Episode 829 – Diligently Turning the Mind Toward the Great
>> Attached to the Small, confused about the Great, we engage in foolish practices. As we take the Great Vehicle, we dismiss the Small as only bringing limited attainment. Upon comprehending the principles of the Great Vehicle, we turn our minds around to head toward the Great.
>> “Through the window, the elder often saw his son and thought of how foolish and base his son was, how he delighted in lowly things. Therefore, the elder donned ragged and dirty clothes and, carrying tools for clearing excrement, went to the place where his son was.“ [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith and Understanding]
>> “Approaching through skillful means, he told him to work diligently, [saying], ‘Your wages will be increased,’ ‘you will have oil to apply to your feet,’ ‘enough to eat and drink’ ‘and a thick and warm mat’. With harsher words he said, ‘Work diligently!’.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith and Understanding]
>> Approaching through skillful means, he told him to work diligently: In the Vimalakirti-nirdesa sutra it says that the Honored Sakyamuni concealed. His infinite power of freedom and ease to transform and liberate sentient beings. Thus, He told him to work diligently.
>> Your wages will be increased: Practicing the Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts and the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power helps us attain liberation from the Three Realms. Thus it says, Your wages will be increased. This was mentioned before as twice your normal wage. These Four Right Efforts, when practiced diligently, result in spiritual advancement. We diligently cultivate these four practices to enlightenment to encourage eliminating evil and giving rise to goodness in body, speech and mind.
>> First in the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of the body. This is the contemplation of the physical body as being entirely impure.
>> Second in the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of feeling. This is the contemplation of the sensation of good, bad or neutral things as being without exception suffering.
>> The third of the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of the mind. This is the contemplation of the conscious mind as arising and ceasing and therefore impermanent.
>> The fourth of the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of all things. This is the contemplation of all things as arising out of causes and conditions and thus being without self.
>> The Four Right Efforts: Eliminate any evil that has already arisen. Prevent from arising any evil that has not arisen. Quickly give rise to goodness not yet arisen. Nurture any goodness that has already arisen.
>> These Four Right Efforts, when practiced diligently,result in spiritual advancement. We diligently cultivate these four practices to enlightenment to encourage eliminating evil and giving rise to goodness in body, speech and mind.
The first of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the fulfillment of that magnificent Dharma that we hope for, desire and delight in. Thus, it is called the power of aspiration.
The second of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of thought, when our every thought is focused and abides in the right principles.
The third of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of diligence. When we diligently advance straight ahead, our merits are never interrupted. The fourth of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of wisdom. When the truth illuminates and dispels illusion, the mind is never scattered or disturbed.
>> “Attached to the Small, confused about the Great, we engage in foolish practices.
As we take the Great Vehicle, we dismiss the Small as only bringing limited attainment.
Upon comprehending the principles of the Great Vehicle, we turn our minds around to head toward the Great.”
We always say that we hope we can all broaden our minds. Our nature of True Suchness can be one with the universe, in such a vast and boundless state. Why then do we practice only for the sake of merely one person, ourselves, and thus stick to the Small [Vehicle] Dharma? If we are attached to the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, naturally we will lose sight of the Great Dharma. This is a foolish practice.
The Buddha came to teach us for the sake of delivering us from this shore, this confused state of unenlightened beings. He laid out a gangway for us to walk, that will lead us aboard a great ship. On this great ship we can brave the wind and waves to reach the other shore. But perversely, we choose to board a tiny bamboo raft. How can this tiny raft possibly withstand the great ocean waves? Why don’t we go with everyone else and board the great ship together? No matter how big the waves are, this great ship will remain steady as it crosses to the other shore.
“As we take the Great Vehicle, we dismiss the Small as only bringing limited attainment.” When we are riding on the great ship, looking down at the small boat [we wonder], “Will it make it?” It can only cross a stream, not an ocean. Therefore, when we say the small boat is only good for crossing streams, we are “dismissing the Small.” The great ship can cross the great ocean and make it to the other shore; the small boat can only cross streams and rivers where there is no wind or waves. This only brings limited attainment. So, “As we take the Great Vehicle, we dismiss the Small as only bringing limited attainment.” This is how it is.
This is like how, outside of the burning house, there were three carts for us to choose from. However, the elder told us that of these three carts, the sheep- and deer-carts can only be enjoyed by one or two people at a time. But look at how the great ox-cart has been abundantly provisioned with treasures. The ox is very strong, so the ox-cart is very useful and can transport many of us at once.
After the Buddha helps us understand this, we know the Great Vehicle Dharma is very rich. Not only can we transform ourselves with it, we can transform other people as well. This abundance of the Great Vehicle, our “comprehending the principles of the Great Vehicle” is [represented by] the great white ox-cart. This Great Vehicle Dharma helps us to gain thorough understanding. When we can bring forth our nature of True Suchness, is there any principle of anything in the world that we won’t be able to understand?
Then, “We turn our minds around to head toward the Great.” When we understand the Great Vehicle teachings contain so much abundance, from our stubborn mindset of seeking to only benefit ourselves, we naturally turn our minds quickly around and move toward the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, let us be mindful in learning the Buddha’s Way.
Similarly, we must consider that we all live on this planet together. In this modern era, everyone is very worried. We worry about the climate and Earth’s resources, which are continually being depleted. Whether oil or water, humankind is continually extracting these and using them without restraint. We clearly know this is not the right thing to do, but nevertheless people continue to cling to delusions and do not awaken. Everyone only cares about benefiting themselves. Individual countries do not consider the climate of the entire planet. They act only for the sake of their own prosperity and their own country’s advantage. They do not think about this as a global issue; they only think of their own benefit. On a small scale, this happens on a societal level. Smaller than that is the household level. Even smaller is the level of personal consumption.
According to the principles, this may not seem like much, but in fact, if we extrapolate it, if we extrapolate from this principle, if we all reflect on our individual lifestyles, we can understand the principles of the whole world. In Tainan, there is a 107-year-old Bodhisattva-volunteer. She has done recycling work for over 20 years. When she was in her 80s, she heard about our recycling work, and she thought, “That makes sense! Indeed, we should not waste anything; we should cherish the life of all things and make an effort to recycle and reuse each thing. This is a very good principle. We did not know this before, so we thought everything became garbage. Now that we know this, we should put our efforts into recycling.” Her children could not bear to see her working [and said,] “You are already so old, and you are still doing this kind of work!” She said, “Doing this brings me joy and happiness. It puts my mind at ease, and I feel free.” She is very wise. So, every single morning, she is out in the streets collecting recyclables.
Seeing this elderly volunteer truly fills people with admiration. In Madou, Tainan, she was one of the earliest recycling volunteers, serving as an example to all. Her son and daughter have also done the same. She has also adopted a vegetarian diet. Everyone thinks that by not eating meat, they will not get enough nutrients, but she seems to have gone decades without aging. She also encouraged her children to be vegetarian because it is better for their health. So, she could be said to live a simple life. Though her family is well-off, she nevertheless lives quite simply. Moreover, she puts her efforts into helping others and never wastes any time. She devotes her physical strength to helping the planet, to protecting the land and the clean air. This is the concept she has.
This is also the Great Vehicle Dharma. Not merely doing things for our own sake is something we should all learn. It is rare to be born human, so having been born human we should take responsibility for the human world. This is also why the Buddha comes to teach us.
So, this is like the elder searching for his son. He had now already encountered him, however, his son still stood outside the gate, delaying and not daring to go in.
Thus, the previous passage states, “Through the window, the elder often saw his son and thought of how foolish and base his son was, how he delighted in lowly things. Therefore, the elder donned ragged and dirty clothes and, carrying tools for clearing excrement, went to the place where his son was.”
He saw that his son was foolish and base, and that he had not developed his wisdom, so he was only willing to do lowly labor. Therefore, in order to get closer to him, he grabbed some tools for shoveling excrement and went to approach his son. This is like how the Buddha, in order to teach sentient beings, went among the people.
The next sutra passage states, “Approaching through skillful means, he told him to work diligently, [saying], ‘Your wages will be increased,’ ‘you will have oil to apply to your feet,’ ‘enough to eat and drink’ ‘and a thick and warm mat’. With harsher words he said, ‘Work diligently!’.”
As he approached his son, he began to speak to him. He told him, “You must work hard. You must make an effort here, then all your needs will be met. You see, there are food and supplies for you, even oil for your feet. You will have oil you can rub into your feet. These are the things that you can enjoy here.” Not only this, he could also have “a thick and warm mat.” His accommodations would be comfortable, and the things spread on the bed would keep him very warm. This is using skillful means to get him to settle down and work hard at his job. This is like how the Buddha taught according to capabilities. By doing so, people would happily accept [the teachings] and be at ease in their spiritual practice.
“Approaching through skillful means, he told him to work diligently.” When the Buddha teaches us, no matter what methods He uses, He wants us to be able to purify our afflictions.
” The Buddha, the Honored Sakyamuni, concealed His infinite power of freedom and ease to transform and liberate sentient beings.” After the Buddha attained enlightenment, both His body and mind were completely pure. But He concealed this pure state to approach the five bhiksus and establish the Sangha. Within the Sangha, He taught everyone to be industrious and frugal, to get by with only three robes and an alms bowl. He lived the same way as everyone around Him, This is liberation; He wanted “to transform and liberate sentient beings.” To transform and liberate sentient beings, He had to conceal the transcendent state of His mind. He lived together with sentient beings and taught in a way they could accept, to help them find a way to happily engage in spiritual practice. Thus, “He told him to work diligently,”
saying, “Your wages will be increased,” Your wages will be increased: Practicing the Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts and the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power helps us attain liberation from the Three Realms. Thus it says, “Your wages will be increased.” This was mentioned before as “twice your normal wage.” The way we give and the methods we practice determine the benefits we reap.
What are the methods we can practice? In addition to the Four Noble Truths, there are the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. These include the Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts and the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power, which “help us attain liberation from the Three Realms.” If we successfully cultivate all these practices, not only will we be able to eliminate our afflictions and ignorance, we can also transcend dust-like delusions. This is liberation from the Three Realms. This is what is meant by, “Your wages will be increased.” By engaging in spiritual practice like this, we will benefit in many ways. This was described in a previous sutra passage in the long-form prose. “Twice your normal wage” means he was given twice the benefits.
The Fourfold Mindfulness I mentioned is something you should all be familiar with. The first is “mindfulness of the body.” We should often “contemplate the body as impure.” We must often consider, is this physical body of ours pure or impure?
” First in the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of the body.
This is the contemplation of the physical body as being entirely impure.”
In our daily lives, when we wake up in the morning, what is the first thing we have to do? And this is when we are still in good health. Indeed, our bodies are filled with impurities. As we age and fall ill, throughout this process, the body becomes even more impure. So, we need to mindfully contemplate this.
” Second in the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of feeling.
This is the contemplation of the sensation of good, bad or neutral things as being without exception suffering.”
The second is the “mindfulness of feeling.” What are the feelings we experience throughout the course of our lifetime? Everything we come in contact with results in sensations; whether good or bad, we take them into our minds. When we are happy we are very happy, and when we are worried we are very worried. Each day our minds fluctuate so many times in this way. Impermanence and the like cause us to worry, to be scared and so on. Indeed, we experience many feelings. These are our feelings in our daily living. So, this is “contemplating feelings.” Many things cause suffering, so we “contemplate all feelings as suffering.”
” The third of the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of the mind. This is the contemplation of the conscious mind as arising and ceasing and therefore impermanent.”
We also “contemplate the mind as impermanent.” The mindfulness of the mind refers to contemplating our consciousness. Our minds are often unable to be stable. We often hear people say, “I am determined to engage in spiritual practice. I will follow [the teachings] and get along with everyone.” Thinking about it now, it does not seem difficult, but as time passes, we find that getting along with people is not easy. We want to follow the teachings, yet we still cling to our own ways. With mindfulness of our minds, we see that [thoughts] are always arising and ceasing, and our minds are always fluctuating, without a fixed nature.
” The fourth of the Fourfold Mindfulness is the mindfulness of all things. This is the contemplation of all things as arising out of causes and conditions and thus being without self.”
The fourth is “Contemplate all things as being without self.” This is the mindfulness of all things, that they all arise out of causes and conditions. If we understand this principle, what existent “self” could there be? Everything follows the unfolding of karma.
” The Four Right Efforts: Eliminate any evil that has already arisen. Prevent from arising any evil that has not arisen. Quickly give rise to goodness not yet arisen. Nurture any goodness that has already arisen.”
Next are the Four Right Efforts. The Four Right Efforts are. “Quickly eliminate evil that has already arisen, prevent from arising evil that has not arisen, quickly give rise to goodness not yet arisen and nurture any goodness that has already arisen.” These are the Four Right Efforts.
Here, there are the two practices regarding evil. We need to be diligent so that we do not allow what has not yet arisen to arise. And as for what has arisen, we must eliminate it right away. Having already understood the Dharma, we must not allow evil thoughts to remain in our minds, not to mention in our actions. If we have not given rise to goodness, as we now know, we should give rise to it without delay. If we are already practicing goodness, we should immediately do more of it. These are the Four Right Efforts
” These Four Right Efforts, when practiced diligently, result in spiritual advancement. We diligently cultivate these four practices to enlightenment to encourage eliminating evil and giving rise to goodness in body, speech and mind.”
Next are the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power
” The first of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the fulfillment of that magnificent Dharma that we hope for, desire and delight in
Thus, it is called the power of aspiration.”
The first of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is “the fulfillment of that magnificent Dharma that we hope for, desire and delight in. Thus, it is called the power of aspiration.” Actually, “desire” here is more like “hope.” We hope that our direction is the correct one, that we are heading toward the Dharma and the teachings of the Path. We experience a sense of delight because we are happy that the Dharma can purify our body and mind. The Buddha-Dharma purifies, transforms the mind. It turns the world into a magnificent pure land. This is our hope. Thus, this is the power of aspiration.
“The second of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of thought, when our every thought is focused and abides in the right principles.”
The second is the power of thought. This means that. “Every thought is focused and abides in the right principles.” The previous one is about our hopes. We hope to establish a very magnificent place for spiritual practice where everyone is diligent in their practice, where everyone is dignified in body and mind and where the place itself is dignified as well. This is what we aspire to and hope for. Once we have this magnificent place, next we want our “every thought [to be] focused.” We must be single-minded with our every thought. Our spiritual aspirations must be firm and abide in the right principles.
“The third of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of diligence. When we diligently advance straight ahead, our merits are never interrupted.”
The third is diligence, the power of diligence. We must diligently advance. Since our direction is correct, we must keep advancing without interruption. We must take large and steady strides; once we are aimed in the right direction, we must never deviate. Diligently advancing in this way without interruption is the power of diligence. We must move forward without retreating.
” The fourth of the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power is the power of wisdom. When the truth illuminates and dispels illusion, the mind is never scattered or disturbed.”
The fourth is “the power of wisdom.” When “the truth illuminates and dispels illusion, the mind is never scattered or disturbed.” When we engage in spiritual practice, it is of utmost importance to have wisdom. If we can diligently practice, then we can advance in our development of wisdom and achieve the state where. “The truth illuminates and dispels illusion.” As soon as we unlock our wisdom, our nature of True Suchness can radiate a light that naturally illuminates all principles. Our understanding will become very clear, and we can transcend illusions and completely eliminate distorted, deluded thinking. “The mind is never scattered or disturbed.” This occurs when we are truly diligent.
As we mentioned earlier, “Approaching through skillful means, he told him to work diligently.” This means we have to be mindful in practicing the Fourfold Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts and the Four Bases of Fulfilling Power. As spiritual practitioners, every day we must not deviate from these. If we can mindfully devote ourselves to these, then truly, “Our wages will be increased” and we will make gains [in our spiritual practice]. Therefore, dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, let us always be mindful.