Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
The wondrous luminous true mind is radiant and ever-present; it can manifest when obscurations are removed. It is the only mind that can transform and manifest unimaginable phenomena that an ordinary mind cannot.
“If visual perception were an object, then you ought to perceive my visual perception. If our visual perceptions were identical, why do you not see when I do not see?
“Say you can see ‘not seeing’—that cannot be the same ‘not seeing’ experienced by others. But if you cannot see the place where I do not see, then that ‘not seeing’ is clearly not an object—so how could it not be you?
“Furthermore, when you now see external things—since you see them, do those things also see you? If the nature of perception were mixed and confused like this, then you, I, and all beings in the world would have no stable ground to stand on.
“Ananda! If, when you see, it is you who sees and not I—and this seeing-nature pervades everywhere—then if it is not you, who is it? Why do you doubt your own true nature? If your nature were not true, why would you look to me to find what is real?”
“World-Honored One, if this seeing-nature [wondrous luminous true mind] truly belongs to me and not to anyone else, then when I, together with the Tathagata, observe the jeweled palace of the Four Heavenly Kings and the sun and moon palaces, this seeing is all-encompassing and extends throughout the saha world. But when I return to the monastery, I see only the temple grounds; when I sit quietly in the hall, I see nothing beyond the eaves and rafters.
“World-Honored One, earlier this perception was all-pervading throughout the world, yet now it seems confined to just this room. Has this seeing shrunk from large to small? Or is it being cut off and obstructed by the walls and structures? I do not understand the meaning behind this. I sincerely ask that you, out of your great compassion, kindly explain it to me.”
The wondrous luminous true mind is not an object; it is existent within non-existence, and non-existent within existence. It is the absolute—not large or small. The essence of buddhadharma lies in this wondrous luminous true mind—it can transform and manifest unimaginable phenomena that an ordinary mind cannot.
Here are a few examples:
Once Elder Xu Yun was meditating alone in his room, unable to see anything beyond the walls. It was dark outside, yet in meditation, he could see a monk leave his room, glance around, and—thinking no one was watching—urinate in the garden. Neither the elder nor the monk saw each other with their physical eyes. But the elder knew. This seeing is the function of the wondrous luminous true mind.
Vimalakirti could hold Abhirati, Omni Fragrance Pureland, and the three-thousand-great-thousand world in his palm; he could fit countless beings, huge dharma seats, and purelands in his small bedroom. This is due to the wondrous luminous true mind. With attainment, each pore on your body is a pureland.
While Shimu was under anesthesia during surgery, she vividly saw Grandmaster giving her medicine.
The wondrous luminous true mind can also manifest during urgent times such as near-death moments. The spirit of a bedridden woman appeared to her neighbor to ask the abbot at a nearby temple to chant for her good rebirth when she died, and sure enough she died three days later.
The wondrous luminous true mind can also manifest as a spontaneous revelation of the light of the heart [when all delusions and obscurations cease, or in the state of no-thought]. The True Buddha Sutra unfolded through the revelation of the wondrous luminous true mind. The High King Sutra came to a death-row convict to recite 1000 times, in order to be freed from execution.
The Buddha teaches that everyone has the wondrous luminous true mind (buddhanature), but it is obscured due to delusions. The key of spiritual cultivation is to reveal this mind/nature; everything else is unimportant.
Master Lian Xiong from Toronto told how his sister-in-law, during a treatment after a stroke, saw Grandmaster transform into blue light, then into Yamantaka entering her blood vessels. She miraculously recovered and is doing fine now.
To manifest the wondrous luminous true mind, you must first be in union with your yidam. You will gain their power and can manifest numerous emanations. Grandmaster still has a physical body and his dharma bodies already manifest—and will appear to you upon prayer. Even without a physical body, one can still deliver sentient beings. All buddhas and bodhisattvas are the same—omnipresent in their dharma work. However, one is not necessarily aware of the work done by their dharma bodies.