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
Six—The Right Faith is Extremely Rare
Subhuti asked the Buddha, “World-honored One, if sentient beings hear words and phrases of this teaching, will they truly believe in it?”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “Do not speak this way. During the five hundred years after Tathagata's parinirvana, there will be precept-holding people who are blessed, they will have faith in this truth and regard it as reality.
Know that these people have planted good seeds not only with one buddha, two buddhas, or three, four, five buddhas, but countless buddhas. When they hear these statements, they will immediately give rise to pure faith. Even if only for a moment, they will be seen and known by the Tathagata.
Subhuti, they will obtain immeasurable blessings and merits. Why? Because they do not hold onto any phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan.
“No view of dharma, and no view of non-dharma. Why? Because if sentient beings hold onto phenomena, then they are grasping at self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan.
“If they hold the view of dharma, then they are attached to self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. If they hold the view of non-dharma, then all the same, they are also attached to self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. Why? Because one should not uphold dharma and one should not uphold non-dharma either.
“The following profundity is often spoken by the Tathagata: 'Bhikkus and all of you, know that my dharma teaching is like a raft. Even the dharma should be abandoned, let alone the non-dharma.'”
According to Sakyamuni Buddha, they're all deviant paths; they are not buddhadharma. Grandmaster can chant them too, “I command the celestial generals and soldiers to execute the order immediately.” Based on the god-on-duty and the current hour—zi chou yin mao chen si wu wei shen you xu hai [Chinese zodiac], you press the part of the fingers correspondingly and then you chant the mantra. The god-in-charge on that day and hour would descend to listen to your command, “I command you to do this. Listen and execute.” They will follow your command. Can these kinds of things let you to go to the pureland? No. At most, it can help you go to heavens and enjoy the heavenly blessings.
You may think that you are very blessed, and you help many poor people in the hope to go to buddhaland. But no, you can only go to heaven. This is the difference between Buddhism and other religions.
Hence, I stress this point: Chapter Six—The Right Faith is Extremely Rare. “Bhikkus, know that my dharma teaching is like a raft. Even the dharma should be abandoned, let alone the non-dharma.” I extrapolated this piece very clearly.
As a Buddhist, we should have enough knowledge. Like today, in expounding the Vajra Sutra, if you have enough knowledge, you can discern and differentiate. If you don't have enough knowledge, then you would be befuddled. You might think you can tell fortune, do divinations, or this and that [psychic power], you can foretell everything, but those things are useless. You still cannot go to the pureland. Those are not buddhadharma. You think that you have supernormal powers? Yet, you don't have connections with divine power, instead you rely on all kinds of hideous spirits. What psychic power?! Only relying on ghosts! What a mess! Only if you can go to the pureland would it be the right dharma. The rest is just deviant dharma. Supernormal power is also aberrant.
Of course, if you have attainments, you will have such power naturally as side effects. But it's not something to pursue! If you are obsessed with all those powers, then you're dead! And it would be impossible for you to go to the pureland. What connection? It's more like constipation! [Chinese homophone] When you are constipated, there's no connection. [Grandmaster is joking]
That's all for today. Om mani padme hum.
