Half 13-4
“Subhuti, what do you assume—can the Realised One be seen by means of the thirty-two marks?” “No, World Honoured One, the Realised One can’t be seen by means of the thirty-two marks. Why? The thirty-two marks defined by the Realised One are usually not marks, they’re simply referred to as the thirty-two marks.”
Commentary:
This scripture says that we should always not dwell on the thirty-two marks, bodily traits that the Buddha mentioned as expedient means. The Avatamsaka Sutra additionally says, “If one isn’t connected to the Buddha even when seeing Him, he’s the one who is aware of the Buddha and can see the dharma of the true-Self.”
Nevertheless, it doesn’t imply that we should always ignore them utterly however implies that we should always see the Realised One, the true-Self amid and thru them, simply as we recognise air in and thru winds.
Vacancy is types, and types are vacancy. Each are one, depending on one another, and one accommodates the opposite, and so one will be recognised by means of the opposite.
The historic Buddha is to the true-Self as a wind is to air. We should always have the ability to recognise the Realised One, the true-Self, the essence of the historic Buddha by means of seeing his bodily physique, or listening to his phrases, simply as we will recognise air by means of winds which are its perform.
Pupil: “How can we recognise the Realised One if He can’t be seen by means of the thirty-two marks?”
Grasp: “The thirty-two marks shouldn’t be the thirty-two marks.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photographs ©Simon Hathaway
