Issue 298

Then Buddha went to sit under the Bodhi tree, and on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month he saw a star appear and became enlightened. “At night he saw a bright star and awakened to the Way.” After his enlightenment, he looked into the matter of who he should convert first, and saw that it was Ajnatakaundinya, one of the five bhikshus, who in a past life had been the King of Kalinga and had cut the Buddha’s body limb from limb. In that life the Buddha had vowed that when he became a Buddha the first one he would save would be the King of Kalinga. That is why when Shakyamuni Buddha became enlightened he went first to the Deer Park and converted the five bhikshus.

At that time, what did the Buddha said to the five bhikshus and the four-fold assembly? He said, “It is because living beings are impeded by guest-dust and affliction that they do not realize Bodhi or become arhats.” Why don’t living beings accomplish Buddhahood or become enlightened? Why don’t they accomplish the fruit of Arhatship? It is because they are impeded by this guest-dust and afflictions. What is a “guest”? The guest is not the host, and the host is not the guest. “Guest-dust” means that there is no dust in the first place, it only exists temporarily. The phrase “guest-dust” also refers to your false thoughts. False thoughts are “guest-dust” and affliction. You can also say that “guest-dust” refers to the two kinds of delusion: view-delusion and thought-delusion. “Afflictions” can also be said to be delusions of ignorance and delusions as numerous as motes of dust and sand. Ignorance means lack of understanding in everything.

You say, people are really strange! Fix them good food, give them some good bread and butter, and they won’t eat it. They like to eat afflictions all day long. All they want to eat is afflictions, which they find more delicious than vegetable dumplings. Even if someone tells them not to eat affliction, they find it impossible to refrain from it. From morning to night, they eat nothing but “guest-dust” and afflictions and fill their bellies full of anger instead of food. People like that are truly pathetic. Shakyamuni Buddha said, “The reason all you living beings do not become Buddhas or Arhats is because you are impeded by ‘guest-dust’ and affliction.”

“At that time, what caused you who have now realized the holy fruit to become enlightened?” “That time” refers to the time when Shakyamuni Buddha went to the Deer Park and spoke Dharma. “You” the Buddha means the five bhikshus and the fourfold assembly of bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas. The Buddha asks them how and why they became enlightened when he talked about “guest-dust” and affliction. What meaning did they see that caused them to obtain the fruition of Arhatship?

Then Ajnatakaundinya arose and said to the Buddha, “Of the elders now present in the great assembly, only I received the name ‘understanding’ because I was enlightened to the meaning of the word ‘guest-dust’ and realized the fruition. World Honored One, it is like a traveler who stops as a guest at a roadside inn, perhaps for the night or perhaps for a meal. When he has finished lodging there or when the meal is finished, he packs his baggage and sets out again. He does not remain there at leisure. The host himself, however, does not go far away.”

Ajnatakaundinya was one of the five bhikshus. His name is interpreted to mean “understanding the fundamental limit” and also “the very first to understand” because he was the first to understand and to be certified as having attained Arhatship. Then Ajnatakaundinya arose and said to the Buddha. Ajnatakaundinya stood up and spoke to the Buddha. “Of the elders now present in the great assembly, only I received the name ‘understanding’ because I was enlightened to the meaning of the word ‘guest-dust’ and realized the fruition.” He said, “Now in this great assembly, I am an elder, I am older and much more experienced. Why did I receive the name ‘understanding’? It’s because I understand, I have attained enlightenment. Enlightenment from what? Upon hearing the Buddha speak the word ‘guest-dust’ I understood the meaning and attained enlightenment. Hence, I am certified to the sagely fruit of Arhatship.”

World Honored One, Ajnatakaundinya said, “Buddha, why was it that the two words ‘guest-dust’ brought about my enlightenment?”

It is like a traveler who stops as a guest at a roadside inn, perhaps for the night or perhaps for a meal. A guest who is on a journey, on a holiday, looks for an inn where he can stay for a while. Perhaps he stays overnight there, or perhaps he goes there to eat. When he has finished lodging there or when the meal is finished, he packs his baggage and sets out again. When he has finished eating and sleeping, he readies his suitcases and goes on. He does not remain there at leisure. He’s a guest; he can’t live there all the time. The host himself, however, does not go far away. The “host” refers to the pure nature and bright substance of the permanently dwelling true mind. The “guest” refers to false thinking, the wearisome dust.

Why is it compared to “guest dust”? Because it is not something fundamental to us. Our bodies are basically clean, but if we go out on a windy day the dust may blow up and cover us, soiling our bodies. When we take our hands and brush away the dust, it disappears. What does this represent? It represents our afflictions and ignorance which are like “guest-dust”; they do not really exist.

Consider it this way, the one who does not remain is called the guest, and the one who does remain is called the host. The word ‘guest,’ then, means ‘one who does not remain.’ Again, when the sky clears up, the morning sun rises with all resplendence, and its golden rays stream into a house through a crevice to reveal particles of dust in the air. The dust dances in the rays of light, but the empty space is motionless.

Editor’s Note: This section of the sutra’s general explanation is already incorporated in the Venerable Master’s repeated lecture on the other day.

In this paragraph, Ajnatakaundinya said: “I think like the above: This traveler stays in an inn, and after eating and drinking, he will leave and will not stay forever. So which one lives in the inn for all time? It’s the host of that inn that we have mentioned before. What is a ‘guest’? The guest is affliction and ignorance, the affliction of obstruction. The obstruction of what is known as the delusion of views and the delusion of thought. As to this ‘dust’, it dances and moves; What does not move is the real host. What is not moving? Empty space does not move. This empty space is analogous to a person’s seeing-nature. This seeing-nature is also motionless. The real host is our permanently dwelling true mind that neither comes nor goes.”

Ajnatakaundinya concludes: “Considering it this way, the one who does not remain is called the guest, and the one who does remain is called the host. “The word ‘guest,’ then, means ‘one who does not remain.'” So Ajnatakaundinya understood that the guest at an inn stays only temporarily, whereas the host of the inn always lives there.

Then where is this ‘inn’ located? We can also say that we reside in our bodies temporarily as a guest does in an inn. But our host, the permanently dwelling true mind, never goes away, never ceases to exist. We should understand that our bodies are merely an inn, not an actual home. They are not our own home, and so we shouldn’t be too attached to them.

“Again, when the sky clears up, the morning sun rises with all resplendence, and its golden rays stream into a house through a crevice to reveal particles of dust in the air.” When the sun has just come up, early on a clear fresh morning, a morning after a rain, the sun shines through a crack in the door or perhaps a crevice in the window, and it displays the fine bits of dust bobbing up and down in empty space, moving all around in the sunshine. 。「霽」means the sky is clear and sunny after the rain. 「新霽」means in the early morning where the sky is very clear and sunny. 「清暘」 refers to the sunlight that just came out. 「暘」 means sunlight. 「隙」means a crevice or a crack. 「發明」 means reveal to show.

“The dust dances in the rays of light, but the empty space is motionless.” The nature of the dust is constantly bobbing and moving. However, the fundamental substance of empty space is unmoving and in stillness; it neither comes nor goes. If the sun doesn’t shine in the crack, you can’t see the dust, although there is actually a lot of dust everywhere. Once the sunlight shines into the house, you will see many particles of dust bobbing and moving in the sunlight. How many are there? It’s countless! Wherever there is sunlight, there are particles of dust! But while the dust moves and bobs up and down, empty space is still. It doesn’t move. 。「寂然」 means still and unmoving. Empty space represents our seeing-nature, which is unmoving.

The ability to see the dust in the light that pours through the crack represents the attainment of the light of wisdom. When you certify to the fruit and reach the first stage of Arhatship, you have overcome the 88 categories of view-delusion. Having eliminated the view-delusions, you have the light of wisdom. Then you can see your ignorance and afflictions as numerous as motes of dust. The light of wisdom shines on the dust-particles of affliction, as in the analogy of the sun shining through the crack. The dark caverns of ignorance are illumined, and you see the dust of affliction, and you understand. Ignorance and afflictions as numerous as motes of dust move, but our inherent nature does not move.

Every day you listen to the Sutra and I tell you not to have afflictions, and all you’ve got is afflictions. I tell you not to have ignorance and all you do is display your ignorance. Would you call this being obedient? The more it is said that ignorance is not a good thing, the greater your ignorance becomes. When it is said that afflictions aren’t good, the more afflictions you have. Before it was discussed, there were no afflictions, but once it was brought up, the afflictions came forth. So it must be that I didn’t explain the Sutra well and fail to chase away your afflictions.

I hope you will all toss your afflictions in the Pacific Ocean. Don’t look upon your afflictions as precious treasures. Don’t treat afflictions as if they were your own kin. Don’t let affliction be your companion in life and death. Don’t be so affectionate towards them. You should toss your afflictions in the ocean, even though there are so many of them that they might well fill up the entire ocean! Why? It’s just too many! Hence, I hope that everyone can drive away afflictions. Afflictions are demons. Where do you find demons and demonic ghosts? To have demonic ghosts is simply to have afflictions. You and the demons have gotten together. Afflictions are absolutely terrible, and the Sutra is being explained just to teach people to get rid of their afflictions, so don’t let it be that the more we speak of afflictions the more they multiply!