Episode 1209 – Spreading the Sutras as the Buddha’s Emissaries
>> The Tathagata uses ultimate wisdom to completely see the truth of things. Those who uphold this sutra practice according to its teachings and understand, practice and uphold the principles. They carry out the Tathagata’s work. They are the emissaries of the Tathagata. The Buddha dispatched His emissaries to do His work on His behalf and spread and promote.
>> If these good men and good women, after I enter Parinirvana, are able to privately explain to one person even just one sentence of the Lotus Sutra….
>> “Then you should know these people are emissaries of the Tathagata. They have been dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.”
>> Then you should know that they are emissaries of the Tathagata: You should know that these people who teach the sutra are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata, emissaries who pass on the Lotus Sutra in the world.
>> Sutra: It is taught according to ultimate wisdom. It contains actual matters which accord with the truth of all things. So, this is called “ultimate wisdom.” The practitioners who now carry on such teachings and promote such principles are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata.
>> Dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out the Tathagata’s work: They are dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out the Tathagata’s work of transforming the world and teaching the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.
>> The Tathagata uses the wisdom of truth to thoroughly illuminate the principles of matters. Today’s practitioners follow such teachings to practice such principles. This is carrying out the Tathagata’s work. They are also emissaries of the Tathagata and on were entrusted Vulture Peak to do His work. They spread teachings on the Buddha’s behalf.
>> This is to say nothing of: Even more so. This means those who privately teach one person the meaning and principle of one line are considered emissaries of the Tathagata, dispatched to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who, before a multitude of humans and heavenly beings, expound the entire sutra to them.
>> This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people. When teaching privately to one person, the merits and virtues are extremely great. When widely teaching before multitudes of beings” the merits and virtues are even greater.
>> This Wondrous Lotus Sutra is the secret skillful means of great compassion of all Buddhas and Tathagatas. They use this to accommodate sentient beings, leading them to attain Buddhahood. Only Tathagatas can accomplish this. Only Tathagatas can teach this. So, we know that those who can teach one verse or one line of this sutra are all protected by the Tathagata’s power of universal, compassionate vows.
“The Tathagata uses ultimate wisdom to
completely see the truth of things.
Those who uphold this sutra practice according to its teachings and understand, practice and uphold the principles.
They carry out the Tathagata’s work.
They are the emissaries of the Tathagata.
The Buddha dispatched His emissaries to do His work
on His behalf and spread and promote.”
We have understood that the Tathagata is the Great Enlightened One. The Buddha came to this world with “ultimate wisdom.” Using the ultimate wisdom of true principles, He completely saw the truth of things. The human world is full of ignorance. It is like being in a dark place or in a long night; even if we have eyes, we cannot see our surroundings. This is the state of unenlightened beings. With the darkness in our mind, we cannot see the true principles of things. But the Tathagata, the Great Enlightened One, used ultimate wisdom so the true principles of things were seen completely by the Great Enlightened One. All things in the world, including people, matters, objects, principles and so on, were thoroughly and clearly understood by Him.
The Buddha mindfully taught us. He repeatedly returns to the human world, hoping that He can teach sentient beings to break through the darkness in our minds so we can comprehend the principles of all things. This is the Buddha’s goal in coming to the world. But in terms of His life, it was the same as other people’s lives in the human world. All are subject to the laws of nature; His lifespan was limited. The Buddha already discovered the true principles and expounded them in the human world. Sadly, human minds are stubborn and ignorant, and are difficult to open. It is difficult for them to open their minds and understand His teachings. That was why the Buddha spent such a long time, more than 40 years, guiding and teaching according to their capabilities.
Though sentient beings understood the principles, life was still full of suffering! Suffering comes from contriving affinities. Suffering comes from us being careless and forming negative affinities with others, entangling us lifetime after lifetime. “I know all these principles, so I am afraid. I dare not come back to the human world. I hope to transcend the human realm and never return to the Four Forms of Birth and the Six Realms.” So, they were terrified of the human world. They sought only to benefit themselves and kept to the Small Vehicle Dharma.
The Buddha was already old, so He had to make a shift before it was too late. All they had heard and practiced before was eliminating ignorance. It was for their own sake. [Yet,] the most important way to thoroughly and truly eliminate ignorance is to train by going among people. We must withstand people, matters and objects. We must comprehend right and wrong amidst people, matters and objects. After we understand, we must find a way to remain firm. We should persist in doing the right thing until the end. We should immediately correct wrongdoings. This is what we can train ourselves to do by going among people.
Most importantly of all, everyone learns the Buddha’s Way in order to attain Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, we must form affinities with sentient beings and practice giving. This is the path that the Buddha paved for us when He came to this world. With wisdom and love, He paved this Bodhi-path to great enlightenment, the Bodhisattva-path for us to follow. Thus, He “opened and revealed [the Dharma]” hoping that we could “realize and enter it” and walk together on this path of great awakened love. This is why we must transmit the Dharma. The Chapter on Dharma Masters teaches that we must both uphold the sutras and transmit the Dharma. Upholding the sutras and spreading the Dharma was the Buddha’s original intent. [He hoped] that His Dharma-lineage would continue with His disciples. So, we must uphold the sutras.
We must “uphold this sutra and practice according to its teachings.” We should practice according to the teachings [to transmit] the Buddha’s original intent, the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra of the Great Vehicle, which He safeguarded. Dust-inked kalpas ago, in the time of. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, at His place of practice, the 16 princes accepted the Dharma-lineage of the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra of the Great Vehicle. Now, as the Buddha was in the world, the last thing He did to freely carry out. His original intent was to expound the Lotus Sutra. His hope was that everyone would pass down the Lotus Sutra. This is why I have been saying recently that even if we hear just one line or one verse of four lines, as long as we can take it in and give rise to joy from our hearts, the Buddha said this also brings merits and virtues. If people joyfully take in the Dharma and are able to share it with others, even if only a few people, the Buddha also praised them. These people took in the Dharma and spoke of it with joy.
Yet, the Buddha’s even greater hope was that we would read, recite, transcribe and expound it. We should read and recite long passages. We must earnestly transmit the Buddha’s teachings. This depends on our reading and reciting it; we must read and recite it. I notice that when we read and recite the sutras, many elderly Bodhisattvas [come to me and] say, “Master, I cannot read. I never went to school.” [I reply,] “Even though you cannot read and never went to school, how are you so amazing and are able to read the Earth Treasury Sutra? How are you able to read the Lotus Sutra? Master, this is why I am grateful. I just followed along with others; that’s all. While others were chanting the sutras, I learned to read the characters. Why do you want to learn and read the sutras? To have faith in the Buddha. To have faith in the Buddha, we must understand the Dharma; to understand the Dharma, I must read and recite. This is to truly have faith in the Buddha.”
Indeed, these elderly Bodhisattvas did not go to school, yet they could read the sutras; this is because of their faith. The sutras are so profound, and they could read and recite them. They did not understand the principles, which are quite deep, but they simply knew that reading the sutras brings merits and virtues and that reciting sutras brings them joy; that is all. Yet, they were so joyful. The Dharma is very difficult to understand, and they were able to read and recite it; this is because of their faith. Are there merits and virtues in doing this? For Bodhisattvas [like them] who read the sutras, while they may not understand the principles, they know to have faith in the Buddha and chant the sutras. “I must become vegetarian; I must be reverent. I must say good words; I must do good deeds.” These are the merits and virtues that come from reading and reciting sutras. This is to say nothing of those who can read and recite the Lotus Sutra and, by listening to its principles, can thoroughly understand it and are also willing to pass it on. Of course, these bring merits and virtues. The sutra is all about teaching us how to walk the Bodhisattva-path and enter the path of great awakened love. When sentient beings are suffering, Bodhisattvas cannot bear it, so they come to save and transform them. This is how the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma-lineage, is transmitted in the world.
So, “Those who uphold this sutra and practice according to its teachings” follow the teachings by “understanding, practicing and upholding the principles.” Those who uphold the sutra practice according to its teachings, according to the methods it contains. Having thus understood them, they put them into practice and act according to the principles. “[They] uphold this sutra and practice according to its teachings and understand, practice and uphold the principles.” This is so important! It is for this reason that they “carry out the Tathagata’s work. They are the emissaries of the Tathagata.” When we uphold any sutra, we practice according to the teachings, and we exercise both knowledge and understanding. This makes us emissaries of the Tathagata.
This is what the Buddha taught us [to do], so by following [His teachings], we understand the principles, put them into practice to become role models for the world. Those who speak and practice like this are, in the world, the models of the Dharma. Thus, they are the emissaries of the Tathagata and have taken on the Tathagata’s family business. This is what an emissary of the Tathagata does. “The Buddha dispatched His emissaries to do His work.” This was the Buddha’s charge; He told us, “Wherever you go, whatever you do from now on, these are the things you should say, and these are the meanings to pass down.” Those [who do this] are all called emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata. According to the Buddha’s teachings, this is the way we must practice.
So, they “do His work and spread and promote on His behalf.” On behalf of the Buddha, they continuously transmitted His Dharma-lineage. Therefore, we are truly grateful [to them]. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, many eminent monastics and sages worked to pass the teachings down to us. Of course, we must be even more grateful that, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, [Mahakasyapa] gathered an assembly to compile the sutras. With everything Ananda heard, the sutras were compiled, making it possible for future generations to follow the teachings and practice accordingly.
During the era of Right Dharma, the Buddha’s lifetime and almost 500 years after He entered Parinirvana, the Buddha-Dharma continued to flourish. There are people who engaged in spiritual practice and attained realizations; it was still the era of Right Dharma. However, gradually, after 500 years, the Buddha-Dharma began to change. It was not the Dharma that changed; the Dharma is forever unchanging. It is human minds which slowly became defiled by ignorance and desire, leaving only a semblance. The Buddha-Dharma was still in good shape, and the sutras still flourished. These all still remained. People also carved images of the Buddha, saying that this would bring merits and virtues. Everyone sought merits and virtues. They transcribed sutras to seek merits and virtues. They printed sutras to seek merits and virtues. Gradually, they did it with a goal in mind. They passed down this form and appearance. Although there were still spiritual practitioners, fewer and fewer of them attained realizations. While this form and semblance remained, those who truly realized and practiced the Dharma gradually became practitioners [in name only]. This is called “Dharma-semblance.”
After Dharma-semblance comes Dharma-degeneration. In the era of Dharma-degeneration, everything changes. Is the Buddha-Dharma fortunate now or not? In this modern era, it is very easy to access the sutras. Nowadays, many people are highly educated. Modern technology is very advanced in terms of electronic devices. Some have vowed to translate [the sutras] and publish them online. It is very easy to read sutras on the Internet. So, it is not hard. Before, if one sought even a single principle, one had to travel thousands of miles to seek a teacher, to seek the Dharma. People no longer have to do this. They can do so immediately with just one finger. So, because of this, people do not cherish the Dharma. They do not take the Dharma to heart. Even if they take it to heart, they only debate the meaning with clever words. All they do is say, “I understand a lot, I know a lot.” However, putting the teachings into action and having firm spiritual aspirations and faith is actually difficult for them. This is because they are unwilling to be trained. They are like water pipes. Water does not stay in a pipe; it is dry soon after the water has flowed through. This is a leak; it has leaked away.
This is like the era of Dharma-degeneration now. So, I truly hope people today can sustain their original aspiration. With it, no matter what kinds of difficulties we face, we will find a way to overcome them. Those who hold on to their aspirations are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata. They carry out His work, and they have firm spiritual aspirations. Both the form and substance are present; they live up to their name [as practitioners]. In this way, they spread and promote [teachings] on the Buddha’s behalf. So, they become monastic practitioners in order to understand the principles. Someone people say, “If you want to learn the principles, it is very easy to read the sutras nowadays. Why is it necessary to engage in practice [as monastics]? I can understand the principles just by reading.” Indeed, just by reading the principles, we understand the path of awakened love, but we have not stepped onto it!
Only with a monastic community can the Buddha-Dharma be perpetuated. There must be this kind of form, this kind of group, the Sangha. Otherwise, it would have been enough for the Buddha Himself to attain enlightenment. After that, He could have returned to His kingdom and taught His realizations as a king to his subjects. Wouldn’t this be very easy? However, after Siddhartha attained enlightenment, as the Great Enlightened One, the Buddha, He decided to establish the Sangha. The Sangha went door to door to ask for alms and help others understand what they are. The Sangha transmits the Dharma. The Dharma is taught according to the Buddha’s great enlightenment. So, it is only with a community like the Sangha that the Buddha-Dharma can be transmitted.
This is the same principle. “Those who uphold this sutra practice according to its teachings and understand, practice and uphold the principles.” The principles, which are like rules, must be applied to us ourselves and manifested in our organization. Only then are we truly able to transmit and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. This is “carrying out the Tathagata’s work.” So, becoming monastics and engaging in pure practices is what the Tathagata’s emissaries do. To easily carry out work in the world, some are Pure Practitioners. Similarly, when others see them, they know that these people are clearly free of familial ties and dedicated wholeheartedly to serving sentient beings and transmitting the Dharma. These are Pure Practitioners.
“The Buddha dispatched His emissaries to do His work and spread, promote and transform on His behalf.” This is a complete Buddhist organization. There are lay practitioners, Pure Practitioners and great beings who become monastics. Great beings are [Living] Bodhisattvas who have renounced the lay life. So, we need to pass on this Dharma-lineage. We must be mindful!
Just yesterday, in the Jing Si Hall, we held a graduation ceremony for the kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools. It was a very dignified ceremony. The students from kindergarten were so polite and courteous; they lined up in such an orderly way. Their teachers mindfully trained and taught them. The kindergarteners had on their uniforms, and they brought their graduation caps before the teachers. They showed such respect and courtesy. When it was time for the kindergarteners to speak, a child said gratefully, “We knew nothing at all; now we are like little experts. Now we know all kinds of things.”
They are only in kindergarten! She said, “Now I know how to fold clothes. I can also help with the housework. Now I can be a good helper to my parents.” She said, “I am grateful for the teachers’ guidance. I am grateful for the Tzu Chi parents who look after me. I am also grateful for you, Grandmaster.” They were grateful for so many things. For such young children to say all these things was truly very touching.
Likewise, for the elementary and middle schoolers, everyone [wore uniforms]. Once we saw them, we could tell, “These are the elementary students; they are wearing the elementary-school uniform.” A boy in the fifth grade stood tall on a stack of [boxes] behind the podium. He stood at the same height as an 11th grade girl as they served as the emcees. He spoke with adult’s presence and clearly articulated every sentence. He was very clear and responded quickly.
The emcee from elementary school was very steady. The one from the 11th grade sent her heartfelt wishes to the graduates that day. The emcees really demonstrated the demeanor they were educated to have. This is what education can do. Can this school culture be maintained? This is the Dharma-lineage of education. We must continue this. So, we must be very mindful. I hope everyone can transmit this Dharma-lineage.
The previous sutra passage says,
If these good men and good women, after I enter Parinirvana, are able to privately explain to one person even just one sentence of the Lotus Sutra….
The Buddha spoke of, “These good men and good women.” The Buddha had seven groups of disciples. There are five groups of monastics, who are completely pure in bodies and minds as they live in the Sangha. There are two groups of lay practitioners, male and female lay practitioners. When it came to accepting and upholding sutras, it goes without saying that the monastics were expected to do so, but the same applies to lay disciples as well. There were seven groups of disciples in total, who all shared the same responsibilities.
So, the Buddha said, “After I enter into Parinirvana, [if they] are able to privately explain to one person even just one line of the Lotus Sutra.” The Buddha said, “After I enter Parinirvana, everyone should uphold the Lotus Sutra. It is best for everyone to accept and uphold it, and spread and teach it widely.” We must transmit the Dharma-lineage, even if we teach just one line to others. In the Lotus Sutra, four lines form one verse. If they could transmit just a single line of very important Dharma, if they could do so, the Buddha would praise them. “Even just one line of the Lotus Sutra….” It is best to teach the whole thing. If they are willing to teach even a single line, the Buddha will give them a blessing.
So, the next sutra passage continues with,
“Then you should know these people are emissaries of the Tathagata. They have been dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.”
By reading just one line or [teaching it] “privately” to one or two people, we already bring the Buddha great joy. He told us, “You should know that these people are emissaries of the Tathagata.” People like this have already accepted the Buddha-Dharma. After accepting the Buddha’s teachings, they go to share with others. Thus, they are the Tathagata’s emissaries. They “have been dispatched by the Tathagata.” They are the ones the Tathagata has sent. They “are carrying out the Tathagata’s work,” doing what the Tathagata wants to do. This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.
Even if they teach just one person, the Buddha will be very happy and give them many praises. As long as they take the Dharma to heart and are willing to share it with others, even with one person, the Buddha will be very happy. So, it says, “Then you should know these people are emissaries of the Tathagata.” Those who are willing to share this sutra, the Lotus Sutra, are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata to spread and uphold the Lotus Sutra in the world. This is what makes the Buddha very happy.
Then you should know that they are emissaries of the Tathagata: You should know that these people who teach the sutra are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata, emissaries who pass on the Lotus Sutra in the world.
The sutra is “taught according to the ultimate wisdom.” To teach the sutra, we must experience the true principles. We must make this sutra ours, take it to heart and [connect it with] our nature of True Suchness.
Sutra: It is taught according to ultimate wisdom. It contains actual matters which accord with the truth of all things. So, this is called “ultimate wisdom.” The practitioners who now carry on such teachings and promote such principles are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata.
Didn’t the Buddha teach us that everyone intrinsically has the Buddha-nature and that everyone intrinsically has the Tathagata-nature? Everyone has wisdom equal to the Buddha’s. When listening to the Dharma, we must take it to heart and return to the Tathagata’s nature of wisdom, activate the Tathagata’s nature of wisdom in us. When we are able to return to this wisdom, we mindfully take the sutras to heart, activate our ultimate wisdom and share what we have understood. Once we have activated [our ultimate wisdom], we truly experience and understand it; our nature of True Suchness resonates with the Dharma. Then, when we teach this sutra, we teach it through what we have understood.
So, this is called “ultimate wisdom.” The practitioners who now carry on such teachings and promote such principles are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata. “It contains actual matters which accord with the truth of all things.” The Dharma they teach is already in accord with the true principles of all things. This sutra, taught over 2000 years ago, is what we must apply in this modern era to bring purity to people’s hearts. To do this, we must teach according to the times. So, we need “actual matters which accord with the truth of all things.” We must engage in Bodhisattva-practice on the path of awakened sentient beings. We cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer, so we get involved among people to help them. These are all actual matters. This is the Bodhisattva-path, actual matters. Because of this, we talk about “ultimate wisdom.” The sutra is expressed out of ultimate wisdom.
These are “the practitioners [now].” Now, as spiritual practitioners who walk the great awakened Bodhi-path, [we must] “carry on such teachings and promote such principles.” We need to carry on the teachings. This is our course [of action] to promote and spread the principles. They “are emissaries dispatched by the Tathagata,” the Tathagata’s emissaries.
They are “dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out the Tathagata’s work.” This means the Tathagata sent them. We follow the Buddha’s teachings. He told us to teach these teachings, so we follow what He said “to carry out the Tathagata’s work of transforming the world and teaching the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.”
Dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out the Tathagata’s work: They are dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out the Tathagata’s work of transforming the world and teaching the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.
We must go among people to transform sentient beings. Sentient beings are full of suffering and [covered by] thick layers of ignorance. We must work to use the Dharma, like water, to wash this away, layer by layer, so they can resonate with the Dharma and connect with True Suchness. This is our goal.
“The Tathagata uses the wisdom of truth to thoroughly illuminate the principles of matters.”
The Tathagata uses the wisdom of truth to thoroughly illuminate the principles of matters. Today’s practitioners follow such teachings to practice such principles, This is carrying out the Tathagata’s work. They are also emissaries of the Tathagata and on were entrusted Vulture Peak to do His work. They spread teachings on the Buddha’s behalf.
The Tathagata came to the world and applied His wisdom of truth. After He attained enlightenment, His wisdom of truth, the light of His wisdom, thoroughly illuminated the principles of all matters. He did this to help us understand that the principles are intangible and without substance but that tangible, conditioned things are formed according to these principles. Humans and animals have this kind of karma, so they take on their respective forms. Their good and bad [karma] leads them into the Six Realms, the Four Forms of Birth and so on. The Buddha analyzed the principles for us to help us understand. He used His wisdom of truth to thoroughly illuminate the principles of all things. These principles underlie all things, and [all] things are in line with the principles.
So, “Today’s practitioners follow such things to practice such principles.” Now we must carry on the Buddha’s teachings from over 2000 years ago. In this modern era, we spiritual practitioners must quickly enter onto the Bodhi-path of great awakening. We must walk this path by earnestly following these teachings and practicing such principles. Having been taught these things, we must put these teachings into practice and return to the principles. In our daily living, we must truly return to the principles. So, we are “carrying out the Tathagata’s work.” This is carrying out the Tathagata’s work. In our spiritual training ground, in our behavior, conduct and so on in our daily living, [as we deal with] people, matters and objects, if we always act according to the principles, then we are “carrying out the Tathagata’s work.”
In particular, it said, “They were also emissaries of the Tathagata who on Vulture Peak were entrusted to do His work. Vulture Peak” refers to where Sakyamuni Buddha [taught]. It can also refer to the era of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha and the 16 princes. At that time, [the Buddha-Dharma] was also passed on in this way. Therefore, we are transmitting the Dharma-lineage entrusted [to us] by Sakyamuni Buddha more than 2000 years ago. We must earnestly put it into practice in this modern era. We must promote it on behalf of the Buddha. This was the Buddha’s original intent. We promote the Buddha’s original intent for Him. Actually, when we talk about the Buddha’s intent, we are talking about our intrinsic [nature]. Everyone innately possess the intrinsic nature of True Suchness, and to express it freely, we must take the principles we have experienced and spread them to help others understand.
This is to say nothing of those who enact [the principles].
This is to say nothing of: Even more so. This means those who privately teach one person the meaning and principle of one line are considered emissaries of the Tathagata, dispatched to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who, before a multitude of humans and heavenly beings, expound the entire sutra to them.
Fundamentally, the principles cannot be seen nor touched. Now, when we demonstrate them very clearly, we help others understand them also, not to mention if we can privately teach them. Even if we explain just one line to one person, the Buddha would praise us as being “emissaries of the Tathagata, dispatched to carry out His work.” This makes the Buddha very happy. He did not ask much of sentient beings, and he also knows that for us to comprehend the sutra entirely is not easy. As long as we, from a single line, truly and deeply experience the True Dharma and share it with others, the Buddha will be very happy. He called them “the Tathagata’s emissary,” those who are dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out His work. “This is to say nothing of those who, before a multitude of humans and heavenly beings,” are willing to expound the whole sutra; they have even greater merits and virtues!
At the beginning of the Chapter on Dharma Masters, the Buddha said, “Medicine King, have you seen the 80,000 great beings?” The 80,000 great beings were the eight classes of Dharma-protectors along with those from the human realm. They could do this, teach the entire sutra in this magnificent place. Teaching just a single line of it makes one an emissary of the Tathagata, to say nothing of expounding the teachings for all eight classes of Dharma-protectors to hear.
I am grateful that with modern technology, we can upload to the “cloud,” The Dharma I am teaching now can be spread to every country. Whether it is night time, noon or midnight, [people] are listening. [The teachings] are truly widespread. Hopefully, those who hear them can guide, transform and deliver people by sharing [even] one line of the True Dharma. The merits and virtues of doing so are also great.
This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people. When teaching privately to one person, the merits and virtues are extremely great. When widely teaching before multitudes of beings” the merits and virtues are even greater.
So, the Wondrous Lotus Sutra is “the secret skillful means of great compassion of all Buddhas and Tathagatas.” The secret was the Buddha’s original intent, which he completely hid in His mind. This was the Wondrous Lotus Sutra. The Wondrous Lotus Sutra is hidden deep in the minds of all Buddhas. In other words, we could say that the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra is everyone’s intrinsic nature of True Suchness. The nature of True Suchness is the principles. The principles are hidden in original intent of all Buddhas.’ Isn’t this the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra? So, it is “the secret skillful means of great compassion of all Buddhas and Tathagatas.”
This Wondrous Lotus Sutra is the secret skillful means of great compassion of all Buddhas and Tathagatas. They use this to accommodate sentient beings, leading them to attain Buddhahood. Only Tathagatas can accomplish this. Only Tathagatas can teach this. So, we know that those who can teach one verse or one line of this sutra are all protected by the Tathagata’s power of universal, compassionate vows.
In the Lotus Sutra, the Chapter on Skillful Means explains how the Buddha transformed sentient beings and taught according to their capacities. The Buddha [did all of this using] ultimate wisdom. So “They use this to accommodate sentient beings, leading them to attain Buddhahood. Accommodate” means it was not direct, but very tactful. In order to transform sentient beings, the skillful means of the sutra teach sentient beings indirectly. So, sentient beings are slowly guided into the Great Vehicle Dharma. This “leads them to attain Buddhahood. Only Tathagatas can accomplish this.” Only Tathagatas, the Buddhas, with such great compassion, can use these means to teach. “Only the Tathagata can teach this.” Only the Buddha can express His ultimate wisdom and the True Dharma like this.
So, “We know that those who can teach one verse or one line of this sutra are all protected by the Tathagata’s power of universal, compassionate vows.” This is why we should really make an effort to take the meaning of the sutra to heart. Sharing even one line with others reflects the same power of the vows of universal compassion that the Tathagata has. So, this is being protected by the Tathagata. What the Tathagata’s wisdom gives us is kept in our minds. Thus, our body, mind and actions are all within the Dharma.
I hope that everyone will be mindful, and that their minds will be inseparable from the Dharma. We must surround our minds with the Dharma like wearing clothes; we will be inseparable from it. So, we must always be mindful.