Author: Scott Ogata

Become a person more actively involved in aiding their community.

Ch02-ep0221

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 221 – Wear the Armor of Diligence

>> “Rely on the Dharma as a teacher in
everything. Draw near and abide in the Dharma. Remember to be mindful of the
Buddha’s teachings. Draw near and diligently practice unsurpassed Dharma.”

>> “Suppose that non-retreating Bodhisattvas, who numbered as many
as the Ganges’ sands, wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together, they also
would not understand it.”

>> Non-retreating Bodhisattvas: Even those who have reached the tenth
ground find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. If among those who
reached the Tenth Ground, there are some who have not ended all Leaks, they
also would not understand it.

>> The Bodhisattvas’ Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of
freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing
wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the
ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of
excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.

>> “Bodhisattvas who have reached the tenth ground still have traces
of Leaks and delusions of thinking.”

“Rely on the Dharma as a teacher in everything.
Draw near and abide in the Dharma.
Remember to be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.
Draw near and diligently practice unsurpassed Dharma.”

This tells us that we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher. In our daily living, [as we face] the laws of nature, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher.

The laws of nature are also Dharma. Whether there is heavy wind or rain, or intensely cold weather, we must be grateful. These are the laws of nature. No matter how much wind there is, we must always be grateful. After it passes and we are safe, we feel grateful. When we hear the rain, we must also feel grateful because rain is water, which, for the world around us and for our bodies, is the source of life. What would happen to the world, to the mountains, rivers and land, if there was no water? So, when we hear the rain, we must be grateful to rainwater for nourishing sentient beings. When things happen according to natural laws, we must give rise to a sense of gratitude.

Think about when the sun is out. The sun illuminates everything, but in the summertime, it can be very hot. Even so, we should still be grateful to the sunlight it provides to all things in the world. The sun[light] can even disinfect things so that all living things in the universe can be healthy. So, we must also be grateful for this.

Every day, we need to be grateful for each of the four elements. The law of nature is our teacher and helps us live in safety and with gratitude. All this is encompassed in “relying on the Dharma as a teacher.” Phenomena in nature are constantly teaching us.

From morning until nighttime we must be self-aware every day. Time just keeps passing; it is impermanent and never stops. We cannot capture any moment in time, nor abide in it forever. The seconds keep flowing by. Thus, this heightens our vigilance to make good use of our time by staying close to the Dharma, so that our wisdom-life can develop. This is what we must rely on. Our minds must abide in the Dharma [because] our wisdom-life is reliant on the Buddha’s wisdom. We rely on the Dharma to grow our wisdom-life, so our wisdom-life must abide in the Dharma. Thus, we “draw close to and abide in the Dharma.”

“Remember to be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.” We must be mindful with every thought. That means, with our every thought, we must “remember” it and keep it in our minds. After listening to the Dharma, we cannot just let it pass and forget it. That is not the way. After we listen to the Dharma, we must take it into our minds and always remember it. Other things, such as interpersonal disputes, can be quickly forgotten. The Dharma is something we must definitely remember. It must stay within our minds so that we will never forget the Buddha’s teachings.

During our time in this world, we can draw near the Buddha-Dharma to help us understand “This body is a Buddha.” In this lifetime, in these physical bodies, in our minds, we already intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must really draw near to it. The Three Treasures of our nature are found in our bodies, minds and daily living. Therefore, we must be diligent and focused. This is the unsurpassed Dharma.

Thus, in our daily living, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher. No matter what kind of circumstances we are in, we always need to, with utmost reverence, contemplate all things in the world and the Dharma that is hidden within them. If we can thoroughly understand them, inside and out, we will be like the Buddha, who, after attaining enlightenment, could assemble the true principles of all things in the universe within His mind. Indeed, we are just like Him. If we are always mindful, the truth of all things in the universe can also be collected in our minds.

This is why I kept saying earlier that the Buddha is constantly reminding us. He also encourages us to be diligent. Even if those with the wisdom of. Sariputra, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas, came together to try to understand the Buddha, they would only know the least bit of His wisdom. Actually, probably even less than that. This is also to encourage us. Even Sariputra, Pratyekabuddhas and newly-inspired Bodhisattvas could not accomplish this. However, we must not retreat from our spiritual aspiration for this reason. We must know we intrinsically possess Buddha-nature. We must believe that we can draw near to our own enlightened Buddha-nature equal to the Buddha’s. So, we cannot give up. This is also an encouragement for us.

As the next passage of the sutra says,

“Suppose that non-retreating Bodhisattvas, who numbered as many as the Ganges’ sands, wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together, they also would not understand it.”

There are many “non-retreating Bodhisattvas.” If they all pooled their minds to contemplate and seek the Buddha’s knowledge and views, they still would not understand it.

What are “non-retreating Bodhisattvas”? Those are Bodhisattvas of the tenth ground. Bodhisattvas [progress through] the Ten Grounds. Even those who have reached the tenth ground would not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.

Non-retreating Bodhisattvas: Even those who have reached the tenth ground find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. If among those who reached the Tenth Ground, there are some who have not ended all Leaks, they also would not understand it.

They have advanced from the first ground to the tenth ground without retreating. Yet, these Bodhisattvas still have the slightest Leaks. So, there remains a bit they cannot understand.

The Bodhisattvas’ Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.

What are the Ten Grounds? The first is “the ground of joy.” When we form aspirations and make vows, or after we have listened to teachings, thoughts of joy arise in our minds. We need this joy to develop aspirations and create more blessings with our existing blessings. We must create more good affinities and plant more good causes. So, in this lifetime, we must promptly understand causes, conditions, effects and retributions. Such Dharma helps us when we live in the Four Noble and Six Unenlightened Realms, so that we will remain cautious and safeguard our minds well. Thus, we will not fall into the Six Unenlightened Realms again but will go toward the Four Noble Realms.

Next is “the ground of freedom from defilement.” Again and again, we ordinary people easily form aspirations but find it difficult to persevere. Because we had one ignorant thought, afflictions obscure our minds. We have a tendency to become afflicted. When we become joyful, we know to do good deeds and take advantage of good karmic conditions. But while forming this aspiration is easy, it is also easy for things in our external conditions to shake up our spiritual aspirations so that we stop advancing on the Bodhisattva-path. This is because there are still defilements and afflictions in our minds.

On this ground, we must constantly be vigilant. As we do good deeds, we willingly help others. But we must always be vigilant of people and matters and interpersonal disputes so that we do not allow them to disturb our practice of the Bodhisattva-path. We must stay away from these disputes. So, we call this, “the ground of freedom from defilement.”

Third is “the ground of radiating light.” Our ignorance obscures our minds. If we can remove this ignorance, when our minds are pure, naturally our wisdom will manifest. This is “the ground of radiating light.” We can use our external conditions to reflect on and illuminate ourselves. So, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher, regardless of whether our surroundings are conditioned or unconditioned. Unconditioned phenomena are natural. Conditioned phenomena are manmade. Whether something is conditioned or unconditioned, on this ground we can remove ourselves from it. Then naturally our wisdom-life will continuously grow.

Indeed, when we clearly separate ourselves from interpersonal disputes, we will remain firm in our spiritual aspirations. If we can discern right from wrong, we are at “the ground of radiating light.”

When there is no darkness in our minds and ignorance has no influence on us, we are at “the ground of radiating light.” Next is the “ground of blazing wisdom.” Beyond just radiating light, [at this stage] it is even brighter. It can help us see the path ahead, so we can keep moving forward. Actually, this path is very broad, and when we form Bodhisattva-aspirations, many people will instantly respond, so together, we can do countless good deeds. When we practice the virtuous Dharma and move forward with body and mind illuminated, we are on “the ground of blazing wisdom.” This light does not just illuminate us, it also illuminates others. If we clearly know our minds, we can guide others. We can be like a lamp that shines inwards and also radiates outwards. This is “the ground of blazing wisdom.”

“The ground of overcoming difficulties” is where we practice what is difficult to practice. Being a Bodhisattva is not that easy. We must overcome many difficulties and achieve our missions. Whatever difficult or negative things there are in our external conditions, we use our steadfast mind against their pull. By exerting more strength, we can win. This is “the ground of overcoming difficulties.” When we overcome difficulties, we are victorious. This is the mindset we must have as we engage in spiritual practice.

The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters states that spiritual practice is like putting on battle armor to enter the battlefield. Our minds are constantly at war with evil and deviant thoughts. Thus, before the Buddha attained enlightenment, He had to vanquish an army of maras. This is the same thing. Thus, on “the ground of overcoming difficulties” we must overcome all difficulties and practice what is difficult to practice.

The sixth of the Ten Grounds is “the ground of manifestation.” After we have overcome difficulties, the road becomes smooth. Then comes “the ground of far-reaching practice.” Since the road is smooth, we must pick up the pace as we walk forward. Once we aim ourselves in the right direction, we must be diligent. As we walk the path, we must not be influenced by the scenery. So, we cannot be lax. We must unwaveringly and diligently move forward. Our spiritual aspirations must not waver, and no matter how difficult things get, we must remain unshaken and overcome them.

Next is the ninth ground, “the ground of excellent wisdom.” We must cultivate blessings and wisdom. Doing good deeds brings blessings. When we earnestly do good deeds, we create blessings for the world. [We also have to cultivate] wisdom. When Bodhisattvas are replete with both blessings and wisdom, they are on “the ground of excellent wisdom.”

Next is “the ground of Dharma-cloud.” When we reach “the ground of Dharma-cloud,” there are no hindrances in our surroundings. If we walk through the cloud, we can pass through it unhindered. But as I just said, even Bodhisattvas on the tenth ground still have a little bit of ignorance. Because a little bit remains, that is also like being covered by a cloud. Though we may walk in it without hindrances, we still cannot see through it to know the color of the sky behind it. Is it blue or gray or some other color? So, there still remains the slightest bit [of ignorance]. Thus, it is said,

“Bodhisattvas who have reached the tenth ground still have traces of Leaks and delusions of thinking.”

They still have slight Leaks and delusions of thinking. They still have delusions of views and thinking. Bodhisattvas have overcome everything, but there are still slight obstacles in their thinking that they have not completely penetrated. This is what non-retreating Bodhisattvas are like. Numbering as many as the sands of the Ganges, they “wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together,” but “they also could not understand it.” This means they are still slightly [obscured].

They want to go from the. Bodhisattva realm in the Four Noble Realms to the Buddha’s realm but still have a slight bit of delusion in thinking. Thus, we must be mindful, form aspirations and contemplate the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattvas. Since we have formed aspirations, we must advance diligently. After overcoming all difficulties, we can walk the great Bodhi-path in peace, without being affected by challenges. Thus, we cultivate both blessings and wisdom. Even if we reach “the ground of Dharma-cloud,” there are still wisps of fog. Yet, we know that we are slowly getting closer to [our goal]. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0220

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 220 – With Mindful Understanding, Wisdom Appears

>> “Spiritual practice can only be
comprehended by the mind. We must faithfully accept and practice the teachings.
The source of the path is inherently in our minds. Upon awakening, wisdom will
gush forth.”

>> “Wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom, over kalpas as numerous as
the Ganges’ sands, [they] contemplated it together, yet could not fathom the
Buddha’s wisdom.”

>> This term “wholeheartedly” is about one mind. The mind is
replete with the Ten Dharma-realms. [It contains] Buddha-wisdom and is
inconceivable and incomparable.

“Spiritual practice can only be comprehended by the mind.
We must faithfully accept and practice the teachings.
The source of the path is inherently in our minds.
Upon awakening, wisdom will gush forth.”

Everyone, don’t we engage in spiritual practice to reach an awakening? We want to awaken to the principles the Buddha realized. Recently, I have been talking about the mind. With our minds, we can reflect on our self-nature to find our intrinsic Buddha-nature. Only with the mind can we truly comprehend it. If we do not put our hearts into attaining realizations, we cannot truly achieve an awakened state. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Of course, we must begin by “faithfully accepting and practicing teachings.” At the end of every sutra, after the Buddha finished teaching, everyone “faithfully accepted and practiced.” We must have faith in the Buddha’s teachings. “Faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits.” Before our minds can give rise to the enlightened Bodhi-path, we must first have faith. This is similar to asking for directions. Once we ask, someone who has walked the path will direct us to the way that will take us to our destination. Similarly, we must have faith. If we do not have faith, we will end up on a side road. Then the farther we go, the more off-track we are, the more lost we become. So, we must have faith in the person who guides us. Therefore, we must “faithfully practice and accept the teachings.”

“The source of the path is inherently in our minds.” Where is the path we are truly seeking? It was originally in our minds. But we unenlightened beings have confused our minds. With one ignorant thought, afflictions arose. Then greed, anger and ignorance gave rise to many afflictions, which caused the inherent path to awakening in our minds to become indistinct, so we do not know where it is. Therefore, we must now return to our intrinsic nature. To return to our intrinsic nature, we need a method to do so. That is why we engage in spiritual practice.

If we faithfully accept and practice teachings, we can return to the source of the Way, to our intrinsic nature. Then “upon awakening, wisdom will gush forth.” If we can awaken, wisdom will gush forth like a spring. Then everything in the world, all people, matters, objects or principles, will be clear to us. We will understand everything. But now we are lost and not self-aware, so we need to really put our hearts into and spend a lot of time on listening, contemplating and practicing teachings. After we listen, we must really contemplate. If we [determine] that it is a true principle, a path, then we must practice it. This is called listening, contemplating and practicing.

Earlier, we already discussed this verse.

“Wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom, over kalpas as numerous as the Ganges’ sands, [they] contemplated it together, yet could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.”

How can we understand the Buddha’s wisdom? His wisdom is innate. It has always existed in His mind. After He attained enlightenment, He immediately revealed it to everyone. But when He gave teachings in that state of mind, it seemed like heavenly beings could not comprehend Him at all. This is because heaven is still among the Six Unenlightened Realms. So, they are still a ways from the purity and clarity needed to realize the Buddha-nature.

At that time, Sakyamuni Buddha thought that if even heavenly beings could not understand Him, then how could He share this state of mind with all sentient beings to guide them? So, He felt a bit dismayed. Then among them there was a heavenly lord from Brahma Heaven who sensed that the Buddha’s mind was very pure and undefiled, like a great perfect mirror that illuminated external conditions. This heavenly lord thought to himself, “It is so rare for someone to attain Buddhahood in this world; I will take joy in it and encourage Him.” He appeared and paid obeisance before Him, gave respectful and joyful encouragement.

At this moment, all Buddhas of the ten directions also appeared. These countless Buddhas from all directions of the world manifested around Sakyamuni Buddha to console Him as well. In the sutras, there is also a passage about this.

Therefore, when the Buddha first attained enlightenment, His enlightened state of mind was vast and endless. The Dharma He taught in this universe was indeed very deep and extremely profound. It cannot be thought of nor conceived. We unenlightened beings cannot truly realize the Buddha’s state of mind. We can spend a long time discussing how. His mind is as vast as the universe, endless and boundless. When we hear about a mind this broad, we can only say, “Yes, I’ve heard about it.” But what was the Buddha’s feeling at that time?

kept saying that at that time, the Buddha was feeling this way. If you ask me, “Master, how would you describe the Buddha’s state of mind after He had attained enlightenment?” I can only tell you, “I don’t know either.” Whenever I discuss this passage in the sutras, I also feel very open and joyous, very clear and radiant. That is how I feel.

But as for this feeling, if you were then to ask me, “Master, do you feel this way throughout the day?” I would have to tell you, “I do not.” After I finish discussing it, many worldly worries resurface. I hear things about some places, or that some place needs to discuss something. There is so much of this. We need to know how to build on the past and how to plan for the future, as well as how to deal with things right now. Whether we talk about past, present or future, we give rise to discursive thoughts and worries. These are worries, not afflictions, but they still appear in our minds.

So, we must thoroughly understand the spiritual state of all Buddhas. We can hear one teaching and realize 1000 things. We can, as I often say, “Seize the present and sustain it forever.” I often tell all of you, “Seize the present and sustain it forever.” Now that we have realized this mindset, we must forever remain in this spiritual state. Although I tell you this, are we truly able to sustain the mindset of that moment, the state of great perfect mirror wisdom, which is always very pure, bright and clear? This is truly very difficult.

So, once ignorance arises, it covers this mirror in our minds. This is why we unenlightened beings suffer. We suffer because we cannot remain pure nor keep the mirror in our minds clear and bright. This is what we must work on. We cannot always be constantly hindered by ignorance. We must cultivate ourselves. Our ignorance comes from habitual tendencies. Our habitual tendencies follow us in our present circumstances. Therefore, the way we habitually react to people, matters and objects constantly obscures our minds. Indeed, our minds were intrinsically pure, so we must strive to eliminate our habitual tendencies to constantly reduce the afflictions of this world. So, in Buddhism we always say, “Let it go.” We learn how to let go in order to we can reduce [our afflictions].

Therefore, the only method of spiritual practice is to use our minds to experience and understand these principles. That is the only way.

As I have been constantly saying, whether we gather ordinary Hearers or those with the wisdom of Sariputra, even if their collective wisdom was pooled, they still would not be able to understand the Buddha’s state of mind. Even if those who are wiser than Hearers, such as Pratyekabuddhas, the Solitary Realizers, even if the wisdom of as many people as there are stalks of rice, hemp, bamboo and reeds were pooled together and focused, it would still be impossible to realize.

Earlier, I spoke of newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas now know that they must draw near to the Buddha’s mind. As they draw near to Him, they know to awaken themselves and others, to save themselves and others. They have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, [but comprehension was not possible] even if their minds were combined “wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom.” These are hearts of newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They “wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom” awakened themselves and others. “Over kalpas as numerous as the Ganges’ sands,” over such a long period of time, “[they] contemplated it together, yet could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.” To understand the Buddha’s state of mind and wisdom, they still have quite a ways to go.

So, we must seek that mindset.

This term “wholeheartedly” is about one mind. The mind is replete with the Ten Dharma-realms. [It contains] Buddha-wisdom and is inconceivable and incomparable.

Each of our minds is “replete with the Ten Dharma-realms.” Previously, I have discussed this. Do you all remember the Ten Dharma-realms? The Six Unenlightened and Four Noble Realms all exist in our minds. If we have faith, our minds can pervade the Ten Dharma-realms. Therefore, if we do not take care of our minds, we will fall into the Six Unenlightened Realms.

There, if we practice the Ten Good Deeds, we ascend to heaven realm; if we uphold the Five Precepts, we remain in the human realm. If an evil thought arises, we face painful retributions in the Three Evil Realms the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. If we do not change our habitual tendencies, we will be in the asura realm. These are the Six Unenlightened Realms. We cannot control where we end up; our karmic retribution determines how we cycle through the Six Realms.

The Buddha came to this world to “open and reveal” [the Dharma] for us, to help us achieve understanding, step by step, and “realize and enter” it. There are Four Noble Realms, Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas start by [eliminating] fragmentary samsara and continue practicing until they [eliminate] transformational samsara and achieve complete transcendence. Then they will truly be the same as Buddhas.

So right now, our minds are in the Ten Dharma-realms. We need to be diligent, so we can transcend the Six Unenlightened Realms and enter the stage of the Four Noble Realms. This is what we must strive for.

Not only has the Buddha already transcended the Six Unenlightened Realms, among the Four Noble Realms He has supreme, perfect, universal enlightenment. When we try to use our unenlightened minds to realize the state of Buddhahood, we find it inconceivable. So, “Buddha-wisdom is inconceivable and incomparable.” How can it be revealed to everyone?

Earlier the sutra text said, “the Dharma cannot be demonstrated.” We can only try to describe the appearance of the Dharma; there is no object we can take out to show. In short, when we learn the Buddha’s teachings, it is very important to put our hearts into realizing [the Dharma]. Only by doing so can we faithfully accept and practice the teachings and diligently make progress.

Indeed, the source of the path is inherently in our minds. Where do we go to find it? “There is no need to seek the Buddha on Vulture Peak; Vulture Peak is already in our own minds. In each person there is a stupa on Vulture Peak. We can practice at the foot of that stupa.” I often remind you that. “The source of the path is inherently in our minds. Upon awakening, wisdom will gush forth.” If we can become awakened, wisdom will gush forth like a spring, and we will never be obstructed by anything. Then we can wholeheartedly try to thoroughly understand the Buddha’s wisdom. Of course, we are still far away from it. As I always say, we must be mindful and diligent.

Ch02-ep0219

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 219 – Returning to Our Self-nature

>> The most valuable thing in learning the
Buddha’s teachings is “cultivating self-awakening. Through the two feet of
blessings and wisdom, we all achieve [realization] together.” We must
“ponder more teachings and contemplate our self-nature. With a broad and
pure heart, we return to True Suchness.”

>> “Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to
countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths to truth and are able to
skillfully expound the Dharma, number as many as the rice, hemp, bamboo and
reed [plants], filling the ksetras in the ten directions.”

>> To clearly understand the paths to truth is to thoroughly penetrate
and realize the principles of all matters. When we penetrate the teachings of
the path, the mind and conditions are one. The clear understanding of all
Dharma is where the paths to truth will lead us.

>> So, “wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom, over kalpas as numerous
as the Ganges’ sands, [they] contemplated it together, yet could not understand
the Buddha’s wisdom.”

The most valuable thing in learning the Buddha’s teachings is
“cultivating self-awakening. Through the two feet of blessings and wisdom,
we all achieve [realization] together.”
We must
“ponder more teachings and contemplate our self-nature.
With a broad and pure heart, we return to True Suchness.”

Is this not the direction we seek?

Learning the Buddha’s teachings takes hard work. This is the course of spiritual practice that we value the most. So, we must internally cultivate self-awakening and really contemplate our self-nature.

Every day, we listen. We hear the sounds in our surroundings. We chant the sutras and prostrate to the Buddha. When we listen to the sounds around us, aren’t we listening to the sounds of the Dharma? When we sit in stillness, we can hear the sounds of the birds speaking to one another. Perhaps they are also gathering to expound the Dharma. What is the sound that we hear now? What kind of bird is this? We cannot tell. But because the Buddha is in our pure hearts, we can also seemingly hear them give teachings.

This is a sound we hear every day, so [their] teachings have entered our minds. We also hear the sounds of all things in the world. In the early morning, we prepare for the day’s work. Over the course of a day’s work, what kind of sounds do we hear? We hear people’s words with our ears and listen to them with our minds. When we see people’s expressions and actions, we also comprehend them with our minds. We hear through our ears and see through our eyes. In our minds, we think about what happened yesterday, the day before yesterday, in the past, a long time ago. We also think about the future and the things we want to pursue. These discursive thoughts and feelings are experienced throughout the day.

Perhaps, as we hear and see, discursive thoughts arise at that same moment. This is the way we ordinary people live. We allow our minds to be tempted and moved by our external conditions. We even allow discursive thoughts to obscure our minds. This is how the minds of ordinary people work.

Since we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must cultivate both blessings and wisdom. We must [do good deeds]. Every day when we do things, we must make benefiting others our priority. We must ask ourselves, “What am I cultivating? Am I working for my own benefit or for the benefit of others?” We must think this through. In this lifetime, at this moment, do we choose to spend time on ourselves or to extensively benefit others?

Of course, right now we are constantly talking about the Small and Great Vehicles. In the past, to help people’s minds first accept the teachings, the Buddha started with Small Vehicle methods. He first taught them to comprehend suffering, emptiness, impermanence and no-self. These were the principles that. He wanted people to understand first. Then, He kept guiding them toward this broad, enlightened path, which will take them to the Buddha’s enlightened state.

Even though we may have started with. Small Vehicle teachings, we must internally cultivate self-awakening. To move forward step by step, we know we need to cultivate both blessings and wisdom. This is just like walking with our feet. With one foot, we take one step toward blessings; with the other, we take one step toward wisdom. Therefore, we must cultivate blessings and wisdom together to walk on this path of wisdom for both ourselves and others.

As we walk on this path, at the same time we must also guide others to go in the same direction, take the correct path. When we arrive, so will everyone else. This is how we all achieve [realization] together. We are just like other people. Together, we can walk on this broad, enlightened Bodhi-path. This is how we achieve [realization] together and awaken ourselves and others.

Of course, we must always be mindful so that we do not stray from the path. Therefore, we should “ponder more teachings and contemplate our self-nature.” Aren’t we trying to discover our nature of True Suchness? Recently, I have been trying to help people understand that while spiritual practice is important, we must also look inward and absolutely not neglect our Buddha-nature.

So, we must unearth our Buddha-nature. I just explained that ordinary people, over the course of one day, have many complex, discursive, delusional thoughts. The external phenomena in front of us will also cause disorder in our minds. As each day passes, do we want to remain confused and waste this life? No, we must quickly and more mindfully focus our thinking to truly achieve a thorough understanding. Indeed, [our thoughts] must be pure, transparent and endless. In our contemplation, we must really look closely within to quickly find our self-nature.

So, we need a “broad and pure heart.” We must be broad-minded and pure in heart. If we can achieve this, listen to more teachings and contemplate more intensely, we can look within to find our self-nature. Thus, our minds have to be broad and pure. With a broad and pure mind, we can find and return to our Buddha-nature. Otherwise, our complex thoughts will continuously pollute our thinking, and we will never be able to converge with our true Buddha-nature.

Though we keep listening to teachings from external sources, more importantly, we must also look internally to discover our intrinsic nature. This is a very big task. For spiritual practitioners to look inwardly and reflect on their self-nature takes a lot of skill. To develop such great skills, don’t we always talk about [needing] “the Six Paramitas and Four Infinite Minds”?

Speaking of the Six Paramitas, since we have already aspired to be Bodhisattvas, so we cannot stray from the Six Paramitas. Among the six, there is “patience.” To be patient requires great effort. Only then can we persevere, be loving and have a broad and pure heart. Without patience, how can we practice giving? Giving also requires patience. Upholding precepts requires steadfastness. Giving and upholding precepts cannot be done without patience. So, we must be patient even when it is hard to be. This is a skill we need in order to contemplate our self-nature and find our intrinsic Buddha-nature.

So, we must listen to the Buddha-Dharma more often, and through careful consideration, find our inner True Suchness. We must inwardly contemplate our intrinsic Buddha-nature. This is very important.

Therefore,

“Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths to truth and are able to skillfully expound the Dharma, number as many as the rice, hemp, bamboo and reed [plants], filling the ksetras in the ten directions.”

“Making offerings to countless Buddhas” means that for a very long time, they have been firm in their spiritual aspirations. They continuously make offering to Buddhas with their words, thoughts and actions by following His teachings. This is how they serve the Buddha and uphold His teachings of the Path.

“Countless Buddhas” means that it takes a very long time to “clearly understand the paths to truth.”

To clearly understand the paths to truth is to thoroughly penetrate and realize the principles of all matters. When we penetrate the teachings of the path, the mind and conditions are one. The clear understanding of all Dharma is where the paths to truth will lead us.

“Clearly understanding the paths to truth” means we have already attained realizations. We need to take a very long time to practice according to the teachings with body, speech and mind. This is the best way to make offerings. If we can do so, then we can thoroughly understand and penetrate the principles of all matters. To thoroughly penetrate is to clearly understand. We must really understand matter and principles.

“When we penetrate the teachings of the path, the mind and conditions are one.” We must deeply penetrate the teachings of the path. Earlier, didn’t the Buddha say that the teachings of the path are hard to understand? Indeed, they are hard to understand. But we must contemplate them, put our heads together to really consider them. Therefore, “the mind and conditions are one.” If phenomena in our external conditions can enter our minds and be understood, we can make complex things simple. Then we can completely understand the principles of all matters. This is clearly understanding all Dharma. It is also where the paths to truth will lead us.

[Truth] refers to meanings and principles. “Path” indicates a direction. In the end, where this path will lead us is to thorough understanding. This clear understanding is what we need to work toward.

Then we “can skillfully expound the Dharma.” After we understand, we must earnestly expound the Dharma and share the Buddha’s teachings. Since we have benefited from receiving the Buddha’s teachings, we must constantly be grateful. The Buddha came to the world for one great cause, to give teachings to sentient beings. Thus we can all receive His teachings and grow our wisdom-life. So, we have benefited from the teachings of the path to Buddhahood.

Every one of us is immersed in the currents of Buddha-Dharma, which nourishes our wisdom-life. Therefore, we must continuously pass on the Dharma and teach sentient beings. Thus, the sutra states, “this Dharma cannot be demonstrated; the appearance of language cannot be used.” Haven’t we discussed this passage before? No language can be used to speak of this; there is no appearance we can speak of because we cannot demonstrate these teachings. There is nothing to take out to show you, no form, no traces left; what can we do? When we encounter the right karmic conditions, we must seize the opportunity to speak, seize the chance to transform sentient beings.

Doing this is like when we, in the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism, go among the people to practice giving with loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. We should all understand that “the Jing Si Dharma-lineage is a path of diligent practice.” For internal cultivation, we make the Four Great Vows and have faith, steadfastness, sincerity and uprightness. What about externally? “The Tzu Chi School of Buddhism is a road of working with people in the world,” which is to practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity in the world. These internal and external practices should be cultivated in parallel.

In a spiritual practice center like ours, so many people can be of one heart. In this Dharma-lineage, together we vow to transform sentient beings. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” This is one of the Four Great Vows. Toward others, we must exhibit loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. In this way, we can all be of one mind, filling ksetras of the ten directions.

Earlier, I kept saying that [these people are] as numerous as bamboo in a bamboo grove, as grain, hemp or reed [plants]. There are very many of them. Those in the ksetras of the ten directions are even of one mind. This means, within the monasteries in the lands of the ten directions, all the spiritual practitioners, and even all the believers, share this same mindset. Their minds and bodies are united in contemplating the Buddha’s wisdom, the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. If we can do so, aren’t we applying the Buddha-Dharma in this world?

But for these teachings to truly enter people’s minds, there is still a ways to go. Therefore, we must be mindful. So, “wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom,”

So, “wholeheartedly with wondrous wisdom, over kalpas as numerous as the Ganges’ sands, [they] contemplated it together, yet could not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.”

What a pity that, though everyone shared one mind for as many kalpas as grains of sand in the Ganges, for their combined minds to understand the Buddha’s wisdom, there is still a ways to go. Therefore, we must be mindful. We must diligently take each step and cultivate both blessings and wisdom.

Blessings and wisdom are like our two feet. They move us forward, so we can benefit the world. We must also engage in intense contemplation and use our power to return to our self-nature. Let us contemplate by pooling our minds into one [collective] wisdom. This is the path we can take toward Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0218

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 218 – Awaken Yourself and Others with the Dharma

>> “They formed great aspirations to seek
the unsurpassed Bodhi-path for sentient beings. They joyfully expounded the
Dharma like Purna and practiced and learned as much as Ananda.”

>> Purna: Purna Maitrayani Putra was one of Sakyamuni’s main disciples,
the Arhat foremost in expounding the Dharma. Upon becoming a monastic, he
quickly realized the fruit of Arhatship. Then he had the opportunity to listen
to the Lotus Sutra and turned from the Small to the Great. In the Chapter on
500 Disciples Receiving Predictions, he received a prediction to become a
future Buddha. His epithet will be Dharma Clarity Tathagata.

>> So, “newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to
countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths of truth.” In terms of
“newly-inspired Bodhisattvas,”

>> Making offerings to countless Buddhas: Bodhisattvas vow to constantly,
respectfully make offerings to all Buddhas. With deep faith, they take joy in
the teachings of the path and in cultivating the virtues of giving with
equanimity. They tirelessly seek to understand [the Buddha’s] understanding and
views.

“They formed great aspirations to seek
the unsurpassed Bodhi-path for sentient beings.
They joyfully expounded the Dharma like Purna
and practiced and learned as much as Ananda.”

This is saying to everyone that since we wish to engage in spiritual cultivation, we must develop great aspirations. This also means we must make a great vow to understand the Buddha-Dharma, not only to awaken ourselves, but also to awaken others. After we comprehend the teachings, we want to help everyone else do the same.

The Buddha wanted to help us understand. Therefore, He comes to this world for one great cause, to help everyone understand. Some people’s capabilities fall short. Others’ are very sharp, and the moment they hear the Buddha’s teachings, they instantly realize that life is impermanent. Life is filled with suffering, and if we look into it, we see that everything is empty, “just as the Buddha taught. I know that the Buddha teaches emptiness, but how do I discover wondrous existence? If everything is empty, what is there to cultivate?” We need to return to our intrinsic nature. In the beginning, the Buddha said, “All beings possess the Buddha’s nature of wisdom.” All sentient beings have this nature of wisdom; we just have not found it yet. We only know about emptiness, impermanence, suffering and so on. We understand them and believe they exist, but we are still unable to find the true suchness of wondrous existence. So, we must form great aspirations.

As long as we are heading in the right direction, when we receive teachings, we will experience certain realizations. These are our experiences and our realizations. With these realizations, if other people do not understand, we can tell them, “There is a Buddhist teaching that is like this, if you do not understand, then let me share my experiences with you.” This is a great aspiration we form.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to listen to the teachings. The Dharma must be passed on by people. The people who pass it on must develop great aspirations to [practice] for the sake of sentient beings. So, they resolve to practice the Bodhisattva-path. Therefore, we do not aspire only to self-awakening and self-liberation, we must aspire to awaken ourselves and others so that everyone will have the chance to accept Buddhist teachings. For the sake of sentient beings, we seek the unsurpassed Bodhi-path.

Life is impermanent, so we need to seize the day. But some people are still very insistent on practicing the Dharma for their own sake first. We must do many things at the same time. With every step we take, we are really trying to take eight steps at once. These eight steps must be treated like a single step. By the same logic, when we transport ourselves, if we ride a bicycle we can take one passenger, if we ride a motorcycle, it is the same. If we drive a car, we can take four passengers. If we drive a bus, we can take 20, 40 passengers. If we operate a train, then we can take hundreds of people.

When we practice the Ten Paramitas, they come together to form a huge ship. A ship of compassion can take thousands, tens of thousands of people at once from this shore to the opposite shore. The idea is that while crossing the same distance, we may use many different tools to do so. These tools are vehicles of spiritual practice. We can use various methods to transform ourselves and others. So, we “seek the unsurpassed Bodhi-path. This is something we must have a consensus on and develop the same common aspiration.

To whom can this be compared? To those who “joyfully expound” teachings. We must be very joyful. After listening to the Dharma, I attained certain realizations, so I joyfully share the contents of the teachings. If you do not understand it, I will share my experiences with you. This is how we pass on the Dharma.

“They joyfully expounded the Dharma like Purna.” Purna is “Fulfilled, Son of Loving-Kindness,” short for Purna Maitrayani Putra short for Purna Maitrayani Putra, one of Sakyamuni Buddha’s ten main disciples and the foremost in expounding the teachings. He enjoyed expounding the Dharma. After he understood [the teachings,] he shared them with other people.

His capabilities were superior, so after he took refuge with the Buddha, he quickly realized the importance of the Buddha-Dharma for the world. The Buddha’s teachings, the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and so on, were all within his comprehension. He clearly understood how life came to be and how it will pass. Thus Purna Maitrayani Putra, or Purna, upon becoming a monastic, realized the fruit of Arhatship. Then after listening to the teachings at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, he quickly “turned from the Small to the Great.”

[This transformation] was first achieved by Sariputra, then by Purna Maitrayani Putra. They understood why the Buddha said, “In the past, I first helped you to engage in practices that purified your minds. But after completely understanding the principles of true emptiness and becoming free of attachments and hindrances, there is one thing you have not yet understood, which is wondrous existence.”

“The teachings of wondrous existence are to return you to your intrinsic Buddha-nature.” We need to agree with the Buddha’s understanding and views on this point, thus we must first use the One Vehicle to go from this shore to the opposite shore. The One Vehicle Dharma consists of the Path and these teachings, which help us cross from this shore to that shore, from delusion to awakening. In the Lotus Sutra, Purna realized the Buddha’s original intent, so he turned from the Small to the Great. He turned away from the Small Vehicle and started heading toward the Great Vehicle.

In the Chapter on 500 Disciples Receiving Predictions, Purna Maitrayani Putra also received the Buddha’s prediction that he will attain Buddhahood in the future. His epithet will be Dharma Clarity Tathagata.

Purna: Purna Maitrayani Putra was one of Sakyamuni’s main disciples, the Arhat foremost in expounding the Dharma. Upon becoming a monastic, he quickly realized the fruit of Arhatship. Then he had the opportunity to listen to the Lotus Sutra and turned from the Small to the Great. In the Chapter on 500 Disciples Receiving Predictions, he received a prediction to become a future Buddha. His epithet will be Dharma Clarity Tathagata.

He joyfully expounded the Dharma. In the sutras, there is a story about his travels. There was a small town where most people were very violent and negative. They were very unreasonable. People were constantly arguing and fighting and refused to listen to reason.

Purna came to the Buddha one day and said, “Venerable Buddha, there is a place where people are violent and negative, and they have not received Your teachings. I want to go teach and transform them.” Upon hearing this, the Buddha asked, “If you know that everyone there is very vicious, how would they listen to reason?” Purna said, “What they lack are Your teachings, so I want to go to them.” The Buddha asked, “If you went there and they refused to listen and scolded you instead, what would you do?” Purna said, “I would be grateful that they are only verbally scolding me.”

Then the Buddha asked, “What if they struck you with their fists?” Purna then said, “I would still be grateful that they are only striking me with their fists and not beating me with clubs. Therefore, I must be grateful.” Then Buddha asked, “What if they struck you with clubs?” Purna said, “I would still be grateful that they are only striking me with clubs and not killing me with knives.” The Buddha then asked, “What if they killed you with knives?” Purna said, “If so, I would still be grateful. This must be the karmic affinity between me and those people; I created this bad karmic affinity with them. In a past life, I must have harmed them. In this life, if I can repay them then. I can cancel out the debt. Then this negative cause, this bad karmic affinity, will be eliminated. So, I must also be grateful for this.”

After hearing this, the Buddha praised this great vow of. Purna Maitrayani Putra. The Buddha believed that these people had a karmic affinity with Purna, so there was no need to worry about him going there to transform them. So, the Buddha permitted Purna to go and transform those vicious and unreasonable people. Essentially, he went and transformed many of them. This is what Purna did. His full name was Purna Maitrayani Putra. This is a story about him.

At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, he turned from the Small toward the Great. He was able to talk about how he transformed sentient beings and engaged in spiritual practice in this world. He shared with everyone in order to transform sentient beings. This is Purna’s story.

So, “newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths of truth.” In terms of “newly-inspired Bodhisattvas,”

“newly-inspired” means they were just developing aspirations. Whether or not their spiritual aspiration is firm is still unclear, but they have already formed great aspirations. They did not seek only to awaken themselves. After they understood the Buddha-Dharma, they turned from the Small to the Great. Because they wanted to move toward Great Vehicle teachings, they had to form Bodhisattva-aspirations.

In the past, they continually made offerings and served all Buddhas. They also engaged in spiritual practice, but in the past they practiced Small Vehicle teachings. They only sought to awaken themselves. Now they turned from the Small to the Great and started to form Bodhisattva-aspirations. So, these people “have made offerings to countless Buddhas and achieved all paths of truth.” These individuals, in the past, had engaged in spiritual practice and made offerings.

Making offerings to countless Buddhas: Bodhisattvas vow to constantly, respectfully make offerings to all Buddhas. With deep faith, they take joy in the teachings of the path and in cultivating the virtues of giving with equanimity. They tirelessly seek to understand [the Buddha’s] understanding and views.

What does it mean to make offerings? Here it says, “Bodhisattvas vow to constantly, respectfully make offerings to all Buddhas.” This means that they have engaged in spiritual practice for a very long time. Through countless kalpas and over many lifetimes, they maintained this same reverence in making offerings to all Buddhas.

After developing faith in the Buddha and accepting His teachings, they are immersed in the stream of Dharma. By engaging in spiritual practice with the Buddha-Dharma in their hearts, they will always be very happy and at ease. So, “because of their deep faith, they take joy in the teachings of the path.” They happily immerse themselves in the path and the teachings.

Thus, they “cultivate the virtues of giving with equanimity.” This is continuous. As they begin to believe in the Buddha’s teachings, they also joyfully practice the teachings of the path. They engage in spiritual cultivation by practicing joyful giving. Their merits and virtues all begin with giving. So, if they aspire to help sentient beings, they must cultivate the virtue of joyful giving.

“They tirelessly seek to understand [the Buddha’s] understanding and views.” When they listen to the Dharma, they put their hearts into understanding it. They do not get tired when listening to teachings. They listen joyfully each day, so they do not grow tired of it. We must focus our thoughts on the teachings. Once the Dharma has entered our minds, we must contemplate and realize it. This is what we mean by understanding.

Therefore, we must cultivate blessings first. In the past, we only thought of cultivating wisdom. Now, we are turning from the Small to the Great; therefore we prioritize creating blessings. “Cultivate the virtues of giving with equanimity.” This is a way to create blessings. Therefore, “blessings are the joy we gain through giving.” We must be very joyful. So, “They tirelessly seek to understand [the Buddha’s] understanding and views. Wisdom is the freedom we gain from being understanding.” Remember this Jing Si aphorism? Therefore, we practice blessings and wisdom in parallel. So, we accept the Dharma and practice giving. Through giving, we understand the Dharma. We can provide material things and share spiritual [teachings] and ideals. If we can do this, we will be joyful every day, as well as understand the Buddha-Dharma. By continuously drinking the milk of Dharma, we can nourish our wisdom-life. This is a way we can make offerings.

The Buddha only had one wish, that we will practice giving. The way sentient beings can repay Him is to help all beings awaken. This is the greatest offering to the Buddha; this is the offering of the Dharma. After accepting His teachings, this is the best way to repay the Buddha. This is what it means to make offerings.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, when we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must develop great aspirations for the sake of sentient beings. We cannot work only for our own awakening, seeking only our own liberation. If we do that, and just liberate ourselves, if everyone around us is suffering while we alone are happy, we will feel very conflicted. We should work for the happiness of all beings so that there will be great happiness. After we awaken ourselves, we want to help everyone achieve awakening too. This is the true goal of our spiritual practice, the one great cause for which the Buddha comes to this world. Therefore everyone, please always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0217

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 217 – Strengthen Resolve through the Four Noble Truths

>> “Thoroughly understand the meaning of
the Four Noble Truths.” This is the basis of learning the Buddha’s
teachings. “We must observe adverse and favorable conditions to resonate
with those principles. Penetrating the truth with sharp wisdom is a seeming
awakening. We must uphold our resolve and vow to practice the Six
Paramitas.”

>> “Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to
countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths of truth and are able to
skillfully expound the Dharma, number as many as the rice, hemp, bamboo and
reed [plants], filling the ksetras in the ten-directions.”

>> Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas: Bodhisattvas at or before the first
ground, “joy.” They are recently inspired, but their Power of Faith
is not yet firm, solid and non-retreating.

>> The Bodhisattva’s Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of
freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing
wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the
ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of
excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.

The Buddha started teaching by turning the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths. We Buddhist practitioners should.

“Thoroughly understand the meaning of the Four Noble Truths.” This is the basis of learning the Buddha’s teachings. “We must observe adverse and favorable conditions to resonate with those principles. Penetrating the truth with sharp wisdom is a seeming awakening. We must uphold our resolve and vow to practice the Six Paramitas.”

If we can understand the Four Noble Truths, we will recognize the truth of suffering, its causation, its cessation and the Path to its cessation. The Four Noble Truths are found in our daily living. As we deal with people and matters, we can realize all kinds of principles. When we face adverse conditions, we must recognize that life is full of suffering. In this world, we suffer when we are parted from those we love and when we cannot attain what we desire. Under favorable conditions, we enjoy wealth, happiness, fame and status. These are all favorable conditions. However, we must recognize that within favorable conditions, there is still suffering.

Where there is love, there may be resentment. After we come together, inevitably we will suffer when we part. Basically, life is filled with so many conflicting emotions. As spiritual practitioners, we must understand that in our daily living, under both adverse and favorable conditions, we must reflect on the meaning of the Four Noble Truths. In doing so, our hearts will not waver. Then when we face adversities we will not be tormented, and when things are favorable, we will not be arrogant. This is why we must constantly, mindfully observe whether we are taking good care of our minds and whether the Four Noble Truths abide in our hearts.

So, previously, I kept talking about “the path of Infinite Meanings.” On this path of Infinite Meanings, we can thoroughly understand many teachings. When it comes to the various wondrous principles of the universe and the world, we can gradually understand, see through and penetrate them. To do this, we have to start from the foundation.

This is why I often mention the Four Noble Truths. [It helps us] deal with both favorable and adverse conditions. With this kind of understanding, we must work on comprehending our external conditions, so we can resonate with the principles. This means the principles can be internalized. When our minds are in line with the teachings, we have an unimpeded understanding. Once we fully understand a path, we will clearly know whether it is the path we should take, and whether the timing is right or not.

“Penetrating the truth with sharp wisdom is a seeming awakening.” Previously, we discussed having wisdom like Sariputra or or like the Pratyekabuddhas, the Solitary Realizers. By [observing] the world, they realized the principle of impermanence. These are people with sharp wisdom. They have penetrated the truth, which is the true principles. They already understand these principles,

and it seems like they have awakened, but this is not a full awakening. They still have slight bits of ignorance that have not been eliminated. So, their minds still constantly change because there are traces of ignorance. Therefore, as we engage in spiritual practice now, it is very important to “uphold our resolve and vow to practice the Six Paramitas.” We must practice the Six Paramitas.

In the Lotus Sutra, the Six Paramitas are the path the Buddha paved for us. First, He taught us about the path we have walked so far and how we have gradually drawn closer to arrive at our current state. To truly draw near to the Buddha’s state, we must walk the path of the Six Paramitas. They are the methods of the One Vehicle. The combination of the six is the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which can take us to the state of the Buddha.

So, earlier we talked about those who dwelled in their final bodies. These people of sharp wisdom, “put their minds together for billions of kalpas.” So many people with sharp wisdom gather, as numerous as bamboo in a bamboo grove. The ksetras (lands) in the ten directions are like bamboo groves. Each stalk of bamboo is like a Pratyekabuddha. Pratyekabuddhas have sharp wisdom. All of them may pool together to wholeheartedly comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom for a very long time, “for billions of kalpas.” [Even if they spend] a very long time, wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom, “they would not understand the least bit of it.” Even if they do, they may only understand a very tiny bit of it. So, the Buddha’s wisdom is truly vast and boundless.

The Buddha’s wisdom is so wondrous, so we must learn the methods to comprehend it. This passage states,

“Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, who have made offerings to countless Buddhas, clearly understand the paths of truth and are able to skillfully expound the Dharma, number as many as the rice, hemp, bamboo and reed [plants], filling the ksetras in the ten-directions.”

Even when many people with the sharp wisdom of. Pratyekabuddhas work together, they still cannot understand [His wisdom]. They can only know the least bit of it; they still cannot achieve complete understanding. So, Pratyekabuddhas still cannot do it. Next are those who formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. This verse is about [people who are] a step up from Pratyekabuddhas. They are newly-inspired Bodhisattvas.

Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas: Bodhisattvas at or before the first ground, “joy.” They are recently inspired, but their Power of Faith is not yet firm, solid and non-retreating.

Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas have resolved to diligently seek the Dharma, and have made offerings to countless Buddhas. “They clearly understand the paths of truth.” They already understand the Buddha’s meaning. The meaning behind His teachings is something they have begun to realize. Not only can they realize it, they can also “skillfully expound the Dharma.” People like this number as many as the rice, hemp, bamboo and reed [plants]. They are like stalks of rice in the rice paddy. They are also like the hemp that is planted in arid lands. In the past, people used hemp in their weaving, so they also grew it in large quantities. They are also like bamboo and reeds, which are even thinner and grow more densely.

Earlier a comparison was made to bamboo; now it is to reeds. So, now their numbers are even greater. There are so many Bodhisattvas, newly-inspired Bodhisattvas who are able to understand the Buddha’s intent and expound the Dharma. There are so many of them; they fill the ksetras of ten directions. So, we need to mindfully analyze these verses even more thoroughly.

Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas are those at or before the first ground, the ground of joy. Bodhisattvas [progress through] the Ten Grounds,

which we have discussed. When we begin to form aspirations, we must do so with joyful hearts.

The Bodhisattva’s Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.

If we want to be Bodhisattvas, we must happily and freely aspire to that state. Consider Tzu Chi volunteers. [People ask,] “Why are you working so hard? It’s not hard; it’s blessed work. Why are you doing those things? I do it willingly because it makes me happy.” So, they overcome all kinds of difficulties by doing the work joyfully.

We develop aspirations willingly. [The Chinese characters for willing] contain the character “sweet”, so when we give willingly, we do not feel the slightest bit of bitterness. We voluntarily formed these aspirations, so we willingly do this work. And because we do it willingly, we do not see it as hard work. When the work is done, we are very happy because we fulfilled our intentions by happily and willingly giving to others. We see others being influenced by the teachings. We can sense that they become happy because they are receptive to the teachings given, and those who give the teachings are also joyful. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering beings.” When Bodhisattvas see sentient beings suffer, they cannot bear it, so they help them. No matter how difficult the situation is, they are willing to help others.

Let us continue talking about Bodhisattvas. We just talked about newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They are just beginning to feel joyful and form aspirations. These Bodhisattvas are on “the ground of joy,” the first Bodhisattva ground. Next, true Bodhisattvas form great aspirations and seek the unsurpassed path for sentient beings. Thus, they are called Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas engage in spiritual practice not for their own sake, but for the sake of sentient beings; for them, they seek the unsurpassed path.

In the past I have also told all of you that, for the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha came to this world and manifested the attainment of enlightenment. He attained Buddhahood for sentient beings. Otherwise, since Beginningless Time, countless kalpas ago, the Buddha [had already attained liberation] with His Tathagata-nature and was beyond birth and death. Not only did He [eliminate fragmentary samsara] but transformational samsara as well. Why did He need to return to this world to engage in spiritual practice again?

Actually, this was not the work of one lifetime. Didn’t the beginning of the Lotus Sutra reference 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas? This already tells us that. Buddha-nature has existed for a very long time, for countless kalpas. So, He comes to this world for one great cause, to transform sentient beings.

All Buddhas come for this purpose, as do all Bodhisattvas. Even Manjusri Bodhisattva, who had already attained Buddhahood, and Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had already attained Buddhahood, followed the Buddha to this world. All Bodhisattvas come to assist at Dharma-assemblies and have returned on the ship of compassion to help Sakyamuni Buddha transform sentient beings. They are Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas, so they aspire to manifest in this world to guide people. These guides are called Bodhisattvas. By guiding people on the path to Buddha-nature and assisting at the Dharma-assembly, they are true Bodhisattvas.

Therefore, for the sake of sentient beings they seek the unsurpassed path. Even newly-inspired Bodhisattvas have this intention. This is what makes them Bodhisattvas.

As I have often explained, Bodhisattvas are “enlightened sentient beings.” As we awaken ourselves, we must awaken others too. “Enlightened sentient beings” are. Bodhisattvas who work with a multitude of beings. The Buddha manifested Parinirvana, but the world is still filled with Bodhisattvas. They are all among us. So, when people form aspirations, we call them Bodhisattvas. Indeed, among these Bodhisattvas, there are newly-inspired Bodhisattvas as well as. Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas who are firm in their faith.

Newly-inspired Bodhisattvas may not yet be firm in their spiritual aspirations. They are joyful and willing to act, but when challenges arise, they may lose their resolve. Sariputra also once formed great aspirations. When a man said to him, “I want your eye,” he actually took one out and gave it to him. But giving his left eye was not enough. The man said, “I didn’t want your left eye; I wanted your right eye.” So, he removed his right eye too.

Now Sariputra no longer had eyes. Then the man who asked for them complained about the foul smell of the eyes. He threw them down and stomped on them to show his dissatisfaction. Although Sariputra formed great aspirations in the past, when he encountered this challenge he vowed, “I just want to be a spiritual practitioner; I don’t want to be a Bodhisattva.” Therefore, for lifetime after lifetime, he remained a Hearer. Though he was foremost in wisdom, he had no desire to be a Bodhisattva. So, the Buddha acknowledged that. Sariputra was foremost in wisdom but lacked the desire to seek the unsurpassed path for sentient beings; he only sought it for himself.

Among Hearers, the Buddha’s disciples, there were others who formed aspirations but also later lost their will to practice. So, forming aspirations is very easy. This is what newly-inspired Bodhisattvas are like. They can understand principles, and they willingly aspire to draw near the Buddha’s mind. But their spiritual aspirations are not firm, so they may still retreat from the path.

Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas are different. They seek the unsurpassed path for all beings. This is what makes them Bodhisattvas, “sentient beings with minds of great enlightenment.” They use the path of all Buddhas to help sentient beings achieve awakening. Those who expounded the Buddha-Dharma to help sentient beings awaken are called Bodhisattvas.

There are Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas, as well as newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. In contrast, Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas steer the ship of compassion [back to this world]. Many Bodhisattvas, such as Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Guanyin, have already attained Buddhahood but have come back to this world to guide sentient beings in the right direction. This is what we must learn to do.

But to reach this state, we must [ask ourselves] if we have understood the meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Once we fully understand this foundation, we must then learn the Six Paramitas and the Four Infinite Minds. The Ten Paramitas are the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which we use to cross from this shore of ordinary beings to the state of noble beings and Buddhas. Therefore, I hope all of you will be mindful. Though we may be newly inspired, we must have a strong resolve. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0216

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 216 – Contemplate True Wisdom of the One Vehicle

>> “The universe is vast. The many stars in
the Milky Way are as numerous as the Ganges River’s sand. It is difficult to
estimate their count.”

>> So, “The Buddha’s disciples, filling the ksetras in the ten
directions, exhaustively contemplate and try to fathom the ultimate reality of
the One Vehicle.”

>> “If they put their minds together for billions of countless
kalpas, wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom, they still cannot
understand the least bit of it.”

>> If they put their minds together: The mind-nature encompasses
everything and thoroughly understands the universe. Therefore, the good and the
evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind. All teachings are
intrinsic to the mind, so it can accomplish all things.

>> Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom: This wisdom can illuminate
true nature. Principles that are not false are called true wisdom. Utilizing
this wisdom of reality as the path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.

“The universe is vast.
The many stars in the Milky Way
are as numerous as the Ganges River’s sand.
It is difficult to estimate their count.”

There were two astronomers who meticulously helped me understand what is in the skies. When they talk about astronomy, the [universe] truly seems vast and endless. They showed one picture after another of different galaxies. I asked them, “Does the Tzu Chi asteroid orbit the Sun?” He said, “Yes. That asteroid also orbits the Sun.”

So, I asked him, “Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha’s teachings talked about the universe. We, here on Earth, take 12 months to orbit the Sun. How long does the Tzu Chi asteroid take?” He said, “The time it takes for this asteroid to orbit the Sun is five times that of the Earth.” So, the more we continue to understand celestial bodies and galaxies, the more we believe in. Sakyamuni Buddha’s wisdom. Indeed, it is said a day in the Heaven of the. Four Heavenly Kings is 50 years in this world. This is something we can believe.

To sum up, in the universe, there are so many galaxies and stars; their number is incalculable. We know that this universe is broad, vast and endless, but just how big is it? He is an authoritative figure in astronomy, yet even he does not know. There are many people who specialize in analyzing such natures and appearances. This nature is vast and endless. How can we comprehend it? Basically, the celestial bodies in the universe contain many principles.

After showing one picture after another, at the very end, he had a picture that was completely dark. He said that in the sky, the universe, there is a section that is incredible. It seems completely empty, but they know there exists abundant “dark matter.” What kind of matter is this? We do not know. So, I said, “That is ‘true emptiness.’ In true emptiness there is wondrous existence. Wondrous existence is right here.”

So, Sakyamuni Buddha [applied His] wisdom to help us believe. How many stars are there in the sky? He used one descriptor, “as numerous as the Ganges River’s sand.” He compared it to the sands of the Ganges River to show us that the number is incalculable. Indeed, this is wondrously profound.

We humans live on this planet. So I asked, “Is there life on other planets?” He said, “There may be. They may have existed longer than we have. Perhaps they are more advanced than we are and may be a higher life form.”

In other words, [this is like what the Buddha told us]. He told us there are 20 trillion Buddha-lands and an unknown number of Enlightened Ones spread throughout those Buddha-lands. “Buddha” means “enlightened one,” and each “land” is a world. Within the universe, there are infinite worlds in the ten directions, 20 trillion Buddha-lands. This is something we can believe because astronomers say that other planets may have more advanced life forms than us human beings.

In summary, this is something we need to understand. Therefore, I keep saying [we are] “unable to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.” We must believe that only Buddhas can thoroughly understand the worlds in the universe, the true principles of the One Vehicle.

So, “The Buddha’s disciples, filling the ksetras in the ten directions, exhaustively contemplate and try to fathom the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle.”

We see that celestial bodies and the universe cannot be understood even by experts who specialize in them. Therefore, the odds that we ordinary people can understand the Buddha’s wisdom are indeed very miniscule. So, we need to focus on contemplating and understanding the ultimate reality of One Vehicle. Buddha-nature is truly vast and endless.

In conclusion, in this world, many things are worthy of our continuous contemplation. We must exhaustively think and pool our abilities. Although we are not as wise as Sariputra, as long as we engage in mindful contemplation, we may approximate his wisdom. There is still quite a distance between. Sariputra’s [state] and the Buddha’s [state]. But when we strive for Sariputra’s wisdom, we come a bit closer to the state of the Buddha. Our goal is still the same as Sariputra’s, to seek the Buddha’s wisdom.

In summary, we must continue to collectively contemplate this wisdom. If we have time, after listening to the Dharma, we must pool our abilities to contemplate it. Then we can assess the depth of our understanding. “I heard this phrase, and this is how I understand it.” Perhaps your understanding and others’ understanding can be combined to form a deeper understanding. We need to pool our abilities and contemplate together [because] the Buddha’s Dharma is indeed very profound.

So, as we have said before, “Pratyekabuddhas [have] sharp wisdom and [are] without Leaks, in their final bodies.” This means that they have already ended their fragmentary samsara. But, [there is still] transformational samsara. They still have small bits of ignorance. These beings fill ksetras in the ten directions and are as “numerous as bamboo in a bamboo grove.” Many beings have already ended their fragmentary samsara, such as Pratyekabuddhas. They realized the impermanence of the world but were still unable to truly comprehend the ultimate reality of the Buddha’s One Vehicle. This nature of True Suchness is something they still cannot fully comprehend. So, even though their number, when they gather from all directions, is as many as the bamboo in a bamboo forest,

“if they put their minds together for billions of countless kalpas, wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom, they still cannot understand the least bit of it.”

There are so many Pratyekabuddhas in the worlds of ten directions. If each one is like a stalk of bamboo, then they were gathered like bamboo groves. This is how “they put their minds together. For billions of countless kalpas” refers to the length of time spent on contemplating this, which is countless kalpas. A kalpa is a unit of time. We cannot use billions of years to describe that span of time. Indeed, [we have to use] countless kalpas, a much longer period of time.

“Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom they still cannot understand the least bit of it.” So, many Pratyekabuddhas of sharp wisdom gathered to contemplate the Buddha’s wisdom. But they “could not understand the least bit of it.” To understand even the slightest bit of His wisdom is still very difficult. Therefore, we must truly put our hearts into it.

When we say, “If they put their minds together,” what do we mean? “The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe.”

If they put their minds together: The mind-nature encompasses everything and thoroughly understands the universe. Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind. All teachings are intrinsic to the mind, so it can accomplish all things.

If we really want our minds to completely understand the Buddha’s wisdom, we really have to attain the [state] in which the mind can encompass everything. That means knowing all things about celestial bodies and the universe. This is what our minds encompass. We also “thoroughly understand the universe.” In the vastness of space, even though that last picture [they showed me] appeared to be completely empty, there is an abundant and vast quantity of [dark] matter. However, we still do not know what that really is. But the Buddha “understands the universe,” [which is that vast empty space]. In that true emptiness, there is wondrous existence. Therefore, He “thoroughly understands” the wondrous existence of this kind of matter. It must contain something we ordinary people cannot comprehend.

So, “thoroughly understanding the universe” means that the mind-nature can encompass everything in the universe; there is nothing it cannot thoroughly understand.

“Therefore, the good and the evil, the ordinary and the saints, are all of this one mind.” Now I need to tell you all not to be discouraged. We must understand that even if we are of one mind and this is what our mind-nature is like, to understand the Buddha’s mind-nature is indeed not easy. Although there are so many Pratyekabuddhas, and they have reached this stage of ending fragmentary samsara, they still have a ways to go to comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom. But they still have a little bit of understanding, and only a few people can even reach that.

Though we are all ordinary people, we need to understand ourselves well. Whether we are good or evil, ordinary people or saints, we all have this same mind-nature. This is what the Buddha means when He says, “[The nature] of the mind, Buddhas and sentient beings are no different.” Whether we are good or evil, [that potential] is contained within our minds. All sentient beings’ minds are the same, but when it deviates just a little, it diverges into good or evil. Some people are focused on doing good deeds. That is goodness.

Good people know to pursue the truth and to understand morals and ethics. This knowledge of true principles is something they have to understand. If they are evil, they deny the law of cause and effect, so they commit all sort of wrongdoings. Indeed, this happens because of the mind.

Within evil people there is still goodness. “Human natures are inherently good; their natures are similar,” but “their habits differ greatly.” The more habitual tendencies influence them, the more their habits differ. Therefore, He emphasized again that the good and evil, the ordinary and saints, are all of this one mind. This does not only apply to humans, but all life. Therefore, we must have faith in ourselves, focus our thinking and really pay attention to our views and understanding, our thinking and so on. We really need to always be aware of our minds.

So, “all teachings are intrinsic to the mind; it can accomplish all things.” The mind can accomplish many things. Aren’t all these things in the world created by humans? Therefore, we must always be mindful. When we are mindful, we will contemplate and accomplish this thing, or accomplish that thing. So, the mind “can accomplish all things.” Therefore, we have the potential to commit evils, evil practices, evil deeds and goodness, virtuous practices, good deeds. Therefore, all things come from the mind.

So, we wish to understand the Buddha’s wisdom, the “wisdom that can illuminate true nature.”

Wishing to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom: This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principles that are not false are called true wisdom. Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.

Those “wishing to understand” are these Pratyekabuddhas. All these people have already ended fragmentary samsara. But, they still have the delusional thinking of those in transformational samsara, just a little bit. Even though there is just the slightest bit, for them to attain understanding of the Buddha’s understanding and views, the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, will still take some time.

So, “This wisdom can illuminate true nature. Principles that are not false” are called true wisdom. Right now we are only discussing how. Pratyekabuddhas wish to understand true wisdom. What is true wisdom? It is the wisdom that can illuminate true nature. Illuminate means to understand completely.

Take lights for example. At night, when all the lights are off and something is placed in front of us, we cannot see it at all. When the lights are on, we can see what it is and how far it is from us. Our awareness comes from this illumination. So, this kind of wisdom is called discerning wisdom. We know how to discern what is in front of us and how far away it is.

And with “principles that are not false” means we understand what it is, what characteristics it has, whether it is hard or soft and so on. We can make these discernments because we understand principles. The characteristics of this object are qualities we see and can recognize. Right now, we are talking about the discerning wisdom we ordinary people have. If we were in the state of Buddhas, we would already thoroughly understand all celestial bodies in the universe. This is called true wisdom.

And “utilizing this wisdom of reality as the path is the One Vehicle knowledge of reality.” This knowledge of reality is used to pave a path. He hopes we can all fully understand the teachings of this Path. This is what is called true wisdom. “Utilizing this wisdom of reality as the path” is called the One Vehicle. To use this Dharma is to use the One Vehicle. It is just like a great ship. We want to make use of this ship to get to the other shore. This is called a vehicle. This “vehicle” is the tool that we need to use to get there. So, we must comprehend the wisdom of reality and practice these teachings of the path.

These teachings of the path, [including] the Four Infinite Minds, Six Paramitas, are all methods. They are necessities. So, we “wish to understand the Buddha’s true wisdom.” So many have already eliminated ignorance, so why can’t they understand? I continue to emphasize to everyone that these people have only attained the final bodies of their fragmentary samsara. But, do you remember that. I previously told all of you that there is still transformational samsara. There are still slight bits of ignorance in their hearts; their minds have not entered the state of extinction.

So, when we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we put our hearts into learning it. There is a lot we need to understand. So, we need to cherish our time. Thus, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0215

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 215 – Transform Worldly Consciousness into Wisdom

>> “The Dharma is unsurpassed, extremely
profound, subtle and wondrous. The teachings of the Path are a
difficult-to-measure ocean of wisdom. Worldly matters in this time, space and
Dharma-realm can become worldly Dharma when consciousness is turned into
wisdom.”

>> “Even if the world was filled with those like Sariputra, who
thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities, they still could not fathom
the Buddha’s wisdom.”

>> The Buddha’s wisdom: It is His true nature that always understands
everything and can penetrate infinite states and conditions. So, it is said
that the Buddha’s wisdom can penetrate infinite states and conditions.

>> “Even if the ten directions were filled with people like
Sariputra, and if the remaining disciples filled all the lands in the ten
directions, and if they thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities, they
still could not understand it.”

>> Even if the ten directions were filled: The lands in the ten
directions are also called the ksetra of the ten directions. Even if people in
the ksetra of the ten directions had sharp capabilities like Sariputra, they
would still find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.

>> “If Pratyekabuddhas, of sharp wisdom and without Leaks, in their
final bodies, also filled the ten directions, as numerous as bamboos in bamboo
groves….”

“The Dharma is unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous.
The teachings of the Path are a difficult-to-measure ocean of wisdom.
Worldly matters in this time, space and Dharma-realm
can become worldly Dharma when consciousness is turned into wisdom.”

This is indeed unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma. Every day, we discuss the Dharma. How can we actually find the most subtle and wondrous Dharma? What does the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle actually look like? How can we comprehend it? This is the teachings of the Path: “The teachings of the Path are a difficult-to-measure ocean of wisdom.”

As we have discussed earlier, the Avatamsaka assembly, the state of Avatamsaka, was very magnificent. It was tranquil and clear, like a boundless universe. Similarly, the Dharma is as vast as the ocean. This is what the Buddha’s wisdom is like. How can you measure it? It is as extensive as the Dharma-realm in terms of space and time. Time has existed since Beginningless Time throughout the present and extends long into the future. Although the realm of time and space is so vast, it is intimately connected to worldly matters. As we are amongst people, as long as we can put our hearts into comprehending the principles behind everything, indeed, this subtle, wondrous, unsurpassed and extremely profound Dharma will be found in this world. If we can transform consciousness into wisdom, we can [realize] worldly Dharma.

This is as if the Dharma is already in our minds and is then pulled out to be [used] in the world. This really vast world is inseparable from people. The Dharma is just like this. We can thoroughly understand it. After we thoroughly understand worldly and world-transcending Dharma, our realizations must be applied in this world. Worldly wisdom can help us realize our intrinsic nature of True Suchness and the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which is the Dharma. Thus, we must be mindful.

Earlier we said the Dharma is profound and subtle. Indeed,

“Even if the world was filled with those like Sariputra, who thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities, they still could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.”

Sariputra’s wisdom was foremost among the Buddha’s disciples. If the world was filled with people like Sariputra, they could focus their wisdom, “think exhaustively and pool their abilities.” Using this kind of strength and wisdom, they can try to fathom the Buddha’s state of mind, but they still cannot fathom it. Could it be that difficult? “Only the person who drinks the water knows if it is hot or cold.”

Everyone, each of us has our own state of mind. No one else can fathom it. No one else can fully understand the consciousness within our minds. There is a common saying, “We keep our minds to ourselves.” We each have our own perspective. We each have our own state of mind. For us ordinary beings to fathom each other is already not very easy. So, for us to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom is even more difficult. The Buddha’s wisdom, His understanding and views, is truly difficult to fathom.

What is the Buddha’s wisdom?

The Buddha’s wisdom: It is His true nature that always understands everything and can penetrate infinite states and conditions. So, it is said that the Buddha’s wisdom can penetrate infinite states and conditions.

The Buddha’s wisdom is His true nature, the True Suchness of His intrinsic nature. This has already been awakened, so He “always understands everything.” He knows about everything.

The Buddha completely understands the nature and appearance of all things in the world. Is there anything He does not know? Therefore, He can “penetrate infinite states and conditions.” The Buddha’s wisdom is like this; how could ordinary beings fathom it? It seems that even Sariputra’s wisdom cannot fathom it, either. Thus,

“Even if the ten directions were filled with people like Sariputra, and if the remaining disciples filled all the lands in the ten directions, and if they thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities, they still could not understand it.”

The “ten directions” refer to north, south, east, west, southeast, northwest and so forth. These are the lands of the “ten directions,” all of time and space put together.

If people, over such a long time and across such a vast space, get together to understand the Buddha’s wisdom, they still will not be able to understand it.

Even if the ten directions were filled: The lands in the ten directions are also called the ksetra of the ten directions. Even if people in the ksetra of the ten directions had sharp capabilities like Sariputra, they would still find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.

In “the ksetra of ten directions, ksetra” means “caturdisa,” or “land.” This word “caturdisa” means a temple. Thus, “even if people in ksetra of ten directions” means even if the wisdom of all the practitioners from all the monasteries in all the lands are combined, they are still incapable of understanding. Even if these people had sharp capabilities, with wisdom like Sariputra, they will still find it hard to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.

This section of the sutra goes on to say, “and if the remaining disciples filled all the lands in the ten directions, and if they thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities, they still could not understand it.” All the spiritual practitioners in the world could collectively put their wisdom together, and think exhaustively to try to understand [the Buddha’s wisdom]. To “think exhaustively” is to try to fathom. Even if the wisdom of all these wise people is combined to try to fathom it, “they still could not understand it.” It is not possible.

This is because we are ordinary beings. Ordinary beings are still a long way from the [state of] the Buddha. Thus, we need to be more mindful and diligent to really return to our intrinsic nature. We have to work hard to follow the Buddha’s teachings and faithfully accept and practice them. Thus, we must have faith. This “faith” must fill our minds, so we trust what the Buddha taught us.

In the past few days, we have been discussing how the Buddha’s wisdom is profound and vast. If the wisdom and knowledge of everyone across time and space was pooled, they still could not fathom it. Take Sariputra for example. He was foremost in wisdom among all disciples and was constantly praised by the Buddha. Unexpectedly, at this time when the Buddha was “opening the provisional to reveal the true,” the Buddha kept using. Sariputra’s wisdom to make an analogy. When He said that even if everyone had wisdom like Sariputra’s and their wisdom were to be pooled together, He was not just referring to those at Vulture Peak. If, from all worlds of ten directions, the wisdom of all spiritual practitioners was pooled together, they still could not understand it.

We only constantly think to pool [wisdom] and keep looking for external sources to fathom something outside of ourselves. Why do we not return to our intrinsic nature and try to fathom ourselves? As the next section of the sutra states,

“If Pratyekabuddhas, of sharp wisdom and without Leaks, in their final bodies, also filled the ten directions, as numerous as bamboos in bamboo groves….”

Pratyekabuddhas’ wisdom [reflected] very sharp capabilities. Pratyekabuddhas’ wisdom was developed in an era without Buddhas. They were called Solitary Realizers. They naturally attained realizations, but what they realized was limited to this world. They were aware of the four seasons and how day and night [cycled,] how time passes. As the sun and moon rotate, hours become days, days become months. This is how time passes. What are the causes and conditions of this cycle?

They contemplated and realized that nothing really stays the same; time just passes continuously. As time passes, nothing abides forever. Nothing in the world with a physical appearance can last forever. Indeed, the nature and appearance of all things cannot be ever-abiding. For example, we humans all have an intrinsic Buddha-nature. This intrinsic nature is always with us, in the past, present and future.

But our appearances are not this way. The appearance of a newborn baby gradually matures. Actually, our nature is also maturing along with our appearance. Our nature, like our appearance, is continuously influenced throughout different eras. Our intrinsic nature has been with us from ancient times until now and has changed under the culture of every era. Our intrinsic nature has constantly been influenced during these eras.

While our intrinsic nature remains the same, as time passes, it also has no fixed appearance as time passes it, also has no fixed appearance. It is ever-changing. This was why. Pratyekabuddhas could only realize impermanence and recognize that nothing is ever-abiding. So, Pratyekabuddhas’ wisdom was very sharp. Without listening to the Buddha-Dharma, they could understand impermanence.

Why is it that impermanence makes us feel that our lives are beyond our control? In our lives, we still have to go through birth, aging, illness and death and deal with the way sentient beings in the world continuously accumulate collective karma. How can we realize how this actually came about? The collective karmic retribution of all beings could not be understood by Pratyekabuddhas. Therefore, though they had sharp wisdom, they were still very limited.

So, [the sutra passage] speaks of, “Pratyekabuddhas, of sharp wisdom and without Leaks, in their final bodies,” They recognized the suffering that comes from impermanence. They knew to seek their own liberation, so they could attain a state free of Leaks and not be defiled by impurities of this world. They could purify their own minds. “Without Leaks, in their final bodies,” was only [the end of] fragmentary samsara. They could only reach this state. They still could not attain the ultimate, Parinirvana, a state without arising and ceasing. Because they feared cyclic existence,

Pratyekabuddhas were still. Small Vehicle practitioners. They focused on protecting themselves because they feared cyclic existence. Yet, the Buddha wants us to take the next step and go among people and return on the ship of compassion. But Pratyekabuddhas are stuck in a state of ending fragmentary samsara and purifying their minds. They purified only themselves and did not care about other people. They want to eliminate fragmentary samsara, so they attained their “final body.”

“Also filling the ten directions,” [they are] “as numerous as bamboos in a bamboo grove.” Their wisdom was already at this level. If people with wisdom as sharp as Pratyekabuddhas were all gathered, so many of them, “as numerous as bamboos in a bamboo grove,” they still could not fathom Buddha’s wisdom.

Being “without Leaks, in their final bodies” means they were in their “final existence.” Here, “existence” means afflictions. By eliminating their afflictions, they purified their minds. This was what Pratyekabuddhas did. They could also be called Bodhisattvas. Similarly, when we see people who have just resolved to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we call them “Bodhisattvas.”

So, a “final-body Bodhisattva” is not a Bodhisattva in name only. They are also engaging in spiritual practice, and “in their cyclic existence, they are in their very last incarnation.” These Bodhisattvas in their last incarnation are very mindful like Pratyekabuddhas. Yet, they still have not eliminated the state of arising and ceasing, the state of true emptiness. Because they have not attained true emptiness, how can they attain or realize wondrous existence? We need to engage in spiritual practice until we realize true emptiness; then we can converge with wondrous existence.

Although ordinary beings may form aspirations to have wisdom like Sariputra and sharp wisdom like Pratyekabuddhas and may constantly engage in spiritual practice, they still come up a little short. Although they are in their final bodies of fragmentary samsara, if they can take the next step and understand the law of arising and ceasing, then they will realize true emptiness and will truly discover wondrous existence, their Buddha-nature. Thus, after we form aspirations, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0214

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 214 – Believe in the Teachings of Ultimate Reality

>> “The Avatamsaka state is infinitely
magnificent. The perfect ocean of fruitions is clear and unobstructed. A mind
filled with faith understands the wondrous Dharma. The absolute mindset is in
sync with ultimate reality.”

>> “The assembly of the Buddha’s disciples have made offerings to
all Buddhas. [They] have ended all Leaks and are living in their final bodies.
But, even people such as these do not have the power required.”

>> “Even if the world was filled [in ten directions] with people
like Sariputra, who thought exhaustively and “pooled their abilities, they
would not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.”

>> “Sari” is the Sanskrit word for mynah. Therefore, he was
given the nme “Son-of-Sari,” or Sariputra, according to his mother’s
name. Sariputra clearly understood all teachings, so he was foremost in wisdom.

“The Avatamsaka state is infinitely magnificent.
The perfect ocean of fruitions is clear and unobstructed.
A mind filled with faith understands the wondrous Dharma.
The absolute mindset is in sync with ultimate reality.”

This tells us that the Avatamsaka state is infinitely magnificent. What is the Avatamsaka state? The state of the Buddha’s mind in the instant He attained enlightenment, the moment His mind converged with that star. That is the Avatamsaka state. He clearly saw His intrinsic nature, its tranquility and purity. This kind of state is infinitely magnificent. It is incredibly magnificent. Comparing it to other states is very difficult. Rarely can we come across it. From the Buddha’s mind arose this magnificent state. This is the “perfect ocean of fruitions.”

The “perfect ocean of fruitions” is our perfect and harmonious intrinsic nature. This seed gives rise to an ocean of fruitions. So, this seed, this core [of enlightenment] is spread extensively; it extends across [the universe], so we can thoroughly understand everything. This expansion of the mind is truly infinite and boundless, so this state of mind is clear and unobstructed. We must understand this state, and our faith must also be firm.

“A mind filled with faith” means our thinking must always be in harmony with our faith. We must be firm in our faith, so we will not allow deviant thinking and thoughts to influence and confuse our right faith and right thinking. Therefore, we must believe in the Buddha’s teachings, especially the One Vehicle, the Great Vehicle. The True Dharma of the One Vehicle is something we must believe in.

So, in our state of mind, if we lack faith, we cannot achieve complete understanding. Therefore, “a mind filled with faith understands the wondrous Dharma.” Our minds must be one with the conditions for us to be in sync with ultimate reality.

Ultimate reality is intrinsic to our minds. However, we have allowed our minds to scatter. Now we must unite our minds with conditions and return to our intrinsic nature. Then we can be in sync with ultimate reality. So, the Lotus Sutra definitely teaches us to use skillful means to return to our true nature. This must begin with a sense of deep faith. We must be focused so that we can return to our intrinsic pure and undefiled Avatamsaka state. Then this magnificence is something we can realize.

Earlier, we spoke about how,

“The assembly of the Buddha’s disciples have made offerings to all Buddhas. [They] have ended all Leaks and are living in their final bodies. But, even people such as these do not have the power required.”

The disciples of past Buddhas and the present Sakyamuni Buddha have put their hearts into making offerings to, being near and serving all Buddhas. They do this lifetime after lifetime. Their level of practice has reached a state where “[they] have ended all Leaks.” They have eliminated all afflictions and are “living in their final bodies.” This is their last instance of fragmentary samsara.

Though they have engaged in spiritual practice, ended all Leaks and “are living in their final bodies, even people such as these still do not have the power required.” So, even if we are all completely within the Dharma-vehicle, we still do not have enough power to return. Thus, we “still do not have the power required,” and we cannot truly realize the state in which the mind converges with the universe.

Then the sutra states,

“Even if the world was filled [in ten directions] with people like Sariputra, who thought exhaustively and “pooled their abilities, they would not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.”

Sariputra, among the Buddha’s disciples, was foremost in wisdom. But even if [people] with Sariputra’s wisdom “thought exhaustively and pooled their abilities,” they would still be unable to attain realizations. Therefore, we must really put our hearts into this and work very hard.

“Even if the world was filled [in ten directions].” When we talk about the world, we are talking about both space and time.

Time refers to the past, present and future. The past goes back to Beginningless Time. We are in the present, which continuously becomes the past. Then there is the future, which stretches endlessly before us. So, the past, present and future are all part of time. Time refers to the past, present and future from all the way back to Beginningless Time to the present and into the future, This is all part of our sense of time.

East, west, south, north, above and below are all part of space. East, west, south, north, above, below, southeast, northwest and so on are called the ten directions.

When we talk about time and space, we are talking about the world. We consider our universe to be the space between heaven and earth; that is the world we live in. The space between heaven and earth is the space we consider our universe. So, what is the universe, heaven and earth? They are the same; they are different names for the same thing. They refer to the Earth. We [define] the world through the time and space of this planet. We live on this planet, Earth. This is the world we humans live in.

We must understand that this world is not only made up of humans. There are myriad forms and things of all shapes and sizes, as well as mountains, rivers and land, on Earth. All sentient beings rely on this, “the realm of physical existence.”

The myriad forms we see, the things we need to live etc., everything contained in this world is “the realm of physical existence.” For example, right now, we abide in our spiritual practice center. I am here speaking, and you are there listening. This is also “the realm of physical existence.” These myriad forms and this piece of land allow us to create this spiritual practice center. We depend on this place for our spiritual practice. [In a similar way,] sentient beings depend on the universe and the earth; all of which are “the realm of physical existence.” Everything we now depend on is a part of the realm of physical existence. When we study the Buddha’s teachings, this is something we must understand.

We rely on this world with its myriads of things, which give rise to different environments that support us in different ways. Then there are sentient beings, which are living beings, including humans and animals. All sentient beings dwell here and create karma together.

Where does karma come from? Sentient beings and humans all have different habitual tendencies and behaviors, both good and evil. Doing [good deeds] creates a world of blessed retributions. What about doing [bad deeds]? When beings collectively create bad karma, they cause many natural and manmade disasters. These are all created by sentient beings.

Why do they create [karma]? Because of ignorance. How does ignorance arise? It begins with an ignorant thought that gives rise to greed, anger and delusion. This leads them to create karma. The collective karma of sentient beings leads to disasters. Natural and manmade disasters come from collective karma.

When we come to this world, we are bound to die. While we are here, we [create] a mix of good and bad karma. Some people aspire and vow to do good deeds. But their minds waver, so they give rise to [discursive] thoughts, which lead to greed, anger and delusion. So, in sentient beings, good and evil coexist. Therefore, we continue to have a physical form in this cyclic existence. Thus, we live in the world of sentient beings. The relationships between people or animals, or between people and animals etc., are part of “the world of sentient beings.”

As “sentient beings,” we can discern hot from cold and what we like from what we do not like. This is what sentient beings do. But we sentient beings in the human realm are lost, so we must engage in spiritual practice. We must awaken and become “enlightened sentient beings.” We must learn what the Enlightened One practiced and the roads He walked. So, we must aspire and vow to be enlightened sentient beings.

Earlier we mentioned, “Even if the world was filled [in ten directions] with people like Sariputra.” By saying if people are like Sariputra, the Buddha was praising him as the disciple foremost in wisdom. He also wanted us to know that even if we all had wisdom like Sariputra and tried to understand the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, even if we focused all our thinking, that still would not be enough. Clearly, the Buddha is telling us that to achieve the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which is His spiritual state, we still have a long way to go. So, He encourages us to be more diligent.

Among the Hearers, Sariputra was foremost in wisdom. At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, he was the first one who realized the One Vehicle. He understood that the Buddha had to set aside provisional teachings of the past. Now, He would directly expound from His heart the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. Sariputra was the first one to realize this. So, in the Chapter on Parables, Sariputra was the first among His disciples to receive predictions of Buddhahood.

Sariputra is a Sanskrit name which means Son-of-Sari. This signified that his mother was very beautiful, intelligent and wise. Part of her beauty came from her clear eyes, like those of a sari (myna bird). Therefore, people called his mother “Sari.” When Sariputra was born, he was named after his mother. So, “Sariputra” means “Son-of-Sari.”

“Sari” is the Sanskrit word for mynah. Therefore, he was given the name “Son-of-Sari,” or Sariputra, according to his mother’s name. Sariputra clearly understood all teachings, so he was foremost in wisdom.

In this world, he could understand all kinds of the Buddha’s various teachings. He had clear understanding, but for his mind to [return to] its intrinsic nature, for it to converge with the Buddha’s mind, which is the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, he still had quite a ways to go.

In short, in the Chapter on Parables, Sariputra was about to receive the Buddha’s prediction for his attainment of Buddhahood. Therefore, we must put our hearts into attaining “the Avatamsaka state” that is “infinitely magnificent. The perfect ocean of fruitions is clear and unobstructed.” We must know and understand this and focus our faith. So, when our “mind is filled with faith, [we] understand the wondrous Dharma. The absolute mindset is in sync with ultimate reality.”

Everyone, we must have “a mind filled with faith.” We must all be mindful of ourselves and contemplate our faith. We must study the principles of the Lotus Sutra, though they are very profound. The Buddha keeps telling us they are like this, but we still cannot comprehend them. Yet we must know without a doubt it is possible. As long as we can focus our faith and completely instill it in our thinking and actions, we can understand the Buddha’s wondrous Dharma. We must have faith in ourselves.

As long as our minds can constantly converge with external conditions, [we can see] that everything contains the wondrous Dharma. We need to expend more effort to experience all things in the world. In this world, “the Buddha-Dharma is inseparable from worldly teachings.” To seek the Dharma apart from this world is like trying to find fur on a turtle shell or trying to find horns on a rabbit’s head. Those things are impossible.

So, the Buddha Dharma must be united with the way we live in the world. Since the Buddha came for one great cause, to expound teachings in this world, His Dharma must be [applied here]. This is something we must believe. Even though [His teachings] are very profound, nothing is difficult as long as our will is strong. So, “all things are created by the mind.” Everyone, please always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0213

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 213 – Make Offerings with Utmost Sincerity

>> “Listening to the Dharma and
encountering Buddhas is difficult. Listening, contemplating and practicing, and
“having faith, vows and actions is difficult. Respecting and drawing near
[Buddhas] is difficult and practicing even more so. With utmost respect in body
and mind, we make offerings through actions.”

>> “The assembly of the Buddha’s disciples have made offerings to
all Buddhas. [They] have exhausted all Leaks and are living in their final
bodies. But even people such as these do not have the power required.”

“Listening to the Dharma and encountering Buddhas is difficult.
Listening, contemplating and practicing, and “having faith, vows and actions is difficult.
Respecting and drawing near [Buddhas] is difficult and practicing even more so.
With utmost respect in body and mind, we make offerings through actions.”

This tells us that listening to the Dharma is really not easy. There are billions of people in the world, but how many have a chance to listen to the Dharma? To be able to live in the same era as the Buddha is even more difficult. Yet, the Buddha-Dharma remains in the world. When we listen to the Dharma, we need to do so respectfully. After listening to it, we must also contemplate what it is really trying to tell us and how it can help us walk this broad path that the Buddha is teaching us. If we can make this vow, we need to accept and practice His teachings. Therefore, as we listen and contemplate, we must also engage in spiritual practice.

In our practice, one thing we cannot lack is “faith.” We need to have faith; we need to make vows and we need to put them into practice. This is how we truly listen, contemplate and practice. Some people may listen to teachings and then contemplate them. Not only do they contemplate them, they write commentaries about them. By listening, contemplating and writing, they show that they are studying the Dharma. But they need to ask themselves, is it out of right faith or for academic purposes that they listen, contemplate and then write such commentaries?

Those who write commentaries may not necessarily be people who have faithfully accepted and practiced [the teachings]. They may not have made vows and are only working hard for academic achievement, so they are not spiritual practitioners. Although you can listen to the Dharma and contemplate its meaning, you may not have established faith, vows and practices. This is why “having faith, vows and practices is difficult.” To listen and to contemplate are relatively easy, but to put it into practice is not easy at all. The value is in the physical practice. So, we choose to

“be respectful and draw near the Buddha.” Although it is also not very easy, it is at least easier than actual practice. Some may seem to have deep faith in the Buddha because they often visit temples and make offerings to Dharma masters. They do all kinds of things except putting the teachings into practice. At the temple, [they are asked,]. “It’s noon; will you stay to eat with us? No, I already have a date with friends.” [They find] eating even a single vegetarian meal very difficult. This type of person is not a minority. They draw near temples, but are not practicing in their internal training ground. Externally, they appear respectful and are always visiting spiritual training centers. Internally, they are unable to make progress. Therefore, “practicing is more difficult than being respectful and drawing near.”

“With utmost respect in body and mind, we make offerings through actions.” More importantly, when we go to temples and pay respect to the Three Treasures, we must engage in spiritual practice. With utmost sincerity of body and mind, we make offerings of conduct. Offerings of conduct are more important than material offerings. So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must always listen with our hearts. In listening, we must be very respectful, feeling how very precious it is to encounter the teachings. As for the Dharma, after listening, we must utilize and practice it.

Although encountering the Buddha is difficult, if there is Dharma in our hearts, we can then realize the Buddha within. And if the Buddha is in our hearts, naturally there will be Dharma in our actions. So, the Buddha and the Dharma must remain in our hearts. If we respect them, the Buddha and the Dharma will always be with us and in our actions as we go about our days. Then, encountering the Buddha is not difficult.

We can listen, contemplate and practice. As long as we have faith, make vows, take actions, in every moment, we are listening to teachings. The following verses in the sutra states,

“The assembly of the Buddha’s disciples have made offerings to all Buddhas. [They] have exhausted all Leaks and are living in their final bodies. But even people such as these do not have the power required.”

“The assembly of the Buddha’s disciples….” This is the Buddha speaking to. His disciples at the Lotus Dharma-assembly. “[They] have made offerings to all Buddhas.” These disciples, in the past, had [good karmic] affinities with all Buddhas. Likely, they made offerings to all Buddhas or had followed Them in spiritual practice when. They were in this world previously.

Making offerings to and serving all Buddhas means they draw near to and respect Them. Material offerings are not a necessity. The most important way to make offerings is to practice with utmost sincerity.

Of course, when the Buddha was living in this world, He also needed life-sustaining goods, So, offering things to sustain His life was called an offering of wealth. At the same time, they were not only contributing material goods; they also made offerings of respect and courtesy. This manifested through their bodies and minds, through heartfelt sincerity and physical displays of respect. They aspired and vowed to practice [teachings] in their dealings with people and matters. This is putting the Dharma into practice, which is an offering of the body and mind.

So, there are offerings of wealth, of reverence and of conduct. These are the three types of offerings. When these three are offered together, that is indeed an offering of utmost sincerity.

Even if there is no “wealth,” no offering of material goods, it does not matter. In the past, in India, there were many poor people, but they drew near the Dharma with great reverence. They made their offerings through reverence. When we enter a monastery, we respectfully prostrate to the Three Treasures to show our respect for. Dharma masters and spiritual practitioners. This is also [an offering]. And when we treat everyone and all living beings with the same respect, it is also [an offering of reverence]. This is because we all have the Three Treasures in our self-nature, and we all have the chance to attain Buddhahood. Didn’t Never-Slighting Bodhisattva [believe] this?

So, “reverence” is very important. In addition to respecting the Three Treasures, we treat everyone with respect and courtesy. I often say, “Courtesy is a principle.” If we truly want to comprehend principles, we need to be courteous in our actions. Therefore, respect and courtesy are very important.

We do not necessarily need to make material offerings. More important are offerings of conduct and reverence. Our reverence and our will to walk the Bodhisattva-path are more important. Thus, among the three types of offerings, reverence and conduct of the body and mind are more important than anything else.

So, in our daily living, can we practice the Four All-Embracing Virtues in society as we go about our work? Yes, we can awaken our kindness and give charitably. We can also work collaboratively and help each other. This is also giving of one’s strength. We must choose the courses of action that benefit others. This is the giving of wealth.

Furthermore, speaking kind words is also a form of giving. We can speak a little softer and choose to say positive things that may encourage people to work together and help each other. We must often speak in this way. As we work with others, we must help and guide each other, so we can recruit Living Bodhisattvas. The Four All-Embracing Virtues can give rise to all this. This is also a form of offering. When we live in society, we are constantly making offerings. So, making offerings is important.

“[They] have exhausted all Leaks.” Leaks are afflictions. “Ending all Leaks” means that when all afflictions are eliminated, we can thoroughly understand everything. So, we must “eliminate afflictions of the Three Realms.”

In the desire realm, there are afflictions of views. In the form realm, there are afflictions of thinking. In the formless realm, there are afflictions of delusions. The afflictions of the Three Realms arise from the mind. With these afflictions in our minds, if we want to end all Leaks, we must eliminate delusions of views and thinking. To do this, we must eliminate afflictions of the Three Realms. After we thoroughly eliminate these delusions of views and thinking, what principles won’t we thoroughly understand?

If we just make offerings to all Buddhas, will we thoroughly understand all principles? Not yet. If we only make offerings but do not eliminate ignorance and delusions of views and thinking, how will we thoroughly understand the principles? The only way to understand and thoroughly realize the Buddha’s profound, wondrous Dharma is to completely end our Leaks. Only by completely eliminating our afflictions can we achieve thorough understanding.

Therefore, Arhats have already thoroughly exhausted these delusions of views and thinking. Nothing in the world troubles them, so they do not have afflictions and have attained the fourth fruit of Arhatship, no longer trapped in samsara in the Three Realms. They have also attained spiritual powers.

[Transcending] samsara in the Three Realms means being free of delusions of views and thinking. They can eliminate thoughts that arise and cease in their minds, so they are no longer subject to cyclic existence in the Three Realms. They have also attained spiritual powers, such as “the power of ending all Leaks.” They have already eliminated these delusions, the obstruction of “knowledge.” They ended all Leaks and eliminated afflictions, so they could attain the fourth fruit of Arhatship.

“Living in their final body” means that this physical body is their last form of “existence.” I have spoken about fragmentary samsara. We experience cyclic existence in fragments because the law of karma leads us to this world for decades at a time. This is called fragmentary samsara. During fragmentary samsara, the law of karma is not within our control. But Arhats are engaged in purifying practices. They thoroughly understand the Four Noble Truths, so they have begun to purify their body and mind. They can eliminate and wash away the greed, anger and ignorance in their minds. So, this is their “final body” because they will completely eliminate these afflictions.

There are also “final body Bodhisattvas” who are experiencing their last lifetime in cyclic existence. There are also newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They are all engaged in spiritual practice. Whether they are Arhats or newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, they believe that by following the Buddha, they are “living in their final body.” This is what they believe, but there is still a long way to go. This final body has not yet achieved the Buddha’s universal enlightenment.

But Bodhisattvas of equal enlightenment and the enlightened Buddhas will not abandon sentient beings. They take the next step of returning to this world and form great aspirations and vows. So, Bodhisattvas have formed the resolve, “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings and. I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” They must have this level of [commitment]. This is not about their fragmentary existence. To just say, “I have thoroughly understood everything. I am free from afflictions. I have accomplished my attainment.” This is still not enough.

Although they are “living in their final body, even people such as these do not have the power required.” What are they still incapable of? Of accepting great teachings. In their wisdom, they still cannot comprehend the most profound Dharma in the Buddha’s heart. They still cannot comprehend it. Although they are getting closer, cycle by cycle, this part of the sutra states, “even people such as these do not have the power required.”

It is difficult to teach this Dharma, to demonstrate this Dharma to everyone, even though it is within you and me, within all of us. We engage in spiritual practice, and we think “I already know [everything],” but what we know are external principles. We still have not looked within and found principles of the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. We are not there yet, so we “do not have the power required.”

Therefore, we must put our hearts into this, always be mindful and consistently make progress. Then we can reach the stage where we can listen to the Dharma and unite it with our minds. This is why we must mindfully listen to the Dharma. When listening, contemplating and practicing, we need to have faith, make vows and take action. We need to respectfully draw near the Dharma so that the Dharma will not leave our hearts. We must practice it, in body and mind, with utmost sincerity. We also need to make offerings of conduct.

The offerings I just mentioned are offerings made through our behavior. We must deeply respect everyone because we are encountering future Buddhas and past Bodhisattvas all around us. All in all, if we constantly cultivate this reverence for people and matters, naturally we will respect the Buddha and Dharma. This utmost sincerity is an offering. Alright everybody, as we learn from the Buddha and listen to teachings, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0212

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 212 – Solidify the Power of Faith

>> “To seek teachings of the path, engage
in spiritual practice. To seek Bodhi, be courageous. To uphold purifying
practices, diligently cultivate faith and precepts. To have firm powers, uphold
vows and follow the Way.”

>> “This Dharma cannot be demonstrated; the appearance of language
cannot be used. Among all kinds of living beings, there are none who can
understand it, except Bodhisattvas who are firm in the power of faith.”

>> Bodhisattvas are enlightened sentient beings. They are great sentient
beings who have realized everything. The Six Perfections are their mode of
transport for ferrying sentient beings to the other shore.

>> Those with firm power of faith will grow their root of faith and
destroy all evil beliefs. With faith in the Right Path, we will not be
influenced by small deviations. Thus, this is the power of faith. Spiritual
practitioners cannot progress without the power of faith.

>> Those with a firm and solid power of faith are like a tree with roots
that cannot be uprooted. This is known as “firm.” Having an
unaffected original state means we are “solid.” If our mindsets do
not change or stir, they are solid and firm.

“To seek teachings of the path, engage in spiritual practice.
 To seek Bodhi, be courageous.
To uphold purifying practices, diligently cultivate faith and precepts.
To have firm powers, uphold vows and follow the Way.”
This is homework for our minds each day as we practice spiritual cultivation.

The goal of engaging in spiritual practice is attaining Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, we must seek the Buddha-Dharma. So, when we seek the Buddha-Dharma and walk the path to Buddhahood, we must be courageous and diligent. We must have courage to walk toward this Bodhi-path.

So, we diligently cultivate faith and precepts. I often say, “Faith is the source of the Way and the mother of merits”; it can nurture our roots of goodness. So, our faith must be firm. With faith, we learn the Dharma. We must also uphold precepts. Not only must we uphold precepts, we must persevere in purifying practices. For us to truly enter the Buddha’s teachings, we must practice the Six Perfections, which are six ways to walk the Bodhisattva-path. They are giving, [upholding] precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. As we practice the Six Perfections,

we must cultivate purifying practices. When we practice giving, it must be done very purely. What does it mean to practice pure giving? It means to give unconditionally, without attachments and with gratitude. We must give with gratitude, without seeking recognition or benefits. This is how we [uphold] purifying practices.

This also applies to upholding precepts. In our Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind, we must remain firm and not commit violations. We must not say things we should not say, do things we should not do, or give rise to even the slightest thoughts of greed, anger and ignorance. If we do not commit these violations, we are practicing purifying practices.

This applies to giving and upholding precepts as well as patience and diligence. Therefore, we must “uphold purifying practices, diligently cultivate faith and precepts.” This is very important and is something we Buddhist practitioners must do.

Then, “to have firm powers, uphold vows and follow the Way.” We must be firm in our spiritual aspiration and uphold our vows. If we can uphold our vows well, our powers will be firm.

The Buddha is compassionate. For us ordinary beings to really comprehend. His state of mind is truly not easy. Thus, it is said,

“This Dharma cannot be demonstrated; the appearance of language cannot be used. Among all kinds of living beings, there are none who can understand it, except Bodhisattvas who are firm in the power of faith.”

Bodhisattvas are the exception because they have already aspired to practice. They have vowed to engage in spiritual practice, to truly learn from the Buddha and walk toward the path of enlightenment. Those who have truly formed aspirations are the assembly of Bodhisattvas. This also implies that if we do not truly want to engage in spiritual practice, then we are counted “among all kinds of living beings.”

When we are learning from the Buddha and forming aspirations, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. Then we are part of the assembly of Bodhisattvas. No sentient beings can understand, except for Bodhisattvas. Not only do they aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, they must also be firm in their power of faith. Only this kind of people can comprehend the Buddha’s intent. Thus, we say “except Bodhisattvas.”

Bodhisattvas are enlightened sentient beings. They are great sentient beings who have realized everything. The Six Perfections are their mode of transport for ferrying sentient beings to the other shore.

“Bodhisattva” is a Sanskrit word, and when translated it means “awakened sentient being.” They are sentient beings who have awakened. “Sentient beings” are living beings. “Awakened” [beings] are different from ordinary sentient beings. Thus, we call them “awakened sentient beings” because they have realized all things.

This world is indeed [filled with] suffering. It is a state of suffering, emptiness and impermanence. Once our minds go astray, the law of karma goes into effect. After we know these things, we must promptly engage in spiritual cultivation and be cautious of the law of karma when we are among people. We must seize the moment and diligently move toward the path to enlightenment. This is what it means to be great sentient beings who have realized everything. “Great sentient beings” are those who have realized everything and then have formed great aspirations.

Thus, Bodhisattvas use the Six Perfections as their mode of transport. The Six Perfections are six different methods to transform sentient beings. This is the Great Vehicle Dharma for transforming sentient beings. [To practice it,] we cannot lack even one of the Six Perfections. Thus, we must be replete with the Six Perfections, which combine to form the Great Vehicle Dharma. Therefore, the Great Vehicle Dharma is used “for ferrying sentient beings to the other shore.” They must cross from this side to the far shore. The opposite shore is a state of purity and liberation. The most important reason for Buddhas and. Bodhisattvas in coming to this world is to help sentient beings cross [to the other side].

Since we have the karmic conditions to have. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the world, we must quickly strengthen our faith to learn from them. The Buddha attained Buddhahood as a human, and Bodhisattvas also became Bodhisattvas by starting out as humans. So, we must be firm in our power of faith.

As I mentioned previously, to have great strength, our roots must be deep, broad and long. If our root of faith does not extend nor deepen, the tree will not grow big. If the tree’s roots are not long or deep, a gust of wind will topple it. Thus, when planting a tree, the roots must extend. In its natural environment, it must learn to withstand strong winds and heavy rain. It treats strong wind as assisting conditions, accepts heavy rain to solidify its foundation and uses the warmth of the sun to remain healthy and reinforce its roots and trunk.

This is similar to our aspirations to walk the Bodhisattva-path. We have to withstand the tests of dealing with people and matters. Then we can “grow in wisdom with experience.” For our wisdom-life to truly develop, we must go among people and face challenges to strengthen our root of faith. With each test, our root of faith extends farther, grows deeper. We Buddhist practitioners must have this kind of spirit.

Those with firm power of faith will grow their root of faith and destroy all evil beliefs. With faith in the Right Path, we will not be influenced by small deviations. Thus, this is the power of faith. Spiritual practitioners cannot progress without the power of faith.

Then, we can “destroy all evil beliefs.” The root of faith can destroy all evil beliefs, as long as we are on the correct [path]. Our faith must include right faith, right thinking, right mindfulness and so on. Of course, when we are among people, many deviant or superstitious beliefs may disturb our minds. So, we absolutely cannot become superstitious nor can we have evil beliefs. We must have faith in the Right Path, so “we will not be influenced by small deviations. Deviation” means we have deviated from the Right Dharma. “A slight deviation causes a great divergence.” We may seem diligent, but we may have already deviated and may easily enter an evil path.

For example, among Sakyamuni Buddha’s Sangha, there was a man named Devadatta, who was a member of. Sakyamuni’s lay family, a cousin. When he became a monastic, he was also among the Sangha seeking the Dharma from the Buddha. But his mind deviated toward arrogance and pride. He thought he already understood everything. He saw all the respect and the offerings that the Buddha received from people and felt, “I am not that different from Him.” So, his mind began to deviate. Thus, he left the Buddha’s Sangha to form his own. He was very proud, arrogant and so on.

Many sutra texts mention how Devadatta slandered the Buddha’s teachings, discredited His Sangha, persecuted the Buddha and so on. This was because a slight deviation in thought caused a great divergence. Perhaps because this deviant view arose in him, he nearly destroyed all of the Buddha’s teachings.

Therefore, we must be cautious and have right faith. Not only must we have right faith, we must also have the power to remain firm. Thus, we talk about “firm power of faith.” If we really want to comprehend the Dharma, we must form great aspirations, make great vows, walk the Bodhisattva-path and even have “firm power of faith.”

Those with a firm and solid power of faith are like a tree with roots that cannot be uprooted. This is known as “firm.” Having an unaffected original state means we are “solid.” If our mindsets do not change or stir, they are solid and firm.

As I just said, this is like the root of a tree. If we put down [deep] roots, they cannot be pulled up. If the roots are deep and long, pulling them up will be very difficult. This means we are “firm.” Having an unaffected original state means we are “solid. Solid” means that its form and shape are impossible to change. What in the world is impossible to change? Only true emptiness and wondrous existence. If our root of faith is very firm and solid, unaffected and unchanged by others, then it is called “solid and firm.”

All things in the world [change], so we must remain firm in our minds. Only our minds can remain firm. If our minds are firm, no one can influence us. This is true emptiness. Something that is invisible and intangible cannot change nor be influenced unless our minds are not firm and our faith is incorrect. This all depends on our minds. If our minds are unwavering, they are said to be “solid and firm.” This is called firm and solid faith.

With our minds, we must aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, to be true Buddhist practitioners and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Only people firm and solid in their faith can understand the infinitely, extremely profound, wondrous Dharma of all Buddhas. With firm and solid faith, they can understand and also share [their realizations] with others.

One day during the Buddha’s time, in the Kingdom of Sravasti at the Jeta Grove, a disciple came before the Buddha. He told Him, “Venerable Buddha, there is a bhiksu named Vaisakha at the lecture hall right now. Bhiksu Vaisakha has assembled everyone to recount the Buddha’s teachings again and also to share His intent with everyone. Everyone is joyful after listening to him.”

The Buddha was joyful when He heard this. “This is very good! Vaisakha, you should continue to give teachings unconditionally, not for the sake of benefits or recognition. You must share the joy that you feel after listening to the Dharma with everyone. You must be mindful when you are sharing; do not become arrogant or proud, nor think of yourself as a teacher who shares with others. You must not become arrogant.”

This was the Buddha’s reminder for Vaisakha. I think this was because of the precedent of Devadatta. [Devadatta] understood the Buddha’s [teachings] and had listened and taken them to heart. But because of a slight deviation in thought, he became arrogant and proud, so he began to exhibit incorrect, evil thoughts. Thus, when the compassionate Buddha heard about a disciple who could perfectly convey. His teachings and share them joyfully, He was very happy. However, the Buddha still reminded him not to think of himself as someone giving teachings or become arrogant and proud.

So, we must all emulate Vaisakha. If we take [the Dharma] to heart, we will be firm and solid in our faith. We must be able to comprehend it and joyfully share it with everyone. This is helpful for our own memory and can help others understand as well. These are very good things. So, we must form Bodhisattva-aspirations, be firm and solid in our power of faith and always be mindful.