Essence of the Infinite Life Sutra, Excerpt Twenty-seven

They know that all phenomena are empty and quiescent. Retribution body and afflictions—both remnants are completely eradicated.

“They know that all phenomena are empty and quiescent”—this sentence conveys exactly the same meaning as “the four basic elements are all empty” and “the five aggregates are without self-identity.” The four basic elements refer to the four qualities of a physical substance: earth, water, fire, and air.

Earth refers to substance. In Buddhism, the tiniest substance is called a speck of dust; in science, it is the atom, electron, or particle. Earth signifies that substance does exist and can be detected by scientific instruments. Water indicates moisture. Fire indicates temperature. The scientific terms are electropositive and electronegative. Fire is electropositive and water is electronegative. Air indicates motion: it is not still. In addition, it moves at great speed.

The four basic elements are the four fundamental features of a substance. All phenomena in the universe are all made up of this basic substance. The Diamond Sutra says: “[That which Tathagata calls] a phenomenon of a composite is not a phenomenon of a composite. And so it is called the phenomenon of a composite.” This basic substance makes up all phenomena, from something as large as a planet or a galaxy to something as small as a speck of dust.

Where did the basic substance come from? It was manifestation of the mind. A commentary of the Consciousness-only school says that from ignorance and non-enlightenment the Three Subtle Marks arise, and with the external environment as conditions the Six Coarse Marks grow. Within the Three Subtle Marks are the subjective aspect [that which sees] and the objective aspect [that which is seen]: the mark of the subjective perceiver and the mark of the objective world.

The basic substance is the mark of the objective world, which is the objective aspect. The objective aspect is generated by the subjective aspect. Existence arises from non-existence and returns to non-existence—“all phenomena are empty and quiescent.” When we understand this, we will know the truth that all phenomena are empty.

Do what we see, hear, and touch presently exist? Or do they not exist? From the perspective of principles, they do not exist; from the perspective of phenomena, they do exist. This existence is nominal: it is not real. But the non-existence is real. What is real never changes. That which changes is not real. Non-existence never changes and is thus called true emptiness.

With regards to existence, all phenomena change. It is obvious that a person goes through birth, aging, illness, and death. Any person can perceive these changes. In actuality, there are subtler changes, such as the metabolism of the cells of a body. Such changes occur every instant. Plants go through arising, abiding, changing, and extinction. Minerals or planets go through formation, existence, annihilation, and voidness. We realize all this.

Therefore, all phenomena are constantly changing. Since they change, they are not real. This is why existence is called nominal existence, illusory existence, or marvelous existence. Thus this Buddhist term: true emptiness and marvelous existence.

But we should know that existence and non-existence in Buddhism are one. Where is true emptiness? It is in marvelous existence. Where is marvelous existence? It is in true emptiness. True emptiness refers to noumenon, and marvelous existence refers to phenomena. This way, we will be able to see the mark of the objective world clearly. What is the benefit of seeing it clearly? It will help us discard all attachments.

From where do attachments arise? From us not understanding the truth and also from thinking that we can own things. Not only can we not own worldly possessions, we cannot even own our body, so is there any point in being attached to anything? Naturally, we will let go! When we truly let go we will attain eternal life.

True emptiness refers to the true nature. Why is true nature true emptiness? Because there is no sign of it: it shows no form and thus cannot be perceived by the eyes. True nature emits no sound and thus cannot be heard by the ears. It cannot be perceived or imagined. Our Six Sense Organs completely do not work here. But true nature truly exists. It is the noumenon of all phenomena in the universe. All phenomena arise from it.

When one sees the true nature, one is in the state of neither arising nor ceasing. One will have the freedom to manifest as any form. One will be able to manifest in any form one wishes.

We are now deluded, so we cannot manifest as anything no matter how hard we think. After we see the true nature, we will be able to manifest as anything. Throughout the entire Dharma Realm, we will be in control—we will be our own master; we will attain great freedom!

Therefore, we must know the truth: “All phenomena are empty and quiescent.” This is stated from principles and from noumenon.

“Retribution body and afflictions—both remnants are completely eradicated.” “Both” refers to the retribution body and afflictions. The word “remnants” refers to habits, and they are the hardest to eliminate. “Retribution body” signifies birth and death—when we transmigrate within the Six Paths, we continually get a body and discard it.

Transmigration is a phenomenon. Why is there this phenomenon? Because we have afflictions. The phenomenon of transmigration within the Six Paths is generated by afflictions. When we end afflictions, there will be no transmigration. For example, arhats—having eradicated the Affliction of Views and Thoughts—have transcended the Six Paths.

 ~ Essence of the Infinite Life Sutra by Venerable Master Chin Kung  

Thrice Yearning Ceremony

On several occasions, I have been asked about doing the Thrice Yearning Ceremony in one's own home. Having received another email about this, I though it might be helpful to post an entry on it here. I asked a senior monastic who had been Venerable Master Chin Kung's secretary for several years to address the question as follows.

About Thrice Yearning Ceremony, it is a matter of sincerity. I once heard a layperson ask Teacher a question about the Thrice Yearning Ceremony.

Question: If where we live, there are no Buddhist temples conducting the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, is it appropriate that laypeople practice the ceremony in their homes by following a DVD of the ceremony?

Answer: Yes, it is said in Buddhism that sincerity makes everything possible. If you practice it with sincerity, you will receive a wonderful response. When you dedicate merits to someone, he or she can truly receive benefit from your practice.

Of course, we will suggest layperson practice the Thrice Yearning Ceremony at a Buddhist temple or center. But if there are no centers conducting the ceremony and they feel the need to practice it to dedicate merits to someone, they can do it by reading or following the DVD. They need to do it sincerely enough to make sure those beings can benefit from their practice.

If you invite them to join the ceremony, yet those beings receive nothing from your practice. They will feel unhappy and cause trouble for you.

If people want to practice the Thrice Yearning Ceremony as their personal practice, I suggest they do it simply by reading. When they read the first session of the ceremony, they must skip food offering mantra, water offering mantra, and universal offering mantra, and read only the rebirth mantra (read 7 times). Because if you read those offering mantras, you must prepare the food. You must make sure they have enough food, otherwise, those beings will not leave. When you offer packaged or canned food, you must open the package or the can. Make sure those beings can suck or inhale the smell of the food.

Therefore, it is a matter of sincerity. If, with the mind truly wanting to benefit those beings we do the ceremony wholeheartedly and sincerely, and they really benefit from our practice then we can do it in our home.

If we do it with too many wandering thoughts and worries, then it is better not to do it at home. For our practice will bring benefit to none.

Why Would I Want Non-existence?

Question: Of late, one aspect of Buddhist teaching has been troubling me. The Western idea of soul (mind) as viable individual substance and identity is not present in Buddhism. Therefore, an individual is not an enduring personality or substance. Rebirth does not signify the continuation of a personality, significant and whole in itself. Rather, it is the procession of karmic accretions, linked together and occurring so fast, as to appear as a personality or substance. This phenomenon of personality and substance is rather like the pages in a child's flip-it picture book. Flipped through at high speed, the single pages coalesce into a living, moving, coherent narrative. It's the same way with the links of dependent arising. Thinking about myself, or lack thereof, this way has got me down a bit. Such a perspective robs life of value.

Is there a remedy for this nihilistic viewpoint?

Have I misunderstood a central tenet of Buddhist philosophy? If assiduous practice will eventually culminate in a condition of non-sentient, non-conscious, non-existence, I may not have the courage to continue. Please help me to understand and cope with this dilemma.

Response: It's not that there is no existence, but rather an existence far beyond what we can imagine. It is a state of not wishing for anything; it is pure joy and profound understanding.

We often hear how Buddhas will wait for as long as it takes for us to learn from them and awaken. If Buddhas were in a state of non-existence, what would be left to wait to teach us?

When Shakyamuni Buddha was in our world 3000 years ago, many Buddhas and bodhisattvas came to help him. It is said they took different parts, like actors in a play. If the Buddhas did not exist, how could they have come to help Shakyamuni?

We know from the sutras that Amitabha Buddha is teaching right now in the Western Pure Land. How could this be so if Buddhas no longer existed?

How could Buddhas fulfill their vow of "Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to help them all" if as soon as they themselves became a Buddha, they were gone? 

Keep reading the excerpts from Venerable Master Chin Kung's talk on the Infinite Life Sutra that are being posted here. Not just once. Keep reading them over and over. What is troubling you will be gradually resolved.

What are the Karmic Consequences of a Person Who is Dirty and Untidy?

Question: What are the karmic consequences of a person who is dirty and untidy? 

The 10 meritorious actions do not cover this, so does it mean it is alright to be dirty and untidy? 

I am particular about being clean and tidy and because of this, I have offended / irritated many people. I realise that this may be considered an attachment which I need to discard. Is this correct? How do I handle people who dirty my house and make it untidy? 

I am puzzled - if I try cultivating the 10 good deeds but cannot tolerate someone who is dirty, does it mean my karmic effect will be worse than this person who is dirty and annoys me? It seems to me to be so because I am "angry" which is unwholesome, right? But, does this person who is dirty 'get away with it'? 

Response: While the Ten Virtuous Karmas do not refer specifically to being dirty and untidy, cleanliness and neatness are implied in both the first karma of not killing and the last of no ignorance. 

The underlying meaning of "do not kill" is that we should respect and have compassion for all beings. "All beings" includes everything: the environment, plants, minerals, and natural phenomena, which are formed when many conditions meet. Keeping our things and homes clean and tidy is how we show respect to inanimate objects. This respect for inanimate "beings" helps us to be more respectful to animals and humans.  

The underlying meaning of the tenth karma "no ignorance" is that we should discipline ourselves and calm our minds so we can act from wisdom. Disciplining ourselves means we not only try to adhere to the Ten Virtuous Karmas literally, but that we try to understand their more profound meanings and strive to follow these. Wisdom gives us the ability to know how to skillfully help others become better people. 

Regarding being "attached" to cleanliness. I can aspire to keeping my home clean without being attached to doing so. With attachments, I am clinging to people, ideas, possessions, etc. But in being clean and tidy, I am aspiring to practice respect and humility. Attachments hold us back from awakening; aspirations advance us on the path. Through my own cleaning and tidying, I am calming my mind. By fussing at others for not being tidy, I am disturbing my calm mind and become angry, thus breaking the ninth Virtuous Karma.  

By fussing at others for doing something wrong, I am approaching correcting bad habits incorrectly. We are supposed to correct our own faults, not the faults of others. Actually, we're not even supposed to bear in mind the faults of others.   

As for the karmic effects in this situation, if you are trying to cultivate the Ten Virtuous Karmas and becoming angry, then you are going against that ninth karma of "no anger."  

Finally, there is no "getting away" with something. The consequences of our thoughts, words, and actions will catch up with us. We just don't know when. 

I do not have the ability to know what the karmic cause and effect of various actions is, but the answer to your first question, “What are the karmic consequences of a person who is dirty and untidy?” may well be that others will make what is yours dirty and untidy. 

Realizing that what is happening is the result of our own past karma can help us be more accepting and understanding of the situations we find ourselves in.

Thanks for the great question! 

Essence of the Infinite Life Sutra, Excerpt Twenty-six

[Those Bodhisattvas] have a mind of great compassion and of bringing benefits to all beings. They discard all attachments and accomplish infinite merits and virtues.

“Great” refers to a pure and impartial mind—such a mind is free of discrimination and attachment. Great compassion is compassion from a pure mind and an impartial mind.

This excerpt tells us that the bodhisattvas of the Western Pure Land have the ability to travel to all the Buddha Lands and to any place in the entire Dharma Realm. The sutras teach that the past has no beginning and the future has no end. From this, we know that space (in Buddhism it is called Dharma Realm) is immensely vast. This is the area the bodhisattvas cover in their travels—the vastness of the Dharma Realm. If they have an affinity with a place, they will manifest themselves there to benefit the beings.

The conditions are mature for some beings but are not for others. If a being does not have the conditions, one should help the being develop the conditions. If the conditions of a being are not yet mature, one should help them mature. If the conditions of a being have matured, one should guide that being to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The standard for mature conditions in the Pure Land school is different from those in other schools. In other schools, a practitioner needs to completely eradicate all afflictions and attain great awakening. In the Pure Land school, a practitioner needs to have true belief, be willing to make the vow, and sincerely chant the Buddha-name. Such a practitioner is a being whose conditions have matured. This cultivation is easier than in other schools.

Throughout the boundless worlds in the ten directions, the bodhisattvas of the Land of Ultimate Bliss (1) seek the Buddha-dharma and (2) help all beings. When they seek the Buddha-dharma, they are not attached to the act of seeking. When they help beings, they are not attached to the act of helping. They discard all attachments and teach all beings. This way, they are able to attain infinite merits and virtues.

In “merits and virtues,” “merits” refers to effort, and “virtues” refers to result. “Merits” is the cause; “virtues” is the result. How does one cultivate merits? The Buddha taught us these three principles—which are the Three Learnings to preserve [our merits and virtues]: precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

One practices according to the precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom. For example, if one observes the precepts and attains meditative concentration, precept observation is “merits” [effort], and meditative concentration is “virtues” [result]. If one cultivates meditative concentration and attains awakening, the cultivation of meditative concentration is “merits,” and awakening is “virtues.”

If one observes the precepts but does not have meditative concentration, then this is not considered as “merits and virtues.” There is “merits” [effort] but no “virtues” [result]. Here, precept observation will turn into good fortune—one will have good fortune in the human or heavenly path in the next lifetime.

If one cultivates meditative concentration but does not attain awakening, one will have the karmic result of being reborn in the heavens, in the Form Realm or the Formless Realm—one will not transcend the Three Realms. This good fortune [of being reborn into the heavens] is minuscule. If one attains enlightenment and uncovers one’s true nature, one will transcend the Three Realms.

“Infinite merits and virtues” signifies the attainment of Buddhahood. Only when one is a Buddha will one be replete with “infinite merits and virtues.” This is our ultimate goal in learning Buddhism.

How do we accomplish infinite merits and virtues? By discarding all attachments. From this we can see that the reason why we cannot succeed in our practice is due to our not being able to let go of our attachments. Therefore, we should not be attached to either worldly phenomena or supramundane teachings. If we can discard all wandering thoughts and attachments, we will attain infinite merits and virtues.

If there is even one thing that we cannot discard or let go of, we will not have any achievement. But to let go is truly hard. Because of this, infinite great compassion arose in Amitabha Buddha, and he established a special cultivation place in the Dharma Realm for learning and practice—for beings like us who cannot let go to also have achievement. This is inconceivable!

With the cultivation places of all the other Buddhas in the ten directions, one must let go of both worldly phenomena and supramundane teachings before one can be reborn there. But, only in the land of Amitabha Buddha, [while letting go is ideal,] not letting go is also alright. This way, everyone will be truly helped and awakened.

When we get to the Western Pure Land, Amitabha Buddha and the beings of superior goodness (in other words, the great bodhisattvas) will help us discard all our attachments so that we can attain supreme enlightenment.

~ Essence of the Infinite Life Sutra by Venerable Master Chin Kung