Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
It is precisely because of the eyes that see, ears that hear, tongue that tastes, body that touches and feels, and the mind that perceives, that we are unable to awaken to the Path.
“Ananda! Observe the things in the world that can be created—what among them does not deteriorate?
“Yet you have never heard of empty space rotting or perishing. Why is this? Because space does not do anything; it is not something that is created; therefore from beginning to end it has no destruction or extinction.
“Within your own body, the solid is earth, moisture is water, warmth is fire, and movement is wind. Because of the entanglement of these four elements, your clear, perfect, and wondrous enlightened mind is divided into seeing, hearing, feeling, and discerning. From beginning to end, there arise the five layers of turbidity.
Apart from the wondrous luminous true mind, nothing lasts forever. All things are subject to creation and extinction—our bodies, cars and houses will all perish. Even mountains crumble and rivers change course. Everything deteriorates except the cosmic space, because space is non-doing and unconditioned. It allows clouds to drift, rain to fall, lightning to flash, the sun to rise, and the moon and stars to appear. It allows all things to come and go. What is conditioned will perish; what is unconditioned does not.
Within the human body, the solid (flesh and bones) is earth, moisture (blood) is water, warmth is fire, and movement (breath or qi) is wind. In addition, there is also the wondrous luminous true mind. However, because we rely on the six sense faculties (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) to perceive and discern external objects, we are deceived by them. The five turbidities then obscure and contaminate our originally clear and pure true mind. In this way, we are unable to realize this true mind.
The Amitabha Sutra teaches that the saha world is a world of Five Turbidities or Five Contaminants. Human senses, perceptions, and awareness enshroud them from enlightenment.
Grandmaster recently reflected in his latest book: first, your body does not belong to you. Second, life is about gathering and parting; while together, we should cherish our affinity, as it can disappear in an instant. Third, all beings undergo arising and ceasing, but the wondrous luminous true mind is non-arising and non-ceasing. Only by awakening can one transcend birth and death.
Grandmaster strongly opposes war, as it only creates more birth and death. Even without war, birth and death already persist—so why add to it? Moreover, war involves killing and horrific tragedies: families are torn apart, chaos arises, separations occur, and everything—wealth, property, loved ones, and happiness—can be lost in an instant. Suddenly, one may be left with nothing but suffering. We could choose to live a happy life with kindness and harmony, loving family and friends, and enjoying the affinity of being together without unnecessary separation. At the very least, we can have some measure of happiness in this human world. Why then do we choose to worsen samsaric suffering and bring about tragic destinies? This is a problem that humans inflict upon themselves.
Grandmaster believes that war is created by human ignorance. Ideally, there would be no bombs, missiles, or weapons, no defense departments, and only a police force sufficient to maintain public order—so that everyone could live happy and fulfilling lives, interacting harmoniously and experiencing a sense of joy. To engage in war is truly akin to rubbing salt into an open wound.
It is important to apply the Four Boundless Minds (Four Immeasurables):
Loving-kindness—to give other happiness
Compassion—to alleviate the sufferings of others
Joy—to do good deeds with diligence and joy
Equanimity—to treat everyone equally, whether they are friends or foes.
Only by treating everyone equally, does one truly practice the Four Immeasurables. Without an equanimous mind, one cannot truly be considered a Buddhist. This is the Buddha’s teaching.