This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Again asking the question, what is the essential business under the patch robe of Buddha? and bodhisattvas we're somewhat familiar with the self-receiving and employing samadhi This is one picture of the essential working of the Buddha.

[01:15]

And in that text, after considerable description of the wondrous, miraculous, beneficial action of enlightenment describing the work of the Buddha. It says, all this that we've just been talking about does not appear within perception. It is an unconstructedness and stillness. This activity is It is unconstructed, but it is actually an unconstructed state. It's a state of unconstructedness and stillness. And this unconstructedness has this Buddha business that it is.

[02:29]

we've been reciting another text called The Acupuncture Needle of Zazen, which also describes this essential function, this functioning essence. It describes the functioning of something that's unfabricated. and this unfabricated function exists in stillness. Lives in stillness. Enlightenment is living in stillness and silence. Living in stillness and silence is enlightenment. The Chinese character which Dōgen Zengi uses is a character which means stillness and silence.

[03:40]

Today I'd like to look at the scripture, the scripture of understanding the deep mystery. or the scripture of unraveling the deep mystery of Buddha's teaching of the great vehicle for bodhisattvas. I'd like to look at the final chapter and mention that the penultimate chapter describes the whole scripture up to that point, but particularly the penultimate chapter of the scripture describes the bodhisattva training in terms of the six perfections that go through ten stages

[05:00]

So the second to the last chapter again describes the bodhisattva training and bodhisattva practice that's going on in stillness and silence. This final chapter is talking about what's going on in the stillness beyond training. when there's no more training, when the course is complete. The Buddhists have completed the training and are no longer in training. Also in the path of the disciples, the Arhats, they also, on that path, on the path of the Arhat, they also reach, in the last stage of their practice, a way of living that's beyond training.

[06:11]

Their training is complete. So here we have the training of a bodhisattva is complete. In other words, we have a Buddha. So this chapter is called The Questions of Manjushri, But also, at the end of the chapter, Manjishri asked the Buddha, how should this teaching you just gave be designated? And the Buddha said, it should be designated as the definitive instruction on the establishment of the activities of the Buddhas. the essential activity, the essential function, essential business of the Buddhas

[07:20]

The chapter of the sutra starts out, then the Bodhisattva Manjushri asks the Bhagavan, Bhagavan, when you speak of the Dharmakaya of the Tathagatas, Bhagavan, what are the characteristics of the Dharmakaya of the Tathagatas? Bhagavan, what are the characteristics of the Dharmakaya of the Tathagatas? We say quite frequently, don't we? Something about the Dharmakaya? Dharmakaya or Vairochana Buddha? Do we say pure Dharmakaya? Pure Dharmakaya. What are the characteristics of the pure Dharmakaya? translated many ways, but one of the ways is reality or truth.

[08:43]

And kaya, body. What are the characteristics of the reality body of the Buddha? The Bhagavan replied, Manjishri, the characteristics of the dharmakaya of the Tathagatas characteristics of the Dharmakaya of the Tathagatas are the well-established transformation of the basis through renunciation. That's the first characteristic. Second characteristic is the complete cultivation of the ten stages and the six perfections. transformation of the basis means the basis is the body-mind complex.

[09:51]

It's the basis consciousness that lives in a body. Through training as a bodhisattva, this consciousness can get completely transformed from being the basis of delusion to to being wisdom itself. So the Bodhisattva training transforms this consciousness according to this scripture. And even if this consciousness was transformed still, for the Dharma body of the Buddha, also all the practices which transform it are completed. The great ancestor Asanga, the great co-founder of what's called the Yogacara school, states that there's three types of transformation of the basis.

[11:12]

Transformation of the basis in Sanskrit is ashraya parivritta. And there's three types of ashraya parivritti. One kind is the transformation of mind, citta ashraya parivritti. The second kind is the transformation of the basis of the path, marga ashraya parivritti. And the third kind is transformation of the basis of parent tendencies. Also, there is a comment that

[12:24]

This thorough establishment, the well-established transformation, it's well-established in a sense of this well-established transformation is exalted wisdom of reality and suchness. And it is unerring and changeless. Then the Buddha goes on and says, furthermore, know that the Dharmakaya has an inconceivable characteristic for two reasons. First, because it is free from elaboration and free from manifest activity. And second, because sentient beings very strongly adhere to elaboration

[13:32]

and manifest activity. So the Dharmakai is free of elaboration means it's free of elaborations like arising and ceasing. So we have this essential functioning of the Buddha of enlightenment. And this enlightenment is free of elaborations like arising and ceasing. It's free of coming and going, which you often hear when we do a memorial ceremony, right? We say, in the Dharma body, There's no coming or going, no increase or decrease, no birth and death.

[14:38]

Birth and death is an elaboration on reality, which is uncomfortable. The world of misery is called birth and death, which are an elaboration on the reality body, well, not on the reality body, an elaboration on reality. The Buddha realizes a body-mind that is free of such elaborations. It's also free of such elaborations of that it exists or doesn't exist, or both exists and doesn't exist, or neither exists nor does exist. It's free of elaborations. And it's free of manifest activity. So in describing the wonders and the miracles of all the beings working together to help each other in the self-receiving and employing samadhi text, those activities are not manifest.

[15:54]

Manifest activities are activities that come and go, that arise and cease, that are mixed with perception. But the reality of perception doesn't come and go, isn't born and doesn't die. The Dharma body is totally non-separate from the realms of birth and death and is simultaneously free of all elaboration and manifest activity. So that's one reason why this Dharma body is characterized as inconceivable. The other reason it's inconceivable is that we have trouble understanding something that doesn't come or go, that doesn't arise or cease, that doesn't have manifest activity. If the only way we could conceive of was without elaboration, then it wouldn't be inconceivable to us.

[17:01]

But we strongly adhere to these elaborations. They're how we... They're a lot of the way we relate to our experience. And then Manjushri asks Bhagavan... Is the transformation of the basis of the shravakas, the disciples, and the pratyekabuddhas, those enlightened by conditions, are they also suitably referred to as a dharmakaya? So we have other kinds of sages, which I just mentioned, other kinds of beings who have trained a long time and are beyond training.

[18:04]

These are... enlightened beings, they're enlightened, they are liberated, they understand the selflessness of the person, and some of them are disciples of Buddha. For example, in the first turning of the wheel, Dharma wheel of the Tathagata, he's talking to these five disciples, and one of them wakes up at the end of the those five all became enlightened. They all faced north and bowed to the Buddha and became Buddha's disciples. They all reached a stage beyond training. So, Manjishi is saying, is there...

[19:07]

their basis got transformed too. Is their transformation of the basis, can that be referred to as the Dharmakaya also? And the Buddha says, Manjushri, they are liberation bodies, Manjushri. In terms of liberation bodies, the Tathagatas, Shravakas, the disciples, and Pratyeka Buddhas, are similar and equal. In terms of Dharmakaya, the Tathagatas are superior. Since the Dharmakaya is superior, Tathagatas also are superior in terms of immeasurably good qualities. It is not easy to provide examples of the Dharmakaya.

[20:10]

Nothing is remotely related to it. So these disciples, in terms of liberation, their liberation is like the liberation of the Buddha. And one of the epithets of the Buddha besides Bhagavan, this Bhagavan, Tathagata, Another epithet is arhat. The Buddha is an arhat also. So the liberation of the arhats is the same and equal to the liberation of Buddhas. Buddhas are free and arhats are free. But the dharmakaya, the Buddha, is not remotely like otherwise the transformation of the basis of these disciples.

[21:12]

Because the Buddha has these immeasurably good qualities which they do not possess. Then Manjushri asks, Bhagavan, how should one know the characteristics of the Bhagavan, of the Tathagata's genesis, How should you know the birth of a Tathagata? Manjushri answers the Buddha, the characteristics of the nirmanakaya are like the arising of worldly things. You should see the characteristic of the nirmanakaya as characteristics that are empowered by all the types of adornments displaying the qualities of the Tathagata which arise.

[22:14]

The Dhammakaya, however, has no genesis. So what's the transformation body? That's another body of the Buddha. Nirvana means transformation or magical or illusion or phantom. So the Buddha body can be transformed into something that a is born, that arises, that comes and goes. But the Dharmakaya doesn't come and go.

[23:17]

And then Manjishri says, how should one view the skillful method that displays the transformation body, the nirmanakaya? And the Buddhist says, Manjishri, view the skillful method that displays the transformation body, the nirmanakaya, as everywhere displaying stages. So part of the difficulty that some of us Zen students have with stages is that part of our inheritance is teachings about the Dharmakaya, which doesn't have stages, doesn't have arisings and ceasings, but the nirmanakaya does.

[24:37]

And so now what the Buddha is saying is that when the Dharmakaya appears, it appears displaying stages. So part of the Buddha activity is this pure Dharmakaya, which doesn't come or go and has no manifest activity. Another part of the Buddha activity is to appear in display. And any adornments of the Buddha that would be helpful, the nirmanakaya can use. And the stages that are demonstrated in the text here are basically based on the model or the pattern of the historical Buddha. So we're talking about...

[25:39]

the Buddha, and we're saying that when the Buddha is transformed, it's transformed into the display of stages. That's the way it appears, that's the way it's given to sentient beings in this world. So the example of our historical Buddha, the story of our Buddha, is First, the first stage, entering the womb of a household, of one renowned as a sovereign in all the Buddha fields of the thousandfold cosmos, or of one renowned as being worthy of gifts. Coming into the womb of such a household, taking birth, growing up, enjoying worldly pleasures, leaving home, fully demonstrating the practice of austerities all at once, renouncing the austerities, and displaying the stages of complete perfect enlightenment.

[26:57]

So the transformation body displays these stages. Then Manjashi says, through the Tathagata's empowerment body, Tathagata's mature... Excuse me, the Buddha is going on this. No, this is Manjashi. Bhagavan, through the Tathagata's empowerment body, Tathagata's mature trainees, immature constituents, by expressing their teachings. And they teach mature beings in a liberative way, by these objects of observation. So the Tathagata's empowerment body matures trainees who are immature by expressing their teachings, and they teach the more mature being in a liberative way by getting them to observe these teachings.

[28:06]

in a liberative way. And then Manjushri says, how many expressions of teachings are there? And the Buddha says, Manjushri, the teachings of the Tathagata are threefold. Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma. So what are the sutras? The sutras are my teachings which gather together the categories of dharma, classifying them into four, nine, or 29 subjects. These are the sutras. And then the vinya consists of my teachings of the pratimoksha. Pratimoksha means that which is conducive to liberation. It includes the precepts of regulations and ceremonies for the disciples and the bodhisattvas, and other things that are associated with this pratimoksha discipline.

[29:22]

And then Manjushri asks, how many aspects are there to the bodhisattvas, pratimoksha, And the Buddha says there are seven aspects, which you might not be too surprised to hear about. For example, there's teachings concerning properly performing ceremonies. There's teachings of things such as the basis of defeat. In other words, there's teachings about what you will be asked to leave the sangha. If certain deeds, if you do, you'll be asked to leave the sangha. That's defeat. Teachings of things such as the basis for infractions. Teachings, those are infractions of the discipline of ethics where there can be some reconciliation process and still stay in the group.

[30:34]

Teachings of the own being of infractions and teachings of the own being of non-infractions. Teachings concerning the emergence from infractions and teachings concerning the abandonment of vows. So that could be like... table of contents for a book on the precepts. And then the Buddha says, Manjushri, the matrikas, matrikas is the word they use here for Abhidharma. It means actually mother. The mothers are that which I explained, differentiated and taught in terms of eleven types of characteristics. So the

[31:35]

You probably can't stand to hear those, so I'll just skip those for now. And so that's a start of the last chapter of the sutra, the scripture, unraveling the deep intimacy of of the Buddha's teaching to bodhisattvas. There's some details here which I'd like to go into with you later, but I think that's enough for today. Thank you for your patience to listen to this description of the activity of the fully enlightened one.

[32:38]

Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma Talks are offered free of charge and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click giving.

[32:58]

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