The Sixth Patriarchs Sutra February 17, 2012 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monk

at 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, California 94010, open to public (phone 650-6925912) (Listen live or recorded audio explanations at www.wondrousdharma.org)

Q&A How could it be emptiness when you get hit by tsunami? Chapter 2 Prajna the meaning and practice of prajna
and paramita
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Verse for opening a sutra

Na Mwo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha (3x) Homage to the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (3x) The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma, In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to encounter, Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my sight and hearing, I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true and actual meaning.
Exhortation to uphold the Buddhadharma:

Shariputra said, Of the host of Sound Hearers, the Buddha declared me foremost, and yet now with my wisdom, I cannot resolve my doubts: Is this Dharma ultimate? (the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra) 2

Q&A
Question: How can it be emptiness when you get hit by a tsunami? Answer:

If you do get hit by a tsunami and you lost all your property, your family and friends; yet you are peaceful inside and your mind is not the least disturbed, then you have already emptied the tsunami in your mind and seen your original face.

The reason you dont blame heaven and earth, people and mother-nature is because you truly comprehend the universal principle of the law of karma(action); who creates it, who endures it
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Q&A
Thereafter you are also not stuck with the tragedy and do not harbor any distasteful thought pertaining to the tragedy; this is the meaning of emptying the tsunami and moving on with life.

You proceed to carry on doing what you should do and this matter does not deter you to continue to make this world a better place.

Q&A
This matter does not deter you to continue to make this world a better place.

Are you not then a living dead person?

No, you do what you should do after the aftermath of a disaster like tsunami which is to recover whatever there is to bring life to normal but there is no affliction in the mind at any time.

Q&A
The reason being you truly comprehend that Mind is the myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena is the mind and the tsunami is just one of the phenomena that ceased to exist in your mind.

You would then have recognized your original mind and see your original self nature; you would have put down the false self.

Q&A
Is this just a fantasy and analogy where you wont encounter such a person in real life?

No, one such example is Venerable Master Xu Yun when he was 115 years old and got beaten up by a gang of intruders, yet his mind was unmoved despite having physical injuries.

Q&A

Nothing will then move one who comprehends the teaching that points to the mind.

The principle also is that we should be careful with planting the cause and be unmoving in our minds when retribution comes.

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the capacity of the mind

is vast and great, encompassing the Dharma realm. Its function is to understand clearly and distinctly. Its correct function is to know all. All is one; one is all. Coming and going freely, the minds substance is unobstructed. That is Prajna.
Comments:

When we get involved in trivialities, we fail to comprehend the big matter of ultimate Reality which the mind is capable of comprehending clearly and distinctly everything. The ultimate Reality is
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Chapter 2 Prajna
All is one, one is all everything is one, one is everything because

Mind is myriad phenomena; myriad phenomena are the mind.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, the capacity of the mind

is vast and great, encompassing the Dharma realm. Its function is to understand clearly and distinctly. Its correct function is to know all. All is one; one is all. Coming and going freely, the minds substance is unobstructed. That is Prajna.
Comments:

When we understand that all is one; one is all the mind will no longer be deceived by the myriad phenomena. Why is this so? It is because myriad phenomena is the mind and being turned by the myriad phenomena and grasping them is just grasping our own mind a case of creating a mind within a mind or putting a head on top of 11 an existing head.

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, all Prajna wisdom is

produced from ones own nature; it does not enter from the outside.
Comments:

The understanding that all is one, one is all comes from the wisdom of understanding that this mind is within our self nature. There is no need to seek this mind from outside; the original mind is just our inherent self nature. Therefore our self nature contains inherent prajna wisdom.
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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, all Prajna wisdom is

produced from ones own nature; it does not enter from the outside. Using the intellect correctly is called the natural function of ones true nature. One truth is all truth.
Comments:

Using the intellect correctly is to turn the confused intellectual conscious mind into an understanding mind through understanding ultimate Reality. In one penetration, suddenly everything is understood. What is being penetrated in one truth is all truth? The ultimate Reality that all dharmas are empty of characteristics because mind is myriad phenomena; myriad 13 phenomena are the mind.

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: The mind has the capacity for great things, and is

not meant for practicing petty ways. Do not talk about emptiness with your mouth all day and in your mind fail to cultivate the conduct that you talk of. That would be like a common person calling himself the king of a country, which cannot be. People like that are not my disciples.
Comments:

Now that you know that you have the inherent prajna wisdom, do not engage in cultivation that does not point to the mind. Do not have inferiority complex: go for the essential teaching to return to your original mind because your self nature is no less perfect than the Buddha.
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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: The mind has the capacity for great things, and is

not meant for practicing petty ways. Do not talk about emptiness with your mouth all day and in your mind fail to cultivate the conduct that you talk of. That would be like a common person calling himself the king of a country, which cannot be. People like that are not my disciples.
Comments:

Talking of emptiness without practice is intellectual Chan; it is of no use. At all times and in all places, keep your mind empty of afflictions and clear of attachments.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, what is meant by

Prajna? Prajna in our language means wisdom. Everywhere and at all times, in thought after thought, remain undeluded and practice wisdom constantly; that is Prajna conduct.
Comments:

Not being attached to phenomena by seeing through the reality is prajna wisdom. Literary, contemplative and real appearance prajna. Real appearance is the one appearance that does not distinguish emptiness from existence.
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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Prajna is cut off by a single deluded thought. By

one wise thought, Prajna is produced.

Comments:

Prajna originate from our mind and finds expression is how we think When our thoughts are without appearance of self, others, living beings and a life that is exercising prajna wisdom.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: They speak of it with their mouths, but their minds

are always deluded. They constantly say of themselves, I cultivate Prajna! and though they continually speak of emptiness, they are unaware of true emptiness.
Comments:

Delusion is when you claim to know prajna yet you make discrimination in your mind. Delusion is when you cant let go of the appearance of the ego self, others, living beings and a life in your thought.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Prajna, without form or mark, is just the wisdom

mind. If thus explained, just this is Prajna wisdom.

Comments:

Prajna is the wisdom mind that is altruistic; without appearance of a self and others.

It is when you understand reality of the myriad phenomena as just the mind.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: What is meant by Paramita? It is a Sanskrit word

which in our language means arrived at the other shore, and is explained as apart from production and extinction.
Comments:

From the position of common person, we arrived at the shore of the sages. A common person is one who ceaselessly make discursive thoughts; thereby creating the karma (action) that binds in the turning wheel of birth and death. A sage is one apart from production and extinction who is apart from producing discursive thoughts. 20

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: When one is attached to states of being, production

and extinction arise like waves on water. That is what is meant by this shore.
Comments:

A common person is stuck in this shore A common person ceaselessly make all manner of discursive thoughts, imaginations, speculations, idle thoughts, jealous thoughts, angry thoughts, thoughts of attachments, random thoughts, thoughts of contention, thoughts of scheming and plotting, frivolous thoughts, thoughts of desire and all the host of thoughts that are like continuous waves hitting the shore.
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Chapter 2 Prajna

These countless thoughts are the very reason why 1. we remain in the 6 destinies of gods, asuras, humans, animals, ghosts and hell and unable to get out the flow of the karma and

2. we cannot return to the source and see our original self nature.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: To be apart from states of being, with no

production or extinction, is to be like freely flowing water. That is what is meant by the other shore. Therefore it is called Paramita.
Comments:

It is said that a turn of the head is the other shore

From the usual habit of producing ceaseless thoughts that binds us in the 6 destinies, we turnaround to the liberation of no thought.

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Chapter 2 Prajna

From being muddled and cluttered by ceaseless thoughts, our minds become free. From production and extinction, we turnaround to neither produced nor extinction.

From birth and death we turnaround to neither born nor die.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, deluded people recite

with their mouths, but while they recite they live in falsehood and in error. When there is practice in every thought, that is the true nature.
Comments:

Delusion is knowing about mahaprajnaparamita and yet do not translate this understanding into our daily lives. The point we live is accord with the principle of emptiness of mahaprajnaparamita is the point we abide in our true original self nature.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, common people are

Buddhas and affliction is Bodhi.

Comments:

A common person can attain the position of a Buddha when he understands affliction is Bodhi. When you stop being afflicted that itself is bodhi or enlightenment. When you dont know how to cease affliction, you remain in confusion.
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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Past thoughts deluded are the thoughts of a

common person. Future thoughts enlightened are the thoughts of a Buddha. Past thoughts attached to states of being are afflictions, and future thoughts separate from states of being are Bodhi.
Comments:

Why are past thoughts delusion? It is because the very reason you have past thought is just attachments.

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Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Past thoughts deluded are the thoughts of a

common person. Future thoughts enlightened are the thoughts of a Buddha. Past thoughts attached to states of being are afflictions, and future thoughts separate from states of being are Bodhi.
Comments:

Future thoughts that are attached to states such as anxiety, worry are delusion. Future thoughts become enlightened or wise thoughts provided they are free of attachments. The key point is to embody the principle of emptiness of all 28 phenomena.

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, Maha Prajna Paramita is

the most honored, the most supreme, the foremost. It does not stay; it does not come or go. All Buddhas of the three periods of time emerge from it.
Comments:

Mahaprajnaparamita is the wisdom of the Buddhas, those who have uncovered their inherent prajna wisdom. Mahaprajnaparamita does not stay; a Buddha is not fixated in his views. Mahaprajnaparamita does not come or go; neither come nor go, neither produced nor extinguished, being thus, thus unmoving. 29

Chapter 2 Prajna
Sutra: Good Knowing Advisors, Maha Prajna Paramita is

the most honored, the most supreme, the foremost. It does not stay; it does not come or go. All Buddhas of the three periods of time emerge from it.
Comments:

The Buddha in the Heart Sutra says: All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain anuttarasamyaksambodhi through reliance on prajna paramita.

Mahaprajnaparamita is the mother of all Buddhas.

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Dedication of merit
May every living beings, Our minds as one and radiant with light Share the fruits of peace, with hearts 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; 31 May all become compassionate and wise (2x)

Dedication of merit
I vow that merit made from this deed will become, Adornments for the Pure Land of Bu-ddhas. Repaying the four kinds of kindness above, And aiding those in three paths below. May all who see and hear of this deed Bring forth the resolve to reborn In the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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