Author: Rosalyn Leung

Episode 15 – Follow the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings

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>> Ananda took [Aniruddha’s] advice so he asked one question after another. The World-Honored One answered one after another. Abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness, use the precepts as your teacher, ignore evil bhiksus. At the beginning of all Buddhist sutras, are the words, “Thus have I heard.”

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“Such I have heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, near the City of the House of the Kings.” Every sutra must have a similar opening to. “Such I have heard, that at one time, the Buddha lived at such and such place.” It always states where the Buddha lived at one time, though each place may be different. When He expounded the Lotus sutra, He was near the City of the House of the Kings on Vulture Peak.

To understand the opening of a sutra, we need to understand the sutra’s preface. To understand the preface, we need to know that even though the sutra was expounded by the Buddha, it was Ananda who passed it down.

There is a saying, “The great sea of the Buddha-Dharma flowed into Ananda’s heart.” But Ananda’s age differed from the Buddha’s by 31 years. The day the Buddha attained enlightenment was the day Ananda was born. The Buddha had been expounding the Dharma for 20 years by the time Ananda became a monk. How could Ananda have heard those first 20 years [of teachings]?

This came about because the venerable elders who had been attendants of the Buddha during the first 20 years after His enlightenment, Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, and other venerable elders traveled to different locations to transmit the teachings. But they felt that they were spending too much time away from the Buddha, so the Buddha needed an attendant to always be by His side. Therefore, they had a discussion about what person would be suitable. The result of their discussion was to recommend Ananda.

Ananda’s appearance was very dignified. The Buddha had 32 Marks and Ananda had 30. He was the first cousin of the Buddha, so his behavior, demeanor and disposition etc., were similar to the Buddha’s. He also came from a royal family, therefore, he had a presence similar to the Buddha’s and was familiar with the Buddha’s daily habits. Therefore, they considered Ananda most suitable. They recommended to the Buddha that. Ananda become His personal attendant. The Buddha was silent but did not reject the idea. This is called silent acceptance.

So everyone started to tell Ananda, “The Buddha would like you to be His attendant.” Ananda did not dare [to accept]. Ananda said, “The Buddha, with His great wisdom often expounds the Dharma to kings, ministers and the venerable elders of all religions. One who is by the Buddha’s side needs to be clever and sharp and has to be able to absorb the Buddha’s teachings. I am still so young, how am I qualified to be the Buddha’s attendant?” But everyone kept persuading him, especially Sariputra.

He counseled Ananda, “You have to become His attendant. You are the only possible candidate.” So Ananda answered, “In that case, I will accept but with conditions.” Everyone thought, “To be close to the Buddha is a blessing and an honor. Others dare not even ask for this. You have so many people recommending you, and the Buddha joyfully accepted. Why would you have conditions?”

Ananda said, “Although I am joyous, I worry about compiling the Buddha’s teachings in the future. That is a lot of responsibility. Since I did not hear any of the Dharma that the Buddha expounded in the first 20 years, I hope the Buddha can expound the Dharma from the previous 20 years again.” When the Buddha heard about this, He called Ananda to Him and said, “This condition of yours is something I can accept.” Ananda then told Him, “I am not going to wear the clothes which You have worn. And when You accept offerings on Your travels, I will sit far away from You. Why?” asked the Buddha. Ananda said, “If You give me clothes You have worn, that may lead people to talk about me and say the Buddha is giving me special treatment if. I wear clothes You have worn. Next, when You are accepting offerings, I will sit far away from You so others will not think that I am receiving special treatment by taking the same meals offered to the Buddha. When it comes to clothing and food, I hope to avoid people’s criticisms. Venerable Buddha, I hope You can approve these requests.” The Buddha felt these requests were reasonable so. He agreed.

These were the three conditions. First was to repeat the Dharma. Second was not to accept the Buddha’s worn clothes. The third was to sit far away when the Buddha received offerings, not to sit next to the Buddha. This was Ananda’s wisdom. The Buddha, of course, delightedly accepted it. Therefore, Ananda became the Buddha’s attendant.

The Buddha expounded the Dharma for 49 years. When He was 80 years old, as He was embarking on a journey by foot, He felt the conditions for His teaching had come to an end, so He said to Ananda, “The conditions for my work in guiding this world have ceased. I want to enter Parinirvana here.” Ananda was very nervous and quickly informed all those who had traveled to other places. Therefore, it did not take long for all the disciples to gather together. Some were farther away. Some were close by. No matter where they were, they received this urgent summons, so they quickly gathered.

They were all at peace because each of them had attained the fruit of Arhatship. They knew the laws of nature, that the Buddha would eventually enter into perfect rest and Parinirvana. Since they understood this, naturally their minds were peaceful. Ananda was the only exception. For almost 30 years, Ananda stayed by the Buddha’s side and did everything with Him. Letting go of this bond was difficult. So when the Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, everyone else was calm; Ananda was the only emotional one. He could not control himself, so he ran outside and cried loudly under a tree.

At this moment, Aniruddha happened to arrive. He saw Ananda crying there, so he told him, “Ananda, you are one to uphold the Buddha-Dharma. In the future we need you to pass it down. Now you have to seize this moment and go to the Buddha’s side and ask Him about the most important things.” Ananda said, “Venerable One, I am very distressed right now. I do not know what I need to ask the Buddha.”

Aniruddha said, “You must ask the World-Honored One this. While He is alive this group of bhiksus sees Him as their teacher. Once He enters Parinirvana, who will be their teacher?”

“And while He is alive, they abide with Him. Wherever He goes, they follow Him. Once He enters Parinirvana, where shall their minds abide?”

“Also, in the Buddha’s Sangha, there are evil bhiksus, bhiksus who do not abide by precepts. While the Buddha is alive, He can subdue them. Once He enters Parinirvana, who will control them?”

“Also, to benefit people in the future, the Dharma has to be passed down. In the future, when we must compile the sutras, what can we do so people will have faith in and accept them, and know that the teachings we compile were indeed expounded by the Buddha. These are very important matters. You must hurry and ask the Buddha about them.”

After Ananda heard this he said, “Indeed! This is very important.” He quickly approached the Buddha and asked Him each of these questions. He asked the Buddha, “While You are in this world everyone sees You as their teacher, but once You enter Parinirvana, who will be their teacher?” The Buddha replied, “While I am alive, you see me, the Buddha, as your teacher. Once I enter Parinirvana, take the precepts as your teacher.”

“What will we abide in? Abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness.”

“Who will control the evil bhiksus?” The Buddha said to Ananda, “Everyone must be compassionate and try to counsel them. If they cannot be counseled, it is best to just ignore them.”

“When I enter Parinirvana, of course you must recompile the teachings I have expounded. And when you compile them, remember that at the beginning of every sutra, you must begin with, ‘Thus have I heard’ one time, the Buddha was at such a place with such people, and how many there were. These words must be included.” So this is how every sutra begins. It is the sutra preface. When beginning to speak the sutra, this description must be included.

This is the reason that every sutra contains, “Thus have I heard, one time the Buddha was at such and such place.” The reason for this came out of this occasion, from Ananda’s request for teachings before the Buddha entered Parinirvana. Therefore Buddhist sutras begin with the words, “Thus have I heard.”

Ananda took [Aniruddha’s] advice so he asked one question after another. The World-Honored One answered one after another. Abide in the Fourfold Mindfulness, use the precepts as your teacher, ignore evil bhiksus. At the beginning of all Buddhist sutras, are the words, “Thus have I heard.”

Everyone, we must remember the source of Buddhism. When the Buddha was alive, there were many non-Buddhist religions. Their [sacred] texts begin with “AU.” In this word, “A” means emptiness. “U” means existence. This indicates that all things in the world belong in these categories, emptiness and existence. That is their opening principle. There are many non-Buddhist religions.

We should know that Buddhist sutras contain unsurpassed, subtle, and wondrous Dharma. The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One. He expounded the wisdom teachings; His understanding penetrates all things in the world. The Buddha sees everything very clearly. He has a complete view of things, which He then explains to others so that every person in the world can accept what is tangible and what is intangible. We ordinary people cannot see the intangible, but the Buddha’s eyes can see it.

In the past I have told everyone that the Buddha observed 84,000 bugs in a bowl of water. We would only see clear water. But the Buddha saw, in that clear water, countless microorganisms. He considers them living beings. Things that we cannot conceive of or understand, the Buddha knows them like the palms of His hands, and He can see them vividly. Indeed He is the Enlightened One of the universe. He expounds wisdom teachings, which must be different from non-Buddhist teachings. Therefore, Ananda used “Thus have I heard.” Of course there are more stories about Ananda and the compilation of the sutras. Though they are stories, they are part of the process of passing down the Dharma. Everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 14 – Wondrous Dharma Cures Sentient Beings

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>>  This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.

>> With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.

>> The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings

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For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.

Every day is a new beginning. With the Dharma-essence of our morning lectures, we should purify our bodies and minds. This era is an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, as if the sky, earth, weather and people’s minds all seem to be ill. So we need to constantly heighten our vigilance. How do we take good care of our minds? If we do not take good care of our minds, if our mindsets go astray, then nature becomes imbalanced and the weather becomes abnormal. Once the climate is affected, it will naturally result in the imbalance of the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. This is called the imbalance of nature. The blame belongs to humans. Manmade calamities have led to natural disasters.

Things have become abnormal, so problems begin to arise. Machines, human bodies and all plants, including trees and grains, are affected when an abnormal climate causes problems on Earth. This leads to an imbalance of water and earth, so plants grown in soil are damaged by pests. This is also a problem. All these things happen because of imbalances in nature or in the climate. These result in illnesses. Therefore, what is needed is spiritual and wondrous medicine.

This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.

When we are ill, we need medicine for treatment, How do we use this spiritual and wondrous medicine to treat ourselves? Several decades ago, many grain crops were damaged by pests. Humans then researched and invented pesticides to treat the pest problem. Is there really a way to treat it? Indeed, I have mentioned that the biological system is very wondrous. Although humans are smart and can come up with methods to treat diseases, viruses and bacteria are constantly mutating to be resistant to the medicines.

Once, several decades ago, I was walking on the ridge of a field outside the Abode. Back then, everyone planted rice. At the side of the road, I saw several pesticide containers lying there. I looked closely and saw many insects; there were many of them. Those were pesticide containers, so there should still be remnants of pesticide inside. Why are there so many insects inside and on the surface of these containers? There was an old man on the side of the field so I asked him. “Sir, have you been spraying pesticide for the past several days?” He said, “Yes, for several days already.”

“I see. Are you using pesticides from those containers?” He said, “Yes. This pesticide is very strong.” Then I asked, “If this is the pesticide you use, how is it possible that there are so many insects living on the container?” He came over and took a look, “Yes. Since I’ve been using it for so long, this pesticide is getting less effective at getting rid of these pests. They return in a short period of time.”

Consider a case like this. Is there really a way to control the illnesses in this world? There is no way to subdue them permanently, to completely cure them. In this era, the era of the Evil World of Five Turbidities, sentient beings’ views and understandings are not harmonious. This is the problem of humankind. Where does mankind’s problem come from? From ignorance. These views arise from ignorance. Ignorance and turbidity are very rampant now. Therefore many turbid and evil problems are arising. Now we urgently need spiritual and wondrous medicines to treat them, to return to balance. We need to achieve balance first to treat the problems completely.

How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.

How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.

With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.

In the Lotus Sutra, we find that many Bodhisattvas were Buddhas of the past, return to this world to assist in places of spiritual practice. Consider that Guan Yin Bodhisattva is Clear True Dharma Tathagata from the past. Manjusri Bodhisattva was also a Buddha in the past but has returned to this world. Many Bodhisattvas have already attained Buddhahood. In order to help Sakyamuni Buddha, they return to this world to help Him [the minds of] sentient beings.

But the human population is increasing. So all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas need to be active and dedicate themselves to this world. We need more than just Sakyamuni Buddha. We need all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to continuously return on the ship of compassion, to go among humankind and dedicate themselves, to teach using various kinds of methods sentient beings according to their capabilities. Therefore, the Buddha is the Great Medicine-King and the Dharma is wondrous medicine. Only the Buddha can explain astronomy, geography and psychology such that we ordinary people can become vigilant and take early preventive measures.

So over 2000 years ago, the Buddha explained to us that in this world there is formation, existence, decay and disappearance; this is physics. All the things we see that have shape and form go through these states of existence. There was a day when they were formed, then they exist in this world for a period of time. Then they slowly decay for a while, then they completely disappear.

Every day, of all the things we see, which is not manufactured or produced? Every single thing, whether it is being used or not, is constantly aging, is constantly changing. Consider the flowers and grass before us; their seeds met the right conditions under the soil so the grass or the flower seedlings grew. Then we see the flower seedlings produce buds, then flowers, then eventually they wither and wilt. We also see green grass turn yellow. Within this short time, we see exactly what the Buddha told us, which is that material things form, exist, decay, then disappear.

At the same time, thoughts in our minds arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds can waver at any time. A happy thought that arises can turn into suspicion. Then our suspicion may give rise to resentment, hate, affection or enmity. Our thoughts are constantly changing. When we hold on to our resentment, we begin to hate, develop a sense of enmity. Then we take action, we retaliate, we antagonize each other. This is what we humans do. When people feel hatred and enmity toward others, they may have small issues with individuals. Then those may become large issues that affect the entire society, or even worse, they escalate to affect the entire country.

These kinds of psychologies lead to interpersonal confrontations, disharmony in families, imbalance in society and chaos in the country. All these arise from humans. Once these things happen, there will be many misfortunes and they will flourish and cause destruction and damage. This happens because our minds are not tamed. Who can tame our minds? The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all Buddhas. The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. Subduing the mind requires medicine. What is the best medicine? Dharma. The Dharma is wondrous medicine.

Recently I have often mentioned to you all that this wondrous medicine has always existed. The realizations of the Dharma and the Buddha have existed since Beginningless Time has existed since Beginningless Time. Once the universe came into existence, everything in the endless void was filled with Dharma-nature. The Great Enlightened One of the Universe is constantly applying the Dharma, but we sentient beings are unaware. Therefore wondrous Dharma is wondrous medicine. If we sentient beings elevate our Buddha-nature and live within the rules of Dharma, won’t we all be healthy? Won’t all things in the world be in harmony?

Most people do not know they can apply the Dharma. Bodhisattvas are like kind mothers who nurse and protect. Only the Buddha expounds the Dharma. So when He is in this world, He is the Great Enlightened One and all others are Bodhisattvas. Though they attained Buddhahood in the past, when they come to this world, they also need to maintain respect and reverence for Sakyamuni Buddha as the fundamental teacher of the Saha World. All the Bodhisattvas have accepted Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, and they go out and serve as medicine-kings and nurses. They fill the prescriptions. They accept the medicine, prescribe it, and then accompany these stubborn sentient beings. So Bodhisattvas are good nurses; they are like loving mothers who stand guard by the sides of sentient beings.

We often talk about Bodhisattvas. You are also a Bodhisattva. You formed aspirations and you are helping others. We are all Bodhisattvas. Indeed, we are all Bodhisattvas and have all accepted the Buddha’s teachings. We all apply this Dharma to the world and serve others according to the circumstances. Only with the Buddha as the Great Medicine-King, the Dharma as the wondrous medicine and all Buddhas and. Bodhisattvas as caregivers, is it possible to treat all illnesses of sentient beings.

The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings.

Therefore the Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifested in this world for the sake of this great cause, for sentient beings. The Lotus Sutra is used to teach sentient beings so we can all become Bodhisattvas. Only when we all become Bodhisattvas can this world become peaceful. So the Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world. May our current application of this Dharma-essence, the discussion of the Lotus Sutra, be timely and suitable so everyone can receive and use it.

For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.

Right now we must use this Dharma according to this time period and people’s capabilities. I hope we can all accept and use this spiritual and wondrous medicine. If we all put the teachings into practice, won’t this world become more peaceful? So I often remind everyone to be more vigilant, disciplined and reverent. We must faithfully accept and practice the principles in the Wondrous Lotus Sutra as our spiritual and wondrous medicine. May we all mindfully accept and utilize them.

Episode 13 – Prajna, True Emptiness, Wondrous Existence

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>> “The One Buddha Vehicle, the perfect teaching is complete with infinite skillful doctrines.”

>> It is said the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the time period and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all groups of people in this world.

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Every morning [our mind is in] “tranquil contemplation, like a wondrous lotus.” At the Jing Si Abode, our spiritual training ground, I often share with everyone that. Jing Si is a path of diligent practice. We must be very diligent. We must diligently practice every day. Diligence means not lax. To diligently practice is to not retreat. We have sincerity, integrity, faith, steadfastness and manifest kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity with our actions. Having sincerity, integrity, faith, steadfastness means that our minds are not defiled by afflictions or interpersonal disputes. This is just like how a lotus flower can grow out of a muddy pond. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must take good care of our hearts and have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. But we do not practice to only benefit ourselves, we must also seek to benefit others.

We are at the same spiritual practice center and people come from all directions, each with different habitual tendencies. Because so many of us, with our different habitual tendencies, are living together, we have the chance to learn how to be accommodating. If someone gives us a bad attitude, we need to learn to be grateful. If someone says something unpleasant and we hear it, we need to learn to be understanding. We need to be content, no matter what the conditions are or how arduous the work is; we endure it all for spiritual practice. We come together from different environments and with different habitual tendencies, which makes this a very good training ground for us. So we need to be very content and satisfied with just having basic necessities for daily living.

This needs to come from our hearts. When we can broaden our hearts to be content, grateful, understanding, accommodating, naturally we will have loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Tzu Chi volunteers practice internally and externally by walking on the Bodhisattva-path among people. This enables us to discuss the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.

Everyone, in the past we have discussed the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. Not so long ago, we discussed a quick summary of it as the talk that preceded the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Now if we are mentally ready, we can enter the world of the Wondrous Lotus Flower. So the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra is deemed the King of All Sutras. It reveals that the one vehicle to Buddhahood is complete with infinite skillful means. This is a Mahayana text.

Before the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the Buddha already expounded the Agama, Vaipulya, and Prajna. In fact, I have always told everyone that before the Agama, for three seven-day periods after He attained enlightenment, in that state of mind, the Buddha expounded the Avatamsaka Sutra. No one understood Him; only Dharmakaya-Bodhisattvas could accept [His teachings]. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, the state of His mind could not be understood by other humans or heavenly beings. So the Buddha started to think of methods to use to go among humankind so that. He could be understood by sentient beings.

At that time, the religions in India were particularly complicated. Brahmanism was very popular. Everyone was classified distinctly into four castes. How was He to help people understand, accept, and then dedicate themselves to actual spiritual practice? So the Buddha put a lot of thought into this and decided to first use skillful means, which meant very gradually educating sentient beings according to their capabilities. Their capabilities determined the type of Dharma He expounded. Therefore He expounded the Agama Sutra, which had four parts. Thus, the Agama Sutra was used to patiently guide sentient beings based on their capabilities. [The Buddha] taught it for 12 years 12 years was a very long time. When He saw that sentient beings were mostly capable of understanding it, He began expounding the Vaipulya Sutra. After eight years, He saw that sentient beings were more capable, so He began expounding the Prajna. The Prajna Sutras analyzed people and matters of this world, starting with “existence.” We all have attachments to the “existence” of things. Thus when the Buddha expounded the Prajna Sutra, He analyzed the “existence” of things to the point of nonexistence.

In our world, many things exist because they are the combinations of various elements; thus they exist and are functional. Simple functional objects are made from simple combinations. As for sophisticated technologies, they are more complicated. If we take them apart and separate the parts, they return to nothing. Consider the current technology; it comes from the most advanced sciences. It is the most sophisticated technology. However, people nowadays keep talking about the greenhouse effect. What causes the greenhouse effect? How does the greenhouse effect create such major natural disaster and manmade calamities? The greenhouse effect causes imbalance of the four elements. When it is time for rain, it does not rain. When it is time for the cold, it is not cold. When it is time for the heat, it is too hot. When it is time for good weather, there is drought.

Our natural seasonal climates are out of order due to the greenhouse effect. It creates such major natural disasters. Scientists kept researching and researching and have now discovered that the source of the problem is lack of environment protection. So we began our environmental protection work. There are too many things; people live too luxuriously, are too wasteful. They throw away things they no longer want to use; all those things are now trash. Just look. If we take them apart and recycle and restore them, what do they become? We return them to their natural state, to become raw materials. What are the raw materials? We can break them down, but actually the names do not matter. What can raw material be broken down into? The energy resources of the Earth. But what comes after that? Nothing; ultimately there is emptiness because sophisticated things are made up of many smaller elements.

So we need to apply wisdom. How do we use Prajna, which is wisdom, to reduce our attachments to material goods that obstruct us? We can also analyze interpersonal relationships as psychological attachments. Therefore, to transform hatred into love is only a matter of a change of heart. That is all. So the Prajna Sutras discuss how we can change our thinking, and how we can eliminate our attachments. By applying Prajna, we can realize true emptiness and no longer have attachments.

I often share the story of a group of lay practitioners who told others, “Go buy fish and shrimp on the first and fifteenth on the lunar month and release them as a work of merit.” After releasing them, one person said, “Let’s go to a seafood restaurant.” Why would they go to a seafood restaurant? Someone asked him, “We just released fish and shrimp for merit; why are we going to eat them now?” He said, “We are helping them transcend.” Isn’t this taking it too far? Then he said, “Bring a few bottles of wine.” A Buddhist asked him, “Didn’t the Buddha say to abstain from alcohol? Hey, wine is the soup of Prajna. Now let’s smoke. But if one smokes, one isn’t much of a Buddhist disciple. Smoke is like a canopy of incense clouds.” Look at how he takes things out of context. This is not what we want, nor is it what the Buddha taught as the meaning of the Prajna Sutras. Some people use the teaching of Prajna to say that everything is empty. These people are very contradictory. Consider this person. Doesn’t he claim to practice Mahayana teachings, which is free of attachments? His way of being free of attachments is to violate many precepts because he is not attached to them. His lack of attachment is not about letting go of cravings and hatred or being open.

Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is the Middle Way. In the Middle Way, there is “existence.” What exists? The Wondrous Dharma, wondrous existence. This “existence” is wondrous existence, a return to the Bodhisattva-path, to the state of Buddhahood. We all have the potential to become a Buddha because we all have Buddha-nature. To return to our Buddha-nature, there must be wondrous existence. Prajna is the process to realize true emptiness. In our relationships we should not be so attached, but we should be accommodating with a spacious heart. By being understanding, we sweep away the afflictions in our minds, so we are not attached to emptiness nor existence. We know that there is wondrous existence in emptiness, true emptiness in wondrous existence. This is all included in the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Therefore it is deemed the King of All Sutras.

The Lotus Sutra declares,

“The One Buddha Vehicle, the perfect teaching is complete with infinite skillful doctrines.”

Because there is just One Buddha Vehicle for us to attain enlightenment, it encompasses all sutras and teachings. Thus Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. If we understand just one phrase, our perspectives on life can transform. Consider the promotion of. Jing Si Aphorisms in Taiwan. They are found on taxis, personal vehicles and large trucks. In the news, we saw that Philippine Airlines has introduced Jing Si Aphorisms on their planes.

The president of the airline company said, “If passengers flip through the Jing Si Aphorisms and pick up a short phrase they like, they may remember it and find it useful.” So on the airplanes of his airline, he placed 200 books of Jing Si Aphorisms on each plane. These very short sentences can be applied in our daily living. When we consider it, it seems very simple. As long as the Dharma can be used, it is wondrous Dharma. We can apply it to our daily living as we deal with people and matters. Then our minds naturally will not be occupied or defiled by interpersonal conflicts or afflictions that delude us and lead us to create karma.

Therefore, the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the different eras. The Lotus Sutra is the same, it resonates with this time period, our lives, our habitual tendencies and our cultural backgrounds. This is the wondrous Dharma. It has to be applied to this world, to be used by all groups of people in this world. Then it is considered the wondrous Dharma.

It is said the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the time period and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all groups of people in this world.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, when we learn Buddhism, we walk the Middle Way. The Lotus Sutra is the Middle Way, one that does not cling to emptiness or existence and can help us thoroughly understand true emptiness and wondrous existence and return to the Buddha’s state of mind. We must walk the Bodhisattva-path to attain the state of the Buddha and Avatamsaka. The Avatamsaka state was reached by the Buddha in three seven-day periods, when. He practiced and attained enlightenment. The state of Avatamsaka is indeed a tranquil and clear state.

Everyone, we need to be mindful when we learn the Buddha’s way and when we listen to the Dharma. In daily living, we must be “like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear” so we will not be defiled by various conditions. Even if our external conditions are very turbid, we still need to be grateful because the lotus flower can only grow from mud. So we must treat everyone with gratitude to perfect the wondrous lotus in our minds. Therefore, everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 12 – Wondrous Dharma Adapts to Times and Conditions

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>>  Tranquil and clear is the wondrous lotus flower. Tzu Chi practitioners on the Bodhisattva-path act according to the times and conditions. [They are] in all places.

>> The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to the times and capabilities. To transform sentient beings, He gives provisional teachings to reveal the truth.

>> The Dharma has no distinctions of big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. So, it resonates with the era and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all in this world.

>> People of this present era experience complications in their surroundings. One single ignorant thought defiles the mind, leading the mind to initiate and create countless amounts of karma. They give rise to endless greed, anger and ignorance. Human nature is inherently good but is obscured. Thus the Buddha established teachings for sentient beings to awaken their views and understanding.

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In this world, [the Buddha] must adapt to times and conditions and be in all places. Haven’t we been saying this all along? For the sake of sentient beings, over the span of inconceivable asankyakalpas the Buddha never rested in His Mission to help sentient beings transform. He manifested countless births and manifested countless deaths. We know this already. Regardless of the time period, the Buddha is always in this world. No matter the place or the country, the Buddha continues to manifest everywhere. You see, He continues to expound the teachings according to the times and conditions. That is why we say in all places. We often talk about enlightenment. We all have this enlightened nature within us. So we say that the Enlightened One is in all places. The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to times. He teaches according to capabilities. This, I think we can all understand. Depending on the capabilities of sentient beings, He uses corresponding methods and establishes teachings according to their conditions. He constantly cares for sentient beings and protects and guides them onto the Bodhisattva-path. In order to help sentient beings according to their different capabilities, He uses provisional means to reveal the truth. Sometimes He uses skillful means. Sometimes He points directly to peoples intrinsic nature. Such is the Buddhas wisdom.

Tranquil and clear is the wondrous lotus flower. Tzu Chi practitioners on the Bodhisattva-path act according to the times and conditions. [They are]in all places. The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to the times and capabilities. To transform sentient beings, He gives provisional teachings to reveal the truth.

The wisdom of the Buddha is set up for all sentient beings. So, the Dharma has no distinctions of high or low, deep or superficial. It is what the Buddha teaches sentient beings. Sentient beings have the same Buddha-nature, the only difference is their capabilities. The Buddhas teachings are meant to help people return to their Buddha-nature. The teachings established by the Buddha are suited to sentient beings capabilities, so He uses many different methods. In other words, the Dharma refers to using these methods. When it resonates, it is the wondrous Dharma. When it does not resonate, even if it points directly to their minds, and makes it simple to see their true nature or to attain Buddhahood, people will not accept it. They will not understand so they cannot attain entry [to the Buddhas state]. Therefore, for those with limited capabilities, the Buddha compassionately and patiently tries to draw them in and help them understand. That is why we say that with Dharma there is no differentiation between big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. In truth, the most profound Dharma is the simplest Dharma. The Dharma has always been this way. Even though it has always been like this, we sentient beings cannot comprehend it, so He has to pull the vine to get at the beans. He has to use many methods. And that is why we say.

The Dharma has no distinctions of big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. So, it resonates with the era and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all in this world.

Is this time period a civilized era? Indeed! The Western world has become very civilized in the past couple of centuries. They underwent rapid development. During these past few decades, haven’t our standards of living in Taiwan also improved greatly? Here, our culture has become advanced, and so has our technology. Many kinds of sophisticated and specialized technology, along with flourishing computer and manufacturing industries can be found in Taiwan. In this advanced technological era, people follow these trends in their living. Consider that people now do their work mostly on computers. No matter how big a project is, it is analyzed by computers and designed using computers. Now we live our lives in the world of computers.

Do you still remember the major earthquake in El Salvador? We reached out to the people there and built them Tzu Chi Villages, which included schools. When one school was completed, the president of El Salvador attended the completion ceremony. The students were very happy. A child rushed up to the president and said, There is a computer in our classroom! The president was very curious, so he followed the children, and the large group marched to the classroom. On the wall of that classroom, a piece of cloth covered the wall. Where was the computer? The child lifted the cloth, and there was a picture of a computer, boxy and square, drawn on the wall. The students knew that computers are cube-like even though they did not have one. I saw this news being broadcasted on a news segment on our Da Ai Television Station. I remember that at the time, the executive director of Tzu Chi USA, Mr. Austin Tsao, happened to be back in Taiwan. I asked him, The school in El Salvador began operation. Have we really given them computers? He replied, Not yet. Then I said, Then you should hurry up and give them computers. Take the used computers that people are going to replace and collect them. There will be many. So he immediately contacted volunteers in the US. They quickly collected computers people were using but were about to replace and ended up with 100 to 200 computers. This is what I remember. Though it was initially just a drawing on a wall, that computer led many dedicated people to donate real computers that were in good shape. In more technologically-advanced countries, the second, third, fourth generation of computers come onto the market at rapid speeds, so many people replace their older models. Yet the old ones were still in good condition. When they were sent to El Salvador they were considered advanced educational tools.

This is what we refer to as peoples customs. Even in the same space and time, lifestyles can be different. So the Buddha had to adapt. His teachings to the different lifestyles and customs, habits and common practices of sentient beings. He used different methods to open up peoples hearts and minds so that they could have broader views, become more observant and learn more. The Buddhas awakened nature remains in the universe, present in all places. When the time and circumstances are right, the Dharma will be spread to that particular place. The wondrous Dharma is meant to be applied among people. The Buddha-Dharma is not only for 2000 years ago; it is still very widespread now. At this time, the world truly needs it. How do we ensure that among people there is a common perspective? This refers to the concept of our awakened nature. We all intrinsically have this awakened nature. We differ only because each era has its distinct lifestyles and customs. How can we now unify the various customs and guide everyone toward the same path? This depends on our awakened nature. In order to initiate this awakened nature, we need to apply the wondrous Dharma to this world, to relationships, and especially within groups of people. This is precisely the era that needs such wondrous Dharma.

I have also heard that Tzu Chi volunteers are going in and out of Sichuan. Every person and team stays there for a whole month so that they have sufficient time to observe peoples lifestyles in the villages. They observe whether the villagers lives are continuously improving, whether the elderly are taken care of and whether the sick people, the disabled and the wounded, are being rehabilitated etc. As Tzu Chi volunteers enter the Sichuan community, [they have to figure out] how to interact with the people there. In this world, how do people interact with each other? How do we gather and coordinate a group of people who do not know each other? How do we guide them to take care of one another as a group, comfort each other and do activities together? In the beginning, two people, one who was older guiding another who was younger, came together. After they started volunteering, they joined the study session in Chengdu. To attend, they had to take an 11-hour bus ride. But they wanted to understand Tzu Chi and to learn. These two were devout Buddhists. After they came in contact with Tzu Chi, they finally realized that this is the path they had been seeking. Therefore, these two Bodhisattvas attended sessions every week and never missed a session. Even if there was a typhoon or a rainstorm, they still came. Because the commute was very far, they rented a tiny room in Chengdu. At night, the buses stopped running, so they stayed in that room. The two stayed in one room. Later on, three, four, five people all crammed in there. One was an elderly Bodhisattva who was over eighty years old. Our volunteer asked him, Revered Bodhisattva, where are you from? He said, I am from a very far place which is more than a ten-hour car ride away. He went on and said, I came explicitly to see what you are all doing. This is exactly what I have been looking for. I am already over eighty, and now I have learned that the Buddha-Dharma can be practiced among people.

What can be understood and used to guide people to fulfillment is the true Buddha-Dharma. The Dharma is to be practiced among people, not simply kept in the monasteries. It should adapt to the needs of this world and the needs of contemporary life. In modern peoples lives, their circumstances are already very complicated. In such a complicated setting, with such a large population, if one with an ignorant thought comes in conflict with another person with an ignorant thought, they will contaminate each other. Thus the minds of all sentient beings have become hazy and unclear. So the Chinese characters that make up the word ignorance are no and clarity. In this era, people are competing against each other, fighting against and taking from each other. Think about this, how can we even begin to quantify the amount of negative karma created? It is immeasurable. The mind gives rise to greed and excessive anger and ignorance. The depth of this greed, anger and ignorance cannot be quantified. In essence, there is no end to greed. And not just greed, but anger as well. When there are more people, more things will go against our wishes. So when anger arises, we lose our tempers in a big way. The greater the anger, the more ignorant thoughts we have. When ignorance covers and obscures our minds, no matter what we say, our words are not clear; no matter what we hear, we cannot understand; no matter how we are taught, we do not learn. We seem to be covered by a veil of ignorance. We also call this delusion. Therefore, unchecked greed, anger and ignorance will very quickly swallow up all ethics, just as if a quality piece of wood was infested by termites. The termites will continue to eat away at the wood until it is completely hollowed out. The same thing will happen to morals and ethics. Morals, ethics and inherent goodness in human nature can all be gobbled up by greed, anger and ignorance. We call this ignorance. This is that our Buddha-nature has been covered and obscured by it. That is why the Buddha came into our world, to establish teachings for sentient beings.

People of this present era experience complications in their surroundings. One single ignorant thought defiles the mind, leading the mind to initiate and create countless amounts of karma. They give rise to endless greed, anger and ignorance. Human nature is inherently good but is obscured. Thus the Buddha established teachings for sentient beings to awaken their views and understanding.

Sentient beings have many confused thoughts, with a complex variety of capabilities, some sharp and some dull. In this day and age, actually, no matter what day and age, the Buddhas enlightened nature is pervasive. He came solely to establish teachings for sentient beings to unlock their understanding, hoping that all are more likely to hear it. In order for sentient beings to hear the teachings, they have to be widespread. For instance, the earthquake in Sichuan created these guiding causes and conditions. There, through our interactions with others, we can expand their views and understanding. As Buddhist practitioners, we must go among people. For the Dharma we hear to be useful, we cannot just hear it and not apply it. Therefore, I hope that everyone will try to understand the essence of this Dharma so that it can enter everyone’s hearts, and utilized by everyone. Then everyone’s mind can become clear and pure as we go among people. Like a lotus flower, we walk the Bodhisattva-path without defilements. This is the Dharma. There needs to be many methods that are explained repeatedly and patiently it cannot advance itself. For us, only when Dharma has entered our hearts can we spread the Buddha-Dharma in this world. Everyone, please always be mindful.