–Volume 1 (Part 1)
Author: Fafu
Translator : Lotus
Dear Dharma Friends,Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we will explore the profound essence of the first volume of the Shurangama Sutra. This scripture is revered as the ” Tathagatas’ Secret Cause of Cultivation that Brings Certification to the Complete Meaning.” directly pointing to the true mind of Bodhi and revealing the fundamental cause and condition for attaining Buddhahood. It not only guides the myriad practices of all Bodhisattvas but also centers on the self-nature of Bodhi, which is “ultimately firm and indestructible in all phenomena,” serving as a radiant lamp illuminating the path of spiritual practice. Below, I will elucidate its profound principles from three aspects: the cause and condition of the sutra, the essence, characteristics, and functions of the wondrously luminous true mind, and the initial expedient means for cultivating and realizing Bodhi.
1. The Origin of the Shurangama Dharma Assembly: Cause and Awakening
The Shurangama Sutra begins with the phrase “Thus have I heard,” indicating that these are the teachings personally heard by Venerable Ananda from the Buddha. At that time, the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana Monastery in the city of Shravasti, gathered with twelve hundred and fifty great arhats and countless bodhisattvas. These arhats were all “free from afflictions” saints, upholding pure precepts, serving as exemplars for the three realms. The bodhisattvas, filled with compassion, sought profound and esoteric truths. The Dharma assembly was pure and majestic, with the celestial sounds of the kalavinka-sound
resonating throughout the ten directions, drawing countless bodhisattvas to attend and listen to the Dharma, with Manjusri Bodhisattva as their leader.
However, the origin of the Dharma assembly stemmed from the experience of Venerable Ananda. King Prasenajit held a vegetarian feast to commemorate his father’s death anniversary, offering food to the Buddha. Ananda, however, missed the communal offering due to a separate invitation and went out alone to beg for alms. With a heart of impartial compassion, Ananda did not distinguish between rich and poor, aiming to perfect the merits of sentient beings through his almsgiving. Yet, on his way, he encountered the seductive illusions of Matangi, a woman who nearly caused him to break his precepts. This incident not only revealed the powerful influence of karmic habits—Ananda and Matangi had been loving spouses in past lives—but also served as a reminder that even a practitioner well-versed in teachings, if lacking genuine cultivation, may still waver in the face of karmic forces.
The Buddha manifested a thousand-petaled jeweled lotus with fearless radiance, proclaimed a divine mantra, and dispatched Manjusri Bodhisattva to use the mantra to rescue Ananda and bring both him and Matangi back to the Dharma assembly. Overwhelmed with remorse, Ananda lamented that, despite his vast learning, he lacked complete spiritual power. He earnestly requested the Buddha to reveal the “initial expedient means” by which the Tathagatas of the ten directions attained Buddhahood. This cause and condition highlighted the core theme of the Shurangama Sutra: how to take the wondrously enlightened true mind as the foundation, perfectly cultivate samatha, samsdhi, and dhyana, and achieve bodhi.
2. The Essence, Characteristics, and Function of the Wondrously Enlightened True Mind
The essence, characteristics, and function of the “wondrously enlightened true mind” provide the fundamental basis for spiritual practice.
The Essence of the Wondrously Enlightened True Mind
The wondrously enlightened true mind is the inherent nature shared by all sentient beings and Buddhas, its essence pervading space and encompassing the entire Dharma realm, present everywhere. It transcends time and space, without beginning or end, eternally unchanging, and is the source of all phenomena. Both the enlightened and the unenlightened exist dependent on this true mind. As the sutra states, it is the “self-nature Bodhi mind” that is “ultimately firm, indestructible, and the essence of all things.”
The Characteristics of the Wondrously Enlightened True Mind
The characteristics of the true mind are “emptiness, formlessness, and non-action,” yet it is fully endowed with the radiance of wisdom.
The Function of the Wondrously Enlightened True Mind
The wondrous function of the true mind manifests in accordance with the karmic forces of sentient beings and the compassionate vows of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Ordinary beings, due to ignorance and karmic forces, cycle through birth and death, manifesting the illusory phenomena of the six realms. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, driven by their great compassionate vows, manifest countless response bodies to liberate sentient beings.
3. The Initial Expedient Means for Attaining Bodhi
Ananda’s experience is not only as a warning but also as a catalyst for addressing the fundamental question of spiritual practice: how to awaken from delusion and perfect the path to Buddhahood? In the Shurangama Sutra, the Buddha teaches the practices of “samatha, samadhi, and dhyana,” which are the three great meditative disciplines for attaining Buddhahood and serve as the “initial expedient means.”
These three meditative disciplines are not separate but complementary, progressing sequentially in depth. The core of these initial expedient means lies in “which mind to use.”
4. Conclusion
The Shurangama Sutra takes the wondrously enlightened true mind as its foundation, revealing the profound cause of Buddhahood and the path of cultivation and realization.
May we encourage one another, taking the Shurangama Sutra as a guiding light, advancing courageously and diligently toward the shore of awakening! With gratitude to all for listening!
