Questions & Koans

Part 17-6

If anyone says that the Realised One has attained unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment, Subhuti, really there is no such thing as the Buddha attaining unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment. Subhuti, in the unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment attained by the Realised One, there is neither reality nor unreality.”

Commentary:

It is well known that that the Buddha attained the unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment. And it is one of the most attractive and tempting words that entices Buddhists to be attached to since attaining it is the reason why they are Buddhist.

In order to stop people from being deluded by the words ‘unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment’, he gives a little more detailed explanation about the enlightenment that people think the Buddha attained, by saying that there is neither reality nor unreality in it. This means that it is the state without illusions that doesn’t permit any word such as reality, or unreality.

In fact, his description of enlightenment is true of not just his enlightenment but also all other things. There is neither reality nor unreality in essence of everything.

Student: “What is the unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment attained by the Buddha?”

Master: “Although my eyes, ears and mouth are full of it, it can’t be spoken.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. It is not God’s will but the results of their causations. There is nothing beyond effect without cause.

In a class, for example, students can be sorted into four groups; students who get high scores in an examination without working hard in the class, students who get good scores due to working hard in the class, students who fail to get a good grade despite working harder than the former, and students who don’t work hard and get poor scores.

We are talking about the first and the third groups. The reason why the first group of students can get handsome scores despite scant work in class is that they worked hard and learned in advance somewhere else before the class that which is supposed to be taught in class. The third group of students can’t understand what is taught in class since they lacked the basic knowledge for the class because they didn’t prepare anything beforehand.

What we are now is the effect of how we lived and how we accept what we are at this moment is the cause of what our lives will be like in the future. So, ancient masters would say, “I can know a person’s past and future by seeing how he lives now.”

The lives of the people you mentioned may seem to make no sense, but they are all the results of their causations that is referred to as karma in Buddhism. That’s why we say that every accident is inevitability disguised as an accident.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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: “Why did the master say that the Buddha is a rude man?”

Master: “I didn’t hear that.”

Student: “What did you hear?”

Master: “The master said that the Buddha is an impostor.”

Commentary:

When words disappear, the true-Self appears.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 17-5

“Why? Because the Realised One means one who sees all things as they are.”

Commentary:

The Realised One signifies an enlightened man who can see and hear everything as it is. Such a man is never deluded by any illusions.

This is why the Realised One had no thought that he attained enlightenment from Dipankara Buddha.

The point here is whether we can see all things as they are. The purpose of this Sutra is not to let us know the fact that the Buddha can see everything as it is but to lead us to see things as they are just as the historical Buddha did. No matter how many Buddhas who can see all things as they are we may know, it has nothing to do with us unless we can see in that way too. Reading the Sutra literally is just like drooling whilst looking at a picture of flavourful food.

Student: “What is the meaning of the Realised One?”

Master: “No matter how delicious a picture of food may appear, it cannot satisfy your hunger.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

The Buddha’s teaching is not to quieten our mind, but to realise that our mind is already stillness itself.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Master Jin-gak said, “Time flows like water, and worrisome worldly affairs are so badly entangled that they cannot be disentangled. The smokeless fire of the heart keeps burning day by day. How can you escape from being burnt by the flames?”

Student: “How can we disentangle the entangled worldly affairs?”

Master: “Brush away dust from them and look carefully at them.”

Commentary:

Trying to untangle tangled turtle-hair makes it more entangled.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 17-4

Subhuti, in reality there is no state in which the Realised One attained unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment. Subhuti, if there were a state in which the Realised One attained unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment, then Dipankara Buddha would not have given me the prediction, ‘In a future age you will be a Buddha named Shakyamuni.’

Because there was in reality no state in which I attained unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment, therefore Dipankara Buddha gave me the prediction, saying, ‘In a future age you will be a Buddha named Shakyamuni.’

Commentary:

If the Realised One had thought that he attained enlightenment, Dipankara Buddha would not have approved of the Realised One’s enlightenment, because it means that the Realised One, not escaping from being deluded by illusions, was attached to the illusion of enlightenment.

Those who are free from all forms through enlightenment have no form of ‘I’ as well as no form of enlightenment. When there are no ‘I’ and no enlightenment, who can attain what?

Student: “Why is it conventional wisdom that the Buddha attained the unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment?”

Master: “Because you misunderstand it.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. Let’s suppose that there is a curious lump of gold that looks different according to the angle of view. Some people say that it is a flower, some believe that it is a bird, and some think that it is an apple. Many other names can also be given to it.

Saying that everything is an illusion means that a flower, a bird and an apple are all illusions, labels created by your discrimination and not the essence of it. Saying that everything is empty signifies that the essence of everything, regardless of whatever it is called, is gold.

Our problem is that we, deluded by its superficial shape, can see only a flower, a bird and an apple without realising that the essence of them is gold. This means that we are deluded by illusions without realising gold. So, realising that everything is an illusion means realising that everything is much more valuable than we have thought that it is, because it implies that everything is gold. Enlightenment is to see the true value and beauty of everything that we have missed seeing so far.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Master Jin-gak said, “Time flows like water, and worrisome worldly affairs are so badly entangled that they cannot be disentangled. The smokeless fire of the heart keeps burning day by day. How can you escape from being burnt by the flames?”

Student: “What is the cause of worrisome entangled worldly affairs?”

Master: “Time flowing like water.”

Student: “Why is time an entangled worldly affair?”

Master: “Because all worldly affairs result from it.”

Commentary:

Sentient beings’ lives struggle with time like a rabbit-horn.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Part 17-3

“Subhuti, what do you think—when the Realised One was with Dipankara Buddha, was there any state of attaining unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment?”

“No, World Honoured One. As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha says, when the Buddha was with Dipankara Buddha there was no state of attaining unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment”

The Buddha said, “That is so. That is so.”

Commentary:

Being able to see and hear everything as it is, is referred to as enlightenment, which the Buddha is said to have attained and which we try to attain as well.

Prior to attaining enlightenment, it is the final goal of all Buddhists. However, once we have learned to see things as they are through enlightenment, everything looks as it is, that is, everything looks one as Emptiness from that moment on. Then, we come to realise that enlightenment is not enlightenment but is only called enlightenment and that the action of saying ‘enlightenment’ is the function of the true-Self.

This is why it is said that there is no Dharma to learn, no Buddha to see and no enlightenment to attain once we get enlightened, although all of them appear to exist before enlightenment.

This is to see what the Buddha wanted to show to us through his talk.

This is to see and hear the Buddha in each word we encounter, which is referred to as making dead words alive.

Student: “Why was the Realised One with Dipankara Buddha if he didn’t attain enlightenment from Him?”

Master: “I was almost deluded once, too.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway