Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Buddha dharma is so profound that it is not easy for a layman to understand. Thus, when a lay Buddhist (remark: followers of Buddhism but not members of Sangha; basically lay Buddhist are not monks or nuns) preaches Buddhism, one may occasionally employs examples from daily life to make it easier for sentient beings to grasp the hidden truth. Once, a lay Buddhist was asked about the Sect he belonged to, he jokingly answered that he was from the ‘watermelon bowl’ faction.(Remark: in Chinese, the pronunciation of ‘盅bowl’ is the same as ‘宗Sect’) The lay Buddhist is in fact a great achiever in Buddhism; he has already mastered the Buddhist doctrines thoroughly. As the ‘watermelon bowl’ contains a variety of ingredients, he has actually made use of this characteristic of ‘watermelon bowl’ to implicitly embody that Buddhism is perfect and harmonious in which the essence of all clans are covered. Only that ‘watermelon bowl’ is a bit too common to reflect the cultivation of the lay Buddhist. In my opinion, if a kind of food is chosen as the metaphor, a more precious one should be replaced to describe the profound cultivation of the lay Buddhist. Hence, at least ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ will be more suitable. It is a kind of soup that is cooked with various famous and valuable ingredients including abalones, sea cucumbers, shark’s fins and fish maws. It is so delicious that its taste and fragrance stay among one’s teeth and cheeks that arouse endless thoughts on it long after eating.  

Recipes of this delicious soup ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ can be found everywhere and it is easy to have one in hand. However, this does not mean that everyone who owns a recipe can cook a pot of tasty ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’. To cook well, one has to be instructed under experienced chefs and practises the cooking skills for many years before one can really cook delicious food. What about learning Buddha dharma which is something spiritual?  Similarly, Buddha’s sutras are widely spread nowadays; it is not difficult to find a sutra to read at all. However, if one would like to grasp the meaning of the dharma thoroughly, one has to be taught under an enlightened Guru.

It is inevitable for beginners to go to teaching places of different Sects to learn Buddhism, but if this kind of seeking continues indefinitely, it will end up to be a waste of time with nothing achieved eventually. According to The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra 【大方廣佛華嚴經】, Sudhanakumara(the Child of Wealth) had learnt under a total of fifty-three good mentors before he finally decided to rely on Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Bodhisattva, the 27th good mentor that he had ever studied under) whom he was taught with more thorough and deepening ways of cultivation in Buddhism. Finally, he succeeded and was awarded certain attainments. Therefore, if one wants to have achievements in one’s cultivation, one has to follow what Sudhanakumara had done: search for and then make decision to rely on the most suitable teacher to concentrate on cultivation.

In Tantric Buddhism, we address our Guru as Vajra Acarya respectfully because a Guru’s Body, Speech and Mind wholly embody the Three Jewels: the Guru’s Body is the Sangha; his Speech is the Dharma and his Mind is the Buddha. The Guru is a collection of the metamorphic bodies of Buddhas of the Ten Directions, hence, when one can rely on him, one is equivalent to take refuge in the Three Jewels. By the time when you rely on a Guru, he has already granted you with supreme ingredients namely abalones, sea cucumbers, shark’s fins and fish maws etc. in hand. More importantly, the Guru is ‘the experienced one’ who understands clearly every single stage in the practice of Buddha dharma. It is solely with the help of our Guru that we can obtain ‘empowerment’, ‘the proclamation of Tantra’, ‘the verbal-knack transmissions’…. In addition to one’s unremitting efforts and constantly strive for perfection, being able to cook the tasty ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ mentioned by the lay Buddhist becomes something just round the corner.