Category: TLS Chapter 2

Episode 276 – The Wondrous Dharma Is Rare and Precious

---

>>”The Buddha, for one great cause, carefully pondered [the right conditions] to freely express His original [teachings]. He skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma, so those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.”

>> So, the Buddha told Sariputra, “This wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time. Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.”

>> Udumbara means “good omen” and “auspicious response.” The flower is reddish-yellow and grows in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka. It blossoms once every 3000 years. The flower blossoms for only an instant. Therefore, things that are rarely seen or easily disappear in this world are said to be as fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower. Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.

>> Then He said, “Sariputra, you and the others must believe. The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”

---

“The Buddha, for one great cause,
carefully pondered [the right conditions] to freely express His original [teachings].
He skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma,
so those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.”

This is the Buddha’s state of mind. He comes to this world for one great cause. He returns on the ship of compassion solely to guide sentient beings onto the right course. In the past, He taught the Dharma according to people’s capabilities. As for the true wondrous Dharma He realized, “He remained quiet for a long time.” For a very long time, He did not reveal it all. He just kept it in His heart and continuously and meticulously pondered whether the karmic conditions of time, space and [His] relationships with people had all been fulfilled. So, this was the time to freely express and discuss it.

In the past, He was concerned that those who were not receptive to the teachings would develop a misunderstanding that would take them continuously down the wrong path. Therefore, He still considered not speaking it yet. But now, this was the time, so He very carefully and thoughtfully contemplated and considered ways to instill this Dharma in people’s minds. This required the Buddha to use. His most meticulous wisdom to give teachings. What He taught was the wondrous Dharma, and every word could penetrate the hearts of those who were listening. This was very important. If something was said but could not be accepted by the audience, then wasn’t it spoken unnecessarily? Or, if people misunderstand what they hear, will that slight error lead them far off course?

So, the Buddha was very careful and “skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma.” Only now had the karmic conditions matured. The time, place and people were exactly right. At this time, the Buddha believed that. “Those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.” Those with sharper capabilities are better able to listen to and understand the Dharma.

We have mentioned that the 5000 people who could not understand the Dharma had already left. The Buddha believed that those who remained to seek and listen to the Dharma would be very attentive and would naturally benefit from it. The Buddha believed this was the right time.

So, the Buddha told Sariputra, “This wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time. Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.”

Before the Buddha taught the Dharma, He again reminded and alerted Sariputra by saying, “This wondrous Dharma,” meaning the Dharma He was about to expound was very subtle and wondrous, extremely profound. Therefore, the listeners must be very attentive. Although all Buddhas continue to give teachings, for them to expound the wondrous Dharma is “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This tells us that for Them to give the most profound teachings and for people to hear and understand it is very difficult.

They are constantly giving teachings, but are we mindfully listening? When we are listening attentively, every word of the teachings is wondrous Dharma. It is “taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time.” They constantly give this teaching, but if sentient beings’ capacities are insufficient, they will find it difficult to realize and comprehend the wondrous Dharma.

So, “when it is time” has two interpretations. One is that it is being taught at all times. Another is that this wondrous Dharma is only taught at certain times. This is telling us that the mind can pervade the Three Periods, which means those of us listening to the Dharma must realize [the importance] of mindfulness. If we mindfully listen to the Dharma, every word of it is wondrous. If we are not mindful, though all Buddhas are giving wondrous teachings, they go in one ear and out the other, and we just treat them as sounds. We do not take them to heart and do not apply them in our daily living. If the Dharma does not penetrate our hearts, we have not really connected with the essence of those teachings.

When we listen mindfully, every teaching contains wondrous principles. If we can truly recognize this, in the 86,400 seconds of each day, each second contains subtle, wondrous Dharma. However, we are very careless, and lax [in our practice]. So, though this Dharma passes by our ears and is in front of our eyes in our daily living, we allow this wondrous Dharma to slip past us every minute and second.

So, now the Buddha told Sariputra, “Sariputra, this wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time.” He was saying that the Dharma is always in our daily living. But with our current capabilities, the moments when we can connect to the Dharma are “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This is the Dharma, but though we try to remember the Dharma, so we can apply it throughout our lifetime, we may [retain it] for only an instant. We may hear very good Dharma but may not register it in time before it is gone. This is because of our [insufficient] capabilities. We constantly let the Dharma leak out. The time we have to truly absorb the Dharma and keep it in our hearts is as brief as the appearance of udumbara flowers.

Now, let us examine udumbara flowers. This is a very incredible flower; it rarely blossoms. Seeing it blossom is very rare. Udumbara is a Sanskrit word that means “good omen.” It is also called the “flower of good omens.” This flower responds to auspicious signs of the times. Only when something miraculous is about to happen does the flower blossom. So, [udumbara] also means “auspicious response.” Only when there is something auspicious in this world does the flower blossom. So, this flower is called “good omen” and is also called “auspicious response.” Therefore, it is very precious.

Its flowers are very beautiful and can be either red or yellow. It grows in the Himalayas, on Mt. Sumeru. Aside from there, it also grows in Sri Lanka. Although this plant exists, it rarely blossoms. How often does it blossom? According to [legends,] it blossoms only once every 3000 years. Otherwise, it only blossoms when something auspicious is happening in the world.

And when it does blossom, it happens very briefly. Perhaps when no one is looking, it will open to quickly reveal the flower and then immediately close. So, it appears very briefly. Thus, this flower is rarely seen in this world. It is rare for people to see it. So, “those moments are very fleeting.” It happens in a flash. So, in this world, what is very rarely seen and quickly disappears, anything that occurs like this is described as “fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower.” This is a way to describe something that rarely appears in the world and once it appears, quickly disappears. Therefore, it is very precious.

The Buddha-Dharma is the same. The Buddha-Dharma exists in the world, and worldly principles are inseparable from the Dharma. These principles of the world are what the Buddha analyzed when He came to this world. Many worldly principles can be found in our daily living. But we ordinary people, though our daily living is filled with teachings, allow these teachings to disappear from our perception and understanding. Clearly, the workings of the world are inseparable from the Dharma; the Dharma is always present in the world. But when we encounter it, we are unaware of it, just like the appearance of an udumbara flower. The Buddha is always teaching principles, but the moments that our minds can be connected to the Dharma are as “fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower.” Principles are heard but not retained. To attain this precious, respected Dharma is indeed very difficult.

Though He taught according to capabilities, everything He said was a true principle, but our capabilities may not be sufficient [to grasp it]. Some people can hear something very simple and attain realizations and understanding from it. This flower, the udumbara, blossoms in our hearts. The everlasting udumbara flower will always be in our hearts.

Udumbara means “good omen” and “auspicious response.” The flower is reddish-yellow and grows in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka. It blossoms once every 3000 years. The flower blossoms for only an instant. Therefore, things that are rarely seen or easily disappear in this world are said to be as fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower. Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.

“Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.” The Buddha was telling them that He was about to teach the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. “Unsurpassed, profound and wondrous Dharma” refers to the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma “is rare to encounter in billions of kalpas.” We have also made offerings to infinite Buddhas. Since Beginningless Time, we have had roots of goodness. We have been engaging in spiritual practice as. Sakyamuni Buddha’s fellow practitioners. “All Buddhas, the Tathagatas, [teach this] when it is time,” yet we have not realized this Dharma so far. Is it because it “is rare to encounter in billions of kalpas?” So, we need to be mindful.

The Buddha compares the [appearance of]. True Dharma to “the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This reminds us to be vigilant. The teaching may be gone in an instant. If we miss it, we cannot comprehend it. Every teaching is True Dharma. It matches our capacity in that instant. If we miss that moment, the wondrous Dharma would not enter our minds at all.

So, the Buddha warned everyone that. He was about to start teaching. He told Sariputra that all Buddhas are constantly teaching this, but “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.” We must pay close attention to this phrase and mindfully comprehend it. Honestly, it is a bit profound.

So everyone, in our minds, the Dharma is disappearing just like this. This is because we have Leaks. So, next we must cultivate the Three Flawless Studies, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, at the same time, as well as listening, contemplating and practicing. Only then can we take the Dharma to heart.

Then He said, “Sariputra, you and the others must believe. The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”

Everyone, we all need to believe this. Nothing the Buddha says is unreal or false. It is all True Dharma. So, the Buddha worried that we sentient beings, while listening to the Dharma, may continue to give rise to doubts. As we listen to the Dharma, we must be filled with respect and faith. He worried that listeners at the Dharma-assembly did not have sufficient faith. So, the Buddha said, once again, “You and the others must believe. “The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”

In this sutra, the Buddha repeatedly told everyone that all Buddhas’ words are not unreal or false. He was worried that those at the Dharma-assembly would not carefully ponder the Dharma after listening to it. So, He wanted them to listen, contemplate and practice with respect and faith. After they listen to it, they must ponder it and put it into practice.

In this sutra, the Buddha continuously reminds us that we “must believe.” We need to have faith in, ponder, be mindful of teachings and put it into practice. He repeated these instructions, hoping that we will listen to the Dharma and always be mindful.

Episode 275 – Be Pure and True

---

>> “These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained what they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.”

>>”The indolent ones left. Without respect for the Buddha or faith in the Dharma, their own minds gave rise to obstacles. The roots of their negative karma were deep and grave, and they had the karmic obstacle of overbearing arrogance.”

>>”At that time, the Buddha told Sariputra, ‘My assembly has now been cleared of branches and leaves, and only the steadfast and true remain.'”

>>”Sariputra, they are overbearingly arrogant people. Is is good that they left.”

>> The assembly has been cleared of its branches and leaves: Branches and leaves refer to those without deeply-rooted virtues. One without a strong root of faith or a sense of respect is an overbearingly arrogant person.

>>”Only the steadfast and true remain.” Those who are honest and steadfast do not flatter or fawn as they accept the Dharma. They are praised as those among the assembly who are endowed with virtue and faith.

>>”[The Buddha said,] ‘You must now listen well, and I shall expound it for you.’ Sariputra said, ‘Most certainly, World-Honored One We would be eager and delighted to hear it.'”

---

As we mentioned previously, when the Buddha agreed to teach the Lotus Sutra, He had been safeguarding this teaching in His mind for over 40 years. So, it was about time. But people’s minds were still not ready, so He kept waiting for devoted and diligent individuals to become ready to receive the Dharma. Those who were lazy and indolent could not patiently wait through the test of time, thus naturally they left the assembly. So, as we mentioned previously,

“These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained what they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.”

A previous sutra passage discussed how Sariputra earnestly made requests, but the Buddha kept waiting for people’s capabilities to fully mature. Then when the Buddha was about to speak, 5000 people left the assembly right away. When the Buddha finally agreed to teach, these 5000 people paid their respects and left. The Buddha then said, “These people’s roots of transgressions are deep and grave and they have such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained what they had not.” As [the Buddha] was about to teach, these people believed that they already understood everything, so they left the assembly. They were overbearingly arrogant people

overbearingly arrogant people were actually lazy. These lazy people refused to be diligent, so they left. So, not only were they lazy, as the Buddha was about to preach, they actually left without seeking to further understand the Dharma. These people lacked respect and faith. They had no respect for the Buddha, no respect nor faith in the Dharma. This was how they obstructed their own minds. Because of this, they gave rise to overbearing arrogance. This was their karmic obstacle. So, today we will talk about how.

“The indolent ones left. Without respect for the Buddha or faith in the Dharma, their own minds gave rise to obstacles. The roots of their negative karma were deep and grave, and they had the karmic obstacle of overbearing arrogance.”

Because the roots of their bad karma were deep and grave, [they left] even though they had encountered such good Dharma. “It is rare to attain human form and to hear the Dharma.” Although they had attained human form and also encountered the Buddha-Dharma, when the Buddha began to expound the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma, they became indolent and gave rise to disrespect and disbelief. This was why they left the assembly. Their own minds gave rise to obstacles. This was because the roots of their transgressions were deep and grave and had not been completely uprooted. “The roots of their negative karma were deep and grave”

and they created karmic obstacles of overbearing arrogance. So, we must all be vigilant. Have we been indolent? Do we earnestly listen to the Dharma? When we listen to the Dharma, do we feel respect and have faith? If we are not earnest and diligent and lack respect and faith, our minds will give rise to our own obstructions. This kind of negative karma is deep-rooted.

I always wondered, during the Buddha’s lifetime, when the causes and conditions on Vulture Peak had finally matured, when they encountered this rare opportunity, how could 5000 people just simply pay their respects and leave? I constantly pondered this. This was such a precious opportunity; Why would they leave?

If the causes of our transgressions are very deep and our negative karmic conditions are very grave, eliminating them will not be easy. Therefore, we must constantly be self-vigilant. We created these causes ourselves. We also created these conditions ourselves. How can we uproot these old causes and conditions? We must be very diligent. Only if we are diligent can we eliminate our arrogance and indolence.

Take a look around, there is so much that we can put into practice. But often, while others are diligent, we remain lazy and indolent and simply waste our time. This behavior will also deepen our bad karma. While others are taking action and being diligent, we simply remain bystanders; does that mindset actually make us happy? Not at all. When all of us get involved and diligently work together, then we can be happy and at peace. This is how we can feel peaceful and free.

This is why we must constantly be vigilant and take good care of our minds. On the contrary, when the Buddha was still alive and was about to teach the wondrous Dharma, those who obstructed themselves with bad karma just paid their respects to the Buddha and left. Knowing that these people caused themselves to lose out on this opportunity, He was sad, but there was nothing to do. So, He “remained silent and did not stop them.” He quietly let them leave.

Can we imagine how sad the Buddha was at that moment? 5000 people! When 5000 people left the assembly, imagine what things were like then. This must have been really hard on Him, especially when. He had spent so much effort to teach according to capabilities for over 40 years. But in this place where He waited for people’s capabilities to mature, He saw so many people whose capabilities were still not mature. So, the Buddha was very saddened.

The following sutra passage contains what the Buddha said after these people left.

“At that time, the Buddha told Sariputra, ‘My assembly has now been cleared of branches and leaves, and only the steadfast and true remain.'”

“My assembly” referred to those who steadfastly sat before Him and joyfully waited for the Buddha to teach the True Dharma. Sariputra had made his request three times, and [the Buddha] stopped him three times. However, he sincerely asked for the teachings three times, so now this group of people, “My assembly” all the disciples in this assembly, “have been cleared of branches and leaves,” They are all very genuine and “only the steadfast and true remain.” So, every one of them is a seed.

Take trees for example. Sometimes we prune tree branches and plant the cuttings in the soil, but they do not have roots. Therefore, the Buddha said that the disciples who were before Him were not like such branches and leaves. They were all seeds. Seeds fall into the soil, and after being nurtured by water, nutrients, sunlight, they begin to grow, gradually becoming a big tree. The tree then begins to bear lots of fruit. So, [these disciples] are “the steadfast and true.” We will explain this further later.

At this moment, though the Buddha [was sad] that 5000 people left the assembly, when He saw the disciples who sat before Him and remained steadfast, He was delighted and praised them, “Only the steadfast and true remain” because they were about to blossom and fruit. So, the Buddha said again,

“Sariputra, they are overbearingly arrogant people. Is is good that they left.”

Those who stayed were wonderful. It is good that those who left, did. Otherwise, if they could not accept the Dharma, they would then spread the wrong teachings. “When one person speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.” These overbearingly arrogant people only had partial understandings of the Dharma. But they continued to believe that the teachings they had realized were the best. Though they listened to the Dharma here, when they left, they taught whatever they wanted. That was not the True Dharma. So, they “spoke false words.” What they taught was not true; it was “false.” But when other people heard it, they mistook it for the truth and transmitted it to others. Therefore, the Buddha did not want people who felt no respect or faith to stay. Therefore, it was good that they left.

Let us examine this. “My assembly has been cleared of its branches and leaves.” We previously talked about inserting cuttings into the soil. This essentially means they were “without deeply-rooted virtues.” They had not engaged in spiritual practice, so even though they were inserted in the soil, they had not extended their roots. So, they were “without deeply-rooted virtues” and did not naturally give rise to respect or faith. They listened, but they did not have respect or faith. Since they felt disrespect and disbelief, naturally their roots were not deep. Without strong root of faith, naturally they did not have any respect.

The assembly has been cleared of its branches and leaves: Branches and leaves refer to those without deeply-rooted virtues. One without a strong root of faith or a sense of respect is an overbearingly arrogant person.

These branches and leaves were cuttings that were inserted into the soil. Now, there were no such people left. People who lacked faith and respect had left. “Only the steadfast and true remained.” Those who were “honest and steadfast did not flatter or fawn.” These people were ready to accept the Dharma, so “only the steadfast and true remain.” From the bottom of their hearts, they respected the Buddha and believed in the Dharma.

“Only the steadfast and true remain.” Those who are honest and steadfast do not flatter or fawn as they accept the Dharma. They are praised as those among the assembly who are endowed with virtue and faith.

They mindfully listened to the Dharma, and when they transmitted and promoted it, they accurately spread the true Dharma. The Buddha hoped to pass the Dharma to those who were steadfast and true. So, He praised those who were still sitting at the Dharma-assembly, waiting for the Buddha to give teachings. The Buddha praised them happily as

being “endowed with virtue and faith.” They were replete with both virtue and faith. Virtue comes from spiritual practice. Faith comes from utmost sincerity. They were the most honest people. This means that if we want to engage in spiritual practice, we must have qualities such as sincerity, integrity, faith and honesty. Only then can we spread the Dharma-lineage. So, in this assembly, the Buddha praised these determined people, who chose to stay and listen to the Dharma. They were endowed with virtue and faith and engaged in spiritual practice to strengthen their faith.

Next, the sutra states,

“[the Buddha said,] ‘You must now listen well, and I shall expound it for you.’ Sariputra said, ‘Most certainly, World-Honored One We would be eager and delighted to hear it.'”

This was the dialogue between the Buddha and. His disciple. The Buddha was now happy that they had already given rise to respect and faith and were ready to accept this wondrous True Dharma. The Buddha was joyful, and He again reminded them, “You must now listen well.” Since they decided to stay, they must listen attentively. Didn’t we say earlier that we must “listen, contemplate and practice”? After we listen well, we must contemplate mindfully. After contemplating, we must put it into practice.

After those 5000 people left, the Buddha reiterated, “You must now listen well, and I shall expound it for you.” Those who should leave had already left, those with strong belief had stayed. Everyone must remember [the Dharma] and listen attentively. “Listen well” means to listen earnestly. Earlier He said, “Listen for truths” which means to listen carefully. Now He said, “Listen well,” which means to listen earnestly. “I shall expound it for you.” The Buddha earnestly reminded them once again listen for truths and listen well as. He began to speak.

Sariputra also joyfully responded with, “Most certainly,” meaning definitely, absolutely. He told the Buddha they would be happy to listen. Their faith was strong; as they listened to the Dharma with reverence, they would be very happy.

The Buddha had already promised Sariputra that. He would teach these extremely profound and wondrous principles. But those who listened must have firm respect and faith, respect for the Buddha and faith in the Dharma. Without respect and faith, they would hear something false and transmit something that was not true. The Buddha did not want this to happen. He hoped that everyone would accept the Dharma with sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. Then, when they spread the Dharma to others, they could spread the truth. This was the Buddha’s original intention, so we sentient beings must accept and uphold it. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 274 – Do Not Obstruct Your Own Mind

---

>>”Sariputra led the assembly in earnestly asking the Buddha three times to freely express the original [teachings] that. He had guarded in His mind. So, He decided to open the Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One [Vehicle] and expound True Dharma.”

>>”Sariputra, you have earnestly made this request three times. How can I not expound it?” Therefore, “now you must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful.”

>> To listen for truths is the wisdom of listening. To ponder carefully is the wisdom of contemplating. To be mindful is the wisdom of practicing.

>>”As He said these words, at the assembly were bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, 5000 in all, who rose from their seats, prostrated to the Buddha and left.”

>>”What was the reason? These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained what they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.”

>> These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave. This explains why the indolent ones left. Without respect or faith, with deep and grave roots of transgressions, they obstructed their own minds and gave rise to overbearing arrogance. These were their karmic obstacles.

>> So, “At that time, the Buddha told Sariputra, ‘My assembly has now been cleared of branches and leaves, ‘and only the steadfast and true remain Sariputra, they are overbearingly arrogant people It is good that they left.'”

---

“Sariputra led the assembly
in earnestly asking the Buddha three times
to freely express the original [teachings] that.
He had guarded in His mind.
So, He decided to open the Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One [Vehicle]
and expound True Dharma.”

This is telling everyone that. When the Buddha began to teach wondrous Dharma. He had to direct the teachings at someone, so of course He directed them at someone wise. Therefore Sariputra, who was foremost in wisdom, earnestly asked the Buddha on everyone’s behalf. Although the Buddha said “stop” three times and would not speak any further, Sariputra’s wisdom made him suitable to [accept] the Dharma that the Buddha guarded in His mind. This was the one great cause for which the Buddha returned on the ship of compassion, to teach sentient beings to return to their intrinsic nature.

After 40-plus years, this was the most critical moment. The Buddha felt He had to expound the. Dharma that He had been guarding in His mind since attaining enlightenment. When the Buddha stopped three times, Sariputra asked Him three times. Now causes and conditions had matured, so He could “freely express the original [teaching] that He had guarded in His mind.” So, “He decided to open the Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One [Vehicle].” Now He saw that causes and conditions had matured. He connected and brought the limited teachings of the Three Vehicles together to return to the One Vehicle Dharma. Therefore, it was said that, He “opened the Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One [Vehicle] and expounded True Dharma.” Now, He was about to begin.

You may recall the previous [sutra passage] where the World-Honored One said,

“Sariputra, you have earnestly made this request three times. How can I not expound it?” Therefore, “now you must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful.”

We must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful. [These three are all related to wisdom].

To listen for truths is the wisdom of listening. To ponder carefully is the wisdom of contemplating. To be mindful is the wisdom of practicing.

This means we must “listen, contemplate and practice.”

All of the Buddha’s teachings are virtuous Dharma. For those with limited capabilities, He began by advising everyone to uphold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Good Deeds. Tzu Chi promotes the Ten Precepts. The Buddha instituted the Five Precepts, but in Tzu Chi we uphold the Ten Precepts. On top of the foundational Five Precepts, we must also avoid smoking, gambling, and chewing betel nuts. We must immediately practice filial piety, do good deeds, obey traffic rules and so on. We must also guard our speech and actions. These are rules Tzu Chi volunteers must follow. So, the Five Precepts became the Ten Precepts to better suit modern times.

During the Buddha’s time, some in the Sangha misbehaved. Thus the Buddha, based on their ways of living, came up with rules for them to follow so that the Sangha would be fit to pass [the Dharma] to future generations. So, there are 250 precepts for bhiksus and over 300 precepts for bhiksunis. For some, there are even 500 precepts. Why are there so many precepts? Because our habitual tendencies cause our behavior to worsen. So, we engage in spiritual practice to change our habitual tendencies.

So, the Buddha created a new regulation for each new [wrongdoing] people would commit. As He slowly established rules, people continued to commit different [wrongs]. Thus, over a long period of time, the number of precepts continued to increase. Other than precepts created in the Buddha’s time, there were other rules that were added by the patriarchs of later periods when they felt, “We need to add this; we need to add that.” Clearly, since the Buddha’s lifetime over 2000 years ago, not only have we spiritual practitioners been unable to stay on this path and strictly abide the precepts, we keep developing additional habitual tendencies. We keep developing habitual tendencies, we keep committing transgressions, and that is why there are more and more rules.

So, the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds are worldly virtuous Dharma. What about world-transcending virtuous Dharma? We also talked about. “Three Studies and Six Perfections” earlier. The Three Studies are Three Flawless Studies, which are precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. If we can uphold precepts, we can take the Dharma into our hearts. When we take the Dharma into our hearts, we will manifest it in our actions. Then even though we live in this world, naturally we will not stray from the path of being a good person and will uphold the Buddha’s rules. So, this is why we have precepts.

Engaging in spiritual practice without discipline is not considered spiritual practice. If we uphold precepts, our minds will be focused and in Samadhi. There are many pitfalls in this world, and only with Samadhi can we resist the many temptations in the world. So, our minds must be in Samadhi for us to take the Dharma to heart and retain it without letting it leak out. If the Dharma is in our minds, then the infinite Dharma-doors in the world can awaken our wisdom.

What about the Six Perfections? As we know, they are giving, upholding precepts, patience, [diligence,] Samadhi and wisdom. These are the methods we use as we go among people to help them.

If we want to transcend the world and engage in purifying spiritual practice, we must be able to interact with others without being influenced by them and remaining firm instead. We can deliver ourselves and others, as if we are crossing from the shore of ordinary people to the shore of noble beings. We do this through the Six Perfections, which are world-transcending virtuous Dharma.

World-transcending virtuous Dharma can be profound or simple. Those with great capabilities can gain profound understanding from even the simplest teachings. But those with limited capabilities, even after listening to profound teachings, will not be able to accept them. Therefore, the Dharma needs to be taught according to capabilities. Because there were those whose capabilities had not matured, the Buddha said “stop” three times. So, if the time was right, the place was right and people’s conditions were mature, of course He would teach the virtuous Dharma.

Thus, “the World-Honored One told Sariputra, ‘You have earnestly made this request three times. How can I not expound it?'” Do you remember this? The previous sutra passage also stated, “‘Now you must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful I will expound it to you.'”

The next passage in the sutra states,

“As He said these words, at the assembly were bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, 5000 in all, who rose from their seats, prostrated to the Buddha and left.”

Let us look at this passage in the sutra. The Buddha finally agreed to Sariputra’s request. “You have made this request three times. How can I not teach it? I will begin to teach it”. Everyone must listen attentively. You must listen, contemplate and practice the virtuous Dharma taught in the past and the world-transcending virtuous Dharma. You must all be mindful.”

After He finished saying this, 5000 people in the assembly, among them bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. These were some of the people present. They comprised the fourfold assembly. Think of how large a contingent 5000 people is! Altogether, they prostrated to the Buddha and left. Wasn’t this hard on Him?

I have previously mentioned that when the Buddha was finally going to expound the wondrous Dharma, some lacked patience and felt that this was too long to wait for teachings. What were these “three stops and three requests” all about? When they heard the Buddha say, “I am about to teach, please be mindful,” they took this opportunity to stand up, prostrate and leave. Although they sincerely paid their respect, they left the assembly nonetheless. Think about this; if we are about to speak and see people leaving, two or three at a time, we will already have a sense that we have failed, or that we are not being respected. But at that assembly, 5000 people left. They stood up, prostrated and left. Wouldn’t you think this was hard on the Buddha?

Most ordinary people in that situation would feel like they have lost face. “I was about to speak, but so many people walked out.” But the Buddha had been waiting for this moment. Why?

“What was the reason? These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained what they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.”

So, this was the reason. The roots of their transgressions were deep and grave. Their minds were indolent, so they were not diligent and had no respect or faith. These people were lazy and lacked respect and faith because they had deep and grave roots of transgressions.

These people’s roots of transgressions. were deep and grave. This explains why the indolent ones left. Without respect or faith, with deep and grave roots of transgressions, they obstructed their own minds and gave rise to overbearing arrogance. These were their karmic obstacles.

These people gave rise to their own obstructions. So, when the Buddha began to teach, their minds gave rise to hindrances, so they did not want to hear it. When they became indolent, they also gave rise to disrespect. So, as the Buddha was about to teach, they became impatient and disrespectful. This is how they obstructed themselves. So, the roots of their transgressions were deep and grave,

and they also gave rise to overbearing arrogance. They “claim to have attained what they had not.” They felt, “I have heard and known many things. After the Buddha gave one teaching, I realized ten teachings. I have understood all [His teachings] from the past 40-plus years. I have heard a lot about the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.” ․”I have attained more realizations from them than anyone else. I can even expound the Dharma to other people.” People like these, “who claimed to have attained what they had not,” are the ones with overbearing arrogance.

They feel that they know a lot, so they go out and give teachings to others based on a partial understanding and their own biased views. “When one speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.” After listening to the Dharma, they only have a partial understanding. So, then they add their own biased views to it and and proceed to teach it to others. Naturally, some people would think that this teaching came from the Buddha and accept it as the truth. When one person speaks a lie, though his words are false, the listeners believe it as the truth. So when “one speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.” Other people continue to transmit it as truth.

The Buddha was worried that if these overbearingly arrogant people continued to listen, they would go out and spread false teachings. So, the Buddha was waiting for them to leave. This was a very critical moment. Why else would He have said, “Stop, stop, there is no need to speak any further,” three times? The Buddha sensed that these people’s patience had just about run out. Their indolent minds were about to manifest. So naturally they would want to leave. This was the moment the Buddha was waiting for.

So, the Buddha did not stop them. He did not tell them to not go or force them to stay to listen. In the Buddha’s wisdom, He was waiting for this moment, because this Dharma was not suited to these people’s capabilities; therefore, they had to leave.

So, “At that time, the Buddha told Sariputra, ‘My assembly has now been cleared of branches and leaves, ‘and only the steadfast and true remain Sariputra, they are overbearingly arrogant people It is good that they left.'”

This implied, “Good, all those who needed to go have left.” The ones who remained were steadfast. [The assembly was] “cleared of its branches and leaves.” The dead twigs and rotten leaves were completely gone. The people who remained were all “steadfast and true.” Each one was a good seed. He told Sariputra that “they are overbearingly arrogant people. It is good that they left.” It was best that they left.

See, when these indolent, overbearingly arrogant people who refused to hear the Dharma left, the Buddha was glad, too. Since they were indolent and could not accept the True Dharma, it was better that they not listen. This way, they would not create more karma. The Buddha also had great compassion for them. So, fellow Bodhisattvas, the True Dharma is rarely heard. From now on, we must always be mindful.

Episode 273 – Do Not Be Attached to Your Own Views

---

We can hear the rain outside; a typhoon is passing through today. We humans, living in nature, must always remain vigilant and reverent and pray for everyone’s safety.

The sound of the rain is so loud. Let me share with you a story about a group of people who lived in the Buddha’s time but could not comprehend His principles. Thus, some of them ended up on a deviant path. Moreover, during the Buddha’s time, many people engaged in [strange practices]. There were over 90 forms of spiritual practice. Therefore, religion was very complicated, and it was impossible for Him to guide everyone onto the correct path. The Buddha hoped to forge a proper path [for them to follow,] so He focused on His spiritual cultivation. After He attained enlightenment, He just had one thing on His mind. Because He realized that every person has the same intrinsic nature as Buddhas, He wanted to share His realizations with them all. However, people did not have the sharp capabilities to instantly accept this, so He had to give all kinds of teachings to suit their capabilities. This was the way the Buddha gave teachings when He was in the world.

During that time, bhiksus, as part of their daily living, had to go out and ask for alms. One day, the bhiksus left earlier than usual. To ask for alms, they had to wait until people finished cooking before they could go door to door. It was still early, so this group of bhiksus waited in the lecture hall of a non-Buddhist group. They stayed in that place to rest until it was time to ask for alms.

At that moment, these non-Buddhists were discussing teachings. Their discussion was very animated. [These bhiksus] heard them say, “My principles are the true ones.” Others also said, “No, my principles are the real ones.” Yet another said, “No, my understanding is the correct one.” Basically, they were fighting with words. They seemed to be attacking each other, arguing nonstop.

As these bhiksus listened to them, they felt very fortunate that they could follow the Buddha. The Buddha taught Right Dharma, and every single principle He taught applied to all things in the world as well as basic human morality. These great principles all made perfect sense. The more they listened to these non-Buddhists argue so vehemently, the more blessed they felt. With this sense of happiness, when the time came, they went to ask for alms, house by house.

Afterwards, they reconvened at the abode. They ate, washed their hands and feet, then prepared to listen to the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha came and sat before them. After they all sat and settled down, this group of bhiksus gave Him their report. They talked about how they rested at the lecture hall of this non-Buddhist group before going out to ask for alms, that they heard these practitioners arguing [so fiercely] with each other that they all started using harsh words. They attacked each other with harsh language, basically insisting their own views were correct. The bhiksus reported this incident to the Buddha.

After the Buddha heard this, He smiled and told them, “My bhiksus, you must know that thoroughly understanding principles is not that easy.” Then the Buddha told the following story.

Many kalpas ago, which was a very long time ago, there was a king named Mirror-Face. He had great reverence for the Buddha-Dharma and studied the teachings. He had only one wish, to transmit the Buddha’s Right Dharma to everyone in the country, so they could understand, accept and then practice it. But at that time, he felt powerless to do so. Though he was the king and governed the country, he could not guide people’s beliefs and thinking in the same direction. He observed that his country’s citizens all believed in deviant and erroneous teachings. Thus, he was very worried for them. It is very hard to attain human form, and once people did, it would be a pity if they did not hear the correct teachings of the Buddha.

So, King Mirror-Face thought about what to do. He came up with an idea and issued a command to his ministers. “Travel the country, find those who were born blind and bring them here.” At the same time, he ordered for all the elephants in the palace to be gathered in the same place. Then the king said, “Please ask these blind people to stand next to the elephants and reach out to touch them.”

Some reached out and touched an elephant’s trunk. Some touched an elephant’s leg. Others touched an elephant’s stomach. Yet others touched an elephant’s ears. After everyone reached out and touched something, the king gathered them and asked, “Now do you know what an elephant looks like?” The blind people said, “Yes, we do. So, what does an elephant look like? What is it shaped like?”

The people who touched the ear said, “An elephant is like a giant fan.” The people who touched the stomach said, “No, an elephant is like a drum. No, the elephant is like a drum.” Those who touched the trunk or leg said, “That is not right. Based on what I felt, I think an elephant looks like a giant column.” Based on what they felt, that sensation determined the image they had of an elephant. So, they said an elephant was like such-and-such a thing. Because of this, they began arguing. None of them wanted to concede. They each felt something different, so they all argued for what they thought was true.

Then King Mirror-Face told his ministers, “Explain [the truth] to this group of people.” So, the ministers began to describe the appearance of an elephant to these blind people. “What you have touched is only part of an elephant. All of you are right. But all of you are wrong to cling to your views. Indeed, the ear is like a fan. It is only one of an elephant’s body parts. Some of you touched a leg. An elephant has four legs and a trunk. As you have said, they feel like columns. Indeed, an elephant is very large, so parts of it do seem like columns. That is also correct. As for those of you who felt that an elephant is like a drum. Indeed, an elephant is very big, and the round part you felt is very much like a drum. But, that is only part of its body, only one of its many aspects.”

However, the blind people were still doubtful. “I did not feel the things you mentioned. What I felt was such-and-such.” Those who felt the ears stubbornly still said it was like a fan. Those who felt the legs and trunk still stubbornly said it was like a column. Those who felt the stomach still stubbornly said it was like a drum. This led King Mirror-Face to sigh. He said, “There seems to be as many kinds of elephants as there are blind people here. But all elephants are basically the same. It is just that each person is attached to a different [aspect of the elephant]. Even after someone explained it to them, they still cannot comprehend the true appearance of an elephant. We are all like them; we each cling to our own views. We each cling to our own perceptions. Because of our attachments, each of us think we have attained the true principles. People of this world are like this. Because of our attachments, we can never draw near the Buddha’s Right Dharma.”

This was how King Mirror-Face exercised his wisdom to guide the people in his kingdom, to help all of them thoroughly comprehend the Buddha’s teachings, the One Vehicle Dharma. He used an analogy to explain how, when we listen to teachings, we become attached to one of them. And worse than those who become attached to the Buddha’s teachings are those who do not even hear His Dharma. They do not even hear the Small Vehicle teachings, and instead, they follow deviant paths. They practice according to deviant paths and teachings.

This was how, during His lifetime, the Buddha exercised wisdom, He frequently used analogies that referred to things that happened long ago. When it comes to teachings, there is Right Dharma as well as deviant principles. Sentient beings, for the most part, cling to deviant teachings. So, they have deviant understanding and views. Thus, sentient beings suffer. Their suffering comes from their minds. With minds filled by deviant understanding and views, they do not have the chance to connect with right understanding, right views or Right Dharma. Therefore, they continuously grow in ignorance and suffer the consequence of not being able to liberate their minds. They reproduce their afflictions and often create bad karma, because they cannot understand the true principles of the law of karma.

This is why the Buddha gave teachings according to capabilities. When this group of bhiksus heard the arguments between those non-Buddhists, they found them very amusing. They wondered why they were unwilling to believe in the right principles and were continuously arguing over these incorrect and deviant ideas. Hearing the ridiculousness of these other principles, they thought about how lucky they were to be by the Buddha’s side and listen to Him give teachings. So when they returned to their abode, they shared their experience with the Buddha and asked for His guidance. Then, the Buddha used the teaching about the blind men touching elephants to explain people’s attachments to their own views.

In discussing the Lotus Sutra, we hear that, for a very long time, the Buddha wanted to give true teachings, the subtle wondrous principles of ultimate reality. But He could not teach these because people were like the blind men touching the elephant. They still had attachments, and in addition, gave rise to overbearing arrogance. Therefore, the Buddha was still waiting. He had to wait for quite a long time. May we all, with utmost reverence and diligence, respect heaven and earth and, with gratitude, pray for the safety of the world and the safety of all people. As time continuously passes, we must always be mindful.

Episode 272 – Virtuous Dharma Is the Seed of Nirvana

---

>>”The Buddha was concerned that sentient beings would not understand the One Vehicle Dharma, and when they heard it, would give rise to overbearing arrogance, refuse to draw near virtuous friends, not respectfully listen to Right Dharma and reject the meaning and intent behind it.”

>> The countless beings assembled here can respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught and transformed ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words. There are 1200 of us, and more, seeking the Buddha’s teachings. For those assembled here, I pray You will bestow teachings in detail. Having heard this Dharma, we will give rise to great joy.

>>”At that time, the World-Honored One told Sariputra, ‘You have earnestly made this request three times How can I not expound it? Now you must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful For your sake, I will now analyze and explain it in detail.'”

>> To listen for truths is to have wisdom of listening. To ponder carefully is to have wisdom of contemplating. To be mindful is to have wisdom of practicing.

>> Virtuous Dharma is the cause of Nirvana: 1. Draw near virtuous friends 2. Listen to and learn Right Dharma 3. Contemplate its meaning.

>> The Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds are virtuous Dharma for living in this world. The Three [Flawless] Studies and Six Paramitas are virtuous Dharma for transcending the world. Though they range from superficial to profound, they are all proper principles that benefit us. Therefore, they are virtuous Dharma.

---

“The Buddha was concerned that sentient beings
would not understand the One Vehicle Dharma,
and when they heard it, would give rise to overbearing arrogance,
refuse to draw near virtuous friends, not respectfully listen to Right Dharma
and reject the meaning and intent behind it.”

This is telling everyone that the Buddha was still concerned for sentient beings. His mind is always connected to the minds of sentient beings. He worried that they would not understand the One Vehicle Dharma. Their capabilities only allowed them to accept the “gradual Small Vehicle Dharma,” But time waits for no one. Since the Buddha came to the world, over 70 years had passed, so this One Vehicle Dharma had to be taught as soon as possible. But He saw that sentient beings still could not understand it, so He was worried.

They had listened to the Dharma for over 40 years, and a small number of people started to give rise to overbearing arrogance. They thought they knew everything, “I have been listening for so long, so I understand everything.” They felt a sense of overbearing arrogance. Take Devadatta for example. He followed the Buddha and listened to teachings and thought he understood everything. So, he gave rise to overbearing arrogance, slandered the Buddha and Dharma to other people and also established his own school of practice. This was not right.

So, “when they heard it, [they] would give rise to overbearing arrogance and refuse to draw near virtuous friends.” Those with right understanding, right views and Right Dharma are virtuous friends. But there are those who choose to avoid virtuous friends like these because they have lost respect for Right Dharma and “will not respectfully listen to Right Dharma.” They refuse to draw near virtuous friends and respect the Right Dharma, so they “reject the meaning and intent behind it.” To reject means they let go of their intent to learn Right Dharma.

Take Devadatta, whom we just mentioned. In addition to his own overbearing arrogance, he stirred up trouble in the Sangha and caused some people to distance themselves from the Buddha. They left the Sangha to follow Devadatta. This is what the Buddha worried about.

“The Buddha was concerned that sentient beings would not understand the One Vehicle Dharma.” This is something we have discussed for a long time; it is all about the Buddha’s mindset [at the time]. The Dharma He had guarded in His mind had to be taught at this time; but among the assembly, there was still a minority who “did not understand Right Dharma.” Concerned that they would commit slander, the Buddha still withheld the Dharma. But Sariputra repeatedly and earnestly asked the Buddha to teach the Dharma. This was already the third time he asked. The Buddha said, “Stop, stop, there is no need to speak further,” but Sariputra did not give up and persisted in requesting teachings.

Sariputra also said, “Venerable Buddha, please do not worry. The people here are like me, Sariputra, who has followed You for a long time. Here, over 1200 of us have been part of Your retinue. All of us can faithfully accept and practice Your teachings. In addition to people like us, there are countless others who have also been taught by You in the past. There are many of us, so Venerable Buddha, please do not worry. Please, out of Your compassion, explain the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma.” This was how Sariputra, on everyone’s behalf, requested teachings from the Buddha. He even vouched for them, saying, “When we hear this Dharma, we will feel joy and faithfully accept and practice it.” This showed Sariputra’s earnestness.

The countless beings assembled here can respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught and transformed ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words. There are 1200 of us, and more, seeking the Buddha’s teachings. For those assembled here, I pray You will bestow teachings in detail. Having heard this Dharma, we will give rise to great joy.

So, the Buddha had already heard Sariputra make this request again and again in this way.

“At that time, the World-Honored One told Sariputra, ‘You have earnestly made this request three times How can I not expound it? Now you must listen for truths, ponder carefully and be mindful For your sake, I will now analyze and explain it in detail.'”

Finally, the Buddha agreed to give the true and wondrous One Vehicle Dharma that He had guarded in His heart.

Before He gave this teaching, the Buddha reminded everyone to “ponder carefully and be mindful,” and to listen for truths.

To listen for truths is to use our “wisdom of listening.” Listening does not mean afterwards we just say, “I know, I know. Do you know? Yes, yes. Do you understand? I do, I do.” This is not the way to listen. We must not listen to the teachings with a discriminating mind. We must listen to the Dharma with wisdom, not [analyze it] with ordinary intelligence. So, the Buddha asked everyone to listen for “truths,” to listen for true principles. This way of listening is very attentive. We call this “listening for truths.” When we to focus on listening and on taking the Dharma to heart, we use the “wisdom of listening.”

“To ponder carefully” is to have “wisdom of contemplating.” We must do more than just listen to the Dharma. We must also reflect on it. We often say, “Listen, contemplate and practice.” After listening to the Dharma, we must carefully contemplate the principles it contains. All Dharma originates from one mind, one thought. The One Dharma we are listening to right now is the one thought that gives rise to all Dharma. We must mindfully listen to the wisdom that came from the Buddha’s one thought and take it into our minds.

When we listen to teachings wholeheartedly, our minds can encompass all Dharma. So, we must contemplate [the Dharma]. After listening to a seemingly simple teaching from the Buddha, if we carefully contemplate it, we realize it already encompasses the truths of all things in the universe.

If we carefully contemplate it, we will see that each teaching encompasses extremely profound principles. As for this teachings, we must “ponder carefully and be mindful.” To be mindful is to have “wisdom of practicing.” We listen, contemplate and then practice. After we listen to and really contemplate it, we must put the teachings into practice.

To listen for truths is to have wisdom of listening. To ponder carefully is to have wisdom of contemplating. To be mindful is to have wisdom of practicing.

All Dharma expounded by the Buddha is virtuous. Virtuous Dharma is a cause for Nirvana. I often tell everyone that Nirvana is not death; Nirvana is a state of tranquility and stillness. Our minds are full of afflictions, so they are [never quiet]. Therefore, we engage in spiritual practice to eliminate these defilements and afflictions. One by one, we must remove our greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, etc. Even after eliminating greed, anger and ignorance, there is still arrogance, like the overbearing arrogance we discussed before. Or, if we are unable to understand the Dharma, there may still be doubts in our minds. If we still have arrogance and doubt, we cannot take the Dharma into our minds, as these block the Buddha-Dharma from entering our minds. Thus we will never be able to enter the state of Nirvana.

Therefore, virtuous Dharma helps us enter the state of Nirvana, the state of tranquility and calm illumination. Then our minds will always be radiant, pure and undefiled. This is the state of Nirvana. “Tranquil and clear” also describe the state of Nirvana. For our minds to reach this state, we must already have realized the True Suchness of our intrinsic nature and returned to that state of mind. This is the state of Nirvana. Returning to True Suchness requires virtuous Dharma. The Dharma is like water that cleanses our minds. Obstacles such as afflictions, ignorance, arrogance, doubt and so on, cannot be eliminated without virtuous Dharma.

Virtuous Dharma is the cause of Nirvana: 1. Draw near virtuous friends 2. Listen to and learn Right Dharma 3. Contemplate its meaning.

How does one approach virtuous Dharma? All of the Buddha’s teachings are virtuous Dharma, but because of the many obstacles in our minds, we are still quite far away from those teachings. How can we [approach it]? First, by drawing near virtuous friends. We mentioned earlier that if we distance ourselves from virtuous friends, we obstruct ourselves. So, we must draw near virtuous friends. In addition to listening to the Buddha-Dharma, [we must draw near those with] right understanding and right view in the Sangha. Aren’t Sariputra, Maudgalyayana and Kasyapa virtuous friends? Now, over 2000 years later, the Sangha still exists, and we must draw near them with right understanding and right views. They can all be considered virtuous friends. To truly approach virtuous Dharma, we must draw near virtuous friends.

Second is learning the Right Dharma. We must constantly draw near virtuous friends and listen to the Right Dharma that they teach. Sometimes we hear fellow spiritual practitioners who, after listening to the Dharma, constantly remind everyone else to understand old teachings with new insight. The Dharma we have heard must be constantly shared with others. After listening to it, we must carefully contemplate it. Then we must share our thoughts with others. We must constantly pass on what we know now and keep people from straying from the path. This is Right Dharma.

The Dharma is meant to be applied. Each sutra is a path, a road for us to walk on. So, we must “draw near virtuous friends,” we must “listen to and learn Right Dharma,” and we must “contemplate its meaning.” After hearing something, we must carefully contemplate if this Dharma is suitable for the current era. Can we put it in practice? If we can, have we? We Buddhist practitioners must listen, contemplate and practice the virtuous Dharma.

Indeed, virtuous Dharma includes the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds. These are methods provided by the Buddha to help sentient beings eliminate habitual tendencies. When people uphold the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds, they are practicing worldly virtuous Dharma. World-transcending virtuous Dharma is the Three [Flawless] Studies and Six Perfections. The Three [Flawless] Studies benefit us. They can protect our bodies and minds. What about the Six Perfections? They are used to benefit others. The Six Perfections are the Six Paramitas of giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence and so on; they are all virtuous Dharma.

The Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds are virtuous Dharma for living in this world. The Three [Flawless] Studies and Six Paramitas are virtuous Dharma for transcending the world. Though they range from superficial to profound, they are all proper principles that benefit us. Therefore, they are virtuous Dharma.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, we must really be mindful. The Buddha gave teachings over 2000 years ago. He applied His wisdom and compassion in. His interactions with all sentient beings. “The Buddha was concerned for sentient beings.” He is compassionate, so He is always worried that living beings will not be able to understand the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. So, He tirelessly established the Three Vehicle Dharma, hoping that sentient beings will accept it. Though sentient beings had been listening to the Dharma for a long time, their lack of understanding might give rise to overbearing arrogance. Such is the case with Devadatta. This was the Buddha’s concerned. Not only with Devadatta, as we often say, “One gives rise to infinity,” the same applies to evil teachings. So, I hope everyone will have right faith and [follow] Right Dharma. Therefore, we must draw near virtuous friends so that we can listen to Right Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 271 – Explaining the Teachings According to Conditions

---

>>”The compassionate Buddha observed that the conditions were not yet ripe. After being earnestly asked three times, how could He not expound it? He exercised compassion and wisdom and taught and reminded people to develop wisdom. He opened Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One, so we must eliminate doubts and give rise to faith.”

>> The countless beings assembled here will respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.

>>”There are 1200 of us, and more, seeking the Buddha’s teachings. For those assembled here, I pray You will bestow teachings in detail. Having heard this Dharma, we will give rise to great joy.”

>> I pray You will bestow teachings in detail: For those with dull capabilities, He reduced One Vehicle teachings and separated it into Three Vehicles. According to people’s different capabilities and conditions, He gave different teachings.

---

“The compassionate Buddha observed that the conditions were not yet ripe.
After being earnestly asked three times, how could He not expound it?
He exercised compassion and wisdom and taught and reminded people to develop wisdom.
He opened Three [Vehicles] to reveal the One, so we must eliminate doubts and give rise to faith.”

This is telling everyone that the Buddha was compassionate, so He contemplated whether the audience could accept the Dharma. Were their capabilities mature enough to accept the true, subtle and wondrous teachings? If their capabilities were still immature, they would hear but not understand, or they might give rise to overbearing arrogance. With overbearing arrogance, they might easily commit slander and create karma. This was the Buddha’s concern.

Yet Sariputra was so reverent and earnest; he had already asked three times, so the Buddha thought it was about the right time. Now He observed the proportion of those who sincerely wanted to listen to teachings and the few who were not yet ready. After such a long waiting period, did those few people develop faith? Did they wish to seek the Dharma now? This [waiting] period was how the Buddha tested those who wanted teachings.

But, Sariputra understood the Buddha’s intention, so he earnestly asked three times. Over the course of this test, people’s capabilities had approached maturity. Those whose capabilities had not been ready had already been tested to the utmost. So, “how could He not expound it?” Thus, the Buddha began preparations to expound the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. This was due to Sariputra, who “earnestly asked three times.” So, “how could [the Buddha] not expound it?” It was time.

The Buddha had always wanted to teach this. But, He was concerned that people were not ready. With their capabilities almost mature now, the Buddha still exercised both compassion and wisdom. Compassion formed the Buddha’s original intent. Because of His compassion, He came to the world for one great cause, to teach sentient beings that they originally had wisdom equal to the Buddha’s. However, they stubbornly remained deluded, so the Buddha had to utilize His wisdom. So, He “exercised both compassion and wisdom,”

“taught and reminded people to develop wisdom.” He had to patiently teach and carefully guide them to the Three Vehicle Dharma that suited their capabilities. He was worried for the proud and arrogant, those with overbearing ignorance. The Buddha constantly taught and reminded everyone to respect the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Merits from respecting the Buddha allow us to comprehend the great path. Merits from respecting the Dharma allow us to have wisdom as vast as the ocean. Merits from respecting the Sangha allows us to lead the assembly harmoniously. This was how the Buddha used various methods to help people develop respect. When they listened to the Dharma with respect and faith, naturally they would grow in wisdom.

So, the Buddha previously used the Three Vehicles to give suitable teachings to sentient beings. Now, He wanted to “open Three to reveal One.” He began to tell everyone that the Three Vehicles He taught were provisional teachings, and now. He wanted to take the Three Vehicles and combine them into the wondrous. One Vehicle Dharma. In this way, He “opened Three to reveal One.” At the same time, He wanted [people] to eliminate doubts and give rise to faith. Most people probably still had doubts, and this was the time to eliminate them. Listening with respect and faith requires a firm and steady mind. We must be firm in our respect for and faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Our respect and faith must be strong, so we must “eliminate doubts and give rise to faith.” We are now slowly entering the part of the sutra where the Buddha “opened Three to reveal One” and taught the subtle and wondrous Dharma.

In the previous sutra passage, Sariputra said that, “The countless beings assembled here can respect and have faith in the Dharma. The Dharma” was the Great Vehicle Dharma safeguarded in the Buddha’s mind. Sariputra spoke to the Buddha, as if guaranteeing that, there were infinite people who, just like him, had suitable capabilities and wisdom. Thus, they could all respect and believe in the subtle and wondrous One Vehicle Dharma that the Buddha was about to teach. This is “the Dharma.” Everyone could have respect and have faith in this Dharma, so he asked the Buddha to teach without worries. These people had, life after life, since Beginningless Time, followed the Buddha and listened to His teachings. So, they had developed enough wisdom and common sense [to accept it]. They were very respectful and felt, “With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.”

The countless beings assembled here will respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.

Next [Sariputra] said,

“There are 1200 of us, and more, seeking the Buddha’s teachings. For those assembled here, I pray You will bestow teachings in detail. Having heard this Dharma, we will give rise to great joy.”

In this sutra passage, Sariputra continued to explain how happy everyone was. See, they all sat there respectfully with their palms together, waiting for the Buddha to give teachings. Of the people here now, “there are 1200 of us.” This was the Buddha’s retinue, who were always by His side. Wherever the Buddha went to give teachings, they were right next to Him.

There were also “more seeking the Buddha’s teachings. For those assembled here” means not just for the 1200 people. At the Lotus Dharma-assembly on Vulture Peak, there were many people who respectfully sought the Buddha’s teachings and had faith in what He was about to say. They very attentively and respectfully waited for Him [to speak]. So, he hoped the Buddha would give teachings for all those who were at the Dharma-assembly.

Thus Sariputra, with utmost reverence, used the two words “pray” and “bestow.” We must understand that “pray” meant “may You” and was an expression of utmost reverence. With wholehearted respect, he asked the Buddha to expound the Dharma. “Bestow” gives the sense the Buddha sat high up while everyone sat in the seats below. So, He “bestowed” teachings from above as they reverently listened below. [Sariputra] even asked Him to give them a detailed explanation, implying that the Buddha should not worry that they might not have enough patience to listen or that they might not faithfully accept it. He asked the Buddha to meticulously explain the True Dharma that He had guarded in His mind. This was Sariputra’s heartfelt wish, so he used very respectful language to reverently ask Him for detailed teachings.

Thus, Sariputra said again, “Having heard this Dharma, we will give rise to great joy.” He said that if they, the 1200 people and all those at the assembly, heard the Buddha explain the Dharma in detail, they would definitely be very happy. So, he asked the Buddha not to worry, and to clearly explain the Dharma in detail.

Let us start from. “I pray You will bestow teachings in detail” and meticulously explain it.

I pray You will bestow teachings in detail: For those with dull capabilities, He reduced One Vehicle teachings and separated it into Three Vehicles. According to people’s different capabilities and conditions, He gave different teachings.

With His compassion, the Buddha expounded the Dharma for over 40 years. He originally wanted to teach the One Vehicle Dharma, to point directly at our minds, so we could realize our true nature. This simple teaching tells all of us that we have the same wisdom as Him, so we can also attain Buddhahood, as long as we eliminate our afflictions and ignorance. When we have a clear state of mind, we will have perfect awakened conduct. But we sentient beings have dull capabilities and cannot understand [the Dharma]. So, the Buddha had no choice but to “reduce One Vehicle teachings for those with dull capabilities.”

The Buddha had always praised the ultimate reality of the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma for being supreme and unsurpassed. But this supreme One Vehicle Dharma could not normally be understood by sentient beings due to their dull capabilities. For sentient beings with dull capabilities, the supreme One Vehicle teachings had to be lowered and reduced [in difficulty]. So, He “separated it into Three Vehicles.” The One Vehicle Dharma was separated into the Three Vehicle Dharma.

He started with the Small Vehicle and explained the Four Noble Truths to. ․help everyone learn the workings of the world. This is because after He became enlightened, He wanted to clearly explain the workings of the world to everyone.

The Buddha lived in a palace when He was young, before He left to engage in spiritual practice. He could not bear the inequality and suffering of the world. He could not bear to let these suffering people work so hard and then be treated with such discrimination and disrespect. The Buddha felt all sentient beings were equal; why should there be differences in class? The Buddha saw the way people lived, how they separated into castes. In addition, people go through birth, aging, illness and death, being subject to the impermanence of life, and many other things, [He saw] endless suffering in the world. So, after He attained enlightenment, the Buddha began teaching by talking about the way people lived in the world. The way people live causes so much suffering.

So, the Buddha reduced One Vehicle teachings for people with dull capabilities. Some of them just could not understand, and some were listening to teachings for the first time. Thus, He “separated it into Three Vehicles.” For different capabilities and conditions, He gave the Three Vehicle teachings. So, He taught “according to their capabilities.” Everyone at the assembly had different capabilities. For people of various capabilities to accept the Dharma, they each had to interpret the teachings in a way that suited their capabilities. So, the teachings had to suit their capabilities. Sentient beings accept the Dharma according to their capabilities.

Actually, there is no great or small teaching; people just have greater or smaller capacities to accept teachings. He gave teachings “according to their capabilities.” The Buddha taught according to capabilities, so people accepted teachings suitable to them.

Thus, “[according to people’s conditions,]. [He] gave different teachings.” The Buddha gave explanations according to capabilities and conditions. Depending on their capabilities, they had different experiences upon accepting the Dharma. Those with higher capabilities, upon hearing just the truth of suffering, realized its causation, its cessation and the Path. Those with limited capabilities, after the Buddha taught the truth of suffering, only understood suffering. They only realized one thing from one teaching. Those with higher capabilities can listen to one teaching and realize two, three or four things. They instantly understand the Four Noble Truths. To summarize, “According to people’s different capabilities and conditions, He gave different teachings.” This was how the Buddha exercised both compassion and wisdom.

Everyone, please be mindful, the Buddha-Dharma is really subtle and wondrous, so we should have utmost respect and faith as we listen to the Buddha’s Dharma. So, everyone must always be mindful.

Episode 270 – Vow to Transform Sentient Beings

---

>> The Buddha “attained Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings and manifested the attainment of perfect enlightenment. He vowed to transform sentient beings, so they could attain the joy of peace and safety.”

>>”Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

>>”The countless beings assembled here will respect and have faith in this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.”

>> [He] taught ones such as these: After the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment, He only hoped to transform sentient beings, so they could reach a refuge of safety and happiness. With great compassion, He observed all suffering and afflicted beings. With the power of His original vow, He completed His spiritual practice in order to teach sentient beings.

>> So we have to, with one mind, put our palms together. “One mind” is a mind that is focused in one place, and putting palms together shows respect. This means that they dared not have discursive thoughts. This shows faith and respect.

---

The Buddha “attained Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings
and manifested the attainment of perfect enlightenment.
He vowed to transform sentient beings,
so they could attain the joy of peace and safety.”

This is telling everyone that the Buddha had already attained enlightenment. Countless kalpas ago, He had already reached Buddhahood, but for the sake of sentient beings in the Saha World, He came to manifest His spiritual practice and the attainment of enlightenment. He did this for sentient beings, to teach sentient beings and help them find their way.

Thus, He appeared [to be born as the prince] of the Kingdom of Kapilavastu in India, which is in present-day Nepal. At the palace, he witnessed various aspects of life, so in his heart, he had already charted the course for his life. This was always his direction. When he was growing up in the palace, his wisdom differed from that of other children.

In his youth, he felt that all humans are equal and wondered why they were divided into four castes. This kind of system seemed to cause the poor and the suffering to stay that way, lifetime after lifetime. This seemed wrong. So, he wanted to proclaim the inherent equality of people’s nature and from this profound principle manifest a simple and obvious change in the world. Then he became a monastic,

which was a manifestation [to teach us] that when a person has a family and a career, he has many burdens. He wanted to help us understand how [these things limit us]. Even though he was a crown prince who could rule an entire country, he did not long for the power, benefits, fame and wealth that came with that life. So, He manifested this appearance of leaving his family, then the appearance of engaging in spiritual practice.

These manifestations show us that spiritual practice is not that easy. We must first know others to know ourselves. So, he took five years to meet all the spiritual practitioners in India, who taught the 96 kinds of [religious practices]. He did this to show us all the incorrect ways of engaging in spiritual practice. This was also a manifestation [to teach us]. “Know others” means that he first had to know how other people engaged in spiritual practice. Then the six years of [ascetic] practice was for him to “know himself.” We must rediscover our intrinsic nature.

We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, which is one with heaven and earth. So, after six years, karmic conditions finally matured, and upon seeing the morning star, he was enlightened and became one with the universe. After He announced He was the Great Enlightened One, He started working toward His goal, which was to transform sentient beings. This is detailed in the Buddhist sutras.

So, He physically manifested for the sake of the sentient beings who lived at that time, and [then the stories] were recorded in the sutras for the sake of future sentient beings like ourselves. All this was recorded for us to learn from, Actually, His only wish was to teach and transform sentient beings guide them to eliminate their afflictions and return to their intrinsic nature. Then all could “attain the joy of peace and safety.” They could reach a place of safety and happiness.

Ordinary people inevitably have afflictions, which lead them to create karma and cause them to become more confused. The more confused they are, the more karma they create and the more suffering they accumulate. So, the Buddha wishes to transform sentient beings and help them return to their intrinsic Buddha-nature. Thus, they “reach a place of safety and happiness.” To reach this place of great safety and happiness, they must eliminate all their afflictions to discover their own intrinsic Buddha-nature. This is His wish.

The sutra text we discussed earlier mentioned that the Buddha had always wished to proclaim the most important teaching, but the timing was not right, and people’s capabilities still varied greatly. At the Dharma-assembly, there were still people who did not have faith and respect for the Dharma. Because the Buddha felt sympathy for those who could not accept [this teaching], He kept it guarded in His heart. In this way, He also protected those who had not given rise to faith from creating karma. So, Sariputra was very anxious and sincerely made his request again and again.

“Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

At that time, Sariputra announced his position [to explain] why He continued to ask for teachings. It was because he was representing the wish of all these spiritual practitioners. Because he was their representative, he felt a sense of responsibility to keep asking the Buddha to verbally teach the Dharma that was in His heart.

The next verse states,

“The countless beings assembled here will respect and have faith in this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.”

This was what Sariputra expressed on behalf of everyone at the assembly. There were many people at the assembly, and they had, lifetime after lifetime, faithfully accepted and practiced the Buddha’s teachings. Their connection [to Him] was not solely formed in this lifetime, but in many past lifetimes. They were part of His retinue and had stayed by His side to receive teachings. So, the Buddha had already been teaching them, lifetime after lifetime. Now these people [waited] single-mindedly, with palms together. They were very reverent and respectful as they waited for Him to give teachings. This was Sariputra’s description of that moment,

Actually, Sovereign Sakra also waited respectfully to listen to teachings. He told his retinue in Trayastrimsa Heaven, “Hurry up and make preparations for me to go to the human realm to listen to the Buddha teach.” They quickly decorated his horse and carriage to make them more magnificent. Among his retinue, there was one called Matali. After he heard the command and quickly made the preparations, he informed. Sovereign Sakra that the carriage was ready. He watched as Sovereign Sakra walked out and saw him put his palms together very respectfully, staying like that as he climbed into the carriage.

So, Matali witnessed how, to listen to Sakyamuni give teachings, Sovereign Sakra began showing his respect as soon as he walked out of the palace and climbed into the carriage. He was very amazed. Originally, he was going to whip the horse to command it gallop, but now he could not even hold on to the whip,

Sovereign Sakra asked, “Matali, why are you acting this way?” After Matali picked up the whip, he respectfully said, “Sovereign Sakra, seeing you show such respect as you are heading to the human realm to listen to teachings really amazed me. You are the lord of Trayastrimsa Heaven. Even the kings of the four heavens of heavenly kings and of. Trayastrimsa Heaven must respect you. You are respected by all heavenly beings. So, why do you need to be so respectful as you go to Vulture Peak to listen to teachings?”

Sovereign Sakra explained, “I am respected by those in Trayastrimsa Heaven, the four heavens of heavenly kings and all heavenly beings because. I respect the Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma can teach everyone to be reverent, eliminate afflictions and ignorance, and cleanse and purify their minds. Those are all results of the Buddha’s teachings, so I must respect the Dharma. I respect the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.” Thus, Sovereign Sakra also wanted to listen to teachings, and he did so with such great reverence, not to mention those at the Dharma-assembly. Sariputra described how those at the assembly, with one mind, placed their palms together.

So, thinking of how Sovereign Sakra came to listen to the teachings with great respect, heavenly beings also came with palms together and great reverence to listen to the teachings. So, since they “wanted to receive His words,” they [waited] respectfully.

Next, we must understand how the Buddha taught. After the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment, His only wish was to teach sentient beings and help them reach a place of safety and happiness. This was because of His great compassion. He observed all suffering sentient beings, so He knew that the Saha World was a world of endurance. As the name suggests, suffering must be endured in this world. But sentient beings are lost and afflicted; they do not realize they are suffering, because they are the source of their own suffering. That is where their afflictions come from. Since sentient beings do not feel like they are suffering, they do not seek to be liberated from suffering. So, they continue to multiply the causes of suffering. This is how sentient beings’ afflictions continuously multiply.

The Buddha sees wealth as passing clouds. He treats fame, fortune and status as entanglements, [sources of] suffering. But sentient beings see those things as [sources of] great happiness. They do not understand how short life is, so they fight for and grasp at fame, wealth and status and continuously create karma and multiply their afflictions. This is what the Buddha sees in sentient beings. They are unaware of their suffering and afflictions, so they continuously create karma. So, with the power of His original vow, He completed His spiritual practice in order to transform sentient beings.

[He] taught ones such as these: After the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment, He only hoped to transform sentient beings, so they could reach a refuge of safety and happiness. With great compassion, He observed all suffering and afflicted beings. With the power of His original vow, He completed His spiritual practice in order to teach sentient beings.

We just discussed how the Buddha saw the great disparity between the four castes and how those who suffered were in great pain. So, he wanted to help the suffering use worldly Dharma to attain liberation. He did this out of compassion. Also, people could not eliminate their afflictions, so the Buddha put His heart into purifying their minds. So, we must have great respect for the Dharma. Even Sovereign Sakra was so respesctful; how much more so should we be?

So we have to, with one mind, put our palms together. “One mind” is a mind that is focused in one place, and putting palms together shows respect. This means that they dared not have discursive thoughts. This shows faith and respect.

We listen to the teachings as we sit here, but if our minds are not focused and keep thinking about other things, how can we take the Dharma into our hearts? This means that we are undisciplined. So, the Buddha was about to give teachings. Everyone had to give rise to faith, so they could take the Dharma into their hearts.

Fellow Bodhisattvas, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must think about how difficult it is to encounter it. To listen to the Dharma is not easy, especially if it is what is in the Buddha’s heart. For Him to teach this True Dharma is even harder. We must be grateful that Sariputra was so persistent and diligently asked the Buddha to give this teaching. Thanks to Sariputra’s selfless great love and his sincere requests, we can learn this teaching today. So, we must always be grateful and have respect. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 2 – Mindfully Seek the Dharma

---

>>”For the Buddha to elucidate teachings, there must be causes and conditions. Those without the wisdom of hearers will not believe or accept it. Without considering their own virtues, they claim to have attained what they have not. When one speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.”

>>”Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

>> Merits from precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom are like the Buddha’s two honored feet, which allow Him to freely travel through Dharma-realms.

>> The supreme Dharma: The state of mind that encompasses all the myriad forms, shapes and sizes of the world. Everything is captured within the One Dharma.

>> Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.

>> Sariputra requested teachings on behalf of his fellow spiritual practitioners. So, he said that those who had been taught by the Buddha would certainly respect and believe Him. Those who accepted His teachings would benefit tremendously and attain the great joy of peace and safety.

>>”The countless beings assembled here will respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.”

---

“For the Buddha to elucidate teachings, there must be causes and conditions.
Those without the wisdom of hearers will not believe or accept it.
Without considering their own virtues, they claim to have attained what they have not.
When one speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.”

This is telling everyone, for the Buddha to share the Dharma in His mind, the causes and conditions must be complete. Regardless of the people, place or time, whenever He expounds the Dharma, the causes and conditions must all be present. Moreover, if the listeners are not replete with the wisdom of hearers, they will not faithfully accept great teachings.

Some with the right causes and conditions have encountered the Buddha’s teachings and believe they really understand it. They overestimate their own level of understanding, so they believe that they have understood everything. So, they naturally develop overbearing arrogance.

“Arrogance” alone can be split into seven categories. This shows how complex our minds are; These people act “without considering their own virtues. Considering” here means thoroughly evaluating. We evaluate ourselves to appraise our own wisdom and understand the actual extent of our knowledge. But, they do not [correctly] evaluate themselves. So, “without considering their own virtues, they claim to have attained what they had not.”

“What they had not” means they had not really attained or understood the Buddha’s teachings. Before really understanding it, ․they said, “We understand completely.” In truth, they did not understand the Dharma. But despite not understanding it, they still went out and taught; they shared their own understanding and misinterpretations of the principles with others. Then, others might believe this as truth. So, “when one speaks a lie, thousands propagate it as the truth.”

As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must constantly “consider” and ask ourselves, “How much do I really know?” If we truly understand something and can clearly discern right from wrong, then sharing our realizations with others will truly bring us infinite merits. But if our understanding is not quite right, we will lead people far off course. So, listening to the Dharma requires mindfulness and speaking requires great care. If we listeners are mindful, and the speaker is careful, then we will not go wrong.

The Buddha was very concerned about people who did not mindfully listen to the Dharma yet still shared their interpretation with others. The Buddha was very cautious around these kinds of people. He would not casually teach them the principles because He treasured everyone’s wisdom-life. For those with insufficient capabilities and wisdom, the Buddha held back [the teachings].

So, Sariputra kept sincerely asking for the Buddha to expound the Dharma. But the Buddha saw that the timing and the causes and conditions were not yet mature, so He kept holding back the True Dharma. But, Sariputra felt that it was simply not the right time yet, that the Buddha would teach that Dharma, just not now. So, Sariputra understood the Buddha’s intent. So in verse, he said,

“Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

As previously discussed, the Buddha is the. Supreme Two-Footed Honored One. He is unsurpassed. Among those in the heaven and human realms, there is none with greater wisdom than He. Hence, He is “supreme.”

Merits from precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom are like the Buddha’s two honored feet, which allow Him to freely travel through Dharma-realms.

Why is He described as “Supreme Two-Footed”? As we have discussed, since Beginningless Time when the Buddha began to engage in spiritual practice, He cultivated precepts and Samadhi. He upheld precepts and made vows replete with Samadhi and wisdom. He strictly abided by precepts.

We ordinary people are easily affected by our surroundings. Right now, we may want to change. But as we try to change and challenges arise, we may be tempted to violate [our resolve]. Thus, we cannot change. Some people reflect on and repent their mistakes. They feel they were very ignorant in the past, but now that they have gone through that, they say, “I must change.” Drinking, smoking, gambling and other habits are all unwholesome behaviors that they want to change. However, they say they need time. How much time? An endless amount. When their friends invite them, they join just like before. “Just once more. I will just go to one more gathering.” Then next time, their friends say, “One more time won’t hurt.” [They think,] “Yes, one more time won’t hurt. I’ll just go drinking one more time.” But this happens time after time. Time passes with every second, and those who do not change think there is always another chance; this goes on endlessly.

People with bad tempers may think, “I want to change; I know this is not right. I will change.” But when circumstance arises, they yell again. They may regret it and feel upset about how they were wrong to yell at others. Feeling upset is very painful. We may say to ourselves, “This is the last time I will yell. I will speak more cautiously in the future.” But when circumstances arise again, the words just burst out. These are our habitual tendencies. We always want to correct them. We keep aspiring to change and to uphold precepts. We keep forming aspirations and often say we want to change, but then we keep [doing things] we regret. Think about this, isn’t this very hard on us?

The Buddha, countless kalpas ago, formed His aspirations. Then He “maintained His original aspiration.” After this initial aspiration, countless kalpas passed. Lifetime after lifetime, He vigilantly upheld precepts. He strictly abided by them regardless of circumstances. He followed precepts in His thinking and actions. The way He interacted with His surroundings was guided by the principles of these precepts. So, regardless of the time or place, or of people’s capabilities, His actions were guided by His precepts, so He acted properly. Because He closely adhered to precepts, naturally His mind was in Samadhi.

This is where precepts come in. If we are replete with both precepts and Samadhi, naturally when we are among others, we will [do things to] benefit others and create blessings. [Cultivating] blessings and wisdom will always be a part of our interactions with others.

If we only cultivate precepts and Samadhi, that would be like having both arms but no legs. We need legs to move forward and to walk far. We also need strong arms, so we can do more things. So, blessings and wisdom are inseparable from precepts and Samadhi. Cultivating all four is like having four healthy limbs, like the Two-Footed Honored One. Theses are what the Buddha has practiced since Beginningless Time, the merits He has created internally and the virtues He has practiced externally. His inner and outer practices are unified.

Precepts and Samadhi are cultivated internally. Blessings and wisdom come from helping others. Together, they give rise to merits and virtues. The Buddha is the Two-Footed Honored One, so He can “travel through Dharma-realms.” He goes in and out of them without obstacle. No matter what kind of phenomena, what kind of environments or circumstances, what kind of challenges He encounters, everything is the Dharma appearing before Him. We ordinary people only see our surroundings but not the Dharma. When interpersonal conflicts arise, unpleasantness fills our minds, causing us to forget the Dharma. But for the Buddha, regardless of circumstances, the Dharma is always in His mind, so He will not commit transgressions.

He can “travel through Dharma-realms.” No matter where He is, He is filled with Dharma under all conditions. This is because He cultivated precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom. So, as we engage in spiritual practice, we must be mindful. Learning the Dharma is easy. But when challenges arise, it disappears from our minds, so we continuously commit transgressions and feel regret. This is what we ordinary people are like. We may know the teachings, but afflictions still cover our [minds], ․so we often behave incorrectly so we often behave incorrectly. The Buddha makes no mistakes and just “travels through Dharma-realms.”

Next, “I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma.” The “supreme Dharma” is a state of mind where we have absorbed all teachings into our minds. The Buddha had taught for over 40 years. No matter what kind of capabilities people had, He gave teachings that suited them, so they could open their minds and understand. Sentient beings have 84,000 afflictions, so the Buddha opened 84,000 Dharma-doors. So, His [teachings] for different capabilities all came from a single state of mind.

Thus, “the supreme Dharma” consists of all the teachings that the Buddha had assimilated in His mind. This is “the supreme Dharma;” it is very subtle and wondrous.

How do we truly apply the Dharma that we hear? If we are mindful in listening to the Dharma, then we can really understand many things. Take impermanence for example. [Upon learning that] human life is impermanent, naturally those who are mindful, those who are closer to the Buddha’s heart, will also realize the impermanence of the world and the impermanence of all things. As they mindfully drew near the Buddha-mind, they could gradually realize this principle.

The supreme Dharma: The state of mind that encompasses all the myriad forms, shapes and sizes of the world. Everything is captured within the One Dharma.

The state of mind that encompasses all Dharma does not only exist in the Buddha. Every one of us can attain it, too. This just depends on how sincere we are in thoroughly grasping the importance of the mind. [This state] “encompasses all the myriad forms, shapes and sizes of the world.” With this state of mind, “everything is captured within the One Dharma.” This is the Buddha’s “supreme Dharma.”

Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.

So, Sariputra asked the Buddha to expound the Dharma in His mind for them to thoroughly understand. Sariputra believed, “I am a senior disciple of the Buddha.” Because he was “foremost in wisdom,” the one who was closest to the Buddha-mind, he felt that he had the responsibility to lead all these people. So, Sariputra requested teachings on behalf of his fellow spiritual practitioners. “Those who had been taught by the Buddha” refers to how these disciples had been taught by the Buddha for a very long time, so they would faithfully accept [the Dharma].

Sariputra requested teachings on behalf of his fellow spiritual practitioners. So, he said that those who had been taught by the Buddha would certainly respect and believe Him. Those who accepted His teachings would benefit tremendously and attain the great joy of peace and safety.

Sariputra even said,

“The countless beings assembled here will respect and believe this Dharma. For You have, life after life, taught ones such as these. With one mind, with palms together, we all want to receive Your words.”

Sariputra said that there were so many people who had, in the past, been taught by the Buddha. So, they could accept the Dharma. The number of people was countless; aside from those at the assembly, this included people in the future as well. “[They will] respect and believe this Dharma.” They would absolutely have faith and respect in the teacher and the Dharma. They would definitely accept the teachings.

“Venerable Buddha, You have done so much to diligently teach them. Now, these people are surely wholeheartedly expressing their utmost sincerity by putting their palms together. In this way, they are focused and single-minded and waiting for teachings with great reverence. Please give them the teachings right now.” This shows they “all wanted to receive His words.” Sariputra really wanted to hear the Buddha begin speaking to everyone, and he made this request with reverence.

But did the Buddha believe that all these people could accept the Dharma? This was something He still had to consider, so He was still deciding. As we wait, we should still be mindful.

Episode 268 – The Supreme Two-Footed Honored One

---

>>”Two Vehicle practitioners have limited capacities, strong attachments and tremendous obstacles. The True Dharma of the One Vehicle is hard for them to believe in and understand. Because of His wisdom, the Buddha kept in mind that their arrogance and doubt could give rise to slander.”

>>”At that time, Sariputra further addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘World-Honored One, I only pray that You will speak it; I only pray that You will speak it.'”

>> “Presently, within this assembly are those equal to me, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of them. Life after life, they have been taught by the Buddha. People such as these would certainly respect and believe You. Then they could safely pass the long night and enjoy many benefits.”

>> Sariputra, with the wisdom of knowing past lives, said that many of those at the assembly had long been taught by Buddhas. So, they would certainly have faith and respect. Thus, the Buddha should not stop expounding the Dharma just because of a few people.

>> Then they could safely pass the long night: The long night refers to how the afflictions from cyclic existence are dark and endless. So, [Sariputra] prayed that the Buddha would use the light of wondrous Dharma and wisdom to abundantly benefit all sentient beings.

>>”Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

>>”Supreme Two-Footed Honored One” is an honorable epithet of the Buddha, because among two-footed sentient beings, the Buddha is the most honored and esteemed. It is also said, the merits from precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom, are like the Buddha’s two honored feet, which allow Him to freely travel through Dharma-realms.

---

“Two Vehicle practitioners have limited capacities,
strong attachments and tremendous obstacles.
The True Dharma of the One Vehicle
is hard for them to believe in and understand.
Because of His wisdom, the Buddha kept in mind
that their arrogance and doubt could give rise to slander.”

This is telling everyone that the Buddha observed the capabilities of the Dharma-assembly. Had all of their capabilities matured? A few people had the limited capabilities of. Two Vehicle practitioners. So, they still had strong attachments and tremendous obstacles. The Buddha was concerned about those with strong attachments, tremendous obstacles and limited capabilities. If they could not understand, that was fine, but they might give rise to self-arrogance and overbearing arrogance and then commit slander. If this happened, they would create karma. The Buddha was compassionate and could not bear to let these few people do that, so He remained silent.

Yet, Sariputra still persisted and sincerely requested the Dharma. So, the previous passage stated,

․”At that time, Sariputra further addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘World-Honored One, I only pray that You will speak it; I only pray that You will speak it.'”

“Only” signified his utmost reverence; he was wholeheartedly reverent and respectful as he requested that the Buddha freely teach the true and wondrous Dharma that. He had [been guarding] in His mind. Sariputra’s sincerity was an expression of his thinking.

He said, “Presently, within this assembly are those equal to me, hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of them. Life after life, they have been taught by the Buddha. People such as these would certainly respect and believe You. Then they could safely pass the long night and enjoy many benefits.”

“Presently, within this assembly” refers to those who were present. “Those equal to me” suggest that many bhiksus like Sariputra were likely present at the assembly in great numbers. There were many who respected and had great faith in the Buddha-Dharma. These people had very deep karmic connections. “Life after life, they have been taught by Buddhas. People such as these would certainly respect and believe You. Life after life” means in the past and the present these people have continuously had a deep connection with and been taught by the Buddha. They would certainly believe and respect the Buddha-Dharma. Then certainly, “they could safely pass through the long night and enjoy many benefits.”

This shows that Sariputra had the wisdom of knowing past lives. His wisdom of knowing past lives came from cultivating and accumulating wisdom over many lifetimes. So presently, Sariputra, among all the disciples of the Buddha, was still foremost in wisdom. He spoke on behalf of many at the assembly. For a long time, these people had been receiving the Buddha’s instruction, so they would certainly respect and believe Him. Thus, Sariputra said this again to express, “Venerable Buddha, You must not stop expounding the Dharma just because of a few people.”

Sariputra, with the wisdom of knowing past lives, said that many of those at the assembly had long been taught by Buddhas. So, they would certainly have faith and respect. Thus, the Buddha should not stop expounding the Dharma just because of a few people.

There were many disciples who respected and believed in the Buddha. Hundreds, thousands, millions and billions of them. Not only did the disciples who were there need His teachings, His future disciples would as well. Sariputra hoped He would not stop speaking just because of the few people with overbearing arrogance, who lacked faith and respect. So, Sariputra sincerely made his request again.

Earlier we mentioned, “through the long night.” These people’s minds were already at peace. So, no matter what the Buddha said, they would be able to accept it. For a long time, over many lifetimes, they had been following the Buddha. So, “long night” actually refers to our cyclic existence. We ordinary people are still transmigrating in the Six Realms. As we go through cyclic existence, we still continuously have afflictions, which give rise to doubts and lead us to create karma. This signifies that, for a long time, we have lived in ignorance, [lacking illumination]. So, the long night is an analogy for the long time we spend in cyclic existence.

Then they could safely pass the long night: The long night refers to how the afflictions from cyclic existence are dark and endless. So, [Sariputra] prayed that the Buddha would use the light of wondrous Dharma and wisdom to abundantly benefit all sentient beings.

These ordinary people had spent a very long time following the Buddha. Life after life they were taught by Him and had lived through this long, endless dark night. “Night” implies ignorance and lack of clarity, this dark and endless path. They have passed through cyclic existence, so their minds have become peaceful and calm. [So, Sariputra] said that the Buddha could confidently proclaim and teach the Dharma. People’s minds, at that moment, were in a calm and peaceful state of deep faith; they had absolutely no doubts.

So, he then asked the Buddha again to use the light of wondrous Dharma and wisdom to illuminate and benefit these people, not only those who were there at the time, but also those in the future. They all waited very reverently, praying that the Buddha would quickly open and reveal His wondrous teachings, so they could develop greater peace and better understanding. This is known as “abundant benefits.” This was not only for those who lived in the Buddha’s lifetime, but for those in the future, our present. So, as Sariputra made his requests to the Buddha, he reassured Him that everyone would develop faith and understanding and really benefit from the light of His wisdom. So, this was what Sariputra said earlier.

Now let us continue to read, “At that time, Sariputra,” wished to restate his meaning. So, after the passage in prose, he repeated his request in verse.

“Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma. I, as a senior disciple, sincerely implore You to explain it in detail.”

In “Supreme Two-Footed Honored One, supreme” refers to the ultimate, highest level, and “Two-Footed Honored One” is a way to address the Buddha. Every Buddha has ten epithets, and one of the ten is the “Two-Footed Honored One,” The Buddha is [the most honored] among two-footed beings. “Sentient beings” include all living beings, but here, special mention is made of the “two-footed” ones. Humans are the most intelligent of all beings and the most receptive to the Buddha-Dharma. Among these sentient beings, the Buddha is the most honored one. Among both heavenly beings and humans, He is supreme and unsurpassed, so He is known as the Two-Footed Honored One.

“Supreme Two-Footed Honored One” is an honorable epithet of the Buddha, because among two-footed sentient beings, the Buddha is the most honored and esteemed. It is also said, the merits from precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom, are like the Buddha’s two honored feet, which allow Him to freely travel through Dharma-realms.

The Buddha is already replete with these two feet, “precepts and Samadhi” and “blessings and wisdom.” This is because, since ancient kalpas, He has cultivated “precepts and Samadhi” and “blessings and wisdom.” During the process of our spiritual practice, we must follow precepts.

Precepts are rules for us spiritual practitioners. So, spiritual practitioners must follow precepts and “treat precepts as their teacher.” The precepts are the most important rules for spiritual practitioners to follow; if we deviate from our rules, from the precepts, we will easily transgress repeatedly and be covered by ignorance. Then, we will fall into the dark and endless night again. So, as we engage in spiritual practice, we must get through the long endless night, this condition of darkness. Then we will quickly see the light of wisdom, So, we must uphold the precepts.

To strictly adhere to the precepts, our minds must be in Samadhi. If we engage in spiritual practice without Samadhi, we will constantly move forward, then backward, forward, then backward. If so, how can we successfully walk this dark and bumpy path? So, we cannot go backward anymore; we must keep going in a straight line.

We can accomplish this with our minds in Samadhi. At the same time, on this endless road, we must cultivate both blessings and wisdom. From the start of the Lotus teachings, the Buddha placed great importance on the mission of going into the world to save and transform sentient beings. He greatly valued this. For the past 40 years or so, He used skillful teachings to help everyone understand that this world was filled with suffering, impermanence and subject to the law of karma, etc. He spent a very long time helping people transcend that ignorant and dark state. This was what the Buddha taught in the past.

Previously, we also talked about the Two Vehicles, which are actually the foundation for the One Vehicle. Without the Two Vehicle teachings from the past, how could there be the One Great Vehicle now? In the past, if people had not accepted the Buddha-Dharma and used the Dharma as water to cleanse the darkness from their minds, how could they have kept walking this long path? So, they have been on this path of cyclic existence for a very long time. They listened to the Buddha teach the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and so on, and now place great importance on the Six Paramitas, the Six Perfections.

The Six Perfections are how we cross the river of samsara and the sea of desires. Not only must we cross them ourselves, we must also help other people cross. We already have the tools to cross this vast sea of desires, a ship of compassion. We are on this ship, using it to weather the wind and waves. As we cross this vast sea, we still see multitudes of sentient beings immersed in the water. So, we have to pull them out, one by one. We save them from suffering by bringing them onto this ship of compassion; this is how we create blessings.

If our minds are in Samadhi, we will not be afraid of going among people. Among those living confused lives, we will not be influenced by the confusions of life, and instead, in this confused and ignorant world, we can give teachings [to help people]. We can give everything from material goods, the Dharma, to fearlessness and so on. Whatever sentient beings are in need of, we will continuously give it to them. This is what we do in the world.

This is why, besides “precepts and Samadhi,” the Buddha is also replete with “blessings and wisdom. Blessings and wisdom” are cultivated by going among people. “Precepts and Samadhi” are used to guard ourselves as we go among people to practice “blessings and wisdom.” So, “precepts and Samadhi, blessings and wisdom” are the merits and virtues that the Buddha cultivated since Beginningless Time. These are the two feet of “precepts and Samadhi” and “blessings and wisdom.” With these two feet, He freely travels throughout Dharma-realms. Not only does He travel through this world, He also travels through Dharma-realms.

So, at this point, Sariputra’s only wish was, “I pray You will expound the supreme Dharma.” He hoped the Buddha would expound the supreme Dharma, which is the most profound and wondrous Dharma that He had been safeguarding in His heart. This was a state of mind. “The supreme Dharma” was His state of mind, which encompassed all things in all worlds. This is the state of mind the Buddha, the Two-Footed Honored One, uses to freely travel throughout all Dharma-realms.

It was guarded in His mind and. He was about to explain it, but had not for the sake of a few people. Yet, Sariputra continued to sincerely ask for it. So, we must also patiently wait for someone like Sariputra to, for all our sakes, sincerely ask the Buddha, the Two-Footed Honored One, [to share] the supreme Dharma He has used to freely travel through Dharma-realms. We must learn to discover this supreme Dharma in ourselves. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 267 – For Deep Understanding, Eliminate Doubts

---

>>”The Tathagata, compassionate and wise, exercises loving-kindness to awaken wisdom. This enables sentient beings to see the truth. Pure faith and understanding are like a mirror that reflects external conditions. Distance yourself from doubts and regret to achieve faithful and joyful acceptance.”

>> The Buddha again stopped Sariputra, “If this matter was spoken of, heavenly beings, humans and asuras in all worlds would be shocked and begin to doubt, and bhiksus with overbearing arrogance would fall into the big pit.”

>> Among “those with overbearing arrogance,” bhiksus are specifically mentioned. Since they were leaders of the fourfold assembly, we use “bhiksus” to refer to all four groups.

>> The Buddha kept in mind that if bhiksus with overbearing arrogance listened to Him expound the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle now, they would certainly wonder if it conflicted with the Two Vehicle teachings He previously gave.

>> When they become doubtful, they will give rise to overbearing arrogance, commit the wrongdoing of speaking lies and fall into hell. Therefore, the sutra states, “They would fall into the big pit.” Because the Buddha had great compassion, before this group of people left the assembly, He patiently withheld His teachings.

>>”At that time, Sariputra again addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘World-Honored One, I only pray that You will speak it; I only pray that You will speak it.'”

>> That which is called wondrous Dharma cannot be understood by those without profound wisdom. The Buddha used provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles as skillful means to teach the One Vehicle. Before He proclaimed these teachings, people could not know or understand. Therefore, it is called wondrous. So, these skillful teachings could not be easily respected and believed by those with overbearing arrogance.

---

“The Tathagata, compassionate and wise, exercises loving-kindness to awaken wisdom.
This enables sentient beings to see the truth.
Pure faith and understanding are like a mirror that reflects external conditions.
Distance yourself from doubts and regret to achieve faithful and joyful acceptance.”

This is telling everyone that the Tathagata, Sakyamuni Buddha, always exercises His compassion and wisdom. For the sake of sentient beings, He adapts various methods to suit their capabilities. He hopes that everyone can be happy and filled with Dharma-joy.

“This enables sentient beings to see the truth.” The Buddha had only one wish, that sentient beings could realize His intent that sentient beings could realize His intent and take His teachings to heart. He hopes that all sentient beings can realize what He has realized and can also see what He sees, so they can attain the state of Buddhahood. This is what it means to “see the truth. Truth” here means the absolute truth of the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle.

This is the Buddha’s wish for sentient beings, so He wants to guide all of us to have “pure faith and understanding.” With pure minds, we can then believe in and comprehend the Buddha’s intent. If we have impure minds, we cannot thoroughly understand His mind. So, in order to thoroughly understand the Buddha’s mind, we must have pure faith and understanding.

The mind is like a mirror that reflects external conditions, If the mirror in our minds can reflect the Buddha’s state of mind, doesn’t that mean we have reached a state equal to His? The Buddha’s understanding and views will then be our understanding and views. For our understanding and views to be like His is not impossible. However, our “pure faith and understanding” is not yet thorough enough. Because it is not yet thorough enough, our faith and understanding is not yet pure, so we must put in great effort to “distance ourselves from doubts and regret.”

If we have faith, we do not have doubts. If we have doubts, we cannot grow roots of faith. So, if we have doubts, we cannot realize the pure wondrous Dharma. If we do not seize these karmic conditions, the Dharma will leave our hearts and end up very far from our state of mind. So, we must always have deep faith in the Buddha’s teachings; we must not have any more doubts. If we have doubts, they will obstruct our spiritual cultivation.

If we can distance ourselves [from doubts], we can give rise to faith and utmost sincerity to accept the Buddha’s teachings. With such “faithful and joyful acceptance,” we will work very hard. Faith leads to understanding and hard work. The Buddha’s mind, understanding and views will all be very clear to us. The Dharma-joy that arises at that moment comes from faithful acceptance.

So, everyone, to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn the Buddha’s wisdom. In learning the Buddha’s wisdom, if we do not have faith, we will remain very far from the Buddha. We must believe that the Buddha is always, for the sake of sentient beings, exercising compassion and wisdom. His one great cause is always to enable sentient beings to clearly see true principles. This is the Buddha’s wish.

We sentient beings must develop pure faith and understanding, so we can purify the mirror of our minds. We must distance ourselves from doubts, so we can immediately give rise to faith in and accept the Dharma. The resulting sense of Dharma-joy is what we are really seeking; our goal in life is to reach the state of Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful.

Earlier we [mentioned] that, several times, the Buddha said, “Stop, stop, there is no need to speak further.” This was repeated three times. But Sariputra still persisted in asking Him [to teach the Dharma]. The Buddha gave the same answer, because those in the assembly such as “heavenly beings, humans and asuras in all worlds would be shocked and begin to doubt.” He considered their capabilities and was worried that they would have fears and doubts.

The Buddha again stopped Sariputra, “If this matter was spoken of, heavenly beings, humans and asuras in all worlds would be shocked and begin to doubt, and bhiksus with overbearing arrogance would fall into the big pit.”

More importantly, there were “those with overbearing arrogance,” which referred to the fourfold assembly. That included bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. They were the Buddha’s human disciples.

Among “those with overbearing arrogance,” bhiksus are specifically mentioned. Since they were leaders of the fourfold assembly, we use “bhiksus” to refer to all four groups.

Bhiksus were the leaders of the fourfold assembly. Now the Buddha was about to teach the One Vehicle Dharma, but these disciples’ faith was not deep enough. These bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas would, as they listened to this teaching, doubt the Two Vehicle principles He taught before.

The Two Vehicles are the Small and Middle Vehicles. In the past He spoke about the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. They teach us that coming to this world, we face unbearable suffering in the cyclic existence of the Six Destinies. So, we must practice diligently to eliminate “fragmentary samsara.” We must return to our pure intrinsic nature to transcend the Three Realms and the Six Destinies. These were the Two Vehicle principles that the Buddha previously taught.

But now suddenly, He set aside those skillful means to teach the true, subtle and wondrous Dharma. So, people were frightened and had doubts. “Were the teachings that I practiced not the true teachings? I had finally developed a sense of renunciation toward this world and had finally eliminated my past afflictions. Now, the Buddha is teaching about walking the Bodhisattva-path.” Practicing the Bodhisattva-path requires returning to the Saha World. So, this may stir up fear in some people as it conflicted with and contradicted the teachings they had learned in the past.

The Buddha kept in mind that if bhiksus with overbearing arrogance listened to Him expound the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle now, they would certainly wonder if it conflicted with the Two Vehicle teachings He previously gave.

If they had doubts in their minds, they would give rise to overbearing arrogance. They felt, “I have already eliminated all afflictions, so I will no longer transmigrate in the Six Destinies; I have already transcended the Three Realms. So, I am already at a higher level than other people.” This was how their minds would give rise to arrogance.

Indeed, if spiritual practitioners have not eliminated their afflictions, they can easily give rise to overbearing arrogance. Overbearingly arrogant people “claim to have attained what they have not.” They have not attained [true understanding] but feel that they understood everything and know all they need to know. So, they speak falsely and “claim to have attained what they have not.” They clearly have not attained [full understanding], but claim that they have. They say they fully understood the teachings. With the wrongdoing of telling this great lie, they could easily fall into hell. Thus, the sutra mentions how they would “fall into the big pit.”

When they become doubtful, they will give rise to overbearing arrogance, commit the wrongdoing of speaking lies and fall into hell. Therefore, the sutra states, “They would fall into the big pit.” Because the Buddha had great compassion, before this group of people left the assembly, He patiently withheld His teachings.

The “big pit” is hell. The Buddha was compassionate, so He did not want to cause these people to create more karma. Therefore, “the Buddha had great compassion. Before this group of people left,” before they had left the assembly, “He patiently withheld His teachings.” As there were still such people at the assembly, the Buddha still said, “Stop, there is no need to speak further.” He stopped Sariputra again, “Enough. Say no more,” because there were still such people at the assembly.

But, Sariputra began to earnestly request teachings again. The sutra also states,

“At that time, Sariputra again addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘World-Honored One, I only pray that You will speak it; I only pray that You will speak it.'”

We really have to be grateful to Sariputra. If not for his persistence in sincerely requesting the teachings, this Dharma, the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle, would not be appearing before us now.

The Buddha stopped three times, and Sariputra asked three times. This shows how wondrous the Dharma is. Because the Dharma is wondrous, there is no way it can just be simply spoken. Only people with profound wisdom, mature capabilities and a deep root of faith can begin to accept such teachings.

That which is called wondrous Dharma cannot be understood by those without profound wisdom. The Buddha used provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles as skillful means to teach the One Vehicle. Before He proclaimed these teachings, people could not know or understand. Therefore, it is called wondrous. So, these skillful teachings could not be easily respected and believed by those with overbearing arrogance.

So, this “cannot be understood by those without profound wisdom.” The Buddha’s understanding and views, this extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma requires profound wisdom, a deep root of faith and expansive wisdom in order to be understood.

Therefore, “the Buddha used the provisional teachings of the Two Vehicles as skillful means to teach the One Vehicle.” In fact, the skillful means that were taught by the Buddha for over 40 years can now also inspire [understanding] of the One Vehicle. If that first flight of stairs was not built, how could people reach the higher floors? We cannot just directly go to the seventh floor to see the beautiful view from there. If we start by building the seventh floor, is that even possible? We must first build the foundation. A seven-story building is built from the ground up, so for people to understand this extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. One Vehicle Dharma, [the Buddha] had to begin by slowly guiding those who could not understand the Dharma.

Since Beginningless Time, sentient beings have been blinded by ignorance. So, the Buddha had to guide and instruct us, one step at a time. Without the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, how could He teach the Six Paramitas? So, there is a sequence to the Buddha’s teachings. Today, wondrous Dharma can be taught because past skillful means slowly guided sentient beings until their capabilities matured.

The great Dharma of the One Vehicle is the teaching of the Bodhisattva-path. So, those who practice the Two Vehicle teachings were frightened of it. “Before the Buddha proclaimed these teachings,” people did not understand it. Before listening to these teachings, no one understood it. Therefore, these teachings are wondrous. So, they wondered why this teaching told them to return to the Saha World after they were finally able to leave it. They did not understand the wondrously profound [principle behind] maintaining a world-transcending spirit while returning to this world on a mission. This all depends on our minds. If we maintain an unwavering mindset as we return to the Saha World, we will not be defiled by the karmic forces here we will not be defiled by the karmic force here. So, this is what we aim to do with our spiritual practice.

Therefore, the past provisional teachings are the foundation of the present wondrous Dharma. “So, these skillful teachings are not easily respected and believed by those with overbearing arrogance.” Because of those without faith and understanding, the Buddha withheld the teachings. This is what we must understand.

So, this section of the sutra describes how, for a long period of time, Sariputra kept sincerely making requests. But, the Buddha stopped three times and still hesitated in giving the teachings. Indeed, He was considering whether it was appropriate to give teachings to this group. He wanted to teach “according to the people, time and place.” The place was right, and the timing was also right, but among the people, there were some whose karmic conditions were not yet mature.

Everyone, whether we are mature enough to accept great teachings really depends on us. Therefore, we must always be mindful.