Episode 121 – Walk the Great Bodhi-Path
>> The Three Principles and Four States are a part of all things. The meaning that can arise from this is the wisdom to differentiate between all of the different kinds of paths. Thus it is called all-encompassing wisdom. It is also called wondrous enlightened wisdom. If one enlightens oneself and others and has perfect enlightened conduct, one has attained all-encompassing wisdom.
>> The Four Truths, Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and Six Paramitas. Though teachings of the Three Vehicles differ, the World-Honored One’s intention is the same, solely to enable them to attain unsurpassed Bodhi and achieve all-encompassing wisdom.
>> These are the noble beings of the Three Vehicles. They hear the Buddha expound the Dharma, perfect the ultimate and attain all-encompassing wisdom.
>>Manjusri cleverly discussed [the methods] that helped practitioners of the Two Vehicles at the Dharma-assembly self-reflect. For forty years, they enjoyed the Small Vehicle teachings and were attached to and biased toward emptiness. They failed to live up to the wish that the World-Honored One had for sentient beings to attain all-encompassing wisdom. This lasted for a long time.
As we engage in spiritual practice in our daily living, whether we are moving or still, all we do must be in accordance with the Dharma. In the Buddha’s lifetime, one day, when He was at the bamboo grove outside Rajagrha, He was invited to go into the city to give teachings to the people there. As He was exiting the city, He encountered a cattle herder with a whip in his hand. As the cattle herder yelled and raised the whip, his herd of cattle began to move forward.
[The Buddha] observed that this herd of cattle only obeyed orders from the herder. As they moved forward, these cattle fought with each other, so some made loud noises. The Buddha saw these cattle’s behaviors as. He walked on the side of the road. He lamented, “People and sentient beings are deluded and without awareness.” He sighed regretfully and continued forward on the road back to His abode.
After He entered and washed His hands and feet, He sat down and meditated. Ananda saw that He seemed to have something on His mind that He wanted to share. So, he waited until the Buddha came out of His state of Samadhi. Ananda then respectfully paid respect to Him and said, “Venerable Buddha. As You were just exiting the city and saw that the herd of cattle, You seemed to have something on Your mind. You sighed as you spoke. There must be some Dharma that the Buddha wants to teach us.” The Buddha sighed and said, “Oh Ananda, you also saw that herd of cattle, right?” Ananda replied, “Yes.”
The Buddha said, “You see, those cattle are driven by the cattle herder to remote areas outside the city to graze. This is how he puts them out to pasture. Then in the afternoon, he herds them back. Did you see these cattle? They ate and drank their fill of grass and water, but they still listened to the herder’s calls and followed him wherever he went. Within the herd, the cattle fought with each other and some of them made noises. Are those sounds of sadness or joy?”
“See, the lives of these cattle are growing shorter day by day, but they are not aware of this. But people are just like them, regardless of whether they are butchers or ranchers, even if they own lots of things, the same applies to them. Any blessings they have are constantly depleted as their karma is continuously increasing. They also are unknowing and unaware. I was lamenting that sentient beings live in a state of sadness and suffering.” ․”but are unaware of it. They live very short-sighted lives. I lament over when people will truly awaken.”
This time, the Buddha used the cattle and the way they entered the city as an explanation. He lamented that in life, sentient beings live and die without any awareness. They are accumulating karma under these kinds of circumstances with their different ways of living. People live the life of humans. Cattle live the life of cattle. Their circumstances are different, but they are both incredibly foolish. In our lives, if we do not know what is going on around us, we are foolish. Therefore, I often say that the Dharma is not hard to find. It exists in our daily living in ways we should be able to comprehend.
So, I often speak of the Three Principles and Four States. Can our lives be separated from this world? Can our lives be separated from this world of physical existence? Doesn’t everything we face every day appear as material things in this world of physical existence? Even now, as I am speaking to you, as you are sitting in front of me, you are also not separated from material things. As we sit here, over our heads there is a roof, beneath our bodies is the floor. Also, you can see me and hear my voice through the use of these material things.
The lives of people in this world of physical existence are inseparable [from material things]. So, everything we own is subject to the physics of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. When have we ever been separated from this in our daily living? Never. But we are not aware of when things form, exist, decay and disappear. Our body is an intimate part of us, but when is it aging? When is it deteriorating? It changes with birth, aging, illness and death, but we still do not know or realize it.
We have always known that life is impermanent and that time will never stop. We know all this, yet our actions [are to the contrary]. We wake up very early to come to morning recitation and listen to the teachings. [But some say,] “I am too busy and tired. I can’t do this today.” Clearly, they know that the Dharma is very important. How can we practice without following it? Diligence is important. How can we practice without being diligent? However, we cannot control our minds. This is the sad thing about sentient beings. We are not able to maintain our direction.
So, every day of our lives is inseparable from the Three Principles and Four States.
The Three Principles and Four States are a part of all things. The meaning that can arise from this is the wisdom to differentiate between all of the different kinds of paths. Thus it is called all-encompassing wisdom. It is also called wondrous enlightened wisdom. If one enlightens oneself and others and has perfect enlightened conduct, one has attained all-encompassing wisdom.
The Three Principles and Four States are part of all-encompassing wisdom. What is “all-encompassing”? “All-encompassing” refers to everything in the universe, A full understanding of all matters, things and principles is called all-encompassing wisdom, or “the wisdom to differentiate between all of the different kinds of paths.”
I often tell you that there is discerning wisdom and impartial wisdom. I have recently been speaking about how, in these times, we must clearly discern right and wrong. [The ability] to be able to clearly discern right and wrong is called wisdom. Thus, we need to use wisdom to discern what is right, what is wrong, what is the chain of events, how did it happen, how was it created, what will it become, what will be the result etc. This is all included in all-encompassing wisdom.
We need to learn to discern and to understand the difference between all the different kinds of paths. What practices are we cultivating? In our spiritual practice, how do we follow the path? Do we see a wide road and just walk towards it? We still have no sense of what is at the end of this wide road. Are there any forks in the road? Will part of this big road branch off? When we stand at the fork, which way do we go? Can we choose? Perhaps we take a very narrow road of limited capabilities and wisdom. Will this road simply dead end? We do not know.
We need to choose a very clear and steady Middle Way that is not attached to emptiness or existence. With penetrating wisdom of the different paths, we [realize] true emptiness and wondrous existence. All-encompassing wisdom and the wisdom of all paths are very profound and must be comprehended. So, all-encompassing wisdom helps us understand the course of our spiritual practice.
All-encompassing wisdom can also be called “wondrous enlightened wisdom,” an unsurpassed subtle and wondrous wisdom of supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment. How can we reach this level of “wondrous enlightened wisdom”? We must enlighten ourselves and others and have perfect enlightened conduct. This is what all-encompassing wisdom is. Hopefully, everyone can realize all-encompassing wisdom. The Buddha did not want to be the only to be enlightened and understand. He worked hard in the world and was diligent, solely because He hoped for everyone to achieve thorough understanding by bringing the mind and the path together. Then they can walk diligently on this great Bodhi-path.
This is what the Buddha most wished for, and this is also our goal for spiritual practice and the way we engage in spiritual practice. When we hear and can accept the Dharma, we ultimately transform ourselves. With this same Dharma, we can then aspire to transform others. But when we guide others in spiritual practice, we absolutely cannot deviate by using unenlightened methods. If we deviate in our spiritual practice, we will lead people off the right path toward evil and onto the wrong path. This depends on whether our minds have the Right Dharma. As we mentioned before, speaking the Right Dharma, the Dharma of the right path, is very important.
The Four Truths, Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and Six Paramitas. Though teachings of the Three Vehicles differ, the World-Honored One’s intention is the same, solely to enable them to attain unsurpassed Bodhi and achieve all-encompassing wisdom.
The Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of. Cyclic Existence, and the Six Paramitas, are the Dharma of the Three Vehicles. The Buddha teaches according to capabilities. Although teachings of the Three Vehicles differ, the Buddha’s, the World-Honored One’s, intention is the same. When He gives teachings to one person, He hopes that the person can accept, understand and achieve liberation. He also hopes this person can teach others the same methods. For one person, He has this hope; for many people, He also has the same hope. So, the Buddha’s intention is the same. The methods of His teaching are to help sentient beings truly reflect on their intrinsic nature so the pure and radiant Buddha-nature can manifest. This is the Buddha’s original intent. So, He hopes to enable us to attain unsurpassed Bodhi and achieve all-encompassing wisdom. This is the Buddha’s original intent.
So, this all-encompassing wisdom is something everyone should understand after hearing about it. “The Three Vehicles” can summarize His teachings. The Dharma of the Three Vehicles is divided into the. Small, Middle and Great Vehicles, which are the teachings for. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas.
These are the noble beings of the Three Vehicles. They hear the Buddha expound the Dharma, perfect the ultimate and attain all-encompassing wisdom.
Whether Small, Middle or. Great Vehicle [teachings], we should be able to understand when we hear the Buddha speak so patiently and diligently. “Manjusri cleverly discussed [the methods].” Manjusri Bodhisattva, when everyone did not yet understand, had a dialogue with Maitreya Bodhisattva. Manjusri Bodhisattva stated that the present and past Buddhas never deviated from these three methods when. They expounded the Dharma for sentient beings.
Manjusri cleverly discussed [the methods] that helped practitioners of the Two Vehicles at the Dharma-assembly self-reflect. For forty years, they enjoyed the Small Vehicle teachings and were attached to and biased toward emptiness. They failed to live up to the wish that the World-Honored One had for sentient beings to attain all-encompassing wisdom. This lasted for a long time.
He described things in this way. This is the wisdom of Manjusri Bodhisattva. He cleverly discussed the methods used by past and present Buddhas to teach sentient beings. The “practitioners of the Two Vehicles at the Dharma-assembly” were Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. They could self-reflect and contemplate what the Buddha taught, such as the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links. Now to sum things up, He wanted to conclude with the Six Perfections, or the Six Paramitas. If they were Small Vehicle practitioners in the past, they should carefully self-reflect. For the past forty years, everyone had enjoyed and remained at the stage of the Small Vehicle teachings. They “enjoyed the Small Vehicle teachings” and remained at the Four Noble Truths and. Twelve Links. Thus, they were biased and attached to emptiness or to existence. Biases toward either are the Small Vehicle teachings. They failed to live up to the original intent of the World-Honored One for them to attain all-encompassing wisdom.
So, fellow practitioners, we are all abiding in this Dharma. Manjusri Bodhisattva and Maitreya Bodhisattva were concerned that everyone did not understand, so they brought up the past Buddhas. The present Buddha’s original intent was to find ways to teach sentient beings. We, as the ones who are learning the Dharma, must always be mindful.