Part 13-2
“What do you think, Subhuti—is there any doctrine that the Realised One has preached?” Subhuti said to the Buddha, “World Honoured One, there is no doctrine that the Realised One has preached.”
Commentary:
The Buddha preached these words to stop people from being attached to the words of his teachings whilst they try not to dwell on anything according to his teaching.
If there is no doctrine preached by the Realised One, how should we see this sutra we are reading now?
An ancient master called Dongan left very succinct words regarding how to read the sutras. He said that if we understand the true-Self depending on the words in the sutras, we will be the enemy of the Buddha and that if we either miss or misunderstand even a single word in the sutras, the sutras will become Mara’s talk. In other words, we should not dwell on words when reading the sutras just as the Buddha told us not to dwell on anything. When we don’t dwell on words when reading the sutras, words are not words anymore. When words are not words, each single word is the function of the true-Self. In other words, when words are not words, we are above depending on words, and when each single word is the function of the true-Self, one word contains all the other words. When one word contains all the other words, we cannot miss or misunderstand even a single word because reading one word is reading all. When we face the true-Self in each word like this, it is said that we can bring dead characters back to life and that we know how to read the sutras.
When we can see and hear without dwelling on anything, we come to realise that everything around us is the grand sutra that is open all the time.
Student: “If there is no doctrine that the Realised One has preached, what is the Buddha’s teaching?”
Master: “His teaching is not words.”
Student: “What is his teaching if it is not words?”
Master: “It is what the words are from.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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