Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
So why does the Buddha negate everything, only to later affirm everything? It is because through nullification, one ultimately attains realization—realizing one’s true nature.
“It is neither mind nor emptiness; neither earth nor water; neither wind nor fire. Neither eye nor ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind. Neither form, sound, smell, taste, touch, nor mental objects. Neither the realm of eye-consciousness, and so on, up to neither the realm of mind-consciousness. Neither luminosity nor ignorance, nor the ending of luminosity and ignorance.
“Accordingly, all the way to neither aging nor death, nor the ending of aging and death. Neither suffering, accumulation, cessation, nor the path. Neither wisdom nor attainment. Neither dana, sila, virya, ksanti, dhyana, prajna, nor paramita.
“Thus, all the way to neither tathagata, nor arhat, nor samyaksambodhi. Neither great nirvana. Neither permanence, bliss, self, nor purity. Because all of these are neither worldly nor transcendent.
Sakyamuni Buddha teaches a very profound philosophy where at first, he nullifies everything—including the six roots, six dusts, six consciousnesses, as well as self, others, sentient beings, lifespan, and all phenomena. Later, he affirms all of them.
So, does the world and everything in it exist, or not? The answer is both “yes” and “no.” Yes, they exist as temporary phenomena arising from deluded thoughts. No, because these phenomena all came from the tathagata-garbha—the wondrous, perfect, and luminous mind.
This passage teaches “non-arising,” in which the Buddha negates everything.
The Heart Sutra teaches:
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when penetrating prajna paramita in deep meditation,
lucidly realized that the five aggregates are empty, and thus he transcended all suffering.
“Sariputra, form is no other than emptiness, and emptiness is no other than form;
form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.
The same is true of sensations, thoughts, actions, and consciousness.
“Sariputra,
all things are empty in nature.
They neither arise nor cease,
are neither impure nor pure,
and neither increase nor decrease.
Thus, in emptiness, there is no form, sensation, thought, action, or consciousness;
no sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything;
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;
no realm of sight… and not even the realm of consciousness.
There is neither ignorance nor the ending of ignorance; neither aging nor dying, nor the ending of aging and dying;
no suffering, cause of suffering, end of suffering, and path to end suffering;
no wisdom and no gain.
…
Here, the Buddha negates the Four Noble Truths, the Six Paramitas, and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.
The Six Paramitas—dana (giving), sila (precepts), virya (endurance), ksanti (diligence), dhyana (meditation), and prajna (wisdom)—exist only in relation to human beings. They do not exist when humans beings do not exist.
The Buddha further nullifies tathagatas, arhats, anuttara samyaksambodhi, and even nirvana itself, including its four virtues of permanence, bliss, true self, and purity. All of this is like a dream!
This complete negation shows that the tathagata-garbha—the wondrous luminous true mind—is none of these. Because all phenomena arise from illusion, they are fundamentally unborn.
After negation comes affirmation. Later passages will teach that all phenomena do indeed exist as manifestations of the tathagata-garbha, yet they are momentary and ever-changing, without true self-nature.
Whether one is rich or poor, everyone ultimately meets the same end—buried in the ground or an urn in a columbarium. Whether one is a president, a scientist, an astronaut, a gorgeous lady, a great author, the final destination is the same.
Grandmaster has written over 300 books. They may circulate for a time, but eventually they too will disappear, washed away by time. After decades or centuries, one is forgotten, and all signs of one’s existence fade like a dream. In the ultimate truth, suffering and joy are equal, because nothing truly exists.
Thus, the Buddha nullifies everything—including dharmas, buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats, and anuttara samyaksambodhi—because all of these exist only in relation to sentient beings. Without sentient beings, these teachings would not arise.
Yet even when the Buddha later affirms everything, one can have attainment through applying this nullification.
In sum:
“form is emptiness, and emptiness is form; form is no other than emptiness and emptiness is no other than form.”