Rinzai 111

But all the Devas, Immortals, Asuras, and the Great Demons have supernatural powers. Should they be Buddha?

Followers of the Way, do not be deceived. The Asura, beaten in his war against the Deva king Shakra, made his 84,000 troops hide in the hollow stem of a lotus. But that does not constitute holiness.

Commentary:

Rinzai in this paragraph warns that we should not be deluded by the illusions of supernatural powers. All the Devas, Immortals, Asuras, and the Great Demons are said to have their own supernatural powers in their own ways. However, all the supernatural powers they have are nothing weighed against the six supernatural powers that the Buddha had because theirs are nothing but illusions. That is why the Asura, beaten in his war against the Deva king Shakra, made his 84,000 troops hide in the hollow stem of a lotus.

What matters here is that no matter how many supernatural powers the Buddha had, they are nothing to do with you if have not achieved the six supernatural powers, that is, the ability to see everything as it is, in person. Even the six supernatural powers of the Buddha, not to mention the supernatural powers of the Devas, Immortals, Asuras, and the Great Demons, are no better than illusions unless you have your own six supernatural powers to recognise them. That is why I argue that the Buddha is not the Buddha but an illusion until you become enlightened.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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