I Alone Am The World Honoured One
by Ven Jue Xing from �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.
Thanks AEN. It is true that many people including myself wondered why Buddha said that and have mistaken the meaning.