The Alpha Seer understanding true art

Very rarely do we encounter a female realized master in the journals of Buddhism,– but as always, Buddha Nature is in all sentient beings, and Miss Leung Hon Yi has proven to us just that. Miss Leung has revealed herself as a true Zen Master to the Alpha Seer, expounding the wisdom of the Bodhidharma here. Now a portion of the Bodhidharma’s wisdom as expounded by this female master is translated for the benefit of the Alpha Seer’s non- Chinese friends here.

This is the meaning of the encircled part of the Bodhidharma writing:

Bringing the Bodhidharma’s point to the general public, Master Leung relates the story of Anaxagoras, ancient Greek Philosopher. He was the same gentleman who had offended the authority by declaring that the Sun was no more than a pile of burning metals existing in their gaseous states, NOT a god to be revered. He was therefore considered a heretic and was publicly tried and exiled from his home city. One day, a messenger brought bad news. Anaxagoras’ only son had died! Upon seeing that the latter was totally unmoved, — in fact, he was not disturbed even for a bit, the messenger repeated the sad news to him, thinking that Anaxagoras probably had not heard him right. To the messenger’s surprise, Anaxagoras said,” I hear you, but I have always been aware that a son was born to me,– and he is NOT a son who can fail to die!  I have learned that long ago, my friend!”

Miss Leung has this comment: “Even though this is all too obvious that we can all die one day, no one is willing to confront it in its nakedness with the proper urgency. Everyone in the world just seem to be happy enough to decorate Death’s skull with sweet- looking flowers, without ever seriously facing the most basic condition in our existence, namely, DEATH!

Glory and Darkness always follow each other. The Bodhidharma’s main theme is birth/death, construction/ destruction, rise/fall, happiness/sorrow, beauty/ugliness, enlightenment/ ignorance, longevity/ untimely death, glory/ shame… . They form the duality that comes forth in life like the twin states, one following the other.

Then Master Leung went on to retell a story from the Great Nirvana Sutra.

What is the Great Nirvana Sutra mainly about? The core of the Great Nirvana Sutra is that the Dharma Body always lives.

There is a story about the two sisters of Glory and Darkness in the sutra. One day an extremely beautiful woman knocked on the door of a young man. The man was fully enchanted and asked her,” My dear, what is your name? Where are you from? Who sends you, …. and why are you at my door?” Thereupon the woman answered,” I am the legendary Glorious Heaven. Wherever I go, I send out treasures, power, prosperity, happiness and glory. I send out everything positive, meritorious and good, –just about anything you name, to your heart’s fullest desire.”

“Aha,” thought the man,” It must be due to the good deeds that I had done in the past, my merits and all, that I am now being rewarded with this extreme happiness!” ” I know it, and I have never doubted it a bit,– I am the chosen one!”

Now just as the young man was completely overjoyed and fully intoxicated with his good fortune, another series of knocks at the door was heard. This time, the knocking was harsh and rude. When he opened it an extremely ugly woman was standing outside. She was clad like a beggar, and she was ugly, evil looking, shrunken and decrepit. She was also dirty and she smelled like a skunk. Her body was emitting the scent of death, and her skin was like that of a corpse. ” Why are you here, ugly one?” The young man questioned her bluntly with evident displeasure and impatience. “What is your name?” “Who send you?”

“My name is Darkness Woman. Wherever I go, destruction, disease, death and ill luck will follow,… . I will make every good thing in the world disappear and put bad things in its place.”

“Go away, or you are dead!”  Shouted the young man in great dismay.

“Ha, ha, what a fool! Don’t you know the beauty who is making herself comfortable in your house right now is my own elder sister? My sister and I always travel together. If you want to kick me out, you must also have her driven away as well!”

” Yes, indeed. She is my younger sister alright, dear!” said Glorious Heaven. “The two of us have never lived apart from each other. Wherever we go, –she would do evil and transmit destruction, suffering, disease and death, even though I would do nothing but good,–and send out profits, merits and happiness. Yup, we always travel as one. If you have decided to accommodate and worship me, you must likewise accommodate her as well.That is my only condition.”

Thereupon the young man seriously considered his situation and finally he told the sisters,” In that case, I have no need for both of you! Please leave this house ASAP!”

Several days later, Glorious Heaven and Darkness Woman came upon another house. The young man in the house led a very shabby life. The two sisters had found him in a decrepit, beggary state. After being told of the sisters’ intention, the young man seemed only too happy to accommodate both visitors. Why? The simple truth was that the poor man had never really possessed anything of substance in his life. He had always been in poverty. He was simply too eager to take the bait. He did not care about the suffering, sorrow, destruction and death that would soon be his lots,–as long as he could be alternately rewarded with beauty, happiness, merits, glory, and treasures. After all, he had always been in need of something or other,– and can you fault someone like that for not taking the bait of this pair of sisters?

So that is the story perfectly illumining the human condition. The fellow living in extreme poverty clearly reflects on those with spiritual poverty and weaknesses. Not unlike  someone in thirst will drink whatever that is offered to him, the young man did not care whether that water was clean or foul. The sisters are able to defeat most folks in the world in the same way the Greek defeated their enemies with a Trojan Horse.  (To be continued.)