After discussing the Two Conditions of Dharma, we discuss the Buddhist doctrine known as “Such is the Way of Dharma (Chinese=法爾如是)” in this post.
The phrase “Such Is The Way of Dharma” comes from Śūraṅgama Sūtra (Chinese=首楞嚴經), which is “a Mahayana Buddhist sutra that has been especially influential on Korean Buddhism (where it remains a major subject of study in Sŏn monasteries) and Chinese Buddhism (where it was a regular part of daily liturgy during the Song). It was particularly important for Zen/Chan Buddhism. The doctrinal outlook of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra is that of Buddha-nature, Yogacara thought, and esoteric Buddhism.”
Before we discuss Such is the Way of Dharma, let’s first understand what Suchness means in Buddhism.
Suchness is known in Romanized Sanskrit as tathata.
Tathata (Chinese=真如), according to the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit, “suchness,” or “thusness,” a term for ultimate reality, especially in Mahayana schools. Along with terms such as “Dharmata, Dharmadhatu, and Bhutakoti …..referring to the eternal nature of reality that is “ever thus,” or “just so” and free of all conceptual elaborations.” In Yogacara/Vijnanavada, the term refers to the ultimate wisdom that is free from the subject-object distinction (grahyagrahakavikalpa)” “In the Madhyamaka school, any attempt to substantiate the nature of reality is rejected, and tathata is instead identified with emptiness and the cessation of all dichotomizing tendencies of thought.“
As we explored in the previous post, Buddha’s cosmos is a more complicated system than the one humanity is familiar with. It consists of two realms of mental phenomena, separated by their different fluctuating statuses and the conditionalities of their existence. As discussed earlier, mentality cannot become a visible phenomenon since it is inconceivable. In other words, it cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. Therefore, it is ineffable.
As the late CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite used to say after his broadcast every evening, “And that’s the way it is. “ “Such is the Way of Dharma” is Buddha’s way of relaying the same message: they are what they are.
One way to understand the uniqueness of these two realms is by comparing them to philosopher Immanuel Kant’s postulated Noumenon and the thing-in-itself. As Kant described, Noumenon is “independently of human senses” and “generally used in contrast with, or in relation to, the term phenomenon.“ Both descriptions are applicable to the Ultimate Reality. Indeed, the Ultimate Reality is independent of human senses and contrasts with the phenomenal universe, which is sensible.
Kant defines the thing-in-itself as “the status objects as they are.” This definition also applies to Citta, the quiescent mentality of Ultimate Reality. Existing uncompounded and unconditioned as Nothing but Mentality, Citta is indeed the status of mentality as it is.
However, while Noumenon and the thing-in-itself are Kant’s philosophical postulations, the Ultimate Reality and Citta are natural phenomena. Again, as discussed earlier, while Kant needed to make postulations because he could only use inferentially connected word-based knowledge to understand nature, Buddha could perceive the mental nature of reality directly to know that the Ultimate Reality is a natural phenomenon. Indeed, while Kant could only offer his knowledge as his philosophical opinion, Buddha’s knowledge of the Ultimate Reality is verifiable by any enlightened people, such as a contemporary American and the two Chinese Buddhist monks in ancient China.
In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Buddha defines “Such is the Way of Dharma“ as “Not causal, not natural. Such is the Way of Dharma (Chinese=非因緣，非自然，法爾如是.“
Let’s discuss them one at a time.
A) Not Causal
- From the definition of Suchness, one understands it is a term that describes the Ultimate Reality, the eternal nature of which can only be described as “ever thus,“ or “just so.“
- Also, one can understand that the Ultimate Reality is “not causal“ because it is eternal. Nothing could have caused it if it was eternal.
- As discussed previously, while Citta of Ultimate Reality is quiescent, uncompounded, and unconditioned, the second realm in Buddha’s two-body setup of the cosmos, non-luminosity (Chinese=無明), is a realm of fluctuating mentality, which is compounded and conditioned because it is a realm of epiphenomena.
- In Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra (Chinese=勝鬘師子吼一乘大方便方廣經), Buddha describes non-luminosity as “without a beginning (Chinese=無始無明).“
- Furthermore, in Śūraṅgama Sūtra (Chinese=大佛頂首楞嚴經), upon inquiry from Purna (Chinese=富樓那), Buddha’s disciple “foremost in expounding the Dharma, “Where does non-luminosity without a beginning come from (Chinese=無始無明是怎麼來的?),“ Buddha answers by saying, “There is no reason; it comes from nowhere and goes nowhere (Chinese=它沒有原因，它沒有來處，也沒有去處).“
- In other words, like Citta, non-luminosity is naturally without a beginning. Therefore, like Citta, it is “not causal“ because it is eternal.
- Does that mean the quiescent Citta does not cause the fluctuating non-luminosity?
- Indeed, that is the case. In Aṅguttara Nikāya (Chinese=增一阿含經), Buddha teaches that there is an adventitious relationship between Citta and non-luminosity.
- By the definition of adventitiousness, Citta and non-luminosity are “associated by chance rather than as an integral part.“
- Indeed, if Citta and non-luminosity are associated by chance, there cannot be a causal relationship between them.
- As the definition of adventitiousness shows, Citta and non-luminosity are not integral, thus confirming that there are two realms of reality in the cosmos, separated by the different fluctuating statuses.
B) Not Natural
- The description “not natural“ refers to the fact that the nature of “Such of the Way of Dharma“ is not the nature of reality humans are familiar with.
- Phenomena that are “eternal“ and “not causal“ are indeed alien to human understanding of reality. Humans, living in a conditioned world where “all phenomena are produced through the concomitance of causes and conditions,“ only understand impermanent and causally related phenomena.
- Additionally, given that both realms are Nothing but Mentality, understanding the mental nature of all reality is “not natural“ to all unenlightened people limited to using inferentially connected word-based knowledge. As discussed earlier, only direct perception can lead to understanding the world of mentality.
- Finally, as discussed when discussing the experience of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, to be “free from the subject-object distinction (grahyagrahakavikalpa),” “free of all conceptual elaborations,“ and have “the cessation of all dichotomizing tendencies of thought“ are all “not natural“ to anyone unless they have gained the “ultimate wisdom that is free from the subject-object distinction,“ as defined in Suchness. However, only those who have realized the Perfection of Wisdom and are highly enlightened, such as Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara or a Tathagata, of which our historical Buddha is, can have such ultimate wisdom.
Tathagata (Chinese=如來), according to the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit and Pali, lit. “one who has thus come/gone.“ Furthermore, “the secondary denotation of the term is to “understand“ things “as they are“ (tatha).“
As discussed earlier, a Tathagata, such as our historical Buddha, is one who “opened his consciousness to encompass all objects of knowledge.“ While “opening one’s consciousness“ is another way of describing direct perception, “all objects of knowledge“ refers to all empirical facts of nature.
In other words, it is impossible for enlightened humans, including scientists, who are limited to using inferentially connected word-based knowledge, to understand that nature is “free from the subject-object distinction (grahyagrahakavikalpa), etc.“ Indeed, a Tathagata is required to help humanity understand the complete picture of the mental cosmos. That is why, in addition to the Ultimate Reality and non-luminosity, the three-body system of the cosmos includes our historical Buddha.
Max Planck was a 1918 Nobel Laureate of Physics and the originator of quantum mechanics. His genius is that, without the ability to perceive the nature of reality directly, he not only understood the fundamental nature of consciousness in the universe but that humans must be part of the mystery that they want to solve, as he said, “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness,“ and “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.“
Indeed, Dr. Planck was right on both counts. Not only is consciousness fundamental in the universe but by forming a non-dualistic consciousness between the enlightened person and the enlightened awareness of the cosmos, Buddha’s direct perception allows the enlightened person to become part of the world of mentality, which is the “what exist?“ mystery that humanity has been struggling to solve since the pre-Socratic time.
(If you like this post, please like it on our Facebook page and share. Thank you.)
