Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
In this chapter of the Surangama Sutra, the Buddha attempted to bring Ananda to an understanding of the mind—where the mind really is. It is not easy to determine where the mind is located whereas it is easier to say that eyes are on the body.
Ananda first indicated that the mind must be inside the body, but it was rejected by the Buddha. In this excerpt, Ananda said that the mind is outside the body, and that was rejected by the Buddha, too.
The Buddha said to Ananda, “These bhiksus have just returned from begging alms in the city of Sravasti and are now back in the Jeta Grove. I have already finished my meal. Tell me—when one of the bhiksus eats, do the others become full?”
In ancient India, it was customary to eat with one’s hands instead of using chopsticks or cutlery. Grandmaster recalled his time staying with the Tibetans, who also use their fingers to knead tsampa and eat with bare hands.
Tibet adopted some customs from India, including its scripts. Back then, a minister of King Songtsen Gampo [Thonmi Sambhota], being fond of languages, was sent to India to study Sanskrit. He invented the Tibetan script.
Ananda replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why not? Although these bhiksus are arhats, their bodies and souls differ from each other. How could one person eating cause the others to be full?”
The Buddha said to Ananda, “If you perceive the mind to be truly outside the body, then your body and mind would be separate and unrelated. In that case, what the mind knows, the body would not be able to feel. And what is sensed at the body’s surface, the mind would not be able to know.
This sutra text is easy to understand.
Now, I show you my soft cotton-like hands.
Does your mind discern what your eyes see?”
In India, there is a type of cotton cloth that is very soft called Tula cotton. This means the Buddha’s hands are very soft.
Ananda replied, “Yes, World-Honored One!”
The Buddha said to Ananda, “If they are mutually aware, how could the mind be outside the body? Therefore, you should know that your claim that ‘the aware and knowing mind abides outside the body’ cannot be true.”
If the eyes are part of the body, and the mind is supposedly outside the body, then the body and mind are separate. In this case, when the body is hungry, the mind is not aware of the hunger. There is no such thing as having the mind outside the body, otherwise, it will not know what is happening with the body.
From previous discussions, the Buddha also indicated that the mind is not inside the body, since it does not know what is happening inside the body.
So, if the mind is neither inside nor outside the body, where is it? The dialogue will continue…
In sum, the Buddha patiently let Ananda go through his train of thought to eventually arrive at the ultimate truth that the Buddha was trying to expound. Ananda presumed the following, all of which were rejected by the Buddha as incorrect. While it is obvious that the eyes are on the body, it is not as clear where the mind is. In this chapter of the sutra, Ananda had said:
- The mind is inside the body
- The mind is outside the body
- The mind is united with the eyes
- The mind is half inside and half outside the body
- The mind arises as a response
- The mind is in the middle
- The mind is nowhere specific
Grandmaster Lu said that Bodhidharma had a much better insight. His dialogue with Shen Guang was much clearer and to the point. Since Shen Guang could not find his mind, he had peace. One can only have peace of mind when he is unfettered by the mind. In other words, when there is “no mind,” one is liberated.
Chinese YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yxufS7xt58