wondrous dharma issue 30 - september 2012

7/31/2019 Wondrous Dharma Issue 30 - September 2012

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N nAugust 1, 2012

Volume 2, Issue 29

WondrousDharma

Activities at theInternational

TranslationInstitute,Burlingame, CA

are free to the

public:

Sixth PatriarchsSutra lecture

Fridays 7:45pm

to 8:45pm

Repentance

ceremony

Saturdays 1pm

to 2pm

Chan meditation

Saturdays 2pm

to 3pm

Buddhism for

beginners

Saturdays 3pm

to 4pm

Individual Highlights:

Interpreting the Vajra

Sutra with the 6th

Patriarchs

Sutra..2

Meditation simplified

lesson 28..3

Buddhism made easy

Lesson 28....3

Patiently cease the

mad mind......4

Holding the Mantra

part 13....4

Wondrous Dharma is the newsletter on the dharma events at the premise of theInternational Translation Institute, 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010Telephone (650) 692-5912 E-mail: [email protected];www.wondrousdharma.org

The Bodhisattva Manjusri of

great wisdom describes the

universe as like a bubble in a

sea of enlightenment. The seaof enlightenment is our

original mind and yet the

Bodhisattva says that the

universe is like a bubble. How

small this universe is and how

enormous our mind is! How

fast a bubble is formed and

disappear; how quick is zillions

of years! The reality is that

this universe is ultimately

empty and unmoving because

when the bubble of confusion

burst, when you return to the

sea of enlightenment, did this

universe exist?

Recently, science confirms that

the subatomic particles gave

the atoms its mass. The

lowest unit of form is an atom;

the subatomic particles would

be emptiness. The Buddha

said, In its most subtle aspect,

the primary element earth

appears as particles (atoms)that are so fine that they can

hardly be distinguished from

space itself. If these minute

particles were divided into

seven parts, they would then

be as small as perceived

objects can be (that is

subatomic particles)

Therefore, form is emptiness

as form (atoms) is a collection

of subatomic particles because

the Buddha continues to say,

If they were divided further

nothing would be left but

space. The division of seven

parts is taken as a metaphor

The universe is like a bubble in a seato mean change that is changing

from form (atom) into

emptiness (sub-atoms) This

emptiness must bedistinguished from space as the

Buddha said, In fact, when

perceived objects are

aggregated or merged, they do

not become part of space, and

when space is accumulated, it

does not become a perceived

object. (Subatomic particle)

Yet space in the universe exists

only in the minds of the

confused as the Buddha said,

But their thinking is deluded

and they have a confused view

of the truth, so they stubbornly

cling to emotional attachments.

As a result, space appears, and

as they become more and more

confused, worlds come into

beingYou should know that

space is created within the

mind.If you discover your true

reality by returning to the

source, space throughout the

ten directions will disappear.Another interpretation of form

is emptiness is that form is the

perceptible particles of atoms

and sub atoms whereas

emptiness is the space. The

ultimate interpretation is that

form is the entire universe

being empty in nature because

it came from true emptiness

whilst confusion exists.

Chan Master (CM) Bhadra said:

Form does not differ fromemptiness; emptiness does not

differ from form. Whatever is

form, that is emptiness;

whatever is emptiness that is

form. Ultimately what is

form and emptiness?

Dharma Master (DM)Tao

Sheng replied, The totality of

mass of fine dust motes is

called form. The mass of fine

dust motes, devoid of self

nature, is called emptiness.

CM Bhadra: When a mass of

fine dust motes is not

collected together, what is

that called?

DM Tao Sheng was

speechless.

CM Bhadra:You only know

the result that form is

emptiness; you do not know

the cause of form and

emptiness. Because one fine

mote of dust is empty the

mass of fine motes are

empty. Because the mass of

fine motes are empty, each

motes of dust is also empty.

In the emptiness of one fine

mote of dust, there is no

mass of fine dust motes. In

the emptiness of a mass of

fine dust motes, there is not a

single fine mote of dust

essentially implying that

when confusion ceasesno

emptiness, no form just

absolute nothingness

returning to the source

where all dharmas are

empty of characteristics.

Venerable Elder Master Xu

Yun said, Emptiness ispulverized, the mad mind

ceased. What a confusing

dream it has been to the

Venerable Elder!


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Vajra Sutraextracts

Elaboration in the Sixth Patriarchs Sutra

S 4 Subhuti, theblessings andvirtues of aBodhisattva whodoes not rely onappearanceswhen giving arejust asinconceivable

andimmeasurable.Subhuti, aBodhisattvashould rely onlyon the teachings.

The Master said, There actually was no merit and virtue. Do not doubt the wordsof a sage. Emperor Wu of Liangs mind was wrong; he did not know the rightDharma. Building temples and giving sanction to the Sangha, practicing givingand arranging vegetarian feasts is called seeking blessings. Do not mistakeblessings for merit and virtue. Merit and virtue are in the Dharma body, not in thecultivation of blessings.

Then how do we give such that our giving becomes merit and virtue?The Master further said, Seeing your own nature is merit and equanimity is

virtue. To be unobstructed in every thought, constantly seeing the true, real,wonderful function of your own original nature is called merit and virtue. Innerhumility is merit and the outer practice of reverence is virtue. Your self-natureestablishing the ten thousand dharmas is merit and the mind-substance separatefrom thoughts is virtueIf you seek the merit and virtue of the Dharrma body,simply act according to these principles, for this is true merit and virtue.The act ofgiving is carried out with humility, impartially and reverentially and the mind no longerhaving any thought of a giver, a recipient and the gift. Giving per se is not cultivation;giving becomes cultivation depending upon the state of the mind of the giver. Theaforementioned reminds us that cultivation hinges on the state of our minds.

S 5 Allappearances are

empty and false.If one sees allappearances asno appearances,then one sees theThus Come One.

The Fifth Patriarch knew of Hui Nengs enlightenment to his original nature andsaid to him, Studying the Dharma without recognizing the original mind is of no

benefit. If one recognizes ones original mind and sees ones original nature, thenone is called a great hero, a teacher of gods and humans, a Buddha.What then is the original mind? The original mind is empty as the following verse says:

Originally Bodhi has no tree,The bright mirror has no stand.Originally there is not a single thing:Where can the dust alight?

Then, what are the world and the myriad phenomena that we know of? It came from theoriginal mind that is empty and clear as the Great Master said: How unexpected! Theself nature can produce the ten thousand dharmasmeaning that the myriadphenomena come from the original mind.

The reason why we see all appearances as no appearances is because Nothing canbe established outside the mind, for the original mind produces the ten thousanddharmas. Therefore the Sutra says, The mind produced, all dharmas areproduced; the mind extinguished, all dharmas are extinguished.

The verse in the Vajra Sutra is telling is to wake up from confusion that ultimatelyeverything is empty and false as the Great Master explained:You should know thatdeluded people mistook the union of five heaps for their own bodies anddiscriminated dharmas as external to themselves. The loved life, dreaded deathand drifted from thought to thought, not knowing that this illusory dream is emptyand false.

Interpreting the Vajra Sutra with the Sixth Patriarchs Sutra (part 3)

Wondrous Dharma Page 2 of 4


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The method of

investigating into a

meditation topic Who is

mindful of the Buddha?

Part 2

Investigation into the

meditation topic is to find

out, to search for, or to look

for the true self who is

mindful of the Buddha.

The practitioner begins by

silently reflecting on the

entire topic Who is mindful

of the Buddha? for no

more than five times and

then refocusing the search

into the single word

Who?In his mind, the

practitioner is asking

himself who is it who is

mindful of the Buddha with

the focus on attention onthe single word Who?

It does not involve

repeating the word Who?

but rather dragging out the

word who? into

Whooooo? throughout the

entire duration of the

Meditation simplified lesson 28

Buddhism made easy lesson 28

practice or sit. In the

meantime, the mind is

searching, searching and

searching for this true self. The

practitioner has no idea as to

what and where this true self is

but continues to investigate.

Though a practitioner may have

an idea of the true self through

studying, this does not count.

What matters is that heinvestigates into the topic until

his mind is focused and calm to

such an extent that he

experiences the realization of

his true self.

On the other hand, it does not

involve speculating into what

the true self might be.

Speculating whether the true

self is green or yellow or oblong

or shapeless is merely engagingin false thinking. Rather the

intent of the investigation into

a meditation topic is to put

down the habit of false thinking

by focusing the attention into

the search for the true self.

The search is not focused on

any part of the body or mind

or location because the

practitioner is reminded of

the principle of the mind

that dwells nowhere

When the practitioner

investigates the meditation

topic in his mind, it will be

better if the practitioner also

turns the light of attention of

his hearing to the drawn outword of Whooooo? In doing

so, the practitioner will not

be distracted by any external

sounds. Both the sense

faculties of the mind and the

ear are now being tied down

so that the faculties are no

longer engaged in pursuit of

thought and sounds

respectively. The mind that is

not engaged in thought is

the original mind. The earthat is not engaged in sounds

is the original hearing

nature; the Buddha-nature

that is ever present rather

than sounds that comes into

being and ceases to be.


The relation between our skandhabody and our Dharma body

The Buddha said, We might describe

the Dharma-body of the Thus Come

One as endowed with right and all-

encompassing knowledge, and

ordinary peoples bodies as upside-

down. But consider more carefully

this comparison of the Buddhas

body with your bodies, which are

said to be upside-down. Where

exactly might the upside down beound?

The Buddha out of kindness took pity

on Ananda and on everyone else assembledthere. He spokeAll of you good people! I

have often said that all phenomena with

physical form, all phenomena with physical

mind, the conditions under which they

arise, as well as the phenomena they

interact with the mind and all other

conditioned phenomena, are mere

manifestations of true mind. Your bodies

and your minds appear within the

wondrous light of the true essence of that

wondrous mind.

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua explains,

Most people think the mind is within the

body. This is a great mistake. It is neither

inside nor outside. It is not that our mindsare within our bodies but that we are

within the true mindOur mind

encompasses empty space and the ten

thousand things. It is not that empty space

and the ten thousand things contain us. If

you understand this doctrine, you have not

lost track of your true mind.

The skandha body comprises our false

physical body and our false mind. The

Dharma-body is our true body and our true

mind. Cultivation is about putting down our

attachment to the skandha body so as to

return and unite with the Dharma-body.

Investigate into,

search for, find

out, look for the

true self


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Part of the contemplativenarratives in the Great

Compassion Repentance

reads, From time without

beginning, I have not known

that all dharmas are in their

undamental nature empty

and still and I have committed

all manner of evil on a wide

scale. Knowing now that all

dharmas are empty and still,

or the sake of Bodhi

(awakening) and for the sake

of living beings, I completely

cut off every evil and cultivate

all good on a wide scale.

Therefore the basis why we

create the karma that causes

us to revolve in the cycle of

birth and death is because we

dont realize everything in its

true nature is empty and still.

Having a mistaken view that

everything exists and in

motion, we make distinctions

of liking and disliking and the

resultant speech and action

becomes the karma for our

birth and rebirth in the six

destinies.

From a cultivation perspective,

it is imperative that the

cultivator convinced himself

about the reality that

Patiently cease the mad mind through understanding

The efficacy of the Mantra comes

from having faith in the Dharma as

the Sutra says, There is one

exception: If one has doubt with

regard to this mantra, then even

small offenses and light karma will

not be destroyed, how much the

How to hold the Great Compassion Mantra part 13

From time without

beginning, I have not

known that all dharmas

are in their fundamental

nature empty and still

and I have committed allmanner of evil on a wide

scale.

When the cultivator is

able to convince himsel

that everything is empty

and unmoving, he will beable to gain patience

with the state of mind in

which people and

dharmas are seen to be

empty.

everything is consciousnessand that the myriad

phenomena arose from the

mind that is empty and

unmoving. When the

cultivator is able to convince

himself that everything is

empty and unmoving, he will

be able to gain patience with

the state of mind in which

people and dharmas are seen

to be empty.

The basis for being patient is

that everything in this world

is just the mind when the

Buddha said, The Thus Come

One has often explained that

all phenomena that come into

being are nothing more than

manifestation of the mind. All

the things that are subject to

the principle of cause and

effect from the largest

world to the smallest mote ofdust come into being

because of the mind.

The basis for being patient is

also because everything is

just consciousness when the

Buddha said, But if you insist

that which makes distinctions

and is aware of them, which

knows and understands them

is indeed the mind, then that

mind would necessarily haveits own essential nature

independent of its

involvement with objects

with visible objects, sounds,

odors, flavors, and objects of

touch. Yet now as you listen

to my Dharma, it is due to

sounds that you distinguish

my meaning.

Our random thought is also

a dharma, though intangible,which comes from our

distinction making mind when

the Buddha said, Even if you

were to withdraw into a state

of quietude in which all

seeing, hearing, awareness of

tastes and tactile awareness

ceased, you still would be

making distinctions among

the shadowy objects of

cognition in your mind.

The Buddha said,The reason

why so many practitioners

do not succeed in putting

an end to outflows and

becoming Arhatsis that

they are attached to

distorted mental processes

that come into being and

then cease to be, and they

mistake these processes for

what is real.

less the heavy karma. Although heavy

offenses are not destroyed, one may still

plant the distant causes of Bodhi,

In another section the Bodhisattva

Guanyin says, But if the slightest doubt

is produced, the result will not follow.

Therefore it is clear that having faith

in the Mantra is essential and doubt

is an obstacle that blocks the full

functioning of the wondrousness of

the Mantra. With faith, any nagging

thoughts are put to rest and that

itself is the virtue to elicit response.

Emptiness is pulverized, the mad mind ceased.Confusion ends, the distinction-making mind stops.

No form, no emptiness, no mind absolute nothingness


wondrous dharma issue 30 - september 2012

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