sixth patriarch's sutra december 21, 2012 lecture

7/30/2019 Sixth Patriarch's Sutra December 21, 2012 lecture

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The Sixth Patriarchs Sutra7:30pm Pacific timeDecember 21, 2012 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monkat 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, California 94010, open to public(phone 650-6925912)

(Listen live or recorded audio explanations at

www.wondrousdharma.org)

Q&A Ear organ method is to pay attention to andsilence your own mind

Chapter 6 Repentance and reform the 3 refuges

[Subscribe to the free Dharma newsletter atwww.wondrousdharma.org]


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Verse for opening a sutra

Na Mwo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha (3x)

Homage to the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (3x)

The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma,

In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to encounter,

Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my sight andhearing,

I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true and actual meaning.

Exhortation to uphold the Dharma: 16

The power of my wisdom, the unlimited illumination of my wisdom is suchthat my l ifespan is one of countless eons, attained through longcultivation and work. Those of you with wisdom, should not havedoubts about this . Cut them off entirely and forever, for the Buddhaswords are real and not false. (The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra)


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Q&A

Question: Is the method of the organ of the ear about listening to

silence, cutting off speech? NO

Answer: The intent of the method of the organ of the ear is about

silencing the mind and not just silencing external sound; in a

quiet forest there is no sound but the mind is noisy.

First, I redirected my hearing inward in order to enter the

current of the sages. Then external sounds disappeared.

External sounds disappeared from the mind just as in the case

of our mind not paying attention to the clock ticking in the room.3


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Q&A

With the direction of my hearing reversed and with sounds

stilled, both sounds and silence cease to arise. (ShurangamaSutra)

In a silent room, you noticed the clock ticking. Why?

Because of the silence, there is sound of clock ticking when you

pay attention to it; but when you pay attention to your random

thoughts, you dont notice the silence and the sound of the

clock ticking.

There is a third internal sound the thoughts in your mind that

block out the silence in the room and the clock ticking.4


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Q&A

Therefore the method of the organ of the ear is not about trying

to listen to silence but disengaging from the external sounds so

that

our minds are not moved by sounds and silence as the Sutra

says,

All that you need to do is not allow your attention (mind) to

be diverted by the twelve conditioned attributes of sound

and silence, contact and separation, flavor and absence offlavor, openness and blockage, coming into being and

perishing, and light and darkness. Next extricate one

faculty by detaching it from its objects. (Shurangama Sutra)

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Q&A

Silence is also an object of distraction; do not attach to the

sound of silence

a deaf person hears silence but his mind is still confused

with random thoughts.

The method of the organ of the ear is to guide you to prajna

emptiness (silence in mind) and not to silence the sound nor

become attached to silence

So it was that, as I gradually progressed, and what I heard

and my awareness of what I heard came to an end.

(Shurangama Sutra)6


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Q&A

To reach a state of emptiness, it is important to note that the

method of the organ of the ear is about the state of our own

mind as

Nevertheless, since beings have allowed their attention to

be drawn to sights and sound and have allowedthemselves to be carried along in their stream of thoughts,

as it has been since time without beginning, they have not

yet awakened and do not yet understand the purity and

wondrousness, and the permanence of their own essential

nature. (Shurangama Sutra)

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Q&A

Instead of attending to what is everlasting (emptiness), they

attend to what comes into being and perishes (the interaction of

sounds and silence) and hold fast to what is true and everlasting

(the state of emptiness in which even emptiness is emptied), then the light ofeverlasting will appear(inherent prajna wisdom will appear) and as a

result the faculties, their objects and the sense

consciousness will fade away and disappear.(Shurangama

Sutra)

The Buddha told the common example of a man who is asleep

yet he is able to use his true mind to listen to the sound ofbeating of clothes but mistaken it to be the sound of the drum

because his conscious mind misinterpret it as the sound of the

beating of a drum.8


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Q&A

The true mind listens but it is covered up and confused by the

interpretation of the sixth conscious mind.

Because we have not put down ignorance, all of our thoughts

are tainted with the appearance of self and others, love and

hate.

Because of initial thought, more thoughts and emotions appear

in our mind 9


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Q&A

By entirely disengaging yourself from two impurities

defiled mental processes and defiled emotional attachment

to those processes your Dharma eye will become clear

and bright. How could you fail to go on to realize asupreme understanding and awakening? (Shurangama Sutra)

If you think of plums, your mouth waters; if you dont think ofplums, your mouth doesnt water.

Ultimately the method of the organ of the ear is to lead you to

cut off false thinking from the conscious mind and attachment to

appearances; this is the state of initial prajna emptiness similar

to the Stage of Patience in the Four Additional Practices 10


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Q&A

Their minds and the minds of the Buddhas had been

separate, but now they have become one. They gain true

understanding of the Middle Way. They are like someone

who endures something that cannot be repressed and yetcannot be expressed. This is called the Stage of Patience.

Being patient, you empty people and empty your thoughts;

essentially the method of the ear organ leads us to listen within

to recognize the false thought and not built upon it because

everything is empty.

What is the Middle Way?...

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Q&A

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, The self nature is the MiddleWay.

Your true mind is neither right nor wrong, neither true nor false.

In your true mind there are no thoughts of good or evil.

Therefore the Sixth Patriarch asked Hui MingWith nothoughts of good and with no thoughts of evil, at just this

moment, what is the Superior One Hui Mings original face? He

posed this question to reveal that there is neither good nor evil

in the true mind. As they say in philosophy, It has no head or

tail.

Even when that state of mind in which everything hadcome to an end disappeared, I did not rest.

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Q&A

My awareness and the objects of my awareness were

emptied, and when that process of emptying my awareness

was wholly complete, then even that emptying and what

had been emptied vanished.

Coming into being and ceasing to be themselves ceased to

be. Then the ultimate stillness was revealed. (ShurangamaSutra)

Emptiness was pulverized, the mad mind ceased (silenced)-

this is the ultimate intent of the method of the organ of the ear

and certainly it is not about being attached to the object of

silence but about silencing the deluded thoughts within our

minds 13


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Q&A

When all delineations have melted away, these good

people no longer distinguish between confusion and

enlightenment and the Middle Way. This is called the Stage

of Preeminence in the world. (Shurangama Sutra)

When you cease the mad discriminating mind or silenced/quietyour mind then,

One day of practice that relies on a fully effective faculty

is equivalent to an eon of practice that relies on a faculty

that is not fully effective. (Shurangama Sutra)14


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Q&A

Where does the ceasing the mad mind and method of theorgan of the ear converge?

1. You hear and at the same time you hear as if not hearing

because the mind does not pay attention nor register the

sound, without thinking of good or evil,

unless it is directed at you and in this case you should

respond with prajna wisdom of not being deluded at all times.

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Q&A

2. Use your ear to listen within so that you pay attention to your

thoughts, recognize the false thoughts when they arise by not

making further judgment, or accepting nor rejecting or register

in your mind because

All dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are notproduced. Not destroyed. Not defiled, not pure. They

neither increase nor diminish.(Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra)

The mind without false thinking or the concentrated mind is the

original true mind which is empty and still.

Then 16


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Q&A

Every day peaceful; every day happy because random thoughts

have fizzled away!

Next week lecture: Elaborate and apply the principle in the

Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra and the method of the organ ofthe ear.

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

From this day forward, we call enlightenment our master

and will never again take refuge with deviant demons or

outside religions. We constantly enlighten ourselves bymeans of the Triple Jewel of our own self-nature.

Comments

Taking refuge with the Three Jewels mean that we want to

transform ourselves from confusion into enlightenment.

What is the Three Jewels of our own self nature?....

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Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, I exhort you all to take refuge

with the Triple Jewel of your own nature: the Buddha,

which is enlightenment, the Dharma, which is right, and theSangha, which is pure.

Comments

The Three Jewels of our self nature is to always use our

wisdom nature, always adhere to the teaching that is apart from

desire and defilement.

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Sutra:

When your mind takes refuge with enlightenment, deviant

confusion does not arise. Desire decreases, so that you

know contentment and are able to keep away from wealthand from the opposite sex. That is called the honored, the

doubly complete.

Comments

Our enlightened nature has no confusion; it is our inherent

prajna wisdom.

Our enlightened nature is free of desire in particular emotional

love that causes us to continue in the six destinies; it is our

limitless blessings.20


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Why is our blessings limitless when we are free of desire?

Desire is like a bottomless pit that flows out.

When desire is absent through contentment then there is nooutflow.

Without outflow is to have limitless blessings; the Honored One

apart from desire.

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Sutra:

When your own mind takes refuge with what is right, there

are no deviant views in any of your thoughts. Because

there are no deviant views, there is no self, other,arrogance, greed, love, or attachment. That is called the

honored that is apart from desire.

Comments

The right frame of mind is to be apart from the deviant views

that cling to desire as a result of a false self.

Because there is a self, there is then others as distinguished

from self. 22


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Because there is a self, there is arrogance, the sign of superior

self over others.

Because there is a self, there is greed, love and attachmentsthat benefits the self.

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Sutra:

When your own mind takes refuge with the pure, your

self-nature is not stained by attachment to any state of

defilement, desire or love. That is called the honoredamong the multitudes.

Comments

It is the mind that takes refuge with the pure.

Purity is the absence of defilement and outflowing of desire and

love.

Having limitless blessings, one is honored all.

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Sutra:

If you cultivate this practice, you take refuge with

yourself.

Comments

Why do we take refuge with ourselves?

We take refuge with the Buddha within us; our original mind

which is eternally pure but presently covered by confusion.

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Because our mind is presently covered with confusion, we take

refuge with the purity within ourselves when:

Our minds ceasing evil ten evil deeds itself is ten good deeds.

Our minds turn overfrom what is deviant to proper.

Our minds turn overfrom jealousy into rejoicing in merit of

others.

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Sutra:

Common people do not understand that, and so, from

morning to night, they take the triple-refuge precepts. They

say they take refuge with the Buddha, but where is theBuddha? If they cannot see the Buddha, how can they

return to him? Their talk is absurd.

Comments

Confusion about the original perfect understanding

results in delusion, but this delusion has no essential

nature; it is based on nothing.

One may wish to return to what is real, but to wish for the

real is falsification.27


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The true nature of the suchness of reality is not a reality

that one can seek to return to.

If one were to try to return to it, one would merely

experience something that does not have the attribute of

reality.(Shurangama Sutra)

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Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, each of you examine

yourselves. Do not make wrong use of the mind. The

Avatamsaka Sutra clearly states that you should takerefuge with your own Buddha, not with some other

Buddha. If you do not take refuge with the Buddha in

yourself, there is no one you can rely on.

Comments

Making wrong use of the mind is to go chasing outside yourselfto find the precious pearl that is within our clothing.

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Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, each of you examine

yourselves. Do not make wrong use of the mind. The

Avatamsaka Sutra clearly states that you should takerefuge with your own Buddha, not with some other

Buddha. If you do not take refuge with the Buddha in

yourself, there is no one you can rely on.

Comments

The Buddha within each and every living being is our originalBuddha nature, our original mind.

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Sutra:

Now that you are self-awakened, you should each take

refuge with the Triple Jewel of your own mind.

Comments

Good Knowing Advisors, I exhort you all to take refuge

with the Triple Jewel of your own nature: the Buddha,

which is enlightenment, the Dharma, which is right, and the

Sangha, which is pure.

When your mind takes refuge with enlightenment, deviantconfusion does not arise. Desire decreases, so that you

know contentment and are able to keep away from wealth

and from the opposite sex.31


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When your mind takes refuge with enlightenment, deviant

confusion does not arise. Desire decreases, so that you

know contentment and are able to keep away from wealth

and from the opposite sex. That is called the honored, thedoubly complete. [the Buddha within yourself]

When your own mind takes refuge with what is right, there

are no deviant views in any of your thoughts. Because

there are no deviant views, there is no self, other,

arrogance, greed, love, or attachment. That is called the

honored that is apart from desire. [the Dharma withinyourself]

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When your own mind takes refuge with the pure, your

self-nature is not stained by attachment to any state of

defilement, desire or love. That is called the honoredamong the multitudes. - [the Sangha within yourself]

Because within every living being there is the Triple Jewel, we

should then respect every living being

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Sutra:

Within yourself, regulate your mind and nature; outside

yourself, respect others. That is to take refuge with

yourself.

Comments

If you really understand the Buddhadharma, you will respect

not just your relatives and friends, but everyone even people

who dont know. Instead of slapping someone when you see

him and then throwing mud in his face, you must be the most

respectful toward those who act the worst toward you. This isthe fundamental responsibility of students of Buddhism.

(Venerable Master Hsuan Hua)

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Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, now that you have taken refuge

with the Triple Jewel, you should listen carefully while I

explain to you the three bodies of a single substance, theself-nature of the Buddha, so that you may see the three

bodies and become completely enlightened to your own

self-nature. Repeat after me,

Comments

The 3 bodies of a Buddha is the Dharma body, the reward bodyand the transformation body.

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Sutra:

I take refuge with the clear, pure Dharma-body of the

Buddha within my own body.

Comments

The Dharma body within us is the unmoving thusness.

The myriad dharmas appear when the mind moves.

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Dedication of merit

May every living beings,

Our minds as one and radiant with light

Share the fruits of peace, with hearts of goodness

luminous and bright. If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in

giving unity

May their minds awake, to great compassion, wisdom

and to joy. May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their

grief and pain;

May this boundless light break the darkness of theirendless night.

Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns intoparadise;

May all become compassionate and wise (2x)


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Dedication of merit

I vow that merit made from this deed will become,

Adornments for the Pure Land of Bu-ddhas. Repaying the four kinds of kindness above,

And aiding those in three paths below.

May all who see and hear of this deed Bring forth the resolve to reborn

In the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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sixth patriarch's sutra december 21, 2012 lecture

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