Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
insights
- A rose is not a rose, therefore it is a rose (^ref-25192) — dialectic of prajnaparamita
Transclude of #ref-53449
themes
questions
notes
highlights
“Subhuti, if a bodhisattva does not rely on any concept when practicing generosity, then the happiness that results from that virtuous act is as great as space. It cannot be measured. — location: 81
DDJ chapter five
“In a place where there is something that can be distinguished by signs, in that place there is deception. If you can see the signless nature of signs, then you can see the Tathagata.” — location: 86
‘Bhikshus, you should know that all of the teachings I give to you are a raft.’ All teachings must be abandoned, not to mention non-teachings.” — location: 101
an Arhat gives rise to the thought that he has attained the fruit of Arhatship, then he is still caught up in the idea of a self, a person, a living being, and a life span — location: 130
Knowing is the death of understanding
Subhuti, what is called Buddhadharma is everything that is not Buddhadharma.” — location: 117
“So, Subhuti, all the bodhisattva mahasattvas should give rise to a pure and clear intention in this spirit. When they give rise to this intention, they should not rely on forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, or objects of mind. They should give rise to an intention with their minds not dwelling anywhere.” — location: 140
What the Tathagata has called the highest, transcendent understanding is not, in fact, the highest, transcendent understanding. That is why it is truly the highest, transcendent understanding.” — location: 164
That person will not be dominated by the idea of a self, a person, a living being, or a life span. Why? The idea of a self is not an idea, and the ideas of a person, a living being, and a life span are not ideas either. Why? Buddhas are called Buddhas because they are free of ideas.” — location: 184
Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls paramaparamita, the highest transcendence, is not essentially the highest transcendence, and that is why it is called the highest transcendence. — location: 187
Subhuti, if we say that the Tathagata has realized a teaching, that teaching is neither graspable nor deceptive. — location: 198
‘We must lead all beings to the shore of awakening, but, after these beings have become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a single being has been liberated.’ — location: 232
‘All dharmas are Buddhadharma.’ — location: 244
“Why? Subhuti, the past mind cannot be grasped, neither can the present mind or the future mind.” — location: 268
Subhuti, giving a Dharma talk in fact means that no talk is given. This is truly a Dharma talk.” — location: 284
“Furthermore, Subhuti, that mind is everywhere equally. Because it is neither high nor low, it is called the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. The fruit of the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind is realized through the practice of all wholesome actions in the spirit of nonself, non-person, non-living being, and non-life span. Subhuti, what are called wholesome actions are in fact not wholesome actions. That is why they are called wholesome actions.” — location: 293
Subhuti, what the Tathagata calls a self essentially has no self in the way that ordinary persons think there is a self. — location: 306
Someone who looks for me in form or seeks me in sound is on a mistaken path and cannot see the Tathagata. — location: 314
“Subhuti, a bodhisattva gives rise to virtue and happiness but is not caught in the idea of virtue and happiness. That is why the Tathagata has said that a bodhisattva does not need to build up virtue and happiness.” — location: 328
“Subhuti, if someone says that the World-Honored One comes, goes, sits, and lies down, that person has not understood what I have said. Why? The meaning of Tathagata is ‘does not come from anywhere and does not go anywhere.’ That is why he is called a Tathagata.” — location: 331
“Subhuti, what is called a compound is just a conventional way of speaking. It has no real basis. Only ordinary people are caught up in conventional terms.” — location: 341
In what spirit is this explanation given? Without being caught up in signs, just according to things as they are, without agitation. Why is this? — location: 355
🔖 All composed things are like a dream, a phantom, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning. That is how to meditate on them, that is how to observe them. — location: 357
bodhisattvas practice not only for themselves, but for their families, communities, and the entire society. — location: 388
Someone who has a great aspiration can help many people. — location: 395
Our people are less beautiful than they were in the past. There is so much suspicion, hatred, and misunderstanding. Weeds and thorns have grown everywhere in the soil of their minds. — location: 397
In the mind and heart of the bodhisattva there exists a great energy called bodhicitta. This is why the Buddha gives special attention and offers care and support to those with the mind and heart of a bodhisattva, those who have a great vow and a great aspiration. — location: 392
To give rise to a bodhisattva mind, that is, to the deepest understanding and the greatest ability to help others, where should our mind take refuge and how can we master our thinking? — location: 414
an authentic bodhisattva is one who embodies two factors in his being: the first is the great aspiration to bring all beings to the shore of liberation; the second is the wisdom of nondiscrimination. — location: 445
If we are only an independent island, living in a community but not seeing or smiling with the community, we are not practicing as a bodhisattva. Besides just our Dharma brothers and sisters, there are also other species of animals, as well as the plants in the garden and the stars in the sky. — location: 460
It isn’t necessary to have an idea of helping. We feel the need to do it, and we do it. — location: 473
🔖 Our concept of self arises when we have concepts about things that are not self. — location: 490
When we really understand love, our love will include all beings, living and so-called non-living. — location: 507
🔖 Death is necessary for life to be. — location: 515
Getting rid of notions is the practice of prajñaparamita, also called insight or the perfection of wisdom. It’s the last of the six paramitas, the six bodhisattva practices for crossing to the other shore. The others are generosity (danaparamita), mindfulness trainings (silaparamita), endurance (kshantiparamita), diligence (viryaparamita ), and meditation (dhyanaparamita). — location: 537
There are three kinds of gifts - material resources, the Dharma, and non-fear. — location: 548
Physicists say that when they enter the world of atomic particles, they can see clearly that our conceptualized world is an illusion. — location: 565
It is not correct to think that it is only possible to practice generosity when we have money. We can always offer others our peace and happiness. — location: 573
When we achieve insight, our knowledge is no longer based simply on perceptions, and we call this knowledge prajña, wisdom or understanding beyond signs. — location: 596
When the Buddha sees a rose, does he recognize it as a rose in the same way that we do? Of course he does. But before he says the rose is a rose, the Buddha has seen that the rose is not a rose. He has seen that it is made of non-rose elements, with no clear demarcation between the rose and those elements that are not the rose. When we perceive things, we generally use the sword of conceptualization to cut reality into pieces, saying, “This piece is A, and A cannot be B, C, or D.” But when A is looked at in light of dependent co-arising, we see that A is comprised of B, C, D, and everything else in the universe. “A” can never exist by itself alone. — location: 600
Our task is to practice until signs no longer deceive us and our perceptions become insight and understanding. — location: 622
In Buddhism, we often say that our mind is like a field, and every time we do something wholesome or joyful, we sow a Buddha seed in that field. — location: 645
Even if you are dying in oppression, shame, and violence, if you can smile with forgiveness, you have a great power. — location: 683
I discovered that reading a sutra is like planting a tree inside our being. When we walk, look at the clouds, or read something else, the tree grows and it may reveal itself to us. — location: 656
for one second, a person is confident about these teachings, the Buddha will see and know that person. To be seen and known by the Buddha is a great inspiration and support for anyone on the path of practice. If we have one close friend who can understand us and know our aspirations, we feel greatly supported. A good friend does not have to do much. He or she only needs to see us and know that we are here, and we feel greatly encouraged. Imagine if our friend is the Buddha! — location: 651
we must remember that our concept is not the thing itself. — location: 697
In Buddhism, a dharma is commonly defined as any phenomenon that can maintain its unique characteristics and not be mistaken for another phenomenon. — location: 700
When we see a rose, we know that the rose is a dharma. To avoid being caught by the concept “rose,” we must remember that this rose cannot exist as a completely separate, independent entity but is made up only of non-rose elements. We know that rose is not a separate dharma, but once we leave behind the concept of a rose that can exist independently, we can be caught by the idea of non-rose. We must also be free from the concept of non-dharma. — location: 715
True emptiness is not emptiness. True emptiness is true being. — location: 727
The ideas of emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness are extremely helpful, but if you use them without understanding them deeply and clearly, you can suffer and cause harm to others. — location: 745
Because the noble teachers are only distinguished from others in terms of the unconditioned.” — location: 753
If we say that there is a dharma called the highest, most fulfilled awakened mind, we are using the sword of conceptualization to slice out a piece of reality and call it the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind. We should also be able to see the non-highest, non-most fulfilled, non-awakened mind just as we saw the non-rose elements while looking at a rose. — location: 759
no separate existence. — location: 763
She is in the present, the past, and the future. Your friend, the Tathagata, Subhuti, and the rose cannot be grasped because they have no beginning and no end. Their presence is deeply connected to all dharmas, all objects of mind in the universe. — location: 770
“Noble teachers” is a translation of the Sanskrit term aryapudgala. Arya means honor. Pudgala means person. — location: 779
Then Subhuti says that the noble teachers can be distinguished from others only in terms of the unconditioned. — location: 778
Meditation aims at breaking through all conceptual limitations and barriers so that we can move freely in the boundless ocean of reality. — location: 786
Subhuti is no longer imprisoned by words and therefore can use them without any harm. But if we do not see the nature of interbeing implied in each word, they can be a kind of attachment or imprisonment. We have to use words in a way that they do not enslave us. — location: 798
prajña, understanding, is the mother of all buddhas and bodhisattvas. — location: 807
The nature of all dharmas is neither coming nor going. There is no point in space from which they come, and there is no point in space to which they go. They reveal themselves only when conditions are sufficient. When conditions are insufficient, they are latent. — location: 842
that even transcendent understanding is not an independently existing dharma and that his teaching has no separate nature. — location: 946
Although such words are used, we should not be caught by them. — location: 949
According to the Prajñaparamita (known as the “Mother of all Buddhas”) Sutras, prajñaparamita is the clay pot that contains all the other paramitas. — location: 988
Just as a rose is not just a rose, transcendent endurance cannot exist independently of the other five paramitas. With this understanding, we can call it transcendent endurance. — location: 996
It is always best to take refuge in something that is stable. Otherwise, if the object of our refuge changes or falls apart, we too may fall apart. — location: 1012
Buddhism will only succeed here if it is built from your own experiences and with your own cultural ingredients. — location: 1134
Words and concepts are rigid and motionless, but reality is a steadily flowing stream. It is impossible to contain a living reality in a rigid framework. — location: 1207
reality cannot be framed by words, concepts, speech, or symbols, — location: 1251
Reading a sutra is like doing massage. Time and energy are necessary for success. — location: 1294
In Buddhism, nonduality is the essential characteristic of love. In love, the person who loves and the person being loved are not two. Love has an organic characteristic. — location: 1308
The suffering of one side is also the suffering of the other side. The mistakes of one side are also the mistakes of the other side. When one side is angry, the other side suffers, and vice versa. — location: 1311
When we look at a table, a flower, or the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind, if we see that they exist independently of other objects of mind, we are caught in the view of permanence. On the other hand, if we think that everything is nonexistent, we are caught in the view of annihilation. The middle way taught by the Buddha is a way free of these two views. Liberation is not to cut ourselves off from life or to try to reach nonbeing. — location: 1363
Please keep in mind that to discriminate against the concepts of self, person, living being, and life span is to go after the opposite concepts. Once we understand that a concept is just a concept, we can go beyond that concept and be free of the dharma that concept represents. — location: 1435
The important thing is to be planting good seeds. Sometimes a seed needs one hundred years to bloom as a flower. — location: 1489
Parable of the sower
Without a mindful community, a holy person can one day become a monster. — location: 1566
One drop of water will not arrive at the ocean. One drop of water will evaporate along the way. But if the drop of water joins the river, then the whole river will go to the ocean. — location: 1584