Part 1-5
When mealtime came one day, the Buddha put on his robe, picked up his rice bowl, and went to the city of Sravasti to beg for alms. As he begged, he visited each home within the city in turn.
Commentary:
The story of the Buddha going out for alms is as ordinary and common as people going to the market or preparing a meal. This signifies that the Buddha’s teaching is not found in some extraordinary place, but within the simple and everyday acts of daily life.
In Chapter 29 of this sutra, the Buddha tells his disciples: “If someone says that the Tathāgata comes or goes, sits or lies down, that person does not understand the teaching I have given. Why? Because the Tathāgata neither comes from anywhere nor goes anywhere. That is why he is called the Tathāgata.” This means that we must be able to recognise the Buddha-nature—the Tathāgata—that neither comes nor goes, neither sits nor lies—within the Buddha’s seemingly ordinary, everyday actions.
There is a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple Ānanda that illustrates how we should interpret this teaching of the Buddha.
One day, as the time for alms-round approached, the Buddha said to Ānanda, “When you go for alms, follow the path of the Seven Buddhas of the past.”
Ānanda asked, “What is the path of the Seven Buddhas of the past?”
The Buddha simply said, “Ānanda.”
Ānanda replied, “Yes, Master.”
The Buddha then said, “Go and beg for alms.”
Through this brief exchange, the Buddha was not only revealing the Tathāgata (Buddha-nature) to Ānanda, but also instructing him to never cease his effort to recognise the Tathāgata, even while on his alms-round. In truth, since all things and all beings possess the same Buddha-nature, we must learn to see the Tathāgata not only in the Buddha’s actions but also in our own and our neighbours’ everyday lives. This is what it means to see and hear all things just as they are—with complete clarity. To train ourselves to see and hear in this way is the essence of Zen practice.
Disciple: “Master, what does the Buddha mean when he says, ‘Go and beg for alms’?”
Master: “When a wealthy man sends his child out to beg, his intention is not in the begging itself.”
Disciple: “Then what is his intention?”
Master: “To teach his child how to manage the wealth that he will one day inherit.”
Disciple: “And what is that wealth?”
Master: “Bring me a cup of tea.”
The Buddha who begged for alms 2,500 years ago— who can now offer him food today?
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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