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The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra
ONE SUBSTANCE REGARDED AS IDENTICAL
CHAPTER 18
Sutra:
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the flesh eye?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the flesh eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the heavenly eye?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the heavenly eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the wisdom eye?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the wisdom eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the dharma eye?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the dharma eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the Buddha eye?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Buddha eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata spoken of the sand grains in the Ganges River?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has spoken of that sand.”
Commentary:
A Bodhisattva who commits himself to undertaking practices which are meritorious and virtuous should proceed without hesitation to do just that. Seeds planted in the field will in the future yield a harvest. There is no benefit in speculating on the size of the crop. Attention need only be paid to the planting and cultivation of the field. If care is taken and the conditions of earth, water, and wind are right, then the plants will grow. If the field is never planted, however, no yield at all can be expected. In just that way a Bodhisattva takes living beings across to the other shore without actually taking any living beings across. A Bodhisattva does not waste energy worrying about the outcome, he just does his work.
Shakyamuni Buddha again called to Subhuti and asked, “Does the Tathagata have the flesh eye?” The flesh eye referred to is not the ordinary eye of common people, but rather one of the five eyes.
Why is it given the name flesh eye?
It is called the flesh eye because it can see tangible objects and also objects which are devoid of form or marks. Ordinary eyes can see people, but they cannot see ghosts and spirits. However, with the power of the flesh eye one can close his ordinary eyes and continue to see people. What is more, the flesh eye can examine people in the minutest detail, taking note of any distinguishing marks such as moles or birthmarks. The range of the flesh eye is much greater than that of ordinary eyes. It can see every object within a radius of five miles without obstruction.
The heavenly eye, on the other hand, can see clearly into the heavens. Gods can be seen dining or sitting in meditation, and one can behold other events which take place in the heavens. The heavenly eye does not perceive material objects such as people, tables, flowers, and the like.
The flesh eye, the heavenly eye, the Buddha eye, the wisdom eye, and the dharma eye are located on your head. The flesh eye and the heavenly eye are on opposite sides of your forehead. When your five eyes are open and you can utilize them, you yourself will know their locations.
“We can already see all the way to the moon through the use of telescopes,” someone says.
With the use of the heavenly eye you do not need a telescope. Everything in the heavens, everything on the moon, everything on the stars can be seen right from where you sit. Scientists now perform experiments in order to expand their powers of observation. We do not experiment. We just learn to enter rabla and then everything can be seen very clearly. The power of the heavenly eye is very helpful in the study of astronomy. But you cannot capitalize on that ability if you acquire its use. Although the heavenly eye is a priceless gem, it cannot be sold. If you see something with the heavenly eye and try to disclose your findings, your heavenly eye will automatically disappear. It is just that wonderful. The heavenly eye cannot be used to make a profit, nor can it be used to gain power over people. If you say things like, “You had better pay attention to me. I know things you don’t know,” you have a defect, and your heavenly eye will quickly disappear.
“Why,” you ask, “does the heavenly eye function that way?”
Arrogance is attachment to self. The reason a Bodhisattva is able to take living beings across without there being a mark of living beings, or the mark of taking them across, is because he has no attachment to self. If you obtain the power of any of the five eyes and then brag about that attainment saying, “I have the heavenly eye, you don’t.” then you lack the requisite stature. If you originally could see clearly with the heavenly eye, you will see a little less clearly as a result of your attachment to self. If you do not see clearly but are still arrogant about the little bit of attainment you have, then you will totally lose whatever power you have gained. There is exactly that direct ratio between the power of the five eyes and the attachment to self. Therefore it is essential to understand the Buddhadharma, for if you do not, it is possible to make serious mistakes.
“Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata have the wisdom eye?” The wisdom eye enables one to know at a glance if something is right or wrong, true or false. A stupid person mistakes what is false for what is true, and what is true for what is false. A wise person knows what is true and what is false and is not confused. Everyone needs to investigate the Buddhadharma in order to develop the wisdom eye.
Sutra:
“Subhuti, what do you think? If all the grains of sand in one Ganges River became an equal number of Ganges Rivers, and all the grains of sand in all those Ganges Rivers became that many Buddhalands, would they be many?”
“Very many, World Honored One.”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “All the various thoughts which occur to all the living beings in all those Buddhalands are completely known by the Tathagata. And why? All thoughts are spoken of by the Tathagata as no thoughts, therefore they are called thoughts. For what reason? Subhuti, past thought cannot be got at, present thought cannot be got at, and future thought cannot be got at.
Commentary:
The Buddha then employed an analogy wherein each grain of sand in the Ganges River was transformed into a Ganges River, and each grain of sand in each of those rivers was transformed into a Buddhaland. Then he pointed out that the Tathagata knows what is happening in the minds of all the living beings in all those Buddhalands.
Why?
All thoughts are spoken of by the Tathagata as no thoughts. All thoughts refers to what is going on in the minds of all living beings. No thoughts means that they are not the true heart. Therefore they are called thoughts means they are just the ordinary thoughts in people’s minds, nothing more.
Why? “Subhuti,” said the Buddha, “I will state this more simply. What you call the past is already gone by. The past does not remain. As soon as you speak of the present it has already passed, so it too does not remain. What you refer to as the future has not yet arrived, and so it also cannot be got at. Those three kinds of thoughts in the minds of living beings are ultimately unobtainable. The Tathagata completely knows the thoughts in the hearts of all living beings. If you do not climb on conditions then the three kinds of thought cannot be got at.”
Let us look further into the five eyes. Are they produced from within or do they come from outside? The five eyes are not produced from within; nor do they come from outside: nor do they exist in the middle. Cultivate, use effort, and when your skill is sufficient you will have them naturally. Before sufficient skill is attained, no amount of seeking will cause them to function. Seeking is false thinking. Seeking without the thought of seeking brings a response.
In what way does one make an effort to open one’s eyes?
You need to be wise in managing affairs, and wise in cultivation. It is wise to recognize what is good and then courageously and vigorously work towards it. The characteristic of wisdom is to recognize and vow to cut off and cast out what is bad. Realizing something is good and yet not acting in accord with it is the characteristic of stupidity. It is stupid to recognize that something is bad business and still go ahead and become involved in it. If you are stupid, it is not easy to obtain the five eyes. In order to obtain them, everything you do must be done extremely clearly. You must be very precise and cannot be confused.
What do the five eyes do?
The wisdom eye contemplates the nature of the dharma realm. In so doing, the wisdom eye is complete with all aspects of wisdom. When you wish to consult the Buddhist sutras, you must use a book. With the dharma eye, however, you do not need to read the sutras, because you can see the Buddhadharma throughout all of empty space, everywhere throughout the dharma realm. There are sutras everywhere. So it is said that the dharma eye completely illuminates the marks of the dharma.
The Buddha eye enables you to understand the true meaning of all Buddhadharma. Those of you who wish to attain the Buddha eye should remember that it is located between your eyebrows. Otherwise on the day when an eye appears in that place you will utterly panic and wonder, “How did I grow another eye?” My telling you in advance is to spare you any fear.
The dharma eye can thoroughly investigate everything. People’s prior causes and subsequent results, the penetration of past lives, the penetration of the heavenly eye, all are completely understood. The Buddha eye is extremely wonderful and inconceivable. It can see things with form and things without form, with a power several million times greater than that of the flesh eye.
If you obtain the five eyes, you should protect them carefully. How should you protect them? By continuing to nourish your good roots. Cultivate blessings and wisdom. Those of you who have not obtained the eyes need to work hard and develop blessings and wisdom. When your blessings and wisdom are sufficient your five eyes will open.
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