One of the Ten Titles about Buddha—Supreme-Scholar

 

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.

One of the Ten Titles about Buddha -- Should-Make-Offerings

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

  

The Meaning of Should-Make-Offerings

The word Should-Make-Offerings means that the completely practicing and enlightened Tathagata is full of complete virtue and merit, and thus is full of the ability to teach, save and reform the all beings which are included the beings in heaven, so as to liberate all beings from sufferings of life and death. That is, Tathagata is qualified and adequate to hold the Buddha-vocation and that is why the Tathagata is worth to be made offerings by all beings. Therefore, it means that all beings should make offerings to the Tathagata. This all beings include the heavenly beings and the worldly humans.

Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings

Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings. The Buddha said. In the past, when I was in the cause rank, the good laws, solemn and majestic appearance, and the classified of precepts were practiced. The strength of the ten good roots was cultivated so as to make it increased. Thus consummately practicing and learning to attain the ultimate rank. When achieve the Nirvana, cut off and end all worries. To make the body, mouth and mind clean and untainted. Forever destroy worries. Such as to break the head-root of Tala tree, make it never sprout buds. Furthermore, due to ending the worries of greed, anger, and obsession, all the toward-going would never produce the fruition and generate. It was beyond the law of bitter fruitions of the four difficulties of birth (living), aging, illness and dying. The two seeds of confusion and suffering would never be produced. It was established the name of Should-Make-Offerings. Furthermore, make all the clothes, bedding, food and drink, soups and medicines, banners, flags, precious canopies, fragrant flowers, lamps and fruits in the world, and the highest thing in heaven and earth be offered to the Buddha. Obtain the blessing of supreme wealth and auspiciousness. It was the name of Should-Make-Offerings.

 

Make offerings with the heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha.   

When all beings make offerings to the Tathagata, they should have a heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha and should have the voluntary will to do that, and there should not be such things of manipulation, coercion and intimidation or the any similar bad things. If there are some religious communities which makes you feel uncomfortable to make offerings to anyone or to be generous to the group, you should alert that there has been existed some problems and it must be something wrong in their inner group. In Buddha’s teaching, there are rightful and good notions of giving and being generous to all beings and to the Buddha. You will understand it by reading more the translated Buddhist scripture or following this blog. In a word, that we respect the Buddha is to respect yourself. 

To make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings and to the self.

Eventually, in the deep teaching and meaning, to make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings. At the same time, it is to make offerings to the self. That is any good repay will finally return to the self, including the invisible good things, such as healthy in mind and body, and keep harmony relationship with the family members, etc. Why? In the chapter 11 of Buddhist scripture” The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha”, I had ever explained the similar notion. The link is as followed if you are interested in understanding it: Chapter 11: Giving meals turns to victory

There is no Binary Opposition in mind for a person who has completely achieved the Buddhahood. 

 

In the profound teaching of Buddha, when a person has completely achieved the Buddhahood, there is no Binary Opposition in its mind. It is because that it has been enlightened and realized that its heart, all Buddhas’ heart and all beings’ heart are the one. That is, their nature is the same and is the one. What is the nature? It is the emptiness and silence. What the different is the appearance, the languages and form of their outside. Meanwhile, what the different is the time and process of the reincarnations, and the experience of life and death.

The Starting Point is to help all Beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood.

 

When we practice the giving and being generous to others with the great compassionate and wisdom, we also practice to be no Binary Opposition with others. That is, we practice to realize what the nature of the self and the others is. At the same time, we practice to be the one with all Buddhas and all beings. That is, the starting point is to help all beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood. This is to cultivate our great and generous mind. 

When we are learning Buddha, if we don’t understand this meaning, it would make us feel weird and feel that we are enforced to practice the giving. In a word, this is the more profoundly teaching of Buddha. Generally, for the beginner, the senior Master won’t tell you this point. Furthermore, many of junior Masters and the Master of little-boarding (Hinayana) even don’t understand this point.

In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people.

 

In Buddhism, the different master will take use of the different explanation to guide and teach you how to practice the giving. No matter what it is, you think it is reasonable, you can accept it and you do it, which is your choice. If you don’t accept it, it is also your choice. No one has the right to punish you if you choose to reject to give. If a good or upright Master teaches you to give alms, but you refuse it, it is only your personal choice of cause and effect, and it means that if you hope to become a Buddha, it is far away. That is, it needs to take you long time and your many worlds of lives to finally become a Buddha. 

If someone says that if you refuse to give, you will receive the retribution of bad karma and go to hell, which you have to be alert because there is an element of manipulation involved. In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people. When we learn the Buddha’s teaching, that is what we have to know. 

In Conclusion

Practicing the giving is the first and basic learning in Buddhism. Without this basic practicing, it is hardly for us to achieve the Buddhahood. Therefore, it is very important to understand the multiple meaning of giving in Buddhism and then to practice it actually.        

There is no exclusivity in the teaching of Buddha.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

In the teaching of Buddha, once a disciple could not learn the Buddha well because his personality is very arrogant and he could not get along well with the public in the group, the most serious education is to disregard him in silence in the group, until he could have perceived his faults by reflecting himself. The Buddha would not drive him out, unless the arrogant disciple leaves the group automatically.

 

However, most of the Buddhist monk or nun, or the Buddha-learner has not yet been enlightened. They are not the Buddha. On the contrary, they are ordinary persons. Therefore, in their group, there might be existed the exclusivity and to exclude the disobedient person.  

 

In the right teaching of Buddha, people accept the Buddhism by their free will. Even they leave the group or never accept the teaching of Buddha again, there are not existed any punishment or any exclusivity in the society or in the career. Why?

 

Only in the unequal status, in the unequal authority, and in the un-contented mind, there is thus existed the punishment from the self-arrogant mind. In addition, in the hatred mind, and in the greedy mind, there is also thus existed the exclusivity from the un-awakened mind.

 

Furthermore, the Buddha is in the nature of Emptiness. All sentient beings are the unenlightened one, and are the future Buddha. Their nature is also the Emptiness. In other word, in the heart of Buddha, all sentient beings are equal to the Buddha. All in one is the Emptiness. So, how could it be existed any punishment or any exclusivity in the Emptiness? Such as in the Universe, who could be excluded? Every one is part of the universe.

 

So, we could find the difference. In the heart of Buddha, there is not existed any line to differentiate any person or any thing. However, in the heart of un-enlightened person, there is existed the line to differentiate any person or any thing.

 

If we could understand the above completely, we could find that a lot of ideology is fooling people, including the threat and inducement from the evil intention of others. Secondly, we could see through the intention of others which is hided in their greedy and hatred mind.

The “ghost” of ego-arrogance is always in the body and most of people could not self-perceive that they might bully others because of their ego-arrogance.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

In the world, most people is proud of their intelligent, abundant or professional knowledge which make their career smooth, make a lot of money, so they feel good in their life and have strong self-confidence. However, how many of them have found the “ghost” of ego-arrogance in their body and how many of them could self-perceive that they might bully others because of the ego-arrogance? 

 

We might have ever read an article about the unbalance of power. Such unbalanced power might be existed in family, school, company, group, society, or the country. No matter the unbalanced power exist in any places, where is exited the ego-arrogance. Do we have ever self-perceived that the ego-arrogance is harmful to us, to our family, and our society, even to our country? No, few people have such perception. The conscious of most people are concealed by the self-advantage from the self and the others.

 

Most people are following the outside success and obsessed with personal worldly achievement. So the heart is always flowing and tries to take hold in the competition with others. In the process, we have never thought that such mind and behavior would increase the ego-arrogance and make us have disease, such as depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia, cardiovascular diseases, even to cancer.    

Why I am interested in learning Buddha?

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

Why I am interested in learning Buddha? Because I have realized that the Buddha and I are equal in Buddha-nature. The relationship between us is balanced. From learning Buddha, I finally understand what is the really self-confidence. Such self-confidence is coming from what I have realized that all of us are equal in the Body of Emptiness, and that the causes what we have thought and what we have done are equal to the results which we have to bear. So, each thought, especially the first thought, is one cause which is very important and should be careful. The sixth founder of Zen, Master Hui Neng, said that each thought shall have no evil opinion.  

 

This self-confidence is not coming from the surface of phenomenon, intelligent, success or rich, because such things are impermanent and always changing. Success in fortune, career, even to overbearing in the politic, is that the worldly opinion about the self-confidence. But, eventually, such self-confidence is ego-arrogance. There is an ancient Chinese saying.” Once a General has success, ten-thousand human bones have been dried.”

Most of the working and career is impermanent.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

Working in a privately owned company does not guarantee that we can keep working until retirement, because any company may face the operational or failure risks. Secondly, we may also leave any company because of the personal factors, such as the health problems, or accidents. Even in the government institution, there are also a lot of changes and it may not guarantee that our career is always the same.

 

The risk of suicide due to unemployment exists in every country and society. However, what surprise me is that civil servants committed suicide because they were unable to adapt to the transfer of duties.

 

Knowing the impermanence of the working and career, we can prepare in advance, to save enough money, leave self a back lane for survival, or prepare another skill to survive for a runway switch in career. And we will be flexible when we face any impermanence in job.

We can't replace anyone to live their lives.

Author: Tao Qing Hsu 

There is a father who is very responsible for his small family. He is worried about his wife and children every day, for fear of not making enough money to provide them with a good material life. Therefore, he is very happy as long as he has work, because it means that he has income and can provide a good material life for his wife and children. He works diligently every day, just to make more money, to make the family rich, to let his son have a house and a car, so that this family can take a wife into the door, so that the son and wife can add grandchildren and joy to the family. The father also wanted to save and gather more money so that his daughter would have a large dowry and get married beautifully. Of course, he still needs to save enough retirement funds so that he and his wife will not worry in their later years, and will not cause a burden to their children.

All this makes him live in a dream of being a good husband and father, which can make him have a face among relatives and friends, saying that he is a good man who loves his family. However, as long as he has no work to do and no income, he feels anxious and very uneasy. Because of this, his heart is furious, and he always cares about everything with the native family. Not only as a father, but in a single-parent family, the mother makes money to support her family, just to save money and build a house for his son so that he can marry his wife. To this end, this mother will not hesitate to sacrifice her daughter, and will not hesitate to squeeze her daughter's labor and financial resources.

These parents worry about their children's hardships for their children's bright future. Not only do these obsessive parents work hard to make money and pay for their children’s tuition, but they also do not want their children to spend time to work, just to help them lay the foundation for their future career. In addition, the house also helps children buy well, so that they have more conditions to get married and start a family. These infatuated parents also hope that it is best to help them have children and raise them.

The wives and children living in such a worry-free environment have weak ability to make money and support their families. They have always depended on the powerful fathers and husbands. Even if these wives and children are already adults, they have a job, but they do not earn much. They are eager for comfort and want a richer material life. Therefore, they asked the father and husband every day to make the man live in anxiety, just to earn more money and provide better materials for family members to enjoy.

I saw what these obsessive parents did, and saw the father who was anxious about money every day. In order to alleviate his inner anxiety, I told him: "You cannot be responsible for the lives of your wife and children. Your wife and children must be responsible for their own lives. You must always remember this."

From our daily experience, we are often curious about what our relatives and friends are doing. Some people are very opinionated about the living conditions of relatives and friends, because the current living conditions of relatives and friends are completely inconsistent with their ideal state of mind.

For example, if someone does not have a boyfriend or girlfriend, they ask him: "Why don't you make a boyfriend?" If someone is single and unmarried, they ask him: "Why don't you get married?" If someone doesn't work outside, they just ask him: "Why not go to find a job and do it quickly?" If people don't have children, they ask him: "Why don't you have children?" If they think the public office is stable, they ask him: "Why not go to have an Examination for public office?" And so on. People who raise such questions may express a concern. However, for those who hear, they will feel that these people are very ignorant. Why? Because these people who question others often just look at the appearance of things from their own perspective, rather than from the other side's perspective to understand in depth. Some people are very personal, and they hate such questions from others, so they just say, "What am I going to do, what am I not doing, what is your business?" Yes! Does it matter to us whether others get married or have children?

A woman graduated from a well-known university, and in her forties, she chose a job as an operator. Relatives and friends felt incredible, and wondered why she made such a decision. Because of her academic and experience, she has worked in the society for such a long period of time, in her forties, and should have a good career, at least also have a fairly high supervisor position, and take a high salary. Therefore, relatives and friends asked her, "Why not go to find a better job?" She said that in the past, her job content made her too brainy, too nerve-wracking, and the work pressure was very heavy. The operator's work, almost without thinking, can let her brain rest. She feels that she is very happy to do this job.

After listening to this story, I realized the truth: "We can't replace anyone to live their lives. "Everyone knows his own situation best. We are outsiders. How can we know their situation and the troubles they face? What kind of life they want to live in is only known to them. What we can do is to respect their lifestyle and any choices. After all, we cannot take charge of their lives, nor can we replace them to live their lives for them. For example, assuming that they have cancer or depression, can we replace them to bear it for them? This is absolutely impossible, as everyone understands.

And this also led me to the following thinking: I often squeeze cold sweat for a dictatorship? Why? A dictatorship is like these obsessive parents, these nosy relatives and friends. They control everything the people have. They like to interrogate and interfere with people's freedom. In my opinion, this is replacing them to live their lives for these people, and replace them to be responsible for their lives. To put it bluntly, these dictatorships are too great, because they carry all the karma of the people on their own. This is so great!

If you think about it, when you control the people's freedom of thought and expression, it is as if you are binding a person's hands and feet. From another point of view, you are also living his life for him and taking on the responsibility of his life for this person, because this person's hands and feet are tied by you. When this person's hands and feet are tied, how can he have excellent ability to work well to make money and support his family? Once they cannot support themselves and their families, they become a burden for the government and the country. Either you raise him or let him go extinct. In any case, the personal karma and responsibility of this people will be carried on the dictatorship.

Therefore, we will see countries with authoritarian regimes, those groups of authoritative parents and officials who control the people in the regime, they are very active in working hard to make money, and they are rich and powerful, they also accumulate a lot of money, and also provide wives and children the excellent material life. Of course, they also build houses for the people and distribute them to the people, so that the people can get married and have a room to live in. The children born by the people are raised by the state. Unfortunately, in countries with authoritarian regimes, people’s ability to make money and support their families is generally low, and most of them live in poverty. They must rely on the government to support them. The poor people are more prone to complain and dissatisfaction with the government, thus rebelling against the government. The authoritarian government must use more severe means and spend more financial resources and resources to suppress the rebellion of the people.

Therefore, when we replace anyone to live their lives, and also replace them to take any responsibility of their lives, it is a foolish thing to do. It is doing a thankless job. It is let any doing things be double, but the credit is halved. We have done our own hard work, others are not necessarily grateful, and even complain. You see, this is really a waste of our own life.

Chapter 21: The fame makes us lost our root.

(Chapter 21) 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 21: The fame makes us lost our root.

The Buddha said,” People follow their emotion and desire in order to seek the fame; when the fame is obvious, the body is already dead. Be greedy for the worldly permanent fame, but not to learn the Dao, it wastes the energy and toils the body, such as burning incense, even though people smell the scent, the ash of incense has not yet dying. The fire to endanger the body is behind.”       

There are always two sides in one thing. Fame is too.

There are always two sides in one thing. Fame is too. Which side been seen by you will decide your future destiny. What most people have seen is the advantage from fame, which may bring them a lot of chance to have the top career, abundant personal connections, many fortunes, admired by people, holding the more power, and more influence to others. It is really quite attractive to most people.

In showbiz or political environment, or the communication circle of businessmen, people always have to pursue the fame so as to have the advantage as said above. If people can use their fame and its advantages to do the good things for the sentient beings, it doesn't be a bad thing. They usually have the good bliss. But, it doesn’t mean that they have good wisdom. Unfortunately, they still have a lot of upset in mind and do not have a thought to look for a method from Dao to relieve their upset. 

There is always existed the danger behind the famous fame.

They lost their intelligent mind in the illusory glory, and feel painful in the emotion and situation of obtaining and loss. Those who have the good looking or the beautiful education have the more chance in their young age compared to the general people to be the star in the showbiz or political environment. Unfortunately, the bright stars always fall someday.

Thanks to they are too young to resist any tempt from their career environment, some of them unfortunately make crime and go into the jail. Some of them are even to be dead owing to be murdered by other people's greedy, hatred and jealous. Some are lack of the profoundly experience in life, and can not feel any deep meaning of life. Even though they have the famous fame and the fortune accordingly, they make suicide in feeling no life meaning and goal. 

 

There is always existed the danger behind the famous fame. If we are wise enough, we will know that and look for the good way to avoid any danger behind the fame. How to do that? The answer is in this chapter. When we own the fame, it is better for us to learn Dao and put it into the practice at the same time. 

To learn Dao and put it into the practice is an invisible protection net which can protect our root, natural wisdom, and the safe of our life and fortune.

To learn Dao and put it into the practice will accumulate our merit and virtue which is really able to increase our bliss and wealth. The bliss and wealth is paid in return not only in our present life, but also in our next life. Only doing so and make the fame to be a good thing for helping the sentient beings, it would not waste our energy and toil our body. Meanwhile, it would also not make us lost our root. 

To learn Dao and put it into the practice is an invisible protection net which can protect our root, natural wisdom, and the safe of our life and fortune. How to learn Dao and put it into the practice is taught in this 42 chapters said by Buddha. The Buddha-law and Dharma is very large and deep as sea, the scripture of 42 chapters said by Buddha is only one of them.

What I said above is according to the modern thoughts and the flourish development of diverse media. However, what I will say below is according to the root of human beings.

Fame is emptiness.

Fame is actually to be formed through the reasons and conditions. If you have ever read any articles in this blog, you may have already the concept about the emptiness. Anything is formed through the reasons and conditions. Fame is too. When we dismantle any reasons and conditions, we find that the fame is actually the emptiness. In fact, fame is as bubble, which is looked beautiful, however, may be disappeared anytime. Understanding that, we know that fame is actually impermanent.

We better to be wise not to stubbornly persist in any fame and its advantages.

When we have such concept as said above, we know that we better to be wise not to stubbornly persist in any fame and its advantages. When we are lucky to have a good fame and its advantages, we use them to do the good things for the sentient beings. When the fame has left us, we let it go and let it be. Don’t be sad for the loss of fame, because there is nothing to be lost. In such situation, our heart would be at ease.

The fame may incur any danger to us.

As a person to practice the Dao as taught by Buddha, we should control our emotion and desire not to seek the fame. As Buddha said, the fame is such as the incense which is smelled well. However, the ash of incense has not yet dying. The fire is still there. The fame is as the fire which may danger our body at any time, which means that the fame may incur any danger to us.

To learn the Dao as taught by Buddha is more important than seeking the fame.  

In the concept of Buddha, to seek fame and not to learn the Dao is not wise, because it would waste our energy and toil our body. To learn the Dao can renovate our energy and repair our body, which could make us to be a healthy person in physic and mental body. To learn the Dao is the root of life. However, seeking the fame is not. In a word, to learn the Dao as taught by Buddha is more important than seeking the fame.  

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Chapter 19: Perceive the fake and real at the same time (Updated on January 7, 2022 )

(Chapter 19) 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 19: Perceive the fake and real at the same time

The Buddha said,” Observe the sky and land, have a thought of the impermanence; observe the world, have a thought of the impermanence; perceiving the spiritual awakening is the Bodhi. Those who have such knowledge gain the Dao quickly.”    

To have the feeling about the impermanence is one of the most important teachings in Buddhism, because it is the basic concept to enter the gate of Buddhism. If we have no feeling about the impermanence in life, it would be hard for us to understand what is taught by Buddha. 

A story enlightens us to know the impermanence.

There are a lot of stories and news to enlighten us to know the impermanence. In the ancient India, there is a woman whose child died. This woman cries every day and feels very sad for losing her child. One day, she meets the Buddha Sakyamuni, and tells him, ”Could you use your spiritual and magical power to let my child to revive? The Buddha Sakyamuni tells her, ”You go and ask each family in this lane whether they have any family member not to die. If you could find a family which has no dead family member, I promise you to let your child to revive.”

This woman feels hopeful and asks each family in the lane, “May I ask you whether there is no dead family member in your family?” “No, my grandpapa is just past away.” The person replies to her. She finishes all asking and finds that each family has its own dead family members.

The woman disappointedly comes to the Buddha Sakyamuni and tells him what the outcome is. The Buddha Sakyamuni consoles her, “Now you know each family has ever the dead family member. The impermanence of life exists in the world, and also exists in each family and in each person. The dead family member is gone. Abandon the worry of missing and sadness in heart. Let your child go. He would be well in heaven.” 

I am also very consoled by this story. I have ever read some news that the person is too sad to die suddenly or to suicide, because of his loved family member dying. It is usually happened in those who have the more closed relationship with the dead family member. This is true. According to the psychological research, such emotion and feeling is normal. We would abandon such sadness gradually with our intellect, if we know that the impermanence of life exists in the world. However, it may be not for those who have no such concept. That is why they will feel more painful and sad. The worst is that some people use drug or wine to resolve their pain and sadness, and which makes their life bad.  

  

“Observe the sky and land, have a thought of the impermanence.”

From the sky, we observe the change of the climate, such as the strong wind, heavy rain, heavy snow or ice storm; from the land, we observe the change of earth crust. The severe earthquake, severe tsunami or volcanic eruptions always happened in seconds and without warning; and which always bring a lot of disasters and cause many damages, lost of fortune, and deaths of humans. What happened is in the twinkling of an eye. Under the circumstances, we do not know whether we are alive or death in the next moment.

Understanding such impermanence of the sky and land, we will humble ourselves to the sky and land, and know that we should get along well with the natural environment, and not destroy it too much when developing the original natural environment.

“Observe the world, have a thought of the impermanence”

We observe the impermanence of life. We also have observed the worldly impermanence, which include the impermanence of romantic love and marriage, and of the personal and others emotion and feeling, and of career, working, and of the friendship, planning, attending school and disease, even of the politic.

As we know, the romantic love and any vows for the love are the myth. Many people finally quarrel, break up, and go their own way, because of any trivial matters in daily life. There is no forever romantic love. Romantic love can't bear the real challenge. If we can know it earlier, we will focus on how to cultivate our own noble character to love the humanity and have the ability to live in the reality, and not to count on the romantic love and the unreal opposite sex for living.

If we cannot face the impermanence of love and marriage, we can easily fall into hatred and desire to control the opposite sex. That is because we are afraid of betrayal, and we are addicted to love and marriage. This is why we cannot make our hearts free. In any case, there is the similar situation.

So, it doesn’t mean that there is no love in marriage. On the contrary, it makes us clearly know how we can properly deal with the relationship between lovers or spouses in love and marriage. In life and economic, the more independent and the more respect to each other will be better in love and marriage.

 

Most of the working and career is impermanent.

Working in a privately owned company does not guarantee that we can keep working until retirement, because any company may face the operational or failure risks. Secondly, we may also leave any company because of the personal factors, such as the health problems, or accidents. Even in the government institution, there are also a lot of changes and it may not guarantee that our career is always the same.

The risk of suicide due to unemployment exists in every country and society. However, what surprise me is that civil servants committed suicide because they were unable to adapt to the transfer of duties.

Knowing the impermanence of the working and career, we can prepare in advance, to save enough money, leave self a back lane for survival, or prepare another skill to survive for a runway switch in career. And we will be flexible when we face any impermanence in job.

The impermanence of emotion or feeling may affect and disturb our life steps.

Everyone has its own mood obstacle. Most people’s personal emotion or feeling is easy to be affected by others mood such as anger, anxiety, excitement or depression. Especially, in a family or in a group, the member’s mood may affect to each other. When the mood is negative, such as anger, hatred, complain, sad or anxiety, it may affect the member’s ability to learn anything and may result in the bad performance in studying or in career.

Of course, our personal mood may also affect the emotion of others. Some people’s mood is easy to come and go. For example, they may be in happiness at this moment, however, they may be in anger at next moment and thus to shock us.

Knowing the impermanence of joy and anger, we know that we should learn and train our minds and emotions to be stable and to keep our heart at peace. But, how can we do that? Learning Buddha is one way. Meditation-sitting and keep mindfulness is a good way. Doing so would also help us resist the negative effects from the other negative emotions.

It is possible for us to experience the impermanent friendship.

For the teenage, friendship is the very important in their life. Maybe you are experiencing the wonderful friendship or the worst relationship with friends. Whatever it is, it is the experience in life. As we work after graduating from school, any friendship seems to be diluted gradually. We have found that many friends are disappeared from our life, and we don’t contact to each other for a long time.

Then, we establish the new relationship with new friends in work. However, we have found that such friendship is no longer pure like what we owned in the time of school. The worst is that we may meet the villain. Don’t worry. The best is that we may meet the noble friends who support and help us a lot in many ways by his sincerely heart and ability.

Sometimes, we may do many things for our friends, but to receive the complaining from them. If we are cheated or betrayed by our friends, it may cause us angry and distrust them. Whatever it is, we find that the friendship is temporary. It seems hardly to keep the long term friendship, unless we cherish it very much.

So, the friendship is also impermanent. When it comes in life, we welcome it. When it goes away, we don’t keep it. At the moment, there will be no burden in our heart.

Planning has always not kept up with change.

There is a Chinese saying, ”Artificial calculations are not as good as those of heaven.” It also means that human calculations cannot keep up with heaven's calculations. That is, any planning about our life may not be as good as the arrangement for us from the heaven. It seems the destiny. But, it also tells to have the open-minded attitude and not to tangle in the stuck situation. It may be a good choice to turn around the way. And the light of our future may be there.

So, the planning is also impermanent. But, it doesn’t mean that we do not need to plan anything in our life. There is a saying, “The only constant thing in the world is change.” When we know the impermanence of change, we would have more flexibility in mind to deal with any change.

That all doing is impermanent is a law of generating and eliminating.

Because that all doing is impermanent, any barely force to pursue external things will bind our heart. When we do everything, we comply with any cause and condition naturally, but not climb up by social ladder by barely pursuing. Then, our heart will be free.

Understanding, facing, and dealing with the worldly impermanence, and letting go of it after resolving it, nothing is occupied in our heart. Any impermanent change will not be regarded as frustration, failure or regret, but the wisdom growth of any experiences for us that enables us to face the change of life with our open-minded.

When Buddha Shakyamuni entered the Nirvana, he said the following verse:

That all doing is impermanent is a law of generating and eliminating. Generation and elimination are eliminated. Stillness and elimination are joy.

Everything is impermanent is a law of generating and eliminating, which include to generate and eliminate a self thought, and thereafter to generate and eliminate any self behavior and attitude. After self-generation and elimination are completely self-eliminated, that is, after the mind of generation and elimination and the phenomenon of generation and elimination or after the mind of birth and death and the phenomenon of birth and death are completely eliminated, the Buddha nature of the self will not be destroyed. This is the happiness achieved by the quietness and cessation of self.

So, the whole thing is basically concerned about self perceiving and self reflection in heart. On the basis, we thereafter perceive and reflect the external world. However, some beginners of learning Buddha don’t perceive and reflect self, but to see and criticize the mistake of others and thus to cause others to feel bad and hate Buddhism. If we will learn Buddha, it is better for us to avoid such mistake.

Perceiving the spiritual awakening is the Bodhi.

What is the spiritual awakening and what is the Bodhi? Relative to awakening is sleeping. It is a kind of describing. When we don’t know our self Buddha-nature which is the serenity and stillness in mind and nothingness in heart, we are like sleeping in the dark room and we couldn’t see the brightness. Once we know our self Buddha-nature, it is as we are awakening from the sunshine and could see the brightness, which is also called enlightening. This is the simple and short explaining about spiritual awakening.

There could be a lot of explaining about Bodhi. According to the different degree of learning Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni or the Master in Buddhism will offer the different meaning from shallow to deep. We will read the different meaning for Bodhi from the different Buddhist scripture. So, be wise and don't be bind by one meaning.

Bodhi is originally the Sanskrit and means a tree which names Bodhi. That is because Buddha Shakyamuni seat in meditation under a tree, where he is enlightened and prove the supreme-equality-wisdom by self. Then, this tree is called Bodhi tree. So, Buddha Shakyamuni uses the word “Bodhi” as “enlightenment” or “prove the supreme-equality-wisdom”. The masters in Buddhism usually explain Bodhi as compassion, wisdom, or becoming Buddha.

Perceiving the spiritual awakening is to have seen the self Buddha-nature and to enlighten and to prove the self natural wisdom, and then becoming Buddha, which whole experience is Bodhi.

How to perceive the spiritual awakening? There are three important methods. That is, to listen to Buddha’s teaching or to read the Buddhist scripture and its explanation, to think and to reason what the Buddha has taught, and to put Buddha’s teaching into practice. The spiritual awakening means to know self heart which is self nature, self Buddha nature.

Learning Buddha is to perceive the self spiritual awakening, not to worship Buddha Shakyamuni. For the masses, they may not have such knowledge. But, to worship Buddha will bring them hope and peace in heart. It is better for us to understand such situation with our empathy.

Pinch a flower and smile. Outside of teaching, other imparting, one heart to confirm the other heart.

When Buddha Shakyamuni is on the spirit-vulture mountain, he pinches a flower and shows to his disciples and the masses. All of them are silent, and do not understand what the meaning is. Only a Buddhist monk Mahakassapa comprehends about this with smiles. 

Then, Buddha Shakyamuni says, ” I have the correct-law-eye-treasure, Nirvana wondrous heart. The true phenomenon is without phenomenon. The wondrous law-gate, no text is established. There is the other imparting outside of teaching. These exhorts are imparted to Mahakassapa.”

This is the origin of Zen. “The correct-law-eye-treasure” is translated from Chinese into English. “Law” here means “Buddha-law”. “Correct law” means the whole Buddha law. “Eye” here means “to see and reflect the all things clearly.” “Treasure” here means “hiding the treasure to include the all things.”

So, what Zen is imparted is the whole Buddha law which is reflected the all things and it could be seen by us. It is the treasure which could lead us into the Nirvana with our wondrous heart. What is the wondrous heart? It is to realize that the true phenomenon is without phenomenon. How can we go into the gate of such wondrous Buddha law? Its password and secret is the wondrous heart and no text. Such special and wondrous Buddha law is outside of the normal Buddha’s teaching and these imparting are delivered to Mahakassapa.

Mahakassapa is the first generation of India Zen. The word "Zen" is transliterated from Chinese. The system of Zen imparts from the first generation which is the only one, to the next generation which is also the only one. The method is one heart to confirm the other heart. In other word, at the same generation, the second person has no chance to gain the confirming from the Zen master. This rule continues until the sixth generation of Chinese Zen. After him, Zen is broadly imparted and delivered in China.

The India Zen is from Mahakassapa to Dharma. Dharma can speak and read in Chinese and he imparts Zen in China. He is respected as the first generation of Chinese Zen. In Zen, each Zen master will leave his verses as confirmation of enlightenment.   

There is no text. Why? That is because it is from one mind to communicate to the other mind in the emptiness. Where you can find the text? It is unless someone records it on the paper.

If someone could not perceive the self spiritual awakening, it is hardly for him to experience and prove the emptiness-nature, and to experience the communication from one mind to the other mind in the emptiness. It is hardly for us to be imparted and confirmed from Zen master in the emptiness, unless we are the top supreme wise person, and have the merit and virtue in learning Buddha.

In the worldly, there are golden-thread dresses and bowl to be used as Zen heritage tokens which is ceased to happen after Zen master Huineng who is the sixth generation of Chinese Zen.

Zen is not easy to be understood by the masses. That is why it is single imparting, and why the Zen is the mystery and puzzle for the masses, and why it is not publicly known in India.

Zen is publicly known by the masses since the Master Huineng, the sixth generation of Chinese Zen. His time is in A.D.638-713. The master Huineng imparts Zen for five disciples who are confirmed to be enlightened in Zen. Then, these five disciples develop Zen everywhere in China. And at the same time, Zen is also imparting to Japan and Korea.

The Zen master Huineng is illiteracy. As we know above, no text is established in Zen. That is what the interesting. The illiteracy doesn’t be the obstacle to be enlightened in wisdom. That is a special record in the Buddhist history. This record also lets us know that, whatever the language is spoken, it is not the obstacle for enlightening our natural wisdom. Why?

Any language is developed in a social group. As we have mentioned before, the grandest Dao is speechless. That is, our natural wisdom is speechless. Once we realize our natural wisdom, whether we are illiteracy or what language we speak is not so important. Any text or language is just to help us more easily understand what our natural wisdom is. In other word, any text and language itself is not the natural wisdom. When we want to enlighten our natural wisdom, we even have to abandon any text and language in the temporarily.

Then we know human appearance or color of skin is also not obstacle to enlighten our natural wisdom. As Buddha said, the true phenomenon is without phenomenon. Human appearance or color of skin is the phenomenon which could be changed in any time. And it is also the impermanence.    

Verses demonstrate whose natural wisdom is enlightened.

Zen master Hong Ren (A.D.601-674) was the fifth generation of Chinese Zen. He directed a large Zen temple where many disciples learned Zen from him. One of his disciples named Shenxiu was the chief professor who also taught Zen. However, his heart had not yet been confirmed by the heart of the Zen master Hong Ren.

All the disciples thought that the chief professor Shenxiu would be the sixth generation of Chinese Zen. And they expected it to be true. One day, Zen master Hong Ren asked his disciples to write down verses on the wall about what they have enlightened in wisdom. 

All disciples invited Shenxiu to write verses. Then, Shenxiu wrote verses:

The Body is Bodhi tree.

The heart is like a stand of the bright mirror,

Which have to be often wiped diligently, and

Do not make it provoked by dusts.

The dusts meant annoyance, trouble, or mistake. The verses meant that we should remove any annoyance, trouble and mistake. It looked reasonable. All disciples agreed with it cheerfully, and thought that everyone should follow the verses to practice. They all thought that the sixth generation of Chinese Zen must be Shenxiu.

At that time, Huineng passed by there from kitchen where he worked and felt curious what they were talking about. A colleague told him what verses Shenxiu had written.

Hearing that, Huineng had verses in heart and asked his colleague to assist him to write down the verses on the wall:  

There is no tree in the Bodhi originally.

The bright mirror is also not a stand.

There is nothing in the original.

Where the dust could be provoked?

All disciples read these verses curiously, did not understand what they meant, and were all stunned.

Zen master Hong Ren came here and had read the verses on the wall. He knew that Huineng had enlightened his natural wisdom. At the midnight, Zen master Hong Ren spoke Diamond Sutra for Huineng and imparted the Zen to him, including the golden-thread dresses and bowl. From the moment, Huineng was confirmed by Zen master Hong Ren and became the sixth generation of Chinese Zen. That is because his self spirit was awakened naturally.    

Those who have such knowledge gain the Dao quickly.    

Basically, there is no wrong for the two verses. But, do you know the difference of the verses said above between Shenxiu and Huineng? Shenxiu has not yet seen his self nature. However, Huineng has already seen his self nature. The self nature is the Buddha nature. That is what the difference between them, and such difference has decided their different destiny and future.

What is the difference? In a word, it is the difference of the general person and the Bodhisattva. It is also the difference of distinguishing wisdom and no-distinguishing wisdom. It is only the difference by a thought. It is so simple. However, it is very hardly to be understood by the masses.

What is the difference between distinguishing wisdom and no-distinguishing wisdom? For the general people, they are good at the distinguishing intellect, especially the elite. The ability of analysis, research and debating is the distinguishing intellect. But, it is not the no-distinguishing wisdom.

The distinguishing wisdom could help us distinguish what is the true virtue and what is the true evil, and we know that we should do the true virtue and not do the true evil. So, to have the distinguishing wisdom is a good thing. For the general people, they may have the distinguishing wisdom. But, it is not enough, if we want to learn Buddha.  

To learn Buddha, we must realize the no-distinguishing wisdom on the basis of distinguishing wisdom. Only we are in the state of no-distinguishing wisdom, we will realize the wisdom without binary opposition. That is the top supreme wisdom.

If we want to realize such wisdom, we have to realize the emptiness nature. However, it is hardly to realize it for anyone. So, Shenxiu may have the distinguishing wisdom. But, he does not have the no-distinguishing wisdom. That is why he cannot be the leader of the sixth generation of Chinese Zen.

 

For the masses, some people even do not have the distinguishing ability to distinguish what is good and what is evil, let alone to have the distinguishing wisdom. That is why they do the evil things and even do not have the feeling of shame.

Perceiving the sky, land and the world, to have a thought of the impermanence, it would lead us to realize these natures and essences are emptiness. The essences of the impermanence is the emptiness nature. The changing of phenomenon is the impermanence,  this is like the illusion, and is not real, and this is the perceive of fake. The essences of the impermanence is the emptiness, this is the real and permanence, and this is the perceive of truth. From that, we extend to realize that the nature and essence of our spiritual awakening is also emptiness. Then, what they mean for us? It is the wisdom of no obstacle, and which is the all wisdom, including the distinguishing wisdom and the no-distinguishing wisdom. The changing of phenomenon and the corresponding impermanence are belonging to the distinguishing wisdom.  The essences of the impermanence is the emptiness, this is the truth and permanence, and is belonging to the no-distinguishing wisdom.  The essences of all of them are the wisdom of emptiness nature. That is, the fake and the real are one, the illusion and the truth are one. Huineng realize it and that is why he can be the leader of the sixth generation of Chinese Zen.

If we have such knowledge as said above, we gain the Dao quickly. What the next we should do is to practice it, realize it and confirm it. In the Heaven and in the world, no one is as superior and wondrous as Buddha. The merit and virtue of Buddha is deep as sea. Life is short and it is difficult to gain our human body. If we have the chance to read this article, it is better for us to cherish our Buddha nature to learn Buddha. 

p.s. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion.