Author: Scott Ogata

Episode 509 – Make Offerings of Harmony and Reverence

>> “With the right mindset and Right Dharma, our path will always be right. With long-lasting compassion and great love, we will walk the Bodhi-path. To make offerings of harmony and reverence, we completely dedicate our bodies and life.”

>> “Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His kingdom will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

>> “When the Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

>> “The ancient noble beings were farther away.”

>> “People can analyze [the Dharma] with relative awareness for a seeming effect.” This is Dharma-semblance.

>> The three periods are Right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. The 500 years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana was the period of Right Dharma. For 1000 years after that, the Dharma people practiced resembled Right Dharma, but was not Right Dharma. So, it was called the era of Dharma-semblance. Thus, it is said, “Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Thus, this era is called Dharma-semblance. Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages….”

>> They are described thus. Bone fragments are “sariras of the physical body.”

>> What about sutras? They are “sariras of the Dharmakaya.”

>> The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated: The wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment, the essence of the lineage, will be passed on like a series of lamps that are successively lit to clearly illuminate all things. Transmitting wondrous Dharma extends this radiance.

“With the right mindset and Right Dharma, our path will always be right.
With long-lasting compassion and great love, we will walk the Bodhi-path.
To make offerings of harmony and reverence, we completely dedicate our bodies and life.”

Our minds must be oriented in the right direction. If our mindset is correct, then we will not go astray. In Confucianism, Confucius also made a point to talk about “illuminating luminous virtue.” We must “thoroughly study things to understand their principles.” For us to find a way to illuminate luminous virtue in this world, we must [study] all principles and all matters and things to thoroughly understand them.

To be able to “illuminate,” we must first seek knowledge, must first understand. Then with “luminous virtue,” we can penetrate our intrinsic nature. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, isn’t this what we are doing? We all intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. This Buddha-nature manifests as the most penetrating “luminous virtue.” Therefore, for us to “illuminate luminous virtue,” we must clearly understand all external states, matters and things. After we clearly understand them, we must be sincere and have the right mindset.

To be sincere, we must “understand the principles.” When we give to others with utmost reverence, our minds are free of discursive thoughts; we simply do our best to help each other out of the goodness in our hearts. This is how we cultivate ourselves. If we have the right mindset and are sincere, when we do things, everyone will affirm our efforts. If we are in the right state of mind, then the Dharma [we learn] will naturally be right. This is how we engage in spiritual practice. On the path of spiritual practice, we must walk in the right direction. Then naturally, with long-lasting compassion and great love, we walk the Bodhi-path.

We must do this for a long time, life after life. Each Buddha that comes to the world has this characteristic; He extends His compassion because He will never abandon sentient beings. No Buddha is willing to give up on them. They have affinities with sentient beings, so They extend Their compassion and spread great love. This is how They do good deeds and benefit others to form good karmic connections. This will take a very long time.

Thus we say that long-lasting compassion and great love is our Bodhisattva-path. How do we step onto this broad and correct Bodhisattva-path? When do we begin? We must begin right now. As we listen to the Dharma, we must form aspirations right away. Then how do we express that we have begun? By making offerings of harmony and reverence. Harmony and reverence are the offerings we make. When we interact with others, we must do so harmoniously and with reverence. With harmony and reverence between us, we completely dedicate our bodies and life, not only in this lifetime, but also in lifetime after lifetime in the future. We will continue this through all of our lifetimes, starting now.

When the way we lead people and handle matters brings other people happiness, clearly those people have shared the same aspiration, mission, path and practice in the past. So, if the same thing can make all of us happy, then that means we have formed good karmic connections in the past. Will these connections extend into the future? Yes. So, lifetime after lifetime, we must make the same vows, the Four Great Vows. These are not for just one lifetime, but for lifetime after lifetime.

Then in each lifetime we will practice together and live together. We will practice reverence and harmony. “When I see how you help me, I’m grateful to you and. I’m very willing to help you. I will respond to what you propose and help you.” When we help each other and act in concert, there is a sense of harmony and unity of purpose. When our hearts and minds are connected, engaging in practice in this spiritual community will bring us happiness every day. This comes from “harmony and reverence.”

Offerings of “harmony and reverence” take place in a monastic community. We completely dedicate our bodies and our life to learning and practicing the Buddha-Dharma. If we are willing to dedicate our bodies and life, why wouldn’t we be able to make offerings of harmony and reverence to each other? Our society also needs harmony and reverence and so do families. We must vow to do this, starting with ourselves; this is the way it should be.

There was once a village outside of a small town in rural Korea. In this village, everyone lived a very simple life. They were not very well-off and they lived along narrow and winding streets. These streets led all the way up into the hills.

There was one particular street, which was so narrow and winding that at night people frequently had accidents. ․It was easy to stumble and fall there. In the cluster of houses at the end of this street, there lived a family. This family’s house was very run down. But even so, every night when the sun went down, one would hear an old woman calling her husband’s name and asking, “Did you turn on the light outside?” And her husband would reply, “This is such an important matter, how could I forget to turn it on?” Actually, both of them were blind.

Why would an elderly couple who could not see need to turn on the light? Because the street they lived on was very narrow. They often heard people tripping on things and then falling down. So, whether or not the light was on did not make a difference to the two of them, but for the people who could see, this was a great help.

One year, it snowed a lot. There was an old man who lived up in the hills who pulled a cart up this street. The cart was piled high with burned charcoal. He brought this cart of tiny pieces of charcoal all the way up to the doorway of this couple’s home. Then he dumped out the contents on the ground and slowly spread them. He spread this all the way down the street.

In the morning, the elderly couple opened the door and said, “It is not even light out and someone has already covered the streets outside with something that will keep us from slipping and falling as we walk; we feel so grateful. If not for this person, after a large snowstorm, this steep road becomes very slippery this sloped road becomes very slippery. We are so grateful; which kind person laid out this path for us?”

You see, what a heartwarming story this is! This shows people’s mutual reverence and respect. This shows how they cherish this relationship and display their love for each other. This is the way life works. It can be very simple to help others. We must understand the needs of others and then apply the Dharma, apply our methods, to do our best to meet those needs.

In the previous passage, the Lotus Sutra states,

“Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His kingdom will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

Flower Light Buddha is the name of the Buddha Sariputra will become. He will live for 12 small kalpas, which is a very long time. The lifespan of people of that land will be eight kalpas, which is also a long time. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. That is a long time.

A world like that will be so radiant; it will be so blessed. This is what we cultivate in our spiritual practice; this is the kind of world we hope to achieve. We hope that in the future, the world will be like this.

Next, the sutra passage says,

“When the Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

Right Dharma will abide for 32 small kalpas. After Right Dharma recedes, Dharma-semblance will last for 32 small kalpas. During that time, “The Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely.” In our world, with Sakyamuni Buddha’s sariras, King Ashoka, according to legend, vowed to build over 80,000 stupas so people can make offerings to these relics. In the Saha World, there was really a king like this, King Ashoka.

Several years ago, I heard about a stupa built for Sakyamuni Buddha that was discovered somewhere in Myanmar. Also, a few years ago, the Buddha’s tooth also came to Taiwan. This is also one of His sariras. During the era of Dharma-semblance, these objects were preserved [and venerated]. So, during the era of Dharma-semblance, images [of the Buddha] were prevalent. Both in the human and the heaven realm, everyone respected and made offerings [to these images]. So, “Heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them.”

“The deeds of Flower Light Buddha” refers to what Flower Light Buddha will do. “When Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas.” That will be a very long time. During the era of Right Dharma, the teachings, principles, practice and realization will all be correct.

The Buddha personally gave these “teachings.” All of these “principles” were spoken by Buddha. Those who receive the teachings will then put them into “practice.” Whatever the Buddha taught will be what they put into practice.

For example, when Sakyamuni Buddha led His monastic disciples in spiritual practice, He also had to guide them step by step. Those who did not understand had to continue to listen. Was the Buddha only teaching the Dharma for the monastics, or was He teaching it for the world? They listened very mindfully so they could take it to heart and keep it in mind. They even put it into practice and manifested the Dharma in their actions. This was how, with both body and mind, they sincerely engaged in spiritual practice. So, there were many who attained “realization.”

This is the process of teachings, principles, practice and realization. All four were present in the era of Right Dharma, or when the Buddha was in this world. People “experienced it with direct awareness.”

“Direct awareness” is experiencing the present situation. The people, the Buddha, the Dharma were all present in that moment, so they could “experience it with direct awareness.” Thus everyone had a tangible example to follow, and people were able to put Right Dharma into practice and attain realization. There were many spiritual practitioners who were able to do this.

But after the Buddha left this world,

“The ancient noble beings were farther away.”

After noble beings become farther away,

“People can analyze [the Dharma] with relative awareness for a seeming effect.” This is Dharma-semblance.

Because the Buddha left, there was just relative awareness. The Dharma is like this, in the past, people practiced like this, the Buddha said something like this. As esteemed monks and great sages gradually passed away, the people who followed them could only analyze things with relative awareness. “It was more or less like this.” The difference is like saying, “I’m almost as tall as you are. No, you’re not, you’re a little bit shorter.” This kind of comparative analysis is called “relative awareness.” In the past, the Dharma was like this, so we try our best to learn it as it was taught; this is called Dharma-semblance. But how do we try to learn what was taught? All we can do is try our best and use our imaginations to come up with an image of the Buddha.

After the era of Dharma-semblance came the era of Dharma-degeneration, which is the era we are in now. So, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, during the 500 years of the era of Right Dharma, people were able to practice according to the Buddha’s original teachings, as they were still very close. Teachings, principles, practice and realization were put into action.

But after these 500 years, there was an era lasting 1000 years when the Dharma that was being practiced resembled Right Dharma. It was similar, very close. Whether through building stupas or temples, or by creating sculptures and so on, Dharma-semblances flourished. So, this was the era of Dharma-semblance.

The three periods are Right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. The 500 years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana was the period of Right Dharma. For 1000 years after that, the Dharma people practiced resembled Right Dharma, but was not Right Dharma. So, it was called the era of Dharma-semblance. Thus, it is said, “Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Thus, this era is called Dharma-semblance. Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages….”

Ancient times refers to an era when people were very simple and pure. They delighted in acquiring knowledge and learning the Buddha-Dharma. After learning about impermanence, they sought liberation. So, when they understood and believed something, their faith would be deep. This was what noble beings and sages were like. Whether it be Sakyamuni Buddha or Confucius, Lao Tzu or Mozi and so on, that era was when most of these sages appeared.

When it came to learning, or the Dharma, they were all very earnest and worked very hard. People who sought and learned the Buddha-Dharma “understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present.” The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Confucius also said to “respect gods, as if gods were present.” Of course, as Buddhist practitioners, we respect the Buddha, as if He is here. This kind of reverence and love is what we Buddhist practitioners should have.

So, Flower Light Buddha will live in that world for 12 kalpas. It will be such a long time. But though His lifespan will be long, He will still eventually enter Parinirvana. This is why “the Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely.” His body, His body’s remains, the bones that He left behind and other parts of the body He left behind are called “sariras.” These “sariras” were formed through [His] cultivation of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Everyone respected them and recognized how precious they were.

So, in the Treatise on Great Perfection of Wisdom, they are described thus.

They are described thus. Bone fragments are “sariras of the physical body.”

After the body is cremated and bones scattered, these pieces are also called sariras.

What about sutras? They are “sariras of the Dharmakaya.”

Even though His physical body is gone, the Dharma still remains. Teachings are the sariras of the Dharmakaya.

So, we talk about the Dharma-essence of the wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment. For the path to enlightenment, the wondrous Dharma is its essence. The Dharma-essence is in the lineage and the Dharma-lineage must be passed on.

The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated: The wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment, the essence of the lineage, will be passed on like a series of lamps that are successively lit to clearly illuminate all things. Transmitting wondrous Dharma extends this radiance.

The present Buddha passed it onto Sariputra and bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon him. In the future, Flower Light Buddha will pass it on to Firm and Complete Bodhisattva and bestow a prediction upon him in the same way. We can clearly see that the essence of this wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment is transmitted through the Dharma-lineage. This is like lighting a series of lamps, so they can light the way. This is how the wondrous Dharma is passed on. Passing on this wondrous Dharma sustains and expands its radiance.

So, with the right mindset and Right Dharma, we will always travel on the right path. Long-lasting compassion and great love are the Bodhi-path. In our daily living, we must “make offerings of harmony and reverence” by “completely dedicating our bodies and life.” This is how, in our lives, we transmit the Dharma-lineage like Buddhas. For the sake of harmony in the world, we must always be mindful.

Episode 508 – With Profound Virtue, Abide in the Right Dharma

>> “We must firmly resolve to hold fast to our vows. By upholding sincerity, integrity and faith, we can reach the True Dharma. We walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner. To walk this path, we must go among people.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.”

>> That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.

>> “Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

>> With Flower Light Buddha’s long lifespan, He will abide in the world for 12 kalpas. The people who share the circumstantial retribution to live in His land will enjoy blessings. To live during that Buddha’s lifetime, they must have exceptional blessings and virtues. Not only do they live in the same era as Him, they can see Him, listen to and attain the Buddha-Dharma and can enjoy a lengthy lifespan of eight kalpas.

>> That Buddha’s lifetime will be 12 small kalpas. After that Buddha enters Parinirvana, the Dharma will initially flourish. People can experience it through direct awareness. This is the era of Right Dharma. The Dharma will then spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.

>> Right Dharma: It is the proper teachings of the path. Principles that do not deviate are called proper. This is the Dharma Treasure from among the Three Treasures. Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.

“We must firmly resolve to hold fast to our vows.
By upholding sincerity, integrity and faith, we can reach the True Dharma.
We walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner.
To walk this path, we must go among people.”

When we resolve to engage in spiritual practice, we must uphold our vows and follow the path. Therefore, our resolve must be very firm and we must hold fast to our initial aspiration, that very first thought.

Recently I have been talking to you about initial aspirations. Our initial aspiration must be to deliver sentient beings, [the first of] the Four Great Vows. To deliver sentient beings, we must eliminate our own afflictions. To eliminate our own afflictions, we must learn the Buddha’s teachings. When we understand the Buddha-Dharma and go among the people, we will see all kinds of worldly matters. When we can connect them to the principles, this will develop our wisdom-life. I hope that our wisdom-life will never stop growing. When we unite matters with principles, one day, our wisdom-life and the universe can also be one. That is when we will attain a great awakening.

So, we must maintain our sincerity, integrity and faith. If we can uphold sincerity, integrity and faith, we will naturally reach the True Dharma. When we face [different situations] with our fellow spiritual practitioners, we need to be true, sincere and proper in the way we treat one another. This shows how the Buddha-Dharma is inseparable from the way we live in the world.

There is a saying, “Only when we have perfected our character can we attain Buddhahood.” Therefore, if we seek the Buddha’s teachings because we want to attain Buddhahood, we have to spend a very long period of time, lifetime after lifetime, refining our character. As we interact with people, we must always “walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner.” This is how we interact with everyone when we go among people. Then everyone will be drawn to us because of our gentle manner. A gentle demeanor is something people can see. Being genuine comes from our heart, so we must be upright and straightforward. These are valuable qualities in a person and can help us perfect our character. If we walk the Bodhisattva-path with a mind that is gentle and genuine, then we will awaken and attain Bodhi on this path. Walking the path to awakening will take us to our goal.

Every day, we must walk this path, follow the road that we should follow and do the things that we should do. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must have a clear goal. We must head toward this goal every day and every moment. We must never turn away from this path. The road that we walk and the things that we do must not be apart from other people. Walking the Bodhisattva-path among people is the true spirit of learning the Buddha’s teachings.

We normally think, “The people I should transform are those I have karmic connections with.” Of course, the Buddha has also said, “The Buddha transforms those He has karmic connections with.” If we have no karmic connections with people, does that mean we shouldn’t transform them? Not at all. If we have no karmic connections with them, then we must find a way to draw near them and create [good] karmic connections with them, transforming animosity into gratitude. This is not impossible.

A very long time ago, there was a monastic practitioner, an elderly bhiksu. One day he left his temple and went to the city. When he was on his way home, it was already dusk and the sky was almost dark, but he still had a long way to go. Suddenly, there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain. This rain would likely not stop any time soon, so the monk felt that he must find shelter to be safe.

In the haze of the rain, there seemed to be a house in the distance. This made him very happy, and he called for them to open the door. “It is raining so hard. Would you allow me into your home to take shelter from the rain?” This doorkeeper answered, “You should leave quickly. My master has no [fondness] for the Sangha. Whenever a monastic or spiritual practitioner comes, he feels no connection with them, so I believe he won’t take you in.”

The old monk begged him persistently, until the doorkeeper said, “I will go inside and ask my master. Only with his consent would I dare to let you in.” While he went in to ask, the old monk stood outside the house in the pouring rain. After a long time, the doorkeeper finally returned. He said, “I’m sorry. I spoke to my master and asked him, but he will not allow it. I’m sorry, but you must leave now.” The old monk was at a loss, so he said to the doorkeeper, “Please let me in, I won’t enter the house. I’ll wait in the corridor, under the eaves of this corner of the house. Can you let me just huddle there for a while?”

He said, “It’s best that you do not, because my master has a negative affinity with the Sangha,” Since he could not even huddle under the eaves, the monk decided to travel through the night in the pouring rain. By the time he arrived back at the temple, it was the middle of the night. It was still pouring heavily. This was how things went.

Three years later, the master of that house took a concubine. He really adored and doted upon this new concubine of his. She was very kind and liked paying her respects to the Buddha. So, this man accompanied her to the temple. At the temple, as his concubine started paying her respects, he looked around. Why was his name written over there? It was on an altar honoring great benefactors. He thought that this was strange. There was young monk sweeping the floor, so the man asked him, “Excuse me, why is my name on this altar honoring great benefactors?” The monk said, “I don’t know whose name that is. Three years ago, my master came back in the middle of the night, soaking wet from the rain. I only heard him say that ‘Today, there was a benefactor with whom I had no karmic connection with. After he said that, I saw him write something. Then he put this plaque on the altar for honoring great benefactors. Every day, my master pays his respects and prays for negative affinities to turn into good ones.”

Upon hearing this, the man felt very remorseful. “That’s right! Three years ago, my doorkeeper came in and told me that an elderly monk was outside in the rain and would like to take shelter at my house. How could I have felt such an aversion toward monastics? Not only did this monastic not harbor a grudge, he even put my name on the altar and prayed for my longevity and wellbeing.” The more he thought about this, the more remorseful and repentant he felt. From then on, the man became a great benefactor of the temple. This was a wealthy man, the owner of that big house.

So, we often say that we must form good karmic connections with others and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We should show compassion to all equally. Toward those who have helped us, we should be grateful. Toward those who were unwilling to help us or may have even slandered us, we should also be respectful. We must love all sentient beings equally. This is how we show compassion to all equally. Because there was no karmic connection, he needed to resolve that negative affinity and create a positive karmic connection.

So, he is a role model for us. Although this is only a story, this is the type of mindset that we spiritual practitioners must have. So, we should “walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner. To walk this path, we must go among people.” I hope everyone can spend a long period of time doing good deeds, benefiting others and forming good karmic connections. This way, in the future, [these people] will be our spiritual family when we attain Buddhahood. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

The previous passage states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.”

In the future, Sariputra will become Flower Light Buddha. In Flower Light Buddha’s lifetime, His place of spiritual cultivation will be filled with Bodhisattvas. They all have great aspirations and great vows and will still continue to progress diligently, preparing to go among people and transform them, lifetime after lifetime. These beings will all be taught and transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

“That Buddha, while still a prince” means that, before Flower Light Buddha attains Buddhahood, this noble will “renounce his kingdom and worldly glory.”

That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.

In the Lotus Sutra, we read about the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas who, one after another, manifested in the human realm. Because They all unceasingly did good deeds, unceasingly benefited others and unceasingly formed good karmic connections, by the time They reached the lifetime in which. They would attain perfect enlightenment, They would be replete with blessings. Once Their blessings were sufficient, They would be born into the most noble family in the entire kingdom. This is why we must make an effort to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections.

Being born as a prince signifies high noble status. They “renounced kingdom and worldly glory.” Each was born into a noble household, then renounced this noble life and sought the path to attain Buddhahood. They did this in their final body.

The next sutra passage states,

“Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for 12 small kalpas; His lifespan will be 12 small kalpas, which is a very long time. One small kalpa is already difficult to calculate, much less 12 small kalpas. “The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas,” which is also a very long time. So, “when that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.” When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. This is a long time. Thus, Right Dharma can transform many sentient beings.

With Flower Light Buddha’s long lifespan, He will abide in the world for 12 kalpas. The people who share the circumstantial retribution to live in His land will enjoy blessings. To live during that Buddha’s lifetime, they must have exceptional blessings and virtues. Not only do they live in the same era as Him, they can see Him, listen to and attain the Buddha-Dharma and can enjoy a lengthy lifespan of eight kalpas.

When Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world, because the karma of the world’s sentient beings was very severe, His lifespan could not be very long. Only when sentient beings have great blessings can the lifespan of a Buddha be very long. Because the Buddha came to the Saha World, His lifespan was like that of the humans here. So, the Buddha only lived for 80 years. This was what happened to Sakyamuni Buddha. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, Right Dharma abided in the world for 500 years. So, everyone practiced according to the teachings. The monastics lived a life very similar to the Buddha’s when He first started. This was true spiritual practice, so there were many who attained realizations. After 500 years passed, it became the era of Dharma-semblance. This era lasted for 1000 years, and then it gradually entered the era of Dharma-degeneration. This is the era that we are in now; this is the era of Dharma-degeneration. In the Saha World, sentient beings’ karma is very severe. So, the Buddha-Dharma is very short-lived. The life of Flower Light Buddha will be long; it is a blessed retribution to be born in that era.

When we speak of “kalpas,” we explained that the average human lifespan becoming 84,000 years depends on the karma of sentient beings. The lighter our karma is, the longer our lifespan and greater our blessings. The more [bad] karma we create, the more severe our defilements and the shorter our lifespan and the fewer our blessings in the world. In this deteriorating world, there will be more and more poverty. So, in the world we live in now, we see so many natural and manmade disasters, so many countries where the people cannot get by. This is due to our collective karma.

So, “[people] who live in His land will enjoy blessings. [They] live during the Buddha’s lifetime.” They are indeed very blessed. Their blessings must be exceptional; not only do they live during the Buddha’s lifetime, but they can also meet Him and interact with Him.

Actually, when the Buddha comes to the world, not everyone will necessarily see Him, even if they live during the same era. You have all probably heard this example that I have shared. In a city of 90,000 people, only 30,000, one third, knew about Him, saw Him and heard the Dharma. Another 30,000 knew about Him, but did not see Him or hear the Dharma. The remaining 30,000 did not know about Him, see Him or hear the Dharma. See, to live in the same era as the Buddha, to personally see Him and hear Him teach the Dharma truly requires a very great blessing. Not only will they live in the same era as Him, but they will also be able to hear Him teach. Their blessings will truly be great. In particular, some will enjoy a long lifespan of eight small kalpas. Those who live in the same era as Flower Light Buddha are indeed truly blessed. After this Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 kalpas widely transforming sentient beings.

That Buddha’s lifetime will be 12 small kalpas. After that Buddha enters Parinirvana, the Dharma will initially flourish. People can experience it through direct awareness. This is the era of Right Dharma. The Dharma will then spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.

The Dharma will really be flourishing, so in accordance with these guidelines, people will use these methods of spiritual practice. So, “in accordance with” refers to direct awareness. By engaging in spiritual practice in accordance with Right Dharma, they can experience the truth taught by the Buddha. This happens during the era of Right Dharma. Then the Dharma will spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide for 32 small kalpas and transform many beings. Even though that Buddha enters Parinirvana, people can still earnestly practice, as if He is still there, and the Dharma will still be transmitted.

Among the Three Treasures, the Dharma Treasure depends on [the transmission of] the Dharma to be maintained. Even though the Buddha is not here, the Dharma sustains His presence here. So, Right Dharma could abide in the world for 500 years because it was healthy and flourishing. So, the Dharma Treasure was sustained for 500 years.

Right Dharma: It is the proper teachings of the path. Principles that do not deviate are called proper. This is the Dharma Treasure from among the Three Treasures. Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.

“Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.” Those with teachings, those with principles, those who truly engage in spiritual practice and those who have truly attained realization are the four valuable things that help Right Dharma abide in this world.

The multitude of sentient beings need the Buddha-Dharma for this world. Thus, turning the Dharma-wheel and bringing the Dharma among the people depends on us all sharing the same mission and having a firm resolve. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 507 – Attaining Buddhahood by Perfecting Affinities

>> “The great Bodhi-path is wide and direct. Awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows. They keep their bodies pure and guard their minds. By perfecting their affinities with all beings, they attain Buddhahood.”

>> “With roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits.”

>> “The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.”

>> In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path: Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. From the Buddha, they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. They perfectly benefit themselves and others, and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. By learning well the Bodhisattva-path, they will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

>> A common name for Bodhisattvas is great saints. This means they accomplish great things. They are those with the great mission of seeking the fruit of Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings. Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

>> The final body is one’s final incarnation in samsara. This is their final cycle of birth and death. These Bodhisattvas will be born, then ultimately become monastics and attain Buddhahood.

“The great Bodhi-path is wide and direct.
Awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows.
They keep their bodies pure and guard their minds.
By perfecting their affinities with all beings, they attain Buddhahood.”

The Bodhisattva-path is indeed wide and direct. It can take us from the state of unenlightened beings very precisely to our pure intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Walking straight forward in this way allows us to arrive safely at our destination. However, we still need to truly achieve an awakening. With this Dharma, if we can awaken, we will start off in the right direction. If we are deluded, if a single thought deviates, we will get lost. We will end up on a winding and roundabout road. This very long detour began because we went down the wrong fork in the road. Thus we became lost, and no matter how far we go, we will not reach our destination.

So, awakened sentient beings are those who have already attained realizations and have already formed great aspirations. They know they must return to this road to attain Buddhahood. Once we make the Four Great Vows, our goal will be to transform all sentient beings. This is because [the first vow is to] “deliver countless beings.”

No matter how widespread sentient beings are, what state they are in, how big of an area they cover, Bodhisattvas’ hearts must be able to embrace them however and wherever they are so that Bodhisattvas can always be mindful and compassionate. They must be mindful because if a single thought deviates, they can be tempted by sentient beings. They wish to transform sentient beings, but can end up being transformed by them. This may happen to us because we have not yet awakened and cannot see clearly, so we are in a state of confusion. We know that the Buddha-Dharma is wonderful, saving people is the right thing to do and that we are very happy when we help others. This is just knowledge.

Why do we need to save others? Why, when we give of ourselves, are we so happy? If our faith is deep, the Dharma will be clear. When faith is deep, the Dharma is clear. Thus, these awakened sentient beings will use their awakening, their understanding of the Buddha-Dharma, to persist [in transforming] sentient beings.

Since we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must go among people just as the Buddha did. However many people there are, however widespread they are, we must also have a state of mind that can adapt to them however and wherever they are so we can maintain the deep faith and clear mind that come from our awakening. Then, when we go among the people, we will be able to exercise our compassion.

We often talk about extending our compassion and spreading great love. We must go among people to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections. All this [comes from] a feeling of compassion. People have feelings, so by making good connections with them, in the future they will be members of our spiritual family who help us perfect our spiritual practice.

So, “awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows.” On this broad and direct Bodhi-path, awakened sentient beings make the great vow to go among the people. However, the human realm is a turbulent world full of temptations and many different beings. Before entering the world of sentient beings, we must make preparations. That is, we must “keep our bodies pure and guard our minds.” We must keep our minds pure. Not only must we keep our minds pure, in all the actions we take we must maintain the purity of our bodies.

By safeguarding our minds, when we encounter interpersonal conflicts, we will be able to apply the wisdom of awakened sentient beings to form good affinities with those people and help resolve the delusion in their minds. We must not get caught up in the whirlpool of confusion and ignorance. Then, while among people, we will not be affected by them. Thus, we can keep our bodies and minds pure. Thus we can perfect affinities with sentient beings and then attain Buddhahood. We must form these perfect karmic connections.

Recently, I have been sharing about this topic. Sariputra received the Buddha’s prediction of Buddhahood. Afterwards, he realized how prosperous his land will be and how magnificent; Bodhisattvas will be its great treasures, and “its ground is made of crystal.” The ground of our Saha World is made of sand, soil, rocks, mud and so on. However, the land of Flower Light Tathagata will have a ground made of crystal.

The “crystal” here is just like the color of the sky in the very early morning. As the sun is just about to rise, there is a golden hue that is very beautiful. The rest of the sky seems very blue, with slight hints of gray. It is such a clear and beautiful sky. It is hard to describe that kind of beauty with language or with something as an analogy. This beauty changes very quickly. No matter how it changes, the color of the sky is always very beautiful.

When we look at a ground made of crystals, if we observe it from different angles, we will find different kinds of beauty. This shows what that land will be like. Indeed, its ground will be made of crystal,

“With roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits.”

It is very beautiful.

“The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

This will be the state of Flower Light Buddha because, in His past, He perfected so many [connections] by helping so many sentient beings. After perfecting these karmic connections and attaining Buddhahood, this is what His future land will be like. Therefore, “perfecting affinities with sentient beings” in order to “attain Buddhahood” is very important.

The next sutra passage states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.”

Let us briefly consider this passage. “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path.” In order for a Buddha to attain Buddhahood, He must [follow] countless Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and forming aspirations. He aspires and vows to follow the Bodhisattva-path.

In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path: Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. From the Buddha, they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. They perfectly benefit themselves and others, and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. By learning well the Bodhisattva-path, they will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. When any Buddha or Bodhisattva begins to walk the path to Buddhahood, the first vows he makes must be the Four Great Vows. “We vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” This is the first vow of all Buddhas, from the very beginning to the end, when They attain Buddhahood. So, we always say that once we find the right course, we must follow it precisely. This starts with facing in the right direction. Which direction is the right direction? Moving toward delivering sentient beings. If we do not transform them, then we definitely will not attain Buddhahood. So, we must perfect our karmic affinities in order to attain Buddhahood.

From the Buddha, Bodhisattvas hear the Dharma and aspire and vow to deliver sentient beings. For such a long time, life after life, in the presence of countless Buddhas they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. Once they learn it, they must put it into practice. So, they must walk the Bodhisattva-path lifetime after lifetime until they perfectly benefit themselves as well as others and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. The two beneficial conducts are benefiting ourselves and benefiting others; we must practice them simultaneously. Over many lifetimes, we must “learn well the Bodhisattva-path.”

The Bodhisattvas [in this land] will have walked the Bodhisattva-path, lifetime after lifetime. These Bodhisattvas will all be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. Beginning in His lifetime as Sariputra, He has had a spiritual family. He was willing to go among the people and deliver them. By transforming sentient beings in each lifetime, extending His compassion and spreading love, these beings become His spiritual family members. Then lifetime after lifetime, they will follow Him in their spiritual cultivation. So, the text here says, “they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path.”

These Bodhisattvas are all great saints. “Great saints such as these.” Bodhisattvas are also called “great saints” or “ones who open the way.” Bodhisattvas are referred to in three ways. Usually, we call them. “Bodhisattvas,” awakened sentient beings. Actually, Bodhisattvas in the world can also be called “great saints.” So, Bodhisattvas are called great saints. What does it mean to be a “great saint”? Great saints are the people who accomplish great things. This is what makes them great saints. They also have “taken on the great mission of seeking the Buddha’s teachings and transforming sentient beings.” This is what makes them great saints.

A common name for Bodhisattvas is great saints. This means they accomplish great things. They are those with the great mission of seeking the fruit of Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings. Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

They form great aspirations and make great vows. They seek the Buddha’s teachings and transform sentient beings. Thus all the matters involved with teaching and transforming sentient beings are all accomplished. People who make the great vows to do these things in the human realm are called great saints. They are like Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

Bodhisattvas can also be called “ones who open the way.” That means they have already awakened; they want to go among people in order to perfect their karmic connections. “Ones who open the way” and “great saints” both refer to Bodhisattvas; they are those who work to benefit all people.

The next verse continues, “That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory.” Everybody should remember what the Buddha did before teaching the Lotus Sutra in the Introductory Chapter. This was when. Manjusri Bodhisattva began to describe the past 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. He explained that these 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas shared the same first name and last name and appeared in the human realm, one after another. The very last of these Buddhas, before He left the lay life, had eight sons.

His eight sons, before becoming monastics, governed his kingdom. But after hearing that their father had become a monastic and had even attained Buddhahood, the eight sons also aspired to leave the lay life and follow their father to become monastics. This was in the era of the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. At that time, the princes began to aspire to engage in spiritual practice.

These eight princes all became monastics and went to different lands to deliver sentient beings. The sentient beings that they transformed also continued to follow them. Life after life, they continued to accumulate karmic affinities with sentient beings. Life after life they returned to perfect karmic connections with sentient beings.

Eventually, they attained “their final bodies.” These were their final incarnations in the cycle of birth and death.

The final body is one’s final incarnation in samsara. This is their final cycle of birth and death. These Bodhisattvas will be born, then ultimately become monastics and attain Buddhahood.

In the past, they followed their karmic conditions and spent lifetimes in this world to transform sentient beings. At the very end, they had put an end to their rebirth. They completely eliminated the karmic conditions that would continue their cyclic existence. If they came to this world again, it would be because of their vows, not because they were led here by their karma. So, this is their final body. After attaining Buddhahood, They would enter Parinirvana.

Parinirvana does not have anything to do with death or passing away. “Nirvana” is a state that is tranquil and still, so this is “entering the land of calm illumination.” The Buddha’s mind is already in the land of calm illumination. His mind will always be as tranquil and still as the light of a crystal, which is a very pure and bright light. This is called Parinirvana. The tranquil and still state of Parinirvana is naturally one of non-arising and non-ceasing. A state without arising and ceasing is a tranquil and still state. This tranquil and still state is called a land of calm illumination. After the Buddha attains enlightenment,

His final body is His last incarnation in samsara. This is due to enlightenment. A Bodhisattva who is experiencing his last cycle of birth and death in samsara has completed his Bodhisattva-practices and in the end will attain Buddhahood.

Therefore, for Sakyamuni Buddha, that lifetime in the Saha World was the final body He used to walk the Bodhisattva-path. For countless lifetimes, He had been walking the Bodhisattva-path and this was His final body. So, over 2000 years ago, when Prince Siddhartha was born into the palace, that was the last time He would walk the Bodhisattva-path. To complete it, He would come to the world, become a monastic, engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood. This was to let everybody know that if they want to engage in spiritual cultivation, this is the road to follow.

Why do we need to engage in spiritual practice? Because life is full of suffering; there is so much hardship. The Buddha, having spent time among the multitude of sentient beings had seen all kinds of human suffering. In fact, while Sakyamuni Bodhisattva was still walking the Bodhisattva-path, this was already clear to him. In order teach everyone what it means to attain Buddhahood, He manifested this appearance and lived among ordinary people by being born among them. He was born among ordinary people and with various ways of living expressed what was in His heart to help people understand.

This young prince enjoyed glory, status, wealth and luxuries, but when he saw how people were suffering, he could not bear it. To find a solution for everyone’s suffering, he left the palace. After experiencing many hardships and engaging in ascetic practices, in the end, he sat beneath a tree, surrounded by nature. In this natural state, under the starry sky, he watched the twinkling of the stars. Suddenly, his mind connected with that star; the light of his mind and the light of the star came together and became one. This light opened up his mind completely.

The Buddha manifested this to show us that, like Him, we were born in the state of ordinary people, and all of us have seen the pain and suffering of this world. When we hear the principles taught by the Buddha, we can comprehend His experience for ourselves. So, we also become monastics and engage in spiritual practice. This is how we begin. We must also make the Four Great Vows. To start on the path to Buddhahood, we must make the Four Great Vows. Then for countless lifetimes, we extend our compassion and spread great love. Living among people, we perfect our karmic connections with them. Then we can also walk from the state of ordinary people back to our pure, undefiled nature of True Suchness, which is the land of calm illumination.

We can also achieve this, but it will take a very long time for us to form karmic connections with everyone. This is a very natural [process] and it is not particularly difficult, as long as we can open up and broaden our hearts. The sooner we perfect these karmic connections, the sooner we will attain Buddhahood. The sooner we do good deeds, the sooner we benefit others and the sooner we form good karmic connections. Then once our causes and conditions are perfect, we will return to the Tathagata’s state of mind in the land of calm illumination. So, “in his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.” This is the journey of every Buddha. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 506 – A Mind Clear as Crystal Has Infinite Wisdom

>> “A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted. Forever sustain a firm and unwavering will to attain the infinite wisdom of the great perfect mirror of the mind.”

>> So, “having made offerings to countless Buddhas perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named. Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

>> “Its ground is made of crystal, with roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits. The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

>> There are precious worldly treasures, like crystals making up the ground, and golden ropes bordering the roads. This signifies the abundance of this reward-land.

>> The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve: A tree with roots so deeply fixed that it cannot be uprooted is firm. An object that retains its original appearance is solid. A mind that is unchanging and unwavering will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate.

>> Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected: This land is pure and undefiled with utmost goodness as its treasure. In particular, Bodhisattvas make the Great Vows and remain firm and solid in their resolve, focusing on practicing the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Spiritual powers come from the mind. A mind that is still can reflect things. This allows us to have insight into past lives, and discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi and thus have no hindrances. These are spiritual powers.

“A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal
is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.
Forever sustain a firm and unwavering will
to attain the infinite wisdom of the great perfect mirror of the mind.”

This is a very beautiful state of mind. Don’t all of us hope that our minds can be just like this? As long as we can completely eliminate the desires, afflictions and ignorance in our minds, the pure intrinsic nature that we have always had will be revealed. Our pure intrinsic nature is as clear as crystal,

“like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.” Lotus flowers grow in the mud, but lotus flowers will not be tainted by the mud. Instead, the mud provides them with nutrients. These nutrients allow lotus flowers to become more beautiful and bloom even more fully, and make the lotus roots to grow more thick and tender. The two complement each other; lotus flowers adorn the mud with beauty, while the mud supplies the lotus with nutrients. So, they mutually benefit each other.

Bodhisattvas go among people and people provide them with an understanding of the true principles of the world. In this turbid, evil world, every person and every family will experience suffering. Each family faces different suffering. This world is filled with people who cannot let go of their afflictions. Clearly, things are quite simple, but they remain trapped by their [afflictions]. Clearly, this is a very straightforward matter, but they turn it into something complicated. Thus, people have so many different [afflictions].

The minds of Bodhisattvas are very pure, and their wisdom is clear and radiant, because they have made “vows as vast as the universe” and are willing to go among the people; this is their great vow. Because they willingly vowed to go among people, Bodhisattvas’ minds are very calm and still. With the Power of Samadhi and a pure mind, though in this turbid and evil world, they can interact with people without being tainted by afflictions. They are just like lotus flowers.

The minds of ordinary people exist amidst this evil and turbidity; they have every kind of affliction. We often hear, “This is a really simple matter, why do you have to make it so complicated? Ah, because some people say to do it this way, but others want to do it that way.” In this way, the things we need to do will continue to be delayed, minute by minute as time passes by. For such a simple matter, is it really necessary to determine who is right or who is wrong at that moment? We know what should be done. When we listen to the Dharma, we know that this is not necessary. But we do this because of our habitual tendencies;

when we go back to our daily lives, we often [behave this way]. “I feel that what you are doing is wrong, so I am going to tell someone else right away. I am going to tell them what you said.” If we do that, things become even more complicated. We know things are already complicated, but we may still repeat what we hear. We talk about it until it becomes very complicated. Then, we try to go back. “I did not mean it like that.” See, such a simple matter can cause people to overcomplicate things. When people who cause these complications try to express their intent, they muddle things up even more. Thus things become very complicated.

During the era of Master Zhizhe (Zhi Yi), one day, a disciple in his Sangha hurried toward him and said, “Master, I really want to report something to you.” Master Zhizhe said, “Whatever you say must fulfill three conditions. Have you met all these conditions?” [The disciple] said, “I want to report this.” He said, “Fine, but first, is what you are about to say constructive?” The disciple answered, “I’m not sure whether it is constructive or not. I am not sure whether it is constructive or not.”

“Very well, then second, is what you want to say a truth or falsehood?” He answered, “I do not know, because I heard it from other people, so I want to report you. Third, is what you want to say kind or is it mean?” He said, “Honestly, these words are not kind. In that case, do you still need to say it?” Hearing this, the disciple thought, “Indeed, it is not necessary to say this. I do not even know whether it is true or not. Since those words are not kind, why should I spread them?” Everyone, when dealing with matters like this, have we given into our habitual tendencies before?

In life, the Five Turbidities are very severe; in this evil world of Five Turbidities, the whole world is in turmoil and unrest. All of this is caused by our afflictions and our perspectives. Why are the Five Turbidities flourishing so strongly in this era? It is because there are so many unwholesome things that we should not do, yet we have done them and spread [rumors]. We have taken falsehoods and complicated them. Doing these things may not be constructive, but people do not know right from wrong. So, as a result, we have created the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings. This all arises from our mind.

Right now, it is as if we are in filthy mud. But actually, lotus seeds are buried in this mud. We must be like lotus flowers that emerge from the mud but are not tainted. This is how we engage in spiritual practice among people. We go among the people to purify the people, to purify their minds. We must be like this as we learn the Buddha’s teachings.

When we lose our way, to find our way back, we must go among impure and evil people while maintaining a pure mind. We must remain unwavering, and our will must be firm. We must sustain this resolve forever, returning to the initial aspiration we had when we made the Four Great Vows. Our will must also be firm. If we can sustain this mindset and completely clear away all defilements, then the great perfect mirror of the mind will appear. This is how we attain infinite wisdom. For us to attain this state is not impossible. We inherently have it. We just need to work hard to wipe this mirror until it is clean. A simple life is a most wonderful life. So, we must put our hearts into [achieving this].

The previous sutra passage states, “[Sariputra] made offerings to countless Buddhas.” After Sariputra attains Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in that land can also receive predictions of Buddhahood and continue to bestow them on others. These Bodhisattvas will also have “made offerings to countless Buddhas.” They must also do this for a very long period of time. As for these “countless Buddhas,” I have told you that everyone is a Buddha. We must be grateful and respectful to everyone. So, we treat them as Buddhas and make offerings to them. We work with each other harmoniously, making each other happy. We gather our strength to help others. Then aren’t we interacting with. Buddhas every day? When we bring joy to these Buddhas, we are making offerings. When we help each other succeed, the experience we each gain is the offering we make to each other.

So, “having made offerings to countless Buddhas perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named. Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

As I mentioned before, if we can constantly make offerings to Buddhas, constantly perfect the Bodhisattva-path and constantly purify our minds, and make the Four Great Vows, life after life, our minds will never be tainted, and our Bodhisattva-practice will be uninterrupted. Thus, we are “pure and without flaws,” as our minds have transcended all defilements.

Let us discuss the following sutra passage.

“Its ground is made of crystal, with roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits. The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

This sutra passage describes that land, the land of Flower Light Tathagata, which is filled with Bodhisattvas. Its ground is made of crystal; everything is adorned with treasures. The roads are bordered with golden ropes. All this signifies the prosperity of this land. The mind of a Bodhisattva should have this kind of abundance.

For Bodhisattvas to attain realization, they rely on the turbidities of the world and the many ignorant and afflicted sentient beings, which help Bodhisattvas’ wisdom grow and strengthen their spiritual aspirations. Thus, we must sustain this [abundant] state of mind. With spiritual wealth, our minds will naturally become pure.

There are “roads bordered with golden ropes” and “multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures that always have flowers and fruits.” Everywhere, whether in the tree tops, in the roots or on the ground, there are treasures everywhere. This is why I constantly tell everyone that we must be understanding. If we are understanding, even when people give us a bad attitude or say harsh things to us, we can shift our thoughts and be grateful to them. We will feel no afflictions or hatred. If we can do this, then there will be treasures everywhere.

There are precious worldly treasures, like crystals making up the ground, and golden ropes bordering the roads. This signifies the abundance of this reward-land.

“There are precious worldly treasures, like crystal forming the ground.” This ground is the most precious thing in this world. The mind of a Bodhisattva must be like this; if in all of our arising thoughts we can be firm and solid in our aspirations, that will be most precious.

The golden ropes bordering the roads are like our precepts. If we can uphold them well, they are golden ropes that define the boundaries. As we give of ourselves to help sentient beings, there must be boundaries in our minds. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the Three Flawless Studies, will keep us from being tempted by sentient beings. We will not cross the boundaries and will fulfill our fundamental duties. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom will safeguard our minds as we practice the Bodhisattva-path among people. This is our reward-land.

Earlier we discussed circumstantial retribution and direct retribution. We want the place where we will be born to be very prosperous. Our current retribution led us to this world. If we are spiritually wealthy, it is because we practice giving. Thus, we need to maintain our spiritual wealth and keep a very pure mindset.

So, “the Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve.” When our resolve is firm and solid, we will be like a tree, with deeply affixed roots. This tree cannot be easily pulled up. It will not be easy because its roots are very deep. Then turning around our Bodhisattva-aspirations will not be so easy, because our minds are firm and solid.

The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve: A tree with roots so deeply fixed that it cannot be uprooted is firm. An object that retains its original appearance is solid. A mind that is unchanging and unwavering will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate.

When we work hard on our spiritual practice, our minds are already very firm and solid. Regardless of the challenges that arise, it will not affect our spiritual aspiration to practice the Bodhisattva-path by going among people.

This is an unchanging mind. An unchanging and unwavering mind will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate. Not only must our own minds be firm and solid, but we must also safeguard other sentient beings. We must take the Buddha-Dharma to heart, and then take the Dharma in our heart and share it with other sentient beings. When we first listen to the Dharma and aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, inevitably we will encounter difficulties and quickly lose our spiritual aspirations. Not only should we maintain our own spiritual aspirations, but we must also safeguard the roots of goodness of all sentient beings and prevent them from being severed.

Thus, “Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.” If so, Flower Light Tathagata’s pure land will be filled with Bodhisattvas, with their pure and undefiled minds. This is our present state of mind. If our minds can be in this state, then our minds will be like. Flower Light Buddha’s land, which is pure and undefiled, with utmost goodness as its treasure. When Bodhisattvas make vows, they make great vows, so their resolve is very firm and solid.

Therefore, our minds must be diligent and not scattered, free of discursive thoughts. We must be oriented toward the Six Perfections, which are the Six Paramitas, giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. By practicing the Six Perfections our path will be smooth and unimpeded. “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear before us. We understand all Dharma and attain great wisdom.” Among sentient beings, everyone is a sutra to us; each is a Dharma-door. These infinite Dharma-doors appear before us. Every door will lead us to develop our wisdom. But all this must begin with the Six Paramitas.

Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected: This land is pure and undefiled with utmost goodness as its treasure. In particular, Bodhisattvas make the Great Vows and remain firm and solid in their resolve, focusing on practicing the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Spiritual powers come from the mind. A mind that is still can reflect things. This allows us to have insight into past lives, and discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi and thus have no hindrances. These are spiritual powers.

So, spiritual powers come from our minds. This means that our minds and our spirits must be firm and solid. If our spirits are firm, our minds will be steady and free of discursive thoughts. This is what our spirit can be like.

Thus, a mind that is still can reflect things. If our mind is calm, then it will be like a great perfect mirror and all things can be clearly reflected in it. However, the reflection of these states will not taint our minds. If this is our state of mind, then we will have spiritual powers, because a mind that is still reflects things.

Besides knowing how things are now, we can also know their past. We know what material things were in the past, as all things the world are created by convergence. So, we have insight into previous lives; we can remember how things were in the past. This is not impossible, as long we have wisdom and understanding.

“I know the causes and conditions between me and my parents.” This is [insight] into previous lives. Our past karmic connection with them brought us into this world. Because our parents provide us with a good life, we know we must have created very good karmic affinities with them. Thus we help each other. When a child is very well-behaved, parents say, “I know we must have created this connection in a past life. He’s repaying me, and I’m grateful to him.” Whether we are loving ourselves or other people, we are showing each other kindness and gratitude. The result is that, in this lifetime, we are helping each other. This is also insight into previous lives.

We must remember [this insight]. We all have a past and present, and we will also have future. We must remember this. We must make an effort to practice the Bodhisattva-path. So, we can clearly discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi. Our minds must have a clear understanding that the reason you are treating me this way today must be because of causes and conditions created in the past. Instead of being petty, we must be grateful. If so, our minds will always be very still. If we can face conditions with Samadhi, we will not waver and will “have no hindrances.” These are spiritual powers.

“Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.” This is what we discussed earlier. “A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.” Everything comes from our state of mind. Whether in the process of being lotus flowers that grow from mud or of forming Bodhisattva-aspirations and firmly adhering to our direction, we must always be mindful.

Episode 505 – Transcend Defilements to Attain Magnificence

>> “With a pure heart and mind, make the [Four] Great Vows. Resolve to follow the path without regret. Practice the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

>> At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse, “Sariputra, in a future era, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

>> “Having made offerings to countless Buddhas and perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

>> Having perfected the practice of Bodhisattvas, one will always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom so everything will be clear, and one’s thorough understanding will be unhindered. This is the use of the ten kinds of powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

>> The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible and unsurpassable. Thus, [having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path.

>> Being pure and without flaws means being free of the transgressions of evil acts, being free of the defilement of afflictions, and abiding in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

“With a pure heart and mind, make the [Four] Great Vows.
Resolve to follow the path without regret.
Practice the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore.
Be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

We must always maintain a pure heart and mind. Only with a pure mind can we make great vows and sustain our initial aspirations of the [Four] Great Vows. We do not engage in spiritual practice for own sake, but for the sake of all sentient beings. When the world is peaceful, our daily lives will be peaceful. Thus, we absolutely must begin with ourselves by resolving to follow the path.

After we form aspirations and make vows, we must sustain our resolve. There must be no regrets in our minds at all. “Resolving to follow the path without regret” is such a pure and admirable state of mind; every spiritual practitioner should be replete with it.

Therefore, the path we must follow, the methods we use, are the Six Paramitas. We practice giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom until we reach the other shore. This is the direction of our spiritual practice. We must resolve to follow the path and never have any regrets. Thus we practice the Six Paramitas for the sake of the world. Not only can we transform ourselves, but we can also transform others, ferrying them from the shore of ordinary beings to the shore of sages, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. We must travel back and forth between these two. Thus we can “be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

With a pure heart and mind, at all times, we can leave our defilements behinds. We can maintain a pure mind and dedicate ourselves to helping others. We practice the Six Paramitas for their sake and guide everyone so that they can avoid going down the wrong road and can keep moving forward. Naturally, in a state free of defilements, these contaminants will never disturb us again, nor lead sentient beings down the wrong road.

When we listen to the teachings, we may feel like the road is very long and a lot of time still has to pass before we can attain Buddhahood. When Sariputra received the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha, though he was happy that he finally had faith that he would be able to attain Buddhahood, though he believed he would attain it, he still had a long way to go on this path. This will take a very long time and requires countless lifetimes of transforming sentient beings among the people. Thus, he must be replete with the Six Paramitas in order to repeatedly return to this world.

He repeatedly returns from the other shore. This is called returning on the ship of compassion. Returning on the ship of compassion means he goes to the other shore and then comes back. He comes back to engage in spiritual practice, transform people, form good affinities, do good deeds and benefit people. He transforms people and ferries them to the other shore.

To reach the other shore, our ordinary minds must cross the 1000-foot swells of the river of afflictions. Our afflictions are like turbulent waves, so we need to have a guide who knows a way through the waters so that we can avoid these turbulent waves. Thus, we need someone who willingly aspires to subdue sentient beings’ afflictions to help us understand how to calm our minds and eliminate our ignorance. Then, our intrinsic nature can manifest, and we will also aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path. This means we have reached the other shore.

So, lifetime after lifetime, as we repeatedly come to this world, we must practice the Six Paramitas. We repeatedly come back to turn the Dharma-wheel and transform the minds of sentient beings. Once the wheels in their minds begin turning, they will reach the other shore. Because of this, people in society can transcend defilements. They can completely free themselves from afflictions and defilements, so that this world can be harmonious. A harmonious society is a comforting and blessed place. This is the state of Bodhisattvas, a very magnificent state. Everyone who does good deeds is a Bodhisattva. Thus, everyone can “be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

For example, in Indonesia, during the Buddha Bathing ceremony this year (2013), there was a very unique scene right outside the Jing Si Hall. There was a group of people wearing white hats and blue uniforms. These 180 young people wove back and forth through the assembly. This group of 180 youths, dressed tidily, were responsible for guiding people to enter the Jing Si Hall in an orderly fashion. After guiding everyone to their place,

it was the time for the bathing of the Buddha. The youths stood there to direct them on how to stand properly, how to bow respectfully to the Buddha, how to receive the flower, and so on. They were all from an Islamic boarding school, so the students from this school are all Muslims. More than 10,000 of the students there have formed very good relationships with Tzu Chi. Whenever Tzu Chi holds an event, they always come to volunteer.

Look at this magnificent state in the world! These people follow different religions, but the love they share is the same. Interacting with each other out of love is also a way of turning the Dharma-wheel. If people do not separate themselves from others, nor discriminate based on religion, the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas will be in this world.

The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse.” This refers to the section before the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood on Sariputra. He fully explained the subtlety and wonder of the Bodhisattva-path through this world. In order to transform sentient beings.’ Small Vehicle Dharma-wheels into. Great Vehicle Dharma-wheels, He spent a very long time teaching the Dharma to the Sangha. During that time, Sariputra’s state of mind wavered back and forth until he formed aspirations and made vows. The era and the land in which. Sariputra will attain Buddhahood will be magnificent.

At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse, “Sariputra, in a future era, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

This is a very important sutra passage. Because of this, it had to be repeated again so we will not forget. After we listen to it, we must go back to review the Dharma that was taught earlier. This is the way for us to take the Dharma to heart and to remember these teachings. When Sariputra becomes a Buddha in the future, He will be an honored one of universal wisdom, no longer biased toward emptiness. He has already formed Great Vehicle aspirations to go among the people. Once He attains Buddhahood, He will be a honored one of universal wisdom. His wisdom will be completely universal, which means He will thoroughly understand the true principles of all things in the universe. This enlightened one of great dignity will be called Flower Light Tathagata. He will transform countless sentient beings and make offerings to countless Buddhas. This will take a very long time.

“Having made offerings to countless Buddhas and perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

This passage describes the future Buddha, Flower Light. After making offerings to countless Buddhas and transforming countless beings, Sariputra will have perfected the Bodhisattva-practice. Without perfecting the Bodhisattva-practice, how can he attain Buddhahood? In the process of attaining Buddhahood and walking the Bodhisattva-path, he has to be taught and transformed by many Buddhas.

I always tell everyone that we must go among the people, as they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. When we are among the people, we must treat them with gratitude and respect. Sentient beings can help each other succeed. Sentient beings can teach each other. So, when we go among people we can “perfect the Bodhisattva-practice.” Furthermore, we can perfect “the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues.” The Ten Powers come from bringing various kinds of wisdom together. Only when we have these ten kinds of powers will it be possible to train sentient beings.

Having perfected the practice of Bodhisattvas, one will always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom so everything will be clear, and one’s thorough understanding will be unhindered. This is the use of the ten kinds of powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

To “realize the unsurpassed path” he has to perfect the Ten Powers, so that he can go among people without being influenced by them. He can also ferry them from the shore of ordinary people and afflictions to the shore of forming Bodhisattva-aspirations. This requires the merits and virtues that come from perfecting the Ten Powers and realizing the unsurpassed path.

“After countless kalpas have passed” means a long time still needs to pass. The name of that era will be. “Great Treasure Adornment.” The name of that world will be. “Free of Defilements.” This will be a world that has transcended defilements. It is very pure, “pure and without flaws.”

This is in the sutra passage we are discussing today. Making offerings to countless Buddhas requires us to perfect Bodhisattva-practices. To perfect Bodhisattva-practices, we must cultivate what Bodhisattvas must practice. What must Bodhisattvas practice? Do all of you know? The Six Paramitas, giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. Each Buddha must first perfect the practices of the Six Paramitas.

Other than the Six Paramitas, [we must also understand] the Four Noble Truths. We must understand that suffering in life arises from “causation.” With suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, the Four Noble Truths, and the Six Paramitas, we also must understand how people come and go from life through the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. We have discussed them before. How do people become humans? How do we come and go from our lives? Why do we leave and come back in another life? Where do we go when our lives end?

Then, we must “always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom.” Then we can understand everything because the power of these ten kinds of wisdom are directed at understanding sentient beings’ various kinds of habitual tendencies. Bodhisattvas need to understand these tendencies and how to eliminate them. There are ten of these powers in total,

which all require profound discerning wisdom. This wisdom is very subtle and wondrous. We must exercise our wisdom to observe the afflictions of various sentient beings in this world and know what methods to use to understand the afflictions they have accumulated and how to treat them with the Dharma. Therefore, we must contemplate all things so everything will be clear. “Everything will be clear” means that when everything is clear to us, we understand everything, without obstacles.

So, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have perfected the application of the Ten Powers. To cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must go among people to train ourselves. We must understand their disposition before we are able to turn them back toward their intrinsic Buddha-nature. Ordinary beings must return to their pure Tathagata-nature, and Tathagatas must perfect all these wholesome Bodhisattva-practices. Each Buddha must first cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice of doing wholesome deeds and forming blessed conditions. We must benefit this world and create good affinities with sentient beings.

I constantly tell everyone about the causes and conditions of Sakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva. Maitreya Bodhisattva was very wise. At one time, they engaged in spiritual practice together. How did the Buddha of that time decide the order in which they would attain Buddhahood? He ended up choosing Sakyamuni Bodhisattva first because He was replete with good affinities with sentient beings. So, he would attain Buddhahood before Maitreya. Though Maitreya had wisdom and understanding, he did not form enough karmic affinities. Because his affinities were insufficient, he will attain Buddhahood after Sakyamuni.

Therefore, I constantly tell everyone that we must treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love. If we are always grateful, respectful and loving, we will form good karmic affinities. Before attaining Buddhahood, we must first form good karmic affinities. Then we can be like [Sakyamuni] and attain Buddhahood more quickly.

The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible and unsurpassable. Thus, [having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path.

In summary, in order to attain Buddhahood, we must have perfected all wholesome. Bodhisattva-practices and blessed conditions so we can realize the wisdom of ultimate reality and wondrous existence. When we interact with others to do good deeds and form good affinities, we will gradually understand the way life is and the workings of sentient beings. At the same time, this is how we develop our wisdom so we can understand everything.

Because sentient beings’ appearances are connected to the Buddha’s True Appearance, once we realize one, we can understand the other. Sentient beings’ afflictions arise from “causation.” Understanding this, we know we have to go among people in order to walk the path to Buddhahood. Once we have this understanding, we will truly comprehend the workings of things and their principles. The workings of people and matters can be thoroughly understood with the principles of the state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The workings of things are learned from sentient beings, and principles are learned from. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These principles can then be applied to dealing with matters in the world. So, they are “indestructible.” If we can do this, if we can apply the True Dharma in this world, there is nothing that can destroy these truths. This state is also unsurpassable. There is no other teaching that can surpass this true and wondrous Dharma. Because there are many deviant paths, we must apply Right Dharma in this world. No deviant teaching can surpass the Buddha’s Right Dharma, thus, “The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible” and nothing can surpass it. Thus, “[having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he realized the unsurpassed path.”

“After countless kalpas have passed” means spiritual practices like this take countless kalpas, which is a very long time. “There will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.” It is free of the transgressions of evil acts.

Being pure and without flaws means being free of the transgressions of evil acts, being free of the defilement of afflictions, and abiding in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

“Pure and without flaws” means we are free of the transgressions of evil acts. We will no longer make mistakes and will not deviate from our course, so we are free of the transgressions of evil acts.

When we are free of the defilement of afflictions, all our afflictions will be eliminated and we can become pure and without flaws. Then naturally we can eliminate all hindrances. Thus, the name of this world will be. Free of Defilements, which means it has no impurities. Free of the transgressions of evil acts, we will be free of afflictions and abide in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

So, with a pure heart, we can focus on our initial aspirations and make the Four Great Vows. We must strictly maintain our moral integrity and walk on this path without regrets. We must persevere in actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions and ferry sentient beings to the other shore. When we can free ourselves from defilements, we bring dignity to the Bodhisattva-path we walk. This is something everyone can do. It is not impossible, as long as we have the will. Therefore, everyone must always be mindful.

Episode 504 – Becoming an Honored One of Universal Wisdom

>> “Buddha-nature is intrinsic to sentient beings and the roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in them. When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature. The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

>> “Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas”

>> “Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

>> “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse,”

>> “Sariputra, in a future life, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

>> To help those who listen to the Dharma remember, the Buddha restated in verses. Sariputra’s one great cause in the future, the beginning of his attainment of Buddhahood and his end in Parinirvana.

>> Here it describes again how Sariputra attained the prediction of Buddhahood: In the future, after countless and boundless, inconceivable kalpas of making offerings to trillions of Buddhas and practicing Right Dharma, Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas and will become a Buddha by the name of. Flower Light Tathagata.

“Buddha-nature is intrinsic to sentient beings
and the roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in them.
When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature.
The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

This is something I constantly talk about. All sentient beings inherently have Buddha-nature, but we ourselves cover over our nature with ignorance. We have become unenlightened beings and put a great distance between ourselves and the Buddha. Since we intrinsically have Buddha-nature, our roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist. So, starting now, we must find a way to recover our nature of True Suchness. We must also reawaken our wisdom.

“Wisdom” includes both discerning wisdom and impartial wisdom. With wisdom, we can discern between what is right and what is wrong, what is correct and what is incorrect, what is a principle and what is a matter and whether or not people are acting in harmony with the principles. When we encounter interpersonal conflicts, if we have pure wisdom, then we can discern the situation very clearly.

In this era of great turbidity, we have a greater need of discerning wisdom. So, “In these times, we must clearly distinguish right from wrong.” In these. times, if we do not make an effort to be clear on what is right and wrong, then we will easily be influenced by the turbid perspectives of this era and be pulled down and dragged along by them. I often tell everyone that good and evil are in a tug of war. Isn’t that particularly true in this era? Technology is very advanced right now, so it is even more able to cloud our perspectives.

Take television, for example. We can create a composite image. We can find a background and then put people in front of it to make it seem like they were there. Clearly, they were not there, but we can put that scenery behind them. Then the people who see it think that it is real. So, in this great era, our eyes can be led along by that kind of scene, and we will be unable to tell whether it is real. So, now more than ever, we need great wisdom to distinguish right from wrong.

Thus, we talk about having discerning wisdom and impartial wisdom. We always say to “show compassion to all equally.” We must cultivate a heart of compassion, like that of the Buddha’s. The Buddha treats all sentient beings equally and sees every sentient being as His only child. A heart that is so impartial does not [discriminate] at all. No matter how high a person’s status is, how well off a person’s family is, how successful a person’s career is, everyone is equal, because we are all human. This is His compassion.

Haven’t we been talking about this recently? Even the poorest people in the poorest places, though they have no money, they can use their strength to help people in and beyond their own country. Isn’t this true of our South African volunteers? They have faithfully accepted [the Dharma] and used it to turn the wheel in their minds. Not only do they help other people, not only do they work in their own country, but they also go help people in two other countries, in Mozambique and Swaziland. That is not all; they also go to a country which is in the middle of South Africa, Lesotho,

and another country in Africa, Zimbabwe, which is farther away. It is over 1000 kilometers away. Tzu Chi volunteers in those countries seek to learn ways to help their own country, so they go on a pilgrimage to South Africa to learn the methods they use.

You see, South Africa has turned into the place in Africa where the Dharma is taught. This came about because seeds from Tzu Chi in Taiwan were brought to that place to inspire people to realize their spiritual wealth. The people who were poor and suffering were transformed into people who could help others, and the scope of their work is expanding. The number of Bodhisattva[-volunteers] is already in the thousands. And the people they have helped number in the hundreds of thousands.

The winter aid distribution in Africa this year (2013) happened around New Year’s. During the distributions, we saw that in each country, in the poorest areas, the African Tzu Chi volunteers, looked very organized in their various kinds of uniforms. Some were “Bodhisattvas in grey”; others were in the blue and white uniforms. In the midst of all those poor people, they could carry a 20-kilogram bag of rice and still bow deeply. When the poor people came to receive the rice, they also bowed when they took it into their arms. One would say, “Bless you,” the other, “Thank you.” Everything was neat and orderly. Often, when I see these kind of images I wonder, isn’t this Buddha-nature? Isn’t this the root of wisdom?

With the root of wisdom, we show compassion to all equally; this is a seed of goodness. A seed of goodness was sown in that land. Then that seed produced many fruits, which then produce seeds, which sprout into seedlings. The [original] seed will be there forever and will always exist. The seed of goodness is our pure intrinsic nature. So, “roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in [us].” And if we can each have faith, “faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits.” If we can cultivate virtuous Dharma, if we can give rise to the root of wisdom, all our doubts will be eliminated.

Wasn’t Sariputra like this? His heart was pure. For countless lifetimes, he unceasingly followed. Sakyamuni Buddha in his spiritual practice. A long time ago, Sariputra had aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path. But a challenging situation caused him to lose his Bodhisattva-aspirations. However, he was able to maintain the purity in his heart. By keeping his heart pure, he was able to be foremost in wisdom. Yet, he was still lacking the great aspiration to walk the Bodhisattva-path among people, to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic affinities. This was what he was missing.

Once Sakyamuni Buddha saw that. Sariputra had now formed this great aspiration, He verified that [this understanding] was correct. Thus all of Sariputra’s doubts were eliminated. He had no more doubts. He would go among the people to help them while sustaining a pure heart, undefiled by his interactions with others. He would do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic affinities. This is the way to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Once his past doubts were eliminated, his causes and conditions matured. Therefore, “When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature.

Once faith arises, all doubts are eliminated. Since “doubt” obstructs the path, we must rid ourselves of these obstacles, so that the conditions for attaining Buddhahood can begin to mature. This was the prediction the Buddha bestowed on Sariputra, thus, “The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

The Buddha verified this for His disciples, “This is the right thing to do. With this spiritual practice, you must continue on from this point. This is the right direction, so keep going and just diligently advance.” How much farther do they have to go? Very far, because their karmic affinities and blessings are not yet complete. So, they must still go among people to extensively transform sentient beings. Then after a boundless period of time, one day they will attain Buddhahood. So, we must make an effort to be mindful.

Since we have received a prediction of attaining Buddhahood, we must reach a state equal to the Buddha’s. To reach a state equal to the Buddha’s, we must be endowed with the ten epithets. Once Sariputra attains Buddhahood and becomes Flower Light Tathagata, He will live a very long life. However, His time will still come to an end. Eventually, He will bestow a prediction of. Buddhahood upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva. Each Buddha continues to pass on the lineage like this.

“Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas” 32 small kalpas is very long time. ․”Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

So, in Flower Light Buddha’s world, people will live long and prosperous lives. Everyone will be a Bodhisattva, and it will be a world of great abundance. Currently, we live among a multitude of people and there are many people who devote themselves to helping the suffering. They give without expecting anything in return. Is Sariputra among them? Are the Bodhisattvas of Sariputra’s Buddha-land all currently in this world? They may be creating blessed conditions by doing good deeds, cultivating blessings and forming good karmic affinities.

Therefore, we must respect every one of our Bodhisattva-volunteers. We must be grateful to each and every one. Not only are people who help others Bodhisattvas, but those people who are manifesting the appearances of great suffering are also Bodhisattvas. This is because if Bodhisattvas do not encounter these conditions of suffering, they will not be able to realize the world’s truths of suffering as taught by the Buddha. And so, they must [help the suffering] out of a genuine sense of love. We must respect every single person.

We must treat everyone with gratitude, respect and selfless great love. Then we see them all as Bodhisattvas. If we can do this, as we benefit people and form good affinities, we will not miss a single [opportunity]. We will be able to do this very thoroughly. This is a very important point in the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha hopes everyone will show compassion to all equally,

which means we must be impartial. Our root of wisdom must be deeply planted so that when Bodhisattvas appear in front of us to challenge and train us, we will not succumb to the challenge and lose our spiritual aspirations. In summary, we must make an effort to treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love. We must do this for a very long time.

The next sutra passage states,

“At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse,”

which is this passage,

“Sariputra, in a future life, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

In this part of the sutra, verses appear again. A verse indicates that this part of the sutra is very important. After we hear it, we must not forget it. [Verses] help us remember this sutra passage. The Buddha’s words and. His interactions with Sariputra are things we must deeply commit to memory so those compiling the sutras wanted to repeat this sutra passage. This was to help those who listen to the Dharma remember; those who hear must commit this to memory.

To help those who listen to the Dharma remember, the Buddha restated in verses. Sariputra’s one great cause in the future, the beginning of his attainment of Buddhahood and his end in Parinirvana.

Because all Buddhas manifest in the world for one great cause, when Sariputra attains Buddhahood in the future, it will also be for one great cause. Through the causes and conditions [leading to] this one great cause, he will continuously grow in wisdom-life and form good affinities with others until he eventually attains Buddhahood. After attaining Buddhahood in that future land, he will likewise teach the Three Vehicles and teach with skillful means. He will still give wondrous and provisional teachings. This will be the great cause of his teachings. Even though in that land, everyone will have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, Bodhisattvas must still be taught ways to transform sentient beings in the future. All Buddhas share the same path, and They go through this cycle of teaching.

Every Buddha comes to the world for one great cause. So, [Flower Light Buddha] will do this for 12 kalpas until He enters Parinirvana. Before He enters Parinirvana, He will, from among all the Bodhisattvas, bestow a prediction of Buddhahood on. Firm and Complete Bodhisattva. This is how Sariputra’s journey of becoming a Buddha and his one great cause are described again.

Here it describes again how Sariputra attained the prediction of Buddhahood: In the future, after countless and boundless, inconceivable kalpas of making offerings to trillions of Buddhas and practicing Right Dharma, Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas and will become a Buddha by the name of. Flower Light Tathagata.

So, Sariputra, when he attains Buddhahood in this land in the future, will be an honored one of universal wisdom, be endowed with the ten epithets and will be able to transform countless beings. This was the Dharma that was repeated. In a future lifetime, only after countless and boundless kalpas, he will be able to attain Buddhahood. One cannot simply form aspirations today and attain Buddhahood in one’s next lifetime. No. He must go through lifetime after lifetime, countless kalpas of lifetimes, a boundless and inconceivable number of kalpas. He must also “make offerings to trillions of Buddhas.” Thus he will “uphold and practice Right Dharma.”

As for these trillions of Buddhas, as I was just telling you before, the Bodhisattva-volunteers in this world and those who manifest appearances [of suffering] so that we can help them may include these Bodhisattvas among them. So, we treat all of them as Buddhas. In this way, we can also “make offerings to trillions of Buddhas”

because They are among the people. To put it simply, when we interact with people, we must see ourselves as making offerings to them and upholding and practicing Right Dharma. When we interact with everyone with joyful hearts, a smile can be an offering of joy. When we give a bag of rice to someone experiencing hardship, that is a material offering. These are all considered offerings. Through them we can form good karmic affinities with everyone. By making offerings we form good affinities. Forming affinities is part of upholding and practicing Right Dharma. We still apply Right Dharma to transform sentient beings, to help each other achieve realizations and to gather everyone’s strength to help those suffering and enduring hardships. This is all part of Right Dharma.

This is how Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas. We must all learn to do the same. Sariputra also has to go through this. In this evil world of Five Turbidities, he also has to dedicate himself, to help all sentient beings, to uphold Right Dharma and walk the Bodhisattva-path. In this way, after a very long period of time has passed, Sariputra will form countless affinities and attain Buddhahood. His name will be Flower Light Tathagata.

This is why we must always be mindful. When among others, we must not become afflicted. We must make an effort to be vigilant of this. We cannot just guard against wrongs and stop evil. Guarding against wrongs means we must not allow our interactions with people and external states to influence our minds. This is called guarding against wrongs. This is not just about refraining from doing bad things. When we interact with other people, we must feel grateful to them. “You are all Bodhisattvas to me. Even if you do not speak kindly to me, I still feel grateful to you.” This is where we engage in spiritual cultivation. This evil world of Five Turbidities is a Bodhisattva training ground.

We must give rise to faith to eliminate doubts. Only in this way will our karmic conditions mature. As we interact with people, we must have faith that everyone in this world is a Bodhisattva. If this is our spiritual practice, we can perfect the Bodhisattva-path and then attain Buddhahood. Everyone, truly, we must always be mindful.

Episode 503 – Practice and Abide in a Place of Firmness

>> “Deeply cultivate truths and unconditioned Dharma to enter True Suchness with tranquility and clarity. Forever and extensively uphold the Great Vows to practice and abide in a place of firmness.”

>> “Flower Light Tathagata, after 12 small kalpas pass, will bestow upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

>> “He will announce to the bhiksus, ‘Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will be the next to become a Buddha and will be named Complete Lotus and.’ Peaceful Conduct.'”

>> “[His epithets will be] Tathagata, Arhat, Samyak-sambuddha. His Buddha-land will be like that of Flower Light Buddha.”

>> That means Thus Come One. Arhat means One Worthy of Offerings. Samyak-sambuddha is One Who is Completely Awakened.

>> “Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

>> If Dharma-semblance abides in the world, Right Dharma has already deteriorated. There is only that which resembles teachings and appears like practice, so only a few attain realizations.

>> This continued until the era of Dharma-degeneration. In this “era of Dharma-degeneration,” although “the teachings remain, neither practice nor realizations are present.”

“Deeply cultivate truths and unconditioned Dharma
to enter True Suchness with tranquility and clarity.
Forever and extensively uphold the Great Vows to practice and abide in a place of firmness.”

We often say that we must deeply plant our root of faith, then we can understand the principles. The principles of absolute truth are what we call unconditioned Dharma. Unconditioned Dharma is found in our daily living. Though we cannot see or feel it, it is always present in all of our actions, in all the karma we create, and so on. All of the material things that we use also exist within this unconditioned Dharma.

You may be holding a pen and a notebook in your hands. The notebook is made of paper. Where did this paper come from? We know it comes from paper pulp. What is paper pulp made of? It is made of trees. Where are the trees? In the mountain forests. Where did the trees in the forest come from? They came from tree seeds. How do tree seeds turn into trees? From causes and conditions. Starting with the land, that piece of land and the air surrounding it, the conditions can gradually come to maturity. The seed becomes a sapling, and then a large tree. Over time, in this land, under natural conditions, the tree gradually takes shape.

So, I often talk about time and space. Time and space bring all things to fruition. For something to come into being and have a name, its underlying principles require many causes and conditions to converge. This is how what was originally a tree eventually came to be the notebook that you are holding in your hands.

And what about your pen? Whether it is made of plastic, or tin, copper, wood or any other material, it nevertheless must have a cartridge. Where does this cartridge come from? It also comes from the land. All things arise from causes and conditions.

There are many natural resources in the land. We remove them and refine them, and they become the raw material for plastic, which can be formed into the shape of a pen. These raw materials only produce plastic; there is still no way to write with it. We still need a cartridge for the pen, and where does the ink come from? Therefore, everything in the world and everything we use in our daily living follows its underlying principles. All these things must pass through many different stages in their manufacturing process. So, they arise through causes and conditions. And when their original causes and conditions are exhausted, they can meet with other causes and conditions to produce something different, so they have a new name and function. These are the workings of unconditioned Dharma. Originally these things did not exist; there were only all these different kinds of things that we then destroy, breaking down their original substance, then bringing all these things together and using all kinds of machinery to form them into something.

This is just like what our recycling Bodhisattvas do. They protect the earth by collecting things that no longer work or things that were once used by other people. Originally, other people acquired these things. They were manufactured, then after people use them, they no longer want them, so they throw them away. Our volunteers gather up these things. After they collect these discarded things, they carefully sort them. After sorting them, they put them through machines that break them down into their raw materials. Then these raw materials are transformed into a variety of products that we are using today.

This is the same principle; everything goes through a cycle. It comes into being, then it is destroyed. After it is destroyed, it goes through another cycle and becomes something else. Its form is endlessly changing, but its original substance and underlying principles [remain the same,] even if we cannot see that within this substance the principles still exist. This truly is amazing and wonderful! “Everything is empty in nature.” Nothing will exist permanently. All things in this world go through “formation, existence, decay and disappearance.” After they “disappear,” causes and conditions can converge again to gives rise to a new “formation” and a new cycle of “formation, existence, decay and disappearance.”

Similarly, we humans go through a cycle of birth, aging, illness and death. The same principle applies here. Once we leave this body, this “self” ceases to exist in the world. But the “self” then goes on to a different place, when sufficient causes and conditions converge. A previous sutra passage mentioned direct retributions and circumstantial retributions. Where will we be born? We bring nothing with us at all. We simply follow the causes we have planted in our karmic consciousness to a place we have a karmic affinity with. Upon arriving in that place, our life begins with “birth.” Then the environment of that household and the environment and culture of that country shape our development.

I am speaking Taiwanese now because I was born in Taiwan. But where will my circumstantial retributions take me in my next lifetime? What language will I speak? It will depend on the country where I will be born, on the language and the culture there, as well as my family background. This is called circumstantial retribution. But what about direct retribution? In the future, what will my direct retribution be like? I cannot know that right now.

In summary, we go through “birth, aging, illness and death,” death and rebirth in an endless cycle. As for the mind, our thoughts go through “arising, abiding, changing and ceasing,” so it is difficult to calm down our minds. Very easily, once [discursive] thoughts arise, the objects of desire in our external conditions entice us, and our minds follow. So, when we see something, our minds begin to focus on it, and we constantly think about how we can acquire it, how we can satisfy our greed and how we can take it for our own. Thus we begin to create karma. So, “arising, abiding, changing and ceasing,” come from our worries about gaining and losing things. This leads to much suffering and gives rise to so many afflictions and causes and conditions [for creating] karma. Thus we are unable to understand principles.

Only the Buddha can explain so many principles such that we “grasp one truth and understand all truths.” Then we realize that, “All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow.” We can understand all of this, however, the Buddha also told us that we all have an everlasting and enduring nature of True Suchness. So, we are practicing in order to rediscover our nature of True Suchness. To enter True Suchness, the method He taught us is to have tranquility and clarity. So, now that we know the Dharma, we should forever uphold our great aspirations. We have aspired to engage in spiritual practice,

and the Lotus Sutra teaches us how to set aside the Small [Vehicle] for the Great. Thus we learn that suffering comes from all the karma we ourselves create. Suffering is the result of our negative karmic causes and conditions. We face suffering today because we created negative causes and negative conditions in the past, which bring with them the suffering in life. Understanding this, we must promptly “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” But to complete the path to Buddhahood, we must eliminate afflictions, learn the boundless Dharma, etc. So, after we make this aspiration, we should forever and extensively uphold it. We must always form great aspirations and make great vows. We should seize them and sustain them forever. We must do this forever; this is how we persist with the power of our vows.

These great vows are inseparable from the [Four] Great Vows. Every Buddha “vows to deliver countless sentient beings.” In the process of transforming sentient beings, They “vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” If we want to transform sentient beings, we must eliminate our afflictions. Otherwise, “When trying to transform sentient beings, we are instead transformed by them.” So, we must be very careful and eliminate our afflictions. We interact with people because there is infinite Dharma among them; the workings of the world are all there for us to understand.

After seeing the impurities in the world, we will truly cherish the pure Dharma. If we are truly able to eliminate all afflictions and clearly understand the Buddha-Dharma, then naturally when we are among people, we will certainly remain unaffected by interpersonal conflicts and afflictive emotions; they will not influence us. Then we will naturally “practice and abide in a place of firmness.”

The previous sutra passage states,

“Flower Light Tathagata, after 12 small kalpas pass, will bestow upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

Do you all know who Flower Light Tathagata is? He is Sariputra. After Sariputra went through a very difficult and long period, he rediscovered his aspiration to carry out the Four Great Vows. Sariputra finally attained realizations when he heard the Lotus teachings. Thus, he vowed again to transform sentient beings. At that moment, the Buddha bestowed a prediction upon Sariputra that he will attain Buddhahood and be called Flower Light Tathagata,

and the land where he will do so will be particularly magnificent and prosperous. Most people there will be like heavenly beings, and all will be Bodhisattvas. It will be a very pure, very harmonious world. It will be a very unified world, People will also have long lives. How long will Flower Light Tathagata live? 12 small kalpas. Yes, Flower Light Tathagata’s lifespan is 12 small kalpas, but even such a long lifespan will come to an end. So, at that time, Flower Light Tathagata will also need to transmit the Dharma. So, at that time, from among all the Bodhisattvas, Flower Light Buddha will bestow a prediction upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva, that he will attain Buddhahood, which is Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

So, the Buddha again said to everyone.

“He will announce to the bhiksus, ‘Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will be the next to become a Buddha and will be named Complete Lotus and.’ Peaceful Conduct.'”

Flower Light Tathagata will bestow a prediction on Firm and Complete Bodhisattva that he will attain Buddhahood and his name will be. Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct. Here, Sakyamuni Buddha was speaking of the future, that after Flower Light Tathagata becomes a Buddha, He will bestow predictions on a future Buddha. This is called transmitting the Dharma-essence, or continuing the Dharma-lineage. The lineage must be continually passed down.

Therefore, at the beginning of this sutra passage, He spoke of how [this future Buddha] will attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, which is supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment.

“[His epithets will be] Tathagata, Arhat, Samyak-sambuddha. His Buddha-land will be like that of Flower Light Buddha.”

The land [of this future Buddha] will be like that of Flower Light Tathagata. It will also be very pure and will also be full of Bodhisattvas. Let us have a look at the word. “Tathagata.” Tathagata is a Sanskrit word.

That means Thus Come One. Arhat means One Worthy of Offerings. Samyak-sambuddha is One Who is Completely Awakened.

This means that upon attaining Buddhahood, one will achieve Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, perfect enlightenment. One who attains perfect enlightenment will also have the perfect enlightened conduct of a Buddha. With enlightened conduct, one is endowed with the ten epithets. Among the ten epithets are. Thus Come One, One Worthy of Offerings, One Who is Completely Awakened, One Who is Perfect in Wisdom and Action, the Well-Gone One, Knower of the World and so on. Of the ten epithets, the first three are used [in this passage]. This signifies that when. Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct Tathagata attains the state of perfect enlightenment, He will be endowed with the ten epithets. The Buddha then called on Sariputra again.

“Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

No matter how long [a lifespan is], it will come to an end. After Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, the Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, which is a very long time. In this Saha World, the karma of sentient beings is severe. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, the Right Dharma only abided in the world for 1000 years. It was followed by the era of Dharma-semblance. “The era of Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.” But the era of Dharma-semblance in the Saha World was only about 1000 years. We are now living over 2500 years after the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha. This is the era of Dharma-degeneration.

But when Sariputra becomes Flower Light Buddha, he will do so in a land with great longevity. Flower Light Buddha will live for 12 small kalpas and the people in that land will live for eight small kalpas, which is also a long time. But the era of Dharma-semblance following Him will be even longer. It will last 32 small kalpas. The era of Right Dharma before it will also last 32 small kalpas. These eras will last a very long time.

When Right Dharma abides in the world, we can encounter the Buddha and understand [the teachings]. We can see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. This is during the era of Right Dharma. So, when Right Dharma abided in the world, the teachings and practices were widely available. Thus people followed the teachings and engaged in spiritual practice accordingly. During that period, many people were able to attain realizations.

By the time of the era of Dharma-semblance, when Dharma-semblance abided in the world, the Right Dharma had gradually deteriorated. Its [presence] had weakened over time. In the era of Dharma-semblance, people sculpted many images of the Buddha.

If Dharma-semblance abides in the world, Right Dharma has already deteriorated. There is only that which resembles teachings and appears like practice, so only a few attain realizations.

Right now in Myanmar, there are Buddha caves and Buddhist temples everywhere. In Thailand, there are very opulent temples. There are entire mountains in China, like those at Dunhuang, and even places as far away as Afghanistan, filled with images and statues of the Buddha. People have even turned the Buddha’s teachings into a series of images. They take the sutra text, create a storyline from it, then illustrate it in carvings. So, in these Buddha caves, we find many of these stories. This is like reading an illustrated version of the sutra. These were created during the era of Dharma-semblance.

During the era of Dharma-semblance, some sutras were very popular. People carved them or printed them and so on; they flourished. On the surface, it seemed as if the Buddha-Dharma was flourishing. But it was very superficial and based on creating images. This was just the appearance of spiritual practice. So, this was called the era of Dharma-semblance. These only “appeared like practice.” People appeared to engage in spiritual cultivation but by this time, very few people attained realizations. They practiced without attaining realizations, because they were not truly mindful in their practice and did not realize the Buddha’s true principles. So, this only “appeared like practice.” They only seemed to engage in spiritual practice, so no one attained realizations. If any did, they understood just a little bit, only a tiny amount.

This continued until the era of Dharma-degeneration. In this “era of Dharma-degeneration,” although “the teachings remain,” although the Buddha’s teachings still exist, neither practice nor realizations are present.”

Those who genuinely put the Dharma into practice are very few in number. So, we must mindfully engage in spiritual practice. With the Buddha-Dharma in the world, though we are in the era of Dharma-degeneration, a time when sentient beings are evil and defiled, this is a good time for us to engage in spiritual practice. We must continuously accumulate good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic affinities.

As I said several days ago, “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings.” How can you be a Bodhisattva if you do not live in a world with suffering beings? Take doctors, for example. If there were no patients, why would there be a need for doctors? So, in order to train ourselves to return to our pure Tathagata-nature, we must follow the Bodhisattva-path and go among people. By interacting with them, we can see all the workings of the world and verify the pure and undefiled Buddha-Dharma. Thus we return to our intrinsic nature. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 502 – Perfect Awareness, Perfect Wisdom

>> “Understanding the great path brings us joy never known before. As we interact with people, our mind must remain undefiled. After attaining a prediction of Buddhahood, we go among people to create karmic connections. Perfect awareness is the same as perfect wisdom.”

>> The Buddha has the wisdom to understand all Dharma. This is all-encompassing wisdom. The Enlightened One has great clarity and complete comprehension. Thus His all-encompassing wisdom is also perfect and clear.

>> So, “Flower Light Tathagata, after 12 small kalpas pass, will bestow upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

>> After a long period of 12 kalpas, a practitioner of the great Bodhi-path who diligently cultivated the Great Vehicle Dharma, named Firm and Complete, will receive Flower Light Tathagata’s prediction of attaining Buddhahood.

>> The prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: This happens when True Suchness resonates with unconditioned Dharma, and together, they flow into the sea of great enlightenment and wisdom.

>> Furthermore, “He will announce to the bhiksus, ‘Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will be the next to become a Buddha He will be named.’ Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct.'”

>> Firm and Complete: His name means his resolve to practice is firm and he carries out the Bodhisattva-practice of benefiting others and completely succeeds at what he does.

>> Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct: By listening to the Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood, he will become perfect and replete with the true causes for attaining Buddhahood and cultivate the Lotus practice of peace and joy. Because of the virtues this Bodhisattva manifests, he will be name.

“Understanding the great path brings us joy never known before.
As we interact with people, our mind must remain undefiled.
After attaining a prediction of Buddhahood, we go among people to create karmic connections.
Perfect awareness is the same as perfect wisdom.”

Recently, we have been describing how. Sakyamuni Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra. This makes us feel very happy because Sariputra was very joyful. During the time he was a Hearer, he received the teachings that the Buddha spoke. The Buddha taught how to maintain the purity of his mind and understand all things in the universe. He understood all these principles, but he had not opened up his mind to go among people to transform them. But the Buddha did not give up; He endlessly praised the Dharma for being subtle and wondrous and praised those who walked the Bodhisattva-path. Those who can enter the Bodhisattva-path can return to their nature of True Suchness.

This was what previous passages were explaining. The Buddha gave so many teachings, and those who could understand had many different capabilities. Those who had sharper capabilities and wisdom could immediately accept the Dharma, form great aspirations and be willing to walk the Bodhisattva-path. But even the one foremost in wisdom had stopped at the state [of Hearers], so everyone else was also affected by this. So, the Buddha put in His most heartfelt efforts, waiting until everyone’s capacities were equal before beginning to open up His mind and freely proclaim the Buddha-Dharma.

Now that everyone saw that Sariputra understood everything, all of these Hearers also comprehended the great path. They had also opened up their minds. To teach the Dharma, the Buddha turned the Dharma-wheel; He turned the wheel in His mind and had already opened up His mind to freely teach the Buddha-Dharma, so everyone understood. “Understanding the great path brings joy never known before.” Everyone was very joyful; this was a very harmonious state. Then everyone started to form aspirations. After they were inspired, they could intentionally go among people without their minds becoming defiled. They were already mentally prepared for this.

The minds of the multitudes of ordinary people are very stubborn and hard to train, because they come from the. Three Evil Destinies and Four [Evil] Realms. The asura, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms are all found in the human realm. Coming from these different realms, their habitual tendencies are all different. When people form Bodhisattva-aspirations and are about to go among people, they must calm their minds and be prepared so that their minds remain undefiled. They cannot, “when trying to transform sentient beings, be transformed by them instead.” That would become very taxing.

Take Sariputra, for example. He originally formed great aspirations and made great vows. He wanted to transform sentient beings, to give of himself to help them, but he could not withstand the challenges. So, he began to close off his aspirations to walk the Bodhisattva-path. He no longer wanted to go among the people. So, he was transformed by sentient beings instead. Fortunately, he could still maintain the purity of his heart. He had only obstructed his Bodhisattva-aspirations.

We are just like him. We know that it is good to do things that benefit others, so we go among people. In Tzu Chi, everyone shares the same aspirations of going among and helping people. Our society is very complicated. Regardless of the good work we do, sometimes we hear slander and misunderstandings of Tzu Chi. Even when we want to help others, they may not happily accept it. But we cannot bear to abandon them, so we patiently endure all of this and do our best to convince them to willingly accept [our help]. Therefore, we must go among the people and keep our minds from becoming defiled or influenced by others. We must do what we know is right. If it is the right thing, we just do it. When we walk the Bodhisattva-path, this is the hard part.

Sariputra, at this [Dharma-assembly], had already opened up his mind and severed his web of doubts. He also formed aspirations to go among the people. So, the Buddha promptly bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon him. This lets everyone know that as long as they form great aspirations and make great vows, the Buddha will promise, affirm and verify that they will definitely attain this result.

Bestowing a prediction affirms and certifies that this will be their future karmic retribution. Receiving a prediction of Buddhahood does not mean one becomes a Buddha then. After receiving a prediction of Buddhahood, we must decisively go among people to form karmic connections. In the future, we must unceasingly go among them. “Wisdom comes from experience.” Each sentient being is part of our treasury of teachings. The Dharma for living in the world and for transcending it are both found among the people. When we see suffering, we recognize our blessings.

“Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings.” Among suffering sentient beings, amidst all things in the world, we can experience many truths. It will take a very long period of time to experience all these things. So, this is “perfect awareness.” After we realize these things, our understanding of all phenomena, all people, matters, objects and principles will be correct; we will understand it all. If we can achieve this state, that is the same as perfect wisdom. Having perfect wisdom is such a wonderful state.

Just now, when I walked outside, I stood for a little while in the corridor. I lifted my head and looked at the sky. It was such a beautiful sight. The whole sky was completely free of clouds; it looked so clear and so gentle. Far away, I could see orange and yellow light, gradually rising above the horizon. In this kind of state, the feeling of the great perfect mirror will surface in our minds. Isn’t this so? It is like a clear sky, free of clouds, when that first ray of dawn is about to appear. When our mind has not been defiled by any kind of impurities, it will be in such a state. This is an analogy.

The most important thing is that this mirror, the mirror of our minds, is pure in essence. Similarly, the empty space around us is pure in essence; what we see is simply changes in the weather. So, when we look up into the sky, we see clouds of many descriptions, of all different colors and shapes. Sometimes we see a patch of blue sky. Is that the true color of empty space? No. This is just like how our external state is reflected by the mirror of our mind. These states are not actually in our minds, just like they are not truly inside a mirror. However, this mirror can reflect all things. Thus, “perfect awareness is the same as perfect wisdom.”

The Buddha has the wisdom to understand all Dharma. This is all-encompassing wisdom. It is the Enlightened One’s great clarity and complete comprehension. ․The Enlightened One has great clarity and complete comprehension. Thus His all-encompassing wisdom is also perfect and clear.

The Great Enlightened One’s mind is already clear. He clearly understands the principles of all things in the world. This is the wisdom of a Great Enlightened One. It is called great perfect mirror wisdom, which is perfect and complete.

When Sariputra, at that [Dharma-assembly], received the Buddha’s prediction, his mind was heading in the direction of walking the Bodhisattva-path. He was going toward this great enlightened clarity. He not only wanted to protect this state of mind, he wanted to open the door to his heart and keep his mind intact and pure and thus go among the people. This was Sariputra’s state of mind at the time. Listening to the Dharma, he felt joyful. This was the joy of comprehending the great path. How can that joy be explained or described?

Actually, just talking about it brings happiness, let alone truly comprehending the great path. By forming the unsurpassed aspiration, our heart and mind will be so open that we attain joy never known before. Hearing the Buddha bestow this prediction, everyone was very happy. Their minds became open and understanding.

The Buddha described how Flower Light Buddha would not attain Buddhahood for a long time. Until then, Sariputra has to remain in the human realm, repeatedly going among people. When we interact with people, we must be respectful and grateful. Perhaps Sariputra is by our side, going among the people together with us. That is possible. He must spend a long period of time among people,

so that Flower Light’s future Buddha-land will be magnificent. Everyone’s state of mind will be so pure; they will all be Bodhisattvas who have formed great aspirations and continue to advance in their practice. This is like the volunteer camps we often organize. Those who come all have the same aspiration; they want to absorb more Dharma and prepare themselves to go among and help people. These camps are just like [that land].

So, “Flower Light Tathagata, after 12 small kalpas pass, will bestow upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

We have said before that Flower Light Buddha will have a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. People in His land will have a lifespan of 8 small kalpas. This is what we have discussed. So, Flower Light Buddha, when these 12 small kalpas draw to an end, when His life is about to end, He will, among these Bodhisattvas, bestow a prediction of Buddhahood on Firm and Complete Bodhisattva. He will also bestow a prediction on a Bodhisattva.

․After a long period of 12 kalpas, a practitioner of the great Bodhi-path who diligently cultivated the Great Vehicle Dharma, named Firm and Complete, will receive Flower Light Tathagata’s prediction of attaining Buddhahood.

For these 12 small kalpas to pass will take a very long time. He has to wait such a long time. He will do this in order to tell everyone that among that group of Bodhisattvas, some will be more diligent than others. Similarly, among virtuous people, some are more virtuous than others. Among the diligent, there will be one who is the most diligent, one who diligently cultivates the Great Vehicle. He will be wholeheartedly focused on the Great Vehicle Dharma and will walk the Bodhisattva-path, walk the great Bodhi-path. His name will be Firm and Complete.

Firm and Complete Bodhisattva, among that group of Bodhisattvas, will be the most diligent in practicing the great Bodhi-path. He will, in the future, attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Thus, Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will attain enlightenment in the future.

The prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: This happens when True Suchness resonates with unconditioned Dharma, and together, they flow into the sea of great enlightenment and wisdom.

This is speaking of True Suchness. What is enlightenment? It is True Suchness, our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. It resonates with unconditioned Dharma. The nature of True Suchness and the unconditioned Dharma, which is the true principles, will resonate with each other and come together. This is enlightenment;

in the past, we have also discussed how. Sakyamuni Buddha watched the stars at night. When He saw that star in sky, His pure Tathagata-nature converged with the universe and. He suddenly had a great awakening. All unconditioned Dharma flowed into His ocean of enlightenment. So, all Great Dharma was known and understood by the Buddha. This is perfect wisdom; this is the state of enlightenment.

All this happened in an instant. So, Flower Light Buddha will bestow a prediction on Firm and Complete Bodhisattva that in the future, he will achieve this convergence, realize Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and attain Buddhahood. “Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi” is supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment, the utmost, unsurpassed perfect awareness.

Furthermore, “He will announce to the bhiksus, ‘Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will be the next to become a Buddha He will be named.’ Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct.'”

In the world of Flower Light Buddha, that very diligent Bodhisattva, Firm and Complete, will also eventually awaken and attain Buddhahood. After He becomes a Buddha, His name will be. “Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct.” This will be Firm and Complete Bodhisattva’s name after He attains Buddhahood. This is what this passage of sutra text states.

Why is he called Firm and Complete? Firm and Complete means he has a firm resolve and will be true.

Firm and Complete: His name means his resolve to practice is firm and he carries out the Bodhisattva-practice of benefiting others and completely succeeds at what he does.

Yesterday we discussed being sincere and having the proper mindset, sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. Firm and Complete Bodhisattva aspired to cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. His resolve will be very firm, so he will be very diligent. The Dharma exists in his every thought and manifests in his every action to benefit others. It is present in everything he does. “Carrying out” is like moving things. It means that everything he does is beneficial to sentient beings. This is what he carries out.

So, this Bodhisattva will be diligent. With the strongest resolve, the most steadfast diligence, he uses every minute and every second to carry out the practice of benefiting others. He completely succeeds at what he does, thus his name is Firm and Complete.

Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct: By listening to the Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood, he will become perfect and replete with the true causes for attaining Buddhahood and cultivate the Lotus practice of peace and joy. Because of the virtues this Bodhisattva manifests, he will be name.

“Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct” comes from listening to the Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood, The Lotus teachings are the fruit of Buddhahood. The lotus is used as an analogy for this pure Dharma. The lotus flower can purify turbid water. The lotus simultaneously blooms and bears fruit. The lotus root, lotus seeds and lotus flowers all come from the mud. “The Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood,” are taught among sentient beings to help perfect their spiritual practice. Because myriad sentient beings are heavily defiled with turbidity, Firm and Complete Bodhisattva will also have to spend countless lifetimes among people, amidst this turbidity, without his mind becoming defiled.

From this sutra passage, we learn that every Buddha must pass through this evil world of Five Turbidities and help people in order to attain Buddhahood. They are like a lotus flower, relying on the nutrients in the mud. These nutrients help the lotus grow. The lotus is unaffected by the filthy mud. This is like the Bodhisattvas who go among people to understand the Dharma and thus strengthen their resolve. This is how they are “replete with the Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood.” At that moment, “all become replete with the true causes for attaining Buddhahood.” This is how Firm and Complete Bodhisattva has engaged in spiritual practice in the past and in the present. So in the future, he will receive the prediction to become. Complete Lotus and Peaceful Conduct Buddha. Because Flower Light Tathagata will bestow this prediction on him,

he will then “cultivate the Lotus practice of peace and joy.” In addition to cultivating that cause among myriad sentient beings, He will have the [flower], the Lotus practice of peace and joy. Although He will be among people, His mind will not be obstructed. As we often say, this comes from willingness. If we happily accept the consequences of what we willingly do, we are cultivating the. “Lotus practice of peace and joy.”

In the dirty and filthy mud, the lotus flower retains its splendor and beauty and produces the lotus fruit. Thus, to attain Buddhahood, we need to go among people and cultivate the Lotus practice of peace and joy. This is how this Bodhisattva’s name manifests his virtue. His name reflects his virtue.

As I said yesterday, “Wealth enriches the house, virtue enriches the body.” By engaging in spiritual practice like this, we will express these kinds of virtue in our actions. We do not have to say, “I am such a pro at spiritual practice.” We do not have to say it, we just need to do it regularly. Then when others see us, they will become very happy. This will happen when we truly are replete with the cause of the Lotus-teachings and the fruit of Buddhahood.

We must also cultivate the. “Lotus practice of peace and joy.” The fruit of the Lotus teachings and the conduct of the Lotus teachings are all about protecting our minds so that we will not be defiled by any kind of person. We must unceasingly aspire to help others.

So, we must remember to cultivate the. “Lotus practice of peace and joy.” Thus we must go among people in order to attain and “be replete with the Lotus teachings, the fruit of Buddhahood.” Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 501 – Follow the Path with a Firm Resolve

>> “We sincerely follow the path without falseness. Firmly maintaining the integrity of our minds, we will not deviate. With deeply rooted faith, we walk the Bodhi-path. On the steadfast path of wondrous Dharma, we attain great perfect mirror wisdom.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas they cultivated Brahma-conduct. They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas and constantly cultivated Buddha-wisdom, so they are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma.”

>> “They are upright, free of duplicity and firm in their resolve. Such Bodhisattvas as this will fill that land.”

>> The Buddha then called out, “Sariputra, the lifespan of Flower Light Buddha will be 12 small kalpas, not counting the time He spends as a prince before attaining Buddhahood. The lifespan of people in that kingdom will be eight small kalpas.”

>> The upright are proper and free of duplicity. They are straightforward and do not flatter and are firm in their resolve. The path to Buddhahood is in realizing and understanding sentient beings’ [nature] that all sentient beings intrinsically have a pure and clear nature of True Suchness. The path to Buddhahood is in realizing and understanding sentient beings.

>> So, “upright, free of duplicity and firm in resolve”

>> Not counting the time He spends as a prince: This shows that Flower Light also sets aside the throne to become a monastic. Before he attains Buddhahood, he spends lifetimes learning and studying. After he attains Buddhahood, he lives a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The time he spends as a prince cultivating the path is not included in this number.

>> “The lifespan of people in that kingdom will be 8 small kalpas.” In that land, people’s lifespan will be 8 small kalpas. These people will accept the teachings and have exceptional blessings and wisdom. Not only will they see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, they will enjoy a lifespan of 8 small kalpas.

“We sincerely follow the path without falseness.
Firmly maintaining the integrity of our minds, we will not deviate.
With deeply rooted faith, we walk the Bodhi-path.
On the steadfast path of wondrous Dharma, we attain great perfect mirror wisdom.”

I continually talk to everyone about faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity. These are fundamental to our character. “Only when we perfect our character can we attain Buddhahood”; “only when we perfect the path of being human can we complete the path to Buddhahood.” So, when we engage in spiritual practice and learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must first learn how to be a good person. If we can be a good person, and continue to walk on the proper path without deviating from our course, then this road will take us near to the state of Buddhahood.

So, we must diligently bring out our sincerity as we interact with people and deal with matters. In our every thought, we should be sincere. “With utmost sincerity, all Buddhas will manifest.” If we are always sincere, then the Buddha, all Buddhas, will naturally be in our minds. Then there will be nothing false in our minds; our minds will be very grounded. Therefore, we must “sincerely follow the path without falseness.” In our interactions with each other, we must not be deceptive. We cannot say one thing and then do something else. That is not right. When what we say comes from deep sincerity, we will bring out that truthfulness in what we do. All in all, when we sincerely follow the path, we will naturally refrain from doing things that are misleading or false, and all of our actions will be true and genuine.

We must also maintain the integrity of our minds. With the proper state of mind, our direction is correct. A slight deviation can lead us far off course, so we must take good care of our minds, protecting our sincerity and our integrity. If we are firmly in the right mindset, then we will not deviate.

“With deeply rooted faith, we walk the Bodhi-path.” We must have deeply rooted faith. Since we have these causes and conditions and have chosen to follow the Buddha-Dharma, this is our blessing! We do not know how many lifetimes it has taken for us to now hear Right Dharma and walk the right path. So, we should have great faith in the Dharma. Our faith must be deep; our Bodhi-roots must be planted deeply and must extend out widely. This is how the Bodhi-tree will flourish and produce bountiful fruits. Each fruit can produce infinite seeds.

For example, after Sariputra spends a very long time creating karmic connections, won’t that bring him to a magnificent land? And, won’t that land be filled with those who have formed great aspirations and made great vows, willing to walk the Bodhisattva-path, those who have Bodhisattva-aspirations? He has to spend a very long period of time in his efforts to teach and transform others and to form good karmic connections with them. So, if a Bodhi-seed can extend its roots deeply and extensively, then this Bodhi-tree will forever be laden with seed-filled [fruits]. All this comes from that original seed. We have talked about this previously. So, “With deeply rooted faith, we walk the Bodhi-path.”

“On the steadfast path of wondrous Dharma, we attain great perfect mirror wisdom.” With sincerity, integrity and faith, we follow the path without falseness and have firm resolve without deviating. With deeply rooted [faith] we walk the Bodhi-path. This is a very solid and reliable path, which we pave through the world until we get closer to the Bodhi-path. When our afflictions disappear one by one, our wisdom-life will surface, bit by bit. The more we earnestly polish this mirror, the brighter its surface will be and the more accurately it will reflect the world around us.

The Buddha-Dharma is indeed wondrously profound. I saw a passage illustrating this in the sutra text. [It described] people who were inspired by having the causes and conditions to indirectly receive the [blessings]. They had the causes and conditions to joyfully do things with others, and thus also create merits and virtues. This story took place 500 years after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, At the time, India was made up of many small kingdoms. Among them were two kingdoms ruled by two kings. In kingdom A, the king believed in the Buddha-Dharma. Because he believed in the Buddha-Dharma, he made offerings to the Buddha and to the Sangha. The other king believed in Brahmanism. One time, this king felt the desire to hold Brahman religious ceremonies on a grand scale, so he used a large amount of money and treasure to make banners, 500 banners, which were all very valuable.

This king then announced, “If anyone can carry the banner and lead this procession, and if they are able to wave the banner in an exciting yet dignified manner, I will give each person who can do so one of these priceless banners. There are 500 total.” In a nearby kingdom, there were very many poor people. Everyone hoped to try their hand, so these poor people started to assemble until about 500 were gathered there. Once the 500 people were gathered together, they began to rehearse ways to make this procession look very dignified.

Since these 500 were now all together, they set off [to find the king]. The road was long, so they had to walk for a very long time. After walking for a few days, they had spent all their money but as they still had a long way to go, they wondered what to do. Someone suggested, “We are close to the kingdom whose king found faith and joy in the Buddha-Dharma. He makes offerings to the Sangha every day and is always giving things away. If we take shelter with the Sangha, we will have temporary food and shelter. While we are there, we can also accept offerings. Once we save up enough money to travel, we can then set off again to the Brahman kingdom.” Everyone agreed this was a good plan, so these 500 people went to the Sangha.

In this Sangha, the leader of the Bhiksus had already attained the fruit of [Arhatship]. While he was in Samadhi, he understood where these 500 people came from. These 500 people, countless kalpas ago, had lived in the era of Vipassin Buddha. There was an elder at that time who reverently made offerings to the Sangha and to the Buddha. Each time the elder got ready to make offerings, his 500 house servants were all very joyful and immediately worked hard to prepare the best things to offer to the Buddha.

These people, from that time on, reaped the blessings that came from the offerings made by the elder and the merits and virtues of their joy in this giving. Thus they were born in heaven. Once the merits created by taking joy in another person’s giving had been depleted through enjoying heaven, they returned to the human realm and fell into a state of poverty. However, their faith and positive causes still existed. Because of this faith and these positive causes, they had this karmic condition. So, though they lived in poverty, in their quest to obtain those valuable banners, they had the causes and conditions to draw near the Buddha-Dharma again. The bhiksu [who led this Sangha] was an Arhat, and he quickly seized this opportunity to help these 500 people shave their heads right away and become monastics.

Sometime after these 500 people became monastics, when the king was about to make offerings to the Sangha, this Arhat brought the 500 people to receive offerings. When they went to receive them, everyone felt very happy. They still had the hope that after they had received the offerings, they still might be the ones to obtain those banners in the future. However, this Arhat understood that they had not completely eliminated this greed from their hearts. So, the Arhat spoke to these 500 people. “Since you now have the appearance of a bhiksu, you must, with utmost sincerity, follow the path in a straightforward manner, without any deception. You should know that one grain of rice from our benefactor is as grand as Mt. Sumeru. If you do not attain realization in this life, if you do not understand these principles, you will toil as an animal in the next life to repay this debt.” After these 500 people heard this, at that moment, they became very vigilant. “Since we have already shaved our heads, we should truly make an effort and engage in spiritual practice for real. We must follow the path with utmost sincerity.”

Though it happened so long ago, with only the cause of taking joy in another’s deed, they drew near the Buddha-Dharma and listened to the Buddha give teachings. From this alone, they attained long-lasting blessings of being born in heaven. The causes and conditions of that faith continued to exist. Therefore, we must deeply cherish this seed of faith, So, we should always be mindful of the Buddha-Dharma.

The previous sutra text states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas they cultivated Brahma-conduct. They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas and constantly cultivated Buddha-wisdom, so they are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma.”

The Buddha praised Sariputra and the Bodhisattvas in that land for having, in the presence of countless Buddhas, cultivated purifying practices. Thus, each Bodhisattva was replete with great spiritual powers and knew well the door to all Dharma.

The following sutra passage states,

“They are upright, free of duplicity and firm in their resolve. Such Bodhisattvas as this will fill that land.”

These Bodhisattvas had already entered the door to the Buddha’s wisdom. They had entered the Buddha’s wisdom because they were upright, free of duplicity and and firm in their resolve.

The Buddha then called out, “Sariputra, the lifespan of Flower Light Buddha will be 12 small kalpas, not counting the time He spends as a prince before attaining Buddhahood. The lifespan of people in that kingdom will be eight small kalpas.”

Earlier we discussed “upright without duplicity.” To be “upright” is to be proper. If we have a proper mindset, replete with faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity, naturally, we will be free of flattery. Without duplicity, we will not flatter others nor curry favor with them. With genuine moral character, we help other people. With firm resolve and good character, we can be a good example for other people. This resolve must be firm.

The upright are proper and free of duplicity. They are straightforward and do not flatter and are firm in their resolve. The path to Buddhahood is in realizing and understanding sentient beings’ [nature] that all sentient beings intrinsically have a pure and clear nature of True Suchness. The path to Buddhahood is in realizing and understanding sentient beings.

We must all realize and truly understand the Buddha’s teachings. We must experience the truth that all sentient beings intrinsically have Buddha-nature.

So, “upright, free of duplicity and firm in resolve”

means that our minds must be sincere and our path must be proper. When our minds are upright, meaning that we are sincere, and our spiritual aspirations are proper and straightforward, our minds will peacefully abide in a pure land. If we all have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness, then the world will be a pure land, one that we can peacefully abide in.

“Sariputra, the lifespan of Flower Light Buddha will be 12 small kalpas.” The Buddha said to Sariputra, “In the future, when you attain Buddhahood, how long will your lifespan be?” 12 small kalpas. In this Saha World, what was the lifespan of Sakyamuni Buddha? 80 years.

But a kalpa is much longer, as was discussed repeatedly a few days ago. One small kalpa is made of one increasing and one decreasing kalpa. An average lifespan of 84,000 years decreases all the way down to 10. Then from 10 years it increases all the way back up to 84,000. Based on this, we can calculate how long a small kalpa will last.

“Not counting the time He spends as a prince” and “before he attains Buddhahood.” This means that the time before he becomes Flower Light Buddha does not count toward this. Clearly, in the future, Sariputra will spend countless eons of time in the process of spiritual practice, and in this process, he will also be born as a prince. This prince will continue in spiritual practice. How much time will all this take? The time before he attains Buddhahood is not counted in the 12 small kalpas, these many lifetimes of spiritual practice.

Not counting the time He spends as a prince: This shows that Flower Light also sets aside the throne to become a monastic. Before he attains Buddhahood, he spends lifetimes learning and studying. After he attains Buddhahood, he lives a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The time he spends as a prince cultivating the path is not included in this number.

From this we understand that spiritual practice requires us to have a lot of patience, so we can pave a road successfully from this world to the Bodhi-path. Think about it, that will be the land of the future Buddha, Flower Light.

“The lifespan of people in that kingdom will be 8 small kalpas.” In that land, people’s lifespan will be 8 small kalpas. These people will accept the teachings and have exceptional blessings and wisdom. Not only will they see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, they will enjoy a lifespan of 8 small kalpas.

This will happen during the time when Flower Light Buddha attains Buddhahood. Since the Buddha’s lifetime, over 2000 years have passed. From that time up to the present, Sariputra has also not left the human realm. Because he received the Buddha’s prediction, he must go among people in the world to continuously cultivate blessings and wisdom by doing good deeds and giving blessings. By doing good deeds and benefiting others, he will form many good karmic connections. The number of people he forms good affinities with will grow over these many lifetimes. Then in the future, they will become Bodhisattvas in the land of Flower Light Buddha. Everyone, we all have a part in this. As long as the Dharma that the Buddha taught, this Dharma-lineage, can be carried on forever, we will not deviate from the Buddha’s teachings. Forming affinities with these future Buddhas whom the Buddha taught and one by one gave predictions of Buddhahood to is not difficult.

As long as we sincerely follow the path without any falseness, we will truly be able to “firmly maintain the integrity of our minds [and] not deviate.” At this level, “with deeply rooted faith, we walk the Bodhi-path.” If we can achieve this, naturally, on this steadfast path, our perfect mirror wisdom will manifest. Everyone, learning the Buddha’s teachings requires this sincerity. If we have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness, then we will steadily walk toward a pure land we can abide in. We will complete the path to Buddhahood through our practice.

As Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. As we do good deeds and benefit others, we can feel very happy right now, let alone what we will feel like in the future after accumulating them over countless eras. After accumulating [blessings] for so long, we will also be in a place with long lifespans, abundant material goods and a good environment where we can diligently advance and can constantly see the Buddha and hear the Dharma. This is the direction we are moving in. So, I hope everyone can always have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness and always be mindful in daily living. We must always be mindful.

Episode 500 – Vowing to Cultivate Purifying Practices

>> “For countless kalpas, the Buddha has made the [Four] Great Vows. Having perfectly transcended the world, His intention is to transform all beings. For the sake of all sentient beings, He teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma.”

>> “Whenever they wish to walk anywhere, jeweled flowers spring up beneath their feet. These Bodhisattvas are not newly inspired. For a long time, they have cultivated their virtuous foundation.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they cultivated Brahma-conduct. They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas and constantly cultivated Buddha-wisdom, so they are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma.”

>> “Brahma-conduct” refers to purifying practices. These are ways to eliminate sexual desires, so we call them purifying practices. Those who cultivate Brahma-conduct will be reborn in the Brahma Heavens.

>> Thus we engage in purifying practices: to clear away the causes of cravings and desires. This means not violating the rules and precepts.

>> They will always be praised by all Buddhas for “constantly cultivating Buddha-wisdom.” All Buddhas have great impartial wisdom and supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. “So, the Buddha comes to this world and teaches Buddha-wisdom for this reason, to teach sentient beings to develop Buddha-wisdom.”

>> They are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma: The Dharma taught by the Buddha is both for living in and transcending the world. These teachings are for all noble beings to enter the path and comprehend the door to all Dharma.

“For countless kalpas,
the Buddha has made the [Four] Great Vows.
Having perfectly transcended the world,
His intention is to transform all beings.
For the sake of all sentient beings,
He teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha did not appear in this world for only a short period of time or for only one or two lifetimes. For infinite kalpas, He has aspired and vowed to engage in spiritual practice. Over a very long period of time, He continuously accumulated good deeds and good karmic connections. With every good deed He created blessings; He kept accumulating good deeds and blessings. Through His interaction with others, He accumulated positive karmic conditions. When He helped others, His mind was free of afflictions and filled with joy. How long was He doing that? For a very long time. All Buddhas share this same path. Every Buddha that comes to the world must engage in this method of spiritual practice. Therefore, They make the [Four] Great Vows.

The Four Great Vows are made by all Buddhas. Every Buddha that comes to the world never deviates from the Four Great Vows. These are the shared vows of all Buddhas. Once They fulfill the Four Great Vows, then they will transcend the world and no longer have to transmigrate in the Six Realms. However, They come to this world because of Their vows. They cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer, so They journey throughout the Six Realms to give to and save all sentient beings.

Therefore, the Buddha comes in response to the needs of the world and for the sake of one great cause. When He perfected His spiritual cultivation, He completed His awakening; He attained perfect enlightenment. He comes to the world to transform all beings; this is the Buddha’s original intent. His perfect, world-transcending intention is to transform sentient beings. So, “for the sake of all sentient beings, He teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma.” He hopes that they can all return to their Tathagata-nature.

Once, when Sakyamuni Buddha was expounding the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, He told His disciples the following story. In the past, countless kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Sakyamuni, known as Ancient Sakyamuni. During His lifetime, He taught the Dharma and transformed sentient beings. In that period of time, there was a man who lived in extreme poverty. One day, he encountered a knowledgeable and well-informed friend. His friend gave him a piece of good news. “An enlightened one called Sakyamuni Buddha has arrived in our city. He is going to teach the sutras and the Dharma. If you are free, let’s go listen to Him together.” Hearing this, the poor man was very happy. “This is so rare. If the Buddha is coming to this small town, I should go to listen to His teachings.”

“But, I should make an offering to Him. What can I use to make an offering? I do not have a single penny, so how can I make an offering?” After some deliberation, he realized, “All I have is this body. I can sell myself and use the money I get to make my offering to the Buddha.” Once he made this decision, he began asking everyone he met along the road.

A passerby saw him, approached the man and said, “If you want to sell yourself, I am willing to buy.” The poor man was very happy to hear this, “What do you want me to do for you?” The passerby told him, “I suffer from something no one has an answer for. I have an illness that is difficult to treat. Many well-known doctors have diagnosed me and said it cannot be treated with medicine. However, they all agreed that. I must eat three taels (113g) of human flesh each day. If I can eat three taels of flesh each day, I will be able to extend my life. Otherwise, this illness will continue to cause me great suffering.”

Upon hearing this, the poor man was very happy. “To make an offering to the Buddha, this is what I’m willing to do. I will sell myself to you. Seeing how much pain your illness causes you, I also cannot bear it. If I give you three taels of flesh every day, how much money will you give me?” The passerby said, “Five taels of gold. That is plenty,” the poor man said, “Can I begin in a week? If you will advance me the money, I can make an offering to the Buddha and listen to Him give teachings. Can you give me one week?”

The passerby said, “I can’t wait seven days. At most, I can give you one day. I will advance you five taels of gold.” The poor man said, “In that case, one day is fine.” The poor man took the five taels of gold and rushed to meet up with his friend. Then they went to the place where the Buddha was teaching. Seeing how magnificent the Buddha was and how dignified the Dharma-assembly was, the poor man felt very happy. He went before the Buddha and made his offering. After offering the five taels of gold, he stepped aside and listened to the teachings.

The principles in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra were so wondrous and profound that this poor man was unable to understand them. However, he did remember one verse. This verse stated, “The Tathagata realized Nirvana and forever put an end to His cyclic existence. If you listen to His teachings sincerely, you will always attain infinite joy.” This was the only verse he heard and remembered.

After listening to the teachings, he happily went to meet the man he had sold his body to and finalize the deal. Every day for a whole month he cut off three taels of flesh. Every day, his mind was focused on that verse, “The Tathagata realized Nirvana and forever put an end to His cyclic existence. If you listen to His teachings sincerely, you will always attain infinite joy.” This verse was always on his mind, so he felt no pain even though three taels of flesh was cut from him daily. After one month, the person who was eating his flesh gradually recovered his health. Having fulfilled his responsibilities, the poor man rushed to the Dharma-assembly and told the Buddha that he wanted to become a monastic and engage in spiritual practice. The Buddha joyfully said, “Welcome bhiksu. After countless kalpas, if you attain Buddhahood in the future, your epithet will be Sakyamuni Buddha.”

After Sakyamuni Buddha told this story, He said to His disciples, “Do you know? The man who sold his body is now me, Sakyamuni Buddha. I, the present Sakyamuni Buddha, have followed the teachings passed on by Ancient Sakyamuni. I have engaged in spiritual practice for countless kalpas. With my body and mind, I willingly gave to others, so today, I am able to have so many disciples following me, and after attaining Buddhahood, I am able to hold Dharma-assemblies like this where I can teach the Dharma to everyone.”

Hearing this, everybody was deeply touched. The Buddha had always reminded them that spiritual cultivation takes countless kalpas. The amount of time that passed between. Ancient Sakyamuni’s time and this present moment is indescribable. From the moment He formed that aspiration, everything He did was for the sake of His one great cause. He could not bear for sentient beings to suffer, so He spent lifetime after lifetime among people. Even having perfectly transcended the world, He still held firmly to His original intent, to transform sentient beings. It was solely for the sake of sentient beings that He taught this Great Vehicle sutra. This is what spiritual cultivation requires. We must, with utmost reverence, form aspirations and make vows. Our resolve must be unwavering, pure and simple; we must give unconditionally for all sentient beings. This is such a pure and simple mindset.

The previous sutra passage states,

“Whenever they wish to walk anywhere, jeweled flowers spring up beneath their feet. These Bodhisattvas are not newly inspired. For a long time, they have cultivated their virtuous foundation.”

These are not newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. For a very long time, an incalculable number of kalpas, they have followed the Bodhisattva-practice. “For a long time, they have cultivated their virtuous foundation.” Ancient sages say, “Wealth enriches the house, virtue enriches the body.” This is because the virtue we cultivate is reflected in our conduct. Our character will lead people to trust us. This is the result of spiritual cultivation. Speaking of virtues, those who cultivate them will attain them, and those who attain them are virtuous. This is how “virtue enriches the body.” So, these Bodhisattvas have engaged in spiritual practice for a long time.

Next, the sutra passage states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they cultivated Brahma-conduct. They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas and constantly cultivated Buddha-wisdom, so they are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma.”

This sutra passage tell us that the previously mentioned Bodhisattvas cultivated their virtuous foundation for a long time. “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they cultivated Brahma-conduct,” which are purifying practices. “Brahma” means pure. So, “They cultivated Brahma-conduct. They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas.” These Bodhisattvas had often been praised by all Buddhas. They are “replete with great spiritual powers” and already “know well the door to all Dharma.” They had already realized the door to all wisdom.

“Brahma-conduct” refers to purifying practices. These are ways to eliminate sexual desires, so we call them purifying practices. Those who cultivate Brahma-conduct will be reborn in the Brahma Heavens.

Otherwise, why would becoming a monastic be an important part of spiritual practice? Since people can listen to the Dharma, they should be able to understand it. If people can understand the Dharma, can’t they attain realizations? They can! Lay Buddhist practitioners can also realize the Buddha-Dharma through spiritual cultivation. But they do not engage in enough purifying practices. Being responsible for a family makes it hard to keep a pure body and mind. They cannot be completely pure. This is due to their familial responsibilities, having children, raising them and so on. So, lay practitioners cannot attain Buddhahood, but they can still realize the Buddha-Dharma.

To truly become a Buddha and attain Buddhahood in the world, one must first become a monastic and engage in purifying practices for a very long time. We have to keep the body very pure, without ever being contaminated by sexual desires. This is Brahma-conduct, which is pure Dharma from the Brahma Heavens. These are teachings of purifying conduct. So, those who cultivate Brahma-conduct will be reborn in Brahma Heaven, where sexual desires do not exist.

Engage in purifying practices: to clear away the causes of cravings and desires. This means not violating the rules and precepts.

The causes of cravings and desires must be completed eliminated. These causes, these seeds, must be prevented from coming together; the love or afflictive emotions of relationships must be completely eliminated. Then we will remain pure in our precepts; we will not violate the rules and precepts.

Precepts guard against wrongdoings and stop evils. If something is wrong, we should not do it. If we are doing evil things, we must promptly stop. Therefore, we must not violate these rules. For lay practitioners, we hope that Dharma, the seeds of Buddhahood, can pervade the world, so that everyone can attain the cause for approaching the Dharma, practicing it and attaining Buddhahood. Therefore, these seeds of goodness must be spread throughout the world. Lay Buddhist practitioners are also able to engage in spiritual practice. But, they must uphold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds.

The Five Precepts are to abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and alcohol. These are the Five Precepts. Presently, we hope all Tzu Chi volunteers will completely uphold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds. By doing the Ten Good Deeds, not only will we not violate precepts, we can strengthen the way we give to others and so on.

Of the Ten Good Deeds, three are of the body, four are of speech and three are of the mind. The four [evils] of speech are lying, gossiping, harsh speech and [flattery]. We must look after our karma of speech. [The evils of] the body are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Killing is harming sentient beings. Stealing is obtaining wealth through improper means, which is equivalent to taking things from others. If we get things by taking advantage of others, this is also regarded as stealing. The body also has desires and cravings. If people are married, they should be responsible to their families. They must not commit any sexual misconduct. Husbands and wives must be loyal to each other. They must not commit adultery. This is also one of the Five Precepts.

What about our minds? We need to eliminate greed, anger and ignorance. If we can abstain from these ten things, we will be abiding by the Ten Precepts. By upholding the Ten Precepts, we can fulfill the Ten Good Deeds. Not only should we not kill, we must also protect lives, and so on. We must speak kind words, share the Dharma, etc. As part of upholding the Ten Precepts, we also practice the Ten Good Deeds. In fact, in the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds, we can understand that there are also ten precepts. We must be mindful to comprehend this.

So, “They constantly received the praise of all Buddhas.” In order to achieve this, monastics must engage in Brahma-conduct and cultivate purifying practices. If lay practitioners can abide by the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds,

They will always be praised by all Buddhas for “constantly cultivating Buddha-wisdom.” All Buddhas have great impartial wisdom and supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. “So, the Buddha comes to this world and teaches Buddha-wisdom for this reason, to teach sentient beings to develop Buddha-wisdom.”

When the Buddha comes to this world, whether He is speaking to lay disciples or monastic disciples, He treats them all equally and applies His perfect enlightenment to teach Buddha-wisdom to sentient beings. This means that the true principles that the Buddha teaches from His heart, the Buddha’s wisdom, is delivered through the turning of the Dharma-wheel from the mind of the Buddha to the minds of sentient beings. This is why I always remind everybody to “take the Buddha-mind as your own mind.” The Buddha has already given His mind to sentient beings, so we must accept it so that it becomes our mind. This is the turning of the Dharma-wheel.

He “teaches the Buddha-wisdom for this reason, to teach sentient beings to develop Buddha-wisdom.” He teaches sentient beings in hopes that they will go towards right understanding, right views, Right Dharma and right thinking. This is how people in the world can gradually approach the Bodhisattva-path.

Thus they become “replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma.”

They are replete with great spiritual powers and know well the door to all Dharma: The Dharma taught by the Buddha is both for living in and transcending the world. These teachings are for all noble beings to enter the path and comprehend the door to all Dharma.

Everything the Buddha teaches is for the sole purpose of helping us to truly draw near the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha always leaves the door open in the hope that we can all enter the teachings He has given. The Dharma taught by the Buddha “is for both living in and transcending the world.” As we are living in this world, [we must know] how to interact with people and deal with matters, as well as how to view worldly matters. We can also transcend the world. If you are willing to engage in the practices for transcending the world, the method is to become a monastic. The Buddha gives teachings impartially. These teachings are “for all noble beings to enter the path and comprehend the door to all Dharma.”

“The door to all Dharma” is the door to His mind that the Buddha opened to deliver the Dharma to everyone. All of us must also open the door to our own minds to accept the Dharma expounded by the Buddha. We must take the Buddha-mind as our mind. The door to the Buddhist teachings is open, so we can enter when we wish. Whether we go in or not is up to us. Are we willing to spend a very long time interacting with a countless number of people to create blessed causes and good affinities? This depends on our patience and love. How can we eliminate our ignorance and afflictions? How can we completely rid ourselves of our bad habitual tendencies? This is very important, and it is all up to us. So everyone, we must always be mindful.