Day 5 Faith in Self, Faith in Method, Faith in Dharma | The Sword of Wisdom

The king in Dharma is the most superior;
The realization that countless Tathagatas are all alike.
Now I show you this all-giving pearl;

Believers are all in accord (with Dharma).There are two special terms in this stanza. One is the king in Dharma, which is a title for the Buddha. Here, it symbolizes ultimate Dharma. This highest Dharma is the sudden enlightenment teaching of the Ch’an tradition. Not only is it far superior to enlightenment experiences of outer path traditions, but it also exceeds the enlightenment attained by sages who follow the Hinayana path. The other term, the all-giving pearl ─ mani pearl ─ is a gem that grants all wishes. It refers to Buddha’s wisdom.

You must experience the highest Dharma in order to reach Buddhahood. The sudden enlightenment Dharma is experienced by all Tathagatas and is shared by all the Tathagatas in the ten directions. It does not require that one spend three great kalpas reaching Buddhahood. The moment one attains sudden enlightenment, one is exactly the same as the Buddha. The Dharma experienced by the Buddha is exactly the same as the Dharma one experiences at the moment of one’s enlightenment.

When a practitioner of gradual enlightenment reaches the first bhumi position of Bodhisattvahood, he experiences the Dharma that a Bodhisattva on the first bhumi level experiences. He has no idea what Buddhahood is like. If he reaches the arhat position of the Hinayana tradition, then he experiences what an arhat experiences, not what a Buddha experiences. But when one reaches enlightenment through sudden teachings, what one experiences is the same as Buddhahood. At most, great practitioners of outer paths may attain an illusory “no mind” state and the enlightenment of an arhat is a “no mind” state of emptiness. The enlightenment attained through sudden teachings, however, is a “no mind” state that is neither empty nor existent.

Do not misunderstand me. After you become enlightened, it does not mean you become a Buddha. When you attain enlightenment, what you experience is exactly the same as Buddhahood, but you are not a Buddha yet. The wisdom you acquire through the experience is the wisdom of Buddha, but your actions are still the actions of an ordinary sentient being. After you have an enlightenment experience, you must practice even more diligently in order to protect and nurture your holy embryo; it is a Buddha embryo, not a mature Buddha. Usually, after an enlightenment experience, you will have no difficulty practicing with determination, because your faith will deepen. But you are still an ordinary person. If you do not continue to practice, the experience and wisdom will regress and fade. You have to reinforce the practice by experiencing enlightenment again and again.

The line, “Now I show you this all-giving pearl, ” may be interpreted in two ways. In one interpretation, one can say that Yung-chia has revealed his own gem to us ─ he is sharing his wisdom with us; or, one can say that Yung-chia is encouraging us to discover the pearl within ourselves. Both interpretations are helpful for our practice.

The mani pearl represents ultimate wisdom. A Bodhisattva at the eighth bhumi level is free from any obstructions caused by material objects, or physical dharmas. A Bodhisattva at the ninth bhumi level is free from all mental dharmas. The mani pearl, however, is the wisdom of the Buddha, and is free from all material and mental dharmas. Its power is unlimited. However, one must discover it before one can use it.

Imagine a pearl hidden at the bottom of a muddy pond. A person learns that something valuable lies down there, so he probes the muck with a stick. After great effort, he manages to catch a brief glimpse of the pearl, but it is immediately obscured again. He has to make an immense effort to clear away all the mud, to uncover the pearl completely, and to ensure that it will never be hidden again. Only when the pearl is free from all obstructions will it be of any use to him. Actually, however, the mani pearl is not obstructed by anything. It is we who have obstructions which prevent us from revealing and using the pearl.

A person will practice extremely hard once he sees the mani pearl, or experiences genuine enlightenment. He realizes that such a thing exists, and that all he has to do is continue to clear away the muck of vexation. His faith is firm and unwavering. If a practitioner claims to have experienced enlightenment, yet puts little effort into his practice, then the validity of his experience is doubtful.
The Ch’an tradition, however, has stories which seem to contradict what I have just said. There is the story I previously related about two monks: one practiced diligently while the other slept all day. The first monk reprimanded the sleeping monk, “You should work harder. What’s happened to your practice?”

In reply, the second monk said, “I sleep. What other kind of practice would you have me do?”

You probably also remember the story where Master Pai-chang praised Huang-po, who was asleep in the Ch’an Hall, and scolded another monk, who seemed to be practicing vigorously.
The Sixth Patriarch, too, once said, “When neither hatred nor love disturbs the mind, you can stretch out your legs and rest.”

These anecdotes may seem to suggest that Ch’an practitioners do not have to continue their practice after enlightenment, but that is not the case. These special examples describe highly realized practitioners who have a firm understanding of Buddhadharma. They see the Buddha path clearly, and they proceed steadily. They have no doubts or confusion. Nobody or nothing can steer them off the path or cause their determination to slacken. On the other hand, a practitioner who is not sure what he is doing and is not clear where he is going still needs to practice in the usual fashion.
A fly trying to get out of a house buzzes around and bumps into windows and screens. It is active, but it does not get anywhere. It is similar to the practice of the unenlightened.

Deeply enlightened practitioners seem relaxed, even lazy, but they are actually working smoothly and steadily.

Do not feel sorry for the fly. Compared to someone who knows where the door is, the fly looks stupid, but at least it is making an effort to get out. Usually, people are not even as determined as this fly. Sooner or later, it will find an exit. The fly knows that it wants to get out, and it has faith that there is an exit. All it has to do is work hard. Do you have faith in yourself and the method? Are you working hard? Right now during this retreat, you may be like the fly, but after the retreat, will you still put effort into your practice? Probably, as you sit down in the evening to meditate, a friend will call and say, “Let’s go out.” You will go to Radio City Music Hall and meditate on the Rockettes instead of working on your method.

I cannot offer you a mani pearl, nor will I explain it to you. You must come to accept the sudden enlightenment Dharma on your own. It takes confidence. If you have the confidence necessary to practice hard, you will be able to accept Ch’an Dharma, and eventually you will reveal the mani pearl of Buddha’s wisdom.

In truth, however, there is no such thing as a mani pearl. Yung-chia clarifies this in the next stanza.

They clearly see that there is not a thing,
Neither person nor Buddha.
The numerous worlds in the great chiliocosm are bubbles in the sea,
All sages and saints are like lightning flashes.

In order to progress on the Buddha path, you must accept the Dharma of the mani pearl. On the other hand, you cannot cling to its existence. In fact, you cannot attach to any dharma. If a person follows this teaching and practices hard, he will attain enlightenment and eventually reach Buddhahood. At the beginning of the Buddha path, there must be an individual who accepts the teachings, and who then practices, eventually realizing Buddhahood. But if the practitioner is attached to his existence and cannot let go of the self, reaching Buddhahood will be impossible; if he is not attached to his self, but clings to the idea of Buddhahood, he will also never become a Buddha.

All phenomena are like bubbles in an ocean. They have no genuine existence. What we think are bubbles is only the movement of water. All the worlds in the universe and all the phenomena in this world are like bubbles in an ocean. Everything, including Samsara and Nirvana and sentient beings and Buddhas, is illusory.

All sages, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are like flashes of lightning. You can see lightning, just as you can witness the power and functions of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, but if you try to grasp lightning, or attach to the idea that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have concrete existence or self-nature, then you are wasting your time.

We accept that there is a mani pearl, but we should not think that the gem has a definite form or appearance. If it did, it would just be an ordinary pearl. It is precisely because the mani pearl has no definite form that it can generate unlimited power and perform innumerable functions.

Even if an iron wheel whirls on your head
Perfectly clear samadhi and wisdom are never lost.
You cannot cling to the idea that the mani pearl, or wisdom, has concrete existence. However, if you accept and realize “mani pearl” Dharma, then you will never lose the gem. The iron wheel is an ancient weapon ─ a spinning, red-hot wheel with sharp blades that cuts and sears anything it touches. Once you attain the mani pearl, nothing can deter you in your practice, not even this frightening weapon whirling on your head. Again, the pearl symbolizes perfect samadhi and wisdom.

You can interpret these lines another way: Once you accept Buddhadharma and follow its teachings, you should view your practice as the most precious thing in the world, more precious than life itself. Even if the iron wheel hovers over your head, you should not leave the practice or abandon the Dharma.

The sun may turn cold and the moon may turn hot.
But the demons cannot destroy the true teaching.
When an elephant marches gloriously forward,
How can a praying mantis bar its way?

We should have confidence in the Dharma, and we should be willing to do anything to protect it, even though there may be external forces trying to keep us from our practice. External forces may be powerful enough to cool the sun and heat the moon, but determined practitioners do not let them interfere with their practice. Here, on this retreat, we have only hot weather, sirens and firecrackers to distract us. They should not be problems. If you are ready to give up your life for the Dharma, if even the fearsome iron wheel cannot deter you, how can any external force disturb your practice?

The sudden enlightenment teaching is indestructible. Outer path practitioners and Buddhists of the gradual teaching may claim there is no such thing as sudden enlightenment, but criticism cannot destroy the Mahayana sudden enlightenment teaching. External forces that attempt to undermine sudden enlightenment teaching or fetter a determined practitioner are comparable to a praying mantis trying to bar the passage of a marching elephant.

There is a story behind this analogy, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period of China, several centuries before Christ. A king, riding in a chariot, noticed a praying mantis standing on its hind legs trying to block the wheel of his vehicle. He said, “How can such a small creature stop my chariot? It has no idea how powerless it is.” Outer path and Hinayana practitioners may snipe at Ch’an teachings, but they are not even remotely capable of overthrowing Ch’an Dharma.

The elephant does not follow the rabbit’s path;
The enlightened are not bound by trivial restraints.
Do not slander heaven when you observe it through a reed,
For those who do not yet know, I am giving you the key.One cannot judge thoroughly enlightened people by their actions. One cannot say whether their actions are sinful or sinless. Buddhist saints and sages appear to be no different from ordinary people, but they are. This creates problems. Since the time of the Buddha, people have judged saints and sages and have found faults and shortcomings in their actions; but they rely on their distorted, narrow-minded world view. Sages and great practitioners are open-minded in the truest sense of the word, and they have no concern for the petty conventions ordinary people prize so dearly.

Yung-chia reminds the unenlightened not to judge great practitioners, especially their own masters, by their narrow-minded standards. You study under a master in order to benefit from the Three Jewels. If you have doubts about the teacher, you will have no confidence, and your practice will suffer. That is your problem. You may even raise doubts in other students’ minds. That would still be your problem, and it would be pitiable.

A Chinese saying encourages us to see others with the eyes of human beings, not with the eyes of dogs. In China, dogs do not enjoy the same treatment and respect that they receive in the United States. The Chinese belief is that dogs will not bark at well dressed people, but will growl and snarl at people dressed in rags. Believing and following such stereotypes is sure to lead to mistakes, doubts and harmful behavior. Students should not doubt great practitioners, and most especially not their own masters. If you have no confidence in your master, what can you possibly learn from him or her?

An elephant treads a wide path, just as a great practitioner is broad-minded. Ordinary people are like the rabbit that scampers along a narrow path and hides in its burrow. The rabbit thinks the elephant is clumsy because it cannot walk down the narrow track, and claims the elephant has no social graces because it cannot fit inside its burrow.

A person who has never left a windowless house has no idea what the sky looks like. If he bores a small hole in the wall and peers through a hollow reed to examine the sky, he will conclude with certainty that the sky is a little round patch of blue. If you tell him about the sun and moon, clouds and rainbows, stars and galaxies, he will think you are crazy. Again, do not depend on your limited awareness to judge the actions of great practitioners.

On the other hand, although it is all right if a Ch’an master seems eccentric or outlandish to you, he should not feel that he is free to do anything he wants. Only under extraordinary circumstances should he use special methods to teach his students. Extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary methods. But, if he believes he is enlightened and has transcended the precepts and can, therefore, do and say whatever he pleases, he is not a true Ch’an master.

When Kumarajiva went to China in the fourth century of this era, the Chinese emperor thought that such a wise person ought to have descendants, so that his wisdom would carry on. He gave concubines to Kumarajiva, and since they were a royal gift, Kumarajiva had no choice but to accept them. Afterwards, his disciples asked, “Can we have relations with women too?”

Kumarajiva said, “Sure, but first, let me show you something.” He took a handful of needles and ate them as easily as if they were noodles. When he finished, he said, “If you can do that, then you can have relations with women.”

I hear many stories about the immoral behavior of Ch’an and Zen masters in America today. My attitude is this: If what is said about these Ch’an masters is indeed true, and if they did
indeed have sexual relations or break other precepts, then they are not true Ch’an masters. Nonetheless, they have served a good purpose in that they have brought the teachings of Ch’an to the United States. These people gave many Americans an opportunity they never would have had. The masters’ personal lives are their own problems, but people should be grateful to them for their contributions.

Indian mythology speaks of a special swan that can swallow the pure, nourishing cream from a mixture of milk and water, without drinking any of the water. American Buddhists should adopt a similar attitude toward questionable teachers. Study Buddhadharma with them, absorb as much good teaching as possible, and leave the bad karma where you find it.

I hope that you accept and practice the things you find good and beneficial in my teachings. You can give the parts you do not like back to me.

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