vajra (diamond) sutra february 18, 2011 lecture

8/7/2019 Vajra (Diamond) Sutra February 18, 2011 Lecture

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The Vajra (Diamond) SutraFebruary 18 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monk(Listen live or recorded audio explanations atwww.wondrousdharma.org)

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u yBodhisattvas

Q&A What is patience in not producing a dharma?

Q&A Vigor and the Vajra Sutra

S 26 The Dharma Body is not appearances


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Verse for opening a sutra

Homage to the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and theVajra assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (3x)

The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderfulDharma,

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In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult toencounter, Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my

sight and hearing,

I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true andactual meaning.


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Q&AQuestion: The Buddha taught the 4 Application of Mindfulness

which is to contemplate that the body is impure, feeling issuffering, thoughts are impermanent, dharmas are devoid of

self. Yet in the previous weeks lecture, a Bodhisattvamentioned that such contemplations dont qualify as prajnaparamita. How do we reconcile.

Comments:

The 4 Applications of Mindfulness were given by the Buddha asa dwelling place for the Bhikshus after his departure intonirvana.

The 4 Application of Mindfulness is part of the 37 Wings ofEnlightenment that comprise the Path to extinction, the last of

the Four Holy Truths.3


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Q&A

Being part of the 37 Wings of enlightenment, NagarjunaBodhisattva says that these contemplations are beingpracticed by Arhats.

Nagarjuna Bodhisattva also says that the contemplationof permanence, bliss, suffering, and true self can enable

one to end the suffering of birth, sickness and death.

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Q&A

Nagarjurna Bodhisattva also encourages by saying, thebodhisattva should study all dharmas and realize all

forms of wisdom, namely the wisdom of Arhats,Pratyekabuddhas and the Buddhas.

.others are empty and false.

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Q&A

The contemplation of 4 Applications of Mindfulness cantranscend desire but these contemplations contain wisdompertaining to general character of dharma.

Bodhisattvas however use the contemplation that theA earance of Realit is without a earance are able to

transcend desire in this manner yet it fathoms fully thecharacter of Reality.

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Arhats practice Bodhisattvas practice

Contemplation 4 Application ofMindfulness of purity,bliss, permanenceand true self.

Conditioned dharmas are likedreams and illusions becausethey are appearances of thefalse thinking mind (s 32 of

Vajra Sutra)

Basis ofcontemplation

Notion of duality Absolute; put down the false,the true will appear

Fruit ofcontemplation

Transcend desire andend birth and deathonly

Transcend desire, end birthand death and takes one to theWisdom of the Buddha (s 22nothing attained)

Character ofRealty

From within falsenessof duality, one will notbe able to transcendfalseness

Fully fathom the character ofReality; sweep away allappearances includingemptiness. (S 14 the

Appearance of Reality iswithout appearance)

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Q&A The wisdom of emptiness of Arhats is that they cling to

emptiness without transcending emptiness.

The wisdom of emptiness of Bodhisattvas transcend

emptiness itself; there is nothing at all not even emptiness.

The Bodhisattvas see absoluteness and see the duality of

dharmas such as purity and impurity as one substancewithout inherent existence.

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Q&A

In summary:

1. When the Buddha told the bhikshus to dwell in 4

Application of Mindfulness is to give the minimum

wisdom required to meet the 4 Noble Truths to endsuffering.

2. Both the contemplations by Arhats and Bodhisattvas can

transcend desire and end birth and death3. However in the case of the Bodhisattvas contemplation

they are able to dwell in the Desire Realm and teachliving beings without being affected by desire.

4. The Bodhisattvas contemplation does not contradict withthe teaching of the contemplation of the Arhats yet the

Bodhisattvas wisdom on Reality does not only transcend

birth and death but take us to the wisdom of the Buddha.9


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Q&A

Question: What is patience with non production of dharmas?Answer:

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua Patience with beings means Ifsentient beings scold you, beat you or kill you, you are able tobear it. It requires that one understands emptiness of people.

when ou reach this state, ou see eo le as em t .

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Q&A

Patience with dharma is when you see dharmas as empty.(Dharmas are tangible things like gold and jewelry and intangible things like

our views and thoughts)

en peop e an armas are o emp y, you ave pa encewith non-existence of beings and dharmas.

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Q&A

It is a state of mind in which one does not see even the

smallest dharma (thing) come into being or perishes, suchthat people and dharma are empty. This kind of state can onlybe borne in the heart; it cannot be expressed in words.

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Q&A

1. Seeing bitterness as bitterness is common and not beingpatient.

2. Seeing bitterness as sweetness is patient paramita.

3. Patience paramita is therefore transforming bitternessinto sweetness without any lingering thoughts arising

4. The thought of practicing patience is second grade

patience.5. Not thinking of practicing patience or being naturally

patience is truly patient paramita. Everything is sweptaway.

S 9 says, Subhuti is foremost in practicing Aranya.Since Subhuti does not practice anything, he iscalled Subhtui who delights in practicing Aranya. s

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Q&A

Pertinent questions arising are:

1. How do we behave when we are abiding in patience withnon production of dharmas?

. a oes e a ra u ra says per a n ng o pa ence

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Concepts Empty people Empty dharmas

The 4

appearances

No self, no others, no

living beings s3 egoless

No life or everything else dont

really exist (s3)All appearances Not real and false (s5) Not real and false (s5)

Existence People never existed(s14)

All thoughts are not thoughts(s18)

Behavioral action Empty people Empty dharmas

Contemplation People are dreams andillusions s32

Dharmas are like dreams andillusions s32

Contemplation Take people for what theyare ignorant (s22)

Reality is without appearance nothing (s14)

Wholesome deeds Without the 4appearances (s23)

Empty the notion of 4appearances. (S 23)

Dont grasp atappearance (s32)

Forget people noaffection nor hate (s14)

Forget dharmas - a mindwhich does not attach toanything (s 10)

Remain unmoving(s32)

Patient Immortal (s14),aliving dead person

Concentration or unmoved bythoughts; No Strife samadhi s 9

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Q&A

Question : What is the role of vigor pertaining to the Vajra PrajnaParamita Sutra? Does it end when one realizes bodhi or

awakening?

Answer:

The doctrine of the Vajra Sutra set out in s 3 is I must cause.

helping all.

S 2 sets out the intent of the Vajra Sutra, how should he

subdue his mind? Subduing the mind is vigor in mind.

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Q&A

S 6 says, You should know that such people havenot planted good roots with just one Buddha, twoBuddhas, three Buddhas, four or five Buddhas, but

they have planted good roots at the places ofimmeasurable tens of millions of Buddhas. This isvigor in practice.

S 15 The Thus Come One spoke for those intent onthe Great Vehicle, for those intent on the foremostvehicle. tells us that the Vajra Sutra is for those intent

on becoming a Buddha. This is vigor in mind.

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Q&A

Because of the difficulty to subdue the mind, the only

path to really subdue the mind is through vigor.

Once awakened to the principle, one continues to be

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Q&A

Great Master Sixth Patriarch was awakened to the

principle that the basically there was nothing at all, sohow could there be defilement?

Hui Neng replied, The rice has long been ready. It isnow waiting only for the sieve.

The explanation by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua is The

rice has long been ready. It is now waiting to besieved.

Here the sieve represents getting rid of the filth.

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Q&A

Chapter 4 of the Lotus Sutra tells of the poor son who

spent twenty years of getting rid the filth of the delusionof views and the delusion of thoughts.

Later on the 5th Patriarch says, Start on your journeynow and go south as fast as possible. Do not speak toosoon, for the Buddhadharma arises from difficulty.

The Great Master 6th Patriarch lived among hunters for15 years teaching Dharma to them as appropriate.

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Q&A

The period subsequent is similar to the awakening of a

Chan Master Huitai Yuanjing when he read from the

Verse of Perfect Enlightenment One must hit the ballquickly by the swift waters

be vigorous if he were to succeed getting rid of the dungand filth.

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S 26 The Dharma body is not appearances

Sutra: Subhuti, what do you think, is it possible tocontemplate the Thus Come One in his Thirty-twoPhysical Appearances?

Comments:

In s 5 the Buddha had said that all appearances are empty,

we can contemplate the 32 appearances of a Buddha.

The question was raised because earlier on the Buddha had

taught that the reward for practicing of blessings and wisdomfor 100 eons will result in one having the 32 physicalappearances.

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Sutra: Subhuti said, So it is. So it is. It is possible tocontemplate the Thus Come One in his Thirty-twoPhysical Appearances.

Comments:

Is it the case that Subhuti who is foremost in emptiness

does not know that all a earances are em t and

false? No, it is just the Buddha and Subhuti is playing a role to

bring out any doubts that may linger in the minds of thepeople in the assembly and in the future.

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Sutra: The Buddha said, Subhuti, if one couldcontemplate the Thus Come One in his Thirty-twoPhysical Appearances, then a Wheel Turning Sage

King would be the Thus Come One.Comments:

The Thirt -two Ph sical A earances are ust the reward

of having cultivated blessings and wisdom for 100 eons. And so it is not surprising that the Wheel Turning Sage

King also has these appearances..

The Buddha when he was just born was predicted tobecome either a Buddha if he chooses to practice thespiritual path or become a Wheel Turning Sage King.

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Sutra: Subhuti addressed the Buddha, World HonoredOne as I understand what the Buddha has said, oneshould not contemplate the Thus Come One in his

Thirty-two Physical Appearances.Comments:

Why shouldnt we see the Buddha in his Thirty-two

Physical Appearances? It is because the appearance is just the Transformation

body and not the true Dharma Body.

The Transformation body dwells in this false world ofexistence and therefore it is not permanent.

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Question: The Appearance of Reality is withoutappearance. (s 14). What do you mean by without

appearance and how do we apply in our daily life?

Comments:

The Buddhas life span knows no birth or death. Thus it

eons: eternal in the Pure Land of Eternal Stillness andLight, not produced and not extinguished

The Buddha-nature is light; but that refers to the

wonderful light of basic enlightenment. Basicenlightenment is the natural inherent enlightenment of us

all, and it is also the Buddhas light. And it is from thislight that the beings are transformed.(VM Hsuan Hua)

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Eternal stillness and not produced and not extinguishedis expressed in the Vajra Sutra s 29 The Thus Come

One does not come from anywhere nor does he goanywhere. Therefore he is called the Thus ComeOne.

And s 32 of the Vajra Sutra teaches how to be withoutappearance: By not grasping at appearance andbeing in unmoving thusness.

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Venerable Master Hsuan Hua explains, Everything isproduced from the self nature and within the mind whichis thus, thus unmoving true reality is to be found. Seenin this way this state is the original nature exactly; it isthe hi hest enli htenment.

Great Master Sixth Patriarch explains it as:

Fully able to discriminate among appearances,

But unmoving in the primary sense The very act of viewing in this way

Itself is the function of true Reality.

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Dedication of merit

May every living beings,

Our minds as one and radiant with light

Share the fruits of peace, with heart of goodness

luminous and bright. If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in

giving unity

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and to joy. May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their

grief and pain;

May this boundless light break the darkness of theirendless night.

Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns intoparadise;

May all become compassionate and wise (2x)

vajra (diamond) sutra february 18, 2011 lecture

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