Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Vajra Sutra (Diamond Sutra)
■ Detailed Exposition by Living Buddha Lian-Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-yen Lu
■ Translated into English by True Buddha School Vajra Sutra Translation Team
Three—The Right and Ultimate Meaning of the Great Vehicle
The Buddha told Subhuti, “All bodhisattvas should master their minds in the following way:
“All sentient beings, whether they are born from eggs or wombs, through moisture or transformation, whether they have forms or not, whether they are with or without thoughts, or not completely with thoughts nor without thoughts, I liberate and deliver them to nirvana without remainder. And yet, of the innumerable sentient beings being delivered, there really is no sentient beings that are delivered. Why is this, Subhuti?
“Because if a bodhisattva holds a view of self, others, sentient beings and lifespan, then he is not a bodhisattva.”
Let me tell you, those who can attend the root guru's ceremony but choose not to, is like pride and prejudice. If you are really sick, have an emergency or you've got so many things to do, at least you have good reasons. But if you can attend but choose not to, that would be analogous to pride and prejudice. You violate the precept of undermining. The worst retribution is to be reborn as a seashell in the bottom of the ocean [Grandmaster mimics a clam with his left hand]. Seashells never open their shells, and their shells open only when they are cooked and ready to be eaten [laughter]. The living seashells open their shells with small gaps, stay and move in the bottom of the ocean [Grandmaster moves his hand fast with small gap mimicking seashells].
I am telling Lotus Who [the monk who asked the question], listen to my discourse on the Vajra Sutra. It was spoken very clearly by Sakyamuni Buddha. I have said that the Vajra Sutra destroys everything, including time and space [dimension] and all the buddhadharma. Everything arises due to cause and conditions. Arising and ceasing are impermanent, and the true nature of all causes and conditions is empty. It is correct that Buddhism talks about the above; however, even this we want to destroy!
Doesn't the formation and extinction of universes also arise due to causes and conditions and cease due to causes and conditions? If there is still a “universe” in your eyes, if you still have [the views of] arising and ceasing, causes and conditions, then that's not the ultimate truth.
That's why the so-called endurance is not endurance, and only because it is not endurance, that it is called endurance. There really is no “endurance,” only then is it the real endurance.
In the sangha community, many respected Subhuti, but many undermined him as well. Many people criticized him. Sakyamuni Buddha acknowledged Subhuti to be the first arhat to abandon desires. Subhuti was very humble and responded to the Buddha by bringing up Sariputra and Moggallana, saying that they should be the first arhats to abandon desires. Subhuti humbly added, “I am not the first arhat to abandon desires, because should I have thought this way, I would not be the first arhat who abandon desires.” Sakyamuni Buddha praised him because of this.
Therefore, if you [referring to Lotus Who] listen attentively to the Vajra Sutra, you will understand who you really are. [Grandmaster laughs.]
… I liberate and deliver them to nirvana without remainder. And yet, of the innumerable sentient beings being liberated and delivered, there really is no sentient beings being liberated and delivered….
This is the most crucial statement. When you deliver sentient beings, there really is no sentient beings for you to deliver.
Avalokitesvara made a vow to deliver all sentient beings. He eventually discovered that the number of sentient beings he delivered does not increase nor decrease. No increase nor decrease. Sentient beings are still sentient beings. Not even one sentient being has been delivered! Avalokitesvara was in total despair and decided not to deliver sentient beings anymore. His head then split into ten pieces [as he broke his own vows]. Amitabha Buddha, his Guru, immediately came to the rescue, forming ten heads from the ten split-pieces, plus one head on top for Amitabha himself, adding up to a total of 11 heads known as Thousand-eyed-thousand-armed Avalokitesvara. Amitabha came to Avalokitesvara and said, “You are so dumb, silly!” Amitabha rearranged him and he became Thousand-eyed-thousand-armed Avalokitesvara.
…There really is no sentient beings that are liberated or delivered. Why is this so, Subhuti? Because if a bodhisattva holds a view of self, others, sentient beings and lifespan, then he is not a bodhisattva….
That is the answer. [long pause] Who is Shi Lian Shui [Lotus Who]? Lei Fengpei? How would you answer this question? I am asking you, who are you? You must answer this question.
Bodhidharma has answered this question. Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty asked Bodhidharma, “Who is this person standing in front of me?” How did Bodhidharma answer this question? Can you answer it? It is very simple; you must have read about this well-known koan. Do you know? There is a gift here [Grandmaster picked up a prayer necklace from his dharma table and showed it to the audience, laughing], it is a beautiful one.
Shi Lian Shui [Lotus Who], you will get this if you answer correctly! [No answer from him because he is not in the audience. An audience replied, “I don't know.”] “I don't know” is not good enough, it does not completely answer it; only halfway there. [The audience was quiet, so Grandmaster puts the necklace away with laughter.] I am putting this away, not available anymore!
It is written here that if a bodhisattva holds a view of self, others, sentient beings and lifespan, then he is not a bodhisattva. Let me ask everyone now. We all know about the view of self, not having a view of self. The view of self and the view of others are related to individuals. The view of sentient beings refers to many beings [the phenomena of all beings and things]. The view of lifespan refers to the length of time.
According to the teaching of the Buddha, sentient beings refer to space, and lifespan refers to time.
If, in his mind, a bodhisattva still has a self [the notion of I], or the view that “I am a person,” or other sentient beings and lifespan, then he is not a bodhisattva.
That is the meaning. This is a very crucial understanding of the Vajra Sutra, that there is no phenomena of self, others, sentient beings and lifespan.
Let me share with everyone. Time. What time is it now? It is 4:56 [pm]. Who determined the concept of time? It is defined by human beings. What is time?! Is there time?! There is no such thing as time—time as we know it is defined by human beings. Think about it. If there were no “time…”
We are currently in the year 2021, and that number originated from the years since the birth of Jesus, referred to as the Gregorian Calendar. It has been over 2000 years since Jesus was born. However, more than 2600 years ago, Sakyamuni Buddha was already born, earlier than Jesus. Laozi of China was born earlier than Sakyamuni Buddha. There were even earlier ones, all of which were determined by time.
Who defined time? Human beings. No view of lifespan means there is no time dimension. Time does not exist. If time does not exist anymore, how can there be any coexistence of causes and conditions? There is no such thing as the [arising and ceasing of the] causes and conditions.
The space dimension also does not exist. No view of sentient beings means the phenomena of sentient beings does not exist. Since there are no sentient beings, how can there be any coexistence of causes and conditions? There are none. The causes and conditions do not exist. All arising and ceasing of causes and conditions too do not exist. [The concept] that everything arises due to causes and conditions and everything ceases due to causes and conditions are all gone!
What does the buddhadharma states, as asked by Shi Lian Shui here—Doesn't the buddhadharma stress that everything arises due to causes and conditions, all arising and ceasing are impermanent, and the true nature of all causes and conditions is emptiness?
The start of affinity does not exist, even the sentient beings do not exist anymore; how can there be any start of affinity? Consequently, all of the above are the wrong views. All buddhadharma too is the wrong view. Is there a buddha? No [there are no] buddhas, no sentient beings.
The view of self and the view of others are at a lower level. A bodhisattva with a view of self?! A bodhisattva always thinks of others and never thinks for themselves. How can a bodhisattva have a view of self? Amitabha! [Oh my Buddha!] If you still have a self, then you definitely are not a bodhisattva.
As a Buddhist practitioner, you do your best and cultivate spiritually in accordance with your daily activities. You don't cultivate for yourself, but you do it for other sentient beings. If you cultivate the six perfections—generosity, endurance, precepts, wisdom, meditation and diligence—then you are a bodhisattva.
You are not practicing for yourself, but you are practicing for sentient beings. You are a real bodhisattva if you don't keep them in mind and just practice. If you cultivate the six perfections yet still hold the view of sentient beings, then you are not a bodhisattva.
That's why we say that “The Threefold Wheels are Intrinsically Empty.” There is no giver of the six perfections, no recipient of the six perfections and also, no six perfections. Only then are you a bodhisattva. What I expounded here is very profound and deep.
Today I am discoursing dharma. The person discoursing the dharma does not exist, you as the listener of the dharma also do not exist, and there is no dharma discourse. This is the Ultimate Truth.
That's why Sakyamuni Buddha states that if anyone says that the Buddha has taught dharma, he defames the Buddha. Do you understand? This is very deep.
…If a bodhisattva holds a view of self, others, sentient beings and lifespan, then he is not a bodhisattva….
All the buddhadharma has been completely destroyed.
[Grandmaster is asking the audience] Is the exposition too profound? The person discoursing the dharma does not exist, the audience listening to the dharma discourse does not exist, and the dharma discourse itself does not exist.
Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty built many temples and he thought he generated great merits. But in the eyes of Bodhidharma, it was worthless. The emperor asked Bodhidharma, “I built so many temples and take care of so many monks. How's my merit?” Bodhidharma replied, no merit whatsoever. Bodhidharma spoke the truth. Upon hearing the answer, the emperor became outraged. He did not listen to Bodhidharma anymore. Bodhidharma left and the emperor sent troops to hunt him down.
Later, Ven. Zhigong (who was an eminent monk) told the emperor that Bodhidharma's words were the truth, Bodhidharma was right. Emperor Wu wanted to ask Bodhidharma to come back, but it is not possible as he had gone to the northern kingdom of Wei [Liang is in the South]. Emperor Wu has not reached that level. At most he was a mere Buddhist.
He was a lustful one too. Didn't I mention this yesterday? When the wind blew and lifted the skirt of an imperial maid, he had her for the night. She then gave birth to a child. Even though he is a child of the emperor, everybody in the palace looked down on him due to his mother's low status. Even since he was young, he was bullied by his siblings; but eventually he commanded the armed force.
Emperor Wu asked Zhigong to foretell his future. Zhigong did not dare to say and simply pointed to his own throat and neck [in Chinese, throat is hou and neck is jing]. As a result, a general from the northern Wei named Houjing defected and requested to serve the southern kingdom of Liang, whose capital was in Jiankang (now Nanjing). Houjing besieged and surrounded the capital where the palace and the emperor was. Had the emperor's youngest son—the son of the imperial maid, who was in charge of the military—led a counterattack, he would have been able to save the emperor. But he did not. So the emperor died of hunger in his own palace.
In fact, Emperor Wu of Liang was a good emperor, he did not want this to happen. He changed after he became an emperor. That is history, talking about the past. All eminent figures come and go like the waves.
[Grandmaster shared some jokes and ended the dharma discourse.]
Om mani padme hum.
