Avalokitesvara Dharma-Gate

Avalokitesvara Dharma-Gate

I have always been asked by my students through which Dharma-gate（法门） can we attain perfect penetration or awakening more effectively. As we all know, human beings are formed by Five Aggregates（五蕴）. From that, our eighteen Dhatus（十八界） or realms can derive into eighty-four thousand Dharma-gates（八万四千法门） which will help us enter Samadhi. （禅定）

To answer the above question raised by my students, I used the statement made by Shakyamuni in Surangama Sutra（楞严经）. The question raised by Shakyamuni was: “Through which expedient（方便法门） did you enter Samadhi?”

In the Surangama Sutra（楞严经）, Shakyamuni’s disciples - many Bodhisattvas and great Arhats reported to the assembly on how they gained Samadhi. 25 groups/individuals which included Kaundinya who represented five other Bhikshus and Avalokitesvara who used the Dharma-Gate of sound made reports at the assembly.

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was the last one to report to the assembly, He rose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha:

"Bhagavan（世尊）, I remember when, as many eons ago as there were sand grains in the Ganges, there was a Buddha in the world named Guanshiyin or Guanyin (Contemplator of the World's Sounds in English). I aroused the Bodhi-Heart while with Guanshiyin Buddha, who taught me to enter Samadhi through a process of hearing, reflecting and retreating."

"Initially, I started from the flow of hearing and entered into Buddhahood nature（佛性） gradually diminishing the point of hearing entry. Since the entry point was quiet, the two attributes of motion and stillness cancelled each other out and did not arise. After that, gradually advancing, the hearing and what was heard both disappeared. Once the hearing was ended, there was nothing to rely on, and both awareness and its objects became empty. When the emptiness of awareness was ultimately perfected, emptiness and what was being emptied then also ceased to be. With arising and ceasing gone, tranquility was revealed."

"Suddenly I transcended the worldly and transcendental, and a perfect brightness prevailed throughout the ten directions. I obtained two supreme states. Firstly, I united above with the fundamental wonderfully enlightened mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions, and gained a strength of compassion equal to that of all Buddhas, Tathagatas（如来）. Secondly, I united below with all beings in the six paths, and gained a kind regard for all living beings."

"Bhagavan, because I served and made offerings to the Guanyin Tathagata, I received from that Tathagata a transmission of the Vajra Samadhi（金刚定） of All Being like an Illusion as One becomes Permeated with Hearing and Cultivates Hearing. Because I gained strength of compassion equal to that of all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, I attained thirty-two response-bodies and entered all lands."

This is known as the Avalokitesvara Dharma-Gate. He attained enlightenment by means of the faculty of hearing or by means of listen inwardly to our self nature - our nature is also of the nature of Tathagatas.