Revealing the Buddha's Esoteric Causal Teachings, Casually Claiming Ignorance of the Dharma
Let us first examine the outward forms in which bodhisattvas manifest, in both auspicious and inauspicious conditions. We turn first to the passage that prohibits the disclosure of secret teachings. After I pass into parinirvana, I shall...
Let us first examine the outward forms in which bodhisattvas manifest, in both auspicious and inauspicious conditions. We turn first to the passage that prohibits the disclosure of secret teachings. After I pass into parinirvana, I shall enjoin all bodhisattvas and arhats to manifest in response bodies (nirmanakaya) born into this Dharma-ending age, taking on every conceivable form to guide sentient beings trapped in the cycle of rebirth. They may appear as sramanas, lay householder practitioners, worldly kings, high-ranking government officials, young boys, young girls, or even as prostitutes, widows, fraudsters, thieves, butchers, and meat sellers. They will work alongside these people as peers, extol the Buddha Vehicle, and enable their body and mind to enter samadhi. The Buddha did indeed issue such a secret injunction. After he entered parinirvana, during the Dharma-ending age, countless great bodhisattvas and arhats would appear. When the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra, after concluding his teachings, he would always call upon all who had generated the aspiration to help propagate the Dharma in the Dharma-ending age, and multitudes of bodhisattvas would step forward to make this commitment.
So how do they manifest? The following passage describes the forms they take: they appear in response bodies. They cannot manifest in their original, inherent bodhisattva or arhat forms, but rather take on response bodies born into the Dharma-ending age, manifesting in all manner of outward appearances. We call this "manifesting forms suited to the category of beings [to be saved]": whatever type of sentient being one seeks to guide, one takes on that corresponding form. The goal is "to liberate beings from the cycle of rebirth": to free sentient beings from the endless turning of the three realms. "Taking on all manner of forms" refers to their outward manifestation, while "liberating beings from the cycle of rebirth" refers to their teaching of the Dharma in response to the capacities of their audience.
The Buddha must teach the Dharma, and any bodhisattva who comes to the world must also teach the Dharma. So how do they manifest? They may appear as a sramana (monastic), a lay householder practitioner, a worldly king, a high-ranking official, a young boy or girl, or even take on the form of a prostitute, a widow, a fraudster, a thief, a butcher, or a meat seller. There is only one purpose for taking on these forms: "to work alongside these people as peers, and praise the Buddha Vehicle."
You must be of the same type as the person you seek to guide – like attracts like – only then will they feel a sense of affinity with you. Modern psychologists have also validated the effectiveness of this approach of working alongside others as peers taught in the Dharma. Psychologists note that if you enter a new environment, for example if you are a salesperson seeking to build a connection with someone, do not approach them right away to start a conversation. Instead, observe their mannerisms and way of speaking from a distance first, then imitate their gestures and the tone of their speech. After some time has passed, go greet them, and they will quickly resonate with you, because you will be emitting the same energetic field as they do.
Psychologists point out that every person emits an energetic field through their body, speech, and mind. If you want to connect with someone, you must adjust your own energetic field to match theirs, so that they can accept you. If you are a bodhisattva who holds yourself in a lofty, aloof manner, they will not resonate with you at all, and will not listen to a word you say. Therefore, a bodhisattva must adjust their body, speech, and mind to accord with the inclinations of sentient beings: whatever energetic field they hold, I will manifest that same field. This is no problem at all, for there is only one goal: to praise the Buddha Vehicle, widely extol the path to full Buddhahood, and enable sentient beings to attain samadhi through the mutual joy and affinity that arises between them.
Next, we turn to the passage on the secret entrustment made at the time of death. I will never declare that I am a true bodhisattva or true arhat, reveal the Buddha’s esoteric causal intent, or casually disclose my identity to those of limited learning. When a bodhisattva or arhat manifests in the human world, they will never claim to be the manifestation of a specific bodhisattva or arhat. Why is this? Because doing so would disclose the Buddha’s secret injunction. They absolutely cannot casually disclose their identity to those of limited learning, lest these people generate false, deluded discriminations in their minds. If you claim to be a manifestation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, everyone will make offerings to you and stay by your side – what of all the other sentient beings? There are countless karmic causes and conditions for sentient beings to be liberated, so one absolutely cannot disclose their own esoteric identity in this way. There is only one exception to this prohibition: The sole exception is when a person is at the end of their life, and has a secret legacy to entrust to later generations to establish the credibility of their teachings. How deluded such people are, to confuse and delude sentient beings, and commit the grave offense of major false speech by falsely claiming to be a sage! This passage clarifies that bodhisattvas do indeed continuously manifest in the Dharma-ending age, but they will never claim to be the manifestation of a specific bodhisattva. Look to Chinese Buddhism for examples: Master Fenggan was a manifestation of Amitabha Buddha, while Hanshan and Shide were manifestations of Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva respectively. But none of them ever claimed to be a bodhisattva manifestation – such behavior is utterly unthinkable for them.
When I read Master Ouyi’s Lingfeng School Anthology, he puts forward a key insight: bodhisattva manifestations come in two types. The first is a counterintuitive manifestation, appearing with signs of illness or madness. Take Jigong the Monk as an example: he acted in a mad, foolish manner, behaved in an erratic, eccentric way, and was known to drink alcohol and eat meat. He could never hold himself out as a genuine spiritual teacher, for setting such a bad example would cause great harm.
If a bodhisattva manifests in the form of a patriarch or lineage master, they must act completely normally, in full accordance with the Buddha’s teachings. If they act in a strange or eccentric manner, they cannot manifest as a patriarch; instead, they may take the form of a widow or a prostitute, specifically to guide beings with particular karmic affinities. If a bodhisattva manifests as an authentic spiritual teacher, they must be completely normal, not eccentric. This is precisely the point Master Ouyi makes. If you appear as a spiritual teacher, you must manifest in a completely normal way, because only then can you establish the proper order and systematic framework of the Buddha’s teachings.