Episode 22 – The Fulfillment of Hearing
>> The Fulfillment of Hearing. True Suchness is the source of the path. With faith, we understand principles and the true nature of all things. By entering True Suchness and one reality, we have faith as vast as the ocean. Although we all have the same nature, we each have a form that we call self.
>> When the Ear-root is functioning, we can hear any audible sounds that our minds want to hear.
>> Fulfillment of hearing is signified by. “Have I heard.” To spread teachings in this world, Ananda used the illusory “I” of the Five Aggregates. He had already achieved emptiness of self, so he truly did not cling to self, to the illusory “I.” To distinguish between listener and speaker, the word “I” is used. What reaches our ears is what we hear.
>> When immediate ear-consciousness comes together with mind-consciousness, many conditions converge, and we hear things. Question: The ear-root awakens consciousness to hear. We should say the ear hears. Why do we say “I hear”? Answer: The ear is one of the five organs. “I” is the sum of the body, so we abandon these categories
>> Question: Ananda was born on the night the Buddha attained enlightenment 20 years later he became the Buddha’s attendant. The Dharma He expounded for those 20 years was not heard by Ananda. So when he compiled the sutras, why did he say, “have I heard”? Answer: There are three reasons. When the Buddha commanded him to attend Him, Ananda made three requests of the Buddha: He was not to wear clothing worn by the Buddha, nor accompany Him if He alone was invited. Also, the Buddha would re-expound the Dharma from the previous 20 years that he did not hear. The World-Honored One agreed. Thus he heard the Dharma he did not hear before.
The Fulfillment of Hearing. True Suchness is the source of the path. With faith, we understand principles and the true nature of all things. By entering True Suchness and one reality, we have faith as vast as the ocean. Although we all have the same nature, we each have a form that we call self.
Every day we talk about True Suchness in this way.
With faith, we enter True Suchness. We need to have faith in True Suchness, which is the Dharma and the source of the path. If we do not have faith, we cannot enter the path. With faith, we understand and truth appears. With faith, we will listen carefully, so that the Dharma will enter the mind. This is the meaning of “enter.” If we receive the Dharma with faith and apply it, naturally we will comprehend the principles of Dharma. So with faith, we understand and truth appears. When it comes to principles, we can comprehend them only because we have faith.
This truth has always existed, but we were not mindful. Because we did not have confidence in it, we did not try our best to align ourselves with these existing principles. Now that our faith has been awakened, all principles seem very obvious and we understand the true nature of things. If we understand one truth, we understand 10,000. So, all principles and all Dharma can resonate with us when we have faith. “Faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits.” If we believe, the Dharma is as vast as the ocean. If we have faith, the Dharma is abundant and will quickly enter our minds. I have said that the Dharma entered Ananda’s mind. This Dharma is like an ocean, and every drop of it fell into Ananda’s mind. Because of Ananda’s faith in the Buddha, every bit of the Dharma entered his mind.
Since Ananda understood all the Dharma expounded by the Buddha, he strongly believed that everything is empty. So why did Ananda still refer to himself as “I”?
We humans, because of this sense of self, are egotistic. Thus we are unenlightened beings. We are self-centered in everything we do, so we give rise to attachments and many afflictions. We ordinary people are very egocentric. But since Ananda had heard a lot of Dharma, was he still attached to his sense of self? We should know that the “I” in “have I heard” means that people are lost in phenomena and principles and do not realize that the “I” is illusory. But Ananda had absorbed the Buddha’s teachings, so he wanted to speak them for all to hear, for all to believe. Therefore he said, “Thus have I heard.” The truth the Buddha expounded is what he, Ananda, had heard. In order for the Dharma to spread throughout this world, Ananda had to make such distinctions to be in accord with the words that people spoke and the habits that people had.
Ananda knew that every person’s “I” is formed by the temporary union of Five Aggregates. So he kept using “I” and referring to the “self.” What are the Five Aggregates? We all know them, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. We are inseparable from this physical form. In our daily living, we inevitably come in contact with everything in our external environment. When we are in contact with conditions, we experience feelings that engage our consciousness. So we make distinctions between you, him and I and between green, red, white etc. because we have experienced them. So in accordance with worldly views, we refer to this [entity] as “I. I” have heard. “I” have done. “I” have felt. This “I” is illusory.
Because he had realized the Buddha’s teachings, Ananda already penetrated the emptiness of self, that after the Five Aggregates are separated, there is no self [left]. Though we say True Suchness is real, the self is not real; it is a temporary union of the Five Aggregates. But he had to use this illusory appearance so the Dharma could be formally understood by everyone. Indeed, this was something Ananda had heard, so he used the illusory term “self.” Of course, this “I” was simply used to make a distinction between guest and host. We make a distinction between me, you, him, otherwise things will be confusing. Because we need to make a slight distinction, we can use the word “I” to refer to ourselves.
Indeed, when I am listening, what part of that “I” is listening? Therefore, we adopt another term; the “ears” hear. “I hear” means that the ears hear. The Treatise on Great Perfection of Wisdom states,
When the Ear-root is functioning, we can hear any audible sounds that our minds want to hear.
When we listen, we use our ears to listen. If our ears are functioning, we can certainly hear.
We do not say the ears hear, or “Thus have the ears heard.” Whose ears have heard? “I” refers to Ananda. “Thus have I heard” means that he, Ananda, had heard this Dharma, not his ears. If we say the Dharma is heard by the ears, will people believe in it? We all have ears. So Ananda said, “It is I. Have I heard.”
As long as there is sound, our ears can hear it. But only those who are committed to listen can really absorb it. If you sit here without a commitment to listen, your mind is in some other place. The sound is here, but your mind is elsewhere, so this sound and the principles it contains did not enter your mind. This is the same as hearing nothing;
that is reflexive ear-consciousness. Reflexive ear-consciousness is when our ears hear sound but our minds and cognition are not engaged. When we do not use our mind-consciousness, we just hear sounds. This often happens when we listen to others. Discursive thoughts suddenly arise in our minds, so we do not clearly hear what others say. Then we go back and ask, “What did you just say?” We certainly heard the sound, but we do not know what the person said. So, we did hear the sound, but we did not use our consciousness to listen. The ear registered the sound, but did not understand it or discern what the person said.
When sound arises, the ear immediately hears. In that instant there is sound, but we need to connect it with mind-consciousness. The mind- and ear-consciousnesses must converge for us to understand and absorb the Dharma. The mind-consciousness must come in contact with external objects to have a clear understanding. Sounds need to be clearly identified so the principles can enter the mind.
Ananda used his wisdom to hear the Buddha’s principles. He did not use his reflexive ear-consciousness. No. When he was by the Buddha’s side, he did not think that the Buddha was speaking to others and that he did not have to listen. No, he listened very mindfully. So, the thoughts in his mind were completely in harmony with the Buddha’s voice. This is the convergence of conditions. This is how the ears hear.
Fulfillment of hearing is signified by. “Have I heard.” To spread teachings in this world, Ananda used the illusory “I” of the Five Aggregates. He had already achieved emptiness of self, so he truly did not cling to self, to the illusory “I.” To distinguish between listener and speaker, the word “I” is used. What reaches our ears is what we hear.
When the Buddha spoke, He was not only speaking to Ananda. He taught according to people’s capabilities. When the timing was right, when people’s capabilities had matured, He began speaking to them. This is what we call convergence of conditions. What Ananda heard were teachings from the convergence of conditions. Therefore, “have I heard,” what Ananda had heard, is the combination of many principles.
Some people ask, “Since the root is an extension of consciousness, we can listen. Listening is the ear hearing. So why do we say ‘have I heard’?” I just explained this. Even though the ear-root is in this consciousness, Ananda had to mindfully listen. The ears are one of the five sense organs. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body are the five sense organs, or Five Roots. They are used to discerning the properties of all things. Each of our five sense organs has its own name. So the ear-root is one of those Five Roots. Since the body is the sum of all, should we say “the body hears”?
The body cannot hear. When we cover our ears, our body still exists and our auditory nerves still exist. But when we cover our ears, we do not even know if someone is speaking. And if someone is speaking we cannot identify the words. So the ear is part of this sum of all parts. This is why Ananda said “I.” This body is Ananda’s. He is within this entire body, so he, Ananda, had heard.
When immediate ear-consciousness comes together with mind-consciousness, many conditions converge, and we hear things. Question: The ear-root awakens consciousness to hear. We should say the ear hears. Why do we say “I hear”? Answer: The ear is one of the five organs. “I” is the sum of the body, so we abandon these categories
20 years after the Buddha began teaching, Ananda became a monastic and His attendant. Since this was the case, Ananda did not hear the Dharma that the Buddha expounded during those first 20 years. So, as they were compiling the sutras, how could he say, “Thus have I heard?” But the answer is yes, it is possible.
The Buddha wanted Ananda to be His attendant because he was recommended by the Sangha. Ananda was intelligent. Ananda was wise. Ananda was pure in heart. Ananda had a dignified appearance. So after he heard the Buddha expound the Dharma, he remembered everything. He had a great memory and was young, so those in the Sangha recommended Ananda to be the Buddha’s attendant. They believed that the Buddha was getting old, so He needed an attendant by His side. Their choice was Ananda.
Ananda was very delighted to become His attendant, but before he accepted, he had a few conditions. He beseeched the Buddha for three things: First, not to wear clothes the Buddha had worn. Second, not to receive offerings with the Buddha. He was an attendant. Why did he make these requests? Ananda wanted to avoid others’ misgivings and avoid becoming an issue. The clothes offered to the Buddha were of high quality. If he wore the clothes the Buddha once wore,
he was afraid others would say He favored him. He did not wish for others to say such things, so his first requirement was to not to wear the clothes the Buddha had worn. Many kings, ministers, elders, and people from all levels of society invited the Buddha alone to receive offerings. But Ananda said that if the Buddha alone was invited, he did not want to go with Him. Why was that? The offerings to the Buddha were usually feasts, so Ananda felt that if he alone accompanied the Buddha to receive those offerings, people will say, “Ananda, you are fortunate. You accompany the Buddha and eat with Him, so you always eat better than we do.” Ananda did not want this to happen, either.
So we can see that people in the past are the same as they are now, they tend to gossip. At that time, Ananda did not want to create conditions for people to start talking. So he did not want to wear the Buddha’s old clothes or receive offerings alone with Him.
Next, most importantly, “I, Ananda, did not hear the Dharma the Buddha expounded in the last 20 years. I beseech the Buddha to expound the Dharma from the past 20 years again for me, to repeat it all. Otherwise I, Ananda, will have missed the Dharma You expounded in the past 20 years.” Thus, Sakyamuni Buddha recognized Ananda’s wisdom. As for these three sincere requests, the Buddha agreed to them all.
Question: Ananda was born on the night the Buddha attained enlightenment 20 years later he became the Buddha’s attendant. The Dharma He expounded for those 20 years was not heard by Ananda. So when he compiled the sutras, why did he say, “have I heard”? Answer: There are three reasons. When the Buddha commanded him to attend Him, Ananda made three requests of the Buddha: He was not to wear clothing worn by the Buddha, nor accompany Him if He alone was invited. Also, the Buddha would re-expound the Dharma from the previous 20 years that he did not hear. The World-Honored One agreed. Thus he heard the Dharma he did not hear before.
Everyone, in learning Buddhism, we need to know how to really understand principles. We need to practice mindfulness. When we are mindful, we can understand these principles. Thus, truths will appear and we will understand the true nature of all things. Though “we are all same in nature, we each have a form and call it ‘I.'” So, Ananda took on a worldly label. He clearly knew that you and I are all equal. But to spread teachings to others so that they will believe them, he referred to himself, “Ananda”, as “I.” This is a form of [worldly] truth. To inspire faith in the world, when we speak to gain others’ trust, we say, “Indeed, this is what I said.” People will ask, “Who said these words?” So we need to tell them the source. Everyone, in our spiritual practice, [attaining] True Suchness begins with faith. So everyone, please always be mindful.