Thus have I heard. One time, the Buddha was staying at Anathapindika Monastery at Prince Jeta’s Grove, near the great city of Sravasti, with an assembly of 1,250 monks. When it was mealtime, the World-Honored One donned his kasaya robe, took up his alms bowl, entered Sravasti, and went door to door asking for food. After the almsround, he returned to the monastery and ate his meal. He then put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, prepared his seat, and sat down.
There must be certain causes and conditions
for the Buddha to speak.
The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra
came into existence as
Subhuti—
the one foremost in the comprehension of empty-nature—
asked the questions.
August 1, 2021
I will now start my exposition on the Vajra Sutra. Let us discuss the title of chapter one—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching.
There are certain causes and conditions for the Buddha to speak. First there is a main actor, the speaker—Sakyamuni Buddha. Second there is the audience, or more importantly, a supplicant—the person asking questions. Most of the sutras spoken by the Buddha are in the form of answers to questions from his disciples. A disciple asks questions and Sakyamuni Buddha explains. That is how the sutras came about.
In the Vajra Sutra, the supplicant was Subhuti. Why Subhuti? Because he was foremost in the comprehension of empty-nature. Subhuti was one of the ten chief disciples. The disciple with the foremost wisdom was Sariputra, while the disciple with the greatest supernatural power was Moggallana. The disciple who best comprehended empty-nature was Subhuti. It was Subhuti’s questions that Sakyamuni Buddha answered in this sutra.
There are causes and conditions for each dharma gathering. They include the speakers of the sutra, the audience, the questions and answers, the entire process, the location, the period, the setting, and the event—what is going on. The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra came into existence over 2,600 years ago, and the location was Anathapindika Monastery at Jetavana in Sravasti, India.
Sakyamuni Buddha once traveled to Trayastrimsa Heaven to discourse on the Ksitigarbha Sutra to his mother, Queen Maya, and disappeared for some time. When the Buddha returned, Uppalavanna was the first one who ran to the Buddha and said, “I’m the first one to greet you on your return.” Uppalavanna was the most beautiful nun in the sangha and because of that, many shaven-headed monks followed her around. In response, Sakyamuni Buddha told her that somebody else had greeted him already. She insisted that she was the first to greet the Buddha and had not seen anyone else. The Buddha continued, “There was another person before you, and that was Subhuti.”
Subhuti knew that Sakyamuni Buddha was about to descend from Trayastrimsa Heaven. He was in meditation; he stood up but then sat back down and used his mind to greet the Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha knew immediately that Subhuti was the first to greet him, welcoming him in an intangible way. Although Uppalavanna appeared first to welcome the Buddha back physically, Subhuti was still first.
In this sutra, there are two actors: Sakyamuni Buddha, the speaker, and Subhuti, the supplicant who is asking questions. Because of these two actors, we have the Vajra Sutra.
Today we will only discuss the title of chapter one—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching. Most speakers just read the words when they explain this passage. Everybody can understand these words, but perhaps not the deeper meanings behind it that I will explain for many days.
At that time in Sravasti, India, Sakyamuni Buddha and his many followers of 1,250 people went out on the almsround and returned. After they finished eating, they put away their robes and bowls and washed their feet. Then the Buddha rose to the dharma seat.
You can understand this passage, right? This portrayal of the daily routine of Sakyamuni Buddha seems simple, but it’s not that simple. You might not be aware of the many profound meanings within this text. What are they? Think about it. Next Saturday, I will discuss more. Wait for it.
That’s all for today. Om mani padme hum.
The Buddha says,
“One is partial toward the poor,
while the other is partial toward the rich.
They are both wrong
since they have no mind of equality.”
A practitioner should have no discrimination.
Remember,
if one discriminates,
one is on the wrong track.
August 7, 2021
The Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra is about the indestructible wisdom by which one reaches supreme attainment. It is the indestructible wisdom which annihilates everything. By annihilating everything, one attains the ultimate perfect enlightenment.
The dharma teaching on the Vajra Sutra begins now!
Thus have I heard.
The “I” in this phrase refers to Ananda and the rest of the audience listening to Sakyamuni Buddha’s dharma teaching. This phrase connotes “as if you were there” listening to the teaching.
It is said that Ananda’s memory was extraordinarily powerful, and he could remember everything the Buddha said. So “I” in this sutra refers to Ananda, supplemented by the other bhiksus present who compiled the scriptures together. They discussed what the Buddha said and recorded it. As such, every sutra starts with Thus have I heard. This phrase refers to Ananda and the assembly of bhiksus in the audience.
As far as I know, there is no one in the world with a memory so powerful that they can commit all of Sakyamuni Buddha’s words to memory. Such a person doesn’t exist, at least not nowadays. My memory is certainly not up to such a task. Earlier this morning, I was thinking about the quantum physics research of my disciple, Prof. Zhu Shiyi (Shih-I Chu). I could not remember the word “quantum.” Was it particle, electron, neutron, or…? Suddenly, the word “quantum” popped up in my brain; that’s how I remembered it. Prof. Zhu was an expert in quantum physics, yet it took me a while to remember the word “quantum.” I must have memory lapses! [laughs]
One time, the Buddha was staying at Anathapindika Monastery at Prince Jeta’s Grove, near the great city of Sravasti…
The Buddha was in Sravasti, as everybody knows. Anathapindika Monastery at Prince Jeta’s Grove is commonly called Anathapindika Monastery at Jetavana, or Jetavana for short. Sakyamuni Buddha had three main residences. At first, he lived in a cave at Vulture Peak. Then he stayed at Venuvana Vihara (Bamboo Grove Monastery). Lastly, he resided at Anathapindikarama (a monastery built by Anathapindika).
Anathapindika was a great philanthropist in Sravasti. He was extremely wealthy and greatly helped the needy. His nickname meant “an elder who looks after and provides food and a place to stay for desolate people such as orphans, widowers, unmarried men, and the poor.”
What is Jeta? Jeta refers to Prince Jeta. Some people misinterpret Jeta as a kind of tree, or the rootless tree as written in Chinese. But that’s wrong! Jeta is a transliteration of the Sanskrit name of a prince; it refers to Prince Jeta, who owned the grove.
Anathapindika wanted to donate land to Sakyamuni Buddha. Sariputra looked around Sravasti for a place with good geomancy and found this wonderful location belonging to Prince Jeta. Prince Jeta told Anathapindika if he could cover the ground with gold, the prince would sell the land. Anathapindika had enough money to buy and offer the grove to the Buddha. So Prince Jeta sold him the grove. There were many trees in the woods, and since they were not covered in gold, Prince Jeta told Anathapindika that he wanted to donate the trees to the Buddha. Anathapindika donated the land and Jeta donated the trees. This is the origin of the names Jeta’s Trees and Anathapindika’s Grove. This place is called Jetavana for short.
…with an assembly of 1,250 monks.
It was an assembly of 1,250 monks, so many people were there. At mealtime, the Buddha wore his robe, took his alms bowl, and went into the great city of Sravasti to ask for alms.
…it was mealtime…
Eating in Taiwanese is called chiah peng. In Cantonese, it’s called sik fan. In Malay or Bahasa Indonesia, it’s called makan nasi. In Mandarin, it’s chi fan. We say “lunchtime” at noon, “dinnertime” at night, and “breakfast” in the morning. Language aside, there is further meaning related to this “eating.”
Mahakasyapa especially chose poor people to ask for food. The Buddha asked him, “Why do you beg only from the poor?” He answered that he wanted the poor to gain merits and become rich in future lives. Therefore, Mahakasyapa looked like Lian Xu [a very thin monk in the audience].
Ananda begged only from the rich. The Buddha asked him, “Why do you beg only from the rich?” Ananda replied, “I want to lessen the burden of the poor. I find it hard to bear that poor people still offer me food despite their poverty.” So he begged only from the rich. For this reason, Ananda looked like Xuanren [a fat and round monk in the audience].
You can see a big difference between the two. Mahakasyapa was skinny while Ananda was fat and round. Each had their own reasoning. The Buddha indicated that what they said made sense, yet at the same time, it also made no sense. It showed that they did not have equality in mind.
When you go for alms, you eat whatever is given—you don’t choose. If you choose, then you are partial. Sakyamuni Buddha is impartial, as this is how monastic people should be—one eats whatever food is offered. If one encounters a poor person, one eats whatever food the poor person offers. If one encounters a rich person the next day, one eats whatever food the rich person offers. One must be indiscriminate and should not choose what to eat.
There is a deeper meaning to eating. The Buddha says, “One person only begs from poor people while the other only begs from the rich. Neither has the mind of equality since they are partial.” One is partial toward the poor while the other is partial toward the rich. They are both wrong. One should eat whatever is offered. This should be the mindset of a practitioner: no discrimination. Remember, if one discriminates, one is on the wrong track.
The eating, lodging, dressing, and traveling mentioned in this excerpt have a deeper meaning. Mahakasyapa was truly remarkable! He was foremost in ascetic monkhood cultivation. What he ate, how he lived, what he wore, and how he traveled were different from the other monks.
How did he eat? He visualized before eating. Just as we do, he offered to all buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities, and sentient beings. Then he visualized food as poo and soup as pee before eating them. This is the practice of an ascetic monk. No kidding. Drinking pee and eating poo is the way of an ascetic monk. It’s not only about a mind of equality, but they also visualize what they eat as being inedible [to decrease their desire].
Where did he live? He lived in caves, under trees, or in the cemetery between graves. He slept in the sitting position and never lay down. That was the real Mahakasyapa. He was recognized as a great disciple, an exemplar. He was foremost in monkhood cultivation and in abiding by the ascetic precepts.
Unlike him Ananda slept like a pig. For this reason, Ananda and Mahakasyapa did not get along. Their body shapes were two extremes, one being very fat, and the other so skinny with fingers as bony as chicken feet.
We will now discuss dressing. How did Sakyamuni Buddha wear his clothes? He just used a piece of cloth! How did Mahakasyapa, the exemplar monk, wear his clothes? He wore cloth that had been used to wrap corpses found at burial grounds. He wrapped himself in this burial shroud. That’s how he dressed.
Monks in ancient India dressed similarly to the Thai monks, who still maintain this ancient tradition of wrapping cloth around their bodies. Back then, the rough cloth was like the burial shrouds used to wrap corpses in India. But it has all changed now. Our lama outfit is made up of skirts and tops. Do you know how to wear a piece of cloth like the ones worn by the Theravada monks? There is a deeper meaning in dressing.
Back in those days, they walked barefoot. Then later, some wore straw sandals, and nowadays monks wear slippers or even leather shoes. It rained a lot during the monsoon season in India, resulting in many insects appearing on the ground. To avoid stepping on them and killing them accidentally when walking outside, the monks went on retreat for the three months of the monsoon season.
After the almsround they returned to the monastery—Jetavana Vihara—and everyone ate their meal, put away their robes and alms bowls, and washed their feet. Since they went barefoot, their feet were dirty and needed to be washed. Then they prepared their seats, placing their mats down and sat. The Buddha’s seat was a rather wide seat with a cushion on it, sort of like a bed. We have covered how ascetic monks eat, dress, live, and travel.
Later, Mahakasyapa left the sangha. Why? Because Sakyamuni Buddha went to live in Venuvana Vihara and Jetavana Grove, which were luxurious mansions. Mahakasyapa was not comfortable living there. In his earliest time, the Buddha lived in caves. Then someone made an offering of Venuvana Vihara. Later another patron donated a more luxurious, beautiful, monastery, the Anathapindika Monastery at Jeta’s Grove on a magnificent piece of land Sariputra found.
Sakyamuni Buddha also began to accept meal offerings as benefactors invited the Buddha and the sangha, so the Buddha accepted offerings of banquets later in his life. The clothing also changed from burial shrouds to kasaya robes, which were pieces of discarded cloth patched together. That’s called bainayi in Chinese, meaning ragged robe of old cloth patches.
Now I have finished this chapter. Do you understand my explanation? Our spiritual cultivation nowadays is too easy, too nice, and too relaxed for all of you monks and nuns. Lian Xu is skinny not because he restrains himself from eating but due to bad digestion. He is not like Mahakasyapa at all. Mahakasyapa visualized food as feces and urine before eating, even when he received delicious food.
It’s a different tradition for tantric practitioners. Our lives are so fortunate, even our lama robes are nicely tailored. But we must visualize and perform bardo deliverance before eating.
Om mani padme hum.
The profundity of the first chapter
is in the annihilation of daily life activities,
the destruction of all desires,
and the shutting off
the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
August 8, 2021
Yesterday we started to discuss chapter one—The Setting of the Dharma Teaching. I was curious if everybody understood what I meant, so I asked some people afterward. I would like to further explain the deeper meaning of these daily activities.
Someone asked how I cultivate spiritually, to which I answered, “Eating and sleeping.” That person immediately responded, “Everyone can do that!” Spiritual cultivation is about eating and sleeping—that is correct. This chapter, too, talks about eating, dressing, going for an almsround, and sleeping, so those activities are essentially eating and sleeping. The person who questioned Grandmaster was very pleased because he thought he knew how to cultivate spiritually.
Yet, that’s not it! There is more meaning to these activities. The life of the Buddha seems like that of an average person. However, it has a very different meaning. Eating and sleeping are activities that everyone can do, but the Buddha brings much more significance to them. At their deepest level, they are very different. It’s wrong to think that the daily activities of a buddha are the same as those of an ordinary being. Don’t equate them!
When asked how Grandmaster Lu cultivates spiritually, I answered, “Eating and sleeping.” Everybody can eat and sleep, but let me tell you, few people can do the real thing. Eating is not as simple as it seems. When you eat, you make offerings. When you eat, you perform bardo deliverance. When you eat, you purify. These are the true meanings of eating.
What about sleeping? Did you know that it also has a special meaning? A spiritual cultivator knows their dream is a dream, but do you? During sleep, are you aware that it’s a dream? Can you change your dream? When I have a bad dream, I can transform it into a good one. How about you? I can do dharma practice in my sleep and perform purification. Do you know how? A tantric practitioner should know. This is the real meaning of “sleep,” so there is a difference between the two kinds of sleep.
Eating, dressing, lodging, and traveling are all spiritual cultivation and purification. Mahakasyapa epitomized ideal monkhood practices, and his ways of eating, dressing, lodging, and traveling were extraordinary. He slept between tombstones in cemeteries, under trees, or inside caves. He never slept on beds and never touched money. In fact, he had no money at all. He never gazed at a bhiksuni or any woman and would lower his head instead. He never cared for name or fame either. The foremost monkhood cultivation was as such. His ascetic practice was through annihilation, as an arhat does. What was he eliminating? The six thieves (senses): eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
On the contrary, when a man looks at the eyes of an attractive lady, he is electrified. He is finished if he dares to gaze into her eyes. The monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty was unscathed when he met the spider genie. If that had been you, you would have been glued to her spider web and eaten alive.
Mahakasyapa left the sangha due to contentions within it, where Devadatta contested Sakyamuni Buddha. Devadatta was an advanced cultivator who had obtained thirty major marks and eighty minor marks of perfection—very close to those of the Buddha, with a difference of only two marks. Yet, he still desired to lead and replace the Buddha. He felt that the aging Buddha was hanging onto his post and not allowing anyone to take over.
Devadatta wanted to lead because he craved status and power. His desire for a name became his downfall. There were also instances of downfalls due to food. In contrast, look at Mahakasyapa! He ate the cheapest things. In his mind, food was poo and drink was pee. He destroyed all five major human desires for wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, and sleep. This is the profound meaning of the first section. Nobody except Grandmaster Lu has explained it this way, right?
Ananda was a fat, lustful, and lazy pig who loved food and women. He just wanted to enjoy life. Among the ten chief disciples, Ananda was the only one who did not reach attainment before the Buddha entered parinirvana. Only afterward did Ananda start to cultivate spiritually. The other nine chief disciples had attainments by the time the Buddha entered parinirvana.
The other chief disciples were Sariputra and Moggallana. Both were elders before they joined the Buddha’s sangha. They found Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings to be truly remarkable, so they led their followers to take refuge in the Buddha. That’s how the Buddha’s sangha became so large. Sariputra was first and foremost in wisdom, and Moggallana was first and foremost in supernatural power.
The Buddha respected Sariputra and Moggallana, who themselves were leaders, and the Buddha also respected Mahakasyapa. Even though Mahakasyapa left the sangha, the Buddha repeatedly asked him to return. Yet he only complied when the Buddha was about to enter parinirvana, rushing back to bid farewell to his teacher. He returned to the Buddha’s side only then. Ananda wanted to light the Buddha’s cremation fire, but the lighting was unsuccessful despite several tries. Only after Mahakasyapa returned could the fire be lit. That showed that Sakyamuni Buddha waited for his return; he truly respected Mahakasyapa.
Sakyamuni Buddha highly respected Mahakasyapa as he was most earnest in his spiritual cultivation. On the contrary, Ananda often played hooky. Mahakasyapa did not respect Ananda, and they never got along. Ananda was the close attendant of Sakyamuni Buddha, yet he was very lazy, so Mahakasyapa quietly left the sangha. Due to Mahakasyapa’s admonishment, Ananda eventually put his heart into spiritual cultivation. As for Mahakasyapa, he guided many people onto the path and gathered many followers.
This is the exposition on the first chapter. Its profundity is in the annihilation of daily life activities such as eating, dressing, lodging, and traveling; in the destruction of desires for wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, and sleep; and in shutting off the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These are the key points of this section.
Has anybody expounded the Vajra Sutra in this way? Have you ever heard similar explanations from other people? Perhaps and perhaps not. In any case, I am exposing the profundity for you all.
Om mani padme hum.
