《Multi-level learning of Shurangama Sutra

A brief explanation of the Shurangama Sutra of the Great Buddha's Pinnacle

《Multi-level learning of Shurangama Sutra

Explanation of Hengzheng's teachings. two ○○In Australia in October 2018

Opening verse

The supreme and profound subtle method is difficult to encounter in hundreds of thousands of disasters

Now I have seen, heard, received and uphold the true meaning of the Tathagata

One day in 1968, Master Xuan Gong ascended to his seat and preached the "Sutra of the Great Buddha's Summit to the Tathagata's Secret Causes to Practice and Verify the Truth of All Bodhisattvas' Ten Thousand Practices". Since then, the "Sutra of the Shurangama Sutra" has become the focus, and everything else has retreated second.

And I, a person who knows nothing about Chinese and Buddhism, has been deeply attracted from then on.I listened to Master chanting a passage of scripture slowly and then vividly explained its meaning.The master's clever and solemn Chinese speech conveys his gentle compassion, coupled with unexpected humor, and a keen awareness of the audience, these traits transcend language barriers.

However, it was not until I started translating in English and listening to the Master’s voice that I truly understood the meaning and resonated with the underlying wisdom, so I was able to see the meaning.I carefully wrote in my notebook: The Great Buddha's Head, the Tathagata's Secret Cause, the cultivation and verification of the meaning, the Bodhisattvas' Ten Thousand Practices, and the Shurangama Sutra.

In this way, Master began to teach us Westerners Buddhism.He did not fear difficulties, but chose a profound Mahayana sutra as our enlightenment.His explanation is positive and powerful, and he is not careless and relaxed.He boldly assumed that we had considerable ability to learn Chinese ──The Buddhist scriptures in classical Chinese and his brief explanation of vernacular Chinese ──And he can fully understand the mysteries declared by Shakyamuni Buddha in this unique sutra, and can also practice them personally.For example: During this period, some people started to eat vegetarian food and a meal, and I was one of them.This is quite difficult for Americans who have been accustomed to American food since childhood;The power of Master and the "Lingyun Sutra" helps us grow.

Not only did Master have such expectations for us, but we also began to expect ourselves in this way.When we learn the following passage:

For example, people use expressions as the middle time, when looking at the east, when looking at the south, when looking at the north, when looking at the south, when the body is mixed, the mind should be confused.

Those are like me ──Beginners without any Chinese background ──We can already recognize simple vocabulary like "man" and "middle", which inspired us to ask more and more questions and ask the scholars who are leading everyone to review every day, such as how the English translation corresponds to Chinese. ──If possible, explain verbatim;How to use Chinese-English dictionary;Which are Buddhist terms;Of course, I also asked what the whole sentence meant.

The meaning of this passage is: suppose someone uses a sign to represent "Chinese", and looking at the east side of this "Chinese", "Chinese" becomes Western;Looking at the south of this "middle", "middle" becomes north.In this way, the expression of the body becomes vague. By the same token, the meaning of saying that the mind is in "in" is also vague.

From this passage of scripture and the explanation of the master, we not only learned a new word "table", but when this word is used, it means "mark";When a verb is used, it means "mark".At the same time, we have also learned that the "heart" has always been assumed to be in the body, and is not such a convenient place as we firmly believe.

The person who said:

Buddha said: King!Although your face is wrinkled, your nature has never wrinkled when you see the essence.Wrinkle is change, and it does not wrinkle or change.Those who change are destroyed;Those who are unchanged will have no birth and death.What can you bear your life and death in the middle?

Like King Bosnag, we learned an important lesson ──Our self-nature is neither born nor destroyed.The English translation clearly conveys this meaning: Buddha said, king!Although your face is wrinkled, your sperm will not wrinkle.What will wrinkle is changing, what will not wrinkle is unchanged.What will change will be destroyed;That will not change, it is originally without birth and death.In this case, how could this viewing essence suffer from life and death like your body?

In addition, when the master recites the scriptures, we can point our fingers at the scriptures and keep up with the beats, and we are very happy that we have learned more simple Chinese characters, such as: Words, Kings, Life and Death.

By the way, I remember one day when I became an elder read:

If you see this thing, you can also see my view.If you see each other, it is called seeing me;When I don’t see, why not see where I don’t see?If you cannot see it, it will naturally be the appearance that you cannot see;If you don’t see the place where I don’t see it, it will naturally be nothing, so why is it not you?

My fingers slid across lines of words and recognized the twelve words "see", including "see" as a verb and "see" as a noun;The five characters "南", which are classical Chinese, means "I" and "my";There are two other words "ru", which are also classical Chinese, meaning "you" or "your".

However, even through English translation, I still don’t understand the meaning of this passage;However, this inspired me to study Chinese more diligently.

The newer translation of this passage is as follows:

If the nature of seeing is an object, just like other objects, can you also see my view?Suppose you say that when we look at the same thing, you see my nature;Then if I didn’t look, you should also see the “I didn’t look”. Why can’t you see it?Even if you can see the place where I "don't see", this is not the case where you can see the appearance that I "don't see"!Since you can't see me or that place or appearance, this "seeing" is naturally not a thing.So, how can you say that this "see" is not yours?

We listen to our masters' lectures every day, and then review our studies on "on the road, on food, and on the pillow". In this way, the three-month summer lecture on the Shurangama Sutra passed by.We study the principles, become familiar with the terms, gain new insights, and at the same time we start to try to put what we have learned into practice, meditate and explore;But in the end, far more than that, we have gradually become familiar with Chinese Buddhist terms word by word.

When summer is approaching and the master is about to preach the complete sutra, we truly realize how rich the Shurangama Sutra is. It clearly and clearly answers these questions: who we are, how we come from, what we are now, why we need to practice, where is our true destination, and when all this begins and ends.

《The last chapter of the Shurangama Sutra is said by Sakyamuni Buddha without asking, because the Buddha knew that no one knew how to ask questions at that time.This part is the supreme guide to meditation, in which the Buddha describes in detail the different realms we may encounter on our path of practice and guides us on how to avoid falling into the trap of our own.At the end of this part of the scriptures, the Buddha said:

Ananda!These are the five feelings of Yin, and the five delusions are fulfilled.Now you want to know that the depth of the world is only color and emptiness, which are the boundaries of color;Only touching separation is the marginal feeling;Only remembering and forgetting are thinking about the margins;Only death and birth are the boundaries of action;When you enter the clarity and become a clarity, you will be able to understand the boundaries.These five yin elements arise over and over again, and their birth is caused by consciousness, and their death is eliminated from form.The reason is sudden enlightenment, and the enlightenment is eliminated;Things must be eliminated suddenly, and they will be eliminated in sequence.

It has been decades since the master explained the "Lingyun Sutra".In this new Chinese version, we carefully copied and edited the Master’s explanation, hoping to record the mystery of the Master’s mind that Master wants to teach, so that readers can understand what Master has repeatedly emphasized: we must constantly study the "Lingyun Sutra" and practice according to the "Lingyun Sutra";And the master encourages everyone to maintain the "Lingyun Sutra" with all their hearts and preach the "Lingyun Sutra" because it is an extremely important teaching of the Buddha.

Over the years, disciples have kept in mind the importance that the master attaches to the "Lingyun Sutra": reciting the "Lingyun Sutra", translating the "Lingyun Sutra", explaining the "Lingyun Sutra", practicing the "Lingyun Sutra", protecting the "Lingyun Sutra", and promoting the circulation of the "Lingyun Sutra";Although not everyone can understand the truth suddenly, everyone is gradually cultivating the detailed meaning.

By preaching the "Lingyun Sutra", we can enter the door of Buddhism. Master not only gave us Dharma gifts, but also gave us fearless gifts.His confidence in the abilities of his disciples is more inspiring than anything else to do our best and move forward bravely.

【Editor's note] Master Hengchi, an American nun;Master Chi is one of the five American disciples who first followed his master to become a monk. He personally inherited his master's teachings for 26 years and has become a monk for 40 years.

2024-02-04 21:54

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