Lecture on the Shurangama Sutra—— 46

–Volume10(Par1)

Author: Fafu

Translator : Gemini

Dear Dharma Friends,Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.

 Today, we will continue our deep exploration of the Fifty Skandha-Daimons, focusing on the section regarding the breaking of the Skandha of Mental Formations (Volitions/Karma-Formations).

I. The Sphere of the Skandha of Mental Formations and the Rise of External Paths:

1. The Sphere of the Skandha of Mental Formations:

After the Skandha of Mental Formations is exhausted, the practitioner enters the phase of breaking the Sphere of the Skandha of Mental Formations. The Skandha of Mental Formations is described as “like a wild horse, glittering and unsettling in its purity,” which is the general mechanism of the six roots against the six dusts, and a critical stage in cultivation.

2. The State of Exhaustion:

When this “wild nature disappears,” one returns to the original pure Self-Nature, like “waves subside, transforming into clear water.” This means the residual habits of the root consciousnesses have clarified. When the Skandha of Mental Formations is exhausted, the practitioner can “transcend the Turbidity of Sentient Beings” and observe the subtle, hidden delusive thoughts, recognizing them as their root.

3. The Rise of External Paths:

In the Sphere of the Skandha of Mental Formations, even if the Celestial Maras cannot take advantage, the practitioner may still fall into External Paths because they “only observe a part of the phenomena and draw conclusions based on this,” thereby “losing correct universal knowledge.” When they deeply investigate the root of sentient beings, they “generate erroneous reckoning” within the perfect Self-Nature, which leads to “deluding the Bodhi nature” and causes them to become externalists attached to the Dharma.

II. The Ten Externalist Doctrines:

These ten externalist doctrines all arise because the practitioner, having transcended the Skandha of Mental Formations and residing in the sphere of the Skandha of Mental Formations, generates erroneous “reckoning” (jì dù) concerning the phenomena they witness or realize.

1. The First Externalist: Doctrine of No Cause: The practitioner sees the transmigration of sentient beings within 80,000 kalpas but cannot see beyond that limit. They mistakenly conclude that sentient beings and all things in the world “arise naturally without cause.”
2. The Second Externalist: Doctrine of Perfect Permanence): The practitioner, having exhausted the Skandha of Mental Formations, observes the “constant and permanent” nature of the mind-state, the Four Elements, the six roots, the Manas consciousness, and the root of the mind-consciousness. Or, seeing the physical cessation of transmigration as “not arising and not ceasing,” they mistakenly conclude that these are “perfectly permanent.”
3. The Third Externalist: Doctrine of Partial Permanence: The practitioner observes that their “Wonderful Bright Mind” pervades the ten directions, clear and unmoving, and considers their self to be “permanent.” Or, they see places where the kalpa is destroyed as “impermanent” and places where the kalpa is not destroyed as “permanent.” Or, they regard their mind nature as “unchanging” and thus “permanent,” while the birth and death of sentient beings are “impermanent.” They may even reckon the continuous flow of the Skandha of Mental Formations itself as the “permanent nature.” This is confusing the totality of the Self-Nature with the locality of phenomena, believing one part is permanent and one part is impermanent.
4. The Fourth Externalist: Doctrine of Four Boundaries.
5. The Fifth Externalist: Doctrine of Undying Wrangling and Pervasive Falsity: Engaging in pervasive reckoning and false argumentation, which is meaningless.
6. The Sixth Externalist: Doctrine of Having Form After Death: A confused theory that there is form after death.
7. The Seventh Externalist: Doctrine of Having No Form After Death: A confused theory that there is no form after death.
8. The Eighth Externalist: Doctrine of Neither Having Nor Not Having Form After Death: Believing that after death, things are “neither with nor without” form, and nothing can be absolute or definite.
9. The Ninth Externalist: Doctrine of Annihilation After Death: An erroneous conclusion resulting from the failure to observe that the karmic seeds in the eighth consciousness field (Ālaya) have not yet fully ripened or been cleared.
10. The Tenth Externalist: Doctrine of Five Present Nirvāṇas: The practitioner experiences various kinds of “pleasure” in the Desire Realm or the Four Dhyāna Heavens and mistakenly believes these temporary pleasures are “Nirvāṇa.”

III. Conclusion:

Proper Knowledge and Proper Viewshold a core position in cultivation. The Sūtra cautions the Buddha’s disciples to pass on the Tathāgata’s words to the Dharma-Ending Age, enabling sentient beings to “realize these meanings,” “eliminate wicked views,” and “awaken to the true meaning,” so that on the Unsurpassed Path, they “do not encounter side paths and forks” and avoid “getting little and being satisfied”. This means that only by achieving the Buddha’s perfect wisdom can one truly “make the final determination.”

Thank you all for listening!