“The Dharma of which the Tathagata speaks cannot be held on to, it cannot be spoken, it is not a phenomenon, and it is not a non-phenomenon.”

The word “phenomena” used above is a translation of the Chinese word fa (法). There are many ways to translate fa, but in this instance it means some element that enables us to understand things. Phenomena are the standards by which we can relate to each other and come to understand the principles of reality. In a Buddhist context, the term can be used to describe the names we give all things, and even concepts and ideas within the mind. “Phenomena” can express both the tangible and intangible. For example, we give names to phenomena like “flower,” “house,” “table,” and so on so that we can talk about them and be comprehensible to others.

There is a verse which expresses the Buddhist understanding of “phenomena” well:

Phenomena are non-phenomena:
Open a fist and it’s the palm of the hand once more;
Floating clouds drift across the azure sky:
For ten thousand miles it’s all the same.

Consider a closed fist. If we were to call a fist a phenomenon, it is but an “unfixed phenomenon;’ for if someone with a closed fist opens his hand it becomes an open palm. All phenomena are like this: they can be good or bad, wholesome or unwholesome. They are not fixed or standardized. Considering the example of a fist again: if we hit someone with the fist, we see the fist as something “bad.” But if a fist is used to massage someone’s back and give them pleasure, then the fist is a good thing. This is why all phenomena are “unfixed phenomena:’ This is what the Buddha means when he says in the Diamond Sutra that phenomena cannot be held on to, for they are neither phenomena nor non-phenomena. Even the teaching of prajna cannot be considered wholesome, nor can it be considered unwholesome, for it is a truth that transcends the distinction of wholesome or unwholesome.

In Buddhism there is a bodhisattva named Avalokitesvara, who has a reputation for being able to liberate living beings far and wide. In fact, in the daily Chinese liturgy there is a chant about Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva:

The thirty-two manifestations respond to calls in all the numerous worlds;
Teaching and liberating Jambudvipa over a billion kalpas.

“Jambudvipa” is a name for our universe in Indian cosmology, and the expression “billion kalpas” is an Indic reckoning of an immensely long period of time. The “thirty-two manifestations” is a reference to the thirty-two different forms of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva described in the Universal Gate chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra lists these thirty-two manifestations to show that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has the ability to adapt to the needs of the various kinds of living beings, with their differing capacities, to teach the Dharma to them. The thirty-two manifestations listed are: a Buddha, a pratyekabuddha, a sravaka, King Brahma, Lord Sakra, Isvara, Mahesvara, a great heavenly general, Vaisravara, a lesser king, an elder, a layperson, a minister, a Brahmin, a bhiksu, a bhiksuni, an upasaka, an upasika, a female elder, a female lay-person, a female minister, a young boy or girl, a deva, a naga, a yaksha, a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, and a vajrapani.¹

Which one of these thirty-two manifestations is the true Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva? Each one of these thirty-two manifestations shows the bodhisattva employing skillful means to bring liberation to living beings. The Dharma cannot be held on to, nor can it be spoken. The Dharma as expressed in language is nothing more than the Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva teaching the Dharma through skillful means in order to liberate living beings. Words like “prajna,” “paramita,” and “vajra,” are all given so that living beings can attain enlightenment and live a life that is carefree.

Recall the metaphor of the three birds in the sky mentioned previously: a little sparrow might flap its wings with all its might,  but it can only fly a distance of two or three yards. A pigeon on the other hand can flap its wings and vault over the tops of trees three to five yards tall. Yet an eagle can spread its wings and fly high into the blue sky.

Likewise, if a rabbit is trying to cross a river it has to frantically paddle with its little feet and will be fearful while crossing. A horse can cross a river paddling and swimming with its four feet with some difficulty. An elephant, however, will likely be able to reach the bottom of the river, and can cross the river with a relaxed gait until it reaches the other shore.

The sky is the same, though the three birds fly through it differently. The river is the same, though the three animals cross it differently. In the same way, the essence of human hardship is the same, though different people experience different levels of trouble in their life. If we can accomplish what is difficult to do and bear what is difficult to bear, then we will come to thoroughly realize the emptiness of prajna. It is only then that we can gradually come to cross the river of life to enlightenment like an elephant does: relaxed and at ease.

One day the Buddha was outside the gate to the Jeta Grove Monastery when he saw Ksudrapanthaka, one of his disciples, weeping and wailing. The Buddha asked, “Why are you standing here so sad and heartbroken?”

“Lord Buddha, my older brother finally got fed up with my stupidity. Because I can’t seem to learn or memorize any of the teachings, he has driven me away and demanded that I return to lay life and go home. That is why I was crying.”

The Buddha comforted him, and took him back to the monastery. The Buddha then handed Ksudrapanthaka a broom and told him to repeat the word “broom” again and again as he cleaned the monastery. Ksudrapanthaka felt grateful that not only did the Buddha take him in but also was kind enough to give him personal instruction. Afterwards, Ksudrapanthaka spent every day concentrating on the Buddha’s instructions, and even though he was a slow learner, he was finally able to learn and memorize “broom” within a month’s time.

Ksudrapanthaka concentrated on reciting “broom” with complete dedication, when one day he thought, “What is a broom? Something that sweeps and cleans the dirt and dust on the ground. So as I clean the monastery with the broom, I sweep and clean.”

A few more days passed and Ksudrapanthaka began to think, “My body and mind have dust and grime, too. My afflictions are like dust and grime, while wisdom is like this broom which can sweep them clean.”

This was how Ksudrapanthaka attained liberation and became an arhat.

The word “broom” is not a sacred foundation of the Dharma, so how was it able to bring someone to enlightenment and wisdom? The Diamond Sutra says:

That which is called the Buddhadharma is not the Buddhadharma.

Saying the word “broom” aloud is not the Dharma, but when the mind deeply contemplates something it does not hold only what is or is not the Dharma, but instead simply aligns itself with the principles of Buddhism.

Source: Hsing Yun. Four Insights for Finding Fulfillment: A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Diamond Sutra. Los Angeles: Buddhas Light Publishing, 2012.

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Footnote:

1. The manifestations are specific Buddhist deities or classes of heavenly beings. For more information on some of these manifestations, see the glossary. Ed.