Author: Scott Ogata

Episode 765 – Imparting the Great Teachings

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>> Though we urgently impart the great teachings and expound the One Vehicle, those with limited capacities cannot easily believe. If they do not have great capabilities, do not inopportunely teach the Great Vehicle Dharma. Forgive and have compassion for the ignorant who have not yet made great vows. For fear of injuring their young and immature roots of goodness, do not force them to come here.

>> “The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back. The poor son at this time thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner and would surely be put to death. With that he became increasingly terrified and fainted, collapsing on the spot.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “The father saw this from afar and said to the messengers, I do not need this man Do not force him to come here Sprinkle cold water upon his face to wake him up, then say nothing more to him.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> It previously said, From afar, [the son] saw his father, and now it says the father saw [his son] from afar. The father and son saw each other from afar. This is an analogy for how limited capabilities and the Great Dharma are still far from each other. Thus it says, The father saw [his son] from afar.

>> [He] said to the messengers: The messengers are like the teachings, and the teachings must be given based on wisdom. If their wisdom is lacking in capacity, without that wisdom, the teachings cannot be given.

>> Speaking of them as people, “The father saw this from afar” means the father knew his son had no great resolve. [He] said to the messengers: “Slowly relax and cease your urgency. Do not create alarm in sentient beings, so as to cause doubts to arise in them”

>> I do not need this man. Do not force him to come here: As they lacked great capabilities, He feared injuring their roots of goodness. He temporarily ceased using the great teachings to transform those Two Vehicle practitioners. Thus it says, “I do not need him”.

>> Sprinkle cold water upon his face: He knew they had limited resolve so He fittingly used the provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles, the Dharma-water of the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, to sprinkle upon the hearts of those who seek Nirvana for themselves.

>> To wake up: By first subduing the delusions of the Ten Afflictions and then gradually escaping the Eight Sufferings, one is born in the human or heaven realm and can escape unhappiness while gradually awakening to the Four Noble Truths.

>> Then say nothing more to him: He decided He should cease the Great Vehicle teaching.

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“Though we urgently impart the great teachings and expound the One Vehicle, those with limited capacities cannot easily believe.
If they do not have great capabilities, do not inopportunely teach the Great Vehicle Dharma.
Forgive and have compassion for the ignorant who have not yet made great vows.
For fear of injuring their young and immature roots of goodness, do not force them to come here.”

As we listen to sutras and take in the teachings, we cannot let things remain at a superficial level. We must delve deeply into them in order to understand. Take this passage from the sutras for example. There was once a very poor man. When he saw how wealthy those in rich families were, he sighed to himself and lamented, “Why do other people have so much money while I am so poor? I only have a few coins, only a little bit of money.” How could he compare with these rich people? He hoped to be as wealthy as they were, but looking at these coins in his hand, how could he ever compete with them? Since his coins were so insignificant compared to what other people had, he decided to toss them all into the water. A bystander saw this and stopped him, saying, “This small amount of money on you can sustain you for several days. With these coins, you will be able to survive for a number of days. So, work hard! Do your best, and one day you will be as rich as them.”

This is a passage found in the sutras. But it is in fact an analogy for how, after leaving the lay life, when an inexperienced monastic receives offerings, he might hope to receive offerings comparable to what experienced spiritual practitioners receive. These virtuous sages have many disciples and receive an abundance of offerings. Compared to them, why does he receive so little? So, he sighs and laments to himself; why can’t he receive what these experienced and virtuous practitioners receive? Is this fair? Later on someone might tell him, “These people have engaged in spiritual practice for a very long time. They have taken the Dharma to heart and have also expounded teachings to create affinities with many people. Many are willing to make offerings to them because of their virtues and wisdom. As for you, what can you offer? You should be mindful and learn earnestly. Only by taking the Dharma to heart can you make use of it to create good affinities. Then naturally, you will receive offerings.”

In this example, one person is an impoverished lay person, and the other is a monastic lacking in spiritual cultivation and virtue. This is the analogy made.

However, we can also compare this to people today. In Mozambique, there is a woman named Maria who is one of our volunteers. She heard the Bodhisattva[-volunteers] from South Africa say, “This is how we were able to do what we have done. We wanted to help people; we didn’t have money but we had strength. So, we rented a piece of land and planted vegetables. We can now provide hot meals to many people. Several times each week, we can help to provide meals to orphans and impoverished people so they can eat their fill. This is what we enjoy doing most.” When Maria heard this, she thought, “If they can do it, why can’t we?” So, she formed the same aspiration. She told a landowner about her wish, and this landowner was willing to rent a piece of land to them cheaply, for 2000 meticals each year.

They began cultivating the land, and 45 days later there were six or seven kinds of vegetables that they were able to harvest. They began providing meals in several districts. Each week they were able to provide two meals, and each time they could provide for people in four districts so that the orphans, the elderly who lived alone and impoverished people could have hot meals with a little bit of rice and fresh vegetables to eat. This made everyone very happy.

These are people in our world today. The person in the sutra parable resented and pitied himself. But today we can do better by coming together and working happily to be able to provide meals for so many people. This makes everyone even more happy. These are truly Living Bodhisattvas, who have accepted the Dharma and put it into action. This is very practical.

So, when we think about teaching others, we must remember, “Though we urgently impart the great teaching and expound the One Vehicle, those with limited capacities cannot easily believe.” Those who have very limited capacities find it very hard to believe that everyone can attain Buddhahood. Is anyone capable of immediately taking the Dharma to heart upon hearing it? It would be better to use these skillful means, to use these Small [Vehicle] teachings, to help people believe in the law of karma. Once they are willing to listen to teachings and take the Dharma to heart, even by taking very small actions they can come together to give of themselves. If they can do this, they will be able to believe. In fact, by doing this they will be happy; helping others brings the greatest joy.

If we suddenly tell people, “You can also attain Buddhahood, you just need to engage in spiritual practice,” [they say,] “To engage in spiritual practice until I attain Buddhahood would be very hard!” If we tell them, “Go transform sentient beings!” hearing the words “transform sentient beings,” they say, “That’s a very big undertaking!” Moreover, they already understand the causation of suffering, that it comes from contriving affinities with others and giving rise to discursive thoughts, so they are scared. They do not want to go among people again. So, we do not need to talk to them about contriving affinities. First we tell them, “If you do good deeds, you will be very happy and also be able to help others. This is not contriving affinities; it is creating good affinities and benefiting everyone.” So, when we speak, a tiny deviation can cause a misunderstanding. When it comes to people with limited capacities, it is best to guide them forward step by step. Then they will stay on the right course and will also not become scared.

“If they do not have great capabilities, do not inopportunely teach the Great Vehicle Dharma.” Since we know they do not have great capabilities, we do not need to talk to them about very profound or overwhelmingly great teachings. This is like how, when the Buddha first awakened, He wanted to share His realizations with everyone. But then He withdrew them and gave Small [Vehicle] teachings instead. These teachings were the Four Noble Truths. To truly cultivate an understanding of suffering is not an easy feat. If we do not go among others, how can we recognize suffering? But if people have not opened up their minds and are still unwilling to go among people, at this time, “Do not teach [them] the Great Vehicle Dharma.”

So, all we can do is “forgive and have compassion for the ignorant.” This is how open and spacious the Buddha’s mind is. Ordinary people do not have the capacity to accept [the Dharma], so the Buddha had to be forgiving. He understood that His children, His disciples, only had these limited capabilities. So, He had compassion for the ignorant. They had “not yet made great vows.” In their hearts, they had not yet made the Four Great Vows; they had not yet opened the door to their minds. So, the Buddha had to be forgiving and compassionate; sentient beings’ ignorance lies in their not yet making those vows. This was “for fear of injuring their young and immature roots of goodness.” Since this was the case, it would be hard even if He wanted to force them.

Initially, the Buddha wanted to help everyone step onto the path to Buddhahood right away and immediately absorb the principles for attaining Buddhahood. But this was very difficult. As Subhuti said, after listening to the Dharma for so long, they were tired and would sometimes fall asleep. This is because sentient beings are still in a state of ignorance. They cannot take the teachings to heart. This is because they lack focus; thus, they are ignorant. It would be better to let them go so they can gradually calm down and learn to earnestly listen to and take the Dharma to heart.

The previous sutra passage states, “The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back. The poor son at this time thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner and would surely be put to death. With that he became increasingly terrified and fainted, collapsing on the spot.” He struggled greatly; the suffering was unbearable. Thus, he fainted right there, collapsing on the spot.

The next sutra passage states, “The father saw this from afar and said to the messengers, I do not need this man Do not force him to come here Sprinkle cold water upon his face to wake him up, then say nothing more to him’.”

The father saw this from afar and sighed. He had to quickly tell the messengers, “I do not need this person. Do not forcibly drag him back like that. He has fainted; sprinkle cold water on him so that he can be quickly revived. There is no need to say anything to him. I just want him to wake up”

It previously said, “From afar, [the son] saw his father,” and now it says the father saw [his son] from afar. The father and son saw each other from afar. This is an analogy for how limited capabilities and the Great Dharma are still far from each other. Thus it says, “The father saw [his son] from afar.”

Before it said, “The son saw his father from afar.” Prior to the father seeing the son, the son had already seen his father from outside the house. But fear arose in his heart, so he turned around and ran away quickly. Now, “The father saw his son from afar.” The father saw the figure of his son as he was leaving. So, “The father and son saw each other from afar.” The son saw his father from a distance, and the father also saw his son from afar. However, the son had not recognized that this man was his father, while from afar the father recognized his son. This is an analogy for “limited capabilities and the Great Dharma.” The son [represents] limited capabilities [His father] wanted to give him the Great Dharma, but he could not understand it. This is the analogy.

So, they are “still far from each other.” The distance between the two was still very large. His capabilities were so limited, and the Dharma was so great, so they were not yet proportionate. This Dharma cannot be taken in by people of this level of capabilities. “Thus it says, The father saw [his son] from afar’.” People with limited capabilities are very far from the Great Dharma. Thus it says “afar,” very far.

[He] said to the messengers: The messengers are like the teachings, and the teachings must be given based on wisdom. If their wisdom is lacking in capacity, without that wisdom, the teachings cannot be given.

Then, “[He] said to the messengers….” If this Dharma was taught to people, that would be like the messenger forcibly dragging the son back. The strength of the messenger is akin to the great power of the Dharma. So, teaching this to those of limited capabilities is something that cannot be done.

“The teachings must be given based on wisdom,” but “Their wisdom is lacking in capacity.” They have the wisdom to know but their capacities cannot yet connect, so the Great Dharma should be paused. Then it will not be like dragging [the son] back, causing him to struggle so much that he faints. Just as [the messengers] had to let him go, the power of this Dharma has to be set aside for now.

Speaking of them as people, “The father saw this from afar” means the father knew his son had no great resolve. [He] said to the messengers: “Slowly relax and cease your urgency. Do not create alarm in sentient beings, so as to cause doubts to arise in them”

Speaking of them as people, “The father saw this from afar” means that. “The father knew his son had no great resolve,” that he had not formed great vows “[So, he] said to the messengers, Slowly relax and cease your urgency’.” They should temporarily relax their hold. They should stop for now, not rush. “Do not create alarm in sentient beings so as to cause doubts to arise in them.” This shows that the Buddha knew that sentient beings had limited capabilities, so He had to temporarily slow down the teaching of this Dharma. Instead of rushing, He stopped temporarily. If He forced the Dharma on them, they would get scared.

It is said that in His state of mind after attaining enlightenment, He hoped everyone could promptly comprehend the path to Buddhahood. But seeing that their capacities left them incapable, He temporarily stopped teaching it.

So, the sutra passage states, “I do not need this man. Do not force him to come here.” There is no need to forcibly bring him here.

I do not need this man. Do not force him to come here: As they lacked great capabilities, He feared injuring their roots of goodness. He temporarily ceased using the great teachings to transform those Two Vehicle practitioners. Thus it says, “I do not need him”.

This is about people without great capabilities. He was afraid that by forcing them, their roots of goodness would be injured. Since their capabilities had not matured, “He temporarily ceased using the great teachings;” He temporarily stopped giving the great teachings. So, He devised methods to “transform those Two Vehicle practitioners,” the Hearers and Solitary Realizers. With the Hearer and Solitary Realizer Vehicles, He began to teach them to help them slowly understand that life is suffering and that all causes and conditions arise from our minds. In this way, He did not immediately teach them with the Great Dharma. To transform sentient beings, He devised limited teachings suitable for those of limited capabilities. So, the father told them, “Sprinkle cold water upon his face to wake him up, then say nothing more to him”

Sprinkle cold water upon his face: He knew they had limited resolve so He fittingly used the provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles, the Dharma-water of the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, to sprinkle upon the hearts of those who seek Nirvana for themselves.

This is what the sutra states. He knew that those people with limited resolve and those without resolve would not want to form great aspirations. Therefore, they only wanted to awaken themselves; they only [practiced] for their own sake. He still wanted to teach people like this. To help them recognize the suffering in the world, He taught with “the provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles.” With skillful means, He gave the Dharma-water of the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. He slowly guided ordinary people into the Small Vehicle Dharma. “Refrain from all evil; practice all that is good.” He used this kind of Dharma-water to wake them up. Ordinary people can at least practice to attain the state of Solitary Realizers. Hearers and Solitary Realizers only seek [attainment] for themselves. “They only seek Nirvana for themselves.” Nirvana sounds like cessation, eliminating all afflictions.

To wake up: By first subduing the delusions of the Ten Afflictions and then gradually escaping the Eight Sufferings, one is born in the human or heaven realm and can escape unhappiness while gradually awakening to the Four Noble Truths.

So, “To wake up, [they must] first subdue the delusions of the Ten Afflictions and then gradually escape the Eight Sufferings”

The five chronic and five acute afflictions are called the Ten Afflictions. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt are the five chronic afflictions. What about the five acute afflictions? [Deviant] views, the view of self, extreme view, stubborn view and the view of deviant precepts all lead us astray. These are the Ten Afflictions. We also gradually escape the Eight Sufferings. We are all familiar with the Eight Sufferings, birth, aging, illness, death, parting from loved ones, meeting those we hate, not getting what we want and the raging Five Aggregates. By understanding these principles, “One is born in the human or heaven realm and can escape unhappiness.”

As humans, we experience much suffering, but in the human realm, we still have time to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. In heaven, we can enjoy heavenly blessings, but we still have to return to the human realm. If we get lost, we end up in the Three Evil Realms. Only by being in the human or heaven realms do we temporarily escape afflictions and ignorance to gradually attain realizations. Realizing the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links is a gradual process.

Then say nothing more to him: He decided He should cease the Great Vehicle teaching.

“Then say nothing more to him” means at first, He would teach this Dharma. He temporarily held back in teaching the. Great Dharma and the path to Buddhahood. “He decided to cease the Great Vehicle teaching.” This was the Buddha’s decision at that time, to teach the Great Vehicle later. When He attained enlightenment, He was in the Avatamsaka state. That was His state of mind. With the Lotus teachings now, He is instructing us on how we can approach this state. In the past, He talked about emptiness and existence to help us eliminate our afflictions. Only by ceasing to create karma can we be free of obstacles. If we create karma, we will face obstacles. So, we need to first remove the ignorance and afflictions that hinder us in order to approach the path to Buddhahood. Now, Small Vehicle practitioners are gradually coming closer to it. So everyone, please be mindful in urgently drawing near the Dharma. This is the only way to listen to the Dharma and take it to heart. In our daily living, we must always be mindful.

Episode 764 – Without Seeking the Great Dharma

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>> Impermanence presses us; the four elements are imbalanced. With birth, aging, illness, death, pursuit, craving, resentment, hatred and the raging Five Skandhas, sentient beings remain stubborn. Two Vehicle practitioners do not seek the Great Dharma, so no thoughts of interest or joy arise within them.

>> “He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back. At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back. The poor son at this time thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner and would surely be put to death. So, he became increasingly terrified and fainted, collapsing on the spot.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back: This is like the door of admonishment of the Great Vehicle teachings, which is to maintain and uphold in their entirety the precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Planning to pass down and entrust the teachings in a timely manner, He spoke of fearsome things.

>> This is like the door of admonishment being taught to those who lack the capacities. Their ignorance has not been eliminated, so they are still lost and unenlightened. Thus it says: He thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner.

>> With constant compassion and pity for sentient beings trapped in the prison of samsara, He taught with a Bodhisattva’s compassionate wisdom and followed sentient beings wherever they were to save them.

>> This is like how the Two Vehicle practitioners are lacking great loving-kindness and compassion, thinking themselves unconnected to the affairs of sentient beings and hoping to mutually do no wrong to each other. Thus it says: He thought that though innocent, he was being taken prisoner.

>> He did not know why he had been taken prisoner. If one lacks great skillful means and thus enters samsara, one will undoubtedly lose forever the wisdom-life of the Three Vehicles. Thus it says, [He] would surely be put to death.

>> He was thinking about such things , thus  it says, “He became increasingly terrified”. With limited wisdom, he could not grasp the great teachings; thus, it says, “He fainted”. He was engulfed in this spot of ignorance. Thus it says, “He collapsed on the spot”.

>> Increasingly terrified, [he] fainted, collapsing on the spot: This means that trying to forcibly teach and transform through Great Vehicle doctrine will not only not lead others to faithfully accept it and bring out their original Great Vehicle aspirations, it can further damage the roots of goodness and the spiritual aspirations they once had. This will cause them to sink forever into the sea of samsara.

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“Impermanence presses us; the four elements are imbalanced. With birth, aging, illness, death, pursuit, craving, resentment, hatred
and the raging Five Skandhas, sentient beings remain stubborn. Two Vehicle practitioners do not seek the Great Dharma,
so no thoughts of interest or joy arise within them.”

In life, there is so much impermanence. Impermanence presses us! In this world, when we think of the imbalance of the four elements, it is frightening indeed. In addition, in life we suffer from birth, aging, illness and death, not getting what we want, parting with loved ones, meeting those we hate and many other sufferings. Then there are the raging Five Skandhas. All of this is suffering!

With form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, isn’t the karma we sentient beings create due to encountering external phenomena, or “form”? Then we have a feeling, “I want to pursue this, I love this, I resent this, I hate this,” and so on; this is very complicated. All of this is the workings of form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, which lead us to create karma.

But all past and present Buddhas and Bodhisattvas continuously return to this world to teach and transform sentient beings. Still, sentient beings are stubborn, difficult to train and transform. Therefore, Subhuti and the others did not seek the Great Dharma; no thoughts of interest or joy arose in them. Even thinking about the Great Vehicle Dharma frightened them. “We dare not accept it.” This was because sentient beings are difficult to train and transform. Moreover, in this world there is birth, aging, illness, death, not getting what we want, parting with loved ones, meeting those we hate, the raging Five Skandhas. This is a place of tremendous suffering, especially as the earth is fragile, and life is impermanent. It is filled with suffering, so though they were asked to return, they hoped to put an end to cyclic existence and never come back again.

But walking the Bodhisattva-path means we have to come back and go among people again. We must unceasingly give of ourselves and create positive affinities with others. At the same time as we cultivate blessings, we gain wisdom through interacting with people. Blessings and wisdom can only be cultivated in this world. Only now did the disciples understand this. Before, they feared sentient beings’ stubbornness, how difficult they were to train and transform. Therefore, “The Two Vehicle practitioners did not seek the Great Dharma, so no thoughts of interest or joy arose within them.” They were unwilling to return to this world.

The Buddha had great hopes that everyone would transmit the Buddha-Dharma. Having attained the Buddha-Dharma in this life, even though [these disciples] were old, they could still aspire to return in the future to pass on the Dharma. The Dharma must be continuously transmitted until Maitreya Bodhisattva attains Buddhahood. So, the Buddha was worried that there would be no one to transmit the Dharma in this world. He continued to have this hope that everyone would form great aspirations and make great vows.

In the previous sutra passage, [the father] saw how the son was about to run away, so he quickly called on people, the “messengers,” and dispatched them to go after him. The messengers quickly went after him. “At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him.” They hurried to go and drag him back, however, “shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, ‘I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?’.”

“He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back. At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”    

“I haven’t committed any crimes, but you’re dragging me away; what do you want with me?” So, he was terrified and “cried out in complaint.” What he meant was, “I simply don’t want to do this; I’m unwilling. But you keep forcing me.” The same happens with spiritual practitioners. “I’m simply unwilling to go among the people, but you’re forcing me to interact with them.” So, they cry out in complaint.

The following passage goes on to say, “The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back. The poor son at this time thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner and would surely be put to death. So, he became increasingly terrified and fainted, collapsing on the spot.”

This means that the more the poor son struggled, the tighter the messengers held on to him. They forcibly dragged him back.

The messengers, holding him ever more tightly, forcibly dragged him back: This is like the door of admonishment of the Great Vehicle teachings, which is to maintain and uphold in their entirety the precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Planning to pass down and entrust the teachings in a timely manner, He spoke of fearsome things.

This is “the door of admonishment of the Great Vehicle teachings.” There is a “door of exhortation” and a “door of admonishment. Exhortation” is to encourage everyone to do good, to “practice all that is good. Admonishment” is about upholding precepts to “refrain from all that is evil”; this is also Great Vehicle Dharma. Every one of us should maintain this state of mind. We must have this mindset of being interconnected with all sentient beings, of being unwilling to let others suffer; we cannot bear to let sentient beings suffer. This resolve to practice all that is good comes from teachings of exhortation. Exhortations encourage us to do this; the method this teaches us is to dedicate ourselves in this way.

“Admonishment” is the teaching of the precepts. With precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, we can guard against wrongs and stop evil. Our minds must be focused, be in Samadhi, to avoid being tempted by external phenomena. So, we must guard against wrongs, stop evil and keep our minds in Samadhi. Our original aspiration was to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Since we have decided to benefit humanity, we must never retreat from this aspiration. This is “sustaining our original aspiration.” If we walk the Bodhisattva-path, after a long time, we will be replete with blessings and wisdom and will then attain Buddhahood. When what we do brings blessings to everyone and increases our wisdom, then as this continually accumulates, we will be cultivating both blessings and wisdom. This will accumulate until one day we finally awaken to the truths of all things in the universe.

So, the door of admonishment and the door of exhortation, these doors of exhortation and admonishment, are akin to the doors of blessings and wisdom. We must put our hearts into entering these doors. We need to uphold all rules and precepts and become replete with Samadhi and wisdom. This requires “planning.” We must be mentally prepared. Knowing what we should do and how to do it is “planning.” We must promptly make preparations for passing down and entrusting teachings. The Buddha had this mindset [at this assembly], so He made preparations to transmit the Dharma in hopes that everyone would accept it. He was slightly forceful in the way that He passed on these teachings, as He wanted to entrust them.

By teaching the Lotus Sutra, He hoped that with the two doors of exhortation and of admonishment, everyone would definitely be able to enter. So, in the Chapter on Parables, He spoke of many fearsome things; He used many analogies to illustrate how this world is terrifying. In His lifetime of teaching the Dharma, He constantly exhorted and admonished us to recognize that the world is impermanent, that the land is fragile and that the suffering in life of birth, aging, illness, death and so on, is truly everywhere. This should make us very afraid. Beyond the human realm, there are also the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. The hell, hungry ghost and animal realms are not simply independent realms; these states exist among humans as well. There are people who live as if they are in hell, who live as if they are hungry ghosts, who live as if they are animals and so on. These are the Three Evil Realms. We see less severe versions of them in this world. In fact, the Three Evil Realms are more painful and torturous than the states we see in this world. Spending long periods of time in them is truly unbearable suffering.

So, “He spoke of fearsome things.” Thus the sutra says, “The messengers grasped him ever more tightly.” The Buddha wanted to quickly help us understand this Dharma. He wanted to help us understand suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, so we could open wide the door to our minds and learn to deal with the impermanence and suffering of life.

The Buddha, life after life, constantly returns to this world, and Bodhisattvas continually come to assist Him. Since these [disciples] had accepted the Buddha’s teachings, they should not try to run away from this world. The Buddha urgently wanted to entrust the Dharma. So, “forcibly dragging him back,” means He wanted to pull them back.

“The poor son at this time thought that though innocent, he was being taken prisoner”

This is like the door of admonishment being taught to those who lack the capacities. Their ignorance has not been eliminated, so they are still lost and unenlightened. Thus it says: He thought that, though innocent, he was being taken prisoner.

This is an analogy for those who enter the door of admonishment; they lack the capacity to form great aspirations. So, when “the door of admonishment [was] taught to those who lack the capacities,” after understanding suffering and causation, the path they practiced was the Small Vehicle path. They eliminated all the afflictions they could through teachings biased towards emptiness, but they had not completely eliminated their dust-like afflictions. Their [realization] of emptiness was incomplete; they had only eliminated [afflictions] that come from other sentient beings. “Their suffering is their own business; it has nothing to do with me.” They still clung to their biases; they were still attached to their “self.” So, the afflictions they eliminated were only at the stage of the Small Vehicle; they had not reached the stage of the Great Vehicle. With their way of cultivating precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, they still had not attained great capacities.

So, “Their ignorance had not been eliminated.” They were still lost and unenlightened. Because of this, it was said, “Though innocent, he was being taken prisoner” [They felt,] “What do those people over there have to do with me? I haven’t done anything to them, so they shouldn’t bother me.” They drew a line between themselves and others. “I only want to awaken myself, so I do not contrive affinities with them. What is wrong with that?” There is nothing wrong with that. But the Buddha hoped to be able to give us something even better. He wanted to lift us higher. We are actually the master of this house; there is no need to wander about outside. So, we should quickly enter this house, for there is an abundance of wealth in there that we can enjoy.

What this means is that the Buddha hoped everyone would set aside the Small Vehicle and enter the door to the Great Vehicle Dharma. Naturally, once the door of our minds is opened and we look upon the [welfare of the] world’s living beings as our own responsibility, we will become filled with joy. Our hearts will become as spacious as the sky. Then we can accommodate and embrace all whom we wish to. It is because we have not opened this door that we are afraid of stubborn sentient beings. Actually, by expanding our hearts and opening up our love, our pure minds will naturally remain uncontaminated by other sentient beings. We just need to form the aspiration to teach them, then we will be able to truly realize the true principles of the world.

Because [these practitioners] were lost, they felt that they did not want to contrive affinities with sentient beings. This is why they struggled and did not wish to enter this great house.

With constant compassion and pity for sentient beings trapped in the prison of samsara, He taught with a Bodhisattva’s compassionate wisdom and followed sentient beings wherever they were to save them.

So, this is an analogy for [the Buddha’s] constant compassion and pity for sentient beings trapped in the prison of samsara. The Buddha, in His compassion, always pities sentient beings who are lost and trapped in the prison of samsara. The Buddha continuously came “to teach with a Bodhisattva’s” compassion and wisdom. He “followed sentient beings wherever they went.” He repeatedly came and went in this world for the sake of teaching sentient beings. With compassion and wisdom, the Buddha followed sentient beings through the Five Destinies. In the Five Realms and four forms of birth, He followed sentient beings and worked to relieve and save them from their unbearable suffering.

This is like how the Two Vehicle practitioners are lacking great loving-kindness and compassion, thinking themselves unconnected to the affairs of sentient beings and hoping to mutually do no wrong to each other. Thus it says: He thought that though innocent, he was being taken prisoner.

He also provided an analogy for how. “The Two Vehicle practitioners are lacking this great loving-kindness and compassion,” so they “think themselves unconnected to the affairs of sentient beings”. The Two Vehicle practitioners lacked great loving-kindness and compassion. What does it mean to have great loving-kindness? To be without regrets. And great compassion? To be without complaint. Yet the Two Vehicle practitioners “cried out in complaint” [They said,] “I don’t want to form affinities with sentient beings, so I don’t hope to do this; I don’t delight in walking the Bodhisattva-path.” So, they cried out in complaint. Indeed, they were reluctant to do it.

Great loving-kindness is without regret. When we open our hearts and give to others, all sentient beings will be at peace. This is the vow of loving-kindness that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have made. They feel they are one with all beings, so when sentient beings are suffering, they give with great compassion to save and transform them, without the slightest complaint. No matter how long it takes, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas will repeatedly return without the slightest complaint. This is their great loving-kindness and compassion. Though sentient beings are stubborn and difficult to train and transform, the Buddha still feels great loving-kindness toward them, hoping that they will be blessed and will return on their own some day. There will be no need to force them; they will come back on their own. This is what the Buddha was hoping for.

So, regarding the “affairs of sentient beings,” the Two Vehicle practitioners thought that these things have nothing to do with them. They do not concern themselves with the affairs of sentient beings. Thus, they “mutually do no wrong to each other,” like [the poor son] who had just gone his own way. Thus it says, “He thought that though innocent, he was being taken prisoner and would surely be put to death. So, he became increasingly terrified and fainted, collapsing on the spot”

He did not know why he had been taken prisoner. If one lacks great skillful means and thus enters samsara, one will undoubtedly lose forever the wisdom-life of the Three Vehicles. Thus it says, “[He] would surely be put to death.”

When the son was wandering about, he was free. So, he felt that if he were captured, he would surely die. This was a person of limited wisdom. He was lost, so. “He did not know why he had been taken prisoner.” He did not know why this was happening. “Why are they trying to catch me? Why?”

“If one lacks great skillful means and thus enters samsara….” Because he lacked the Dharma of great skillful means and his wisdom was not advanced enough, he was very afraid of samsara. Going among people, we must have skillful means and great wisdom to come and go freely. If we do not have this Dharma of great skillful means, we will not have great wisdom or the wisdom of exhortation and admonishment. He lacked compassion and wisdom, so he did not dare; he was afraid to enter samsara. Thus, “One will undoubtedly lose forever the wisdom-life of the Three Vehicles.” So, if this happens and we becomes lost in samsara, not only will we not reach the Bodhisattva-path, we will even lose the limited wisdom-life of. Two Vehicle practitioners. This is why they were so anxious. Small Vehicle practitioners were very worried that if they entered [the Great Vehicle], they might even lose the Small Vehicle with which to benefit themselves. They were afraid of becoming contaminated by the myriads of sentient beings. They were also scared of losing their wisdom-life. This is like [the poor son] thinking, “I will surely be put to death.” Thus, they were timid and fearful. They were very afraid. Just thinking of this scared them, so they became increasingly terrified.

He was thinking about such things , thus  it says, “He became increasingly terrified”. With limited wisdom, he could not grasp the great teachings; thus, it says, “He fainted”. He was engulfed in this spot of ignorance. Thus it says, “He collapsed on the spot”.

With limited wisdom, they could not comprehend great teachings. This is like fainting. They could not comprehend the Great Dharma; they were under so much pressure that they could barely breathe. So, “He was engulfed in this spot of ignorance.” Because he was engulfed in a spot of ignorance, it says, “He collapsed on the spot.”

In this way, he sank into terror and fainted. He was that scared.

Increasingly terrified, [he] fainted, collapsing on the spot: This means that trying to forcibly teach and transform through Great Vehicle doctrine will not only not lead others to faithfully accept it and bring out their original Great Vehicle aspirations, it can further damage the roots of goodness and the spiritual aspirations they once had. This will cause them to sink forever into the sea of samsara.

Regarding teaching and transforming with the Great Vehicle doctrine, the Buddha felt a great sense of urgency. But forcibly teaching the Great Vehicle Dharma not only would not lead them to develop faith and form Great Vehicle aspirations, it would cause them to become scared. So, “The roots of goodness [they had]” and their spiritual aspirations might be damaged. They feared sinking forever [in the sea of samsara]. This was due to everyone rushing to seize the son. So, later on, the father says, “There is no need to forcibly capture him. Let go of him right now.” This comes in the later sutra passages. The Buddha felt a sense of urgency, hoping that His disciples would quickly aspire to accept the Dharma. But these disciples were still unable to accept it. Teaching the Great Dharma was like giving them medicine that was too strong for them, so He had to moderate His efforts. As people pulled at the son, he struggled. So, the elder said, “Let him go for a moment.” This is the same principle. In summary, life is impermanent, and the land is fragile. How long will we indulge ourselves? If we do not pull ourselves together quickly, when will we do so? We do not know. When we think of how the world is filled with suffering, we must promptly remember to always be mindful.

Episode 763 – Exhorting and Admonishing Us to Enter Bodhi

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>> Instructing and guiding to do good deeds is exhortation. Stopping the practicing of evil is admonishment. The Tathagata’s teaching is none other than this. The sutra treasury is considered exhortation to practice all that is good. The vinaya treasury is considered admonishment to prevent all evil. The abhidharma treasury explains and discusses how to practice and verify the Dharma.

>> “He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back. At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him: The timing was right, just as it was for the Great Vehicle Dharma to be clearly and directly revealed. To seize this opportunity and quickly dispatch the attendants to urgently bring him back is like teaching Bodhi and transforming [people] with exhortation and admonishment, which can also help them swiftly enter Bodhi.

>> This is an analogy for teaching with exhortation when there is a lack of conditions and mature capabilities. Although they had previously formed great aspirations, they had long cast them aside and forgotten them. Suddenly hearing the great teaching without any intention or desire to do so resulted in their shock and bewilderment, so they cried out in complaint.

>> [He] cried out in complaint: The Small Vehicle sees afflictions as grievances and samsara as suffering.

>> If one exhorts them to see afflictions as Bodhi, they cry out in complaint. Hearing that samsara is Nirvana, they cry out in suffering. Thus it says, cried out in complaint.

>> I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?: This is like one not seeking the Great Vehicle of one’s own accord.

>> As Subhuti said previously, “We did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it”. If I find no happiness in seeking the Great Vehicle, then why should you force me to do so? Thus it says, “I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”

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“Instructing and guiding to do good deeds is exhortation. Stopping the practicing of evil is admonishment.
The Tathagata’s teaching is none other than this.
The sutra treasury is considered exhortation to practice all that is good.
The vinaya treasury is considered admonishment to prevent all evil. The abhidharma treasury explains and discusses how to practice and verify the Dharma.”

Do you understand? We read sutras, sutras, rules and treatises. These are three things we must understand in our spiritual practice. When we take all of the Buddha’s teachings, all of the Dharma taught by the Buddha, and compile them, these are known as “sutras.” Sutras are the exhortations that teach and guide us to practice goodness; they tell us why we need to do good deeds. Under the law of karma, as are the causes, so too are the effects and retributions. People who practice good deeds will receive positive retributions. “Refrain from all evil” tells us to stop committing negative deeds. This is called “admonishment. Exhortation” and “admonishment” are the roles of the sutras. In the Buddha’s teachings, the Great and Small Vehicles are both said to “exhort and admonish”; they do not deviate from these two roles.

There is a story about this in the sutras. In the past, there was a certain kingdom in which there was a prime minister. The prime minister had been suffering from illness for years, so the king then gave him permission to go back to his hometown and recuperate. However, after he went home, his illness continued to torment him for many more years. The medicine for his treatment was very expensive, so after a few years, he used up all his wealth. Eventually, he died from this illness, and the family’s fortune gradually declined. Then his wife passed away; their child was just a teenager, yet had lost one parent after the other. As a child in his teens, what could he do? He wandered around, living a life of poverty and hardship.

At one time he thought, “To support myself, I might as well steal.” So, he decided to be a thief. But then he thought, “But if I steal…. Many people are already quite poor. If I steal from them, won’t they be even poorer? That won’t do.” Then he thought, “Well, the king has so many treasures. If I steal from the palace, the king will not really suffer any loss.” So, he dressed up to look tough and stuck bamboo into a scabbard so it looked as if he was carrying a sword. Dressed in this way, he slipped into the palace.

As he entered the palace, the king had not yet fallen asleep, and he sensed that someone had entered the palace. He was afraid to make a noise, so he remained still and observed this intruder. What did this intruder want? It turned out that he was stealing things. He took the king’s necklaces, jewels and clothing and wrapped them all together. After he made this bundle, he saw a bucket of water in the room. He was very thirsty, and as he was about to drink, he thought of the dirt in his scabbard. He had a thought. He mixed the dirt with the water and then drank it. After drinking it, he felt full and satisfied. In that moment, he had a sudden realization; just drinking dirt and water had made him full, so how much better would wild herbs and fruits be? “As long as I can be full, that is enough. Why would I need to resort to thievery? If my father were alive, he would never have permitted me to do that.” Standing there, he began to repent and quietly left the palace empty handed.

The king saw everything this young man did, that he was so gentle and just left like that. The king immediately ordered people to follow him. They followed him to where he lived. It turned out he did not have a house to live in; he was just living in a cave under a tree. They asked, “Why did you do this? Well, I was going to be a thief in order to relieve my hunger. But then I drank some water that had been mixed with dirt, and it was able to fill me up, so I didn’t steal anything. You don’t have to arrest me.” But the people who came said, “Whether you stole something or not, you must still go before the king to report.” So, the young man went before the king.

When the king questioned him, he told his story from the beginning. “When I was a young child my parents taught me in this way, so though my family situation deteriorated, I know I should not have behaved like this.” Hearing this, the king felt that the young man was very open and honest. He seemed decent and showed promise, and from the time he was a child, he had received a wonderful education. Moreover, he had very few desires. “Just drinking a pot of dirt and water was able to satisfy him. He must be a virtuous person.” This made the king very happy. “I think you should inherit your father’s post as prime minister.”

From this story, we know that when put into certain situations, people may give rise to improper thoughts. But, human nature is inherently kind. Since he was the son of a prime minister, how could he behave in this way? Actually, life can be very simple. A cup of water and a handful of dirt mixed together could fill him up. He could survive, so why should he have to steal? When that thought arose, he quietly left. It deeply touched the king that this young man recognized his faults and changed his ways; he had the thought but he did not follow through. The young man did not actually steal anything; he changed his ways in time, thus showing his potential. This is the effect of “instruction.” Regularly instructing and guiding people to do good deeds is called “exhortation.” We can see that when this young man was a child, he took his parents’ teachings to heart. He did not dare to commit acts of evil because their teachings and admonishments were with him.

“The Tathagata’s teaching is none other than this.” The Tathagata also taught in this way. Everything in the sutra treasury is part of this; it all exhorts us to practice all that is good. The vinaya treasury is considered admonishment. Admonishment prevents us from committing evil. “If it is something I should not do, I must quickly prevent myself from carrying it out. When it comes to evil deeds, I must put an end to them right away.” This is the role of the vinaya treasury. It helps us guard against wrongs and stop evil.

The abhidharma treasury explains, discusses how to “practice, achieve realization of the Dharma.” This Dharma was taught by the Buddha. After everyone took it in, they analyzed it with each other. With their experiences, they engaged in discussions, etc. Listening to each other increases understanding; this allows us to “verify” [the teachings]. “This proves that the Dharma is useful in my life. It gave me these kinds of experiences.” This is the abhidharma (treatise). The sutra, vinaya and abhidharma [treasuries] comprise the Tripitaka.

So, returning to the sutra text, thus far in the parable, the poor son had arrived at the gates of the elder’s house. After seeing how awe-inspiring it was inside, he became scared. He quickly turned to run away. The elder had seen the figure of his son. When the son ran away, the elder quickly sent someone to go after him and bring him back. “He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back.” They quickly rushed after him to bring him back.

The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, ‘I have done nothing wrong!’ ‘Why have you seized me?’.”

The attendants dispatched did not know who this person was. Upon seeing him, they seized and forced him to go back with them. The poor son was in great shock. “I tried to leave, but they seized me.” He became very scared. He cried out in complaint very loudly, “I have done nothing wrong! I was just standing there. I did not do anything wrong. Why have you seized me?” He yelled this over and over.

At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him: The timing was right, just as it was for the Great Vehicle Dharma to be clearly and directly revealed. To seize this opportunity and quickly dispatch the attendants to urgently bring him back is like teaching Bodhi and transforming [people] with exhortation and admonishment, which can also help them swiftly enter Bodhi.

This shows that the timing was right. The father had been looking for his son. After many decades, the son had arrived at where his father lived. “Opportunity” means that the Buddha taught for decades to help His disciples develop their capabilities in hopes that they could connect with and accept the Great Dharma. It looked as though they were slowly coming to comprehend it. Sariputra, Subhuti, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa and so on were beginning to realize it. So, it could be “clearly and directly revealed.” Quickly ordering attendants to capture him and bring him back is like teaching the Dharma very directly. So, “seizing this opportunity” is directly seizing and capturing the poor son.

“Dispatching the attendants to urgently chase him back is like teaching Bodhi and transforming with exhortation, admonishment.” Urgently chasing him back was a very direct method. They had been in the state of the Small Vehicle teachings, when suddenly, He wanted them to set aside the Small to follow the Great; this seemed very direct. Thus, “[It] can also help them swiftly enter Bodhi.” To help them quickly go beyond the Small Vehicle, beyond only benefiting themselves, He exhorted and admonished them.

His “exhortations” tell us to devote ourselves to [helping] other people. “You must thoroughly eliminate your afflictions. You must interact with people.” If we can truly go among them without being [negatively] influenced, that is “admonishment”

“[This] can also help them” quickly. “Them” are those who the attendants were sent to bring back. This is like directly telling people that though they had practiced the Small Vehicle, now they must return to the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha addressed them directly like this, hoping that they could “swiftly enter Bodhi.” Because He did not have much time left, He hurried to tell them, “You must quickly enter the Bodhi-path. Bodhi” is enlightenment. “You need to attain great enlightenment, not limited enlightenment.” In addition to attaining great enlightenment, they must also bring sentient beings to fruition. This is the Bodhisattva-path. Thus it states, “At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him.” The “messengers” are Bodhisattvas. “Swiftly went and captured him” means that the Dharma was [taught] very swiftly and directly. This is the analogy.

“Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint.” He cried, “I don’t want to!” This is an analogy for “teaching with exhortation when there is a lack of conditions and mature capabilities.” The conditions were not right for teaching with exhortations, nor had people’s capabilities matured

This is an analogy for teaching with exhortation when there is a lack of conditions and mature capabilities. Although they had previously formed great aspirations, they had long cast them aside and forgotten them. Suddenly hearing the great teaching without any intention or desire to do so resulted in their shock and bewilderment, so they cried out in complaint.

Observing their capabilities, the Buddha wondered, “Why haven’t their capabilities matured?” With their capabilities and conditions, why had they remained in the Small Vehicle? So, the Buddha felt a great sense of urgency to quickly help everyone enter the Bodhi-path. He wanted to directly tell them to earnestly practice the Bodhisattva-path, but their capabilities and conditions had not matured, so they were like the poor son. These disciples were still not replete with an abundance of Dharma nor [knowledge of] the matters of samsara. They only had a limited grasp of samsara. They had not yet realized that they are interconnected with all living beings in the world. They had not yet understood all life is one. Thus, they “lacked maturity in their conditions and capabilities.”

“Previously” means they were undisciplined. In the past, they were ones who had formed great aspirations, each one of them. When we first engaged in spiritual practice, we had magnificent aspirations. We were certainly courageous. But slowly, we became lax. “They had long cast them aside and forgotten them.” They neglected [their aspirations]. Their powerful aspirations for engaging in spiritual practice had slowly slackened. They had already forgotten the aspirations they formed at the start. “Suddenly hearing the great teaching” means they unexpectedly heard this great teaching. “Without any intention or desire to do so” means when they heard that they should go among people to transform them, [they said,] “I do not have the will. I do not have this intention or desire.” This shows their sense of resistance. They were “in such shock and bewilderment and cried out in complaint. Cried out in complaint” refers to Small Vehicle practitioners, or Two Vehicle practitioners, They are the Hearers and Solitary Realizers. People like this “see afflictions as grievances and samsara as suffering.”

[He] cried out in complaint: The Small Vehicle sees afflictions as grievances and samsara as suffering.

Because they had finally been able to put an end to their afflictions, they thought that when they passed away they would enter extinction and no longer return to the human realm. “Why should I have to continue returning to the Saha World to transform sentient beings? That brings suffering!”

They did not want to contrive affinities with sentient beings, but now they were asked to do so. Is this in fact contriving affinities? No, it is not. The Buddha wanted everyone to create positive affinities with sentient beings. To create good karma, we must cultivate blessings. If we are lacking blessings, how can we transform sentient beings? If we cannot transform sentient beings, how can we unlock our wisdom? If we cannot unlock our wisdom, we lack both blessings and wisdom. Then how would we attain Buddhahood? The Buddha wanted us to attain great Nirvana and the [ultimate truth of] samsara and become one with all living things in the universe. We must go beyond the Small Vehicle state of only benefiting ourselves.

He wanted us to take good care of our minds, to not commit evil and to practice doing good deeds. By practicing doing good deeds we create positive affinities with sentient beings and benefit everyone. Better still, we must put these words into action. This is the Bodhisattva-path.

 Thus it says, if one exhorts them to see afflictions as Bodhi, they cry out in complaint.

If one exhorts them to see afflictions as Bodhi, they cry out in complaint. Hearing that samsara is Nirvana, they cry out in suffering.

“Exhortation and admonishment” are two doors that the Buddha has opened wide for us. Stopping evil and practicing good deeds were His exhortations. “Afflictions are Bodhi.” This is to say, though we are among beings with afflictions, in our minds, we clearly know the Bodhi-path, so we will not be led astray by them. We have our path. “They cried out in complaint.” These sentient beings had not clearly understood the door of exhortation. They were still unclear on these teachings, so they “cried out.” Because they were unwilling, they complained. “I just don’t want to!”

So, “Hearing that samsara is Nirvana, they cry out in suffering” [They felt,]. “We were finally free from [fragmentary] samsara; that was good enough for us. But now we are supposed to go among people and continue transmigrating for countless lifetimes. This will be suffering.” Coming to the human realm is suffering, but they did not understand that thoroughly. If they understood it thoroughly, then though there are afflictions among people, they would know that, “Afflictions are Bodhi.” The afflictions of sentient beings help us grow in wisdom. They were unable to understand this point, so they called out in agony.

I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?: This is like one not seeking the Great Vehicle of one’s own accord.

“I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?” Since the poor son did nothing wrong, why was this happening? This is like “one not seeking the Great Vehicle of one’s own accord.” As Subhuti mentioned previously, “We did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it.” Regarding the Great Vehicle Dharma, they had no interest or joy in it. “I find no happiness in seeking the Great Vehicle. Why am I being forced to do this?” This is like saying, “I have done nothing wrong. Why have you seized me?”

As Subhuti said previously, “We did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it”. If I find no happiness in seeking the Great Vehicle, then why should you force me to do so? Thus it says, “I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”

They did not want to do this, so why were they being forced to? Before they had awakened, Subhuti and the others only cared about their own samsara, no one else’s.

Everyone, when we form aspirations, we have to form great aspirations. We go among people to cultivate both our blessings and wisdom. When we go among people, we can learn so much about how to teach and transform sentient beings. So, instructing and guiding people to practice good deeds is “the door of exhortation”; it is a way of teaching. The Buddha used many kinds of sutras to encourage and guide people to practice good deeds. Admonishment is the “door of admonishment.” The door of admonishment teaches us how to not break the precepts, how to eliminate afflictions and how to go among people without being contaminated, so that our mind is the Bodhi-path. This is what the Buddha taught. Even the stories He told are filled with an abundance of truths that we can learn. So, we should always be mindful.

Episode 762 – Clearly Illuminating All Capabilities

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>> The enlightened father saw that his lost son had gradually approached his city. The room of the Tathagata’s Dharmakaya is stately and adorned magnificently. In the state of truth and fearlessness, He can clearly illuminate all capabilities. Seeing His disciples settled in the Dharma, He no longer had any worries.

>> “I have constantly yearned for this child yet had no way to see him. Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes. Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back. At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> In terms of principles, it is wisdom that dispatches, and the teachings that are dispatched. The sutras are what has been compiled from all of the teachings of the Buddha. Thus it says, He quickly dispatched attendants.

>> The Buddha-Dharma only admonishes and exhorts. Admonishment makes clear that we should refrain from all evil, and exhortations encourage upholding all goodness. Thus the exhortation to practice goodness is expressed as urgently chase and bring him back.

>> Compassion arose in the Buddha so He quickly dispatched and entrusted nearby Bodhisattvas to expound the perfect and immediate teachings. By exhorting people to practice the virtuous Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and admonishing them to uphold the flawless teachings to transform and guide them, they would go among the people to practice the Bodhisattva-path.

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“The enlightened father saw that his lost son had gradually approached his city.
The room of the Tathagata’s Dharmakaya is stately and adorned magnificently.
In the state of truth and fearlessness, He can clearly illuminate all capabilities.
Seeing His disciples settled in the Dharma, He no longer had any worries.”

This describes how, when the enlightened father saw that his son was lost, he felt saddened. He clearly saw the figure of his child, but when this child saw his father living in this magnificent house, where everything he used was of high quality, all objects he had were precious and every person serving him was very dignified, stately and awe-inspiring, the lost child became very frightened and quickly left.

From this description, we should be able to see; isn’t this just like spiritual practice? Life after life, over many sequential lifetimes, our roots of goodness may have remained limited. Perhaps there are some who came into contact with the Buddha-Dharma and formed great aspirations and made great vows. But slowly, living in this world, over lifetime after lifetime, they constantly were influenced by external contamination and slowly retreated from the great aspirations that they had formed in that moment.

In this world we frequently see many dedicated Bodhisattva[-volunteers]. The production staff of “Grassroots Bodhi,” one of the shows on Da Ai TV, shared that in producing this show, they were so moved by some elderly recycling volunteers that, years later, they wanted to go back and find those volunteers to see what they are doing now. Have they continued with their recycling work?

They actually went back and looked for them. One of the shows they produced in 2001 featured an elderly couple. That year, the husband was already 76, and the wife was 71. They shared the same resolve. They had heard me say, “Right now, the earth is constantly being damaged by human activity. At this moment in time, we must quickly take good care of the earth, which is only possible if everyone has this concept of environmental protection.” When this couple heard this, they said, “We cannot care for the planet in other ways, but recycling work is something we can do.” So, starting 10 or 20 years ago, this couple devoted themselves to recycling work.

The husband was 76 years old and appeared quite strong. The wife was also in good health. At 71, her movements were still very agile. We saw the husband riding a bicycle to leave the house to do recycling work. We saw the wife pushing a two-wheeled cart, following in her husband’s wake. In this way, they picked up what others discarded. As they did this, they bickered playfully. This was how they did recycling work, and doing this made them very happy

13 years have passed. The wife is now 84 years old, and she looks completely different. More than a decade ago, when she was pushing the two-wheeled cart, she could run with good posture. She could run as she pushed and could go uphill. This is no longer the case. She is pushing the same cart as before, but her hair is all white, and her body is bent over at the waist.

Her husband has already passed away. Now she is single and alone, since her daughter has gotten married. But she is very optimistic. She suffers many aches and pains each day, so when her neighbors see her leave the house, they ask, “Are you going out again? Your body is not in good shape. I’m fine! When I support myself with this cart, my entire body becomes relaxed.” Every day she goes out, pushing this cart.

Furthermore, this old woman, this elderly Bodhisattva, explained, “In my past life, I must have been very wealthy and very wasteful. That is why, in this life. I want to pick up everything I see. In my past life, I was so wasteful. So in this life, I have to cherish everything. Whenever I see something [on the ground], I feel happy and I want to pick it up.”

She even said that she only had one wish now. She said, “I have never seen Master in person. I have never met her. I’ve always wanted to ask her, ‘If I keep doing this work’ ‘until I can’t do it anymore,’ ‘will she let me come to be by her side?’.” When I heard this yesterday, right away I told the people around me, “Write down this elderly Bodhisattva’s name. Help me write it down.” Where does she live? Dongshan District in Tainan. She is now 84 years old. She also said, “I will keep doing this work until my last breath. I hope that once I stop breathing, my body is just dumped in the ground like garbage, so no one has to see it, and no one has to deal with it. This is what I hope for. I don’t want to trouble anyone.” She is this kind of Bodhisattva.

The Da Ai TV staff said, “Her figure looks like that of an elderly monastic bowing to pay respect.” She looked like an elderly monastic bowing and paying respect to the earth. This was how our staff described her. From the back she looked like a spiritual practitioner paying her respects to the earth. Whenever she saw something [on the ground], she bent over to pick it up.

She even went to the recycling station every day. Once she finished collecting recyclables, she would go to the recycling station. First she would go to the market to buy many vegetables; she pays for all of it herself. She said, “I eat lunch there, so I buy lots of vegetables to form good affinities with other volunteers.” See, isn’t her spiritual cultivation on the same level as any of us monastics? Her heart is pure and simple. She is wholehearted in her dedication. Though she had never met me, she loves her teacher so much. She only has one wish. Since she had never met me, she wondered if she could come be with me once she could no longer do recycling work. This is what she is like.

Think about it. This disciple had never met her master, as if she was outside, and I had only just seen her figure. This is the principle. “The enlightened father saw that his lost son had gradually approached his city. The enlightened father,” whether in reference to the father or the Buddha, is someone who understands the principles. “The enlightened father” describes the innate enlightenment in all of us. In every single one of us there is an “enlightened father.” Every single one of us has this innate enlightenment. This innate enlightenment is absolute truth. These true principles exist forever. Look at this elderly Bodhisattva. Although she is in her 80s and is hunched over and frail now, according to the laws of nature, one day she will [pass away] and then return, just as pure and adorable as she is now. Whatever enlightenment she has now and whatever enlightenment she will have in the future is all part of her innate enlightenment. This enlightenment is so simple and pure.

So, we should be very careful. We must earnestly seek to return to our innate enlightenment, a “state of truth and fearlessness.” When we are in that state, we can “clearly illuminate all capabilities.” This is not limited to the Buddha. In fact, we are the same as the Buddha; we have the same wisdom. We can transform sentient beings. We can also teach according to capabilities and seize every opportunity.

So, this is like the enlightened father “seeing His disciples settled in the Dharma.” The enlightened father saw that His children were already abiding in the Dharma. Perhaps they had already formed great aspirations. Perhaps they had retreated from those aspirations and had gone back to having limited capabilities. Regardless, they were still in the Dharma. So, “He no longer had any worries.” As long as they were still in it, a day will come when they would be

able to unlock that innate potential. If people do not listen to the Dharma, how can they be spiritual practitioners? As the Buddha’s disciples, how can we draw near the Buddha-Dharma if we do not listen to it? So, [if we listen] a day will come! This is what we must thoroughly understand. We must know how the Buddha took great pains to look for sentient beings with great capabilities and how much effort He took to transmit the Dharma. He returned life after life for the sake of delivering sentient beings, like a father looking for his son. We ourselves should also look for our nature of True Suchness; we should earnestly look for our innate enlightenment. The children should look for the father, not just wait for the father to find them.

The previous sutra passage states, “I have constantly yearned for this child yet had no way to see him. Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes. Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth.”

This describes how the Buddha looked for sentient beings with [great] capabilities [At the assembly,] He saw that His disciples had slowly begun to form aspirations. Sariputra had received a prediction of Buddhahood, and Subhuti and the others had also begun to form aspirations, in addition to many others. There were many like them at the Lotus Assembly. Everyone should develop this kind of aspiration.

So, the next passage explains that after seeing the child’s figure, “He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back”

He quickly dispatched attendants to urgently chase and bring him back. At that time, the messengers swiftly went and captured him. Shocked and bewildered, the poor son cried out in complaint, “I have done nothing wrong! Why have you seized me?”

Now that the father had seen the son, he acted quickly, “Do not let him flee too far. Quickly follow him and bring him back.” He had finally seen him, so he had to act quickly.

“Quickly dispatching attendants” is an analogy for “the Buddha’s Great Vehicle teachings.” In the past, His disciples had clung to the Small Vehicle Dharma. So, when He saw that they were beginning to form aspirations, He had to quickly use the Great Vehicle teachings to help them understand.

So, “As the truths of the Great Vehicle were realized by the Buddha Himself, these truths are the master of the Great Vehicle while the methods of teaching are the attendants of the Great Vehicle.” I have frequently described for everyone how, upon His initial enlightenment, the Buddha realized the truths of all things in the universe. The state He was in at that time, those principles, were kept in His heart with the constant hope that everyone could recognize these truths. So, these truths are “the master of the Great Vehicle.” When He discovered these truths, He said, “How amazing! How amazing! All beings possess the Buddha’s nature of wisdom.” This wisdom of the Tathagata-nature is the truth of the Great Vehicle, and it is also the master of our minds. It is like the awakened father sitting in the room. Actually, the master sitting in that room is in each of our minds.

So, “The methods of teaching are the attendants of the Great Vehicle.” We need to apply this Dharma. The Dharma is inherently within us, but we must unlock this Dharma inside. To unlock it, we must apply it. This is why I often tell everyone that we must take the Dharma to heart and manifest it in our actions. The Dharma is for us to make use of. The Buddha also makes use of the Dharma, teaching it to transform sentient beings. And when we accept and take it to heart, we must also make use of it to teach other people. When it comes to the Dharma, “The methods of teaching are the attendants of the Great Vehicle.” This is the meaning behind “to dispatch. Quickly dispatching attendants” is like making use of, or entrusting [the Dharma]. The Dharma is entrusted to people so they can use it to transform others.

In terms of matters, “Bodhisattvas are the attendants of the Buddha.” Bodhisattvas are taught and transformed by the Buddha with the Dharma. They give rise to Bodhicitta and want to walk the Bodhisattva-path. So, Bodhisattvas are carrying on the teachings of the Buddha; that is why they transform sentient beings. In this way, they have been “dispatched. Being dispatched” means they had been entrusted. “Please go.” This means to go with the teachings. People are entrusted with the Dharma, and we use this Dharma to go among people

In terms of principles, it is wisdom that dispatches, and the teachings that are dispatched. The sutras are what has been compiled from all of the teachings of the Buddha. Thus it says, “He quickly dispatched attendants.”

The teachings are that which “are dispatched”; they are the Dharma is used to educate people. Principles are used to teach and transform, and the Dharma is used to teach everyone. They come from the Buddha. “The sutras are what have been compiled from all the teachings of the Buddha.” Right now, we are discussing the sutras. If the sutras had not been compiled, how would we be able to discuss these principles? Everything that has been compiled is to be applied right now in order to go among people to transform them. This is “quickly dispatching attendants”

“to urgently chase and bring him back.” This means to act quickly. The opportunities and conditions are before us, the causes and conditions are almost mature, so how can we just let things be? The father could not let his child run off; the son had finally come close, but he dared not come in. So, the father quickly entrusted people to bring him back right away. The same principles apply here. “The opportunities and conditions were present, so how could he carelessly allow him to flee?” How could he let him go again? So, “Urgently chase and bring him back” means he said to follow him and bring him back. This is an analogy for “immediate teachings of the Great Dharma,” preparing to quickly use “exhortations to teach the virtuous Dharma of the Great Vehicle.” He wanted to quickly help people understand the Great Dharma.

The Buddha-Dharma only admonishes and exhorts. Admonishment makes clear that we should refrain from all evil, and exhortations encourage upholding all goodness. Thus the exhortation to practice goodness is expressed as urgently chase and bring him back.

The Buddha-Dharma only “admonishes and exhorts. Admonishes” means to teach discipline. All of the Dharma that the Buddha taught was for the purpose of teaching us to “refrain from all evil, practice all that is good.” He “admonished” us to refrain from all evil. He “exhorted” us to practice all that is good. With teachings, He exhorted everyone to earnestly do good deeds and to advance diligently. Actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions and passing on the teachings to others are what the Buddha taught us to do

The Buddha was already very advanced in age, so He did not have much time left. Thus He felt a sense of great urgency. “To urgently chase and bring him back” means. He wanted to quickly help everyone understand.

Compassion arose in the Buddha so He quickly dispatched and entrusted nearby Bodhisattvas to expound the perfect and immediate teachings. By exhorting people to practice the virtuous Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and admonishing them to uphold the flawless teachings to transform and guide them, they would go among the people to practice the Bodhisattva-path.

“Compassion arose in the Buddha.” This is because He has universal compassion; it will always be present in Him. Therefore, “He quickly dispatched” means. He quickly entrusted [the Dharma] to Bodhisattvas, those who had already formed aspirations, hoping that they would again actively go among people. This is “expounding the perfect and immediate teachings”. The Buddha could no longer take it slow. He wanted to give the complete teachings, so He combined the Small and Great Vehicles into the One Great Vehicle. He wanted to quickly “exhort people to practice the virtuous Dharma of the Great Vehicle,” It had to be done immediately; it could not wait. He “admonished them to uphold the flawless teachings.” He transformed and guided sentient beings to have discipline and quickly teach others. He admonished everyone to avoid again becoming indolent and falling. They might have listened to the Dharma and let it leak out, or they might have been indolent and refused to accept the Dharma. This was no longer acceptable. So, to transform and guide sentient beings and to “go among people to practice Bodhisattva-path” are very important.

Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be proactive. We are running out of time. I can only keep walking forward. I cannot keep looking back to see if people are keeping up. If you want to follow someone, you must follow them. People cannot keep looking back to check. So, I hope everyone will be earnest and diligent. We must be careful to not be indolent, and we must not allow ourselves to get lost. If we are lost and do not look for a way back, we have turned our backs on our enlightened father and on our nature of True Suchness. So everyone, we must always be mindful.

Episode 761 – Waiting to Entrust the Great Vehicle

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>> With our initial great vows and aspirations, we cultivate the practices of the Great Vehicle. We are diligent with the Bodhisattva Way and maintain a joyful heart. The lost son saw the enlightened father, yet did not recognize him. Rich and poor were separated only by a wall; the father inside and the son outside had not yet met.

>> “At that time, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “I have constantly yearned for this child, yet had no way to see him. Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes. Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth.”       [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> The father was old, and he constantly yearned for this child: Sentient beings transmigrate in samsara, where they are hard-pressed by many sufferings. It was due to His great compassion that this caused Him pain

>> So, Yet had no way to see him means, Though He desired to rescue them, He had not yet had the opportunity to do so.

>> Now, roots and conditions have matured, so the opportunity to transform them is near. Thus it says, Now he suddenly appeared on his own. This was in accord with His great compassion, so it says which exactly suits my wishes.

>> Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth: He had already become old, and His period of conditions for transformation would soon be at an end. Thus it says, Though I am already old. This also indicates that from when He received a prediction of Buddhahood from Burning Lamp of incarnating in the world from Tusita Heaven, becoming a monastic and attaining enlightenment, this period of transformation was ending.

>> Having not yet seen those with great capacities, He was unable to entrust the Dharma to anyone. So, from whom would future disciples attain liberation? For the sake of those to be transformed, it says he was still unable to pass down his wealth. Here ends the analogy of the father meeting the son.

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“With our initial great vows and aspirations, we cultivate the practices of the Great Vehicle.
We are diligent with the Bodhisattva Way and maintain a joyful heart.
The lost son saw the enlightened father, yet did not recognize him. Rich and poor were separated only by a wall; the father inside and the son outside had not yet met.”

“I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” With every person we meet, we will think of a way to deliver them. If we listen to and take the Dharma to heart, with every thought that arises, we will know as soon as we see people how to spread the seeds of goodness among them. If we have the aspiration, we will apply the Dharma that we hear. That means that when we see other people, we know they are our fields of blessings. We must quickly take the Dharma we have heard and plant this seed [in other people’s minds], thus creating good causes and good affinities. This is how listening to the teachings [applies to] our interpersonal relationships. Thus we must constantly [remember] “our initial great vows and aspirations.” We should always remember the aspirations we initially formed.

As I often remind everyone, every single person we encounter is our spiritual training ground. Every single thing they say is the Dharma to us. If we can use such a broad and expansive mind to accommodate all things, we can apply all Dharma to the minds of countless sentient beings. This is truly practicing the Great Vehicle.

“We are diligent with the Bodhisattva Way.” Furthermore, at all times, since we have made the great vows, we must engage in the Great Vehicle practice. We have to be immersed in the Bodhisattva Way. Every day, we must be diligent “and maintain a joyful heart.” We should always happily accept the Dharma. When we listen to the Dharma, we cannot merely listen; we must actually apply it.

For instance, last year, four or five. Tzu Chi volunteers came here from Mozambique. When they came to Taiwan, each of them carried a bamboo bank, a bamboo bank made of cardboard; each was this long and this wide. They were full of 50-centavo coins. They carried these bamboo banks with them and presented them to me. I placed it on the table, and we poured out the coins from the banks, with loud, clanking sounds; they were heavy! One after another, these containers of coins were poured into a rice sieve, filling it up. Then I asked them, “Why did you carry back these heavy things?” They expressed that they had received my [New Year’s] red envelopes in the past. For this year, they hoped that the red envelopes they receive would have a coin of their local currency.

When I heard this, I was very moved. I immediately asked people to count up these 50-centavo coins to see how much money they amounted to. The total was around NT 1000 or so? Anyways, it was more than NT 1000. I told them, “I will purchase these coins.” Of course I have to exchange this money with mine. That money is a donation to Tzu Chi Foundation. I will buy up these coins so we can put them into their red envelopes. The money that goes in there is still coming from me. So, we must remember that this year, these thousands of coins from Mozambique, there are probably 2-3000, will be placed into their red envelopes.

There was one family where the mother came along with her son and daughter. The mother told me, “Master, I came to show you my gratitude.” She pointed to her daughter and said, “This is Anna. You saved her. You have brought my daughter back to me” [I asked,] “What happened?” She then began to share Anna’s story.

Anna was a very wild girl. She was considered the thug of the village, even though she is a girl. But, Tzu Chi volunteers from South Africa, like Tzu Lei (Tholokele Mkhize) and Michael Pan, went there once, twice, again and again. They went to Mozambique and and held several activities, so the local volunteers were touched. This very vicious girl became well-behaved. She accepted the Buddha-Dharma and accepted the teachings of Tzu Chi. She learned that, “Doing good deeds and being filial cannot wait.”

The South African Bodhisattva[-volunteers] shared about their own poverty and hardships and how they had also once lived unwholesome lives. Now, they have become very happy volunteers and have changed to be like loving and kind mothers, filled with compassion [Anna] was very happy to see them. They shared about their spiritual wealth. The South African Bodhisattva[-volunteers] told the Mozambican Bodhisattva[-volunteers]. “We are poor, but we became wealthy very quickly. Wealth is not just about material wealth. Love is also wealth. If we do good deeds and are filial, if we care for our neighbors out of goodness, we will be the wealthiest people. Helping people brings the greatest happiness.”

When Anna heard those words, she began changing her ways. Everything she did was to benefit other people. So, she changed completely. She went back and apologized to her mother. She went back and repented to her grandma. In the past, she was very angry that her mother had left her for her grandmother to raise. She was grateful to her grandmother, but she also misbehaved. Though grateful, she had a bad attitude. So, once she changed her ways, she repented. She apologized to her mother, then recruited her mother and younger brother. Both of them became a part of Tzu Chi.

Her younger brother was very smart. He could speak English and would go online to Da Ai TV’s website. Every day he watched. “Wisdom at Dawn” and “Life Wisdom.” This was his responsibility. Every week at the church, he mindfully explained the teachings I shared so that everyone could take them in and accept the Dharma. The Tzu Chi School of Buddhism teaches people how to be Tzu Chi volunteers, so they decided they wanted establish a farm for spiritual practice.

One of the volunteers became very happy upon hearing this. He said, “I have a piece of land that I’m willing to provide. I will rent it to you cheaply, just 2000 meticals a year” 2000 meticals has about the same value as NT 2000. The rent for this big piece of land was just 2000 meticals a year, so the volunteers agreed to rent it from him. They rented this land so that they could emulate the South African volunteers, growing vegetables and providing them to orphans and impoverished people who need them. The rest could be sold to support their work.

So, in practicing the Bodhisattva Way, we must be diligent while maintaining a joyful heart. They did this work happily. According to them, when they are in the church, they share the Jing Si Dharma-lineage, and when they are at the farm, they say they enter the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism. If they are doing volunteer work, they say they are in the Tzu Chi School. If they are listening to the Dharma, they say they are in the Jing Si Dharma-lineage. This is so clever and wise. This is an example of “maintaining a joyful heart.” Everyone was happy to do this work.

We must be earnest, or else we will also become lost. In the recent passages of the Lotus Sutra, the poor son had already entered the city his father lived in and was even outside his father’s room. He saw his father inside, yet he did not recognize his father. So, “The lost son saw the enlightened father, yet did not recognize him.” Though [these disciples] were with the Buddha, they may not have been willing to form aspirations. This is the same principle.

“Rich and poor were separated only by a wall; the father inside and the son outside had not yet met.” They were separated by a wall, by a gate. The son was just outside the door, but despite seeing his father, he was afraid, so he quickly ran away. This was in the previous sutra passage. The son did not recognize the father, but the father saw the son’s figure. He “saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, ‘Now I have someone to whom’ ‘I can entrust my wealth and stores’.”

“At that time, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”   

The elder was very happy; he had been looking for his son for a long time. Now that he had seen the figure of his son, his mind was at ease. Knowing that his son was still alive, he was put at ease. Now he would be able to quickly call on his son to return. Now, he would be able to entrust his wealth and stores to his son. This is the meaning of the previous passage.

The next passage of the sutra states, “I have constantly yearned for this child, yet had no way to see him. Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes. Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth.”

“I have constantly yearned for this child, yet had no way to see him. Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes. Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth.”       

This expressed what was in the father’s heart. Though father and son had been apart for a long time, as a father, the elder’s mind was constantly on his son. Thus, “I have constantly yearned for this child, yet had no way to see him.” He had been searching, yet after several decades, he still could not find him.

The father was old, and he constantly yearned for this child: Sentient beings transmigrate in samsara, where they are hard-pressed by many sufferings. It was due to His great compassion that this caused Him pain.

The father was quite old, very advanced in age, but he still “constantly yearned for this child.” His mind was always on his child, who is an analogy for “sentient beings transmigrating in samsara. They are hard-pressed by many sufferings, which pained Him due to His great compassion.”

When the father thinks about sentient beings, about these children, about all these living beings in the Six Realms or four forms of birth, transmigrating through cyclic existence, He feels great loving-kindness and compassion and is thus very saddened.

So, Yet had no way to see him means, Though He desired to rescue them, He had not yet had the opportunity to do so.

“Yet no way to see him” means those beings could not encounter Him. In hell and heaven, there is no Buddha-Dharma. Only in the human realm can the Dharma be found. However, there are multitudes of sentient beings, and the Buddha was only in this world for 80 years. For sentient beings, encountering Him is not easy, to say nothing of listening to the Dharma; that is even more difficult. Without the opportunity, He could not save them. This was the Buddha’s state of mind. He knew that sentient beings were suffering; He had compassion for them, but He could not find an opportunity to save them.

However, as the previous passage states, this wandering child was gradually coming closer. “Now he has suddenly appeared on his own, which exactly suits my wishes”

Now, roots and conditions have matured, so the opportunity to transform them is near. Thus it says, “Now he suddenly appeared on his own.” This was in accord with His great compassion, so it says “which exactly suits my wishes.”

The father had been looking for his son for a long time. Now, as he had settled down in this place, his son unexpectedly appeared. His wishes were being fulfilled. This is an analogy for how capabilities and conditions were maturing and how an opportunity for transformation was getting closer. He had cleansed and trained them with the Dharma by teaching according to capabilities from the Agama, Vaipulya and Prajna, all the way to the Lotus Assembly, so their capabilities had slowly matured; they had gradually approached him. Thus it says, “Now he suddenly appeared on his own.”

See, Subhuti and the others had already stood up and come before the Buddha. They were ready to open up their minds. So, when He saw them arrive [at this stage], “This was in accord with His great compassion.” He was able to feel at peace. “This was in accord with His great compassion” means His wishes were about to be fulfilled. His vows were coming to fruition as sentient beings had developed great capabilities. So, “This was in accord with His great compassion. Thus it says, ‘which exactly suits my wishes’.” This passages states, “[This] exactly suits my wishes.” The father had been looking for his son for many decades. Now that he had seen his son’s figure, that meant he was very close. His wish was about to be fulfilled.

Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth: He had already become old, and His period of conditions for transformation would soon be at an end. Thus it says, Though I am already old. This also indicates that from when He received a prediction of Buddhahood from Burning Lamp of incarnating in the world from Tusita Heaven, becoming a monastic and attaining enlightenment, this period of transformation was ending.

“Though I am already old, I am still unable to pass down my wealth”. The older He got, the more worried He became. What was He worried about? His conditions for transformation would soon end. When the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, He was already in His 70s. He knew He was approaching the end of His life, and His conditions for transforming others were about to be over. So, “His conditions for transformation would soon be at an end.” These conditions for transformation were ending. His days and. His conditions for transforming sentient beings were coming to an end. It is because He had a body that He could interact with all these sentient beings. If they had the affinities, He would talk to them. If they accepted the Dharma, they could take it to heart. There is an end to human life. The Buddha’s lifespan was 80 years. When He gave the Lotus teachings, He was already in His 70s. So, He began to worry, as “His conditions for transformation” would soon be at an end. He often thought about how old He was. Thus it says, “Though I am already old.” He was already quite old.

This also means that He had received confirmation from Burning Lamp Buddha; it was from Him that Sakyamuni Buddha received a prediction of Buddhahood. He was told, “When you attain Buddhahood, You will be called Sakyamuni. Your world will be the Saha World. Your lifespan will be….” In the era of Burning Lamp Buddha, [He was told,]. “You will have this long to transform others.” He had already received this prediction during the era of Burning Lamp Buddha. Then He continued to form affinities with people until causes and conditions matured, and He descended from Tusita Heaven to be born into the palace. In this lifetime, He manifested the Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment. He grew up and then engaged in spiritual cultivation and in ascetic practices. After His enlightenment, He transformed sentient beings. This was one period of “conditions for transformation.” He came to this world to transform sentient beings and those karmic conditions were about to end. Thus, “His period of conditions for transformation would soon be at an end.” His causes and conditions for teaching and transforming them were about to be over.

However, as He grew old, “Having not yet seen those with great capacities, He was unable to entrust the Dharma to anyone. So, from whom would future disciples attain liberation? Who would serve those still to be transformed?” Thus, He was “unable to pass down his wealth.”

Having not yet seen those with great capacities, He was unable to entrust the Dharma to anyone. So, from whom would future disciples attain liberation? For the sake of those to be transformed, it says he was still unable to pass down his wealth. Here ends the analogy of the father meeting the son.

When the Buddha reached old age, He still had not found people with great capabilities. All of His disciples, including the ten main disciples, each had their own strong points. But though each had their strengths, they were unable to develop great capabilities, form great aspirations. “Having not yet seen those with great capacities,” He had no one to entrust the Dharma to.

There must be those willing to devote themselves to people without being [negatively] affected by them. He could not yet find this kind of person. “He was unable to entrust the Dharma to anyone. So, [as for] future disciples,” sentient beings in the future, who would help deliver them? So, “Who would serve those still to be transformed?” Who could transform them? Who could help them attain liberation? Because of this, He was still “unable to pass down his wealth.” He endlessly thought about this. He was still lacking someone to take responsibility for going among people,

who had completely eliminated afflictions and was willing to form great aspirations to help others without being affected by people and matters or losing their spiritual aspirations. He had yet to find this kind of person, so He was very worried. He was “unable to pass down his wealth” because He still could not find people like this. He cherished these kinds of capabilities and conditions, but He had not come across them yet.

Thus, “Here ends the analogy of the father and the son seeing each other.” In this parable, the father and son had seen each other. The son had not recognized the father, but the father recognized the son. This parable contains profound teachings, even if the story seems simple. If everyone has been putting their hearts into comprehending it, everyone will have taken the Dharma to heart. Isn’t this a way to awaken our great capabilities and form great aspirations? Everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 760 – Today the Opportunity for Transformation Has Come

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>> The Buddha works for the sake of one great cause; He constantly awaits His disciples’ capacities. Now a chance has come that addresses His loving intent. Though the son did not recognize his father, the father nevertheless recognized his son; this fulfilled his wishes, so he was joyous. Abiding in the Dharma, the Buddha gives rise to great compassion, which is relieving great suffering. He abides in the Dharma, which is great loving-kindness and giving joy. Thus, He is filled with joy.

>> “At that time, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> [He] saw his son and immediately recognized him: An analogy for the Buddha’s original intent to teach and transform sentient beings. His only thoughts were of the One Great Vehicle. Upon seeing people who had once formed great aspirations, He could recognize them as Buddha-children. He knew these were sentient beings with whom. He had formed affinities in the past.

>> The Buddha constantly sought out and waited for the appropriate capacities and conditions to deliver sentient beings. He viewed them all impartially with compassion, as if they were all His only child. Now He saw that capacities and conditions had matured. Seeing that His children had come allowed Him to express His loving intent. This was the reason for His great joy.

>> They had developed the capacity for transformation. Thus it says, Now he has suddenly appeared on his own. Their hearts were filled with great compassion, thus it says, [This] exactly suits my wishes.

>> Through cultivation in kalpas past, He has realized great Bodhi. Before seeing their great capacities, He would not rashly give them [the Dharma], thus the Dharma was not entrusted.

>> Now that things look bright, He was joyous, thus it says He was filled with joy. The opportunity had now come. This was in accord with His thoughts, which opens up His great loving intent.

>> He had this thought, Now I have someone to whom. I can entrust my wealth and stores: This is because his wishes were fulfilled by seeing his son. In the past he had seen how, after sentient beings rejected the Great, they rushed off in all four directions, seeking food and clothing, working for wages here and there and constantly desiring wealth, yet without the opportunity to obtain.

>> He saw how sentient beings rejected the Great for the Small, and how in their poverty they sought food and faced hardship in sustaining their lives. They constantly desired wealth, yet were without the opportunity to obtain.

>> Now the opportunity had come for the One Great Vehicle Dharma to be passed on. This was in accord with His great loving intent. Thus it says, “I can now entrust my stores”.

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“The Buddha works for the sake of one great cause; He constantly awaits His disciples’ capacities.
Now a chance has come that addresses His loving intent. Though the son did not recognize his father,
the father nevertheless recognized his son; this fulfilled his wishes, so he was joyous.
Abiding in the Dharma, the Buddha gives rise to great compassion, which is relieving great suffering.
He abides in the Dharma, which is great loving-kindness and giving joy. Thus, He is filled with joy.”

We know that the Buddha is compassionate. He sees all sentient beings as His only son. The sutras often use the analogy of father and son. In fact, “father” refers to the Buddha and “son” refers to how all sentient beings are the Buddha’s disciples. If we are very clear on this, then we understand that with His great compassion the Buddha views all sentient beings impartially.

For the sake of His one great cause, the Buddha constantly comes to this world, to the realms of sentient beings, to teach and transform us. He hopes we can thoroughly understand and take on responsibility for the Buddha-Dharma, can form great aspirations and make great vows to carry on the Dharma-lineage and can continue to move forward and transform sentient beings. He hopes to find someone that. He has an affinity with to pass on the Dharma. This is the Buddha’s one great cause;

“He constantly awaits His disciples’ capacities.” He wants to find someone He has an affinity with, someone who has the opportunity to connect with the Dharma, someone who can really understand it. This is how, life after life, He transforms people He has an affinity with.

“Now a chance has come that addresses His loving intent. Though the son did not recognize his father….” At this [assembly], He saw that sentient beings were beginning to form aspirations. They had been lost and confused, endlessly transmigrating in the Five Realms and four forms of birth. Gradually, their minds had drawn near the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha saw this. So, “Now a chance has come.” He saw that the chance had arrived, as they had the capacities, causes and conditions to come closer. So, this “addressed His loving intent.” He was like the father who had seen the figure of his son and felt a sense of joy arising from His kind heart.

He was like the father who spent a lifetime looking for his son. For so many decades, the son had drifted about in other lands and no longer recognized the father, but the father still recognized the son. Therefore, when he saw his figure, he became very happy, because he had constantly wished for his son to come back to him. This was the same wish as the Buddha’s. The Buddha hoped that His disciples’ minds would slowly connect with and realize the Dharma, would have the capacity to get close to the Dharma. Therefore, the arrival of the son is an analogy for how the disciples’ capabilities were about to awaken.

“This fulfilled his wishes”; things were coming together to fulfill His wish. Thus, “He was joyous.” When sentient beings’ capabilities come together with the Dharma, that makes the Buddha most happy.

“Abiding in the Dharma, He gave rise to great compassion.” This great compassion arises from the Dharma. I often talk about “unconditional loving-kindness and universal compassion.” People can show each other universal compassion; this is not something that only Bodhisattvas do. In fact, what the Buddha wanted to teach us is that we must all have universal compassion. So, we often talk about how we are interconnected with the entire world. We need to reach this level [of understanding]. Then we are one with heaven and earth. When the weather is favorable, the land is safe. When the land is safe, sentient beings are safe.

If we do not have universal compassion, feeling other people’s suffering as our own, if we do not have this mindset, then, though we learn the Buddha’s Way, we will be unable to realize His intent.

The Buddha’s intent and the principles are singular; as we have discussed in the past, all Buddhas share the same path. When we return to our awakened nature, the principles will be [apparent]. Yet at this time, we have not yet penetrated the principles. We are still at “the stage of learning”; we still need to learn. Moreover, there are rules for spiritual practice. These are the rules, but nowadays, ordinary people find it hard to be disciplined in this way. So, we give rise to discursive thoughts and are unable to stabilize our minds. If this is the case, we will find it hard to [realize] the principles.

So, “Abiding in the Dharma, He gave rise to great compassion.” This “universal compassion” is the relieving of great suffering. Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms. They go between the four forms of birth, the Five Realms or Six Realms. After transmigrating in this way, sentient beings may finally aspire to engage in spiritual practice. In the process of spiritual cultivation, they may spend many decades enduring suffering of body and mind. They cultivated ascetic practices and also learned to control their minds. Though in the Sangha there were evil-natured bhiksus that troubled them, their minds had to remain firm. In this way, “Abiding in the Dharma, the Buddha gives rise to great compassion, which is relieving great suffering.” On the path of spiritual practice, people will struggle to get by.

“He abides in the Dharma, which is great loving-kindness and giving joy.” Abiding in the Dharma allowed Him to better understand that. He had to open up His mind and go among people to bring them more blessings and happiness. This is great joy. The Buddha hoped that His disciples could live in harmony with the whole world and be one with all sentient beings. This is called “great compassion.” He hoped that everyone could give rise to great loving-kindness and bring blessings and safety to everyone. For the world and individuals to all be at peace, we need to have the Buddha-Dharma. And the Buddha-Dharma needs all of us, the Buddha’s disciples, to take responsibility for bringing purity to everyone’s minds. Then we can bring peace and stability to the world. This is how the Buddha-Dharma can save the world. This was the Buddha’s intent.

Previously we discussed, “At that time the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy.” The father on the lion’s throne had seen his son. “He had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”

There was someone to inherit his wealth. This means that the Buddha had seen that people’s limited capabilities had turned into great capabilities. Now the Buddha-Dharma could be transmitted. There were people willing to dedicate themselves to transmitting the Right Dharma.

[He] saw his son and immediately recognized him: An analogy for the Buddha’s original intent to teach and transform sentient beings. His only thoughts were of the One Great Vehicle. Upon seeing people who had once formed great aspirations, He could recognize them as Buddha-children. He knew these were sentient beings with whom. He had formed affinities in the past.

Next, “He saw his son and immediately recognized him” This is “an analogy for the Buddha’s original intent to teach and transform. His only thoughts were of the One Great Vehicle.” In the instant the Buddha attained Buddhahood, His mind became one with the universe. This state of mind was the Buddha’s intent. He hoped to help everyone understand this state of mind, because He believed that everyone has the capability to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, His intent and what we wanted to teach sentient beings was only this mindset of the One Great Vehicle. So, in the Lotus Sutra, He “merged the Three to return to the One.” He combined the Three Vehicles into the One, into the Bodhisattva-Path; this was the Buddha’s intent.

“When he saw people who had once formed great aspirations, He could recognize them as Buddha-children. Upon seeing people who have once formed great aspirations,” He felt they were true Buddha-children, born of the Buddha’s speech and transformed by the Dharma. They were true Buddha-children, because He knew these were sentient beings who had formed good affinities in the past. Now they were able to form great aspirations to continue the Dharma-lineage. They did not just do so in this life, but had done so in the past as well. “The past” represents a very long time ago. Throughout His many lifetimes, the Buddha was constantly searching, hoping to find people with great capabilities to teach and transform in life after life.

We should know that life is very short and to help train a person to attain Buddhahood is not easy. So, He had to spend many lifetimes constantly looking for people who could accept the Great Dharma and continue transmitting this Dharma until Maitreya attains Buddhahood; then it must continue to be transmitted. A very long time is needed to train and polish our awakened nature, which can become one with the universe. Thus, when [the Buddha] discovered that people were starting to discover this nature, “His heart filled with joy”

The Buddha constantly sought out and waited for the appropriate capacities and conditions to deliver sentient beings. He viewed them all impartially with compassion, as if they were all His only child. Now He saw that capacities and conditions had matured. Seeing that His children had come allowed Him to express His loving intent. This was the reason for His great joy.

“The Buddha constantly sought out and waited for the appropriate capacities and conditions.” He kept on searching and waiting for people with the [right] capacities so He could approach and transform them. In this way, He continuously looked for people with these kinds of capabilities, these kinds of causes and conditions. He constantly nurtured these causes and conditions and capabilities in people. So, “He viewed them all equally with compassion, as if they were all His only child.” The Buddha views all sentient beings as if they were His only child. When [His son] Rahula engaged in spiritual practice in the Sangha, he lived like everyone else in the Sangha. By the same principle, the Buddha treated all disciples the same. He was simply waiting for their capacities and karmic conditions to mature so they could transmit the Dharma.

“Now He saw that the capacities and affinities had matured. Seeing that His children had come allowed Him to express His loving intent.” When He saw that the conditions had matured, that they had the capabilities to continue drawing near the Great Dharma, it was like a father seeing his son. It “allowed Him to express His loving intent,” so He was very happy. “This was the reason for His great joy”

They had developed the capacity for transformation. Thus it says, Now he has suddenly appeared on his own. Their hearts were filled with great compassion, thus it says, [This] exactly suits my wishes.

[His disciples] had now developed the capacities for transformation. Their capacities for truly realizing and taking the Dharma to heart had begun to develop. So, “Now he has suddenly appeared on his own.” Suddenly, this child unexpectedly appeared. Sariputra, from among all these people, had formed aspirations, this also suddenly appeared. Now, Subhuti and the three others had also suddenly attained realizations. This was something that brought the Buddha joy. With universal and great compassion, people feel they are one with the world. So, one by one, they had developed this great compassion and were becoming one with everything. This was their mindset. Hence, “[This] exactly suits my wishes.” My hope is also like this; I hope everyone can work in concert with unity, harmony and love and that everyone can share the same mission. This is what makes me most happy. This is the meaning of “exactly suits my wishes.”

Through cultivation in kalpas past, He has realized great Bodhi. Before seeing their great capacities, He would not rashly give them [the Dharma], thus the Dharma was not entrusted.

“Through cultivation in kalpas past, He has realized great Bodhi”.. “Kalpas past” means that this goes beyond this current lifetime. It has been going on for a very long time. “Kalpas past” is a boundless stretch of time. Ever since the beginning, the Buddha had been searching for those who are capable of forming great aspirations and realizing great Bodhi. These were the people that the Buddha had constantly been searching for over a very long time.

“Before seeing their great capacities, He would not rashly give them [the Dharma].” If we do not see that someone’s great capacities have matured, we cannot casually entrust the Dharma to him. Thus, in the Chapter on Parables, it said that for people like this, “Do not teach this sutra”; for people like that, “Do not teach this sutra.” Their capacities are not yet very mature, so we should not teach this to them. They have not yet penetrated Bodhi or remained mindful and determined; they would not be able to get through this ordeal. For people like this, “We should not teach this sutra.” So, if the Buddha had not seen evidence of their great capabilities, “He would not rashly give them [the Dharma].” He would not transmit it to them so easily. In the wrong hands, it would cause trouble. Thus, finding someone to entrust the Dharma to was in fact very difficult. “Thus the Dharma was not entrusted.” Without people with great capacities, there was no one to entrust it to.

Now that things look bright, He was joyous, thus it says He was filled with joy. The opportunity had now come. This was in accord with His thoughts, which opens up His great loving intent.

“Now, it showed that they were bringing joy.” Being able to see this now, He was joyous. Their great capacities and minds had opened up; “The opportunity had now come.” Today He saw people who were willing to accept and had the great capabilities to penetrate the Dharma. They were willing to open up their minds to teach and transform sentient beings and to expand their compassionate hearts to save and deliver them. This kind of capabilities were seen at this time; they had come. “This was in accord with His wishes to express His great loving intent.” The Buddha’s great loving intent had already been cleared of obstacles; otherwise He would be very worried. Having seen people with great capacities, the Buddha began to feel happy.

“My wealth and stores” can now be entrusted; there were people to pass them down to. This means there were now people to transmit the Dharma.

He had this thought, Now I have someone to whom. I can entrust my wealth and stores: This is because his wishes were fulfilled by seeing his son. In the past he had seen how, after sentient beings rejected the Great, they rushed off in all four directions, seeking food and clothing, working for wages here and there and constantly desiring wealth, yet without the opportunity to obtain.

“He had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores” Upon seeing his son, [the elder’s] “wishes were fulfilled.” The Buddha’s wishes were fulfilled when. He saw disciples with great capacities, who were about to form [great] aspirations. Thus, His wishes were fulfilled. The Lotus Sutra was the Buddha’s final teaching. After these four or five disciples became willing [to form great aspirations], they would be closely followed by more people. As long as some were willing to form aspirations, more and more disciples would do the same. “This is because his wishes were fulfilled by seeing his son.” Seeing his child, his wishes were fulfilled.

“In the past he had seen how, after sentient beings rejected the Great, they rushed off in all four directions.” Those who had formed great aspirations in the past had retreated from them, then “rushed off in all four directions.” In this way, they continued to transmigrate in the Five Realms and the four forms of birth. We cannot assume that if we form aspirations now, we will be safe from now on. After forming aspirations, we still have many opportunities to retreat. If we do not take good care of our minds, we will “work for wages here and there.” Obtaining food and clothing will be difficult.

He saw how sentient beings rejected the Great for the Small, and how in their poverty they sought food and faced hardship in sustaining their lives. They constantly desired wealth, yet were without the opportunity to obtain.

So we say, in life we must seize every opportunity. When the elder saw the poor son, he did not even have an opportunity to help him. This is the same principle. So, when the Buddha saw sentient beings “reject the Great for the Small,” His heart was pained. Retreating from great aspirations, they willingly returned to an unenlightened state. This was truly worrisome. They turned back again, thus, “In a poor neighborhood they sought food and faced hardship in sustaining their lives. They constantly desired wealth.” They desired wealth more and more, “yet were without the opportunity to obtain.” Without this opportunity and affinity, they could not obtain [the Dharma].

Now the opportunity had come for the One Great Vehicle Dharma to be passed on. This was in accord with His great loving intent. Thus it says, “I can now entrust my stores”.

“The opportunity had now come for the Great Dharma of the One Vehicle to be passed on.” Once they developed great capacities, the Dharma could be transmitted to them. “This was in accord with His great loving intent. Thus it says, I can now entrust my stores.”

Dear Bodhisattvas, we should truly form Bodhisattva-aspirations and never retreat from them. For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha continued looking for people with great capabilities. Forming great aspirations is very difficult. Only when our capabilities allow us to resonate with the Buddha’s mind are we able to “address the Buddha’s intent.” Therefore, we should always be mindful.

Episode 759 – On Impermanence, Suffering and Emptiness

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>> Ordinary people do not understand that worldly phenomena are impermanent, much less know that the world is empty and illusory. Furthermore, they cannot understand that there is also wondrous existence in the world. Wondrous existence and true emptiness are buried in the mud of the lotus pond.

>> “If I stay here long , they may see me and press me into service forcing me to work. . Having had this thought, he left hurriedly.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “At that time, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> At that time, the wealthy elder [was] seated upon the lion’s throne: This is the place from which the elder saw his son. The Dharmakaya of the Tathagata abides in the supreme meaning, a state of emptiness and fearlessness. As the Buddha taught Dharma among the people, He had the virtues of calmness and fearlessness, clearly illuminating capabilities in His enlightened state.

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“Ordinary people do not understand that worldly phenomena are impermanent,
much less know that the world is empty and illusory.
Furthermore, they cannot understand that there is also wondrous existence in the world.
Wondrous existence and true emptiness are buried in the mud of the lotus pond.”

This is how we live out our lives every day. As unenlightened beings, we “ordinary people do not understand that worldly phenomena are impermanent.” Every day, we live in this way. How often does the word “impermanence” surface in our minds? What is “impermanence” really? It is just a term. However, with this true principle, no matter when impermanence strikes, the experience it brings to us is suffering; there is unbearable suffering in life. Only after encountering suffering do we recognize, “Oh, so this is impermanence!”

Nowadays, when we talk about the 921 Earthquake, some people think, “I know, I heard about what happened.” Thus, they describe the events lightly, as if it had nothing to do with them. But those who lived at the epicenter in central Taiwan take it very seriously. “Right! That is impermanence! Impermanence struck suddenly; it looked as if the mountain lost its skin.”

Because of the 921 Earthquake, some suffered serious injuries. For some, in the blink of an eye, a limb was lost. Some lost their loved ones. I recall that, at the time, we deeply devoted ourselves to the relief effort. Thinking back, things were so frightening!

On the day of the quake, at the Abode we felt very intense shaking. Just a little while later, we received a call [from near the epicenter] [We asked,] “Did anything happen there? Yes!” They reported one thing after another. “Have you surveyed the situation? Yes, and we have already mobilized. We are preparing breakfast now, and some people are at the scene offering comfort. Are all Tzu Chi volunteers safe? The houses of some [volunteers] also collapsed. And the people? Everyone is safe.”

Later, I heard people name certain volunteers whose house had collapsed but who did not return to check on it for many days. So I asked, “After what has happened, you didn’t go back to clean up your house? How could we clean up the house? I only have two hands, and my family is small. We can’t rebuild the house, so it is better that we join the relief efforts.”

We heard about and saw people like this. Living Bodhisattvas may also experience disasters. When disaster strikes them, they still have a Bodhisattva’s courage and perseverance, so they set aside their own problems and devote themselves to helping other people. Seeing people who were more severely affected or had greater losses, like some families where many suffered injuries, they felt, “I am still in good shape. While engaging in relief work, I do need not to worry about cooking for myself. We need to help cook for other people and go out and comfort them. Every day, we are so busy.”

What shocked me the most were the requests from our volunteer Chunzhi. Every time I received a call from her, she would ask, “Master, can our hospital in Hualien provide us with body bags? We need bags for the corpses.” I asked, “How many? Can you send 500?” This was the first phone call, We quickly contacted the hospital and had them sent over. A little while later, another phone call came. “Master, can you send another 1000?” 1000 body bags! “We have ordered 500 to be sent already. Yes, but we need more, another 1000. Are you sure? Yes! Please hurry.” So, we quickly ordered another 1000. Soon after, there was another phone call. “Master, can you send 1000 more? Is it that serious?” The more we heard, the more frightened we were. We sent 2500 body bags in three shipments.

Around noon, a phone call came. It was Chunzhi again, who said, “Master, can you provide us with freezers? Everyone is worried about the hot weather. Some of the bodies we have recovered are already beginning to smell.” Where could we find freezers? We quickly thought of an idea. Mr. Lee Zong-ji was in the shipping business, so he had shipping containers, some of which must have contained freezers. So, we immediately called him to ask, “Can you find and borrow two freezers from people in your industry?” Upon receiving the call, he said, “Master, do not worry. I’ll take care of this; I’ll find them.” Sure enough, he found two freezers we could borrow.

At Puli, the corpses had been placed in body bags. Some were missing body parts and were already beginning to smell. So, they were quickly moved into the freezer and stacked on top of one another. The stack grew higher and higher. Hearing the volunteers describe this, [I felt] the Faith Corps members were very courageous. In addition to transporting bodies and moving them into the freezer, every 30-40 minutes, they also had to go inside to rotate the bodies. They had to do this because if the bodies remained stacked like that, those in the middle would be smothered and thus deteriorate [more quickly]. Because of this, they rotated the bodies again and again.

Even the soldiers at a nearby army base were in shock. The military came and asked Tzu Chi volunteers, “Can you come to the base and talk to our young soldiers, help to comfort them a little? Everyone is terrified.” Our hospital [in Hualien] immediately dispatched doctors and nurses aboard a helicopter on the first day and flew directly to Dongshi. This all happened back in 1999. The events that transpired truly shook everyone to their core; that was the 921 Earthquake. Now, when we go to central Taiwan, we can see the more than 50 schools that Tzu Chi helped to build.

After impermanence struck, so many people mobilized; we saw the actions of all these Bodhisattvas. When the strength of so many people was brought together, the power of their love was truly not something that we ordinarily see. These Bodhisattvas gave without expectations, not thinking of themselves at all, but only of how to conduct the relief efforts. They all mobilized to go there; that was the kind of dedication they had. Truly, thinking back on it, there were so many touching stories.

So, in this world, ordinary people quickly forget. Anything that does not directly affect them will be quickly forgotten. But if they personally joined the relief efforts, it would have left a deep impression on them. This is the reality of our world. “Ordinary people do not understand that worldly phenomena are impermanent.” The [principles] of this world cannot be seen, but impermanence will strike regardless.

Recently we have been constantly talking about the imbalance of the four elements. Earthquakes, floods, storms and fires are frequently happening around the world. People far away from them might feel that they are insignificant matters. However, we need to care for the entire planet, to always care about what happens in the world. Every day, we watch the forecast for typhoons. Which direction will these typhoons go? We begin to worry and feel very concerned. Everything on this planet is interconnected. People who are concerned in this way feel closely connected to everything that happens in the world. These people are considered Bodhisattvas.

Thus, our minds must not be so limited as to only focus on ourselves, only benefiting ourselves; otherwise, not a single Bodhisattva will arise. Then when impermanence strikes, who will help? So, we must know and understand the principle of impermanence. Those of us who are able to help other people are very blessed. If impermanence strikes us and we can be understanding, see through things and dedicate ourselves to helping others, our lives will quickly improve.

Then there are people who “[do not] know that the world is empty and illusory.” They still have attachments and think that spiritual cultivation is too hard, too boring, as if by engaging in spiritual practice this year, they should be able to attain Buddhahood next year. That is not how it works; it takes countless eons. We must unceasingly accumulate [the right] causes and conditions. We clearly know that things are illusory, yet we still cling to them. What are we trying to accomplish? When we go among people to help without allowing ourselves to be contaminated, that comes from being able to see through the illusory. If we can penetrate the principles of emptiness and illusiveness, first, we will not be attached to ourselves; we will be firm in our aspirations and steadily put [the Dharma] into practice. Because all things are empty in nature, what is there for the “self” to want? We should just seize the moment and take action.

Ordinary people are unaware [of all this]. “Furthermore, they cannot understand that there is also wondrous existence in the world.” There is wondrous existence in the world because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, because the principles are everlasting. Although we cannot see them, if we mindfully try to realize the principles, we will find that they are very abundant.

We must know that within impermanence there is also “wondrous existence.” Within this “wondrous existence,” principles converge and give rise to either good or evil. Within everything is an abundance of principles. If we are able to quiet our minds and earnestly contemplate, we can leisurely swim in the ocean of Dharma. Then how would we be bored? We will neither be bored nor lonely. When we still our minds and think earnestly, if there is something to do, we will do it quickly. This is living a down-to-earth life.

“Wondrous existence in true emptiness” [is like] lotus flowers in the mud. Their seeds are buried beneath the mud, so that, unfortunately, all we can see is mud. Thus, we do not help this seed to develop. Lotus flowers can dignify a muddy pond. In the Saha World, don’t Bodhisattvas similarly dignify this world? Yet we are unable to realize this. So, I hope everyone will be mindful.

The poor son endlessly drifted about until he finally arrived at the city his father lived in. He finally had the karmic conditions, yet his mind was in a state of [confusion], so he was still unaware that this was his house. He still stood outside, peering in. Seeing how dignified and awe-inspiring it was inside, [he felt,]. “This does not seem to be a place where I can beg or make a living.” So, he began to leave. “It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood.” It would be better to go back to an impoverished area. With the way people live there, “when I am hungry I just beg for food; when I need clothes I just beg for clothes, or salvage discarded clothing to wear.” This was how people lived there, in “a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing.” It would be easier to live this way.

This is like some spiritual practitioners; “I want to engage in spiritual practice, but I am unable to accept these principles. I cannot comprehend them, so I have no interest in them.” Thus, they lose their spiritual aspirations. They are like the poor son, who did not know he had a part in the riches of this household. Thus, he was afraid; “They may see me and press me into service. They may even force me to do things.” Therefore, he decided to leave.

So, the previous passage states, “If I stay here long , they may see me and press me into service forcing me to work.  Having had this thought, he left hurriedly.”

This is the previous passage. The next passage in the sutra states, “At that time, the wealthy elder, seated upon the lion’s throne, saw his son and immediately recognized him. His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.”

The father, sitting inside, saw the figure of his son; upon seeing him he immediately recognized him. Although his son had left at a young age and returned only after he was already grown up, when he had already begun entering old age, this father, whose every thought was on his son, saw this figure and immediately recognized, “This is my child.” So, he was very happy. Now, there was someone to inherit his property, so he quickly asked people to bring his son over

At that time, the wealthy elder [was] seated upon the lion’s throne: This is the place from which the elder saw his son. The Dharmakaya of the Tathagata abides in the supreme meaning, a state of emptiness and fearlessness. As the Buddha taught Dharma among the people, He had the virtues of calmness and fearlessness, clearly illuminating capabilities in His enlightened state.

See, “At that time, the wealthy elder, [was] seated upon the lion’s throne.” The lion’s throne is the Tathagata’s Dharmakaya (Dharma-body). Sakyamuni Buddha is not the only one who has a pure nature of True Suchness. Actually, we all have this nature of True Suchness. But when explaining this in terms of matters, with His sharp and awakened nature, the Buddha knew the extent of His disciples’ capabilities. For those with limited capabilities, He spoke of “existence” and “emptiness.” Starting from the Agama, He moved to the Vaipulya and then the Prajna. At this point, it was time for “the Three Vehicles to return to the One.” The Buddha knew His disciples would be afraid and dare not accept this. In the past, they focused on benefiting themselves. Now, He wanted to entrust to them [the mission of] delivering sentient beings and walking the Bodhisattva-path, so He taught them the Lotus Sutra.

The Lotus Sutra leads Hearers and Solitary Realizers to converge on the Bodhisattva-path. Hearers and Solitary Realizers were afraid to hear about it. “In the past, I focused on benefiting myself and on my own spiritual practice, hoping that I would not come back to this world and suffer [Applying] the Four Noble Truths is not easy. I put in a lot of effort to finally begin eradicating the source of suffering and to clearly understand the truth of causation. Now, I have already eliminated suffering and causation. I have already gone through this process of spiritual practice. Now I am focused on practicing the Path so I will not have to return to this world. But now the Buddha wants us to understand wondrous existence.” Though they knew about “wondrous existence,” though they knew that this seed exists, to help this lotus flower grow out of the mud while avoiding being contaminated by the mud, seemed like a very difficult task to them.

The Buddha understood that His disciples felt this way, that they thought, “Delivering sentient beings is the work of Bodhisattvas. It has nothing to do with me.” This is just like how the poor son tried to escape. At this point of the story, the poor son had gradually approached [his father’s city]. Similarly, the Buddha discovered that. His disciples were repentant. They openly expressed what was in their hearts, so He became happy. Now there were people to transmit the Dharma He wanted to pass on. So, the previous passage states, “His heart filled with joy, and he had this thought, Now I have someone to whom I can entrust my wealth and stores.” Thus, the elder was very happy.

“As the Buddha taught Dharma among the people [with] the virtues of calmness and fearlessness,” His virtuous nature and. His awakened state illuminated everything, He could see into His disciples’ capabilities. They were now close to developing great capabilities. Thus, the father was very happy. There was now hope for passing on his wealth.

So, everyone, in learning the Buddha’s way, we must be mindful. As I read these passages and speak of them, I am filled with joy. I feel that the Dharma in the Lotus Sutra is [connected to] the principles of the Agama, Vaipulya and Prajna teachings. After we understand these principles, they are all brought together in the Lotus Sutra. From the Introductory Chapter to the Chapter on Skillful Means, to the Chapter on Parables and then this chapter which helps us develop faith and understanding, we must use a reverent heart to believe and understand. We must not become tired of hearing the Dharma, thinking it has nothing to do with us. If we think that way, we will feel tired. If we feel connected to it, we will find it very applicable on our path of life. Even if we are already approaching old age, we can still elevate our vitality and develop our wisdom-life. Listening to the Dharma, we should feel Dharma-joy. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 758 – Without Transformation There is No Virtue

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>> The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefit. He secretly felt his strength was insufficient, his capabilities too limited so he could not receive great transformation. He believed he had no part in this, that it was something that he and the others would not be able to accept. Thus, he thought it would be better to seek the limited teachings of the Two Vehicles, and emptiness or existence as one pleases.

>> “He secretly had this thought, This must be a king , or something like a king This is not a place where I could sell my labor to attain anything I would do better to return to a poor neighborhood , a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing .”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> A poor neighborhood: This is an analogy for bias towards the principles of emptiness, which do not include the 10,000 virtues. Or it can be an analogy for the practices of the Two Vehicles which only benefit oneself, and do not have the merit and virtue of transforming others. This is not the treasury of the Tathagata; thus he said, “I would do better to return”.

>> A place where I can put my strength to work: This is an analogy for the direction of a practice that is biased towards emptiness, which is called having limited wisdom, and not accepting the Great Dharma.

>> Putting strength to work: Mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s efforts to practice the Path. A place: A place where the noble path may be nurtured.

>> Easily obtain food and clothing: Bias towards emptiness is called limited wisdom. Relying on this limited wisdom, Nirvana with remainder is attained. Practice of goodness is called clothing, and practice of wisdom is called food. The Small [Vehicle] fruits of blessings and wisdom can all be easily sought, so it talks of easily obtaining food and clothing.

>> “If I stay here long , they may see me and press me into service , forcing me to work. Having had this thought, he left hurriedly.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> Starting from one’s original aspiration to practice the Great Vehicle Path, infinite kalpas shall pass, thus it says “stay here long”.

>> I originally renounced the cycle of birth and death, but practicing the Great Vehicle involves entering that cycle to learn extensively and follow myriad practices. Thus it says, They may see me and press me into service. I originally took joy in the Small, but now being led to form Great Vehicle aspirations is like being forced to work.

>> The one who, on seeing his father’s might, felt fear and regret and thus left is an analogy for those who retreat from their Great Vehicle aspirations. Having had this thought, they abandoned the Great and chose the Small, and so it says, He left hurriedly.

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“The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefit.
He secretly felt his strength was insufficient, his capabilities too limited so he could not receive great transformation.
He believed he had no part in this, that it was something that he and the others would not be able to accept.
Thus, he thought it would be better to seek the limited teachings of the Two Vehicles, and emptiness or existence as one pleases.”

The Buddha told us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and a pure nature of True Suchness. However, we are always overlooking the fact that we too can attain Buddhahood. Frequently, while engaging in spiritual practice, we abandon our goals for doing so. So, we must often remind ourselves to be vigilant.

First, we must often remember that we already have a nature of True Suchness within; it is not necessary to seek it from elsewhere. It is just that over a long period of time, we have buried it under the dusts of affliction. The Buddha comes to the world to guide us in gradually eliminating our ignorance so that our nature of True Suchness can manifest, bit by bit. He used Dharma-water to ceaselessly cleanse us, helping us to be immersed in it so that this dust will not fly all over the place when the slightest wind of ignorance blows. Yet, we are still in the process of learning, and only part-way through we think to ourselves, “I have wiped and swept everything clean. Why is there still dust?” We do not recognize that this filth comes from all the dust in our surroundings, that mound of dirt that has not been cleaned up. So, this filth that blows in from outside is something we have not yet sought to understand.

This dirt is not just right around us; in places far away from us, there are deserts. This is why the Buddha used different methods to teach and transform. For Hearers, He taught, “Wipe this way; use water to wipe it clean.” Then He went a step further and let them know, “We must also clean up the filth outside.” This is [what He taught] Solitary Realizers. Then He told everyone that in a faraway place, there are still deserts. If we can bring water to that desert and irrigate the soil so that we can plant seeds, then it can become an oasis; this is the Bodhisattva-path.

Yet we are all only able to eliminate our own personal afflictions. We are unaware of the dust outside our minds, let alone of the deserts far away. This is being in an unenlightened state; we are only focused on ourselves. So, it is said, “The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefit.” This is like the parable of the poor son. He looked down on himself in the same way, not knowing that originally, he was also a master of this house. It is we who cannot yet open the door of our minds to enter this great room. “It is not a place where. Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain benefit.”

“He secretly felt his strength was insufficient, his capabilities too limited.” This is like how practitioners can feel that their strength is insufficient. “You want me to cultivate Great Vehicle practices and walk the Bodhisattva-Path; how can I possibly do that? Life is painfully short. In my own spiritual practice, I do not even know how to cultivate or attain [realizations]; have I actually attained anything or not? You want me to transform sentient beings, but I am unable to do that.” We do not think we can bear the responsibility for transforming sentient beings, so we dare not take it on. This is our own indolence. So, “[We] cannot receive great transformation.” A person unwilling to take on responsibility

“believes he has no part in this, that it was something he would not be able to accept.” This is like when the Buddha was teaching everyone and began to expound the Great Vehicle Dharma [Subhuti] thought He was just speaking to the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas, that this had nothing to do with him. He was like those of us with limited capabilities and wisdom. We feel, “If you want me to lead sentient beings, to transform sentient beings, then it is better if I follow the Small Vehicle Dharma.” People like this “thought it would be better to seek the limited teachings of the Two Vehicles.” If our thinking [is biased towards] “emptiness,” we think that all things are empty, so we cut off our affinities with sentient beings. Then we will not need to return to this world to be entangled by these karmic affinities. After this life ends, we will not have to be reborn again. In this way, we draw boundaries to create a very limited world for ourselves and then become unable move beyond these boundaries.

We often talk about “a mind that encompasses the universe and embraces the boundless worlds within it.” We are all capable of this, as long as we open the door to our minds. This is like [our human body]; our two eyes are quite small, but if we just open them and take a look, our vision can actually take in this vast world; we can look so high up into the sky, and we can see so far across the land. From this, we know that within our nature of True Suchness, within all of us, is our mind’s eye. We have an open and expansive wisdom that can become one with the universe, just like the Buddha. This is intrinsic to everyone. Unfortunately, we tend to squint our eyes and narrow down our horizon. In this way, we limit our views.

Otherwise, if we could open up our hearts so our minds encompass the universe, what difficulty would there be in becoming one with the universe? This is an ability everyone intrinsically has,

so we should have confidence in ourselves. We must have faith in ourselves in order to delve deeply into the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha put His heart into teaching us, so we must put our hearts into accepting this.

Now, the previous passage states, “He secretly had this thought, This must be a king , or something like a king This is not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything.  This is followed by”, “It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood , a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing.”

As the poor son looked inside that place, he felt that the people inside were so magnificent. He did not dare approach them, so he thought to himself, “It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood,” that is, to return to his old way of living,

return to a place of poverty and no restraints, where no one placed restrictions on him. Isn’t returning to the old way of living like remaining in the state of the Small Vehicle? Isn’t going back the same as remaining a Hearer or a Solitary Realizer? Isn’t going back again the same as remaining in a [limited] understanding of karma, the same as just circling around the teachings of illusiveness and emptiness?

A poor neighborhood: This is an analogy for bias towards the principles of emptiness, which do not include the 10,000 virtues. Or it can be an analogy for the practices of the Two Vehicles which only benefit oneself, and do not have the merit and virtue of transforming others. This is not the treasury of the Tathagata; thus he said, “I would do better to return”.

This is an analogy for “bias toward the principles of emptiness,” for being solely immersed in “the truth of emptiness.” Whether [a bias toward] either the principle of emptiness or existence, “[This] does not include the 10,000 virtues.” They did not think they had the ability. Therefore, these Small Vehicle practitioners did not practice good deeds nor did they cultivate wisdom. This is like how practitioners of the Two Vehicles only tried to benefit themselves and thus lacked the merits and virtues of transforming others. They were unwilling to go among people to transform them. So, “This is not the treasury of the Tathagata.”

These practitioners must not yet have discovered “the treasury of the Tathagata,” so they were still quite a long way from uncovering their nature of True Suchness. What was it that resulted in this distance? They lacked the Six Perfections of giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. They did not draw near to the stage of walking the Bodhisattva-path and going among people.

From the starting point of unenlightened beings, they had finally made their way to being Solitary Realizers and understanding all principles. They were just missing the stage of the Bodhisattva-path. If they would only go through this stage, they would reach the treasury of the Tathagata and be one with their nature of True Suchness. So, unable to complete this stage, [they thought,] “It would be better to’ return to a poor neighborhood.” They would rather go back

A place where I can put my strength to work: This is an analogy for the direction of a practice that is biased towards emptiness, which is called having limited wisdom, and not accepting the Great Dharma.

[They were looking for] “a place to put their strength to work.” They wanted a place to apply their strength through hard work. This is an analogy for “the direction of their practice being biased towards emptiness; this is limited wisdom.” Practicing in this way is like walking in place, returning to limited wisdom and not accepting the Great Dharma.

Putting strength to work: Mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s efforts to practice the Path. A place: A place where the noble path may be nurtured.

“Putting strength to work” [for them means] “mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s effort to practice the Path.” They were willing to do these things but were unwilling to go among the people. “A place” is “where the noble path may be nurtured. This place that the Buddha spoke of is something I understand, a place where I can stay and continue working hard.” But they were unwilling to accept the Great Dharma. They preferred to remain in the state of the Small Vehicle and continue on the noble path taught by the Buddha. This is like walking in place

Easily obtain food and clothing: Bias towards emptiness is called limited wisdom. Relying on this limited wisdom, Nirvana with remainder is attained. Practice of goodness is called clothing, and practice of wisdom is called food. The Small [Vehicle] fruits of blessings and wisdom can all be easily sought, so it talks of easily obtaining food and clothing.

Thus, it says they are biased toward emptiness and the Small Vehicle and rely on limited wisdom. If we practice the Small Vehicle Dharma, that means we are unable to open up our wisdom. Our wisdom will still be so narrow; we will remain circling within our personal limits. This is limited wisdom “[With it,] Nirvana with remainder is attained.” Because humans are born, grow old and ultimately pass away, they are only willing to focus on their own self-awakening. This is called “Nirvana with remainder,” meaning they have eliminated small afflictions but have not completely eliminated all of their dust-like delusions.

They are also engaged in spiritual practice and are also practicing good deeds. What kinds of good deeds are these? The kind that only benefit themselves. Good deeds that benefit only us are like our clothing. This wisdom is the cultivation of limited wisdom, the understanding of “birth, aging, illness and death” and “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.” Knowing these things, we recognize that the world is impermanent. We have this kind of wisdom, but this is all we are able to know; this is all the spiritual nourishment we have. So, “Small Vehicle fruits of blessings and wisdom can all be easily sought.” Small Vehicle fruits of blessings and wisdom are easier to seek; because of this, they were willing [to practice]. “It would be better to find a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing.” That seems much easier. This was how the poor son felt.

The next sutra passage states, “If I stay here long , they may see me and press me into service , forcing me to work. Having had this thought, he left hurriedly.”

He already knew that this place was a very magnificent place, not a place for seeking food and clothing. If he continued to linger there, “If I stay here long, they may see me and press me into service.” Perhaps they would seize him. Then they would force him to work there and perhaps do things he did not want to do. Thinking of this, he became very afraid. He “left hurriedly”; he left right away.

“If I stay here long” refers to aspiring to walk the Great Vehicle path from the very beginning, through countless kalpas. This is “staying here long.”

Starting from one’s original aspiration to practice the Great Vehicle Path, infinite kalpas shall pass, thus it says “stay here long”.

We do not know when we began to form these aspirations. If we had not formed aspirations in the past, we would not have happened to have encountered the Buddha-Dharma. In this life we would not have formed the great aspirations to engage in spiritual practice and draw near the Buddha-Dharma. We must have, in the past, a very long time ago, formed these aspirations.

So, our initial aspiration must have been to walk the Great Vehicle path. Only thus do we have these causes and conditions. From that beginning until now, a lot of time must have passed. This is “staying here long”

I originally renounced the cycle of birth and death, but practicing the Great Vehicle involves entering that cycle to learn extensively and follow myriad practices. Thus it says, “They may see me and press me into service.” I originally took joy in the Small, but now being led to form Great Vehicle aspirations is like being forced to work.

“They may see me and press me into service, forcing me to work.” Here, “me” refers to us. We had originally “renounced the cycle of birth and death.” When we began to engage in spiritual practice, we knew that cyclic existence was suffering. Life is painfully short, and we were finally able to form this aspiration, to begin to learn how to cease our “suffering” and our lack of control [over our transmigration]. It was for these reasons that we wanted to engage in spiritual practice. This was our original thinking. When we first formed aspirations, it was to renounce the cycle of birth and death. However, “Practicing the Great Vehicle involves entering that cycle.” So, if we practiced the Great Vehicle, we would have to re-enter that cycle,

because the Great Vehicle is about transforming sentient beings. Life after life, we must repeatedly return to the world. Coming back to the human realm takes a tremendous amount of work and effort in order to go among people without being contaminated by them, to come and go freely. This requires “learning extensively and following myriad practices.” We have to learn many teachings. So, because of this, “I originally took joy in the Small, but now being led to form Great Vehicle aspirations is like being forced to work” [Those disciples] originally only sought to put an end to their cyclic existence, but now the Buddha wanted them to practice the Bodhisattva-path. At this stage, some spiritual practitioners began to feel a sense of fear because they felt as if they were being forced. “Having had this thought, [they] left hurriedly.” They left because they had this thought

The one who, on seeing his father’s might, felt fear and regret and thus left is an analogy for those who retreat from their Great Vehicle aspirations. Having had this thought, they abandoned the Great and chose the Small, and so it says, “He left hurriedly.”

They were like the poor son. He saw that this elder had such might. Because the elder was surrounded by many people, the son felt that he was awe-inspiring and had great power. Thus, he became afraid. He “felt fear and regret”; “Why did I end up here?” So, because of this, he wanted to hurry up and leave.

This is an analogy for people who have retreated from their Great Vehicle aspirations. When we originally engaged in spiritual practice, we called it learning the Buddha’s Way. But we forgot that we engage in spiritual practice so that we can learn to attain Buddhahood. When we saw this, we became scared. “They abandoned the Great and chose the Small,” and so it says, “He left hurriedly.” Abandoning the Great and choosing the Small is what we humans do. When we practice, we only focus on ourselves. In cultivating the Small Vehicle, we feel it is good enough to just benefit ourselves; this way we can put an end to cyclic existence.

Where do we go if we end cyclic existence? Every person is bound by birth and death. If our spiritual cultivation is advanced, and we do not create good affinities with others, that is all well and good, but we still bring [karma] into future lifetimes, and our delusions and ignorance persist. We still have those dust-like delusions. So, when we come into this world, we are still born human. Then if external conditions tempt us, we will be contaminated by them again. Once we have been contaminated again, we will give rise to a thought of ignorance and create karma once again. So, if from now on we can constantly train ourselves by going among people, no matter what kind of words we may hear, what kind of looks we may get and what kind of things we may have to deal with, we will not be affected by them. Our spiritual aspirations will be firm, and we will give of ourselves wholeheartedly, without allowing our minds to be troubled by the sights, sounds and issues of sentient beings. Only if we can achieve this state can our spiritual aspirations be considered firm.

With firm spiritual aspirations, after we complete this lifetime, this seed will be very strong. Then we will go into our future lives with vows. This is “journeying back on our vows.” Thus, “remaining peaceful and unwavering and strengthening our spiritual aspirations” is what we must be able to achieve in this life. Only then can we “journey back on our vows.” Then we will be reborn with a goal.

Everyone, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must truly learn to take the Great Vehicle Dharma deeply to heart and not return to the Small Vehicle. Only then are we true spiritual practitioners, true Buddhist practitioners. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 757 – Liberation through Faith and Understanding

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>> Because of delusion and lack of wisdom, we remain unaware, with unease, doubt and fear. Because of doubt and fear, we do not give rise to faith and understanding. When our faith and understanding are not deep, we will not seek liberation.

>> “When the poor son saw his father in all his great might and power, terror filled him, and he regretted coming to this place.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “He secretly had this thought, This must be a king , or something like a king This is not a place where I could sell my labor to attain anything I would do better to return to a poor neighborhood , a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing .”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> He secretly had this thought: Latent and hidden within our capabilities is the nature of truth. When it surfaces, it flies throughout the universe. When concealed, it is hidden within great waves or buried in the mud of the lotus [pond] like seeds of goodness. In his foolishness, he secretly had this thought.

>> This must be a king, or something like a king: This is referring to Papiyas, King Mara. When they heard this Dharma teaching now, even then, they suspected it was an act of Mara, to say nothing of what people believed before.

>> The teachings of Dharma-appearance could not be understood by Two Vehicle disciples because their wisdom was small and virtue shallow. Though they lived in the Dharma, it was as if they had not seen or heard it. Thus, they suspected it to come from Mara or a follower of Mara.

>> Moreover, now, when the Three were revealed to be in fact One, Sariputra still had his suspicions and doubts: “Is this Mara disguised as the Buddha to disturb and confuse my mind?” Moreover, since after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha devised a way to use great intentions to give limited teachings, how could they not suspect the Buddha was Mara?

>> [It was] not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything: The rewards of the Great Vehicle Dharma are not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefits. Thus it says, “not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything”. This is an analogy for those with limited capabilities, in that they cannot receive great transformation.

>> A poor neighborhood: This is an analogy for bias towards the principles of emptiness, which do not lead to the 10,000 virtues. It is also an analogy for the Four Inverted Views. The views on “permanence, joy, self and purity” are all backwards, so they are known as the Four Inverted Views.

>> The Two Vehicle practices only serve to deliver oneself and do not have the merit and virtue of transforming others.

>> A place where I can put my strength to work: This is an analogy for bias towards emptiness, which is known as limited wisdom, or for the Four Inverted Views, known as worldly knowledge.

>> A place: A place where the noble path may be nurtured. Put my strength to work: Mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s efforts to practice the Path.

>> Easily obtain food and clothing: Clothing is an analogy for practices of blessings, and food is an analogy for practices of wisdom. Easily obtaining food and clothing is like attaining Nirvana with remainder. Attaining flawless food and clothing is like [going beyond] attaining worldly meditation.

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“Because of delusion and lack of wisdom,
we remain unaware, with unease, doubt and fear.
Because of doubt and fear, we do not give rise to faith and understanding.
When our faith and understanding are not deep, we will not seek liberation.”

We must frequently ask ourselves, as we are already learning the Buddha’s Way and listening to the Dharma, have we actually done so diligently? If we have been very diligent, we will know that ordinary beings have always been deluded. It is [precisely] because of our unwillingness to remain in this state of delusion that we want to engage in spiritual practice. To engage in spiritual practice, we must focus our minds with a single resolve. Truly, we must have faith and understanding. Without faith and understanding, if our faith is not deep, we will always live in doubt. If this is how we go about learning the Buddha’s teachings, we are truly wasting our time.

There is a story about this in the sutras. There was a young man who listened to the teachings and heard that attaining liberation in this life is very hard. Liberation is very difficult to achieve. Even if one listens to the Buddha-Dharma, to be able to realize it and have deep faith and understanding is harder yet. The analogy was given of a piece of wood. A piece of wood with a hole in it is drifting about in the ocean. There is a blind turtle swimming in the ocean, and when he lifts his head, it comes up right through the hole. The young man wanted to try it for himself, but the piece of wood kept floating away. He continued swimming after it. He spent most of the day trying to poke his head through the hole, but he could not do it. “It turns out that being able to be born human and encounter the Buddha-Dharma is exceedingly difficult. I should begin my diligent practice right away.” Therefore, this young man left the lay life. He became a Bodhisattva-monastic. Though he had left the lay life, he delighted in going among people. Upon returning, he would listen to the Dharma; when he went out again, he would teach the Dharma. This is a short story found in the sutras.

When we began learning the Buddha’s Way, we had a sense of urgency. We hoped that, if we begin our spiritual practice right away, we would [quickly] achieve success. The Buddhist sutras constantly remind us that this takes countless kalpas, and just how long is a kalpa? It is a long time. It is so long it is difficult to calculate [The average lifespan] grows by one year every century until the average lifespan is 84,000 years. Then the average of 84,000 years decreases by one year every century until it is only ten years. One cycle of this increase and decrease is a small kalpa. If you think about it, even a single small kalpa lasts for a long time, an amount that is hard to calculate. Furthermore, spiritual practice takes many kalpas. It takes a very long time, countless kalpas, before one can actually attain Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, it will take that long.

We do not know how much time we have already spent in spiritual cultivation. We have no idea. All we can do is continue to follow the Dharma and continue to pass it to other people, and it will happen some day. We must “seek the Dharma and transform others.” We must widely create positive karmic affinities as we unceasingly seek the Buddha-Dharma. We must take the Buddha-Dharma to heart.

The Buddha-Dharma is all around us, yet we “remain unaware.” Thus our minds naturally grow uneasy; we are unable to settle our minds. Even if we have truly heard the Buddha-Dharma, we will still have doubts and fears. So, if we can peacefully abide in the Dharma, we must [believe] wholeheartedly and have no doubts. We must give rise to faith and understanding. At least, as Buddhist practitioners, we should stop creating karma. At least, as Buddhist practitioners, we should practice all good deeds and eliminate all negative affinities. So, we must give rise to faith and understanding. We cannot, “because of doubt and fear,”

“…not give rise to faith and understanding.” We should immediately, at this moment, give rise to faith and understanding. Our faith and understanding must be deep, as we want to seek to attain liberation. We must seek it; it is something we must seek. When will we finally achieve liberation? We can achieve it every day; we can create good affinities every day and engage in charitable giving, beneficial conduct, loving speech and collaborative work. In this way, we can live every day in peace, and we can be happy every day. All of this is called liberation. Becoming liberated from afflictions and increasing our positive affinities are things we can do in our daily living; these are simple ways of living out the Dharma.

So, in the previous passage it states, “When the poor son saw his father in all his great might and power, terror filled him, and he regretted coming to this place.”

He had been wandering about, and finally he had come back to his father’s house. He stood outside the gate and looked inside. He was afraid. Thus, “Terror filled him.” This man was so mighty and had such energy that it scared him, “and he regretted coming to this place.” He regretted making his way here; he felt uneasy.

Then, the next passage states, “He secretly had this thought, This must be a king , or something like a king This is not a place where I could sell my labor to attain anything I would do better to return to a poor neighborhood , a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing .”

When we read this, it is so saddening. He had arrived at this wealthy household, but he was so scared that he was willing to return to poverty, a state which is like lacking the Buddha-Dharma. Some prefer to return to an unenlightened state. Truly, this is what people are like.

He secretly had this thought: Latent and hidden within our capabilities is the nature of truth. When it surfaces, it flies throughout the universe. When concealed, it is hidden within great waves or buried in the mud of the lotus [pond] like seeds of goodness. In his foolishness, he secretly had this thought.

You see, “He secretly had this thought.” Thus, we say, “Latent and hidden within our capabilities is the nature of truth.” Our nature of True Suchness is deeply hidden and concealed in this way.

Our pure nature of True Suchness is the nature of truth “When it surfaces, it flies throughout the universe. When concealed, it is hidden within great waves.” It is “buried in the mud of the lotus pond, like seeds of goodness. In our foolishness, we secretly had this thought.” Our nature is very strong and powerful, yet it is actually hidden. If we can awaken our nature of True Suchness, we will be enlightened like Sakyamuni Buddha. His mind, His brain and His perspectives are one with the universe; His ocean of enlightened wisdom has awakened, so He has become one with the universe. In this way, He is able to extend throughout the universe. “When it surfaces, it flies throughout the universe.” Our nature of True Suchness can become one with the universe.

When it is concealed, it is in a vast ocean, “hidden within the great waves.” It is hidden, and not a trace of it can be seen. When the wind blows, the waves surge, and they are very powerful. This is expressing how we all intrinsically have this pure nature, but it has been buried. So, where is it buried? It is “buried in the mud of the lotus pond, like seeds of goodness.” This refers to our nature of True Suchness. Thus, “in our foolishness,” we still allow [our pure nature] to be buried under layers of ignorance. We have clearly seen the Buddha-Dharma, yet we “secretly had this thought.” We are still covered by ignorance and still give rise to suspicion.

This must be a king, or something like a king: This is referring to Papiyas, King Mara. When they heard this Dharma teaching now, even then, they suspected it was an act of Mara, to say nothing of what people believed before.

“This must be a king, or something like a king.” In this analogy, doubt is likened to a king, to King Mara. Papiyas is a name for King Mara. When Buddhist practitioners heard the Buddha say everyone could attain Buddhahood, they still had doubts; they dared not believe it. “Can we truly attain Buddhahood? Is this actually the Buddha speaking, or is this a manifestation of King Mara?” This is like when the poor son stood outside the gate and looked in. “This may be the king; he has great authority. If he finds me suspicious, will he have me seized?” With the same kind of logic,

the disciples suspected the Buddha was King Mara.  “When they heard this Dharma teaching now,” they still suspected it was an act of Mara. These were their doubts. At that point, Subhuti had already been following the Buddha for a long time, but he used this parable to explain how, as practitioners of the Small Vehicle Dharma, when they heard the Great Vehicle Dharma, they had the same kind of suspicion.

The teachings of Dharma-appearance could not be understood by Two Vehicle disciples because their wisdom was small and virtue shallow. Though they lived in the Dharma, it was as if they had not seen or heard it. Thus, they suspected it to come from Mara or a follower of Mara.

The Buddha gave so many teachings and explained things with parables. He had so mindfully explained the appearances of the Dharma. The Dharma is originally without appearance, but He was able to use things with appearances to draw analogies to the Dharma. With the law of karma and [analogies to] things with forms and appearances, He explained the Dharma to help everyone understand the principles. But, the Dharma “could not be understood by Two Vehicle practitioners”

The Buddha wanted to tell them that though He had already given them so many teachings about existence and emptiness, He wanted to tell them now that within “emptiness” there is “wondrous existence.” If they return to their nature of True Suchness, they will be able to attain Buddhahood. However, with their limited wisdom, the Two Vehicle practitioners were unable to understand. Those limited in wisdom were shallow in virtue, for they were lacking in spiritual cultivation.

They had no virtues, so they were unable to understand. “Though they lived in the Dharma, it was if they had not seen or heard it.” Although they listened to it every day, it was as if they had not heard it. Thus, they were unable to give rise to faith and understanding. They suspected that the Dharma might be Mara’s.

With their capacities, the Two Vehicle practitioners remained in the state of the Two Vehicles, focused only on benefiting themselves. People of limited wisdom lacked blessings so they had no desire to accept [the Great Dharma]. So, though immersed in the Buddha-Dharma, it was as if they had not seen or heard it. Upon hearing it and seeing it, they gave rise to fear and afflictions. These were their karmic obstructions. Their “karma” obstructed their minds. This was how afflictions covered them.

Afflictions are very powerful. They can fly throughout the void of the universe. Other times, like wind, they stir up great waves. Actually, hidden within the mud are the lotus seeds of goodness. It is just that the powers of ignorance and evil are very great as well

Moreover, now, when the Three were revealed to be in fact One, Sariputra still had his suspicions and doubts: “Is this Mara disguised as the Buddha to disturb and confuse my mind?” Moreover, since after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha devised a way to use great intentions to give limited teachings, how could they not suspect the Buddha was Mara?

“Now” refers to [the Lotus Dharma-assembly]. After more than 40 years of teachings, the Buddha had begun to teach the Lotus Sutra, through which, “The Three were revealed to be in fact One.” There were no longer Hearers, Solitary Realizers. Actually, the Small and Middle Vehicles were no more than a part of the Great Vehicle. There had never been a Small or Middle Vehicle. Indeed, they all come back to the One. So, “The Three were revealed to be in fact One.”

Previously there had been Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. Now they were gathered back into one; everyone was a Bodhisattva. At this time, Sariputra still had doubts.

“Is this true? Did the Buddha really say this? Or is it the Mara in me disrupting my mind? Did the Buddha truly say this? “Or is it Mara disguised as the Buddha?” Was it Mara disguised to confuse his mind? Even Sariputra, who was foremost in wisdom, had doubts about the Lotus teachings’ claim that everyone could attain Buddhahood and that everyone was a Bodhisattva.

“Moreover, after attaining enlightenment,” the Buddha hoped that everyone could be like Him and realize this [enlightened] state. However, when He observed their capabilities, the Buddha knew they would be unable to realize it. So, He “devised a way to use great intentions to give limited teachings.” He adapted the Great Dharma to suit the capabilities of sentient beings and devised teachings that they could accept. He had to make use of limited teachings. Even a person as wise as Sariputra was unable to realize [the truth]. Could everyone actually attain Buddhahood? Is that really possible? This was the doubt he had. Sariputra was thinking this, not to mention the rest of these four disciples. They used the “poor son” as an analogy. Upon seeing the elder in the room and the people who surrounded him, doubts arose in his mind as well.

“This is not a place where I could sell my labor to attain anything.” He believed that he did not have the strength to attain anything. This was not a place where he could earn a living

[It was] not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything: The rewards of the Great Vehicle Dharma are not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefits. Thus it says, “not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything”. This is an analogy for those with limited capabilities, in that they cannot receive great transformation.

This is the Great Vehicle Dharma, the Dharma- and reward-bodies [This describes] how the virtuous appearances of both the elder and the Buddha were so magnificent. The Buddha had already been engaged in spiritual practice for a long time, for countless kalpas. The Dharma that He had obtained was so plentiful and so rich that when He manifested in this world, His physical appearance was magnificent. This is the Dharma- and reward-body. “This is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefits.” This was not something it seemed like practitioners of the Small Vehicle could attain. So, “It was not a place where I could ‘sell my labor to attain anything .” This is an analogy for how people with limited capabilities were unable to accept great transformation.

So, “I would do better to return to a poor neighborhood.” He wanted to return to that impoverished place, to that poor neighborhood. He was still willing to go back to a life of wandering about.

A poor neighborhood: This is an analogy for bias towards the principles of emptiness, which do not lead to the 10,000 virtues. It is also an analogy for the Four Inverted Views. The views on “permanence, joy, self and purity” are all backwards, so they are known as the Four Inverted Views.

This is an analogy for being [biased toward] the truth of emptiness, “which does not include the 10,000 virtues.” Some see everything as empty. As I have recently been telling everyone, when we see everything as empty, we will not want to form affinities with others to avoid being entangled by karmic conditions. “We cannot take anything with us when we die”; it is our karmic conditions that lead us back. So, if they are biased toward the principles of emptiness, this “does not include the 10,000 virtues” Because they do not go among others and benefit them, they do not create affinities with them, and thus this does not include, they do not cultivate, the 10,000 virtues. They have not done these good deeds.

“It is also an analogy for the Four Inverted Views.” Many people have different perspectives on “permanence, joy, self and purity.” They cling to permanence, to joy, to self and to purity. Their four views are inverted, so they cannot put the Bodhisattva-path into practice and will give rise to confusion. Do we really think a limited degree of liberation will allow us to be liberated forever? No. We want [true] liberation, which the Buddha told us is Great Nirvana, not just the [cessation] of cyclic existence. Yet, Small Vehicle practitioners are attached to not creating affinities or contriving affinities, nothing more. So, the Two Vehicle practitioners have the Four Inverted Views.

The Two Vehicle practices only serve to deliver oneself and do not have the merit and virtue of transforming others.

“The Two Vehicle practices are only for delivering oneself.” If we [only] “focus on ourselves,” we will “not have the merit and virtue of transforming others.” Practicing the Small Vehicle Dharma, we cannot realize the Great Vehicle Dharma.

A place where I can put my strength to work: This is an analogy for bias towards emptiness, which is known as limited wisdom, or for the Four Inverted Views, known as worldly knowledge.

So, “a place where I can put my strength to work” refers to returning to that poor neighborhood where we can do whatever we want, without anyone to restrict us. This is an analogy for bias toward emptiness and limited wisdom, or for the Four Inverted Views. This is known as worldly knowledge. If we only have worldly knowledge and cleverness, we will be unable to attain the Buddha’s true principles

A place: A place where the noble path may be nurtured. Put my strength to work: Mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s efforts to practice the Path.

“A place” is where the noble path may be nurtured. “My strength to work” means our mental and physical efforts in practicing the Path. This was all that he was willing to do. So, this was to “easily obtain food and clothing.” He thought it would be faster that way.

Easily obtain food and clothing: Clothing is an analogy for practices of blessings, and food is an analogy for practices of wisdom. Easily obtaining food and clothing is like attaining Nirvana with remainder. Attaining flawless food and clothing is like [going beyond] attaining worldly meditation.

This is how our world is inverted and how we live in a state of confusion. We must quickly advance [in our practice]. With this analogy for cultivating both blessings and wisdom, we must promptly put the Dharma into practice. Otherwise, we will only attain. Nirvana with remainder. We should be flawless. We should strive to attain a “flawless state.” With flawless wisdom, [we can go beyond] Nirvana with remainder. So, we must put our hearts into this. We must not be attached to the limited scope of the Small Vehicle. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Episode 756 – Seeking the Buddha’s Way and Transforming Others

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>> Bodhisattvas make vows and exercise the Six Paramitas. Seeking the Buddha’s Way while transforming others is the Great Vehicle. Severing delusions of views and thinking turns the Dharma-wheel. The great wisdom of the Buddha Vehicle grants the power of fearlessness.

>> “Covering him was a bejeweled canopy, which was hung with flowered pennants. Perfumed water had been sprinkled upon the earth and many prized flowers scattered everywhere. Treasures had been collected and arrayed, coming and going, being obtained and given away. Having such diverse, dignified adornments, his virtue seemed imposing and deserving of special respect.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “When the poor son saw his father in all his great might and power, terror filled him, and he regretted coming to this place.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> When the poor son saw his father: When the son was young and small, he departed from his father’s home. For several decades he lived in destitution, poverty and hardship. Then he gradually neared his father’s home. Actually, during the Avatamsaka Assembly, those of Two Vehicles had eyes but failed to see. Today these four disciples themselves reported that they had already received the teachings, which were all for Bodhisattvas. Thus it says, The poor son saw his father.

>> In all his great might and power: This explains the truth of illusiveness, that all phenomena are without true essence and that their existence relies on temporary names and appearances. Likewise, the existence of sentient beings is based upon the skandhas, as the existence of a house depends on ridgepoles and beams.

>> When something is false and unreal, it is called illusory. Because His great wisdom illuminates the truth, He is said to have great might and power.

>> It says that today the son first saw his father’s mighty, virtuous and dignified appearance, how the place he lived was a stately and beautiful house and so on. As for the disciples’ capacities and reponse, they described from beginning to the end how they received and responded to the teachings.

>> In fact, the father and son seeing one another is an analogy for the resonance between practitioners and the Buddha, which is incredible. In speaking of this matter, It was the father who saw the son first, just as how the Tathagata saw their capabilities.

>> Terror filled him: Those with limited and weak small capacities were timid with the great path. As those of Small Vehicle capabilities were not able to cultivate and achieve realization of the Bodhisattva-path, they became filled with terror.

>> And he regretted coming to this place: The Buddha originally desired to give teachings with the Great Dharma, yet He knew their capacities were not enough to connect and would retreat from the Great Vehicle.

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“Bodhisattvas make vows and exercise the Six Paramitas. Seeking the Buddha’s Way while transforming others is the Great Vehicle.
Severing delusions of views and thinking turns the Dharma-wheel. The great wisdom of the Buddha Vehicle grants the power of fearlessness.”

In developing aspirations, we must develop Bodhisattva-aspirations. In making vows, we must make Bodhisattva-vows. Bodhisattvas carry out their vows by exercising the Six Paramitas. All of you know about the Six Paramitas. There is giving, then upholding precepts; we need to follow rules. Walking the Bodhisattva-path has always been a way of spiritual practice and cultivation. “Practicing” is about moving forward outwardly. “Cultivating” is about moving deeper inwardly. Inwardly, we need to take the Dharma to heart. Outwardly, we need to diligently advance on the Bodhisattva-path. This is known as “exercising”;

we must continue to advance diligently. We also cannot retreat; we must be patient. After Bodhisattvas form aspirations, they must put them into practice by exercising the Six Paramitas. Only then are they able to achieve a meditative state.

I often say that a meditative state does not come from sitting in meditation. It is cultivated in our daily living, as we drink tea, eat meals and do chores. Everything we do can be a form of meditation in our daily living. Everything the Buddha taught us was in the hope that we are able to “seek the Buddha’s Way while transforming others.” This is walking the Bodhisattva-path. “Seeking” means “obtaining.” Learning the Dharma and constantly absorbing it is “seeking the Buddha’s Way. Transforming others” is giving of ourselves for the sake of sentient beings. It is the giving of the Dharma, giving of wealth and giving of strength. It can also be being a companion to others, accompanying them. This is the “giving of fearlessness.” The giving of wealth, giving of the Dharma, giving of fearlessness and so on are all things we can do. “Seeking the Buddha’s Way while transforming others” is the Great Vehicle Dharma.

For all of us, our afflictions trap us in our thinking. Because of our afflictions, we cannot develop a positive attitude. Because of afflictions and ignorance, our facial expressions are often very unpleasant. This is because we have not eliminated afflictions or changed our habitual tendencies. Our afflictions are hard to eliminate. So, we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice. We must train ourselves to “seek the Buddha’s Way,” to find a way to sever our ignorance, and to “transform sentient beings,” to willingly give to help people while not being negatively influenced by them. This is how we sever our delusions of views and thinking.

“Views” refer to the view of self. “Thinking” is our thought process. “Delusions” are ignorance. We must put an end to our view of self. Sometimes our volunteers must stand outside someone’s door asking to come in. They refuse to open the door, or if they do, they give us a very mean look. In this situation, what is our perspective? “I’m here to help you, but you’re unwilling to open your door. Clearly you’re at home, but you refuse to let us in. So, what am I waiting here for? I want to help you, but you won’t let me. So, why am I still standing out here?” We must go beyond this perspective.

That is because we know that helping the person inside is our goal; he is our spiritual training ground. He is in need of our help. We need to first understand his situation, so we can find a way to help relieve his suffering. Thus, he is a spiritual training ground for us. We need to stay here and continue waiting. We must eliminate our view of self; we must first eliminate this view of self.

If everyone has the view of self, [we think,] “I’m the one helping you. How can you show me this attitude? If you don’t want my help, why should I bother?” This is what ordinary people think. If we are Bodhisattvas, we will genuinely see him as our place of spiritual practice. He is helping us cultivate patience and is allowing us to diligently advance in our practice, to awaken our compassion and our powers of giving. These are the different perspectives of Bodhisattvas and ordinary people. Bodhisattvas’ perspectives are pure and undefiled, helping them move forward. Ordinary people’s perspectives are filled with ignorance and afflictions, cutting off their roots of goodness. So, we must find ways to eliminate the delusions of views and thinking. These perspectives, thinking and ignorance are what we must sever. If we do not eliminate afflictions and ignorance, even if we give rise to a thought of goodness, it will very quickly cease to exist.

So, we must firmly resolve to cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom and firmly resolve to exercise the Six Paramitas and the Four All-Embracing Virtues in our daily living. Only by doing this can we turn the Dharma-wheel. After taking the Dharma to heart, we can then teach it to other sentient beings.

“The great wisdom of the Buddha Vehicle grants the power of fearlessness.” What we must learn to develop is “the great wisdom of the Buddha Vehicle.” The Buddha Vehicle is the Great Vehicle Dharma. For all beings, He engaged in spiritual practice. For all beings, He attained Buddhahood. Thus, He keeps steering the ship of compassion back to this world. This is “the great wisdom of the Buddha Vehicle.” With the power of fearlessness, we are unafraid. No matter the attitude of sentient beings, it will not be a problem for Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas do not allow others’ appearances to cause them to retreat. They have this power of fearlessness. These are practices we must cultivate.

When the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, He turned from the Two Vehicles to the Great Vehicle. Originally, the son had a very wealthy father, but he drifted around in other lands, and finding clothing and food was taxing. Just staying warm and having enough to eat were already very difficult. After living a life of poverty, he gradually wandered back to his father’s home. He eventually reached his hometown. Arriving at his old house, he stood outside the gate and looked in. When he saw the elder in the house, he did not recognize him as his father. But he saw that this man lived a life of comfort. Many people surrounded him, and everything around him was a treasure. As for the things he used, “Covering him was a bejeweled canopy, which was hung with flowered pennants. Perfumed water had been sprinkled upon the earth and many prized flowers scattered everywhere. Treasures had been collected and arrayed, coming and going, being obtained and given away. Having such diverse, dignified adornments, his virtue seemed imposing and deserving of special respect.”

The elder was so wealthy that countless things were “coming and going.” Similarly, “diverse, dignified adornments” is an expression, an analogy. All the people around [the Buddha] were giving and taking in as they engaged in spiritual practice. This dignified group of people inspired respect in other people. On the surface, the analogy talks about an elder, but the meaning within is about the Buddha-Dharma, about our intrinsic nature, our pure nature of True Suchness. Within everyone is the Buddha’s spiritual home.

The next sutra passage states, “When the poor son saw his father in all his great might and power, terror filled him, and he regretted coming to this place.”

This is about the poor son standing outside the gate and peeking in from the side of the doorway. Inside, he saw a very magnificent room. The elder was actually his father, yet he did not know that. He felt that the person inside had great might and power. Thus, upon seeing him, he felt fear and regret. “Why did I come here?”

The following passage explains this to us

When the poor son saw his father: When the son was young and small, he departed from his father’s home. For several decades he lived in destitution, poverty and hardship. Then he gradually neared his father’s home. Actually, during the Avatamsaka Assembly, those of Two Vehicles had eyes but failed to see. Today these four disciples themselves reported that they had already received the teachings, which were all for Bodhisattvas. Thus it says, “The poor son saw his father.”

“When the son was young and small, he departed from his father’s home. For several decades,” the son lived in destitution, poverty and hardship. He wandered about and life was very difficult, so he begged for food. Very slowly, “He gradually neared his father’s home.” Without realizing it, he had come home. This is in fact a way of expressing how everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, but we cannot see this true nature of ours. The place the Buddha attained enlightenment was where the Avatamsaka Assembly was held. Actually, everyone likewise has this Dharma-assembly within them. However, “Those of the Two Vehicles had eyes but failed to see.”

“Today these four disciples themselves reported….” These four were Subhuti, Katyayana, Mahakasyapa and Maudgalyayana. The four of them had just begun to realize this and knelt in front of the Buddha to repent and openly express that for more than 40 years of listening to teachings, when the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle Dharma, they thought it was only for Bodhisattvas and that it had nothing to do with them. After listening for so long, they had become very tired, and now they were old. This was what they expressed. They then told the parable of the poor son to show their deep repentance and their profound regrets. “Today these four disciples themselves reported….” They said of themselves, “[We have] already received the teachings, which were all for Bodhisattvas.” They felt these teachings were not for them, so they had not accepted the abundance of the Great Vehicle Dharma. Through this parable, they compared themselves to the poor son.

In all his great might and power: This explains the truth of illusiveness, that all phenomena are without true essence and that their existence relies on temporary names and appearances. Likewise, the existence of sentient beings is based upon the skandhas, as the existence of a house depends on ridgepoles and beams.

The following passage states, “In all his great might and power,”  
[The son] saw the opulent interior of the room, how the elder was surrounded by so many people. This shows “his great might and power.” This is a way of expressing “the truth of illusiveness,” which we have discussed in the past. The truth of illusiveness means [everything has] a temporary name and appearance. When people see those with great might and power, they fear them. Actually, what the Buddha taught, that. “All phenomena are without true essence,” is a true principle. Unfortunately, sentient beings take temporary names and appearances and use them to discriminate. It is because we sentient beings have attachments that we replicate our afflictions. Because we replicate our afflictions, our afflictions lead many [factors] to converge, thus giving rise to these appearances. So, principles are inherently empty and without essence. “Their existence relies on temporary names and appearances.” They temporarily take on names and appearances.

“Likewise, the existence of sentient beings is based upon the skandhas.” The Five Skandhas are things that aggregate; they have such subtle workings. For instance, as humans, when we are born, we are babies. After living for a long time, we grow old. These are all names and appearances. “Likewise, the existence of sentient beings is based upon the Skandhas. Skandhas” lead to behavior. With the seeds of karma we carry, we are brought together with these parents. With the union of our parents, our body comes into being. In this way, “The existence of sentient beings is based upon the Skandhas.” This is a very deep principle. All these things come together, and with their workings, with these infinitesimal changes, sentient beings come into being.

Next, “[houses] depend on” ridgepoles, pillars and beams; we can build a house with these. What are pillars? Previously, they were made from lumber, from trees. Once the trees are chopped down, they are lumber. Once this lumber is processed and sorted, it can become “ridgepoles” and “beams.” Though they are all wood, their names depend on where they are used. This is often used as an analogy in the Dharma. Everyone should understand this explanation

When something is false and unreal, it is called illusory. Because His great wisdom illuminates the truth, He is said to have great might and power.

Then, “[These things] are false and unreal.” In fact, if we trace the origin of these things, we will find that “beams” are lumber, and “lumber” was once trees. If we trace back the origin of these trees, they were seeds. Without soil and water, nothing would happen with these seeds. Therefore, everything in the world is false and unreal. For this reason, they are called illusory. Originally, they did not exist. It is through the convergence of many causes and conditions that humans and material things come into being. It is because of the human mind and because of the material things around them that [causes and conditions] constantly converge.

He had clearly penetrated these true principles, not just truth of illusiveness and absolute truth, but even the truth of emptiness and wondrous existence in true emptiness. After the Buddha fully understood them, “His great wisdom illuminated the truth.” He had this great wisdom, so He was said to have “great might and power”

It says that today the son first saw his father’s mighty, virtuous and dignified appearance, how the place he lived was a stately and beautiful house and so on. As for the disciples’ capacities and reponse, they described from beginning to the end how they received and responded to the teachings.

“It says that today the son first saw his father’s mighty, virtuous and dignified appearance.” The son was already by the side of the door and had seen the magnificent appearance of his father. The place the father lived in was also decorated magnificently. In terms of understanding, this describes [the disciples’] opportunities, the developing of their capacities and conditions. Previously, they did not have the capacity to realize the Buddha’s teachings. Clearly, they had listened to the Buddha teach. Clearly, the Buddha had expounded this Dharma. However, due to their [limited] capacities, they did not connect with or respond to it. It was as if they were peeking in from the side of the door. Four of the leaders of the monastics, including Subhuti, described themselves “from the beginning to the end,” how they had begun to follow the Buddha and listen to the Dharma. Their mindset while listening was that the Buddha was teaching for Bodhisattvas; this was the source of their disinterest. They had felt this way for many decades

In fact, the father and son seeing one another is an analogy for the resonance between practitioners and the Buddha, which is incredible. In speaking of this matter, “It was the father who saw the son first, just as how the Tathagata saw their capabilities.”

In fact, the father and son seeing one another is an analogy for the resonance between practitioners and the Buddha, which is incredible. In speaking of this matter, It was the father who saw the son first, just as how the Tathagata saw their capabilities.

The Buddha also knew that these disciples were still unable to accept the Great Dharma. “Terror filled him.” After witnessing how mighty his father was and how dignified that place was, the son was afraid, “and he regretted coming to this place.”

Terror filled him: Those with limited and weak small capacities were timid with the great path. As those of Small Vehicle capabilities were not able to cultivate and achieve realization of the Bodhisattva-path, they became filled with terror.

“Terror filled him.” Those with limited capabilities had “limited and weak capabilities.” So, “They were timid with the great path.” They were very afraid of the great path and were afraid of going among people. “Those of Small Vehicle capabilities were not able to cultivate and achieve realization of the Bodhisattva-path.” The Bodhisattva-path is not something that people of limited capacities can cultivate and realize. Because of that, they were filled with terror

And he regretted coming to this place: The Buddha originally desired to give teachings with the Great Dharma, yet He knew their capacities were not enough to connect and would retreat from the Great Vehicle.

“and regretted coming to this place.” They wondered, “Why did I come here? It is so magnificent inside; Why did I come here?”

[Magnificence is how] “the Buddha originally desired to give teachings with the Great Dharma.” After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha wanted to give the Great Dharma to sentient beings. However, He then understood that, “Their capabilities were not enough to connect.” Their capabilities were very weak, so they were unable to accept it. If they heard the Great Dharma, they would absolutely retreat from their spiritual aspirations. This was what the Buddha considered. This was why He spent such a long time giving the Agama, Vaipulya, Prajna and Lotus teachings before returning to the Avatamsaka state. This shows the Buddha’s mindfulness. He was afraid that, “The Great Dharma could not resonate with those of limited capabilities” and that they would retreat.

So, I hope everybody can truly be mindful and make an effort to seize the present. Time is running out. So, everyone must always be mindful.