Today, it is a pleasure to present selections from “Bodhisattva Development into Buddhahood,” a section of the Surangama Sutra translated by Upsaka Lu K’uan Yu, in which Shakyamuni Buddha (vegan) explains this illusionary world and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, as well as the twelve groups of living beings in it.
Bodhisattva Development into Buddhahood
“Ananda rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha, and said: ‘We were ignorant and sought only (knowledge by) listening; this is why we failed to forsake the worldly mind. Now, after we have heard with great benefit the Buddha’s compassionate instruction on the right practice of sublimation, our bodies and minds experience great comfort. World Honored One, in this practice of Buddha Samadhi and before attaining Nirvana, what are the progressive steps from the manifestation of dry (that is unfertilized) wisdom, through the forty-four stages of Bodhisattva development, to the realization of Universal Enlightenment?’ After saying this, he prostrated himself and, together with the whole assembly, reverently stared at the Buddha and awaited His compassionate voice. The Buddha praised Ananda and said: ‘Excellent, excellent! It is good that, on behalf of this assembly and of all living beings in the Dharma ending age who will practise Samadhi […], you can ask for my instruction on the unsurpassed Path from the worldly condition to (transcendental) Parinirvana. Listen attentively to what I now tell you.’ Ananda and the assembly brought their palms together and concentrated their minds to receive the Teaching.”
The Tathagata Store from which Arise Both Samsara & Nirvana
“The Buddha said: ‘Ananda, you should know that the absolute nature is completely enlightened; it is beyond name and form and is fundamentally free from either the world or living beings. Because of ignorance, there arises birth, which is followed by death. So birth and death are unreal, and the wiping out of the unreal brings about the real, which is called Supreme Bodhi and Parinirvana. Hence, these terms imply the twofold transmutation (of klesa and samsara into Bodhi and Nirvana). Ananda, if you now wish to achieve the state of Samadhi in order directly to reach the Tathagata’s Parinirvana, you should know first the two inverted causes which lead to the existence of living beings and the world. The nonrising of these inversions is the Tathagata’s true state of Samadhi.’”
The Origin of Living Beings & the World
“Ananda, what are these two inversions? Because of the mind’s (arbitrary) awareness of the (underlying) bright nature, the latter, which is fundamentally enlightened, becomes an objective (form) as opposed to a false (perception). Thus from fundamental nothingness arises actual phenomenon. (Therefore), the existence (of ignorance) and its creation (of the world and living beings), the causeless cause of subjective (ignorance) and its objective creation, and subjective (living beings) dwelling in their objective abode (the world) have no real basis. From (Reality), which does not abide anywhere, spring the world and living beings.”
The Inverted Cause of the Existence of Living Beings
“(What is the inverted cause of the seeming existence of living beings?) The faulty awareness of completely enlightened nature creates a falsehood which has neither nature nor basis. If you wish to restore the real, this very wish (pertains to the samsaric mind and) is not related to absolute nature. If the unreal mind is used to recover real nature, the latter will be unreal, and of necessity, there follow illusory birth and existence as well as unreal mind and dharma, which will unfold endlessly and will gain in intensity, thereby creating (new) karma and so responses from those sharing the same karma. This karmic responsiveness leads to the interdependence of births and deaths. Hence，the inverted cause of the seeming existence of living beings.”
The Inverted Cause of the Existence of the World
“Ananda, what is the inverted cause of the world (that is the realm of space and time)? Because of the illusory existence (of ignorance) and its creation (of the world and living beings) there arises the mortal lot clinging to space. Because of the causeless cause of subjective (ignorance) and its objective creation, and because of subjective (living beings) dwelling in their objective abode, all unfolding continuously and transitorily, time arises. Thus, the three aspects of time and the four cardinal points of space intermingle and combine to produce the twelve (3 x 4) categories of beings.”
The Twelve Types of Transformation
“Therefore, in the world, movement leads to sound, sound to form, form to smell, smell to touch, touch to taste, and taste to thoughts (dharma). These six illusions contribute to the formation of karma, which causes the division into twelve, that is, six illusions each for body and mind) different types of change. Hence, the wheel turning in samsara wherein these illusory sense data end in twelve different transformations in each rotation (that is, each false thought turns the wheel and contributes to these twelve types of births).”
The Twelve Groups of Living Beings
“Such inversion that turns the wheel of samsara, creates (twelve groups of) species born of eggs, Wombs, humidity, and by transformation, having forms, being beyond form, thoughtful or thoughtless, having neither form nor no form, and being neither thoughtful nor thoughtless.”
