A. The core of Buddhism is to realise that you are the Buddha, and all your actions are Bodhisattvas. If you happen to think that there is the Buddha, or any Bodhisattva except you, it is nothing but an illusion.
So, bowing to the Buddha, or Bodhisattvas is no more than being deluded by illusions, which runs counter to Buddhism, the Buddha’s teaching.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
One day one of Joshu’s students bade farewell to Joshu. Joshu said to him, “Where are you going?” The student answered, “I am going to search for the Buddha.” Joshu said, “Don’t stay where the Buddha is, and go quickly through the place where the Buddha is not. If you happen to meet a person one thousand miles away, don’t respond to him wrongly.”
Hearing this, the student said, “I will not leave then.” Joshu said, “Pick willow flowers. Pick willow flowers.”
Student: “What did Joshu mean by ‘If you happen to meet a person one thousand miles away, don’t respond to him wrongly’?”
Master: “There is no person in the Buddha land.”
Commentary:
There is even no person in the Buddha land. Who would recognise him even if there were a person?
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 32-1
“Subhuti, suppose someone filled infinite incalculable numbers of worlds with precious substances and used these to give in charity. Now suppose a good man or a good woman who has awakened the inspiration for enlightenment holds this Sutra, even so much as the equivalent of a four-line verse, accepts and holds it, reads and recites it, and expounds it for others, the blessing in this will exceed the former.
Commentary:
As mentioned repeatedly in the preceding parts, accepting and holding this Sutra means to realise that everything, including ourselves, is this Sutra, and reading and reciting it signifies to be aware that every sound is the Dharma talk preached by the true-Self. In other words, he who can accept, hold, read and recite this Sutra is one who has realised that he himself is this Sutra itself.
It follows from this that he who knows that he is one with this Sutra sees the true-Self even when he donates a small thing, whilst he who is unaware that he is this Sutra is still deluded by illusions of infinite incalculable numbers of worlds filled with precious substances when he uses these to give in charity.
Student: “Why does the blessing of expounding this Sutra, or a four-line verse to others exceed that of giving infinite incalculable numbers of worlds filled with precious substances in charity?”
Master: “Because one gram of gold is more valuable than an illusion of hundreds of tons of gold.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
There is a saying ‘Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence’. Who deserves our silence?
Only a person who can hear silence in the noisy deserves your silence.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A monastic asked Master Pareung, “Is the meaning of the Patriarch the same as the meaning of the Sutras, or different?” The master replied, “A chicken climbs a tree when it is cold, while a duck goes down to the water when it’s cold.”
Student: “What is the difference between the two meanings?”
Master: “Water in summer and ice in winter.”
Commentary:
Water, steam and ice are essentially the same although they have different appearances and different names.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 31-2
“Subhuti, those who aspire to unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment should not dwell on images of things by knowing, seeing, and believing all things in this way. Subhuti, all images of things the Realised One said are not images of things but just called images of things.”
Commentary:
Knowing, seeing, and believing all things in this way means knowing, seeing, and believing all things as they are without being deluded by their forms, their names and their sounds. This is, in other words, to see things as if to see dreams. The reason why the Buddha preached his students not to dwell on images of things in this way is that seeing and hearing all things in this way is no other than unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment, seeing the Buddha, and reaching the Buddha land. This is why an ancient master said, “You are wrong even if you move even a step”, when he was asked how he could reach the Buddha land by one of his students.
If you can see these characters you are reading now as they are, or if you can see any single one of the things surrounding you now as it is, or if you hear any single one of all the sounds that reach your ears as it is, this is to see the Buddha and reach the Buddha land.
Student: “How do things look when I see them in this way?”
Master: “Although your eyes are full, there is not even a single thing.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Diligence signifies to make the best effort to see things as they are, and laziness means being deluded by illusions.
No matter how much money we may accumulate by working diligently, we can’t avoid death unless we can see things as they are.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A monastic asked Master Pareung, “Is the meaning of the Patriarch the same as the meaning of the Sutras, or different?” The master replied, “A chicken climbs a tree when it is cold, while a duck goes down to the water when it’s cold.”
Student: “Is there any difference between the two meanings?”
Master: “Clouds in the sky can’t cleave the sky.”
Commentary:
Everyone wears working clothes when working and pyjamas when sleeping.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 31-1
“Subhuti, if someone says that the Buddha expounded the idea of self, the idea of person, the idea of sentient being, the idea of a liver of life, do you think this person understands the principles I expounded?”
“World Honoured One, this person does not understand the principles expounded by the Realised One. Why? The World Honoured One says that the idea of self, the idea of person, the idea of a sentient being, and the idea of a liver of life are not an idea of self, an idea of person, an idea of an sentient being and an idea of a liver of life, but they are just called the notion of self, the notion of person, the notion of a sentient being, and the notion of a liver of life.”
Commentary:
According to literal and secular interpretations, it is true that the Buddha mentioned such words in part 15-4: “Why? Subhuti, those who take pleasure in small dharmas are attached to the idea of self, the idea of person, the idea of a being, and the idea of a liver of life; so they cannot accept this Sutra, read or recite it, or explain it to others.”
However, anyone who believes that the Buddha said such words fails to grasp the crux of the words preached by the Buddha, because all the words spoken by the Buddha are nothing but a finger pointing to the true-Self, or a vessel for delivering the true-Self. This is why trying to see the true-Self by being immersed in words is likened to struggling to squeeze juice from a dry stick. It is said that accepting the Buddha’s words verbally and passing them on to others in the same way is said to slander the Buddha and cause harm to the Buddha’s body.
Student: “If the Buddha didn’t expound such ideas as mentioned, what did he expound?”
Master: “He didn’t expound but revealed the true-Self.”
©Boo AhmAll writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Does Buddhism also think that silence is more valuable than speech?
True silence is not different from speech, and true speech is not different from silence. Silence includes all words, and each word represents silence.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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