29  Serene Dignity

Chapter twenty-nine is entitled Serene Dignity. Sakyamuni Buddha said,

“Subhuti, if someone says that a tathagata seemingly comes and goes and seemingly sits and lies down, this person does not understand my teaching. Why? Because a tathagata never comes and goes, thus, he is called a tathagata.”

Tathagata is translated as “one who seemingly comes” in Chinese. Many people recite this passage without knowing what it means; hence, even fewer people can explain it. What does the title Serene Dignity mean? What is dignity?

Monastics should carry themselves with dignity and proper decorum. How so? We should walk like the wind, sit like a bell, stand like a pine, and sleep like a bow—swiftly and properly.¹Sleeping like a bow also indicates that one sleeps sideways to the right, as that is an auspicious posture in Buddhism. We should not walk like this [Grandmaster imitates a slouched walking posture]. When two people walk together, they do so shoulder-to-shoulder, and their steps are synchronized. How might others feel if they see a monk walking with no dignity? Monastics follow specific etiquettes and dignity.

I spent time in several Zen temples in Japan, one of which was Tosenji, located in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Japanese temples typically have gravel stones on pathways, and you can hear the sound of footsteps: shack, shack, shack…When two people walk side by side, they walk shoulder to shoulder with their steps synchronized, neither one leading nor following. The rule of dignity applies to how you stand, sit, walk, or sleep. You can’t stoop, hunch your back, blow your nose, spit, pick your ears, or scratch your head, as all of these actions are against the rules. Having said that, all of these are only aspects of external dignity.

The way we eat at True Buddha School may seem shocking compared to other temples. Why? At other temples, they eat so quietly that you can hear a pin drop. Nobody speaks at mealtime, not even whispering in each other’s ears. In contrast, at True Buddha School, whether at the Seattle or Rainbow Temple, we eat and chat. It’s very lively, where everybody talks loudly and freely. We are free to do almost everything except perhaps putting our feet up. Our rules are very relaxed in comparison.

At other temples, there is a rule of dignity for eating: one must sit upright and lift the bowl to one’s mouth instead of placing it on the table and stooping over to eat. They eat slowly and quietly. When they want more food, instead of speaking up, they use signs to indicate what they need by placing their chopsticks in a certain way. This is dignity, albeit external.

Nevertheless, external dignity alone is not as important as internal dignity, which takes precedence in True Buddha School. Inner dignity comes from within. True dignity is inner peace and serenity of the mind—a state without any thoughts.

What kind of dignity is the Buddha talking about in this chapter? It is the dignity that emerges when you [your mind] are still and serene. When you are unmoved and free of thoughts, that is true dignity. Serenity is dignity.

The Sixth Patriarch says, “Do not think of good or bad.” This means one should refrain from discerning whether something is good or bad—it implies not thinking of anything. A mind without any thought is serene. This is the dignity we are talking about. As soon as you feel anger, you have lost self-composure. Losing your temper, raising your voice, feeling indignation, and being rude mean you’ve lost your manners; this is wrong!

When you embody true dignity, your mind remains unperturbed and serene. Only stability and serenity are true dignity. That is the meaning of the title—only serenity is dignity.

Let me explain the content: A tathagata seemingly comes and goes and seemingly sits and lies down—in appearance, a tathagata is endowed with serene dignity. I have explained that tathagata means “seemingly come and seemingly go.” Both the One Who Seemingly Comes and the One Who Seemingly Goes are epithets for a buddha. When a tathagata appears—seemingly comes and seemingly goes—he appears serene. For a siddha (the one with attainment), a tathagata will be in their heart-mind or appear before them with a mere thought.

Yet a buddha or tathagata is omnipresent: existing everywhere, filling the whole universe as he is the cosmic space. A tathagata is unmoved and neither comes nor goes. The [Chinese character] “ru” means seemingly, indicating that a tathagata only seemingly comes and seemingly goes; yet in fact, a tathagata does not come and does not go. Only when a tathagata does not come or go is he called a tathagata.

The Buddha explained to Subhuti that if someone thinks that a tathagata seemingly comes to the saha world and seemingly leaves the saha world, or it seems that he sits and sleeps, then this person misunderstands the Buddha’s teaching. Why? Because a tathagata, to be called a tathagata, never comes and goes. Yet, when a tathagata seemingly comes and goes, he appears with serene dignity, which is being unmoved and serene. And this is the best kind of appearance of a tathagata [should he seem to appear in this saha world].

A buddha is not always inside your heart-mind but immediately appears whenever you think of them. You do not have to be in front of a buddha statue to pray to them. Instead, you can give rise to a thought, and a tathagata will appear before you.

I remember a song that goes, “When I think of you, you’re at the edge of the sky. When I think of you, you’re in front of my eyes. When I think of you, you’re on my mind. When I think of you, you’re in my heart.” Is it like that? Does it seem as if the buddha is at the edge of the sky? Not at all! Do they seem to be in front of your eyes? No. Instead, they are on your mind and inside your heart. Buddhas are everywhere—they are omnipresent.

Chapter twenty-nine, Serene Dignity, indicates that the greatest dignity is serenity and stability—not external dignity. When you are unperturbed, the buddha is within your mind. When you are serene, you are the buddha. You have become a buddha when your heart-mind is serene and immovable.

Nonetheless, if you think that a buddha comes and goes, sits and lies down, then you are mistaken—that is not a buddha. This is the meaning of Sakyamuni Buddha’s words. A true buddha fills the entire universe. They neither come nor go, and thus they are called a tathagata. [Tathagata is a different name for a buddha, so a buddha, too, does not come or go.] Now do you understand? Generally, without explanation, people don’t understand this passage. But now, you can understand it clearly, right?

From now on, when you recite this sutra, understand that serenity is dignity, stability is dignity, and that a buddha is equivalent to the cosmic space. Whenever you think of them, they enter your heart. When you hold them in your mind, then you are the buddha. A buddha or a tathagata has no forms, appearances, or phenomena; therefore, there is no coming or going or sitting or sleeping.

Om mani padme hum.