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| Contents Door 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 previous next * Preface | ||
Prologue:
Moreover, if one wishes to combine the two schools, one needs to know the many differences there are in the doctrines upon which the two schools are based.
They are in general set forth under a umber of headings: one, the differences in the one vehicle and the three vehicles; two, the differences in the one nature and the five natures; three, the differences in the truth and falseness of what is mind alone; four, the differences in true suchness according with conditions or congealing; five he differences in whether the three natures are empty, existent, identical or separate;
six, the differences in whether living beings and the Buddha involve no increase and no decrease; seven, the differences in whether the two truths are empty, existent, identical or separate; eight, the differences in whether the four marks are simultaneous or have before and afterwards; nine, the differences in whether subject and object in severing and certifying are identical or separate; ten, the differences in whether the Buddha’s body is conditioned or unconditioned.
Commentary:
Moreover, if one wishes to combine the two schools, one needs to know the many differences there are in the doctrines upon which the two schools are based. Two Schools have so far been introduced, the Dharma Marks School and the Dharma Nature School. Each has its own particular doctrines, which can be combined with those of the other School; but in order to unite them you have to know where the many differences between them lie. They are in general set forth under a umber of headings, which give an overall picture in a very systematic arrangement of the details.
One is the differences in the one vehicle and the three vehicles. First difference is that the Dharma Nature School takes the One Vehicle as being the principle of ultimate meaning. It considers the Three Vehicles of Sound Hearers, Those Enlightened to Conditions and Bodhisattva (corresponding to the Buddha’s speaking of the Four Truths, the Twelve Causal Conditions and the Six Paramitas respectively) as not being ultimate.
Yet the Three Vehicles are the ultimate doctrine in the Dharma Marks School. For the Dharma Nature School, the One Vehicle is the Single Buddha Vehicle besides which there is no other Vehicle; but for the Dharma Marks School the One Vehicle is something else, and in making their determination of the Teaching Marks it’s not what they consider the ultimate meaning of the Middle Way.
Two, another divergence between the two Schools, is the differences in the one nature and the five natures. The One Nature is the Dharma Nature School’s principle of the Buddha Nature, whereas the Dharma Marks School holds to the principle of Five Natures of the five kinds of living beings.
The Five Natures
- Fixed Nature Sound Hearers
- Fixed Nature Conditionally Enlightened Ones
- Fixed Nature Bodhisattvas
- Those of Unfixed Nature
- Those Who Lack Seed-Nature
The first three are fixed in nature, which means they reach a certain state and no longer move, refusing to leave hat position to go and make further progress. They become very rigid and inflexible. It’s as if their minds were machines that no longer worked so they cannot think. That covers the people of the Three Vehicles. The next is those who are unfixed in nature. One explanation is that they are those of the nature for the sudden, the ones suited for sudden enlightenment, and those of the nature for the gradual, becoming enlightened gradually.
Unfixedness of nature is common to the Three Vehicles – beings found among Sound Hearers, Those Enlightened to Conditions and Bodhisattva – as well as to the Buddha. That’s what’s unfixed about it. Any among the three can suddenly open enlightenment and become a Buddha. Finally there are those who lack seed-nature. They don’t have the nature of the seed of wisdom, but just the seed-nature of stupidity – and that corresponds to the Vehicle of Humans and Gods.
The next eight differences will just be mentioned briefly here. They are discussed in greater detail in the Third Door. Three, the third principle in which the two Schools differ, is the differences in the truth and falseness of what is mind alone – whether the mind is true or false.
Four is the differences in true suchness according with conditions or congealing. The Dharma Nature School speaks of true suchness according with conditions. That differs from congealing which is like what happens when there is stiffening into butter. An example is only being able to remain unmoving; or as was said before, just obtaining not moving but not obtaining according with conditions.
Five is he differences in whether the three natures are empty, existent, identical or separate. The Three Natures are the Nature Everywhere Calculated and Attached To, the Nature That Arises Dependent on Something Else, and the Perfectly Accomplished Real nature. Some say that they are empty, others that they exist, or else that what is empty is existent; or that right within emptiness one is separate from emptiness, while right within existence one is separate from existence – that unfixed principle.
Six is the differences in whether living beings and the Buddha involve no increase and no decrease, for some hold that there is no increase or decrease in the nature whether one is a living beings or a Buddha. Seven is the differences in whether the two truths – Truth in the Primary Sense and Relative Truth -- are empty, existent, identical or separate. Eight is the differences in whether the four marks are simultaneous or have before and afterwards. There are several lists of Four Marks, but here they are the stages gone through by all conditioned things.
The Four Marks
- Production
- Dwelling
- Change
- Extinction
In this context it doesn’t mean the Mark of Self, the Mark of Others, the Mark of living beings, and the Mark of Ones With Lifespans. Human life can also be described in terms of the Four Marks.
The Four Marks in Human Life
1. Birth = Production
2. Old Age = Dwelling
3. Sickness = Change
4. Death = Extinction
production entails the very subtle ignorance from the mark of production. After production there is a period of dwelling, eventual change, and finally extinction. Do they all occur at once, or can a temporal sequence be distinguished? Does production take place first, after which there is dwelling, and only afterwards change – the final mark coming even later?
Nine is the differences in whether subject and object in severing and certifying are identical or separate. Is there a subject that severs and an object that is severed? Is there a subject that certifies and an object of what is certified to? One who severs cuts off afflictions; and what is severed is also afflictions – ignorance. One who certifies certifies to Bodhi, and what is certified to is also Bodhi. There are differences regarding this. Ten is the differences in whether the Buddha’s body is conditioned or unconditioned. Some Buddha bodies are held to be conditioned, others unconditioned – the tenth difference. The final eight in this list of ten will be considered in detail later on.
Prologue:
Now as to those first two doctrines, because they are not the same in whether there are five natures or one, that makes there be Three Vehiclesor one, and provisional or actual, as in the doctrine of the Dharma Marks School which takes the one vehicles as provisional and the Three Vehicles as actual.
Commentary:
Now as to those first two doctrines, something happens because they are not the same in whether there are five natures or one Nature.The Dharma Marks School pays particular attention to the Five Natures and investigates them thoroughly. And so when Tripitaka Master Hsuan Tsang praised Dharma Master K’uei Chi (the “Three Cart Patriarch”) he said:
“If it were not for you, the Five Natures would never have been circulated.”
He meant that no one else would have had the wisdom-power to maekthe principles fo the Five Natures spread far and wide. Because there’s that difference in whether there are five Natures or one, that makes there be Three Vehicles or one, and provisional or actual, as in the doctrine of the Dharma Marks School. The principle which is expounded by that School takes the one vehicles as provisional Teaching and the Three Vehicles as actual Teaching.
Our “boss” hasn’t come around for a long time. Being boss is what he likes best, and whatever he does he fights to be first. The way he does things is that if no one is around he makes no offerings; but as soon as he has an audience he pulls out some money and announces how much he’s donating and stipulates exactly what’s to the working of the temple. You call that “pulling a power trip.” What meaning there is to it I don’t know. He hasn’t been around for a long time because here:
The deviant cannot overcome the proper.
He’s outnumbered, and he can’t just wander around as he pleases. Nor can he find a way to be first. Some new bosses have sprung up to replace him, however, trying to act just like him. They pull out some cash and say, “Buy this, buy that,” which is not in accord with Dharma. That’s because any Dharma Protector who wishes to support the Way Place should go through the office when making offerings. Otherwise the money falls through empty space and doesn’t protect and support the Temple, bring it no aid. So after this, if someone makes an offering to a single individual, it won’t be accepted. It must be an offering to the Temple to be accepted.
The responsibility of each individual is to the Way Place as a whole and we should work for the public good without fearing difficulty. People have gotten into the habit of saying, “This is a lot of trouble. That’s too much trouble. I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to do that.” Eating is more trouble than anything, so why don’t’ you object to it in the least? It’s not all that free and easy to wear clothes either, but you still want to wear them and don’t call it too much trouble. Since we are not troubled by the difficulties in eating, sleeping and wearing clothes, we also shouldn’t be bothered in doing other work – and then it wont’ be trouble.
Prologue:
Therefore, within the Deep Secret’s teachings of the three periods, in the first none become accomplished. In the next, there is comprehensive accomplishment. Those were either excessive or deficient, and neither was the ultimate doctrine. In the third period, those with the nature have accomplishment, and those without the nature do not have accomplishment, by then the ultimate meaning. Consequently it is called that which universally effects bringing forth tending towards all vehicles. Moreover, the first two rolls both say the one vehicle was spoken with secret intent, and therefore is provisional. It is furthermore because the Shrimaladevi Sutra takes the one vehicle as expedient.
Commentary:
Because of the principles discussed before, Therefore, within the Deep Secret’s teachings of the three periods, in the very first Teaching Period it is said that none become accomplished. Living beings cannot become Buddhas since they lack the Buddha Nature of Great Enlightenment which only the Buddha has. In the next Teaching Period something else is said -- that there is comprehensive accomplishment on the part of all living beings equally, that they have already become Buddhas or will quickly do so, being on their way.
Those Teachings were either excessive or deficient. In the first, living beings had no hope or right to become Buddhas, which was holding them down – a case of not going far enough. Afterwards in the second Period it was said that there is comprehensive enlightenment of all living beings, that all are already enlightened, which was excessive. It’s as if you tore into someone saying he or she was the worst person on earth, then turned right around and said how he or she was the finest kind of person. The two wouldn’t fit together. How could they be so bad and yet also be so good? It wouldn’t make sense. And neither was the ultimate doctrine. Neither one was the principle of the Middle Way, so they were not yet ultimate.
In the third period it was said that those living beings with the Buddha nature could have accomplishment of Buddhahood, and that those beings without the Buddha nature, of course, do not and cannot have accomplishment of Buddhahood, by then setting forth something which was pretty much the principle of the ultimate meaning of the Middle Way. Consequently it, the third Period, is also called that Teaching which universally effects bringing forth the Bodhi mind tending towards all Buddha vehicles.
Moreover, the first two rolls both say the one vehicle was spoken by the Buddha with secret intent, and because spoken secretly therefore is a clever and expedient provisional Dharma door – or why would it be said secretly? How can something secret be said? So-called secrets are to arouse people’s curiosity to search for the arcane – yet they find they don’t exist. So, secrets are expedient methods, like the empty fist with which the Buddha saved the child this came up recently in a Dharma Transmission held by a certain place. One person asked, “What am I holding in my hand?”
The other person answered, “In your hand is nothing at all.”
The first person then said, “Take that and use it to teach living beings.”
That’s an example of shop talk among old timers. People who don’t understand the Buddhadharma wonder, “What does that mean to use an empty fist to teach and transform living beings? That’s really wonderful!” actually it’s just the Dharma door of using an empty fist to save a child which the Buddha talked about long ago. He said that once a child was crawling and was just about to fall into a well. There wasn’t enough time to get to the child before it would fall in, and so the Buddha called out, “Little child, little child, I have a piece of candy in my hand. Would you like it?” at the mention of “candy” the child turned around and crawled back instead of continuing in the direction of the well – and so didn’t fall in. But did the Buddha have candy in his hand? No.
You may say, “The Buddha could have conjured some up.” Well, it would still have been false even if he had. That’s the origin of the expression “saving the child with an empty fist.” But their place stole the story and spoke it in a way people wouldn’t understand. So, secrets are entirely provisional devices. It is furthermore because in the Shrimaladevi Sutra it, too, takes the Dharma of the one vehicle as expedient Dharma.
Prologue:
In roll five hundred ninety-three of the Great Prajna Sutra, wholesome courage Buddha says, “I only hope the world-honored one will have pity upon us and fully proclaim for us the Thus Come One’s states and wisdom. If there are sentient beings whose natures are fixed upon the Sound Hearer Vehicle, when they hear this Dharma they will quickly be able to certify to their own ground of non-outflow.
Those whose natures are fixed upon the vehicle of those solitarily enlightened, upon hearing this Dharma will quickly, relying upon their own vehicle, attain escape. Those whose natures are fixed upon the unsurpassed vehicle, upon hearing this Dharma will quickly certify to unsurpassed proper and equal Bodhi.
Although there may be beings who have not yet entered a nature proper for leaving production, and whose natures are not fixed upon any of the three vehicles, upon hearing this Dharma they will all bring forth the mind for unsurpassed proper and equal enlightenment.”
Commentary:
In roll five hundred ninety-three of the Great Prajna Sutra, wholesome courage Buddha says, “I now only hope that you, the world-honored one will have pity upon all of us living beings and fully proclaim for us the dharm doors of the Thus Come One’s states and wisdom. If there are sentient beings whose natures are fixed upon and who should cultivate the Sound Hearer Vehicle, Fixed-nature Sound Hearers, when they hear this Dharma of the Thus Come One’s states and wisdom spoken they will very quickly be able to certify to the attainment of their own ground of non-outflow.
Those whose natures are fixed upon the vehicle of those solitarily enlightened, Those Enlightened to Conditions, Pratyekabuddas, upon hearing this Dharma of the Thus Come one’s states and wisdom will quickly, by relying upon their own vehicle, attain escape from the Three Realms.
Those beings whose natures are fixed upon the unsurpassed Bodhisattva vehicle, upon hearing this wonderful Dharma of the Thus Come One’s states and wisdom, will very, very quickly be able to certify to unsurpassed proper and equal Right Enlightenment -- AnuttarasamyaksamBodhi. That makes three Vehicles. but although there may be beings who have not yet entered a nature or made a firm resolution upon a Dharma door proper for leaving production – casting off birth and death -- and whose natures are not fixed upon any of the three vehicles of Sound Hearers, Those Enlightened to Conditions or Bodhisattva, upon hearing the Buddha speak this wondrous Dharma of the Thus Come One’s states and wisdom they, too, will all bring forth the great Bodhi mind for unsurpassed proper and equal right enlightenment.”
In cultivating the Way and studying the Buddhadharma, it’s not useful simply to listen to the Dharma; you have to go on to cultivate the Dharma you have heard to obtain benefit from it. If you don’t practice according to it, o matter how much Buddhadharma you listen to or understand, it will have no use.
The way to practice is first of all to clean up your emotional attachments, all the emotions you can’t give up, can’t see through, and are inseparable from. You have to see through what you can’t see through and put down what you can’t. That’s the way to gain freedom. You need to bring forth the resolve of a Bodhisattva to benefit all living beings. Don’t imitate the self-ending Arhat s of the Small Vehicle who just watch out for themselves and pay no attention to anyone else, who are always afraid of trouble and are unwilling to walk the Bodhisattva Path. That’s a mistake.
When you’re cultivating the Way and there isn’t any trouble, you don’t want to look for some. Your self-nature is originally pure, but then you insist on striking up some unclean false thinking – wouldn’t you say that is a lot more trouble than anything that could arise from outside? Don’t make trouble for yourself and find to do when there’s nothing to do. But when trouble does come along, don’t be afraid of it and say, “No, no, no – it’s too much trouble!” the more you fear it the more trouble it will be. Why? Because you’re attached. If you had no attachments, you’d be like a mirror:
When a matter (trouble) comes, it reflects it.
When a matter goes, it is still.After it’s done with one, one is empty – like a mirror which reflects the image of an object when it’s there, and no longer has it once the object’s gone,
Shining with perfect brightness.
As it’s said in the Sixth Patriarch’s Sutra:Unsurpassed, great Nirvana,
Whose perfect light shines to the utmost,
The commoners take for death,
And externalists consider annihilation
If you could be like a mirror:
With no deliberations and no considerations;
With no consciousness and no knowing,Then you would have neither afflictions or trouble – you would simply be too pure. Be careful, though, no to let the mirror of your inherent wisdom become coated with the dust of your unclean false thinking. It’s important not to look for trouble when there is none, or fear it when there is. In cultivating the Bodhisattva Way and undertaking doors of practice to benefit living beings, you need to let others have the good things and take the bad ones on yourself. Advantageous situations should be passed on to others, keeping non-advantageous ones for oneself. All of you who have received the Bodhisattva Precepts should be aware of this.
Prologue:
Roll two of the Deep Secret is largely the same as this. It also says, “All those whose pudgala is of the seed-nature of Sound Hearers tending towards stillness, although they receive all Buddhas’ establishment of all kinds of aiding practices for courageous vigor and instructive guidance through expedients, in the end cannot be caused to take the seat in the Way Place and accomplish Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.”
Commentary:
The doctrine is Roll two of the Deep Secret Sutra in its overall outlines is largely the same as this, the passage quoted above. It also says, “All those whose pudgala is that of the seed-nature of Sound Hearers tending towards stillness …” The Sanskrit word pudgala is variously translated, something as “person,” sometimes as “numerous graspings attachment destinies”. It means what is repeatedly reborn among the six destinies on the wheel of rebirth – suddenly in the heavens, suddenly on earth, now a person, now a ghost, then abruptly becoming an animal or falling to the hells.
Here it refers to those having dispositions of Sound Hearers who want to reach a still and quiet place. Although they receive the kindness and compassion of all the ten direction Buddhas’, Thus Come Ones’, establishment of all kinds of expedient Dharma doors … The Buddhas set up aiding practices for courageous vigor, encouraging them to make even more heroic progress than before, and a wealth of instructive guidance through skillful and clever expedients to teach them. But even so, in the end those kinds of living beings cannot be caused in this lifetime to take the seat in the Bodhi Way Place and become Buddhas. They won’t be able to accomplish the position of Unsurpassed proper and Equal Right Enlightenment – Anuttarasamyaksambodhi – this time around.
Prologue:
Moreover, the ninth roll of the Ten Wheels also speaks of Three Vehicles each having fixed differences, all because of five fixities of nature. therefore, in the Lankavatara the Buddha tells Great Wisdom, “There are five kinds of seed-natures: one, the nature for the Sound Hearer Vehicle; two, the nature for the Pratyekabuddhas Vehicle; three, the nature for the Thus Come One Vehicle; four, the nature not fixed as to vehicle; and five, not having the nature.” the Great Adornment Shastra and the Yogacharyabhumi Shastra both speak the same as this.
Commentary:
Moreover, in the ninth roll of the Ten Wheels Sutra, it also speaks of Three Vehicles each having their own fixed differences. The reason for that is all because of five kinds of fixities of nature. therefore, in the Lankavatara Sutra it is talked about in the same way. The Sanskrit word “Lanka” is a place name, either Lanka Mountian or Lanka city. Translated, “Lankavatara” means “Cannot Be Gone To”, so we don’t know the exact locale.
How can there even be such a name then? It’s also translated “Unreachable”, for you can’t get there – if you’re a common person, that is. Ghosts and spirits can go, and so can Arhats and Bodhisattva. Buddhas are even more able to go. The Buddha, therefore, constantly speaks the Lankavatara Sutra there, and the Sutra take its name from the mountain.
Three different Dharma Masters translated the Lankavatara Sutra into Chung Kuo Hua. The first was Dharma Master Gunabhadra in the Sung Dynastry. Then there was Bodhiruci’s translation, and another by Dharma Master Shikshananda. Each translated the title and the terms somewhat differently, but they are by and large the same. Besides being the name of a place, “Lankavatara” also refers to the Lanka gem which comes from that mountain and is unobtainable among people – hence the further translation “Unobtainable”. Then there’s no hope of reaching it.
Nonetheless, the Buddha spoke the Sutra there, which ennobled the area. It is Unreachable, Unobtainable, and Cannot Be Gone To, yet the Buddha reached it, obtained and went there, so those became its names. You too can reach, go to, and obtain it if you want to. It is located in Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) and was inaccessible before the advent of helicopters. These days you can fly and visit it – if you have the time.
In that Sutra, the Buddha Shakyamuni tells Great Wisdom Bodhisattva, “There are five kinds of seed-natures of living beings. One, the first kind, is living beings who have the nature for the Sound Hearer Vehicle and cultivate the Dharma doors of Sound Hearers. Two is the seed-nature for the Pratyekabuddhas Vehicle – that of Those Enlightened to Conditions who cultivate the Twelve Links of Conditioned Co-Production.
Three is the seed-nature for the Thus Come One Vehicle, that of Bodhisattvas, for it is they who can become Tathagatas. Four is those with the seed-nature not fixed as to vehicle. Some are suddenly enlightened and others gradually cultivate. Seed-nature number five is not having the nature, which is the Vehicle of Humans and gods.” The Great Adornment Shastra (Mahayanasutralamkara Shastra) and the Yogacharyabhumi Shastra both speak the same principle as this.
Prologue:
The Wholesome Precepts and the Bhumi on the other hand only talk about two seed-natures, they are: one, existence of the Seed-Nature, and two, lack of the Seed-Nature – also called those without the Seed-Nature. That is because they do not have the Seed-Nature and so, in spite of repeatedly exerting themselves to cultivate with vigor, in the end they cannot obtain unsurpassed Bodhi. They only achieve maturation through good roots of humans and gods, being without the nature. The Yoga also says the same thing.
Commentary:
Although, by comparison with the discuss of the natures in the Lankavatara Sutra The Wholesome Precepts (Bodhisattvacaryanirdesha Sutra) and the Bodhisattva-Bhumi Sutra only talk about two seed-natures, they are: one, existence of it on the part of living beings who have the Seed-Nature for becoming Buddhas, and two, lack of the Seed-Nature for Buddhahood. The second category is also called those without the Seed-Nature. That is because they do not have the Seed-Nature for achieving Buddhahood.
And so, in spite of repeatedly exerting themselves to cultivate with great vigor and not being the least bit lazy, in the end they cannot ever obtain unsurpassed right and Equal Proper Bodhi. They are only able to achieve the maturation and reap the harvest of future rebirth in the heavens, or as good, rich and honored people, brought about through good roots of humans and gods. That is due to their being without the nature for accomplishing Buddhahood. The Yogacharyabhumi Shastra also says the same thing as this.
We who study the Buddhadharma and listen to the Sutra should become smarter the more we study, and less stupid – yet we should also become more stupid and less smart as we study. What is meat by that? To become smarter with study means having no ignorance, which is not to have a fiery temper or get mad. That’s because during the time when you are learning the Dharma you shouldn’t without reason develop a larger temper and heavier ignorance, but instead should get smarter as you study. To get more stupid means you should want to benefit others, no yourself, and not be selfish. That looks idiotic to others, but in fact is very intelligent on your part.
But you should also get less smart as your studying progresses, and less stupid as you go along. This is the same principle as before. You feel that one day is pretty much the same as the day before, but really, although you are unaware of it, your state has changed a great deal so you do not have the same kind of intelligence – or stupidity – as before. For that reason you should toss your afflictions and ignorance out beyond cloud nine, further off than 108,000 miles away, and not continue to run after them day after day.
I remember the first time we held a Ch’an session here, one of my disciples said as she sat there that there was lots of garbage in her brain, and that her most important thought was when would the bell be hit. We’re having a session now too, and maybe there are people like that again. If so, you can ask the cultivators of the Way from before how they cleaned up the garbage, and how they managed to get so they didn’t simply wait for the bell to ring. You can clear that up.
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