Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
King Prasenajit of Sravasti asked the Buddha how to recognize the wondrous luminous true mind. The Buddha told him that although the physical body constantly changes, there is something that is unchanging, permanent, and eternal—that is the wondrous luminous true mind.
King Prasenajit rose and said to the Buddha, “In the past, before I received the teachings and instructions of the Buddha, I heard from the heretics Katyayana and Belatthaputra who both said, ‘This body, after death, is cut off and annihilated—this is called nirvana.’
“Though I now encounter the Buddha, doubts still linger within me. How can I recognize and realize this mind that dwells in the non-arising and non-ceasing state? All of us in this assembly who still have leakages [remain bound by afflictions] earnestly wish to understand.”
The Buddha said to the king, “Your body exists now—let me ask you: Is this physical body of yours like an indestructible vajra, eternal and imperishable? Or is it subject to change and decay?”
The king replied, “World-Honored One! This body of mine will ultimately perish.”
The Buddha said, “Great King! You have not yet perished—how do you know you will perish?”
The king answered, “World-Honored One! Although this changing and decaying body of mine has not yet perished, I observe that each present thought fades away, moment by moment, ever shifting and never abiding. Just like fire turning into ash, it gradually burns out and perishes without pause. I am certain that this body will ultimately come to complete extinction.”
The Buddha said, “It is so, Great King! Your present age has already entered old age—how does your appearance compare to when you were a child?”
The king replied, “World-Honored One! When I was a child, my skin was smooth lustrous and supple. In prime adulthood, my vitality brimmed full. But now, in the decline of age, decay presses upon me—my form withered, complexion sallow, spirit dulled, hair white and face wrinkled. Death draws near. How could I possibly compare to the vigor I once had?”
The Buddha said, “Great King! Your physical decay did not come suddenly, did it?”
The king said, “World-Honored One, these transformations occur so subtly and imperceptibly that I truly do not notice them. With the passing of the seasons, I have come to this state. Why is that? When I was twenty—though still called young—my appearance had already aged from when I was ten. By thirty, I had declined from how I was at twenty. Now at sixty-two, when I look back at fifty, I seemed strong and vigorous then.
“World-Honored One, I see that these subtle changes, though they mark decline, occur within spans of ten years. But if I reflect more carefully, I realize: is it only every decade or two that these changes occur? In truth, they shift year by year. Not only year by year—but month by month. And not merely month by month—but even day by day.
“Upon deep contemplation and careful observation, I see that in every instant, every thought, there is no pause. Therefore, I know this body of mine must ultimately perish through constant change.”
Katyayana, heretics that shave their head, believe that everything is created by Lord Shiva. Belatthaputra keep their hair long and cover the whole body with ash; they believe that upon death there is nothing and there is no cause and effect. Grandmaster saw the Belatthaputras when he visited India.
The body degenerates and it’s impossible to regain youth, even though each cell is born, dies, and regenerating every instant. Thoughts arise and cease endlessly. Grandmaster, too, can relate to King Prasenajit. His physical exercises have decreased because of his ailments; he must spend two hours every day taking care of his skin, and thus lacks even more time; due to eczema he lacked sleep, making it difficult to write as he has done for over fifty years. His stamina has decreased. When suggested to stop giving teachings, blessings, or consultations, he declined and said, “Doing nothing—just eating and sleeping—would make life truly meaningless!
The physical body is ever-changing and brings suffering. It undergoes birth and death, since when there is birth, there must be death; when there is arising, there would be ceasing.
However, the dharma body (the body of dharma nature) is without illness and pain, omnipresent, and eternal. If we cultivate and manifest our wondrous luminous true mind and become dharma bodies, then we will eternally exist—non-arising and non-ceasing.
Everything is impermanent, everything has no self, and nirvana is extinction—these are the Three Dharma Seals that Grandmaster is experiencing right now. Be diligent in our spiritual cultivation, gain spiritual union with the yidam, and ascend to the buddhaverse. Only that is eternal.