Date: 05/17/2025 05/18/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Talk
The Realization of Venerable Chanda
Once, the Venerable Kātyāyana asked the Buddha, saying:
“World-Honored One! The Right View that you have spoken of—what indeed is truly called Right View?”
The Buddha said:
“Kātyāyana! People of the world mostly tend toward two extremes: either they are attached to the notion of real existence, or they are attached to the notion of real non-existence.
If one is able not to give rise to attachment, the mind is not bound or enslaved by external conditions, and does not produce thoughts of ‘I’;
when suffering arises, one clearly sees the arising of suffering; when suffering ceases, one clearly sees the cessation of suffering—
without doubt, without confusion, clear and evident, without relying on the instruction of others—this is called Right View. Why is that?
When one can truly and rightly know and see the arising of worldly phenomena, one will not say the world is truly non-existent;
conversely, when one can truly and rightly know and see the cessation of phenomena, one will not say the world is truly existent.
This is called the Middle Way, which avoids the two extremes of real existence and real non-existence.
Namely: ‘With this, that is; with the arising of this, that arises;
conditioned by ignorance, there are formations… thus arises the whole mass of great suffering.
With the cessation of ignorance, formations cease… thus the whole mass of great suffering ceases.’”
After hearing this, the Venerable Kātyāyana, relying upon this teaching, cut off all defilements, his mind was liberated, and he attained arahantship.
Not long after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa, in the Deer Park at Bārāṇasī in the country of Kāśi,
many elder bhikkhus were dwelling, and among them was Elder Chanda.
One evening, Elder Chanda rose from his meditation,
and within the park, went around in search of the other elder bhikkhus, asking them, saying:
“Venerable elder bhikkhus! Please instruct me! Please preach the Dharma to me,
so that I may know the Dharma, see the Dharma, and train in accordance with the Dharma.”
The elder bhikkhus all instructed him, saying:
“Form is impermanent; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are impermanent;
all conditioned formations are impermanent; all dharmas are non-self; nirvāṇa is peaceful extinction.”
After hearing this, Elder Chanda thought to himself:
“What they have spoken of, I have already contemplated in the past.
However, whenever I think of all conditioned formations being impermanent, all dharmas being non-self,
all dharmas ultimately returning to stillness and cessation, the ending of craving, the abandoning of desire, the final extinction, nirvāṇa—
my mind becomes confused and fearful.
I cannot help but wonder: If it truly is so, then where am ‘I’?
What is the basis for the continuity of the cycle of life and death?
This differs from my observation and my personal experience.
I do not enjoy hearing such teachings. Who indeed can give me the proper instruction?”
Thinking and reflecting, he thought of the Venerable Ānanda.
He considered that Venerable Ānanda had long served at the Buddha’s side as his attendant, and the Buddha had often praised him;
he must certainly have the ability to explain the Dharma to him, enabling him to know and see the Dharma.
Thus, the next morning, Elder Chanda departed from the Deer Park, traveling with his alms bowl in hand,
making a long and arduous journey to reach the Jetavana Grove in the city of Kuśinagara in the country of Vatsa,
to visit the Venerable Ānanda.
Elder Chanda frankly and honestly told Venerable Ānanda about his difficulties in seeking the Dharma in Bārāṇasī and his dissatisfaction.
Venerable Ānanda comforted him, saying:
“Well said, Elder Chanda! I am glad that you have been able to express your thoughts openly before your companions,
without any concealment or pretense.
Chanda! Let me now explain to you. Please listen carefully.
You have the capacity to realize the profound and sublime Right Dharma.”
Upon hearing that Venerable Ānanda said he had the capacity to realize the profound and sublime Right Dharma,
Elder Chanda was overjoyed, and his heart leapt with delight.
Venerable Ānanda said to him:
“Friend Chanda! I once personally heard the Buddha instruct Bhikkhu Kātyāyana, saying:
‘Kātyāyana! Ordinary people of the world, being deluded, often fall into two extremes:
either they cling to real existence, or they cling to real non-existence.
Therefore, once they grasp phenomena, attachment arises in their minds.
Kātyāyana! If one is able not to receive, not to cling, not to become attached, not to give rise to thoughts of “I”—
then when suffering arises or ceases, one can see clearly that it is simply arising or ceasing,
and it will not further generate affliction.
Kātyāyana! If one is able to profoundly realize such a principle, without doubt, without confusion,
and without the need for others to point it out—this is what the Tathāgata calls Right View. Why is that?
Kātyāyana! When one truly and rightly observes the arising of worldly phenomena,
one does not say the world is truly non-existent;
conversely, when one truly and rightly observes the cessation of worldly phenomena,
one does not say the world is truly existent.
Kātyāyana! The Tathāgata, having transcended the two extremes of real existence and real non-existence, teaches the Middle Way.
Namely: ‘This being, that is; this arising, that arises;
conditioned by ignorance, there are formations… up to the arising of birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, and suffering.
This not being, that is not; this ceasing, that ceases;
with the cessation of ignorance, formations cease… up to the cessation of birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, and suffering.’”
After hearing this, Elder Chanda removed dust and defilements from his mind, attained the purity of the Dharma eye,
saw the Dharma, attained the Dharma, understood the Dharma, entered the Dharma;
he no longer had doubts, no longer needed to rely on others,
and in the True Dharma, his mind was without fear.He respectfully joined his palms and said to Venerable Ānanda:
“The teaching of a noble friend should indeed be like this.
Now I have heard from Venerable Ānanda the Right Dharma:
that all formations are empty, all are still, all are ungraspable;
craving is exhausted, desire is abandoned, all is extinguished—this is nirvāṇa.
Because of this, I now joyfully dwell in the training that leads toward liberation,
and no longer give rise to thoughts of regression.
Now, I only see the dependent-arising Dharma, and no longer see a ‘self.’”
