vajra (diamond) sutra march 4, 2011 llecture

8/7/2019 Vajra (Diamond) Sutra March 4, 2011 Llecture

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The Vajra (Diamond) SutraMarch 4 lecture ©

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

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e na mean ng o e e ay sabsoluteS 26 The Dharma Body is not appearances

S 27 Not destroyed nor annihilated



Verse for opening a sutra• Homage to the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and the

Vajra 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 I’ve come to receive and hold it, within my

sight and hearing,• I vow to fathom the Thus Come One’s true and

actual meaning.



Q&A

Question: Is there a balance between letting life take its courseand taking life in to your own hands ?

.

Comments: two differing concepts

• “Letting life take its course” or ‘ let it be’ is to be patient. Though

• “taking life into your own hands” is to take action.

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hilosophy ofhoice

Let life take its course taking life in to yourown hands

n mundaneorld

Negative, passive, aloser

Proactive, a doer, a selfstarter, action oriented

uddhadharma Virtue of patience,tolerance com liant

Impatient, intolerance,non ieldin e oistic

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egoless

Misconception thatdestiny is fixed but theDharma says ‘nothing isfixed’

Pursuing vows

Acknowledge the existence of extreme views and

rejects both views; follow the Middle Way



Philosophy ofchoice

Let life take itscourse

taking life in to yourown hands

Buddhadharma Virtue of patience ,tolerance, compliant,egoless

Impatient, intolerance,non yielding, egoistic

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Misconception thatdestiny is fixed but theDharma says ‘nothingis fixed’

Pursuing vows ratherthan leaving to karma

Accepting both views through pointing to theMIND all problems are effectively non-problems to begin with



Buddhadharma

Let life take its course taking life in to your ownhands

Generalcharacterof Reality

Acknowledge the existence of extreme views andrejects both views; follow the Middle Way.Here there is still a clinging on to the notion of duality.

Specificcharacter

Accepting both views through pointing to the MIND allproblems are effectively non-problems to begin with.

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o ea y ere s a so u e .S 17 Vajra Sutra says, “The Thus Come says alldharmas are Buddhadharma...” means right and wrong arewithin the Buddhadharma. They never existed in the first place.

…Subhuti, what are spoken as ‘all dharmas’, are notall dharmas. Therefore they are called ‘all dharmas’means follow the Middle Way

The two sentences in s 17 of the Vajra Sutra teachesthat “ultimate meaning of the Middle Way is absolute”



Q&A

• S 23 defines the meaning of the enlightenment of a Buddha:• “Moreover, Subhuti, this Dharma is level and equal; nothing

is higher or lower.”• Therefore it is called anuttarasamyaksambodhi .” (s 23)• The definition of anuttarasamyaksambodhi is utmost, proper

.

• The Buddha was enlightened to the principle of level and equalwithout high or low!

• Chapter 16 of the Flower Adornment Sutra:

• “This Dharma is level and equal with no high or low,

• Therefore it is called anuttarasamyaksambodhi.” 7



Q&A

Background to Question:• I am in conflict regarding acceptance and trust of the universe.

• I am currently unhappy with my current life and there is little tono option for me to change it right now.

• I have always tried to believe that the universe will take care ofme so long as I am true to myself and have faith, yet I can’tseem to catch a break

• It has definitely made me doubt my faith.

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Q&A

• The doubt arose because of your being afflicted by someevents that has been unfavorable to you without any respite.

• Yet if we truly understand that this universe is created by falsethinking and that time is a creation of false thinking mind thatgrasped on linearity.

• Because of linear thinking, there is a past, a present and afuture time frame.

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Q&A• Because there is a past, a present and a future, the theory of

past cause and maturing of conditions subsequently holds.

• Therefore all the continuous yet seemingly endless injustice isthe seed of the past.

• We don’t know how many limitless lifetimes we have beenthrough and the unwholesome habitual actions we have done inthe past.

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Q&A• They arose because there is an ego self that ultimately wants

one to triumph at the end and because one eagerly wants theupper hand, it has driven one to doubt.

• The point is this : we are in control of our mind and ‘takinglife in to our own hands’ is just this . Quiet your mind by just

.

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Q&A

• Allowing ourselves to be influenced and give rise to doubt whenthe solution rests with our mind.

• Therefore all the seemingly insurmountable problems is solvedby1. understanding the mind;

2. recogn z ng t e a se an t e true m n ;3. And see the self nature.4. What is the self nature?

• The unmovingness of our mind.

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Q&A

• Can one separate your self and afflictions?

• No. A baby has no afflictions yet when he grows up, he starts tohave afflictions.

• ere come rom

• His afflictions came from his being conditioned by environmentand also being conditioned by the karmic consciousness of thepast.

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Q&A

• Yet if we have no mind or no thought on externalities

whatsoever, then we are beginning to unfold the wisdomwithin us.

mind.

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Q&A

• Contemplate that favorable or unfavorable events are just thesame because this universe, living beings, and we ourselvesnever existed or inherently not existing.

• Every cause mentioned above has no cause at all in the

Therefore things that arose out of causes inherently don’texist.

• It was just an appearance of the false thinking mind thatdiscriminates between favorable and adverse having themisconception that this false body of ours is our true self.

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Q&A

• Recognizing the true form of universe and living beings justmentioned, we continue to do meritorious deeds despitefavorable or adverse situations because we ourselves andliving beings are equally at fault having been and continue to beignorant by failing to accept that everything is just made fromthe mind.

• Afflictions and peace of mind when fathomed truly is ofone appearance; both fundamentally don’t exist.

• There was nothing at all in the first place and all appearancesincluding peace of mind are made by the mind.

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Q&A

• The balance between “letting life take its course” and “taking lifein to your own hands” is to follow your wholesome thoughts andactions without being mentally affected by favorable or adverseexternalities because we see through its true form.

• The oint when we are influenced to doubt our true action is the

point we are not taking life in to our own hands as we allow thefalse life to take its course. Reflect thus.

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S 26 The Dharma body is not appearances

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

Subhuti said, “So it is. So it is. It is possible tocontemplate the Thus Come One in his Thirty-twoPh sical A earances.”

The Buddha said, “Subhuti, if one could contemplatethe Thus Come One in his Thirty-two PhysicalAppearances, then a Wheel Turning Sage Kingwould be the Thus Come One.”

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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 hisThirty-two Physical Appearances.”

Comments:

• Why shouldn’t 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 of

existence and therefore it is not permanent.

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Question: “The Appearance of Reality is withoutappearance.” (s 14). What do you mean by withoutappearance and how do we apply in our daily life?

Comments:

• “The Buddha’s 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 usall, and it is also the Buddha’s 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 extinguished”is 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 is

produced from the self nature and within the mind which is ‘thus, thus unmoving’ true reality is to be found. Seen in this way this state is the original nature exactly; it is the 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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S 26 The Dharma body is not appearancesSutra: At that time, the World Honored One spoke a verse

saying:• One who looks for me in forms,

• Seeks me in sounds,• Practices a deviant path• And will never see the Thus Come One.

Comments:• The Buddha here is reassuring that one who sees appearances

are not practicing the Way.• Any other way of looking at appearances as empty and false is

certainly not the teaching of the Buddha.• Therefore the Buddha is emphatically sweeping all

appearances but that does not mean annihilation because

every living being has the Buddha nature which is eternal. 24



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 theirgrief and pain;

• May this boundless light break the darkness of theirendless night.• Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns into

paradise;

• May all become compassionate and wise (2x)

vajra (diamond) sutra march 4, 2011 llecture

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