I Alone Am The World Honoured One
by Ven Jue Xing from 千江月影 (2)
(loose translation by me)
The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, was born as a
prince. On the first day of his birth, he stepped on lotus flowers
and walked seven steps, with one finger pointing to the sky and one
finger pointing towards the earth, he said "Above the skies and
below the earth, I alone Am the World Honoured One." "I alone Am
the World Honoured One", what does this mean? Why did the Buddha
say this? Many times people have this question/doubt.
Actually, what the Buddha referred to as 'I' is not the ordinary
sentient beings' egoic mind consciousness, much less is it a 'self'
that wants to be a religious leader. It is because the Buddha has
been awakened for many lifetimes and kalpas ago, and has already
achieved 'No Self', and continued to practice till present that he
was able to attain the fruition of Buddhahood. Otherwise, the 'I'
in 'I Alone Am The World Honoured One' would be just the ordinary
sentient being's me-form, me-clinging. Why then did the Buddha said
"I"?
This is because what the Buddha referred to as "I" is actually
taking himself as a presentation: He is the Buddha, the Buddha is
Awareness, this Awareness fully pervades all space and dharma
realms. Everything that is sentient or insentient is a part of it,
every sentient beings in the universe rely on Awareness for
survival, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the three times
achieve liberation through realising Awareness. Thereafter, they
rely on Awareness's marvellous functions to walk the Bodhisattva
path, saving all sentient beings. Therefore it is said, "Above the
skies and below the earth, Awareness alone Is the
World Honoured One." And the reason for the Buddha's action is to
show that every human being has the essence of Awareness in its
completeness right from the beginning, and he wishes to awaken our
Awareness.
The Lotus Sutra states:
“Shariputra, what is meant by ‘All Buddhas, World
Honored Ones, appear in the world only because of the causes and
conditions of the one great matter?’ The Buddhas, the World Honored
Ones, appear in the world because they wish to lead living beings
to open the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas and gain purity.
They appear in the world because they wish to demonstrate to all
living beings the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas. They appear
in the world because they wish to lead living beings to awaken to
the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas. They appear in the world
because they wish to lead living beings to enter into the Path of
the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas.”
“Shariputra, these are the causes and conditions of the
one great matter for which all the Buddhas appear in the
world.”
Therefore, Buddha took birth in our world to enable sentient
beings to open the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas
and gain purity, demonstrate to all living beings
the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas, lead
living beings to awaken to the knowledge and vision of the
Buddhas, enter into the Path of the knowledge and
vision of the Buddhas. Therefore Buddha wants to open
the way of Awareness, enabling sentient beings to realise the
Essence of Awareness.
All sentient beings rely on Awareness for survival, it is
because they have the Essence of Awareness that they are able to be
aware, feel, or know. However it is because sentient beings lost
sight of the Essence of Awareness that they are unable to become
self-aware, this is called "lost in sentient beings", or otherwise
known as ignorance. Whereas, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have
first realised Awareness, and it is because they realised
Awareness, and relied on Awareness in cultivation, that they
achieved liberation from all habitual energies and karmas of
sentient beings, and thereby accomplish the Fruit of Buddhahood. In
the universe, other than Awareness, all phenomena are only illusory
forms and arising due to the aggregation of causes and conditions,
and when the causes and conditions separate the phenomena ceases.
They do not have any real or eternal essence, and therefore the
Buddha once being born into this world declared to the world that
above the skies and below the earth, other than Awareness, all are
conditioned arising and conditioned ceasing, impermanent and
illusory forms, therefore "Awareness Alone IS the World Honoured
One." - for it is Eternal.
Therefore, Buddhists should have right understanding and right
view. The purpose of practicing Buddhism is not for other matters.
Regardless of which dharma door you practice, it is for the purpose
of Awareness/Awakening. Only with Awakening, opening wisdom,
seeking liberation, can it be the correct aim. We must never attend
to trifles and neglect the essentials, not knowing self-awareness
and seeking the outside, else it would be to proceed in the
opposite directions of the aims of Buddhist practice.