Chapter 18. All Thoughts Are Intangible
... The Buddha said to Subhuti: “The Tathagata is fully aware of the thoughts of each sentient being dwelling in all these Buddha worlds. How is it so? The Tathagata says all these thoughts are not thoughts. Therefore they are called thoughts. Why, Subhuti? Because past thoughts are intangible, present thoughts are intangible, and future thoughts are intangible.”
Chapter 19. No Merit Is Great Merit
“Subhuti, what do you think? If a person were to fill all the worlds of the trichiliocosm with the seven jewels and give them all away in charity, wouldn’t this person’s merit be great?” “Yes, World Honored One, this person’s merit from such an act would be extremely great.” “Subhuti, if this merit were real, the Tathagata would not say that there is great merit. It is because this merit is non-existent that the Tathagata says that the merit is great.”
We finished Chapter 18 & 19. Discussion questions:
- In the story of "Diamond Zhou", who was enlightened when Master Lungtan (Dragon Lake) gave him a candle for the night walk and immediately blew it out, what could have Diamond Zhou realized?
- The Buddha can know all beings' thoughts because "thoughts are not thoughts". In which ways are thoughts not thoughts?
- In Chapter 19, why does the Buddha say, "this merit is great because it is not real." How do we understand this?
- How can we apply these examples of emptiness to our lives?
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In the story of ...
ReplyDeleteWhen the candle was blown off and everything went into darkness, Diamond Zhou's discriminating mind ceased along with it. He no longer saw the flame, the candle, the path, the physical forms of himself and Master Lungtan etc.. He was able to see beyond all the fabrications and gain enlightenment.
3. Buddha say, "this merit is great because it is not real".
ReplyDeleteFrom the teaching, anything describable is not real. Since it is based on our perception, it might be great this minute, it might be not great anymore the next minute. When the situation changes, our perception changes accordingly.
1. When the light is out, Diamond Zhou sees darkness and realizes that the "ability to see" is always there within him; it neither arises from light, extinguishes in darkness nor can it be sought from the outside...
ReplyDelete能見的覺知， 湛然常在，不從外得； 不由光而生， 也不因暗而滅。
1) The Unconditioned
ReplyDelete2)Thoughts arise from many different causes and conditions; Our environment, our state of mind, every person in our life that has shaped the ego that is reacting to the environment. A thought is just a representation of all of these and does not stand alone. A thought is not a thought, therefore it is a thought.
3) The merit is great because it does not attach to any specific form of giving, the giver, or the given to. If someone were to give say, John a smile, he would be practicing Dana. John can be influenced by that smile to give food to the homeless. Someone seeing a person give food to the homeless can reflect on their stinginess and donate 1 million dollars to the Zen Center, propagating Buddhism to 10,000 people in a few years. Is there any intrinsic value or intrinsic identity that can be identified throughout all of these?
4)In our daily lives we should put 100% effort in whatever we do, regardless if it is a smile, or a million dollar donation. In the same respects, we should put 100% effort in cultivation to change ourselves so that we will have more possibility to benefit others in every way possible.
Amituofo,
Justin