Why Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Ear-Contemplation Dharma Gate Is the Most Supreme in the Dharma-Ending Age

Guanyin Is the Supreme

As the Blessed Shakyamuni World-Honored One indeed asked me, among all skillful means, to save beings of the Dharma-ending age, those who seek the transcendental path and wish to attain the wondrous mind of nirvana, Guanyin’s is the supreme method.

This passage opens by identifying the most supreme method. The opening “as indeed” refers to the Blessed Shakyamuni World-Honored One asking me, among the twenty-five skillful means, which is the most accessible for practice. The core of this passage is the intended beneficiaries of this most accessible method: beings of the Dharma-ending age.

Master Ouyi noted that the unique feature of the ear-root perfect penetration among the twenty-five perfect penetrations is that it especially succors beings of the lowest spiritual capacities in the Dharma-ending age. Put simply, this method is specifically designed for those with the greatest spiritual obstacles. Some practitioners have exceptionally strong willpower, very light defilements, and no major obstacles to practice: they are in good health, face few distracting afflictions in daily life, and have particularly strong right mindfulness. For such people, any of the twenty-five perfect penetrations will be effective for their practice.

But beings of the Dharma-ending age face countless obstacles: internal afflictions and karmic transgressions, as well as external disturbances from ghosts and spirits. When your mind is already exhausted and you have little remaining mental or physical energy, yet you still aspire to pursue the Mahayana transcendental path and attain the wondrous mind of nirvana, the only viable choice is the Ear-Contemplation Dharma Gate of Guanyin Bodhisattva, which is the most supreme.

If you were born in the True Dharma Age, you would not need to study this section at all, nor would you need to weigh which method is more supreme: any method you happened upon would be a wondrous Dharma. But if we are unfortunately born in the Dharma-ending age, selecting an accessible, easy-to-accomplish method is extremely important. This is the core meaning of this passage.

◎ The Other Methods Are Hard to Accomplish

Among these twenty-five perfect penetrations, we are focusing exclusively on the ear-root perfect penetration. What is the nature of the remaining methods? The other twenty-four perfect penetrations are all empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual power. The core point emphasized here is that all of these twenty-four methods rely on the Buddha’s empowerment to function.

What does it mean for a method to rely on the Buddha’s power? It means you must be born in an era when the Buddha is present in the world. These methods are tailored to specific individuals, and are not universally applicable to all three spiritual capacities (superior, middling, and inferior). They function as “methods that use specific life circumstances to transcend worldly defilements.” If you are born in a time and place where the Buddha has appeared, or where great virtuous teachers dwell, these teachers can discern the unique karmic conditions and specific circumstances you are facing.

Take the Venerable Aniruddha as an example. Later in life, he ceased sleeping and lost his sight. If Aniruddha had been born in the Dharma-ending age, he would have had no access to guidance for a suitable practice. But because he lived in an era when the Buddha was present, the Buddha tailored a practice to his condition of blindness, instructing him to cultivate the Samadhi of Joyful Seeing and Illuminating Vajra. He thus attained perfect penetration by working directly with the very obstacle he faced.

Another example is the Venerable Ucculamka. His body and mind were consumed by intense, burning desire. The Buddha imparted the same principle to him: use your specific circumstances to transcend worldly defilements. Contemplate the fire of desire: this fire has no inherent origin or end; it arises falsely through the combination of causes and conditions, and ceases falsely when those conditions disperse. Simply redirect this fire of lust into the fire of wisdom—it is as simple as turning its direction.

Thus, all twenty-four of these other methods require the Buddha’s empowerment and direct personal guidance. None of them can be practiced independently in the Dharma-ending age—this is impossible. As the verse states, “All other skillful means rely on the Buddha’s spiritual power, using specific circumstances to transcend defilements.” This means these methods are not suitable for ordinary people to practice over the long term, nor are they accessible to both beings of shallow and deep spiritual capacity—they are not universally applicable to all three spiritual capacities. This is simply not the case.

Within the Buddha’s teachings, some methods are special expedient means, while others are normal, standard practices for long-term cultivation. The Chan tradition employs many special expedient means, and particularly favors this type of method. But Chan has a defining requirement: it does not rely on written words, but transmits the mind directly from mind to mind. For Chan to function, virtuous teachers must be present in the world. Look at the Chan tradition: once its patriarchs pass away, the teaching is lost. It relies on people to carry forward the Dharma.

Take the famous examples of Deshan’s staff and Linji’s shout. When someone asked Patriarch Deshan, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?” he would simply strike the questioner with his staff, a method guaranteed to awaken them instantly. If anyone did that today, who would dare to strike another person? If you are not a genuine virtuous teacher, you cannot employ this method—it requires the patriarch’s empowerment to be effective.

Some people, when asked the same question about the Patriarch’s coming from the West, are told, “Go drink tea!” The teacher discerns their spiritual capacity, understands their particular condition, and guides them to awakening by working with that causal condition. Others are told, “Go eat a cake!”—this method works by turning back the hearing of the tongue root to investigate self-nature. But the issue is that all of these methods require the presence of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the world to be applied. Ordinary people without the guidance of a qualified teacher cannot practice these methods independently.

It is important to understand that there are two categories of Dharma methods: universal, standard practices for sustained cultivation, and special expedient means. Special expedient means can only be employed when great virtuous teachers are present in the world. All practitioners should be clear on this point.

This passage draws a clear distinction between the ear-root perfect penetration and the other perfect penetrations.

Venerable Master Jingjie's Commentary on the Shurangama Sutra