the sixth patriarch's sutra february 3, 2012 lecture

8/3/2019 The Sixth Patriarch's Sutra February 3, 2012 Lecture

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The Sixth Patriarchs SutraFebruary 3, 2012 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monk

at 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, California 94010, open to public(phone 650-6925912)

(Listen live or recorded audio explanations at

www.wondrousdharma.org)

Q&A Applying Mind is the myriad phenomena;myriad phenomena are the mind

Chapter 2 Prajna the greatness of

Mahaprajnaparamita

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Verse for opening a sutra

Na Mwo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha (3x)

Homage to the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (3x)

The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderfulDharma,

In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to

encounter, Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my sight

and hearing,

I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true and actual

meaning.Exhortation to uphold the Buddhadharma:

The Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, appear in the world because theywish to lead living beings to open to the knowledge and vision of the

Buddhas.to demonstrate to lead living beings to awakento lead livingbeings to enter into the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas. (the Wonderful


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Q&A

Question: What is the implication or how do we apply mind ismyriad phenomena; myriad phenomena are the mind. in our

daily life?

Answer:

Knowing Mind is myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena are

the mind, we should not be attached to the myriad phenomena

because the myriad phenomena are empty and impermanent in

nature

the entire world does not have a nature of its own since it

originates from and it is our mind.

The verse offers two compelling reasons to put down our

attachments; the universe is empty in character and the

universe is just our own mind!3


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Q&A

The fallacy that our conscious mind and the world of

phenomena are separate is now overturned; both are one and

the same.

The universe is seen as empty just like the unconditioned world

of Sages; the secret lies in the understanding the reality of theuniverse is fundamentally empty being a product of a confused

mind.

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Q&A

When the mind is no longer confused, there is no difference

between the conditioned and unconditioned world.

We do not experience the Sages world of unconditioned

because our minds are confused; the confusion in our minds orour lack of understanding creates the karma or actions that lead

to and binds us in the conditioned existence.

The reason why we create karma is because we mistaken theself and the myriad phenomena to be separate.

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Q&A

The verse mind is myriad phenomena points to the mind as

the source and reason for seeing this universe in its truecharacter in that the universe is empty.

Myriad phenomena are the mind reminds us that our mind and

phenomena are one and the same.

Recognizing such, is there a self, others, living beings and a

life? No because

our true self is just this original mind, our self nature!

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Q&A

Recognizing the universe is our mind, would there be suffering,

distress and affliction? No because

everything (the mountains, rivers, seas, disasters, bumper crop

harvest, births, deaths, glory, defeat, good, evil etc) are just

appearances in our minds and therefore there is no cause for

suffering, happiness, distress, afflictions and so on!

The experience is ultimate peace and happiness within thisworld.

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Q&A

The provisional teaching teaches that the world is impermanent

because it is a conditioned world built upon causes and

conditions.

The provisional teaching is about getting out of conditioned

totally and to dwell in the unconditioned.

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Q&A

The final teaching of the Mahayana Vehicle is

the world is empty without a nature of its own because it

came from an empty original mind; being produced from aconfused mind and

when the mind is no longer confused, no karma is created to

generate a cause because we realize that the myriad

phenomena are just our mind and the myriad phenomena are

empty in nature.

Confusion or awakening of the mind holds the key; there is no

distinction between the conditioned and the unconditioned as

both are fundamentally one and the same, not two entities.9


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Q&A

The initial teaching is: we put down attachments because thisworld is impermanent and we dont want to create a cause for

the continual existence in this conditioned world.

The final teaching is:

1. we put down attachments because everything in this world is

empty in nature. Seeing everything as appearances in the

mind, we dont create the karma activity that creates the causethat binds us to this conditioned world.

2. Yet we dont abandon the conditioned world because it is justour own mind being temporarily confused until we awaken to

the fact that this world in nature is empty and everything in this

world are just appearances in our confused mind similar to a

dream. 10


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Q&A

Mind is myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena is the mind therefore helpsus to understand why Venerable Kumarajiva said,

The Great Vehicle propounds the doctrine that dharmas are

empty. The Two Vehicles relies upon names and

appearances.

Venarable Bandhutta of the Two Vehicles retorted:

The Great Vehicle talks about emptiness, but emptiness is justemptiness nothing at all. Whats the use of studying it?. If

everything is empty, why study it?

Venerable Kumarajiva said, In emptiness, there is existence. In

True Emptiness there is Wonderful Existence. This is ultimate

Reality. The Two Vehicle restricts itself with names and terms

and does not teach genuine liberation. 11


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Q&A

Knowing Mind is myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena arethe mind, we should not be attached to the myriad phenomena

because the myriad phenomena are just our conscious mind

and myriad phenomena are not a separate entity.

Grasping at our own conscious mind, what is not illusion turns

illusory, that is, we create another mind whilst in the midst of

our mind when we attach to the myriad phenomena notknowing they are just our mind, not knowing mind is myriad

phenomena, myriad phenomena are the mind.

Not grasping at our own mind, we abide in ultimate Reality, the

false illusory world no longer register in our mind.

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Q&A

Ignorance is not understanding that mind is myriad

phenomena; myriad phenomena are the mind and so we go

chasing and grasping at phenomena thinking the mind and

phenomena are two.

Awakening is understanding that mind and myriad phenomena

are in substance one and the same and myriad phenomena areempty in nature, we dont go grasping at phenomena and

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Q&A

turning our sense organs inward; having no mind for the

myriad phenomena because we dont want to create anotherfalse mind whilst we are presently in the midst of the mind.

Walking, standing, sitting and reclining be always mindful that

all phenomena are empty of characteristics because mind is

myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena are the mind.

Contemplate thus!

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Q&A

Not wanting to create another mind for the myriad phenomena

which we already understood to be our mind, we have to

release the sense organs from the myriad phenomena to enterinto the realm of the unconditioned.

For example, have no mind for the sounds, and the ear organ

will be released from the sound.

When one of the six sense organs is released, all the six sense

organs will be released from the sense objects.

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Q&A

The stillness of releasing the sense organs from the myriadphenomena together with the contemplation of ultimate Reality

from the foregoing will be the cause of our returning to our

original mind.

In the Shurangama assembly the Buddha said to Ananda,

The faculties and their objects come from the same

source. What binds and what unbinds areone and thesame. The consciousnesses are by nature illusory.

.When objects are not perceived as separate fromawareness that itself is nirvana, which is true purity, free of

outflows; why would you allow anything to be added to it?

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Q&A

In our true nature, all conditioned things are seen as

empty;

That which arises from conditions are illusory. That which is unconditioned is not born, nor does it perish;

It too has no reality, like flowers in the sky.

But when you grasp hold of your own mind, whats not

illusion

Then becomes illusory. And If you dont grasp hold,

Then what is called illusion and whats not illusion too

Will not arise. How could what is illusion be established?

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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the emptiness of theuniverse is able to contain the forms and shapes of the ten

thousand things: the sun, moon, and stars; the mountains,

rivers, and the great earth; the fountains, springs, streams,

torrents, grasses, trees, thickets, and forests; good and

bad people, good and bad dharmas, the heavens and the

hells, all the great seas, Sumeru and all mountainsall are

contained within emptiness. The emptiness of the nature ofworldly men is also like this.

Comments:

The emptiness of the nature is our inherent self nature or

Buddhanature.

Those who have resolved their minds on

anuttarasamyaksambodhi do not affirm the destruction of the

appearances of all dharmas. (Vajra Sutra) 18


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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the ability of ones ownnature to contain the ten thousand dharmas is what is

meant by great. The myriad dharmas are within the nature

of all people.

Comments:

The greatness of Maha is that everything is included inside and

nothing is excluded.

Because nothing is excluded, the false world of existence

should not be excluded; myriad dharmas are the self nature

(mind)

Myriad dharmas and the self nature is one, not two separate

entity as they dont obstruct each other.19


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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the ability of ones ownnature to contain the ten thousand dharmas is what is

meant by great. The myriad dharmas are within the nature

of all people.

Comments:

Excluding the world of existence is to discriminate the false yet

the false came from the true and it will return back to the trueeventually.

How unexpected! The self nature produces the myriaddharmas.

The dharma of anuttarasamyaksambodhi is the awakening to

the teaching of being level and equal, without high or low.20


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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: If you regard all people, the bad as well as thegood, without grasping or rejecting, without producing a

defiling attachment, your mind will be like empty space.

Therefore it is said to be great, Maha.

Comments:

Dont discriminate the false and the true because both false and

true are false appearances.

The original self nature is non dual because everything comes

from the self nature.

The dharma of anuttarasamyaksambodhi is the awakening to

the teaching of being level and equal, without high or low.21


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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the mouth of theconfused person speaks, but the mind of the wise person

practices. There are deluded men who sit still with empty

minds, vainly thinking of nothing and declaring that to be

something great. One should not speak with these people

because of their deviant views.

Comments:

Being delusional about what ultimately is the objective of

practicing sitting meditation.

The Great Master is breaking the attachment to sitting still with

an empty mind and remind that the objective of sitting

meditation is ultimately to activate the inherent prajna wisdom.

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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the capacity of the mind

is vast and great, encompassing the Dharma realm.

Comments:

Buddhadharma is about opening up our minds that the entire

dharma realm to the ends of empty space is just our minds.

For example, when we do transference of merit and virtue, we

transfer it to the entire dharma realm to the ends of empty

space and not merely planet earth.

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Chapter 2 Prajna


is vast and great, encompassing the Dharma realm. Its

function is to understand clearly and distinctly. Its correct

function is to know all. All is one; one is all.

Coming and going freely, the minds substance is

unobstructed. That is Prajna.

Comments:

When we get involved in trivialities, we fail to comprehend the

big matter of ultimate Reality which the mind is capable of

comprehending clearly and distinctly everything.

The ultimate Reality is

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Chapter 2 Prajna

All is one, one is all everything is one, one is everything

because

Mind is myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena are the mind.

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Chapter 2 Prajna


is vast and great, encompassing the Dharma realm. Its

function is to understand clearly and distinctly. Its correct

function is to know all. All is one; one is all. Coming and going freely, the minds substance is

unobstructed. That is Prajna.

Comments:

When we understand that all is one; one is all the mind will no

longer be deceived by the myriad phenomena. Why is this so?

It is because myriad phenomena is the mind and being turnedby the myriad phenomena and grasping them is just grasping

our own mind a case of

creating a mind within a mind or putting a head on top of an

existing head.26


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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, all Prajna wisdom is

produced from ones own nature; it does not enter from the

outside.

Comments:

The understanding that all is one, one is all comes from the

wisdom of understanding that this mind is within our self nature.

There is no need to seek this mind from outside; the original

mind is just our inherent self nature.

Therefore our self nature contains inherent prajna wisdom.

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Chapter 2 Prajna

Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, all Prajna wisdom is

produced from ones own nature; it does not enter from the

outside. Using the intellect correctly is called the natural

function of ones true nature. One truth is all truth.Comments:

Using the intellect correctly is to turn the confused intellectual

conscious mind into an understanding mind through

understanding ultimate Reality.

In one penetration, suddenly everything is understood. What is

being penetrated in one truth is all truth?

The ultimate Reality that all dharmas are empty of

characteristics because mind is myriad phenomena; myriad

phenomena are the mind.28


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Dedication of merit

May every living beings,

Our minds as one and radiant with light

Share the fruits of peace, with hearts of goodness

luminous and bright. If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in

giving unity

May their minds awake, to great compassion, wisdom

and to joy. May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their

grief and pain;

May this boundless light break the darkness of theirendless night.

Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns intoparadise;

May all become compassionate and wise (2x)


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Dedication of merit

I vow that merit made from this deed will become,

Adornments for the Pure Land of Bu-ddhas. Repaying the four kinds of kindness above,

And aiding those in three paths below.

May all who see and hear of this deed Bring forth the resolve to reborn

In the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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the sixth patriarch's sutra february 3, 2012 lecture

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