English
A Detailed Exposition of the Vimalakirti Sutra
by Grandmaster Lu, Living Buddha Lian Sheng of the True Buddha School
Translated into English by the True Buddha School Vimalakirti Translation Team
Discourse 39, 2 October 2022 - Chapter One—Buddhaverse (Continued)
Chapter One—Buddhaverse
Meditation Self-mastery King Bodhisattva,
Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva,
Let’s now talk about the Vimalakirti Sutra: Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva, who is also very famous. Last night, we talked about Meditation Self-mastery King Bodhisattva—the king in meditative stability. The key point yesterday was in the word “meditation.” Can you be in the state of meditative stability?
I remember a verse Su Dongpo[1] wrote to Zen Master Foyin, “Sitting upright on the purple golden lotus” in the last line. Su bragged that he could sit on the purple golden lotus. Master Foyin responded with one word, “Fart!” When Su read it, he got so agitated that he crossed the river immediately to find Master Foyin. Master Foyin met him at the door, “You raced across the river because of the word ‘fart’? And you! Sitting on the purple golden lotus?!”
This showed that Su did not have meditative stability. He raced across the river upon seeing the word “fart” in response to his verse. How could he possibly sit upright on the purple golden lotus? With meditative stability, your heart-mind is unperturbed regardless of what people say, and you will not race across the river! So that’s the story. As I explained yesterday, the Meditation Self-mastery King Bodhisattva has the essence of being unmoved by anything.
Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva.
As for this bodhisattva, the key point is on the dharma. Dharma refers to all tangible things. In worldly and beyond-worldly terms, dharma represents everything material. Although the wisdom of emptiness states that nothing exists, the wisdom of discernment takes into account that everything exists—thus existence formed into dharma, and discernment exists.
Once you comprehend the wisdom of emptiness, you know that you are an illusion, and so am I. I am a “mirage,” and you are too. We are an existence amid non-existence, existing [temporarily] amid empty nature. We did not exist before, but now we do; yet in the future, we will not exist anymore. So, we exist now, but not before and after. This is due to the empty nature as embodied in the wisdom of true emptiness.
“Dharma” relates to the wisdom of discernment. There are many distinctions in the world of existence. You and I are different; male and female, good and evil, noble and ignoble are all different. Some are high-ranking officials, some are commoners, scientists, vegetable sellers, etc. They are all different.
Dharma encompasses all phenomena—all the myriad forms. In True Buddha School, Grandmaster, too, encompasses all the dharma. Grandmaster has mastered numerous dharma and is willing to share them. I can explain the meaning behind the name Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva.
Who is this bodhisattva? He is the one who has mastered eighty-four thousand dharma gates and has the ability to remedy the ailments of sentient beings. He knows their spiritual capacities and habitual tendencies, and can teach the appropriate spiritual cultivation methods.
During spiritual consultations, many people have asked about their personal and guardian deities. Grandmaster can tell them the appropriate deities according to their spiritual roots. All sentient beings have ailments and self-attachment. There is not a single sentient being without “self”. Thus, there is a need to eliminate attachment to self.
There are two attachments: attachment to self and attachment to dharma. Even the dharma is abandoned upon reaching attainment. When you have become a buddha, you do not continue practicing the dharma. There is no need for it. Why do you still need dharma once you reach buddhahood? The dharma is just a raft to take you to the other shore of buddhahood. Once there, you let go of the dharma.
But if you continue to hold tightly onto the dharma, then you have an attachment to dharma. This is spoken in the Vajra Sutra. Once you reach the attainment, dharma is relinquished, and from the non, you have “self-mastery.”[2] You are no longer attached to dharma, and you are unhindered. This is the meaning of Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva or the Bodhisattva who is a King of Self-mastery in Everything.
This bodhisattva understands all dharma but is not attached to the dharma. Amid dharma (all phenomena), he is a master of himself and has reached the highest realm. Thus, he is named Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva. Do you now understand?
I have said that a siddha (high adept) or an accomplished acarya should know the needs of sentient beings and can guide appropriately by teaching the right dharma. Tantrayana or Esoteric Buddhism utilizes methods of redirection and transformation, while Mahayana or Exoteric Buddhism utilizes methods of avoidance and suppression.
For instance, everyone loves money. So Tantrayana offers wealth deity practices in its deliverance of sentient beings. For those who love fame, I teach the dharma practice of Mahasthamaprapta, the Great Diligence Bodhisattva, or Mahabala, where they can gain fame and status. If you want fame, say to become a popular singer, artist, celebrity, or president, then I would teach Kurukulla Buddha Mother. You would have many fans. You will be elected president because your fans support you; they will vote for you.
Every Sunday after homa, at around five, many disciples make offerings of performances; it is like a talent show. Many sing very well, but why are they not famous? Because they don’t practice the Kurukulla Dharma! Kurukulla creates magnetism; had they practiced it in their past lives, they would’ve had many fans by now. Your fans would be hysterical over you; they’d scream and faint as soon as they hear your voice. Interestingly, some singers don’t even sing that well.
Grandmaster likes to sing the children’s song, “Little Stars.”
In the beautiful, beautiful sky,
Tiny bright stars appear,
Just like the loving eyes of my mother.
Her eyes are my favorite.
She often reminds me to be good.
My mother’s eyes are my favorite.
When Grandmaster sings, my fans faint. I guess it applies to Grandmaster, too. Sorry to say, the great performers at our Rainbow Temple Main Hall have very few spectators, not to mention fans. Some of them are highly skilled but not many people come to see them perform.
The question is, “Have you practiced the magnetizing dharma, so you are loved by everyone?” The Kurukulla Buddha Mother Dharma is such a practice. Once you gain fruition from this practice, you will have many fans and become the most famous celebrity or a powerful person like a president. You can gain great fame. Some of these dharma practices are very special.
For those with strong libido… Well, not only men love sex; women do, too! To do it, a man needs a woman, right? Usually people scorn the men but not the women, where in fact, men are goatish and women are foxy! Some women are very salacious too—they present themselves seductively.
There was a female disciple who went to Mount Longhu in Jiangxi Province to obtain a Great Spirit Talisman from a Taoist Master. In the China mainland, this Great Spirit refers to the fox spirit. She showed me her talisman, and on it was written a [Chinese] character: “doxy.”
She was indeed quite bewitching and seductive—every word, every glance, every movement. I had to remind myself to stay calm and maintain my meditative stability [joking], just like the Meditation Self-mastery King Bodhisattva. When she spoke, it gave me goosebumps—it was so coquettish. “Oh, Grandmaster… this pen… is for you…” “Please… let me kneel closer.” Oh, dear! I had to tell her straight out not to seduce me because I might just surrender [laughing]. She is this way because of the talisman she has been carrying—the Fox Spirit Talisman. She walked in the lotus steps, which are the most bewitching. What are the lotus steps? Those are steps that are very seductive.
She came from out of state and is getting married soon. Her husband to be, a very rich man, could not help but succumb to her. She is getting her wish fulfilled. So, don’t be prejudiced that only men want sex, where in fact, women do, too! Women are vixens—fox spirits!
Those with strong sex drives are taught the consort practice or dual body practice. However, this practice has strict requirements and is very difficult to do. It is very easy for its practitioners to fall into the three lower realms. Of all the dharma practices, the consort practice is the hardest to qualify for and to perform.
First, the man must have a non-leaking body. Second, he must have a non-leaking mind—pure mind. One must fulfill these basic requirements to qualify for this practice: a non-leaking body and a non-leaking mind. Non-leaking body means never emitting any lightdrops from the body, and non-leaking mind means a pure mind with no-self and good comprehension of empty-nature. Otherwise, they will fall into the three lower realms.
The consort practice is not for everyone. Let me emphasize that again! Guru Padmasambhava states that only one out of a million people is qualified for the consort practice. It is a very dangerous practice, likened to “taking a pearl from the mouth of a poisonous snake.”
It is not a practice for just anybody. Let me clarify! Practitioners who are a married couple are allowed to learn, provided they are qualified. Otherwise, it is a violation of the precept of sexual misconduct and you will fall into the three lower realms.
The Dharma Self-mastery King Bodhisattva is the bodhisattva who embodies all dharma, forsakes all dharma, and is a self-mastery king of everything amid all dharma phenomena. That’s my explanation today.
[2] Self-mastery means that one has total mastery of self; one is a master to their emotions, expressions, intents, thoughts, actions, and even life and death. In essence, you are the master of yourself!
Next discourse on the Vimalakirti Sutra: Discourse 40, 8 October 2022 - Chapter One—Buddhaverse (Continued)
Previous discourse on the Vimalakirti Sutra: Discourse 38, 1 October 2022 - Chapter One—Buddhaverse (Continued)
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Full webcast of 2022.10.2 Marici Bodhisattva Homa Ceremony (Rainbow Temple, North Bend, USA) and dharma discourse with English interpretation: https://youtu.be/HXrZD0edSLs
