Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
The direction one is in determines one’s fate; the country where one is born is also part of destiny. These can influence one’s skin color, culture, and livelihood. Sentient beings are the result of the interweaving and multiplication of time and space, and the saha world/realm is where sentient beings live.
“Ananda, what is meant by the ‘world and realm of sentient beings’? ‘World’ refers to the flow of time [past, present, future]; ‘realm’ refers to spatial directions. You should now understand that east, west, south, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest, above, and below constitute the ‘realm’.
“The past, future, and present constitute the “world” (time). There are ten spatial directions and three streams of time. All sentient beings are formed by the interweaving of these false conceptions. Within the body, there is exchange and flux; thus, time and space interpenetrate. Although the nature of these realms is set as the ten directions, their fixed positions can be clearly distinguished.
“In the world, only east, west, south, and north are designated as directions; above and below have no fixed position, and the center has no fixed orientation. Yet the four directions must be clearly defined. They interpenetrate with the three periods of time (‘world’). Three times four or four times three yield twelve. These flow and transform through threefold multiplication: one, ten, a hundred, a thousand. In total, from beginning to end, among the six sense faculties, each has one thousand two hundred merits.
The world and realms of sentient beings (世界) refer both to time and space. “World” refers to time—the past, present, and future—while “realm” refers to spatial dimensions: north, south, east, west, the intermediate directions, as well as above and below, which together, these constitute the ten directions.
We often say, “All Buddhas of the Three Times in All Ten Directions.”
Time represents constant change; one has past, present, and future lives, while one’s relative location determines one’s fate.
For example, the Trayastrimsa Heaven is located at the summit of Mount Meru. There are also heavens in every direction: the four cardinals, the four intercardinals, above, and below.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Vancouver is north of us [in Seattle] and California is south. People born in the central regions of the planet are typically yellow-skinned, people in the north have lighter skin, and people in the south have darker skin. The United States is very diverse, as various people from different parts of the world immigrate there.
North is associated with the water element, so the people there are fairer skinned, cooler in temperament, and more advanced. South is associated with the fire element, so the people there are darker skinned, more warm-hearted, but less developed. History shows that when fighting alone without relying on external help, the West prevailed over the East, and the North prevailed over the South.
One’s location—where one is born and later moves to—as well as one’s past, present, and future lives, are all part of what is called one’s “world.” No one can escape time and space, and everyone has their own destiny.
For example, Grandmaster was born in Taiwan but Golden Mother later told him to go to America. Although he disliked English in college and preferred German, which he studied for a long time, he suddenly had to learn English instead. After arriving in the United States, the first dharma ceremony was held in the warehouse of the company where he worked in Tukwilla.
Sakyamuni Buddha taught that each of the six senses—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—possesses one thousand two hundred merits. This is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, the Sutra of Great Mastery, and the Avatamsaka Sutra. When the six senses are used mainly for worldly desires and attachments, one remains within the cycle of rebirth. But when they are used in a pure way, they generate merit and wisdom.
In the sutras, Ananda often mentioned “one thousand two hundred and fifty” to describe the number of people present during the Buddha’s dharma teachings. However, when Grandmaster visited Vulture Peak, it was difficult to imagine how that many people could have fit into such a small area.