Complete Enlightenment and Four Elements

Reading Master Sheng-Yen’s commentary on the Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, I am drawn to many of the descriptions and ideas about how our bodies and existence are united, for better or for worse. As with many Buddhist scriptures, certain passages of this sutra indicate impurity, and our need not to get attached to impure things. Here is one description I am reading from the passage where the Buddha answers questions raised by the Bodhisattva of Universal Vision :

They [bodhisattvas] should always be mindful that the body is a union of the four elements. Things such as hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, marrow, and brain all belong to the elements of earth. Spittle, mucus, pus, blood, saliva, sweat, phlegm, tears, semen, urine, and excrement all belong to the element of water. Warmth belongs to the element of fire. Motion belongs to the element of wind. When the four elements are separated from one another, where is this illusory body? (p.120)

I find this passage interesting because not only are the four substances described graphically in their grosser details, but they are mainly characterized as transient. Master Sheng Yen points out in his commentary that these shifting substances are even shared between all beings, and thus don’t even belong to one body. What seems unpalatable about one person’s body is actually shared wit me. One example is that of germs, which are literally being transmitted from one body to the next when we catch a cold. Master Sheng Yen remarks, “Our bodies are excreting things into the atmosphere every second. It may sound unclean, but are you willing to claim that it isn’t happening? Do you think that you’ve never taken anything from another individual or that you’ve never given any part of yourself to others?” (p.124)

I have to admit that for the most part, viewing our bodies in this way is not an easy practice. It goes against the habitual way we view bodies as a) complete, and b) separate, and therefore non-interactive. Not only that, but as soon as we see people, we often classify them according to what they put on their bodies (clothes, hats, etc.) and what this supposedly says about them as individuals. But if I contemplate the ways in which the body is a composite of different substances which are shared, I can start to re-envision the ways that we are not that different. Water is a good example, because it’s pretty obvious how easily it transfers across different bodies. I recently read a piece of writing from a colleague and friend which described a project where students studied the local water system, including the organisms and chemicals that reside there. Once the children started to realize what goes into their bodies by way of the water they drink, they started to become more curious about experimenting with water and trying to discover its benefits and mysteries. Soon, the children even became social activists who tried to raise awareness among other students about the risks of water pollutants and other issues related to water. What I gather is that the students must have become more attuned to how connected they are to others just by way of this simple medium.

Master Sheng Yen concludes about this section, “In order to practice well, you must detach yourself from worldly phenomena. Whatever you gain you may lose. You should also consider any thing or any being in the world as part of yourself” (p.124). As I was reading this passage, I started to reflect that really, everything we are doing is receiving and giving in turn, and nothing stays with us. Even if I am born with a special aptitude or talent, there is no guarantee that it will stay with me (in this lifetime or after) unless I am applying myself diligently to using it for some kind of benefit. The facility is a function of my vow or aspiration to use my body and mind in the limited time I have to hone in on my skill. But if I cherish the skill as though it were “me” then I will suffer tremendously at its loss. I recently read an example of a famous musician who suffered mentally because he damaged his wrist to the point where he could not play piano proficiently enough. It’s a tricky balance, to use one’s skills diligently while not attaching a fixed self to them, or becoming too proud of those skills and abilities.

Shengyen (1997). Complete Enlightenment: Translation and Commentary on the Sutra of Complete Enlightenment. Elmhurst, NY: Dharma Drum Publications.