Śūrangama Sūtra 楞严经
The Śūrangama Sūtra 大佛首顶楞严经
The Śūrangama Sūtra is one of the most significant sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. There is a saying in Chinese Buddhism that “the Śūrangama Sūtra helps one to become enlightened, and the Lotus Sutra helps one to realise Buddhahood (开悟的楞严，成佛的法华).” The Śūrangama Sūtra is highly revered in all schools of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also important in the Pure Land school as one of the five Pure Land sutras, which was added by Patriarch Yinguang - The Chapter of Bodhisattva Dashizhi’s (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) Perfect Realisation on Nianfo Samādhi (大势至菩萨念佛圆通章）is from Chapter five of this sutra. The well-known Śūrangama mantra is also from this sutra and the mantra is often recited by monks and nuns in many Chinese temples during their morning and evening sessions.
The sutra contains the investigation of the true nature of the Mind (Heart), i.e. the Buddha nature, the Tathagathagarbha (如来藏心), and the difference between the real Mind (Heart) and the illusory mind. Ordinary beings often identified with the illusory mind which is constantly changing, being dependent on the sense objects (forms, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas). That is why ordinary beings suffer; because they identify with the illusory mind, thinking that the illusory mind is the real Mind, unaware of precisely what and where this real Mind is.
The Śūrangama Sūtra begins with an interesting narrative in which Ānanda, the Buddha’s attendant, goes on alms round alone. He comes to a house of prostitution where Mātangī (a low caste woman) lures him close to her by means of Kapila magic. The woman was absolutely crazy about Ānanda and wanted to marry him. Later on it is revealed that they had been husband and wife for the past five hundred years, hence the strong karmic connection in this life. At this time, Ānanda is on the verge of breaking his pure precepts. The Buddha knows of Ānanda’s plight from a distance, while partaking of a royal feast. He quickly finishes the meal, and sends out from the top of his head a bright and triumphant multi-coloured light within which appears a transformation Buddha seated cross-legged, on a thousand-petaled lotus. The Buddha then repeats the transcendental mantra (Śūrangama mantra) and orders the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to use this mantra to overcome the girl’s black magic and rescue Ānanda.
When Ānanda saw the Buddha, he was deeply repentant and ashamed of his weakness: He lacked practice in meditative concentration, and was only satisfied with hearing a lot of Dharma. This is when the interesting conversation between the Buddha and Ānanda begins. The Buddha asks Ānanda to investigate where the Mind (Heart) is. Ānanda provides seven answers:
1. The mind is inside the body
2. The mind is outside the body
3. The mind is hidden in the sense organs (roots)
4. When I open my eyes and see clearly outside, this is called (the mind’s) outward seeing; and when I close them, this is called (the mind’s) inward seeing (in this answer Ananda did not specifically say where the mind is, but just follow the Buddha’s response to his third answer.)
5. The mind arises when there is union with the externals
6. The mind is neither inside nor outside, but in between
7. The mind exists nowhere and clings to nothing
Each time the Buddha strips Ānanda of his attachment to the illusory mind, before revealing the True Mind (Heart). The Buddha taught that the True Mind is All-pervasive, it is formless and it is everywhere in all the worlds in the ten directions. It is not confined to any physical location. It is no birth and no death, and it is unchanged. The Buddha explained why the True Mind is no birth and no death, and how it is unchanged despite how sense objects change forms, sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas - dharmas refer to all the impressions which are left in the mind from interacting with the first five sense objects - include our feelings, thoughts, perceptions). This Wondrous Perfect Awareness is always here and unchanged.
The Buddha also explained the difference between the True Mind and the illusory mind. The illusory mind is constantly changing and is dependent on the sense objects, whereas the True Mind doesn’t change and it is independent of the sense objects. Regardless of how forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and dharmas change, this Perfect Awareness, the ability to know, is always unchanged.
The Buddha further explained that in order to realise the True Mind, one must utilise the six roots, because they interact with the six sense objects (also know as the “six dusts 六尘”, they are called the dusts because they can obstruct us from seeing the True Reality). Indulgence in these sense objects can obstruct realisation of the True Mind. If one can tame any of the six roots (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and consciousness), then one can slowly realise the True Mind (if one can tame one of the six roots, the other five roots will also be automatically tamed).
The Buddha also talked about the origin of the Universe in the Surangama Sutra, how the Universe is stemmed by a thought of delusion (fundamental ignorance), which led to identification and differentiation, and in time gave rise to objective forms, due to the law of continuity, continuity of the world, continuity of living beings and continuity of karmic retribution everything is formed. (From p128 of the pdf of the Surangama Sutra below talks about the origin of the Universe)
The Buddha then asks the twenty-five bodhisattvas to describe the different methods by which each had attained Enlightenment. This also contains the Nianfo method (Amitābha recitation) recommended by Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara’s method of taming the ear root was considered by Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī as being the most suitable for mankind today, because beings in our world have the sharpest hearing faculties. That is why Patriarch Yinguang, the 13th Patriarch of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, recommends that when we chant the name of Amitābha Buddha, we should also use our hearing faculties to hear our own recitation, so we can lock the roots of ears. The other five roots will also be locked automatically. We will look within instead of running away with the ever-changing external sense objects, which can make our mind very scattered, instead of being rooted in our True Mind.
The Śūrangama Sūtra is also relevant for Pure Land practitioners due to chapter five, in which Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta talks about how he realised Nianfo Samadhi and how one should practice Nianfo. This is highly relevant for Pure Land practitioners. You can read about the chapter here.
At the end of the sutra, the Buddha also described the Fifty Skandha-Māras (五十种阴魔), which are the fifty different deluded states one may experience during meditation and can be mistaken for enlightenment. These are in fact all misunderstandings. Whatever state one experiences in meditation and practice, one should never be attached, including to the so-called state of “enlightenment.”
History:
How the Śūrangama Sūtra arrived to China from India is a most captivating story. Before the Śūrangama Sūtra came to China, many people in China had already heard about it. In 580 CE Master Zhizhe (智者大师, also known as Master Zhiyi), the founder of the Tiantai school in China, met an Indian monk who told the Master that his ideas of śamatha meditation were very similar to those found in the Śūrangama Sūtra. Master Zhizhe was very happy to hear this and wished that he could witness the Śūrangama Sūtra in China. He even set up a prayer platform for the sutra to come into China earlier. He prostrated to the west - in the direction of India for 18 years. Unfortunately, the sutra did not come to China until much later after Master Zhizhe attained rebirth. It is said that Master Zhizhe was the incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha in China, and he also vowed to attain rebirth in Amitābha Buddha’s Pure Land.
Then there was a monk in India called Paramiti (般剌密帝) who heard about Master Zhizhe’s story. He was deeply touched by his sincerity and how he prayed persistently for 18 years so that the Śūrangama Sūtra would finally arrive in China. Master Paramiti thought that this sutra must have had a strong karmic connection with the beings in China, so he decided to copy the sutra and bring it secretly to China by ship. At the time, the Śūrangama Sūtra was deemed one of the national treasures of India and was forbidden from being transported abroad).
Master Paramiti was not successful the first time. An official from the border found out and confiscated the sutra. The Master had no choice but to return to India, but his determination to spread the Dharma remained unwavering. He thought of memorizing the Śūrangama Sūtra so that it could not be physically taken. After memorizing the sutra, he set out again. Upon reaching the border after an arduous journey, the extremely tired Master forgot the sutra, so he had to return again. He experienced two setbacks but this only made Master Paramita’s determination to spread the Dharma even stronger.
In the end, Master Paramiti adopted a method unimaginable to ordinary people. He first wrote the sutra on a very fine white cloth. Next, he cut open the flesh of his arms, stuffed the white cloth sutras inside and sewed the wounds shut. He waited until the incisions healed before leaving the country. This time Master Paramiti successfully crossed the sea and came to China. He arrived in the city of Guangzhou (Canton), in Guangdong province.
It just so happened that Fang Rong (房融, the highest chief chancellor of the ex-emperor Wu Zetian 武则天的宰相, the first female emperor in China, resided in Guangzhou and was responsible for local government affairs. He was a lay Buddhist who had received the Bodhisattva Precepts. Upon knowing the Master’s arrival, he invited Master Paramiti to stay at Zhizhi Temple (制止寺，今广州光孝寺，nowadays Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou).
The Master cut open his arms and took out the scriptures. Because it took so long, the white cloth had become blurred with flesh and blood, and the scriptures were difficult to read, let alone translate. Everyone was deeply concerned, but then a miracle happened. There was a mute woman standing beside Fang Rong who suddenly became able to speak. She said that if one uses human milk to clean the flesh and blood off the white cloth, the writing will become clear. When they tried it, the script on the sutra miraculously reappeared. Everyone was charmed and delighted.
After careful preparation, the Śūrangama Sūtra was officially translated on the 23rd day of the fifth lunar month, the first year of Shenlong (705 CE). The primary translator was Master Paramiti (般刺密谛法师). The North Indian Master Meghaśikhara (弥伽释迦) was the translator between Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Chinese translation was certified by Master Huaidi (怀迪法师), and the scripture was polished by Fang Rong（房融）. Due to Fang Rong’s beautiful and elegant writing, the literary style of the Śūrangama Sūtra gained a high reputation of being extremely profound.
After much difficulty in transmitting the Śūrangama Sūtra to the East and successfully translating it, Master Paramiti hurriedly returned home. Fang Rong sent the translated Śūrangama Sūtra, as well as his touching story, to the imperial court; but the imperial court did not promulgate it immediately. Later, when Master Shenxiu (神秀大师） of the Northern School of Chan went to the palace to preach the Dharma, he copied the Śūrangama Sūtra and obtained the original text from Fang Rong’s home collection. Only then did the sutra begin to circulate. Many people began to study the Śūrangama Sūtra and the trend gradually became popular throughout China. The Śūrangama Sūtra also spread to Korea, Japan and neighbouring countries.
Some people argue that the Śūrangama Sūtra is not the Buddha's teaching, but is rather an apocryphal work created in China. Such an idea is simply ignorance of the history of the Śūrangama Sūtra in China. It may be due to Fang Rong’s elegant style of writing that the Śūrangama Sūtra is thought to be apocryphal - but this is like saying that a famous writer of literature can actually write the most advanced book on mathematics (which is ridiculous and sheer nonsense). One should not slander the Mahayana teachings as such an act would result in the worst kind of karmic consequences. It is important for people to study the Mahayana teachings before making allegations about a text. For those who has studied and investigated the teachings of the Śūrangama Sūtra, they would know that this is undoubtedly the Buddha's teaching, as only a perfectly enlightened being can reveal such unsurpassed, supreme wisdom.
We also highly recommend a Chinese movie about the Śūrangama Sūtra (with English subtitles - this is only part I, maybe in the future they will make Part II)
You can download a PDF of the sutra here.
Due to the complexity of the Śūrangama Sūtra, it can be quite challenging for anyone who wants to study the texts, but you can watch Jiawen’s two-part discussion on the true nature of the Mind (Heart, citta) and the illusory mind (based on the Śūrangama Sūtra) below:
