Issue 282

“I only hope that the World Honored One, out of great kindness and pity, will instruct us in the path of Shamata, guide the icchantikas and overthrow the mlecchas.”

I only hope that the World Honored One, out of great kindness and pity, will instruct us in the path of Shamata: Now I only have one wish, that the World Honored One will extend his great compassion to rescue me from my suffering and bring me bliss. I hope the Buddha will guide the icchantikas and overthrow the mlecchas. World Honored One, teach not only myself but all those in the great assembly, who upon hearing the Dharma have given rise to doubts. Instruct us in how to develop concentration; show us the path to the cultivation of the Dharma door of stillness. Ananda asked the Buddha to overcome the mlecchas and prevent people from falling victim to a fondness for unwholesome places, from having such a problem.

“Icchantika” is a Sanskrit word which is interpreted to mean “insufficient faith.” Icchantikas are those whose faith is deficient, and a deficiency of faith is the same as no faith at all. Icchantikas are also said to be those who have “burned up their good roots.” What is left once their good roots are burned up? Bad roots. Still, icchantikas are extremely difficult to save. When you elucidate principle for them, they never quite believe you. “Hey”, they say, “Who ever heard of such a thing?” No matter how well you speak Dharma for them, they don’t believe you. They are like Kaushthila who took “non-acceptance” as his doctrine. No matter what you said to him, he wouldn’t listen, he wouldn’t accept it. That’s an icchantika.

“Mleccha” is a Sanskrit word which is interpreted to mean “a fondness for defilement.” Mlecchas like unclean places. So we people should clean up a bit and not take special pleasure in filth. Mleccha also means “evil knowledge and views.” Most people’s knowledge and points of view are good, but these people’s are evil. They are solely intent upon doing wrong. They exude nothing but poisonous fluids, which are not only bad for them but also influence others to imitate them. What kind of people will fall into that place? It is the icchantika who rejoiced in this place of uncleanness and evil knowledge and views.

This “Icchantika” was mentioned in the Nirvana Sutra. Dharma Master Tao Sheng once explained the Nirvana Sutra in China before the final volume had arrived from India. In the first half of the sutra, it says that icchantikas have no Buddha-nature. Host Dharma Masters then explained the line as meaning that Icchantikas cannot become Buddhas. In the final volume of the sutra it says that icchantikas can also become Buddhas, but at that time the final volume of the sutra was not known in China. Nevertheless, when Dharma Master Tao Sheng came to that passage of text in the first part of the sutra, he did not follow its apparent meaning, and explained instead that icchantikas can become Buddhas.

As a result, the other Dharma Masters who opposed him, were jealous of him, and said that he had the nerve to contradict the sutra’s meaning and had done it just to be different. Because jealousies had been aroused, no one came to listen to him explain sutras any longer. Why? They said his explanation was wrong and incompatible with the scriptures and contrary to the sutra’s principle. The sutra said icchantikas cannot become Buddhas. But he insisted that icchantikas can become Buddhas. The sutras that the Buddha said were all wrong. Actually, Dharma Master Tao Sheng wasn’t saying the sutra was wrong or that the Buddha had spoken incorrectly. He understood the principle behind it and although he had not seen the final volume of the sutra, he already realized that the Buddha could not have spoken the Dharma this way.

Since no one came to listen to him explain sutras, he went to Su Chou, near Shanghai and onto Hu Ch’iu Mountain. There he lectured the Nirvana Sutra to the rocks. When he again reached the passage of text that said icchantikas do not have the Buddha nature, he asked the rocks, “I say icchantikas also have Buddha nature. What do you say? Am I right, or not?” The rocks on the mountain bowed their heads in silent assent. So it is said:

When Sheng the Venerable spoke the Dharma,
Even the rocks bowed their heads.

Of course rocks are senseless things which cannot move, but even so they agreed with Dharma Master Tao Sheng’s explanation and so bowed their assent.

There are reasons for this. When Dharma Master Dao Sheng spoke the Nirvana Sutra, why did the rocks bow their heads? I believe there were ghosts and spirits sitting or sprawled out on the rocks. On second thought, they couldn’t have been sprawled out, because you have to sit up when you listen to sutras. When the Dharma Master asked his question, the ghosts and spirits were so exuberant in their agreement that they made the rocks shake. Or, perhaps in past lives these rocks had spiritual natures which were now hidden away in a casing of rock, and this is why they could register their agreement.

After he had finished speaking, he placed his five limbs on the ground along with the entire great assembly. Then they stood on tiptoe waiting attentively and thirstily to respectfully hear the instructions.

After he had finished speaking, he placed his five limbs on the ground. “Five limbs” refer to his two hands, his two feet, and his head. In Buddhism this is the most respectful gesture of all. He bowed along with the entire great assembly. Not only did Ananda bow to the Buddha after he finished making his request, everyone in the great assembly followed suit. Then they stood on tiptoe waiting attentively and thirstily to respectfully hear the instructions.

“Attentively” indicates that they actively listened. There is a saying: “pull the ear to listen”, which means one must use the ear in order to pay attention through listening, this is called the intent to listen to the instructions the Buddha would give them with the doctrine of samadhi which Ananda had requested. They were inexpressibly thirsty for the Dharma as if their mouths were parched and they were waiting for a drink of water. The wisdom-life of the Dharma-bodies of these people had dried up and withered, and they were waiting for the Buddha to pour the water of Dharma over them and nourish their Dharma bodies’ wisdom-life. The phrase “on tip-toe” refers to how people stretch up in readiness to listen when they are in the back of the room and wish to hear better. They “stood waiting”: this also indicates that those far from the Buddha stood on tip-toe in order to get a better view of him as they waited for him to speak.”Respectfully” means very reverently. “Instruct” means to teach and coach, they are waiting for the Buddha to instruct them.

This is used to indicate how all stood waiting with great reverence to hear the Buddha explain the doctrine of Samadhi. Those who compiled the sutras used these descriptive terms to indicate how happy these people were to hear the Dharma. Why did they want to see the Buddha? Because everyone is fond of the Buddha’s thirty-two adorning hallmarks and eighty subtle characteristics, and everyone likes to gaze at them, including the great Bodhisattvas, great Arhats, great bhikshus, and laypeople in the Shurangama Dharma assembly. I believe they were more or less of the same mind as Ananda. It was because of the Buddha’s thirty-two hallmarks that Ananda had left the home-life, and it was probably because of the Buddha’s hallmarks that the others like the kings, the great ministers, the elders, and laypeople in the assembly had also come to hear the Dharma.

Then the World Honored One radiated forth from his face various kinds of light, dazzling light as brilliant as hundreds of thousands of suns.

Then the World Honored One radiated forth from his face:“Then”;when did that happen? It was when Ananda placed his five limbs on the ground and the great assembly attentively, thirstily stood on tiptoe waiting respectfully to hear the instruction.

The Chinese is mien men(面門), literally “face-door,” but this just refers to the face. You should not go looking for a door on the Buddha’s face. He hasn’t any doors on his face, just windows. His eyes are windows and his nostrils are caves in which people can sit in meditation and cultivate. Not only is that possible in the Buddha’s nostrils, that can be done in any one of ours as well. If you want to say there is a door, the mouth could be called a door, but there is no reason to stick to every word so closely.

The Buddha emitted not just one kind, but many kinds of light from his face. In general, there are five colors of light, but of the five colors many, many color-combinations can be distinguished. The Buddha emitted from his face various kinds of light, dazzling light as brilliant as hundreds of thousands of suns. The Buddha’s light was more powerful than a lightning flash, brighter than an electric light, as it radiated back and forth! What was it like? A dazzling light as brilliant as hundreds of thousands of suns.

The sunlight in the world we live in is very powerful, but the Buddha emitted light whose intensity was a thousand times greater than the light of hundreds of thousands of suns. It’s as if our light here has a 100V or 200V. Then 1000V will be much brighter than 100V. Now the Buddha’s light is a thousand times stronger than the sun. How much light would you say that was? When Ananda compiled the sutras he described the Buddha’s light this way. Since he’s been there, he’s seen it before, hence he says so.