(Chapter 18) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha
Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) :
Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )
Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)
Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu
Chapter 18: The root of thoughts is equal to
the Emptiness.
The Buddha said,” My law (Buddha-Law; Dharma) is about thinking of
the no-thought thought, acting the no-doing action, talking about the no-talking
talk, and putting the no-practice into the practice. Those who understand what
as said are approach it. Those who feel confused about what as said are far
from it. The Dao of words and talks is cut off. It can not be bound by things. The
difference of millimeter or centimeter would cause the mistake in a moment.
This chapter is very difficult to understand for the beginners who
learn Buddhism, not to mention those who have not yet learned Buddha. If we
want to completely understand the content of this chapter as said by Buddha, we
might at least have to learn Buddhism for more than ten years and to prove the
wisdom of Bodhisattva by self. There are many people who could not understand the content as said
by Buddha, even though they might have learned or researched Buddhism in their
whole life. Therefore, if we have not yet learned Buddhism and not yet prove
the wisdom of Bodhisattva, it is better for us not to criticize the content as
said by Buddha, so as to avoid showing our ignorance.
Because I do not know the readers' degree of learning Buddhism in
this blog, I have to explain it by more details, so as to avoid the reader to
mistakenly understand the content as said by Buddha.
To untie and to cut off the
abstract rope linking between our mind and heart and any phenomenon and situation would make
our heart truly free.
Most people could not realize the pure state of Buddha. That is
because their six conscious are chasing the outside phenomenon, are tangling in
the inner situation, and are turning with the outer situation and its changing.
Meanwhile, they are too obsessing with the material life.
Therefore, if the phenomenon or any situations and its changing could
not content to their mind, they are easy to generate the five-poison heart. Only
when the phenomenon and any situation and its changing are contented to their
mind, they are thus to generate the heart of happiness. Anyway, their heart and
mind are occupied by the outside phenomenon, and any inner or outer situation
and its changing. That is why they could not understand the meaning of
emptiness as said by Buddha.
The Buddha Sakyamuni often used the word “tied” or “fastened” or “bind”
to express that our mind, heart or thought is tied, fastened or bind by any
aspect of phenomenon or any situations. In other word, that is, what we are doing is what we have
thought. And what we have thought and done is tied,
fastened or bind by any phenomenon, concept, ideology, theory or any situation.
However, no matter what our thought is, the birth of one thought is the death
of the other thought in our mind. Our previous thoughts are different from the
latter thoughts. Each thought of us is like the river and it is always moving
and flowing. And it is always such changing. That is why it is impermanent.
Obsessed with any phenomenon
would cover our natural wisdom.
That
is why the Buddha Sakyamuni had said, ”All doing is like dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows, like dew and lightning, so we should perceive it like this. (All promising practices, methods, teachings and the situations presented is like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew and lightning, so we should visualize them like this.)” This is the famous
verse in the Diamond Sutra.
From
the describing, we could understand that all of the doing phenomenon is unreal, but is formed by reasons and conditions, and is temporary, is attached to another
phenomenon, and could be disappeared in any time. That is why the Buddha
Sakyamuni always advised us not to obsess with any phenomenon. If we obsess
with any phenomenon, such obsessing and phenomenon will hinder our natural
wisdom.
Secondly,
the Buddha Sakyamuni advised us not to obsess with any doing and thinking, even
not to obsess with Buddhism or learning Buddha. Why? That is because stubborn
in any doing and thinking is one of the reasons to cause the problem and
suffering. Even to stubbornly persist in Buddhism or in learning Buddha, itself
would become the obstacle to learn Buddhism, to learn Buddha.
Anyway,
the Buddha’s teaching is always to break or smash our stubbornly persisting and
obsessing mind step by step, no matter what we persist in or obsess with. If we
only know about the Theravada Buddhism or about chanting Amitabha so as to be
reborn in the pure land, and we strongly stick to such things, our mind would
be limited and any argument might thus occur; and we might be thus not
interested in Buddhism, when we have seen such situation; once we are facing
any frustration in life, we might easy to have the rollback from the faith in
Buddhism.
Those who promote Theravada Buddhism or Amitabha might not talk about the 42 chapters said by Buddha, especially this chapter. That is because this chapter is very difficult to express, teach and understand. This chapter is not suitable for those who are the beginner in learning Buddha and those who have only the little root of wisdom.
As a
teacher and professor in Buddhism, we always encourage everyone to learn
Buddhism, to learn Buddha. Who dares to tell you not to persist in learning
Buddhism, not to persist in learning Buddha? However, if you have read each
article in this blog, I believe that you might have any concept about it and
have known about why.
To think what it means about the no-thought
and why the no-thought is.
Let’s
return to the subject. Why the Buddha said that my law is thinking of the
no-thought thought? Does it confuse you? The law here means the Buddha-law, the
Dharma, which also means the Buddha’s teaching and any phenomenon.
One thought is about the generation and the elimination for
anything. And that is even to concerned about the birth and death of any life.
Therefore, when one person is in the state of no-thought, there is no emerging
and no eliminating for anything. Meanwhile, this person in the state of
no-thought would jump out the constraint from the birth and death of life. In
other word, it jumps out the limitation of fate.
Furthermore,
when one person no longer persists in or obsesses with any phenomenon, or it
has realized the truth of no-phenomenon, it would thus be in the state of
no-thought. In other word, if there is any phenomenon in front of us, there is
thus emerged one thought from our mind; if there is no phenomenon in front of
us, how could any idea be emerged from our mind?
Any
trouble and any suffering are coming from any phenomenon and its corresponding
thought and feeling. Once any phenomenon and its corresponding thought and feeling have gone, any
trouble and any suffering have disappeared at the same time.
One thought will cause a situation. This occurred situation will cause another thought. Thoughts and situations are such cycling, continued and endless, which forms any phenomenon. If any first thought is evil, whatever what it is and where it comes from, meanwhile, the corresponding situation makes us not comfortable at all, we are suffering anyway. Under this circumstance, we keep our mind with no-thought, our mind will be still and peace and then we can observe the situation in our inside and outside with the objective way. That is the function and application of no-thought.
Escaping any phenomenon and situation is not a
good idea.
Some people want to escape any trouble and any suffering. They
therefore choose to escape the phenomenon what might be happened. The Buddha
never taught us to escape any phenomenon. On the contrary, the Buddha taught us
to face it, to understand that the nature of any phenomenon is emptiness; that
is because all of phenomenon is formed by any reasons and conditions.
Meanwhile, one of reason of phenomenon is self, a thought emerged
from self. In other word, we are one of the reasons for any phenomenon. Once
the reason regarding self, that is a thought emerged from self, has never
appeared, or is already gone, any phenomenon would not be formed, and any
trouble and suffering would be gone together.
For example, if we have a thought to pursue the love and to really
do that, the phenomenon of love is formed. Any happiness, trouble or suffering
regarding the love would be appeared continually. On the contrary, if we don’t
have a thought about pursuing love, any phenomenon regarding the love would not
be formed.
Understanding the nature of any phenomenon and
any situation would make us wise.
Such
concept is really hard to be understood, not to mention to put it into the
practice in reality. Then, we might have one question. How to train us to be in
the state of no-thought? Some Buddhist monk or nun to train their mind to be in
the state of no-thought is to close self and refuse any news from the world,
then, to chant Amitabha or Buddhist scripture everyday. They don’t care about
what happened in the world.
In
other word, they refuse the outside phenomenon, any situation and its changing.
Maybe that is one method to train a mind to be in the state of no-thought. But,
it is not the only method. The Buddha Sakyamuni did not use such way to train
his mind to be in the state of no-thought.
Then,
what is the way used by the Buddha Sakyamuni? It is to really understand and
realize the nature of any phenomenon, any situation and its changing, that what
we have met. The nature as said is emptiness. Any phenomenon, any situation and
its changing are emerged from the emptiness. Any phenomenon, any situation and
its changing are really formed by the combining from any reasons and
conditions.
Such
emptiness is able to appear anything and what appeared from the emptiness is
always changing and changing. Once our hearts are chasing the changes that are said every moment, every day, every year, how tired and painful we will be. It is to keep thinking the no-thought
thought, to keep stable in mind, and to keep clear in heart. No matter what
phenomenon or situation is happened in front of us, we always clear to know
that the nature is emptiness. We then have a proper and wise thought emerged
from no-thought to face and deal with the phenomenon or situation.
Put down any obsessing with any phenomenon and situation.
Then,
we might have one question. Whether the Buddha Sakyamuni has a thought or not?
Actually, he is in the state of one-thought and of no-thought. And this thought
is to be focus on thinking of no-thought. His mind is always in the state of no-thought. That
is how he faces the phenomenon, any situation and its changing. He didn’t close
self to escape the phenomenon, any situation and its changing.
That
is, each thought is dwelled on the right thought, to understand and realize
that, the nature of phenomenon, situation and its changing, is emptiness and
nothingness; and since it is emptiness and nothingness, there is no reason and
it is not necessary to appear any thought for the emptiness and nothingness,
let alone to appear any evil thought. No matter how changeable about the
phenomenon, situation and its changing, once any thought is thus to be generated, it is violating the clear and pure mind-the
state of the stillness in heart.
Therefore,
the more profoundly understanding is that, even a thought for thinking of the
no-thought thought, which should be abandoned. Even such thought, it should have
no chance to occupy in our mind. To abandon any thought until there is nothing
to be abandoned. It is the true nothingness and stillness.
Acting the no-doing action makes our mind to
be rest and at ease.
What
is the meaning of acting the no-doing action? It also means to do the no-doing
doing. If we have the basic concept about no phenomenon as said above, what we
should do when we face the no phenomenon? There is nothing to do. Similarly, if
we face the no phenomenon and have thus no thought, what we should do? There is
also nothing to do. Then, we might have one question. If there is nothing to
do, what is the meaning for us? Does it make any sense for us?
It
really makes our mind to be rest and at ease. In such state, we would thus
actually perceive the peace in our mind. So, we might have another question.
Does the Buddha Sakyamuni do nothing all the time? No. Actually, he will always
do something, to do the no-doing doing. Do you thus think that he was a lazier
or escapist? No. Neither is. Actually, he taught the Buddhism and spoken of the
Buddha-law (the Dharma) for 49 years; and he inspired the wisdom of human
beings and left the treasure of wisdom for the human beings more than 2500
years, and would keep going on.
The essence of Buddhism is to enlighten the
self natural wisdom.
The
essence of Buddhism is to enlighten the self natural wisdom, not worship Buddha
or Bodhisattva. To worship Buddha or Bodhisattva is by means of their wonderful
and spiritual power-their strength of mercy and might, to help us to be in the
virtue path-to do the goodness, and thus to finally enlighten our natural
wisdom.
Therefore,
no matter to worship Buddha or Bodhisattva, or to do the goodness, it is a
convenient method and process to help us go to the final goal; and what the
final goal is to prove the self natural wisdom by self. However, because
everyone's intelligent and situation is different, what the used methods could
be more than 84000 methods; and such methods could be generated and eliminated
at any time. That is, it might be appeared in one day and might be disappeared
in another day. Such methods are impermanent, because it is the change according
to any phenomenon and situation.
For
instance, the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva are created everywhere. Some
people hate the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva and destroy those statues
purposely. That is because that they do not understand the wisdom said by
Buddha Sakyamuni. The phenomenon about the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva is
impermanent. It is only one method to help the human beings to inspire their
natural wisdom. The true wisdom is soft power, no-phenomenon, and is
permanent. Any phenomenon is the temporary changing. There are no statues of Buddha or Bodhisattva in our natural wisdom.
Such true wisdom is existed in everyone, no matter what our faith is. But, do
you know that you have such natural wisdom? Does your natural wisdom have been enlightened?
Does such true wisdom could be destroyed?
Just
by means of our little intelligent, it is really difficult for us to understand
the grand wisdom of Buddha. If we always attach to any phenomenon, we might do
any stupid things and seek the trouble and suffering by self. On the contrary,
if we could be away from any phenomenon, we would do anything with our natural
wisdom. One of such natural wisdom is to do the no-doing doing. To do so is
really able to be away from the self subjective idea, or to be away from the
subjective influence from others mind.
What
we have done is really do something. And we know that any trouble and any
suffering will be gone after leaving any phenomenon and any situation. We
therefore jump out the frame and circle of any phenomenon and situation, and
then to have the right thought to do the right thing.
The Buddha is always to break and smash what
our stubbornness heart is.
In
the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha Sakyamuni said, “What the Buddha-law said by Tathagata
(Buddha) could not be taken, could not be spoken, is the non-Buddha-law, and is
no non-Buddha-law. So, what it is? All the sage and saint are different from
the masses by the Buddha-law of no-doing.”
The
Buddha-law means Dharma, Buddha’s teaching, principle, worldly method, method
to learn Buddhism, the change of mind and heart, any thought, any phenomenon,
situation and its changing. The meaning of Buddha-law is very wide. It also
includes the no-thought, no-doing, no-talking, no-practicing, and no-phenomenon.
The
wisdom included in the Buddha-law said by Buddha is very broad and profound. It
is not what we could think of by our worldly intelligent. Secondly, the true
wisdom almost could not be obtained by debating with the logic. That is because
the true wisdom is unable to be talked, but could be obtained by practically
meditating and experience. The true wisdom is really incredible.
The
Buddha Sakyamuni advised us not to take what said by Tathagata, and not to talk
about what said by Tathagata, because what said by Tathagata is not phenomenon,
but is also not no-phenomenon. Why the Buddha said that? That is because that
we would be tied, fasten or bind by the phenomenon what said by Tathagata. If
we take what said by Tathagata, and talk about what said by Tathagata, we would
also be tied by what the Buddha talked about no-thought, no-doing, no-talking
and no-practicing.
So,
if we have some concept about what the Buddha had taught, we know that he is
always to break and smash our stubborn in anything, even to what we are stubborn
in doing the no-doing. Then, what we should do? When we really understand and
realize Buddha’s teaching, such content including not to harm others and not to
harm self, not to cause troubles to others and not to cause troubles to self,
and also containing the cause and effect (Do good things will gain good repay. Do evil things will gain evil repay.), we could do everything what we like
to do in our free will. It is thus the truly freedom in our life.
Why
are the sage and saint different from the masses? The sage and saint understand
and realize the true wisdom, prove it in daily life, and do everything upon the
no-doing.
The true wisdom is speechless.
The
true wisdom is speechless. Why? Any speech about any phenomenon or event is
including the personal bias. Do you think that any speech about no-phenomenon
would not be including personal bias? Maybe not. That is why the Buddha said
that he did not say a word in 49 years. If we do not understand what he said,
we would not gain the Dao. Why?
The
Dao is originally speechless. Leaving phenomenon, speechless. That is also why
he said that Buddha-law is talking about the no-talking talk. The Dao is
no-talking, speechlessness. What the Buddha had talked is to show us methods
and the direction to the goal and to the Dao, not the Dao itself. The Dao
itself should be meditated and experienced by our self. If we always attach to
the phenomenon of what the Buddha had said, what we gain is not the true
natural wisdom, but the knowledge insights.
Some
persons want to demonstrate what they have been enlightened from the Buddhism,
so they do not talk anything all the day. Do you have found something wrong
from that?
Even
though we have been enlightened about the true wisdom from the Buddhism, it
doesn’t mean that we do no talk anything all the day. If we do not talk
anything all the day, we would fall into the stupid stubborn about no-talking.
The Buddha Sakyamuni never did that. On the contrary, he had talks every day.
What he had talked is about the wisdom and event of no-talking.
The Buddha-law is for curing our abstract
heart in illness.
The Buddha said what the Buddha-law is? It is putting the no-practice into the practice. Why he said that? All the Buddha-law said by Buddha is aiming at curing the abstract sick heart of humans. If there is no sick heart, why the Buddha-law should be needed?
The
heart here means the abstract sick heart, the mind and the thought. To practice the
Buddha’s teaching also includes the meaning of correcting our behavior, our
mind or our thought. But, why we should correct our behavior, mind or thought?
When we pursue in or attach to any phenomenon, event, concept, ideology,
belief, or knowledge, any abstract heart is thus generated, for instance, the
heart of greedy, hatred, obsession, arrogance or suspicion.
When
we have heart such as greedy or hatred, it means that attaching to the
phenomenon makes us sick and unhappy. The Buddha uses the Buddha-law to cure
our disease heart. That is why we need to put the Buddha-law and the Buddha's
teaching into the practice. It is such as we need to eat the medicine to cure
our disease.
When
we have realized the truth is without phenomenon, the nature of phenomenon is
the nothingness and the emptiness, what else could make us to attach to and
what else could make us generate any heart? Even the greedy heart, or the
hatred heart, it is unable to be generated.
The
truth is that there is nothing which could be attached and any heart is unable
to be generated, when we face the emptiness. The only thing which could be
attached to is the emptiness. In such state, the heart without a thought is
healthy and stability. Then, what else should we put into the practice? There
is already nothing that we need to put it into the practice. It is also not
necessary for us to need the Buddha-law. It is such as we no longer need the
medicine, because we have already been in healthy from the disease. It is the
meaning of no-practice.
So,
whether putting the no-practice into the practice is the practice or the
no-practice? Both are. When we stubborn in and obsess with any phenomenon or
anything, we put the Buddha-law into the practice, so as to cure our disease heart.
When we no longer stubborn in and obsess with any phenomenon or anything, we
put the no-practice into the practice.
The Buddha said,” Those who understand what as
said are approach it. Those who feel confused about what as said are far from
it. “ So, whether we
understand it or not, it is only between a thought. If we understand what as
said, we approach the Dao, the truth, and the natural wisdom. If we still feel
confused about what as said, we are far from the Dao, the truth and the natural
wisdom.
The truth of Dao, speechless.
“The Dao of words and talks is cut off. It can
not be bound by things. The difference of millimeter or centimeter would cause
the mistake in a moment. “
As we
have talked above, the Dao can not be expressed by words and talks. If the Dao
is expressed by words and talks, it is as if to be tied by ropes. Such Dao and
such heart are thus restricted. We have to cut off the abstract ropes of words
and talks, because any words and talks are attached to things. And it would let
the Dao and our heart lose the truth. Only when any words and talks are cut off-that
also means to put down any words and talks, our heart and the Dao can not be
bound by things, and we then can see the truth of Dao and the truth of all things in our mind
and in a free heart.
The difference of millimeter or centimeter
would cause the mistake in a moment.
“The
difference of millimeter or centimeter” means very subtle difference. It also
means a little mistakenly understanding or a subtle misunderstanding. It would
cause the mistake in learning Buddha, in learning Buddhism, in a very short
time.
Why?
Some people have heard the no-thought, no-doing, no-talking and no-practice.
They then subjectively think that they have been enlightened and do not need to
do anything in learning Buddhism. Meanwhile, they thus increase the
self-arrogance.
Any
Buddha and Bodhisattva, who have been enlightened and prove the truth, the Dao,
and the natural wisdom, always do something to enlighten the sentient beings
and save them to liberate from any suffering. What they have done is called
doing something in a dream. It means that they actually do the things, but they
do not stubborn in those things.
Secondly,
the person, who is before becoming Buddha or Bodhisattva, must think a lot
about what the Buddha had talked and taught, do a lot of things to repent his
fault, to correct his behavior and attitude, to clear his heart, to empty the
negative mind, and put the Buddha’s teaching into the practice every day.
Furthermore, this chapter is to express the practice about
without-merit and without-application, and the proving what the without-proof is. This is the natural wisdom and no hypocrisy and pretentiousness. It is the
degree and phase of Bodhisattva, not that of those who have not yet learned the Buddhism.
To
become Buddha or Bodhisattva is not an easy thing. It must experience the
learning in Buddha’s teaching completely by personal countless times of life.
If you are lucky to read this article, I hope that you could cherish this
chance to learn Buddha, to learn Buddhism. In the current world, those who have
the chance to read this chapter is very few, let alone to understand it. Even
those who have learned Buddhism, they might never read this chapter translated
in Chinese. This chapter is really very rare and very valuable. It is very
helpful to enlighten our natural wisdom.
