2 Subhuti’s Request

At that time, the Venerable Elder Subhuti was present at the assembly. He rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, and with palms joined, respectfully bowed and addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honored One, the Tathagata’s sublime mindfulness of and entrustment to the bodhisattvas is indeed extraordinary.

“World-Honored One, when good men and good women give rise to the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi and strive for perfect enlightenment, how should they dwell in their minds, and how should they master their minds?”

The Buddha said, “Excellent, Subhuti. As you said, the Tathagata is mindful of the bodhisattvas and entrusts the bodhisattvas. Now listen carefully while I tell you how the minds of good men and good women should abide when they strive for the perfect enlightenment of anuttara samyaksambodhi and how they should master their minds.”

“Wonderful indeed is your teaching, World-Honored One. I will pay heed to what you say.”

Why did Subhuti have so much anger in his heart?

How did he eliminate it

and later become a master of unborn endurance?

How did he create affinity with the Buddha?

And how did the Buddha save him?

Discourse 6

August 14, 2021

Let us discuss the second chapter—Subhuti’s Request. [In the Chinese translation, the translator subdivided the original text into chapters and added a title to each chapter. In the title of chapter two, they used Shanxian instead of Subhuti. Shanxian is Subhuti’s other name. Thus, the literal translation of the Chinese title is Shanxian’s Request. However, this English translation uses Subhuti’s Request.]

Let me ask you all. Who is Shanxian? [Shanxian means Good Manifestation.] Masters, you often chant the Vajra Sutra, so when you read the word “Shanxian,” do you know what it means? If you know who Shanxian is, please raise your hand. Master Lian Wang, do you know? [Master Lian Wang guessed it was Subhuti.] Was it a wild guess? [laughs] Please be seated. He guessed correctly.

Subhuti had three names. The first name was Born Empty. The second name was Good and Auspicious. And the third name was Good Manifestation or Shanxian. This chapter uses his third name in the title [of the Chinese translation, but not in the English translation]. Many people don’t know that Shanxian is Subhuti’s other name. There were reasons why he got those three names.

First let’s talk about the name “Subhuti,” which is transliterated as Xuputi in Chinese. Some people split the name into Xu, meaning “needing,” and Puti, meaning “bodhi.” So Subhuti becomes “needing bodhi.” Is that right? Well, it’s right to say that we need bodhi, but Subhuti is a person’s name, referring to the Venerable Subhuti. We should not break up his name.

There were in fact two people named Subhuti among the Buddha’s disciples. One Subhuti belonged to royalty. The other Subhuti belonged to the Brahman caste. In India they have social classes, and spiritual cultivators belong to the Brahman caste. The Subhuti in the Vajra Sutra was the Brahmin, a spiritual cultivator.

I will tell you something that only I know; it’s not even written in the Avadanasataka Sutra.¹ People typically talk about three lifetimes of the past, present, and future, but I talk about four lifetimes. Only Grandmaster Lu knows about Subhuti’s earliest lifetime, and after I talk about it, everybody will know.

The Avadanasataka Sutra contains an account of Subhuti’s known past lives. What I want to talk about now is an earlier life of his. It’s not in the sutra, and nobody knows about it. How do I know? Because Subhuti told me. In one of his past lives, he was also a spiritual cultivator. He took care of children who were discarded by their parents. The temple was well-known for it, and people left their unwanted children at the temple, knowing that Subhuti would care for the orphans.

At the time, Subhuti was the temple’s abbot. The news spread. A group of robbers thought the temple must have a lot of money, and they believed Subhuti must have been rich to be able to care for all the orphans. They went to rob the temple, but no matter how hard they searched, they could not find any money. They were very cruel in forcing Subhuti to give them money. But Subhuti had no money. The robbers demanded, “If you have no money, how can you take care of the orphans?” He explained, “When we go out for alms-begging, we ask for a little more to feed these orphans.” The robbers didn’t believe him. They seized several crying orphans and threatened Subhuti, “If you don’t tell us where you hide the money, we’ll kill the orphans.” Subhuti was exasperated, “But I really have no money! I just feel pity for the orphans, so I care for them by begging for alms. I just eat a little bit and then share the rest with them.”

The robbers didn’t give up, and they shouted, “If we don’t kill the orphans, you won’t tell us where the money is hidden!” Then they killed a child! Blood was all over the ground. Subhuti cried in desperation. He really didn’t have any money. If he had any money, it wouldn’t have been so horrifying. The robbers killed a second child, then another one, and another one, until all the orphans were killed. Subhuti could not produce any money to stop it! When they finally realized that Subhuti did not have any money after all, they left. Subhuti was left all alone! He was so furious, and his heart burst with hatred. He hated humans and did not even want to be human.

Because all the orphans had been killed, he left the temple. He went deep into the mountains and lived in a cave until he died. Subhuti told me this story that no one else knew. His strong revulsion toward mankind and his deep hatred started then. That was one of Subhuti’s earlier lives. That’s how he lived his life then.

His subsequent lifetimes were recorded in the Avadanasataka Sutra, where Sakyamuni Buddha talked about Subhuti’s background. In this lifetime, he was also an abbot and a spiritual cultivator. He had many followers whom he brought to go for alms, begging for food. But one by one his disciples left him because Subhuti’s anger still brewed in his heart. He constantly scolded and chastised everybody because he hated human beings to start with. He said that all human beings are no good. The way he cursed and rebuked was very harsh, and subsequently, all his followers left him. They lost their faith in him. In this lifetime, he also hated human beings.

Because he had hatred for two lifetimes, he became a poisonous dragon for five hundred lifetimes. What is a poisonous dragon? In India they don’t differentiate between dragons and snakes, both of which are called naga. He became a poisonous snake for five hundred lifetimes. One day his retribution as a poisonous snake ended, but his hatred remained. A garuda grabbed the snake from the sea, clutched it with its claws, and flew into the sky. The garuda was ready for a nice big meal.

At this time Sakyamuni Buddha had just attained buddhahood, and he knew of this incident. He manifested himself as a monk sitting halfway up the mountain, meditating. The garuda carrying the snake passed by the monk. The snake cried out for help and nodded his head to the monk to pay homage. He was about to become food and gestured to the monk, “Please save me.” But the monk—Sakyamuni Buddha—did not save him, and the snake ended up being eaten by the garuda. Although the snake cried for help from Sakyamuni Buddha and nodded his head respectfully, Sakyamuni Buddha did not save him. That was also one of his lifetimes recorded in the Avadanasataka Sutra.

In a later lifetime, he was reincarnated as a child in a Brahman family. This Brahman family was very wealthy and had many houses filled with gold, silver, and precious items. However, at the time he was born, everything was gone. That’s why his family named him Born Empty. His family said, “As soon as you were born, all our treasures disappeared, and we became empty of wealth.” So they named him Born Empty. They went to see a mystic, who told them it was an auspicious sign. The mystic said the good child was a symbol of auspiciousness, so his name was changed to Good and Auspicious. Seven days later, all the treasures and luxurious manors reappeared, and his family gave him a third name, Good Manifestation. Therefore, Born Empty, Good and Auspicious, and Good Manifestation (Shanxian) were all Subhuti’s names.

Shanxian is used in the title of chapter two. Shanxian is Subhuti. This means it is Subhuti requesting Sakyamuni Buddha to give a dharma teaching. Master Lian Wang’s wild guess was like trying to catch a fish in a dark pond, and he caught it! Shanxian is Subhuti’s third name.

Why did Subhuti bare his right shoulder and kneel on his right knee? The right knee is a tradition in the Indian kingdom. You bare the right shoulder and kneel on your right knee primarily to show that everything moves clockwise. Clockwise represents the correct path or the proper way. When we are on the right path, we symbolize it by baring the right shoulder and kneeling on the right knee. Whenever we circumambulate around a stupa, temple, mountain, or lake, it’s always done clockwise and never counterclockwise. It’s the same when you turn the mantra wheel; it’s always clockwise, never counterclockwise. Clockwise represents the right dharma.

If it’s counterclockwise, it symbolizes the deviant or the wrong path. If you show your right shoulder or right arm, that means you are on the right path. Tibetan lamas always bare their right shoulders. We asked them once, “Why do you bare your right shoulder?” One geshe, whose name I won’t disclose, joked that it’s sexier that way. If that’s the case, right or left shoulder makes no difference, right? So it’s not to show off your sexiness as the geshe said. The title geshe is like a doctorate degree in [Tibetan] Buddhism, and there are several levels of geshe.

That’s all for today. Om mani padme hum.

Enduring is spiritual cultivation,

and it is a very high attainment.

If you cultivate the perfection of endurance,

then nothing will bother you.

Conversely,

all kinds of problems will affect those

who cannot endure.

Discourse 7

August 15, 2021

Let’s talk more about the Venerable Elder Subhuti. Subhuti was born with high intelligence, but he still carried the seed of hatred and anger from his past lives. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha first taught Subhuti the paramita (perfection) of endurance. He eventually attained the samadhi of non-contention. From the samadhi of non-contention, he attained the samadhi of emptiness.

One time on a dharma propagation trip, the Buddha visited the village where Subhuti lived. Subhuti had heard that the Buddha was very wise, though he also considered himself to possess a high level of wisdom. He attended the Buddha’s teaching, listening to the Buddha speaking while standing at a far distance.

The Buddha explained that all sentient beings are equal—there is no difference between self and others. The Buddha spoke on the ultimate dharma, the highest kind of dharma. He also said, “Sentient beings are me, and I am sentient beings. There is no difference between self and others. All beings are fundamentally equal.”

Standing afar, Subhuti joined his palms with reverence upon hearing this. His heart echoed what Sakyamuni Buddha said. Afterward, Subhuti went to where the Buddha stayed and paced back and forth outside the Buddha’s door. Sakyamuni Buddha knew about it and invited Subhuti to come in. They had a dialogue and connected right away since they had great affinity. Where did the karmic connection come from? The causes and conditions originated when Subhuti was a poisonous snake captured by the garuda. While flying in the sky, the snake asked for the Buddha’s help and nodded his head to the Buddha. By asking for help and praying to the Buddha, he created an affinity with the Buddha.

Affinity—causes and conditions—is extremely crucial. This is precisely why the Buddha says it is impossible to deliver anyone without affinities. This is one of the three things a buddha is incapable of.

Grandmaster, too, cannot do anything if there is no affinity. People come from distant places to plead with me to solve their problems and sicknesses. If their karmic connection with me is slight, I feel no dharma power flowing when I extend my hand, and I know it will be impossible to cure their illness. No matter what I do, I won’t be able to help them due to the lack of affinity.

But for those with strong karmic connection, miracles occur. Elizabeth [a disciple from Indonesia] is here, and she has a strong affinity with Grandmaster. When she visited Seattle [in 2014], she had a tumor inside her brain as shown in the MRI results. The night after meeting Grandmaster, she had a dream of Grandmaster becoming a surgeon, wheeling her into an operating room, performing surgery on her brain, and taking the tumor out, leaving just a little bit of skin residue behind. In the dream I told her I had removed her tumor except for a bit of skin. Did you feel pain? No. Surgery in dreams is not painful, but would you want to try it in real life? With anesthesia you might not feel the pain. In dreams you won’t feel anything either. That night Elizabeth saw the surgeon was Grandmaster, but I am not a surgeon—I never studied medicine. I don’t even dare to kill chickens, but my mom did. She beheaded them while chanting, “Chicken, chicken, your life is endless suffering. Let me help you get a better new life.” Cut!

I operated on Elizabeth’s brain tumor in the dream. I do that in dreams although I dare not use a knife in real life. From then on, no more headaches for her. On the way home to Indonesia, she stopped by Singapore for a medical check-up, and the doctors could not find the tumor. It had disappeared with only a piece of skin left. I was able to help her because of affinity.

Elizabeth herself knew of her karmic connection with Grandmaster in her past lives. Having affinities, she was able to make a swift recovery. Many people have karmic connections with Grandmaster from many past lives, and they all have miraculous experiences. It can only occur due to affinities. Without any causes and conditions, it is impossible.

To take refuge in the Buddha, one needs affinity. Subhuti’s affinity was created when he called out to Sakyamuni Buddha for help when he was a snake. Having this affinity, he encountered and took refuge in the Buddha in his subsequent life. The Buddha knew about his past lives and talked openly about it, that Subhuti carried hatred and anger in his heart. The Buddha wanted to alleviate his hatred by teaching him to practice the perfection of endurance. He eventually attained the samadhi of non-contention and reached the state of unborn endurance—a very high-level spiritual realm.

It’s not easy to reach that realm; in fact, it’s extremely difficult. Just like the itch when a chicken feather tickles your nose, a few disagreeable words make you feel agitated or perhaps even aggressive. A couple should not fight, otherwise, the marriage is on the brink of disaster. Fights leave scars in the hearts, brewing anger and resentment. You must not chide or speak harshly either, “Didn’t I tell you to do it this way?! Why didn’t you listen?” If you throw a fit and yell at someone, they will feel indignant and become even more defiant, thinking, why should I listen to you?! Not in a million years!

Have you heard of this joke? A husband constantly scolded his wife, and she usually argued with him. One day, she stopped arguing. Instead, she took a toothbrush and cleaned the toilet every time he rebuked her. What happened? So he asked her why she brushed the toilet every time he scolded her. To which she replied, “Oh, I am using your toothbrush to clean the toilet.” See? Resentment and revenge made her do that!

Getting along with people is difficult. As human beings, we experience three main difficulties: difficulty in rising to heaven, earning a living, and getting along with people. Human relationships are complicated, and you must practice until you can endure it all. This is the endurance paramita (the perfection of endurance).

No matter what others said, Subhuti stayed unaffected since he held the notion that everything would ultimately return to emptiness. Hence, he attained the samadhi of emptiness. He also attained the realm of unborn endurance, eliminating the seeds of anger and hatred from his past lives. That was the Great Subhuti.

What is spiritual cultivation? What do we cultivate? Endurance. We need to know how to endure. Enduring is spiritual cultivation. If you cultivate the perfection of endurance, then nothing matters. On the other hand, all kinds of problems will arise for those who don’t practice the perfection of endurance.

If you can’t endure, you are like a kindergarten baby; you don’t know how to be patient. Many disciples don’t know how to endure at all. You fight with each other even when you live under the same roof. Fellow disciples take refuge in the same guru, yet they still fight, backstabbing and denigrating each other.

Learn from Subhuti! He cultivated the perfection of endurance by reverting everything to emptiness. He discarded all the garbage from his heart and mind. Why do you keep garbage inside you? What for? Throw it out; empty your heart and mind! Nothing really matters. If you don’t empty your heart and mind, the garbage within you will start to rot, and you will go crazy from it. When you hold anger, grudges, resentments, or hatred in your heart, you yourself are the victim. This is very foolish! Instead, you should master the perfection of endurance.

Here Grandmaster is teaching you to learn the perfection of endurance from Subhuti. Empty yourself, discard all your garbage, and empty your mind until nothing matters. Empty it until nothing exists! You will then be at peace and at ease!

If instead, you keep this garbage inside you, then it will rot and become toxic and poisonous. It will poison your heart and mind and it can kill you! You might not get COVID-19, but you will die from your own poison and toxin. When you have seeds of anger and hatred, you will be born in places where poisons and toxins exist in your future lives. Today you have heard that Subhuti was the one who practiced the perfection of endurance and attained the samadhi of non-contention.

Om mani padme hum.

Subhuti cultivated

to a state called the samadhi of non-contention.

No contention

means there is no contending

—competing, arguing, insisting,

getting into conflicts or disputes, and the like.

Discourse 8

August 21, 2021

We have not even started discussing the content of chapter two. Let’s continue talking about Subhuti, and it may take some time. The Buddha put a lot of effort into teaching Subhuti, observing his past lives. I have mentioned that in his past lives, Subhuti was an extremely angry person. Therefore, the Buddha’s first lesson to Subhuti was the perfection of endurance, which I have previously discussed. To what extent must one cultivate and master endurance? To the point where “there is no more endurance.”

What do I mean when I say, “There is endurance, and yet there is no endurance”? Endurance is practiced until finally there is no longer a need to endure. Endurance is still there, but it has become so natural, it’s as if there is no enduring.

In the beginning we must endure, even when it’s unbearable. It’s not easy to remain unaffected when someone insults you. You might be calm at first, but a thoughtless comment or a disagreeable remark can make you fly all over like a pile of ashes! This type of person is described as “ashes scattering in the wind.” With the slightest breeze, one scatters all over the place.

As for Subhuti, when the Buddha taught him the endurance paramita, he endured and endured and kept on enduring until finally, endurance became natural. Slander, accusation, ridicule—whatever it was, he just let it come and go naturally. He no longer felt anything at all. When one reaches this point, there is no longer “endurance,” because one does not feel that one is enduring anything. It has become so natural that there is no more enduring. This is what you want to achieve.

A step further from the perfection of endurance is unborn endurance, which Subhuti attained. In this state, accusations are not accusations; slander is not slander; insults are not insults. Since these never arise to begin with, they don’t exist. What insult? What slander? This state is called “unborn.” When one reaches this state, one attains the fruition of unborn endurance. The Buddha told Subhuti that to realize unborn endurance, he must reach this state.

Can you understand that there is no defamation, accusation, scorn, and the like? None of those exist; in fact nothing exists. You might not understand it at this point, but as I continue my exposition, you will begin to understand. This is what the Vajra Sutra is about! It is one of the essences of the Vajra Sutra.

Slandering never really exists, so there is nothing to endure. The so-called defamation never exists either, so there is nothing to endure. Nothing inherently exists! Since nothing exists, what is there to endure? The real endurance is when there is no endurance.

Subhuti cultivated to such a state, which in Buddhism is called the samadhi of non-contention. No contention means there is no contending—competing, arguing, insisting, getting into conflicts or disputes, and the like. Subhuti reached this level of attainments: the samadhi of non-contention and subsequently the samadhi of emptiness. By understanding that everything is non-arising, one can attain the samadhi of emptiness—a meditative state through emptiness. Subhuti achieved the samadhi of emptiness.

It’s recorded in the sutras that Subhuti encountered two phenomena in his samadhi of emptiness. The first was when he was living and cultivating in a cave at Vulture Peak. Countless celestial goddesses appeared, showering him with flowers. Flower petals fell from the sky and covered half his body, so he sat amid an annulus of flowers around him.

He was awakened by it, looked up, and exclaimed, “So many swirling flowers coming down everywhere! Who are you? Why are you showering me with flowers from the sky?” Indra replied, “I am the Lord of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, and I am leading the celestial beings to pay respect to you. In your samadhi of emptiness, your entire body radiates light throughout the whole cosmos. We saw this inconceivable light and came down to see what was happening. We discovered it was coming from you, Subhuti, in the samadhi of emptiness. To show our praise, we showered you with flowers.”

Lord Indra praised Subhuti because he had entered the samadhi of emptiness. What is the meditative concentration of emptiness? It’s when one is totally free from afflictions and attachments including self-grasping. Subhuti then explained the principles of entering the samadhi of emptiness to the celestial beings. The three principles are: no self, no phenomena, and no afflictions. By applying these principles, one enters the samadhi of emptiness.

The second incident occurred when Subhuti got sick one day. You might ask, how Subhuti could still get sick if he had attained the samadhi of emptiness. Was he not supposed to have no “self” when he mastered the samadhi of emptiness? Subhuti got sick because he still had a physical body. When he was hungry, he had to eat and beg for alms. He still had to follow the Buddha around. As humans how can we remain free from sickness? Nobody can; there are no exceptions.

It’s true that I never have LASIK surgery or wear eyeglasses; that’s because I perform an eye exercise every morning. I taught you this practice before. Every morning upon waking up, stand by the window where you can see as far as possible, close your eyes, and rotate your eyeballs clockwise fourteen times. They must be big rotations. Then open your eyes wide and look to the distance as far as possible. I look at the furthest two trees from my window. I have trained my eyes this way for many years. As a result I can clearly see every letter, even the smallest print, without any glasses. One must persist in this exercise to get results. This is also a kind of perseverance.

Another exercise is to tap your teeth thirty-six times. I tapped and tapped, and one time a piece of a tooth fell off. A dentist disciple, Dr. Hong Guiqing (Kuei-Ching Hung), glued it back on. I can’t say my teeth don’t have any problems as I had some issues with them and an infection in my gums as well. An infected tooth is also considered an illness.

I also exercise my ears with a practice called ear drumming. Cover both ears with your palms and tap the back of your head with your fingers like you are drumming. I tap seventy times while chanting, “one, two, three, four, five, six, Amitabha, two, two, three, four, five, six, Amitabha,” and so on. Altogether, seventy times.

My hearing is still excellent, and my eyesight is also excellent. My tooth couldn’t be helped. The rest of my body is still okay. Didn’t they say that human life starts at seventy? What starts at seventy? One starts to lose teeth at the age of seventy. Joint pain, lower back pain, all pain starts at seventy. That’s the way it is.

One time when Subhuti was ill, Lord Indra descended. Subhuti asked Indra, “I’m sick. How come you are here again?” The Lord replied, “We have come to sing for you and comfort you.” Then he started singing, accompanied by all the celestial beings in the sky. Subhuti’s heart blossomed, and as soon as the flowers in his heart blossomed, Subhuti got better.

What did they sing? They sang a praise for Subhuti, “Subhuti’s virtues are as high as a mountain and his conduct is higher than the sky. His cultivation merit and effort are as incessant as the flowing water.” As music is healing and therapeutic, Subhuti immediately recovered from his illness.

Do you remember when Grandmaster had cellulitis? The Venerable Elder Xu Yun was passing by in the sky and noticed that I was sick. From high above he extended his hand—passing through the clouds and the roof of my house—touched my head and blessed me as I lay in bed. Do you remember the Venerable Elder Xu Yun? I have a statue of him offered by Master Changren from the Dzogchen Center Ltd. in Hong Kong.² This statue is now at the True Buddha Tantric Quarters [in Redmond, Washington, USA]. I have an affinity with the Venerable Elder Xu Yun. Because of this affinity, he saw that I was sick as he was passing by and gave me a blessing on my head and comforted me.

Also when I was living in seclusion, I suffered from head-splitting syndrome. It felt like my skull was splitting open; I had vertigo and was on the brink of collapse. I visited Korea to pay homage and circumambulate temples and pagodas, and paid homage and made prostrations to a huge outdoor statue of Medicine Buddha. On the way back home, I had a vision of Medicine Buddha (Bhaisajyaguru), Medicine King Bodhisattva (Bhaisajyaraja), Medicine Lord Bodhisattva (Bhaisajyasamudgata), Sunlight Radiance Bodhisattva (Suryaprabha), Moonlight Radiance Bodhisattva (Chandraprabha), and the Twelve Great Medicine Generals. They all appeared before me and consoled me. I knew then that I would recover from my illness.

It was like how Indra descended to comfort Subhuti when he was sick. Indra and the celestial beings came down and sang for Subhuti. Why did Subhuti deserve to receive praise such as a showering of flowers and singing from heavenly beings? Because he could truly enter the meditative concentration of emptiness.

The samadhi of emptiness is the main topic of the Vajra Sutra. Destroying everything means emptiness. In Zen Buddhism, the Vajra Sutra is the yardstick to determine whether one has been enlightened.

That’s all for today. Om mani padme hum.

It is rare indeed to encounter a buddha,

and it is rare to be perfectly enlightened.

Anuttara samyaksambodhi

means

perfect enlightenment.

Discourse 9

August 22, 2021

I will begin to expound on chapter two—Subhuti’s Request.

Baring the right shoulder and kneeling on the right knee was a tradition in ancient India. It connotes the proper path, the right path, instead of the deviant or heretical path.

…addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honored One, the Tathagata’s sublime mindfulness of and entrustment to the bodhisattvas is indeed extraordinary.

At first, Subhuti stated that it was rare indeed to encounter a buddha—Sakyamuni Buddha—to be alive in the world, and that the buddhas always support and help all bodhisattvas. Then, Subhuti asked the Buddha a question.

Let me first ask everyone, “What is the anuttara samyaksambodhi mind?” The answer is in four words, and you will receive a gift if you are right. [One master gave the correct response, and he received the gift.] Anuttara means “unexcelled,” and samyaksambodhi is translated into Chinese as “right equality and right realization.”

What does good men and good women refer to? It refers to those who give rise to the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi. If one has not given rise to the mind of anuttara samyaksambodhi and striven for the highest enlightenment, then they are not called good men and good women. Its meaning is quite broad, and it also refers to upasakas and upasikas. Upasaka refers to the male and upasika to the female lay Buddhist practitioner, not just to kind people with good hearts. You may think that good men refers to men with good hearts, and good women to kind women. No, good men and good women refers to those wittingly trained in the authentic buddhadharma—those on the path to attain the highest enlightenment in the future.

“…how should they dwell in their minds, and how should they master their minds?”

The key here is: how they should master their minds when they give rise to the mind that strives for perfect enlightenment?

Then Subhuti responded to the Buddha, saying,

“Wonderful indeed is your teaching, World-Honored One. I will pay heed to what you say.”

Regarding supporting and entrusting all the bodhisattvas, Sakyamuni Buddha is also referred to as the Master Adjustor,³ calling back the ones who veer off track or down the wrong path. But what should we do if they don’t want to come back? Then let them be! Just like letting the cows graze the grass.

Frankly speaking, I feel sorry for Ghost Witch, who had been cultivating on the right path for years before turning into a ghost worshipper. By chance she encountered ghosts and became entranced by them. She took a ghost tablet from the ghost temple and brought it back to her residence in Guoxing. Later she moved it to her new place after Master Lian Dong’s father finished the renovation. Two bhiksunis took care of the ghost tablet and died soon thereafter, as everyone knew. Master Lian Dong’s father was the one who transported the ghost tablet, and the ghosts attached to him. He shaved his head to mimic a samurai—all shaven on the side with a little tuft of hair on the top. He got rid of all the statues from his own altar at home and lost his mind! Do you know how much time and energy I spent to cure him? [shaking head with pity] The ghost tablet is now placed in the dharma protector hall, inside one of the two buildings built by Ghost Witch in the Guanyin Village, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. She got off track onto the wicked path—the ghost path.

I asked her to return to the right path, but she refused. What else can we do? So I just let it be, let the cows graze the grass. But it will be good if she can repent, correct herself, and return to the right path. That is called the mindfulness, protection, and support of the Master Adjustor, who calls upon those who are lost or on the wrong path.

People elaborate on anuttara samyaksambodhi in various ways. In one example, in Chinese samyaksambodhi contains the character “three,” so some people associate anuttara samyaksambodhi with the three dantians, i.e., the upper, middle, and lower dantian. Some say that they are the three bodhis. Some say it’s the three kayas, i.e., dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. Some explain samyaksambodhi as Vairocana Buddha, Locana Buddha, and Sakyamuni Buddha.

However, the real meaning of anuttara samyaksambodhi is perfect enlightenment. Do not make it more complicated than it is!

Om mani padme hum.