The Lankavatara Sutra
Page 13
The Buddha told Mahamati, “Listen carefully and ponder this well, and I will tell you.”
Mahamati replied, “Wonderful, Bhagavan. May we be so blessed.”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “There are three different levels of srota-apannas and attainments of srota-apannas.436 And what are the three? They are basic, intermediate, and advanced. Those at the basic level are reborn seven more times at the most. Those at the intermediate level are reborn three to five more times before they attain nirvana. And those at the advanced level attain nirvana in this life.
“For each of these three, there are three bondages: coarse, intermediate, and subtle. And what are the three bondages? They are belief in a body, doubt, and attachment to codes.437 In terms of differences among these three bondages, whoever reaches the subtlest of the advanced level becomes an arhat.
“Mahamati, there are two kinds of belief in a body: that which is innate438 and that which is a projection, such as the projections of dependent or imagined reality.439 For example, the different attachments to an imagined reality arise in dependence on a dependent reality. They neither exist, nor do they not exist. And they neither exist nor do not exist and are not real because they are projections. The projections of foolish people are attached in different ways to an imagined reality, just like thirsty deer imagine water when they see a shimmering mirage. This is the view of the body imagined by srota-apannas, who think that since persons have no self, by grasping its nonexistence, they thereby put an end to their attachment to beginningless ignorance.440
“Mahamati, as for the innate belief of srota-appanas in a body, whether their own or others, because the four formless skandhas along with form—which arises from matter and what is made of matter—interact as the cause of each other, and because the material elements and form do not combine, when srota-apannas contemplate the non-appearance of what exists or does not exist,441 their belief in a body comes to an end. And once their belief in a body ends, their desires no longer arise. This is what characterizes a strota-apanna’s belief in a body.
“Mahamati, as for what characterizes their doubt,442 because they become adept at viewing the characteristics of dharmas, and they have previously put an end to projections of the two kinds of belief in a body, they do not give rise to doubts regarding dharmas, nor do they give rise to views as to the purity or impurity of other teachers. This is what characterizes a srota-apanna’s elimination of doubt.
“Mahamati, as for their attachment to codes, how do srota-apannas cease their attachment to codes? When they become adept at seeing the suffering where they might be reborn, they cease their attachment. Attachment, Mahamati, refers to how foolish beings resolve to undertake ascetic practices for the sake of attaining greater bliss. Hence, they seek rebirth. But when they are not attached and turn instead toward undertaking those practices and upholding those precepts that are free from projection and passion and that lead to the peerless realm of personal realization, this is what characterizes a srota-apanna’s elimination of attachment to codes.
“Because srota-apannas sever these three bondages, desire and delusion do not arise. However, if srota-apannas should think ‘These bondages are not my doing,’ they will err in two ways. They will end up believing in a body, and they will not sever these bondages.”
Mahamati asked the Buddha, “Bhagavan, the Bhagavan speaks of many desires. Which desires do they put an end to?”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “They do not give rise to the different kinds of behavior involving love or the desire to embrace women or to misdeeds involving the mouth or body that give present pleasure but ensure future suffering. And how do they do this? By attaining the bliss of samadhi. Thus, they put an end to desires, but not the desire for nirvana.
“Mahamati, what characterizes sakrid-agamins?443 The moment they see forms, they give rise to projections but not to views about them. But because they are adept at contemplating forms during meditation, the moment they return to this world, their term of suffering ends, and they attain nirvana. This is what constitutes a sakrid-agamin.
“Mahamati, what about an-agamins ?444 This refers to those who give rise to visions of calamity regarding the existence or nonexistence of past, present, or future forms. Because they prevent projections from arising, and because they sever bondages, they are called an-agamins.445
“Mahamati, as for arhats,446 this refers to those for whom projections of meditations, samadhis or liberations, higher powers or masteries, afflictions or sufferings do not exist.447 Hence, they are called arhats.”
Mahamati asked the Buddha, “The Bhagavan has said that there are three kinds of arhats. To which kind is he referring here? To those who attain the one path of tranquility, to those who appear as arhats but who perform bodhisattva practices, or to those who are the projections of apparition buddhas?”
The Buddha told Mahamati, “To those shravakas who attain the one path of tranquility and not to the others—‘the others’ referring to those who practice bodhisattva practices and those who are the projections of apparition buddhas. As a result of their vows and skillful means, they are reborn in the great assemblies, where they add to the glory of the retinues of buddhas.
“Mahamati, they teach different teachings concerning attainment and meditation depending on the projections of each place. But because they avoid the objects of meditation and the one who meditates, they point instead to the characteristics of attainment as nothing but perceptions of one’s own mind. This is what they call attainment.
“Moreover, Mahamati, in order to get past the boundless and formless realms of meditation,448 you should avoid characteristics that are nothing but perceptions of your own mind. And it is not the case, Mahamati, that even the samadhi involving the cessation449 of sensation and perception450 is anything other than the perception of your own mind. And how so? Because it is nothing but mind.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “The four boundless meditations / the formless samadhis / the cessation of sensation and perception / none exist except as mind
2. The attainments of the srota-apanna / the sakrid-agamin and an-agamin / also that of the arhat / all are confusions of the mind451
3. Meditation, meditator, and object of meditation / renunciation and beholding the truth / these are nothing but projections / who knows this achieves liberation.”
L452
“Moreover, Mahamati, there are two kinds of knowing:453 knowing that examines and knowing that is based on attachment to the characteristics of projection. 454 Mahamati, the knowing that examines focuses on the characteristics of self-existence of whatever exists and concludes that they are beyond the reach of the four possibilities and not graspable. This is what is meant by the knowing that examines.
“As for the four possibilities, Mahamati, this means to be beyond the reach of sameness, difference, both or neither, existence, nonexistence or neither existence nor nonexistence, permanence or impermanence. These are the four possibilities.455 Mahamati, everything that exists is beyond the reach of these four possibilities. And you should practice examining everything, Mahamati, according to them.
“Mahamati, what is the knowing that is based on attachment to the characteristics of projection? Attachment to the characteristics of projection refers to attachment to the erroneous projection of solidity, moisture, warmth, and movement as characterizing the four elements and attachment to proposition, reason, characteristics, and example456 as the foundation on which such falsehoods are based. This is what is meant by the knowing that is based on attachment to the characteristics of projection.
“This is what characterizes the two kinds of knowing. By mastering what characterizes these two kinds of knowing, bodhisattvas finally understand the absence of a self among persons and things and understand the means by which to use their projectionless knowing to examine the stages of practice. As they reach the initial stage, they enter hundreds of samadhis. And in certain of thes
e samadhis, they see hundreds of buddhas and bodhisattvas and events, hundreds of kalpas in the past and future. And in the light of hundreds of buddha realms, they come to know the characteristics of the higher stages. And by virtue of their peerless vows and their masteries and higher powers, they reach the personal realization of the tathagata stage where their foreheads are anointed among dharma clouds.457 And with their minds well focused on the ten inexhaustible vows,458 they bring others to perfection and manifest themselves in a variety of refulgent forms while enjoying the bliss of samadhi and the personal realization of buddha knowledge.459
LI460
“Moreover, Mahamati, bodhisattvas should become versed in the four elements and their elemental forms.461 And how should bodhisattvas become versed in the four elements and their elemental forms? Mahamati, bodhisattvas should know this: that in reality the four elements do not arise. They should thus examine the non-arising of the four elements. Once they have done so, they will know that the distinguishing of names, appearances, and projections462 is the distinguishing of perceptions of their own mind and that their external existence does not exist. This is what is meant by distinguishing projections as perceptions of the mind. This means to see that the three realms are devoid of the existence of the four elements and their elemental forms, that they are completely devoid of the four possibilities, and that they include no self or anything that belongs to a self, and to focus instead on the essential characteristic of reality, the essential characteristic of which consists in non-arising.
“Mahamati, how do the four elements give rise to elemental forms? The element distinguished as moisture produces internal and external realms of water. The element distinguished as energy produces internal and external realms of fire. The element distinguished as movement produces internal and external realms of wind. And the element distinguished as divisible form produces internal and external realms of earth—and with form comes space. According to those who cling to mistaken truths, it is the four elements and their elemental forms that give rise to the assemblage of the five skandhas.
“Mahamati, consciousness463 continues in another existence because of the delight for different realms. As for earth and the other elements and their elemental forms, Mahamati, the four elements serve as its conditions,464 and the four elements do not serve as its conditions. And how so? The elements do not arise unless nature, shape, location, and function exist.465 But even if they do arise together with nature, shape, location, and function, Mahamati, they do not do so with regard to what is formless.466 Therefore, the four elements and their elemental forms are projections of other paths and not mine.
LII467
“Moreover, Mahamati, I will now explain what characterizes the self-existence of the skandhas. By ‘what characterizes the self-existence of the skandhas,’ I mean the five skandhas. And as to which five, I mean form, sensation, perception, memory, and consciousness, four of which are formless, namely sensation, perception, memory, and consciousness.
“Mahamati, by ‘form’ I am referring to the different characteristics of each of the four elements and their elemental forms. But it is not the case, Mahamati, that the formless ones are actually four in number. They are like the sky. Just as the sky is devoid of numbers or the characteristics of numbers, it is only due to projection that we speak of one sky. Mahamati, the skandhas are likewise devoid of numbers or the characteristics of numbers and thus devoid of existence or nonexistence and devoid of the four possibilities. Foolish beings talk in terms of numbers, not the wise.
“Mahamati, to the wise, forms are illusory. They are designations that are neither separate nor not separate, just as a dream or shadow is neither separate nor not separate from a person’s body. Mahamati, the realm of buddha knowledge appears the same as the projections of the skandhas. This is what is meant by what characterizes the self-existence of the skandhas.468 You should get rid of projections.469 And once you do, proclaim the teaching of detachment470 and in every buddhaland put an end to the views of other schools. For once you proclaim detachment, Mahamati, you will be freed from the view of no self among dharmas, and you will reach the unshakeable stage.471 And once you reach the unshakeable stage, you will gain a mastery of countless samadhis and projection bodies.472 And as you become fully versed in the Samadhi of the Illusory, you will use your higher powers, insights, and masteries to help and protect all beings. For just as the earth supports everything that lives, so too do bodhisattvas aid beings everywhere.
LIII473
“Moreover, Mahamati, according to followers of other paths, there are four kinds of nirvana. And what are the four? They include the nirvana in which the self-existence of what exists does not exist, the nirvana in which the existence of characteristics does not exist, the nirvana in which the awareness of one’s own characteristics and self-existence does not exist, and the nirvana in which the continuity of the individual and shared characteristics of the skandhas ends.474 These are what are meant by the four kinds of nirvana taught by followers of other paths. They are not what I teach. What I teach, Mahamati, is that nirvana is the cessation of the consciousness that projects.”475
Mahamati asked the Buddha, “But does the Bhagavan not put forward eight forms of consciousness?”
The Buddha answered, “Yes, I do.”
Mahamati asked again, “If so, then why does the Bhagavan speak of getting free from conceptual consciousness476 and not the seventh form of consciousness?”477
The Buddha replied, “Because, Mahamati, it is the cause and the supporting condition whereby the seventh form of consciousness does not arise.478 And it is the division and attachment of conceptual consciousness regarding external realms that produces the habit-energy that nourishes repository consciousness.479 And it is the Will,480 together with its attachment to a self and what belongs to a self and its reflection on causes and conditions, that gives rise to the characteristics of an indestructible body.481 And it is attachment to an external world that is a perception of one’s own mind that is the cause and supporting condition of the repository consciousness. Thus, this system of consciousness482 arises through mutual causation. It is like the ocean and its waves, which rise or cease as the wind of externality that is a perception of one’s own mind blows. Thus, when conceptual consciousness ceases, the seventh form of consciousness also ceases.”
The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
1. “Mine isn’t a nirvana that exists / a created one or one with attributes / the consciousness that projects what we know / the cessation of this is my nirvana
2. This is the cause and supporting condition / whereby thoughts create the body / on this is what the mind is based / on this is what consciousness depends483
3. When the great river quits flowing / waves no longer stir / when conceptual consciousness ceases / the other forms don’t rise.”
LIV484
“Moreover, Mahamati, I will now explain the different characteristics common to imagined reality.485 By becoming versed in distinguishing the different characteristics common to imagined reality, you and the other bodhisattvas will be able to free yourselves from projections and attain the personal realization of buddha knowledge and an insight into the paths of other practitioners. You will also understand how to put an end to projections of grasping and what is grasped and no longer project an imagined reality upon the various characteristics of dependent reality.
“Mahamati, what are the different characteristics common to imagined reality? They include the projection of words, the projection of the objects of words, the projection of characteristics, the projection of value, the projection of self-existence, the projection of causes, the projection of views, the projection of reasoning, the projection of arising, the projection of non-arising, the projection of continuity, and the projection of bondage and emancipation. These are the different characteristics of imagined reality.486
“Mahamati, what is the projection of words? This refers to attachment to th
e pleasure from the various sounds of beautiful speech and song. This is what is meant by the projection of words.
“Mahamati, what is the projection of the objects of words? This refers to how the projection of words arises in dependence on the self-existence of the objects of words and on what is realized by buddha knowledge.487 This is what is meant by the projection of the objects of words.
“Mahamati, what is the projection of characteristics? This refers to the projection of the existence of characteristics such as solidity, moisture, warmth, and movement488 onto the objects of words to which one is attached as if to a mirage. This is what is meant by the projection of characteristics.
“Mahamati, what is the projection of value? This refers to delight in such precious things as gold, silver, and gemstones. This is what is meant by the projection of value.
“Mahamati, what is the projection of self-existence? This refers to the mistaken projection of the self-existence of something as being like this and not like anything else. This is what is meant by the projection of self-existence.
“Mahamati, what is the projection of causes? This refers to the appearance of the characteristics of causation based on the projection of the existence or nonexistence of causes and conditions. This is what is meant by the projection of causes.