's thoughts the precepts? If
beings in the six paths of any mundane world had no thought of lust,
they would not have to undergo a continual succession of births and
deaths.
"Your basic purpose in cultivating samadhi is to transcend the
wearisome defilements. But if you do not renounce lustful thoughts,
you will not be able to get out of the dust.
"Even though people may have some wisdom and the manifestation of chan
samadhi, if they do not cut off lust, they are certain to enter
demonic paths. At best, they will become demon kings; on the average,
they will become members of the retinue of demons; at the lowest
level, they will become female demons.
"These demons all have their groups of disciples. Each claims that he
has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way.
"After my tranquility, in the Dharma-ending Age, these hordes of
demons will abound, spreading like wildfire as they openly practice
greed and lust, while claiming to be Good Knowing Advisors. They will
cause beings to fall into the pit of love and views and lose the way
to Bodhi.
"When you teach people of the world to cultivate samadhi, they must
first of all sever the mind of lust. This is the first clear and
decisive instruction on purity given by the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
, the
Buddhas of the past, World Honored Ones.
"Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of chan samadhi do not cut off
lust, they are like someone who cooks sand hoping to get rice. After
hundreds of thousands of eons, it will still just be hot sand. Why? It
wasn't rice to begin with; it was only sand.
"If you seek the Buddha's wonderful fruition and still have physical
lust, then even if you attain a wonderful awakening, it will be based
on lust. With lust at the source, you will revolve in the three paths
and not be able to get out. Which road will you take to cultivate and
be certified to the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
Nirvana?
"You must cut off the lust which is intrinsic to both body and mind.
Then get rid of even the aspect of cutting it off. At that point you
have some hope of attaining the Buddha's Bodhi.
"What I have said here is the Buddhas' teaching. Any explanation
counter to it is the teaching of Papiyan.
"Further, Ananda, if beings in the six paths of any mundane world had
no thoughts of killing, they would not have to a undergo a continual
succession of births and deaths.
"Your basic purpose in cultivating samadhi is to transcend the
wearisome defilements. But if you do not renounce your thoughts of
killing, you will not be able to get out of the dust.
"Even though people may have some wisdom and the manifestation of chan
samadhi, they are certain to enter the path of spirits if they do not
cease killing. At best, they will become ghosts of great strength; on
the average, they will become flying yakshas, ghost leaders, or the
like; at the lowest level, they will become earth-bound rakshasas.
"These ghosts and spirits all have their followers. Each claims that
he has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way.
"After my tranquility, in the Dharma-ending Age, these hordes of
ghosts and spirits will abound, spreading like wildfire as they argue
that eating meat will bring one to the Bodhi Way.
"Ananda, I permit the Bhikshus to eat five kinds of pure meat. This
meat is actually a transformation brought into being by my spiritual
powers. It basically has no life-force life force
. You Brahmans live in a climate
so hot and humid, and on such sandy and rocky land, that vegetables
will not grow; therefore, I have had to assist you with spiritual
powers and compassion. Because of this magnanimous kindness and
compassion, this so-called meat suits your taste. After my extinction,
how can those who eat the flesh of beings be called the disciples of
Shakya?
"You should know that these people who eat meat may gain some
awareness and may seem to be in samadhi, but they are all great
rakshasas. When their retribution ends, they are bound to sink into
the bitter sea of birth and death. They are not disciples of the
Buddha. Such people as these kill and eat one another in a
never-ending cycle. How can such people transcend the Triple Realm?
"When you teach people of the world to cultivate samadhi, they must
also cut off killing. This is the second clear and decisive
instruction on purity given by the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
, the Buddhas of the
Past, World Honored Ones.
"Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of chan samadhi do not cut off
killing, they are like one who stops up his ears and calls out in a
loud voice, thinking that no one hears him.. He tries to cover up the
sound, but only makes it greater.
"Pure Bhikshus and Bodhisattvas who practice purity will not even step
on grass in the pathway; even less would they pull it up with their
hands. How could anyone with great compassion consume the flesh and
blood of beings?
"Bhikshus who do not wear silk, leather boots, furs, or down, whether
imported or found locally, and who do not consume milk, cream, or
butter, can truly transcend this world. When they have paid back their
past debts, they will not have to re-enter the Triple Realm.
"Why not? When someone wears anything taken from a living creature, he
creates conditions with the creature, just as when people ate the
hundred grains, their feet could not leave the earth. Both physically
and mentally one must avoid the bodies and the by-products of beings,
by neither wearing them nor eating them. I say that such people have
true liberation.
"What I have said here is the Buddhas' teaching. Any explanation
counter to it is the teaching of Papiyan.
"Further, Ananda, if beings in the six paths of any mundane world had
no thoughts of stealing, they would not have to undergo a continuous
succession of births and deaths.
"Your basic purpose in cultivating samadhi is to transcend the
wearisome defilements. But if you do not renounce your thoughts of
stealing, you will not be able to get out of the dust.
"Even though people may have some wisdom and the manifestation of chan
samadhi, they are certain to enter a deviant path if they do not cease
stealing. At best, they will become clever apparitions; on the
average, they will become vampire ghosts; at the lowest level, they
will become deviant people who are possessed by river sprites.
"These deviant hordes all have their followers. Each claims that he
has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way.
"After my tranquility, in the Dharma-ending Age, these vampires and
deviant entities will abound, spreading like wildfire as they
surreptitiously cheat others. Calling themselves good knowing
advisors, they will each claim that they have attained the Unsurpassed
Dharma. Enticing and deceiving the ignorant, or frightening them out
of their wits, they disrupt and lay waste to households wherever they
go.
"I teach the Bhikshus to beg for their food according to where they
are, in order to help them renounce greed and accomplish the Bodhi
Way. The Bhikshus do not prepare their own food, so that, at the end
of this life of transitory existence in the Triple Realm, they can
show themselves to be Once-Returners who go and do not return.
"How could thieves put on my robes and sell the Tathagata Thus Come One
, saying
that all manner of karma one creates is just the Buddhadharma? Buddha dharma?
They
slander Bhikshus who have left the home life and taken the complete
precepts, saying that they belong to the path of the Small Vehicle. In
this way, they confuse limitless beings, causing them to go astray,
until they fall into the Unintermittent Un-intermittent
Hell.
"After my tranquility, I affirm that Bhikshus who have a decisive
resolve to cultivate samadhi, and who before the images of Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
can light an oil lamp in their bodies or burn off a finger, or
burn even one incense stick on their bodies, will, in that moment
repay their debts from beginningless beginning-less
time past. They can depart from
the world and be forever free of outflows. Though they may not have
instantly understood the Unsurpassed Enlightenment, they will already
have firmly set their minds on the Dharma.
"If one does not practice any of these token renunciations of the body
on the causal level, then even if one realizes the unconditioned, one
will still have to come back as a person to repay one's past debts,
exactly as I had to undergo the retribution of having to eat the grain
meant for horses.
"When you teach people of the world to cultivate samadhi, they must
also cease stealing. This is the third clear and decisive instruction
on purity given by the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
, the Buddhas of the past, World
Honored Ones.
"Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of chan samadhi do not cease
stealing, they are like someone who pours water into a leaking cup
hoping to fill it. He may continue for as many eons as there are fine
motes of dust, but, in the end, the cup still will not be full.
"If Bhikshus do not store away anything else than their robes and
bowls; if they give what is left over from their food-offerings to
hungry beings; if they put their palms together and make obeisance to
the entire great assembly; if when people scold them they can treat it
as praise; if they can sacrifice their very bodies and minds, giving
their flesh, bones, and blood to living creatures; and if they do not
repeat the non-ultimate teachings of the Tathagata Thus Come One
as though they
were their own explanations, misleading those who have just begun to
study; then the Buddha gives them his seal as having attained true
samadhi.
"What I have said here is the Buddhas' teaching. Any explanation
counter to it is the teaching of Papiyan.
"Ananda, although beings in the six paths of any mundane world may not
kill, steal, or lust either physically or mentally, these three
aspects of their conduct thus being perfect, if they tell various
major lies, then the samadhi they attain will not be pure. They will
become demons of love and views and will lose the seed of the
Tathagata Thus
Come One
.
"They claim that they have attained what they have not attained, and
that they have been certified when they have not been certified.
Perhaps they seek to be foremost in the world, most venerated and
superior people. They announce to their audiences that they have
attained the fruition of a Shrotaapanna Srota-apanna
, of a Sakridagamin Sakrdagamin
, of an
Anagamin, of Arhatship Arhat-ship
, of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, or the various
levels of Bodhisattvahood Bodhisattva hood
up to and including the Ten Grounds, in
order to cause others to revere and repent in front of them and
because they are greedy for offerings.
"These icchantikas destroy the seeds of Buddhahood just as surely as a
tala tree is destroyed if it is chopped down. The Buddha predicts that
such people sever their good roots forever and lose their knowledge
and vision. Immersed in the sea of the Three Sufferings, they cannot
attain samadhi.
"I command that after my tranquility, Bodhisattvas and Arhats appear
in response-bodies in the Dharma-ending Age, and take various forms in
order to rescue those in the cycle of rebirth.
"They should either become Shramanas, white-robed laypeople, kings,
ministers or officials, virgin youths or maidens, and so forth, even
prostitutes, widows, profligates, thieves, butchers, or dealers in
contraband, doing the same things as these kinds of people while they
praise the Buddha Vehicle and cause them to enter samadhi in body and
mind.
"But they should never say of themselves, `I am truly a Bodhisattva';
or `I am truly an Arhat,' or let the Buddhas' secret cause leak out by
speaking casually to those who have not yet studied,
"other than at the end of their lives and then only to those who
inherit the teaching. Otherwise, aren't such people deluding and
confusing beings and indulging in gross false claims?
"When you teach people in the world to cultivate samadhi, they must
also cease all lying. This is the fourth clear and decisive
instruction on purity given by the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
and the Buddhas of
the past, World Honored Ones.
"Therefore, Ananda, one who does not cut off lying is like a person
who carves a piece of human excrement to look like chandana, hoping to
make it fragrant. He is attempting the impossible.
"I teach the Bhikshus that the straight mind is the Way-place and that
in all aspects of their practice of the Four Awesome Deportments they
should avoid falseness. How could they claim to have themselves
attained the Dharmas of a superior person?
"That would be like a poor person falsely caalling calling
himself an emperor
andthereby
and thereby
bringing about his own execution. Much less should one
attempt to usurp the title of the Dharma King. When the cause-ground
is not true, the effects will be distorted. One who seeks the Buddha's
Bodhi in that way is like a person who tries to bite his own navel.
Who could possibly succeed in that?
"If the Bhikshus' minds are as straight as bow-strings bowstrings
, and they are
true and real in everything they do, then they can enter samadhi and
never be involved in the deeds of demons. I certify that such people
will accomplish the Bodhisattvas' Unsurpassed Knowledge and
Enlightenment.
"What I have said here is the Buddhas' teaching. Any explanation
counter to it is the teaching of Papiyan.
"Ananda, you asked about collecting one's thoughts; I have now begun
to explain the wonderful method of cultivation for entrance into
samadhi in order to seek the Bodhisattva Way. First one must be as
pure as glistening frost in keeping these four rules of deportment.
One must refrain from all superfluous behavior and then the three
evils of the mind and the four of the mouth will have no cause to come
forth.
"Ananda, if one does not neglect these four matters, and, further,
does not pursue forms, fragrances, tastes, objects of touch, and the
like, then how can any demonic deeds arise?
"If people cannot put an end to their habits from the past, you should
teach them to singlemindedly single-mindedly
recite my Light Atop the Buddha's Crown
Unsurpassed Spiritual Mantra: Mantra
Mwo He Sa Dan Dwo Bwo Da La.
"It is the invisible appearance atop the crown of the Tathagatas' Thus Come Ones'
heads. It is the mantra-heart proclaimed by the Buddhas of the
Unconditioned Mind who come forth from the crowns in a blaze of light
and sit upon jeweled lotus flowers.
"What is more, your past lives with Matangi's daughter have created
accumulated eons of causes and conditions. Your habits of fondness and
emotional love go back not just one life, nor even just one eon. Yet,
as soon as I proclaimed it, she was freed forever from the love in her
heart and accomplished Arhatship Arhat-ship
.
"Even that prostitute, who had no intention of cultivating, was
imperceptibly aided by that spiritual power and was swiftly certified
to the position beyond study; then what about you Hearers in the
assembly, who seek the most supreme Vehicle and are resolved to
realize Buddhahood? For you it should be as easy as tossing dust into
a favorable wind. What, then, is the problem?
"Those in the final age who wish to sit in a Way-place must first hold
the pure precepts of a Bhikshu. To do so, they must find as their
teacher a foremost Shramana who is pure in the precepts. If they do
not encounter a member of the Sangha who is truly pure, then it is
absolutely certain that their deportment in precepts and rules cannot
be accomplished.
"Having kept the precepts well, they should put on fresh, clean
clothes, light incense in a place where they are alone, and recite the
spiritual mantra spoken by the Buddhas of the Mind one hundred and
eight times. After that, they should secure the boundaries and
establish the Way-place.
"Then they should beseech the unsurpassed Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
abiding in
their lands throughout the ten directions to emit a light of great
compassion that anoints the crowns of the cultivators' heads.
"Ananda, when any such pure Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Bhiksunis
, or white-robed donors
in the Dharma ending Dharma-ending
Age who can get rid of greed and lust even at the
mental level, hold the Buddhas' pure precepts, and in a Way-place make
the vows of a Bodhisattva and can bathe upon entering and exiting each
time, continuing that practice of the Way day and night for three
weeks without sleep, I will appear before these people in a physical
form and rub the crowns of their heads to comfort them and enable them
to become enlightened."
Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, enveloped in the
Tathagata's Thus
Come One's
unsurpassed, compassionate instruction, my mind has already
gained an awakening, and I know how to cultivate and be certified to
the Way beyond study. But how do those who cultivate in the final age
and want to establish a Way-place, secure the boundaries in accord
with the rules of purity of the Buddhas, World Honored Ones?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "If there are people in the Dharma-ending
age who wish to establish a Way-place, they should first find a
powerful white cow in the snowy mountains, one which eats the lush and
fertile sweet-smelling grasses of the mountains. Since such a cow also
drinks only the pure water of the snowy mountains, its dung will be
very fine. They can take that cow dung, mix it with chandana, and
plaster the ground with it.
"If not from the snowy mountains, the cow dung will smell bad and
cannot be used to smear on the ground. In that case, select a level
place, dig down five feet or so, and use that yellow earth.
"Mix it with chandana incense, `sinking-in-water' incense, jasmine
incense, continuously permeating incense, tulip incense, white paste
incense, green wood incense, fragrant mound incense, sweet pine
incense, and `chicken-tongue' incense. Grind these ten ingredients to
a fine powder, make a paste, and smear it on the ground of the
platform.
The area should be sixteen feet wide and octagonal in shape.
"In the center of the platform, place a lotus flower made of gold,
silver, copper, or wood. In the middle of the flower set a bowl filled
with dew collected in the eighth lunar month. Float an abundance of
flower petals on the water. Arrange eight circular mirrors at measured
intervals around the flower and the bowl. Outside the mirrors place
sixteeen
sixteen
lotus flowers and sixteencensers sixteen censers
, so that the incense-burners
are adorned and arranged between the flowers. Burn only
sinking-in-water incense, lighting it with an ember, not an open
flame.
"Place the milk of a white cow in sixteen vessels, along with cakes
made with the same kind of milk, granulated sugar, oil cakes, milk
porridge, turushka, honeyed ginger, clarified butter, and filtered
honey. These sixteen are set around the outside of the sixteen flowers
as an offering to the Buddhas and great Bodhisattvas.
"At every mealtime and at midnight, prepare a half-pint of honey and
three tenths of a pint of clarified butter. Set up a small incense
burner in front of the platform. Decoct the fragrant liquid from the
turushka incense and use it to cleanse the coals. Light them so that
blaze bursts forth, and toss the clarified butter and honey into the
flaming censer. Let it burn until the smoke disappears, and present it
to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
"Drape flags and flower garlands on the four outer walls, and within
the room where the platform is located, arrange images of the
Tathagatas Thus
Come Ones
and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions on the four walls.
"In the most prominent place, display images of Vairocana Buddha,
Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Akshobhya Buddha, Amitabha
Buddha, and all the magnificent transformations of Guanyin
(Contemplator of the World's Sounds) Bodhisattva. To the left and
right, place the Vajra-Treasury Bodhisattvas. Beside them display the
Lords Shakra and Brahma, Ucchushma, and the Blue Dirgha, as well as
Kundalin and Bhrukuti and all four Heavenly Kings, with Vinayaka to
the left and right of the door.
"Then suspend eight mirrors in the space around the platform so that
they are exactly opposite the mirrors on the platform. This will allow
the reflections in them to interpenetrate infinitely.
"During the first seven days, bow sincerely to the names of the
Tathagatas Thus
Come Ones
of the ten directions, the great Bodhisattvas, and the names
of the Arhats. Throughout the six periods of the day and night,
continually recite the mantra while circumambulating the platform.
Practice the Way with a sincere mind, reciting the mantra one hundred
and eight times in each session.
"During the second week, make the vows of a Bodhisattva with
unwavering ceaseless intent. In my Vinaya, I have already taught about
vows.
"During the third week, hold the Buddha's mantra: mantra
, Bwo Da La, for
twelve hours at a time with a single intent; and on the seventh day,
the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions will appear simultaneously.
Their light will inter-reflect in the mirrors, illumining the entire
area; and they will rub the crowns of the practitioners' heads.
"Cultivating samadhi like this in a Way-place, even in the
Dharma-ending age one can study and practice until one's body and mind
are as pure and clear as Vaidurya.
"Ananda, if any one of the Bhikshu's Bhikshus
precept-transmitting masters or
any one of ten Bhikshus in the same assembly is not pure, the
Way-place as described will not be successful.
"After three weeks, sit upright and still for a hundred days. Those
with sharp roots will not arise from their seats and will become
Shrotaapannas
Srota-apannas
. Although their bodies and minds have not yet attained
the ultimate fruition of sagehood sage hood
, they know for certain, beyond
question, that they will eventually realize Buddhahood.
"You have asked how the Way-place is established. That is the way it
is done."
Ananda bowed at the Buddha's feet and said, "After I left the home
life, I relied on the Buddha's affectionate regard. Because I sought
erudition, I still have not been certified to the unconditioned. When
I encountered that Brahma Heaven Mantra, I was captured by the deviant
spell; though my mind was aware, I had no strength to free myself. I
had to rely on Manjushri Bodhisattva to liberate me. Although I was
blessed by the Tathagata's spiritual mantra of the Buddha's crown and
imperceptibly received its strength, I still have not heard it myself.
I only hope that the Greatly Compassionate One will proclaim it again
to kindly rescue all the cultivators in this assembly and those of the
future in the paths of rebirth, so that they may become liberated in
body and mind by relying on the Buddha's secret sounds."
At that moment, everyone in the great assembly bowed as one and stood
waiting to hear the Tathagata's secret compilation of phrases. At that
time, hundreds of brilliant rays of light welled forth from the flesh
mound at the crown of the World Honored One's head. A thousand-petaled
precious lotus then welled forth from amidst those rays. Upon the
precious flowers sat a transformation Tathagata. From the crown of his
head ten beams of light radiated forth, each composed of hundreds of
rays of subtle light. Every one of those glowing rays shone on lands
as many as the sand grains of ten Ganges rivers, while throughout
empty space Vajra Secret-Trace Spirits appeared each holding aloft a
mountain and wielding a pestle.
The great assembly, gazing upward, felt fearful admiration and sought
the Buddha's kind protection. Single-mindedly they listened as the
Tathagata in the light at the Hallmark of the Invisible Crown
proclaimed this spiritual mantra:
First Assembly
1 na mo sa dan to
2 su chye do ye
3 e la he di
4 san myau san pu to sye
5 na mo sa dan to
6 fo to jyu jr shai ni shan
7 na mo sa pe
8 bo to bo di
9 sa do pi bi
10 na mo sa do nan
11 san myau san pu to jyu jr nan
12 so she la pe jya
13 seng chye nan
14 na mo lu ji e lo han do nan
15 na mo su lu do bo no nan
16 na mo so jye li to chye mi nan
17 na mo lu ji san myau chye do nan
18 san myau chye be la di bo do no nan
19 na mo ti pe li shai nan
20 na mo syi to ye
21 pi di ye
22 to la li shai nan
23 she po nu
24 jya la he
25 so he so la mo to nan
26 na mo ba la he mo ni
27 na mo yin to la ye
28 na mo pe chye pe di
29 lu to la ye
30 wu mo bo di
31 so syi ye ye
32 na mo pe chye pe di
33 no la ye
34 na ye
35 pan je mo he san mo to la
36 na mo syi jye li do ye
37 na mo pe chye pe di
38 mo he jya la ye
39 di li bo la na
40 chye la pi to la
41 bo na jya la ye
42 e di mu di
43 shr mo she no ni
44 pe syi ni
45 mo dan li chye na
46 na mo syi jye li do ye
47 na mo pe chye pe di
48 do to chye do jyu la ye
49 na mo be tou mo jyu la ye
50 na mo ba she la jyu la ye
51 na mo mo ni jyu la ye
52 na mo chye she jyu la ye
53 na mo pe chye pe di
54 di li cha
55 shu la syi na
56 bo la he la na la she ye
57 do to chye do ye
58 na mo pe chye pe di
59 na mo e mi do pe ye
60 do to chye do ye
61 e la he di
62 san myau san pu to ye
63 na mo pe chye pe di
64 e chu pi ye
65 do to chye do ye
66 e la he di
67 san myau san pu to ye
68 na mo pe chye pe di
69 bi sha she ye
70 jyu lu fei ju li ye
71 bo la pe la she ye
72 do to chye do ye
73 na mo pe chye pe di
74 san bu shr bi do
75 sa lyan nai la la she ye
76 do to chye do ye
77 e la he di
78 san myau san pu to ye
79 na mo pe chye pe di
80 she ji ye mu no ye
81 do to chye do ye
82 e la he di
83 san myau san pu to ye
84 na mo pe chye pe di
85 la dan na ji du la she ye
86 do to chye do ye
87 e la he di
88 san myau san pu two ye
89 di pyau
90 na mo sa jye li do
91 yi tan pe chye pe do
92 sa dan to chye du shai ni shan
93 sa dan do bo da lan
94 na mo e pe la shr dan
95 bo la di
96 yang chi la
97 sa la pe
98 bo do jye la he
99 ni jye la he
100 jye jya la he ni
101 ba la bi do ye
102 chr to ni
103 e jye la
104 mi li ju
105 bo la dan la ye
106 ning jye li
107 sa la pe
108 pan to no
109 mu cha ni
110 sa la pe
111 tu shai jya
112 tu syi fa
113 bo na ni
114 fa la ni
115 je du la
116 shr di nan
117 jye la he
118 so ha sa la rau she
119 pi do beng so na jye li
120 e shai je bingshe di nan
121 na cha cha dan le rau she
122 bo la sa to na jye li
123 e shai ja nan
124 mo he jye la he rau she
125 pi do beng sa na jye li
126 sa pe she du lu
127 ni pe la rau she
128 hu lan tu syi fa
129 nan je na she ni
130 pe sha she
131 syi dan la
132 e ji ni
133 wu to jya la rau she
134 e bo la shr do jyu la
135 mo he bo la jan chr
136 mo he dye do
137 mo he di she
138 mo he shwei do she pe la
139 mo he ba la pan two la
140 pe syi ni
141 e li ye do la
142 pe li jyu jr
143 she pe pi she ye
144 ba she la mo li di
145 pi she lu do
146 bo teng wang jya
147 ba she la jr he no e je
148 mo la jr pe
149 bo la jr do
150 ba she la shan chr
151 pi she la je
152 shan do she pi ti pe bu shr do
153 su mo lu bo
154 mo he shwei do
155 e li ye do la
156 mo he pe la e bo la
157 ba she la shang jye la jr pe
158 ba she la
159 jyu mo li
160 jyu lan to li
161 ba she la he sa do je
162 pi di ye
163 chyan je no
164 mo li jya
165 ku su mu pe
166 jye la do no
167 pi lu je na
168 jyu li ye
169 ye la tu
170 shai ni shan
171 pi ju lan pe mo ni je
172 be she la jya na jya bo la pe
173 lu she na
174 ba she la dwun jr je
175 shwei do je
176 jya mo la
177 cha che shr
178 bo la pe
179 yi di yi di
180 mu to la
181 jye na
182 so pe la chan
183 jywe fan du
184 yin tu na mo mo sye
Second Assembly
185 wu syin
186 li shai jye na
187 bo la she syi do
188 sa dan to
189 chye du shai ni shan
190 hu syin du lu yung
191 jan pe na
192 hu syin du lu yung
193 syi dan pe na
194 hu syin du lu yung
195 bo la shai di ye
196 san bo cha
197 na jye la
198 hu syin du lu yung
199 sa pe yau cha
200 he la cha so
201 jye la he rau she
202 pi teng beng sa na jye la
203 hu syin du lu yung
204 je du la
205 shr di nan
206 jye la he
207 so he sa la nan pi teng beng sa na la
208 hu syin du lu yung
209 la cha
210 pe chye fan
211 sa dan to
212 chye du shai ni shan
213 bo la dyan
214 she ji li
215 mo he so he sa la
216 bo she so he sa la
217 shr li sha
218 jyu jr so ha sa ni
219 di li e be ti shr pe li do
220 ja ja ying jya
221 mo he ba she lu to la
222 di li pu pe na
223 man cha la
224 wu syin
225 so syi di
226 bo pe du
227 mo moj
228 yin to na mo mo sye
Third Assembly
229 la shr pe ye
230 ju la be ye
231 e chi ni pe ye
232 wu to jya pe ye
233 pi sha pe ye
234 she sa do la pe ye
235 pe la jau jye la pe ye
236 tu shai cha pe ye
237 e she ni pe ye
238 e jya la
239 mi li ju pe ye
240 to la ni bu mi jyan
241 bo chye bo to pe he
242 wu la jya pe do pe ye
243 la she tan cha pe ye
244 no chye pe ye
245 pi tyau dan pe ye
246 su bo la na pe ye
247 yau cha jye la he
248 la cha sz jye la he
249 bi li do jye la he
250 pi she je jye la he
251 bu do jye la he
252 jyou pan cha jye la he
253 bu dan na jye la he
254 jya ja bu dan na jye la he
255 syi chan du jye la he
256 e bo syi mo la jye la he
257 wu tan mo to jye la he
258 che ye jye la he
259 syi li pe di jye la he
260 she do he li nan
261 jye pe he li nan
262 lu di la he li nan
263 mang so he li nan
264 mi to he li nan
265 mo she he li nan
266 she do he li jyu
267 shr be do he li nan
268 pi do he li nan
269 pe do he li nan
270 e shu je he li nan
271 jr do he li nyu
272 di shan sa pi shan
273 sa pe jye la he nan
274 pi to ye she
275 chen to ye mi
276 ji la ye mi
277 bo li ba la je jya
278 chi li dan
279 pi to ye she
280 chen to ye mi
281 ji la ye mi
282 cha yan ni
283 chi li dan
284 pi to ye she
285 chen to ye mi
286 ji la ye mi
287 mo he bo su bo dan ye
288 lu to la
289 chi li dan
290 pi to ye she
291 chen to ye mi
292 ji la ye mi
293 mo la ye na
294 chi li dan
295 pi to ye she
296 chen to ye mi
297 ji la ye mi
298 dan to chye lu cha syi
299 chi li dan
300 pi to ye she
301 chen to ye mi
302 ji la ye mi
303 mo he jya la
304 mo dan li chye na
305 chi li dan
306 pi to ye she
307 chen to ye mi
308 ji la ye mi
309 jya bo li jya
310 chi li dan
311 pi to ye she
312 chen to ye mi
3131 ji la ye mi
314 she ye jye la
315 mo du jya la
316 s ape la to so da na
317 chi li dan
318 pi to ye she
319 chen to ye mi
320 ji la ye mi
321 je du la
322 pe chi ni
323 chi li dan
324 pi to ye she
325 chen to ye mi
326 ji la ye mi
327 pi li yang chi li jr
328 nan to ji sha la
329 chye na bo di
330 so syi ye
331 chi li dan
332 pi to ye she
333 chen to ye mi
334 ji la ye mi
335 na jye na she la pe na
336 chi li dan
337 pi to ye she
338 chen to ye mi
339 ji la ye mi
340 e lo han
341 chi li dan
342 pi to ye she
343 chen to ye mi
344 ji la ye mi
345 pi do la chye
346 chi li dan
347 pi to ye she
348 chen to ye mi
349 ji la ye mi
350 ba she la bo ni
351 jyu syi ye jyu syi ye
352 jya di bo di chi li dan
353 pi to ye she
354 chen to ye mi
355 ji la ye mi
356 la cha wang
357 pe chye fan
358 yin tu na mo mo sye
Fourth Assembly
359 pe chye fan
360 sa dan do bo da la
361 na mo tswei du di
362 e syi do na la la jya
363 bo la pe syi pu ja
364 pi jya sa dan do be de li
365 shr fo la shr fo la
366 to la to la
367 pin to la pin to la
368 chen to chen to
369 hu syin hu syin
370 pan ja pan ja pan ja pan ja pan ja
371 so ha
372 syi syi pan
373 e mu jya ye pan
374 e bo la ti he do pan
375 pe le bo la to pan
376 e su la
377 pi to la
378 bo jya pan
379 sa pe ti pi bi pan
380 sa pe na chye bi pan
381 sa pe yau cha bi pan
382 sa pe chyan to pe bi pan
383 sa pe bu dan na bi pan
384 jya ja bu dan na bi pan
385 sa pe tu lang jr di bi pan
386 sa pe tu sz bi li
287 chi shai di bi pan
388 sa pe shr pe li bi pan
389 sa pe e bo syi mo li bi pan
390 sa pe che la pe na bi pan
391 sa pe di di ji bi pan
392 sa pe dan mo to ji bi pan
393 sa pe pi to ye
394 la shr je li bi pan
395 she ye jye la
396 mo du jya la
397 sa pe la to so to ji bi pan
398 pi di ye
399 je li bi pan
400 je du la
401 fu chi ni bi pan
402 ba she la
403 jyu mo li
404 pi to ye
405 la shr bi pan
406 mo he bo la ding yang yi
407 chi li bi pan
408 ba she la shang jye la ye
409 bo la jang chi la she ye pan
410 mo he jya la ye
411 mo he mo dan li jya na
412 na mo so jye li do ye pan
413 bi shai na bei ye pan
414 bo la he mo ni ye pan
415 e chi ni ye pan
416 mo he jye li ye pan
417 jye la tan chr ye pan
418 mye dan li ye pan
419 lau dan li ye pan
420 je wen cha ye pan
421 jye lo la dan li ye pan
422 jya bo li ya pan
423 e di mu jr do
424 jya shr mo she no
425 pe sz ni ye pan
426 yan ji jr
427 sa to pe sye
428 mo mo yin tu la mo mo sye
Fifth Assembly
429 tu shai ja jr do
430 e mo dan li jr do
431 wu she he la
432 chye pe he la
433 lu di la he la
434 pe so he la
435 mo she he la
436 she do he la
437 shr bi do he la
438 ba lyau ye ha la
439 chyan to he l
440 bu shr bwo he la
441 po la he la
442 pe sye he la
443 be bo jr do
444 tu shai ja jr do
445 lau to la jr do
446 jau cha jye la he
447 la cha so jye la he
448 bi li do jya la he
449 pi she je jye la he
450 bu dwo jye la he
451 jyou pan cha jye la he
452 syi chyan to jye la he
453 wu dan mo to jye la he
454 che je jye la he
455 e bo sa mo la jye la he
456 jai chywe gu
457 cha chi ni jye la he
458 li fo di jye la he
459 she mi j6ya jye la he
460 she jyu ni jye la he
461 mu two la
462 na di jya jye la he
463 e lan pe jye la he
464 chyan du bwo ni jye la he
465 shr fo la
466 yin jya syi jya
467 jywe di jau jya
468 dan li di yau jya
469 je tu to jya
470 ni ti shr fa la
471 bi shan mo shr fa la
472 bo do jya bi di jya
473 shr li shai mi jya
474 so ni bo di jya
475 sa pe shr fa la
476 shr lu ji di
477 mo to pi da lu jr chyan
478 e chi lu chyan
479 mu chywe lu chyan
480 jye li tu lu shyan
481 jye la he
482 jye lan jye na shu lan
483 dan do shu lan
484 chi li ye shu lan
485 mo mo shu lan
486 ba li shr pe shu lan
487 bi li shai ja shu lan
488 wu to la shu lan
489 jye jr shu lan
490 ba syi di shu lan
491 wu lu shu lan
492 chang chye shu lan
493 he syi do shu lan
494 ba to shu lan
495 so fang ang chye
496 bo la jang chye shu lan
497 bu do bi do cha
498 cha chi ni
499 shr pe la
500 Buddha's affectionate regard. Because I sought
erudition, I still have not been certified
to tu lu jya
501 jyan du lu ji jr
502 pe lu dwo pi sa bwo lu
503 he ling chye
504 shu sha dan la
505 so na jye la
506 pi sha yu jya
507 e chi ni
508 wu to jya
509 mo la pi la
510 jyan do la
511 e jya la
512 mi li du
513 da lyan bu jya
514 di li la ja
515 bi li shai jr jya
516 sa pe na jyu la
517 sz yin chye bi
518 jye la li yau cha
519 dan la chu
520 mo la shr
521 fei di shan
522 so pi shan
523 syi dan do bo da la
524 mo he bo lai jang chi lan
525 mo he bo lai jang chi lan
526 ye bwo tu two
527 she yu she now
528 byan da li na
529 pi two ye
530 pan tan jya lu mi
531 di shu
532 pan tan jya lu mi
533 bo la pi the unconditioned.
"When I encountered that Brahma Heaven Mantra, I was captured by the
deviant spell; though my mind was aware, I had no strength
to
534 pan tan jya lu mi
535 do jr to
536 nan
537 e na li
538 pi she ti
539 pi la ba she la
540 free
myself. I had
to li
541 pan rely on Manjushri Bodhisattva
to pan liberate me.
Although I was blessed by the Thus Come One's spiritual mantra of the
Buddha's crown and imperceptibly received its strength, I still have
not heard it myself.
"I only hope that the Greatly Compassionate One will proclaim it again
to ni
542 ba she la bang ni pan
543 hu syin du lu yung pan
544 kindly rescue all the cultivators in this assembly and those of the
future in the paths of rebirth
, so pe he that they may become liberated in
body and mind by relying on the Buddha's secret sounds."
At that moment, everyone in the great assembly bowed as one and stood
waiting to hear the Thus Come One's secret compilation of phrases.
At that time, hundreds of brilliant rays of light welled forth from
the flesh mound at the crown of the World Honored One's head. A
thousand-pedaled precious lotus then welled forth from amidst those
rays. Upon the precious flowers sat a transformation Thus Come One.
From the crown of his head ten beams of light radiated forth, each
composed of hundreds of rays of subtle light. Every one of those
glowing rays shone on lands as many as the sand grains of Ten Ganges
Rivers, while throughout empty space Vajra Secret-Trace Spirits
appeared each holding aloft a mountain and wielding a pestle.
The great assembly, gazing upward, felt fearful admiration and sought
the Buddha's kind protection. Single-mindedly they listened as the
Thus Come One in the light at the Hallmark of the Invisible Crown
proclaimed this spiritual mantra:
"Ananda, it is from this cluster of light atop the crown of the
Buddha's head, the secret chant, Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La, with its
subtle, wonderful compilation of phrases, that all the Buddhasof Buddhas of
the
ten directions come forth. Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten
directions use this mantra-heart, they realize Unsurpassed, Proper,
and All-pervading Knowledge and Enlightenment
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions take up this
mantra-heart, they subdue all demons and control all adherents of
externalist ways.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions avail themselves of
this mantra-heart, they sit upon jeweled lotus-flowers and respond
throughout countries as numerous as motes of dust.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions embody this
mantra-heart, they turn the great Dharma wheel in lands as numerous as
fine motes of dust.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions hold this
mantra-heart, they are able to go throughout the ten directions to rub
the crowns of beings' heads and bestow predictions upon them. Anyone
in the ten directions, who has not yet realized the levels of sagely
fruition, can receive predictions from these Buddhas.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions are based in this
mantra-heart, they can go throughout the ten directions to rescue
beings from sufferings experienced in the hells, as hungry ghosts, as
animals, or by being blind, deaf, or mute, as well as from the
suffering of being together with those one hates, the suffering of
being apart from those one loves, the suffering of not obtaining what
one seeks, and the suffering of the raging blaze of the five
skandhas. They can simultaneously liberate beings from both major and
minor accidents. In response to their recitation, dangers involving
bandits, armies, the law, or imprisonment; dangers involving wind,
fire, and water; and dangers of starvation, thirst, or impoverishment
are all eradicated.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions are in accord with
this mantra-heart, they can serve good and wise advisors throughout
the ten directions. Abiding in the four aspects of awesome deportment,
they make absolutely appropriate offerings. In the assemblies of as
many
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
as there are sand grains in the Ganges, they are
considered to be great Dharma Princes.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions practice this
mantra-heart, they can gather in and teach their relatives in the ten
directions and keep those of the Small Vehicle from being frightened
when they hear this secret treasury.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions recite this
mantra-heart, they realize Unsurpassed Enlightenment while sitting
beneath the Bodhi trees, and enter Parinirvana.
"Because the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions transmit this
mantra-heart, after their Nirvana, those to whom they have bequeathed
the Buddhadharma Buddha dharma
can dwell in and support it to an ultimate degree.
Being strict and pure in the precepts and rules, they can attain total
purity.
"If I were to explain this cluster of light atop the crown of the
Buddha's head Bwo Da La Mantra from morning till night unceasingly,
without ever repeating any syllable or phrase, I could go on for as
many eons as there are sand grains in the Ganges and still never
finish.
"I also will tell you that this mantra is called The Crown of the Tathagata Thus
Come One
.
"Unless you hold this mantra, all of you with something left to study
who have not yet put an end to the cycle of rebirth and yet have
brought forth sincere resolve to become Arhats, will find it
impossible to sit in a Way-place and be far removed in body and mind
from all demonic deeds.
"Ananda, let any being of any country in any world copy out this
mantra in writing on materials native to his region, such as birch
bark, pattra, plain paper, or white cotton cloth, and store it in a
pouch containing incense. If that person wears the pouch on his body,
or if he keeps a copy of the mantra in his home, then you should know
that even if he understands so little that he cannot recite the mantra
from memory, he will not be harmed by any poison during his entire
life.
"Ananda, I will now tell you more about how this mantra can rescue and
protect the world, help people obtain great fearlessness, and bring to
accomplishment living beings' transcendental wisdom.
"You should know that, after my extinction, if there are beings in the
Dharma-ending Age who can recite the mantra themselves or teach others
to recite it, such people who recite and uphold it will not be burned
by fire, will not be drowned by water, and will not be harmed by mild
or potent poisons.
"Other such things will not happen to them either, including not being
possessed by any dragon, gods, ghost, spirits, weird entities, demonic
ghosts, or evil mantras. These people's minds will attain proper
reception, so that any spell; any paralyzing sorcery; any poison made
of herbs, gold, silver; any plant, tree, insect, or snake; and any of
the myriad kinds of poisonous vapors will turn into sweet dew when
encountered or ingested.
"No evil stars, nor any ghost or spirit that harbors malice in its
heart and poisons others can work its evil on these people. Vinayaka
as well as all the evil ghost kings and their retinues will be led by
deep kindness to always guard and protect them.
"Ananda, you should know that eighty-four thousand nayutas of Ganges'
sands of kotis of Vajra-Treasury King Bodhisattvas and their
descendants, each with Vajra multitudes in their retinues, are ever in
attendance, day and night, upon this mantra.
"If beings whose minds are scattered and who have no samadhi remember
and recite the mantra, the Vajra Kings will always surround such good
people. That is even more true for those who are decisively resolved
upon Bodhi. All the Vajra Treasury-King Bodhisattvas will regard them
attentively and secretly hasten the opening of their spiritual
awareness.
"When that response occurs, those people will be able to remember the
events of as many eons as there are sand grains in eighty-four
thousand Ganges Rivers, knowing them all beyond any doubt or delusion.
"From that eon onward, through every life until the time they take
last body, they will not be born where there are yakshas, rakshasas,
putanas, kataputanas, kumbhandas, pishachas and so forth; where there
is any kinds of hungry ghost, or any being possessing or lacking form,
possessing or lacking thought, or in any other such evil place.
"If these good men read, recite, copy, or write out the mantra, if
they carry it or treasure it, or if they make offerings to it, then
through eon after eon they will not be poor or lowly, nor will they be
born in unpleasant places.
"If these beings have never done any deeds that generate blessings,
the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions will bestow their own merit
and virtue upon these people.
"Because of that, throughout Asamkhyeyas of ineffable, unspeakable
numbers of eons, as many as sand grains in the Ganges, they will
always be born in places where there are Buddhas. Their limitless
merit and virtue will be three-fold, like the amala fruit-cluster, for
they stay in the same place, become permeated with cultivation, and
never part from the Buddhas.
"Therefore, The mantra can enable those who have broken the precepts
to regain the purity of the precept source. It can enable those who
have not received the precepts to receive them. It can cause those who
are not vigorous to become vigorous. This mantra can enable those who
lack wisdom to gain wisdom. It can cause those who are not pure to
quickly become pure. It can cause those who are not vegetarians to
become vegetarians naturally.
"Ananda, if good men who uphold this mantra violate the pure precepts
before having received them, their multitude of offenses incurred by
such violations, whether major or minor, can simultaneously be
eradicated after they uphold the mantra.
"Even if they drank intoxicants or ate the five kinds of pungent
plants and various other impure things in the past, the Buddhas,
Bodhisattvas, Vajra spirits, gods, immortals, ghosts, and spirits will
not hold it against them.
"If they are unclean and wear tattered, old clothes to carry out the
practice alone in a place by themselves, they can be equally pure.
Even if they do not set up a platform, do not enter a Way-place, and
do not practice the Way, but recite and uphold this mantra, their
merit and virtue can still be identical with that derived from
entering the platform and practicing the Way.
"If they have committed the five rebellious acts, grave offenses
warranting unintermittent un-intermittent
retribution, or if they are Bhikshus or Bhikshunis
Bhiksunis
who have violated the four parajikas or the eight parajikas,
after they recite this mantra, even such heavy karma can dispense
after they recite this mantra, like a sand dune that is scattered in a
gale, so that not a particle of it remains.
"Ananda, if beings who have never repented and reformed any of the
obstructive offenses, either heavy or light, that they have committed
throughout infinite countless eons past, up to and including those of
this very life, can nevertheless read, recite, copy, or write out this
mantra or wear it on their bodies or place it in their homes or
in their garden houses, then all that accumulated karma will melt away
like snow in hot water. Before long they will obtain awakening to
Patience with the Non-existence of Both Beings and Dharmas.
"Moreover, Ananda, if women who do not have children and want to
conceive can sincerely memorize and recite this mantra or carry the
mantra:
mantra
Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La on their bodies, they can give birth to
sons or daughters endowed with blessings, virtue, and wisdom.
"Those who seek long life will obtain long life. Those who seek to
quickly perfect their reward will quickly be able to do so. The same
is true for those who seek something regarding their bodies,
lives, appearance, or strength.
"At the end of their lives, they will gain the rebirth they hope for
in whichever of the lands of the ten directions they wish. They
certainly will not be born in poorly endowed places, or as inferior
people; even less will they be reborn in some odd form.
6
"Ananda, if there is famine of plague in a country, province, or
village, or if perhaps there are armies, brigands, invasions, war, or
any other kind of local threat of danger, then by writing out this
spiritual mantra and placing it on the four city gates, or on a
chaitya or on a dhvaja, by instructing all the people of the country
to venerate the mantra, make obeisance to it, revere it, and
singlemindedly
single-mindedly
make offerings to it; by instructing all the citizens
to wear it on their bodies or to place it in their homes, and then all
such disasters and calamities will completely disappear.
"Ananda, in each and every country where the people accord with this
mantra, the heavenly dragons are delighted, the winds and rains are
seasonal, the five kinds of crops are abundant, and the people are
peaceful and happy.
"It can also suppress all evil stars which may appear in any of the
directions and transform themselves in uncanny ways. Calamities and
obstructions will not arise. People will not die accidentally or
unexpectedly, nor will they be bound by fetters, cangues, or locks.
Day and night they will be at peace, and no evil dreams will disturb
their sleep.
"Ananda, this Saha world has eighty-four thousand changeable and
potentially devastating evil stars. Twenty-eight great evil stars are
the leader, and another eight great evil stars are the rulers. They
take various shape, and when they appear in the world they bring
disaster and unexpected calamities down upon beings.
"But wherever this the mantra is kept they will all be eradicated. A
boundary will be secured for twelve yojanas around, and not evil
calamity or misfortune will ever encroach upon it.
"Therefore, the Tathagata Thus Come One
proclaims this mantra to be one which
will protect all cultivators of the future who have just begun to
study, so that they can enter samadhi, be peaceful in body and mind,
and attain great tranquility.
"Even less will any demon, ghost, or spirit, or any enemy, calamity,
or misfortune due from former lives that reach back to beginningless beginning-less
time, or any old karma or past debts come to vex and harm them.
"As to you and everyone in the assembly who is still studying, and as
to cultivators of the future who rely on my platform and hold the
precepts in accord with the Dharma; who received the precepts from
pure members of the Sangha; and who hold this mantra-heart without
giving rise to doubts: should such good men as these not comprehend
their minds in that very body, then the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten
directions have lied!"
When he finished this explanation, measureless hundreds of thousands
of Vajra Power-Knights in the assembly came before the Buddha, placed
their palms together, bowed, and said to the Buddha, "With sincere
minds we will protect those who cultivate Bodhi in this way, according
to what the Buddha has said."
Then the Brahma King, the God Shakra, and the four great heavenly
kings all came before the Buddha, made obeisance together, and said to
the Buddha, "If indeed there are good men who cultivate and study in
this way, we will do all we can to earnestly protect them and cause
everything to be as they would wish throughout their entire lives."
Moreover measureless great yaksha generals, rakshasa kings, putana
kings, kumbhanda kings, pishacha kings, Vinayaka, the great ghost
kings, and all the ghost commanders came before the Buddha, put their
palms together, and made obeisance. "We also have vowed to protect
these people and cause their resolve for Bodhi to be quickly
perfected."
Further, measureless numbers of gods of the sun and moon, lords of the
rain, lords of the clouds, lords of the thunder, lords of lightning
who patrol throughout the year, and all the retinues of stars which
were also in the assembly bowed at the Buddha's feet and said to the
Buddha, "We also protect all cultivators, so that their Way-places are
peaceful and they can attain fearlessness."
Moreover, measureless numbers of mountain spirits, sea spirits, and
all those of the earth-the earth--the
myriad creatures and entities of water,
land, and the air-as air--as
well as the king of wind-spirits and the gods of
the Formless Heavens, came before the Tathagata Thus Come One
, bowed their
heads, and said to the Buddha, "We also will protect these cultivators
until they attain Bodhi and will never let any demons have their way
with them."
Then Vajra Treasury King Bodhisattvas in the great assembly, numbering
as many as eighty-four thousand nayutas of kotis' worth of sand grains
in the Ganges, arose from their seats, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and
said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, the nature of our deeds in
cultivation is such that, although we have long since accomplished
Bodhi, we do not grasp at nirvana, but always accompany those who hold
this mantra, rescuing and protecting those in the final age who
cultivate samadhi properly.
"World Honored One, such people as this, who cultivate their minds and
seek proper concentration, whether in the Way-place or walking about,
and even such people who with scattered minds roam and amuse
themselves in the villages, will be accomplished and protected by us
and our retinue of followers.
"Although the demon kings and the gods of great comfort will seek to
get at them, they will never be able to do so. The smaller ghosts will
have to stay ten yojanas' distance from these good people, except for
those beings who have decided they want to cultivate Dhyana."
"World Honored One, if such evil demons or their retinues want to harm
or disturb these good people, we will smash their heads to smithereens
with our Vajra-pestles. We will always help these people to accomplish
that.
Chapter Six
what they want
."
Then Ananda arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and said
to the Buddha, "Now that we who are dull and slow, who are fond of
erudition but have not sought to stop the outflows of our minds, have
received the Buddha's compassionate instructions and have attained the
proper means to become infused with cultivation, we experience joy in
body and mind and obtain tremendous benefit.
"World Honored One, for one who cultivates in this way and is
certified as having attained the Buddha's samadhi, but who has not yet
reached nirvana, what is meant by the Level of Dry Wisdom? What are
the Forty-four Minds? What is the sequence in which one cultivates to
reach one's goal? What place must one reach to be said to have entered
the grounds? And what is meant by a Bodhisattva of Equal
Enlightenment?"
Having said this, he made a full prostration, and then the great
assembly singlemindedly single-mindedly
awaited the sound of the Buddha's
compassionate voice as they gazed up unblinkingly with respectful
admiration.
At that time the World Honored One praised Ananda, saying, "Good
indeed, good indeed, that for the sake of the entire great assembly
and those beings in the final age who cultivate samadhi and seek the
Great Vehicle, you ask to have the unsurpassed proper path of
cultivation that takes one from the level of an ordinary person to
final parinirvana explained and revealed. Listen attentively, and I
will speak about it for you." Ananda and everyone in the assembly
placed their palms together, cleansed their minds, and silently waited
to receive the teaching.
The Buddha said, "Ananda, you should know that the wonderful nature
is perfect and bright, apart from all names and attributes. Basically
there is no world, nor are there any beings.
"Because of falseness, phenomena come into being. Because phenomena
come into being, they also cease to be. Even the terms `coming into
being' and `ceasing to be' are false.
"When the false ceases to be, that is known as truth. This is called
the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
Unsurpassed Bodhi and Great Nirvana: These names
refer to two kinds of turning around.
"Ananda, you now wish to cultivate true samadhi and arrive directly at
the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
Parinirvana. First, you should recognize the two
upside-down causes of living beings and the world. The non-arising of upside-downness
upside-down ness
is the
Tathagata's Thus Come One's
true samadhi.
"Ananda, what is meant by the upside-downness upside-down ness
of beings? Ananda, our
nature endows the mind with understanding because the nature itself is
the perfection of understanding. By adding understanding, another
nature comes into being, and from that false nature, views arise. From
absolute nothingness comes ultimate existence.
"All that exists comes about in that way. The cause is not an actual
cause. Subjective reliance on objective appearances is basically
groundless. Thus, the very basis for the existence of the world and
beings is fundamentally unreliable
"Confusion about one's basic, perfect understanding results in the
arising of falseness. Falseness itself is devoid of substance; it is
not something which can be relied upon.
"One may wish to return to the truth, but that wish for the truth is
already a falseness. The real nature of True Suchness is not a truth
that one can seek to return to. By doing so one misses the mark.
"What basically does not arise, what basically does not dwell, what
basically is not the mind, and what basically are not dharmas come
into being in turn. As they arise more and more strongly, they form
the propensity to create karma. Similar karma sets up a mutual
stimulus. Because of the karma thus generated, there is mutual
production and mutual extinction. That is the reason for the upside-downness
upside-down ness
of beings.
"Ananda, what is the upside-downness upside-down ness
of the world? All that exists
and pertains to existence falsely arises in sections and shares. The
world is based on that, but this cause is not an actual cause.
Everything that is dependent has nothing on which it is dependent, and
so it shifts and slides ceaselessly. Because of this, the world of the
three periods of time and four directions come into being. Their union
and interaction bring about changes which result in the twelve
categories of beings.
"That is why, in this world, movement brings about sounds, sounds
bring about forms, forms bring about smells, smells bring about
contact, contact brings about tastes, and tastes brings about
awareness of dharmas.
The random false thinking resulting from those six creates karma, and
this continuous revolving becomes the cause of twelve different categeories
categories
.
"And so, in the world, sounds, smells, tastes, contact, and the like,
are each transformed throughout the twelve categories to make one
complete cycle.
"Based on that continuously revolving process involving upside-down
phenomena, those born from eggs, those born from wombs, those born
from moisture, and those born by transformation; beings with form,
those without form, those with thought, and those without thoughtt; thought;
beings not totally endowedwith endowed with
form, those not totally lacking form,
those not totally endowed with thought, and those not totally lacking
thought come into being in this world.
"Ananda, through a continuous process of falseness, the upside-down
state of movement occurs in this world. It unites with energy to
become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that either fly
up or dive down. From that eggs come into being and transmigrate
throughout the lands as fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, so that
their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of defilement, the upside-down state of
desire occurs in this world. It unites with stimulation to become
eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are either erect or
horizontal. From that embroyos embryos
in wombs come into being and
transmigrate throughout the lands as human beings, animals, dragons,
and immortals until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of attachment, the upside-down state of
inclination occurs in this world. It unites with warmth to become
eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are vacillating and
inverted. From that organisms in moisture come into being and
transmigrate throughout the lands as insects and crawling
invertebrates, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of change, the upside-down state of
borrowing occurs in this world. Based on upside-downness upside-down ness
, it unites
with contact to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts
of new and old. From that, organisms that undergo transformations come
into being and transmigrate throughout the lands as forms of
metamorphic flying and crawling creatures, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of restraint, the upside-down state of
obstruction occurs in this world. It unites with attachment to become
eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of refinement and
brilliance. From that animate entities that possess form come into
being and transmigrate throughout the lands as auspicious and
inauspicious creatures, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of annihilation and dispersion, the
upside-down state of delusion occurs in this world. It unites with
darkness to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of
obscurity and hiding. From that, animate entities that are formless
come into being and transmigrate throughout the lands as empty,
dispersed, annihilated, and submerged beings until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of illusory imaginings, the upside-down
state of shadows occurs in this world. It unites with memory to become
eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are hidden and
bound up. From that, animate entities endowed with thought, come into
being and transmigrate throughout the lands as spirits, ghosts, and
devious beings, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of dullness and slowness, the
upside-down state of stupidity occurs in this world. It unites with
obstinacy to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that
are dry and attenuated. From that, animate entities lacking thought,
come into being and transmigrate throughout the lands as their
vitality and spirit change into earth, wood, metal, or stone, until
their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of parasitic interaction, the
upside-down state of simulation occurs in this world. It unites with
defilement to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of
according and relying. From that, animate entities not actually
endowed with form, take on embryonic forms and transmigrate throughout
the lands until their kinds abound, as jellyfish that use shrimp for
eyes and the like.
"Through a continuous process of mutual enticement, an upside-down
state of the nature occurs in this world. It unites with mantras to
become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of reckoning and
summoning. From that animate entities not actually lacking form become
formless beings and transmigrate throughout the lands as the hidden
beings of mantras and incantations, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of false unity, the upside-down state of
transgression occurs in this world. It unites with unlike formations
to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of reciprocal
interchange. From that animate entities not actually endowed with
thought, become beings endowed with thought and transmigrate
throughout the lands in such forms as a wasp that turns a different
creature into its own species and the like, until their kinds abound.
"Through a continuous process of enmity and harm the upside-down state
of killing occurs in this world. It unites with monstrosities to
become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of devouring
one's father and mother. From that, animate entities not actually
lacking thought become beings that lack thought and transmigrate
throughout the lands, until their kinds abound in such forms as the
owl which hatches its young from clods of dirt, and the pou jing bird,
which incubates a poisonous fruit to create its young whereupon the
young of each eat the parents and the like, until their kinds abound.
"These are the twelve categories of beings."
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 7, Part One
"Ananda, each of these categories of beings is replete with all twelve
kinds of upside-down states, just as pressing on one's eye produces a
variety of flower-like images.
"With the inversion of wonderful perfection, pure understanding of the
true mind becomes glutted with false and random thoughts.
"Now, as you cultivate towards certification to the samadhi of Buddha,
you will go through three gradual stages in order to get rid of the
basic cause of these random thoughts.
"They work in just the way that hot water mixed with the ashes of
incense
clease cleanse
a vessel that has held poisonous honey. Afterwards,
such a vessel can be used to store sweet dew.
"What are the three gradual stages? The first is to correct one's
habits by getting rid of the aiding causes; the second is to truly
cultivate to cut out the very essence of karmic offenses; the third is
to increase one's vigor to prevent the manifestation of karma.
"What are aiding causes? Ananda, the twelve categories of beings in
this world are not in complete in themselves, but depend on four kinds
of eating; that is, eating by portions, eating by contact, eating by
thought, and eating by consciousness. Therefore, the Buddha said that
all beings must eat to live.
"Ananda, all beings can live if they eat what is fresh, and they will
die if they take poison. Beings who seek samadhi should refrain from
eating five pungent plants of this world.
"If these five are eaten cooked, they increase one's sexual desire; if
they are eaten raw, they increase one's anger.
"Therefore, even if people in this world who eat pungent plants can
expound the twelve divisions of the Sutra canon, the gods and
immortals of the ten directions will stay far away from them because
they smell so bad. However, after they eat these things the hungry
ghosts will hover around and kiss their lips. Being always in the
presence of ghosts, their blessings and virtue will dissolve as the
days go by, and they will experience no lasting benefit.
"People who eat pungent plants and also cultivate samadhi will not be
protected by the Bodhisattvas, gods, immortals, or good spirits of the
ten directions; therefore, the tremendously powerful demon kings, able
to do as they please, will appear in the body of a Buddha and speak
Dharma for them, denouncing the precepts and praising lust, rage, and
delusion.
"When their lives end, these people will join the retinue of demon
kings. When they use up their blessings as demons, they will fall into
the unintermittent un-intermittent
hell.
"Ananda, those who cultivate for Bodhi should never eat the five
pungent plants. This is the first of the gradual stages of
cultivation.
"What is the essence of karmic offenses? Ananda, beings who want to
enter samadhi must first firmly uphold the pure precepts.
"They must sever thoughts of lust, not partake of wine or meat, and
eat cooked rather than raw foods. Ananda, if cultivators do not sever
lust and killing, it will be impossible for them to transcend the
Triple Realm.
"You should look upon lustful desire as upon a poisonous snake or a
resentful bandit. First hold to the Hearers' Four or Eight Parajikas
in order to control your physical activity; then cultivate the
Bodhisattva's pure regulations in order to control your mental
activity.
"When the precepts are successfully upheld, one will not create karma
that leads to mutual rebirth and mutual killing in this world. If one
does not steal, one will not be indebted, and one will not have to pay
back past debts in this world.
"If people who are pure in this way cultivate samadhi, they will
naturally be able to contemplate the extent of the worlds of the ten
directions with the physical body given them by their parents; without
need of the Heavenly Eye, they will perceive the Buddhas speaking
Dharma and receive in person the sagely instruction. Obtaining great
spiritual penetrations, they will roam through the ten directions,
gain clarity regarding past lives, and will not encounter difficulties
and dangers.
"This is the second of the gradual stages of cultivation.
"What is the manifestation of karma? Ananda, such people as these, who
are pure and who uphold the precepts, do not have thoughts of greed
and lust, and so they do not become dissipated in the pursuit of the
six external defiling sense-objects.
"Because they do not pursue them, they turn around to their own
source. Without the conditions of the defiling objects, there is
nothing for the sense-organs to match themselves with, and so they
reverse their flow, become one unit, and are no longer confined to six
individual functions.
"All the lands of the ten directions then become as brilliantly clear
and pure as a moon suspended in crystal.
"Their bodies and minds are blissful as they experience the equality
of wonderful perfection, and they attain great peace.
"The secret perfection and pure wonder of all the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
appear before them.
"These people then obtain Patience with the Non-existence of Beings
and Dharmas. They thereupon gradually cultivate according to their
practices, until they reside securely in the sagely positions.
"This is the third of the gradual stages of cultivation.
"Ananda, these good people's emotional love and desire are withered
and dry, the sense-organs and sense objects no longer mesh, and so the
residual habits do not continue to arise.
"Recognizing that the attachments of the mind are false, they use only
wisdom. That wisdom shines throughout the ten directions, and this
initial wisdom is called the Stage of Dry Wisdom.
"Although the habits of desire are initially dried up, they still have
not merged with Dharma-water that flows from the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
.
"Then, with this mind centered on the middle, they enter the flow
where wonderful perfection reveals itself. From the truth of that
wonderful perfection there repeatedly arise wonders of truth. They
always dwell in the wonder of faith, until all false thinking is
completely eliminated and the Middle Way is totally true. This is
called the Mind that Resides in Faith.
"When true faith is clearly understood, then perfect penetration is
total, and the three aspects of skandhas, places, and realms are no
longer obstructions. Then all their habits throughout innumerable eons
of past and future, during which they abandon bodies and receive
bodies, appear to them now in the present moment. These good people
can remember everything and forget nothing. This is called the Mind
that Resides in Mindfulness.
"When the wonderful perfection is completely true, that essential true
brings about a transformation. They go beyond the beginningless beginning-less
habits to reach the one essential brightness. Relying solely on this
essential brightness, they progress toward true purity. This is called
the Mind of Vigor.
"The essence of the mind reveals itself as total wisdom; this is
called the Mind that Resides in Wisdom.
"As the wisdom and brightness are held steadfast, a profound stillness
pervades everywhere. The stage at which the majesty of this stillness
becomes constant and solid is called the Mind that Resides in Samadhi Samádhi
.
"The light of samadhi emits brightness. When the essence of the
brightness enters deeply within, they only advance and never retreat.
This is called the Mind that is Irreversible.
"When the progress of their minds is secure, and they hold their minds
and protect them without loss, they connect with the life-breath of
the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions. This is called the Mind that
Protects the Dharma.
"Protecting their light of enlightenment, they can use this wonderful
force to return to the Buddha's light of compassion and to come back
to stand firm with the Buddha. It is like two mirrors that are set
facing one another, so that between them the exquisite images
inter-reflect and enter into one another layer upon layer. This is
called the Mind that Makes Transferences.
"With this secret interplay of light, they obtain the Buddha's eternal
solidity and unsurpassed wonderful purity. Dwelling in the
unconditioned, they know no loss or dissipation. This is called the
Mind that Resides in Precepts.
"Abiding in the precepts with self-mastery, they can roam throughout
the ten directions, going anywhere they wish. This is called the Mind
that Resides in Vows.
"Ananda, these good people use proper expedients to bring forth those
ten minds. The essence of these minds becomes dazzling, and their ten
functions interconnect to a point of single-mindedness. That is called
the Dwelling of Bringing Forth the Resolve.
"The discoveries made by that mind are like pure crystal within which
can be seen pure gold. Based on those previous wonderful minds, they
step up to this level called the Dwelling of the Ground of Regulation.
"When the mind on that ground connects with wisdom, both become bright
and comprehensive. Traversing the ten directions then without
obstruction is called the Dwelling of Cultivation.
"When their conduct is the same as the Buddhas' and they connect with
the Buddha's spirit, then, like the body-between-skandhas searching
for a father and mother, they penetrate the darkness with a hidden
communication and enter the lineage of the Tathagata Thus Come One
. That is
called the Dwelling of Noble Birth.
"Since they ride in the womb of the Way, they are heirs to
enlightenment just as a mature fetus has developed all human features.
That
is called the Dwelling that is Endowed with Skill-in-Means.
"Their physical appearances become those of Buddhas and their minds
the same as well. That is called Dwelling in the Proper Mind.
"United in body and mind, they grow and mature day by day. That is
called Dwelling in Irreversibility.
"With the efficacious appearance of ten bodies, which are
simultaneously perfected, they are Dwelling as a Pure Youth.
"Completely developed, they leave the womb and become sons of the
Buddha. That is Dwelling as a Dharma Prince.
"Reaching the fullness of adulthood, they are like a chosen prince to
whom a mighty king turns over the affairs of state. Eventually that
eldest son of the kshatriya king will be ceremoniously anointed on the
crown of the head. That is called Dwelling in Anointing the Crown of
the Head.
"Ananda, after these good men have become sons of the Buddha, they are
replete with the limitlessly many wonderful virtues of the Tathagatas Thus Come
Ones
, and they comply and accord with beings throughout the ten
directions. That is called the Conduct of Happiness.
"Being well able to accommodate all beings is called the Conduct of
Benefiting.
"Enlightening themselves and enlightening others without putting forth
any resistance is called the Conduct Free of Anger.
"Then they undergo birth in various forms continuously to the bounds
of the future. Practicing that equally throughout the three periods of
time and pervading the ten directions is called the Conduct Continued
Endlessly.
"When everything is equally in accord, one never makes mistakes among
the various Dharma doors. That is called `he 'he
Conduct of Freedom from
Deluded Confusion.
"Then within what is identical, myriad differences appear. Yet within
the different appearances, an identity can be perceived. That is
called the Conduct of Wholesome Manifestation.
"That continues until it includes all particles of dust that fill up
empty space throughout the ten directions. In each and every mote of
dust there appear the worlds of the ten directions. And yet the
appearance of dust motes and the appearance of worlds do not interfere
with one another. That is called the Conduct of Non-Attachment.
"Everything that appears before one becomes a foremost paramita. That
is called the Conduct of Veneration.
"With such perfect fusion, one can model oneself after all the Buddhas
of the ten directions. That is called the Conduct Based on Wholesome
Dharmas.
"As each and every one of those becomes pure and without outflows,
they merge into a singular truth, unconditioned, that is the essence
of the nature. That is called the Conduct of Reality.
"Ananda, when these good men replete with spiritual penetrations have
done the Buddha's work and are totally pure and absolutely true, they
can remain distant from obstacles and calamities. Then they take
beings across without being attached to the idea of taking them
across. They direct the unconditioned mind toward the path of Nirvana.
That is called the Transference of Saving and Protecting Living
Beings, while apart from the Appearance of Living Beings.
"Destroying what should be destroyed and remaining far removed from
what should be left behind is called the Transference of
Indestructibility.
"Fundamental Enlightenment is profound indeed, an enlightenment on a
level with the Buddhas' enlightenment. That is called the Transference
of Sameness with All Buddhas.
"When absolute truth is discovered, their level is like the level of
Buddhas. That is called the Transference of Reaching all Places.
"Worlds and Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
include one another without any
obstruction. That is called the Transference of a Treasury of
Inexhaustible Merit and Virtue.
"Since their level is like the Buddhas', each and every cause they
create at that level is pure. Based on the dispersing of such causes,
they go straight down the path to Nirvana. That is called the
Transference of the Good Roots of following what is Basically
Identical.
"When true roots are set down, then all beings in the ten directions
are my own nature. Not a single being is lost, as this nature is
successfully perfected. That is called the Transference of Following
the Impartial Contemplation of all Beings.
"Being identical with all dharmas yet apart from all phenomena, they
are not attached to either the identity or the separation. That is
called the Transference of the Appearance of True Suchness.
"That which is thus is truly obtained, and there is no obstruction
throughout the ten directions. That is called the Transference of
Unfettered Liberation.
"When the virtue of the nature is perfectly realized, the boundaries
of the Dharma Realm are destroyed. That is called the Transference of
the Limitlessness of the Dharma Realm.
"Ananda, when these good men have completely purified these forty-one
minds, they further accomplish Four Kinds of Wonderfully Perfect
Aiding Practices.
"The enlightenment of a Buddha is just about to become a function of
their own minds. It is on the verge of emerging but has not yet
emerged, and so it can be compared to the point just before wood
ignites when it is drilled to produce fire. That is called the Level
of Heat.
"They continue on with their own minds to tread where the Buddhas
tread, as if relying and yet not. It is as if they were climbing a
lofty mountain, to the point where their bodies are in space but there
remains a slight obstruction beneath them. That is called the Level of
the Summit.
"When the mind and the Buddha are two and yet the same, they have
well obtained the Middle Way. They are like someone who endures
something when it seems impossible to either hold it in or let it go.
That is called the Level of Patience.
"When numbers and limits are gone, no such designations as the Middle
Way or as confusion and enlightenment are made. That is called the
Level of Being First in the World.
"Ananda, these good men have successfully penetrated through to Great
Bodhi. Their enlightenment reaches through to the Tathagatas' Thus Come Ones'
.
They have fathomed the state of Buddhahood. That is called the Ground
of Happiness.
"The differences enter into identity; even the notion of identity is
gone. That is called the Ground of Leaving Filth.
"At the point of ultimate purity, brightness comes forth. That is
called the Ground of Emitting Light.
"When the brightness becomes ultimate, enlightenment is full. That is
called the Ground of Blazing Wisdom.
"No identity or difference can be attained. That is called the Ground
of Invincibility.'
"With unconditioned True Suchness, the nature is spotless, and
brightness is revealed. That is called the Ground of Manifestation.
"Coming to the farthest limits of True Suchness is called the Ground
of Traveling Far.
"The single mind of True Suchness is called the Ground of
Immovability.
"Bringing forth the function of True Suchness is called the Ground of
Good Wisdom.
"Ananda, all Bodhisattvas beyond this point have completed their
cultivation and have perfected their merit and virtue, and so this
Ground is called the Level of Cultivation.
"Then a wonderful cloud of compassion hovers over the Sea of Nirvana.
That is called `the 'the
Ground of the Dharma Cloud.
"The Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
counter the flow as the Bodhisattvas thus reach
this point through compliance with practice. Their enlightenment is
about to meet that of the Buddhas; it is therefore called Equal
Enlightenment.
"Ananda, the enlightenment which encompasses the Mind of Dry Wisdom
through to the culmination of Equal Enlightenment is awakening within
the Varja Mind. That constitutes the Level of Initial Dry Wisdom.
"Thus there are totals of twelve single and grouped levels. At last
they reach Wonderful Enlightenment and accomplish the Unsurpassed Way.
"At all these levels they use vajra contemplation of Ten Profound
Analogies for the ways in which things are like an illusion. In
Shamatha they use the Tathagatas' Thus Come Ones'
Vipashyana to cultivate them
purely, to be certified to them, and to gradually enter them more and
more deeply.
"Ananda, because they put to use the three means of advancement
throughout all of them, they are well able to accomplish the
fifty-five stages of the True Bodhi Path.
"This manner of contemplation is called proper contemplation.
Contemplation other than this is called deviant contemplation."
Then Dharma Prince Manjushri arose from his seat, and in the midst of
the assembly he bowed at the Buddha's feet and said to the Buddha,
"What is the name of this Sutra and how should we and all beings
uphold it?"
The Buddha told Manjushri, "This Sutra is called Great Buddha at the
Crown, Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La, the Unsurpassed Precious Seal and Pure,
Clear, Ocean-like Eye of the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the Ten Directions.
"It is also called The Cause for Saving a Relative, the Rescue of
Ananda and the Bhikshuni Bhiksunis
Nature, and the Attaining of the Bodhi Mind
and Entry into the Sea of Pervasive Knowledge.
"It is also called The Tathagatas' Thus Come Ones'
Secret Cause of Cultivation
that Brings Certification to the Complete Meaning.
"It is also called The Great Expansive Means, the Wonderful Lotus
Flower King, the Dharani Mantra which is the Mother of all Buddhas of
the Ten Directions.
"It is also called The Foremost Shurangama, Sections and Phrases for
Anointing the Crown of the Head, and All Bodhisattvas' Myriad
Practices.
"Thus should you respectfully uphold it."
Chapter Seven."
After that was said, Ananda and all in the great assembly immediately
received the Tathagata's Thus Come One's
instruction in the secret seal, the
meaning of Bwo Da La, and heard these names for the complete meaning
of this Sutra.
They were suddenly enlightened to Dhyana, advanced in their
cultivation to the sagely position, and increased their understanding
of the wonderful principle. Their minds were focused and serene.
Ananda cut off and cast aside six sections of subtle afflictions in
his cultivation of the mind in the Triple Realm.
He arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, places his palms
together respectfully, and said to the Buddha, "The Great, Awesome and
Virtuous World Honored One, whose compassionate sound knows no limit,
has well instructed beings as to their extremely subtle submersion in
delusion and has caused me on this day to become blissful in body and
mind and to obtain enormous benefit.
"World Honored One, if the wonderful brightness of this truly pure and
wonderful mind is basically all-pervading, then everything on the
great earth, including the grasses and trees, the wriggling worms and
tiny forms of life are originally True Suchness and are themselves the Tathagata-
Thus Come One--
true embodiments of Buddhahood.
"Since the Buddhas' embodiments are true and real, how can there also
be hells, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, gods, and other
paths of rebirth? World Honored One, do these paths exist naturally of
themselves, or are they created by beings' falseness and habits?
"World Honored One, the Bhikshuni Bhikkhuní
Precious Lotus Fragrance, for
example, received the Bodhisattva Precepts and then indulged in
lustful desire, recklessly saying that sexual acts did not involve
killing or stealing and they carried no karmic retribution. But after
saying that, her female organs caught fire, and then the raging blaze
spread throughout all her joints as she fell into the Unintermittent Un-intermittent
Hell alive.
"And there were the Mighty King Crystal and the Bhikshu Good Stars.
Crystal exterminated the Gautama clan and Good Stars recklessly said
that all dharmas are empty. They both sank into the
Unintermittent Un-intermittent
Hell alive.
"Are these hells fixed places, or do they arise spontaneously? Is it
that each individual undergoes whatever kind of karma he or she
creates? I only hope the Buddha will be compassionate and instruct
those of us who do not understand this. May he cause all beings who
uphold the precepts to receive this definitive instruction with joyful
respect upon hearing it and be careful not to transgress it."
The Buddha said to Ananda, "What a good question! You want to keep all
living beings from adopting deviant views. You should listen
attentively now and I will explain this matter for you.
"Actually, Ananda, all beings are fundamentally true and pure, but
because of their false views they give rise to the falseness of
habits, which are divided into an internal aspect and an external
aspect.
"Ananda, the internal aspect refers to what occurs inside living
beings. Because of love and defilement, they produce the falseness of
emotions. When these emotions accumulate without cease, they can
create the fluids of love.
"That is why living beings' mouths water when they think about
delicious food. When they think about a deceased person, either with
fondness or with anger, tears will flow from their eyes. When they are
greedy for wealth, a current of lust will course through their hearts
and their skin will become lustrous. When their minds dwell on lustful
conduct, spontaneous secretions will come from the male or female
organ.
"Ananda, although the kinds of love differ, their flow and formation
is the same. With this moisture, one cannot ascend, but will naturally
fall. This is called the Internal Aspect.
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 7, Part Two
"Ananda, the External Aspect refers to what happens outside living
beings. Because of longing and yearning, they give rise to fantasies.
When these fantasies persist without cease, they can create an
uplifting energy.
"That is why when living beings uphold the precepts in their minds,
their bodies will be buoyant and feel light and clear. When they
uphold mantra seals in their minds, they will command a heroic and
resolute perspective. When they have the desire in their minds to be
born in the heavens, in their dreams they will have thoughts of flying
and ascending. When they cherish the Buddhalands Buddha lands
in their minds, then
the sagely realms will appear in a shimmering vision, and they will
serve the good and wise advisors with little thought for their own
lives.
7p 94
"Ananda, although the thought varies, the lightness and
uplifting is the same. With flight and ascension, one will not sink,
but will naturally become transcendent. This is called the External
Aspect.
"Ananda, all beings in the world are caught up in the continuity of
birth and death. Birth happens because of their habitual tendencies;
death results inflow and change. When they are on the verge of dying,
but when the final warmth has not left their bodies, all the good and
evil they have done in that life suddenly and simultaneously manifest.
They experience the intermingling of two habits: an abhorrence of
death and an attraction to life.
"Endowed solely with thought, they will fly and can certainly be
reborn in the heavens. If in their minds they have blessings and
wisdom, as well as pure vows, then their hearts will spontaneously
open and they will see the Buddhas of the ten directions and all their
pure lands and they will be reborn in whichever one they wish.
"When they have more thought than emotion, they are not quite as
ethereal and so they become flying immortals, great mighty ghost
kings, space traveling-yakshas, or earth-traveling rakshasas who roam
the Heaven of the Four Kings, going where they please without
obstruction.
"Among them may be some with good vows and good hearts who will
protect and uphold my dharma. Perhaps they protect the pure precepts
by following and supporting those who hold precepts. Perhaps they
protect spiritual mantras by following and supporting those who hold
mantras. Perhaps they protect those who practice Chan Samadhi Samádhi
so they
can cultivate patience with dharmas. These beings will be close to the Tathagata
Thus Come One
beneath his seat.
"When their thought and emotion are of equal proportions, they neither
fly nor fall, but are born in the human realm, where the brightness of
thought leads to intelligence and the darkness of emotion leads to
dullness.
"When they have more emotion than thought, they enter the animal
realm. With heavier emotion, they become fur-bearing beasts; with
lighter emotion, they become winged creatures.
"When they have seventy percent emotion and thirty percent thought,
they fall beneath the wheel of water and are bordering on the wheel of
fire, where they experience the full force of the raging blaze. In the
bodies of hungry ghosts, they are constantly burned to a crisp. Even
water harms them, and they have nothing to eat or drink for hundreds
of thousands of eons.
"When they have ninety percent emotion and ten percent thought, they
fall through the wheel of fire until their bodies enter a region where
wind and fire interact. With lighter emotion they are born in the
intermittent hell; with heavier emotion they are born in the
unintermittent
un-intermittent
hell.
"When they are possessed entirely of emotion, they sink into the Avici
Hell. If in their minds they slander the Great Vehicle, defame the
Buddha's pure precepts, irrationally speak dharma, are greedy for
offerings from the faithful, recklessly accept the respect of others,
commit the five rebellious acts and the ten major offenses, then they
are further reborn in Avici Avichi
Hell throughout the ten directions.
"Although one receives one's due according to the evil karma one has
created, a group can undergo an identical lot, and there are definite
places where it occurs.
"Ananda, it all comes from the karmic responses which living beings
themselves invoke. They create ten habitual causes and undergo six
interacting retributions.
"What are the ten causes? Ananda, the first consists the habit of
lustful intercourse which gives rise to mutual rubbing. When this
rubbing continues without cease, it activates a tremendous raging
fire, just as warmth arises between a person's hands when he rubs them
together.
"Because these two habits set each other ablaze, there come into being
the Iron Bed, the Copper Pillar, and other such experiences.
"Therefore the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon the act
of lust and name it the "fire of desire." Bodhisattvas avoid desire as
they would a fiery pit.
"The second consists of the habit of greedy scheming, which gives rise
to a suction. When this suction continues without cease, it produces
intense cold and solid ice where freezing occurs, just as a sensation
of cold is experienced when a person draws in a blast of wind through
his mouth.
"Because these two habits clash together, there come into being Cold
Hells such as chattering, whimpering and shuddering; blue, red, and
white lotuses; and other such experiences.
Therefore the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon excessive
seeking and name it "the water of greed". Bodhisattvas avoid greed as
they would a sea of pestilence.
"The third consists of habits of arrogance and resulting friction
which give rise to mutual intimidation. When it accelerates without
cease, it produces torrents and rapids, which create restless waves of
water, just as water is produced when a person continuously works his
tongue in an effort to taste flavors.
"Because these two habits incite one another, there come into being
the river of blood, the river of ashes, the burning sand, the
poisonous sea, the molten copper which is forced down one's throat,
and other such experiences.
"Therefore, the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon
self-satisfaction and name it `drinking the water of stupidity.'
Bodhisattvas avoid arrogance as they would a huge deluge.
"The fourth consists of habits of hatred which give rise to mutual
defiance. When this defiance binds one without cease, one's heart
becomes so hot that it catches fire, and the molten vapors turn into
metal.
"From it is produced the mountain of knives, the iron cudgel, the tree
of swords, the wheels of swords, axes and halberds, and spears and
saws. It is like when a person harbors a grudge and the urge to kill
surges forth.
"Because these two habits clash with one another, there come into
being castration and hacking, beheading and mutilation, filing and
sticking, flogging and beating, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon hatred
and name it `sharp knives and swords.' Bodhisattvas avoid hatred as
they would a massacre.
"The fifth consists of habits of deception and misleading involvements
which give rise to mutual guile. When such maneuvering continues
without cease, it produces ropes for strangling and wood for
imprisoning. It is like how grass and trees grow in an irrigated
field.
"Because the two habits perpetuate one another, there come into being
handcuffs and fetters, cangues and locks, whips and clubs, sticks and
cudgels, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon
deception and name it a `treacherous crook.' Bodhisattvas fear
deception as they would a savage wolf.
"The sixth consists of the habit of lying combined with continual
fraudulence which give rise to mutual cheating. When false accusations
continue without cease, one becomes adept at corruption.
"From this there come into being such filthy impurities as dirt,
excrement and urine. It is like the obscuring of one's vision when the
dust is stirred up by the wind.
"Because these two habits augment one another, there come into being
sinking and drowning, tossing and pitching, flying and falling,
floating and submerging, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon lying
and name it `robbery and murder.' Bodhisattvas regard lying as they
would treading on a venomous snake.
"The seventh consists of the habits of enmity and mutual suspicion,
which give rise to grievances. From this there come into being the
experiences of being pelted by flying rocks or gravel, being
imprisoned in a box, car, or urn; and being bagged and struck. It is
like a treacherous person who harbors evil in his mind.
"Because these two habits swallow one another up, there come into
being tossing, pitching, seizing, striking, and banging, and other
such experiences.
"Therefore, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon
animosity and name it a `perverse and harmful ghost.' Bodhisattvas
regard animosity as they would drinking poisonous wine.
"The eighth consists of the habit of expressing (wrong) views, such as
those of satkayadrishti, prohibitions, grasping, and other deviant
insights and the karma involved in these, which result from
contradiction and opposition. From these there come into being court
officials and deputies holding documents, whom one meets as if they
were people coming and going on the road.
"Because these two habits influence one another, there come into being
official inquiries, baited questions, examinations, interrogations,
public investigations, exposure, the youths who record good and evil,
carrying the record books of the offenders' arguments and
rationalizations, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, the Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon evil
views and name them the `pit of views.' Bodhisattvas regard having
false and one-sided views as they would standing on the edge of a
steep ravine full of poison.
"The ninth consists of the habit of injustice that comes from
instigating false charges and libeling. From them are produced
crushing between mountains, crushing between rocks, stone rollers, stonerollers
,
stone grinders, plowing, and grinding. It is like a slanderous villain
who engages in persecuting good people unjustly.
"Because these two habits join ranks, there come into being pressing
and pushing, bludgeons and compulsion, squeezing and straining,
weighing and measuring, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, there Tathagatas, the Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon harmful
accusations and name them `a treacherous tiger.' Bodhisattvas regard
injustice as they would a bolt of lightning.
"The tenth consists of the habits of litigation and the mutual
disputations which give rise to covering. From them are produced the
mirror that reflects and the lamp that shines, exposing one just as if
one were in direct sunlight and had no way to hide one's shadow.
"Because these two habits bicker back and forth, there come into being
evil companions, the mirror of karma, the fiery pearl, exposure of
past karma, inquests, and other such experiences.
"Therefore, all the
Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
of the ten directions look upon
covering and name it a `hidden villain.' Bodhisattvas regard covering
as they would having to carry a mountain atop their heads while
walking upon the sea.
"What are the six retributions? Ananda, all living beings create karma
with their six consciousnesses. The evil retributions they call down
upon themselves come from the six sense organs.
"What are the evil retributions that arise from the six sense organs?
The first is the retribution of seeing, which brings an evil result.
The karma of seeing intermingles, so that at the time of death one
first sees a raging conflagration, which fills the ten directions. The
deceased one's spiritual consciousness takes flight, but then falls.
Riding on a wisp of smoke, it enters the unintermittent un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. The first is clear
perception, in which one sees all sorts of evil things. This causes
one to experience boundless fear. The second is obscure perception,
which is a stillness devoid of seeing. This causes one to experience
boundless terror.
"When the fire that comes from seeing burns the sense of hearing, it
becomes cauldrons of boiling water and molten copper. When it burns
the breath, it becomes black smoke and purple fumes. When it burns the
sense of taste, it becomes scorching hot pellets and molten iron
gruel. When it burns the sense of touch, it become white-hot embers
and glowing coals. When it burns the mind, it becomes sparks of fire
that shower everywhere and whip up and inflame the entire realm of
space.
"The second is the retribution of hearing, which brings an evil
result. The karma of hearing intermingles, and thus at the time of
death one first sees gigantic waves that drown the whole world. The
deceased one's spiritual consciousness falls into the water and rides
the current into the unintermittent un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is open hearing, in
which it hears all sorts of noise and its essential spirit becomes
confused. The other is closed hearing, in which there is a stillness
devoid of hearing, and its soul sinks into oblivion.
"When the waves from hearing flow into the hearing, they become
scolding and interrogation. When they flow into the seeing, they
become thunder and roaring and evil poisonous vapors. When they flow
into the breath, they become rain and fog permeated with poisonous
organisms that entirely fill up the body. When they flow into the
sense of taste, they become pus a nd and
blood and every kind of filth.
When they flow into the sense of touch, they become animals and
ghosts, and excrement and urine. When they flow into the mind, they
become lightning and hail, which ravage the heart and soul.
"The third is the retribution of smelling smiling
, which brings an evil result.
The karma of smelling intermingles, and thus at the time of death one
first sees a poisonous vapor that permeates the atmosphere near and
far. The deceased one's spiritual consciousness wells up out of the
earth and enters the unintermittent un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is penetrating smelling,
in which one is thoroughly infused with the evil vapors and one's mind
becomes distressed. The other is blocked smelling, in which one's
breath is cut off and there is no passage, and one lies stifled and
suffocating on the ground.
"When the vapor of smelling invades the breath, it becomes
cross-examination and torture. When it invades the seeing, it becomes
fire and torches. When it invades the hearing, it becomes sinking and
drowning, molten metal and boiling liquids. When it invades the sense
of taste, it becomes putrid or rancid foods. When it invades the sense
of touch, it becomes the actions of ripping apart and beating to a
pulp. It also becomes a huge mountain of flesh which has hundreds and
thousands of eyes and which is sucked and fed upon by numberless
worms. When it invades the mind, it becomes ashes, pestilent air, and
flying sand and gravel, which cut the body to ribbons.
"The fourth is the retribution of tasting, which brings an evil
result. This karma of tasting intermingles, and thus at the time of
death one first sees an iron net ablaze with a raging fire that covers
over the entire world. The deceased one's spiritual consciousness
passes down through this hanging net, and suspended upside down it
enters the unintermittent un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is a sucking air, which
congeals into ice so that it freezes the flesh of his body until it
bursts open. The other is a spitting blast of air, which spews out a
raging fire that roasts his bones and marrow to a crisp.
"When the tasting of flavors passes through the sense of taste, it
becomes what must be acknowledged and what must be endured. When it
passes through the seeing, it becomes burning metal and stones. When
it passes through the hearing, it becomes sharp weapons and knives.
When it passes through the sense of smell, it becomes a vast iron cage
that encloses the entire land. When it passes through the sense of
touch, it becomes bows and arrows, crossbows, and darts. When it
passes through the mind, it becomes flying pieces of molten iron that
rain down from out of space.
"The fifth is the retribution of touching, which brings an evil
result. The karma of touching intermingles, and thus at the time of
death one first sees huge mountains closing in on one from four sides,
leaving no path of escape. The deceased one's spiritual consciousness
then sees a vast iron city. Fiery snakes and fiery dogs, wolves,
lions, ox-headed jail keepers, and horse-headed rakshasas brandishing
spears and lances drive it into the iron city toward the
unintermittent
un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is touch that involves
coming together, in which mountains come together to squeeze its body
until its flesh, bones, and blood are totally dispersed. The other is
touch that involves separation, in which knives and swords attack the
body, ripping the heart and liver to shreds.
"When this touching passes through the sensation of touch, it becomes
colliding, striking, stabbing, and piercing. When it passes through
the seeing, it becomes burning and scorching. When it passes through
the hearing, one hears the sounds on the path to the hells, at the
gate to the hells, and in the courts of trial. . When it passes
through the sense of smell, it becomes enclosures, bags,
interrogation, and binding up. When it passes through the sense of
taste, it become plowing, pinching, chopping, and severing. When it
passes through the mind, it becomes falling, flying, frying, and
broiling.
"The sixth is the retribution of thinking, which brings an evil
result. The karma of thinking intermingles, and thus at the time of
death one first sees a foul wind which devastates the land. The
deceased one's spiritual consciousness is blown up into space, and
then, spiraling downward, it rides that wind straight into the
unintermittent
un-intermittent
hell.
"There, two kinds of phenomena may occur. One is extreme confusion,
which causes it to be frantic and to race about ceaselessly. The other
is not confusion, but rather an acute awareness, which causes it to
suffer from endless roasting and burning, the extreme pain of which is
difficult to bear.
"When this deviant thought combines with thinking, it becomes
locations and places. When it combines with seeing, it becomes
inspection and testimonies. When it combines with hearing, it becomes
huge crushing rocks, ice and frost, dirt and fog. When it combines
with smelling, it becomes a great fiery car, a fiery boat, and a fiery
jail. When it combines with tasting, it becomes loud calling, wailing,
and regretful weeping. When it combines with touch, it becomes
sensations of large and small, where ten thousand births and ten
thousands deaths are endured every day, and of lying with one's face
to the ground.
"Ananda, these are called the ten causes and six retributions of the
hells, which are all created by the confusion and falseness of living
beings.
"If living beings create this evil karma simultaneously, they enter
the Avici Hell and endure limitless suffering, passing through
limitless kalpas.
"If each of the six sense organs creates them and if what is done
includes each state and each sense organ, then the person will enter
the Eight Unintermittent Un-intermittent
Hells.
"If the three karmas of body, mouth, and mind commit acts of killing,
stealing, and lust, the person will enter the Eighteen Hells.
"If the three karmas are not all involved, and there is perhaps just
one act of killing and one of stealing, then the person must enter the
Thirty-six Hells.
"If the sense organ of sight alone commits just one karmic offense,
then the person must enter the one hundred and eight hells.
"Because of this, living beings who do certain things create certain
karma, and so in the world they enter collective hells, which arise
from false thinking and which originally are not there at all.
"And then, Ananda, after the living beings who have slandered and
broken the precepts, violated the Bodhisattva precepts, slandered the
Buddha's Nirvana, and created various other kinds of karma, pass
through many kalpas of being burned in the inferno, they finally
finish paying for their offenses and are reborn as ghosts.
"If greed for material objects was the original cause that made the
person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his
crimes, he will take shape when he encounters material objects and
will become a strange ghost.
"If it was indulgence in lust that made the person commit offenses,
then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape
when he encounters the wind and will become a drought ghost.
"If it was indulgence in lying that made the person commit offenses,
then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape
when he encounters animals and will become a mei ghost.
"If it was hatred that made the person commit offenses, then, after he
has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he
encounters worms and insects, and will become a gu poison ghost.
"If it was the harboring of grudges that made the person commit
offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will
take shape when he encounters degeneration and will become a
pestilence ghost.
"If it was arrogance that made the person commit offenses, then, after
he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he
encounters gases and will become a hungry ghost.
"If it was injustice to others that made the person commit offenses,
then after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape
when he encounters darkness and will become a paralysis ghost.
"If.
It was attachment to wrong views that made the person commit offenses,
then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape
when he encounters essential energy and will become a wang liang
ghost.
"If it was deception that made the person commit offenses, then, after
he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he
encounters brightness and will become a servant ghost.
"If it was the practice of forming factions that made the person
commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he
will take shape when he encounters people and will become a messenger
ghost.
"Ananda, such a person's fall is due to his totally emotional level of
functioning. When his karmic fire has burned out, he will rise up to
be reborn as a ghost. This is occasioned by his own karma of false
thinking. If he awakens to Bodhi, then in the wonderful perfect
brightness there isn't anything at all.
"Moreover, Ananda, when his karma as a ghost is ended and the
consequences of his emotion and thought are over, he comes into the
world to meet his creditors and settle his accounts with them. He is
born as an animal to repay his debts from past lives.
"The retribution of the strange ghost of material objects is finished
when the object is destroyed and it is reborn in the world, usually as
a species of owl.
"The retribution of the drought ghost of the wind is finished when the
wind subsides, and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of
uncanny creature which gives inauspicious prognostications.
"The retribution of the mei ghost of an animal is finished when the
animal dies, and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of
fox.
"The retribution of the gu ghost in the form of worms and insects is
finished when the gu is exhausted, and it is reborn in the world,
usually as a species of venomous creature.
"The retribution of a pestilence ghost found in degeneration is
finished when the degeneration is complete, and it is reborn in the
world, usually as a species of tapeworm.
"The retribution of the ghost which takes shape in gases is finished
when the gases are gone, and it is then reborn in the world, usually
as a species of animal used for food.
"The retribution of the ghost of darkness is finished when the
darkness ends, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a
species of animal used for clothing or service.
"The retribution of the ghost which unites with energy is finished
when the union dissolves, and it is then reborn in the world, usually
as a species of migratory creature.
"The retribution of the ghost of brightness and intellect is finished
when the brightness disappears, and it is then reborn in the world,
usually as a species of efficacious creature.
"The retribution of the ghost that relies on a person is finished when
the person dies, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a
species of domestic animal.
"Ananda, all this is due to the burning out of his karmic fire in
payment for his debts from past lives. The rebirth as an animal is
also occasioned by his own false and empty karma. If he awakens to
Bodhi, then fundamentally none of these false conditions will exist at
all.
"You mentioned Precious Lotus Fragrance, King Crystal, and Bhikshu
Good Stars. Evil karma such as theirs was created by them alone. It
did not fall down out of the heavens or well up from the earth, nor
was it imposed upon them by some person. Their own falseness brought
it into being, and so they themselves have to undergo it. In the Bodhi
mind, it is empty and false--a cohesion of false thoughts.
"Moreover, Ananda, if while repaying his past debts by undergoing
rebirth as an animal, such a living being pays back more than he owed,
he will then be reborn as a human to rectify the excess.
"If the creditor is a person with strength, blessings, and virtue,
then he can pay what he collected in excess without having to lose his
human form. But if he lacks blessings, then he will be reborn as an
animal to pay the outstanding balance.
"Ananda, if the debt involves money, material goods, or manual labor,
then once it is paid, the debt is resolved.
"But if in the process of repayment the lives of other beings were
taken or their flesh eaten, then it will start a cycle of mutual
devouring and slaughtering that will send the debtors and creditors up
and down endlessly for as many eons as there are motes of dust.
"There is no way to put a stop to it, except through Shamatha or
through a Buddha's coming to the world.
"You should know that when owls and their kind have paid back their
debts, they regain their original form and are born as obstinate
people.
"When creatures that are inauspicious have paid back their debts, they
regain their original form and are born as abnormal people.
"When foxes have paid back their debts, they regain their original
form and are born as people who are simpletons.
"When creatures of the venomous category have paid back their debts,
they regain their original form and are born as malicious people.
"When tapeworms and their like have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are born as lowly people.
"When the edible types of creatures have paid back their debts, they
regain their original form and are reborn as weak people.
"When creatures that are used for clothing or service have paid back
their debts, they regain their original form and are reborn as people
who do hard labor.
"When creatures that migrate have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are reborn as literary people.
"When efficacious creatures have paid back their debts, they regain
their original form and are reborn as intelligent people.
"When domestic animals have paid back their debts, they regain their
original form and are reborn as sophisticated people.
"Ananda, these are all beings that have finished paying back former
debts and are born again in the human realm. They are involved in a
beginningless
beginning-less
scheme of karma and delusion and spend their lives
killing and being killed by one another. They do not get to meet the
Tathagata
Thus Come One
or hear the Proper Dharma. They just abide in the
wearisome dust, passing through a repetitive cycle. Such people can
truly be called pitiful.
"Furthermore, Ananda, there are people who do not rely on Proper
Enlightenment to cultivate Samadhi Samádhi
, but cultivate in some special way
that is based on their false thinking. Holding to the idea of
perpetuating their physical bodies, they roam in the mountains and
forests in places people do not go and become Ten Kinds of Immortals.
"Ananda, some living beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong with specially prepared foods. When they have perfected this
method of dieting, they are known as earth-traveling immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through the use of grasses and herbs. When they have perfected
this method of taking herbs, they are known as flying immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through the use of metal and stone. When they have perfected
this method of transformation, they are known as roaming immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through movement and stillness. When they have perfected their
energy and essence, they are known as space-traveling immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong by using the flow of saliva. When they have perfected the
virtues of this moisture, they are known as heaven-traveling
immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong with the essence of sun and moon. When they have perfected the
inhalation of this essence, they are known as all-penetrating
immortals.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through mantras and precepts. When they have perfected these
skills, they are known as immortals of the Way.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through the use of thought processes. When they have perfected
thought and memory, they are known as illuminating immortals
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through internal union. When they have perfected the response,
they are known as immortals of essence.
"Some of these beings with unflagging resolution make themselves
strong through transformations. When they have perfected their
awakening, they are known as immortals of the ultimate level.
"Ananda, these are all people who smelt their minds but do not
cultivate Proper Enlightenment. They obtain some special principle of
life and can live for thousands or tens of thousands of years. They
retire deep into the mountains or onto islands in the sea and cut
themselves off from the human realm. However, they are still part of
the turning wheel, because they flow and turn according to their false
thinking and do not cultivate samadhi. When their reward is finished,
they must still return and enter the various destinies.
"Ananda, there are many people in the world who do not seek what is
eternal and who cannot yet renounce the love that exists between
themselves and their wives.
"But they have no interest in sexual misconduct and so their purity
develops and their light is revealed. When their life ends, they are
born in the Heaven of the Four Kings next to the sun and moon.
"Those whose sexual love for their wives is slight, but who have not
yet obtained complete purity when dwelling in solitude,, transcend the
light of sun and moon at the end of their lives, and reside at the
summit of the human realm. Such people are born in the Trayastrimsha
Heaven.
"Those who become temporarily involved when they meet with desire but
who do not dwell upon it when it is finished, and who, while in the
human realm, are active less and quiet more, abide at the end of their
lives in light and emptiness where the illumination of sun and moon
does not reach. These beings have their own light, and they are born
in the Suyama Heaven.
"Those who are quiet all the time, but who are not yet able to resist
when stimulated by contact, ascend at the end of their lives to a
subtle and ethereal place; they will not be drawn into the lower
realms. The destruction of the realms of humans and gods and the three
disasters at the end of a kalpa will not reach them, for they are born
in the Tushita Heaven.
"Those who are devoid of desire, but who will engage in it for the
sake of their partner, even though to them the experience is as
flavorless as chewing wax, are born at the end of their lives in a
transcendental place of transformations. They are born in the Heaven
of Bliss by Transformation.
"Those who have no worldly thoughts while doing what worldly people
do, who are lucid and beyond such activity while involved in it, are
capable at the end of their lives of entirely transcending states
where transformations may be present or absent. They are born in the
Heaven of the Comfort from Others' Transformations.
"Ananda, although the beings in these six heavens have physically
transcended desire physically, traces of it still remain in their
minds. The levels of existence so far discussed are known as the Realm
of Desire.
"Ananda, all those in the world who cultivate their minds but do not
avail themselves of Dhyana and so have no wisdom, can only control
their bodies so as to not engage in sexual desire. Whether walking or
sitting, or in their thoughts, they are totally devoid of it. Since
they do not give rise to defiling love, they do not remain in the
realm of desire. These people, in response to their thought, take on
the bodies of Brahma beings. Such beings are in the Heaven of the
Multitudes of Brahma.
"In those whose hearts of desire have already been cast aside, the
mind apart from desire manifests. They delight in following the
precepts. Practicing Brahma virtue at all times, such beings are in
the Heaven of the Ministers of Brahma.
"Those whose bodies and minds are wonderfully perfect, and whose
awesome deportment is not in the least deficient, are pure in the
precepts and have a thorough understanding of them as well. Governing
the Brahma multitudes as Great Brahma Lords, such beings are in the
Great Brahma Heaven.
"Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be
oppressed by any affliction. Although they have not developed proper
samadhi, their minds are pure to the point that all outflows are
stilled. This is called the First Dhyana.
"Ananda, those beyond the Brahma Heavens govern the Brahma beings, for
their Brahma conduct is perfected. With their minds tranquil and
unmoving, they emit light in profound stillness. Such beings are in
the Heaven of Lesser Light.
"Those whose lights illumine each other in an endless dazzling blaze
shine throughout the realms of the ten directions so that everything
becomes like crystal. Such beings are in the Heaven of Limitless
Light.
"Those who sustain the light to perfection accomplish the substance of
the teaching. Creating and transforming the purity into endless
responses and functions, such beings are in the Light-Sound Heaven.
"Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will not be
oppressed by worries or vexations. Although they have not developed
proper Samadhi Samádhi
, their minds are pure to the point that they have
subdued their coarser outflows. This is called the Second Dhyana.
"Ananda, heavenly beings for whom the perfection of light has become
sound and who further open out the sound to disclose its wonder arrive
at a more vigorous level of practice. Arriving at the bliss of still
extinction, such beings are in the Heaven of Lesser Purity.
"Those in whom the state of purity is emptied experience the
boundlessness of light ease in their bodies and minds, and they
accomplish the bliss of still extinction. Such beings are in the
Heaven of Limitless Purity.
"Those for whom the world, the body, and the mind are all perfectly
pure have accomplished the virtue of purity, and they consider this to
be a superior abode in which they can return to the bliss of still
extinction.
Such beings are in the Heaven of Pervasive Purity.
"Ananda, those who flow to these three superior levels will be
replete with great compliance. Their bodies and minds are at peace,
and they obtain limitless bliss. Although they have not obtained
genuine
Samadhi Samádhi
, the joy within the tranquillity tranquility
of their minds is
total. This is called the Third Dhyana.
"Moreover, Ananda, heavenly beings whose bodies and minds are not
oppressed put an end to the cause of suffering and realize that bliss
is not permanent--that sooner or later it will come to an end. They
resolutely renounce both thoughts of suffering and thoughts of bliss.
Their coarse afflictions vanish, and pure blessings arise. Such beings
are in the Heaven of the Birth of Blessings.
"Those whose renunciation of these thoughts is perfected gain a
purity of superior understanding. Within these unimpeded blessings
they obtain a wonderful compliance that extends to the bounds of the
future. Such beings are in the Blessed Love Heaven.
"Ananda, from that heaven there are two ways to go. Those who extend
the previous thought into limitless pure light, and who perfect their
blessings and virtue, cultivate and are certified to one of these
dwellings. Such beings are in the Vast Fruit Heaven.
"Those who extend the previous thought into a dislike of both
suffering and bliss unceasingly intensify their renunciation until
they perfect the path of renunciation. Their bodies and minds will
become extinct; their thoughts will become like dead ashes. For five
hundred eons these beings will perpetuate the cause for production and
extinction, being unable to uncover the nature, which is neither
produced nor extinguished. During the first half of these eons they
will undergo extinction; during the second half they will experience
production. Such beings are in the Heaven of No Thought.
"Ananda, those who flow to these four superior levels will not be
affected by any suffering or bliss in any world. Although this is not
the unconditioned of the True Ground of Non-Moving, because they still
have the thought of obtaining something, their functioning is
nonetheless quite advanced. This is called the Fourth Dhyana.
"Beyond these, Ananda, are the Five Heavens of No Return. For those
who have completely cut off the nine categories of habits in the lower
realms, neither suffering nor bliss exist, and there is no regression
to the lower levels. All whose minds have achieved this renunciation
dwell in these heavens together.
"Ananda, those who have put an end to suffering and bliss and who do
not get involved in the contention between such thoughts are in the
Heaven of No Affliction.
"When the mind and states are disengaged, even the thought of
investigating that involvement is gone. Such beings are in the Heaven
of No Heat.
"Those whose vision is wonderfully perfect and clear, view the realms
of the ten directions as free of defiling appearances and devoid of
all dirt and filth. Such beings are in the Heaven of Good View.
"Those whose essence of seeing has manifested are able to transform at
will without obstruction. Such beings are in the Heaven of Good
Manifestation.
"Those who exhaustively fathom the ultimate principle and the nature
of form reach the border of emptiness. Such beings are in the Highest
Heaven of the Form Realm.
"Ananda, those in the Four Dhyanas, and even the rulers of the gods at
those four levels, can only pay their respects through having heard of
the beings in the Heavens of No Return; they cannot know them or see
them, just as ordinary people of the world cannot see the places where
the Arhats abide in holy Way-places deep in the wilderness and the
mountains.
"Ananda, in these eighteen heavens are those who remain solitary and
uninvolved but who have not yet gotten rid of their form. These
heavens are called the Form Realm.
"Furthermore, Ananda, from this summit of the form realm there are
also two roads. Those who are intent upon renunciation bring forth
wisdom. The light of their wisdom becomes perfect and penetrating, so
that they can transcend the defiling realms, accomplish Arhatship Arhat-ship
,
and enter the Bodhisattva Vehicle. They are called Great Arhats who
have turned their minds around.
"Those who dwell in the thought of renunciation and who succeed in
renunciation and rejection, realize that their bodies are an obstacle.
If they thereupon obliterate the obstacle and enter into emptiness,
they are
at the Station of Emptiness.
"For those who have eradicated all obstacles, there is neither
obstruction nor extinction. Then there remains only the alaya
consciousness and half of the subtle functions of the manas. These
beings are at the Station of Boundless Consciousness.
"Those who have already done away with emptiness and form eradicate
the conscious mind as well. In the extensive tranquillity tranquility
of the ten
directions there is nowhere at all to go. These beings are at the
Station of Nothing Whatsoever.
"The nature of consciousness is unmoving, yet within extinction they
exhaustively investigate it, attempting to put an end to what is
endless. Thus it is as if it existed and yet did not exist, as if it
were ended and yet not ended. Such beings are at the station of
Neither Thought nor Non-Thought.
"These beings who cultivate the path of sagehood sage hood
from the heavens of
no return by delving exhaustively into emptiness without fathoming the
principle of emptiness are known as dull Arhats who do not turn their
minds around. Just like those in the Heaven of Non-Thought and other
externalist heavens who exhaustively investigate emptiness without
knowing to turn around, these beings are ignorant and lost in (the
heavens with) outflows. They will accordingly enter the cycle of
rebirth again.
"Ananda, the beings in all these heavens are ordinary beings receiving
the fruits of their karmic rewards. Once their rewards are exhausted,
they must once again enter rebirth. The lords of these heavens,
however, are all Bodhisattvas who roam in Samadhi Samádhi
. They gradually
progress in their practice and make transference to the way cultivated
by all sages.
"Ananda, these are the Four Heavens of Emptiness, where the bodies and
minds of the inhabitants are extinguished. Concentration emerges, and
they are free of the karmic retribution of form. This final group is
called the Formless Realm.
"The beings in all of them have not understood the wonderfully
enlightened bright mind. Their accumulation of falseness brings into
being false existence in the Triple Realm. Within this they falsely
follow along and become submerged in the seven destinies. As pudgalas,
they gather together with their own kind.
"Furthermore, Ananda, there are four categories of asuras in the
Triple Realm.
"Those in the path of ghosts who, by means of their strength of
protecting the Dharma, can ride their spiritual penetrations to enter
into emptiness are asuras born from eggs; they belong to the destiny
of ghosts.
"Those who have fallen in virtue and have been dismissed from the
heavens dwell in places near the sun and moon. They are asuras born
from wombs and belong to the destiny of humans.
"There are asura kings who uphold the world with a penetrating power
and fearlessness. They are able to contend with the Brahma Lord, the
God Shakra, and the Four Heavenly Kings. These asuras come into being
by transformation and belong to the destiny of gods.
"Ananda, there is another, baser category of asuras. They are born in
the center of the great seas and live in underwater caves. During the
day they roam in emptiness; at night they return to their watery
realm. These asuras come into being because of moisture and belong to
the destiny of animals.
"Ananda, so it is that when the seven destinies of hell-dwellers,
hungry ghosts, animals, people, spiritual immortals, gods, and asuras
are investigated in detail, they are all found to be murky and
embroiled in conditioned existence. Their births come from false
thoughts. Their subsequent karma comes from false thoughts. Within the
wonderful perfection of the fundamental mind that is without any
doing, they are like strange flowers in space, for there is basically
nothing to be attached to; they are entirely vain and false, and they
have no source or beginning.
"Ananda, these living beings, who do not recognize the fundamental
mind, all undergo rebirth for limitless kalpas. They do not attain
true purity, because they keep getting involved in killing, stealing,
and lust, or because they counter them and are born according to their
not killing, not stealing, and lack of lust. If these three karmas are
present in them, they are born among the troops of ghosts. If they are
free of these three karmas, they are born in the destiny of gods. The
incessant fluctuation between the presence and absence of these karmas
gives rise to the cycle of rebirth.
"For those who are able bring forth samadhi, neither the presence nor
the absence of these karmas exists in that eternal stillness; even
their non-existence is done away with. Since the lack of killing,
stealing, and lust is non-existent, how could there be actual
involvement in deeds of killing, stealing and lust?
"Ananda, those who do not cut off the three karmas each have their
own private share. Because each has a private share, private shares
come to be accumulated, making collective portions. They are not
without a fixed source, for they arise from falseness. Since they
arise from falseness, they are basically without a cause, and thus
they cannot be traced precisely.
"You should warn cultivators that they must get rid of these three
delusions if they want to cultivate Bodhi. If they do not put an end
to these three delusions, then even the spiritual penetrations they
may attain are merely a worldly, conditioned function. If they do not
extinguish these habits, they will fall into the path of demons.
"Although they wish to cast out the false, they become doubly
deceptive instead. The Tathagata Thus Come One
says that such beings are
pitiful. You have created this falseness yourself; it is not the fault
of Bodhi.
"An explanation such as this is proper speech. Any other explanation
is the speech of demon kings."
Chapter Eight."
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 8
At that time, the Tathagata Thus Come One
was preparing to leave the
Dharma-seat. From the lion throne, he extended his hand out and placed
it on a small table wrought of the seven precious things. But then, he
turned his body, which was the color of purple-golden mountains, and
leaned back, saying to everyone in the assembly and to Ananda, "Those
of you with More to Learn, those Enlightened by Conditions, and those
who are Hearers have now turned your minds to pursue the attainment of
supreme Bodhi; the unsurpassed, wonderful enlightenment. I have
already taught you the true method of cultivation.
You are still not aware of the subtle demonic events that can occur
when you cultivate Shamatha-Vipashyana. If you cannot recognize a
demonic state when it appears, it is because the cleansing of your
mind has not been proper. You will then be engulfed by deviant views.
You may be troubled by a demon from your own skandhas or a demon from
the heavens. Or you may be possessed by a ghost or spirit, or you may
encounter a mountain
spirit sprite
(li mei). If your mind is not clear, you
will mistake a thief for your own son.
It is also possible to feel satisfied after a small accomplishment,
like the Unlearned Bhikshu who reached the Fourth Dhyana and claimed
that he had realized sagehood sage hood
. When his celestial reward ended and
the signs of decay appeared, he slandered Arhatship Arhat-ship
as being subject
to birth and death, and thus he fell into the Avichi Hell.
You should pay attention. I will now explain this for you in detail.
Ananda stood up and, with the others in the assembly who had More to
Learn, bowed joyfully. They quieted themselves in order to listen to
the compassionate instructions.
The Buddha told Ananda and the whole assembly assembly:
You should know that
the twelve classes of living beings in this world of outflows are
endowed with a wonderfully bright, fundamental enlightenment--the
enlightened, perfect substance of the mind which is not different from
that of the Buddhas of the ten directions.
Due to the fault of false thinking and confusion about the truth,
infatuation arises and makes your confusion all-pervasive all pervasive
.
Consequently, an emptiness arises. Worlds come into being as that
confusion is ceaselessly transformed. Therefore, the lands that are
not without outflows, as numerous as motes of dust throughout the ten
directions, are all created as a result of confusion, dullness, and
false thinking.
You should know that the space created in your mind is like a wisp of
cloud that dots the vast sky. How much smaller must all the worlds
within that space be!
If even one person among you finds the truth and returns to the
source, then all the space in the ten directions is obliterated. How
could the worlds within that space fail to be destroyed as well?
When you cultivate Dhyana and attain samadhi, your mind tallies with
the minds of the Bodhisattvas and the great Arhats of the ten
directions who are free of outflows, and you abide in a state of
profound purity.
All the kings of demons, the ghosts and spirits, and the ordinary gods
see their palaces collapse for no apparent reason. The earth quakes earthquakes
,
and all the creatures in the water, on the land, and in the air,
without exception, are frightened. Yet ordinary people who are sunk in
dim confusion remain unaware of these changes.
All these beings have five kinds of spiritual powers; they still lack
the elimination of outflows because they are still attached to worldly
passions. How could they allow you to destroy their palaces? That is
why the ghosts, spirits, celestial demons, sprites, and goblins come
to disturb you when you are in samadhi.
Although these demons possess tremendous enmity, they are in the grip
of their worldly passions, while you are within wonderful
enlightenment. They cannot affect you any more than a blowing wind can
affect light or a knife can cut through water. You are like boiling
water, while the demons are like solid ice, which, in the presence of
heat, soon melts away. Since they rely exclusively on spiritual
powers, they are like mere guests.
They can succeed in their destructiveness through your mind, which is
the host of the five skandhas. If the host becomes confused, the
guests will be able to do as they please.
When you are in Dhyana, awakened, aware, and free of delusion, their
demonic deeds can do nothing to you. As the skandhas dissolve, you
enter the light. All those deviant hordes depend upon dark energy.
Since light can destroy darkness, they would be destroyed if they drew
near you. How could they dare linger and try to disrupt your
Dhyana-samadhi?
If you were not clear and aware, but were confused by the skandhas,
then you, Ananda, would surely become one of the demons. You would
turn into a demonic being.
Your encounter with Matangi's daughter was a minor incident. She cast
a spell on you to make you break the Buddha's moral precepts. Still,
among the eighty thousand modes of conduct, you violated only one
precept. Because your mind was pure, all was not lost.
That would be an attempt to completely destroy your precious
enlightenment. Had it succeeded, you would have become like the family
of a senior government official who is suddenly exiled; his family
wanders, bereft and alone, with no one to pity or rescue them.
Ananda, you should know that as a cultivator sits in the Bodhimanda,
he is doing away with all thoughts. When his thoughts come to an end,
there will be nothing on his mind. This state of pure clarity will
stay the same whether in movement or stillness, in remembrance or
forgetfulness.
When he dwells in this place and enters samadhi, he is like a person
with clear vision who finds himself in total darkness. Although his
nature is wonderfully pure, his mind is not yet illuminated. This is
the region of the form Skandha.
If his eyes become clear, he will then experience the ten directions
as an open expanse, and the darkness will be gone. This is the end of
the form Skandha. He will then be able to transcend the turbidity of
time. Contemplating the cause of the form Skandha, one sees that false
thoughts of solidity are its source.
(1)
Ananda, at this point, as the person intently investigates that
wondrous brightness, the four elements will no longer function
together, and soon the body will be able to transcend obstructions.
This state is called `the "the
pure brightness merging into the
environment'
environment
." It is a temporary state in the course of cultivation and
does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he has become a
sage, then this will be a good state. But if he considers himself a
sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
(2)
Further, Ananda, as the person uses his mind to intently
investigate that wondrous light, the light will pervade his body.
Suddenly he will be able extract intestinal worms from his own body,
yet his body will remain intact and unharmed. This state is called `the
"the
pure light surging through one's physical body' body
." It is a
temporary state in the course of intense practice, and does not
indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he has become a sage, then
this will be a good state. But if he considers himself a sage, then he
will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
. (3)
Further, as the person uses his mind to intently investigate
inside and outside, his physical and spiritual souls, intellect, will,
essence, and spirit will be able to interact with one another without
affecting his body. They will take turns as host and guests. Then he
may suddenly hear the sounds of Dharma being spoken in space, or
perhaps he will hear esoteric truths being pronounced simultaneously
throughout the ten directions. This state is called `the "the
essence and
souls alternately separating and uniting, and the planting of good
seeds'
seeds
." It is a temporary state and does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he
does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a good state.
But if he considers himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the
demons' influence.
(4)
Further, when the person's mind becomes clear, unveiled, bright,
and penetrating, an internal light will shine forth and turn
everything in the ten directions into the color of Jambunada gold. All
the various species of beings will be transformed into Tathagatas Thus Come Ones
.
Suddenly he will see Vairochana Vairocana
Buddha seated upon a platform of
celestial light, surrounded by a thousand Buddhas who simultaneously
appear upon lotus blossoms in a hundred million lands. This state is
called `the "the
mind and soul being instilled with spiritual awareness' awareness
."
When he has investigated to the point of clarity, the light of his
mind will shine upon all worlds. This is a temporary state and does
not indicate
sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he has become a sage,
then this will be a good state. But if he considers himself a sage,
then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
(5)
Further, as the person uses his mind to intently investigate that
wondrous light, he will contemplate without pause, restraining and
subduing his mind so that it does not go to extremes. Suddenly the
space in the ten directions may take on the colors of the seven
precious things or the colors of a hundred precious things, which
simultaneously pervade everywhere without hindering one another. The
blues, yellows, reds, and whites will each be clearly apparent. This
state is called `trying "trying
too hard to subdue the mind' mind
." It is a
temporary state and does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think
he has become a sage, then this will be a good state. But if he
considers himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons'
influence.
(6)
Further, as the person uses his mind to investigate with clear
discernment until the pure light no longer scatters, he will suddenly
be able to see various objects in a dark room at night, just as if it
were daytime. Yet the things, which were already in the dark room, do
not disappear. This state is called `refining "refining
the mind and purifying
the vision until one is able to see in the dark' dark
." It is a temporary
state and does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he has
become a sage, then this will be a good state. But if he considers
himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
(7)
Further, when his mind completely merges with emptiness, his four
limbs will suddenly become like grass or wood, devoid of sensation
even when burned by fire or cut with a knife. The burning of fire will
not make his limbs hot, and even when his flesh is cut, it will be
like wood being whittled. This state is called `the "the
merging of
external states and the blending of the four elements into a uniform
substance'
substance
." It is a temporary state and does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
If he does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a good
state. But if he considers himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable
to the demons' influence.
(8)
Further, when his mind accomplishes such purity that his skill in
purifying the mind has reached its ultimate, he will suddenly see the
earth, the mountains, and the rivers in the ten directions turn into
Buddhalands
Buddha lands
replete with the seven precious things, their light
shining everywhere. He will also see Buddhas, Tathagatas, Thus Come Ones
, as many
as the sands of the Ganges, filling all of space. He will also see
pavilions and palaces that are resplendent and beautiful. He will see
the hells below and the celestial palaces above, all without
obstruction. This state is called `the "the
gradual transformation of
concentrated thoughts of like and dislike' dislike
." It does not indicate
sagehood sage
hood
. If he does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a
good state. But if he considers himself a sage, then he will be
vulnerable to the demons' influence.
(9)
Further, as the person uses his mind to investigate what is
profound and far away, he will suddenly be able to see distant places
in the middle of the night. He will see city markets and community
wells, streets and alleys, and relatives and friends, and he may hear
their conversations. This state is called `having "having
been suppressed to
the utmost, the mind flies out and sees much that had been blocked
from
view' view
." It does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he
has become a sage, then this will be a good state. But if he considers
himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
(10)
Further, as the person uses his mind to investigate to the
utmost point, he may see a Good and Wise Advisor whose body undergoes
changes. Within a brief interval, various transformations will occur
which cannot be explained. This state is called `having "having
an improper
mind which is possessed by a mountain sprite or a celestial demon, and
without reason speaking Dharma that fathoms wondrous truths' truths
." It does
not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he does not think he has become a sage,
then the demonic activities will subside. But if he considers himself
a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
Ananda, all ten of those states may occur in Dhyana as one's mental
effort interacts with the form Skandha.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to
recognize them and say that they have become Sages, thereby uttering a
great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.
In the Dharma Ending Age, after the Tathagata's Thus Come One's Nirvana, all of
you should rely on and proclaim this teaching. Do not let the demons
of the heavens have their way. Offer protection so all can realize the
unsurpassed Way.
(End of Form Skandha)
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 8, Part Two
In the Dharma Ending Age, after the Thus Come One's
Nirvana, all of
you should rely on and proclaim this teaching. Do not let the demons
of the heavens have their way. Offer protection so all can realize the
unsurpassed Way."
Ananda, when the good person who is cultivating samadhi and Shamatha
has put an end to the form Skandha, he can see the mind of all Buddhas
as if seeing an image reflected in a bright mirror.
He seems to have obtained something, but he cannot use it. In this he
resembles a paralyzed person. His hands and feet are intact, his
seeing and hearing are not distorted, and yet his mind has come under
a deviant influence, so that he is unable to move. This is the region
of the feeling Skandha.
Once the problem of paralysis subsides, his mind can then leave his
body and look back upon his face. It can go or stay as it pleases
without further hindrance. This is the end of the feeling Skandha.
This person can then transcend the turbidity of views. Contemplating
the cause of the feeling Skandha, one sees that false thoughts of
illusory clarity are its source.
(11)
Ananda, in this situation the good person experiences a
brilliant light. A feeling arises in his mind as a result of excessive
internal pressure. At this point, he suddenly feels such boundless
sadness that he looks upon even mosquitoes and gadflies as newborn
children. He is overwhelmed with pity and bursts into tears without
knowing it.
This is called `trying "trying
too hard to suppress the mind in the course of
cultivation'
cultivation
." If he understands, then there is no error. This
experience does not indicate sagehood sage hood
. If he realizes that and
remains unconfused, then after a time it will disappear.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of sadness will enter
his mind. Then, as soon as he sees someone, he will feel sad and cry
uncontrollably. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(12)
Further, Ananda, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees
the disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. At that time he has a sublime vision and is overwhelmed with
gratitude. In this situation, he suddenly evinces tremendous courage.
His mind is bold and keen. He resolves to equal all Buddhas and says
he can transcend three Asamkhyeyas of eons in a single thought.
This is called `being "being
too anxious to excel in cultivation' cultivation
." If he
understands, then there is no error. This experience does not indicate
sagehood
sage hood
. If he realizes that and remains unconfused, then after a
time it will disappear.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of insanity will
enter his mind. As soon as he sees someone, he will boast about
himself. He will become extraordinarily haughty, to the point that he
recognizes no Buddha above him and no people below him. Lacking proper
samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(13)
Further, in this state of samadhi the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. With no new realization immediately ahead of him, and having
lost his former status as well, his power of wisdom weakens, and he
enters an impasse in which he sees nothing to anticipate. Suddenly a
feeling of tremendous monotony and thirst arises in his mind. At all
times he is fixated in memories that do not disperse. He mistakes this
for a sign of diligence and vigor.
This is called `cultivating "cultivating
the mind, but losing oneself due to a lack
of wisdom' wisdom
." If he understands, then there is no error. This experience
does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of memory will enter
his mind. Day and night it will hold his mind suspended in one place.
Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(14)
Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. His wisdom becomes stronger than his samadhi, and he
mistakenly becomes impetuous. Cherishing the supremacy of his nature,
he imagines that he is a Nishyanda (Buddha) and rests content with his
minor achievement.
This is called `applying "applying
the mind, but straying from constant
examination and becoming preoccupied with ideas and
opinions' opinions
." If he
understands, then there is no error. This experience does not indicate sagehood
sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a lowly demon that is easily
satisfied will enter his mind. As soon as he sees someone, he will
announce, "I have realized the unsurpassed absolute truth." Lacking
proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(15)
Further, in this state of samadhi the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. He has not yet obtained any results, and his prior state of
mind has already disappeared. Surveying the two extremes, he feels
that he is in great danger. Suddenly he becomes greatly distraught, as
if he were seated on the Iron Bed, or as if he has taken poison. He
has no wish to go on living, and he is always asking people to take
his life so he can be released sooner.
This is called, `cultivating, "cultivating
, but losing expedients' expedients
." If he
understands, then there is no error. This experience does not indicate sagehood
sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of chronic depression
will enter his mind. He may take up knives and swords and cut his own
flesh, happily giving up his life. Or else, driven by constant
anxiety, he may flee into the wilderness and be unwilling to see
people. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(16)
Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. As he dwells in this purity, his mind is tranquil and at
ease. Suddenly a feeling of boundless joy wells up in him. There is
such bliss in his mind that he cannot contain it.
This is called,
`experiencing, "experiencing
lightness and ease, but lacking the
wisdom to control
it' it
." If he understands, then there is no error. This
experience does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon that likes happiness
will enter his mind. As soon as he sees someone, he will laugh. He
will sing and dance in the streets. He will say that he has already
attained unobstructed liberation. Lacking proper samadhi, he will
certainly fall.
(17)
Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. He says he is already satisfied. Suddenly, a feeling of
unreasonable, intense self-satisfaction may arise in him. It may
include pride, outrageous pride, haughty pride, overweening pride, and
pride based on inferiority, all of which occur at once. In his mind,
he even looks down on the Tathagatas of the ten directions, how much
the more so on the lesser positions of Hearers and Those Enlightened
by Conditions.
This is called `viewing "viewing
oneself as supreme, but lacking the wisdom to
save oneself' oneself
." If he understands, then there is no error. This
experience does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of intense arrogance
will enter his mind. He will not bow to stupas or in temples. He will
destroy Sutras and images. He will say to the Danapatis, "These are
gold, bronze, clay, or wood. The Sutras are just leaves or cloth. The
flesh body is what is real and eternal, but you don't revere it;
instead you venerate clay and wood. That is truly absurd." Those who
have deep faith in him will follow him to destroy and bury the images
in the ground. He will mislead living beings so that they fall into
the Relentless Hells. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(18)
Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. In his refined understanding, he awakens completely to subtle
principles. Everything is in accord with his wishes. He may suddenly
experience limitless lightness and ease in his mind. He may say that
he has become a sage and attained great self-mastery.
This is called
`attaining "attaining
lightness and clarity due to wisdom' wisdom
." If he
understands, then there is no error. This experience does not indicate sagehood
sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon that likes lightness
and clarity will enter his mind. Claiming that he is already
satisfied, he will not strive to make further progress. For the most
part, such cultivators will become like the Unlearned Bhikshu. He will
mislead living beings so that they will fall into the Avichi Hell.
Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
Further in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. In that clear awakening, he experiences a false clarity.
Within that, suddenly he may veer towards the view of eternal
extinction, deny cause and effect, and take everything as empty. The
thought of emptiness so predominates that he comes to believe that
there is eternal extinction after death.
This is called `the "the
mental state of samadhi dissolving so that one
loses sight of what is right' right
." If he understands, then there is no
error. This experience does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of emptiness will
enter his mind. He will slander the holding of precepts, calling it a
"Small Vehicle Dharma." He will say, "Since Bodhisattvas have awakened
to emptiness, what is there to hold or violate?" This person, in the
presence of his faithful Danapatis, will often drink wine, eat meat,
and engage in wanton lust. The power of the demon will keep his
followers from doubting or denouncing him. After the ghost has
possessed him for a long time, he may consume excrement and urine, or
meat and wine, claiming that all such things are empty. He will break
the Buddha's moral precepts and mislead people into committing
offenses. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly fall.
(20)
Further, in this state of samadhi, the good person sees the
disintegration of the form Skandha and understands the feeling
Skandha. He savors the state of false clarity, and it deeply enters
his mind and bones. Boundless love may suddenly well forth from his
mind. When that love becomes extreme, he goes insane with greed and
lust.
This is called `when "when
an agreeable state of samadhi enters one's mind,
lacking the wisdom to control oneself and mistakenly engaging in
lustful behavior' behavior
." If he understands, then there is no error. This
experience does not indicate sagehood sage hood
.
But if he considers himself a sage, then a demon of desire will enter
his mind. He will become an outspoken advocate of lust, calling it the
Way to Bodhi. He will teach his lay followers to indiscriminately
engage in acts of lust, calling those who commit acts of lust his
Dharma heirs. The power of spirits and ghosts in the Ending Age will
enable him to attract a following of ordinary, naive people numbering
one hundred, two hundred, five or six hundred, or as many as one
thousand or ten thousand. When the demon becomes bored, it will leave
the person's body. Once the person's charisma is gone, he will run
afoul of the law. He will mislead living beings, so that they fall
into the Relentless Hells. Lacking proper samadhi, he will certainly
fall.
Ananda, ten of these states may occur in Dhyana as one's mental effort
interacts with the feeling Skandha.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to
recognize them and say that they have become Sages, thereby uttering a
great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.
In the Dharma-ending Age, after my Nirvana, all of you should pass on
the Tathagata's teachings, so that all living beings can awaken to
their meaning. Do not let the demons of the heavens have their way.
Offer protection so that all can realize the unsurpassed Way."
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 8, Part Three
Ananda, when the good person who is cultivating samadhi has put an end
to the feeling Skandha, although he has not achieved the elimination
of outflows, his mind can leave his body the way a bird escapes from a
cage. From within his ordinary body, he already has the potential for
ascending through the Bodhisattvas' sixty levels of
Sagehood Sage hood
. He
attains the `body "body
produced by intent' intent
" and can roam freely without
obstruction.
Suppose, for instance, someone is talking in his sleep. Although he
does not know he is doing it, his words are clear, and his voice and
inflection are all in order, so those who are awake can understand
what he is saying. This is the region of the thinking Skandha.
If he puts an end to his stirring thoughts and rids himself of
superfluous thinking, it is as if he has purged defilement from the
enlightened, understanding mind. Then one is perfectly clear about the
births and deaths of all categories of beings from beginning to end.
This is the end of the thinking Skandha. One can then transcend the
turbidity of afflictions. Contemplating the cause of the thinking
Skandha, one sees that interconnected false thoughts are its source.
(21)
Ananda, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone,* this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves its perfect brightness, so he sharpens
his concentrated thought as he greedily seeks for cleverness and
skill.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks cleverness and skill, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma.
In an instant, he may appear to be a Bhikshu, enabling that person to
see him as such, or he may appear as Shakra, as a woman, or as a
Bhikshuni;
Bhikkhuní;
or his body may emit light as he sleeps in a dark room.
The good person is beguiled and fooled into thinking that the other is
a Bodhisattva. He believes the other's teachings and his mind is
swayed. He breaks the Buddha's moral precepts and covertly indulges
his greedy desires.
The other person is fond of speaking about calamities, auspicious
events, and unusual changes. He may say that a Tathagata has appeared
in the world at a certain place. He may speak of catastrophic fires or
wars, thus frightening people into squandering their family wealth
without reason.
This is a strange ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It
disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so,
it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the
teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(22)
Further, Ananda, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that
ensues after the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is
untroubled by any deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright
concentration. Within samadhi, his mind craves to roam about, so he
lets his subtle thoughts fly out as he greedily seeks for adventure.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks to roam, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma. His own body
does not change its appearance, but those listening to the Dharma
suddenly see themselves sitting on jeweled lotuses and their entire
bodies transformed into clusters of purple-golden light. Each person
in the audience experiences that state and feels he has obtained
something unprecedented.
The good person is beguiled and fooled into thinking the other is a
Bodhisattva. Lust and laxity corrupt his mind. He breaks the Buddha's
moral precepts and covertly indulges his greedy desires.
The other person is fond of saying that Buddhas are appearing in the
world. He claims that in a certain place a certain person is actually
a transformation body of a certain Buddha. Or he says that a certain
person is such-and-such a Bodhisattva who has come to teach humankind.
People who witness this are filled with admiration. Their deviant
views multiply, and their Wisdom of Modes is destroyed.
This is a drought ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It
disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so,
it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the
teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(23)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves spiritual oneness, so he clarifies his
concentrated thought as he greedily seeks for union.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is actually possessed by a demon, claims
he has reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good
person who seeks union, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma.
Neither his own body nor the bodies of those listening to the Dharma
go through any external transformations. But he makes the minds of the
listeners become
`enlightened' 'enlightened'
before they listen to the Dharma, so
they experience changes in every thought. They may have the knowledge
of past lives, or the knowledge of others' thoughts. They may see the
hells or know all the good and evil events in the human realm. They
may speak verses or spontaneously recite Sutras. Each person is elated
and feels he has obtained something unprecedented.
The good person is beguiled and fooled into thinking the other is a
Bodhisattva. His thoughts become entangled in love. He breaks the
Buddha's moral precepts and covertly indulges his greedy desires.
He is fond of saying that there are greater Buddhas and lesser
Buddhas, earlier Buddhas and later Buddhas; that among them are true
Buddhas and false Buddhas, male Buddhas and female Buddhas; and that
the same is true of Bodhisattvas. When people witness this, their
initial resolve is washed away, and they easily get carried away with
their wrong understanding.
This is a mei-ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It
disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so,
it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the
teacher will get in trouble with the law.
K7 Instructions to be aware and not become confused
.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(24)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves to know the origins of things, so he
exhaustively investigates the nature of physical things and their
changes from beginning to end. He intensifies the keenness of his
thoughts as he greedily seeks to analyze things.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks to know the source of things, he arranges a seat and speaks the
Dharma. His body has an awesome spiritual quality, which subdues the
seeker. He makes the minds of those gathered beside his seat
spontaneously compliant, even before they have heard the Dharma. He
says to all those people that the Buddha's Nirvana, Bodhi, and
Dharma-body are there before them in the form of his own physical
body. He says, "The successive begetting of fathers and sons from
generation to generation is itself the Dharma-body, which is permanent
and never-ending. What you see right now are those very Buddhalands Buddha lands
.
There are no other pure dwellings or golden features."
Those people believe and accept his words, forgetting their initial
resolve. They offer up their lives, feeling they have obtained
something unprecedented. They are all beguiled and confused into
thinking he is a Bodhisattva. As they pursue his ideas, they break the
Buddha's moral precepts and covertly indulge their greedy desires.
He is fond of saying that the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue are the
Pure Land, and that the male and female organs are the true place of
Bodhi and Nirvana. Ignorant people believe these filthy words.
This is a poisonous ghost or an evil nightmare ghost that in its old
age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person. But
when it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then
both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(25)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves revelations from afar, so he pours all
his energy into this intense investigation as he greedily seeks for
imperceptible spiritual responses.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, completely unaware that he is possessed by a demon,
claims he has reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that
good person who seeks revelations, he arranges a seat and speaks the
Dharma. He briefly appears to his listeners in a body that looks a
hundred or a thousand years old. They experience a defiling love for
him and cannot bear to part with him. They personally act as his
servants, tirelessly making the Four Kinds of Offerings to him. Each
member of the assembly believes that this person is his former
teacher, his original Good and Wise Advisor. They give rise to love
for his Dharma and stick to him as if glued, feeling they have
obtained something unprecedented.
The good person is beguiled and fooled into thinking the other is a
Bodhisattva. Attracted to the other's thinking, he destroys the
Buddha's moral precepts and covertly indulges his greedy desires.
He is fond of saying, "In a past life, in a certain incarnation, I
rescued a certain person who was then my wife (or my mistress, or my
brother). Now I have come to rescue you again. We will stay together
and go to another world to make offerings to a certain Buddha." Or he
may say, "There is a Heaven of Great Brilliance where a Buddha now
dwells. It is the resting place of all Tathagatas." Ignorant people
believe his ravings and lose their original resolve.
This is a pestilence ghost that in its old age has become a demon. It
disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of doing so,
it will leave the other person's body. Then both the disciples and the
teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(26)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves deep absorption, so he restrains
himself with energetic diligence and likes to dwell in secluded places
as he greedily seeks for peace and quite.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks knowledge, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma. He causes
all of his listeners to think they know their karma from the past. Or
he may say to someone there, "You haven't died yet, but you have
already become an animal." Then he instructs another person to step on
the first person's `tail' 'tail'
, and suddenly the first person cannot stand
up. At that point, all in the assembly pour out their hearts in
respect and admiration for him. If someone has a thought, the demon
detects it immediately. He establishes intense ascetic practices that
exceed the Buddha's moral precepts. He slanders Bhikshus, scolds his
assembly of disciples, and exposes people's affairs without fear of
ridicule or rejection. He is fond of foretelling calamities and
auspicious events, and when they come to pass he is not wrong in the
slightest.
This is a ghost with great powers that in its old age has become a
demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person. But when it tires of
doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then both the
disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law. You should
be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the cycle of
transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand, you will
fall into the Relentless Hells.
(27)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves more knowledge and understanding, so
he diligently toils at examining and probing as he greedily seeks to
know past lives.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma. This person,
unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has reached
unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who seeks
seclusion, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma.
There in the Dharma Assembly, inexplicably, that person may obtain an
enormous precious pearl. The demon may sometimes change into an animal
that holds the pearl in its mouth, or other jewels, bamboo tablets,
tallies, talismans, letters and other unusual things. The demon first
gives them to the person, and afterwards possesses him. Or he may fool
his audience by burying the valuables underground and then saying that
a "moonlight pearl" is illuminating the place. Thereupon the audience
feels they have obtained something unique. He may eat only medicinal
herbs and not partake of prepared food. Or he may eat only one sesame
seed and one grain of wheat a day and still look robust. That is
because he is sustained by the power of the demon. He slanders
Bhikshus and scolds his assembly of disciples without fear of ridicule
or rejection.
He is fond of talking about treasure troves in other locations, or of
remote and hidden places where Sages and Worthies of the ten
directions dwell. Those who follow him often see strange and unusual
people.
This is a ghost or spirit of the mountain forests, earth, cities,
rivers, and mountains that in its old age has become a demon. The
person it possesses may advocate promiscuity and violate the Buddha's
precepts. He may covertly indulge in the five desires with his
followers. Or he may appear to be vigorous, eating only wild plants.
His behavior is erratic, and he disturbs and confuses the good person.
But when the demon tires, it will leave the other person's body. Then
both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(28)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves spiritual powers and all manner of
transformations, so he investigates the source of transformations as
he greedily seeks for spiritual powers.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, truly unaware that he is possessed by a demon, also
claims he has reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that
good person who seeks spiritual powers, he arranges a seat and speaks
the Dharma. The possessed person may hold fire in his hands and,
grasping a portion of it, put a flame on the head of each listener in
the Fourfold Assembly. The flames on top of their heads are several
feet high, yet they are not hot and no one is burned. Or he may walk
on water as if on dry land. Or he may sit motionless in the air. Or he
may enter into a bottle or stay in a bag. Or he may pass through window panes
windowpanes
and walls without obstruction. Only when attacked by
weapons does he feel ill at ease. He declares himself to be a Buddha,
and wearing the clothing of a lay person layperson
, he receives bows from
Bhikshus. He slanders Dhyana meditation and the moral regulations. He
scolds his disciples and exposes people's affairs without fear of
ridicule or rejection.
He often talks about spiritual powers and self-mastery, and he may
cause people to see visions of Buddhalands Buddha lands
but they are unreal and
arise merely from the ghost's power to delude people. He praises the
indulgence of lust and does not condemn lewd conduct. He uses indecent
means to transmit his Dharma.
This is a powerful nature spirit: a mountain sprite, a sea sprite, a
wind sprite, a river sprite, an earth sprite, or a grass-and-tree
sprite that has evolved over long ages. It may be a dragon-goblin; or
a rishi who has been reborn as a goblin; or again a rishi who, having
reached the end of his appointed time should have died, but whose body
does not decay and is possessed by another goblin. In its old age it
has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person. But when
it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body. Then both
the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(29)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves to enter cessation, so he investigates
the nature of transformations as he greedily seeks for profound
emptiness.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks emptiness, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma. In the
midst of the great assembly, his physical form suddenly disappears,
and no one in the assembly can see him. Then out of nowhere, he
abruptly reappears. He can appear and disappear at will, or he can
make his body transparent like crystal. From his hands and feet he
releases the fragrance of sandalwood, or his excrement and urine may
be sweet as thick rock candy. He slanders the precepts and is
contemptuous of those who have left the home-life.
He often says that there is no cause and no effect, that once we die,
we are gone forever, that there is no afterlife, and that there are no
ordinary people and no Sages. Although he has obtained a state of
empty stillness, he covertly indulges his greedy desires. Those who
give in to his lust also adopt his views of emptiness and deny cause
and effect.
This is an essence that was created during an eclipse of the sun or
moon. Having fallen on gold, jade, a rare fungus, a unicorn, a
phoenix, a tortoise, or a crane, the essence endowed it with life, so
that it did not die for thousands or tens of thousands of years and
eventually became a spirit. It was then born into this land and in its
old age has become a demon. It disturbs and confuses the good person.
But when it tires of doing so, it will leave the other person's body.
Then both the disciples and the teacher will get in trouble with the
law.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
(30)
Further, in the unhindered clarity and wonder that ensues after
the feeling Skandha is gone, this good person is untroubled by any
deviant mental state and experiences perfect, bright concentration.
Within samadhi, his mind craves long life, so he toils at
investigating its subtleties as he greedily seeks for immortality. He
wishes to cast aside the birth and death of the body, and suddenly he
hopes to end the birth and death of thoughts as well, so that he can
abide forever in a subtle form.
At that time a demon from the heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses another person and uses him as
a mouthpiece to expound the Sutras and the Dharma.
This person, unaware that he is possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When he comes to see that good person who
seeks long life, he arranges a seat and speaks the Dharma. He is fond
of saying that he can go places and come back without hindrance,
perhaps traveling ten thousand miles and returning in the twinkling of
an eye. He can also bring things back from wherever he goes. Or he may
tell someone to walk from one end of the room to the other, a distance
of just a few paces. Then even if the person walked fast for years, he
could not reach the wall. Therefore people believe in the possessed
person and mistake him for a Buddha.
He often says, "All the living beings in the ten directions are my
children. I gave birth to all Buddhas. I created the world. I am the
original Buddha. I created this world naturally, not due to
cultivation.
This may be a Chamunda sent from the retinue of the demon in the
Heaven of Sovereignty, or a youthful Pishacha from the Heaven of the
Four Kings that has not yet brought forth the resolve. It takes
advantage of the person's luminous clarity and devours his essence and
energy. Or perhaps without having to rely on a teacher, the cultivator
personally sees a being that tells him, "I am a Vajra Spirit who has
come to give you long life." Or the being transforms itself into a
beautiful woman and engages him in frenzied lust, so that within a
year his vitality is exhausted. He talks to himself; and to anyone
listening he sounds like a goblin. The people around him do not
realize what is happening. In most cases such a person will get in
trouble with the law. But before he is punished, he will die from
depletion. The demon disturbs and confuses the person to the point of
death.
You should be aware of this in advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are confused and do not understand,
you will fall into the Relentless Hells.
Ananda, you should know that in the Dharma-ending Age, these ten kinds
of demons may leave the home-life to cultivate the Way within my
Dharma. They may possess other people, or they may manifest themselves
in various forms. All of them will claim that they have already
accomplished Proper and Pervasive Knowledge and Awareness.
They praise lust and break the Buddha's moral precepts. The evil
demonic teachers and their demonic disciples that I just discussed
transmit their teaching through licentious activity. Such deviant
spirits take over cultivators' minds, and after as few as nine lives
or as many as a hundred generations generations;
they turn true practitioners
entirely into followers of demons.
When their lives are over, they are bound to end up as one of the
demonic hordes. They will lose their proper and pervasive knowledge
and fall into the Relentless Hells.
You need not enter Nirvana yet. Although you are completing your
attainment to the level beyond study, hold nonetheless to your vows to
enter the Dharma-ending Age. Bring forth great compassion to rescue
and take across living beings who have proper minds and deep faith. Do
not let them become possessed by demons. Help them instead to attain
proper knowledge and views. I have already rescued you from birth and
death. By venerating the Buddha's words, you will be repaying the
Buddha's kindness.
compassion and save living beings whose minds are proper in the
Dharma-ending Age.
Ananda, all ten of these states may occur in Dhyana as one's mental
effort interacts with the thinking Skandha.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to
recognize them and say that they have become Sages, thereby uttering a
great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.
In the Dharma-ending Age, after my Nirvana, all of you should pass on
the Tathagata's teachings, so that all living beings can awaken to
their meaning. Do not let the demons of the heavens have their way!
Offer protection so that all can realize the unsurpassed Way.
(End of thinking Skandha)
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 8, Part Four
You need not enter Nirvana yet. Although you are completing your
attainment to the level beyond study, hold nonetheless to your vows to
enter the Dharma-ending Age. Bring forth great compassion to rescue
and take across living beings who have proper minds and deep faith. Do
not let them become possessed by demons. Help them instead to attain
proper knowledge and views. I have already rescued you from birth and
death. By venerating the Buddha's words, you will be repaying the
Buddha's kindness.
Compassion and save living beings whose minds are proper in the
Dharma-ending Age
.
Ananda, all ten of these states may occur in Dhyana as one's mental
effort interacts with the thinking Skandha.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, in their confusion they fail to
recognize them and say that they have become Sages, thereby uttering a
great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.
In the Dharma-ending Age, after my Nirvana, all of you should pass on
the Tathagata's teachings, so that all living beings can awaken to
their meaning. Do not let the demons of the heavens have their way.
Offer protection so that all can realize the unsurpassed Way.
Ananda, when the good person who is cultivating samadhi has put an end
to the thinking Skandha, he is ordinarily free of dreaming and idle
thinking, so he stays the same whether in wakefulness or in sleep. His
mind is aware, clear, empty and still, like a cloudless sky, devoid of
any coarse sense-impressions. He contemplates everything in the
world--all the mountains, the rivers, and the vast land--as
reflections in a bright mirror, appearing without attachment and
vanishing without any trace; they are simply received and reflected.
He does away with all his old habits, and only the essential truth
remains.
From this point on, as the origin of production and destruction is
exposed, he will completely see all the twelve categories of living
beings in the ten directions. Although he has not fathomed the source
of their individual lives, he will see that they share a common basis
of life, which appears as a mirage--shimmering and fluctuating--and is
the ultimate, pivotal point of the illusory sense faculties and sense
objects. This is the region of the formations Skandha.
Once the basic nature of this shimmering fluctuation returns to its
original clarity, his habits will cease, like waves subsiding to
become clear, calm water. This is the end of the formations Skandha.
This person will then be able to transcend the turbidity of living
beings. Contemplating the cause of the formations Skandha, one sees
that subtle and hidden false thoughts are its source.
(31)
Ananda, you should know that when such a good person has
obtained proper knowledge in his practice of Shamatha, his mind is
unmoving, clear, and proper, and it cannot be disturbed by the ten
kinds of demons from the heavens. He is now able to intently and
thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings. As the
origin of each category becomes apparent, he can contemplate the
source of the subtle, fleeting, and pervasive fluctuation. But if he
begins to speculate on that pervasive source, he could fall into error
with two theories postulating the absence of cause.
"(1).
First, perhaps this person sees no cause for the origin of life. Why?
Since he has completely destroyed the mechanism of production, he can,
by means of the eight hundred merits of the eye organ, see all living
beings in the swirling flow of karma during eighty thousand eons,
dying in one place and being reborn in another as they undergo
transmigration. But he cannot see beyond eighty thousand eons.
Therefore, he concludes that for the last eighty thousand eons living
beings in the ten directions of this and other worlds have come into
being without any cause.
Because of this speculation, he will lose proper and pervasive
knowledge, fall into externalism, and become confused about the Bodhi
nature.
"(2).
Second, perhaps this person sees no cause for the end of life. And
why? Since he perceives the origin of life, he believes that people
are always born as people and birds are always born as birds; that
crows have always been black and swans have always been white; that
humans and gods have always stood upright and animals have always
walked on four legs; that whiteness does not come from being washed
and blackness does not come from being dyed; and that there have never
been nor will there be any changes for eighty thousand eons.
He says: "As I now examine to the end of this life, I find the same
holds true. In fact, I have never seen Bodhi, so how can there be such
a thing as the attainment of Bodhi? You should now realize that there
is no cause for the existence of any phenomena."
Because of this speculation, he will lose proper and pervasive
knowledge, fall into externalism, and become confused about the Bodhi
nature.
This is the first externalist teaching, in which one postulates the
absence of cause.
(32)
Ananda, in his practice of samadhi, such a good person's mind is
unmoving, clear, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate on its pervasive constancy,
he could fall into error with four theories of pervasive permanence.
"(1).
First, as this person thoroughly investigates the mind and its states,
he may conclude that both are causeless. Through his cultivation, he
knows that in twenty thousand eons, as living beings in the ten
directions undergo endless rounds of production and destruction, they
are never annihilated. Therefore, he speculates that the mind and its
states are permanent.
"(2).
Second, as this person thoroughly investigates the source of the four
elements, he may conclude that they are permanent in nature. Through
his cultivation, he knows that in forty thousand eons, as living
beings in the ten directions undergo production and destruction, their
substances exist permanently and are never annihilated. Therefore, he
speculates that this situation is permanent.
"(3).
Third, as this person thoroughly investigates the sixth sense faculty,
the manas, and the consciousness that grasps and receives, he
concludes that the origin of mind, intellect, and consciousness is
permanent. Through his cultivation, he knows that in eighty thousand
eons, as all living beings in the ten directions revolve in
transmigration, this origin is never destroyed and exists permanently.
Investigating this undestroyed origin, he speculates that it is
permanent.
"(4).
Fourth, since this person has ended the source of thoughts, there is
no more reason for them to arise. In the state of flowing, halting,
and turning, the thinking mind--which was the cause of production and
destruction--has now ceased forever, and so he naturally thinks that
this is a state of non-production and non-destruction. As a result of
such reasoning, he speculates that this state is permanent.
Because of these speculations of permanence, he will lose proper and
pervasive knowledge, fall into externalism, and become confused about
the Bodhi nature. This is the second externalist teaching, in which
one postulates the pervasiveness of permanence.
(33)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, such a good person's mind
is firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by
demons. He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of
beings and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and
constant fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate about self and
others, he could fall into error with theories of partial impermanence
and partial permanence based on four distorted views.
"(1).
First, as this person contemplates the wonderfully bright mind
pervading the ten directions, he concludes that this state of profound
stillness is the ultimate spiritual self. Then he speculates, "My
spiritual self, which, who
is settled, bright, and unmoving, pervades the ten
directions. All living beings are within my mind, and there they are
born and die by themselves. Therefore, my mind is permanent, while
those who undergo birth and death there are truly impermanent."
"(2)."
Second, instead of contemplating his own mind, this person
contemplates in the ten directions worlds as many as the Ganges'
sands. He regards as ultimately impermanent those worlds that are in
eons of decay, and as ultimately permanent those that are not in eons
of decay.
"(3).
Third, this person closely examines his own mind and finds it to be
subtle and mysterious, like fine motes of dust swirling in the ten
directions, unchanging in nature. And yet it can cause his body to be
produced and then to be destroyed. He regards that indestructible
nature as his permanent intrinsic nature, and that which undergoes
birth and death and flows forth from him as impermanent.
"(4).
Fourth, knowing that the Skandha of thinking has ended and seeing the
flowing of the Skandha of formations, this person speculates that the
continuous flow of the Skandha of formations is permanent, and that
the skandhas of form, feeling, and thinking which have already ended
are impermanent.
Because of these speculations of impermanence and permanence, he will
fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature. This
is the third externalist teaching, in which one postulates partial
permanence.
(34)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, such a good person's mind
is firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by
demons. He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of
beings and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and
constant fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate about the making
of certain distinctions, he could fall into error with four theories
of finiteness.
"(1).
First, this person speculates that the origin of life flows and
functions ceaselessly. He judges that the past and the future are
finite and that the continuity of the mind is infinite.
"(2).
Second, as this person contemplates an interval of eighty thousand
eons, he can see living beings; but earlier than eighty thousand eons
is a time of stillness in which he cannot hear or see anything. He
regards as infinite that time in which nothing is heard or seen, and
as finite that interval in which living beings are seen to exist.
"(3).
Third, this person speculates that his own pervasive knowledge is
infinite and that all other people appear within his awareness. And
yet, since he himself has never perceived the nature of their
awareness, he says they have not obtained an infinite mind, but have
only a finite one.
"(4).
Fourth, this person thoroughly investigates the formations Skandha to
the point that it becomes empty. Based on what he sees, in his mind he
speculates that each and every living being, in its given body, is
half living and half dead. From this he concludes that everything in
the world is half finite and half infinite.
Because of these speculations about the finite and the infinite, he
will fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature.
This is the fourth externalist teaching, in which one postulates
finiteness.
(35)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, such a good person's mind is
firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate on what he knows and sees,
he could fall into error with four distorted, false theories, which
are total speculation based on the sophistry of immortality.
" (1).
First, this person contemplates the source of transformations. Seeing
the movement and flow, he says there is change. Seeing the continuity,
he says there is constancy. Where he can perceive something, he says
there is production. Where he cannot perceive anything, he says there
is destruction. He says that the unbroken continuity of causes is
increasing and that the pauses within the continuity are decreasing.
He says that the arising of all things is existence and that the
perishing of all things is non-existence. The light of reason shows
that his application of mind has led to inconsistent views. If someone
comes to seek the Dharma, asking about its meaning, he replies, "I am
both alive and dead, both existent and non-existent, both increasing
and decreasing." He always speaks in a confusing way, causing that
person to forget what he was going to say.
"(2).
Second, this person attentively contemplates his mind and finds that
everything is non-existent. He has a realization based on
non-existence. When anyone comes to ask him questions, he replies with
only one word. He only says "no." Aside from saying "no," he does not
speak.
"(3).
Third, this person attentively contemplates his mind and finds that
everything is existent. He has a realization based on existence. When
anyone comes to ask him questions, he replies with only one word. He
only says "yes." Aside from saying "yes," he does not speak.
"(4).
Fourth, this person perceives both existence and non-existence.
Experiencing this branching, his mind becomes confused. When anyone
comes to ask questions, he tells them, "Existence is also
non-existence. But within non-existence there is no existence." It is
all sophistry and does not stand up under scrutiny.
Because of these speculations, which are empty sophistries, he will
fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature. This
is the fifth externalist teaching, in which one postulates four
distorted, false theories that are total speculation based on the
sophistry of immortality.
(36)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is
firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate on the endless flow, he
could fall into error with the confused idea that forms exist after
death.
He may strongly identify with his body and say that form is himself;
or he may see himself as perfectly encompassing all worlds and say
that he contains form; or he may perceive all external conditions as
contingent upon himself and say that form belongs to him; or he may
decide that he relies on the continuity of the formations Skandha and
say that he is within form.
In all of these speculations, he says that form exists after death.
Considering back and forth in this way, he comes up with sixteen cases
of the existence of forms.
Then he may speculate that afflictions are always afflictions, and
Bodhi is always Bodhi, and the two exist side by side without
contradicting each other.
Because of these speculations about what exists after death, he will
fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature. This
is the sixth externalist teaching, which postulates confused theories
of the existence of forms after death in the realm of the five
skandhas.
(37)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, such a good person's mind
is firm, unmoving, and proper, and can no longer be disturbed by
demons. He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of
beings and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and
constant fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate on the skandhas of
form, feeling, and thinking, which have already ended, he could fall
into error with the confused idea that form do not exist after death.
Seeing that his form is gone, his physical shape seems to lack a
cause. As he contemplates the absence of thought, there is nothing to
which his mind can become attached. Knowing that his feelings are
gone, he has no further involvements. Those skandhas have vanished.
Although there is still some coming into being, there is no feeling or
thought, and he concludes that he is like grass or wood.
Since those qualities do not exist at present, how can there be any
existence of forms after death? Because of his examinations and
comparisons, he decides that after death there is no existence.
Expanding the idea, he comes up with eight cases of the non-existence
of forms.
From that, he may speculate that Nirvana and cause and effect are all
empty, that they are mere names, which ultimately do not exist.
Because of those speculations that forms does not exist after death,
he will fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi
nature. This is the seventh externalist teaching, which postulates
confused theories of the nonexistence of forms after death in the
realm of the five skandhas.
(38)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is f irm
firm
, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. In this state where the Skandha of formations remains,
but the skandhas of feeling and thinking are gone, if he begins to
speculate that there is both existence and non-existence, thus
contradicting himself, he could fall into error with confused theories
that deny both existence and non-existence after death.
Regarding form, feeling, and thinking, he sees that existence is not
really existence. Within the flow of the formations Skandha, he sees
that non-existence is not really non-existence.
Considering back and forth in this way, he thoroughly investigates the
realms of these skandhas and derives an eightfold negation of form. No
matter which Skandha is mentioned, he says that after death, it
neither exists nor does not exist.
Further, because he speculates that all formations are changing in
nature, an "insight" flashes through his mind, leading him to derive a
negation of both existence and non-existence. He cannot determine what
is unreal and what is real.
Because of these speculations that deny both existence and
non-existence after death, the future is murky to him and he cannot
say anything about it. Therefore, he will fall into externalism and
become confused about the Bodhi nature. This is the eighth externalist
teaching, which postulates confused theories that deny both existence
and non-existence after death in the realm of the five skandhas.
(39)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is
firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate that there is no existence
after death, he could fall into error with seven theories of the
cessation of existence.
He may speculate that the body will cease to exist; or that when
desire has ended, there is cessation of existence; or that after
suffering has ended, there is cessation of existence; or that when
bliss reaches an ultimate point, there is cessation of existence; or
that when renunciation reaches an ultimate point, there is cessation
of existence.
Considering back and forth in this way, he exhaustively investigates
the limits of the seven places and sees that they have already ceased
to be and will not exist again.
Because of these speculations that existence ceases after death, he
will fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi nature.
This is the ninth externalist teaching, which postulates confused
theories of the cessation of existence after death in the realm of the
five skandhas.
(40)
Further, in his practice of samadhi, the good person's mind is
firm, unmoving, and proper and can no longer be disturbed by demons.
He can thoroughly investigate the origin of all categories of beings
and contemplate the source of the subtle, fleeting, and constant
fluctuation. But if he begins to speculate on existence after death,
he could fall into error with five theories of Nirvana.
He may consider the heavens of the Desire Realm a true refuge, because
he contemplates their extensive brightness and longs for it; or he may
take refuge in the First Dhyana, because there his nature is free from
worry; or he may take refuge in the Second Dhyana, because there his
mind is free from suffering; or he may take refuge in the Third
Dhyana, because he delights in its extreme joy; or he may take refuge
in the Fourth Dhyana, reasoning that suffering and bliss are both
ended there and that he will no longer undergo transmigration.
These heavens are subject to outflows, but in his confusion he thinks
that they are unconditioned; and he takes these five states of
tranquility to be refuges of supreme purity. Considering back and
forth in this way, he decides that these five states are ultimate.
Because of these speculations about five kinds of immediate Nirvana,
he will fall into externalism and become confused about the Bodhi
nature. This is the tenth externalist teaching, which postulates
confused theories of five kinds of immediate Nirvana in the realm of
the five skandhas.
Ananda, all ten of these crazy explanations may occur in Dhyana as
one's mental effort interacts with the formations Skandha. That is why
these "insights" appear.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, they mistake their confusion for
understanding and say that they have become Sages, thereby uttering a
great lie. They will fall into the Relentless Hells.
After my Nirvana, all of you should pass on the Tathagata's teachings,
transmitting and revealing them to those in the Dharma-ending Age, so
that living beings everywhere can awaken to these truths. Do not let
demons arise in their minds and cause them to commit grave offenses.
Offer protection so that deviant views will be eradicated.
Teach them to awaken to true principles in body and mind, so that they
do not stray off the Unsurpassed Path. Do not let them aspire to and
be content with small attainments. You should become kings of great
enlightenment and serve as guides of purity.
End of the Formations Skandha
Shurangama Sutra
Volume 8, Part Five
Ananda, when that good person, in cultivating samadhi, has put an end
to the formations Skandha, the subtle, fleeting fluctuations--the
deep, imperceptible, pivotal source and the common foundation from
which all life in the world springs--are suddenly obliterated. In the
submerged network of retributive karma of the Pudgala, the karmic
resonances
resonance's
are interrupted.
There is about to be a great illumination in the sky of Nirvana. It
is like gazing east at the cock's last crow to see the bright glow of
dawn already appearing. The six sense faculties are empty and still;
there is no further racing about. Inside and outside there is a
profound brightness. He enters without entering. Fathoming the
original life-source of the twelve categories of beings throughout the
ten directions, he can contemplate that source without being drawn
into any of the categories. He has already become identical with the
realms of the ten directions. The bright glow does not fade, and what
was obscure and hidden is revealed. This is the region of the
consciousness Skandha.
If he has already become identical with the beckoning masses, he may
obliterate the individuality of the six gates and succeed in uniting
and opening them. Seeing and hearing become linked so that they
function interchangeably and purely. The worlds of the ten directions
and his own body and mind are as bright and transparent as vaidurya.
This is the end of the consciousness Skandha. This person can then
transcend the turbidity of life spans. Contemplating the cause of the
consciousness Skandha, one sees that the negation of existence and the
negation of non-existence are both unreal, and that upside-down false
thoughts are its source.
(41)
Ananda, you should know that the good person has thoroughly seen
the formations Skandha as empty, and he must return consciousness to
the source. He has already ended production and destruction, but he
has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
He can cause the individual sense faculties of his body to unite and
open. He also has a pervasive awareness of all the categories of
beings in the ten directions. Since his awareness is pervasive, he can
enter the perfect source. But if he regards what he is returning to as
the cause of true permanence and interprets this as a supreme state,
he will fall into the error of holding to that cause. Kapila the
Sankhyan, with his theory of returning to the Truth of the Unmanifest
Un-manifest
, will become his companion. Confused about the Bodhi of
the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the first state, in which he creates a place to which to
return, based on the idea that there is something to attain. He strays
far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of
Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds of externalism.
(42)
Further, Ananda, the good person has thoroughly seen the
formations Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and
destruction, but he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of
ultimate serenity.
He may regard that to which he is returning as his own body and see
all living beings in the twelve categories throughout space as flowing
forth from his body. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he will
fall into the error of maintaining that he has an ability, which he
does not really have. Maheshvara, who manifests his boundless body,
will become his companion. Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he
will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the second state, in which he creates a specific ability based
on the idea that he has such an ability. He strays far from perfect
penetration and turns his back on the City of Nirvana, thus sowing the
seeds for being born in the Heaven of Great Pride where the self is
considered all-pervading all pervading
and perfect.
(3)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
If he regards what he is returning to as a refuge, he will suspect
that his body and mind come forth from there, and that all things in
the ten directions of space arise from there as well. He will explain
that that place from which all things issue forth is the truly
permanent body, which is not subject to production and destruction.
While still within production and destruction, he prematurely reckons
that he abides in permanence. Since he is deluded about
non-production, he is also confused about production and destruction.
He is sunk in confusion. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he
will fall into the error of taking what is not permanent to be
permanent. He will speculate that the God of Sovereignty (Ishvaradeva)
is his companion. Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will
lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the third state, in which he makes a false speculation based
on the idea that there is a refuge. He strays far from perfect
penetration and turns his back on the City of Nirvana, thus sowing the
seeds of an a
distorted view of perfection.
(44)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
Based on his idea that there is universal awareness, he formulates a
theory that all the plants and trees in the ten directions are
sentient, not different from human beings. He claims that plants and
trees can become people, and that when people die they again become
plants and trees in the ten directions. If he considers this idea of
unrestricted, universal awareness to be supreme, he will fall into the
error of maintaining that what is not aware has awareness. Vasishtha
and Sainika, who maintained the idea of comprehensive awareness, will
become his companions. Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he
will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the fourth state, in which he creates an erroneous
interpretation based on the idea that there is a universal awareness.
He strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City
of Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds of a distorted view of awareness.
(45)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
If he has attained versatility in the perfect fusion and
interchangeable functioning of the sense faculties, he may speculate
that all things arise from these perfect transformations. He then
seeks the light of fire, delights in the purity of water, loves the
wind's circuitous flow, and contemplates the accomplishments of the
earth. He reveres and serves them all. He takes these mundane elements
to be a fundamental cause and considers them to be everlasting. He
will then fall into the error of taking what is not production to be
production.
Kashyapa. Kasyapa
and the Brahmans who seek to transcend birth and
death by diligently serving fire and worshipping water will become his
companions. Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will lose his
knowledge and understanding.
This is the fifth state, in which he confusedly pursues the elements,
creating a false cause that leads to false aspirations based on
speculations about his attachment to worship. He strays far from
perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of Nirvana, thus
sowing the seeds of a distorted view of transformation.
(46)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has ended production and destruction, but he has
not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
He may speculate that there is an emptiness within the perfect
brightness, and based on that he denies the myriad transformations,
taking their eternal cessation as his refuge. If he interprets this as
a supreme state, he will fall into the error of taking what is not a
refuge to be a refuge. Those abiding in Shunyata Sunyata
in the Heaven of
[Neither Thought nor] Non-Thought will become his companions. Confused
about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and
understanding.
This is the sixth state, in which he realizes a state of voidness void ness
based on the idea of emptiness within the perfect brightness. He
strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of
Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds of annihilationism annihilation.
(47)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
In the state of perfect permanence, he may bolster his body, hoping to
live for a long time in that subtle and perfect condition without
dying. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he will fall into the
error of being greedy for something unattainable. Asita and those who
seek long life will become his companions. Confused about the Bodhi of
the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the seventh state, in which he creates the false cause of
bolstering and aspires to permanent worldly existence, based on his
attachment to the life-source. He strays far from perfect penetration
and turns his back on the City of Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds for
false thoughts of lengthening life.
(48)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
As he contemplates the interconnection of all lives, he wants to hang
on to worldly enjoyments and is afraid they will come to an end.
Caught up in this thought, he will, by the power of transformation,
seat himself in a lotus flower palace, conjure up an abundance of the
seven precious things, increase his retinue of beautiful women, and
indulge his mind. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he will
fall into the error of taking what is not the truth to be the truth.
Vignakara will become his companion. Confused about the Bodhi of the
Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the eighth state, in which he sets up the result of indulging
in worldly enjoyments, based on the cause of his deviant thinking. He
strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of
Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds for becoming a demon of the heavens.
(49)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
In his understanding of life, he distinguishes the subtle and the
coarse and determines the true and the false. But he only seeks a
response in the mutual repayment of cause and effect, and he turns his
back on the Way of Purity. In the practice of seeing suffering,
eliminating accumulation, realizing cessation, and cultivating the
Way, he dwells in cessation and stops there, making no further
progress. If he interprets this as a supreme state, he will fall and
become a fixed-nature Hearer. Unlearned Sanghans Sanghas
and those of
overweening pride will become his companions. Confused about the Bodhi
of the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge and understanding.
This is the ninth state, in which he aspires toward the fruition of
cessation, based on perfecting the mind that seeks responses. He
strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of
Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds for becoming enmeshed in emptiness.
(50)
Further, the good person has thoroughly seen the formations
Skandha as empty. He has already ended production and destruction, but
he has not yet perfected the subtle wonder of ultimate serenity.
In that perfectly fused, pure, bright enlightenment, as he
investigates the profound wonder, he may take it to be Nirvana and
fail to make further progress. If he interprets this as a supreme
state, he will fall and become a fixed-nature Pratyeka. Those
Enlightened by Conditions and Solitarily Enlightened Ones who do not
turn their minds to the Great Vehicle will become his companions.
Confused about the Bodhi of the Buddhas, he will lose his knowledge
and understanding.
This is the tenth state, in which he realizes the fruition of profound
brightness based on fusing the mind with perfect enlightenment. He
strays far from perfect penetration and turns his back on the City of
Nirvana, thus sowing the seeds for being unable to surpass his
attachment to the brightness of perfect enlightenment.
Ananda, these ten states of Dhyana are due to crazy explanations along
the way. Relying on them, the cultivator becomes confused and claims
to have attained complete realization before actually having done so.
All these states are the result of interactions between the
consciousness Skandha and his mental efforts.
Dull and confused living beings do not evaluate themselves.
Encountering such situations, their minds are confused by their
individual likings and past habits, so they stop to rest in what they
take to be the ultimate refuge. They claim to have fully realized
unsurpassed Bodhi, thus uttering a great lie. After their karmic
retribution as externalists and deviant demons comes to an end, they
will fall into the Relentless Hells. The Hearers and Those Enlightened
by Conditions cannot make further progress.
All of you should cherish the resolve to sustain the Way of the
Tathagata. After my Nirvana, transmit this Dharma-door to those in the
Dharma-ending Age, universally causing living beings to awaken to its
meaning. Do not let the demons of views cause them to create their own
grave offenses and fall fall!
Protect, comfort, and compassionately rescue
them and dispel evil conditions. Enable them to enter the Buddhas'
knowledge and understanding with body and mind so that from the
beginning to the final accomplishment they never go astray.
It is by relying on this Dharma-door that the Tathagatas of the past,
as many as fine motes of dust in eons as many as the Ganges' sands,
have enlightened their minds and attained the Unsurpassed Way.
When the consciousness Skandha ends, your present sense faculties will
function interchangeably. Within that interchangeable functioning, you
will be able to enter the Bodhisattvas' Vajra Dry Wisdom. In your
perfect, bright, pure mind, there will be a transformation.
It will be like pure vaidurya that contains a precious moon, and in
that way you will transcend the Ten Faiths, the Ten Dwellings the Ten
Practices, the Ten Transferences, the Four Additional Practices, the
Vajra-like Ten Grounds of a Bodhisattva's practice, and the perfect
brightness of Equal Enlightenment.
You will enter the Tathagata's sea of wondrous adornments, perfect the
cultivation of Bodhi, and return to the state of non-attainment.
These are subtle demonic states that all Buddhas, World Honored Ones,
of the past, discerned with their enlightened clarity while in the
state of Shamatha-Vipashyana.
I2 Orders him to recognize the demonic states, and to protect and
uphold the samadhi
.
If you can recognize a demonic state when it appears and wash away the
filth in your mind, you will not fall into error with deviant views.
The demons of the skandhas will melt away, and the demons of the
heavens will be obliterated. The mighty ghosts and spirits will lose
their wits and flee. And the li, mei, and wang liang will not dare to
show themselves again.
You will directly arrive at Bodhi without the slightest weariness,
progressing from lower positions to Great Nirvana without becoming
confused or discouraged.
If there are living beings in the Dharma-ending Age who delight in
cultivating samadhi, but who are stupid and dull, who fail to
recognize the importance of Dhyana, or who have not heard the Dharma
spoken, you should be concerned lest they get caught up in deviant
ways. You should single-mindedly exhort them to uphold the Dharani
Mantra of the Buddha's Summit. If they cannot recite it from memory,
they should have it written out and placed it in the Dhyana Meditation
Hall or wear on their person. Then none of the demons will be able to
disturb them.
You should revere this final paradigm of the ultimate cultivation and
progress by the Tathagatas of the ten directions.
Ananda then arose from his seat. Having heard the Buddha's
instruction, he bowed and respectfully upheld it, remembering every
word and forgetting none. Then once more in the great assembly he
spoke to the Buddha, "The Buddha has told us that in the manifestation
of the five skandhas, there are five kinds of falseness that come from
our own thinking minds. We have never before been blessed with such
subtle and wonderful instructions as the Tathagata has now given."
"Further, are these five skandhas obliterated all at the same time, or
are they extinguished in sequence? What are the boundaries of these
five layers?"
"We only hope the Tathagata, out of great compassion, will explain
this in order to purify the eyes and illuminate the minds of those in
the great assembly, and in order to serve as eyes for living beings of
the future."
The Buddha told Ananda, "The essential, true, wonderful brightness and
perfect purity of basic enlightenment does not admit birth and death,
nor any mundane defilements, nor even empty space itself. All these
are brought forth because of false thinking.
The source of basic enlightenment, which is wonderfully bright, true,
and pure, falsely gives rise to the material world, just as Yajnadatta
became confused about his head when he saw his own reflection.
The falseness basically has no cause, but in your false thinking, you
set up causes and conditions. But those who are confused about the
principle of causes and conditions call it spontaneity. Even empty
space is an illusory creation. How much the more so are causes and
conditions and spontaneity, which are mere speculations, made by the
false minds of living beings.
Ananda, if you perceive the arising of falseness, you can speak of the
causes and conditions of that falseness. But if the falseness has no
source, you will have to say that the causes and conditions of that
falseness basically have no source. How much the more is this the case
for those who fail to understand this and advocate spontaneity.
Therefore, the Tathagata has explained to you that the fundamental
cause of all five skandhas is false thinking.
Your body's initial cause was a thought on the part of your parents.
But if you had not entertained any thought in your own mind, you would
not have been born. It is by means of thought that life is
perpetuated.
As I have said before, when you call to mind the taste of vinegar,
your mouth waters. When you think of walking along a precipice, the
soles of your feet tingle. Since the precipice doesn't exist and there
isn't any vinegar, how could your mouth be watering at the mere
mention of vinegar, if it were not the case that your body came from
falseness?
Therefore, you should know that your present physical body is brought
about by the first kind of false thinking, which is characterized by
solidity.
As described earlier, merely thinking about a high place can actually
cause your body to tingle and ache.
Due to that cause, feelings arise and affect your physical body, so
that at present you pursue favorable feelings and are repelled by
adverse feelings. These two kinds of feelings that compel you are
brought about by the second kind of false thinking, which is
characterized by illusory clarity.
Once your thoughts arise, they can control your body. Since your body
is not the same as your thoughts, and yet, why is it that your body
follows your thoughts and engage in every sort of grasping at objects?
A thought arises and the body grasps in response to the thought.
When you are awake, your mind thinks. When you are asleep, you dream.
Thus your thinking is stirred to perceive false situations. This is
the third kind of false thinking, which is characterized by
interconnectedness.
The metabolic processes never stop; they progress through subtle
changes: your nails become long, your hair grows, your energy wanes,
and your skin becomes wrinkled. By day and by night the processes
continue, and yet you never wake up to them.
If these things aren't part of you, Ananda, then why does your body
keep changing? And if they are really part of you, then why aren't you
aware of them?
Your formations Skandha continues in thought after thought without
cease. It is the fourth kind of false thinking, which is characterized
as subtle and hidden.
Finally, if your pure, bright, clear, and unmoving state is permanent,
then there should be no seeing, hearing, awareness or knowing in your
body. If it is genuinely pure and true, it should not contain habits
and falseness.
How does it happen, then, that having seen some unusual thing in the
past, you eventually forget it over time, until neither memory nor
forgetfulness of it remain; but then later, upon suddenly seeing that
unusual thing again, you remember it clearly from before without one
detail omitted? How can you reckon the permeation, which goes on in
thought after thought in this pure, clear, and unmoving consciousness?
Ananda, you should know that this state of clarity is not real. It is
like rapidly flowing water that appears to be still on the surface.
Because of its rapid speed, you cannot perceive the flow, but that
does not mean it is not flowing. If this were not the source of
thinking, then how could one be subject to false habits?
If you do not open and unite your six sense faculties so that they
function interchangeably, this false thinking will never cease.
That's why your seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are presently
strung together by subtle habits, such that within the profound
clarity, existence and non-existence are both illusory. This is the
fifth kind of upside-down, minutely subtle thinking.
Ananda, these five skandhas of reception develop with five kinds of
false thinking.
You also wanted to know the depth and scope of each realm. Form and
emptiness are the boundaries of form. Contact and separation are the
boundaries of feeling. Remembering and forgetting are the boundaries
of thinking. Destruction and production are the boundaries of
formations. Deep purity entering to unite with deep purity belongs to
the boundaries of consciousness.
At their source, these five skandhas arise in layers. Their arising is
due to consciousness. Their cessation begins with the elimination of
form.
You may have a sudden awakening to the principle, at which point they
all simultaneously vanish. But in terms of the specifics, they are
eliminated not all at once, but in sequence.
I have already shown you the knots tied in the Karpasa cloth. What is
it that you do not understand, that causes you to ask about it again?
You should gain a thorough understanding of the origin of this false
thinking and then transmit your understanding to cultivators in the
future Dharma-ending Age. Let them recognize this falseness and
naturally give rise to deep disdain for it. Let them know of Nirvana
so that they will not linger in the Triple Realm.
Ananda, suppose someone were to present a quantity of the seven
precious things that filled the space in the ten directions to as many
Buddhas as there are motes of dust, attentively serving and making
offerings to them without letting a moment go by in vain. Do you think
this person would reap many blessings from making such an offering to
the Buddhas?
Ananda answered, "Since space is limitless, the precious things would
be boundless. In the past, someone gave the Buddha seven coins and
consequently was reborn as a Wheel-turning King in his next life. As
to this person who now fills up all of space and all the Buddhalands Buddha lands
with an offering of precious things that could not be reckoned through
endless eons, how could there be a limit to his blessings?"
The Buddha told Ananda, "All Buddhas, Tathagatas, speak words which
are not false. There might be another person who had personally
committed the Four Major Offenses and the Ten Parajikas so that, in an
instant, he would have to pass through the Avichi Hells in this world
and other worlds, until he had passed through all the Relentless Hells
in the ten directions without exception."
And yet, if he could explain this Dharma-door for even just the space
of a thought to those in the Dharma-ending Age who have not yet
studied it, his obstacles from offenses would be eradicated in
response to that thought, and all the hells where he was to undergo
suffering would become lands of peace and bliss.
The blessings he would obtain would surpass those of the person
previously mentioned by hundreds of thousands of millions of billions
of times, indeed by so many times that no calculations or analogies
could express it.
Ananda, if living beings are able to recite this Sutra and uphold this
mantra, I could not describe in endless kalpas how great the
advantages will be. Rely on the teaching I have spoken. Cultivate in
accord with it, and you will directly realize Bodhi without
encountering demonic karma.
When the Buddha finished speaking this Sutra, the Bhikshus,
Bhikshunis, Bhiksunis
,
Upasakas, Upasikas, and all the gods, humans, and asuras in this
world, as well as all the Bodhisattvas, those of the Two Vehicles,
Sages, immortals, and pure youths in other directions, and the mighty
ghosts and spirits of initial resolve all felt el elated, made obeisance,
and withdrew.
End Text
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