Author: Scott Ogata

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Ch02-ep0211

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 211 – Reach Understanding with Firm Faith

>> ”Tranquil and clear, with vows as vast as the
universe, having lightness of body and peace in our hearts we attain great
freedom Without faith, it is difficult to enter this subtle and wondrous
state”.

>> ”Under the guidance of countless Buddhas, He fully acquired and
practiced all paths”.

>> ”The profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma that is hard to see and
understand For immeasurable millions of kalpas, He has been practicing these
paths”.

>> ”In this spiritual training ground, He attained the fruit He had
already seen and known all completely”.

>> ”Such is this great karmic retribution and the meaning of all natures
and appearances that I and Buddhas of the ten directions alone can understand”.

>> Spiritual training ground: The place where the Buddha was enlightened.
In the central Indian kingdom of Magadha, by the Nairanjana River and under the
Bodhi tree, is the Vajra-throne.

>> Natures and appearances: Appearances are forms, something we can
visibly recognize. So, unconditioned Dharma is nature, conditioned Dharma is
appearance. The conditioned and unconditioned both have natures and
appearances.

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

>> Still and extinct is Nirvana. The essence is tranquil and still and
transcends all appearances. Therefore, it is still and extinct.

”Tranquil and clear,
with vows as vast as the universe,
having lightness of body and peace in our hearts
we attain great freedom
Without faith, it is difficult to enter
this subtle and wondrous state”.

These verses are sharing a state of being. Most of us are caught up in our surroundings, in people and matters around us, entangled in this impurity. Actually, we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but our minds are bound by afflictions and ignorance. If our minds can be tranquil and clear, we will thoroughly understand our surroundings. Then naturally the afflictions that bind us will be completely cast off and discarded. No longer will afflictions entangle our minds. Then we will naturally have lightness in our body and peace in our hearts and feel great freedom

”Isn’t that easier said than done?”. You are probably all thinking something like this. Indeed, this is by no means easy, because we cannot yet thoroughly understand our afflictions nor can we completely let them go. We just are not able to do that yet.

Once afflictions arise, firmly believing in and understanding the Dharma is not that easy. And if we cannot do that, then the subtle and wondrous state [it contains] cannot enter our minds. So it says, “Without faith, it is difficult to enter this subtle and wondrous state”. So “tranquil and clear, with vows as vast as the universe” is a very subtle and wondrous state. If we cannot remain firm in our faith, we definitely cannot enter this subtle and wondrous state.

As I have already mentioned before,

”Under the guidance of countless Buddhas, He fully acquired and practiced all paths”.

This was the process of His spiritual practice. Thus [He practiced].

․”the profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma that is hard to see and understand For immeasurable millions of kalpas, He has been practicing these paths”.

When He engaged in spiritual practice, He deeply penetrated and practiced the paths taught by all Buddhas. So, that kind of profound and wondrous Dharma could only be realized by spiritual practitioners. There is a saying, ”Only the person who drinks the water knows if it is hot or cold”. This is also a very simple analogy. So, we must engage in spiritual practice ourselves to truly attain realizations.

The Buddha was speaking from His experience to help us understand firstly that we have a Buddha-nature equal to the Buddha’s. Then, secondly, that He has already drawn near to countless Buddhas and practiced Their teachings of the path. These are things He wanted to help us understand. Thirdly, He wanted to let us know that all. Buddhas’ teachings of the path are in His heart, and He has thoroughly awakened to them. So, [He] “fully acquired and practiced all paths of the profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma”. This is what the Buddha Himself has thoroughly understood. But for ordinary people, it is “hard to see and understand”

”For immeasurable millions of kalpas, He has been practicing these paths”. In another words, we ordinary people have only been listening to His teachings for the span of this lifetime. Of course, in our past lives we have formed a karmic affinity with the Buddha. That is why we can listen to His teachings. However, we lack the sense of determination. We do not put the teachings into practice, nor do we remain firm in our faith ”Without faith, it is difficult to enter this subtle and wondrous state”. If we do not remain firm in our faith, we cannot enter this state.

Therefore, lifetime after lifetime, we just form affinities with the Buddha and listen to His teachings. As for a sense of determination and vows as vast as the universe, we have not yet established those. Thus, how can we realize the state of tranquility and clarity? To be in a tranquil and clear state, we must have vows as vast as the universe. We must have great vows and great aspirations to thoroughly understand all Dharma.

Next, we talk about His spiritual training ground. He had encountered countless Buddhas and absorbed Their teachings. Then over 2000 years ago, He was born as the crown prince of Kapilavastu and aspired to engage in spiritual practice. He spent five years seeking answers and then six years in ascetic practice. Later Prince Siddhartha realized that only by experiencing the truths of nature could he thoroughly understand worldly matters. So, he abandoned ascetic practices and came to the Nairanjana River to wash the filth off of His body. Afterwards, He became very weak, and fainted there. A shepherdess offered some goat milk to help Him recover His strength. After He recovered, He came across a Bodhi tree. He chose to face a certain direction, sat on a rock and began to make vows. From the moment He sat down, He was determined to realize all truths of the universe before leaving this spiritual training ground.

His spiritual training ground was where He engaged in spiritual practice and set His mind on the road toward enlightenment. The starting point for the road we pave is our spiritual training ground. The inward cultivation of our minds must be connected to our external conditions. The place where we exert our effort and our mind is called the spiritual training ground.

”In this spiritual training ground, He attained the fruit He had already seen and known all completely”.

Because He sat in meditation there, on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, in a state of stillness and tranquility, He looked into the sky and saw the morning star. His mind connected with the universe, so ”in this spiritual training ground, He attained the fruit”

”He had already seen and known all completely”. This happened in that instant when. He came in contact with the universe and saw and understood all truths of the cosmos. Everything in world was seen and known by the Buddha.

”Such is this great karmic retribution and the meaning of all natures and appearances that I and Buddhas of the ten directions alone can understand”.

When He came in contact with all truths in the universe, in that state, at that moment in time, His pure intrinsic nature was suddenly awakened. The “I” in this passage is Sakyamuni Buddha referring to Himself. I, Sakyamuni, and the Buddhas of the ten directions are the only ones who can understand the appearances of these conditions and the principles of all things. Only Buddhas can achieve complete understanding.

As just mentioned, Sakyamuni Buddha found a spiritual training ground after He abandoned acetic practices. He stilled His mind and sat under the Bodhi tree on the Vajra-throne. That was His spiritual training ground.

Spiritual training ground: The place where the Buddha was enlightened. In the central Indian kingdom of Magadha, by the Nairanjana River and under the Bodhi tree, is the Vajra-throne.

Therefore, engaging in spiritual practice requires a training ground. This was the case for all Buddhas in the past. And now? In our current environment, engaging in spiritual practice also requires a training ground. We must stabilize these internal and external training grounds. Our external training ground is a physical place we can rest and rely on. Our internal training ground is the Dharma we can rest and rely on. So, a training ground is the place where our body and mind abide. We must practice by following the Dharma; this is our spiritual training ground.

Next, I will speak of “natures and appearances”.

Natures and appearances: Appearances are forms, something we can visibly recognize. So, unconditioned Dharma is nature, conditioned Dharma is appearance. The conditioned and unconditioned both have natures and appearances.

We should know about natures and appearances. We must deal with tangible appearances, which are “things we can visibly recognize”. This is a training ground we can rest and rely on, as it has a physical appearance.

Unconditioned Dharma is nature, and conditioned Dharma is appearance. Unconditioned Dharma is what we are born with. Since Beginningless Time, along with our nature, it has followed us lifetime after lifetime. This is called “nature”. When this nature is pure, it is Buddha-nature. When it is defiled, it is unenlightened. So, it says that nature is unconditioned Dharma. Not only do humans have natures, truly all things in the universe have a fundamental nature.

Externally created form is an appearance. What does our nature look like? Actually, if we are asked to show it to others, we cannot show them any form. But when we look at a person, we can see a form ”So, this is this person’s form When he walks, by looking at his back, I can recognize him”. The way he typically walks can be easily recognized by others. This is called an “exterior appearance”. The way a person looks and behaves are all part of the appearance. But within these appearances is the nature we all intrinsically have. So, “our natures are similar, but our habits differ greatly”.

Our nature is actually very similar to the Buddha’s nature. But because of an ignorant thought, we fell and became ordinary people. As such, different habitual tendencies have come to fruition in us. So, our karmic retribution is related to our nature and appearance. Therefore, conditioned Dharma is appearance, and unconditioned Dharma is then called nature. Thus, the conditioned and unconditioned both have natures and appearances. This is what we must thoroughly understand.

Next, the sutra states,

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

This enhances our understanding ”This Dharma cannot be demonstrated,” this unconditioned Dharma is a nature that we cannot see. The ultimate reality of the One Vehicle is a Dharma that completely describes our nature. All things in the world are created by the mind. The nature of our minds creates all appearances so that we can see all phenomena. But, True Dharma is said to be in our minds, so “this Dharma cannot be demonstrated”. I cannot physically show it to you as an object. Because it cannot be seen, how can we demonstrate it? Since it really cannot be seen, we have to use various skillful means to make analogies. So, I cannot show you ultimate reality, but. I can use analogies to help you understand.

Therefore, “the appearance of language cannot be used [to describe] stillness and extinction”. This tranquility and clarity has to be transformed into language so people can understand it. We use various conditioned phenomena in this world as analogies. The only thing we can do is to use language and appearances. But ultimately, [true nature] is still and extinct, so we try to convey this tranquil and clear state through appearances and language

”Among all kinds of living beings there are none who can understand it”. Once again, this indicates that people find this hard to understand, ”except Bodhisattvas”. Only Bodhisattvas who are firm enough in their faith can really understand this.

Next, I will explain “stillness and extinction”. That is a state of Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of tranquility and clarity. A world like that is also called the land of tranquil illumination. Where is this tranquil and clear state? It is in our minds. So, the “essence is tranquil and still” refers to the state of Nirvana and how its embodiment is tranquil and still. It transcends all appearances.

If we [analyze] all appearances, in the end they break down to nothing. All things in the end each return to their original nature. Everything is composed of earth, water, fire and air. Lumber comes from trees, and trees are inseparable from the land, from moisture, from sunshine and from air. This is the union of the four elements. This applies to trees. The same goes for concrete. It is also extracted from mines in the mountains. If we analyze all these appearances, we can break them down to their original natures. When we discuss nature, we really need to transcend the appearance of all things and understand that all things break down to nothing. This is the state of tranquility and stillness.

Still and extinct is Nirvana. The essence is tranquil and still and transcends all appearances. Therefore, it is still and extinct.

Dear Bodhisattvas, when it comes to understanding this “still and extinct” state, we are still very far away from it. As I shared in the beginning, ”without faith, it is very hard to enter” this subtle and wondrous state. Therefore, we must establish a true and firm faith so that we can enter a subtle and wondrous state and feel light in body and peaceful in heart and gain great freedom. Only then can we truly experience a state of mind that is tranquil and clear, with vows as vast as the universe. In conclusion, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0210

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 210 – Cultivate Purifying Practices

>> “After the Buddha attained
enlightenment, He used skillful means to teach according to sentient beings’
capabilities and desires. He joyfully spoke teachings to transform sentient
beings by expounding immeasurable Dharma.”

>> “The Buddha’s power is fearlessness. Liberation, Samadhi and all
His other realizations”

>> “Originally, under the guidance of countless Buddhas, He fully
acquired and practiced various ways, profound, subtle and wondrous doctrines
that are hard to see and understand. For immeasurable millions of kalpas, He
has been practicing these ways.”

>> Four essential methods of spiritual cultivation: conduct, livelihood,
precepts and views. Those who are replete in all four cannot be surpassed by.
Hearers and Solitary Realizers. Thus they are called superior in repletion.

>> Conduct refers to purifying practices of the Six Perfections.
Livelihood refers to pure right livelihood. Precepts refer to major and minor
rules. Views refer to purifying right views.

“After the Buddha attained enlightenment,
He used skillful means to teach according to
sentient beings’ capabilities and desires.
He joyfully spoke teachings
to transform sentient beings
by expounding immeasurable Dharma.”

After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He kept that compassion in His heart. He hoped we can all be like Him and comprehend the truths of all things in the universe and all teachings of the path. But this is very difficult, so what could He do? He had to use skillful means to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities.

Sentient beings’ desires are endless, so. He had to teach according to their desires. With a sense of joy, He taught tirelessly and happily. We sentient beings live in this world and face interpersonal conflicts without being able to break through our ignorant views and understandings. But the Buddha still has great patience. He treats us as newborns, teaches us the way kindergarten teachers do. So, we must be very grateful for the Buddha’s compassion and seek to repay Him. How do we express our gratitude and repay Him? By always being mindful and reflecting upon our nature. Within ourselves, we need to find that newborn-like purity.

Previously, we have already discussed how. “The Buddha’s power is fearlessness. Liberation, Samadhi and all His other realizations”

“cannot be fathomed by anyone.”

We still do not have the ability to fathom His vast, great, limitless teachings. These deep principles of the One Vehicle are truly very difficult [to understand].

So now, the Buddha wanted to help everyone further understand that,

“Originally, under the guidance of countless Buddhas, He fully acquired and practiced various ways, profound, subtle and wondrous doctrines that are hard to see and understand. For immeasurable millions of kalpas, He has been practicing these ways.”

These teachings of the Buddha are vast, great, profound and far-reaching. They originate from countless past Buddhas, with whom He earnestly and diligently learned the teachings of the path. These are the teachings of all past Buddhas. We must know why sentient beings still could not fathom the true and wondrous principles within clever and skillful means. Why couldn’t they do that? Because the Buddha’s wisdom is vast, great, profound and far-reaching and arises from “the guidance of countless Buddhas.” The breadth and depth of the Buddha’s principles come from countless Buddhas in the past. He has already been diligently practicing and has “fully acquired and practiced various ways.”

Since Beginningless Time, He has fully acquired and practiced each Buddha’s teachings of the path. He has practiced them perfectly. So, He has “fully acquired and practiced various ways, profound, subtle and wondrous doctrines, profound, subtle and wondrous doctrines.” The minds of ordinary people are still covered by ignorance, so “they [find them] hard to see and understand.”

Let us study this phrase again. “He fully acquired and practiced various ways. Fully practiced” refers to four essential methods. The course of all Buddhas’ spiritual cultivation is inseparable from these four essential methods.

Four essential methods of spiritual cultivation: conduct, livelihood, precepts and views. Those who are replete in all four cannot be surpassed by. Hearers and Solitary Realizers. Thus they are called superior in repletion.

The four are conduct, livelihood, precepts and views. First is to be “replete with conduct.” Next is to be “replete with livelihood, replete with precepts” and “replete with views.” We must be perfectly replete with them. This perfection is not something that Hearers and Solitary Realizers can understand or perfectly attain. It is difficult. Why? Why are they unable to accomplish this and be replete with [these practices]? Let us take a look at these four things we must accomplish.

Conduct refers to purifying practices of the Six Perfections. Livelihood refers to pure right livelihood. Precepts refer to major and minor rules. Views refer to purifying right views.

First, our conduct must be perfect. The Buddha teaches us to transform ourselves and others. Therefore, we must put His teachings into practice. Aside from putting our hearts into our own spiritual practice, we must benefit others as well. To benefit others, we must practice the Six Perfections, giving, [upholding] precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. Bodhisattva-practitioners cannot lack these six practices. But Hearers and Solitary Realizers cannot accomplish the Six Perfections.

This is because listening to teachings alone will not result in thorough understanding, so they cannot accomplish them. Hearers and Solitary Realizers sense that life is impermanent and will seize the time they have to benefit and liberate themselves. They do not have time to also go among others. Therefore, they are not replete with conduct.

To the Six Perfections, we also need add “purifying practices.” There are many loving people in society who are willing to give, but their affections may be defiled by the desire for others to see them as good people, to think well of them. [By thinking] “I am a good person,” they are defiled by their egos. Walking the Bodhisattva-path means giving unconditionally and with gratitude. Suffering sentient beings are our spiritual training ground. We must recognize suffering to develop a sense of compassion.

We must not allow our expectations to hinder our purifying practices. Our minds must constantly remain very pure and undefiled. We must elevate our wisdom to understand the karmic law of cause and effect. So, let us not have expectations such as. “If I do this, then the eight classes of Dharma-protectors will protect me.” So how should we protect ourselves? The best way is to heighten our vigilance and not allow our minds to lose focus. Regardless of how diligent we are, there will be many challenges. We can overcome each one as long as our spiritual aspirations are firm. Naturally, with time, all these challenges will be overcome.

So, purifying practices are cleansing. Regardless of the challenges that arise, we must quickly use Dharma-water to wash away any discursive thoughts. So, in [practicing] the Six Perfections, we must cultivate purifying practices. We cannot take issue over or pursue things. We should only focus on upholding our fundamental duties.

Next is to be “replete with livelihood.” This is to have right livelihood, which is also a purifying practice. Since we are in the human realm, we have this precious body, a vessel for spiritual practice. The world is our spiritual training ground, and we spend this lifetime using our body to engage in spiritual practice. This is all related to purifying practices. We must make sure our lives remain very pure. Therefore, I often tell everyone that we must not become defiled. We must become a benefactor for others as a way of having self-respect. This is called right livelihood.

Next, we must be “replete with precepts.” Precepts refer to both major and minor rules. Regardless of scale, we must firmly [abide by them]. We cannot violate even the most minor of precepts. When we go to an ordination hall, we receive the complete precepts. Then we know what things we should not take. Even an object of very slight [value], a piece of paper, is not something we can take without first asking for permission. We must protect our minds by following even the most minor of rules. Does taking something small count as greed? Yes, if others do not know we are using it, and we have taken something that is not ours.

As for precepts, we cannot even violate the ones that govern the most subtle of thoughts. That is what it means to be “replete with precepts,” to remain pure by upholding major and minor rules. This is also called a purifying practice.

To be “replete with views” is to have right views, which are pure. Having right views means that we are undefiled and have correct views and understanding. Since Beginningless Time, the Buddha has served all Buddhas. He served one Buddha and countless Buddhas. Previously, I explained what it means to “serve.” To “serve” means to follow the Buddhas’ practices and teachings and respect Them. This is how we serve all Buddhas.

In order to practice according to His teachings, we must very clearly understand. His understanding and views. So, our understandings and views must be correct because His are profound and far-reaching. Since we are learning from the Buddha, we must deal with things in the world by applying very correct understandings and views. We must have right views because those pure views are what the Buddha taught. He constantly taught this to. His monastic disciples.

Once, the Buddha was at. Kalandaka’s Bamboo Grove in. City of the House of Kings. He saw how a new monastic disciple had developed aspirations after [his ordination]. In front of everyone, He praised this new bhiksu and said, “Look at this new bhiksu. After becoming a monastic, he has been very diligent in doing good deeds. In dealing with people and matters of courtesy, he strictly abides by the teachings.”

“The way he is practicing these good deeds is like the new moon at the beginning of a [lunar] month, when the crescent moon first appears. He is continuously diligent. Each day, He is like the moon that continuously becomes fuller over time as his purifying spiritual practices develop. [He practices by] maintaining a dignified demeanor and abiding by the Sangha’s rules. When he is among people, he is gentle and compliant.”

“This newly ordained bhiksu is skillful in training his body and mind. He is like a person with clear vision. When he walks, he is careful. He would never fall into a deep well and avoids the edge of a cliff and other dangerous places.” So, he strives to walk on a wide, spacious and stable path.

After making this point, He turned to another topic and said, “Consider Venerable Kasyapa. Though he is a leader in the Sangha, his actions are still like [this bhiksu’s]. He is the same as he was in the beginning and is skillful in his practice. He is dignified among the Sangha and gentle and compliant among the people. He strives to choose a truly broad and level path. He would not take dangerous paths that may damage his spiritual aspirations.” This is the duty of a spiritual practitioner.

See, the Buddha used His compassion to compare the attitude of a new monastic to that of an elder among the Sangha. They have the same spiritual aspiration, which is like the beginning of a new moon. This is what we must keep in mind. The Buddha teaches all of us to have spiritual aspirations like those of “a newly ordained monastic. Then [we] can certainly attain Buddhahood.”

After the Buddha achieved Buddhahood, He used skillful means to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities and desires. Why do sentient beings have so many desires? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were like a new-born child? If our aspirations are like the new moon that becomes rounder as the days go by, if our spiritual practice can be like this, that would be wonderful. This is why the Buddha hoped that, in our spiritual practice, we will always be like the new moon, and continuously and steadily grow on this path of practice. So, the Buddha still very mindfully gives teachings. To transform sentient beings, He gives countless teachings.

Therefore, we must always be mindful. “He fully acquired and practiced various ways.” By following many Buddhas in the past, the Buddha compiled their teachings of the path. So, He was already replete with the teachings He was about to give, the Six Perfections and four essential methods. We should learn all this because profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma is difficult to encounter and understand. This journey took Him a very long period of time, so when He gives these teachings, we must all put our hearts into understanding His path. Indeed, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0209

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 209 – The Buddha’s Power Is Fearlessness

>> “Sentient beings are stubborn and
foolish. All Dharma is extremely profound. All Buddhas tactfully use
extraordinary skillful means to enable all sentient beings to reverently accept
and practice these teachings.”

>> “The Hero of the World is unfathomable. Among heavenly beings and
humans of the world, among all sentient beings, none can understand the
Buddha.”

>> The Buddha’s power is fearlessness. Liberation, Samadhi and all His
other realizations cannot be fathomed by anyone.

>> The Buddha’s power is fearlessness: It is said the Tathagata attained
unsurpassed enlightenment and was endowed with unsurpassed wisdom. Among all
beings, He roared like a lion, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained
great freedom.

>> Liberation: Sentient beings are trapped in cyclic existence, so they
cannot attain liberation. Noble beings have attained liberation, so they are
not trapped in cyclic existence. Liberation means freedom.

>> Samadhi: A tamed, straight and settled mind. With focused and tranquil
thinking, we settle the mind on one place. With focused thinking, we can single-mindedly
abide by our resolve and spiritual aspirations.

>> So, “tranquil thinking is clear and open. Being clear, our serene
wisdom is illuminating. Being open, there is nothing we cannot penetrate.”

“Sentient beings are stubborn and foolish.
All Dharma is extremely profound.
All Buddhas tactfully use extraordinary skillful means
to enable all sentient beings
to reverently accept and practice these teachings.”

This helps all of us self-reflect. Among the many kinds of sentient beings, we are fortunate to attain human form. Even more fortunately, we have listened to the Buddha’s teachings. However, we are still confused and foolish. All the Buddha’s teachings are very profound. We keep feeling that they are very profound. Actually, the original [teaching] is very simple. But because we sentient beings are lost and unawakened, we cannot realize the Buddha’s original [teaching].

So, the Buddha used the Dharma to pave a path for us to go from [the state of] ordinary people to that of enlightenment. However, our faith is still insufficient, so we dare not go forward. Therefore, all Buddhas have used many skillful means to teach extensively, all to enable sentient beings to attain realizations.

So, [we must be reverent]. As long as the mind is wholly sincere, it becomes our spiritual training ground. Since we believe the Buddha’s teachings, if we sincerely accept and practice them with a straightforward mind, we will make progress. Of course, this requires reverence. So, [we must] “respectfully believe and practice the teachings.” I hope we can all receive the Buddha-Dharma with this mentality.

The Buddha already used the Dharma to pave a path, so we must have faith and walk forward, step by step. If we do not have faith, even if the most precious, true, wondrous Dharma appears before us, we will not have the confidence to take in this Dharma. So, in the Sutra of 100 Parables, one of the passages contains this short story.

There was a very poor person. He was so poor that he wholeheartedly wished for just one thing, to attain worldly treasures. One day, while walking in the open fields, he came across a chest. He gently opened it just a crack and saw that it was filled with priceless jewels, so he was very happy. He looked around to see if someone had lost it and was coming back to look for it.

He waited, but no one came looking for it. So, he thought, “Perhaps I can take these jewels with me.” So, he flipped the lid of the chest wide open. Opening it, he saw that underneath the cover there was a person inside. He hurriedly stepped aside and immediately said, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I did not know that the jewels in this chest are yours. I did not realize you were in the chest.” He kept apologizing and then ran away.

Actually, this is an analogy. The jewelry was just jewelry. The cover was just a cover. How could a person be hidden inside? It was simply a mirror. The mirror was in the cover [of the chest]. Once we open the chest, the mirror appears and reflects our image. However, we do not recognize ourselves, we do not realize the mirror is reflecting our image. This man saw himself as a stranger, so he could not claim those treasures. His own appearance was unclear to him, as well.

We ordinary people are like this, are we not? We do not even recognize ourselves. Our true self is the clear and awakened Buddha-nature, which is equal to all Buddhas.’ I often speak of “great perfect mirror wisdom.” Inside our hearts, there is a mirror like this. But we allow this mirror to become blurry, and we do not regularly look in this mirror, so we do not know who we really are.

Actually, all Dharma is also within us. Wisdom is stored in our intrinsic nature. This analogy should be very obvious, so we can understand it.

Earlier, I also discussed,

“The Hero of the World is unfathomable. Among heavenly beings and humans of the world, among all sentient beings, none can understand the Buddha.”

For us sentient beings, the Buddha clearly manifested in the world and taught us the [truths] He realized after. He attained enlightenment. When He first became enlightened, the Dharma He expounded could not be realized by heavenly beings or humans. So, how could that be possible for ordinary sentient beings? Sentient beings, all living beings, cannot even fathom it. So, we must be very mindful. Humans and heavenly beings are closest to Buddhas, particularly humans. If we fall and become other kinds of sentient beings, then accepting the Buddha-Dharma will be even harder. We must treasure this life that enables us to encounter the Dharma.

As for the Buddha, we must be very grateful that. He continuously returns to the Saha World to deal with stubborn sentient beings. He has to have the power of great patience. Without great patience, how could He transform sentient beings? So, “the Buddha’s power is fearlessness.”

The Buddha’s power is fearlessness. Liberation, Samadhi and all His other realizations cannot be fathomed by anyone.

Though sentient beings are stubborn, though humans, heavenly beings and living beings still cannot realize the Buddha’s [Dharma], the Buddha’s power is still fearless. He still stands in front of multitudes of sentient beings to give teachings.

The Buddha’s power is fearlessness: It is said the Tathagata attained unsurpassed enlightenment and was endowed with unsurpassed wisdom. Among all beings, He roared like a lion, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained great freedom.

The Tathagata truly has supreme, universal enlightenment and unsurpassed wisdom. Among all beings, He roared like a lion. By expounding the Dharma, He turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and “attained great freedom.” He is already at peace and at ease. Therefore, “the Buddha’s power is fearlessness.” He is endowed with a mind that is at ease and free of hindrances.

Because if we have hindrances and are already difficult to transform and so unyielding, how long will it take? In this era, we see formation, existence, decay and disappearance. There are increasingly more sentient beings, more turbidity, stronger afflictions, more natural and manmade calamities. After all, sentient beings are still lost. So, what is there to do? The Buddha does not worry about these things. He just has compassion and unlimited patience. Therefore, He still remains “among all beings [and] roars like a lion.” He still loudly proclaims the Dharma so pervasively that everyone can hear it.

Not only can everyone hear it, they can feel it and find it useful. This is from the Buddha’s power of fearlessness. He continuously “turns the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attains great freedom.” Certainly, He has a great sense of freedom. Therefore, “the Buddha’s power is fearlessness.”

[However difficult] sentient beings are, from the Buddha’s [perspective], He is at ease through being understanding. The Buddha is very understanding. What does it mean to be understanding? Being understanding gives us the strength to become liberated. Right now, we multitudes of sentient beings have many afflictions. Today, if we hear someone criticize us, we feel very uncomfortable because we are unable to be understanding toward this. Clearly, we were [fine], how could this person say we were not? We find this unfair, so afflictions arise and we create bad affinities with that person. If people talk behind our backs, the next time we see them, we will become unhappy. This cycle of resentment arises because we ordinary beings cannot be understanding.

Since we do not have understanding, how can we attain liberation? Therefore, we cannot be liberated. But the Buddha is liberated and at ease, so He has the power of fearlessness. He has this power because. He has wisdom and understanding and is thus at ease and liberated.

Liberation: Sentient beings are trapped in cyclic existence, so they cannot attain liberation. Noble beings have attained liberation, so they are not trapped in cyclic existence. Liberation means freedom.

We ordinary people all transmigrate within the Six Realms and cannot be liberated. Even if we are born in heaven and are immersed in pleasures, once we deplete our blessings, we will still have to face our retributions. Karma comes from humans, ordinary beings. We ordinary beings are the source of all negative karma. Because we create a lot of bad karma, we habitually end up in the hell, hungry ghost, animal and asura realms. This is what we ordinary people do. We create [karma], so we cannot be liberated from cyclic existence.

“Noble beings have attained liberation, so they are not trapped in cyclic existence.” Those who are already noble beings have attained liberation and will not travel through cyclic existence again. As for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, there are many Bodhisattvas who return on the ship of compassion. Many of them have already become Buddhas, but they come to this world to assist at. Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly to help and save sentient beings.

We need to know. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are all noble beings, not trapped in cyclic existence. But they are sympathetic and compassionate toward sentient beings and cannot bear to let them suffer. So, it is not cyclic existence that brings them back to this world. They are no longer subject to it; they are liberated and free. So, “the Buddha’s power is fearlessness.” He is liberated and free, so His strength is fearlessness. So, “the Buddha’s power is fearlessness,”

“[with] liberation and Samadhi.” To be liberated, one must have Samadhi.

Samadhi: A tamed, straight and settled mind. With focused and tranquil thinking, we settle the mind on one place. With focused thinking, we can single-mindedly abide by our resolve and spiritual aspirations.

Samadhi is about “taming, straightening, settling.” Taming is about controlling our minds. Sentient beings have monkey-minds and thoughts that run all over the place like wild horses. Therefore, our minds cannot settle down. So from the beginning, we must learn to rein in our wild and unruly minds. A genuine mind is a spiritual training ground. If our minds can be tamed, we can believe and accept the Buddha-Dharma.

So, we must be focused. “With focused and tranquil thinking, we settle the mind on one place.” Our minds need to be focused on cultivating the fields of our minds. I often say the Chinese character for “thinking” is [the characters for “field” and “mind”]. We must work hard to clear the weeds from a field just as we must clear discursive thoughts from our minds. The mind really needs to become tranquil and clear so that it can settle on one place. This is how we “tame and straighten.” If our thinking can be focused, we can then “single-mindedly abide by our resolve and spiritual aspirations.”

As for our resolve, since we have formed these aspirations and want to engage in spiritual practice, we must make great vows. This resolve is something we must hold on to and constantly be mindful of. So, “tranquil thinking is clear and open.”

So, “tranquil thinking is clear and open. Being clear, our serene wisdom is illuminating. Being open, there is nothing we cannot penetrate.”

If our thinking can really be tranquil and clear, our minds will become illuminated. We can be like the person who opened the treasure chest. When we see ourselves in it, won’t those jewels be ours? Our reflection has always been in this mind’s mirror, but we just have not realized it. So, when our “tranquil thinking is clear and open, our serene wisdom is illuminating.” Naturally our minds will be very calm and still. It is like a mirror that is very clear. “Being open, there is nothing we cannot penetrate.” Out of all the things in the world, what can’t we understand completely? So, as we are learning from the Buddha, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 208 – Diligently Practice All Teachings of the Path

>> “Spiritual practice is the work of great
people. They can clearly understand their course, clearly distinguish right
from wrong, walk the difficult-to-walk path, sever things that are difficult to
sever, let go of thoughts that are difficult to let go, realize the Dharma that
is difficult to realize.”

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

>> “The Hero of the World is unfathomable. Among heavenly beings or
humans of the world, among all sentient beings, none can understand the
Buddha.”

>> “Hero of the World” is another name for Buddhas. This means
that in this world, a Buddha is a noble hero among the people who has
eliminated all afflictions.

>> “If they learn the path but do not practice it, that is the same
as not learning it. As they begin to serve a Buddha, they must exhaustively
practice His infinite teachings of the path. Serving countless Buddhas and
exhaustively practicing infinite practices to enlightenment of countless
Buddhas is being courageous and diligent.”

>> No one can understand the Buddha: With the causes the Buddha created
in the past, He never parted from Buddhaskalpa after kalpa and constantly
learned from Them. For hundreds, thousands, millions of [lives], at the sides
of countless Buddhas, He diligently cultivated teachings of the path

“Spiritual practice is the work of great people.
They can clearly understand their course, clearly distinguish right from wrong,
walk the difficult-to-walk path,
sever things that are difficult to sever,
let go of thoughts that are difficult to let go, realize the Dharma that is difficult to realize.”

As we engage in spiritual practice, we must have this kind of determination. If we are not determined, the path will be difficult to walk.

Since we are determined to engage in spiritual practice and have formed aspirations and vows to walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must have the mind of a great person. Since ancient times it has been said, “Spiritual practice is the work of great people; it is difficult even for great leaders.” Not everyone who wants to engage in spiritual practice is capable of doing so. Thus, we should know to respect ourselves because we have already chosen this direction. Furthermore, within our lives, this is the most proper direction. So, we must “clearly distinguish right from wrong.” Since we have chosen this direction in this present era in which people’s lives are very complicated, as spiritual practitioners, we must maintain our direction by clearly distinguishing right from wrong. This is very important for spiritual practitioners.

Moreover, it is “the work of great people.” When we walk the difficult-to-walk path, we need to eliminate things that are difficult to eliminate. We have much greed, anger and ignorance and create interpersonal disputes over people and matters. We need to very clearly distinguish right from wrong. When something is right, we cannot be afraid of difficulties. If something is wrong, we must end it promptly. So, we must dare to act, take up responsibility. As for things that are wrong, we must dare to end them immediately. To eliminate things that are difficult to eliminate,

we must really train our minds well. With clear minds, we can quickly decide whether to hold on or let go. What we should hold on to, we must take responsibility for. If we should not hold on to it, we must quickly let it go.

So, we must let go of things that are difficult to let go. We should not be attached to things that we should not hold on to, so we must quickly relinquish them. In summary, regardless of how difficult it is to relinquish people, matters or objects, we need to learn how to let go. Only then can we return to “nature, form, embodiment and power” and create “causes, conditions, effects, retributions and the ultimate [wholeness] from beginning to end.” This is the work of a great person and is very important for our spiritual practice. Thus, we must be very mindful.

Next is a section of verses. The prose above has come to an end, so what follows are “repeated verses.” They are repeated because of concerns that after listening to the teachings, we allow them to leak out and forget them, with no way to keep the principles in our minds. So, when the sutras were compiled, the very important points were repeated in verse form.

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

This helps us understand even more clearly that what was explained before is now repeated in short verses that are easier to memorize, recite and understand. So it says,

“The Hero of the World is unfathomable. Among heavenly beings or humans of the world, among all sentient beings, none can understand the Buddha.”

Haven’t I explained this earlier? Sakyamuni Buddha’s understanding and views cannot be fathomed by us ordinary people because there are infinite, countless teachings. For 40-plus years, He used wondrous provisional teachings and wondrous wisdom to teach according to capabilities. Therefore, He used a variety of methods to establish skillful means.

Then at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, He changed the topic and put aside skillful means for direct teachings. He became very direct. As for the 42 years of skillful teachings, He told them that they were provisional and that He would now expound the True Dharma and freely express the One Vehicle teachings He had originally intended to teach.

The Buddha wanted to gather and direct people of various capabilities in the same direction, so they could all experience the same thing. What they experienced was the first thing the Buddha said after achieving Buddhahood. “How amazing! All beings possess the Buddha’s intrinsic nature.” This one sentence is what He said now at the very end as a thesis to help everyone clearly understand that they all have this intrinsic Buddha-nature. Thus, this is the true path of the One Vehicle.

But this is difficult to know and understand. Though the Buddha had spoken for a long time, did people really know and understand what was said? Did it really stay in people’s minds? Are they diligently walking forward on this path? We ourselves can self-reflect and ask, “Over time, have I been more diligent? Or, after starting out diligently, have I slowed down or stopped?” Is this the case? “Only the person who drinks the water knows if it is hot or cold.”

So, we know the Buddha is “the Hero of the World.”

“Hero of the World” is another name for Buddhas. This means that in this world, a Buddha is a noble hero among the people who has eliminated all afflictions.

Earlier we also discussed “the Six Unenlightened and Four Noble Realms.” In the Ten Dharma-realms, He is the most noble, so He is called a “hero, Hero of the World.” He is the most noble of heroes and has already eliminated all afflictions. We have countless, boundless afflictions, including root and branch afflictions etc. The Buddha has surpassed all these afflictions. By eliminating all afflictions, He is the most noble among those in “the Six Unenlightened and Four Noble Realms.”

So,

“If they learn the path but do not practice it, that is the same as not learning it. As they begin to serve a Buddha, they must exhaustively practice His infinite teachings of the path. Serving countless Buddhas and exhaustively practicing infinite practices to enlightenment of countless Buddhas is being courageous and diligent.”

We all know that in learning from the Buddha, if we do not earnestly practice the Dharma the Buddha taught, that is the same as not learning it at all. Do you recall [this passage]? The Buddha drew near to countless Buddhas and diligently practiced each of. Their teachings of the path. In the past I have said, if we learn Buddhism but do not learn or walk His path, that is the same as not learning it at all.

All the other four kinds of noble beings, Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas, must also learn His teachings of the path. If they do not learn, aren’t they no different from those in the Six Unenlightened Realms? So as we begin to learn, we must give rise to the mindset of a great person. Since we have vowed to follow the Buddha, we must learn His teachings of the path and walk the road He walked.

“As they begin to serve a Buddha” is when one starts drawing near to a Buddha and practicing His teachings. This is “serving,” drawing near to, following and practicing the path. So, whoever draws near to a Buddha should “exhaustively practice His infinite teachings of the path.” Each Buddha has infinite teachings of the path. Thus, when we “serve a Buddha,” we must “exhaustively practice His infinite teachings of the path. Serving countless Buddhas and exhaustively practicing infinite practices to enlightenment”

refers to how Sakyamuni Buddha drew near to countless Buddhas. Each Buddha had infinite teachings of the path, all of which He diligently practiced. Moreover, practicing countless Buddhas’ infinite teachings of the path is all part of our courageous and diligent spiritual practice.

Thus, the sutra text states, “Among all sentient beings, none can understand the Buddha.” We sentient beings are in the Six Unenlightened Realms. We cannot comprehend just how high, vast and great the Buddha’s wisdom is. Nobody can understand it, even Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas. Even Bodhisattvas fall a little short, let alone Pratyekabuddhas and Hearers.

No one can understand the Buddha: With the causes the Buddha created in the past, He never parted from Buddhaskalpa after kalpa and constantly learned from Them. For hundreds, thousands, millions of [lives], at the sides of countless Buddhas, He diligently cultivated teachings of the path.

Thus, “no one can understand the Buddha. With the causes the Buddha created in the past.” Here, “in the past” is since Beginningless Time. As I have been telling everyone recently, that length of time is incalculable. It is also impossible to calculate the number of teachings the Buddha practiced. Thus, “kalpas” are used to describe the immeasurable, limitless time in which. He never parted from Buddhas. In every one of His lifetimes, He was never apart from Buddhas. Thus, lifetime after lifetime, He remained inseparable from Buddhas. He diligently practiced. Their teachings of the path. So, He treated Buddhas as. His teachers and learned from them. This is how He attained Buddhahood.

This happened in the past. For hundreds, thousands, millions of [lifetimes], at the sides of countless Buddhas, He diligently cultivated teachings of the path. Under many Buddhas, He continuously, diligently practiced Buddha’s teachings. Thus, we should understand that it is not easy to attain the Dharma, so this path is difficult to practice. Yet, what is hard to practice can be practiced. Therefore, we must engage in spiritual cultivation.

When the Buddha was in the world, how did He guide sentient beings? One day, Venerable Kasyapa asked Buddha a question, “Venerable Buddha, in the beginning there were few spiritual practitioners. You also established few rules. At the beginning there were no rules. Or, when there were, there were only a few. But now there are many more monks, and. You have gradually established more rules. Yet as the number of rules increases, there are fewer people who follow them. It seems those who obey You are few. Since so many people are not following what You have said to do, must there still be precepts?”

The Buddha responded, saying, “The lives of sentient beings have become more and more turbid. The turbidity is getting worse. There are also many bonds and instigators, which also bring turbidity. Bonds” are afflictions. There are so many afflictions in this era and in future kalpas. In the future, as sentient beings have more opinions, their afflictions will also increase. Thus, during the kalpa of turbidity, there will be many changes and disasters. Thus, future sentient beings living in this turbid, chaotic kalpa will have serious defilements and be more troubled. The pollution in their minds will worsen, because the Right Dharma is gradually changing.

Since the Buddha had established many rules and few people were following them, there were not many people faithfully practicing the teachings. This was what causes the era of Right Dharma to. become the era of Dharma-semblance, which then becomes the era of Dharma-degeneration. This happened as humans’ afflictions and defilements increased and they committed more transgressions. And with more people doing evil deeds, there needed to be more rules. Nothing can be done about this. Thus, from the era of Right Dharma till the era of Dharma-degeneration, there is even a greater need for precepts.

As I said earlier, “Spiritual practice is the work of great people; it is difficult even for great leaders.” Since this is the work of great people, even if a ruler in power was asked to engage in spiritual practice, he would not dare. Thus, we spiritual practitioners must have the strength to shoulder all things in the world. So, we must clearly understand “embodiment, power, nature and form.”

Because we understand the law of karma, what we must seek in this world of Dharma-degeneration is a return to the pure source of the Tathagata, which is the Buddha-nature inherent in all of us. Thus, we must clearly identify our direction and clearly distinguish right from wrong. We want to practice the difficult-to-practice path. This is what the Buddha told us. If after listening, we refuse to practice, it is like never having heard the Dharma. Since we are all engaging in spiritual practice, we must cultivate purifying practices. Thus, I hope everyone will always be mindful.

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Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 207 – Thoroughly Understand the Law of Karma

>> “Body, speech, and mind create the
Threefold Karma. The habitual creation of karma is a cause. These habitual
creations in previous lifetimes form the seeds for future lifetimes. So, good
people habitually do good deeds and accumulate more goodness. Evil people
habitually do bad deeds and accumulate more evil.”

>> “The suchness of form, the suchness of nature, the suchness of
embodiment, the suchness of power, the suchness of function.”

>> “The suchness of causes, the suchness of conditions, the suchness
of effects, the suchness of retributions, the suchness of ultimate [wholeness]
from beginning to end. The suchness of causes” is “the seeds planted
by creating karma.” This is “the suchness of causes.”

>> The seventh is. “Assisting conditions that enhance fruition are
the suchness of conditions.”

>> The eighth is. “The fruit resulting from assisting conditions and
seeds is called the suchness of effects.”

>> Every realm within the Ten Dharma-realms, all things sentient or
non-sentient, all phenomena of form or mind, are all replete with the Ten
Suchnesses.

“Body, speech, and mind
create the Threefold Karma.
The habitual creation of karma is a cause.
These habitual creations in previous lifetimes
form the seeds for future lifetimes.
So, good people habitually do good deeds and accumulate more goodness.
Evil people habitually do bad deeds and accumulate more evil.”

This is to share with everyone that our daily living cannot be separated from the Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind. We continuously and repeatedly replicate the Threefold Karma. So, it is a “cause.” I often say that whenever we open our mouths, we create karma, we commit transgressions. These are our habitual tendencies. “The habitual creation of karma is a cause.” We keep repeatedly creating such karma. This is a continuous [cycle]. This seed is known as a “cause.”

“This habitual creation in the past” has, from earlier, yesterday, the day before, since Beginningless Time, been continuously accumulated and “forms a seed for the future.” In the past, we did these things, so these seeds already exist. In our future lifetimes, the [presence of these] seeds continues on.

So, take “good” for example. If we are people who do good deeds, we usually have a broad view of things and pure [intentions] toward others. Having an open heart and pure thoughts is also a kind of habitual tendency. No matter what people said, it remains in the past. When people do good deeds, we are glad to hear about them. We rejoice in others’ accomplishments. We do [good deeds] and teach others to do them. These are all good things. So, the things good people do and practice are all good habitual tendencies. Moreover, with these good habits, everything they do will always be good. Therefore, good begets good. In this lifetime, we create causes for goodness, which become seeds for goodness. When good conditions are added to seeds of goodness, this creates good karmic retributions. This principle is certain.

As for evil, “evil people habitually do bad deeds and accumulate more evil.” Evil thoughts lead us to constantly take issue with others. If people interact with such habitual tendencies, they cannot treat others with an open heart. They use their suspicions to keep others out. If they do this, these habitual tendencies will also grow stronger. So, I often mention greed, anger and ignorance. This is followed by arrogance, then followed by doubt. When we doubt others, we do not trust them. When we do not trust others, they feel uncertain of us as well.

So, we must clearly distinguish right from wrong. Good deeds are what we must do and teach others to do. Then goodness can endlessly reproduce goodness, so more goodness will accumulate. When we know something is not right, we must promptly change [our ways]. If we refuse to change our bad habitual tendencies, if we act this way at all times, every day, our [negative habitual tendencies] will replicate and grow. Negative causes will create negative conditions, which lead to negative things. So, indeed there is no other way to engage in spiritual practice but to really understand how, among people in the world, we can return to our pure intrinsic nature.

The Buddha constantly expounds the Dharma to us. Earlier we spoke of the “Suchnesses,”

“The suchness of form, the suchness of nature, the suchness of embodiment, the suchness of power, the suchness of function.”

I have spoken of the Ten Suchnesses, and these are the first five.

We must recognize “the suchness of nature.” All things have their own fundamental nature. Humans have a human nature. Therefore, all living things in the world have their individual appearances and their individual natures. But their true nature is the same. Beings that transmigrate in the Six Realms all have the same true nature but different forms. Tigers, lions and leopards are all living beings but have different appearances and habitual natures.

[The next five are].

“The suchness of causes, the suchness of conditions, the suchness of effects, the suchness of retributions, the suchness of ultimate [wholeness] from beginning to end. The suchness of causes” is “the seeds planted by creating karma.” This is “the suchness of causes.”

This is similar to planting seeds. After we sow them, they will grow, flower and produce fruits. In the same way, when the seed of a tree is planted in the ground, it will also grow, flower and produce fruits. Its origin is a single seed. But after the tree blooms and bears fruit, what we harvest has, from this one seed, reproduced into many, many seeds. This is how we create [karma] and continuously replicate it to cause bad things to endlessly aggregate and multiply. One [bad] seed can multiply and then yield many seeds of ignorance.

This applies to evil. The opposite, the correct thing, is goodness. Goodness also works similarly. So, if we do good things, good will continuously beget good and reproduce goodness. The principles are the same; the only difference is good or evil. “Refrain from all evils” means we cannot plant evil causes. “Do all good deeds” means we must create more good causes and blessings. This is something we must strive to do.

The seventh is. “Assisting conditions that enhance fruition are the suchness of conditions.”

Indeed, if we put a seed over there by itself, it will be of no use. We must ensure that this seed converges with conditions. Conditions such as soil, water, sunlight, air etc. must come together with it. These are assisting conditions. They assist this seed in becoming a fruit tree.

If the conditions are insufficient, for example if this seed only encounters water, it may germinate and sprout, but that is the only thing we will ever see. Although the sprout appears, the plant will not grow beyond that. We can then only tell that this seed is alive. It still lacks other conditions. It lacks conditions such as soil, sunlight, air and many other conditions. So, just one seed and one condition will not have enough strength. It must have the embodiment of a seed, as well as the power. To have assisting power, there needs to be other conditions.

Although it has both nature and form, if the conditions are inadequate, it will not be able to exercise its power. So, there needs to be causes and conditions. Conditions are necessary to assist the causes in bearing fruit. This cause is the seed, which gives rise to the effect. What kind of seed is this? A longan seed. We plant it, wait for it to grow and then harvest it. This is called the effect. The resulting fruit we harvest is the longan. Longan seeds will never produce lychees. To help a cause bear fruit, we need various conditions.

These are the examples we use to understand that [what comes out of] good and evil seeds is predetermined. Once we have good or evil seeds, we need good or evil conditions. Evil conditions will give rise to evil. Good conditions will give rise to good. But good and evil are intermixed in this world. There is both evil and good. There are bad temperaments. This person is good; he just has a bad temper. This is how good and evil are intermixed. So, things that assist causes to produce fruit are called assisting conditions. These assisting conditions allow [the seeds] to bear fruit.

The eighth is. “The fruit resulting from assisting conditions and seeds is called the suchness of effects.”

I just spoke of causes and conditions, and now the effects have manifested. All the causes and conditions we created in our past lives will then influence this life, including the parents we have and every person we meet throughout our life up until we grow old and die. These are all people we formed affinities with. Do we have bad or good affinities with them? If the karmic connections are good, we are happy to see them in this lifetime. If the karmic connections are bad, they will obstruct and impede us on many levels. Because of bad causes and conditions, naturally, when we come to this world, there will be negative effects and retributions. This is a definite principle.

The ninth is the retributions that are reaped. Retribution does not only refer to bad things. Good things can also be retributions.

Look at all the good things that are accomplished. [This is because] many people come together to complete good things. So, we often say we are very grateful that in our previous lives we created good affinities [so that we can be here]. In Tzu Chi, this big organization, when people see each other, they warmly say, “My Dharma-brother, how are you?” This is how they interact with each other. “Thank you, Dharma-sister; I am grateful.” When people speak, they express their gratitude, ask after each other.

In this large organization, we all work toward one thing. When it has been completed, we express our gratitude and mutually praise one another. Because we have good affinities, we are determined to manifest our ideals. When we reap and gather [the fruits] of good causes and conditions, this is the form that manifests. This is what we must put our hearts into; this is the “suchness of retribution.”

After the previous nine comes the tenth. The ten began with nature and form. Form is the foundation.

People intrinsically have form as their beginning and retribution as the end, A lot depends on our form. If we take the form of a human, we can attain and accept the Buddha-Dharma. If we “faithfully accept and practice it” during our lives, in the end we will ultimately attain many teachings. Attaining many teachings [affects] the way we live every day. Whether we create good or bad karma begins with this form.

Our form is that of a human. We can see that all things on Earth have all kinds of different forms. When we listen to the teachings, we hear many analyses of things, so “by grasping one truth, we understand all truths.” Because we have a human form, we can receive this unsurpassed, subtle and wondrous Dharma. So in the end, what is the final destiny we head toward? In the beginning, I mentioned many forms. Bad causes, conditions and effects will ultimately produce [negative] retributions. Good causes, conditions and effects will ultimately produce good [retributions]. We will then attain the next level and

transcend the Six Unenlightened Realms where we cannot control our retributions. We create certain causes, so we encounter certain conditions, and then we cannot control the karmic retributions we must face. Now that we recognize this, we want to do away with the Six Realms and also heighten our vigilance [to enter] the Four Noble Realms. If we are Hearers, by hearing [the teachings], we understand them. We may also be Solitary Realizers who observe the impermanence of this world to understand the Dharma. After hearing the Dharma, we understand and develop aspirations. By realizing the impermanence of life, we will seize the day to form great aspirations and vows to be a Bodhisattva and diligently advance [on this path]. At the end of the Bodhisattva-path is the ultimate state of Buddhahood.

Every realm within the Ten Dharma-realms, all things sentient or non-sentient, all phenomena of form or mind, are all replete with the Ten Suchnesses.

So everyone, we must all understand this. We must mindfully comprehend the Ten Suchnesses, starting from the Six Realms of the [Ten Dharma-realms]. How we transmigrate within the Six Realms is beyond our control. We live in the human realm, so we can listen to the Buddha-Dharma. By listening to the Dharma, we become awakened. Through realizing the impermanence of all things, we become awakened. After we understand the Dharma and realize impermanence, we must develop great aspirations and begin walking the Bodhisattva-path. At the end of the Bodhisattva-path is the Buddhahood we seek; then we can realize the true principles of the universe, which is the ultimate teaching.

So as for the Ten Suchnesses, if we can thoroughly understand them, we will become clearer on all Dharma. Every single thing has its own nature and form, its power. I hope we can all mindfully comprehend how our own nature, form, embodiment and power will function and [create] causes, conditions, effect and retributions. Whether we are speaking or silent, moving or still, we are creating the Threefold Karma. So everyone, please always be mindful.

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Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 206 – The Ultimate Reality of True Suchness

>> “The ultimate reality of True Suchness
is always with us. You and I possess it but do not realize it. The Enlightened
Ones know and see it; unenlightened beings are deluded. With provisional and
true teachings, They skillfully, cleverly guide them to the truth.”

>> “The Buddha attained extraordinary and difficult-to-understand
Dharma. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate reality of all
things.”

>> “All phenomena have this suchness of form, this suchness of
nature, this suchness of embodiment, this suchness of power, this suchness of
function.”

>> “All things have the True Suchness of ultimate reality, also
called Suchness.”

>> Within the Ten Dharma-realms 1. An externally revealed appearance is
the suchness of form 2. The intrinsic principle is the suchness of nature 3.
The composing substance is the suchness of embodiment.

>> Within the Ten Dharma-realms 4. The power that embodiment generates is
the suchness of power 5. The creation of karma is the suchness of function.

“The ultimate reality of True Suchness is always with us.
You and I possess it but do not realize it.
The Enlightened Ones know and see it; unenlightened beings are deluded.
With provisional and true teachings, They skillfully, cleverly guide them to the truth.”

We should clearly know that “the ultimate reality of True Suchness is always with us.” We all have it. It is with us every day, whether we are walking, standing, sitting or lying down. In whatever we say, it is always with us. We all intrinsically have this ultimate reality of True Suchness, but we are unable to realize it. However, the Enlightened Ones already “know.” Such are Their understanding and views.

The Buddha’s understanding and views already encompass the truth of all things in the universe. There is nothing He is not aware of. But ordinary people are still deluded, so they cannot comprehend this. The Buddha has to give “provisional” teachings, which actually contain the “true” [Dharma]. So, provisional teachings are wondrously skillful and wondrously true. To expound the true Dharma, He also has to use various skillful means to help everyone accept true teachings. So, there is provisional in the true and cleverness in the provisional. Wondrous provisional and true teachings are clever and skillful ways of guiding people of various levels to earnestly [practice] certain teachings. So, we need to be mindful when we listen to the Dharma.

So, the Buddha uses various skillful means to help us understand that life is not just about living through night and day. We also have to understand how the sky darkens and brightens. He helps us recognize what we are doing just as the sky darkens and brightens. He hopes all of us can meticulously experience our lives and everything that is intimately related to our living. This is out of the Buddha’s compassion.

So, the previous passage from the sutra states,

“The Buddha attained extraordinary and difficult-to-understand Dharma. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate reality of all things.”

This requires being at the state of the Buddha.

There are Buddhas of the past, present and future; They are all Buddhas, and. Their enlightened nature is beginningless and endless. Our enlightened nature is also the same. We should also have the same hopes. Our enlightened nature is equal to all Buddhas.’ As for the Dharma taught by the Buddha, we must be able to “understand the ultimate reality of all things.” We should also be able to accept and realize this. So [as part of] “all Buddhas,” we must have this realization and knowledge. We must accept this Dharma and thoroughly understand it.

The next passage then states,

“All phenomena have this suchness of form, this suchness of nature, this suchness of embodiment, this suchness of power, this suchness of function.”

Our daily living cannot be separated from these principles. There are ten categories of suchness. The Ten Suchnesses were categorized by. Dharma Master Tiantai. They mean that,

“All things have the True Suchness of ultimate reality, also called Suchness.”

When we expound the sutra, it opens with. “Thus have I heard” as the first sentence. All things are contained within this “thus.” This refers to “Suchness”; it is real and not illusory. This True Dharma is called “Suchness.”

True Suchness is inherent in all of us. All things in this world contain the ultimate reality of True Suchness and manifest different physical appearances. For example, take our knowledge of plants. Look at grasses and trees; whether they naturally grew on their own or were planted and cultivated by people, they just appear to be plants. What exactly is their true nature? Indeed, their “suchness of form” is a plant. There is also their “suchness of nature.” Plants all have their own nature, as well as “suchness of embodiment.” They have their own physical make up, and also their “suchness of power.” They have power, as well as their “suchness of function.” They have their uses.

These are [some of] the Ten Suchnesses. Each thing has a different nature and a different form. Hence, we have the Ten Dharma-realms. The Six Unenlightened and Four Noble Realms are called the Ten Dharma-realms. These are completely created by our minds. This is the pure Buddha-nature innate in us all. So when a thought goes astray, it spreads across the Ten Dharma-realms.

We all know the Six Unenlightened Realms, heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost, animal [and asuras]. These are all part of the Six Unenlightened Realms. And the Four Noble Realms? Hearers, Solitary Realizers, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas comprise the Four Noble Realms. In the Four Noble Realms, the clear understanding of True Suchness all comes back to the One Vehicle.

Within the Ten Dharma-realms 1. An externally revealed appearance is the suchness of form 2. The intrinsic principle is the suchness of nature 3. The composing substance is the suchness of embodiment.

So within the Ten Dharma-realms, first is the externally revealed appearance. All kinds of different shapes and forms manifest. I hear a sound, so I ask, “What kind of sound is that? Birds chirping. What is the image of a bird chirping?” An image of a bird will flash in your minds. As birds chirp, their image will appear in our minds. We see one, two or many birds. This is the perception that we have as humans.

Whether we speak of innate enlightenment, initial enlightenment or so on, we unenlightened beings are all in this state. We know that birds and all moving sentient beings have Buddha-nature. So in the animal realm, animals can also return to their intrinsic Buddha-nature. Thus, “an externally revealed appearance is the suchness of form.” Everything has a true intrinsic nature.

So, the Suchness I just mentioned is its true nature. Our true intrinsic natures are also within the Ten Dharma-realms. Thus, it is not apart from the. Six Unenlightened and Four Noble Realms. To understand something, we must recognize that all external appearances contain principles of the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle.

Second is the “suchness of nature.” Things contain intrinsic principles. On the surface, we see the appearance of a bird. Actually, it contains principles. It is often said, “A sparrow may be small, but it still has all necessary organs.” Its biology is also quite similar to that of humans. It has its own awareness and awakened nature. For example, when the weather is good, it will come outside and so on. This is its logical nature, the “suchness of nature.”

“Form” and “nature” both have this suchness. Suchness is an intrinsic and true principle. Both our nature and our form contain their own principles, which are true principles.

Third, “the composing substance is the suchness of embodiment.” The suchness of embodiment is the quality within. Regardless of the type of plant, if we can refine it, we will find oil inside. Different oils have different uses. This is its composing substance.

Consider a mountain. Let me ask you, is the mountain hard or soft? Do you know the answer? Is the mountain hard or soft? It is hard, correct? Yes, mountains are hard in nature. They have dirt and rocks, so they can carry the weight of many things. Then let me ask, is water hard or soft? It is soft. Water and mountains are composed of different substances. A mountain has the substance and function of a mountain; water has the substance and function of water. So, they are different. This is its composing substance, “the suchness of embodiment.”

But a mountain is not just hard; it may include many substances. [Consider the natural landscape]. On the body of a mountain, there will also be water. There is water on even the highest mountain top. By the same principle, a mountain can give life to all things. Without water, a mountain will lose its function. In summary, all things in this world are interconnected. Between them, they may manifest [different appearances], but their innate embodiment is the same.

Within the Ten Dharma-realms 4. The power that embodiment generates is the suchness of power 5. The creation of karma is the suchness of function.

Fourth is the power that embodiment generates; this power is called the “suchness of power.” Because of their substance, they have this power. Would you say that the nature of water is soft? Actually, the nature of water is powerful. I was once in a marble factory and watched the workers cut marble. They did not cut it with a blade, but with water. That is called a “water jet cutter.” Water is that sharp? Yes, water can cut through stone. Look at how powerful water is.

Mountains are very solid and look very strong. But when there is a massive rainstorm, there are landslides and rockslides. Mountains are so big but the power of water can change the face of an entire mountain. So, do you think water is powerful? It usually looks very soft. When it is in a rectangular container, it takes the shape of the container. In a round container, it takes a round shape. It seems to be very soft, but it has such great power.

So, mountains are powerful in their own ways and so is water. Although water is very soft, it can be very sharp and powerful. This is the “suchness of power.” So, suchness is the true nature contained within; it is very sharp.

In summary, this is the “suchness of embodiment” and “the suchness of power.” Each appearance has its unique kind of power.

Although a plant may be small, consider something like the Datura plants. From looking at them, we may not know that by just touching a plant or breaking off its straight branches to use as chopsticks when we forget our utensils and eating with it, we may die without knowing why. This happens really quickly. Its poison is very lethal. We often see them planted by the road. We must recognize that these are very poisonous. It is immediately toxic to us when it comes in contact with the human nervous system. The body becomes paralyzed and stops breathing. Then the person passes away. Consider this plant. It does not look like much, but it is also very powerful. So, each body and form has its own power.

The fifth is the creation of karma, “the suchness of function.” All our karma is created through our actions. I just spoke of the Ten Dharma-realms; we are in the Six Unenlightened and. Four Noble Realms. In truth, ultimately we all have this true nature. We all have innate enlightenment, a nature of True Suchness. But we are confused, so we create karma that causes us to transmigrate in the Six Realms.

To reach heaven, we must create blessed karma; to stay human, we must carefully keep precepts. If we are not careful, we give rise to greed, anger and ignorance. Asuras have heavenly blessings but lack heavenly virtues. Then next are the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. We cannot control where we go in the Six Unenlightened Realms.

As I mentioned previously, the ultimate reality of True Suchness is always by our side. Moreover, you and I are all replete with this ultimate reality of True Suchness. The Enlightened One, Sakyamuni Buddha, has knowledge and views of all things. Ordinary people are deluded, so the Buddha uses His skillful means and wondrous provisional and true teachings. He applies His wisdom to guide us well.

So, we must understand the Dharma the Buddha wants us to accept. In our daily living, everything we see and everything our body comes in contact with contains an abundance of principles within. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0205

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 205 – Understand the Ultimate Reality of All Things

>> “Teachings of the ultimate reality of
the One Vehicle are realized by all Buddhas. So, They return to people in the
Saha World to skillfully and carefully guide and instill the Dharma into their
hearts. With great patience, they never abandon sentient beings. They connect
them to the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.”

>> The Dharma that the Buddha attained was most extraordinary and
difficult to understand. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate
reality of all things.

>> “The wisdom of all Buddhas is extremely profound and unlimited.
This wisdom-door is difficult to understand and enter.”

>> The ultimate reality of all things is also called
Nirvana-illumination. Nirvana means tranquil and still. Illumination shows
something with clarity. This reveals the virtue of the ultimate reality of the
Middle Way, which is the principle of innate enlightenment.

>> Ultimate reality means to transcend the original illusory and false
appearances. This ultimate reality of all things is all-encompassing wisdom.

“Teachings of the ultimate reality
of the One Vehicle are realized by all Buddhas.
So, They return to people in the Saha World
to skillfully and carefully guide and instill the Dharma into their hearts.
With great patience, they never abandon sentient beings.
They connect them to the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.”

This tells all of us that the Buddha comes to this world for one great cause. This great cause is very closely related to both our physical life and our wisdom-life. But we sentient beings have always neglected and looked down on ourselves. We ordinary beings are constantly lost in the world around us, so we keep degenerating and indulging ourselves. This is why we ordinary beings are forever trapped in the Six Realms.

The Buddha comes to this world, not for anything else but this one great cause. He hopes we can all comprehend His intention and understand the teachings of the path to the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. He helps us understand that we must immediately break free from our confusion. This is the Buddha’s compassionate original intent.

To transform sentient beings, He continuously gives teachings and tells all of us that. He had also worked very hard in the past. During the time of other Buddhas, He continuously engaged in spiritual practice. He placed great importance on the Dharma, so He faithfully accepted and practiced the teachings of all Buddhas. Therefore, He accomplished the teachings of all Buddhas. This is why He returns to the Saha World to interact with people.

In this Saha world, humans are the most stubborn and hard to train. Often, as they begin to be diligent, they quickly degenerate into indolence. This is a form of stubbornness, so He has to use skillful means to transform their minds. But as sentient beings, have we truly taken this Dharma into our hearts? If the door to our heart is not open, regardless of how good the Dharma is, it is blocked and remains outside; it will not be able to enter. So, we need to open the door. If we do not, the Dharma cannot enter our minds.

But the Buddha still has “great patience, so He never abandons sentient beings.” He exercises great loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity as. He deals with so many stubborn and difficult-to-train sentient beings. He has to have great patience, which comes from the unwillingness to abandon sentient beings. Regardless of how stubborn sentient beings are, the Buddha continues to be broad-minded and patient with them, [though] they are lax, stubborn and degenerate.

So, He “connects them to the True Dharma of the One Vehicle,” For their sake, He still holds on to this connection and is reluctant to let go because sentient beings have not yet connected to the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, have not yet realized the Buddha’s principles and have not yet attained a luminous mind. Because our minds are not yet illuminated, our intrinsic Buddha-nature has not yet manifested. So, the Buddha cannot bear to see sentient beings constantly degenerate.

Everyone, the Buddha has compassion for sentient beings, so we must all be grateful to and repay Him. The Buddha does not ask for anything in return, He only wants sentient beings to be transformed. To be transformed, we must bring the Dharma into our hearts. This is how we repay all Buddhas’ grace. So, I hope we can genuinely self-reflect and be vigilant. Why is it that when we become even slightly tired, we stop and cease to progress further? This is something we have to. This is something we have to constantly ask ourselves.

The Dharma that the Buddha attained was most extraordinary and difficult to understand. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate reality of all things.

Despite the various methods the Buddha taught, sentient beings remained very stubborn. Furthermore, the Dharma He was about to teach was the “most extraordinary and difficult to understand.” Could everyone accept it? Did he need to teach it? The Buddha was compassionate, so He continued to remind and teach us. So, He was indicating to everyone that the Dharma He was about to expound was extraordinary and difficult to understand. It would require us all to be diligent because rare and difficult-to-understand Dharma could ultimately only be thoroughly realized by Buddhas.

The Dharma taught by all past Buddhas was accepted by Sakyamuni Buddha. So, the teachings given by Sakyamuni Buddha now must also be accepted by future Buddhas. This is because “all Buddhas share the same path.” I constantly [remind you of this]. None of the Buddhas of the past, present or future can deviate from the “extraordinary and difficult-to-understand Dharma.” We must understand that this is “the One Vehicle Dharma.”

Why is it difficult to understand? Because it is difficult to know. If we do not know it, how can we understand it? Why don’t we ordinary people know the Buddha’s Dharma even though. He has been teaching it for so long? When we do not know it, we cannot understand it.

Therefore, we must seek understanding; only when we understand can we have realizations. So, what understanding should we seek? The Buddha’s understanding and views. We must know what the Buddha knows, have the same understanding as the Buddha. This is what we must know. So, when we realize the Buddha’s teachings, we have His “understanding and views,” and naturally there will be no difficult-to-understand Dharma.

Thus if we do not know, we will not realize. If we do not know, having realizations will be particularly difficult. How can we attain realizations? After we “know,” we also need to “understand.” So after we “know and understand,” we can then “realize and enter” [His teachings]. “Realizing and entering” is even more difficult than “knowing and understanding.” Thus, this is called “difficult-to-understand.” Because this is so hard to understand, this is considered “extraordinary.”

This is the one and only teaching, that of the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. The Buddha taught for over 40 years solely for the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. So, this is “extraordinary” and hard to understand.

The Chapter on Skillful Means stated earlier that,

“The wisdom of all Buddhas is extremely profound and unlimited. This wisdom-door is difficult to understand and enter.”

This explains that the wisdom-door of all past Buddhas is extremely profound and unlimited. However, we all still think of ourselves as ordinary people, and we willingly degenerate because we are not willing to be diligent. So, this wisdom-door is hard for ordinary people to understand and enter. If we want to learn from the Buddha, if we do not want to remain in the Six Realms and keep transmigrating without our own control, then we must seize the opportunity now to progress diligently in learning the Buddha-Dharma. Otherwise, the Buddha’s wisdom-door will always be hard for us to understand and enter.

So, what is the ultimate reality of all things? It is Nirvana-illumination. “Nirvana” means tranquil and still. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings states, “Tranquil and clear, vows vast as the universe. Tranquil and clear” is a state within our minds. We understand that our intrinsic Buddha-nature is tranquil and still, or still and tranquil. If our minds can be still and tranquil, we can attain Nirvana-illumination.

When the mind is pure, naturally it has a great perfect mirror. This great perfect [mirror] is perfectly round, a clear and bright state of mind. Thus, naturally it can illuminate the truths of all things in the universe. This is called Great Enlightenment. Thus, the ultimate reality of all things is called “Nirvana-illumination, Nirvana” means tranquil and still.

The ultimate reality of all things is also called Nirvana-illumination. Nirvana means tranquil and still. Illumination shows something with clarity. This reveals the virtue of the ultimate reality of the Middle Way, which is the principle of innate enlightenment.

Are our minds really always pure? Aren’t we always tempted by fame and wealth? Don’t our minds often give rise to ignorance because of our greed? We must constantly self-reflect and illuminate our minds. Does it contain defilements? Does it contain ignorance? Thus, “illumination” shows something with clarity. This is a form of self-reflection. This reveals the virtues of the ultimate reality of the Middle Way,

which are true emptiness and wondrous existence. With “true emptiness,” we cannot be attached. With “wondrous existence,” we diligently practice. Since, when we break down everything in the world, everything is ultimately empty, why should we take issue over anything? Everything we take issue over will eventually become non-existent. So as we take issue over things and create karma, time still keeps passing by. Birth, aging, illness and death are also empty. But as we go through the [cycle of life,] we create karma, and the resulting karmic retribution still exists. This is “wondrous existence.” Thus, between “true emptiness and wondrous existence,” we must take the Middle Way and

truly realize “ultimate reality of the Middle Way.” So as we deal with things, we must promptly let go of greed, anger, delusion, arrogance and doubt. So, sentient beings in the world face unbearable suffering because of the cycle of karmic retributions. When we understand this, we must form great aspirations and be diligent, liberate ourselves and guide others to enter the Bodhi-path. This is called the “Middle Way.” We cannot be attached to “emptiness,” but must practice the teachings of. True Suchness in “wondrous existence.”

Wondrous existence also refers to our true nature, which is also our Buddha-nature true nature, which is also our Buddha-nature. Because of His nature, the Buddha cannot bear to let sentient beings [suffer]. He has no attachments to things in the world, but. He will never abandon sentient beings. This is “wondrous existence.” Hopefully, we can all learn “the ultimate reality of the Middle Way” and practice it.

So, “virtue” comes from internal cultivation and external practice. Similarly, in the past, Sakyamuni Buddha diligently practiced [the teachings of] countless Buddhas and eventually attained Buddhahood. Once He was replete with all virtues, He became a Buddha. By the same principle, when we understand the Dharma, naturally we will manifest the Middle Way, and our minds will become tranquil and clear. This is how we can be on the Middle Way.

“Tranquil and still” is a state of emptiness. “Illumination” clearly shows the true principles of all things in the world. With this illumination, we can also help people attain liberation. Otherwise, living in this world, we will endlessly create karma.

So, this is called the Middle Way. First, we must understand “tranquil and still.” Second, we must illuminate the ultimate reality of all things in the universe. This is called the “Middle Way.” This is the principle of innate enlightenment. “Innate enlightenment” depends on us. Have we attained realizations?

So, ultimate reality transcends original illusory and false appearances. We do not know how much karma we have created since Beginningless Time. Because of our ignorance over countless lifetimes, we do not clearly understand and cannot help but repeatedly become entangled by karmic conditions. We have continuously been ordinary beings since we formed an ignorant thought in the past. Since Beginningless Time, we have been in a constant state of delusion. Now we are beginning to transcend illusory and false appearances and return to our innate enlightenment. This is “the ultimate reality of all things,” or “all-encompassing wisdom.”

Ultimate reality means to transcend the original illusory and false appearances. This ultimate reality of all things is all-encompassing wisdom.

When it comes to all things, the illusory and false are what we must set aside. When we have all-encompassing wisdom, our minds are clear as we interact with people and matters. This is “all-encompassing wisdom,” which is also “ultimate reality,” the principles of the One Vehicle. This is the “extraordinary Dharma.” Can everyone understand this?

This Dharma can only be understood by Buddhas. Where are these Buddhas? They are within us. All Buddhas’ Dharma was passed to Sakyamuni, and His teachings are passed on to those who will attain Buddhahood in the future. So, all Buddhas share the same path and pass down teachings in the same lineage. What is being passed down? The ultimate reality of the One Vehicle.

So, I hope everyone can clearly understand this passage of the sutra. “Extraordinary and difficult-to-understand Dharma [can only be thoroughly realized by Buddhas].” Past Buddhas, Sakyamuni Buddha and future Buddhas all have the same Buddha-nature, and we can thoroughly understand it as long as we are always mindful.

Ch02-ep0204

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 204 – Teach Ultimate Reality with Great Compassion

>> “Buddhas give teachings out of great
compassion. They are known and recognized by all as models. They have achieved
all virtuous merits and profound, never-before-experienced Dharma.”

>> “Sariputra, the Tathagata can make various distinctions,
tactfully giving all teachings. His speech is gentle and delights the hearts of
multitudes.”

>> “Sariputra, essentially speaking, all Buddhas have fully achieved
the unlimited, boundless, never-before-experienced Dharma.”

>> “Stop, Sariputra, there is no need to speak further. Why is
this?”

>> It says, “The Dharma that the Buddha attained was most
extraordinary and difficult to understand. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize
the ultimate reality of all things.”

>> Extraordinary: [He taught] extraordinary and incredible things, the
teachings of the Great Vehicle Path and worldly and world-transcending Dharma.
Through this, He revealed the extraordinary Dharma of the Three Vehicles.

“Buddhas give teachings out of great compassion.
They are known and recognized by all as models.
They have achieved all virtuous merits
and profound, never-before-experienced Dharma.”

Everyone, as we learn from the Buddha, we must understand His original intention. All Buddhas intend to [exercise] great compassion. This great compassion means They hope that sentient beings can comprehend Their thoughts and thus can become one with Them.

We often talk about “unconditional loving-kindness, great universal compassion.” We must treat all sentient beings as we treat ourselves. “When others hurt, I ache. When others suffer, I grieve.” Sentient beings experience suffering. If we are to learn the Bodhisattva-path, we must learn how to perceive their suffering as our own suffering, to see their hurt as our pain. As we learn the Bodhisattva-path, this is how we should feel toward sentient beings.

The Buddha has already attained enlightenment. After He awakened, He had the compassion to perceive all sentient beings as His own children. So, when sentient beings are lost, the Buddha, out of His great compassion, hopes that they can all be awakened. So, it is said, “Buddhas give teachings out of great compassion.” They hope that we can all accept and realize the Buddha-Dharma and [develop] wisdom equal to Buddhas.’ This is the Buddha’s goal in teaching.

“They are known and recognized by all as models.” After Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, His great enlightened wisdom was something all Buddhas, heavenly beings and dragon-gods could recognize. As I previously mentioned, “His name was widely known.” So, He was “known and recognized by all.”

At the Lotus Sutra assembly, as we discussed in the Introductory Chapter, many of those who came to listen to teachings were Arhats who engaged in spiritual practice. They were “known and recognized by all.” For instance, Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, Ananda, Mahakasyapa and so on were all representatives of the Sangha and were recognized by everyone. So, they could receive the Buddha’s teachings and had the Dharma in their hearts and actions. Naturally, they became role models and were “known and recognized” by everyone. Thus, by accepting the Buddha’s teachings and practicing them, naturally they became role models known and recognized by everyone.

“They have accomplished all virtuous merits.” At that Dharma-assembly, since they could receive the Buddha’s teachings and practice them, they could put them into action. So, “they have accomplished all virtuous merits.” When all good deeds are accomplished and all evils have been eliminated, our minds are pure and our habitual tendencies are well-adjusted; these are all virtuous merits.

“Merits” are cultivated inwardly. “Virtues” are practiced outwardly. This is how merits and virtues are defined. “Refraining from all evils and doing all good deeds” is what brings merits and virtues. As for “profound, never-before-experienced Dharma,” to achieve all this without giving rise to discursive thoughts and to thoroughly understand what the Buddha teaches out of great compassion is not easy. The Buddha was about to give profound Dharma that no one had ever understood before. Now He was about to proclaim “profound, never-before-experienced Dharma.”

The previous passage in the sutra states,

“Sariputra, the Tathagata can make various distinctions, tactfully giving all teachings. His speech is gentle and delights the hearts of multitudes.”

Next we discuss,

“Sariputra, essentially speaking, all Buddhas have fully achieved the unlimited, boundless, never-before-experienced Dharma.”

The Buddha can teach with various skillful means because He has already achieved many unlimited, boundless teachings. Because He has realized them, He can teach them to sentient beings. By teaching according to their capabilities, He hoped they could begin to develop realizations. However, these are still not the Buddha’s original intended [teachings]. These are just skillful means He tactfully gave to first attract them.

We are like children. Because children do not know anything, parents begin by speaking to them with child-like speech, so they may understand them. Based on the same principle, when we speak to others, we speak according to their age and experience to say things that will resonate with them. Sometimes, when people reach old age, it is like speaking to children again. Why is that? When people age, their brains degenerate.

So I often say, when ordinary people are born, they are young and confused. When we say something true or profound, children cannot understand us. We can live a lifetime this way, lacking knowledge and awareness. We grow from childhood to teenage years to our prime, middle age and senior years. Time goes by as we age. Our knowledge grows as our body matures and strengthens. Then when we reach old age, our consciousness, like our body, returns to that original state of confusion.

Why don’t we quickly become self-aware? We must seize the time now while we can accept this knowledge. We must quickly take this seed of enlightenment into our hearts. Let us take the opportunity to accept and apply the Buddha’s teachings to eliminate our past habitual tendencies of ignorance, confusion and afflictions. We should utilize this moment while our mind-consciousness can accept this teaching. We must seize this [opportunity]. Think about it. The Buddha keeps coming to this world, lifetime after lifetime, to continuously teach with skillful means. When will sentient beings be able to hear the True Dharma?

So, we must “seize the present moment and sustain it forever.” The instant the words penetrate our hearts, we must allow this Dharma to enter our minds and be like pure water, so we can cleanse the ignorance from our minds. We must quickly apply this to our daily living to eliminate our past habitual tendencies.

Everyone, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we allow the Buddha to continuously use various skillful means to explain the Dharma. This is truly very arduous [for Him]. Do sentient beings actually understand it? So, after the Buddha taught for so long, He said, “Sariputra, essentially speaking, all Buddhas have fully achieved the unlimited, boundless, never-before-experienced Dharma.” The Buddha understands many teachings, so. He can teach according to capabilities.

But then the Buddha said,

“Stop, Sariputra, there is no need to speak further. Why is this?”

Alas, this is what sentient beings are like. I keep using various skillful means to teach them, but they still do not understand. Sentient beings are still indolent, unable to move forward. So, should He keep speaking? Why?

It says, “The Dharma that the Buddha attained was most extraordinary and difficult to understand. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate reality of all things.”

This explains that the Dharma the Buddha realized and wanted to speak from His heart was actually extraordinary and difficult-to-understand Dharma. This was the Buddha’s original [teaching]. For over 40 years, He used skillful means to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities. The first thing He really wanted to teach was extraordinary and difficult to understand Dharma. To sentient beings, this was extraordinary and very difficult to understand. This is the Buddha’s spiritual state. Only Buddhas can thoroughly realize the ultimate reality of all things.

To truly resonate with the words spoken from the Buddha’s capacity, one must have a capacity equal to His. Only with this kind of dialogue can the teaching be smooth and understandable.

Sometimes I say, “I am unable to get through to him because he does not understand what I am saying.” [It is already like this between humans,] [let alone between humans and the Buddha]. The Buddha’s state is ultimately only understood by other Buddhas. Only when our capacity resonates with the teachings can we truly understand the ultimate reality of all things.

The ultimate reality is what the Buddha first wanted to teach. But the principles of this ultimate reality are extraordinary. What does it mean to be extraordinary?

Extraordinary: [He taught] extraordinary and incredible things, the teachings of the Great Vehicle Path and worldly and world-transcending Dharma. Through this, He revealed the extraordinary Dharma of the Three Vehicles.

“Extraordinary” refers to what normal people do not find possible. Even if it were possible, it is incredible, not something that ordinary people would conceive. Therefore, they are called “incredible things.” These “incredible things” are the “teachings of the Great Vehicle Path.”

Previously, I kept mentioning the teachings of the path. This is a path to enlightenment. His teaching is the True Dharma. In learning from the Buddha, since we have seen this path, we can truly step onto it. As long as we accept and practice teachings and keep walking on this path, we should be able to arrive at the destination of Buddhahood. If we return to and focus on this path and really walk on it, we can see firsthand the scenery along this road. To truly learn the Dharma, we must practice it, so we can realize the joy of the Dharma entering our hearts. This is the teaching of the Great Vehicle Path.

Teachings of the Great Vehicle Path are incredible. What exactly are they? The Buddha comes to teach us how to live in this world, how to be a good person. We often say, “Only when we have perfected our character can we attain Buddhahood.” Since we have come into this world, we should learn to be a [good] person in dealing with people, matters and objects and [develop the right] mindset to

deal with challenges and other people. Can we treat others with patience, openness, love and gentleness? This is how we should treat others. In handling matters, can we “refrain from all evils, do all good deeds”? When we see such material goods, recognition, wealth and status in the world, do they stir up discursive thoughts?

The Buddha taught for over 40 years because He wanted us to be good people first. This is how we should live in this world. [He also taught] world-transcending Dharma, which is what I have been teaching in terms of practicing the Great Vehicle teachings. We should deal with matters until our minds are free of attachments and we can eliminate all afflictions. Every day we bathe in the stream of Dharma and use it to cleanse our minds. By bathing in the stream of Dharma every day, we can transcend the world. Then “the mind is without hindrances.” Can we achieve this state in the world? To do so, we must realize the Buddha’s truth.

So, [He taught] the worldly and world-transcending Dharma. Over 40-plus years, the Buddha used many skillful means to teach the Dharma. He did this solely to reveal the extraordinary Dharma of the Three Vehicles. Though they are skillful means, they contain true principles. Because of sentient beings’ capabilities, He had to use these methods to guide them to enter the Buddha’s door, listen to the Dharma, steady their minds to uphold precepts and focus their minds to slowly awaken wisdom.

Though the Buddha had to work very hard to train stubborn sentient beings, He established these Three Vehicle teachings to [help them] live in and transcend the world, to advance from living in this world all the way to transcending the world. He used various skillful means to make analogies and guide them. This is why there are Three Vehicle teachings for. Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas. The teachings of these Three Vehicles are revealed here at this moment.

So, fellow Bodhisattvas, we truly need to be mindful and practice the Bodhisattva-path. When it comes to this extraordinary Dharma, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0203

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 203 – [Diligently Transform Sentient Beings

>> Therefore His wisdom is extremely profound.
His teachings of the path are infinite and cannot be measured or calculated.

>> Therefore, with His “clever, skillful and non-discriminating
wisdom, He taught countless sentient beings according to their
capabilities.”

>> “Deeply enter the boundless Dharma and awaken to the Dharma that
has never been attained.”

>> “Everyone in the assembly attained what they had never had
before. They rejoiced and pressed their palms together.”

>> “Sariputra, the Tathagata can make various distinctions,
tactfully giving all teachings. His speech is gentle and delights the hearts of
multitudes.”

>> The Eight Tones: beautiful tone, soft tone, harmonious tone,
respectful and wise tone, non-effeminate tone, unerring tone, deep and
far-reaching tone and inexhaustible tone.

>>Tathagata: It is one of the ten epithets of all Buddhas. [This epithet]
refers to True Suchness. On the path of True Suchness, He goes from causes to
fruition and attains perfect enlightenment.

>> “With a mind of infinite great compassion, the Buddha spoke in
tactful tones that were agreeable to sentient beings. This enabled those who
heard it to be joyful and to let go of their stubbornness.”

We must diligently practice all Buddhas’ teachings of the path. The Buddha had drawn near to countless Buddhas,

Therefore His wisdom is extremely profound. His teachings of the path are infinite and cannot be measured or calculated.

We cannot calculate this numerically because.

He encountered countless Buddhas’ teachings and continuously and diligently practiced them without ever becoming lax. Therefore, the teachings of the path He attained cannot be numerically calculated.

I keep saying that what the Great Enlightened One of the Universe realized encompasses the universe and pervades all Dharma-realms. Therefore, it is incalculable. So, the Buddha’s extremely profound wisdom and teachings of the path are infinite. Therefore, with His “clever, skillful and.”

Therefore, with His “clever, skillful and non-discriminating wisdom, He taught countless sentient beings according to their capabilities.”

What He attained was non-discriminating wisdom. I often say “show compassion to all equally.” Even though sentient beings have limited capabilities and wisdom, the Buddha uses teachings of the path that they can accept to teach them. If they have great capabilities and wisdom, He gives them great teachings. Whether they have limited or great capabilities, all sentient beings are taught according to their capabilities by the Buddha compassionately using clever and skillful means. He did this all to help everyone become equal. This is “showing compassion to all equally.”

Non-discriminating means that we all have equal, innate wisdom. We originally have this intrinsic Buddha-nature, and this original, equal wisdom. So how could there be any difference? Because the Buddha is compassionate, He wanted to enable all sentient beings to attain the Buddha’s state of enlightenment. Therefore, He exercised clever and skillful means to give teachings. To do this, He had to exercise impartial and non-discriminating wisdom.

There are infinite sentient beings, and He had to teach them according to their capabilities. As I mentioned previously, all Buddhas have strength. They possess the Ten Powers, Fourfold Fearlessness, dhyana, liberation, Samadhi and so on. These are things we all need to work on. We need to calm our minds.

If we have not attained a state of dhyana, do not contemplate nor have a tranquil mind, we cannot attain liberation nor enter the practice of the Right Path,

“Deeply enter the boundless Dharma and awaken to the Dharma that has never been attained.”

“Deeply enter the boundless Dharma.” This Dharma is not just vast; it is also profound. We cannot just recognize that it is profound; we must really “enter” it. All Dharma must enter our minds, not just one or two teachings, but countless, boundless teachings.

Therefore, “all Dharma arose without a beginning and ceased without an ending.” How long has this Dharma existed? When did it begin? The Buddha-Dharma keeps stating, “Since Beginningless time….” This means there was no starting point; it began a long, long time ago. We cannot comprehend it or verbally reason out when this Dharma began.

When did our wisdom, our Buddha-nature, begin? We cannot figure it out. It happened a long time ago. “Arose without a beginning and ceased without an ending.” When something is beginningless and endless, that means it has existed for a very long time. And in the future? It also has no ending. Exactly when does the Dharma come to an end?

Right now we talk about Dharma-degeneration because the Dharma is currently in the evil world of Five Turbidities. The defilements in the minds of sentient beings are very severe. Therefore, this is the era of Dharma-degeneration. This means that the Buddha-Dharma is coming to an end in this present era. Actually, what we call the end leads to [the beginning of] the next cycle. This is why the Buddha comes to this world to turn the Dharma-wheel. In the era of Dharma-degeneration, He turns it again, so it begins again. What moment is this? It is continuously turning. This is called turning the Dharma-wheel. The turning of the Dharma-wheel is indeed beginningless and endless. From the moment it arises to the moment it ceases, the time in between is truly incalculable. It is boundless and cannot be calculated. This is true emptiness.

When the Buddha gave the Prajna [teachings,]. He said that in the end, there is nothing. But we must understand that in true emptiness, there is wondrous existence. The Buddha applied His wisdom to meticulously analyze how something becomes nothing. But within this nothingness, there is very subtle and wondrous Dharma. Therefore, nothing becomes something.

There is much Dharma in this world. What is Dharma? It needs an appearance for other people to see it. These things are inseparable from the temporary union of the four elements. Therefore, everything we can see or feel is Dharma; everything is Dharma. But these things cause sentient beings to form attachments. This is why the Buddha had to exercise wisdom to meticulously analyze for us that

the things we can see are formed by the four elements. What we cannot see are our feelings, the accumulation of afflictions. If we mindfully interpret and understand tangible and intangible things, allow our wisdom to penetrate them, then naturally, things that “exist” become “non-existent,” and within something “non-existent,” there is wondrous Dharma, which is wondrous existence. Wondrous existence is pure and undefiled wisdom. This pure and undefiled wisdom comes from our intrinsic Buddha-nature.

He “awakened to the Dharma that has never been attained.” The beginning of Lotus Sutra states,

“Everyone in the assembly attained what they had never had before. They rejoiced and pressed their palms together.”

This “never had before” was mentioned at the beginning of the Lotus Dharma-assembly, in the introductory chapter. I have also continually mentioned that state. When the Buddha was about to expound the sutra, many beings came from the ten directions, whether they were the Buddha’s disciples, kings or ministers of kingdoms, the eight classes of Dharma-protectors in heavens or all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of ten directions. They all emerged and arrived at this Dharma-assembly.

“Everyone attained what they never had before.” In the past, they often listened to His teachings, but things seemed ordinary. However, this Dharma-assembly seemed very extraordinary. So, this is to “attain what has never been attained.” This refers to what has never happened in the past and is being experienced for the first time. This has never been experienced before, so now they feel such joy. At that Dharma-assembly, they all felt this joy that they had never experienced before. They can “attain what has never been attained”

because they “deeply entered the boundless.” Their minds have already deeply entered a vast, broad and profound state. This is also a state of “emptiness.” All things are inherently empty. In that state, there are no hindrances and the mind is truly clear and at ease. But in that clarity, there is the subtle and wondrous joy of “attaining what has never been attained.”

Therefore, the Buddha once again called out,

“Sariputra, the Tathagata can make various distinctions, tactfully giving all teachings. His speech is gentle and delights the hearts of multitudes.”

The Buddha spoke to Sariputra to keep reminding everyone to be earnest. Sariputra and all of us must understand that “the Tathagata can make various distinctions.” He is able to distinguish all forms in this world, one by one, and analyze each of them for us. His analysis helps us understand that afflictions come from coming in contact with people and matters, and so does joy and so on.

The Buddha explains each thing, one by one. He does this by “tactfully speaking,” which is using skillful means. He uses various methods to make analogies and give explanations. He tactfully teaches according to what sentient beings can accept based on their capabilities.

As He gives teachings, “His speech is gentle.” The Buddha’s teaching is something everyone enjoys listening to. When they listen to it, they feel happy. The reason is that in the past, the Buddha had created many good affinities with sentient beings. Therefore, in whatever way He gives teachings, they all feel very comfortable as they listen to Him. This is because He speaks in a “soft tone.”

The Eight Tones: beautiful tone, soft tone, harmonious tone, respectful and wise tone, non-effeminate tone, unerring tone, deep and far-reaching tone and inexhaustible tone.

The Buddha had Eight Tones. When He used His “soft tone,” people sitting near Him did not find His teaching loud. But for people who sat far away, the volume was also just right. This was His “deep and far-reaching tone.” He had both a “soft tone” and a “deep and far-reaching tone.” When sentient beings heard His voice, they always felt joyful. Whether the Dharma actually penetrated their hearts or not, whenever they heard the Buddha’s voice, they just felt joyful. So, He “delights the hearts of multitudes.”

The word “Tathagata,” what does it mean? It is one of the ten epithets of all Buddhas.

Tathagata: It is one of the ten epithets of all Buddhas. [This epithet] refers to True Suchness. On the path of True Suchness, He goes from causes to fruition and attains perfect enlightenment.

This epithet refers to True Suchness, which is also our intrinsic nature. We are “on the path of True Suchness,” which is the One Vehicle Dharma. Thus, the Buddha’s True Suchness is. His intrinsic nature, which contains the great teachings of the true One Vehicle. This is “the path of True Suchness.”

“He goes from causes to fruition.” The “cause” is the Buddha-nature; His pure, intrinsic nature contained the true and wondrous principles of the Great Vehicle to come back to this world. Therefore, “[comes] to fruition” means manifesting the attainment of Buddhahood in this world, so we could see Him and have a historical record of Him. Thus, things come “to fruition.” He comes to engage in spiritual practice, attain Buddhahood and give teachings; this is how “He goes from causes to fruition.”

Then He “attains perfect enlightenment.” Because He worked very hard, He manifested the process of engaging in spiritual practice and attaining Buddhahood. Throughout His life, He went through the Eight Aspects and manifested various appearances. Therefore, from attaining perfect enlightenment, to teaching the world, to entering Parinirvana, these are all ways He gave teachings throughout His lifetime.

Earlier I spoke of a “soft [tone].” [The Buddha used] skillful teachings and a soft tone that sentient beings enjoy hearing and joyfully accept. This is because.

“With a mind of infinite great compassion, the Buddha spoke in tactful tones that were agreeable to sentient beings. This enabled those who heard it to be joyful and to let go of their stubbornness.”

The Buddha always has this mindset, one of infinite compassion. He has the Four Infinite Minds, loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, as well as the Four Great Vows. We recognize that these infinite minds converge to form this state of mind so that He can transform all sentient beings. That is why He “spoke in tactful tones that were agreeable to sentient beings.”

“Sentient beings” refers to all living beings. “This enabled those who heard it to be joyful and to let go of their stubbornness.” So, it is said to be “gentle.” Even the most stubborn sentient beings, when they listen to the Buddha’s teachings, will become happy.

In summary, when we learn from the Buddha, we follow the process of the Buddha’s spiritual practice. We follow His footsteps, His trail, to move forward.

Sakyamuni Buddha Himself spoke of how. He drew near to countless Buddhas in the past and had very diligently practiced various teachings of the path. Shouldn’t we also do the same? This is why we must begin making vows like the Four Great Vows. We can probably recite them, “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions. I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors.” And next? “I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” Indeed, these are the Four Great Vows.

We must transform sentient beings, learn many Dharma-paths, eliminate all afflictions and attain Buddhahood. In the process of eliminating afflictions and attaining Buddhahood, He made these vows and had to be replete with the Four Infinite Minds. Great loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity are what He manifested for sentient beings to practice. Then naturally He drew near to the hearts of sentient beings, so. He could transform, guide and teach them. This is His goal for coming to this world, and this is the path we must learn as Buddhist practitioners. This path has been established, so we must focus on diligently moving forward. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0202

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 202 – With Solid Faith, Fear Nothing

>> “All Buddhas have long cultivated all
practices to enlightenment with diligence, courage, vigor, power and
fearlessness. When among people, They expound the Dharma fearlessly. They
practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, so. They are liberated and at
ease.”

>> “Powerful and fearless, with dhyana, liberation and Samadhi.”

>> Ten Powers: 1. Knowledge of right and wrong in all conditions 2.
Knowledge of karma 3. Knowledge of Samadhi 4. Knowledge of [relative]
capabilities 5. Knowledge of desires 6. Knowledge of the nature of each
individual 7. Knowledge of the consequences of all paths 8. Knowledge of past
lives 9. Knowledge of the heavenly eye 10. Knowledge of elimination of Leaks.

>> So, “the Buddha is fearless in expounding the path of ending
suffering. Among the assembly, the Buddha taught precepts, Samadhi and wisdom
and other noble paths and did so fearlessly.”

>> The Fourfold Fearlessness: Fearlessness of all-encompassing wisdom.
Fearlessness of ending Leaks. Fearlessness of explaining the hindrances of
spiritual cultivation. Fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending
suffering.

>> Second is “fearlessness of ending Leaks.” The Buddha
“taught them to eliminate all afflictions, and He did so fearlessly.”

>> “Explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation.”
Fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation: Among the
assembly, the Buddha taught how to overcome delusions and other hindrances, and
He did so fearlessly.

>>Dhyana: dhyana is a way of thinking. With tranquility, the mind remains
still, in a meditative state. This is called dhyana. What about liberation?
Ordinary people are trapped by cyclic existence, so they cannot attain
liberation. But Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have already attained liberation and
will never experience cyclic existence again.

“All Buddhas have long cultivated all practices to enlightenment
with diligence, courage, vigor, power and fearlessness.
When among people, They expound the Dharma fearlessly.
They practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, so. They are liberated and at ease.”

The Buddha intrinsically has an enlightened nature. From Beginningless Time till now, the Buddha drew near to countless Buddhas, so He has constantly been diligent. As He practiced all teachings of the Path, He did so with diligence, courage, vigor, power and fearlessness. Because He was diligent, He was very certain of and never doubted those Buddhas’ teachings of enlightenment. This kind of faith is very steadfast.

As ordinary people, our faith and beliefs cannot be steadied, therefore our powers are insufficient. Sometimes we believe and practice only because we seek things! We seek blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Actually, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world to teach us various methods to help us reflect on our own nature and discover our pure intrinsic nature. This is why the Buddha and Bodhisattvas come to the world. The Buddha gives many teachings to help us achieve understanding. If we believe Him, we can search within ourselves for our enlightened nature. We should not have faith in Him only to seek protection from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. If we do, we are still. Small Vehicle practitioners, unenlightened beings.

When we believe in the Buddha, He can help us strengthen our powers of understanding and comprehension, so we strive to faithfully accept and practice [the teachings]. Therefore, when He goes among people to teach, He is absolutely fearless.

After the Buddha attained enlightenment, His Power of Faith was solid. So He preached Dharma fearlessly in the world. When non-Buddhists raised difficult questions, He was very courageous and vigorous. He was very certain and brave, like a warrior entering the battlefield. In order to promote Right Dharma in the world, He had to be replete with the strength gained from His courage and vigor and go among people to give teachings without fear. Then of course, the practices of precepts, Samadhi, wisdom and liberation will lead to a sense of freedom.

Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom are the Three Flawless Studies that we spiritual practitioners must cultivate [to eliminate Leaks]. Wisdom comes from seeking the Buddha-Dharma. Once it enters our hearts, we cannot allow it to leak out. When the Dharma is in our hearts, it should increase and never decrease. Then [our minds] can be considered flawless.

When we forget the Dharma we heard yesterday, it has leaked out. We may listen to the Dharma in the morning, but soon after, when challenges emerge, afflictions arise again. When this happens, we cannot attain liberation. When precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom are not in our hearts, afflictions will enter very quickly. Whenever we encounter challenges, we feel troubled and worried, as if afflictions are binding us and we cannot be liberated.

We are all still learning so the Buddha is our ideal and. [Buddhahood] is our goal. Outwardly, we must emulate the Buddha, and inwardly, we need to find our Buddha-nature.

Although we are unenlightened beings, our wisdom and enlightened nature is not inferior to the Buddha’s. But our minds have been covered by afflictions. When we brush aside afflictions, we are awakened beings. Then no matter what challenges arise, we can remain peaceful and at ease. Thus, we must uphold precepts and be in Samadhi so that our wisdom will grow, and we can be liberated and at ease. This is why we Buddhist practitioners must constantly heighten our awareness. We learn from the Buddha; He gives us teachings that we must faithfully accept and mindfully practice.

Next, let us discuss.

“Powerful and fearless, with dhyana, liberation and Samadhi.”

To be powerful and fearless, we must be replete with “dhyana, liberation and Samadhi.” Then we can be “powerful and fearless.” This means that [the Buddha] is strong and powerful and fearless. He has Ten Powers.

Ten Powers: 1. Knowledge of right and wrong in all conditions 2. Knowledge of karma 3. Knowledge of Samadhi 4. Knowledge of [relative] capabilities 5. Knowledge of desires 6. Knowledge of the nature of each individual 7. Knowledge of the consequences of all paths 8. Knowledge of past lives 9. Knowledge of the heavenly eye 10. Knowledge of elimination of Leaks.

We need to know that power is in all teachings given by the Buddha. If we can practice them all, then we will be fearless. [We will develop] the Fourfold Fearlessness.

The Fourfold Fearlessness [tells us] of the Buddha’s fearlessness in expounding the path of ending suffering. Sentient beings in the Saha World face unbearable suffering, so the Buddha comes to the world for this one great cause and expounds the Dharma. When the Buddha teaches, He speaks the most about suffering. When He first turned the Dharma-wheel of of the Four Noble Truths, His first teaching was about suffering.

So, “the Buddha is fearless in expounding the path of ending suffering. Among the assembly, the Buddha taught precepts, Samadhi and wisdom and other noble paths and did so fearlessly.”

This is the Buddha’s power. He came to the world to declare that everything in the world [leads to] suffering, to teach people to recognize that suffering is caused by the accumulation of various afflictions. With these afflictions, a single thought gone astray can cause 1000 erroneous thoughts. Once an erroneous thought arises, we will naturally act on it. Wrong thoughts cause wrong actions. So, He teaches us to uphold precepts.

When we engage in spiritual practice, our first step is to uphold precepts. When we first enter His door, we learn the Five Precepts and Ten Good deeds. If we can start from the first precept, we gradually realize that because there is so much suffering and wrongdoing in the world, we must cultivate the Path. The more we comprehend this teaching, the firmer we will remain. If we uphold precepts, naturally we will be less likely to commit wrongs.

So, the Buddha comes to this world and goes among people for one great cause, to fearlessly expound the path to ending suffering and to tell the world about suffering.

The Fourfold Fearlessness: Fearlessness of all-encompassing wisdom. Fearlessness of ending Leaks. Fearlessness of explaining the hindrances of spiritual cultivation. Fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.

I will share the Fourfold Fearlessness with you. The first is “fearlessness of all-encompassing wisdom.” With His all-encompassing wisdom, He understands all things in the world. And if He understands everything, what is there to fear? So, “among the assembly, the Buddha taught about all-encompassing wisdom, and He did so fearlessly.”

The Buddha gathers all sentient beings to explain this Dharma to all of them in the hopes they can gain all-encompassing wisdom of all things in the world.

Discerning wisdom means we can clearly discern right from wrong. Things can be proper or deviant, and if we can tell them apart, we have discerning wisdom. So, in these times, in the midst of complicated people and interpersonal conflicts, we must strive to be discerning. The Buddha tells us about fearlessness of all-encompassing wisdom. Because of His wisdom, He hopes we can be His equal and attain fearlessness of all-encompassing wisdom.

Second is “fearlessness of ending Leaks.” The Buddha “taught them to eliminate all afflictions, and He did so fearlessly.”

We have fear because we cannot clearly discern right from wrong. We are afflicted because we have endless cravings and desires. These are all afflictions. The Buddha teaches us with various ways in hopes that we can comprehend the impermanence of life. At any instant, impermanence can suddenly manifest, and we face unbearable suffering and endless worries

(In 2004), there was a great earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia. Do you still remember it? The second before that moment, everyone was filled with sweet dreams, everyone was filled with happiness. Perhaps they had very many hopes. But in an instant, impermanence struck the world. So indeed, life is impermanent.

We should [understand] that the Buddha has been teaching this for a long time. In the future, sentient beings will create more and more karma. So, the principles of formation, existence, decay and disappearance keep vanishing from people’s hearts. This road was originally very broad and straight. These principles have always existed, but people do not clearly understand them so they create more karma. Therefore, the collective karma of sentient beings leads to more frequent disasters; this is very worrisome.

Does worrying do any good? The best thing to do is to be more diligent. We must quickly recruit more Living Bodhisattvas and find ways to change and to help our world become more stable. To stabilize the earth, protect its resources and not cause more damage, the four elements must be in balance. The balance of the four elements depends on the way we live. We must get our lives on track and be more frugal, and we must strive to recognize, cherish and create more blessings. If we can keep these things in mind and apply them in our daily living, naturally the world will be more peaceful.

So, the Buddha teaches many principles about how we can eliminate all afflictions. Ending all afflictions begins with our daily living.

Next, the third is “fearlessness of.”

“Explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation.” Fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation: Among the assembly, the Buddha taught how to overcome delusions and other hindrances, and He did so fearlessly.

The Buddha tells us about the obstructions of our spiritual practice that keep us from achieving anything, from understanding principles. This is because we still have delusions,

which are ignorant thoughts. Delusion is lack of understanding. We have dust-like delusions. Our delusions and ignorant thoughts number as many as particles of dust. Because we are so ignorant, we attract karma. So, the karma we have created will obstruct our practice of the teachings of the Path. When we do not know the methods, the Path will be difficult. Therefore, the Buddha comes to us to explain ways to eliminate obstacles, so we can understand the teachings. This is what all of us must mindfully comprehend.

So, the Buddha taught us to “overcome delusions and other hindrances to spiritual cultivation.” He clearly explained that certain karma we create will lead to certain consequences. This karmic law of cause and effect pervades our lives, so the causes we create will lead to the effect of hindering our path to enlightenment. So, the Buddha expounded the Dharma fearlessly.

The fourth one is “fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.” Similarly, this explains precepts, Samadhi and wisdom and helps us recognize suffering. Now the Buddha tells us how to transcend suffering.

For us to transcend suffering, we must engage in spiritual practice. To begin cultivating [the Four Noble Truths,] we must have precepts, Samadhi and wisdom to “eliminate all suffering.”

Next is dhyana, tranquil contemplation.

Dhyana is about careful contemplation. When the mind is still, tranquil and clear, it is in the state of dhyana. So, if we are tranquil, “the mind remains still, in a meditative state.” We must not think discursive thoughts about the past or delusional thoughts of the future. We need to eliminate all of this. Our hearts need to be still, in a meditative state. This is dhyana.

Dhyana: dhyana is a way of thinking. With tranquility, the mind remains still, in a meditative state. This is called dhyana. What about liberation? Ordinary people are trapped by cyclic existence, so they cannot attain liberation. But Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have already attained liberation and will never experience cyclic existence again.

He came to the world solely because of [His connection] to sentient beings. He returns on the ship of compassion, not because of the influence of karmic forces. Not at all. So, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are in a state of dhyana and liberation.

My fellow Buddhist practitioners, our goal is to attain Buddhahood. But we must self-reflect to discover our intrinsic nature. Therefore, we must really work on practicing precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, and we must not allow even the slightest affliction to trouble our minds. This is why we must always be mindful.