:::Master Say:::

One of the major highlights of the “Prajna Heart Sutra” describes our own self. No matter what sutras we are studying, we need to have a basic concept that it is for the sole purpose of telling us about our own self. If you can always refer it to yourself, you will feel intimately connected. However, if you regard it as a knowledge or theory to study, you may find it very hard to understand.

(2) The essence of the “Mahaprajna Sutras”

Why is it named the “Prajna Heart Sutra”? “Prajna” is the core of Buddhism, and “mind” is its core and essence. In other words, the “Prajna Heart Sutra” is the core and essence of the “Mahaprajna Sutras” (on the Buddha Dharma taught by the Buddha). Many Dharmas are within the category of the Prajna, such as [Diamond Sutra] and the [Mahaprajna Sutra], and there are many others under this category. As this 260-word sutra is the essence of the [Mahaprajna Sutras]; therefore, it is named the [Prajna Heart Sutra].

(3) Prajna

What is the content of the “Prajna Heart Sutra”? Its focus is the “Prajna”. What is it? It is the origin and common phenomenon of all life. When simply observing our outward appearance, we all look different. However, from the perspective of the original form of life, there is no difference at all among beings. Therefore, “all beings are equal”; all lives come from the same source.

Many people have their “Maha-ba-ni-ya” (“Mahaprajna in Sanskrit pronunciation”) buried; in other words, they have their true self buried. Consequently, they are lost and unable to realize the true essence of life through phenomena. It is because they are quite different.

For example, let us look at this cup. We say it is motionless, lifeless, and stationary. However, based on scientific perspectives, all matter is composed of atoms, and electrons are continually swirling in atoms without stopping for a second. So, how can we say the cup is stationary? You cannot say it is motionless because your eyes cannot see its motion. It is absolutely a mistake. If we can use more superb eyes to view it (such as Buddha eye, Dharma eye, Wisdom eye etc. These eyes are much more superb than our naked eyes.), we definitely can see its true form and will not merely rely on our common sense to judge it as “motionless”.

The “true form” is constantly mentioned in Buddha Dharma. What is it? It is the original face, last face, and true essence of life. Why are we suffering through our journey of life? It is because we are deceived by our five senses to view things as stationary and motionless. In fact, they are not, and we mistake fakeness for truth. We all know that “everything can be created to be a trend”, and nothing can exist permanently. There is never a thing that can independently exist in the universe. When we see a bubble just popping out of water, then it is gone in the next second. Even our planet is just a temporary process in the grand scheme of the universe, and will not be eternal. As a process, it is not in the past, nor in the future. Consequently, it is “empty”, not “possessive”. If you think it is “possessive” and become attached to it, afflictions and worries will arise.

II. Interpretation on the essential highlights of the “Prajna Heart Sutra” [back to the top]

(1) Five Skandhas (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness) and Four Noble Truths (suffering, aggregation, cessation, and path)

Where are all afflictions from? They are from Five Skandhas. What are they? They are form, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness.

“Form” stands for all things that can be seen and touched. Our parents give us our flesh body, which is “form”. Moreover, all substances in the universe also belong to the category of “form”, because they are the results of the interactions between various causes and conditions.

“Feelings” are what we feel. Among our feelings, the lowest level of them are perceptions and impressions, then the impressions bring us experiences. For example, when we try to stop a child from drinking hot water, we normally fail. It is not until he is burnt by it; then he starts to be cautious and blows to cool it down. How to name this? It is “feeling”. After being burnt, the child then realizes it. Moreover, when eating delicious food, we can feel the nice taste. When listening to good music, we can feel the joy of enjoying a great melody. When seeing a beautiful painting, we can feel the beauty of art.

Afterwards, we compare, analyze and choose all our feelings, impressions, and experiences to bring out our “concepts”. By means of all these low-grade impressions and experiences, we are nurtured to be able to think in an advanced way. In fact, the function of this advanced thinking, which results from the analysis, comparison, induction and deduction of our impressions and experiences, is referred to as “perceptions”.

Lower-level animals do not possess cognitive functions of thinking; therefore, their behavior is also low-level. Basically, they only own instincts. What are instincts? Each of our organs has its own function, and it reflects its needs. When our stomach is empty, we will feel hungry and crave food. As far as general animals are concerned, their basic instincts are eating food, sexual desires, and self-defense. They do not have any superior “behaviors”. However, human beings possess “concepts” so that their cognition can guide them to behave; that is the special behavior of human beings. All of these are within the range of “impulses”.

As our “behavior” is guided by our cognition, they are reactions from our “discrimination”. Various behaviors result from our “discriminating” mind and “consciousness”. What is “consciousness”? It refers to your non-stop thinking. Though sometimes you feel yourself free from any ideas, you still possess a solitary consciousness. In other words, you do not think you are thinking; however, in reality you are thinking. This is called “consciousness”.

Consequently, the way of practice is to constantly know “what you are thinking”. If you do not even know what your brain is thinking about at the moment, you will never be able to sense any afflictions when they arrive. When people cannot perceive their own afflictions, they are dominated by “ignorance”, real “ignorance”.

The source of human afflictions comes from the Five Skandhas, which are “form, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness”. Why is it referred to as the “Five Skandhas”? Skandha means aggregation. To accumulate more and more aggregations from these five aspects builds up the foundation of our suffering.

In the “Heart Sutra”, it states there is “no suffering, aggregation, cessation, and path”. However, the true essence of life is suffering. Not only you and I suffer, so did Hitler, Emperor Qin Shihuang, and Emperor Han-wu. No one is exceptional. Though Emperor Qin owned absolute power to dominate everything, he could not make himself immortal. He tried to flee from death, and was deceived by Fu Hsu (who went abroad to look for a potion of immortality, but never returned). Before he passed away, he was so devastated by being fooled. That was why he suffered. Suffering is the other name of afflictions. Where is it from? It is from “aggregations”, those five aggregations (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness). What then is “path”? The “path” is the way leading you to cease all those aggregations. “Suffering, aggregation, cessation, and path” is the Buddhist “Four Noble Truths”, which refers to four kinds of truths.

(2) Guanzizai, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, (Chinese translation [觀自在菩薩] of the Holy Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva by Master Xuanzang[玄奘]) when deeply practicing the Prajnaparamita perceives that all Five Skandhas are empty.

At the beginning of the “Heart Sutra”, it mentions “Guanzizai Bodhisattva”. What does “Guanzizai” mean? It means to “comfortably look down from on high”. After having fully observed the universe and human lives, the Holy Lord cannot find any trace of conflicts.

If you ask a person, who is not a carpenter, to make you a table, will he feel comfortable? Surely, he will not. If you ask a person, who is not a midwife, to help deliver a baby, can he deal with it comfortably? If you use these cases to explain “comfortable”, you are surely mistaken.

The so-called “comfortably looking down from on high” is referring to the mentality of Avalokita, the Lord and Bodhisattva, when He was moving in the deep course of Prajnaparamita. His Prajnaparamit is overwhelmingly profound. As far as its depth is concerned, there are different scales. When I just arrived here, I could feel the atmosphere of An-Hsiang, and that was the Prajnaparamita. If in the past, you could not attain An-Hsiang, but now An-Hsiang constantly stays, it manifests that your Prajnaparamita has gone deeper. If you want to reach the deepest, you must totally forget what it is all about. Why? It is because you ARE the Prajnaparamita, and needless to look for something you have already owned. At this stage, it must be extremely deep in you. With this depth to “comfortably look down from on high”, you will no longer doubt or be deceived by anything appearing in front of you, and you can identify their true essence at first sight. Why? It is because your practice of Enlightenment has reached the very origin where nothing ever happens.

When we were just born, we were even not bothered about eating fecal matter because we did not have any consciousness to “discriminate” between things. Our mind of “discrimination” is gradually formed by the inertia of recording. From the perspective of the Consciousness-Only School, it refers to “egocentrism”, and “the Seventh Manas Consciousness”. When “I” arise in your mind, you start to have thoughts like: I love this, I do not like this, I like to play with him, or I hate to be with him. All those ideas come from the mind of “discriminating forms”; then you start getting afflictions.

What does the “ta” in “Maha-prajna-paramita” mean? It means to arrive or achieve. When your “Mahaprajnaparamita” has reached a profound state, you will perceive that all those five aggregations are empty. Why are we feeling headache (using brain causes headache)? It is because we “discriminate” instead of “reflecting” forms. If we do not “discriminate” but “reflect” all occurrences, the Five Skandhas will not appear. Referring to “reflecting”, Zhuangzi gave it the best interpretation: “A saint uses his mind as a mirror.” Similarly, the mind of an enlightened practitioner can be likened to a shard of mirror. It precisely reflects whatever comes, and returns back to its original shine without holding any reflection. He knows clearly who comes to him, and will never mistake a boy for a girl. No matter whatever happened; it was in the past. All gone! Only brightness and spirit are left, but not any image of reflection.

Generally, people are apt to use their brain as a recorder. It is similar to having done a painting on a piece of paper. Can you do a second one on the same paper? If you did, it must look quite messy. Consequently, a recorder-like brain will become limited, fixed, lifeless, and lose its talents.

What does it mean by “reflecting”? Originally, “Mahaprajnaparamita” functions to “reflect”, but not “discriminate”.

What is “Mahaprajnaparamita”? It is our original face before being polluted. It is also the origin of our life, the reason why all beings are equal, and the basis of the equality between one and others, sentient beings and the Buddha. All of the above statements are referring to “your true self”. It is not only the concept of Buddha Dharma, philosophy states the same: “All truth is original and universal.” As it is original, so you can investigate your thoughts. Are they original? No, they are not. Is the earth original? No, it is not. According to the nebular hypothesis, the earth went through three processes: gas, liquid and solid, of a nebula to form. When its environment was ready for survival conditions, creatures appeared. In reality, did the earth originally exist? No, it did not. It is like our human body. Originally, it did not exist. It requires the genetics of our biology to produce a life. Though it is originally formless, it is not free of perception.

When you do not need to discriminate to tell right from wrong, men from women, you are “reflecting” to view. When you judge a book by its cover and starting commenting and overanalyzing a person on first sight, you are discriminating instead of reflecting. Once you start discriminating, your attachments begin to accumulate. Gradually, you forget the truth, and keep going astray deeper and further. Eventually, you have become totally lost. Consequently, we must “reflect”, then the Five Skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness, will become useless so as to be empty. It is because when the true self appears, you will not need the fake one. Being able to remove the restraint of the fake surroundings, you can claim to be “liberated”.

(3) Form does not differ from emptiness.

When you can perceive the Five Skandhas are all empty, and can also get rid of all of them (those satisfy our physiological conditions and functions), you can then claim that “form does not differ from emptiness”.

Why is it that “form does not differ from emptiness”? Whatever we see now, they originally do not have their own beings; neither will they have in the future. They are all just a temporary phenomenon. Consequently, “form” does not differ from “emptiness”. As far as the universe is concerned, space is infinite and time is unlimited. Using the same perspective to view the earth, we know it has its finite lifespan. Therefore, Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, “reflects to see”, using his eye of wisdom to see and can never be confused by phenomena. He can perceive that the true essence and reality of all these phenomena are “empty”. Conclusively, you should use the wisdom eye to view everything, and do not be attached to any of them.

(4) Far apart from any perverted delusion, He dwells in Nirvana.

Why does the [Prajnaparamita Sutra] tell us about these? It is because though living in the realm of phenomenon, we must spiritually surpass all forms to be able to live a free and comfortable life.

The purpose of all the Buddhist scriptures aims to help us being relieved from the suffering of birth, aging, sickness and death. They teach us not to attach to our self, not to have our true life buried. At least, we should learn how to live a free and happy life. Indeed, when people are free from any attachment, they are surely free and happy.

How can you be free from attachments? You can say to use a “straight mind”, or “assimilate your mind to be as a mirror”. However, to say to have your [“Maha-ba-ni-ya”] (Sanskrit’s pronunciation of Mahaprajna) revealed is the utmost saying. “Maha-ba-ni-ya” can make Bodhisattvas far apart from all perverted delusions. To “pervert” is to mistake wrong for right, and fault for truth. After being apart from all the perverted delusions, they eventually dwell in Nirvana. What is Nirvana? It is “Ni-er-ba-na” (Sanskrit pronunciation). What is it? It is “Concentration (Samadhi), Wisdom, Completion, and Brightness”. “Concentration” refers to stability; “Wisdom” refers to full wisdom; “Completion” refers to the enlightenment of life; “Brightness” refers to the radiation of light”.

(5) All Buddhas of the past, present and future, depend on Prajnaparamita (the Perfection of Wisdom) to attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi (the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment).

How to interpret “ All Buddhas of the past, present and future, depend on Prajnaparamita (the Perfection of Wisdom) to attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi (the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment.)”? It means all Buddhas attain “the utmost, right and perfect enlightenment”. “Utmost” refers to the most superb; nothing can go beyond it. “Right” refers to your original perception of life. “Perfect” refers to the correct feeling, awakening and enlightenment. How can they attain it? It is all because they depend on “Maha-ba-ni-ya”, the “true self”, to be able to attain it. Therefore, we realize that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas depend on “Maha-ba-ni-ya” to be liberated to become saints.

Obviously, Mahaprajnaparamita is the source of our life, and also is the sufficient condition for us to achieve our Buddhahood. Buddhist scriptures state: “All beings are originally a Buddha.” How explicit the statement is! It is simply because we have our self buried, not because “We are not a Buddha.” After having restored and revealed our original Buddha Nature, we can become a Buddha again. As ancient saints said: “An old Buddha was newly reborn.” Originally, you were a Buddha; however, you just had yourself buried. Now, by means of awakening, you can successfully restore your Buddhahood.

(6) The pronunciation and meaning of the Holy spell of the “Heart Sutra”.

With regard to the Holy spell at the end of the “Prajna Heart Sutra”, its pronunciation and meaning are as following:

Ge-da ge-da: Go! Go!

Ba-la ge-da: Go on the other shore!

Ba-la-song ge-da: All of you go on the other shore!

Bu-da-so-ha: Go to fast complete your awakening!

“Bu-da” means Buddhas, who have become awakened.

The Holy spell of the “Prajna Heart Sutra” means: “Go! Go! Go on the other shore! All of you go on the other shore! Go on to the other shore where you can be liberated with the great wisdom of your mind.” Why to make such a long spell? It is because apart from your mind, you cannot be liberated. As the whole grand universe is your mind; therefore, wherever you go, it is in your mind. I can only roughly explain it as is.

(7) “Mahaprajna” is the core of the Buddha Dharma

Having constantly lectured on “Buddha Dharma”, what have I lectured about? It is about “you”, “I”, our mind, the effect, form, function and weakness of our life. Meanwhile, I also point out “What our true life is”. Consequently, we say that Buddha is the loving father of the three realms so that his great compassion can relieve us from the sea of suffering and enable us to live freely and happily. We must live the life of the “true self”, namely, the life of “Maha-ba-ni-ya” to achieve the highest state of life. Well, how to achieve it? The only way is to practice “Buddha Dharma”.

III. The Classification of Buddhism [back to the top]

Buddha Dharma is usually used as a generalization for Buddhism overall. In fact, after observing the performance of the whole Buddhist community, we can further classify “Buddhism” into the following categories.

(1) The Buddha Dharma

The first is the Buddha Dharma. What is it? It outlines how to achieve Buddhahood in a direct way without referring to any theory. In fact, originally there is no theory, and ultimately, no theory can be related. “Maha-ba-ni-ya” is absolutely unrelated to any theory. What is the essence of a theory? It is the discriminating mind. Without a discriminating mind, there is no theory. When you stop discriminating, no theory will arise in your mind. Therefore, Buddha Dharma is the way to achieve Buddhahood, and its teaching is straight and direct. I would generally present it as follows:

(A) The Esoteric School

The practice of the Esoteric School involves the dissolution of the profane world and identification with a sacred reality (namely, to open one’s soul). When “the three mysteries of body, speech and mind correspond to those of the Buddha’s, one’s Buddhahood is achieved….”. With regard to the Ch’an School, it asks its practitioners to investigate a topic with a speculative mind. The more speculative you are, the more awakened you become. Otherwise, no enlightenment can be achieved. This is what the Ch’an School teaches. However, if Esoteric followers apply the guidelines outlined by the Ch’an School to practice, they are doomed to fail. It is surely a huge mistake! The reason is that the Esoteric School emphasizes the full faith of a follower. As long as they have faith to follow all the instructions, such as reciting a mantra, contemplating, and doing mudras, they can definitely achieve their Buddhahood. They can never have doubt but need to diligently practice whatever they are instructed. They are told that if they can practice with patience and spend enough time, they are assured to be successful. Moreover, their guru even swears to assure their success: “if you fail in practice, I would be drawn down to the 18^th floor of the Hell.” Indeed, the deep faith and serious vows make its followers completely obedient.

(B) The Ch’an School

Nevertheless, the Ch’an School is different. The Ch’an School emphasizes that you cannot rely on the Buddha to save you; you only deserve what you have put into your practice. You need to practice to achieve your Buddhahood; people who help your practice do not make you a Buddha but instead make themselves a Buddha. Therefore, you must be speculative to discover your own concerns and solve them. Consequently, Ch’an practice involves the formation of doubts. When these doubts are resolved, you can be instantly enlightened to see the attribute of life and become a Buddha.

What is Buddha? It is the awareness that makes you awaken to discover “what the true life is?” The awakening makes you realize “The fake self is not my eternal life”. “All truth is original” as claimed by philosophers can also be applied to Buddha Dharma. How to apply it? When you respectively analyze the conditions and contents of life as such: “Did I originally possess a body of flesh? No, I did not. Did I originally have thoughts? No, I did not. Did I originally have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and consciousness? No, I did not.” Consequently, there are “no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and consciousness”. You can put them aside, as originally they did not exist; then you can investigate what is still there in your life? The only thing you eventually cannot get rid of is “Mahabaniya”, which is your true life. When “Mahabaniya” is revealed, you can still lead a normal life, such as eating, sleeping, watching television, listening to music etc.; however, you are absolutely free of any discriminating mind. When watching television, your eyes are no longer likened to a video recorder; while listening to music, your ears just listen and let it pass through without recording. I used to joke about an experiment you guys can do. Namely, “when we chat together, you know everything I say because my talk is very ordinary and common. However, when you get home, I guarantee that you cannot remember whatever I say. If you do not believe it, you can personally do the experiment.” Why does it happen like that? When “Mahabaniya” radiates, it dissolves our discriminating mind. Therefore, what you can bring home is nothing but the mind of An-Hsiang. When “Mahabaniya” is revealed, if your mind is less polluted (“a mind of less resistance” is the term I used to refer to), you can clearly perceive that your mind is free of any thought and you are not sleeping or dozing, instead, you are fully awake. That is the perception of “Mahabaniya”. You must grasp it and behold it. That is what the Ch’an School addresses: “maintaining to keep”.

(C) The Pure-Land School

The practice of the Pure-Land School is to chant Amitabha. Is there a pure-land? Yes, there is. “When the mind is pure, so is the land.” Wherever you go, you do not aim to gain anything. It is because you do not intend to gain anything; therefore, a pure land appears wherever you are. To chant Amitabha is also a method of practice. When you reach the state where “chanting equates to non-chanting, and vice versa”, you will be free of any thought except the name of Amitabha and then go further to even let go of it. At that moment, to investigate “What is it? What isn’t it?”; then the true mind will appear. If there is a master right beside to awake you, you can instantly become enlightened. Otherwise, you may just let it pass by.

Though it is so precious to have “Mahabaniya” revealed, your realization is even more valuable. Otherwise, you can only let it pass by. If you do not realize its revelation, you are occupied with “ignorance”. You need to know: “Wow, it is my original self!” Indeed, the mere difference lies in “knowing or not-knowing”.

(D) Several Trends of The Ch’an Practice

The Buddha Dharma is referring to a method about how to become a Buddha, but not how to find truth. People who possess strong discriminating minds cannot practice the Buddha Dharma. If they do, they will not succeed. If they go for the esoteric practice, they will become obsessed by devils. If they do the Ch’an practice, they may fall into the following forms of the Ch’an:

(D.1) The first is a “Verbal Ch’an”. People can talk about the Ch’an, but they do not reach the state. On the surface, they seem to fully realize the “truth”; however, in reality, it is extremely hard for them to penetrate the “truth”. Moreover, they do not implement the practice. Consequently, it is named as a “Verbal Ch’an”.

(D.2) The second is a “Text Ch’an”. They can write well about the Ch’an”; however, they cannot attain their fair share of the Ch’an. Therefore, it is named a “Text Ch’an”.

(D.3) The third is a “Kudzu Ch’an”. People, who focus on investigating those ancient “public records” (Gong-an), try to realize what they are. Though they are wracking their minds, they are unable to figure them out, yet not willing to let go. Once they happen to understand one of them, they think they have found the truth and become enlightened. Therefore, it is named a “Kudzu Ch’an”.

(D.4) The fourth is a “Wild-Fox Ch’an”. People use their discriminating mind to fully pursue the truth. All of a sudden, they seem to have found the truth; however, they do not “implement” the practice so that they cannot reach the state where Mahabaniya is. What they have done is to enhance their discriminating mind to pursue the truth. Though the result is very similar, it is not the same. Therefore, it is named a “Wild-Fox Ch’an”. It is inevitable that ancient folks criticized the “Verbal Ch’an”, “Text Ch’an”, “Kudzu Ch’an” and “Wild-Fox Ch’an”.

(D.5) The fifth is that some people practice to know the truth and no longer feel doubtful, but do not “implement” their practice. As a result, they cannot reach the state to become a saint. Saints are radiating the light of life, but they are not. Though they realize much about life, their life is still out of light. Therefore, it is named the “Halfway Ch’an”, as they only reach half of their practice.

(D.6) The sixth refers to some people who have reached the state where they can make their life radiating, implement their practice, and possess the perception. However, when you ask them about the Ch’an, they cannot tell you anything about it. Moreover, they can never help people become liberated. Therefore, it is also named the “Halfway Ch’an”. They are likened to a dragon trapped in sleepy shallows, and cannot make waves or reveal the great merits of the Ch’an. Their life seems crouching and atrophying down in the pond.

Speaking of the Buddha Dharma, its general situation is as stated.

(2) The Buddhist Scriptures

Speaking of the Buddhist scriptures, the Schools of the Flower Adornment, Tian-tai, and the Consciousness-only all fully involve heavily researched theories, particularly the School of the Flower Adornment. Quite a large number of people specialize in researching the Flower Adornment Sutra. They focus on investigating the worlds of noumena and phenomena, and try to reach its middle way to become liberated. Some other Buddhist researchers use graphic equations and algebraic coordinates to explain the “Heart Sutra”. They use precise graphics to explain what “Four-wisdom, Eight-consciousness, Five-aggregation, Six-root, Six-dust etc. etc.” mean. They transform it into a special knowledge. They do not care about its practice, neither the revelation of the “Mahabaniya”. They simply spend their whole life researching scriptures. It is concluded as the Buddhist Scriptures.

With regard to those authentic Buddhist researchers, such as Master Xuan-zang, they are fully engaged in speculating all the Buddhist theories without a second of termination. It is not until they can no longer find anything more to investigate; the true state then appears. Therefore, authentic Buddhist researchers can also possibly be liberated. It all depends on whether they possess sharp faculties, and whether there is an intelligent master nearby to guide them. Otherwise, they may just waste their whole life on research and are unable to find the key.

(3) The Buddhist Path

What is the “Buddhist Path”? It is the way leading you to become a Buddha. It involves the learning of the Buddha’s “3000 awesome deportments and 80,000 subtle aspects”. For example, as the Buddha went into the city of Shravasti in his robe holding a bowl to beg for food, you also need to hold a bowl to beg for food.

The typical advocator of the Buddhist Path is the “School of Nan-Shan”, also named the “School of Vinaya” (Lu-Tsung律宗). It guides you on how to eat, talk, walk, sit, and sleep with manners. You are only allowed to have one meal a day, which is lunch. There is no breakfast, nor dinner to offer. If you suddenly get sick and need to eat, you can only cook congee as medicine to take. This is the Buddhist Path. In fact, the Buddha did not practice so ascetically.

Nowadays, the Buddhism is generally divided into these three sections. Then, which section is the best for you to learn? It is the Buddha Dharma that emphasizes the method to make you a Buddha.

IV. “Mahaprajna” is the truest Buddha Dharma. [back to the top]

(1) “Mahaprajna” refers to “the equality among all beings; one does not differ from others”.

The Buddha Dharma emphasizes “the equality among all beings; one does not differ from others”. What does “one does not differ from others” mean? It means that you and I are the same. What is it referring to? Based on the essence of life you are not different from me. With regard to “all beings are equal”, it means that no matter which social rank you are from, rich or poor, authorities or civilians, our origin and essence of life is completely identical. The equality is not only applied among all beings, but also between ordinary people like us and the Buddha. Why is it equal? It is because the essence of our life is the same.

I once asked a Ch’an member: “Are you scared of ghosts?” He answered: “Yes, I am.” I used to be like him, but now I am not scared of any ghosts. Why not? Firstly, I have completely realized and seen the eternity of life. As long as you and ghosts are not in the same cluster, they will keep away from you and do not treat you as a friend. Secondly, when your “Mahabaniya” is revealed, like what you experienced yesterday afternoon (the perception of mind), you will not sense the perception of fear at all. Let us use the present mentality to deal with it. At present, you are not even scared of the lord of the Hell, let alone ghosts. Why is there the change? It is all related to “Mahabaniya”. When it appears, you surely have nothing to fear, and far apart from all the perverted delusions. Your only possession is the “straight mind”. What is it? It is the mind free of any discrimination.　　

(2) “Mahaprajna” refers to “no discrimination” but only “reflecting”.

Speaking of “no discrimination”, you may easily misunderstand that “If I do not discriminate, I may step into a ditch when walking. When I am having snacks, I will mistake cigarette butts for nut seeds.” If you think so, you are totally mistaken. To a person who possesses very deep An-Hsiang, he does not discriminate, nor possess any ideas. However, he can still carry on a normal conversation with you, and live a normal life like having meals and drinking tea. Nevertheless, he truly does not discriminate and is free of any ideas. Please do not think people of “no discrimination” equivalent to wooden men, and people without any ideas are numb and dumb. It is absolutely not true. In fact, “no discrimination” is referring to “reflecting”. The images reflected from a mirror are much clearer than what your naked eyes can see. To take myself as an example, if I do not wear glasses, I cannot tell whether it is a man or woman in the photo. Indeed, without wearing glasses, I cannot see clearly men or women in the distance. I believe those two people with glasses in the audience are just like me. Consequently, your eyes are not as reliable as a mirror. If your mind is likened to a mirror, you surely will be more objective.

Please do not misunderstand that “no discrimination” refers to malfunction so that people become unable to walk, talk, or take things etc.. It will not be like this. Let us look at the case! When Tai-yen Chang (章太炎a famous scholar) once concentrated on reading and forgot to have his dinner, his sister brought him a plate of sticky cake and a plate of white sugar, then told him: “This is sticky cake, and this is white sugar, please finish them before going back to study.” He was so focused on reading that he did not look at the plates. He simply grabbed the cake and dipped it into sugar then ate it till he finished it. A while later, his sister came to collect the plates and was shocked by seeing him with a black mouth. Was he poisoned? No! He just dipped the cake into ink instead of sugar. He was not free of discrimination, but only focused his mind of discrimination on the books. He was so focused on his study. Haven’t I always mentioned about full concentration? When you are completely focused on something, you become absent-minded and sightless. It is true that his mind was fully focused without any distraction, and that is the way to do research. However, the way he led is deviating from the middle way.

What is the “middle way” referring to? If you typically need three bowls of rice to feel full, now you are only given one bowl. Surely, you still feel hungry. However, if you are forced to finish five bowls of rice in one sitting, you must feel stuffed. Therefore, to give you exactly three bowls is the middle way. The middle way refers to “hitting” the bull’s-eye target. It does not go between yes and no, right and wrong, or simply accept everything. It is not like that.

(3) Only after having been transmitted with the state of mind, can we initiate our true practice.

It must rely on an “affiliation” to initiate your true practice. An “affiliation” refers to a condition. What is it? It is a conductor. When you want to turn a light or lamp on, you need to plug it into a switch. If there is only a switch but lack of a cable, the condition is inadequate. Therefore, the cable is the condition needed for the light to be on. Similarly, if you intend to become enlightened, you must realize what the flavor of “Mahabaniya” is because enlightenment is the revelation of “Mahabaniya”. You must realize its flavor so that you can maintain to keep it. Then, who can give you the flavor? You must know someone who has the flavor, and he can pass it on to you. In other words, he can infect you with the flavor to create a resonance between your two minds. A nobler interpretation is that his light can synchronize your collective minds. In the Ch’an terminology, it is named “the transmission between minds; no difference among minds”. It is likened to printing a stamp. Wherever the stamp prints, they all look exactly identical. Their shapes and essences are exactly the same.

(4) An-Hsiang refers to “Mahaprajna”.

No matter what happens, if you live in this phenomenal world and do not know why you are worried, relaxed, or happy, you are obsessed with “ignorance”. When you suddenly feel worried and cannot find a reason, or suddenly feel happy without knowing why, you are still maneuvered by “ignorance”.

The so-called “contrast is not true”, and what is it? Worry and happiness contrast with each other; therefore, they are not true. We should not get excited, because we will become emptier after an excitement. What should we behold? We should maintain the An-Hsiang of our mind. The An-Hsiang beheld in our mind is the “Mahabaniya”. The Buddha claims “all beings are originally a Buddha”. Consequently, all of us originally were a Buddha; the same as the Buddha. The only difference is that He has been awakened, but we have not yet. We still think that “I am I, and you are you.”

(5) The purpose and attitude of the Buddhist practice

The purpose of the Buddhist practice does not aim to attain knowledge, theories, or preach the Dharma. It is to achieve one’s Buddhahood. If you say, “to become a Buddha is beyond my competence!” You are way too humble and simply looking down upon yourself. Learning Buddhism means to achieve one’s Buddhahood. Our legitimate attitude should be “both existent and surpassing”. Though we are living in the phenomenal world, we use the mind of “Mahabaniya”, which is the mind of the true world, to lead our life. In this way, no worries can pollute our mind. When our mind is free of discrimination and full of “Mahabaniya”, we will become friendly and popular among friends. Why is it? It is because the mentality will make us look natural, relaxing and true; meanwhile, we will not show off or brag about our generosity.

(6) The flavor of “Mahaprajna”

That is how “Mahaprajna” manifests, and it is very ordinary. I believe all of you have perceived it. There is no dozing, nor having any idea. Yes, that is it! Whatever comes now, you can clearly sense it. As ancient folks said, “your brain is very clear, and you will not step into a ditch or a rice field when walking.” Indeed, needless to worry, your life will be exactly the same as before. As ancient saints said, “Though you look the same as before, your conduct and mentality are different now.” Truly, you are leading an identical life; however, your perception of life is no longer the same now. This perception addressed in the Buddha Dharma is called the “authentic perception” as quoted in “attaining the authentic perception” by master Zhi-Huang in the [Sixth-Patriarch Platform Sutra].

We should always keep our mind open and relaxed. Usually, we find ourselves worries. In other words, we create our own worries. We should not live with worries, because they will make the light of our mind dimming. On the contrary, if we are relaxing and cheerful, the light of our mind can be boosted to radiate. When it is radiating, our life becomes auspicious wherever we are.

A person who is good at playing his wits is absolutely not wise or smart. Indeed, people with a strong mind of discrimination are not smart at all. Only after your “Mahabaniya” is revealed, can you attain the authentic Samadhi (concentration).

V. The way of “watching mind” [back to the top]

(1) Practitioners should not fall into the trap of a “dull emptiness” and delusions.

Speaking of “sitting motionlessly”, the sixth Patriarch said: “being motionless is being motionless; motionless people cannot cultivate the seed of Buddha”. It is mistaken to “sit motionlessly”. We often have some quiet moment or active time. Now we are all sitting. Is there anything wrong with us? If you sit purposely at the wrong time, and claim that you are doing inevitable practice, it may not be right.

When undergoing practice, firstly, you must not commit yourself to a dull emptiness to become senseless about everything. Do not make the mistake! Once engaged with it, you will turn into a piece of wood or rock after your death, and enter into the realm of utensils. Secondly, do not think illusively. You should always think with a theme. If you are doing academic research like those ordinary students, will you be polluted? Of course not! It is called the authentic mindfulness as stated in the Noble Eightfold Path.

(2) The difference between “purifying mind” and “watching mind”

What are we doing when sitting with a decent pose? We are watching our mind. The sixth Patriarch often commented on those who “were watching to purify their mind”. Nevertheless, in the Six-Patriarch Platform Sutra, we can find so many chapters discussing the “watching mind”. Then, what is the difference between them? With regard to “watching to purify the mind”, it is to look at your mind and try to keep it clean. Namely, you try to “stop delusions arising”. The sixth Patriarch did not support the idea. He instructed us to investigate our mind and find out the state when it is free from both good and evil thoughts. Truly, that is the way he instructed.

(3) The way of “watching mind”

Now I am teaching you how to “watch your mind”? When you are “watching the mind”, you simply watch it to view all the arising ideas and without the need to take any action. Using your “true self” to watch your discriminating mind and the activities of your various thoughts, you just keep watching them. After having watched it for a certain period of time, you start staring at it to make it embarrassed and automatically turns still. When your mind becomes settled, there will be only the presence of “you”, and you can clearly realize “what the “Mahabaniya” is”.

After you have been used to watching your mind, do you have to keep watching it when being engaged with work? No, you do not have to. It is because your thoughts have become consistent with your conduct; therefore, you naturally will not have any delusions arising. When you are free and intend to think, you must know “what I am thinking of”? If you think without knowing why, you will be manipulated by those fake ideas arising in your mind to make you dizzy and blown. Truly, this is the way to practice, and there is no other special method to apply.

VI. Only by expanding the volume of our mind, can we “assimilate all the differences”. [back to the top]

Some people have tons of worries; because they are so narrow-minded and intolerant. Basically, we should do good things and stop doing evils. If we know something harmful, we will not do it. This is the basic demand. Nevertheless, based on a true demand, we should accept both good and evil deeds. We cannot welcome good people with heart, and ignore those bad ones. If we always keep away from bad people, who is going to affect them? If they stay evil, “the world of mostly the same” will never come true.

“The world of mostly the same” claimed by Confucius refers to the “Pure Land” stated by the Buddha. Why am I saying this? It is because the sixth Patriarch stated that the “Buddha Dharma lives in the mundane world”. If all of us can reach the state of the Bodhisattvas, we “do not have to lock up a door when leaving home – because we are living in the world where we are mostly the same”. We also “hate to miss the opportunity of making effort for others instead of for our own sake”. Namely, we are worried for lacking a chance to make contributions, but do not aim to attain something for making contributions. With regard to “leaving home without locking up a door”, it is not working in today’s society. With such a low-level society, even if you install many locks and put on security bars on the windows, robbers will still break in. It is truly hard to “be mostly the same”. You are a good person and he is a robber, there is so much difference, and not the same at all!

“Mostly the same” refers to “little difference”. As far as “mostly the same” is concerned, it generally refers to people who are loving, helpful, unselfish, dedicated and not possessive. However, if you apply it to the case while I am eating congee and you are not allowed to have noodle; it is totally mistaken. Within the scheme of “mostly the same”, it covers that of “little difference”. Its concept is that you can enjoy watching television, and so he can enjoy listening to music, going walking or playing badminton. “Mostly the same” realistically is not completely the same. It is so comprehensive that people can value others’ various hobbies and also accept various differences. Under the circumstances, the harmony is achieved and the world of “mostly the same” arrives. In this world, there is no sin or hatred, and only morality and love. Isn’t it the world of “Pure-Land” as the Buddha stated? I once made a statement: “to make Buddha Land sacred and to nurture sentient beings to be cultivated”. With regard to “making Buddha Land sacred”, it is making the world sacred and eradicating all those unsacred and evil elements. As for “nurturing sentient beings to be cultivated”, it means that sentient beings have not been cultivated yet. It is likened to growing a fruit tree. When we only see its blossom but not fruit, we know it is not ripe yet. It is when fruits are ripe, sweet, and ready for harvest, we can claim it a successful cultivation.

Some people are very smart and brilliant, but they often think too much. In order to “reflect” instead of “discriminate”, you can try to “assimilate” whatever comes. If you do not acknowledge and accept “little differences”, you are rejecting the concept of “mostly the same”. If you support and accept the idea of “mostly the same”, you can tolerate “little differences”. Take a couple as an example, the husband loves sweet flavors but the wife loves spicy tastes, so that they enjoy these separately by themselves. If the husband asks his wife to ban spicy food to join him, that will bring them conflicts and they obviously are not “mostly the same”. “Mostly the same” equates to “little differences”. Only by constantly adjusting yourself and accepting others’ differences, can you achieve the harmonious state of “mostly the same”. If I do not allow you to listen to music while I am watching television, there will be no way for us to be “mostly the same” and we may have a fight over it. Consequently, we need to learn how to be harmonious. Above all, we firstly must harmonize our mind, so that our family and environment can be harmonized accordingly. When reaching the state, your working environment will be naturally harmonized too. Otherwise, with your discriminating mind and strong attachment, you can never feel harmonious.

Truly, some people are very smart and highly intelligent, but their weakness is to have too many thoughts. If you need not think, then just leave your brain rest for a break. If you keep thinking, you may gradually fall into delusions and bring yourself unnecessary misunderstanding. When thinking with a discriminating mind, you are creating worries for yourself. If you stop thinking, you will be very happy.

VII. Without a discriminating mind and a thought, we can still work as usual. [back to the top]

Surely, some people may comment, “you will fail in everything because you think without any discriminating mind and thought, which is not good for you”. I am not boasting at all. When I was assigned to take over Dept. A; normally, it was the most notorious one. When shifted to Dept. B, I also had to deal with tons of hassles there. Some head-in-charge would ask his soldiers to “button up tops properly, talk decently, and eat without making a noise like pigs”. It is not advisable to have these kinds of demands. Whenever they had a fight, they would not listen to any of your advice. When I was in that chaotic situation, I never talked to them about rules or reasons. It was pointless to talk to them in this way. Listening to rules or reasons to people like them was a torture. There was no way for them to sit still to listen to you. If you insisted, they would beg you to stop and traded it to offer you a free movie instead. Truly, they could not bear listening to any of those serious talks. Consequently, wherever I was in charge, I never gave big talks and only chatted about daily chores, such as, “it’s a good day; the food is not bad etc.”. I only talked in this way without mentioning any logical or serious issues; naturally, they stopped fighting.

VIII. In order to expand the magnetic field of life, we must practice our mind. [back to the top]

Why are we having problems? Why can we not get along with others? It is because we are subjective and narrow-minded. When feeling slightly disappointed, we would hold the discomfort for at least three days. On the second day, we thought we forgot it, but as soon as seeing the person we brought back the discomfort. It is true that our body and mind are relatively related. People who are unable to release their stresses can easily have stomach problems. You can look around to prove the connection. If you can easily let go of yesterday’s anger and even make friends with the offender, you can eat and sleep well and not suffer from stomach problems.

As we know, birds of a feather flock together. If you want to improve your environment, you must start adjusting yourself. I often speak about “expanding the magnetic field of your life”. When your mentality is strong, you are expanding the magnetic field of your life. A magnetic field is functional and influential, so that it definitely can initiate certain functions. If you do not possess a magnetic field, you cannot affect anyone. If you insist on “convincing someone”; the harder you try, the more rejecting he becomes. Trying to convince others is simply a joke. Indeed, everyone has his own personality and self-dignity. If you tell others: “you should do this, and stop doing that”, they may rebuke: “leave me alone, it’s none of your business!” Truly, some people are like this. Consequently, it is not legitimate to convince others; on the contrary, you simply practice yourself. “Whenever you are unable to deal with difficulties, you reflect to investigate yourself.” What is “unable to deal with difficulties” referring to? It refers to your failure in dealing with your own business. If you can stop complaining about this and that, and think: “ it is all because I do not practice well so that I lack An-Hsiang and fail to be harmonious”. Being able to think in this way, you obviously are making progress.

Moreover, you need to let go of the sense of “embarrassment” to let “I” be gone. Do not have “self-attachment”. If you feel embarrassed, you are keeping the “self-attachment”. When you open up your mind, there is no way to find “embarrassment” or “face-losing”.

When you are in the state of harmony, you will succeed in everything. Otherwise, your trouble keeps coming, such as breaking pencils when drawing, cutting fingers when chopping. Yes, it will happen like that. When your mind becomes disturbed, you will go wrong with almost everything.