You do not exist because of the sound's birth, and you do not exist because of the sound's cessation. It is because you are confused and deluded that you take the permanent (the nature of hearing) for cessation (sound), and not because you separate the six sense objects: form, sound, smell, etc., which your senses of seeing, hearing, or knowing do not exist." [92, p.72]
Here, the Buddha clearly explains the relationship between sound and hearing in interaction, thereby pointing out the true nature of sound and hearing. Sound can be born and can die, but hearing is inherently neither born nor dies, but because we are deluded, we mistakenly believe it.
The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng once firmly affirmed :
Originally there was not a single thing, Where is there any dust ? Maybe you are interested!
Truc Lam sect's pure teachings in Vietnamese Buddhist literature of the medieval period - 1
Literary values in the works of Truc Lam Zen sect - 33
Truong Tuu's prose in the process of Vietnamese literature in the early 20th - 20th centuries
Artistic Techniques in the Works of Truc Lam Zen Sect
Literary values in the works of Truc Lam Zen sect - 48
Confucianism says: “ The events in heaven have no sound or smell ” [95, p.495].
To understand the meaning of the first of the twenty-four tones
It is impossible not to understand the two verses: Form is not form , Emptiness is not emptiness [p.114]. Form is not form, Emptiness is not emptiness.
Form and Emptiness are two basic categories of Buddhist thought. Perhaps the two verses above were adopted by the author from the Heart Sutra that temples often recite every day: “Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Feelings, Perceptions, Forms, and Consciousness are also the same. ” Form here refers to all phenomena that have form and can be perceived. Form and Emptiness are two opposing categories, but their true nature is not different. Meanwhile, human thinking is often influenced by many factors, but the two basic factors are: the inner consciousness and the outer material world. Only in a state of mindfulness, understanding Form and Emptiness, can one have the wisdom eye to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and not be influenced by external circumstances. That is, when people are calm, calm, and contemplative, without distracting thoughts, without all reasoning, and let go of everything, then they can see the true nature of all things:
鳥身非鳥,花魂非花,行止饒他,我奈吾何. [page 114] Birds, non-birds, flowers
The body of a bird is not a bird, the soul of a flower is not a flower, standing and walking is up to it, what can I do? [169, p.146]
Ngo Thi Nham applied the idea of breaking attachments in the Diamond Sutra :
What is said to be all dharmas is not all dharmas, therefore it is called all dharmas . ”
Therefore, it is called all dharmas) to answer the question: "If the Principle cannot be followed, can't the Desires be cut off?" of his students. He said: "If it is not cut, it will be cut off, if it is cut, it will not be cut off. If water is considered water, then it is not real water, if fire is considered fire, then it is fake fire; real water can be hot, real fire can be cold." [169, p.152]
Opening the work with the chapter " Empty Sound" , the author pointed out the way to see the true nature of all things, understand the categories of Form - Emptiness, reach the realm of no hindrance; not be bound by external circumstances, not be attached to self and dharma. This is the fundamental concept, the backbone to develop other Sounds . From this True Emptiness (the unreal) is born the Wonderful Existence (the miraculous existence) to destroy all ignorance, prejudice, stubbornness, open up true wisdom, and open the bright path for the listener.
The Void Sound does not mean denying the existence of sound, but is the true nature of sound, and also symbolizes the tranquil realm of the pure True Mind , without any noise or thoughts, like the light of the face not obscured by dark clouds, the sky shining on all places. When a person's inner mind is clear and bright, he will naturally recognize the nature of all things, the true nature of all dharmas, escape all prejudices and attachments, and be at ease. Realizing the principle of the Void Sound , understanding the nature of sound in the myriad of chaotic sounds of the external world is Liberation, Nirvana in Buddhist terms.
The Buddhist method of breaking attachments is vividly and flexibly visualized by the author of the main text:
“Water considered as water is not real water; fire considered as fire is false fire. Real water can be hot; real fire can be cold. Therefore, whoever has desires is desireless, and desireless is desireless.” [169, p.152]
In terms of phenomena, at first hearing the above words, it seems very unreasonable, but if we calmly contemplate them from the perspective of true nature, in their essential nature, we will understand their true nature as it is. Consciousness and things are always changing, so if we perceive them stubbornly and are disturbed by delusions, it is easy to make mistakes. Permanence (thinking that things exist forever) or Annihilation (thinking that things are lost forever) are both one-sided and can easily lead to mistakes. Not being attached is the important pass that leads people to accurate perception, true to the nature of all things and phenomena, which is extremely necessary leading to inner peace and clarity, the path to Nirvana.
In fact, we have seen this form of breaking attachments by using a series of negative words in many literary works of the Truc Lam Zen sect of the Tran Dynasty. For example, the first few lines in the Buddha's Heart Song by Tue Trung Thuong Si:
佛佛佛不可見,心心心不可說,…滅心存佛是處無,滅佛存心何時歇.
Buddha Buddha Buddha cannot be seen, Mind mind mind cannot be said... There is no place where the mind can be destroyed and Buddha still exists . When the mind is destroyed and Buddha still exists, when will it ever end? [296, p.271]
In the chapter An Thanh, the issue of birth and death is mentioned by the authors. Birth and Death are important concepts in Buddhist teachings, the philosophy of Impermanence (not permanent) of all things is expressed through four stages: Birth (birth), Existence (existence), Change (change), and Death (loss). For humans, this law is concretized into four stages that anyone must go through: Birth (birth), Old age (aging), Sickness (illness), Death (death). This issue, the nun Dieu Nhan of the Ly dynasty believed that life and death
This is an objective law from ancient times, only the ignorant want to find a way to escape.
Birth, aging , sickness and death, have always been like this . If you want to escape , you will be freed from all worries .
So, Wanting to find a way to escape, The more bound I am.) [295, p.339] Hai Luong answered the question :
佛說不生,何以有生?佛說不滅,何以有滅? [p.150] Buddha preaches no birth,
Why is there birth? The Buddha said it is immortal, why is there death? [p.154] (The Buddha said
The Buddha said: "There is no birth, why is there birth? There is no death, why is there death?" of the disciples: " There is birth, there is no birth; there is death, why is there death? "
immortal . [p.150] (To have birth is not to have birth, to have death is not to have death).
Phenomenally, it is clear that all things are born and die; but in reality, all things are neither born nor die; they are just transformed from one form into another, which is difficult to perceive with ordinary perception and visual observation. To say that they are neither born nor die is to talk about the true nature and essence of all things and phenomena; to say that they are born and die is to talk about the manifestation of the form of all things. Perhaps, when Ngo Thi Nham's student read the passage: "Xá Lợi Tử! all dharmas have no form, are neither born nor die, are neither defiled nor pure, do not increase nor decrease" [ Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra ], he may not have fully understood the profound and mysterious meaning of the Prajnaparamita thought in the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra , so he asked that question. With profound and thorough knowledge through personal experience,
In his experience, Ngo Thi Nham used the koan form and the method of breaking attachments to urge students to contemplate and comprehend for themselves.
The concept of thought in Buddhist teachings is explained by the author of the Main Text through the following dialogue:
What is the price ?
我想非想未到非非想故噎. [p.164]
Do you think there is a ghost?
I think there is no thought, but I have not yet reached the state of non-thought, so I am single .
(Teacher, are you choking ? I think of the unthinkable , but have not yet reached the real.
"It is not imaginary , so it is choking ." [158, p.170]
To explain to learners easily, Ngo Thi Nham quoted the Buddha's words: "If you use the imagination to imagine the non-non-imagination , if you use the view to see, it is difficult to see the Tathagata . "
Buddhists believe that when perceiving an object, if one does not see it as it really is, but is influenced by other ideas, it is delusion , which means one perceives it wrongly. Buddhists who practice Zen to the point of not being influenced by external circumstances, calm their minds and become pure, overcome the delusion to reach the realm of non-delusion . Even if one reaches the realm of non-delusion , one is still influenced by many other factors such as wrong views, biased views, prejudices, views, etc. If one practices at the level of non-delusion but clings to the realm one has reached, thinking that only one has cultivated to a high level and has correct perception, then it is still a false delusion, an attachment. Practicing one level higher, overcoming the realm of delusion and non -delusion , no longer clinging to non-delusion as correct, then one can reach the realm of non-non-delusion.
The metaphorical technique of the state of mind that is not focused, not concentrated, and being hindered is artistically expressed very vividly by the author through the image of choking while eating. The author admits that he has not yet reached the realm of the unimaginable, or does he see that his students' foundation is not yet able to grasp the problems of this level? Perhaps he still favors the practical direction of cultivating the Human Realm, taking self-cultivation as the root.
In the chapter Hoan Thanh , the issues of cause and effect, karma, and reincarnation of Buddhism are developed and explained deeply:
海量大禪師言:人為人,鬼為鬼,畜生為畜生.
徒弟白師言:佛說人死為羊,羊死為人,時如何?
師答言:儒說見豕負塗載鬼一車,你道是眞鬼,豕麼?眼本明而花,耳本聰而鳴,花無影,鳴無響. [p.186]
Great Zen Master Hai Luong said: People are people, ghosts are ghosts, animals are animals. The disciple asked the master: Buddha said that when people die, they become goats, when goats die, they become people, what is that? The master replied: Confucianism said that when people die, they become goats, when goats die, they become people, what is that ? The master replied: Confucianism said that when people die, they become goats, when they die, they become people, what is that? The master replied: Confucianism said that when people die, they become goats, when they die, they become people, what is that? The master said ... eyes are originally bright, they become flowers, when the ears are originally clear, they become buzzing, when eyes are buzzing, they become no shadow, when buzzing, they become no sound. [175, p.193]
Although the original nature of all living beings is the same, the external appearance of each species is different due to the karma created by each species, that is, different causes have different results. To say that people are people, ghosts are ghosts, animals are animals, is to say that the appearance is expressed. The great call of this chapter comes from the Zen master's compassionate heart to awaken ordinary people who are still infatuated with greed and delusion, not yet clearly distinguishing what is real and what is fake. Not knowing that the causes of good or evil actions of all people and all species have corresponding results that are very clear and transparent. Zen master Hai Luong used the words in the Book of Changes, the hexagram Thien Phong Cau: "Kien thi phu do, tai quy nhat xa ." (Seeing pigs carrying mud, carrying ghosts in one cart.) [quoted: 158, p.196], to explain the questions of students about the cycle of cause and effect in a practical way, not wanting to delve into metaphysical issues that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The Zen master's call takes people from the shore of delusion and attachment to the shore of enlightenment and liberation, from crazy delusions back to clear and happy peace; ending evil karma and opening the path of goodness.
Following this direction of Hai Luong, monk Hai Au further analyzed the cause and effect and reincarnation of the Zen master:
“ Humans have their own way, ghosts have their own way, animals have their own way. The great Zen master said that humans, ghosts, and animals all have their own form and energy. The Buddha said that when a person dies, they become a goat, and when a goat dies, they become a human. Perhaps he meant that humans inherently have their own way. If their conscience is destroyed, their humanity will be destroyed and they will have to enter the way of animals. Goats are inherently in the way of animals, but if they are exposed to a ray of light, their evil roots will be cut off and they will be able to enter the way of humans.” [175, p.194]
Hai Luong applied the practical understanding of Confucianism to answer his student's question about the Buddhist law of cause and effect and the Confucian law of karma in a harmonious way: " Here is the word "qua " in "qua nhien " , just as Confucianism says the word " tat" in " tat nhien" . For example, Confucianism says that any family that accumulates good deeds will certainly have more than enough blessings; any family that accumulates bad deeds will certainly have more than enough disasters. The fruit has that, then it gets that, that is the fruit . As for the great fruit (great fruit) is the merit, the merit in general. Therefore, the blessings should not be enjoyed in full, the merit should not be counted in full, the fruit should not be eaten in full." [175, p.399]
In the Audio chapter , the author of the main text quotes from the Lotus Sutra to extol the idea of equality in Buddhist teachings:
我觀一切普皆平等,無有彼此愛憎之心.我無貪著,亦無旱礙. Fall shop
I see all things as equal, without love or hate. I am not greedy or attached, and nothing can make me worry or hinder me. [p.218]
The idea of equality was initiated by the Zen master who initiated the Truc Lam Zen sect in the Tran Dynasty, Tue Trung Thuong Si, who was enlightened and lived fully with the true self in each person , and affirmed that:
The eyebrows and nose are as horizontal as the nose , Buddha and all living beings are one face.
What is the difference between Buddha and sentient beings? [296, p.285]
The concept that Buddha and all living beings are completely equal and have the same true face with horizontal eyebrows and vertical nose lines is rare in the Middle Ages, a period when feudal ideology with supernatural forces dominated and covered all areas of social life. These inviolable forces were recognized as supernatural beings, superior to humans. During this period, even the king of a large country like China only dared to call himself the son of heaven, and all royal decrees had to begin with the phrase: Phung thien thua van (following the mandate of heaven), but here Tue Trung dared to openly affirm that Buddha and all living beings are equal. This view that transcends space and time of Tue Trung is a solid foundation, humanistic with the highest meaning, transcending the era of absolute equality not only between people but also between all living beings and Buddha, Heaven, Gods, and Saints. Because in terms of self-nature, all are equal, without distinction, with the same status.
Inheriting the idea of equality of Truc Lam Zen sect, Ngo Thi Nham developed it through the spirit of loving people and all things without distinction on the basis of the philosophy of emptiness in the first chapter, thoroughly understanding, experiencing deeply, and having a more fundamental basis when realizing the Buddha nature of equality in all living beings in the chapter Kien Thanh. Not only that, he also put into practice the spirit of equality of Buddhism by harmonizing the meaning of universal unity in the spirit of Confucianism into the idea of equality of Buddhism.
The author quotes the verse with the principle of breaking the attachment to sound and form of the Diamond Sutra :
以聲音求我,以色相求我,是人行邪道,不能見如來. [p.267] Di sound sound
Whoever seeks me by sound, seeks me by form, that person follows an evil path, and cannot see the Tathagata .
The spirit of breaking attachments has an important position in Buddhist teachings. If one does not thoroughly understand this spirit, it will be difficult to go deeply into the Mahayana teachings of Buddhism. However, if translated as above, it is not only unclear but also easy to misunderstand the profound meaning of the sutra. In our humble opinion, this verse should be translated as: If one sees me through form, Seeks me through sound. That person follows a false path, Cannot see the Tathagata. The word "Tathagata" also
explained by Hai Luong in the spirit of this sutra:無所從來,亦無所去,故名如
來. Coming from nowhere , also going nowhere , therefore called Tathagata.
Where does it go, therefore it is called Tathagata) [p.293]. Tathagata here refers to the true mind, the Buddha nature which has no coming or going, no birth or death; which in the mundane does not increase, in the Saint does not decrease, in the Buddha and in sentient beings there is no difference. That cannot be sought through sound, seen through form, only by calming the mind, purifying the heart to realize it.
Buddhists believe that the reason why people have erroneous perceptions is mainly due to the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind) being confused and coming into contact with the six sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharma) giving rise to the six consciousnesses (eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, mind consciousness). The sense objects of form and sound are the two leading objects of the six sense objects, and are also the two main objects that affect the eye and ear senses. The eye senses (the eyes) come into contact with the sense objects (things that the eyes can see); the ear senses (the ears) come into contact with the sound objects (sounds). These are two important factors that decisively influence the correct or incorrect perception of the nature of the objective world. If the eye and ear senses are not strictly controlled and protected, they will be fascinated by the sense objects of form and sound, leading to incorrect perception of objects.
Perhaps the author has experienced and thoroughly understood the main idea of the Diamond Sutra , which is the spirit of completely breaking attachments, so he quoted the Buddha's words through the above verse to awaken learners not to be attached to sounds and forms. If they are attached to sounds and forms, they cannot perceive objects accurately as they are. That is, they cannot see as they really are, know as they really are. Because in this sutra, it is emphasized many times.
strong: “凡所有相皆是虛妄,若見諸相非相即見如來. ”Phàm possesses the general appearance of the market
"All things with form are unreal. If you see the formlessness of forms, you see the Tathagata. "
The profound meaning of the Three Jewels in Buddhism is explained by the author of the main text in the chapter Nhat Thanh :
不具精粗不可以言佛不明體用不可以言法不知本末不可以言僧大哉佛
[p.267] . No specific, pure or coarse can speak of Buddha, no understanding of any application
If one does not have both the subtle and the gross, one cannot be called a Buddha. If one does not understand both the essence and the function, one cannot be called a Dharma. If one does not know the root and the end, one cannot be called a Sangha. How great is the Buddha, but it is not because of his sound, form, and appearance .
The Three Jewels, including Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, are the foundation for the existence of Buddhism. Buddha is the founder of Buddhism, with perfect wisdom and virtue; Dharma is the philosophical thoughts spoken by Buddha, to help sentient beings escape the sea of suffering, to reach the shore of liberation and happiness; Sangha refers to all those who leave the family life, live and practice according to Buddha's teachings. Here, Hai Luong discusses the Three Jewels from the perspective of wisdom, clearly understanding the function, thoroughly understanding from root to tip, fully including both the subtle and the gross.
Perhaps Ngo Thi Nham had carefully studied and was very fond of the philosophy of the mind-only doctrine in the Lankavatara Sutra , so this sutra is highly praised in both the chapter on the Presentation of the Mind and the chapter on the Presentation of the Mind :
道理要約在楞伽.楞伽說性甚分曉.大抵佛家好用暗影文字,非曉了人便曉
,不得纔曉得便是曉了[p.285]. The essential principles of morality at the Old Mausoleum. Old mausoleum
The theory of nature is very clear. Generally speaking, the Buddhist school makes good use of the obsession with the text. If you don't understand it, you will understand it. If you don't understand it, you will understand it. (The essence of the doctrine is all in the Lankavatara Sutra. The Lankavatara explains the word nature very clearly.)