Acharya Shinjo ito’s quotes
Notes(Explanation of the heart sutra(Chant 7)
In order to comprehend the essence of this sutra, it is up to each person to transcend the intellect and realize at a profound level what the concept of emptiness is. Emptiness has traditionally been regarded by many Buddhists as denial of all existence, including oneself. The Founder of Shinnyo-En, however emphasized that through detaching oneself from attachment to such existance, one can assimilate with an eternal realm that is “empty” of all bondages. One can then find one’s True Self, a wondrous existence. He further said, “By receiving sesshin and practicing the teaching in line with the spiritual guidance given through sesshin, you will be able to experience emptiness for yourself and eventually be led to nirvana.
Queen Srimala Sutra
Chapter 9: The true understanding of the meaning of emptiness V97. O’ Bhagavan, the wisdom of the Buddha Nature is the World Honored One’s wisdom of Sunyata[Emptiness]. The Buddha Nature is not something that has been seen or realized by any Arhat, or Pratyekabuddha. There are two types of Emptiness wisdom concerning the Buddha Nature which are as follows. (1) The Buddha nature is empty from, separate from, independent from and different from all the stores of defilement. (2) The Buddha nature is not-empty from, is not separate from, not independent from and not different from the inconceivable Buddha Attributes which are more numerous than the sands of the river Ganges. V98. O Bhagavan, The great Sravaka’s can have faith and entrust themselves to the Buddha through the two types of emptiness wisdom of the Buddha Nature. All the disciples and Pratyekabuddhas are stuck in the domain of the four inverse views because of their incorrect knowledge of emptiness. This is why none of the Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas have ever seen or attained the Buddha Nature. Only the Buddha’s have experienced the extinction of all suffering and destroyed all the stores of defilement. They alone have practiced all the paths which lead to the extinction of suffering.
Also, (Asanga’s) Commentary on (Maitreya’s)
“Sublime Continuum” says:
Concerning that, what is the matrix-
of-one-gone-thus that is described
in the manner of emptiness?
[(Maitreya’s) Sublime Continuum of the Great Vehicle] speaks of the
meaning of being empty and non empty of its own entity:’
This [naturally pure basic constituent of a one-gone-thus,
ultimate truth; thusness,] has no [previously existent
flaws of afflictions] to be removed [because freedom
from all adventitious defilements from the start is its nature],
And [similarly] it does not have the least [factor of qualities
of purification] to be set up [because the noumenon of
the ultimate qualities of the powers and so forth spontaneously
established from the start and indivisible is its
nature.
Having directly] viewed reality [devoid of the two extremes,
the element of attributes-thusness-with] correct
[wisdom knowing the ultimate]
And [having gradually developed pristine wisdom directly
seeing] the real [noumenon just as it is], release (from adventitious defilements that are to be abandoned is attained].
The basic constituent, [the matrix-of-one-gone-thus,] is
empty of adventitious [defilements, compounded conventional
phenomena suitable to be abandoned,]
Which have the character of being separable [from the
noumenon, whereby one sees that it is free from the extreme
of existence.
The element of attributes] is not empty of the unsurpassed
[ultimate infinite buddha-qualities of the powers and so
forth]
Which have the character of not being separable [from the
nournenon, whereby it is also free from the extreme of
non-existence].
What does this indicate? This naturally, thoroughly pure basic constituent
of a one-gone-thus does not have any factors of thorough
afflictions to be removed, because a voidness of adventitious defilements
is its nature. It does not have the least factor of thorough
purity to be established, because being the noumenon of inseparable
pure qualities is its nature. Therefore, the Matrix of the one gone thus
is empty of all the coverings of separable and removable afflictive
emotions and is not empty of the inseparable, unremovable,
inconceivable buddha-qualities more numerous than the sands of
the Ganges. That is what it says.
In this way, that in which something does not exist is to be correctly
seen as “empty of it.” That. which is. the remainder here is to
·be thoroughly known correctly and properly as “always existing
there.” These two stanzas indicate the character of emptiness nonerroneously
because of being devoid of the extremes of superimposition and deprecation.
Awakening of faith in Mahayana:
Suchness has two aspects if predicated in words. One is that it is truly empty (sunya), for this aspect can, in the final sense, reveal what is real. The other is that it is truly nonempty (a-sunya), for its essence itself is endowed with undefiled and excellent qualities.
1. Truly Empty
Suchness is empty because from the beginning it has never been related to any defiled states of existence; it is free from all marks of individual distinction of things, and it has nothing to do with thoughts conceived by a deluded mind. It should be understood that the essential nature of Suchness is neither with marks nor without marks; neither not with marks nor not without marks; nor is it both with and without marks simultaneously; it is neither with a single mark nor with different marks; neither not with a single mark nor not with different marks; nor is it both with a single and with different marks simultaneously. In short, since all unenlightened men discriminate with their deluded minds from moment to moment, they are alienated from Suchness; hence, the definition “empty”; but once they are free from their deluded minds, they will find that there is nothing to be negated.
2. Truly Nonempty
Since it has been made clear that the essence of all things is empty, i.e., devoid of illusions, the true Mind is eternal, permanent, immutable, pure, and self-sufficient; therefore, it is called “nonempty”. And also there is no trace of particular marks to be noted in it, as it is the sphere that transcends thoughts and is in harmony with enlightenment alone.
Dolpopa’s Mountain Doctrine:
Because the enjoyer,
enjoyed, and so forth are empty of their own respective entities, they
are that which is non-existent there; they are not established as anything and
do not exist even a little. The element of attributes-the basis empty of
those phenomena-is what remains; it really exists. Thinking of these; the
proponent of the middle, the holy honorable superior (Asanga) in his
Grounds of Bodhisattvas extensively says:
(Asanga)
How is one misoriented with regard to emptiness? Whatever monastic
practitioners of virtue or brahmins do not assert the emptiness
of whatsoever and also do not assert what is empty of whatsoever
are misoriented with regard to emptiness. Why? Because it is
correct that the emptiness of whatsoever is an emptiness of the nonexistent
and what is empty is an emptiness that is existent.if all did
not exist, what would be empty of what in what? That would not
be fit to be the emptiness of that. Consequently such [persons] are
misoriented with regard to emptiness. What is proper orientation
with regard to emptiness? Those who correctly perceive that the
non-existence of something in whatsoever is empty of that and
know reality just as it is-that is, that the remainder really exists are
non-erroneously oriented to emptiness exactly as it is.
(Asanga) in his
Grounds ofBodhisattvas text
Here the non-actuality of the entities
Of persons and of phenomena is [one] emptiness.
The [ultimately] existent entity of those non-existent entities
Is an emptiness other than that.
Angulimala Sutra
How can you, Angulimāla, know
emptiness which is the non-existence of anything ?
Then Angulimāla said to Mañjuśrī-kumārabhūta, “Suppose, for example, that there was a downpour from the clouds and a man, foolish in nature, picked up some hail-stones, thinking that they were beryl. Then taking these into his house, he thought to himself that he should store them somewhere since they were too cold to be held, and so he put them into a jar. Having seen those hail-stones melt, he thought to himself that they were devoid of existence (śūnya) and became silent. [As for real beryls, he had the notion that they too were non-existent.] Likewise, venerable Mañjuśrī, by cultivating extreme emptiness and continually considering things to be empty, one will behold the utter destruction of all phenomena. Though liberation is not empty, one will see and think it to be empty.”
[(Maitreya’ s) Differentiation of the Middle and the Extremes]
says how those have the meaning or character of emptiness’
Here the non-actuality of the entities
Of persons and of phenomena is [one] emptiness.
The [ultimately] existent entity of those non-actual entities
Is an emptiness other than that.
15. Concerning that, because all things included among persons and phenomena
do not at all exist and are not established in the mode of subsistence,
they are empty of their own entities; they do not appear to a
consciousness of conventional emptiness and the conventional mode of
subsistence. The basis of the emptiness of those phenomena-the
noumenal entity abiding forever-is not empty of itself, but is empty of
all adventitious phenomena, due to which it appears to a consciousness
of the ultimate, the basis of emptiness, and the mode of subsistence.
Thus, the fifteenth emptiness, the emptiness of non-entities; is the
meaning of the frequent statement,’ “The non-existence of something
in something is the emptiness of that.” This which is the self-entity
emptiness [or emptiness of its own entity] is the conventional selfemptiness.
16. The sixteenth, the emptiness that is the [ultimate] nature of nonentities that is, the emptiness that is the ultimate nature opposite from
non-entities] is the meaning of the frequent statement, “That which is
the remainder in [place of] that always exists here.” This which is the
other-entity emptiness [or emptiness of other entities] is the ultimate
other-emptiness.
Nirvana Sutra
‘You have asked what the Buddha-dhatu [Buddha Nature, Buddha Essence] is, so listen with sincerity, listen with sincerity, I shall analyse and elucidate it for your sake. Nobly-born son, the Buddha-dhatu is termed “ultimate emptiness” [paramartha-sunyata], and ultimate emptiness is termed Awareness [jnana – gnosis]. So-called emptiness is neither viewed as emptiness nor as non-emptiness. The wise perceive emptiness and non-emptiness, the permanent and the impermanent, suffering and bliss, Self and non-Self. The empty is the totality of samsara and the non-empty is Great Nirvana [and so forth down to], non-Self is samsara, and the Self is Great Nirvana. To perceive the emptiness of everything and not to perceive non-emptiness is not termed the Middle Way [and so forth down to], to perceive the non-Self of everything, and not to perceive the Self is not termed the Middle Way. The Middle Way is termed the Buddha-dhatu. For this reason, the Buddha-dhatu is eternal and unchanging. Because beings are enveloped in ignorance, they are unable to perceive it. Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas [i.e. relatively high-level spiritual aspirants, but lower than full Buddhas] perceive the emptiness of everything, but do not perceive the non-emptiness [and so forth down to], they perceive the absence of self [i.e. non-Self] in all things, but do not perceive the Self. For this reason, they do not attain the ultimate emptiness. Because they do not attain the supreme emptiness, they do not walk the Middle Way. Because they lack the Middle Way, they do not perceive the Buddha-dhatu.’
What do Buddhists believe 