Dear readers,

After 26 months of discussion and exploration, we have finally completed our online discussion on the core teachings of the three great classics in Chinese Civilization.  

With the focus on personal and spiritual cultivation, we first learnt about the transcendental reality and the way towards it from Laozi’s Daodejing.  After understanding our self, and going beyond it, we then learnt the importance of fulfilling our personal, family and social responsibility in the world through practical advises from Confucius’s Analects.  Finally, after mastering the world and the reality beyond it,  we learnt from the Buddhist Diamond Sutra that all teachings and phenomena, no matter how extraordinary and spectacular, are temporary like dreams and bubble and therefore are not to be attached.

If we can gain a throughout understanding of these three classics, and integrate them into our daily life, then a solid foundation is laid on the roadway of personal and spiritual cultivation.  Hopefully these discussions could serve as an opening door and overall guidance for further studies and practice.

This concludes this series of our online classes.  As Laozi said, “excessive speeches exhaust our reason, it’s better to stay centered.” The foundation understanding of cultivation has been laid and it is time for practice and integration into our life.  If you have further question on the topics mentioned, you may contact me for advice or further discussion.  Thank you for your interest and support all along.

Best wishes to you in your life, studies, and practices.    

Regards,

Li Siming

March 2014

When the Buddha about to conclude this sutra, he tested his student Subuti and asked: “when someone talk of the notions of self, others, living beings, and immortality, does s/he understand what i teach?”  Subhuti answered: “no, because these notions too, are merely names and mental conceptualization,  are not to be attached, and not to be understood as the ultimate truth from the Buddha.”  The Buddha compassionately furthered: “Whoever made the intention of supreme enlightenment, should perceive as such, see as such, understand as such, and do not let teachings develop into fixed notions.  And same applies to this conclusion as well.

Once we embark on the journey to truth and spiritual enlightenment, teachers teachings knowledge method pathway technique experience will come.  They are all to be treasured, but not to be attached.  If we perceive them, see them, believe them, and understand them as this Sutra suggests, we will be walking on solid path.

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知见不生分第三十一

KNOWLEDGE AND VIEWS ARE NOT PRODUCED, THIRTY-ONE

须菩提！若人言：佛说我见、人见、众生见、寿者见。
须菩提！于意云何？是人解我所说义不？
“Subhuti, what do you think? If someone says: ‘The Buddha speaks of the view of an ego, a personality, a being and a life,
“Subhuti, does that person understand what I mean?”

不也，世尊！是人不解如来所说义。何以故？
世尊说：我见、人见、众生见、寿者见，即非我见、人见、众生见、寿者见，是名我见、人见、众生见、寿者见。
“No, World Honoured one, that person does not understand. Why?”
“Because (when) the Tathagata speaks of the view of an ego, a Personality, a being and a life, it is not really, (but) is (expediently) called the view of an ego, a personality a being and a life.”

须菩提！发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心者，于一切法，应如是知，如是见，如是信解，不生法相。
须菩提！所言法相者，如来说即非法相，是名法相。
“Subhuti, he who develops the Supreme Enlightenment Mind, should thus know, see, believe and comprehend (all things); he should not set up the perception of things (dharma-laksana) in his mind.”
“Subhuti, the so-called form of things (dharma-laksana), the Tathagata says is not, but is, (expediently) called the form of things.”

Tathagata in Chinese is “如来”, which means “as is”, or “as is originally is”.  This “original is” is a state prior to all mentalizations and descriptions, and is beyond the descriptions of coming and going, sitting or lying, a he or a she, etc, which are identifications built on the notions of time and space, and on the notion of “self” vs. others.  Therefore, whoever say here comes the Tathagata, or the Tathagata is sitting, lying, eating, or even teaching, does not really understand the real meaning of Tathagata.

* * *

威仪寂静分第二十九

THE QUIESCENCE OF HIS AWESOME DEMEANOR, TWENTY-NINE

须菩提！若有人言：如来若来若去、若坐若卧，是人不解我所说义。
何以故？如来者，无所从来，亦无所去，故名如来。
“Subhuti, if someone says the Tathagata comes or goes, sits or lies, he does not understand what I mean.
“Why? Because the Tathagata has neither whence (to come) nor whither (to go); therefore, He is called the Tathagata.

After expounding that real Buddha is beyond image and sound, the all compassionate Buddha reminds us that real Buddha does not mean no image and no sound either, and that we should not satisfy with just the proper understanding of truth and should diligently practice it in our life.

Why did the Buddha say so?  Because our mind likes to attach itself to dualistic opposites: when someone say of something, we immediately follows the “something”; when someone say of nothing, we immediately follows the “nothing”.  In reality, we are neither “something” or “nothing”, neither the content or context, neither the teaching or non-teaching, this is the essence of Zen (Chan).

Secondly, after getting the above proper understanding, it is tempting for our mind to declare victory and say that, ok,  we have got it now, we have arrive the final destination, and that there is no more work need to be done, nor anyone there to do anything anymore.   Is it really so?  Only your honest self could tell.  What we usually find in the history and even nowadays, is that many students and teachers had fallen into this side track understanding, became an “enlightened” person in understanding,  but lack honesty, virtue and diligent to make further progress (if not recline).  This is why the Buddha said while perfect appearance doesn’t necessary implies Buddhahood, to claim the lack of it (appearance an virtue) is Buddhahood is wrong either.

In actual practice, there are standard stages of transformation one would go through, which are reported by advanced masters across different traditions and geographical regions.   In the Buddhist tradition, a detailed report of truth and roadmap towards it is provided in the Shurangama Sutra (see suggested Buddhist readings).

Therefore, the Shurangama Sutra saids, “理即顿悟,   乘悟并消；事非顿除, 因次第尽” (understanding can be sudden, which sweeps away all mental blockages, practice is not sudden, which get perfected in stages).

* * *

无断无灭分第二十七

NOT DESTROYED NOR ANNIHILATED, TWENTY-SEVEN

须菩提！汝若作是念：如来不以具足相故，得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。
须菩提！莫作是念：“如来不以具足相故，得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。”
“Subhuti, if you have ( in your mind) this thought: ‘The Tathagata does not rely on His possession of characteristics to obtain supreme Enlightenment,’
“Subhuti, banish that thought.

须菩提！汝若作是念，发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心者，说诸法断灭。
莫作是念！何以故？
发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心者，于法不说断灭相。
“Subhuti, if you think it while developing the Perfect Enlightenment Mind, you will advocate the annihilation of all Dharmas.
“Do not have such a thought. Why?
“Because one who develops the Supreme Enlightenment Mind, does not advocate the annihilation (of things).

Further to his earlier teaching “are we living beings, are we not“, the Buddha reminds Subhuti again in this chapter, “don’t think that I have liberated any being, for if you think so, i will be fallen into the limitation of a self, others, beings, and immortals“.

As devoted students of healing and enlightenment, don’t we all want to liberate suffering through various forms of healing and charity?  Is suffering real, and the liberation of it through various means of healing to be done then?  Yes, indeed the suffering and healing are both real.  Otherwise the Buddha would not have taught on earth for 40+ years!   The reason why the Buddha told us that no beings have been liberated by him is that, he knows that when we live our lives and heal sufferings, we easily fall into the temptation of the labels “healers” who heal “others”.  This labeling and claiming credits are to be avoid, not the healing work itself.  For if we get sucked into these labels,  we would be hijacked and sidetracked by our own ego on the road to true healing and enlightenment.

What then, could be a proper way to live our life and do our healing work?  Refer to our earlier discussion: “how does Bodhisattva do charity?“.

* * *

化无所化分第二十五

TRANSFORMING WITHOUT THERE BEING ANYONE TRANSFORMED, TWENTY-FIVE

须菩提！于意云何？
汝等勿谓如来作是念：我当度众生。
“Subhuti, what do you think?
“You should not say the Tathagata has this thought (in His mind): ‘I should liberate living beings.’”

须菩提！莫作是念。何以故？
实无有众生如来度者，若有众生如来度者，如来则有我人众生寿者。
须菩提！如来说：“有我者，则非有我，而凡夫之人以为有我。
须菩提！凡夫者，如来说则非凡夫。
“Subhuti, you should not think so. Why?
“Because there are really no living beings whom the Tathagata can liberate. If there were, the Tathagata would hold (the concept of) an ego, a personality, a being and a life.”
“Subhuti, (when) the Tathagata speaks of an ego, there is in reality no ego, although common men think so.
“Subhuti, the Tathagata says common men are not, but are (expediently) called, common men.