In the very last part of Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra the Buddha Master gives us the Prajna Paramita Mantra and all of the commentary relating to that mantra. He explains why He uses the principles contained in the sutras as spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha, but not necessarily the actual text of the sutras as we have them. Here is His explanation:
“You might ask, ‘Could there be anything incorrect in the sutras of the Buddha?’ I tell you that what the Buddha said is absolutely correct. However, as a result of transcribing and then translating the Buddha’s words, some places in the sutras are wrong. Take, for example, the term “xiaman human being,” which most Buddhists know. The sutras clearly say that only humans have the perfect conditions to cultivate themselves. They clearly say that living beings in the other realms do not have the karmic reward of good fortune to listen to a Buddha personally expound Dharma, that humans attain the most excellent accomplishment, and that it is extremely difficult to attain accomplishment in the other five realms. This is an error of principle contained in the sutra collection.”
The Buddha Master’s point here is that the sutras (as we have them) can and do contain statements that are incorrect. We must always bear this in mind as we study our translations of the transcriptions of anything including unapproved translations of our Buddha Master’s work. In this case the erroneous idea is that human beings have some sort of lock on the path to enlightenment. If we look at the Wheel of Life shown above that Shakyamuni used to teach about the cycle of birth and death in Samsara, we see the image of Shakyamuni Buddha teaching living beings in all six realms of samsara. The picture above is a painting of the Wheel of Life that hangs in the entry hall of the Holy Vajrasana Temple. The Buddha Master finishes up with a very clear explanation correcting this particular erroneous view that appears to be supported by the text of the sutras:
“Both humans and non-humans can listen to a Buddha expound Dharma. Therefore, to say that only humankind can listen to the true Dharma is extremely selfish speech. Buddha Dharma in the heavenly realms is higher than Buddha Dharma in the human realm. The heavenly realms have sutras that the human realm does not have. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest in various appearances to live among and expound Dharma to living beings in the six realms, whether they are humans or non-humans.”
This insight into the limitation of even holy works does not mean that we should not read them and study their meaning, but that we must also continue to cultivate ourselves and practice our Dharma to obtain the wisdom to know their true meaning–to seek the principles behind the words. Just as we should look at the teaching and not the mannerisms or appearance of the teacher, we need to look at the principles and not the words themselves.
CLICK for article on painting of the “Wheel of Life (Bravachakra).”
Add comment