On February 22 2025, after the Saturday group practice of Cundi Buddha Mother at the True Buddha School Seattle Leizang Temple, Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu, stated that he will expound on the Surangama Sutra. He introduced this important and popular sutra, explaining that it can break through delusion to reveal enlightenment.
Starting March 1, 2025, Grandmaster began his weekly teaching on the Surangama Sutra.
Translated during the Tang dynasty, the Surangama Sutra has been the subject of many controversies, including debates about its authenticity. This scripture encompasses breaking through delusion to reveal enlightenment, overcoming demonic forces to reveal the ultimate truth. It is practically an encyclopedia of Buddhism and includes elements of Yogacara, Tantrayana, Zen, Vinaya, Pureland, and many other schools, making it highly worthy of expounding.
Buddhism teaches that the Surangama Sutra can lead you from delusion to enlightenment, while the Lotus Sutra can lead you from enlightenment to buddhahood. Therefore, these two sutras are very important.
Mahayana Buddhism consists of the doctrine of emptiness and doctrine of existence.
The scriptures of the doctrine of emptiness include: The Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra, Vajra Sutra, Heart Sutra, Vimalakirti Sutra, and others.
“Emptiness” doesn’t mean that everything is void but emphasizes “start of affinity”—before “causes and conditions” arise there is emptiness; after “causes and conditions” cease everything returns to emptiness. “Existence” is in between.
All things arise from causes and conditions, and all things cease due to causes and conditions.
The scriptures of the doctrine of existence include: The Samdhinirmocana Sutra, Lankavatara Sutra, and others such as Yogacara treatises. They primarily teach that everything is created by the mind and all phenomena are due to consciousness (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). Everything is a manifestation of the alaya consciousness.
Maitreya Bodhisattva, followed by Asanga and Vasubandhu, taught Yogacara (Consciousness-Only), while Nagarjuna Bodhisattva and Aryadeva taught Madyamaka (the Middle Way). The Middle Way belongs to Emptiness School, while Consciousness-Only belongs to the Existence School. Tantrayana belongs to the Middle Way, and Grandmaster himself advocates the Middle Way.
Grandmaster chose the Surangama Sutra because it is a well known sutra and it encompasses most essential Buddhist teachings, including the ten stages of bodhisattvahood, the fifty states of the Mara of Aggregates—what is considered Mara (demon), what is right, what is delusion, and what is enlightenment. Once you comprehend the Sutra and then study the Lotus Sutra, you can attain buddhahood!