Half 7-1
The Buddha requested Subhuti, “Subhuti, what do you assume—has the Realised One attained unexcelled full excellent enlightenment? Has the Realised One preached any Dharma?” Subhuti stated. “As I perceive the ideas expounded by you, the Realised One, there isn’t any fastened Dharma known as unexcelled full excellent enlightenment, and there’s no fastened Dharma value mentioning that the Realised One preached.”
Commentary:
‘Dharma’ has a number of meanings; the true-Self, issues, and the Buddha’s instructing. The Dharma’ in ‘there isn’t any fastened Dharma known as unexcelled full excellent enlightenment’ means ‘a factor’, and so this sentence signifies ‘there isn’t any fastened factor known as unexcelled full excellent enlightenment’. The ‘Dharma’ in ‘there isn’t any fastened Dharma value mentioning that the Realised One preached’ means the Buddha’s instructing, subsequently this sentence implies ‘there isn’t any fastened Buddha’s instructing value mentioning that the Realised One preached’.
This reveals what enlightenment is and what Dharma discuss is. Enlightenment means the potential to see and listen to all the pieces as it’s with out being deluded by any phrases and kinds, which can also be known as seeing all the pieces as empty. After we see all the pieces as empty, all the pieces, together with us, is one as Vacancy, and there’s nothing however Vacancy. Vacancy is the state free from phrases and kinds, which is known as the true-Self, Nirvana, Oneness, the Buddha, non-I, the Pure Land, and the middle-Path. That is the essence of all the pieces and this is the reason it’s stated in Buddhism that all the pieces is equal because the Buddha. Within the state of Vacancy, that’s, once we see all the pieces as empty, there’s nothing to see or hear apart from Vacancy and there is not only nothing to realize or lose but in addition no gainer or loser.
On this state even the phrase ‘the Buddha’ is not more than grime to taint the Pure Land, as a result of it’s not more than an imaginary label used as an expedient for the sake of comfort to precise the state. Because of this it’s stated that there isn’t any Buddha within the Pure Land. Within the state of Vacancy there’s neither enlightenment nor one who attained it, neither is there not solely the Dharma but in addition one who preached the Dharma.
Because of this historical masters would say that earlier than enlightenment, there are Dharma instructing to study, enlightenment to achieve and the Buddha to see however that after enlightenment, there isn’t any Dharma instructing to study, no enlightenment to achieve and no Buddha to see.
Pupil: “If the Buddha didn’t preach any Dharma, what are all of the Buddhist Sutras we learn?”
Grasp: “They aren’t the Sutras.”
Pupil: “If they aren’t the Sutras, what’s the Sutra?”
Grasp: “The Sutra is with out pages and phrases.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photographs ©Simon Hathaway
