Author: Scott Ogata

Episode 37 – Do Not Allow Ignorance to Cause Leaks

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>> Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, near the City of the House of Kings, together with the assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all. All were Arhats. They had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions. Having attained benefits for themselves, they had severed all bonds of existence; their minds had attained a state of freedom.

>> Ignorant people create karma, open the door to all Leaks and fall into cyclic existence. They forget the Dharma-body, lose wisdom-life and lose great treasures, This harms and disturbs practitioners. This is all caused by ignorance leaking through. These afflictions manifest and cause the mind to drift without end.

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We learn the Buddha’s teachings to attain Buddhahood. In this process of attaining Buddhahood, people must transform their ordinary thoughts to draw closer to the Buddha’s state. So, the Buddha-mind is filled with great compassion; the Buddha-mind is pure, like a clear mirror. Everyone, do our hearts feel great compassion at all times, see all sentient beings as our own children and everyone in the world as our family? Do we have that sense of love and care?

Do we often wipe clean the mirror of our minds? Do we have any subtle, dust-like afflictions that have yet to be cleared away? We must constantly clean the mirror of our minds as we learn the Buddha’s teachings. Intrinsically, we have a mirror in our minds, but small particles of dust have been continuously covering it, layer after layer. This has caused the mirror of our minds to become cloudy. Spiritual practice is [how we] clean this mirror and return to our intrinsic nature, which is equal to the Buddha’s.

In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha opened and revealed [this path] for us to realize and enter so we could let go of the skillful means of. Small Vehicle teachings and turn our minds to the Great Vehicle’s true path. This is why He began to teach the Lotus Sutra.

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, near the City of the House of Kings, together with the assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all. All were Arhats. They had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions. Having attained benefits for themselves, they had severed all bonds of existence; their minds had attained a state of freedom.

In the Lotus Sutra, it begins with a description of the number of people who came to hear the Sutra. So, it starts with “Thus have I heard” and continues on to describe those who came, an assembly of 12,000 great bhiksus who all gathered at that place. Every one of them was an Arhat who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions. These people had firmly resolved to engage in spiritual practice. They listened to the Buddha expound the Dharma, and every word entered their hearts. Not only did the Dharma enter their hearts, they practiced it and put it to use in their lives. Therefore, they had eliminated all Leaks, and they had no further afflictions. Because they had no afflictions, they dedicated themselves single-mindedly.

Indeed, afflictions are most bothersome. Worldly matters are fundamentally very simple. Humans are originally pure in heart. But once we [develop] afflictions, the world becomes complicated. Once this happens, pain and suffering begin to occur in the minds of individuals, then spread to families. The discord in families then spreads to other people and society as a whole. When people’s minds are unsettled and impure, they create man-made disasters. People may have interpersonal conflicts and disputes. Perhaps the desires in each person’s mind, the greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, start to swell and stir in this world. Thus, afflictions become thousand-foot high waves creating layers upon layers of disasters.

Of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, the word “ignorance” is in the middle. Ignorance also means “without clarity.” Ignorance is not clearly understanding principles. To be ignorant is to be totally hazy and confused. So, ignorance causes the mind to be totally confused, so we cannot discern matters or principles, nor understand them. Then naturally we are misled by the many things in this world and become hazy and confused. This begins with desire. Greed is extreme and insatiable.

There is a common saying, “When you obtain one [thing] you still [complain] about the other nine” you do not yet have.” That kind of pursuit is nonstop, starting small and growing increasingly bigger. This greed is exhausting and causes unspeakable suffering in our daily living. Even worse, we may lose what we have gained. Afflictions arise from this sense of gain and loss. What comes after losing? Anger. If we do not obtain what we seek, we get angry. If we obtain something and then lose it, we will also get angry. Greed and anger both arise from ignorance.

Therefore, “those who are ignorant create karma and open the doors to all Leaks.” When an ignorant thought arises, those who are foolish and ignorant start creating karma. The door to our minds then starts to open slowly. This “open” is not the same as the one in “open, reveal, realize and enter.” This means that the door to the treasures stored [within our] minds is opened.

We ordinary people each have what are called the Eight Consciousnesses. The first six are the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-consciousness. These are the first six consciousnesses. The mind, the mind-consciousness, follows the first five [and can be] confused by what the eyes see, afflicted by what the ears hear, etc. This all begins with the mind-consciousness. This consciousness is only fleeting, however. It is followed by one that is more poisonous, which is the seventh consciousness. After the mind finishes perceiving and discerning our present conditions, the seventh consciousness begins to endlessly scheme and plan. “How do I get what I want? What tricks should I use? What methods should I adopt?” The seventh consciousness is the initiator.

The Six Consciousnesses face outward and give rise to fleeting thoughts. Without the seventh consciousness’ contriving, our thoughts would actually pass through quickly, without necessarily creating much karma. But since the Six Consciousnesses are open, the seventh consciousness cannot help itself and starts planning. The source of this karma is the combining of the seventh consciousness with the sixth and the prior Five Consciousnesses. [This] creates a great deal of karma.

Once there is a lot negative karma, it turns into seeds, which we call “causes.” We create causes, which are seeds, and these seeds are then stored. Where are they stored? In the eighth consciousness. All the seeds of karma are stored in the eighth consciousness. This is all negative karma. The first seven keep creating them and the eighth consciousness stores them. So, negative causes are stored there.

What if they are good, positive causes? These are rare. With them we can meet wise people and can listen to the Buddha’s teachings. We hear with our ears and see with our eyes; the Dharma comes through the Six Roots, the same way [as negative karma]. But the seventh consciousness is very stubborn. In the past, it was planning things that are not good. It was only concerned with how to get things and how not to lose things. This originates from negative thoughts. Because we could not guard the door to the Six Roots, after the Dharma enters, doubts and suspicions arise. Isn’t that the case? When we see something we are interested in, and we do not fight for it or seize it, we may lose it. We do not believe in [the notion of] “not taking ill-gotten gains.” If that is not [our principle], we will constantly think only about our interests.

After hearing the Buddha’s teachings, we know that we should give [others] this Dharma. If the Dharma does indeed enter our minds, then naturally the seventh consciousness will plan ways to help transform other people’s minds. This is gives us the good intention to influence others people’s minds. We then give tangible material goods to others or intangible Dharma. If we only focus on our own interests, we only use these methods to transform our own ignorance. If our understanding of Dharma is insufficient, that means our faith is insufficient. If our faith is lacking, that means we have doubts. The existence of doubts arises from ignorance, from just one ignorant thought.

Indeed, we were originally pure in heart. If we take in the virtuous Dharma and store it in our eighth consciousness, we can come and go freely. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? This is all a matter of our “thinking.” As I have explained before, the mind is what thinks. It takes in all the external phenomena and makes discernments. Blue, red, white or black [are all appearances]. In Chinese characters, “mind” is placed under “appearance” to construct the character for “thinking.” Our Six Consciousnesses [take in] external forms, and the seventh “thinks” [about them]. This character is made of “mind” and “field.” If we are not diligent, if we are lazy, then the field of the mind will be overgrown with weeds and become barren. Similarly, because of ignorance, we cannot properly tend to the field in our minds and many unwholesome things fall into it. In other words, even if the Buddha-Dharma enters our minds, if we do not store it in the eighth consciousness, then it [will] leak away, and

the field of our mind will not be well-cultivated. That is why I tell everyone to quietly contemplate. The mind should remain very still, so we can cultivate that field. If the state of the mind is pure, then we can cultivate its field. We are ignorant if we do not properly tend to the field of our minds. We do not accept virtuous Dharma into our hearts, [and instead,] we perform many negative deeds. We take nothing with us when we die except karma.

Everyone, this is how our karma causes Leaks. We have many Leaks, which are [our] many afflictions. The pure water leaks away and the filth gets stuck. So, “Leaks cause us to fall into cyclic existence.” Thus we transmigrate in the Six Realms. If this happens, our afflictions will be endless, and our habitual tendencies will accumulate. So, we forget; “We forget the Dharma-body [and] lose wisdom-life.”

Everyone’s Dharma-body is equal to the Buddha’s. This pure and undefiled perfect mirror has become hazy, so wisdom-life cannot function. We have forgotten that our intrinsic nature is the same as the Buddha’s, so our wisdom-life cannot function properly. So, “we forget the Dharma-body, lose wisdom-life, lose great treasures.” This also “harms and disturbs practitioners.” It is as if our treasure has been stolen by a thief of our own making, and thus, we “lose [our] great treasures.” [These] real treasures, which are in our minds, are completely gone. This “harms and disturbs practitioners.” Since we want to engage in spiritual practice, it is with these ignorant thoughts that we harm ourselves. This is all the doing of our own minds. When we want to practice, no one else is hindering us; we are hindering ourselves. We “harm and disturb” [ourselves] as we reap [what we have sown].

“With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” We need to diligently cultivate our minds because all afflictions and delusions originate from one ignorant thought. “This is caused when ignorance leaks through and these afflictions manifest.” Every day our afflictions keep manifesting. We need to truly learn the Dharma. As I often tell all of you, the Buddha-Dharma must enter our minds. If it has entered our minds, then we must have Dharma in our actions. However, we do not. [Our] afflictions always manifest in our daily living and

“cause the mind to drift without end.” [Thus], our minds cannot settle down, so they continue to drift away. If our minds are like stones, water will not be absorbed and will leak away altogether. This is really quite a pity. This is what “Leaks” are. Leaks are the same as delusions. Delusions are ignorant thoughts. Therefore, ignorance is like a leak. Take a leak in a house for example. If a house is damaged, if the inside the house is not well-maintained, then the damage will allow water to leak in. Imagine, wouldn’t things inside become dampened, soiled, and rotten? These are all called afflictions.

Arhats have eliminated all Leaks and have no further afflictions. Arhats no longer have afflictions because “both causes and effects are eliminated.” They are very clear about causes and effects. Without creating any causes, naturally there will not be any effects. Therefore, we need to be very mindful. Not clinging to negative causes and conditions [means] negative effects will not manifest. So, we need to take good care of our minds at every moment.

Ignorant people create karma, open the door to all Leaks and fall into cyclic existence. They forget the Dharma-body, lose wisdom-life and lose great treasures, This harms and disturbs practitioners. This is all caused by ignorance leaking through. These afflictions manifest and cause the mind to drift without end.

All afflictions arise from our minds. When the appearances of external conditions converge with our minds, our thoughts often stir. So, we should let the Dharma penetrate our minds and cultivate [the field of our minds] diligently. Let us plant the seeds of our Jing Si [Dharma-lineage] and cultivate them in our own minds. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 36 – Discipline Your Mind to Eliminate Ignorance

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>> Use the mind to encompass and cultivate virtues. Diligently discipline and stabilize thoughts. Delusions in views and thinking create afflictions. Destroy thieves and end evil, frighten the army of demons and completely wash away afflictions of desire and ignorance. Precepts protect the mind, give rise to clarity, Samadhi and wisdom.

>> “The assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all, were all Arhats, who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions.”

>> All were Arhats, who have already achieved the state of not producing afflictions and not experiencing future incarnations. Not to be reborn is the effect of frightening demons.

>> “All Leaks have been eliminated” is praising the virtues of those who have destroyed thieves, etc. All Leaks are the Leaks of Desire, of Existence, of Ignorance.

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In this peaceful environment, let us all contemplate how we are all disciples of the Three Treasures. Our minds take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. So, at all times, we must practice self-vigilance and self-reflection. We often talk about spiritual practice. What is the good of engaging in “practice”? It is all about our mind. As the Buddha told us, “All things are created by the mind.” One thought can create the seed for Buddhahood or the seed for transmigration within the Six Realms. It is rare to attain human form and even rarer to hear the Buddha-Dharma. We should follow and practice the teachings. In accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, we engage in spiritual practice. We must allow the Dharma to enter our minds and focus on eliminating our habitual tendencies.

Where do habitual tendencies exist? [They are] also in our minds. If these tendencies are not eliminated, how can we follow the Buddha’s footsteps and walk onto the path of enlightenment? So, our spiritual practice must focus on our habitual tendencies. Cultivating virtues is a way to realize our radiant virtues. We must find a way to understand and comprehend these principles. Ultimately, these principles will help us find the original nature of our minds. The original nature of our minds is virtuous. Radiant virtue is our intrinsic nature. That pure and undefiled nature

is indeed equal to the Buddha’s. [So], why don’t we just talk about nature? Why talk about virtue? “The virtuous attain.” Without practice there is no attainment, so we need to cultivate virtues to correct erroneous behavior and return to the right spiritual practices. So, virtue is something we attain, what we cultivate and gain. Some say, “habitual tendencies are hard to change.” Habitual tendencies seep into us. Once they are absorbed, they become habits. We typically call them habitual tendencies. If we can be influenced by

bad habitual tendencies, why can’t we change and be influenced by good habits? Since we are disciples of the Three Treasures, we must absorb the Buddha’s awakened nature and earnestly practice and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. We must be aware of the Three Treasures of our self-nature at all times. This is not simply three tangible treasures; we must strengthen the Three Treasures of our self-nature. Cultivating virtues begins with our moral character. People see us and think, “They have character.”

That means we have been influenced by our practice. We are absorbing the ways of the Three Treasures. “Diligently discipline and stabilize thoughts.” Our minds are often out of balance. Sometimes we see people’s mental states constantly rise and fall. They may be deeply moved [by a situation], but that is temporary. Once they leave that environment, they return to their original habitual tendencies and become imbalanced once again. They may be short-tempered, arrogant and egotistic. They may not get along with others, may not accommodate them, may not be understanding. If we are such a person, who can help us? No one else can ever help us.

We all practice the Buddha’s way of enlightenment. We all listen to the Buddha’s teachings. We all have the Three Treasures of self-nature. If we refuse to govern our habitual tendencies, if we do not practice and if we refuse to be more diligent, can we call ourselves Buddhist practitioners? We cannot. That would just be using the name “Buddhism” to describe what we are doing. That would be only learning Buddhism in name, not learning it with our self-nature. So, we must trust the Three Treasures of our self-nature. We need to strengthen the Three Treasures of our self-nature. To deal with past habitual tendencies, we must have self-discipline and cultivate virtues.

We must be diligent, be self-reflective and be aware of our self-nature at all times. Then our original habitual tendencies will manifest less often. We must not give others reason to say that our minds are imbalanced. After learning the Buddha’s teachings, our minds must be truly balanced. What do we use to stay balanced? Compassion and wisdom. Both need to be practiced in this world so we must treat others with kindness and compassion and let wisdom enter our hearts. So compassion and wisdom are practiced in parallel. This is how we discipline ourselves and treat

the source of our afflictions. We need to know that afflictions start from delusions in views and thinking. “A deluded thought gives rise to Three Subtleties. External states lead to the Six Coarse Marks.” If these Six Coarse Marks are gathered, [we see] that they are all delusions in views and thinking. The source of afflictions is delusions in views and thinking. So, we must be a thief-destroyer. This requires us to enter the state of Arhats and destroy thieves. We often receive the Buddha’s teachings. Once we have heard them, we must take them to heart. The eighth consciousness is a storehouse. We learn the Dharma by listening with our ears, seeing with our eyes and having physical contact. Then we need to absorb it into our hearts, into our Storehouse Consciousness. But we if we have afflictions, they are like thieves. These thieves will break into our storehouse and carry away our treasures.

The Three Treasures bestow upon us an unlimited storage of wisdom. But if there are afflictions in our storehouse, then they are [like] thieves. So, we must destroy these thieves. Spiritual practice is the work of a great person. We need perseverance; we need courage. If we do not strengthen our courage, we will never eliminate all our afflictions. So, we use the analogy that we must have the courage to destroy thieves and end evil. We must destroy all kinds of evils thoughts. This requires perseverance. A great person must have an upright heart, upright thoughts, conduct, etc. Then we will naturally scare demons. We can then destroy the entire demon army of afflictions and evil. This is also how we discipline our minds.

So, we must “completely wash away the afflictions of desire and ignorance.” Desire is greed. If we have no desires, all afflictions can be eliminated. There are many desires in life, so we must carefully guard the door to our minds. We must stop evil thieves from invading our hearts. Then we can naturally “wash away the afflictions of desire and ignorance” and destroy the thieves. Afflictions are Leaks. We must guard our minds carefully. If we can safeguard our minds with precepts, then naturally we will give rise to clarity, Samadhi and wisdom. If our minds are illuminated, they will be in Samadhi, and wisdom will arise.

Use the mind to encompass and cultivate virtues. Diligently discipline and stabilize thoughts. Delusions in views and thinking create afflictions. Destroy thieves and end evil, frighten the army of demons and completely wash away afflictions of desire and ignorance. Precepts protect the mind, give rise to clarity, Samadhi and wisdom.

Indeed, spiritual practice depends on the mind. So, when we join the Sangha, we must begin by heading towards pure and undefiled Arhatship. So at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, it says that when the Buddha began teaching,

“The assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all, were all Arhats, who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions.”

So, the hearts of Arhats must be pure. As I said previously, they all had to completely eliminate afflictions in their hearts so they could eliminate all Leaks. These Arhats had already attained fruition. If afflictions and discursive thoughts still exist in our hearts, we cannot realize the Buddha’s teachings, [nor] can our hearts advance to a state of tranquility and clarity. So, an Arhat’s state of mind has already attained “tranquility and clarity.” This is an Arhat’s state of mind. If we can attain that state of mind, there will be no arising. This means no arising of afflictions and no complications from causes and conditions.

But life is beyond our control, we are caught up in this cyclic existence of the Six Realms and constantly force affinities. We are constantly forcing connections, so we cannot escape the Six Realms. If we attain the fruit of Arhatship, then there will be no arising and no more complications from causes and conditions. Then, we will owe no one enmity or affection. Without sowing evil seeds, there will be no evil fruits. So then we will “not to be reborn” and will “not experience future incarnations.” We will not transmigrate within the Six Realms. If we return, we choose to do so out of compassion. We will be very clear. “I formed aspirations and made great vows to return because of suffering sentient beings,” We are not drawn by karma, causes or conditions. Not at all. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return out of compassion to save sentient beings, not because they were led here by karma.

So, we practice to cultivate a pure mind. As Arhats do not give rise [to afflictions], they also do not experience future incarnations and are not reborn. This is the effect of scaring demons. As I have just mentioned, delusions of views and thinking are [like] armies of demons, as well as the source of our afflictions. If we cut off the source of our afflictions, they will no longer arise. Naturally, we will not be tempted or threatened by these demon armies.

Many people are very fearful and anxious. This is the influence of demon armies. They tempt us so we cannot control our minds. They cause us to break our precepts and to stop observing the rules we should uphold. So we must reach the Arhat’s state of mind, where there is no arising or ceasing, and so no worries of gains and losses will vex us. Naturally, demon armies will not haunt us.

All were Arhats, who have already achieved the state of not producing afflictions and not experiencing future incarnations. Not to be reborn is the effect of frightening demons.

So we must be very mindful, very careful. It is all about our minds. So, what [stage] do we need to attain? [A stage where] “all Leaks have been eliminated.” Those Arhats had already advanced to a state where “all Leaks have been eliminated.” At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, all monastic practitioners wanted to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma. Everyone’s state of mind and everyone’s stage of attainment had reached the state of Arhats, which is where all Leaks have been eliminated; this is a very advanced state.

So, “all Leaks have been eliminated” is used to praise these Arhats. They have already destroyed the thieves, eliminated all afflictions and purified everything. Thus, “all Leaks [had] been eliminated. Leaks” refers to something leaking out. After the Buddha-Dharma enters our hearts, we allow it to leak out. No one is tempting us; it happens because our habitual tendencies have not been eliminated. This is like [pouring] clean water into a bucket. If this bucket has a leak, the clean water will flow out because of the leak. What remains in the bucket are filthy things.

In summary, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must learn how to purify our hearts. Some people often lament, “I do not know why the Dharma does not enter my heart. I have been listening [to these teachings] but when I need to apply them there is nothing left to use.” This is a Leak. Everything has leaked out. The Dharma did not truly enter their hearts. They heard it but did not retain it. Everyone, I often say that we must remember not to allow Dharma to leak out after it has entered our hearts.

“All Leaks have been eliminated” is praising the virtues of those who have destroyed thieves, etc. All Leaks are the Leaks of Desire, of Existence, of Ignorance.

We should always maintain a Buddha-mind. We are disciples of the Three Treasures. The Buddha left us over 2000 years ago. Luckily, the Buddha-Dharma is still in the world. It is even more fortunate that we have already accepted the Buddha-Dharma, [and] we can apply it to purify our hearts and return to our Buddha-nature. We must quickly make aspirations and vows to eliminate our habitual tendencies. We must go among people with love. With a balanced heart, we exercise both compassion and wisdom. Our hearts must be pure. Our behavior must be proper. This is called cultivating virtues. This is self-discipline. We need to accept the Three Treasures of self-nature into our hearts. We must be always vigilant and eliminate the afflictions in our unenlightened hearts. Then, the Buddha-mind can become our mind so we can follow the Bodhisattva-path among people. Thus, we exercise compassion and wisdom; we cultivate blessings and wisdom among others.

Everyone, learning the Buddha’s Way is the work of a great person. We must have perseverance to destroy thieves and end evil. We must eliminate the demon armies and frighten demons. We must have the right heart, thoughts, conduct, etc. The Eightfold Path and Seven Factors of Bodhi must be applied in our daily living. So, everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 35 – Destroy Delusions with Precepts, Samadhi, Wisdom

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>> When Hearers receive these teachings, the teachings penetrate deep into their hearts. They follow these teachings and develop the power of wisdom to destroy thieves, which are afflictions. By distancing themselves from ignorance, they eliminate their own cyclic existence.
>> Once the fruit of spiritual practice is realized, the delusions of views and thinking are eliminated. Once thieves are destroyed, wisdom-life is stabilized. Destroying thieves is destroying fruits of evil. When one begins to make great aspirations, the king of demons becomes scared.

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Let the Dharma you hear deeply enter your hearts. When we begin our spiritual practice, we start in a state of ignorance. So, once we aspire to enter the Buddha’s path, how can we make progress with each step? We use our ear-root to hear the Dharma, for only by understanding it can we advance. Only through sound can we receive the Dharma. We can say that Hearers receive the teachings, or that teachings are received by those who hear.

The Dharma is heard through our ears. After our ears hear the Dharma, do we clearly understand what we heard? When we listen to another speak but are not sure what the person is saying, [we may say,] “It seems very meaningful, but I still do not quite understand. Can you please repeat it?” After the speaker says it again, we reply, “I hear it. I understand now, but is this what you really mean? I will repeat it, tell me if I am correct.” Then, the speaker hears us and confirms, “Correct, you understood what I said.” We verify that we understand what we heard by repeating it once more and asking the speaker to confirm that we heard correctly. Thus, [it can] deeply penetrate our hearts.

After we hear and comprehend the teachings, they enter our hearts, so we must practice the teachings accordingly. Then our minds can exercise the power of wisdom. From where does the power of our wisdom arise? After we understand a [teaching], we practice it accordingly. Thus, the Dharma enters our hearts, and when we practice it, others can see that it is the Way. The Way [appears] by following the teachings. When we follow and practice the teachings, we are exercising the power of our wisdom. Then, the strength that we gain by absorbing the teachings will not be lost. “Then, there is the correct path.” The path we are walking on is the correct path, and we can prove to everyone that this is how to walk this road and how to cultivate this path. “Follow the teachings to develop power of wisdom.” Then we can “destroy thieves, which are afflictions.”

When Hearers receive these teachings, the teachings penetrate deep into their hearts. They follow these teachings and develop the power of wisdom to destroy thieves, which are afflictions. By distancing themselves from ignorance, they eliminate their own cyclic existence.

I have also said before that the bhiksu is the seed, and the Arhat, the fruit. So, when bhiksus embark on the Buddha’s path, they have to follow the teachings. Which teachings must they follow? They must end evil, scare demons and be almsmen. They have to continuously correct themselves and eliminate past afflictions. That is ending evil. We scare demons by correcting our own thinking. We have to accept [our duty] to seek the Buddha’s Way and transform sentient beings. This is how we beg for the Dharma. Being a bhiksu is the seed of becoming an Arhat, and being an Arhat is the fruit of being a bhiksu. They have already attained this result. Through making an aspiration and engaging in spiritual practice

they have already attained the fruit of Arhatship. At first, one also has to destroy the thieves, which are afflictions. The subtlest thieves one must destroy are the 98 Tempters. These are the “thieves” we must destroy. When the afflictions of the 98 Tempters are all eliminated, there will be no rebirth. After we escape the demon king’s Three Realms, there will be no arising or ceasing. Then it is possible to be worthy of offerings,

to be respected by others and to receive offerings of wealth. Before, I have talked about being a monastic, an almsman and worthy of offerings. Almsmen discipline their minds internally and externally create connections; eventually they become worthy of offerings and will guide others. As we take refuge in the Three Treasures, we say, “I take refuge in the Sangha, May I and all living beings lead the great assembly, without obstruction.” Blessed-field Sangha are worthy of heavenly and earthly offerings.

We have talked about offerings. We must guide lay practitioners; they have the duty of making offerings. This means they must vow to render offerings. There are three types of offerings. One is the offering of wealth. However, the Buddha said that these offerings of wealth are illusory. If the heart has not received the Dharma, these material offerings are useless. Indeed, how can the impoverished make offerings? In the past, the Buddha praised a poor woman. Do you remember the story of the poor woman?

The offerings of kings, ministers and rich men were not particularly praised by the Buddha. But numerous stories were told of the Buddha receiving offerings from the poor; the poorer those making offerings, the higher the praise they received. What can the impoverished offer? They offer their hearts, their joy and respectful practice. When they hear the Dharma, joy arises within, so they willingly obey and practice the teachings. This is called the offering of reverence. It is not necessary to make offerings of wealth. When one acts according to the Buddha’s teachings, these are offerings of reverence, of right conduct.

How do we guide the assembly and others in reverence and [right] conduct? Of course, we must ourselves be virtuous. We must end evil in ourselves, in our own conduct, our karma of speech and body. If we do not make an effort to carefully monitor our voice and expressions, then we are no different from ordinary people. Then is our practice worthy of offerings? So, the first stage is to end evil.

After ending evil, we can destroy thieves. If we can harmonize our bodies, speech and minds, we will respect and love one another, and achieve the six points of reverent harmony in a monastery. I have often spoken to everyone about these [kinds of] appearances. If we want to know how our organization is doing, we only have to observe our interactions, our movements, voices, expressions and daily behavior. Do we really get along? Are we consistent in interpersonal interactions? These are all signs of the degree to which we have ended evil and destroyed thieves.

The ending of evil is more evident, for it shows in our voices and expressions. But when destroying thieves, we do so in our thinking. From the deepest parts of our minds, from our habitual tendencies, afflictions often arise. We often lose our tempers and give rise to unwholesome thoughts. Even though unwholesome thoughts may not be evident in our actions, they are hidden in the 98 Tempters. They have not yet been eliminated. So, we must destroy thieves. To destroy is to completely drive away and prevent from arising again. Then afflictions and unwholesome thoughts will not have a chance to rise again in our minds. Thus, we are called thief-destroyers.

If we can destroy thieves, we can avoid rebirth. When our minds are not covered with afflictions, When our minds are not covered with afflictions unwholesome thoughts will not abide in our hearts to prevent us from becoming pure and tranquil. So, we must end evil [and] destroy thieves. Ending evil is the seed of spiritual practice. If this seed did not exist from the start, then attaining the fruit of Arhatship, the stage of attainment, would be impossible to achieve. So, the Arhat is the fruition of the bhiksu; ending evil is the cause of destroying thieves, destroying thieves is the effect of ending evil. The result is that all the evil thoughts in our minds are eliminated.

We must know the virtues of wisdom and of ending to reach the stage of Arhatship. When we can comprehend everything, this is called the virtue of wisdom. When we can eliminate all afflictions this is called the virtue of ending. This must be something we hear through sounds. We must accept the Dharma, allow it to deeply penetrate our will to practice. We must rely on the teachings and power of wisdom to destroy these thief-like afflictions, for only then can we greatly distance ourselves from ignorance. Then we can eliminate our cycle of birth and death so we no longer transmigrate in the Six Realms. And if we do transmigrate, it is out of our resolve to return out of compassion; this is the vow of all Bodhisattvas.

The Earth Treasury Bodhisattva’s vow is to not attain Buddhahood until Hell is empty. That is also a Bodhisattva’s great resolve. So now, we understand that once we realize the fruit of practice, we can receive offerings. We must all remember that [we should] be worthy of offerings; being a monastic does not mean one receives offerings as a given. What I keep telling you is that when we receive offerings, we ourselves must be virtuous.

Thus, we must also be aware that we are continually receiving offerings. Jing Si disciples are disciples of the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Tzu Chi commissioners and Faith Corps members practice the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism by dedicating their bodies and minds. They do not make offerings of wealth to us, but they make offerings of reverence and right conduct. Do we give them teachings for their reverence and conduct? Because we offer them teachings, they then [know] how to show respect and how to conduct themselves. When the Dharma enters their hearts, they then know how to interact with people.

The Buddha came to this world for one great cause, to open and reveal [so we can] realize and enter. To open and reveal means He came to give teachings and to share what He realized with all sentient beings. He wants to widely spread His teachings to save the wisdom-life of sentient beings. The Buddha said that this world goes through the four states of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. And as for us humans? [We go through] birth, aging, illness and death. The length of our lives depends on our past, how many connections we have made, how many good deeds we have done and how many evil deeds we have done. This all depends on our past [karma]. So, we humans do not know the length of our lives, but we know we are not free from the karmic law of cause and effect.

So, where do karmic retributions originate? [They originate] in our minds, as our thoughts arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds were [once] very sincere and gave rise to a will to practice, but demonic conditions appeared. Once afflictions arose, our will to practice became confused and caused us to go astray. This is what we call the workings of the mind. [Thoughts] arise, abide, change and cease, so at all times we must be mindful and take good care of our minds.

Therefore, we need to have precepts, Samadhi and wisdom to first end evil, then scare demons and to give rise to the virtues of wisdom and of ending. Then we can lead others. If we want to lead them, they have to respect us. So, [we must first consider whether] we love and respect ourselves. Our character is that of a spiritual practitioner, [so] we must be role models for other people. So first, we must examine ourselves, reflect on ourselves and ponder our virtues and actions. We must carefully consider how virtuous we are so we can consider if we are worthy of offerings.

Right now, the offering we speak of is our hope that people will love and revere each other. If we can first respect others, that is an offering of reverence. We make mutual offerings and practice together. “How can I use reverence and conduct to help you? You are working so hard, I want to join in to lighten your load. By offering a bit of my strength, this reduces the effort you have to give.” We use our actions to make

offerings of right conduct. We must respect each other. This is gratitude, respect and love. First, we must focus on doing this with those around us. Precepts help organize us. By showing mutual respect and reverence, we are making an offering to each other. To be respected and receive offerings, we must first respect ourselves and others. Then it will be mutual.

To be worthy of offerings is the effect of being an almsman. We begin by cultivating the Three Studies, which are precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. We must all remember to start by cultivating precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. We start by ending evil so we can scare demons. By destroying thieves, we may avoid rebirth. This requires precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. So, only when we [can apply them can we] eliminate delusions in views and thinking. In this way, we can eliminate afflictions and ignorance. Thus, we can stabilize our wisdom-life. Otherwise, can our wisdom-life grow and be very stable? So, after we destroy thieves, our wisdom-life can be safe.

Destroying thieves is destroying fruits of evil. We need to completely eliminate fruits of evil to truly destroy thieves. We start with great aspirations, and once we do so, we must not waver. Otherwise, once we make great aspirations, the king of demons will start to stir. Therefore, we must solidify our resolve, so we will not be vanquished by the king of demons.

Once the fruit of spiritual practice is realized, the delusions of views and thinking are eliminated. Once thieves are destroyed, wisdom-life is stabilized. Destroying thieves is destroying fruits of evil. When one begins to make great aspirations, the king of demons becomes scared.

We practice to vanquish the king of demons, so we will not be entangled by demons and afflictions. Everyone, what I say should be very clear. So, because we live together, we must be respectful of one another. This is my greatest hope for everyone. Even though every day, I open and reveal teachings, each of you must realize and enter. To open and reveal are the duties of a teacher. But, to realize and enter depends on us, on whether we have accepted [teachings], whether we have applied them to our practice, and whether our heart has entered the path or not. This is up to us. So, everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 34 – Realization of the Lotus Sutra Leads to Pure Bodhi

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>> “Completely eliminate all afflictions, all Leaks. Then the mind will be bright and pure and you will attain a great field of blessings for the heaven and human realms. This enables the mind to encounter the Way, so your thoughts will be pure and clear.”

>> “Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, together with the assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all.”

>> Confirming authenticity–. All the wondrous Dharma compiled here was heard at the same time by people of great virtue. This proves that this wondrous Dharma is true and trustworthy.

>> “All were Arhats who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions. Having attained benefits for themselves, they severed all bonds of existence. Their minds have attained a state of freedom.”

>> First is one who destroy thieves. Second is one who is not to be reborn. Third is one who is worthy of offerings.

>> Not to be reborn means after the defilements of views and thinking are shed, one is no longer entangled by life, death or karmic retribution.

>> One who is worthy of offerings has attained both virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending afflictions and deserves to be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.es here]

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“Completely eliminate all afflictions, all Leaks.
Then the mind will be bright and pure and
you will attain a great field of blessings
for the heaven and human realms.
This enables the mind to encounter the Way,
so your thoughts will be pure and clear.”

This is also saying that, as we have mentioned, a great bhiksu is an evil-ender, demon-scarer and almsman. An evil-ender eliminates all unwholesome habits. A demon-scarer overcomes the state of demons. An almsman adjusts his mind and makes connections with sentient beings. [To be great bhiksus], we must end all afflictions. When afflictions and ignorance are eliminated, our minds will be in a state of clarity and purity. When the mind can be bright and pure, it is worthy to be called a field of blessings for the human and heaven realms.

When we learn and practice Buddhism, we are cultivating this great field of blessings. We often talk about the blessed-field Sangha. Monastic practice is the work of a great person. Monastic practitioners eliminate afflictions by working hard at cultivating the field of the mind. If the field of the mind is cultivated well, once seeds are sown, from each one can spring an infinite number. Infinity arises from one. Good Dharma and the Buddha’s teachings are all found when one pure thought gives rise to infinite teachings that can transform sentient beings. Therefore, this is the field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.

Next, “This enables the mind to encounter the Way.” Our minds need to encounter the Way. As we learn Buddhism, aren’t we supposed to walk the Buddha’s Way? If the way we walk takes us far away from this path, then our minds cannot be pure and we cannot encounter the Way. The mind cannot encounter the Way because it is covered by afflictions. Then, “this enables the mind to encounter the Way, so the thoughts will be pure and clear.” Then naturally our thoughts will be very pure. We Buddhist practitioners must attain this state.

Earlier we said,

“Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peak, together with the assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all.”

“Thus” confirms authenticity. Next, “have I heard” means that it was heard from the Buddha, at one time, at such-and-such place. It was heard by a group of great bhiksus who were very accomplished in spiritual practice. Their virtue was great, many and superior. How many people were there? 12,000 in all.

Everyone, in the Buddha’s latter years, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, there were 12,000 people. These many people can verify the wondrous Dharma that the Buddha expounded at that time. This is how its authenticity was proved. [With such proof,] we can have trust; they verified the compiled wondrous Dharma.

“Confirming authenticity–. All the wondrous Dharma compiled here was heard at the same time by people of great virtue. This proves that this wondrous Dharma is true and trustworthy.”

This is why in the beginning we talked about 12,000 great bhiksus. This is very fundamental because the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra for eight years. At His side, from beginning to end, this many people heard His Dharma at that place 12,000 great bhiksus came at the same time, proving that this wondrous Dharma is the truth, and that we can trust it. There were so many people who stayed with the Buddha to listen to His teachings.

So, when Ananda compiled the sutras, [he said], “Everyone should trust these. At that time you were listening and I was listening. So many people were listening.” Therefore this is trustworthy; its authenticity has been proven. They can prove that this sutra is the wondrous Dharma the Buddha taught because 12,000 in all were assembled at that place.

Next is,

“All were Arhats who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflictions. Having attained benefits for themselves, they severed all bonds of existence. Their minds have attained a state of freedom.”

This is the state of Arhats. They have realized the fruit of Arhatship. At what stage can one realize the fruit of Arhatship? When one has eliminated all Leaks, one has become an Arhat.

The meaning of Arhats is three-fold.

“First is one who destroy thieves. Second is one who is not to be reborn. Third is one who is worthy of offerings.”

To destroy thieves means to destroy the 98 Tempters, afflictions that act like thieves. To destroy the 98 Tempters is to destroy 98 kinds of afflictions.

This is very subtle. So I tell you every day that we should take good care of our minds. We must not let external afflictions pollute our minds. So, we need to always take good care of our minds. This is why I always say, “Be mindful!” If we are not mindful, afflictions will easily return. [To] destroy thieves [means] we must get rid of afflictions and defilements. When our minds can attain true purity, then the Dharma can be taken to heart. If our minds are not pure, when the Dharma enters, it will quickly be expelled by afflictions. So, we must eradicate afflictions from our minds, the Dharma can enter and abide in our hearts. So, we must all remember to destroy thieves with our thoughts.

There is a saying in Zen Buddhism, “See a demon, kill a demon; see a Buddha, kill a Buddha.” The first part means that, sometimes when our minds are very afflicted, we find many things displeasing. We call that “seeing demons.” When things make us very happy, when we find them pleasing, we call that “seeing Buddhas.” Whether something is pleasing or not, we must immediately eradicate it from our minds. This prevents our minds from being defiled by external conditions. We cannot have attachments. Without attachments, there will be no defilements. Then our minds can be pure. This is called thief-destroyer.

Next is “not to be reborn,” which is to shed defilements of views and thinking. When all delusions of views and thinking are eliminated, we will no longer be entangled by life, death or karmic retribution.

“Not to be reborn means after the defilements of views and thinking are shed, one is no longer entangled by life, death or karmic retribution.”

Because of ignorance, most of us are transmigrating in the Six Realms, in an endless cycle of birth and death with no way out. Therefore, we must train our minds so we can come and go freely. We learn about living and dying from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return to this Saha World to transform all living beings; they sail back on the ship of compassion. But we ordinary people are led by karmic forces [to face] karmic retributions. We cannot take anything with us, except for karma, as we come and go. Ordinary people cannot transcend karmic retributions because of entanglements of ignorance. So, we face retributions life after life and are entangled by them.

Do you remember this? Not long ago I mentioned that everyone innately possesses Tathagata-nature, the intrinsic nature of the Buddha. So, we must eliminate all afflictions. We must resolve not to be reborn and to have nothing arise or cease in our minds. Because we originally had a pure Buddha-nature, since we already possessed it, how could we let it disappear? So, intrinsically we have a pure Buddha-nature, but it has been defiled by ignorance. Therefore, we must allow this pure Buddha-nature to surface so we can come and go freely. Then we will no longer be entangled by afflictions.

Next is “worthy of offerings,” which means one has attained both the virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending afflictions. We must have both. Once both virtues are complete, one can be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.

“One who is worthy of offerings has attained both virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending afflictions and deserves to be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.“

Previously, we discussed evil-ender, demon-scarer and almsman. Actually, what we are discussing now, one who destroys thieves, is not to be reborn and is worthy of offerings mean the same thing. All of them mean we must eliminate afflictions and quell the demon armies, so that we can come and go freely. If we can do this, we will attain both virtues, which are the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of ending all afflictions.

Becoming a bhiksu is the seed, and then Arhatship is the fruit. Bhiksus made the aspiration to leave their homes; they shaved their heads and put on monastic robes. But have they cultivated virtues? Not yet. They already have the appearance of bhiksus. Pertaining to what was previously mentioned, have they already ended evil, have they already scared demons, have they already begged for alms? As an almsman, [in the Buddha’s era] bhiksus had to beg for alms. Were their minds trained? Not necessarily. To be an Arhat, one must be complete in all of this. [Becoming an Arhat] is the fruit. When one has attained virtue of wisdom and ending, when all is complete, one deserves to be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.

Only when we are replete in virtues can we accept offerings from people. The offerings are of wealth, of reverence and of conduct. Previously, I talked to you about offerings. Offerings of wealth include material goods, clothing, food, housing and transportation. When lay practitioners make material offerings to monastics, it is called offerings of wealth. Offerings of reverence are to pay respect and prostrate to monastics. Offerings of conduct comes after [relate to the teachings]. They give us offerings of wealth and reverence, but do we give them the Dharma? If we give them the Dharma and they practice accordingly, that is their offering of conduct.

As I have mentioned, offerings of wealth are not necessary. “Reverence” is customary. But if we are not virtuous yet allow others to make offerings to us, that is meaningless. Are we worthy of reverence? As we practice, we should know that if we have no virtues yet we receive people’s offerings, that is very wrong. If we are lacking in virtue yet still tell people to respect us, that is also wrong. But we still hope for offerings of conduct.

Consider our organization, Tzu Chi. Commissioners and Faith Corps Bodhisattvas contribute both their efforts and money, even their wholehearted devotion. They change in mindset and behavior. They are different from before they encountered the Buddha-Dharma and Tzu Chi. After coming in contact [with Tzu Chi], they abide by [Tzu Chi’s] Ten Precepts. They need to go through an apprenticeship, internship, and then a certification. They gradually, continuously change their old habitual tendencies, even up until the present. Now with body and mind, they make offerings of harmony, reverence and conduct. As we can see, these are the offerings contributed by lay practitioners. This is very precious.

Consider those who make offerings of conduct with kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Typhoon Morakot was a major catastrophe in Taiwan. All Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan mobilized to help. They contributed not just their efforts and money, they provided long-term support because they could not bear to leave beings to suffer. Aren’t they Living Bodhisattvas? This did not just happen in Taiwan. Wherever there were Tzu Chi volunteers, even if they lived in very poor countries, they did their best to help others. Even if an office had only a few commissioners, they still went out and held donation boxes to conduct street fundraising. Everyone, this is the offering of conduct, to give without asking anything in return.

Both lay and monastic practitioners should pass down our Dharma-lineage and open up our Dharma-door. During this process, we need to “destroy thieves,” which is to eliminate afflictions. “Not to be reborn” means we are not confused because we have quelled the demon armies so no afflictions will enter our minds. Then we start to be “worthy of offerings,” and can accept what people offer with their efforts and their love. We need to have this kind of wisdom to lead. We need to have this kind of discernment so

that when we are doing something wrong, we will stop doing it right away. If we keep doing it, that is foolishness. When we proceed with what we must do, that is called wisdom. Thus, we can deserve being called the field of blessings of the heaven and human realms. As fields of blessings, we can give rise to the Dharma. Then that Dharma can become a seed. “One gives rise to infinity, infinity arises from one.” If we can do this, we can truly be one who “destroys thieves, is not to be reborn and is worthy of offerings.” Thus, to beg for alms is to benefit all beings. We are begging for teachings because we want to benefit sentient beings.

As for the two virtues, understanding the Ultimate Truth is the virtue of wisdom and to eliminate all afflictions is the virtue of ending eliminating all afflictions is virtue of ending. This is synonymous with Bodhi and Nirvana.

So, the virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending are Bodhi. Bodhi is enlightenment. Nirvana is without arising or ceasing. When our minds can reach the state of not arising or ceasing, we will be great Arhats.

Everyone, bhikshus and Arhats both started by eliminating all afflictions from their minds. We must nurture our will to practice and engage in spiritual cultivation. So everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 10 – Five Periods of Teachings Based on Capabilities

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>> All Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, appeared in the world for one great cause. It is to help all sentient beings realize and enter the Buddha’s wisdom and views
>> Such wisdom and views are possessed by all sentient beings. But they are lost and unaware, and thus fall into cyclic existence.
>> The Buddha realized this cause and. He resolved to attain Buddhahood so to reveal all [teachings] to sentient beings.
>> He taught in five periods. Though He taught using the provisional and the true and manifested the slow and the quick methods, His intent with this was always solely this one great cause.

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All Buddhas, the World Honored Ones,
appeared in the world
for one great cause.
It is to help all sentient beings realize
and enter the Buddha’s wisdom and views

and enter the Buddhas wisdom and views. This is the cause of the Buddha appearing in this world. Let us think about why the Buddha came to the human realm. From the sutras, we can learn that the Buddha has been enlightened since. Beginningless Time. Beginningless Time is the limitless past. He has been the Buddha since Beginningless Time, so why would He descend once again from Tusita Heaven into that earthly palace? This shows us that before becoming a Buddha, we each have to go through this spiritual training ground, which is the world of Bodhisattvas. Due to everything He saw and experienced in the human realm, including humans states of being, He decided to become a monastic, to study and to thoroughly understand the principles of the human realm to teach them to sentient beings. Did He need to study them? He had already attained Buddhahood. He already had a clear enlightened nature. This is another one of His manifested forms. If we want to become enlightened, we must go through this type of cleansing. After experiencing the delusions of the material world, we must then work hard and attain realizations. This passage teaches all of us that if we walk the same path as the Buddha, we can have the same spiritual state and also attain enlightenment. This is how the Buddha leads by example. He does not only use words to teach; rather, He teaches by example. So this is the great cause for which. He came to the human realm. How could He teach sentient beings? He must demonstrate that His life and their lives are no different, no matter the time period, no matter how people think, no matter how complex the mind. He must accommodate each time period so as to break through the contradictions of that era. So, this why He comes. That type of contradiction is actually passed from generation to generation in the human realm. During the time of the Buddha, people were divided into four castes. Do these no longer exist? Today we still have divisions in class and wealth. These are the unresolved afflictions that prevent the mind from being liberated. So the Buddha manifests Himself according to the sentient beings and afflictions of the time. His methods were to open, reveal, realize and enter. The doors to sentient beings hearts are closed and [their minds are] darkened, so clear, bright wisdom cannot penetrate them. In each of our minds, there is Buddha-nature. That is why He first opens; the Buddha wants to open the door to our minds so we can all recognize that we each have an intrinsic Buddha-nature. Then we can realize the principles of the world and enter the Buddhas spiritual state. So, the Buddha opens and reveals, and sentient beings realize and enter. This refers to all sentient beings. Every single one of us has Buddha-nature. We are deluded so we do not realize or know it. The Buddha wants to help people realize that all sentient beings possess the Buddhas wisdom and views, that everyone inherently has such wisdom and views, they just do not realize or know it.

Such wisdom and views are possessed by all sentient beings. But they are lost and unaware, and thus fall into cyclic existence.

Such wisdom and views are what the Buddha wants to open and reveal so we can realize and enter them, so we know that this is common to all sentient beings. Sentient beings does not only refer to humans. Any being that is alive, no matter its size, shape or form, as long as it is alive, it has Buddha-nature. All sentient beings have Buddha-nature. Dont I often say, All beings, no matter how small, have Buddha-nature, even ants, mosquitoes, bees. I have also said that in one life, the Buddha appeared in the form of a queen bee. Even in that form, He possessed Buddha-nature. Whether ant or insect, what being does not have it? So, as long as a creature has awareness, it knows, This is pain. I need to quickly flee for my life. There is a human disturbing me. This is bad for me. I need to run away! Look at an ant hill. Thousands of ants live inside it, but if you disturb it just a little, the ants disperse in all directions. They also know to run for their lives, just like people. As soon as there is unrest in a country, there will be a wave of refugees because they also want to flee immediately. Even the smallest animals are just like humans. They are living beings, just like us. So sentient beings, humans and other beings, are all living creatures, and all have a nature equal to that of the Buddha. However, sentient beings are born into different physical realms based on their karma and according to their circumstantial retribution. Humans are more blessed than other beings, Therefore we must uphold precepts and create blessings. Because we have slightly more blessed retributions than other living beings, we were reborn as humans. No matter how painful things are, as long as we are in the human realm we will have a chance to repent, a chance to repay the debts we owe, a chance to see the human realms good and evil. Those with limited capabilities and poor causes and conditions will be influenced and tempted by evil. If they practice doing small good deeds, and have a small amount of merits, a benefactor will naturally appear. So even after a lifetime of wrongdoings and evil, they may still meet a benefactor and experience blessed conditions. Naturally, no matter the circumstance, because of this karmic connection, they can be guided onto the right path.

At Tzu Chi, don’t we often hear of cases in which a person who has done a lot of evil in the past had to first experience a period of hardship to before eventually encountering the good causes and conditions that brought him here? These conditions allowed him to transform his heart and behavior, and guided him toward blessings and doing good deeds. So to attain enlightenment, we need to be in the human realm. In this world, there is good and evil, blessed and negative retributions. Negative retribution is pain and suffering; such suffering is unbearably painful and continues lifetime after lifetime. To be reborn as a human does not mean that we will necessarily have the chance to repent. Without the right conditions and opportunity, we will continue to do evil. Then according to circumstantial retribution, we may be reborn as other living beings. If a person has a tiny bit of goodness, he has a chance to be reborn as a human and may attain deliverance. Therefore, we sentient beings all have Buddha-nature, but we are deluded and do not know it. Because we are all lost, we do not know this. We have already heard the Dharma. We know and believe that everyone has Buddha-nature, including ourselves, including every person we encounter. We know that that everyone has Buddha-nature. But despite this knowledge, we still have not rid ourselves of habitual tendencies. Each of us know we have Buddha-nature, but we have not eliminated our habitual tendencies. When we listen to the teachings, we understand the principles. But, people are lost and unaware. Not only do they not have faith in others, they also slander them. So, because they do this, they fall into cyclic existence. Where does this transmigration take place? Is it only transmigration through human lives? Not necessarily. In this world, people must repay evil karma, evil affinities. To repay them in this world, they return to this world and have to suffer much pain and torment. They may even have to face other types of circumstantial retribution. Falling into cyclic existence is being immersed in the Six Realms, where the suffering is unbearable. This was the cause that led the Buddha to His realizations and His resolve to attain Buddhahood. He became enlightened among people by manifesting a form in this world. His Buddha-nature is intrinsic and has existed since Beginningless Time, but the Buddha manifested among people to show that.

The Buddha realized this cause and. He resolved to attain Buddhahood so to reveal all [teachings] to sentient beings.

The cause is that multitudes of sentient beings are deluded by suffering and remain unenlightened. So the Buddha continues to return to this world to teach us how to become awakened, and how to transform other sentient beings after we are awakened. It is said, He resolved to attain Buddhahood so to reveal all [teachings] to sentient beings. The Buddha manifests in this world to teach sentient beings with many kinds of methods. Because sentient beings have limited capabilities, the Buddha gave his teachings in five periods. During these five periods, He taught both the provisional and the true. The provisional refers to skillful means. The true refers to the ultimate truth, the true Dharma of Buddhas original intent. The Buddha expounds the same Dharma [to all], but sentient beings encounter the Dharma with varying capabilities. Thus, it is called the Five Periods of Teachings.

He taught in five periods. Though He taught using the provisional and the true and manifested the slow and the quick methods, His intent with this was always solely this one great cause.

There are Five Periods of teachings. When the Buddha began expounding the Dharma, He taught the true teachings, the Avatamsaka. The Avatamsaka teachings were expounded for only 21 days because they were only understood by Bodhisattvas with superior capabilities and wisdom. Heavenly beings, humans etc., did not understand. Therefore the Buddha spent 21 days to transform those with great capabilities and wisdom, the Bodhisattvas who already had clear and great capabilities and wisdom. But because He saw that sentient beings could not understand this, after 21 days, He began to expound the Agama teachings. He expounded the Agama teachings for 12 years. And after that, He expounded the Vaipulya for eight years. After, it was the Prajna teachings for 22 years following by the Lotus teachings. The Buddha spent 8 years on the Lotus Sutra. These are the Five Periods of Teachings. Indeed, we sentient beings are incapable of comprehending the Buddhas compassion and great effort to teach different kinds of teachings according to different capabilities. He did this out of compassion. In conclusion, though we are all human, the same Dharma expounded by the Buddha may be understood quickly by certain people. Not only do they resonate with the Buddhas heart and His original intentions, they can also put [His Dharma] into practice. This process happens quickly, very fast, showing their very high capability. After they believe in them, they can put the teachings into action. Some have average capabilities. They believe but their habitual tendencies are hard to eliminate. Consider disciples such as Sariputra; though he knew what the Buddha said was good, he was worried that sentient beings were too stubborn and obstinate so he did not dare approach them. He focused only on his own self-enlightenment. If a being of limited capability hears the Buddhas teaching and gives rise to doubts, he may wonder, Is that right or wrong? Not only does he have doubts in his heart, he has no trust or faith. When doubt exists, there is no faith. In addition, he will commit evil deeds. This is how one with low capability behaves. Sometimes he will fluctuate. He has already encountered the Buddha-Dharma, but he is still unstable and fluctuates between belief and doubt. Someone like this has dull, limited capabilities, The Buddha says that because sentient beings have great, average, and limited capabilities, the Buddha had to use Five Periods of Teachings. So it was very taxing to come to this world for the sake of this great cause. The Buddha expounds teachings for sentient beings to realize. But because they are lost, He has no choice but to use both skillful and true means, the Small and Great Vehicles, adapting to sentient beings varying capabilities, from great to average to limited. So, this was the Buddhas one great cause. Let us all hope that we all have great capabilities. We should at least strive to be average. Otherwise, if our capabilities are any more limited, we may fluctuate for a very long time. Do we really have time to wait in this life? The human realm is impermanent and fast-changing so let us not be people of limited capabilities. I hope we can be like Never-Slighting Bodhisattva, have wisdom and become awakened, protect our intrinsic nature and respect others. If we can do this, this process will be faster. Everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 9 – Dharma-nature is Everlasting and Endless

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There is no end to time and space.
The Dharma-nature of all things
is inherent and lasting, and has always been so.
There is essentially no Dharma to speak of;
this is true emptiness and wondrous existence

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This is true emptiness and wondrous existence. The universe is endless and boundless. When it comes to all things in the world, where there are objects, the Dharma exists. The number of things that exist equals the amount of Dharma, which is encompassed within them. So when we speak of Dharma, we can find the Dharma in everything and this has been true from Beginningless Time until now, so this is truly profound and truly understanding its source is impossible. In the Buddha-Dharma, we speak of. Beginningless Time because no starting point can be found. As for the future, there is no ending for the future, either. That is the vastness and boundlessness of it. So we need to know. There is no end to time and space the Dharma-nature of all things is inherent and lasting. The nature of all things has always existed and will last continuously. [This is true] even in our daily living, in the foods we cannot live without. It is this simple. Take a grain like rice, which came from the seedling, that turned to unmilled rice, to rice. Rice is what people eat. In fact, this grain of rice is derived from endless generations of rice; its Dharma-nature has been passed down month by month, year by year, and its life will continue, everlasting. This is the Dharma-nature of the grains. As long as there is still a seed, then one gives rise to infinite seeds and infinite seeds arise from one. That is its everlasting nature. The nature of all species is to extend continuously. So this has always been the case. As the Dharma is passed down, its intrinsic nature is inherent and lasting. The Dharma is beyond description. What more is there to say about the Dharma? Is there actually Dharma in a seed? Yes, there is. We all know this seed provides humankind [with food]. Without grains, can humankind survive? No, we cannot survive. The land provides humans with all things. To increase the number of things, how do we make the seed sprout? How do we help it bear fruit? There has to be causes and conditions for there to be fruit, enough to supply us all. This is all wondrous Dharma. So it is said, There is essentially no Dharma to speak of. In our daily living, everything encompasses profound Dharma-seeds. We do not treat them as the Dharma, we just use them in our living. So what is there to discuss? When we do not feel lacking, when we feel abundant, we are not aware of them because we have been using these things continuously. This is like a cycle. These constant cycles provide a constant supply and a source of constant wealth for men. So when we are rich in resources, we never pay attention and we never discuss them. So what Dharma is there to speak of? But we are Buddhist practitioners, we must exhaustively explore cause and effect, explore how these karmic retributions came about. We need to know the origin of all things, especially of humankind. Humans come to this world and all things support our living, so why do we suffer from afflictions? We create conflicts over all things, then conflicts create more causes, which then bring about more conditions. So causes bring effects, effects create causes. This is an endless cycle. This makes the world very complicated. Complications arise when sentient beings become deluded and create karma. Unenlightened thoughts give rise to karma. If we are unenlightened and become deluded, then we are ignorant. Because ignorance arises from those delusions, the principles are unclear and therefore we antagonize each other. Then what can be done? So over 2000 years ago, Prince Siddhartha was born in India. His birth and life were similar to ours, for the Dharma-nature of all things. He had parents, too. He was born in the palace. There were slaves in the palace, who were untouchables. Between the nobles and the untouchables, there was a distinction in status and wealth. That is the reason a thought occurred to the prince to seek the answer to why such differences exist between people in this world. He also wondered about inevitable sufferings, such as birth, aging, illness and death. Would worldly pleasures last forever? Even if an object could last forever, humans still experience birth, aging, illness and death, therefore everything is constantly changing. Moreover, material objects are also temporary and impermanent. Therefore, with all these contradictions, he wanted to explore and penetrate their intrinsic nature. Will all things last continuously or do they have a limited existence? Why do their visible forms change constantly? Consider a flower or a blade of grass. Has the flower always existed? Before it blossomed, it existed as a bud. Before it was a bud, it was only a seedling. But before the seedling existed, it was only a seed. This seed existed because a flower blossomed and then bore this seed. Did the seed come first or did the flower come first? How did this things inherent cycle come about? So we need to explore the inherent nature of all things in the world, the Dharma of all things and the cycle of the Dharma. The Dharma has its embodiment and its uses. When the Dharma-embodiment is put into use, it takes on a form. So from the beginning, Manifested Forms are impermanent; they will arise and cease. Anything with form will arise and cease. The source of the Dharma will not arise or cease. It is ultimately limitless and endless. This is called nature. Because there is a nature, there is an embodiment. Where there is an embodiment, there is a form. So when a form begins to exist, it will arise and cease. This is the form of arising and ceasing. Indeed, all the stages of arising and ceasing express their inherent Dharma-nature. Consider humans birth, aging, illness and death. How did we come to be born? We often say that we have an affinity with our parents. Once we created these conditions, there was naturally this effect. When this karmic fruit ripened, our affinity with our parents led us to be born into this family. This is circumstantial retribution. Based on the causes and conditions of our parents, we were born into our family as retribution. This is circumstantial retribution. But we also experience direct retribution. Though we may have been born into a poor family, if we created blessings in the past, perhaps other karmic connections will guide us out of those conditions. In our lifetime we experience many changes, so nothing is definite. Even if we are born into a rich family, we may not remain wealthy forever. I remember many years ago, there was a pair of sisters from the Philippines. They were born to a very poor family. These two girls were conjoined. Because of their affinities, benefactors appeared in their lives. Those were Tzu Chi volunteers. This case was reported to Tzu Chi volunteers, so they went to meet the family. Then they brought the sisters to Taiwan. Tzu Chi has hospitals in Taiwan. Everything from the equipment in the hospital to our doctors was brought together by this karmic connection to help physically separate these sisters. Their livers were linked, but luckily they had two hearts. So we used a lot of manpower, attention, wisdom, materials, hospital facilities and devices; many causes and conditions converged so the twins could be surgically separated. We took care of them for a long time. After several months, these sisters started leading separate lives. After physical rehabilitation here, they could each walk on their own, eat their own meals, and play with their own toys. When they left the hospital, they were carried out separately back to the Philippines. Since this karmic connection was created, Tzu Chi volunteers moved them from the mountains to a city in the Philippines. They lived close to the Tzu Chi volunteers, who treated them like family. Volunteers helped their father find a job, and their mother eventually joined Tzu Chi. These two children grew up in the Tzu Chi environment. Who would have ever imagined this? There is no history of conjoined twins in the family. These causes and conditions changed their familys lives, affected their parents jobs, and changed the fate of these conjoined twins. This was truly inconceivable. So this kind of Dharma-nature is indeed everlasting. Now that these conjoined sisters have been separated, what will their lives be like in the future? Though causes and conditions brought them here, though they were born on the same day, will their futures be the same? It is unknown. What is unknown? What scripts they wrote in their past lives. I often say that though they were born conjoined, they will go their separate ways and may not share the same fate. Since we separated them physically, that meant they had the conditions to come here so we could help them. But as for their future, that depends on their past, the karma they created respectively. So there is circumstantial retribution, which they shared. They will face direct retribution. This is known as karmic retribution and this is the Dharma. This kind of intangible Dharma is therefore everlasting. You and I created a karmic connection in the past, so now we live together every day. Our common course is. Jing Si, a path of diligent practice. Every morning we meditate and clear our minds. In this place, we all nurture a wondrous lotus in our heart, a wondrous lotus flower. In the evil world of the Five Turbidities, Tzu Chi is the Bodhisattva-path in the world. We need to join Tzu Chi and go into the world to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Because we have this past karmic connection, we can make the same vows and develop this aspiration. Without these karmic connections, today we would not have this opportunity here to purify each other, to interact with each other, and create infinite Dharma. If you were not here to hear the Dharma, why would I be teaching it today? So we mutually motivate each other. And after hearing this, we need to motivate ourselves. We need to listen, contemplate, and practice. Reflect on what I said today. What is the origin of this flower? Did the seed come first, or did the flower come first? Or did the bud come first? Perhaps we need to explore the blade of grass or the flower. When we work in the vegetables garden, we sow seeds. If a vegetable seed did not have soil and water, if it was isolated from these conditions, what can it produce? Nothing. It remains a seed. So the Dharma-nature is wondrous, it requires the convergence of many causes and conditions. This nature is continuous and everlasting. So essentially, there is no Dharma to speak of. We must be very clear on all Dharma and the concept of causes, conditions, effects and retributions, which are all part of Dharma-nature. We are all born with an intrinsic nature, one equal to the Buddhas. Why have we not attained Buddhahood after [the Buddha] explained so much? Because karmic retributions prevent our minds from eliminating afflictions. Our mind is not yet clear, so the lotus flower has not manifested. So everyone, there is essentially no Dharma to speak of and this is true emptiness and wondrous existence. True emptiness and wondrous existence are embedded in Dharma-nature. Before a certain cause and condition manifest, the Dharma-nature already exists. It was waiting for causes and conditions to ripen, then its Dharma-form will appear then its form will appear. Once this form begins to exist, its appearance will arise and cease, which is the continuous cycle of all things. Everyone, as we learn Buddhism, we see how profound the Dharma is. If we want to understand, we must always be mindful.

Episode 8 – The Universe is Endless, the Dharma Ever-present

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>> The universe is endless. as long as heaven and earth have existed. All Dharma originated in the distant past. From Beginningless Time until now, the broad and profound source is incalculable.

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To get to the Dharma-essence, I have always wished to concisely expound the Lotus Sutra and capture it in the words, Jing Si is like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear and Tzu Chi is the Bodhisattva-path in the world. This is what I really hope to see. In the Buddha-Dharma, we see that the Buddha taught us to walk on the Bodhisattva-path. So, in our spiritual training ground every day, I hope all our minds can attain a state of purity and clarity like the lotus by practicing the teachings of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage. Moreover, we must make great aspirations and vows. Tzu Chi is the Bodhisattva-path in the world. This is internal and external practice. We hope to be able to combine the Dharma, our thoughts of spiritual cultivation and the practice of these teachings in working with others. We wish to manifest the spirit of the Lotus Sutra. Indeed,

The universe is endless. as long as heaven and earth have existed. All Dharma originated in the distant past. From Beginningless Time until now, the broad and profound source is incalculable.

This is what I want to share with you. Indeed the universe is big and endless. The Earth exists in that vast space. Consider a solar eclipse. The Earth spins along its orbit and when it is aligned with the Moon and the Sun in their orbits, from our angle, our line of sight, it looks like the Sun has disappeared. At the beginning, only a tiny part is missing. Then very gradually, that missing part grows bigger and bigger. When half of the Sun is missing, it seems the Moon is lighting up the sky. Then the event progresses quickly. Soon, the Sun becomes just a halo, a ring of light, and we do not see the Sun. I also saw a news report about. Greater Shanghai. Suddenly during the day, while the Sun lit up the sky, the Moon began covering up the Sun and it became dark as night in Greater Shanghai. There was an absence of sunlight. Look at the vast universe and its sights. Look at how it changes all the time. Every planet has its own orbit and is continuously spinning along. Each planet, at any point, whether it is revolving or rotating, stays in its same orbit. Here on Earth, when we look up from this perspective, if the Moon and Sun line up exactly, we see that the entire Sun is covered completely by the Moon. This is a total solar eclipse. What a marvelous sight in this universe! The vast and boundless universe shows us the aggregate of action that the Buddha spoke of. Imperceptible to us, the Earth is turning. It rotates and revolves. So does the Moon. It is constantly revolving and rotating. The Sun does this too. In this entire universe, galaxies also each have their own orbits, their own positions. They are immense. It was only a few decades ago that astronauts first landed on the Moon. When we looked up from Earth, we saw the Moon. But when the astronauts on the Moon looked up, they saw the Earth. So was the Earth or the Moon hanging in space? What do we see when we look up? This teaches us to view the world with a scientific perspective. Things are constantly changing. So this is the wonder of the universe. This wonder is part of wondrous existence in emptiness, true emptiness in wondrous existence. When the American astronauts went to that place and proved that the Moon is its own world, what they found there was a vast, endless stretch of dry land. They did not see water, or grass, trees etc. They did not discover any life forms. So up till now, that world is a place without living things, yet it is still constantly spinning. It truly has a wondrous existence. It is in the sky. When we humans look at the moon, it is a round object hanging in emptiness. In ancient times, if a child pointed at the [crescent] moon, an adult would say, Hurry up. Bow to it and pay respect, or the crescent will slice your ear. The Moon seemed auspicious and very mysterious, as if it, from high above the sky, was watching the good and evil of humankind, which was fascinating. Now when we study it scientifically, it is still an object, a world with its own land. But to peoples minds, in the past, it was a mysterious thing. But now we can perceive it with scientific instruments and take pictures of it. After the pictures are shot, the images are transmitted to people on Earth. Technology can display it right in front of us. Think about it, we can all look at the image and feel like we are right there. But in fact, it is still far away. It is still out of our reach. So to us, is it still empty? But when it is displayed in front of us, is that considered wondrous existence? This image of wondrous existence is actually empty. For example, I am now sitting here and looking at the screen ahead. If the screen is shut off, if the power source is cut off, there will be nothing in front of me. But I see something right now. I do! It is there. This is wondrous existence. Something that exists can quickly vanish, and there will be an empty screen. Once we use technology to display something in that empty space, something will exist again. Isnt this wondrous existence? Within wondrous existence is actually true emptiness. By applying modern technology, we can perceive true emptiness and wondrous existence everywhere. Only true emptiness can show that there are ever-changing, unstable things. Only ever-changing, unstable things can reveal that there is true emptiness, which is pure, without any defilement. The intrinsic nature of our mind is one of true emptiness and wondrous existence. Our wondrous existence, that enlightened nature equal to the Buddhas, has existed all this time. But we were defiled by ignorance, so, many things manifested. Because the Dharma is boundless, and because of wondrous existence, we possess all this ignorance. All these ignorant thoughts are actually a manifestation of wondrous existence. What is the essence of wondrous existence? It is our intrinsic nature, our original pure, undefiled nature that can illuminate all kinds of things in this world. Our mind is like a mirror that is not clean. I often tell everyone that there exists a mirror in our minds called the great perfect mirror wisdom. It is very big, very perfect so it can reflect many images. I often tell everyone, if you bring a mirror here and just look into it, it can reflect a great deal of our surroundings. The mirror is actually very small. But when we look into the mirror, we see that it can reflect mountains and oceans. Any and all sights in the world can be captured by this mirror. Consider a video camera. Its lens is very small. But this small lens can capture all of our surroundings. Isnt it wondrous? Truly wondrous! Our true nature, our mind, is just like this mirror. But if you put a fuzzy screen in front of the video camera lens, [the images] will be blurry. If you cover it with a piece of black cloth, everything will be blacked out. So I use physical objects as analogies for you. Take a look at that video camera. It performs lots of functions. But however functional it is, it cannot compare to the human mind. Our great perfect mirror wisdom can create all things. Because it perceives all things in the universe, this mirror can reflect the wisdom that is hidden deep within. But if we do not purify that wisdom, it will become knowledge, then our minds will know a lot and understand a lot. But once our minds know and understand a lot, we will begin to have desires and then greedy thoughts will arise. When true and clear wisdom has been deluded by external conditions, it acts as knowledge and intellect. Such knowledge and intellect will unleash that greed, that boundless greed. Our greedy thoughts will be as numerous as all the things in the world. Though our Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, our mind, this mirror, can reflect all the things in the world, we need to guard it with precepts so that no external sights will be able to entice the wisdom of our minds and defile it. This is [the function] of precepts. Precepts can prevent wrongs and stop evil, and safeguard the purity of our minds. We all innately possess this great and perfect mirror. This wisdom is called great perfect mirror wisdom. I am talking about mirror-like wisdom, the existence of a great perfect mirror wisdom. Sadly, we ordinary people are blinded and covered by external conditions. Therefore, the universe is endless and the Dharma is also boundless. However vast the surroundings are, the Dharma will permeate throughout all of it. Didnt I say this a few days ago? The Great Enlightened One of the universe expresses to us that in the universe, above the heaven and earth, everything is part of our treasury of teachings. Every place is a treasury of sutras. With this phrase, I am also saying, The Dharma is boundless. Because every place is a treasury of sutras. Wherever something exists, the Dharma exists. So The Dharma is boundless and has lasted as long as heaven and earth have existed. All Dharma originated in the distant past. Did the Dharma come into existence 2000 years ago when Sakyamuni Buddha began expounding it? No. The Buddha continuously said, especially in the Lotus Sutra, in the Chapter on the Tathagata’s Lifespan, that there is no beginning to the Dharma, no specific time which is Beginningless Time. Therefore, from Beginningless Time until now the broad and profound source is incalculable, is beyond the existence of heaven and earth. The source of the Dharma is from the distant past, from Beginningless Time until now. The broad and profound source is incalculable, and cannot be measured. So in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha could only compare it to His lifespan, which is incalculable. What we need to know is that. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have existed in this world for a very long, unknown, period of time. In the Chapter on the Tathagata’s Lifespan, He has expressed that it is very long. So for us ordinary people to understand this Dharma, I need to talk about the present, about modern times. I used solar eclipse to let everyone understand that although our modern technology is very advanced, it is still inseparable from True emptiness and wondrous existence was originally taught by the Buddha. So the wisdom of the Buddha from the past is being proved by advanced technology. So every one of us in this vast, endless universe, on this Earth, must seek the Dharma. So shouldnt we be mindful? The Dharma exists in our daily living. In our daily living, if we can realize wondrous existence and true emptiness, then what is there to take issue over? Everyone, Jing Si, like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear is about taking good care of our minds. Even though we live in a defiled world, we must care for our wondrous lotus. Our minds must remain pure and clear. So everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 7 – Jing Si Is Like the Wondrous Lotus, Pure and Clear

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Time flies; it passes very quickly, so I often tell everyone that we need to seize every minute and second. Now we will discuss teachings from the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is a Great Vehicle sutra. During the Buddhas lifetime, He had to spend seven years explaining it. Moreover, one sentence from the Buddha can encompass principles of all things in the world. For us ordinary people to explain even one of. His sentences may take a very long time. So we need to seize the moment and absorb the Dharma-essence of the Lotus Sutra so everyone can realize the spirit of it as taught by the Buddha. The Jing Si Dharma-lineage is a path of diligent practice. The Tzu Chi School is a road of working with others. What is the spirit imbued in the Jing Si Dharma-lineage? Jing Si is like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear. The Jing Si Abode is our place of practice. We start by inwardly cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness and externally practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. First we purify our minds by cultivating sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. Purify to what state? Until they are tranquil and clear. And we do not just practice in solitude to benefit ourselves; we do much more than that. In 1966, we established the Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Association, because we hoped to bring the Buddhas spirit into the world. Though we want to transform and save sentient beings, there are so many sentient beings, with so many different types of suffering. Not only do humans all suffer in different ways right now, we have to consider the future, the far-off future. Because in future generations, human minds and their environments will continuously change. So the Dharma that the Buddha expounded more than 2000 years ago was devised for that era and for all future eras to come. In this boundless universe, foreseeing the changes of human behavior and the increased suffering the future would bring, the Buddha first started by proclaiming His original intent. Starting with the Avatamsaka [Sutra], He shared His spiritual understanding with everyone. But ordinary people could never truly understand. Even heavenly beings do not understand, how could ordinary people? Thus, the Buddha then decided to expound the. Dharma that sentient beings can understand, the Agama [Sutra]. The Buddha started teaching the Agama [Sutra] so everyone could understand karmic retribution. The Buddha spent a long time expounding the Agama Sutra. But did all sentient beings understand completely? It did not happen that easily. But time waits for no one, so the Buddha transitioned into the Vaipulya to slowly guide those with higher capabilities to realize that life is impermanent. After they learned that life is impermanent, [the Buddha] then transitioned into Prajna. He opened everyones door to wisdom and freed their minds from materialistic obstacles and emotional attachments. All passions, cravings or desires, need to be completely eliminated. Thus, the principles found in the Prajna [Sutra] can help free our minds from the attachments of passions, cravings and material goods. But does this lead to a state of true emptiness? No. Because to be truly free from attachments, we need to fully understand the law of karma. Starting from the Avatamsaka, the pure, undefiled, tranquil and clear state of the Buddha has been difficult for sentient beings to grasp right away. In the state of Avatamsaka, the Dharma is broad and boundless. How is it possible for unenlightened beings to embrace such a broad, boundless, tranquil and clear state? It is not possible. We need to first understand the law of karma. But as sentient beings, we will continue to be attached to things like creating merits. We have learned about karma and karmic causes. Sentient beings suffer because they have created karmic causes. That is why they suffer bitter retributions. We know that everyone suffers, but we do not know from which karmic cause. As we experience suffering, we seek to prevent disasters and difficulties. So we seek to create merits to prevent disasters and difficulties. Is this really possible? To put an end to disasters and eliminate suffering, we must return to the source and understand how we have attracted so much suffering. So if people only learn the Prajna [teachings], some will become attached to emptiness, and thus they will deny the law of cause and effect. This is wrong. The Buddha quickly said that in this emptiness, there is wondrous existence. Wondrous existence is a karmic seed. So, the Lotus Sutra is called the perfect teaching. It is not attached to existence nor emptiness. In emptiness there is wondrous existence. Therefore, our minds need to return to that state of being tranquil and clear. So we must calmly self-reflect, quietly reflect on why our spiritual state has become so complicated. Just one saying from the Buddha can help us thoroughly understand why our daily living is still filled with afflictions and obstructions. Thus, in our spiritual practice, we must enter the perfect, wondrous state of true emptiness, which is complete tranquility and clarity. This is by no means easy. The Buddha then used the Lotus as a metaphor. We are in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. So in the perfect teachings of true emptiness and wondrous existence, what metaphor did He use? A lotus flower. A lotus flower grows out of mud but is undefiled. Because the current era we live in is one of the evil world of the Five Turbidities, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be like the lotus, which remain undefiled in the turbid environment. This is what we need to practice. Although the Buddha told us that we intrinsically possess the same pure nature as all Buddhas, since Beginningless Time we have lived through life after life of cyclic existence in the Six Realms. Throughout these continuous cycles we have continuously formed habitual tendencies. Thus, we were all born with those afflictions and habitual tendencies. Therefore in this world, even if we say we want to practice, and we make a vow, develop an aspiration, our habitual tendencies still have not left us whether we are lay or monastic practitioners. So the Buddha told us that we need to thoroughly eliminate the turbidity in our minds. Starting from the time of the Buddha, up till now and into the future, for lifetime after lifetime, we have continuously transmigrated in the Six Realms and have developed more and more habitual tendencies. What should we do? We now know that maybe in the past, we did not have the opportunity to hear the Buddha-Dharma. Even once we have learned about it, we have not eliminated our habitual tendencies, and we are still defiled by the turbid world. So we have a lot of habitual tendencies. Now we have the affinity to be in the same community for spiritual practice. This place is called Jing Si, and the state we all aspire to reach is that of tranquility and clarity. At our Jing Si training ground, we need to pass down our Dharma-lineage. Though we are in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, we still need to be like the lotus flower that rises out of the mud. This means that our minds should not be defiled by the state of the evil world of the Five Turbidities. Knowing we have intrinsic habitual tendencies, we can no longer wait. How much more time is there for us to enter the perfect teaching? So starting from now, in our daily living and lifestyle, we need to seize the moment to eliminate our remaining habitual tendencies. Right now, Jing Si is like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear. Tzu Chi is the Bodhisattva-path in the world. We do not practice to benefit ourselves. We need to invite everyone, far and wide, to join us, so that one more person can walk from this turbid world through the Tzu Chi door to develop loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. The Bodhisattva Way taught by the Buddha showed us that to enter the Bodhisattva-path, we need loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Inwardly, we practice sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. Externally, we practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity as they are the Bodhisattva-path. In our spiritual practice, we also need to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Besides eliminating our own habitual tendencies, we also have the aspiration to benefit everyone. The current world population has increased a lot compared to the Buddhas time. During the time of the Buddha, there were a little over 200 million people. Now there are nearly 7 billion. Just think about the effect of breathing; what happens when nearly 7 billion people exhale? Think of how that affects the climate and the air. Moreover, human desires are endless. The industrial world continues to advance the pursuit of our desires. In this kind of world, think about the polluted land, polluted air, and polluted minds. This is very serious. So we must develop great aspirations and go among all people. We need to widely transform sentient beings so they can all understand that the Buddha came to this world to let everyone encounter Buddha-Dharma and learn these teachings. Therefore we must go among people and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Everyone, The Jing Si Dharma-lineage is a path of diligent practice. The Tzu Chi School is a road of working with people in the world. This is the common direction of everyone here. This is our common goal. With this thought, we need to constantly be self-vigilant. Our minds should always remain in a pure and clear state like a wondrous lotus and we must also walk on the Bodhisattva-path with others. Everyone, I hope you are Bodhisattva-practitioners who go among all people. We must create a straight and broad Bodhisattva-path for others, which is also a great Bodhi-path. We all have this responsibility. We need to take the task upon ourselves. We hope that lay practitioners may extensively invite people in and help them all recognize this. The Lotus Sutra is very lengthy but we need to adapt it to modern times, modern places and modern interpersonal relationships. Compare the world population of 200 million people more than 2000 years ago to todays almost 7 billion people; the levels of complications are exponentially different. But if more people can learn about the wondrous Lotus Sutra, everyones minds may remain undefiled in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. If this can happen, I believe that this world, society and peoples minds can definitely be purified. Purifying peoples’ minds is the best way to put an end to disasters. So fellow Bodhisattvas, we must have no disputes with the world at large, and no discord over any matters and definitely no conflicts with other people. We need to follow these principles and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Starting today, we must renew our vows to eliminate our discursive thoughts and tendencies. Remember, our minds need to be pure and clear like the lotus and we must walk the Bodhisattva-path in this world. This is what we mean by following the Jing Si path and the Tzu Chi road. This aims to pave the way for the Lotus Sutra, for us to learn how to penetrate the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 6 – Lotus Sutra Preface (5)

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>> Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated?

>> Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow.

>> Ours and others vows and practices will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana

>> On the day we die, Right Mindfulness will arise. We will face Amitahba and all of the noble assembly. In that instant, we will be born into the lotus flower. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood.

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Without expectations, we have no thoughts of gain or loss. Without thoughts of gain or loss, we have no afflictions. Without afflictions, we feel at ease. Isnt this the state we seek as spiritual practitioners? Ordinary people harbor expectations every day. They expect something in return every time they do something or give to others. Such people are unenlightened beings. In our spiritual practice we need to achieve the state of having no expectations. Does this mean that we do nothing? Not so. We have to do things. Furthermore, we have to do them earnestly, even carefully, reverently, and with commitment. Since we have come into this world, we need to be earnest about everything we do. Do not spend your life in a daze or a state of confusion. Consider Sakyamuni Buddha. When He lived in the palace as the crown prince, He enjoyed great luxuries. Yet He was not influenced by desires. When He was very young, He wondered why there were relationships and cravings, why some people were rich and some were poor, why all these phenomena existed in this world. Ever since His youth, He had been constantly, silently contemplating the reason the phenomena existed. This was His earnestness. In our spiritual practice, we should be like the Buddha and earnestly contemplate in silence. We should consider why people come to this world to lead hectic lives, to quarrel, to create enmity and hatred, to oppose each other. Why go through so much suffering? For what? It is all because of expectations and desires. The mind harbors desires. Fame, wealth, property and sensual enjoyment are all things that people desire. In pursuit of these things, thoughts of gain and loss arise. So we have to contemplate this. After we understand it, our minds need to be free of expectations. This is conscientiousness. After we have thought things through and gained clarity, we will have no expectations. No matter how hard we may have to work, we will do so without expectations. We are very reverent. We do not seek anything for ourselves, but for all sentient beings in the world. So we need to be self-disciplined and reverent. We need to have aspirations, make great vows, spread great love and extend our compassion. All this is done unconditionally. This is the highest state of spiritual attainment. However, having no expectations does not mean being lazy, but to be reverent, self-disciplined and committed. As we give to others, we should harbor no expectations. Then we will have no thoughts of gain and loss. If we are free from any sense of gain or loss, we will have no afflictions and may truly be at ease and free. When we are in this state, our bodies and minds will be pure, then naturally, our pure causes will grow.

Earlier, didn’t I say:
Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated?
This is what we are working toward. We need to repent for the past. We need to be reverent in the present. We reverently repent the countless grave transgressions created in the past, present and future with our Threefold Karma. We also hope to eliminate them, one by one. So after we repent, we will not commit more transgressions. This is how we can eradicate them, by not committing any more evils after repenting. If we have already eliminated all afflictions, we have cleansed ourselves. Once our bodies and minds are purified, we can furnish ourselves with the Buddha-Dharma, wisdom and good affinities. Our bodies and minds are like a house in which the colors have faded. Once we are able to clean its rooms and redecorate it, those surroundings will be very beautiful. Then we can live there with peace and ease. What can we use to furnish this house? We can use blessings and wisdom. We need to create blessings in our daily living. We must always feel gratitude, respect and love. This state of mind creates blessings. If we create blessings without expectations, if we give without expectations, we will have wisdom. When we use wisdom to furnish our spiritual mind, we adorn ourselves with blessings and wisdom. Naturally, pure causes will grow. Since we have created blessings, cultivated wisdom and created many good karmic connections, our continuous giving to others is without expectations or any sense of gain or loss. These are all causes and conditions of purity. In this world there are conflicts and disputes filled with craving, hatred, passion, enmity etc. You may have been born into a great family that you adore. But in the future, in your next life, or the life after, or the one after that, your parents in this lifetime may become your son or daughter. In the life after that, you may become husband and wife. But in the life after that, you may become sworn enemies. This happens because ordinary people create impure karmic affinities. Impure affinities result in entanglements. All this is inescapable. We transmigrate in the Six Realms precisely because of impure affinities. Even those who do the Ten Good Deeds and are born in heaven cannot escape defiled affinities. We say we must practice in the human realm to attain Buddhahood, because we can witness so much in this world. We can also hear the Buddhas teachings and learn to purify the body and mind. When we cleanse the body and the mind, our bodies will become very pure, our minds can also become very pure. If we create blessings to benefit people and do not create further impure affinities, we will attain Buddhahood more quickly. Therefore, affinities are very important. When the body and mind are pure, pure causes grow. This is what we need to understand. To purify our body and mind, we must have no expectations or any sense of gain or loss. Without afflictions, we are naturally at ease. Then the body and mind can be clear and pure, and can develop pure causes. Therefore, we must earnestly take the words of these sutras to heart. We need to sincerely contemplate them. Be self-disciplined, reverent and committed. We must always be mindful. The Chant of Dedicating Merits in the Lotus Sutra Preface states,

Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow.
Then it states,
Ours and others vows and practices will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana.

May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana. This verse is about making vows. Whether we make vows ourselves, or whether others make them, we are all practicing together on the same path. I have such a vow and others probably have the same vow. It is not just a vow or a wish. We are already putting it into practice. This is called acting on a vow. Since we are learning the Buddhas teachings, we aspire to be closer to the state of the Buddha. Earlier I mentioned that as we prostrate to the sutra, word by word, we are moving a step closer to the Buddha and the Vulture Peak Assembly. If we can do things in our daily living with the same reverent mindset, then we are also creating pure affinities and growing pure causes. To give without expectations, we give with the same reverence as practicing the path, acting on a vow or prostrating. Acts of reverence are not limited to engaging in ceremonies at temples. Actually, our daily behavior can already bring us closer to our vows. Thus, we act out our vows. In our daily living, every day, the thoughts that stir and the actions we take are the means of acting out our vows. We change our habitual tendencies by engaging with people and matters. These interactions urge us forward. These are ways of acting out our vows will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. We hope that every day, every moment, the vows we put into action with body and mind will get closer and closer [to being achieved]. Working together in harmony like a perfect crystal sphere is the Tzu Chi practice. As we carry out our vows together, we should be as pure and clear as a crystal. I hope everyone has this mindset. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We hope to always encounter the Buddha, or enlightened beings who come to this world so we can always be together with them. Therefore here it states, May all. Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We need to be respectful at all times. Respect the Dharma, and the Dharma will be there. Respect the Buddha, and the Buddha will be in our heart. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path of enlightenment so as to realize the fruits of nirvana. With respect, our vows connect to Buddhas, Bohisattvas and the Dharma at all times. This creates merits and virtues. If we do not cultivate our minds, how can our outward actions and words captivate the minds of others? How can we be respectful when others speak? If we do not exert our efforts, other people will not respect us, nor will we respect others. So let us humble ourselves, be courteous to others. To humble ourselves is a merit, to be courteous to others is a virtue. We should rejoice in all merits and virtues. No matter who created them, we will praise those who have achieved them. We should not hinder others spiritual aspirations. Not only do we not obstruct them, we rejoice in and praise others at all times. We dedicate [the merits] toward the path of enlightenment, from ourselves to others. We need to work very hard ourselves and be respectful of others. In this way, we are dedicating merits to Bodhi, which is enlightenment. We need to enlighten ourselves, and we need to enlighten others. Enlightening ourselves and others is also called dedicating all merits. To realize the fruits of nirvana refers to permanence, joy, self, and purity. Seize the moment and maintain your resolve. To us, this thought of joy, this thought of purity, is everlasting, not temporary. I hope we can seize the moment and perpetuate this happiness, this Dharma-joy. This is called permanence and joy, or happiness. When we do not have a sense of gain or loss we will naturally be free and at ease. Without expectations or any sense of gain or loss, naturally we will feel free and realize the fruits of nirvana because with pure causes we have pure effects.

On the day we die, Right Mindfulness will arise. We will face Amitahba and all of the noble assembly. In that instant, we will be born into the lotus flower. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood.
May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood. Of course, since we are all unenlightened beings, when we pray, we still have expectations. What do we seek? That On the day we die, we can remain in that wonderful state, that our mindset will be very upright and not be distracted by external conditions. In our daily living, when cravings and desires invade our mind-consciousness, what kind of karma do we create? As we are about to die, a certain kind of state will manifest and entice us. If we follow it, we may fall into hell or fall into the animal realm. We do not know. That is why we hope that on the day we die, Right Mindfulness will manifest. We need to uphold this thought of goodness, so we know where we are heading. Ordinary people lack the ability to determine in which realm they will be reborn. It is all unknown. With the advanced technology of today, we can see that many who are on this same Earth are suffering. Think about it. Once we leave this physical body, will we come back to this spiritual community, will we come back to a world with a harmonious climate and a peaceful society? We do not know. This is why we need to take good care of our minds right now. We need to correct our habitual tendencies, and purify our thoughts. Then we will be very clear about what we want to do when we come back again. We still want to create the same pure causes and blessed conditions, so we can continue on this same path in our future, a path of pure causes and blessed conditions. This happens when Right Mindfulness will arise. I really hope that we will truly practice Right Mindfulness. So in the instant we die, it will arise and we will have the freedom to determine where we want to go. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood. All sentient beings, including us, can attain Buddhahood at the same time. The only way to do so is to bring purity to everyone’s hearts so each may attain enlightenment. If we are reborn in the Western Pure Land, we are not there to enjoy it. After we finish learning we still need to return to the Saha World. Therefore, if we repent with reverence, refrain from creating negative affinities, and develop pure causes, then naturally things will go according to our wishes. So after we have made our vows, we will take refuge with and pay respect to the Three Treasures. We need [to find our innate] reverent mindset. Being truly reverent, self-disciplined and committed are all very important qualities. Once we reach that state, the mind harbors no more expectations or thoughts of gain, is without afflictions and is naturally at ease. With a pure body and mind, naturally the pure causes will grow. Growing our pure causes is extremely crucial. All the sutras and treatises point the way to Buddhahood. We must purify body and mind and develop pure causes to be able to achieve Buddhahood. Therefore, we must constantly take good care of our mind so it will not be defiled by afflictions. This requires us to always be mindful.

Episode 5 – Lotus Sutra Preface (4)

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>> A slight discrepancy determines whether we go in the right or wrong direction. Boundless desires originate from insatiability. Time passes as we remain indecisive on which course to take. When our true nature is lost, we transmigrate through cyclic existence.

>> We vow to repent. We disciples and all sentient beings, since Beginningless Time, have lost our true nature and transmigrated through cyclic existence.

>> The transgressions and obstacles of the Six Roots are infinite and boundless. We cannot penetrate and understand the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle. None of our aspirations can be realized

>> We now pay respect to the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. With this root of goodness, we openly repent our wrongdoings. The boundless grave transgressions created in the past, present and future with the Threefold Karma will all be eliminated.

>> Our bodies and mind will be pure, our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow.

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Every day we talk about repenting and making vows. Indeed, to repent is to constantly self-reflect. After we have acted, do we sincerely confess all that we have done in the past? After confessing everything, have we reformed our mental and physical behavior? If we can correct everything, in addition to our physical behavior, wont our minds then often give rise to good thoughts without any deviant, evil thoughts? Have we reached this level of repentance and purification? After we have repented and purified ourselves, we can then make vows. As we make vows, we need to understand that a slight discrepancy makes the difference between going in the right or wrong direction. We make endless vows. We may pray that if a certain good thing happens to a family member, we will then vow to be vegetarian on his behalf, or vow to do good deeds, or we will vow to…. These are conditional vows, vows for desires, vows for something in return. These kinds of vows are misguided. We have to give unconditionally for it to be a vow. We need to be selective in the vows we make. We have many wants, so we have endless expectations and will never be satisfied. The suffering in our lives comes from wanting something more, wanting something better. These kinds of pursuits can be described by an old saying, Mountains are not as tall as our list of wishes. This is like asking, Is this enough? Not yet. Heres more, is this enough? Not yet. This goes on and on. Our minds never feel that anything high is ever high enough, or anything deep is ever deep enough. Therefore, this mind is a bottomless pit of greed, and thus we live in indecision. Which direction should we take in our lives? How do we walk the path we have vowed to take? We are at a loss. Is this the correct path for me to choose? Is it beneficial for me? We keep standing there indecisively. However, time keeps passing by. Isnt this a waste of time? Before the Buddha expounded this Dharma, He had already realized the true principles of the universe. So He began by speaking the True Dharma, the Avatamasaka Sutra, which described the Buddhas spiritual state. But sentient beings did not have the capacity to understand it. Why is that? Their minds were full of greed, afflictions and discursive thoughts, so they were unable to realize this state. Thus, the Buddha had to guide them gently and patiently for 40 years. Consider this span of 40-plus years. Can every person last for 40-plus years? Time keeps passing by. When we come in contact with the Buddha, can we reach Him directly and comprehend the Buddha-mind? If so, then seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma is not in vain, because we immediately comprehend it. However, we ordinary beings are such that we have to go through these skillful means. Yet can such skillful means really allow us realize the Dharma? How much time must be wasted in this way? So, during this time, the Buddha began to speak the Lotus Sutra, which is beyond speech. To expound the Lotus Sutra without speech, He sat down and entered the state of the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings and returned to His Buddha-mind. At that moment, He wanted to eliminate the provisional, the skillful. He wanted to take back these skillful means and replace them with the true path, so in that place, He radiated light. Because the Lotus Sutra was beyond speech, it was not expressed in words, but through a spiritual state. [At the assembly], everyone stared at each other, not knowing what was going on. Then, As the Buddha began speaking the True Dharma, 5000 people left their seats. This happened while Buddha was still there. He saw these people leave. As He began speaking about the True Path, 5000 people left. The Buddha felt very sad. However, it was good that they left because their capacities were not yet mature, so they were not ready to accept this teaching. So, it was good that they left, and those who remained could accept these teachings. But could they really? Consider what the Buddha saw after all these people heard His Dharma, how many people were willing to walk the Bodhisattva-path in this world and be responsible for saving others? No one dared to stand out and say, I will bravely take on this burden. This indecisiveness is not limited to people of the present time. Even when the Buddha was alive, when He expounded the Dharma Himself, was He able to truly awaken peoples minds, lead them to realize the Buddha-mind, and go among people to serve? Indeed, it is not very easy. Now, let us speak of modern people and their indecisiveness. If one wants to learn Buddhism, one must choose between Small Vehicle and Great Vehicle. Does one practice to solely benefit oneself or does one seek to benefit others? People also feel indecisive about methods of spiritual practice. This is how we lose our true nature and transmigrate through cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

A slight discrepancy determines whether we go in the right or wrong direction. Boundless desires originate from insatiability. Time passes as we remain indecisive on which course to take. When our true nature is lost, we transmigrate through cyclic existence.

This [indecision] is what we need to repent. Actually, it is not that difficult to nurture a loving heart. We do not need to make vows in a specific way; we just need to have a loving heart, which is by itself a vow to purify our minds. We did not know we were wrong. We were wrong in the past, but now we will begin to cleanse and reform ourselves and quickly change our attitude toward living. This is the right way. This is how we make a great vow. In our daily living, if we can nourish a loving heart, then we will make no mistakes. In Master Lian Chis Essays on Not Killing, there is a story called. Receive Blessings after Rebirth. He wrote that in Suzhou City, there was a man named Wang Da-lin. He was very charitable, especially in releasing captured creatures [as an act of merit]. He greatly cherished living creatures. Sometimes, he saw children playing at capturing crickets or catching bugs… so many kinds [of games]. If Wang Da-lin saw children playing with these tiny living creatures, he would kindly gather the children and explain his beliefs to them because he wanted the children to treasure all beings. He would even use money, candies etc. to create good relationships with them so he could persuade them to not hurt other living creatures. This is like applied education. All the children in the village liked him. All the parents and the elders were grateful to him because he was teaching their children for them. When children feel compassion and love, they naturally know to be filial. Everyone respected him. When he was 61 years old, he suddenly became gravely ill. The doctors had already told him to make his funeral preparations. At this time, he suddenly heard a voice. This very clear voice said, Because you often released captured creatures and cherished all living beings with great loving-kindness and compassion, because you constantly persuaded others to release living creatures, the intangible merits you have accumulated will now extend your lifespan and blessings. So Wang Da-lin lived to be 97 years old, with five generations of his lineage in the same household. He passed away peacefully. Remember, he was not seeking any reward. He just had those thoughts, those loving and compassionate thoughts to cherish living beings. Furthermore, he did not only do it himself, he taught everyone, from the children to the whole village. So his blessings and lifespan were prolonged. Always consider the importance of your mindset. Therefore, we say we need to make vows and dedicate merits. We mentioned previously,

We vow to repent. We disciples and all sentient beings, since Beginningless Time, have lost our true nature and transmigrated through cyclic existence.

We have all lost our true nature and are only willing to make vows in return for things. But our mind was originally loving. Our mind was originally filled with unlimited and tremendous vows. It was filled with kindness and great love, which are great vows. But we have lost that state of mind, so we now transmigrate through cyclic existence.

The transgressions and obstacles of the Six Roots are infinite and boundless. We cannot penetrate and understand the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle. None of our aspirations can be realized.

The transgressions of the Six Roots arise when greedy thoughts come in contact with the Six Dusts. Our Six Roots give rise to the Six Consciousnesses. This leads to many greedy thoughts. These greedy desires are infinite and boundless. We cannot penetrate and understand the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle. This vehicle points the mind to its true nature. With this perfect and wondrous Dharma, we could return to our true nature, but we are hindered from understanding and. None of our aspirations can be realized. We only know to seek things, and not all of these pursuits will be successful. There is an old saying, Of 10 things, 8 or 9 will be unsatisfactory. This is because we are lost, we really ask for too much. Therefore, None of our aspirations can be realized.

We now pay respect to the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. With this root of goodness, we openly repent our wrongdoings. The boundless grave transgressions created in the past, present and future with the Threefold Karma will all be eliminated

We now pay respect to the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. With this root of goodness, we openly repent our wrongdoings. The boundless grave transgressions created in the past, present and future with the Threefold Karma will all be eliminated. We now pay respect to the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Now we have begun to receive the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. The Buddha has pointed out the true path to seeing our true nature. This true path is the Bodhisattva-path, so we must cherish it. When we are chanting the Lotus Sutra Preface, we prostrate to every word. Every word is a treasure, so we must sincerely and mindfully understand the. Buddhas mindset. We cannot just recite the Sutras, we need to realize whether or not we have applied it. Have we attained the state of the Buddha-mind? Therefore, whether we prostrate and chant the Sutra of Infinite Meanings or the Lotus Sutra, with this root of goodness, we openly repent our wrongdoings. If we really study the sutras, we will gradually nourish our roots of goodness. As the roots of goodness grow, our wisdom-life will grow. As the roots of goodness continuously grow, we will openly repent our wrongdoings. This is repentance. Out of ignorance, we constantly make mistakes. These mistakes are what we need to openly repent. Once we make a mistake, we need to quickly correct it. Once we have corrected it, we do not need to be afraid of other people knowing our mistakes. This is how we can be cleansed. This is open repentance. We dare not make the same mistakes. This is repenting what was created in the past, present and future by the Threefold Karma. This refers to the past, to what we have done, or to the incorrect, deviant or evil thoughts that arise now because we are not taking good care of our minds. Once a thought arises in the mind, we must quickly repent. So past, present means that the past has already happened, so whatever mistakes we make now, must be quickly terminated. As for the future, we need to quickly change the direction of our Threefold Karma. We must always speak good words with our mouths, do good deeds with our bodies, and think good thoughts with our minds. The past has already happened, so now we cannot allow our Threefold Karma to create more evil. If we commit evils again, we commit boundless grave transgressions. Those transgressions will be very severe. If we have reformed, then boundless. If we have reformed, then boundless grave transgressions will all be eliminated. Our bodies and mind will be pure, our delusions and obstacles eliminated.

Our bodies and mind will be pure, our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow 

Our bodies and mind will be pure, our delusions and obstacles eliminated. Our minds will be free. Even though we have committed wrongdoings, we have admitted them all. Then no matter what others say, we will still be very free and at ease. We are not afraid of being criticized because we have admitted our mistakes. We have now corrected them all, so Our bodies and mind will be pure. Defilements and ignorance will never return, so the mind is purified and our delusions and obstacles eliminated. When we have completely eliminated ignorance, we are naturally dignified by blessings and wisdom and our pure causes will grow. Good causes and conditions will keep appearing. Good people are drawn together and will help each other succeed. Therefore, pure causes will grow. What we see will not defile our minds. Everything we hear will be good words. All the people we are with will be good people. Even if someone wants to harm or tempt us, we will be surrounded by virtuous friends. Perhaps with this greater strength we can transform those without right views and bring them in to join us. So, in our daily living, we vow to thoroughly nourish all good thoughts and actions and purify our minds. Once we purify our minds, we can attain even what we do not seek. This natural way of living benefits people and can also be used to educate others. This is a natural and uncontrived vow which is a great vow. Everyone, please always be mindful.