Part 9-2
“Subhuti, what do you think—can a saint entertain the thought, ‘I have attained sainthood’?”
Subhuti said, “No, World Honoured One. Why? There is no state called sainthood. World Honoured One, if saints were to entertain the notion, ‘I have attained sainthood,’ that would be fixation on the image of self, the image of person, the image of sentient being, and the image of spirit.”
“World Honoured One, you say I have attained absorption in non-contention better than anyone else, and I am the saint most detached from desire. However, I do not entertain the thought that I am a saint detached from desire.”
Commentary:
A true saint, aware that everything is empty, is so freed from being deluded by any images that he is far from having not only the thought of having attained sainthood but also that of being detached from desire. When we can see everything as it is without being deluded by images and words, there is nothing that is not empty. This means that there is nothing that is not the true-Self when seen as it is. That is, the difference between the true-Self and illusions is determined by our perspectives. Sainthood and the Buddha are no more than illusions when we are deluded by their names and images. Even greed and desire are the true-Self when seen as they are. We should know that illusions are not different from the true-Self, and Mara is not separate from the Buddha. When we can see things as they are, everything is the Buddha, whilst everything is an illusion when we are deluded by images and words. This is why it is said that illusions are no other than enlightenment and why ancient masters would say that we should kill the Buddha and regard the Buddha and Patriarchs’ words as an enemy.
Student: “If we kill the Buddha, how can we see the Buddha?”
Master: “What can be killed is not the Buddha.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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