Diamond Sutra: Reflections on Urban Life Today
By Armando Ortiz
“Los instantes abiertos clavaban sus raíces sobre mis suspiros.”
-Federico Lorca
I started reading the Diamond Sutra & The Sutra of Hui-Neng a few months ago. While reading the Diamond Sutra I began reflecting on its message and started writing down notes. These notes became thoughts on each short chapter that eventually came to be a complete document and interpretation of the Buddhist text. The Prajnaparamita came to be in India, and eventually arrived in China like many other things that happen with the exchange of goods and ideas. The text is a major tome in the Mahayanist branch of Buddhism, which is also known as the Great vehicle. This branch mainly spread into East Asia. The term Mahayana also refers to the path or journey of the bodhisattva that is striving to become a fully awakened Buddha for the greater good of all people wherever they are on their life journey on this earth. Mahayana Buddhist also believe the path to enlightenment is open to all.
Eventually the text came to be translated into English and many other languages allowing its accessibility to the world. This post is mainly a commentary on the text and not intended to be a replacement or to take the place of a Buddhist teaching. Hopefully looking through and reading this post will trigger a greater understanding and interest in reading the Diamond Sutra to add to our knowledge and understanding of how humans have interpreted the world they lived in at that moment in time, and maybe there are still some gems to be found that will alter our lives in a positive way and affect our contemporary world.
“Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present.”
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
Anyone can carry the wisdom of Buddha or be buddha. Jesus says that anyone having the heart of a child will enter heaven.
Buddha is simple, no material possessions are described to be in his possession. He wears a robe, carries a bowl and that's all. Where is the buddha necklace, the sandals, or the headdress? Lack of material desire?
There is a right way and wrong way of doing things, tactfully or abruptly, but what is the intention, the intentions behind actions is what one should consider and examine. How do we honor others? How mindful are we of the interconnectedness between us and the unwisdom that exists between all spaces.
When there is no longer an “I, me, mine” in our minds then that is when we've inched closer to nirvana, but we cannot just be detached. If we tap into the flow we will reemerge, but how is the question that one must ponder. Once we let go, what will be the end result, what or who will we become?
How do we give and share of ourselves with others? It's better to give than to receive, but who are we choosing to give to? Are we keeping tabs on those that we give to or choosing where or who receives our kindness? How valuable is it? Does our giving have any value? It is better to give unconditionally to anyone at any time. We give of ourselves with our time, effort and encouragement.
"Equally incalculable is the merit of the bodhisattva who practices charity without any attachment to appearances."
What we see isn't really what things are. All things that shine aren't made of gold.
The Tathagata can be anything or anyone, it's not a static being or nonsense, it just is and as a result we cannot rely on appearances. Anyone or anything may have wisdom. We must be open to receiving the teachings of the way from an unexpected vehicle of delivery.
Death is the final outcome of anything that is conceived onto this world. A seedling will one day be a decaying mound of debris. Teachings, thoughts and ideas need to be used to help us get across obstacles, but also have to be temporary, we can't hold on to everything, even our beliefs, cars, home or children or our memories. Life is transitory, and life is fluid so why put value on things and non-things? The use of our knowledge is temporary and will grow.
There is no chapter seven, seven has never existed, what we have been reading is an illusion of that imagined thing. The words deciphered create a labyrinth in the mind, and the undecipherable leaves a cloud that engulfs everyone. By releasing ourselves from the shackles of what is around we tap into the truth which is nonexistent, eternal, ever present now.
If we seek, we may find it or may not, just be aware that there is no right or wrong way. Enlightenment is like a hummingbird, it seems that you can grasp it but it flies away, yet we can discover its dwelling and let it be. It will perch on the thinnest branch that sways with the wind, and will allow us the privilege to admire its existence. Buddha teachings are actually no teachings. Yet a sign post is put for a reason, yet its message cannot be held or contained forever. Some teachings have lasting merit while others must be discarded after its usefulness has been exhausted, the old ways of living no longer apply to our present conundrums. We crawl out of developmental necessity as a baby, we crawl out of need as adults and do so when needed, we grow as a society according to the needs of the people.
What kind of giving are we engaged in? Do we give materials or give knowledge? Do we give opportunities or hand out things? Do we hand out knowledge or hand out things with our name on it? What do we give freely? What then is our religion? We are the vessel.
What we do depends on the inner peace that we have. We name and label things out of habit. We must transcend the labels. When we name and label we lose the essence of that which is named.
Merit lies in there being no merit, we open the doors to others and teach and explain the significance and meaninglessness of gratitude and giving. Material possessions are labels. Unformulated truth means that we are here in the present, labels and non-labels all are here. Evidence and experience must form our foundations, and then we must realize that all will disintegrate over time.
Lessons are learned in all kinds of circumstances, the way is found in the least expected places, we seek it or it finds us. If we become aware, then and there we should feel fortunate. The ground where we find enlightenment is sacred, enlightenment is everywhere and it will find us. We reach it independent of others and independent of time and the experience is singular, but also interconnected. The ground we walk is already sacred, it has given birth to us all.
School note- no distinctions, all is one. The separation that exists is only the air in between. Redwood, oak tree, all are trees, all are sacred, all is all. Wisdom comes from within and without, time and knowledge, wisdom and lessons are learned at one’s intended time. Tap into eternity and it will light your way.
School note- no distinctions, all is one. The separation that exists is only the air in between. The Name is nameless, this is very Dao De Jing like. There is no I, but then how do you approach the classroom where some have been “identified.” Charity isn’t charity. The Aztec sculpture of the mutilated body- what was its significance? Must have the heart of a child as Jesus says. We cannot purposefully seek to remain enlightened- this is tough. Thoughts may become fractured.
Wherever we are when we discover this teaching, when this lesson is learned, that place becomes sacred. The earth is sacred, time is sacred, submerge into the flow.
No matter where we are, enlightenment may strike, awareness of the unity and disunity of all comes into focus. If we are fortunate to hear and apply these ideas then we are truly there within the sacred.
Opening the door isn’t liberating, but hopefully it leads to greater awareness. If we rely on labels and claim enlightenment, then maybe think more carefully on what we are standing on. There is not one way to gain enlightenment. Don’t use labels, just do and do as best as you can.
Beings, we humans are beings, we like to distinguish ourselves from ants, but we all are beings, energy flows through us all. Be present, the past has passed, the future is out there, be here now.
Where are the reasons to have or seek merit? Do we give to give or give to be celebrated? Where does our merit spring from? Is it merit or is it a desire for merit or is it non-merit?
Perfection vs greatness. Who do we aspire to be? Why do we do what we do to ourselves? Better person vs better appearances, better person to others vs better inner being. Battles are always being waged.
The dharma is here, there, everywhere and in the world. Melting ice, vapors, fish, ants and lichen are there. The teachings are kept everywhere and are available at all times. Spiders are able to fly in the air with enough webbing attached to them.
Consummation of incomparable; consummation-the action of making marriage or relationship complete by making a Q. The point at which something is complete or finalized. Incomparable-without an equal in quality or extent, matchless. Unable to be compared, totally different in nature or extent. A marriage between being and the present awareness, mind, non-mind and time joining or separating. Being and Nothingness? The cycle continues.
Good deeds, bad deeds lead to a lesson, but will those actions lead one to ultimate awareness and enlightenment- All actions contain the seed of interpretations.
Teach, show, point, towards the awareness, tell others, guide them along the way, be present and be available. Remember that the time you give is more valuable than the things that you give away.
As a teacher this is important to keep and to meditate on. “Ego is not different from nonego……such is merely a name.” Embrace it all and reject none of it, the pain continues, but submerge into the flow and be carried away..
If we think you have found enlightenment, don’t fool yourself. If we think we’ve heard the way, most likely it's the wind. Let things be as they are. Be better and teach others the way, be positive in our intentions, but be mindful that even the positive may turn out to be negative. Live to live, live with integrity and accept all and none.
Reason isn't everything and doesn't guarantee the formula to the way. Perfect form or perfect duty such as morals or ethics doesn’t guarantee nirvana. There is no absolute way to enlightenment, all the waterways lead to the ocean, but there is no true ocean. The enlightenment of man, if fortunate to reach nirvana, is only that fortunate. As soon as he announces it it is forever lost. Do not let go of the fish, instead release.
Remember, if you teach only four lines of the Diamond Sutra you have attained merit, but the reward is nothing. Seek to teach, to spread the teaching and knowledge, not to reap the glory or rewards of the actions that have been taken.
The Tathagata is an enlightened one; a finder of truth; one who has attained perfection. Nirvana, enlightenment, wisdom and understanding, is a limitless possibility of realities. Lucky are those that attain these levels. Attention! Once you say it or label it, it is gone! Seek and cherish, teach but don't announce, seek merit but renounce glory.
This life can be spent trying to understand it all. In the end we are all made up of basic space elements, and this writing doesn’t exist.
All that has been isn’t there or here any, and what is now has just disappeared, but how lucky are we who seek and come to an understanding that we live a dream, so let's live our best life, with the best of intentions.
Detachment from appearances. The poetry of life. We are not detached individuals, we are interconnected, all intertwined. Poetry on poetry. Let the smog, smoke and mist of material life be blown away by this awakened desire to find the way, and may the way become clear with sharp focus and that we make that connection and have a desire to be interconnected.
No comments:
Post a Comment