Segment 1 8 / The Unity of PerceptionSubhūti! What do you think? Does the Tathāgata possess fleshly eyes? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses fleshly eyes.”
Subhūti! What do you think? Does the Tathāgata possess heavenly eyes? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses heavenly eyes.”
Subhūti! What do you think? Does the Tathāgata possess wisdom eyes? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses wisdom eyes.”
Subhūti! What do you think? Does the Tathāgata possess dharma eyes? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses dharma eyes.”
Subhūti! What do you think? Does the Tathāgata possess Buddha eyes? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses Buddha eyes.”
Subhūti! What do you think? Regarding all the sand in the Ganges River, does the Buddha speak of it as sand? “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Buddha speaks of it as sand.”
Subhūti! What do you think? If there are as many Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in one Ganges River, would the Buddha’s world be as numerous as the number of grains of sand in these rivers? “Numerous, World-Honoured One!”
The Buddha tells Subhūti, “In all these worlds, all sentient beings and their different kinds of minds, the Tathāgata knows them all. Why is this? The Tathāgata says: All minds are not minds; it is merely called ‘mind. ’Why? Subhūti! The past mind cannot be grasped, the present mind cannot be grasped, and the future mind cannot be grasped.”
The main idea of this Segment is that the Buddha continuously askes Subhūti a series of questions: “Does the Tathāgata possess fleshly eyes? Does the Tathāgata possess heavenly eyes? Does the Tathāgata possess wisdom eyes? Does the Tathāgata possess dharma eyes? Does the Tathāgata possess Buddha eyes? Does the Buddha speak of the sand in the Ganges River as sand?” Subhūti respondes affirmatively to each question: “Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses fleshly eyes. Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses heavenly eyes. Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses a wisdom eye. Yes, World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata possesses dharma eyes. Yes, WorldHonoured One, the Tathāgata possesses Buddha eyes. Yes, World-Honoured One, the Buddha speaks of it as sand.”
Why does the Buddha ask suddenly about the five eyes and six supernatural powers to Subhūti ? To begin, we first clarify what the five eyes are: the fleshly eye, the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, the dharma eye, and the Buddha eye.
The “Five Eyes and Six Supernatural Powers” refer to abilities that arise through Buddhist cultivation upon realizing emptiness. Each type of eye corresponds to a different level of practicing and is associated with distinct supernatural powers except of fleshly eye. These powers are inherent to every person, and every person has it, but they can only be fully actualized once one enters the true state of emptiness. The five eyes represent different levels of practicing attainment.
Everyone knows about the physical eye. Each person has two eyes and possesses the function of the physical eye as long as one is not blind,. It can see mountains, rivers, and other physical phenomena, and even make inferences about the past and future based on sensory information, though these inferences are often inaccurate. Because human beings believe that all things truly exist, and due to their attachments to matters, the fleshly eye is the most limited of the five. It cannot perceive the underlying essence of thing; Moreover, time and space also pose obstacles to it. The fleshly eye is also unable to discern phenomena beyond its physical range, such as remote viewing over long distance, microscopic objects such as bacteria, or extremely large-scale phenomena. Furthermore, it is incapable of perceiving the past or future..
The heavenly eye, wisdom eye, and dharma eye are based on a certain foundation of concentration or meditation. Many beings, may be born with of these abilities, but have no the right perceptions of emptiness. These three eyes surpass the fleshly eye in their capacity to see everything more clearly, time, space, and materiality have little constraints on them.
For example, they can perform remote viewing, clairvoyance, microscopic observation like a microscope, macroscopic observation such as taking the entire Milk Way into view, viewing past events, predicting the future and moving, transferring, and changing objects with the power of thought. The levels increase from the Heavenly eye to the Dharma eye, accompanied by the Five Supernatural Faculties , the ability to see distant objects, the ability to hear distant sounds, the ability to know other’s thoughts, the ability to travel long distance at once, the ability to know past lives. The power of these supernatural faculties increase from the heavenly eye to the dharma eye, and the five faculties of the heavenly eye are different from those of the dharma eye.
The Buddha Eye is unique to those who have attained Buddhahood. It is capable of perceiving the ultimate source of all phenomena. Among the six types of supernatural powers, only the Buddha Eye possesses the ability of the “cessation of all afflictions.
This is the activation of the five eyes on capability. The Sixth Patriarch of Chan (Zen) said about the enlightenment of oneself, “Each person possesses the Five Eyes, but they are obscured by delusion and cannot perceive their true nature.” Therefore, the Buddhism teachings, can awake the deluded mind, then the Five Eyes are activated. Practice the Prajnaparamita wisdom in every thought, which will remove delusion slightly, this is referred to as the “mortal eye.” When one realizes that all beings possess the Buddha-nature and generates a compassionate heart, this is called the “heavenly eye.” When ignorance is eradicated, it is called the “wisdom eye.” When attachment to the dharma is eradicated, it is termed the “Dharma eye.” Finally, when subtle delusions are completely uprooted and perfect clarity illuminates all, it is called the “Buddha eye.”
It is also stated that seeing the Dharma body within the physical body is referred to as the
“Heavenly eye”; perceiving that all beings possess the wisdom nature is called the “wisdom eye”; recognizing the clarity of one’s true nature, where the duality of subject and object is transcended, and realizing that all buddhadharmas are inherently present, is called the “Dharma eye”; and perceiving the perfection of prajñāpāramitā wisdom, which gives rise to all dharmas across the three times (past, present, and future), is called the “Buddha eye.”
The “Five Eyes” described by the Buddha refer to natural faculties that become manifest when one breaks free from attachment to all appearances. It is as though layers of obstructions are removed from the mind, gradually allowing a clearer understanding of the true nature of all phenomena. The inherent abilities of the practitioner unfold at the same time. These abilities are known as the “Five Eyes and Six supernatural Powers.”
Since most of us listening to the teachings do not possess supernatural powers, when the Buddha refers to the “flesh eye,” we can easily relate it to our own two physical eyes. When he mentions the “heavenly eye,” we might associate it with the eye depicted in mythological stories, often shown on the forehead of deities. However, when it comes to the “wisdom eye,” “Dharma eye,” and “Buddha eye,” we are uncertain about their precise location or nature.
The true nature of the Tathāgata, is formless and with no appearance. In essence, the five eyes do not have a specific, tangible location. Therefore, rather than focusing on the literal locations of these eyes, we should consider why the Buddha raises these questions to Subhūti.
For those who have not yet awakened the functions of the five eyes, the Buddha’s questions may seem to be mere words. However, for Subhūti and the other great disciples of arhats at present, each with supernatural capability of varying levels of realization, the experience is different. When the Buddha mentions the “heavenly eye,” they can directly experience the corresponding realm and understanding within their bodies and minds. The same applies to the “wisdom eye” and the other types of eyes. In the previous Segment 14, Subhūti remarkes, “Since ancient times, the wisdom eye I have obtained has never before heard such a sutra.” This statement suggests that Subhūti has at least the realization associated with the “wisdom eye.”
It is important to note that when the Buddha asks Subhūti these questions, the intention is not to compare supernatural powers with his disciples, nor is it to claim that the Tathāgata possesses the five eyes and six supernatural powers in order to urge them to attain them quickly. The Buddha is not displaying superiority or demonstrating his own perfect mastery of the five eyes. In the Buddhist tradition, the “five eyes and six supernatural powers” are regarded as minor techniques. A Bodhisattva who has attained the fruit of Buddhahood views them primarily as tools for benefiting sentient beings. For Arhats, who are content with the bliss of Nirvana and remain in a state of cessation for long periods, these supernatural powers are typically dormant.
As illustrated in the Lotus Sutra, after the Buddha radiated light and performed a magnificent display that shook the heavens and the earth, he then revealed a supreme perception that he had not shared with his disciples. In response, 5,000 monks left the assembly. While some may have left due to insufficient compassion or a belief that they had already attained realization, one reason for their departure was likely their disdain for the magical and illusory nature of the supernatural displays. However, just because the Arhats did not show interest in such displays does not mean they lacked them. In fact, most of them possess the heavenly eye, wisdom eye, or Dharma eye. When these abilities are activated, they allow the practitioner to perceive sentient beings and realms across vast expanses of time and space. For example, an Arhat can trace events from thousands of years ago, while a Buddha perceives the ultimate source of all phenomena without the limitations of time and space.
How, then, should we approach the myriad phenomena and beings within the realm of experience? This is a crucial question for reflection. After the Buddha inquired about the five eyes, he concerned those sentient beings without supernatural powers might become attached to the illusion of such powers. Then, he immediately asked Subhūti, “Do you think the sands in the Ganges are truly sand?” Subhūti responded, “Yes, World-Honored One, as you say, they are sand.”
The true nature of emptiness of the Tathāgata is profoundly ordinary. Even though the Tathāgata possesses the five eyes and six supernatural powers, he speaks in accordance with the context in which he finds himself. For example, when among human beings, he asserts that sand is indeed sand. At this point, the Buddha’s teaching centers on the activation of true emptiness, so he does not claim, “Sand is not sand; it is merely designated as sand.” This is because, through prior teachings, the disciples are no longer attached to the appearance of sand as inherently real.
Thus, those who have truly realized the Tathāgata’s state of emptiness are humble and unassuming. They do not display extraordinary powers without reason. This mirrors the Buddha’s own behavior at the beginning of the Diamond Sutra, where he is portrayed as living an ordinary life—begging for alms, eating, meditating, and teaching—just like his disciples. Even when supernatural powers are manifest, they are expressed solely for the purpose of propagating the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings. These powers and miraculous displays are ultimately illusory and unsubstantial, mere projections of illusion. Subhūti, understanding the Buddha’s intention, calmly replies, “As the Buddha said, it is sand.”
After raising the question about the five eyes one by one, the disciples, depending on their level of practicing realization, would have direct experiences of these different realms. At this point, the Buddha shifts his line of inquiry and asks Subhūti, “The number of worlds the Buddha teaches and transforms is as many rivers like the Ganges river as there are grains of sand in the Ganges, then the number of sands in all these rivers.” This analogy is intricate, yet it points to the boundless and immeasurable scope of the Buddha’s world.
The Buddha continues, “In all these countless worlds, there are immeasurable and boundless sentient beings, each with countless and infinite thoughts. However, the Tathāgata is fully aware of them all.” When the Buddha states, “The Tathāgata knows the thoughts of all sentient beings in these immeasurable and boundless worlds,” he is not referring to the supernatural power of mind-reading. The ability to read minds involves sensing the mental vibrations of others and interpreting their mental states, Buddha here is not talking about the supernatural power.
At this point, we can better understand the Buddha’s intent. He asserts: “All these various beings, with their differing thoughts, can ultimately be reduced to one kind of mind—the ‘deluded mind.’” The original text states: “Why? Because the Tathāgata teaches that all thoughts are not truly thoughts; they are called ‘thoughts ’merely by convention.”
Now, we comprehend the underlying reason for the Buddha’s inquiry to Subhūti about the five eyes. The Buddha is indicating that whatever is perceived through the five eyes— whether the physical eye, the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, the dharma eye, or the Buddha eye—is all illusory. The illusion is not only limited to the human realm for human. In the boundless Buddha realms, encompassing myriad beings—both with form and without form—everything still exists within the confines of space and time, and as long as they are within samsara, they are subject to deluded thoughts and false perceptions. There is no immutable, eternal essence to the mind.
This holds true for all forms of perception, whether it is through the physical eye, the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, or the dharma eye—everything is ultimately illusory and unreal. Why is this so? The mind of the past, the mind of the future, and the mind of the present are all unattainable.
The Buddha teaches his disciples that the Tathāgata uses the physical, heavenly, wisdom, dharma, and Buddha eyes to observe all sentient beings, and all sentient beings in the vast and infinite realms live within deluded minds. Why are these minds considered deluded? Although we do not possess supernatural powers, we can still observe the flow of our own thoughts. A thought that has just passed is already gone, replaced by a new one, and this chain of thoughts perpetuates endlessly, always moving toward the future. When we closely observe these thoughts, we see that they have no true origin, no end, and no permanent essence. Even beings in formless realms, such as those in the “realm of neither perception nor non-perception,” appear to lack form and thought, yet they have a potential of moving.
This is because, as long as they exist within space and time, they too possess a past and a future. As soon as they entertain a thought, they enter the cycle of samsara once more. If they can realize the emptiness of their thoughts—that the “mind” has no birth or cessation—they can free themselves from samsara. Therefore, the Buddha finally teaches, “The past, present, and future minds are all unattainable; they are all illusory.”
At this juncture, one should come to understand the illusory nature of emotion. Take love as an example: there is no real, permanent “heart” that one can truly possess. The love to which one clings is merely an attachment formed with a cascade of transient thoughts after the six senses being influenced by conditions. Thus, when one speaks of desiring to obtain the heart of another, it is not that he or she is not giving it you, but rather that all phenomena are empty and devoid of inherent existence. Only by realizing the true emptiness of the Tathāgata can one access the true nature, which is unchanging, birth-less, cessation-less, formless, shapeless, it is the wondrous true nature of perfect awareness. Those who truly realize this state are able to harmonize with conditions and relinquish their past karmas within the world.
Thus, the Tathāgata continues: “The past mind, present mind, and future mind cannot be obtained.”
The past, present, and future are concepts of time and space that sentient beings cling to. Our consciousness continuously flows from the past into the future—one thought dissolves, and another arises. Even in moments when it appears there is a pause, there is still an acknowledge of “I am not moving,” and this acknowledge itself is also a thought. This constant stream of thoughts persists even in sleep and dreams, where we continue to differentiate and recognize. It is this flowing consciousness, this mind that gives the illusion of the continuity of life.
However, the Buddha teaches that this recognition, based on the flow of our consciousness, is illusory and unreal. Our consciousness undergoes perpetual birth and cessation in each moment. Even in a meditative state, it is merely an illusory realm established relative to a scattered state of mind and the existence of self. Relying on this illusory state, we can more easily discern the illusory nature of all phenomena. We attached to appearances, to the distinctions between phenomena, to their arising, existence, dissolution, and fall. Our recognition is shaped by these appearances, which make us feel the flow of time and the progression of past, present, and future.
When in a meditative state, the mind no longer moves with any conditions. Consciousness shifts from a flowing stream to a wave vibration. The vibration or fluctuation makes us no longer have the feeling of that time is flowing. We begin to recognize that past, present, and future exist at a single point. This is the “present moment” in Buddhist practice. A practitioner dwelling in the present moment begins to experience the illusory nature of both time and space, as well as the continuous flow of thoughts. It is all like the bubbles formed by discrimination and cognition. Therefore, for those practitioners who live in the present moment, even when they have thoughts and intentions and engage in all worldly affairs, what they think and do will be like the clouds floating in the sky, unable to affect the emptiness and tranquility of the void. This is the state described by the Sixth Patriarch of Chan, Hui Neng, when he said, “HuiNeng has no tricks, but never interrupts a hundred thoughts.” This is the state of dwelling calmly.
Thus, the Buddha asserts that the past, present, and future minds are unattainable. In the Tathāgata’s state, they are illusory and unreal, they are flowing illusions created by sentient beings who, attached to various forms, generate diverse thoughts, thereby fabricating a continually flowing illusory realm.
A fellow practitioner once asked me whether, since he no longer clings to the past nor fear the future, does that mean he has returned to the state of the present moment? Does that mean he no longer has the past, present, or future mind. The answer is no, not yet. When the six sense facilities interact with the six sense objects, as soon as the discriminating mind arises—whether in comparing purity and impurity, beauty and ugliness, good and evil—this already involves the past mind. You are comparing based on previous recognition and experience. As long as there is recognition, attachment, and choice in your mind, the past, present, and future minds all arise simultaneously.
The past, present, and future minds are present in every thought of attachment. A person’s life is simply a continuation of these temporal minds, from momentary thoughts to the span of past lives, the present life, and future lives. Each moment, the mind is turned by the birth and death of phenomena, perpetually cycling within samsara. As long as the past, present, and future continue to move in the mind, the cycle of samsara will not cease.
The practitioner must learn to dwell in the present moment, unaffected by any conditions, and refrain from attachment to any form. By observing the fleeting, illusory thoughts and the sensations they generate, then one can perceive the true nature of all phenomena and return to the original source of life.