“Subhuti, what do you think? One should not say that the Tathagata holds the notion, ‘I am delivering sentient beings.’ Subhuti, do not hold such a view. Why? Because there are no sentient beings to be delivered by the Tathagata. If sentient beings were to exist, it means that the Tathagata still has a notion of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan.
“Subhuti, the Tathagata states, ‘The self has no self, yet mundane people believe that they have a self.’
“Subhuti, the Tathagata says that mundane beings are not mundane beings; they are merely named mundane beings.”
Buddhanature has always been inherent within you.
Only you can deliver yourself.
The Buddha does not deliver you.
Instead, he simply teaches the ways to liberation.
His teaching is referred to as buddhadharma.
April 3, 2022
All right, let us discuss chapter twenty-five—Manifesting All Illusions.
What is the key point here? All sentient beings embody buddhanature. The Buddha does not deliver you; instead, he simply teaches the ways to liberation. His teaching is referred to as buddhadharma. You listen to the buddhadharma, understand it, and cultivate accordingly to deliver and purify yourself, so your buddhanature can manifest.
Buddhanature has always been inherent within you. Only you can deliver yourself. Nobody else can—not even the Tathagata (the Buddha), because buddhanature is your very own. How can others deliver you? The Buddha simply teaches us the means of purifying ourselves. I purify and deliver myself. Upon delivering myself, my buddhanature will manifest, and I will attain buddhahood. I reach attainment (siddhi) on my own, and it is not done by the Buddha.
The Buddha says, “It is not I who delivers sentient beings; sentient beings deliver themselves. I simply teach you how to purify yourself. By doing so, you will deliver yourself and reach buddhahood on your own.” This is the fundamental meaning [of this passage].
Therefore,
“One should not say that the Tathagata holds the notion, ‘I am delivering sentient beings.’”
Every sentient being delivers themselves. Do you understand this now? No one can save you; only you can save yourself. Because your buddhanature has always been within you, once you purify yourself, you will become a siddha—the one with attainment. But if you do not purify yourself, how can the buddhas, or anyone, deliver you?
The Buddha never thinks that he delivers sentient beings—this refers to the nonexistence of a speaker and listener. The Buddha teaches us buddhadharma so we can purify ourselves. Buddhadharma is just a tool, like a screwdriver that you use to tighten yourself, especially when you are too loose. It is analogous to your effort and diligence in spiritual cultivation. By exerting and persevering, you gradually purify and deliver yourself, eventually leading to attainment.
Likewise, the Buddha talks about this concept of taking refuge. In whom do you take refuge? Typically we say that we take refuge in Grandmaster Lu, or we take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. But in fact, we take refuge in ourselves—our own self-nature, which is buddhanature. This is called self-refuge—taking refuge in oneself, referring to self-deliverance.
By now, we can comprehend why the Buddha states that there are no sentient beings to be delivered. Why? Because one delivers oneself. There is no such thing as the Tathagata delivering your buddhanature! You deliver yourself!
In fact, the Tathagata has never delivered a single being. If a buddha were to deliver a sentient being, then this buddha is not a buddha as he teaches buddhadharma with a cause1Cause, as in cause and effect—it is conditioned. The Buddha’s teaching is without a cause—unconditioned. If there were a buddha who taught due to a cause, he would still hold a notion of self, meaning he would still have the phenomena of self; thus, he would not be a buddha.
If you are pleased to have delivered all sentient beings, please don’t be! You have delivered nobody, as everyone delivers themselves. Besides, how can anyone exist in the non-phenomena of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan? Whom have you delivered? No one!
Thus the Buddha says that “I” am without a self, as stated in the sutra.
“Subhuti, the Tathagata states, ‘The self has no self, yet mundane people believe that they have a self.’”
Mundane people believe in the existence of a self. Consequently, self-interest arises due to this notion of self. Once you start thinking there is an “I,” you become self-centered; selfishness arises in your heart. Buddhists should not be selfish and should achieve selflessness by holding no notion of self. On the contrary, mundane beings tightly cling to this notion of self.
The Buddha said,
“Subhuti, the Tathagata says that mundane beings are not mundane beings; they are merely named mundane beings.”
To the Buddha, ordinary people are not ordinary; they are buddhanature; they are buddhas. However, ordinary people—mundane beings—cling to this notion of self; they believe that they are mundane beings, hence the term mundane beings exists. In the eyes of the Buddha, mundane beings are not mundane beings; mundane beings is a mere term.
As people have a notion of self, they become self-centered. We need to discard this notion. The Buddha teaches us to be selfless and eliminate the notion of self by being mindful of the nonexistence of self. We must remind ourselves, “no self, no self, no self…” all day long. This is to remind us not to be selfish! Because as soon as [a thought of] self appears, we become self-centered, and things begin to revolve around ourselves, “This is mine, and that is yours, or theirs. Or I want them all. I will choose the best part first, keep all the good stuff to myself, and leave the bad ones for others.” This is selfishness.
Instead, the right mindset is to treat everyone equally, because buddhanature means equal-nature. This is the principle. Do you understand this chapter?
Om mani padme hum.
