Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
The third, fourth, and fifth layers of turbidity are afflictions, sentient beings, and life, which no one can escape from. These turbidities cloud the pure and wondrous luminous true mind.
“Moreover, in your mind, memory and consciousness interconnect and form habits. From your nature arise knowing and seeing, and the six sense-objects appear. Apart from the sense-objects, there is no appearance; apart from awareness, there is no nature. Their appearances intertwine and falsely give rise to formation. This is the third layer, called the turbidity of afflictions.
“Further, from morning to night, arising and ceasing never stop. Your knowing and seeing always seek to remain in worldly existence, while karmic forces continually shift you through lands and conditions. Their appearances intertwine and falsely give rise to formation. This is the fourth layer, called the turbidity of sentient beings.
“You and others, in seeing and hearing, originally share the same nature. Yet the various sense-objects create separation, giving rise to differences without true form. In essence, there is mutual knowing; in function, there is mutual opposition. The balance between sameness and difference is lost. Their appearances intertwine and falsely give rise to formation. This is the fifth layer, called the turbidity of life/destiny.”
The third layer of turbidity is the turbidity of afflictions. Concerns about the past, present, and future give rise to this turbidity.
For example, Grandmaster has always been in good health up until the age of 79. Yet upon entering the hospital recently, afflictions began to arise. One concern leads to another—worrying about test results, and even when a tumor is benign, wondering why it formed in the first place and whether others may appear again.
There are many aftereffects of the surgeries. Knowing that this condition is tied to diet, medication, and physical constitution, his diet is restricted to mostly fish, eggs, yogurt, and small amounts of vegetables and fruits. His medication is under strict supervision by Master Lian Yi.
This unceasing chain of worry and unease is the turbidity of afflictions. It is natural to experience affliction—everyone does. Only the idiot—utterly ignorant and unaware of everything—seem free of such concerns because they simply do not care. Grandmaster remarks that there is even some merit in being like that—having no worldly concerns at all. This, too, can be seen as a kind of philosophy.
We are also troubled by mosquitoes, especially in places like Southeast Asia and India. When Grandmaster is in Taiwan, mosquitoes are particularly drawn to him, so he has to use coils, repellents, and even a mosquito net. Yet inhaling too much of these is not good for the lungs.
Most Buddhists do not dare to kill mosquitoes, as it is considered taking life. But there’s a way—recite, “May it be reborn in the pureland, transcend rebirth, and leave suffering behind.” Then chant “namo a mi tuo fo” or “om mani padme hum.”
People also worry about the future. Grandmaster will not speak about his homeland, as it is very sensitive. However, looking at the past—South Vietnam and North Vietnam, South Korea and North Korea, East Germany and West Germany—we can learn from history.
Everyone wants their country to be large and powerful. The strong bully the weak, and the weak bully each other. Why can’t people yield and communicate with one another? Instead, conflicts go on without end.
Look at the world today. Because of war, people in Iran, Lebanon, and across the Middle East are afflicted. We have disciples in those regions, and they are worried; we are also worried for them.
All sentient beings have afflictions—this is the turbidity of sentient beings. Everyone’s fundamental seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing are the same. Yet, immersed in the superficial five turbidities, we completely enshroud the wondrous luminous true mind and cannot see buddhanature.
Buddhanature is ever-present, but within turbidity, it is like dust thrown into clear water. This is the turbidity of life and destiny.
It is difficult to remain truly clear-minded. Yet Buddhists—and even ordinary people—are often more clear-minded than those in positions of power. Those in authority can become deeply entranced by power and profit, which are ultimately of little use.
Our lives seem shaped by conditions—where we are born, and the paths we encounter. For example, Master Lian Yi graduated from a university in Ukraine, yet that very university has now been completely destroyed by war.
In this world of the five turbidities, Grandmaster adds a sixth—“the turbidity of madness.” In our time, mental imbalance seems widespread. A person may cry one moment and laugh the next, unable to steady the mind or govern emotions. There are even those who, in breakdown, resort to random violence with knives or guns—acts that are truly horrifying. This, Grandmaster calls the turbidity of madness.