{"id":1127,"date":"2023-03-31T12:13:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2023-04-29T15:39:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T19:39:03","slug":"perfect-enlightenment-16-bodhisattva-maitreya-inquiring-into-the-root-of-sa%e1%b9%83sara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/2023\/03\/31\/perfect-enlightenment-16-bodhisattva-maitreya-inquiring-into-the-root-of-sa%e1%b9%83sara\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Enlightenment 16: Bodhisattva Maitreya Inquiring Into the Root of Sa\u1e43s\u0101ra"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show scripture (Chinese).<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinese:<\/h2>\n

\u65bc\u662f\u5f4c\u52d2\u83e9\u85a9\u5728\u5927\u773e\u4e2d\u5373\u5f9e\u5ea7\u8d77\uff0c\u9802\u79ae\u4f5b\u8db3\u53f3\u9076\u4e09\u531d\uff0c\u9577\u8dea\u53c9\u624b\u800c\u767d\u4f5b\u8a00\uff1a\u300c\u5927\u60b2\u4e16\u5c0a\uff01\u5ee3\u70ba\u83e9\u85a9\u958b\u7955\u5bc6\u85cf\uff0c\u4ee4\u8af8\u5927\u773e\u6df1\u609f\u8f2a\u8ff4\u3001\u5206\u5225\u90aa\u6b63\uff0c\u80fd\u65bd\u672b\u4e16\u4e00\u5207\u773e\u751f\u7121\u754f\u9053\u773c\uff0c\u65bc\u5927\u6d85\u69c3\u751f\u6c7a\u5b9a\u4fe1\uff0c\u7121\u5fa9\u91cd\u96a8\u8f2a\u8f49\u5883\u754c\u8d77\u5faa\u74b0\u898b\u3002\u4e16\u5c0a\uff01\u82e5\u8af8\u83e9\u85a9\u53ca\u672b\u4e16\u773e\u751f\uff0c\u6b32\u904a\u5982\u4f86\u5927\u5bc2\u6ec5\u6d77\uff0c\u4e91\u4f55\u7576\u65b7\u8f2a\u8ff4\u6839\u672c\uff1f\u65bc\u8af8\u8f2a\u8ff4\u6709\u5e7e\u7a2e\u6027\uff1f\u4fee\u4f5b\u83e9\u63d0\u5e7e\u7b49\u5dee\u5225\uff1f\u8ff4\u5165\u5875\u52de\uff0c\u7576\u8a2d\u5e7e\u7a2e\u6559\u5316\u65b9\u4fbf\u5ea6\u8af8\u773e\u751f\uff1f\u552f\u9858\u4e0d\u6368\u6551\u4e16\u5927\u60b2\uff0c\u4ee4\u8af8\u4fee\u884c\u4e00\u5207\u83e9\u85a9\u53ca\u672b\u4e16\u773e\u751f\uff0c\u6167\u76ee\u8085\u6e05\u7167\u66dc\u5fc3\u93e1\uff0c\u5713\u609f\u5982\u4f86\u7121\u4e0a\u77e5\u898b\u3002\u300d\u4f5c\u662f\u8a9e\u5df2\u4e94\u9ad4\u6295\u5730\uff0c\u5982\u662f\u4e09\u8acb\u7d42\u800c\u5fa9\u59cb\u3002<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Show scripture (English).<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

English:<\/h2>\n

Then the bodhisattva Maitreya arose from his seat in the great assembly and bowed his head to the Buddha’s feet. He circumambulated him three times to the right, and then knelt down with his hands clasped. He addressed the Buddha, saying: \u201cGreatly Compassionate World Honoured One, you have opened wide the secret treasure for the bodhisattvas and have made all in the great assembly deeply awaken to transmigration and distinguish between the correct and mistaken. You have been able to impart the Fearless Eye of the Way and unshakable faith in Great Nirvana to the sentient beings of the degenerate age; they will not again chase after cyclic existence or give rise to cyclic views.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorld Honoured One; if the bodhisattvas and sentient beings of the degenerate age aspire to float on the Tath\u0101gata’s great tranquil ocean, how should they sever the root of cyclic existence? In the various kinds of cyclic existence, how many types of beings are there? How many differences are there in types of practice of the Buddha\u2019s bodhi? When we reenter the dirty and difficult world, what kinds of teaching devices should we establish to save all sentient beings? I implore you not to relax in your world-saving great compassion\u2014that you clarify the Wisdom Eye of all practicing bodhisattvas and sentient beings of the degenerate age, illuminate their mind-mirror, and completely awaken the Tath\u0101gata\u2019s unsurpassed insight.\u201d After saying this, he prostrated fully to the ground. He asked this question three times in succession.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Commentary:<\/h2>\n

The fifth bodhisattva asking question is Maitreya, but in terms of the practice, the fourth one.<\/p>\n

The previous answer brought out an important issue in practice. For all sentient beings, if detaching from the root of sa\u1e43s\u0101ra is the attainment of perfect awareness, then how does one do so? It was said previously that sa\u1e43s\u0101ra is rooted in the cyclical view that gives rise to the cyclical mind. How, then, can one be rid of the cyclical view? This leads to Maitreya\u2019s three questions.<\/p>\n

In the Buddhist Canon, it is the convention that whenever the subject pertains to the practice, Maitreya would be the leading bodhisattva asking Buddha questions. This is especially the case in the Praj\u00f1a series. Maitreya has asked the crux in the issue of practice, how can one become detached from the root of sa\u1e43s\u0101ra?<\/p>\n

Maitreya's three questions... click to show more.<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

His first question was how many types of beings there are. This was triggered by Buddha\u2019s answer to Vajragarbha, that all grasping and releasing are cyclical, that the various types of grasping and releasing have their nature of cyclical existence, and hence Maitreya\u2019s question.<\/p>\n

He then asked, in the practice of perfecting awareness, \u201cHow many differences are there in types of practice of the Buddha\u2019s bodhi?\u201d This is not a question on the various differences in the awareness. Rather, this is a question on the various differences in the practice.<\/p>\n

Thirdly he asked, \u201cWhat kinds of teaching devices should we establish to save all sentient beings?\u201d Following the previous question, if there are differences in the practice, then there would be differences in the expedient devices, and hence the question.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

On establishing Yog\u0101c\u0101ra... click to show more.<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

What Maitreya asked of expedient devices is essentially the establishment of Yog\u0101c\u0101ra as illustrated in Yog\u0101c\u0101rabh\u016bmi-\u015b\u0101stra<\/em> and Sa\u1e43dhinirmocana-s\u016btra<\/em>, which can further be divided into Dharmalak\u1e63a\u1e47aand Consciousness-Only. Dharmalak\u1e63a\u1e47a illustrates in detail all phenomena and their conditions within aggregates (skandhas<\/em>), places (\u0101yatanas<\/em>), and realms (dh\u0101tus<\/em>), but regarding one\u2019s state-of-mind, the teaching belongs to the territory of Consciousnessly-Only. Therefore, Consciousness-Only forms only a portion of the Yog\u0101c\u0101ra establishment, and it is only a part of the teaching in Dharmalak\u1e63a\u1e47a. In some treatises, Consciousness-Only is said to be Yog\u0101c\u0101ra, this is a discussion on the detail given the general framework; elsewhere, when Yog\u0101c\u0101ra is said to be Consciousness-Only, this is a discussion on the overall framework given the specific detail. This way, the two are not equivalent. During the third turning of the wheel, Buddha discussed Consciousness-Only in detail, because it is only by then was when the practices towards profound praj\u00f1\u0101 p\u0101ramit\u0101, the Buddha-Within, and non-duality were taught. Since it is about the practice, naturally it involves one\u2019s mental state. Clearly, the topic of Consciousness-Only is only a part of the third turning of the wheel, and not the focus of it. These days, students of Consciousness-Only consider it the point of the third turning of the wheel, or even treat it as the essence of the entire Yog\u0101c\u0101ra establishment. Doing so is to flaunt. Neither Buddha nor Maitreya would expect it to be taken out of context, using Consciousness-Only to reject the fruition of Yog\u0101c\u0101ra, to reject the Buddha-Within.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

On the nature of sa\u1e43s\u0101ra and one's state-of-mind in the practice... click to show more.<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Returning to Maitreya\u2019s question, inquiring into the nature of sa\u1e43s\u0101ra, naturally sentient beings\u2019 state-of-mind becomes relevant, and therefore, Consciousness-Only becomes relevant. Regarding the different practices, it involves the nature of sentient beings, thus Consciousness-Only is also relevant here. Now this is also the case in terms of the different expedient devices. This way, all three questions involve Consciousness-Only, on storehouse\/seeds consciousness (\u0101layavij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em>) that is non-conceptual, as well as \u0101laya<\/em> where conceptuality is not manifested. This way, seeds (b\u012bja<\/em>) are established to discuss both \u0101laya and storehouse consciousness. Knowing this, then one would not unfairly take Consciousness-Only out of context and mistake it as the entirety of Buddhist practices.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Stay tuned for the next post on Buddha’s answer on the severing the root of sa\u1e43s\u0101ra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commentary: The fifth bodhisattva asking question is Maitreya, but in terms of the practice, the fourth one. The previous answer brought out an important issue in practice. For all sentient beings, if detaching from...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1129,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions\/1129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}