Author: Scott Ogata

Episode 550 – Firm Aspirations Need a Deep Root of Faith

>> “Sadly, in life we are deluded and attached. If our root of faith is not deeply planted, our spiritual aspirations will not be firm. Then we will not understand all Dharma and will obstruct the path and hinder the Dharma.”

>> “I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames, and this is the time for them to quickly leave so they will not be burned in the fire.”

>> “Having thought in this way, [the elder] told his sons, ‘All of you must come out quickly!'”

>> “Although the father, in his compassion, used kind words to persuade them, his sons happily indulged in their playing and refused to believe him. They were not alarmed nor afraid and had no intention of leaving.”

>> Having thought in this way, he told his sons: This means the elder is compassionate, so he explained that cyclic existence is a fearful matter. Therefore, they must quickly seek to escape the burning house of the Three Realms.

>> “All of you must come out quickly!” Although the father, in his compassion, used kind words to persuade them: This refers to wondrous, provisional teachings and to the Great Vehicle. However, ignorant sentient beings did not know to be alarmed and afraid, so he had to teach with parables.

>> The Buddha could enable sentient beings to readily attain Bodhi. This is why the elder told his sons, “All of you must come out quickly!” The following text immediately explains what it means for them to come out quickly.

>> He thought further about how to reveal the door of the causal practice of the Great Vehicle, but sentient beings could not give rise to faith, so they had nowhere to begin their practice.

“Sadly, in life we are deluded and attached.
If our root of faith is not deeply planted,
our spiritual aspirations will not be firm.
Then we will not understand all Dharma
and will obstruct the path and hinder the Dharma.”

Indeed, [much of] life is lamentable. Our life is inherently short, but we cling to it as though it is everlasting. Thus, we continue to have insatiable greed for everything in the world. Seeking fame, profit, status and so on replicates our ignorance and delusion. People may have been family or loved ones in a past life, but have become enemies in this life. [Examples] of this are found in Buddhist sutras. The Buddha continually spoke of causes and conditions and used analogies for the sole purpose of helping us understand that this life is not the only life we have lived. Since the distant past, countless kalpas ago, we have lived many past lives.

The Buddha often spoke of how He Himself had spent a long time transmigrating in the Six Realms. However, in every realm, He had the chance to form aspirations. We can recall a story about Him in the hell realm. He had seen someone suffer unbearable torture there. There was a burning red cart. It was completely made of iron and it was on fire. A person was forced to pull and push it. This was unbearable suffering. So, the Buddha was willing to stand up before the ghost king in charge and tell him, “I will take his place pulling the cart.” The ghost king said, “Your own karma is already so severe. How could you possibly take on another person’s suffering?”

He said, “I cannot bear to see this old man [pulling] the red hot iron cart. His body has completely rotted away, and yet he has to continue pulling it. I cannot bear to see this. I am willing to push and pull in his place.” The ghost king thought, “He can’t even take care of himself. How can he possibly do this?” In a rage, the ghost king killed him with one blow. In fact, this sutra passage is about the Buddha forming an aspiration. When the ghost king struck him down, he was able to transcend hell.

He had also descended into the animal realm. The Deer King Sutra and Elephant King Sutra both describe the past lives of the Buddha. So, we all live and transmigrate in the Six Realms, following the good and bad karma we have created. We take our good and bad karma to every realm, but if we give rise to a thought of goodness in any of those realms, if a good thought arises, we can more quickly exhaust our bad karma.

The Buddha, in the Agama sutras, said to His disciples, “When you engage in spiritual practice, you must seize the moment. You must constantly contemplate impermanence. Life is eternal, but our bodies are impermanent. Life is what endlessly transmigrates in the Six Realms. We are unable to control where we go because we do not understand the principles. So, now that we understand the principles, we should understand how long life lasts. When we are alive, we can hear the Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful. For countless kalpas in the past, over an incomprehensible amount of time, we have repeatedly come to this world. You could have been born in any place. You could have died in any place.”

Indeed, no matter where, east, west, north or south, any country or any place could have been where we were born and could have been where we died. This indicates how long our life stretches on. We endlessly transmigrate upon this earth, and we endlessly transmigrate in the Six Realms. So, we must quickly put our hearts into realizing the truths of life. If we can understand the principles, then we will not be at a complete loss about [where we are going].

Our root of faith must be deep and long. If our root of faith is not deep, it will be hard for our spiritual aspirations to be firm. If our spiritual aspirations are not firm, we will be unable to understand any Dharma, and if we do not understand the Dharma, this will obstruct our practices to enlightenment. The Buddha constantly admonished us that in this world, as soon as we become deluded, as soon as we give rise to an ignorant thought, even if it is only a single desire, our ignorance will multiply endlessly and cover our way out of this burning house as well as the door of wisdom in our minds. In this way, it will be hard to exit one door and go into the other. This is due to obstacles. Therefore, we must promptly seize the moment to “comprehend the great path” and form the supreme aspiration. Only then can we understand all Dharma and comprehend our past lifetimes and our future direction. If we do not understand the past, we will be unable to understand our direction in the future.

So, in a previous passage, the Buddha said, “I must tell them of these fearful matters.” In the past, He taught with various methods, yet people still did not thoroughly understand. Now things were becoming urgent, so He began to explain to them about this fearsome situation.

“I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames, and this is the time for them to quickly leave so they will not be burned in the fire.”

As I have been saying recently, the four elements have become out of balance and manmade calamities are occurring endlessly. All this is happening in the Three Realms. Amidst the Five Turbidities, [disasters] seem to arise unceasingly, causing everyone to be surrounded by danger and many kinds of traps. This is the time for everyone to heighten their vigilance. The Buddha wanted them to “quickly leave” because this house was burning. Then those in the Three Realms “will not be burned in the fire.” They had to quickly get themselves out, otherwise they would be burned.

The following passage states,

“Having thought in this way, [the elder] told his sons, ‘All of you must come out quickly!'”

Everyone must make haste to get out. They cannot remain in this danger any longer. Though this kind father had a sense of urgency in his voice, “Quickly get out! There is a fire inside!” though the elder repeatedly warned them of these fearful matters, they still remained unmoving. After having these thoughts, the elder said to his children, “All of you must come out quickly!”

“Although the father, in his compassion, used kind words to persuade them, his sons happily indulged in their playing and refused to believe him. They were not alarmed nor afraid and had no intention of leaving.”

In this section, the children were very naughty. They did not hear their father’s concern. He was very worried and called to them with deep sincerity, but the children still did not promptly leave. Once again he had to think; he had to contemplate again. If he could not convince them to come out this way, what could he do? He had to think of another method,

and so, “having thought in this way,” he spoke to his children again.

Having thought in this way, he told his sons: This means the elder is compassionate, so he explained that cyclic existence is a fearful matter. Therefore, they must quickly seek to escape the burning house of the Three Realms.

“The elder is compassionate.” This elder, this kind father, had great compassion. He said that cyclic existence is a fearful matter. He gave many teachings about how fearsome cyclic existence is.

Every place is a place where we have been born and where we have died. Everyone has, at one time, been our mother and our father; everyone has, at one time, been our brother and our sister. Every person has harmed and killed us, and we have also killed and injured them. We have shown each other kindness and resentment, love, hate, passion and animosity. All of this has occurred between all of us, as if we are actors on the stage. This cycle of love and hate, passion and animosity entangles us endlessly. Back and forth, lifetime after lifetime, we play these roles. Right now, we are so close to each other, but in the next act, you and I may harm each other, giving rise to hate.

In this way, over the course of many lives, our feelings for one another constantly change. As our cyclic existence stretches on, we show kindness and animosity to each other. Moreover, it is only a short time before we transmigrate again in the Six Realms; this is terrifying. In this world, is there anything that lasts forever? Absolutely nothing. So, the elder used various methods to “tell them of these fearful matters.” With various methods, he urged them to quickly get out. He used various methods to coax them out, teaching by analogy.

“All of you must come out quickly!” Although the father, in his compassion, used kind words to persuade them: This refers to wondrous, provisional teachings and to the Great Vehicle. However, ignorant sentient beings did not know to be alarmed and afraid, so he had to teach with parables.

This refers to the mindset the Buddha had when He first attained enlightenment. Once He realized that the awakened state was like this, He wanted for everyone to attain Buddhahood and hoped that everyone could become awakened. However, sentient beings are too stubborn. If their capabilities were so limited, how could they possibly accept the Great Dharma? He had no choice but to use provisional teachings. He established all kinds of skillful means to teach according to their capabilities. Though these were skillful and provisional means, they also contained the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle.

The truth of the Great Vehicle is that everyone can attain Buddhahood, that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. He pointed us directly to our minds so that we could see our true nature. But we have many afflictions, and we are stubborn. We are obstinate and afflicted, so we cannot immediately accept the teachings. So, there was no way this could happen; there was nothing He could do.

I once heard about an entrepreneur who ran a large business, one that is internationally ranked, but behind it all was a big pile of debt. He owed money all over the world and not in the hundreds of millions; he had billions in debt. He was already in so much debt; how could he repay it? However, he did not think of this at all. He felt that he would just continue to expand because his desire was without bounds. Actually, even if he became the top businessman in the world, in the end, doesn’t it come to nothing? So, he does not understand the principles of suffering, emptiness, impermanence and no-self. He does not know enough yet to be afraid. He feels no alarm and no fear. The flames are practically on top of him, but he does not realize it yet.

So, the Buddha used analogies to help everyone understand the principles and cultivate [ultimate] “permanence, joy, self, purity.” However, ordinary people think that “permanence” means that they can possess all of the fame, profit and status in the world. They believe these are permanent. We spiritual practitioners know that there is indeed something that is permanent and everlasting. Life is everlasting; after we leave this body, we will be reborn. This pure, permanent and everlasting life is our wisdom-life. Wisdom-life is pure and undefiled. It is our Buddha-nature. Buddha-nature is everlasting. Lifetime after lifetime, we bring this permanent, intrinsic nature with us.

In every person, there is this True Suchness; this principle is pure and everlasting. It is the “permanence, joy, self and purity” of spiritual practitioners. This is a clear and tranquil state. But unenlightened beings have gotten these qualities backwards, “clinging to the impermanent as permanent.” Ordinary people have this kind of view, so they create much karma.

When the Buddha made analogies, could sentient beings actually understand them? All of us have formed an initial aspiration. The Buddha also started with an initial aspiration. “If we sustain our initial aspiration we will surely attain Buddhahood,” because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. It is just that it is covered by ignorance, which fills our minds with afflictions. Since we have formed an aspiration, we must try to eliminate our afflictions. In our spiritual practice, we must “retain all teachings” and uphold all good deeds. We must practice good deeds, lifetime after lifetime. Even in the Six Realms, we must have this resolve. Life after life, we must resolve to attain Buddhahood, to transcend the Three Realms and escape our afflictions. Only by doing this can we escape the Three Realms. So, sentient beings must quickly attain Bodhi. We must seize the moment [to walk] this Bodhi-path to enlightenment. We must earnestly accept the Dharma of this path.

The Buddha could enable sentient beings to readily attain Bodhi. This is why the elder told his sons, “All of you must come out quickly!” The following text immediately explains what it means for them to come out quickly.

For this reason, [the elder] “told his sons, ‘All of you must come out quickly!'” He wanted for them all to come out quickly. That is what this passage says.

We must hold fast to our initial aspiration, like the story we just told. Even though the Buddha was in hell and suffering, when He saw another suffer, He still said, “I will take his place.” This thought was one of great kindness. Such is the Buddha-mind, the nature of True Suchness. “Retain all teachings and uphold all good deeds.” This is the only way we can reach the Bodhi-path to enlightenment. This is the only way we can escape this place where the fire is closing in around us.

In the next passage, it states, “His sons happily indulged in their playing and refused to believe him. They were not alarmed or afraid and had no intention of leaving.” They did not want to leave. They were attached to worldly fame, profit and status. Their suffering was truly unbearable. The Buddha could not do much about it, so He “thought further about how to reveal the door of the causal practice of the Great Vehicle.”

He thought further about how to reveal the door of the causal practice of the Great Vehicle, but sentient beings could not give rise to faith, so they had nowhere to begin their practice.

Through the door of the Great Vehicle, we can all attain Buddhahood. We sentient beings must reflect on ourselves. Our intrinsic nature is Buddha-nature. But when the Buddha gave gradual teachings, sentient beings remained unafraid. Therefore, He pointed directly to our minds so we could see our true nature. Can sentient beings give rise to faith in time? If “sentient beings cannot give rise to faith, they have nowhere to begin their practice.” If they cannot give rise to faith, naturally, they will not practice diligently. So, we certainly need to have faith. Our faith must be deep. Only with a deep faith can we quickly begin our practice and leave the burning house of the Three Realms.

Thus, our initial aspiration is most important; after we have formed that initial aspiration, we will begin to “retain all teachings and uphold all good deeds.” If we can do this, then we can do good deeds, benefit others and create good karmic connections. This is what I have been telling everyone recently. This is the only way we can open the door that is obstructed. Only when our path is free of obstructions can we directly reach the state of the ultimate reality of all Dharma. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 549 – Saving the Children from the Burning House

>> “The Buddha applied compassion and wisdom for the sake of His one great cause. For suffering sentient beings, He is like a compassionate father. He sees His sons being immature and causing trouble. Only right faith can eliminate disasters.”

>> He further reflected, “This house has only one door. Moreover, it is narrow and small. My sons are young and immature and have no understanding. They are attached to the place where they play. So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.”

>> I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames, and this is the time for them to quickly leave so they will not be burned in the fire.

>> All the sons were in the burning house. They were deluded and lingering there, not seeking to escape. The elder, that kind father, saw that in his sons’ stubbornness, they did not seek to leave. How could he possibly sit there and watch? He contemplated how he could save them.

>> The fire is arising from all four sides, so they should quickly escape. The elder, urgently aware of this, yelled at them to quickly leave so they would not be burned by the fire. But sentient beings do not hear him and are unaware of the fire, so they do not consider escaping. This was what the elder worried about.

>> The sons ran about as they played and merely looked at their father: This is an analogy for sentient beings who cling to cyclic existence and transmigration in the Three Realms. As for what the Buddha said, they are completely unaware of it.

“The Buddha applied compassion and wisdom for the sake of His one great cause.
For suffering sentient beings, He is like a compassionate father.
He sees His sons being immature and causing trouble.
Only right faith can eliminate disasters.”

The Buddha applied compassion and wisdom for the sake of His one great cause. Because sentient beings are suffering, the Buddha acts as their compassionate father. He is also the guiding teacher of the Three Realms. How can He enable all sentient beings of the Three Realms to understand the true principles and penetrate the Great Vehicle Dharma? He is like a kind father who hopes his children will work hard and be successful and have a clear understanding of morality. Understanding this proper behavior is most important in life.

However, sentient beings are very immature. Not only are they immature, they are like stubborn children who do not listen and are unwilling to learn. They just want to play and are very restless. They simply cannot abide by the rules. Children like this will easily cause trouble. This is what most worries parents. Therefore, we need teachers who will not give up on their students and will do everything they can to teach us. [The Buddha] is like a compassionate parent who never gives up on his children. No matter how badly children behave, their parents still love them. Thus, the Buddha had to mindfully devise teachings.

The only solution was proper belief. He inspired us to develop the proper beliefs. If we stray from these beliefs or if we are slow to accept this Dharma, if we take our time in practicing our beliefs, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will worry.

A previous sutra passage mentioned the 10, 20 or 30 sons. The ones the Buddha worried most about were the “20 or 30 sons.” The “10” had already understood and accepted the Buddha’s teachings. They formed great aspirations and made the Four Great Vows to deliver all sentient beings. They were willing to go among people, thus they cultivated the Four Infinite Minds. They willingly and happily gave everything; this is the Bodhisattva-mind. Not only were they inspired, they put the teachings into practice.

For example, in the Samyuktavadana Sutra, there is a story about this. There was once a small kingdom whose king was named Sarvada. He was benevolent, believed in the Dharma and had formed great aspirations. He regarded his people as his own children, cherishing and protecting them.

In a neighboring kingdom, there was a poor person who often fell ill. However, he could not afford a doctor. So, he traveled to this kingdom to ask King Sarvada to save him by helping him receive treatment for his illnesses. Many doctors came to see the man and prescribed medicine, but nothing was effective. Later, the king gathered all the doctors and asked, “How come you cannot cure this man’s illness?” They all said, “The medicine is hard to obtain. What kind of medicine does he need? What is the name of this medicine?” The doctors said to the king, “This medicine needs to be taken with the flesh of someone free of the Five Poisons.”

[The king asked,] “What are the Five Poisons?” [“Being free of the Five Poisons”] “means first, his mind must be free of greed. Then he is without the first poison. Second, his mind must be free of anger. Then he is without the second poison. Third, his mind must be free of ignorance. Fourth, his mind must be free of jealousy. Fifth, his mind must be free of cruelty. If there is someone who is free of all of these five poisons, we can combine his flesh with the medicine. Then we will have a way to treat him.”

The king thought about it. Being free of these five things is not easy at all. Everyone more or less feels them to some extent. Indeed, the catalyst for this medicine would be hard to obtain. He thought to himself, “In my entire life, I have believed in the Buddha-Dharma and accepted the teachings, so I have not given rise to any of these.” He continued to contemplate this. “Indeed, every day I think about how to care for and love my people. I love them like my own children. I am not greedy for anything from them. I have never lost my temper with them or gotten angry at them. My mind has always been clear so I have never acted out of ignorance. I have also never felt jealous of anyone, not to mention treat anyone cruelly. When I think about it, I am the best catalyst for this medicine.”

After thinking it over, he made an announcement to the doctors, “You see, obtaining the catalyst is very simple. Cut off some flesh from my body and use it as the catalyst. Then this person will be saved.” Hearing this, they all said, “We cannot! Your majesty, you are like a kind father to your people. You are also their guiding teacher. We have all received your teachings and are cherished by you, so we feel very blessed. How can we cause harm to your body?

The king replied, “I am only giving just a small bit of flesh, I can save a person’s life. How could I not do this? Moreover, I practice the Buddha-Dharma. I want to walk the Bodhisattva-path, and. I vowed to deliver countless sentient beings. When I see someone who is suffering, how can I not help him?” He insisted in this way. So, they cut off some of his flesh and used it as the catalyst. Indeed, after the patient took the medicine, he gradually recovered. After he had totally recovered, he repaid the king by being loyal to him and staying by his side to serve him.

This is a parable and a teaching about causes and conditions. After listening to the Dharma, the king faithfully accepted and practiced it. Walking the Bodhisattva-path requires [cultivating] the Four Infinite Minds of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, and putting them into practice.

Those whom the Buddha worried most about were the “20” and “30” sons. They symbolize the second Vehicle, Solitary Realizers, and the third Vehicle, the Hearers. If people hear the Buddha-Dharma but do not develop the heart of a Bodhisattva, they have not truly eliminated their afflictions. The Dharma of wisdom has not deeply penetrated their mind. So, going through the door of the burning house is difficult because they still have many afflictions; thus they are burned by the flames.

If we cannot exit the door of our afflictions, how can we enter the Dharma-door of wisdom? This was the previous sutra passage, “[The elder] further reflected, ‘This house has only one door Moreover, it is narrow and small.'”

He further reflected, “This house has only one door. Moreover, it is narrow and small. My sons are young and immature and have no understanding. They are attached to the place where they play. So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.”

For sentient beings who have serious afflictions, the door is small and their afflictions great. Because of all those afflictions, there is no way they can go out that door. This is because these “sons are young and immature.” So, although they hear the Dharma, they still have tremendous attachments.

In the world today, many believe in the Buddha. These people also listen to the Dharma. Although they are willing to form aspirations, they cannot let go of their attachments. There are many people like this. I often hear, “The economy has been bad, so he has been working very hard. Now, they are starting to develop a new product. It is very tough.” I would say, “That is very difficult. His company is so large. He clearly knows that the world economy is in a depression. Why does he choose to keep working and put so much stress on himself? Well,” the wife would sigh, “What can he do? What can I do?” This is how the wives of these entrepreneurs feel.

Indeed, this is what people are like. They have heard the Dharma, but they cannot control themselves. They want to come up with something more advanced than everyone else. Living this way is indeed very tiring.

The door of the burning house, for people like this, is really too small. That is because of their greed; their desires are endless. Even though they have heard the Dharma, they still cannot let go of their desires and afflictions. Immersed in the Three Realms, the desire, form and formless realms, once a desire arises in their mind, they cannot let it go; this is very painful.

So, in the previous sutra text, the Buddha said, “I must tell them of these fearful matters.”

I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames, and this is the time for them to quickly leave so they will not be burned in the fire.

Although the Buddha used various methods, these children were so young and immature. They just kept playing in their home, not knowing they were in the fire. They thought the fire was something to play with. Therefore, the Buddha had to tell everyone, “You should be afraid; the world is suffering.” Not only is there suffering, there are many disasters. Impermanence and disasters may strike at any time. So, there are three major and three minor calamities, which continue to press in closer. This is why the Buddha began calling on us. From outside the burning house, He calls to us. “You are in danger! Come out right now! This house is already on fire. Everyone must come out.”

The following passage from the sutra states, “This is the time for them to quickly leave, so they will not be burned in the fire.” They must quickly get out of there so they will not get burned. But the children inside the burning house are deluded and linger there. They have lost their sense of reason, continuing to linger in this burning house. They crave pleasure, fame, wealth and so on, so they do not seek to escape.

All the sons were in the burning house. They were deluded and lingering there, not seeking to escape. The elder, that kind father, saw that in his sons’ stubbornness, they did not seek to leave. How could he possibly sit there and watch? He contemplated how he could save them.

Similarly, there was a house on fire in northern [Taiwan]. One man had already escaped, but thought about what he had left inside. So, he ran back in to get those things. In the end, before he even reached them, he was suffocated by the smoke. He passed out and was burned to death.

We actually see this in our modern day society. Clearly, the house is on fire. Disregarding his life, this man ran back inside. As a result, he died, the things were gone and the house burned down. People like this are everywhere nowadays. This analogy about the burning house and people remaining deluded and lost in it truly applies to many people.

The fire is arising from all four sides, so they should quickly escape. The elder, urgently aware of this, yelled at them to quickly leave so they would not be burned by the fire. But sentient beings do not hear him and are unaware of the fire, so they do not consider escaping. This was what the elder worried about.

The elder is very compassionate, the way a father feels toward his children. If the children were so foolish that they did not want to escape, their father could not sit calmly and watch. So, he kept contemplating different ways to quickly get his children out of there. Because the fire was burning on all sides, if they did not quickly run out, they would be in great danger.

The elder, “urgently aware of this, yelled at them, Hurry, get out of there now! Don’t get burned by the fire.” He continued to call out to them and remind them. But sentient beings did not hear, were unaware and unknowing. They had not yet thought about leaving quickly. They had not even considered leaving. They remained attached, lingering within the burning house.

“The sons ran about as they played.” They were running all over the place. Their father was calling to them, yelling at them. But they simply looked at him. The sons ran about as they played and merely looked at their father: This is an analogy for sentient beings who cling to cyclic existence and transmigration in the Three Realms. As for what the Buddha said, they are completely unaware of it.

As the Buddha expounded the Dharma, sentient beings listened. But all they did was listen. They saw how wonderful the Buddha-Dharma was, yet their hearts remained unmoved. They did not think about taking it in. They were like stubborn, immature children.

So, “Sentient beings cling to cyclic existence and transmigration in the Three Realms.” They are willing to remain transmigrating in the Three Realms. They are willing to be afflicted, to have greed, anger and ignorance, arrogance and doubt. They doubted the Buddha-Dharma, so they transmigrated in the Three Realms again. Clearly, they have heard the Buddha-Dharma. Yet they refuse to practice accordingly. The Buddha had spoken to them, but they had not awakened at all. This is what sentient beings are like.

This is like the world we live in, what the Buddha called the evil world of Five Turbidities. The turbidity is very severe. This is because of our views and understandings, our afflictions and the kinds of interactions we have with each other, as well as how our life is impermanent and painfully sort. But within this very short amount of time, we can create so much karma. Everything we have accumulated has contributed to forming this evil world of Five Turbidities. Even at this time, people do not try to escape, do not accept the Buddha-Dharma and do not transcend afflictions to leave this burning house. They continue to play in there without any thought of leaving. This is very worrying and very frightening. The Great Enlightened One, for the sake of deluded sentient beings, was shocked and afraid.

Think about this, shouldn’t we promptly seize the moment to accept the Dharma and practice it? By saving ourselves and saving others, we can bring peace to the world. This has to start with each one of us. We must start with ourselves. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 548 – Instilling a Sense of Urgency in Deluded Children

>> “The Buddha felt great compassion for those in the great house. The way that a father looks at his sons is the way He looks at His Dharma-children. A father cannot bear for his sons to remain in a burning house, but his sons are so deluded in their thinking they do not seek to escape. With a sense of great urgency, this kind father wants to save them. With provisional and wondrous Dharma, He tenderly cares for and guards His sons.”

>> He further reflected, “This house has only one door. Moreover, it is narrow and small. My sons are young and immature and have no understanding. They are attached to the place where they play. So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.”

>> “I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames and this is the time for them to quickly leave, so they will not be burned by the fire.”

>> I must tell them of these fearful matters: “I” refers to the compassionate Buddha. For the sake of sentient beings, great compassion arose in Him. He established various kinds of teachings to explain the truth of suffering, and how the accumulation of afflictions gives rise to the fires of ignorance. He urgently informed us to be afraid and alarmed.

>> This house is already in flames: All the sons were in the burning house. They were deluded and lingering there and did not seek to escape. The elder, that kind father, saw that in his sons’ stubbornness, they did not seek to leave. How could he possibly sit there and watch? He contemplated how he could save them.

“The Buddha felt great compassion for those in the great house.
The way that a father looks at his sons is the way He looks at His Dharma-children.
A father cannot bear for his sons to remain in a burning house,
but his sons are so deluded in their thinking they do not seek to escape.
With a sense of great urgency, this kind father wants to save them.
With provisional and wondrous Dharma, He tenderly cares for and guards His sons.”

The Buddha feels great urgency. His compassion is like that of a father for his sons. This kind father cares deeply about His children. If there is a great house filled with children, and these children do not behave and listen to the teachings, their father will be very concerned.

The father’s compassion extends to everyone in this great house, an analogy [for the Three Realms]. It encompasses all of his sons and family members; he feels compassion for all of them. He cares for all people in all places. Everyone in this house is in his thoughts and under his protection.

His heart is like that of the Buddha. The Buddha’s heart is like that of the father. The loving way a father views his child is the way the Buddha views His disciples, those related to Him by the Dharma-essence.

The essence of the Dharma [is like bone marrow]. Consider our bone marrow donor registry. Some people have certain kinds of diseases. These diseases occur because the human body [lacks] the critical ability to produce blood cells. If we lose this ability, then we have a disease. For instance, some people get leukemia. Modern medical technology has reached the point that if we are able to find the right match, we can transplant one person’s hematopoietic stem cells into the patient. However, finding a match is not that easy. We may have to go through hundreds of thousands of people before we find a match. This match is extremely hard to find. However, even though the likelihood of finding a match is so slim, we have the technology and are dedicated to saving lives. Since we have the technology to do this, we must make use of it. Even though it takes a lot of material wealth, it gives us a chance to physically save someone’s life.

This is possible when intangible true principles can be made manifest as tangible [technology]. But to operate the conditioned phenomena of technology, we need our technical skills, wisdom and scientific knowledge. By manifesting these in a tangible way, we can employ many factors to safeguard people’s lives. Therefore, we have established. Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center.

We also need many people to persuade donors. Once a patient’s match is found in the registry, we need to find this person. Is this person still healthy? Is this person still living at the address on record? Some people joined the registry10 to 20 years ago, so they may have moved abroad or somewhere else in this country. We may have to work hard to find the person. Is this person still willing? Will this person donate? If this person is willing to donate, how does the family feel? The answer may be no. Then what should we do? We must put our hearts into persuading them. When the family members are at peace with it, and the donor is willing to donate, then we can promptly help them to accomplish this virtuous deed. This is how a bone marrow transplant happens.

See, for all kinds of tangible phenomena to be able to converge and take shape, they must arise from what is intangible, the unconditioned Dharma. The principles of matter and of life and so on have always existed in this world. These principles are not visible but they have always existed. The Buddha’s wisdom [can be seen from] how in ancient times, people did not have the technical skills and instruments we have now, yet the Buddha, in His wisdom, had already said, “Head, eyes, marrow and brain were all given to others.” This is the compassion of the Buddha.

The Buddha greatly values the lives of all sentient beings in the world. He has the wisdom to thoroughly understand the composition of life. So, “The Buddha felt great compassion for those in the great house.” This means that the Buddha, as the Great Enlightened One of the Universe, has a great ocean of enlightened compassion. There is nothing He does not know, no principle He does not understand. Therefore, over 2000 years ago, He already knew about these subtle and intricate workings of the body. He had already stated these principles. Now, over 2000 years later, from these principles, many have been able to investigate the biological principles of what the body needs in order to function and the ways of treating different illnesses. Currently, in the registry there are many people of different ethnicities. Whether their skin color is black, white, red or yellow, regardless of what ethnic group they belong to, through this bone marrow registry we can find information on their hematopoietic stem cells. Then we are able to assess if they are a match that can save a life.

As long as we have the will, we can definitely find a way to save someone. This is like a compassionate father. [All his children] are in the same household, a large and prosperous household. This prosperous household is referring to the perfect teachings of the Dharma. The spiritual home of His mind is replete with wisdom and compassion. When this father of great wisdom sees his children sick with illness, he cannot bear it. Some children have an illness of the mind. Some children have an illness of the body. Illnesses of the body can be treated with a bone marrow transplant or can be treated with medicine. But what about illnesses of the mind?

Due to illnesses of the mind, there are some people in society who do not follow principles, do not respect family relationships or lack the moral values of being a good person. Therefore, they commit wrongdoings. This is due to their minds. Some clearly know they are violating the law but still commit the offences on purpose. Some stubbornly cling to their perspectives, their thinking and their religious views, which constantly causes problems. They may hold improper thoughts and views, or follow improper teachings and so on. These are all attachments. Some people choose not to believe in the karmic law of cause and effect. They refuse to believe it. In this way, they have become derailed from their path in the human realm. There are many kinds of derailed mindsets. Sometimes it is due to ignorance. Sometimes it is intentional. Sometimes it is a bias toward improper teachings. Going astray is like playing with fire. They already know it is against the law and will damage their morals and ethics. However, they still commit the offenses. This is something the Buddha could not control.

The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause. He only has one goal, like a kind father in a family who only hopes his children will listen to him and follow an ethical and moral path. Sadly, these children just do whatever they want. “A father cannot bear for his sons to remain in a burning house, but his sons are so deluded in their thinking they do not seek to escape.” Once we know something is wrong, we must immediately leave the situation. Once we know this place is dangerous, we must quickly relocate to a safe place. Unfortunately, people are unwilling to learn, or they learn the Dharma but do not accept and practice the teachings. Thus, they are still sentient beings with deluded thinking. Therefore, “With a sense of great urgency, this kind father wants to save them.” The Buddha could not bear to give up on them. He is just like a kind father who, no matter how terrible the children are, is still unwilling to abandon them. So, He had to quickly think of ways to help them. If this Dharma has no effect on us, He will try other ways to transform us. This is the Buddha’s heart, a heart of great compassion. “With provisional and wondrous Dharma, He tenderly cares for and guards His sons.” How does should the Dharma be taught in order for us to accept it? It is important to find the [right] methods.

So, the Buddha had to work very hard. He has already left the burning house of the Three Realms and was able to realize the true principles of all things in the universe. But He still had to exercise His ocean of enlightened compassion to come and save sentient beings. Unfortunately, most sentient beings are unwilling to learn. Even people who wish to learn and practice the Buddha-Dharma, those who listen to teachings, still cling to their delusions and do not awaken. Therefore, the Buddha shared. His wisdom in this world to teach everyone how to transcend this foolishness and enter the door of wisdom.

The previous sutra passage states,

“[The elder] further reflected.” The fire had arisen on all four sides, but some children were still playing games inside. They did not yet realize the fire would burn them. They still did not understand or recognize this, so they could not realize it. This shows how very immature they are. “My sons are young and immature and have no understanding.” They do not yet understand. Therefore, “They are attached to the place where they play.” They still linger in this environment. Clearly, the flames are coming closer, yet they do not realize that life is painfully short and impermanent. In such a short life, we need to seek infinite wisdom. How much time do we really have to find peace in our minds? How do we eliminate our afflictions? We must avoid bringing afflictions into our minds and should not linger on attachment to self. If we linger here, we may degenerate and even be burned in the fire.

He further reflected, “This house has only one door. Moreover, it is narrow and small. My sons are young and immature and have no understanding. They are attached to the place where they play. So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.”

This sutra passage is used to earnestly remind us sentient beings that there is no peace in the Three Realms, just like a burning house. We must quickly transcend the Three Realms. The sound [of the flames] is growing closer. We cannot linger any longer. Since we have the opportunity to encounter the Buddha-Dharma, every day after listening we must reflect on ourselves to see if we still have these afflictions in our minds. If we do, we must promptly change our ways. Everything in this world is impermanent. On the Bodhisattva-path, we must promptly accept the Buddha’s teachings and put them into practice. We must quickly eliminate our habitual tendencies.

The Buddha said, “I must tell them of these fearful matters.” The teachings the Buddha normally gave were such that people could not accept them right away, so they saw “what is impermanent as permanent.” They assume they will be just as healthy tomorrow. In this way, they “cling to impermanence as permanence.” The Buddha had to quickly tell everybody, “Beware of impermanence! It is about to strike. The evil world of Five Turbidities is already in front of us.” Our afflictions and ignorance cause an imbalance in the four elements, so the three major and three minor calamities are continuing to converge; natural and manmade disasters are already closing around us.

So, the Buddha said, “I must tell them of these fearful matters. I must explain to them that this is alarming and frightful.” This world is impermanent. This world is filled with so much suffering. This world experiences so many disasters. All these disasters are like flames which have surrounded us. We need to quickly escape through this door. To shed the burden of our afflictions, we must quickly purify our minds. We must escape the door of turbidities and open up the door of wisdom. By quickly accepting the Buddha-Dharma, we are opening the door of wisdom.

The following sutra passage states,

“I must tell them of these fearful matters. This house is already in flames and this is the time for them to quickly leave, so they will not be burned by the fire.”

This signifies the Buddha’s compassion, how He could not bear for us to suffer.

Obviously, the world is full of dangers, yet these people do not know they need to awaken. The Buddha could not bear this, so He felt great compassion for them. With great compassion for sentient beings, “He established various kinds of teachings.” That is why He gave so many teachings and painstakingly taught with various expressions and analogies. He taught us in these ways, but we cling to our delusions and do not awaken. We are still attached to our afflictions.

The Buddha constantly counseled us with suffering, the truth of suffering, the true principles of suffering. We should understand the truth of suffering, that it is caused by the accumulation of various afflictions, which give rise to the fire of ignorance. These accumulated afflictions have caused the fire of ignorance to arise. Now, this fire has already reached a critical state. The Buddha told everyone that this situation was urgent, and they would do well to be afraid.

I must tell them of these fearful matters: “I” refers to the compassionate Buddha. For the sake of sentient beings, great compassion arose in Him. He established various kinds of teachings to explain the truth of suffering, and how the accumulation of afflictions gives rise to the fires of ignorance. He urgently informed us to be afraid and alarmed.

While I talk about this, I truly start to feel a sense of urgency too. What can I do? Everyone’s mind and habitual tendencies [vary]. What method can I use to help everybody accept the Dharma, correct their habitual tendencies and work in concert with love and harmony? People must eliminate their habitual tendencies and afflictions in order to develop their wisdom. We organize with the precepts and manage with love. The precepts are for self-discipline; not for telling other people what to do. We need to love and care for others, not to try to manage them. If we can understand and practice this, we have self-respect. People with self-respect are the ones who can truly love others. People who love others are the ones who truly love themselves. As spiritual practitioners, we must practice self-respect. We cannot allow our hearts and minds to be covered by ignorance and afflictions. If we do not love ourselves, we will not be able to truly love others and will give rise to many afflictions. Then we will feel as if we are in a burning house.

“This house is already in flames. All the sons are in the burning house.” Inside the burning house, the sons are still deluded and lingering there. They do not want to leave. So, “The elder, that kind father, saw that in his sons’ stubbornness,” they were very unyielding and foolish and “did not seek to leave.” How could he sit there peacefully? He had to quickly find ways to [save them]. So, “He contemplated how he could save them.”

This house is already in flames: All the sons were in the burning house. They were deluded and lingering there and did not seek to escape. The elder, that kind father, saw that in his sons’ stubbornness, they did not seek to leave. How could he possibly sit there and watch? He contemplated how he could save them.

This is why the Buddha “further reflected.” He had always intended to expound the Dharma by gently and softly telling them, “Life is impermanent, so practice earnestly,” but some still clung to their delusions and did not awaken. Therefore, the Buddha had to use this approach, telling everyone that three calamities have arisen in the evil world of Five Turbidities. The three major and three minor calamities have become obvious in the world. In this realm of physical existence, we can clearly see them. Are we really still willing to linger here?

Earth-shattering disasters have taken place. A world-changing awakening should have occurred. We must mindfully seize our opportunities. At this time we can listen to the Dharma and have space to engage in self-reflection. So, I hope everyone will always be mindful.

Episode 547 – The Great Vehicle Leads to Liberation

>> “Contemplate the body as impure, not a source of joy. Our sensations and thoughts are painful and impermanent. If we cling to our sense of self, we will linger and degenerate. We must reflect on the Dharma with right thinking.”

>> “Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts, ‘My body and arms are strong I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.'”

>> “[The elder] further reflected, ‘This house has only one door Moreover, it is narrow and small My sons are young and immature and have no understanding They are attached to the place where they play So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.'”

>> The elder observed that the house was engulfed in a raging fire and only had one door. This is an analogy for the Great Vehicle. “Narrow and small” means that if the Great Vehicle teachings are taught to the Two Vehicle practitioners, they cannot walk through that door. Because the door of the Great Vehicle is not something they can walk through, it instead is called narrow and small.

>> They may fall and be burned in the fire: This describes how newly-inspired sentient beings greedily cling to desires and pleasures, so they are entangled by afflictions and cannot ever escape.

>> They did not know which was the fire and which was the house, or where the danger was. This is an analogy for how sentient beings do not understand that the Five Desires are the sources of suffering. They do not understand what their pure mind is and how they have covered over and obscured their intrinsic minds.

>> The Five Desires exacerbate the pain, like pressing fire against scabies. The Five Desires are of no benefit, like a dog trying to bite a flame. The Five Desires cause conflict, like vultures fighting over rotten flesh. The Five Desires burn people, like a torch held in to a headwind.

“Contemplate the body as impure, not a source of joy.
Our sensations and thoughts are painful and impermanent.
If we cling to our sense of self, we will linger and degenerate.
We must reflect on the Dharma with right thinking.”

In our daily living, we must make an effort to observe ourselves. Every day, in our daily living, is our body pure, or is it impure? Within our physical body, is there anything worth cherishing and treasuring? If any part of our body is wounded and not taken care of properly, the wound may fester and give off a stench. When someone dies, if the body is not properly taken care of, within a day, it will also begin to smell. The body is so unclean; what joy can we find in it?

Everyone is always fighting. Isn’t it for the sake of this physical body that we fight over things and try to take them? If we did not have this body, what would there be to fight about? With all things in the world, [we feel,]. “I crave it. I need it. I want it and so on.” With this body comes a sense of self and cravings, which lead us to do many things.

All this comes from having a body. So, will this body lead us to create disasters? If we think that it is permanent and will last forever, that once we are born into this world, we will have a long time to live, then we will create much karma. Thus, we must rein in our mind to focus on our body. We must contemplate and earnestly observe our body in our daily living, in our every action and so on. What happens to our body when we fall ill? What does our body look like after we die? If we think about the body in this way, there is nothing lovable about it whatsoever.

However, if we shift our mindset and look at things from another perspective, we will be grateful that we have this body. Even though this body is impure, it is our vessel for spiritual practice. We can utilize this body to earnestly engage in spiritual practice, to diligently advance and seek the Dharma. If we can take the Dharma to heart, then we can go among people to do good deeds, benefit others, form good karmic connections and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We can do this because we have this body. So, we must make an effort to cherish it and take very good care of it, so that it can be a vessel for spiritual practice every day. It is a vessel for the path, which means that as we seek the Dharma, so many teachings can be attained through diligently practicing with our bodies, thus nourishing our wisdom-life. This is why we must be grateful for our body.

How do we make use of this body [to realize] genuine permanence, genuine purity and the genuine greater self? That is the way that true spiritual practitioners use it as a physical vessel for spiritual cultivation. If we can do so, we can realize “permanence, joy, self and purity.”

Ordinary people, when it comes to “permanence, joy, self and purity,” have an inverted view of them. Conditioned phenomena, which is referring to things in a state of “existence,” are what ordinary people cling to. Today, this plant looks green and lush. These fresh flowers look so beautiful. These are tangible things. They are impermanent, but we cling to them as if they are permanent. The body is also something tangible. It is impermanent, but we cling to it as if it is permanent. Everything in this world that our eyes can see is considered by us to be “permanent.” We “cling to the impermanent as permanent” and we “cling to the not-joyful as joyful.”

Every day, our body is clearly impure. Yet every day, everything that we do is mixed-up and backwards, creating the causes and effects of suffering. These things are not joyful, but we treat them as joyful. In interpersonal conflicts, we create a cycle of animosity and resentment. Obviously this brings suffering, but we cling to it as something joyful. Regarding “permanence, joy, self and purity,” as I said a few days ago, we must not be attached. All of these attachments start from our having this body. The body is so unclean and creates so much karma. Lifetime after lifetime we create karma.

But if we look at things from another perspective, the true principles are permanent. A tranquil and clear state is joyful. Nirvana is a state of tranquility and clarity. This state of Nirvana is also called the “land of calm illumination.” This is a very bright, peaceful and pure state. It is everlasting. Principles are also everlasting. You cannot see everlasting true principles. We have been saying recently that true principles are permanent and bring a state of joy, because nothing is obstructing us and nothing is tempting us. True principles are intangible and formless, but they give us a course for living our lives. If we apply them to provide guidance in our lives, then we can realize the “greater self” a “self” that pervades the universe. We often speak of having “a heart that encompasses the universe and embraces the boundless worlds within it.”

Shouldn’t we care about all things in this world? In conclusion, when we talk about the “self,” we are referring to our body. If, for the sake of “my body,” I create a lot of karma, that is the wrong thing to do. So, we must learn to be like the Buddha in using our bodies to practice being accommodating with everything and using our bodies to help other people. We are grateful that our body allows us to walk the Bodhisattva-path and develop our wisdom-life. In this way, our body will truly be valuable and precious.

The teaching, “Contemplate the body as impure” contains many principles that we must earnestly think about. Otherwise, if as ordinary people we only use our body to experience daily physical sensations, our minds will suffer greatly. This feeling of suffering is also due to impermanence.

I already told you something very clearly. “Do you understand? Yes, I understand.” Soon after, your answer changes to, “I did not understand; I thought it was this way.” It is really not an easy matter for people to understand each other. This is why things often do not go our way. So, “Our sensations and thoughts are painful.” This is [due to] impermanence.

“If we cling to our sense of self, we will linger and degenerate.” If we all cling to our sense of self, we will be attached to our bodies, and seek enjoyment for their sakes. Fame, wealth and so on are all for the sake of the “self.” This “self” will truly degenerate. If we do not realize that there is no joy and no permanence and simply remain attached, everything we do will lead us to degenerate in the future.

So, we must really be mindful and. “We must reflect on the Dharma with right thinking.” We must use a very pure mind to earnestly contemplate the Buddha’s teachings. If we can accept the Buddha’s teachings, eliminate all afflictions and make great vows to go among the people, then in this way, we can leave the burning house and enter the Dharma-door. This is how we can become liberated.

So, in the previous sutra passage, the Buddha said to Sariputra,

“Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts, ‘My body and arms are strong I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.'”

We must be mindful. Some people can accept [the Dharma] and have already escaped the burning house. Some people have not entered the Dharma-door. Then there are others who have not even escaped the burning house, so how can they enter the Dharma-door? So, what is to be done? The Buddha applied His wisdom to devise teachings that would help everyone enter this door. “My body and arms are strong. I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.” He had to use various skillful means to tempt the children to come out.

The next sutra passage states,

“[The elder] further reflected, ‘This house has only one door Moreover, it is narrow and small My sons are young and immature and have no understanding They are attached to the place where they play So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.'”

This sutra passage describes how the elder then had other thoughts. The Buddha applied wisdom to save [beings] before, teaching with various methods and analogies. Although these methods and analogies, these teachings, were being heard, there was “only one door.” Then the door is described by, “Moreover, it is narrow and small.”

Think about it; this great house was surrounded by fire on all four sides. The fire burning the house was blazing fiercely. To save the children, to save the people inside, there was only one door. This is an analogy for “the door to the Great Vehicle.” This house has “only one door,” the door to the Great Vehicle.

This door is also small and narrow. In this case, “small and narrow” is an analogy for the Great Vehicle Dharma. Now, the Great Vehicle Dharma was being taught for the Two Vehicle practitioners.

The elder observed that the house was engulfed in a raging fire and only had one door. This is an analogy for the Great Vehicle. “Narrow and small” means that if the Great Vehicle teachings are taught to the Two Vehicle practitioners, they cannot walk through that door. Because the door of the Great Vehicle is not something they can walk through, it instead is called narrow and small.

The Two Vehicle practitioners are. Solitary Realizers and Hearers. Solitary Realizers only seek to awaken themselves. They cannot walk the Bodhisattva-path. The door to the Great Vehicle “is not something they can walk through,” so, “it instead is called narrow and small.” Because they only seek to awaken themselves, their capabilities do not resonate with [this path]. Thus, they have not accepted the Great Vehicle. The Two Vehicle practitioners believe that they are already pure. They have this kind of arrogance. “I’m already pure. I’m already liberated. I don’t want to go back into the world.” This door of the One Vehicle Dharma is too narrow and small for them.

Why is this Great Vehicle Dharma narrow and small to them? Because they still have a sense of “self. I’m pure. I’m liberated.” They believe they are better than everyone else, and no teaching surpasses what they know. Two Vehicle practitioners feel that to walk the Bodhisattva-path, they must go among people, evils and turbidities. The turbidity of sentient beings is very severe, and these practitioners do not want to be defiled. So, this door seems very small door to them. “It is not something they can walk through.” They are unwilling to enter this door. So, this Dharma-door is hard to enter.

Although they have left the burning house, they do not want to enter this Dharma-door. So, they are still not safe. The next passage states, “My sons are young and immature and have no understanding. They are attached to the place where they play. So, they may fall and be burned in the fire.”

“They may fall and be burned in the fire” is an analogy for people who are newly inspired. They have just begun to listen to the Dharma or have begun to accept it after hearing it. However, their spiritual aspirations are not firm.

They may fall and be burned in the fire: This describes how newly-inspired sentient beings greedily cling to desires and pleasures, so they are entangled by afflictions and cannot ever escape.

When we hear the Dharma, there must be love in our hearts; we must give rise to compassion. Moreover, we must respect living beings. Sadly, ordinary people cling to their desires. They are attached to their desires and pleasures, their momentary cravings, their desire for taste.

Take the pigs raised in pigpens in particular, they roll around in manure. The things that cows, dogs and other animals eat are still inside their bodies. That is their way of living. After killing them, we swallow them. Is this food pure? Before we ate them, they were living in polluted environment. Then we swallowed them into our stomachs. When we swallow them, our own bodies also become very impure. So, there is no joy in this. But, in a state of confusion, people “greedily cling to desires and pleasures, so they are entangled by afflictions and cannot ever escape.” This is just like those who “may fall and be burned in the fire.”

If we are like them, even though we listen to the Dharma, we cannot accept it. We still have greed and attachments. “They did not know which was the fire and which was the house.” The burning house was already on fire, but they still could not tell the difference.

They did not know which was the fire and which was the house, or where the danger was. This is an analogy for how sentient beings do not understand that the Five Desires are the sources of suffering. They do not understand what their pure mind is and how they have covered over and obscured their intrinsic minds.

[They did not understand] “where the danger was.” Why are we in this state? We could have been very joyful. We could have accepted the Buddha-Dharma and have been in a truly tranquil, clear and safe state. Why did we lose this state? Because we did not know that this state existed.

So, this is an analogy for how sentient beings do not know that the Five Desires lead to suffering. Sentient beings do not understand that the Five Desires are the sources of suffering. “They did not understand what their pure mind is.” They also did not know what it was that covered their [pure] intrinsic minds. We do not know any of these answers.

Only by learning the Dharma, the Buddha’s teachings, can we understand the Five Desires. They are like a piece of black cloth that is always covering us. So, all we see are our desires. We do not know that beyond our desires, there is a pure state of mind. This pure mind has actually been covered by the Five Desires.

So, the Five Desires keep adding to our thoughts of desire. Thus, the Five Desires are “like pressing fire against scabies. The Five Desires are of no benefit, like a dog trying to bite a flame.”

The Five Desires exacerbate the pain, like pressing fire against scabies. The Five Desires are of no benefit, like a dog trying to bite a flame. The Five Desires cause conflict, like vultures fighting over rotten flesh. The Five Desires burn people, like a torch held in to a headwind.

We are already suffering from our ignorance, just like having a skin condition which itches and produces boils. Not knowing what to do, we burn it with fire, which aggravates our suffering. The Five Desires are indeed not beneficial. We are like a dog who sees the fire and tries to bite it. Biting the fire, the dog does not let go. He just keeps running around. This is a metaphor.

“The Five Desires cause conflict.” People compete with each other, like vultures that see rotten flesh. A whole flock of vultures fight over that piece of meat with no success. They just peck each other back and forth. Humans are like this too. Because of their desires, they fight openly and plot secretly, causing unbearable suffering.

The Five Desires can burn people, “like a torch held in to a headwind.” When the wind is blowing towards us, if we raise a torch and walk towards it, the flames will end up burning us. That is what the Five Desires do.

The Buddha used wisdom to teach the Dharma. People with great capabilities can accept it and transcend this suffering. They can enter the Dharma-door and widely transform sentient beings. After understanding the Dharma, some people do not open their minds to take in the Dharma. Some people listen to the Dharma, but cannot put it into practice. They continue to pursue the Five Desires however it pleases them.

“I listen, but I eat and do as I wish. I’m a reverent Buddhist disciple, but I still do these things and continue to live this way.” People like this are in a state of confusion. If we are like them, though we hear the Buddha-Dharma, we still do not understand and are still immersed in the Five Desires. Then we will certainly fall and be burned by the fire of afflictions.

In summary, humans are deluded and lack wisdom. Indeed, many things are hard to explain; the only way is for us to mindfully realize them.

Episode 546 – Use Perfect Enlightenment and Wisdom to

>> Transform Those With Limited Capacities. “The Tathagata has perfect enlightenment and great wisdom. He is replete with compassion and true principles. The playful sons foolishly set off sparks and, as the fire surrounded them, they did not know to feel shock or fear.”

>> “Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts.”

>> [He thought,] “My body and arms are strong. I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.”

>> A sack: In ancient India, this was a container used to hold flowers. It could be used to protect the young and innocent and help bring them out of the burning house. This is an analogy for transforming those with limited capabilities.

>> A table: Small objects are safely placed on a side table. Large objects are safely placed on a long table. Youths in their prime can climb on them and escape the fire. This is an analogy for transforming those with average capabilities.

>> “If I use my wisdom. I can manifest spiritual powers and the power of wisdom to teach my understanding and views, powers, fearlessness.”

>> “[Enabling] sentient beings to escape the house of the Three Realms, transcend the Four Inverted Views and understand the Five Aggregates.”

>> Thus it says, [He would] carry them out of the house. Then he thought further upon this again. Clearly, the One Vehicle Dharma is great, yet capabilities for accepting it are limited. This is analogous to the narrow door.

>> Because people cling to the Four Inverted Views and Five Aggregates, it is hard for them to pass through the Dharma-door. Thus it says, “The door is narrow.”

“The Tathagata has perfect enlightenment and great wisdom.
He is replete with compassion and true principles.
The playful sons foolishly set off sparks and,
as the fire surrounded them, they did not know to feel shock or fear.”

The Tathagata already has perfect wisdom and is replete with the three elements of enlightenment. He enlightened Himself and others, and has perfect enlightened conduct. He is replete with compassion and has understood the true principles. However, we ordinary people are like those foolish sons playing. They still did not understand what “principles” are, nor did they try to follow the teachings. These foolish sons did not want to learn and were always causing trouble, not realizing that they were surrounded by danger. So, they felt no shock or fear. Isn’t this how we sentient beings behave?

The Buddha is like the kind father of the world. He is replete with morals and has completed His learning. His knowledge of principles, virtue and His character have all been perfected. But how can He teach the children and other family members who live in this great house? Each family member in this great house has his own habitual tendencies. The children are not very serious, either. This kind father will feel worried and helpless, but will not give up. So, He devised wondrous provisional teachings and skillful means as ways of teaching everyone.

When the Buddha was in this world, the disciple closest to Him was Ananda. One time, Ananda developed a boil on his back. It was abscessed. Medically, this is an “ulcerative carbuncle.” This boil was extremely painful. It had already festered and had to be operated on.

The Buddha told the doctor, “Go ahead and operate on him. I will speak to Ananda and divert his attention.” Sure enough, since the Buddha was before him, Ananda concentrated on listening to the Dharma with the respect he always had. The Buddha spoke to Ananda in the tone of voice He normally used, saying, “Ananda, spiritual practice cannot wait. You must seize the opportunities for awakening. If you want to awaken, your Six Roots must be focused on one thing. As you physically sit here, you must use your eyes and ears in concert.”

As Ananda listened to the Buddha speak, he was unaware that the boil was being lanced, and all the pus was being drained. Everything went smoothly. The Buddha then asked Ananda, “Ananda, did that hurt?” Ananda answered, “I did not feel anything at all. Someone was treating the boil on my back yet I felt no pain at all.”

The Buddha turned to the other bhiksus and said, “Be focused when you listen to the Dharma. When Ananda suffered this physical ailment, he focused on the teaching of the Dharma. This allowed his physical suffering to be treated. His treatment was completed [so easily], and he took the Dharma to heart, took the true principles to heart and developed his wisdom-life.” [In this story of] the Buddha and Ananda, Ananda’s ailment was treated while the Buddha used the Dharma to treat his mind, diverting his attention from his physical pain to listening to the Dharma. So, when we concentrate, we can take the Buddha-Dharma to heart.

There was one time when. Chi Hang came back to the Abode from Malaysia. While talking, he mentioned a young volunteer, Cheng Yi, and his life story. He said, “When [Cheng Yi] was born, he had no hands; he was physically handicapped.” When his parents saw that their child was born without hands, they abandoned him. Another couple could not bear to see this so they brought him home and raised him. As this child slowly grew older, like any typical child, he went to school. He went to elementary, middle, then high school. However, because he lacked both hands, as he interacted with other children, he could not help but feel inferior.

Just before entering college, he happened to come in contact with Tzu Chi volunteers. They helped him apply for scholarships and constantly encouraged him. He was very smart and studious, so he was accepted into college. However, he was worried. “Once I graduate, where will I work?” Chi Hang and the other volunteers told him, “Don’t worry about your post-graduation plans; come work for Tzu Chi.” He felt very happy and comforted. Once he graduated, he reported to work at Tzu Chi. He was responsible for managing the same field that he had studied, information technology. He was in charge of this for the office. Whether the 3-in-1 (documentation) team needed photographs to be uploaded or needed video footage to be edited, he would use his feet to edit the images and videos. He was responsible for all of the typing and documentation.

During the Malaysian volunteers’ previous trip, I asked him, “Are you listening to the teachings? Do you wake up for the morning Dharma talk?” He quickly stood, came before me and said, “When I go back, I will do this diligently. Very well, now that you have promised me, you must go back and diligently learn the Dharma.” Indeed, when he went back to Malaysia, he woke up early every morning to attend the morning recitation and my Dharma talk. But as soon as I began the lecture with, “Fellow practitioners,” he would start to nod off and sleep, all the way until, “Always be mindful.” Then, he would wake up. He said, “This is frustrating, what should I do?” Because I speak Taiwanese, which he could not understand, as soon as I said, “Fellow practitioners,” he would immediately fall asleep.

So, how could he learn Taiwanese? He said he concentrated on listening and focused all his attention on his ears. One day, suddenly, while he focused single-mindedly on listening, he heard a “pop” in his ears. From then on, he could understand every sentence that I spoke.

Following the talk, the volunteers shared their realizations at a study group. Those who understood would take notes. On that day I taught about “perfecting the three elements of enlightenment,” [which sounds like “three angles” in Taiwanese]. In the group, the volunteers discussed what I said. One volunteer drew it for everyone, a line going this way, this way, then that way. There were three angles, a triangle! Cheng Yi explained to him, “Master didn’t say ‘triangle’, but rather ‘the three elements of enlightenment.'” He had made a note about this. He took notes with his feet, taking down every single word. When he showed everyone his notes, he had “the three elements of enlightenment.”

So, is he lacking anything? No. He has all of his six sense organs. Although he has no hands, his feet were very dexterous. Chi Hang told me, “His notes are even neater than handwritten ones. They are very clear and orderly.” He took in every sentence I said. Strangely enough, he can only understand Taiwanese when I speak it, not when anyone else speaks it.

Think about this; it is incredible! But it is not that inconceivable. We must believe the Buddha’s teachings that [anything is possible] when we are completely focused on receiving the Dharma. When we accept the Dharma with sincerity, we can take every single sentence to heart.

If we are like foolish children, we will remain mischievous and stubborn, doing as we please and refusing to listen to any directions. If we are like this, in spite of disasters arising on all sides, we will still not be afraid. This worries the elder of the great house. What method could he use to help everyone accept the Dharma, take it to heart and manifest it in their actions? This is what the Buddha mindfully contemplated.

The previous passage states,

“Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts.”

The elder was very mindful about this.

[He thought,] “My body and arms are strong. I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.”

“My body and arms are strong” is what we discussed yesterday. [In the analogies of] body and arms, “body” represents compassion and “arms” represent wisdom. Having compassion, we think of how to safeguard sentient beings and how to relieve suffering with our two hands. This represents wisdom and compassion. Compassion and wisdom are expressed by saying, “body and arms [that] are strong.” But what methods should he use? The passage continues, “I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.”

“A sack,” in ancient India, was something delicate used to hold flowers made of cloth. This container which was wrapped around things is called a sack.

A sack: In ancient India, this was a container used to hold flowers. It could be used to protect the young and innocent and help bring them out of the burning house. This is an analogy for transforming those with limited capabilities.

This object is used as an analogy for something used to protect the young and innocent. Very young children can be shielded by [a sack]. “Children” represents those who have limited capabilities and a superficial understanding of the Dharma, so this is an analogy for transforming those with limited capabilities.

Next is “a table. Table” here can refer to a side table. This is like the table we use to serve tea. It is very small, or like a tray where we place decorative items. This can only hold smaller objects, things which serve decorative purposes. We place small objects on small tables, which we call side tables.

A table: Small objects are safely placed on a side table. Large objects are safely placed on a long table. Youths in their prime can climb on them and escape the fire. This is an analogy for transforming those with average capabilities.

“Long table” refers to bigger tables. Heavier objects can be placed on long tables. We can do our work at this table or put heavy objects on it. “Large objects are safely placed on a long table.” This is an analogy for transforming youth in their prime. At this age, they can climb on the table to escape the fire.

If they cannot escape through the door, they can stack up the tables to escape the fire. This is an analogy for those with limited or average capabilities. The Buddha must be very careful with them. When those with great capabilities hear the Dharma, they can accept and understand it, so He worried most about people with limited or average capabilities. Though they listened to the Dharma, they did not truly take the Dharma to heart.

So, the Buddha said,

“If I use my wisdom. I can manifest spiritual powers and the power of wisdom to teach my understanding and views, powers, fearlessness.”

He taught them in these ways, using His wisdom and His spiritual powers, these kinds of abilities, in order to teach. Simply by speaking to them, He hoped that everyone could accept the Dharma. He hoped that everyone could take the Dharma that He taught to heart,

“[Enabling] sentient beings to escape the house of the Three Realms, transcend the Four Inverted Views and understand the Five Aggregates.”

Recently, the house of the Three Realms is something you have grown familiar with. The desire realm, form realm and formless realm have been compared to this great house. In the great house of the world, the mindsets and desires of sentient beings connect to the external conditions of the form realm and give rise to greed, afflictions and so on. This is the analogy of the great house.

“[They] transcend the Four Inverted Views.” The Four Inverted Views are permanence, joy, self and purity. We discussed them just a few days ago, so everyone must understand them and correctly comprehend that life is impermanent. There is so much suffering in the world; where is the joy? We must contemplate the body as impure; we must see that everything is impure. Indeed, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant of [our views] on these four things.

The Five Aggregates are form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. In the raging Five Aggregates, consciousness comes from external phenomena of form leading to feeling, perception then action, which enters our consciousness. Over these past few days, we have discussed how we use our Six Sense Organs to connect with the Six Sense Objects. Our feelings lead us to constantly think. Acting on these thoughts leads us to create karma, which is then stored in our eighth consciousness. Therefore, we always say that we must mindfully listen to the Dharma.

We must clearly understand the Five Aggregates. With various methods, the Buddha taught the Dharma, and we must listen to it mindfully. We must be like Ananda, who had a boil on his back which was painful, swollen and pus-filled. The Buddha said, “Doctor, focus on the operation. I will help Ananda focus on something else by diverting his attention to concentrate on the Buddha-Dharma.” Sure enough, the operation was successful. Ananda’s boil was healed and he had taken the Dharma to heart. This was also a method He used.

Thus it says, [He would] carry them out of the house. Then he thought further upon this again. Clearly, the One Vehicle Dharma is great, yet capabilities for accepting it are limited. This is analogous to the narrow door.

Thus it says, “[He would] carry them out of the house. Then he thought further upon this again.” He taught the Dharma in a certain way for those of limited or average abilities, hoping they could hear and accept the teachings,

then understand and contemplate them. First He must help them escape the burning house. Then, he must help them advance to the next stage. “Clearly, the One Vehicle Dharma is great.” The Dharma of the One Vehicle is very expansive; it is the great Dharma. But those of limited capabilities are unable to enter it. Why can some people not enter this Dharma? Their capabilities are limited because they cling to the Four Inverted Views and the Five Aggregates. People like this still have many afflictions. The Four Inverted Views and the Five Aggregates are very big [obstacles], so the Dharma cannot enter their minds.

Because people cling to the Four Inverted Views and Five Aggregates, it is hard for them to pass through the Dharma-door. Thus it says, “The door is narrow.”

Because their afflictions are great, and the door to their minds is narrow, the Great Vehicle Dharma cannot enter their minds. They practice only for their own benefit, without wanting to also benefit others. This is their capacity. With so many afflictions, the door to their minds is very narrow. The Great Dharma cannot enter their minds; it is difficult to pass through this Dharma-door. They cannot enter this door; they cannot understand it. Thus, “The door is narrow.”

In order to open the door of our minds to accept the Great Vehicle Dharma, we must not amass so many afflictions. If we have more afflictions than Dharma, the Dharma cannot enter our minds. The more afflictions we have, the narrower the door will be. Therefore, we must break through our afflictions so that they do not obstruct the door; only then can we take in the Dharma. Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners, we must take the Dharma to heart. If not, how can we learn to be like the Buddha and perfect the three elements of enlightenment? That requires us to always be mindful.

Episode 545 – Transform Sentient Beings through The Two Virtues

>> “Sentient beings, hindered by their delusions, are not at peace. Because of the stirring of the wind of ignorance, their minds are not stable. The delusions of views and thinking block the door so they cannot escape. Karmic consciousness is deeply hidden, thus our minds continue to create karma.”

>> “Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts, ‘My body and arms are strong, I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.'”

>> The elder had these thoughts: The great elder was worried about his sons being in a dangerous place without trying to escape. One who learns and practices the Bodhi-path will teach the Great Vehicle, but sentient beings do not value nor seek it. He had these thoughts: The Buddha had already attained awakening, so His thinking gave rise to wondrous Dharma.

>> “Body” is an analogy for the power of Great Vows and “hands” are analogies for how wisdom can pull us up.

>> The virtue of ending and the virtue of wisdom: The virtue of ending is the virtue of putting an end to all afflictions. Then we can teach all of the wondrous Dharma for liberation.

>> The virtue of wisdom is the understanding of true principles. The virtue of ending is putting an end to all afflictions. This is Bodhi and Nirvana.

“Sentient beings, hindered by their delusions, are not at peace.
Because of the stirring of the wind of ignorance, their minds are not stable.
The delusions of views and thinking block the door so they cannot escape.
Karmic consciousness is deeply hidden, thus our minds continue to create karma.”

“Delusion” is ignorance and that which “hinders” is an obstacle. Because our delusions and ignorance have obstructed our wisdom, we are unable to understand. Therefore, nearly everything that we do, we do out of ignorance. In this state of ignorance, we create karma. When we do things that are unwise, we create various kinds of karma and end up feeling uneasy.

Because the wind of ignorance frequently stirs our minds, it causes our resolve to waver. Because of this we cannot truly persevere. So, the Bodhisattva-path is hard to walk, and Bodhicitta is difficult to develop. This is also an obstacle.

Delusions of views and thinking block this door. The door of our minds has been obstructed by our delusions of views and thinking. The burning house of the Three Realms only has one door. To leave this burning house, we must go through this door, which is the door of wisdom, but our delusions of views and thinking block it. We cannot open the door of wisdom, so we cannot get out.

That is because our karmic consciousness is normally deeply hidden. For a very long time, we have unceasingly created karma. With everything we do in our daily living, we sow seeds, which continue to mature. The seeds of goodness and evil are both deeply hidden in our eighth consciousness. So, all obstructions are created by our minds. If there is ignorance in our minds, we will commit wrongdoings and they will obstruct our door of wisdom. If we are in a state of ignorance when we come in contact with external conditions, the winds of ignorance will stir our minds, so our Bodhisattva-practice and Bodhicitta will be obstructed. This is because we are hindered by delusions. Because of this, there is no peace in the Three Realms. The door of the burning house is narrow, which makes it very difficult for people to escape.

This must be talking about the door of our minds. We must constantly exercise our wisdom and remind ourselves to be vigilant in our daily living. Our thoughts, our perspectives, our understanding and our thinking must not be covered by ignorance. If our minds are covered by ignorance, the wind [of ignorance] will stir, and our wisdom will be hindered by it. This applies to everything we do in our daily living. All things are created by our minds. We can do good, and we can also commit evils.

In the past few days (2013), a Great Love Village in Indonesia had its dedication ceremony. In 2009, an earthquake completely leveled Padang. When this happened, many people’s houses collapsed, and there were also many casualties. So, Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized again. In addition to providing timely relief, we also very quickly rebuilt their schools. This is similar to the Hope Project [in Taiwan]. The mayor was very grateful that Tzu Chi volunteers had done such a good job. This brought many children a sense of peace. All the children felt more peaceful, and the education there flourished.

So, all the residents were grateful to Tzu Chi. On behalf of the residents, the mayor came to see us in Hualien. The date of his visit fell on the day of the closing ceremony for. Faith Corp and Commissioners training for. Tzu Chi volunteers from around the world. So, on that occasion, he expressed his gratitude for Tzu Chi to volunteers from around the world. At the same time, he also shared his hope that the citizens of Padang could all become Tzu Chi volunteers. Then the mayor declared that one day every year would be “Tzu Chi Day.”

After all that had happened, Tzu Chi volunteers often visited that city. After the earthquake, many people’s houses could not be rebuilt. There was another charity organization that donated building materials to help people rebuild their houses. But though this covered part of the rebuilding, the government still was unable to act. In addition to construction materials, where were the other resources going to come from? Again, they asked Tzu Chi for help. They asked if Tzu Chi could help them to rebuild more than 100 houses. Tzu Chi volunteers in Indonesia agreed to take on the task, This very small-scale, mini-Tzu Chi village of just over 100 households has now been built. After it was completed, the people felt very grateful.

Originally, the people felt some reservations towards Tzu Chi, because Tzu Chi is a Buddhist organization, while most of the people, almost everyone, believe in Islam. On the day that people moved into this village, former president Habibie said that Tzu Chi volunteers in Indonesia had already helped them so much. Beginning after the South Asian Tsunami in 2004, and into the present day, Tzu Chi volunteers have been very dedicated. They were grateful because these volunteers have helped them unconditionally.

Tzu Chi volunteers never interfered with their religious practices and were very respectful of their faith. So, with gratitude, approval and joy, they accepted our volunteers. Therefore, they want to give back. The way that they wanted to give back to Tzu Chi was for everybody in the village to be united in taking care of each other and living in love and harmony. For example, they said that if someone in the village became seriously ill, they might need to go elsewhere for treatment. Who then would care for the children at home? They would call upon everyone in the village to take care of this family. They wanted to show that the Great Love Village could live up to its name. They would love each other like one big family and work in concert with unity, harmony and love.

Actually, our volunteers in Padang visit them quite often. They go to inspire the love in their hearts and encourage them by saying, “If every day, you can put something in the bamboo bank, that will be great” 1000 rupiah in coins is a little over two Taiwanese dollars. So, they also put money into the bamboo banks, and every month, someone collects their donation and gives them another bamboo bank. They are happy to pool their love in this way. What they enjoy even more is doing recycling work. The entire village takes turns doing recycling. This is a very organized effort. When the people who go fishing see garbage floating on the ocean, things like plastics and cans, they gather it up from the ocean’s surface and bring it back and sort it. The whole village is very clean. It is a model village. The villagers’ unity, harmony and love is very heartwarming.

You see, their faith has not been affected. In their hearts, they are very harmonious. In this Great Love Village, they love and comfort each other in this way. By living in this way, this village is a very safe place. The whole village is like one family. Regardless of which family has a problem, the whole village will take care of it right away. This shows wisdom. The people feel safe and secure there. “Having relieved them from suffering, Bodhisattvas then expound the Dharma for them.” Inspiring the love in people’s hearts and helping them to realize their spiritual wealth so that people can have safety and stability is also what Bodhisattvas do in this world. To do this, they must eliminate the hindrances of their delusions of views and thinking. If they are confident, have faith in each other and help each other out of love, then there will be no obstacles.

We each have our own religious beliefs. Buddhism has its wisdom and. Islam has its loving ways. If we bring wisdom and love together, won’t this be very harmonious? All of this can happen in our daily living. Then with our every action, the results are stored in our consciousness. All things are created by the mind.

As we discuss the Lotus Sutra, we have already spent such a long time describing the burning house.

Earlier we said that the elder’s children were still in the burning house, continuing to play games. They had not realized that the fire was burning on all sides. They were unaware, unknowing, not shocked nor afraid, so the elder was worried about them. The fire was already getting closer and closer, but the people inside remained confused, enjoying themselves and playing games. We think the world will never change, unaware that impermanence is always around us. Thus we pass each day in a state of ignorance. As time passes, day after day, our bodies age and weaken, day after day our bodies age and deteriorate, day after day. Yet, we are unaware, unknowing not shocked nor afraid.

In fact, once the fire reaches us, once impermanence has arrived, even if we rail against suffering, it will be too late, and where we will end up in the future is still unknown. Our minds continue to linger, not attempting to figure out how to escape this burning house and dash out through this door. To open this door, we need to exercise wisdom to brush aside ignorance; then this door will open.

The following sutra passage states,

“Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts, ‘My body and arms are strong, I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.'”

This is an analogy expressing how worried the elder was. The Buddha reminded Sariputra of this again.

Because this sutra passage is important, the Buddha was constantly calling on Sariputra. He was not only reminding Sariputra, but everyone at the assembly. [He called Sariputra’s name] because he was the recipient of the teachings. This means that he was the one who stood up and asked questions. People’s capabilities still varied. Sariputra’s capabilities had been awakened, so he stood up and asked the Buddha questions. As a representative of the Lotus Assembly, he requested that the Buddha explain the principles of the One Vehicle Dharma. So, when the Buddha started to speak, He directed His words at Sariputra. In fact, He wanted all the disciples there to listen earnestly.

“The elder had these thoughts.” At that moment, this elder mindfully contemplated this issue. This shows how worried the elder was; he thought to himself because he was concerned. With great care, he contemplated this problem. He worried that the children were still inside, unaware and still playing. How could he save all of them? This greatly worried him.

The elder had these thoughts: The great elder was worried about his sons being in a dangerous place without trying to escape. One who learns and practices the Bodhi-path will teach the Great Vehicle, but sentient beings do not value nor seek it. He had these thoughts: The Buddha had already attained awakening, so His thinking gave rise to wondrous Dharma.

All of his sons were in this dangerous place, but they did not want to get out. They did not want to promptly accept the teachings. This was a lament about how we sentient beings clearly see the way the world is, clearly face many hardships in it and clearly know life is filled with suffering, yet we do not earnestly accept the wisdom that would help us escape through this door. We do not want to learn and practice it. We do not step onto the path to enlightenment, which is the Bodhi-path. Though surrounded by dangers, people deludedly remain in these conditions. They do not try to quickly escape from this dangerous place.

I often say that disasters frequently occur in this world. These earth-shattering disasters should bring about world-changing awakenings, so we can we learn and practice the Bodhi-path. This was what the great elder was thinking about. He thought about what methods to use to reveal the Great Vehicle Dharma so that everyone would be willing to accept it.

So, “He had these thoughts.” In fact, the Buddha had already attained enlightenment. He had already transcended the Three Realms, but He could not bear to leave sentient beings in their unenlightened state, unceasingly creating karma. Their negative karma has already come together, so the four elements are not in balance causing manmade disasters to happen frequently. Disasters are already slowly closing in from all four sides. The elder is an analogy for. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Great Enlightened One. He was most anxious and worried about how to help everyone truly awaken in time. This is very important.

What method could he use? “Body and hands [that] are strong.” In the sutra text,

“Body” is an analogy for the power of Great Vows and “hands” are analogies for how wisdom can pull us up.

This represents the two kinds of virtues. The virtue of ending and the virtue of wisdom are like our two hands.

․The virtue of ending and the virtue of wisdom: The virtue of ending is the virtue of putting an end to all afflictions. Then we can teach all of the wondrous Dharma for liberation.

“The virtue of ending” is the virtue of putting an end to all afflictions. This is liberation. If we can be liberated from everything, we will attain wondrous Dharma. “The virtue of wisdom” is the understanding of true principles. With “the virtue of wisdom,” we will be able to comprehend all true principles.

The virtue of wisdom is the understanding of true principles. The virtue of ending is putting an end to all afflictions. This is Bodhi and Nirvana.

So, the virtue of ending and the virtue of wisdom, are like our two hands. When our mind is in an awakened state of tranquility and stillness, we are on the Bodhi-path. The Buddha had that kind of wisdom and that kind of power.

But what could He do? Each person only has two hands. The Buddha was only one person; was it possible [to carry them all out]? Of course, He needed “all the sons” to awaken first. They cannot leisurely practice skillful means. They must come together in the One Great Vehicle. After making the Great Vows from their hearts, they must immediately develop the virtue of ending and the virtue of wisdom to eliminate all afflictions and awaken their nature of True Suchness. Their wisdom must be awakened. With body and mind in harmony, they can then use other methods to deliver sentient beings from the burning house. So, we need to make the [Four] Great Vows. We also need wisdom, the power to pull everyone up. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 544 – The Mind Creates the Causes of the Fire

>> “In the realm of physical existence, the fire that arises is the result. There are natural and manmade disasters, and the mind is the cause. Sentient beings whose minds are confused act improperly. With [physical] contact, feelings and cravings, the resulting suffering is not without cause.”

>> “The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, ‘Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….'”

>> “All my sons are still inside the burning house, attached to their playing, unaware, unknowing, not shocked nor afraid. The fire is closing in on them and suffering and pain threaten them, yet they have no sense of aversion or peril, and they do not have any thought of escaping.”

>> In this great house, the columns, beams and bases of the pillars had rotted. The sons were foolish, unknowing and unaware. They kept playing games and remained stubbornly attached to their delusions. They were unable to accept teachings and remained deluded and unaware.

>> The Buddha has awakened to His true nature and realized unconditioned Dharma. He is fundamentally free of afflictions, so there is no appearance of burning or of entering and exiting safety and stability that can be spoken of.

>> “The elder, seeing the fire arise from the four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid.”

>> The Buddha has compassion for sentient beings.

>> “Lost the pure and wholesome thoughts of their true nature.” This is why the Buddha appeared shocked,

>> “He worried about sentient beings committing all evils; thus He was frightened.”

>> Because of His compassion, He worried about their suffering.

>> Shows that He worried for them out of compassion.

>> He abides in the land of calm illumination, which made his sons’ lack of awareness more obvious. They clung to the Four Inverted Views. “The fire is closing in on them, and suffering and pain threaten them.” They could not easily escape the burning house.

>> “All his sons are attached to their playing, to lingering all day in comfort and pleasure, without achieving anything.”

>> Whether they spend their time fighting over wealth or are self-indulgent and undisciplined, they do not realize that their house is on fire, that the flames are pressing in on them and that they are in danger of pain and suffering.

>> This is the greed of sentient beings. They cling to the five desires. They linger on and cling to states that bring them happiness and do not let go of them. They do not realize the danger of being about to fall into the evil realms.

>> With this kind of yearning, attachment and greed, they will not let go of anything.

>> “His sons are young and immature, and have no understanding. They are attached to their playing.”

“In the realm of physical existence, the fire that arises is the result.
There are natural and manmade disasters, and the mind is the cause.
Sentient beings whose minds are confused act improperly.
With [physical] contact, feelings and cravings, the resulting suffering is not without cause.”

In this realm of physical existence, impermanence, suffering and emptiness have always been part of the workings of the world. However, we all continue to form attachments, which creates so much suffering in the world.

This is like the elder’s great house. It had been in a state of disrepair for many years. There had always been many people in the house, but they did not cherish that big space. They acted as they wished, and so their selfish actions resulted in a fire. This is an analogy, but it is also a truth of the world. Already, in the realm of physical existence there have begun to be signs of imbalance in the macrocosm and microcosm.

So, “There are natural and manmade disasters, and the mind is the cause.” These are all created by the mind, by the thoughts that arise in our minds. It may happen that people do not get along; they may fight openly or they may plot in secrecy. The causes of [these conflicts] all come from the mind. The reason that sentient beings are subject to so much emotional and physical suffering is because people’s minds are confused. In sentient beings’ minds and in everyone’s actions, there is a lot of confusion over

“permanence, joy, self and purity. Clinging to what is impermanent as permanent, clinging to what is not joyful as joyful, clinging to a non-existent self as self and clinging to what is impure as pure,” these are [the inverted views of] ordinary people, Or, they could be considered attachments. “Permanence, joy, self and purity” are also things we may be attached to. Whether we cling to “emptiness” or “existence,” this is a state of confusion arising from not understanding the principles. This results in [the Twelve Links of] contact, feeling, craving and so on. These sufferings all have their causes. Where there is an effect, there must be a cause. [Once a cause exists,] karmic retributions will continuously manifest. Therefore, we must take good care of our minds.

The previous passage states,

“The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, ‘Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….'”

I have repeatedly explained the meaning of this passage. The elder is an analogy for the Tathagata. The Tathagata is the guiding teacher of the Three Realms. In the Three Realms, for a very long time now, sentient beings have been living as described in the burning house parable. [In the house,] there are many sentient beings, none of whom understand the principles. In the Three Realms, the guiding teacher is mindfully teaching them. However, they are in a state of confusion, so it is as if fire is arising from all four sides.

The next sutra passage then states,

“All my sons are still inside the burning house, attached to their playing, unaware, unknowing, not shocked nor afraid. The fire is closing in on them and suffering and pain threaten them, yet they have no sense of aversion or peril, and they do not have any thought of escaping.”

This comes after the description of how the columns, beams and pillars of the house were all rotted and decayed. The house was indeed deteriorating, signifying that the situation in the Three Realms is truly worrisome.

In this great house, the columns, beams and bases of the pillars had rotted. The sons were foolish, unknowing and unaware. They kept playing games and remained stubbornly attached to their delusions. They were unable to accept teachings and remained deluded and unaware.

Nowadays, the world’s material goods are very tempting. Everyone’s desires, perspectives and afflictions are entangled in a complicated knot. It is as if they are living in a great house where everything, from the columns and beams to the bases of the pillars, has rotted away. This happened because. “The sons were foolish, unknowing and unaware.” The children living inside the house were deluded and very foolish, so they were unknowing and unaware. They did not know that their behavior was wrong. They did not know that living in this great house, the Three Realms, is very treacherous. They “kept playing games” inside and “remained stubbornly attached to their delusions.” These children had turned into people who were “unable to accept teachings.” There was no way to easily teach them, because they were deluded and unaware.

When we think about this, we will think of how, in modern times, interpersonal relationships are very complicated. People’s mindsets are not very proper. Every day, when I think of people and matters and see the way that people live, the state of their lives and their minds, I feel helpless. Doesn’t it seem that many people live this way? It is as if they are playing with fire. They do not think, “I need to quickly awaken, attain realizations and purify my mind. I need to abide by the rules and sincerely live in harmony with others, working together to to help everyone in this world.”

The suffering that the Buddha spoke of is something we should all have experienced. Due to the imbalance of the four elements, there are frequent natural and manmade disasters, troubles in society and so on. How can we not awaken? How can we not have faith in what the Buddha says and not accept the teachings? We cannot continue to cling to our delusions and remain unawakened.

So, this house has been on fire [for quite a while], and the elder has already left this burning house. This is an analogy for how the Buddha has already awakened to. His nature of True Suchness and realized the unconditioned Dharma.

The Buddha has awakened to His true nature and realized unconditioned Dharma. He is fundamentally free of afflictions, so there is no appearance of burning or of entering and exiting safety and stability that can be spoken of.

He is the Great Enlightened One of the Universe. With an ocean of enlightened wisdom and a broad mind and heart, the ignorance and affliction in the Three Realms have no control over Him. So, He had already attained enlightenment, and His mind was fundamentally free of afflictions, so there is definitely no appearance of burning; there is simply no such thing [in His mind]. There is also no appearance of entering or exiting safety and stability, as He was already in a safe and stable state. Yet this “burning house” is an analogy used in the sutra. In the state of Buddhahood, He is fundamentally peaceful and at ease, outside [the house]. However, the sutra states,

“The elder, seeing the fire arise from the four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid.”

He is already liberated, traveling freely beyond the Three Realms. Why would He be shocked and afraid? This is showing that.

The Buddha has compassion for sentient beings.

He was worried because sentient beings had.

“Lost the pure and wholesome thoughts of their true nature.” This is why the Buddha appeared shocked,

because He was compassionate and could not bear to let sentient beings suffer.

He had compassion for sentient beings’ suffering. He saw that the Three Realms in everyone’s minds were in chaos. Their “personal microcosms” were disrupted and filled with afflictions, evils and turbidity. Their cumulative actions became collective karma. This was what worried the Buddha most. When people come together, they exert a big influence in the world. The force of their collective karma can destabilize the world around them. This is what shocked the elder, and what worried the compassionate Buddha.

Therefore, He had worries.

“He worried about sentient beings committing all evils; thus He was frightened.”

This was very frightening. This is not only something to be afraid of; it is terrifying. Sentient beings have created so much karma that it is frightening. Not only does it scare people, it is actually very terrifying. The human mind is indeed very powerful. A single evil thought can cause a devastating disaster.

I often bring up examples of how the minds of people in the modern era are really worrying and frightening. Now there are people with psychological issues or who have been trained especially to sacrifice themselves to destroy societies. In order to damage society, they are willing to destroy their bodies. People’s thinking has gone so far astray. Recently, from Iraq, Syria and other countries, I have heard about suicide bombers and other forms of attacks. They destroy families and kill people, hurting societies and countries. All this arises from the mind, so it is very frightening.

The sutra text uses the words “shock” and “fear.” How can the Buddha feel fear? He has already attained liberation, but for the sake of world’s sentient beings, because of His compassion, He felt shock and fear on their behalf.

Because of His compassion, He worried about their suffering.

He was worried that they would create karma and suffer as a consequence. Saying that He felt shock and fear.

Shows that He worried for them out of compassion.

This indicates how compassion led Him to worry about sentient beings.

“The elder had compassion [wherever] He abided.” Out of His compassion, the elder kept sentient beings in his thoughts. In fact, the Tathagata, Sakyamuni Buddha, abides in the land of calm illumination. However, He manifested [this worry] that sentient beings were in a state of suffering. The elder had compassion.

He abides in the land of calm illumination, which made his sons’ lack of awareness more obvious. They clung to the Four Inverted Views. “The fire is closing in on them, and suffering and pain threaten them.” They could not easily escape the burning house.

The tranquil and clear state of the land of calm illumination is the state of the Buddha. However, sentient beings in the Three Realms show “[the elder’s] sons’ lack of awareness.” The Buddha Himself is completely enlightened, but ordinary people are still deluded and unaware.

“They cling to the Four Inverted Views”; they are still in a state of confusion. “The fire is closing in on them and suffering and pain threaten them. They cannot easily escape the burning house.” They are suffering, but escaping is not an easy matter because they hold the Four Inverted Views. They are still confused and deluded, so for them to accept the Buddha-Dharma, practice according to the teachings, push aside afflictions, and understand everything in the world so well that they can purify themselves is indeed not very easy.

Why isn’t it easy? “All his sons are attached to their playing, to lingering all day in comfort and pleasure, without achieving anything.”

In a state of comfort and pleasure, all they want to do is have fun. Regardless of anything else, they just want to enjoy themselves. The people of the present are like this. They are attached to their comfortable environment.

All day they do this, or if not, “they spend their time fighting over wealth.” They fight over the objects of their desire.

Whether they spend their time fighting over wealth or are self-indulgent and undisciplined, they do not realize that their house is on fire, that the flames are pressing in on them and that they are in danger of pain and suffering.

“Fighting over wealth” means they want more and more assets and wealth. This is the reason that people in the world are unable to earnestly learn what the true principles are. Every day, “they are self-indulgent and undisciplined.” This is their state of mind. Because of their mindset, on the stage of life, and even in play, they want to be at the top and to constantly show off their strength. They feel, “I am the leader in this field” or. “I am the leader in everything.” Is this enough? No. How long will their lifetimes last? However long it is, they will strive and grasp. They indulge in pleasure and debauchery, and in the end, they have nothing at all. They are not aware of how the fire is already right next to them. “They are in danger of pain and suffering” but they still have not noticed it.

“Yet they have no sense of aversion or peril, and they do not have any thought of escaping.” This is an example of how limitless sentient beings’ greed is.

This is the greed of sentient beings. They cling to the five desires. They linger on and cling to states that bring them happiness and do not let go of them. They do not realize the danger of being about to fall into the evil realms.

“Yet they have no sense of aversion or peril.” They are still greedy. With this greed, what do they linger on?

The five desires. They linger on and cling to many objects of desire. They will never let go of these states. This is what the minds of many ordinary people are like right now. They are not willing to let go of their desires; whether for power, fame and status, etc., they are unwilling to let them go. This causes conflicts between people and creates unrest in their surroundings.

So, “They do not realize the danger.” They do not realize that fighting openly and secretly for power, fame, wealth and so on, is actually very dangerous, They are in a treacherous state, “about to fall into the evil realms.” [Our karma] will not come to an end with this life. Will we fall into an evil realm in our next life? Often we only focus on the present without any consideration of the future. “If I have liquor today, I will get drunk today.”

When they attain power, they become drunk with their power and fame.

With this kind of yearning, attachment and greed, they will not let go of anything.

This is truly worrisome. This is a very immature mentality, so these people are also called “His children,” which means they are immature.

In the Chapter on Parables, there is also this sutra passage,

“His sons are young and immature, and have no understanding. They are attached to their playing.”

This is a very immature mindset.

We should earnestly practice

what the Buddha taught. He hoped that we would start with the formless realm, with our thinking. If we are able to attain realizations, gain wisdom and awaken, then none of the forms in the form realm, none of the material and tangible things we experience, will awaken feelings of greed in our minds. This applies to everything. People with wisdom will not be affected by matters and objects. Without being tempted by matters and objects, naturally they will not give rise to desires and ignorance.

If we work towards goodness, we start a virtuous cycle, we feel the joy of giving unconditionally. Then we will continue this cycle and create more positive causes, conditions and retributions.

We should earnestly accept the Buddha-Dharma and open the door to our minds. If our minds are free of greed, free of craving, free of confusion and free of fear, then won’t we be free and at ease outside of the burning house? To achieve this, we must be mindful. This sutra passage [depicts] our state of mind.

Whenever it mentions the Three Realms, we should think back to the Three Realms of our minds. The views we cannot see are the formless realm. When we greedily cling to things we see, those things are in the form realm. Our greed gives rise to ignorance, so our minds are filled with desires and ignorance.

In summary, there are virtuous and vicious cycles. Goodness creates positive cycles. Evil creates negative cycles. By doing good deeds, we can purify our minds and naturally become one with the universe. With an ocean of enlightened wisdom, we can accept all things. This is what the Buddha taught us. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 543 – Enabling Sentient Beings to Reach Stability

>> “The Buddha could not bear for sentient beings to suffer while. He had attained freedom, peace and joy. Not being swayed by the violent winds of the Four Inverted Views is what we call stability. When they develop more wholesome thoughts, they can be freed of suffering and attain joy. The [Dharma-]children who accept the Dharma via the Three Vehicles are awakened sentient beings who share the Buddha’s burden.”

>> “Clinging to what is impermanent as permanent, clinging to what is not joyful as joyful, clinging to a non-existent self as self and clinging to what is impure as pure.”

>> The elder’s sons, 10, 20, even 30 of them were still in the house. The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, “Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….”

>> The elder saw the fire consuming the house, but he had already safely escaped from the door of the burning house and reached a safe and stable place.

>> “Suffering was pressing in on them, but they did not know to escape, so they would suffer being scorched by fire.” As this was the case, great compassion arose in the Buddha’s heart. Thus the Tathagata, with compassion and wisdom, examined how sentient beings were pressured by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings, as if they were about to be consumed by fire, yet they still lingered and did not try to leave.

“The Buddha could not bear for sentient beings to suffer while.
He had attained freedom, peace and joy.
Not being swayed by the violent winds of the Four Inverted Views
is what we call stability.
When they develop more wholesome thoughts,
they can be freed of suffering and attain joy.
The [Dharma-]children who accept the Dharma via the Three Vehicles
are awakened sentient beings who share the Buddha’s burden.”

The Buddha “could not bear for sentient beings to suffer while. He had attained freedom, peace and joy.” Because sentient beings were suffering, the Buddha could not [simply do nothing]. The Buddha Himself had already transcended all suffering in this world. Many ages ago, He had attained enlightenment. But for the sake of sentient beings, He adapted to [their needs] and repeatedly steered the ship of compassion back to the human realm. While in this world, He also went through birth, aging, illness and death. He used His physical manifestations as teachings, all for the purpose of demonstrating and helping sentient beings understand that amidst all suffering, they can be freed from one kind, the afflictions of cyclic existence.

The Buddha did not have to come to the world. He came to this world for our sake. This is because He could not bear to let us suffer while. He had attained freedom and the joy of safety and stability. Because of this sense of compassion, the Buddha returned to this world.

“Not being swayed by the violent winds of the Four Inverted Views” is what we call “stability.” Because we sentient beings have confused and inverted views, we have stirred up violent winds. So, we do not feel at peace. What causes our confusion? “Permanence, joy, self and purity.”

We unenlightened beings regard impermanence as permanence. Is there anything in this world that is permanent? Nothing in the realm of physical existence lasts forever. Just by observing our bodies, we can learn this. A few years ago, your hair was black. When did your hair turn white? Look at the nails you cut just a few days ago. How did they get to be long again? We have no idea. This is all impermanence, a constant process of infinitesimal changes. This applies to the human body, and in the entire realm of physical existence, is there anything that is not impermanent? Ordinary people believe there is “permanence,” so they try to possess and greedily cling to things, thus creating various kinds of karma. This is the result of regarding “impermanence” as “permanence.” Although the world is actually full of suffering, we regard it as joyful.

We ordinary people are not able to experience the truth of these states because we cling to the Four Inverted Views,

“clinging to what is impermanent as permanent, clinging to what is not joyful as joyful, clinging to a non-existent self as self and clinging to what is impure as pure.”

These are four kinds of confusion. The Four Inverted Views create violent winds of ignorance in our minds. When these kinds of violent winds are blowing, how can we find any stability? Once a thought stirs and gives rise to greed, anger and delusion, we will not be able to find any stability. Therefore, we must “[not be] swayed by the violent winds of the Four Inverted Views.” We must not let the. Four Inverted Views’ violent winds, that ignorance, disturb or trouble us. If we can avoid that, our minds will be stable. This is why we must eliminate the Four Inverted Views and return to an awakened state of permanence, joy, self and purity. We must return to our everlasting intrinsic nature of True Suchness, to a state where afflictions will not trouble our bodies and minds. We must return to our intrinsic nature, to the greater self where we are one with the universe. By awakening our wisdom-life and our true nature, we will return to our ocean of enlightened wisdom and be able to comprehend everything. By returning to this pure, undefiled and tranquil state, we will have stability.

“They develop more wholesome thoughts.” If we do not allow the Four Inverted Views to disturb us, we can naturally do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections. We can go among people and truly give of ourselves for their benefit. “When they develop more wholesome thoughts, they can be freed of suffering and attain joy.” We can enable all sentient beings to be like us. If we are not swayed by the Four Inverted Views, we have a sense of stability and freedom. Once we have this experience, we can share it with others so that they can be freed from their suffering and attain joy. When they are free from the suffering of afflictions and discursive thoughts, they can accept the cycle of birth, aging, illness and death. The suffering of not getting what they want, meeting those they hate and so on, the suffering of the raging Five Aggregates, can all be completely eliminated. This is how they are able to be “freed of suffering and attain joy.”

So, “The Dharma-children who accept the Dharma via the Three Vehicles are awakened sentient beings who share the Buddha’s burden.” The Three Vehicle [practitioners] are those who have already heard the Buddha-Dharma. Even if you have just begun to learn, when you listen the Buddha-Dharma, you must accept it mindfully. If you already understand the Buddha-Dharma, that “all things are created by the mind,” then take good care of your minds and avoid stirring up the kind of trouble that gives rise to afflictions and attachments. Only by taking good care of our minds can we advance further along the Bodhi-path. Awakened sentient beings awaken both themselves and others. They go among people to transform sentient beings. If we do this, we are sharing the burden of the Buddha.

The Buddha came to this world for one great cause and worked hard for the sole purpose of helping everyone realize and awaken [to the Dharma] so they can then go among and transform others by turning the Dharma-wheel for them. This was the Buddha’s hope, but [for this to happen], all of us must seize every moment. If we do not faithfully accept the Dharma right now, what moment are we waiting for?

During the Buddha’s lifetime, He was once in the kingdom of Magadha, A young bhiksu who had just left the lay life went on a long journey to find the Buddha and to ask Him for teachings. He had a great distance to travel, and while he progressed on his journey, he became malnourished. Nevertheless, he single-mindedly forged ahead, just so he could listen to the Dharma directly from the Buddha. However, just before reaching the city, right on its outskirts, this young bhiksu collapsed from illness. The news of this reached the bhiksus who attended the Buddha so they quickly returned to their abode and asked the Buddha to go to see this young man. That very day, at dusk, He left the city and went to the place where visiting monastics stayed. When he arrived, He found the young bhiksu in a serious condition.

When the young bhiksu heard that the Buddha had come to see him, he made a great effort to get up and struggled to raise himself. The Buddha quickly stopped him, and said, “Please stay still, you do not need to move.” These words really touched the young bhiksu. The Buddha asked him, “How do you feel right now? Can you endure the pain?” The young bhiksu replied, “The pain is getting worse day by day. It is very nearly unbearable.” The Buddha then asked him, “Do you have any regrets?” The young bhiksu answered, “Yes, Venerable One, I do have some regrets.”

The Buddha asked, “What are your regrets?” He replied, “At a young age, after I first heard the Buddha-Dharma, I decided to become a monastic. But, I was so far away from You. I wholeheartedly resolved to make this long journey to come into Your presence to hear You teach, to hear the Dharma in person and take it to heart. But, even though I am still so young before I was able to hear the Buddha-Dharma, my poor health has caused me to stop here. So, I am really upset.” The Buddha said, “Come now; stop worrying. Let me ask you, when you see the world with your eyes, as your eyes connect with the world, doesn’t this gives rise to eye-consciousness?”

“Yes, Venerable Buddha. When the sense organ of my eye comes in contact with external conditions, the ‘forms’ around me enter my mind.” The Buddha said, “If you did not have eyes, wouldn’t you be isolated from the ‘forms’ around you? Yes! Without my eyes, I would be isolated from the world around me.” The Buddha said, “If you have eyes, but no eye-consciousness, could you still discern external phenomena? True, Venerable Buddha, with eyes but no eye-consciousness, I could not connect with external phenomena.”

The Buddha said, “That is correct. If you have no eyes and cannot connect with external phenomena, you will not give rise to afflictions. When your eyes come in contact with external sense objects, these various shapes and colors are all taken into your eye-consciousness, disturbing your mind. Actually, this does not just apply to your eye-consciousness. Your ears, nose, tongue and body are all sense organs that connect with external sense objects. This is what gives rise to feeling, perception, action and consciousness. Do you understand this principle?”

The young bhiksu appeared to suddenly realize all of this. “Yes, Venerable Buddha, I understand. Because my eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body have connected with external phenomena, I have taken them into my mind. My mind then stirs my consciousnesses. Thus I create the karmic causes and conditions for various afflictions. This comes from the Five Sense Organs, Five Sense Objects and Five Consciousnesses. This is what has caused me to give rise to confusion, turmoil and afflictions.” The Buddha smiled and said to the bhiksu, “Please rest assured. You already understand.” The bhiksu gave Him a knowing smile in return and then the Buddha left.

The bhiksu watched the Buddha leave, then he closed his eyes and passed away. The news of this was then passed on to the Buddha’s abode. The bhiksus came to the Buddha and said, “Venerable Buddha, that young bhiksu died soon after You left him. But we heard that it was a peaceful death.” The Buddha said, “Indeed, he was already in a tranquil and still state. He was a wise person with sharp capabilities.”

Do we also have sharp capabilities like this young monk? The Buddha’s Three Vehicle disciples can be divided into those with great, average and limited capabilities. [This young bhiksu] had the causes and conditions to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. However, other beings of the Five Destinies may not be so fortunate. Whether in the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost or animal realm, does everyone have the causes and conditions to encounter the Buddha-Dharma? Not necessarily. However, “the 30 sons” have already drawn near to the Buddha-Dharma. Even if we draw near to the Buddha-Dharma, are we able to accept it with great capabilities? If we are only Hearers, we only listen to but are unable to realize [the Dharma]. This means we still have limited capabilities.

The elder who was living inside the burning house of the Three Realms was already aware of the fire arising from all four sides. So, he was shocked and afraid.

The elder’s sons, 10, 20, even 30 of them were still in the house. The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, “Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….”

The passage continues with, “He had the following thought.” The elder is [an analogy for] the Buddha. The thought in his mind was, “Although I can, through this burning doorway escape to safety….” This is what the elder thought. When he saw the fire burning, he was actually already in a safe place outside. Even before the fire had started, the elder was already outside the house. But when he saw the fire burning the house, and witnessed sentient beings’ suffering, this elder felt compassion. Seeing people who were unable to accept the teachings and did not know to promptly escape made him very concerned.

He himself had already escaped from the house. However, he was very concerned about the many sentient beings who were still inside. He had already left through the door of the house, so he was in a safe and stable place. This safe, stable and joyful refuge is the royal home of the Buddha.

The elder saw the fire consuming the house, but he had already safely escaped from the door of the burning house and reached a safe and stable place.

In the vast universe, the Buddha’s mind has completely transcended everything in the realm of physical existence. But with His enlightened wisdom, He could not bear [for sentient beings to suffer]. With his compassion, the elder saw that his children and relatives remained inside the great house. No matter what, the Buddha is still the guiding teacher of the Three Realms. He is still concerned about the sentient beings in this house.

He saw that the children were still inside, attached to having a good time. Clearly, a fire was burning, but the children were still playing.

“Suffering was pressing in on them, but they did not know to escape, so they would suffer being scorched by fire.” As this was the case, great compassion arose in the Buddha’s heart. Thus the Tathagata, with compassion and wisdom, examined how sentient beings were pressured by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings, as if they were about to be consumed by fire, yet they still lingered and did not try to leave.

The Buddha is like a father who saw that his sons were still lingering [in the burning house]. They were still indulging in playing games. He could not bear to [abandon them] so He looked for ways to save them. He devised methods to bring them out and save them one by one.

So, we need to clearly understand that the Buddha had already attained the ultimate state and abided in the tranquil land of calm illumination. He had already attained and entered Nirvana. Since He could be peaceful and free without being troubled by any afflictions, He did not feel shock or fear.

Though the Buddha was in [the ultimate] state, He still felt shock and fear on behalf of sentient beings because the goodness in them was constantly diminishing and the evil in them was constantly growing. This created the shock, fear and worries in the Great Enlightened One. As for His own state, He was already peaceful and free. But, “the Buddha suffered when sentient beings suffered and was joyful when sentient beings were happy.” When He sees sentient beings happy, He is joyful. When He sees sentient beings suffer, He is sad. Therefore, the Buddha is the guiding teacher of the Three Realms and the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He is a father with great compassion. He is analogous to “the elder who felt shock and fear for his children.” It was for their sake that he felt shock and fear. This shows the great compassion of the elder.

Everybody, as Buddhist practitioners, we need to truly realize what is in the Buddha’s heart. The Buddha taught with various methods to help us understand that everything is impermanent, and that everything is suffering, has an empty nature and has no-self. Through various methods and skillful means, He taught each person, one by one, so they could ultimately return to the true principle of ultimate reality, which is that everyone can attain Buddhahood and return to their intrinsic Tathagata-nature. We should all realize this. So everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 542 – The Elder Is Shocked and Afraid

>> “The fire of ignorance burns away all goodness. The Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings are boundless. Hate, love, grasping, letting go and the flames of the Three Poisons are analogous to the lack of peace and stability in the Three Realms.”

>> “All at once, throughout the house, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze. The elder’s sons, 10, 20, even up to 30 of them, were still in the house.”

>> “The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, ‘Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….'”

>> Sentient beings are in this place of raging ignorance and afflictions and find it hard to escape. Similarly, the sons in the fiery house are not easily saved. Therefore, the elder is very shocked and afraid.

>> Thoughts about the loss of goodness lead to shock. Worries about the rise of all evils lead to fear. Shock comes from his loving-kindness and being mindful of those who may lose their goodness and joy. Fear comes from his compassion and being worried for those who commit evils and thus suffer. The elder is shocked and afraid because of his loving-kindness and compassion, and his thoughts and worries [for his sons].

“The fire of ignorance burns away all goodness.
The Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings are boundless.
Hate, love, grasping, letting go and the flames of the Three Poisons
are analogous to the lack of peace and stability in the Three Realms.”

This, as I have said to everyone, is an analogy. Time and again, the Buddha gave explanations by using causes and conditions and analogies. The karmic law of cause and effect is a true principle, yet everyone is simply attached to how karma affects them in their current life. If they are suffering now, if this is what they experience, then they say, “This is a consequence of what I did in the past.” Actually, right now we must really understand just what it is that our minds are actually thinking and what actions we are taking. These are things we must be very clear about.

Though we must understand our past, those causes have already matured and the conditions have converged, so now how can we unravel these karmic entanglements? This is most important for Buddhist practitioners. What state are we in right now? Ordinary people are in a state of ignorance. How does this ignorance arise? It arises in the space of a thought. So, one ignorant thought can continue to give rise to many afflictions. Afflictions accumulate as we create karma. Are you all familiar with the principles of how we give rise to ignorance and delusion?

See, right now the four elements of the macrocosm are out of balance. This imbalance of the four elements is caused by the fires of ignorance that have already converged. Because of these fires, the air is filled with thick smoke. This is what we must understand. The tangible effects are seen in this world. Every day at the volunteer’s Morning Assembly, we first discuss the day’s news. In many other countries, every day we see gunfire and bombings, even suicide bombings. This has caused so many suffering people to end up as refugees or become disabled, etc.

So, as soon as ignorance arises, it can burn down every good thought. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, but when ignorance is set in motion in their minds, people’s intrinsic goodness will be burned away by the fire of ignorance. These people all share the same collective karma, so their circumstantial retribution has led them to be born into such a country. They end up facing this tremendous suffering and the torment of being displaced from their homes. “The fire of ignorance burns away all goodness.” This is what the world is like now. So, the collective karma of sentient beings leads to “the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings, [which] are boundless.”

Everyone is familiar with the Five Turbidities, the turbidities of views, of sentient beings, of life, of afflictions, and the kalpa of turbidity. All of these are created by the various workings of people’s minds, and already pervade today’s world.

The macrocosm is very much out of balance. People do not quite understand the Eight Sufferings, such as birth, aging, illness and death. In addition to these [sufferings of the body], there are sufferings that arise from our minds. We cannot always be with those we love; we have to part ways with them. This is parting from those we love. Then we “meet those we hate.” Unfortunately we may constantly be around people we do not like. As soon as we hear their voice, afflictions arise. There is also “the raging of the Five Skandhas.” In our bodies and in our minds, altogether, the sufferings we face are encompassed in the Eight Sufferings. These are the boundless and endless sufferings we face in this world.

They are all inseparable from hate, love, grasping and letting go. This is how life is. We hate, we love; we cannot get what we want, nor can we let go of what we need to relinquish. What we hate is what we have no love for. When we hate something, just seeing it angers us, just hearing it gives rise to a sense of aversion. This is hatred. What is the matter with this person? This person has not done anything to us, so why do we act this way? I have even heard of this phenomenon between a mother and her child. The process of giving birth was very difficult; she was in labor for many days. After her child was born, she became resentful and angry. She was unwilling to see or hear him, or even say his name. Someone asked her, “What’s the matter with you? Why would do treat your son like this? This is very rare because no matter what, maternal love is a natural instinct. Why would you act this way?” She replied, “I don’t know why. I know that I gave birth to him, but whenever I hear his voice. I become fearful and resentful.”

“Why that is, I have no idea. Maybe you wonder why other women go through smooth labors with just short time of pain, whereas your labor was so painful and lasted so long. There are surely karmic connections between you and your child that resulted in such a difficult birth. So, you should let go [of your resentment]. You are the one who gave birth to him; he is innocent in all this.” [She replied,] “Yes, I know that, too.” How could we help her really understand this? Our Commissioners constantly kept them company and tried to create opportunities for mother and son to bond. They brought mother and son along with them to do recycling work. “I didn’t realize how filial my son is. He was born to repay a kindness, not to exact revenge.” The karmic connection between them had truly tormented them both.

So, the hate, love and afflictive emotions between people are truly inconceivable. Where did these emotions come from? From the flames of the Three Poisons. If we never fully understand each other and no one helps to mend this love-hate relationship, the one being resented will develop hatred. This is how the fires of the Three Poisons arise. Isn’t this the way things work in the world? Just like this, in this great house, people’s lives are so complicated; our mind and body create such complicated karma. Think about how this is analogous to the “lack of peace and stability in the Three Realms.”

The Three Realms are the form, formless and desire realms. The desires of the mind lead to hate, love, grasping and letting go. Because of these afflictive emotions, we have the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings. These turbidities and sufferings arise from the fires of ignorance. These fires “burn away all goodness,” giving rise to boundless suffering and creating the flames of the Three Poisons. All this is happening inside this great house, inside people’s minds.

Originally this great house was radiant and magnificent. But because people did not cherish it, it had fallen into disrepair. This represents how our understanding of the truths of the Buddha-Dharma has gradually faded and deteriorated. People no longer behave properly and cannot accept Right Dharma or proper understanding and views. So, we create more and more [karma]. Then naturally the house will catch fire. The fire arises suddenly on all four sides, signifying the imbalance of the four elements. Thus, in the macrocosm, the three major calamities are in a cycle of frequent occurrence.

“All at once, throughout the house, a fire broke out, setting the house ablaze. The elder’s sons, 10, 20, even up to 30 of them, were still in the house.”

In this great house, not only are there relatives, there are also children. They are the elder’s children. They are all disciples of the Buddha and have come in contact with the Buddha-Dharma. They can be divided into three major categories, Bodhisattvas, Solitary Realizers and Hearers. People who have heard many teachings but still do not understand make up the great majority of disciples. Then there are those who have understood, yet they only seek to awaken themselves. There are quite a few of them as well. Lastly, there are who understood and have formed great aspirations and made the Four Great Vows to deliver sentient beings. They go among people and exercise the Four Infinite Minds of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Thus they pave a road through this world that will intersect with the Bodhi-Path. These awakened sentient beings are sadly few in number. So, 10, 20 and 30 are all symbolic numbers.

This is the following passage of sutra text. Let us examine it.

“The elder, seeing the fire arise from all four sides, was greatly shocked and afraid and had the following thought, ‘Although I can, through this burning doorway, escape to safety….'”

Although the elder could escape the burning house through the door, upon looking back and seeing the great house in flames, how the fire had sprung up on all four sides, he was very fearful, shocked and terrified. This is another analogy.

Sentient beings are in this place of raging ignorance and afflictions and find it hard to escape. Similarly, the sons in the fiery house are not easily saved. Therefore, the elder is very shocked and afraid.

Sentient beings are in this place of raging ignorance and afflictions. It is as if they are burning, baking in a blazing fire. The metal pan is already burning hot, but they still do not want to escape. They “find it hard to escape.” In the midst of this, they did not want to leave.

“Similarly, the sons in the fiery house are not easily saved.” If we do not want to seek the Dharma, even though it is right before us, we still wallow in our desires and stir up the flames that will burn us. This is ignorance; people do not want to escape. We are like those children; though we have heard the Dharma, we remain inside playing games.

Though we listen, we cannot let go [of what we have]. We have encountered the Buddha-Dharma, but it is hard to let go. If the door to your mind cannot be opened, afflictions will remain inside forever. No one else can free you from those afflictions;

to reach liberation, we must open the doors to our minds. Then after the Buddha-Dharma enters, we must apply it to our daily living. This is the only way we can liberate ourselves. Other people cannot save us. We are the only ones who can save ourselves. The people [in the house] did not seek to escape their suffering, no matter how shocked and afraid the elder was. When will these children actually begin to listen? When will these children actually want to quickly escape through the doors of this burning house?

Where is this burning house? All of us have a burning house in our minds. In the macrocosm, [the house] is the Three Realms. In the microcosm, the house is our mind. There is a burning house inside of us. The Buddha went through suffering for our sakes. We suffering sentient beings are not trying to escape, so the Buddha was worried for us. The Buddha’s thoughts were like those of the elder, “thoughts about the loss of goodness.”

Thoughts about the loss of goodness lead to shock. Worries about the rise of all evils lead to fear. Shock comes from his loving-kindness and being mindful of those who may lose their goodness and joy. Fear comes from his compassion and being worried for those who commit evils and thus suffer. The elder is shocked and afraid because of his loving-kindness and compassion, and his thoughts and worries [for his sons].

Human nature is inherently good. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. Yet, people are currently in a state of confusion. Inside this burning house, they have lost their great goodness. This shocked the elder. Why is it that everyone’s intrinsically pure Tathagata-nature, their inherent goodness, can no longer be seen? This is why he was shocked.

Their loss of goodness worried him. “Worries about the rise of all evils lead to fear.” When goodness is lost, all evils will arise. This is why the Buddha worried for sentient beings. He was shocked and afraid for them, like the elder when he saw the fire. The elder was shocked and afraid. If these children could not escape, what could he do about it?

The Buddha [worried] about the future. The Tathagata, over 2500 years ago, worried about those of us in His future, our present. This is analogous to the [elder’s] shock and fear. If this fire constantly burned, it would be a very worrisome matter. So, “Thoughts about the loss of goodness lead to shock. Worries about the rise of all evils lead to fear.” He was afraid that everyone would give rise to unwholesome thoughts, that their goodness would vanish as evil arises in them. This led to shock and fear.

His shock came from His loving-kindness. The Buddha is very kind. His mind is that of a compassionate father, so He was “mindful of those who may lose their goodness and joy.” The Buddha worried about us sentient beings, that if we lose our goodness, we will no longer be happy. If we constantly have good thoughts, then we will always be happy. If our minds are lacking in goodness, unwholesome thoughts will constantly arise and we will be unhappy.

Fear comes from His compassion. The Buddha was compassionate. He had loving-kindness and compassion. Out of His kindness, He was afraid sentient beings would be unhappy. Out of His compassion, He worried that they would create karma and experience suffering. Parents worry most that their children will not be receptive to teachings and worry that their children may get into trouble and cause disasters or create conflicts. This is what parents worry about the most. The Buddha is the kind father of the four kinds of beings, so He also hoped that sentient beings can live happily, free of suffering. He worried that sentient beings would create bad karma and suffer painful retributions. This karmic law of cause and effect is the principle that the Buddha wanted to help everyone to clearly understand. So, the Buddha worked hard and gave decades of teaching solely in the hope that we sentient beings could awaken and understand how our minds can take in thoughts of goodness and bring forth our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. This was the one great cause for which the Buddha came to this world. This was why the elder was shocked and afraid, and the reason the Buddha was concerned.

Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful indeed. If we are not mindful, then, in the burning house in our minds, ignorance will continuously reappear. If this is the case, all the karma we create will be bad karma. Any good thoughts that may arise will be eliminated by unwholesome thoughts. Unwholesome thoughts stem from ignorance, and ignorance is just like a spark. If the spark ignites, it will burn up all of our good thoughts.

When our goodness is diminished, our bad karma will grow. When our bad karma increases, we create the Five Turbidities. In the macrocosm of the world around us, there are elevated levels of pollution, as well as the greenhouse effect. The four elements are already out of balance and the Five Turbidities are prevalent. We all face birth, aging, illness and death, in addition to parting with those we love, meeting those we hate and the raging of the Five Aggregates. When they come together, the Eight Sufferings are truly boundless. How can we still not recognize all this suffering?

Once we recognize suffering, we must earnestly accept the Dharma. This Dharma can help us transcend love and hate. We should grasp the Dharma and let go of evil. So, we must take the Dharma to heart. We should let go of various afflictions and unwholesome thoughts. Let us not continue to feel afflictive emotions. What we should grasp is the Buddha-Dharma, and what we should let go of are afflictions. Only by doing this can we extinguish the flames of the Three Poisons. Otherwise, there will never be peace in the burning house of the Three Realms.

The Three Realms are the desire, form and formless realms. We must be careful not to give rise to desires or be enticed by forms in our external conditions. Otherwise, afflictions will continue to remain in our minds and trouble us greatly. This is the great house of our minds. So, I hope everyone will mindfully listen to the Dharma. Do you want to be among the 10, 20 or 30? We have finally been able to receive the Buddha-Dharma. In hearing one teaching, let us realize 1000. We must always take good care of our minds and go among the people to turn the Dharma-wheel. This must be our goal as Buddhist practitioners. Therefore, we must always be mindful.