Thoughts on Thirteen

First, I'd like to point out a possibly better way of interpreting sentences like:

"What the Tathagata says is the perfection of wisdom is no perfection. Thus it is called the 'perfection of wisdom.'"

I think what is confusing is the word "thus." I don't think it is being used here in the sense of implication but rather as a synonym for "in this manner." The first sentence points out that the perfection of wisdom is a limited concept and also that words cannot do it justice. The second senence then says that we should keep this in mind when we use the phrase "perfection of wisdom," that it is a limited concept.

This chapeter seems to be a summary of some points of the sutra mentioned so far. Subhuti asks for a name to remember the sutra by. Buddha supplies one, and then goes on to question Subhuti about some of the points he made so far.

*The Buddha teaches no doctrine.

*Nothing, even the huge number of specks of dust in the universe, is ultimately real, even though it is not completely unreal.

*The Buddha is not recognized by physical marks on his body, even though the "original Buddha" Shakyamuni is reputed to have certain physical characteristics. These are not necessary to be a Buddha.

*Self-renunciation and ascetisism (sp?) are not enough. One must also help others, in particular by explaining this sutra to them.

In reference to this last point, I was reminded of it when I watched the film Kandahar the other night. Some young girls were being sent into Afghanistan under the old Taliban regime from Iran. Under the Taliban, women had no rights, did not go to school, and were in general extremely unhappy. These girls were being sent into this. One man was trying to help them out, and told them to imagine they were ants, because that way, the small area (physical and mental) they were trapped in would seem bigger. This man was giving a gift that had the potential to help these girls quite a bit in achieving peace of mind. Helping these girls in this way had the potential for achieving far more good then giving them food, donating to the Red Cross, or even worse, secluding oneself in a hermitage.

Ta ta for now.