A Talk On The Vimalakirti Sutra
Hisamatsu Shin'ichi Preface
I would like to take up seven points, which
I think are important in The Vimalakirti Sutra and lecture on them one by one.
sutra is comprised mainly of the teaching of Vimalakirti, an exemplary Awakened
lay person. It also includes Shakyamuni's teaching, as well as that of other disciples
and Bodhisattvas. Yet the heart of this sutra is Vimalakirti's teaching, thus
it is also called The Sutra of Vimalakirti's Teaching.
Though he is usually
simply called Yuima, Yuimakitsu is a transcription into Chinese characters of
his Indian name. Vimala means something like defilement-free or pure, although
it is also translated as eliminating impurities. The word kirti has the sense
of praised, ringing or renowned. Thus the name Vimalakirti is usually translated
as "Renowned for Purity, but it also can mean "Praised for Freedom from
Defilement" or even "Defilement-free Ringing.
In fact, this sutra
is also called The Renowned-for-Purity Sutra, and Vimalakirti has come to mean
the one who has eliminated all impurity, or the one renowned for accomplishing
this. The point is, the fundamental character of Vimalakirti is purity, a purity
concerning emancipation, and this emancipation is given great importance in this
sutra. The most profound meaning of having eliminated all impurity is, after all,
being one who is emancipated from all things.
Recently, historical studies
of Buddhism have become more and more scientific and text critiques are scrutinizing
the history of the sutras. Although the sutras were believed to have had their
beginnings in Shakyamuni's day, scholars are now claiming that most of them were
composed much later. The Vimalakirti Sutra also seems to have been composed six
years after Shakyamuni's death, at the beginning of the second century C. E.
a matter of historical fact, we cannot be certain whether Shakyamuni or Vimalakirti
really said what is recorded in the sutra. But rather than focus on this problem
of historical facts, let us focus on the content itself.
I consider myself
a Buddhist, but I neither approve of Shakyamuni's words nor think they are true
simply because he is supposed to have said them. And, to be frank, I don't want
to assume such things at all. My attitude is one of agreeing with what he said
if it really convinces me, and if it doesn't, I will continue to doubt.
if I am doubtful, however, I will never insist that only my view is correct. I
think I am flexible enough to learn from the sutras where I am wrong or my understanding
Thus, whether The Vimalakirti Sutra is considered a sermon
directly from Shakyamuni's "golden lips" or from a later date, I want
to find a way to live in truth by learning from it and understanding it for myself.
This is my present attitude.
I have decided to lecture on The Vimalakirti Sutra
because its superb Buddhism for lay people, like us, appeals to me. There has
been an undeniable tendency to think that only monks can thoroughly understand
Buddhism, or be thoroughly Buddhist. But this idea that lay Buddhist must acquiesce
and let monks take the lead is utterly destroyed by The Vimalakirti Sutra. The
possibility of lay people far exceeding monks is clearly presented here!
example, the sutra describes how Shakyamuni requested Mahakashyapa, his leading
disciple, as well as Shariputra and Ánanda, visit Vimalakirti when he was
ill in bed, but they all refused out of fear. These leading disciples were afraid
that, even though they were going to visit him in his illness, they wouldn't be
able to respond to Vimalakirti if he criticized them from his thorough and superb
Buddhist Awakening. Thus, each of them submitted apologies to Shakyamuni saying
why he was unqualified to visit Vimalakirti. This is one place where the sutra
indicates the possibility of a lay man with a wife and children being a better
Buddhist than monks. This has a great significance for lay people like us, and
allows us to really identify closely with the sutra.
It is well known that
Shotoku Taishi [Japanese Prince, statesman, and devout Buddhist; 574-622] wrote
a commentary on The Vimalakirti Sutra; I suppose he was deeply interested in this
sutra not just because he was a fine Buddhist, but because he was a lay person.
must now think about the meaning of lay Buddhism has at present, and for the future.
I have been working on this problem for years, and it comes down to this: which
is more fundamental, monastic or lay Buddhism? I am afraid my view will not be
understood well without going into some detail, but my conclusion is that for
true Buddhism, it is lay Buddhism that is fundamental, monastic Buddhism being
only one of its particular forms. Speaking in terms of universality, monastic
Buddhism can only exist based on the universality of lay Buddhism. Thus I think
that lay people now are necessary, not conventional Buddhist monks.
Is it even
possible, given the present situation, to maintain conventional monastic Buddhism?
Looking to the future, monastic Buddhism should be disbanded; in fact it already
is in the process of falling apart.
Saying this, monastic organizations and
monks may criticize and denounce me. But the actual fact is that monastic Buddhism
has already virtually disappeared. Even if it can be said to still exist, what
is truly worthy of the name monastic Buddhism has been relegated to one special
corner of society. There may be hundreds of thousands of people called monks here
in Japan but it must be said that very few of them maintain the traditional ways
of monastic life. Of course, they are not entirely responsible for this. There
are other causes, so we can't blame the monks alone. But anyhow that's the situation
If we think a little more seriously about this, we realize that
monks today have to live their whole lives feeling somewhat inferior and constantly-
in anguish over being false. It's a real tragedy. In Zen, at least the people
called shike or roshi (masters) are supposed to be authentic. But again, we must
ask ourselves who really is authentic and even if most of the masters are, what
about the others? They, at any rate, are actually considered as second or third
I suppose such monks feel somewhat hopeless and are never satisfied.
they can practice earnestly to become masters, but very few really accomplish
this. And I'm afraid there will be fewer and fewer in the future. To make matters
worse, a person who traveled in India and Sri Lanka a few years ago told me that
people called masters here in Japan would certainly be considered totally depraved
in Sri Lanka. They would not even qualify as monks if judged by the precepts of
Thinking in the conventional way, there can be no salvation
for lay people if there is no recovery of monastic Buddhism from the present situation.
Needless to say, there would be no salvation for monks either. This is the problem
for today's monks. Where in the world is the solution to be found? Monks can't
go on as they are; all they will do is sink to the same level as lay people. It's
not clear where they are supposed to be, so they don't even know how far they've
fallen. Is this how Buddhism should be?
I have already presented in theory
my idea that lay Buddhism must be established as fundamental Buddhism, and I have
just stated why lay Buddhism must actually be realized as such. Without establishing
such a lay Buddhism, the essential meaning of Buddhism itself will deteriorate.
I think we must have a Buddhism, which can save monks as well, and which will
also remain as true Buddhism for the future. A lay Buddhism like this must be
established. This is the way to save present-day Buddhism, and is also what Buddhism
in the future must be like.
In this context The Vimalakirti Sutra has profound
significance. I always keep in mind this sutra's most condensed and simplified
Realizing the affairs of an ordinary person without abandoning
I think this is the fundamental principle, which runs through
the entire sutra, clearly expressing the true way of being in Buddhism.
active life of Buddhism is found in this "realizing the affairs of an ordinary
person," and without it Buddhism cannot truly function in this world. Not
only realizing the affairs of an ordinary person but also realizing them without
abandoning the Dharma-Way, indicates the profound Buddhist ground, which transcends
actuality. In the intimate union of these two lies the fundamental principle of
a life free and unhindered, creating the actual world even as one transcends it.
The real Dharma-Way is a garba (womb), the self-as-subject that can actively realize
the affairs of an ordinary person. And when we have, through our own practice,
established this Dharma-self-as-subject, we can actualize the active life of an
Conventional Buddhism has had a strong tendency to emphasize
only going to paradise and being born in the Pure Land. The ultimate goal of Buddhism
does not lie there; it is found where the Dharma-Way and the affairs of an ordinary
person are completely at-one and non-dual, what in The Vimalakirti Sutra is called,
the Dharma Gate of Non-duality."
This expresses the true way of being
in Buddhism, the goal of which is not to live in one world part from this actual
one, but to live where the actual and what transcends it are completely one.
would like to discuss this Dharma gate of Non-duality as Buddhism's new true way
of being. And I think this should be advocated not just as a true way of being
for Buddhism, but for all human beings. In one sense this can be called a new
humanism. Our F.A.S. Society's Vow of Humankind expresses such a way of being.
If we look for such a vow of humankind in the ancient sutras, we can find it in
The Vimalakirti Sutra: and the simplest, most modern working of The Vimalakirti
Sutra is crystallized in the "Vow of Humankind."
Calm and composed
us Awaken to our True Self
Become fully compassionate humans
Make full use
of our abilities
According to our respective vocations
individual and social
And its sources
Recognize the right direction
which history should proceed
Joining hands as kin
Beyond the differences
Race, nation or class
Let us, with compassion
Vow to bring to realization
And construct a world in which
All can live
truly and fully
Part One: Sitting In Complete Repose
Realizing the affairs
of an ordinary person without abandoning the Dharma-Way
In the first of seven
talks on The Vimalakirti Sutra, I would like to take up "sitting in complete
repose" (yenzuo, Jp. enza), which is expounded in the "Disciples"
chapter of the sutra. I have chosen to begin my lectures with this because Vimalakirti
describes this sitting in complete repose as "Realizing the affairs of an
ordinary person without abandoning the Dharma-Way," -- an expression mentioned
in my preface. I think this expression is most essential in our practice of Buddhism.
It is also a most appropriate expression for our ultimate way of being. Further,
our FAS society places importance on "sitting upright" (tanza) as part
of our practice. So a clear understanding of the true meaning of this sitting
upright, based on an in-depth study, is required to define a proper method for
this important practice. Different people hold different views concerning the
meaning of sitting upright, and in its long history Buddhism has not actually
confined itself to only one meaning. This makes it all the more necessary for
us to clarify its true meaning.
For the correct way of sitting upright we usually
think of the detailed instructions on the physical posture and mental attitude
found in Zazen Manuals (Zazengi). Dogen calls the condition of the mind and body
realized in sitting upright "body and mind dropped off." It is generally
referred to in Buddhism as Nirvana or Sunyata. This ultimate way of sitting upright
means entering Nirvana without destroying the body given to you by your parents.
As the ultimate way of sitting upright, Nirvana is not something that can only
be attained after the death of the body. On the contrary, it is awakening in this
The sitting upright, in which we awaken in this world, must not be limited
to the physical posture and composed mind prescribed in Zazen Manuals. As the
expression "Dharma is free from form" indicates, there is no physical
form, no ideas, no mind or consciousness here. In short, it has to be formless
in terms of both body and mind.
Thus, in the "Disciples" chapter
Vimalakirti scolds Shariputra, who is sitting quietly in the woods, saying "Sitting
in complete repose means body and mind not appearing in the three worlds."
Body and mind not appearing in the three worlds means that, being formless, there
is no mental or physical form whatsoever. This is what I often call Nothingness
Awakened to in the East (toyoteki mu), Nothingness that is Self, or Self that
Since there is no body or mind, neither is there inside or
outside, nor anything in between. Vimalakirti describes it as "Not abiding
in the mind, nor outside of it; this is called sitting in complete repose."
Truly sitting upright is free of inside and outside, so there remains nothing
limited or determined. It is nothing whatsoever, not a thing at all. That is,
the sitting-upright Self is beyond all determination; thus it can be absolutely
free and self-determining. Being nothing at all, it is free from everything --
from life and death, evil passions, from all conditions, even from the various
Buddhas. This is what Buddhism calls the Emancipated Self. Sitting upright enables
one to become liberated from all bonds. This is human liberation in the ultimate
sense. Through this sitting upright we can become Awakened persons who actually
realize the Buddha nature.
Various Buddhist expressions corresponding to the
via negativa, such as "Returning to the Origin" in Kegon Buddhism, "The
Going Aspect" in Pure Land Buddhism, and "The Gate of Sweeping Away"
in Zen, are no other than sitting upright in this sense. The simple expression
opening our society's Vow of Humankind: "Calm and composed. Let us awaken
to our True Self," refers to this very Self-Awakening realized in sitting
However, if the Self in sitting upright has merely dropped off body
and mind, or simply does not let body and mind appear in the three worlds, it
cannot yet be called true zazen. This is because the above-mentioned Self that
is Nothingness, dropping off body and mind and sitting in complete repose, must
actually be working as the Self. In Buddhism, Nirvana and Sunyata are sometimes
considered simply as quietness or serenity without mental or physical substrate.
But that is merely a vain sunyata, a barren nothingness, far from true Nirvana.
If Nirvana is only that, it would have nothing to do with actual human activities
and would be just an escape.
Sitting upright is often misunderstood in this
way too, and Zen condemns it as the evil Zen of silent illumination, or as dwelling
in the devil's cave. Soto Zen has a tendency to degrade into such a practice.
That is why the Chinese Zen master Tahui (Jp. Daie Soko, 1089 - 1163) denounced
it as the evil Zen of silent illumination, and more recently the Japanese Zen
master Hakuin severely condemn it. Such Zen is indeed the Zen of the dead. Sitting
so quietly without moving hands or legs, such corpses really are no different
from trees or stones.
Zen records sometimes describe the condition of zazen
as being "like trees and stones," but this is mean to express the no-self
aspect of body and mind dropped off; it does not give the whole picture of the
sitting-upright Self. This no self "like trees and stones" must actually
be one's Self that is Nothingness, becoming all kinds of ideas to work in real
situations. This can then be the Self as source of all actual activity. This Self,
which has dropped off body and mind, must be the utterly formless subject acting
in unrestricted and complete freedom.
Buddhism considers Nirvana as the Wisdom-body,
which means the Self that is awakened to Nirvana. It is called a "body"
because it is Self as the source, with a potential for engaging in all kinds of
activities. Vimalakirti speaks of "Realizing all activities without abandoning
Nirvana." He means that Nirvana is the Self and all activity arise out of
Thus, sitting in complete repose is not merely a total annihilation that
makes body and mind disappear from the three worlds. The essence of sitting in
complete repose is that Nirvana without body and mind is realized our True Self,
and from this we creatively engage in all activities in unrestricted and complete
freedom. The following statement in the "Seeing Sentient Beings" chapter
refers to the same thing: "All dharmas are established by being free from
abiding ground." This is the true meaning of sitting in complete repose and
it is in this sense that we understand "Calm and composed/ Let us awaken
to our True Self."
Thus, to Awaken to the True Self is to Awaken to the
Formless Self which works while creating all forms, just like the great ocean,
formless in the sense that it is free form the form of the waves, makes all form
of waves appear on the surface without leaving a trace. This is true sitting in
which all our activities are inseparable from sitting; this is what makes it possible
for us to "be the master of all situations," in the words of the Chinese
Zen master Lin-chi (Jp. Rinzai Gigen, d.866).
The Song of Awakening says, "Walking
is Zen, sitting is Zen, Speaking, silent, moving, staying, I am always at peace."
Again Lin-chi speaks of "The Dharma named Mind penetrates all ten directions."
This Zen, this dharma named Mind, are none other than the true sitting described
above. Sitting which only takes place when you are actually in the seated posture
and is lost when you rise is no more than a specific form of body and mind; this
cannot be sitting as the source of all activity. If you really sit well, it is
not lost when you engage in other activities; it deepens and becomes more secure
in the midst of turbulent activity. Such a practice enables us to work in an increasingly
composed manner so that we can make quick and appropriate responses to the ever-changing
actualities of this world and "construct a world in which all can live truly
and fully," [according to the conclusion of the FAS Society's Vow of Humankind.]
if sitting is, as is often thought, just a shelter to avoid the troubles of this
world, or static doldrums incapable of being a creative source in world construction,
then it will be an escape -- something qualitatively different from what we call
sitting. Sitting must be bound by neither by anything already existing or created,
nor even by its own activity of creation. Because of this, true sitting must instead
be the positive, active subject-source which is forever creating history in which
all can live truly and fully. Progress in science, technology, and social organization
is rightly celebrated as a sign of human evolution and historical development.
The frequent condemnation of this progress as the cause of dehumanization, accompanied
by impotent calls to "return to nature," is due to a lack of true sitting.
True sitting can no longer be confined to quiet places like mountains and monasteries,
but it must be right in the midst of constructing history and the world. Constructing
the world with this sitting as Self is the true meaning of sitting in complete
repose: in the words of Vimalakirti, "Realizing the affairs of an ordinary
person without abandoning the Dharma-Way."
Part Two: Dharma Dharma Is
In part one, we examined Vimalakirti's teaching on "sitting
in complete repose" [yenzuo], and his method for true sitting. Our sitting
must be the same as what he taught in the sutra. The composure expressed in the
Vow of Humankind as "Calm and composed, Awakening to our true Self,"
is nothing other than what Vimalakirti means by sitting in complete repose, and
what we call true Self represents, so to speak, the subject sitting in complete
repose. The subject sitting in complete repose is identical with this very sitting,
but in such a manner that the subject is neither one with, nor different from,
sitting in complete repose. What is sitting in complete repose is I, the Self;
true Self exists in the manner of sitting in complete repose. This sitting is
unlimited in time, and boundless in space; it is not confined to any specific
time or place. True sitting in complete repose entirely transcends time and space.
We cannot say that sitting is in complete repose if it is temporal and spatial.
In other words, we cannot say that one is in complete repose if one is the self,
the subject, of such limited sitting. In the Chinese term for "sitting in
complete repose" [yenzuo], the first character yen means absolute repose,
repose that excludes discrimination between being in a state of repose and not
being in one -- absolute, ultimate rest that transcends the states of rest and
This true Self not only transcends time and space, however; precisely
because it is true Self or absolute subject, it can actualize all activities.
In actualizing all activities, it expresses itself, so to speak, in the realm
of time and space. Thus, if we call the subject transcending time and space Absolute
Nothingness, we can say that the activities it actualizes in time and space are
the self-expressive forms of Absolute Nothingness. Absolute Nothingness, however,
never loses its transcendent nature because of its self-expression in time and
space. It is the subject through and through; precisely for this reason it retains
its constancy, in the sense that it is never destroyed. It is often said that
this subject is constant in terms of time and space, but this must be understood
in the sense that it is constant because it transcends time and space. Further,
since true Self does not rest upon its constancy, but invariably transforms itself
without restriction, this constancy does not prevent it from constantly changing
and working freely as the absolute subject.
The true freedom of humanity lies
in this subject, the subject that transcends time and space. This is because the
subject's totally unrestricted, free, and unhindered activity has an absolutely
undetermined character. Only by [realizing] such a Self can we live and die in
the midst of life-and-death while abiding in Nirvana. Only then can we be in the
midst of life-and-death without clinging to it. In other words, we can then be
emancipated from life-and-death without abiding in Nirvana, and thus work freely
and self-abidingly in both life and death.
As I said, the way of being in which
life-and-death and Nirvana can be both unrestricted and compatible with each other,
is true sitting in complete repose. This way of being is exactly what is expressed
in the Vow of Humankind as "Calm and composed, Awakening to our true Self."
In Buddhism, the subjective aspect of this composed true Self is expressed by
various terms, including Dharmakaya, Tathata, and Nirvana, but it is often more
simply expressed by the term Dharma.
The term Dharma has many meanings in Buddhism.
It is frequently used to mean true Self. In one section of the Vimalakirti Sutra,
Shakyamuni orders Maha Maudgalyayana to pay a sick call on the renowned lay Buddhist
Vimalakirti. This section shows Vimalakirti's teachings on Dharma. Using the term
in the sense of true Self, Vimalakirti describes various characteristics of this
true Self so that we cannot possibly deny them:
When expounding Dharma, what
you teach should agree with Dharma itself. Dharma is without living beings, because
it is free of the dust of living beings. It is without ego, because it is free
of the dust of ego. It is free from life, because it is beyond life-and-death.
It is without individuals, because it has both the preceding and succeeding limits
cut off. Dharma is always tranquil, because it has tranquilized all forms. It
is beyond form, because it has no externals to rest upon. It is inexpressible,
because it is beyond word and speech. It is inexplicable, because it transcends
all mental activity. Dharma is formless like empty space. It is beyond verboseness,
because it is empty of words. It is beyond egoism, because it is free of the habitual
notion of possession. It is free from discrimination, because it is free of mind,
thought, and consciousness. It is incomparable, because it is beyond all relativity.
It is not subject to causes, because it does not conform to conditionality. Dharma
is identical with Dharma-nature, which finds itself in every Dharma. It conforms
to such-ness, because it has nothing to conform to. It abides at the culminating
point of reality, unperturbed by the limits of duality. It is immovable, because
it is independent of the six objects of sense. It is without coming and going,
because it abides nowhere. Dharma conforms to what is empty, formless and non-intentional.
It is beyond beauty and ugliness. It neither increases nor decreases. It is beyond
creation and destruction. It has no root-source to return to. It is beyond the
six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. It is without high
or low. It is eternal and immutable. It is beyond contemplation and practice.
is the way Vimalakirti preaches the forms, or characteristics, of Dharma. Maha
Maudgalyayana, however, flatly refuses Shakyamuni's request to pay a sick call
on Vimalakirti because he does not feel qualified. Maha Maudgalyayana explains
that one day, when teaching Dharma to lay Buddhists in a square at Vaisali, Vimalakirti,
who lived in the city, came along and silenced Maha Maudgalyayana by preaching
what was just quoted above. When it comes to teaching Dharma, the most important
question is what kind of Dharma you teach. Maha Maudgalyayana was teaching a Dharma
that Vimalakirti criticized. When expounding Dharma, what you teach must agree
with Dharma itself. To truly teach Dharma, you should be aware that it really
is inexplicable. A Dharma that can be taught is not the true Dharma. The true
way of teaching Dharma must be based on the full realization of its inexplicability.
Such was the Dharma Vimalakirti taught Maha Maudgalyayana.
As I have spoken
about the "forms" of Dharma, you might think that Dharma is something
determined. But by its true nature, Dharma is not determined by anything. In fact,
Vimalakirti here expounds that Dharma is not limited by anything. So, we can see
that he uses ordinary and relative words as an opportunity to teach that. This
is an important point; it has to do with Vimalakirti's compassion.
the common notion of the Dharma containing living beings, Vimalakirti says: "Dharma
is without living beings, because it is free of the dust of living beings."
True Dharma, also called pure Dharmakaya, is totally free of dust, like a crystal
free of all impurity. It has no living beings or Buddhas at all. After all, what
is called dust indicates limited, relative being, separated from the absolutely
undetermined subject. Thus, if a living being extricates itself from dust and
Awakens to the absolutely undetermined, original subject, it is one with Dharma.
Dharma is "without ego" means that it is free of the "dust of ego."
What we normally consider to be our self is just dust, nothing more. Dharma is
without distinction between determined self and other. It is free from spirit
and mind in the form of self-consciousness, as well as from the body. Thus, Self
that is beyond the dust of ego is Dharma, and this Self qua Dharma is free from
the dust of ego.
That Dharma "is free from life, because it is beyond
life-and-death," uses the notion of life as an opportunity to reveal the
Self without life-and-death. Usually we associate our life with a limited life
span. This is because our life is really life-and-death. Since it is impossible
for the absolutely undetermined Dharma to have life and death, it must be without
a life that begins with birth and ends with death. And yet it lives without life-and-death,
and this life without life-and-death is Dharma. In Buddhism, such a life is described
as not created, not destroyed, as life-without-measure. Living and dying, this
life without life-and-death does so beyond life-and-death. In its true form, Dharma
abides in Nirvana in the midst of life-and-death; it lives and dies while abiding
"It is without individuals, because it has both the preceding
and succeeding limits cut off." If Dharma has a preceding or succeeding limit,
it would be distinguished from beings beyond that limit. An individual with a
body and mind within a certain time and space is not Dharma. That Dharma has both
preceding and succeeding limits cut off means that it has no distinction between
past, present, and future; no boundaries between past and present, present and
future, back and front, right and left. In other words, true Dharma is absolutely
equal and uniform, transcending all discrimination and distinction. Thus it has
no limits at all, no delimited individuals whatsoever.
The descriptions quoted
above indicate that true Dharma or true Self is the absolute subject that goes
beyond individual, relative being such as living beings, egos, lives, and individuals.
True Dharma is not, however, a mere transcendent and emancipated being. It is
true Self, and as such it works actively and positively in the midst of life-and-death
beyond all limits.
"Dharma is always tranquil, because it has tranquilized
all forms." This describes the absolute tranquility of Dharma. If we have
any fixed form, even a speck of dust, we are disturbed. Even when we practice
sitting in zazen, our zazen is not tranquil if it has any element of body or mind.
Absolute, true tranquility should have nothing at all; it should be nothing whatsoever.
Such tranquility does not exist in the world; it is absolute composure in which
the true Self finds itself. Only the true Self can be tranquil in the ultimate
sense of the term. At the same time, if we realize that all forms are the activities
of true Self, then we realize that those forms are Dharma. This is what is meant
by Dharma has tranquilized all forms.
Dharma "is beyond form, because
it has no externals to rest upon. It is inexpressible, because it is beyond word
and speech. It is inexplicable, because it transcends all mental activity."
This also concerns formless Self. That it has no externals to rest upon, means
that it affords nothing to grasp or hold, nothing to see with our eyes, think
with our minds, or take up in our hands. Inexpressible and inexplicable, true
Self is only known by Awakening to it. Because it is often spoken of as "Beyond
word and speech, free from all mind movement," it transcends all discrimination.
of such inexplicability, Dharma has traditionally been described with the metaphor
of empty space, since it is formless while also realizing all forms in it, without
being restricted by the forms it creates. This is just a metaphor, however; unlike
Dharma, empty space does not awaken to itself. Such a living empty space must
be my Self. But what is it like, this living empty space, this Self beyond word
and speech, free from all mind movement? That is the question.
is formless like empty space. It is beyond verboseness, because it is empty of
words. It is beyond egoism, because it is free of the habitual notion of possession.
It is free from discrimination, because it is free of mind, thought, and consciousness.
It is incomparable, because it is beyond all relativity." Nothing need be
added to this. It also says, "It is not subject to causes, because it does
not conform to conditionality." In Buddhism, it is often said that Dharma
is co-dependent arising-ceasing, and that all beings are governed by this. But
strictly speaking, true Dharma must have an aspect that goes beyond co-dependent
arising-ceasing. In this sense, co-dependent arising-ceasing must be understood
as the activity of Dharma. The world of co-dependent arising-ceasing realized
as the activity of Dharma is called the Pure Ultimate Realm, or the Reality of
The next description uses the terms "Dharma-nature,"
"such-ness," and "the culminating point of reality." These
characterize the subject that goes beyond co-dependent arising-ceasing. Since
the beings realized as the activity of Dharma have the aspect of going beyond
mere beings, they are beyond all duality. Any being that conforms to something
is not such-ness -- not as it is in itself. On the contrary, Dharma should be
transcendent and independent, "master of every situation."
is identical with Dharma-nature, which finds itself in every Dharma. It conforms
to such-ness, because it has nothing to conform to. It abides at the culminating
point of reality, unperturbed by the limits of duality." The culminating
point of reality represents the true limitless limit, in the sense that it has
both the preceding and succeeding limits cut off, as explained above. It moves
all dualities without being perturbed by the limits of duality, and thereby establishes
all beings. Thus, all beings, established by the culminating point of reality,
are limited being as the culminating point of reality, and vice-versa. We can
therefore say that Dharma "is immovable, because it is independent of the
six objects of sense."
"It is without coming and going, because it
abides nowhere." This seems to contradict the previous description of abiding
at the culminating point of reality. But to abide nowhere is to abide at the culminating
point of reality, and to abide at the culminating point of reality is to abide
nowhere, i.e., to go beyond time and space. Therefore, Dharma comes and goes freely
without coming and going; it does not move an inch even as it comes and goes.
conforms to what is empty, formless and non-intentional." Dharma is itself
empty, formless, and non-intentional; therefore, it truly accords with everything,
without conflicting with anything. Thus, Dharma is the unity to which all things
are ultimately reduced, but it is not attached to such unity. Thus, it is said:
"All beings return to unity, but this unity never embraces itself as unity."
"is beyond beauty and ugliness. It neither increases nor decreases. It is
beyond creation and destruction. It has no root-source to return to. It is beyond
the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. It is without
high or low. It is eternal and immutable. It is beyond contemplation and practice."
Such is Dharma, our true Self. Of course, Vimalakirti teaches other things in
this sutra, but at least we can say that, for Vimalakirti, every word and speech
is Dharma, because he teaches Dharma on the basis of Dharma itself. Otherwise,
teaching and listening to Dharma is like trying to find fish up in a tree. Dharma
is itself Awakened body. It can only be realized by Awakening to itself. We must,
by all means, awaken to Dharma, our true Self.
Part Three: Buddha Land
Mind Is Pure, The Buddha Land Is Pure
Buddhism has developed various theories
concerning the pure land and the Buddha Land, i.e., the way of being of the world.
The Vimalakirti Sutra deals with this subject in its first chapter, on the Buddha
Land. The ultimate goal of the FAS Society's "Vow of Humankind" is to
"construct a world which is true and happy." I suggest that this is
closely related to the pure land expounded in the Vimalakirti Sutra. Thus, here
I would like to consider how the pure land and Buddha Land are described in the
The Buddha land chapter is centered on the Dharma teaching that Shakyamuni
preaches in response to the question presented by Ratnakara, son of an elder.
First, we will look at the main sections of this preaching:
The Buddha said:
"Ratnakara, the whole body of living beings is the land where a bodhisattva
attains Buddhahood. Why is it so? Because a bodhisattva becomes the holder of
a Buddha Land as long as he invigorates living beings; because he takes hold of
a Buddha Land whenever living beings are educated; because he possesses a Buddha
Land while living beings, entering the Buddha Land, are initiated into the Buddha's
wisdom; because he is furnished with a Buddha Land as far as living beings, entering
the Buddha Land, develop the power of being a bodhisattva. Why is it so? The reason
is that bodhisattvas are furnished with their Buddha Lands because they give rise
to their activities solely for the benefit of living beings. For instance, one
can build a house at will on vacant ground without difficulty, but in empty sky
one cannot. It is the same with bodhisattvas. Because they want to bring living
beings to maturity, they seek to have a Buddha Land, which cannot be sought in
empty sky. Ratnakara, you should know that the straightforward mind is a bodhisattva's
purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, guileless beings will enter
that land. Firm determination is a bodhisattva's purified land. When he attains
Buddhahood, beings equipped with roots of virtue will enter there...So, Ratnakara,
a bodhisattva begins practice according to his straightforward mind. As soon as
he practices, he gains firm determination. The moment he gains firm determination,
he keeps his thoughts under control. As he keeps his thoughts under control, he
is in like behavior. As he is in like behavior, he ripens occasions for beings
to attain Awakening. Whenever he ripens occasions for beings to attain Awakening,
he has expedients. As he has expedients, he has living beings purify themselves.
The moment living beings are purified, the Buddha Land is purified. As soon as
the Buddha Land is purified, the discourse is purified. As the discourse is purified,
wisdom is purified. As wisdom is purified, his mind is purified. As his mind is
purified, all the merits are purified. Therefore, Ratnakara, a bodhisattva who
wants to purify his Buddha Land should make efforts to fully purify his own mind.
Because, as the bodhisattva's mind is pure, his Buddha Land is pure.
Land spoken of in the Vimalakirti Sutra is expressed by the famous words at the
end of the above quotation: "as the bodhisattva's mind is pure, his Buddha
Land is pure." As this phrase indicates, the Buddha Land or pure land is
not to be sought either in a special realm spatially separated from this actual,
historical world or in the so-called afterworld. Rather, it signifies that if
only our mind is truly pure, this historical world of actualities, just as it
is, immediately becomes the pure land right here and now, or more precisely, it
originally is the pure land. Contrary to the common belief, heaven or the pure
land is not outside our actuality. This world, just as it is, is the pure land;
the pure land, just as it is, is this world. That's the authentic Buddhist worldview.
then, does "as the bodhisattva's mind is pure" mean? As we already saw
in the previous sections, "Sitting in Complete Repose" and "Dharma
is Beyond Form," the purest state of our mind is truly empty, and thus it
is called pure Dharma-body (Dharmakaya). Actually, however, this pure Dharma-body
contains no body or land. The [supposed] body and land are one, so to speak, and
at the same time this one is empty. Awakening to the empty Dharma is called the
Buddha body; the place of this Awakening is called the Buddha Land. Therefore,
there is no Buddha Land outside of the Buddha body, and no Buddha body outside
of the Buddha Land. This is grounded on the fact that Dharma has a single form,
which is no form.
It is said that Vimalakirti's house was completely empty
when Manjusri paid a sick call on him. This empty house most directly points to
the character of the true Buddha Land. Because the Buddha Land is completely empty
and formless, whatever has form falls short of being the true Buddha Land. The
phrase "as the bodhisattva's mind is pure, his Buddha Land is pure"
also indicates such ultimate purity. It is not a purity relative to impurity,
and furthermore, it contains nothing whatsoever to be designated "pure."
Indeed it must be called purity beyond the duality of purity and defilement. Thus,
we don't need to wait or move elsewhere to reach the Buddha Land. All we have
to do is make our mind pure in the true sense of the term. Then, the very time-and-place
where we are, immediately becomes the Buddha Land. And if this time-and-place
immediately becomes the Buddha Land, it is no longer confined to that particular
time and place. Then and there, the absolutely undetermined Buddha Land perfects
Actually, the phrase "bringing living beings to maturity"
means this way of perfecting of the Buddha Land. To construct the Buddha Land
is to bring living beings to maturity. In other words, "taking hold of a
Buddha Land" means that the Buddha has awakened. That the Buddha has awakened
means that the empty pure land is achieved. Precisely because the pure land is
achieved, living beings enter there. By building the Buddha Land, the Buddha practices
compassion for living beings. In short, precisely because the Buddha has taken
hold of a Buddha Land, living beings can enter there.
The Buddha Land in the
ultimate sense of the term must be such a formless Buddha Land whose body and
land are not two. At the same time, the formless Buddha Land must in turn express
itself as various Buddha Lands with forms. Building Buddha Lands with different
forms is the Buddha's "secondary" compassion, so to speak. The primary,
ultimate compassion has no form at all. True compassion does not discriminate
between Buddha and living beings, between saver and saved. Compassion, which still
leaves an element of duality between living beings who are saved and the Buddha
who saves them, cannot be called ultimate compassion. As I have said earlier,
true compassion is nothing other than the unhindered self-abiding functioning
of the empty Self. Thus it does not involve anything called Buddha anything called
living beings. It is the subject of compassion through and through, involving
no specific objects to turn its compassion to. The subject of compassion has nothing
whatsoever to be determined as "compassionate."
I have just said
that the subject of compassion has nothing to be called "compassionate."
But I must point out that nothing is further from vain, superficial compassion.
On the contrary, it is only when we realize this that we, as True Subject, can
practice true compassion. This compassion is of a whole other order than what
we ordinarily call compassion or love. Not until we break with compassion involving
the duality of saver and saved, and thereby reach the stage free of such duality,
can we acquire the function of ultimate, boundless compassion. This ultimate compassion,
this "compassion arising out of no-compassion," is what is called Objectless
Great Compassion in Buddhism. While creating innumerable forms, it can save all
living beings in a self-abiding manner, without being hindered by the forms it
creates. Vimalakirti practices just such compassion. His compassion is the function
of Self-Nothingness, the fundamental character of the Buddha.
Sitting in Complete
Repose, which I discussed earlier, is in fact nothing other than this subject
which makes true compassion possible. One of the phrases I quoted there, "realizing
all activities without abandoning Nirvana," points to the ground on which
such Objectless Great Compassion can be practiced. The Bodhisattva's taking hold
of the Buddha Land also means the same thing, as does "all dharmas are established
from the root of non-abiding" [from the chapter on Seeing Living Beings].
Only the absolute Subject can respond to the world of discrimination in an unhindered
and self-abiding way. The infinite Buddha Land is constructed, so to speak, in
accordance with the varying abilities and circumstances of living beings. In fact,
the various laws of Buddhism represent such function aimed at constructing the
Buddha Land. That is why it is said that the six paramitas or "perfections"
and the fourfold boundless mind are the bodhisattva's pure land.
The act of
giving is a bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, all
the self-renouncing beings will enter there. Keeping precepts is a bodhisattva's
purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings that have guarded the
path of the whole ten right conducts will enter there. [Forbearance is a bodhisattva's
purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings who are adorned with
the thirty- two physical marks of a Buddha (and who are perfect in being forbearing
and calm) will enter there.] Exertion with energy is a bodhisattva's purified
Buddha Land. When he attains Buddha Land, beings who undertake efforts in all
the meritorious acts will enter there. Deep thought in self-concentration is a
bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddha Land, beings that are
composed in mindfulness and self-possession will enter there. Wisdom is a bodhisattva's
purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings that are established
in truth will enter there. The fourfold boundless mind is a bodhisattva's Buddha
Land. When he attains Buddha Land, beings that bide at once in the states of friendliness,
compassion, joy and disinterestedness will enter there.
In this way, all practices
of building the Buddha Land arise out of Objectless Great Compassion; and precisely
therefore it may be said that the six paramitas are reduced to one. If they are
only mutually independent methods of practice, they are not ultimate practice.
The establishment of the six paramitas must be the establishment of the one ultimate
paramita; and at the same time, the one ultimate paramita must be the function
of the empty Subject with Objectless Great Compassion. Six paramitas not based
on such a paramita are nothing but Hinayana paramitas. Each of the six paramitas,
charity, discipline or others, must be an access to the one ultimate paramita.
If charity remains charity in the ordinary sense, it cannot be called Mahayana
charity. Only when it arises out of the one ultimate paramita can it express the
whole and thus establish it, though remaining a particular paramita.
beginning of the first quotation above [from the Buddha Land chapter], it said,
"the whole body of living beings is the land where a bodhisattva attains
Buddhahood." After all, this is the same thing as what I have just said.
Because living beings exist in this world, the Buddha constructs the pure land.
It is established by the Buddha, but it is entirely for the benefit of living
beings; through it we can enter the Buddha Land. Living beings represent, so to
speak, the fundamental motive for the Buddha's secondary practice of compassion.
the next expression, "becomes the holder of a Buddha Land as long as he invigorates
living beings," means the same thing. It continues, however: "Why is
it so? The reason is that bodhisattvas are furnished with their Buddha Lands because
they give rise to their activities solely for the benefit of living beings."
But this refers to the secondary compassion expressed as forms. All such forms
are, needless to say, based on the primary, formless compassion. At the same time,
the metaphor that follows reveals the most positive, dynamic character of this
secondary compassion with forms: "For instance, one can build a house at
will on vacant ground without difficulty, but in empty sky one cannot."
word "vacant" in "vacant ground" refers to the absolute, Non-discriminating
Formless Dharma. But if this vacancy is only literally empty and formless, no
palaces or houses could be built there. Such literal emptiness is represented
by the term "empty sky." On the other hand, the vacant ground mentioned
here, though it is absolute, Non-discriminating Formless Emptiness, is the ground
of creation, empty yet containing infinite discrimination. It has such rich contents
of absolute being that any kind of house can be built on it at will.
the primary formless compassion is the Subject, and it constructs on the basis
of itself the secondary compassion, which is capable of creation and has a character
of absolute being. This is indicated by: "Because they want to bring living
beings to maturity, they seek to have a Buddha Land, which cannot be sought in
The two statements: "the straightforward mind is a bodhisattva's
purified Buddha Land" and "firm determination is a bodhisattva's purified
land," indicate Objectless Great Compassion, the fundamental motive for construction
of the pure land, in both aspects of one and many. As indicated by the words "the
straightforward mind is the place of the great Way (bodhi mandala)" [in Chapter
Four, on the Bodhisattvas], the straightforward mind refers to our very Awakening
to our True Self; it means the same thing as Sitting in Complete Repose and Dharma.
indicated by the words that follow: "When he attains Buddhahood, guileless
beings will enter that land," the straightforward mind is the subject of
the beings who do not flatter. The straightforward mind is the mind that is not
crooked. After all it is the same thing as the Single Mind.
On the other hand,
firm determination points to the infinite contents of the straightforward mind,
as we can see from the sentence that follows: "When he attains Buddhahood,
beings equipped with roots of virtue will enter there." If the straightforward
mind represents one, firm determination corresponds to many. Thus we can say that
these two indicate that "one, just as it is, is many; many, just as they
are, are one." In the mandala of the Shingon sect, the Kongô-kai or
Diamond Realm represents one and the Taizô-kai or Womb Realm represents
many; but these are only two sides of the same coin.
Therefore, it is said:
"...a bodhisattva begins practice according to his straightforward mind.
As soon as he practices, he gains firm determination....As he has expedients,
he has living beings purify themselves. The moment living beings are purified,
the Buddha Land is purified." This indicates that, on the ground of the straightforward
mind, the Bodhisattva can practice boundless compassion, and by his practice of
compassion, he can build a new world of history in a positive and dynamic manner.
Only then can the ultimate Buddha Land be perfected. To assume a Buddha Land isolated
from history is an escape from actualities, which will end up negating this world.
If [as the opening of the Vow of Humankind says] we are "Calm and composed,
awakening to our True Self; being fully compassionate humans," for the first
time we attain the straightforward and firm determination capable of creating
new history and constructing a world in which we can live truly. If we fall short
of this, the world of history will remain indefinitely "on the way";
it will be the world of karma throughout. [The end of the Vow of Humankind:] "A
world which is true and happy" can only be constructed by the tireless and
unremitting Love, which creates history while transcending history.