The Vajra (Diamond) Sutra

April 15 lecture©
as outlined by a Buddhist monk
(Listen ‘live’ or recorded audio explanations at
www.wondrousdharma.org)

Teaching people in this confused world.

Q&A If everything is empty, what about the hells?
Q&A Why is greed mentioned here in section 28
and not elsewhere in the Vajra Sutra?
S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor

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 Verse for opening a sutra
• Homage to the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra and the
Vajra assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (3x)

• The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful

Dharma,
• In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to
encounter,
• Now that I’ve come to receive and hold it, within my
sight and hearing,
• I vow to fathom the Thus Come One’s true and
actual meaning.

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©Teaching Common People in ‘not empty’ world to let go
Teachings Reasons Methodology
S 25 Self doesn’t exist This body is not Contemplation
our true body
S 28 Everything else is just Our self nature is Patience and
appearances already perfect recognizing
and complete Reality
S 26 Preliminary expedient Addressing Comprehend
teaching on planting of attachment to and recognize
blessings and wisdom Dharma Reality
is put down.
S 27 Refuting annihilation When sweeping Comprehend
away all and recognize
appearance there Reality
is still the eternal 3
self nature.
 Q&A pertaining to s 28
Question: If all dharmas are devoid of self (if everything is empty) what
about the hells?
Answer:
Great Master Yung Chia,
• “When one is certified to the characteristic of Reality,
• There are no people or dharmas
• The karma of the avichi is cancelled in a kshana,
• If I were deceiving living beings with untrue words,
• I’d invite upon myself the Ripping Out of Tongues for eons as
many as dust and sands.”

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 Q&A on section 28

Great Master Yung Chia,

• “In a dream, very clearly, there are six destinies;
• After enlightenment, completely empty, there is no universe.”

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 Q&A on section 28
Explanation by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua:
• While people are confused in a dream, the six paths of gods,
humans, asuras, hells, hungry ghosts and animals are distinctly
evident.

• After one becomes Enlightened and is roused from the

confused dream, emptiness is pulverized, home is broken and
people vanish. Then how could there the Three Thousand
Great Thousand World system exist?

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 Q&A on section 28
Question: Why is greed mentioned here in section 28 and not
elsewhere in the Vajra Sutra?

• It is because greed is the problem in this not empty world.

• Section 28 is in the section which pertains to the ‘not empty

world of common people’ which is from sections 25 to 28.
• Why does the ‘not empty’ world starts with section 25?
• Section 25 states that “common people think that they have
a self.”

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 Q&A on section 28
• From sections 3 to 24, the Buddha was explaining the principle
in ‘empty’ world of Sages; and subtle attachment is an issue
whilst greed was not the main issue in the ‘empty world’ of
Sages.

• Those “entering the flow of the Sages” have no problem with

greed; section 3 to 24 addresses the principle to let go of the
thought of attachment and false thinking.

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 Q&A on section 28

• The principles in section 3 to 24 guides the Two Vehicles

into the Bodhisattva path by emptying attachment to
emptiness as these sections teaches the principle of
anuttarasamyaksambodhi.

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 Question on section 28

Question: How could the absence of ‘self’ reduce afflictions?

Answer:
• A 3 step approach:
1. Understand Reality
2. Contemplate and recognize Reality
3. Gradually or suddenly accepting Reality

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 Question on section 28
Step 1 – Understand Reality
• S 25 “Although the Thus Come One speaks of a self, there
is really no self that exists.” and s 28 “…realize that
everything is devoid of self and attain patience.”

• Patience is demonstrated by the Buddha in s 14 “When I was

cut limb from limb, if I had an appearance of a self, an
appearance of others, an appearance of living beings or an
appearance of a life, I would have been outraged.”

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 Question on section 28
• S 16 “..a good man or good woman who accepts,
upholds, reads, or recites this Sutra, is ridiculed, that
is because that person has karmic offenses from
past lives” explains the Reality of cause in this ‘not
empty’ world and…
• To see matters in the positive outlook, “but as a result
of the ridicule he receives from others in this present
life, his previous karmic offenses are destroyed and
he will attain anuttarasamyaksambodhi.” thus
explains the inevitable of the functioning of cause and
effect.

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 Question on section 28

• If only we accept Reality that…

• The truth of the matter is “the Appearance of Reality is
without appearance”(s 14) and the key is…
• “not set up appearance” (s 31) to discontinue this
confusion by accepting that “all thoughts are not
thoughts” (s 18).

• From absolute nothingness comes appearances is

illustrated …

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 Question on section 28

a) In a crowded place, when a small group of people start to point

upwards and look upwards, what happens?
b) Eventually more will look upwards and point upwards
wandering what it is.
c) It is the same case as the whole world now is confused and
everyone is following his or someone else’s false thinking.

• The tendency is the ease to false think, and the tendency is to

follow along with the crowd just like flowing with the current.

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 Question on section 28
Steps 2 and 3 – contemplate and see Reality and
accepting Reality
• Yet the ultimate expression of ‘absence of self’ whilst we
live in this world of ignorance is
1. ‘not grasping at appearances and
2. being in unmoving thusness’
• by contemplating that ‘everything is like a dream, an
illusion..’ (s32)

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 Question on section 28

• Step 2 – contemplate and recognize Reality.

• The method to accept that the self doesn’t exist is by the
power of contemplation and it can only be effective if and
only if…
1. We constantly contemplate and recognize the nature of
Reality

2. We constantly examine our minds whether we are living

in accord with this contemplation.

• The proof is that we are patient and unmoving and not

attached to our emotions and thoughts.
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 Question on section 28
• And while we have not turned around our mind, we can
practice these expedients:
1. Able to discriminate but remain unmoving in the primary
sense in speech and behavior– avoid debate, take loss

2. “I see but not see” I see the transgression of my mind and not
the right and wrong, good or bad of others

3. Avoid expectations or outcomes

4. Avoid lingering thoughts – move on!

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 Question on section 28
5. Contemplate on wise sayings on Reality such as this verse:
• Recognize one’s own fault,
• Others fault is one’s fault,
• To be one with all living beings
• Is truly great compassion

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 Question on section 28

• Because the verse on great compassion connotes

equality of one and all, it is also prajna wisdom.

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
Sutra: Subhuti, if someone says that it seems as if the Thus
Come One comes and goes, sits or lies down, such a
person does not understand the meaning of my teaching.
Comments:
• The Buddha does not come or go nor does he sits or lies down
because his Dharma body Vairochana Buddha pervades
everywhere yet he is nowhere attached.

• But didn’t his transformation body Shakyamuni Buddha sat

beneath the bodhi tree and spoke in the Jeta Grove?

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• The transformation body Shakyamuni Buddha is an illusion, a
transformation of sorts just like a body in a dream manifested to
teach living beings in this ‘not empty’ world.

• S 25 says, “Subhuti, although the Thus Come One speaks

of the existence of a self, there is really no self that exists”

• Hence this section 29 is the beginning of the section which I

classify as ‘empty and yet not empty’ wherein “it seems as if
the Thus Come One comes or goes, sits or lies down”.

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• ‘Neither comes nor goes’ is analogous to ‘neither empty nor
existent’; this is the world apart from dualities.

• Dualities or discrimination is the world we live in.

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor

• Being apart from dualities is the concept of absolute.

• But we know that wonderful existence comes from within

true emptiness.

• And so Reality is simply one true appearance or totality

of appearance mentioned in s 30 - this is Real
Appearance prajna!

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• We live in a world built upon discrimination or dualities which
seems real; the fallacy is that we perceive dualities as real but
yet it is not so because fundamentally there was nothing at all.

• “…it seems as if the Thus Come One comes and goes, sits
or lies down” would therefore means that it appears there are
dualities but it is not so.

• S 29 onwards introduces the concept of ‘empty’ and yet not

empty’ which essentially is nothing at all but appearances of the
mind whilst we are in this world.

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• To illustrate ‘transformation body’, here is an extract of
the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra:
• “I (Shakyamuni Buddha) will also send transformed
bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas and upasikas to
listen to the Dharma being spoken.”
• Venerable Master Hsuan Hua explains “transformed”:
• “ There are two ways to explain it. First perhaps the
Buddha will appoint gods to transform themselves into
people. Or perhaps right when the lecture is going on,
the people will show up in the audience and nobody
knows where they came from or where they went….
• Some transformed people are born in the world just for
attending your Dharma lecture when it comes. Others
appear on a temporary basis now and then.” 25
 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor

• There are also millions of transfomation bodies of

Shakyamuni Buddha.
• You can read them also in the Chapter on “Vision of the
Jeweled Stupa” of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower
Sutra.

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 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor
• The Thus Come One neither comes nor goes, neither sits nor
lie down is illustrated in the experience of Great Master Zhi Zhe
who saw that the Magic Mountain Dharma assembly was still in
progress. Shakyamuni Buddha was still present in the Vulture
Peak speaking the Dharma Flower Sutra.
Question: Aren’t Shakyamuni Buddha sitting and speaking and the
Vajra Sutra says, ‘If someone says the Thus Come One has
spoken Dharma, he slanders the Buddha due to his
inability to understand what I teach’ (s 21)?
Answer:
• It was again a transformation body speaking, an appearance of
the mind.

• It is just like when enlightened, you take yourself across and

therefore the Buddha did not speak. 27
 S 29 The quiescence of his awesome demeanor

• When confused, the teacher takes you across. That is

the teacher is speaking when you are confused.

• Ultimately and eventually you will find that you are in the
first place a Buddha; whatever spoken was all false in a
‘not empty world’ and basically there was nothing at all
(without appearance).

• Time and space and all appearances in the final analysis

is after all a creation of false thinking.

• This is the Dharma of no Dharma. 28

 Dedication of merit
• May every living beings,
• Our minds as one and radiant with light
• Share the fruits of peace, with heart of goodness
luminous and bright.
• If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in
giving unity
• May their minds awake, to great compassion, wisdom
and to joy.
• May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their
grief and pain;
• May this boundless light break the darkness of their
endless night.
• Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns into
paradise;
• May all become compassionate and wise (2x) 29