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The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra
NEITHER KNOWING NOR SEEING IS PRODUCED
CHAPTER 31
Sutra:
“Subhuti, if someone were to say that the view of a self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the Buddha, Subhuti, what do you think? Does that person understand the meaning of my teaching?”
“No, World Honored One, that person does not understand the meaning of the Tathagata’s teaching. And why? The view of a self, the view of others, the view of livings beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the World Honored One as no view of self, no view of others, no view of living beings, and no view of a life. Therefore they are called the view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life.”
“Subhuti, those who have resolved their minds on anuttarasamyaksambodhi should thus know, thus view, thus believe and understand the dharma and not endow the dharma with marks. Subhuti, the marks of the dharma as spoken of by the Tathagata are no marks of the dharma, therefore they are called the marks of the dharma.
Commentary:
Subhuti said that someone who holds the opinion that the Buddha spoke of a view of self, others, living beings, and a life does not understand the doctrine which the Buddha taught. That person has not reached an understanding of the doctrine of the emptiness of people, of phenomena, and of emptiness itself found in the prajna teaching, which expresses the principle of emptiness.
Earlier, the Buddha had spoken of the “marks” of self, others, living beings, and a life; then, at this point he spoke of the view of self, of others, of living beings, and of a life. What is the difference between marks and views? Marks are external objects with which one becomes involved through the eye organ. Views, on the other hand, are discriminations of the mind to which one becomes attached and at which one grasps. Views are subtle attachments; marks are coarse attachments. The superficial outer marks are easy to discard, but it is very difficult to obliterate the subtle attachments of the mind consciousness. Therefore the Buddha mentions both, to enable people not only to subdue their minds and leave marks, but also to subdue their minds and eradicate views. When one separates from views, one can truly arrive at the state of the emptiness of people, of phenomena, and of emptiness itself.
But the Buddha only spoke of those views from the standpoint of common truth. If explained in terms of actual truth, they are not views. When expressed from the standpoint of the Middle Way, therefore they are called the view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life. Originally there are no marks and no views, but in the wonderful dharma of prajna the Buddha gives them false names.
Not only are the view of self, of others, of living beings, and of a life that way, all phenomena should thus be known. Thus view, thus believe and understand all phenomena, and do not endow the dharma with marks. That means do not be attached to any of the dharma.
All dharma spoken by the Buddha.
Was for the sake of the minds of living beings;
If there were no minds,
Of what use would dharma be?
The marks of the dharma are spoken of by the Tathagata as no marks of the dharma; therefore they are called the marks of the dharma. They are merely given a false name.
The Vajra Sutra expresses prajna, the wonderful principle of true emptiness, and also expresses the dharma door of equality found within the wonderful principle of prajna. In general there are Five Aspects of Equality evident in the sutra.
1. The equality of living beings and Buddhas,
2. The equality of emptiness and existence,
3. The equality of all dharma,
4. The equality of one and many,
5. The equality of all views.
Most people do not understand equality dharma doors, so they put a head on top of a head, add marks to marks, and change what is basically equal to what is unequal.
1. The equality of living beings and Buddhas.
When I was sixteen I wrote a matched couplet upon reading the Sixth Patriarch Sutra. Having lectured to the place where the text says “Dharma is not sudden or gradual, confusion and enlightenment are slow and quick.” I thought, “How can there still be a sudden and a gradual? What is sudden? What is gradual? Are sudden and gradual different? Are they two?” So I wrote the following:
Although sudden and gradual are different,
Upon completion they are one.
Why make divisions of North and South?
Sagely and common are parts of the one:
The basic nature is absolutely the same.
Do not discuss East and West.
“Although sudden and gradual are different, upon completion they are one.” Sudden refers to instantaneous realization of Buddhahood; gradual refers to slow cultivation to Buddhahood. Sudden and gradual are two distinct methods, but when one finishes the work, there is no sudden and no gradual in evidence. They no longer exist.
“Why make divisions of North and South?” The south refers to the Sixth Patriarch, the Great Master Hui Neng who taught sudden teaching; north refers to the Great Master Shen Xiu who advocated gradual teaching. In the south the Sixth Patriarch’s disciples said, “We are the true, authentic Chan sect.” In the north, the disciples of Great Master Shen Xiu said, “Our Master was with the Fifth Patriarch for several decades. All the mind-dharma of the Fifth Patriarch has been transmitted to him.” Each following of disciples argued that their master was authentic.
Let me make clear at this point that no matter whom you meet, you should not try to assist your Master by pleading his case. Instead of asserting that your Master transmits the proper dharma, you may say, “Our Master is empty, false, and unreal. There is no dharma which can be spoken. There is no true, no false, no right, and no wrong. One should not speak of people’s good points or their faults.” That is what you should say. Do not be like the disciples of the Sixth Patriarch and the Great Master Shen Xiu who carried on a running battle in which they criticized one another’s teacher. Their quarrel grew until it became the divisions into Sudden and Gradual teachings, North and South.
When I read the Sixth Patriarch Sutra, I thought that the reference to Sudden and Gradual lacked equality, so I wrote the line, “Although sudden and gradual are different, upon completion they are one.” What is the origin of sudden? Although one suddenly attains enlightenment, one cultivates life after life for a long time within the Buddhadharma prior to that enlightenment. When one reaps the fruit of that long process of cultivation, that is called sudden. Gradual refers to the long process of cultivation, but the day the cultivation is complete, there is sudden enlightenment. For that reason I say there is no sudden or gradual.
“Why make divisions of North and South?” How much the less are there distinctions like locations. What is south? You may call a certain location south, but if you go south of it, it becomes north. In the Shurangama Sutra there is a discussion of the middle, “when looked at from the east, it is west, and when seen from the south it is north.” South and north are also like that. There actually is no north or south, so why make such distinctions in your heart?
“Sagely and common are parts of the One.” Sagely refers to the Buddha; common refers to living beings. The world is divided into these two types, but “the basic nature is absolutely the same.” Buddhahood is the realization of the Buddha-nature. Living beings can also realize their Buddha-nature.
“Do not discuss East and West.” Do not say that in the west, Amitabha is a Buddha, and in the east all creatures are just living beings. Do not make such distinctions in your heart. Great Master Yong Jia’s Song of Certification to the Way says, “There are no people and no Buddhas. The realms like grains of sand in a thousand worlds are like a bubble on the ocean.” If you understand the Buddhadharma, there is nothing to which you can become attached. If you still have an attachment, you still have not understood the Buddhadharma.
“Do not discuss East and West.” Why devise so many questions? Where did all the questions come from anyway? Such questions remind one of Yajnadatta who looked in the mirror one morning and saw that the person reflected had a head, whereupon he realized he had never seen his own head, and concluded that it was lost. The thought drove him insane, and he ran around madly looking for his head. Actually his head was not lost. He himself had jumped to that conclusion. People who become attached to the Buddhadharma are the same way. They become involved in a search for the Buddhadharma. How do you really find the Buddhadharma? Turn yourself around; that is the Buddhadharma. To turn yourself around means to wake up. Wake up! That is the Buddhadharma. If you have not awakened, you are still within the Buddhadharma, but you do not understand that you are.
To continue the discussion of the equality of living beings and the Buddha, living beings are former Buddhas who have turned into living beings. For living beings to become Buddhas again they need only return to the origin and realize Buddhahood. Therefore it says that, “Sagely and common are parts of the One. The basic nature is absolutely the same.”
2. The equality of emptiness and existence.
The Sixth Patriarch Sutra says, “When asked about emptiness, answer with existence.”
What is emptiness?
Emptiness is existence.
What is existence?
Existence is emptiness.
“How can you say emptiness is existence and existence is emptiness? That is too confused,” you may say.
Is it the principle that is confused, or is it you, or I? When you are confused you think that emptiness is emptiness and existence is existence. When the confusion is cleared, you know that emptiness and existence are equal. Do not attach to either annihilationism or eternalism. The equality and non-duality of emptiness and existence is called the Middle Way. Here true emptiness does not obstruct wonderful existence and wonderful existence does not obstruct true emptiness. True emptiness is wonderful existence; wonderful existence is true emptiness. When there is existence, then emptiness manifests; when there is emptiness, then existence is apparent. There is no emptiness, and there is no existence. They are not two. The non-duality of emptiness and existence is the equality of emptiness and existence.
3. The equality of the dharma.
The Vajra Sutra says, “This dharma is level and equal without high or low, therefore it is called anuttarasamyaksambodhi.” That is the equality of the dharma. “The Tathagata neither comes nor goes.” That is the equality of the dharma.
5. The equality of all views.
What is the view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life? There is none. That is the equality of all views. Medicine is prescribed according to the sickness, but once cured, you no longer take the medicine. If you remain on medication after the illness has been cured, further illness will result. That is the equality of all views.
Those five aspects express the essence of the entire Vajra Sutra, but to understand prajna, the principle of emptiness, one further thing is needed: faith. If you do not believe the principle of emptiness then no matter how often it is explained, it will do you no good. The Buddhadharma is like a great sea. Only by faith can one enter.
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