“Furthermore, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should not dwell on anything. When performing acts of giving, he should not dwell on the form of giving, nor should he dwell on sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything at all.
“Subhuti, a bodhisattva should perform acts of giving in this way, without dwelling on any phenomena. Why? Because when a bodhisattva does not dwell on any phenomena, his blessings become immeasurable.
“Subhuti, what do you think? Can space in the east be measured?”
“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, can space in the west, north, south, above, and below in all dimensions be measured?”
“No, World-Honored One.”
“So Subhuti, when a bodhisattva performs acts of giving without dwelling on any phenomena, his blessings are likewise immeasurable. Subhuti, the bodhisattvas should abide in this way.”
What is non-dwelling?
Non-dwelling means not keeping in mind.
The act of giving is done without dwelling on any phenomena
because there is no giver, no receiver, and nothing to give.
Why is that?
Jesus also stated in the Holy Bible,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing.
September 5, 2021
Today we will start chapter four—Non-Dwelling in Marvelous Conduct. Here, marvelous conduct refers to the act of giving. If one wants to ascend the grounds to be a bodhisattva, the first thing one needs to do is to be generous and to give—referred to as marvelous conduct in the Vajra Sutra.
Jesus, who is also my guru, often talks about this in the Holy Bible, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” I frequently mention it since this statement is essentially non-dwelling in marvelous conduct. Jesus teaches non-dwelling, too!
When you dwell on the act of giving, you are deliberate in your intent and actions. You tell yourself that you want to do good deeds and make it known. With an intent to perform charity, you will receive blessings equivalent to the things you give—a small charity. If you forget about giving while performing the act of giving, this is called the threefold wheel of intrinsic emptiness.
In Texas, United States, we have a True Buddha School temple called the Three-Wheel Leizang Temple.1Tricakra or Three-Wheel Leizang Temple is a literal translation from the Chinese name as intended by Grandmaster. But they use “Kalacakra Buddhist Association” as their official English name. What does Three-Wheel mean? When I wrote the name, people thought it was about a tricycle. In fact, I was referring to the threefold wheel of intrinsic emptiness.
The point of the threefold wheel of intrinsic emptiness is that in the act of giving, there is no giver, no receiver, and nothing to give. The act of giving is done without dwelling on any phenomena. This is Non-Dwelling in Marvelous Conduct. It is a very high realm.
A real good deed is a good deed that is done without being mindful of it. One does not think about performing good deeds; one just does it and does it naturally—at all times.
People ask, “Without money, how can I give?” Surely you can. Just give a smile. Can you not even do that? A smile? Don’t be so downtrodden as if others owe you money. That’s not a good deed! Don’t be so unfriendly when you have visitors, “Hey! What are you doing here?!” Instead, smile and say, “Good to see you! Come on in.”
Do not be like our temple receptionists or gatekeepers, who are rude or fake their smiles when visitors come. Greet them kindly and naturally. “Welcome. May I help you? Are you here to pray? Are you here to draw a divination lot? Are you here to buy something from our temple gift shop?” Show them around and be hospitable. This is an act of giving, and it is also a kind of offering!
You cannot be like this when someone visits [Grandmaster closes his eyes and gestures with his hand to ask people to leave him alone]. Please, don’t! In the gift shop, a visitor asks, “May I ask how much this is?” and you retort, “Don’t ask how much. If you want to buy it, just buy it!” No, please! How can this be an act of giving?! Instead kindly say, “If you really want it and don’t have enough money with you, just take it first and pay later.” Or even better, “If you like it and have no money, just take it.” This is as good as performing an act of giving.
His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche is a dharma king of the Sakya sect in the Sakya Monastery here in Seattle. There are only two dharma kings of the Sakya sect, His Holiness Sakya Trizin in India and His Holiness Dagchen Rinpoche in Seattle. One time, H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche and Grandmaster performed a fire offering ceremony together at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple (Seattle Leizang Temple)2Seattle Leizang Temple is officially called the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple, located in Redmond, WA. All True Buddha School temples are named with Leizang as part of the names, meaning the “Temple of Hidden Thunder.” We sometimes casually refer to this head temple as the Seattle Leizang Temple or the Seattle temple. The official English name of the Rainbow Leizang Temple 彩虹雷藏寺 is Rainbow Temple.. We have a photo of it.
One year during the Dragon Boat Festival [in the International District in Seattle], we had a stall set up. H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche visited our stall and saw a hand-held prayer wheel. While playing with it, he inquired about the price. The monk overseeing the stall snatched it back and yelled, “Not for sale!” [Grandmaster mimics the monk’s rudeness.] Hey, he is one of the two dharma kings of the Sakya sect!
His Holiness Dagchen Rinpoche and His Holiness Sakya Trizin are their only two dharma kings! Yet you are not even willing to give a dharma king a hand-held prayer wheel?! You should have seized such a marvelous opportunity to create a good affinity with him. Dharma kings are extremely rare! Pilgrims come from far away just to see them. When they come, they make prostrations all the way to the temple gates, bowing and kneeling in front of him to ask for his blessings. Yet our monk said, “Not for Sale! No! Go away!” How could our monk be like that!?
You must know how to be generous! You cannot offend anybody. When visitors come, you must greet them and guide them onto the path. We do not want to miss any opportunity. The fact that someone comes means they have an affinity, so we should cherish it, even if it is only one person. Visitors are hard to come by, so if you offend them, we will not have any visitors anymore. Nobody will come.
Jennifer’s husband was born in India and has many Indian friends. They came to visit our temple to pray, but the lack of hospitality from our monks and nuns discouraged them from returning. Amitabha! That is not an act of giving. [sighs] We must change.
You need to guide sentient beings onto the path and not block them! This is very important. Even if it is only one being, we still must help them! No matter what, be hospitable, say nice things, greet them with a smile, speak politely, offer a cup of tea, and so forth—so they have a good impression of the temple and will want to come again. You should make a habit out of it, and it should come naturally from the heart. Doing this enhances the radiance of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Generosity includes gentle words, kind words, a smiling face, a warm welcome, and the like. Whenever there is a visitor, you want to be hospitable. Even the ladies working in department stores can do it—how come you can’t? Don’t be rude. Instead offer your help and try to guide them onto the path!
“Furthermore, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should not dwell on anything.”
Not dwelling on anything means not keeping anything in our minds and in our hearts.3Initially, we put our heart into what we do. But in the case of “non-dwelling,” we don’t keep anything in our heart and mind! From the lowest level of spiritual cultivation, we begin having mundane mindlessness to train to practice mindfulness (wholeheartedness). As we progress, we reach single-mindedness. At an even higher level, even the single-mindedness becomes nonexistent. This latter stage represents the realm of no-mind. How should we use our hearts and minds instead? We use them to naturally touch the hearts of sentient beings, so they know to take refuge in a true buddha. Just be natural in your guidance. This is an act of giving—an act of giving dharma.
The key is to not make it up. When we are non-dwelling, our actions come naturally from the heart. I am not asking you to be pretentious or superficial. People will know when you are not genuine, so be sincere and natural. It must come naturally from the heart.
“When performing acts of giving, he should not dwell on the form of giving, nor should he dwell on sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything at all.”
This is “giving” at a very high level. It is the highest kind, indeed. This is called non-dwelling in giving. It happens naturally and arises spontaneously from the heart. This is what it means.
“Why? Because when a bodhisattva does not dwell on any phenomena, his blessings become immeasurable.”
If you often think about your generosity and the good deeds you have done, then the blessing generated is very limited. Conversely, when you give naturally and forget about it afterward, the blessings become enormous. Only this way are the blessings and virtues immeasurable. This excerpt primarily discusses this.
Every time the Buddha speaks, he starts by calling the supplicant’s name, such as in this case, “Subhuti.”
“Subhuti, what do you think? Can space in the east be measured?”
Can space in the east be imagined? How far is the east? It’s immeasurable.
“Subhuti, can space in the west, north, south, above, and below in all dimensions be measured?”
Of course not. The space in the north, east, south, and west cannot be measured or imagined.
“So Subhuti, when a bodhisattva performs acts of giving without dwelling on any phenomena, his blessings are likewise immeasurable.”
What is non-dwelling in giving? For instance, if you give something to someone and you are concerned about its price, and you remember how much you have spent on it, then the blessing you generate is only worth as much as the value of your gift. But if you simply give and do not keep it in mind, then you give without dwelling on form. You give and then forget about it. You do not keep in mind what you have given to others. If you have given it, then you have given it. In this way, your blessing is immeasurable.
“Subhuti, the bodhisattvas should abide in this way.”
It seems simple but it is very difficult to do. Really! Do not judge a person by his appearance. We must always be non-dwelling in our giving to anyone who comes to the temple. There is no need to show off your good deeds or keep track of them. At the same time, do not try so hard and go out of your way because if you are unnatural, you still dwell on it in your mind. Your blessing becomes immeasurable only when you don’t dwell on it.
You should know not to keep anything in mind as a giver! On the other hand, as a recipient, you should always be grateful and repay the generosity you receive. Grandmaster [referring to himself] says that what is left in my life now is only gratitude and gratefulness to every single being. Even when someone gives you a penny, you want to be grateful and repay their generosity. Indeed, all I have now is only gratitude.
As I have told you before, my father never acknowledged me as his son, from the day I was born until the day he died. Should I be grateful? Of course I should still be grateful to him. Why? Why do I want to be grateful to him even when he badly mistreated me? Because he raised me. He was the breadwinner of the family. My mother did not earn much money; she earned only a meager amount as a tailor and from raising chickens and pigs. My father took care of the whole family. Even though he abused me, I grew up eating his food, so I can only be grateful for his generosity. He did not acknowledge me, but I still acknowledged him. It does not matter how bad a person is, you must still be grateful to them.
In my youth, I was beaten by my teacher because my grades were so poor that I had to repeat the same grade three times. I consider it a badge of honor. [joking] Have any of you ever repeated a grade? [Grandmaster asks the audience, and a few people raise their hands.] How come you were as stupid as I was? That was my freshman year in junior high school. Then they sent me to Kaohsiung City Third High School because I could not continue at the Kaohsiung City Second High School after staying in the same grade three times. I was sent to a vocational school where everybody had been behind in their class. I got the best grades in this class, which gave me confidence and inspired me to start studying. Kaohsiung City Third High School, located beside the Love River, was later renamed Shijia Junior High School. I don’t know if it is still there.
I am also grateful to all my teachers. I was often beaten when I was young, but then I got smarter. I stood next to the son of the parent-teacher association (PTA) president. The teacher was reluctant to beat the son of the PTA president, so he said that he had done enough beating for the day and spared us. That’s how I missed some beatings. [laughs] I also put rags inside my pants. When the teacher spanked me, the beater was met with a thud. He noticed and took those rags out.
I am grateful for their education and discipline, pushing me to work harder. From staying in the same grade in junior high school, I became the best in class in senior high school. I even received a scholarship from the Kaohsiung Jiaxin Cement Company for being first in class every year, and all my tuition and supplies were paid for with scholarships for lower-income families. I still remember the company, although I am unsure if it still exists. I am very grateful that they gave me a scholarship so that I could study for free.
You need to know how to be grateful and how to perform acts of giving, especially to give without dwelling. I give and then forget about it. After I give blessings, I forget about them. This kind of merit is immeasurable. Whatever I do, I simply forget about it. I let you remember it, because as a recipient, you should remember.
This is about the excerpt in chapter four—Non-Dwelling in Marvelous Conduct. This is the threefold wheel of intrinsic emptiness. Jesus also mentions it in the Holy Bible: Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Now does everyone understand my explanation?
In giving, do not keep in mind that you are doing good deeds. Just let it happen naturally. Then it can be called marvelous conduct, true non-dwelling. You give without dwelling on phenomena. The receiver of the good deeds should remember, be grateful, and learn to have the same spirit of generosity. We all should perform acts of giving without dwelling on form. This is most important!
Om mani padme hum.
When you give indiscriminately,
without dwelling on anything,
and without holding any notions,
the merit and blessings will be unimaginable and immeasurable.
Do not be afraid of losing everything because you give it all away,
since giving unconditionally
results in tremendous merit and blessings.
September 11, 2021
[The following Q&A is included due to its relevance to the Vajra Sutra.]
A question from Lianhua Yongyuan from South Africa:
Grandmaster, Shimu, and True Buddha School, how do you do? Grandmaster, in your book number 216, “Q&A from the Contemporary Dharma King,” on page 158, you mentioned that the intrinsic suchness of all dharma cannot be obtained through spiritual cultivation. Doesn’t it mean that chanting sutras and practicing dharma are useless, then? Please resolve my confusion.
Let me tell you! Dharma is not real; it has no intrinsic reality! Dharma exists only to reveal your true buddhanature. Only true buddhanature is dharmata—the intrinsic suchness of all dharma [dharma refers to everything, and thus, dharmata refers to the intrinsic suchness of everything]. Sakyamuni Buddha said upon his enlightenment, “It turns out that all sentient beings have buddhanature.” This is intrinsic suchness.
What Grandmaster writes about dharmata is right. Dharmata is not to be obtained through spiritual cultivation because spiritual cultivation is done amid false reality. Even dharma is false. So what use are dharma practices when dharma is false? Although dharma is false, its practices are necessary to let you see your buddhanature. You need to practice until true buddhanature appears, and only then can you let go of all cultivation. Spiritual cultivation is just a tool; it is not the intrinsic suchness itself.
Intrinsic suchness is buddhanature, which is innate within you. It is not to be obtained—not even through spiritual cultivation. Of course, it is not the spiritual cultivation itself. Spiritual cultivation cannot become intrinsic suchness even if you practice day in, day out. We need to cultivate spiritually, but spiritual cultivation is abandoned upon reaching the state of intrinsic suchness. This is called the realm of no-practice or the realm of no-learning.
For instance, you use a tool to open something. Do you still need the tool after opening it? No, right? In the Vajra Sutra, it is written that dharma is likened to a raft; it should be forsaken upon reaching the other shore. Dharma is to be forsaken, much less non-dharma. All dharma should be abandoned [eventually], let alone the non-dharma.
As I have said, intrinsic suchness (dharmata, buddhanature) is not to be obtained through spiritual cultivation. Chanting sutras and practicing dharma are means; they are mere tools. When the intrinsic suchness truly appears, these tools are no longer useful.
Spiritual cultivation—preliminary practices, the deity yoga, and so on—are mere tools, and so are the five paths:
the path of merit accumulation
the path of preliminary practices
the path of seeing
the path of practice
the ultimate path
The path of merit accumulation is to generate merit [by doing good, avoiding evil, and purifying the mind]. The path of seeing is where you finally see and recognize your buddhanature. The path of practice is to actualize and confirm the buddhanature after seeing it. Since buddhanature is innate within you, it is not practiced or attained through practice. Yet you rely on spiritual cultivation as a tool to realize it. Lastly, the ultimate path is the buddhanature itself; it is also called the realm of no-practice or no-learning.
In the Kagyupa tradition, there are four yogas:
the yoga of concentration—to train mental concentration
the yoga of renunciation—to abandon all mundaneness
the yoga of one taste—union with buddhanature
the yoga of no-practice—the highest realm of no-practice
If you are at the stage of cultivating one taste, you are not yet at the very end. The intrinsic suchness does not come from spiritual cultivation, nor is it the spiritual cultivation itself. If you still cultivate, then it is not intrinsic suchness. Only when intrinsic suchness has manifested do you no longer need to practice. Otherwise, you still need to practice—chanting sutras, mantras, and practicing dharma.
The intrinsic suchness inherently exists; that is to say, it is not a result of practicing. Since you cannot attain it by practicing, why would you want to practice? You practice because by cultivating spiritually, you eliminate your habitual tendencies, eradicate karma, eliminate afflictions, and train to detach yourself from attachment to self and to everything, including attachment to dharma. By practicing, you will see intrinsic suchness. The intrinsic suchness is not the result of your cultivation because it has been there all along, but you won’t be able to see and realize it without spiritual cultivation.
Therefore, we say spiritual cultivation will not let you “attain” intrinsic suchness. But you still need to cultivate spiritually. Why? Because you want to eliminate all your obscurations! Once you eliminate them, intrinsic suchness will be clear for you to see. Once you have confirmed intrinsic suchness, you have reached the realm of no-practice. Only then can you stop practicing.
Let’s continue to discuss chapter four—Non-Dwelling in Marvelous Conduct.
“Furthermore, Subhuti, a bodhisattva should not dwell on anything. When performing acts of giving, he should not dwell on the form of giving, nor should he dwell on sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything at all.
“Subhuti, a bodhisattva should perform acts of giving in this way, without dwelling on any phenomena. Why? Because when a bodhisattva does not dwell on any phenomena, his blessings become immeasurable.
“Subhuti, what do you think? Can space in the east be measured?”
“No, World-Honored One.”
“Subhuti, can space in the west, north, south, above, and below in all dimensions be measured?”
“No, World-Honored One.”
“So Subhuti, when a bodhisattva performs acts of giving without dwelling on any phenomena, his blessings are likewise immeasurable. Subhuti, the bodhisattvas should abide in this way.”
Chapter four talks about the act of giving. Let me first share what happened to me two nights ago. As Grandmaster sat down to meditate and perform the Thousand Dharma Vessels Bardo Deliverance, I invited all the bardo spirits with affinities to board the dharma vessels. I chanted, “Inviting and commanding all bardo spirits with affinity to board the dharma vessels.”
A bodhisattva named Worthy Leader Bodhisattva appeared and asked, “Grandmaster Lu, who are you bardo delivering?” I told him that I was in the middle of delivering the spirits of people who died from the coronavirus as well as other spirits with affinity. The bodhisattva asked again, “When True Buddha School disciples die, do you bardo deliver them?” I said, “Yes. I bardo deliver anyone reported to the True Buddha Foundation.” He then asked whether I also bardo deliver my ancestors, relatives, and friends, to which I replied yes.
Worthy Leader Bodhisattva finally asked, and this is the key point, “How about the other bardo spirits or any netherworld beings passing by? Those with no relations to you whatsoever—the ones who are not your relatives, friends, ancestors, disciples, or who didn’t die from the coronavirus—do you bardo deliver them?” I could not answer because I have not bardo delivered those without affinity or relations with me whatsoever.
The bodhisattva then told me, “Your bardo deliverance has a form. [It is still bound by certain conditions or phenomena.] It is called bardo deliverance with form.” So I asked him what I should do. He said I should modify my invocation and chant, “Bardo spirits with affinity and bardo spirits without affinity, please get on board the dharma vessels.” He continued, “This way, your merit will become unparalleled and immeasurable.
“As spoken in the Vajra Sutra, can you measure space? No, you cannot. If you perform bardo deliverance without form [without holding onto any phenomena], the merit will likewise be immeasurable. It is the same concept. This is what you should do: you want to bardo deliver spirits with and without affinity, whether you know them or not, whether they are part of the True Buddha School or not, whether they are relatives and friends or not, whether they are your ancestors or not, whether they died from the coronavirus or not—you must bardo deliver them all. Only then is it called bardo deliverance without form—unconditional bardo deliverance.”
I joined my palms respectfully and said thank you. The bodhisattva added, “Loving-kindness and compassion for all, equally and unconditionally.” We want to bardo deliver them all. Only then is the merit unparalleled. However, one does not think about the merit as unparalleled and such; only when one does not think about it will it be called unconditional bardo deliverance. Now do you understand?
In the past, a gentleman of wealth and status provided congee during a famine. The landlord had his servants cook lots and lots of congee. People did not have food during the famine, and everybody was famished. They heard about this old landlord offering congee and came. His servants were handing it out, and they reported to the landlord, “Many rich people also came for the congee. The neighbors also came, even though they were financially stable. We know they are not poor.” The landlord said, “It is okay. Just continue to give, whether they have money or not.” Then some servants rushed in and said, “Someone came for a bowl and after he finished, he went for a second helping. He even brought back a bucket.” The old landlord said, “That’s okay. Let him have it.” “No way! He didn’t come alone; he brought his whole family, young and old. He even brought his grandchildren!” The old landlord replied, “Not a problem.” “Some people came repeatedly; they come every day and eat. They treat this place like a restaurant. Should we restrict what time they can come?” The old landlord still said the same thing. Everything was fine for him, even when people took the congee buckets home. He would then have his servants prepare more. The landlord always said, “No problem.”
This kind of charity is called the act of giving without form (unconditional giving). He was non-dwelling in charity. He gave to them all, even to the wicked, the worst kind of people in the village—murderers, robbers, scammers, liars—who came for the congee. When the servants went in and told him, “Oh no! The killers, the swindlers, bandits, rapists, they all came for your congee,” the old landlord still said the same thing, “That’s fine. They all can come. It doesn’t matter if they are good or bad. Just serve them all.”
The old landlord was and will be very wealthy in each of his lifetimes. He asked for nothing in return, not even going to heaven or becoming a god. But in each lifetime, he will be rich and healthy for innumerable kalpas.
Let me tell you. This is an act of giving without dwelling on form. Sakyamuni Buddha states that this kind of merit is unimaginable, although we should not talk about the merit—and not even the non-dwelling on merit.
After the pandemic when everybody can live normally again, I really hope that the Seattle temple can provide food for everybody, including visitors and neighbors, regardless of how long they have been coming. Let them come and eat without restrictions. Anybody is welcome to eat; neighbors can come; the whole family can come. They can come to eat here, take the food home, or even give it to their neighbors. It’s completely okay. We will just cook. We will just do it until our savings are gone. But remember! They will never be gone completely because you are generating immeasurable merit!
Reverend Lian Zi [the accountant at the Seattle temple] complained, “Our temple has no more money. What should we do? We’re eaten up by disciples worldwide. They all come, stay, and don’t leave, and they eat here every day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only that, but they also bring their families. Not just their families, and their neighbors too.” So you provided lunches but said, “Sorry, this is not for you since you’ve been here too long.” Then you snatched the bento back and scared people off. The bento was brought out and then taken back again. That was so awkward! If you have brought out the food, then just let them have it. It’s not worth the trouble just for a bento, right? In the future, let’s correct all those behaviors. People are fearful of the masters and reverends who scold them.
The unconditional act of giving is the way to go!
According to Sakyamuni Buddha, all the bodhisattvas in their six perfections are without [dwelling on] form or phenomena. This is the key point that Sakyamuni Buddha states in the Vajra Sutra—no form and no phenomena. Grandmaster, too, must perform bardo deliverance unconditionally without holding any form or phenomena—without dwelling on anything.
In the future after the pandemic is over, everyone, including the monks, nuns, volunteers working in the temple kitchens, and anyone providing food and beverages, should perform acts of giving unconditionally—without holding onto any notion.
Due to the pandemic, we have restrictions to prevent community infections, such as a limited number of people indoors, opening hours, duration of stay, etc. Didn’t you have an announcement posted stating that people can only eat at the temple for at most three months? Anyone staying at the temple for over three months can’t get any bento? It should not have mattered! Just let them eat. If they want a bento, let them have it. During the pandemic, they can eat under the tent outdoors or take it home.
In the future, the Seattle Temple and the Rainbow Temple should perform acts of giving unconditionally. Do not be afraid of people eating your food; in fact, you will receive blessings when they eat. The people who prepare the food will gain merit, and so will the abbots of the temples. Whoever donates money to help the temples will also have merit. This is all done without dwelling on form. It is very important, very crucial!
We don’t want to block sentient beings. Instead, we truly want to help all sentient beings. In helping, we do not dwell on any form or phenomena. This is non-dwelling in marvelous conduct. We don’t dwell on anything. There is no reason why we give. We just give.
“…he should not dwell on the form of giving, nor should he dwell on sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything at all.”
It is a simple concept to give without dwelling. You give when a young person comes, and you give when an old person comes. You give to both the sick and healthy. Unconditional giving does not dwell on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or anything. When you give indiscriminately, the merit will be unimaginable and immeasurable. This is what the Buddha says.
Om mani padme hum.
