Tonight, we celebrated the birth of Dipankara Buddha,
who was an ancient Buddha who prophesized the enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha
during one of his past lives eons ago.
In his sharing tonight, Acho Rinpoche stressed the
importance of the Diamond Sutra again, saying that it is even more so to a
Mahayanist. A Mahayanist who does not understand the teachings expounded in the
Diamond Sutra has not truly entered the door of the Dharma. Acho Rinpoche also
stressed the importance of the Heart Sutra which has been incorporated into our
daily practice. Heart Sutra is the path to enlightenment; a practitioner who
has not attained the profound wisdom expounded in the Heart Sutra will never reach
the state of enlightenment. One who understands the teachings expounded in the
Heart Sutra will also comprehend the teachings expounded in the Diamond Sutra as
well as the Great Wisdom Sutra; it shows the importance of the Heart Sutra. All
Buddhas actually attained the state of enlightenment expounded in the Heart
Sutra.
We extracted two chapters from the Diamond Sutra for
sharing here.
(Diamond Sutra: Chapter 10 The Sublimity of A Pureland
Sakyamuni Buddha asked Subhuti, “Did I gain anything from
Dipankara Buddha in the past when I met him? What is your view on this?”
Subhuti replied, “No. You did not gain anything from Dipankara Buddha in the
past.” Sakyamuni Buddha asked again, “Subhuti, does a Bodhisattva sublime a
pureland? Subhuti replied, “No. A sublime pureland is actually not what it
appears to be but it is merely named as such.” Sakyamuni Buddha said, “Indeed
so. Subhuti, all the Bodhisttvas and the Mahabodhisattvas should dwell in their
pristine state of awareness undefiled by the mental fabrications caused by the
appearance of form, sound, smell, taste, touch and concepts which are composite
existence transient in nature. They should not let their minds be fixated on
the appearance of such phenomena and thought that they truly existed. Subhuti,
for instance, if a man’s body is as huge as Mt. Sumeru, would you think that his
body is indeed huge?” Subhuti answered, “Yes, it is indeed huge. Why did I say
so? It is because the Buddha has explained that the body of a man is not what
it appears to be but it is merely named as such.”)
The Diamond Sutra interprets every worldly phenomenon
in three different perspectives: 1) that which appears to be; 2) is actually
not what it appears to be; 3) it is just named as what it appears to be. It helps
us understand the true existence of phenomena - they are more than meet the eye.
A phenomenon will first be cognized, then denied, in order to help us understand
its inherent nature of emptiness free of the notion of an independent “self”.
The notion of “self” is actually a misperception of our true state of existence.
The Zen parables are actually hinting to us the state of true existence beyond
our conventional perception. Sakyamuni Buddha gave his teachings in three periods,
with the teachings given in the second period being the hardest to comprehend
as they were related to the notion of emptiness.
Actually, the final stage of practice is about familiarizing
ourselves with our innate state of awareness free of mental fabrications. By
then we will understand that, ultimately speaking, there is no one attaining enlightenment
and there is no “suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and
the path that frees us from suffering”. Therefore, a practitioner only starts
embarking on the journey of true practice after he has truly understood the
meaning of emptiness. One who has attained the state of emptiness would have eradicated
his sense of ego and, therefore, will not fall under the temptations of the evil.
So, when we are doing a prayer here, we are actually not doing a prayer here, thus
we are doing a prayer here. The teaching of emptiness is indeed too profound to
be trusted, let alone comprehended by the sentient beings.
(Diamond Sutra: Chapter 17 The Ultimate State of Selflessness
At the time, Subhuti asked Sakyamuni Budda for advice, “How
should the good men and women who aspire to attain the state of enlightenment
maintain their state of mind and take control of their mental activities
appropriately?”
The Buddha replied, “All good men and women who aspire to attain
the state of enlightenment should think as such, ‘I will help all sentient
beings attain the state of enlightenment but I will not take their corporeal
existence as real, thus there is ultimately no single sentient being who has
attained the state of enlightenment.’ Why so? A Bodhisattva who perceives the self,
a man, sentient beings and age as real is not qualified to be called a
Bodhisattva. Why so? Subhuti, ‘one who aspires to attain the state of
enlightenment’ does not truly exist. Subhuti, did I gain the state of
enlightenment when I met Dipankara Buddha in the past?”
Subhuti answered, “No. As I understand your teaching, you did
not actually gain the state of enlightenment when you met Dipankara Buddha.”
Sakyamuni Buddha said, “Indeed so. Indeed so. Subhuti, I did not
gain the state of enlightenment. Subhuti, had I thought that I had gained the
state of enlightenment, Dipankara Buddha would not have prophesized that I
would become a Buddha in future and be known as Sakyamkuni Buddha. As I had not
gained the state of enlightenment, thus Dipakara Buddha prophesized that ‘You
would become a Buddha in future and you would be known as Sakyamuni Buddha.’
Why so? All phenomena are inherent of the same nature. If someone says that
‘the Buddha had gained enlightenment’ - he is wrong. Subhuti, I did not gain
the state of enlightenment. Subhuti, the state of enlightenment gained by the
Buddha is beyond a dualistic view of existence and non-existence. Thus, I say
that all phenomena are just the Dharma. Subhuti, that which appears to be is
actually not what it appears to be, but merely named as what it appears to be.
Subhuiti, for instance, a huge body…”
Subhuti said, “Buddha has said that a huge body is actually not
what it appears to be but it is merely named as what it appears to be.”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, it is the same for a Bodhisattva. If
he proclaims that ‘I will help all sentient beings gain the state of
enlightenment’, then he is not qualified as a Bodhisattva. Why so? Subhuti, ‘a
Bodhisattva’ is actually not what it appears to be. Thus, the notions of a
self, a man, sentient beings and age are actually not what they appear to be.
Subhuti, if a Bodhisattva proclaims that ‘I will sublime a pureland’, he is not
qualified to be called a Bodhisattva. Why so? It is because the sublimity of a
pureland is actually not what it appears to be, but it is merely named as such.”
Subhuti, a Bodhisattva who has finally attained the state of selflessness is indeed
a true Bodhisattva.”)
We should view all worldly phenomena as dreams and
illusions including our daily activities such as working, eating, walking,
resting, sitting and lying down. We need to be mindful about viewing all
phenomena as illusory and train our mind to think in such manner. We have been
too used to viewing all phenomena in life as real, so it will take a long time
for us to eradicate the old habit. When we feel the sense of pain, we should
learn to view it as empty in nature, which does not truly exist and therefore do
not be bothered by it. Ultimately speaking, we will need to return to our real
home one day – the state of emptiness; only then will we truly attain the state
of ultimate liberation.
Acho Rinpoche has gone through a painful period of
illness lately. However, he views his illness as a normal routine of a human
life which will start with birth and end with aging, falling sick and finally
death. He views his physical pain as a dream and illusion, and his body as such
too. We need to learn to let go of our attachment to our body, in order to attain
the state of liberation. Even if all the sentient beings appeal to a Buddha to
live on perpetually in this world, one day he must still pass away and leave
this world behind. So, we should focus our attention on the practice which is
more important than to lament on our illness. We should learn to view all
phenomena as empty in nature and even enjoy the sickness when it comes. Acho
Rinpoche said that if he does not fall sick, how could he cure others of their
illnesses; he will need to take on the sufferings of others when he blesses them,
thus freeing them from sufferings.
On a separate note, Acho Rinpoche reminded us that a
Vajrayanist should never assume that his personal spiritual attainment could
ever surpass that of his root guru; otherwise he will certainly fall into the
evil path. In fact, a root guru is the source of all blessings received by a
student. This is indeed a very unique teaching of the Vajrayana.
Reported
by Sun-Moon KFS on 15-10-2016
