Episode 875 – The Mysteries of the Body, Speech and Mind
>> Clouds having shapes and colors is an analogy for the Buddha manifesting in response to the world, known as the mystery of His body. Clouds covering and providing shade is an analogy for the Buddha’s compassion, known as the mystery of His mind. The Buddha giving teachings that universally cover all sentient beings is known as the mystery of His speech. With compassion and the Dharma, His transformation-bodies appear everywhere within the Ten Dharma-realms.
>>迦葉！譬如三千大千世界，Kasyapa! This is like the great trichiliocosm. On the land of mountains, rivers, streams and valleys, forests of vegetation and trees and all kinds of medicinal plants grow. They come in many different kinds and each have their own names and forms. [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – Medicinal Plants]
>> So now, Dense clouds are spread extensively, covering all in the great trichiliocosm. All at once, they rain down equally, so their moisture permeates all universally. [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – Medicinal Plants]
>> The sounds of all His teachings are the mystery of His speech. His encompassing consciousness is the mystery of His mind.
>> What is the trichiliocosm? One thousand worlds form one small chiliocosm. One thousand small chiliocosms are called one medium chiliocosm. One thousand medium chiliocosms form one great chiliocosm. So, worlds numbering in three orders of a thousand are called a trichiliocosm.
>> Dense clouds are spread extensively: The clouds are an analogy for the Buddha-body, which responds without abiding anywhere. The Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) is everywhere; like the clouds it is spread extensively. Dense is an analogy for His wondrous transformation-body, which is like the great spread of clouds.
>> Covering all in the great trichiliocosm: The Buddha’s body universally responds, the same way these clouds cover all. The manifest Buddha appears and expounds the teachings everywhere at the same time. With a single voice He perfectly proclaims, and all different kinds of beings understand equally. This is just like how dense clouds cover all in the great trichiliocosm.
>> All at once, [the clouds] rain down equally, so their moisture permeates all universally: The Buddha responds to all sentient beings by nurturing their vitality. This is like the rain that falls on all equally, an analogy for how the Buddha taught impartially to benefit all beings.
>> [The clouds’] moisture permeates all universally: Moisture is an analogy for the Dharma’s flavor, which can nourish all universally. At the right time, the rain falls and the quantity of water is sufficient such that the stems, leaves and roots will all share in the moisture.
>> The flavor of the Dharma enriches all so that we are constantly satisfied. First we consume pure and wondrous food and drink to satisfy ourselves, then we use the Dharma to attain ultimate peace and joy. The flavor of the wondrous Dharma must be chewed over thoroughly so that our minds give rise to joy.
“Clouds having shapes and colors is an analogy for the Buddha manifesting in response to the world, known as the mystery of His body.
Clouds covering and providing shade is an analogy for the Buddha’s compassion, known as the mystery of His mind.
The Buddha giving teachings that universally cover all sentient beings is known as the mystery of His speech.
With compassion and the Dharma, His transformation-bodies appear everywhere within the Ten Dharma-realms.”
Let us try to understand all things in this world. When we raise our heads to look at the sky, the clouds’ forms and shapes constantly change. With the movement of the land, sky and sunlight, their colors likewise change. No matter what the weather is like, there are always clouds in the sky. It is just that their appearances are different. This is an analogy for how the Buddha responds to the world. Depending on the place and time, the Buddha takes on the appropriate physical form reaching the entire world. This is called “the mystery of His body.” “Mystery” refers to profound, subtle and intricate principles.
When the Buddha came to this world, He awakened; He awakened to the principles. Thus, when He responded to this world, He was replete with an understanding of many principles. As a noble being, He manifested in the world. This is an “analogy for manifesting in response to the world, known as the mystery of His body”. In response to the needs of the world, He attained Buddhahood. His process of attaining Buddhahood helps us understand that we need to undergo all kinds of worldly experiences and have the resolve to put the Dharma into practice. No matter what kind of difficulties we go through, we must still remain firm in our aspirations. Then, we can ultimately attain Buddhahood.
So, the “mystery of His body” does not refer to the birth of Prince Siddhartha over 2000 years ago. Actually, the “mystery of His body” refers to the true principles of enlightenment. The true principles of enlightenment are the same as the Buddha’s body. The Buddha’s body is the body of enlightenment, the essence of awakening. This is what responds to the needs of the world; this is called “the mystery of His body”.
“Clouds covering and providing shade is an analogy for the Buddha’s compassion; this is known as the mystery of His mind”. The Buddha’s compassion is like clouds. If, in the sky, there are [no clouds] whatsoever, the blazing sun beats down throughout the day. We cannot take it when it is like this because the heat is too strong. Sometimes the clouds open up and the sun comes out. The sun provides light and heat everywhere. However, sometimes if it is blocked a little by the clouds, the light and the heat are slightly dissipated so that all things on earth can cool down a bit. This helps all things on earth to adjust. It is a method of adjustment. This is an analogy for the Buddha’s compassion. When sentient beings are burning with afflictions, [His compassion] provides some shade.
Sentient beings are biased toward intellect, yet they lack compassion. They do not exercise compassion and wisdom in parallel. This is how the world has become imbalanced. If people are too attached to their intellect, they may lack affection for others. The analogy of clouds is used because when the sun is in the sky, they can provide some amount of covering. They appear in the sky in many forms and also can bring balance to the world and its living beings. This is why the clouds are an analogy for the Buddha’s compassion. Although He applies His wisdom, He also exercises His compassion.
Sometimes during a water shortage, we may look up toward the sky, and if we see clouds beginning to appear, we all hope it will begin to rain so that all things on earth can benefit. The clouds in the sky are needed by the world. This is like how the Buddha, in His compassion, responds to the needs of sentient beings by appearing in this world. This is an analogy for the Buddha, for the “mystery of His mind”.
Moreover, “The Buddha [gives] teachings that universally cover all sentient beings”. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, the principles He taught were inherently formless. Through the Buddha’s using His voice to describe these intangible principles, we could understand. If we still did not understand, the Buddha used all kinds of analogies and verbal expressions in order to teach us the Dharma and help us understand. This is the “mystery of His speech”, the true principles of His speech which help us to develop our wisdom-life.
So, it says, “With compassion and the Dharma, His transformation-bodies appear everywhere”. In His compassion, the Buddha used the Dharma, the true principles, to manifest in this world and reveal the Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment”. This was the embodiment of the Buddha’s principles. This was His compassion. This was what was in His heart, so, “With compassion and the Dharma, His transformation-bodies [appear]”. He used the Dharma of compassion, this principle, to manifest these bodies in the world.
“Throughout the Ten Dharma-realms” refers to the Six Unenlightened Realms, the Four Noble Realms. Within the Ten Dharma-realms, the Buddha patiently guided [sentient beings] and continually taught the Dharma according to sentient beings’ capabilities. This is the Buddha’s compassion. It 密布provides dense coverage just like the clouds in the sky.
So, in the previous sutra passage, it states, “Kasyapa! This is like the great trichiliocosm. On the land of mountains, rivers, streams and valleys, forests of vegetation and trees and all kinds of medicinal plants grow. They come in many different kinds and each have their own names and forms”.
If the sky is [as we said], what about the earth? The land has the grace of giving birth to and bearing all things that live on the earth. The mountains, rivers, streams and valleys all depend on the earth for their existence. This includes us humans. It is people who give birth to people generation after generation, but we are all inseparable from the land. Thus, it is the land that “gives birth”; all things “are born” of the land .
So now, “Dense clouds are spread extensively, covering all in the great trichiliocosm. All at once, they rain down equally, so their moisture permeates all universally”.
On the land, there are mountains, rivers, streams and valleys, forests of vegetation and trees and so forth. No matter what kind of [plants] they are, and no matter what they may be called, they all need clouds and rain. So, there must be a sun in the sky, and the earth needs a layer of atmosphere. Otherwise, if the sun’s rays bore down directly, we would never be able to take it. Earth has an “atmosphere”; it is like a thin film covering the land. With the warm air from the land combining with water vapor and all kinds of gases from the land, all gathering together, “dense clouds” are formed.
All things on the land need rain. When we see clouds gathering, that means there is rain; it means that it is going to rain. So now, “Dense clouds are spread extensively”. Dense clouds are just like the principles. “Dense” here refers to three mysteries, the “mystery of the Buddha’s body”, “the mystery of the Buddha’s speech” and “the mystery of the Buddha’s mind”. These three mysteries are the principles.
三密：身密、語密、意密。The three mysteries: the mystery of His body, they mystery of His speech, and the mystery of His mind.
“Dense clouds” are everywhere. We often say that in the universe, all things contain abundant principles within them. It is just that we sentient beings are confused and ignorant about them. It is ignorance that creates the Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind, thus we commit transgressions. This is due to a lack of true principles. Not knowing the principles, people [incessantly] create negative karma with body, speech and mind.
However, the Buddha’s Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind are just like the “dense clouds that spread extensively”. They are filled with principles. So, there are the “three mysteries,” the mysteries of body, speech and mind. He put [the Dharma] into practice with His body, demonstrating the process of spiritual practice. Everyone look, this is how it is done. He deeply understood spiritual practitioners, so He served as a role model for this world. He manifested the principles through His body. This is called “the mystery of His body”.
He used His body to engage in spiritual practice and realize the true principles of all things. After He understood, He thought, How can I help sentient beings attain these same realizations? He made painstaking efforts; everything He said and did was a teaching, was a true principle, teaching us how to engage in spiritual practice. This is teaching, principle, action, realization. If we are able to practice like this, we can attain these realizations. This was “the mystery of His speech”.
Both “the mystery of His body” and “the mystery of His speech” stem entirely from His mind. We should be very clear about this.
就佛界言：遍法界體相之身，為其身密。一切聲音，為其語密。周遍之識大，為其意密。In terms of the Buddha-realm: The substance and appearance of His body appear across the Dharma-realms. This is the mystery of His body…. The sounds of all His teachings are the mystery of His speech…. His encompassing consciousness is the mystery of His mind.
The state of Buddhahood has these three mysteries. “The substance and appearance of His body appear across the Dharma-realms. This is the mystery of His body.” Across the Dharma-realms, no matter the realm, the Buddha adapts to the capabilities of sentient beings. For laypeople in society, He taught the “Five Precepts” so they would not lose their human form. They must be able to maintain their human form, to be reborn as humans in future lives. Lay practitioners can also engage in practice; with the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds, they can accumulate blessings in the human and heaven realms. For those with spiritual resolve, the Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas, the Buddha taught the “Three Vehicles”.
So, this was how the Buddha manifested the substance and appearance of His body everywhere throughout the Ten Dharma-realms. In whatever form His body took, the Buddha still responded to capabilities, adapting to the aspirations people had formed, teaching them in this way. Thus, the Buddha came to this world in the body that met the needs of sentient beings. His whole life was purely [a manifestation] of the principles. So, this was the “mystery of His body”.
“The sounds of all His teachings are the mystery of His speech.” He had so many principles that He needed to express through speech. He spoke of His experiences in spiritual practice and of His understanding to analyze the true principles of all things in this world. These were contained in everything He said, all to help us understand the principles.
The Buddha’s consciousness could reach all of the great trichiliocosm at once. There were no principles that He did not thoroughly comprehend. So, “the mystery of His mind” extended everywhere, across the mountains, rivers and land, “covering all in the great trichiliocosm”. All this was [encompassed by] the Buddha’s mind; He understood all of it. Thus, “Dense clouds are spread extensively, covering all in the great trichiliocosm”.
密雲彌布，遍覆三千大千世界：千個世界為一小千世界，千個小千為一中千世界，千個中千為一大千世界，稱三千大千世界。Dense clouds are spread extensively, covering all in the great trichiliocosm: One thousand worlds form one small chiliocosm. One thousands small chiliocosms form one middle chiliocosm. One thousand middle chiliocosms form one great cihiliocosm. This is called a great trichiliocosm.
What is the “trichiliocosm”? One thousand worlds form one small chiliocosm. One thousand small chiliocosms are called one medium chiliocosm. One thousand medium chiliocosms form one great chiliocosm. So, worlds numbering in three orders of a thousand are “called a great trichiliocosm”.
The Buddha’s wisdom and the principles He understood are just like dense clouds, floating high in the sky above everything. He could comprehend all of the great trichiliocosm. So, “The clouds are an analogy for the Buddha-body, which responds without abiding anywhere”.
Dense clouds are spread extensively: The clouds are an analogy for the Buddha-body, which responds without abiding anywhere. The Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) is everywhere; like the clouds it is spread extensively. Dense is an analogy for His wondrous transformation-body, which is like the great spread of clouds.
“The clouds are an analogy for the Buddha-body”, the Buddha-body “responds without abiding anywhere”. “The Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) is everywhere; like the clouds it is spread extensively”. Really, where is the Buddha-body? After more than 2000 years, where is Sakyamuni Buddha now? In fact, the Buddha-body was the same as our body; He “responds without abiding anywhere”. Is it still in the human realm? The Buddha’s compassion responds across the Ten Dharma-realms. He responds to the Six Realms and the four kinds of beings. Wherever there are sentient beings that have not been transformed, that is the world where He will manifest. So, these are the principles, which are like “clouds spread extensively.” “Dense” refers to “His wondrous transformation-body”. Whichever world He responds to, the principles go there with Him. This is the Buddha’s wisdom.
雲喻佛之應化身，化佛非一，隨類應現於九法界，故以密雲遍布喻之。The cloud is an analogy for the Buddha’s transformation-body. The Buddha has more than one manifestation. Responding to the various types [of beings], He manifests in all the nine Dharma-realms.
“The cloud” is an analogy for the Buddha’s transformation-body, His manifestation-body. “The Buddha has more than one manifestation”. He did not only appear in the Saha World. In fact, He comes and goes in many worlds. “Responding to the various types [of beings], He manifests in all the nine Dharma-realms”. We all know “the nine Dharma-realms”. The Four Noble Realms, Six Unenlightened Realms, not including the realm of Buddhas, make up the nine Dharma-realms. So, “Dense clouds spread extensively” is an analogy for the Buddha’s body.
“Covering all in the great trichiliocosm” means “The Buddha’s body universally responds, the same way these clouds cover all”. The manifest Buddha appears and expounds the teachings everywhere at the same time. With a single voice He perfectly proclaims, and all different kinds of beings understand equally. This is just like how dense clouds cover all in the great trichiliocosm. The Buddha manifested in the world to teach the Dharma. Thus, He responded to the maturing capabilities and the ripening of worldly causes and conditions by manifesting in this world. The Buddha, with His voice, could teach the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds, while at the same time teaching the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the Six Perfections in parallel. This was how the Buddha used His voice. “With a single voice He perfectly proclaimed, and all different kinds of beings understood equally”. Though their capabilities differed, the Dharma that the Buddha gave them could be comprehended and understood by all.
The analogy that illustrates this is, “This is just like how the dense clouds cover all in the great trichiliocosm.” The states of our minds are just like this; sometimes they are as high as mountains, other times they are as low as valleys. All [things] differ greatly, and our minds are the same. The Buddha’s principles respond to our minds to nourish us universally. Thus, “All at once, they rain down equally, so their moisture permeates all universally”.
一時等澍，其澤普洽：佛應一切群生滋潤生機，如雨等下。喻佛平等說法利益群生。At one time, they rain down equally, so their moisture permeates all universally: The Buddha responds to all sentient beings by nurturing their vitality. This is like the rain that falls on all equally, an analogy for how the Buddha taught impartially to benefit all beings.
“The Buddha responds to all sentient beings by nurturing their vitality”. The Buddha responds to all sentient beings by nurturing their vitality. This is like the rain that falls on all equally, an analogy for “how the Buddha taught impartially to benefit all beings”. He taught the Dharma impartially, and sentient beings, depending on capabilities, received nourishment from the Buddha-Dharma.
其澤普洽：澤喻法味，普皆潤澤；及時行雨，水量充足，莖葉根垓莫不霑濕。Their moisture permeates all universally: Moisture is an analogy for the Dharma’s flavor, which can nourish all universally. At the right time, the rain falls and the quantity of water is sufficient so that the stems, leaves and roots will all share in the moisture.
“Their moisture permeates all universally”. We have received this Dharma, which makes us feel happy, peaceful and at ease. It is as if our minds have been raging like a burning fire, and by taking the Dharma and the principles to heart, our minds will naturally be peaceful and calm, and we will no longer give rise to afflictions. When we are calm and content, then we will be spiritually wealthy.
[The Buddha] “can nourish all universally”, hoping we all would be able to accept the Buddha-Dharma. “At the right time, the rain falls and the quantity of water is sufficient so that” the roots, leaves and so on are all moistened by water.
法味增益，常得滿足。先以淨妙飲食飽足其身，後以法味畢竟安樂。妙法的滋味，即咀嚼妙法而心生快樂。The flavor of the Dharma enriches all, so that we are constantly satisfied. First we consume pure and wondrous food and drink to satisfy our physical bodies, then we use the Dharma to attain ultimate peace and joy. The flavor of the wondrous Dharma must be chewed over thoroughly so that our minds give rise to joy.
Thus, “The flavor of the Dharma enriches all so that we are constantly satisfied”. If we can all accept the Buddha-Dharma and the Dharma-flavor is constantly in our minds, we will constantly be joyful and satisfied. “First we consume pure and wondrous food and drink to satisfy ourselves”. First, we must quickly accept the Dharma for ourselves, “then we use the Dharma to attain ultimate peace and joy”. It will leave a rich flavor in our mouths, and we will be filled with Dharma-joy.
Dear Bodhisattvas, the Buddha-Dharma is for nourishing our bodies and minds. Everyone, this Dharma that exists everywhere, the true principles given to us by the Buddha, is like “dense clouds spread extensively” that can nourish our minds. This is like rain that nourishes our minds. So, we must always be mindful!