Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
The six roots are neither one nor six.
The Buddha said:
“Your ears themselves hear—what concern is it of the body and mouth? Your mouth asks about the meaning, and your body rises to receive it with reverence. Therefore, you should understand that it is neither one nor ultimately six, nor six nor ultimately one. Your faculties are never fundamentally one nor fundamentally six.
“Ananda, you should know that these faculties are neither one nor six. Since beginningless time, because of inverted confusion and transmigration, the meaning of one and six has arisen within the perfect and luminous true nature.
The Buddha said it was correct to say Ananda heard with his ears. However, what connection did the ears have with the mouth or body? Why was it that when he asked for the meaning of dharma, his body stood up and prostrated in reverence? Did this not mean they are connected? Although connected, they are not one. Thus, the six roots are neither truly six nor one.
Some predecessors mentioned that the six roots are of “one taste” because they are all in fact the wondrous luminous true mind. These roots manifest from it due to deluded thoughts and enshroud it. However, we cannot say they are “one body” because “one body” means they all have the same functions.
The six roots are interconnected, but their functions differ: the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the tongue to taste, the nose to breathe, the body to touch. These five roots all connect to the mind.