Author: Scott Ogata

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Ch02-ep0241

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 241 – Waiting for the Causes and Conditions to Teach

>>”The Buddha’s wisdom is inestimable and indescribable. The ultimate reality of our nature cannot be verbalized nor seen. Seek the Dharma with utmost sincerity; the Buddha waits for conditions to mature before He teaches.”

>>”Why now does the World-Honored One earnestly praise skillful means? For 40 years the teachings He gave were all provisional, skillful means. Is what we have realized also skillful means?” This is the doubt about skillful means.

>>”The Dharma attained by the Buddha is extremely profound and difficult to understand. As to what He has said, His intent is difficult to know.”

>>”When the Buddha spoke of liberation, I understood it and have attained Nirvana.” They mistook the Nirvana of the Two Vehicles for the ultimate liberation of the Buddha. Therefore, they did not know the meaning behind the Tathagata’s earnest praise.

>>”As to what He has said, His intent is difficult to know. None of the Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas could grasp it.”

>> As to what He has said, in order to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities and accommodate practitioners of all three capabilities, the Buddha established skillful means.

>> Also, the Dharma expounded by the Tathagata in the past, present and future, the worldly and world-transcending Dharma, was all given for the sake of transforming sentient beings. Thus, the Buddha had to give many teachings, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, boundless and endless.

“The Buddha’s wisdom is inestimable and indescribable.
The ultimate reality of our nature cannot be verbalized nor seen.
Seek the Dharma with utmost sincerity;
the Buddha waits for conditions to mature before He teaches.”

We recognize that the Buddha’s wisdom is inestimable. We ordinary people are certainly far behind Him. Right now we are listening to the vast differences between the principles in the Lotus Sutra and the skillful means He taught in the past. Just how different are they? [The difference] is truly “indescribable.” We cannot use language to describe the vast differences between them.

So, rather than making vague estimates, we should just return to our intrinsic nature, the ultimate reality of our nature. Within our minds, we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, an intrinsic nature of True Suchness that is “no greater in Buddhas, no less in sentient beings.” Both ordinary beings and Buddhas have the same ultimate reality in their nature.

Although it is indeed as we say, it “cannot be verbalized nor seen.” We cannot describe it in words or show it tangibly. Do we still remember? The previous passage stated, “The Dharma cannot be demonstrated.” The Dharma expounded by the Buddha cannot be produced as a material object. This Dharma is inherent in everyone’s mind; it cannot be seen, so we have to mindfully experience it.

Look at how so many environmentalists from around the world come to Taiwan nowadays to [learn our methods]. They come to our recycling stations to observe with their own eyes how we reuse and recycle things. [They see] bottles and cans, papers and plastics, and so on, piled high as a mountain. They see many people working very joyously, and they listen to old folks in their 80s and 90s also listen to old folks in their 80s and 90s explain [what happens with] each object there.

Whether these visitors have PhDs, are professors or well-known experts, when they come here, they listen to and [learn from] the practical experiences of these elderly Bodhisattvas. These people from around the world find what they hear makes sense and become very touched. They also say they will take these methods back to their countries. This is the Dharma. It is all around us in this world. Therefore, all things in the world are our teachers.

Doctors treat patients as their teachers. We spiritual practitioners see all things in the world as our teachers. So, all things can inspire our minds and natures. Therefore, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must always be mindful. So, “the ultimate reality of our nature cannot be verbalized nor seen.” We cannot just talk the talk, with nothing to show for it; we must take action. All things in the world have an appearance, and all appearances contain the Dharma. In the end, what can we point to as the appearance of Dharma? Therefore, the Dharma is hard to describe. It can only be expressed by the actions that it has led us to take. So, we must be very mindful to comprehend it.

We all must have spiritual aspirations and seek the Dharma with utmost sincerity. We must use a heart of utmost sincerity to listen to the Dharma and put it into practice. If our practice is superficial, it will be very difficult for the Dharma to penetrate our hearts. It is not simply “not easy,” but it is indeed very difficult. So, if we seek the Dharma with utmost sincerity, no matter how far apart in time we are from the Buddha, He is still waiting for our capabilities and conditions to mature to teach us.

The Buddha’s Dharma, His wisdom-life, is still spreading in this world. As long as people in the world still have the sincere resolve to seek the Dharma, when the conditions are mature, He will manifest to give teachings.

The Buddha continuously waits for conditions to manifest and teach. He wants to help us understand that however profound the Dharma is, it is in fact very simple. However, practitioners of the Three Vehicles and fourfold assembly still cannot comprehend it. So, His teachings are extremely profound and difficult to understand. Actually, they are not difficult to understand, it is just that there is still some distance between the Buddha and us. Therefore, as I said earlier, rather than always looking outward, we need to look inward to find our nature of True Suchness. But the sutra states, “Why now does the World-Honored One repeatedly praise skillful means?”

“Why now does the World-Honored One earnestly praise skillful means? For 40 years the teachings He gave were all provisional, skillful means. Is what we have realized also skillful means?” This is the doubt about skillful means.

The fourfold assembly wondered why all of the Buddha’s teachings over the past 40-plus years were skillful means. Did this mean that they had only realized skillful means? They wondered if they had walked the path of skillful means in vain. Had the spiritual practice they engaged in [led to nothing]? Had it? No, there was truth in it. The principles are the same.

If we can all understand these principles, we will recognize that the Buddha’s past teachings were still based on the principles. They were wondrous provisional [teachings]. Provisional [teachings] are skillful and suitable means that help familiarize people with the surroundings, and eventually take them to their destination.

So, when people heard the Buddha say, “My past [teachings] were skillful means. I will now go back and teach the ultimate truth,” some people were doubtful. In the past 42 years, were all of the Buddha’s teachings skillful means? If that was the case, then was everything they had realized skillful, and not the true [principles]? Skillful refers to something that is not the ultimate, to an explanation based on analogies. Actually, [skillful means] are true.

It is also the case that if we are not carefully guided, our minds will be filled with ignorance, afflictions, arrogance and pride. And if our minds are still completely filled with afflictions, how can we accept the ultimate truth, our pure intrinsic true nature? Skillful means are just like water; they can slowly cleanse the mind until it is [completely] pure. Therefore, skillful means are also Dharma, and they are particularly suited to us.

But, everyone still thought,

“The Dharma attained by the Buddha is extremely profound and difficult to understand. As to what He has said, His intent is difficult to know.”

They all believed [the Buddha] now wanted them to understand the True Dharma of. His intrinsic nature of True Suchness, which is very profound and difficult to understand; how would the Buddha explain it? “The Dharma attained by the Buddha is extremely profound and difficult to understand.” Sakyamuni Buddha Himself told everyone this. Now, He would teach the One Vehicle Dharma that He had guarded in His mind for over 40 years. The Dharma He attained is extremely profound and difficult to understand. This is what the Buddha told everyone before He gave the [Lotus teachings].

For a long time, I have constantly told all of you that Sakyamuni Buddha’s wisdom was equal to that of past Buddhas from countless kalpas. Sakyamuni Buddha and all past Buddhas thoroughly understood the ultimate reality of all things in the universe. Although we have wisdom equal to all Buddhas’, we have not yet achieved full understanding. Therefore, there are doubts in our minds about when exactly we will finally be able to be equal to Buddhas and thoroughly understand Their principles.

So, from “what [the Buddha] said, His intent is difficult to know.” This is in the passage we are discussing. The Dharma attained by the Buddha was very profound. The intent and direction of the Buddha’s mind, the meaning and course of His teachings, are still truly difficult to understand for us ordinary beings.

“When the Buddha spoke of liberation, I understood it and have attained Nirvana.” They mistook the Nirvana of the Two Vehicles for the ultimate liberation of the Buddha. Therefore, they did not know the meaning behind the Tathagata’s earnest praise.

“When the Buddha spoke of liberation, I understood it and have attained Nirvana.” They all believed that they had accepted the Buddha’s teachings on liberation. After accepting it, their minds also became very tranquil and still. Because of this belief, they mistakenly thought that the Nirvana of Two Vehicle practitioners was the ultimate teaching of the Buddha. This is because ordinary beings are arrogant and have attachments. They all thought, “I have understood and comprehended everything the Buddha taught, so my mind is already very tranquil, and thus I have already attained ultimate liberation.” They all believed this, so they remained at that stage and did not want to diligently move forward.

So, they did not know why the Tathagata earnestly praised and kept talking about how He taught skillful means in the past and was going to give true teachings in the future. This was what people did not understand. Because of their lack of understanding, [we] must recognize that,

“As to what He has said, His intent is difficult to know. None of the Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas could grasp it.”

The Dharma the Buddha had taught truly had deep and profound meanings, even the simple and superficial teachings. You can ask sentient beings, “Do you know? Yes. Can you change? Eventually.” They are all like this. Truly, changing is very difficult. Why is it so difficult? Because we do not fully understand and these clear principles have yet to penetrate our minds. If we only listen, we cannot change our deeply-rooted habitual tendencies. This is how we unenlightened beings behave.

What about spiritual practitioners? They also hinder themselves; they have the “hindrance of knowledge.” We often hear people say, “I know, I know.” Yet after they say, “I know,” they hinder themselves by thinking they already know everything.

But, when they face the Buddha, He tells them, “What you have practiced in the past was only one stage. To truly get close to the state of Buddhahood, [to learn] the ultimate reality of One Vehicle,” they must switch to the great path of the Great Vehicle. “His intent is difficult to know.” If we keep going on this great path, where will we end up? This is such a great path. In the past, we were on a very narrow path and had become familiar and comfortable with it. Then, suddenly, we are on this broad path; do we know how to walk it or where we are going? We do not know. This is why we have doubts. What kinds of people have doubts? “Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas.”

As to what He has said, in order to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities and accommodate practitioners of all three capabilities, the Buddha established skillful means.

So, “what He has said,” is what He taught according to capacities, to accommodate practitioners of all three capabilities. The Buddha had been giving teachings for over 40 years to those of higher, average and lower capabilities; He had to perfectly teach all of them at once. Thus, the same sentence had to be accepted by those of different capabilities. This is how He accommodated practitioners of all three capabilities.

Also, the Dharma expounded by the Tathagata in the past, present and future, the worldly and world-transcending Dharma, was all given for the sake of transforming sentient beings. Thus, the Buddha had to give many teachings, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, boundless and endless.

[He] now wanted them to turn from past teachings and return to the Dharma of the One Vehicle, the Great Vehicle. Think about it. How could Hearers and. Pratyekabuddhas accept this? The Buddha’s wisdom was so broad and great. They all thought, “I will just continue to do the same thing. How could I teach with one perfect voice and accommodate all three capabilities like the Buddha did?” So, everyone doubted their own abilities.

The Buddha kept encouraging us that “[the nature of] all Buddhas, minds and sentient beings do not differ.” As long as each of us are sincere and devoted, the Buddha will wait forever for [the right] conditions. When karmic conditions mature, He will begin to expound the Dharma. However, every single teaching is True Dharma. Earlier I said that all phenomena are Dharma, and all Dharma are revealed by the True Suchness of our intrinsic nature. If we have thorough understanding, “True Suchness helps us realize ultimate reality.” If we use the wisdom of the True Suchness of our intrinsic nature to understand all things in the world, everything is Dharma.

Therefore, spiritual practitioners treat all things in the world as teachers, just as a doctor treats patients as their teachers. In summary, we must better understand that the worldly Dharma is really the Buddha’s true teachings. So, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0240

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 240 – Verbally Teaching Skillful Means

>>”The Buddha taught the Dharma with His words. Perhaps He spoke of the past, present and future, or worldly and world-transcending Dharma. For the sake of transforming sentient beings, He gave these teachings.”

>>”Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, each had the following thought.”

>>”Why was the World-Honored One now repeatedly praising skillful means but proclaim that the Dharma attained by Buddhas is extremely profound and difficult to understand?”

>> In the past, out of His kindness, the Buddha gave provisional means according to capabilities. Now that He set aside the provisional to reveal the true, the assembly doubted that they could fathom the Buddha’s Wisdom. Therefore, this led the disciples of the. Three Vehicles and fourfold assembly to each have the following thought.

>> Why now does the World-Honored One repeatedly praise skillful means? For 40 years, He gave teachings of the provisional, skillful means. So, was what they realized also skillful means? Here, they doubted skillful means.

>> It is said the people in this world, in their present lifetime, drew near to virtuous and spiritual friends. Because they listened to their teachings of skillful means, they developed Bodhicitta. This is the power of skillful means.

“The Buddha taught the Dharma with His words.
Perhaps He spoke of the past, present and future,
or worldly and world-transcending Dharma.
For the sake of transforming sentient beings, He gave these teachings.”

This shares with everyone about how the Buddha gave teachings verbally. After He attained enlightenment, He wanted to share. His state of mind from that moment.

Sometimes when He taught, “He spoke of the past.” The sutras contain many stories of people asking the Buddha, “What is the reason for my present suffering?” The Buddha would then describe their past lives, their karmic conditions from countless kalpas ago. In Buddhist sutras such as the Agama Sutra and the Jataka Sutra, many stories from the past were used to teach about the present. So, “He spoke of the past, present and future,” thus verbally guiding everyone using teachings of the past to seize the present and [learn] about the future.

[Sometimes] “He spoke of worldly and world-transcending Dharma.” The Dharma that the Buddha taught is inseparable from worldly teachings. The Buddha-Dharma was created for the world, so the Buddha taught exhaustively about the world. Whether about astronomy, geography, psychology, morality and so on, these were all worldly teachings the Buddha gave. He taught all kinds of worldly Dharma solely to guide sentient beings to transcend the world. Therefore, He also had to teach world-transcending Dharma. These were the teachings He gave in His lifetime and the great cause for which He came to this world.

So, when we listen to the teachings, we are not just listening to stories, we are listening for how we should engage with the world. What is our goal when we enter the world? To work on its behalf. We all share responsibility for the world, so we should [learn] how to go into it and take on this responsibility, our responsibility to share the teachings.

Some people might think, “What does teaching have to do with me? I am not a teacher; why is it any of my business?” Actually, people teaching each other is how the Dharma is continuously passed on, lifetime after lifetime. So, passing on the Dharma is called teaching. We can teach by example, by putting [the Dharma] into practice. We can teach through actions and speech and by being a role model for others. This is how we pass on the Dharma. This is how we teach others so that those we encounter can develop their wisdom.

We must always keep the Dharma in our hearts. If the Dharma is in our hearts, then we can cleanse our minds of defilements. Once those defilements are washed away, we will clearly understand worldly matters because the mirror of our mind is clean. Once this mirror is clean, we can clearly see everything in the world and clearly discern right from wrong. Then our verbal teachings and physical examples will be clear and apparent. So, the Buddha “spoke of worldly and world-transcending Dharma.”

The Buddha first gave worldly teachings, which were skillful means given according to people’s capabilities, needs, ignorance and suffering. In every person’s mind, there are delusions, the inability to let go and afflictions. To address their afflictions, the Buddha had to teach according to capabilities in order to help people first eliminate them. He then went on to

teach them the Four Noble Truths and. Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence so that everyone could understand that they could not grasp at conditions like this. Conditions, both positive and negative, continuously multiply. People cannot help but constantly reproduce and accumulate ignorance. Therefore, they cannot transcend this world. How do they escape? By practicing the Dharma. [So, they need] world-transcending Dharma,

which we have been discussing. Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas are the practitioners of the Three Vehicles, who diligently cultivate world-transcending Dharma. So, “the Three Vehicle teachings can all be transformative.” From Hearers to Solitary Realizers to those who aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, all are guided by Him. Establishing teachings for sentient beings was the Buddha’s goal in coming to the world.

There is so much suffering in the world. I [recently heard] a touching story. A woman lived in Neihu district. When she was young, her family was poor, and her parents often argued over the family’s livelihood. When she was young, her parents separated, and all the children were sent to an orphanage. As an orphan, she was always very resentful.

After several years, their mother came to retrieve them, and finally they were a family again. But her mother did not fulfill the responsibilities of educating her children. She constantly left the young children [at home] and went out on her own. When she was thirteen, she started doing odd jobs like running errands. This was a difficult period in her life.

So, she wanted to quickly find someone she could depend on and get married. However, the man she married was very attractive and popular with women. She constantly fought with her husband, and he beat her as a result. So, she felt very helpless; her mind was in great pain and torment.

Once, she accidentally got pregnant, and she gave birth prematurely to a daughter. The doctor declared that the child had an abnormal growth in her stomach, like a malignant tumor. This new mother felt great pain in her heart. She felt that this was a punishment, and this suffering was a result of her karma being passed on to her daughter, causing her child to suffer in her place. Therefore, she felt terrible and made a vow to do good deeds to make up for her daughter’s suffering.

After becoming involved with Tzu Chi, she was very devoted. She believed in the Jing Si Aphorism, “As long as we have the will, nothing is difficult.” She wondered about the mistakes she had made and thought of how she resented her mother. For a long time, she had refused to speak to her mother. So, she continuously repented and diligently volunteered. Whenever there was a Tzu Chi activity, she would participate and help out.

Incredibly, one day her mother suddenly appeared before her, asking for her forgiveness. Her mother told her, “In the past, I did not take care of you, and I really caused you a lot of suffering.” At that instant, they embraced each other in tears. She also told her mother, “I was also at fault. You probably suffered a lot. I could not comprehend your suffering, so I just kept complaining. I was wrong to do that.” So, they truly empathized with each other.

Over time, [their relationship changed]. Though her life had not changed very much, in her mind, she had thoroughly understood the principle that the world is filled with suffering so she must work hard on her spiritual practice. Therefore, the Dharma penetrated her mind.

This is how worldly Dharma works. There is much suffering in the world, and only by understanding the world’s suffering can we strive to “practice teachings.” To engage in spiritual practice, we must value the teachings and put them into practice. We must use the Dharma as water and continuously cleanse our minds with it. This is why, when we learn the Dharma, whether it is worldly or world-transcending, we must always be more mindful.

The sutra states, “Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, each had the following thought.”

Starting with Ajnata Kaundinya, everyone at the assembly had these doubts. “Didn’t the Buddha’s past teachings guide us toward the Buddha’s path, the path to enlightenment? Did we take the wrong path? Why is the Buddha now teaching us again?”

Next the sutra states,

“Why was the World-Honored One now repeatedly praising skillful means but proclaim that the Dharma attained by Buddhas is extremely profound and difficult to understand?”

Why did the Buddha offer this praise? He repeatedly praised skillful means of the past for being suitable for people’s capabilities and guiding sentient beings. So, why was He now saying, “the Dharma attained by Buddhas is extremely profound and difficult to understand”? Why was the Buddha saying this now? So, everyone had doubts.

In the past, out of His kindness, the Buddha gave provisional means according to capabilities. Now that He set aside the provisional to reveal the true, the assembly doubted that they could fathom the Buddha’s Wisdom. Therefore, this led the disciples of the. Three Vehicles and fourfold assembly to each have the following thought.

In the past, the compassionate Buddha gave teachings according to capabilities and used skillful means that suited each person. He gave provisional teachings, which are skillful means. This was how He wisely taught us. And now, “He set aside the provisional to reveal the true.” He was about to set aside provisional teachings, to tell people not to be attached to skillful means. Now He was setting aside the provisional to reveal the True Dharma. So, this is “setting aside the provisional to reveal the true.” He wanted to expound the True Dharma to the assembly.

But people there had doubts in their minds. “This road that we have been taking, is it the wrong one?” Actually, the Buddha was not saying that the road they took was wrong. He had been carefully guiding them and hoped that they would not be attached to the road that had led them here. [Now,]. He was forging a wide path for everyone to walk, and this is the real road that would lead them to Buddhahood.

Why now does the World-Honored One repeatedly praise skillful means? For 40 years, He gave teachings of the provisional, skillful means. So, was what they realized also skillful means? Here, they doubted skillful means.

They still did not understand the Buddha’s intent, so they had doubts and questions in their minds. So here, they doubted skillful means. The Buddha’s mind contained True Dharma. Sentient beings’ minds contained doubts. How could the two be reconciled? He wanted to help everyone understand that He was about to give great teachings.

He did this to assure everyone that the teachings He gave in the past were not wrong. They had been suited to their capabilities, so He taught and guided them with these means. These were the teachings He gave in the past. So now, they all had to believe and verify that the teachings they had already accepted helped them resolve many of their afflictions. But, they had to keep moving forward. After we eliminate our afflictions, that does not mean we have been liberated. Not yet. There is still a long road ahead. We must truly penetrate the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, what we realized were skillful means. Though we have eliminated afflictions, we must still diligently move forward.

It is said the people in this world, in their present lifetime, drew near to virtuous and spiritual friends. Because they listened to their teachings of skillful means, they developed Bodhicitta. This is the power of skillful means.

In this world, in this present era, we draw near virtuous and spiritual friends and listen to their teachings of skillful means, which can also lead us to develop Bodhicitta. After we listened to [the earlier story], we may realize, as long as she had the will, “nothing was difficult.” The woman we just heard about read this simple phrase in “Jing Si Aphorisms.” Then, she repented and became determined to made diligent progress. “As long as we have the will, nothing is difficult,” This also inspired her to develop Bodhicitta.

So, the Buddha’s teachings are not too difficult. As long as our minds resonate with the principles, and we put our hearts into moving forward, encountering the Buddha-Dharma is not difficult. The Buddha teaches verbally, and we take it in with our ears. Out of His compassion and through His voice, the Buddha expounds the Dharma. When we listen carefully with a mind that seeks the Path [to awakening] and take the teachings into our minds, naturally we will realize the Buddha’s knowledge and views and. His state of mind. So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0239

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 239 – Eliminate Doubts to Seek the Dharma

>>”Doubts may be deep or superficial.
Capabilities may be sharp or dull. The disciples in the fourfold assembly did
not understand the Buddha’s wisdom. They uphold Small Vehicle teachings and
think that is enough. They do not seek Great Vehicles teachings but [instead]
doubt the One True Dharma.”

>>”Ajnata Kaundinya and others, 1200 in all, as well as those who
aspired to become. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas
and upasikas, each had the following thought,”

>> Upasaka is a Sanskrit word that means lay devotees. Though they are
lay practitioners, they uphold the Five Precepts and abide in their pure faith.
It is also said that male and female lay followers can follow precepts and draw
near to and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, they are called upasakas and
upasikas.

>> Each had the following thought: Over 40 years, they followed the
Buddha and listened to the Three Vehicle teachings. They were taught according
to their capabilities. But now as they listened to the Buddha’s. One Vehicle,
extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma, they found it difficult to know
and understand because of their strong attachments and deep doubts.

>> At the assembly, these Hearers, Arhats, had strong attachments and
deep doubts. The fourfold assembly all gave rise to doubts and sought [answers]
from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There were roughly 80,000 of them, all with
doubts.

“Doubts may be deep or superficial.
Capabilities may be sharp or dull.
The disciples in the fourfold assembly
did not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.
They uphold Small Vehicle teachings
and think that is enough.
They do not seek Great Vehicles teachings
but [instead] doubt the One True Dharma.”

This is meant to tell us that among the afflictions in our hearts, besides greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance, there is doubt. It hinders our diligent will to practice. Therefore, we must pay close attention to our minds. Do we have doubts about the Buddha’s teachings? Have we given rise to great Power of Faith?

Previously, I mentioned that the Buddha had especially told everyone, “One must give rise to great Power of Faith.” To understand the ultimate One Vehicle Dharma, we must give rise to great Power of Faith.

However, “doubts” can be deep or superficial. If we have severe doubts, we will stubbornly cling to unenlightened delusion. Though we have doubts, if they are superficial, after we are given a [deeper] explanation, we will naturally give rise to faith. When doubts are eliminated, faith arises. So, the Root of Faith can be deep or superficial. Thus, the Buddha gave teachings based on our capabilities.

“Capabilities may be sharp or dull.” People with great capabilities and strengths are sharp. They are very keen and are fast learners. Hearing [one teaching,] they know ten things. They are people with great, sharp capabilities. But if people have dull capabilities, they can listen to the teachings again and again [with no effect]. This is because we sentient beings, while in the Six Realms, continuously create afflictions. The more afflictions we create, the deeper and thicker they accumulate, and the duller our capabilities become.

Consider a piece of cloth. If it picks up just a little bit of dirt, we can beat it lightly and it will be clean. But if it gets dirtier, then it needs to be washed. And if it gets even dirtier, it takes great effort to wash it clean. We must look at how many afflictions we have in our minds, and look at how many habitual tendencies we have developed over our many lifetimes. Thus, the sharpness of our capabilities depends on the amount of defilements we have amassed.

In particular, we must be vigilant of our doubts. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt are the five major hindrances to our wisdom-life. So, they are called poisons, or turbidities. Therefore, we must be mindful [of them].

At the beginning of the Lotus Sutra [Assembly], “The disciples in the fourfold assembly did not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.” For over 40 years, everyone had faith in themselves, believing that they had the best understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, that they had already attained the most important Dharma. Therefore, they were very conceited, believing they had a complete grasp of the Buddha’s teachings. Whether their capabilities were sharp or dull, they believed that they clearly understood the teachings of the Buddha.

But, during the Lotus Dharma-assembly, the Buddha began to set aside the skillful means of the past and revealed the One Vehicle path. Among the disciples in the fourfold assembly, many did not understand the Buddha’s wisdom. Only now did they realize that they had not yet clearly understood the Buddha’s mindfulness, the Buddha’s wisdom, and all of the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, “disciples in the fourfold assembly did not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.”

Even those in the Four Noble Realms could not understand, not to mention those of us still in the Six Unenlightened Realms. Compared to the disciples of the fourfold assembly at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, we are even farther from the Buddha’s wisdom and have no way to understand it. Therefore, we must be even more diligent; we cannot be conceited.

Many people say, “I listen to [the Dharma] every day. And because I have listened, this is my understanding. I know this.” If we are always conceited, we will always remain very far away from the Buddha’s wisdom. If we have faith though we are far removed from Him in time, we understand what the Buddha [meant] [when He said], “Those who believe my teachings, even though they are thousands of miles away, are in the same room as me.”

So, we must have faith in the Buddha’s wisdom. I frequently tell everyone that the Dharma the Buddha originally wanted to teach was very simple. He wanted to tell us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. This is what He wanted us to know. But we could not realize that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, so He had to continuously and repeatedly teach us according to our capabilities. There was not much else He could do. Faced with disciples who had tremendous doubts, who could not immediately give rise to great Power of Faith, the Buddha could not [give true teachings]. So, He had to continuously teach according to capabilities.

These people who upheld Small Vehicle teachings “thought that was enough;” they believed that they had already attained everything. So, “they did not seek Great Vehicle teachings but [instead] doubted the One True Dharma.” Their minds had given rise to doubts about the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. They had doubts because they believed they were content with the understanding they achieved. “How could there be a more profound Dharma than what I already know?” This is how we ordinary people obstruct our progress through conceit and arrogance. Therefore, we must be very vigilant.

The sutra states,

“Ajnata Kaundinya and others, 1200 in all, as well as those who aspired to become. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, each had the following thought,”

because they all still had traces of doubts.

We already explained [the terms] “bhiksu” and “bhiksuni.” Now I will explain what upasakas and upasikas are.

The translation of upasaka is [a male] lay devotee. Their hearts are very pure. Those who have faith in the Three Treasures are called “lay devotees.” They are lay practitioners, and they may have spouses and families. They uphold the Five Precepts and abide by their pure faith. They are also Buddhist practitioners. They have accepted the Buddha’s teachings and are continuously washing away the greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt from their minds. Therefore, they are called lay devotees, spiritual practitioners who purify their minds and have faith in the Three Treasures.

Upasaka is a Sanskrit word that means lay devotees. Though they are lay practitioners, they uphold the Five Precepts and abide in their pure faith. It is also said that male and female lay followers can follow precepts and draw near to and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, they are called upasakas and upasikas.

Lay practitioners must also uphold the Five Precepts. Precepts guard against wrongs and stop evils. They prevent people from repeating past mistakes and immediately stop them from committing wrongs. So, we must learn to reflect and repent. We must absolutely prevent ourselves from doing wrong things. If we have already committed wrongs, then we must cease immediately. This can be done with precepts, which guard against wrongs and stop evils. This is how they abide by pure faith and protect themselves. They are also called laymen. Upasikas are called laywomen.

Whether they are male or female lay disciples, they must follow the Buddha’s rules. They have to uphold the Five Precepts to shoulder the responsibilities of the Dharma and constantly draw near to it. This is because the Buddha, in His teachings, gave rules to both monastic and lay practitioners so they would have discipline.

Lay practitioners must learn to be content and then practice giving. Charitable giving can lead to great joy. If they are immersed in the Buddha-Dharma, have deep faith and uphold precepts, they will be able to practice giving and become content, having very few desires. By helping others and giving often, they let go of stinginess and greed. This is what the Buddha taught upasakas. The rules that lay practitioners must uphold are also the rules all of us must know.

Lay practitioners must first, give rise to faith; second, uphold precepts; third, understand the Dharma and fourth, practice giving. This is what laymen and laywomen must do. They are also called “lay devotees.” Their hearts are very pure, and they have faith in the Three Treasures. They uphold precepts and are humble, content, generous and so on. For lay practitioners, these are necessary spiritual practices.

So, at the Vulture Peak Assembly, there were many Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, those who formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, bhiksus and bhiksunis and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors. And on this occasion, the Buddha proclaimed, “In the past, I taught skillful means. Now I will set aside the skillful for the direct and talk about the One Vehicle Dharma.” So, all those people “each had the following thought.” This was mentioned in the previous section. Besides Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, bhiksus and bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas “each had the following thought.” They all had similar thoughts in their minds.

Each had the following thought: Over 40 years, they followed the Buddha and listened to the Three Vehicle teachings. They were taught according to their capabilities. But now as they listened to the Buddha’s. One Vehicle, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma, they found it difficult to know and understand because of their strong attachments and deep doubts.

This is what they were all thinking. For more than 40 years, they followed the Buddha, as the Buddha had been teaching the Dharma for over 40 years. During all that time, no matter who the Buddha was teaching, these followers listened and understood. The Buddha taught according to capabilities, so He developed the Three Vehicle teachings for. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and those who formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. With the Three Vehicle teachings, the Buddha taught according to capability, so regardless of people’s capabilities, they could faithfully accept them.

But now, “they listened to the Buddha’s One Vehicle, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma.” Now, all of a sudden, they heard the Buddha say that there were also the One Vehicle principles, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. So, at this time, they found it difficult to know and understand. Why is that? Because of “their strong attachments and deep doubts.” They each had their own attachments and believed that the Dharma they had heard was the True Dharma. They believed they had already understood the Buddha’s teachings. They were conceited, so they were very stubborn, with “strong attachments and deep doubts,” All the attendees of the Lotus Dharma-assembly shared this doubt in their minds.

At the assembly, these Hearers, Arhats, had strong attachments and deep doubts. The fourfold assembly all gave rise to doubts and sought [answers] from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There were roughly 80,000 of them, all with doubts.

At the assembly, the Hearers, who were Arhats, as well as Pratyekabuddhas and others, all had “strong attachments and heavy doubts.” It could be said that the fourfold assembly all gave rise to doubts. All attendees gave rise to doubts, Clearly, in the past, when the Buddha taught sentient beings according to their capabilities, they all remained in their comfort zone. They did not open their minds and did not truly establish their faith.

So, as I previously said, “Doubts may be deep or superficial, capabilities may be sharp or dull.” Regarding this “doubt,” people with keen wisdom can quickly understand and resolve their doubts. However, they still have quite a ways to go before attaining the Buddha’s wisdom.

Recently, I have been telling everyone that even people with great capabilities may still fall short, so they still have doubts. Even Bodhisattvas of the tenth ground still have. Dharma-clouds in their minds and still do not have thorough understanding, not to mention “disciples of the fourfold assembly, [who] do not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.” People who practice Small Vehicle teachings are conceited and self-satisfied because they believe they thoroughly understand the Buddha’s teachings. So, they no longer want to advance further. This was what the Buddha was worried about. Thus, He set aside skillful means for the direct to pull those with Three Vehicle capabilities closer to the state of Buddhas. This is the most important principle of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 238 – Benefit Sentient Beings to Eliminate Arrogance

>>”Leave behind loved ones to become
monastics and practice the Path. Benefit sentient beings to eliminate
arrogance. Develop control over sense organs to remain undefiled by worldly
desires. When encountering something pleasurable, remain [unmoved] and endure
like the earth.”

>> Bhiksus and bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, each had the following
thought.

>> Bhiksus are also called Blessed Field Sangha. They benefit sentient
beings, eliminate their own arrogance and are humble and self-effacing. Thus, they
achieve refined virtues.

>> At Ananda’s sincere request, the Buddha accepted His aunt,
Path-of-Great-Love, as a monastic, This was the beginning of bhiksunis.

“Leave behind loved ones to become monastics and practice the Path.
Benefit sentient beings to eliminate arrogance.
Develop control over sense organs to remain undefiled by worldly desires.
When encountering something pleasurable, remain [unmoved] and endure like the earth.”

This is telling everyone that those of us who have left those we loved to become monastics and practice the Path must maintain our aspiration to “benefit sentient beings to eliminate arrogance.” We must recognize that life is filled with suffering; thus we aspire to engage in spiritual practice. To do so, the first thing we must do is leave behind those we love.

The kindness and affection within a family appear to be very enjoyable but are actually hiding entanglements. [A family] is like a flaming furnace that continuously burns and consumes our wisdom-life. It is also like a metal chain that grows and binds us more tightly and deeply. After we learn [the principles,] we will become awakened and will leave behind those we love to become monastics to practice the Path. This is not for our own sake. After we awaken, we realize we must benefit others. We accept the Buddha’s teachings, and then transmit them to others. This is how the Dharma-lineage is passed on;

once we inherit the Buddha’s teachings, we must develop our wisdom-life [so we can] pass them on to others. Those who continuously transmit the teachings are called Dharma-children. The Buddha’s words and teachings give birth to our wisdom-life.

The words the Buddha spoke aloud while He was in this world were used by Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas to realize the Path. Since the Buddha began giving teachings, they were continuously compiled and passed on. Though His voice can no longer be heard, we can still hear and spread His teachings.

So, the Buddha had Dharma-children, who were born from His words and teachings. His Dharma continuously helps us attain realizations and develop our wisdom-life. This is why monastics are called Dharma-children, children born from the Buddha-Dharma. Since monastics are transmitting wisdom-life, we must have a sense of mission and shoulder the Tathagata’s family business. So, we must “benefit sentient beings” and

create blessings for them. To teach sentient beings, it is very important to [create] the conditions for them to receive the Dharma. Thus, once they accept the Dharma, it will open up their wisdom. If they do not accept the Dharma, their wisdom will be difficult to unlock. So, they need to mindfully accept and become deeply receptive to these teachings. If they can, they will eradicate their arrogance and truly “benefit sentient beings.”

The eradication of arrogance is only possible when the Buddha-Dharma meets with the right opportunity and conditions. So, when we become monastics, we must learn to “control [our] sense organs.” It is very important to tame our Six Senses Organs. When our minds encounter phenomena, what kind of wisdom should we exercise, what kind of perspective should we have, so that our minds will not be defiled by the Six Sense Objects in the world? We must live among people without being tempted by any worldly desires.

Thus, [it tells us], “when encountering something pleasurable, remain [unmoved] and endure like the earth.” When we see other people enjoying themselves, we do not need to be envious or greedy. We do not need to envy their great wealth or fame. There is no need. [Instead,] we should feel fortunate that we are blessed to not have greed or attachments. Without greed, we do not judge, nor do we [give rise to afflictions]. Then isn’t the whole world ours?

I can recall an occasion when a group of wealthy wives were showing off the size of their diamond rings. I told [one of them], “The joy of showing off is limited. The joy from showing off is limited. If you lose the diamond, you will suffer greatly. Why not leave such suffering to others? We can just admire it when others wear it; then our minds will be free of hindrances. Wouldn’t that be great?” We do not necessarily need to strive to own things. With this mindset, we can wish them the best with their possessions and enjoy what they have [in our own way]. This is endurance. By cultivating endurance, desire will not arise in our minds,

and we will remain [unmoved] like the earth. The earth contains all things and provides everything to sentient beings. It has no greed whatsoever. So, the earth is like a mother who continuously provides with no greed or attachment. When we understand this, we will be more diligent in our practice.

Bhiksus and bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, each had the following thought.

Being a monastic is the work of a great person. Bhiksus are also called Blessed Field Sangha. This means that in their spiritual practice, they take great care of the field in their minds, so those fields are very fertile. In particular, since they have pulled the weeds, once they sow the seeds, there will be an abundant harvest.

For us to eliminate our arrogance, we must eliminate the weeds in our minds. Then when the Dharma enters our minds, every Dharma-seed will fall into the soil; nothing will be lost. This is how we cultivate our own minds to create our own field of blessings.

Bhiksus are also called Blessed Field Sangha. They benefit sentient beings, eliminate their own arrogance and are humble and self-effacing. Thus, they achieve refined virtues.

Bhiksus work to transform sentient beings. During the time of the Buddha, seeking alms was a way to make connections. After they accepted the Buddha’s teachings, they sought alms from sentient beings to nourish their [bodies]. In return, they gave the Dharma to sentient beings. This is called “benefiting sentient beings.”

Bhiksunis are the same; they also seek the Dharma from the Buddha and beg for food from sentient beings, which is a way to eliminate pride and arrogance. We humans are very proud. Some who followed the Buddha into monastic life were members of the royal family or nobility. For everyone to be equal, they all had to go ask for food. Only when they accepted [this way of life] could the Dharma enter their minds.

Now I will discuss bhiksunis, which is the general name for all female monastics. The meaning of “bhiksu-” is the same as what we have said before, so bhiksunis just refer to female monastics. [The order of] bhiksunis began because of one called Path-of-Great-Love.

At Ananda’s sincere request, the Buddha accepted His aunt, Path-of-Great-Love, as a monastic, This was the beginning of bhiksunis.

We should know that Path-of-Great-Love is also called Mahaprajapati. Mahaprajapati was Sakyamuni Buddha’s aunt. When Sakyamuni Buddha was born, His mother, Lady Maya, was a bit old to bear a child. So, seven days after a difficult labor, she died. The king needed help to raise the prince, so Lady Maya’s younger sister offered to care for him in her stead. Her name was Mahaprajapati, which can be translated as “path of great love.” She was the Buddha’s aunt.

After the Buddha attained enlightenment, for a period of time, King Suddhodhana invited Him to expound the Dharma in the palace. While He was teaching at the palace, Path-of-Great-Love, Mahaprajapati, led the palace maids to sincerely take refuge with Him. Afterwards, they diligently listened to and practiced His teachings. What they heard, they put into practice. Thus, in the palace, there were many women who took great delight in the Dharma.

After a while, the Buddha left the Kingdom of Kapilavastu and traveled far away to spread the Dharma. During this time, Mahaprajapati constantly missed the Buddha and yearned for His teachings. So, she longed for the Buddha and the Dharma. In the whole palace, everyone, including Yasodhara, felt unhappy. When they gathered, they felt that worldly amusements and pleasures were meaningless. After the Buddha left the palace, they could no longer hear His teachings, so they felt very empty [and wondered,]. “What is the meaning of life?” Therefore, everyone was very unhappy.

One day, Mahaprajapati suggested that perhaps they should follow the Buddha into monastic life. Then they could constantly receive His teachings and develop their wisdom-life. Everyone echoed [the suggestion]. [So, Mahaprajapati] said to the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, without the Dharma, our lives seem so empty. Only the Dharma can bring us contentment; only then do we truly feel alive.” So, she asked the Buddha to allow them to join the Sangha and also listen to the teachings. But the Buddha remained silent and did not agree. [Mahaprajapati] asked three times consecutively, but the Buddha did not approve. So, Mahaprajapati appealed to Ananda [to help her].

Because Ananda was very sentimental, he reluctantly agreed to plead with and beseech the Buddha. The Buddha saw that Ananda had come to plead on behalf of Path-of-Great-Love, so He granted His permission. But there was a condition, which was that they must abide by the Eight Forms of Reverence. Mahaprajapati and the others believed that, as long as they could follow the Buddha and listen to teachings as part of the Sangha, they could agree to any condition.

Actually, the Buddha had brought this up as a challenge for Mahaprajapati, hoping it would cause her to retreat. But Mahaprajapati was single-mindedly determined to seek the Buddha’s Way. So, no matter what His conditions were, she was willing to accept them. So, the Eight Forms of Reverence were created to break down her “arrogance and pride”

[because] life in the Sangha was very different from life in the palace. In the palace, [Mahaprajapati] was the queen, the mother of the nation, respected by all. Her place was especially prominent in the palace. But if she came to engage in spiritual practice, she would lose her title and status. Coming here to engage in practice, she would lead the same life as everyone else. They all had to go out to ask for alms every day. When she encountered bhiksus, she had to bow respectfully.

[The Buddha set up these rules to] break down her “arrogance and pride.” He was afraid that these female followers, who had special status in the palace, would break the Sangha’s code of conduct. So, the Buddha presented these really strict and harsh conditions, but Mahaprajapati still willingly accepted them.

She followed the Eight Forms of Reverence and also the Ten Precepts and the complete [monastic] precepts. In their daily living, bhiksunis must abide by the most subtle of rules. Compared to bhiksus, the rules governing their lives are even stricter. They must also be deferential to all bhiksus. These were the essential rules for bhiksunis.

To learn the Buddha’s Way and become monastics, we must maintain clear and very pure minds. We must refresh ourselves daily and eliminate defilements from our minds. We should not let any person, matter or object that we encounter lead to any erroneous thoughts. When the slightest thoughts arise in our minds, they invariably harm our spiritual aspirations. So, we must truly be Blessed Field Sangha.

Entering monastic life takes great [dedication]; even great leaders would find it difficult. This is why we must be courageous and eliminate our arrogance and pride. We must learn to be humble, minimize our egos and maintain a pure mind toward everything. Thus we “refresh ourselves daily.”

So, we engage in spiritual practice to learn to eliminate the source of suffering. We must leave behind all love and affection, and even the pleasures of family life. After becoming a monastic, what is there to pursue? When affection and love, fame and wealth have all been eliminated, what is there to take issue over? If we take good care of our spiritual aspirations, we will not be far from [attaining] the One Vehicle Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 237 – Eliminate Doubts to Give Rise to Faith

>> For all of us, “big mistakes are easy to
correct, habitual tendencies are difficult to eliminate. Attachment to the
small, bias toward emptiness lead to doubts about the One Vehicle Dharma. They
had happily received the Dharma and intended to only benefit themselves. Small
Vehicle practitioners have strong attachments and deep doubts.”

>>”At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats, who
ended all Leaks, Ajnata Kaundinya and others, 1200 in all.” These people
numbered 1250 in all. Aside from these people, there were also many. Hearers
and Pratyekabuddhas.

>> The fourfold assembly consists of bhiksus and bhiksunis, upsakas and
upsikas. They “each had the following thought.”

>> Bhiksus: Also called almsmen. “Alms-” means they are seeking
something “-Man” makes this a refined title. They seek the Dharma to
nurture their wisdom-life. They seek food to nourish their physical life. A
pure life is what they live.

>> Almsmen are also Blessed Field Sangha. “They benefit sentient
beings, eliminate their own arrogance and are humble and self-effacing. Thus,
they achieve refined virtues.”

>> Bhiksuni has the same meaning as what is above. It is the term for
female monastics who have taken the complete monastic precepts.

For all of us,
“big mistakes are easy to correct, habitual tendencies are difficult to eliminate.
Attachment to the small, bias toward emptiness lead to doubts about the One Vehicle Dharma.
They had happily received the Dharma and intended to only benefit themselves.
Small Vehicle practitioners have strong attachments and deep doubts.”

In other words, it is easy to correct big mistakes. Killing, theft, sexual misconduct, lies, etc., are very obvious transgressions. In the past, [those who made] these kinds of mistakes in front of others [confessed] and changed their ways. [Although] there were many like this, it is eliminating our minor habitual tendencies that is truly not so easy.

[This is because] we are born with them, and they continuously influence us, life after life. So, changing these small habitual tendencies is not that easy. But one who is willing to change is a great person. Great people have everlasting resolve. Since they have vowed to change, they will constantly be vigilant of whether their behavior is right or wrong. If it is right, they [continue to] diligently improve. If it is wrong, they immediately correct it.

Thus, big mistakes are easy to change, but habitual tendencies are hard to eliminate. When we ordinary people know we have done a great wrong, we must repent [in order to be] purified. But does this truly cleanse us? [Actually], we still have our minor habits, so it is not easy to quickly and completely wash away all of our mental defilements.

If we have grievances in our hearts, even though we do not say them out loud, we will still continue to accumulate them. This also leads to afflictions and is also a habitual tendency. We know that we should not take issue with others. And though we may not visibly do so, in our minds we are often constantly taking issue with others. This also leads to afflictions and is also a habitual tendency. So, as we learn the teachings of the Buddha, we need to be vigilant of this.

If we ask ourselves, “Have I changed?”, [we may think,]. “Yes, I have changed a lot already.” What we should really ask ourselves is, “Have I eliminated my habitual tendencies?” This is most important. So, we must be vigilant of our tendencies and avoid giving in to them.

Many of us are attached to the Small Vehicle and biased toward emptiness. Some have attained a high level in their spiritual practice but are just focused on benefiting themselves. “If we do not contend with other people, we will all be at peace. If we have no conflicts over matters, everything will be tranquil.” By applying this perspective, they feel they do not need to contend with the world. This being attached to the Small Vehicle, only looking after oneself.

So, we must broaden [our perspective]. We cannot only focus on our own spiritual practice and just refrain from hurting others. we also have to guide others to do the same thing. We must transform ourselves and others. We must purify our minds and teach others to do the same.

We should know that if only one person becomes good, the world will still be in disarray. There needs to be many good people in this world for it to be peaceful. If we only focus on ourselves, we feel detached from everything else. So, that is bias toward emptiness, which [causes us to] “doubt the One Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha was starting to set aside the provisional teachings, the skillful means He taught in the past, for He about to teach the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. But those attached to the Small Vehicle and biased toward emptiness began to have doubts. “Isn’t my spiritual cultivation good enough? What else do I need to practice? Isn’t my mind tranquil and still, in a state of Nirvana? In my state of mind, I no longer have any conflicts with others. Worldly matters have nothing to do with me. Isn’t my mind already tranquil and still? Is there really a state that is higher than this state of tranquility and stillness?”

In the past, as they cultivated Small Vehicle teachings, they had become very happy. “They had happily received the Dharma.” They felt they had no conflicts with others, for they only sought to benefit themselves. They no longer had afflictions that entangled them with other people and no longer planted evil karmic causes or formed negative conditions. Therefore, they felt that their minds were already tranquil and still.

But even if we do not plant negative causes, are we creating blessed conditions? We must create blessed karmic causes and conditions. Not having negative causes and conditions is a good thing, but we must still plant blessed causes and create blessed affinities. Only then can we cultivate both blessings and wisdom.

When we cast off negative causes and conditions, we are cultivating wisdom. But, we still need to [do good deeds to] create blessed causes and conditions. That is how we cultivate blessings. When we go among people and practice giving, we are creating blessings for them; we cannot just focus on benefiting ourselves.

So, “Small Vehicle practitioners have strong attachments and deep doubts.” They are firmly attached to. Small Vehicle teachings. Now that they were asked to go to the next stage to practice the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma to return to their intrinsic Tathagata-nature, they instead had doubts in their minds. These doubts and worries go very deep. This happened as His teachings were in the transitional stage. So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must always keep an open mind and not be attached to any one stage.

The previous sutra passage said,

“At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats, who ended all Leaks, Ajnata Kaundinya and others, 1200 in all.” These people numbered 1250 in all. Aside from these people, there were also many. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas.

When the Buddha taught, the fourfold assembly always gathered. Aside from bhiksus and bhiksunis, there were lay practitioners, upasakas and upasikas, male and female devotees. They were also at the Dharma-assembly, listening to the Buddha-Dharma. The capabilities of some of these lay practitioners were very great. After listening to teachings, they also intensely contemplated them, so they could realize [the truth of] the Dharma. Thus, they could also be considered. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. They had the same knowledge, so they were like Hearers, who ended all Leaks. Even if they did not become monastics, they still listened to and understood the Dharma and were mindful of all things in the world. Take the lay practitioner, Vimalakirti, as an example. His wisdom was not inferior to Arhats or bhiksus.

Thus, upasakas and upasikas were also there. The fourfold assembly consists of.

The fourfold assembly consists of bhiksus and bhiksunis, upsakas and upsikas. They “each had the following thought.”

They all had doubts, so “the following thought” refers to their doubts.

They had grown used to the Buddha’s previous teachings. They had made the improvements to their minds they needed to make. Since they no longer had conflicts with others, their hearts were very pure; what else did they need to do? What was this wondrous One Vehicle Dharma? Not only were monastic disciples doubtful, but the lay disciples also had the same doubts. So, they “had the following thought.”

We will now discuss those who felt this way, starting with Ajnata Kaundinya. What does it mean to be a bhiksu? We have to first understand [the word] “bhiksu.”

In Chinese, it means “almsman.”

Bhiksus: Also called almsmen. “Alms-” means they are seeking something “-Man” makes this a refined title. They seek the Dharma to nurture their wisdom-life. They seek food to nourish their physical life. A pure life is what they live.

“Alms-” means they seek something from others, meaning they ask and beg for things “-Man” indicates refinement. So, they are called almsmen

“-Men” is a suffix in Chinese that expresses a sense of refinement and status. In Chinese, one with a doctorate is called a “man of abundant knowledge.” One with a master’s degree is a “man with extensive knowledge.” When we call someone a “gentleman,” we indicate that his character is very disciplined, noble and courteous. It is an elegant title, so the suffix “-man” is used.

So, almsmen are people who “seek the Dharma to nurture their wisdom-life.” From whom do they seek teachings? From the Buddha. Some monastics [in the Buddha’s time] were from [wealthy families] and had lived in luxury, yet they abandoned that life to become monastics with only three pieces of clothing and an alms bowl. But for the sake of their spiritual cultivation, they felt it was very important to seek the Dharma from the Buddha.

So, when we learn the Buddha’s Way, we are not just trying to transform in this life, just temporarily. No, we want to develop our wisdom-life. So, if we do not seek the Dharma, that is like eliminating our source of food. If we stop eating, we cannot stay alive. So, we must seek the Dharma to nurture and grow our wisdom-life. [This is why] we seek the Dharma.

We must also seek food. We “seek food to nourish our physical body.” Our body needs nutrients to sustain itself. Only when we are well-nourished can we seek the Dharma to grow our wisdom-life. So, “almsmen” are those who seek the Buddha-path, the teachings of the Buddha. We also seek food to nourish our body, to sustain our pure living.

In particular, we must know that begging for food is a way to make connections. Monks, after receiving Dharma from the Buddha, went to people’s homes to make connections. People would immediately make offerings of food with great respect. Then the monks would give teachings to the laypeople. This was how they passed on the teachings and made connections.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, this was how the monastics lived, so “bhiksus are also called Blessed Field Sangha.” They sought the Dharma from the Buddha and then passed it on to laypeople. And when laypeople saw monastics, they felt joy and could practice giving. Benefiting sentient beings is blessing and helping others. How does this practice affect us? It eliminates our arrogance and pride.

For monastic disciples, whether bhiksus or bhiksunis, since they live in a monastic community, the first step in their practice is to eliminate arrogance and pride. Some of them were the Buddha’s royal relatives. When royalty engaged in spiritual practice, if they were still proud and arrogant, how could they succeed? So, in the Buddha’s Sangha, everyone was equal. Each had three robes and one alms bowl. To eat, they had to beg for alms and go door to door to benefit others and eliminate their arrogance. This was a way to be humble and self-effacing. They had to diminish their egos and be humble. [Eliminating] arrogance and pride is the foundation of spiritual practice.

“Thus, they achieved refined virtues.”

Almsmen are also Blessed Field Sangha. “They benefit sentient beings, eliminate their own arrogance and are humble and self-effacing. Thus, they achieve refined virtues.”

This describes bhiksus. They are male monastic practitioners. There are also bhiksunis.

Bhiksuni has the same meaning as what is above. It is the term for female monastics who have taken the complete monastic precepts.

The meaning of bhiksuni is the same as [bhiksu]. Bhiksunis must also eliminate their arrogance and pride. In the Buddha’s Sangha, everyone was equal. There were bhiksunis with very high status, such as the Buddha’s aunt, or Yasodhara, etc. They all became monastics. In the royal palace, they had enjoyed luxuries and high status. Now that they were practicing in the Sangha, could they still live like royalty? Of course not.

So, as part of our spiritual practice, we must cultivate the concept of equality. Therefore, they are almswomen, bhiksunis “-Ni” connotes female, hence the terms bhiksus and bhiksunis.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, particularly as monastics, we must be very mindful. As we benefit sentient beings, we must also tame our arrogance. We cannot be attached to the Small [Vehicle] and biased toward emptiness. So, we must go amongst people. This is the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma that the Buddha taught His disciples. Therefore, in our daily living, we must realize the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. There is no need to doubt it. So everyone, we must always be mindful.

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Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 236 – Contemplate the Four Truths, Attain Nirvana-joy

>>”To contemplate the Four Noble Truths,
and thus transcend cyclic existence to attain Nirvana-joy, this is the
Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.”

>>”At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats, who
ended all Leaks, 1200 in all.”

>> The Hearer Vehicle: The Four Noble Truths is their vehicle, which
allows them to attain the fruit of Arhatship. The Solitary Realizer Vehicle:
The 12 Links of Cyclic Existence is their vehicle, which allows them to attain
the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas.

>>”With sincerity and diligence, they seek wisdom in nature,
joyfully awaken themselves to attain Nirvana and penetrate causes and
conditions of all things. This is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.”

“To contemplate the Four Noble Truths,
and thus transcend cyclic existence
to attain Nirvana-joy,
this is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.”

We are constantly discussing the principles behind [the practices of]. Hearers and Solitary Realizers. We should also know that when it came to spiritual practice, the Buddha guided them in an attentive and patient manner. He taught all sentient beings according to their capabilities. To spiritual practitioners, He emphasized that they must all contemplate the Four Noble Truths,

which are the fundamentals of Buddhism and the foundation for the Bodhi-path we want to pave. So, the Buddha’s opening teachings were on the truth of suffering, its causation, cessation, and the path to cessation. He taught us to understand them and helped us heighten our vigilance. Every word we say, every action we take, is subject to the law of karma.

We amass various karmic conditions as [we interact with] people, matters and things, and this will affect us, lifetime after lifetime. Both positive and negative [conditions] are continuously being accumulated. Thus, we create our own suffering and joy. If we have created suffering, this was because we planted negative causes and formed many negative conditions. That is why we face so many negative retributions. This principle is correct.

If we planted seeds of bad karmic causes and form bad karmic conditions, we reap bitter fruits. Of course, the Buddha then taught us how to create good causes and form good conditions that will naturally yield blessed retributions. This is why, when the Buddha first gave teachings to sentient beings, He began with the Four Noble Truths.

Ordinary lay practitioners must also really understand the principles of the truth of suffering, causation, cessation and the path. Moreover, as we begin our spiritual practice, we must [choose] the correct starting point and the right course to follow. We must be even clearer, so we can understand the Buddha’s teachings, only then can we pass them on to all people in the world. Therefore, we spiritual practitioners must really value and be mindful of the Four Noble Truths. So, I keep reinforcing this perspective for you, as the Buddha did in His lifetime.

After the previous section of verses, this section of prose begins with,

“At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats, who ended all Leaks, 1200 in all.”

This represented the many people [at the assembly]. Among them, the Buddha sought suitable people to turn from the small to the great. The suitable people were. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and so on. They had worked hard on their spiritual practice, but they also needed a shift in their perspective. So, I hope you can all earnestly understand the teachings and principles the Buddha used to directly appeal to people with limited and average capabilities.

Both Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas had to begin [their practice] by diligently learning the Four Noble Truths. Then naturally, they transcended cyclic existence. They thought, “I understand how cyclic existence works.” Aside from the Four Noble Truths, these Realizers of Conditions also [knew] the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. We have also previously discussed the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, how each stage leads to the next until we are born to this world and then experience aging, illness and death. The beginning of our life is beyond our control. Our affinities with our parents were formed in a past life. After going through the stages of “feeling, craving, grasping” and so on, we will keep coming back to be born in this world and encounter people. This causes us to continually replicate our ignorance and afflictions, which leads us to our next rebirth.

How many people are actually fortunate enough to receive the Buddha’s principles? How many people get to listen to His teachings? After listening to the Buddha-Dharma, how many can actually take it into their hearts? Then, out of the very few people who can take the Dharma into their hearts, how many people can truly put the Dharma into practice, plant good causes, form good conditions and continue to walk the Bodhisattva-path? Therefore, it is rare for people to encounter the Dharma, not to mention put it into practice. However, in the Buddha’s time, His monastic retinue numbered some 1200 people. Some of them were Hearers who had attained the fruit of Arhatship. There were also others who had attained the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas.

The Hearer Vehicle: The Four Noble Truths is their vehicle, which allows them to attain the fruit of Arhatship. The Solitary Realizer Vehicle: The 12 Links of Cyclic Existence is their vehicle, which allows them to attain the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas.

The Hearers’ fruit of Arhatship came from earnestly practicing according to the Four Noble Truths. They were very vigilant of not accumulating more worldly connections that would entangle them in subsequent lifetimes. This kind of Hearer, an Arhat, constantly heightened his vigilance. As for Solitary Realizers, they delved even deeper into the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. They used this framework to always contemplate how life began and proceeded. This was what Solitary Realizers did. They believed that if they could constantly contemplate and work to understand the Four Noble Truths and. Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, they would naturally transcend cyclic existence. Then they could stop transmigrating and

achieve a tranquil state of mind, which is Nirvana-joy. “When the mind is without hindrances, there is no fear.” If they can reach this mental state where their minds are no longer influenced by the environment, that is Nirvana-joy.

I often mention “non-arising and non-ceasing.” What is non-arising? It means not to give rise to cravings, desires and greed. Naturally, if we experience no arising, there will be no ceasing. If we had no greed and desires, why would we even need to practice? This is what “non-arising and non-ceasing” means. If we have no greed and desires, we will not come to this world to create conflicts and afflictions with other people.

If we do not contend with people, they will not harm us. If we do not want to seize other people’s good fortune, we will not create enmity or resentment. So, if we can live this way, we will have no afflictions. Isn’t this how monastics live? They have no conflicts with people, over matters or with the world. So, by transcending confusion and delusions, naturally, they can attain Nirvana-joy and be in the land of calm illumination.

A state of mind that is always pure and luminous is Nirvana. Nirvana is not what comes after people die. No, [Nirvana is when] our minds can transcend the cycle of arising and ceasing at all times and avoid things that cause us to waver or be uneasy. [Achieving this practice] is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

As we discussed before, “[There were] those who aspired to be Hearers.” The Buddha had a retinue of 1200, including those who aspired to be. Hearers and Solitary Realizers.

The 1200 that we just spoke of were the five bhiksus to whom the Buddha first taught, plus the 50 friends of Yasas, the 1000 disciples of the three Kasyapa [brothers] and 200 disciples of Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. Altogether, there were 1255 people. These people, over five years, were transformed by the Buddha, and then they followed Him. So, we speak of the “1250 people.”

“[There were also] those who aspired to become. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas.” Besides these 1250 people, there were countless, innumerable Hearers, who had already formed aspirations and mindfully listened to the Dharma. In addition, after hearing the Dharma, they would listen, contemplate and practice it. Those who would also connect it with phenomena in the world to penetrate the Buddha’s teachings more deeply were called Pratyekabuddhas. There were countless people with such resolve.

We mentioned previously that the Four Noble Truths are truly very important. [They are principles that]. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas, and even Bodhisattvas, must understand.

In Kasyapa Buddha’s time, there was a novice monk who followed a bhiksu in spiritual practice. One day, the young novice heard a commotion in the market outside and told his master, “Out in the market, things are bustling about. We should go out right now and ask for alms. Most likely it will not take long for us to fill our alms bowls. [Then we can] return fully laden.” His master told him, “It is still early, the time has not yet come. Wait a while and remain mindful.”

He could not bear it, so he ran outside again. Seeing so many people, he quickly ran back in and told his master, “Master, we can go out now.” His master, the bhiksu, told the novice, “Wait a moment, it is still too early.” But the novice could not bear it any longer, so he became angry and resentful and cursed his master, saying, “How can you be so stubborn? Just die!” Then he grabbed his alms bowl and rushed outside to beg for alms.

But as he walked, he felt troubled and very unhappy. He became very repentant, so he turned around and made his way home on his knees. Thus, he knelt in front of his master and expressed his remorse. His master did not reproach him and just let it pass.

Because of this incident, the novice fell into the evil destinies for 500 lifetimes, during which he experienced all kinds of suffering. Although he suffered extensively, he did not create more karma. He constantly reminded himself to be vigilant. After those 500 lifetimes, he was born into the family of a Sravasti elder. Within his consciousness, the idea remained that samsara, cyclic existence, is immense suffering. Therefore, soon after he was born, he said, “Samsara is immense suffering.” Yet he did not know how suffering came about. Later, he had the chance to become a monastic [with Sakyamuni Buddha]. His mind was inherently pure, so he could quickly take the Dharma to heart. Thus, he quickly attained the fruit of Arhatship.

Pratyekabuddhas [practice] the Middle Vehicle, one level above the Small Vehicle. Upon hearing all sounds and seeing all phenomena, they could analyze them and attain realizations. This is what Pratyekabuddhas do. So, the Chapter on Parables contains the following section of text,

“With sincerity and diligence, they seek wisdom in nature, joyfully awaken themselves to attain Nirvana and penetrate causes and conditions of all things. This is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.”

This tells us that those who deserve to be called Pratyekabuddhas must be “sincere and diligent” and strive to seek wisdom in nature. They mindfully analyze all natural phenomena they encounter. From the Buddha’s words, they learn the teachings for Hearers and understand them. Then by analyzing natural phenomena, they realize many principles. So, they “joyfully awaken themselves to attain Nirvana.” They seek to awaken only themselves. The more they understand the law of karma, the more they heighten their vigilance. They dare not create affinities with others, so they are called Solitary Realizers, Realizers of Conditions or Pratyekabuddhas.

They engage in their own practices and avoid creating any further karmic affinities. They can penetrate the causes and conditions of all things. This “reveals the meaning of solitary realization.” They already have a thorough understanding of the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, so they are very vigilant. So, Realizers of Conditions already understand the principles of causes and conditions, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. They are Pratyekabuddhas,

those who are replete with the wisdom of both Hearers and Solitary Realizers. Thus, they are called Pratyekabuddhas. They listened to the Buddha teach and understood the law of karma. So, all these factors combined make them Pratyekabuddhas.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, indeed there is Dharma in all places. No matter what kind of sound we hear, when we listen mindfully, everything is a teaching. Therefore, we must be mindful. Every word we speak creates karma. Because of the law of karma, we must indeed always heighten our vigilance and always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 235 – Hearers Diligently Eliminate Habitual Tendencies

>>”What the Tathagata taught was heard by
the assembly. The Buddha expounded the One Vehicle Dharma verbally. By
listening to it, sentient beings attained realizations; this is called
hearing.”

>> [There were also] those who aspired to be. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas,
bhikshus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. Each had the following thought.

“What the Tathagata taught
was heard by the assembly.
The Buddha expounded
the One Vehicle Dharma verbally.
By listening to it, sentient beings attained realizations; this is called hearing.”

We know about Hearers. For us to understand the teachings, we have to take it in through our ears. In the past, the Buddha used His speech to expound the Dharma to sentient beings, who then used their ears to listen to teachings. So, “what the Tathagata taught was heard by the assembly.” The Buddha had to speak, so people could have the opportunity to listen. The Buddha taught according to capabilities and gave teachings that sentient beings could accept. This demonstrated the Buddha’s wisdom and the pains He went through to transform people.

Time waits for no one, and the Buddha’s heart had guarded the teachings He wanted to give ever since He attained enlightenment. After 40-plus years, He had to share it. So, the Buddha taught the One Vehicle, which is singular [truth]. As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we really only have one goal: to realize the true wondrous Dharma. So, the Buddha wanted everyone to know that the ultimate goal in learning His teachings is to realize the teachings of the One Vehicle, the ultimate truth. So, the Buddha taught the One Vehicle teachings.

This was His voice. The skillful means of the past were also spread through His voice and wisdom. The words came out from His mouth for everyone to hear and accept. And at this moment, when He was giving the One Vehicle teachings, He also taught verbally, so sentient beings could take them in and attain realizations and understanding. After listening to it and saying, that we know [this teaching,] we must also understand it. So, we must listen, contemplate and practice. After listening to and taking in [the Dharma,] we must really contemplate it, so we can completely realize it. This is learning.

Initially after the Buddha attained enlightenment, the first time He expounded the Dharma was to transform the five bhiksus. The teachings they received from the Buddha began with the Four Noble Truths. But this was not the Buddha’s original intent. Yet, it came from His wisdom. He originally intended to tell these five people, “I have attained enlightenment and realized wisdom as boundless as the vast universe. My present state of mind is like the Avatamsaka Dharma-assembly, a state of tranquility and clarity.” But the Buddha [knew] that these five people could not accept that; this consideration revealed His wisdom.

We often tell the story of the five bhiksus, of how it all started. After Sakyamuni Buddha left home, the king [was worried about Him]. So, he quickly sent five people to persuade the prince to return. Yet, Prince Siddhartha was firm in his resolve to be a monastic. No matter what his five elders said to him, his spiritual aspirations remained firm. On the contrary, when he told them about the true principles he wanted to pursue, these five were drawn in. So just like that, they became determined to follow him in they became determined to follow the prince in seeking out these ideal true principles.

They visited many [teachers]. They spent five years trying to understand the true principles. But, after the first five years [of traveling], they realized they were not finding the ideal teachings that the crown prince sought. So, they then followed the prince as he gave up asking [these teachers] and went to find a place to engage in spiritual practice. So, these were the six years of ascetic practices.

After six years, the prince also felt these ascetic practices would not help him understand how all things in the world seem to conceal and contain both existence and non-existence, true “existence” and impermanent, empty “non-existence.” He just could not overcome this small hurdle. Once Prince Siddhartha felt that this was wasting time, he decided to abandon ascetic practice and find a different path.

But first he had to wash away the dust and dirt that had accumulated from the many years he spent in ascetic practice. After so many years of ascetic practice, he had exhausted his physical strength. So, when he stood up after bathing, he fainted. Then he accepted some milk from a shepherdess. With this goat milk, his strength was restored.

To help him, the shepherdess pulled him up and gave him a bowl of goat milk. As the prince gratefully accepted it, those five people came upon him. From afar they saw their young prince accepting offerings from a woman. The two were very close together. So, when the five saw them, their minds became doubtful. They started to look down on and feel disrespect toward the prince they had been following.

Therefore, the five of them left the prince and agreed to find a place where they could continue their spiritual practice. The place they found was Deer Park. The five people stayed there and continued their spiritual practice. When Prince Siddhartha saw from a distance that the five had turned and left, he knew what was happening. He felt that engaging in spiritual practice alone would free him of burdens. So, he found a place near the Niranjana River, under a big tree. He chose a rock and vowed, “If I do not penetrate the truths of all things in the universe, if I do not attain perfect enlightenment, I will never leave this place.”

This was how he began to continuously contemplate and carefully ponder the various principles behind all things in the natural world. After a period of 21 days, suddenly, before daybreak, he opened his eyes and looked straight at a star in the sky. His mind connected with the star, and he became enlightened.

After [attaining enlightenment], He really wanted the eight classes of Dharma-protectors to realize His state of mind, but they could not. So, in that instant, He thought about entering Parinirvana. If heavenly beings and Dharma-protectors could not comprehend His state, how could ordinary people? He might as well enter Parinirvana.

As He was thinking this, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas immediately manifested to comfort Him. They told Him this happened to past Buddhas, too. To teach the Dharma in the world, They had to exercise wisdom and establish skillful means. Since Beginningless Time, this has been the path of all Buddhas. Because of this, He changed His mind and went to Deer Park.

When He arrived at Deer Park, the five people saw from a distance that their crown prince had returned. They chose to pay no attention to Him. They slighted their prince. But as He came closer, an indescribable feeling came over them. The five people could not help but approach the Buddha. Together, they knelt and prostrated.

They reverently asked Him to give them teachings. “What wondrous principles have you realized? Venerable prince, please tell us.” From the start, He talked about suffering. So, the truths of suffering, causation, cessation, and the path were taught at this time.

The Buddha told them, “I have attained perfect, universal enlightenment. I have realized Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment. I am the Great Enlightened One, no longer the crown prince from Kapilavastu.” From then on, everyone called Him the Great Enlightened One, the Buddha or the World-Honored One. This was when He began

teaching the Four Noble Truths and gave three turns of [the Dharma-wheel]. Ajnata Kaundinya was first to attain realizations. So, this passage once again describes the karmic conditions between the Buddha and Ajnata Kaundinya.

The sutra always mentions “1250 people.” As I have said, the Buddha, over five years, transformed 1255 people. Among them, five were. Ajnata Kaundinya and his companions. In the second year, He transformed Yasas, the third year, the three Kasyapa brothers, and the fifth year, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. So, over five years, “1250 people” joined the Buddha’s retinue.

Thus, the Tathagata gave teachings suitable for sentient beings’ capabilities. He had to do this even for. Yasas, the three Kasyapa brothers and. Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. They were representatives of spiritual practitioners of that era. When Yasas was a layperson, he was a young man from a wealthy family and really wanted to pursue true principles. He brought 49 friends with him to take refuge in the Buddha-Dharma. The three Kasyapa brothers were well-respected in their country. Altogether, they led 1000 disciples in taking refuge. Maudgalyayana and Sariputra each had 100 disciples. Though they were foremost in wisdom, even spiritual practitioners such as them yielded to the Buddha’s wisdom and came to take refuge with the Buddha.

So, He was gradually followed by both Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. So, we commonly use “1250 people” to represent the Sangha. This is how it is often recorded in the sutras. No matter how many people there were, it just mentions “1250 people.”

At this time, there were also many. “Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas.”

[There were also] those who aspired to be. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, bhikshus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. Each had the following thought.

Besides the 1250 people, there were many who formed aspirations and became Hearers in order to comprehend the Buddha-Dharma. There were also others who did not achieve understanding only through listening. They used their wisdom to meticulously contemplate the principles of the world and gradually realize them. They were Pratyekabuddhas. People who made these aspirations, whether seasoned or newly inspired, gradually joined the Sangha. They were all Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas.

Who were these Hearers? Hearers were those who listened to the Buddha verbally give teachings. Perhaps they “used the Four Noble Truths as their vehicle.” Their way of engaging in spiritual practice was to use the Four Noble Truth as their foundation.

Every single Hearer, when they listened to teachings, used the Four Noble Truths as their foundation. So, they “used the Four Noble Truths as their vehicle,” the truths of suffering, causation, cessation and the path.

Life is really full of suffering, and we accumulate the causes of many difficulties. Now that we are engaging in spiritual practice, we know these true principles. We recognize the truth of suffering. It comes from the accumulation of causes. “Causation” is a result of the law of karma. What method can we use to bring about the “cessation” of this suffering? What method can we use to cultivate the path to its cessation? [When sentient beings suffer,] they continuously recreate their sufferings, afflictions, and the sources of karmic forces. These are being continuously replicated. This is why humans suffer.

The Buddha comes to the world solely to help people understand this matter. This teaching is something we all think we know. But knowing it is one thing, thoroughly comprehending it is another. So, we still cannot change ourselves completely because changing habits is very difficult. So, fellow Bodhisattvas, as we listen to the teachings every day, we must improve every day. Even when the teaching is the same, we must continuously deepen our understanding. That is the correct attitude toward listening to the teachings. So, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 234 – Teaching Ultimate Reality through Skillful Means

>>”The wisdom of all Buddhas is vast
and profound. They have achieved rare and difficult-to-understand Dharma. But
based on the various capabilities of the Three Vehicle practitioners, They
taught ultimate reality through dependent truths.”

>>”At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats who
ended all Leaks, Ajnata Kaundinya and others.”

>> Besides these 1200 bhiksus, there were people who aspired to be.
Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas

“The wisdom of all Buddhas is vast and profound.
They have achieved rare and difficult-to-understand Dharma.
But based on the various capabilities of the Three Vehicle practitioners,
They taught ultimate reality through dependent truths.”

In this time, we continue to hope that everyone will develop great faith. Therefore, we must believe that the wisdom of all Buddhas is vast and profound and that They have achieved rare and difficult-to-understand Dharma.

We have been continuously discussing these passages. This is also what the Buddha taught before He taught the Lotus Sutra to the Three Vehicle disciples, Hearers, Solitary Realizers and newly-inspired Bodhisattvas.

The Three Vehicle teachings are different and are for those with different karmic conditions. The Buddha taught them the principles that they could understand. So, those are called “dependent truths. Dependent” refers to how they are suited for their different capabilities. Small Vehicle practitioners, or Hearers, rely on listening to achieve understanding. When they first listen to teachings, based on their capabilities, He taught them principles they could understand. These are “dependent” and are “truths.” Based on their karmic conditions, He taught them principles they could understand.

Realizers of Conditions, Solitary Realizers and. Pratyekabuddhas have the same capabilities. These names mean the same thing. For these practitioners of average capabilities, He taught based on their capabilities and spoke of what they could understand and contemplate deeply. These are also “dependent” and are “truths.” These principles suit their capabilities and understanding.

Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas know that they should not only focus on their own self-awakening but must also awaken others. They must transform themselves and also aspire to transform others. Bodhisattvas who have just made such aspirations are called newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. To these people who have just formed aspirations, based on their capabilities, He taught principles that would help them remain inspired. These are also “dependent” and are “truths.”

“Truths” refers to principles. “Dependent” refers to the karmic condition of their capabilities. Thus, “They teach ultimate reality through dependent truths.” Based on the capabilities they began with, He continually gave them teachings that they could understand to [guide them from] the simple to the profound. Regardless of their capabilities, they would continuously advance from the simple to the profound. Now, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, everyone’s capabilities and conditions should be suitable for the Buddha to give them the great teachings. It is time [to teach] what He had been carrying in His mind for over 40 years, which is the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle. This is how He “teaches ultimate reality through dependent truths.” At this time, He was about to reveal the ultimate.

The next verse of the sutra states,

“At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats who ended all Leaks, Ajnata Kaundinya and others.”

This is the moment the Buddha was about to speak. The previous sections were given in verse. Now that we are finished with these verses, the next section is in prose. This new passage describes the Hearers in the assembly. They were wondering, “What Dharma will the Buddha expound? Aren’t the teachings we have been listening to the Buddha-Dharma?”

In the assembly, there were people with the capabilities of Hearers, Arhats who had ended all Leaks. We know what Hearers and Arhats are like. Hearers rely on listening to teachings to understand the Buddha-Dharma. By realizing truths, they attain liberation. But, this is a limited liberation. In this way, when people with small capabilities listen to this Dharma, they become open and understanding. This is the level of the Buddha-Dharma that they can understand; these are Hearers. Among the noble beings of the Three Vehicles, Hearers have the most limited capabilities.

Though they have limited capabilities, by aspiring to engage in spiritual practice they have already eliminated their afflictions and are no longer entangled by worldly affections. So, they are also considered noble beings. They are called Hearers. Arhats have ended all Leaks. Having ended all Leaks means that at their stage, they have already eliminated greed, anger and ignorance. By listening to the Buddha’s teachings, they have completely eliminated their doubts and afflictions, particularly their greed. Therefore, spiritual practitioners must be content and have few desires. [By developing that mindset,] they are on their way to becoming noble beings.

Among them was Ajnata Kaundinya. These people were now thinking, “We have already attained liberation with the teachings the Buddha taught in the past. Why is He now giving more teachings? In the past, He taught skillful means. Now, He is going to teach the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle. Why is He doing that?” The 1200 people at the [Lotus Dharma-assembly] had these doubts.

In the sutra, a large group of people is often referred to as 1200 people. In Buddhist classics, we often see the number “1250 people.” This number refers to the Buddha’s retinue; here, they were represented by Ajnata Kaundinya. Because those 1000-plus names could not be listed one by one, Ajnata Kaundinya was used to represent them.

When the Buddha first attained enlightenment, He gave His first teaching at Deer Park. For the five bhiksus, He taught the Four Noble Truths. The principles of the Four Noble Truths are the truth of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. I have often talked about this before. After He taught them the Four Noble Truths, they attained liberation. But He had to repeat this one teaching three times.

The first time He taught it, Ajnata Kaundinya was the only person to realize it. The other four were still confused. Out of His compassion, the Buddha explained the Four Noble Truths again. “Do you understand now?” Two more disciples said, “I now understand the principles You have taught.” But there were still two who did not. So with compassion and wisdom, He explained the Four Noble Truths again.

The same principles had to be explained three times for five people. He had to turn the [Dharma-wheel] three times. We all should know that the. Four Noble Truths had to be taught three times just for the five bhiksus to understand. Only then were the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, complete. This was accomplished at Deer Park.

After they realized the Four Noble Truths, they began to put the principles into practice. After understanding and realizing the teachings, they became liberated. After their minds attained the Dharma, their bodies and minds were liberated through realization of the Four Noble Truths. At this moment, the Buddha told everyone that the provisional teachings He gave in the past were not perfect. It was inevitable that at this point, they would all have questions.

These 1250 [did not join Him all at once]. After He attained enlightenment, [the first time He taught,]. He transformed five people, Ajnata Kaundinya and the four other bhiksus. In His second year, He transformed 50 people, Yasas [and his friends].

Yasas was the son of an elder. He came from a very affluent family. His parents were still living, and he had 49 very good friends. These 50 people felt, “We were born to such noble families, and our lives are filled with blessings. But look at how much other people suffer. What is the difference between us and them? How come we are so blessed? Let us all make a promise to each other to search for the true principles. If we find the true principles, then we will have something we can rely on.”

So, these 50 fine young men very much wanted to understand the true principles of the world. “Let’s promise that if we find true principles, we will practice them together.” This was their agreement.

One day, Yasas heard someone mention, “The Buddha is one who attained great liberation and great enlightenment.” Thus, he went to the abode to seek the Dharma. The Buddha gave him teachings that helped him understand the impermanence of life and how everyone has the same Buddha-nature, so he should search for the wondrous Dharma of True Suchness. So, he shared these principles with his friends. He also had 49 friends to share them with.

He invited his friends by saying, “We should take refuge with the Buddha.” His friends all agreed with him, These 50 people were the disciples that the Buddha accepted in the second year after He attained enlightenment. These 50 monastics, along with the first five people, were the 55 disciples.

He transformed the three Kasyapa brothers, and they led all of their followers to take refuge with the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, in the third year, the largest number of people took refuge with Him, 1000 in total.

During the fifth year, He transformed Sariputra and Maudgalyayana. We all know that they were transformed because of Bhiksu Asvajit’s dignified demeanor.

As the two of them engaged in spiritual practice, they felt that within all things in the universe, there still seemed to be very wondrous and subtle principles that they had not yet penetrated. So, [they agreed that] if they came across principles that could help them understand even the smallest thing that they did not understand, they would tell each other and take refuge and learn together.

So one day, when Bhiksu Asvajit was walking on the street, Sariputra saw him from afar and wondered, “How does someone [acquire] such a dignified appearance? The way he walks and moves, his every gesture is so dignified. What kind of teachings is he practicing that enables him to have such a dignified appearance?”

So, Sariputra hurried to him for advice. “What practices are you cultivating?'”Who is your teacher?” Bhiksu Asvajit’s response greatly satisfied Sariputra, so he shared it with Maudgalyayana and the two decided to go to the Buddha to seek teachings. The Buddha taught them the true principles, the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. This gave them a deeper understanding to why things happen in life. Aside from suffering, causation, cessation and the path, with the principles of the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, they further understood how life comes and goes. So, the two of them brought their 200 disciples with them when they took refuge in the Buddha-Dharma.

Adding these four groups together totals 1255 people. But when we read the sutras, the beginning only mentions “1250 people.” The phrase does not say “55 people,” but says “1250 people.” This was the Buddha’s retinue. The beginning of every sutra mentions these followers because they were frequently by the Buddha’s side. Sometimes they have the karmic conditions to travel far away to transform sentient beings, but they also often return to the Buddha’s side. So, the “1250 people” refers to the Buddha’s retinue.

The sutra frequently mentions. Ajnata Kaundinya and 1200 others. The exact number is “1255 people.” What the sutra uses is only a symbolic number for the number of people who had questions.

Besides these 1200 bhiksus, there were people who aspired to be. Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas

all had these same doubts.

They were very mindful, so at the assembly, they were all curious about what the Buddha was going to teach. What is “the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle”? How subtle and wondrous were the teachings the Buddha guarded in His mind? This was what they were all wondering. We also have the same questions. So, we must have great questions to attain great realizations. Therefore, we must still always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0233

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 233 – With Strong Faith We Resonate with the Truth

>> We must “believe that our minds are no
different from the Buddha-mind. When the mind and phenomena are one, we are in
sync with the ultimate truth. With wisdom and compassion, the Tathagata gave
both provisional and true teachings. When power of faith solidifies, it brings
us closer to the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

>>”The Buddha used the power of skillful means to reveal the Three
Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings, who are attached to everything, may
be guided and released.”

We must
“believe that our minds are no different from the Buddha-mind.
When the mind and phenomena are one, we are in sync with the ultimate truth.
With wisdom and compassion, the Tathagata gave both provisional and true teachings.
When power of faith solidifies, it brings us closer to the Buddha’s understanding and views.”
This tells us that we must have faith, we must believe. By giving rise to great power of faith, we will believe that our minds are no different from the Buddha-mind. [The nature] of mind, Buddhas and sentient beings are no different. So, the Buddha’s mind and sentient beings’ minds are the same. We must have faith in ourselves and believe that our intrinsic Tathagata-nature is also equivalent to the Buddha’s.

If we have this kind of faith, the mind and all phenomena become one, and we can return to our pure intrinsic nature. Then our capabilities will be in sync with true principles. So, we become “in sync with the ultimate truth” when our capabilities connect with these principles. Whether we can do this or not depends on whether we have great faith.

If we have great power of faith, we will absolutely believe what the Buddha has told us about everyone intrinsically having Buddha-nature. We must believe this. Having “great power of faith” means we have great self-confidence. We must have great self-confidence. Then we will have great capabilities and powers, and we can be in sync with true principles. So, “when the mind and phenomena are one, we are in sync with the ultimate truth.” This is how we elevate ourselves.

Because the Buddha has compassion and wisdom, He exercised both simultaneously and came to this world for one great cause. The Buddha is both compassionate and wise. If He was not compassionate, He would not return. But because He is replete with compassion, He cannot bear to let sentient beings experience such great suffering in their cyclic existence in the Six Realms. He cannot bear to let them cause imbalance in the [natural world] through their collective karma. For so many people to be suffering is something Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot bear.

They cannot bear it because they have “universal compassion.” Therefore, the suffering of sentient beings is the suffering of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This “universal compassion,” when exercised, awakens wisdom. Then with wisdom, they teach according to capabilities in this world. This is what it means to “exercise both compassion and wisdom.” So [Buddhas are called] Tathagatas (Thus Come)

because they come to this world by the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. They come to this world with this teaching to exercise and spread their compassion and wisdom. Because sentient beings have varying capabilities, the Buddha has to give wondrous provisional and wondrous true teachings. He does this out of both compassion and wisdom. He “gives both provisional and true teachings.”

So, we must give rise to a great power of faith and work to further strengthen it. Momentary faith is of no use, so we must reinforce it. Earlier I spoke of how the root of faith must be deep and extensive, so we can strengthen our power of faith. By doing this, we can be “closer to the Buddha’s understanding and views.” To learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must first establish faith.

We all know that the Buddha was born on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. When Buddhism spread to China, that day was celebrated as the Buddha’s Birthday. But the times are continuously changing, and agricultural societies are a thing of the past. When the Dharma came to China from India, people used the lunar calendar because they lived in an agricultural society. But in modern times, internationally we use the [Gregorian calendar]. So, here in Taiwan we also started thinking that we should globalize [the Buddha’s Birthday].

Look at how Christmas is a global holiday, [popular] even in Taiwan. So, of course, we must also globalize. Sakyamuni Buddha’s Birthday. Thus we established the second Sunday of May as the Buddha’s Birthday. This way, we can all celebrate it together.

On this day, in every region around the world, things are very festive from morning to night. In Hong Kong alone, their [2012] Buddha-bathing ceremony was very touching. The Hong Kong branch office space is very small, so [volunteers] applied to the government to use Da Tong Road in the Central District, which is a major road downtown. This is typically the busiest street in Hong Kong, with a lot of traffic. It is really a bustling city center.

We applied to the government to close the street for one day on May 13 from nine o’clock in the morning till five o’clock in the afternoon. It would be closed off this whole day, so Tzu Chi could hold our Buddha-bathing [ceremony]. Originally, the weather forecast said there would be heavy rain. And, incredibly, it rained and rained in the early morning, but when the preparations were about to begin, the rain stopped.

Then, we started to set up and rehearse. Because the ceremony was to begin at 10am, the road was not sealed off until 9am. There was such a large area to decorate, so while some people were setting up, others were rehearsing at the same time. The loudspeakers played the music for the ceremony. On the sidewalks, there were many pedestrians who were out shopping, including many foreigners. When they heard this beautiful music and saw that area being decorated, many shoppers came to see what was going on.

When they saw the Buddha statue and the setup, they could not help but put their palms together. As volunteers rehearsed and decorated, more and more people gathered and held their palms together. There were both foreigners and locals. That scene was very beautiful and orderly.

When the official ceremony began, we saw such magnificent scenes. They were very dignified in their [formations]. Some foreigners asked, “Can we join in bathing the Buddha?” Tzu Chi volunteers who were maintaining order sincerely invited them to join in. Soon, foreigners continuously streamed in, as did locals, both young and old. They all came to bathe the Buddha.

We also heard about another incredible thing. There was a group of demonstrators protesting inflation and [low] wages, etc. In Hong Kong, there are also such protest groups. When this group came near [the ceremony], our Tzu Chi Commissioners very sincerely approached them with palms together and invited them, saying, “Your protests cause your emotions to fluctuate. Come, we welcome you to bathe the Buddha. When we bathe the Buddha together, our minds become very peaceful.”

Incredibly, many of the protestors, after hearing our sincere invitation and music, felt that they should join us. They put their palms together and calmed their hearts to bathe the Buddha. This was indeed very amazing. Protestors nearby saw how reverent we were, and this calmed their minds. Though they were dissatisfied with the government and resentful of society, they were able to calm their minds.

“With wisdom and compassion, the Tathagata gave both provisional and true teachings.” When the Buddha comes to the world, He has to use provisional, skillful means that suit the situation and time in order to teach and transform sentient beings. Even now, over 2000 years later, as long as we, Buddhist disciples, have the will to understand the Buddha-Dharma and are strengthening our great power of faith, even if we are in another country and do not have a venue, we are able to borrow one from the government, so we can purify people’s minds.

Because we have faith, regardless of what the weather forecast said, amazingly, the rain stopped that morning as we were about to decorate the site. For that entire day, it remained very cool, so people were amiable and things were peaceful. With this sense of harmony, the Buddha-bathing was completed. This was very incredible.

So, we must understand that, to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must have faith. So, we must “believe that our minds are no different from the Buddha-mind. When the mind and phenomena are one, we are in sync with the ultimate truth.” We can elevate our capabilities as long as we have faith. The Buddha exercises compassion and wisdom in this world, so we can definitely purify people’s minds, ensuring that there will be harmony in society. With strong power of faith, naturally we can be close to the Buddha’s understanding and views. Earlier, I mentioned that,

“The Buddha used the power of skillful means to reveal the Three Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings, who are attached to everything, may be guided and released.”

Remember, we sentient beings truly form attachments to all things. Previously, I have said, “There is nothing we are not attached to. There is nothing we do not crave.” For humans, for all sentient beings, when we give rise to greed, we experience anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt. This leads to many calamities in the world. So, the Buddha used His wisdom to give provisional teachings. To teach us, He used skillful means,

the teachings of Three Vehicles. The Small Vehicle refers to Hearers. The Middle Vehicle refers to Solitary Realizers. For Small and Middle Vehicle practitioners, as well as sentient beings in the Six Realms, the Buddha teaches various skillful means solely to enable them to eliminate the entanglements of suffering. This is the Buddha’s goal in coming to this world. He hopes everyone can further cultivate the Six Paramitas,

which are giving, upholding precepts, patience diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. The Buddha hopes Small Vehicle practitioners can turn from the small to the great. As for the last teaching the Buddha gave in the world, the Lotus Sutra is the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle. He wanted to help Small Vehicle practitioners realize that His past teachings were just the fundamentals for [learning] the Dharma. Those teachings helped us cleanse our hearts and eliminate our ignorance, as well as our habitual tendencies.

As He taught skillful means in the past, He was actually cleansing our hearts. When our hearts are cleansed, we can turn our thinking around and return to our intrinsic nature. Our pure and undefiled intrinsic nature will then manifest. With that undefiled nature, we will awaken ourselves and others at the same time. Multitudes of sentient beings are still in cyclic existence in the Six Realms, so He needs everyone to form great aspirations and vows to return to the Saha World.

Although the Buddha wants to transform us so we can transcend the Three Realms and the Six Destinies, He still needs people to return to the Saha World, this world of endurance, to transform others. So, we must turn from the small to the great.

After we clean the mirror of our minds, we must examine ourselves. Once our hearts are clean, we can turn this mirror to reflect others, so they can also see their true nature. Then we can ask them, “Can you see yourself in this mirror? Yes, we can. Actually, you have such a mirror, too.” When we take out our mirrors, it may not yet reflect things clearly. We need to find a way to wipe it clean, so the surface will be clear and bright. Then naturally we can use it to reflect ourselves, as well as other people. This is how we awaken ourselves and others.

All sentient beings originally had a pure, undefiled great perfect mirror wisdom. We all have this great mirror. It is called great perfect mirror wisdom.

The Buddha used many methods to enable us to escape painful entanglements so that, according to the verses, we “may be guided and released.” Since we are “attached to everything.” He finds ways to guide and release us from our many sufferings. Helping us transcend suffering is why the Buddha comes to the world and exercises both compassion and wisdom. So, we must put our hearts into giving rise to great power of faith and mindfully understanding how the Buddha exercises compassion and wisdom. We must always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 232 – Draw Near to the Buddha’s Understanding and Views

>>”The Buddha’s grace and Dharma-essence
nurture our wisdom-life, so we can readily attain the wondrous Dharma of the
One Vehicle. [Cultivate] precepts, Samadhi, wisdom and always be mindful of the
Buddha’s teachings. By developing our understanding and views, we can return to
our true nature.”

>>”The Buddha used the power of skillful means to reveal the Three
Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings, who are attached to everything, may
be guided and released.”

>> Sentient beings are attached to everything: Sentient beings
transmigrate in the Six Realms and cannot transcend because they are attached
to all things. Attachments give rise to delusions, karma and suffering, which
lead to cyclic existence. When the heart is entangled with things, it is attached
to them and cannot leave them. Craving, clinging and unwillingness to let go
are all attachments.

>> The Buddha “extensively proclaimed teachings. With countless
skillful means, He guided sentient beings, leading them to transcend all
attachments.”

“The Buddha’s grace and Dharma-essence nurture our wisdom-life,
so we can readily attain the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle.
[Cultivate] precepts, Samadhi, wisdom and always be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.
By developing our understanding and views, we can return to our true nature.”

We must always keep the Buddha’s grace in mind, It is what nurtures our wisdom-life. This is like being grateful to our parents for nurturing our physical life. We must recognize that our parents gave us life and acknowledge their kindness in raising and caring for us throughout this lifetime. The Buddha gives us wisdom-life, which lasts life after life and can help us thoroughly transform ourselves. This means He helps us to completely eliminate all ignorance and afflictions in our minds and return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature. Then we can reach a pure and undefiled state of non-arising and non-ceasing. This is what we must be grateful for.

So, the Buddha kindly gives us Dharma-essence to nourish our wisdom-life. “So, we can readily attain the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle.” If we can be more mindful, we can give rise to great Power of Faith and really believe in the Buddha’s teachings, faithfully accepting and practicing them. If we can do so, in our daily living, we can change our habitual tendencies and return to our pure intrinsic nature. If we do this, we will soon be able to encounter and help each other connect with the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle and return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature. Hence, “we can readily attain” the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle.

Of course, we must cultivate “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.” We must uphold precepts and maintain Samadhi. Following rules is very important. If we want to drive a car, we need a road. If we want to drive a bigger car, then we need to choose a wider road. So, we must uphold precepts, because precepts are the roads we follow. If we have this great enlightened Bodhi-path, naturally we can advance in our practices. What do we practice? Samadhi.

Our mind is never stable and constantly fluctuates. This is the nature of unenlightened beings. Because our minds contain ignorance, affliction, greed, desire and so on, our minds cannot be at peace. Now that we have found our direction a nd this broad path to enlightenment, our minds need to be at peace. By being in a state of Samadhi,

we can determine our future direction. The open road is already there; we just need to decide on our direction. Then we will not keep wondering, “Should I go in this direction? Or, that direction?” We may feel uncertain about our direction, and with even the slightest deviation, we can end up far off-course. This all depends on our minds. If a single thought deviates, we will lose our power of Samadhi. So, we must remain in Samadhi.

The word “Samadhi” does not only apply to sitting meditation. Not at all. “Precepts” guide our actions in daily living. “Samadhi” is the state of peace we maintain as we interact with people. In our daily living, we cannot deviate from our path, the wide road of precepts. If we want to drive, we need a road; if we want to engage in spiritual practice, we need precepts.

Then we must choose which practices to cultivate. If we only seek to awaken ourselves, then we have limited capabilities and wisdom and are on a narrow path. If we want to awaken ourselves and others, to benefit not only ourselves but others as well, then we must have great capabilities and must walk a broad path by upholding great precepts.

How do we uphold them? With every single thought, we uphold precepts in our daily living. With every thought, we uphold precepts as we deal with people and things. As we interact with people, do we abide by precepts? When we hear displeasing words, do we commit the [evils] of speech? Do we treat others with contempt, with a mindset of pride or arrogance? Only by interacting with people can we engage in spiritual practice to train our minds. We must always be vigilant of our perception of people, matters and objects. Are our hearts and thoughts on the right path? This will allow us, as we interact with people, to uphold the great precepts in our minds.

This also applies to Samadhi. When we encounter external phenomena, are we tempted by those objects of desire? When we see people with great power, influence and money, do we give them preferential treatment? Do we flatter them? If we do, that is not right.

Do we look down on those who ask for our help or purposely ignore them? Do we not greet them? If we refuse to greet or pay attention to them, this is also not right. We must “show compassion to all equally.” Because we are compassionate, whether we encounter the poor or the rich, we must quickly reach out to them with our sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. This is how we transform sentient beings as we interact with them. For the poor, we must make an effort to uplift their hearts, so they will not lose their will or feel self pity. By elevating them in this way, we help them realize that they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and that the poor have the same power as the rich.

When we encounter the rich, they may be conceited and arrogant. We must find a way to help them realize that the rich can be poor in other aspects of life. Rich people may be lacking in many other respects. How can we help them realize their abundance, and that if they feel rich, naturally they will have the power to help others? This is also a way we can reach out to and transform others. This is how we “show compassion to all equally.”

To have this kind of power, we cultivate “precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom. Wisdom” can be used to discern. Part of wisdom is discriminating wisdom. In this world, in all things, we use wisdom to discern right from wrong. After we clearly understand the matter at hand, we develop and elevate our wisdom. So first, we analyze matters, then we elevate our understanding to deal with them impartially. Then we can return to our pure intrinsic nature. This is the power of “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.”

For us to attain precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the only way is to “always be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.” All we need to do is to practice according to the Buddha’s teachings. When we do this, we “develop our understanding and views.” We want our understanding and views to be on par with the Buddha’s.

As mentioned in previous texts, the reason our understanding and views are so distant from the Buddha’s is because we still have not put [His Dharma] into practice. We have not yet exercised our great capabilities and wisdom. Therefore, from now on we must remember to [cultivate] precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. In every moment, we must take the Dharma into our hearts. Not only that, we must steadily practice it and move forward, step by step. This is how we can come closer to having the understanding and views of the Buddha. So, we must “develop our understanding and views.”

How can we achieve this? What skills do we need to develop? This goes back to the same saying, “Return to our true nature.” We live in a very complicated world. After we understand His teachings, [we realize] He is telling us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. So, we need to quickly reflect on ourselves and take care of our pure Buddha-nature.

Our nature has been covered by ignorance. So, when we go back to look for it, we must brush aside our ignorance. Previously, the sutra stated,

“The Buddha used the power of skillful means to reveal the Three Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings, who are attached to everything, may be guided and released.”

Indeed, sentient beings, “are attached to everything. Attached to everything” means no matter what we see, what circumstances we are in and so on, all our attachments lead to afflictions. Whether we cling to fame, money, affections, cravings or interpersonal relationships, we have many attachments.

Our intrinsic Buddha-nature is the same; it is just like a small mirror. If we clean its surface, we can use it to reflect our surroundings as they are. However, it is still relatively small. If we have a great big mirror and wipe it very clean, what it can reflect becomes broad. Our surroundings are the same, but if our mirrors are small, you may reflect one part of the surroundings and. I may reflect another part of the surroundings. We all reflect a different part because we do not all have the same focus. This is why we each have a different state of mind, and we each have different attachments.

So, “sentient beings are attached to everything.” In all matters, we are attached to our point of view. So, to begin our spiritual cultivation, we must first let go of our attachments. If we can all let go of our attachments, we will see what the Buddha realized, the truths of all things the universe. So, when our minds are equal to the Buddha’s, it can reflect all truths like a great mirror.

So, “sentient beings are attached to everything. Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms and cannot transcend them because they are attached to all things.”

Sentient beings are attached to everything: Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms and cannot transcend because they are attached to all things. Attachments give rise to delusions, karma and suffering, which lead to cyclic existence. When the heart is entangled with things, it is attached to them and cannot leave them. Craving, clinging and unwillingness to let go are all attachments.

We cannot transcend cyclic existence because we each have our own ideas, understandings and ways of thinking. Therefore, we each create our own karma. We deviate from the path and often create bad karma, which results in many afflictions. Therefore, we cannot attain liberation. This is because we “are attached to everything.”

Because we have attachments, we will continuously give rise to delusions, karma and suffering. When we cannot resolve our delusions, we wonder, “How can this be? Clearly, I did things to get this result, but why did it turn out that way instead?” We do things a certain way because of our attachments. Because we are attached to the wrong things, the results will not go our way. So, because of our attachments, we create karma out of ignorance, and as a result, we suffer.

Our suffering then gives rise to more suffering. Because we are unwilling [to let go,] we give rise to even more suffering. How do we transcend this cycle? All of this has to do with our daily living and our thinking and understanding. When we have emotions, they entangle and bind us tightly, so we cannot open our hearts.

This comes down to our hearts and affections. The affections in our hearts are like ropes; they are very complicated. They constantly tie us down. So, what do these ropes tie us to? To people, matters and objects. Therefore, we cannot escape or be freed.

So, the sutra states that, for people like this,

The Buddha “extensively proclaimed teachings. With countless skillful means, He guided sentient beings, leading them to transcend all attachments.”

By giving different kinds of teachings and using many skillful means, He guides people who are set in their ways and heading in the wrong direction.

So in summary, we must all be mindful in our daily living. We must all cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. When we interact with others we must uphold great precepts, cultivate great Samadhi and develop great wisdom. To do this, we must have a great root of faith. In learning Buddhism, this is the best way to draw near to Buddha’s understanding and views. Therefore, we must always be mindful.