Author: Scott Ogata

Episode 465 – Children of the Buddha Eliminate Doubts

>> “Through listening, contemplation and practice, with precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, we realize the Buddha’s understanding and views and put them into practice. Thus we recognize our nature of True Suchness and are born into the Tathagata’s family.”

>> “It was not until today I that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma; I have realized my part in the Buddha-Dharma.”

>> “At that time, Sariputra, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke in verse, saying, ‘Hearing the sound of this Dharma, I have obtained what I never had before My heart is filled with great joy and I have eliminated the web of doubts.'”

>> Those who compiled and edited sutras knew the Dharma was profound and wondrous. Afraid that people might miss out on teachings, they restated them in verse.

>> Sariputra and others listened to the Dharma and became happy. They eliminated all doubts and regrets and attained what they never had before.

>> “Should they have doubts or regrets, the Buddha will help resolve them completely so that none remain”

>> Doubts and delusions are hard to escape. Having them is like being trapped in a web. When he heard the Buddha open up the provisional to reveal True Dharma, his heart was filled with great joy and he eliminated all webs of doubts he had in the past.

“Through listening, contemplation and practice, with precepts, Samadhi and wisdom,
we realize the Buddha’s understanding and views and put them into practice.
Thus we recognize our nature of True Suchness
and are born into the Tathagata’s family.”

After hearing the Dharma through our ears we must then take it to heart. After we take it to heart, we must put it into practice. After listening to the Dharma, we must earnestly contemplate it and must earnestly accept and uphold it.

We must also cultivate the Three Flawless Studies, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Precepts can prevent all unwholesome deeds. We must avoid doing unprincipled things. Precepts allow us to have discipline in our actions. Samadhi comes from taking the Dharma to heart so that neither fame, wealth nor pleasure can shake our resolve or tempt us. That is a state of Samadhi. To develop Samadhi, we must have wisdom. Without wisdom, when we hear something in our external conditions and it makes us unhappy, our minds will quickly give rise to [afflictions]. When we see something we dislike, we immediately become angry. This means we are not in Samadhi.

Sometime, we must ask ourselves, why am I so impulsive? That is because our [power of] Samadhi is not strong enough. Why did I give in to my habitual tendencies again? If we reflect upon ourselves, we know it is because our wisdom is insufficient. As we look at the things happening around us, we cannot yet see with the same perspective as the Buddha. In learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn to develop His perspective. He clearly understands people, matters and objects. As soon as He encounters something, He can discern whether it is right or wrong. The Buddha’s [mind] is like a clear mirror that reflects everything. Red, black, white, crimson and other colors are immediately identifiable in the reflection. This is the Buddha’s understanding and views.

When we realize His understanding and views and the Dharma that He taught, we must faithfully accept and practice it. This becomes our wisdom. With everything we encounter, after we listen to and understand the teachings, we need to put them into practice. Whatever the Buddha has instructed us to do, we must follow it exactly. This is “putting into practice.” We cannot just listen. If we do not put the teachings into practice, listening to them is of no use.

If we have been bad-tempered in the past, we must change our ways. We must make changes right away so we do not continue to repeat our mistakes, over and over. If we make changes gradually, it will be too late. In learning the Buddha’s teachings, the Dharma we hear needs to be applied to our daily living right away. We must stop doing the wrong things and immediately start to do the right things. So, we must be very mindful. Only in this way can we “realize our nature of True Suchness.” I have often mentioned the innocence of children. Their intrinsic nature is so pure. Undefiled by worldly matters, they can see things very clearly and can act in a very reasonable manner. This shows that our nature of True Suchness does not change with age. Actually, it has nothing to do with our age. It is something we have always had. So, we must mindfully realize the Dharma to clearly discern right from wrong. We must always remember that the nature of True Suchness is intrinsic to all

and that we are “born into the Tathagata family.” Everybody belongs to the Tathagata’s family. We previously discussed the passage,

“It was not until today I that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma; I have realized my part in the Buddha-Dharma.”

This is the previous passage. Though Sariputra had followed the Buddha for decades, and accepted the Buddha’s teachings, after he heard that “all things arise due to cause and conditions and all things cease due to cause and conditions,” he just remained in the state of the Small Vehicle and never thought about moving forward. Up until now, he had been very upset. “I formed these aspirations a long time ago. Why have I remained in this state?” Now he understood that the Buddha opened the Three to reveal the One. He now set aside the Three Vehicles to completely focus on the One [Vehicle].

When Sariputra understood this, [he thought,]. “Today, I finally know I am the Buddha’s child.” He realized that, he too, could carry on the Buddha’s [mission of] teaching sentient beings; he could form great aspirations, make great vows and walk the Bodhisattva-path. He began to have confidence in himself and understood that by forming aspirations, he would also walk the Bodhisattva-path. Thus he was a true child of the Buddha, born from the mouth of the Buddha and transformed by the Dharma, because his wisdom grew after he took the Dharma to heart. Thus he had “realized [his] part in the Buddha-Dharma.” The Buddha-Dharma was already in his mind and he was gradually developing bits and pieces of the Buddha’s understanding and views. This was how well Sariputra understood the Buddha.

The next sutra passage states,

“At that time, Sariputra, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke in verse, saying, ‘Hearing the sound of this Dharma, I have obtained what I never had before My heart is filled with great joy and I have eliminated the web of doubts.'”

Sariputra had already described how, in the Dharma he had accepted in the past, he had stopped at [the state of] the Small Vehicle. After hearing the Buddha open up the provisional to reveal the true, at first he was distressed and had doubts and regrets. But when he understood what he heard, things finally became clear to him. Thus he attained joy he had never had before. [So he said,] “It was not until today that. I realized that I am a true child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma. I have realized my part in the Buddha-Dharma.” This came from his joyful state of mind.

“Wishing to restate his meaning, [he] spoke in verse.” Actually, it was those who compiled and edited the sutras, hoping to make the Dharma clear to everybody, who restated Sariputra’s meaning one more time.

Those who compiled and edited sutras knew the Dharma was profound and wondrous. Afraid that people might miss out on teachings, they restated them in verse.

This passage states that. “Sariputra wished to restate his meaning .” It was likely those who edited this sutra who had this good intention of wanting to describe Sariputra’s feeling again. So, we should recognize the great importance of this section, which includes the previous passage. Worried the Dharma we hear might leak out, and hoping we can all realize the wondrousness of this Dharma, it says he “wished to restate his meaning.”

He said again, “Hearing the sound of this Dharma, I have obtained what I never had before.” Sariputra spoke these words on behalf of everyone. These words not only reflected his own mindset, but also represented everyone else’s. They also felt happy after hearing it, so they formed great aspirations, made great vows, engaged in great practices and entered the Bodhisattva-path. This shows that he and everyone else were very happy, and that that happiness came from completely eliminating their doubts and worries.

Sariputra and others listened to the Dharma and became happy. They eliminated all doubts and regrets and attained what they never had before.

If we have doubts, are unclear about the principles or cannot understand what someone is saying, these may become mutual misunderstandings. If we cannot clearly understand the Dharma, it may lead us to give rise to afflictions. Now, Sariputra and all the bhiksus finally understood the complete meaning behind those 40-plus years of teachings. Originally, [the Buddha came] for one great cause, to help everyone thoroughly understand that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and that we were originally pure. But things in the world tempted us [to go astray]. Our many desires for things have covered our pure intrinsic nature.

In order for our intrinsic nature to manifest, we must avoid being covered by these impurities. So, we must put the teachings into practice and make use of our innate wisdom to go among people to transform them. To save and transform sentient beings, when they need material assistance, we must provide them with what they need. When sentient beings’ minds are not open and are weighed down by afflictions, we must exercise our wisdom to help them eliminate their afflictions and to inspire the goodness in their hearts. This meets their spiritual needs.

Whether they need tangible goods or intangible principles, we must exercise our wisdom to meet their needs. So, this kind of giving has to happen among people. The ability to prevent interpersonal complications from defiling our pure intrinsic nature is also a skill that is developed among people.

We often say that afflictions are like a raging fire in a furnace. Having transmigrated in the Six Realms and faced so many afflictions, we are like very finely crafted objects that have become a useless pile of metal. In order to restore this pile of metal back into those intricate objects, the metal must be thrown into the furnace so the fire can temper it. The metal has to be tempered and hammered so the impurities can be eliminated. Then it will become pure steel and iron again.

So, to eliminate our doubts, we must interact with people and learn to sustain our Samadhi and wisdom. If we can maintain our Samadhi and wisdom, others will remind us, through our interactions, that we must guard against wrongs and stop evil. They will constantly remind us to not allow what we hear or see in the world to trigger our habitual tendencies. If that happens, we will remain tainted by ignorance.

I often teach with simple sayings such as, “Don’t use other people’s mistakes to punish yourself.” Don’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes. When we see someone make a mistake or hear someone say something wrong, we must not give rise to discursive thoughts. Our minds must stay calm. Regardless of how others treat us, we must not misunderstand them; we must truly understand them. We must realize the Buddha’s understanding and views, the perspective with which He sees and hears people. The Buddha can clearly discern things. With our ordinary understanding and views, we think, “I don’t like what you said, so I’m angry.” This kind of misunderstanding happens when ordinary people listen to other ordinary people speak. This is how people misunderstand each other. So, we must eliminate our doubts and regrets.

Once we eliminate our doubts and regrets, we will naturally be very happy and filled with Dharma-joy. Seeing other’s mistakes, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant. Seeing other’s merits, we must earnestly seek to learn from them. This is how we diligently develop our wisdom-life. Sariputra and others completely understood that they must go among people to learn to manifest their intrinsic Buddha-nature, while not letting their surroundings affect them. Having completely understood this, they had “eliminated all doubts and regrets.”

At this point, we can comprehend how, in the past, the Buddha had begun with the most basic teachings to gradually help us to safely go among the people. “All things arise due to causes and conditions. All things cease due to causes and conditions.” So, we do not need to cling to anything. What we learned in the past led us to the practice of the Bodhisattva-path. [Those teachings] are also very important. They are not redundant. They are very applicable.

So, I always talk about “the wondrous in the provisional.” Actually, this road was also paved by the Buddha to help connect us to the Bodhi-path. The same principle applies to us. We talked about the Buddha’s first teaching, suffering, its causation, cessation and the Path, and the universal vows of the Buddha and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These universal vows are the Four Great Vows. So, we form great aspirations and vows for the purpose of saving those who are suffering. However, sentient beings still have habitual tendencies, afflictions and ignorance. Thus, we must aspire and “vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” This deals with the cause of suffering.

As the Buddha explained in the past, the cause of suffering is accumulation. We have aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path, so we must enter this furnace of accumulated afflictions and ignorance and must temper ourselves to eliminate these afflictions. We should not treat other people’s afflictions as our own, and we need to promptly eliminate our own afflictions. So, the Four Noble Truths and the Four Great Vows can be linked to each other if we understand them. The Four Noble Truths were the first provisional teachings and the Four Great Vows were the beginning of revealing the universal vows of ultimate reality. When we look at these side by side, they are truly wondrous. We see the wondrous in the provisional, the wondrous Dharma of ultimately reality.

Therefore, we should have no more doubts. All doubts must be eliminated. Only when our minds are free of doubts can we attain what we never have before. This is how the previous sutra passage describes the mindset of Sariputra. There is a passage from the Introductory Chapter,

“Should they have doubts or regrets, the Buddha will help resolve them completely so that none remain.”

This is the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. The beginning of the Lotus Sutra was about eliminating everyone’s doubts. So, starting in the Introductory Chapter, the Buddha opened up the Three to reveal the One. The Buddha clearly said, “Should they have doubts or regrets, the Buddha will help resolve them completely so that none remain.” This was the time to eliminate all doubts. So, in the Lotus Sutra, [the Buddha] hopes we no longer have any doubts. People living in this world must eliminate their doubts.

So, “My heart is filled with great joy and. I have eliminated the web of doubts.” At that moment, Sariputra’s heart was filled with joy because his web of doubts [was gone]. That web is like a fishing net. Once trapped, not a single fish can escape. So, afflictions trap us like a net. When we are told, “Change your habits!” All of us say, “That is difficult! I will change gradually.” This is how we are trapped by a net and cannot free ourselves. If we have not eliminated our habitual tendencies, we cannot become liberated. As long as we have not resolved these afflictions, we cannot take the Buddha-Dharma to heart. Only once we have fully severed the web of doubts can we open up our hearts. Otherwise, this web will prevent [the Dharma] from entering the door to our hearts.

Doubts and delusions are hard to escape. Having them is like being trapped in a web. When he heard the Buddha open up the provisional to reveal True Dharma, his heart was filled with great joy and he eliminated all webs of doubts he had in the past.

So, when we listen to the Buddha open up the provisional to reveal the true, [we can realize] True Dharma. When we truly listen with our hearts, we will take the Dharma to heart. As the Dharma has truly entered our heart, we must now move ahead swiftly. We must not give rise to any new doubts and must completely eliminate all our old doubts.

Everyone, we must eliminate our doubts in order to take the True Dharma to heart. Actually, those early provisional teachings contained wondrous principles. This is because the Buddha has always wanted us to form great aspirations and make great vows to go among the suffering in this world. As we all create karma and experience suffering, when we go among them, He did not want us to be influenced by them. He hopes we can all turn our afflictions into Bodhi so we can temper ourselves to manifest our pure intrinsic nature.

In order to sharpen a piece of iron, it has to be refined in a great furnace. After it has been hammered many times, the iron can eventually become something useful. The same principle applies; in order to manifest our intrinsic nature, we must train ourselves by interacting with people. Therefore, everyone, please always be mindful.

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Posted on October 26, 2024October 26, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 464 – Wisdom-life Arises from the Dharma

>> “[One who realizes] the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle is a true child of the Buddha, born of the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma.”

>> “World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself. And now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before, this Dharma which has never been known before. Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated, my body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability.”

>> “It was not until today that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma; I have realized my part in the Buddha-Dharma.”

>> It was not until today that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, Today: We are confident that we can understand. In the past, it was said that Bodhisattvas are Buddha-children, but I and others like me stayed at the state of the Small Vehicle and never truly attained peace in our hearts. Now, hearing the Buddha teach the Bodhisattva Way, we know that we will all attain Buddhahood and that we are truly children of the Buddha.

>> The way to attaining Buddhahood comes from the Buddha’s mouth. I believe in the Buddha’s words, so I also became a child of the Buddha.

>> So, “These children are born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma.”

>> “They transform afflictions into Bodhi and turn cyclic existence into Nirvana. Knowing that all phenomena are created by the mind, they achieve and perfect their wisdom-body.”

“[One who realizes] the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle
is a true child of the Buddha,
born of the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma.”

Actually, this is the passage that we will discuss today. First, we must understand what it means to “[realize] the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle.” The ultimate truth is the One Vehicle. Yet we sentient beings cannot truly comprehend these simple, ultimate principles. If we can deeply comprehend the Buddha’s state of mind after He attained enlightenment, if we are grounded in it, we will want to help everyone quickly understand it. So, I hope that we all have faith in ourselves and believe everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature.

Yet we ordinary beings cannot accept this because of our ignorance and delusion. “Delusion” is lack of clarity. It is because we still have so much ignorance that we cannot clearly understand [this truth]. So, the One Vehicle, the ultimate truth, is actually quite simple. For example, when listening to someone talk, if they speak a single sentence, isn’t is so simple? Simplicity is beautiful, and purity is goodness. Do you understand this? We must understand that simplicity is beautiful. Where is the beauty? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Everyone has her own perspective. Everyone’s viewpoint is different.

I appreciate bamboo plants; you may appreciate peonies. Is the bamboo beautiful? Or are the peonies? Everyone has a different viewpoint. In terms of flowers, trees, grasses or so on, people appreciate different things. This is how ordinary people are. Our eye-root connects to an external sense object, this sense object is taken in by our eye-consciousness and thus enters our mind-consciousness. Then our mind-consciousness discerns it. Once this happens, we get attached [to our view]. These layers of phenomena enter the mind, layer by layer. Once they enter our minds, we cling to our views. So, our views are all different.

Fundamentally, in this world, there is only the One Vehicle, which is truly quite simple. It allows us to experience and realize all principles of the universe. But unfortunately, we cannot realize everything, so the Buddha tries to expand our horizons. He opens up His views for us to understand, so we may understand that principles are actually unconditioned Dharma. The unconditioned Dharma in the world is the true principles. Many things must come together [to form something]. When certain causes and conditions converge, the result is a peony. The causes and conditions of a peony began with a cause, a peony [seed]. What about a rose? It is also a flower, but a rose has its own seed. Everything has its own causes and conditions, and when they converge, they form the appearance of that particular flower. When the causes and conditions of a peony converge, they form this particular appearance. What determines how they converge? The underlying principles. If the [causes and conditions] are not there, no appearance will be formed. These principles cannot be touched and cannot be seen; they must be realized and understood with our awakened nature.

So, how we come to this world is also due to our own causes and conditions. We were born into this world to a particular set of parents. Our parents were brought together by their own causes and conditions. There are also causes and conditions between us and our parents. Thus, the law of karmic causes and conditions is actually a very simple principle, but they converge in very complicated ways, resulting in a myriad of appearances. This is how a simple Dharma gives rise to complicated appearances. Therefore, unconditioned Dharma is quite simple, but conditioned phenomena are very complicated. Conditioned phenomena refers to all appearances.

The Buddha hoped we can eventually attain “the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle.” This is His one great cause in coming to the world. To teach for all three capabilities, He had to use many methods from His ocean of enlightened wisdom. He took these complicated things, these various forms and appearances, and found a way to connect them to the principles, to return to the ultimate reality of True Suchness, which is the true principles. How do we connect to the ultimate reality of the Dharma-realm? The Buddha had to use His ocean of enlightened wisdom to teach according to capabilities.

All Dharma, so many teachings, originated from the Buddha’s mouth. So, “[We are] truly children of the Buddha.” If we can follow the Buddha’s teachings with utmost sincerity, we can reverently accept His teachings and take them to heart. Then in our own hearts and minds, we can create more teachings and share them with others. When we are among people, “infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear before us. We attain great wisdom and completely understand all Dharma.” This [Dharma] is created in our minds. Isn’t this how we “attain great wisdom” and return to our awakened nature? Thus we are “born from the Buddha’s mouth and are transformed by the Dharma.” This is why we must accept the Buddha-Dharma with utmost reverence and faith.

If we accept the Dharma with reverence and faith, the Dharma will be in our hearts and our actions. Then we can easily comprehend it as we engage in spiritual practice. If the Dharma only enters our ear-consciousness but does not enter our mind-consciousness, the Dharma will never be in our minds. Then after having heard the Dharma, we will still return to a life of ignorance and delusion. Sometimes I [ask] people, “Do you understand? Yes, fortunately I have heard the Buddha-Dharma. Can you put it into practice? Master, let me take things slowly.” When I hear this, I feel very worried. “Taking things slowly” and “time is running out” are opposite approaches. How much time is left in our lives for us to “take things slowly”? I wish for us to develop our wisdom-life right away. I wish for our minds and the Buddha’s mind to corroborate each other right away.

Buddha-nature is an ocean of enlightened wisdom that we all intrinsically have. Unfortunately we are still pacing back and forth at the edge of this pure ocean of enlightenment and wisdom. Then we are easily drawn away by external temptations. Thus, it seems we are still very far away from it. How much time do we really have to “take things slowly”? So, when the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, He felt a sense of urgency. He hoped that that everyone would gain His understanding and views. He wanted people to understand things with the same state of mind as Him, and in their own pespectives, see the same Dharma that He was able to see. The Buddha’s understanding and views are right in front of us. Why is there layer after layer of ignorance concealing them from us?

The previous sutra passage states,

“World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself. And now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before, this Dharma which has never been known before. Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated, my body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability.”

Even though it was already in the past, Sariputra still reproached himself. For several decades, he had often heard the Buddha teach the Bodhisattva Way. Bodhisattvas are children of the Buddha. When Sariputra heard this, he wondered, “If all these Bodhisattvas are true children of the Buddha, then what are we [compared to them]?” This was how Sariputra had felt when the Buddha praised Bodhisattvas. As he reflected on himself, he felt that he was not at the same level as them, as if something separated him from them. “If Bodhisattvas are true children of the Buddha, then what about us?” He felt a slight sense of inferiority as well as some resentment. “Has the Buddha treated us differently? Was He partial to Bodhisattvas?”

So, this sutra passage from the Lotus Sutra mentioned that Sariputra had doubts. What did he doubt? He doubted both himself and the Buddha. He doubted that his capabilities were sufficient. He suspected that the Buddha favored Bodhisattvas. This led to doubts and regrets.

Now he understood [the truth]. After he understood, he reproached himself day and night. “When will the Buddha take notice of me? When will the Buddha bestow a prediction of Buddhahood upon me?” This was what Sariputra hoped for. He hoped he could be like those Bodhisattvas who received the Buddha’s praise and predictions.

Now they had reached the Vulture Peak Assembly. “And now” refers to the time of the Lotus Assembly when the Buddha was expounding the Lotus Sutra. At this time, “from the Buddha, [they] heard what they had never heard before.” What the Buddha said now was very clear. What [Sariputra] could not understand before, he could now understand. His old suspicion that the Buddha preferred the Bodhisattvas and had only given the others Small Vehicle teachings was resolved at this time. Actually, the Buddha wanted all His disciples to “likewise realize the nature of things.” Everyone is equal, but their capabilities and degrees of acceptance were different.

So, the previous passage states, “The fault was ours, not the World-Honored One’s.” The fault did not lie with the Buddha, but with us. Because of our limited roots and capacities, the Dharma we received was that of the Small or Middle Vehicle. The problem was not with the Buddha. The problem was with us. Now that we understand, we can completely eliminate our doubts, delusions and afflictions.

So, “[Sariputra’s] body and mind were at ease and he [felt] a sense of peace and stability.” He was very joyful. On that day, he began to be very happy. What was he happy about? The next sutra passage states,

“It was not until today that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma; I have realized my part in the Buddha-Dharma.”

Now Sariputra completely understood; all his doubts were gone. So, from that day on, he knew he was also a true child of the Buddha. Bodhisattvas were not the only Buddha-children. “From this day forth, I know that I am also a child of the Buddha.” From that day forth, he was confident, about himself and about his realizations. If we are not confident in ourselves, we cannot easily accept the Buddha’s teachings. If we cannot accept it, we do not understand it.

We must be confident that we can actually attain Buddhahood as well. The Buddha told us confidently that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and wisdom that is equal to the Buddha’s. So, now we must be confident that we have Buddha-nature and that our wisdom is on par with the Buddha’s. We must have this kind of realization.

It was not until today that I realized that. I am a true child of the Buddha, Today: We are confident that we can understand. In the past, it was said that Bodhisattvas are Buddha-children, but I and others like me stayed at the state of the Small Vehicle and never truly attained peace in our hearts. Now, hearing the Buddha teach the Bodhisattva Way, we know that we will all attain Buddhahood and that we are truly children of the Buddha.

“In the past, it was said that. Bodhisattvas are Buddha-children.” In the past, the Buddha had always said that. Bodhisattvas were like His children, and Sariputra had always felt that only Bodhisattvas were Buddha-children since “he and others like him stayed at the state of the Small Vehicle and never truly attained peace in their hearts.” That was “in the past.” But “today”, he finally understood. In the past, he had the mindset that the Buddha had said that only Bodhisattvas were His children and that he himself seemed to have stopped at the state of the Small Vehicle. So, during that time, he could never put his mind at ease.

“Now, hearing the Buddha teach the Bodhisattva Way, we know that we will all attain Buddhahood and that we are truly children of the Buddha.” At this time, everyone heard the Buddha clearly explain that the past teachings were given to draw them near. Now, He was going to teach them that everyone has to put the Bodhisattva Way into practice. [Sariputra] realized that once he aspired to and began to walk the Bodhisattva-path, he was a child of the Buddha, “born from the Buddha’s mouth” and “transformed by the Dharma,” because the Dharma is the path to Buddhahood. These teachings are the path to Buddhahood.

The way to attaining Buddhahood comes from the Buddha’s mouth. I believe in the Buddha’s words, so I also became a child of the Buddha.

The path to Buddhahood is the teachings that the Buddha spoke, that come from the Buddha’s mouth. The Dharma must be spoken out loud. So, the Dharma emerges from the mouth and enters through the ears. The Dharma that emerges from His mouth comes from the Buddha’s understanding and views. The same Dharma comes from His mouth and. His understanding and views. What does it enter? It enters people of all different capabilities. What people accept depends on their capabilities, so everyone hears the Dharma differently.

Now we know what Sariputra meant when he said that the Dharma “comes out of the Buddha’s mouth. I believe in the Buddha’s words. When I listened to the Buddha’s Dharma today, it actually awakened my Bodhisattva-aspirations. Today, I believe in the Buddha’s teachings, so I ‘became a child of the Buddha.'”

So, “These children are born from the Buddha’s mouth and transformed by the Dharma.”

They are transformed by the Dharma. What is being transformed?

“They transform afflictions into Bodhi and turn cyclic existence into Nirvana. Knowing that all phenomena are created by the mind, they achieve and perfect their wisdom-body.”

For over 40 years, the Buddha hoped everyone would learn to eliminate afflictions. “All things arise due to causes and conditions and cease due to causes and conditions.” All suffering comes from “causation,” the accumulation of afflictions that separates us from the pure wisdom of our Buddha-nature. Afflictions are what obstruct us. Now we know the words from the Buddha’s mouth can help us eliminate all past afflictions and understand that “all things arise from causes and conditions.” Once we understand, we can transform afflictions into Bodhi. “They transform afflictions into Bodhi and turn cyclic existence into Nirvana.” We live in the Six Realms of ordinary beings. We bring our afflictions with us as we transmigrate through the Six Realms. This endless coming and going is very exhausting. When our afflictions are transformed [into Bodhi], what we realize is our awakened nature and wisdom. When our awakened nature and wisdom manifest, we can put an end to afflictions that arise from people, matters and objects in the world.

Though we have to go among people to walk the Bodhisattva-path, once our minds are in this state of concentration, and we have confidence in ourselves, we will willingly go among people without being defiled by their impurities. Then, when we are among multitudes of beings and their afflictions, we will remain peaceful and focused. We will no longer allow ordinary beings to cause us to give rise to afflictions. This is Nirvana.

Ordinary people live in the Six Realms, so in order to transform all sentient beings, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must also be in the Six Realms. As they transform sentient beings, their minds will not be defiled by them because they forever abide in Nirvana. This is the result of their state of mind. “Knowing all phenomena are created by the mind,” that all things arise from our minds, what we can achieve is the wisdom-body. All phenomena are created by our minds. Our pure intrinsic nature is our wisdom-body. Our wisdom-body, our wisdom-life is transformation-born from the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma comes from the Buddha’s mouth, so from now on, we are true children of the Buddha.

This was how Sariputra felt. In the previous sutra passage, he said that he was filled with joy because “all his doubts and regrets have been eliminated” and he had “attained what he had never had.” When he heard the Buddha say that he could also attain Buddhahood, the joy he attained completely eliminated all his doubts and regrets. So, “his body and mind were at ease.” When our heart is joyful, our wisdom-life will grow. This wisdom-life comes from the Buddha-Dharma. Thus he was “transformed by the Dharma.” He attained his wisdom-body and returned to the intrinsic nature of all phenomena.

This is something we can achieve as long as we truly have faith in the Buddha-Dharma. If we take the Dharma to heart, our actions will be in harmony with the Dharma. In this way, aren’t the Buddha’s teachings quite simple? This is the ultimate Dharma of the One Vehicle, which originally came from the Buddha’s mouth. We are “transformed by the Dharma.” If we can clearly understand this, how can it be difficult to attain Buddhahood? So, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on October 26, 2024October 26, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 463 – Take the Dharma to Heart to Eliminate All Doubts

>> “Listen to the Dharma and take it to heart to understand the great path. When the sounds of teachings enter our ears, the mind will understand. Faithfully walk the great, direct Bodhi-path. When our minds converge with the path, we can eliminate doubts and regrets.”

>> “But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate. So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.”

>> “World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself. And now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before, this Dharma which I have never known before. Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated, my body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability.”

>> World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself: Sariputra questioned himself on why he had only received the Small Vehicle for attaining liberation. He regretted not beginning his practice of the Great Vehicle Dharma earlier.

>> Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated. My body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability: Those who are peaceful, stable and happy will always be in a tranquil and wondrous state. Those who are never affected by worldly matters will no longer cling to conditions.

“Listen to the Dharma and take it to heart to understand the great path.
When the sounds of teachings enter our ears, the mind will understand.
Faithfully walk the great, direct Bodhi-path.
When our minds converge with the path, we can eliminate doubts and regrets.”

Everyone, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must see ourselves as true spiritual practitioners. We must always be mindful and safeguard our minds. If we can safeguard our minds, we will naturally behave properly and not deviate in our direction. When our minds and bodies are in harmony, we are engaging in spiritual practice; we are diligently advancing.

As Buddhist practitioners, we must abide by the teachings of the Buddha. Lay practitioners have the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds so they can abide by the Buddha’s precepts. These are for lay Buddhist practitioners; they have their own rules and precepts. Monastics also have their own course to follow. If we do not follow these precepts, if we deviate from this course, then listening to the Dharma is useless. So, we must take the Dharma to heart. We must accept the Dharma into our minds, understand its principles and then put them into action. This is taking the Dharma to heart and putting it in into practice. Only when our minds and actions are in harmony are we truly spiritual practitioners of the Dharma. This is how we truly “comprehend the great path.” If we do not “comprehend the great path,” the Dharma will definitely not be in our hearts. If we do not take the Dharma to heart, our behaviors will deviate from it. We will become indolent and will degenerate. Even if we claim to be learning the Buddha’s teachings, we will have gone completely off track.

So, “when the sounds of teachings enter our ears,” though the teachings are entering through our ears, it is really our minds that must comprehend them. So, “when the sounds of teachings enter our ears, the mind will understand.” If it goes in one ear and leaks out the other, there will be no Dharma in our minds. It must go into our ears and then enter our minds. This Dharma must resonate with our minds for us to truly understand it. Upon understanding it, we can put it into practice. If we do not practice it, we did not understand it. If we did not understand, we were not mindful. Thus the sound did not resonate with our minds.

So, we must always remind ourselves to be vigilant of this. As the Dharma is being expounded and everyone listens together, some listen carefully, practice it diligently and safeguard their minds. Others just let it go by and do not care about their behavior. This indolence and deterioration is something we must avoid at all costs. “It is rare to be born human and rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma.” We must be careful to remember that once time passes, we cannot turn back the clock. Once we let the Dharma pass by, it will be difficult to encounter it again. So, we must seize every moment.

We must believe and “faithfully walk the great, direct Bodhi-path.” We must have faith, deep faith. And not only must we believe in the Dharma, we must also put it into practice so we can walk toward this great, direct Bodhi-path, which is the path to enlightenment. Awakening and delusion are opposites. If we are willing to remain deluded, we will live each day in a state of confusion. In a deluded life, we will not have faith in or apply the teachings we have heard. However, if we hear them and are willing to take them to heart and put them into practice, we can eliminate our delusions. So, if we are deluded, we are not awakened. If we are awakened, our delusions disappear. If we can turn from delusions toward awakening, if our minds can awaken, then delusions will not disturb our minds.

If we are unwilling to accept the Dharma and use it to find our intrinsic nature, our minds will forever be covered by delusions. So, we do not have much time; we must seize each moment to develop faith in and practice the Dharma. Our practice is to diligently advance on this Bodhi-path.

When our minds converge with this path, we can eliminate doubts and regrets. Yet we keep having doubts and regrets. Why do we have regrets? Because of our lack of faith in the Dharma, we have doubts. Because we have doubts, we end up doing things we regret. I often say, “The greatest punishment in life is regret.” How can we be presented with this opportunity and not quickly seize it? We must take good teachings to heart and mindfully contemplate them. When our minds converge with the path, we can naturally eliminate doubts. When we eliminate our doubts, we will no longer do things we will regret. When we seize each moment to unite our faith and practice, then we are walking the Bodhi-path. So, we must always be vigilant of ourselves; we must not become self-indulgent.

At the beginning of the Chapter on Parables, Sariputra began to share what he felt in the past. Let us put ourselves in his position. The previous sutra passage describes how Sariputra, after hearing the Buddha’s teachings in the past, stopped at that point, and how he regretted it. This was because he lacked the genuine faith to open his mind to accept the Great Dharma. To him, this was something he deeply regretted. In the past, his faith had not been firm. His [lack of] faith led him to wonder, “How can I possibly become a Bodhisattva?” He had this doubt about himself. So, he did not have deep faith in the Dharma that he received. These were Sariputra’s doubts and regrets.

Thus, the previous passage states,

“But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate. So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.”

When Sariputra first heard the Dharma, he believed and accepted that things arise due to causes and conditions and things cease due to causes and conditions. There are many causes and conditions in the Dharma; when the Buddha taught the Dharma, he always talked about them. Whenever Sariputra listened to the Dharma, he was focused on these. Actually, when he heard wondrous provisional teachings, he clung to their “provisional” aspect and did not realize how they were “wondrous” truths. These were Sariputra’s doubts and regrets.

Now this passage continues to state,

“World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself. And now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before, this Dharma which I have never known before. Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated, my body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability.”

This was Sariputra expressing his feelings from the past and from the present. “I, for a long time…. A long time” refers to the past several decades. “Day and night,” whether it was day or night, he had reproached and reflected on himself. “For so long I have heard the Buddha’s teachings, yet I stopped at the Middle and Small Vehicles.”

“I always listened to the Buddha talk about the Three Vehicles. Could I accept the Great Vehicle Dharma with my capabilities? When I face multitudes of sentient beings, can I give of myself for their sake?” It was not that Sariputra did not understand, it was that he was still contemplating it. Could he really dedicate himself to other people? Could he really transform sentient beings? Day and night, he continued to contemplate the Great, Middle and Small Vehicles.

World-Honored One, for a long time, I have, day and night, continually reproached myself: Sariputra questioned himself on why he had only received the Small Vehicle for attaining liberation. He regretted not beginning his practice of the Great Vehicle Dharma earlier.

Sariputra had always known of the Middle Vehicle, as well as the Great Vehicle. He also thought to himself, “I am practicing the Small and Middle Vehicles; can I really accept the Great Vehicle?” He was always evaluating himself and did not dare to move forward. “And now, from the Buddha, I heard what I have never heard before, this Dharma which I have never known before.” At this moment, he really heard it. Even though the Buddha had given these teachings before, his mind had not been open to them. So, what he heard now felt like something he had never heard before. Perhaps he had heard it but was not mindful of it. So, it was Dharma “never known before.”

What he had heard now was something he had already heard before, but he did not take it to heart then. Now that he really heard what the Buddha had been saying and what He was now saying, Sariputra accepted all of it. So, he described it as “this Dharma which I have never known before.” This does not mean that the Buddha had never taught it before, just that Sariputra had not connected with it. So, “never known before” means he had not taken it into his heart before.

“Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated.” If he had accepted the Great Dharma, his mind would now be free of doubts and he would not have these regrets now, his regret that [he did not realize that] the Buddha had taught this same Dharma before. They had all listened to the same Dharma and have the same Dharma-nature. Now, he understood that those who practiced the Great Vehicle Dharma and those who practiced the Small Vehicle Dharma have the same Dharma-nature. They all listened to the Dharma together and each also had this Dharma-nature within them. But he had just not accepted it yet.

Now, he opened his mind and accepted this Dharma, because the Buddha sincerely and clearly said, “What I taught before were skillful means.” In this way, He set aside the provisional and now revealed the true teachings. Thus, Sariputra could see the Dharma that had been safeguarded in the Buddha’s mind, and could connect it to his mind and realize it. Because of this, he said that now his mind had attained the Dharma that he had never known before. He had already taken it to heart, so “all [his] doubts and regrets have been eliminated.” He had eliminated all his doubts and no longer wanted to give rise to further doubts or regrets. Now that he had heard it again, he took the True Dharma to heart. Because of this, “[his] body and mind were at ease, and [he] felt a sense of peace and stability.” He felt a great sense of freedom and his mind was open and unobstructed. He was not hindered by doubt. This was what Sariputra expressed with body and mind. It was not that the Buddha did not teach him, but that he did not have the capacity to accept it.

When the Buddha taught this Dharma in the past, at that time early on [in his spiritual practice], Sariputra did not start practicing the Great Vehicle. “The Buddha taught for all three capabilities; why did I choose the Small Vehicle and the Middle Vehicle, and focus only on attaining self-realization?” He regretted this. “I should have, early on, begun to practice the Great Vehicle Dharma. Why did I wait until now? In the past, I and all of the Buddha’s disciples likewise realized the nature of things. Why did I stop with this [limited] state?”

“But now, from the Buddha, I have heard what I never heard before.” Now, the Buddha once again explained the Great and Small Vehicles. Beginning with the Small and Middle Vehicles, the Buddha had already clearly said that the Small and Middle Vehicles were what He initially used to guide people because sentient beings’ capabilities did not allow them to immediately accept the Great Vehicle teachings, such as, “You intrinsically have Buddha-nature. You have ample wisdom. You can transform sentient beings.” They would not be able to easily accept this, so He began by teaching them the principle that all things arise with causes and conditions and cease with causes and conditions. Everything is related to causes and conditions.

In the past, whether I was talking about the Water Repentance or the Lotus Sutra, I have always said to everyone, “A seed contains an ocean of fruits.” The law of karmic cause and effect is taught universally in the Buddha-Dharma. We must place great importance on karmic causes and conditions; we must believe this true principle. All Great Vehicle Dharma is inseparable from causes and conditions, but Small Vehicle teachings are wholly focused on them. Causes and conditions, parables and so on were used to help sentient beings [of different] capabilities connect with this Dharma.

So, during the Lotus Dharma-assembly, the Buddha clearly said that, in the past, He had taught the Small and Middle Vehicles. From this point forward, He would teach the Great Vehicle to explain that the past [teachings] were skillful means. Now everyone would hear about the way to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Everyone’s goal is to attain enlightenment, to be united with and manifest their awakened nature and ocean of wisdom. Everyone can be “transformed by the Dharma.” This awakened nature and ocean of wisdom must enter everyone’s minds.

Now Sariputra finally understood, so “all [his] doubts and regrets were eliminated, [his] body and mind were at ease, and [he] felt a sense of peace and stability.” At this time, all of his doubt and regret [were gone]. Regret is not helpful anyway. But, now he had to seize this moment and sustain it forever. From then on, he had hold on to [this aspiration]. At this time, he decided that he must move toward the Great Vehicle Dharma. After making that decision, the Great Vehicle Dharma was his course to follow.

As this occurred, “his body and mind were at ease.” The direction he chose was set, so he was happy every day. Having “a sense of peace and stability” means having great happiness. Every day he felt very happy. After hearing this Dharma, he was very happy because he was heading in the right direction. He aspired to advance in the Great Vehicle, so “his body and mind were at ease.” Being very stable brings a sense of ease, as well as happiness. This feeling of happiness, stability and freedom of body and mind means the mind has reached a state of stillness.

Now all my doubts and regrets have been eliminated. My body and mind are at ease, and I feel a sense of peace and stability: Those who are peaceful, stable and happy will always be in a tranquil and wondrous state. Those who are never affected by worldly matters will no longer cling to conditions.

If we feel doubts and regrets, then there are still afflictions in our minds. As afflictions appear and disappear, our minds cannot be focused. Since we have now decided on a direction, naturally we “will always be in a tranquil and wondrous state.” The wondrous Dharma steadies our minds so we are “always [tranquil]”; we will not go through ups and downs and

will “never [be] affected by worldly matters.” Whenever we interact with people, things will come up. Since we have resolved to go among people, we will certainly face many challenges. But since we formed Great Vehicle aspirations and calmed our minds, we must always remain in a state of tranquility so that we will not be affected by worldly matters or interpersonal conflicts. Thus, we are “never affected by worldly matters,” which means we will no longer cling to conditions. We must completely eliminate our desire to cling to conditions. Only then can our spiritual aspirations be firm.

Everyone, after we listen to the teachings, we must earnestly reflect on and contemplate whether our minds are tempted by worldly things such as material objects and interpersonal conflicts that keep us living a mundane life. Is this the case? Are we role models to other people? Have we taken the Dharma to heart? Have we comprehended the great path? We are constantly encouraging people to form great aspirations and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Practitioners at this spiritual community must be role models for everyone in the world. If people who hear the Buddha-Dharma can also see our dignified demeanor as spiritual practitioners, this can help solidify their spiritual aspirations and be of benefit to humanity.

Spiritual practitioners must take the Dharma to heart and comprehend the great path. We truly must open up this Bodhi-path, not just build a road in this world. Now, we [monastics] must pave the Bodhi-path to help laypeople understand that they should be paving a road in this world that connects to our Bodhi-path. Then they can reach the state of Buddhahood. So, “when the sounds of teachings enter our ears,” it must come together with our minds. Otherwise, if all we do is listen, if we do not take the Dharma to heart, it will continue to pass us by.

We “faithfully walk the great, direct Bodhi-path.” We must directly listen to and accept the Dharma. If our minds can converge with the path, we will not give rise to discursive thoughts. Then we will feel stable and happy and will always be in a tranquil and wondrous state. Worldly matters and interpersonal disputes will no longer affect our minds. We will not let them cause afflictions to arise in us. If we can do this, our demeanor will be dignified and we can transform sentient beings by setting an example. Everyone, please always be mindful.

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Posted on October 26, 2024October 26, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 462 – Perfect and Immediate One Vehicle Dharma

>> “[The Buddha] has realized all things in the universe. He teaches the perfect and immediate One Vehicle Dharma. The ultimate reality of the Middle Path is not something known by. Three Vehicle practitioners.”

>> “Why is this so? If we had waited for the Buddha to teach….”

>> Which is Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Then they “certainly would have been delivered by the Great Vehicle.”

>> “But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate. So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.”

>> But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate: The Buddha, for those of limited capabilities, established provisional teachings. The listeners received the Dharma that resonated with them, so they immediately believed and accepted it, thinking they had attained realizations.

>> “So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.” This means that when people first heard the skillful and provisional teachings, they were “immediately joyful.” They were already very happy, so they accepted [that Dharma] and sought to attain that state of fruition, “mistakenly believing it to be the ultimate.” They thought this was the ultimate Dharma.

>> Not knowing that aside from the Small Vehicle, there were other wondrous principles, Sariputra felt sad that he had not fully understood the Buddha’s understanding and views. He and the others often felt remorse [that they did not achieve the same realizations] as others who had also listened to the Dharma.

“[The Buddha] has realized all things in the universe.
He teaches the perfect and immediate One Vehicle Dharma.
The ultimate reality of the Middle Path
is not something known by. Three Vehicle practitioners.”

Everyone should be able to comprehend the meaning of these words. After we comprehend the meaning, can our minds truly awaken to it? Can we connect with this state? “[The Buddha] has realized all things in the universe.” This is the state of Buddhahood. Because the Buddha was enlightened, He understood the vastness of the universe and the infinite principles of this boundless world. This state of mind is not something ordinary people are able to realize. However, this does not mean that ordinary people cannot realize it; they just have to transcend the state of ordinary people.

Why are we called ordinary people? Because of our ignorance and delusions. So much ignorance has covered our minds; that makes us ordinary people. The Buddha had already eliminated all of His afflictions, delusions and ignorance. His mind was completely pure, so with His enlightened nature He was able to realize [the truths of] the universe. So, “the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature].” They are no different [in nature], but they are still “three” because there are still sentient beings, who are called ordinary people. Once we set these distinctions aside, there is only the Buddha, only the “one.”

So, the Buddha comes to this world to help us eliminate such distinctions of “one, two” or “three.” Thus “He taught the perfect and immediate One Vehicle Dharma.” The One Vehicle [originates in] the Buddha’s enlightened nature. He hoped to help sentient beings completely understand and realize this enlightened nature. So, this is a perfect enlightened nature. He should be able to explain it directly so that people can understand the principles right away. It should be that simple, but the minds of ordinary people are covered by ignorance and delusions; there are layers upon layers of obstacles. So, when the Buddha sought to reveal the ultimate reality of the Middle Way, He had to explain from the beginning, hoping sentient beings could start at the beginning and gradually return to the Bodhisattva-path, eventually reaching the state of Buddhahood.

But the ultimate reality of the Middle Way is not “known by Three Vehicle practitioners,” Hearers, Solitary Realizers or those who have just aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path, newly-awakened and newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They may know about the principles of this path and know that it ends at the state of Buddhahood, therefore, they start walking in this direction. They know the course, but they have not truly realized it.

Think about cows drinking water and eating grass. The quantity they consume allows them to have a certain amount of physical strength. The amount cats and dogs drink and eat only supports their level of physical strength. So, they consume similar things but in different quantities. The Buddha taught the same Dharma to everyone. But how much of it could each person accept? The same principle applies here. Sariputra finally understood that he had only absorbed a part of the Buddha’s teachings. “It was our fault, not the World-Honored One’s.”

As we previously discussed,

“Why is this so? If we had waited for the Buddha to teach….”

They were all hoping to attain supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment, which is Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Which is Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Then they “certainly would have been delivered by the Great Vehicle.”

In the past, they were attached to the Small Vehicle Dharma. If they had formed Great Vehicle aspirations and applied the mindset of the Great Vehicle to accepting the Buddha-Dharma, then they would have felt that supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment and Bodhisattva-aspirations were something they were a part of. But because of their capabilities, they were attached to the Small Vehicle, so they remained in that state. Now, they finally understood.

The next sutra passage states,

“But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate. So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.”

If they could have accepted the Buddha’s teachings with a vast and expansive mind, they could probably have attained supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment and been transformed. “But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate.” They did not yet understand that the Buddha started teaching from the beginning to help them eliminate their afflictions and attachments. Instead, they [clung to] Small Vehicle teachings. The Buddha had devised these provisional teachings for people with limited capabilities.

So, when people first heard the Buddha-Dharma, “the listeners received the Dharma that resonated with them.” Those who heard this Dharma would connect to it according to their capabilities. Those with limited capabilities connected with it on a superficial level. Those with average capabilities connected with it on a moderate level. The Buddha gave the same teachings, but people of varying capabilities achieved various realizations. So, though the Buddha taught for the sake of. Small Vehicle practitioners, both Great and Small Vehicle practitioners could accept these teachings. However, these listeners had stopped at the state of the Small Vehicle. Because they had limited capabilities, they were limited in the teachings they could accept. Actually, the Buddha did not distinguish between Great and Small Vehicle Dharma. It was people with limited capabilities who seemed to hear it that way.

So, the Buddha taught the One Vehicle Dharma. Provisional teachings are wondrous. Wondrous refers to the perfect teachings of true emptiness and wondrous existence. However, we only understand it as a provisional teaching that He gave. For limited people, He taught the provisional. But this also contains the wondrous [Dharma]. We should comprehend His painstaking efforts, but many people can only realize the Dharma step by step. So, “the listeners received the Dharma that resonated with them.” For some, the limited teachings resonated. For some, provisional teachings resonated. So, they “immediately believed and accepted it, thinking [they] had attained realizations.” They realized that life is suffering and that ultimately, it is empty. So, they only practiced for their own sake. They only sought to benefit themselves and attain the [Small Vehicle] fruit. That is all. So, they “immediately believed and accepted it.”

But I and others like me did not understand that skillful means were taught according to what was appropriate: The Buddha, for those of limited capabilities, established provisional teachings. The listeners received the Dharma that resonated with them, so they immediately believed and accepted it, thinking they had attained realizations.

After attaining the Dharma, they became attached to the Small Vehicle and did not progress beyond that state.

“So, when we first heard the Buddha-Dharma, we immediately believed and accepted it, thinking we had attained realizations.” This means that when people first heard the skillful and provisional teachings, they were “immediately joyful.” They were already very happy, so they accepted [that Dharma] and sought to attain that state of fruition, “mistakenly believing it to be the ultimate.” They thought this was the ultimate Dharma.

Sariputra and the bhiksus around him all had this type of thinking. They felt that the Buddha had taught them to eliminate all attachments and afflictions because life was suffering and suffering came from attachments and the pursuit of cravings and desires. So, they let go of their cravings and desires; they were no longer attached to fame or gain. But they stopped there. They did not know that in addition to the Small Vehicle, there was also the nature of things. In addition to the Small Vehicle, there were true and wondrous underlying principles. This is what was realized by Bodhisattvas. So, he did not “[know] that aside from the Small Vehicle, there were other wondrous principles.”

Not knowing that aside from the Small Vehicle, there were other wondrous principles, Sariputra felt sad that he had not fully understood the Buddha’s understanding and views. He and the others often felt remorse [that they did not achieve the same realizations] as others who had also listened to the Dharma.

At this point, Sariputra understood all this. But he “felt sad that he had not fully understood the Buddha’s understanding and views.” Everyone said that Sariputra was foremost in wisdom among the Buddha’s disciples. But he was still at the state of the Small Vehicle and did not realize that the Small Vehicle contained wondrous principles. So, he was sad that he had not really understood the Buddha’s understanding and views.

With His wisdom, how much did the Buddha really understand? There was nothing in the universe that the Buddha did not know or understand. So, the Buddha’s understanding and views were not something Sariputra could penetrate with his [Hearer-wisdom]. Thus “he and the others always felt remorse, [as they did not achieve the same realizations]” as Bodhisattvas and those who formed great aspirations. They had all heard the same teachings from the Buddha, yet. [Bodhisattvas and those who formed aspirations] had a completely different understanding.

Actually, when Sariputra said, “We immediately believed and accepted it,” this sentence implied that he had personal causes and conditions for this. Before Sariputra encountered the Buddha-Dharma, he practiced Brahmanism. The teacher he followed was a widely renowned Brahmin scholar. When his teacher was seriously ill, Sariputra stayed by his side to attend to him. Before the teacher passed away, he shared his last thoughts with Sariputra.

He told Sariputra, “I still do not understand cyclic existence. Do people really come to this world for one reason only, to pursue their desires? The obstacle of lust and affection is especially difficult to break through.” He said that he only had one remaining question that he continued to ponder. In a small kingdom, a king and his queen had a very loving relationship. However, life is impermanent. The king was dying and the queen did not want to let him go. She held him for a long time and would not let go. Clearly, the king was suffering greatly. He did not want to leave her, but he eventually passed away. The queen was devastated. She held him for a long time, refusing to let go. When the king was cremated, the queen did not care about anything and just kept saying, “I want to go with you.” Finally she yelled loudly, “I want to go with you!” Then she jumped into the fire. Though the fire was still burning, she jumped into the fire pit.

This was what Sariputra’s teacher told him with great sadness. This matter had always been on his mind. He said, “Isn’t the attachment to relationships difficult to overcome in this lifetime? “I also do not know what will happen to this body in the future when I leave it. And where will I go? This queen wanted to follow her king. After she jumped into the fire and her body was burned up, did her soul find the king’s soul? I’ve always wondered about this. Now, my life is like a candle in the wind. I do not know when it will be extinguished. In the future, where will I really go?”

So, as he was dying, he told Sariputra, “Even now, I’m still confused. You must immediately seek someone who can truly liberate you from [cyclic existence] and the strong attachment to relationships. You should immediately seek a way to liberate yourself from these attachments and from the rebirth of life.” After he said this, he passed away. Sariputra, upon hearing his teacher’s words, was very confused. He thought, “My teacher was a such a widely renowned scholar. Everyone respected and admired him. Why could he still could not understand this at the end of his life? It was only a small issue of being attached to relationships, but he could not resolve it. In particular, when he was dying, he still did not know where he was going. I have followed this teacher and his teachings, but what use was it?”

So, while he was feeling very sad, he was walking along one day and saw someone far away. He felt he had never seen anyone like this before; he had such dignity! So, he approached this bhiksu and respectfully asked him, “Sir, what Dharma are you cultivating? Who is your teacher? I see that your manner and behavior are completely different from other people. So, what Dharma do you rely on?”

Bhiksu Asvajit said, “‘All things arise due to causes and conditions All things cease due to causes and conditions The Buddha, the great Sramana, always teaches such.’ If you ask me what Dharma is in my mind, that is my answer ‘All things arise due to causes and conditions All things cease due to causes and conditions.’ I learned this from my teacher, the Buddha, an enlightened one. My teacher is the enlightened one. He is a monastic and a spiritual practitioner. So, ‘the Buddha, the great Sramana, always teaches such.’ Therefore, my mind abides in this Dharma.”

Sariputra was very wise to begin with. This bhiksu who was standing here had such a dignified demeanor and behaved in such a refined manner. “His teacher is an enlightened one, so I should follow this enlightened one and seek the Dharma from Him.” As he realized this, he immediately asked Bhiksu Asvajit, “Where is the Buddha now?”

Bhiksu Asvajit told him where the Buddha was staying. Sariputra was very pleased. Maudgalyayana was his best friend and the two had an agreement that. “If I attain the true principles or if I meet a great teacher, I will tell you. If you meet a great teacher who can give us a direction for [our practice] or wholesome principles, you will share it with me. We will engage in spiritual practice together and walk towards the same goal.” So, he was very happy and quickly reported this to Maudgalyayana. Maudgalyayana had 250 disciples and. Sariputra had 250 disciples. The two of them immediately brought their disciples to the Buddha. The Buddha gave them a teaching that explained [the truths of] causes and conditions. After they heard the teaching, they were joyful, so they took refuge with the Buddha.

So everyone, when Sariputra encountered this Dharma, he became very happy, and thus began to cultivate the Small Vehicle Dharma. He wanted to let go of worldly desires and find a way to realize the state of fruition of his own awakening. So, he “immediately believed and accepted it.” This was probably what happened.

So, we must understand that everyone hears the same Buddha-Dharma. However, people’s capabilities are different, so they hear and accept it at different levels. In provisional teachings there are wondrous principles. We can also understand that provisional teachings and wondrous principles are the same. Therefore, all of us must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0456

Posted on October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 456 – Deep Faith Will Lead to Buddhahood

>> “The Buddha gave skillful, provisional teachings in order to teach the True Dharma. With analogies, causes and conditions, He guided people according to capabilities. Those of great, average and limited capabilities can thus all understand the meaning of the Buddha Vehicle.”

>> Sariputra, you should know, the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this: By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.

>> “Since all of you already know how the Buddhas, the teachers of the world, work by giving suitable skillful means, you should have no further doubts. Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood.”

>> With utmost reverence, we must respectfully believe that the Buddha, for the sake of the one great cause, skillfully gave provisional teachings according to capabilities. Ultimately, the provisional and the true are the same thing, without a doubt.

>> They had long listened to the Buddha give provisional teachings and gradually advanced accepting these teachings accordingly. At this point they were turning from the Small Vehicle to the Great. Since they knew they could attain Buddhahood, they should respect and have faith in all Buddhas as teachers for this world, since They manifest here to teach suitable skillful means.

>> You should have no further doubts. Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood: Since the Vulture Peak Assembly, when He sat in meditation and radiated light, everything He has earnestly taught was to remind us of this. With the right opportunity and with confidence, we should have no further doubts. When we can deeply believe and not doubt the Dharma, our hearts will give rise to great joy, knowing that we will attain Buddhahood.

“The Buddha gave skillful, provisional teachings
in order to teach the True Dharma.
With analogies, causes and conditions,
He guided people according to capabilities.
Those of great, average and limited capabilities
can thus all understand the meaning of the Buddha Vehicle.”

Whichever methods the Buddha used, He was always teaching the True Dharma. Though these teachings were called skillful, provisional teachings, every one of them, whether He employed analogies or explained causes and conditions, still conveyed true principles. For example, the general term for a person is “human.” But each one of us has a different name. We each have different karmic conditions, and each have our own families. Each family lives in different conditions. So, we are all called “human” and all have karmic conditions, but we each have our own causes and conditions. Our causes and conditions are all different. But this true principle underlies them just the same. Depending on what we actions take over the course [of our lives], we will face the corresponding consequences.

This is True Dharma. This helps us to quickly understand that. Buddha-nature is pure and undefiled. With Buddha-nature, as we work with others, we can deal with complicated relationships while maintaining a pure state of mind. Then when we are among people and witness their suffering, we can give unconditionally to help them. This is the Bodhisattva-path. We must work among the multitudes of people to train our minds not to give rise to [afflictions] when we encounter external states. Then we have a mind that is pure, non-arising and non-ceasing. Although the Buddha gave provisional teachings, He did this to teach the ultimate truth, the One Vehicle Dharma.

So, “With analogies, and causes and conditions, He guided people according to capabilities.” Since everyone’s capabilities are different, He used analogies to help them understand. If the analogies still did not help them understand, He then drew on causes and conditions. So, Buddhist sutras contain many such teachings. The Jataka Sutra, the sutra about the Buddha and His disciples’ karmic conditions, describes His past lifetimes, as well as present causes, present conditions, future effects and future retributions. This is all True Dharma. But we must know how to truly apply these skillful means to return to our nature of True Suchness.

So, “those of great, average and limited capabilities can thus all understand the meaning of the Buddha Vehicle.” From the beginning, we need to understand that these skillful means have always contained True Dharma. If we believe that, naturally these teachings of “analogies, and causes and conditions” will be clearly understood as methods of guiding us to enable us to steadily walk this path and awaken the pure and undefiled great love inside us so that we will go among others and help them. This path is the Bodhisattva-path. With it, people of great, average and limited capabilities can thoroughly understand the principles of the Buddha Vehicle. We must all clearly understand this.

The previous sutra passage begins with, “Sariputra, you should know.”

Sariputra, you should know, the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this: By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.

The Buddha addressed Sariputra as a way of reminding everybody to focus their minds and listen carefully. Everyone should know that “the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this.” All past Buddhas taught the Dharma by giving skillful and provisional teachings. Because sentient beings had varying capacities, He had to give skillful and provisional teachings. The present Buddha, Sakyamuni, taught this way, and all past Buddhas also taught in this way.

So, “by means of trillions of skillful means,” the Buddha taught according to capabilities with many different kinds of methods. He “[taught] the Dharma that is suitable” by skillfully speaking to them according to their capabilities.

“But those who do not study it, will never come to understand this.” There are those unwilling to listen to and accept the Buddha-Dharma. If they are unwilling to accept it, then, of course, they will be unable to understand. Thus, “they will never come to understand this.” They cannot understand. So, even if clever people encounter the Dharma, but do not accept it, nothing can be done. The Buddha was always saddened that these people were stubborn and hard to train.

The next sutra passage states,

“Since all of you already know how the Buddhas, the teachers of the world, work by giving suitable skillful means, you should have no further doubts. Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood.”

In this passage, the Buddha said that all Buddhas came to this world to teach, and every one of them devised suitable means according to sentient beings’ capabilities. This was how They connected with all beings. These “suitable and skillful means” include the way the Buddha continually returns to this world. Over 2000 years ago, when causes and conditions had matured, the Buddha manifested in this world to describe the suffering here and how He began to engage in spiritual practice and how He attained enlightenment. After He awakened, He wanted to describe His spiritual state. The Buddha’s manifestation in this world, His causes and conditions, became our model of spiritual practice. This gives us something to talk about. “More than 2000 years ago, In the kingdom of Kapilavastu….” Actually, this is also a form of skillful means. He manifested this tangible appearance as a basis to help us understand the origin of the Dharma.

Before the Buddha manifested the attainment of Buddhahood, He had repeatedly returned to this world. After He manifested enlightenment and taught the True Dharma, He still repeatedly returned to this world. So, we always say that. Buddhahood can only be attained in the human realm, because guiding teachers are here among us. In the Lotus Sutra, Never-Slighting Bodhisattva always told others, “I dare not belittle any of you because every one of you can become a Buddha.” This indicates that all of us in the world have Buddha-nature. Perhaps, in this group of people, Sakyamuni Buddha is coming and going among us. Therefore we must always express gratitude to whomever we meet, whatever their appearance. Whether they are our virtuous friends, or whether they create adverse or favorable conditions for us, we must always show our respect and gratitude.

Adverse conditions will not make us joyful but we still must be grateful to them for helping us to discipline our minds. Do our minds react to these external conditions? Perhaps we allow things we find pleasing to give rise to a sense of happiness. Happiness can also cause us to lose focus and to allow desires to arise in our minds. This can also disrupt our minds. Whether we encounter favorable or adverse conditions, we must take good care of our minds. Caring for our minds is where we engage in spiritual practice. Everything in our external conditions can help us engage in spiritual practice.

These are “suitable and skillful means.” In this world, everything is constantly teaching the Dharma to us. All people, matters and objects are teachings. Therefore, we must have faith. “You should have no further doubts.” We must not have any more doubts or delusions. We must always remind ourselves that in our surroundings, everything is our teacher and everywhere is a place for spiritual cultivation. If we are in this state of mind, we can deeply believe in the Dharma without any doubts. This is the only way to sustain our spiritual aspirations.

“Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood.” We must understand that no matter what the conditions are like, whether they are adverse or favorable, they are opportunities for spiritual cultivation. If the Dharma is always in our hearts, then the joy we experience here will be Dharma-joy. If everything that we encounter is a teaching, happiness will arise in our hearts. That happiness is not one that comes from external states eliciting our desires, no. It is happiness from understanding truths. This is Dharma-joy.

We should be very happy that we have encountered the Buddha-Dharma and taken good care of our hearts. We ourselves know that we will attain Buddhahood. “Knowing that you will one day attain Buddhahood” means that in the future we will awaken and reach the same spiritual state as the Buddha, one that encompasses all things in the universe and is tranquil and clear and as pure as crystal. After attaining enlightenment and realizing that ocean of enlightenment, we will forever be carefree and at ease. So, “knowing that we will attain Buddhahood,” we must still engage in spiritual practice. These suitable and skillful means must be a part of our spiritual cultivation. We must reverently and respectfully believe this.

With utmost reverence, we must respectfully believe that the Buddha, for the sake of the one great cause, skillfully gave provisional teachings according to capabilities. Ultimately, the provisional and the true are the same thing, without a doubt.

The Buddha’s one great cause is something we must believe in with utmost respect and reverence. The Buddha manifested in this world for one great cause and. He “skillfully gave provisional teachings according to capabilities.” Responding to our different capabilities, He gave provisional teachings. These skillful means are wondrous and provisional. They are skillful and wondrous Dharma. “Ultimately, the provisional and the true are the same thing, without a doubt.” The “provisional” and “true” are actually the same thing.

Whatever your name is, ultimately we are all “human. Human” is the general term for all of us. However, these general terms, these labels, contain true principles, the nature of True Suchness. In order for this true nature to manifest, it must do so through the appearance of things. They are the only means for us to return to the true principles. Thus the provisional and the true are the same. The “provisional” will ultimately lead us to be one with the “true.” I constantly hope that everyone can understand that though there are many analogies and labels in the Lotus Sutra, the most important thing is that they lead us back to the True Dharma. I have continued to repeat this. With this sutra, I hope that all the names and labels will not cause us to neglect the True Dharma.

The True Dharma must be heard through our ears. So, the Buddha said to His disciples, “You have long listened to the Buddha give provisional teachings and gradually advanced, accepting these teachings accordingly.”

They had long listened to the Buddha give provisional teachings and gradually advanced accepting these teachings accordingly. At this point they were turning from the Small Vehicle to the Great. Since they knew they could attain Buddhahood, they should respect and have faith in all Buddhas as teachers for this world, since They manifest here to teach suitable skillful means.

Everyone had been listening to the Buddha teach. For over 40 years, He gave provisional teachings. With these skillful means, He slowly advanced from the Agama to the Vaipulya, from the Vaipulya to the Prajna, and only then reaching the Lotus. The Lotus teachings were meant to return us to the state of the Avatamsaka. The Avatamsaka state is the great ocean of Dharma. “Ocean” signifies a vast and fathomless state. Such vastness is like the universe. In the past, people could not fathom what a universe was, so He used “great ocean” as a metaphor for something that is very open and vast. Everyone’s awakened nature is one with the entire universe.

But the Buddha had to use springs, rivers and then the great ocean as analogies for us [to understand]. Whether a spring, pond, stream, river or ocean, all are water. He used these various kinds of skillful means in order to “gradually advance” from the small to the great. To get to this point, He moved from the limited to the great teachings. Now, He turned from the Small to the Great, from the Small Vehicle Dharma to the Great Vehicle Dharma.

This is something we should understand. If we all “know [we] can attain Buddhahood,” we know we will return to our intrinsic nature and will be Buddhas in the future. So, we must “respect and have faith in all Buddhas as the teachers for this world.” We must believe that the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, and all past Buddhas have come to this world to be guiding teachers. “They manifest here to teach suitable skillful means.” They come into this world for one great cause. Even Manjusri Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva are always among us in this world, guiding us with wisdom and love.

“You should have no further doubts.” We must not have any more doubts. “Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood.” The Buddha assured us over and over that we will all be able to do this in the end; at the end of the Bodhisattva-path lies Buddhahood.

You should have no further doubts. Let your hearts be filled with joy, knowing that you will attain Buddhahood: Since the Vulture Peak Assembly, when He sat in meditation and radiated light, everything He has earnestly taught was to remind us of this. With the right opportunity and with confidence, we should have no further doubts. When we can deeply believe and not doubt the Dharma, our hearts will give rise to great joy, knowing that we will attain Buddhahood.

So, “Since the Vulture Peak Assembly, when He sat in meditation and radiated light, everything He has earnestly taught….” This refers back to the beginning, to the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Everyone should still remember that a lot of time was spent describing the state of the Lotus Dharma-assembly. A great number of people came, many bhiksus, many Bodhisattvas, many kings and ministers and so on. They all gathered together at this time. They were eager to listen to teachings.

The Buddha was seated there, then He entered Samadhi and radiated light. Meanwhile, everyone waited in joyous anticipation until they began to have doubts in their hearts. When would the Buddha begin to teach the Dharma? Do you remember what happened at the beginning? Maitreya knew what was in their minds, so, he sought out a suitable person [to answer], which was Manjusri Bodhisattva. The two of them engaged in a dialogue there, and Manjusri Bodhisattva described many states from the past.

This was [the start of] the Vulture Peak Assembly. The Buddha radiated light as He sat in meditation, and with this unspoken Lotus Sutra, He guided people through one state after another. At this point, He had finished describing the state in the Introductory Chapter and moved on to the state after that, the Chapter on Skillful Means. That is the part of the sutra we are at now. The Buddha continued to describe skillful and provisional teachings, which have never deviated from ultimate truth. Even at this point, He continued to remind us that we must pay careful attention to this. Everyone must place great importance on the teachings from the Lotus Dharma-assembly, which is the True Dharma we are now discussing. The Buddha continued to remind us to take great care in remembering this.

“With the right opportunity and with confidence” means that as people listen to the Dharma here, their capabilities and the Dharma must be in accord. “[They] should have no further doubts.” Then they “can deeply believe and not doubt the Dharma.” The Buddha hoped that we can keep the Dharma in our mind and behave carefully in all conditions. Everywhere is a place for spiritual cultivation. We must take care of our minds as we interact with people, matters and objects.

We must all believe this. We should all know that, at this point, everyone should already know that, “we will attain Buddhahood” because we all intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness that is pure, undefiled and clear as crystal. This is our intrinsic nature. We must not allow people and matters to further defile it. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 455 – Resonate with the Buddha’s Heart

>> “From ancient times until now, the Dharma has been this way. Out of infinite virtuous Dharma, the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles. According to people’s capabilities, He gave suitable Dharma to transform their minds. When the Dharma resonated with their minds, they would comprehend the Dharma.”

>> “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”

>> Sariputra, you should know, “the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.”

>> Sariputra, the wise one with suitable capabilities should know that this is how all Buddhas teach the Dharma. First They use trillions of skillful means, then They reveal the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.

>> By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable: All Buddhas, according to capabilities, teach trillions of skillful means. If we do not learn the provisional and true teachings of the Buddha, we will not understand what it means to open the provisional to reveal the true.

>> These are the skillful teachings all Buddhas taught out of loving-kindness and sympathy according to capabilities and conditions. But these were actually taught for the sake of the One Vehicle, the great direct path to enlightenment. This was what all Buddhas originally intended to teach.

>> The Buddha, with trillions of skillful means, gave wondrous provisional teachings and guided sentient beings tirelessly. Observing that they had matured in capability and could accept the Great Dharma, He opened the provisional to reveal the true. When disciples who follow the Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and listen to the Dharma are ready to understand, all Buddhas teach them the suitable Dharma.

>> But those who do not study it, will never come to understand this: He lamented the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they have seen the Buddha and Sangha, they refuse to believe and accept [the Dharma]. Those who do not study it will definitely not be able to understand.

“From ancient times until now, the Dharma has been this way.
Out of infinite virtuous Dharma, the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles.
According to people’s capabilities, He gave suitable Dharma to transform their minds.
When the Dharma resonated with their minds, they would comprehend the Dharma.”

I always tell everyone that the Dharma never changes. These principles have been the same from the beginning until now and will remain so even into the future. The principles of all things in the universe also remain the same. Though unconditioned Dharma cannot be seen or touched, if we can continue to eliminate the ignorance in our minds, then the clarity of our intrinsic nature will gradually grow and manifest. We will feel the Dharma drawing closer to our hearts.

All of us must depend on the Buddha’s infinite virtuous Dharma. He had to devise many ways of giving teachings. With the Three Vehicles, the Small Vehicle, Middle Vehicle and Great Vehicle, He taught according to sentient beings’ capacities so that we could be mindful and gradually comprehend the Dharma. This shows the Buddha’s compassion; He always adapted to sentient beings.

What do the hearts and minds of sentient beings need? To adapt to the way we live in this era and figure out how to suit our capabilities, the Buddha had to exercise His wisdom. He could not bear for sentient beings to be lost in mundane matters of the evil world of the Five Turbidities and remain unawaken. So, the Buddha exercised His compassion, and thus had to also apply His wisdom; He exercised both compassion and wisdom.

After we sentient beings receive the Dharma, if we do not take it to heart, then “no Dharma can transform them.” This does not mean the principles are not there; The principles exist, but we are unable to understand them. With compassion and wisdom, the Buddha devised ways to transform us. We listen but then we forget. After hearing it, we do not retain it. Why do we not hold on to it? Because of our habitual tendencies. The Dharma we have heard is great, but when our six sense organs connect with the six sense objects in our conditions, the conditions influence and change our minds.

Since we aspire to engage in spiritual practice, we must be very careful about this. When we take the Dharma into our hearts, we must engrave it in our minds. People in ancient times had a saying, “To forever remember something, I will engrave it on my mind.” They do not just place it there; they carve it in deeply. This is the way to take the Dharma to heart.

Although the Buddha taught skillful means, [what He taught was] actually True Dharma. These principles form this path, which is a road. The Buddha can only tell us the principles of the path; He can only point us north, south, east or west, send us in the right direction. Then who will build this road? We have to build this road ourselves.

Knowing the right direction, we have to work hard. For every inch of this wild road, we must pull the weeds, inch by inch. Once the rocks and weeds are cleared away, it will be easy to walk this road. We must then put our hearts into paving the road to make it smooth. So, this path leads to enlightenment; it is the Bodhi-path. We sentient beings must start by paving a road through this world in the way we work with people and matters. In our daily living, are we on the correct course? Are we living in line with the Dharma that we hear? We must pay close attention to all this. If the things that we do are consistent with the Dharma that we hear, then we are walking on the path to awakening, the Bodhi-path. We need to use this road through the world to connect with the Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path we can connect with has come from countless eons in the past. No matter how ancient the teachings are, the principles remain the same today. We can still apply those principles today.

Indeed, these ancient principles have not changed. However, people living in this modern era do not try to comprehend them. Over 2000 years ago, people wrote and compiled the sutras and used very profound words. Fortunately, there were sages and great teachers who unceasingly expounded the Buddha-Dharma. So, as the times changed, the Buddha-Dharma became more illuminated. Now, the Buddha’s teachings have been passed down to us in this era of advanced modern technology. We must put our hearts into realizing how this path has been walked in the world. With the advanced technology we have today, we can increasingly verify [the truths realized by the Buddha]. The more clear they are to us, the closer we draw to them. So, by paving this road, we get closer to connecting with the Bodhi-path. This great path has always been very direct.

We must, step by step, strengthen our aspirations to walk the path. When we take the Dharma to heart, it is like engraving it on our minds. When we resonate with it, we will understand it because our minds are in harmony with the principles. “Resonance” is more than just meeting something, it is taking it deep into our hearts. Nowadays, when people do business or work on some project, it is very important for them to have a contract. We sign an agreement to describe the terms of our collaboration. These words are written down in an agreement as proof of our resonance. So, when the Dharma resonates with us, when we take the Dharma to heart, it will be imprinted in us forever. Then we know; this is how to walk this road. The vows we make are also like this; we follow our vows to walk [this path]. When our vows converge with our strengths, the Dharma will become very clear in our minds. This is called comprehending the Dharma.

The previous sutra passage states,

“Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”

As I said yesterday, part of remorse is being humble. How deep has our previous learning been? In the past, we may have been lax and in many respects, not measured up to others. Now, we must be earnest and practice diligently. This is a true sign of repentance.

We often hear people say, “I feel so remorseful!” If they feel remorse, they must confess it. After confessing it, they must repent and eliminate all their bad habitual tendencies. As for the Dharma we are receiving right now, we must accept it with a very pure heart. Thus can we be considered as one who has resolved to seek the path to Buddhahood. Likewise, as Buddhist practitioners, we must have firm spiritual aspirations. There are many Tzu Chi volunteers like this.

We heard (2013), Yulan, a volunteer from Malaysia, passed away. The news made me very sad. ․She has been in Tzu Chi for 20 years. In 1993, she learned about Tzu Chi. Encountering Tzu Chi made her very happy. She never married and was fully dedicated to Tzu Chi. She took on much of the administrative work for Tzu Chi in Malaysia. She worked on everything from humanistic culture and administration to case visits and international disaster relief. In particular, from 2006 to 2008, she made multiple trips to Sri Lanka. She taught the staff in Sri Lanka how to conduct case visits and give to others. She shared the Jing Si Dharma-lineage and the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism. This one woman, firmly establishing her faith, devoted herself and made multiple trips there.

Indeed, every day she worked there she would write an account of the construction progress in Sri Lanka, the conditions in that country, the suffering of its people, and the innocent and pure youths there who were willing to volunteer with Tzu Chi. She described many things vividly, and left us with a clear history of Tzu Chi’s work in Sri Lanka, which has become a part of the Tzu Chi archive.

She truly lived courageously. In 1997, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she first learned about it, she could not accept it. Later, when she came back to Taiwan, I told her, “This is how life is, but you should not waste a second of it. You need to positively accept things and live in peace with your illness. When you need treatment, focus on being treated. When you need to work, focus on working. Your body may be sick, but you cannot let your mind get sick.” She truly let these words resonate in her heart.

During all these years, she was constantly paving a road for the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism and constantly helping to transmit the teachings of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage. However, she passed away on June 7th. Before she passed, she remained very active. As long as she was able to go outside, she did. As long as she could talk, she shared her experience with others. She said, “During these last critical moments of my life, I want to keep sharing with everyone, even just for one more minute or second.”

Even the care recipients she assisted came to visit her as well, one after another. Whether her visitors were Dharma-relatives, or people she had helped in the past, she greeted them all with a smile, very much at ease, despite being gravely ill. With her every word, she expressed her hope for everyone to help transmit this Dharma-lineage and pave this road through the world. She made full use of her life, up to her last breath. Having observed her journey, I am truly touched by this woman. She “resolutely sought the path to Buddhahood.” She truly resonated with the Dharma and engraved it on her mind.

So, for people like this, “For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” Since her mind never left the Dharma, she took it with her when she passed on and will bring it back when she returns. The Dharma has been deeply engraved on her mind.

So, next, Sakyamuni Buddha continues in the next passage,

Sariputra, you should know, “the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.”

Sakyamuni Buddha again called out to Sariputra, so everyone who hears the Dharma would know that the Dharma of all Buddhas has been like this from ancient times until now.

Sariputra, the wise one with suitable capabilities should know that this is how all Buddhas teach the Dharma. First They use trillions of skillful means, then They reveal the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.

We sentient beings cannot realize the Dharma of all things in the universe, so the Buddha must use trillions of skillful means to slowly guide and teach us.

You are able to see me speaking here right now. In other parts of Taiwan and across the world, others have the opportunity to see the same image. Once they turn on the computer, no matter where they are, they can also listen to me teaching the Dharma.

They, too, can hear what I am saying right now. You see, this phenomenon is what the Buddha spoke of as spiritual powers. This includes the power of the heavenly eye, of the heavenly ear and of transporting oneself. He already mentioned something like this over 2000 years ago. The principles of the world are so wondrous. Indeed, with the right capabilities, trillions of principles will be clear to us. However, we lack understanding, so the Buddha had to start from the beginning and explain what the principles are. Thus He said that skillful means are also true principles, but because we are paving a road in this world, He teaches us how to be good people and how to pave this road.

If we do not pave this road, how can we connect to the Bodhi-path? There are trillions of methods for paving a road. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. “By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable.”

By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable: All Buddhas, according to capabilities, teach trillions of skillful means. If we do not learn the provisional and true teachings of the Buddha, we will not understand what it means to open the provisional to reveal the true.

According to people’s capabilities and the conditions they had encountered, at the right place and time, He explained things to everyone and taught them. For those who wanted to learn, they would have the opportunity.

“But those who do not study it,” if they do not want to learn or do not have this resolve or cannot accept it, “will never come to understand this.” This is what the Buddha told Sariputra, who as the wisest, was the recipient of the teachings. When He called to Sariputra, He was calling on all His disciples to awaken, to listen earnestly and to thoroughly understand that all Buddhas teach in the same way. First, They make use of various means to patiently guide people. Only later on do They tell everyone what these teachings ultimately lead to. Doing this requires the use of various methods. These are the skillful teachings of all Buddhas.

These are the skillful teachings all Buddhas taught out of loving-kindness and sympathy according to capabilities and conditions. But these were actually taught for the sake of the One Vehicle, the great direct path to enlightenment. This was what all Buddhas originally intended to teach.

At this time, Sakyamuni Buddha was teaching in the same way that all past Buddhas had. Out of loving-kindness and sympathy, He taught sentient beings according to their capabilities. Actually, He was teaching all this for the sake of the direct path of the One Vehicle. He gave many teachings with the sole purpose of helping everyone build a proper road in this world that would connect directly to the Bodhi-path. This was the original intent of all Buddhas.

Trillions of skillful means were suitably taught. All Buddhas taught according to capabilities with trillions of skillful means.

The Buddha, with trillions of skillful means, gave wondrous provisional teachings and guided sentient beings tirelessly. Observing that they had matured in capability and could accept the Great Dharma, He opened the provisional to reveal the true. When disciples who follow the Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and listen to the Dharma are ready to understand, all Buddhas teach them the suitable Dharma.

However many phenomena exist in the world, the Buddha had to use as many methods to explain them to everyone. Whatever habitual tendencies sentient beings have, He taught ways to address each one of them. If they had trillions of habitual tendencies, He used trillions of methods to teach according to their capabilities.

So, He hoped everyone would understand that. He taught with these kinds of skillful means. Those disciples who studied with the Buddha naturally had the capabilities to be able to [resonate with] His mind. In the past, He had adapted His teachings to them. Now, these sentient beings could directly hear what was in His heart, which was the True Dharma.

Next we will discuss how “those who do not study it, will never come to understand this.”

But those who do not study it, will never come to understand this: He lamented the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they have seen the Buddha and Sangha, they refuse to believe and accept [the Dharma]. Those who do not study it will definitely not be able to understand.

This was what the Buddha lamented. Although some people’s capabilities had matured, there were still those whose had not. This was what the Buddha lamented, the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they had met the Buddha and became part of the Sangha, some still refused to study and still could not accept the True Dharma. They could not realize it.

In conclusion, to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must resonate with His mind so that we can directly reach our nature of True Suchness, which is to return to our pure intrinsic-nature. Therefore, I hope that everyone can experience this great Bodhi-path. Actually, we need to begin by developing a sense of remorse. We must realize that the Dharma has been this way from ancient times until the present. Have we taken the most important things to heart? If we have, they will be useful for the rest of our lives. By applying the Dharma until the end of our lives, we can remain clear-minded. In the end, we can remind others that we have all agreed to continue this work in our future lives. If we can do this, then we have truly internalized the Dharma.

Dear Bodhisattvas, we must train our minds this way. “When the Dharma resonates with our minds, we will comprehend the Dharma.” That is how we return to our Buddha-nature. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on October 20, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 454 – Remorse Can Prevent Wrongdoings

>> “We are humbled that our virtues and learning are superficial. When we are always humble, our minds will give rise to goodness. We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others. Feeling ashamed and at fault, we will stop committing wrongs.”

>> “Unwholesome people of the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”

>> “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”

>> Those who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path. They will take this great opportunity to understand and accept the principles. [The Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities or fail to speak at the right time. Thus, they resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.

>> For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle: When people encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood, [the Buddha] teaches them the. True Dharma of the One Vehicle. For people such as these, those who cultivate goodness and enjoy listening to the Dharma, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.

What is remorse?

“We are humbled that our virtues and learning are superficial.
When we are always humble, our minds will give rise to goodness.
We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others.
Feeling ashamed and at fault, we will stop committing wrongs.”

We must be humble [with our achievements] and be ashamed [of wrongs we have done] to others. Are we humbled by our superficial virtues and learning? When we see how capable other people are, if we are not humble, we may say, “Whatever you can do, I can do it too. Your talent is not a big deal.” By saying this, we are not being humble. If we are humble, we will reflect upon ourselves. Why is it that other people can do these things so well but we cannot? We must be humbled by our lack of virtue.

In our spiritual practice, we have not accumulated deep virtues. We have not learned enough, so we must be diligent. “The virtuous will attain.” We have not done enough, so we do not attain anything. Or we have done little, so we only attain a little. Thus, we are rather lacking in virtue; our practice of virtue is rather thin and our learning is rather superficial. We must always have this mindset so that [we will always be humble and] “our minds will give rise to goodness.”

Shame is something we feel around others. We must be ashamed of the transgressions and wrongdoings we have committed. In our daily living, are we behaving ourselves? We may have made mistakes in the past and may still have not thoroughly eliminated our habitual tendencies, or other negative or unwholesome things. These wrongs we have committed must be examined continuously. Will our past or our present indolence be criticized by others? Will other people mock and judge us? This is the feeling of shame.

When we feel ashamed and guilty, we will stop committing wrongs. This is another way of saying that when our transgressions are seen by others, or heard of by others, and we are then criticized, what we feel will be “a sense of shame.” We will feel embarrassed and know we were wrong. When we know we did wrong and feel embarrassed, we will stop doing those things. So, we must constantly reflect on ourselves. “We are ashamed because we have committed wrongs and been criticized by others.” We must constantly engage in self-reflection. This is the deeper meaning of the word “remorse.”

We often hear people say, “I am remorseful.” But as they talk about remorse, are they truly reflecting on themselves? Are they changing their ways? Being humble leads to self-reflection. Being ashamed leads to change. Only when people reflect and change are they truly remorseful.

One time, the Buddha had gone out to ask for alms. Later, He came to a forest and sat down to eat. There were some bhiksus who were also eating at the same time in that forest. After finishing their meals, everyone collected their bowls and returned to the abode. After resting for a moment, everyone sat down and the Buddha also sat in meditation, then afterwards swept His gaze across them, stopping when He reached a certain bhiksu. He said, “After we asked for alms, as everyone sat in meditation in that forest, one of the bhiksus among the Sangha, while sitting in meditation, lost his focus.” He strayed from his mind’s pure state, and gave rise to a desire. At this time, in the forest, a heavenly being appeared. This heavenly being was a protector of the Dharma. This heavenly Dharma-protector noticed that the bhiksu was not concentrating and was lost in his desires, so he asked the bhiksu, “Virtuous One, if people have sores on their body,” sores can also refer to boils, “what should they do?”

The bhiksu responded by saying, “See a doctor for treatment.” The heavenly being then asked, “If the boil has already festered, emitting pus and blood, if it has burst and is even growing maggots, then what should they do about it?” The bhiksu responded, “If things are already that serious, then they must practice right mindfulness. With right mindfulness and right wisdom they must reflect on why this boil, this sore or tumor, has reached such a serious state. It must not have been cared for properly. Since things are already that serious, they must cultivate right mindfulness. Having right mindfulness is the best way to treat an illness. After establishing right mindfulness, they can practice good hygiene and then seek a doctor for treatment.” Upon hearing this, the heavenly being said, “That is correct. What you have said is right.” After saying this, the heavenly being left.

After the Buddha told this story, He looked at the bhiksu intently. The bhiksu rose slowly, walked to the Buddha and respectfully prostrated. He said, “Venerable Buddha, it was me. I’m ashamed! I’m lacking in virtue. I easily give rise to discursive thoughts. From now on, I will take good care of my mind. If I do not take good care of my wisdom-life, I will easily become physically ill. After a physical illness, I will still be reborn. But if my wisdom-life is ill, once I lose human form, regaining my wisdom-life will be difficult. I understand this now.”

This was his remorse. The Buddha was actually able to see and feel the state of mind of every bhiksu. The bhiksu immediately felt remorse and openly repented. This is the best medicine for the body and mind. So, when we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must always remind ourselves to be vigilant. Even if others cannot see our lack of humility or shame, it still poses a big problem for our wisdom-life. So, when we are among others, we must always maintain a sense of remorse. Only then can we maintain the health and wholeness of our wisdom-life.

So, the previous sutra passage states,

“Unwholesome people of the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”

This was the previous sutra passage. Some people not only do not support virtuous Dharma, on the contrary, they destroy it. When it comes to their own wrongdoings, not only do they not reflect on them, they commit ever more serious ones. This is a transgression that we sentient beings of this evil world of the Five Turbidities easily commit, so we must all be very vigilant. The Buddha-Dharma is rarely encountered. To hear the Buddha-Dharma and take it to heart is not very easy. Being able to hear, believe and understand it is already very hard to come by. So, we must earnestly uphold and accept the Dharma. We must earnestly put the Buddha’s teachings into practice. Otherwise, once we become deluded, we will quickly lose our faith as well. Once we lose faith, we will easily slander the Dharma or fall into an evil realm. All this can happen in the span of a thought.

The next sutra passage states,

“Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”

We must be remorseful. Being remorseful is purifying. Only by being remorseful can we improve. Only with humility can we cultivate goodness. Only when ashamed will we stop doing wrong. Eliminating wrongs and cultivating goodness are the sources of our physical and mental purity. So, we must place great value on remorse. If we are not remorseful, we will keep degenerating and have no concern over whether others know about our wrongdoings or criticize us for our indolence. If we are this kind of person, our resolve will be very weak. We will easily be tempted by external states and be unable to uphold our vows and follow the path. People like this will easily lose their spiritual aspirations.

So, if we are people with pure minds, we will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. “For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” If people are remorseful and have firmly resolved to learn and cultivate the path to Buddhahood, the Buddha will devote more effort to guiding them. He constantly spoke to them about the One Vehicle and praised that path. Similarly, as we meet people, we should also promptly nurture and guide them. This is how the Buddha taught us to transmit the Dharma in this world. We must select and teach the capable. Transmitting the Buddha-Dharma is very important.

So, “those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” The people who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path and seize this great opportunity. They know receiving the Buddha-Dharma is rare and receiving Right Dharma is even more rare.

Those who are remorseful and pure will mindfully and diligently seek the path. They will take this great opportunity to understand and accept the principles. [The Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities or fail to speak at the right time. Thus, they resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.

The Buddha taught the Dharma with skillful means. For over 40-plus years, He had taught everyone how to be a good person. Starting from this point, He began [teaching that] the One Vehicle Dharma is the only path for learning and attaining Buddhahood. He was only beginning to teach this at that time, so this was [a great] opportunity. People who had already mindfully and diligently sought the path now had the opportunity [to hear it]. As I told everyone previously, it was as if, in the past, the door was closed. There were many pictures outside that were used to show everyone what things were like inside this state [of mind]. This helped everyone understand. Through pictures, texts and sounds, they began to comprehend [teachings]. When everyone had a good understanding, He opened the door so that they could see the true conditions inside.

With analogies and other methods, He had slowly led and guided [everyone] to arrive at this place, so now the time had come. Thus, they should “take this good opportunity to understand and accept the principles.” Now they could truly see that the principles are just like this. Their minds had come together with the conditions, and had already unified with the principles. So, “[the Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities.” These people finally had the capabilities to accept them, so He quickly gave them these teachings. Their capabilities were now suitable; the people able to accept the Great Dharma were now there. So, “[the Buddha] does not fail to recognize people with the right capabilities.” He took advantage of this opportunity to immediately help people accept these truths.

“[He] does not fail to speak at the right time.” It was the right time to teach the Great Dharma. It was the right time to reveal true teachings. He had to teach them right away, otherwise it would be too late. So, in terms of capabilities, people and timing, He had to give the teachings right away.

Everyone, since we have vowed to learn the Buddha’s teachings and engage in spiritual practice, our resolve must be very firm. Only then can we realize the Buddha’s intent and comprehend the True Dharma that is in His mind. For more than 40 years, the door to the Buddha’s mind had been closed. He had hoped we could realize it right away, but our wisdom and capabilities were insufficient. So, He had no choice but to teach the provisional. Now He was revealing the true. Thus, for the people with mature capabilities, He “extensively praised the path of the One Vehicle.”

For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle: When people encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood, [the Buddha] teaches them the. True Dharma of the One Vehicle. For people such as these, those who cultivate goodness and enjoy listening to the Dharma, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.

So, “People encounter the Buddha’s Right Dharma and resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” If people have encountered the Dharma, Right Dharma in particular, they will not only seek to awaken themselves, They will not just know about karma without grasping karmic cause and effect’s full [meaning]. They will not just listen to the Dharma without hearing the essence of the Dharma. If they did so, it would be a great pity. So, the Right Dharma is the correct path. The Buddha wanted to lead everyone forward onto the Bodhisattva-path so they could achieve the state of Buddhahood.

“For those who vow to seek the path to Buddhahood, He teaches the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.” The True Dharma of the One Vehicle was taught “for people such as these.” These were the people with mature capabilities who could comprehend the Buddha’s intent. For these people, He gave a heart-to-heart talk; the Buddha taught them the. True Dharma He had kept in His heart. So, “for people such as these,” people who could comprehend His mind, people who cultivate goodness and value hearing the Dharma, people who very earnestly and diligently practice and are also very happy to listen to the Dharma, people who could take it to heart and apply it after listening, He opened and praised the path of the One Vehicle.

If we can comprehend the Dharma, we should constantly share its benefits with everyone. We should share what we learned from it. Other people’s realizations can be helpful for our own understanding. Perhaps our realization and understanding, once we have heard other people’s thoughts, can become more precise because of what they shared. Then we can continue to discuss our realizations with them. After these kinds of discussions, the Dharma will become more clear and our realizations will become more extensive. Therefore, we must not be attached to the text. We must transform the words into principles and take the principles into our hearts. Once we have realized these principles, every sound we hear, everything we connect with, will be the Dharma.

You see, isn’t this what Tzu Chi volunteers do? “They seek to improve by revealing shortcomings.” They are willing to openly share their mistakes with everyone. After everyone has heard their story, not only do they not look down on them, they praise them for their courage. Later, if someone continues to talk about what they did in the past, we can speak up for them and answer, “He has changed. He told us about all of his past mistakes. We know all about them.” Thus, rumors can be stopped by the wise. This is how being remorseful and openly repenting can purify the body and mind. Then they will not be hung up on past mistakes or worry about people talking behind their backs. Rather than letting people criticize, they prefer to talk openly about everything. This Dharma-door, applying the Dharma as water, washes away our defilements so we can be pure. We are already learning the Buddha’s teachings,

so we must be earnest and not make the same mistakes again. In the past we may have been indolent, or arrogant and self-important. We must not have that mindset, nor should we hide our mistakes. We must disclose them so we can improve. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood.” For these people, we can teach the Dharma and “extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” Everyone can walk the Bodhisattva-path, as long as we form the aspiration. The Bodhisattva-path, as long as we have faith, can help us attain the state of Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 by Scott Ogata

Episode 453 – Delusion and Awakening Are Decided in a Thought

>> “Good, evil and indeterminate [karma] are decided in a single thought. All phenomena are boundless and arise from the mind. When we realize the One Vehicle, we [attain] the ultimate truth. Delusion and awakening, misfortune and blessing are also determined by a single thought.”

>> “In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, people are still attached to desires. Sentient beings such as these will never seek the path to Buddhahood.”

>> “Unwholesome people in the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”

>> Now or in the future, in the evil world of turbidity, people will accept unwholesome teachings and commit evil deeds. They will not believe in virtuous Dharma nor accept proper teachings. Thus, those who hear the One Vehicle Dharma and can believe and accept it will be hard to find.

>> Deluded, they will not believe or accept it. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms: Thus, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who could comprehend the [Dharma’s] true meaning became hard to find. For people who are unwholesome, be careful not to teach them this. Teaching them this is not beneficial, and may actually cause harm. Staying silent is better.

“Good, evil and indeterminate [karma] are decided in a single thought.
All phenomena are boundless and arise from the mind.
When we realize the One Vehicle, we [attain] the ultimate truth.
Delusion and awakening, misfortune and blessing are also determined by a single thought.”

Every thought is so critical. Therefore, we must always be vigilant of every single thought, [as our karma can be] good, evil or indeterminate. I continually tell everyone that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but because we ordinary people have given rise to ignorance with a single thought, that ignorance has already multiplied into countless habitual tendencies. Therefore, in our daily living, as we interact with people, matters and things, whether [the karma we create] will be good or evil is determined in the span of that thought. If a good thought arises, we can be of benefit to others. If a greedy thought arises, we may cause many disasters in the world; we can create all kinds of calamities.

So, all phenomena are boundless. All of the many principles in the universe are indeed extensive and boundless. All matters contain true principles and all objects have their own ultimate truth. Plants come in all different shapes and colors. These shapes and colors are the result of different genes. The modern term is “gene;” it is the seed of a cause that converges with various aspects of its nature. Different causes and natures can combine to manifest different forms. This [truth] is contained within all things in the world. No matter what kind of thing it is, it has its own unique underlying principle. Principle cannot be seen. But as [causes and conditions] converge, they form the various appearances of the world.

So, all phenomena are boundless and exist within the space of a thought. If we can thoroughly understand this, then we will not be attached all these different material goods. We will not be tempted by material things that arouse our desires, nor give rise to ignorance due to desire.

Therefore, if we understand the Dharma, we will direct ourselves on the right course towards goodness. If we still have not awakened, then we are deluded. We are either in a state of delusion or awakening. We can look at something and identify it, but in order to break it down and understand its underlying principle, it requires further study. Biologists are able to understand the elements of living things. They carefully analyze their composition and so on. Yet they still do not truly understand the. Three Principles and Four States of Existence and the awakened nature in all things of this world. They know one aspect but not the others.

We each have a profession and a specialty. Regardless of our level of education, we can invent new things. Will these new things be beneficial to the world? Some people are not concerned with that. They only care about inventing something new and being at the forefront of their field. They spend a lot of money in the process and can create pollution or cause harm to nature. But they do not consider these things at all. Some only want the recognition and gains that come from this type of research [and invention]. People like this are very unclear about the workings of things in this world. So, our delusion or awakening determines our blessings or misfortunes in the span of a single thought.

For example, lately (2013), we have been discussing food [safety] issues. For a period of time, we had also discussed genetically modified soy beans and similar issues. These have all formed a dangerous situation around food meant for human consumption. With scientific developments in farming, we are using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, or genetically modified crops and so on. We already know these are harmful to humans.

In fact, farmers have a great understanding of astronomy, geography, the four seasons, as well as the 24 divisions of the seasons. Farmers know what should be planted at each point of the 24 divisions of the seasons. Truly, they live by the natural cycle and cultivate the land according to the natural workings of heaven and earth. This is the wisdom of past farmers. Nowadays, humans have already disrupted the climate of the four seasons and allowed the natural ways of farming to gradually fall into disuse. People thought they were clever, but they are actually deluded. As Buddhist practitioners, I hope we can emulate the natural, awakened nature of the Buddha to realize the true principles of all things. We need to learn how the heavens, the earth and people can exist together harmoniously. We need to learn how people can respect the heavens, love the earth and benefit humanity. This is the enlightened nature of the Buddha; these are the principles we need to seek.

In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha gave many explanations that if people did not awaken, [they would face] what the Buddha described over 2000 years ago as “the outcome of the future,” which is our present, an evil world of the Five Turbidities. If we can follow this principle and trace things back, it will not be difficult to return to the ethics and morals we used to have. As long as we have the will, this will not be difficult. This is what we must work towards right now.

So, the previous section of the sutra states,

“In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, people are still attached to desires. Sentient beings such as these will never seek the path to Buddhahood.”

For sentient beings, the Buddha predicted over 2000 years ago what this world would be like right now. Sentient beings are still attached to desires, thus they create this evil world of the Five Turbidities. Sentient beings like this, if asked to listen to the Dharma, will feel afraid. They know that if they accept the Buddha-Dharma, they must abide by the precepts and abstain from satisfying their desires. Some people, knowing this, dare not accept the Buddha-Dharma. That is how the Buddha describes people in this evil world of the Five Turbidities. Attached to desires, they avoid the proper beliefs that can guide them to transcend impurities and evils.

So, the Buddha says in the next sutra passage,

“Unwholesome people in the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle, will not believe or accept it out of delusion. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.”

Some people dare not accept the Buddha-Dharma. When they hear someone intentionally slander it, they begin to pass this on to others. Then these mistaken understandings continue to spread, thus slandering Right Dharma. I often hear people say that they used to have deep misconceptions about Tzu Chi. “Where did that misconception come from? I heard it from someone. What did they say? They said that Tzu Chi is very rich, so….” This misinformation was heard from others and they made no effort to try to verify it. Once they finally learn the truth, they feel great regret for not having joined Tzu Chi decades earlier. This is because of delusions. Sentient beings, deluded by desire and pleasure, easily commit transgressions. This is how evil continues to exist in this world. Those who obstruct Right Dharma and prevent others from practicing it are unwholesome. These are people who hinder virtuous Dharma.

“Unwholesome people in the future, upon hearing the Buddha teach the One Vehicle” refers to people who live now or in the future. In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, because the population is so large, once incorrect teachings become widely shared, those errors continue to be compounded.

Now or in the future, in the evil world of turbidity, people will accept unwholesome teachings and commit evil deeds. They will not believe in virtuous Dharma nor accept proper teachings. Thus, those who hear the One Vehicle Dharma and can believe and accept it will be hard to find.

With advanced modern technology, everyone has a cell phone in their hands. It serves multiple purposes; it can even go online. People can casually write a few words and thousands upon thousands of people can read them within seconds. Once incorrect teachings are circulated, this can be truly disastrous for the world.

Currently (2013), in the international community, all countries are very concerned about the effects of the Jasmine Revolution (Arab Spring), which led to many refugees fleeing, families being destroyed, and people dying. The refugees have spread across many countries. For some countries, like Jordan, a million refugees suddenly appeared at the borders. With so many refugees fleeing there, in addition to more space, they also need food and other necessities. Just getting enough drinking water is a huge problem.

This problem is not limited to Jordan. Many countries have been affected by waves of refugees who are spreading further and further. One small incident led to such extensive troubles. This is the era of Five Turbidities. The spread [of turbidity] through technology is truly frightening.

This is to say that, in the present or the future evil world of turbidities, beginning now and extending into the future, if we do not immediately reflect on ourselves, we will accept unwholesome teachings and commit evil deeds. In this turbid and evil world, all we will receive will be unwholesome teachings. Education will stray from the right course. Originally education was simply about passing on knowledge and teaching trades. It was about teaching what principles to follow and what specialized skills to develop and to make a living. This was the simple goal of education. However, in this evil world of turbidities, from now and on into the future, people learn unwholesome teachings and commit evil deeds. If people receive unwholesome teachings, all of their actions will be evil deeds.

For example, right now there are people around the world who specialize in training people for terrorist groups. Every day we hear about how some country has suffered a devastating attack from terrorists. Think about it, isn’t this spreading unwholesome teachings? Isn’t this doing evil deeds? This is truly worrisome. In this turbid and evil world, people’s minds are not inclined to believe in virtuous Dharma and accept proper teachings, so how could they accept the One Vehicle Dharma when they hear it? This is why the Buddha was very concerned. The future sentient beings of His time are those of us living now.

Since we are able to listen to Right Dharma, we should take on the responsibility and mission to prevent Right Dharma from disappearing and help wholesome and virtuous Dharma remain in this world unceasingly. We need to share the Dharma with each other to replicate virtuous Dharma. One gives rise to infinity and infinity arises from one. If we each form aspirations and vows, we should be able to pass on Right Dharma.

Otherwise our present world will be [filled with] those who will not believe or accept it out of delusion. Delusion is the opposite of awareness; it is the inability to discern principles. So, it is ignorance. If people cannot discern or see things clearly, they are in a state of delusion and confusion. People like this do not believe or accept the Buddha-Dharma, because they have already been deluded by a life of desires and pleasures. They take delight in unwholesome teachings. This a result of their environment.

They are like maggots who crave rotting flesh. As human flesh rots, maggots will appear. I remember (in 2000), when Dalin Tzu Chi hospital began operations, we began by holding free clinics. The very first patient of the free clinic was an old lady whose feet had festered so badly that the flesh was rotted and filled with maggots. The doctors and nurses used a cup and tweezers to remove each of the fat, wriggling maggots. Maggots such as these gather around rotten and smelly things.

Indeed, in the past, I saw [a similar case]. A person who was injured in a car accident could only move his head and talk, but was otherwise entirely paralyzed. To support their children, his wife had to work. The man could only lay in bed all day. It was completely dark inside. I reached up and touched the light, one of those old-fashioned five-watt light bulbs. After turning it on, the first thing I saw was a rat, a very plump rat who was biting his feet. Though we came in, the rat was not afraid and refused to leave. How was this possible? We quickly chased it off, but the fat rat waddled off slowly. “The rat was biting you, don’t you feel the pain? I did not feel it at all.” I witnessed this myself; everything I just said is true. So, this was something I witnessed firsthand.

Similarly, right now people are living in such an evil world of turbidities that they consider unwholesome teachings as something very precious. This is just like how each kind of living being has something they take particular delight in. The evil world of turbidities of the future will be truly terrifying, as armed conflicts and the three major and three minor calamities gradually appear in this world. So, we need to seize the present [to practice], otherwise people “will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms.” Then in the future, the human realm will also be one of the evil realms, and people will suffer tremendously here.

Deluded, they will not believe or accept it. They will slander the Dharma and fall into the evil realms: Thus, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who could comprehend the [Dharma’s] true meaning became hard to find. For people who are unwholesome, be careful not to teach them this. Teaching them this is not beneficial, and may actually cause harm. Staying silent is better.

“Thus, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana….” These [slanderous] things had already been said during His lifetime, to say nothing of after His Parinirvana! How many people can actually still realize the true, virtuous Dharma? So, “For people who are unwholesome, be careful not to teach them this.” Because many unwholesome people will deliberately try to slander the Dharma, they will cast virtuous Dharma as unwholesome teachings. Thus they will fall into the evil realms.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, there were already evil-natured bhiksus, people like Devadatta. Even if they were given many teachings it would lead them to create karma of speech instead and slander the Dharma. We should refrain from sharing teachings with people like this. Not only is it not beneficial, it is harmful. Therefore, we do not need to share Right Dharma with this kind of people.

It is not easy to propagate the Buddha-Dharma in this world. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we are very blessed to encounter the Dharma. We can cultivate it in our minds and apply it in our actions. I hope we will all safeguard the Dharma’s seeds of goodness. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

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Posted on October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 by Scott Ogata