Episode 805 -Dull Capabilities Delight in the Small Vehicle
>>With dull capabilities, we delight in the Small Vehicle Dharma. Greedily clinging to samsara, we are afflicted and disturbed by all suffering. Thus, the teachings of Nirvana were given. Being diligent in the Great Vehicle Dharma results in attainment of the path to Buddhahood.
>>”Yet the World-Honored One knew from the start how our minds were attached to base desires and delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, so He indulged us as we were and did not say to us specifically, ‘You all have a part in the treasure of the Tathagata’s understanding and views’.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>>”Through the power of skillful means, the World-Honored One taught the wisdom of the Tathagata. We attained from the Buddha the single day’s wages of Nirvana and considered this a great attainment, so when it came to the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>>Through the power of skillful means, the World-Honored One taught the wisdom of the Tathagata: This is like how people in the world, in their present life, draw near virtuous friends, hear them skillfully and suitably teach the Dharma and thus give rise to Bodhicitta. This is known as the power of skillful means.
>>According to the analogy, during the Vaipulya period, we embodied faith. Following what is above, this is saying that in the Agama teachings, He did not distinguish between the teachings. But at the Vaipulya Assembly, He exerted the power of skillful means.
>>So, With the power of provisional wisdom, He taught about the six kinds of Roots and Dusts. These were all [taught with] the wisdom of the ultimate reality of the Great Vehicle.
>>We attained from the Buddha the single day’s wages of Nirvana: Delighting in and clinging to Nirvana while not benefiting sentient beings is the state of the Small Vehicle practitioners. They are solitary and without companions, abiding constantly in Nirvana, for they are biased toward emptiness in seeking liberation.
>>Nirvana: This is explained as tranquil extinction, meaning the extinction of the cause and effect of samsara. The Buddha said, “Constantly abiding in Nirvana is the fetter of Nirvana.”
>>Nirvana is also translated as crossing into extinction, extinguishing the cause and effect of samsara or crossing the raging currents of birth and death. Thus, it means extinction and also crossing over. Tranquil extinction: Tranquil means peaceful and stable. Extinction means the cessation of the great suffering of samsara.
>>From listening to the Buddha’s teachings in the Agama period, we received a single day’s wages; we considered this a great attainment. Thus, as the Buddha began to teach the Great Vehicle in the Vaipulya period, though our minds came to embody faith and we came and went without difficulty, when it came to the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it.
“With dull capabilities, we delight in the Small Vehicle Dharma. Greedily clinging to samsara,
we are afflicted and disturbed by all suffering. Thus, the teachings of Nirvana were given.
Being diligent in the Great Vehicle Dharma results in attainment of the path to Buddhahood.”
When we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must form great aspirations and great vows. We always had dull capabilities before, so we only understood the Small Vehicle Dharma. We remained stuck in the Small Vehicle Dharma, unable to advance toward and seek the Great Vehicle teachings. This is the most worrying thing for us as spiritual practitioners. If we only think about benefiting ourselves, we will stop at the Small Vehicle Dharma
“[We may] greedily cling to samsara.” Let us not worry about subsequent lifetimes; let us just worry about this one. What kinds of affinities are we creating with sentient beings? Are they good affinities? Or negative affinities? As we go among people, are we benefiting them? If we clearly understand karmic cause and effect, this will help develop our wisdom. If we can achieve this, we will not worry about whether we remain in the cyclic existence of birth and death; birth [brings us the chance] to go among people, and death is part of the natural course of life. So naturally, we will not greedily cling to samsara nor will we renounce it; we will see samsara as a commonplace matter.
But we unenlightened beings lack clarity, so as we interact with people, we replicate our afflictions. Influenced by our afflictions, we are unwilling to keep [helping others]. Thus it is said, “We are afflicted and disturbed by all suffering.” It is for sentient beings like this that the Buddha came to this world to “[give] the teachings of Nirvana.”
At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, the Buddha “[gave] the teachings of Nirvana.” After everyone gradually understood the teachings of the law of karma, He began giving the teachings of Nirvana, of how, during this lifetime, we can willingly form an aspiration and vow to go among people. Then, though we are interacting with people, our minds can still remain tranquil and pure. These are the teachings of Nirvana.
To understand the teachings of Nirvana, we must be earnest and be “diligent in the Great Vehicle Dharma.” This means to give without expectations. Being willing to repeatedly return to the world and give for the sake of helping others is the Great Vehicle Dharma. “It results in attainment of the path to Buddhahood.” If we can do this, we will all be walking on the great and direct Bodhi-path. This is the path the Buddha walked in His spiritual practice, which He put His heart into describing.
Once, during the Buddha’s lifetime, a group of people who had just finished a summer retreat came to see the Buddha and pay their respects. Then the Buddha began to ask, “Did you, during the entire summer retreat, feel peaceful and at ease? Was it tiring?” These disciples answered, “We all felt peaceful and at ease. We were delighted, very happy.” Ananda saw how the Buddha compassionately asked after His disciples, and an idea came to him. Ananda stood up and asked the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, You have so many disciples, and You treat each one with such gentleness and compassion as if we each were Your only son. Venerable Buddha, you have such compassion, love and kindness; when did you develop this state of mind?” After Ananda asked this, the Buddha smiled slightly and said, “Ananda, you have asked a good question. I will tell you. Everyone listen carefully.”
The Buddha began to tell this story. Innumerable kalpas ago, many beings were undergoing punishment in hell. Among them were two who together had to pull a fiery cart. The two of them together had to pull this cart that was attached to their skin. If they were not going fast enough, the yaksas would whip them.
One of them did not have the strength to keep going and collapsed to the ground. But the yaksa guard had no sympathy; he continued whipping this wrongdoer. The other pleaded with the guard, “Please let him rest! I will just pull the cart alone.” The guard said, “If the two of you cannot move it together, how can you pull it forward by yourself?” He said, “I am willing to take on his suffering and be punished in his stead. I am willing to take his place.” The yaksa guard became angry and beat him with a steel rod. With one blow, he killed the one who was willing to help the other. After being killed with one blow, he was immediately born in Trayastrimsa Heaven.
The Buddha then said, “Ananda, this man undergoing punishment in hell recognized life after life that life was impermanent and full of suffering. Even after he was born in heaven, he worried about beings in the human realm. He worried because they easily give rise to ignorance and indolence and thus create all kinds of karma. So, with his every thought, he was willing to leave behind the blessings of heaven to come to the human realm. Do you know who this person was? It was I, who stand before you now as Sakyamuni Buddha.” This was the initial thought that led to innumerable kalpas of spiritual practice for the sake of sentient beings.
How long ago was this? Recently, we have been talking about innumerable kalpas of spiritual practice, of seeking the Buddha’s Way and transforming sentient beings. This was the Buddha’s state of mind. In fact, we all intrinsically have this state of mind. Everyone has a nature of True Suchness, but we are unable to form this aspiration because thick layers of ignorance are still covering it. Therefore, we must be mindful. Forming this aspiration is not difficult. The difficulty comes from our refusal to be diligent, from being lax. Even if we encounter the Buddha-Dharma, still, “With dull capabilities, we delight in the Small Vehicle Dharma.” If we are “greedily clinging to samsara,” then “We are afflicted and disturbed by all suffering.”
The previous sutra passage states, “Yet the World-Honored One knew from the start how our minds were attached to base desires and delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, so He indulged us as we were and did not say to us specifically, ‘You all have a part in the treasure of the Tathagata’s understanding and views’.”
Our capacities were not ready to accept it, so the time had not arrived yet. It took the Buddha more than 40 years before He could proclaim to everyone that everyone can receive predictions for attaining Buddhahood, everyone has the chance to attain Buddhahood, everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature and everyone intrinsically has these treasures.
The next sutra passage states, “Through the power of skillful means, the World-Honored One taught the wisdom of the Tathagata. We attained from the Buddha the single day’s wages of Nirvana and considered this a great attainment, so when it came to the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it.”
Subhuti again said that the World-Honored One had taught with all kinds of skillful means. In fact, He also taught from the wisdom of the Tathagata. In accordance with our capabilities, the Buddha exercised His wisdom to teach the Dharma with skillful means
Through the power of skillful means, the World-Honored One taught the wisdom of the Tathagata: This is like how people in the world, in their present life, draw near virtuous friends, hear them skillfully and suitably teach the Dharma and thus give rise to Bodhicitta. This is known as the power of skillful means.
This means that people in this world, in this life, “draw near virtuous friends.” If we earnestly draw near them, we “hear them skillfully and suitably teach the Dharma.” Although the Buddha is not in our world now, His Dharmakaya is still in our minds. Our virtuous friends are those who are not deluded.
The understanding and views in their minds are Right Understanding and Right Views. Thus, they can speak skillfully and suitably. We should also earnestly develop Bodhicitta and follow these skillful means.
Although they are skillful means, they are the true wisdom of the Buddha, just taught within the scope of what our capacities allow us to accept. If we can hear these teachings, we must absolutely practice them. When it comes to doing something good, we should just do it.
According to the analogy, during the Vaipulya period, we embodied faith. Following what is above, this is saying that in the Agama teachings, He did not distinguish between the teachings. But at the Vaipulya Assembly, He exerted the power of skillful means.
This is in accordance with the analogy of how we embodied faith during the Vaipulya. From the Agama period, the Buddha turned to the Vaipulya. During the Vaipulya period, He gave both the Small and Great Vehicles. He slowly guided Small Vehicle disciples into the Great Vehicle Dharma. “During the Vaipulya period, we embodied faith.” We could realize that the Buddha-Dharma is not just about benefiting ourselves; we must benefit others too. Prior to the Vaipulya teachings were the Agama teachings. “During the [period of the] Agama teachings, He did not teach us specifically, but at the Vaipulya Assembly,” with the power of skillful means. He taught according to our capacities, so we could practice in the scope of our abilities. He did not tell us that we also have to benefit other people
So, “With the power of provisional wisdom, He taught about the six kinds of Roots and Dusts. These were all [taught with] the wisdom of the ultimate reality of the Great Vehicle.”
In this period, He taught us that benefiting people is actually inseparable from the Six Roots and Six Dusts. With the eye-root, we witness suffering and recognize blessings. Why do sentient beings suffer so much? We can hear sentient beings describe the states of suffering they experience. After we encounter suffering beings in our surroundings, our mind-root begins to stir. Giving rise to compassion, we are willing to help, willing to provide relief. It is because we have this body that we can [use the power] of our Five Roots when we form this aspiration to give.
Isn’t this the same for all of us? It is because we have this body that we are able to do good deeds. It is also because we have this body that we give rise to discursive thoughts and afflictions. It is also because we have this body that we often do the wrong things due to being led by our afflictions and ignorance. This is also because we have this body. So, in the Vaipulya sutras, He began to use skillful means to awaken our wisdom; with this power, we can choose and clearly distinguish between good and evil. We must practice and promote goodness, and we must abstain from evil by guarding against and eliminating evil thoughts and deeds.
It is because of the Six Roots and Six Dusts that we can manifest the “ultimate reality of the Great Vehicle.” Absolute truth and principles are without substance and form. We must let the truths of ultimate reality, which are intangible and formless principles, penetrate our bodies and minds.
If we do not earnestly transform ourselves in this life, how do we know we will encounter the Dharma in our next life? What form will we take in our next life? Will we be in human form? Or the form of an ox or dog? We have no idea. Thus, we must seize this lifetime and practice the Dharma we hear.
The next lines state, “We attained from the Buddha the single day’s wages of Nirvana”
We attained from the Buddha the single day’s wages of Nirvana: Delighting in and clinging to Nirvana while not benefiting sentient beings is the state of the Small Vehicle practitioners. They are solitary and without companions, abiding constantly in Nirvana, for they are biased toward emptiness in seeking liberation.
In the Agama period He began talking about how karmic retributions are frightening, so everyone strove to attain Nirvana. This is like a single day’s wages. But actually, this is still the Small Vehicle state, as we only focus on eliminating our own afflictions. “Delighting in and clinging to Nirvana” is all we do, so we are “not benefiting sentient beings [This] is the state of the Small Vehicle.” This “single day’s wages” is just for ourselves. “A single day” means it is only for us; we attain Small Vehicle Nirvana because we are unwilling to benefit others. So, we remain in the state of the Small Vehicle. Thus we are “solitary and without companions.” If we only practice for our own sake won’t we be very lonely? So, “[They] abide constantly in Nirvana, for they are biased toward emptiness in seeking liberation.”
Nirvana is also translated as crossing into extinction, extinguishing the cause and effect of samsara or crossing the raging currents of birth and death. Thus, it means extinction and also crossing over. Tranquil extinction: Tranquil means peaceful and stable. Extinction means the cessation of the great suffering of samsara.
“Nirvana is explained as tranquil extinction.” Nirvana means tranquil extinction, the extinction of the cause and effect of samsara. When the Buddha said that we should constantly abide in Nirvana, these people who practiced for their own sake only focused on benefiting themselves by eliminating the cause and effect of samsara. So, this “is the fetter of Nirvana.” They were bound by Nirvana. Thus, they could not open up their Small Vehicle minds, so they were unable to walk toward the Great Vehicle.
From listening to the Buddha’s teachings in the Agama period, we received a single day’s wages; we considered this a great attainment. Thus, as the Buddha began to teach the Great Vehicle in the Vaipulya period, though our minds came to embody faith and we came and went without difficulty, when it came to the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it.
Nirvana also means “crossing into extinction, extinguishing the cause and effect of samsara and crossing the raging currents of birth and death.” This is the meaning of “extinction” and “crossing.” This is Nirvana.
Tranquil extinction is a peaceful and stable state. This is a very peaceful and stable [state of mind]. Extinction means the cessation of the great suffering of samsara.
But if we remain stuck in this state, only benefiting ourselves, in this way we become trapped by Nirvana. Because we are unwilling to form great aspirations, we are trapped by the idea of being “liberated from samsara.” Thus we are unwilling to go among people again.
The Buddha attained enlightenment because He practiced for the sake of sentient beings. His mind always remained tranquil and still, in the Avatamsaka state. This was what He originally intended to teach. He always remained in a state of stillness.
On the outside, He set aside His magnificent clothing to go among people. But His wisdom, His state of mind, remained unmoving and in a state of tranquil extinction, Nirvana. He was always in that state. But He still came and went among people. His nature of True Suchness was forever illuminating and radiant among the people. This is the true Great Nirvana. It is not the Small Nirvana, but the Great. He had already been liberated from samsara, yet He was willing to enter the Saha World.
However, Subhuti and others said that having attained a single day’s wages, having eliminated their afflictions, “We considered this a great attainment. When it came to the Great Vehicle, we still had no aspiration to seek it”
From listening to the Buddha’s teachings in the Agama period, we received a single day’s wages; we considered this a great attainment. Thus, as the Buddha began to teach the Great Vehicle in the Vaipulya period, though our minds came to embody faith and we came and went without difficulty, when it came to the Great Vehicle, we had no aspiration to seek it.
During the Vaipulya period “[Their] minds embodied faith,” and they understood that they should not stop with the Small Vehicle, that the next step in the Buddha-Dharma was to give rise to great aspirations to go among people and transform sentient beings. They knew these teachings, so they “came and went without difficulty.” The Small Vehicle and Great Vehicle Dharma were both known to them, so they came and went in them without difficulty. But they were still unable to give rise to great aspirations. They were still unwilling.
So, we must all be mindful. Only by being mindful are we able to diligently advance. We must not, “with dull capabilities, delight in Small Vehicle Dharma and greedily cling to samsara.” We must go beyond this. We still have to go among people to purify our minds and widely transform sentient beings. Thus, we must always be mindful.