Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
When the Buddha asked the bodhisattvas and arhats in the assembly by which method they entered samadhi and reached attainment, Ajnata spoke first, saying that he believed sound was supreme.
Then the five bhiksus, including Ajnata Kaundinya, rose from their seats, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha:
“When I was at the Deer Park and the Rooster Garden, I witnessed the Tathagata’s initial attainment of the Way. Upon hearing the Buddha’s voice, I awakened to and understood the Four Noble Truths.
“When the Buddha questioned the bhiksus, I was the first to declare that I understood. The Tathagata then confirmed me and gave me the name Ajnata.
“The wondrous sound was subtle and perfectly penetrating. Through sound, I attained arhatship. The Buddha now asks about perfect penetration. According to my realization, sound is supreme.”
Yesterday, Grandmaster reiterated that the six rebirth realms are governed by cause and effect. The Surangama Sutra teaches that transcendental fruition requires transcendental causes. Whether good deeds lead to transcendental fruition depends on the mind: when we do good unconditionally, without holding it in mind, the result is transcendental.
Spiritual cultivators should have compassion, equanimity, tolerance and forgiveness, and purity of body, speech, and mind—referred to in the Surangama Sutra as the purity of the six roots. When the six roots are empty, one is a bodhisattva and can enter the buddhaverses.
In Tantric Buddhism, we cultivate purity of body, speech, and mind through mudra, mantra chanting, and visualization, respectively.
Inequanimity arises because our six senses perceive and distinguish things differently. We also tend to help those close to us or those we like more than strangers or those we dislike. Thus, a discriminating mind arises.
We must practice until we can embrace all beings equally. By relying on wisdom, we can cultivate a heart-mind of equanimity.
After Sakyamuni Buddha finished speaking, he asked the bodhisattvas and arhats present when they had first brought forth the resolve to renounce the eighteen sense fields, and which methods they had used to enter samadhi.
The five bhiksus, led by Ajnata Kaundinya, spoke first. They had originally been sent by King Suddhodana to accompany and protect Prince Siddhartha Gautama. They later renounced household life and practiced asceticism together with him. However, when Siddhartha, already extremely thin and weak, abandoned severe asceticism and accepted goat milk, they left him and continued practicing on their own.
After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha traveled from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath to teach these five bhiksus. There, he taught the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Through these teachings, they attained realization.
Similarly, some people may become enlightened through sound. Sometimes, when we hear, say, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s mantra, tears arise because our hearts are deeply moved.
There are many melodies for chanting mantras and sutras, and many ways to recite them. A pleasing sound can easily enter the heart-mind, become deeply imprinted within it, and lead to attainment. When sound arises from the heart, it can likewise inspire realization.
Similarly, Ajnata Kaundinya and the other bhiksus were deeply moved by the Buddha’s penetrating and perfect voice. They believed that Sakyamuni Buddha’s voice could move them to bring forth the resolve to practice and cultivate the path. Ultimately, they eradicated all karmic obscurations and attained the sagely fruition of the buddhas—arhatship.