Episode 1231 – Teaching the Dharma Fearlessly
>> “Bodhisattvas are able to hear and uphold the teachings of the Dharma. They remember and uphold all its meanings and never forget them. In the great assembly, they teach the Dharma fearlessly. They completely understand how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure the illnesses. In accord with people’s capabilities, they teach joyfully and fearlessly. With the meaning, rhetoric, teaching and Dharma they are fearless so all deviant views will be destroyed and all the right teachings will be established.”
>> “If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects and make offerings to it, you should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
>> “Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who walk the Bodhisattva-path. If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to this, the Lotus Sutra….”
>> “You should know that these people do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.”
>> You should know that these people do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path: You must know that people like these have yet to skillfully practice this excellent and extraordinary path that Bodhisattvas walk.
>> Have yet to excel in their practice: Despite all previous teachings, they are unable to be skillfully transformed. Upon hearing this sutra, they immediately enter the perfect teachings. This is called being skillfully transformed, and so they excel in their practice.
>> Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path: If there are people who have heard this sutra, it is the essential path. Therefore, it says that only then can they skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. This means they can skillfully practice this superior Bodhisattva-path.
>> Bodhisattvas are replete in the Tathagata’s infinite teachings. Moreover, to benefit themselves and others they practice all kinds of Dharma and remain totally unattached to it all. This is what it means to skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.
>> When our mind dwells on unwholesome thoughts, we can treat it with the teachings of the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles while still remaining unattached to the human and heaven realms. When our mind dwells on the world, we can treat it with the Two Vehicle Dharma and still remain unattached to the Two Vehicle Dharma. Whether we transform ourselves or others, it is all like this. Then, there will be no Dharma that is not the Dharma of the Paramitas. This is truly and skillfully upholding this sutra, and this is truly and skillfully practicing the Bodhisattva-path.
>> When one is attached to the teachings that one practices and disparages all other teachings as false teachings, this is what it means to not skillfully practice. These people are all unable to see, hear, read or recite this, the Lotus Sutra.
“Bodhisattvas are able to hear and uphold the teachings of the Dharma.
They remember and uphold all its meanings and never forget them.
In the great assembly, they teach the Dharma fearlessly.
They completely understand how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure the illnesses.
In accord with people’s capabilities, they teach joyfully and fearlessly.
With the meaning, rhetoric, teaching and Dharma they are fearless
so all deviant views will be destroyed
and all the right teachings will be established.”
Bodhisattvas are able to hear, accept and uphold the Dharma. Once they listen and take it in, the memory remains in their minds. Not only do they remember it, they never forget any of its meanings or principles. In the assembly, they teach the Dharma fearlessly and completely understand how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure illnesses. This means that we should form great aspirations and make great vows. However the sutra teaches us, that is how we read it. When we read it, we take its teachings to heart. Once we take them to heart, we must strengthen our memory. Reading is not just about having read it through. Reading is about taking it to heart and constantly recalling it. What is the meaning the sutra is teaching us? What were the causes and conditions that led the Buddha to teach this kind of sutra? This sutra can teach us because it suits our capabilities. It tells us that the path laid out in this sutra is a road for us to walk. Therefore, after we read this sutra and accept its teachings, we must put them into practice. This is called “remembering and upholding.” We must always remember them and actualize them in our actions, so our actions do not deviate from the principles. “All its meanings” refers to the principles. We must never forget all its meanings and principles.
All things in the world contain principles. In every word we say and every move we make, we must not deviate in our direction. Our actions must not deviate in the slightest. All these are principles. If our words, actions and memory are all consistent, then the karma we create with our actions will absolutely not deviate. Thus, in the assembly, we can teach the Dharma fearlessly. Because our actions and the Dharma are one, what we hear, what we say and what we do are all consistent. Thus, we can be at peace among the assembly as we teach everyone the Dharma. “Thus have I heard…. This is what the sutra tells us.” We must say what we do and do what we say. This is what the Buddha taught us, so this is what we learn, and this is what we do. As we do this, we must do what we say and say what we do; our speech and actions must be one. This is how we can go among the people and teach the Dharma fearlessly.
So, “They completely understand how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure the illnesses.” [The problem with] sentient beings of this world is that their bodies and minds are not in harmony. In the macrocosm of the world, the four elements are not in harmony. In the microcosm of individuals, the thoughts of the human mind are not in harmony. Because our thoughts are not in harmony, we easily give rise to the fires of anger and the waters of desire swell. We constantly pass our days in a state of ignorance and foolishness. So, the four elements are not in harmony; in the ground of our minds there is a drought, a lack of Dharma. This is a state of foolishness. This is just like a lack of rainwater on earth. Because there is no Dharma-water to nourish the ground of our minds, we cannot plant the seeds of goodness. So, we are in a state of foolishness. Foolishness is ignorance. This is what sentient beings are like. When earth, water, fire and air are in a state of imbalance in the macrocosm, this creates disasters. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt in our minds cause us to replicate afflictions. This results in illnesses in our minds.
What can we do about the illnesses in our minds? We must know, in learn the Buddha’s teachings, as Buddhist practitioners, as we read and listen to the sutras every day, everything is for us to understand the methods for curing these illnesses. Like a pharmacist, we must quickly learn the nature of the medicine. If we are ill and know the nature of the medicine, we will know the treatment for each ailment. We form aspirations to go among people, so it is even more important for us to understand the nature of the medicine. Only with this understanding will we have a way to treat the illnesses in the minds of sentient beings. So, we must “completely understand how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure the illness.” In response to sentient beings’ illnesses, we must prescribe the appropriate treatment. In response to the world, we now recognize that the macrocosm of the world is ill. We must understand the illness of the macrocosm; where does that illness actually come from?
There is pollution of the air and of the earth. Nowadays we talk about carbon dioxide. There is so much pollution of the air, it affects the entire atmosphere and the earth. As a result, [the macrocosm] is ill. The earth has a fever and its temperature is rising. Let us take a look at the world, an imbalance of the four elements in the world is not the only cause of hardships in people’s lives. Take Venezuela for example. Right now (in 2016), this country is experiencing inflation, so its resources and economy are very unstable.
Because of the instability within the country, when businesspeople know that the prices are about to go up, some will stockpile goods in large quantities. Because these people’s minds are full of greed, there are no goods to buy in the markets. When rich people stockpile goods, regular stores will have nothing to sell. So, some people resort to robbery. Their staple food is corn flour. Corn flour is their main source of food. When wealthy stores stockpile this resource, naturally its price will go up as a result.
One bag of corn flour used to cost 250 Venezuelan bolivares, which is 800 New Taiwan dollars. Now (2016) the price has increased. How much has it gone up to? They ask 2500 bolivares for each bag, which is NT 8000. Naturally, poor people cannot afford this, so some poor people have to resort to robbery. Others are not that poor, but they are also affected by inflation and unreasonable price increases. So, they take advantage of the situation; when they see poor people committing robbery they commit robbery as well. This has caused a great deal of social unrest.
One of our volunteers, [Wu Ranyun,] for many years now, has been in Venezuela, helping people without fanfare.
However, she was the only [Tzu Chi volunteer] there. She had to start with herself. She herself operated a store there, a supermarket. She abides by one principle, that her store will never stockpile goods, nor will she increase the prices without reason. As a result, people have a lot of respect for her.
When they buy things from her store, they line up in a very orderly fashion. They not only respect her for her fair prices, but also because, for many years, she has been going into places of great hardship to care for the impoverished. She also cares for impoverished students, their families and schools. One time, she went to a school to help the children there. When she arrived, it should have been time for class. Why was the school completely empty? The classrooms were empty. It looked like the classrooms were covered in graffiti, and there was a mess inside. What could have possibly happened? It turned out that the students were all starving, and the teachers had no heart to teach. Because of inflation, they wanted to go buy things. So, that school was a complete mess.
Wu Ranyun, our first seed there, quickly thought of ways to help this school. She knew there were more than 200 students there, and she had already found out what they needed. Based on a list of students, she prepared the quantity needed. Because she helped others on a regular basis, she had volunteers, and there were policemen among her volunteers. That area was not very safe, so they helped her deliver supplies to the school.
When they were unloading the goods, the principal did not know that every item was allocated to someone on the list, so he took two portions. Later, a policewoman who was helping them with the unloading discovered this and told Ranyun what the principal had done. So, she began to explain the spirit of Tzu Chi to the principal. Furthermore, she explained that she was there by her own power and strength to help the impoverished. With the food shortage, even with the money, no one could buy anything. She had come here for the sake of these children who were all in the name list. She shared the spirit of Tzu Chi, shared with him many of our principles. The principal was very remorseful, and he returned the items. Just like that, he expressed his repentance and was willing to join them as a volunteer.
This illustrates how, in that place, there is so much disorder in society that even the educational system was affected. Although she has given so much in that place, she [alone] cannot stabilize that society. At the very least, her actions have already guided many people to orient themselves toward a [mindset of] love. So, everyone helps to protect her store; they all respect her actions. Thus, a large group of people have gradually been touched and transformed. These citizens, policemen, teachers and so on, have already expressed that giving to others is actually very enjoyable and can actually bring them respect.
Take Ranyun and her store for example. At the beginning, there was a time when her store was surrounded by a many people who were very unruly and caused damage to her store. She bravely came out and spoke to everyone. She said that in this place, in this country, her conscience was clear. She had been doing business in that place, and giving to others in this way; she had never increased prices due to scarcity. She had never, ever done this; her prices were always fair. All these years, she maintained a spirit of serving society and gave to others out of love. “Destroying my store like this does not benefit anyone. If my store is destroyed, I will no longer be able to do business peacefully as I did in the past and provide you with what you need. This would not do anyone any good.”
So, those who had received her help and those who were her volunteers stood up to speak on her behalf. “Indeed, how many conscionable people are there now? This owner operates such a big store to provide us with goods so that we can peacefully live our lives. If we do not protect and support her, then who will dare to conduct business in a conscionable manner in this country?” As a result, people calmed their tempers and started to realize they were making a mistake. This store was different from the others. So, at other people’s businesses, chaos may happen at any time. As for her supermarket, every single day, everything is orderly. Police proactively come to help maintain order. Actually, even without the police, things would still go smoothly for her.
This is a story about the actions of a Bodhisattva[-volunteer] and her willingness to give. These were her actions in that place. Despite all the chaos in society, she was able to teach the Dharma fearlessly among the people. In the midst of the chaos, she was able to come out and speak. This society is in chaos; it is ill. She recognizes the root of the illness comes from the corruption within the country, from businesspeople who hoard supplies and increase prices. She was determined to be an example for others. She was just what she felt she should do. Some of her fellow storeowners saw this and gradually began to stabilize the situation in the society’s marketplace. This is “completely understanding how to apply the Dharma-medicine to cure the illnesses.”
“In accord with people’s capabilities, they teach joyfully and fearlessly.” Based on sentient beings’ capabilities, society’s circumstances and the minds of the people in society, she responded to that place by manifesting there to teach the Dharma and act in this way. We must do the same.
When we go among and interact with people, this is how we should act; we must say what we do and do what we say. When we truly take the Dharma to heart, we follow the Dharma and the principles in the way we practice, act and speak. Our speech and actions are one. As a result, “All deviant views will be destroyed and all the right teachings will be established.” If everyone can form Bodhisattva-aspirations, listen to and learn the teachings and faithfully abide by and practice them, we will remember and uphold them without forgetting. When we constantly recall these principles, naturally our speech and actions will be one and we will be able to teach the Dharma fearlessly in the assembly.
When we are able understand the world’s problems, the problems in people’s minds, the problems of the world and the problems of society, we will be able to treat these illnesses with the right medicine. This requires us to first deeply understand the capabilities of sentient beings in society. We must constantly demonstrate the Dharma, teach it and act it out. In this way, naturally we will “teach the Dharma with fearless eloquence.” We must teach often and without fear. Then naturally, “all deviant views,” all those differing views, will gradually become the same. Take those other stores for example. When they saw that Wu Ranyun’s shop could remain safe, they were gradually touched and transformed. Naturally, these people with divergent views and understanding gradually returned to the right [path]. So, “All the right teachings will be established.” Therefore, we must be mindful. All Dharma is meant to be carried out in our actions.
The sutra passage states,
“If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects and make offerings to it, you should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
We have already discussed this stupa previously. Wherever there are sutras and the Dharma, we can build a stupa. There is Dharma at that place; the Buddha’s entire body, the Buddha’s Dharmakaya, exists there. When people see this kind of stupa, a place where the Buddha-Dharma exists, a place that reveals the greatness of the Dharma, they should pay respects and make offerings to it. “You should know” means that if people are able to perceive these principles, practice according to the principles and faithfully accept and uphold the teachings, naturally these people will gradually draw near to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. This is drawing near to right enlightenment, to right understanding and right views, to perfect awakening. Then, they are able to take the Dharma to heart and find ways to put it into practice. We each intrinsically have a stupa on our Vulture Peak; this pagoda is in our minds.
Next, it continues with,
“Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who walk the Bodhisattva-path. If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to this, the Lotus Sutra….”
The Buddha called to Medicine King again and said, “There are many”; there are many people, whether they are lay or monastic Bodhisattvas, “If they are unable to see…. Unable to see” means they have not yet seen or did not see, hear, read, transcribe or uphold this sutra. This refers to those who are not yet able to make offerings to the Lotus Sutra. Even though they are lay or monastic practitioners and have the will to listen to the Dharma, the will to engage in spiritual practice, they have not yet had the cause and conditions to encounter this sutra. Or perhaps they have encountered it, but are unwilling to read, recite, accept and uphold it.
“You should know that these people….” The following sutra passage states,
“You should know that these people do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.”
Although they are monastic or lay practitioners, they still have not had the karmic conditions to read, recite, accept and uphold this sutra. We must know that “these people do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.” It is not enough for these people to do good deeds, form aspirations and make vows. Even though they are monastic or lay practitioners who learn the Buddha’s teachings, all they know about is [the law of] karma, “Refrain from all evil and do all that is good.” They have yet to form great aspirations or vows. So, they do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.
He does not understand the Dharma yet.
You should know that these people do not skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path: You must know that people like these have yet to skillfully practice this excellent and extraordinary path that Bodhisattvas walk.
“Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.” Only those who truly read and listen to this sutra, as well as accept, uphold and practice it, are truly walking the Bodhisattva-path. This is a simple way to put it. So, “you must know” that these people have yet to genuinely form Bodhisattva-aspirations and have yet to attain extraordinary skillful practice. We must genuinely form Bodhisattva-aspirations. We must make the Four Great Vows and have the Four Infinite Minds to truly walk the extraordinary Bodhisattva-path.
So, “[They] do not skillfully practice. Do not skillfully practice” is what we discussed in the past. “They are unable to be skillfully transformed. Upon hearing this sutra, people immediately enter the perfect teachings. This is called being skillfully transformed.” This is what it means to skillfully practice.
Have yet to excel in their practice: Despite all previous teachings, they are unable to be skillfully transformed. Upon hearing this sutra, they immediately enter the perfect teachings. This is called being skillfully transformed, and so they excel in their practice.
Those who have yet to skillfully practice of the Bodhisattva-path are those who have not been skillfully transformed. We must form great aspirations and make great vows to go among people and transform sentient beings. To transform sentient beings, we must have all kinds of skillful means and teach according to capabilities. This is the path that all Buddhas share. To skillfully transform means to transform sentient beings according to their capabilities. So, if we have not yet attained the Lotus Sutra, we do not know the methods for going among people and traveling freely in this world to skillfully transform sentient beings. Thus, “upon hearing this sutra,” upon hearing this sutra, which is the Lotus Sutra, “they immediately enter the perfect teachings.” The Lotus Sutra is the “perfect teachings. They immediately enter the perfect teachings. This is called being skillfully transformed.” As we talked about previously, this is called “skillfully practice.”
“Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.”
Only those who are able to hear this sutra can skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path: If there are people who have heard this sutra, it is the essential path. Therefore, it says that only then can they skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. This means they can skillfully practice this superior Bodhisattva-path.
By stating this, the sutra passage is saying, “If there are people who have heard this sutra, it is the essential path.” This is what the Buddha secretly hid in His mind. The Buddha, for 40 years after attaining Buddhahood, safeguarded this Dharma, His original intent. He continuously protected this within His mind, this Lotus Sutra. All Buddhas share the same path; this sutra is the essential path. Thus, “Only then can they skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.” This was what the Buddha safeguarded in His mind, the most important Dharma He was to teach sentient beings. The most important teaching is to skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. All the countless sutras and discourses are for the sake of helping sentient beings to skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path. This was discussed in this sutra passage.
So, to “skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path,” to complete the extraordinary Bodhisattva-path, Bodhisattvas must be replete with the Tathagata’s infinite teachings.
Bodhisattvas are replete in the Tathagata’s infinite teachings. Moreover, to benefit themselves and others they practice all kinds of Dharma and remain totally unattached to it all. This is what it means to skillfully practice the Bodhisattva-path.
It is not enough for Bodhisattvas to merely form Bodhisattva-aspirations. They need to practice continuously throughout countless kalpas. They must constantly seek the Dharma and take it to heart. Life after life, they must accumulate the Tathagata’s infinite teachings. This is how Bodhisattvas use the Tathagata’s infinite teachings to benefit themselves and others at the same time. The process of spiritual practice also benefits ourselves. Though we are going among people, we are also creating blessings and forming good affinities. But when we are creating blessings and forming good affinities, the result is that we will be rewarded with respect.
Isn’t this what those volunteers in Venezuela said? Giving brings great joy. Actually, by giving of themselves, they receive the respect of others and have themselves attained benefits. Indeed, this benefits us. Although we are giving to others, we are actually benefiting ourselves as well. So, in order to benefit ourselves, we need to benefit others. We must work hard to seek the Dharma. Once we attain the Dharma, we must experience and understand it. Then, we must be sure to share it with others. When we take the Dharma to heart, it changes the way we see things in life to be in accord with the Dharma. This benefits ourselves and others. If we are very clear on the Dharma, our way of dealing with matters and things will be in accord with the principles. When we apply the principles to people, matters and things, we will benefit ourselves and others.
“They practice all kinds of Dharma and remain totally unattached to it all.” As we engage in spiritual practice, we must truly open up our heart so it can encompass and become one with the universe. In this way, as we remain unattached and undefiled, and when we go among people, no forms, appearances or sounds will contaminate our minds. If we thoroughly understand the Dharma, we will remain undefiled. If we are unattached, we can remain undefiled.
“This is what it means to excel in practicing the Bodhisattva-path.” We must earnestly open up our heart to explore and understand the Buddha-Dharma. We must earnestly practice every teaching we hear; we must remember it and uphold it. We must not forget any kind of principles, and the Dharma must be in everything that we do. We must make use of this Dharma and keep it within our heart. We each have a stupa on our Vulture Peak. When we let others see our Vulture Peak stupa, their minds will give rise to joy. Vulture Peak stupas can be built anywhere; everyone has a Vulture Peak stupa in their mind. If we understand that there is a Vulture Peak stupa in our mind, we will see the Dharma everywhere.
So, “When our mind dwells on unwholesome thoughts, we can treat this with the teachings of the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles.”
When our mind dwells on unwholesome thoughts, we can treat it with the teachings of the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles while still remaining unattached to the human and heaven realms. When our mind dwells on the world, we can treat it with the Two Vehicle Dharma and still remain unattached to the Two Vehicle Dharma. Whether we transform ourselves or others, it is all like this. Then, there will be no Dharma that is not the Dharma of the Paramitas. This is truly and skillfully upholding this sutra, and this is truly and skillfully practicing the Bodhisattva-path.
When we understand the Dharma well and are faced with unwholesome people, with people who give rise to unwholesome thoughts, how should we go about changing those people? We need the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles, the teachings of the human and heaven realms, “We must do good deeds; do you understand that? Humans must ‘Refrain from all evil and do all that is good.’ Committing evil results in negative retributions. Negative retributions lead to the Three Evil Realms. We must do all that is good so that in this world we can attain wealth in our lives and attain the blessings to be born in the heaven realm in the future.”
We can apply this principle toward ordinary people who give rise to unwholesome thoughts. We must put our hearts into gradually helping them understand the karmic law of cause and effect. This is what it means to treat it with the teachings of the Human and. Heavenly Being Vehicles “while still remaining unattached to the human and heaven realms.” We must use this teaching to treat people like this. But we ourselves are not attached to seeking to be reborn in the heaven realm because we do good deeds; we are not. Our hope is to walk the Bodhisattva-path. We give of ourselves without expectations, without asking for anything in return. Bodhisattvas fundamentally give unconditionally. This is called “remaining unattached to the human and heaven realms.” However, when we meet [unwholesome] people, we must take the. Human and Heavenly Being [Vehicles] and share with them the law of causes and effect of good and bad karma. This requires methods, methods to skillfully transform all beings. However, we must remain undefiled by these teachings.
So, “When our minds dwell on the world, we can treat it with the Two Vehicle Dharma.” If we are already engaging in spiritual practice but our minds still dwell on the world, some will say, “The human realm is pretty good. Doing good deeds and being a human is not so bad.” We must quickly treat them with the Two Vehicle Dharma. We tell them, “Though the human realm is nice, do you know about the Four Noble Truths?”
Some people are attached to this human world. They have not experienced any suffering, so they do not do anything in this world. Thus, we need to help them to understand that life is impermanent. Impermanence can strike in the blink of an eye. Life is filled with suffering, and we must help them to understand that this is how the world works. This is the Two Vehicle Dharma. We use the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links to treat them and help them enter the door to the Buddha’s teachings and earnestly engage in spiritual practice. If they are practicing the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, they have already entered the path to Buddhahood and are eliminating ignorance. This is using the Two Vehicle Dharma to treat them. This is also skillfully transforming.
The Buddha used these kinds of methods, and for over 40 years, taught His disciples of the Two Vehicles this way to help them reach the Two Vehicles. However, we must “remain unattached to the Two Vehicle Dharma.” Now, the Buddha is telling us that we must not be attached to the Two Vehicle Dharma; there is still room for us to move forward.
The Buddha used these methods on ordinary people, people who had yet to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. Their thoughts rise and fall, and they continuously give rise to unwholesome thoughts. So, we must use the law of karma to transform them. For those who are already interested in the Dharma, we can teach them how to earnestly observe the impermanence of phenomena in all actions and gradually guide them with the Two Vehicles. Then from the Vaipulya to the Prajna, we constantly advance like this step by step, without being attached.
So, “Whether we transform ourselves or others, “it is all like this.” When we transform sentient beings, we always give without expectations. Our goal is not worldly Dharma, nor is it the Two Vehicle Dharma; our goal is the Great Vehicle. So, we must form Great Vehicle aspirations and walk the Bodhisattva-path. To “transform ourselves,” our own minds must be pure. “Transforming others [is] like this.” It is all the same. We must apply these kinds of methods along the way. In the past, our minds gave rise to unwholesome thoughts at times as well. In the past, when we were ordinary beings, We gradually understand the Buddha-Dharma and accept it. We already began practicing the Two Vehicle Dharma.
Now we must move toward the Great Vehicle, This is why, “Whether we transform ourselves or others, it is all like this.” After we advance through the worldly Dharma and the Two Vehicle Dharma, “Then there will be no Dharma that is not the Dharma of the Paramitas.” To cross to the other shore, there is no Dharma that is not about going from the ignorance, afflictions and bad karma of sentient beings and crossing the river of afflictions to reach the shore of noble beings. Therefore, every teaching will be of the “Paramitas. Paramita” means reaching the other shore, to reach the other shore by crossing over. This is the meaning of being “transformed.” This is what it means to be skillfully transformed.
“This is truly and skillfully upholding this sutra.” If we sincerely accept and uphold this sutra, we will “truly and skillfully practice.” People who truly and skillfully practice walk the Bodhisattva-path.
Dear Bodhisattvas, please do not become attached. “When one is attached to the teachings that one practices and disparages all other teachings as false teachings….”
When one is attached to the teachings that one practices and disparages all other teachings as false teachings, this is what it means to not skillfully practice. These people are all unable to see, hear, read or recite this, the Lotus Sutra.
Some people say, “This is the extent of my practice. If I go any further it will be too deep; I don’t want that.” This is just like when the Buddha began to teach, and some felt they did not want to hear it, so they left 5000 people left the assembly. They were solely attached to the worldly Dharma and Two Vehicle Dharma of the past. They were attached to that place and lingered there. When it comes to truly entering the Bodhisattva-path, they felt aversion to it. They refused to accept it. So, of course they would not be able to attain this Dharma. So, [they] “disparage all other teachings as false teachings.” When it comes to other teachings, they feel, “I know everything taught in the past. I don’t need to listen to many more teachings in the future.” They are fine with staying where they are.
So, “This is what it means to not skillfully practice.” This is not yet complete. Only by reaching the Lotus Sutra do we have the complete teaching. This is not skillfully practicing. These people “are all unable to see, hear, read, recite, accept or uphold this, the Lotus Sutra.” Because of these deviant views, all they do is remain in the past. They are unwilling to keep moving forward. As the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City states, “The path ahead is so treacherous. I am very tired; this is as far as I can go.” This is what they are like.
In summary, as Buddhist practitioners, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. The sutras are the path, a road for us to walk on. The sutras taught by the Buddha are a road that allows us to reach our destination. We do not need to be afraid; by walking forward we can reach the state of Buddhahood. Otherwise, if we give up halfway, we will forever transmigrate in the Six Realms without control. So, we must always be mindful.