Absolute Delusion/ Perfect Buddhahood

The following is an excerpt from Buddha Forum. Venerable Dharmakara posted this.

In spite of the common view of Buddhism as non-dogmatic and tolerant, the historical record preserves many examples of Buddhist thinkers and movements that were banned as heretical or subversive. The San-chieh (Three Levels) was a popular and influential Chinese Buddhist movement during the Sui and T'ang periods. "Absolute Delusion, Perfect Buddhahood" uses manuscripts discovered at Tun-huang to examine the doctrine and institutional practices of this movement in the larger context of Mahayana doctrine and practice. By viewing San-chieh in the context of Mahayana Buddhism, Hubbard reveals it to be far from heretical and thereby raises important questions about orthodoxy and canon in Buddhism. He shows that many of the hallmark ideas and practices of Chinese Buddhism find an early and unique expression in the San-chieh texts.

Absolute Delusion, Perfect Buddhahood
http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/publications/nlarc/Absolute_delusion.htm

The Refuge of the Four Buddhas of the Universal Dharma

I. The Buddha as the Matrix of Enlightenment

[Truth and untruth] are neither different nor the same. [Nonetheless, truth and untruth] are one as well as different, while being neither one nor different. Although separated from attachments, the truth of the universe produces the untruth of the universe; therefore, untruth is dependent upon truth. But truth is not independent, because it is forever dependent on untruth; neither does untruth arise independently, because it is necessarily dependent upon truth. Again, the matrix of enlightenment and all of samsara, the essence and the forms, are also like this, neither the same nor different. Like gold and the ornaments made from gold, the essence and forms are forever the same. Again, the matrix of enlightenment and the phenomenal forms of the universe, the essence and forms, are forever different, as dust and moisture are always distinct; thus they are neither different nor not different. The Scripture of the Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala says: "If there is no doubt about the matrix of enlightenment when it is covered by the innumerable stores of defilements, then there will be no doubt concerning the body of truth that is free of those innumerable stores of defilements."

Further, the Scripture of the Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala teaches that "the matrix of enlightenment is the basis of the repeated cycles of birth and death; because of this matrix of enlightenment the original limits are taught to be unknowable. Because the matrix of enlightenment is the basis, we speak of the cycle of birth and death, and this is well spoken. There is birth and death because of worldly convention, but neither birth nor death is found in the matrix of enlightenment. The matrix of enlightenment is the matrix of the universe, the matrix of the truth-body, the supreme matrix of the transcendent, the matrix whose self-nature is pure." It is wholly quiescent, truly ultimate, and forever separated from all false thoughts and delusion. Yet the untruth of the universe continues to be dependent upon the truth of the universe. The phenomenal forms of the universe continue to be dependent upon the matrix of enlightenment, just as water is the basis of the many waves. Because there is the matrix of enlightenment there are the phenomenal forms of the universe, as there are many waves because of the water.

The matrix of enlightenment has the form of samsara, the repeated cycle of birth and death. "Birth" is the arising of new phenomenal form; "death" is the extinction of old phenomenal form. As with the water and the waves, [the matrix of enlightenment and the repeated cycles of birth and death] arise together and end together. Nonetheless, the water neither arises nor comes to an end. Dependent upon the water, the form of the wave arises and falls. When the new wave arises, the old wave ceases. The phenomenal forms of the universe, therefore, are none other than the matrix of enlightenment, and there is no other essence outside of this essence and these forms. It is like the waves that are nothing other than the water, yet outside of those waves there is no other water.

However, the myriad phenomenal forms of the universe arise because of good and evil actions, not because of the matrix of enlightenment, as the true cause of the arising of the many waves is the wind, not the water. Again, the virtues of the matrix of enlightenment function throughout the universe together with the phenomenal forms as their base, support, and foundation. It is like the virtue of the water whose essence and function permeate thewaves as the basis of all of the waves. Nonetheless, the matrix of enlightenment is different from the myriad phenomenal forms that arise dependent upon it --- the matrix of enlightenment alone is the essence, the phenomenal forms are not the essence, as the essence of water is different from the many waves. Only the water is water, the waves are not the water. Similarly, the truth of the essential nature of the matrix of enlightenment both functions and does not function in relation to the myriad phenomenal forms. It is like the purity of the essence of the water, which both functions and does not function with respect to the waves.

Again, this essence is called the storehouse consciousness. Therefore the last book of the Ghanavyuha Sutra says, "the Buddha has taught the matrix of enlightenment as the storehouse consciousness. Delusory thinking cannot know that this matrix is the storehouse consciousness." There are two basic explanations with regard to this, that of the principle and the mind. The matrix of enlightenment is the principle, and worldly consciousness is the mind. The matrix is true, and consciousness provisional. It is also called the four unconditioned noble truths: although suffering and its cause are destroyed, nothing is actually destroyed. Although the truths of extinction and the path are obtained, nothing is actually obtained. Therefore, because nothing is actually destroyed or obtained, there is neither increase nor decrease. It is also called the one truth because it is ultimate and true, with neither destruction nor attainment. It is also called the one foundation because it is the unsurpassed foundation of all practice and understanding inthe universe. It is also called suchness in itself, because it is equal and non-dual. It is also called the totality of the universe because there is neither increase nor decrease. It is also called the store-consciousness because it appropriates and stores all the various phenomena.

The matrix of enlightenment and the conditions and forms have no beginning or end, and thus truth and untruth are dependent upon eachother, neither separate nor distinct. Therefore the Lankavatara Sutra states in a simile that "the storehouse consciousness is like the expansive ocean and waves. Because of violent winds the great waves arise, which roll ceaselessly over the depths. The ocean of the store-consciousness is eternally abiding, and that which is aroused by the wind is the world of objects. It is the waves of consciousness that arise, jumping and dancing about." Sometimes the true is changed into the untrue, like a multitalented actor. Sometimes the untrue is transformed into the true, like a golden ornament [that can return to its original state of pure gold]. The true cause [that is, matrix of enlightenment] and the conditioned cause [that is, conditioned phenomena] are both the same and different like milk, cream, and clarifed butter.

Truth and untruth both take shape within the same matrix, like the ocean and the waves. The One Vehicle [of the Buddhas] and the Three Vehicles [of the bodhisattva, the sravaka, and the pratyekabuddha] are both the same and different, like the Anavatapta Lake and the eight rivers that flow from it. All of these causes and conditions are thoroughly explained in various similes within the sutras. Therein it is taught that the matrix of enlightenment gives rise to the cause and fully ripens the fruit, changing the small into the great and transforming the common into the noble. All this is due to the efficacious power of the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment.

II. The Buddha-Nature Buddha

The second item is the Buddha that exists within all living beings as the nature of a Buddha. Some texts talk of this Buddha-nature as a principle, while others speak of it as something acquired through practice. Some speak of this nature as the cause of enlightenment and others as a result. Now, in clarifying this we only rely on the thirty-eighth book of the Nirvana Sutra, which illuminates the Buddha-nature as the "true cause". Therein it states that all of the living beings of the universe, ordinary persons as well as sages, have this nature, as do all of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Thus, from the perspective of the result, the name is established and called Buddha-nature. However, this Buddha-nature is neither cause nor result. Existing as the cause it is termed cause, existing as the result it is termed result.

Related to the former concept of the matrix of enlightenment, just as "observe" and "watch" are different words [but both mean "to see"], with regard to conditions there is a slight difference in meaning [between the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment and the Buddha as the nature of the Buddha in all living beings]. Buddha-nature is so called because it includes the permanence of the fruits of Buddhahood throughout the universe as well as the permanence of the causes of Buddhahood throughout the universe. Wholly embracing everything from the fruits of Buddhahood down to its causes, it is termed the Buddha as Buddha-nature.

Book thirty-six of the Nirvana Sutra says that the Buddha-nature is not one thing, nor ten things, nor one hundred, one thousand, nor even ten thousand things, nor up to the as-yet-unattained highest perfect enlightenment; the totality of the good, evil, and neutral are all called Buddha-nature.

Buddha-nature is the perfection of the four qualities: the truly permanent, truly blissful, truly self, and truly pure. Eternal because it never changes, pure because it is without defilement, true because it is self-abiding. Because Buddha-nature is unsullied by defilements, while revolving and changing in samsara according to conditions it remains unsullied though in the midst of defilements. Within the person of an ordinary being it is mixed with defilements, like bloody milk --- the sravakas [disciples] are like milk, the pratyekabuddhas [solitary buddhas] like cream, the bodhisattvas like yogurt, and the various buddhas and tathagatas like clarifed butter. Although the level of practice of the commoner and the noble differ, with regard to the quality of the nature of the true cause of Buddhahood they do not differ but are the same. Although the Buddha-nature abides due to its essential nature, this nature is yet without essence. Emptiness is none other than existence, and existence none other than emptiness; neither momentary nor eternal; one nor different; removed from the bifurcations of subject and object, it transcends the four logical alternatives and the eight negations [of Nagarjuna].

In the twenty-eighth book of the Nirvana Sutra the bodhisattva Sinhanada asked about the meaning of the Buddha as Buddha-nature. The answer is that the seeds of all of the buddhas, the highest perfect enlightenment, and the middle path are called Buddha-nature. The sutra also says that "the Buddha-nature is called the emptiness as the ultimate meaning and emptiness as the ultimate meaning is wisdom. One who merely talks about emptiness sees neither the empty nor the nonempty, but the wise one sees both the empty and the nonempty. Empty are all things in samsara, but the nonempty is great liberation. When one sees everything as empty but does not see that which is not empty, it is not called the middle path. Self and no-self are also like this. For these reasons the middle path is called Buddha-nature. Because the Buddha-nature is without change, it is eternal."

The Nirvana Sutra further says: "The sravakas and pratyekabuddhas only see emptiness, but they do not see that which is not empty --- this is not called the middle path." Further, Buddha-nature is called the truth of ultimate meaning, because it dwells eternally without change. Because it is separated from all phenomenal forms, it is as well called the emptiness of ultimate meaning. Because it is separated from all delusion and darkness it is also called wisdom and illumination. Ungraspable and unrestricted, yet one can realize it. One should not rely on a person with wordy explanations but no insight.

Buddha-nature is also called the diamond-like contemplation, because it cannot be destroyed. Buddha-nature is also called nirvana, because it neither arises nor ceases. It is also called Buddha-nature because it is the realization of enlightenment. It is also called the dharma-nature, because it is that which upholds the norm. It is also called the principle of the sangha because it is without error. The sutra says that if a person only has faith in the three jewels of Buddha, doctrine, and community without having faith in the one nature of these three jewels, it is called incomplete faith. Because it is not simply nonexistent like the horns of a rabbit, it is called truly empty; yet because it is not simple nothingness like vacuous space, it is also profoundly existent.

Again, the Hua-yen Sutra calls it formless because it is the unobstructed wisdom in sentient beings. It is also called the "mind's gateway to suchness" because it is intrinsically unchanging. It is also called the "unborn and the unceasing" because the nature of the true conditions and true manifestations of the physical and mental (that is, Buddha-nature) dwells eternally. It is also called the "Buddha-nature that abides of its own nature" because the nature of original enlightenment is uncaused. It is also called the self-nature of nirvana because it is intrinsically quiescent. It is also called the self-nature of wisdom because the self-nature is originally pure and removed from ignorance. It is also called the limit of reality, because the essence of the [Buddha-]nature is true and not false. It is also called suchness in itself, because the nature of the principle is without change. It is not to be found in the five psycho-physical components, the eighteen bases of existence, or in the twelve entrances of cognition, yet neither is it to be found separated from the five psycho-physical components, the eighteen bases of existence, or the twelve entrances of cognition. It is not to be found within living beings nor separate from living beings. It is neither permanent nor impermanent, because it contains both the permanent and the impermanent. It is also called the king of wonderful medicines, because it is able to remove the disease of living beings' passions.

It is also called the treasure house that benefits living beings, as the Nirvana Sutra teaches with a simile about a richman who, in a time of famine, when wealth is hard to come by, opens his treasure house and shares it with all --- so, too, within this world of passions in the time of the semblance doctrine, when living beings are totally perverse and the pure doctrine is exhausted, when the extreme evil of the five heinous crimes increases, leading to the lowest hell of no respite, when perverted views arise and everybody is quarreling with one another and living beings who hold the twelve heterodox views are everywhere, when the dharma is endangered, this, the treasure house of the Buddha doctrine is opened and shared by all --- this is what is meant by the Buddha-nature as the "true cause". All of the living beings of the universe, those of base and noble spirit alike, all possess this nature [of a Buddha], excluding only the grasses, trees, walls, broken tiles, and so on. The sutra teaches the difference between those things without Buddha-nature and those with Buddha-nature and that whichis without Buddha-nature is the earth, trees, tiles, and rocks; that which is distinct from these nonsentient things are all said to have Buddha-nature.

It is only because of ignorance that the gold within the dross is not discovered. If one wishes to have insight, then through emptiness of self and emptiness of phenomena one must dispel belief in the ego-self and the self of things; when fixed in equanimous quiescence, clearly illuminating the identity of principle and phenomena, thoroughly mastering essence and form, and when the mind that follows the object is suppressed, then one will eliminate the self and identify with others. Hearing this without hearing, seeing this without seeing, this is well-seen.

III. The Future Buddha

The third is the Future Buddha. The essence of the above-described Tathagatagarbha Buddha and Buddha-nature Buddha is the true cause of wisdom and the foundation of the truth body. Therefore the essence gives rise to the conditioned, and the practices are pursued according to the conditions --- all are the practices of the matrix of enlightenment, the practices of the Buddha-nature. The tree includes the bud and truth includes untruth, thus all practices are those of the universal bodhisattva of the One Vehicle. With the full completion of the practices the fruits of Buddhahood are realized. Because the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment and the Buddha as Buddha-nature exist within the bondage of ignorance and the realm of causality, there is likewise the future realization of Buddhahood. Therefore, this aspect is termed the "Future Buddha".

We rely on the Lotus Sutra, which teaches that the bodhisattva Never-Despise [Sadaparibhuta] worshipped all among the four classes of beings, that is, monks, nuns, and male and female lay devotees, as the same because they possess the true essence of the matrix of enlightenment and Buddha-nature. Therefore he told them, "You all practice the path of the bodhisattva and in the future will become buddhas", hence this aspect of the refuge of the universal Buddha is termed the "Future Buddha".

IV. The Perceived Buddha

The fourth is the Perceived Buddha. Because all living beings in theuniverse are none other than the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment, the Buddha as the Buddha-nature, and the Future Buddha, the forms of living beings are not different from the true Buddha. This is called the "Perceived Buddha".

According to the "Chapter on Clarifying the Dharma" in the eighth book of the Hua-yen Sutra, the superior and inferior levels of living beings are all to be thought of as the Buddha. Although we may speak of the many levels of living beings and their differences, from the point of view of their essence they are all the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment, the Buddha as the Buddha-nature, and the future Buddha; they should, therefore, all be respected with the thought that indeed they are buddhas. According to the fourth book of the Dasacakra Sutra, we are taught to respect equally the three kinds of monks, that is, those with no precepts, those who break the precepts, and those who keep the precepts, with the thought that they are the true buddhas.

Although we may talk of the difference between holding the precepts and breaking the precepts, because the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment is the same as the Buddha-nature and the Future Buddha, they are one and not two. Therefore, you should respect all, perceiving them as true buddhas, and this is termed "Perceived Buddha".

The essence of the above four Buddhas is all the same, and according to the teachings of the individual sutras all are the perception of the Buddha. The Lanka and the Scripture of Queen Srimala call it the Buddha as the matrix of enlightenment, the Nirvana Sutra calls it the Buddha as Buddha-nature, the Lotus Sutra calls it the Future Buddha, and the Hua-yen Sutra and the Dasacakra Sutra call it the Perceived Buddha. Therefore these four buddhas comprise a single Buddha, and thus these four buddhas clarify the essence of the eightfold doctrine