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A Talk On The Vimalakirti Sutra

By Hisamatsu Shin'ichi

Preface
I would like to take up seven points, which I think are important in The Vimalakirti Sutra
and lecture on them one by one.

This sutra is comprised mainly of the teaching of Vimalakirti, an exemplary

Awakened lay person. It also includes Shakyamuni's teaching, as well as that of
other disciples and Bodhisattvas. Yet the heart of this sutra is Vimalakirti's
teaching, thus it is also called The Sutra of Vimalakirti's Teaching.

Though he is usually simply called Yuima, Yuimakitsu is a transcription into

Chinese characters of his Indian name. Vimala means something like
defilement-free or pure, although it is also translated as eliminating impurities.
The word kirti has the sense of praised, ringing or renowned. Thus the name
Vimalakirti is usually translated as "Renowned for Purity, but it also can mean
"Praised for Freedom from Defilement" or even "Defilement-free Ringing.

In fact, this sutra is also called The Renowned-for-Purity Sutra, and Vimalakirti has
come to mean the one who has eliminated all impurity, or the one renowned for
accomplishing this. The point is, the fundamental character of Vimalakirti is
purity, a purity concerning emancipation, and this emancipation is given great
importance in this sutra. The most profound meaning of having eliminated all
impurity is, after all, being one who is emancipated from all things.

Recently, historical studies of Buddhism have become more and more scientific
and text critiques are scrutinizing the history of the sutras. Although the sutras
were believed to have had their beginnings in Shakyamuni's day, scholars are
now claiming that most of them were composed much later. The Vimalakirti Sutra
also seems to have been composed six years after Shakyamuni's death, at the
beginning of the second century C. E.

As a matter of historical fact, we cannot be certain whether Shakyamuni or

Vimalakirti really said what is recorded in the sutra. But rather than focus on this
problem of historical facts, let us focus on the content itself.

I consider myself a Buddhist, but I neither approve of Shakyamuni's words nor

think they are true simply because he is supposed to have said them. And, to be
frank, I don't want to assume such things at all. My attitude is one of agreeing
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with what he said if it really convinces me, and if it doesn't, I will continue to
doubt.

Even if I am doubtful, however, I will never insist that only my view is correct. I
think I am flexible enough to learn from the sutras where I am wrong or my
understanding is insufficient.

Thus, whether The Vimalakirti Sutra is considered a sermon directly from

Shakyamuni's "golden lips" or from a later date, I want to find a way to live in
truth by learning from it and understanding it for myself. This is my present
attitude.

I have decided to lecture on The Vimalakirti Sutra because its superb Buddhism
for lay people, like us, appeals to me. There has been an undeniable tendency to
think that only monks can thoroughly understand Buddhism, or be thoroughly
Buddhist. But this idea that lay Buddhist must acquiesce and let monks take the
lead is utterly destroyed by The Vimalakirti Sutra. The possibility of lay people far
exceeding monks is clearly presented here!

For example, the sutra describes how Shakyamuni requested Mahakashyapa, his
leading disciple, as well as Shariputra and Ánanda, visit Vimalakirti when he
was ill in bed, but they all refused out of fear. These leading disciples were afraid
that, even though they were going to visit him in his illness, they wouldn't be
able to respond to Vimalakirti if he criticized them from his thorough and superb
Buddhist Awakening. Thus, each of them submitted apologies to Shakyamuni
saying why he was unqualified to visit Vimalakirti. This is one place where the
sutra indicates the possibility of a lay man with a wife and children being a better
Buddhist than monks. This has a great significance for lay people like us, and
allows us to really identify closely with the sutra.

It is well known that Shotoku Taishi [Japanese Prince, statesman, and devout
Buddhist; 574-622] wrote a commentary on The Vimalakirti Sutra; I suppose he
was deeply interested in this sutra not just because he was a fine Buddhist, but
because he was a lay person.

We must now think about the meaning of lay Buddhism has at present, and for
the future. I have been working on this problem for years, and it comes down to
this: which is more fundamental, monastic or lay Buddhism? I am afraid my
view will not be understood well without going into some detail, but my
conclusion is that for true Buddhism, it is lay Buddhism that is fundamental,
monastic Buddhism being only one of its particular forms. Speaking in terms of
universality, monastic Buddhism can only exist based on the universality of lay
Buddhism. Thus I think that lay people now are necessary, not conventional
Buddhist monks.
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Is it even possible, given the present situation, to maintain conventional monastic

Buddhism? Looking to the future, monastic Buddhism should be disbanded; in
fact it already is in the process of falling apart.

Saying this, monastic organizations and monks may criticize and denounce me.
But the actual fact is that monastic Buddhism has already virtually disappeared.
Even if it can be said to still exist, what is truly worthy of the name monastic
Buddhism has been relegated to one special corner of society. There may be
hundreds of thousands of people called monks here in Japan but it must be said
that very few of them maintain the traditional ways of monastic life. Of course,
they are not entirely responsible for this. There are other causes, so we can't
blame the monks alone. But anyhow that's the situation right now.

If we think a little more seriously about this, we realize that monks today have to
live their whole lives feeling somewhat inferior and constantly- in anguish over
being false. It's a real tragedy. In Zen, at least the people called shike or roshi
(masters) are supposed to be authentic. But again, we must ask ourselves who
really is authentic and even if most of the masters are, what about the others?
They, at any rate, are actually considered as second or third rate.

I suppose such monks feel somewhat hopeless and are never satisfied. they can
practice earnestly to become masters, but very few really accomplish this. And
I'm afraid there will be fewer and fewer in the future. To make matters worse, a
person who traveled in India and Sri Lanka a few years ago told me that people
called masters here in Japan would certainly be considered totally depraved in
Sri Lanka. They would not even qualify as monks if judged by the precepts of
Theravada Buddhism.

Thinking in the conventional way, there can be no salvation for lay people if
there is no recovery of monastic Buddhism from the present situation. Needless
to say, there would be no salvation for monks either. This is the problem for
today's monks. Where in the world is the solution to be found? Monks can't go
on as they are; all they will do is sink to the same level as lay people. It's not clear
where they are supposed to be, so they don't even know how far they've fallen. Is
this how Buddhism should be?

I have already presented in theory my idea that lay Buddhism must be

established as fundamental Buddhism, and I have just stated why lay Buddhism
must actually be realized as such. Without establishing such a lay Buddhism, the
essential meaning of Buddhism itself will deteriorate. I think we must have a
Buddhism, which can save monks as well, and which will also remain as true
Buddhism for the future. A lay Buddhism like this must be established. This is
the way to save present-day Buddhism, and is also what Buddhism in the future
must be like.
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In this context The Vimalakirti Sutra has profound significance. I always keep in
mind this sutra's most condensed and simplified expression:

Realizing the affairs of an ordinary person without abandoning the Dharma-Way.

I think this is the fundamental principle, which runs through the entire sutra,
clearly expressing the true way of being in Buddhism.

The active life of Buddhism is found in this "realizing the affairs of an ordinary
person," and without it Buddhism cannot truly function in this world. Not only
realizing the affairs of an ordinary person but also realizing them without
abandoning the Dharma-Way, indicates the profound Buddhist ground, which
transcends actuality. In the intimate union of these two lies the fundamental
principle of a life free and unhindered, creating the actual world even as one
transcends it. The real Dharma-Way is a garba (womb), the self-as-subject that can
actively realize the affairs of an ordinary person. And when we have, through
our own practice, established this Dharma-self-as-subject, we can actualize the
active life of an ordinary person.

Conventional Buddhism has had a strong tendency to emphasize only going to

paradise and being born in the Pure Land. The ultimate goal of Buddhism does
not lie there; it is found where the Dharma-Way and the affairs of an ordinary
person are completely at-one and non-dual, what in The Vimalakirti Sutra is
called,

"Entering the Dharma Gate of Non-duality."

This expresses the true way of being in Buddhism, the goal of which is not to live
in one world part from this actual one, but to live where the actual and what
transcends it are completely one.

I would like to discuss this Dharma gate of Non-duality as Buddhism's new true
way of being. And I think this should be advocated not just as a true way of
being for Buddhism, but for all human beings. In one sense this can be called a
new humanism. Our F.A.S. Society's Vow of Humankind expresses such a way of
being. If we look for such a vow of humankind in the ancient sutras, we can find
it in The Vimalakirti Sutra: and the simplest, most modern working of The
Vimalakirti Sutra is crystallized in the "Vow of Humankind."

Calm and composed

Let us Awaken to our True Self
Become fully compassionate humans
Make full use of our abilities
According to our respective vocations
Discern suffering
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Both individual and social

And its sources
Recognize the right direction
In which history should proceed
Joining hands as kin
Beyond the differences of
Race, nation or class
Let us, with compassion
Vow to bring to realization
Our deep desire
For emancipation
And construct a world in which
All can live truly and fully

Part One:
Sitting In Complete Repose

Realizing the affairs of an ordinary person without abandoning the

Dharma-Way

In the first of seven talks on The Vimalakirti Sutra, I would like to take up "sitting in
complete repose" (yenzuo, Jp. enza), which is expounded in the "Disciples" chapter of the
sutra. I have chosen to begin my lectures with this because Vimalakirti describes this
sitting in complete repose as "Realizing the affairs of an ordinary person without
abandoning the Dharma-Way," -- an expression mentioned in my preface. I think this
expression is most essential in our practice of Buddhism. It is also a most appropriate
expression for our ultimate way of being. Further, our FAS society places importance on
"sitting upright" (tanza) as part of our practice. So a clear understanding of the true
meaning of this sitting upright, based on an in-depth study, is required to define a proper
method for this important practice. Different people hold different views concerning the
meaning of sitting upright, and in its long history Buddhism has not actually confined
itself to only one meaning. This makes it all the more necessary for us to clarify its true
meaning.

For the correct way of sitting upright we usually think of the detailed
instructions on the physical posture and mental attitude found in Zazen Manuals
(Zazengi). Dogen calls the condition of the mind and body realized in sitting
upright "body and mind dropped off." It is generally referred to in Buddhism as
Nirvana or Sunyata. This ultimate way of sitting upright means entering Nirvana
without destroying the body given to you by your parents. As the ultimate way
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of sitting upright, Nirvana is not something that can only be attained after the
death of the body. On the contrary, it is awakening in this world.

The sitting upright, in which we awaken in this world, must not be limited to the
physical posture and composed mind prescribed in Zazen Manuals. As the
expression "Dharma is free from form" indicates, there is no physical form, no
ideas, no mind or consciousness here. In short, it has to be formless in terms of
both body and mind.

Thus, in the "Disciples" chapter Vimalakirti scolds Shariputra, who is sitting

quietly in the woods, saying "Sitting in complete repose means body and mind
not appearing in the three worlds." Body and mind not appearing in the three
worlds means that, being formless, there is no mental or physical form
whatsoever. This is what I often call Nothingness Awakened to in the East
(toyoteki mu), Nothingness that is Self, or Self that is Nothingness.

Since there is no body or mind, neither is there inside or outside, nor anything in
between. Vimalakirti describes it as "Not abiding in the mind, nor outside of it;
this is called sitting in complete repose." Truly sitting upright is free of inside and
outside, so there remains nothing limited or determined. It is nothing
whatsoever, not a thing at all. That is, the sitting-upright Self is beyond all
determination; thus it can be absolutely free and self-determining. Being nothing
at all, it is free from everything -- from life and death, evil passions, from all
conditions, even from the various Buddhas. This is what Buddhism calls the
Emancipated Self. Sitting upright enables one to become liberated from all bonds.
This is human liberation in the ultimate sense. Through this sitting upright we
can become Awakened persons who actually realize the Buddha nature.

Various Buddhist expressions corresponding to the via negativa, such as

"Returning to the Origin" in Kegon Buddhism, "The Going Aspect" in Pure Land
Buddhism, and "The Gate of Sweeping Away" in Zen, are no other than sitting
upright in this sense. The simple expression opening our society's Vow of
Humankind: "Calm and composed. Let us awaken to our True Self," refers to this
very Self-Awakening realized in sitting upright.

However, if the Self in sitting upright has merely dropped off body and mind, or
simply does not let body and mind appear in the three worlds, it cannot yet be
called true zazen. This is because the above-mentioned Self that is Nothingness,
dropping off body and mind and sitting in complete repose, must actually be
working as the Self. In Buddhism, Nirvana and Sunyata are sometimes
considered simply as quietness or serenity without mental or physical substrate.
But that is merely a vain sunyata, a barren nothingness, far from true Nirvana. If
Nirvana is only that, it would have nothing to do with actual human activities
and would be just an escape.
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Sitting upright is often misunderstood in this way too, and Zen condemns it as
the evil Zen of silent illumination, or as dwelling in the devil's cave. Soto Zen has
a tendency to degrade into such a practice. That is why the Chinese Zen master
Tahui (Jp. Daie Soko, 1089 - 1163) denounced it as the evil Zen of silent
illumination, and more recently the Japanese Zen master Hakuin severely
condemn it. Such Zen is indeed the Zen of the dead. Sitting so quietly without
moving hands or legs, such corpses really are no different from trees or stones.

Zen records sometimes describe the condition of zazen as being "like trees and
stones," but this is mean to express the no-self aspect of body and mind dropped
off; it does not give the whole picture of the sitting-upright Self. This no self "like
trees and stones" must actually be one's Self that is Nothingness, becoming all
kinds of ideas to work in real situations. This can then be the Self as source of all
actual activity. This Self, which has dropped off body and mind, must be the
utterly formless subject acting in unrestricted and complete freedom.

Buddhism considers Nirvana as the Wisdom-body, which means the Self that is
awakened to Nirvana. It is called a "body" because it is Self as the source, with a
potential for engaging in all kinds of activities. Vimalakirti speaks of "Realizing
all activities without abandoning Nirvana." He means that Nirvana is the Self
and all activity arise out of it.

Thus, sitting in complete repose is not merely a total annihilation that makes
body and mind disappear from the three worlds. The essence of sitting in
complete repose is that Nirvana without body and mind is realized our True Self,
and from this we creatively engage in all activities in unrestricted and complete
freedom. The following statement in the "Seeing Sentient Beings" chapter refers
to the same thing: "All dharmas are established by being free from abiding
ground." This is the true meaning of sitting in complete repose and it is in this
sense that we understand "Calm and composed/ Let us awaken to our True Self."

Thus, to Awaken to the True Self is to Awaken to the Formless Self which works
while creating all forms, just like the great ocean, formless in the sense that it is
free form the form of the waves, makes all form of waves appear on the surface
without leaving a trace. This is true sitting in which all our activities are
inseparable from sitting; this is what makes it possible for us to "be the master of
all situations," in the words of the Chinese Zen master Lin-chi (Jp. Rinzai Gigen,
d.866).

The Song of Awakening says, "Walking is Zen, sitting is Zen, Speaking, silent,
moving, staying, I am always at peace." Again Lin-chi speaks of "The Dharma
named Mind penetrates all ten directions." This Zen, this dharma named Mind,
are none other than the true sitting described above. Sitting which only takes
place when you are actually in the seated posture and is lost when you rise is no
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more than a specific form of body and mind; this cannot be sitting as the source
of all activity. If you really sit well, it is not lost when you engage in other
activities; it deepens and becomes more secure in the midst of turbulent activity.
Such a practice enables us to work in an increasingly composed manner so that
we can make quick and appropriate responses to the ever-changing actualities of
this world and "construct a world in which all can live truly and fully,"
[according to the conclusion of the FAS Society's Vow of Humankind.]

However, if sitting is, as is often thought, just a shelter to avoid the troubles of
this world, or static doldrums incapable of being a creative source in world
construction, then it will be an escape -- something qualitatively different from
what we call sitting. Sitting must be bound by neither by anything already
existing or created, nor even by its own activity of creation. Because of this, true
sitting must instead be the positive, active subject-source which is forever
creating history in which all can live truly and fully. Progress in science,
technology, and social organization is rightly celebrated as a sign of human
evolution and historical development. The frequent condemnation of this
progress as the cause of dehumanization, accompanied by impotent calls to
"return to nature," is due to a lack of true sitting. True sitting can no longer be
confined to quiet places like mountains and monasteries, but it must be right in
the midst of constructing history and the world. Constructing the world with this
sitting as Self is the true meaning of sitting in complete repose: in the words of
Vimalakirti, "Realizing the affairs of an ordinary person without abandoning the
Dharma-Way."

Part Two:
Dharma
Dharma Is Beyond Form
In part one, we examined Vimalakirti's teaching on "sitting in complete repose" [yenzuo],
and his method for true sitting. Our sitting must be the same as what he taught in the
sutra. The composure expressed in the Vow of Humankind as "Calm and composed,
Awakening to our true Self," is nothing other than what Vimalakirti means by sitting in
complete repose, and what we call true Self represents, so to speak, the subject sitting in
complete repose. The subject sitting in complete repose is identical with this very sitting,
but in such a manner that the subject is neither one with, nor different from, sitting in
complete repose. What is sitting in complete repose is I, the Self; true Self exists in the
manner of sitting in complete repose. This sitting is unlimited in time, and boundless in
space; it is not confined to any specific time or place. True sitting in complete repose
entirely transcends time and space. We cannot say that sitting is in complete repose if it is
temporal and spatial. In other words, we cannot say that one is in complete repose if one
is the self, the subject, of such limited sitting. In the Chinese term for "sitting in complete
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repose" [yenzuo], the first character yen means absolute repose, repose that excludes
discrimination between being in a state of repose and not being in one -- absolute,
ultimate rest that transcends the states of rest and unrest.

This true Self not only transcends time and space, however; precisely because it
is true Self or absolute subject, it can actualize all activities. In actualizing all
activities, it expresses itself, so to speak, in the realm of time and space. Thus, if
we call the subject transcending time and space Absolute Nothingness, we can
say that the activities it actualizes in time and space are the self-expressive forms
of Absolute Nothingness. Absolute Nothingness, however, never loses its
transcendent nature because of its self-expression in time and space. It is the
subject through and through; precisely for this reason it retains its constancy, in
the sense that it is never destroyed. It is often said that this subject is constant in
terms of time and space, but this must be understood in the sense that it is
constant because it transcends time and space. Further, since true Self does not
rest upon its constancy, but invariably transforms itself without restriction, this
constancy does not prevent it from constantly changing and working freely as
the absolute subject.

The true freedom of humanity lies in this subject, the subject that transcends time
and space. This is because the subject's totally unrestricted, free, and unhindered
activity has an absolutely undetermined character. Only by [realizing] such a Self
can we live and die in the midst of life-and-death while abiding in Nirvana. Only
then can we be in the midst of life-and-death without clinging to it. In other
words, we can then be emancipated from life-and-death without abiding in
Nirvana, and thus work freely and self-abidingly in both life and death.

As I said, the way of being in which life-and-death and Nirvana can be both
unrestricted and compatible with each other, is true sitting in complete repose.
This way of being is exactly what is expressed in the Vow of Humankind as "Calm
and composed, Awakening to our true Self." In Buddhism, the subjective aspect
of this composed true Self is expressed by various terms, including Dharmakaya,
Tathata, and Nirvana, but it is often more simply expressed by the term Dharma.

The term Dharma has many meanings in Buddhism. It is frequently used to

mean true Self. In one section of the Vimalakirti Sutra, Shakyamuni orders Maha
Maudgalyayana to pay a sick call on the renowned lay Buddhist Vimalakirti.
This section shows Vimalakirti's teachings on Dharma. Using the term in the
sense of true Self, Vimalakirti describes various characteristics of this true Self so
that we cannot possibly deny them:

When expounding Dharma, what you teach should agree with Dharma
itself. Dharma is without living beings, because it is free of the dust of
living beings. It is without ego, because it is free of the dust of ego. It is
free from life, because it is beyond life-and-death. It is without
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individuals, because it has both the preceding and succeeding limits cut
off. Dharma is always tranquil, because it has tranquilized all forms. It is
beyond form, because it has no externals to rest upon. It is inexpressible,
because it is beyond word and speech. It is inexplicable, because it
transcends all mental activity. Dharma is formless like empty space. It is
beyond verboseness, because it is empty of words. It is beyond egoism,
because it is free of the habitual notion of possession. It is free from
discrimination, because it is free of mind, thought, and consciousness. It is
incomparable, because it is beyond all relativity. It is not subject to causes,
because it does not conform to conditionality. Dharma is identical with
Dharma-nature, which finds itself in every Dharma. It conforms to
such-ness, because it has nothing to conform to. It abides at the
culminating point of reality, unperturbed by the limits of duality. It is
immovable, because it is independent of the six objects of sense. It is
without coming and going, because it abides nowhere. Dharma conforms
to what is empty, formless and non-intentional. It is beyond beauty and
ugliness. It neither increases nor decreases. It is beyond creation and
destruction. It has no root-source to return to. It is beyond the six sense
organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. It is without high or low.
It is eternal and immutable. It is beyond contemplation and practice.

This is the way Vimalakirti preaches the forms, or characteristics, of Dharma. Maha
Maudgalyayana, however, flatly refuses Shakyamuni's request to pay a sick call on
Vimalakirti because he does not feel qualified. Maha Maudgalyayana explains that one
day, when teaching Dharma to lay Buddhists in a square at Vaisali, Vimalakirti, who lived
in the city, came along and silenced Maha Maudgalyayana by preaching what was just
quoted above. When it comes to teaching Dharma, the most important question is what
kind of Dharma you teach. Maha Maudgalyayana was teaching a Dharma that
Vimalakirti criticized. When expounding Dharma, what you teach must agree with
Dharma itself. To truly teach Dharma, you should be aware that it really is inexplicable.
A Dharma that can be taught is not the true Dharma. The true way of teaching Dharma
must be based on the full realization of its inexplicability. Such was the Dharma
Vimalakirti taught Maha Maudgalyayana.

As I have spoken about the "forms" of Dharma, you might think that Dharma is
something determined. But by its true nature, Dharma is not determined by
anything. In fact, Vimalakirti here expounds that Dharma is not limited by
anything. So, we can see that he uses ordinary and relative words as an
opportunity to teach that. This is an important point; it has to do with
Vimalakirti's compassion.

Criticizing the common notion of the Dharma containing living beings,

Vimalakirti says: "Dharma is without living beings, because it is free of the dust
of living beings." True Dharma, also called pure Dharmakaya, is totally free of
dust, like a crystal free of all impurity. It has no living beings or Buddhas at all.
After all, what is called dust indicates limited, relative being, separated from the
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absolutely undetermined subject. Thus, if a living being extricates itself from

dust and Awakens to the absolutely undetermined, original subject, it is one with
Dharma.

That Dharma is "without ego" means that it is free of the "dust of ego." What we
normally consider to be our self is just dust, nothing more. Dharma is without
distinction between determined self and other. It is free from spirit and mind in
the form of self-consciousness, as well as from the body. Thus, Self that is beyond
the dust of ego is Dharma, and this Self qua Dharma is free from the dust of ego.

That Dharma "is free from life, because it is beyond life-and-death," uses the
notion of life as an opportunity to reveal the Self without life-and-death. Usually
we associate our life with a limited life span. This is because our life is really
life-and-death. Since it is impossible for the absolutely undetermined Dharma to
have life and death, it must be without a life that begins with birth and ends with
death. And yet it lives without life-and-death, and this life without life-and-death
is Dharma. In Buddhism, such a life is described as not created, not destroyed, as
life-without-measure. Living and dying, this life without life-and-death does so
beyond life-and-death. In its true form, Dharma abides in Nirvana in the midst of
life-and-death; it lives and dies while abiding in Nirvana.

"It is without individuals, because it has both the preceding and succeeding
limits cut off." If Dharma has a preceding or succeeding limit, it would be
distinguished from beings beyond that limit. An individual with a body and
mind within a certain time and space is not Dharma. That Dharma has both
preceding and succeeding limits cut off means that it has no distinction between
past, present, and future; no boundaries between past and present, present and
future, back and front, right and left. In other words, true Dharma is absolutely
equal and uniform, transcending all discrimination and distinction. Thus it has
no limits at all, no delimited individuals whatsoever.

The descriptions quoted above indicate that true Dharma or true Self is the
absolute subject that goes beyond individual, relative being such as living beings,
egos, lives, and individuals. True Dharma is not, however, a mere transcendent
and emancipated being. It is true Self, and as such it works actively and
positively in the midst of life-and-death beyond all limits.

"Dharma is always tranquil, because it has tranquilized all forms." This describes
the absolute tranquility of Dharma. If we have any fixed form, even a speck of
dust, we are disturbed. Even when we practice sitting in zazen, our zazen is not
tranquil if it has any element of body or mind. Absolute, true tranquility should
have nothing at all; it should be nothing whatsoever. Such tranquility does not
exist in the world; it is absolute composure in which the true Self finds itself.
Only the true Self can be tranquil in the ultimate sense of the term. At the same
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time, if we realize that all forms are the activities of true Self, then we realize that
those forms are Dharma. This is what is meant by Dharma has tranquilized all
forms.

Dharma "is beyond form, because it has no externals to rest upon. It is

inexpressible, because it is beyond word and speech. It is inexplicable, because it
transcends all mental activity." This also concerns formless Self. That it has no
externals to rest upon, means that it affords nothing to grasp or hold, nothing to
see with our eyes, think with our minds, or take up in our hands. Inexpressible
and inexplicable, true Self is only known by Awakening to it. Because it is often
spoken of as "Beyond word and speech, free from all mind movement," it
transcends all discrimination.

Because of such inexplicability, Dharma has traditionally been described with the
metaphor of empty space, since it is formless while also realizing all forms in it,
without being restricted by the forms it creates. This is just a metaphor, however;
unlike Dharma, empty space does not awaken to itself. Such a living empty space
must be my Self. But what is it like, this living empty space, this Self beyond
word and speech, free from all mind movement? That is the question.

"Dharma is formless like empty space. It is beyond verboseness, because it is

empty of words. It is beyond egoism, because it is free of the habitual notion of
possession. It is free from discrimination, because it is free of mind, thought, and
consciousness. It is incomparable, because it is beyond all relativity." Nothing
need be added to this. It also says, "It is not subject to causes, because it does not
conform to conditionality." In Buddhism, it is often said that Dharma is
co-dependent arising-ceasing, and that all beings are governed by this. But
strictly speaking, true Dharma must have an aspect that goes beyond
co-dependent arising-ceasing. In this sense, co-dependent arising-ceasing must
be understood as the activity of Dharma. The world of co-dependent
arising-ceasing realized as the activity of Dharma is called the Pure Ultimate
Realm, or the Reality of All Beings.

The next description uses the terms "Dharma-nature," "such-ness," and "the
culminating point of reality." These characterize the subject that goes beyond
co-dependent arising-ceasing. Since the beings realized as the activity of Dharma
have the aspect of going beyond mere beings, they are beyond all duality. Any
being that conforms to something is not such-ness -- not as it is in itself. On the
contrary, Dharma should be transcendent and independent, "master of every
situation."

"Dharma is identical with Dharma-nature, which finds itself in every Dharma. It

conforms to such-ness, because it has nothing to conform to. It abides at the
culminating point of reality, unperturbed by the limits of duality." The
 13

culminating point of reality represents the true limitless limit, in the sense that it
has both the preceding and succeeding limits cut off, as explained above. It
moves all dualities without being perturbed by the limits of duality, and thereby
establishes all beings. Thus, all beings, established by the culminating point of
reality, are limited being as the culminating point of reality, and vice-versa. We
can therefore say that Dharma "is immovable, because it is independent of the six
objects of sense."

"It is without coming and going, because it abides nowhere." This seems to
contradict the previous description of abiding at the culminating point of reality.
But to abide nowhere is to abide at the culminating point of reality, and to abide
at the culminating point of reality is to abide nowhere, i.e., to go beyond time
and space. Therefore, Dharma comes and goes freely without coming and going;
it does not move an inch even as it comes and goes.

"Dharma conforms to what is empty, formless and non-intentional." Dharma is

itself empty, formless, and non-intentional; therefore, it truly accords with
everything, without conflicting with anything. Thus, Dharma is the unity to
which all things are ultimately reduced, but it is not attached to such unity. Thus,
it is said: "All beings return to unity, but this unity never embraces itself as unity."

Dharma "is beyond beauty and ugliness. It neither increases nor decreases. It is
beyond creation and destruction. It has no root-source to return to. It is beyond
the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. It is without high
or low. It is eternal and immutable. It is beyond contemplation and practice."
Such is Dharma, our true Self. Of course, Vimalakirti teaches other things in this
sutra, but at least we can say that, for Vimalakirti, every word and speech is
Dharma, because he teaches Dharma on the basis of Dharma itself. Otherwise,
teaching and listening to Dharma is like trying to find fish up in a tree. Dharma is
itself Awakened body. It can only be realized by Awakening to itself. We must, by
all means, awaken to Dharma, our true Self.

Part Three:
Buddha Land
 

As Mind Is Pure, The Buddha Land Is Pure

Buddhism has developed various theories concerning the pure land and the
Buddha Land, i.e., the way of being of the world. The Vimalakirti Sutra deals
 14

with this subject in its first chapter, on the Buddha Land. The ultimate goal of the
FAS Society's "Vow of Humankind" is to "construct a world which is true and
happy." I suggest that this is closely related to the pure land expounded in the
Vimalakirti Sutra. Thus, here I would like to consider how the pure land and
Buddha Land are described in the sutra.

The Buddha land chapter is centered on the Dharma teaching that Shakyamuni
preaches in response to the question presented by Ratnakara, son of an elder.
First, we will look at the main sections of this preaching:

The Buddha said: "Ratnakara, the whole body of living beings is the land
where a bodhisattva attains Buddhahood. Why is it so? Because a
bodhisattva becomes the holder of a Buddha Land as long as he
invigorates living beings; because he takes hold of a Buddha Land
whenever living beings are educated; because he possesses a Buddha Land
while living beings, entering the Buddha Land, are initiated into the
Buddha's wisdom; because he is furnished with a Buddha Land as far as
living beings, entering the Buddha Land, develop the power of being a
bodhisattva. Why is it so? The reason is that bodhisattvas are furnished
with their Buddha Lands because they give rise to their activities solely for
the benefit of living beings. For instance, one can build a house at will on
vacant ground without difficulty, but in empty sky one cannot. It is the
same with bodhisattvas. Because they want to bring living beings to
maturity, they seek to have a Buddha Land, which cannot be sought in
empty sky. Ratnakara, you should know that the straightforward mind is a
bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood,
guileless beings will enter that land. Firm determination is a bodhisattva's
purified land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings equipped with roots of
virtue will enter there...So, Ratnakara, a bodhisattva begins practice
according to his straightforward mind. As soon as he practices, he gains
firm determination. The moment he gains firm determination, he keeps his
thoughts under control. As he keeps his thoughts under control, he is in
like behavior. As he is in like behavior, he ripens occasions for beings to
attain Awakening. Whenever he ripens occasions for beings to attain
Awakening, he has expedients. As he has expedients, he has living beings
purify themselves. The moment living beings are purified, the Buddha
Land is purified. As soon as the Buddha Land is purified, the discourse is
purified. As the discourse is purified, wisdom is purified. As wisdom is
purified, his mind is purified. As his mind is purified, all the merits are
purified. Therefore, Ratnakara, a bodhisattva who wants to purify his
Buddha Land should make efforts to fully purify his own mind. Because,
as the bodhisattva's mind is pure, his Buddha Land is pure.

The Buddha Land spoken of in the Vimalakirti Sutra is expressed by the famous
words at the end of the above quotation: "as the bodhisattva's mind is pure, his
Buddha Land is pure." As this phrase indicates, the Buddha Land or pure land is
 15

not to be sought either in a special realm spatially separated from this actual,
historical world or in the so-called afterworld. Rather, it signifies that if only our
mind is truly pure, this historical world of actualities, just as it is, immediately
becomes the pure land right here and now, or more precisely, it originally is the
pure land. Contrary to the common belief, heaven or the pure land is not outside
our actuality. This world, just as it is, is the pure land; the pure land, just as it is,
is this world. That's the authentic Buddhist worldview.

What, then, does "as the bodhisattva's mind is pure" mean? As we already saw in
the previous sections, "Sitting in Complete Repose" and "Dharma is Beyond
Form," the purest state of our mind is truly empty, and thus it is called pure
Dharma-body (Dharmakaya). Actually, however, this pure Dharma-body contains
no body or land. The [supposed] body and land are one, so to speak, and at the
same time this one is empty. Awakening to the empty Dharma is called the
Buddha body; the place of this Awakening is called the Buddha Land. Therefore,
there is no Buddha Land outside of the Buddha body, and no Buddha body
outside of the Buddha Land. This is grounded on the fact that Dharma has a
single form, which is no form.

It is said that Vimalakirti's house was completely empty when Manjusri paid a
sick call on him. This empty house most directly points to the character of the
true Buddha Land. Because the Buddha Land is completely empty and formless,
whatever has form falls short of being the true Buddha Land. The phrase "as the
bodhisattva's mind is pure, his Buddha Land is pure" also indicates such ultimate
purity. It is not a purity relative to impurity, and furthermore, it contains nothing
whatsoever to be designated "pure." Indeed it must be called purity beyond the
duality of purity and defilement. Thus, we don't need to wait or move elsewhere
to reach the Buddha Land. All we have to do is make our mind pure in the true
sense of the term. Then, the very time-and-place where we are, immediately
becomes the Buddha Land. And if this time-and-place immediately becomes the
Buddha Land, it is no longer confined to that particular time and place. Then and
there, the absolutely undetermined Buddha Land perfects itself.

Actually, the phrase "bringing living beings to maturity" means this way of
perfecting of the Buddha Land. To construct the Buddha Land is to bring living
beings to maturity. In other words, "taking hold of a Buddha Land" means that
the Buddha has awakened. That the Buddha has awakened means that the
empty pure land is achieved. Precisely because the pure land is achieved, living
beings enter there. By building the Buddha Land, the Buddha practices
compassion for living beings. In short, precisely because the Buddha has taken
hold of a Buddha Land, living beings can enter there.

The Buddha Land in the ultimate sense of the term must be such a formless
Buddha Land whose body and land are not two. At the same time, the formless
 16

Buddha Land must in turn express itself as various Buddha Lands with forms.
Building Buddha Lands with different forms is the Buddha's "secondary"
compassion, so to speak. The primary, ultimate compassion has no form at all.
True compassion does not discriminate between Buddha and living beings,
between saver and saved. Compassion, which still leaves an element of duality
between living beings who are saved and the Buddha who saves them, cannot be
called ultimate compassion. As I have said earlier, true compassion is nothing
other than the unhindered self-abiding functioning of the empty Self. Thus it
does not involve anything called Buddha anything called living beings. It is the
subject of compassion through and through, involving no specific objects to turn
its compassion to. The subject of compassion has nothing whatsoever to be
determined as "compassionate."

I have just said that the subject of compassion has nothing to be called
"compassionate." But I must point out that nothing is further from vain,
superficial compassion. On the contrary, it is only when we realize this that we,
as True Subject, can practice true compassion. This compassion is of a whole
other order than what we ordinarily call compassion or love. Not until we break
with compassion involving the duality of saver and saved, and thereby reach the
stage free of such duality, can we acquire the function of ultimate, boundless
compassion. This ultimate compassion, this "compassion arising out of
no-compassion," is what is called Objectless Great Compassion in Buddhism.
While creating innumerable forms, it can save all living beings in a self-abiding
manner, without being hindered by the forms it creates. Vimalakirti practices just
such compassion. His compassion is the function of Self-Nothingness, the
fundamental character of the Buddha.

Sitting in Complete Repose, which I discussed earlier, is in fact nothing other

than this subject which makes true compassion possible. One of the phrases I
quoted there, "realizing all activities without abandoning Nirvana," points to the
ground on which such Objectless Great Compassion can be practiced. The
Bodhisattva's taking hold of the Buddha Land also means the same thing, as does
"all dharmas are established from the root of non-abiding" [from the chapter on
Seeing Living Beings]. Only the absolute Subject can respond to the world of
discrimination in an unhindered and self-abiding way. The infinite Buddha Land
is constructed, so to speak, in accordance with the varying abilities and
circumstances of living beings. In fact, the various laws of Buddhism represent
such function aimed at constructing the Buddha Land. That is why it is said that
the six paramitas or "perfections" and the fourfold boundless mind are the
bodhisattva's pure land.

The act of giving is a bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains

Buddhahood, all the self-renouncing beings will enter there. Keeping
precepts is a bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains
Buddhahood, beings that have guarded the path of the whole ten right
 17

conducts will enter there. [Forbearance is a bodhisattva's purified Buddha

Land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings who are adorned with the
thirty- two physical marks of a Buddha (and who are perfect in being
forbearing and calm) will enter there.] Exertion with energy is a
bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land. When he attains Buddha Land, beings
who undertake efforts in all the meritorious acts will enter there. Deep
thought in self-concentration is a bodhisattva's purified Buddha Land.
When he attains Buddha Land, beings that are composed in mindfulness
and self-possession will enter there. Wisdom is a bodhisattva's purified
Buddha Land. When he attains Buddhahood, beings that are established in
truth will enter there. The fourfold boundless mind is a bodhisattva's
Buddha Land. When he attains Buddha Land, beings that bide at once in
the states of friendliness, compassion, joy and disinterestedness will enter
there.

In this way, all practices of building the Buddha Land arise out of Objectless
Great Compassion; and precisely therefore it may be said that the six paramitas
are reduced to one. If they are only mutually independent methods of practice,
they are not ultimate practice. The establishment of the six paramitas must be the
establishment of the one ultimate paramita; and at the same time, the one ultimate
paramita must be the function of the empty Subject with Objectless Great
Compassion. Six paramitas not based on such a paramita are nothing but Hinayana
paramitas. Each of the six paramitas, charity, discipline or others, must be an access
to the one ultimate paramita. If charity remains charity in the ordinary sense, it
cannot be called Mahayana charity. Only when it arises out of the one ultimate
paramita can it express the whole and thus establish it, though remaining a
particular paramita.

At the beginning of the first quotation above [from the Buddha Land chapter], it
said, "the whole body of living beings is the land where a bodhisattva attains
Buddhahood." After all, this is the same thing as what I have just said. Because
living beings exist in this world, the Buddha constructs the pure land. It is
established by the Buddha, but it is entirely for the benefit of living beings;
through it we can enter the Buddha Land. Living beings represent, so to speak,
the fundamental motive for the Buddha's secondary practice of compassion.

Therefore, the next expression, "becomes the holder of a Buddha Land as long as
he invigorates living beings," means the same thing. It continues, however: "Why
is it so? The reason is that bodhisattvas are furnished with their Buddha Lands
because they give rise to their activities solely for the benefit of living beings."
But this refers to the secondary compassion expressed as forms. All such forms
are, needless to say, based on the primary, formless compassion. At the same
time, the metaphor that follows reveals the most positive, dynamic character of
this secondary compassion with forms: "For instance, one can build a house at
will on vacant ground without difficulty, but in empty sky one cannot."
 18

The word "vacant" in "vacant ground" refers to the absolute, Non-discriminating

Formless Dharma. But if this vacancy is only literally empty and formless, no
palaces or houses could be built there. Such literal emptiness is represented by
the term "empty sky." On the other hand, the vacant ground mentioned here,
though it is absolute, Non-discriminating Formless Emptiness, is the ground of
creation, empty yet containing infinite discrimination. It has such rich contents of
absolute being that any kind of house can be built on it at will.

Thus, the primary formless compassion is the Subject, and it constructs on the
basis of itself the secondary compassion, which is capable of creation and has a
character of absolute being. This is indicated by: "Because they want to bring
living beings to maturity, they seek to have a Buddha Land, which cannot be
sought in empty sky."

The two statements: "the straightforward mind is a bodhisattva's purified

Buddha Land" and "firm determination is a bodhisattva's purified land," indicate
Objectless Great Compassion, the fundamental motive for construction of the
pure land, in both aspects of one and many. As indicated by the words "the
straightforward mind is the place of the great Way (bodhi mandala)" [in Chapter
Four, on the Bodhisattvas], the straightforward mind refers to our very
Awakening to our True Self; it means the same thing as Sitting in Complete
Repose and Dharma.

As indicated by the words that follow: "When he attains Buddhahood, guileless

beings will enter that land," the straightforward mind is the subject of the beings
who do not flatter. The straightforward mind is the mind that is not crooked.
After all it is the same thing as the Single Mind.

On the other hand, firm determination points to the infinite contents of the
straightforward mind, as we can see from the sentence that follows: "When he
attains Buddhahood, beings equipped with roots of virtue will enter there." If the
straightforward mind represents one, firm determination corresponds to many.
Thus we can say that these two indicate that "one, just as it is, is many; many, just
as they are, are one." In the mandala of the Shingon sect, the Kongô-kai or
Diamond Realm represents one and the Taizô-kai or Womb Realm represents
many; but these are only two sides of the same coin.

Therefore, it is said: "...a bodhisattva begins practice according to his

straightforward mind. As soon as he practices, he gains firm determination....As
he has expedients, he has living beings purify themselves. The moment living
beings are purified, the Buddha Land is purified." This indicates that, on the
ground of the straightforward mind, the Bodhisattva can practice boundless
compassion, and by his practice of compassion, he can build a new world of
history in a positive and dynamic manner. Only then can the ultimate Buddha
 19

Land be perfected. To assume a Buddha Land isolated from history is an escape

from actualities, which will end up negating this world. If [as the opening of the
Vow of Humankind says] we are "Calm and composed, awakening to our True
Self; being fully compassionate humans," for the first time we attain the
straightforward and firm determination capable of creating new history and
constructing a world in which we can live truly. If we fall short of this, the world
of history will remain indefinitely "on the way"; it will be the world of karma
throughout. [The end of the Vow of Humankind:] "A world which is true and
happy" can only be constructed by the tireless and unremitting Love, which
creates history while transcending history.