Day 6 Subduing Desires | The Sword of Wisdom

The dragon-subduing alms bowl and the staff that wards off tigers,
With the jangling of its two metal rings,
Are not outer forms of keeping the precepts,
But rather are holding the Tathagata’s staff and treading his path.

A puzzling stanza, yet the meaning is not difficult to discern. These verses describe how an enlightened person interacts with human beings. A monk’s needs for his daily existence are few and simple. He carries a bowl with which he begs for food, and he carries a staff, which has several functions. It serves as a walking cane; it is held across his shoulders to carry heavy objects; it is used as a measuring rod when he wants to cross a river ─ if he cannot find the bottom with the staff, then he knows not to ford the river at that point. The staff can also be used to ward off animals and predators in the mountains and forests.

At the tip of the staff there are usually a few dangling rings. This stanza speaks of two such rings. The short staff I use during retreat interviews has six rings. Wandering monks shook their staff and jangled the rings as they approached houses, letting people know ahead of time that a monk with a begging bowl was passing through.

In these verses, the bowl and staff have special symbolic meaning, as do the dragon and tiger, which the bowl and staff subdue and tame. First, the dragon and tiger symbolize the practitioner himself. An ordinary human being is filled with powerful energies, desires, ambitions and attachments. Yet, if a practitioner possesses only a staff and bowl, then he has reached a stage where he no longer has many attachments or powerful desires. His ferocious ambitions have been tamed. Subduing the dragon and taming the tiger refer to overcoming the attachment to power which is found within all of us. A practitioner who possesses only a bowl and staff has left behind the desire for power and wealth. He has also left behind his family and friends.

Second, subduing the dragon and taming the tiger refer to the practitioner’s ability to overcome the most powerful human beings, ghosts and deities. In order to accomplish this, he must give up everything. If he still relies on or possesses things, then he cannot subdue or tame anything. Instead, he will be subdued and tamed by that which he relies on. A king may subdue his people, but he relies on his power and army to do so. In fact, it is the king who is subdued by his power. Only the person who relies on nothing subdues everything.

Many times in Chinese history, emperors would send messages to monks, saying, “Come to me!”

Sometimes a monk would simply reply, “No.”

An emperor might threaten, “I’ll have your head cut off if you don’t come!”

The monk would return a calm message, “My head is here, my neck is waiting. Cut it off if it pleases you.”

In the end it was the emperor who had to make the journey in order to pay respects to the monk.

The image of a practitioner living a simple life, with only a staff and bowl, can awaken people who are immersed in or obsessed with power or material wealth. If the image of a simple existence can penetrate the thick crust of their complex lives, they may realize that what they have is temporary. They may choose to transform their outlook and emulate the pure simplicity of the monk’s or practitioner’s lifestyle.

A person who has left home to become a monk or nun can be above or below an emperor. People in the Orient who understand this pay their highest respect to left-home practitioners. In any gathering, members of the Sangha are offered the most prominent seats. The tradition continues even now. Generally, people realize that monks and nuns, in having no position, in fact have the highest position.

This tradition comes from India, because Indians have great respect for renunciants, Brahmins and practitioners. In China, the respect paid to monks and nuns has varied with the country’s view toward Buddhism. Depending on the rulers in power, the Sangha was either highly respected or treated like dirt. Those who do not believe in Buddhism will not respect Buddhist monks and nuns, whereas those who accept Buddhadharma will have great respect for them.

In this verse the left-home practitioner does not preach or spread the Dharma. The very appearance of a dedicated monk or nun is enough to inspire respect for the Dharma. Left-home practitioners represent the Buddha, and they should be recognized as such. On this retreat, every morning and evening, all of you prostrate to me. I hope you understand that you are not
prostrating to me as a person. I have no desire for such honor and respect. Whether you prostrate to me or ignore me is irrelevant. It is of no matter to me. You are prostrating to the Three Jewels ─ Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha ─ which I represent.

Not seeking the true, not rejecting the false,
Realize that both are empty and formless.
There is no form, no emptiness and no non-emptiness;
This is the true mark of the Tathagata.

The stanza before this one describes the external appearance of a monk or nun. This stanza describes the internal attitude of a Ch’an practitioner.

If you want to get enlightened, then you will not get enlightened. The more you think about reaching Buddhahood, the further from Buddhahood you will be. If, while meditating, you have an opposing attitude toward your wandering thoughts, then you will open the door for more wandering thoughts. You should not oppose anything in your practice or while meditating.
True practitioners who have already entered the door of Ch’an do not need methods of practice. But you have not entered the door of Ch’an yet, so it is still necessary to use a method. While you meditate, if you are always aware of your method, and remember to call it back when you have lost it in a flood of wandering thoughts, that is enough. Do not think about enlightenment. Do not resist wandering thoughts. If you feel any aversion toward them, it will only create tension in
your mind and body. Just keep to your method. This is the best attitude for a Ch’an practitioner. Everything is the complete totality of Buddha-nature. Why would you feel aversion toward anything?
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