Author: Scott Ogata

Become a person more actively involved in aiding their community.

Ch02-ep0411

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 411 – Enter the Sea of Dharma-nature

>> “Sentient beings have no fixed nature. They are like ripples on the water. May the winds of wisdom blow them into the sea of Dharma-nature.”

>> The ultimate nature of the Dharma is called True Suchness. The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena, the way bubbles and ripples are part of the water. Depending on their karmic conditions, the multitudes can awaken from delusion.

>> All Buddhas, the Two-Footed Honored Ones, know that all Dharma is empty by nature. The seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions, this is why They teach the One Vehicle.

>> Seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions: The seeds for Buddhahood are something sentient beings intrinsically have. These flawless seeds are never greater or lesser. Arising through conditions means that if we are permeated by the Buddha-Dharma, we will have the exceptional conditions to develop the flawless seeds of Buddhahood.

>> The One Vehicle is something that transports. It enables sentient beings to practice the teachings and escape the sea of cyclic existence and suffering, and thus reach the opposite shore of Nirvana. It refers to the ever-abiding ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which was realized by the Buddha.

“Sentient beings have no fixed nature.
They are like ripples on the water.
May the winds of wisdom
blow them into the sea of Dharma-nature.”
We have been discussing “nature.” There is a nature that is intrinsic to all of us, to both the world within us and around us. It is the nature of True Suchness. But we sentient beings are deluded, so we allow our nature of True Suchness to be buried ever more deeply under ignorance and afflictions. Thus, the Buddha-Dharma tells us, “The ultimate nature of the Dharma is called True Suchness.”

The ultimate nature of the Dharma is called True Suchness. The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena, the way bubbles and ripples are part of the water. Depending on their karmic conditions, the multitudes can awaken from delusion.

Yesterday I spoke of the ultimate nature of the Dharma, our nature of True Suchness. “The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena.” The macrocosm and the microcosm are both inseparable from true principles or the workings of things. The macrocosm is all things in the universe. Each has its own underlying principles. Plants have their own biological principles. Even rocks have their own underlying principles. Each serves a different purpose.

For instance, if we want to build a house we cannot do it without dirt and stones as well as steel bars, bricks and so on. We also need trees. Trees have the nature of trees. Dirt and stones have the nature of dirt and stones. But, they all have their principles of existence. So, it is said, “The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena.” All the truth in the macrocosm corresponds to all phenomena.

Actually, many things are like “bubbles and ripples that are part of the water.” Can trees exist without water? No. Dirt, rocks, or anything from a mine also comes from the union of the four elements. We are sitting here right now. Do we see any water? We do not see any. Actually, all around us there is earth, water, fire and air. If there was no moisture at all, we would not be able to sit here. [The air] would be too dry. There must be balance, the right amount of air and so on. This is the balance of the four elements. In this space, we cannot see them, but they are still present. So, in the harmony of the elements in this space, there is Dharma-nature.

The Dharma-nature is always present, but as we said yesterday, sometimes we are not settled; our nature is not fixed. ․Thus we say “sentient beings have no fixed nature”. Not only is sentient beings’ nature not fixed, actually, though all things in the world have a nature, it is not fixed. Water is soft, rocks are hard, but if there is excessive water,

we may end up with something like. Japan’s combination of disasters. The 3.11 Earthquake was an imbalance of earth, followed by an imbalance of water. This caused a tsunami, which was even more powerful than the quake. When the water came, everything on the ground was like tofu on a table. After the water surged in, everything was swept out into the sea. Next, there were fires. After the fires, the nuclear reactor began leaking [radiation].

So, this combination of disasters took place due to the imbalance [of elements]. Each element has its own fundamental nature. So, within fire there is the nature of water and within water there is the nature of fire. In both fire and water, there is the nature of air. In summary, all these natures are pervasive, but there is no way for us to see that.

Humans and sentient beings are without a fixed nature. “This is a good person, definitely trustworthy. This is a bad person, and cannot be trusted, nor relied on and so on.” Both are human, and actually, both have the same original nature, “Human nature is inherently good.” We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. So, why are some people good and some bad? Good people’s original nature of True Suchness has been less tainted by ignorance. Those who are evil still have that intrinsic nature of True Suchness, but it has been unceasingly defiled by their ignorance and surroundings. Thus, their habitual tendencies have become more extreme and unwholesome. Actually, there is a pure intrinsic nature in evil people, too.

Similarly, all things have an intrinsic nature, but the appearances they manifest are different, indicating that their natures are different. So, “sentient beings have no fixed nature. They are like ripples on water.” Yesterday I said to everyone, “bubbles and ripples are part of the water.” The bubbles may appear to be ripples, or simply foam. Actually, this is part of the nature of water. By the same principle, we humans, regardless of our habitual tendencies or conduct, still have that intrinsic nature within us. But what people see are our habitual tendencies, so they cannot see our intrinsic nature. If our habitual tendencies do not manifest, then they cannot be seen either. Habitual tendencies are what we manifest after being influenced [by our surroundings]. That is what makes us sentient beings.

Every different kind of animal has a different nature as well. Do all these different animals also have Buddha-nature? The Buddha said that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, but it has been polluted by habitual tendencies, leading them to create both good and evil. Doing good leads to the heaven or human realms. Doing evil leads to the hell, animal or hungry ghost realm.

The animal, hungry ghost and hell realms can likewise be seen in this world. Why were they born into that kind of environment? Why were there so many twists and turns in their life? This is all created by sentient beings. So, what they have created is like ripples on the water. Under certain conditions, water becomes bubbles, foam or ripples. They are different but they are all water.

Since we know this, as Buddhist practitioners, we must aspire and vow to “[attain] the winds of wisdom.” Where there is water, if the wind is strong, there will be big waves. This comes from imbalance in air. What we hope for is balance of the four elements. We cannot lack water, and we must also have clear, fresh air. So, [we vow to attain] “the winds of wisdom.” That refers to air. This air is a gentle and mild wind. So, it “blows us into the sea of Dharma-nature.” We all intrinsically have Dharma-nature, but we have lost it through our delusion, which causes our minds to waver. So, there are many things that disrupt the fundamental course of life.

Master Zhu Hong’s “Essays on Not Killing,” includes a story that took place in the 20th year of Emperor Daoguang. At that time, there was a man who followed a group of people on a pilgrimage to Jiuhua Mountain. This person had the mindset, “I wonder what Jiuhua Mountain looks like? Since you’re going, I’ll go with you.” And so he followed them there.

In the great hall on Jiuhua Mountain, he saw some paintings and calligraphy. Those words counseled people to stop killing. One painting was of an ox plowing a field, which is very hard work. So, the painted words on not killing asked people to stop consuming the flesh of sentient beings. Oxen work so hard to help people, plowing fields and furrowing gardens. Oxen work so hard on our behalf that for us to consume their flesh is very unreasonable. These words on not killing matched the painting.

That man stood there, looking at the painting and reading the words. Then he laughed suddenly. Laughing aloud, he said, “But I can’t live without eating beef.” After saying this, everyone focused their gaze on him. Suddenly, his face became dark and he fainted for no reason.

They quickly tried to revive him. They quickly carried him down the mountain, bringing him to the village of another clan. For a night, he rested in that place, which was similar to an ancestral shrine. He was allowed to rest there overnight. In the morning, when people opened the door to the room he was staying in, it seemed to have been wrecked by an ox. Then the people who came with him, once it was light enough, took him home.

His family felt that he had created karma, that this was the result of violating a holy place. So, his family, aside from summoning a doctor, So, his family, aside from summoning a doctor, also made vows that if he was able to recover and regain his wits, the entire family would immediately uphold vegetarian precepts and do many charitable things on his behalf. Also, if he could get better, they would bring him to Jiuhua Mountain to personally repent.

After many days had passed, this man gradually recovered. When his mind finally cleared, he suddenly said, “I’ve been working so hard!” He said, “I felt like an ox plowing fields. Not only did I drag the plow, I was beaten. The work was indeed very arduous. For over ten days I have suffered.” Everyone began talking about how, during his many days in a coma, he was making the sounds of an ox in that state of semi-consciousness.

He said, “I was frightened. I know that I transgressed at that sacred place, especially by denying the law of karma, so my karma is very severe. Starting now, not only will I not eat beef, starting now, knowing that all living beings are sentient, I will be a vegetarian.” As a result, several days later, he returned to Jiuhua Mountain to pay respect. He did not just walk up the mountain, but he prostrated every three steps from the foot of mountain to the top in order to repent.

This is telling everyone that we are all sentient beings, and evil and ignorance may arise in any person. Then we may recklessly deny the law of karma. So, we must constantly have this kind of wisdom and apply our wisdom to understand the human world.

The previous sutra passage states, “All Buddhas, the Two-Footed Honored Ones, know that all Dharma is empty by nature.”

All Buddhas, the Two-Footed Honored Ones, know that all Dharma is empty by nature. The seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions, this is why They teach the One Vehicle.

The Two-Footed Honored Ones have created enough blessings and wisdom. Those replete with both blessings and wisdom are the Two-Footed Honored Ones, or Buddhas. The Buddha’s understanding is universal. He is the Completely Awakened One and. One Perfect in Wisdom and Action. Among the Buddha’s ten epithets is. Completely Awakened One. So, we say that the Buddha is the Great Enlightened One of the Universe. After attaining enlightenment, all things in the universe became known to Him. He knows all the principles of how we humans relate to the land. So, those who follow the principles will live a peaceful life. Those who go against the principles will not be in harmony with themselves or with the world.

So, He “knows that all Dharma is empty by nature.” Sentient beings’ habitual nature is not fixed, so they create much evil karma. “The seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions.” Actually, we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. But this seed also requires the convergence of causes and conditions. Aside from soil and water, it also needs air. It also need the nature of fire, which comes from sunlight. So, “the seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions.”

Seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions: The seeds for Buddhahood are something sentient beings intrinsically have. These flawless seeds are never greater or lesser. Arising through conditions means that if we are permeated by the Buddha-Dharma, we will have the exceptional conditions to develop the flawless seeds of Buddhahood.

We all intrinsically have Tathagata-nature. This seed for Buddhahood is in all of us, but needs many causes and conditions to converge. Take the Four Missions of Tzu Chi, for example. Each serves a different function and each requires its own exceptional causes and conditions to converge. The causes and conditions of today are dependent on those beginnings. This is why we name them in this order, Charity, Medicine, Education, Humanistic Culture. This is how they came about. This is “arising through conditions.”

“This is why They teach the One Vehicle.” So no matter what we do in Tzu Chi, or how we began, our goal has been to carry out the Four Missions. When we put the Four Missions together, they express the belief we all share, which is one of having mutual gratitude.

Our Tzu Chi volunteers are Living Bodhisattvas. They not only use various causes and conditions to build a hospital. After we built a hospital, we needed many doctors, pharmacists, nurses, technicians, various departments, an administrative office and so on. Our Tzu Chi volunteers then also volunteered at the hospital. Many different talents were brought together because of the work of these Living Bodhisattvas. They established the hospital and helped it fulfill its potential to save lives.

After the hospital came the missions of. Education and Humanistic Culture, leading to our Da Ai TV station. All this needed many causes and conditions to converge. So, these causes and conditions converged solely for the sake of one goal, to exercise our altruistic potential for the sake of Buddha’s teachings and sentient beings. We are spreading the Buddha-Dharma throughout this world and guiding everyone to the One Vehicle, to walk the Bodhisattva-path.

Learning to be grateful, respectful, loving and expressing selfless great love in this world is the goal of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage and. Tzu Chi School of Buddhism. This is the direction we all share, so we call it the One Vehicle. The One Vehicle is a mode of transportation. When we get on a train and ride it, no matter how many people [are on it], we all move along with the train. So, we take this method of transportation to reach our destination.

The One Vehicle is something that transports. It enables sentient beings to practice the teachings and escape the sea of cyclic existence and suffering, and thus reach the opposite shore of Nirvana. It refers to the ever-abiding ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, which was realized by the Buddha.

When the Buddha came to this world, the tool He used was the Dharma, “the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.” He wanted everyone to know we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, and must bring together good causes and conditions to be able to purify people’s minds and exercise our altruistic potential. This is the one great cause for which the Buddha comes to this world. So, all past, present and future Buddhas must cultivate both blessings and wisdom and bring them together. Then They are Two-Footed Honored Ones and can understand all true principles in the world.

True principles cannot be seen; what is seen is what is created by humans, who are influenced by their habitual tendencies. This results in good and bad karmic retributions. We certainly must believe this. So, the Buddha comes to this world to teach all of us the way to attain Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, we must first know these principles. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0410

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 410 – Train the Mind by Dealing With Worldly Matters

>> “The ultimate nature of the Dharma is called True Suchness. The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena the way bubbles and ripples are part of the water. Depending on their karmic conditions, the multitudes can awaken from delusion.”

>> “Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions [of teachings], these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.”

>> “All Buddhas, the Two-footed Honored Ones, know that all Dharma is empty by nature. The seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions that is why They teach the One Vehicle.”

>> The Two-Footed Honored Ones: The Buddha’s blessed virtues and wisdom are like two feet that work in concert. Therefore, people of the world admire Him and honor Him above all others. Out of respect comes deep faith, so they practice according to His teachings. By cultivating blessings and wisdom, they ultimately attain Bodhi.

>> [They] know that all Dharma is empty by nature: Knowing the Dharma of the Middle Way, we can perfect and attain the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. All things are without [permanent] substance, so they are empty by nature. In ultimate emptiness, things do not truly exist. This is what it means to be empty by nature.

>> With deluded sentiments of wrong assumptions, we see a permanent self when there is none. We cling to something non-existent as existent; we cling to what is wrong as right. This is like seeing a rope and calling it a snake. This is called the wrong assumption of being attached to [the existence of a] nature.

“The ultimate nature of the Dharma is called True Suchness.
The ultimate truth corresponds to all phenomena
the way bubbles and ripples are part of the water.
Depending on their karmic conditions, the multitudes can awaken from delusion.”

We already know that the ultimate nature of the Dharma is True Suchness. Every day, True Suchness is hidden deep within our minds. It is actually our intrinsic nature; these true principles exist in our minds. This the nature of True Suchness. As for the principles of ultimate truth, once we can understand these true principles, we can respond to all phenomena. As long as we can understand, the principles are all in our minds. In our daily living, if our minds are on the right course, we can follow all the principles smoothly.

We often say that if we can harmoniously deal with things, then we will have a harmonious character, and therefore be in harmony with principles. All this depends on our minds and how our own nature of True Suchness converges with principles. This is just like how bubbles and ripples are inseparable from the water.

We call these air pockets on the water “bubbles.” Why are there bubbles? We probably all know that when water gushes down and is agitated, bubbles and foam will form. Similarly, what are ripples? Ripples also exist because of water.

Principles work in the same way. Our nature of True Suchness [responds to] the principles of physics that people talk about, the principles of biology, astronomy, geography and so on. These underlying principles actually are one with the nature of True Suchness within us. The existence of these principles enables all kinds of tangible things to take shape. Tangible things are things that have been created. These conditioned phenomena are produced based on the existence of these invisible, intangible principles. Based on the same principles, when we see bubbles, we must think of the water; when we see how things are brought into being, we should not forget our nature of True Suchness. This is something we must mindfully comprehend.

The nature of True Suchness exists. The true principles of the universe exist. Why, then, is there so much ignorance in sentient beings? Why is there so much turmoil in the world? All this results from causes and conditions. Since causes and conditions created these troubles for humankind, we can also use these causes and conditions to teach sentient beings. We use worldly matters to train the mind, and use stories to teach the Dharma. Didn’t we use stories yesterday?

In South Africa, they understand the suffering caused by poverty so after they learned the principles, they clearly recognized their direction in life. So, step by step, the South African volunteers paved a road with love. Then they guided the suffering in other countries [onto that path] and also provided them with spiritual wealth. This kind of spiritual wealth allows “the multitudes to awaken from delusion” so they do not add [mental] suffering to a life of poverty nor create karma on top of that. After the suffering of the poor is relieved, they have abundant love to offer. So, the poor can also give to others out of compassion and wisdom. We discussed this yesterday,

so we should know that the Buddha-nature, true principles, True Suchness are all the same thing, just as bubbles and ripples are inseparable from water. So in all things, we must always seize the causes and conditions. If we can seize them, then naturally the Dharma will be in our hearts and actions. Everything under the same sky shares the same underlying principles. True principles correspond to all phenomena. The selfless great love of our pure nature naturally grants us both blessings and wisdom.

The previous sutra passage stated,

“Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions [of teachings], these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.”

We discussed this teaching before. All Buddhas of the past, and Sakyamuni Buddha back in those days, and all Buddhas of the present and even the Buddhas of the future all have given many teachings. “They give hundred, thousands, millions,” which signifies “a lot,” All these teachings are doors to the Dharma. They are many doors that people may enter, but actually they all lead to the One Vehicle. Though He opened so many Dharma-doors of skillful means, after everyone entered those Dharma-doors to understand the principles of Buddha-Dharma, the Buddha then consolidated these skillful means and set them aside to teach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. This was to help everyone understand that everyone can attain Buddhahood.

This nature of the One Vehicle Dharma is something we have discussed before. Now let us examine today’s sutra passage.

“All Buddhas, the Two-footed Honored Ones, know that all Dharma is empty by nature. The seeds for Buddhahood arise through conditions that is why They teach the One Vehicle.”

“All Buddhas, the Two-footed Honored Ones….” Previously, and yesterday, we talked about the Two-Footed Honored One. This is telling everyone that the Buddhas, those who have already attained enlightenment, are replete with both blessings and wisdom. They are abundantly replete with both. Once replete, They must put them into action, teaching the Dharma to transform sentient beings. Throughout His lifetime, this is what the Buddha did, exercise blessings and wisdom.

If Sakyamuni Buddha had only wisdom but not blessings from creating blessed karmic connections with sentient beings, people would not even accept the Dharma He [personally] taught.

Blessings come from forming joyful affinities with sentient beings, so whenever they see us they feel happy. Whatever we say, they will listen. Whatever we teach, they will accept. This is [the result of] blessed connections. We need blessings, as well as wisdom in order to help sentient beings go in the right direction. We need to cultivate both blessings and wisdom [to be like] the Two-Footed Honored Ones.

When it comes to our relationships with the people we live with, we must [remember] to speak softly and gently. Otherwise, while spending every day together, some people have [good] karmic connections and some people have negative ones, so conflict may arise in conversation. This comes from our attitude, language and so on. We must not create a situation where in future lifetimes, we wish to practice, but there are people who try to hinder us. Afflictions from these hindrances are bothersome.

Now that we understand these principles, we must quickly form positive karmic connections and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart to nurture our wisdom. This is the only way to become a Two-Footed Honored One and continually accumulate and be replete with blessings and wisdom. Therefore, we must be mindful.

The Two-Footed Honored Ones: The Buddha’s blessed virtues and wisdom are like two feet that work in concert. Therefore, people of the world admire Him and honor Him above all others. Out of respect comes deep faith, so they practice according to His teachings. By cultivating blessings and wisdom, they ultimately attain Bodhi.

Because the Buddha is replete with blessings and wisdom, He is admired by everyone in the world. One must have blessings and wisdom for others to faithfully accept and practice one’s teachings; this comes from “respect. I respect you and the words you speak, so I will accept them.” Therefore, He is honored above all others. People’s admiration for Him gives rise to deep faith, so they practice according to the teachings and cultivate both blessings and wisdom.

For us to engage in spiritual practice, we cannot neglect any kind of Dharma. The Dharma for cultivating blessings is what we must diligently practice among others. The way of cultivating wisdom is what we must take to heart as we listen to teachings. Cultivating both blessings and wisdom takes internal cultivation and external practices. In every moment, we have to be very vigilant. Blessings and wisdom need to be cultivated in our daily living until we ultimately attain Bodhi.

“[They] know that all Dharma is empty by nature.” We must understand that the Dharma is empty by nature. Without substance, how would it have a nature? We should say that its nature is pervasive among all true principles. These true principles are manifested in their corresponding objects. Every object has an underlying principle. In analyzing principles, would you say the nature of the principles is hard or is it soft? In reality, softness and hardness are only manifested in material objects. How can we make something very hard? That requires wisdom and knowledge. It is like steel; iron is very hard, but turning it into steel makes it flexible. This is how the principles work. By exercising wisdom, which is “unconditioned Dharma,” we can manifest “conditioned phenomena.”

We “know that all Dharma is empty by nature.” We already know that teachings are “unconditioned Dharma.” Since unconditioned Dharma pervades the universe and the Dharma-realms, it is present everywhere. But here, we say it is “empty by nature.” We have to mindfully comprehend this.

[They] know that all Dharma is empty by nature: Knowing the Dharma of the Middle Way, we can perfect and attain the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. All things are without [permanent] substance, so they are empty by nature. In ultimate emptiness, things do not truly exist. This is what it means to be empty by nature.

To know the Dharma, we must walk the Middle Way. Now, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must not deviate from Right Dharma. So, [to know] or practice Right Dharma, we cannot deviate from the principles of the Buddha-Dharma. [Knowing] the Right Dharma is “knowing the Dharma of the Middle Way.” As we walk the Middle Way, we must not deviate or change directions. We must unwaveringly walk the Middle Way.

In one of the sutras there is story about how, in a small river, there was a very long piece of lumber. As the water flows down this small river, the log has to stay in the middle of the river to keep moving with the water. If this piece of wood turns sideways, both ends will get stuck. This is an analogy for the Dharma. For us to reach understanding, we must stay mid-river like the log, so we do not get stuck on this side, or on that side. We have to stay in the middle for our path to be open and free of obstacles. Take driving a car, for example. If we veer too much to one side, we get close to a dangerous cliff. But one side is the cliff, and the other is the cliff face, so we have to drive in the middle of the road.

Of course, other people are also in the middle along with us, so what do we do? We have to widen the road. After we widen it, no matter which direction we are going, or which direction others are heading, we can all stay on this very precise path. We just need to follow the course of this road, that is all. So, “know the Dharma of the Middle Way.”

We have previously discussed the Dharma on the contemplation of the real and of the illusory, the truth of emptiness and of illusion. These are all principles. So what method will we use? If we cling to emptiness, we may deny the law of karma. If we cling to existence, we may be deluded into thinking there are gods in rocks and grasses. Some people will say, “If that is so, there are gods in our vegetables. What should we do then?” This would really restrict the way we live. So, we must exercise wisdom and choose to take the Middle Way.

“We can perfect and attain the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.” In emptiness there is wondrous existence and the karmic law of cause and effect. To advance in our spiritual practice, we need karmic causes and conditions. We need to create these causes and understand karmic conditions. Since the Buddha began His spiritual practice, He has been in accord with the law of karma, but He was not attached to it, so He unlocked the Dharma-door of the pure and undefiled nature of True Suchness. This is the most important part of our spiritual practice, how to perfect and attain the Middle Way. The Dharma must be practiced in the Middle Way, so “we can perfect and attain the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.”

Thus, “Dharma is empty by nature and all things are without [permanent] substance.” We should already know this. I have continuously said that “all things are without [permanent] substance,” and we just said it again. All material things have a certain way of coming into existence. For example, there is a way to create a table. This table is, in essence, a large piece of wood. This big piece of wood was once called a tree. This tree started as a seed. Following the laws of nature, the appearance [of the tree] depended on earth, water and so on to nourish that seed. Which of these is this table’s true appearance? So, in talking about the Dharma, all things are without [permanent] substance so they are empty by nature.

This is called “empty by nature.” You may wonder what “empty by nature” actually means. “Doesn’t Master talk about the nature of True Suchness, that ‘human nature is inherently good’ and nature is ever-present? So why did she say things are empty by nature?” Take the appearance of a table for example. It has many different [appearances]. Is it a seed? Is it a tree? Each appearance of its nature must undergo a process to take this form, so it is actually empty by nature. Not only is it empty by nature, it also has no appearance. “In ultimate emptiness, things do not truly exist.” If we analyze something down to its essence, ultimately there is just emptiness.

If we keep analyzing a table, looking into the past, we see a seed. That seed originates from another seed in the past. That seed grew into a tree, that tree grew fruits; this is a continuous cycle. Exactly which seed was that table’s seed? So ultimately, there is just emptiness. In emptiness, everything is non-existent; this is called being empty by nature. So, wondrous existence cannot be seen. Thus, it is ultimately empty, empty by nature.

With deluded sentiments of wrong assumptions, we see a permanent self when there is none. We cling to something non-existent as existent; we cling to what is wrong as right. This is like seeing a rope and calling it a snake. This is called the wrong assumption of being attached to [the existence of a] nature.

Everyone, we must make an effort to be mindful. We ordinary people have deluded sentiments about natures based on wrong assumptions. Because we have wrong assumptions, we think we can use water however we want. In terms of [water usage], I keep saying, “We must cherish our water resources.” How? Use the same water many times. We use reclaimed water. What is reclaimed water? Impure water that has been filtered and reclaimed. Impure water, as you know, is now available [for us to use]; when we wash the sidewalk or irrigate plants, we do it with this water. We can also flush the toilet with this water. Clean water is used for cooking and drinking.

We must find the best way to use water and not be attached to thinking, “I must use it in this way.” Then a difference of opinion may arise and create negative causes and conditions leading to confrontations between people. “I believe I should use this kind of water. I believe you can’t use this kind of water.” If so, what can we do?

After we finish washing things, we can then rinse our hands with clean water. Doesn’t this demonstrate wisdom? When it comes to natural resources, we must conserve them, cherish them and use them well. We should not have any “deluded sentiments from wrong assumptions.” This is attachment. If you are attached to doing things a certain way, it is because you think things truly exist. If you are attached to your way of doing things, if you stubbornly argue over everything, your life will be difficult. In summary, I hope that you treat your daily living as the best place to engage in spiritual practice. So, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0409

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 409 – Exercising Blessings and Wisdom in Parallel

>> “Blessings and wisdom are like two feet; compassion and wisdom are exercised in parallel. The nature of Dharma is ever-abiding but it is taught according to conditions.”

“Blessings and wisdom are like two feet;
compassion and wisdom are exercised in parallel.
The nature of Dharma is ever-abiding
but it is taught according to conditions.”

This is to tell us that blessings and wisdom are like our two feet. Whether we want to walk to the east or the west, if our two feet are healthy, we can move around freely.

Blessings come from interacting with others and creating good karmic connections. As I have continuously said in the past, before attaining Buddhahood, we must first create good affinities with people. We must practice giving to other people. Even speaking soft and gentle words can be the gift of loving speech. If we can understand teachings through speech, then everything we hear is Dharma and we will take every bit of it to heart. This also helps us to create blessings and form blessed connections.

Sentient beings face much suffering, the most painful [being] in our minds. If our minds stray from their course and an afflicted thought arises, we may become entangled by afflictions for the rest of our lives. Whether or not we have money or enjoy comfortable living circumstances, if we are afflicted, we will feel terrible. In this world, many people who cannot change their mindset end up doing things they will regret for the rest of their lives. The news media often reports on these kinds of stories, and we feel very sad when we hear of them. These things happen when people are not content. If people truly feel content, they will have an abundance of blessings.

And how can we be content? By taking the Dharma to heart. If we can accept the Dharma and take it to heart, we will always feel very content. If we are content and know the Dharma, we can go among people and share that abundance of Dharma with others. This is also creating blessings and forming blessed connections.

Whether the regret is in their hearts or in ours, we deeply feel the pain. If we can be content, and other people can be content too, this brings blessings to the world. Thus, blessings are [created] as we encourage and motivate each other to move in the right direction. This is how to teach the Dharma.

When we give teachings, we need to speak softly and gently so we naturally form good karmic connections. Of course, we cannot just talk about [the Dharma], we also need to put it into practice. Sentient beings’ suffering is our suffering. How do we help relieve their suffering? This is why the Buddha comes back to this world lifetime after lifetime; He never stops coming to this world. He guides sentient beings to attain blessings and wisdom, and to become replete with both. The Buddha came to this world to teach us to [exercise] “compassion and wisdom in parallel.”

We need to be compassionate and content. Only when we have compassion, will we create blessings. Without compassion, we will not eliminate the suffering of others nor form good karmic connections. Our blessings come from compassionate giving; our discerning wisdom awakens our impartial wisdom. With discerning wisdom, we can differentiate all worldly appearances, and then awaken our pure, impartial wisdom. Only then can we bring peace to the minds of people all over the world. Much suffering in this world is caused by manmade calamities. In order to reduce those manmade calamities, we must awaken our wisdom. Through wisdom we learn what kind of environment everyone must create and what kind of lifestyle we can promote to create a peaceful world, free of conflict.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, He always hoped for there to be peace in the world. Back then, each city was considered a kingdom. These small cities, or kingdoms, were located close to each other, so it was very common for kingdoms to invade one another. Therefore, during His lifetime, He witnessed the depths of human greed.

Birth, aging, illness and death are the natural course of life and already bring much suffering, so why would people also invade and bring harm to each other out of bottomless greed? This led Him to form a resolve. Even if He had the high status of a king, He still could not eliminate these manmade calamities, so He aspired and vowed to leave the palace and engage in spiritual practice. All He wanted was for the world to be peaceful.

World peace starts by adjusting people’s minds. People simply do not know that “the nature of Dharma is ever-abiding.” The Dharma is the truth, which has always existed. This true principle is that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. The truth has always been in this world so we can clearly discern right from wrong. Unfortunately, sentient beings give rise to ignorant thoughts, which confuse their minds. So, the pure nature of the Dharma has been covered by ignorance and attachments. The nature of the Dharma is ever-abiding. However, sentient beings cling to attachments out of ignorance. So, the Buddha believed in teaching according to conditions and capabilities. After [the Buddha] attained Buddhahood, He opened many Dharma-doors with skillful means to teach according to conditions and capabilities. This shows the Buddha’s loving heart.

Don’t we also have the Buddha’s love in us? The Buddha believes we all inherently have “unconditional loving-kindness” and “universal compassion.” This pure intrinsic nature, this truth, is ever-present in the macrocosm of the wider universe. This pure Buddha-nature is also present in the microcosm, in each of us. So, the Buddha was born in this universe to reveal these ever-abiding principles so that everyone can take them to heart. By awakening true principles in every person and bringing all sentient beings into harmony with true principles of the universe, won’t the world become peaceful?

Eliminating the chaos in this world starts with each person. No kind of power can control people’s minds. People’s minds cannot be controlled, only inspired. Yesterday, I spoke about the South African [volunteers]. Though born into poverty in South Africa, causes and conditions converged for [our volunteers] to travel there from Taiwan. There, Tzu Chi volunteers cultivated the spiritual soil of people’s minds, and through various karmic conditions and by adapting to various capabilities, they helped to stabilize their lives. We provided the nourishment they needed and taught them ways to make a living.

Then, we inspired their love so that they can exercise their care and compassion locally. Having inspired them one by one, this seed has now been planted in the [hearts] of each one of them. “One gives rise to infinity, and infinity arises from one.” This benevolent [spirit of] helping others is being exercised in South Africa. Now they are crossing into Swaziland. Thus, a group of volunteers came together in Swaziland as well. They took care of the poor, elderly and disabled.

Although every one of them was poor, their loving hearts were inspired. They are the rich among the poor, because they have an abundance of love. Though they lack money and resources, they can spread the Dharma. Seven Tzu Chi volunteers went to Swaziland and when they left, some volunteers from Swaziland joined them as they traveled to Mozambique.

In Mozambique, karmic conditions are ripening. There was a young woman there from Taiwan. Causes and conditions brought a young man from Mozambique to Taiwan to study, and this young Taiwanese woman had the karmic affinity to be his classmate, marry him and move to Mozambique. This is how she ended up there. Only after arriving did she realize what Mozambique was actually like, but it was too late for regrets. She really had a hard time adjusting. However, the power of love gave her strength to continue living there. The workings of karma are inconceivable. When Tzu Chi volunteers from South Africa arrived in Mozambique, this woman, Denise Tsai, who married and moved to Mozambique, heard about them and went to them. She aspired to foster this karmic connection. She began to join the South African volunteers in providing care for Mozambicans.

Though she lived in Mozambique, and her standard of living was decent, ․it was truly not easy for her to do what these. South African volunteers were doing. This young Taiwanese woman and this group of volunteers from South Africa went to places with extreme poverty and suffering. When they first arrived, people rejected their efforts by saying, “You are just as poor as me, what gives you the right to come here? Do you have some kind of ulterior motive?” Time after time, Tzu Chi volunteers used love, smiles and gentle words to interact with them. Then when the relief supplies arrived and. Tzu Chi volunteers distributed them, everyone believed that this group of Bodhisattvas had come with genuine sincerity, even bringing rice and other necessities. So, the poor people of Mozambique began to accept these volunteers.

When Tzu Chi volunteers visited them again, people would ask, “What else can you give us?” Our volunteers always gave the same answer, “We are bringing you spiritual wealth” and began recruiting volunteers. By spreading [the seeds of] love there, by sharing teachings with them, the volunteers of South Africa and Mozambique became fast friends, [creating] a group of people who were loving and aspired to do good deeds. The seeds had already sprouted and grown.

This time, their mission to Mozambique was [to survey] the effects of the floods. This was possible because. ․Denise’s husband believed in my teaching that everyone can recruit more Bodhisattvas, he used the internet and Facebook to send out messages and recruit volunteers. Once they began [to recruit], several hundreds of people signed up on Facebook. More than 20 people actually showed up to help. Then [Denise] led this group of volunteers to survey the damage.

In the group, there was a young man who watched the way they went into the affected area to survey the flood damage. When he realized that things were very serious and the poor were very miserable, this young man said to everyone, “Now that we have gone into the affected area and have seen the suffering of these people, after this wave of relief work is done, shouldn’t we form a group [to help them]?” He formed an organization online, but because it was not authorized by Tzu Chi, he did not want to use Tzu Chi’s name. So, he established a charity group online. Thus, these 20 or so people formed a charitable group over the internet.

After that, every time. Tzu Chi volunteers went to Mozambique, they would first stay at Denise’s home. Before they began to work, they would first visit the friends they had made last time and those who wanted to become Tzu Chi volunteers. They cared for them and worked with them to extend this affection and spread great love, to mentor this group of people and teach them how to do relief work. In doing relief work, they must show respect, give to others out of genuine sincerity and deliver goods with respect and love. They showed them how [best] to care for the elderly and others they have been looking after. After sharing these experiences, they could mobilize people; this is how they began to appeal to fellow Mozambicans for help and to collect relief supplies locally.

As soon as they put the request on the internet, supplies began to flow in. They received quite a mix of things. Judging from the information they sent back, this actually caused a great headache for them. They did not want to reject donations, so they accepted both helpful and unhelpful things. Simply put, most people there were poor, but there had to be a way for them to help others out of love. So, they mobilized even more volunteers to sort the donations. I often say that this can be a secondary disaster. We have to mobilize many volunteers to carefully sort and categorize the donations, then determine which family can use what and where these donations can be fully utilized. It takes a lot to collect, sort and then properly distribute these things. In Mozambique, these first-time volunteers were inexperienced and no matter how many volunteers they had, it would not be enough.

Fortunately, volunteers from South Africa arrived to teach them how to sort, organize and distribute these donations. They shared about giving with love. As we think about them, consider the many, many stories behind each [volunteer]. They have truly led difficult lives. However, despite living in poverty, they could still demonstrate the power of love. They are truly inspiring.

So, “blessings and wisdom are like two feet” that arise out of a sense of contentment. If we are not content, no matter how rich we are, how famous we are or how high our status is, we will feel very miserable. So, we must guide people so they will feel content. When we feel content, no matter how poor we are, no matter how difficult this work is, we are still willing to help others. Then, we truly have [both] [blessings and wisdom]; then we will be honored by others.

“Compassion and wisdom are exercised in parallel.” With great compassion, we can overcome various difficulties and practice giving without regret or resentment. This is how we were able to mobilize so many loving people in Mozambique. Actually, in every country in the world, the nature of Dharma is ever-abiding in every person’s mind. People intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must believe this. Then, based on karmic conditions, we figure out how to help them.

Dear Bodhisattvas, learning the Buddha’s Dharma depends on our minds. “Though the universe has its limits, our vows are boundless.” The greater our vows are, the greater our wisdom and blessings will be. As long as we have the vow, there is nothing we cannot do. Look at how our. South African volunteers have accomplished such amazing deeds that bring them honor. This is truly inspiring.

I really do not know how to share with you the way they give to others out of joy and happiness. “Loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity” are reflected in their actions, so their “blessings and wisdom are like two feet” and they can “exercise compassion and wisdom in parallel.” This proves that they have clearly understood that “the nature of Dharma is ever-abiding.” The South African volunteers had the opportunity, due to poverty and flooding in Mozambique, to dedicate themselves to providing immediate aid and mobilizing the people. See, the workings of karma are inconceivable. The true principles of the universe can be applied anywhere, so we must have faith in them. Everyone, please always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0408

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 408 – Internal Cultivation and External Practice

>> “With great loving-kindness, there is never any regret. With great compassion, there is never any resentment. With great joy, there is never any worry. With great equanimity, there is never any expectation.”

>> “All Buddhas make this vow, ‘Having walked this path to Buddhahood, I wish to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.'”

>> “Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions of [teachings], these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.”

>> Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions of [teachings]: All Buddhas [come] for the sake of sentient beings. Because there is much confusion in our minds, Buddhas have to give suitable teachings. Their teachings adapt to capabilities the way water takes on the different shapes of containers but retains the same nature.

>> We must take the Dharma we listen to and diligently cultivate it within. We contemplate how to externally practice it to [attain] virtues. This is how we gradually advance in our practice of the sole wondrous Dharma for attaining Buddhahood.

>> These countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle: The wondrous Dharma taught by the Buddha is all the ways noble beings enter the Path, so these are called “doors.” Since all Dharma also leads to ultimate reality, what we call Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.

“With great loving-kindness, there is never any regret.
With great compassion, there is never any resentment.
With great joy, there is never any worry.
With great equanimity, there is never any expectation.”

As practitioners of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage, we must internally cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. We must also make the Four Great Vows to transform all sentient beings, eliminate all afflictions, diligently and mindfully study the Buddha-Dharma and steadily engage in spiritual practice. We must not cease until we attain Buddhahood. So, [we must] “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.”

We are now learning how the. “Tzu Chi School is a road of working with others.” As we enter this school of Buddhism, our mission is to develop the Four Infinite Minds. The Four Infinite Minds are great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy and great equanimity. To have “loving-kindness” is to hope that the world can become safe and peaceful, that everyone can live harmoniously, receive blessings and find happiness. This is the Buddha’s great loving-kindness. He wants peace and joy for all sentient beings, so He spent a very long time [teaching them]. But sentient beings’ capabilities are complex and vary greatly, so the Buddha unceasingly returns to this world on the ship of compassion. He spent a long time in this world creating karmic connections with sentient beings and helping them. He comes to spread seeds, plant good causes and create good karmic connections.

Since Beginningless Time, Sakyamuni Buddha has been in this world, paving the path to Buddhahood. I continually remind all of you that before we can attain Buddhahood, we must first create good karmic connections. His causes and conditions ripened, so the Buddha manifested the Eight Aspects of His life and enlightenment. This was His way of teaching us the process of His spiritual practice [through] the maturation of His causes and conditions. Before the causes and conditions ripened, He unceasingly exercised great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy and great equanimity to form good affinities with sentient beings. He kept coming [to the world] for an amount of time that is inconceivable to us. We cannot apply our unenlightened wisdom to fathom that length of time. For us, it is impossible. In the Buddha’s Jataka Sutra, every story happened countless kalpas ago, which is a very, very long time in the past.

Think about all these sutras and the number of His lifetimes they describe. Sakyamuni lived many lives as a Bodhisattva, until more than 2500 years ago, when He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood. This means that after a very long time, His causes and conditions had ripened so He could be born in this era. This was more than 2500 years ago. As we can see, the Buddha’s great loving-kindness is everlasting. Sentient beings are stubborn and hard to tame. This is true not only of those living in the present, but also of those who lived incalculable kalpas ago. Thus, “everlasting” means He never feels any regrets for the lifetimes of love that He has shown to sentient beings. No matter how stubborn sentient beings are, He has never regretted His love for them.

“With great compassion, there is never any resentment.” Sentient beings are not only stubborn and difficult to train, they sometimes also repay kindness with animosity. There are many such stories in the Jataka Sutra. However, He never regretted any of this. Despite being persecuted by sentient beings, He never thought about withdrawing His great compassion. He sees all sentient beings as a part of Him. Therefore, what He wanted to attain is what all sentient beings want to attain. As He has already attained Buddhahood through spiritual cultivation, and. He hoped all sentient beings would engage in spiritual practice. Then, they too could attain Buddhahood. This is great compassion without resentment. Stubborn sentient beings are difficult to tame, but due to His great compassion, He never felt resentful. He never felt any regret or resentment. In every single moment, [He thought], “I must transform you. No matter how you treat me, I will still transform you.” This showed His lack of resentment.

Next, “With great joy, there is never any worry.” A broad and open mind is necessary for dealing with the many people and matters in this world. To continue to exercise the power of vows and to put the Great Vows into practice, we must have a broad, pure mind, “[one which] encompasses the universe and embraces everything”; such a mind is very expansive. If we broaden our minds in this way, we can be free of worry and sorrow and be constantly joyful.

We practice being understanding of trivial things and accommodating of major issues. Only by doing so can our minds be broad and our thoughts become pure. If we can nurture this kind of mindset, we will feel joyful every day. With nothing to regret or resent, every day, we will fee joyful. Thus, “With great joy, there is never any worry.”

[Next], “With great equanimity, there is never any expectation.” Giving must be without expectations. We must realize the Three Spheres of Emptiness and show compassion to all equally. By realizing the Three Spheres of Emptiness, our minds will become very expansive. Giving is what we should be doing. Material things never truly belong to us. When we can use these things to help people, we feel happy. What we gain in return is their peace and safety. This is all it takes for us to be happy. What more can we ask for? This is why. Tzu Chi volunteers give unconditionally. And then what do they say? They are grateful that others are willing to accept their help. I usually tell everyone that the skills we should cultivate are being grateful, content understanding, accommodating and so on. These are the ways we should engage with people and matters in our daily living. Then for us, “with great loving-kindness, “there is never any regret. With great compassion, there is never any resentment. With great joy, there is never any worry. With great equanimity, there is never any expectation.” Indeed, we must work towards this.

Consider the many Bodhisattvas in this world. In places of the greatest suffering in this world, these Living Bodhisattvas have manifested when the causes and conditions matured. For example, in poor countries like South Africa, [volunteers] have taken on a mission. After ceaselessly devoting themselves to helping others in South Africa over the past two decades, despite their own poverty now (2013), they have gone beyond South Africa to help those in Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho and other countries.

As of February (2013), they have gone to Swaziland eleven times. The distance between the two countries is 600km. The car they used was very old and beat up, and it was carrying seven people. From South Africa to Swaziland it is 600km. They left very early in the morning and arrived after 7pm. They did not complain of being tired and still seemed to be very energetic. They brought sleeping bags with them so they could curl up and sleep anywhere. Then, the next day they continued

their journey to a rural village in Swaziland. But in Swaziland, they needed a guide to show them the way. During the trips made in the past year, they had become acquainted with an employee of Tex-Ray Industrial Co., a trading company, who introduced them to a friend. The name of this friend is Thembi. She was poor and unemployed, and her family was in a state of difficulty. When her friend introduced her [to Tzu Chi], Thembi thought about her village and the many poor people who lived there. She wanted to bring the Tzu Chi spirit back to her village to help the people there. So, she bravely volunteered to lead them back to her village.

Now, there were eight people in the car. They drove in this car for another couple of hours. After they arrived and parked the car, they still had to travel on foot for a long way. They even had to hike through a mountainous area. We can imagine how hard it was for these South African Bodhisattvas, who have large frames, to hike and walk the narrow path. Hiking must have been very difficult for them. However, they were very happy. They sang happily as they walked. An image of the volunteers in South Africa walking has probably appeared in everyone’s mind. They did the same on their way to this village. Once they arrived in the village, Thembi began introducing them to her relatives. She used her uncle’s house as the meeting location.

Her uncle had already passed away, but he had three wives. There were 31 people in this big family. The three wives lived together harmoniously. They wove straw mats to support the entire family. However, the entire family has AIDS. Even the youngest, a three year old, has it. Would you say this family is poor or rich? They may seem poor but they still live together happily and harmoniously. However, the entire family has AIDS. We may think that they are suffering, yet they did not think of it this way. When the third wife saw a seven-year-old child in the village whose parents had passed away, she adopted him and took him in as part of this family. Although they were poor, they actually had great compassion without resentment, great joy without worries and great equanimity without expectations. They have the hearts of Bodhisattvas.

From this house, Tzu Chi volunteers started to invite people in this village. Over 60 people came. Tzu Bu, Tzu Lei and other South African volunteers began to share about the Tzu Chi spirit and “spread the seeds of love.” Everyone was very happy, so the third wife bravely volunteered to shoulder the responsibility of becoming the first Tzu Chi volunteer there.

Of course, there is much more to this very long, very moving story, but there is no time to share it right now. However, if we want to do good deeds in life and walk the Bodhisattva-path, we do not have to be rich. We do not need to have a lot of free time. Even those who live in poverty and hardship are still willing to give to others. Thus they are Living Bodhisattvas. Their hearts are joyful, free of aversion, resentment and worries. This big group of Bodhisattvas have deeply inspired us. So, all Buddhas have made the Great Vows and continue to work on behalf of this world. This is what “countless Buddhas” refers to. With countless Buddhas, there are countless Bodhisattvas in this world. These countless Bodhisattvas continue to gather, and in the future they will be among the countless Buddhas.

In the previous passage of the sutra,

“All Buddhas make this vow, ‘Having walked this path to Buddhahood, I wish to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.'”

Isn’t this the case? Sakyamuni Buddha said, “All Buddhas make this vow.” This was the vow made by so many Buddhas. So, Sakyamuni Buddha said, “Having walked this path to Buddhahood.” He had also walked the path to Buddhahood. For countless kalpas, He walked the path to Buddhahood in this world. All Buddhas, when they were Bodhisattvas, also walked the path to Buddhahood. All of them make the same vow, which is “to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.” This is the path to enlightenment. We discussed this yesterday.

Today, we will talk about,

“Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions of [teachings], these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.”

“All Buddhas of the future” means that Sakyamuni Buddha is not the only one; He also spoke of “all Buddhas of the future.” They will use all kinds of Dharma-doors to guide countless people according to capabilities. Actually, no matter which Dharma-doors are used, they are “in fact all part of the One Vehicle. One Vehicle” refers to the one vehicle for attaining Buddhahood.

Though all Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions of [teachings]: All Buddhas [come] for the sake of sentient beings. Because there is much confusion in our minds, Buddhas have to give suitable teachings. Their teachings adapt to capabilities the way water takes on the different shapes of containers but retains the same nature.

So, “All Buddhas of the future will give hundred, thousands, millions of [teachings].” All Buddhas come for the sake of sentient beings because the minds of these beings are confused. As I said before, sentient beings’ minds are scattered; unenlightened minds are like this. Their thinking is actually very complicated. Everyone has his own interpretation. Everyone has his own way of thinking. This can be very confusing. However, the Buddha comes for the sake of all of these many sentient beings. The number of sentient beings is equal to the number of discursive afflictions there are. Thus, all Buddhas give teachings which are suited to specific capabilities. They observe sentient beings’ capabilities, the orientation of their minds and the kinds of afflictions they have. Then based on those capabilities, They give [suitable] teachings to relieve their suffering and resolve their conflicts. So, “Their teachings adapt to capabilities.”

For example, whether a water container is round, rectangular, square or hexagonal, whatever shape the container is, the water will take that shape too. When water is poured into a container, it will spread to fill every corner. “Water takes on the different shapes of containers,” just as the Dharma is suited to sentient beings’ [different] capabilities. It has the same nature as water.

Thus, after we listen to the Dharma, we must “diligently cultivate it within.” After we listen to it, we must accept it.

We must take the Dharma we listen to and diligently cultivate it within. We contemplate how to externally practice it to [attain] virtues. This is how we gradually advance in our practice of the sole wondrous Dharma for attaining Buddhahood.

So, I constantly remind everyone to take the Dharma to heart. After we take it to heart, we must diligently practice it. As we practice it, we must contemplate how to go among people and work hard to develop and attain virtue. We diligently cultivate our minds to develop wisdom. We diligently practice among others to cultivate blessings. We have previously discussed this. This is how we can “gradually advance” from the state of ordinary people and practice the sole wondrous Dharma for attaining Buddhahood. So, we must really take the Dharma to heart.

Then, “these countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.”

These countless Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle: The wondrous Dharma taught by the Buddha is all the ways noble beings enter the Path, so these are called “doors.” Since all Dharma also leads to ultimate reality, what we call Dharma-doors are in fact all part of the One Vehicle.

The various wondrous teachings of the Buddha are “all the ways noble beings enter the Path.” The Buddha calls these many Dharma-doors, “skillful means.”

All Buddhas and noble beings must pass through these doors to enter the path. Thus, all Dharma leads to the One Reality, which is why we speak of Dharma-doors. One Reality refers to the singular nature of water. The Dharma is like water; only something with the nature of water can truly penetrate the capacities of sentient beings. So, for the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha engaged in spiritual practice and attained enlightenment. Thus, we must also engage in the internal cultivation of sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness, and we must interact with others to practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. So, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0407

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 407 – Walk the Bodhi-Path with the Four Infinite Minds

>> “With sincerity, we vow to transform all beings. With integrity, we eliminate afflictions. With faith, we learn the Dharma-doors. With steadfastness, we attain Buddhahood.”

>> “All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha”.”

>> Next, “All Buddhas make this vow, ‘Having walked this path to Buddhahood, I wish to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.'”

>> All Buddhas make this vow: All Buddhas transcend and enter the world with the original intent of carrying out great vows of compassion and wisdom. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas make two kinds of vows, general and particular. The Four Great Vows are general vows and for internal cultivation. The Four Infinite Minds are for external practice. Vows such as the Medicine Buddha’s 12 vows are particular vows.

>> Having walked this path to Buddhahood: the Buddha, out of kindness, came to this world for the sake of sentient beings. He demonstrated the path of spiritual practice and enlightenment to guide sentient beings to practice the Bodhi-path. He wished to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.

“With sincerity, we vow to transform all beings.
With integrity, we eliminate afflictions.
With faith, we learn the Dharma-doors.
With steadfastness, we attain Buddhahood.”

I constantly tell everyone that if we always have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness, we can engage [in spiritual practice] with utmost reverence and sincerity. To engage in spiritual practice, we need to make the [Four] Great Vows.

“We vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” We must vow to transform sentient beings. Then, with the proper mindset and Right Thinking, we “vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” We must vow to eliminate afflictions. Our mindset must be proper and not go astray. Next, our faith must be firm so that we can “vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors.” And even more importantly, we must be grounded in our spiritual practice. Buddhahood is unsurpassed, so we must vow to attain it. These are the Four Great Vows.

If we do not transform sentient beings, do not eliminate afflictions, do not seek Dharma-doors and do not vow to attain Buddhahood, then there is no need for us to learn the Buddha’s teachings. Thus, making the Four Great Vows is essential for spiritual practitioners.

So, we must have utmost reverence as we learn the from Buddha and listen to Dharma. We practitioners must always listen to the Dharma. In the sutras, the Buddha establishes skillful teachings. He uses many kinds of worldly matters and methods of spiritual practice to patiently guide us. He constantly tells everyone that we must mindfully listen to the Dharma, take it in and constantly review it. During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was a bhiksu who reverently listened to the Dharma, thus he carefully maintained Right Thinking. Whatever the Buddha taught, he faithfully accepted and practiced.

Each day, after listening to the Buddha’s teachings, he earnestly [engaged in spiritual practice]. He would go into the forest and begin to recite whatever teaching the Buddha had given that day. He did not just repeat the teachings in his mind, he recited them very loudly and clearly, with energy and spirit.

In this forest were many birds. Whenever the bhiksu recited the Dharma, they would rest on the tree branch and listen mindfully. One of these birds was particularly dedicated, and he would listen happily [to the Dharma]. Day after day, the bird rested on the same spot to listen with great care and reverence to the bhiksu as he recited and reviewed the Buddha’s teachings. He did this mindfully every day.

One day, a hunter entered [the forest] to go hunting. When he saw this bird in the tree, he took aim and shot him. The bird had been happily listening to the Dharma at that time and was completely unaware of the danger [nearby] was completely unaware of the danger. So, the bird was shot by the hunter and thus lost his life. This was how the bird died. After the bird passed away, he was reborn in the heaven realm. As he was suddenly reborn in heaven, the bird wondered, “What virtue or ability, what causes and conditions do I have, such that from my previous life as a bird, I could suddenly be reborn in heaven? Let me think about this.”

“It must have been because, when I was alive, I listened with utmost reverence to the bhiksu reciting the Buddha’s teachings. Because of this karmic condition, I was reborn in heaven. That must be it,” the bird thought. “I’m so grateful. I’m grateful to the Three Treasures, for the Buddha teaching the Dharma and for the diligent practice of the bhiksu, so that I could take this wonderful Dharma into my heart. I must repay the grace of the Three Treasures.”

So, he brought flowers and went to reverently present them to the bhiksu. Then he prostrated in gratitude. “I’m grateful for your diligence and mindfulness that allowed me to attain the blessings for being reborn in heaven. Today, I have come to ask you to allow me to take refuge with you. I want to take refuge in the Three Treasures.”

After the bhiksu heard this, he joyfully wished blessings upon this heavenly being who used to be a bird, and helped him take refuge. This greatly enhanced [the bhiksu’s] own faith and confidence. After listening to the Dharma, we must take it to heart and earnestly continue to recite it. This is also a way of spiritual practice. Internal cultivation brings merits, and external practice brings virtues. So, this bhiksu had faith. When Ananda learned of this story, he reported it to the Buddha in detail. The Buddha was very happy and said to everyone, “Have you heard about this? Even a bird who reverently listens to the Dharma can receive the blessings of listening to, contemplating and practicing it and be born in heaven; how much more so for human beings? If a person can learn the Dharma with focus and faith, he will not achieve less than a bird.” The Buddha gave this teaching based on this story.

We must understand that we must listen to the Dharma with utmost reverence; we must not say, “I’m listening, more or less.” We must listen with utmost reverence. When we sincerely listen to the Dharma, aside from transforming ourselves, we can also transform others. After we listen to and take the Dharma to heart, we can share it with others. By doing so, we can sow Bodhi-seeds in people’s hearts. So, we must exercise utmost reverence to always engage in Right Thinking, develop faith and advance with our feet solidly on the [path]. This is the goal of our spiritual practice.

Yesterday we discussed the passage,

“All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha”.”

All Buddhas of the past, Sakyamuni Buddha in the present, and all Buddhas of the future use many kinds of skillful means all to transform each and every sentient being. They want to transform not only humans, but all sentient beings.

“Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha.” Even a bird could be reborn in heaven, not to mention those who listen to the Dharma and, as time passes, can diligently advance without going astray. They will certainly attain Buddhahood. This is the previous sutra passage.

Next, “All Buddhas make this vow, ‘Having walked this path to Buddhahood, I wish to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.'”

This is what the Buddha said, “All Buddhas make this vow.” The vow of every Buddha is the same. When all Buddhas appear in this world, They also engage in spiritual practice, attain enlightenment and then come back again. Thus, we say, “The Tzu Chi School is a road through the world.” We must work with people in the world. Though we have the Jing Si Dharma-lineage, a path of diligence, we must also make the Four Great Vows and go among people on this road through the world. Only by interacting with people do we have a way to transform sentient beings.

All Buddhas, whether transcending or entering the world, have this original intent. Thus, all Buddhas’ intent is to carry out “great vows of compassion and wisdom.”

All Buddhas make this vow: All Buddhas transcend and enter the world with the original intent of carrying out great vows of compassion and wisdom. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas make two kinds of vows, general and particular. The Four Great Vows are general vows and for internal cultivation. The Four Infinite Minds are for external practice. Vows such as the Medicine Buddha’s 12 vows are particular vows.

None departs from this; every Buddha makes these great vows, which are to transform all sentient beings, eliminate all afflictions, learn all Dharma-doors and attain Buddhahood. This is the original intent of all past, present and future Buddhas. After attaining Buddhahood, They exercise both compassion and wisdom and actualize those great vows. This is the original intent of all Buddhas.

So, no Buddha or Bodhisattva departs from these general vows and particular vows. All Buddhas make general and particular vows. The general vows are the Four Great Vows. Now, Sakyamuni Buddha is actualizing the Four Great Vows. All past and future Buddhas do the same. Even Amitabha Buddha also made the Four Great Vows. Medicine Buddha also had the Four Great Vows as His foundation. These are the general vows of all Buddhas.

No Buddha can lack the Four Great Vows. These are the most basic and general vows of all Buddhas. Of course, all Buddhas also make particular vows. For example, Amitabha Buddha made 48 vows. Medicine Buddha made 12 great vows. Sakyamuni Buddha has the Four Infinite Minds. Besides the Four Great Vows, He also cultivated the Four Infinite Minds, loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Since Amitabha Buddha has 48 vows, so many, and Medicine Buddha has 12 vows, why does Sakyamuni Buddha only have four vows?

Other than the Four Great Vows, He also cultivated the Four Infinite Minds. With great loving-kindness, the Buddha loves all sentient beings. With great compassion, the Buddha views all sentient beings as His own children and as Himself. He feels sentient beings’ countless sufferings as His own suffering, as pain in His own body, so He gives rise to the Four Infinite Minds.

He has great loving-kindness without regret and great compassion without resentment. No matter how stubborn sentient beings are, out of loving-kindness and compassion, He unceasingly goes among sentient beings without regret or resentment to find ways to transform them. No matter how many afflictions He encounters, the Buddha always happily helps others with an open heart and pure thoughts. This kind of joyful giving comes from joy and equanimity toward sentient beings. As long as they are in the Six Realms, the Buddha will also be there, endlessly looking for causes and conditions to transform them. He gives without being afraid of hard work. So, loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity are the Four Infinite Minds of Sakyamuni Buddha,

and the Four Great Vows are His general vows. General vows are for internal cultivation. All Buddhas make the Four Great Vows for Their internal cultivation. The Four Infinite Minds are for external practice. This is what Sakyamuni Buddha taught us.

Actually, the 48 vows and the 12 great vows are all related to loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Therefore, to walk the Bodhisattva-path we must actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions, which means that our every action must be an extension of those vows. Therefore, our vows must be boundless. “Though the universe has its limits, our vows are boundless.” This means that our vows must be endless. So, we make both general and particular vows.

The Buddha said, “Having walked this path to Buddhahood….” Sakyamuni Buddha’s path to Buddhahood is inseparable from loving-kindness.

Having walked this path to Buddhahood: the Buddha, out of kindness, came to this world for the sake of sentient beings. He demonstrated the path of spiritual practice and enlightenment to guide sentient beings to practice the Bodhi-path. He wished to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.

The path walked by the Buddha is inseparable from His loving-kindness for sentient beings. Therefore, He manifested in this world. He descended from Tusita Heaven and was born into the palace. He manifested this appearance to be the same as ordinary people. He went through childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle age and so on. As He entered middle age from his prime, He began to seek the true principles of the world. This is to teach us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, and to manifest our Buddha-nature, we also must go through these stages of life and seek the Buddha-Dharma. This is how we can all comprehend the Buddha-Dharma.

So, He “came to this world” and “demonstrated the path of enlightenment.” These appearances He manifested are called the Eight Aspects of the Buddha’s life. As previously mentioned, He manifested with this worldly appearance to engage in spiritual practice. After He attained enlightenment, He returned to this world to guide sentient beings to practice the Bodhi-path. He has already walked this path, so He came back to guide everyone else to follow the same path.

For us “to practice the Bodhi-path,” we observe the road taken by the Buddha and follow in His footsteps. The Buddha [paved] this Bodhi-path, this path to enlightenment, so we can unceasingly advance on it. “He wished to enable all sentient beings to also obtain this path.” These sutra verses express the hope that all of us will form great aspirations and make great vows to walk the Bodhi-path.

Learning the Buddha’s teachings is not just about saying, “Yes, I have listened.” If you listened, “Have you taken it to heart? Yes, I have. Repeat what you have heard to me. I cannot. Why not? I don’t know where to start. Do you remember it? Yes, I remember. Why can’t you articulate it? But….” If you cannot articulate it, it means you have not taken the Dharma to heart. You may say you have listened, you may say you understand, but you have not truly realized it. If the Dharma does not resonate with your mind, then you cannot articulate it.

“It’s OK if you cannot articulate it. Why don’t you recite what I just said back to me? I remember it, but I cannot recite it.” If so, can you really say you “remember”? If I ask you now, “What did I say at the beginning? What do we do with sincerity?” (We vow to transform all beings). Yes, with sincerity, we vow to transform all beings. How about with integrity? (We eliminate afflictions). With faith? (We learn the Dharma-doors). And with steadfastness? (We attain Buddhahood). Fortunately, everyone can at least memorize it and take it in. As these words are instilled into our memory they will penetrate our hearts.

After listening to it, are we going to keep quiet? (No). What are we supposed to do? We need to repeatedly recite it and share it. “I heard this, do you remember it? Yes. Then you can recite it to me. I will recite it to you and then we can both memorize it. Do you remember? Yes, I remember, I will recite it to you.” See, this is reciting.

If we can all do this, we will memorize it and then recite it, loud and clear. Then everyone around us can hear it. Even birds can hear it and become happy. When we recite [sutras] with reverence, our minds will abide by the Dharma. Sentient beings who hear it can comprehend the principles and take the Dharma to heart. Then they will naturally take in genuine Dharma. As we listen to and understand the Dharma, we must recite it with utmost reverence.

Everyone, even a bird can be reborn in heaven after listening to the Dharma, let alone us human beings. If we listen to the Dharma and diligently practice how can we fail to attain Buddhahood? So, we must all have faith, but we must also always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0406

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 406 – Take the Vehicle of True Suchness

>> “If we take the Dharma to heart, based on timing and conditions, we can nourish and deeply extend our Bodhi-roots, develop our wisdom-life and walk the Bodhisattva-Path. Thus we can transform the ignorance and suffering in this world.”

>> “All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha.”

>> All of the Tathagatas: [Tathagata] is one of all Buddhas’ ten epithets. Tatha means True Suchness. They take the vehicle of True Suchness. From this cause, They come to the effect, hence the attainment of perfect enlightenment. Thus, They are called Tathagatas. Buddhas come to this world for one great cause, which is to teach sentient beings. Because sentient beings have varying capabilities, it is difficult for them to be transformed. So, Tathagatas have to exercise both compassion and wisdom.

>> “By means of infinite skillful teachings,” They adapt to the capabilities of sentient beings. In this way, They transform them. “[They] transform all sentient beings.” Sentient beings are immersed in the sea of suffering of cyclic existence.

>> Thus, the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states, “The guiding teacher of all mystics transformed countless sentient beings.”

>> “Those who make the [Four] Great Vows to transform sentient beings must accumulate merits and virtues as a foundation.” We must first transform ourselves

>> “Patiently offering guidance out of kindness enables sentient beings to gradually penetrate flawless wisdom.”

>> Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha: The practitioners of the Three Vehicles can transcend afflictions and become undefiled with pure wisdom. They eliminate delusions and realize truths by applying this wisdom.

>> We must allow the Dharma to enter our minds according to timing and conditions to “nourish and deeply extend our Bodhi-roots,” so we “develop our wisdom-life and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Thus we can transform the ignorance and suffering in this world.”

“If we take the Dharma to heart, based on timing and conditions,
we can nourish and deeply extend our Bodhi-roots,
develop our wisdom-life and walk the Bodhisattva-Path.
Thus we can transform the ignorance and suffering in this world.”

We all intrinsically have Buddha[-nature], but because of a single ignorant thought, we have fallen into the Six Realms, where we transmigrate without any control. In order to return to the clarity and radiance of our intrinsic Buddha-nature, we need a method by which to do so.

Take family relationships, for example. It does not matter how close people are; even parents and their biological children fall out with each other and go to court over money and property. People frequently come crying to me, asking, “What should I do? What should I do?” If the way we normally do things does not work, then we must apply the Buddha-Dharma.

How do we apply Buddha-Dharma to worldly matters? Consider material wealth in this world. Really, how helpful is it to our lives? If we are spiritual practitioners with the Dharma in our hearts, all we need to sustain our lives is enough food to be full, clothes to stay warm and sound sleep. These things are most helpful to our lives. We could be very content to live this way, so why become enemies with our loved ones over money and worldly things? Why would we do that? Just let it go. Indeed, if we really think about it, we lack nothing; we actually have a lot. Our lives are very abundant, so why [quarrel]? Some people can accept this teaching. If the Dharma is always in our hearts, we only need enough wealth to meet our basic needs. What if we have more than that? Those who really understand [the Dharma] will donate the extra to help those who are suffering.

We may promptly give material possessions to others. Or perhaps, because we know many things, when we see people who do not know better and make enemies with their loved ones over property, we can promptly explain this teaching to them. Then we counsel them and stay with them to help them calm down. We help them learn that material things are simply made to be used, and that they must cherish their relationships and form good connections, not only for this life, but for future lives too. Although in this life, these people are relatives or good friends, if they create negative connections like this, it will lead to a series of disasters.

Not only is it not worth it in this lifetime, but the regret they feel later will even be carried over into future lifetimes. Perhaps they will no longer be family members or friends, but will be enemies and adversaries who constantly slander and persecute them. This is a distinct possibility. So in this lifetime, we must create good causes and blessed conditions. In doing so, “we take the Dharma to heart based on timing and conditions.” No matter when or with what kind of person, we can act harmoniously.

We “nourish and deeply extend our Bodhi-roots.” Nourishing [these roots] requires Dharma-water. We need to use the Buddha-Dharma to nourish the Bodhi-seeds in our hearts so they can continue to sprout and deeply extend roots. If the roots are deep, then the Bodhi-tree will be tall and wide enough to cool down agitated sentient beings and strong enough to not be toppled by the wind.

This is why we must apply the Dharma. In this world, this evil world of the Five Turbidities, there are many suffering sentient beings. We must be quick to listen to the Dharma and take it to heart so that our Bodhi-roots can grow deep and strong, then we can shield people from the troubles of the world. Trees can protect the land as well as provide shade for people. So, we “nourish and deeply extend Bodhi-roots” and also “grow our wisdom-life and walk the Bodhisattva-path.” When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must constantly remind ourselves that to be like the Buddha and to learn the Dharma, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. This is what the One Vehicle Dharma [teaches]. The Lotus Sutra specifically teaches us how to walk the Bodhisattva-path. So, if we can grow our wisdom-life, we can walk the Bodhisattva-path more smoothly. Every day we walk it we will be full of Dharma-joy.

This is true even if we are busy. As Master De Hao explained to the volunteers from Pingtung, “Every day, this is how we have to spend our time.” These people were touched by what she explained. They thought the life of spiritual practitioners is very relaxing, but it is not. Each day we must make full use of every second. This is not just a slogan, it is something we put into practice. Each day, we spend time growing our wisdom-life. This is what we do every day; every minute and second we are working happily. We do not do this for our sake, but for the sake of this dignified place of spiritual practice.

With such a dignified place to practice, we can widely attract people to come learn the teachings. After listening to and experiencing the Dharma and taking it to heart, they can bring it back to their communities and share it widely. This is how we walk the Bodhi-path. So, no matter how bitterly hard our work is, we still have a sense of its sweetness, our sense of Dharma-joy. So, by “willingly doing and happily accepting,” we are already growing our wisdom-life.

If we can do this, “we can transform the ignorance and suffering in this world.” There is a lot of ignorance in this world. At times, people come to us weeping, sharing all their afflictions. Though we can advise them accordingly, have they taken our words to heart? Have they listened carefully? Have we helped them eliminate their ignorance? We do not know. But although sentient beings are stubborn and their habitual tendencies so hard to control that even Sariputra feared them, we should not be afraid. We must develop Bodhicitta, [the aspiration] deal with these sentient beings. If no Bodhisattva is willing to help them, these sentient beings will forever be deluded. If there is no Dharma in this world, how can a pure land exist here? So, we must form aspirations and make vows.

Thus, the sutra states that,

“All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha.”

This sutra passage talks about “all of the Tathagatas. Tathagata” is one of the Buddha’s ten epithets.

All of the Tathagatas: [Tathagata] is one of all Buddhas’ ten epithets. Tatha means True Suchness. They take the vehicle of True Suchness. From this cause, They come to the effect, hence the attainment of perfect enlightenment. Thus, They are called Tathagatas. Buddhas come to this world for one great cause, which is to teach sentient beings. Because sentient beings have varying capabilities, it is difficult for them to be transformed. So, Tathagatas have to exercise both compassion and wisdom.

We frequently recite the Buddha’s ten epithets, one of which is “Tathagata. Tatha” refers to True Suchness. What is True Suchness? This refers to how. “[He takes] the vehicle of True Suchness. From this cause, [He comes] to the effect, hence the attainment of perfect enlightenment.” The Buddha also intrinsically has Buddha-nature. He already understood all matters, objects and principles in the world. He already thoroughly understood the world-transcending principles of the universe. However, because sentient beings in this world truly need [these principles], though the Buddha already attained enlightenment and transcended the Three Realms, [He returned]. Other than the way I explained the Three Realms, Buddhist teachings have other descriptions of them that are very profound. I myself have not yet reached the formless realm, a state of emptiness where no forms exist.

However, I share my own state of mind with you to explain how we must transcend the desire realm and all our desires for material things. In our spiritual practice, we must open our eyes and see wealth like passing clouds. When we go up to a mountain peak, what looks like a [solid] cloud from afar is actually immaterial when we walk through it. In this world, we see many natural phenomena that are actually insubstantial. Yet we believe they [solidly] “exist.”

Some of these things are manmade. Why are we so attached to these things? There is no need. Engaging in spiritual practice allows us to transcend all worldly things. Whether they are insubstantial or solid, they are nothing more than passing clouds to us. By realizing this we transcend the desire realm. In the form realm, [we realize] these things have nothing to do with us. For those things which belong to us, we can widely share with those who need them. As we realize the Three Spheres of Emptiness, we realize there is no giver, there is no gift and there is no receiver. Once we set aside our concept of material things, we will have transcended the form realm. When that happens, we are not attached to anything, because we see the emptiness in everything. Yet, we know there is wondrous existence.

Wondrous existence is a truth; it is the nature of True Suchness that manifests. Not only does it exist, it manifests, so that. Buddhas transcend the Three Realms. However, the Buddha cannot bear to see that many sentient beings in this world continue to cling to their desires and are tormented by all kinds of suffering, so He “takes the vehicle of True Suchness.” A person takes a “vehicle” to get from one place to another. So, He takes this Dharma, the true principles of True Suchness, as a vehicle back to this world. A vehicle is a method of transportation. The Tathagata’s method of transportation is the Path, which is the path of True Suchness.

Then “from this cause, [He] comes to the effect.” His causes and conditions had matured more than 2000 years ago and. He was born in the Indian Kingdom of Kapilavastu. The karmic conditions connecting Him to the sentient beings of that era and to His parents in the palace had matured. His karmic conditions with that kingdom at that time had also matured. He first appeared in the form of a prince and lived the same way we do. Through observing people’s lives, He realized the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death and used these worldly principles to teach the Dharma.

So, at this present time, where can we engage in ascetic practices? We have this spiritual practice center, and can make use of our time to go among the people. “The Tzu Chi School of Buddhism is a road of working with people in the world.” The world is our spiritual training ground. By interacting with people, we [learn about] how differently they live and hear about their life experiences. Birth, aging, illness and death can all be understood within a hospital.

In summary, “From this cause, They come to the effect, hence the attainment of perfect enlightenment.” Thus He is called the Tathagata. The Buddha has transcended the Three Realms, yet He cannot bear to see sentient beings [suffer], so He comes to this world with these principles, for one great cause, to teach sentient beings. So, Tathagata also means “Thus Come One.”

Thus, all Tathagatas, “come to this world for one great cause, to teach and transform sentient beings.” However, sentient beings’ capabilities are varied, so it is not easy to transform them. Sometimes, as I talk to people during my day, I feel as if I am slowly pouring a glass of water over a hot stone, [so it quickly evaporates]. Sometimes, I feel there is nothing I can do. Though I feel helpless, does it mean I should stop? No, I must still exercise compassion and wisdom. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we also need to adopt His compassion and the way He never gave up on sentient beings. So, we must exercise compassion, wisdom and patience, and hope that they will come back again to listen. After they listen, they may open their minds a bit, change a bit. Then they may have the karmic conditions to come back again to gradually immerse themselves. If a rock is immersed, moss may grow on it. This moss can protect the rock by making sure it is not too dry. For people to take the Dharma to heart, we must exercise both compassion and wisdom.

“By means of infinite skillful teachings,” They adapt to the capabilities of sentient beings. In this way, They transform them. “[They] transform all sentient beings.” Sentient beings are immersed in the sea of suffering of cyclic existence.

They cannot save themselves, so their suffering is unbearable. This is why the Buddha repeatedly comes to engage in spiritual practice in this world.

Thus, the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states, “The guiding teacher of all mystics transformed countless sentient beings.”

“Mystics” refers to spiritual practitioners. In ancient times, they tended to reside in the wilderness. So, the guiding teacher of spiritual practitioners was “the guiding teacher of all mystics. [He] transformed countless sentient beings.” Their guiding teacher is the Buddha. Practitioners who are awakened like them “transformed countless sentient beings.”

“Those who make the [Four] Great Vows to transform sentient beings must accumulate merits and virtues as a foundation.” We must first transform ourselves

in order to transform others. We must work hard to “penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom.” Of course, we hope that other people can also accept the Buddha-Dharma and penetrate His flawless wisdom. Everyone, I have discussed flawless wisdom. Besides precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, flawless wisdom also includes

[patiently offering guidance out of kindness].

This “enables sentient beings to gradually penetrate flawless wisdom.”“Patiently offering guidance out of kindness enables sentient beings to gradually penetrate flawless wisdom.”


We should exercise both compassion and wisdom. We must earnestly and gradually counsel others. This enables us to “slowly approach the Buddha’s understanding and views.” We must have the patience to first transform ourselves, then patiently transform sentient beings so that of all those who have heard the Dharma, “none will fail to become a Buddha.”

Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha: The practitioners of the Three Vehicles can transcend afflictions and become undefiled with pure wisdom. They eliminate delusions and realize truths by applying this wisdom.

We must use the Three Vehicles and flawless wisdom to attain Buddhahood. So, we must eliminate afflictions and attachments, [develop] pure wisdom, and eliminate various delusions and ignorance. We need to realize [true] principles in order to be able to apply them; this is flawless wisdom.

Everyone, flawless wisdom is developed from [cultivating] precepts, Samadhi and wisdom in our daily living. If the Dharma is always in our hearts, naturally we will behave [in accord with] precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. They will always be a part of our lives. So in our lives,
We must allow the Dharma to enter our minds according to timing and conditions to “nourish and deeply extend our Bodhi-roots,” so we “develop our wisdom-life and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Thus we can transform the ignorance and suffering in this world.”

Seeing people who suffer from their desire for material things is truly very sad. But to dissolve that stubbornness and weaken those desires is easier said than done. However, we should still aspire to have great loving-kindness and compassion, exercise both compassion and wisdom and follow these principles to transform sentient beings. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0405

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 405 – To Transform with Compassion and Skillful Means

>> “All Buddhas turn the Dharma-wheel according to the capabilities of sentient beings. By teaching them to eliminate afflictions, They enable them to [attain] Bodhi.”

>> “The World-Honored Ones of the future are limitless in number. All of these Tathagatas will also teach the skillful means.”

>> “All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha.”

>> All of the Tathagatas come to this world for one great cause, to teach sentient beings. But sentient beings have varying capabilities and their bad habits are difficult to eliminate, so for them to be transformed is not easy.

>> Out of compassion and wisdom, Tathagatas use infinite skillful means to teach according to the capabilities of sentient beings so they can be delivered. Sentient beings are drowning in the painful sea of samsara and cannot save themselves. The Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: “The guiding teacher of all mystics transformed countless sentient beings.” Those who wish to transform sentient beings must accumulate merits and virtues as the foundation for delivering all beings.

“All Buddhas turn the Dharma-wheel
according to the capabilities of sentient beings.
By teaching them to eliminate afflictions,
They enable them to [attain] Bodhi.”

All past, present and future Buddhas have this same mindset, to bring the principles They realized into the hearts of sentient beings. They do this by “turning the Dharma-wheel.” The Dharma is like a wheel. A cart with wheels can move forward. By the same principle, if there is Dharma in our hearts, we can diligently move forward. It not only teaches us to diligently advance, but to advance in the right direction. Our course must be accurate, so the Buddha comes to this world to teach us how to move forward.

Sentient beings have varying capabilities because of their accumulated habitual tendencies, and everyone’s habitual tendencies are different. So, the Buddha had to teach and transform people according to their capabilities. He wanted to teach sentient beings how to eliminate their many afflictions. In this world, people live in many different ways. Each person’s environment, each person’s experience and each person’s habitual tendencies vary greatly. Because there are so many different afflictions and habitual tendencies, we must listen to the Buddha-Dharma to understand and accept things in this world. We figure out how the things in the world correspond to the Dharma and use the Dharma to explain the principles behind those things. Thus we can open our minds and be understanding. Whatever afflictions we encounter, we can naturally see through them. With principles,

we can overcome all difficult obstacles. No matter how many obstacles there are, all we need is the Dharma. No matter what difficult circumstance we face, as long as we have the Dharma in our hearts, we can overcome those obstacles. This is why the Buddha gave many kinds of teachings. He taught according to people’s capabilities. He wanted to enable everyone to attain Bodhi, which is enlightenment. He hoped they would turn delusion into awakening. This was the Buddha’s main goal in turning the Dharma-wheel.

So, we must, with a sense of gratitude, diligently, mindfully accept the Dharma every day. We must take this Dharma to heart so that whenever something happens, we can apply it right away to turn afflictions into Bodhi. The previous sutra passage states,

“The World-Honored Ones of the future are limitless in number. All of these Tathagatas will also teach the skillful means.”

The sutra passage before this one talked about all Buddhas of the past. This passage discusses “the World-Honored Ones of the future.” This indicates that all past, present and future. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who come to this world all turn the Dharma-wheel. As part of turning the Dharma-wheel, they must spend a very long time teaching skillful means. This is the path that all Buddhas share.

This is what the previous passage said. The following passage continues,

“All of the Tathagatas, by means of infinite skillful teachings, transform all sentient beings so they penetrate the Buddha’s flawless wisdom. Of those who have heard the Dharma, none will fail to become a Buddha.”

The beginning of this passage is telling us that “all of the Tathagatas” who manifest in this world will use many kinds of skillful means to teach sentient beings. Sentient beings have varying capabilities on top of having to face countless troubles and afflictions in this world. Those who want to engage in spiritual practice and seek the Dharma also have varying capabilities. They find it hard to eliminate bad habits. For them to change their bad, unwholesome habitual tendencies, is truly very difficult. Thus, for the Buddha to change and eliminate these people’s challenging habitual tendencies is really not easy. So, the Tathagata had to exercise compassion and wisdom.

Compassion is not giving up on sentient beings. When sentient beings are not peaceful or when the world is not at peace, the suffering of these times requires people who are willing to dedicate themselves [to helping others]. To exercise this kind of compassion also takes loving-kindness. We must practice loving-kindness to help everyone be at peace, to help everyone feel at ease. As we practice loving-kindness, we must also exercise compassion. It is because sentient beings are hard to train that there is a need for people like us. If we want them to be at peace, we must tame stubbornness and eliminate afflictions and troubles in those who are unable to open their minds. We help everyone understand that life is inherently filled with much suffering and that the natural course of life is birth, aging, illness and death. All this is simply a part of life.

When their karmic retributions manifest, we help them turn things around. This means that we help them understand that every cause created will result in an effect, so when retributions manifest, they can turn things around by being understanding. As they face difficulties and sadness, we can help them get past the worst of the afflictions and difficulties. Of course, to do this, they must change their habitual tendencies. If they do not eliminate their attachments, afflictions and habitual tendencies, they cannot overcome their difficulties. Thus, to get through challenges and difficulties, we must have compassionate wisdom, and we must exercise compassion. So, loving-kindness and compassion must be practiced in parallel.

If we only have great loving-kindness but lack compassion, we cannot help others. If sentient beings act on habitual tendencies while experiencing suffering, they will only increase their suffering. Thus, when the Buddha came to this world, He kept spreading the Dharma, teaching the Path, because He knew that, although He had awakened and was already working with sentient beings, the time He had with them was just too short. He knew, according to the law of nature, that. He would enter Parinirvana after several decades. After He entered Parinirvana, there must be people with the will to accept and then transmit the Dharma so it can be passed on unceasingly. This is why we always say that the Dharma-lineage must be transmitted.

So, in order to carry on the Dharma-lineage, we must have the Four Infinite Minds and practice the Four Great Vows. We must “vow to deliver countless sentient beings” and “vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” Not only must we transform ourselves, we must also vow to transform sentient beings. Not only must we eliminate our own afflictions, we must also help sentient beings eliminate their afflictions and habitual tendencies. This is loving-kindness and compassion. So, we always say we must “practice both loving-kindness and compassion.” We must practice loving-kindness and exercise compassion without regret. Then we will never feel any fear, affliction or resentment as we dedicate ourselves to sentient beings.

The goal of the Buddha and all Tathagatas in coming to this world is [to accomplish] this one great cause. They engage in spiritual practice, awaken, then teach and transmit the Dharma in the hope that this can always be a teaching for sentient beings.

All of the Tathagatas come to this world for one great cause, to teach sentient beings. But sentient beings have varying capabilities and their bad habits are difficult to eliminate, so for them to be transformed is not easy.

The Buddha also knew that with so many sentient beings, all with varying capabilities, bad habits would be difficult to eliminate. So, He had to focus on the people who were willing to accept and continuously transmit the Dharma. However, even those who accept the Dharma have varying capabilities. So, though all Buddhas come to transform sentient beings, helping them eliminate habitual tendencies is not easy at all. However, with determination, Tathagatas still exercised compassion and wisdom and utilized countless skillful means to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities.

Out of compassion and wisdom, Tathagatas use infinite skillful means to teach according to the capabilities of sentient beings so they can be delivered. Sentient beings are drowning in the painful sea of samsara and cannot save themselves. The Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: “The guiding teacher of all mystics transformed countless sentient beings.” Those who wish to transform sentient beings must accumulate merits and virtues as the foundation for delivering all beings.

As humans, we do not know what affinities we created before. We suffer being with those we hate. We suffer being parted from those we love. Some of our relatives seem to be here to torment us. Not only are some not filial to their parents, they rebel against them, causing them much suffering. How do we resolve their grievances? There are also some very filial children, but their time here is short; how can their parents accept that? These are some of the biggest issues in this world. They are very serious problems.

Within our organization, there are also people who have had these experiences. They are always counseling other people who are suffering, but what do they do when they face [these problems]? This is why we [must] care for each other as a Dharma-family. “Teams unite to cultivate the field of blessings.” Most often, Faith Corp members and commissioners are cultivating the field of blessings in the world, but what do they do when they encounter problems? They must promptly “deeply plant the Root of Wisdom on the Bodhisattva-path.” This is why we, as a Dharma-family, must always help each other grow in wisdom and promptly offer reminders and comfort.

In our morning volunteer assembly, Tzu Mei, who you may know as Shuzhen, shared her experience with us. She said that when things happen to her fellow volunteers, she can immediately [share the Dharma] because she has been certified [as a commissioner] for a long time. As a very experienced volunteer, she has served in every kind of capacity, from being a team leader to leading various functional teams. So, she has truly taken the Dharma to heart.

For the 40th Anniversary celebration, we had to organize over 40 years of information. Everyone arranged to meet at the hospital, but suddenly, they received a message about the child of a Dharma-brother. The father, Zhang Qingfeng, is a member of the Songshan District Faith Corps. He [and his wife] only had this one child. Their son was very outstanding and filial. That day, on his way to work, he was in a car accident. By the time he reached Tzu Chi Hospital, he had no vital signs. All the efforts to save him were in vain. Knowing that he was their only son, we could guess how they must have felt.

Tzu Mei went to see them right away to offer comfort to her Dharma-family. At the right time, she helped them [bring forth the wisdom to deal with things]. When she saw Mr. Zhang, she said to him, “Brother, first you must calm down and think about how you want to handle things.” Mr. Zhang told her, “Since he can’t be saved, we have decided to donate his organs. We will donate everything that can be used. They told us his eyes, corneas and even his bones could be donated.”

Tzu Mei then asked him, “Brother, how do you want to deal with the one [who caused the accident]?” He answered, “Let the law handle it.” At that moment, Tzu Mei quickly said to him, “Dharma-Brother, right now you must remember when karmic forces manifest before us, we must be mindful of the law of karma. This event has already happened, but we must clearly understand the law of karma. At this time, the most important thing is to create blessings for your child. When afflictions arise, we must see them through the law of karma. The karmic law of cause and effect, which Master constantly teaches us, must be applied at this time.” As she talked, Mr. Zhang took her words to heart and became calm.

Then his child was sent to the operating room so the organs to be donated could be harvested. After the procedure was complete, he was [sewn back up] and brought out. Mr. Zhang quickly went to his son’s side and lifted up the sheets to look at his face. He said, “Son, please remember, the other party didn’t do it intentionally. You must let go of your resentment and hatred. Right now, you must feel a sense of love. You can save so many people with your love. Everything happens because of the law of karma, so don’t carry hate and resentment with you. Please know that you have saved a lot of people.” After he shared these words with his son,

his son’s body was taken away. He shared that, as he talked to his son, his heart began to open up as well. So, he told the person who caused the accident, “I will not [press charges], and I will forgive you. However, from now on, you must eliminate your bad habitual tendencies. You must not drink or speed when you drive. You must change these bad habits.” The other driver was very remorseful and repentant. Mr. Zhang comforted him and eventually guided him into Tzu Chi.

Can you imagine that this kind of suffering, this great blow, could be relieved with one sentence? The lives of two families were changed. One family was able to be understanding and earnestly practice the Bodhisattva-path. The other family, because of this forgiveness, was able to recover without being afflicted by the punishment of facing lawsuits and dealing with [excessive] guilt. Eventually the two families became friends. This is how Bodhisattvas transform sentient beings.

Afterwards, Mr. Zhang told her, “I’m grateful to you. Sister, you helped me grow in wisdom. As I said those words to my son, I was able to open up my heart. It gave me the courage to be forgiving and to transform [that driver]. I’m grateful to you. You are the benefactor of my wisdom-life.” Tzu Mei told him, “Brother, you are also my benefactor. [I learned] that I must make the most of my life. You allowed me to recognize again that life is impermanent. We are each other’s benefactors.”

“Teams unite to cultivate fields of blessings.” Typically, our volunteers cultivate the fields of blessings out in the world. Whenever they encounter [a problem], they must “deeply plant the Root of Wisdom on the Bodhisattva-path.” At this time, we must continue to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Everyone, we have formed aspirations and vows, but we all have varying capabilities. This is why each of us must diligently practice. We must take the Dharma to heart so that we, and others, can use it. All of us can help and inspire each other. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0404

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 404 – All Buddhas Establish Skillful Means

>> The Buddha appears in this world and, according to the afflictions of sentient beings, teaches them ways to eliminate their ignorance. These are the skillful means of all Buddhas.

>> “With all Buddhas of the past, whether during Their lifetime or after They entered Parinirvana, if people have heard Their teachings, they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

>> There will be “the World-Honored Ones of the future who are limitless in number. All of these Tathagatas will also teach skillful means.”

>> Whether in the past or in the future, Whether in the past or in the future, all Buddhas teach skillful means. Teaching with skillful means

>> This is “to transform sentient beings so they may transcend all affliction and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

The Buddha appears in this world and,
according to the afflictions of sentient beings,
teaches them ways to eliminate their ignorance.
These are the skillful means of all Buddhas.

Out of His compassion, the Buddha came into this world. Because people have many afflictions, the Buddha needed to come here and teach according to sentient beings’ afflictions and capabilities. His only purpose for doing this was to enable sentient beings to eliminate their countless afflictions, one by one.

This is the Buddha’s compassion. Sakyamuni Buddha was not the only one like this. All past, present and future Buddhas are the same. They teach sentient beings by establishing skillful means. Do you remember? Before He revealed [the Lotus] teachings, the Buddha radiated light that illuminated 18,000 Buddha-lands. It seemed like they all appeared at Vulture Peak. Why did He manifest this auspicious appearance that was so out of the ordinary? Everyone looked at each other and asked, “Why is the Buddha different today?”

So, Maitreya Bodhisattva sought someone to ask. Who was the one he chose? It was Manjusri Bodhisattva. Manjusri Bodhisattva had lived among countless past Buddhas. He had also accepted the teachings of all Buddhas and helped to spread the Buddha-Dharma. The last of 20,000 [Sun-Moon] Lamp Radiant Buddhas had eight sons, the eight princes. Those eight princes were taught by Manjusri and could thus successively attain Buddhahood.

So, we know that in the past, Manjusri Bodhisattva had already been a Buddha. Then he appeared during the lifetimes of many subsequent Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to help teach at their [Dharma-assemblies]. Now, as Sakyamuni Buddha was about to expound the Lotus Sutra, Manjusri shared his experiences with past Buddhas and revealed that “all Buddhas share the same path.” Every Buddha [shares] the same main goal of coming to this world to purify people’s minds and help them eliminate their afflictions and impurities. This is how “all Buddhas establish skillful means.”

The present [Buddha is] Sakyamuni. We always say, “our fundamental teacher Sakyamuni Buddha. Fundamental teacher” means He is our teacher, so we must practice according to His teachings. “Guiding teacher of the Three Realms” also refers to Sakyamuni Buddha, [who guides] the desire, form and formless realms. This refers to the tangible world and how the sentient beings living in it are in the desire realm; all of us have desires in this world filled with desire and turbidity. This is called the desire realm. The Buddha appeared in the desire realm to establish many different methods in the hopes we can all recognize that suffering begins with desire.

So, this is the “causation” [of suffering]. After teaching the truth of suffering, He spoke of various behaviors in the world. Then He used the things people pursue when they act in these ways and the karma that they end up creating [to explain] that these causes create conditions of suffering. So, karmic retributions endlessly accumulate to create this world of suffering. At the volunteer assembly each morning, don’t I talk about this? No matter how far away a country may be, we can clearly see that they are suffering from here.

[Technology] allows us to understand how causes for natural disasters have accumulated. They come from our collective karma. What causes man-made calamities? According to the Buddha-Dharma, it is the mind. We create collective karma, so dangerous evils accumulate in our hearts, causing endless manmade calamities.

There are many other things we can understand. [The Buddha’s] detailed analysis shows us that everything results from the workings of our minds. “An ignorant thought creates the Three Subtleties. External states lead to the Six Coarse Marks.” An ignorant thought gives rise to the Three Poisons of greed, anger and ignorance or continues on to become the Five Poisons. The Five Poisons also create the Five Turbidities. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt create all of the world’s turbidities. This all comes from the arising of one thought. When this single thought of desire arises, at the beginning, it is this big; it ceaselessly multiplies as we go through endless cyclic existences. We continue to cycle and it continues to multiply. This then creates our world. This is the desire realm.

After we understand the Buddha-Dharma, our desires will naturally lessen and we can slowly purify the desire realm. After it is purified, we still live in a realm of “forms.” All kinds of things exist in the form realm, but in response, our minds will not give rise to desire. We will clearly distinguish right from wrong, so we will not give rise to [afflictions] out of confusion. Therefore, the forms of this world will no longer disturb our minds once we can see them clearly. This is the form realm.

The form realm also can be transcended. Forms can be used to help people. We may have many things, but not only do we not greedily cling to them, we can give all we have to anyone who needs it. Even if we have nothing else, we still have our body and our strength. We can use our physical strength to actively practice giving and helping those who need help. This is the formless realm. When our perspective is very clear and pure, we can even transcend the desire and form realms to make positive contributions to this world. These are the Three Realms as I explain them.

In this world, we can engage in spiritual practice. The Buddha came to this world because. He attained enlightenment here, but He had already been enlightened long ago. So, why did He still come to this world? He did this to enable sentient beings in the desire realm [to eliminate] their afflictions. So, the Buddha went among the people to understand their worldly afflictions. Then, according to those afflictions, He gave specific teachings to address them.

It was not enough to just teach, He also helped us to experience [His teachings]. Through these experiences, we realize that walking the Bodhisattva-path and helping people give us a wonderful feeling. Sometimes, during the [volunteers’] morning assembly, we see people who have donated their bone marrow. [The procedure] requires general anesthesia, but some people are still willing to do it. Free of attachment to their body, [they say], “If I can save a life, I am willing to do this.” Thus, “to teach them to eliminate ignorance” means teaching people to eliminate the ignorance of being attached to a physical body. Our body is a physical body. This physical body has unlimited vitality. [But] to serve others with this vitality, we must have wisdom. We can use wisdom and wisdom-life to assist our physical body in giving to others. This comes from the teachings.

Sentient beings are most attached to “form,” to material things, yet the Buddha taught us to give even the material substance of our body. So, in the sutra, it states, “His head, eyes, bone marrow and brain were all given to others.” Many teachings from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings are about how to eliminate the notion of “form” and how to clearly distinguish right from wrong. When we understand these things we will no longer greedily [linger] in the desire realm. We must also transcend the attachment to form in the form realm and achieve equanimity. With equanimity, we give unconditionally, which is the practice of the Three Spheres of Emptiness.

The Three Spheres of Emptiness is about not having attachments. As long as we can practice giving and feel that we have successfully helped others, we will be filled with Dharma-joy. [This] is what we attain. By helping people like this, we experience great joy.

Sometimes, when bone marrow donors come, I would ask, “Does it hurt? You must be tired! I am grateful to you.” They would say, “No, it just hurts for a moment. But it felt so good to save someone!” Isn’t this transcending [form]? This is taking something from our beloved physical body and giving it to others. So, this is transcending the desire, form and formless realms completely. This is what the Buddha came to teach us.

Not only Sakyamuni Buddha, all Buddhas in the past also taught the same by establishing various skillful means. So the previous section of the sutra states,

“With all Buddhas of the past, whether during Their lifetime or after They entered Parinirvana, if people have heard Their teachings, they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

We must all pay attention to these verses, “With all Buddhas of the past, whether during. Their lifetime or after [entering] Parinirvana,” For a very long time, sentient beings have received the teachings of past Buddhas, and at this moment, they are receiving Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings. They still have the will to listen to the Dharma,

and so they do. Previously, we discussed that in the period of the Five Solidities, in the era of Dharma-semblance, people built stupas and temples and also listened to the Dharma. Sentient beings, after the era of Right Dharma Era had passed, lived in the era of Dharma-semblance and continued to pass on [the Dharma]. They still had the perseverance to listen to it. “They have realized the path to Buddhahood.” This was done gradually over time. Though they did not practice very earnestly, they listened to the teachings with reverence and so continued to accumulate realizations until finally, they “realized the path to Buddhahood.”

Now, the next passage of the sutra discusses “the World-Honored Ones of the future.” The previous passage discussed “all Buddhas of the past.” There have been many Buddhas in the past. They passed down the principles and the Buddha-Dharma unceasingly until the time of Sakyamuni Buddha. When Sakyamuni expounded the Lotus Sutra, He was preparing to enter Parinirvana before long. So, Sakyamuni Buddha also talked to everyone about “the World-Honored Ones of the future.” Aside from the present Buddha, Sakyamuni,.

There will be “the World-Honored Ones of the future who are limitless in number. All of these Tathagatas will also teach skillful means.”

All past Buddhas used skillful means. In the present, Sakyamuni Buddha likewise used skillful means. The World-Honored Ones of the future also will use skillful means. In the past I also discussed the Nine Divisions of Teachings of the Buddha. He used nine methods to teach skillful means. But these skillful means must have a conclusion at the end. The most correct instruction is the One Vehicle Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

Whether in the past or in the future, Whether in the past or in the future, all Buddhas teach skillful means. Teaching with skillful means

is the path shared by all Buddhas.

This is “to transform sentient beings so they may transcend all affliction and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

This is the One Vehicle. The Buddha taught the Three Vehicles in the past. Now the Buddha has brought them back to the One Vehicle.

Does everyone know what the Three Vehicles are? Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. Which of these leads to Buddhahood? The Bodhisattva[-vehicle]. So everyone must know that. Hearers understand the Dharma by listening to the Buddha, or to the Buddha-Dharma if they are somewhere far away from the Buddha. They understand the principles and can experience many different states [of mind]. Thus they realize that life is indeed impermanent. The impermanent world is empty and full of suffering. In the face of this suffering and emptiness, what method can we use to eliminate this suffering and pierce this emptiness? Where are the true principles of emptiness? These are [the questions of] Solitary Realizers. They only know suffering and emptiness, but they do not understand that there is also wondrous existence. So, these Solitary Realizers have

come in contact with external conditions and thus realized the impermanence of life. So, the Buddha taught everyone that in the world there is suffering, emptiness and impermanence. After they understood, and eliminated afflictions, they had to go beyond this. We must not only care for ourselves, but also benefit others. This is walking the Bodhisattva-path. When we reach the end of the Bodhisattva-path, we ultimately attain Buddhahood. This is what the Buddha mindfully taught sentient beings.

We should know that all of us abide in the Dharma and should be able to immediately understand it. However, though we abide in the Dharma, we cannot comprehend it. This is like a person who has been walking outside on the burning ground under the hot sun. Sweating profusely, he was soon dehydrated. Almost out of water and very thirsty, he needed to find water to drink. He found someone to give him guidance, “You need water? Go in that direction, there is a small stream where you can get water to drink.” This thirsty person who needed to drink water then walked in that direction. When he saw water, he felt joyful. As this tiny stream of water continued to flow, he quickly reached out to cup the water in his hands.

He held it and said, “Enough. That’s enough.” But the water continued to flow. Again he said, “Enough.” Yet the water continued to flow. The person who had pointed the way to water had followed behind to make sure he had gone in the right direction and arrived safely. When that person got there and saw him standing there, he wondered, “Why is he just holding the water? He said he’s thirsty, why isn’t he drinking?” So the man spoke up, “Aren’t you very thirsty? Why are you holding it and not drinking it?” He said, “This handful of water is all I need, but the stream keeps flowing endlessly. How can I drink it?” The man behind him said, “You’re foolish, just drink however much you need.” But he was stubborn, “I will only take the amount of water I require. I want to drink only what I need, but it just keeps flowing.”

This is like our present spiritual practice. Some people know life is full of suffering and they can attain liberation with spiritual practice. But by deviating even slightly, they stray toward a deviant path. Then they may think, “I want to practice to attain liberation now. Why are there so many Buddhist teachings? This will take three great asankya kalpas. When will I ever complete my spiritual practice? The Buddha-Dharma requires upholding precepts, being vegetarian and following many other rules. I can’t possibly follow them all. Following so many rules and walking such a long path is also impossible. I would rather take a shortcut. My goal is to just attain something immediately. That is good enough for me.” A person like this is foolish and deluded.

We may not want to eliminate our afflictions and ignorance and only think about what we want to attain. The Buddha-Dharma helps us to understand that. Buddhahood is not granted to us by the Buddha; He can teach us how to eliminate our ignorance and afflictions so our pure intrinsic nature can surface. When our pure intrinsic nature surfaces, we will naturally “comprehend the great path. To comprehend the great path”, we must “make an unsurpassed resolve.” All things in the universe are one. This is the Buddha’s unsurpassed truth. Dear Bodhisattvas, as we learn from the Buddha, we must truly always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0403

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 4 – Inspiring Diligent Action

>> “Past, present and future are not different times. Great love is selfless and immersed in wisdom. When we listen to the Dharma, we must take it to heart and diligently practice. When the Buddha is in our heart, the Dharma is in our actions.”

>> “If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples, once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,’ they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

>> “For all Buddhas of the past, whether in this world or after entering Parinirvana, if people have heard Their teachings, they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

>> For all Buddhas of the past, whether in the world or after entering Parinirvana: In the past, those who had erected stupas, created images and made offerings of respect had created the causes for long-nurturing the roots of goodness and increasing blessings and wisdom. With all these extraordinary causes for internalizing teachings, we can give rise to flawless merits.

>> If people have heard Their teachings, they have realized the path to Buddhahood: If we form an aspiration when we first hear the Dharma and do not regress, we will ultimately attain Buddhahood. This shows that the skillful means of all past Buddhas are ways to the One Vehicle Dharma.

“Past, present and future are not different times.
Great love is selfless and immersed in wisdom.
When we listen to the Dharma, we must take it to heart and diligently practice.
When the Buddha is in our heart, the Dharma is in our actions.”

Do past, present and future refer to different periods of time? If our minds have returned to our pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature, no matter how much time has passed, in the past, present or future, our minds will always be the same. The universe is boundless, but no matter how vast that space is, time keeps passing all the same, and the planets keep rotating around the sun. These natural laws will always apply. Thus, it says, “past, present and future are not different times.”

We have had the karmic conditions within this time and space to be permeated by the selfless wisdom of great love and be nourished in this way. This is why, “when we listen to the Dharma, we must take it to heart and diligently practice.” At this moment, we have this karmic condition to be together. Therefore, we must really listen to the Dharma and diligently accept and practice it. Taking the Dharma to heart is like sowing seeds in the field of our minds. We need to put in the effort to be like farmers who diligently cultivate the field of our minds. To reap an abundant harvest, farmers must work diligently. After the Buddha-Dharma is in our hearts, we need to put the Dharma into action. Immersed in the Buddha-Dharma, we must quicken our steps and diligently advance in our practice. This is how we constantly encourage each other.

The text of the Lotus Sutra may appear simple and obvious, but the meanings it contains are very profound. The Buddha comes to this world to teach sentient beings with skillful means, with many different methods. He used examples from the lives of sentient beings to teach and transform other people. These are all ways of applying the Buddha-Dharma in daily living. In the Buddhist sutras, there are many stories that illustrate this. For example, the Samyuktavadana Sutra contains the following story.

In southern India, there was a very tiny kingdom by the sea. Thought it was small, war had broken out. The people of this kingdom suffered greatly. Many people fled and became refugees. In this wave of refugees, there was an old woman named A-long she lost track of her family and ended up wandering around by herself. She went to a neighboring kingdom, Simhaka, which was a very tiny kingdom. Once she arrived, she wondered how she was going to make a living. She had to beg for alms to sustain herself.

Yet as she went about her life, she felt herself growing old and wondered what would happen to her without anyone to rely on. As she went about her life as a beggar, one day causes and conditions [brought her] to the door of a certain household. In this household were an elder and his wife who were very kind people. After learning that she was from another country this couple kindly said to her, “Your country is in such turmoil, you don’t know what has happened to your home and you have been separated from your family. You don’t know how long it will be until you are reunited with them, so why don’t you stay with us for now?”

As an elderly woman, A-long felt that this was a good arrangement, so with gratitude, she said, “I can do any kind of work you need me to do.” She developed a very good relationship with the elder’s wife and

diligently helped however she could. One day, she saw a group of bhiksus holding alms bowls. She felt a sense of respect and approached [them]. Seeing that the bowls in their hands were empty, A-long felt sad. When she had lived in the kingdom to the south, her family was well-known, and as they were Buddhists, they often made offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha. However, now she was stranded in a foreign land. Without money, how could she make any offerings?

She beseeched the elder’s wife, “Can you lend me several thousand dollars? I am willing to sign a contract to indenture myself to you, to be your servant for the rest of my life. I want to sell my freedom in exchange for money.” The elder’s wife gave the money to A-long, telling her, “Spend it on whatever you need. There is no need for a contract or for you to become my servant.”

A-long was very grateful and quickly ran back to the city with the money. She went door to door, meeting with a total of 60 families. She distributed the money to these 60 families and asked of them, “Please take this money and use it to make an offering to these bhiksus.” Of course, she also told them the benefits of making offering to bhiksus. After receiving the money from her, these 60 families made careful preparations to make offerings to these bhiksus.

A-long hurried back to the bhiksus and said, “Revered monastic practitioners, you can go back into the city now. Every single family is ready to reverently make offerings to you.” Upon hearing her words, these bhiksus happily returned to the city. Just like that, their bowls were filled with delicious food.

Several days passed and every time these bhiksus went into the city their bowls were filled. They began to wonder, how was it that after she asked them to return to the city, over the next few days when they went to beg, every family happily made offerings to them? What was the reason behind this? They pressed her for answers, so she told them about how she fled her home and kingdom and lost her family in the process, and how she came to live with the elder’s family. She explained everything to the bhiksus and even told them that she was a very devout Buddhist and in the past, had often made offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha.

After hearing her story, these bhiksus were ashamed. The bhiksus wondered how they could repay this old lady. After some discussion, they said, “The only thing we can do to repay her is to practice more diligently so we can dedicate our merits to her.” From then on, in this tiny kingdom, people suddenly felt the atmosphere had changed completely. There were many auspicious signs and changes. Because so many people were making offerings to the Sangha, everyone felt an auspicious atmosphere inside the city. In particular, trees that used to stand straight now seem to bend forward as if they were bowing. Many people witnessed similar auspicious signs. This news reached the king. Hearing of this, the king thought, “Indeed! What has happened?” He quickly asked people to investigate.

They discovered a group of bhiksus who, aside from begging for alms every day, spent the rest of their time diligently engaging in spiritual practice. Therefore, many people listened to their teachings. With so many people listening to the Dharma, they changed the way they were living. The king was very happy after hearing this, and thus invited the bhiksus to the palace to accept his offering. The king also asked them, “Why do you practice so mindfully?” The bhiksus said, “Because of an old lady named A-long and the offering she made.” After learning the details, he sent people to invite A-long [to the palace]. A-long said to those people, “I did not do anything. Everything I have done has been made possible by the elder’s wife.” Therefore, those people also invited the elder’s wife to the palace.

After they entered the palace, the king observed the elderly A-long. Her wisdom qualified her to become a teacher in the palace. Thus the king hired A-long to work there and also expressed his gratitude to the elder’s wife. The king became a Buddhist and regularly invited the bhiksus to accept his offerings. He also invited the bhiksus to help him officially receive the precepts so he could become an upasaka. A-long led the female servants in the palace to take refuge and receive the precepts to become upasikas.

This sutra passage is very touching. Let us consider our world today. So many countries in the world are fighting with each other. Within countries, the government and people are also fighting each other. Isn’t this the case in Syria? Many refugees have fled the country. Many families have become displaced and many families have been separated. Tragedies like this not only happened in the past, they are also happening in the present. Those who are reverent have wisdom; regardless of their conditions, they display both compassion and wisdom. Though they give without expectations, they still obtain something; this is how the Buddha-Dharma works.

So, the previous sutra passage stated,

“If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples, once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,’ they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

We discussed this passage before. People, whoever they are, may become lax like those bhiksus in the pursuit of their spiritual practice. [However], they had the affinity to meet A-long, who was willing to sell her freedom to make an offering, [which caused] the bhiksus to heighten their vigilance and focus their minds. They practiced diligently to repay this person who made offerings to them.

Therefore, scattered minds are not exclusive to ordinary people. Actually, spiritual practitioners have them too. But these causes and conditions inspired them to practice diligently. This kind of spiritual cultivation influenced many people. Therefore, “If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples,” they may, out of a sense of reverence, take refuge and say “Namo Buddha.” Whatever the Buddha teaches, we must quickly practice accordingly. If we dignify our inner spiritual training ground, naturally we can transform kingdoms, people and so on. This is what we can accomplish.

Next,

“For all Buddhas of the past, whether in this world or after entering Parinirvana, if people have heard Their teachings, they will have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

In the next sutra passage, “all Buddhas of the past” is all past Buddhas, not just Sakyamuni Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha was speaking of countless Buddhas of the past. Whether it was during Their lifetimes or after They entered Parinirvana, “if people] have heard Their teachings, they have realized the path to Buddhahood.” If people listened to the Dharma taught by past Buddhas while They were in this world, or after They entered Parinirvana, then each person is able to follow and practice the teachings They gave in the past. Thus, the Buddha-Dharma can still be transmitted. The principles are everlasting. This is what Sakyamuni Buddha told us. When causes and conditions converge, the Dharma and principles will manifest again.

For all Buddhas of the past, whether in the world or after entering Parinirvana: In the past, those who had erected stupas, created images and made offerings of respect had created the causes for long-nurturing the roots of goodness and increasing blessings and wisdom. With all these extraordinary causes for internalizing teachings, we can give rise to flawless merits.

For all Buddhas of the past, whether in the world or after entering Parinirvana, if we can still hear Their Dharma, we can attain the path to Buddhahood. This means that in the past we have built stupas, temples and statues so that the Buddha-Dharma may be transmitted. In the past, we have also made offerings to the Three Treasures and created good causes and conditions out of reverence. These causes and conditions still exist. Even after Buddhas enter Parinirvana, the good causes and conditions in our minds can still nourish our roots of goodness. As the roots receive endless nourishment, we can grow in blessings and wisdom. So, if we take the Dharma deep into our hearts, our roots of goodness will be deeply affixed and we will continue to be gradually influenced. With these exceptional causes and conditions, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom will be fixed as a part of our minds. Even if past Buddhas have entered Parinirvana, still, Their good cause and conditions and flawless merits remain.

If people have heard Their teachings, they have realized the path to Buddhahood: If we form an aspiration when we first hear the Dharma and do not regress, we will ultimately attain Buddhahood. This shows that the skillful means of all past Buddhas are ways to the One Vehicle Dharma.

“If people have heard Their teachings, they have realized the path to Buddhahood.” This means that from the time we first heard the Dharma and allowed it to permeate our minds, if we formed an aspiration, have not regressed and continue to gradually advance forward, then the power of this love and faith will always exist and unceasingly nourish our hearts from within. Thus, “[we will] ultimately attain Buddhahood.” This is telling us clearly that all past Buddhas used various skillful means to teach sentient beings. Even those beings who receive skillful teachings can still nourish roots of goodness and bring causes and conditions to maturity. As Sakyamuni Buddha began to expound the One Vehicle Dharma, they may also have had the chance to encounter it.

Even though we ordinary people continue to transmigrate in the Six Realms, that seed of goodness is still there. It is not missing or lost, it waits for causes and conditions to mature. In Sakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, people who heard about the Bodhisattva-path, whether they have achieved it yet or not, continue, lifetime after lifetime, to be permeated by the Buddha-Dharma. In the present era, more than 2000 years later, they may gather at the same practice center. Lifetime after lifetime, depending on the maturity of causes and conditions, we may guide and help transform one another. [To do this,] we must understand the Dharma. Although it is very simple, it contains very profound principles.

The Samyuktavadana Sutra is also skillful means because it discusses worldly matters. Indeed, this is what has happened in the world, in the past and also in the present. People have always had the same mindset. So, this is how the world is. The universe may be limited, but the appearances of worldly matters are endless. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0402

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 402 – Control the Mind with the Dharma

>> “Sand and dust in the wind become haze. We first let fall drops of dew to stop the spreading dust. Our minds become scattered when the wind of desire blows. The Dharma-water, like dew, can immerse the dusts of desire.”

>> When one perversely gets angry without cause, when one slanders someone who is pure, this is like covering oneself with dirt. Like a farmer cultivating a field who reaps what he has sown, one like this will face his own retributions. “When one perversely gets angry without cause,”

>> Indeed, I was wrong. Like a child, I was unwise, so I committed an unwholesome deed. May the Buddha hear my repentance. Namo Buddha.

>> “[They] extensively transform countless beings and will enter Nirvana without residue, like a fire going out when the wood is consumed.

>> “If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples, once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,’ they have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

>> If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples: If people who are habitually scattered have the good karmic conditions to draw near holy places with Buddha-Dharma and wholeheartedly chant the Buddha’s name, they will encounter Right Dharma. This is the cause for their realization of the path to Buddhahood.

>> Once they recite, “Namo Buddha,” they have realized the path to Buddhahood: With deep respect and faith, they seek refuge and recite “Namo Buddha.” They might solely practice the One Dharma, accept and practice that teaching or they might also practice other Dharma to assist their practice and help put their minds on the right course. With reverent and faithful acceptance, they have already realized the path to Buddhahood.

“Sand and dust in the wind become haze.
We first let fall drops of dew to stop the spreading dust.
Our minds become scattered when the wind of desire blows.
The Dharma-water, like dew, can immerse the dusts of desire.”

“Sand and dust in the wind become haze.” When subtle and fine particles of sand are blown about by the wind, they will fly up and become “wind-blown sand.” Sand blown about by the wind creates a haze. The haze is blown up into the air from the ground and then descends from the sky. Actually, this haze is made up of very fine sand. So, “sand and dust in the wind become haze.”

This haze reduces visibility. If we cannot see the conditions in front of us, what can we do? “We first let fall drops of dew to stop the spreading dust.” If there are drops of dew, naturally, when the wind encounters the sand, the haze will not form. Therefore, the earth needs moisture and humidity.

Before the sun rises at dawn, you can see drops of dew at the tips of the blades of grass and leaves. These dew drops are so delicate; we may not even sense their presence. However, the dew gradually adds moisture to the earth so that when the wind blows, the dust will not fly up. Therefore, “we first let fall drops of dew to stop the spreading dust.”

This is just like our minds, which “become scattered when the wind of desire rises.” Once our minds become scattered, thoughts of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt will rise as the wind of desire blows, just as sand is blown about by the wind. The reason our minds become scattered is actually due to a lack of Dharma-water. So, as we encounter external phenomena, desires arise in our minds. The is how we begin to create karma.

So, we need “the Dharma-water, like dew, [to] immerse the dusts of desire.” We need the Dharma-water, so the dusts of desire in our minds will not fly all over when the wind blows.

So, we must always take the Dharma to heart. But to learn the Dharma, we must have good karmic conditions. In the Buddha’s lifetime, when He stayed at Jeta Grove, in the morning He would get dressed, pick up His alms bowl and then go into the city. One day, He met a Brahmin on the road. This Brahmin was named Duraja, and he was very upset with the Buddha. He pointed and yelled at Him, then he bent down to grab a fistful of sand, which he then flung at the Buddha. At that moment, a gust of wind happened to come from behind the Buddha, blowing in Duraja’s direction. So, the sand he flung toward the Buddha was picked up by the coming wind and blown back at Duraja. Thus all that sand ended up on Duraja instead. As all this happened, the Buddha looked [at Duraja] and then spoke the following verses.

When one perversely gets angry without cause, when one slanders someone who is pure, this is like covering oneself with dirt. Like a farmer cultivating a field who reaps what he has sown, one like this will face his own retributions. “When one perversely gets angry without cause,”

refers to those with no cause to be angry, but who unreasonably create anger towards others. Thus, they “slander [those who are] pure.” These people continually create slander despite being among people who are pure. “This is like covering oneself with dirt.” If we fling dirt at others it may end up back on us, making us filthy. Then, “Like a farmer cultivating a field,” we reap a harvest of whatever we sow.

The Buddha shared a long verse as a teaching for this Brahmin. This Brahmin was completely covered by the sand that he had thrown. As he listened to the Buddha’s teachings, he was filled with remorse and felt that what he had done was wrong. So, he put his put his palms together reverently to repent to the Buddha.

Indeed, I was wrong. Like a child, I was unwise, so I committed an unwholesome deed. May the Buddha hear my repentance. Namo Buddha.

He said, “Indeed, I was wrong. I am truly sorry. I was angry in that moment and made this mistake out of ignorance. I am like a child who is unwise, like an infant who cannot tell right from wrong, so I did an unwholesome deed that has offended You. Venerable Buddha, Your great compassion has moved me and I want to take refuge with you. May You be compassionate and accept my repentance and allow me to take refuge with you.” The Buddha gladly allowed this Brahmin to take refuge with Him. So, the Brahmin reverently said, “Namo Buddha. Namo” indicates that he had taken refuge. This means that he had taken refuge with the Buddha in body and mind, and would learn at the Buddha’s feet.

This is a wonderful story that expresses the Buddha’s tranquil and clear state of mind. It also shows that for sentient beings, lacking wisdom is like lacking Dharma-water. When subtle and fine particles of dust are blown by wind, they fly everywhere. Like the wind-blown sand we spoke of earlier, this can obscure our surroundings like a haze. This is why we ordinary people cannot see true principles clearly, causing our minds to constantly deviate. Once temptations arise, our minds go astray. Therefore, we should always cherish these “drops of dew.”

Although we cannot see these drops of dew, they cover the land at all times, so that all things in the world have enough moisture. Then, our crops can grow and dust will not fly everywhere when the wind blows.

This is a wonderful state. So, the previous sutra passage [reminds] us to always be reverent. Not only do we reverently pay our respects to tangible images of the Buddha, we must also be respectful toward sentient beings, and give to others unconditionally. This is our fundamental responsibility. Wherever we reverently pay our respects is a place where we can engage in spiritual practice. As we take the Dharma to heart and practice it in our interactions with others, we must maintain a tranquil and clear mind. In simple terms, we must have “a broad mind and pure thoughts” in order to clearly understand principles. If we can do this, we will gradually draw near the Buddha-Dharma and automatically “realize the unsurpassed way.”

That was part of the previous sutra passage.

“[They] extensively transform countless beings and will enter Nirvana without residue, like a fire going out when the wood is consumed.”

Yesterday, we discussed this passage. If we can have a very expansive mind and pure thoughts, we will reverently face conditioned phenomena and unconditioned Dharma. As we create conditioned phenomena, we must choose to practice virtuous Dharma. This allows us to gradually “enter Nirvana without residue.” I always say, “In seeing suffering we recognize our blessings.” When we do good deeds and make our way among suffering sentient beings, seeing their conditions will naturally help us to realize that we have nothing to take issue over. One by one, we will eliminate the many afflictions in our minds. Then we will enter a tranquil and still state. Nirvana is tranquil and still, “like a fire going out when the wood is consumed.” When the fire has consumed all impurities, nothing is left. This is what we have discussed.

Today, we will talk about how,

“If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples, once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,’ they have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

As an example, in the earlier story, didn’t the Brahmin have a scattered mind? We are often in a scattered state of mind, But as long as we have formed this aspiration, we have planted a root of goodness. Even if we regress, when we go to the temple and see these images, this aspiration will strengthen again. “Once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,'” they have reverently taken refuge with the Buddha. “If we do not transform ourselves in this life, when will we do so?” When we take refuge in the Buddha, we “completely dedicate [our] body and our life” and take refuge in the Buddha’s teachings. Thus, we say “Namo Buddha,” meaning we have taken refuge with the Buddha and dedicate our lives through taking refuge. Once this happens, we “have realized the path to Buddhahood.”

Let us better understand people’s habitual natures.

If people with scattered minds enter stupas or temples: If people who are habitually scattered have the good karmic conditions to draw near holy places with Buddha-Dharma and wholeheartedly chant the Buddha’s name, they will encounter Right Dharma. This is the cause for their realization of the path to Buddhahood.

We are habitually scattered; this makes us unawakened beings. Since Beginningless Time, we ordinary people have lost our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. We do not know when our true mind gradually began to dissipate. What has caused it to dissipate? The many [tendencies] we acquire, which constantly influence us do. Because of greed, anger and ignorance, we experience cyclic existence in the Six Realms. Since Beginningless Time, as we transmigrate through the Six Realms, we have accumulated greed, anger and ignorance. These habitual tendencies have long been with us, so our minds have become scattered and we cannot see true principles. Sometimes we briefly see the Path, but our minds become scattered again, burying the principles we have learned and clouding our sight once again. A principle may appear familiar to us, but we cannot grasp it. This is because our minds are scattered; we cannot focus our minds.

We may “have good karmic conditions,” the causes and conditions [to form aspirations]. Even if we cannot sustain them, at least we have made them. We may have been aimless for a while before re-connecting [with] other causes and conditions. So, we have good karmic conditions. If we have made this kind of aspiration, even if we waver, we still have these causes and conditions, these good causes and conditions.

If we have done this, as we have said earlier, even the subtlest of thoughts, the softest praises or chanting the Buddha’s name can help us accumulate good causes and conditions. Moreover, every day we reverently chant, prostrate and put the Dharma into practice. So, we must hold on to our aspirations, or else our unenlightened habits will influence our minds to become scattered. Fortunately we have done some good deeds and diligently practiced for short periods of time. Even if these karmic conditions were in the past, they can still help today. Then even when our minds are scattered, if we hear the Buddha-Dharma or see a temple or His image, we will create good causes and conditions and approach the holy ground of the Buddha-Dharma.

By “wholeheartedly chanting the Buddha’s name,” we once again form good karmic conditions that guide us back. This is how we draw near the Buddha-Dharma, and within this wholesome environment, are mindful of and take the Buddha into our hearts. We recite the Buddha’s name until it enters our minds. When we chant the Buddha’s name, I constantly remind all of you, “Let the Buddha’s mind become your own. Let your mind become the Buddha’s mind.” When right mindfulness is a part of our minds, the Buddha in our hearts will always immerse us in Right Dharma, and we will walk [the right path]. As long the Buddha is in our minds, then the Dharma will be in our actions. If we practice Right Dharma every day, we will all realize the path to Buddhahood.

Again, “once they recite, ‘Namo Buddha,’ they have realized the path to Buddhahood.” To attain such a state, they must have deep faith to seek refuge and recite “Namo Buddha.”

Once they recite, “Namo Buddha,” they have realized the path to Buddhahood: With deep respect and faith, they seek refuge and recite “Namo Buddha.” They might solely practice the One Dharma, accept and practice that teaching or they might also practice other Dharma to assist their practice and help put their minds on the right course. With reverent and faithful acceptance, they have already realized the path to Buddhahood.

We must recite “Namo Buddha” with great reverence. Remember, “Namo” means that we take refuge. We take refuge in the Buddha because we all intrinsically possess pure Buddha-nature. There is a Buddha in all of us, and we must guard this Buddha in our minds. So, we must chant to the Buddha within our minds. So it says, “With deep respect and faith, they seek refuge and recite “Namo Buddha.”

There are many methods for engaging in spiritual practice even with a scattered mind. The Buddha opened many doors to the Dharma. Some focus on chanting the Buddha’s name and others on quietly sitting in meditation. People come up with many ways to practice, such as studying the texts in detail. Whether we only practice according to one method, or if we combine many methods, as long as it is Right Dharma, we must take it to heart. Only by reverently accepting the proper way to cultivate our minds can we [eventually] attain Buddhahood.

The Buddha teaches us to return to our intrinsic Buddha-nature. Therefore, we must first walk the Bodhisattva-path among people. This road was opened for us by the Buddha. If we are only walking in place but never advancing, and we say, “I am chanting Your name, Venerable Buddha! Please support me so I can attain Buddhahood,” can we really [attain Buddhahood] like this? No, it is impossible. As we chant His name and express our admiration, we have to move forward to approach Him. This is the only way we can truly reach the Buddha’s state.

If we do not truly make the effort to advance in our practice, we will be walking in place and never step onto the Bodhisattva-path. We must cultivate both blessings and wisdom. The Tzu Chi School is a road in this world. Going among people to help them is how we cultivate both blessings and wisdom. If we can reverently and faithfully accept this and put it into practice, we will realize the path to Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful. The principles of living in this world are inseparable from the truths of the universe that the Buddha realized. So, if we can walk the path through this world, we can come to realize the principles of the universe. Therefore, we must always be mindful.