–Volume6(Par1)
Author: Fafu
Translator : Gemini
Hello everyone! Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we will jointly study Volume Six of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, delving into the chapter on Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s Perfect Penetration through the Ear Root, and receive the superior Dharma Door of his “Hearing-Cultivation Vajra Samādhi by Perfuming the Hearing”.
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, by employing “reversing the hearing to hear the Self-Nature”, entered Samādhi through the practice stages of hearing, contemplation, and cultivation. He achieved “Emptiness and Awakening Perfect and Complete, Tranquil Extinction Manifesting Before Him”, thereby transcending both the mundane and supra-mundane worlds, illuminating the ten directions perfectly. Based on this achievement, with great compassion and profound vows, he manifests Fourteen Kinds of Fearlessness, saving sentient beings from suffering and leading them to bliss, fulfilling both worldly and supra-mundane aspirations.
1. Perfect Penetration Through the Ear Root
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, utilizing the “Illusory Hearing-Cultivation Vajra Samādhi by Perfuming the Hearing,” attained the wonderful function of Self-Nature Mastery. He possesses the great compassionate power shared by all Buddhas of the ten directions, holding great compassionate refuge for all sentient beings in the six realms. The core of his practice is “Reversing the Hearing to Hear the Self-Nature”:
- Entering Samādhi Through Hearing, Contemplation, and Cultivation: Instead of outwardly pursuing the dust of sound, he reversed the contemplation of the nature of hearing. By entering the stream and eliminating the perceived object, he severed adherence to the phenomena of the dust.
- Emptiness and Awakening Perfect and Complete, Tranquil Extinction Manifesting: The nature of hearing became pure, Emptiness and Awakening became perfectly complete. When arising and ceasing were both extinguished, the True Nature of Tranquil Extinction manifested, transcending both mundane and supra-mundane realms, perfectly illuminating the ten directions.
- Relying on the Wonderful Function of Self-Nature: Relying on his Self-Nature, he exerts the capacities of seeing and hearing. With great compassion and vows, he saves sentient beings and grants the power of fearlessness.
The Ear Root Perfect Penetration teaches us to reverse the hearing to the Self-Nature, sever adherence to the dust of sound, enter the stream and abide, and realize the True Eternity of Tranquil Extinction.
2. The Fourteen Kinds of Fearlessness
Relying on the Ear Root Perfect Penetration, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva realized the Vajra Samādhi and manifests Fourteen Kinds of Fearlessness, rescuing sentient beings from suffering and fulfilling their worldly and supra-mundane aspirations:
- Instant Liberation from Distress: By “contemplating the contemplator”, he reverses the hearing to the Self-Nature and contemplates the sounds of sentient beings. Those who recite his name are instantly liberated from distress.
- Fire Cannot Burn: The returning of his seeing and knowing, coupled with the virtue of his Self-Nature and his compassionate vows, causes sentient beings who enter a great fire to not be burned.
- Water Cannot Drown: The returning of his contemplation and hearing, coupled with the Self-Nature’s seeing and hearing, causes sentient beings who drift in a great water to not be drowned.
- Ghosts Cannot Harm: By severing delusive thinking and having compassion without killing, he causes sentient beings who enter the realm of ghosts to not be harmed.
- Knives Broken into Segments: The perfuming of hearing perfects the hearing. The Six Roots are restored and hear as one. This causes swords and weapons to break by themselves, inflicting no wounds.
- Darkness Not Complete/Harmful: The perfuming of hearing makes the essence bright, and the light pervades the Dharma Realm. This causes evil spirits to lose their ability to harm people.
- Freedom from Restraint and Bondage: The nature of sound is perfectly eliminated, and contemplation and hearing return inwardly, departing from the dust and delusion. This causes sentient beings to escape the binding of fetters and chains.
- Robbers Cannot Plunder: By extinguishing the sound and achieving perfect hearing, his compassionate power pervades sentient beings, enabling them to pass through dangerous roads without being robbed.
- Distance from Greed and Desire: The perfuming of hearing departs from the dust, and form cannot plunder. This enables sentient beings dominated by lust to depart from greed and desire.
- Freedom from Anger and Hatred: The pure sound is free from dust, and the Roots and Objects are perfectly fused, with no object to be faced. This enables sentient beings full of hatred to depart from anger and enmity.
- Eternally Leaving the Darkness of Delusion: Extinguishing the dust and reversing to brightness makes the body and mind of the Dharma Realm like crystal. This enables foolish and dull sentient beings to escape ignorance.
- Birth of Sons of Fortune and Wisdom: The body is dissolved, and hearing is restored. He has made offerings to all Buddhas. His compassionate vows enable those who seek a son to be born a son of fortune and wisdom.
- Birth of Virtuous Daughters: The Six Roots achieve Perfect Penetration, illuminating without duality and encompassing the ten directions. This enables those who seek a daughter to be born a virtuous and fortunate daughter.
- Holder of All Dharma Princes’ Virtues: The wonderful Ear Root Perfect Penetration encompasses the virtues of Dharma Princes as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. This causes those who hold his name to possess equal and non-differentiated fortune and virtue.
These Fourteen Kinds of Fearlessness originate from the great compassionate power and vows achieved through Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s Ear Root Perfect Penetration, rescuing from suffering and fear, and fulfilling the wishes of sentient beings.
3. Conclusion
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s chapter on the Ear Root Perfect Penetration reveals that the Six Roots, though generating knots due to ignorance, are the gate of Perfect Penetration leading to the Self-Nature. Through “reversing the hearing to hear the Self-Nature,” entering Samādhi through hearing, contemplation, and cultivation, severing adherence to the dust of sound, achieving the fullness of Emptiness and Awakening, and the manifestation of Tranquil Extinction, he accomplished the Vajra Samādhi. With great compassion and vows, he manifests the Fourteen Kinds of Fearlessness, saving sentient beings and granting the power of fearlessness.
