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AMERICAN BUDDHA
Sep, 2011 We Can Do This: Prajnaparamita Sutra Revealed, by Baksheesh the Madman
by Baksheesh the Madman
AUTHOR'S DEDICATION
Come join me on the Ocean of Experience! May those who read this recognize it as their own understanding. GO STRAIGHT TO THE HEART Let’s go directly to the heart of the Heart Sutra: "Therefore Sariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas abide relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, without obscurations of thought, and so are fearless." In order to understand the deep significance expressed herein, repeat after Baksheesh three times: “There is no attainment.” Now rest with that thought just a minute and consider the implications for your Buddhist spiritual life. Pretty confusing, huh? Don’t feel bad. Orthodox Mahayana Buddhists usually honor this statement without understanding, continuing on their merry way, seeking attainment. Scholars explain it away. Of course most American-born Buddhists think it’s pathetic that Christians bury their most cherished beliefs, like the injunction to eschew homicide, under a pile of corpses and political justifications, but they don’t turn the mirror on themselves to observe how little they understand their own doctrine. What is the usual response to this authoritative statement from a top Buddhist disciple that “there is no attainment?” I suppose Zen masters do talk about it some, but if they carved it over the entrance to the monastery, they’d probably be retired as altogether too esoteric in their approach. Can you can imagine the anxiety of the rank and file priests if this truth of “no attainment” were popularized: "Suppose the faithful believe it and go away? Worse yet, suppose we ourselves come to believe it, and abandon the Dharma?" Such a fearful attitude may guarantee future employment, and protect the outer tradition from extinction, but it also dooms one to a coward’s fate, and the Bodhisattvas are the heroes of enlightenment, not deserters. We must rise to the challenge of understanding, or perish as ignorant as the rest. NO ATTAINMENT Although many Buddhists avoid this truth that is clearly written for their benefit, I, Baksheesh, adjure you to return to the Heart of the Heart Sutra, and not turn your gaze for one moment from this thought: “There is no attainment.” Why? Because you must grasp this nut to loosen the bolt on your mind. Then, let your attention encompass the rest of the statement: "Therefore Sariputra, because there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas abide relying on the Perfection of Wisdom, without obscurations of thought, and so are fearless." The thrust of the statement is that “because there is no attainment,” Bodhisattvas don’t plan on achieving anything, and instead rely on “Perfect Wisdom,” which removes “obscurations of thought,” leaving them "fearless." In other words, instead of applying themselves to something unachievable, an “attainment” such as the extinction of desire, Bodhisattvas apply their superior perception and understanding to eliminate fear. Eliminate fear of what? All the usual fears, plus one more – fear of not achieving enlightenment -- which bedevils all Buddhist amateurs. It might also be said that by “no attainment,” the sutra means no static attainment. A static attainment is a credential, a mark of achievement, like having attended many meditation sessions, or having received many tantric empowerments, having donated many dollars, or free sexual favors, to the guru. These static attainments are like money amateur Buddhists acquire in order to spend it assuaging the fear that they are making no progress, because the true attainment they crave remains far-off, apparently entirely out of reach. The Perfection of Wisdom is not a static achievement, yet the Bodhisattvas rely upon it, and only upon it. SURFING The Heart Sutra is like a surfboard. You can buy a surfboard on any day, and throw it into the curling waves, and it will bob about aimlessly like the unaware piece of flotsam it is, never catching a single wave. But if you have knowledge within you, you can get on it and surf, riding a rolling wall of water all the way in to shore. A surfer rides the waves relying not on static achievement, but rather by listening to an internal gyroscope that understand the waves. However many waves she’s ridden, she rides each one anew, relying on no static achievements, because this wave is different, has never been ridden before, and can only be ridden spontaneously, now. Like a surfboard, the words of the Heart Sutra may give you a place to stand on the waves of endless change, but it is the Perfect Wisdom within your own heart that will keep you balanced there, standing straight and tall against the rolling horizon, a miracle of intelligence conquering chaos. FEARLESS Why are the Bodhisattvas fearless? They are better informed about reality, but that isn't a static attainment based on a general assertion like “life is impermanent.” Bodhisattvas have a thought-achievement, a knowledge-triumph, every moment. They see it right, they get it right, and they don’t make the mistake of relying upon what they learned yesterday, or what empowerments they received, what vows they’ve kept, and who has patted them on the head for being a good boy. Thus the direct, true understanding of present life is called The Perfection of Wisdom. That's Wisdom as in "True Knowing," not as in "The Absolutely Right Answer." The latter would be a static attainment, suitable for doctrinal adoption by the masses. The former is a view attainable by everyone who sees clearly -- a much more select group.
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