Category: TLS Chapter 2

Episode 436 – The Great Dharma Must Be Skillfully Taught

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>> “Since Beginningless Time, the Buddha has worked for the sake of sentient beings. Like a kind father or mother who tenderly cares for children, He goes into turbid worlds and dangerous paths.”

>> Sariputra, you should know that when I heard the Noble Lions’ deep, pure and wondrous voices, I joyously called out “Namo to all Buddhas.”

>> So, “then He further thought to Himself, ‘I have come into a turbid, evil world As these Buddhas have taught, I should follow accordingly.’ Having thought upon this matter, I went straightaway to Varanasi.”

>> Then I further thought to myself, “I have come into a turbid, evil world”: He gave teachings suitable for capabilities. Sentient beings’ mental defilements lead their Five Roots to pursue external conditions so they cannot safeguard their minds. In an evil and turbid world, it is hard to teach the Great Dharma.

>> As these Buddhas have taught, I should follow accordingly: Like all Buddhas, He skillfully taught the Three Vehicles, giving and establishing provisional teachings. This clearly shows the Buddha had to hide the true and manifest the provisional by giving three distinct teachings. This was not the Buddha’s original intent.

>> Having thought upon this matter, [He] went straightaway to Varanasi: Varanasi is where Deer Park was located. There, He helped transform the five bhiksus. After this turning of the Dharma-wheel, the Three Treasures, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, appeared as distinct appellations in this world.

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“Since Beginningless Time, the Buddha has worked for the sake of sentient beings. Like a kind father or mother who tenderly cares for children, He goes into turbid worlds and dangerous paths.”

The Buddha has, since Beginningless Time, continued to return to the Saha World for the sake of sentient beings. He comes only to transform sentient beings, because He cannot abandon them. Like kind parents who care for their children, He cannot bear to give up on them. Isn’t this what parents in this world are like? No matter how disobedient children are, their parents will never give up on them. The Buddha has the same mindset.

Though the evil world of the Five Turbidities is like a dangerous road, [the Buddha is like] a compassionate father who continues to protect His children. So, wherever the children go, the father follows. For example, during the Buddha’s lifetime, there was a period of time when. His travels took Him to the village of Udayana. In that village, the Buddha saw that there were many people who wanted to hear Him teach the Dharma. When the Buddha arrived there, someone came to His mind. This elderly woman’s name was Cankala and she came from a poor family. Both she and her husband were servants of a wealthy family. What pained her the most was that she had no children.

The Buddha knew of this pain in her heart. One day, he told Ananda, “Ananda, go and get Cankala.” Ananda followed the Buddha’s instructions and saw that Cankala was fetching water by the stream and was about to carry it back. Ananda walked up to her and said, “Ma’am, can you give me some water?” Seeing Ananda, Cankala was very respectful. “Venerable One, here is your water.” Ananda answered, “It is not for me, but for my teacher Sakyamuni, the World-Honored One.”

Hearing this, she was very happy and asked, “May I follow you and personally make this offering of water to the Buddha?” Ananda answered, “Of course! If you can personally bring the water to Him, that would be wonderful!” So, she quickly picked up the water pail and followed Ananda to the place where the Buddha was resting from His travels.

When they arrived, she put the pail down and scooped up some water with a dipper. Even as she approached the Buddha, just seeing Him from afar made her so happy. She was so overcome with emotion that she forgot herself; she put down the water and spread her arms as she walked up to the Buddha as if she intended to embrace Him. Seeing this, the Buddha’s disciples immediately went forward to stop her. The Buddha waved aside His disciples so that this old woman could come before Him. Seeing the Buddha, she slowly lowered her outspread arms, fully prostrated before Him and embraced His feet.

Then the Buddha began to expound the Four Noble Truths for this old woman, that life is inherently full of suffering, that the accumulation of causes and conditions leads to present retributions of suffering and that to escape this suffering, we must practice the [Eightfold] Path. Only in this way can we eliminate the suffering accumulated in our past lives. This old woman came to a realization, so she went home with a request for her husband. “Please let me become a monastic.”

The old man also thought, “Indeed, life is full of suffering. Despite working so hard our entire lives, most people still look down on us. Since you have these good karmic conditions and you are willing, I give you my blessings.” Cankala then hurried back to the Buddha and requested permission to become a monastic. This made the Buddha happy and He accepted her into the group of bhiksunis. He sent her to Mahaprajapati’s bhiksunis so she could engage in spiritual practice.

At that time, someone asked the Buddha why Cankala had such wonderful causes and conditions. The Buddha explained, “Do you remember? The day she first came to see me, she was so emotional. Her state of mind was like that of a mother who had found her child. She was very overcome with emotion because of her karmic affinities with me 500 lifetimes ago, she was my mother. She cared for me very deeply. I was a child with a deep root of goodness. I wanted to give to others, to learn the Dharma, to become a monastic, but my mother stopped me.” Not only did she hinder his spiritual practice, she also slandered the Three Treasures. So, for many lifetimes, she remained in a state of poverty and remained childless; she had not had children since that life.

In this lifetime, all she wanted was a child. She missed having a child. She felt that if she could only have a child, she would be content. This was the big regret in her life, and not just in this lifetime. For 500 lifetimes, she had suffered in this way. In this lifetime, she could finally accept the. Buddha-Dharma because her causes and conditions had matured. That was why the Buddha sent Ananda to get her. When she saw the Buddha, her maternal love overwhelmed her. When she embraced His feet, she felt the same contentment and excitement as if the Buddha were her child whom she was embracing in her arms.

This was the Buddha’s compassion. He is like a kind father or mother caring for their children. So, even if their karmic affinity was from 500 lifetimes ago, the Buddha still wanted to transform her. This is just one example. Actually, each of us have a karmic connection with the Buddha. What kind of relationship did we have and what kind of karmic conditions did we create with the Buddha in our past lives? When we see the Buddha and listen to the Dharma, we feel very happy. Without that connection, if we saw [the Dharma] we would avoid it. If we heard it, we would feel unhappy and uninterested in listening. That would be because we have no connection with the Buddha and the Dharma. If we do have a connection, then we can faithfully accept and practice the teachings. Out of His compassion, the Buddha returned to this turbid, perilous world solely to transform sentient beings. He persists, and never gives up on us, so we should show Him the utmost reverence.

Sariputra, you should know that when I heard the Noble Lions’ deep, pure and wondrous voices, I joyously called out “Namo to all Buddhas.”

Yesterday, we talked about how the Buddha said, “Sariputra, you should know that when I heard the Noble Lions’,” He heard all past Buddhas’, “deep, pure and wondrous voices.” When past Buddhas of the ten directions emerged in the Buddha’s place of enlightenment, Their deep and wondrous voices generated respect in the Buddha’s heart, so He “joyously called out ‘Namo to all Buddhas.'” At that time, His heart was also filled with reverence.

Though He had already attained Buddhahood, the Buddha still had great reverence for and still took refuge with past Buddhas. Therefore, we in particular should take refuge with our body and mind. So, the Buddha “further thought to Himself.” With utmost reverence, He thought of how past Buddhas decided to go into the world to transform sentient beings.

So, “then He further thought to Himself, ‘I have come into a turbid, evil world As these Buddhas have taught, I should follow accordingly.’ Having thought upon this matter, I went straightaway to Varanasi.”

We have previously talked about a passage similar to this one.

In “Then I further thought to myself, further” means to contemplate again. Didn’t He come to this world, engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood all with the goal of transforming sentient beings? He could not enter Parinirvana because of a whim. Since He wanted to transform sentient beings, He had to teach according to their capabilities. Sentient beings’ capabilities are great, average or limited; they have sharp, average and dull faculties. So, He [teaches] according to capabilities. He adapts to sentient beings; this is teaching according to their disposition. He teaches according to our disposition, with words we can understand, to help us resolve our questions. Isn’t this what the Buddha did for over 40 years?

“Sentient beings’ mental defilements lead their Five Roots to pursue external phenomena.” Their minds are covered by defilements and ignorance because of their Five Roots. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, pursue external phenomena, thus, “They cannot safeguard their minds.” Everyone’s mind is trying to connect with external phenomena. If others say things to us that we like, we feel happy, like we are walking on air. If they mention our shortcomings or our mistakes, we may become angry and yell and glare at them. This is what our ears hear, what our eyes see, what our minds feel and so on. This is how the Five Roots, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, connect to external conditions and how we physically react.

Then I further thought to myself, “I have come into a turbid, evil world”: He gave teachings suitable for capabilities. Sentient beings’ mental defilements lead their Five Roots to pursue external conditions so they cannot safeguard their minds. In an evil and turbid world, it is hard to teach the Great Dharma.

This is how “the Five Roots pursue external conditions so we cannot safeguard our minds.” So, “in an evil and turbid world, it is hard to teach the Great Dharma.” The Buddha had truly realized such vast, boundless, subtle and wondrous principles. How could those with mental defilements, “who cannot safeguard their minds,” possibly accept them? “It is hard to teach the Great Dharma.” So, the Buddha also thought, “I have come into a turbid, evil world.’ Since He came to this turbid, evil world, in order to teach sentient beings the Dharma, He had to teach according to their capabilities.

“As these Buddhas have taught, I should follow accordingly.” The way all past Buddhas taught the Dharma was according to disposition, with skillful means to patiently guide people. This is what past Buddhas did.

As these Buddhas have taught, I should follow accordingly: Like all Buddhas, He skillfully taught the Three Vehicles, giving and establishing provisional teachings. This clearly shows the Buddha had to hide the true and manifest the provisional by giving three distinct teachings. This was not the Buddha’s original intent.

Therefore, “Like all Buddhas, He skillfully taught the Three Vehicles.” The Three Vehicles are the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles. At the same time, He gave and established the provisional teachings. This clearly explains that “the Buddha had to hide the true and manifest the provisional.” To ensure that everyone understood, He had to give limited and provisional teachings according to sentient beings’ capabilities. So, He had to conceal the True Dharma.

Actually, True Dharma helps us understand our minds and realize our nature. It is His way of saying, “You and I are the same. If I can attain enlightenment, so can you. You all intrinsically have Buddha-nature.” But who can understand this concept? So, He had to go back to the beginning and tirelessly establish limited teachings for limited capabilities. Establishing teachings based on capabilities is called “hiding the true.” By hiding the true teaching, He

“gave the provisional” as three distinct teachings. But if there are too many methods, one person may insist on these rules, another may insist on other regulations, so it is hard to guide people. In a large organization like Tzu Chi, we have Faith Corps and Commissioners, groups and teams, and they must operate in an orderly manner. Of course, Commissioners and Faith Corps all share one practice, the Bodhisattva Way. They all personally reach out to sentient beings and personally seek to help them. As they interact and deal with people and matters, they put teachings into practice. Only by doing this can they truly realize the principles of life. There is an old saying, “Without experience, we cannot grow in wisdom.” Only by experiencing something can we really understand the way it is.

The Buddha kept teaching the Four Noble Truths. When we see others suffer, we must understand the cause of their suffering. Their suffering comes from the accumulation of various causes and conditions. Thus they experience suffering. Since [we know] causes and conditions are accumulating like this, after we understand this principle, we can constantly remind ourselves to be vigilant. This principle tells us to be vigilant, to form positive causes and conditions and avoid creating negative causes and conditions. As we engage in spiritual practice, in order to attain Buddhahood, we must understand negative [karma]. The effects of suffering we face right now are the result of accumulated causes and conditions. The “causation” of suffering is this accumulation. Only after we understand, can we remind ourselves to be vigilant.

So, by growing our wisdom, we can analyze the effects of suffering and negative karmic conditions. Then we can be vigilant about them. When we are giving, we create good causes, wholesome causes and wholesome conditions. Thus we must always remind ourselves to be vigilant. We must practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, and protect our minds so that we will be able to safeguard our minds. If our minds connect with external phenomena through the Five Roots, inevitably we will create more causes and conditions.

Will we create blessed causes, or will we create negative causes? This depends on whether we practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. If we do, the causes we plant will naturally be causes for blessings and wisdom and the conditions we create will be those for blessings and wisdom. Blessings and wisdom are [like two feet] [that we use] to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Realizing the great path, entering the Sutra treasury and leading all people harmoniously, without obstruction,

are all possible because of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom come from realizations attained in interacting with others. So, “wisdom comes from experience.” To develop wisdom from our experience, we must practice the Dharma among people. We cannot think, “I am the group leader. All I need to do is say to others, ‘Have you done this? You need to do that.'” This is not what we do. We need to say, “Have we done this? This is what we need to do.” Then everyone understands this is how we engage in spiritual practice in this world.

The Buddha’s greatest hope is for everyone to to come in contact with the Dharma and cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom and an understanding of the law of karma. When we see the suffering of sentient beings, we must form great aspirations to transform them. The Buddha, seeking methods to transform them, “thought upon this matter.” Having contemplated how to transform them, He “went straightaway to Varanasi.” Varanasi was where Deer Park was located and where He taught the Dharma to the five bhiksus. So, He went to transform the five bhiksus.

Having thought upon this matter, [He] went straightaway to Varanasi: Varanasi is where Deer Park was located. There, He helped transform the five bhiksus. After this turning of the Dharma-wheel, the Three Treasures, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, appeared as distinct appellations in this world.

The place where the five bhiksus attained the path was the place the Buddha first expounded the Dharma after He had attained enlightenment. That place was Deer Park. “After this turn of the Dharma-wheel,” the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha came to be, and they are still with us today. The Three Treasures became complete at Deer Park. Since the Buddha said they were all equal, why did the Buddha remain the Buddha, the Dharma remain the Dharma and the Sangha remain the Sangha? Originally, the Buddha stated directly, “You are already Buddhas.” However, their minds were still ordinary minds filled with afflictions and ignorance. Because they remained unawakened, they could not be considered Buddhas. So, they had to practice according to the Dharma. This makes them part of the Sangha.

Since we aspire to be Buddha’s disciples, we must “comprehend the great path” and also “bring forth the Bodhi-mind.” We must carefully listen to the Dharma and put it into practice on the great, direct path to enlightenment. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 435 – Pay Reverence to the Noble Teacher

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>> “Listening to the Dharma, we faithfully accept it and take it to heart. Our nature was originally the same as the Tathagata’s. With Leaks, we became ordinary people and thus unenlightened. Pure faith will lead one to enlightenment.”

>> It is as if, in a ditch by the fields near a great path, a lotus flower has appeared. It is fragrant, pure and agreeable. Cyclic existence is like this [ditch], and ordinary beings stand on the edge. Those with wisdom will want to transcend this and become the Buddha’s disciples.

>> Those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma do not believe that they can become Buddhas. That was why I used skillful means to teach the various fruitions with distinctions. Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva-path.

>> “Sariputra, you should know that when I heard the Noble Lions’ deep, pure and wondrous voices, I joyously called out, ‘Namo to all Buddhas.'”

>> Sariputra was the wise person the teachings were directed at. He knew the Buddha is the king of noble beings and that listening to Him leads to great awakening. All Buddhas also praised the Buddha’s goodness. He is like the Noble Lion, the king of all beasts.

>> [They spoke with] deep, pure and wondrous voices. I joyously called out, “Namo to all Buddhas”: Extremely deep, pure and wondrous voices refers to how the Buddha thought of all past Buddhas’ voices as They spoke appreciation and praise. Sakyamuni Buddha said, “Namo to all Buddhas” to pay respect and take refuge with all Buddhas.

>> Though He had attained perfect enlightenment and become a Buddha, He still paid respect to and took refuge with all Buddhas of the ten directions. How can we sentient beings of the nine Dharma-realms not take refuge with the Buddhas with genuine sincerity?

>> The Ten Dharma-realms: Each has its own causes and its own effects that do not mix with each other, so there are ten Dharma-realms. As for these ten kinds of Dharma, their embodiments are Dharma-realms, thus they are the Ten Dharma-realms.

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“Listening to the Dharma, we faithfully accept it and take it to heart.
Our nature was originally the same as the Tathagata’s.
With Leaks, we became ordinary people and thus unenlightened.
Pure faith will lead one to enlightenment.”

Everyone must know that when we listen to the Dharma, we must faithfully accept and practice it. When we take it into our hearts, it will nourish our wisdom-life.

If we take the Dharma to heart, we will practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. If these remain on our minds, we can prevent [objects of] ignorance and afflictions in our surroundings from tempting us. If not, no matter how often we listen to the Dharma, it will continue to leak away. When this happens, though we know clearly that we have the same awakened nature as the Buddha, because of our Leaks, the Buddha-Dharma is no longer in our minds. It has leaked away, so we remain ordinary, unawakened people. However, when we give rise to pure faith, we will become awakened. We must quickly give rise to pure thoughts and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart.

During one period of the Buddha’s lifetime, He gave teachings on Vulture Peak. One day, during His time there, 50 young men came to pay their respects. They had arranged to come together and listen to the Buddha teach. This group of young men were all sons of wealthy families in the city, so they were able to come listen to the Dharma. The Buddha taught them by talking about all kinds of appearances in the world. Things may seem very joyful and pleasurable, but that happiness and pleasure may also conceal suffering, its causation, cessation and the Path. These young men understood; after they listened, they felt that life was truly impermanent. Looking at their own society, they saw people in need of compassion everywhere.

Though all 50 of these young men came from very wealthy families, they saw the poverty and suffering in their own society. Thus, after the Buddha’s explanation, they understood the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death. Moreover, they comprehended the suffering of unattained desires, parting from loved ones, meeting with those they dislike etc. The young men had already realized all this. Because they took delight in the Buddha-Dharma, they asked the Buddha to allow them to become monastics. This made the Buddha very happy. These 50 young men all had roots of goodness, so the Buddha agreed [and said], “Welcome bhiksus.” They happily took refuge right away, entered the Sangha and took on the appearance of monastics.

News of this eventually spread to the city. Everyone in the city believed in the Buddha-Dharma. They knew that becoming a monastic is a wonderful thing. So, the parents, relatives and friends of these 50 young men all rushed to Vulture Peak to express their gratitude to the Buddha for helping these young men become monastics. They wished these new disciples well and also reverently made offerings. Thus, they hoped to invite the Buddha to lead this group of bhiksus into the city to accept their offerings. The Buddha agreed.

As the bhiksus followed the Buddha into the city, they were welcomed by everyone. They went to the elders’ homes to receive offerings. When it was time to go back [to Vulture Peak], some of these 50 young men were very reluctant to leave. While they were back in their homes in the city, they were surrounded by the prosperity and pleasures that their families enjoyed. Those things were so mesmerizing to them. Now that they had to return to Vulture Peak, they felt a sense of reluctance.

The Buddha understood how these young men felt. The road that they walked on had a sewage ditch beside it. The sanitation was poor, so the dirty mud and filthy things in there gave off a very foul stench. In one part of this muddy ditch, there were lotus flowers. Lotuses were blooming at the bottom of it. The Buddha stood there and said a few words about how the dirty mud in this ditch by the field had given rise to these lotus flowers. Though the ditch was filthy, the lotus flowers were pure and beautiful. Seeing them brought joy to people. But these flowers have a time when they bloom, and a time when they wilt, just as we humans live and die. In one spot the mud was filthy, but in another there were lotus flowers. Ordinary people exist between two such places. “Those with wisdom will want to transcend this” and become the Buddha’s disciples and monastics; they are like the lotus flowers growing in the mud.

It is as if, in a ditch by the fields near a great path, a lotus flower has appeared. It is fragrant, pure and agreeable. Cyclic existence is like this [ditch], and ordinary beings stand on the edge. Those with wisdom will want to transcend this and become the Buddha’s disciples.

After they were back on Vulture Peak, Ananda asked the Buddha to explain again. So, the Buddha said to Ananda, “Ananda, the lotus flowers in the mud are like the people who have listened to Dharma and aspire to become monastics. Not only can they transform themselves, they can also transform their relatives. Not only can they transform their relatives, they can also transform all sentient beings.”

The Buddha-Dharma can be discovered through [the conduct] of monastics. If we can mindfully penetrate the Dharma, naturally it will spread through the world and bring purity to people’s minds. Similarly, though we still live in this world of Five Turbidities, the presence of this turbidity is what allows lotus flowers to grow. Knowing the truth of suffering, its causation, cessation and the Path to its cessation, we have the will to transcend the world. Since we want to transcend the world, we must have pure faith. Only then can we become awakened. Only then will we be people who awaken themselves and others.

Isn’t that what this story tells us? After we listen to the Dharma, we must faithfully accept and practice it. The Dharma must be taken to heart. Our intrinsic nature is the same as the Buddha’s, but we have become temporarily lost. Thus, when we listen to the Dharma, we must carefully safeguard our minds by practicing precepts, Samadhi and wisdom and no longer allowing afflictions to cover our minds.

So, the Buddha had to deal with “those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma” and “do not believe that they can become Buddhas.” He was still compassionate. He used various skillful means to teach sentient beings according to their capabilities and according to the states they want to attain. He taught them how to cultivate causes and create conditions in order to achieve certain states. If we have pure causes and pure conditions, we will attain pure states. This is what we have discussed yesterday and in the past. He guided everyone to reach the Bodhisattva-path. That is how the Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way.

Those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma do not believe that they can become Buddhas. That was why I used skillful means to teach the various fruitions with distinctions. Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva-path.

The next passage in the sutra states,

“Sariputra, you should know that when I heard the Noble Lions’ deep, pure and wondrous voices, I joyously called out, ‘Namo to all Buddhas.'”

This passage [addressed] Sariputra. He was foremost in wisdom among the Buddha’s disciples and was also the one who initiated the Lotus teachings. He represented all of the bhiksus in requesting teachings from the Buddha. Now, the Buddha called Sariputra by name because He was best understood by Sariputra.

Sariputra was the wise person the teachings were directed at. He knew the Buddha is the king of noble beings and that listening to Him leads to great awakening. All Buddhas also praised the Buddha’s goodness. He is like the Noble Lion, the king of all beasts.

“He knew the Buddha is the king of noble beings.” Because of Sariputra’s wisdom, he had deep faith in the Buddha. The Buddha is the king of noble beings. “Listening to Him leads to great awakening. All Buddhas also praised the Buddha’s goodness.” All Buddhas had great praise for the Buddha’s virtuous Dharma. We just need to mindfully listen to it. The Buddha is the king of noble beings. If we listen carefully, we can become awakened. All Buddhas, not only Sakyamuni Buddha, were also happy.

He is like the Noble Lion, the king of all beasts. The lion is the king of the forest. Among all animals, the lion is the king of beasts. Since the Buddha became enlightened in this world, He is the noble king of the human realm, just like the lion is the king of the forest. In both cases, this title demonstrates respect. Before a lion makes a sound, he will crouch and then let out a sound, which is called a roar. This is a lion’s roar, a sound that will shake the ground. Once he makes this sound, it will frighten all the many other savage beasts. Similarly, when the Buddha teaches the Dharma, the Right Dharma can eradicate all evil views. And when evil beings hear Right Dharma, they will also be in awe. Thus, He is compared to a lion.

“[They spoke] with deep, pure, wondrous voices. I joyously called out, ‘Namo to all Buddhas.'” Sakyamuni Buddha was describing how, after all Buddhas attain enlightenment and begin to give teachings to sentient beings, their voices are very deep, pure and wondrous.

[They spoke with] deep, pure and wondrous voices. I joyously called out, “Namo to all Buddhas”: Extremely deep, pure and wondrous voices refers to how the Buddha thought of all past Buddhas’ voices as They spoke appreciation and praise. Sakyamuni Buddha said, “Namo to all Buddhas” to pay respect and take refuge with all Buddhas.

As we previously discussed, the Buddha’s voice has five or eight characteristic tones. These tones will make listeners very happy, gentle and clear-minded. They can deeply penetrate people’s minds. These are wondrous voices. In particular, when the Buddha teaches deep and profound Dharma according to capabilities, everyone can accept it. So, “the Buddha thought of all past Buddhas’ voices as They spoke appreciation and praise.” Past Buddhas appreciated and praised. Sakyamuni Buddha for how He consoled sentient beings. These are the voices of all past Buddhas and also of the present Buddha.

So, this passage of the sutra has a double meaning. The Buddha revered all past Buddhas, and His disciples faithfully accepted [the Dharma] when they heard His voice. So when He talked about recalling past Buddhas, that meant Sakyamuni Buddha recalled how all past Buddhas had comforted and praised Him. He drew near the minds of past Buddhas. So, He respectfully said, “Namo to all Buddhas” and spoke those words with utmost reverence. Sakyamuni Buddha also “paid respect and took refuge with all Buddhas.” Though the Buddha had already attained Buddhahood, He still showed utmost respect to all past Buddhas. How could we unenlightened beings [do any less?].

Now is truly the moment that causes and conditions will come to fruition. Sakyamuni Buddha said, “I heard the Noble Lions.” He said, “Sariputra, I have heard the pure and wondrous voices of all past Buddhas. In my heart, I still say, ‘Namo to all Buddhas.’ I am still very respectful of them.” This is what the Buddha taught.

Though He had attained perfect enlightenment and become a Buddha, He still paid respect to and took refuge with all Buddhas of the ten directions. How can we sentient beings of the nine Dharma-realms not take refuge with the Buddhas with genuine sincerity?

“Namo” means to take refuge. The word “Namo” means to take refuge or to rely on. Even Sakyamuni Buddha says, in regard to past Buddhas, “I take refuge with Buddhas,” the Buddhas of perfect enlightenment. So, how can we sentient beings in the nine Dharma-realms not follow the Buddha’s example? Therefore, we must be very mindful. Within the Ten Dharma-realms, the Buddha has used various methods to explain the causes and conditions for each.

The Ten Dharma-realms: Each has its own causes and its own effects that do not mix with each other, so there are ten Dharma-realms. As for these ten kinds of Dharma, their embodiments are Dharma-realms, thus they are the Ten Dharma-realms.

Of the Ten Dharma-realms, each has its own causes and conditions. The causes for becoming Hearers develop into the effects of Hearers. They have the causes and conditions of Hearers. Their spiritual practice and capabilities allow them to listen to the Buddha’s voice and understand the Buddha-Dharma. As for Solitary Realizers’ causes and conditions, they knew the Buddha-Dharma in a past life. But they are born in an era without a Buddha. Still they observe the world and its four seasons, knowing that no external states can be everlasting. They know that all things are impermanent. Solitary Realizers connect to their surroundings and realize the impermanence of this world. These are the causes and effects of Solitary Realizers.

As for Bodhisattvas, they drew near to Buddhas in past lives and aspired to engage in spiritual practice. So, they have these kinds of causes and effects. Each has its own causes and its own effects that do not intermix. It is said, “Each person creates his own causes; each receives his own effects and retributions.” There is no mix-up about this at all. I will never reap what you sowed. You will attain the effects of your practice. I will attain the effects of my practice. When I tell you what I know, if you can accept it, you will also attain the same. So, we each have our own causes and will attain our own effects. I cannot give you the effects of my practice. That is impossible. I can share my [realizations] with you, but you may or may not be able to accept them. If you can accept them, you will also attain realizations.

This also applies to all ten Dharma-realms. In the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms each has its own kind of causes and conditions, effects and retributions. It is the same for everyone in the human realm. Each of us has different karmic conditions. All sentient beings in the Ten Dharma-realms are subject to their own individual karmic causes and effects. That is why these are called Dharma-realms. When doing evil things leads to evil effects, that is Dharma. When creating blessings and cultivating goodness leads to blessed retributions, that is also Dharma. Cultivating goodness leads to blessings while creating evil karma yields negative effects. This is an absolute truth. Thus, good and evil are all Dharma.

In summary, as Buddhist practitioners we must always be mindful. When we listen to the Dharma, we must faithfully accept it and take it to heart. Human nature was originally the same as the Buddha-mind. It is just that after we listen to the Dharma, it leaks away because our minds do not do anything to prevent it. Computers, these days, have firewalls to continuously prevent hackers from entering and destroying our computer systems.

The principle is the same. So, we practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom to guard against wrongs and stop evils and to safeguard our wisdom-life so it continues to grow. Evils will not enter again and afflictions will continue to be eliminated. This is due to precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. We must aim ourselves in the right direction and not get confused. We each have our own causes and our own effects. Each of the Ten Dharma-realms has its own [blend] of good and evil. Therefore, we must strive to protect our minds. We must help our goodness to grow and our evil to continually diminish. This is our goal in practicing the Buddha-Dharma. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 434 – Penetrate the Great Vehicle with Skillful Means

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>> “We must have faith in our selflessness and spread great love. With the genuine sincerity of the Great Vehicle we give wondrous provisional teachings. Turning from the Small Vehicle to the Great, we walk the Bodhisattva-path.”

>> “Those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma do not believe that they can become Buddhas. That was why I used skillful means to teach the various fruitions with distinctions. Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva Way.”

>> Those of limited wisdom do not seek the Great [Vehicle] Dharma. They only seek to benefit and awaken themselves and are content with small gains. Small Vehicle practitioners have limited wisdom and delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma. They do not seek the Great Vehicle Dharma, nor do they believe they can attain Buddhahood.

>> Skillful is another way of saying wholesome and clever. What is wholesome and clever is used with wisdom. There is only one true principle, not three. Thus with the power of skillful means, the Buddha teaches the various fruitions with distinctions. So, what we call ultimate wisdom can be attained through skillful means.

>> Although the Buddha skillfully applied wholesome and clever ways, He did it in order for sentient beings to understand that the Three Vehicles lead to the ultimate wisdom of the One Vehicle. Thus it says,

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“We must have faith in our selflessness
and spread great love.
With the genuine sincerity of the Great Vehicle
we give wondrous provisional teachings.
Turning from the Small Vehicle to the Great,
we walk the Bodhisattva-path.”

The Buddha-mind is all-encompassing and boundless, and we must believe that our mind is equal to the Buddha’s mind.

The Buddha treats all beings as His only child; this is how impartial, how all-embracing and how great His love is. Thus, we must learn to adopt the Buddha’s mindset and be as selfless as He is. Most importantly, in addition to striving to be selfless ourselves, we must also spread this message to all people, in hopes that everyone can also be selfless and filled with great love. Then their hearts can feel open and happy every day. This comes from a selfless mindset. With it, we can naturally “spread great love.”

Spreading great love takes genuine sincerity. I always remind everyone that when we make the Four Great Vows as part of our spiritual practice, we must have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. This is our Jing Si Dharma-lineage’s foundation which all of us must practice. Thus, we must be genuinely sincere. Every day when we deal with people and matters, we must be genuine and sincere. If we are genuinely sincere and keep the Dharma be in our hearts and actions, we are practicing the Great Vehicle. [By practicing] the Great Vehicle Dharma, we can be a role model for all sentient beings and everything we do can influence others. If other people do not have any negative preconceptions about us and indeed have admiration for us, then when we talk to them, we are practicing a form of giving.

This is a skillful way of teaching. Because everyone’s mindset is different, everyone’s habitual tendencies are different. This is something all of us must be aware of. We can see that someone’s habitual tendencies are making things hard for them, causing them to become afflicted as they deal with people and matters. If we tell them this directly, they may not be able to accept it. How can we be a companion for them? How can we influence them? By “giving wondrous provisional teachings.” This is a form of giving by

counseling them to turn from the Small to the Great. Some people’s minds are very narrow. When they do something, they do not want anyone else to take credit. They take all the credit themselves by saying, “I was the one who did this.” They are unwilling to help or promote others. Some people do not want to promote others, what we now call nurturing talent. In Taiwanese, we used to say “guide to success.” Even if we are working on something ourselves, no one in this world can accomplish any great achievement by themselves; it always requires the efforts of many people. Those who minimize others’ accomplishments and take full credit for things are considered limited in capacity and petty. This is a hard way to live.

We also want to transform these people. If we can do this, we can guide more people to success. By promoting and developing more people, we can help everyone develop greater capacity. This is also a way of being Bodhisattvas. Some are unwilling to share their wealth. They see others toil, but they just want to enjoy themselves. [They think,] “What do I care if others are suffering?” Those who are not willing to share any of their material abundance with others are stingy and have limited capabilities. These people are difficult to transform. What can be done? “With the genuine sincerity of the Great Vehicle we give wondrous teachings. Turning from the Small to the Great, we walk the Bodhisattva-path.” This is the only way.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, a disciple named Maudgalyayana practiced by His side. He understood many principles and had faith in the Buddha’s teachings. He sometimes thought of his younger brother. His brother was one of the richest men, yet was very stingy. Venerable Maudgalyayana thought, “What a pity; if my brother was willing, he could help so many people with his wealth and keep them from the suffering of starvation.”

So, he made up his mind to go to his younger brother’s house and see him. He told him, “If you want to maintain your wealth in this life and in future lives, I can show you how.” The younger brother heard his brother and thought, “He is very advanced in spiritual practice and now he is going to teach me how to remain wealthy in this life and future ones. I would be happy to hear this.” Then Maudgalyayana began to explain to him, “Indeed, the karmic law of cause and effect….” Starting with the karmic law of cause and effect, He mindfully explained the Buddha’s teachings.

As the younger brother listened joyfully, Maudgalyayana told him, “Do you understand? It’s about giving. Giving is the cause that creates wealth. When we give to others we create good affinities. If you have good causes and conditions, in future lives you will have material abundance.” The younger brother listened and replied, “I understand. I know what I need to do.” So, he decided to open his treasury and his warehouse and begin to give things away. All over the city,

he continued to give, again and again. Giving made him very happy; what made him happy was the thought that in giving, he would receive much more in return. So, every day he continued to give. Every day, he was happy, at least in the beginning. After some time passed, doubts arose in his mind. He unhappily said to Maudgalyayana, “You said if I practiced giving, I would have more blessings and my wealth would increase. Why hasn’t this happened? I have already given so much but my warehouse is more empty, not more full.”

Maudgalyayana told him, “You absolutely cannot begin to doubt, nor think that the purpose of giving is only to attain blessings. When you give and see that people are well-fed and are living a good life, that should make you happy. Come, let me take you to somewhere.” In that moment, Maudgalyayana used his spiritual power to bring his brother to another state, to Great Freedom Heaven, the sixth heaven in the desire heaven.

In that state, they saw a massive palace with very luxurious and grand furnishings. As they walked around, they saw a pool with very clear water. As they drew near, they smelled its fragrance and saw many heavenly maidens. However, the master of the palace was nowhere to be seen. The brother asked Maudgalyayana about this. Maudgalyayana said, “Why don’t you ask them yourself?”

So, he went to ask and a very beautiful heavenly maiden told him, “This palace is just newly constructed. we are here waiting for our master. Who is your master?” She replied, “He lives in Jambudvipa.” Jambudvipa is a name for this world where we live. “In Jambudvipa, there lives Sakyamuni Buddha, [who has a disciple named] Maudgalyayana. His younger brother is benevolent and charitable. He does many good deeds, gives to many people and makes sure that everyone has enough to eat and is living a blessed life. His merits, virtues and blessings are great, so in the future he will be reborn here.”

When the brother heard this, he was overjoyed. “This younger brother of. Maudgalyayana who gives so much, isn’t that referring to me?” He felt quite satisfied. “In the future, I will be the master of this massive, opulent palace. I will be surrounded by many beautiful women. This is what I have always wished for. There is nowhere like this in the human realm, but in my next life I will be here.”

He was very happy. He immediately repented to Maudgalyayana. “Will I really be able to go to that place?” Venerable Maudgalyayana said to his brother, “Yes, but you must not have any doubt and you must not be greedy for more. If you remain greedy, your blessings will disappear. I know, I understand now. From now on, I will not be greedy nor be attached to this world.” From then on, he became truly kind and charitable.

This is how we must “have faith in our selflessness and spread great love.” Maudgalyayana was already selfless. “With the genuine sincerity of the Great Vehicle we give wondrous provisional teachings.” With genuine sincerity, he transformed his younger brother. This is skillful means, but it helped his younger brother practice great equanimity and attain great joy. This also creates merits. This is the Bodhisattva-path of turning from the Small to the Great.

The previous section of the sutra states that the Buddha uses various methods [to teach]. The Dharma He realized could not be accepted by ordinary beings, so “for the sake of all sentient beings. He distinctly teaches the Three Vehicles.” This is what we discussed yesterday, so now we know that the sutra text continues with,

“Those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma do not believe that they can become Buddhas. That was why I used skillful means to teach the various fruitions with distinctions. Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva Way.”

This sutra passage discusses how most sentient beings have limited wisdom and only know what is going on in the present, what is right in front of them. So, they only delight in Small [Vehicle] Dharma and seek to awaken only themselves. “They do not believe they can become Buddhas.” They think it cannot be that easy to attain Buddhahood. “If I can just attain liberation from suffering, I will be satisfied.” Those with limited capacities and wisdom like this do not believe they can attain enlightenment.

“That was why I used skillful means.” Because of sentient beings’ capabilities, the Buddha had to use skillful means to “teach the various fruitions with distinctions.” So, there is an initial, second, third and fourth fruit. There are various methods of explaining existence and emptiness suitable for the various capabilities of sentient beings. Though the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles, “Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva Way.” He was teaching according to capabilities. Although He said He taught the Three Vehicles, He was actually teaching the Bodhisattva Way.

As we heard, Maudgalyayana took his younger brother to Great Freedom Heaven and showed him that wonderful environment. He then told him, “You must not greedily cling to things. Do not be greedy. Continue to practice giving.” Wasn’t he teaching him to walk the Bodhisattva-path? If his brother could continue to give until this was done joyfully and without expectations, he would have already eliminated His afflictions. This was one method.

Thus, we must understand that. “Those of limited wisdom delight in Small Dharma.” Most people give with expectations. They are those of limited wisdom who delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma and think, “It is enough for me to gain temporary happiness. Having a moment free from suffering is good enough for me.” Perhaps there are many people like this. There are even more people who do not believe that they can attain Buddhahood. So, they are those of limited wisdom who do not seek the Great [Vehicle] Dharma. “They only seek to benefit themselves and are content with small gains.” They feel this is good enough. Thus they are Small Vehicle practitioners who have limited wisdom and delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma.

Those of limited wisdom do not seek the Great [Vehicle] Dharma. They only seek to benefit and awaken themselves and are content with small gains. Small Vehicle practitioners have limited wisdom and delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma. They do not seek the Great Vehicle Dharma, nor do they believe they can attain Buddhahood.

“They do not seek the Great Vehicle Dharma.” This is because they do not believe they can be enlightened and become Buddhas. If they do not even have faith in themselves, how can they have faith in the Great Dharma? So, they must first have faith in themselves, “have faith in [their] selflessness.” Only then can they “spread great love.”

“That was why I used skillful means to teach the various fruitions with distinctions.” Because these people only want to awaken themselves, He taught according to their capabilities.

Skillful is another way of saying wholesome and clever. What is wholesome and clever is used with wisdom. There is only one true principle, not three. Thus with the power of skillful means, the Buddha teaches the various fruitions with distinctions. So, what we call ultimate wisdom can be attained through skillful means.

“Skillful is another way of saying wholesome and clever.” What we call skillful means are indeed clever methods and wholesome methods that are suitable for sentient beings’ capabilities. So, skillful means are exercised with wisdom. We need to use our wisdom. Then wholesome and clever means can be applied.

“There is only one true principle, not three.” When we apply [these teachings], we must know there is only one true principle, not three. That is just a way of teaching according to capabilities. When I speak, every day I talk about the same things. But different people may hear the teachings differently at different times and thus become happy and willing to form aspirations. Otherwise, my teachings are the same every day. So, “there is only one true principle, not three.” Indeed, there is only one principle, not three. If there are three, it is not a true principle.

There is only one Great Vehicle principle. This one principle is that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and everyone has [Buddha-]wisdom. This is the true principle. So, this is why He established skillful means; there is only one principle, but people’s capabilities vary, so we must teach with various wholesome and clever methods. Those are skillful means.

For these people, the Buddha carefully and distinctly taught about the various fruits. “If you do this, you can attain this fruition.” Everyone has to pay attention to future retributions. He tried to help people again and again to eliminate afflictions from their minds and eradicate their ignorant views. This was the care He took with His disciples. He used different methods “to teach the various fruitions with distinctions.” For those with ultimate wisdom, He told them that these are skillful means that allow everyone to understand [the Dharma]. Actually, skillful means are skillful ways of guiding people with practical wisdom.

“Although I taught the Three Vehicles, I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva Way.” Though they are called the Three Vehicles, they are actually skillful means. The Three Vehicles are actually wholesome and clever methods. They really only have one purpose. To help sentient beings understand these Vehicles, to let them know, He started with the initial, second, third and fourth fruit, these limited teachings for average capacities. He used all kinds of methods. Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas are the Three Vehicles.

The Hearers are attached to the Four Fruits. Disciples who are Solitary Realizers understand [the Dharma] but cannot form great aspirations. Though their minds are already pure, they are unwilling to expand their minds to transform sentient beings. So, for their sake, He taught the Bodhisattva Way. These are the Three Vehicles. Actually, there is just the ultimate wisdom of the One Vehicle. So, the Three Vehicles ultimately lead back to the ultimate wisdom of the One Vehicle, the principles of true wisdom.

Although the Buddha skillfully applied wholesome and clever ways, He did it in order for sentient beings to understand that the Three Vehicles lead to the ultimate wisdom of the One Vehicle. Thus it says,

“I only did it to teach the Bodhisattva Way.” This is the Buddha’s compassion. He opened various wondrous skillful Dharma-doors according to the needs of this world. Some people who are suffering need kind people to help them. Yet, most of us have greedy thoughts, and want to possess everything for ourselves. Thus, the Buddha must gradually eliminate everyone’s greed, anger and ignorance. Only then can He inspire everyone to be loving and to help even more people. By helping others, we can comprehend even more principles. This is how the Buddha transforms sentient beings. He provides for all three [levels of] capabilities and spreads the principle of kindness in the world.

Therefore, as we mindfully learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn to “have faith in our selflessness and spread great love. With the genuine sincerity of the Great Vehicle we give wondrous provisional teachings.” We must all learn to do this. At the same time, “turning from the Small to the Great, we walk the Bodhisattva-path.” Thus, every day we must always be mindful.

Episode 433 – Transform People with Suitable Teachings

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>> “Learn and accept the Buddha’s teachings; practice the Four All-Embracing Virtues, charitable giving, loving speech, beneficial conduct and working together. Learn the Dharma to go among people and transform them with suitable teachings.”

>> “Having attained the supreme Dharma, You followed the precedent of all Buddhas and employed the power of skillful means. We all have attained as well the foremost and most wondrous Dharma. For the various kinds of sentient beings, we taught the Three Vehicles separately.”

>> Anything that is created and has an appearance is a conditioned phenomenon. That which has no appearance, is unconditioned, is the supreme Dharma, which is another name for tranquility and stillness.

>> The supreme Dharma: This is the state perceived by the Tathagata-mind; it is a state illuminated by wisdom. If we can eliminate afflictions, we are in a state of Nirvana.

>> [He] followed the precedent of all Buddhas and employed the power of skillful means: Following the wisdom of all Buddhas, He taught the provisional for the sake of the true and expounded the Three Vehicles. Thus He was praised by all Buddhas of the ten directions.

>> We all have attained as well this foremost and most wondrous Dharma: Due to blessings cultivated over past lifetimes, in this lifetime we can all listen to the compassionate and wise teaching of the Buddha. We all have attained as well the foremost and most wondrous Dharma in the minds of all Buddhas.

>> The Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings, gave teachings according to capabilities and timing. He separately taught the Three Vehicles. This provisional and wondrous teaching is the Bodhisattva Way, which is also the skillful teaching of the Buddha Vehicle.

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“Learn and accept the Buddha’s teachings;
practice the Four All-Embracing Virtues,
charitable giving, loving speech,
beneficial conduct and working together.
Learn the Dharma to go among people
and transform them with suitable teachings.”

As Buddhist practitioners, we must reverently accept the Buddhist teachings and put them into practice. To engage in spiritual practice among people, we must apply four methods. These methods are most invaluable for our practice. The first is charitable giving, second is loving speech, third is beneficial conduct and the fourth is working together. If we can apply all of them, we can learn the Dharma and then go among the people to transform them according to their capabilities; we transform them with the Dharma

(In 2013), I heard about a case in Xiamen. There was family comprised of a single mother and the two sons she was raising. The family was doing moderately well, leading a fairly typical life. However, during high school, her younger son’s body began to change and the way he moved and walked became odd. So, his classmates began to talk about him. They were laughing at him. So this teenager, a child of 14 or 15, developed an inferiority complex. He refused to study, did not want to go to school and shut himself up at home. He has been a recluse since then, for a period of 17 or 18 years. Now (in 2013), he is 32 years old.

This case was brought to us by the former deputy mayor of Xiamen who is the current vice-chairman. Vice-Chairman Pan was the one who first learned about this so he visited them seven times. He learned how difficult their lives were. This child’s older brother was injured in a car accident many years ago. He recovered at home, and then went to work until he fell [and reinjured himself]. He is still recovering at home. Their roof also leaked during the rainy season. The mother has always worked odds jobs. She was also in a car accident and had broken her foot. So, it was hard for her to walk.

The main person we helped is Yang Xiaodong. Whenever Yang saw people, he curled up his whole body and buried his head between his knees. Actually, he could not fully straighten his body. It was curved at a 190 degree angle.

I remember, 10 or 20 years ago, Superintendent Chen of Tzu Chi Hospital had a few patients like him that he successfully treated. Vice-Chairman Pan knew about our work. So, he directly reported the case to us. Mr. Chen and his family, along with some of our local volunteers, immediately went to visit him. They began to think about what this family needed. They felt they needed the Da Ai TV channel. So, on their third visit, they installed a TV for them.

Yang began to watch it because it was there. He slowly lifted his head to watch the stories and programs on Da Ai and in these programs, he heard Jing Si Aphorisms and other teachings. They all moved him. So, on their fourth visit, Tzu Chi volunteers finally saw him lift up his head just a little bit. On screen, I could see one of his eyes. Because he still had his head between his knees, he only tilted up his head on one side. So, they only saw one side of his face.

Everyone was so happy, “We see you. We didn’t know you’re so handsome!” So, they were determined to bring him to Taiwan. Those Tzu Chi volunteers contacted us in Taiwan and then used loving speech to convince him [to accept the treatment,] so he agreed. They scheduled an appointment in the morning.

When Tzu Chi volunteers came, they picked him up and carried him. Mr. Chen treated him as his own son. This 60-year-old man carried a 32-year-old young man. To carry him, because his feet were curled up against his chest, he had to embrace his entire body, including his feet. This was how they left his house and got into the car to see the doctor. When he was lying down, his feet were still curled against his chest. Indeed, the doctors suggested many kinds of diagnoses. Taking an X-ray would be difficult, so they described the patient’s condition to us. Later, Tzu Chi Hospital took over the case. We settled on May 23 as the day this young man and his mother will arrive in Hualien.

So, the day before May 23, Vice-Chairman Pan accompanied. Tzu Chi Volunteers to visit this family again and build up Mr. Yang’s confidence. Indeed, they were so considerate in their loving speech and beneficial conduct. This was beneficial conduct; it was to benefit and help this person, They gave charitably, they spoke kindly, they used all kinds of methods to help this young man. That is beneficial conduct.

We are grateful to Mr. Chen, his family and our volunteers; these people accompanied mother and son to Taiwan. They came to the Abode to see me. When he saw me, he was very happy he wanted to show me how he walked. He started to walk, all hunched over. I could not bear to see him like that. I hope this child will be able to raise his head and straighten his back before he returns to his family. This happened because of the Four All-Embracing Virtues. He told me, “I want to get well and then help others.” His mother said, “I couldn’t ever imagine that we would actually be in Taiwan.”

This “charitable giving” for the family came from Tzu Chi volunteers. That local official was very committed and wanted to help this family, so he was of one mind with Tzu Chi volunteers. He was so willing to help he visited seven times, yet he was not able to see Yang’s face. The Tzu Chi volunteers saw his face after their third visit because they had established a relationship with him. Thus they could bring him [to Taiwan]. This is known as “loving speech.”

They used loving words to open up his heart. After opening up his heart, they took action, which is “beneficial conduct.” In order to help and give him support, they engaged in “beneficial conduct.” In addition to the local official, Mr. Chen and his family along with many of our local volunteers came together to do this. This is “working together.” In this way, all these Bodhisattvas worked to accomplish one thing. So, charitable giving, loving speech and beneficial conduct are how we “learn the Dharma to go among the people and transform them with suitable teachings.” We follow the Dharma in teaching sentient beings. As Buddhist practitioners, we should learn to do things like this. So, we have to always be mindful.

In the previous passages of the Lotus Sutra, we have already talked about how, in order to transform sentient beings, the Buddha had to engage in a lot of thinking about the various methods used to teach sentient beings. These include what I have already mentioned, charitable giving, loving speech, beneficial conduct and working together. These are core teachings of the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha observed sentient beings in this world to see what methods could be used to teach them. Whatever suffering they experience, we must use suitable methods to help them. This takes contemplation. The present and past Buddhas are the same. They use a pure Brahma-voice to penetrate minds with the Dharma. All the heavenly beings gave the same encouragement to Sakyamuni Buddha. There are so many of us now who can offer mutual encouragement and support. Only by doing this can we save the world.

The following sutra passage states,

“Having attained the supreme Dharma, You followed the precedent of all Buddhas and employed the power of skillful means. We all have attained as well the foremost and most wondrous Dharma. For the various kinds of sentient beings, we taught the Three Vehicles separately.”

The Buddha had attained the supreme Dharma, which is the Dharma of unsurpassed, perfect, universal enlightenment. From the sutras, we often chant the words, “Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi,” which is the supreme Dharma.

Anything that is created and has an appearance is known as a “conditioned phenomenon.”

Anything that is created and has an appearance is a conditioned phenomenon. That which has no appearance, is unconditioned, is the supreme Dharma, which is another name for tranquility and stillness.

In the past, I have constantly explained that all the things you can see are known as conditioned phenomena. That which has no form or appearance, “that which has no appearance, is unconditioned,” has no form and thus cannot be seen or touched. However, it is full of principles. For example, illness leads to tremendous suffering. What is the source of illness? We must understand the principles behind it. Using these principles, many people must engage in research and study to discover the source of an illness. There is a principle behind all of this, yet how do we prevent it from happening? None of these [principles] can be seen; they are “unconditioned phenomena.”

All things in this universe adhere to the Three Principles and the Four States. I continually analyze them for everyone. These “principles” are unconditioned phenomena. The Buddha had already awakened His wisdom, so He attained supreme Dharma. He penetrated these principles and appearances and the principles behind the appearances. This is called attaining enlightenment. An enlightened state of mind is very tranquil and still and as clear as crystal. This kind of state comes from attaining the unsurpassed path, which could be called the supreme Dharma. This is the supreme and unsurpassed principle and Dharma.

The supreme Dharma: This is the state perceived by the Tathagata-mind; it is a state illuminated by wisdom. If we can eliminate afflictions, we are in a state of Nirvana.

“The state perceived by the Tathagata-mind.” Tathagata is another name for the Buddha. Everything that His mind perceives is wisdom. Wisdom is a light that can illuminate all things, principles and appearances. Because He knew [these truths], He could teach people ways to end afflictions. This leads to tranquility and stillness. His own mind had to be very tranquil and still, as pure as crystal. Then like a great perfect mirror, it could reflect all kinds of appearances, while remaining very pure and clean. This is also known as Nirvana. Nirvana is the land of calm illumination, which is a very pure and bright state. This was the Buddha’s state of mind.

“[He] followed the precedent of all Buddhas and employed the power of skillful means.” For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha did the same as past Buddhas and used skillful means. “Following the wisdom of all Buddhas, He taught the provisional for the sake of the true.”

[He] followed the precedent of all Buddhas and employed the power of skillful means: Following the wisdom of all Buddhas, He taught the provisional for the sake of the true and expounded the Three Vehicles. Thus He was praised by all Buddhas of the ten directions.

Sakyamuni Buddha was like all past Buddhas. To teach according to sentient beings’ capacities, He exercised His wisdom to give the provisional for the sake of the true. “True” refers to true principles. The “provisional” means skillful teachings. The true principles can help people in their interactions. To help Yang Xiaodong, we exerted much time and effort. What was our goal? There was only one, to help him.

For this matter, we expended a lot of energy, exerted a lot of manpower and spent a lot of money. After coming here, treatment may take as long as five or six months, or as short as three or four months. We hope he can get through this smoothly. This is our only goal. It is “for the sake of the true.” Indeed, for this matter, we exerted much manpower to make it happen.

But the Buddha did everything He could to help us penetrate true principles, interact with mutual love and care and transcend afflictions. [He hoped] that our minds could expand to encompass the universe and the boundless worlds within it. Our minds must be expansive enough to accommodate everything. This is what the Buddha hoped for us. But sentient beings’ capabilities are all different. So, if the Buddha wanted to teach the true principles behind things, He had to use many different methods. This is “teaching the provisional.”

He expounded the Three Vehicles for great, average and limited capabilities. These are different states, so the Buddha had to use this kind of method to give teachings. This was praised by all Buddhas of ten directions. All Buddhas of the ten directions believed. He was doing the right thing. For the multitude of sentient beings, He established various skillful teachings so each of them can reap the greatest benefit.

The sutra passage states, “We all have attained as well the foremost and most wondrous Dharma.” All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have attained this foremost and most wondrous Dharma. The words “we all” signify their blessings from past lives.

We all have attained as well this foremost and most wondrous Dharma: Due to blessings cultivated over past lifetimes, in this lifetime we can all listen to the compassionate and wise teaching of the Buddha. We all have attained as well the foremost and most wondrous Dharma in the minds of all Buddhas.

Aside from the Buddha, other people alive during His lifetime were also very blessed. They must have accumulating blessings over past lifetimes. We have accumulated these karmic conditions so that in this lifetime, we can listen to the Buddha’s compassionate and wise teachings. We all should deeply understand the Buddha’s intent.

I always say that even though the Buddha came to this world and taught for over 40 years, the skillful means He established early on were actually only for the sake of one thing, to help everyone realize that they could also attain Buddhahood and take the Buddha’s mind as their own. If our mind is the same as the Buddha’s mind, we can give without any expectations.

For example, for that suffering family, our volunteers were able to counsel, convince and accompany that young man to come to this place. We spent money and manpower. Actually, other people helped make this happen too. The airline let him travel for free; they also have the Buddha’s heart, have empathy. So, if everyone has this state of mind, they are in line with the Buddha’s original intent and have the same mindset. If we all have the same mindset as the Buddha, everything we share will be supreme, wondrous Dharma.

“For the sake of sentient beings,” He “separately taught the Three Vehicles.” The Buddha came here for all sentient beings, for all living beings, not only humans. The Buddha was that kind and compassionate. He taught according to capabilities and timing, and separately taught the Three Vehicles. This was how He has always taught.

The Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings, gave teachings according to capabilities and timing. He separately taught the Three Vehicles. This provisional and wondrous teaching is the Bodhisattva Way, which is also the skillful teaching of the Buddha Vehicle.

Hs separately taught the Three Vehicles. These provisional and wondrous teachings were actually given for the sake of teaching the One Reality. But because of sentient beings’ capabilities, each person had his own perspectives. So, the Buddha had to give provisional and skillful teachings to transform sentient beings. This was the teaching of the Bodhisattva-path. For the sake of the true, He taught the Bodhisattva-path. That is skillfully teaching the Buddha Vehicle.

Dear Bodhisattvas, learning from the Buddha is about learning how to act like Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas always act with the goal of attaining Buddhahood. So, when we learn the Dharma, we cannot overlook the Four All-Embracing Virtues. We use them in the world; the Buddha-Dharma must be applied in this world. Because we received this teaching in this world, we can learn to apply it, to practice the Four All-Embracing Virtues.

We know the Four All-Embracing Virtues are charitable giving, loving speech, beneficial conduct and working together. Indeed, if we can combine them every day, we can help different families who are experiencing suffering. This is what the Buddha taught us. His mind was just that expansive. Anyone’s family must be like our own family. Anyone’s loved ones must be like our own loved ones. We give to and care for them until they are fully liberated from suffering. That moment is when we feel the most Dharma-joy. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 432 – Engage in Contemplation to Transform Others

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>> “Having vowed to transform sentient beings, the Buddha thought about this in great detail. Knowing the capabilities of sentient beings, for the limited, He gave provisional teachings. With empathetic and wholesome guidance, He opened the provisional to reveal the true.”

>> [I thought], “I would rather not teach the Dharma and quickly enter Parinirvana.” Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means. And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.

>> “As I was contemplating this, the Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared, and with Brahma-voices encouraged me, saying, ‘Well done, Sakyamuni, the foremost guiding teacher.'”

>> Contemplating: By calmly thinking about and considering truths, our minds will not become scattered; we will constantly be cultivating Right Thinking. Then our practice will not deviate from the Bodhi-path.

>> The kings of Brahma Heaven and Sovereign Sakras spoke to the World-Honored One in verse: The past Buddhas of the ten directions have each come here to teach wondrous Dharma. These principles are the same for all past Buddhas because all Buddhas share the same path. Their truths and principles are one and the same. Therefore it is now said, “The Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared.”

>> One of the Buddha’s 32 Marks is the mark of the Brahma-voice. This refers to, one, the sound of the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha’s voice is pure in five ways. It is direct, melodious, clear, deep and far-reaching. It is one of the Buddha’s 32 Marks. Two, it is the sound of reading sutras.

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“Having vowed to transform sentient beings,
the Buddha thought about this in great detail.
Knowing the capabilities of sentient beings,
for the limited, He gave provisional teachings.
With empathetic and wholesome guidance,
He opened the provisional to reveal the true.”

For sentient beings to become joyful upon hearing the teachings was the Buddha’s heartfelt wish. Unfortunately, sentient beings are very foolish. Yet the Buddha had the resolve and vowed to transform sentient beings. So, “Having vowed to transform sentient beings, the Buddha thought about this in a great detail.” Truly, in order to transform sentient beings, the Buddha had to be extremely detailed and contemplate things meticulously. The Buddha had to first understand what brought them joy, what kind of Dharma they would listen to and what kind of people could transform them. This shows the Buddha’s compassion. He did not abandon sentient beings. He continued to come up with ways to give them suitable teachings.

So, “knowing the capabilities of sentient beings, for the limited, He gave provisional teachings.” Even if sentient beings’ capacities were limited, the Buddha hoped He would have the opportunity to apply the methods [that He had developed]. He did not give up even on those with the most limited capabilities. He guided them with many kinds of analogies and skillful means. He opened the provisional teachings, which means He taught skillful means. Though these were skillful means, they were suitable for various capabilities.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, Elder Anathapindada was among His great supporters. In his family there was a maid who was quite old. She managed the resources of. Elder Anathapindada’s household. Elder Anathapindada gave her the following orders, “Whenever monastics come, whether they are healthy or unwell, we must fully provide them with everything necessary to meet their needs.”

However, this elderly maid was unconvinced. She thought, “My master truly does not cherish his wealth. He gives so much to the Buddha’s Sangha; it is a huge burden on him.” She was very unwilling to do what she was asked. Whenever she saw a monastic she became angry. Throughout the whole village, she told people, “Whenever I see these monastics, I become very unhappy, very angry. I vow to never see them again in any of my future lifetimes.” So, whenever bhiksus came to. Elder Anathapindada’s residence, she avoided them. The way she avoided them and the Buddha, and slandered the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha became widely known. These stories spread from small towns to cities. Thus Lady Mallika heard about it.

One day, she invited. Elder Anathapindada’s wife to the palace. Lady Mallika asked, “Why don’t you expel her from your household? Get her to leave so she will not slander the Buddha and the Dharma.” Elder Anathapindada’s wife replied, “The Buddha is compassionate. Because of His compassion, even with someone like Angulimaliya, who committed unpardonable evils, He still did everything he could to transform him. The Buddha even cherishes and cares for members of the lowest class, the Sudras. If I send away someone simply because she is dissatisfied with the Buddha and slanders the Buddha-Dharma, if I expel her from our household, the Buddha would feel uneasy if He found out. Therefore, I still need to put up with this maid.”

“What else can I do?” Lady Mallika said, “Ask her to come to here to the palace tomorrow.” Elder Anathapindada’s wife prepared some gifts and asked the maid to deliver them to the palace. When the maid brought the gifts into the palace, she suddenly saw the Buddha was already there. At that moment, she wanted to avoid him, but the Buddha was coming closer.

She had nowhere to escape. Then she saw a hole in the wall, which dogs used to enter and exit the grounds. She tried to squeeze herself into the hole. As she did so, she bumped the door, which closed; thus she was unable to go through. The Buddha was already next to her, so she picked up a fan to cover her face so she would not see Him, but incredibly, as soon as she opened the fan it tore and became full of holes. Though she used it to cover her face, in each hole was a Buddha; she saw Him through every hole in the fan.

Then she put away the fan and tried using her fingers to cover her eyes. But when she raised them to her face, she felt that she saw the Buddha on every one of her fingers. The face of the Buddha appeared before her eyes. She felt helpless and angry, so she turned around and left. She went back to Elder Anathapindada’s house. Upon returning to her room, she promptly looked for a large bamboo container. After using a large thick cloth to cover the entire container, she crawled inside. Feeling this was not enough, she wrapped herself in a blanket.

When the Buddha found out, He felt compassion for her. Who could transform her? He thought of Rahula. He told Rahula and Ananda, “You must find a way to transform this maid. She is suffering greatly right now; quickly find a way to help her.” As we all know, Rahula was quite mischievous and was very lively. When he arrived at Elder Anathapindada’s house, he loudly announced, “A noble king has been born to eradicate those who are evil.”

When the maid heard this, she thought, “To me, the Buddha is the evil one. Now that a noble king has been born for the sole purpose of eradicating evil, he will be my savior.” Thus she emerged from the container. She still did not dare look, so her head remained bowed as she approached. Ananda walked over to her and said, “The noble king admires you and says that you are very beautiful. He wishes for you to come closer.” Not daring to lift her head, she said, “How can I? I am old, ugly and of a lower class.”

Ananda, from the hand of this noble king, who was actually Rahula, took a mani pearl and presented it to this maid, Vikara. The pearl was so shiny that it reflected her face. In this reflection, she felt that she looked very beautiful, and was very happy. Then she raised her head and saw the bhiksus. [She wondered,] “How could I look upon. Rahula and Ananda with such happiness?”

At that moment, Rahula told her, “You should really learn the truths of life. In this life you were born into the lowest class and have served as a maid. Isn’t this hard on you? Every day, [thoughts of] the Buddha and bhiksus make you feel such great afflictions. The Buddha cannot bear for you to be troubled by this issue every day. So, why don’t you come see the Buddha with me?” At that moment, the maid Vikara obediently followed Rahula. She went with him and Ananda to see the Buddha.

When she saw the Buddha, she still felt a little intimidated. Seeing this, the Buddha, out of great compassion earnestly taught the Dharma to Vikara. At that moment, Vikara’s mind became calm and she willingly accepted the Buddha’s and bhiksus.’ Dharma into her heart. At that time, the Buddha told Rahula, “Take Vikara to Mahaprajapati to engage in spiritual practice as part of her monastic community.”

You see, the Buddha was like this. For this person from a low class, in particular someone who had widely slandered the Buddha and the Dharma, the Buddha still “gave provisional teachings.” Facing a person with such a low status and a strong bias, He had to use many kinds of methods. For those without a karmic connection with Him, the Buddha asked the people they had an affinity with to transform them, like Rahula and Vikara, or like Ananda and the poor woman and so on. This is why the Buddha, “with empathetic and wholesome guidance, opened the provisional to reveal the true.” Applying provisional teachings, ultimately He guided people with the most practical principles.

Yesterday we talked about how the sutra text discussed how the Buddha observed that sentient beings had very limited capabilities and are truly hard to train. The Buddha-Dharma is so subtle and wondrous, but sentient beings are not able to accept it. “I would rather not teach the Dharma.” That was the mentality of the Buddha when He first attained Buddhahood.

[I thought], “I would rather not teach the Dharma and quickly enter Parinirvana.” Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means. And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.

It was at this time that all heavenly beings appeared [to console Him]. Thus the Buddha accepted that. He must go into the human realm to transform all sentient beings. “Then I recalled the Buddhas of the past” and the kinds of methods They used to go among people. Past Buddhas “employed the power of skillful means.” They also gave teachings through skillful means and used this power to transform all beings. “And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.” Thus He began [His teaching]; starting at Deer Park, He went among the people.

Next the text says, “As I was contemplating this.” Once the Buddha had decided to go among people, He started to contemplate.

“As I was contemplating this, the Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared, and with Brahma-voices encouraged me, saying, ‘Well done, Sakyamuni, the foremost guiding teacher.'”

This was as the Buddha began to contemplate how sentient beings are difficult to transform. What kind of methods should He use to help them accept the Dharma? At this moment, “[He] was contemplating this.” Contemplating means “calmly thinking about and considering truths.”

Contemplating: By calmly thinking about and considering truths, our minds will not become scattered; we will constantly be cultivating Right Thinking. Then our practice will not deviate from the Bodhi-path.

Through calm thinking, our mind has become pure and entered a state of tranquility and clarity. This calm and still state of mind is like crystal. Thus the Buddha started to analyze the capabilities of all sentient beings and the limits of the ways to transform them. For sentient beings with great capabilities, He would teach Great Dharma. For sentient beings with limited capabilities, He used the limited Small [Vehicle] Dharma. He teaches according to the capabilities of sentient beings, great, average and limited.

As the Buddha was contemplating, His mind was not scattered and. He had a good grasp of what would be proper. So, “We will constantly be cultivating right thinking.” As we engage in spiritual cultivation, we cannot avoid contemplation. Some people do things very impulsively. Even when doing the right things, they are not patient. Even if the timing is wrong, they rush into things anyway. This is not proper. [For others], even if it is the right thing to do, they do not seize the right moment; too much [thinking] is just as bad as too little. Therefore we must at all times maintain Right Thinking. “Then our practices will not deviate from the Bodhi-path.” Everything the Buddha thought about was solely for the sake of the Bodhi-path, for paving a smooth path for sentient beings.

“The Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared,” Brahma Kings, Sovereign Sakras, all appeared at His place of enlightenment. They consoled Sakyamuni with these words.

The kings of Brahma Heaven and Sovereign Sakras spoke to the World-Honored One in verse: The past Buddhas of the ten directions have each come here to teach wondrous Dharma. These principles are the same for all past Buddhas because all Buddhas share the same path. Their truths and principles are one and the same. Therefore it is now said, “The Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared.”

Since the Buddha, for a brief moment, wanted to enter Parinirvana, these heavenly beings came to speak these verses. They said, “The past Buddhas of the ten directions have each come here to teach wondrous Dharma.” They all have come here. “Here” refers to the place of enlightenment which is the mind of the Buddha. He came here “to teach the wondrous Dharma.” His mindset upon attaining enlightenment was to begin widely teaching the Buddha-Dharma to all sentient beings.

“The principles are the same for all past Buddhas because all Buddhas share the same path.” The principles [are the same]; Buddhas of the past, present and future all share the same path. “Their truths and principles are one and the same.” The principles He had awakened to, the Dharma that Sakyamuni had realized, was the same truth that all past Buddhas had realized. “Now” means this is the time to make the effort to teach the Dharma. Therefore the sutra states, “The Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared.” The Buddhas of ten directions emerged to give Sakyamuni Buddha some encouragement to quickly go among people and spread the Dharma throughout the world.

So, in the Buddha’s state of mind at that time, [They appeared and] “with Brahma-voices encouraged him, saying, ‘Well done, Sakyamuni.'” At that time, the voices of all heavenly beings, which are pure and undefiled voices, comforted Sakyamuni Buddha. He was already the “foremost guiding teacher. The foremost guiding teacher” is one who can widely transform sentient beings.

What is the sign of the perfect attainment of Buddhahood? After attaining Buddhahood the Buddha was replete with 32 Marks. In addition to the Buddha’s appearance, His voice brings people happiness when they hear it. It captivates their minds. This is one of the 32 Marks.

One of the Buddha’s 32 Marks is the mark of the Brahma-voice. This refers to, one, the sound of the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha’s voice is pure in five ways. It is direct, melodious, clear, deep and far-reaching. It is one of the Buddha’s 32 Marks. Two, it is the sound of reading sutras.

There are two kinds of Brahma-voice. One refers to the sound of the Buddha’s voice. The Buddha’s voice is pure in five ways. It is a very direct sound, very forthright and direct. People feel the Buddha teaches directly to them. So, they call His voice “direct.” It is also “melodious.” Though that voice seems to be talking to them, it is very soft and gentle and brings them delight. It is also very “clear.” Every single sentence is very well articulated. Then it is “deep.” Everything He says is filled with truth, is very rich and very clear. Each sentence encompasses very great principles. His voice is also “far-reaching.” Though He is not speaking loudly, people from faraway can hear everything He says. We mentioned His “deep, far-reaching tone” before.

All these five elements were present. This is one of the 32 Marks of the Buddha. Whenever the Buddha recited the sutras, His voice was very clear.

All this was happening in the Buddha’s mind after He attained enlightenment. He became determined to come up with many methods. He thought and considered this carefully, to figure out how He could teach in the proper way. How fully we can embrace it also depends on our capabilities. Nevertheless, we must use a contemplative mind to accept the Buddha’s teachings. We must always be mindful.

Episode 431 – Do Not Give Up on Sentient Beings

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>> “Sentient beings are stubborn and foolish and do not accept teachings. Inclined toward improper and unwholesome thoughts, they are hard to train. The Buddha is kind and will not abandon them, so He established skillful means. He used provisional teachings and analogies to teach the Three Vehicles.”

>> “I then thought to myself, ‘Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle, beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.'”

>> “I would rather not teach the Dharma and quickly enter Parinirvana. Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means. And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.”

>> After Venerable Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood, He wanted to teach the way to enlightenment to transform the minds of all sentient beings. Then He began to think, “There are none who can faithfully accept it. If my staying in the world brings no benefits, I might as well enter Parinirvana.”

>> “World-Honored One, today the sea of Dharma has been filled. The banner of the Dharma has been erected. Now is the time to nourish and guide. How could you say that you want to abandon all sentient beings and enter Parinirvana without teaching the Dharma?”

>> “The Buddha received this request from King Brahma.”

>> “For the Five Bhiksus, including Kaundinya, He turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Truths.”

>> “He taught the Great and Small Vehicle and all kinds of other Dharma. This was the expounding of the Dharma.”

>> Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means: Venerable Sakyamuni recalled the way that past Buddhas transformed sentient beings using skillful and suitable means, which are wondrous and provisional teachings.

>> The Buddha explained that giving leads to great wealth, upholding precepts leads to rebirth in heaven, patience leads to transcendence of anger and hate, diligence leads to achievement of merits and virtues, Samadhi leads to the end of discursive thinking, wisdom leads to the letting go of all afflictions. These were the kinds of skillful means. He used to teach sentient beings to enable them to escape the wheel of suffering and attain Dharma-joy.

>> And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles: The Buddha attained the path in the kingdom of Magadha and, under the Bodhi-tree, realized perfect enlightenment. Later, stupas were built at this place. According to people’s great, average or limited capabilities, they practiced the Three Vehicles and attained the wisdom to eliminate delusions and realize truths. This is the path. Practicing the Three Flawless Studies to realize this knowledge is called attaining the path.

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“Sentient beings are stubborn and foolish and do not accept teachings.
Inclined toward improper and unwholesome thoughts, they are hard to train.
The Buddha is kind and will not abandon them, so He established skillful means.
He used provisional teachings and analogies to teach the Three Vehicles.”

Sentient beings are truly stubborn and unwilling to learn. The Buddha, out of His compassion, expounded the Dharma in the world for 49 years. He expended so much effort, but not many people accepted the Buddha-Dharma. Even after they accepted the Dharma, could they take it to heart? Even after they had taken it to heart, how many people could put it into practice?

Of the Buddha’s many disciples, the sutras always mention the ten chief ones. In a vast country such as India, how much could these ten chief disciples have helped the Buddha to advance and promote Right Dharma? Moreover, sentient beings are stubborn and foolish. Even if they listened, some could not accept it, or worse, deviated toward improper views. They became inclined to commit evil. Although they clearly heard the Right Dharma, not only did they not accept it, they even slandered the Dharma and harmed the Buddha.

Look at Devadatta. He was the Buddha’s disciple, but his mindset changed and he became arrogant, thus he deviated toward evil. This harmed the Buddha’s teachings and harmed the resolve of many people to observe, listen to and contemplate the Dharma. However, out of His loving-kindness, the Buddha did not give up on him. The Buddha’s compassion is evident in the Chapter on Devadatta in the Lotus Sutra. There, the Buddha gave His blessing and prediction that. Devadatta would attain Buddhahood in the future.

This shows the Buddha’s compassion for us. He penetrated all principles and realized that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Because He understood the law of karma, every time He was persecuted by Devadatta, the Buddha never complained. He just continued to try to train him, though it was difficult. The Buddha knew the causes and conditions that led to this kind of karmic retribution, so He understood how a person could commit these serious transgressions. The Buddha did not abandon him,

let alone any other sentient beings; He treated them all with kindness and compassion. So, the Buddha did everything He could, giving provisional teachings and skillful analogies suitable for great, average and limited capacities. Thus, the Buddha-Dharma was applicable to all. From this, we can see the extent of His compassion.

We all must learn His kindness and compassion. If people are like Devadatta, we should not complain about them but instead, we must find a way to persuade them and to help them thoroughly understand. This is why we must emulate the Buddha’s heart.

I hope we can all have this karmic condition to listen to one thing and realize one thousand. Or if not, to listen to one thing and realize ten. Or else, to hear one thing and realize one is also fine, just as long as we understand. After we understand, we must take it to heart. Then we must put it into practice. Upon putting the Dharma into practice, in that state of mind, we understand what we hear. When we begin to put the teachings into practice, our state of mind allows us to experience and comprehend as we take action.

We often hear people say, “When I first heard about Tzu Chi’s work, I thought it sounded great. Then Tzu Chi volunteers kept inviting me to join. So, I volunteered to work with them. After helping other people, I felt very happy, so I proactively told them, ‘If you are conducting home visits or cleaning houses for people, please let me know.'” Once they start, they are happy to do the work. This allows them to realize the suffering in life, and understand that every family has [problems]. Those issues are hard for people to resolve. But as an outsider, we can take them as teachings.

Think about this; the Buddha always said that suffering is caused by an accumulation [of karma]. People’s families and lives are the way they are because they created certain karmic causes and are now reaping these karmic effects. Everything from their bodies to the makeup of their family is the fruition of their karmic causes. As we look at the stories of their lives, we should understand how they are all in line with Buddhist principles. By putting the teachings into practice along this path, we are walking the Bodhisattva-path.

In order for Bodhisattvas to attain Buddhahood, they must interact with others and come in contact with people, matters and objects to grow their wisdom-life and increase their wisdom. As Buddhist practitioners, we need to realize the Buddha’s mindfulness. Out of great compassion for sentient beings, He established many kinds of skillful means to teach according to their capabilities, using great, average and limited teachings known as the Three Vehicles. The Buddha came to this world out of compassion, hoping we can all accept the Buddha-Dharma. If we can, we will all have a state of mind where Right Dharma always abides.

So, the Dharma in people’s minds is always Right Dharma and the true principles exist in us forever. Therefore, we must take the Right Dharma into our minds and manifest it in our actions. By walking the Bodhisattva-path, we spread the Buddha-Dharma to sentient beings.

Therefore, the previous sutra passage began with, “I then thought to myself.”

“I then thought to myself, ‘Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle, beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.'”

For 21 days, the Buddha thought about how to bring the Dharma to the people. He also thought, “If I were to just praise the Buddha Vehicle, which is a Buddha’s spiritual state, sentient beings would not be able to accept it.” This is because sentient beings are buried under their afflictions. “Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma.” They could not believe in the spiritual state of the Buddha after He attained enlightenment. Therefore, not only would they not accept it, they would slander the Dharma out of disbelief. Thus they would “fall into the Three Evil Realms.”

This is what we discussed yesterday. The passage after that states,

“I would rather not teach the Dharma and quickly enter Parinirvana. Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means. And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.”

For these 21 days, this was what the Buddha contemplated in His spiritual state. He first thought, “If sentient beings cannot accept [the Dharma] why should I stay in this world?” That was what the Buddha was thinking at that moment.

After Venerable Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood, He wanted to teach the way to enlightenment to transform the minds of all sentient beings. Then He began to think, “There are none who can faithfully accept it. If my staying in the world brings no benefits, I might as well enter Parinirvana.”

At that time, a thought quickly flashed in His mind. “I then thought to myself.” He thought about how difficult it was for these sentient beings to take the Dharma to heart. Even if He were to reveal everything that was in His heart to them, sentient beings could not accept it. What then could He do? “There are none who can faithfully accept it.” No one could believe this kind of Dharma and no one could accept this kind of spiritual state. “My staying in the world brings no benefits.” If He was staying in the world to deliver the Dharma into the hearts of sentient beings but they could not accept it, what was the use of His staying in this world? “I might as well enter Parinirvana.” Wouldn’t it be better to just stop there? This was the thought that flashed through His mind.

At that time King Brahma appeared. King Brahma said to Him,

“World-Honored One, today the sea of Dharma has been filled. The banner of the Dharma has been erected. Now is the time to nourish and guide. How could you say that you want to abandon all sentient beings and enter Parinirvana without teaching the Dharma?”

Now that He had attained perfect enlightenment, at that moment, “the sea of Dharma has been filled. The sea of Dharma” refers to wisdom. The truths of all things in the universe have all been taken into the Buddha’s mind. Therefore, we say “the sea of Dharma has been filled” and “the banner of the Dharma has been erected.” This is the time when the banner of the Dharma should be erected. “Now is the time to nourish and guide.” He should now help sentient beings see that the Buddha has manifested in the world. He should help them hear the teachings and guide them onto the path to enlightenment. This was precisely the time, so how could the Buddha “want to abandon all sentient beings and enter Parinirvana without teaching the Dharma?”

Every Buddha, upon attaining enlightenment, would consider how to help the Dharma resonate with the multitudes of sentient beings. It is always very difficult! Therefore, King Brahma would appear to provide encouragement.

The Buddha manifested this mindset to teach us that, even after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha found things very difficult, seemingly impossible. By manifesting this state, the Buddha gave us something to discuss, something to teach. Even the Buddha felt this way, not to mention unenlightened beings like us. When we face difficulties, we need encouragement so we can continue moving forward.

From the previous sutra passage, I feel we should do the same and be each other’s. King Brahma who helps everyone’s wisdom grow. If we see people become indolent and lose their spiritual aspirations, we can quickly counsel and guide them. Thus we act as their King Brahma; we can immediately encourage them.

So, at the time, in the Buddha’s inner place of enlightenment, which was His state of mind, this was what King Brahma said to Him.

Therefore, “at this time,”

“The Buddha received this request from King Brahma.”

King Brahma requested that the Buddha turn the Dharma-wheel, so He immediately went to Deer Park to transform the five bhiksus.

“For the Five Bhiksus, including Kaundinya, He turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Truths.”

As we all know,

“He taught the Great and Small Vehicle and all kinds of other Dharma. This was the expounding of the Dharma.”

Previous sutra passages have also mentioned that for three weeks, the Buddha contemplated how subtle and wondrous the Dharma was and how sentient beings would be able to accept it. Through careful observation, He saw that they had great, average and limited capabilities. Therefore, He decided to establish skillful means. He decided this during the second week.

During the third week of contemplation, He thought about who should be the first to listen to the teachings. After careful consideration, He returned to Deer Park to transform these five people. So, He began by teaching the Four Noble Truths. All kinds of “suffering” have their “causation” in the accumulation of afflictions. Suffering, causation, cessation and the Path were how He began His teachings. “This was the expounding of the Dharma.” Manifesting in the world to teach the Dharma is one of the Buddha’s Eight Aspects. The Buddha manifested Eight Aspects in the world. At this time, He manifested “the expounding of the Dharma.” This is how the Three Treasures, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, became complete.

Next, the passage states, “Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means.” The Buddha further contemplated how to expound the Dharma and bring it to the people.

Then I recalled that the Buddhas of the past employed the power of skillful means: Venerable Sakyamuni recalled the way that past Buddhas transformed sentient beings using skillful and suitable means, which are wondrous and provisional teachings.

Sakyamuni Buddha recalled how past Buddhas expounded the Dharma, and how They taught and transformed sentient beings. The way They transformed sentient beings in the past was just like this, “using skillful and suitable means.” Past Buddhas also taught according to sentient beings’ capabilities with wondrous provisional and skillful teachings. These are the skillful means Buddhas establish.

The Buddha explained that giving leads to great wealth, upholding precepts leads to rebirth in heaven, patience leads to transcendence of anger and hate, diligence leads to achievement of merits and virtues, Samadhi leads to the end of discursive thinking, wisdom leads to the letting go of all afflictions. These were the kinds of skillful means. He used to teach sentient beings to enable them to escape the wheel of suffering and attain Dharma-joy.

The Buddha explained that giving leads to great wealth. He told us to uphold precepts and by doing so, we can be reborn in heaven and not fall into the Three Evil Realms. He also told us we need to be patient. Patience helps us transcend anger and hate. Regarding diligence, He said it helps us achieve all merits and virtues. As for Samadhi, it leads to the end of our discursive thinking. Our minds are in a state of chaos but if we can maintain Samadhi, we will have no discursive thoughts or afflictions. Then, wisdom enables us to let go of afflictions. Samadhi is having no discursive thoughts and wisdom is letting go of all afflictions. People with wisdom can naturally think through and resolve their own afflictions. That is having wisdom.

“These were the kinds of skillful means. He used to teach sentient beings.” All these skillful means were ways of teaching sentient beings the Six Perfections. He used the Six Perfections to encourage sentient beings to give to others, cultivate blessings and so on. To have the wisdom to eliminate afflictions, we must cultivate wisdom. These are the Six Perfections. The Six Perfections are delivered to the minds of sentient beings so they can practice the Bodhisattva-path; they are all ways to help sentient beings “transcend the wheel of suffering.” They all teach us how to transcend suffering and avoid being submerged in afflictions again. We need to transcend afflictions and move forward so we can “attain Dharma-joy.” Naturally, we will become happy and joyous.

So, “as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles.” The Buddha recalled that this was the way past Buddhas had taught sentient beings. So now that He, Sakyamuni Buddha, had realized the path, He needed to transform sentient beings with the same methods as past Buddhas.

And as I now have attained the path, I should also teach the Three Vehicles: The Buddha attained the path in the kingdom of Magadha and, under the Bodhi-tree, realized perfect enlightenment. Later, stupas were built at this place. According to people’s great, average or limited capabilities, they practiced the Three Vehicles and attained the wisdom to eliminate delusions and realize truths. This is the path. Practicing the Three Flawless Studies to realize this knowledge is called attaining the path.

After the Buddha attained the path under the. Bodhi-tree in the kingdom of Magadha and realized enlightenment, this was His state of mind. The Buddha began to contemplate how to teach those of great, average and limited capacities according to capacities using the Three Vehicles. This allows unenlightened beings to, step by step, eliminate afflictions from delusions of ignorance and gradually acquire wisdom. Then we can turn the wheel in our minds, turn the Dharma-wheel, and get past whatever suffering we encounter in life. This comes from practicing the Three Flawless Studies.

We must all practice the Three Flawless Studies. In the past, I have continually told you that precepts, Samadhi and wisdom are called the Three Flawless Studies, which can be used to inspire everybody to attain the path. Since the Buddha had already attained the path, He also hoped that everybody would, step by step, diligently advance without going astray. Whether they practice the Four Noble Truths, actualize the Six Perfections or achieve the Three Flawless Studies, by continuing on that path, they will become like the Buddha and attain the initial enlightenment that. He did at Magadha, the state of mind of turning the Dharma-wheel. Thus I hope that everyone, in learning from the Buddha, will be determined and will always be mindful.

Episode 430 – Transform Others with the Dharma in Your Hearts

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>> “A perfectly enlightened mind encompasses the universe. An awakened understanding embraces the boundless worlds within it. The Buddha used the Dharma in His mind to transform the minds of others, but the minds of sentient beings cannot reach the Dharma.”

>> When I first sat in this place of enlightenment. I contemplated this tree and walked in meditation. For three periods of seven days, I thought over matters such as these. The wisdom which I achieved is foremost in its subtlety and wondrousness.

>> At that time, all Brahma Kings, as well all Sovereign Sakras, the four heavenly kings who guard the world, the king of Great Freedom Heaven, and the other multitudes of heavenly beings, with retinues numbering in the billions, reverently put their palms together and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel. I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle….”

>> “Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma. They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.”

>> I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle”: Because the Buddha wanted to fully teach the meanings of all Dharma, He contemplated and planned, never forgetting that instant of enlightenment. He praised the Buddha Vehicle and taught it to transform people.

>> Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma: They are immersed in the sea of samsara. That which causes suffering and afflictions leads us to not have a peaceful and stable nature. Thirsts and cravings are hard to satisfy, like a sea that constantly absorbs streams. We are covered in desires, as if drowning in a sea of suffering. Greed, anger, foolishness and delusion are sources of suffering and afflictions. Thus when we hear the Dharma, we certainly will not believe or respect it.

>> They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms: Because of their improper views, they slander the Dharma out of disbelief. Thus they deny the law of karma and criticize the Buddha’s Right Dharma. They listen to the Dharma but do not believe or accept it, so they give rise to slander and create negative karmic causes and conditions. This causes them to fall into the Three Evil Realms.

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“A perfectly enlightened mind encompasses the universe.
An awakened understanding embraces the boundless worlds within it.
The Buddha used the Dharma in His mind to transform the minds of others,
but the minds of sentient beings cannot reach the Dharma.”

I want to share with everyone that, when the Buddha attained enlightenment, He attained perfect enlightenment. He perfectly comprehended all phenomena and awakened to all things in the universe. All true principles were contained in His mind, so His understanding was all-encompassing, embracing boundless worlds. It is said, “The mind cannot be applied in two places.” The minds of ordinary people only function to give rise to greedy clinging. When we see something that is the best, we are greedy for it; we want it to be ours. We want to possess it; this is attachment.

However, in the Buddha’s enlightened state, His mind can encompass the universe and all things within it. He understands all people, matters and objects. No matter what appears before Him, nothing can defile His mind. His mind is like a clean mirror. When a condition appears, it is fully reflected. When it disappears, not a trace of it remains in His mind. This is the perfect enlightenment of the Buddha. He enlightened Himself and others, and has perfect enlightened conduct.

Any kind of object, matter or principle can be analyzed by Him in great detail. His mind was so expansive that any place that flying dust could reach, His mind could also reach that place. He could analyze things meticulously, down to a grain of sand; the Buddha could penetrate and analyze the principles of matter underlying even a grain of sand. He could break it down to its most subtle and intricate components. Moving outward, He could expand His mind to the farthest corners of the universe.

When the Buddha first attained enlightenment, He was looking at the morning star when suddenly, the true principles of the universe entered His mind. His mind opened wide to become one with everything in the universe. That was the moment. He first attained perfect enlightenment. His mind had just reached a perfect state. At that moment, He wondered how to help everyone understand such a state and know that, indeed, everyone has a pure intrinsic nature that can attain Buddhahood. How could He help them experience, as He had, this intrinsic enlightened nature everyone has?

So, “the Buddha used the Dharma in His mind to transform the minds of others.” This was the Buddha’s state of mind. He came to this world for one great cause, which was this. In the world there are many profound mysteries that cannot be understood. Yet, He understood them and was able to unravel these profound mysteries. He realized that since He could, everyone else could unravel them as well. To unravel them He used this specific method that He had discovered. He wanted to transform others by sharing these teachings with them. However, the Buddha realized that this would not be easy at all. “The minds of ordinary people cannot reach the Dharma.” If all He did was tell people about the true, Great Dharma, could they reach this state of mind? It would be very difficult!

This was the Buddha’s state of mind when He first attained enlightenment. For many days, He remained in the same place. In that place, He continued to “contemplate the tree and walk in meditation.” He engaged in contemplation over three periods of seven days as He “contemplated the tree and walked in meditation.” In that environment, between heaven and earth, He felt gratitude for the tree and was mindful of the virtues of the land.

When I first sat in this place of enlightenment. I contemplated this tree and walked in meditation. For three periods of seven days, I thought over matters such as these. The wisdom which I achieved is foremost in its subtlety and wondrousness.

With this state of mind, it was not enough that. He awakened and understood everything. “I am enlightened.’ “I understand everything now.” But after He understood everything, He still came back to this world to show gratitude to each tree and blade of grass.

Living on this land, He was grateful for the virtue of the land and the grace of the trees. As for each blade of grass, tree, or speck of dust, the Buddha was mindful of their grace and virtue, not to mention those of sentient beings. The Buddha said that sentient beings have showed Him kindness. This was the Buddha saying that sentient beings had bestowed upon Him much grace and virtue. Without sentient beings, He would not have thought of engaging in spiritual practice. Because sentient beings manifested ignorance, delusion and suffering, it was to relieve their suffering that. He began considering how to break through all the attachments and misunderstandings in life that cause this cycle of suffering. So, in lifetime after lifetime, He explored this path to enlightenment.

However, it is impossible for us ordinary people to have such an expansive mind as the Buddha, one that is free of afflictions and defilements. This is what makes us ordinary people. But we can have the same mindset as the Buddha, the willingness to give to others. However, in the process of giving, interpersonal conflicts will inevitably arise and lead to afflictions and unhappiness. These troubling afflictions bring suffering.

So, though we suffer, we still contribute happily. Suffering still exists; we give happily and willingly, but there are still many interpersonal conflicts and many other challenges we cannot resolve. What about the recipients of our help? Are they happy when they receive it? I think they are very happy.

What about us? We are people who are helping others. We take the Buddha’s mind as our mind. We need to become like the Buddha and develop a very broad and great mind that does not make distinctions based on religion or ethnicity. When sentient beings suffer, we help them. When we give, we feel grateful. This is the mindset of a Bodhisattva. As newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, we aspire to develop the mindset of. Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. If we truly achieve the state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we have reached the next level, which is very different.

Bodhisattvas give to all sentient beings with willing hearts and with enlightened love. They treat sentient beings with a mindset that is close to that of the Buddha. He treats all sentient beings like His only son. After He became enlightened, He wanted to share the Dharma that He attained so others could be transformed, like Him. Unfortunately, the minds of sentient beings cannot reach the Dharma. So, we must constantly reflect on ourselves. Why are our minds like this? The Buddha can awaken, why can’t we awaken? We still have to follow the Buddha’s teachings and put them into practice. However, we human beings often make progress and then regress. We give rise to joy as well as afflictions. If we were constantly filled with Dharma-joy, wouldn’t that be great! Therefore, we must be mindful.

Previously we talked about how all heavenly beings came to the Buddha soon after He attained enlightenment. He urgently wanted to share the teachings with sentient beings, yet realized they could not accept it. So, He had a thought, “Since the Dharma is useless to sentient beings, why should I remain in this world?” In that instant, He wanted to enter Parinirvana. In that instant, Brahma Kings, Sakro-Devanam Indra, the four heavenly kings and their retinues of infinite beings emerged in His state of mind. So, all heavenly beings consoled Him by saying that past Buddhas also had to come up with methods to teach sentient beings. This took place in the Buddha’s mind. They all invited Him to turn the Dharma-wheel.

At that time, all Brahma Kings, as well all Sovereign Sakras, the four heavenly kings who guard the world, the king of Great Freedom Heaven, and the other multitudes of heavenly beings, with retinues numbering in the billions, reverently put their palms together and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel. I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle….”

Now this sutra passage states, “I then thought to myself, were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle….” Since Their minds were enlightened, past Buddhas had to come up with methods and skillful means for all sentient beings. So, He contemplated this very thoroughly. “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle….” He could [teach] these sentient beings by continuously praising a Buddha’s state of mind as being one of tranquility and clarity, one that encompasses all things in the universe, that knows and understands everything. This kind of vast and endless, tranquil and clear state was

the Buddha Vehicle He wanted to share. “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle….” He could focus on praising this state and telling everyone that they all possessed it, but for people to open up their minds to this state is not that easy. Why? Because sentient beings are immersed in suffering.

“Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma. They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.”

Sentient beings do not realize that they can also attain that spiritual state of mind.

The Buddha had this inner place of enlightenment, this pure and intrinsic Tathagata-nature. The Buddha had realized the truths of all things. Because He had awakened, He also knew everyone had the same intrinsic. Tathagata-nature of True Suchness. He wanted to say to everyone, “You have it, and so do you.” Yet, sentient beings wonder, “How could I possibly be happy? I cannot possibly understand this state. I am suffering!” Sentient beings are always suffering. They suffer from not getting what they want, from things not going as they wish, from birth, aging, illness, death, parting with those they love, meeting with those they hate and the raging Five Skandhas. No matter their state of mind, when they face reality, not one thing goes as they wish. How could they realize the. Buddha’s state of mind, which is pure, undefiled and clean as crystal? How could they possibly realize it? Thus, sentient beings cannot believe that such a spiritual state exists.

Not only they do not believe, they will slander it and fall into the Three Evil Realms. So, if He simply praised the Buddha-Vehicle, that method would not achieve the goal of transforming sentient beings.

I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle”: Because the Buddha wanted to fully teach the meanings of all Dharma, He contemplated and planned, never forgetting that instant of enlightenment. He praised the Buddha Vehicle and taught it to transform people.

So, this explanation is saying, “the Buddha wanted to fully teach the meanings of the One Vehicle Dharma.” If the Buddha directly taught. His state of mind to sentient beings, it would not have worked. So, after the Buddha went among people, He contemplated and planned. He carefully contemplated and observed their capabilities to teach accordingly. He always recalled the mindset. He attained upon first attaining enlightenment. That mindset would always be there. This was the spiritual state that. He wanted to share with sentient beings, but it was impossible; no matter what method they used to contemplate it, they could not experience this state.

So, the Buddha thought of ways to praise the. Buddha Vehicle and teach it to transform people. But there were some obstacles. Where were these obstacles? “Sentient beings are immersed in suffering.” Because we are immersed in suffering, we do not have faith and are immersed in the sea of samsara; we are already sinking in the sea of birth and death. Basically, we are always suffering in the sea of samsara. All sentient beings feel this pain [because of] “that which causes suffering and afflictions.” All sentient beings suffer and are afflicted. With afflictions and suffering, we do not have a peaceful and free nature. Currently, all sentient beings are immersed in this kind of environment, “unable to believe this Dharma.”

Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma: They are immersed in the sea of samsara. That which causes suffering and afflictions leads us to not have a peaceful and stable nature. Thirsts and cravings are hard to satisfy, like a sea that constantly absorbs streams. We are covered in desires, as if drowning in a sea of suffering. Greed, anger, foolishness and delusion are sources of suffering and afflictions. Thus when we hear the Dharma, we certainly will not believe or respect it.

Every one of us has these thirsts and cravings that are hard to satisfy. It is as if we are all constantly thirsty. We are like parched land. Even when water is poured onto it, it is not really moistened. Similarly, when we are very thirsty we keep drinking and gulping down water. Cravings are like a sea that absorbs streams. All the river water flows into the sea and the sea just keeps taking it in. This is what our desirous mind is like. Rivers, streams and creeks all flow into the sea, and the sea absorbs them all. The sea will never be full. This is like being covered with desires.

Greed, anger, ignorance and afflictions are great liabilities for sentient beings. So, when they hear the Dharma, they cannot respect and believe in it. If they cannot believe or respect it, how can they take the Dharma to heart? Instead, “they will slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.”

They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms: Because of their improper views, they slander the Dharma out of disbelief. Thus they deny the law of karma and criticize the Buddha’s Right Dharma. They listen to the Dharma but do not believe or accept it, so they give rise to slander and create negative karmic causes and conditions. This causes them to fall into the Three Evil Realms.

If they hear the Dharma and do not accept or apply it, not only do they not believe it, they will slander it and so on. They do not believe the Dharma, so they deny the law of karma and slander and damage the Right Dharma. Thus sentient beings who do not believe will easily fall into the evil realms. After hearing the Dharma, they do not believe or faithfully accept it, and instead slander it. This is a negative karmic cause and the condition for creating more karma. With negative causes, conditions and karma, they will ultimately “fall into the Three Evil Realms.”

Dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must accept them. The Buddha’s spiritual state is so vast and great; “His mind encompasses the universe and embraces the boundless worlds within it.” If we understand the Buddha’s spiritual state, then we will naturally hope that all sentient beings can do the same. After we attain the Dharma, the Dharma-joy that fills us is something we want to share with everyone. Yet, sentient beings are unable to accept it and instead give rise to many afflictions. Even if attaining this state of mind makes us happy, if we do not know how to teach according to each person’s capabilities, we may teach inappropriately. If we try to force the Dharma we enjoy on them, they will not be happy.

So, we must use different methods, skillful methods. Otherwise, delivering the Dharma from our mind into theirs will not be easy, because sentient beings’ minds cannot reach the Dharma. They cannot reach that state. The Buddha greatly cherishes sentient beings with this hope; He hopes we can develop the same state of mind [as Him]. This is the same as when we care for people who are suffering. We hope that they can live better lives, that we will be able to help them even more. This is our mindset.

Similarly, people who have accepted our help also do their best to give a little bit, so they feel like they are contributing something. Then they also feel very happy. The principles are the same; only the scale is different. Our minds can be opened as wide as the Buddha’s. To have “a perfectly enlightened mind” that “encompasses the universe,” we still have to work very hard. To realize an awakened understanding that embraces boundless worlds, we still need to be very diligent. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 429 – Dharma-Protectors Request Teachings

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>> “Take the Dharma to heart and make the Great Vows. Practice the Bodhisattva-path among people, then heavenly beings will protect the Great Dharma. When minds are oriented toward goodness, the Dharma-wheel will turn.”

>> All Brahma Kings and Sovereign Sakras, as well as “the four heavenly kings who guard the world and the king of Great Freedom Heaven,”

>> “The other multitudes of heavenly beings, with retinues numbering in the billions, reverently put their palms together and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel.”

>> Along with all Brahma Kings, all Sovereign Sakras and so on, all kinds of heavenly beings that are part of the multitudes of their retinue invited [the Buddha] to turn the Dharma-wheel. The heavenly retinue numbered in the billions and Brahma heavens numbered in the trillions. One of the Brahma Kings was named Sikhin. He had deep faith in Right Dharma. Every time a Buddha came to the world, he had to be the first to invite the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel.

>> [They] reverently put their palms together, and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel: They pressed their left and right palms and fingers together to demonstrate their wholehearted respect. Chinese people cup one hand in the other before their chest to show respect. Indian people put their palms together in respect. Turning the Dharma-wheel is an analogy for giving teachings. Using one thing to refer to another is using the simple to teach something profound. Turning the wheel of Dharma in His mind can transform the minds of others, just like turning the wheel of a cart.

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“Take the Dharma to heart and make the Great Vows.
Practice the Bodhisattva-path among people,
then heavenly beings will protect the Great Dharma.
When minds are oriented toward goodness, the Dharma-wheel will turn.”

As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must take the Dharma to heart. Not only must we take the Dharma to heart, we must also make the Great Vows. First we must understand the Dharma. It is good to understand the Dharma because it will help us to eliminate afflictions and guide everyone onto the path toward goodness, so they head in the right direction. When we ourselves attain the Dharma, we know which path to take. Then we must aspire and vow to pass the Buddha’s teachings on to others and encourage them to join us in practicing the right Dharma of the Buddha, eliminating afflictions and turning evil into goodness.

We must all form this aspiration to transform sentient beings, eliminate afflictions, learn the Buddha-Dharma and attain Buddhahood. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must all make these Great Vows. Making vows to spread the Buddha-Dharma far and wide shows that we have truly taken the Dharma to heart.

We do not engage in spiritual practice only for our own benefit or liberation; we must go among the people. As we interact with people, our cultivation, attainment and behavior serve as examples that can guide others. This is how we transform sentient beings. To transform sentient beings, we must go among them. Those who do this must be. Bodhisattvas who have made the Great Vows. On the Bodhisattva-path, we must go among people.

If we have this intention, then naturally “heavenly beings will protect the Great Dharma.” Heavenly beings will protect this Dharma. Every spiritual practitioner must, at the very least, abide by the Five Precepts. The lay disciples who study the Buddha’s teachings must uphold the Five Precepts. Those who do not uphold the Five Precepts cannot be considered the Buddha’s disciples. This is the most fundamental teaching that the disciples must uphold and practice.

Everyone knows the Five Precepts, no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying or drinking alcohol. Upholding one precept brings us five Dharma-protectors. Upholding five precepts brings us 25 Dharma-protectors. They help us to guard our minds. If we can guard our minds, naturally we can maintain good behavior.

Precepts guard against wrongdoings and stop evils. When the precepts are on our minds, we can prevent and stop our bodies from committing unwholesome actions. If our actions are wholesome, there will be Dharma-protectors around us. If our minds are not pure and we violate one of the precepts, five Dharma-protectors will withdraw. If we violate two precepts, ten Dharma-protectors will leave. If our resolve weakens and we lose our spiritual aspirations, the 25 Dharma-protectors will automatically leave and no longer protect us. By making Bodhisattva-aspirations, walking the Bodhisattva-path and going among people, we will speak the right Dharma, have the right mindset and be on the right path. Then naturally, “heavenly beings will protect the Great Dharma.”

Our minds must be oriented toward goodness for the Dharma-wheel to turn. The Buddha comes to this world for the sole purpose of turning the wheel in our minds. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but our minds have been covered by afflictions and ignorance. The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause, for the sole purpose of turning our unenlightened minds back toward our pure intrinsic nature. Doing this requires the Dharma.

When the Buddha first reached enlightenment, He attained the Dharma and was filled with Dharma-joy. The truths of all things in the universe were completely open to Him. He understood such great, profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma and was eager to share it with everyone. However, [He knew] that for people to accept, understand and realize it would not be easy. So, a thought arose in the Buddha’s mind that perhaps it would better to just enter Parinirvana. Since the Dharma was teachings for this world, if humans could not accept the Dharma, what was the point of staying in this world? Perhaps He should enter Parinirvana early.

As soon as this thought arose in His mind,

All Brahma Kings and Sovereign Sakras, as well as “the four heavenly kings who guard the world and the king of Great Freedom Heaven,”

all these beings, suddenly appeared.

“The other multitudes of heavenly beings, with retinues numbering in the billions, reverently put their palms together and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel.”

With great reverence they invited. Sakyamuni Buddha to remain in this world and turn the Dharma-wheel. This is was the scene.

In the sutra passage we are discussing, it includes the phrase, “At that time. At that time” refers to a moment after the Buddha attained enlightenment, when He was wondering how to teach the Dharma in this world. For an instant, He considered entering Parinirvana. The sutra describe that moment as “at that time.”

Many heavenly beings simultaneously appeared.

These heavenly beings, Brahma Kings and the others, exist in a realm where they have attained a state of purity in body and mind. Heavenly kings of the form realm have transcended their desires; their minds are free of desires. In the universe, there are these pure and undefiled Brahma Kings. Sovereign Sakras come from the desire realm. From the desire realm, Sakro Devanam-Indra and the four heavenly kings who guard the world are also supervising those of us who are in this world, in the desire realm. As for “the king of Great Freedom Heaven,” that is the sixth heaven in the desire realm. These heavens are immense. They are countless, innumerable.

This passage in the sutra goes on to talk about “the other multitude of heavenly beings.” The heavenly kings did not come alone; they also brought their heavenly retinues with them when they appeared at the Buddha’s inner place of enlightenment. ․All these heavenly beings appeared with “retinues numbering in the billions.” All the kings and their retinues numbering in the billions pressed their palms together in reverence and respectfully made this request of the Buddha. The Buddha said, “They requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel.” This was a very beautiful scene. All of this occurred after the Buddha’s awakening, when all kinds of things [were encompassed by] His expansive mind. So, the desire, form and formless realms all converged and appeared in the Buddha’s enlightened state of mind.

The heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, Sovereigns Sakra’s heaven the Brahma heaven, the Heaven of Great Freedom, these are all part of the heaven realm, not of the human realm. Beings at the stage above humans are heavenly beings. They also fall into different categories. These heavens are divided into three types, those in the desire, form and formless realms.

Those in the desire realm still have a retinue. Those in the form realm do not have any, and the formless realm is a spiritual state. Beyond the formless realm is a very pure state, replete with the principles. This describes the spiritual state of the Buddha. This state is filled with subtle and detailed principles and boundless and inexhaustible principles. This is the spiritual state of the Buddha.

In the heaven realm, which is one of the Six Realms, there are still desires. Humans are a stage below that. The human realm is our world. We can be good or evil. There are good people who create blessings and there are evil people who commit evils. This is because good and evil pull at us in a tug of war. When we are pulled toward evil, we will begin to unceasingly create [evil] karma. If we cannot maintain purity in our minds, our minds will easily be covered by the afflictions and ignorance of maras. If we are blessed, we can come together with wholesome friends and encourage each other to be of benefit to the world. By slowly accumulating blessings, we will be reborn in heaven.

In the human realm, it is possible to attain Buddhahood and practice so that we will be reborn in heaven. But we can also commit evils in the human realm. Tormented by all kinds of suffering, we may do even more evil deeds and multiply our ignorance. Then out of this ignorance, we create more evil. This is how we fall into the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. This also happens in the human realm. Thus, “Karma is good, evil or indeterminate.” We can do good deeds, or if an evil thought arises, we may commit evils. So, the world is a good place for spiritual practice because only by seeing suffering in the world will we recognize our own blessings and thus create more blessings by benefiting others. Only by seeing evil in the world will we be awakened and realize we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice.

If we are more blessed, we will encounter the Buddha-Dharma, which is very profound. This allows us to find the Dharma in our daily living. When the Dharma is in our lives and. Bodhisattvas are walking among us, we are indeed very blessed. In the human realm, we can engage in spiritual practice and gradually draw closer to the Buddha-Dharma so that we can transcend the desire realm to reach the form realm. When we transcend the form and formless realms, we can return to a pure and undefiled state, which is the state of enlightenment.

Along with all Brahma Kings, all Sovereign Sakras and so on, all kinds of heavenly beings that are part of the multitudes of their retinue invited [the Buddha] to turn the Dharma-wheel. The heavenly retinue numbered in the billions and Brahma heavens numbered in the trillions. One of the Brahma Kings was named Sikhin. He had deep faith in Right Dharma. Every time a Buddha came to the world, he had to be the first to invite the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel.

One of the Brahma Kings in the form realm was a leader by the name of Sikhin. Great Brahma Sikhin was a leader who had deep faith in Right Dharma. This heavenly king had deep faith in Right Dharma and had already purified his body and mind. He no longer had sexual desires and no longer desired material things. Thus, thoughts of greed, anger and ignorance had been completely eliminated from his mind; his body and mind were pure because he had such deep faith in the Dharma. Every time a Buddha appeared in the world, he invited that Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel. Whenever a Buddha first awakened, Great Brahma Sikhin, this Brahma King, always led the heavenly beings to appear in the mental state of this Buddha after He first attained enlightenment to respectfully invite the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel in this world.

We always say that thousands of years is such a long time! “Rarely encountered even in billions of kalpas” describes how rare it is to meet a Buddha. Knowing this, we can tell how long. Brahma Kings in the form realm can live in this pure world. One day in the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings is 50 years in the human realm. One day in Trayastrimsa Heaven is 100 years in the human realm and so on. This number grows larger in the higher heavens. This is particularly true in the formless realm. That pure and undefiled state is everlasting, so this king was aware that tens of thousands of years must pass for a Buddha to appear.

So, to be able to hear the Buddha-Dharma, we must be truly grateful to these heavenly Dharma-protectors for helping the Buddha to be willing to go among people. Actually the Buddha engaged in spiritual practice and attained Buddhahood for our sake. He manifested these appearances for us. Thus, inevitably, His state of mind was very broad and expansive. In His mind, He came up with this kind of plan. So, all this was a description of His state of mind upon attaining enlightenment.

“[They] reverently put their palms together, and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel.” All these heavenly beings, including Brahma Kings, were very reverent when they came to this place and pressed their left and right hands together. They placed their fingers against each other. This is a way to demonstrate that their minds were unified and to pay respect. Pressing our ten fingers together symbolizes how we gather our discursive thoughts together so our minds can be focused. Paying respect in this way is a way to express our utmost reverence. So, Chinese people cup one hand in the other before their chest to show respect. Confucius said that making this gesture is a way to pay respect. But in India, they press their palms together in respect. So, we put our palms together in accordance with Buddhist traditions. In India, putting palms together is respectful and demonstrates wholehearted reverence.

[They] reverently put their palms together, and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel: They pressed their left and right palms and fingers together to demonstrate their wholehearted respect. Chinese people cup one hand in the other before their chest to show respect. Indian people put their palms together in respect. Turning the Dharma-wheel is an analogy for giving teachings. Using one thing to refer to another is using the simple to teach something profound. Turning the wheel of Dharma in His mind can transform the minds of others, just like turning the wheel of a cart.

They invited the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel through analogies and many kinds of methods. The Buddhas of the past did the same. For ordinary people to completely understand the spiritual state of the Buddha is impossible. So, the Brahma Kings invited the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel. Past Buddhas taught the Dharma with analogies and other verbal teachings. An analogy can describe to us what is round. What does roundness look like? What would we consider round? Something round is like this; this is round. What are the different degrees of roundness? Look at the moon; that is something that is round. This means that we are using an object to illustrate a principle. This is what we consider an analogy. Simple things that we understand are used as analogies for profound Dharma, so we that can take the Dharma to heart, so that we can understand. By turning the wheel of Dharma in His mind. He can transform the minds of others.

The enlightened mind of the Buddha is what He, over time and bit by bit, mindfully tried to deliver to ordinary people. This is “transforming the minds of others.” He turned the Dharma-wheel in His mind to deliver the Dharma into ours. To do this, He used analogies to turn the Dharma-wheel, so this is an analogy to a cart’s wheel. What do we mean by “turn”? Think about wheels. As the wheels turn, the cart will move forward. The underlying principle is the same. If the wheels in our minds are not turning, we cannot diligently advance. If [the wheels of] Right Dharma are not turned, we will never be able to eliminate our ignorance. So, we must practice according to His teachings.

Look at the heavenly beings; When this Buddha appears in the world, from the Brahman Heaven in the form realm to the heavens in the desire realm, more heavenly beings than can be counted, all appeared to Sakyamuni to comfort him. They reassured Him that past Buddhas used the same methods in transforming the minds of sentient beings. So, since we can hear His teachings today, we must be grateful to the Buddha for coming to this world for one great cause and attaining Buddhahood in His inner place of enlightenment. We must be even more grateful for what the Buddha described as heavenly beings manifesting in His mind so that He decided to stay in the world to turn the Dharma-wheel. We must always be grateful.

We can never fully express our gratitude, so we must turn the Dharma-wheel with firm resolve. Then heavenly Dharma-protectors will be with us. We must constantly be vigilant of ourselves, remain disciplined and reverent, and always be mindful.

Episode 428 – All Heavenly Beings Protect the Assembly

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>> “As the guiding teacher of the Three Realms and the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings, when the Buddha teaches the Great Dharma all heavenly beings protect the assembly.”

>> “But sentient beings have dull capabilities and are attached to pleasure and blinded by delusions. When it comes to beings such as these, how can they possibly be transformed?”

>> “At that time, all Brahma Kings, as well as Sovereign Sakras, the four heavenly kings who guard the world the king of Great Freedom Heaven….”

>> All Brahma Kings are heavenly beings of the form realm. When sentient beings’ minds are cleared of desires and awakened and not tempted by the dusts of desires, their bodies’ will be pure. Bodhisattvas will then appear before them as Brahma Kings and teach them the Dharma, enabling them to attain liberation.

>> Sovereign Sakra is the king of Trayastrimsa Heaven. He dwells at the peak of Mt. Sumeru in City of Good Views and leads the kings of the thirty-three heavens. Distant kalpas ago, after Kasyapa Buddha entered Parinirvana, there was a woman who aspired to build stupas. With blessings, virtues and great wisdom, she [recruited] 32 friends to also cultivate blessings and virtues. She became the king of Trayastrimsa Heaven. The people who helped her became her ministers. Together they [ruled] the thirty-three heavens.

>> These kings live below Trayastrimsa Heaven. In the east is King Dhrtarastra. In the south is King Virudhaka. In the west is King Virupaksa. In the north is King Dhanada.

>> The Great Freedom Heaven is the sixth heaven in the desire realm. It is six heavens above the heaven realm. If we sentient beings [attain] “freedom from desires of the body,”

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“As the guiding teacher of the Three Realms
and the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings,
when the Buddha teaches the Great Dharma
all heavenly beings protect the assembly.”

The Great Enlightened One, the Buddha, has manifested in this world. The Great Enlightened One is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings and also the guiding teacher of the Three Realms.

“The Four Kinds of Beings,” as we know, refer to the womb-, egg-, moisture- and transformation-born. These are the Four Forms of Birth. Among the Four Forms of Birth, apart from humans like us, the transformation-born are born in the heaven and the hell realms. Transformation-born is also part of the Four Forms of Birth. Some beings are egg-born. Chicken, birds and other animals all hatch from eggs. Moisture-born refers to bugs and other creatures that emerge from underwater or from filthy places. Damp places are naturally home to certain living organisms.

Therefore, the Buddha does not only show compassion to humans. Even those in heaven, the heavenly beings, take refuge with Him because. He is the guiding teacher of Three Realms. People in hell face unbearable suffering and lack the karmic conditions [to hear the Dharma]. In the animal realm, whether they are womb-born, egg-born or transformation-born, the opportunities for them to hear the Dharma are even more rare. Only human beings, those in the human realm, can create all these world with their minds. We always say, [karma can be] “good, evil or indeterminate.” Good things are done by humans; people doing good deeds can benefit the world. Evil also comes from a slight deviation of the human mind. When unwholesome thoughts arise, the evil they lead people to commit causes manmade calamities in this world.

Thus the Buddha comes to the human realm again and again to teach sentient beings. So, He is the guiding teacher of the Three Realms and the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He comes to the human realm to teach the Great Dharma. Wherever the Buddha teaches, naturally “all heavenly beings protect the assembly.” They will come to protect the Dharma. At the beginning of each sutra, the text will mention the heavenly beings and eight classes of Dharma-protectors that came to be part of that Dharma-assembly. They came to “protect the assembly.”

Previously, I have also told everyone that if we can uphold one precept, five Dharma-protectors will be by our side. If we uphold five precepts, there will be 25 Dharma-protectors. There was a person who reverently believed in the Buddha, listened to the Dharma and accepted the precepts. Because he sustained his reverence after accepting the Five Precepts, no matter what happened to him, dangers always turned into blessings.

Eventually he asked his teacher this question. He explained that a couple of times when he ran into danger, incredibly, things turned out well. His teacher told him, “Because you accept and uphold the Five Precepts, there are usually 25 Dharma-protectors guarding you.” Hearing this, he was very happy and very proud. He thought, “In my daily living, there are 25 Dharma-protectors by my side. What do I need to be afraid of?”

He became more filled with pride and arrogance. Without realizing it, he no longer treated others with humility. Eventually, he began to feel that as long as his spiritual cultivation led to a thorough understanding of the teachings, he did not need to adhere to the practice. He began to satisfy his cravings for tastes and thus returned to the lifestyle he had led before he had faith in the Buddha and accepted the precepts. Thus he slowly stopped upholding the Five Precepts.

One day, after he had a full meal, he felt tired and went to rest. As he was napping, he heard someone say, “This person is no longer pure in body and mind. Should we keep on protecting him?” Each precept’s Dharma-protectors said, “Based on his behavior, I will also abandon him,” and like this, the protectors decided to stop protecting him. Thus, they all left.

When he awakened, he was terrified. “Is it true that all of my Dharma-protectors have left me?” So, he went back to the temple to ask his teacher. His teacher said, “Judging by your appearance, there is no aura of spiritual refinement around you anymore. Your aura of spiritual refinement has disappeared.” The man became more terrified. He told his teacher what he heard during his nap. “What should I do?” His teacher said, “Repent and start over.”

Although this is a story, we need to know this is how Dharma-protectors work. If we are engaging in spiritual practice, we must cultivate virtue. “The virtuous attain.” If we do not practice, we will have no attainment. If have no attainment, we have no virtue. We must be diligent in our spiritual practice and take the Dharma to heart. After we have taken it to heart, we can also transform others. This is awakening ourselves and others. When we share what we have attained with others, we create blessings.

So, when we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must emulate His virtues and actions. We must be diligent in our practice. If we can do this, any place can be a place of spiritual cultivation and the Dharma-protectors will all surround our spiritual training ground. We must also be mindful and reverent every day and accept and abide by precepts to continue to diligently advance.

The sutra passage states,

“But sentient beings have dull capabilities and are attached to pleasure and blinded by delusions. When it comes to beings such as these, how can they possibly be transformed?”

This is the previous passage in the sutra. This was what Sakyamuni Buddha [observed in] sentient beings with dull capabilities. To open the door to their hearts and wash away the ignorance in their minds was truly very difficult. How could He transform these people? So, He pondered for three periods of seven days. For 21 days, He contemplated how. He could bring this Dharma into the human realm. As there were people with varying capabilities, how could He teach according to these great, average or limited capabilities? He decided to use provisional skillful means. Who should be the first to listen to the Dharma? To whom would He teach the Dharma first? This is what He contemplated during those 21 days.

Over these past few days we have been discussing how Ajnata Kaundinya and the others became the five bhiksus. After they became the five bhiksus, the Buddha-Dharma and the Sangha had come into existence. Then the Buddha went among people.


while the Buddha was there contemplating,

“”At that time, all Brahma Kings, as well as Sovereign Sakras, the four heavenly kings who guard the world the king of Great Freedom Heaven….”

These are all kinds of Dharma-protectors. As Sakyamuni Buddha contemplated how to transform sentient beings, He thought, “How can they possibly be transformed? I have awakened, and this Dharma is so subtle and wondrous, but these sentient beings are so difficult to transform. Maybe it is better not to say anything and simply enter Parinirvana.” So, many heavenly beings appeared to console Sakyamuni Buddha.

This is a story I have told in the past. This took place after His initial awakening. At that time, [there were] “all Brahma Kings,” which refers to heavenly beings in the form realm. The form realm is beyond the desire realm. The human realm is in the desire realm. Beings in the form realm have eliminated all desires from their minds. These heavens are very pure.

All Brahma Kings are heavenly beings of the form realm. When sentient beings’ minds are cleared of desires and awakened and not tempted by the dusts of desires, their bodies’ will be pure. Bodhisattvas will then appear before them as Brahma Kings and teach them the Dharma, enabling them to attain liberation.

There are many heavenly beings. Some [spiritual practitioners] begin their spiritual cultivation in the human realm, then their “minds are cleared of desires and awakened.” Their minds, which were turbid with greed and desires, have completely awakened. They “will not be tempted by the dusts of desires.” Since we know that the world is impermanent, we know that all material things are illusory and not real, but we still pursue them because we have desires. Worldly desires, whether for sensual pleasure, fame or wealth and so on, are all very tempting for humans. They prevent people’s minds from calming down, from upholding precepts and being in a state of Samadhi, ․because desires are very disruptive to our minds. Those who have not formed a firm resolve will easily be led astray by their desires.

So, if people’s “minds are cleared of desires and awakened” they can resolve to “not be tempted by dusts of desires.” Desires are defiling, like dust or dirt. If people do not become defiled due to the influence of desires, “their bodies will be pure.” As we begin to engage in spiritual practice, though we are still ordinary beings, we can resolve to cultivate a pure body and mind. For people like this, “Bodhisattvas will appear before them.” With people like this, [Bodhisattvas] will appear “as Brahma Kings and teach them the Dharma.” A Brahma King did not come to teach the Dharma; it was a Bodhisattva appearing as a Brahma King and teaching the purifying Dharma to enable sentient beings to resolutely uphold the purity of their minds.

As long as we have this aspiration and vow, we have this power as an assisting condition that helps us cleanse our body and mind. So, they appear as the kings of Brahma Heaven to teach us the Dharma.

“As well as Sovereign Sakras.” In addition to all Brahma Kings, there were also Sovereign Sakras. The king of Trayastrimsa Heaven is Sovereign Sakra.

Sovereign Sakra is the king of Trayastrimsa Heaven. He dwells at the peak of Mt. Sumeru in City of Good Views and leads the kings of the thirty-three heavens. Distant kalpas ago, after Kasyapa Buddha entered Parinirvana, there was a woman who aspired to build stupas. With blessings, virtues and great wisdom, she [recruited] 32 friends to also cultivate blessings and virtues. She became the king of Trayastrimsa Heaven. The people who helped her became her ministers. Together they [ruled] the thirty-three heavens.

Sovereign Sakra lives on Mt. Sumeru in City of Good Views. You have all heard of the Earth Treasury Sutra and we have also read the Earth Treasury Sutra. The Buddha taught the Earth Treasury Sutra in the thirty-three heavens, also called Trayastrimsa Heaven. At the center of the thirty-three heavens is. City of Good Views.

There is a story behind this. This story took place distant kalpas ago. Kasyapa Buddha appeared in this world. After appearing, He eventually entered Parinirvana. After He entered Parinirvana, people created golden statues and built stupas for Him. Then another long period of time passed. These stupas and shrines were in shambles and the golden statues had long been in disrepair.

There was a woman, a very kind woman, with 32 friends. In total they were a group of 33 good friends, who shared the same ideals and did good deeds together. Among them was a woman who was the leader and influenced others. One day, as she passed by a place, she was surprised to find a stupa there. It looked abandoned. She could not help but walk into the stupa. The ceiling was leaking, and the Buddha statue had completely deteriorated. So, when she returned, she told her good friends. She hoped that they could completely restore this stupa and repair the golden statue.

This would take a lot of money. So, the woman in charge said, “Even if this costs me every last penny, I am willing to give everything for this purpose.” The other 32 people thought, “Me too! Even if I deplete all of my material assets, even if I have to sell my lands, I am willing.” These 33 friends shared the same resolve to rebuild the stupa, fix the shrine and repair the golden statue. That place was originally in ruins, but they turned it into an elegant place.

Later, after these 33 friends passed away, because of the blessings they had created, they were born in Trayastrimsa Heaven, which is split into four quarters, with eight cities in each quarter. As 4 times 8 is 32, there were a total of 32 cities. The palace in the middle of the 32 cities is City of Good Views. It is where Sovereign Sakra lives. He is the leader of these 32 cities, so his title is Sovereign Sakra, the heavenly lord of the thirty-three heavens. He is Sovereign Sakra, Sakro-Devanam Indra, the king of Trayastrimsa Heaven. One day in Trayastrimsa Heaven is how many years in the human realm? 100 years. Those that live there enjoy great longevity.

Then, there are the “four heavenly kings who guard the world.”

These kings live below Trayastrimsa Heaven.

These kings live below Trayastrimsa Heaven. In the east is King Dhrtarastra. In the south is King Virudhaka. In the west is King Virupaksa. In the north is King Dhanada.

These four heavenly kings live in the heavenly realm of Mt. Sumeru, halfway up the mountain. By practicing the paramitas of giving and upholding precepts, they were able to obtain the blessings to become the kings of the four heavens.

One day in the four heavens of the heavenly kings is how many years in the human realm? 50 years. The lifespan in that heaven is also very long. Their lifespan is 500 years old.

There is also “the king of Great Freedom Heaven.”

The Great Freedom Heaven is the sixth heaven in the desire realm. It is six heavens above the heaven realm. If we sentient beings [attain] “freedom from desires of the body,”

after our desires are eliminated, Bodhisattvas will naturally appear before us and manifest as heavenly beings to teach the Dharma.

So, as long as we are willing to cultivate blessings, we can give charitably and be disciplined. By upholding precepts, we can cultivate patience, diligence, Samadhi, wisdom, the other disciplines. If we carefully abide by these, we will naturally have good karmic conditions all around us.

In summary, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, first, we must eliminate our desires and delusions. If we are blinded by delusions, it is impossible for us to accept the Buddha-Dharma. This passage from the sutra tells us that our minds must always be pure. If our mind is free of desires, so is our body. This means that only with pure body and mind can we accept the Buddha-Dharma and take this subtle and wondrous Dharma to heart. So, I hope when you listen to teachings, you will always be mindful.

Episode 427 – The Differences in Karmic Conditions

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>> “The intrinsic Buddha-nature is the same in sentient beings and Buddhas. Being able to encounter the Buddha is due to the wholesome power within. We attain world-transcending Dharma based on the strength of our causes and conditions.”

>> “But sentient beings have dull capabilities and are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions. When it comes to beings such as these, how can they possibly be transformed?”

>> Sentient beings have dull capabilities: Though the Buddha’s wisdom is extremely subtle and wondrous, sadly, sentient beings have very dull capabilities. Greedily clinging to worldly pleasures, their minds are entangled by the Five Desires and obscured by delusions and cravings. Their mind’s eye is covered by ignorance so they cannot see absolute truth or the teachings of the path.

>> Therefore, the Buddha had no way to freely express His original [teachings]. Teaching the One Buddha Vehicle’s subtle and wondrous Dharma to transform those with dull and limited capabilities is as hard as fitting a square peg into a round hole.

>> [They] are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions: Because they suffer in their ignorance, these sentient beings not only refuse to believe in, but may even slander the Buddha-Dharma. They greedily cling to desires and pleasures, so they are deluded, ignorant and lack clarity. Like a blind man walking on the road, they may step onto evil paths.

>> “Sentient beings are ignorant. They greedily satisfy desires and pleasures, so they are drowning in ignorance. It is as if they have been swallowed by the sea.”

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“The intrinsic Buddha-nature
is the same in sentient beings and Buddhas.
Being able to encounter the Buddha
is due to the wholesome power within.
We attain world-transcending Dharma based on
the strength of our causes and conditions.”

This tells everyone that we sentient beings have the same Buddha-nature as the Buddha. So, we are in essence the same as the Buddha. In the past, we ordinary people were lost and confused. However, the Buddha told us that we should believe that as long as we follow His teachings, we can also return to our intrinsic Buddha-nature. Most importantly, we can encounter the Buddha and the Dharma.

It is actually quite easy to encounter the Buddha-Dharma nowadays. The Buddha-Dharma is ubiquitous. If we want to, we use our computer to go online, and there we can find very detailed explanations of the Buddha-Dharma. This is due to the efforts of many people in the Buddhist community. Even more precious is that we can go to a spiritual practice center to listen to the teachings together. Through the Buddhist sutras, we can understand many things that we encounter in our contemporary society. The Buddha-Dharma cannot exist apart from worldly teachings, and if worldly teachings deviate from the Dharma, they cannot train people’s minds. So, we must take advantage of this opportunity. The Buddha-Dharma is thriving, and if we are willing to delve into it, modern technology has helped to make the. Buddha-Dharma available to anyone in the world.

But let us examine “being able to encounter the Buddha.” The Buddha-Dharma may now be easily accessed, as well as easily encountered, but do we actually value it? If we value it greatly, “it is due to the wholesome power within.” People with karmic connections will end up at the same practice center. Thus we accept and practice the Dharma together. All this is due to our wholesome power. If our hearts have the will to seek the Dharma, this power can attract people even from far away. If we lack this wholesome power, if we do not respect the Dharma, even people who are close to us may go far away and be unwilling to diligently practice. This all depends on whether we have the wholesome power of the will to seek the Buddha-Dharma.

So, “we attain world-transcending Dharma based on the strength of causes and conditions.” People’s karmic connections differ in their depth. Some people have deeper karmic connections, and thus naturally they have wholesome power. They are very earnest in seeking and listening to the Dharma. By earnestly listening, they take it to heart. When they meet another, they will find the right opportunity to spread the seeds of goodness.

One time, Ananda and Kasyapa were following the Buddha as He traveled and taught. The weather was very hot that year. There was drought everywhere. When they reached an open space, in the distance, the Buddha saw a melon farm. The Buddha said to Ananda and Kasyapa, “I am thirsty and hungry. Can one of you ask the farmer for a melon?” At that moment, Ananda turned and walked toward the melon farm.

When he reached it, there was a young woman there. Upon seeing him come closer, her expression turned sour. Ananda stood before her and humbly said, “We are thirsty and hungry. I hope you can give us a melon as an offering to Sakyamuni Buddha.” This young woman, before Ananda had even finished speaking, angrily pointed at him and shouted, “Get out of here! I don’t want to hear you speak. The sound of your voice makes me upset.” Then she chased Ananda away.

Ananda returned to the Buddha. He helplessly explained to the Buddha what had happened. The Buddha smiled and looked at Kasyapa, “Kasyapa, you go.” From afar, as the young woman watched. Kasyapa approach her, step by step, happiness arose in her heart. She picked a big, ripe melon, and carrying this big melon, walked over to him. She presented it to Ven. Kasyapa with both hands.

Ananda wondered, “How could this happen? How did he easily obtain this very ripe melon?” He had a little trouble accepting this, so he asked the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, what are the causes and conditions behind this?” The Buddha smiled and said, “Let me tell you about the causes and conditions.”

A long time ago, two people arranged to become business partners. As they traveled, one walked in front and the other walked behind. The one in front saw the carcass of a dead cat. It had already begun to stink and there were worms all over the corpse. The person in front saw the dead cat and covered his nose because of the stench, then rushed past it. The one walking in the back also smelled this stench. When he saw the dead cat, he felt great compassion. So, he quickly dug a hole and placed the dead cat into the hole.

Before completing the burial, he began talking to it, “You had certain causes and conditions that led you into the animal realm. It is sad and tragic that you died on the side of the road and your corpse has been eaten by maggots. This is due to karma you created in past lives. Right now we have this karmic connection and I hope in your future life you will have the karmic conditions to encounter virtuous friends and study the Buddha-Dharma. Only then will you be liberated someday.” Having said all this to the cat, he covered it with soil and left.

After the Buddha gave this bit of history, He turned around and asked, “Ananda and Kasyapa, do you understand now?” Ananda said, “I understand. What the Venerable Buddha is telling us is that I was the one walking in front and. Kasyapa was the one walking behind. This is how we formed these karmic affinities.” The Buddha was satisfied with Ananda’s answer, so He kept speaking, “All causes and conditions are created through actions directed by our minds. In this life, when you meet others and they are happy to see you, that is because you have formed good karmic affinities with these people. When everyone is happy to see you, but there is one person who is not, then this is someone you have created a negative karmic connection with. Causes and conditions always go hand in hand. The causes you create determine the conditions you face.”

So, “we attain world-transcending Dharma based on the strength of our causes and conditions.” These two disciples of the Buddha had created causes and conditions, one weak, one strong, one positive, one negative. What they were experiencing were the outcomes. So, when we learn the Dharma, we should not treat these as nothing more than stories and overlook them. The causes and conditions that the Buddha spoke of are definitely True Dharma. We must listen and take it in so we can constantly plant good causes and create good conditions. Then we can listen to the Dharma and diligently advance. Therefore, we should be mindful.

The sutra passage states,

“But sentient beings have dull capabilities and are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions. When it comes to beings such as these, how can they possibly be transformed?”

Even the Buddha lamented the dull capabilities of sentient beings. Their greed and ignorance have completely blinded their mind’s eye. Their physical eyes may still see clearly, but their mind’s eye is blind. They cannot see the principles and are not diligent. They look for instant gratification; “Listening to the Dharma and bowing to the Buddha is hard work. I should just do whatever I want.” They say they are engaged in spiritual practice but are actually “attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions.” Because of their delusions, they do not take advantage of these wonderful causes and conditions. Instead they indulge themselves. This shows how they are ignorant and blind. For people like this, “when it comes to beings such as these how can they possibly be transformed?” Who has a way of transforming them? The Buddha has done everything He can for us. But are we willing to accept the Dharma? Are we willing to practice Right Dharma? All of this depends on us.

Next we will talk about how “sentient beings have dull capabilities.”

Sentient beings have dull capabilities: Though the Buddha’s wisdom is extremely subtle and wondrous, sadly, sentient beings have very dull capabilities. Greedily clinging to worldly pleasures, their minds are entangled by the Five Desires and obscured by delusions and cravings. Their mind’s eye is covered by ignorance so they cannot see absolute truth or the teachings of the path.

Let us now discuss the wisdom of the Buddha. Though the wisdom of the Buddha is extremely subtle and wondrous, sadly, sentient beings have very dull capabilities. Not much can be done about this. They are greedily attached to worldly pleasures or entangled by the Five Desires. They cannot open their minds, so greed, anger and ignorance remain in their hearts. They may crave sleep or pleasures or certain sights, scents, foods and so on. Sound, smell, taste and touch remain on their minds, entangling them.

Thus they are “obscured by delusions and cravings.” This is their ignorance. For the sake of momentary enjoyment, they let go of their body and mind to freely indulge. This shows that they do not earnestly cherish the Buddha-Dharma. These delusional cravings have covered their intrinsic Buddha-nature. “Their mind’s eye is covered by ignorance.” It is as if their eyes are covered in mold. Our eyes are like a camera. If the lens of a camera fogs up, then the pictures it takes will be blurry. So, if our mind’s eye is covered, its vision is obscured, like having cataracts. Then we “cannot see the absolute truth or the teachings of the path.” We cannot see true principles.

If we are like this, though the Buddha has already clearly laid out the Dharma about matters, appearances and principles for us, ignorance has blinded our mind’s eye. When this happens, the Buddha cannot realize His original intent of transforming us with the One Vehicle Dharma.

Therefore, the Buddha had no way to freely express His original [teachings]. Teaching the One Buddha Vehicle’s subtle and wondrous Dharma to transform those with dull and limited capabilities is as hard as fitting a square peg into a round hole.

“It is hard to teach subtle and wondrous Dharma to transform those with dull and limited capabilities.” The Great Vehicle Dharma is subtle and wondrous, but people’s capabilities are limited. This Dharma cannot enter a limited mind, much in the same way that a square block of wood cannot be forced into a round tube. That would be very difficult. This is like teaching wondrous Dharma to someone with limited capabilities. It is indeed very difficult. The Dharma itself is not difficult, but it is difficult for people with limited capabilities to take in.

So, when we make aspirations, we must make great aspirations. When we seek the Dharma, we must seek the Great Vehicle Dharma. When we seek the Great Vehicle Dharma, we must be diligent. Sentient beings cannot be diligent because “they are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions.” For this reason, sentient beings suffering from ignorance remain in a state of ignorance. Amidst greed, anger and delusion, they cannot accept the pure, Great Vehicle Dharma. So, in their ignorance, they continue to suffer.

[They] are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusions: Because they suffer in their ignorance, these sentient beings not only refuse to believe in, but may even slander the Buddha-Dharma. They greedily cling to desires and pleasures, so they are deluded, ignorant and lack clarity. Like a blind man walking on the road, they may step onto evil paths.

Immersed in ignorance and suffering, they simply cannot let go. Refusing to be diligent, they only care about their physical pleasure and refuse to dedicate their strength and spirit to Right Dharma. Thus they will never [be liberated]. People like this not only refuse to believe, they will readily slander the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma can be widely promoted through the actions of spiritual practitioners. If we do not learn and practice earnestly, everything from the Dharma we teach, to the conversations we have, to our demeanors will cause people to wonder if Buddhists are truly spiritual practitioners.

I have told everyone, “The lion’s parasites eat the lion’s flesh.” Since we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we should promote the Buddha-Dharma. However, those with limited capabilities refuse to be diligent and are in the process of degenerating. Not only do they not believe the Buddha nor faithfully accept and practice the teachings, they even end up slandering the Buddha-Dharma. For other people to see their behavior is not beneficial for the Buddha-Dharma. They greedily cling to their desires, so they have not eliminated their delusions and ignorance. It is as if they are blind. When people who are blind walk together, how do they find the right path? A moment of carelessness will cause them to step onto evil paths.

So, we must mindfully learn the Buddha’s teachings. “When it comes to beings such as these,” they do not have self-respect, do not strive to transform themselves and refuse to be diligent. How can these ignorant people “possibly be transformed?” How can we transform them?

“Sentient beings are ignorant. They greedily satisfy desires and pleasures, so they are drowning in ignorance. It is as if they have been swallowed by the sea.”

The sea receives all bodies of water. Water from river, streams and springs can flow into it and be fully accepted by the sea.

Similarly, when people create karma, out of ignorance, they flow into the sea of karma. Therefore, if they do not control their minds, then their desires will be as endless as their ignorance. Ignorance can, like the sea, swallow up water from streams, rivers and springs. This is why sentient beings have so much karma. It is truly difficult to save people like this because their karma and ignorance are as vast as the ocean and cannot be restrained. How can these deluded and ignorant people be transformed?

The Buddha was very worried, so He spent three periods of seven days engaging in contemplation. “My Dharma is so subtle and wondrous, but how can I teach according to capabilities?” During the second seven days, He thought, “The capabilities of sentient beings can be great, average or limited. What sort of methods should I devise for the sake of sentient beings? Who can be the first ones to learn the Dharma?” This is how He contemplated the Dharma for three periods of seven days to find ways to bring it into the world so it would be accepted. Think about it, the Buddha worked painstakingly but our capabilities are so complicated. So, shouldn’t we constantly repent? Shouldn’t we constantly reflect on ourselves?

Dear Bodhisattvas, time flies and waits for no one. “With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” As each second passes, that is one less second that we have. We should really seize each moment. Each second can affect the rest of our lives, so let us not waste any minute or second. Everyone must always be mindful.