A. We should discard not only all things but also emptiness because what we can keep is not emptiness. Emptiness is the state that is free from images and words. It is neither existent nor non-existent because these are also words.
Things are to emptiness as right is to left. When the former disappears, the latter also disappears along with the former. If we try to keep one and discard the other, we will become far away from the truth forever.
One day Yunyan said to the assembly, “There is a child in this household. If you ask a question, there is nothing he can’t answer.” Dongshan Liangjie then asked, “How large a library does he have?” Yunyan said, “Not a single word.” Dongshan said, “Then how come he is so learned?” Yunyan said, “He does not sleep day or night.” Dongshan said, “If we ask him about the single matter, can we get a response?” Yunyan said, “Although he can speak, he won’t answer.”
Student: “Who is the child?”
Master: “He never turns his head no matter how loudly you call him.”
Student: “Why won’t he answer although he can speak?”
Master: “Because you cannot understand him.”
Commentary:
He never fails to answer at the moment you ask him.
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the physical eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the physical eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the celestial eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the celestial eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the wisdom eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the wisdom eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the dharma eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the dharma eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the Buddha eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the Buddha eye.”
Commentary:
Although the six kinds of eye appear to be different from each other, there is no difference at all between them. In fact, an eye is described in six ways just as a woman can be identified as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a grandmother and a granddaughter.
The physical eye means the ordinary eyes we have, but the other five eyes imply the ones we have when we have attained enlightenment. The celestial eye means to be able to see the whole universe, the wisdom eye means to be able to see everything as it is without being deluded by its form, the dharma eye means to be able to see the dharma that is the true-Self, and the Buddha eye means to be able to see just as the Buddha sees. These five eyes are essentially the same although they sound different from each other.
Student: “How is it possible to see the whole universe?”
Master: “When you can see everything as empty, seeing that which is before you is the same as seeing that which is millions of miles away because they are all empty.”
Part 17-11 “Subhuti, if Bodhisattvas say, ‘I am going to adorn a Buddha-land,’ they are not to be called Bodhisattvas. Why? The Realised One says that adorning Buddha-lands is not adornment, it is just called adornment.”
“Subhuti, if Bodhisattvas realise selflessness, the Realised One says they are true Bodhisattvas.”
Commentary: According to the Buddha’s teaching, no matter how great an image may appear, no matter how plausible a word, or a verse may sound, they are no more than illusions like a rabbit-horn.
A Bodhisattva represents a being who, having Realised this truth, is freed from being deluded by illusions such as images, sounds, words and so on. A Bodhisattva is aware that ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’ are not ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’ but they are just called ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’.
The Buddha-land is another name of the true-Self, Emptiness, or Oneness that is the state without any illusions. In fact, having a thought of adorning the Buddha-land is breaking the Buddha-land that is Oneness into many and defiling it. This is why an ancient master said, “Your thought of adorning it is already filth” when he was asked how he could adorn the Buddha-land, by one of his students.
So, a Bodhisattva is a being who has neither ‘I’ who will adorn the Buddha-land nor the Buddha-land to adorn.
Student: “What is the Buddha-land?” Master: “It is great but not worth staying in.” Student: “Why isn’t it worth staying in?” Master: “Because it collapses as soon as you stay.”
A. These words seem to be an answer to the question ‘How can we recognise the true-Self when we hear dharma talks, or hear a Sutra read, or chanted?’.
Everything, whether a thing, a word, or a sound, has its beginning and end. Without them, a thing can’t be a thing, and a sentence can’t be a sentence.
However, the true-Self is formless and boundless, that is, the true-Self has no beginning and no end. So, the true-Self contains everything, and there is nothing beyond the true-Self.
Seeing and hearing only what has a beginning and an end is seeing a thing and hearing words when we see and hear. Seeing and hearing what has no beginning and no end whilst we see and hear is seeing and hearing the true-Self.
You should be able to see the true-Self while you read this writing.
One day a monk asked Master Woonmun, “What is the Buddha?” He answered, “He is a rude man.” The monk said, “What is his Dharma talk?” The master said, “It’s a talk about something.” The monk asked, “What is the right eye that can see it?” The master said, “Wide.”
Student: “What did the master mean by ‘wide’ when he was asked about the right eye that can see something that the Buddha talked about?” Master: “Nothing can escape its sight.”
Commentary: The whole body of the true-Self is the right eye.
Part 17-10 “Subhuti, Bodhisattvas are also like this. If they say, ‘I am going to liberate countless living beings,’ then they are not to be called Bodhisattvas.
“Why? Subhuti, in reality there is no such thing as a ‘Bodhisattva.’ Therefore Buddha says that all things have no self, no person, no being, and no liver of life.”
Commentary: As the Buddha said in part 3, “Although a Bodhisattvas liberates innumerable, countless, infinite sentient beings, not a single sentient being is liberated in fact. Why not? Subhuti, if the Bodhisattvas have images of self, images of person, images of a being, images of a liver of life, they are not Bodhisattvas”, Bodhisattvas should be freed from being deluded by all images.
One who says, “I’m going to liberate countless sentient beings” signifies that the speaker is not a Bodhisattva who has escaped from being deluded by the illusions of ‘I’, ‘sentient being’ and ‘liberate’. From a Bodhisattva’s point of view, there is no ‘I’ to liberate sentient beings and no sentient beings to be liberated, since he sees everything as empty. Even if he happens to liberate sentient beings, he looks upon his acts of liberating sentient beings not as acts of liberating sentient beings but as functions of the true-Self.
This is why ancient masters would say to their students, “No matter what great work you may do, you should know that you are doing nothing. If in your mind there is even the tiniest idea left that you did something, the idea will turn the limitless merit of doing great work into karma.”
So, an enlightened man is referred to as an idle man without work.
Student: “If there is no such thing as a Bodhisattva, and all things have no self, no person, no being, and no liver of life, whom did the Buddha gave this talk to?” Master: “Why don’t you know that the Buddha didn’t say a word?”
A. From the mundane perspective, two times five is definitely ten, not seven. However, in the realm of Emptiness, it is said that everything is empty. When everything is seen as empty, it is not real but illusionary like a rabbit-horn.
Then, there is no difference between one rabbit-horn and one thousand rabbit-horns. So, ‘we should know not only that two times five is ten but also that two times five is seven’ implies that we should be able to see things as empty as well.
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