1 00:00:00,264 --> 00:00:00,975 The Avatamsaka Sutra says 2 00:00:01,383 --> 00:00:03,634 One speck of dust contains the whole universe 3 00:00:04,144 --> 00:00:04,894 Not reflects it 4 00:00:05,184 --> 00:00:06,235 Not symbolizes it 5 00:00:06,703 --> 00:00:07,636 Contains it 6 00:00:07,825 --> 00:00:09,317 Thirteen hundred years ago 7 00:00:09,426 --> 00:00:12,516 A monk named Fazang stood before Wu Zetian 8 00:00:12,545 --> 00:00:14,036 And said this one sentence 9 00:00:14,465 --> 00:00:15,837 Wu Zetian did not understand 10 00:00:16,385 --> 00:00:18,516 No normal person would understand 11 00:00:18,826 --> 00:00:20,837 So Fazang did something 12 00:00:21,298 --> 00:00:22,589 He found a room 13 00:00:22,697 --> 00:00:25,309 The four walls ceiling and floor 14 00:00:25,338 --> 00:00:26,589 Were all covered with mirrors 15 00:00:26,778 --> 00:00:28,708 A Buddha statue stood at the center 16 00:00:28,737 --> 00:00:30,269 And a candle was lit beside it 17 00:00:30,458 --> 00:00:32,229 The instant Wu Zetian walked in 18 00:00:32,257 --> 00:00:34,108 Buddha images filled every direction 19 00:00:34,297 --> 00:00:35,329 Mirrors reflected mirrors 20 00:00:35,657 --> 00:00:36,696 Images inside images 21 00:00:36,698 --> 00:00:37,489 Layer after layer nested together 22 00:00:37,738 --> 00:00:38,630 With no end 23 00:00:39,060 --> 00:00:39,651 Fazang said 24 00:00:40,140 --> 00:00:41,831 Your Majesty do you see it 25 00:00:42,060 --> 00:00:43,011 Inside every mirror 26 00:00:43,259 --> 00:00:44,951 There is not only one Buddha image 27 00:00:45,299 --> 00:00:48,911 But all the Buddha images reflected by all the other mirrors 28 00:00:49,420 --> 00:00:50,250 Every local part 29 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:52,110 Contains the whole 30 00:00:53,234 --> 00:00:53,585 Hello 31 00:00:53,795 --> 00:00:54,265 Hi everyone 32 00:00:54,475 --> 00:00:55,445 I am Wang Lijie 33 00:00:55,634 --> 00:00:58,926 Today we are unpacking the four most central words in the Avatamsaka Sutra 34 00:00:58,994 --> 00:01:00,192 Dharmadhatu dependent arising 35 00:01:00,461 --> 00:01:02,751 First a word about the Avatamsaka Sutra itself 36 00:01:03,020 --> 00:01:07,072 It is one of the largest and most ambitious scriptures in Buddhism 37 00:01:07,420 --> 00:01:08,751 How large is it 38 00:01:08,821 --> 00:01:11,031 The Chinese translation alone has eighty scrolls 39 00:01:11,461 --> 00:01:13,940 What it tries to do is not explain one idea 40 00:01:13,941 --> 00:01:16,952 But draw the operating logic of the whole universe 41 00:01:17,260 --> 00:01:18,172 Not from one angle 42 00:01:18,381 --> 00:01:19,631 But from every angle 43 00:01:19,900 --> 00:01:21,191 Not on one level 44 00:01:21,221 --> 00:01:23,751 But with every level stacked together at once 45 00:01:24,181 --> 00:01:25,792 So many people read the Avatamsaka Sutra 46 00:01:25,821 --> 00:01:27,312 And get dizzy as they read 47 00:01:27,540 --> 00:01:28,592 Not because it is hard 48 00:01:28,780 --> 00:01:31,712 But because it says too many layers in the same sentence 49 00:01:32,494 --> 00:01:34,405 Yet its heart is really just four words 50 00:01:34,854 --> 00:01:36,185 Dharmadhatu dependent arising 51 00:01:36,414 --> 00:01:38,506 If you only remember one sentence before leaving 52 00:01:38,615 --> 00:01:39,526 I hope it is this 53 00:01:40,054 --> 00:01:40,985 This universe 54 00:01:41,015 --> 00:01:42,526 Is not made of things 55 00:01:42,895 --> 00:01:44,705 It is made of rules 56 00:01:44,934 --> 00:01:46,666 Let me break down these four words 57 00:01:47,134 --> 00:01:47,646 Dharmadhatu 58 00:01:48,054 --> 00:01:50,026 Means the totality of all existence 59 00:01:50,334 --> 00:01:52,985 You can simply understand it as the whole universe 60 00:01:53,015 --> 00:01:55,306 Plus everything that happens within the universe 61 00:01:55,694 --> 00:01:56,246 Dependent arising 62 00:01:56,655 --> 00:01:58,946 Is the most basic Buddhist worldview 63 00:01:59,255 --> 00:02:01,666 Nothing can exist independently 64 00:02:01,735 --> 00:02:04,746 All things arise by depending on conditions 65 00:02:04,934 --> 00:02:08,291 We have talked about this many times before 66 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:09,972 So what is dharmadhatu dependent arising 67 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,932 It is not simply saying all things depend on one another 68 00:02:13,401 --> 00:02:14,851 It says something much stronger 69 00:02:15,361 --> 00:02:16,291 It says 70 00:02:16,361 --> 00:02:19,571 The structure of mutual dependence inside every local part 71 00:02:19,801 --> 00:02:22,891 And the structure of mutual dependence in the whole universe 72 00:02:22,921 --> 00:02:24,331 Are exactly the same 73 00:02:24,961 --> 00:02:25,631 In other words 74 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,772 This is not ordinary dependent arising 75 00:02:28,121 --> 00:02:29,972 This is the dependent arising of dependent arising 76 00:02:30,401 --> 00:02:33,119 Structure itself at every scale 77 00:02:33,121 --> 00:02:34,571 Keeps copying itself 78 00:02:35,623 --> 00:02:36,974 The first time I read this 79 00:02:37,463 --> 00:02:38,474 I stopped for a long time 80 00:02:38,822 --> 00:02:40,314 Because I suddenly realized 81 00:02:40,383 --> 00:02:43,794 This is not the same as what we usually mean by everything is connected 82 00:02:44,183 --> 00:02:44,893 Everything is connected 83 00:02:45,223 --> 00:02:47,074 Means you have a relationship with the world 84 00:02:47,463 --> 00:02:48,613 Dharmadhatu dependent arising says 85 00:02:49,022 --> 00:02:50,433 You are the world 86 00:02:50,742 --> 00:02:52,014 Not a part of the world 87 00:02:52,463 --> 00:02:53,914 Not a miniature of the world 88 00:02:54,302 --> 00:02:57,314 But the complete operation of the world at your scale 89 00:02:57,742 --> 00:02:58,993 The distance between these two 90 00:02:59,063 --> 00:03:02,259 Is roughly the distance between shadow and reality 91 00:03:02,568 --> 00:03:05,019 To let you feel this difference more directly 92 00:03:05,089 --> 00:03:08,859 I want to compare it with another classic image in the Avatamsaka Sutra 93 00:03:09,089 --> 00:03:10,979 That image is called Indras net 94 00:03:11,408 --> 00:03:14,259 Many people mix it together with dharmadhatu dependent arising 95 00:03:14,489 --> 00:03:15,928 But when I read it carefully 96 00:03:15,929 --> 00:03:17,979 They are talking about two different things 97 00:03:18,649 --> 00:03:23,139 Indras net says that in the palace of Indra hangs an infinite net 98 00:03:23,448 --> 00:03:26,380 And every knot in the net is set with a jewel 99 00:03:26,929 --> 00:03:28,488 On the surface of every jewel 100 00:03:28,489 --> 00:03:30,859 All the other jewels are reflected 101 00:03:31,249 --> 00:03:32,079 Jewels within jewels 102 00:03:32,649 --> 00:03:33,320 Lights reflecting lights 103 00:03:33,529 --> 00:03:34,660 Endlessly without limit 104 00:03:35,249 --> 00:03:36,100 This is beautiful 105 00:03:36,489 --> 00:03:37,660 But if you think carefully 106 00:03:37,688 --> 00:03:40,180 It describes a kind of projection relation 107 00:03:40,809 --> 00:03:42,039 Like a hologram 108 00:03:42,448 --> 00:03:43,579 If you tear it apart 109 00:03:43,688 --> 00:03:47,100 Each piece can reconstruct the information of the whole image 110 00:03:47,408 --> 00:03:48,519 The information is complete 111 00:03:48,809 --> 00:03:50,500 But in the end it is still a shadow 112 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:53,140 Dharmadhatu dependent arising is not saying this 113 00:03:53,208 --> 00:03:54,320 What dharmadhatu dependent arising says is 114 00:03:54,648 --> 00:03:55,688 Every local part 115 00:03:55,689 --> 00:03:56,959 Is not reflecting the whole 116 00:03:57,208 --> 00:03:58,940 But running the whole 117 00:03:59,289 --> 00:04:01,179 Let me use an analogy for this difference 118 00:04:01,648 --> 00:04:03,899 There are tens of trillions of cells in your body 119 00:04:04,048 --> 00:04:06,127 Inside the nucleus of almost every cell 120 00:04:06,129 --> 00:04:08,140 It contains your complete genome 121 00:04:08,289 --> 00:04:09,820 Not a miniature of the genome 122 00:04:09,849 --> 00:04:11,368 Not a projection of the genome 123 00:04:11,369 --> 00:04:13,179 But a complete whole set 124 00:04:13,488 --> 00:04:15,847 The code that determines your eye color 125 00:04:15,849 --> 00:04:19,328 Also honestly sits inside the cells of your toenail 126 00:04:19,598 --> 00:04:22,289 Your skin cells and your nerve cells 127 00:04:22,318 --> 00:04:24,008 Look worlds apart 128 00:04:24,157 --> 00:04:24,829 One is flat 129 00:04:25,077 --> 00:04:26,649 One has long axons 130 00:04:26,998 --> 00:04:29,769 But they run the same genetic code 131 00:04:29,998 --> 00:04:31,568 The reason they look different 132 00:04:31,637 --> 00:04:33,128 Is not that the code is different 133 00:04:33,238 --> 00:04:36,409 But that each reads a different part of the code 134 00:04:36,957 --> 00:04:37,909 The same set of rules 135 00:04:38,197 --> 00:04:39,717 Under different conditions 136 00:04:39,717 --> 00:04:41,649 Expresses itself as different forms 137 00:04:42,197 --> 00:04:44,248 This is what dharmadhatu dependent arising means 138 00:04:44,957 --> 00:04:49,329 It is not saying there is an invisible line connecting flowers and galaxies 139 00:04:49,597 --> 00:04:51,248 It is saying flowers and galaxies 140 00:04:51,277 --> 00:04:53,036 Are fundamentally the same piece of code 141 00:04:53,037 --> 00:04:55,368 Running at different scales 142 00:04:55,801 --> 00:04:57,332 Indras net says 143 00:04:57,361 --> 00:05:00,092 You and the universe share the same data 144 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,131 Dharmadhatu dependent arising says 145 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,051 You and the universe share the same source code 146 00:05:05,441 --> 00:05:07,292 One is equivalence of information 147 00:05:07,321 --> 00:05:09,131 One is equivalence of rules 148 00:05:09,561 --> 00:05:11,051 This is the fundamental difference 149 00:05:11,633 --> 00:05:12,631 What is interesting is 150 00:05:12,633 --> 00:05:16,684 Modern cognitive science has reached a similar place by different paths 151 00:05:16,992 --> 00:05:18,884 One group of neuroscientists believes 152 00:05:19,073 --> 00:05:22,564 Your brain is not a central processor commanding everything 153 00:05:22,792 --> 00:05:27,004 Your vision hearing touch emotion and decisions 154 00:05:27,073 --> 00:05:29,163 Each operate in different brain regions 155 00:05:29,393 --> 00:05:32,924 But there is no central commander issuing orders between them 156 00:05:33,112 --> 00:05:37,043 They coordinate by sharing a set of underlying information processing rules 157 00:05:37,312 --> 00:05:39,884 And spontaneously integrate into one unified experience 158 00:05:40,232 --> 00:05:42,191 The processing method of every local part 159 00:05:42,192 --> 00:05:43,912 And the processing method of the whole 160 00:05:43,913 --> 00:05:45,643 Are structurally connected 161 00:05:46,273 --> 00:05:49,203 What the Huayan school saw thirteen hundred years ago 162 00:05:49,633 --> 00:05:52,723 Cognitive science using a completely different method 163 00:05:52,792 --> 00:05:55,011 Also saw inside the brain 164 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:59,251 The Huayan school condensed this insight into two terms 165 00:05:59,441 --> 00:06:00,431 One is all 166 00:06:00,881 --> 00:06:02,052 All phenomena interpenetrate without obstruction 167 00:06:02,441 --> 00:06:04,212 First let us talk about one is all 168 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,251 Many people understand it as one equals all 169 00:06:07,386 --> 00:06:08,186 No 170 00:06:08,441 --> 00:06:09,520 It means 171 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,652 One and all share the same generative rule 172 00:06:13,656 --> 00:06:15,307 You may have had this experience 173 00:06:15,456 --> 00:06:17,387 You look at the branching of a tree 174 00:06:17,656 --> 00:06:22,226 Then if you have a chance to look down at a river system from a plane 175 00:06:22,375 --> 00:06:26,175 You find its branching structure is exactly the same as tree branches 176 00:06:26,175 --> 00:06:27,974 The vein pattern of one leaf 177 00:06:27,976 --> 00:06:30,587 Has already told you the growth algorithm of the whole tree 178 00:06:31,015 --> 00:06:32,187 This is not coincidence 179 00:06:32,575 --> 00:06:35,067 It is because they are running the same rule 180 00:06:35,416 --> 00:06:38,666 The Huayan school saw this thirteen hundred years ago 181 00:06:39,015 --> 00:06:41,067 Only at that time there was no mathematical language 182 00:06:41,175 --> 00:06:43,147 So it used another system of expression 183 00:06:43,656 --> 00:06:46,226 That mathematical language appeared only in the twentieth century 184 00:06:46,296 --> 00:06:47,707 It is called fractal geometry 185 00:06:48,536 --> 00:06:51,627 We once used it to unpack dharmadhatu dependent arising in a separate episode 186 00:06:51,695 --> 00:06:53,147 Today we will not repeat the mathematics 187 00:06:53,216 --> 00:06:56,324 We will only discuss how the Avatamsaka Sutra itself explains it 188 00:06:56,632 --> 00:06:58,164 Now let us talk about all phenomena without obstruction 189 00:06:58,353 --> 00:06:59,964 The Huayan school teaches the four dharmadhatus 190 00:07:00,072 --> 00:07:02,324 They rise layer by layer 191 00:07:02,712 --> 00:07:05,404 These four layers are like four different pairs of glasses 192 00:07:05,673 --> 00:07:07,272 When you put on a different pair 193 00:07:07,272 --> 00:07:09,524 The world you see becomes completely different 194 00:07:10,113 --> 00:07:11,764 The first layer is called the dharmadhatu of phenomena 195 00:07:12,152 --> 00:07:14,123 It is the world you usually see 196 00:07:14,353 --> 00:07:15,103 This is a tree 197 00:07:15,433 --> 00:07:16,644 That is a stone 198 00:07:16,873 --> 00:07:17,423 You are you 199 00:07:17,712 --> 00:07:18,603 I am me 200 00:07:18,993 --> 00:07:20,264 All things stand apart 201 00:07:20,512 --> 00:07:21,563 With no relation to one another 202 00:07:22,192 --> 00:07:24,683 Most people stay at this layer their whole lives 203 00:07:25,233 --> 00:07:26,024 This is not criticism 204 00:07:26,473 --> 00:07:28,483 This is the normal starting point 205 00:07:28,832 --> 00:07:30,642 The second layer is called the dharmadhatu of principle 206 00:07:30,832 --> 00:07:33,163 You begin to see the laws behind phenomena 207 00:07:33,512 --> 00:07:35,522 Trees and stones look different 208 00:07:35,591 --> 00:07:37,962 But when you carefully observe how they exist 209 00:07:38,072 --> 00:07:41,002 You find the dependent arising structure behind them is the same 210 00:07:41,192 --> 00:07:42,663 Both depend on conditions to exist 211 00:07:42,952 --> 00:07:44,483 Both are constantly changing 212 00:07:44,512 --> 00:07:46,562 Both have no independent unchanging essence 213 00:07:47,111 --> 00:07:47,582 At this layer 214 00:07:47,992 --> 00:07:49,202 You have grasped the principle 215 00:07:49,632 --> 00:07:52,882 But the cost is that you may temporarily stop seeing phenomena 216 00:07:53,192 --> 00:07:54,750 Just like after you study physics 217 00:07:54,752 --> 00:07:57,522 Your first reaction to a rainbow is the refraction of light 218 00:07:57,632 --> 00:07:58,642 Rather than beauty 219 00:07:59,232 --> 00:08:01,643 The third layer is called the dharmadhatu of non obstruction between principle and phenomena 220 00:08:01,951 --> 00:08:04,162 Principle and phenomena are no longer two things 221 00:08:04,472 --> 00:08:07,162 You do not need to close your eyes to see the rule 222 00:08:07,232 --> 00:08:10,083 Nor open your eyes to see the phenomenon 223 00:08:10,311 --> 00:08:11,182 Looking at a rainbow 224 00:08:11,552 --> 00:08:12,590 You see beauty 225 00:08:12,592 --> 00:08:13,883 And you also see refraction 226 00:08:14,071 --> 00:08:15,230 Looking at a person 227 00:08:15,232 --> 00:08:17,071 You see their joys anger sorrows and pleasures 228 00:08:17,071 --> 00:08:20,883 And also the arising and passing behind these emotions 229 00:08:21,112 --> 00:08:22,853 They were never in conflict 230 00:08:23,202 --> 00:08:23,793 The fourth layer 231 00:08:24,082 --> 00:08:26,332 Is also the ultimate realm of the Avatamsaka Sutra 232 00:08:26,401 --> 00:08:28,252 Called the dharmadhatu of non obstruction among all phenomena 233 00:08:28,481 --> 00:08:29,873 This layer is the hardest to understand 234 00:08:30,122 --> 00:08:31,652 And the easiest to misunderstand 235 00:08:31,762 --> 00:08:34,733 It is not saying there is some mysterious resonance between all things 236 00:08:34,801 --> 00:08:37,772 Not that if you think of someone they will call you 237 00:08:37,882 --> 00:08:40,692 It is saying something more plain and yet deeper 238 00:08:40,962 --> 00:08:42,893 Things look different 239 00:08:42,962 --> 00:08:45,133 Only because the scale of observation is different 240 00:08:45,361 --> 00:08:46,572 Look from another scale 241 00:08:46,641 --> 00:08:50,612 And the same dharmadhatu structure appears intact in every phenomenon 242 00:08:50,761 --> 00:08:52,601 A flower and a galaxy 243 00:08:52,601 --> 00:08:54,452 Run the same dependent arising 244 00:08:54,562 --> 00:08:57,280 The arising and passing of a thought and the rise and fall of a civilization 245 00:08:57,282 --> 00:08:59,013 Follow the same rhythm 246 00:08:59,641 --> 00:09:00,852 Think about it carefully 247 00:09:00,922 --> 00:09:04,518 This is so quiet and yet so deeply moving 248 00:09:04,907 --> 00:09:05,745 All phenomena without obstruction 249 00:09:05,746 --> 00:09:08,077 Does not mean the barriers between things have disappeared 250 00:09:08,266 --> 00:09:10,025 It means you finally see clearly 251 00:09:10,026 --> 00:09:11,638 The barriers never existed 252 00:09:11,827 --> 00:09:14,077 You thought flowers and galaxies were two things 253 00:09:14,386 --> 00:09:17,798 But they are actually the same thing appearing at different scales 254 00:09:18,187 --> 00:09:19,877 When you really see this layer 255 00:09:19,986 --> 00:09:21,837 The world before your eyes will not change 256 00:09:21,986 --> 00:09:24,822 But your relationship with the world will completely change 257 00:09:25,290 --> 00:09:26,929 I often use one way 258 00:09:26,931 --> 00:09:29,370 To test how much I truly understand a Buddhist concept 259 00:09:29,370 --> 00:09:30,861 How much of it I have really understood 260 00:09:31,410 --> 00:09:33,621 I try to verify it in meditation 261 00:09:33,851 --> 00:09:36,341 Once while sitting and observing my breath 262 00:09:36,571 --> 00:09:38,381 I suddenly noticed one thing 263 00:09:38,611 --> 00:09:40,582 No matter what the content of a thought is 264 00:09:40,611 --> 00:09:42,250 Whether I am thinking about what to eat for dinner 265 00:09:42,250 --> 00:09:44,021 Or thinking about a philosophical problem 266 00:09:44,290 --> 00:09:46,782 Its pattern of arising and passing is the same 267 00:09:46,971 --> 00:09:47,361 It rises 268 00:09:47,811 --> 00:09:48,322 Stays for a while 269 00:09:48,691 --> 00:09:49,341 Then disappears 270 00:09:49,650 --> 00:09:50,241 It rises again 271 00:09:50,571 --> 00:09:51,001 Stays again 272 00:09:51,370 --> 00:09:52,062 Then disappears again 273 00:09:52,331 --> 00:09:54,462 The contents of thoughts change endlessly 274 00:09:54,571 --> 00:09:57,293 But the rhythm of thoughts is self similar 275 00:09:57,481 --> 00:09:59,053 Then I noticed again 276 00:09:59,162 --> 00:10:01,132 Emotional patterns are also like this 277 00:10:01,481 --> 00:10:02,232 Joy comes 278 00:10:02,562 --> 00:10:03,033 Stays for a while 279 00:10:03,361 --> 00:10:04,053 Then leaves 280 00:10:04,202 --> 00:10:04,913 Anger comes 281 00:10:05,121 --> 00:10:05,553 Stays for a while 282 00:10:05,881 --> 00:10:06,533 Then leaves 283 00:10:06,641 --> 00:10:08,173 The beat is exactly the same 284 00:10:08,202 --> 00:10:09,573 The content is completely different 285 00:10:09,682 --> 00:10:12,013 But the operating pattern is exactly the same 286 00:10:12,442 --> 00:10:13,352 Zoom out a little more 287 00:10:13,761 --> 00:10:15,813 The rise and fall of life is also like this 288 00:10:16,042 --> 00:10:19,732 The start warming cooling and ending of a relationship 289 00:10:19,922 --> 00:10:23,533 And the arising staying changing and passing of a thought 290 00:10:23,641 --> 00:10:25,366 Are astonishingly consistent in structure 291 00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:28,726 Buddhism calls this repeatedly running pattern samsara 292 00:10:28,954 --> 00:10:31,565 It calls the thing that produces the pattern a seed 293 00:10:31,714 --> 00:10:34,925 And calls the process of planting it again and again conditioning 294 00:10:35,234 --> 00:10:38,085 I think this is one of the least mystical ideas in Buddhism 295 00:10:38,314 --> 00:10:40,486 You do not need to believe in past and future lives 296 00:10:40,515 --> 00:10:42,006 To observe it 297 00:10:42,275 --> 00:10:45,526 You only need to honestly look at your own behavior patterns 298 00:10:45,834 --> 00:10:47,846 Your psychological pattern is recursive 299 00:10:48,074 --> 00:10:50,606 The mistake you made in a relationship ten years ago 300 00:10:50,675 --> 00:10:53,405 And the one you make in another relationship today 301 00:10:53,434 --> 00:10:54,146 When zoomed out 302 00:10:54,474 --> 00:10:55,805 Have the same structure 303 00:10:55,915 --> 00:10:56,866 Not because you are stupid 304 00:10:57,275 --> 00:10:59,006 Not because you never learn 305 00:10:59,194 --> 00:11:02,805 But because you are generating your reactions with the same set of rules 306 00:11:03,675 --> 00:11:05,006 That seed has not changed 307 00:11:05,074 --> 00:11:07,390 So of course the fruit will not change either 308 00:11:07,820 --> 00:11:10,418 This is dharmadhatu dependent arising applied to practice 309 00:11:10,420 --> 00:11:12,031 Its most important implication 310 00:11:12,420 --> 00:11:14,350 If you are a recursive system 311 00:11:14,379 --> 00:11:17,870 If every local part of you is running the same set of rules 312 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:19,791 Then you do not need to change everything 313 00:11:20,139 --> 00:11:23,191 You only need to change one parameter in that rule 314 00:11:23,580 --> 00:11:25,230 Even just a little 315 00:11:25,659 --> 00:11:27,699 When your attitude toward one thought changes 316 00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:30,431 Your attitude toward all thoughts changes 317 00:11:30,739 --> 00:11:32,870 Because they run on the same rule 318 00:11:33,420 --> 00:11:36,470 When your reaction pattern in one small matter loosens 319 00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:39,390 Your reaction pattern in everything will loosen with it 320 00:11:39,659 --> 00:11:42,031 You are not repairing them one by one 321 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:44,151 Rather once the underlying rule changes 322 00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:46,590 All the outputs above change with it 323 00:11:47,379 --> 00:11:48,551 This is not motivational soup 324 00:11:48,980 --> 00:11:52,630 This is the logical implication of dharmadhatu dependent arising in practice 325 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:54,130 One is all 326 00:11:54,700 --> 00:11:56,551 In practice it means 327 00:11:56,619 --> 00:11:57,291 Change one 328 00:11:57,700 --> 00:11:59,098 And you change all 329 00:11:59,487 --> 00:12:02,405 What Fazang showed Wu Zetian in that mirror room 330 00:12:02,406 --> 00:12:04,178 Was not merely an optical game 331 00:12:04,447 --> 00:12:06,017 What he wanted her to see was 332 00:12:06,166 --> 00:12:07,897 You think you are looking at the Buddha image 333 00:12:08,046 --> 00:12:09,657 But the Buddha image is actually you 334 00:12:09,967 --> 00:12:11,617 You think you are looking at the universe 335 00:12:11,806 --> 00:12:16,316 But you are the universe running completely at your position 336 00:12:16,866 --> 00:12:19,477 In the Yogacara framework we talked about before 337 00:12:19,626 --> 00:12:23,156 All phenomena are manifestations of seeds in alaya consciousness 338 00:12:23,546 --> 00:12:25,316 The network of relations between seeds 339 00:12:25,345 --> 00:12:27,237 Is the structure of dharmadhatu dependent arising 340 00:12:27,465 --> 00:12:30,517 Every experience you have plants new seeds into it 341 00:12:30,585 --> 00:12:32,796 And is also shaped by old seeds 342 00:12:33,065 --> 00:12:35,545 The pattern by which this process runs in you 343 00:12:35,546 --> 00:12:37,744 And the pattern by which it runs in the whole dharmadhatu 344 00:12:37,746 --> 00:12:39,046 Are the same pattern 345 00:12:39,355 --> 00:12:40,647 A viewer once asked me 346 00:12:40,676 --> 00:12:43,446 What exactly is the relation between alaya consciousness and tathagatagarbha 347 00:12:43,676 --> 00:12:46,247 We unpacked this once in the Lankavatara Sutra episode 348 00:12:46,276 --> 00:12:47,966 And will unpack it again later in a separate episode 349 00:12:48,355 --> 00:12:51,086 Today let us add one angle through dharmadhatu dependent arising 350 00:12:51,475 --> 00:12:54,926 If alaya consciousness is the rule running in you 351 00:12:55,115 --> 00:12:58,487 Then tathagatagarbha may be what that rule originally looks like 352 00:12:58,676 --> 00:13:01,086 Before it is distorted by seeds 353 00:13:01,401 --> 00:13:02,195 Practice 354 00:13:02,195 --> 00:13:05,127 May be letting the rule return to its original state 355 00:13:05,396 --> 00:13:06,806 I am still thinking about this question 356 00:13:07,235 --> 00:13:09,603 And I do not dare say I have figured it out 357 00:13:09,831 --> 00:13:12,442 The story of Fazang himself is legendary 358 00:13:12,711 --> 00:13:16,883 How he went from a young lay practitioner to the actual founder of the Huayan school 359 00:13:17,032 --> 00:13:20,682 The historical background will unfold in our history lineage series 360 00:13:20,992 --> 00:13:23,723 Today you only need to remember his sentence 361 00:13:24,032 --> 00:13:26,322 You are not a part inside the dharmadhatu 362 00:13:26,711 --> 00:13:30,322 You are the complete operation of the dharmadhatu at your scale 363 00:13:30,792 --> 00:13:32,802 The rule that generates galaxies 364 00:13:32,912 --> 00:13:35,688 Is also generating your thoughts right now 365 00:13:36,433 --> 00:13:37,097 I often think 366 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:39,254 If we really digest this point 367 00:13:39,322 --> 00:13:41,709 Practice will no longer be a hard chore 368 00:13:41,934 --> 00:13:43,648 You do not need to change the whole world 369 00:13:43,716 --> 00:13:46,458 You only need when the next thought arises 370 00:13:46,527 --> 00:13:48,793 To look at it in a slightly different way 371 00:13:48,980 --> 00:13:50,405 That tiny change 372 00:13:50,406 --> 00:13:52,542 After countless recursions 373 00:13:52,543 --> 00:13:54,889 Will grow into a completely different you 374 00:13:55,155 --> 00:13:58,057 This is the greatest gift the Avatamsaka Sutra leaves us 375 00:13:58,243 --> 00:14:01,501 And it is also a question I still have not fully unpacked 376 00:14:01,964 --> 00:14:02,471 Next episode 377 00:14:02,716 --> 00:14:05,103 We will keep unpacking the other half of the Avatamsaka Sutra 378 00:14:05,408 --> 00:14:06,111 I am Wang Lijie 379 00:14:06,397 --> 00:14:07,320 See you next time