Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
Both the human body and the sense of touch do not come from themselves, nor do they arise from anything; thus they are false and illusory.
“Ananda, every morning you rub your head with your hand. What do you think? The knowing in the rubbing—who is it that feels? Is the feeler in the hand, or is it in the head?
“If it were in the hand, then the head would not be aware of it. How could that be called touching? If it were in the head, then the hand would be useless. How could that be called touching?
“If each had it, then you, Ananda, would have two bodies. If the touch arises from the contact of the head and the hand, then the hand and the head would be of one substance. If they were one substance, there would be no need for contact. If they were two separate substances, where would the touch be? If it is in one, then it would not be in the other.
“The touch does not occur between the empty space and you either. Therefore, you should know that neither the sense of touch nor the body has any bases. Touch and the body are both illusory and false. Their origin is neither dependent-arising nor self-arising.”
Through his analogy, the Buddha teaches that the sense of touch is neither in the hand, the head, nor the body. The sense of touch is ultimately non-existent and illusory; it has no self-nature. Both the body and the sense of touch are illusory, neither dependent-arising nor self-arising.
When one touches a person or a thing, a certain sensation arises; it differs from person to person, yet this feeling comes from neither the person nor the thing. It is like rubbing two sticks together to start a fire: the fire does not come from either stick or from the void. Similarly, when using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto a piece of paper, fire can arise, yet the fire does not come from the void, the magnifying glass, the paper, or the sun. If fire came from the sun, the whole world would be ablaze. Thus, fire has no self-nature.
Grandmaster mentioned that he had many girlfriends in the past, and each embrace felt different. The sense of touch did not originate from himself or the other person. When two people share mutual affection, a kind of “electricity” is felt. If the feeling is one-sided, there is no such sensation, and if forced, it feels unpleasant. Sometimes even a hug or handshake is just a formality, and it can feel sincere, warm, cold, genuine, or casual, etc.
The six roots, twelve sense bases, and eighteen realms are all illusory in nature.