The excerpts from Master Hui Lu's teachings on July 1, 2023, are profound and encompass various aspects of Buddhist philosophy. Here is a translation:
The Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra) has two key points: First, uphold the principle of dependent origination and causality. Second, sustain the fundamental Dharmadhatu of One Mind Suchness true nature of the mind.
Dependent origination is understood from the perspective of cause, condition, and effect, whereas emptiness is viewed from the ultimate truth of the vast emptiness of the true nature of mind, encompassing the emptiness of people, phenomena, and emptiness itself.
In the realm of dependent origination, one must not violate the law of causality, act against one's conscience, or contravene the principles of cause and effect.
From the perspective of emptiness, actions must not contravene the ultimate truth. The Buddha nature and true mind should not be betrayed. Not cutting off subject and object is to violate One True [Suchness], violating your true nature.
Dependent origination is essentially emptiness, and emptiness is indeed dependent origination. The Avatamsaka Sutra expands this to the realm of Dharma (law or principle), where the establishment of cause, condition, and effect is inherently without self-nature, reflecting the expansion of the true mind into the entire realm of Dharma without self-nature.
Therefore, maintaining both perspectives is essentially maintaining unity, not duality. Upholding the law of causality involves acting and speaking without deceiving one's conscience and wisdom. Others may not know your deceit, but you are deceiving your true nature, which you are well aware of.
All language and text are meant to enlighten us to see through the illusions and understand the importance of letting go. Applying the wisdom of Buddhism in the context of dependent origination, where dependent origination is the ultimate truth and vice versa, gives real meaning to our lives.
It is crucial to understand that all phenomena aim to eliminate the obstacles of afflictions and ignorance (Soh: afflictive and knowledge obscurations, see https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Two_obscurations). Reducing these obstacles leads to successful Buddhist practice. Merely listening without genuine practice is no different from not understanding at all.
Attachment turns life into a burden, devoid of meaning. Being constantly attached to gains and losses, suffering, and anger devoid of rationality is inferior to returning to a state of rational, emotional balance, and the unmovable state of the Buddha. Maintaining an unmovable state without attachment to appearances is the highest state.
Life requires guidance. One should use the true nature of the Dharma realm to guide one's body, speech, and mind, returning to the ultimate truth and the true mind. This gradual process leads to supreme enlightenment.
The essence of practice involves two key points: First, knowing when to apply the brakes when experiencing greed or anger. Failure to do so turns these seeds into endless cycles of ignorance and unreason. Second, transforming existence into non-existence. Understanding that dependent origination is essentially emptiness, and that current disputes, greed, and anger have no self-nature, is crucial. Beings, not understanding this, believe in the existence of things that can only lead to the carrying of karma.
Offering is an act of joy. The purpose of giving is self-transcendence, not for gaining something in return, which is a worldly view. The focus of giving is to relinquish false attachments, inner clinging, and the ignorance of countless eons. It is not about expecting others to treat you well in return, which would reduce it to a transactional relationship. The Dharma place represents absolute truth, not a transactional relationship.
What is Buddhism? It is a revolution of the mind, a sublimation of one's intrinsic nature, leading to inner peace and wisdom. When the mind is free from delusions, wisdom manifests.
If the mind is pure, the land will be pure. The ultimate Pure Land of Constant Peace and Light can only manifest when the mind is free from dust-like defilements. When the body, speech, and mind are pure, the Pure Land manifests. Freeing oneself from all delusions and attachments reveals the true Pure Land.
The four dignities of a practitioner are: Walking, which includes actions for self-benefit and benefiting others. Listening to the teachings benefits oneself, while propagating the teachings benefits others. Dwelling is to realize the non-arising of all phenomena, allowing the mind to rest in peace. Sitting is equivalent to unmovability and understanding emptiness. Lying down represents entering into the tranquility of cessation.
In the context of practicing the Dharma, one cannot fake progress. If one has virtuous roots from past lives, progress in learning the Buddha's way is faster. Without these roots, progress is slower. To follow the path of propagating the Dharma, one must place their mind in the realm of Dharma, which neither comes nor goes and has no beginning or end. The initial aspiration for enlightenment is equal to the infinite realm of Dharma. This aspiration never departs from enlightenment. To propagate the Dharma, one must have a selfless attitude, willing to sacrifice without expecting anything in return, including fame or material benefits.
Understanding the emptiness of all phenomena right now, as they inherently lack self-nature and are inherently empty and tranquil, is crucial. This 'one taste' or uniformity emphasizes the cessation and unification of the Buddha's mind, which understands all phenomena as dependent and therefore empty. The Buddha's realization that all phenomena lack inherent nature applies to all times and spaces.
Why are followers of the two vehicles limited? It's because they have not fully realized the dependent origination of all beings in the Dharma realm. The Mahayana is unified but not fully complete; only the Buddha is complete. We regard seeing phenomena as real as the lesser vehicle, understanding phenomena as dependent origination as the middle vehicle, and realizing the inherent emptiness and tranquility of phenomena as the greater vehicle. Though Dharma is one, beings have different capacities, leading to the three vehicles. However, these capacities do not change the oneness of the Dharma.
All suffering, the creation of karma, the endless cycle of reincarnation, and obstacles in practice stem from the inability to stop the discriminating mind. The key to Buddhist practice is to let go and detach from all appearances, maintaining a non-attached mind at all times.
Ultimate enlightenment, in essence, requires living amidst the complexities of dependent origination. Complexity signifies the true path of enlightenment. The worst situations are where Bodhisattvas thrive, as they have no enemies.
Emphasizing only the emptiness of all phenomena destroys the principle of dependent origination, while focusing solely on their existence negates their emptiness. Thus, avoiding both extremes and not dwelling in the middle way is the key to entering the true middle way, which is beyond concepts of emptiness, existence, and even the middle way itself. Understanding the emptiness of all phenomena reveals our true mind, which is beyond characteristics and concepts.
Conflicts among beings are inevitable. Learning to harmonize from these conflicts, as the Dharma realm inherently involves contradictions, is the essence of the Buddha's teachings. The Avatamsaka Sutra's concept of absolute equality emphasizes understanding the world as dependent origination. Life in this world, despite its contradictions, provides opportunities for spiritual growth. Those who face only agreement cannot attain Buddhahood, as adversity is necessary for spiritual development. Those constantly opposed without support may find their spirit withering away.
The most powerful language in the world is attitude. A sincere and kind attitude is the best form of communication, surpassing the need for words. The best gifts are those that do not require physical presents but the sincerity and gentleness of one's attitude, avoiding harm to others.
The ultimate truth of the world is that all phenomena lack inherent characteristics. This understanding is key to recognizing the true nature of reality.
Life is a concept, and correct concepts lead to genuine happiness. Establishing correct concepts, knowledge, common sense, and insights of the Buddha is essential for lasting happiness. Connecting dependent origination with emptiness brings eternal wisdom and happiness.
Emptiness does not hinder dependent origination. While phenomena and their objects of perception are unattainable, one should not destroy the relationship between subject and object. Realizing that subject and object has no [inherent] nature is the true mind of the Buddha. Buddhism is not about destruction but about following dependent origination. Without understanding this, relationships and marriages are doomed to fail. Remember, liberation comes from following causality, not from resentment and destruction when things go wrong.
Emptiness encompasses the countless virtues of the Dharma realm. Practicing these virtues, rather than mere theoretical discussion, is essential. Being present in this moment, hearing the wisdom of the Avatamsaka Sutra, is like planting an indestructible seed that will not perish over countless eons. Worldly possessions are transient, but the teachings of the Dharma are the greatest form of offering. Sometimes, a single word can save not just one life but an entire family.
If expedient means do not lead to truth, they are meaningless. All phenomena, if not understood in the context of emptiness, are pointless. Cooking rice or attending religious ceremonies without understanding emptiness are mere activities. Emptiness is the seed of great wisdom. Understanding and practicing the Dharma leads to the realization of ultimate truth and wisdom.
Excerpt 14:
"Seeing the form of dust and attaching, that is heretical view,
Attaching to form is heretical view.
Seeing the emptiness of dust, that is right view.
Right view does not establish a 'right' at all,
Dwelling in the form of dust is heresy.
Seeing the nature of dust's form as emptiness, that is right.
Seeing the emptiness of dust's form, is the only true mind.
Therefore, right and wrong are about attaching and not dwelling,
Right view is no view,
There is no seer, nothing seen,
Here are four emphases:
No seer, nothing seen,
Not falling into having view, not falling into not having view,
This is called right view."
Excerpt 15:
"Do not mistakenly think there is Dharma outside the mind,
If there is Dharma outside the mind, there are attachments, there are emotions of love and hate,
Our current living life, from your birth to today,
Write your splendid life with the memory of your mind,
Memory becomes your life.
Your previous attachments, now not seen through, are also memories.
Memory is imagery, imagery becomes a page in the history of your heart.
Thus, we take the shadows in our heart, the words and shadows,
And make them the reliance of our lifetime.
Just relying on the wrong, thus we manifest love and hate because of external Dharma.
In fact, there is no Dharma outside the mind, love and hate are unattainable, without any meaning.
But the problem comes, this conditioned genesis is hard to pass,
Without this conditioned genesis, you wouldn't be able to sit here today,
So you have today's conditioned genesis, then you have hope for tomorrow!
Therefore, the reason why cultivation is difficult, is difficult in this place.
You want to remove karmic retribution, remember,
There is no Dharma outside the mind, do not attach, live your days plainly.
How can you remove your karmic retribution?
From today onwards, put down the heart of attachment, karmic retribution will be removed.
Simply put, originally there was not one thing, where can dust alight?"
Excerpt 16:
"What is called the hardest to put down, is to put down greed, anger, and ignorance, to put down love and hate,
It's not telling you to put down the great wisdom of the Tathagata,
It's not telling you to put down the knowledge of virtuous mentors,
It's not this meaning.
Discard evil, retain the holy good."
Excerpt 17:
"People are very scary, for that bit of dying for face,
Dying for false dignity, rather not wanting the Buddha's right view truth.
Why do sentient beings persist in error?
It's because the face can't come down, this is the biggest problem.
Therefore, those who die for face are the enders of truth,
He can cover the truth, bury it in the coffin,
But, he just wants face, just dies in showing off,
For the sake of obtaining false applause and glory,
And doesn't know the magnitude of the causality he bears,
Severing the Dharmakaya wisdom life of sentient beings, you can't bear it.
I advise all Dharma masters, lay practitioners, to speak Dharma, go!
You should according to the Tathagata's right view.
According to the Ancestors' knowledge."
Excerpt 18:
"All Dharma is one true Dharma realm,
Nothing is complicated.
Turn the complicated into one true mind,
That is called learning Buddhism.
Turn one true mind into very complicated,
Constant disputes, that is called a mundane person."
Excerpt 19:
"If you have not yet broken through like the Buddha, the able and the so,
Your view of things is very important.
Your view is negative, then you are in unbearable pain.
Your view is healthy, then your mind is happy.
Everything negative thinking, your heart has a shadow.
Hear the sutras, hear the Dharma, have a healthy mind,
Will not attach to shadows,
Will know the value of adverse increasing conditions, also understand humility,
Understand others' praise does not represent your achievement,
Wow! That's incredible,
So you have not yet reached the Buddha's realm, first have a healthy view."
Excerpt 20:
"The true mind is called the head,
Knowledge is called adding a head on top of the head.
Arising having view, arising not having view,
Both are adding a head on top of the head, both are mind impurities,
Then cannot see the Tathagata's true mind.
Thus the Tathagata's right view is pure,
What does pure mean?
It is without one thing.
As long as adding a head on top of the head, the view is impurity.
You have various views, that is mind impurity.
Fall into having view, mind impurity;
Fall into not having view, mind impurity;
Fall into both having and not having view, mind impurity;
Fall into neither having nor not having view, mind impurity;
Fall into mundane view, mind impurity;
Fall into holy view, mind impurity.
Sentient beings due to grasping form's delusion view,
Do not know all Dharma has no able and so,
Clinging to dust as having real substance to see,
That is delusion view.
Ladies and gentlemen, the things you see out there,
Not one thing is yours.
The things you see out there,
Not one thing is real.
Remember, pass your days according to conditions,
Do not forget your own time and space,
The role you play,
The responsibility you should bear,
You must be responsible to the end,
You cannot say all forms are false,
Then become a kind of mistaken negative.
No! Buddhism is conditioned genesis's positive,
He is the master of rationality,
Not the slave of sensibility.
Master, how can you be proactive?
Why speak Dharma for everyone?
Because this is the entirety of truth in my life!
I live for the sake of Dharma masters, glory;
I live for the sake of lay practitioners, glory;
I live for the sake of the Dharmakaya wisdom life of boundless sentient beings, glory.
This does not need others to teach, right?
We also do not need to have a transactional relationship, right?
The joy and peace of mind,
Are the best gifts of our Tathagata self-nature.
Give yourself the best gift, which is joy.
Give yourself the best gift, which is peace."
Excerpt 21:
"Learning Buddhism, in one sentence:
Transforming existence into non-existence, then achieve Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi.
Study the Tripitaka and twelve divisions of scriptures,
Cannot depart from this key sentence,
Transform the existence into non-existence,
Transform disputes into coolness,
Do not argue with fate."