Segment 4 / the Wondrous Practice of Non-Attachment
The Buddha continued speaking to Venerable Subhūti “Moreover, Subhūti, a Bodhisattva should not attach to anything when practicing the Dharma. In the act of almsgiving, the Bodhisattva should not be attached to form, nor to sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental objects.” Subhūti, a Bodhisattva should practice almsgiving in this way, without attachment to form. Why is this so? When a Bodhisattva offers almsgives without attachment to form, the virtue and good fortune accrued are beyond conception. Subhūti, what do you think? Can the space in the eastern direction be measured?” “Not at all, World-Honoured One,” Subhūti responded.
“And what about the space in the southern, western, northern, and the other four directions, as well as above and below? Can these be measured?”
“Not at all, World-Honoured One,” Subhūti replied.
“The virtues and good fortunes of a Bodhisattva who practice almsgiving without attachment to form is like this,” the Buddha explained, “inconceivable and immeasurable. Subhūti, a Bodhisattva should dwell in this way.”
In this Segment, the Buddha further instructs Subhūti: A Bodhisattva, when engaging in the practice of almsgiving, should do so with no attachment to anything.
One should not become attached to form, sound, smell, taste, touches, or mental object, as they should not cling to any appearance while performing almsgiving.
The Buddha speaks of “forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects” as the “six external sense objects,” which correspond to, and arise in relation to, the human faculties of “eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.”
Just as the eye perceives forms, the ear hears sounds, the nose smells scents, the tongue tastes flavors, the body feels touch, and the mind engages with concepts, cognition, and definitions – this is referred to as dharmas.
To attain Buddhahood, sentient beings must let go of attachment to all things in this world and be able to renounce them. A Bodhisattva must let go of the six internal faculties and the six external sense objects, but the mind must not cling to appearances while letting go; otherwise, there will be suffering from gain and loss.
For example, I used to enjoy painting and writing poetry, and once dreamed of becoming a painter or a poet. After I began practicing the Dharma, I devoted all my time and energy to meditation and studying the scriptures. I thought I had given up my personal interests and sacrificed many worldly pleasures and honors in pursuit of the path. If one holds the same view I once did, a Bodhisattva lives like a martyr, because there is a sense of sacrifice. This is called “giving alms while clinging to concepts.”
Another example: some people who love eating meat may choose to become vegetarian in order to purify their energy channels or cultivate compassion. In this case, they give up meat as almsgiving for their practice. If one “gives but clings to the flavor,” they may feel as though they have sacrificed something delicious. Even vegetarian food may start to taste bland, as if chewing wax. In reality, what one considers delicious is, in the eyes of others, merely the decaying flesh of an animal, seasoned with spices. Especially in the perception of celestial beings, it is foul and repulsive. If the practitioner realizes that “deliciousness” is merely a subjective feeling and perception, and understands that the essence of flavor is not what they once believed, they will no longer feel as though they have given up tasty food, nor will eating vegetarian seem burdensome or noble. This is “giving alms without clinging to taste.”
Another example, you might find yourself attracted to a woman, captivated by her appearance, her voice, the fragrance of her perfume, and the softness of her skin and so on. If, one day you choose to relinquish this attachment for the sake of awakening, and you believe that your perceptions, experiences, and sensations are truly real rather than illusory then you are “engaging in attachment to form, sound, smell, taste, and phenomena.” You may experience significant pain, interpreting it as a sacrifice or loss. In fact, is the woman you find beautiful truly as you perceive her? As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is your attachment to the image, driven by desire, that prevents you from letting go. If one day our feelings change and you fall out of love, the same woman may appear unattractive, and you may even wish to distance yourself from her.
Thus, whether you believe you have relinquished something you like or something you dislike, it is all still “attachment to forms in the practice of renunciation.” In truth, you have not truly let go of anything. All appearances you perceive are merely illusions. In Buddhism, the practice of almsgiving and renunciation ultimately seeks to liberate you from attachment to people, things, and circumstances, preventing them from ensnaring you in the three realms and six paths. If you understand the illusory nature of all forms and practice renunciation and almsgiving without attachment, your mind will settle in the act of almsgiving, only then can the merit of almsgiving be returned to emptiness.
In this Segment, the Buddha further explains that when a bodhisattva practices almsgiving without attachment to forms, the merit accumulated is inconceivable, akin to the vastness of the four directions and the space above and below. Why is the merit of almsgiving so boundless? Because when the practitioner gives without attachment to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects, it is as though they are renouncing the six eternal sense objects without attachment to their forms. Similarly, it is like renouncing the six internal faculties without attachment to concept of self.
In Buddhism, the combination of the six sense faculties (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) with the six sense objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas) constitute the eighteen realms. If both the six faculties and the six objects are empty, then the eighteen realms are empty. Through practicing almsgiving without attachment to forms, the practitioner enters the state described in <the Heart Sutra>, the great bodhisattva’s realization of “no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; no realm of sight, all the way to the realm of no consciousness.” The bodhisattva realizes the emptiness of self and the emptiness of phenomena, thereby liberated from the three realms and the six paths. Upon finally breaking attachment to the dharma-body, the practitioner enters the Buddha’s state of true emptinesss. As a result, the merit gained from such practice is immense and inconceivable.
In the human realm, when observing the Bodhisattva’s path of cultivation,one finds that the pleasures of the five desires cannot be fully indulged, nor is there time to pursue fame or fortune. Instead, a Bodhisattva must constantly accumulate merit and give alms selflessly, without seeking any reward. Without abiding the perceptions, that all phenomena are ultimately empty, then all acts of almsgiving and renunciation will feel like burdens, sacrifices or losses. The Bodhisattva may struggle to experience the joy of liberation and find the path of Bodhisattva exceedingly difficult. Therefore, without the right perception of emptiness, it is not truly the path to liberation for Bodhisattva. This is why the Buddha emphasised that one should not engage in almsgiving and renunciation from the perspective that worldly phenomena possess true existence.
Ordinary people, when seeking to renounce the world, still attach to the worldly life, suffering from the afflictions of gain and loss. In contrast, Arhats take an opposite approach, disgusting and leaving all worldly things. Arhats view the six sense objects and worldly desires as obstacles to the practice, all should be abandoned completely, Arhats consider, for example, money as a poisonous snake that leads to greed. On the Bodhisattva path, when relinquishing money or material possessions, the Arhats must recognise that money is “ultimately empty.” While it is labeled as “money,” “a poisonous snake,” or“greed,” these are merely conceptual labels. To dislike or like these labels or forms is attachment either. If sentient beings attach to forms while practicing almsgiving, their acts of almsgiving remain as worldly deeds that only yield positive results, but they cannot be liberated from the cycle of samsara. Only through almsgiving without any attachment can a Bodhisattva practice almsgiving without seeking reward or recognition, without desiring merit and attainment. Such a Bodhisattva’s mind remains unaffected by circumstances, free from the afflictions of gain and loss, and can swiftly return to the original true emptiness of no gain no lose.
After addressing the universal salvation of sentient beings, the Buddha shifts to discussing the Bodhisattva’s renunciation. Renunciation is central to the entire practice and realization of the Dharma. When one aspires to achieve Buddhahood, the first step is to cultivate the intention to renounce the three realms and six paths, and the cycle of birth and death. However, since sentient beings are still bound by habitual tendencies and desires, they often experience greed and attachment when initially attempting to renounce the things they are attached to in the human realm. If one continues to attach to the illusory phenomena of the three realms and six paths, they will remain trapped within time and space, unable to return to the source of life or attain Buddhahood. Thus, a great Bodhisattva, realizes the illusory nature of all phenomena, must be able to “give alms universally without any attachment.” This is the foundation of the Bodhisattva’s mind of renunciation and it is the true renunciation.