Reminder of Sutra text from last issue: The Emptiness-Ruling Spirit named Far-Reaching Wondrous Sound obtained the liberation door of light of wisdom to see universally throughout the ten directions.

When it’s a matter of theory, of principle, no one should be allowed to bluff his or her way through. You have to investigate honestly. Consequently, Great Master Yongjia also said, “If you have doubts that are unresolved,” then you should ask about them. If you wonder about something or don’s understand something, you can ask about it. If you have doubts that are unresolved, you must directly attack.” We need to attack. It’s not okay not to attack. What must be attacked? We should attack the truth. We absolutely have to work together to make the truth emerge. It’s not for certain that the way I see things is entirely complete. The group as a whole is a Sage. We should pool our collective wisdom. You think of things I didn’t think of, and someone else thinks of something you didn’s think of. Then we put it all together. That’s known as the collective mind being the Buddha’s mind, and the theories of the group being the theories of the Buddha. We should all speak up without polite formalities and bring the truth to light together.

Today I’ll just give a simple explanation of the Emptiness-Ruling Spirit named Far-Reaching Wondrous Sound. The state of being far-reaching is inconceivable. In what way? This Emptiness-Ruling Spirit speaks all Dharmas very well. Her state in speaking Dharma is that she speaks forth inconceivable states. How does she do it? (Note: change ta to feminine ta in Chinese) It’s because she has wisdom, and that wisdom demolishes all stupidity. Wisdom is able to break through stupidity, and so the text goes on to say that she obtained the liberation door of light of wisdom, wisdom’s brightness, to see universally throughout the ten directions. That is the state achieved by this Emptiness-Ruling Spirit, which is also a portion of the Buddha’s state. She entered that door to liberation.

（October 29, 1973 Monday）

The Liberation Door of Emptiness-Ruling Spirit No. 10

The Emptiness-Ruling Spirit named Light Pervading the Ten Directions obtained the liberation door of not moving from one’s original place yet appearing in worlds everywhere.

The next Emptiness-Ruling Spirit is named Light Pervading the Ten Directions. Without my telling you, you will all know that this light pervading the ten directions must be the radiance of wisdom which extends throughout the ten directions, and that this is the Emptiness-Ruling Spirit’s name. She obtained the liberation door of not moving from one’s original place yet appearing in worlds everywhere. What was the state that this Emptiness-Ruling Spirit obtained? It was that of not moving from one’s fundamental location. This kind of state of not moving refers to how, even though one’s body and mind do not move, nonetheless the light of one’s wisdom extends throughout the ten directions. And in spite of the fact that it spreads everywhere in the ten directions, still that light of wisdom which one has to start with does not decrease in any way. The Sutra also talks elsewhere about “not nullifying one’s original place,” and in that context “nulli­fying” would indicate displacement from one’s original location in order to go throughout the ten directions. That’s the force of “nullifying.” In this case, “not moving” means that even though one’s light of wisdom goes everywhere in the ten directions, there is no displacement of or from one’s original location. Hence this is known as light pervading the ten directions; and it is also called not moving from the Way-place yet extending everywhere in the ten directions. It further is what is meant by there not being anywhere where one does not feel at home, and by doing things as if one were not doing anything. Originally it’s just that way, without the need to apply deliberate effort. Without moving from one’s original location, one universally appears in the world of sentience in order to teach and transform living beings. That is the kind of door to liberation which this Emptiness-Ruling Spirit attained.

Anyone who is willing to cultivate can achieve this kind of liberation door. One goes from the small to the great, from what is near to what is far, and from one’s own self to identity with others. As to not moving from one’s original place, to what does that refer? To give a tiny illustration, it’s as when you do a lot of work, yet in your mind you don’t feel that it is exhausting. It’s not the case that you do some work and then mentally experience, “Ah! I am tired.” Your feeling of fatigue is nullification of your original place. If you don’t feel tired, then you experience that you are doing things as if nothing were going on, that it’s very good to be doing them, that it’s good exercise for your body. For example, today Guo Hu went to move lumber. When he couldn’t lift it, he wanted to cry and said, “Ah! It’s too heavy!” Did you actually shed tears?

Heng Shou (Guo Hu): No, but it was too much work.

Venerable Master: Ah! If you were able to be such that although you were working, there would be no work that could be done, so that you reached the Way of Effortlessness, then that would be not moving from your original place. If your mind does not move, then you have not moved from your original location. What is that original location? It is your mind. If your mind moves, then you have moved from your fundamental place. Let’s not keep talking about this. Time won’t permit us to say a lot. [to girl with shaved head] When you came with your head shaved tonight, I was really happy, so I talked to you for a long time. Originally there was no talking to be done at all, but you came with your head shaved, and so we talked. Now let your hair grow a bit, okay?

（October 31, 1973 Wednesday）

Note: The Venerable Master asks a disciple to read an article from the Napa County Record written by Kuo Chou [David Rounds, Record Editor], dated October 31, 1973. The article was about the two monks Heng Ju and Heng You, who were making the first American Three-Steps-One-Bow Pilgrimage, from Gold Mountain Monastery in San Francisco to Marblemount in Washington State. They began their journey on October 16, 1973, and completed it on August 17, 1974.

Venerable Master: What does each of you think of this? If you have any opinions, bring them up. I do have one opinion myself. The part that talks about their doing this to make Buddhism better known should not be in there. It’s already enough to say that Buddhists are doing this, and that they are simply praying for world peace. You shouldn’t say the purpose is to make Buddhism better known or more popular. If you talk about the benefits to Buddhism from doing this, or how it will make Buddhism better known, then you are deliberately fishing for praise and reputation. You’re doing it for publicity purposes. Then you’ve lost all the value of the original intent. It loses all its worth. Dharma Master Miao Jing, don’t you agree?

Dharma Master Miao Jing: Yes, you’re right.

Venerable Master: So it’s best not to bring up its being of benefit to Buddhism, or how it will influence people. Don’t mention that. Other people can say it, but the article quotes Kuo Yu (Heng Ju) as saying it. That’s not okay. They shouldn’t have that idea. Whoever is going there tomorrow should tell them right away not to have such ideas after this, and that they shouldn’t talk about this benefitting Buddhism in some way. As soon as you say such things, people will consider it a deliberate publicity campaign for Buddhism, something you Buddhists have dreamed up to do because you don’t have any other way to get publicity. Do you understand what I mean?

Disciple: Yes, I understand.

Venerable Master: You give people an opening, a place to get at you, either to criticize or to scold you. However, if people scold them, the more they are scolded the better. If people hit them, it doesn’t matter. The worse people treat them the better. Go tell them that. Whoever is going to see them tomorrow should inform them immediately about this. As soon as you talk like that, you lose the value of the whole thing. All of you think it over, isn’t that something that happens?

Venerable Master: What do you think, Kuo Chou?

Kuo Chou: I wish it were not too late to change the article.

Venerable Master: Never mind—just be careful next time. You should think things over using your wisdom and intelligence. Don’t take the Buddhist standpoint. Use the outlook, for example, of a non-Buddhist religion. That way you’ll understand a lot more. Basically the article could say what it says, and it would be fine. However, when Buddhism is just beginning, you shouldn’t give people an opportunity to attack it, a chance to fight. If we construct tight fortifications, then others can’t invade.

Translator (Heng Ching): [asks about the Chinese term for fortifications]

Venerable Master: [explaining the term] During war, if you have a fortress with cannons, the cannons can be fired aiming outwards, preventing attackers from coming in from outside. The military personnel live within the fort and can fire artillery outwards, resisting external siege. There can be just ten people in the fort and maybe 1000 or 800 people outside, but those inside can kill every one of the attackers and prevent them from coming in. You should realize there are people here in San Francisco who are so angry and who hate us so much that if we all died tonight, they would be delighted.

Heng Ching: Because of the two of them?

Venerable Master: Not because of them. There are people who would be happy for an atomic bomb to hit our building, because we speak the true Dharma. It was already that way in the time of Great Master Yongjia, who said, “They can’t stand not to see it destroyed like smashing a tile to smithereens.” It’s as when you speak the genuine, proper Dharma: they want to do away with you immediately. That’s why you need to be careful. To them, everything we do is wrong. You try to do something right, and people try to smash you the way a tile smashes when you dash it on the ground. You should all deeply fathom this principle and truly understand it. Why is this the case? It’s because you’re following a bad teacher, who is making others dislike all of you good people.

To be continued