THIN LIKE A THREAD
The path of our mind practice is simply to recognize the original mind of calmness and clarity. It is the Knowing of tranquility, emptiness, and objectiveness. Then with steady practice, we will surely experience the Mind of Void, or the Mind of As-Is, from which the transcendental sapience will generate. Generally, the path looks so simply. But, how come just a few people could escape from the ocean of sufferings? Or how many of us could be preliminarily awakening? How many Zen masters have been in the past and temporary history? If compared them to billions of people in the world, it is just “un peau soleil dans l’eau froid” or “some showers over the sea.” A few clear and sweet raindrops could only make a little change. The oceans remain salty with boundless tears of sufferings.
How come, folks? Give me the answer. Why? The miraculous Dharma is clearly present everywhere. Is there anything not it? Is there anything everlasting, undestroyable and unborn from conditions? Whenever seeing the Dharma is to be listening to the Tathagata preaching. But how come you guys are still sorrowful, engage in conflicts with smoke, fire and flying bullets everywhere? How come you guys dive deeper into self-indulgence, luxuries, extravagance but ignore the others oppressed by miseries and shortages of human basic needs?
Even though the Dharma always exists in life, it has been lectured for more than two thousand years. The Buddha was extraordinary brave. The lion’s roaring terrified the shamanic scopes and shakenly affected the whole Indian society heavily imbued by class discrimination and human exploitation as well. The Lord and his Sangha kept their heads lofty while walking among thorns and rocks and enduring every insult, hatred, slandering and even depriving of life. The Buddha and all the Arahants possessed the supernatural powers. They were all protected by the devas. So, no obstacle could impede their mission of preaching the Dharma.
However, everything is the subject to the cycle of impermanent rebirths and deaths. Around 1,600 years after the Buddha’s immersion into the Nirvana, The Trio of Jewelries, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, have disappeared in India up to now. Fortunately, that philosophy of sagacity flowed in time to the other lands, Sri-Lanca, China, Tibet...Since then, this cool and sweet stream has kept running into the good lands of both East and West. We are so much blessed to encounter the Buddhist dharma in this current life.
In the old days, Empress Wu Zetian of China, inspired by that sapience spring, wrote some verses to express her admiration.
“How utmost, eminent, and wondrous the Dharma!
Rarely encountered through countless eons,
Receiving, I have strenuously practiced it.”
Vowing to realize the Tathagata’s genuine meaning.”
That inspiration reflects our sentiment. To be born human is rare. To encounter the Buddhist Dharma is another precious fortune. We do know it without any doubt. We are also double-blessed by the instructions from our Master and other Patriarchs. But seemingly the road is far remote, isn’t it? The sun is setting. The dusk has come. Where is our house? The long night of reincarnation in darkness! What could we do now, the lonely travelers? To be frank, the mind practice is not easy. If so, we all entered the Nirvana. Saying it is easy, we refer only to the logic, principles, and theory to encourage each other for a fast mind training.
The Buddha, indeed, all the Buddhas, are endowed with the ten noble titles: Tathāgata, Worthy One, Samyak-saṁbuddha, Vidyācaraṇa-sampanna, Sugata, Lokavidu, Anuttara-puruṣa-damya-sārathi, Śāstā-deva-manuṣyāṇām, Buddha, Bhagavān.
We might understand all of those terms. However, we might possibly not mind enough to the title “Sugata.” But firstly, it is necessary to understand the general interpretations of those ten honorable titles.
1-Tathāgata: The Buddha named himself Tathagata, the One who has thus come or thus gone, the Suchness.
2-Worthy One: the One worthy of being worshiped and offered.
3-Samyak-saṁbuddha: the One who is wise in all aspects.
4-Vidyācaraṇa-sampanna: the One who is perfect in sagacity and virtuous conducts.
5-Sugata: the One who is dexterous and skillfully crossing over the ocean of rebirths and deaths.
6-Lokavidu: the One who is well explaining and fully comprehending the entire world.
7-Anuttara-puruṣa-damya-sārathi: the One who possesses the lofty determination and the ability to regulate his mind and the others’.
8-Śāstā-deva-manuṣyāṇām: the One who is the Great Master of the human and celestial realms.
9-Buddha: The awakened and enlightened One.
10-Bhagavān: The Noblest and Blessed One revered by the whole world.
Let’s return to our work.
Over the years of mind cultivation, we understand its red target is to fully absorb the Utmost Truth. That is why the Buddha called himself the Tathagatha.
We also know that we have to develop our sagacious mind, and our virtue is to comply with the precepts flawlessly.
Lokavidu: well explaining and thorough comprehension of the entire world. That means we need comprehend all the conventional truths that are operating our life: the theory of cause-aligned conditions, impermanence, the nature of emptiness and delusion.
Firstly, we must know how to culture our mind by different ways, contemplation, concentration and insight. Until we have done with them, we may help others training theirs.
In general, we understand those requirements, but how to apply them is too tough.
The common issue is that our current life, circumstances or reality do not well align with the requirements of “the principles of awakening”
“The Principles of Enlightenment” is the path of all the Buddha and even for the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. They require only three conditions: Śīla: Precepts, Samādhi, Concentration, and Prajñā, Wisdom. This golden standard is detailed in various sutras. Let’s study it in the Great Sutra of Heartwood Metaphors
The achievement of the full enlightenment and liberation has been outlined in the five stages as follows.
1-Monastic life and renunciation: primary and mandatory step
2-Virtuous conducts: completing the pure morality
3-Concentration: building up stable and steady meditative absorption
4-Six sense insights: achieving the Objective and As-Is Realization,
5-Emancipation: like holding the heartwood of the tree. The Buddha said “The unagitated mind is my mind of liberation.”
In the Great Sutra of Saccaka, the Ariya-pariyesana Sutta (The Noble Search) and Mahāsaccaka Sutta, the Buddha recounted his mind journey starting with his family renunciation.
In brief, when we cannot pass through the preliminary entrance to the spiritual path, how could we proceed to the advanced stages?
Now I clearly find out why life has remained an ocean of sufferings for thousands of years. Human mind is only cluttered with love and hate, comparative distinctions, considering on gains and losses, concerns of their parents, spouses, children and descendants, money and health, social life and business. How could our mind be empty while the “life backpack” is so heavy? How could we board the bottomless Prajñā boat on which there is no room for that “burden of life?
Thus, the Theravada embraces that to reach the ultimate destination, we must go across the ten bridges, the Ten Pāramitās, Ten Virtues of Perfection, one of which is the family renunciation.
The Mahayana only focus on the Six Pāramitās excluding the renouncement of family. But Vimalakīrti, a lay practitioner, attained the pure and noble dignities and the eminent wisdom of the Boddhisattvas. Though a layman, he set a brilliant example of leading a chaste life with the monastic conducts. So, he was seen to be ordained as a monk, physically and spiritually.
As for us, the path is full of impediments. How could we keep the equilibrium between the two sides, the worldly life and the spiritual practice? How could we equally divide our time, energy and concerns for both? When tending too much toward the mundane matters, we might neglect the spiritual culture. Conversely, we might abandon the responsibilities to our family members, parents, spouses, and children. Similarly, between the conventional and utmost truths, we should be smart enough in dealing to balance both.
Though not the renunciants, it does not mean no hope for us to reach the end of the road. Folks, there it is! Good news comes at the desperate moments!
Our patience and determination need be more solid than those of the ordainers. It is to stay among mundanity but not being entangled by it. If so, a great mastery! It means we fully conduct the monastic virtue: conforming to the Five Precepts, meditating practice in daily activities. And applying the two approaches, Concentration and Insight.
Concentration: the Non-Speech Knowing which turns into awareness and mindfulness.
Insight: the As-Is Knowing which also turns into awareness and mindfulness.
Furthermore, we do not launch our mind on any other desires, even not hungering for any achievement. Only then, we can stay in the non-thinking and recollecting, non- focusing, non-preoccupying and non-longing status
With that, we “have cleverly gone through” the ocean of life. It is the very meaning of the term “Sugata”, skillfully crossing over the ocean of rebirths and deaths.
The path of mind practice is as thin as a thread. Walk it with caution to keep the poise of Commandments, Concentration and Insight. With that we can definitely overcome all obstacles and failures on the midway.
Bhikkhuni Thích Nữ Triệt Như
Written at the Sunyata Monastery, July 03, 2021
English version by Ngọc Huyền
Link to Vietnamese article: https://tanhkhong.org/a2570/triet-nhu-snhp017-mong-nhu-soi-chi
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