Category: zen

Part 11-2

“Subhuti, I am telling you the truth. If a good man or a good woman filled as many billion-world universes as grains of sand in that many Ganges Rivers with seven kinds of treasures, and used all that to give in charity, would there be many blessings gained?”

Subhuti said, “Very much, World Honoured One.” The Buddha said to Subhuti, “If a good man or a good woman accepts and holds even a four-line verse of this sutra and tells it to others, the blessing of this exceeds the aforementioned blessings.”

Commentary:

The Buddha taught that receiving and sharing even a single four-line verse of this Sutra is far more virtuous than offering the seven kinds of treasures sufficient to fill a billion-world universe. As mentioned in 8-1, “receiving and sharing a four-line verse” does not mean handing over a Sutra printed on paper or silk, or carved in wood or stone, nor does it mean merely memorising the words to tell others. It means that if you accurately understand even a single phrase or word of this Sutra, the merit of that understanding surpasses the merit of offering countless treasures.

An ancient master once said, “If knowledge enters one’s mind and leads one to create a new illness by attaching oneself to medicine, even the most famous doctors of old could not apply their sublime skills to such a person.” Likewise, if you listen to, or read the Sutra only as intellectual knowledge and cling to the words, you are not curing your illness; you are adding a new disease to your existing one. For such a person, even if Shakyamuni Buddha himself were to return to life, he could not save himself, let alone share the Sutra with others.

Thus, regarding the method of reading Sutras, ancient masters warned, “If you understand the meaning by relying solely on the words, the Buddhas of the three worlds (past, present, and future) will be your enemies; yet, if you deviate by even a single word from the sutra, the Sutra will become Mara’s words.” This means we must not be deceived by words, yet we must not skip or misinterpret even a single character.

As stated in 11-1, just as all forms, the Ganges, and every grain of sand within it are like dream-like illusions, or non-existent rabbit horns, so are the billion-world universe and the seven treasures. We must not be deceived by language; instead, we must see every word and every phrase as the function of the true-Self and see the Buddha in every single syllable. To see the Buddha in every word means not to be deceived by words into merely understanding the Sutra intellectually. For every word and phrase to become the Buddha means that a single word, or a single phrase contains the entire meaning of the Sutra—thus, seeing one word is seeing the whole Sutra, and not a single character is left out. Reading countless volumes of Sutras while trapped in letters and words is not as good as seeing the true-Self in a single word, or a single phrase.

When this is achieved, everything you see and hear—including yourself—is seen as the Buddha. You confirm that you yourself are the very true-Self that encompasses all things. At that moment, your body becomes the Sutra, and every action and sound from you becomes a four-line verse. When your acts of giving something in charity become the four-line verse itself, that is true giving without dwelling, and there is no greater merit.

As Master Yonga wrote in the Song of Enlightenment, “An arrow shot into the sky, no matter how high it may rise, will eventually fall to the ground when its force is spent.” Secular merit earned through a discriminating mind, no matter how vast, eventually comes to an end. However, the merit of realising that you yourself are the Buddha is eternal. This is the true merit of which the Buddha speaks.

Disciple: “What is a four-line verse?”

Master: “It is not in the written letters.”

Disciple: “Then what is it?”

Master: “It has already been said.”

The wind gently shakes the wind-bell to let you know,

The raindrops and leaves join forces to let you hear,

A passing bird recites it for you,

But still you do not understand—

So finally, the thunder roars.

Is the Buddha angry?

Koan

A monk once asked Master Yuguan, “What is the Way (the true-Self)?”

Master Yuguan replied, “What a magnificent mountain!”

The monk asked again, “I asked you about the Way; why do you speak of a magnificent mountain?”

Yuguan replied, “Because you only know the mountain, how could you ever attain the Way?”

Question 1: Why did Master Yuguan reply, “What a magnificent mountain!” to the monk’s question?

Question 2: What is the meaning of Yuguan’s statement ‘Because you only know the mountain, how could you ever attain the Way?’?

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The fact is that you don’t have to return to it but that you have only to realise that you are there. You cannot recognise your original nature whilst being there, because you can’t see things as they are due to illusions.

Clarifying your mind means clear your mind of all illusions. In other words, you reach the state that you can see and hear everything as it is without being deluded by words and forms. Then, you realise that you are already in your original nature and that you have never left it.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

When Namchun visited Bakjang, Bakjang asked him, “Is there any Dharma that has not been spoken by any sages since ancient times?” Namchun said, “Yes, there is.” Bakjang said, “What is the Dharma that has not been uttered?” Namchun said, “It is not mind, not Buddha, and not four holy Truths.” Bakjang remarked, “You have already said it.” Namchun said, “That is how I see it. How is it for you, Master?” Bakjang said, “I am not a great Zen master. How could I know whether there is something to say, or not?” Namchun said, “I don’t understand.” Bakjang said, “I’ve already said too much to you.”

Student: “What is the Dharma that has not been spoken by any sages?”

Master: “How can I say what even the Buddha didn’t say?”

Commentary:

If you hear it, you are wrong, but if can’t hear it, you are foolish.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 11-1

“Subhuti, suppose there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the bed of the Ganges River: would the grains of sand in all those Ganges Rivers be many?”

Subhuti said, “Very many, World Honoured One. The rivers themselves would be countless, let alone their sands.”

Commentary:

In part 8-3, the Buddha said, “Buddha Dharma is not Buddha Dharma, but is merely named Buddha Dharma,” and in 10-5, he taught that ‘What is not a body is named a body as great as Mount Sumeru’. In the same way, even if there are as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, and the total number of those grains of sand is beyond imagination, we must now realise that the ‘Ganges’ is merely named the Ganges, and ‘sand’ is merely named sand. We must learn to see not only ‘a body as great as Mount Sumeru’, ‘the Ganges’, or ‘sand’, but everything we see and hear as a dream-like illusion—as non-existent as a rabbit horn.

Whether there is one rabbit horn, or ten thousand, there is no difference because they do not exist. This is why ancient Zen masters said, “One is not single, and two are not a pair.” The Avatamsaka Sutra also states, “In the Buddha’s work, there are no numbers.” This means that all things are like dreams imagined by our own minds.

This is why ancient masters often tested their disciples by saying, “You must know the number of hairs on your head,” or “Do you know the number of grains of sand in the Ganges?” This was a warning not to be deceived by words and appearances. If one tries to understand the Buddha’s teachings only through literal words, they will never achieve their goal even with a lifetime of effort. Such people are compared to fools who dive into the ocean to count every grain of sand on the seabed. If we are truly not deceived by words and forms, we should already know the number of grains of sand in the Ganges and the number of leaves on Mount Namsan in Seoul.

Disciple: “How many grains of sand are there in the Ganges River?”

Master: “Exactly the same as your age.”

To fail to see the Great One,

While claiming to see the many small things—

That is precisely what we call ‘Illusion’.

Koan

National Teacher Haechoong was asked by Emperor Sookzong, “What do you wish for after you pass away?”

Haechoong replied, “Please build a seamless pagoda for this old monk.” The emperor said, “Please explain to me the design of such a pagoda.” The National Teacher remained silent for a moment and then asked, “Do you understand?”

The emperor replied, “I do not.”

The National Teacher said, “My disciple Tamhun, to whom I have transmitted the Dharma, knows of this matter. Please call him and ask.” After the National Teacher passed away, the emperor summoned Tamhun and asked for the meaning.

He replied, “South of Xiang, North of Tan; within it, there is gold that fills the entire country.”

Question 1: What does the ‘Seamless Pagoda’ mentioned by Haechoong look like?

Question 2: What was the meaning of the National Teacher’s silence followed by “Do you understand?”

Question 3: Why did the Master tell the emperor to ask his disciple Tamhun?

Question 4: What is the meaning of Tamhun’s reply: South of Xiang, North of Tan; within it, there is gold that fills the entire country?

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Is gold traded dearly as an important mineral because it deserves it, or because people want to do so? In fact, gold itself has never said, “I am gold, and call me gold” nor does it have any intention to help people. It is we people that named it gold and put value on it.

Many years ago, as another example, a lion was no more than a predator that threatened our lives and something to avoid, or kill. But these days it has become something to protect and preserve, although the instinct, aggression of a lion is the same as it used to be. Why? It is not because a lion deserves it but because we want to do so that a lion is well-treated nowadays. Finally, the evaluation of everything depends on beholders.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

When Namchun visited Bakjang, Bakjang asked him, “Is there any Dharma that has not been spoken by any sages since ancient times?” Namchun said, “Yes, there is.” Bakjang said, “What is the Dharma that has not been uttered?” Namchun said, “It is not mind, not Buddha, and not four holy Truths.” Bakjang remarked, “You have already said it.” Namchun said, “That is how I see it. How is it for you, Master?” Bakjang said, “I am not a great Zen master. How could I know whether there is something to say, or not?” Namchun said, “I don’t understand.” Bakjang said, “I’ve already said too much to you.”

Student: “Why did Bakjang say, ‘You have already said it’ when Namchun said, ‘not mind, not Buddha and not four holy Truths’?”

Master: “Because Namchun did it.”

Commentary:

Don’t try to find grains of sand on a sandy beach.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 10-5

“Subhuti, by way of analogy, if a person’s body is as large as Mount Sumeru, what do you think? Would you say that his body is large?”

Subhuti said, “It is very large, World Honoured One, because the Buddha called that which is not a body the large body.”

Commentary:

In the previous sections 10-3 and 10-4, the Buddha taught to “raise the mind without dwelling on anything.” This section provides a practical example of how to truly listen and see—that is, how to perceive things as they truly are.

In Buddhism, Mount Sumeru represents the highest mountain at the centre of the universe. However, just as the Buddha said in 8-3 that the Buddhadharma is not the Buddhadharma, but is merely named the Buddhadharma, and in 10-2 that adornment is not adornment, but is called adornment, Mount Sumeru is also not Mount Sumeru; it is merely named so. Through the words ‘Mount Sumeru’, the Buddha reveals the eternal and infinite true-Self.

Therefore, when the Buddha asked Subhuti, “Subhuti, if a man had a body as vast as Mount Sumeru, what would you think? Would that body be great?” Subhuti understood the Buddha’s intent and replied, “It would be very great, World-Honoured One. Why? Because the Buddha taught that what is not a body is named a great body.” In other words, the ‘great body’ mentioned by the Buddha is not the physical body we generally recognise, but a way to reveal the eternal and infinite true-Self that is formless.

In 7-2, when the Buddha asked Subhuti, “Does the Buddha have a Dharma to preach?” Subhuti replied, “As I understand the meaning of the Buddha’s teaching, there is no fixed Dharma that the Buddha could have preached.” All the Buddha’s sermons are expedient means used to show sentient beings their own true-Self, Buddha-nature. He was not merely speaking words; he was performing an act of revealing the true-Self. Thus, one must look at the true-Self itself without clinging to the words.

To see and hear everything in this way—not being deceived by words and forms, but recognising them all as the functioning of the true-Self—is what it means to ‘raise the mind without dwelling’.

The true-Self (Emptiness, the Buddha) is nameless and formless, yet it is the essence of all things, including ourselves. The Buddha’s words 2,500 years ago, Subhuti’s answers, every single action, and every single syllable were all the functioning of the true-Self. Even our current act of reading this sutra is the function of the true-Self. Nothing, whether good or bad, exists outside of it. Therefore, although all things have different names, their essence is one and the same. To see things differently according to their names is to see ‘Form’; to strip away the names and see the single essence is to see ‘Emptiness’.

As the ancient masters said, “When one raises the mind without dwelling, words are not words; and if words are not words, every word is the function of the true-Self.” Not being deceived by terms like Mount Sumeru or Great Body and seeing them directly as the functioning of Buddha-nature is the correct way to read the sutras and see the Buddha. If we perceive every shape and sound in our daily lives as the functioning of the true-Self without being deceived by names and appearances—that is, if we see and hear them as they truly are—we encounter the Buddha in every moment. As the Avatamsaka Sutra states, “If one knows everything as a false thing, it is the same as reality and one is not deluded; if one knows that the illusory is originally true, one sees the Buddha and becomes pure.” When we do not abide in the ‘false things’ of sounds and forms, this mundane world becomes the Pure Land.

Disciple: “If our body is not a body but is merely named a body, then what is our true reality?”

Master: “What have you been looking at until now?”

Disciple: “I do not know. Please explain it to me in more detail.”

Master: “Hear it this very instant. But if you try to hear it in detail, you will miss it.”

A gem the size of a baby’s fist is called ‘large’,

But a watermelon the size of an adult’s fist is called ‘small’.

Since Mount Sumeru can enter into a single mustard seed,

Which is truly large, and which is truly small?

The Koan

A monk once asked Master Changsha: “It is said that ‘Once enlightened, karmic obstacles are originally empty; but if one is not enlightened, one must repay one’s old debts. Did the Second Patriarch, Haega, attain enlightenment or not?”

Changsha replied: “Empty.”

Question: What is the meaning of Changsha’s reply, ‘Empty’?

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The three Buddhas implies the body-Buddha, the form-Buddha and the function-Buddha.

They are not separate from one another but one. According to the Buddha’s teaching that everything is the Buddha and that there is nothing that is not the Buddha, you are also the Buddha that consists of the three Buddhas.

The form-Buddha implies your physical body, and the function-Buddha implies all the functions of your physical body; move, hear, see, speak and so on. The body-Buddha means the whole universe that the former two Buddhas belong to and exist and function based on. The former two Buddhas can neither exist nor function at all without the body-Buddha. In other words, the former two Buddhas are to the body-Buddha as a rolling wave is to the ocean. The purpose of Buddhism, Zen practice is to realise the body-Buddha.

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Zen master Huangbo asked his teacher, Baizhang, “How can we explain the teaching that has been handed down?” Baizhang remained seated in silence. Huangbo said, “If so, what will people in the future receive?”

Baizhang said, “They will say that you are a true person.” He then returned to the abbot’s room.

Student: “What did Baizhang mean by ‘They will say that you are a true person’?”

Master: “He showed what people want to receive.”

Commentary:

To receive nothing is to be foolish, and to receive even a tiny thing is calamity.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 10-4

“They (Bodhisattvas) should raise the mind without dwelling on anything.”

Commentary:

This phrase is the core of the Diamond Sutra. Not dwelling means not choosing, not being deceived by words and forms, and seeing things as they truly are. It means living your life without being trapped by appearances.

For instance, a rose is called a rose not because it claims to be one, but because we assume so and give it that name. The identity of everything in this world is assigned by human thought. Mt. Everest is high only because we think of it as Mt. Everest and perceive it as high. Everything exists because of our thoughts and imagination. If everything exists through our imagination, then just as our dream is our imagination while sleeping, our waking reality is also our imagination, the function of our mind. This is why Buddha said, “If you see all things as a dream, you will see the true-Self.”

To ‘Have a mind without dwelling on anything’ in the Diamond Sutra is expressed as ‘To see nothing is true seeing; thus one can see all things. But if there is a seeing, this is not seeing at all,’ in The Avatamsaka Sutra. This means when you look at a rose, you should not see it as a fixed reality, but as an illusion created by your mind—a part of the infinite true-Self, just as a wave is part of the ocean. Ancient masters said, “Though the eyes are full, nothing should be seen.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra has another expression:

If you know all things are not real,

you are not deluded by them.

If you know the illusory is originally the truth,

you will see the Buddha.

This means seeing that form is Emptiness. When you see that form is the function of emptiness, you are seeing the Buddha in form. Then, everything you see and hear becomes the Buddha. In short, ‘Dwell on nothing’ means to live freely, no longer bound by imaginary ropes like ropes made of turtle hair.

Disciple: “How can I give rise to the mind without dwelling on anything?”

Master: “Do not dwell.”

Disciple: “How is it when one does not dwell?”

Master: “Stone Woman gives birth to a baby.”

Disciple: “Why do you say such nonsensical things?”

Master: “Because you are dwelling on my words.”

Dwelling and not dwelling

Are both forms of dwelling.

Only when you discard both ends

Will you reach your home.

Koan:

A monk asked Master Jun-ji, “Who is a great practitioner?”

The Master replied, “One who wears a pillory around the neck and is shackled in handcuffs.”

The monk then asked, “Who is a person that creates great karma?”

The Master replied, “One who practises Zen and enters meditative Samadhi.”

Question 1: What is the meaning of wearing a pillory and handcuffs?

Question 2: Why is practising Zen and entering Samadhi called ‘creating great karma’?

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway