GƯƠM BÁU TRAO TAY _ Handing Down the Precious Sword (Song ngữ)

[trantu]

Back to the lesson, everyone felt a rude awakening and suddenly realized that the Buddha had taught them their first lesson: eat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty. Eat when it’s time to eat. Those who say that they don’t need to eat do not know how to live, or they simply lie. Almost 2000 years later, Tran Nhan Tong, a king of the Tran dynasty of Vietnam and a great Zen master, founder of the Truc Lam Yen Tu school, also mentioned it in a poem of his “Cu Tran Lac Dao” (Cư trần lạc đạo) (To enjoy the path while living a worldly life): “when hungry, eat ; when tired, sleep” (Cơ tắc xan hề khốn tắc miên).

Even the Buddha was busy putting his robe and taking his bowl to go for the alms, let alone us! A special note worth mentioning here: Buddha, a World Honoured One, at the slightest hint of food would receive variety of delicious and exotic offerings bestowed upon him. His attendants have likely already prepared a savoury meal for him, to be served after the teaching. But alas no, the Buddha went out to beg the food himself, relying on no one. He did not eat the good food prepared for him, but lived by his own teachings. How can we not but be in awe and amazed? Some high-ranking monks (“dignitaries”) there… uneasily pondered, being served feasts of “delicious and exotic” vegetarian delights. Nowadays there are even vegetarian food creations that strikingly resemble prawns, fish, chicken legs… quite controversial! We are also amazed because the Buddha, a being of the highest status as the World Honoured One, with dozens of “venerable titles” and still was such a simple man! He still walked barefoot peacefully carrying his bowl. He stilled trudge along hot midday sun begging for alms, eating whatever food he was given. The Buddha walked serenely, naturally, aware of each step, not caught up by judgments or comments about him, around him. He only breathed with each step, easily, gently, feeling good! He did not choose rich households to beg, nor did he choose the poorer ones which might be kinder, or the people he were acquainted with to be sure that he would receive something. The Buddha unhurriedly went from house to house, there was no need to make any difference, no need to help only the rich or the poor! Everybody has problem, everybody suffers. The poor have poor’s problem, the rich have rich’s problem! But after a few hours walking, any food can become delicious one, easily digested if eaten mindfully, if chewed mouthful per mouthful. It seems the bowls were just big enough for only one person’s need, just so there was not too much food nor leftovers.

Nowadays it is very rare to see mendicants in town, but if one has the chance to see a monk in yellow robe, carrying a bowl, mindfully walking easy steps and begging his food at each doorstep, we can’t help but admire and being moved by the Monks of a thousand years past. At present, there is no need to go to each house begging for each meal, but it is still good for your health if you could walk a few hours per day. Simple food, with plenty of vegetable, beans, limited in fat, sugar and salt, are also very good for your health. Above all if your meals are taken in a good setting: leisurely enjoyed in a relaxing atmosphere, with simple and sufficient food, then every meal is good and healthy..

[trantu]

After his lunch, the Buddha put everything away neatly, washed his feet and sat down to meditate. Note here that he did not go straight to bed or participated into any heavy discussions, but sat peacefully, meditating. Maybe that is the best time to follow each activity of your body, to feel how your food is digested, absorbed, transformed into energy in each one of your cells. The teaching has been set in motion. If we are mindful and carefully observe the Buddha when he carries his bowl and went to each house, we would be likely to discover more insights and interesting details. For example, the mendicant was not the receiver but actually the giver. Here we cannot distinguish who is begging and who is giving. When the mendicant shows up at the door the householder is exuberant, feeling great joy and happiness, not only because the mendicant was the Buddha, but also the act of begging itself has another meaning: it gives a meaning of a gentle reminder and suggestion. The householder has the opportunity to look at himself, to hear some voice from the deepest place of his heart… perhaps he will forget it quickly, but the day will come when he remembers this moment of teaching. As for the wealthy, they may start to see that the barefoot, bareheaded monk, standing with his begging bowl at their doorstep was a crown prince who renounced his kingdom, his palace life and beautiful courtesans, and for whom? There might also be some who turned him out, shouted abuses at him, but they still received a grateful look, a sweet smile and the peaceful steps of the mendicant. At night, these men will remember, and surprised to hear another voice within their heart. There are poor people, who do not have enough to eat themselves let alone to give. But they can exchange a friendly expression, a compassionate smile. His respect, His equanimity betrays a lot of things. In fact, if one examine closer, when the Buddha got up and put on his robe, took his bowl… each one of his gesture has a dignified mannerism quite unlike ours. If someone still insists to question what the dissimilarity is between the Buddha’s action of preparing his robe and bowl compared to our own, it’s likely the Buddha will smile gently and say “oh yes, there is…”. The Buddha donned his robe and took his bowl with awareness, while we tend to make the same attempts quite hurriedly fetching the robe and haphazardly grasping the bowl…

Through the process of demonstration, every gesture, every movement should be observed closely and noted in detail so as we can replicate the teachings and actions. All along this teaching, we learn more than we can imagine: how to give but not giving, to hold precepts but not holding precepts, to be forbearing without being forbearing, as well as being temperate, content, diligent, mindful … while at all times remain in a serene, peaceful, relaxed, wise state of mind. No wonder Shubuti praised the Buddha “It is marvellous…The Tathagata blesses bodhisattvas with the best of blessings and entrusts bodhisattvas with the greatest trusts!”

[trantu]

2. Handing down the precious sword


Subhuti, sitting among the assembled peers, suddenly leapt up: “It is very rare, World Honoured One! How well the Tathagata protects and thinks of all Bodhisattvas, how well He instructs all the Bodhisattvas!”


At this point, I was again more perplexed. Subhuti is no stranger! He is one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, an arahant, famous for his delight in living alone, foremost in Emptiness. Nonetheless, he spoke as if… he was jealous of the Bodhisattvas… “You, Bodhisattvas, be ‘joyous’ for Lord Buddha has ‘favoured’ you and devoted his teachings to you this day!” “He minds you, protects and instructs you so earnestly as if He had never taught, entrusted, nor guided you, his greatest and closest disciples, before!” At first I was aghast, then it dawned on me that things were not as they seemed. Arahants, Worthy Ones, had attained the state of no-rebirth, how can they be jealous and give birth to such a mental affliction? Maybe here is an important teaching, dedicated especially to the bodhisattvas– enlightened beings who choose to remain sentient in this world, and who are ready to plunge into the world of suffering in order to provide salvation for others. Among the attendees are confirmed bodhisattvas, as well as some (religious or laymen/women) newly generated Bodhicitta who are not yet enlightened beings but are available to assist others attain enlightenment, and apply the Buddha’s teachings and doctrines in the process. They formed a new generation of Buddha’s disciples at the time He taught the Diamond Sutra. It was a formation of Bodhisattvas aspired and ready to engage as life saviours to those in need.

[trantu]

Was it like:

The Emperor, handing over his precious sword, at midnight calls for war and sets the day?

“Chín tầng gươm báu trao tay / Nửa đêm truyền hịch định ngày xuất chinh” (Đoàn thị Điểm)

A precious sword? Absolutely. The sword that was handed here was the sharpest, made of diamond, able to slice through all human suffering and destined misfortune of mankind. This task is entrusted to the “future” Bodhisattvas, the good men and women who aspires to throw themselves into life’s danger with zeal, eager to spread forth the liberating Dharma. As for the Worthy Ones who had eliminated all afflictions, who had laid the “burdens” down, it would also help that they chose to commit themselves to return to the samsaric world and continue upholding the Dharma source! I remember having read: “when the source is deep, the stream is long!” The source must be deep so for the stream to be long!

And what about going to war? The war here is not with other countries to defend one’s own or to occupy another but to be at war with ourselves, with the greed-aversion–ignorance foes inside each of us. Lao Tzu said: “those who conquer others are strong; those who conquer themselves are powerful”. It’s difficult to conquer oneself. One needs a precious sword for that.

The way Subhuti praised Buddha of “how precious, dedicated and mindful the Tathagata was taught to all the Bodhisattvas, protecting and instructing them so well” already expressed this. Nowadays, this is known as “creating motivation” as part of the participatory education. With the use of motivation, students study better, or else they might… fall asleep! Maybe everybody assembled there was just as stupefied, making them more open, more enthusiastic to absorb the teaching. Each of them vowed to strive to be a bodhisattva to deserve the Buddha’s protection and trust.

[trantu]

Subhuti then asked: “World Honoured One, if good men and good women want to achieve enlightenment, upon what should they rely? What should they do to control their mind?”

2500 years later, this question still resounds. Especially today when globalization and the “flat world” etc… have driven mankind to fierce disputes, struggles over power and interests that lead to wars, epidemics, and natural disasters… as we all have witnessed. Never men had been so “enflamed” and their minds so “wildly disarrayed” as much as they do now.

Indeed, to be enlightened, all you need is to focus on that mind. You must quiet it, subdue it and that’s it! Doing so one will be enlightened in the same way as Buddha did. As He said, ordinary people are not yet enlightened Buddhas, and a Buddha is an already enlightened ordinary man. That’s it. There’s nothing more. We need nothing more. All the disturbing elements in life, all sufferings and misfortunes come from that mind. One need only bridle it, pull it back, discipline it, coax it – in other word tame it as one would have tamed a wild horse or an angry bull— contain it somewhere and prevent it from wreaking further havoc!

[trantu]

Easier said than done. In fact, the mind is very difficult to control, train, subdue and settle. As powerful as Thai Thuong Lao Quân, and still was unable to discipline his riding bull from breaking loose from its cage and doing damage to the world! The bull used to smell Lao Quan’s magical medicine, which only made it even more violent! Even Tôn Ngô Không, with his 72 kinds of supernatural powers was sometimes desperate, helpless and had to ask Quan Âm Bodhisattva for help!

It is interesting to note here that Subhuti spoke of good men and women in general, and not of any men or women in particular. Firstly, they must be good, worthy. That is the primary condition to become a bodhisattva. The path leading to enlightenment recommended by the Buddha is an odd one, so strange but wonderful, hardly believable and certainly not an easy process to follow. That is why at the beginning, the Buddha hesitated a long time before giving his first sermon (turning the Dharma Wheel). It is clear today that Subhuti applied the technique of creating “motivations” to set a favourable environment for Buddha to pass on the precious sword. Another interesting point to note: there are no gender distinctions. Both men and women can become bodhisattvas! And think that this was 2500 years ago!

The Buddha answered Subhuti: “Well said, Subhuti. Well said. So it is, Subhuti, it is as you say. The Tathagata blesses bodhisattvas with the best of blessings and entrusts bodhisattvas with the greatest trusts…” How good to hear that! Even the Buddha had confirmed Subhuti’s foresight! How then would one dare be inattentive! The atmosphere of the assembly must have been different then, more conducive and ripe.

[trantu]

“You should therefore truly listen, Subhuti, and consider this well”. Listening is the first skill in the contemporary world of psychotherapy. To listen truly is not just to give ears carelessly or superficially, but to be attentive with all one’s mind, all one’s body. A good listener is someone who leans forward and looks the speaker in the eyes, nods his head in approval at agreeable points, ask questions when necessary and summarizes in his/her own words what was heard to confirm good understanding of the speaker’s intent. A good listener must be an understanding, emotional person. It is not surprising that in the Diamond Sutra, Subhuti, an arahant, who already attained the “no-rebirth” status, was still moved to tears! The word “truly” here also has the meaning of “examining/ scrutinizing thoroughly”, not just listening and trusting absent-mindedly. When we study Buddhism, it is interesting to note that the Buddha never imposed the teachings. He always said we must not believe immediately, but instead have to analyse, test and experience what He said for ourselves.

If we pay further attention still, we will see that the Buddha is speaking personally to Subhuti and only to him. “I shall tell you…” the Buddha said, which means “I shall not tell this to anyone else, because you are the one who knows how to ask important and ultimate questions. So I’ll tell only to you. Good men and women who want to achieve enlightenment should do things like this…like this”…

Just imagine how all of us would be attentive in this situation, how we all would prick up our ears in that forum! Everybody suddenly become astute eavesdroppers! Eavesdropping is a good way to… learn! The 6th patriarch Hue Nang naturally eavesdropped upon entering the temple, while daily pounding rice, cutting wood and cooking meals. Thanks to that, he immediately recognized that “fundamentally there is not a single thing” (Bổn lai vô nhất vật), while others remains lost in their quest. In classical text, when there is something secretive, private to share, one would say “This is how you do it … like this….” and that invites curiosity. Is that a special strategy the Buddha adopted to teach the Diamond Sutra? Are the Buddha and Subhuti playing their roles in the very modern participatory method?

Subhuti grinned widely: “Yes, yes, I very much wish to hear!”


https://thuvienhoasen.org/p26a22801/...ds-on-the-path

[trantu]

3. It looks like that but is not the way it is

Subhuti respectfully asked two questions to the Buddha: “How can we rest our mind, how can we subdue our mind?” and the Buddha said: “There is nothing difficult there, the Great Bodhisattvas should subdue their mind this way, this way… Listen carefully. I shall tell you how”. Subhuti happily answered: “Pray, do, World-honored One. With joyful anticipation we long to hear.”

More than 2,500 years later, more so now we very much long to hear and prick our ears to listen, because man has never lived so much in fear, anxiety and stress as we do now within the scope of global conflicts, epidemics, natural disasters and the like! Man is infected with various diseases which modern medicine cannot heal just yet! So many different kinds of diseases manifests around us, one induces another because their roots are not to be found in our body! We go to see every kind of doctors eventually ending up resorting quack specialists. An abundance of drugs are available like anti-depressants, sleeping sedatives, anxiolytics, even very potent drugs to help people disengage themselves from their thoughts and induce a temporary sensationless state just to provide momentary rest, peace and isolation from the taxing emotions and distress of anguish or fear.

[trantu]

The Buddha taught: How to control your mind? Where must your mind dwell? You only need to bring all living creatures of whatever class to the final extinction, to the unbounded liberation, Nirvana! But actually none of them was brought to the final extinction!

Oh my goodness! What a whirlwind! The Buddha continued on before one recovered from the first train of thought:

“Why so? Because no Bodhisattva who is a real Bodhisattva cherishes the conception of an ego, a personality, a being or a life span”.

Upon hearing this many listeners felt the contradiction to commit themselves further and they started to reconsider their idea of becoming Bodhisattva.

Even Subhuti cried out:

“I might easily understand the Buddha’s teaching, but in 500 years, what about the people of that time, will they be able to understand?”

The Buddha admonished him: “Subhuti, do not utter such words.”

This is because the Buddha has great faith in the future, as people are more likely to easier understand his teaching thanks to modern technology, mode of media communication, and so forth… though material improvements and life conveniences will be abundant… people will be more prone to suffer and their destructive emotions will also soar up! The Buddha added: “In the future, if someone hears this Sutra and is not frightened, or alarmed, or terrified, you should know that person is most rare”.

Half a century ago, Edward Conze (Ph.D. in Psychology and well-known Buddhist scholar who translated the Diamond Sutra into English) said that an intellectual theologian friend of his, upon reading the translation bewilderedly exclaimed: “It’s crazy! Utterly crazy!” But Edward Conze didn’t think this was crazy at all, on the contrary he affirmed that the results will be acknowledged through daily application of its principles!

[trantu]

Nguyen Du read the Diamond Sutra over and over, thousands of times, until he had the opportunity as Ambassador to make a trip to China. As he looked at Prince Luong’s stone terrace and its fading carved words, he lamented:

“Finally I understand that only wordless sutras are genuine teachings!”

(Chung tri vô tự thị chân kinh)

The ancients similarly attested: “We vow to understand the true meaning of the Tathagata’s teachings” (Nguyện giải Như Lai chân thật nghĩa).

Perhaps there is something … some secret here.

The Buddha said hat to discipline one’s mind, one must bring together countless types of beings – beings born from womb, from egg, from moisture or from transformation, beings with form or without forms, with perception of without perception, with neither perception nor non-perception… to the final extinction (of rebirth), to the Nirvana without exception. Then, although these countless, incalculable beings have been brought to extinction, in reality… no one been extinguished!

Up to now, we think that beings are animated things, inclusive of human beings, so if we bring every ‘being’ to extinction then whom are we left to live with? Some texts say that we must bring the totality of beings to extinction without pride on oneself, in so doing to achieve the magnanimous deed that is the way of a Bodhisattva.

Other texts have alluded to beings not as human beings or animated things but as thoughts, ideas, concepts!

To ordinary people as ourselves, the sentence “bring to extinction”, then moving toward Nirvana is somewhat terrifying! In fact, to bring people to extinction does not mean to kill them, but to bring them across the way to the other shores, i.e. to liberate them!

If we think it through, maybe the premise here is the word “being”. If we manage to decode it, we might perhaps open even the “Lost secrets of Martial Arts” (Càn khôn đại nã di tâm pháp) as Vô Kỵ (the knight errant of Kim Dung’s martial novels) did while he stayed in a deep crypt.