The Sutra of Forty-Two Sections Spoken by Buddha Section 12-20 with Excerpt from Master Hsuan Hua’s Commentary

Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha !(three times) 南无本师释迦牟尼佛（三称）

Easy things are not difficult. Things that are not easy are adversities. Adverse states are not easily understood or recognized. Easy things are convenient; convenience makes people feel better about them. The twenty items on this list are all hard to accomplish.

The first difficulty is that it is difficult to give when one is poor. If you have money and you want to give, it’s easy; because if you give a little money, it doesn’t count for much. But if you don’t have anything to give and yet you still can give, that is genuine giving. What counts is to do things that can’t be done. 

Speaking of the difficulty of giving when one is poor, there is a story that illustrates this truth. When Shakyamuni Buddha was living in the world, there was a very poor person. Now, although he was poor, he still had a wife. This couple had each other, but their lives were very difficult. They had only a little hut to live in; they had nothing to eat and no clothes to wear. Being so poor, they had to beg for their food every day out on the streets.

Begging isn’t that difficult a thing, but what made it hard was that the couple had no clothes to wear. All they had was one pair of pants. How could two people wear one pair of pants? They could only take turns. One day the husband would wear the pants and go out begging for food, and bring it back to share with his wife. The next day the wife would go out wearing that pair of pants. Her husband, left at home, had no pants to wear. The one who went out to beg would wear the pants and bring back the food for the two of them to eat. In this way they were able to sustain themselves day by day. Alas! You might say they were about as poor as could be.

At that time there was a Pratyekabuddha, and as mentioned before, Pratyekabuddhas have the spiritual power of knowing past lives. He took a look at their situation and saw that the couple was not able to give in past lives; that’s why they were so poor that they owned only one pair of pants in this life. The Pratyekabuddha thought, “I must try to take these two people across.” He made a vow to take them across by helping them plant the seeds of blessings.

So the Pratyekabuddha went begging at the couple’s door. He looked like a Bhikshu as he stood there, with his bowl in his hand, seeking alms. The couple saw the monk seeking alms, but they didn’t have any food or drink to give him, and all they had in the way of clothing was their one pair of pants. The husband said to his wife, “We ought to do a little giving and seek some blessings. Why do you think we’re so poor? It’s because we couldn’t give in the past. We should give now.”

And the wife said, “Give? Well, what do we have to give?”

Her husband said, “Well, we still have a pair of pants. We could give that pair of pants to this Bhikshu.”

The wife lost her temper at that. “You’re really an idiot! We’ve only got one pair of pants, which we take turns wearing. If we give it to that Bhikshu, we will lose our only means of going out to beg. With this one pair of pants that we take turns wearing, we can still go begging for food. If we were to give it away, how could we go out?”

The husband exhorted his wife, “That’s true, it’s not at all easy, but we shouldn’t take ourselves into account. We should just give the pants to the Bhikshu, and if the two of us can’t go out and beg, we’ll stay here and starve to death. Why worry so much about it? You see, the Bhikshu isn’t leaving.”

His wife, after hearing him out, sighed and said, “Okay, if you want to give, then give!” So this is what they did: they stuck their only pair of pants out the window and handed it to the Bhikshu. The Bhikshu, who had reached the fruition of a Pratyekabuddha, took the pants to where Shakyamuni Buddha was and offered the pants to him. He then explained, “I just received this pair of pants from a poor household. It was all they had in the house, and they gave it to me.”

Shakyamuni Buddha took the pair of pants and said to everyone, “Here is a case of great merit and virtue. A poor couple had nothing but a pair of pants in the house, and they were able to give it as an offering to this Bhikshu, who is in fact a Pratyekabuddha. They will reap limitlessly great blessings in the future.”

The king of the country was in Shakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma assembly at the time. When he heard that there were people in his own country so poor that they had no clothes to wear and no food to eat, while in his palace he himself ate so well and dressed so elegantly, he felt ashamed to face his citizens. In his shame, the king sent people to that poor household bearing rice, flour, and lots of food and clothes. The couple immediately received a reward for giving up their pair of pants. They had given their one pair of pants, and now they got everything they wanted. Later on, they went to see the Buddha. The Buddha spoke Dharma for them, and as soon as he did, the two of them immediately reached the first stage of Arhatship.

Therefore it is difficult to give when one is poor. If you can give when you are in difficulty, that is really a true mind of giving. And if, when giving, the more difficult it is, the more you are able to do it, then the more value it has. For example, you can’t stand to be scolded. However, if people scold you and you can endure it, then you have virtuous conduct.

Or, if you can’t stand being hit, but when somebody hits you, you bear it and look at it like this: “Oh, this is my Good and Wise Advisor who has come to help me eradicate my offenses and leave the sea of suffering. This is a rare Good and Wise Advisor!” No matter what kind of state arises, you should recognize it clearly. People who criticize you are truly your Good and Wise Advisors. It shouldn’t be that when people praise you, you’re like a child who gets some candy and becomes overjoyed; but when you get slandered, it tastes as bitter as bile. That’s not the way it should be.

The Buddha named twenty kinds of difficulties. Actually, in human existence there are many more than that. To be able to easily resolve difficulties when they come shows a true understanding of the Buddhadharma.

It is difficult to study the Way when one has wealth and status. “Wealth” means you are rich; “status” means you have power and influence. If someone is rich and honored, then of course his life is pleasant. It certainly isn’t as difficult as it was for the couple that I just spoke of who owned nothing but a pair of pants. A wealthy person will have clothes to wear and money to spend; he will also have eminent relatives and renowned friends. Right then, if you were to tell him to cultivate and work hard, to leave the home-life and study the Way, he would find it difficult to do. Why? Because he has everything he wants and he’s happy with what he has; he’s very carefree. So it’s not easy to convince him to cultivate.

It is difficult to encounter the Buddhist sutras. All of you should not think that it’s easy to get to hear lectures on the sutras or to read the sutras. It’s not easy at all.
The unsurpassed, subtle, wonderful Dharma,
Is difficult to encounter in millions of eons.
Now that I can see and hear it, accept and uphold it,
I vow to understand the Tathagata‘s true and actual meaning.

It is difficult to be patient with lust and desire. Lust and desire refer to the emotional love and desire between men and women. That kind of love and desire is not easy to bear, because ordinary people feel it is biologically natural for men and women to get married. It is not easy to endure the feelings of love and desire, to have the strength of patience to not be turned by emotional states. You may be patient once and patient twice; then you can’t be patient anymore, and so you are turned upside down. 

It is difficult to see fine things and not seek them. Everybody who sees something fine wants to own it and feels greed for it. To see something good and not be greedy for it is quite difficult.

It is difficult to be insulted and not become angry. For instance, someone may suddenly hit you, scold you, or insult you for no reason whatsoever. If he maltreats you and puts you down, it is truly difficult not to get angry, to remain calm as if nothing happened. If you can do that, then you’re someone who has already walked the road to its end. You pass.

It is difficult to have power and not abuse it. An example of a powerful person is a government official who decides he’d like to kill someone and goes ahead and does it. He uses his authority to oppress people. He uses his power to execute people even when they are innocent. If he has this kind of power, and he casually kills people, that’s an abuse of power. If he has power yet still respects people, and therefore he doesn’t casually kill or oppress them, then he is not abusing power. That’s not easy. Nevertheless, if he can avoid abusing his power, that is the very best.

It is difficult to come in contact with things and have no thought of them. No matter what you encounter, you just go ahead and deal with it without a second thought. When something comes up, you don’t get worried. You handle it as the situation requires. When the matter is over and done with, you remain calm. That is to say, “When something happens, you respond. When it is over, you are calm.” That’s called having no thought: you don’t have any attachment or any false thinking.

It is difficult not to slight those who have not yet studied. Those who have already left the home-life should know about this above all. You cannot slight people who have not yet studied the Buddhadharma. If you do slight them, that’s called slighting those who have not yet studied. If you encounter someone who doesn’t understand the Buddhadharma, you should use various kinds of expedient means to teach and transform him. You cannot look down on him and be impolite. In Buddhism, there is a list of four things that you cannot ignore. The Buddha often discussed them.
1. Even if a fire is small, you can’t ignore it. You can’t be careless and casual. You have to pay close attention to it, because if you don’t, it’s likely to burn up everything.
2. Even if a dragon is small, you can’t ignore it. This is because a dragon can change from small to large, since it has spiritual penetrations and transformations.
3. Even if a prince is young, you can’t ignore him. The prince is the son of a king, and even though he is young now, he will become the king in the future.
4. Even though a Shramana may be young [in the Buddhadharma], you can’t neglect him, because in the future he will become a Buddha. It’s easy to slight those who have not yet studied the Buddhadharma, but you should not do so.

The Buddha said, “By purifying your mind and preserving your resolve, you can understand the ultimate Way.” The Buddha said, “You should make your thoughts pure and guard your resolve. Firmly keep your resolve. Whatever vows you have made, you should uphold them. You can’t make vows and then forget them after only a few days. You can’t withdraw them after a short while. That’s not permissible. That’s not preserving your resolve. If you can purify your thoughts, if you can get rid of the darkness in your mind–all the false thoughts, greed, hatred, and stupidity–and if you can preserve your resolve, you will come naturally to understand the true Way, the highest Way.” What is it like? Now I will give you an analogy.

So too, if you cut off desire and do not seek, you then can know past lives. If you can cut off your thoughts of desire and reach the level of not seeking for anything, then you can attain the penetration of knowing past lives. When people cultivate the Way, they certainly should not indulge in any scattered thinking or false thoughts. If you can do away with false and scattered thoughts, then no matter what Dharma-door you cultivate, you will quickly succeed with it. If you have false and scattered thoughts, as well as greed, hatred, and stupidity filling up your belly, then you certainly aren’t going to obtain a response, no matter what Dharma-door you cultivate.

When we study and cultivate the Buddhadharma, we should first cut off desire and cast out love. You should sever thoughts of desire and reach the level of seeking nothing. If you seek for anything, just that seeking is suffering. No matter what you seek, if you cannot obtain it, you will experience the suffering of not getting what you want. Everyone should pay attention to this. When we cultivate, what is it that we cultivate? We cultivate to get rid of false thoughts and thoughts of desire. That isrealskill. If you cleanse yourself of jealousy, obstructions, greed, hatred, and stupidity, then you can obtain the penetration of knowing past lives. 第十三章是说人怎么样能得知宿命，佛告诉我们怎么样得宿命呢？就要会道，会道就是明白道。

“Greatness” is realizing and certifying to genuine principles. This is the foremost greatness.

The Buddha said, “To practice the Way and uphold the truth is goodness.” If you can cultivate the genuine Buddhadharma, that’s the best thing to do. Don’t follow cult practices and religions that lead outside the mind. What is the genuine Buddhadharma? It is not being selfish; it is being open and public-spirited; it is letting go of your views that discriminate between self and others. We shouldn’t have an ego. We should not be selfish or seek for self-benefit. In every move we make we should cultivate the Bodhisattva Way and benefit living beings.

However much we understand, we should teach others to understand that much. When we obtain benefit, we should let others obtain that benefit. To be unselfish and seek no personal advantages is the greatest goodness. To practice the Way and uphold the truth means to uphold true principles and not to uphold empty and unreal dharmas. In cultivating, we must understand true principles. If we don’t understand true principles, then we are not upholding the truth. Upholding the truth is the best thing.

This fifteenth section tells us that the strength of patience is the greatest strength. It can end all defilement and enable one to have far-reaching understanding.

When the mind’s defilements are gone completely, when you extinguish the selfishness, profit-seeking, greed, hatred, stupidity, and related defiled and desirous thoughts from your mind, so that it is pure and untainted, then you become pure to the point that your mind doesn’t have any faults, filth, or defilements. There’s only a pure mind, and that is the utmost brilliance. If you can get rid of the darkness in your mind, that is the greatest brilliance; it is the supreme wisdom.

That which is not clear and pure is love and desire. Desire obstructs us so that we are not able to understand our mind and see our nature. Desire keeps us from seeing the Way, and therefore from realizing the fruition of the Way. One who realizes the first fruition is at the position of the Way of Seeing, which also means  seeing the Way.

The Buddha said, “People who cherish love and desire do not see the Way.” To explain this Dharma to Westerners is difficult, because no matter what Westerners talk about, it always concerns love and desire. This is especially true of followers of certain religions who say, “God loves me, and I love God.” They love God, just as men and women love one another. In fact, some nuns even say that they marry God. They simply have no understanding of the Way. What people harbor in their minds is love and desire. Everything they do involves love and desire. If you cultivate the Way, but do not understand it, then on the one hand you cultivate, but on the other hand you lose your cultivation. You’re advised not to hold onto any love and desire, but your love and desire keep on increasing!

So the Buddha said, “You Shramanas should cast aside love and desire.” “Shramanas” includes all of us Bhikshus and Bhikshunis of the present age. We should all give up love and desire. This does not mean that men should say, “I hate women. When I see a woman, I get angry and send her away.” That’s not the way we should handle desire. How should it be? We should see as if not seeing, and hear as if we hadn’t heard. There’s no reason to despise them. We simply don’t let our minds become swayed by them. To cast aside love and desire means to give them away. It’s just like giving money to people; once you’ve given it, you don’t have it anymore. To whom should you give your love and desire? Give it back to your father and mother. When the stains of love and desire disappear–if the impure, turbid filth of love and desire are gone–then you will be able to see the Way.Thiscultivation can lead you to see the Way and to realize the fruition of the Way.

Section  17 Light Dispels Darkness 明来暗谢
The Buddha said, “Those who see the Way are like someone holding a torch who enters a dark room, dispelling the darkness so that only light remains. When you study the Way and see the truth, ignorance vanishes and light remains forever.” 佛言。夫见道者。譬如持炬。入冥室中。其冥即灭。而明独存。学道见谛。无明即灭。而明常存矣。

The Buddha said, “Those who see the Way are like someone holding a torch who enters a dark room, dispelling the darkness so that only light remains.” A person who sees the Way is like someone who takes up a torch and goes into a dark room, immediately banishing the darkness so that only the light remains. The darkness is gone because he holds a torch. The torch represents our wisdom. This means that if we have wisdom, we can break through ignorance, which is represented by the dark room. If we have wisdom, the dark room will become bright.

When you study the Way and see the truth, ignorance vanishes and light remains forever. Someone who studies the Way and can see the actual truth will immediately vanquish ignorance, and wisdom will remain forever.

The eighteenth section explains the relationship between the existence and non-existence of mindfulness and cultivation.

The Buddha said, “My Dharma is the mindfulness that is both mindfulness and non-mindfulness.” The Buddha said, “My Dharma is not being mindful that you are mindful; and even the thought of that ‘not being mindful’ is not there. Therefore my Dharma is called a mindfulness that is mindfulness, and yet not mindfulness. It is the practice that is both practice and non-practice. In my Dharma, practice also is the Way of effortlessness.’ In cultivating, you don’t want to have any attachments. It should be the same as not cultivating. Even the shadow of ‘no cultivating’ should not remain.”

It is words that are words and non-words. Don’t be attached to words and language. Further, even your intention not to be attached to words and language should be done away with. And it is cultivation that is cultivation and non-cultivation. It is the Way of effortlessness, cultivating and yet not cultivating, certifying and yet not certifying. There isn’t any thought of cultivating the Way. That means that you don’t have any attachments; all attachments are seen as empty. Even the emptiness is emptied out.

Those who understand are near to it. To understand something means to be clear about it. If you understand this doctrine, you are near to the Way. Those who are confused are far away, indeed. But if you fail to understand and are confused about the principle, then you will be far from the Way. What is the Way ultimately like? I’ll tell you: It is not accessible by the path of language. You want to speak about it, but you can’t represent it in words. You want to think about it, but you can’t formulate the thought. You simply cannot speak of its wonder.

It is said that the path of words and language is cut off, and the place of the mind’s workings ceases to be. What the mind wants to think about is gone, and absolutely everything is empty. It is not hindered by physical objects. Physical matter is itself the basic substance of True Suchness. If you are able to realize this state, then you will see that the mountains, the rivers, the earth, and all the myriad things are just the basic substance of True Suchness, and you will not be hindered by physical objects.

If you are off by a hairsbreadth, if you are off by just a fraction of an inch, just a tiny bit, in the way you cultivate, you will lose it in an instant. You immediately lose it and won’t be able to find it. You should break through your attachments, and then you will be able to attain this state.

第十八章说明了念、修行和有无这种的关系。

　　‘佛言，吾法念无念念’：佛说，我这个佛法，在念上就是要没有一个念，连没有念的这个念，都没有的，所以叫念无念念。‘行无行行’：在我这法里头，修行也是用的无功用道，修行也不要有执著，要和没有修行是一样的，连那没有修行的那个行字，都不要存在的。

　　‘言无言言’：言就是所说的这个语言，也不要执著这语言，把没有执著语言的那种意思、那种念，也都没有了。‘修无修修’：修的时候也是修的无功用道，修而无修，证而无证。就是修道，也没有一个修道那个修的思想，这些都要没有的，这就是没有一切执著，把一切执著都空了，连那个空都要空了它。

‘会者近尔’：你若会得，会得就是明白了，你若明白这个道理的话，就与道相近了。近尔，就是相近了，不会远了。‘迷者远乎’：你要是不明白，你迷昧这个道理，就离道很远了。那么道究竟是什么样子？我告诉你们，这是‘言语道断’：说也说不出来，想也想不到，言语道断，说不出来这个妙处，所谓‘言语道断，心行处灭’，心所要想的也没有了，一切一切都空了。‘非物所拘’：不被物所拘住了，因为物也是真如的本体。这时候你若能会得这种的境界，所有的山河大地、森罗万象，都是真如的本体，所以就不为物所拘了。‘差之毫厘’：这修行方法你若差了一丝、一毫、一厘那么多，就‘失之须臾’：在很快、很短的时间内就丢了，就找不著了。所以要自己把这种执著破了，就能得到这种境界。

In the nineteenth section, the Buddha teaches us the principle that everything is made from the mind alone. We must cast aside what is false and keep what is true. Heaven covers us from above, and the earth supports us from below. Seen from the point of view of ordinary people, heaven and earth are eternal and indestructible. But, in fact, they are not eternal and indestructible. They also undergo the superseding of the old by the new. They are not permanent.

The Buddha said, “Contemplate heaven and earth, and be mindful of their impermanence.” When you look at heaven and earth, you see that sometimes they are hot and sometimes cold. When the cold comes, the warmth goes. There is the cycle of spring, summer, fall, and winter. On the earth the mountains and rivers are involved in constant transition and do not stay fixed. They are dharmas that are created and destroyed. They are not the uncreated, undestroyed dharmas of the mind. They are impermanent. Therefore, the Buddha said to be mindful of their impermanence.

Contemplate the world, and be mindful of its impermanence. The world changes; it is not static. [In Chinese, the two characters for the concept “world” imply the ideas of time and place.] Both time and place are subject to creation and destruction. Neither is permanent and indestructible. So the text says, “be mindful of its impermanence.”

Contemplate the efficacious, enlightened nature: it is the Bodhi nature. You contemplate your own bright, enlightened spiritual nature: it is just the Bodhi-nature. With this awareness, one quickly attains the Way. If you can investigate in this way and gain an understanding, if you can know it as it is, then you will immediately obtain the Way. Because you understand this principle, you will obtain the Way. But if you fail to understand this principle, you will not obtain the Way.

第十九章是佛教人观‘一切唯心造’这种道理，要把虚妄的去了，存这实在的。天覆著我们，在上边；地载著我们，在下边，对凡夫来讲，这都是常住的、不坏的。可是这并不是常住不坏的，它也是有这种新陈代谢，它不是常的。‘如是知识’：你能像这样子去研究，这样子来认识，这样地知道它，‘得道疾矣’：你很快就会得道了。因为你明白这理了，你就会得这个道；你不明理，所以就不得道。

Section  20 Realize that the Self Is Truly Empty 推我本空
The Buddha said, “You should be mindful of the four elements within the body. Though each has a name, none of them is the self. Since they are not the self, they are like an illusion.” 佛言：当念身中四大，各自有名，都无我者。我既都无，其如幻耳。

The twentieth section instructs people to contemplate the human body in terms of the four elements, in order to realize that the body is like an illusion, like a transformation. It is false, and unreal.

The Buddha said, “You should be mindful of the four elements within the body.” We should consider the four elements within our bodies. Our bodies are a combination of these four: earth, water, fire, and air. The solid parts of the body are from the element earth. The moist parts are of the element water; warmth comes from the element fire; and breathing and movement are manifestations of the air element.

From head to foot, every part of the body has its own name. Now, where would you say the self can be found? Which place is called the “self”? There isn’t any place called the self. Since there is no place called self, then why do you want to be attached to the self? Why do you want to look upon the self as so important? The entire body contains nothing called the self.

Since they are not the self, they are like an illusion. There is no self, and so the body is like an illusion, like a transformation. There isn’t anything real about it. The one who contemplates and that which is contemplated are both empty and false. Both are illusory, and mere transformations. If you can understand that they are like an illusion, like a transformation, you can understand the doctrine of the contemplation of emptiness, falseness, and the Middle Way. When you understand this principle, you will know that the body is empty, false, and unreal.

第二十章指示人用这四大来观身，知道这身体如幻如化，是虚妄不实的。‘佛言’：所以佛说，‘当念身中四大’：我们人应该想一想，想我们身中这四大，我们这个身体是四大和合 而成的，四大就是地、水、火、风。我们身中这坚硬的，就属于地大；这湿润的，就是水大；温暖的，这属于火大；出入呼吸和这动的，是属于风大。

to be continued …….

Dedicate Merits:

May the precious bodhicitta 
That has not yet arisen, arise and grow,
And may that which has already arisen not diminish,
But increase more and more.

回向偈：
愿以此功德，庄严佛净土。 
上报四重恩，下济三涂苦。 
若有见闻者，悉发菩提心。 
尽此一报身，同生极乐国。