Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
The wondrous luminous true mind is non-arising and non-ceasing, while all worldly phenomena arise and cease—including seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing. Therefore, buddhanature cannot be realized through worldly dharma. One must instead take the non-arising and non-ceasing mind as the causal ground in order to reach the fruition ground of buddhahood.
“Ananda, if you now wish your seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing to accord with the Tathagata’s permanence, bliss, true self, and purity, you should first discern the root of birth and death and rely upon the perfectly clear nature that neither arises nor ceases. Use this clarity to turn back the false and illusory arising and ceasing, subdue them, and return to the original awareness.
“Take this original, luminous awareness—whose nature is beyond arising and ceasing—as the causal ground mind, and only then can you perfect the fruition of realization.
If one wishes to realize the buddhanature of the tathagata—the wondrous luminous true mind—one cannot cultivate with an arising and ceasing mind.
The wondrous luminous true mind is non-arising and non-ceasing, while all worldly phenomena arise and cease—including seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing. These are false, illusory, and impermanent.
Therefore, buddhanature cannot be realized through worldly dharma. One cannot rely on what is ever-changing, arising and ceasing endlessly. Instead, one must take the non-arising and non-ceasing mind as the causal ground in order to reach the fruition ground of buddhahood.
Buddhism advocates meditation, or samadhi, which is a state between wakefulness and sleep.
When one first sits in meditation, the mind is often filled with wandering thoughts. When thoughts subside, one may fall asleep. The key to meditation is finding the right equilibrium.
When one can abide in such a state, one’s inner light will shine forth. Grandmaster certainly has had many such experiences.
The four inherent virtues of the tathagatas are permanence, bliss, true self, and purity, as mentioned in the High King Sutra.
There are also two-word epithets:
Sakyamuni Buddha is the Benevolent One, or the Pure One—he is pure and can purify.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the Loving and Compassionate One—she is deeply compassionate toward sentient beings.
Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva is the Joyful and Equanimous One—he joyfully gives with impartiality.
Amitabha Buddha is the Straight and Impartial One—delivering sentient beings to the buddhaverse.
Sakyamuni Buddha teaches us to purify ourselves and transform afflictions into purity.
Ordinary beings have afflictions because they think too much. Once afflictions are removed, we become pure and abide in eternal joy.