Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
All actions, volitions, and mental formations are empty too. In fact, everything is illusory and ever-changing, therefore it is empty.
“Ananda, it is like a raging torrent where waves follow one after another without overstepping their bounds. You should know, the skandha of mental formations is likewise.”
“Ananda, this flowing nature does not arise from empty space, nor does it come from water itself. It is not the nature of water, yet it does not exist apart from space and water. Consider, Ananda! If it arose from space, then the infinite space of the ten directions would become an endless flood, drowning all worlds without exception.
“If it sprang from water itself, then this torrent would be something distinct from water—it would have substance and appearance, as it is now. If it were the very nature of water, then when the water is calm and clear, it should no longer be considered water.
“If it were apart from both space and water, then since space has nothing outside it, and water has no flow beyond itself, there could be no flowing nature at all.
“Thus, you must realize that the skandha of mental formations or actions (samskara) is also illusory—neither dependent-arising nor self-arising.”
The skandha of mental formations (samskara)—including volition and action—is empty. The Earth is a mere grain of sand with respect to the whole universe; all happenings on Earth are as if nothing ever happened. Let alone the actions of a human being. Therefore, any action is considered empty. And so too are the rest of the five skandhas—form, sensation, thought, and consciousness.
Sakyamuni Buddha compares the skandha of mental formations to the continuous waves of the ocean. Waves rise and fall in sequence, one after another, without overlapping. They do not come from empty space nor from the water itself. The true nature of water is not waves. If waves were the true nature of water, then when there are no waves there would be no water.
By the same token, the nature of water is neither plain water, calm clear mirror-like water, waves, waterfalls, torrents, nor any form of water. Water is ever-changing, and thus its inherent nature is empty. It is neither self-arising nor dependent-arising.
Human behavior—the skandha of samskara (mental formation and action)—is the same.
Grandmaster‘s analogy: In the ancient past, people could start fire by rubbing wood together. This fire does not come from empty space, nor does it come from the wood, as there is no fire in the wood. Thus, it is neither self-arising nor dependent-arising—not causes and conditions. If one says that rubbing wood is the cause and fire the result, the fact remains that rubbing wood does not always create fire. In any case, people today rarely use this method to start a fire. Fire can be used for many things, like cooking rice or boiling water. But it can also burn down houses, forests, even the whole world. The nature of both fire and water is not fixed.
Human actions don’t necessarily come from causes and conditions. Look at all the strange things happening in the world. Much like the actions of a mad person, they don’t arise due to causes and conditions. As stated in the Surangama Sutra, they are neither dependent-arising nor self-arising. Someone told Grandmaster recently that a man claimed to be Jesus and killed a man and his granddaughter. He said he spared the man’s wife because a mother is pure. But wouldn’t the granddaughter grow up to be a mother one day? And why does he think only women can be pure, while men cannot? It does not make sense.
All five skandhas are ever-changing and they never stay the same—they are all illusory. Nevertheless, they are phenomena manifested by the wondrous luminous true mind—the only thing that is unchanging.
In the same way, no two people on earth are exactly alike, although we all have the same features: two eyes, two eyebrows, one nose, two ears, and one mouth. Even twins who look identical are not the same. Everyone’s skandhas are different, and the Buddha also says that each person’s spiritual cultivation is different.
The same applies to consciousness—the last skandha. All the six entries (sense organs), the eighteen realms, and so forth are also illusions. Though they appear real, they are illusory manifestations of the wondrous luminous true mind. This true mind is neither self-arising nor dependent-arising, nor is it born from union. This is the key point of the Surangama Sutra.