Category: TLS Chapter 2

Episode 316 – Faithful Acceptance and Thorough Contemplation

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>> Unsurpassed, wondrous principles can illuminate and reveal True Dharma. By earnestly intensifying our contemplation, we can attain understanding and views. But we just lack the opportunity and the right moment of faith and understanding. Thus, we must not overlook [the truths] before us by even a little bit.

>> “Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha but does not want to hear or know the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

>> “Are not the disciples of the Buddha, nor are they Arhats, nor are they Pratyekabuddhas.”

>> So, “furthermore, Sariputra, it should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis who claim to have attained Arhatship….”

>> “It should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis who have claimed to have attained Arhatship do not further seek to learn unsurpassed Bodhi.” They are “overbearingly arrogant” people.

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Every day as I walk out of my study and down this corridor, I feel a sense of immense gratitude. I always say, “The key to the whole day is the morning.” Before the day dawns, everything is quiet, in a state of tranquility and clarity. As I walk along the corridor and look at the distant sky, I have this feeling [of tranquility]. Yesterday and today are different,

It was much brighter yesterday. The day has not dawned yet today even though. I walked out at the same time yesterday. This is the law of nature; as the seasons change, the fall will be different than summer.

I always feel so much gratitude. I am grateful to be born into this world, where the earth nurtures all things. All of the countless, infinite varieties of material things in the physical universe are carried and given life by the earth. When we see how the seasons are in harmony, how heaven and earth give life, how can we not be grateful? These are the underlying true principles of nature. If our minds can comprehend these truths, then what Dharma can we not comprehend?

Unsurpassed, wondrous principles can illuminate and reveal True Dharma. By earnestly intensifying our contemplation, we can attain understanding and views. But we just lack the opportunity and the right moment of faith and understanding. Thus, we must not overlook [the truths] before us by even a little bit.

There is so much that the Buddha wants to tell us, especially the many principles about people and all things in this world. Wondrous principles are infinite, limitless and countless and difficult to express in words. But the Buddha exercised His wisdom to help all of us reach self-understanding and self-realization, so we can thoroughly understand these principles. He wanted us to realize and see our true nature and understand this intrinsic True Suchness.

Therefore, “unsurpassed, wondrous principles can illuminate and reveal the True Dharma.” This is what the Buddha wanted to convey. But these “unsurpassed, wondrous principles” are truly fine and wondrous. When I walk along the corridor every morning, many thoughts come to mind. With all these countless, limitless principles, for the Buddha to teach us so that our minds can resonate with the principles of all things is indeed very difficult. But in talking about it, it is actually very simple. These principles are intrinsic to all of us; we can all comprehend them.

For instance, I looked up at the sky earlier and saw a very pale blue sky in the east, a blue sky that is still obscured by dark clouds. In that moment I realized that our intrinsic nature is like that pale blue sky. As nature dictates, the seasons change from spring, summer, fall to winter, but this pale blue is everlasting. Only the dark clouds floating in front of it are constantly changing. As I stood there for a while, my eyes did not move yet without realizing it, the clouds continued to change. However, behind the clouds, that pure blue sky was still “illuminating and revealing the True Dharma.” Amidst movement, it remained still and unmoving; only the natural world changed around it.

So, if we can mindfully listen to the Dharma and faithfully accept and diligently practice it, we will “earnestly intensify our contemplation.” By being more earnest, we can intensify this contemplation even more. We can contemplate how, as we all sit here and as I speak to you, the color of the sky I see now is different from what I saw before I walked in here. Not much time has passed. You are sitting there; I am sitting here. You are looking this way; I am looking that way. What we see is different. However, as natural phenomena change, within them is a truly wondrous state that is non-arising, non-ceasing and unmoving.

If we contemplate this more deeply, we realize these principles also apply to us. So, as long as we can be more earnest, be more mindful and intensify our contemplation, we will “attain understanding and views.” We will be able to comprehend the Buddha’s understanding and views.

We must understand all the Dharma that the Buddha understood. This is our goal. We follow in the Buddha’s footsteps to realize the truths of all things in the universe. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must remain unaffected by our own emotional ups and downs.

One day, I met a child who had been tormented by illness since he was young. His illness turned out to be a very rare kind of cancer. But this child’s mind and his view of the world was very different from that of ordinary people. Whenever he spoke, he truly inspired the adults around him. Ever since he was young, doctors said he probably would not live past the age of five or seven. They said he could pass away at any time. However, his karmic conditions had not ended, so he could not leave. Among these groups of people, I saw him again and again.

When he was calm, he was able to control his emotions and had clear understanding of principles. At these times, his mother really cherished him; mother and son seemed very closely connected. But when he got emotional, his mother would feel very tormented. When many people were around, his mother was forgiving and lenient, but when the child became emotional, the mother also became emotional. This entanglement of karmic affinities looks like a lot of suffering to us.

His emotions grew stronger as he got older; he would become emotional more often. Sometimes when he talked to people, he would hurt them with his words. This is how our nature is originally clear, but as we spend time with people, we gradually accumulate habitual tendencies. When I saw him, I felt very sad. If he could maintain his innocent intrinsic nature, avoid accumulating worldly habitual tendencies, then end his karmic causes and conditions in this life, wouldn’t that be a very good thing? However, that is very difficult. In our relationships, we must try to completely eliminate our negative karmic causes and conditions in this lifetime, without creating any more for the next. This is not an easy task.

In summary, this a very subtle and wondrous principle; it is the law of karma. So, engaging in spiritual practice is very difficult because we are Tathagatas in Bonds. We are bound by ignorance, which entangles our [nature of] True Suchness. This is indeed the case for mother and son, and for fellow practitioners as well.

We do not know what method to use to get straight to the point. We do not know what method to use to help everyone understand the differences between “enlightened” and “deluded” beings so everyone can be completely clear about them. Clearly understanding them is indeed difficult,

because we lack the earnestness and diligence to intensify our contemplation and not let [the teachings] leak out. We constantly say that we must cultivate “flawless wisdom.” After we understand the teachings, we need to carefully prevent our elementary comprehension of the Dharma from disappearing, or else we will always just barely understand it. Once we understand something, it seems so clear and obvious. But we cannot fully understand things because we are still entangled by emotions. This is very sad and worrisome. This is what ordinary people are like.

With even a slight trace of ignorance or Leaks, we will lack the opportunity and the right moment of faith and understanding. When the Buddha was in this world, He gave many teachings. In later years, after His time, the collected sutras spread to China. In China, many esteemed monastics and sages contemplated and realized His principles, then they carefully compiled them. But, we still do not thoroughly understand them. The Dharma is always around us, but we lack faith and understanding. Because our faith is not deep-rooted, we constantly overlook it by just a little bit.

Indeed, the Dharma is always around us. All things in the world are constantly expounding the Dharma to us, but we constantly overlook these teachings. And when we overlook them just by a little bit, we will end up far off course and be very far away. Therefore, we overlook many teachings by just a little bit.

Everyone, I hope you thoroughly understand that the “unsurpassed, wondrous principles” can “illuminate and reveal the True Dharma.” Indeed, they are right in front of us. As long as we can “earnestly intensify our contemplation, we will attain understanding and views. We just lack the opportunity and the right moment of faith and understanding.” If we always have pure faith and understanding, we will constantly heighten our vigilance. “We must not overlook [the truths] before us by even a little bit.” This is telling us that our minds should never stray even a little. That slight deviation will cause us to overlook the True Dharma. So, we have to be meticulous and mindful.

I have said so many things, but do you understand them? These wondrous principles are truly very profound. We say it is simple because it suits our abilities. We say it is profound because it is as expansive as the universe, but ultimately it can be captured in our minds. It is that simple if we are mindful.

So, the Buddha said to Sariputra,

“Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha but does not want to hear or know the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

“Only” means there is just one. The Buddha gave so many teachings, but He only wanted to teach us to walk the Bodhisattva-path.

As I have told all of you, the Bodhi-path leads to the state of the Tathagata, back to our Tathagata-nature, our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. We must walk this Bodhi-path, which is the path of enlightened sentient beings called Bodhisattvas. We must care for many people, but not be defiled by their delusional affections. This is the Bodhisattva-path. This is the way we can go among people and not allow anyone to influence our hearts.

Two people alone, like the mother and son we spoke of, can endlessly entangle each other in suffering. Furthermore, as we walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must face myriads of sentient beings. Since we are engaging in spiritual practice, aren’t we supposed to deal with sentient beings without allowing their emotions to influence us? This is how we learn the Bodhisattva-path. The Buddha [only] teaches the Bodhisattva-path.

So, He said that. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas may think they have already attained [enlightenment] and thus are unwilling to learn anything more or to “earnestly intensify their contemplation.” They were unwilling to do just a little more, to intensify their contemplation. They were not willing. Thus, they did not understand the Buddha’s intent, so how could He speak His understanding and views? If they could not realize the Buddha’s understanding and views, how could they truly develop an understanding equal to the Buddha’s?

So, the next section of the sutra discusses how they did not “want to hear or know.” The Buddha came to teach the Bodhisattva-path. Those that do not want to listen or realize this.

“Are not the disciples of the Buddha, nor are they Arhats, nor are they Pratyekabuddhas.”

These were not the disciples He wanted to teach. The disciples He wanted to teach must have open and broad minds and go among people without being defiled by them. Only those with pure minds can thoroughly understand the true principles of all things in the universe. Otherwise, they were not His disciples. The Buddha made this very stern statement, “Nor are they Arhats, nor are they Pratyekabuddhas.”

So, “furthermore, Sariputra, it should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis who claim to have attained Arhatship….”

If these disciples all believed they had already attained Arhatship, as the following texts states, they were those with “overbearing arrogance.”

Let us understand [this passage].

“It should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis who have claimed to have attained Arhatship do not further seek to learn unsurpassed Bodhi.” They are “overbearingly arrogant” people.

These people “have not attained Arhatship,” and. These people have not attained Arhatship, and

“do not further seek to learn unsurpassed Bodhi.” They were not willing to keep learning. They just stopped at this point. “I have heard and learned the Buddha-Dharma. I understand and have been practicing it.” They had reached this point but were unwilling to continue and “did not further seek to learn unsurpassed Bodhi.” They were not willing to progress further because they had overbearing arrogance. They surely must not have attained Arhatship because they still did not understand the Buddha’s intent. Although they knew they had to end samsara and that their suffering was caused by cyclic existence in the Six Realms, they only wanted to attain the benefits of ending samsara for themselves. So, these people were not really Arhats yet,

because although they were learning the Dharma, they “listened but did not faithfully accept.” They were just listening. “You are all listening; do you understand it? Yes. Can you do it? Eventually.” This response shows that they “listen but do not faithfully accept.” When we listen and understand, we should seize the opportunity to practice immediately in order to sustain [this resolve] forever.

Every sutra [ends with] “after listening to the Buddha’s teachings, everyone joyfully and faithfully accepted and practiced.” Have we really listened, then faithfully accepted and practiced? If not, how could we truly understand the Buddha’s understanding and views? We must have faith, we must accept [the Dharma], and we must put it into action. If we have not attained this state, no matter how much we hear, we will not comprehend. If we have attained this state, we can hear one thing and know ten things; if we have not reached this state, we can hear 1000 things but know nothing and end up wasting this time.

Thus when we “listen but do not faithfully accept” we cannot attain the Buddha’s understand nor comprehend His original intent. Thus, we are “not the disciples of the Buddha, nor Arhats, nor Pratyekabuddhas.”

Everyone, I really hope that all of us can truly comprehend these many principles. In reality, this begins with a single thought. Unsurpassed, wondrous principles in that instant are “illuminating and revealing True Dharma.” In our daily living, people, matters and objects are all inseparable from principles. As long as we are earnest, intensifying our contemplation every day, we will be able to comprehend the Buddha’s understanding and views.

We only lack a small thing, “the opportunity and the right moment of faith and understanding.” All of us have this problem. We hear what was said, and in that instant, we understand, so we have a tiny bit of faith and understanding. However, with just this tiny bit of faith and understanding, “we must not overlook [the truths] before us by even a little bit.” This was what [the Buddha] wanted to tell us with great sincerity. I hope all of us can mindfully comprehend these teachings and always be mindful.

Episode 315 – The Buddha’s Disciples Must Know His Mind

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>> With deep-rooted faith, we believe in the truth without doubts. Arhats have the power of wisdom and ending. Pratyekabuddhas have the wisdom to awaken.

>> “Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha but does not want to hear or know of the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

>> “They were not disciples of the Buddha, nor were they Arhats, nor were they Pratyekabuddhas.”

>> “Furthermore, Sariputra, it should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis claimed to have attained Arhatship.”

>> These are not disciples of the Buddha: The conjured city is not where the treasure is. Those who are biased toward and attached to provisional teachings and do not have faith in the perfect Dharma claim to have realized what they have not. So, these are not disciples of the Buddha but are people with overbearing arrogance.

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As Buddhist practitioners, we must make vows every day, and we must remain unwavering in upholding our vows and following the path. No matter what external conditions we face, our faith must be deep-rooted. The deeper the roots, the more unwavering our faith is. If we wholeheartedly and deeply believe in the teachings and true principles, we will have no doubts. To understand principles, we must have faith. If the roots of our faith can extend deep and wide, we will have no doubts.

With deep-rooted faith, we believe in the truth without doubts. Arhats have the power of wisdom and ending. Pratyekabuddhas have the wisdom to awaken.

We must realize that the reason we cannot focus is that we have doubts. When we have doubts, we think too much, so our faith cannot remain unwavering. Thus our minds are easily tempted to think about other things. So, faith is very important.

When engaging in spiritual practice, we must know what to practice at each stage of spiritual cultivation. As beginners, we consider the karmic conditions that enabled us to encounter the Buddha-Dharma and the timing that enabled us to encounter the Buddha. We can give rise to faith due to our karmic conditions and timing.

At the beginning of the Buddha’s lifetime, there was no Buddha-Dharma. He diligently engaged in spiritual practice and then finally unlocked the profound mystery and principles behind the ignorance of the world. Once He awakened, He established the Buddha-Dharma.

For the Buddha to teach the Buddha-Dharma, the conditions had to be right. Who had the best conditions to receive it? The five bhiksus, Ajnata-Kaundinya and the rest, were the best recipients of teachings and had the best karmic conditions.

These five had engaged in spiritual practice with the prince, but because of a misunderstanding, they lost their confidence in Siddhartha, and parted ways. When these five saw that. He had attained Buddhahood, they shifted from doubting to having faith. With faith, they listened to the Dharma, and according to their capabilities, the Buddha began to teach them the truth of suffering, its causation, its cessation and the path.

These five heard the Buddha’s analyses of the different afflictions of the world and the forms of life’s suffering. They listened to this teaching at the same time, but not all of them awakened at the same time. So for these five people, the Buddha had to give the same teaching three times.

The first time, only one of them could thoroughly understand that life is indeed suffering, which is caused by greed, anger and ignorance that arise from the workings of people’s minds. This causes us to create much suffering and accumulate many sources of hardship. After we realize this, we must resolve to eliminate our suffering at its source, that initial thought of ignorance in our minds. “I understand now, so I resolve to cultivate according to the path of spiritual practice the Buddha taught.” This is what Ajnata Kaundinya realized.

Upon the first teaching of the Four Noble Truths, Ajnata Kaundinya was the only one to awaken. What about the other four? After the Buddha’s teaching, they seemed to understand that life in this world is suffering, but what is the source of suffering? They still did not understand clearly how it all began with the mind. The Buddha said, “Do not worry,” I will say it again.” Then He taught the same Dharma a second time. Afterward, two of them said, “I understand now that the source of suffering is in our minds. If we want to eliminate all suffering, we must subdue our mindset of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.”

So, did all of them achieve this understanding? There were still two who did not fully understand. So, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths a third time. Then the remaining two people understood. The Buddha was relieved that they had stepped onto the path. This will take them forward, and it is a very broad and direct path. So, the Buddha allowed these five to take refuge and urged them to focus on their monastic practice. At this time, the Three Treasures were complete.

After the Buddha began to expound the Dharma, the Sangha was formed in the world. Thus, when we have the karmic conditions and aspiration to engage in spiritual practice, we must first understand suffering in the world and seek liberation. Those who saught to be liberated from suffering will join the Sangha.

In the Sangha, those who attain Arhatship are replete with wisdom and have the ability to eliminate afflictions. This is why we engage in spiritual practice. Arhats are not only seeking to benefit themselves. They first understand that the suffering in life comes from afflictions. To eliminate those afflictions, they must have enough wisdom to penetrate all suffering in the world. Thus, they understand that as they walk this path, they must be cautious of

their surroundings and of the course they take. What about Pratyekabuddhas? Pratyekabuddhas have the wisdom to awaken. Their wisdom is one level higher than Arhats because the teachings they have listened to life after life have permeated them. This process of permeation comes from learning.

Haven’t we come across some children who were born very smart? We observed this particularly in our Musical Sutra Adaptations, in which the profound Dharma was expressed through music, lyrics and sign language. There were young, adorable children ranging from two to five years old who watched adults perform the sign language and listened to them sing, and they learned [the performance] even faster than adults. In northern, central and southern Taiwan there were children like this.

Can we say that small children do not really understand things? They actually see things very clearly. When his grandma was not home, one child would secretly turn on the computer. This four- or five-year-old child would follow the video and learn the hand motions. Eventually, the adults had to learn from the child. This is because the child had learned in the past. Thus, in this lifetime, that memory was still deeply imprinted, undefiled by external conditions.

So, we often say that those who left and came back again may have clear understanding. There was a saying in the old days, “Well-read from a previous life.” In Buddhism, we say that his karmic conditions brought him back. When the karmic conditions in his past life ended, the ones for this life manifested. As he was not sidetracked by other defilements, his karmic conditions quickly brought him from his past life to this current one. In this way, his memory was still very fresh.

Thus, Pratyekabuddhas must have listened to and faithfully accepted the Dharma life after life. But they still had not eliminated all afflictions; some ignorance remained, so they had not achieved thorough understanding. However, their potential for awakening was high, so when they came to the world again, they could build on what they learned in the past about the impermanence of life. Therefore, in this life, when they encountered everything from the cycle of day and night to the changes of the four seasons, their minds were led to have a sense of the principle of impermanence. They were Pratyekabuddhas, or Solitary Realizers. When there were no Buddhas in the world, they still realized this state [of impermanence] in people, matters and objects because of their awakened nature. Thus, those with a clear, awakened nature are called Pratyekabuddhas.

“Pratyekabuddhas have the wisdom to awaken.” They can awaken and understand more easily. However, they still have a bit of ignorance, so they still have a ways to go before attaining the state of Buddhahood.

So in this passage, the Buddha said,

“Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha but does not want to hear or know of the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

Arhats already have the wisdom and ability to eliminate afflictions, and Pratyekabuddhas can understand the origins of all things in the world. Even though they know this, do they have a direct and thorough understanding of the underlying principles?

Did all of these people actually attain Arhatship? Or, did they just claim to be Arhats? They arrogantly said, “I already know everything. I thoroughly understand everything.” Did all these people simply claim to be Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas? These people “do not want to hear or know of the fact all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path.” They believed they attained everything, but they did not know that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, come to the world for one great cause.

If they did not want to hear, know and understand that all Buddhas come to the world to teach the Bodhisattva-path, if they were not willing to hear and know,

“They were not disciples of the Buddha, nor were they Arhats, nor were they Pratyekabuddhas.”

If they believed that they understood everything and have attained the fruit of Arhatship and have attained the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas, have attained the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas, but still did not understand the Buddha’s intent for coming and teaching in this world, they “were not disciples of the Buddha.” If they did not understand Him, how could they claim to be His disciples? At this time, the Buddha began to speak sternly.

Clearly, the Buddha spent over 40 years gradually guiding and patiently teaching according to capabilities. This was all because He wanted to help everyone come in contact with the Dharma and faithfully accept and practice it. But at this point, the Buddha began to say, “If you do not understand that all Buddhas come to the world for one cause, to teach the Bodhisattva-path, if you still cannot understand this, how can you be my disciples? Not only are you not my disciples, are you even Arhats? You have been by my side and worked so hard on your spiritual practice, yet you still do not understand my original intent nor my purpose in coming to the world. So how can you really be Arhats? or Pratyekabuddhas? You are not!”

The Buddha spoke sternly solely because. He wanted them to wake up and not be complacent with their current state. Instead, they should continue to move forward.

We have been saying that in this era in which sentient beings are heavily defiled, they have much turbidity in their views and understanding. So between sentient beings, between people, there is no understanding, respect or love. Therefore, they oppose each other, which creates many disasters that threaten living beings in the world. This is a “time” filled with “difficulty.” A kalpa of turbidity and confusion is “a time of great difficulty.”

Because sentient beings are severely defiled, natural and manmade disasters continuously arise. In this time of great disasters, we must have great compassion. Beyond understanding right and wrong, we must develop great compassion. In addition to great compassion, in times of ignorance and turbidity, we must develop great wisdom. This is the state we sentient beings must move toward, step by step. Only saying, “I know, I know” is not enough. After we “know,” we must put it into practice. When we put the teachings into practice, we can then break through our ignorance. “Without experience, we cannot grow in wisdom.” So, we must go among people to truly learn that “infinite Dharma-doors readily appear before us.” We can unlock our wisdom because “infinite Dharma-doors” are right in front of us. Thus, we can “thoroughly understand all Dharma and attain great wisdom.”

So everyone, we must repent at all times. In this passage, the Buddha taught us that we must be remorseful and repent. We must not be arrogant and “claim to have attained what we had not,” thinking we have already attained Arhatship or the fruit of Pratyekabuddhas, so we already know everything. We absolutely cannot think this way. If we do, the Buddha would say of us, “They are not my disciples, nor are they Arhats, nor are they Pratyekabuddhas.”

Then the Buddha said,

“Furthermore, Sariputra, it should be known that those bhiksus and bhiksunis claimed to have attained Arhatship.”

If these bhiksus and bhiksunis thought that they had attained the fruit of Arhatship and already had the ability to eliminate their ignorance and afflictions, they were not disciples of the Buddha. How could they claim to be bhiksus and bhiksunis? If they were not the Buddha’s disciples, they were not true bhiksus and bhiksunis.

To be a monastic and engage in spiritual practice, we must diligently learn what the Buddha learned, act the way the Buddha acted and realize what the Buddha realized. Only by doing this are we truly learning the Buddha’s teachings. We must adopt the Buddha’s demeanor and awaken to the Buddha’s state of mind.

The Buddha carefully and gradually guides us. In the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City in the Lotus Sutra, He saw that everyone was tired, so when they reached a stopping point, He said, “We have arrived.” This was a conjured city. After everyone was well-rested, He then said, “This is a place to rest; it is not our ultimate destination. We need to start walking again.” So, “the conjured city is not where the treasure is.” It is not our true destination, so we must keep moving forward diligently.

However, those who are biased toward and attached to provisional teachings cannot understand the perfect Great Vehicle. The Buddha’s One Vehicle, with perfect and complete true principles, is something they still cannot understand. This is because of their biases and attachments. They stubbornly believe that they had attained enlightenment, so they do not feel the need to move forward. These who “claim to realize what they have not” are not the Buddha’s disciples. They are people with overbearing arrogance.

These are not disciples of the Buddha: The conjured city is not where the treasure is. Those who are biased toward and attached to provisional teachings and do not have faith in the perfect Dharma claim to have realized what they have not. So, these are not disciples of the Buddha but are people with overbearing arrogance.

We had talked for some time earlier about “those with overbearing arrogance.” When the Buddha began to teach [the true Dharma], they paid their respect and left. Some of these people were very arrogant, and some still could not faithfully accept it, so their course deviated.

Everyone, our road ahead is still long. It will take a long time to finish the Lotus Sutra. But every day, if we can understand [a little bit], the Dharma is actually very simple. By focusing on the path right beneath our feet, we diligently move forward with every step. Therefore everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 314 – By Listening, We Learn the Buddha’s Intent

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>> As the Buddha’s disciples, we should faithfully accept the Buddha’s teachings. We must believe in our [nature of] True Suchness, that we intrinsically have a Bodhi-mind. Only by walking the Bodhisattva-path can we return to the state of the Tathagata.

>> “Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha, but does not want to hear or know of the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

>> Arhats: They have the power of wisdom and ending. Understanding the ultimate truth is the virtue of wisdom. Eliminating all afflictions is the virtue of ending. This is the true Bodhi-path. Those who truly attained the fruit of Arhatship, upon hearing the teachings today, can immediately and faithfully accept it and seek the Bodhi[-path]. Those who do not want to hear and know this but claim to be Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas are nothing more than overbearingly arrogant people.

>> Pratyekabuddhas: They have the wisdom to awaken. Once they listen, they immediately understand. They seek the wisdom of nature and joyfully awaken themselves to attain Nirvana. They deeply understand the causes and conditions of all things. This is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

>> They do not want to hear or know that [the Buddha] teaches the Bodhisattva-path, the One Buddha Vehicle. Thus they do not understand the Buddha’s intent, and hear it without faithfully accepting it. So, they give rise to overbearing arrogance.

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Every day, our lives grow shorter as we undergo continuous infinitesimal changes. So, “like a fish in a dwindling pond, what joy have we?” However, we must consider that, as the Buddha’s disciples, we must faithfully practice the teachings. The teachings of the Buddha are nothing but great wisdom. If we are mindful, [then we can]. “See one corner and know the other three.” This means that when I tell you how to make a table, how to cut and shape the corners to be square, I do not need to teach you four methods, I only need to teach you one. From shaping one corner you will know how to shape the other three corners. This is how teachers in this world instruct pupils.

But the Buddha works very hard. Even if there are only four corners, He uses eight or twelve different methods to patiently and repeatedly teach us. Regardless of people’s capabilities, He tirelessly finds suitable teachings. This is the patience He has for sentient beings. The teachers of this world can only teach us for a period of time, not for lifetimes. The Buddha teaches us, lifetime after lifetime. We must always be grateful for His grace and therefore love and respect ourselves. Only when we respect ourselves

will we earnestly cherish and seize each day to develop our wisdom-life. So, we must have self-respect. I always say, “Having self-respect is a way to repay grace.” We need to repay the grace of the Buddha, our parents and all sentient beings. All Buddhist practitioners, whether lay or monastic, must cherish their wisdom-life, have self-respect and repay grace. We are all Buddha-children and “as the Buddha’s disciples, we should faithfully accept the Buddha’s teachings.”

As the Buddha’s disciples, we should faithfully accept the Buddha’s teachings. We must believe in our [nature of] True Suchness, that we intrinsically have a Bodhi-mind. Only by walking the Bodhisattva-path can we return to the state of the Tathagata.

The Buddha teaches us to have more faith in ourselves. “We must believe in our nature of True Suchness, that we intrinsically have a Bodhi-mind.” We must believe that we are intrinsically endowed with a nature of True Suchness. To return to our true nature, we must walk from the path of ordinary people toward the path of enlightenment, which is the Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path is a path in our minds. As long as we are willing to return to our nature of True Suchness, The Buddha teaches us to earnestly walk this path.

In this world there are tens of thousands of paths. We must not take the wrong one. If we deviate from it even slightly, we will end up on an evil path. Evil path, evil understanding and views will give rise to countless afflictions, karma and wrongdoings, and so on. So, we must take good care of this Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path in our minds comes from the same source as our nature of True Suchness. Therefore, we definitely must find the Bodhi-path

in order to return to our nature of True Suchness. To follow the Bodhi-path, we must practice the Bodhisattva-path. So, only by walking the Bodhisattva-path can we return to the state of the Tathagata. We must clearly understand this.

Time continues to pass in infinitesimal increments. We must not waste time. We should know that if we have a lapse in our spiritual practice, we may become indolent.

In the Buddha’s time, one day while He was with the Sangha at Jeta Grove, four bhiksus sat outside of the abode and chatted under a tree. Each person named the thing they wanted to pursue most. One of them said, “What I am most interested in and most want to pursue is the colorful state of spring. When all the flowers and trees bloom wildly, nature looks beautiful. I really enjoy traveling through this kind of environment.” In his life, that was the state he loved most, that made him the most happy.

The second bhiksu said, “What I enjoy most is being with my very close friends or spending all day with loved ones. This is what makes me happiest. Having a good time together, either singing or dancing, is the way I want to spend my days.”

The third bhiksu said, “What I envy most are fame and fortune. I want to have a lot of money and many treasures so that I can enjoy pleasures whenever I want. A pleasurable life is what I desire most.” The fourth bhiksu said, “I keep thinking of the past. Having my beautiful wife and concubines by my side at all times would be the most enjoyable thing in life.” Having spoken so much about pleasures, they were all entranced by those states.

At that moment, the Buddha looked outside and saw these four bhiksus. He said, “Ask them to come inside.” The Buddha sighed, “In your pasts, you pursued and were mesmerized by things because of your delusion. After you became monastics, your minds dwelled and lingered on the past or went in pursuit of the future. This world is impermanent and time continuously passes. In this world, life is painfully short. Furthermore, fame and fortune are temporary and pursing them will create a lot of karma. As for beautiful wives and concubines, we will all [eventually age, grow ill and die] and our bodies are unclean. Sadly, even after becoming monastics, you are idling away your time, not learning teachings and not trying to find your nature of True Suchness. The paths ahead of you are all evil branches. You have not even formed aspirations, so you can no longer see pure intrinsic nature.”

As the Buddha rebuked them, those nearby benefitted immensely. As He taught these four bhiksus, of the bystanders who heard what He said, many were also awakened.

Indeed, life is very short. Why are we still fixated on the past? Why are we still in pursuit of a future? This is a deluded life. So, are we living in this state of confusion? The Buddha already said, “In the era of chaos and the kalpa of turbidity, sentient beings are heavily defiled.” From this short story, we know that even during the Buddha’s time, people’s minds were already turbid. This was true even within the Buddha’s Sangha, let alone for the lay people at that time.

So, in the kalpa of turbidity, sentient beings are heavily defiled. In the kalpa of turbidity, all is in chaos and people’s minds are confused. So, sentient beings continue to give rise to a defiled state of mind, one of greed, jealousy and so on. So, they develop roots of unwholesomeness.

Because sentient beings lack roots of goodness, the Buddha has to give Three Vehicles teachings. Based on the One Vehicle, He taught the Three Vehicles. Not only that, He gave 84,000 teachings to address sentient beings’ 84,000 turbidities. To treat them, He had to come up with all of these teachings, not to mention the Three Vehicles. But actually, the Three Vehicles are only for certain spiritual practitioners. Those spiritual practitioners include the Hearers and Solitary Realizers in the Sangha. Hearers were taught the Four Noble Truths, Solitary Realizers were taught the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, and Bodhisattvas received the Six Paramitas. The Three Vehicles teachings actually all lead to the Bodhisattva Way, which is the only way to return to the Bodhi-path, which enables us to return to our Tathagata-minds. This is what the Buddha worked hard to teach us.

Presently, the sutra also states that the Buddha said,

“Sariputra, if a disciple of mine calls himself an Arhat or Pratyekabuddha, but does not want to hear or know of the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….”

This makes things always very clear. The Buddha once again reminded Sariputra, which was reminding everyone to listen attentively. Some of His disciples might believe, “I am already an Arhat. I thoroughly understand the Four Noble Truths, the truth of suffering, its causation, its cessation and the Path.” Because they attained the fruits of Arhatship, they thought [highly of themselves]. Or they might think, “Not only do I understand the Four Noble Truths, but the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence are as familiar to me as the palm of my hand. I also clearly understand the karmic conditions for coming to and leaving this world. Fragmentary and transformational samsara are also very familiar to me.” They believed they were Pratyekabuddhas.

Those who thought they had understood were “those who do not want to hear or know of the fact that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, only teach the Bodhisattva-path….” These people did not know that all Buddhas, not just Sakyamuni Buddha, but other Buddhas as well, shared the same path. They come to this evil world of the Five Turbidities, and begin to teach the Dharma to sentient beings all for one purpose, to teach the Bodhisattva-path. Teaching the Bodhisattva-path is their one great cause. They teach everyone to walk the Bodhisattva-path, the road back to our nature of True Suchness. After we transform ourselves and others, we can achieve perfect transformative practice.

If we all think that we have attained the fruit of Arhatship or become Pratyekabuddhas, but do not want to hear or know why all Buddhas come to this world, if we do not listen attentively and learn this, then we will be at a loss.

So, we must know the qualities of an Arhat. An Arhat has “the power of wisdom and ending.” He has the wisdom to end all afflictions. This is the virtue of ending. If we have truly attained the fruit of Arhatship, we must first achieve the state where we eliminate all afflictions after learning the truth. Then we achieve this virtue. We go among others but are not defiled by people and matters. Only then do we have virtue of wisdom. Only then are we Arhats. The true Bodhi-path also allows us to eliminate all afflictions. Only by experiencing the true Bodhi-path and by walking it can we truly be Arhats.

Arhats: They have the power of wisdom and ending. Understanding the ultimate truth is the virtue of wisdom. Eliminating all afflictions is the virtue of ending. This is the true Bodhi-path. Those who truly attained the fruit of Arhatship, upon hearing the teachings today, can immediately and faithfully accept it and seek the Bodhi[-path]. Those who do not want to hear and know this but claim to be Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas are nothing more than overbearingly arrogant people.

If we have truly attained Arhatship, as we listen to this teaching, we realize that the Buddha is opening the provisional to reveal the true. The Buddha clearly said that in the past He only gave provisional teachings, and now He was going to teach the true path. Those who have attained the fruit of Arhatship, the moment they hear this teaching, should faithfully accept it. They will certainly be able to earnestly listen and faithfully accept it. If we think, “I know everything,” then we will not listen carefully. If we do not learn this, but claim to be Arhats, thinking we have already attained. Arhatship or become Pratyekabuddhas, then don’t we have overbearing arrogance? Those people do not know the Buddha’s goal in coming to this world. Can a person who does not want to learn be called an Arhat?

What are the qualities of a Pratyekabuddha? A Pratyekabuddha has “the wisdom to awaken.”

Pratyekabuddhas: They have the wisdom to awaken. Once they listen, they immediately understand. They seek the wisdom of nature and joyfully awaken themselves to attain Nirvana. They deeply understand the causes and conditions of all things. This is the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

Pratyekabuddhas also go by another name. They are called Solitary Realizers. In times when there are no Buddhas present, they can, through their pure intrinsic nature, still realize the principle of impermanence. But what is the origin of these principles? And how do they connect to their wisdom-life? They still did not understand, so they remained in the state of. Solitary Realizers and Pratyekabuddhas.

When the Buddha manifested in this world, some accepted His teachings and understood that the world is impermanent. How does realizing impermanence resonate with their wisdom-life? After comprehending impermanence, how do they purify themselves and develop their wisdom-life? The answer was even clearer in the Buddha’s era. “Once they listen, they immediately understand.” After listening to the Buddha’s teachings, they should understand.

The Buddha gave teachings so that people could realize the world is impermanent and that we should promptly return to our pure intrinsic nature. So, He created many means to teach us. This is the Buddha’s compassion. Pratyekabuddhas can understand, so they “seek the wisdom of nature.” Thus Pratyekabuddhas

can naturally attain great wisdom from nature. Natural wisdom, teacherless wisdom, all-encompassing wisdom, etc., are all natural to us. But true Pratyekabuddhas were progressing, they sought “the wisdom of nature and joyfully awakened themselves to attain Nirvana.” But they still only wanted to awaken themselves and were in the state of Solitary Realizers. They knew about the many causes and conditions, so they did not dare to create more causes or form more conditions. Thus they only sought to purify and liberate themselves

“did not want to hear or know” [that Buddhas] “only teach the Bodhisattva-path.” They did not realize the Buddha only wanted to teach the One Buddha Vehicle. He did not just teach them to become Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas. These are not the only teachings, so everyone must keep progressing forward. Those who remain in the same state, unwilling to make progress, are those who “do not want to hear or know.” They do not understand the Buddha’s intent.

They do not want to hear or know that [the Buddha] teaches the Bodhisattva-path, the One Buddha Vehicle. Thus they do not understand the Buddha’s intent, and hear it without faithfully accepting it. So, they give rise to overbearing arrogance.

Dear Bodhisattvas, there were overbearingly arrogant people in the Buddha’s time. The Buddha put a lot of work into guiding them and gave so many teachings. He personally taught them at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, and yet there were still people who left. Among those who remained and listened, there were those who heard but did not believe and who did not feel the joy of faith. Think about this, it is so sad!

So everyone, we must learn the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha compassionately inspired us and opened our minds to help us all return to the Bodhi-path and enter the state of the Tathagata. How can we not have self-respect? How can we not earnestly safeguard our spiritual aspirations? Thus, we must always love and awaken ourselves. We must always be mindful.

Episode 313 – Suitable Teachings of the One Buddha Vehicle

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>> In accord with the original nature possessed by sentient beings the Buddha taught His understanding and views. In True Suchness is just the One Buddha Vehicle; there is no Two or Three Vehicles.

>> “In the era of chaos and kalpa of turbidity, sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

>> Now let us look at how “all Buddhas, with the power of skillful means, taught the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three.”

>> All Buddhas, at these times, manifest as world-transcending beings to transform all sentient beings with roots of goodness and karmic affinities and help them aspire to transcend the world.

>> The Buddha taught the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three. Because of the Five Turbidities, He could not instantly teach [the One Vehicle]. Therefore, He gave provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles. The true teaching is still the One Buddha Vehicle, which is the ultimate.

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In accord with the original nature possessed by sentient beings
the Buddha taught His understanding and views.
In True Suchness is just the One Buddha Vehicle;
there is no Two or Three Vehicles.

Sentient beings intrinsically have Buddha-nature. The belief that Buddha-nature is intrinsic to us is the Dharma, so which method do we use to open up our Buddha-nature and eliminate our ignorance? It is for this reason that the Buddha comes to “open and reveal” His understanding and views for sentient beings to “realize and enter.”

The moment we realize Buddha’s understanding and views is when our Buddha-nature will manifest. Similarly, people with healthy eyes can see their external conditions very clearly. But for people with eye ailments, everything looks blurry, Is it the environment which is blurry, or is the problem with people’s eyes? The answer should be very obvious. People with eyes that are diseased cannot see the environment clearly.

If they want to see their surroundings as clearly as people with healthy eyes, they need to cure their eye disease. After their eyes are healed, they will naturally see as well as people with healthy eyes. This is called “understanding and views.”

Ordinary people are like people with eye disease. Thus the pure and radiant. Buddha-nature within us has become hazy to us. The Buddha is here to tell us that that state still exists, the Buddha-nature is still intrinsic to all of us. “As long as you can cure our eye disease,” naturally, the state that you see and the state that I see will be the same.”

The Buddha’s understanding and views should lead us to the same goal as the Buddha, to this state [of mind] that exists, which is known as True Suchness. The Buddha teaches us many methods to help us attain the same views and understanding as Him, To help us to understand our minds and realize our true nature,

the Buddha keeps teaching with various causes and conditions, with various analogies and expressions. He utilizes various methods to make analogies to help us understand that all beings possess the Buddha’s nature of wisdom. This leads us to awaken our compassion. Then we will respect ourselves and respect everyone else. If we can all respect one another, if I respect you for having Buddha-nature and you respect that I have pure nature of True Suchness, we can mutually respect and love one another. In this way, we will always be grateful toward one another.

Don’t all Tzu Chi volunteers say, “Having self-respect is a way to repay grace; practicing giving is a way to show gratitude?” We all try to love and respect ourselves. Since the Buddha comes to teach us, in order to repay the Buddha’s grace, we must be respectful. We must respect His teachings that have been passed on to the present for us to accept and practice. Accepting teachings is how we respect ourselves. If we have self-respect, and earnestly practice, then we respect the Buddha’s teachings. Thus, if we disciples respect ourselves, we are repaying the grace of the Buddha, our parents and sentient beings. Those who respect themselves know to repay others.

If we know to be giving, we are showing gratitude. We are grateful for the ability to give, and for having the right views and understanding. By helping sentient beings and benefiting them, we are actually benefiting ourselves. Thus when we help others, we must be grateful that we have right understanding, right views and right thinking. Being able to help the world’s sentient beings is something we should be grateful for. It is because we have this Dharma that we give to help others. Having the ability to give is something we are grateful for. This comes from realizing we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature.

The Buddha utilizes various methods to help us fully believe that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. By believing in this, we will apply the Buddha’s teachings in hope of breaking through our layers of ignorance so our Buddha-nature may be revealed. Though the Buddha utilizes countless methods, they all lead back to the One Buddha Vehicle. He teaches according to capabilities, [but there is] just the One Buddha Vehicle, “there is no Two or Three Vehicles.” We discussed this two days ago.

The sutra text tells us that the Buddha manifests in this evil world of the Five Turbidities because this is when sentient beings need teachings. Without these teachings, without the Dharma, the turbidity would become heavier and denser. The Buddha came to bring purity to sentient beings’ minds so He continually manifested in the evil world of the Five Turbidities.

When we chant repentance verses and make vows, we say. “The universe has bounds; our vows are boundless.” This vow comes from our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Our compassion has awakened this vow. “Though the universe has bounds; our vows are boundless”, Clearly, the vow made from our Buddha-nature is very powerful.

So we say “the Buddha always abides in this world” in a state of “non-arising and non-ceasing.” As it appears to the Buddha, His state is truly non-arising and non-ceasing, As it appears to us sentient beings, He was here over 2000 years ago. The Buddha was born over 2000 years ago, and He entered Parinirvana over 2000 years ago. But actually, how long is 2000-plus years to Him? It is not a very long time, so how would He experience any arising or ceasing? He only manifested those appearances for the sake of transforming sentient beings.

Thus the Lotus Sutra states that the. Buddha and all Buddhas manifested in the world, in the world of turbidity. All Buddhas of the ten directions, not just Sakyamuni, have manifested in this turbid world, always during the kalpa of turbidity. Sentient beings are heavily afflicted and defiled, so all Buddhas had to come to this world.

They all come to teach sentient beings, because “in the era of chaos and kalpa of turbidity, sentient beings are heavily defiled.” We have severe afflictions and turbidities, like “stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy,” etc., and develop all roots of unwholesomeness. We bring about the creation of many unwholesome things.

All sentient beings suffer in this world. [Because we develop] these unwholesome roots as we live in this world, the Buddha comes to this world. So, the previous sutra passage spoke of how the Buddha,

“In the era of chaos and kalpa of turbidity, sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

This is from the previous sutra passage.

Now let us look at how “all Buddhas, with the power of skillful means, taught the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three.”

This is also a passage that has appeared often recently.

The Buddha [sees that] sentient beings have varying capabilities because of their afflictions. Some have more severe turbidity and afflictions, thus they have more layers of ignorance. If their turbidity is milder and weaker, then their capabilities will be sharper, just as those with relatively minor eye disorders can see their environment more clearly. The thicker and heavier the turbidity within us, the more ignorant views and understandings we have. Then our perspectives, views and understanding become evil and deviant. Our deviation leads us to create more bad karma. Stinginess, greed, envy, jealousy and so on are all within our minds, giving rise to severe turbidity. To deal with this, the Buddha used various methods.

Actually, all His methods are a part of the One Buddha Vehicle teachings. From the One Buddha Vehicle, He separately taught the Three Vehicles. Some say “You cannot see from so far away, so come closer; can you see it now? I cannot see it clearly. Come closer and look again.” If we go to an optometrist, sometimes the doctor may say, “Let’s use this dark [paddle] to cover this eye. Use your other eye to look at the missing section of this circle. Can you see that opening? so come closer; can you see it now?” At first, it is very big, [so we say,] “Yes, I see it.” Then it becomes smaller and smaller. Then we have to see if the opening is on this side or that side.

If our vision is better, as the testing continues, we can still see it when it is very small. If our vision is poor, even with a big opening, [we think], “How come it looks different? Even the roundness of the circle is changing. It is not round enough. It doesn’t even seem round anymore, so how I can see the opening? I cannot see it. Why is there such a big difference?” Indeed, the same circles of various sizes are used. The circles that are used do not change. But the worse our eyesight is, the more blurry the circles are.

After we begin treatment, we look again, “It is rounder now. I see it clearer now.” We can correctly indicate where the opening is. We sentient beings are just like this. So, the Buddha teaches according to capabilities, like prescribing medicine according to the illness. We must go through such a treatment so that we will eventually recover our health.

Now, let us put our hearts into understanding why the Buddha manifested in this era of the kalpa of turbidity. It was to transform all sentient beings who had roots of goodness.

All Buddhas, at these times, manifest as world-transcending beings to transform all sentient beings with roots of goodness and karmic affinities and help them aspire to transcend the world.

Indeed, the Buddha said that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, and of course we all have roots of goodness. But, as I have just said, some people have very heavy turbidities and no affinity with the Buddha. We constantly talk about the poor woman who had no affinity with the Buddha. Why did she lack a good affinity with the Buddha? Because during His spiritual practice, the Buddha had neglected a certain sentient being.

This happened [in one of His past lives]. This woman’s family was struck with misfortune, so she was sad and crying. A spiritual practitioner passed by and asked, “Ma’am, why are you crying?” She told him what had happened to her family, how her husband and child suddenly passed away, how poor her family was, and so on. Her many afflictions caused her sadness and caused her to experience the suffering of life. The spiritual practitioner said, “The life of sentient beings is always like this. What is there to cry about? Just accept it.” After making this statement, he left. Then, another spiritual practitioner walked by. “Ma’am, what’s wrong?” His words were gentle as was his manner. Then, He took out a handkerchief and said, “Accept it, this is the way life is. No matter how long one lives, inevitably, [death] will come. You must take good care of yourself now, and do not harm your body. Please wipe away your tears.” Then he handed her the handkerchief. The woman took the handkerchief, wiped her tears away, and expressed her gratitude to him. Then she walked away.

The Buddha told His disciples, “Do you know why. I could not transform this poor woman? That first spiritual practitioner is now. I, Sakyamuni Buddha. The second spiritual practitioner is now the one by my side, Ananda.” Ananda was able to form many good affinities, because his mind is very meticulous and he is skillful and gentle. So, Ananda was the disciple that had 30 Marks of the Buddha. The Buddha had 32 Marks. Ananda’s magnificent appearance was similar to that of the Buddha’s because in his past lives he had created many good affinities with sentient beings. Many people who saw Ananda became joyful.

The Buddha said that all Buddhas manifested in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. So, all Buddhas manifest in this evil, turbid world because this is the moment teachings are needed. They do this to transform all beings who have roots of goodness, those They have affinities with. “Having roots of goodness” refers to sentient beings They have [good] affinities with.

Sentient beings with good karmic conditions have, over many lifetimes, planted seeds that have been nourished by the Dharma-water and have extended their roots deeply and widely. These are sentient beings with good affinities. The goal of all Buddhas in coming into this world is to lead them to develop Bodhicitta and engage in world-transcending practices.

These sentient beings must be continuously guided, life after life. Didn’t we just talk about how the Buddha is in the world [at all times and in all places]? He is beyond birth and death. We go through successive lifetimes, but the Buddha is forever in this world. After listening to a lesson, [the teacher asks,] “Do you understand?” Those who enjoyed the class will come back for the next lesson, and the teacher will remain the same. In summary, this is a very long lesson. After you learn about this class, you may come back for the next lesson, and then the next one, and so on.

“Do you understand?” After understanding this lesson, go on to the next one. We do this until we achieve the goal of the class. [The Buddha’s goal] in teaching this class is for sentient beings to develop Bodhicitta, to use an awakened mind to cultivate world-transcending practices.

In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, how can we enable our minds to transcend the turbidities of the world? The lotus flower grows in the mud, and though it never leaves the mud, it is not defiled by it. This is developing Bodhicitta and cultivating world-transcending practices. With Bodhicitta, we are Bodhisattvas. To walk the Bodhisattva-path, clearly we must go among the people. How then can we transcend this world? By keeping our minds undefiled amidst the mud. Our minds can remain in this turbid world, yet transcend it. It is our minds that transcend it, that transcend afflictions. When our minds can transcend afflictions, we return to our pure Tathagata-nature, our nature of True Suchness.

This is why, “He taught the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three.” The Buddha gave this teaching so we can all be liberated from this evil world of the Five Turbidities.

․The Buddha taught the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three. Because of the Five Turbidities, He could not instantly teach [the One Vehicle]. Therefore, He gave provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles. The true teaching is still the One Buddha Vehicle, which is the ultimate.

The Five Turbidities in this evil world are the kalpa of turbidity, turbidity of affliction, of views, of sentient beings and of life. These are the Five Turbidities. If we can transcend these Five Turbidities, we have returned to our intrinsic nature. This is also the One Buddha Vehicle. Whatever teaching the Buddha gives, He hopes we can return to the One Buddha Vehicle. He teaches the One Buddha Vehicle as divided in three

because in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, He could not instantly teach [the One Vehicle]. He could not just teach one lesson that everyone would understand completely. He had to continuously approach those beings with good roots, those He had good affinities with. So, He gave provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles. Because sentient beings have varying capabilities, these Three Vehicles were established. They could not instantly realize the One Vehicle, so He had to spend all this time teaching them. Actually, the One Buddha Vehicle is the ultimate teaching.

Dear Bodhisattvas, we really must be mindful. From the teachings given earlier, we must all understand that we intrinsically have Buddha-nature. The Buddha was teaching us that we can have views and understanding equal to the Buddha. Only the One Vehicle leads to this realization; there is no Two or Three Vehicles. In the Lotus Sutra, this is the most important concept and the truest Dharma. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 312 – Afflictions Give Rise to Turbidities

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>> The obstructions of the Five Turbidities are very strong at this time. People with shallow wisdom and inferior roots act against their conscience. They have utmost foolishness, utmost ignorance and do not abide by principles. From the turbidity of kalpa, one can also see the other four turbidities.

>> “Sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

>> Sentient beings are heavily defiled: Sentient beings with these countless afflictions make up the group of evil sentient beings. They cannot see or accept those who do good.

>> Stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy: These evil sentient beings are jealous and greedy. They are unwilling to help and benefit each other and only know to fight and harm each other.

>> Among these Five Turbidities, the turbidity of kalpa, turbidity of affliction and turbidity of view are the causes. The turbidity of sentient beings and the turbidity of life are the effects.

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When I walked outside and looked up at the sky, I saw how beautiful it was. In the distant part of the sky, there were shades of pink and orange. When I looked straight up, the sky was clear and cloudless. I saw only the dazzling and bright stars and moon. The crescent moon was waning and, and there was a distinct star some distance from it. The moon at dawn was very beautiful, and the star beside it was also very bright. Indeed, they brought out each other’s brilliance.

Aside from the pink hues in the distance, the rest of the sky was free of blemishes, like the clear surface of a mirror. This clear, blue mirror is indeed beautiful. Seeing it can really bring a sense of having complete clarity in our minds, so we can realize how the Buddha felt when He saw the morning star, became enlightened and saw His true nature. He was likely in this kind of environment.

The mundane world around us can also influence our minds. This world can lead us to give rise to a complex cacophony of voices. The world around us can bring about complicated views and understandings. Our external conditions can drive us to give rise to limitless afflictions. This is the world we ordinary people live in.

We are currently living in an unenlightened state. In this era, the obstructions of the Five Turbidities are very strong. They have been in this world for a very long time.

During the Buddha’s lifetime over 2000 years ago, India at that time was indeed a complicated society. Not only did these complications involve nations invading one another, there were also religious complications. I often say that during the Buddha’s era, there were 96 non-Buddhist religions. Why were there so many religions? During that era, people’s minds were burdened by afflictions. In that environment, human interactions gave rise to many manmade disasters. So, some people decided to engage in spiritual practice. After becoming a bit more aware, they looked for ways to spiritually cultivate. However, none of them were on the right course, so many religions were established.

At that time, the Buddha was born into the palace. From a young age, he learned about the religions of that era. He also saw that, at that time, people of different castes were not treated equally. So, this prince formed the desire to seek the right path. Thus, the Buddha manifested in this world at that time, as tTurbidities began to arise in that era. Tas turbidities began to arise in that era. As we previously discussed, “All Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities.” Looking back, we should know that the turbidities have been in this world for a very long time.

The obstructions of the Five Turbidities are very strong at this time. People with shallow wisdom and inferior roots act against their conscience. They have utmost foolishness, utmost ignorance and do not abide by principles. From the turbidity of kalpa, one can also see the other four turbidities.

The turbidities grow stronger as the population grows in size. As times change, people’s thoughts are no longer simple and pure but instead become overcomplicated. In the world around us, the obstructions of the Five Turbidities are indeed very strong. This is true for our present era.

So “at this time,” in this era, what are the people like? They have “shallow wisdom and inferior roots.” People are shortsighted; they see only immediate benefits and do not think about the future.

Looking around the world, we see large corporations everywhere. Because they all want to expand their business, they destroy the mountains, rivers and land, and then begin polluting the air. These many [effects] are very complicated and arise from the “shallow wisdom” of people today. Shallow wisdom means that one is clever, but not wise. Thus it is shallow. Such worldly cleverness and intelligence is directed toward competing with others. People with inferior roots lack roots of goodness, so they are selfish and only look after themselves. They strive for their own benefits and do not think about the many people who live with unbearable suffering.

We see so many victims of natural disasters as well as manmade calamities. Recently, I have seen many victims of natural disasters as well as manmade calamities. Aside from them,Furthermore, there are many people who are that are poor and starving. We see this all around the world. But Still there are others who keep fighting for power. They have “shallow wisdom and inferior roots.” Ignorance has covered their conscience. This is “utmost foolishness and utmost ignorance.” These foolish and ignorant people do not act in line with principles.

If we could all abide by the morals and intrinsic principles of [being good people,] wouldn’t that be great? However, people today are foolish and ignorant. Their desires and ignorance have covered their conscience, so they do not abide by principles in anything that they do. This is the era when the evil world of the Five Turbidities flourish. In the “turbidity of kalpa,” we can also “see the other four turbidities.”

Haven’t we talked about this before? So, in “the evil world of the Five Turbidities,”

“Sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

The Buddha was sad. As He spoke of “the era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa,” He began by talking about the “turbidity of kalpa.” The “turbidity of kalpa” is happening right now. ․This world, all the people around us and all. This world, all the people around us and all sentient beings are in the “turbidity of kalpa.” This world, all the people around us and all sentient beings are in the “turbidity of kalpa.” This is a time of disorder. The natural order of the world is disrupted, and the four elements have become imbalanced. Morals have also become unclear, so people do not fulfill their familial roles. This is something that is happening to families.

In this era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa, “sentient beings are heavily defiled.” Because sentient beings are heavily defiled with “stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy,” they cause confusion and disorder in this era. So, disorder arises from confusion caused by afflictions and [lack of] understanding, the turbidity of views and turbidity of affliction. These two turbidities have shaped this era. Afflictions give rise to turbidities. Incorrect understandings give rise to turbidities. So, this creates the turbidity of kalpa. Because of this, “they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

As for “unwholesome roots,” we should know this story from the Buddha’s lifetime. In that era, there were monastics who were very experienced, and those who were very inexperienced. Those with deep wisdom were the elders, and the young ones were novices.

But one day, as the Buddha taught, surrounded by His disciples, there was an elder in the front. He sat with poor posture and his legs outstretched. He was not sitting properly. Meanwhile, an eight-year-old novice was also seated in the front, right by the Buddha. He sat very properly as he mindfully listened to the Dharma. The Buddha saw that this experienced elder was not sitting upright or paying attention. He could tell that he was not mindfully listening to the Dharma.

When He saw this, He felt very sad and taught according to this situation. He said, “In spiritual practice, those who started earlier are called elders.” Then He said, “Actually, in our daily living, we need to be diligent and mindful. Living in this environment, as we receive all things, receive many material goods, we must begin to analyze all thingseverything around us with loving and pure minds.”

Everything around us is teaching us the Dharma. Every place our eyes make contact with can teach us the Dharma. Everything helps us train our minds. Our spiritual aspiration is inseparable from loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Only by diligently developing these qualities, upholding precepts and respecting our teachers can we truly become spiritual practitioners with roots of goodness.

After the Buddha said this, He told everyone, “Behold this elder who is seated before me. Do you see him?” Everyone focused their gaze on this slouching person in front of the Buddha. He was not sitting properly at all. They said, “Yes, we see him.” Then the Buddha said, “Now, do you see this person? This novice in front of me is dignified and earnestly listens to teachings. Do you see him?” Then everyone focused their gaze on this young novice. They said, “Yes, I see him.”

They saw the novice’s diligence and the elder’s indolence. The Buddha continued, “Indeed, spiritual practice is about paying attention to your surroundings and heightening your vigilance to nourish your roots of goodness by developing loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, and being diligent and upholding precepts. Everyone should be vigilant of themselves.”

Thus, this section of the sutra states, “Sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy.” Indeed, in our daily living, these emotions often arise in our minds.

Sentient beings are heavily defiled: Sentient beings with these countless afflictions make up the group of evil sentient beings. They cannot see or accept those who do good.

Let us look at “sentient beings are heavily defiled. Sentient beings with these countless afflictions.” These are what are heavy defilementsare “heavily defiled.” They do not simply have mild afflictions; they have very serious ones too. Thus they are “evil sentient beings.”

These evil sentient beings “cannot see or accept those who do good.” When others are doing good deeds, not only do they not praise them, they do everything they can to slander them. These are evil sentient beings. They refuse to do good, and when they see people do good, not only do they not admire them, they find all kinds of ways to undermine their efforts and slander them. These are sentient beings of great evil. They are heavily defiled and cannot resolve these serious afflictions, so not only do they refuse to do good themselves, they undermine people who do and slander them. Thus, they are exceedingly evil. People with such serious obstructions are heavily defiled.

There is also “stinginess, greed, envy, jealousy.” [With these afflictions] iWhen interacting with othersn our relationships, not only do we they not take joy in others’ merits, we they also do not respect or help capable subordinates to succeed. They do not know how to promote the talented; instead, they are jealous of and slander them. They are envious of the successful and talented.

Stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy: These evil sentient beings are jealous and greedy. They are unwilling to help and benefit each other and only know to fight and harm each other.

When they see exceptional people who are more talented, they begin to develop afflictions out of jealousy. If they see others with many skills, they will try to suppress them so they cannot demonstrate their abilities. They suppress the talented as they are envious of the successful and talented. They are also greedy. Those who are jealous of others desire recognition and benefits for themselves. They fear losing their own prestige and wealth, so they envy the successful and talented. This is “stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy.” When they obtain good Dharma, they refuse to share it with others. When they do good deeds, they do not encourage others to come along. They suppress the talented because they are [ultimately] afraid of loss. This comes from greed. They are greedy for recognition, for their own wealth and advantage, so they suppress the talented and are unwilling to benefit others.

As for good deeds, we often mention the Four All-Embracing Virtues, which are charitable giving, beneficial conduct, loving speech and collaborative working together. We should practice charitable giving and generously share good Dharma with others. We should engage in beneficial conduct because it is advantageous to our practice. We should mutually encourage one another by training ourselves to use loving speech. We all need encouragement. To encourage others, we must use “loving speech” and transform people through collaborative work.

By working together on a task, we share with, benefit and support each other. This is transformation through collaborative work. But the stingy, greedy, envious and jealous will not do this. “They only know how to fight and harm each other.” When others are better than them, they find ways to bring them down and suppress them because of “stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy.”

These Five Turbidities, such as turbidity of kalpa, turbidity of affliction and turbidity of view, are all causes. Indeed, as I have just said, the turbidity of kalpa comes from the turbidity of affliction and views. These are the causes. Indeed, as I have just said, the turbidity of kalpa comes from the turbidity of affliction. Along with the turbidity of views, these They caused the turbidities in our present kalpa these caused the turbidities in our present kalpa. In this era, the concept of morality is diminishing. As it fades, “the turbidity of sentient beings” is created. People do not know how to purify themselves. Not only can they not purify themselves, they actually defile themselves. Not only do they defile themselves, they also defile others. So, we frequently say that we must bring purity to purify people’s mindshearts. This is the reason for it. We In order to bring purity to people’s hearts,must purify people’s minds. In order to bring purity to people’s hearts,To purify others, we must first purify ourselves.

If the turbidity of sentient beings cannot be controlled, it leads to the turbidity of life. The turbidities of sentient beings and life are effects.

Right now, we face more and more psychological pressures and afflictions from our environment, as well as manmade and natural disasters. These events are threatening our lives. This is the turbidity of life.

We live only as long as we can breathe. Now there are natural and manmade disasters, as well as more diseases. Rare diseases keep appearing. Human and animal germs are intermixing and are causing epidemics. This is all related to the way we live. So, the turbidity of sentient beings and turbidity of life are the effects.

The turbidity of affliction and turbidity of views, leading to the turbidity of kalpa, are the causes. The results are the turbidity of sentient beings and turbidity of life. These are the Five Turbidities. This evil world of the Five Turbidities is truly filled with unbearable suffering.

Among these Five Turbidities, the turbidity of kalpa, turbidity of affliction and turbidity of view are the causes. The turbidity of sentient beings and the turbidity of life are the effects.

Everyone, we are all very fortunate to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. Although the Buddha lived over 2000 years ago, the Dharma has remained in the world. Let us wholeheartedly accept the Buddha-Dharma, the same True Dharma He taught in His lifetime. If we become lax and indulgent, even if the Right Dharma is before us, it will degenerate. It will disappear from us. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 311 – Teachings for Eliminating Defilements

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>> “The desires of sentient beings give rise to defilements. Their afflictions have as many differences as the number of sands in the Ganges. The Buddha, with His nature of True Suchness and purifying wondrous wisdom, taught according to capabilities and understanding.”

>> “It is thus, Sariputra, that in the era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa, sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

>> The era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa: This era is muddled and turbid. Every generation is degenerating; their morals are deteriorating. The world is mixed-up and confused; people’s roots of goodness are shallow and weak. The number of unwholesome people is growing.

>> With delusions, greed, anger, ignorance and all kinds of afflictions, we obstruct ourselves and others, until our obstructions become heavy and thick. This is the turbidity of affliction.

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“The desires of sentient beings give rise to defilements.
Their afflictions have as many differences as the number of sands in the Ganges.
The Buddha, with His nature of True Suchness and purifying wondrous wisdom,
taught according to capabilities and understanding.”

The desires of sentient beings give rise to many defilements. Doesn’t “turbidity” arise from our minds? I constantly tell everyone, the pollution in our world is completely manmade. Our accumulated [actions] have polluted the air and land. Originally, the air and land were clean, but then human minds [gave rise to pollution]. “Their afflictions have as many differences as the number of sands in the Ganges.”

Look at the number afflictions we humans have. Our afflictions are infinite, innumerable and have as many differences as the number of sands in the Ganges, They are all different. So, “with His nature of True Suchness and purifying wondrous wisdom,” the Buddha continuously [teaches] everyone to awaken everyone’s nature of True Suchness. The Buddha wants to help people understand, but their countless afflictions vary greatly, so they have capabilities of different levels. The recipients of the Buddha’s teachings are not all on the same level, so He has to teach according to their capabilities.

To teach sentient beings, He also has to observe the current era to identify where the problems lie, what the roots of these problems are, and what medicine can cure these illnesses. With “His nature of. True Suchness and purifying wondrous wisdom,” the Buddha observes the conditions.

So, teaching according to their capabilities is based on the time, people and location. In the past, I have often spoke about this. When we speak, we speak according to people, time and location. Furthermore, the Buddha manifests in this world for one great cause. His one great cause was to save help people in this turbid world, in this era. In this era, where does sentient beings’ suffering arise from? From frequent natural disasters. From constant manmade calamities. In an era of many disasters and calamities, the Buddha manifested.

Indeed, that era over 2000 years ago was part of a decreasing kalpa, when turbidity began to arise. During the Buddha’s era, kingdoms were in constant conflict. Kingdoms were based on city-states. Each city, each kingdom, wanted to invade other kingdoms to to expand its own boundaries. It was the same for the Buddha’s Sakya clan. Other clans were trying to invade and destroy the Sakya clan. Even during the Buddha’s era, kingdoms invaded and fought each other, not to mention in our time.

Nowadays, people want to grow their businesses. They want to continuously expand their [influence]. They create a business in this country and then hope to continuously expand internationally. They want their businesses to be widespread and franchised. Indeed, we are very small, but our desires are very big. With such tremendous greed, naturally we will create tremendous karma. Karma is an impurity, so we become defiled. “The desires of sentient beings give rise to defilements.” One single thought of desire can give rise to many defilements. Indeed, turbidity arises from people’s desires. Thus, the afflictions that arise and develop have have as many diferencesdifferences as the number of sands in the Ganges.

The Buddha could not bear [to see this], so because of sentient beings’ turbidity, He manifested in the world. He truly wanted to transform sentient beings. There are people who are willing to pass on the Buddha’s ideas, but not many truly aspire to spread the Dharma. So, the Dharma is not widespread in this world. Yet sentient beings’ desires are always growing. The population is always increasing, and in such a world, many people are not able to hear Right Dharma.

In the past, the Buddha-Dharma was taught, but what was promoted was only chanting the Buddha’s name. “This world and cyclic existence in the Six Realms the Six Realms are suffering. Only by chanting His name will Amitabha guide you to the Western Pure Land.” People believed this was the most effective way to save themselves and calm their minds, to leave this evil and turbid world and reach the Western Pure Land.

This practice of chanting was very popular for a period of time. Although the Buddha-Dharma was in this world, spiritual practice stopped at chanting. Originally, we often said, “When chanting the Buddha’s name, we must take Him to heart.” If the Buddha is in our hearts, then our hearts will be a pure land. Only with the Buddha in our hearts can the Dharma manifest in our actions. The Dharma naturally brings about. Samadhi and purity. If we can understand the Dharma, we can spread the Buddha’s teachings more widely so people can practice them.

We often say, “The sutra is the pPath; the Ppath is a road to walk on.” Mr. Zhang was a lay practitioner in Yuanlin. When he first started, he very reverently learned the Buddha’sa-Dharma Way by constantly chanting the Buddha’s name. His chanting was very reverent. Next door to him lived one of our Commissioners, Yuzhu. She felt that since Mr. Zhang was a devout Buddhist practitioner, if she could bring him into Tzu Chi, he would be a [promising] seed. Since he was good at explaining the Dharma, she wanted to recruit him.

Thus, whenever she saw him, she always talked to him about Tzu Chi, and Mr. Zhang always told her to chant the Buddha’s name, because chanting purifies the mind. “I just want to focus on chanting His name. I do not want to contrive affinities with anyone. I do not want to join any organization. I only want to wholeheartedly chant His name.” Yuzhu did not give up [on transforming him]. When she saw him, she talked to him about what Tzu Chi was doing. He felt, “You only talk about Tzu Chi; you never talk to me about the Dharma. I always share the Dharma with you, yet you only tell me about Tzu Chi.” This went on for quite a few years.

Then one day, Yuzhu told him, “Mr. Zhang, since you chant the Buddha’s name so well, but you don’t want to do Tzu Chi work, why don’t you teach me the Dharma? It’s time for you to transform me.” When Mr. Zhang heard that our Commissioner wanted him to transform her, he suddenly fell quiet and reflected on himself. “Indeed, how should I transform you? I only chant the Buddha to have a pure mind, so how can I transform you? What can I use to transform you?”

Right around that time, the 921 earthquake happened. In Nantou and Central Taiwan, many houses collapsed, causing many injuries and fatalities. Suddenly, he saw things clearly and felt, “By only chanting the Buddha’s name, how many people can I really help?” He suddenly came to a realization. He knew what to do, so he quickly told the Commissioner, “I want to join to help with the 921 earthquake relief efforts.” From then on, he got involved. He very joyfully volunteered and felt that those who help others are true Bodhisattvas. Then, he got involved with recycling work.

In Xincun, by the entrance to the community, at the security station, he erected a very large piggybank. Written on it was “[conserve] water, electricity, rice, carbon.” He wrote all of these things on it. Many people lived in the village, and when people asked him about it out of curiosity, he told them about Tzu Chi’s principles. Living in that community, he transformed others and happily did recycling work.

Isn’t this teaching according to capabilities? Doesn’t this lead to a better understanding of how “the sutra is the pPath,” and “the Ppath is a road to walk on”? Thus we say, “Maintain the Buddha in your heart, and the Dharma in your actions.” Practicing the Dharma will naturally bring Samadhi and purity. Aren’t pure lands and Samadhi found in the Dharma? Every action can be a practice of Samadhi. Our every action can be like the Buddha’s. If we take the Buddha to heart, we will manifest the Dharma in our actions. For the Buddha-Dharma to be present in this world, there must be people who go among others to transform sentient beings.

As some learn the Buddha’s teachings, they only chant the Buddha’s name because they only seek to awaken themselves in the hope of going to a pure land. But isn’t this a very passive [practice]? When a pure land is in our minds, we are in a pure land when among others.

Thus, since the Buddha manifested over 2000 years ago, how many people have actually been purified? If people go astray, though they hear the Dharma they only focus on their own awakening. At the end, the Buddha began to teach everyone to return to their intrinsic nature. To go from the state of ordinary people to the state of the Buddha, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. To walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must practice giving in this world. To practice giving, we must fully comprehend the Buddha’s principles. The Dharma is learned and put into practice in a turbid world; then turbidity can be transformed into purity. This is what we must strive to do.

Thus, the Buddha spoke to Sariputra again. The sutra states,

“It is thus, Sariputra, that in the era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa, sentient beings are heavily defiled with stinginess, greed, envy and jealousy. Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness.”

The defilements of sentient beings arise from stinginess and greed. “Stinginess” is being miserly. With this stinginess and greedy attachments, [we think,] “This is mine; everything is mine. I want what you have, too.” These kinds of desires are very strong. With this stinginess and greed, we cannot bear to give away anything. By guarding our own possessions very closely and being unwilling to give, we are stingy and greedy.

Beyond that, we are also jealous. We envy people who are wiser and more capable. We resent them for being more capable. When people praise someone else, If people praise someone else, we feel very unhappy and wonder, “Why aren’t they praising me?” If others are capable and are praised, people who are stingy, greedy and jealous cannot stand it. This is an affliction.

With these afflictions, people cannot recruit others to do good deeds. These people are stingy, greedy and jealous. They are afraid that if others do good deeds, then others will be praised, while they will lose face. Many people have these kinds of mental ailments. They are afraid that others will be more capable, that others will do too many good deeds, that others’ abilities will draw too much attention. They do not help good people succeed. They do not assist capable people. Thus, they are stingy and greedy,

not only with regard to material things. We can be stingy and greedy by not sharing good things with people or not encouraging people to do good deeds. This is also stinginess and greed. “Thus, they develop all roots of unwholesomeness” and many roots [of goodness] will wither. Sentient beings are stingy and greedy. Our roots of goodness are thin and shallow our roots have withered. The Buddha said the same thing. We sentient beings are scorched sprouts and bad seeds; our roots have withered. If the seeds are hollow, they cannot give rise to millions of things. Millions of things can arise from one seed, so these kinds of seeds are very precious.

What is “the [era of].” What is the “[era of] chaos and turbidity of kalpa”? It is a time of confusion and turbidity. This era is very dark, muddled and turbid. The world has degenerated,

and morals have deteriorated.

The era of chaos and turbidity of kalpa: This era is muddled and turbid. Every generation is degenerating; their morals are deteriorating. The world is mixed-up and confused; people’s roots of goodness are shallow and weak. The number of unwholesome people is growing.

There was a news report about a woman from northern Taiwan whose who was found dead, corpse was found floating near the Hualien’s coast. When the body was discovered, the hands and feet were tied up, and no one was able to identify her. Eventually, she was identified. But how did she come to Hualien from the north? Why were her hands and feet tied? This happened in May (2012), and it took a long time for the case to be solved. This happened in May, and it took a long time for the case to be solved. A girl and her boyfriend had conspired to murder her mother.

Why would a daughter murder her mother? Because the mother had four or five properties under her name, and they wanted her properties. From an early age, [the daughter] had a poor relationship with her mother. Yet, suddenly she became unusually attentive. Yet, recently she became unusually attentive. She lured her mother away from the house, drove her to Hualien and murdered her.

They were mother and daughter, but they had problems with each other because their hearts were impure. Her mother did not treat her well, so her enmity for her mother built up over time. Though her mother owned some very valuable properties, she knew her mother would not share any of it with her. This is a sign of the confusion in the world. Morality has become muddled and turbid and has deteriorated. [She] and her boyfriend went as far as murdering her own mother. They have indeed lost their morality.

Such news, or where we read about a grandson murdering his grandfather and mutilating his body, In the news, we also read about a grandson murdering his grandfather and mutilating his body what great hatred could they have with each other? What great hatred could he have against him? When relationships go wrong, people may kill their lover and then jump off a building. When I read all this in the news, I feel the turbidity of this era, the loss of morality. The world is in a state of confusion, all because we sentient beings have shallow and weak roots of goodness.

For some unknown number of lifetimes, these turbid, defiled habitual tendencies have been continuously flourishing. Then at this moment, causes and conditions converge, causing continuous problems in families. Even blood relatives are killing one another. With people like this, “the number of unwholesome people is growing.” The number of unwholesome people is always growing.

This happens because of delusion and because of greed. With delusion in our minds, we give rise to greed.

With delusions, greed, anger, ignorance and all kinds of afflictions, we obstruct ourselves and others, until our obstructions become heavy and thick. This is the turbidity of affliction.

With greed, there will be anger and ignorance, If not for greed, anger and ignorance, why would people do such brutal things? This is delusion, which is ignorance and lack of clarity. When we are deluded, greed, anger and ignorance continuously arise. With all kinds of afflictions, “we obstruct ourselves and others, until our obstructions become heavy and thick.” This is “the turbidity of affliction.”

If we obstruct ourselves, we will not earnestly and diligently work hard. Though we are practicing, we may still be lax and filled with afflictions. If we cannot be diligent, then we are indolent. Indolence is caused by afflictions.

We must examine ourselves; are we practicing diligently every day? Do we make full use of every single day? If we cannot, not only are we indolent, we obstruct other people as well as ourselves. So, “our obstructions become heavy and thick.” Whether we obstruct ourselves or others, layers and layers of afflictions accumulate. So, “our obstructions become heavy and thick.” This is “the turbidity of affliction.”

Dear Bodhisattvas, please think carefully; do these afflictions also cover our minds? Do our afflictions pile up thicker and thicker, causing us to become more indolent? Are we sharing the teachings that bring us joy with others? Are we encouraging people to do good deeds? Are we? If not, then we are stingy, greedy and jealous. We must examine ourselves for these problems, to see whether we are stingy, greedy, jealous or heavily defiled by afflictions. We must first understand ourselves in order to understand others. Thus, we must always be mindful.

Episode 310 – The Influence of Purity and Turbidity

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>> “Over kalpas, over very long periods of time, all things and people in the world undergo infinitesimal changes of good and evil. Purity and turbidity influence each other and cause each other to grow or diminish.”

>> The smallest unit of time is one of the 60 ksanas within a thought. The largest unit is a kalpa.

>> The world of physical objects refers to a world that goes through formation, existence, decay and disappearance to create the multitude of objects it holds.

>> Thus, “days, months, age are known as time. The formation, existence, decay and disappearance [cycle] is known as a kalpa”

>> It is said: Seasons and years are called small kalpas. If wars, floods, fires, famines, cataclysms and epidemics are happening more often over time, then it is the turbidity of kalpa. Today in this defiled land, we are experiencing a decreasing kalpa. Living in the evil world of Five Turbidities, the afflictions of sentient beings multiply, and the turbidity of view flourishes.

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“Over kalpas, over very long periods of time,
all things and people in the world
undergo infinitesimal changes of good and evil.
Purity and turbidity influence each other
and cause each other to grow or diminish.”

This is telling everyone that time goes on and on; in comparison, human life is so short. Just how long is time? It is endless. It has no beginning, but has flowed up to this present moment. From this moment, it will likewise continue to flow endlessly into the future.

So, a kalpa is a very long period of time. Our lifetime is just one section of it. And in this very short amount of time, we have already created so much good and bad karma.

So, “all things and people in the world” [include] heaven, earth and people. Everything beneath the sky and above the land is considered “the world.” All things and people between heaven and earth have good and evil in them and undergo infinitesimal changes of good and evil. Good and evil are not everlasting. Time passes without our awareness, and in addition to that, all things in the world constantly go through changes. Between heaven and earth, there is nothing that is ever still, [All things] “undergo infinitesimal changes of good and evil.”

When we come to this world, among the people and matters we encounter, we must know there will be many wonderful things. We will also encounter people we must take precautions against. When they are around us, we cannot talk about certain things. We take precautions against them, and conversely, people take precautions against us. Why do people take precautions against us? Because we have formed bad affinities with them. Perhaps we have bad habitual tendencies, which make people take precautions against us.

This is like wearing a facemask when we have a cold to take precautions against infecting others. This shows our care and respect. Since we care for ourselves when we are sick, we should care for ourselves by quickly eliminating habitual tendencies. Instead of others guarding themselves against us, let us take precautions so others will not develop unfavorable views and misunderstandings of us.

So, in all things in the world, there is good and evil. Only we know what is in our minds. Once we realize that someone is taking precautions against us, we can ask ourselves, “Why are they taking precautions against me?” We must reflect on why someone would do that. If we have this mindset, even if there is evil in us we can change our ways. So, we can choose to be either good or evil.

Take plants for example. Plants can produce phytoncides, anti-microbial compounds that are good for us. There are also plants that we must not touch; if we do, they will “bite” us. In primeval forests, there are two kinds of [dangerous] trees, one is called “biting cat,” and one is called “biting dog.” Why is there a tree called “biting cat”? Touching it will cause an allergic reaction all over the body. See, aside from take precautions against others or causing others to take precautions against us, we need to know if we will cause an “allergic reaction” in others when we are near them.

This is something plants can do, not to mention humans. All things in this world go through cycles of good and evil, through infinitesimal changes. From this we can extrapolate that, between heaven and earth, there is good and evil in all people and things. There is nothing that is fixed, nothing that always has the same appearance, nothing that always has the same nature. All things have distinct natures and appearances; there is good and evil in every kind of thing. Doesn’t this apply to all people and things?

Whether good or evil, whatever appearance something takes, it is constantly undergoing infinitesimal changes. Nothing can escape this; this applies to all things in the world. We may not see this in a short period of time, but it will become apparent over time.

For example, humans are born as infants. Then infants start to undergo infinitesimal changes. Today, they look like infants; the next day they still look like infants, and the day after they still look like infants. Even to the infants’ parents, those closest to them, they look the same every day. But after four months, suddenly the parents will feel that, without their awareness, the infants look completely different compared to when they were born. This is an example of continuous infinitesimal changes.

Consider the ten fingers on our hands. After we trim our nails, when do they grow? After we cut our hair, when does it grow? These are all infinitesimal changes.

Infinitesimal changes are so subtle that we are unaware of them. But things are constantly changing. The same principles underlie all things in the world. They constantly undergo cycles of changes, which is the natural course of the world. While we are in the midst of this constant cycle, we are unaware of it.

Consider the cycle of day and night. Do day and night actually exist? In the universe, there is no day and night. The relative position of Earth and Sun gives us day and night. Therefore, in their natural state, all things are non-arising and non-ceasing; they will always be this way. But, in this world between heaven and earth, nothing can avoid the endless flow of time and space.

We human beings merely exist on a planet that is as insignificant as a speck of dust in this boundless universe. In the world, among such a massive population, we are an insignificant individual. Yet, we insignificant humans create karma that greatly affects this world. So, the Buddha said, “The amount of karma created by sentient beings is like Mt. Sumeru.”

Imagine how strong our karma is. It so strong and sizable that it affects everything in the world, so “purity and turbidity influence each other and cause each other to grow or diminish.” They grow and diminish in relation to each other. At times, goodness thrives, and the world is more harmonious. Aside from these harmonious worlds, worlds of great turbidity and evil also constantly arise.

This morning, I was reading a news article. Recently, ever since last year, the world has not had a single day of peace. It all started when one college student [in Syria] lost his job and had a run-in with a police officer. Such a simple matter became an international incident, causing a wave of refugees that is now spreading across ten countries. And still, the refugees are fleeing.

See, even citizens of the same nation, all of the same ethnicity, can, because of one small incident, enter a state of unrest. This has led to constant upheaval. Thus, this era is “the turbidity of kalpa.”

Iraq is going through the same thing. There are suicide bombers there, as well. Look around the world. In these countries that are so poor, there are still constant manmade disasters. In Afghanistan, people have recently discovered that it is very rich in deposits of oil, gold, silver, copper and tin. Experts and scholars valued these deposits at over a trillion (NTD). They are so valuable. So, desire for them is stirring in many major countries.

Isn’t this because of people’s greed? The world is filled with places that contain valuable things, and people’s greed leads them to continuously fight over and destroy these places. This becomes the source of disasters. Thus, during the turbidity of kalpa, things are very unsafe for people.

The Five Turbidities are present in this time, so this is an evil world. Thus, the Buddha and all Buddhas manifest in this very evil world. Just before disasters are about to appear, the Buddha manifests in this world to teach us to take precautions and bring harmony to people’s minds. Otherwise, this turbidity would grow even greater, and things in the world would quickly go through formation, existence, decay and disappearance. Someone has to slow this down so goodness can grow in this world and evil can diminish.

The Buddha cannot bear for us to remain in and give rise to further turbidity. Turbidity is something created by humans. The Five Turbidities are the turbidity of views, turbidity of kalpa, turbidity of affliction, turbidity of sentient beings and turbidity of life.

The smallest unit of time is one of the 60 ksanas within a thought. Indeed, the span of a thought is very short. Usually, when we see a person, a thought arises. “You are so-and-so.” That short time is “the span of a thought.” When our eyes see someone, our brains process it, and then we recognize the person. There is a sequence to this. Actually, this recognition upon seeing someone happens very quickly. The span of a thought is so short, and with even more meticulous analysis, [we find] an even a shorter period of time.

The smallest unit of time is one of the 60 ksanas within a thought. The largest unit is a kalpa.

So, a very short unit of time is one of the 60 ksanas within a thought. This span is so short, yet it is still a unit of time.

A large unit of time is a “kalpa.” When we talk about seconds, minutes and hours, those are labels for units of time. Actually, time, from its smallest unit, accumulates into seconds, minutes and hours. This is known as time. Time is also divided into days. In a day there is also day and night. After days, there are months and also years. As time continuously accumulates, it becomes incalculable and is called a kalpa. [The Sanskrit word] “kalpa”

refers to a very long period of time. So, we call a very long period of time, an incalculable amount, a kalpa. This is the era of the Buddha.

This current period of time in this world is evil and turbid. This is a world of great turbidity. Everything between heaven and earth is considered the world. The world we are talking about now is on this planet, which we call “the world of physical objects.”

The world of physical objects refers to a world that goes through formation, existence, decay and disappearance to create the multitude of objects it holds.

“The world of physical objects” contains all physical objects. A pen, this pen, is called a pen; it is an object used for writing. So, it is also known as a physical object. It is in the world of physical objects. Everything our eyes can see, even a speck of dust, a blade of grass or a grain of sand, are all “physical objects.” As long as you can see it, it is a physical object. Sand can be piled into a tower, so it too has its uses. So, it is said, “sand can be piled into a tower.” Sand has its uses; it is also a physical object in the world of physical objects.

In summary, the things our eyes can see, the things we can use and so on, are all part of the world of physical objects. This world, through “formation, existence, decay and disappearance, creates the multitude of objects it holds.” [This is a cycle]. At the state of “formation,” this world was beginning to form. Gradually, countries were formed across the world. In this long river of time, slowly, the world of physical objects became more complicated. Thus, “days, months, age are known as time. The formation, existence, decay and disappearance [cycle] is known as a kalpa.”

We typically say that time passes very quickly. We have never said, “Kalpas pass very quickly.” Not at all. A “kalpa” is indeed very long. Our world is so insignificant, and our lives are painfully short. In this universe’s long river of time, we are here for just an instant. With respect to this long river, indeed, our time here is just an instant and passes very quickly.

Recently, I have been telling everyone that in the heavens of Four Heavenly Kings, our lives do not even amount to two full days. When our short lifespan is compared to long periods of time such as kalpas, do we really matter? We are merely like an instant of thought. Thus, for us, days and months are referred to as “time.” The accumulation of countless days, months and years becomes a kalpa.

It is said: Seasons and years are called small kalpas. If wars, floods, fires, famines, cataclysms and epidemics are happening more often over time, then it is the turbidity of kalpa. Today in this defiled land, we are experiencing a decreasing kalpa. Living in the evil world of Five Turbidities, the afflictions of sentient beings multiply, and the turbidity of view flourishes.

So, we now live in an era of the turbidity of kalpa. After a long period of time has passed, we now happen to be born in the turbidity of kalpa. In such a kalpa, the average human lifespan gradually decreases. This is a sign that the four elements are less and less in harmony. Our minds become more and more imbalanced. Thus various disasters will keep arising, such as armed conflicts, wars, floods, fires, famines, cataclysms and epidemics. These things happen, one after another. During the turbidity of kalpa, at this time, in this era, these incidents will occur more frequently; the time between them will become shorter. These disasters will continuously arise and accumulate over time.

When [disasters] “happen more often over time,” we are in the turbidity of kalpa. So, we currently live in such an era. How can we not think to reflect on ourselves? In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, the afflictions of sentient beings multiply. Our afflictions are constantly accumulating, causing “the turbidity of views.” Our afflictions, our views and understanding are constantly muddled and turbid.

As I just said, foreign countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are all countries that are filled with suffering. [For the people there,] days pass like years, and their lives are filled with hardships. So, we must be mindful and take advantage of times of peace and the times we encounter the Buddha-Dharma. We must seize every moment. With the Dharma, we must mindfully observe as everything we see in this world of physical objects undergoes infinitesimal changes. We must earnestly seize this opportunity. [Time] continuously and naturally passes by, as do our lives. Each day, time continues to pass, and each day, [life] grows shorter. In the cycle of seasons, time passes by quickly. This happens without our awareness. How can we be indolent and let time slip by? So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 309 – The Turbid Kalpa of Dharma-degeneration

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>> “The Five Turbidities constantly grow worse, and the world gradually becomes more turbid. The era is changing and becoming more impure. We are now undergoing Dharma-degeneration. Confusion of right and wrong causes unbearable suffering. This is the turbid era of Dharma-degeneration.”

>> “Sariputra, all Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, which are the turbidity of kalpa, the turbidity of affliction, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of view and the turbidity of life.”

>> The turbidity of kalpa refers to being born in an era of decay. Famine, epidemics, wars and so on arise one after another. There is never a day of peace.

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“The Five Turbidities constantly grow worse,
and the world gradually becomes more turbid.
The era is changing and becoming more impure.
We are now undergoing Dharma-degeneration.
Confusion of right and wrong causes unbearable suffering.
This is the turbid era of Dharma-degeneration.”

Things in the world right now are really chaotic. The Buddha-Dharma talks about “the evil world of the Five Turbidities.” The Five Turbidities are impurities. The Buddha examined how our world undergoes formation, existence, decay and disappearance. Before anything came into existence, countless kalpas ago, things gradually entered the state of “formation.” After they were formed, they entered “the kalpa of existence.” Thus, the world, living things and humans came to exist. At this time, all things and sentient beings had already come into being. This is the period of “existence.”

The “kalpa of existence” has lasted a long time. Over this long period of time, sentient beings continued to grow and reproduce. Thus, interpersonal relationships became more and more complicated, and simple things became more complex. Complexities arose from the mind and complicated the relationships between people. Complications then led to conflicts, and conflicts generated much karma. After this karma was generated, people’s minds became defiled, and people and matters became chaotic. This is “turbidity.”

[Relationships] were originally simple and pure, but gradually people wanted to control each other, so things became complicated. So, the Five Turbidities arose during “the kalpa of existence” and gradually grew over a long period of time. Humans continued to become very complicated and develop more turbidities.

We often use “the world” to refer to time and space. Time and space are limited, but people’s minds are boundless. In this world, time and space are very vast. We are humans, and we live on this planet. Specifically, we are in Taiwan, which is just a very tiny place on this planet but it holds a population of over 20 million. Each one of us has such a small [presence], [especially compared to] the entire planet.

On this planet, there are between 100 and 200 countries. These countries all want to control each other. This starts very small, from individuals’ [actions,] and expands to affect the entire world. People go from wanting small things to wanting to occupy other countries. This evolves into manmade disasters and leads to wars. In this way, turbidity spreads across the world.

This is what life is like now. In this era, things have become more impure. Not only are people’s minds impure, even the atmosphere is impure because it has been polluted by humans. This era and this world we live in are no longer pure. We humans are living in [a world] without clean air. This is all caused by humans in the world. We are in the era of Dharma-degeneration. Morals are on the verge of decay in people’s minds. What are morals? People no longer know. We can see that society is in an unbearable mess.

Now, in this era of Dharma-degeneration, every day we can clearly see how terrifying human minds can be. This is because [our understanding] of “right” and “wrong” has become clouded. What is right? What is not right? To be a good person takes a sense of propriety. In the past, people’s thinking was, “I did something wrong, so I feel ashamed. I am afraid of others finding out.” This is because they have a conscience. Nowadays, when people do something wrong, they are actually [proud of it] because they have lost their conscience. Without a sense of remorse, they have a distorted sense of right and wrong and cannot recognize Right Dharma.

We must earnestly, mindfully do the right things and promptly feel remorse for our wrongdoings and repent them; this shows our conscience. So, we should know what is right and wrong. Committing wrongdoings is very shameful; we must not do those things. Unfortunately, people of this era do not have this sense of remorse. Therefore, [their sense of] right and wrong has been clouded.

As I mentioned before, water is naturally clear. But soil and mud will contaminate it. How do we return the water to its original purity? Only by diluting the soil and mud with a constant stream of clean water. As clean water is continuously poured in, the impurities will gradually be eliminated. But now, in this turbid era of Dharma-degeneration things are very clouded, and Right Dharma is fading away. However, Right Dharma exists in our minds. Though this is the era of Dharma-degeneration, Right Dharma will always remain. We humans are just very confused, so we do not see the Dharma or accept it. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Living in this modern era, we have already been gradually defiled. As the atmosphere becomes permeated by evil and turbidity, we gradually lose right mindfulness. This is what we must work [to prevent]. As we look at the world, we see the changes in people’s hearts. They have begun to eliminate superstitions and to gradually learn Right Dharma. However, how many of the over 20 million people [in Taiwan] have actually encountered Right Dharma? Perhaps 10 percent? 20 percent? We do not know.

Though we have worked very hard, we have only reached 10 percent [of the people;] we have not seen the remaining 90 percent. We hope that this 10 percent can become 20, 20 will become 40 and 40 will become 60. Perhaps we can gradually purify turbidities in this way.

In modern media, on the internet, there is something called Facebook. We can do many things with the click of a finger. When we have a thought, we write a few words. Then with the click of a finger, it causes a ripple effect. When just a drop of water falls into a pond, its effect spreads very quickly. So, having many turbid thoughts will have a great impact. If many people work hard to learn Right Dharma, when will it become just as pervasive? With just one click, it will be accessible to everyone. But there are many severe obstacles to this.

These severe obstacles have created turbidities in this world. So, obstacles lead to turbidities, which greatly obstruct Right Dharma, so evil influences are constantly spreading. This is what we should be worried about; we call them “turbidities.”

From the previous sutra passage, we learned that the Buddha said to Sariputra,

“Sariputra, all Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, which are the turbidity of kalpa, the turbidity of affliction, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of view and the turbidity of life.”

[The world] has already been polluted by turbidities. This is why all Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. We mentioned this previously.

All Buddhas share the same path. Each Buddha appears in the world because sentient beings are suffering. Suffering is caused by sentient beings’ delusions. Delusions give rise to afflictions, which arise from views and understandings and result in the “turbidity of life.” In this era, people truly face unbearable suffering. This is why Sakyamuni Buddha comes to the Saha World. He manifests in this turbid world to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

We all know living in the Six Realms is suffering. To transcend the Six Realms, we must return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature so that we will no longer be trapped by cyclic existence, which is the turbidity of life. We had no control over being born in this evil world of the Five Turbidities.

This is the “kalpa” we are in. A kalpa is a very long period of time. How long is it? Each kalpa is comprised of one increasing and one decreasing kalpa. Since the beginning of the decreasing kalpa, turbidities have continued to arise. Once they arise, they keep growing worse.

Just how long is each “decreasing kalpa”? As long as it takes for an average human lifespan of 84,000 years to decrease to an average of ten. This is called a “decreasing kalpa.” During a “decreasing kalpa,” turbidities slowly develop. Consider the length of this period of time. The more time passes, the more turbidity there is.

This is why the Buddha appeared in this era. The worse the turbidity, the more urgently we need the Buddha to teach. He gives teachings so we will be able to quickly purify our hearts. The Buddha appears in this turbid world for this one great cause, to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must all quickly look within to contemplate our intrinsic nature. Then, with the sense that time is running out, we will become diligent. The Buddha comes to the evil world of the. Five Turbidities to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

As I mentioned previously, “turbid” means very polluted; it is a severe level of impurity. Consider the sandstorms we have seen. During a sandstorm, all we see is a thick cloud of sand. Driving on the road, we cannot see more than couple meters ahead. Similarly, as soon as an evil wind blows, the dusts of ignorance and afflictions fly up. This is an era of severe turbidity, so we call it the evil world of the Five Turbidities. A “kalpa” is a long period of time, and we are now living in this long period of time.

The turbidity of kalpa refers to being born in an era of decay. Famine, epidemics, wars and so on arise one after another. There is never a day of peace.

The turbidity of kalpa refers to being born in an era of decay. In this era, what worries us most are famines, epidemics, wars and mutual conflicts.

Take famine for example. As more people are born, more and more food is needed. Nowadays, people need a lot of food. To satisfy their cravings, they raise many animals, who also consume a lot of food. Think about how much food we need to produce. Moreover, the four elements are imbalanced, so frequent droughts prevent successful harvests. Sometimes, right before a harvest, a storm or a flood destroys everything. This leads to famine.

In addition to natural disasters, manmade disasters also prevent farming from taking place. There may be land, but no one can focus on cultivating it. Some wealthier countries, for the sake of trade, have asked farmers to stop farming. For older generations of farmers, they are happy to enjoy their retirement. For the middle-aged farmers, they abandon agriculture to go into business. This also leads to famine. So, there are many causes of famine.

For people in Africa, or those escaping wars and violent conflicts, many of them have nothing to eat. They barely even have time to escape. [Aside from famine], there are also epidemics. We constantly hear about how people raise animals and how viruses in those animals’ bodies cross over to infect humans.

Right now, just the human population alone has increased exponentially. Humans are the most turbid. The Buddha said to contemplate the body as impure. [The surface of] our body is impure, and the inside of our body is even worse. Think about how impure humans are. Viral infections are also transmitted by people. The things we worry a lot about, aside from famines, are epidemics. Famines and epidemics constantly occur. Then there are also armed conflicts and wars. Countries invade each other, and people oppose each other.

Many countries were involved in. World War I and then World War II. Sometimes there is conflict within a country, between government and anti-government forces. Anti-government forces are organized to fight against the government. People of the same ethnicity fight and kill one another. People of the same nationality fight against each other. We see many examples of this. [These conflicts] are common in this world.

So, within the turbidity of kalpa, there are so many [problems]. These things constantly occur, one after another, so “there is never a day of peace.” Living in this era, even one day of harmony, with the entire world at peace, is truly impossible to ask for. Since we cannot ask others for it, we must look to ourselves to find a way to bring peace to our minds. If our minds are at peace, then we can all live in peace. Then the pure streams in our minds can eliminate the turbidity of this era. This is only possible with pure minds.

Think about this. Famines are caused by humans. Diseases are also caused by humans. Wars are also caused by humans. Our thoughts and our perspectives and so on shape this era and have transformed it into a kalpa of turbidity. Over time, living in such serious turbidity is indeed unbearably painful.

Let us think about this carefully. If we do not thoroughly understand the Five Turbidities, small problems can accumulate and become very serious. So, we must always be mindful and cultivate our purity.

Episode 3 – Eliminate Defilements to Achieve Purity

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>> “The world was not originally evil, but turbidities caused it to become evil. Turbidity occurs when dirt falls into water. When water loses its purity, it is turbid. Gushing spring water brings purity; defilements are eliminated and purity remains.”

>> “Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, much less three.”

>> “Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, all Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, that is, the turbidity of kalpa, the turbidity of afflictions, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of views and the turbidity of life.”

>> Sakyamuni Buddha entered the turbid world to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

>> “Turbidity” means filthy and clouded

>> Kalpa is a Sanskrit word that means “a long time.” It is an era of certain phenomena and states of being. There are increasing and decreasing kalpas, split into good, evil, mild and serious.

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“The world was not originally evil,
but turbidities caused it to become evil.
Turbidity occurs when dirt falls into water.
When water loses its purity, it is turbid.
Gushing spring water brings purity;
defilements are eliminated and purity remains.”

Indeed, the world was not originally evil, but turbidities caused it to become so. We often say this is an “evil world of Five Turbidities.” Those who do not understand the Buddha-Dharma may say, “the world is very evil.” Is that the case? “The world” is only another label for time and space. How can time be evil? How can space be evil? Within time and space, there is no evil at all, so nothing can be considered good either. Things are fundamentally this way. But turbidity defiles the world, so it becomes evil.

Similarly, people are very good and kind. Yet, we tend to be guarded. We describe others as good or bad, which labels them as good or evil. Actually, we all originally have the same nature. But “turbidities caused it to become evil.” Turbidity is a form of pollution. The convergence of many causes and conditions ended up defiling us. Thus, our minds became defiled, developed habitual tendencies and created ignorance and many afflictions. Ignorance and afflictions are the foundation of habitual tendencies, so I often talk about how afflictions continuously reproduce, causing continuous convergences [of conditions].

“Turbidity occurs when dirt falls into water.” Why is the water turbid? It was clean and clear. So, how did this clean water become dirty? Because some dirt has been mixed with the water, so the water became turbid.

We all need to use water every day, and the water we drink has to be very clean. In the past, when people drank water before their [scientific] knowledge was advanced, they thought any clear water was drinkable. The ancients, [limited in] understanding, drank from ditches in places without running water. Actually, at the upstream source of ditch water, people washed very filthy things. Every morning, the dirty and filthy things were washed at the ditch. Then, faraway downstream, other people began scooping up water for drinking and eating.

This is the way water continuously flowed. At the source, people washed filthy things but as it flowed on, people downstream continued to use the water. So, by applying their wisdom, people in the past retrieved water at night. They put potassium alum in big water tanks in order to let the filth sink. When they saw the clear water on the surface, they used it for drinking, eating, and for cooking rice and boiling water. This was how they lived in the past.

However, “the Buddha saw 84,000 bugs in a bowl of water.” Ananda had scooped up some flowing water. When the Buddha took the bowl of water, He said, “Ananda, this bowl of water has 84,000 bugs.” Ananda looked at the water closely with his eyes, “No, Venerable Buddha, the water is very clear.” The Buddha said, “In this bowl of water are infinite living beings. They are moving, living things. There are living beings in there, 84,000 of them” 84,000 signifies a very large quantity.

So, Ananda asked the Buddha, “Then what should we do? There are many living beings in the water. What should we do?” The Buddha said, “Use a cloth water filter.” Nowadays we know the water needs to be filtered. This was probably invented by the Buddha. When we went [back then], the monastery would give us a bowl, a pouch, a piece of cloth and a brush. We would use the brush to wash the bowl. If we wanted to drink water, we would scoop water from the stream, then filter it with the white cloth. After being used as a filter, the cloth needed to be rinsed in the water. This was the case during the Buddha’s era.

People in the past used potassium alum, and the Buddha invented the water filter. Nowadays, we constantly say that water has to be filtered, and [talk about] how to filter it. This was the wisdom of the Buddha, and now we consider it science. Modern-day science, utilizing instruments such as high-powered microscopes, can examine [the water] and see many bacteria, which are all moving. Can’t we find bacteria in our bodies too? There are illness-inducing bacteria as well as those that protect our bodies and help us develop immunity.

Therefore, everything happens because of imbalances, or as the result of balances and imbalances; these are all causes and conditions.

Then, “Gushing spring water brings clarity.” If water gushes from a spring, then it will continuously flow. Water gushing from underground springs is clear. If there is stagnant water that becomes turbid, the spring water that continuously gushes forth can gradually dilute it until it becomes clear.

If we scoop turbid water out of a tank and keep pouring clear water into it, with enough clear water, there will be less and less turbid water. So, the turbid water is diluted until it becomes clear water. So, we say, “Gushing spring water brings clarity.” As long as we keep adding clear water, the turbid water will naturally be diluted. So, “Defilements are eliminated and purity remains.” If we keep adding clean [water] to dirty water and continuously pour in more, the more clarity there is, the less turbidity there will be. After the turbidity is eliminated, clarity will remain. Thus, what remains is pure.

We all want to engage in spiritual practice, but we each have our own habitual tendencies. Habitual tendencies are acquired; we have not always had them. Due to our habitual tendencies we cannot attain thorough understanding and are not clear on the principles of the world. Principles, time and space are everlasting; they always exist. [But how long things last in the world] depends on the convergence of causes and conditions. The natural state of things is good.

Good people are those who are spiritually refined. These people willingly vow to engage in spiritual practice, to thoroughly understand the principles, and then teach and promote them. They may also put them into practice so they can motivate others. So, spiritual practitioners are like a pure stream. The more of them there are, the more people will gradually understand the truth and eliminate their delusions. Thus, we constantly say that to eliminate delusion, we must eliminate superstition and guide people onto the right path.

So, if people are willing to engage in spiritual practice and put their heart into understanding the truths of all things in the universe, they can be a seed that gives rise to many others. Then, there will be many springs [bringing forth purity], and naturally turbidity will be eliminated. Thus, “Defilements are eliminated and purity remains.” There will no longer be so much turbidity in the world.

You may not yet clearly understand the teachings you have recently heard, but as long as your mind remains pure as you observe the weather or take in the world, you may understand [why there are] all these many colors, appearances and natures. Because natures and appearances vary, things of different shapes and appearances have different natures. Fire is hot by nature; water is wet by nature. I have talked about this before.

So, when we see water flowing in the stream, do we understand what its nature is? Water is wet by nature. We all know this. Sometimes, we put a machine in the room. What is it? It is a dehumidifier. You may think the room is not humid. But after a while, if you open the machine’s lid, you will see water. This atmosphere cannot be lacking in moisture, but excess moisture causes terrible humidity. So, we need to achieve a harmonious balance to have a healthy atmosphere.

Actually, moisture is water vapor. When the air is hot, it can absorb moisture. Then it condenses into water vapor until it precipitates as rain. This is the [water] cycle. The Buddha always tells us the underlying principle of all things is the same.

The earlier sutra passage states,

“Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, much less three.”

Indeed, we should all know there is really only one principle. Others are only given because we lack understanding. So, the Buddha has to continuously explain things. In this passage, the Buddha began to say,

“Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, all Buddhas appear in the evil world of the Five Turbidities, that is, the turbidity of kalpa, the turbidity of afflictions, the turbidity of sentient beings, the turbidity of views and the turbidity of life.”

We understand that the Buddha manifests in this turbid world. Indeed, we constantly make this correlation; sentient beings’ afflictions are the reason the Buddha manifests in this world. Think about how, when Sakyamuni Buddha appeared over 2000 years ago, the world was already turbid. Actually, the turbidity of the world is the reason the Buddha awakened His compassion. Because He saw suffering, He exercised compassion with wisdom. Because of this wisdom, His compassion was awakened. So, He could not bear to simply stay in the palace and enjoy himself.

Because He viewed the world with wisdom, He saw its impermanence, suffering and many contradictions. This inspired His [spiritual] aspirations. Enjoyment is temporary, but suffering and impermanence are long-lasting. Thus, He did not want to indulge in pleasures in His brief life. He wanted to seek an everlasting principle that He could teach people. This was the greatness of the Buddha.

In terms of worldly phenomena, this happened over 2000 years ago. In terms of ultimate reality, He [attained Buddhahood] countless kalpas ago. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, and so did the Buddha.

Yet, this sutra passage states that the Buddha was born into the evil world of the Five Turbidities. So, what are the Five Turbidities? And why was the Buddha born among these Five Turbidities? In particular, it was because this was the perfect time to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

Sakyamuni Buddha entered the turbid world to teach the One Vehicle Dharma.

Previously, I told all of you that the Buddha taught for over 40 years. Though His disciples remained by His side, not all of them necessarily realized His understanding and views, because before giving the Lotus teachings. He had not yet told each of them, “You can also attain Buddhahood. As your goal of spiritual practice, I want you to discover your intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Thus, you are all Buddhas.”

So, [hearing] the Two or Three Vehicle teachings, some were afraid. “Through my spiritual practice, I have already eliminated afflictions. I have no conflicts with this world, I understand everything now. How could I go among people again?” Some people were afraid of this Dharma, so 5000 people left the assembly.

Even during the Buddha’s lifetime, His disciples still did not understand the causes and conditions that. He constantly spoke of. They believed, but how could they change their karmic conditions? Previously, I spoke of the five bhiksus. Why were they so blessed that they received the first teachings the Buddha gave upon attaining enlightenment? How could they be so blessed? Where did their causes and conditions come from? People wanted to find out the root cause.

They had followed the Buddha for over 40 years and believed in the law of karma, but they still could not thoroughly understand it. So, the Buddha had to continuously teach with various analogies. In our times, in this evil world of the Five Turbidities, we especially need the Buddha’s teachings.

In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, the One Vehicle Dharma needs to be taught. It is like a gushing spring. Clearly, the stagnant water on this land is turbid. To clear up the turbidity, we need a continuous stream of gushing spring water, or we must continuously pour in clear water. Then the turbid water will naturally become clear. So, we must constantly promote the Dharma. As long as a teaching is beneficial, we must continuously pass it along verbally to eliminate delusions and break through superstitions. Ignorance stems from delusion, so we must first eliminate deluded beliefs to return to the Right Dharma.

Therefore, the Buddha comes to the world solely for this matter. Thus, in this turbid world, the more polluted a place is, the greater its need for the Buddha-Dharma. Wasn’t this the work of Purna Maitrayani Putra? He was unafraid to go to places where people might be wicked and evil. Even if they cursed and beat him, and so on, he would always feel gratitude toward them. The Buddha taught that no matter what adverse conditions arise, we must always be grateful.

We must have gratitude for people with different habitual tendencies. People’s turbidities and habitual tendencies combine to fill the world with polluted understandings. For spiritual practitioners, it is very important to give unconditionally and then feel gratitude. With this unwavering spirit, we will not yield to our harsh environment. This requires us to apply [different] methods which suit our environment. What is our goal?

Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha manifested in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. Actually, turbidity gradually increased as average lifespans shortened during the decreasing kalpa. So, the evil world of the Five Turbidities is a turbidity of kalpa.

“Turbidity” means filthy and clouded. This turbidity was already very strong, very severe.

“Kalpa” is a Sanskrit word.

Kalpa is a Sanskrit word that means “a long time.” It is an era of certain phenomena and states of being. There are increasing and decreasing kalpas, split into good, evil, mild and serious.

“Kalpa,” in modern terms, is time, yet it is an incalculably long period of time. So, in the Buddhist sutras [we see] “countless kalpas in the past,” or “countless kalpas ago,” which means a very long time.

One kalpa, made up of one increasing and decreasing kalpa, is very long. How can it be calculated? I have told everyone that [a decreasing kalpa] is the time of an average human lifespan, starting at 84,000 years and decreasing by one year every century, reaching an average of ten years. Then the average lifespan of ten years increases by one year every 100 years until it reaches 84,000 years. This is “one increasing and decreasing kalpa,” which is only one small kalpa. Everyone, calculating how many years this takes is very hard. Thus, what we usually call “a long time,” Buddhist sutras call “countless kalpas.”

Everyone, in this time and space, how have we let things become defiled? We must ask ourselves this question. As we learn the Dharma, we should put it into practice, and we must always be mindful.

Episode 307 – Return to the One Buddha Vehicle

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>> In accord with the original nature possessed by sentient beings, the Buddha opened. His understanding and views for all. In His understanding and views, there is only the One Buddha Vehicle, not two or three vehicles.

>> “Sariputra, this is all done so that they may attain the One Buddha Vehicle and all-encompassing wisdom.”

>> “Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, much less three.”

>> So, “There are not even two vehicles, much less three. Before giving the Lotus teachings, the Buddha gave skillful teachings. He did not tell Hearers and Solitary Realizers, the Two Vehicle practitioners, that they can attain Buddhahood.”

>> At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, He gave true teachings, the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. He began to say that the Two Vehicle Dharma is really the One Buddha Vehicle. There are not two or three vehicles. All Buddhas of the Three Periods first give skillful means and provisional teachings. Then They open the provisional to reveal the true and bring all teachings back to the One Buddha Vehicle.

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[Seasons progress from] spring, summer, fall to winter. We pass the days in the same way while the seasons are soundlessly and unnoticeably changing. So, we must always heighten our awareness to notice the subtle changes in the world and how all things have an intrinsic nature.

Over these past few days, I have been talking about nature and appearances. Indeed, all things in the world have an intrinsic nature and also take on different appearances. Different appearances can reflect different natures. But these natures and appearances are created by the convergence of causes and conditions. So, when those causes and conditions separate, the natures and appearances will change.

All of these different things and all of these countless appearances each seem to have a different nature. But actually the ultimate true nature is the One Buddha Vehicle, which is the truth, the existence of the truth. This truth is our Buddha-nature. This truth exists within all people; it is inseparable [from us].

So, the Buddha comes to the world [to teach] “in accord with the original nature possessed by sentient beings.” The Buddha has great faith that all sentient beings have this intrinsic nature. Even though we have many habitual tendencies, He wanted to help us recognize that all of us have the same shared intrinsic nature. This shared intrinsic nature is the Tathagata’s pure Buddha-nature.

In accord with the original nature possessed by sentient beings, the Buddha opened. His understanding and views for all. In His understanding and views, there is only the One Buddha Vehicle, not two or three vehicles.

Even though we continuously transmigrate in the Six Realms and continuously strengthen our habitual tendencies, the Buddha did not give up on us. So, “the Buddha opened. His understanding and views for all. For all” means He did this universally. The Buddha was not only kind to humans, but to all beings of the Six Realms. He never gave up on any being, even those in evil realms such as the animal realm. So, He did this “for all.” He truly [taught] all in the Six Realms universally; He taught everyone His understanding and views.

How can we sentient beings truly realize the Buddha’s understanding and views? The Buddha can see the ultimate reality of everything. That is how refined. His understanding and views are, how true, how universal. “Refined” means that they are as pure and undefiled as crystal. “True” means they are not false. He has a complete, true and thorough understanding of ultimate reality. The Buddha’s understanding and views are like this. “In His understanding and views, there is only the One Buddha Vehicle.”

The Buddha taught many provisional principles according to sentient beings’ capabilities. But actually, they all fall under the One Buddha Vehicle “not two or three vehicles.” The Two and Three Vehicle teachings are convenient steps for reaching the One Vehicle Dharma. He guided sentient beings in the hopes that they all would return to the One Buddha Vehicle. This was His goal in coming to this world.

Earlier, we also mentioned that the Buddha called to Sariputra and said,

“Sariputra, this is all done so that they may attain the One Buddha Vehicle and all-encompassing wisdom.”

This is because the Buddha gave many teachings in the hopes that everyone could realize and attain the One Buddha Vehicle and all-encompassing wisdom.

All-encompassing wisdom is something which. I have recently discussed quite a bit. This was the wisdom the Buddha exercised to teach sentient beings. Because they all had different capabilities, to give them suitable teachings, the Buddha taught worldly Dharma, worldly principles, the Five Precepts of the human realm and the Ten Precepts of the heaven realm. He even spoke of the. Three Evil Realms, and so on. He utilized [Bodhisattva-wisdom] to teach ordinary sentient beings. There is also [Hearer-wisdom], which can identify the right principles, and which gives us sentient beings a truly broad and smooth road, a great, direct Bodhi-path for us to walk on.

In the next passage in the sutra, the Buddha once again called to Sariputra.

“Sariputra, in the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, much less three.”

The worlds of ten directions He spoke of were the worlds of all Buddhas of ten directions. Each Buddha comes into this world for the sentient beings of His land and establishes provisional and skillful means to give them teachings. He teaches with various causes and conditions, with analogies and expressions. But in the end, each Buddha ultimately sets aside these various skillful teachings and brings them all together to open the provisional and reveal the true. He takes apart the provisional, skillful teachings and opens them wide to tell people, “I gave these teachings in the past to suit your capabilities so you know to accept the Buddha-Dharma, have faith in it and put it into practice. But those were not the ultimate teachings. I hope the ultimate teachings will help you all return to the wisdom of your Tathataga-nature return to the wisdom of your Tathataga-nature, which everyone intrinsically possesses. You should know [that you intrinsically have this].”

He did not only teach about suffering, about the Four Noble Truths. Most hear about the Four Noble Truths and learn about the truth of suffering in life, and how we remain in cyclic existence in the Six Realms and face impermanence and afflictions, but [the Dharma] is more than that. Some people hear this and realize that all suffering arises from causes and conditions. So, they fear karmic retribution and do not dare go through cyclic existence again. People cannot just stop here; they must go beyond this understanding.

After Hearers understand the law of karma and suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, they only know that they should not create more bad karma. But if they have not eliminated all afflictions, they cannot yet return to the radiance and clarity of their pure Buddha-nature. They have not yet thoroughly understood their intrinsic nature.

This is what the Buddha continuously told His disciples. In the worlds of the ten directions, the methods Buddhas use to teach sentient beings in Their lands and the ways He, Sakyamuni, gives teachings to all those people in His era are the same. They all use various methods first and then begin to “open the provisional.” The Buddhas lay these skillful teachings wide open so people know they are not the ultimate teachings. There is an ultimate teaching beyond that, which is not the Two or Three Vehicle teachings. Those eventually lead to the One Vehicle, which is the Bodhisattva-path.

While the Buddha was in the world, the disciples who followed Him did not clearly understand this either. For example, one year the Buddha held a summer retreat where the monastics gathered together. One day, as Ananda walked among the Sangha, everyone was discussing the Dharma. They said that the Buddha’s teachings were great, but they wondered about the causes and conditions that brought them the blessings to be at the Buddha’s side every day so they could constantly listen to His teachings. They also wondered about the karmic conditions of Ajnata Kaundinya, that not only did he live in the same era as the Buddha, but he also had the exceptional opportunity to be the first to listen to the Buddha teach and was there the first time the Buddha turned the Dharma-wheel. How did this come about?

Ananda thought, “This is a good question. I should quickly ask the Buddha.” The Buddha began by saying, “Ananda, that is a good question. The workings of karma are inconceivable.” [He went on to say that] many kalpas ago, there was a king named Maitribala. This king’s heart and mind were replete with goodness and loving-kindness, so he treated all sentient beings in his kingdom like part of his family; he truly cherished them. He always did things that benefited hem. For example, he gave away all his wealth. When people had doubts, he continually shared his understanding. ․of the Buddha-Dharma with them and taught them to practice “loving speech.”

King Maitribala set an example for others and encouraged everyone to respect each other, to only speak kind and loving words to one another. Then he taught the people in his country to do things that benefited each other. Thus, at that time, the king utilized the Four All-Embracing Virtues in his teachings and governance to benefit all sentient beings.

Among them were five yaksas. Without realizing it, they were recipients of the king’s love and care. We know that yaksas are vicious by nature, but without realizing it, they were influenced by the people’s practice of the Four All-Embracing Virtues, charitable giving, beneficial conduct, working together and loving speech, and how they shared the Dharma with each other.

So, one day, these five yaksas, in great agony, came before King Maitribala. They respectfully told him, “Your Majesty, you constantly encourage people to be loving and we have experienced that love. But we yaksas are like vampires. I want to uphold and practice the teachings, but my body really needs fresh human blood. I really don’t know what to do. I’m so hungry that I feel like I’m on fire.”

King Maitribala could not bear this, so he said, “The body can only be sustained temporarily. Wisdom-life is more important; it is everlasting. I can help relieve your physical suffering momentarily, but I hope you will diligently nurture your everlasting wisdom-life.” After he finished speaking, he stabbed his body in five places with a sharp knife and let the wounds bleed. So, there were five places for the yaskas to feed.

This satisfied the yaksas’ blood cravings. Then King Maitribala said, “You have to be like me and vow to diligently walk the path to Buddhahood. Physical life is limited; only wisdom-life is everlasting. I vow to benefit sentient beings, life after life, and take on their suffering. I seek nothing else, only to attain Buddhahood and realize true principles. In the future, when I attain enlightenment, I hope you will be the first to receive my teachings.”

At this point in the story, the Buddha said, “Ananda, do you realize that. King Maitribala is none other than me? Those five yaksas are none other than. Ajnata Kaundinya and rest of the five bhiksus.”

Ananda realized this, but the Buddha had also spoken of a past life as a giant fish. When five fishermen first saw this giant fish, they were asked to tell others to come take his flesh to sustain their lives. So, what about those causes and conditions? The Buddha said, “These are the inconceivable workings of karma lifetime after lifetime.”

Those five yaksas and five fishermen seem to always be brought together by causes and conditions. And when they encountered great difficulties, in the Buddha’s past lives, He would appear in their time of greatest need. As the Buddha engaged in spiritual practice, He was always linked to them by affinities.

Therefore, as we interact with others, we must recognize that to engage in spiritual practice together in this lifetime, we must have done the same in previous lifetimes. Thus, our karmic affinities will always bring us together. So, to receive the Buddha’s teachings takes deep [affinities]. We may have even consumed His flesh or sucked his blood [in past lives]. There are causes and conditions behind all things.

He not only sustains our physical life and gives us the nourishment we need most, but He also helps us to sustain our wisdom-life. This comes from causes and conditions; this is how causes and conditions work. So, we have the One Buddha Vehicle [within us]. All Buddhas of the ten directions teach sentient beings in the same way. In the end, they all open the provisional to reveal the true. “There are not even two vehicles, much less three.” However, the reality of causes and conditions is something we must mindfully realize.

So, “There are not even two vehicles, much less three. Before giving the Lotus teachings, the Buddha gave skillful teachings. He did not tell Hearers and Solitary Realizers, the Two Vehicle practitioners, that they can attain Buddhahood.”

When He spoke to Hearers and Solitary Realizers, He did not tell them that they could also attain Buddhahood. He just told them that based on their capabilities, the Four Noble Truths are suitable for them. Thus, they should focus on comprehending them and realizing the causes of suffering in life and the way to eliminate suffering. He told them to focus on spiritual cultivation, on eliminating ignorance and afflictions. Solitary Realizers [are suited to] the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. The causes and conditions of all phenomena are what they are interested in, can understand, and are receptive to, so they should focus on realizing the law of karma. This is what He first asked them to be mindful of.

So, before giving the Lotus teachings, He utilized skillful means that suited them. The Buddha never told them that they also have the potential to be Buddhas. This is a rarely-given teaching.

Some had the affinity to listen to the Dharma but did not yet have mature capabilities, so He still could not tell everyone that they could all attain Buddhahood. Before giving the Lotus teachings, He did not say that Hearers and Solitary Realizers can attain Buddhahood. But at that moment, He was telling everyone that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature and. Hearers and Solitary Realizers can also attain Buddhahood.

We know this because the Buddha’s teachings have been passed on. Indeed, we already learned from sutras a long time ago that, “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]. We all intrinsically have a pure, intrinsic Buddha-nature.” I taught this at the beginning, so we should already know this. But during the time of the Buddha, before giving the Lotus teachings, He only taught according to capabilities. That was how He began His teachings.

At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, He gave true teachings, the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. He began to say that the Two Vehicle Dharma is really the One Buddha Vehicle. There are not two or three vehicles. All Buddhas of the Three Periods first give skillful means and provisional teachings. Then They open the provisional to reveal the true and bring all teachings back to the One Buddha Vehicle.

Dear Bodhisattvas, we are really very fortunate and very blessed. At this time, we can still listen to the Buddha-Dharma. Though we live over 2000 years after the Buddha, His teachings are [increasingly verified] by scientific advancements, so we can more deeply realize and understand that all things in the world have their own nature and change in subtle and wondrous ways. As long as we are mindful, by understanding one principle, we understand all. There is no need for two or three vehicles. Ultimately, there is just one truth. I hope you will always be mindful.