Book: The Annotated True Buddha Sutra

The Annotated True Buddha Sutra

Oral commentary on the True Buddha Sutra given by Grand Master Lu between October 1, 1988 and January 21, 1989 at the Rey Tseng Temple, Redmond, Washington, USA.
Translated by Janny Chow and Master Kender Tomko, with footnotes by Master Tender Tomko.

The Sutra Of Authentic Dharma [1] That Removes Hindrances And Bestows Good Fortune

Last week, a disciple who works as an agricultural broker requested that I expound the True Buddha Sutra. I will therefore bestow the oral commentary week by week in stages.

True Buddha Sutra is the abbreviated form of the complete title, which is The Sutra of Authentic Dharma that Removes Hindrances and Bestows Good Fortune.

To begin with, we should examine the meaning of "true" or "authentic." When I ask you "what is true," you will all respond, "that which obtains or applies."

Actually, in this dualistic world where one aspect is called "true," there is another called "false." This is due to public agreement one-way or the other. But, please examine the matter further. These agreements as to "truth" or "falsity" are just mental fabrications, and nothing in this world can be fundamentally one or the other. [2]

Take for example the question of the world's most valuable commodity. This commodity cannot be either gold or diamonds, because these can still be purchased with money. Therefore currency-such as the U.S. dollar-must be most valuable. It is a valid currency through being backed by the resources of the U.S. government and through recognition by other lands and peoples. A private or counterfeit currency will however be accepted by none and is therefore invalid.

But will these so-called valid currencies circulated worldwide be recognized by the Amitabha Buddha? I would say that the money brought as offerings to Amitabha Buddha at this Temple would not be used by him.

Worldly paper money has no value in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, and in the eyes of the Amitabha Buddha, the "American dollar" is no more than a slip of paper with some dark green print. So, offering the most valuable worldly money in exchange for entrance to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss will not work: the Buddha will not sell it to you!

The word "true" as used here represents official sanction of the Amitabha Buddha of the Western Paradise, which is in turn recognized by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. [3]

Thus the True Buddha Sutra is officially and universally recognized. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas recognize this sutra, as do all Arhats, [4] sages, all True Buddha acharyas [5] and disciples.

Therefore it is named the True Buddha Sutra of the True Buddha School. What is a "sutra?" [6] A kind of road or pathway, thus to follow this True Buddha road and walk ahead is to move in a certain direction, which leads to the abode of the True Buddhas.

What then is a "Buddha Sutra?" It is a path to True Awakening and Realizations. [7]

Therefore the title identifies the sutra as a means to True Awakening and Realization-that is the essential meaning of the entire Sutra.

As such it can remove obstacles and bestow blessings. Through reliance on this dharma, many disasters can be prevented and many heavenly blessings will be received.

Thus it is the Sutra of Authentic Dharma that Removes Hindrances and Bestows Good Fortune-the True Buddha Sutra in short.

You know, this sutra did not previously exist; it is only now that we have it. In fact, it did not exist even three or four months ago.

This True Buddha Sutra is the Spontaneous Revelation from the Primordial Awareness of Living Buddha Lian-shen, the Manifestation Body [8] of White Mahapadmakumara [9] of Great Twin Lotus Ponds in Western Paradise.

So, after all of this introduction, the sutra identifies me as the author! Honestly, I too find this quite puzzling. This "spontaneous revelation from the Own Heart (primordial awareness),'' [10] How did it happen? Did the sutra just flow out of the physical heart?

The basic physical heart is associated with a certain rhythmic thumping (mind you, this is not a contemporary dance beat). But while most people use the character "hsin" [Chinese for heart] to mean this physical heart, others use the same character to refer to the subtle [yogis awareness focused at the] brow point.

So when speaking of Own Heart, to which do I refer?

You will not be able to find it!

This Heart is emphatically not the gross physical heart, not the one that beats rhythmically. Yet I tell you that it is also not at the brow point! For if it were present there only, then through what agency could your big toe be caused to wiggle?

Therefore Buddha Shakyamuni said: "The Heart is not outside, nor is it inside." Perhaps then one of you will say, "Since the Heart is not outside and not inside, then it must be in the skin, right in the middle!" Actually, the Heart is not found there either.

The Heart/Mind referred to by Buddha Shakyamuni is the Consciousness of the entire Universe. Included in it are you, everything within you, and everything outside you. [11] The Whole Universe comprising one self and all others is known as the Heart.

Thus, in this one sentence-"The Sutra is the spontaneous revelation of the Own Heart..."-the phrase "Own Heart" expresses both the fundamental identity of individual and universal awareness.

Today, although the Grand Master is here expounding "the Sutra that is the spontaneous revelation from the Own Heart," the scripture identifies itself as being spontaneously revealed by the greatest Heart/Mind, the Universal Mind. [12]

I wrote this sutra not through having and later recording a nighttime dream, nor through intent to leave a classic work for posterity, that I might in the pure realms listen to future generations recite it and boast of my authorship!

Ah, it can't be this way at all. Such narcissism of the ego is in no way comparable to spontaneous Heart/Mind revelation. Many people said [with great sarcasm] that since Grand Master had written a True Buddha Sutra, they were inspired to write a False Buddha Sutra.

Actually, the spontaneous revelation from the Own Heart is a release of Wisdom of the Heart of the Universe. This sutra was not written through domination of the turbulent emotions or the separative self-consciousness, nor did I receive some inspiration from a dream of some kind. That was not it at all.

In this first paragraph is the phrase "Living Buddha Lian-shen, the manifestation body of White Mahapadmakumara." The Mahapadmakumara is actually the Sambhogakaya [13] residing in the Western Paradise.

I am just a beam of light emitted by the Mahapadmaku-mara, like a reflection of the shining moon in the waters of Lake Sammamish. That is why the sutra identifies me as an expression of White Mahapadmakumara.

By now everyone should be very familiar with the "Great Twin Lotus Ponds " [14] of the Western Paradises-it is our destination [as practitioners].

We return not to our parents' home, but to our "original" home, which is the Buddha's Pure Land. Thus, an in-depth understanding of this sutra is necessary. Achieving Realization through this Sutra definitely allows us to return to the Great Twin Lotus Ponds of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.

Those Who Recite this Sutra Should First Recite the "Supplication for the Blessing of Living Buddha Lian-shen."

OM AH HUM.

With reverence I make my purified Body, Speech, and Mind,

An offering to Maha Vairocana. [15]

The three [Sanskrit] seed-syllables in the beginning, "Om, Ah, Hum," have already been explained as follows:

"Om" is the Universe,

"Ah" is one, the Buddha,

"Hum" is fruit, the Fruition.

"Om, Ah, Hum." is the same as: The Buddhas in the Universe have manifested all phenomena, all fruition.

Actually these three seed-syllables are very profound. They need not refer only to all phenomenal manifestations of the Universe and the Buddhas. They can also mean:

The Purity of Heaven,

The Purity of Earth,

The Purity of sentient beings

-The Original Purity of Beings.

Now the next verse, which is a supplication:

"With reverence I make my purified Body, Speech, and Mind, [16] an offering to Maha Vairocana."

One may think this easy. Is it not after all quite simple to make an offering to the Maha Vairocana, through our body, speech, and mind? Actually such an offering is most difficult.

Purification of Body, Speech, and Mind means that everything in the body is pure, that everything related to speech is pure, and all thoughts are likewise pure. Thus one's wholly pure being is what must be offered to the Great Sun Buddha.

Don't think that the body is purified simply by taking a bath. This washes the outside but not the inside. Although you have already sat on the "lotus" [the toilet], some dirt nevertheless remains inside the body.

The purification of the Body means that one's hands have committed no offense such as theft or physical trespassed. [17] Taking a bath is not enough.

The second purification is that of Speech. [18]

I told the friends at our "postal response service'' [19] that every practitioner should "have a zipper across the mouths and keep it "zipped up" to prevent unnecessary quarrels and disputes. The exception to this would be meal times, but otherwise we should keep our months closed.

The mouths of many people bring forth "flying swords," not "sweets" (like chocolate). Otherwise they are just talking hypocrisy, lies, nonsense, or being flirtatious, when one commits no transgression by the mouth that is pure speech.

I find however that this is also quite difficult, because everyone is afflicted with the compulsion to respond to provocation. If one keeps one's mouth shut, then one's belly becomes bloated. I hope that whenever one hears some talk, one will just swallow it and discharge it from the other end. After all, much talk is pretty foul.

The purification of Body and Speech are not that critical in the sense that transgression on these two levels can be more easily prevented. [20]

The purification of Mind [21]-that is the most difficult! Who dares to say that his or her thoughts are entirely pure?

Just now during the practice of Samodhi [22], were your thoughts pure?

Grand Master examined everyones' magnetic fields and saw above each person some dense vibrations. You were not in Samodhi you were daydreaming!

Actually, until one becomes a sage, thoughts will be mistaken. In this world, only a few sages have come forth. Most simply hide deep in the mountain fastnesses, not daring to come down to the cities. Mass media advertising just makes their heads spin!

In the Realms of Form and Desire, the purification of mind or pure awareness is extremely difficult. Sages absorb themselves in the Formless Realm where there is no mental projection, only pure awareness. So purification of Mind is extremely difficult.

This first part of the supplication says that one must use the pure Body, Speech and Mind to make an offering to the Buddha Maha Vairocana.

Now many students, when they make an offering to the Grand Master, think they do so with this threefold purity. Our staff at the postal response service knows that such "offerings" require us to pay the return postage from our own pockets and there is no compensation for our time and expenses.

But today I say to everyone that truly making this offering to the Buddhas, to the monks, and to all sages, means that everything is freely given! However, until one has attained this level of awareness, then it would be more appropriate to send a material offering with the request for personal help

The Holy Buddhalocana [23] is the Dharmakaya, and Padmakumara is the Sambhogakaya, Living Buddha Lian-shen is the Nirmanakaya, these Three Bodies [24] being the same in Essence as the Buddha's Grace. Homage to His True Buddha Lineage, and to His Transcendent Power which Encompasses the Whole Universe [25].

"The Holy Buddhalocana is the Dharmakaya, and Padmakumara is the Sambhogakaya, Living Buddha Lian-shen is the Nirmanakaya, these three bodies being the same in essence as the Buddha's grace [26]. " We know that Buddha Vairocana is the Great Sun Tath¨¢gata-the Personal Deity of many Buddhas [27] One expression of Buddha Vairocana is Buddhalo-cana whose two eyes have transformed into the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds in the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. The Light of these eyes [28] has manifested as the Padmakumaras.

Presently, all Padmakumaras have taken birth in samsora [29] to save living beings. Their human rebirth is the manifestation [Nirmanakaya] of the Body of Bliss [Sambhogakaya]. Actually, there is no essential difference between the three dimensions of Being. When Buddha Shakyamuni descended to birth in samsora, his pure dimension was that of Buddha

Vairocana, his energetic dimension that of Locana Buddha, and he himself was the manifest Buddha Shakyamuni. Thus these three dimensions are fundamentally related.

We True Buddha disciples should all revere this great True Buddha lineage. The ultimate goal of our cultivation is to arrive in the world of the Padmakumaras, the two eyes of Buddhalocana. That True Buddha World is our native lands, and a true Pure Land [30].

The Three bodies-the Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya, the Nirmanakaya, have been described in the past by others as analogous to the universe, the moon, and the reflections of the moon in the water.

Another analogy is cloud vapor condensing as rain, which then freezes as ice. Ice, water, and vapor differ in expression but not in nature. Thus the phrase "these Three Bodies being the same ..." is given in the sutra.

Next is the phrase "His transcendent powers encompasses the whole universe [31]." Earlier tonight we spoke about transcendent power. I must examine the record of my past lives for non-virtuous acts, which can result in dangerous conditions. It is a rather troubling matter: if I were fated to be crushed to death by falling rocks [32], I would be impossible to take meals in peace.

This transcendent power is accessible. By transforming your biological energy into spiritual energy, you will generate spiritual power, which becomes transcendent power [33]. Ordinarily, sunlight is benign. When focused to a point on one's hand with a lens, however, it burns painfully! (Don't experiment this way though, or you will barbecue yourself.)

This is how it works: when you concentrate your energies, power will develop. If you can focus all thoughts to a single point, you can penetrate all appearances. This is how the Faculty of Divine Sight[34] arises.

Thus Chinese Chi Kung and Indian Kundalini yoga are identical. Tibetan Buddhists term it tsa-lung-tigle naljor, the "yoga of channels winds and drops."

Also, if you can refine all the energetic power of the body's cellular metabolism into clear light, [35] the transcendent power will manifest. In other words, you will become a radiant being [36] who sends forth a vibration, which fills the universe. This is the meaning of "transcendent power that encompasses the whole universe."

An example of this is that one receives a wave of grace when beginning a session of Guru's Heart Mantra recitation. The response is immediate because the resonance of the Guru's heart mantra pervades space.

Tonight's assembly includes a Malaysian disciple named Lian Lee. He specializes in psychic healing [37]. Please stand for a moment so that everyone here can see you. [Audience applauds.]

Notice that his hair is entirely white. Prior to taking refuge in Grand Master, his health was very poor and all his hair follicles died. He sought treatment from many doctors. After taking refuge however, Lian Lee became able to heal himself and has gone on to heal many others.

When performing a healing, Lian Lee will visualize the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or Grand Master sitting above his head radiating light and energy on him, which he then projects on individuals who are ill.

Lian Lee often visualizes his white hair transformed into a white lotus upon which Grand Master is seated. Thus the Light of the Grand Master pours down upon him and through his hand, washing away the patient's illness.

Today I recognized him on first sight and thought, "Ah ha, so you have come!" This is because he so frequently borrows electricity from me! I should really send you an electricity bill, Lian Lee. You are always "stealing electricity" from me and depleting my own store! [38]

Radiating Light throughout the Three Times, He can manifest Himself instantaneously. Disciples of Buddha should constantly cry out, for His Pure Light, which magnifies Virtue and Wisdom.

As for "Radiating Light...," this year during the Deliverance Ceremony many individuals were able to capture [condensed] Light on their photographs [39]. The phrase "Three Times" refers to the past, the present, and the future. [40]

To "manifest ... instantaneously" means there is no gap in time whatsoever. These emanation bodies are boundless and immediately present [41].

"Disciples of Buddha should constantly cry out"-This means that students should practice unceasingly. It does not call for endless plaintive weeping or strenuous yelling. A real practitioner regards each moment as their last and cultivates ceaselessly.

Through moment-to-moment application the practitioner will remain pure and tranquil [42]. And in this way Pure Light will pour down continuously, thus increasing one's merit and wisdom until Perfections is reached. [43]

Footnotes:

1. Dharma is a Sanskrit term, which encompasses all aspects of spiritual practice such as method, teaching, and commitment.

2. According to the Doctrine of the Two Truths, all phenomena are relatively true while they exist, and ultimately false because they are impermanent.

3. Bodhisattva in this context refers to highly realized heavenly beings and incarnate teachers who have completely dedicated all their spiritual efforts to the final liberation of all living beings.

4. Arhat is a Sanskrit term for one who has broken through the limitations of separative consciousness.

5. Acharya is a Sanskrit title for someone with formal authorization to give Buddhist refuge, expound the teachings, and transmit yogic disciplines.

6. Sutra is Sanskrit for scripture or spiritual text. Etymologically it means, "thread," because originally Sanskrit texts were sets of loose leaves held together with a thread passing through a middle hole in the pages. Thus thread came to mean line of development or argument, and also the text.

7. Realization of one's own originally pure Buddha-nature through purifying all faults and maturing all enlightened qualities. This is different from devotion to Amitabha as a savior figure, which is Pure Land Buddhist faith.

8. Manifestation Body means freely chosen human rebirth of a liberated being, specifically to guide others towards liberation.

9. A Sanskrit title, "Maha" means Great, "Padma" means Lotus, and "Kumara" means Youth; therefore, Great-Lotus-Youth.

10. In the Chinese text, the actual term used for primordial awareness translates literally as Own Heart.

11. Alternatively, the fundamental oneness of people and Buddha.

12. This corresponds to the pervasive "Great Spirit" of the Native Americans, or the Chinese Taoist "Tai Chi."

13. Literally, "Body of Bliss" in Sanskrit. This is the heavenly body of a deity, but in highest yoga tantra also refers to the subtle energy body of a realized yogi.

14. The Great Twin Lotus Ponds are a new heavenly realm / Pure Land established by Great Lotus Youth, or more exactly, a further expression of Sukhavati, the Western Paradise over which Amitabha Buddha presides.

15. Sanskrit for "Great Sun" Buddha.

16. "Body, Speech and Mind" are standard terms in Buddhist translation. They correspond however to "body, mind and spirit" in conventional English.

17. The three precepts related to the body are to abstain from (a) violence (b) theft and (c) sexual misconduct.

18. The four precepts related to Speech [i.e. consciousness] are to refrain from (a) deceit (b) abuse (c) senseless talk, and (d) hypocrisy.

19. This is a team of people who handle much of the work involved in answering the many requests for personal healing and guidance that are mailed to Grand Master Lu from throughout the world.

20. Transgressions are prevented through the combined moment-to-moment practice of mindfulness and introspection. Mindfulness means keeping the precepts in mind, and Introspection means ongoing self-assessment in view of the precepts.

21. The three precepts related to Mind [i.e., spirit] are to refrain from confusion, grasping, and anger. This is tantamount to Buddhahood.

22. Samodhi is Sanskrit term literally meaning "whole awareness," which refers to a class of meditative absorptions. In this context, it refers to a subtle body breath visualization, which is part of every True Buddha meditation practice.

23. Buddhalocana is Sanskrit for "Buddha Eye," the female primordial Ground of Being because she corresponds to the subtle Earth element in the fivefold mandala. Her seed-syllable is VAMH. Thus she represents pure Wisdom. Buddhalocana is equivalent to the Indo-Tibetan Vajravarahi Vajrayogini (seed syllable VAM).

24. "Three Bodies" is the standard but misleading western Buddhist term for Trikaya. Kaya really means both (a) dimension of universal being and (b) dimension of existence. They are not separate bodies because all matter is a condensation of energy, which in turn is a condensation of space, as in modern physics.

25. Alternatively "all matter and consciousness throughout the Universe."

26. Buddha's grace means spontaneous compassion. This may refer to "bodhicitta" which means both (a) universal compassion and (b) primordial pure awareness.

27. The two principal teaching cycles of Maha Vairocana Tath¡§¡égata are the Maha Vairocana Sutra and the Tattvasamgraha. Their associated teaching assemblies are the Vajradhatu and Garbhakosadhatu Mandela's, one of which has over a thousand great bodhisattvas.

28. In Taoist yoga the light of eyes directly expresses 'shen" or spirit. In Buddhist Atiyoga the radiance of pure awareness in the heart is expressed through the eyes and perceived as streams or Mandela's of light.

29. This birth is consciously and freely chosen, while that of ordinary beings is bondage to the wheel of birth and death according to their past karma. Samsara is Sanskrit for cyclic existence. Thus a manifest Buddha is truly "in the world but not of it," as Rabbi Jesus said.

30. "To arrive in [this] native land" means that our native or basic being is pure, i.e. all faults and obscurations are incidental, like dirt in water. Birth in a pure land is likened to a lotus bud, which upon reaching the water's surface, flowers in the light and air.

31. Transcendent power in this case means mahasiddhi, the power of absolutely pure awareness, or truth. Yogic power over conditions is relative siddhi (skilful means). Buddhist tantra can be defined as the union of wisdom and skilful means (prajnopaya in Sanskrit), while Magical power lacking Wisdom or Compassion is called rddhi. Zen Buddhists reject relative siddhi and cultivate wisdom exclusively.

32. Grand Master here refers to Maudgalyayana, who had been discussed earlier that evening. Foremost in magical power among Shakyamuni Buddha's students, he nevertheless perished under falling rocks due to an apparent lack of wisdom. Thus ignorance-not lack of magical power-is the root of suffering and limitation, and conversely wisdom can free us from karma.

33. Here Grandmaster employs Taoist yogic terminology. Biological energy (Jing) is the energy allotted to a person at birth plus nutritional and subtle atmospheric intake. This is transformed into spiritual power (chi) through practices of breath, visualization, and movement, and then subtly transformed into pure harmonious awareness (shen). These three correspond exactly to the Sanskrit terms ojas, prana, and sattva.

34. Sometimes known as the Wisdom Eye, which is represented as a physical third eye at the brow point on images of Hindu or Buddhist deities. As the Rabbi Jesus said, "When your eye becomes single your whole body will be filled by light." Kundalini yoga as practiced by Jesus was later suppressed by Pauline Christianity, which thus became a bhakti (devotional) yoga.

35. The text says "emptiness" which in this context means the illusory body a.k.a. the light body. See "Clear Light of Bliss" by Kelsang Gyatso for a complete treatment of the subject in English.

36. A radiant being is one who has realized the mind of light. Etymologically, "Hu" is related to hue or color, and "manes" is Sanskrit for Mind. Thus Hu-Man is Light-Mind.

37. There are two basic forms of psychic healing. One is to cleanse a person with energy. The other is to take upon oneself their suffering Grandmaster Lu does both. See Dr Gerber's book "Vibrational Medicine," and also "Hands of Light."

38. As when the Rabbi Jesus was walking through a crowd and a woman surreptitiously touched his robe from behind. Receiving his life energy she was healed, while he, feeling the drain in his kundalini, turned and said, "Who touched me?" Thus his spiritual power was cultivated and not merely bestowed. This is true of all yogic adepts.

39. There are several books of such photographs. Sometimes the energy radiates from Grandmaster Lu, while at other times it precipitates from above. Buddhist mahasiddhas (great adepts) quite frequently manifest rainbows in the sky. In February 1986 this editor saw Grandmaster bring down a three-story waterfall of light inside the Redmond Temple.

40. Thus Grandmaster is a "Buddha of the Three Times" just like "Dusum Sanjay" Guru Padmasambhava. The secret anuttarayoga meaning is Past Buddha = our own originally pure Buddha nature, Present Buddha = ourselves as Vajrasattva Buddha of the path, and Future Buddha = our own ultimate liberation. "Three Times" is a synonym for Mahamudra "Basis Path and Result," and Atiyoga "Vision Meditation and Action." Grandmaster teaches both.

41. "Boundless" in the sense of penetrating all realms of cyclic existence, the divine, human and so forth, collectively these "emanation bodies" are termed nisyandakaya in Sanskrit. Also, "immediate" in the sense that primordial awareness is coextensive with space.

42. Moment-to-moment applications can be very simple, as in "always feeling the presence of the guru." Here Grandmaster emphasizes the necessity of "meditation in action," whereby all appearances are brought into the path.

43. Specifically the six perfections (paramitas) of a bodhisattva: Dana (generosity), s¨ªla (ethics), ksanti (patience), virya (energetic application), Samodhi (concentration) and Prajna (intuitive realization). The first five constitute conventional upaya (skilful means), which require union with Prajna-wisdom to be complete. To these the bodhisattva-yogi adds four supporting perfections focusing on spiritual power. Together these ten paramitas correspond with the dasabhumi, of ten stages of bodhisattva realization.

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