Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
April 15 lecture©
as outlined by a Buddhist monk
(Listen ‘live’ or recorded audio explanations at
www.wondrousdharma.org)
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Verse for opening a sutra
• Homage to the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and the
Vajra assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (3x)
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©Teaching Common People in ‘not empty’ world to let go
Teachings Reasons Methodology
S 25 Self doesn’t exist This body is not Contemplation
our true body
S 28 Everything else is just Our self nature is Patience and
appearances already perfect recognizing
and complete Reality
S 26 Preliminary expedient Addressing Comprehend
teaching on planting of attachment to and recognize
blessings and wisdom Dharma Reality
is put down.
S 27 Refuting annihilation When sweeping Comprehend
away all and recognize
appearance there Reality
is still the eternal 3
self nature.
Q&A pertaining to s 28
Question: If all dharmas are devoid of self (if everything is empty) what
about the hells?
Answer:
Great Master Yung Chia,
• “When one is certified to the characteristic of Reality,
• There are no people or dharmas
• The karma of the avichi is cancelled in a kshana,
• If I were deceiving living beings with untrue words,
• I’d invite upon myself the Ripping Out of Tongues for eons as
many as dust and sands.”
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Q&A on section 28
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Q&A on section 28
Explanation by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua:
• While people are confused in a dream, the six paths of gods,
humans, asuras, hells, hungry ghosts and animals are distinctly
evident.
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Q&A on section 28
Question: Why is greed mentioned here in section 28 and not
elsewhere in the Vajra Sutra?
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Q&A on section 28
• From sections 3 to 24, the Buddha was explaining the principle
in ‘empty’ world of Sages; and subtle attachment is an issue
whilst greed was not the main issue in the ‘empty world’ of
Sages.
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Q&A on section 28
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Question on section 28
Answer:
• A 3 step approach:
1. Understand Reality
2. Contemplate and recognize Reality
3. Gradually or suddenly accepting Reality
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Question on section 28
Step 1 – Understand Reality
• S 25 “Although the Thus Come One speaks of a self, there
is really no self that exists.” and s 28 “…realize that
everything is devoid of self and attain patience.”
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Question on section 28
• S 16 “..a good man or good woman who accepts,
upholds, reads, or recites this Sutra, is ridiculed, that
is because that person has karmic offenses from
past lives” explains the Reality of cause in this ‘not
empty’ world and…
• To see matters in the positive outlook, “but as a result
of the ridicule he receives from others in this present
life, his previous karmic offenses are destroyed and
he will attain anuttarasamyaksambodhi.” thus
explains the inevitable of the functioning of cause and
effect.
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Question on section 28
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Question on section 28
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Question on section 28
Steps 2 and 3 – contemplate and see Reality and
accepting Reality
• Yet the ultimate expression of ‘absence of self’ whilst we
live in this world of ignorance is
1. ‘not grasping at appearances and
2. being in unmoving thusness’
• by contemplating that ‘everything is like a dream, an
illusion..’ (s32)
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Question on section 28
2. “I see but not see” I see the transgression of my mind and not
the right and wrong, good or bad of others
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Question on section 28
5. Contemplate on wise sayings on Reality such as this verse:
• Recognize one’s own fault,
• Others fault is one’s fault,
• To be one with all living beings
• Is truly great compassion
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Question on section 28
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
Sutra: Subhuti, if someone says that it seems as if the Thus
Come One comes and goes, sits or lies down, such a
person does not understand the meaning of my teaching.
Comments:
• The Buddha does not come or go nor does he sits or lies down
because his Dharma body Vairochana Buddha pervades
everywhere yet he is nowhere attached.
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• The transformation body Shakyamuni Buddha is an illusion, a
transformation of sorts just like a body in a dream manifested to
teach living beings in this ‘not empty’ world.
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• ‘Neither comes nor goes’ is analogous to ‘neither empty nor
existent’; this is the world apart from dualities.
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• We live in a world built upon discrimination or dualities which
seems real; the fallacy is that we perceive dualities as real but
yet it is not so because fundamentally there was nothing at all.
• “…it seems as if the Thus Come One comes and goes, sits
or lies down” would therefore means that it appears there are
dualities but it is not so.
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• To illustrate ‘transformation body’, here is an extract of
the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra:
• “I (Shakyamuni Buddha) will also send transformed
bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas and upasikas to
listen to the Dharma being spoken.”
• Venerable Master Hsuan Hua explains “transformed”:
• “ There are two ways to explain it. First perhaps the
Buddha will appoint gods to transform themselves into
people. Or perhaps right when the lecture is going on,
the people will show up in the audience and nobody
knows where they came from or where they went….
• Some transformed people are born in the world just for
attending your Dharma lecture when it comes. Others
appear on a temporary basis now and then.” 25
S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
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S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• The Thus Come One neither comes nor goes, neither sits nor
lie down is illustrated in the experience of Great Master Zhi Zhe
who saw that the Magic Mountain Dharma assembly was still in
progress. Shakyamuni Buddha was still present in the Vulture
Peak speaking the Dharma Flower Sutra.
Question: Aren’t Shakyamuni Buddha sitting and speaking and the
Vajra Sutra says, ‘If someone says the Thus Come One has
spoken Dharma, he slanders the Buddha due to his
inability to understand what I teach’ (s 21)?
Answer:
• It was again a transformation body speaking, an appearance of
the mind.
• Ultimately and eventually you will find that you are in the
first place a Buddha; whatever spoken was all false in a
‘not empty world’ and basically there was nothing at all
(without appearance).