Category: TLS Chapter 3

Episode 722 – Upholding the Dharma and Understanding the Truth

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>> Listening to the Dharma we must accept and uphold it with faith and respect, contemplate and carefully understand the truth. Then we are supplemented by vast principles while not losing sight of our compassionate vows.

>> Introductory Chapter: The Three returned to the One to teach the Bodhisattva Way.

>> In the Chapter on Skillful Means, the Buddha emerged from Samadhi and told Sariputra: The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound. This door of wisdom is difficult to understand and enter. No Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas are able to understand it.

>>Why was this the case? Because in the past, the Buddha had drawn near countless Buddhas.

>> He earnestly praised the supremely skillful, extremely profound, subtle, wondrous and difficult-to-understand. Dharma of all Buddhas.

>> After Sariputra requested this Dharma three times, 5000 members of the assembly paid their respects to the Buddha and left. >> The Chapter on Parables: Sariputra received a prediction of Buddhahood. The Chapter on Parables cites the parable of the elder, the burning house, the three carts and so on. Many different situations are used to reveal the Dharma through parables.

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>>”Listening to the Dharma” we must “accept and uphold it with faith and respect,
contemplate and carefully understand the truth.
Then we are supplemented by vast principles
while not losing sight of our compassionate vows.”

We listen to the Dharma and learn the Buddha’s Way; we listen to the Dharma to learn from the Buddha. What do we want to learn from the Buddha? We are learning to develop His compassion and His wisdom.

Out of compassion, the Buddha worked to save all sentient beings; this was His vow. Engaging in spiritual practice was difficult, yet He never retreated from. His spiritual aspirations. He wholeheartedly sought out Buddhas to listen to the Dharma, for the sole purpose of being able to transmit the Dharma to people in this world. He hoped that everyone could faithfully accept it, put it into practice and thus return to their intrinsic nature. This is the Buddha’s compassion. So, if we want to learn from the Buddha, we have to listen to the Dharma.

Listening to the Dharma does not mean just listening casually. It does not mean if we have time, we listen to it, and if we lack time, we forget about it, [saying]. “I just don’t have time.” In fact, the Dharma is just like time. It slips by in a flash; we wink and it is gone. So, we must always be vigilant and be mindful of impermanence.

Only by taking every word of the Dharma to heart will we be able to make this Dharma forever remain in our lives. Then, when we face people, matters and things, we will have “the Dharma to transform them.” We will have a way to work with them, because we have already accepted the Dharma. By taking the Dharma to heart, we can promptly apply it in our interactions with the people, matters and things around us.

Since the Dharma we take to heart is of such great help to us, we must treat it with respect. We “accept and uphold it with faith and respect.” If we do not have this sense of respect, we will not succeed in learning the Buddha’s Way.

We show this respect through our focus and reverence. Our attitude should not be, “I’ll learn it, more or less.” Saying “more or less” shows a lack of focus. Saying “more or less” shows a lack of reverence. If we take in more Dharma only to end with less, this is the Dharma leaking away. We take in the Dharma, then it leaks out. Thus, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we must definitely have respect, a respectful faith. Only with this kind of faith can we take the Dharma deeply to heart.

After believing in the Dharma and making vows, we must be very careful and earnestly contemplate it. There is Dharma for transcending the world and Dharma for abiding in it. “World-transcending” and “world-abiding” [must be carefully distinguished]. Dharma for transcending the world Dharma for transcending the world is how we understand what the Buddha taught about liberating ourselves from the Six Destinies and the Three Realms. The “Three Realms” refer to the afflictions in our minds. We must find a way to eliminate these afflictions and dust-like delusions so that we will not remain in a confused state where we create karma and fall into the evil destinies beyond our control. Even if we come back to the human realm, in our circumstantial and direct retributions, we still want to have room to make choices.

So, we form aspirations and vows. What are our aspirations and vows? To find a way to take control of our lives and repeatedly return to this world with absolute confidence in our direction. This is world-abiding [Dharma]. With a world-transcending spirit, we carry out our missions in this world. This is what happens after we “listen to the Dharma and accept and uphold it with faith and respect” and then “contemplate and carefully understand [it].” We must be very mindful in contemplating it and very careful in understanding it; we should not deviate from it. We must completely “understand the truth” and be very clear on the principles. The “truth” is the principles. The way we live is inseparable from these very clear principles.

As Buddhist practitioners, we should learn to deal with matters calmly and resolutely. When complications arise, we must know how to calm our minds and how to deal with matters in a steady manner. This is to “understand the truth.” When facing people, matters and things, we must handle them without allowing afflictions and dust-like ignorance to cover our minds. This takes contemplation; it takes very clear thinking and very careful understanding. We must always keep the principles in our minds. This is our goal in learning the Buddha’s Way.

If we can accomplish this, “We are supplemented by vast principles. Vast” means very extensive. These far-reaching principles are in our minds. And at the same time? “[We do] not lose sight of our compassionate vows.” We must “seek and transform.” To “transform” is to deliver sentient beings. What we seek is the Buddha-Dharma being held clearly in our minds. What we put into practice is our compassionate vows. We cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer. For this reason, we aspire and vow to help and deliver them. These are the Buddha’s aspirations and vows, and they are also our aspirations and vows.

From the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, in the Introductory Chapter, through the dialogue between. Manjusri and Maitreya, It became very clear to us that the Buddha spent countless kalpas seeking the Buddha-Dharma. So, the Buddha-Dharma did not have its beginnings 2000-plus years ago. That was just when, in the Saha World, Sakyamuni Buddha manifested as a Buddha to explain the Buddha-Dharma anew with the realizations He attained at that time.

He had personally experienced being one with the truths of all things in the universe, and His original intent has always been to explain this to us. Thus, the Buddha gave the Lotus teachings, starting with the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. After teaching the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, He entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, thus teaching the unspoken Lotus Sutra. While in the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, He radiated light that reached 18,000 Buddha-lands. Many beings saw the light radiated by the Buddha and became very curious. “The way the Buddha expounds teachings today is completely different from before.” Everyone at the assembly began to discuss this.

Among the Bodhisattvas, Manjusri, foremost in wisdom, understood what was happening. He saw that everyone had questions. Maitreya Bodhisattva, who will be the next Buddha to teach and transform sentient beings in the Saha World as Maitreya Buddha, also realized what was happening. They wanted to help dispel everyone’s doubts. So, the two of them engaged in a dialogue and described how, a very long time ago, there were 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas who expounded the Dharma and bestowed predictions of attaining Buddhahood for each other. This helped everyone understand that the Buddha-Dharma had always been there.

“All Buddhas share the same path.” They must go through countless kalpas of spiritual cultivation and countless kalpas of practice. Regarding cultivation and practice, cultivating is seeking the path, and practicing means putting it into action. Those vast principles, countless in number, must be absorbed. As for all suffering sentient beings, we must spend life after life transforming them.

Thus, in the Introductory Chapter we already saw that after teaching for more than 40 years, when it came to the Lotus teachings, the Buddha made a big shift. He smoothly moved to teaching the Bodhisattva-path and “returned the Three to the One” in order to “teach the Bodhisattva-path.” In the Introductory Chapter, this is an important point that we must understand.

Introductory Chapter: The Three returned to the One to teach the Bodhisattva Way.

This is just a brief and simple review of the Introductory Chapter.

Next is the Chapter on Skillful Means. When the Buddha emerged from Samadhi, He called on Sariputra as the recipient of the teachings. When He spoke, He wanted to be speaking to someone who had the capabilities to realize the Dharma. He was now teaching the Bodhisattva Way especially for the sake of His monastic disciples. Since they had aspired to leave the lay life and not cling to personal gain, the next step was to form great aspirations. So, designating Sariputra as the recipient of the teachings was a way of reminding all spiritual practitioners to pay attention and understand.

The Buddha began by offering His praise. “The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound. This door of wisdom is difficult to understand and enter.” In particular, “No Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas are able to understand it”; they are unable to comprehend it.

In the Chapter on Skillful Means, the Buddha emerged from Samadhi and told Sariputra: The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound. This door of wisdom is difficult to understand and enter. No Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas are able to understand it.

These monastics were by the Buddha’s side every day, but the Buddha’s state of mind, His original intent and His wisdom, was infinitely profound. So, they were unable to realize the Buddha’s mind, unable to enter the door of the Buddha’s mind ․Why was this the case? Because “in the past, the Buddha had drawn near countless Buddhas.”

Why was this the case? Because in the past, the Buddha had drawn near countless Buddhas.

Sakyamuni Buddha has already mentioned that. He was able to attain Buddhahood because He had spent countless kalpas, lifetime after lifetime, drawing near countless Buddhas. It is difficult for us ordinary people to encounter a Buddha. Why is that? Because we are selfish and pursue things out of desire and personal gain. Thus, we unceasingly give rise to ignorance and replicate karma. Then, how can we possibly purify our minds or draw near Buddhas life after life?

However, Sakyamuni Buddha, from the very beginning aspired and vowed precisely to draw near Buddhas in life after life, without turning away from Them. Having a resolve this firm is not easy at all. How can we unenlightened beings achieve this? The Buddha repeatedly and continuously “earnestly praised the supremely skillful [means of all Buddhas]”

He earnestly praised the supremely skillful, extremely profound, subtle, wondrous and difficult-to-understand. Dharma of all Buddhas.

Though the door to the Buddha’s wisdom was always open, not even the disciples by His side could enter this door to wisdom.

The Buddha, considering that they were still unable to understand, worried that people would give rise to unwholesome thoughts and distort the true principles of ultimate reality, thus giving rise to a slanderous mindset. He felt this would be a bad thing, so He established all kinds of skillful means in the hope that everyone would understand.

Although these were skillful means, they were “extremely profound, subtle, wondrous and difficult-to-understand Dharma.” The subtle and wondrous was taught with all kinds of analogies and expressions. This was how there came to be the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. In the Chapter on Skillful means, the Buddha unceasingly praised the all-encompassing wisdom of all Buddhas, Buddha-wisdom, untaught wisdom and natural wisdom. He endlessly and constantly praised Buddha-wisdom. Eventually Sariputra was able to understand. Admiration arose in his heart, and he was ready to form great aspirations. So, he asked the Buddha to expound [this Dharma]. The Buddha stopped him three times. “Stop, stop; there is no need to speak further.” This was because sentient beings still could not understand. Only Sariputra could understand; the other people still could not.

When Sariputra asked a second time, the Buddha again said, “Stop, stop; there is no need to speak further.” When Sariputra asked [a third time], the Buddha finally saw true admiration in people. He saw that the minds of a majority of the people seeking the Dharma had begun to mature. When causes and conditions were finally present, the Buddha seized the moment, saying, “You have asked three times; how could I not give the teachings?” Sariputra had already asked three times. Since he had asked for teachings three times, how could the Buddha not tell him?

Just as He was about to speak, 5000 people, including upasakas, upasikas, bhiksus and bhiksunis, paid their respects to the Buddha, prostrated and left.

After Sariputra requested this Dharma three times, 5000 members of the assembly paid their respects to the Buddha and left.

These people were “overbearingly arrogant people.” Thus, the Buddha said of them, “It is better that they left.” Since these people still could not develop faith and understanding, it is better that they were not there to listen. This prevented them from slandering the Dharma out of lack of understanding. So, “It is better that they left.”

The Buddha gave the Lotus teachings in hopes of helping everyone develop faith and understanding. However, is it really that easy for people to believe and understand? Thus, starting with the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha used all kinds of analogies to help people understand worldly phenomena and how to use the Dharma to deal with all these phenomena. In the Chapter on Skillful Means, Sariputra formed [great] aspirations. In the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha began by bestowing upon Sariputra a prediction that he would attain Buddhahood. This was also to help the monastic disciples at this assembly to strengthen their faith. It turned out Sariputra was actually able to receive a prediction of Buddhahood; since Sariputra could receive such a prediction, there was hope for the rest of them.

Next, the Buddha gave many parables, such as that of the elder and the burning house

The Chapter on Parables: Sariputra received a prediction of Buddhahood. The Chapter on Parables cites the parable of the elder, the burning house, the three carts and so on. Many different situations are used to reveal the Dharma through parables.

The elder was originally very wealthy. He was constantly travelling, and when he came back, he saw that this family had become corrupted. The children had lost their manners and only wanted to have fun and enjoy themselves. This is an analogy for how, in this world, no Buddha had appeared for a long time, so the sentient beings of this Saha World were unceasingly creating karma and afflictions. They would harm each other and create negative karma.

The elder had to think of all kinds of methods to find a way to get these children to come out, so he set up three kinds of carts outside the door. This describes how, after the Buddha attained enlightenment, He could not bear for sentient beings to suffer, but He could not directly call on everyone to come out of the Three Realms and leave the burning house. So, He had to use skillful means, the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles, to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities. This is just like the elder setting up three carts outside the burning house, the sheep-cart, deer-cart and great white ox-cart.

We spent a long time discussing this text. This describes how, because sentient beings had different mindsets, the Buddha taught them through the Three Vehicles. Now that the causes and conditions had matured, He could no longer wait. After 42 years of teaching, the Buddha began to teach the Lotus Sutra. He encouraged everyone to move from the sheep-cart and deer-cart to the great white ox-cart, because this great white ox-cart contained so many treasures inside and was adorned so beautifully. He persuaded them to set aside the Small for the Great.

So far we have discussed the Introductory Chapter, Chapter on Skillful Means and Chapter on Parables. It has taken a very long time. Today, I have spent less than an hour going over the essence of each chapter; I hope you will bear all of it in mind so that you can enter the Chapter on Faith and Understanding. Thus, we must always be mindful.

Episode 721 – Endlessly Seek the Path with Mature Capabilities

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>> We must listen to the Buddha-Dharma, which is wondrous and difficult to conceive of. Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path. We must be more mindful to deeply cultivate meticulous contemplation. We must cease evil and practice good deeds with body, speech and mind. Faith destroys deviant views and thinking; understanding destroys ignorance and delusions.

>> So the Buddha, for the sake of Bodhisattvas, expounded the Great Vehicle sutra entitled Infinite Meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way and is guarded and retained by all Buddhas.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> After the Buddha finished expounding this sutra, He sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> So, He said, I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> [To tell of] those who seek the path to Buddhahood. I will not finish in endless kalpas: They deliver themselves while transforming others and walk upon the great Bodhi-path. They are focused as they establish great vows. Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take endless kalpas.

>> Kalpa: A long period of time, a great number [of years], likened to the amount of water in the great ocean. It is an endless amount.

>> With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless great kalpas, kalpas as numerous as the desert’s sands, in seeking the Bodhi-path for sentient beings. If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows, one will not finish in endless kalpas.

>> Practicing and upholding in this way: They undergo long kalpas yet retain their initial aspirations, and their capabilities are sharp and mature. People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.

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“We must listen to the Buddha-Dharma, which is wondrous and difficult to conceive of.
Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path.
We must be more mindful to deeply cultivate meticulous contemplation.
We must cease evil and practice good deeds with body, speech and mind.
Faith destroys deviant views and thinking;
understanding destroys ignorance and delusions.”

Consider this mindfully. We have been listening to this sutra for a while, but how much of the text do we comprehend? When listening to the Dharma, we must try to experience and understand its wondrously profound teachings. In fact, the more we understand, the more wondrously profound we find the Buddha’s ocean of enlightened wisdom. This is not something that we ordinary people can simply express with our speech. It is not something that we ordinary people can simply listen to and comprehend. It is truly difficult to conceive of. Yet, the Dharma is just so wondrous and difficult to conceive of; that is why we must make a vow [to learn it]. The most important thing to have is faith. We must have deep faith, If we believe, we can certainly reach the end of this road.

After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha, for the sake of teaching us the True Dharma, kept the state that He awakened to constantly in His mind for over 40 years. By the time He reached old age, He still had not clearly said what He wanted to; He still had not spoken of how everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, nor helped everyone believe in their Buddha-nature and put it to use.

How could He help us exercise our Buddha-nature? By reaching out to us and gradually guiding us onto the Bodhi-path. This way we will truly be to able to go among people without being defiled by them, to go among people and give to others, thus attaining a sense of Dharma-joy. When we have attained Dharma-joy, we will naturally stop clinging to emptiness; we will not cling to emptiness, nor will we cling to existence. By penetrating “true emptiness,” we realize that within it is “wondrous existence.” This is the state of the Buddha, which is steadfast and not influenced by others. This is the state of Buddhahood.

Do you still remember? In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha proclaimed that in teaching the Lotus Sutra, He was freely expressing His original intent.

Many people came from all directions to Vulture Peak to respectfully gather around the Buddha. So the Buddha, “for the sake of Bodhisattvas, expounded the Great Vehicle sutra entitled Infinite Meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way and is guarded and retained by all Buddhas.”

So the Buddha, for the sake of Bodhisattvas, expounded the Great Vehicle sutra entitled Infinite Meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way and is guarded and retained by all Buddhas.  

“This Sutra of Infinite meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way,” is “guarded and retained by all Buddhas.” This is the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, which fulfills the Buddha’s original intent to teach the Bodhisattva Way “After the Buddha finished expounding this sutra, He sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving.”

“After the Buddha finished expounding this sutra, He sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving.”

In the past, regardless of the teaching the Buddha was expounding, when He finished speaking, everyone would joyfully pay their respects and then leave. However, this time, when He finished expounding the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, the Buddha did not rise from His seat. This indicated to everyone that there was more He wished to say. Since the Buddha continued to sit there, nobody dared to “pay their respects and leave,” so everyone remained there, waiting.

The Buddha sat in meditation, but did so for a very long time because He had “entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings,” which is a state of Right Samadhi. Having finished expounding that sutra, He entered the Right Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving. And from between His eyebrows, He continued to radiate light. This had never happened before. So, everyone continued to sit, anticipating that the Dharma He taught next would be inconceivable, subtle and wondrous. But the Buddha still did not emerge from Samadhi, so Manjusri and Maitreya engaged in a dialogue. Everyone should remember this section of the sutra.

I hope that everyone has listened to and retained this sutra all the way from the beginning. I hope you did not leave any of it behind, forgetting the previous teaching while listening to the current one. We must remember all of it. Although the Lotus Sutra is very long, when we look at the current text, we must refer back to the earlier text so that we will cherish it. Only by cherishing it will we have faith in it.

“Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path,” so we must believe. Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path. “We must be more mindful to deeply cultivate meticulous contemplation.” We must repeatedly bring forth that mindfulness and earnestly cultivate [ourselves]. Like a farmer cultivating his fields, we must mindfully cultivate ourselves; we must be mindful to cultivate deeply. We must be meticulous and earnestly contemplate the Buddha-Dharma in detail. We must begin to cease all evil and uphold all goodness in body, speech and mind. We must cease the Ten Evils and practice the Ten Good Deeds. So, we must “cease evil and practice good deeds with body, speech and mind.”

“Faith destroys deviant views and thinking.” If we can develop faith, genuine faith, naturally we will be able to destroy deviant views, deviant views and thinking. If we are unable to realize [the Dharma], our minds will often go astray. When we go astray, we will deviate. So, with “faith,” when we develop genuine faith, naturally our afflictions, deviant views and deviant thinking will be eliminated. “Understanding destroys ignorance and delusions.” Understanding comes after we have faith and actually take the Dharma to heart. So, although we have ignorance and afflictions in our minds, with the Dharma in our hearts, deviant views and deviant thinking will not enter our minds.

Don’t we often speak of “guarding against wrongs and stopping evil”? We must promptly stop evil, as well as immediately practice goodness. We are among a group of Bodhisattvas, so we encourage each other to give to those who are suffering in the world. We bring each other encouragement, motivation and joy. We do not get any material benefit out of this, but rather joy; after we help other people, seeing them relieved of their suffering brings us happiness. This is what we must believe and comprehend for ourselves. If we do not put the Dharma into practice, we will be unable to comprehend it; without comprehending it, our ignorance will cover our minds. Then how will we be able to understand the wondrous principles of the Dharma? Thus, we must be mindful.

The previous sutra passage states, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of [their] characteristics….” The Buddha said, “I will tell you of these characteristics.” Here, “characteristics” refers to the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. From what He taught in the past to what He was teaching now, “The Three were returning to the One.” The Dharma of the Three Vehicles was now returning to the One Vehicle So, He said, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”

So, He said, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”

To listen to and take in all these teachings, and understand them, is not an easy feat. To do this, we must have a firm resolve.

Life is painfully short, and we pass through the Three Periods in a flash. So, we must seize every moment. This must be our mindset as spiritual practitioners. We must not think we still have a lot of time, that if we do not finish listening in this life, we can continue in our next life. In our next life, will we still have the karmic conditions to continue listening? In this life, if we have not fully eliminated our afflictions, if we have not firmly taken the Dharma to heart, will we have karmic conditions in our next life to be born human? If we are born human in our next life, will we have karmic conditions to hear the Dharma? We do not know, because it is a long way off.

So, “Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take countless kalpas.” The Buddha gave so many teachings, so at all times we must unceasingly seek them out. I constantly tell everyone that our daily living is inseparable from the Dharma; people, matters and things are all [encompassed] in the Dharma. If our minds are upright, if we can eliminate our afflictions, then all people, matters and things are teaching us and allowing us to practice the Bodhisattva-path.

Over this long period of time, there will be so much [to learn]; this “will not finish in endless kalpas.” If the Buddha-Dharma is constantly on their minds, then, “People like this will have faith and understanding.” Only people like this can develop faith and understanding. “For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.” The Buddha told His disciples at the assembly that only when they come across people like this can they teach the Lotus Sutra.

When it comes to the Lotus Sutra, we must study it properly, then naturally we can make use of it in the world, for living in or transcending the world.

Next it states, “They deliver themselves while transforming others”

[To tell of] those who seek the path to Buddhahood. I will not finish in endless kalpas: They deliver themselves while transforming others and walk upon the great Bodhi-path. They are focused as they establish great vows. Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take endless kalpas.

Those who seek the path to Buddhahood work to transform themselves; and by taking the Dharma to heart, they can transform others at the same time.

I feel like I am constantly talking about “walking upon the great Bodhi-path.” This is walking the Bodhisattva-path, which means we must constantly take good care of our pure nature and our inherent kindness. As we interact with every person, we must form good affinities and be constantly grateful and constantly express our respect toward them. We need a heart that “encompasses the universe”; this is love. It is that simple. Is this the path we are walking in our daily living? This is why we must be focused as we establish the great vows; we must concentrate on them, and we must also put them into practice. All of this takes a long time. “Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take endless kalpas.”

“Endless kalpas” refers to all time, from long, long ago, from the beginning of time until now, and also on into the future. This “will take endless kalpas,” so our mind and body must not deviate from the Dharma. We must spend all our time on this. Everything we do must accord with the Dharma. We cannot waste any time, nor do things that cause the Dharma to leak out. We must fully make use of every moment to benefit ourselves and others and to transform ourselves and others. This is what we must mindfully seek to realize.

Kalpa: A long period of time, a great number [of years], likened to the amount of water in the great ocean. It is an endless amount.

This will take “a long period of time, a great number [of years]” How long is this period of time? It is truly very long. How can it be measured? The Buddha talked about “kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.” Each grain of sand is a kalpa. How many grains of sand are in the Ganges River? “A great number, likened to the amount of water in the great ocean. It is an endless amount.” It is not just as numerous as grains of sand. It is like the amount of water in the great ocean; it is impossible to measure how much water there is. In the end, we must be mindful.

With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless great kalpas, kalpas as numerous as the desert’s sands, in seeking the Bodhi-path for sentient beings. If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows, one will not finish in endless kalpas.
Everyone formed an initial aspiration at some time. “With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless kalpas [seeking]” ․With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless great kalpas, kalpas as numerous as the desert’s sands, in seeking the Bodhi-path for sentient beings. If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows, one will not finish in endless kalpas. A Bodhisattva spends an ocean of endless great kalpas [seeking]. This will take a very long time. These kalpas are as numerous as grains of sand. If we count the grains of sand one by one, each grain is a kalpa. If we count the drops of water in the ocean, each drop is a kalpa. This is an analogy for how long the great aspirations formed by Bodhisattvas must last, “until the end of time.”

Since we have made the great vows, we must “encompass the universe and pervade all Dharma-realms.” We are not afraid of how long this will take; every day, the Dharma is by our side, so everything we do brings us joy. Then why would we be afraid that this will take such a long time? By practicing according to the Dharma, we can play effortlessly in this world. We will do everything willingly. We will do everything joyfully. Thus, why would we be afraid of how long we have to spend on spiritual cultivation? From the time we form our aspirations, we must embrace this mindset of. “Just do it” and. “Work willingly and accept joyfully.” If we work in this way, will we lose our spiritual aspirations? That would be unlikely as long as we have this mindset. So, no matter how long it takes, we “seek the Bodhi-path for sentient beings.” It is for the sake of sentient beings that we seek the Bodhi-path;

we “seek the Bodhi-path for sentient beings. If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows….” This is an analogy for the vows of Bodhisattvas. From the time they form their aspirations until the very end, the power of those vows will not weaken. This is what is meant by “will not finish in endless kalpas.” To explain all these teachings clearly, even if we take endless kalpas to expound them, we will still be unable to finish. However, if we are willing to form aspirations, this can happen at this very moment. Thus, the following passage states, “People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra”

Practicing and upholding in this way: They undergo long kalpas yet retain their initial aspirations, and their capabilities are sharp and mature. People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.

We must practice according to this sutra, undergoing countless kalpas while retaining our initial aspirations. Although we go through countless kalpas, a very long period of time, we must still retain our initial aspirations. Then our “capabilities [will be] sharp and mature.” We must constantly train ourselves; then naturally our capabilities will become very sharp and keen. No matter what we see, we will understand the principle behind it. When we see things, we will know; are they truly empty? Within “true emptiness,” there are the principles of “wondrous existence.” With sharp capabilities, we will be very keen and will be able to quickly understand. So, with “capabilities sharp and mature,” our causes and conditions will quickly mature.

“People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding.” When people like this hear the teachings of this sutra, which are so subtle and wondrous, so precious and difficult to understand, they will try to realize the principles of this sutra. However, if we can constantly safeguard our initial aspirations, naturally our capabilities will become sharp, and when we listen to the Dharma, we will hear one thing and realize 1000. As soon as we hear it, [we say,]. “This reminds me of something from not long ago.” We will realize [the principles] very quickly. Thus, we must constantly go among people to experience and realize the principles [of life]. Then when we listen to the sutras, we can hear one thing and realize 1000. “People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding.” Naturally they will believe and understand. “For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”

Everyone, although the sutras are very profound, as long as we are mindful, they are not difficult, nor too deep for us, because they are applicable to daily living. In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, a beautiful state is laid out before us. The Buddha began by expounding the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. After we all listen to it, we understand that this sutra is all about benefiting people and saving all sentient beings. “Having relieved them from suffering, we then expound the Dharma for them.” This is the power of love. After expounding that sutra, the Buddha then clearly explained to us that the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka are contained within it. This is something we should be clear on.

So, though the Dharma is wondrous and difficult to conceive of, as long as we have faith, we have “the merit that allows us to enter the path.” Naturally, if we can deepen our faith, entering the Bodhi-path will not be difficult. By “deeply cultivating meticulous contemplation,” we can cease evil and practice goodness. With faith and understanding, we can destroy deviant views and thinking. By destroying them, we completely eradicate the delusions of ignorance. Then won’t we manifest our pure Buddha-nature? So, all of this means that we must always be mindful.

Episode 720 – Developing Deep Roots and Firm Aspirations

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>> In the ocean of enlightened wisdom, the Dharma is boundless. Time and space stretch on at length, while we pass through the Three Periods in a flash. We must protect and preserve our resolve on the Bodhi-path to enlightenment. Maintain faith and understanding as at the start with deep roots and firm spiritual aspirations.

>> “People like this have the sincerest intentions to seek the Buddha’s sariras and, seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them. Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures, nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> To remind him to respect the Dharma and carefully guard the teachings and precepts, the Buddha told Sariputra, I [will] tell you of their characteristics. He is speaking of the ten characteristics of world-transcending and virtuous people.

>> The ten teachings for being world-transcending and virtuous people. Virtuous means being in accord with the principles. One who practices these ten teachings will always be in accord with the principles of virtuous Dharma.

>> Cessation: Causing one’s own evil to cease and no longer troubling others. Practice: Cultivating triumphant virtue for the benefit and peace of all.

>> The Ten Good Deeds: Not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, not gossiping, not speaking harshly, not engaging in flattery, not having greed, not having anger and not holding deviant views.

>> 1. Not killing: The cessation of all killing. Since we are no longer killing, we must practice the good deed of releasing living beings.

>> 2. Not stealing: The cessation of all theft. Since we are no longer stealing, we must practice the good deed of charitable giving.

>> 3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct: The virtue of the cessation of sexual misconduct. As we are no longer engaged in misconduct, we must practice the good deed of purifying practice.

>> 4. Not Lying: One who does not tell lies does not speak empty words. This is the virtue of the cessation of lying. We must practice the good deed of speaking truth.

>> 5. Not gossiping: Not spreading conflicts between two parties so as to lead them to fight is the meaning of not engaging in gossip. We must practice the good deed of bringing harmony and benefit to others.

>> 6. Not speaking harshly: Not engaging in coarse or malicious speech is the virtue of the cessation of harsh speech. We must practice the good deed of gentle speech.

>> 7. Not engaging in flattery: Refraining from flowery or embellished speech is the meaning of not engaging in flattery. We must practice the good deed of being straightforward and proper in our speech.

>> 8. Not having greed: It is the virtue of the cessation of greed. Since we no longer have greed and desire, we must practice the good deed of engaging in purifying practice.

>> 9. Not having anger: It is the virtue of the cessation of anger. Since we no longer become angry, we must practice the good deed of loving-kindness and patience.

>> 10. Not holding deviant views: It is the virtue of the cessation of deviant views. Since we no longer hold deviant views, we must practice the good deeds of having Right Faith and Right Views.

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“In the ocean of enlightened wisdom, the Dharma is boundless. Time and space stretch on at length, while we pass through the Three Periods in a flash.
We must protect and preserve our resolve on the Bodhi-path to enlightenment.
Maintain faith and understanding as at the start with deep roots and firm spiritual aspirations.”

I constantly tell everyone, “In the ocean of enlightened wisdom, the Dharma is boundless.” This “ocean of enlightened wisdom” is something we all intrinsically have. It is just that we unenlightened beings tend to think about too many things. With our unenlightened minds, one moment we are thinking of Taiwan, and then another thought arises, and our minds turn to Africa, to the poorest places, where there are many people of a different ethnicity suffering. Then our minds may turn to Europe. Europe is a place of beauty, with luxurious buildings. It is rich in culture and traditions. All we have to do is turn our thoughts there, and our awareness will go there too. Our minds will follow [suggestions] around us to imagine what a certain state is like.

If we do this through our pure intrinsic nature, that awareness, we will know that in this vast world, on this planet, people are born into different places and face different amounts of happiness or suffering. As we have said, this is because of circumstantial retribution. Their circumstantial retribution led them there; because of the karmic law of cause and effect, they followed their causes and conditions to be born there. This is what the Buddha taught us by analyzing many causes and conditions for us. He is an enlightened being, one who has already awakened, so He can share many teachings with us.

Such was His ocean of wisdom, it was as vast and boundless as the ocean. “Time and space stretch on at length.” The space of the universe is vast indeed. What about time? It is the same. Like space, it has no beginning and no end. Time is measured in long periods called “kalpas.” This long expanse of time stretches on at length the same way space does. Time stretches on, yet we unenlightened beings “pass through the Three Periods in a flash.” At this very moment, we experience past, present and future in an instant. In one instant, we go through past, present and future. That is happening as I speak; every word I said is already in the “past,” but in the moment I spoke it, it was the “present.” A second ago, however, this present moment was the “future.” From recent events, we should have attained more realizations about this. In an instant, impermanence can strike, causing much suffering anywhere in this world.

This reflects the Buddha’s wisdom. With the ocean of His enlightened wisdom, He told us about this more than 2000 years ago. In the world around us, we can see, hear and practice so many of His teachings. Time, relationships, everything is inseparable from the Dharma. So, “We must protect and preserve our resolve on the Bodhi-path to enlightenment.” The Bodhi-path to enlightenment lies in our minds. “The great Bodhi-path is direct”; there is just this one road. When we dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to transforming ourselves and others, we will be able to realize many teachings.

In Fengyuan, there is a boy named Lin Xuechen. This young Bodhisattva is only 11 years old. Ever since he was in kindergarten, he has accompanied his mother to the Jing Si Bookstore. He has learned so much in that place. When the adults spoke, he listened carefully. When the [the bookstore staff] shared with him about the law of karma, he understood clearly. He retained the stories he read and the teachings he heard in the bookstore to share them with his classmates. He taught them the karmic law of cause and effect. When his classmates were short-tempered, he counseled them. Xuechen is truly very exceptional.

Though his mother enjoyed going to other Buddhist practice centers, he did not want to go. His mother said to him, “Oh! You are discriminating!” He said, “I am not discriminating; it is just that the Jing Si bookstore is a place of practice that suits me better.” He then shared with her, “One time I heard Grandmaster say that there was a group of older male volunteers who went to the Abode to do chores. Grandmaster called that a mini seven-day retreat. The older male volunteers also shared with Grandmaster that they took the beneficial grasses and buried them in the soil so that they would become fertilizer. But, if the grasses were weeds, they would pull them up by the roots so that the weeds wouldn’t spread.”

He said, “When I heard this, I thought about how, just as good grasses can become fertilizer, negative thoughts, when kept in the mind, can lead us to do bad deeds.” This is what he shared with his mother. He even said to her, “At the bookstore, I heard Grandmaster say that every time we do something that benefits others, we are a Bodhisattva. When we see something good in someone, we must promptly learn from them. I have learned so much here. When I see the older volunteers saying the same things over and over again, nagging at others, I remind myself to not criticize others in any way.”

Because, at a very young age, he learned so much at the [Jing Si] bookstore, when he grows up, he will contribute so much to others and to society. See, isn’t this an example of working to “protect and preserve our resolve on the Bodhi-path to enlightenment”? A child so young can develop this resolve, so what about us? “Maintain faith and understanding as at the start with deep roots and firm spiritual aspirations.” Can we do this? “Maintain faith and understanding as at the start.” Is the aspiration we formed when we first started still in our hearts? Is our original desire to diligently practice, is the power of the vows we originally had, still within us now? This is something we should reflect on. When we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must have the sincerest intentions.

So, the previous passage states, “People like this have the sincerest intentions to seek the Buddha’s sariras”

People like this have the sincerest intentions to seek the Buddha’s sariras and, seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them. Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures, nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.

Yesterday we spoke about “sariras.” Everyone should be clear that any place where there is Dharma is a place where the Buddha’s. Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) is present. Though the Buddha has entered Parinirvana, the Buddha-Dharma lives on in people’s hearts. The Buddha’s wisdom still exists. “Seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them.” With this mindset, they seek out the Dharma wherever it exists. In any place we attain the Dharma, we should earnestly accept the teachings.

“Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures. Nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts.” They do not wish to seek other teachings; they are single-minded in their resolve. “For people like this, you can teach this sutra.” Only when we have this wholehearted resolve are we able to attain the subtle and wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle.

The following passage states, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”

The Buddha wanted to give everyone a reminder, so He called out, “Sariputra! I [will] tell you of their characteristics.” He had already given so many teachings, the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. For more than 40 years, He continued to teach according to the capabilities of sentient beings. The nature and the appearances of the Dharma are encompassed in the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. This reminds all of us to listen to the sutras and the Dharma. We should “respect the Dharma” and follow the precepts. Thus, we must “carefully guard” [the teachings]. We should be very cautious

To remind him to respect the Dharma and carefully guard the teachings and precepts, the Buddha told Sariputra, “I [will] tell you of their characteristics.” He is speaking of the ten characteristics of world-transcending and virtuous people.

In the past, [out of ignorance,] we may have committed all kinds of wrongdoings. After learning the Buddha’s Way, we must respect the Dharma, follow the precepts. Therefore, we must now be very cautious.

All of this Dharma [that was taught] is inseparable from the “ten characteristics of world-transcending and virtuous people.” These are ways of teaching us, because as He was guiding sentient beings, His teachings were never separate from these ten teachings for being world-transcending and virtuous people. Knowing how to be good person is very important. If we want to be a Buddha but are unable to be a good person, how will we ever attain Buddhahood? Therefore, there are ten ways of being world-transcending virtuous people.

Virtue comes from following the principles. “Being in accord with the principles” means we can follow moral principles. This is virtuous Dharma. “One who practices these ten teachings will always be in accord with the principles of virtuous Dharma.”

The ten teachings for being world-transcending and virtuous people. Virtuous means being in accord with the principles. One who practices these ten teachings will always be in accord with the principles of virtuous Dharma.

If we can follow these ten teachings, we will be in accord with all the principles. When we follow the principles in our actions, we will be a virtuous person. There are two aspects to being a virtuous person; one is cessation and the other is practice. With “cessation,” what are we trying to cease? This means putting a stop to something. “Cessation” is “causing one’s own evil to cease and no longer troubling others. Cessation” is using the precepts to guard against wrongs and stop evil

Cessation: Causing one’s own evil to cease and no longer troubling others. Practice: Cultivating triumphant virtue for the benefit and peace of all.

As we engage in spiritual practice, we must uphold the precepts. As Buddhist practitioners, If on the one hand we listen to virtuous Dharma and on the other still create negative karma, what should we do? When we give rise to a thought of evil, we must promptly stop and extinguish it. Then we will no longer cause harm to or trouble other people.

The second is “practice. Practice” means spiritual practice. We must promptly engage in spiritual practice. Since we have put an end to evil, we must diligently do good deeds. This gives rise to “triumphant virtue,” which is exceptional virtue. We must seize exceptional karmic conditions to accomplish the things we should do. Only through internal cultivation and external cultivation of goodness can we work for the “benefit and peace of all.” Everything that we do will benefit ourselves and others and bring peace to ourselves as well as others

The Ten Good Deeds: Not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, not gossiping, not speaking harshly, not engaging in flattery, not having greed, not having anger and not holding deviant views.

How do we [practice] the Ten Good Deeds? First is by not killing. Not killing means to cease killing. This is why I constantly promote vegetarianism. To love and protect the earth, we must earnestly purify people’s minds. This starts with the karma of the body. Killing is committed by the body. Thus, we must cease killing. “Since we are no longer killing, we must practice the good deed of releasing living beings.

1. Not killing: The cessation of all killing. Since we are no longer killing, we must practice the good deed of releasing living beings.

The true meaning behind releasing living beings is the protection of all living beings. We must protect all life and keep their habitats peaceful and safe. That is the principle behind “not killing.”

2. Not stealing: The cessation of all theft. Since we are no longer stealing, we must practice the good deed of charitable giving.

The second is not stealing, which is also karma created by the body. Some people will steal, rob or seize thing, Some people will steal, rob or seize things, or they may loot things. By no means can we do this; we must cease. This is “the cessation of all theft.” If we stop doing this, that is a way of doing good. “Since we are no longer stealing, we must practice the good deed of charitable giving.” Not only must we not steal or desire others’ goods, we should practice charitable giving.

3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct: The virtue of the cessation of sexual misconduct. As we are no longer engaged in misconduct, we must practice the good deed of purifying practice.

The third is not engaging in sexual misconduct, which is also karma created by the body. So, this must “cease.” The cessation of sexual misconduct is a good deed as well. “As we no longer engage in sexual misconduct, we must practice the good deed of purifying practice.”

4. Not Lying: One who does not tell lies does not speak empty words. This is the virtue of the cessation of lying. We must practice the good deed of speaking truth.

The fourth is, “One who does not tell lies” is one who “does not speak empty words.” This is the virtue of the cessation of lying. Speaking lies damages our moral character. When we speak, we should speak the truth. Thus, “We practice the virtue of speaking truth.” We must not speak of fake or false things, creating something out of nothing and giving rise to many conflicts. This is not the right thing to do

5. Not gossiping: Not spreading conflicts between two parties so as to lead them to fight. This is the meaning of not engaging in gossip. We must practice the good deed of bringing harmony and benefit to others.

The fifth is not gossiping. Not gossiping means not spreading stories or telling different people different things. We say bad things about that person to this person and bad things about this person to that person, creating conflict between both. By gossiping about other people, we are creating problems in relationships and tearing apart friendships. These are not the right things to do.

All these things “lead them to fight.” On a small scale, we cause conflicts among people. On a large scale, we spread rumors throughout society. On an even larger scale, a country in conflict ruins many lives. All of this is caused by the negative karma of creating conflicts. So if we are doing this, we should quickly stop. “We must practice the good deed of bringing harmony and benefit to others”; we must encourage people to come together, not to split apart. We should not manipulate them.

6. Not speaking harshly: Not engaging in coarse or malicious speech is the virtue of the cessation of harsh speech. We must practice the good deed of gentle speech.

The sixth is not speaking harshly, or “not engaging in harsh or malicious speech.” We must not speak harshly; instead, we “practice the good deed of gentle speech.” We should speak the truth and encourage people to come together. We must use soft and gentle words and be elegant when speaking with people. Speaking is a kind of art, so we must be mindful.

7. Not engaging in flattery: Refraining from flowery or embellished speech is the meaning of not engaging in flattery. We must practice the good deed of being straightforward and proper in our speech.

The seventh is not engaging in flattery. Speaking softly and gently is a good thing, isn’t it? But here it says we must “not engage in flattery. Flattery” is superficial. There is no sincerity behind those words, but on the surface they sound very pleasant. They speak well of us to our face, but say bad things about us behind our backs.

“Not engaging in flattery” is “refraining from flowery or embellished speech.” We must not dress up what is false to make it sound like it is true or make it very pleasant; we must not do that.

So, we must “not engage in flattery,” but rather, “We must practice the good deed of being straightforward and proper in our speech.” We should be very straightforward. “This is the way things are; this matter is like this. I am speaking the truth of things, and I do so with absolutely no ill-intent. This is how it happened; that is the truth. Let us figure out how to salvage the situation and make things right.” This is being “straightforward in speech.” This means that our words are direct, proper and of excellent quality. These words are true, but still must be gentle and harmonious.

8. Not having greed: It is the virtue of the cessation of greed. Since we no longer have greed and desire, we must practice the good deed of engaging in purifying practice.

The eighth is greed. It is no longer having greed and desire. That is “the virtue of the cessation of greed. Since we no longer have greed and desire, we must practice the good deed of engaging in purifying practice.”

9. Not having anger: It is the virtue of the cessation of anger. Since we no longer become angry, we must practice the good deed of loving-kindness and patience.

The ninth is not having anger. We must not get angry. This is “the virtue of the cessation of anger.” If we start to lose our temper, we must quickly put a stop to it. Once we have the virtue of ceasing our anger, we must practice the good deed of “loving-kindness and patience”

10. Not holding deviant views: It is the virtue of the cessation of deviant views. Since we no longer hold deviant views, we must practice the good deeds of having Right Faith and Right Views.
The tenth is not holding deviant views. Our views and understanding should be correct. “This is the virtue of the cessation of deviant views. Since we no longer hold deviant views, we must practice the good deeds of having Right Faith and Right Views.”

All of these are related to our everyday karma of body, speech and mind. There are three good deeds of the body; they are not killing, not stealing and no sexual misconduct. Speech is not lying, not engaging in flattery, not gossiping and not speaking harshly. These are the four good deeds of speech. In our minds, there is greed, anger and ignorance.

So, the Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind can be turned from the Ten Evils into the Ten Good Deeds. For this we must both “cease” and “practice.” With regard to our body, speech and mind, in our daily living we must earnestly heighten our vigilance otherwise, “Time and space stretch on at length, while we pass through the Three Periods in a flash.” This happens in the span of a single thought. Time passes very quickly; in a flash it is gone. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 719 – The Sariras of the Dharmakaya are the Middle Way

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>> In general, the Buddha-Dharma is called the great path to liberation. Unattached to either emptiness or existence, one enters the path of the Great Vehicle. The sariras of the Dharmakaya are the Middle Way of the Tathagata. The principles of ultimate reality are invariable and immutable.

>> “If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, seek the teachings in all four directions, put palms together in reverent reception, joyfully accept and uphold the Great Vehicle sutras, while refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> “People like this have the sincerest intentions to seek the Buddha’s sariras and, seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them. Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures, nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> This is talking about seeking the Buddha’s sariras, which refers to the sariras of This is like a passage in this sutra which states, At a place to accept and uphold, read and recite [this sutra], one should build a stupa. Within this will be the sariras of the Buddha’s entire body.

>> In addition to that, The sutras containing the Buddha’s teachings are called the sariras of the Dharmakaya.

>> The principles of ultimate reality and the Middle Way taught by the Tathagata are forever immutable and unchanging. Their nature and appearance will always be the same. Thus, they are the sariras of the Dharmakaya.

>> So, in the Lotus Sutra, in the Chapter on Dharma Masters, there is a passage that states, Wherever the sutras are kept, a seven-jeweled stupa should be erected, exceedingly high and wide and magnificently adorned. There is no need to enshrine the sariras there. Why is this so? Within it is already the entire body of Tathagata.

>> When we focus on seeking the Lotus Sutra and can pay respect to, accept and uphold it without ever forgetting, then we will no longer make vows to seek the sutras and treatises of the Small Vehicle. Furthermore, we will not think to read or research heretical texts.

>> Whether an initial aspirant or a long-time learner, through teaching this sutra accordingly, all can help others attain the Buddha’s wisdom. Thus, they distance themselves from other religious teachings and seek enlightenment with the Buddha.>> Those who can listen to, accept, uphold and cultivate contemplation with the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra will attain the Buddha’s prediction. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.

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>>”In general, the Buddha-Dharma is called the great path to liberation.
Unattached to either emptiness or existence, one enters the path of the Great Vehicle.
The sariras of the Dharmakaya are the Middle Way of the Tathagata.
The principles of ultimate reality are invariable and immutable.”

The Buddha-Dharma is the great path to awakening. Why should we learn the Dharma? Why should we faithfully accept and practice according to the teachings? We have already chosen the Buddha-Dharma; this is our blessing. It is rare to be born human and rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma. As we have been born human, encountered the Buddha-Dharma and have the karmic conditions to hear it daily, we should truly treasure this opportunity. Why? Because if we make an effort to mindfully listen to, experience and comprehend the principles, can’t we [apply them] to all of the people, matters and things we face every day? The Buddha-Dharma always reminds us that life is impermanent and the earth fragile. It also remind us often that the world is like a bubble or a shadow, like a dew drop or a flash of lightning. It is constantly warning us that life is short and temporary; life is impermanent. Isn’t it constantly telling us about suffering, emptiness and impermanence? It is always saying that we humans are continuously creating karma. When we accumulate bad karma, we give rise to collective karma, which leads to widespread suffering. The three major and three minor calamities are constantly arising in this world. The Buddhist sutras are always reminding us of this. Thus the Buddha, in giving the Lotus teachings, taught in many different ways, using the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka all in the hope that after listening to the Dharma, we would take it to heart, delve deeper and deeper into it and then go even deeper still, one layer after another, hoping that we can eliminate our attachments and let go of our ignorance. Only by letting go of attachments and ignorance are we able to delve more deeply into the Dharma and understand it better. If we can completely understand the Buddha’s teachings, they are the great path to liberation. This is what our nature of True Suchness is like, with layer upon layer of ignorance that has covered and obstructed it. Thus, only by putting in the effort to lift, peel off and discard the layers of ignorance will we naturally become one with the truths of all things in the universe. Isn’t this the great path to liberation? It truly is the great path to liberation, the great path that is worthy of praise.

How can we achieve great liberation? By clinging neither to emptiness nor existence. We must not be attached. If we have attachments, our minds will experience ailments. People nowadays call this stress. We bring upon ourselves all this pressure caused by ignorance and afflictions.

In fact, “With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” Thus, we must earnestly make use of our time. If we cause ourselves problems, they will remain with us day after day. Consider “each passing day.” Consider this vast world around us. In the evil world of Five Turbidities, there is no way for people’s minds to be purified. All over the world, disasters frequently arise, and in our afflictions and ignorance, we continue to idle away our time. We still have no way to realize [the truth]. It is so clear that the world around us is teaching us the Dharma every day. The Dharma the Buddha taught is manifested every day throughout this universe, across this planet.

Recently in Taiwan, just over the past 15 days, disasters have struck, one after the other. Right after a typhoon hit Taiwan, a plane crash happened in Penghu. Then there was the gas explosion in Kaohsiung. Yesterday we heard from Kunshan, China, about a factory owned by a Taiwanese company. After 7am, right as their shifts started, there was suddenly a gas explosion. In an instant, more than 60 people lost their lives. Over 200 people were severely injured. This makes us think about how life is impermanent. Will impermanence strike before tomorrow arrives? I often say there is no need to mention tomorrow; impermanence is manifesting every second. Things can happen in such a short amount of time. Patients have already been sent to hospitals in Kunshan, and in Shanghai and Suzhou.

A few of these hospitals have permitted, and were hoping for, Tzu Chi volunteers to go in to help and provide comfort. This is how we provide direct assistance. In places where there are Tzu Chi volunteers, where we have direct contact with people in need. Tzu Chi volunteers there will mobilize to help and put their hearts into the effort. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering beings.”

I often say that we must be understanding. When it comes to time, space and relationships, in this impermanent life of ours, we must constantly heighten our vigilance. The karma we have, the causes and conditions that converge, can cause impermanence to manifest in an instant. What happens in that instant may result in long-lasting suffering. So, we must all truly have this sense of awareness. We must no longer be attached to the ignorance within us; we must quickly clear it away. We must promptly enter the Great Vehicle path and not remain attached to the Small Vehicle, focused only on our own awakening.

“The sariras of the Dharmakaya are the Middle Way of the Tathagata.” The Buddha-Dharma is in fact the Buddha’s Dharmakaya (Dharma-body), the Buddha’s wisdom. The truth of all things which the Buddha awakened to is everlasting. If we can earnestly make use of them, the Buddha’s teachings can benefit people, so let us make an effort to use them. Thus, “the Middle Way of the Tathagata,” the Great Vehicle Dharma, is not biased. It is not biased toward emptiness nor existence. We understand everything is empty, like an illusion or mirage. But, we must further understand that this is true emptiness, and within that “emptiness,” there is “wondrous existence.” We should not be attached to emptiness or existence.

Having been born in this world, the true Buddha-Dharma can help us achieve liberation from our ignorance. Thus, naturally we can feel peaceful and at ease without remaining attached to anything. So, the sariras of the Dharmakaya will remain forever in the human realm; they are the principles of ultimate reality. I often say that truth is without essence or form. But actually, there is the Dharma, the ultimate reality of the Dharma. We can use many analogies for it. Although it has [no form], when [tangible things] are brought together to provide us with an explanation, we can understand. Thus, the principles of ultimate reality are invariable and immutable. These are true principles. True principles are the Tathagata’s Dharmakaya; the sariras of the Dharmakaya are the Middle Way. Walking the Middle Way, we are not attached to emptiness or existence, so so we can directly enter the Great Vehicle Dharma and transform ourselves and others. This is the general [purpose] of the Buddha-Dharma. In general, the Buddha-Dharma helps us attain liberation.

“If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, seek the teachings in all four directions, put palms together in reverent reception, joyfully accept and uphold the Great Vehicle sutras, while refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.” 

Next we will discuss yesterday’s sutra passage. “If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma…” As everyone remembers, the wisdom of all Dharma is Buddha-wisdom, all-encompassing wisdom. With it we can comprehend the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka, the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms and so on. This means we have returned to Buddha-wisdom.

“Seeking the Dharma in all four directions” refers to the Four Great Vows and the Four Infinite Minds. We should [receive all Dharma] with utmost respect by “putting palms together in reverent reception”

and always maintaining this sense of respect. Whether the Four Noble Truths, 12 Links of Cyclic Existence or Six Perfections, these are all true principles of the Buddha-Dharma. So, we must dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly

“and joyfully accept and uphold the. Great Vehicle sutras, refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture.” This means that our minds must be focused. As we have entered the Middle Way and the Great Vehicle Dharma and drawn near the sariras of the Dharmakaya, why are we still so deluded? “[If there are bhiksus] refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture, for people like this, you can teach this sutra” [This tells us] that to draw near true principles, we must dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly.

The next passage states, “People like this have the sincerest intentions to seek the Buddha’s sariras and, seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them. Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures, nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

This is talking about “seeking the Buddha’s sariras,” which refers to the sariras of the Buddha’s Dharmakaya which we mentioned.

This is like a passage in this sutra which states, “At a place to accept and uphold, read and recite [this sutra], one should build a stupa. Within this will be the sariras of the Buddha’s entire body.” As long you are there, or there is someone willing to be at this place, to unceasingly and reverently read, recite, hear and uphold the Dharma, this place is where the sariras of the Buddha’s entire body are. This is where the Right Dharma, the Buddha-Dharma, exists

In addition to that, The sutras containing the Buddha’s teachings are called the sariras of the Dharmakaya.

In addition to that, “The sutras containing the Buddha’s teachings are called the sariras of the Dharmakaya.” They are the sutras which the Buddha taught. The 12 divisions of the Tripitaka comprise the sariras of the Buddha’s Dharmakaya. The Buddha’s wisdom is wholly contained within them ․The principles of ultimate reality and the Middle Way taught by the Tathagata are forever immutable and unchanging. Their nature and appearance will always be the same. Thus, they are “the sariras of the Dharmakaya.”

Everyone, please mindfully comprehend this. It does not require death and cremation for sariras to come into being. True sariras are non-arising and non-ceasing; they are everlasting principles. The teachings given by the Buddha are the sariras of the Buddha’s entire Dharmakaya.

So, in the Lotus Sutra, in the Chapter on Dharma Masters, there is a passage that states, “Wherever the sutras are kept, a seven-jeweled stupa should be erected, exceedingly high and wide and magnificently adorned. There is no need to enshrine the sariras there. Why is this so? Within it is already the entire body of Tathagata.”

From this sutra passage, we see that “the sariras of the Dharmakaya” refers to the Buddha’s spirit and wisdom all concentrated together. His spirit and wisdom, and the ocean of enlightenment He taught about, are truly infinite and immeasurable. They can suit everyone’s capabilities. Depending on how we seek it, as long as put our heart into it, we can comprehend the Dharma. By understanding it, we can hear one thing and realize 1000.

Next, “Seeking the sutras in this way, they have gained and reverently received them”

When we focus on seeking the Lotus Sutra and can pay respect to, accept and uphold it without ever forgetting, then we will no longer make vows to seek the sutras and treatises of the Small Vehicle. Furthermore, we will not think to read or research heretical texts.

“We [must] focus on seeking the Lotus Sutra.” If we want to understand the Bodhisattva-path, the Buddha’s true and original intent, if we want to understand His state of mind, we must listen to the Lotus Sutra and “gain [it] and reverently receive [its teachings].” We must accept all the Dharma it contains and not allow any of it to leak out. This is “without ever forgetting”; we must not allow any of it to leak out.

“Then we will no longer make vows to seek the sutras and treatises of the Small Vehicle.” If we uphold the Great Vehicle Dharma, we do not need to take narrower roads anymore. We should not go back to practicing the Small Vehicle Dharma nor debate those sutras and teachings; that is unnecessary. Our focus should be on walking the Bodhisattva-path; we must not give rise to more discursive thoughts nor desire to study heretical teachings. We must not give rise to discursive thoughts. We must completely believe in the Lotus Sutra and faithfully accept it; we must not doubt it and thus seek out other teachings.

“Such people never again resolve to seek other scriptures, nor do they ever think to seek heretical texts.” That is about being focused. When it comes our initial aspiration, I always say we must sustain our original resolve. “We must sustain our original aspiration” and forever hold on to that resolve we had when we first wished to engage in spiritual practice. That initial aspiration we had when we first sought the Great Vehicle Dharma is what we must uphold forever as we make an effort to learn mindfully.

“This sutra should be taught to them.” If there are those who wholeheartedly dedicate themselves on this path, continuously upholding and learning the Dharma, for people who do this, we can teach this Dharma. This will help them more deeply comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom. This indicates they are people who distance themselves from heretical teachings and seek Bodhi.

Whether an initial aspirant or a long-time learner, through teaching this sutra accordingly, all can help others attain the Buddha’s wisdom. Thus, they distance themselves from other religious teachings and seek enlightenment with the Buddha.

“For people like this, you can teach this sutra.” People like this can hear and uphold the Dharma. They “cultivate contemplation” to bring their minds into a state of stillness. They are people like this. “With the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra,” the people who are willing to uphold and settle their minds in this sutra are said to be able to attain the Buddha’s predictions for Buddhahood. The Buddha bestowed predictions for what will happen in distant kalpas. If only we were still in the Buddha’s lifetime, He could personally bestow these predictions on us. But as the Buddha is not in this world right now, we must practice steadfastly all the same

Those who can listen to, accept, uphold and cultivate contemplation with the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra will attain the Buddha’s prediction. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.

We must have faith in. Life after life, for countless kalpas, the Buddha had received predictions of Buddhahood from previous Buddhas. Because of those Buddhas’ praise and affirmation, He spent many lifetimes engaging in spiritual practice. We are the same. We are here now because of our karmic conditions in the past and present. In future lifetimes, we will again create a connection with the Lotus Sutra. Because of this, for lifetime after lifetime, we will still be [immersed] in the Lotus Sutra.

The Lotus Sutra is also a way of referring to the Buddha-Dharma as a whole. The 12 divisions of the Tripitaka are all included in the Lotus Sutra. So, “In general, the Buddha-Dharma is called the great path to liberation. Unattached to either emptiness or existence, one enters the path of the Great Vehicle.” If we can be mindful of this sutra, we can be one with “the sariras of the Dharmakaya, the Middle Way of the Tathagata that are the Middle Way of the Tathagata.” The truth of the ultimate reality has never changed since ancient times. Although a long time has passed, the Dharma is still present and has not changed. Thus, as long as we are mindful, the Buddha-Dharma will always abide in our minds. With the sariras of the Dharmakaya, our inner training ground will be clear and pure. Thus, we must always be mindful.

Episode 718 – Forming Great Vehicle Aspirations with Diligence

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>> We need deep wisdom and Great Dharma, just as a big container must have a big cover. With an awakened nature and ocean of wisdom, we can know inexhaustible teachings. The Tathagata is one with compassion, impartiality and the wisdom of all Dharma.

>> “It states, And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> “If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, seek the teachings in all four directions, and joyfully accept and uphold the. Great Vehicle sutras, refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> The wisdom of all Dharma is Buddha-wisdom, also known as all-encompassing wisdom. Thus the sutra says: Practicing earnestly and diligently, they seek all-encompassing wisdom, Buddha-wisdom, natural wisdom and untaught wisdom.

>> Those who take joy in the Great Vehicle and, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, diligently seek the Buddha-Dharma to transform themselves are the monastic Bodhisattvas who accept and uphold the Great Vehicle. Thus it says: If there are bhiksus who [act] for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma.

>> The ability to know and understand all inner and outer phenomena is known as the wisdom of all Dharma. As we have already made the Four Great Vows, [including] the vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood and the vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors, we seek in all four directions. This is the start of seeking the teachings.

Accepting the teachings and surrounding states is pleasing to both mind and body. This is called joyfully accepting and upholding the Great Vehicle teachings.

When we have deep power of faith, we can “accept”. When we have firm power of mindfulness, we can “uphold”. Again, when we receive something into our minds, this is called “acceptance”. With unfailing faith and mindfulness from beginning to end, we can “accept and uphold”.

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“We need deep wisdom and Great Dharma, just as a big container must have a big cover.
With an awakened nature and ocean of wisdom, we can know inexhaustible teachings.
The Tathagata is one with compassion, impartiality and the wisdom of all Dharma.”

What are we actually cultivating when we engage in spiritual practice? Every day we say that the most important thing is to seek the Buddha-Dharma. Once we can “comprehend the great path,” we must “form the supreme aspiration.” After forming this supreme aspiration, we should further deepen [our understanding]; we must delve deeply into the sutra treasury to comprehend just how deep the Buddha-Dharma is and just how expansive it is.

Some people say that “delving deeply into the sutra treasury” means spending all day in the sutra library, just reading books all day long. They consider that to be “delving deeply into the sutra treasury.” That is not it. To “comprehend the great path,” we must put the Dharma into practice and walk on this broad path. In our daily living, people, matters and objects are our sutras.

Just as there are infinite sentient beings, so too is there infinite Dharma. When we are amidst sentient beings, amidst people, matters and objects, we must try to realize the principles of the world. This is how we truly delve deeply into the sutra treasury. Among people, there are so many sutras to be found. So, we need to be mindful, and we must have wisdom. For our wisdom to be deep and the Dharma vast, our minds must be opened as broadly as possible. Amidst infinite sentient beings and infinite Dharma, we must seek to realize [the principles]. Then we can penetrate the minds of sentient beings and “harmoniously lead the people.”

We must transform ourselves, and we should also transform others. When we are walking in the right direction, we should also lead many other people to walk the same path. Thus we need “deep wisdom and Great Dharma.” This is like how a big water tank must have a big cover. However big a container is, it must have a cover of corresponding size. This is to say, we must have great capacities. Then, when we widely transform sentient beings, we can deliver them all “without obstructions.” Thus we said, “A big container must have a big cover.” This also applies to our awakened nature, our ocean of wisdom.

Unenlightened beings only see one side and not the other; there is a limit to what we know. We only know about what is in our daily living. Our parents gave birth to us, then we grew up in this environment. As our environment [changes], though unaware of it, we too are growing older. We live our lives according to our environments. We study, establish families, start our careers. As we live in this environment, matters and things trouble our minds, so we give rise to delusions and create all kinds of karmic forces out of greed, anger and ignorance. This goes on for a whole lifetime; thus we age, grow ill and die. Where is the value of our lives to be found? We have never thought about this.

Now that we are learning the Buddha’s Way, we should know that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. Everyone has this potential. We walk the Bodhisattva-path because we want to attain Buddhahood. If we want to return to our intrinsic nature, we must use the broad and great path that the Buddha gave us. That is the Bodhisattva-path. Sentient beings experience countless sufferings, so Bodhisattvas have countless methods, because. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering beings,” Sentient beings experience much suffering. Apart from birth, aging, illness and death, there is also parting with those we love, meeting those we hate, the raging Five Aggregates. Being parted in life or separated by death is a natural part of life, as is impermanence.

We hear and see so many people wailing in grief. This is unbearable suffering. In places where there are Tzu Chi volunteers, when circumstances like these arise, they rush to offer comfort and care. We see impermanence in this world, and the sutras also remind us unceasingly that life is filled with suffering and impermanence. We also always ask the question, “Will impermanence strike before tomorrow arrives?” We often say that we cannot always wait for tomorrow, because impermanence may strike at any time.

Indeed! Impermanence actually arrives before tomorrow. We do not need to look as far as tomorrow; it can happen in an instant. In life, impermanence strikes suddenly. We cannot think, “I’ll wait until I’m older,” or “I’ll wait until this project is complete, and then I’ll do good deeds.” This is not the way. We must act promptly. Life is indeed impermanent. So, we must be mindful and have deep faith in the Buddha’s teachings. If we can comprehend them with deep faith, we must promptly form aspirations and make vows

because the world is full of suffering. If we aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, if we elevate the way we look at life to a higher level, we can expand the capacity of our hearts. For us to be able to safeguard the minds and bodies of sentient beings, when they experience physical suffering, we must immediately comfort their minds. Thus, we can pull them out of their suffering. “Having relieved them from suffering, Bodhisattvas then expound the Dharma for them.” As Buddhist practitioners, we must become a big container with a big cover. Because there are so many sentient beings, we must listen to them and learn even more paths.

So, we talk about “an awakened nature and ocean of wisdom”; as we all intrinsically have an awakened nature, we must immediately eliminate all of our ignorance so our wisdom can become as vast as the boundless ocean. No matter how many ways sentient beings suffer, we have just as many methods and the wisdom to help them and relieve their suffering. So, if we open up our ocean of wisdom, this wisdom can discern all things in the world, and naturally, the things we know will be endless; that Dharma will be plentiful. No matter what happens in this world, we can promptly make use of our discerning wisdom. With great precision, we can discern all matters and appearances; this is discerning wisdom.

There is discerning wisdom, and there is also impartial wisdom. Knowing everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature is impartial wisdom. Thus, “We can know inexhaustible teachings.” These teachings are worldly Dharma. By applying discerning wisdom, we thoroughly grasp the workings of the world. These are inexhaustible teachings.

So, “The Tathagata is one with compassion, impartiality and the wisdom of all Dharma.” The Buddha is compassionate and impartial; He treats all sentient beings equally. A person like this is one with “impartiality and the wisdom of all Dharma.” This is the Tathagata. With this sense of impartiality, He helps all of us understand that we can all attain Buddhahood. He also taught us to develop discerning wisdom to discern the workings of things in this world. These are the Buddha’s compassionate teachings. So, we must be mindful of them. “We need deep wisdom and Great Dharma.” Every day we continue to talk about how we can draw closer to the Buddha-Dharma, take it to heart and apply it in our daily living.

Wasn’t this described in the earlier sutra text? It states, “And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

Everyone should still remember the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. As we have internalized many teachings, we have the “wisdom of unobstructed Dharma” and the “wisdom of unobstructed meaning.” We should be clear on the principles of the Dharma. With “wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric,” we also have the “wisdom of unobstructed joy in speaking.” After we take the Buddha-Dharma to heart, we must exercise the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

Going among people with a pure mind, we share the 12 divisions of teachings of the Buddha’s Tripitaka. This is making use of causes and conditions. Sentient beings have different capabilities, so we must make use of the Tripitaka, the sutra treasury, vinaya treasury and the abhidharma treasury. There are also 12 categories of methods we can use to teach according to capabilities. This is very important. If we can do this, we will be able to accept the subtle, wondrous True Dharma of the One Vehicle, which is the path to attaining Buddhahood.

The next sutra passage states, “If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, seek the teachings in all four directions, put palms together in reverent reception and joyfully accept and uphold the. Great Vehicle sutras, refusing to accept even a single verse from any other scripture, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.” This is telling us that when we learn the Dharma we must focus our minds with a single resolve.

So here, “If there are bhiksus who, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma…” is referring to spiritual practitioners; it is saying they clearly have minds such that once they give rise to [great] aspirations, they begin to feel a sense of joy that they can benefit sentient beings “[They] take joy in the Great Vehicle. Joy” is happiness. The Great Vehicle teaching is to transform ourselves and others. We must first seek to understand and investigate the Buddha-Dharma, to understand the true principles. Once we know our direction, we can begin to be mindful and experience how great and broad this path is.

Having eliminated our ignorance, our minds can encompass the universe and become completely illuminated. With this experience and knowledge of how to apply this Dharma, we can open up our mind to encompass all things. This is called the wisdom of all Dharma ․The wisdom of all Dharma is Buddha-wisdom, also known as all-encompassing wisdom.

The wisdom of all Dharma is Buddha-wisdom, also known as all-encompassing wisdom. Thus the sutra says: Practicing earnestly and diligently, they seek all-encompassing wisdom, Buddha-wisdom, natural wisdom and untaught wisdom.

Thus in the sutra text, it stated previously, “Practicing earnestly and diligently, they seek all-encompassing wisdom, Buddha-wisdom, natural wisdom and untaught wisdom.” This is what we seek. We intrinsically have Buddha-nature, so this is our natural wisdom and untaught wisdom. Unfortunately, we unenlightened beings are covered by ignorance. In learning the Buddha-Dharma, we need to come up with ways to eliminate the ignorance that is covering us. If we can eliminate that ignorance, naturally we will be able to discover our wisdom of all Dharma, Buddha-wisdom natural wisdom and untaught wisdom. Together, they are called all-encompassing wisdom.

We must still practice diligently. Though we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, we have been talking about how, as unenlightened beings, our habitual greed, anger and ignorance still abide. As spiritual practitioners, we may say we are not greedy for anything, but regarding anger, can we actually say, “I never lose my temper; I am never arrogant or proud”? Can we? Because we still have ignorance, since anger, delusion, arrogance and doubt remain, we must continue to work hard; we must diligently seek the Dharma to transform ourselves

Those who take joy in the Great Vehicle and, for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma, diligently seek the Buddha-Dharma to transform themselves are the monastic Bodhisattvas who accept and uphold the Great Vehicle. Thus it says: If there are bhiksus who [act] for the sake of the wisdom of all Dharma.

We hope to transform ourselves, and we also wish to transform other people. These wishes make us “monastic Bodhisattvas who accept and uphold the Great Vehicle.” As monastic Bodhisattvas, although we have left the lay life, we are not focused on our own awakening; we want to walk the Bodhisattva-path. During the Buddha’s lifetime, the bhiksus did not know that they could attain Buddhahood. They thought benefiting themselves and eliminating their afflictions was enough. They did not know that they should also transform all sentient beings. At the Lotus [Dharma-assembly], they learned that in addition to transforming themselves, they must also transform others. This is the true path that will return them to their Tathagata-nature. That means walking the Bodhisattva-path and seeking the Great Vehicle Dharma.

Next the sutra states, “[They] seek teachings in all four directions, put palms together in reverent reception.” This demonstrates their diligence

The ability to know and understand all inner and outer phenomena is known as “the wisdom of all Dharma.” As we have already made the Four Great Vows, [including] the vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood and the vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors, we seek in all four directions. This is the start of seeking the teachings.

“The ability to know and understand all inner and outer phenomena” means that, inwardly we must cultivate ourselves, and outwardly we must experience people, matters and things. We must have clarity about everything and not just be focused on our own spiritual practice. When it comes to the phenomena, matters and people of this world, if we do not understand the principles behind them how can we reach the state of the Buddha? Thus we must develop “the ability to know and understand all inner and outer phenomena, [which] is known as ‘the wisdom of all Dharma'”; this is Buddha-wisdom, the ability to understand all worldly matters, to comprehend all worldly and world-transcending things.

If we want to attain the wisdom of all Dharma, the most basic thing we must do is make the Four Great Vows. What are the Four Great Vows? What is the first one? “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” The second? “I vow to eliminate endless afflictions.” The third one? “I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors.” The fourth one? (I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood). Yes, “I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” If we wish to attain the wisdom of all Dharma, we must make the Four Great Vows.

To do this, “We seek in all four directions.” We must be constantly seeking. Regardless of whether we are eliminating afflictions or attaining Buddhahood, we must earnestly form aspirations and make vows. The Dharma-doors are truly pervasive; we just need to be mindful. This is why it says “all four directions.” The Four Great Vows are also four kinds of directions; they are four great intentions. Thus, there are infinite Dharma-doors. Where are these infinite Dharma-doors? Among all sentient beings. Therefore, we must be mindful. We do not have to seek far away; we can find them right here. Thus, we should have a heart of deep reverence; from the moment of our initial aspiration, we “put palms together in reverent reception.”

We often say, “If we can sustain our initial aspiration, we will surely attain Buddhahood.” When we aspire to engage in spiritual practice to transform sentient beings, we must always maintain that aspiration. Thus, we “joyfully accept and uphold the Great Vehicle sutras.” By accepting the teachings, [when we encounter] the many appearances in the conditions around us, we must always maintain a sense of joy.

We often say, “Willingness brings happiness.” No matter how tiring the work is, “Willingness brings happiness.” So, it is “pleasing to both mind and body. I am willing; this is what I want to do. I am doing what I vowed to do. Wherever there are suffering sentient beings, I will go to that place.” Because we formed Great Vehicle aspirations, we very willingly and joyfully give to others. This is the Dharma-door of the Great Vehicle sutras.

Why are we so willing to do this? It is because. “With the deep power of faith, we can accept.” If our power of faith is deep, we can accept the Buddha-Dharma. When we accept it with an unwavering resolve, a firm power of mindfulness, we can “uphold” it. So, to “accept and uphold” means we have deep faith and a stable mind. When we receive something into our minds, we call that “acceptance.” If we remain unwavering from beginning to end, if we do not forget the faith we had when we formed our initial aspirations, we are “accepting and upholding.” Thus, it says, “[They] joyfully accept and uphold.”

Dear Bodhisattvas, we have already formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. There are infinite appearances of people, matters and things, so how can we adapt to them all? We must use the Tathagata’s impartial wisdom to find a way to help sentient beings. To do all of this, we must always be mindful.

Episode 717 – Developing the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms

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>> The wisdom of unobstructed Dharma is the complete understanding of all teachings and the unhindered discernment of all principles. The wisdom of unobstructed meaning is the knowledge of all teachings and unobstructed comprehension of the principles. The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric is proficiency in every kind of language and the ability to teach in them at will. The wisdom of unobstructed joy in speaking is the teaching of the Dharma’s meaning perfectly, without hindrance and with joyful eloquence and freedom.

>> And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]>> Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the 12 divisions of teachings of the Tripitaka so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

>> The “Tripitaka” is made up of sutras, vinaya (rules) and abhidharma (treatises). These three kinds of teachings encompass countless principles. These are all teachings given by the Buddha, that later generations divided into the sutra treasury, the vinaya treasury and the abhidharma treasury. These comprise the Tripitaka (Three Treasuries). The sutras teach the study of Samadhi. The rules teach the study of precepts. The treatises teach the study of wisdom. Those who thus understand the Tripitaka achieve the Three [Flawless] Studies and are given the title Tripitaka.

>> The 12 divisions of the teachings divides all the teachings from the sutras into 12 categories. These 12 categories are the 12 divisions of the Buddhist canon, also called the 12 divisions of the teachings. The 12 divisions of the teachings: Prose, repeated verse, independent verse, analogies, causes and conditions, unrequested teachings, previous lives of the Buddha, previous lives of disciples, what never existed before, broad teachings, explanations of doctrine and predictions of Buddhahood.

>> 1. Prose: Sutra passages that directly teach the appearances of all phenomena. They are unrestricted in number of characters, and because the lines are long, they are called long-form prose.

>> 2. Repeated verse: The Dharma that was expounded before is summarized again in verses later. Since it is a repetition of the teaching, it is called a repeated verse.

>> 3. Independent verse: It does not follow from the meaning contained in the previous prose. It is a verse that arises independently.

>> 4. Causes and conditions: Accounts of the causes and conditions for seeing Buddhas and hearing the Dharma or for the Buddha to teach and transform.

>> 5. Previous lives of disciples: Sutras that recount the causes and conditions of the past lives of individual disciples as told by the Buddha.

>> 6. Previous lives of Buddhas: Sutras that recount the causes and conditions of past lives of the Buddha Himself as told by the Buddha.

>> 7. Teachings that never existed: Sutras recording the inconceivable matters of the Buddha manifesting various spiritual powers.

>> 8. Analogies: The Buddha taught with many analogies to enable sentient beings to easily awaken.

>> 9. Explanations of doctrine: This refers to sutras that contain discussions, questions and answers on the Dharma and the principles.

>> 10. Unrequested teachings: Sutras such as the Essay on the Meanings of the Great Vehicle, the Udana Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra and so on, were teachings initiated by the Buddha and were unsolicited by others.

>> 11. Broad teachings: Sutras containing proper, vast and great truths taught by the Buddha.

>> 12. Prophecies or predictions of Buddhahood: These record the predictions made by the Buddha of the epithets Bodhisattvas or Hearers would receive upon their future attainment of Buddhahood.

>> You, in a future lifetime, after a countless, boundless, inconceivable number of kalpas have passed, having made offerings to several trillions of Buddhas and upholding the Right Dharma, will fulfill all aspects of the Bodhisattva-path. Then you shall become a Buddha by the name of Flower Light Tathagata.  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

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“The wisdom of unobstructed Dharma is the complete understanding of all teachings and the unhindered discernment of all principles.
The wisdom of unobstructed meaning is the knowledge of all teachings and unobstructed comprehension of the principles.
The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric is proficiency in every kind of language and the ability to teach in them at will.
The wisdom of unobstructed joy in speaking is the teaching of the Dharma’s meaning perfectly, without hindrance and with joyful eloquence and freedom.”

As Buddhist practitioners, after we have taken the Dharma to heart, we still need to share it with everyone. In order to share it with everyone, we need to have the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

Of the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms, the first is the “wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.” When we have taken the Dharma to heart, we can comprehend all principles, even to the point where we can categorize the true principles. Then, depending on people’s capabilities, we can find the right method of explaining the principles to them. This is the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.

The second is “wisdom of unobstructed meaning.” This means that after we have understood all of the principles, we do not merely explain the meaning of texts; we should take the Dharma to heart and penetrate it deeply. This is more than saying, “I understand; I know.” We should take the principles to heart and have unobstructed comprehension of their meanings.

The third is the “wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric.” This is about having mastery of all languages, truly understanding the meanings within and being able to express ourselves. Nowadays, being proficient in all languages is quite difficult. If I speak in Taiwanese, many people do not understand Taiwanese. However, I mainly speak this one language. Being able to teach the Dharma in many languages would be great.

Recently, during the summer break, Christopher Yang from the United States was here. In Taiwan, there are also many children just like Christopher. These young children have resolved to listen to my morning Dharma teachings. One day I said to three of these children, “Take the story that I told this morning and study it carefully. Each of you should elaborate on the same story and find your own way of sharing it with me.” After three days, I said, “Come and tell me the story.”

The first boy told the story in Taiwanese. He told the story well. As for the second boy, his Taiwanese was even better! The third, of course, was Christopher. He spoke in Mandarin, and likewise he conveyed the principles of the story correctly. The way each of them told the story was not the same. When these three youths shared the Dharma, all having heard the story in Taiwanese, they found a way to take the entire story to heart and then retell that story. This is not an easy thing to do.

Next is the fourth wisdom, “unobstructed joy in speaking.” This means that, no matter what we say, if we are able to thoroughly and perfectly explain the Dharma we understand, then these principles will be very applicable. Sometimes, though the principles are applicable, we cannot seem to express them appropriately or in a very complete way. That makes teaching the Dharma more difficult. So, we must have patience.

If we did not express it well this time, that is fine. We should keep going and continue to train ourselves. Then eventually we will be able to teach the meaning of the principles in a perfect way, without obstructions. “Without hindrance” means without obstructions, always having “joyful eloquence and freedom.”

These are the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

The previous sutra passage states, “And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

If we can accept the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle, take it to heart, use it in our daily living and let the Buddha-Dharma nourish our wisdom-life, then we are called Buddha-children. So, everyone listening to the Dharma is “among the assembly” and engages in spiritual practice with a pure mind. If we listen to the Dharma without a pure mind, we will be unable to take the Dharma to heart. Also, if we do not have a pure mind, we will easily develop biased or deviant views. This is why we must maintain the purity of our minds

“[Teaching with] causes and conditions, analogies and expressions” requires using the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. After the Buddha taught the Dharma, later generations took the Buddha’s teachings and divided them into categories. They compiled them into the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. In fact, the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka are 12 categories of teachings. They are “all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions”; these are all included within the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka.

Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the 12 divisions of teachings of the Tripitaka so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

In addition to understanding the Dharma, we are also able to teach it without obstruction. After we listen, we awaken ourselves; then we must also awaken others. In addition to transforming ourselves, we must also transform others. We even hope that the Dharma will spread throughout the world. By using different languages, we can spread it all over the world;

the Buddha-Dharma can save the world. From Sanskrit, an ancient Indic language, the Dharma was spread and then translated into Chinese. From these Chinese texts, we can then explain it in Taiwanese or share it in Mandarin. There are many [volunteers] from abroad who have also been listening to my morning Dharma talks. They tell me, “When Da Ai TV broadcasts the talks. I can understand your teachings.” This is because my lectures have been translated into both Chinese and English, so they [can be understood] widely. Being able to understand the Dharma, they can take it to heart. Every time I see them translating so mindfully, I feel a deep sense of gratitude. For these words in one language to be able to nourish everyone on the planet, for everyone to see it and understand it, is not an easy feat indeed.

The “Tripitaka” is made up of sutras, vinaya (rules) and abhidharma (treatises). These three kinds of teachings encompass countless principles. These are all teachings given by the Buddha, that later generations divided into the sutra treasury, the vinaya treasury and the abhidharma treasury. These comprise the Tripitaka (Three Treasuries). The sutras teach the study of Samadhi. The rules teach the study of precepts. The treatises teach the study of wisdom. Those who thus understand the Tripitaka achieve the Three [Flawless] Studies and are given the title “Tripitaka.”

The sutra treasury contains the teachings of the study of Samadhi. We sentient beings have ignorance and discursive thoughts and tend to go down many side roads. Listening to the Buddha teach the Dharma helps everyone return to the Bodhi-path. To focus our minds and be in Samadhi, we must listen to the sutras.

The “rules,” the vinaya treasury, contains the study of the precepts. In the Buddha’s lifetime, He interacted with myriad sentient beings. Monastics in the Sangha came from all over. Each had different habitual tendencies and different rules for living. Moreover, the Buddha equally accepted disciples from all four castes. The Buddha allowed them to follow their own rules, but if someone violated the rules for behavior, the Buddha would immediately teach a precept for that person, explaining that they should not commit that wrong and that they should change their ways. In this way, He would establish another precept. We know that people have all kinds of different habitual tendencies. There are so many of them! This is [why there are] rules. When we talk about rules, we are talking about following discipline. Discipline comes from precepts. So, the vinaya (rules) are about the precepts, the study of precepts.

The abhidharma (treatises) are the study of wisdom. Some say, “I will share the things I understand with everyone.” This is like what happens in our study groups [People share] about the Dharma they have heard and the realizations they attained while interacting with people, matters and things in their daily living. They mutually discuss their experiences of how they applied the Dharma or the realizations they attained afterward. These can all be discussed. Because of this, those who comprehend sutras, rules and treatises and achieve the Three [Flawless] Studies. They are given the title “Tripitaka”

“The 12 divisions of the teachings” divides all the teachings from the sutras into 12 categories. These 12 categories are the 12 divisions of the Buddhist canon, also called the 12 divisions of the teachings. The 12 divisions of the teachings: Prose, repeated verse, independent verse, analogies, causes and conditions, unrequested teachings, previous lives of the Buddha, previous lives of disciples, what never existed before, broad teachings, explanations of doctrine and predictions of Buddhahood.

1. Prose: Sutra passages that directly teach the appearances of all phenomena. They are unrestricted in number of characters, and because the lines are long, they are called long-form prose

The first [division] is “prose.” As we read a sutra, when we first open it up, “Sutra passages directly teach the appearances of all phenomena.” When the Buddha began teaching a sutra, He was not limited by numbers of words or lines; the sutra text just continues on in long-form prose. The sutras we read all [begin] in this way.

2. Repeated verse: The Dharma that was expounded before is summarized again in verses later. Since it is a repetition of the teaching, it is called a repeated verse.

The second [division] is “repeated verse.” It repeats the content of the long-form prose. The verse is a restatement [of teachings] to fill in what may have been unclear earlier. This helps everyone to recognize the importance of this passage and the need to remember it

3. Independent verse: It does not follow from the meaning contained in the previous prose. It is a verse that arises independently.

The third [division] is “independent verse.” It does not follow the content of the previous long-form prose, but stands independently of other verses and texts.

For example, every morning before beginning my lecture on the sutra, I present a verse that I have written. It may not be directly related to the sutra text, but its meaning complements the sutra text I will talk about. This is an independent verse

4. Causes and conditions: Accounts of the causes and conditions for seeing Buddhas and hearing the Dharma or for the Buddha to teach and transform.

The fourth division is causes and conditions, “accounts of the causes and conditions for seeing Buddhas and hearing the Dharma” or those for “the Buddha to teach and transform.”

There are different causes and conditions behind each sutra that the Buddha taught. For instance, He expounded the Lotus Sutra because He wished to freely express His original intent. The joy He experienced upon attaining enlightenment and. His subtle and wondrous realizations were what He had wanted to share with us. But we sentient beings were lacking in causes and conditions, so the Buddha had to use all kinds of methods to guide us until His conditions for transforming [this world] were coming to an end and. His karmic conditions for remaining in this life were almost over. Then He had to quickly seize the opportunity to give the Lotus teachings. These were the causes and conditions. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is very important to us.

5. Previous lives of disciples: Sutras that recount the causes and conditions of the past lives of individual disciples as told by the Buddha.

The fifth is the “previous lives of disciples.” Because the teachings He gave were not very clear to some people, the Buddha constantly drew examples from. His karmic connections with. His disciples in their past and present lives. These stories are about the interactions between the Buddha and His disciples and the things that happened in their lives. These are the “previous lives of disciples”

6. Previous lives of Buddhas: Sutras that recount the causes and conditions of past lives of the Buddha Himself as told by the Buddha.

The sixth is the “previous lives of the Buddha.” These record the causes and conditions of the past lives of the Buddha Himself. The Buddha also recounted His own past lives as a way of teaching us. He talked about how He drew near many Buddhas and what each of those Buddhas taught Him, all these various causes and conditions

7. Teachings that never existed: Sutras recording the inconceivable matters of the Buddha manifesting various spiritual powers.

The seventh is “what never existed before, sutras recording the inconceivable matters of the Buddha manifesting various spiritual powers.” At times, the Buddha displayed inconceivable spiritual powers of transformation. The Buddha constantly used Himself as an example. Whatever He or sentient beings encountered, such as people, things, etc., He would lead them to think of past causes and conditions. These are “what never existed before.” We find these stories inconceivable. These are the things we hear that we have never heard before about the karmic connections between the Buddha and sentient beings.

8. Analogies: The Buddha taught with many analogies to enable sentient beings to easily awaken.

The eighth is “analogies. The Buddha taught with many analogies.” He hoped these would enable sentient beings to easily awaken to the principles of the sutras.

In the Chapter on Parables, we previously discussed the burning house, the cart drawn by the great white ox and other kinds of animals. I believed those to be very difficult passages. However, for many of our young Bodhisattvas, it was because of these analogies that they found [the sutra] interesting. The realizations they attained were quite [deep]. After listening, they wrote or drew [the meaning]. Therefore, analogies can help everyone develop a deeper understanding. Teaching with analogies and expressions is very important.

9. Explanations of doctrine: This refers to sutras that contain discussions, questions and answers on the Dharma and the principles.

The ninth is “explanations of doctrine.” This refers to sutra passages containing discussions, questions and answers and so on about the Dharma and its principles [Sutra texts] with questions and answers, commentaries, explanations and so on are “explanations of doctrine.”

10. Unrequested teachings: Sutras such as the Essay on the Meanings of the Great Vehicle, the Udana Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra and so on, were teachings initiated by the Buddha and were unsolicited by others.

The tenth is “unrequested teachings,” such as the Essay on the Meanings of the Great Vehicle, the Udana Sutra or the Amitabha Sutra. These were taught to suit people’s capacities, so for sentient beings with limited capacities, “Constantly chant the Buddha’s name in your mind.” Because of our capacities as unenlightened beings, even if we are given countless teachings we will not understand. So, the Buddha might as well just give us a name to keep reciting. Doing that will bring infinite merits, infinite radiance and infinite wisdom. However, He did not really explain this in detail. He simply described a beautiful environment and spoke of how [chanting] will enable us to be reborn in that place. These are skillful means.

These are “unrequested teachings,” meaning that the Buddha taught them without being asked

11. Broad teachings: Sutras containing proper, vast and great truths taught by the Buddha.

The eleventh is “broad teachings, sutras containing proper, vast and great truths taught by the Buddha.” The Avatamsaka Sutra describes the state of the Buddha’s mind, the state of mind He attained after enlightenment, after His nature of True Suchness became one with all things in the universe. The Buddha then used skillful means to teach according to the capabilities of sentient beings, listing out all kinds of teachings.

12. Prophecies or predictions of Buddhahood: These record the predictions made by the Buddha of the epithets Bodhisattvas or Hearers would receive upon their future attainment of Buddhahood.

The twelfth is “prophecies”; These are predictions of Buddhahood  For example, in the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra, that Sariputra would one day attain Buddhahood and be called Flower Light Tathagata. All of you should remember this; it is a prophecy.

This is why the Buddha then said to Sariputra, as it is written in the sutra, “You, in a future lifetime, after a countless, inconceivable number of kalpas have passed, [having] upheld the Right Dharma….” Sariputra would have to spend a very long time following and practicing the Right Dharma to “fulfill all aspects of the Bodhisattva-path.”

He must continue to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Then, “[He] shall become a Buddha by the name of Flower Light Tathagata.”

You, in a future lifetime, after a countless, boundless, inconceivable number of kalpas have passed, having made offerings to several trillions of Buddhas and upholding the Right Dharma, will fulfill all aspects of the Bodhisattva-path. Then you shall become a Buddha by the name of Flower Light Tathagata.  

Everyone, from this we understand that as we learn the Buddha’s Way, these many kinds of causes and conditions and many kinds of expressions all help us understand the Buddha-Dharma and take it to heart. After we take it to heart, we can transform ourselves and others so our nature of True Suchness becomes one with the truths of all things in the universe. As Buddhist practitioners, we must develop our wisdom-life. So everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 716 – Become Pure through Diligent Practice

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>> The sutra treasury contains all of the teachings of the Tathagata. We must listen to, faithfully accept and focus on diligently cultivating the Dharma. Even if we cannot put an end to our bonds and afflictions in this lifetime, later, with gradual nourishment, the Tathagata’s virtue of wisdom will appear.

>> If there are people without anger, who are upright and gentle, who have compassion for all things and respect for all Buddhas, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> Sentient beings who uphold the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children. They practice according to the teachings and will certainly become Buddhas. Thus there are those among the assembly with purity of mind who give rise to pure faith. They no longer have discursive or afflictive thoughts, so they are said to have pure minds. 

>> Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the Tripitaka and 12 divisions of teachings so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

>> With this self-respect and diligence, and love and respect for others, we can be each other’s virtuous friends and beneficial companions. For people like this, the sutra can be taught.

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“The sutra treasury contains all of the teachings of the Tathagata. We must listen to, faithfully accept and focus on diligently cultivating the Dharma.
Even if we cannot put an end to our bonds and afflictions in this lifetime,
 later, with gradual nourishment, the Tathagata’s virtue of wisdom will appear.”

Everyone, please be mindful! The 12 divisions of the Tripitaka have their origins in the Buddha’s lifetime, when He taught according to capabilities. Based on the capabilities of sentient beings and depending on their behavior, the Buddha endlessly exercised His wisdom to come up with different methods to teach them. People in later generations took the teachings given by the Buddha, divided them into categories and compiled them into what we now call the Tripitaka, which are the sutras, rules and treatises. Of course, the Tripitaka also has subcategories, which are the 12 divisions.

The Buddha-Dharma is as deep as the ocean. As it is so expansive and wide, how can we take each of its teachings to heart? In fact, the Buddha-Dharma is very simple. As long as we are mindful, genuine, penetrating and meticulous, by focusing our thinking we realize that the Buddha-Dharma actually only contains a single truth. The true principles of all things in the world are without form or appearance. They can only be experienced by our minds. This is the Dharma the Buddha shared with us. Our nature of True Suchness is actually hidden inside our minds. So, sometimes it seems like the more simple things are, the more profound the principles behind them are. The most profound principles are actually found in the most simple people, matters and things.

There is a test we can do on ourselves every day; we learn so much while listening to the teachings, but is the mindset we have while listening to teachings different from the mindset we have when we are actually working with people?

When we are listening to the teachings, our mind is at peace. “I understand what you say. I know what you said yesterday too. You said the same things yesterday. After listening for so long, all of your teachings sound very similar.” Indeed, the teachings are similar and very simple. But every day, our interactactions with people, matters and things bring about a lot of complicated ignorance and afflictions. So, we listen to and faithfully accept the Dharma. We accept it when we hear it, but are we able to focus on diligently practicing it? That is the key.

Right after we say something, immediately we start thinking, “Why did I forget to say this? Why did I have to add that?” This is how, most of the time, in our minds and in our dealings with people, matters and things, what we say and do never seem to go as we intended. So, engaging in spiritual practice is hard; when we try to diligently practice, simply being able to focus can be very hard.

Since this is the case, should we give up? We cannot give up. It is only after much effort that we have been born human and are able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. The causes and conditions have finally converged for [me] to speak and for [you] to listen. “Even if we cannot put an end to our bonds and afflictions in this lifetime,” even if we cannot completely eliminate our afflictions and ignorance during this lifetime, by listening to the Dharma right now, we are planting the seeds for hearing it in the future. We should continue to be diligent and mindful and continue to cultivate the fields of our minds; if we do not have a good harvest this year, we must continue next year. The more we cultivate this land, the more fertile it will be. Thus, “later, with gradual nourishment, the Tathagata’s virtue of wisdom” will gradually appear.

As Buddhist practitioners, we need to cultivate patience. The teachings of the Tathagata contained in the sutra treasury are in fact very many; this is because sentient beings have many different capabilities. They have 84,000 kinds of afflictions, and the Buddha addressed each of them. So, the Dharma is as vast as the ocean. We need to listen very mindfully to the Dharma. We [should] not fear being unable to do well in our spiritual practice in this life, but we must fear continuing to create conflict in future lifetimes and creating more karma. Hopefully we can follow the Dharma life after life. The Buddha always told everyone about His past lives. He had to practice throughout all His past lives and all His subsequent births to be able to succeed [in His practice]. This is the same for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Thus, as Buddhist practitioners, we always need to be meticulous, focused and mindful.

The Buddha-Dharma is in our minds. We just need to be mindful and, with our minds, carefully analyze external phenomena. People who are kind are virtuous friends. People who are unwholesome can provide beneficial adverse conditions. We just have to take good care of our minds and learn from our role models. This is because to us, everyone is a Buddha, and everyone is a great treasury of sutras.

The previous sutra passage states, “If there are people without anger, who are upright and gentle, who have compassion for all things and respect for all Buddhas, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

To be without anger, we need to make the effort to constantly take care of our own minds. Greed, anger, delusion, arrogance and doubt are the “five chronic afflictions” that are constantly in our minds. Anger is also a type of ignorance. If we can eliminate the five chronic afflictions, our minds will naturally become “upright and gentle.”

Don’t we often talk about this? “A straightforward mind is a place of spiritual practice.” There is only one road to reach the goal of our spiritual practice, the great, direct Bodhi-path. This is the only road. This straightforward Bodhi-path is the Bodhisattva-path. This is the meaning of “upright.” Being gentle is having an open and spacious mind. Regardless of the capabilities of sentient beings, we can find ways to give them suitable teachings. “Gentle” means as soft as water, which can take on the shape of whatever container it is poured into. This is being “upright and gentle.” We always say, “The Dharma is like water”; it is taught to sentient beings according to their capabilities.

So, we must “have compassion for all things.” We must always treat all sentient beings with compassion. We need to treat the Buddha with deep respect, to show “respect for all Buddhas. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.” In this verse, “all Buddhas” indicates that we must treat everyone in the world as a Buddha. We must treat everyone with respect. People who can do this are able to accept this sutra, the subtle and wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma.

The next sutra passage states, “And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

As Buddha-children who accept the Dharma among this big assembly, we should all be exercising a pure mind. Where does this pure mind come from? The meaning of this is that monastic practitioners are not the only sentient beings who can accept the Dharma. All sentient beings who accept the Buddha-Dharma need to uphold the Buddha’s precepts. So, those who “follow the Buddha’s precepts” can be called “Buddha-children”

Sentient beings who uphold the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children. They practice according to the teachings and will certainly become Buddhas. Thus there are those among the assembly with purity of mind who give rise to pure faith. They no longer have discursive or afflictive thoughts, so they are said to have pure minds.

The Buddha’s disciples are categorized into the fourfold assembly, the male and female monastic practitioners and the male and female lay practitioners. They are all “Buddha-children,” people who have been able to accept the Dharma. These Buddha-children follow the teachings in their spiritual practice. In accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, we are earnestly engaging in spiritual practice. If we can do this, we “will certainly become Buddhas.” If we engage in spiritual practice by following the teachings, we will certainly have the causes and conditions to become Buddhas.

We must awaken ourselves, and then we must also transform others. After we have understood and realized the Buddha-Dharma, we should be able to take good care of others so we can all realize the Buddha-Dharma together. If we can do this, the entire assembly can walk the great Bodhi-path. Then we give rise to “pure faith.”

After understanding [the Dharma], we can eliminate the afflictions in our minds and pass on the pure Dharma to other people. This is how we “give rise to pure faith.” We give to others unconditionally, not for recognition or personal gain, or to say, “I know how to expound the sutra. I understand many principles so I am able to share them with you, but in return you must do this for me.” That is being egotistical and arrogant. We need to steadfastly engage in spiritual practice and, with a pure mind, put what we understand into practice.

There was a lay practitioner who recently joined our Bodhisattva-volunteers on a trip to Gansu province in China. When he came back from Gansu, I asked him, “How was it? How do you feel after the trip?” He said that in Gansu he saw how people living in the mountains face so much hardship. Moreover, there had not been much rain in the last several years, so people could not cultivate the land and were unable to sustain their living. But Tzu Chi found a way to help them move their village down to a place with land and water. We turned a piece of overgrown land into a habitable place where everyone could enjoy a stable life and live and work happily. Those who have not yet moved down the mountain still live in the same environment that those who now live and work happily used to live in under such hardship. After seeing all that, when he came back, he told me, “I’ve attained deep realizations.”

The same principle applies. All the many teachings we are giving and listening to today all came from what the Buddha said more than 2000 years ago. But how can we actually open up this great, direct Bodhi-path and furthermore walk this road with a pure mind? How do we walk this road? [The road] is not far; it is in our minds. If we can all follow the principles and, after hearing them, turn the wheels of our minds, we can transform our unenlightened minds. This takes mindful spiritual practice. Then naturally, we will be walking this Bodhi-path.

We are surrounded by such a large community of Bodhisattvas who encourage each other and give rise to pure faith so that our minds can be free of discursive thoughts and afflictions. This is a pure mind. If we are able to go among people without being troubled by afflictions, that is a truly pure mind. We can also motivate people around us to walk the Bodhisattva-path. By developing this kind of skill, naturally we will “no longer have discursive or afflictive thoughts.” A mind without discursive thoughts and afflictions is what we call a pure mind.

Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the Tripitaka and 12 divisions of teachings so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.

Next, “[With] all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions [they] speak the Dharma without hindrance” The Buddha used the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka to teach sentient beings based on their capacities. He also used “analogies and expressions” to clearly explain all kinds of Dharma. Within the Dharma, there is deeper Dharma [To teach that deeper Dharma,]. He used examples of causes and conditions. He taught with examples and analogies using many different expressions and methods for the sole purpose of helping us understand. Thus, while the Dharma is actually very simple, in order to explain it it becomes very complicated. However, without explaining it through so many methods, people would not be able to understand it.

Thus we must go among people to understand their many causes and conditions. This is Dharma. We can take one person’s experience and use it as an example for other people. In this way we use analogies and expressions to “speak the Dharma without hindrance.” When [the methods we use] to teach the Dharma, either in written text, spoken phrases or so on, are all unobstructed, sentient beings will be able to take the Dharma to heart.

So, “Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the Tripitaka and 12 divisions of teachings.” With the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka, “We can speak the Dharma without hindrance.” By using all kinds of methods to come up with analogies and expressions, we can teach the Dharma without hindrance. Then we have the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. Therefore, since there is so much Dharma, we need to utilize many kinds of approaches.

“For people like this, you can teach this sutra.” People like this have self-respect and practice diligently. If we do not have respect for ourselves, our minds would not be pure, and the fields in our minds would not be well-cultivated. Then how could we have a harvest, have spiritual nourishment and be able to sow the seeds in other people? Therefore, we must engage in spiritual practice and transform sentient beings. We must absolutely have respect for ourselves and practice diligently. Not only should we have respect for ourselves, we also need to “love and respect others”

With this self-respect and diligence, and love and respect for others, we can be each other’s virtuous friends and beneficial companions. For people like this, the sutra can be taught.

For sentient beings, this great Bodhi-path is very wide. If we walk it alone, won’t we feel very lonely? Furthermore, if we do not lead many people to follow us, we will also be unable to walk this Bodhi-path. Therefore, in addition to having self-respect, we also need to have “love and respect for others.” We must constantly form positive karmic connections with sentient beings. So, as we diligently practice, we also need “love and respect for others.” In this way, “We can be each other’s virtuous friends and beneficial companions.”

“For people like this, the sutra can be taught.” People like this are broad-minded. If they understand something, they will immediately share it with you. They constantly wish to form positive affinities with you. They will not take issue over trivial matters. They hope to share the teachings they have understood so that they are constantly forming good affinities. Then naturally, other people will listen to them. When they change their mindsets, those people can become beneficial friends, virtuous friends and companions. To do this, we must be mindful.

When we listen to the Dharma, we must be focused. There is no other method. If we want to truly comprehend the Dharma, if we want to return to our nature of True Suchness, if we want our pure nature to be one with the universe, then we have to listen to the Dharma. Developing faith and understanding takes focus and diligent practice. This is a must.

Of course, spiritual cultivation cannot be completed in one lifetime. We must spend many lifetimes on this. Only then are we true spiritual practitioners. Do not be afraid of how far we have to go, only of being unwilling to take the first step. If we can constantly move forward, we can gradually draw near the Buddha and enter the Tathagata’s wisdom and virtue, His ocean of enlightened wisdom. This is our shared goal. So everyone, we must always be mindful.

Episode 715 – Peaceful Endurance of Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas

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>> This Great Vehicle Dharma can deliver infinite beings. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use the Great Vehicle as the means to deliver and transform the angry and deluded with peaceful endurance and compassion. It is called great because of the great benefits that it brings.

>> If you see Buddha-children who uphold the precepts and purity like clean and radiant pearls and seek the Great Vehicle sutras, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> If there are people without anger, who are upright and gentle, who have compassion for all things and respect for all Buddhas, for people like this, you can teach this sutra. And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with pure hearts….  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> Those who can endure peacefully without anger have compassion and are able to practice patience. Taking people, matters and objects as their place of spiritual practice, they face them with gratitude and without resentment or discontent. Upright and gentle, they have the patience of peacefully facing suffering.

>> [They] have compassion for all things and respect for all the Buddhas: Those who have practiced patience can always have compassion for all things. They are accommodating and sympathetic towards all sentient beings.

>> So, we must respect all the Buddhas and respect the teachings of the noble truths, respect the true principles of the Buddhas. We need the Dharmic patience of observing truth.

>> If there are those who comprehend the truth of deliverance, who guard and uphold the rules and precepts and practice compassion and patience, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.

>> This means that those with Bodhisattva-aspirations, who teach the Dharma to benefit others, can be taught this sutra. >> The most important application for great beings is that, with our resolve in this life, we can unite with all things. We put others before ourselves patiently yielding to them with compassion.

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“This Great Vehicle Dharma can deliver infinite beings.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use the Great Vehicle
as the means to deliver and transform the angry and deluded with peaceful endurance and compassion.
It is called great because of the great benefits that it brings.”

The Buddha encourages us to, as part of our spiritual practice, benefit ourselves as well as others. We must awaken to the principles and then also share this Dharma so as to give everyone the opportunity to receive it. Everyone has the chance to become enlightened. So, this Great Vehicle Dharma can transform infinite sentient beings; one can give rise to infinity. One gives rise to infinity; infinity arises from one.

So, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all past Buddhas and all present Bodhisattvas, come to this world and all exercise the Great Vehicle Dharma. Thus we say, “The Great Vehicle [is] the means.” They make use of this Great Vehicle Dharma to teach and transform sentient beings. This is the vow of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to repeatedly return to this world and live among us. So, we must treat everyone with respect.

We constantly talk about gratitude, respect and love. Toward every single person we interact with, we must feel a sense of gratitude. We feel grateful because, regardless of the kind of conditions or people that we encounter, they are all opportunities for learning. Whether people are wholesome or not, they are all spiritual friends to us. So, we must make an effort to mindfully accept [these teachings].

We “deliver and transform the angry and deluded with peaceful endurance and compassion.” The conditions of this world help us to be able to understand what it means to engage in spiritual practice. Sometimes we encounter unreasonable people. It is clear what the principles are, yet they refuse to do what is reasonable; they go against the path. When we encounter people like this, what are we to do? The Buddha taught us to exercise peaceful endurance and compassion. We must calm our own minds. If we are unable to [influence] others, we must simply calm our own minds [He pointed out that] those people have their own karmic causes and conditions, and we have our own spiritual path that we must actively and diligently walk.

This is why, “The Dharma is called great because of “the great benefits it brings.” When we practice the Great Vehicle Dharma, we must always first open up our hearts and minds. We must be compassionate and diligently and patiently guide others. We must make an effort to counsel them. If they do not listen to our guidance, what should we do? We must be accommodating and understanding. Eventually, the day will come when they realize, “I have been accommodated; I am loved.” One day they will understand this. This is the power of love.

Take the lives of Tzu Chi volunteers for example. In the past, they might have faced all kinds of suffering [from their children]. But in the end, they still showed them love, yielded and gave to them. Their connection with Tzu Chi helped them turn around their mindset and transform the suffering they endured, so it became natural for them to give. Once this happened, their family members began to notice, saying, “My mother has changed. My father is a totally different person!” In every way, they suddenly realize, “They were doing this out of love for me. They just wanted the best for me. I now better understand why they were treating me this way; I’m so grateful. In the past, I did not understand so I had a bad attitude toward you. I want to take this opportunity to thank you, father, and you, mother.” We see many instances like this. So, as we interact with other people, we must mutually benefit each other, to say nothing of parents, children or our fellow spiritual practitioners.

In conclusion, the Buddha taught sentient beings to practice the Great Vehicle Dharma so that we can open up our hearts. When we walk the Bodhisattva-path, we are on the Bodhi-path toward enlightenment. This road is very wide and broad. Just as the road is broad, our mind must be open. Only by learning the Dharma in this way will we be able to shoulder the the mission of the Great Vehicle. There is still much we must learn.

The previous sutra passage states, “If you see Buddha-children who uphold the precepts and purity like clean and radiant pearls and seek the Great Vehicle sutras, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

As we engage in spiritual practice, if we can develop the state we have spoken of, “a heart that encompasses the universe and the boundless worlds within it,” and accept the Buddha-Dharma with reverence and Great Vehicle aspirations, then we are like Buddha-children. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, Dharma-children are born of the Buddha’s mouth; the Buddha shares the Dharma in order to help us develop our wisdom-life.

As we said yesterday, when parents have children, they do not get to choose who their child will be. But we have chosen to follow the Buddha-Dharma, so we rely on the Buddha’s teachings. We often hear people share, “The mistakes I made in the past have caused me to waste so much of my life and create so much karma. Now that I understand the Buddha-Dharma, I am a new person. I apply the Dharma in my daily living, in how I interact with people and matters; I have been reborn.” How did they become a new person? By following the Dharma and taking it to heart.

Where did the Dharma come from? From the Buddha’s mouth, from His realizations, from within His mind. The true principles of all things in the universe are encompassed in His wisdom, in His ocean of enlightenment. Then with the Dharma in His mind, He can teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities [Having learned] the Dharma that issued forth from His mouth, we are the. “Dharma-children born of the Buddha’s mouth.” If we can practice according to the Dharma, we are Buddha-children. If we are Buddha-children, we must make an effort to accept and practice the Buddha’s teachings and uphold the Buddha’s rules to protect our minds. All things are created by the mind. If we do a good job of safeguarding our minds, then returning to our pure Tathagata-nature, our intrinsic Buddha-nature, will not be difficult.

We must protect this as if safeguarding a radiant pearl. We must take care to keep our minds, our nature of True Suchness, very clean. Thus we “seek the Great Vehicle sutras.” Only with this kind of pure mind can we uphold the true principles of the wondrous Dharma, the Great Vehicle teachings. Therefore, we must be mindful in learning the Buddha’s way. Only in this way can we accept the Buddha’s Great Vehicle Dharma, and only then can we share it with others.

The Buddha’s concern was that because of sentient beings’ ignorance, they would misunderstand the Buddha-Dharma. If they misunderstand the Great Vehicle Dharma, not only would they be unable to save or benefit other people, instead they would create much karma. So, the Buddha was very earnest in protecting the minds of sentient beings.

Now, let us discuss the following sutra passage. The next section is, “If there are people without anger, who are upright and gentle, who have compassion for all things and respect for all Buddhas, for people like this, you can teach this sutra. And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with pure hearts….”

From this sutra passage, we better understand that spiritual practitioners must be without anger. As we just mentioned, if we encounter an angry or a deluded person, we must be able to yield to them. People like this are unable to abide by the rules. And what about us? We must reflect on ourselves. Is there this kind of anger within us? As for delusion, is there delusion of ignorance in our minds? If so, we must quickly change our ways until our minds are pure again.

If we are “without anger,” we have completely eliminated it. “Upright and gentle” means they are people with soft and gentle hearts. What kind of practice do people like this engage in? They [practice] peaceful endurance. To bring peace to our minds, we need patience.

One time, at Vulture Peak, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana were staying together. In that place, there were two ghosts. One was called Ghata, and the other was called Upa. One day, Sariputra was shaving his beard and hair; on the same day all the other bhiksus were cleaning themselves up. When the ghost called Upa saw the bhiksus, a sense of hate and anger arose in him. He said to Ghata, “I really want to punch them.” Ghata said to him, “No, you must not! You cannot; you absolutely cannot! If you do that to these spiritual practitioners, you will suffer negative karmic retributions.”

Ghata stopped him three times in a row, but the other ghost refused to listen to him. So, he stretched his hand out toward Sariputra and hit him very hard on the head. Sariputra was in pain, but he withstood it. Upa hit him like this three times. When Maudgalyayana heard about this, he quickly came to show his concern. Sariputra replied to him, “Although I’m in pain, I can bear it. I feel peaceful and at ease.”

When the Buddha heard this, He was filled with joy. He praised Sariputra, saying, “Sariputra has already attained the state of peaceful endurance. If he was hit and his mind gave rise to anger, he would not be able to bear it, and this would hurt him very badly. But because Sariputra had already eliminated anger from his mind, he could peacefully endure without anger. Thus his mind remains unharmed, and he could bear the pain inflicted on his head. This is because he has cultivated a heart of compassion and peaceful endurance.”

Those who can endure peacefully without anger have compassion and are able to practice patience. Taking people, matters and objects as their place of spiritual practice, they face them with gratitude and without resentment or discontent. Upright and gentle, they have the patience of peacefully facing suffering.

“Those who can endure peacefully without anger have compassion and are able to practice patience”  This is compassion. People with compassion are able to practice patience. This comes from their spiritual practice. People, matters and things are their places of spiritual practice. When we do things, we may casually complain, “I am so tired. I am so stressed out. I am…” The list goes on. Even doing small tasks seems like hard work or like a lot of pressure. In this case, how can we accomplish anything? When we give to others and they do not admire us or praise us, we may become depressed. “Don’t you see how much I have given? Yet you haven’t praised me at all.” If we feel this way, we will constantly feel hurt. Then how can we be considered compassionate? How can we claim to be practicing patience? Therefore, we must practice patience when dealing with people, matters and things; these all provide us with a place of spiritual practice.

We must always be grateful that there are so many good deeds for us to do and that there are so many people working with us. Working with wholesome people will encourage us. Working with unwholesome people will wear away our bad habits. Thus, we must always be grateful and “without resentment or discontent.” People like this are “upright and gentle. No matter what you do, I will be understanding. I will not feel resentment or hatred toward you.” This is “the patience of peacefully facing suffering.” When our minds are at peace, no matter what happens in our external conditions with people, matters and things, we will have a way to remain patient. Being patient without feeling we are being patient is true patience. If we are without regret, resentment and worry, our minds are upright and gentle. As we interact with each other, things will pass with time. So, we must not hold on to things that have passed. Only in this way can we feel peaceful and at ease.

[They] have compassion for all things and respect for all the Buddhas: Those who have practiced patience can always have compassion for all things. They are accommodating and sympathetic towards all sentient beings.

Thus, we must “have compassion for all things and respect for all the Buddhas,” When we look at people with a Buddha-mind, we see that everyone is a Buddha. So, we must “practice patience to always have compassion for all things.” We must cultivate the practice of patience. People make mistakes because they lack virtue. So, by being patient and accommodating, we develop our wisdom-life. Taking good care of our wisdom-life makes us true spiritual practitioners. We must be “accommodating and sympathetic toward all sentient beings.” This is spiritual practice ․So, we must “respect all the Buddhas”.

So, we must respect all the Buddhas and respect the teachings of the noble truths, respect the true principles of the Buddhas. We need the Dharmic patience of observing truth.

“Respect the teachings of the noble truths,” respect the true principles of the Buddhas. We need “the Dharmic patience of observing truth.” When conditions arise, we must observe them meticulously. We must make an effort to observe everything carefully and open up and broaden our minds to encompass all things.

If there are those who comprehend the truth of deliverance, who guard and uphold the rules and precepts and practice compassion and patience, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.

“For people like this, you can teach this sutra.” For people advanced in their spiritual practice, we must earnestly share this Dharma with them. Thus, we “comprehend the truth of deliverance”

“Truth” refers to principles. When our body and mind come into contact with people, matters and things, we can truly realize the Dharma the Buddha taught. “By guarding and upholding the rules and precepts,” we “practice compassion and patience.” This is a key part of spiritual practice. We must truly be mindful in order to be able to realize the true principles and apply them in our daily living. For people like this, this sutra can be taught. This helps us understand that some people form Bodhisattva-aspirations and teach the Dharma to benefit others. If there are people like this, we can share these principles with them.

This means that those with Bodhisattva-aspirations, who teach the Dharma to benefit others, can be taught this sutra.

Another name for Bodhisattvas is great beings. Their most important quality, as we discussed earlier, is that they can peacefully endure. As they interact with people, matters and things, they can remain understanding and accommodating. If this is the case, “people like this,” who have hearts always focused on the Dharma, will be able to “unite with all things.” Thus, they can broaden their understanding of all principles in the world and “put others before [themselves].” We can yield to others in all respects, letting them go first.

The most important application for great beings is that, with our resolve in this life, we can unite with all things. We put others before ourselves patiently yielding to them with compassion.

But nowadays, people are unwilling to yield. Their minds are not open, and they do not understand the principles. Therefore, we must broaden our minds. This allows us to unite with all things. By uniting with all things, we will come to understand them. So, we must “put others before ourselves” and yield to them with compassion and patience. This is how we learn the Dharma. People like this can be taught this sutra. Those who comprehend the truth of deliverance, uphold the rules and precepts and practice compassion and patience “can be taught this sutra.”

The Buddha, out of His compassion, constantly reminds us how widely we must open up our minds through spiritual practice. “This Great Vehicle Dharma can deliver infinite beings. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use the Great Vehicle as the means to deliver and transform the angry and deluded.” Those with anger and ignorance are the people that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas want to transform and deliver. If they cannot be transformed and delivered, what should we do? [We need] peaceful endurance and compassion. We still need to find a way to help them. This is the Great Vehicle Dharma; this is our course as Buddhist practitioners. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 714 – Continuing the Buddha’s Wisdom-Life

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>> Sentient beings who accept the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children and will certainly become Buddhas. Those who rely on the Buddha’s noble teachings are all called Bodhisattvas; they continue the Buddha’s wisdom-life. They carry on the seeds of Buddhahood and prevent them from being eradicated; sincerity makes them children of the Tathagata.

>> Again, Sariputra, if you see those who let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> If you see Buddha-children who uphold the precepts and purity like clean and radiant pearls and seek the Great Vehicle sutras, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> Those who purely uphold the precepts have wisdom and seek only the Great Vehicle sutras. You can teach this sutra to Bodhisattvas like this.

>> Like clean and radiant pearls: The precepts are like a mani-pearl. Like the rain that moistens the earth, they help the world and benefit all things. With them, we benefit ourselves and others. Upholding precepts is like guarding a pearl. With purity of the Six Roots as the cause, we seek the Great Vehicle Dharma.

>> [They] seek the Great Vehicle sutras: To open the Buddha’s understanding and views and realize and enter the Buddha-mind, compassion and wisdom are the conditions. Within their minds, they earnestly seek, cultivate and uphold teachings. Outwardly, they express towards others an attitude of subtle understanding of the principles. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.

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“Sentient beings who accept the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children and will certainly become Buddhas.
Those who rely on the Buddha’s noble teachings are all called Bodhisattvas; they continue the Buddha’s wisdom-life.
They carry on the seeds of Buddhahood and prevent them from being eradicated; sincerity makes them children of the Tathagata.”

There is such a sense of closeness here. The Buddha is indeed very close to us. If we look mindfully, it seems the relationship between the Buddha and His disciples is like the relationship between a father and his children.

We all talk about our parents. Our parents are very close to us because our physical bodies come from the union of our father’s sperm and mother’s egg. Our mother was pregnant for nearly ten months before giving birth to us. When causes and conditions came together, we left our previous life and entered this one. Neither the one being born nor the one giving birth know what kind of karmic affinities brought them together. We are unable to completely understand each other,

but when parents look at their child, they hope their child will follow their wishes. “I hope that my child will learn these skills, attend this college and follow this career path.” They want the child to follow the course they choose. But when it comes to fulfilling expectations, eight or nine times out of ten, things do not go as they wish. Most children ask, “Why do I need to do what my parents say?” Many parents say, “I feel helpless. How did I give birth to this kind of child who never listens to me?” Thus they complain about each other. This is what life is like; it is filled with ignorance and confusion.

But our relationship with the Buddha is different; we chose it ourselves. We are willing to offer our great love to the world. This is the choice we made. Since this is our choice, we take responsibility for the Buddha-Dharma, for continuing this Dharma-lineage. We must have this sense of responsibility and take this Dharma-lineage to heart.

The Buddha used compassion and love to inspire us. He also hoped that every one of us can return to our pure nature, that we can become the master of our own lives, choose for ourselves, and be able to realize the truths of all things, to be one with the universe. It is not that. He instituted some kind of iron-fisted system. He helped us develop a deep understanding so that we would be self-motivated and realize things for ourselves.

We sentient beings have ignorance because of one mistaken thought that arose. This caused us to transmigrate in the Six Realms. Once we fell into the unenlightened realms, we were unable [escape] because we unceasingly replicate our afflictions. Since we have had the chance to learn that we should try to leave this turbulent world of temptations, once we are Buddhist disciples, we must uphold the. Buddha’s precepts to pass on this Dharma-lineage; thus we are called the Buddha’s children. So, we regard precepts as our teacher. We must follow the Dharma to develop our Dharmakaya. So, we must earnestly make an effort to take care of our wisdom-life.

Then, we “will certainly become Buddhas.” We learn the Buddha’s Way to become a Buddha; one becomes an apprentice in the hope of becoming the master some day. The principle is the same. We “accept the Buddha’s precepts” and “are called Buddha-children and will certainly become Buddhas.” This is our goal. Each one of us must make this vow to return to our pure nature of True Suchness and form many good karmic connections so we can return to the human realm to transform sentient beings.

Thus, “Those who rely on the Buddha’s noble teachings are all called Bodhisattvas.” Though He used all kinds of skillful means to guide us, in the end, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, it was time to let everyone know that what He taught in the past were skillful means; only now was He teaching the True Dharma. The True Dharma is going among people and walking the Bodhisattva-path. Being among people without becoming contaminated is true mastery. This is the way to truly discover our pure nature of True Suchness.

We all intrinsically have this nature of True Suchness; this is our wisdom-life. However, our wisdom-life, this pure nature, has already been covered by ignorance. At this assembly, the Buddha was trying to help us understand that for our wisdom-life to continue, we must continue on the Bodhisattva-path so we can connect with our nature of True Suchness. The myriad sentient beings are filled with afflictions, and Bodhisattvas can relieve [their suffering] without being contaminated by their afflictions. This is true wisdom-life.

Next we discuss “those who carry on the seeds of Buddhahood and prevent them from being eradicated.” I always talk about recruiting Living Bodhisattvas. We must make an effort to be mindful and transform both ourselves and other people. We want to give everyone a chance to encounter the Dharma and develop their roots of goodness. Then the seeds of Buddhahood will be “prevented from being eradicated.” When we help people enter the Bodhi-path, these seeds will be able to sprout, grow into seedlings and extend their roots. We must earnestly become close with people to provide them with these karmic conditions so their seeds will not be cut off. This is how. “Sincerity makes [us] children of the Tathagata.”

We do this with utmost sincerity. Engaging in spiritual practice is what we ourselves have aspired to, what we have chosen to do, so we must do it with sincerity. We must have “sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness” as we interact with people and matters. Living among people, we make the Four Great Vows to deliver all sentient beings. To do this, we must have sincerity. “Sincerity makes [us] children of the Tathagata.” With “sincerity” and “compassion,” we can form good connections with sentient beings and go among the people with genuine sincerity. Thus, “[We] carry on the seeds of Buddhahood and prevent them from being eradicated. Sincerity makes [us] children of the Tathagata.” I hope we all exercise this utmost sincerity. We are inheritors of the Buddha’s wisdom-life.

Though we are more than 2000 years removed from Him in time and space, this connection cannot be severed; we will never be cut off. But we must have the resolve to open up this [Dharma-lineage] and apply it as we interact with people to save the macrocosm and microcosm. As Buddhist practitioners, we must make use of this connection between us and the Buddha, this Dharma-lineage. Thus, we are very close to Him; He is not far removed from us. All of us are Buddha-children because we observe the Buddha’s teachings and have accepted this Dharma-lineage in order to develop our wisdom-life. So, I hope all of us can have this resolve to carry on the Buddha’s teachings and teach and transform sentient beings.

The previous passage in the Lotus Sutra states, “Again, Sariputra, if you see those who let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

Whether we are explaining the Lotus Sutra or listening to the Lotus Sutra, we must be very mindful. The Lotus Sutra is the path to Buddhahood. How can we learn the Buddha’s Way such that we can attain Buddhahood? At first, we did not understand the principles of the Lotus Sutra, so He patiently taught us with the assistance of Bodhisattvas. Where is the Bodhisattva training ground? It is among people. Where is it? It is in matters and things. Without experiencing things, our wisdom will not develop. It is among people, matters and things that we find the Bodhisattva training ground.

But for the average spiritual practitioner, fully comprehending the principles is in fact very difficult. If we cannot comprehend these subtle and wondrous principles, if we misunderstand or misinterpret them, that will be problematic. So, earlier the Buddha described how certain kinds of people, with certain kinds of views and perspectives, who behaved in certain ways, would still be unable to accept this sutra so we should not teach them. Now He had begun talking about the people to whom we can teach the sutra. He told Sariputra, for people who can “let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends,” for people like this, we can then teach this sutra; we can teach them the Lotus Sutra,

as people are easily led astray by harmful friends. Haven’t we talked about acute and chronic afflictions? Chronic afflictions are greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. People nowadays have many mental ailments.

Some spiritual practitioners think, “I have a high level of education. I understand so many things. The people I interact with mostly cannot compare to me. But the things I’ve done have not been acknowledged by others, praised by them, nor admired by them.” With afflictions and ignorance in their minds, people become physically ill. These are the chronic afflictions.

If we say we want to seek teachings, there are so many religious teachings. If we enter the wrong door, our beliefs will be [incorrect]. Perhaps we may deviate in our views and perspectives. As we engage in spiritual practice, we may easily deviate. These are the five acute afflictions and the five chronic afflictions, which are constantly leading us astray as we engage in spiritual practice. Thus they are like “harmful friends. Harmful friends” sometimes arise from our minds and sometimes from our surroundings. Therefore, we must be mindful so we can distance ourselves from “harmful friends.”

The previous sutra passage tells us that “those who let go of harmful friends” must “draw near virtuous friends.” We need to spend more time with diligent practitioners. Thus we can maintain the purity in our minds and can accept the pure Dharma, the Dharma of sincerity and compassion. With deep sincerity, we find a way to go among the people, and while doing so, we build up our pure and undefiled compassion, that awakened love. We must be very cautious and not be led astray by harmful friends.

This was in the previous section of the sutra. The following passage states, “If you see Buddha-children who uphold the precepts and purity like clean and radiant pearls and seek the Great Vehicle sutras, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

“Precepts” are very important. Precepts guard against wrongs and stop evil. Before we engaged in spiritual practice, we did not know about violating precepts. Not knowing that, we did as we wished. We followed the negative practices of this world, such as bullying the weak. From a young age, this is how we lived. After we understood the Buddha-Dharma, we began to take preventative measures to keep ourselves from making mistakes such as killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, lying and drinking alcohol. These precepts are what lay Buddhist practitioners must accept and uphold.

Aside from the Five Precepts, modern-day people overlook certain things and commit certain wrongdoings. In Tzu Chi, we have precepts for these as well. We remind people not to drink alcohol, not to smoke, not to chew betel nuts. Drinking alcohol, smoking and chewing betel nuts are harmful for the body. They also give people a very negative overall impression of us. Not only are these habits harmful to our health, they are damaging to our appearance. We must also pay attention and adhere to traffic laws. They are there to protect us and keep us safe.

Many people today are also lacking in etiquette and moral principles. Thus we must especially remind people to be filial to their parents, to be gentle in their speech. We also remind people to take good care of their hearts and minds so that they will not get stirred up by the turbulent politics in society. So, through upholding the Ten Precepts, I hope everyone can guard against wrongdoings and stop evil. So, upholding precepts preserves our purity, and this gives rise to wisdom. With precepts, our lives will be safer and more peaceful. Moreover, our hearts will remain pure, undefiled by so many afflictions. This will awaken our wisdom. When we take the Dharma to heart, we will manifest it in our actions. So, we must live a life of discipline

Those who purely uphold the precepts have wisdom and seek only the Great Vehicle sutras. You can teach this sutra to Bodhisattvas like this.

“Seek only the Great Vehicle sutras.” After we understand the Buddha-Dharma, we should try to better understand the Great Vehicle sutras. “The sutras are a path; this path is a road to walk on.” The road we are walking is a bright and broad path. It is the Bodhisattva-path the Buddha opened up for us and taught us to walk. Thus people who are willing to understand this sutra more deeply are Bodhisattvas for whom this sutra can be taught. If people can abide by the precepts and aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, we can share this sutra with them.

To what degree must we abide by the precepts? To that of being “like clean and radiant pearls”

Like clean and radiant pearls: The precepts are like a mani-pearl. Like the rain that moistens the earth, they help the world and benefit all things. With them, we benefit ourselves and others. Upholding precepts is like guarding a pearl. With purity of the Six Roots as the cause, we seek the Great Vehicle Dharma.

Ancient people said you could take a radiant pearl and place it in turbid water, and the water would become clean. The potassium alum used in the past resembled a pearl. After it is placed into the water, by the next morning, the filth in the water would have sunk to the bottom, and the water would be clear. This might be the radiant pearl referred to in the sutras. Perhaps at that time, to have clean drinking water they dropped something like potassium alum into the water to clear it up. In our world, when there is this kind of problem, there is a way to deal with it. For filthy water, there is potassium alum that can turn it into clean water so that people can drink it.

Where does water come from? Rain. The rain nourishes the land, benefiting the world and everything in it. The Great Vehicle Dharma is like the rain; it can nourish the land, benefiting the world and everything in it; with it we can benefit ourselves and others. We must earnestly make an effort to engage in spiritual practice to benefit ourselves and others.

So, “Upholding precepts is like guarding a pearl; we must uphold precepts as if guarding a pearl. When our six senses connect with our external conditions, we give rise to many afflictions. If we uphold precepts in our spiritual practice, our external conditions will not trouble our minds at all. Thus, our hearts will naturally remain pure. This is the underlying cause. We need to have this kind of seed as a cause to seek the Great Vehicle Dharma. Our intrinsic nature is pure; we must guard it well and seek the Great Vehicle sutras

[They] seek the Great Vehicle sutras: To open the Buddha’s understanding and views and realize and enter the Buddha-mind, compassion and wisdom are the conditions. Within their minds, they earnestly seek, cultivate and uphold teachings. Outwardly, they express towards others an attitude of subtle understanding of the principles. For people like this, you can teach this sutra.

“To open the Buddha’s understanding and views….” The Great Vehicle sutras are to help us develop the same understanding and views as the Buddha, so we “open the Buddha’s understanding and views and realize and enter the Buddha-mind.” With the Buddha’s understanding and views, we can realize the Buddha’s mind. “Compassion and wisdom [are] the conditions.” When we see suffering, we cannot bear it. This sets our pure hearts in motion so that we dedicate ourselves to helping suffering beings. So, “Compassion and wisdom [are] the conditions.” Without these suffering sentient beings, we would be unable to complete the great Bodhi-path.

“Within their minds, they earnestly seek, cultivate and uphold teachings.” Inwardly, we earnestly seek the Great Dharma. Outwardly, we express toward others an attitude of subtle understanding of the principles. With a true understanding of the principles, we will be able to help others. This depends on our compassion and wisdom and how we go among people to give to them.

When we walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must put it into practice and uphold the precepts. Continuing this wisdom life is part of our fundamental responsibility. So everyone, please always be mindful.

Episode 713 – Drawing Near Virtuous Friends

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>> Be upright in mind and pure in intentions. Carefully choose virtuous friends who benefit your own virtue. Let go of harmful friends and be careful not to draw near them. Firmly guard kind thoughts and never harbor evil ones.

>> If there are people who are respectful, with no discursive thoughts, who distance themselves from ordinary foolishness and live alone among mountains and streams, for people like this, you can teach the sutra.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> Again, Sariputra, if you see those who let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends for people like this, you can teach this sutra.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 – A Parable]

>> The Buddha reminded us again that letting go of harmful friends and drawing near virtuous ones is the pure vinaya, translated as beneficial cure, as it cures greed, anger, ignorance and other evils. It is also translated as discipline.

>> Vinaya: Translated as beneficial cure, it is how we maintain purity and self-respect. Cautiously guard against making harmful friends, those who are unable to distinguish between right and wrong or who hinder one’s virtues. The vinaya, the beneficial cure, also disciplines our Threefold Karma. It is a necessary condition for controlling our mistaken behavior.

>> To cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views and draw near virtuous friends.

>> As it says in the sutras: If there is one who can teach, has faith in the precepts, is knowledgeable, practices charity, has wisdom and helps others to accept the practices, then one should draw near him, show respect and make offerings This is called drawing near virtuous friends.

>> Through the power of Great Vehicle vows, with other Bodhisattvas as our victorious friends, we accumulate no afflictions nor deluded karma internally, and face no evil demons nor evil karmic conditions externally. Therefore, after a single lifetime, we will achieve a non-retreating state.

>> Choosing virtuous friends and drawing near them will benefit our knowledge and spiritual cultivation so that we can be diligent and not indolent.

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“Be upright in mind and pure in intentions.
Carefully choose virtuous friends who benefit your own virtue.
Let go of harmful friends and be careful not to draw near them. Firmly guard kind thoughts and never harbor evil ones.”

Making friends is so important! But from the start, we must begin with our own minds; we must carefully safeguard our minds. We must return to our intrinsic nature, which is an upright state of mind. When our mind is upright, our intentions will be pure.

When farming, we must take good care of the rice. We must not allow weeds to grow, particularly the ones that look just like rice stalks. Those weeds are called “barnyard grass.” Barnyard grass grows at a faster rate than rice. It matures faster than rice, and because it matures faster, its seeds will fall to the ground sooner. This is why farmers kneel down and weed by hand. First off, they want to preserve the roots of the rice stalks. Most importantly, they want to identify barnyard grass, so they can pull it up immediately. As soon as it sprouts, it must be pulled up. If it is not immediately pulled and it matures [and spreads], we will never be able to remove it all.

This is true for our spiritual practice as well, which is like cultivating the field of our mind. We must take good care of it so that it remains very clean and pure. There should just be one thing, rice, in this field that we must tend to as it grows. Isn’t this the same for spiritual practitioners? Our spiritual aspirations must completely fill this carefully cultivated field of our minds. We have only one aspiration, which is to seek the Path and receive the Dharma. We must not permit discursive thoughts to arise within our minds. Therefore, we must be mindful and take good care of our minds so that we can “be upright in mind and pure in intentions.”

We must “carefully choose virtuous friends who benefit our own virtue.” As we kneel down to pull weeds in the fields, we must “be able to choose”; is this actually rice or is this barnyard grass? At their early stages of growth, they look nearly the same, with only a slight difference. But rice and barnyard grass have a different feel. Barnyard grass produces blades of grass that feel very glossy and smooth, whereas the leaves of the rice stalks have some texture; they are a little bit more coarse. By pulling out the barnyard grass, naturally, the nutrients in the soil will help the rice grow even more beautifully. If there is barnyard grass in the field, then the harvest will be poor.

In the same way, if we make friends with wholesome people, it is as if you are a rice plant, and I am also a rice plant. We are in the same field; we share the same piece of land, and thus we can help each other grow. So, we must “let go of harmful friends, and be careful not to draw near them.” We must take good care of the fields of our minds. We must be the farmers; if we discover something harmful to our good seeds we must quickly remove it. This is “letting go of harmful friends.” Most importantly, we must protect our kind thoughts.

For instance, one time when the Buddha was at Jeta Grove, many people had come to hear the Buddha speak. Among them was a Brahmin practitioner, and this Brahmin approached Him with a question.

“Venerable Buddha, I wish to draw nearer to the Buddha-Dharma. However, what is the first thing. I must be careful of and pay close attention to?” The Buddha said, “You must be able to choose between virtuous and harmful friends. A virtuous friend is a person you must earnestly get to know. A harmful friend is a person you must quickly distance yourself from.” This Brahmin practitioner then quickly asked, “How does one identify a virtuous friend?” The Buddha said, “Look at the moon.” This practitioner then asked, “What about a harmful friend?” The Buddha still responded, “Look at the moon.”

This Brahmin thought to himself, “For virtuous friends, I look at the moon, and for harmful friends, I also look at the moon. Truly, I cannot understand this.” So, he raised another question. “Venerable Buddha, you just gave me a general idea. I don’t understand. Can you give me an analogy to explain this?” The Buddha said, “Look up at the moon. At night, if you look up and see that the moon has faded to a thin crescent, then you know it is already well past the fifteenth day of the lunar month; the sun and moon have moved in their positions. The moon is affected by its revolution around the earth. Gradually, as it changes position, a shadow is cast over it. Thus, this [phase of the] moon is dark when we look up at it, all except for this tiny sliver, this very thin crescent. When we come to look again in a few days, it will have completely disappeared.”

“This is an analogy for people’s minds. Everyone intrinsically has a bright and pure Buddha-nature. It is because they are influenced by external conditions that their pure nature of True Suchness is covered. This is how ordinary people lose sight of their pure intrinsic nature. Thus, covered by darkness, they give rise to delusions and create karma. People at this stage are harmful friends. But harmful friends have only been momentarily covered by ignorance.”

“On the, fifteenth day of the following lunar month, if you look up again at the moon, what does it look like?” This Brahmin answered, “Of course at that time there is a full moon. It fills the sky and the land with its light.” The Buddha said, “That is right. Actually, the moon is always this bright. At the end of the lunar month, the external conditions lead it to be covered over. Then in the middle of the lunar month, again because of its external conditions, its intrinsic quality is manifested again. This is just like a virtuous friend. After experiencing causes and conditions that cover them in darkness, as their environment continues to change, they still retain their inherent nature, so their [brightness] will appear once again. After those challenges have passed, after experiencing the difficulties of being covered by darkness, ignorance and dust, once they push these aside they can manifest their intrinsic quality, which remains pure and bright like the moon.”

The Buddha taught with this analogy. Hearing it, the Brahmin practitioner said, “I understand! It turns out that I already understood that everyone intrinsically has a pure nature of True Suchness. It is just that it has been covered by external conditions and the ignorance we have built up. No matter how much ignorance we have, our pure intrinsic nature is still there. It is just like the moon in the sky.” This Brahmin practitioner immediately asked to take refuge, to receive the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds and become a lay disciple of the Buddha.

Likewise, we must also believe that everyone intrinsically has a nature of True Suchness. We must carefully store our spiritual “harvest” to be able to walk the Bodhi-path to be able to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Thus, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must truly be mindful.

How do we go about accepting the Great Vehicle, the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra? Previously I spoke a lot about those who do not have the right causes and conditions, whose roots of goodness are not deep enough and whose roots of faith are not strong enough. People like this are unable to accept the wondrous Dharma. So, the Buddha wanted to remind everyone of the kind of person who could accept it. Thus, the previous sutra passage explains it this way, ․”If there are people who are respectful, with no discursive thoughts, who distance themselves from ordinary foolishness and live alone among mountains and streams, for people like this, you can teach the sutra.”

If there are people who are respectful, with no discursive thoughts, who distance themselves from ordinary foolishness and live alone among mountains and streams, for people like this, you can teach the sutra.  

People like this wholeheartedly and earnestly distance themselves from ordinary foolishness. We must wholeheartedly and earnestly cultivate the fields of our minds; we must take good care of our minds. We must befriend virtuous people who will benefit us. Though in the midst of this troublesome society, we can still take good care of our minds. Our minds remain unaffected by other people. This is the meaning of “living alone among the mountains and streams.” We gradually clear away our unenlightened minds, draw near the minds of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. We must put the Bodhisattva-path into practice by going among people without being contaminated by them. So, “For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

The following passage states, “Again, Sariputra, if you see those who let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”

When the Buddha gave this reminder again, He was not just directing it at Sariputra. Calling Sariputra’s name is actually a way of reminding everyone, “Be mindful when listening to the Dharma.” Perhaps, at that time, the Buddha saw many people nodding off. That is very possible. So, at that point in teaching the Dharma, He reminded people again that they must earnestly listen to teachings, let go of harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends. Because we are still ordinary people, we have not eliminated our bad habitual tendencies. When we are among people, it is very easy to be influenced by others. So, the Buddha wanted to remind us again about the kind of friends we should make. What makes a true friend? Who is it that can help us accomplish our spiritual cultivation?

The Buddha reminded us again that letting go of harmful friends and drawing near virtuous ones is the pure vinaya, translated as “beneficial cure,” as it cures greed, anger, ignorance and other evils. It is also translated as “discipline.”

The Buddha reminded us that we must earnestly draw near virtuous friends. This is the “pure vinaya.” In fact, “vinaya” means beneficial cure. For our hearts and minds to be very clean, first we must cure ourselves of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt and other evil thoughts. These five things are just like the barnyard grass in the field. If it were to grow, it would develop and mature very quickly. These negative habitual tendencies grow quickly, and they harm the entire field of our mind. In our practice, we must earnestly administer a “beneficial cure.” This beneficial cure is the vinaya. We must protect ourselves, the purity of our minds, and not allow ourselves to do things that contaminate our minds. If we give rise to greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, pride and suspicions of the Dharma, that will be very damaging to our wisdom-life

Vinaya: Translated as beneficial cure, it is how we maintain purity and self-respect. Cautiously guard against making harmful friends, those who are unable to distinguish between right and wrong or who hinder one’s virtues. The vinaya, the beneficial cure, also disciplines our Threefold Karma. It is a necessary condition for controlling our mistaken behavior.

So, we must have the vinaya. This means we must administer beneficial cures. We must find the treatment for our own ailments, so we must maintain purity and self-respect and must be prudent and take preventative measures, to prevent ourselves from making harmful friends. Sometimes we ourselves do not take good care of our minds, but simply place the blame on other people. It is because our minds cannot remain settled, because we do not understand the principles, that with our ignorance and afflictions we cannot distinguish between right and wrong. If a harmful friend beckons us, we go along.

Since our minds are not in a settled state, we have even more of a need for an environment full of good people and virtuous people. When everyone encourages each other, we can be each other’s benefactors and become each other’s beneficial friends [We want to create] an environment like this, which is why, as spiritual practitioners, as monastics, when we live in a community, we need “the six points of reverent harmony.” Then we have mutual respect with virtuous friends. Harmful friends, unwholesome friends, cannot tell right from wrong. As they are unable to distinguish between them, they will hinder [our cultivation] of virtue, so we must engage in spiritual practice. Unwholesome friends cannot distinguish right and wrong. When they entice us, we go along, and as we follow them down a path where right and wrong are unclear, this stirs up many dust-like thoughts of ignorance. This hinders us from [attaining] virtue.

So, the vinaya, or beneficial cure, is a preventative measure, like precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. If we have precepts, we can guard against wrongs and stop evil. If we earnestly take good care of our mind, we can stabilize it and develop our wisdom. In this way, we can vanquish our greed, anger and ignorance. If we are greedy, angry and ignorant, we easily create karma with body, speech and mind. So, the vinaya is a beneficial cure that can help us overcome our faults. We have made mistakes in the past; how do we quickly transcend them and quickly return to our pure intrinsic nature? We absolutely must distance ourselves from harmful friends and draw near virtuous friends. “For people like this, the sutra can be taught.”

Like them, we know how to choose virtuous friends and know how to engage in spiritual practice, to practice the Bodhisattva-path, and fulfill our basic responsibilities. Since we understand, we know that in our past lives, we also had the good karmic conditions to draw near the Buddha-Dharma. Thus in this life, we again have the karmic conditions to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. So, at this point, we must make the great vows

“To cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views” and draw near virtuous friends.

“To cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views” and draw near virtuous friends. Thus in the sutras it states, “If there is one who can teach, has faith in the precepts, is knowledgeable, practices charity, has wisdom and helps others to accept the practices,” a person like that must have drawn near virtuous friends. We must have respect for virtuous friends. We must be very close [to them]. We must be very respectful. We must revere them.

As it says in the sutras: If there is one who can teach, has faith in the precepts, is knowledgeable, practices charity, has wisdom and helps others to accept the practices, then one should draw near him, show respect and make offerings This is called drawing near virtuous friends.

This is because we have begun to develop “the power of Great Vehicle vows.” We can be Bodhisattvas to each other, so everyone is our exceptional friend. We ourselves must be others’ beneficial friends. When people help us succeed in our spiritual cultivation, they are our beneficial friends

Through the power of Great Vehicle vows, with other Bodhisattvas as our victorious friends, we accumulate no afflictions nor deluded karma internally, and face no evil demons nor evil karmic conditions externally. Therefore, after a single lifetime, we will achieve a non-retreating state.

If we can achieve this state, we will have neither afflictions nor deluded karma. Then naturally, we can be peaceful and at ease because there are no evil demons nor evil karmic conditions around us to trouble us. This is where we must be diligent as we learn and practice the Dharma; we must choose virtuous friends and draw near them to benefit. Listening to and observing them is beneficial to our spiritual cultivation. We must not lose this sense of diligence.

Choosing virtuous friends and drawing near them will benefit our knowledge and spiritual cultivation so that we can be diligent and not indolent.

In the Analects [of Confucius], it is also said, “In a group of three, I will find my teacher. When I see someone who does good, I follow suit. When I see someone make mistakes, I correct my own.” This is what I constantly tell everyone. When we see a good example, we must follow it. When we see a bad one, we must raise our awareness. Thus we must draw near our virtuous friends. They can correctly choose between good and bad. They respect themselves and others. With these kinds of people, we can discuss the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Sutra.

Dear Bodhisattvas, be mindful. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must wholeheartedly and earnestly safeguard our mind so it can remain pure. Therefore, we must always be mindful.