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Winter Retreat 21 – But Not Knowing What Day It Is
Prajñāpāramitā is personified as the mother who gives birth to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; therefore, the image of “Mother Prajñā” is equivalent to the “Father” in Christianity. Prajñā (prajñā) is all-embracing wisdom, the direct insight into yathābhūtaṃ (the true nature) of the universe, transcending all concepts fabricated by the mind. This seeing of things as they truly are is also called emptiness, but it is not “emptiness” as opposed to “existence”; rather, true emptiness = wondrous existence, transcending the duality of being and non-being.
- Emptiness of the internal
- Emptiness of the external
- Emptiness of both internal and external
- Emptiness of emptiness (aśūnyatā)
- Ultimate emptiness (paramārtha-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of the conditioned
- Emptiness of the unconditioned
- Final emptiness
- Beginningless emptiness
- Dispersed emptiness (dispersion)
- Emptiness of self-nature (svabhāva-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of self-characteristics (svalakṣaṇa-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of all dharmas (sarva-dharma-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of non-attainment
- Non-emptiness (abhāva-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of existence (svabhāva-śūnyatā)
- Emptiness of non-dharma
- Emptiness of existent dharma
- Emptiness of non-existent dharma (abhāva-svabhāva-śūnyatā)
The method to realize the wisdom of Prajñā is “contemplation of emptiness”: step by step letting go of all concepts—permanence, impermanence, self, non-self, being, non-being. In the Elephant-Headed Monastery Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, it is taught: should not abide anywhere (“do not rely on form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma”) in order to give rise to the mind of awakening. The Neither Increasing Nor Decreasing Sutra clearly sets out ten contemplations, internal and external, to break through attachments:
- Contemplate the internal body as empty
- Contemplate the external body as empty
- Both internal and external as empty
- Do not cling to all-embracing wisdom
- Do not cling to skillful means of practice
- Do not cling to stages of realization (the ten bhūmis, the four dhyanas)
- Do not cling to attained purity
- Dwell in Prajñāpāramitā
- Do not be attached to teaching, guiding, or practicing the Way
- Contemplate sentient beings, giving rise to compassion
Regarding the samādhi of one practice (ekavyūha-samādhi), the Mañjuśrī Sutra teaches:
The Dharma realm is of one form, it is connected only to the Dharma realm.
This means to contemplate and see that all dharmas (Buddhas of the three times, sentient beings, phenomena) are all manifested in one single form. Finally, “to contemplate the body’s true nature, to contemplate the Buddha is the same” (Vimalakīrti Sutra) reminds us: just by looking deeply into the body or into the Buddha’s name, we can see the wondrous true nature right away.
Part of the following collection
Living Tradition of Zen Practice P G 13