14. The True Image of Buddha

In Vajra-prajna-paramitra-sutra, the Diamond Sutra, it says,

若以色見我

以音聲求我

是人行邪道

不能見如來

If you want to see me through my body,

Or if you seek me by the sound of my voice,

You are wrong because

You can't see the true Buddha

Either through body or through voice.

Do you understand? How do you see Buddha through neither voice nor form?

If you want to see Buddha through form,

He will be far, far away.

Maya passed away after she had given birth to Buddha. Because of her destiny, she was re-born at Trayastrimsa, one of the thirty-three heavens.

After becoming enlightened, Sakyamuni Buddha, while traveling to various places to teach people, went to the heavenly torich'ŏn and sermonized to her for 90 days in order to pay back his dept to her.

While Sakyamuni Buddha was in torich'ŏn, King Udayana was so eager to see him that he asked a first-rate sculptor to craft an image of Buddha. In response, the master sculptor succeeded in recreating an image of Buddha on a candana tree, without an iota of difference from the real Buddha.

They had been able to recreate the image of Buddha based on 32 kinds of aspects and 80 kinds of subtle shades, but they failed to create the voice aspect.

What is Buddha's voice aspect?

(Striking his chujangja on the platform):

I am afraid that somebody will hear this.

When Sakyamuni Buddha, after having delivered his sermons in the heavenly torich'ŏn, returned to the earth, a multitude of twelve hundred believers went to greet him.

At this time, Utpalavarni said to herself, "Since I'm a bhiksuni, I'll have to wait for a long time to see him, after High Priests and bhiksus. Therefore, I'll perform some magic tricks and be the first to greet him." She disguised herself as Cakra-varti-raja and had a personal interview with Sakyamuni Buddha.

As she was greeting him, Buddha scolded her severely, saying,

"You saw me before everyone else by jumping the line. But you saw my physical body only; you didn't see my dharma-kaya, my dharma body. My disciple, Subhuti, however, though sitting serenely by that rock, even without moving a step, already saw my dharma-kaya."

Ordinary people hold a very high opinion of supernatural powers and think that toins have abhijna, the power of clairvoyance and the ability to perform magic tricks; this is trivial, however.

The knowledge of dharmas and the wisdom of Buddhist truth, experienced through the physical aspect, is not true knowledge. The eye of wisdom must be opened beyond the experience of the physical aspect.

One day Sakyamuni Buddha, after having been offered meals from seven houses, washed his feet and  sat quietly. Then, His Honor Subhuti rose from his seat, worshiped Sakyamuni with joined palms, and said,

"Pure and rare. Pure and rare, Sakyamuni Buddha!"

Do you understand? Why was His Honor Subuhti able to have a personal interview with Sakayamuni, and why did he say, 'pure and rare', even though Sakyamuni Buddha had not uttered a word?

(He struck the chujangja once, and said,)

賊身己露

The body of a thief is revealed.

[the first of October,1991]

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