Part 14-1
Then, Subhuti, hearing the exposition of this sutra, profoundly understood the import and weeping, said to the Buddha, “How rare it is, World Honoured One! I have never heard you expound such an extremely profound scripture as this is, from the eye of wisdom I have obtained.
Commentary:
It is said that Subhuti heard such a profoundly deep dharma talk for the first time.
However, the Avatamsaka Sutra states:
“The Buddha, with a single word,
Constantly preaches with a subtle voice
That fills the universe for infinite eons,
Speaking all the Dharma talks.”
“The Buddha’s great voice always resounds,
Revealing the true-Self free from worry;
All sentient beings who hear it are filled with joy.”
“Any sentient being who approaches the Buddha
And hears his subtle voice,
There is none whose heart does not rejoice.”
As shown above, the Buddha did not preach this Dharma for the first time; he has always been preaching this deep Dharma without change. However, at this moment, Subhuti moved beyond his previous intellectual knowledge. He saw the true Buddha (the true-Self) rather than the physical body of Shakyamuni Buddha. He understood the wordless word and expressed the rapture in his heart.
As Master Bodhidharma said: “If the eyes are not stained by colour when seeing, and the ears are not stained by sound when hearing, that is liberation. If the eyes do not cling to colour, the eyes are the Gate of Zen; if the ears do not cling to sound, the ears are the Gate of Zen.” To see and hear clearly without being deceived by the forms and sounds of what we perceive—that is Enlightenment. If we can see and hear things as they truly are, then everything we see and hear becomes a gateway to the Pure Land. Thus, it is said that in our daily lives, if we truly see just one thing or truly hear just one word, our spiritual practice is completed.
Subhuti heard as it truly is at this point. If we were to see and hear this part as it truly is, how would it appear to us? An old master said, “If you harbour the duality of you and I, you will not recognise the Buddha even when facing him.” As the Buddha mentioned earlier, “Shakyamuni Buddha is not Shakyamuni Buddha, but is merely named Shakyamuni Buddha; Subhuti is not Subhuti, but is merely named Subhuti; and tears are not tears, but are merely named tears.
Seeing and hearing everything as empty and as one is seeing it as it truly is. Hearing all these words as the manifestation of the true-Self, so that Shakyamuni Buddha, Subhuti, and I become one—that is truly understanding this Sutra and meeting the Buddha.
Therefore, Master Yabo said that Subhuti’s crying should be seen as not different from laughter, as it is simply the functioning of the true-Self. If one is deceived by the word or the form of crying, one fails to recognise the true-Self. Thus, he spoke in metaphor: “He should have laughed heartily, yet he hid it while facing the face.”
Disciple: “What on earth did Subhuti hear?”
Master: “Everyone hears it.”
Disciple: “What is it?”
Master: “Subhuti burst out laughing.”
Disciple: “No, it says in the sutra that he wept.”
Master: “You have misread the sutra.”
Everyone knows
That Subhuti wept sadly,
But since they do not know that Subhuti laughed,
How could they understand the four-line verse?
Koan:
When Baizhang returned from a mountain walk with Master Mazu, he suddenly began to wail.
A fellow monk asked him, “Are you thinking of your parents?”
Baizhang said, “No.”
The monk asked, “Did someone insult you?”
Baizhang said, “No.”
The monk asked, “Then why are you crying?”
Baizhang said, “Go and ask Master Mazu.”
The monk went and asked Mazu, and Mazu said:
“Go and ask Baizhang.”
When the monk returned to Baizhang’s room, he found Baizhang laughing loudly. The monk asked, “A moment ago you were crying, so why are you laughing now?”
Baizhang said, “Earlier I was crying, but now I am laughing.”
The monk was utterly bewildered.
Question 1: Why did Baizhang wail?
Question 2: Why did Baizhang tell him to ask Master Mazu?
Question 3: Why did Mazu tell the monk to go ask Baizhang?
Question 4: Why did Baizhang say, “Earlier I was crying, but now I am laughing”?
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Zen Fools 