Describing the Indescribable

A Commentary on the Diamond Sutra

Hsing Yun, Tom Graham

• Publisher: Wisdom Publications
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780861718269
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

The Diamond Sutra is revered throughout Asia as one of the Buddha's most profound expressions of the nature of reality. A gem among the vast Perfection of Wisdom literature, the Diamond Sutra elicits an experience of eternal truth through its use of a seemingly paradoxical style, as the reader goes back and forth between "what is" and "what is not." Master Hsing Yun skillfully plumbs the depths of the Diamond Sutra, illuminating for us its power to change who we are and how we interpret our world.

1	The Causes of This Dharma Meeting

Thus have I heard.¹ At one time, the Buddha was in the state of Shravasti² at the Jeta Grove³ with a gathering of monks numbering 1,250. At mealtime, the World-honored One⁴ put on his robe, picked up his bowl, and went into the city of Shravasti to beg for food. After he had gone from house to house,⁵ he returned to the grove. When he had finished eating, he put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, straightened his mat,⁶ and sat down.

All Buddhist sutras begin with a description of the six basic causes or conditions that allowed the words of the sutra to be spoken and remembered. They all start with a sentence that goes roughly like this: “Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was in [such and such a place] where there was a gathering of people [to whom he was going to speak].” The six basic conditions described in this one sentence are as follows:

1.Thus. In this single word the condition of accuracy is met.

2.have I heard. In these three words, the condition of having someone to hear the Buddha and report on what he heard is met.

3.at one time. The condition of time is met.

4.the Buddha. The condition of having a buddha to speak is met.

5.at such and such a place. The condition of place is met.

6.a gathering of people. The condition of having an audience is met.

If even one of these six conditions had been absent, there would have been no talk, or no record of the talk. The Buddha taught that all things are caused — because there is this, there is that. If you take away this, you will also take away that. It is important to appreciate the causes and conditions that give rise to any event that we wish to understand deeply. This is especially true for the very profound causes that give rise to a talk by a buddha. A buddha comes into the world only if there are people who are prepared to listen to him.

As we ponder the causes that lead to the Buddha giving the teachings contained in the Diamond Sutra, it is important that we also contemplate the profound causes that have given rise to our being exposed to them now. While those of us who are alive today may not have the good fortune of hearing Shakyamuni Buddha speak with our own ears, we do have the good fortune of discovering this sutra. If conditions are right, we will encounter the Dharma in this life and find ourselves receptive to it. If conditions are not right, it will pass us by. Though we were not part of the original audience that was present at the Jeta Grove and who heard these teachings firsthand, we are very much part of the extended audience that is privileged to learn of them now.

THE “I” OF THE PHRASE “THUS HAVE I HEARD”

The Buddha spoke so often about “selflessness” and the emptiness of the self that one might wonder why all Buddhist sutras begin with the phrase “thus have I heard.” At an ordinary level, the “I” of this phrase refers to Ananda, one of the Buddha’s principal disciples. When the Buddha neared the time of his passing from this world, he told Ananda that all records of his teachings should begin with the phrase “thus have I heard.” The Buddha instructed Ananda to use this phrase so that people would know that what they were about to hear was a true teaching of the Buddha, honestly remembered by one of his most intelligent disciples. The Buddha chose Ananda to be the witness to his teachings because Ananda had been by his side for many years, and because Ananda had an excellent memory.

At a deeper level, the “I” of this opening phrase is simply a sign of the truth. It is a symbol of the many conditions that came together to produce a teaching by a buddha. In the deepest sense, there is no Ananda to hear and there is no Buddha to speak; the very medium of sound itself is empty of ultimate reality, as are the sense organs that perceive sound and the vocal organs that produce it. The Buddha’s instructions to begin all of his teachings with “Thus have I heard” was an act of compassion intended to lead sentient beings toward the truth. The phrase itself is not the truth, nor is the sutra the truth; they merely indicate the truth. They are like a finger pointing at the moon; it shows us where to look, but it is not itself the moon. The Diamond Sutra teaches us how to see beyond the delusion of self and beyond the many false things this delusion causes us to believe that we are perceiving. It teaches us that the “I,” which the ego believes is preeminent, is nothing more than an empty projection caused by the conditions of the body and conventions of speech.

“AT ONE TIME” INDICATES A REALM BEYOND TIME

All Buddhist sutras begin with the phrase, “Thus have I heard. At one time… ” This phrase does not indicate a specific time, but only a general notion of something occurring in time, or a general notion of many things coming together “at one time.” At an ordinary level, this time marker is used to assure people that the teaching in the sutra was actually spoken by the Buddha and heard by Ananda at a specific time. At a deeper level, time itself is dependent on the karma of the people gathered to listen to the Buddha. At a level even deeper still, all buddhas are entirely beyond time.

Just as we must appreciate the profundity of the causes that produce a teaching given by a buddha, so we must also appreciate the profundity of the phrase “at one time.” The enlightened consciousness of a buddha resides within truths that both transcend and suffuse all time everywhere. Time is not the same for all of us. Each one of us will have a different perception of when the Buddha spoke the teachings contained in the Diamond Sutra. To an ordinary person, the Buddha spoke the sutra 2,500 years ago; to an enlightened master, the Buddha is speaking the sutra right now. If our karma is right, “at one time” means now.

ULTIMATE WISDOM IS NOTHING IF IT IS NOT LIFE ITSELF

The first section of the Diamond Sutra details the most ordinary of activities — the Buddha takes up his bowl, begs for food, returns to Jeta Grove, washes his feet, straightens his mat, and sits. It is essential that one understand the unity of the ordinary and the ultimate, the commonplace and the transcendental, if one wants to understand the Diamond Sutra. This unity is a principal teaching of the Diamond Sutra. Like a great artist, the Buddha not only says what he means, he also shows us what he means. Ultimate wisdom and ordinary reality are inextricably entwined. They cannot be separated; even the Buddha had to get his own food and straighten his own mat. Ultimate wisdom is life itself seen in the clearest of lights; it is not some other world. The bliss of nirvana resides in each and every thing in the universe; nothing is excepted.

Master P’u Wan says that this sutra begins with a scene from ordinary life in order to “reveal the depth of the true mind,” and “to show people that the ordinary consciousness of daily life is no different from that of all buddhas.”

A story from the Ch’an canon elucidates this truth in another way:

One day during the T’ang Dynasty, Master Hui Hai went to visit Master Tao Yi (709–788). Master Tao Yi said, “Why have you come to see me?”

Master Hui Hai replied, “I came in search of the Dharma.”

Master Tao Yi said, “I don’t have anything for you here. You already have untold treasures within you. Why do you come to me looking for something I cannot give you?”

Master Hui Hai asked, “Then please tell me about the treasures you say that I have within me. Where are they and how am I to know them?”

Master Tao Yi said, “The moment you ask me that question — in that moment — the treasures that are within you are fully revealed. In that moment, everything within you is fulfilled, and there is no reason at all for you to seek anything outside yourself.”

In the Diamond Sutra the Buddha teaches us how to see ourselves in this light. He shows us how to awaken the entire fullness of our inner wisdom. He shows us how to understand that the bliss of nirvana lies in each and every thing in the universe, and that it does not lie somewhere else.

2	Subhuti’s Request

At that time the elder monk Subhuti⁷ was among the gathering of monks. He rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder,⁸ kneeled on his right knee, and with palms pressed together before him, respectfully spoke to the Buddha saying, “Rare One, World-honored One, the Tathagata⁹ protects and is concerned about all bodhisattvas,¹⁰ and he instructs all bodhisattvas. World-honored One, when good men and good women commit themselves¹¹ to highest complete enlightenment,¹² on what should they base themselves,¹³ and how should they subdue their minds?”¹⁴

The Buddha said, “Wonderful! Wonderful! Subhuti, you said that the Tathagata protects and is concerned about all bodhisattvas, and that he instructs all bodhisattvas. Now listen carefully while I tell you, when good men and good women commit themselves to highest complete enlightenment, on what they should base themselves, and how they should subdue their minds.”

“Excellent, World-honored One. I eagerly await your answer.”

In this section Subhuti stands and asks the Buddha to speak about prajna. Two questions may arise at this point. One of them is why did someone need to ask the Buddha to speak, why didn’t he just begin his talk without being asked? The other one is why are all of the other monks quiet, why does only Subhuhti rise to ask the Buddha to talk about prajna?

There are two basic reasons why the Buddha waited to be asked about this subject before speaking on it. The first is he wanted to emphasize the value of the teaching and inspire in his listeners a strong desire to learn. The second reason lies in the person of Subhuti. Subhuti had a reputation for understanding emptiness better than any of the Buddha’s other disciples. Indeed, the Buddha often asked Subhuti to explain emptiness to others. Thus, his rising to ask the Buddha about this subject is an indication of the profundity and completeness of the teaching that is about to follow. His seniority on the subject of emptiness is also the reason why he alone represented all of the other monks.

The great Chinese master Tao An (312–385 C.E.) said that all Buddhist sutras can be divided into three basic parts: an introduction to the teaching, the teaching, and a conclusion to the teaching. Section one was the introduction to this sutra. The two questions asked by Subhuti in this section begin the actual teaching of the Diamond Sutra. Simply stated, Subhuti asks the Buddha on what a person should base his mind and how he should control his mind. In asking the Buddha on what a person should base his mind, Subhuti is asking the Buddha about the foundation of consciousness. Since the foundation of consciousness is itself conscious, the Buddha’s answer can sometimes be hard to follow. Most of us are quite adept at thinking about things either outside ourselves or inside ourselves, as if the two were split apart. We are good at subject-object relationships, but less comfortable contemplating the awareness that underlies both our thinking and our “selves.” The Diamond Sutra will show us how to get past these difficulties and understand the very foundation of awareness.

When Subhuti asks the Buddha how a person should “subdue his mind,” he is asking the Buddha how to control defiled thoughts and tendencies; that is, thoughts and tendencies born of greed, anger, or ignorance. It is one of the Buddha’s teachings that once the defiled tende...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• Translator’s Preface
• Introduction
• Text of the Diamond Sutra
• Master Hsing Yun’s Commentary
• 1 The Causes of This Dharma Meeting
• 2 Subhuti’s Request
• 3 Part I: The Heart of the Mahayana
• 3 Part II: The Heart of the Mahayana (continued)
• 4 The Wonder of Behaving Without Attachment
• 5 Seeing the Truth That Lies Beneath Perception
• 6 The Rarity of True Belief
• 7 Nothing Has Been Attained and Nothing Has Been Said
• 8 Enlightenment Comes from These Teachings
• 9 The Four Fruits Are Empty
• 10 Making the Buddha Realm Magnificent
• 11 The Unconditioned Is Supreme
• 12 Honoring the True Teaching
• 13 The Name of This Sutra
• 14 Ultimate Tranquility Beyond Lakshana
• 15 The Goodness of Upholding This Sutra
• 16 Purification of Karma
• 17 Complete and Utter Selflessness
• 18 One Body Sees All
• 19 Universal Transformation Within the Dharma Realm
• 20 Beyond Form and Lakshana
• 21 Speaking the Unspeakable
• 22 The Unattainable Dharma
• 23 Perfect Equanimity
• 24 True Generosity Lies in Upholding This Sutra
• 25 Transforming That Which Cannot Be Transformed
• 26 The Dharma Body Is Without Lakshana
• 27 Nothing Is Ended and Nothing Is Extinguished
• 28 Not Receiving and Not Wanting to Receive
• 29 Awesome Tranquility
• 30 Compound Lakshana
• 31 Not Giving Rise to Belief in Lakshana
• 32 Like Shadows, Like Bubbles, Like Dreams
• Notes
• Glossary
• Suggested Further Reading
• About the Translator
• About Fo Guang Shan
• Also Available from Wisdom Publications
• About Wisdom Publications
• Copyright