Issue 281

The Buddha said to Ananda, “You say that the nature of the mind which perceives, makes discriminations, and is aware, is not located anywhere at all. The entirety things existing in the world consists of space, the waters, the land, the creatures that fly and walk, and all external objects. Does your nonattachment also exist?”

The Buddha again replied to Ananda’s explanation with a question: The Buddha said to Ananda, “You say that the nature of the mind which perceives, makes discriminations, and is aware, is not located anywhere at all.” To have no attachment is to have no location.

But, the entirety things existing in the world consists of space, the waters, the land, the creatures that fly and walk, and all external objects. There are two kinds of worlds: the sentient world, composed of living beings and the material world, which includes all the mountains, rivers, the great expanse of earth, and all the various buildings. These, empty space and the myriad external objects together make up the two kinds of retributions: dependent retribution, which includes the land, the waters, the buildings; and proper retribution, which refers to our bodies. The world consists of these two. All these worlds, including sentient beings from empty space, waters, land, and beings that fly and walk, all these dependent retribution, proper retribution are called ‘entirety things.’

Does your non-attachment also exist? Among all these things in the world, where are you? What place are you not attached to? Is there someplace where there is non-attachment or is there not? If your non-attachment is nowhere, then that’s the same as saying it doesn’t exist.

If it does not exist, it is the same as hairs on a tortoise or horns on a rabbit. How can you speak of non-attachment? If non-attachment existed, it could not be said to be nonexistent. To be non-existent is to be without attributes. To be existent is to have attributes. Whatever has attributes has a location; how then can it be said to be unattached?

If it does not exist, it is the same as hairs on a tortoise or horns on a rabbit. Have you ever seen a turtle with hair or a horned rabbit? In other words, there is no such thing. How can you speak of non-attachment? If it doesn’t exist, what is it you are attached to? How can you say it is “non-attachment”?

If non-attachment existed, it could not be said to be nonexistent. When you propose that at a certain place that implies there is a certain nonattachment. But you cannot say there isn’t anything there. You speak of non-attachment, but if there is a certain thing called nonattachment, then you still have something; and how can you call that non-attachment? But if in fact it doesn’t exist – if there is nothing there – why do you want to assign the name “nonattachment” to it? That is really a case of putting a head on top of a head or riding a donkey in search of a donkey.

To be non-existent is to be without attributes. If you haven’t any attachment, that is non-existence. To be existent is to have attributes. Whatever has attributes has a location; how then can it be said to be unattached? But if it is not non-existent, then it has characteristics, and if something has form and an appearance, it thereby must have a location. If it has a location, how can you say it is unattached?

Therefore you should know, to call the aware, knowing mind non-attachment to anything is impossible.

Because of the principle mentioned above, the Buddha says, “Therefore you should know, Ananda, to call the aware, knowing mind non-attachment to anything is impossible. To say that your mind is non-attachment won’t work either. Your argument won’t stand. It is unreasonable.”

Then Ananda arose from his seat in the midst of the great assembly, uncovered his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, respectfully put his palms together, and said to the Buddha: “I am the Tathagata’s youngest cousin. I have received the Buddha’s compassionate love and have left the home-life, but I have been dependent on his affection, and as a consequence have pursued erudition and am not yet without outflows. I could not overcome the Kapila mantra. I was spun around by it and sank in the house of prostitution, all because I did not know the location of the realm of reality.”

During the dialogue with the World Honored One, Ananda had spun in circles and couldn’t escape; he went around and around and still had not found the right road, because he was using his discriminating conscious mind and mistaking it for his true mind. And so, from beginning to end he was unable to enter the realm of the mysterious. He didn’t measure up; he didn’t pass the test.

Then Ananda arose from his seat in the midst of the great assembly; at that time there were great bhikshus, great Arhats, and great Bodhisattvas in the Dharma assembly. He uncovered his right shoulder. This means he let the right side of his robe fall, the way the sash I am now wearing over my robe is designed to leave the right shoulder uncovered. In China customs are such that exposing one’s shoulder would not be considered respectful, but by Indian custom, uncovering the right shoulder is a gesture of respect, especially in Buddhism. When he uncovered his right shoulder and placed his right knee on the ground, that represents the purity of body karma. The body cannot create evil karma in that position. He respectfully put his palms together: that represents the purity of mind karma. And said to the Buddha: that represents the purity of mouth karma. Thus, the purity of the three karmas of body, mouth, and mind are represented as Ananda requests Dharma from the Buddha.

Now Ananda thinks over how he has spent his time since he has left the home-life. He says, “I am the Tathagata’s youngest cousin.” In Shakyamuni Buddha’s clan, there were four kings and eight sons. His grandfather sired four sons. His father was one of the four brothers, each of whom had two sons. Ananda was the youngest of them. His elder brother’s name was Sundarananda. Ananda has another name called ‘Nanda’. His brother was also called ‘Nanda’. However, he was Sundari’s Nanda. Sundari was the name of his wife. We’ll talk about Sundarananda when we have a chance later on.

I have received the Buddha’s compassionate love and have left the home-life. I followed the Buddha and left the home-life. In leaving home, one leaves the home of ignorance which could be said to be everyone’s house; one leaves the home of the three realms, that is, the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm; one leaves the home of affliction; and one leaves the worldly home, that is the home of one’s family. When you leave home, you leave these and many other kinds of homes. But though Ananda left his worldly home, he had not yet severed his emotional feelings. He still had not left the homes of ignorance and affliction or the home of the three realms. Even if one certifies to the first fruition of Arhatship, it’s not for sure that one can transcend the three realms!

But I have been dependent on his affection. Ananda confesses that he has relied too much on his family ties with the Tathagata. He allowed himself to be disobedient sometimes in order to get the Buddha’s attention. He would sometimes act like a child and be deliberately rambunctious, or he would purposefully not abide by the rules, and he expected the Buddha to sympathize with him, to take care of him.

And as a consequence have pursued erudition and am not yet without outflows. He concentrated on learning at the expense of samadhi. Ananda had reached the first stage of Arhatship, but it is not until the fourth stage that one is without outflows. At the fourth stage one puts an end to birth and death does not have to flow back into the three realms. But in the first stage, outflows remain.

I could not overcome the Kapila mantra. I was incapable of opposing the mantra that came from the Brahma Heaven which the religion of the yellow-haired used – that deviant dharma of those “side doors and outside ways.” I did not have enough strength to counteract it and was spun around by it and sank in the house of prostitution. The deviant mantra plunged me into confusion. It was like being stuck in mud and water and I can’t pull out my legs, and I sank as if drowning in the sea. There is another explanation, since the Chinese character for “sank” is also the word for urine: Ananda is indicating that he came in contact with something unclean. He went into the filthy brothel where women sold themselves. He found himself stuck there as if in a cesspool and could not extricate himself.

If the Buddha had not used the Shurangama Mantra to rescue him, Ananda would not have had the opportunity to compile the sutras. If the Sutra Store had been compiled at all, it would have been done by someone else. Ananda would have had no part in it. Fortunately, Shakyamuni Buddha used the Shurangama Mantra to rescue him, so he was able to compile the Shurangama Sutra and give us a record of these causes and conditions.

All because I did not know the location of the realm of reality. The realm of reality is another name for the true mind. Why did I sink in the house of prostitution? Because I did not know where the fundamental true mind is. To this very moment, Ananda is still trying to find a location for the true mind. You see, although Ananda is very smart throughout his life, yet he’s now being boggled by his own intelligence! He keeps spinning around and doesn’t know how to get out.