Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing)
The definition
and explanation of Supreme-Scholar
The Title Supreme-Scholar—its Sanskrit is anuttara--
is based on and derived from the title World-Understanding. The link is One
of the Ten Titles about Buddha—World-Understanding.
In The Scripture of the Ten Titles Said by
Buddha, it is mentioned that:
Moreover, all the two-legged, four-legged,
many-legged and no-legged in the other world, the all heavens of desire and
color, the heavens of thoughts and no thoughts, the heavens of neither thinking
nor non-thinking, and supposing to be the mortal or the sage, in all these
sentient beings, only the Buddha was the first, the most supreme and no grade.
It was thus named the Supreme-Scholar.
This paragraph “All the two-legged,
four-legged, many-legged and no-legged in the other world, the all heavens of
desire and color, the heavens of thoughts and no thoughts, the heavens of
neither thinking nor non-thinking, and supposing to be the mortal or the sage,
in all these sentient beings” means the Three Realm and Six Paths – the Desire
Realm, the Color Realm and the Colorless Realm. The Related introduction and
explanation you can refer to the link: One
of the Ten Titles about Buddha—World-Understanding. The meaning “no grade”
you can refer to the link: Let
heart in peace, no fear and affliction any more (Updated on 2019/07/11).
The content what the link is very abundant, it needs to take time and patient to
read and understand it.
Realizing
the emptiness in the void of heart makes our heart beyond the world.
When we realize the emptiness in the void
of heart, we will realize there is no grade, no comparison, no binary
opposition, no confrontation, no fight, no argue, no competitive and no
accusation in our true self-nature. It makes our heart beyond the world.
Meanwhile, we will realize that the grade, comparison, binary opposition,
confrontation, fight, argue, and competitive, any accusation and any
definition are caused by any outside and inside conscious, mind and phenomena,
even are to be manipulated by people with intention or cunning smart or
scheming mindset.
No
matter the mortal or the sage was, in all these sentient beings, only the
Buddha was the first, the most supreme and no grade. It was thus named the
Supreme-Scholar.
Beyond the worlds, there is no grade in the
vast, silence, emptiness and void. However, the Buddha was also one of the
beings, his heart did not leave the worlds and was able to enter in and go out
the worlds freely. Therefore, if we compare what the level of the mortal or the
sage in any realm was, such as the ability of saving the self and others, and
the blessing, wisdom, empathy, and sympathy, etc., the Buddha was the first and
the most supreme. Then, we understand that the first and the most supreme are
also meant to no grade. That is because there is no highest rather than it and
there is no comparing to each other in the realm of the vast, silence and
emptiness.
The
Buddha’s mind is unattached, as pure and untainted as the void.
The Buddha can truly understand that the
world of the Three Realms and Six Paths in which is the thought and
non-thought, non-perception and non-non-perception, non-boundary and
non-non-boundary, non-boundless and non-non-boundless, Buddha-law and
non-Buddha-law (Dharma and non-Dharma), permanent and non-permanent, constant
and non-constant, non-going and non-non-going, grade and non-grade, non-grade
and non-non-grade, etc., and he also knows all transcendental Buddha-law
(Dharmas) that it is beyond the worlds of the Three Realms and Six Paths. The
Buddha’s mind is unattached, as pure and untainted as the void.
How
to understand the word Supreme-Scholar?
The word Supreme-Scholar also can be understood
or replaced by the word Supreme-Gentler, Supreme-Lady, or Supreme-Nobler. We
can understand it by the metaphor of the Doctor or Master. For example, those
who have graduated from a doctoral program in a university are respectfully
called Doctor, and those who have graduated from Buddhist studies and learning
Buddha are respectfully called Supreme-Scholar. How to learn Buddha and how to
know the basic knowledge of learning Buddha, you can refer to the following
link of various articles:
Talk
about and Comment on Buddhist Scripture
What
the wealth and noble the humankind have pursued and owned is visible and obvious,
and is the impermanent.
Pursuing to graduate from a
well-known university, engaging in an enviable job, earning a lot of money,
having a good income, or having the prosperity and the high status in the
career, it belongs to the visible wealth and noble. All of these things are
impermanent and like floating clouds and bubbles which are easily disappeared
at any time. Unfortunately, many people fall from the clouds into the abyss
because of greedy and unjust in heart or because of unlucky fate caused by
lacking of the good knowledge, wisdom and compassion.
Achieving the Buddhahood is the invisible and hidden wealth and
noble, and is the permanent.
When we graduate from the
examination of studying Buddhism and learning Buddha, the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas in the sky and the void will show up and come to confirm us. That
is, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who have appeared in the ten-direction worlds
and beyond the worlds, these graduates, these senior brothers and sisters, will
come to confirm us and congratulate us. At this time, we will be conferred the title
of Supreme-Scholar. Then, we have the qualify to engage in the vocation of
Buddha. Graduating from studying Buddhism and learning Buddha and engaging in
the vocation of Buddha is an invisible and hidden wealth and noble. The Buddha indeed
owned the huge wealth and noble. It is the permanent. Few people know this. If
you are lucky to know it at present, it is good for you to cherish the
opportunity to learn Buddha. There is a historic Chinese verse and I translate it
from Chinese into English as follows:
All in heaven and on earth is not like
Buddha,
The ten-direction worlds are also
incomparable,
Everything in the world I have seen fully,
There is nothing which is like Buddha.
I hope we are able to learn Buddha
together, be blessed by all Buddhas in ten directions and go on the path of Bodhi
hand by hand, in our each life of the present and future.
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