Author: Scott Ogata

Become a person more actively involved in aiding their community.

Ch02-ep0361

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 361 – Vowing to Transform Sentient Beings

>> Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity. Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded. The Buddha made the Four Great Vows and taught clear precepts to eliminate evils.

>> The Buddha, for the sake of His one great cause, opened and revealed the Buddha Vehicle. Yet ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and without wisdom. They learn the wrong things and go astray. When they are confused and deluded, they cannot accept instructions and find it hard to eliminate their delusions.

>> “Sariputra, you should know that in the past I took a vow, wishing to enable all sentient beings to be no different from me.”

>> Sariputra, you should know that: At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra requested Dharma three times. He was one of the initiators. Because of him, the Buddha gave teachings for the assembly to listen to and contemplate.

Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity.
Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded.
The Buddha made the Four Great Vows and taught clear precepts to eliminate evils.

The Buddha taught us that we are living in the era of the evil world of Five Turbidities. The time of the Five Turbidities has been coming on for a very long time. The turbidities have been accumulating and are now at their most obvious. This is why the Buddha keeps telling us, “Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity.”

Sentient beings are truly foolish. We do not know how long, how many countless kalpas, we have been transmigrating in the Six Realms. We keep carrying this ignorance with us as we constantly cycle in the Six Realms. We are fortunate to have this human form now, but we happened to be born into this turbid world. We cannot control our unenlightened minds, so we are carried along by the swirling currents of turbidity. This is what the Buddha worries about most. Currently, we sentient beings are still [living] in a time of foolishness and severe turbidity.

“Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded.” We know this world is impermanent and filled with suffering, so we act quickly to seek liberation. Some people deviate slightly and end up thousands of miles off course. They sincerely intended to learn, but sadly they went astray. Some people just focus on this one lifetime, on their career, their family, spouse, children and so on. Encountering the slightest difficulty at home, they try to find a shortcut, go astray and end up following improper views and practices.

Nowadays, we constantly hear about different shrines where people seek answers, seek to eliminate misfortunes and seek to relieve distress. Does this work? Some shrines are just run by ordinary people who “act as spirit mediums” and “lead tours to the underworld.” Can these places really offer helpful answers? Can they really lead us toward the light? This is distorted thinking! They are deluded by improper thinking and practices. When we think improperly and follow improper, deviant paths, we are “without wisdom; we learn the wrong things.” This will further delude our minds.

The Buddha could not bear for sentient beings to remain foolish, with so much turbidity, to lose sight of their wisdom and deviate in their thinking. Because the Buddha could not bear this, since Beginningless Time, He has formed aspirations and made vows. He made the Four Great Vows and [aspired to cultivate] the Four Infinite Minds. He taught clear precepts to eliminate evils. He came to teach us and help us understand what rules we must follow in life to walk on the correct path. If we can walk on the correct path, then we will be safe. Thus, “the Buddha made the Four Great Vows.”

We are all familiar with the Four Great Vows. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions. I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors. I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” Making vows is simple, right? Very simple. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” I ask everyone, “Are you willing?” [and you reply], “I am.” Yet when I ask, “Will you go to places of suffering? I will. It is very dangerous; are you willing? I have to think about it. It will take a long time. I have to see if I have the time.” Do we come up with so many excuses because we put ourselves first?

Take what is happening in New York for example. For example, in New York (in 2012), after this big disaster (Hurricane Sandy), many people had no electricity, water or fuel. Many of us have seen what life was like after this great disaster. After the disaster was over, people’s lives were filled with so much suffering. People, matters and objects have all changed. Even if they want to return to a normal life, that will be very difficult. If they want to eat bread or drink coffee, those may be difficult to obtain.

[We see] so much impermanence at this time. Many other people are safe, but have those people given rise to the thought, “If you have needs, I will meet them”? Are they willing to do this? Many are still “foolish, with much turbidity.” [They think], “These people have nothing to do with me.” They believe they are safe, so they go to the disaster area as tourists, to see the disaster others have suffered. This is all they do. Their compassion has not been awakened.

Yet, there is also a group of people who are not afraid of toiling in the wind and rain. They go to the disaster area and think of all the ways they can help the people. Take Long Island, for example. Long Island was also hit by the hurricane. Most Tzu Chi volunteers were safe, but they were worried about the disaster victims. They gathered together to figure out how to be of assistance. They reached out to the city government and worked with them to distribute leaflets on their behalf to let the victims know if they needed something, necessities were available to be picked up.

Though we were distributing leaflets, we were actually visiting every family to see and assess the situation. This was how we learned what was most needed. Because the weather was cold, and the temperature had already dropped very low, what people needed most was a bowl of hot soup. So, the director of our Long Island chapter quickly called everyone together. Principal Lin of the Tzu Chi Academy even announced to the parents that he hoped everyone could volunteer to come together to make and provide hot corn soup. When the [Academy] parents heard this, they were very moved. After receiving this message, they gathered together one morning before dawn.

Our director and Principal Lin told the parents, “Even if we cannot do much, we can unite our hearts and together, each give the little bit we can.” Everyone agreed, so from then on, they combined their efforts. They began to make hot soup and hot meals, and delivered them house by house.

Holding a bowl of hot soup in the cold weather, some people said it was the most delicious soup they had ever tasted in their entire lives. These wealthy people had enjoyed such luxuries that many delicacies no longer impressed them but when disaster struck, this was better than seafood or delicacies.

The Four Great Vows the Buddha made express that when sentient beings are suffering, we must help them. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” This is the first of the Four Great Vows. Among the multitudes of sentient beings, many people have economic difficulties, and cannot afford three meals a day. Some people are ill, some are disabled, and some are poor and sick. For these sentient beings, life is indeed really difficult. Other people may have a lot of money, but their minds are filled with afflictions. Those [mental] troubles are worse than financial worries. To deal with this kind of mindset, we need wisdom.

We may exercise compassion and respond to their immediate needs with material goods. Or we may exercise wisdom to find ways to teach according to their capabilities. In the face of this major disaster, we must tell people about impermanence, about suffering and emptiness, This is the perfect time to quickly recruit Living Bodhisattvas. This is the perfect time to awaken people’s love. Thus compassion and wisdom must be cultivated simultaneously.

From the Buddha’s time over 2000 years ago, up to today, sentient beings [have been] [suffering due to their] collective karma. So, the Buddha loudly called upon people to truly exercise both compassion and wisdom and make the Four Great Vows to transform all sentient beings.

All sentient beings have countless afflictions. How can we eliminate our own afflictions and teach others to eliminate their afflictions? Those who are transformed help those in the process of transforming, Those who have succeeded transform those who are succeeding; those who are succeeding transform those who have yet to succeed. Afflictions are boundless, so we must find a way to eliminate them.

We must understand the need to follow rules and precepts. How do we eliminate afflictions, learn the Path, or attain Buddhahood? We must understand the precepts. We must know to “refrain from all evils and do all good deeds.” We have to guard against wrongs and stop evils. If something is wrong, we must not do it; we must “refrain from all evils.” To prevent [wrongs], we must follow precepts. So, we must also proactively “do all good deeds” and eliminate all evils completely. This is the only way to save the world; there is no other way. So, we must save our minds.

The Buddha, for the sake of His one great cause, opened and revealed the Buddha Vehicle. Yet ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and without wisdom. They learn the wrong things and go astray. When they are confused and deluded, they cannot accept instructions and find it hard to eliminate their delusions.

The Buddha comes to this world for one great cause. He comes to open and reveal the One Buddha Vehicle to sentient beings. He opens and reveals in the hope that we sentient beings can realize and enter the One Buddha Vehicle. Yet, we ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and lack wisdom. We are truly foolish and ignorant. Sometimes, we will listen with wisdom [and say]. “I understand, I understand.” Then our wisdom surfaces. After time passes, our wisdom becomes submerged again. So, we have knowledge in the short term but remain deluded in long term. This is how ordinary people are “foolish and without wisdom.”

So, when sentient beings’ wisdom is submerged, they learn the wrong things and go astray. As I just said, when they have problems at home, they will not deal with them wisely. Instead, they consult spirits and ghosts. This is because they are confused. This is because their wisdom remains submerged. Living like this is really a pity.

Others are “are confused and deluded.” Not only are they confused, they are also deluded. Not only do they not understand things, they also tend to make things up. They may not understand something, but they use what they have learned to confuse and delude others. This is known as delusion.

How many people are like that in this world? I remember that there was a person in our hospital like this. As the family’s eldest son, he operated a shrine. His younger sister was mentally impaired; not only did she have a low IQ, she also behaved erratically. The effort of taking care of his sister, led to their mother falling ill. This man operated a shrine [and claimed] to help people mitigate their disasters and resolve their misfortunes. Yet, within his own family, his sister’s mind was unstable. His mother became ill from taking care of her and eventually had to go to a hospital.

For this kind of person, we can tell him, “Do not do this kind of thing. Those superstitions are deluded beliefs. Focus on learning and understanding the Buddha-Dharma.” But he would only say, “I can speak to the gods, Why should I learn the Buddha’s teachings?” People like this cannot accept the teachings. Not only are they unable to accept teachings, upholding precepts is hard for them, too. For this kind of person, they continue to drink and gamble. They are unwilling to control their actions. If they do not uphold precepts, getting them to learn the Buddha’s teachings and let go of their delusions is very difficult. Thus they remain deluded, “finding it hard to eliminate their delusions.” These deluded beliefs must be eliminated. For them to give up that improper way of living and make a living legitimately is indeed very difficult.

As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn the Right Path and not be deluded by difficulties. We have been trapped by confusion and delusion, so the Buddha continuously reminds us that we must form aspirations and vows. To put them into practice, we must have the Right Dharma in our minds.

So, for the Lotus Sutra, Sariputra was the initiator who asked the Buddha on behalf of everyone to teach the most profound, subtle and wondrous One Vehicle principles. The Buddha used various methods to strengthen each person’s spiritual aspirations. He started by saying many things to help people understand that in the past He taught skillful means, and now He was setting these aside to enter the subtle, wondrous and true One Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha called upon Sariputra again. Sariputra was the representative of the assembly, so he was known as the initiator.

The Buddha called to Sariputra,

“Sariputra, you should know that in the past I took a vow, wishing to enable all sentient beings to be no different from me.”

He told Sariputra that he must try to thoroughly comprehend the Buddha’s intent, that He only had one vow, to enable all sentient beings to be like Him. However great His own understanding, He hoped all could have the same understanding and also have thorough knowledge of the truths of all things in the universe and the three principles and four states of phenomena. If they can push aside their delusions, “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear before them” [and they will] “attain great wisdom.” Then they can penetrate the great path. This was the Buddha’s intent. So, by learning the Buddha’s teachings, we hope to reach this level.

Sariputra, you should know that: At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra requested Dharma three times. He was one of the initiators. Because of him, the Buddha gave teachings for the assembly to listen to and contemplate.

At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra “requested Dharma three times.” He was one of the initiators. When the Buddha wanted to say something important, He made sure to get everyone’s attention. To get everyone’s attention, He treated Sariputra as their representative and called his name. This was a way to remind everyone to contemplate the teachings they heard. “Everyone, pay attention. Sariputra, as I’m saying these words, everyone must pay attention to them.” After listening for a while, some get tired and may fall asleep. The Buddha may have seen that some people were falling asleep. Thus He said, “Sariputra, pay attention. Listen to the vows I made. Pay close attention.”

Indeed! We must listen mindfully. Though we are listening every day, Buddhist sutras were written over 2000 years ago and their meanings are very deep and profound. When we learn them, do we find them useful or not? I tell you, they are useful. We must use them every day, not just in Taiwan or the places where we are. We want everyone in this world to receive and use this Dharma.

The Buddha made the Four Great Vows. It is not only Sakyamuni Buddha who can do this; we can all make the Four Great Vows. The Four Great Vows can be implemented at any time. Earlier, I mentioned the volunteers in New York. This is the time for every one of them to make use of the Four Great Vows they made.

In summary, learning the Buddha’s teachings helps us to thoroughly understand the impermanence of life. We do not know what will happen at any time. If we are living a good life, we cannot disregard everything else and just indulge ourselves. Then we are confused. Then we lack wisdom; then we are foolish. Thus, we must constantly heighten our vigilance and always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 360 – The Light of the Heart Illuminates the World

>> When our great perfect mirror wisdom is clear and bright, our hearts confirm and are imprinted with True Dharma. Similarly, true Buddha-children are taught and their minds are imprinted with Buddha’s teachings. They reflect the ultimate reality of all things.

>> So, “My body is adorned with marks.  I brilliantly illuminate the world. Honored by the boundless assembly, I speak of the seal of ultimate reality”

>> He brilliantly illuminated the world: The luminous light from within us can penetrate all things. It has two uses. First, to break through the darkness. Second, to reveal the Dharma. The light of the Buddha is the appearance of His wisdom.

>> Honored by the boundless assembly: Because of His virtue and great realizations, the Buddha’s body is pure and bright and. His light is auspicious and magnificent. Sentient beings respect Him with body and mind.

>> I speak of the seal of ultimate reality: The seal of ultimate reality is imprinted as the Buddha’s original vow and taught to enable all sentient beings to become like Him in all respects and to realize what they did not know before, which is the perfect Great Vehicle wisdom.

When our great perfect mirror wisdom is clear and bright,
our hearts confirm and are imprinted with True Dharma.
Similarly, true Buddha-children are taught and their minds are imprinted with Buddha’s teachings.
They reflect the ultimate reality of all things.

We humans live on this planet in the universe. This world is so vast! Human beings are so tiny! In our tiny little lives, simply because of greedy, angry and ignorant thoughts, we disrupt the harmony of the world and the balanced workings of our natural climate. Thus, the four elements are out of balance and manmade calamities constantly arise.

The Buddha taught us simply because He wants us to rein in our afflictions, to minimize them. If we can continuously minimize them, eventually we can completely eliminate them. Then we will have “great perfect mirror wisdom.”

Our mind is like a big round mirror. If we can clean it thoroughly, then the conditions before us will be reflected in our hearts and we will clearly discern “right” from “wrong.” If there is dust or dirt on the big round mirror, then the reflected image in that mirror will appear blurry and out of focus. It looks similar to the object, but also not, like being unable to discern right from wrong. Under these ambiguous circumstances, how can we move ahead steadily?

Sometimes at traffic intersections, we see a [convex] mirror. If that mirror is clear, we can see cars coming from all directions and will know to stop and allow other cars to pass. Then naturally we can proceed safely. But if the mirror is blurry, we cannot really see anything at all. Are there cars coming from other directions? We do not know. If we keep driving and miss seeing a car coming, within a split second there may be a crash that can lead to a big disaster.

I recall an elementary school student whose parents worked far away so she was cared for by her grandmother. Her grandmother was a recycling Bodhisattva. Every day, she took her granddaughter to school. One day, they passed by an intersection where the mirror was blurry and they saw a car almost hit someone. This young girl was only in elementary school, but she told her grandmother, “Grandma, that mirror is very blurry!” Grandmother said, “You’re right, it is blurry. Tomorrow we will bring some cloths to wipe it clean.”

Beginning the very next day, the grandmother, aside from transporting the girl on her moped, also transported a bucket of water and a cloth. Every day, they stopped at this part in the road and quickly wiped the mirror clean. This happened because one person simply saw what needed to be done and did it. The grandmother was loving and the child wise. Since they were willing to do this work, the people who traveled on this stretch of road could be safe.

To keep the great perfect mirror wisdom clean, we must be willing to cleanse our minds every day. When we can clearly discern right from wrong, then, naturally, we will be willing to give. So, “Our great perfect mirror wisdom is clear and bright.” If we wipe clean the mirror in our minds daily, then “our hearts confirm and are imprinted with True Dharma.” Our hearts will always be imprinted with true teachings. When the Dharma is carved into our hearts, the Dharma will manifest in our actions. With the Dharma imprinted in our hearts, we understand that the greatest happiness comes from giving.

So, those whose minds are imprinted with the Buddha’s teachings are Buddha-children. Since the Buddha gave us these teachings and wants us to imprint them on our minds, we must accept them. When He teaches, we must accept and practice His teachings. If we can accept and practice them, then we are true Buddha-children.

So, [our minds] “reflect the ultimate reality of all things.” To see the ultimate reality of all things, we must be like that mirror in our daily living and clearly reflect all conditions. Then we will not lose our way and can safely travel in all directions without obstructions. This comes from mindfully accepting

the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha tells us that in our lives of impermanence and hardship, [there are Four Noble Truths]. We have been discussing Small Vehicle Dharma because it is a fundamental teaching. The Buddha makes a point to tell everyone that life is impermanent, so we will realize that in our impermanent lives, we must seize the time that we have. The Buddha makes a point to tell us that life is full of suffering, so as to help us attain realizations. He tells us that the place where the Five Realms coexist is here. All realms, whether heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost or animal, coexist here, in the Saha World.

For example, at this time (November, 2012), on the east coast of the United States, New York, New Jersey, Long Island, Washington DC, and so on, places that I have been mentioning, there is great devastation. The sight is truly unbearable.

[Disaster struck] four, five days ago in the greater New York area, the financial center of the world. Traveling up the coast, Hurricane Sandy approached, then landed. Within moments, everything was destroyed. This place was heaven on earth. It was the center of finance and trade. People there lived a comfortable and affluent life with very few hardships and obstacles. They did not realize that a hurricane which was not strong but spanned a wide area, with [its effect on] the sea and with rain could cause a disaster of such magnitude.

After the disaster, everything was in ruins. There was no electricity, water, gas or fuel. We even saw images of places covered in water, stinking and rotten. People could not live there. Their clothes were wet; their belongings were soaked in water. [Their houses were] full of mud. Isn’t this Niraya (joyless) Hell? Everything was muddy and wet. There was no electricity, no water, and no way to clean up. Most of the victims were small families or young people living on their own. Young people now are not used to physical labor. Though they are young, they could only stare at the devastation. They had no idea where to start cleaning up. How could they move the heavy objects? If even they did not have the strength, what about the elderly?

It seems that people in modern society have lost the survival skills that people of the past used to have. They are only trained to use their brains, to move their fingers on the keyboard. Many lack any other kinds of strength. Look at them. Their daily living came to a complete halt; their routine has been disrupted. Such suffering!

But even under these circumstances, some people lit candles so they could see and prepare food. Could they make some hot soup for people? Could they find ways to make hot meals to satisfy people’s hunger? This was truly difficult. Without electricity, everything was dark, so they lit candles to do this work. These people are Bodhisattva-volunteers who are devoting themselves to helping others.

Those of us who are here must always be mindful because in this world we can confirm all teachings the Buddha has given, one by one. Using the information technology we have now, we can see and understand these things. This world is where the Five Realms coexist; besides suffering, emptiness and impermanence, the Three [Evil] Realms are part of this world. So, we must constantly heighten our vigilance and form aspirations. Forming aspirations begins with the mind. We must take action to help others in addition to helping ourselves. I hope we can all wipe the mirror in our minds so it is clear and bright. We must [allow] the Dharma to imprint our minds and manifest in our actions. So, we must be mindful.

Yesterday, we discussed how the Buddha said, “My body is adorned with marks.” The marks He referred to were the way the Threefold Truth combined to form the One Great Vehicle. The Threefold Truth is the truth of emptiness, of illusiveness and of the Middle Way.

When we clearly look at the world, do we see anything that lasts forever? No, just emptiness. We all eventually return to emptiness. The only thing we take with us is our karma. Therefore, we must clearly recognize the path that leads to and from this world. Thus we need light and the Dharma in our minds to clearly understand.

So, “My body is adorned with marks, I brilliantly illuminate the world. Honored by the boundless assembly, I speak of the seal of ultimate reality.”

This is the wisdom of the Buddha. He said that. He has already comprehended these principles. [In the midst of] emptiness and illusiveness, He remains in the truth of the Middle Way and makes use of the One Vehicle Dharma. This is how He illuminates the world with light. When sentient beings in darkness and ignorance are illuminated by His light, they can then reflect that light.

The sun is up there, shining down here. If something blocks the light from above, it will be dark here. The sun is up there, and if there is a mirror here that reflects its rays, then the darkness will be illuminated. So, the Buddha’s light, the light of His wisdom illuminates all sentient beings. As sentient beings, we Buddhist practitioners must wipe this mirror clean and receive this light so we can reflect it and let it pervade the world.

When the mirrors are all reflecting each other, won’t this world become very bright? This is the Buddha’s compassion and wisdom. Thus He is “honored by the boundless assembly.” Everyone in this world should respect Him since. He comes to this world for the one great cause to “speak of the seal of ultimate reality.” This is telling us that [teaching] ultimate reality is like carving a seal. Once the Buddha has carved a seal, we just need to stain it with ink and stamp it on a white piece of paper. Then whatever is carved on the seal becomes what is stamped on the paper. This is a form of confirmation.

Each teaching given by the Buddha, every word, must be carved in our minds. We must not deviate from the Buddha’s Dharma. He “speaks of the seal of ultimate reality,” so without deviation, we must transmit each word of the Dharma to other people. One seal can be stamped many times.

What is brilliant [illumination]? Let us further understand how. “He brilliantly illuminated the world. The luminous light from within us” can radiate from our hearts. We intrinsically possess the Buddha’s wisdom.

He brilliantly illuminated the world: The luminous light from within us can penetrate all things. It has two uses. First, to break through the darkness. Second, to reveal the Dharma. The light of the Buddha is the appearance of His wisdom.

I hope the light of the Buddha can illuminate our minds, so that we can also radiate this light. From our own nature of True Suchness we can “penetrate all things.” When our minds can radiate a penetrating light, principles around us become very clear. This is what light can do. A light that can penetrate all things comes from a mind that can truly exercise wisdom.

This light has two uses. The first is to break through the darkness. For instance, if we turn off the lights, we cannot see one another. By turning on the lights, we eliminate darkness. When light manifests, the scene we see will be very clear. The second is to reveal the Dharma. If we eliminate our ignorance, then the Dharma will manifest.

This is the light of the Buddha, the mark of His wisdom. So where is wisdom? We cannot see it. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, He uses analogies, expressions, causes and conditions to describe it for us. “Oh, it’s like this. I understand.” Once we accept [His teaching], we can also attain the Buddha’s wisdom and the same brilliant illumination.

He is “honored by the boundless assembly” because of His virtues and great realizations. I frequently tell you what it means to have virtue. Virtue can only be attained through practice; it truly requires internal cultivation. When we do not cultivate our mind, the Dharma will not remain in it. Ordinary people let it constantly leak away.

Honored by the boundless assembly: Because of His virtue and great realizations, the Buddha’s body is pure and bright and. His light is auspicious and magnificent. Sentient beings respect Him with body and mind.

Because of His virtue and great realizations, His mind has reached a state of perfection, which means it abides in the Dharma. This is the Buddha’s virtue. He has attained great realizations,

so His “body is pure and bright and. His light is auspicious and magnificent.” Light can radiate from His mind. As I previously said, light comes from His pure wisdom and illuminates Him. It can also illuminate others. This is the physical appearance of one with great virtue and great realizations. His mind is already very tranquil and clear. The light emitted from this state is auspicious and magnificent. So, sentient beings respect Him in actions and thoughts.

The Buddha comes to this world to “speak of the seal of ultimate reality.” He hopes that the Dharma He teaches will be deeply imprinted in everyone’s minds. Therefore, the seal of ultimate reality “is imprinted as the Buddha’s original vows”; it is encompassed by the Buddha’s original vows. The seal of ultimate reality is His original vow.

I speak of the seal of ultimate reality: The seal of ultimate reality is imprinted as the Buddha’s original vow and taught to enable all sentient beings to become like Him in all respects and to realize what they did not know before, which is the perfect Great Vehicle wisdom.

I often say that the Dharma that the Buddha safeguards in His mind is this, the seal of ultimate reality. The Buddha’s original vow is to imprint this seal He attained onto everyone’s mind. This is the Buddha’s vow, “to enable sentient beings to become like Him in all respects.” So, I often say, “take the Buddha’s mind as our mind.” We must imprint His mind onto ours.

“[We] realize what we did not know before, which is the perfect Great Vehicle wisdom.” We must quickly awaken. In the past we did not know better and only sought to benefit ourselves, to liberate ourselves. Now we are different. After we have cleansed ourselves, we should devote ourselves to go among people. This is practicing the Six Paramitas and walking the Bodhisattva-path.

Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must have minds like a sheet of white paper. Our spiritual state must be tranquil and pure; only then can this brilliance penetrate us. Once imprinted, this blank paper will become a priceless treasure. Dear Bodhisattvas, learning from the Buddha is learning the true Bodhisattva Way, and not just to be a Bodhisattva in name. Everyone, please always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 3 – Understand His True Magnificence and Virtue

>> The radiance of our hearts has no beginning and end, forever illuminating the boundless universe. Sentient beings respect and admire the one honored by the world. His subtle and wondrous true Dharma is infinite.

>> If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

>> “My body is adorned with marks; I brilliantly illuminate the world. Honored by the boundless assembly, I speak of the seal of ultimate reality.”

>> My body is adorned with marks: The Buddha’s virtuous appearance is magnificent. In His heart there is the Threefold Truth, but in the end He manifests ultimate reality. This is the magnificence and virtue of the Buddha.

The radiance of our hearts has no beginning and end,
forever illuminating the boundless universe.
Sentient beings respect and admire the one honored by the world.
His subtle and wondrous true Dharma is infinite.

Spiritual practice is about our hearts and minds. We must sustain the radiance of our hearts. “The radiance of our hearts has no beginning and end.” Our minds were originally pure. We are intrinsically [this way]. From Beginningless Time it has been thus; in the future it also will be thus. This light in our hearts will always remain, but we ordinary people have not fully exercised its potential because it has been obscured.

The light in our hearts is “forever illuminating the boundless universe.” If we manifest the light in our hearts, we too can, forever and ever, clearly illuminate the boundless universe. We will not be the way we are now, knowing only one side but not the other. Furthermore, we are completely unaware of the true principles of all things in the universe. This is why we ordinary people are helpless.

The Buddha has already attained perfect enlightenment. He knows how to return to the light in His heart, so when He teaches us the method, we must earnestly accept it. We must learn from the Buddha.

The Buddha is the one we “sentient beings respect and admire, the one honored by the world.” Thus He is called “World-Honored One.” In this world, He manifested the process of His practice and His attainment, making Him a role model for the world. Ordinary people should have faith [in Him] and give rise to respect and admiration.

“His subtle and wondrous True Dharma is infinite.” The Dharma attained by the Buddha is very subtle and wondrous, and is the True Dharma. That true, subtle and wondrous Dharma is infinite. As for the boundless universe, it is everlasting. This Dharma will exist forever.

He tells all of us, “I already know this Dharma. The Dharma is intrinsically in us all. These teachings do not all belong to me, but to everyone. All of us have always had this Dharma.” So, what we attain is very subtle and wondrous. After a person awakens, that intangible state of mind can penetrate the true principles of all things and they can collect them all in their mind. Think about it, isn’t this wondrous? This is truly subtle and wondrous True Dharma. This Dharma is infinite, and has always been intrinsic to us.

This is all about the mind. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must train our minds to be like the Buddha-mind, that pure, that bright, that clear and illuminating. He can penetrate the true principles of all things. This all depends on the mind.

When the Buddha was in this world, one day, Ananda and a bhiksu named Vavgisa went into the city at the same time. They saw many people around. Suddenly, an elegant and beautiful woman passed in front of them. Vavgisa saw her and in that moment, he began to adore her. His gaze followed her and moved with her. Then she disappeared into the crowd. Suddenly, he realized what he was doing. In that moment, he reprimanded himself. He was a spiritual practitioner; how could the sight of such an elegant girl so easily attract his mind? This should not happen to him.

“Being born human is rare. I have finally been born human, learned the Buddha-Dharma and became a monastic in the Sangha. Yet, my mind gave rise to this desire, to this sexual desire. What should I do about it? I think I must protect my wisdom-life. I’d rather extinguish my physical life than my wisdom-life.”

This mental struggle was very painful. So, he shared his thinking with Ananda, who was walking beside him. He told Ananda , “I am willing to destroy my physical life in order to protect my wisdom-life. But how can I ensure that my wisdom-life will be everlasting?”

Ananda said very sincerely, “It was fortunate you awakened in time; this means your wisdom-life is stable. You must know that when lust enters our hearts, it easily causes us to be confused. Desire is like a torch next to dry grass. If we are not careful, a wind could blow the fire toward the grass, and the entire plain will go up in flames. In spiritual practice, we must protect our minds very carefully. We must promptly cultivate our minds.”

The Buddha teaches us to engage in “contemplation of impurity.” If we are usually in an environment where things go smoothly for us, when our minds give rise to thoughts, especially sexual desire, we must immediately engage in “contemplation of impurity.” Contemplate the body as impure, contemplate all feelings as suffering, contemplate the mind as impermanent and contemplate all things as having no self. We must promptly engage in this kind of contemplation. When lust enters the mind, we feel as if our hearts are on fire. So, we must quickly engage in “contemplation of impurity.”

In the Buddha’s lifetime, as the spiritual practitioners who lived with Him went among the people, lust easily led their gaze astray and their minds gave rise to desire. This is to say nothing of us now. As we engage in spiritual practice now, there are many traps, many temptations around us. So, we must be vigilant of ourselves. We must emulate the Buddha’s virtuous conduct, the way He practiced, the virtue He manifested, that whole process. We certainly must earnestly follow the process of the Buddha’s spiritual practice. Only then can we attain a state equal to the Buddha’s. So, we must always protect the radiance of our hearts.

So, we must respect and admire the Buddha and the Dharma the World-Honored One has attained. Through His practice, He attained subtle and wondrous True Dharma. We must give rise to a deep faith and respect and admire this subtle, wondrous. True Dharma, which is infinite. Actually, He came to teach us, to help all of us recognize that this subtle, wondrous, True Dharma has always been in our hearts. As long as the light in our hearts manifest, we can illuminate the world and all things. So, He hopes we can understand our minds.

This is just like Ananda’s warning to his fellow spiritual practitioner. Should he ever be tempted by external things, he [must] quickly give rise to a mindset of wiping clean the mirror in his mind and earnestly protecting his bright and clear mind. This is the same principle. We must all be like Ananda and help our fellow practitioners. We must not be jealous of others. If we can do it, others can too. We must praise them, be happy for them, and even help them so they can surpass us. This is what it means to truly have a heart that encompasses the universe and penetrates its boundlessness.

So, we must “eliminate the evil in all things.” When things around us connect with our minds, we must not be tempted by them and must not keep such habitual tendencies in our minds. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

Next, we continue talking about this sutra passage. “Throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.” In the ten directions, [four cardinal], four intermediate, above and below, everything is understood by the Buddha, to the point where His mind can encompass all things in the universe.

Every one of us gives rise to thoughts of ignorance and afflictions; the Buddha understands everything very clearly. So, to teach the Dharma to sentient beings, He fully abides in principles of ultimate reality. Because of the Dharma, His mind will never be defiled by impure things. So, His mind is very much at ease. He appears in this world for one great cause, to teach selfless great love to all beings. So, “the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.” In this world, the Buddha alone can be that at ease and give to all sentient beings without any selfish thoughts. He hopes the Dharma we all attain is the same as His.

In this world, this universe, the Buddha’s mind is the most pure. Because His mind is the most pure, He “has nothing to fear.” He had no need to be afraid or worried. Because He clearly understands all things, He has nothing to fear when teaching the Dharma.

As for ordinary people, they can teach the Dharma, but they still have many worries. Why are they worried? They worry whether they can accomplish this task. They wonder whether this place will be safe. Indeed, they worry about so many things. If it were me, I would never say “I alone have nothing to fear.”

So, these few sutra passages may not seem to be anything [special], but actually, they are the most important. We must value the reason

the Buddha is so peaceful and at ease while we ordinary people, in our daily living, have so many afflictions. Why did people who practiced with the Buddha still give rise to these thoughts? When it comes to His disciples, why did the Buddha have to, over and over again, tirelessly teach according to their capabilities? Why? I always think, attaining Buddhahood is not an ordinary matter.

But what the Buddha first taught us was not ordinary Dharma. The remarkable [Dharma] He taught could stand the test of time and was attained by countless Buddhas through. Their practices over a countless number of kalpas. The Buddha told us, very calmly, that He never said that engaging in spiritual practice would immediately lead to attainment. So, we must really understand that the Buddha spoke true and genuine words to us, and we must accept them with sincerity.

So, the Buddha said of Himself,

“My body is adorned with marks; I brilliantly illuminate the world. Honored by the boundless assembly, I speak of the seal of ultimate reality.”

We must also mindfully understand this. When the Buddha says “my,” He is referring to Himself. The Buddha says, “My,” Sakyamuni’s, “body is adorned with marks.” We all know the Buddha has 32 Marks, but the marks the Buddha speaks of now are not part of His external appearance, but the ultimate truths He attained.

My body is adorned with marks: The Buddha’s virtuous appearance is magnificent. In His heart there is the Threefold Truth, but in the end He manifests ultimate reality. This is the magnificence and virtue of the Buddha.

The Buddha’s magnificence and virtuous appearance comes from His spiritual practice, from what His mind attained. Through His spiritual practice, He attained this level. What level? In His heart there is the Threefold Truth. The Threefold Truth is principles.

Because we have no way to comprehend the principles of this world, the Dharma taught by the Buddha for these Small Vehicle practitioners starts with the truths of emptiness, illusiveness and the Middle Way. This is the Threefold Truth.

As for the Threefold Truth, sentient beings have very many attachments, so the Buddha must use various teachings to explain them to us. No matter how strongly we cling to something, in the end, we have nothing. Even when it comes to sages and noble beings, where are they now? For example, Confucius, Zhuangzi and Mozi are widely considered to be virtuous people. These noble beings and sages, where are they now? Sakyamuni Buddha was also a noble being over 2000 years ago. As for this extraordinary noble being, where is His tangible manifestation now?

So, even Buddhas, sages and noble beings are subject to birth, aging, illness and death. The mountains, rivers and land are also subject to impermanence and deterioration, to formation, existence, decay and disappearance. Our minds are impermanent. We cannot see it, but our minds change often.

If our minds give rise to wholesome thoughts, then everything we do will be good. If our minds are tempted by external phenomena and give rise to evil thoughts of greed and anger, delusions and ignorance will manifest. Then, everything we do will be unwholesome. All this comes about when our minds connect to all kinds of conditions. So, the Buddha warns us all about “emptiness.”

The tyrannical ruler of ancient times, Qin Shi Huang, where is he now? Though he ruled the world, where is he now? There is just emptiness. These are all illusive labels. Illusory things cause our minds to waver, cause us to think of gain and loss. So, we must know that all things are empty.

If all things are empty, does that mean we should stop working? If everything is empty, if everything is illusory, why should we ever do anything? We need not do good things and we need not fear doing bad things, because everything is empty and illusory. Don’t these [truths] contradict each other? The Buddha tells us of the Middle Way. We must know that “empty” refers to true emptiness. Within true emptiness there is “wondrous existence.” So, “wondrous existence” is explained through analogies, causes and conditions and expressions. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. So, He applied His wisdom to wholeheartedly teaching sentient beings, and the final principles [He taught] were to reveal “ultimate reality.”

So, “This is the magnificence and virtue of the Buddha.” This is the virtue the Buddha cultivated, the appearance He obtained. I always tell everyone, “The virtuous attain.” When we engage in cultivation, we will attain. We will attain the affirmation of others and their trust. In this way, people will respect us.

So, everything we create, the conduct we cultivate, must always [come from] our wisdom. As we are wise, we must also be pure. We must find a way to realize the subtle and wondrous truths of true emptiness. When we are amidst illusory appearances, how can we penetrate their true principles? We must not allow our greed, anger, delusion and so on to obstruct us on our way to penetrating true principles.

The Buddha has a “body adorned with marks” for “in His heart there is the Threefold Truth,” the truths of emptiness, illusiveness and the Middle Way. If we can penetrate these truths, ultimately we can combine them. The Buddha [comes] to teach the One Reality, the ultimate truth, which is the One Vehicle. The Buddha already has [these characteristics]. Thus, His “body is adorned with marks.”

So, everyone, when learning from the Buddha, we truly must be mindful. We must not let even a bit of affliction or ignorance obscure our minds and give rise to evil thoughts in our minds as we engage in spiritual practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0358

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 358 – Contemplate the Teachings of Impermanence

>> The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena. In this world, we make use of labels. But taking the illusory as real obstructs the path. With great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom, we are unhindered.

>> He treats others with sincerity and does not deceive those with limited capabilities. He does not crave the benefits of the Dharma and does not envy those who may surpass Him. The Buddha’s mind is pure. He has eliminated all evils and gives teachings with a pure heart.

>> “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”

>> “He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

>> He has eliminated the evil in all things: The virtue of ending is a synonym of liberation. The Tathagata is free from all afflictions, delusions and karma, completely and with no remainder. This is the virtue of ending.

>> [Buddhas] alone have nothing to fear: The Tathagata attained supreme and perfect enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom. Among all sentient beings, He issued the lion’s roar, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained great liberation. Thus His fearlessness is inconceivable.

The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena.
In this world, we make use of labels.
But taking the illusory as real obstructs the path.
With great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom, we are unhindered.

“The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena.” The mind is impermanent, and phenomena also have no independent individuality. I constantly say that our thoughts arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds are constantly changing along with our external conditions, so we must take good care of our minds. We must “contemplate the mind as impermanent” and “contemplate all phenomena as having no self.” We must constantly understand these principles. Then we can stabilize our minds and clearly understand the temporary [nature] of labels in the world.

For some time previous to this, I talked about “conditioned phenomena.” In this world, we make use of labels. These temporary labels are not fixed or real. Moreover, there are many languages in this world, with different kinds of writing. There are thousands of languages, and a countless number of words. So, in this world, we make use of labels. Regardless of its name and how it is written, its underlying principle is the same. If we understand its principle, as long as it is a true principle, we can express it in any language. But what form do true principles take? Do true principles have tangible appearances? They are actually intangible, but they are omnipresent.

When speaking of a house that has four sides, it may be square or rectangular. Either structure could be designed by an architect who figures out how big the pillars and how thick the walls should be for it to become a very sturdy and solid house. There are principles [of design] behind this.

We can discuss principles, but they are not tangible things. We can only talk about them, not show them. To carry them out, we can decide on a specific place, a certain location where we can turn the principles into plans and create something with labor. So, “the label” can be considered real, in that it is based on underlying principles. Things that are conditioned and created based on these principles, after many years go by, will eventually decay. For anything with a worldly appearance, [decay] is only a matter of time. But principles will always remain. Because they are intangible, they do not arise or cease. Because they are non-arising and non-ceasing, everlasting, they are “real”; they are true principles.

True principles are empty, because we cannot see them. From principles of true emptiness arise illusory appearances, so there is wondrous existence in true emptiness. Something with “existence” will certainly have the “appearance of arising and ceasing.” These are the principles of conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. What are wondrous existence and true emptiness? To put it simply, they are things we cannot see, things we cannot touch. In this case, should we believe in them or not? If we do not believe in them, we will always “take the illusory as real,” and this will obstruct our spiritual aspirations. Thus, the real teachings of the path are what we must firmly adhere to. Since we believe, our faith must be strong. If we deviate even slightly and take the illusory as real, then we will obstruct our own spiritual practice with improper thinking, views and practices.

Remember how during our volunteer morning assembly, a volunteer said, “Currently in the hospital, there is an 80-year-old grandma who is very ill.” She had a severely handicapped daughter she needed to care for, and she could not bear to leave her. In addition to caring for her daughter, she herself was ill and wasting away day by day. Now she only weighed 28 kilograms. She was terminally ill, but she still could not let [her daughter] go. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),

her son, who was over 60 and very filial, came to care for her every day. One of our volunteers saw this and was very moved, so she chatted with him. She learned that this 60-year-old man was the old woman’s son. He told the volunteer, “Actually, decades ago, I used to drive your master around for a period of time.” He used to work in a financial institution, and his manager was one of our commissioners. Sometimes when his manager did case visits, he would drive his manager and me around as we conducted case visits together. He also had positive feelings toward Tzu Chi.

Later, he left that institution, and he established a shrine to help people eliminate their misfortunes. He did this for a long time. Though he helped others eliminate their bad luck, in his family, he had a severely handicapped younger sister. Caring for her was very taxing for his mother. If this shrine could help others use the power of gods to eliminate their misfortunes, why couldn’t he first eliminate his own family’s misfortunes? This shows the perspectives of sentient beings. If our perspective is not correct, we take the illusory as real and confuse the improper with the proper. Then the Right Dharma is influenced by our improper beliefs. Thus, we are led astray.

Not only did he have improper beliefs, [he also] misled those who asked him to eliminate their misfortune. They hoped for gods to eliminate their misfortunes. Thus, they probably lost out on many opportunities to change their family’s way of life and delayed treatment of their physical illnesses. If some families are not harmonious, if there are poor relationships between parents and children, between spouses or between mother- and daughter-in-law, they may try to eliminate misfortunes and improve their relationships by looking for charms, conducting rituals and so on. This only causes more trouble for their families. Some people try to bring peace to everyone in their families in this way. Perhaps they may even delay the treatment of their illness.

If we stray toward an improper course, there will be obstacles every inch of our way. So, taking the illusory as real obstructs the teachings of the path. This leads us toward impropriety and evil deeds. Therefore Sakyamuni Buddha leads us to “great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom,” so our minds can settle down and abide in the Right Dharma.

If our minds can be still and abide in Right Dharma, “infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear.” We can “attain great wisdom and completely understand all Dharma.” When we have Samadhi and wisdom and are on the correct course, then naturally [our path] will have no obstacles. Thus, the Buddha teaches us to “treat others with sincerity” and “not deceive those with limited capabilities.”

He treats others with sincerity and does not deceive those with limited capabilities. He does not crave the benefits of the Dharma and does not envy those who may surpass Him. The Buddha’s mind is pure. He has eliminated all evils and gives teachings with a pure heart.

The Buddha treats sentient beings with utmost sincerity. If people have limited faculties and capabilities, the Buddha still treats them with open honesty. He does not deceive or lie to them.

The Buddha “speaks the truth, what is real; He does not speak lies or falsehoods,” so He “does not deceive those with limited capabilities” and “does not crave the benefits of the Dharma.” The Buddha openly shares the Dharma with everyone. This is what we must learn to do. We must “not envy those who may surpass us” or be jealous that others may outdo us. We must hope that everyone can understand principles better than us and can do better than us. Only then are we a truly wise person.

We help others succeed, help them surpass us. Only when we take joy in others’ merits can we be constantly joyful. So, the Buddha’s mind is pure, completely free of evil. He “gives teachings with a pure heart.” When the Buddha is teaching the Dharma, His heart is always very pure. He does not seek rewards, fame or benefits, etc. All [His evils] have been eliminated. The Buddha always abides in the true path, the great principles of His wisdom. His mind always abides in that state, so He never has any impurities in His mind. He is always fully in a state of purity, so He teaches the Dharma with a pure heart.

As we have discussed,

“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”

We must have faith in the Buddha. He has such a calm and composed mindset in teaching all sentient beings.

“He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

Let us examine “eliminated the evil in all things.”

He has eliminated the evil in all things: The virtue of ending is a synonym of liberation. The Tathagata is free from all afflictions, delusions and karma, completely and with no remainder. This is the virtue of ending.

“Eliminating” refers to the virtue of ending. [To cultivate] the virtue of ending is to be free from all greed, anger, delusion, ignorance and so on. All afflictions and ignorance have been eliminated from the Buddha. He is already liberated and not trapped by afflictions. He is already liberated, so He is not teaching for fame or wealth. Not at all. This is the “virtue of ending.”

So, “to eliminate” is to end afflictions. “The evil in all things” refers to many improper practices which may disrupt true [teachings]. So, the Buddha has also eliminated these kinds of improper things. The Buddha only teaches the Right Dharma. The Buddha has realized supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment.

“Universal” means no one can surpass Him. No one has reached a higher level of enlightenment than Him, so we call Him “the Great Enlightened One of the Universe”. In the universe, whose teachings can surpass the Buddha’s? Who among us can surpass the Buddha’s proper and right thinking? Thus, it is “universal.” This means it is supreme; nothing is higher. So, it is called “universal”. It is absolutely certain that it is unsurpassed. “Perfect enlightenment” means it is proper, not biased toward the self or the improper. He had already completely eliminated these things. Thus “He has eliminated the evil in all things.” All biases toward the self and improper practices, all afflictions, ignorance and obstacles are gone, “completely free with no remainder.” They have been completely eliminated. He is very pure; there is not a single remnant left in His heart, so He can give teachings with a pure heart.

“Therefore, in the Buddha-lands of the ten directions….” The four directions, above and below and the four intermediate directions put together encompass the entire universe. “There is only the One Vehicle Dharma,” there is only one subtle and wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma. “There are not two or three.”

This One Vehicle Dharma is the path to Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, we must awaken ourselves and others. We must deliver ourselves to the other shore and also bring along many other people to walk this smooth road together until we reach our destination. This is how we truly [practice] the Great Vehicle. If we only awaken and benefit ourselves, we are practicing the Small Vehicle. So, there are not two or three [vehicles]. The Buddha does not hope to deliver one person. He wants all of us to deliver all people. Thus, we must each aspire to transform sentient beings. This is what the Buddha hopes for. This must be done with the One Vehicle Dharma; “there are not two or three.” There are no Two or Three Vehicles.

The Tathagata “alone has nothing to fear.” This is because “the Tathagata attained supreme and universal enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.”

[Buddhas] alone have nothing to fear: The Tathagata attained supreme and perfect enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom. Among all sentient beings, He issued the lion’s roar, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained great liberation. Thus His fearlessness is inconceivable.

[He has] “unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.” The Buddha’s wisdom is “all-encompassing wisdom.” In the past, I told everyone that “all-encompassing wisdom” is the Tathagata’s wisdom, which is “unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.” No one can surpass the Buddha’s wisdom, which is “all-encompassing wisdom.” This is the wisdom of the Buddha.

So, the Buddha could, “among all sentient beings, issue the lion’s roar and turn the wondrous Dharma-wheel.” The Buddha is often compared to the king of beasts, the lion. When the lion roars, the earth will shake so animals can feel it and all animals will be afraid. The “lion’s roar” is a sound that can move the minds of all people. This describes how. He turns the Dharma-wheel in a way that moves people. “He attained great liberation.” If the Dharma-wheel turns, the wheel in the mind will turn. He “attained great liberation” so He could turn the minds of ordinary people into minds of sages. Thus, “His fearlessness is inconceivable.”

Though many with limited capabilities and wisdom still cannot understand the Buddha’s teachings, despite that, they can still faithfully accept it. The Buddha did not just want to inspire faith, He wanted them to accept [the teachings] as well. Not only must they accept them, they must also put the teachings into practice. Because He teaches sentient beings in this way, His “fearlessness is inconceivable.” He fears nothing. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, His teachings are replete with principles. All things in the world, even the temporary labels we make use of, can also lead back to Right Dharma. The Buddha takes these principles and puts them into terms people can understand, so they can penetrate true principles.

This is what we constantly tell everyone. One Dharma can contain all truths. Thus, there is a saying, “By grasping one truth, we understand all truths.” So, we must understand that “the mind is impermanent and there is no self in phenomena.” If we can all understand that “the mind is impermanent,” since our minds are impermanent, we must seize this moment to focus our minds and not allow our wavering minds to be swayed by names and appearances.

If we thoroughly understand the Buddha’s truth, that “there is no self in things,” then what is truly the “self”? For the sake of the “self” alone, people constantly fight over things. Who should I refer to as “I”? Between her, you and me, which one of us is really “I”? None of us. It is just a label we use in response to worldly phenomena. If we thoroughly understand this, then we know “there is no self in phenomena.” The Dharma is intangible but contains the principles of wondrous existence. No matter what we want to do, if we act according to principles, then worldly appearances will seem firm. If we do not act according to principles, then those worldly appearances will quickly vanish.

So, if we understand that “the mind is impermanent and there is no self in phenomena,” then with this principle, we penetrate the illusory labels of all things and will not “take the illusory as real” and let it obstruct our path. Thus, we must rely on the Buddha’s “great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom.” We must not allow worldly phenomena or improper practices to obstruct us. So, as we learn the Dharma, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0357

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 357 – Faith in the Buddha’s Great Realization

>> “The universe is vast and boundless. The dimensions of the ten directions are hard to fathom. In the time of a thought, one can pervade countless lands and can transform turbidity to purity in this world.”

>> If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

>> If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha: If people turn away from evil toward goodness, have faith in the Buddha’s directions and seek the true principles, through the Buddha’s great realizations, they can transcend the deluded thinking that traps them in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

>> The Tathagata will not deceive them: The Buddha’s words are not deceptive. Unlike ordinary people, He does not greedily cling to the Great Vehicle and is not jealous of those who realize it. Having attained Buddhahood, He is replete with the virtue of ending.

“The universe is vast and boundless.
The dimensions of the ten directions are hard to fathom.
In the time of a thought, one can pervade countless lands
and can transform turbidity to purity in this world.”

The world between heaven and earth is vast. Indeed, when we look up, we can only see so much of the sky. This is all we can see, but actually, “the universe is vast and boundless.” Its size cannot be measured. The dimensions of the ten directions, of time and of space, are hard to fathom. So, whenever the Buddha talks about the most immense, expansive and profound wondrous Dharma, He sometimes describes it as “inconceivable, unimaginable” and “unexplainable.” Indeed, what can we use to measure the universe, the dimensions of the ten directions?

It is difficult, but we have modern technology. This distance is not measured in meters, nor in kilometers, but in light-years. We use light-years to measure this distance. What is a light-year? An [almost] incalculable distance. For instance, in the span of one second, light can travel 300,000 km.

One “second” is the time it takes for a thought [to arise and cease]. Each minute is 60 seconds. In one minute, how far can our cars travel? Several kilometers. We all know that, in one second, light can travel 300,000 km. As for our minds, when we give rise to a thought, how far can it take us? Actually, it takes us very far. That is why the Buddha talks about the “time of a thought.”

The time it takes a thought [to arise and cease] is faster than the speed of light. This is the “time of a thought.” The Buddha uses “20 trillion Buddha-lands” to describe something vast. Is the size of the world limited to this? The Buddha says it is incalculable, “inconceivable, unimaginable, unfathomable, unexplainable.” It cannot be described. It is not that we lack the ability; it is simply indescribable.

Space is so immense, it is immeasurable, and so much time has passed it is inconceivable. If we spend too much time trying to fathom this boundlessness, even if we are finally able to calculate the time, we will have already imperceptibly lost a lot of time. So, we must seize the present moment. At this time, we must immediately do the things we must do. Since we are receiving the Dharma right now, we must promptly understand it, make vows, then immediately put it into practice. Our past deviations must be corrected right away.

To transform ourselves in the time of a thought is actually very easy. But oftentimes, within the time of a thought, we wander around boundless time and space and among people, matters and objects. It is as if we are sleepwalkers, roaming through our illusory thoughts. That is how we ordinary people waste time. In this illusory world, there are many distractions and delusions. In the midst of these distractions, delusions and illusions, it is as if we are creating karma in our sleep. “Our every thought creates karma.” The Earth Treasury Sutra also says this. So, in this lifetime we must strive to adjust our minds.

“In the time of a thought” we can “pervade countless lands.” In the state of the Buddha, in the time of a thought, He can pervade countless lands. Everything in the ten directions of the universe and the truths of all things are fully encompassed in His mind. As He teaches all sentient beings, His wisdom [enables] Him to pervade countless lands in the time of a thought. His heart and mind are so expansive, and. His every thought is focused on sentient beings.

As for us ordinary people, our minds can wander far away in an instant. Sometimes when we sit quietly in meditation, we want to focus on breathing in and out, on adjusting our breathing. In between taking breaths of air, our minds somehow easily wander away. I think we all have experienced this before. Either delusions distract us and take us to other places, or we fall into a stupor, or we become restless.

But the Buddha, for the sake of all sentient beings, very clearly brings together people, things and their underlying principles. [He teaches] these principles for us sentient beings to awaken. We are now living in a state of turbidity. The amount of Dharma-water we need is based on our capabilities. The Buddha has to gauge and estimate how much Dharma each individual needs. People are truly hard to train;

it is hard to distribute the Dharma-water evenly because sentient beings’ capabilities vary and are difficult to work with. Our minds are hard to train. So, the Buddha works hard. He “can transform turbidity to purity in this world.” For such a long time, for immeasurable kalpas in the past, countless Buddhas have come to the world solely to transform all sentient beings. The founder of our religion, Sakyamuni Buddha, already manifested the attainment of enlightenment over 2000 years ago. The Dharma has come down to us today. His Dharma-water has flowed in this world for a long time to purify it.

We are very blessed right now to be able to absorb the many teachings transmitted by generations of great Dharma masters. Their thinking, perspective and understanding are collected in the sutras and texts. Everything from sutras to rules of conduct to treatises are collected in the Tripitaka. We Buddhist practitioners are lucky to have them. Unfortunately, life is very short, so we must seize every opportunity to quickly do what we can. We must learn to transform sentient beings and to apply the Dharma in this present world to purify it. Thus, we “transform turbidity into purity in this world.”

In the Buddha’s time, the area He could physically cover [was limited]. He could only travel to certain places. The spreading of the Dharma throughout the world depends on what we do right now. With more people, convenient transportation and advanced technology, we can quickly share the Dharma. So, we all have this responsibility to bring purity to the world. This is why we must all now aspire to immediately dissolve discursive thoughts and firmly hold on to our vows. We must quickly vow to pervade countless lands.

For example, we have seen how overseas Tzu Chi volunteers have brought these teachings to their respective countries and even to nearby countries. In this way, they share the Dharma more widely so everyone can apply it. For the most impoverished countries, the material aid we can give them is limited, but the spiritual wealth we have given them is unlimited. The poor can also help those who are weaker, such as orphans or sick people. The impoverished can also accomplish this. They can find a way to help the orphaned. They can find a way to help the ill. Though they are poor, they are capable of doing this. These things have begun to happen in several African nations;

these things are not impossible. In this turbid world, we can “transform turbidity to purity” as long as we have the proper mindset. We must put [the Dharma] into practice, regardless of how vast the planet is. Wherever there is dirt, or soil, wherever there is earth, that is our world. On this planet, in any nation, in any corner of the world, as long as we have the will and the vow, even across countless lands, we will find a way [to practice]. Of course, this takes mindfulness.

The sutra text we discussed yesterday stated, “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”

If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

We must have faith that the Buddha’s teachings are based on the One Vehicle Dharma. Every word is true; there are no false or misleading words. All these words are true. This is what I broadly explained yesterday. Today we will further discuss, “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha.”

If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha: If people turn away from evil toward goodness, have faith in the Buddha’s directions and seek the true principles, through the Buddha’s great realizations, they can transcend the deluded thinking that traps them in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha.” Remember [how we explained] “taking refuge.” [The Chinese character for “taking refuge” is] turning away from darkness towards light. This is how we take refuge with the Buddha. In the past, we had delusions and ignorance. Now that we have faith in the Buddha, we have turned toward light, toward goodness.

When there is no sunlight, we need to use a lamp at night. If all of us have light in our minds, then we do not need light from the sun or the lamp. As long as our minds face toward the Buddha, His teaching is illuminating. His illuminating principles are wisdom. Once wisdom enters our minds, we can clearly understand all matters and things. Even if we close our eyes, we still clearly understand what is in front of us. Similarly, when we turn away from darkness toward light, all the principles we could not see in the past can now be clearly discerned. This is “taking refuge,” turning away from [darkness] to [light].

“Refrain from all evil.” We must no longer give rise to our past evil and discursive thoughts. We must no longer commit our past evil deeds and behaviors. This is “taking refuge.” Then in the future, the illuminating principles of benefiting people will be realized through our actions. This is also “taking refuge.” Following the Buddha’s teachings and putting them into practice is “taking refuge.”

So, believing in and relying on the. True Dharma, the Buddha’s perfect enlightenment, is “taking refuge.” We must take refuge in the Buddha, believe in the Buddha and apply the Buddha’s principles to our bodies and minds.

So, we “take refuge in” and depend on the Buddha’s great realizations. After the principles are taught, if we do not accept them promptly we will quickly go astray. Therefore, we must still “take refuge in” and rely on the Buddha’s great realizations. We still do not clearly understand the Dharma, but the Buddha’s great realizations are in us, so naturally we can trace back the Dharma and try to further understand the Right Dharma. We must not hear and immediately forget it. “It seemed to say…. Seemed to” can be a small deviation that leads us far off course.

He taught the principles. If people do not promptly and accurately absorb them, they will only learn “seeming Dharma.” They do not know how to head toward perfect enlightenment. With “seeming” [knowledge], they will mislead themselves and others. They will [harm] themselves and others as well, by leading them onto a deviant path. Therefore, we must be very vigilant and accept [teachings] with Right Thinking. We “[depend on] the Buddha’s great realizations.” We spiritual practitioners cannot neglect them.

We “can transcend the deluded thinking that traps us in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.” If we do not rely on the Buddha’s great realizations, we can never transcend the Three Destinies. Though we are [now] human and appear to engage in spiritual practice, what will happen in the future? If we remain in the Six Realms in the future, we will never attain clear realizations. So, if we deviate even slightly from the path, we will easily become deluded. If we are deluded, we cannot accept proper guidance from others. We will be conceited, thinking, “I am always right,” and “the things other people tell me are not right.” Or, we may tend toward improper thinking. When [our thinking] seems proper but is not, it has deviated. Then, we are inclined toward impropriety.

In the Buddha’s time, there were people with “overbearing arrogance.” The overbearingly arrogant left the assembly, 5000 of them. If this happened even in the Buddha’s lifetime, wouldn’t it now? In this evil world, this era of Dharma-decay, deviant knowledge, practices, teachings and demonic paths will often manifest. So, at this point, if we resolve to seek awakening for ourselves and for sentient beings, we must guide them. Everyone, please always be mindful and take refuge in the Buddha. I hope we will never turn away from the Buddha’s great realizations. This is our course. We must believe the Tathagata will not deceive us.

The Tathagata will not deceive them: The Buddha’s words are not deceptive. Unlike ordinary people, He does not greedily cling to the Great Vehicle and is not jealous of those who realize it. Having attained Buddhahood, He is replete with the virtue of ending.

The Buddha’s words are free of deceit. We must believe that He never deceives. “Unlike ordinary people,” He will not greedily cling to things nor try to possess them or keep them to Himself. Indeed, Buddha-Dharma is truly illuminating and absolutely right. When it comes to the Great Vehicle, we ordinary people cling to the Dharma and say, “I know the Right Dharma, I should be guiding you.” But some people have already gone astray and people with the right understanding and views may not know how to stand up and correct them. Some think, “Believe me; I know it [all]. Everyone should know that only my beliefs are correct. I am the only one who knows all. No one else knows, so you should ask me.” This is “greedily clinging.”

Though we understand the Great Vehicle Dharma, we may see other people make mistakes and not correct them with the Dharma we know. Then we are also hiding it. Why do we do this? Out of jealousy. [We think,] “I know this teaching. If I am the only person who knows, then I am special. If more people can teach this, more people will learn it. Then everyone will be more exceptional than me.” This is “jealousy.” Listening to but not practicing the path is wrong.

The Buddha absolutely never deceives anyone. He is open about sharing the Dharma and hopes everyone can attain it right away. So, “those who realize the Great Vehicle’s intent” are free of greed and jealousy. They have already realized the wisdom of the Great Vehicle.

“Having attained Buddhahood, the Buddha is replete with the virtue of ending.” He has severed afflictions from clinging, afflictions from jealousy, afflictions from greed and so on. He has eliminated them all. So, the Buddha’s mind is open and expansive, not like worldly people who refuse to share the realizations they attain. Not at all. As soon as the Buddha attained [realizations], His first thought was to share it with everyone. This shows how broad-minded He is. As ordinary people, we think, “It is enough that I attain and know it.” This is a form of jealousy and greed. The Buddha is not like this. He has already achieved the virtue of ending, the state of Buddhahood.

“The virtue of ending” means. He has ended all afflictions. The Water Repentance mentions 108 type of afflictions. I have already discussed this in great detail in the Water Repentance [lectures]. When we no longer have all these afflictions, we have ended them. After we have eliminated all these afflictions, we are manifesting the virtue of ending. This is a virtue we cultivate. This is the virtue of ending, the virtue of ending afflictions through practice.

So, “the virtuous will attain.” Attaining and manifesting virtue from eliminating afflictions is the state of Buddhahood. If we have not eliminated our afflictions, we cannot illuminate our minds. As the Buddha is already the Enlightened One, He has eliminated all afflictions.

I hope we will put our hearts into comprehending this passage in the sutra. “The Tathagata will not deceive them.” I hope none of us will deceive others. Since we have faith in the Buddha, I hope we can all be nourished by benefits of the Dharma. By doing this, we will be spiritual and virtuous friends to one another at this place of practice. We must always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 356 – With a Penetrating Mind and Faith

>> We Return to the Buddha-mind. With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind. With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path. Like water that takes the shape of its container, the Buddha taught the One Vehicle Dharma according to capabilities. “With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind. With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.”

>> “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

We Return to the Buddha-mind. With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.
With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.
Like water that takes the shape of its container,
the Buddha taught the One Vehicle Dharma according to capabilities.
“With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.
With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.”

This explains that we must be reverent and sincere and maintain “a penetrating mind and faith.”

Earlier, we spent some time discussing how, “with a penetrating mind, [we] are mindful of the Buddha.” We do not chant the Buddha’s name with our mouths alone. We do not have faith in the Buddha only when we are in need. No, The Buddha tells us “to be mindful of the Buddha with a penetrating mind. Penetrating” means not superficial. [Our faith] must truly penetrate our minds. Deep within our minds is our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. We hope that our faith will penetrate deeply to our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. With our every thought, we must “return to the Buddha-mind.”

We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We all intrinsically have the Buddha-mind. We must take the Buddha-mind as our own. When the Buddha is in our minds, the Dharma is in our actions. The Buddha-mind and Buddha-Dharma can abide in our minds and in our actions. If we can be like this, “with a penetrating mind, we are mindful of the Buddha and return to the Buddha-mind.” We replace our ordinary minds with the Buddha’s mind.

“With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.” Our minds must really be “genuine.” In our daily living, as we interact with people and handle things, we must treat each other with great sincerity. Sincerity is free of deception and lies. It is something we must cultivate. The Buddha also teaches us to cultivate this sincerity. Only by being sincere and free of deception can we reach the True Path, The true principles, the true and wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle that is safeguarded by the Buddha’s mind, are called the True Path.

“This is like water that takes the shape of its container.” If we can, “with sincerity and freedom from deception, reach the True Path,” then our minds are one with those principles. Then, we can respond to the ever-changing world with an unwavering spiritual aspiration. Sentient beings in the world each have different habitual tendencies. What is the method for transforming them? The Dharma is like water, which takes the shape of all kinds of containers, round or square, long or short. Regardless of the container, “water will take [that] shape.” Water will adapt to all kinds of shapes. In a pipe, [water takes the shape of] the pipe. In buckets, [water takes the shape of] the bucket. Regardless of where we pour the water, it will adapt to all kinds of containers.

The land, in particular, cannot lack water. A single tree absorbs a lot of water, but the amount of water a tree absorbs depends on its size. Similarly, a small blade of grass will only absorb a small amount of water. So, water is absorbed in different amounts by different things. “Like water that takes the shape of its container” means that water takes all kinds of shapes. This is [the nature] of water. Similarly, the Dharma and true principles are suitable for each of our capabilities because the Buddha taught according to capabilities.

The most important part of teaching in this way is to not deviate from the One Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma at all times, but sentient beings’ limited capabilities are like small blades of grass. All things are given the same amount of water, but small blades of grass can only absorb so much. A larger tree with bigger roots can absorb much more water. This is how the Buddha-Dharma [is taught] according to sentient beings’ capabilities. Regardless of what capabilities we have, we must start with “a penetrating mind and faith.” We must always be mindful.

We often talk about imbalances. These are manmade calamities. How can we bring peace to the world? We must adjust our minds and help other people adjust their minds. Therefore, we unceasingly promote “one person, one Bodhisattva,” recruiting [new volunteers] to create blessings so every day can be peaceful.

In Northern California, in the US, Tzu Chi volunteers are doing this diligently. In June of this year (2012), Mr. Poh Joo Tan came to Taiwan from California to attend our global Four-in-One Training Camp. The leaders in the volunteer structure all learned how to spread the power of love, so that all around the world, [volunteers can recruit more Bodhisattvas].

Mr. Tan learned ways to promote this movement once he returned to California. So, he brought this information back with him. The volunteers there are earnestly promoting [“one person, one Bodhisattva”]. They formed a Silicon Valley Team. Because many technology companies are flourishing there, there are many professors and engineers. [The volunteers want to] find a way to guide them so each person can become a Bodhisattva. The volunteers came up with a plan. They would go to their respective companies and recruit people [to participate]. So, each of them would bring one person to a gathering to hear Tzu Chi volunteers share their personal stories,

explaining how each of them joined Tzu Chi, encountered the Buddha-Dharma, began to engage in the Bodhisattva-practice of benefiting others, and saw suffering and recognized their blessings. The volunteers gathered their colleagues and friends to learn about charity based on the Buddha’s teachings. The listeners really enjoyed this and aspired to become Bodhisattvas themselves. In this way, every person went to their companies to transform their co-workers. They invited them to a gathering and sharing their own experiences. After reading this report, I was very happy.

The volunteers in Northern California also formed a group to [listen to the teachings together]. Every night, at around ten pm, California time, which is morning here, more than 130 people are online together watching my “Wisdom at Dawn” lecture. They are studying the Lotus Sutra.

We saw how they held a gathering to share their experiences. They shared the realizations gained through listening to the Dharma when they gathered together. At this [event] they shared their experiences of listening to the Lotus Sutra. They have truly [absorbed the Dharma]. Though far away, they are actually diligently practicing at the same time that we are. They have not stopped for even a day. They have all learned so much and now have a clear direction in their lives.

Even a young child can learn to protect his peers. [Christopher Yang] has come back to travel with me every summer since he was seven or eight years old, and now he is ten. His wisdom is not less than that of adults. At school, when his classmates were being bullied, he said he wanted to support and help them. His mother said, “What can you do? As a child, how can you stop the bullying?” He replied, “Even though I do not have much street smarts, the Buddha-Dharma can bring harmony. I will use the Buddha’s teachings to deal with the bullying.”

Think about it, Buddha-nature is so universal that even a ten-year-old can form such a great aspiration, and for the sake of his classmates, stand up against the bullying in his school. His mother said, “You do not have any street smarts.” He said, “Though I do not have street smarts, I have the harmony of the Dharma.” He was filled with confidence. So, “With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.” We can all be in this state of mind, regardless of age.

If we want the four elements of the world to be in harmony, our minds must also be in harmony. If we all have “sincerity and freedom from deception” and “reach the True Path” and follow the principles of being a good person, then this world will be at peace. The Buddha-Dharma is indeed harmonizing. Regardless of the shape of the container, the Buddha-Dharma can fill it. So, this is the One Vehicle Dharma the Buddha teaches according to capabilities. We must cherish it.

So, the next passage [of the sutra] states,

“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

The Buddha tells us that if we have “faith” and take refuge in the Buddha, He will definitely be our support. If we have deep faith in the Buddha, His teaching will definitely guide us all onto the safest path.

“The Tathagata will not deceive them.” Having perfected His spiritual practice, the Buddha will not lie nor will He deceive others. He speaks in a logical manner and is never arrogant. Some people always brag about themselves and exaggerate their capabilities tenfold. Though they understand little, they talk as if they know everything. These are all examples of “deception.” This is untruthful. As Buddhist practitioners, we have to learn to be truthful and sincere.

As I mentioned before, we must have “sincerity and be free of deception.” This comes from learning the Dharma. We can be sincere, we can be free of deceptions and lies. Only when we can deal with others and act with open honesty have we realized the Dharma. Then we can spread the Dharma to others in a way they are willing to accept. This comes from “faithfully taking refuge in the Buddha.”

“He has no thoughts of envy or greed.” We must not have greed. Since we no longer lie, since we are sincere and free of deception, how could we be greedy or envious? We must not be envious.

The Buddha teaches us to have “great loving-kindness and great compassion.” Great loving-kindness is all-embracing. Happiness for all sentient beings is our goal. Letting sentient beings suffer is something we really cannot bear. We feel others’ pain and suffering as our own. The Buddha hopes we all can learn the Dharma. He hopes that everyone can succeed in their practice, but time is already short, so how could He have any time to be envious or greedy? He has none. He already has this magnanimous mind. With this expansive mind, He has already eliminated greed and jealousy. He does not have these kinds of thoughts at all. These [kinds of thoughts] are afflictions. Deceit is also a form of ignorance and affliction. Deceit, greed and jealousy are all forms of ignorance.

So, as we learn from the Buddha, we must “eliminate the evil in all things.” When we learn the Dharma, what will hinder us most is our ignorance, [thoughts of] deceit, greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, jealousy and so on. These are the things that will hinder us the most as we learn the Dharma. So, we must “eliminate the evil in all things,” which is the ignorance that hinders us in our spiritual practice. Since we want to learn the Dharma, we must eliminate and cut off these ignorant thoughts. Thus, we “eliminate the evil in all things.”

“Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.” All Buddhas have already completely eliminated the “evil in all things,” these ignorant thoughts that are obstacles to our spiritual cultivation. So, in the ten directions, [only Buddhas do this]. We have talked about the “ten directions” before. East, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above and below, these are the “ten directions.” In them, the Buddha “alone has nothing to fear.” He is already absolutely fearless. Therefore, He alone teaches the Dharma. Among all people, only He has nothing to fear. He is the king of the Dharma,

because we ordinary people still have fears, are still afraid of things. Some people may say, “This is the best time to make money. Even though I would enjoy walking the Bodhisattva-path with you, I’m afraid I do not have enough time. Now is the time for me to make money. I’m afraid of losing this opportunity. Afraid” means fearing something.

People are afraid that if they become involved, they will have to uphold the precepts. “Then I won’t be allowed to do this or that. Then I won’t be allowed to drink or to gamble. In this case, I’ll just donate money. I’m afraid that I cannot [uphold the precepts].” This is simply a case of having fears. They already clearly know that life is impermanent and that nobody knows what will happen or when. They know all these principles, but getting them to eliminate habitual tendencies from their daily living is not easy at all.

Therefore, only noble beings and sages can resolve to completely “eliminate the evil in all things.” If something hinders our spiritual aspirations, obstructs our spiritual practice or pollutes our minds, these thoughts must be eliminated completely. When we are among people, we must not be influenced or defiled by interpersonal conflicts. We must be free and at ease. We must not allow ourselves to be affected by discursive thoughts and so on. This is how we eliminate ignorance and defilement. Thus the Buddha, in all of the ten directions, is the only one who has nothing to fear.

When the Buddha is giving teachings, it is called “the lion’s roar.” This means that in the Dharma He speaks, there is nothing to be afraid of, nothing to fear, because everything He says is the truth. Although the Buddha-Dharma includes many analogies, causes and conditions and various expressions, although He uses worldly matters as examples, they are all filled with true principles. Thus, the Buddha fearlessly expounds the Dharma. He is the only one.

When we ordinary people have something to say, we must be mindful. “What is the Buddha’s intention? What is this sutra passage teaching us? Is it applicable to the world we live in now? Will it cause people to become superstitious?” We consider all these questions and find various ways to answer them. The Buddha does not need to do this. He teaches according to each person’s capabilities. His words are suitable for all capabilities. [His teaching] is like rain. From it, small blades of grass will absorb the small amount of water that they require, while big trees and forests and large mountains will also absorb water [according to their size]. This is why the Buddha has nothing to fear, His words cover the capabilities of all beings. All He teaches is true principles, so “He alone has nothing to fear.”

Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners we must have “a penetrating mind and faith.” A penetrating mind and faith are most important in learning from the Buddha. With modern technology, we can see as far away as the Bodhisattvas in the US. In Northern California, many people are practicing diligently. In New York, at this moment (October, 2012), the situation is very precarious. We must all, with utmost sincerity, wish them well. I pray that the wind and rain will weaken and that soon it will diminish and stop so that they can begin recovery efforts and carry out charity and relief work quickly. This is how Bodhisattvas appear at any location, at any time, in any environment. Together, we must recruit [volunteers]; “one person, one Bodhisattva.” Let us sincerely pray for them and wish them well. We must always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 355 – Sharing the Dharma Without Reservation

>> A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant. He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions and teaches the universal Great Vehicle Dharma with analogies.

>> “If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.”

>> If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle: The fruit of the Great Vehicle is Buddhahood. The fruit of the Small Vehicle is the state of. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas. The fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of all-encompassing wisdom, the realizations we will attain from transforming and benefiting sentient beings until the end of time.

>> Even one person: The Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He could not bear to abandon any sentient being. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva followed the Buddha’s teachings and made the great vow to not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty.

>> I would be considered stingy and greedy: Those who are stingy with all things do not want anyone else to have what they have. They may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else. This is stinginess with the Dharma. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy. The Buddha realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma, so with an impartial mind, He teaches and guides all beings. If He [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, He would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.

In a turbid place such as our world, some places are peaceful and wealthy, while other places are full of unbearable suffering. So, the Buddha uses those who suffer as an example to teach the law of karma and to guide people to recognize their blessings through witnessing suffering. He hopes everyone will understand that suffering arises when we create bad causes and conditions and thus invite painful retributions. When we fear this, we avoid doing these things and create blessings [instead]. This is why the Buddha appears in this world, the lesson He teaches to sentient beings. He teaches by revealing all kinds of worldly appearances and guiding us, allowing us to have a complete course of study with which to understand this. So, we must seize this opportunity.

A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant. He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions and teaches the universal Great Vehicle Dharma with analogies.

“A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant.” I hope we can all learn from the Buddha. Although we live in this muddy, turbid and evil world, we can maintain [the purity of] our minds, like a lotus flower that emerges from the mud.

Other flowers only bear fruit after the blossoms wilt, but a lotus fruit is mature when its flower blooms. This is like when we listen to and accept the Buddha-Dharma. Once the Dharma enters our hearts, our pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature will naturally manifest. This has always been there. That is why we are compared to lotus flowers. Once the flower blooms,

the fruit that emerges is inherently undefiled. The Buddha decided to emerge in this turbid and evil world, because only in such a world can He enable sentient beings to see the defilements and sufferings in the world. This is how He gives us teachings.

So the Buddha said that a human life is “like a dew drop and a flash of lightning; it should be contemplated as such.” Knowing that human life is fleeting, we must make good use of the time we have. Furthermore, life is impermanent and we do not know when [we will die]. On top of impermanence, there is suffering, and in the end, everything is empty. So, life is suffering, impermanent and empty.

The Buddha wants us to know our “nature is inherently radiant.” Although the world is turbid, our intrinsic nature is always pure and radiant. It is just that we have tremendous ignorance. At this time (the 16th of the lunar month), the moon should be round. People say, “The moon is rounder on the 16th than the 15th.” But we have not seen the moon when we walk outside, because these days (in October, 2012), the air currents of a typhoon [has brought clouds]. Although the typhoon did not approach Taiwan, its air currents have affected our sky. So, when we look up, we cannot see the moon.

The principle is the same; we are in the same atmosphere, in the world. Though there is an air of turbidity in the world, the moon is still round. However, it is covered by [clouds] because of the atmospheric pressure. Though each of us is born to this turbid world, our hearts are radiant. Because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, our “nature is inherently radiant.”

“He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions.” In this turbid world, the Buddha responds to sentient beings’ capabilities. Some are dull, some are very sharp. Those with sharp capabilities are very keen and can attain 100 realizations from one teaching. Those with dull capabilities cannot attain realization even with hundreds of teachings. The Buddha wanted people of various capabilities to all equally receive teachings and principles. So, the Buddha “gives provisional teachings” and teaches skillful means “according to causes and conditions.”

In the world today, there are all kinds of causes and conditions. Every day, we have endless stories to tell and each story has its own causes and conditions. For example, in Taiwan we have mobilized Tzu Chi volunteers for quite a while. For what purpose? For the Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan.

In Syria (in 2011), there has been a conflict between the people and the government. People held demonstrations and protests and the government sent military and police to forcefully suppress them, leading to confrontations. This caused deaths and injuries. Now [civil] war is raging on mercilessly. They are constantly fighting and killing each other. They cannot continue farming and there is no electricity and water for factories. Syria is in a state of chaos. Over 300,000 people have fled the country. They scattered over the borders in all directions and have suffered tremendously.

The United Nations has been trying to convince Jordan to provide some land by the border that could accommodate over 100,000 refugees. However, for a long time, the soil in Jordan has continuously undergone desertification. Their water supply kept shrinking, but out of their humanitarian spirit, Jordan still set aside some land to take in these refugees.

It is now winter. In the desert, the strong wind brings rolling dust and sand from all directions. On all sides, they are unprotected. How can they live in such conditions? This is suffering. How could we describe their suffering? They have nowhere to call home and have no idea what may happen each day. This is the life they are living. However, in Jordan, Mr. Chen and his fellow Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized local charities to work with Tzu Chi volunteers. When this information made its way to Taiwan, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan promptly started a winter clothing drive.

In the past few days, we have asked people to donate plain clothing. People in the Middle East wear plain clothing, without many colors and patterns. Most of what they wear is black or white. So, with great respect, we sent them our sincere great love. We closely examined all clothing that came to us. If it was dirty, we washed it; if any button was missing, we replaced it, and all of them were sorted by size.

We also saw that at the Xindian Tzu Chi Hospital, Supt. Chao and the assistant superintendents, the heads of all departments and the managers not only donated clothing but every Sunday, they went to the Sanchong office to help sort and repair the clothing. Our medicine-kings and. Bodhisattvas in white (doctors and nurses) gave in such a way. They said that compared to seeing patients, performing surgeries or giving injections etc., this was much more grueling. They realized that helping and giving out of love required such earnestness and respect. They have now experienced this.

Indeed, this world can be so heart-warming. This shows that even though we are born into this turbid world, wherever there is need, no matter how far away, our love can still reach that place. We can give with respect because all sentient beings are equal. The Dharma expounded by the Buddha teaches us about the universal Great Vehicle. He helped us see the suffering in the world to inspire our love so there is no place we cannot reach. This love links us directly to far-reaching places. This is “the Buddha’s universal. Great Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha, “having realized the supreme path,” already had love as great as the universe. The true principle is love. Although we cannot see “love,” we can express it. This great loving-kindness, great compassion, impartiality and great love are taught to everyone solely in the hope that we can all realize “the universal Great Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha says that.

“If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.”

He would not even give up on even one person. The Buddha wants to help everyone experience impartiality and great love, to enable everyone to realize this. This is what the Buddha teaches.

We see Him “[teaching] with the Small Vehicle,” but when we look closer, the fruit of Buddhahood is from the Great Vehicle. If we seek the fruit of Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas we are cultivating the Small Vehicle.

If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle: The fruit of the Great Vehicle is Buddhahood. The fruit of the Small Vehicle is the state of. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas. The fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of all-encompassing wisdom, the realizations we will attain from transforming and benefiting sentient beings until the end of time.

The Buddha hopes sentient beings do not stop at cultivating the Small Vehicle but go on to practice the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha openly tells us this is like how, if we go to school, we must go to college and then attain our doctorate and become a professor. Having a doctorate is not enough. Even if we have a doctorate, we may not be qualified to be a professor. We must advance further instead of stopping with obtaining a doctorate. We must become a professor and teach others.

So, the fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of “all-encompassing wisdom.” Our wisdom can be unlocked so that we can attain “all-encompassing wisdom.”

“All-encompassing wisdom” is the great wisdom of Buddha-nature, “the realizations we attain from transforming and benefiting all beings until the end of time.” We can transform sentient beings. We can do this for a long time. A long, long time is said to be “until the end of time.” Now we must mindfully work to understand the Buddha’s teachings. If we cannot do it in this lifetime we do it for the sake of the future, “Until the end of time” means that for a long, long time into the future we can “attain realizations from transforming and benefiting [sentient beings].” Although we have not attained realization yet, for the sake of transforming and benefiting sentient beings in the future, we can attain and realize the Dharma.

When we listen to the Dharma and understand the principles, we do so in order to benefit sentient beings in the distant future. When others can accept what we say, we can all work together to eliminate the ignorance in our minds and discover our nature of True Suchness. This is what we must learn. The Great Vehicle Dharma must be in our hearts. We must seek the Great Vehicle Dharma and accept these teachings.

Even one person: The Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He could not bear to abandon any sentient being. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva followed the Buddha’s teachings and made the great vow to not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty.

The Buddha says, “Even one person.” Actually, the Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings and loves them like a father loves his sons. There is an old saying that whichever of the five fingers is bitten, the others will hurt. So, a father cherishes every one of his sons. Similarly, the Buddha could not bear to abandon any sentient being. So, for sentient beings, the Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings and is also the teacher of heavenly beings. All that He teaches is for everyone to make great aspirations.

Earth Treasury Bodhisattva is most in line with the Buddha’s intent. He understands the Buddha’s intent the best. The Buddha loves and cares for all people. Since he loves all those the Buddha loves, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva made the great vow, “Until hell is empty, I will not attain Buddhahood.” Exactly when will hell be empty? Transforming sentient beings in hell is very difficult work. Transforming sentient beings in the human realm is already so difficult, how much more so for Earth Treasury Bodhisattva to transform sentient beings in hell? When will hell actually be empty? This is Earth Treasury Bodhisattva’s great vow. He understands the Buddha’s intent, so he entered hell and would not leave even one sentient being behind. What about for the Buddha in this world? Would He abandon any sentient being? The Buddha says, “No. If I did so, I would be considered stingy and greedy.”

I would be considered stingy and greedy: Those who are stingy with all things do not want anyone else to have what they have. They may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else. This is stinginess with the Dharma. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy. The Buddha realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma, so with an impartial mind, He teaches and guides all beings. If He [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, He would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.

What does it mean to be stingy and greedy? To be “stingy with all things” is the desire to have everything. We have seen that Tzu Chi volunteers often help those who are old and lonely. These people collect all kinds of things, none of which are useful. They accumulate many things but are unwilling to throw any of them out. Rich people already have a lot of money. [There are many zeroes in their bank balance,] but they get upset if they lose any “zeroes,” not to mention any other numbers. This is being stingy and greedy. “Being stingy with all things.”

We “do not want anyone else to have [them].” We want all the benefits and do not want others to have any. This is also being stingy and greedy. “They may keep the Dharma for their own use.” When we learn the Dharma, after we receive it, we must immediately share it. But some people, after learning [teachings], are not willing to share them with anyone. This is like an apprentice learning from a master. If the master withholds skills and refuses to teach the secrets of the trade, the apprenticeship just lasts longer and longer. So, “they may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else.” Unwillingness to teach others is “stinginess with the Dharma.”

The Buddha cannot be stingy with the Dharma. So He says, “I will not abandon anyone. I hope everyone will receive the abundant teachings of the universal Great Vehicle. I want to make sure everyone attains it. If one person does not receive [the teaching]. I would be considered ‘stingy and greedy.'” The Buddha does not want such things to happen, so He announces [His intent] to everyone. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy.

He has already realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. “So with an impartial mind,” He teaches and guides all beings. The Buddha impartially guides and transforms all sentient beings. So the Buddha says, “If I [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, I would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.” Hence, “such a thing could never be.” Such a thing must never happen.

He comes to the world for one great cause, to teach and transform sentient beings, without leaving behind even a single one. “He gives teachings when the opportunity arises.” Regardless of their capabilities, He teaches with various causes and conditions. “He does so tirelessly” because this is His one great cause. He comes to the world to open and reveal His understanding and views for sentient beings to realize and enter. This is to open, reveal, realize and enter. He absolutely would not [only] give Small Vehicle Dharma to anyone. Small Vehicle Dharma is part of the process, so. He hopes everyone can return to the Great Vehicle.

I hope that during this period of time, we will all prepare to benefit sentient beings until the end of time to have an opportunity to attain realizations. So at this moment, we must create good affinities by sharing the Dharma. This is more important than giving material things. Therefore, we must understand the Buddha’s intent and practice diligently. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0354

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 354 – Realizing Our Own Nature

>> Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma. The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature. All Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness so infinite Dharma-doors readily appear.

>> Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings. I realized the supreme path, the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.

>> [The Buddha] realized the supreme path: The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else but must be realized for ourselves. So, we must realize it ourselves as the Buddha realized it Himself. He did not obtain it from others.

>> The path attained by the Tathagata cannot be surpassed, so it is the unsurpassed path. The sutra states: He set aside the skillful for the direct and only taught the unsurpassed path.

Time is everlasting; the river of time is long and endless. However, we can stop breathing at any time, so we stay alive, second by second. If we stop breathing, then in that second, our life also stops. But we have a life apart from the physiological life of this body. When we stop breathing, our physical bodies will decay. But our true life will continue on without stopping, into future lifetimes.

Our spirits are led by our past karma. [After we die,] we take nothing with us except our mind-consciousness. Where do we take it? Into our next lifetime. We cannot control where we go because we are led by our karma. So, where will our karma take us? we have no idea. Basically, according to what karma we created, our spirits will helplessly go [wherever it leads us]. So, we feel that life is difficult.

As humans we think, “I know everything, so I will take issue with you over everything.” Once the door to desires opens, there is nothing in the world that we do not want to greedily claim as our own. But once we can no longer take our next breath, we cannot take any of it with us. We also have no control over where it will go. Once we consider this, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant.

Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma. The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature. All Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness so infinite Dharma-doors readily appear.

For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha began to engage in spiritual practice to understand the truth of cyclic existence and to explore the mysterious workings of life. Thus, He engaged in spiritual practice. “Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations.” He began to understand these principles. So, “Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma.” The wondrous Dharma He attained in the moment. He reached enlightenment was what He always wanted to share with us. However, these teachings from His heart, this True Dharma, could not be immediately taught to sentient beings because their capabilities were insufficient. They were not able to accept it. So, the Buddha had to safeguard “that Dharma,” which is this Dharma [He was about to expound].

“The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature.” These phrases tell us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. This nature is deeply hidden. Where is it hidden? Under layers and layers of delusion.

So, our intrinsic nature is Buddha-nature, but our understanding and the afflictions in our minds create these distinct labels. So, these are “temporary labels;” we make these distinctions out of ignorance. When we are covered by heavy layers of delusion, we cannot see clearly; our spirits [are lost]. When we leave our bodies behind, we still hold grudges and resentment. We are unable to realize our own faults.

Take Dharma Master Wu-Da for example. Ten lifetimes ago, Yuan Ang beheaded Chao Cuo and. Chao Cuo’s spirit stayed around for ten lifetimes because he could not awaken until Venerable Kanaka [helped him]. It was not the [Samadhi-]water. Master Wu-Da used to wash his leg [that helped]. The most important thing was Venerable Kanaka helping [Chao Cuo] to resolve his grudge by helping him understand the principles. Only when Chao Cuo’s vengeful spirit understood was his enmity resolved. This shows that when this vengeful spirit could not let go, he was resentful and hateful and would rather wander around aimlessly. Unable to let go, he continuously tried to exact revenge. It took Venerable Kanaka to resolve this enmity.

Therefore, we must understand that despite different labels, whether we talk about a “spirit” or “mind-consciousness,” it is actually [intrinsically] pure; it is the same thing. If we can purify it, we can return to our intrinsic nature, which is very clean and bright.

So, “all Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness.” Since countless kalpas ago, how many Buddhas have appeared in this world? These Buddhas have also engaged in spiritual practice among people. When we practice with other people, we become spiritual and virtuous friends for each other so “all Buddhas kindly guide us.” All Buddhas are among our virtuous friends and are guiding us. So, I constantly tell everyone about “living role models.” If we see people who are better than us, we must learn from them. So, there are always virtuous spiritual friends coming to this world to earnestly guide us.

“Wondrous True Suchness” tells us that we all intrinsically have the Buddha’s nature of wisdom. As long as we are able to accept it, everything is Dharma. Thus, “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear.” If we practice according to this principle, many Dharma-doors will manifest before us.

So, there are many Bodhisattvas in this world. In distant South Africa (in 2012), they held a leadership training for volunteers. You need to know how difficult it was for them to hold this leadership training. They set up simple crude tents, and although the leadership training only lasted two days, they had to borrow land, set up tents and make other preparations with only a few people. Where did these volunteers come from? They come from four countries, including Zimbabwe, Swaziland, as well as Mozambique so there were four countries total. When people from these four countries gathered together, altogether there were 189 African volunteers. When we add in the 29 Chinese volunteers, there were around 200 people in that rural area.

They came from remote places, some from over 1700 km away. Some Zimbabwe volunteers traveled over 1800 km, spending almost three days in a car. With a break in their travel, this trip took them almost four days. Round trip, they spent seven to eight days just for a two-day training in South Africa. Their lives are already very difficult, and the money they had to spend on transportation alone was a lot. But they were very willing to do this. Holding local trainings there is very difficult; there are only a few Chinese volunteers, but they are very diligent. When we saw this, we really felt the Dharma in their hearts. It was as if infinite Dharma-doors

had readily appeared before us from so far away. They attained Dharma-joy because they felt that helping people made them very happy. They were born into such an impoverished environment. For their entire lives, they have depended upon aid provided by others, but now they have gained spiritual wealth; they feel their hearts are filled with riches, so they are able to help others. But how did they attain such wealth? That is why they are not afraid of hardship or of traveling such great distances to receive this training and attend the classes. Think about it, isn’t this how “the everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature”? Isn’t this how “infinite Dharma-doors readily appear before us?” They are located so far away from us, but the Dharma has been transmitted there to provide those living in poverty with spiritual wealth. They are really incredible.

Every one of them has a story that is radiant and illuminating. As I walked out just now and looked at the sky, it was still dark. It was still night. The night was very dark, but I saw a cluster of clouds from far away. They looked just like the clouds of day. They were very pale and white, So even before the day dawned, I saw these white clouds in the dark sky. In my mind I thought, “Aren’t the Bodhisattvas in South Africa just like this?” In such an impoverished environment, they are like these beautiful white clouds, which look as if daytime clouds have appeared in the dark sky before dawn. See how beautiful they are. We all intrinsically have a [Buddha-]nature, we just have not realized it yet.

So, we must engage in spiritual practice and be “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom.” Our minds must be in a state of Samadhi. We must unlock our wisdom. This gives us our power. How do we transform sentient beings? We use these ways to transform them.

Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings. I realized the supreme path, the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.

Next, we talk about “realizing the supreme path.” The Buddha realized the supreme path Himself; He realized the path and became enlightened. From the moment He first attained enlightenment, He had already pushed aside all ignorance to discover the true principles of all things. This Dharma has always been deep within us. As long as we push aside [delusion], our nature is as vast as the universe and as open as the sky and ocean. It is so vast and boundless. This is the supreme path realized by the Buddha,

“the universal Great Vehicle Dharma.” Since the Buddha realized Great Vehicle Dharma, He believed this Dharma is within all of us. We are all equal. If we can penetrate the true and wondrous principles of the Great Vehicle, we will be able to have the same understanding as the Buddha. Therefore, the principles of the Great Vehicle tell us the truth that the Buddha and sentient beings are all equal. “It is no greater in Buddhas and no less in ordinary beings.” So, these principles are always there.

“If He transformed with the Small Vehicle….” The Buddha knows that all beings are equal, but when it comes to teachings, humans are still incapable of understanding [all]. So, He taught them the Small Vehicle. But His goal is not to stop with the Small Vehicle Dharma; the Small Vehicle was only used to guide and help people reach the main road. This was how He guided people, so He did not want people to stop once they reached the small roads. If they stopped at the small road, He would be disappointed. That was not His goal. He pointed us to the main road, wishing we will head in that direction. “If I transformed with the Small Vehicle….” Teaching the Small Vehicle was not His original intent.

All sentient beings are the same. “Even to one person.” He wanted to give teachings universally so that everyone can attain them. He could not bear to miss a single person. As Earth Treasury Bodhisattva said, “Until hell is empty, I will not reach Buddhahood. Until all have been transformed, I will forego enlightenment.” As long as there is one sentient being in hell, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva vowed to not attain Buddhahood. The Buddha had the same [intent]; Earth Treasury Bodhisattva was carrying on these teachings. When the Buddha teaches in this world, He does not want to miss a single individual. So, He hoped everyone would attain the Great Vehicle Dharma that is equally in us and not stay [at the level of] the Small Vehicle. The Buddha did not want even a single person to stop there.

“I would be considered stingy and greedy.” If He only used the Small Vehicle Dharma, if any one of us stayed in Small Vehicle Dharma, that would be stingy and greedy of Him. Actually, He wanted to share all of the Dharma with people, and hoped everyone could accept it. So He held nothing back, hoping to teach all of the. Dharma in His mind to sentient beings. This is why the Buddha very earnestly told His disciples at that time, “If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy.” He was very sincere that

“such a thing could never be.” If He did this, that would be unacceptable. “I would never do a thing like that. It is certain that I will fully and selflessly offer this Dharma.” He hoped everyone would understand that. He would never do a thing like that nor keep anything a secret. He selflessly offers everything.

“Having realized the supreme path,” we can see “the truths of the One Vehicle.” This supreme path is the truths of the One Vehicle and “cannot be attained from anyone else.”

[The Buddha] realized the supreme path: The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else but must be realized for ourselves. So, we must realize it ourselves as the Buddha realized it Himself. He did not obtain it from others.

As I have just said, we all intrinsically have true principles and everlasting Dharma deeply hidden in our nature. Therefore, “The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else.” We cannot attain it from other people; it is actually within each of us. The Buddha came to this world to manifest this, to teach all of us, “This is within you, too.”

“Is this thing good? Yes, you have it, too. Where is it? Put your hands in your pocket and feel around. It is really there! As long as you are willing to reach into your pocket, you can always find this treasure.” However, we refuse to take even this simple action. We have always had this precious jewel, but we still live in poverty. This is because we have not yet realized that [we have it]. Since we have not realized this or awakened,

we do not yet understand. To attain this realization, we just need to reach into our pocket and find the pearl ourselves. “Oh, it is really here! This proves I also have it, I have the thing you are talking about.” This is realizing it ourselves.

We cannot say, “Give me what you have.” The Buddha can only teach us the method. The Buddha’s nature is Tathagata-nature, and it is also in you as well. Why are you asking the Buddha for your intrinsic nature? The Buddha has already given us the method, so it is “not obtained from someone else.” The true Dharma, the ultimate Dharma, is within each of us. We do not seek it from elsewhere. We have to realize it ourselves. We must realize and awaken to it ourselves to achieve the same state as the Buddha.

Even though the Buddha did not withhold anything and gave all teachings to everyone, what He gave us are just methods that guide us. These help us learn how to eliminate ignorance and how to proceed on this bright path. So, the unsurpassed path is the path attained and understood by the Tathagata. His mind and body are on this path.

The path attained by the Tathagata cannot be surpassed, so it is the unsurpassed path. The sutra states: He set aside the skillful for the direct and only taught the unsurpassed path.

What cannot be surpassed is supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment.

So, He “only taught the unsurpassed path.” He told us that in the past, He used a small road to guide us to the main one. Once we arrive at the main road, we must keep walking forward. We must keep walking on our own in order to reach realization. The Buddha is still at the ultimate true path; He still abides in the Great Vehicle. He is still there.

We must understand the path the Buddha realized is in our minds. As long as we can walk the path, we understand that the impermanence of life and the Four Noble Truths are all brought about through the law of karma. To teach the law of karma, the Buddha used various analogies. If we understand them, He can slowly guide us so that we keep making progress. We not only focus on our own awakening; we must also awaken others so that they may achieve the same understanding and this knowledge may be widespread.

Sentient beings in this world can barely deal with their own suffering, so how can they listen to the Dharma? We must first help them eliminate their suffering, then they will naturally happily accept the teachings. Take South Africa as an example. As they were living in hardship, Bodhisattvas went to help them. They now understand, “I should learn the Dharma” and develop spiritual wealth. Not only do they not need to depend on others, they can even help people. They are very diligent and now they are walking on this great path. Not only are they awakening themselves, but they are also awakening others. Only by awakening ourselves and others can we have perfect awakened conduct. To do this, we must travel the Bodhisattva-path. So, we must always be mindful and diligent.

Ch02-ep0353

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 353 – Boundless Samadhi and Wisdom

>> The Buddha shows compassion to all equally; sentient beings are equal to Buddhas. This is the principle of spiritual practice. The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas’; their Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.

>> “The Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings.”

>> [Buddhas] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle: The vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called “great.” The vehicle all Buddhas travel in is called “great.” The teachings They give sentient beings will help them attain great benefits, thus they are called “great.”

>> The Dharma They attained: The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations. By attaining such teachings, one realizes all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings and will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path.

>> Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three [Flawless] Studies. By concentrating our scattered minds, we have Samadhi. By observing and illuminating all principles of matters, we have wisdom.

>> Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Being adorned means to be replete with virtues. Wealth enriches a house; virtue enriches a person. The Three Treasures do the same. Spiritual practitioners adorned with Right Dharma can attain pure bodies and minds. These are their adornments.

>> With these They deliver sentient beings: The desire to deliver all sentient beings comes from Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. This unsurpassed Bodhicitta is the vow to attain Buddhahood, the heart to deliver sentient beings and the great loving-kindness and compassion to embrace and protect sentient beings.

The Buddha shows compassion to all equally;
sentient beings are equal to Buddhas.
This is the principle of spiritual practice.
The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas’;
their Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.

The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]. Among sentient beings, aside from humans, all living, moving beings have Buddha-nature. All living beings are equal. However, we humans draw distinctions and label some as lower life forms. These living beings, from the time they are born, are controlled by humans to be used as food or labor, made to guard our homes, plow our fields or carry our things. Humans control all [other] living beings, when in fact, all these living beings have the same intrinsic nature as humans.

Animals toil without complaint, while humans must rely on their power to get animals to do what humans cannot. Sometimes, humans do not measure up to animals. As for weaker forms of life, humans regard them as food. Think about this. Humans can be so cruel; we consume all kinds of living beings by killing them in various barbaric ways. It is with such violent minds that humans treat other sentient beings.

The Buddha is equally compassionate to all. With compassion, He treats all sentient beings equally. Oftentimes, when the Buddha saw how sentient beings lived, He could not bear it because of His compassion.

One time, the Buddha was at Jetavana when He told the bhiksus a lighthearted story from His past life. Many, many kalpas ago, among a herd of oxen was an ox king. This ox king led his herd to find an abundant source of water and to find rich pastures. On their way, they passed through a forest, where there lived a monkey. Every day, this monkey jumped around in the trees and he felt very lonely. Every time the monkey saw the oxen, he saw how the herd followed the ox king, moving forward in such a grand procession, and how much they respected their king. So, the monkey felt very jealous of the ox king.

One day, the monkey gathered stones and dirt. From the tree, he flung dirt and even threw rocks at the ox king. As rock after rock hit the ox king, he still walked forward calmly. He did not react in any way, This monkey, once again, took rocks and started throwing them at the ox [behind the king].

Seeing that the ox king in front had remained so calm and at ease, he did not become angry, either. So, as this ox led the group of oxen behind him, he also endured it. Like the ox king in the front, he walked on calmly and peacefully.

Further back, there was a much smaller ox who also had rocks thrown at him. This smaller ox started to turn his head and was about to lose his temper. But, when he thought about how the oxen before him had endured this, [he thought,]. “I should learn from them.” So, right as he became angry, he immediately calmed his mind and walked on.

After they finished this part of their journey, they reached another forest. A tree god appeared and told the ox king, “How admirable, how admirable!” The ox king replied, “In the Six Realms, sentient beings are all equal. No matter what causes we planted in the past, no matter what karma we created, in this life, we must accept [the retributions].” The tree god then asked this ox king, “In the past, exactly what causes did you sow?”

The ox king started to explain, “In the past, I was also a spiritual practitioner. But I was imperfect in cultivating the Three Flawless Studies, so I accidentally became an ox. In this lifetime, I must be more vigilant and cultivate the Four [Infinite] Minds. The Four [Infinite] Minds are loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Though I have the appearance of an animal, in my mind, I still preserve my spiritual practice of the Four Infinite Minds and the Four Great Vows.” As the ox king, he hoped that since he faced the retribution of being born an ox, he could transform the herd. This is transforming others by working alongside them. He spoke of the Four All-Embracing Virtues and the Four [Infinite] Minds, in communicating with the tree god. The tree god thought, “Even with the body of an ox, he can engage in spiritual practice. I admire him so much.”

The Buddha then said to His bhiksus, “Do you know that the herd of oxen is now those of you sitting here before me? That ox king back then is now. I, Sakyamuni Buddha.”

Reading this passage from the Jataka Sutra about His past lives, we feel that when we interact with each other, we are often connected in the past and the present. So, all of us must, in this lifetime, transform each other by working together. It is so precious for us to be born into this world in this lifetime. Since we share these causes and conditions, we must transform one another.

So, “The Buddha shows compassion to all equally because sentient beings are equal to Buddhas.” Sentient beings are equal to Buddhas. “This is the principle of spiritual practice.” This is how we engage in spiritual practice. We practice together according to these principles. “The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas.'” So, the Buddha comes to the world to teach sentient beings to walk this road, to follow this “principle of spiritual practice.” This path shows us where to go.

In fact, when we return to our intrinsic nature, our minds and the Buddha’s mind have the same suchness, True Suchness. When we return to the nature of True Suchness, “our Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.” So, with precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, we can safeguard our nature of True Suchness.

The ox king had engaged in spiritual practice in the past, but he had a moment of carelessness. What does it mean to be careless? It has to do with precepts. If we uphold precepts, naturally we will be able to safeguard our minds. If we have wisdom, we will not make mistakes. If we lack precepts, one moment of carelessness may lead us to become an ox. So, in our daily spiritual practice, we must perfectly cultivate the Three Flawless Studies. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom must always be preserved in our minds.

As we said earlier, “There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He teaches sentient beings solely to lead them to the One Vehicle Dharma. The others, the Two or Three Vehicles, are not [what He wants to teach]. Most importantly, He wants to save and transform sentient beings. He also hopes that all sentient beings can also walk the Bodhisattva-path and likewise attain the state of Buddhahood.

That is reflected in this sutra passage,

“The Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings.”

The Buddha Himself abides in the Great Vehicle, because His nature of True Suchness is an inherent principle. He became the Great Enlightened One, thus the home in His mind, His thinking, is always immersed in the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha Himself always abides in it. His mind and body are always in the Great Vehicle Dharma

“as the Dharma [He] attained.” The Dharma that the Buddha attained is the principles of the Great Vehicle. With principles of the Great Vehicle, He manifests the appearance of spiritual practice and is “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom.” Consider the ox who also had Samadhi and wisdom. The monkey in the tree was playing pranks, [but despite the monkey’s] rock throwing, the ox remained very calm. Thus, he was “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these [He] delivers sentient beings.” He used these kinds of methods to teach.

The Buddha would manifest anywhere in the Six Realms. Whether He was in the heaven, human, animal, hell or hungry ghost Realms, the Buddha practiced for the sake of transforming sentient beings throughout the Six Realms or the Five Realms. This was all for the purpose of teaching and transforming sentient beings.

“[They] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle.” Do we know how to abide in the Great Vehicle?

[Buddhas] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle: The vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called “great.” The vehicle all Buddhas travel in is called “great.” The teachings They give sentient beings will help them attain great benefits, thus they are called “great.”

“The vehicle all Buddhas abide in” is the method They use to transform people. They always apply Great Vehicle methods. Take a driver for example. He may stay in and guard his large bus. As for a big steamship, the helmsman may live on it. When causes and conditions converge, when the passengers have arrived, when the departure time has come, he will go from this shore to the other shore. [A vehicle] serves a similar purpose.

“The Vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called ‘great.'” All Buddhas use this Dharma to deliver countless sentient beings. Therefore, it is called “great.” To teach is to educate. Sentient beings do not understand, so the Buddha must teach them. Then they attain great benefits. He teaches them how to attain great benefits, how to avoid painful retributions, and how they can be happy. Those who suffer will be liberated. After attaining liberation, they can be peaceful and at ease. Thus, He teaches sentient beings to be liberated from suffering and to attain peace and freedom. This method of becoming free is also called the Great Vehicle.

The Dharma They attained: The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations. By attaining such teachings, one realizes all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings and will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path.

“The Dharma They attained” is the same [for all Buddhas]. They hope the Dharma attained by sentient beings will help them attain the same state as Buddhas. So, “The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations.” I hope sentient beings can be like the Buddha, form Great Vehicle aspirations and not only seek to benefit themselves. When benefiting ourselves, we must benefit others as well. This is what the Buddha teaches us, to awaken ourselves and others, to benefit ourselves and others. These are the Buddha’s teachings, hoping everyone can “realize all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings.”

After we attain this realization, we must also benefit sentient beings, hoping they can also understand this Great Vehicle Dharma. This is the cycle of the Great Vehicle Dharma, called turning the Dharma-wheel. A Dharma-wheel is round; if we understand it, we must continue to turn it and teach others. We hope we can all be like the Buddha, also unable to bear seeing sentient beings suffering. So, we hope to use this good method

to then transform others. We also want to help those who do not understand the Dharma, those who fell into evil realms and face suffering.

Hopefully we, like the Buddha, have. “The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma” that “benefit all sentient beings.” Hopefully we all continue to teach each other. This will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path. We do not walk this very wide path alone. Even walking this path in groups of two or three would feel very lonely. This path is wide and direct and is meant for many people to walk together. This is “the Dharma They attained.” They hope sentient beings can be the same as the Buddha and attain the Great Vehicle Dharma. They hope each sentient being can have the Buddha’s power of. Samadhi and wisdom and can be equal to the Buddha.

Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three [Flawless] Studies. By concentrating our scattered minds, we have Samadhi. By observing and illuminating all principles of matters, we have wisdom.

With Samadhi and wisdom, Samadhi is [the state of] mind that does not give rise to thoughts. If our mind can sustain its original aspiration, we will no longer waver. So, our mind must always be calm for us to develop wisdom. So, we need the Three Flawless Studies, which

include precepts along with Samadhi and wisdom. Without precepts, we will not have Samadhi nor wisdom. The Three Flawless Studies are precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. This is telling us that Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three Flawless Studies. Along with precepts, these form the Three Flawless Studies.

This can rein in our chaotic, scattered minds. Only with precepts can we have the power of Samadhi to focus our scattered minds to be single-minded. This is how we rein in our chaotic thoughts so we can be in a state of Samadhi. Our minds must forever be in a state of Samadhi so we can contemplate and understand all matters and principles. This is wisdom.

Then we can clearly distinguish between things and their principles. What is the principle behind this thing that made it happen? For things to work perfectly, what principles did he apply to make this happen? This is wisdom. So the power of Samadhi and wisdom can adorn and dignify important matters in this world. Being adorned means to be replete with virtues.

Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Being adorned means to be replete with virtues. Wealth enriches a house; virtue enriches a person. The Three Treasures do the same. Spiritual practitioners adorned with Right Dharma can attain pure bodies and minds. These are their adornments.

We must engage in spiritual practice. Through spiritual practice, we [develop] virtues that are obvious to others. So it is said, “Wealth enriches a house, virtue enriches a person.” If we are virtuous, others can see that we are different from the average person. This comes from virtue. Virtue can be manifested through our appearance. So it is the same with the Three Treasures, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. We must engage in practice to have virtue.

As “spiritual practitioners adorned with. Right Dharma,” we can be immersed in the Three Treasures and widely promote the Buddha-Dharma. We must engage in spiritual practice to develop Samadhi and wisdom and to be adorned with the Three Treasures. We practitioners must practice Right Dharma to dignify ourselves, to cleanse our body and mind. Only a pure body and mind can be called dignified, adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. We must use these methods to transform sentient beings.

If we want to transform sentient beings, we must have Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. To transform beings, we must exercise Bodhisattvas’ great compassion, which is unsurpassed Bodhicitta, the vow to attain Buddhahood. So, we must have the resolve to transform sentient beings and the great compassion with which to embrace and protect sentient beings.

With these They deliver sentient beings: The desire to deliver all sentient beings comes from Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. This unsurpassed Bodhicitta is the vow to attain Buddhahood, the heart to deliver sentient beings and the great loving-kindness and compassion to embrace and protect sentient beings.

Since we are learning from the Buddha, as we engage in spiritual practice, we must also widely promote the Buddha-Dharma. To do this, we must be adorned by the power of Samadhi and wisdom. This is how we transform sentient beings. Everyone, to engage in spiritual practice, we must develop great aspirations and establish great vows. After forming these aspirations and vows, we must put them into practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0352

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 352 – The Small Vehicle Is Not the Ultimate

>> The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing. The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle. With the conditions of His one great cause, He transforms sentient beings. Dharma is like nectar that nourishes minds and sustains wisdom-life.

>> “In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real. Ultimately They do not use the Small Vehicles to deliver sentient beings.”

>> There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal Buddha-understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

>> The Two [Vehicles] are not real: Any other vehicles are also not real. There is only One Reality. The Two and Three Vehicles only exist because they are ways for Buddhas to give teachings in this world.

>> Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle: The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities. It eliminates minor sufferings and brings minor benefits. Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats, only realize limited teachings of Nirvana.

>> To deliver sentient beings: Sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara. The Buddha used the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. The sutra states, “Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.”

This morning, when I looked up at the sky, I thought I saw a mountain in the distance, When I looked more carefully and thought about it, I realized that the ocean was there, so how could a mountain be there? When I took a closer look, I saw that it was actually dark clouds.

Isn’t this the way life is? We seem to see something, but upon looking more closely we recognize that it is not actually there. So, if we know the true principle of emptiness, “true emptiness,” we know there is “wondrous existence” within it. By clearly recognizing “true emptiness” and understanding “wondrous existence,” won’t we see the limitless potential of our lives? Such is life.

The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing. The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle. With the conditions of His one great cause, He transforms sentient beings. Dharma is like nectar that nourishes minds and sustains wisdom-life.

“The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing.” The Buddha-Dharma is true principles. True principles are “wondrous existence” in “true emptiness.” So, the “wondrous existence” that manifests is everlasting. Principles are everlasting and unchanging. Regardless of how much time has passed, true principles will always be true.

“The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle.” The Buddha clearly understands true principles and wants to help us to clearly understand them so we can deliver others from this shore of unenlightened afflictions to the opposite shore, which is pure and undefiled. For us to return to our pure intrinsic nature, we need the Dharma and the principles to be delivered into our minds. Thus, “With the conditions of His one great cause. He transforms sentient beings.” The manifestation of the Buddha in this world is a conditioned phenomenon. The Buddha was born a human and grew up in this world. Because He sought true principles in this world, He became enlightened. These were the conditions of His one great cause for coming to this world, which was to transform sentient beings. Therefore, the Dharma is like nectar that nourishes our minds and sustains and develops our wisdom-life.

Indeed, only the Buddha-Dharma can inspire people and awaken their love. Then, they will find ways to give, to help others, to transform the world with the Dharma and to transmit the Great Vehicle.

Take Thailand, for example. Even though Buddhism has flourished there, the gap between the poor and the rich is very big. In recent years, Thais began to realize that people were losing their sense of morality. The Prime Minister of Thailand believed that the [best] way to govern would be to help ground people’s minds in [moral] principles and help them value ethics. Since a sense of morality seemed to be waning, he sent many people to different countries to study their approach to governance and to educating their citizens.

After visiting many countries, they came to Taiwan and discovered Tzu Chi. So, the office of the prime minister sent one group of government officials after another to seek teachings in Taiwan. Tens of thousands of officials have visited. One of them was Chow Boon Liong, the public health minister of Ratchaburi, Thailand. He humbled himself and came to our headquarters with Tzu Chi volunteers. He actually did the same volunteer activities as everyone else. Nobody knew he was a public health minister. The day before he returned to Thailand, he finally revealed he was a public health minister.

Ever since then, he has been very involved and has been certified [as a commissioner]. During the certification [ceremony], he received a red envelope that I handed out as part of the Year-End Blessing. Someone explained to him that the grains of rice on the red envelope came from the Dalin [Tzu Chi] Hospital. The hospital superintendent, doctors and staff planted the rice to create good affinities with volunteers worldwide. He was very touched by this, so after he went back he came up with a plan to mobilize their health care professionals to plant rice. Once he thought of this, he made it happen.

The family of a nurse had 19,200 square meters of land and they were willing to lease it to. Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA). Thus began their plans for planting rice. In the meantime, officials were also planning to visit an all-female prison. There were over 900 inmates in this prison, but only one doctor. So, [the ministry] organized a free clinic there.

I really admire how they incorporated the free clinic in the prison into their planning. They contacted a rice research center and told [the researchers], “We already have this piece of land. We have many doctors and nurses who will cultivate this land. Can you provide the rice seeds?” The director of the research center said, “Of course.” They then asked, “Can the rice seeds be delivered to the prison?” The director of the research center followed their plans and sent the rice seeds to the prison. Then the inmates of the prison gave the seeds to Tzu Chi volunteers.

I thought this was a great idea. This was also a form of education. To plant the fields, the seeds were provided by the research center and given to these inmates so they could personally hand them to the Tzu Chi volunteers. These seeds were “seeds of blessings” that gave the inmates an opportunity to benefit others, so they felt that they could also create blessings by giving to others. This is a way to teach wisdom.

On that day, August 13, 2012, they began to cultivate the field by sowing seeds. In Thailand, they hold very grand seed-sowing ceremonies, with a percussion ensemble and a procession. The head of the county also gave a speech to start off the ceremony. The ceremony for cultivating the field was very grand. This is a way of creating blessings with wisdom. From this we can truly feel that even a small task, when completed mindfully, can be very magnificent and grand.

Thus, “Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmitted the Great Vehicle.” In the past, they only sought blessings by paying respect to the Three Treasures. Now, they expanded their field of blessings to encompass even the inmates in prison. Even medical professionals were willing to go into the prison, and inmates from the prison also gave out “seeds of blessings” to be sown in the land. This is how the Dharma is used to transform the world. Because they came to Taiwan to seek teachings, the experiences accumulated over many years helped them take the Dharma to heart, which then led to action. As we watched them sow the rice seeds, it really felt like an important occasion.

The seed-sowing ceremony was very formal. Many heard about how doctors were growing the rice seeds from the prison and so on. This is the type of social education that can drive social consciousness. So, “With the conditions of His one great cause. He transforms sentient beings.” This “nectar that nourishes minds” can truly “sustain wisdom-life.” It can unlock the wisdom in everyone’s life. This kind of education is really heartwarming. In this world, as long we have the will, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

As we mentioned in the previous passage,

“In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real. Ultimately They do not use the Small Vehicles to deliver sentient beings.”

These principles are actually right in front of us. This is a truth. Sentient beings are “good by nature.” When we want to do something, that single thought can benefit all people and can spread the Dharma across the world. This is a truth. Principles must be in line with the truth. So, “There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He did not merely tell everyone that life is suffering and impermanent. That was not all. He also did not merely teach the law of karma. After we learn [the principles], we must put them into practice. If we make mistakes, we must correct them. If we see good deeds, we must promptly do them. Thus, the Buddha summarized the Dharma into “refrain from all evils; do all good deeds” as the principle of walking the Bodhisattva-path.

Therefore, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He did not want us to only awaken ourselves, but also to benefit others. This is not the practice of the Two Vehicles, but of the One Vehicle Dharma. The Two Vehicle Dharma is not the ultimate. The ultimate Dharma is the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha “ultimately did not use the Small Vehicle.” From the beginning until the end, the Buddha never wanted to use the Small Vehicle to save sentient beings. He always aimed to use the Great Vehicle to transform sentient beings.

As we mentioned previously, “There is only this one truth,” and that was to “make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths.” With these true principles, we go among others to do work in this world. We use these true principles in the work we do. “Teaching the Buddha’s understanding and views is Their work and action.” We must open, reveal, realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views. The Buddha comes to “open and reveal,” hoping sentient beings can realize His understanding and views. Then they can clearly understand the underlying principles of why people do things in the world. We must know the Buddha’s understanding and views are all about people’s work and action.

There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal Buddha-understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

“The one truth,” upon further understanding, “is the wondrous truths of ultimate reality. The truth” actually [reveals] “the wondrous truths of ultimate reality.” Doesn’t everything we do in the world follow the wondrous truths of ultimate reality? Earth is replete with causes, conditions and principles, so there are people, animals, plants etc. as well as mountains and rivers. These all adhere to the principles of matter. This is reality, the ultimate truth. The appearances of this reality also have wondrous truths behind them. If we understand them, we will have the Buddha’s understanding and views. [Principles that are] very subtle also contain wisdom. This is the wondrous Dharma in the Lotus Sutra.

So, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” Nothing else is True Dharma. Just understanding the Four Noble Truths will only lead us to renounce life and death. If we only understand the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, we only know the concept of the law of karma. However, if we do not take action, we will not understand the existence of the principles of worldly matters. If we truly understand the principles, as we interact with people, there will be [no obstacles] in what we do. Therefore, I often tell everyone, “If we are in harmony with people and matters, we are in harmony with the principles.” This is the way it is. Therefore, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” If we cling to the Small or Middle Vehicles, we cannot thoroughly understand or be in harmony with the principles.

The Two [Vehicles] are not real: Any other vehicles are also not real. There is only One Reality. The Two and Three Vehicles only exist because they are ways for Buddhas to give teachings in this world.

As for the Three Vehicles, if there are not even Two [Vehicles] then how can there be three? So there definitely are not five and so on. As we study teachings, we may categorize them in other ways, but they are not the ultimate. What is [ultimately] real is “ultimate reality.” We must strive to understand the principles of “ultimate reality”; that is what is real.

Therefore, “the Two or Three Vehicles only exist” to guide us to the Great Vehicle. So, [the Buddha] used the Three Vehicles, something tangible, as an analogy to guide us to the principles we cannot see. To help us thoroughly understand the principles of matters, He had to use analogies of worldly appearances, many analogies and causes and conditions. Therefore, the Buddha comes to the world to give us teachings by using all kinds of methods.

The Buddha comes to the world to give teachings. He came to teach the Great Vehicle, definitely not the Small Vehicle. He “ultimately does not use the Small Vehicle.” At the beginning, the Buddha used all kinds of means that were suitable for sentient beings’ capabilities. But at this point, He was still in the world and was subject to the natural course of life. So, “ultimately” means at the end [of His life]. [At that moment,]. He “did not use the Small Vehicle” and quickly set it aside so everybody could enter the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, He “ultimately does not use the Small Vehicle.”

Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle: The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities. It eliminates minor sufferings and brings minor benefits. Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats, only realize limited teachings of Nirvana.

“The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities.” He told everyone that this only eliminated minor sufferings. “Life is suffering. I dare not create more suffering.” If we think this way, we will prevent ourselves from creating more karma and be vigilant to not make more mistakes. But this only eliminates minor suffering and brings about limited benefits. Thus we only benefit ourselves.

“Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats,” are Small Vehicle practitioners. They only realize limited teachings of Nirvana. This means they can only still their own minds. Since it only affects the individual, it is “small.”

So, in order to “deliver sentient beings,” we cannot use Small Vehicle Dharma. This is telling us we cannot only seek to awaken ourselves. We should open the door to our minds. After understanding these principles, we should practice the Great Vehicle Dharma among people. This is how to “deliver sentient beings.”

To deliver sentient beings: Sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara. The Buddha used the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. The sutra states, “Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.”

The Buddha did not want to [just] teach the Small Vehicle Dharma. Instead, He wanted people to transform each other. So, “sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara.” Multitudes of sentient beings are drowning, and not just humans, but also livestock and other animals. For a long time, they have been drowning in the sea of samsara and cannot save themselves. So, the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. He delivers the lost and suffering, sentient beings who cannot help themselves, from this shore to the opposite shore. He taught “the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore.”

So, when the Buddha finally expounded the Lotus Sutra, He hoped those who had listened to the Dharma could shoulder the responsibility of transmitting Great Vehicle teachings to people around the world. They must also put the teachings into action and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This passage stating, “Ultimately, They do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings” reflects the Buddha’s vow to teach us the True Dharma. So, when we learn the Dharma, we are learning from the Buddha. In order to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must follow and put them into practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.