Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
Your nose and sense of smell can change, but buddhanature—the wondrous luminous true mind—always remains the same. It is unchanging, neither born nor destroyed, and cannot be blocked or congested. Sakyamuni Buddha uses buddhanature as an example, contrasting it with the five senses to show that they are all deluded views.
“Ananda, suppose someone pinches their nose tightly. After holding it for a while, strain develops, and within the nose there arises a sensation of coldness. From this sensation, one distinguishes between free flow and blockage, emptiness and solidity, and even perceives fragrances or foul odors. Both the nose and the strain are manifestations of bodhi appearing as the state of strain.
Because of the false sensory experiences of free flow and blockage, the faculty of smelling arises in between them. It absorbs these dust-like appearances, and this is called the faculty of smelling.
Yet apart from free flow and blockage, this smelling has no real substance of its own. You should know that this smelling does not come from free flow or blockage, nor does it arise from the faculty of the nose, nor is it born from emptiness.
Why is this so? If it came from free flow, then blockage would disappear—how then could one recognize blockage? If it depended on blockage, then free flow would vanish—how then could fragrances and odors be discerned? If it arose from the nose faculty, then there should be no experience of either free flow or blockage, meaning that the faculty of smelling has no inherent nature of its own. If it came from emptiness, then this smelling should turn around and smell your nose; and if emptiness itself could smell, what connection would that have with your sense faculty?
Therefore, you should understand that the entrance of the nose is ultimately false. It is neither produced by dependent-arising nor self-arising.”
Grandmaster Lu gave different examples from the time of Sakyamuni Buddha. For instance, when someone catches a cold and their nose is congested, they cannot smell foul odors in the bathroom. Does the odor still exist then? Similarly, someone with COVID may lose their sense of smell. A fish in the market may smell fishy, but once it’s cooked it smells delicious. Shrimps are delicious, but their shells became stinky in the garbage. What we eat smells fragrant, but what we excrete smells foul. Stinky tofu has an appalling odor, but it tastes delicious.
Therefore, the sense of smell is illusory, just like the sense of hearing. Likewise the sense of taste, which will be covered in the next excerpt.
Fragrance and stench are interchangeable; fragrance quickly turns to stench, and vice versa. They are impermanent, arising neither from empty space nor from causes and conditions.
Grandmaster wrote in his book that the feces of a healthy person can be stripped of its foul odor, wrapped in dough, deep fried and consumed. Not only is it delicious, it is also nutritious and can heal digestive problems. Urine too is prized as a remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine; certain urine is called Returning Dragon Water, “Hui Long Shui.” With advanced technology, urine can even be gathered and distilled to become “urine soda”.
Our nose and sense of smell is everchanging—sometimes obstructed, sometimes not. But the wondrous luminous true mind, or buddhanature, is never obstructed, never changes, and is non-arising and non-ceasing. Still, sensory experiences themselves are also manifestations of the wondrous luminous true mind—but due to a single deluded thought. All phenomena are illusory and unreliable. Just like AI, which is also illusory—sometimes it makes mistakes. Once, when asked who Sheng-Yen Lu is, AI answered that “she” is the mayor of Taichung City!
Sakyamuni Buddha uses buddhanature as an analogy, explaining that the five senses are all illusory. Everything, including our life and emotions, is illusory and unreal. Thus, as Zen teaches, we should live in the present moment. Whatever sweetness you experience will pass too. Don’t cling and don’t worry!
Grandmaster himself lets his cough take its natural course. Let it be! Coughing too is illusory. Looking at it positively, it allows him to rest, and avoid a lot of trouble. Even having a blocked nose has its benefit, since you no longer smell foul odors—fragrant or stench are the same. When one reaches a high spiritual realm, one realizes that fragrance and stench are the same—all illusory.
When you attain buddhanature, you will never lose it.