Wisdom as the sea
Lectures on the Maha-Prajna-Sutra
Comparing the Merits (34)
Written by Kuo Yun-Ling
Translated by Shou-chiang
1. The Origin of Wisdom：Sutra
Ananda, you should know. For instance, seeds in land need much
karma in order to grow. Therefore,
the seeds depend on the land to grow.
Likewise, returning merits to the wisdom of all wisdoms and practicing
alms giving, keeping commandments, tolerating under insult, great efforts and
meditation depend on Prajna-paramita to grow. Therefore, that Prajna-paramita is the honor and the
guide. I only give great credit to
Prajna-paramita…
Ananda, you should know. For instance, seeds in land need much
karma in order to grow. Therefore,
the seeds depend on the land to grow.
Likewise, returning merits to the wisdom of all wisdoms and the
Uppermost-right-bodhi depend on Prajna-paramita to grow. Therefore, that Prajna-paramita is the
honor and the guide. I only give great
credit to Prajna-paramita…
2. Vivid Explanation
The Buddha said, For instance, seeds
in land need much karma in order to grow.
We should know the relation between the seeds and the growth. The land supports the seeds and the
seeds depend on the land to grow.
Thus, the Prajna and the returning merits to the Wisdom-of-all-wisdoms
and the Six-paramitas have the same relation just as that of the land and the
seeds. The Prajna is similar to
the land can make the seeds of the Wisdom-of- all-wisdoms and the Six-paramitas
to grow. Therefore, that Prajna is
the honor and the guide to the Six-paramitas. Therefore, I give great credit to Prajna!
This paragraph emphasis the important
position of the Prajna --- the honor and the guide. In addition, there is a very interest comparison like that
the Prajna compares with the land and the Wisdom-of-all-wisdoms and the
Six-paramitas compare with the seeds.
Therefore, the Prajna just like the land can grow things such as the
Wisdom-of-all-wisdoms and the Six-paramitas.
This compassion is wonderful and
vivid. The concrete materials put
the abstract principles become clear to us. In fact, the intelligence of human being is limited and
human can understand the concrete materials much better than the abstract
principles. Therefore, Buddha
presents himself as the most skillful educator and has a complete knowledge
about human’s limited intelligence.
He applies the best choice, comparisons, to enhance the limited
intelligence of human being.
The Prajna just like the land can grow
the Wisdom-of-all-wisdoms and the Six-paramitas. That means the Prajna is as fertilized as the land. As long as you own the Prajna, you can
grow all good-dharma and merits.
It’s similar to plant the seeds into the land. Thereafter, sunshine, fresh air and irrigation water plus
the nutriment within the land can make the seeds grow. It begins with in-bud, in-stem,
in-flower and end up with in-fruit.
All these procedures must depend on the land. If without the land, it’s impossible for the seeds to grow
no matter how wonderful the sunshine, fresh air and irrigation water are. Therefore, the land is the most
important dependence. The seeds
mustn’t abandon the dependence.
Using such an understandable compassion, the listeners have a full
understanding about the relation between the Prajna and all Good-dharma. Moreover, realize that the Prajna can
grow all Good-dharma. The Prajna
is the dependence of all Good-dharma.
The Prajna is the source of all
Good-dharma. Without the Prajna,
it’s impossible for any Good-dharma to grow. Why? That is
because all dharma must match with the time, the land and the man to grow. Although the Bodhisattva-path doesn’t
belong to worldly affairs, however, the function and the procedure of it don’t
have significant difference with worldly affairs. The worldly affairs pursue efficiency, meanwhile, can the
Bodhisattva-path neglect the pursuing of efficiency? The answer is NOT.
On the contrary, the Bodhisattva-path needs more efficiency. For example, the image of the
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva having a thousand hands and a thousand eyes that
shows us the high requirement of the efficiency. That is because there are too many things that must been
done by the bodhisattva. The more
a bodhisattva involved in the path, the stronger the busy feeling coming
up. Even you really have a
thousand hands and a thousand eyes you still can’t finish all business because
the living beings are limitless.
The Bodhisattva-path includes the Six-paramitas and numerous other
actions. How can a bodhisattva complete
the mission in the path? The
answer is the Prajna. Only the
Prajna can make a bodhisattva reach the limitless state --- Emptiness. Only when the bodhisattva walks in the
path of Emptiness, he can really help the limitless living beings and complete
the Six-paramitas and numerous other actions. That is because the Emptiness can grow all things. In emptiness, you can have billions of
transformed bodies. Only in
emptiness, a bodhisattva can fulfill the mission without any self-will. Moreover, having no self-will means
having no barrier. Any self-will
must introduce some barriers. We
should know that the transcending–dharma wins the worldly affairs a lot. Therefore, a bodhisattva want to
complete the mission must learn the gist of the transcending–dharma. That is because the transcending–dharma
can cover all worldly affairs.
Moreover, the gist of the transcending–dharma is the realization of the
Emptiness. As long as you get the
nature of the Emptiness, all worldly affairs are equal to the transcending–dharma. In other words, the most significant
difference between the worldly affairs and the transcending–dharma is the
Emptiness.
The Emptiness is the Prajna. The Prajna is the Emptiness. Therefore, the Emptiness is the source
of all Good-dharma and the Prajna is the source of all Good-dharma. We found that to compare the Prajna
with the land is such a wonderful match.
The land likes the mother who has the most powerful tolerance and can
grow everything. The mother ask
nothing for feedback. It just like
the nature of the Emptiness, Unique and No-birth and No-having. Because it is unique, there is
only one. One can produce
all. All can become one. Therefore, it is unique. Because it is No-birth, therefore, it
is No-death. No-death is No-birth. Because it is No-having, therefore, it
is No-losing. Because it is
No-losing, therefore, it is No-demanding and No- No-losing.
The Prajna is the source of all
merits. If without the Prajna,
there will be no merit at all.
Why? That is because no man
should cling onto any merit. As
long as a man cling onto any merit, the merit will reduce right away. Therefore, only the Prajna can grow
more merit. The very moment you
begin to cling onto merit, the barrier comes right away and that make the
completion of the merit become impossible. Therefore, the Prajna is the source of all Good-dharma and
merits. The Prajna is more than
important to us. Its importance
just like the boundless land can grow all things and carry all things.
Therefore the sutra said, For
instance, seeds in land need much karma in order to grow. The Prajna is similar to the land. The Good-dharma is similar to the
seeds. After much karma have been
added and matched, it can grow numerous merits. Talking about the much karma, it is very important too. For example, although the Prajna-paramita
in the Six-paramitas is the honor and the guide, however, the matching of other
five-paramitas is very important too.
Another example, the great-efforts-paramita, when a seed plant into the
land, a great-efforts farmer can make a golden harvest from it. On the contrary, it is impossible for a
lazy farmer to have a great harvest.
Therefore, in any harvest, the land and the seeds are important. The sunshine, the fresh air, the
irrigation water and the great-efforts cultivation are necessary for a success
harvest. The reason why the
dharma-practice difficult is that you need every good-karma for a complete
success. Within all good-karma,
the Prajna is the honor and the guide.
The most important thing for a practitioner to realize is the Prajna.
All dharma are nothing but dreams,
illusions, bubbles and shadows.
They are morning dews and lightning that easy to disappear. This is what you should realize. The above words are the famous
instruction in the Diamond Sutra.
It tells us with most clearly about the truth of the world. As long as we still live in the
Three-realms of the Burning-house, we should realize the fact and try to wake
up from dreams and keep yourself away from illusions and all up-side-down. Afterward, you can get the happiness of
freedom and liberation in person.
Meanwhile share the wonderful experience with the limitless living
beings.
4. The Profile of Wisdom
Overview of Maha-Prajna-Sutra：
Chapter 26
Learn the Prajna (Volume 86~89)
Sudarsana Bodhisattva has profound
wisdom. He explains intrinsic
nature of the Dharma via extrinsic terminology.
Chapter 27
Pursue the Prajna (Volume 89~98)
We are supposed to practice Prajna
according Maha-bodhisattva’s teachings; moreover, surrender ourselves to the
Buddha.
Chapter 28
Praise the Merits (Volume 98~98)
A bodhisattva’s practicing of Prajna
has characters of great, numerous and limitless Paramita. That practicing may attain to the
supreme enlightenment.
Chapter 29
Apply the Prajna (Volume 98~103)
A bodhisattva is supposed to practice
Prajna and should never give up the practicing under any circumstances.
Chapter 30
Comparing the Merits (Volume 103~168)
The merits of Prajna are numerous and
limitless. The merits of
worshipping Prajna are much greater than the merits of worshipping a Buddha’s
pagoda.
Chapter 31
Alms of the Merits (Volume 168~172)
A bodhisattva should never attach him
to any merit and give alms to whoever needs merits.
3.The High Lights
The Six-realms include the material
and immaterial of the universe. The great functions of the Buddha-dharma are
not only promote the immaterial both also change the material. This isn’t
puffiness because the material and the immaterial are No-split.
Misunderstanding the truth will cause opposition and difference, therefore,
Heart-sutra said “Form/Material is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form/Material”.
A Maha-yana Bodhisattva who wants to
service other people, to save the holy religion from down-fall and to save man
from suffering, he must attain the nuture of Emptiness. The holy religion is to
teach the holy law. Don’t know the law makes man suffer and wonder in the
three-realms of samsara. Therefore, the real service to a man is to lead the
man out of the three-realms. This is the ultimate service. The most needed
service.
4.The profile of Wisdom
Overview of Maha-Prajna-Sutra:
*Chapter 26
Learn the Prajna (Volume 86-89)
Sudarsana Bodhisattva has profound
wisdom. He explains intrinsic nature of the Dharma via extrinsic terminology.
*Chapter 27
Pursue the Prajna (Volume 89-98)
We are supposed to practice Prajna
according Maha-bodhisattva’s teachings; moreover, surrender ourselves to
Buddha.
*Chapter 28
Praise the Merits (Volume 98-98)
A bodhisattva’s practicing of Prajna
has characters of great, numerous and limitless Paramita. That practicing may
attain to the supreme enlightenment.
*Chapter 29
Apply the Prajna (Volume 98-103)
A bodhisattva is supposed to practice
Prajna and should never give up the practicing under any circumstances.
*Chapter 30
Comparing the Merits (Volume 103-168)
The merits of Prajna are numerous and
limitless. The merits of worshipping Prajna are much greater than the merits of
worshipping a Buddha’s pagoda.
*Chapter 31
Alms of the Merits (Volume 168-172)
A bodhisattva should never attach him
to any merits and give alms to whoever needs merits.