Segment 31 / Non-Arising of PerceptionThe Buddha asks, “Subhūti, if someone says, The Buddha speaks of the perception of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, Subhūti, do you think that person has understood the meaning of my words?”
Subhuti replies, “Not so, World-Honored One! That person has not understood the meaning of what the Tathāgata has said. Why is that? Because when the World-Honored One speaks of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, it is not the self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, these are merely called self, person, sentient beings, and life-span.” Buddha says, “Subhūti! One who generates the aspiration for the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, regarding all phenomena, should understand, perceive, and comprehend them in this way, without forming dharma-form. Subhūti! The ‘appearance of phenomena’ that I speak of is not the appearance of phenomena; it is merely called the ‘appearance of phenomena’.”
The central teaching of this Segment is that the Buddha asks Subbuti: “Subhūti, if a person who claims that the Buddha speaks of the perception of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, does this person truly comprehends the Buddha’s words?”
Subhūti replies: “World-Honored One, such a person does not understand the Buddha’s teaching. Why is that? Talked about the self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, he is not conducting study or research about self, person, sentient beings, and life-span. Rather, these terms are merely conventional designations used for the sake of communication.”
The Buddha says: “Subhūti, one who aspires to attain supreme perfect awareness must perceive, regard and understand all phenomena in this way. One should not clinging to or distinguishing all existing phenomena. Subhūti, all the so-called existing phenomena, the Tathāgata says that they don’t have any substantial reality. It is merely following worldly conventions that these are provisionally named as existent phenomena.”
A noteworthy shift occurs in the terminology here. Earlier in the teachings, the Buddha referred to the forms of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, but in this Segment, the terms are altered to perceptions of the self, person, sentient beings, and life-span.
In terms of understanding the terminology, “forms” refer to the appearances or phenomena of all things, encompassing appearances, shapes, experiences, definitions, perceptions, and information etc, essentially, a quite wide range. Whereas, perception is about thought or interpretation. For instance, the perspectives we form while exploring psychology, philosophy, or other fields belong to perceptions. The Buddha now addresses Subhūti: “If someone says, the Tathāgata is studying the self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, and offering my own perspective, do you think this person understands what I am teaching?” Subhūti responds, “No, World-Honored One. This person does not grasp the meaning of the Buddha’s teaching.”
In this Segment of the text, the Buddha uses the phrase style of “the perceptions of the self, person, sentient beings, and life-span,” followed by the clarification with the style of: “these are not the true self, person, sentient beings, and life-span, but are merely called the perception of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span.”
The Buddha’s teaching aims to free sentient beings from attachment to the illusions of self, person, sentient beings, and life-span rather than to engage in theoretical discussions or intellectual inquiry about these four aspects. Upon hearing the Buddha’s teachings, the disciples come to realize the emptiness of these four concepts, abandoning their attachments to them, then abide in the true emptiness realm of the Buddha, unaffected by circumstances, and free from confusion about the various appearances of phenomena, devoid of the notions of self, person.
However, if someone approaches the Buddha’s teachings as a philosophical framework, believing the Buddha is merely a theorist talking about the thoughts and perspectives, that person is wrong, and has not truly understood the Buddha’s message. This is why those who merely “discuss emptiness and existence” are often referred to as “scholars of understanding.” The wisdom of the Buddha’s Prajñā wisdom must ultimately be practiced. Thus, all Buddhism scriptures say at the end that disciples must have faith, accept, and apply them. Without letting go of attachments, one has not truly grasped the Buddha’s teachings.
Regarding letting go of attachments, one must also relinquish attachment to the teachings themselves at the last. This is analogous to using a needle to remove a splinter—once the splinter is removed, the needle should be discarded at the same time. If you do not use the Buddha’s Prajñā wisdom to eliminate your distinctions and attachments, illuminate your blind spots, but instead treat the Buddha’s teachings as merely a theory or idelogy, you have not truly understood what the Buddha has said.
The Buddha concludes, stating: “Subhūti, one who aspires to the unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness should understand, perceive, and believe in all phenomena in this way: without giving rise to the notion of ‘the characteristics of phenomena.”
The title given by Prince Zhao Ming for this Segment, “No arising of perception”, personally, I think it is pretty good.
Up to now, the Buddha teaches that in the state of the Tathāgata’s “true emptiness”: there is no perception. One should not misunderstand there is emptiness or existence, non-emptiness or non-existence, or even dependent origination in this true emptiness. Earlier in the Sutra, the Buddha repeatedly asserts that “the Tathāgata has not spoken Dharma,” aiming to dismantle the disciples’ attachment to the attainable Dharma.
At this stage, the Buddha speaks from the perspective of ultimate truth, telling the disciples that in the true emptiness of the Tathāgata, all phenomena are unborn. From this standpoint of “unborn,” the Buddha establishes the nature of all phenomena and speaks of emptiness and existence, solely as a means to help sentient beings awaken from their delusions. In this state, there is no true dependent origination, nor is there any intrinsic emptiness.
Talking about perceptions, it brings to mind the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, a great Bodhisattva who, in transmitting the Buddha’s heart teaching, manifested as “illiterate” to his disciples, so as to free them from attachment to the form of word. In the ultimate realization of true emptiness, all “concepts” must be relinquished. Disciples awaken upon hearing the Dharma, realizing that “there is no Buddhahood to attain” and “there is no need to cling to the Dharma, nor has fixed Dharmas.” Yet, all of these are still “perceptions”.
The Buddha speaks of “dependent origination” and “emptiness,” however, neither “dependent origination” nor “emptiness” exists in the “True Emptiness of the Tathāgata’s realm.” In the Tathāgata’s true emptiness, all phenomena are equal and devoid of birth. This aligns with the description of the Lotus Sutra, which speaks of the world in terms of suchness of “appearance,” “nature,” “substance,” “power,” “action,” “cause,” “condition,” “result,” “retribution,” “beginning,” and “end”. All should know thus, see thus, believe and understand thus, and not give rise to dharma appearances.
All practices, teachings, breaking attachments, and even perceptions are but actions, hearings, contemplation, and awakenings within the dream of sentient beings. Ultimately, even enlightenment itself does not truly exist. The myriad phenomena are originally suchness; they are, originally, the Tathāgata. This is the meaning of “not give rise Dharma appearance” and is what is called “awakening.” What is described as “awakening” is, “not real awakening,” and this paradoxical state is itself called “awakening.” Likewise, what is called “phenomenal appearance” is “not real phenomenal appearance,” and yet it is, in the same breath, called “phenomenal appearance.”