Part 7-3
“What is the reason? Because all things appear diverse and separate based on the eternal unchangeable Dharma.”
Commentary:
All things refer to the myriad things, or all existing forms, and the eternal unchangeable Dharma means Emptiness, or the true-Self. The saying, ‘All things are differentiated precisely based on Emptiness’ means that the world of various forms is the function of Emptiness, arising based on Emptiness. Just as waves are the way in which the ocean exists, and winds are the way in which the air exists, the essence of all things, no matter how different they appear externally, is all one—Emptiness, the true-Self.
Therefore, from the perspective of form, everything has a beginning and an end, birth and death. But from the perspective of Emptiness, the essence of form, there is no beginning and no end, it is infinite, and it remains utterly unchanged. Living a life knowing only the world of form as the whole, without seeing our essential, eternal Buddha-nature, is called being deluded by illusions. Seeing both things and Emptiness, the true-Self simultaneously—for instance, seeing both the shape of a lion and the stone at the same time when looking at a statue of a lion—is called ‘simultaneous cessation and illumination’ and being able to see in this way is what is called enlightenment.
When all things are viewed in this manner, everything seen and heard appears as the Buddha. This is referred to as ‘the Buddha’s body being manifested in every blade of grass’. At any time and in any place, even if I do not seek to follow the Buddha, the Buddha follows me, and I am constantly with the Buddha, unable to avoid the Buddha even for a moment.
However, to fail to see the Buddha right before one’s eyes and instead seek a Buddha elsewhere is no other than being deluded by illusions. If one follows the Buddha in this way, even the Buddha becomes non-Buddha. This is why it is said that if the Buddha follows the person, even the non-Buddha becomes the Buddha, but if the person follows the Buddha, even the Buddha becomes the non-Buddha.
If one reads the Sutras merely following the text and stops at a linguistic understanding, that is being manipulated by words and fooled by illusions. Criticising this point, the great masters of the past said, “If you read the Sutras following the words, the Sutras become the discourse of a demon, mara.” The Lotus Sutra also states that if one can see and listen truthfully, without being deceived by words, but rather seeing the Buddha-nature regardless of what words are read or heard, even secular texts can become Sutras. Ultimately, when we look at the Sutras, we must not be deceived by the words alone but must see our essential Buddha-nature in every word and phrase. This is why it is said, ‘If a wise person sees or hears evil Dharma, the evil Dharma becomes the Right Dharma; if a foolish person sees or hears the Right Dharma, the Right Dharma becomes evil Dharma.’
Look closely at every character in this text right now. Lift your head for a moment and look around. Gently touch whatever is near you. There is no other Buddha besides that.
Disciple: “When I look at a flower, how can I distinguish between the object and the Buddha?”
Master: “What blooms and withers is the flower; seeing what neither blooms nor withers in it is seeing the Buddha.”
The soft rain is drizzling,
The heavenly secret is already being leaked,
The clear breeze gently blows,
The Buddha is truly revealed.
Simply observe what is right before your eyes,
Do not measure or calculate with ‘this or that’.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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