Category: TLS Chapter 0

Episode 14 – Wondrous Dharma Cures Sentient Beings

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>>  This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.

>> With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.

>> The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings

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For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.

Every day is a new beginning. With the Dharma-essence of our morning lectures, we should purify our bodies and minds. This era is an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, as if the sky, earth, weather and people’s minds all seem to be ill. So we need to constantly heighten our vigilance. How do we take good care of our minds? If we do not take good care of our minds, if our mindsets go astray, then nature becomes imbalanced and the weather becomes abnormal. Once the climate is affected, it will naturally result in the imbalance of the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. This is called the imbalance of nature. The blame belongs to humans. Manmade calamities have led to natural disasters.

Things have become abnormal, so problems begin to arise. Machines, human bodies and all plants, including trees and grains, are affected when an abnormal climate causes problems on Earth. This leads to an imbalance of water and earth, so plants grown in soil are damaged by pests. This is also a problem. All these things happen because of imbalances in nature or in the climate. These result in illnesses. Therefore, what is needed is spiritual and wondrous medicine.

This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.

When we are ill, we need medicine for treatment, How do we use this spiritual and wondrous medicine to treat ourselves? Several decades ago, many grain crops were damaged by pests. Humans then researched and invented pesticides to treat the pest problem. Is there really a way to treat it? Indeed, I have mentioned that the biological system is very wondrous. Although humans are smart and can come up with methods to treat diseases, viruses and bacteria are constantly mutating to be resistant to the medicines.

Once, several decades ago, I was walking on the ridge of a field outside the Abode. Back then, everyone planted rice. At the side of the road, I saw several pesticide containers lying there. I looked closely and saw many insects; there were many of them. Those were pesticide containers, so there should still be remnants of pesticide inside. Why are there so many insects inside and on the surface of these containers? There was an old man on the side of the field so I asked him. “Sir, have you been spraying pesticide for the past several days?” He said, “Yes, for several days already.”

“I see. Are you using pesticides from those containers?” He said, “Yes. This pesticide is very strong.” Then I asked, “If this is the pesticide you use, how is it possible that there are so many insects living on the container?” He came over and took a look, “Yes. Since I’ve been using it for so long, this pesticide is getting less effective at getting rid of these pests. They return in a short period of time.”

Consider a case like this. Is there really a way to control the illnesses in this world? There is no way to subdue them permanently, to completely cure them. In this era, the era of the Evil World of Five Turbidities, sentient beings’ views and understandings are not harmonious. This is the problem of humankind. Where does mankind’s problem come from? From ignorance. These views arise from ignorance. Ignorance and turbidity are very rampant now. Therefore many turbid and evil problems are arising. Now we urgently need spiritual and wondrous medicines to treat them, to return to balance. We need to achieve balance first to treat the problems completely.

How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.

How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.

With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.

In the Lotus Sutra, we find that many Bodhisattvas were Buddhas of the past, return to this world to assist in places of spiritual practice. Consider that Guan Yin Bodhisattva is Clear True Dharma Tathagata from the past. Manjusri Bodhisattva was also a Buddha in the past but has returned to this world. Many Bodhisattvas have already attained Buddhahood. In order to help Sakyamuni Buddha, they return to this world to help Him [the minds of] sentient beings.

But the human population is increasing. So all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas need to be active and dedicate themselves to this world. We need more than just Sakyamuni Buddha. We need all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to continuously return on the ship of compassion, to go among humankind and dedicate themselves, to teach using various kinds of methods sentient beings according to their capabilities. Therefore, the Buddha is the Great Medicine-King and the Dharma is wondrous medicine. Only the Buddha can explain astronomy, geography and psychology such that we ordinary people can become vigilant and take early preventive measures.

So over 2000 years ago, the Buddha explained to us that in this world there is formation, existence, decay and disappearance; this is physics. All the things we see that have shape and form go through these states of existence. There was a day when they were formed, then they exist in this world for a period of time. Then they slowly decay for a while, then they completely disappear.

Every day, of all the things we see, which is not manufactured or produced? Every single thing, whether it is being used or not, is constantly aging, is constantly changing. Consider the flowers and grass before us; their seeds met the right conditions under the soil so the grass or the flower seedlings grew. Then we see the flower seedlings produce buds, then flowers, then eventually they wither and wilt. We also see green grass turn yellow. Within this short time, we see exactly what the Buddha told us, which is that material things form, exist, decay, then disappear.

At the same time, thoughts in our minds arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds can waver at any time. A happy thought that arises can turn into suspicion. Then our suspicion may give rise to resentment, hate, affection or enmity. Our thoughts are constantly changing. When we hold on to our resentment, we begin to hate, develop a sense of enmity. Then we take action, we retaliate, we antagonize each other. This is what we humans do. When people feel hatred and enmity toward others, they may have small issues with individuals. Then those may become large issues that affect the entire society, or even worse, they escalate to affect the entire country.

These kinds of psychologies lead to interpersonal confrontations, disharmony in families, imbalance in society and chaos in the country. All these arise from humans. Once these things happen, there will be many misfortunes and they will flourish and cause destruction and damage. This happens because our minds are not tamed. Who can tame our minds? The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all Buddhas. The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. Subduing the mind requires medicine. What is the best medicine? Dharma. The Dharma is wondrous medicine.

Recently I have often mentioned to you all that this wondrous medicine has always existed. The realizations of the Dharma and the Buddha have existed since Beginningless Time has existed since Beginningless Time. Once the universe came into existence, everything in the endless void was filled with Dharma-nature. The Great Enlightened One of the Universe is constantly applying the Dharma, but we sentient beings are unaware. Therefore wondrous Dharma is wondrous medicine. If we sentient beings elevate our Buddha-nature and live within the rules of Dharma, won’t we all be healthy? Won’t all things in the world be in harmony?

Most people do not know they can apply the Dharma. Bodhisattvas are like kind mothers who nurse and protect. Only the Buddha expounds the Dharma. So when He is in this world, He is the Great Enlightened One and all others are Bodhisattvas. Though they attained Buddhahood in the past, when they come to this world, they also need to maintain respect and reverence for Sakyamuni Buddha as the fundamental teacher of the Saha World. All the Bodhisattvas have accepted Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, and they go out and serve as medicine-kings and nurses. They fill the prescriptions. They accept the medicine, prescribe it, and then accompany these stubborn sentient beings. So Bodhisattvas are good nurses; they are like loving mothers who stand guard by the sides of sentient beings.

We often talk about Bodhisattvas. You are also a Bodhisattva. You formed aspirations and you are helping others. We are all Bodhisattvas. Indeed, we are all Bodhisattvas and have all accepted the Buddha’s teachings. We all apply this Dharma to the world and serve others according to the circumstances. Only with the Buddha as the Great Medicine-King, the Dharma as the wondrous medicine and all Buddhas and. Bodhisattvas as caregivers, is it possible to treat all illnesses of sentient beings.

The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings.

Therefore the Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifested in this world for the sake of this great cause, for sentient beings. The Lotus Sutra is used to teach sentient beings so we can all become Bodhisattvas. Only when we all become Bodhisattvas can this world become peaceful. So the Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world. May our current application of this Dharma-essence, the discussion of the Lotus Sutra, be timely and suitable so everyone can receive and use it.

For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.

Right now we must use this Dharma according to this time period and people’s capabilities. I hope we can all accept and use this spiritual and wondrous medicine. If we all put the teachings into practice, won’t this world become more peaceful? So I often remind everyone to be more vigilant, disciplined and reverent. We must faithfully accept and practice the principles in the Wondrous Lotus Sutra as our spiritual and wondrous medicine. May we all mindfully accept and utilize them.

Episode 13 – Prajna, True Emptiness, Wondrous Existence

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>> “The One Buddha Vehicle, the perfect teaching is complete with infinite skillful doctrines.”

>> It is said the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the time period and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all groups of people in this world.

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Every morning [our mind is in] “tranquil contemplation, like a wondrous lotus.” At the Jing Si Abode, our spiritual training ground, I often share with everyone that. Jing Si is a path of diligent practice. We must be very diligent. We must diligently practice every day. Diligence means not lax. To diligently practice is to not retreat. We have sincerity, integrity, faith, steadfastness and manifest kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity with our actions. Having sincerity, integrity, faith, steadfastness means that our minds are not defiled by afflictions or interpersonal disputes. This is just like how a lotus flower can grow out of a muddy pond. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must take good care of our hearts and have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. But we do not practice to only benefit ourselves, we must also seek to benefit others.

We are at the same spiritual practice center and people come from all directions, each with different habitual tendencies. Because so many of us, with our different habitual tendencies, are living together, we have the chance to learn how to be accommodating. If someone gives us a bad attitude, we need to learn to be grateful. If someone says something unpleasant and we hear it, we need to learn to be understanding. We need to be content, no matter what the conditions are or how arduous the work is; we endure it all for spiritual practice. We come together from different environments and with different habitual tendencies, which makes this a very good training ground for us. So we need to be very content and satisfied with just having basic necessities for daily living.

This needs to come from our hearts. When we can broaden our hearts to be content, grateful, understanding, accommodating, naturally we will have loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Tzu Chi volunteers practice internally and externally by walking on the Bodhisattva-path among people. This enables us to discuss the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.

Everyone, in the past we have discussed the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. Not so long ago, we discussed a quick summary of it as the talk that preceded the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Now if we are mentally ready, we can enter the world of the Wondrous Lotus Flower. So the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra is deemed the King of All Sutras. It reveals that the one vehicle to Buddhahood is complete with infinite skillful means. This is a Mahayana text.

Before the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the Buddha already expounded the Agama, Vaipulya, and Prajna. In fact, I have always told everyone that before the Agama, for three seven-day periods after He attained enlightenment, in that state of mind, the Buddha expounded the Avatamsaka Sutra. No one understood Him; only Dharmakaya-Bodhisattvas could accept [His teachings]. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, the state of His mind could not be understood by other humans or heavenly beings. So the Buddha started to think of methods to use to go among humankind so that. He could be understood by sentient beings.

At that time, the religions in India were particularly complicated. Brahmanism was very popular. Everyone was classified distinctly into four castes. How was He to help people understand, accept, and then dedicate themselves to actual spiritual practice? So the Buddha put a lot of thought into this and decided to first use skillful means, which meant very gradually educating sentient beings according to their capabilities. Their capabilities determined the type of Dharma He expounded. Therefore He expounded the Agama Sutra, which had four parts. Thus, the Agama Sutra was used to patiently guide sentient beings based on their capabilities. [The Buddha] taught it for 12 years 12 years was a very long time. When He saw that sentient beings were mostly capable of understanding it, He began expounding the Vaipulya Sutra. After eight years, He saw that sentient beings were more capable, so He began expounding the Prajna. The Prajna Sutras analyzed people and matters of this world, starting with “existence.” We all have attachments to the “existence” of things. Thus when the Buddha expounded the Prajna Sutra, He analyzed the “existence” of things to the point of nonexistence.

In our world, many things exist because they are the combinations of various elements; thus they exist and are functional. Simple functional objects are made from simple combinations. As for sophisticated technologies, they are more complicated. If we take them apart and separate the parts, they return to nothing. Consider the current technology; it comes from the most advanced sciences. It is the most sophisticated technology. However, people nowadays keep talking about the greenhouse effect. What causes the greenhouse effect? How does the greenhouse effect create such major natural disaster and manmade calamities? The greenhouse effect causes imbalance of the four elements. When it is time for rain, it does not rain. When it is time for the cold, it is not cold. When it is time for the heat, it is too hot. When it is time for good weather, there is drought.

Our natural seasonal climates are out of order due to the greenhouse effect. It creates such major natural disasters. Scientists kept researching and researching and have now discovered that the source of the problem is lack of environment protection. So we began our environmental protection work. There are too many things; people live too luxuriously, are too wasteful. They throw away things they no longer want to use; all those things are now trash. Just look. If we take them apart and recycle and restore them, what do they become? We return them to their natural state, to become raw materials. What are the raw materials? We can break them down, but actually the names do not matter. What can raw material be broken down into? The energy resources of the Earth. But what comes after that? Nothing; ultimately there is emptiness because sophisticated things are made up of many smaller elements.

So we need to apply wisdom. How do we use Prajna, which is wisdom, to reduce our attachments to material goods that obstruct us? We can also analyze interpersonal relationships as psychological attachments. Therefore, to transform hatred into love is only a matter of a change of heart. That is all. So the Prajna Sutras discuss how we can change our thinking, and how we can eliminate our attachments. By applying Prajna, we can realize true emptiness and no longer have attachments.

I often share the story of a group of lay practitioners who told others, “Go buy fish and shrimp on the first and fifteenth on the lunar month and release them as a work of merit.” After releasing them, one person said, “Let’s go to a seafood restaurant.” Why would they go to a seafood restaurant? Someone asked him, “We just released fish and shrimp for merit; why are we going to eat them now?” He said, “We are helping them transcend.” Isn’t this taking it too far? Then he said, “Bring a few bottles of wine.” A Buddhist asked him, “Didn’t the Buddha say to abstain from alcohol? Hey, wine is the soup of Prajna. Now let’s smoke. But if one smokes, one isn’t much of a Buddhist disciple. Smoke is like a canopy of incense clouds.” Look at how he takes things out of context. This is not what we want, nor is it what the Buddha taught as the meaning of the Prajna Sutras. Some people use the teaching of Prajna to say that everything is empty. These people are very contradictory. Consider this person. Doesn’t he claim to practice Mahayana teachings, which is free of attachments? His way of being free of attachments is to violate many precepts because he is not attached to them. His lack of attachment is not about letting go of cravings and hatred or being open.

Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is the Middle Way. In the Middle Way, there is “existence.” What exists? The Wondrous Dharma, wondrous existence. This “existence” is wondrous existence, a return to the Bodhisattva-path, to the state of Buddhahood. We all have the potential to become a Buddha because we all have Buddha-nature. To return to our Buddha-nature, there must be wondrous existence. Prajna is the process to realize true emptiness. In our relationships we should not be so attached, but we should be accommodating with a spacious heart. By being understanding, we sweep away the afflictions in our minds, so we are not attached to emptiness nor existence. We know that there is wondrous existence in emptiness, true emptiness in wondrous existence. This is all included in the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Therefore it is deemed the King of All Sutras.

The Lotus Sutra declares,

“The One Buddha Vehicle, the perfect teaching is complete with infinite skillful doctrines.”

Because there is just One Buddha Vehicle for us to attain enlightenment, it encompasses all sutras and teachings. Thus Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. If we understand just one phrase, our perspectives on life can transform. Consider the promotion of. Jing Si Aphorisms in Taiwan. They are found on taxis, personal vehicles and large trucks. In the news, we saw that Philippine Airlines has introduced Jing Si Aphorisms on their planes.

The president of the airline company said, “If passengers flip through the Jing Si Aphorisms and pick up a short phrase they like, they may remember it and find it useful.” So on the airplanes of his airline, he placed 200 books of Jing Si Aphorisms on each plane. These very short sentences can be applied in our daily living. When we consider it, it seems very simple. As long as the Dharma can be used, it is wondrous Dharma. We can apply it to our daily living as we deal with people and matters. Then our minds naturally will not be occupied or defiled by interpersonal conflicts or afflictions that delude us and lead us to create karma.

Therefore, the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the different eras. The Lotus Sutra is the same, it resonates with this time period, our lives, our habitual tendencies and our cultural backgrounds. This is the wondrous Dharma. It has to be applied to this world, to be used by all groups of people in this world. Then it is considered the wondrous Dharma.

It is said the Dharma is not big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. It resonates with the time period and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all groups of people in this world.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, when we learn Buddhism, we walk the Middle Way. The Lotus Sutra is the Middle Way, one that does not cling to emptiness or existence and can help us thoroughly understand true emptiness and wondrous existence and return to the Buddha’s state of mind. We must walk the Bodhisattva-path to attain the state of the Buddha and Avatamsaka. The Avatamsaka state was reached by the Buddha in three seven-day periods, when. He practiced and attained enlightenment. The state of Avatamsaka is indeed a tranquil and clear state.

Everyone, we need to be mindful when we learn the Buddha’s way and when we listen to the Dharma. In daily living, we must be “like the wondrous lotus, pure and clear” so we will not be defiled by various conditions. Even if our external conditions are very turbid, we still need to be grateful because the lotus flower can only grow from mud. So we must treat everyone with gratitude to perfect the wondrous lotus in our minds. Therefore, everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 12 – Wondrous Dharma Adapts to Times and Conditions

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>>  Tranquil and clear is the wondrous lotus flower. Tzu Chi practitioners on the Bodhisattva-path act according to the times and conditions. [They are] in all places.

>> The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to the times and capabilities. To transform sentient beings, He gives provisional teachings to reveal the truth.

>> The Dharma has no distinctions of big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. So, it resonates with the era and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all in this world.

>> People of this present era experience complications in their surroundings. One single ignorant thought defiles the mind, leading the mind to initiate and create countless amounts of karma. They give rise to endless greed, anger and ignorance. Human nature is inherently good but is obscured. Thus the Buddha established teachings for sentient beings to awaken their views and understanding.

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In this world, [the Buddha] must adapt to times and conditions and be in all places. Haven’t we been saying this all along? For the sake of sentient beings, over the span of inconceivable asankyakalpas the Buddha never rested in His Mission to help sentient beings transform. He manifested countless births and manifested countless deaths. We know this already. Regardless of the time period, the Buddha is always in this world. No matter the place or the country, the Buddha continues to manifest everywhere. You see, He continues to expound the teachings according to the times and conditions. That is why we say in all places. We often talk about enlightenment. We all have this enlightened nature within us. So we say that the Enlightened One is in all places. The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to times. He teaches according to capabilities. This, I think we can all understand. Depending on the capabilities of sentient beings, He uses corresponding methods and establishes teachings according to their conditions. He constantly cares for sentient beings and protects and guides them onto the Bodhisattva-path. In order to help sentient beings according to their different capabilities, He uses provisional means to reveal the truth. Sometimes He uses skillful means. Sometimes He points directly to peoples intrinsic nature. Such is the Buddhas wisdom.

Tranquil and clear is the wondrous lotus flower. Tzu Chi practitioners on the Bodhisattva-path act according to the times and conditions. [They are]in all places. The Buddha establishes teachings for the world. He teaches according to the times and capabilities. To transform sentient beings, He gives provisional teachings to reveal the truth.

The wisdom of the Buddha is set up for all sentient beings. So, the Dharma has no distinctions of high or low, deep or superficial. It is what the Buddha teaches sentient beings. Sentient beings have the same Buddha-nature, the only difference is their capabilities. The Buddhas teachings are meant to help people return to their Buddha-nature. The teachings established by the Buddha are suited to sentient beings capabilities, so He uses many different methods. In other words, the Dharma refers to using these methods. When it resonates, it is the wondrous Dharma. When it does not resonate, even if it points directly to their minds, and makes it simple to see their true nature or to attain Buddhahood, people will not accept it. They will not understand so they cannot attain entry [to the Buddhas state]. Therefore, for those with limited capabilities, the Buddha compassionately and patiently tries to draw them in and help them understand. That is why we say that with Dharma there is no differentiation between big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. In truth, the most profound Dharma is the simplest Dharma. The Dharma has always been this way. Even though it has always been like this, we sentient beings cannot comprehend it, so He has to pull the vine to get at the beans. He has to use many methods. And that is why we say.

The Dharma has no distinctions of big or small, high or low, deep or superficial. So, it resonates with the era and customs. The wondrous Dharma can be applied to all in this world.

Is this time period a civilized era? Indeed! The Western world has become very civilized in the past couple of centuries. They underwent rapid development. During these past few decades, haven’t our standards of living in Taiwan also improved greatly? Here, our culture has become advanced, and so has our technology. Many kinds of sophisticated and specialized technology, along with flourishing computer and manufacturing industries can be found in Taiwan. In this advanced technological era, people follow these trends in their living. Consider that people now do their work mostly on computers. No matter how big a project is, it is analyzed by computers and designed using computers. Now we live our lives in the world of computers.

Do you still remember the major earthquake in El Salvador? We reached out to the people there and built them Tzu Chi Villages, which included schools. When one school was completed, the president of El Salvador attended the completion ceremony. The students were very happy. A child rushed up to the president and said, There is a computer in our classroom! The president was very curious, so he followed the children, and the large group marched to the classroom. On the wall of that classroom, a piece of cloth covered the wall. Where was the computer? The child lifted the cloth, and there was a picture of a computer, boxy and square, drawn on the wall. The students knew that computers are cube-like even though they did not have one. I saw this news being broadcasted on a news segment on our Da Ai Television Station. I remember that at the time, the executive director of Tzu Chi USA, Mr. Austin Tsao, happened to be back in Taiwan. I asked him, The school in El Salvador began operation. Have we really given them computers? He replied, Not yet. Then I said, Then you should hurry up and give them computers. Take the used computers that people are going to replace and collect them. There will be many. So he immediately contacted volunteers in the US. They quickly collected computers people were using but were about to replace and ended up with 100 to 200 computers. This is what I remember. Though it was initially just a drawing on a wall, that computer led many dedicated people to donate real computers that were in good shape. In more technologically-advanced countries, the second, third, fourth generation of computers come onto the market at rapid speeds, so many people replace their older models. Yet the old ones were still in good condition. When they were sent to El Salvador they were considered advanced educational tools.

This is what we refer to as peoples customs. Even in the same space and time, lifestyles can be different. So the Buddha had to adapt. His teachings to the different lifestyles and customs, habits and common practices of sentient beings. He used different methods to open up peoples hearts and minds so that they could have broader views, become more observant and learn more. The Buddhas awakened nature remains in the universe, present in all places. When the time and circumstances are right, the Dharma will be spread to that particular place. The wondrous Dharma is meant to be applied among people. The Buddha-Dharma is not only for 2000 years ago; it is still very widespread now. At this time, the world truly needs it. How do we ensure that among people there is a common perspective? This refers to the concept of our awakened nature. We all intrinsically have this awakened nature. We differ only because each era has its distinct lifestyles and customs. How can we now unify the various customs and guide everyone toward the same path? This depends on our awakened nature. In order to initiate this awakened nature, we need to apply the wondrous Dharma to this world, to relationships, and especially within groups of people. This is precisely the era that needs such wondrous Dharma.

I have also heard that Tzu Chi volunteers are going in and out of Sichuan. Every person and team stays there for a whole month so that they have sufficient time to observe peoples lifestyles in the villages. They observe whether the villagers lives are continuously improving, whether the elderly are taken care of and whether the sick people, the disabled and the wounded, are being rehabilitated etc. As Tzu Chi volunteers enter the Sichuan community, [they have to figure out] how to interact with the people there. In this world, how do people interact with each other? How do we gather and coordinate a group of people who do not know each other? How do we guide them to take care of one another as a group, comfort each other and do activities together? In the beginning, two people, one who was older guiding another who was younger, came together. After they started volunteering, they joined the study session in Chengdu. To attend, they had to take an 11-hour bus ride. But they wanted to understand Tzu Chi and to learn. These two were devout Buddhists. After they came in contact with Tzu Chi, they finally realized that this is the path they had been seeking. Therefore, these two Bodhisattvas attended sessions every week and never missed a session. Even if there was a typhoon or a rainstorm, they still came. Because the commute was very far, they rented a tiny room in Chengdu. At night, the buses stopped running, so they stayed in that room. The two stayed in one room. Later on, three, four, five people all crammed in there. One was an elderly Bodhisattva who was over eighty years old. Our volunteer asked him, Revered Bodhisattva, where are you from? He said, I am from a very far place which is more than a ten-hour car ride away. He went on and said, I came explicitly to see what you are all doing. This is exactly what I have been looking for. I am already over eighty, and now I have learned that the Buddha-Dharma can be practiced among people.

What can be understood and used to guide people to fulfillment is the true Buddha-Dharma. The Dharma is to be practiced among people, not simply kept in the monasteries. It should adapt to the needs of this world and the needs of contemporary life. In modern peoples lives, their circumstances are already very complicated. In such a complicated setting, with such a large population, if one with an ignorant thought comes in conflict with another person with an ignorant thought, they will contaminate each other. Thus the minds of all sentient beings have become hazy and unclear. So the Chinese characters that make up the word ignorance are no and clarity. In this era, people are competing against each other, fighting against and taking from each other. Think about this, how can we even begin to quantify the amount of negative karma created? It is immeasurable. The mind gives rise to greed and excessive anger and ignorance. The depth of this greed, anger and ignorance cannot be quantified. In essence, there is no end to greed. And not just greed, but anger as well. When there are more people, more things will go against our wishes. So when anger arises, we lose our tempers in a big way. The greater the anger, the more ignorant thoughts we have. When ignorance covers and obscures our minds, no matter what we say, our words are not clear; no matter what we hear, we cannot understand; no matter how we are taught, we do not learn. We seem to be covered by a veil of ignorance. We also call this delusion. Therefore, unchecked greed, anger and ignorance will very quickly swallow up all ethics, just as if a quality piece of wood was infested by termites. The termites will continue to eat away at the wood until it is completely hollowed out. The same thing will happen to morals and ethics. Morals, ethics and inherent goodness in human nature can all be gobbled up by greed, anger and ignorance. We call this ignorance. This is that our Buddha-nature has been covered and obscured by it. That is why the Buddha came into our world, to establish teachings for sentient beings.

People of this present era experience complications in their surroundings. One single ignorant thought defiles the mind, leading the mind to initiate and create countless amounts of karma. They give rise to endless greed, anger and ignorance. Human nature is inherently good but is obscured. Thus the Buddha established teachings for sentient beings to awaken their views and understanding.

Sentient beings have many confused thoughts, with a complex variety of capabilities, some sharp and some dull. In this day and age, actually, no matter what day and age, the Buddhas enlightened nature is pervasive. He came solely to establish teachings for sentient beings to unlock their understanding, hoping that all are more likely to hear it. In order for sentient beings to hear the teachings, they have to be widespread. For instance, the earthquake in Sichuan created these guiding causes and conditions. There, through our interactions with others, we can expand their views and understanding. As Buddhist practitioners, we must go among people. For the Dharma we hear to be useful, we cannot just hear it and not apply it. Therefore, I hope that everyone will try to understand the essence of this Dharma so that it can enter everyone’s hearts, and utilized by everyone. Then everyone’s mind can become clear and pure as we go among people. Like a lotus flower, we walk the Bodhisattva-path without defilements. This is the Dharma. There needs to be many methods that are explained repeatedly and patiently it cannot advance itself. For us, only when Dharma has entered our hearts can we spread the Buddha-Dharma in this world. Everyone, please always be mindful. 

Episode 10 – Five Periods of Teachings Based on Capabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 9 – Dharma-nature is Everlasting and Endless

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 6 – Lotus Sutra Preface (5)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 5 – Lotus Sutra Preface (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 4 – Lotus Sutra Preface (3)

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>> A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. A slight discrepancy makes the difference between going in the right or wrong direction. Form an aspiration, make a great vow. Commit to maintaining self-discipline, reverently maintain resolve.

>> We vow to repent. We disciples and all sentient beings from Beginningless Time until now.

>> [We] have lost our true nature and transmigrated through cyclic existence. The transgressions of the Six Roots are boundless and hinder us from understanding the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle.

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A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
A slight discrepancy makes the difference
between going in the right or wrong direction.
Form an aspiration, make a great vow.
Commit to maintaining self-discipline,
reverently maintain resolve.

Everyone, if every day we hold these words in our hearts, we will not go astray in our daily living; our direction will not be mistaken. A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. If we want to walk a journey of 1000 miles we must take the first step. If we only hear about the world that exists 1000 miles away rather than going there on our own, it will be impossible to experience that world. No matter how much you listen, the first-hand experience will still be absent. This is like not carefully listening to the Dharma and being unwilling to make an effort. The real wonders of the Dharma are quite profound, yet we do not fully understand them. Real Buddhist practitioners must surely begin with the first step. So it is said, A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. Spiritual cultivation is practicing the path, and the path is a road to be walked on. So, we must take the first step on this road, and moreover we must seize each moment. Taking the first step requires orienting ourselves accurately. When we are solving a trigonometric equation, if we start drawing with even with a slight bit of deviation, then the x and y axes will be askew. Whether or not our direction is correct varies by just a tiny fraction. What starts as a slight deviation will grow exponentially over a long distance. After 1000 miles, the difference grows 1000-fold. So the first step is very important, as is the direction. Forming aspirations and making vows is the start. If we do not take the first step and refuse to walk, we will always be standing at the starting point. We just need to point our first step in the right direction and not stray from it. We start by developing aspirations and making great vows with commitment. Life is short, lasting only some decades. I have often cautioned everyone that one day in Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings equals 50 years in this world. One day in Trayastrimsa Heaven equals 100 years in this world. A lifetime of a few decades is very short, so no matter what we would like to do, once we are pointed in the right direction we must be committed. Do not say, It’s not possible today; it’ll have to be tomorrow! It’s not in the plans for this year; it will happen next year. I’m still young, and now is the time for earning money; volunteering is a waste of time. I’ll wait until I’m retired. This exemplifies a lack of commitment, a lack of recognizing the impermanence of life, a lack of recognizing that we should seize every moment to do good. Once an opportunity is missed it will not be offered again. Each lifetime happens only one time. Saying one time refers to each person’s one-time journey. What is one time? In the time of Ancient Greece, there was a philosopher, Socrates. This philosopher had many students. One time, a group of students went to seek advice from their teacher, hoping for guidance. How can a teacher help his students comprehend true principles? So one day, Socrates told his students, Come, I will help you to understand through experience. He took them to an orchard and said to these students, start from the entrance of the orchard and walk all the way to the end. From within the orchard, carefully choose the most beautiful fruit, the best fruit, the one that is your favorite, and pick it. You can only choose one fruit. You have one chance only; you cannot walk back. These students then began to walk into the fruit-filled orchard. Which was the most beautiful, the best fruit? From the entrance, the students walked all the way to the end, where they saw their teacher standing. The teacher asked, so have each of you picked the most beautiful, the best fruit? One of the students said, my teacher, please give me another chance. Socrates then said, No. There are no more chances. Why is it that you did not pick a single fruit? The student said, as soon as I entered, I saw a beautiful, big fruit. But, I thought that farther inside, there must be bigger, more beautiful, better fruit. I was afraid that if I picked the first, it would not be as good as another later on. Since I could only pick one fruit, I decided not to pick that one. Some students then said, Yes, exactly. Can’t you give us another chance? Socrates said, No more chances. We only have once chance to live this life. We only live through our youth once. Our life at 20 years old is something we will only experience once. We can never go back. The principle is the same. People say, If I had known it would come to this, I would have acted differently. So we must live earnestly. If we do not seize the opportunity to do good now, we will have no way to carry it through. Just look at the history of Tzu Chi. Although it has been 40-plus years, if it had not been for that initial thought, which we seized without deviating in direction, who knows whether. Tzu Chi would exist today, 40 years later? If, on the 8th day of the 2nd lunar month, before daybreak, Sakyamuni Buddha had not formed that aspiration, if He had not taken action to leave home and the secular world to become a monk, where would Buddhism be, 2000 years later? So, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. We must walk, no matter how far or for how long. But our direction must be correct. Let us develop aspirations and make great vows and be committed to them. We cannot say, If I cannot do it today, I will do it tomorrow. This is a life lacking in commitment. We must not only be committed, but also self-disciplined. When we believe in and study Buddhas teachings, upholding the precepts is very important. In the practice of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, just think, without precepts, how could there be Samadhi? Without precepts and Samadhi, developing wisdom is impossible. We must live according to the rules so that we can establish a state of Samadhi, commit to maintaining self-discipline, and be reverent. Reverence is a state of mind where we can maintain resolve uphold our mission and follow the path then our path will be great. Haven’t I shared that with everyone before? So, if we can truly uphold our mission and make great vows, without any deviation, we can take the first step and walk diligently. If we can do this, be diligent, avoid going astray, have great vows, and uphold our mission, isn’t this when we are at our most reverent? In our spiritual state, things are just that simple. We have been talking about the Lotus Sutra Dharma-assembly. It was held on Vulture Peak. Where is Vulture Peak? Actually, we have already spoken about this. In each person there is a stupa on Vulture Peak. We can each practice at the foot of that stupa. This tells us that we all have Three Treasures in our self-nature, in our pure intrinsic nature that has not and will not grow nor disappear in the past, present, or future. It has only been shrouded by ignorance. The mirror of our heart was originally pure and clear. Then at some unknown point in time, it was covered by dust. We have been lazy and have not carefully cleaned it daily. Look at a glass mirror. If, after a while, it has not been wiped, it will be covered by dust and become hazy. You will not be able to see through it. This is a similar concept. Therefore, we must diligently polish the mirror of our heart by wiping it regularly. So, our reverence helps ensure that the mirror of our heart is clear, that the Three Treasures of our self-nature is revealed. To manifest the Three Treasures of our self-nature, we must maintain self-discipline and reverence. In the past, when I lectured on Dharma as Water, I kept talking to everyone about repentance. After repenting, we must correct all our past wrongdoings and erroneous perceptions. Our habitual tendencies and direction all need to be correct. I have shared this with everyone in the past. Right now, we are beginning to walk in the right direction. This is dependent on our reverence. With reverence, we can begin to make vows. When we make vows, we must dedicate merits. Today, let us consider dedicating merits and making vows. Making vows requires dedicating merits. So, we must vow to repent. This vow encompasses what we said about being committed, self-disciplined, reverent, and maintaining resolve. This is our vow. To develop aspirations and make great vows, we must be very committed, have no other thoughts, be of one mind, one mission, and abide by our great vows. So, we must repent. Some people think that after speaking about Dharma as Water every day, now that we have finished talking about repentance it is the time to make vows. How could there be repentance still? We cannot just talk about it or listen to it, we must sincerely repent. So I constantly tell everyone, the sutra is a path, it is a road to walk on. I have already finished lecturing on that text. You now know the course of the road. Whether or not you walk it depends on you. So, to make vows is to no longer deviate. Let us not deviate. Let us constantly be vigilant. If even the subtlest thoughts arise, though we do not act on them, as soon as these thoughts stir, we must quickly repent them. We should not have these thoughts. Even if we do not act on them, it is not right to even have them. So no matter what, we must quickly repent those thoughts that arise. We should not have them. Since we have already formed aspirations and made vows, we must repent. We should not have these thoughts. So we should vow to repent. Repentance should always be on our mind. Then in our daily living, we will not make mistakes. So the passage says,

We vow to repent. We disciples and all sentient beings from Beginningless Time until now.

from Beginningless Time until now. Everyone is clear about this part. I keep telling everyone that we have to repent, and not just on our own. We must also guide others to repent with us. Hence, we disciples. Each morning when we pay respect to the Buddha, there is not just one person, but hundreds gathered in our prayer hall, in our Guan-Yin Hall. This is we disciples. Is this enough? It is not. In our normal, everyday living, we must endlessly recruit Living Bodhisattvas, be able to share what we have learned at any time and guide others to vow to repent. So all sentient beings include ourselves. From Beginningless Time until now refers not only to the now, but to our unknown number of past lifetimes, up till now and on into future lifetimes. Previously I shared with everyone that the Buddha often said His spiritual practice had been going on for countless kalpas. Countless kalpas is a very long time. That is why we often say from Beginningless Time until now. From the past, and continuously until now,

[We] have lost our true nature and transmigrated through cyclic existence. The transgressions of the Six Roots are boundless and hinder us from understanding the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle.

Every day, we recite these words. But each day, are we really taking them to heart? Have we realized, we have lost our true nature and transmigrated through cyclic existence? Our minds were originally Buddha-minds. Why is it that now we have ordinary minds, minds focused on gain and loss? Only a person with a mind focused on gain and loss would enter an orchard where the first thing he sees is a very beautiful, big fruit, yet still wonder if there might be another that is even bigger and more beautiful. This is the mindset of ordinary beings, of comparing, of focusing on gains and losses. So even though we began with a pure nature, in this way it was lost. So, if we are like this, we can walk through an entire tangerine orchard without obtaining anything. Where did our true nature go? It transmigrated through cyclic existence. This cycling through life and death is due to the transgressions of the Six Roots. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body engage with the Six Dusts of our external conditions. This rouses the Six Consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, tongue-consciousness etc. The Six Roots are attracted by external conditions. This confuses our mind-consciousness, so we make many mistakes. So the transgressions of the Six Roots are boundless. They are truly many and hinder us from understanding the perfect and wondrous Buddha Vehicle. This vehicle is wonderful, but we have strayed from the Buddhas teachings and from his directions. We are unable to really comprehend them. We often talk about a perfect translucent sphere of crystal. Actually, something this perfect, a principle as harmonious as this, is often missed by us. So, we are unable to understand it. Even though every day, I sit here and talk to you all, will you all remember? Will you all understand? I do not know. You alone know the answer for yourselves. So, we must always be mindful.