Response to Gislene Macedo

Gislene wrote:

"In the post - The Void as 'Not-Is' - Element – there is this part that worries me: "Oh good man! I never quarrel with the world. Why not? If the worldly knowledge says 'is', I say 'is'; if the worldly knowledge says 'not-is', I also say 'not-is'." It is there that twine myself because, how so this acceptance?"

The Sutra says the following:

Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "Oh World Honored One! You, the Buddha, say that one says 'is' if the worldly knowledge says 'is', and if the worldly knowledge says 'not-is', one says 'not-is'. But what comes to be 'is' and 'not-is' of worldly knowledge?"

The Buddha said: "Oh good man! This is like when the world says: 'The matter is non-eternal, suffering, void, and non-Self', and things go thus down to consciousness. Oh good man! This is what the worldly knowledge says it's an 'is', and I, also, say it's an 'is'. Oh good man! The worldly knowledge says that matter has nothing of the Eternal, Bliss, the Self and the Pure. So it is said about feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. Oh good man! This is where the worldly knowledge says 'not-is'. I, also, say 'not-is'."

Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

The Buddha says: "It's like when ...", indicating that this is an example. So, I think that these words of the Buddha, above, refer to the aspect of ‘Zeal for the Wonderful Dharma’. There are other 9 (nine) selected issues regarding to ‘Do not Quarrel with the World’, and these are in the post: "Like the Utpala - The Blue Lotus”.

In the post "The Quality of Those Who Asks" one reads: "Also, there are two further types of people. One asks about what is difficult; and the other answers well. You're the kind of person who asks well about what is difficult; the Tathagata is one who answers well. Oh, good man! Through these questions well placed, there can be the turning of the Wheel of Dharma, the killing of the great tree of the 12 links of causation, the passage of people across the vast ocean of birth and death, the good fight against the King Marapapiyas, and the overthrow of victorious banner of Papiyas."

So Gislene, thanks for asking.

response to gislene macedo.mp3

The Skandhas of the Wise

"Oh good man! When a sick person knows that his illness is mild and can be easily healed, it will not feel unhappy when a bitter medicine is prescribed to him, and will take it. It is the same case with the wise person, too. It makes effort, practices the Holy Way, is happy, does not cease (efforts) and does not feels regret.

Oh good man! If a person comes to know the defilements, the cause of defilements, the result of defilements, the lightness and heaviness of defilements, it will make efforts, eliminate defilements and practice the Way. With such a person, 'matter' [physical form] does not come about, nor provokes feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. If a person does not see defilements, the cause of defilement, the result of defilement, the lightness and heaviness of defilements, and does not undertake efforts in the practice of the Way, for such a person matter, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness will come about.

Oh good man! 'He' who sees the defilements, the cause of defilements, the result of defilements, the lightness and heaviness of defilements, and who practices the Way is the Tathagata. For this reason, the body ['rupa'] of the Tathagata is Eternal. So it is with ['his'] feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, all of which are Eternal."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

the skandhas of the wise.mp3

Meditate on Defilements

“Oh good man! Someone who has Wisdom thinks: 'I must get away from these defilements and I should not do such evil and low-grade things. Why not? Because [otherwise] I cannot get rid of the karmic retributions of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, human and heavenly. By practicing the Way, through this power, I shall end up with all these sufferings’. So thinking, what the person commits is mild as regard the greed, ill-will and ignorance. Being light the greed, ill-will and ignorance, the person is happy. It still thinks: 'Now, through the power of the practice of the Way, I get away from the evil things and can now draw near of Wonderful Dharma. So I conquer the Right Way. Now I will make efforts and grow up’. Now, this person makes away with all the innumerable evil defilements, and is free of retributions of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and those of humans and heavenly. Hence, I say in my Sutras: 'One should meditate on all the defilements and on the causes of the defilements’. Why? Should any wise person meditate on the defilements, but not on the causes of defilements, it will not be able to wipe out the defilements. Why? Because any wise person can see what will arise from the cause of the defilements. I am now severed of the cause, and the defilements do not arise.

Oh good man! This is like in the case of a doctor. Once he removes the cause, the illness will not raise its head any more. It's the same with the wise person who extirpates the cause of the defilements. Someone who is wise should first meditate on the cause and, later, on the result. It sees that good results come from a good cause, and the evil (results come) from what is evil. By meditating on the result which comes about, he does away with the cause. Having meditated on the result that will arise, it must further meditate on the lightness and the heaviness of the defilements. Having meditated on lightness and heaviness, it first does away with what is heavy. When it ended with what is heavy, what is light will go away by itself.

Oh good man! If the wise person realizes the defilements, the cause of the defilements, the result of the defilements, and the lightness and the heaviness of the defilements, that person will undertake efforts on the Way, will not cease, and not feel remorse. Such a person will associate with a Good Friend and give ear to Dharma with the sincerest mind. This is all to do away with the defilements.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

meditate on defilements.mp3

Like the Utpala – The Blue Lotus

Bodhisattva Kasyapa said: "Oh World Honored One! How many things are required of a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva to be perfect, such that he does not quarrel with the world, and does not get impregnated and defiled by what one obtains in the world?"

The Buddha said: "The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva is perfect in ten things, does not quarrel with the world and does not get impregnated and defiled by what one obtains in the world. What are the ten? They are: 1) faith, 2) upholding of the precepts, 3) befriending a good friend, 4) reflects (meditates) well within one's own self, 5) efforts, 6) right remembrance, 7) Wisdom, 8 ) right words, 9) zeal for the Wonderful Dharma, and 10) compassion for all beings. Oh good man! As the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva is perfect in these ten things, he does not quarrel with the world and does not get impregnated and defiled by what one obtains in the world, as in the case of the Utpala."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

like the utpala.mp3

The Void as ‘Not-Is’ – Element

"Oh good man! The earth stands on the water. As water is non-eternal, the earth, too, is non-eternal. The water hovers on the wind, and as the wind is non-eternal, the water, too, is non-eternal. The wind rests on the space, and as the space is non-eternal, the wind, too, is not-eternal. If it is non-eternal, how can we say: ‘The Void is eternal and fills the space’? As the Void is empty, it has no past, present or future. As the horns of a hare are not a thing, they have no past, present or future. The things are thus. Therefore, I say: 'As the Buddha-Nature is eternal, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times. As the Void is Void, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times'.

Oh good man! I never quarrel with the world. Why not? If the worldly knowledge says 'is', I say 'is'; if the worldly knowledge says 'not-is', I also say 'not-is'."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

the void as not-is element.mp3

The Void as ‘Not-Is’ – Direction

"Oh good man! If a person says: ‘The place which one can point out is Void', know that the Void is something non-eternal. Why? We have four directions to point out. If there are the four quadrants, know that the Void, too, must possess the four directions. All that is eternal has no direction to point to. To have directions means that the Void, therefore, is non-eternal. If non-eternal, is not away from the five skandhas. If someone were to say that certainly there is separation of the five skandhas, there would be no place to (it) exist. Oh good man! If anything exists by causal relations, we can know that such a thing is non-eternal. Oh good man! For example, all beings and trees stand on the ground. As the ground is non-eternal, what stands on the ground is, therefore, non-eternal."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

the void as not-is direction.mp3

The Void as ‘Not-Is’ – Dual

"A person may say: 'The Void is, also, both the eternal and the non-eternal'. This is at odds with reason. A person may say that things with common parts join up. The case is not so. Why not? The Void is all-pervading. If it joins up with what is created, what is created should also become all-pervading. If it pervades, everything must be pervading. If everything is all-pervading, everything can be joined into one. We cannot say that can exist both joining and non-joining. A person may say: ‘That which has once joined, joins up again, as in the case of two fingers which meet'. But this is not so. Why not? The joining cannot precede. The joining comes about later. If what did not exist before comes about, this is nothing more than the non-eternal. Therefore, we cannot say: 'The Void is what already was joined and [now] joins’. What one obtains in the world is what which did not exist before, but comes about later. This is as with a thing that has no eternity. If the Void stands in a thing like the fruit in a vessel, if so, it must also be non-eternal. A person may say that if the Void stands in a thing, it is like the fruit in a vessel. But this is not so. Why not? Where the Void in question could exist, not having the vessel at hands? If there is any place [for it] to exist, the Void would have to be many. If many, how could we say eternal, one, and all-pervading? If the Void exists in places outside of the Void, then a thing could well subsist without the Void. So, know that there can be no such thing (dual) as (being) the Void."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.

the void as not-is dual.mp3