Category: TLS Chapter 3

Episode 566 – The Penetrating Gaze of Dharma-eyes

---

>> “The natural order of the world fosters the growth of all living things. After dry days, the dew that forms at night allows seeds to sprout. The gentle breeze brings relief and eliminates fiery afflictions. With the Dharma-water and the cool breeze, we eliminate ignorance.”

>> Awakened sentient beings: These are Bodhisattvas. By deeply contemplating the Two Truths, absolute and worldly, they further eliminate habitual tendencies of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. They attain pure Dharma-eyes and Bodhisattva-wisdom. Thus they have reached the state of Bodhisattvas.

>> Pure Dharma-eyes: The Small Vehicle Dharma-eye is the initial fruit. It can see the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. The Great Vehicle Dharma-eye is the initial ground. It perceives true non-arising Dharma. These are Dharma-eyes.

>> “Sariputra, at that time the elder….”

>> Equally gave each child a great cart.

>> “These carts were tall and broad, decorated with all kinds of treasures, surrounded by railings and hung with bells.”

>> Those noble practitioners who turn from the Small to the Great are able to be called Bodhisattvas. Though they have yet to attain the Dharmakaya, as they have made Great Vehicle aspirations, they will practice the Great Vehicle teachings and will not retreat back to the Small Vehicle.

---

“The natural order of the world
fosters the growth of all living things.
After dry days, the dew that forms at night
allows seeds to sprout.
The gentle breeze brings relief
and eliminates fiery afflictions.
With the Dharma-water and the cool breeze,
we eliminate ignorance.”

The natural order of the world automatically supports the growth of all things. Therefore, we must always be grateful that all things in the world, in accordance with the laws of nature, provide humankind with everything we need in order to live. See, with the turning of the four seasons, all things on Earth grow according to the climate and the time [of year]. But because humans act out of ignorance, the macrocosm of this world has [fallen out of] harmony.

In some places, though the climate is such that the days are quite dry, dew still forms at night. Small grasses and flowers can grow as long as there is dew, which can sustain their seeds in the soil. Growing crops in these places is still difficult, but there are many kinds of seeds that can grow. As long as there is dew, it can keep them alive.

I still remember that many years ago, I heard about a place in Chile where no rain had fallen in many years. However, in that small village, people had the wisdom to use netting to collect the dew. During the day, they quickly pull down the nets with the dew on it and collect the dew in buckets. This provides them with enough water for a day.

The world is indeed an amazing place! We cannot feel the dew and often do not notice it. But when we get up early in the morning, But when we get up early, even if it has not rained the night before, if we look outside in the morning, just as the sun is about to rise, and carefully examine the leaves and especially the tips of the grasses, we can see how the dew has condensed and collected [there]. If we keep watching carefully, those dew drops will fall. So, the earth can absorb the dew thanks to the flowers and grasses. This dew collects, then fall onto and moistens the earth, nourishing the roots of the grasses and flowers. This is a natural cycle of the world. So, “After dry days, the dew that forms at night allows seeds to sprout.” If the seeds planted in the earth are nourished by this moisture from the dew, they will be sustained and will be able to sprout. This is the natural order of things.

This is an analogy for how, if each of our minds is nourished by Dharma-water, the seed in our minds, this nature of True Suchness, will naturally sprout. If the pure mirror in our minds is cleansed with Dharma-water, its surface will be clear and bright.

On those days when it is very hot, “the gentle breeze brings relief”; we need a gentle breeze to blow. When it is hot and stuffy, it feels miserable. If the air in a place is not really circulating, it feels suffocating, because there is no [fresh] air. There is no fresh air because there is no breeze. [Openings for] air would allow a breeze to come in. If everything is closed off, if everything is sealed off, no air can get in. That makes everything stuffy. The same thing happens to us when we have not taken the Right Dharma to heart.

If we are able to open the door to our minds, we can allow a breeze to enter so that we can come in contact with the fresh air. This relieves the stuffiness and makes it easier to breathe. With fresh air, we can breathe more smoothly. The same principle applies to our minds. Thus, “The gentle breeze brings relief”; it helps to dispel our dreariness. This is the Dharma eliminating our ignorance. So, it “eliminates fiery afflictions.”

A slight breeze can bring complete relief from our ignorance and afflictions. When we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we can eliminate our afflictions. We may be worried about having a lot of work. But instead of just sitting there worrying about all the things that have not been done, giving rise to afflictions, why don’t we get up and [use] the time and the strength we have to do as many things as we can? Just do it!

If all we do is continue sitting there, looking at how much there is to do, we will just throw up our hands [in defeat]. Sitting there, we only worry about how things will never get done. The same applies to a space. So many things have been stockpiled in there and need to be organized. As time steadily slips away, if we just stand there and continue to stockpile afflictions, we will never be able to deal with them and will never feel relief. There is only one thing to do; we realize that we need to get up and take action. With the strength and time we have, we do as much as we can. Won’t this help us reduce the number of things that are causing us afflictions? If we make use of the time we have and our diligent practice to sweep away our afflictions, we can purify our minds.

The Dharma-water is an important part of this. With the Dharma-water and a cool breeze, we can take the Dharma to heart and have the help of assisting conditions around us. Then, naturally our ignorance can be eliminated. Our afflictions and ignorance will naturally be eliminated. We can reduce our afflictions and even completely purify our minds.

․Awakened sentient beings: These are Bodhisattvas. By deeply contemplating the Two Truths, absolute and worldly, they further eliminate habitual tendencies of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. They attain pure Dharma-eyes and Bodhisattva-wisdom. Thus they have reached the state of Bodhisattvas.

The Buddha comes into this world for the sole purpose of awakening sentient beings. The Buddha used various methods, such as the Five Vehicles and Three Vehicles. He taught people how to live in this world and how to be born in the heaven realm. He also explained how we can purify our minds, the teachings for Hearers that lead to the path of awakening. He also explained the laws of nature and the principles of true emptiness and wondrous existence. Solitary Realizers can realize how everything is ultimately empty in nature. Others can understand this principle and also help other people understand true emptiness, and how sentient beings have attachments. Therefore, they go among the people to help. By keeping “true emptiness” in their minds, they realize “wondrous existence” among people.

By witnessing suffering, causation, cessation, the Path and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, realizing all the ways suffering can come about, they can share these principles with everyone. Since they witness various kinds of suffering, tangible and intangible, whether material or arising from the mind, etc., they dedicate themselves to helping others; this is the Bodhisattva-path. Bodhisattvas are awakened sentient beings. After being taught and transformed by the Buddha, Bodhisattvas always deeply contemplate the. Two Truths, absolute and worldly. The Buddha wanted to help everyone understand this. Bodhisattvas have already accepted this teaching. So, true emptiness and wondrous existence

are absolute truth and worldly truth. So, absolute truth is true emptiness. Worldly truth is the way this world works. It is truly incredible! Why is your mind the way it is? Why do we act the way we do? Why do we have trouble changing our tendencies? Why…? There are so many questions. This is why the Buddha devised methods to open up our minds and awaken our wisdom so we can understand the principles and practice according to them. If we can do this, we will be on a moral and virtuous path. This is what He taught to sentient beings, so that we have a way to eliminate our afflictions.

First, habitual tendencies of views and thinking must be eliminated. If our perspectives and thinking are on the right track, naturally our dust-like delusions, all those subtle bits of ignorance, will disappear along with deluded views and thinking. By staying on course, our dust-like afflictions will be eliminated.

Nowadays, we often hear about a place that is stricken by a dust-storm. They must cancel flights and halt all air traffic. People must also be more vigilant as they drive because they cannot see very far. See, human actions have already caused this pollution in the air and the environment around us. This is similar to our dust-like delusions. All of this is created by sentient beings, causing great suffering for everyone. But awakened sentient beings, Bodhisattvas, have already brushed away their afflictions and even their dust-like ignorance has been cleansed away. Because they have attained pure Dharma-eyes, they can see everything clearly and distinguish right from wrong, so they no longer give rise to afflictions and ignorance as they interact with other people. Thus they are Bodhisattvas.

Pure Dharma-eyes: The Small Vehicle Dharma-eye is the initial fruit. It can see the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. The Great Vehicle Dharma-eye is the initial ground. It perceives true non-arising Dharma. These are Dharma-eyes.

Bodhisattvas start with the first ground and may have advanced all the way to the tenth, which is close to the state of Buddhahood. These awakened sentient beings have accepted the Buddha-Dharma in the world and have penetrated the wisdom of true emptiness and wondrous existence. Therefore, they can see all things very clearly. It is as if their surroundings are clear, free of haze and pollution, so they can see very far and all states are clear to them. Seeing everything in the world in this way is called seeing with Dharma-eyes, which are penetrating and can see very clearly. This helps develop Bodhisattva-wisdom, so all principles are distinct and uncontaminated. This is the state of Bodhisattvas.

The previous sutra passage mentioned how the Buddha lined up three carts outside the burning house and then watched all the children come out. At this point in the teachings, the Buddha said,

“Sariputra, at that time the elder….”

He called to Sariputra again and told him how the elder.

Equally gave each child a great cart.

“Sariputra, you should know that after the children left the house, they asked their father for the things he had promised them.” At this moment, what the elder gave these children was, in the end, not just the sheep- or deer-cart. In the end, he gave them all the same thing, a cart drawn by a large white ox. He was like a father dividing up an inheritance among his children. Each child received the same portion. Each child received an equal amount and ended up with the same thing. So, this great cart was given to all equally. They all received the same thing, a very large cart with an abundance of wealth.

The next passage states,

“These carts were tall and broad, decorated with all kinds of treasures, surrounded by railings and hung with bells.”

This we can all understand. What we read here can be easily understood. How large were these carts? These carts were tall and broad, and adorned with many treasures. They were decorated all over, “surrounded by railings.” All around the carts were beautiful decorations; the ox-carts had railings all around them. “[They were] hung with bells.” The cart was tall and hung with bells. The ringing of bells was also a way to decorate and beautify the cart. As the cart moved, sounds could be heard. The tinkling of the bells was very soothing for the people in the cart, and wherever the cart went, people would hear this and know an affluent person was passing by. The sounds of the bells were beautiful. All this created a sense of magnificence.

The Dharma-eyes I mentioned earlier [come from] the Great Vehicle. As Buddhist practitioners, if we learn the Great Vehicle Dharma, we will have a great cart like this which has already been wonderfully decorated. The great cart is tall, so we can sit up high. Our vantage point is broad and far-reaching; that is like having Dharma-eyes and being able to see far and wide. If we are sitting at a lower vantage point, wherever we look, our vision is obstructed. But if we can sit up high and look down, we can see very far away. This is like having Dharma-eyes. Our perspective, the scope of what we can see from high up, is [very expansive].

Those with the Dharma-eyes are Bodhisattvas. Their perspective is on a higher level than /that of Solitary Realizers. They are at the first Bodhisattva ground and have attained non-arising patience. They are at the state of non-arising patience. Hearers and Solitary Realizers focus on their own awakening and are afraid to come in contact with others aspirations make the Four Great Vows, [such as]. “I vow to deliver the countless sentient beings.” They have decided to go among people. But if we want to go among people, patience is a necessity. We must practice the Six Perfections. In addition to giving and upholding precepts, the Six Perfections include patience. Only with patience can we develop diligence, Samadhi and wisdom.

We need to give to others and so on. We must also preserve the purity of our minds. When we go among people to give them material things, the Dharma, etc., we need to have patience, the strength and virtue that comes from patience. Among the multitude of sentient beings, many have severe afflictions and an unwholesome character. Not only will they not repay kindness, they will respond with resentment and hatred. If we do not have patience, patience arising from Dharma, how can we continue walking this path?

So, with the Great Vehicle Dharma-eye, Bodhisattvas can see through and clearly understand that sentient beings tend to be filled with afflictions and ignorance. They understand that this is very normal. Equipped with patience arising from the Dharma, they will not allow sentient beings’ afflictions to affect their spiritual aspirations. This is the “Great Vehicle Dharma-eye.”

Those noble practitioners who turn from the Small to the Great are able to be called Bodhisattvas. Though they have yet to attain the Dharmakaya, as they have made Great Vehicle aspirations, they will practice the Great Vehicle teachings and will not retreat back to the Small Vehicle.

People like this can see through things. They are able to withstand torment. They are able to withstand jealousy. They are able to withstand insults and abuse. They can withstand all of these because they have the Great Vehicle Dharma-Eye. They have already attained non-arising patience. This is the Dharma-eye. They have turned from the Small to the Great.

In the past, they were Small Vehicle practitioners, Hearers and Solitary Realizers, who wanted sheep-carts and deer-carts. However, the Buddha wanted them to turn from the Small to the Great. He did not want them to stop with the sheep-carts and deer-carts. He did not want Hearers and Solitary Realizers to stop there because they have always had this magnificent, powerful, tall and broad cart. The Buddha exercised His wisdom to draw everyone out of the burning house to a place that was open and safe. Then He gave everyone such great carts, which are the Great Vehicle Dharma.

Therefore, we Buddhist practitioners must open up and broaden our minds. The Dharma that we must seek is the Great Vehicle Dharma. We cannot stop with the sheep- and deer-carts. We all have cart a drawn by a great white ox. This is the Great Vehicle that the Buddha hoped all of us would attain. So, I hope everyone will always be mindful.

Episode 565 – Enter the Door of Bodhisattva Practice Together

---

>> “Through teachings, practice and realization, we enter the Dharma-nature of the Great Vehicle. This is the door to the. Bodhisattva-practice of the One Vehicle. Upholding precepts and goodness brings blessings in the human and heaven realms. Heretical teachings and deviant views are not the door to the True Dharma.”

>> The children each said to their father, “You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.”

>> “Sariputra, at that time, the elder equally gave each child a great cart.”

>> The father gave all his children treasures in equal amounts and ultimately gave them a great cart. This means that only the one Great Vehicle, the Bodhisattva teachings, can encompass the nine Dharma realms.

>> In terms of the Bodhisattva grounds, those from the first ground and above, who have realized the non-retreating state, are called true Bodhisattvas. Before this, those who are newly-inspired are called seeming Bodhisattvas.

>> Awakened sentient beings: This is what Bodhisattvas are. By deeply contemplating the Two Truths, absolute and worldly, they further eliminate habitual tendencies of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. They attain pure Dharma-eyes and Bodhisattva-wisdom. Thus they have reached the state of Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas deeply contemplate the Two Truths, the absolute and the worldly.

---

“Through teachings, practice and realization,
we enter the Dharma-nature of the Great Vehicle.
This is the door
to the Bodhisattva-practice of the One Vehicle.
Upholding precepts and goodness
brings blessings in the human and heaven realms.
Heretical teachings and deviant views
are not the door to the True Dharma.”

This is telling us all that, as we learn the Buddha Dharma, we must accept it through teachings, practice and realization.

We must learn all the teachings that have been given. After learning them, we must teach them to others. Once we have teachings, we must have a practice. If we do not practice what was taught, wouldn’t that be the same as not having been taught at all? So, we must put the Dharma into practice. This is the only way to truly integrate what we have learned. Once we have taken it to heart, the skills we have mastered will be a part of us.

When we clearly understand the methods we have learned, we can take the skills we have mastered and teach them to others. Both the person learning and the person teaching are inspired from deep in their hearts; thus the teachings are passed on. This is what we do as Buddhist practitioners. Take teaching children, for example. How do children grow up? From the time they are born, they live with people. They can learn simply by watching the way their parents behave.

In their childhood, they copy the way their parents treat each other. When they begin to attend school, what the teacher teaches, the atmosphere, etc., endlessly gives rise to certain feelings and realizations in them, causing them to endlessly develop certain habitual tendencies. Therefore, our environment is also very important, whether we are talking about spiritual practice or mundane life. All different environments have something to teach us.

There was a news report from the state of Maryland in the United States about a man who was more than 50 years old, who had been seriously injured in a car crash. After he was treated, the doctor announced that the man would only have the speech capabilities of a two-year-old child. The doctor said that his language skills might be stuck in this stage for the rest of his life.

When this man was very young, he had begun to raise a pair of parrots. Following his accident and after his treatment, these two birds took turns keeping him company. Furthermore, they would talk to him constantly. They never stopped chattering; this was a regular occurrence. When the time came, the birds would switch shifts. After some period of time passed, the man suddenly uttered a sentence. Although his enunciation was not clear, he began to speak two or three sentences, constantly working on his pronunciation. Gradually, his words became clear. From this beginning, 14 years later, he could speak clearly again.

After all this happened, the man made a vow. He was grateful to these birds for helping him regain his power of speech, so he made a vow to raise parrots. If parrots were abandoned by their owners, he adopted them. He also came across stray parrots; who knows who had raised them? There were also parrots who were ill or injured. He cared for them all. He said that this was a way of paying them back.

See, aren’t humans just like all other living beings? The Buddha spoke of the four kinds of beings womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born and transformation-born. The four kinds of beings are all different, but their intrinsic nature is the same. So, from the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn to show compassion to all equally. All living beings are equal, [deserving of] respect, gratitude and love; this is our intrinsic nature.

The Buddha taught us in the hope that we can return to our pure, intrinsic nature. So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must put them into practice. If we learn but do not practice, it will not be possible for us to experience The ultimate reality of our environment is the true principles. The Buddha-Dharma teaches us the principles of all things and living beings in the world. We need to thoroughly understand them, so after we are taught, we must put our hearts into experiencing them. To do so, we must put them into practice, feel them for ourselves and attain our own realization. This is [the cycle of] teachings, principles, practice and realization. These are the four steps. As Buddhist practitioners, if we lack teachings, we cannot understand the principles. If we understand the principles, we must put them into practice. That is the only way to attain realizations and take the Dharma to heart.

This is the Dharma-nature of the Great Vehicle. Where must we enter? Through the Great Vehicle Dharma. The One Great Vehicle is the door to the Bodhisattva-practice.

This is the goal of Bodhisattvas, and the Six Perfections are their tools. The Six Perfections allow us to transcend our ignorance and the state of ordinary people to ascend to a pure and undefiled state. The Six Perfections are cultivated among people. This is why Bodhisattvas must interact with people. There are all kinds of people in the world, and if we can realize the Buddha-Dharma, naturally we can interact with them without being defiled by them. If we can give to others without being hindered by our environment, we can cross the river of afflictions and reach the opposite shore. This is accomplished with the Great Vehicle Dharma. This is the only door to the Bodhisattva Way, and only by passing through this door can we truly return to our intrinsic nature.

For our spiritual cultivation, the Buddha opened this Dharma-door. Sentient beings are in a state between delusion and awakening. How then, can we fully awaken? The Buddha had to give us many methods. Aside from the Three Vehicles we have discussed, there is in fact a fourth and a fifth vehicle. In addition to the Hearer, Solitary Realizer and Bodhisattva Vehicles, there are the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles.

The Human Vehicle teaches us how to be a good person. How do we behave properly? By upholding the Five Precepts. If we are able to uphold the Five Precepts, we will not lose human form. If we can abide by them, we can be reborn in the human realm.

Among the Five Precepts, aside from not killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct or lying, we cannot drink alcohol.

If we think about it, not lying is very difficult. Cultivating virtuous speech is not that easy. Moreover, this world is so complicated; sometimes we cannot share the truth and we need to tell white lies. When we hear one person speak ill of another, saying very negative and hurtful things, and the target of those words ask us, “Was that person badmouthing me to you?” we would say, “Not at all. He was not speaking ill of you. Furthermore, he was very complimentary of you, saying how lucky he was to have you teach him.” To help preserve harmony, we may skillfully tell lies.

Then there is not killing. Even if we do not directly kill, can we indirectly kill? This is what most people do. Even if you do not personally kill what you eat, you have asked or helped others to do so. This also creates the karma of killing and thus breaks this precept. This is not abiding by the precept of “not killing.”

There is also stealing. “Can you avoid stealing from another person? Yes, I won’t be a thief; I will keep my hands clean.” However, we may have ill-gotten wealth. Out of our desire to make money, even if you are clearly making a nice profit, you may lower the quality of your item and sell it at a higher price to make more money. If our profit is unreasonably high, that is ill-gotten wealth. Therefore, stealing is not just about robbing another person. Obtaining wealth by unjust means is also considered stealing.

Refraining from killing and stealing are not easy, not to mention sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct can lead to all kinds of misfortune. As for drinking alcohol, Is it easy to quit drinking? It is very difficult. Abstaining from alcohol is also very hard. So, upholding the Five Precepts cannot be considered an easy matter. However, if we can uphold them, we can be reborn as a human in our future lifetime.

To reach the heaven realm we need to practice and teach others to practice the Ten Good Deeds. The Ten Good Deeds include three of the mind, four of speech and three of the body. These are the Ten Precepts or Ten Good Deeds.

So, these are the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles. The Buddha did not only teach the Three Vehicles. There are the Five Vehicles. Thus, “Upholding precepts and goodness brings [blessings] in the human and heaven realms.” To uphold precepts is to learn and practice the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. Then naturally we will reach the state of. Hearers and Solitary Realizers, eventually aspiring to walk the Bodhisattva-path. This is why I always tell everyone, “We must pave a smooth road through this world in order to connect with the Bodhi-path.” This is accomplished through the Five Vehicles.

“Heretical teachings and deviant views are not the door to the True Dharma.” As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must develop Right Understanding, Right View and cultivate Right Dharma. We must not deviate at all. In our spiritual practice, the smallest deviation will lead us far off course. I hope that as we learn the Buddha’s Dharma, we will learn Right Understanding, Right View and perfect awakening. That is the only way to attain Buddhahood. “Buddha” means “enlightened.” So, we must learn the path to enlightenment. Moreover, it must be the Dharma of perfect enlightenment; there cannot be the slightest deviation.

Earlier, we talked about the burning house. How could the children be drawn out? If they are mixed up and are mistaken about the door to the Dharma, or if they deviate toward a heretical path, then they will not be able to escape the burning house. If they do not follow the Right Dharma, they would not find the door that leads outside.

The children each said to their father, “You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.”

The previous passage mentioned that once the children all escaped the burning house, they began to plead with their father. “Father, you should give us what we want right now.” He said, “All this is for you. Choose whatever you want.”

The next passage states,

“Sariputra, at that time, the elder equally gave each child a great cart.”

Giving this “great cart” equally shows that when he gave things to the children, when a father gives his children things, he gives them treasures in equal amounts. He gave each child the same thing, the biggest thing he could give them, a “great cart.”

The father gave all his children treasures in equal amounts and ultimately gave them a great cart. This means that only the one Great Vehicle, the Bodhisattva teachings, can encompass the nine Dharma realms.

He told them, “The sheep-cart and deer-cart are very small. Let me tell you, the great cart will be most helpful to you. Ultimately, it will benefit you the most.” This father actually gave his children so many things. He did not give them just a few things, but a great number of things. This is an analogy for the Great Vehicle Dharma, which is the Bodhisattva Way.

The Buddha encouraged everyone to quickly practice according to the teachings. He had [safeguarded] the One Reality Vehicle in His mind. The One Vehicle Dharma is truly the Great Dharma. This shows the mindfulness of the Buddha. More than 40 years ago, because sentient beings had varying capabilities, He had to devise the Five Vehicles and the Three Vehicles in order to teach them. Most importantly, they converge in the One Vehicle. The One Vehicle is the Bodhisattva Vehicle, the state of Bodhisattvas.

․In terms of the Bodhisattva grounds, those from the first ground and above, who have realized the non-retreating state, are called true Bodhisattvas. Before this, those who are newly-inspired are called seeming Bodhisattvas.

Haven’t I said this to everyone before? We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we cannot yet return to it. Where is this intrinsic Buddha-nature? At the beginning, we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice. To cultivate the Bodhisattva-path, we start with the first ground. Previously, we have discussed the. Ten Grounds of the Bodhisattvas. The first state is about being joyous. When we learn the Buddha-Dharma, we must do so very happily. Then when we listen to the Dharma, we will be filled with Dharma-joy. We start with being joyful; this is the first ground. Bodhisattvas all start with the first ground, then through diligent practice, they will naturally reach the tenth ground and realize the non-retreating state.

Before this, they are newly-inspired. By their appearance, it is apparent that they have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. But carrying them out requires mastery. How can those skills be mastered? Though they are happy to listen to the Dharma, they also have to put it into practice. From this first ground, they take their initial steps. Where do they go? They go among the people. This makes them “awakened sentient beings.”

When we accept the Dharma, we feel happy and thus take the Dharma to heart. The Buddha taught us to have unconditional loving-kindness and universal compassion. We must understand the teachings and take them to heart. But how do we apply unconditional loving-kindness to help everyone live a blessed life? We must practice universal compassion until our mind is one with everything in the world and we become one with the four kinds of beings. The love we equally have for everyone is universal compassion. In this world of sentient beings, we will understand how they experience suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. Not only must we love other humans, we must love the four kinds of beings equally. This is what makes us awakened sentient beings.

Awakened sentient beings: This is what Bodhisattvas are. By deeply contemplating the Two Truths, absolute and worldly, they further eliminate habitual tendencies of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. They attain pure Dharma-eyes and Bodhisattva-wisdom. Thus they have reached the state of Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas deeply contemplate the Two Truths, the absolute and the worldly.

They must clearly penetrate all universal truths as well as the principles of living in the world. Their next step is to eliminate the afflictions of views, the afflictions of thinking and the afflictions which arise from delusions. There are countless, dust-like afflictions. As awakened sentient beings, we must constantly eliminate these afflictions. By interacting with sentient beings, we can experience many principles. This is how we eliminate dust-like afflictions and dust-like delusions. This is how we will obtain pure Dharma-eyes. Then we will look at everything in a completely different way from ordinary people.

Ordinary people have greedy, clinging love, but after we awaken we instead cherish [all things]. Whatever our eyes see, we will cherish but will not crave as our own. Instead, we will try to protect these things. This comes from having “pure Dharma-eyes.” If we clearly comprehend the principles of everything we see, naturally we will love and protect them. This is how we develop Bodhisattva-wisdom. We must learn how to walk this path, then we can walk without obstacles.

This is what the Buddha gives to all beings. The great cart is the Bodhisattva-path, the path of awakened beings. The Buddha taught us to walk this path, so we must mindfully accept this teaching. If we can, our way will be smooth and unobstructed and we will reach our destination. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 564 – Enter the Truth With Provisional Wisdom

---

>> “With compassion, we harmonize with all things and respond accordingly. By not being in conflict with anything,” we achieve “harmony. Realizing the ultimate reality of all things” is the Tathagata’s true wisdom. “Realizing the differences in all things” is the Tathagata’s provisional wisdom.

>> The children each said to their father, “You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.”

>> “[You have] sheep-carts, deer-carts, and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.” The Three Carts: The Three Vehicles are skillful means devised to be taught according to capability. This enabled sentient beings to accept and apply them based on what they like. The One Vehicle, the ultimate reality of all things, can only be comprehended with the mind, not expressed with language.

---

“With compassion, we harmonize with all things and respond accordingly.
By not being in conflict with anything,
we achieve “harmony.
Realizing the ultimate reality of all things
is the Tathagata’s true wisdom.
Realizing the differences in all things
is the Tathagata’s provisional wisdom.”

If we can all use various methods to understand the ultimate reality of this world, we will realize the Tathagata’s true wisdom. We learn the Buddha’s teachings in hopes of returning to our intrinsic nature, our essence of True Suchness. That is “true wisdom,” the ultimate reality of all things. If we can experience this truth, [we can grasp] the essence of the Buddha-Dharma.

Where is the essence of the Buddha-Dharma? It can be found in our original state of mind, that Buddha-nature we intrinsically have. We know this, but in order to discover it, we need the harmony I mentioned earlier. In this world, the principles of all things are in total harmony. However, our minds have become deluded. So when a desire arises, we act out of ignorance, upsetting the workings of things in the world, the natural ways of life and their principles. Thus, there is no harmony.

The workings of all things in the world have been disrupted, preventing our nature of True Suchness from manifesting in our minds. The disorder in our external conditions arises from the things we do out of ignorance. This is why returning to our Tathagata-wisdom is difficult. But, the Buddha came to this world for one great cause, in the hope that despite the ignorance and afflictions in our minds, we can begin to understand the principles and be able to eliminate our ignorance and afflictions.

What methods did He use? Out of His compassion, the Buddha taught according to capabilities. So, starting with all things in the world and the true principles of nature, He used various methods to help us understand the principles of the Dharma. However, we sentient beings are very ignorant. Even though the Buddha did everything He could to teach the Dharma and transform sentient beings, our minds are deluded. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha had to use various means to give provisional teachings, solely to help everyone understand the differences in all things. This is the Tathagata’s provisional wisdom.

The Buddha established various teachings that were drawn from His wisdom to help us analyze things, which can then help us understand how to return to our natural state. Once we return to that state, not only can we thoroughly understand the principles of all things in the world, we will love and care for the heavens and earth and respect everything in nature. Our minds must return to our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. I have also spent some time telling all of you that we must pave a smooth path of working with people in this world so that we can connect with the Bodhi-path. This means that first, the Buddha taught us how to be good people. Only by conducting ourselves properly can we teach others how to walk the Bodhisattva-path.

This is why the Buddha established the Three Vehicles, the Small Vehicle, Middle Vehicle, Great Vehicle. These three kinds of Dharma are all used to teach sentient beings. By the means of the Small Vehicle, people encounter the Buddha-Dharma, and through the karmic law of cause and effect, they understand the Four Noble Truths. The “suffering” in this world is a karmic effect, and the cause of this effect is what we accumulated in the past. The negative causes and conditions we created in our past lives determine the negative retributions we face now.

Now that we understand the law of karma, we know, “As are the causes, so are the effects.” Everything in life happens due to the causes and conditions we have created. Causes, conditions, effects and retributions are always intermingled and indistinguishable. This is why we sentient beings are deluded.

The Buddha saw how deluded we are, and knew that if He were to directly share His enlightened state with us, we would not be able to understand it. So, He began by teaching the law of karma. What we experience is “suffering,” which originates in “causation.” The effects of our past lives extend into this one. Then we are entangled again in our present life, trapped in love, hate, passion and animosity, thus affecting our next life. These are the Three Periods of Cause and Effect. The Three Periods of Cause and Effect are inseparable from the Four Noble Truths. At this point, everyone understands that the law of karma is frightening. Those with limited capacities just stop here.

For practitioners with average capabilities, in addition to the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha deeply delved into the question, “How did you come to this world?” None of us had any control over how we came into this life, nor do we know where we will go after this one. Thus the Buddha explained the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence again to help us understand how we formed an affinity with our parents and came to be born in this family. As for the affinities we formed with this family, are they good karmic affinities? Or bad ones? When there are good affinities between children and their parents and siblings, this family will be happy and harmonious. This is because good karmic conditions result in wonderful karmic effects, allowing everyone to live together happily.

But within a family, siblings can have good or bad affinities. Certain siblings may have a good relationship, while other siblings may have a poor relationship. Siblings may argue and fight with one another. This goes against the principles of morality.

The Buddha came to teach us and awaken our compassion. “With compassion, we harmonize with all things and respond accordingly.” How can we avoid being in conflict with things? The Buddha tells us to cherish all things. We must understand their natural state. We must respect and love the heavens and earth, as well as the workings of all things. This is what the Buddha has taught us. In this way we can harmonize with the heavens, the earth and other people. This brings harmony.

When there is harmony among people, our minds will be in harmony, and we can harmonize with all things in the world. When the way that we feel about things is closer to the way that we feel about people, there will be harmony; this starts with us humans. Only in this way can we “realize the ultimate reality of all things.” The Dharma is the principles of all things. The ultimate reality refers to principles, to very natural principles. The Buddha says that the principles of the ultimate reality of all things in the world are the Tathagata’s “wisdom of suchness.” This is also the nature of True Suchness we all intrinsically have. The authentic nature of humans is the intrinsic nature of True Suchness, which is the principles of all things.

Since this is so, the Buddha hopes that everyone can “realize the differences in all things.” When we come to the human realm, we must clearly understand principles and clearly define our generational relationships. Our father is our father. Our mother is our mother. The parents of our parents are our grandfather and grandmother. If we clearly understand these relationships we will naturally express our respect and love.

We cannot think, “Who cares if he’s my father? Who cares if he’s my grandfather?” Our grandfather is our grandfather. He is the father of our father. To our father, we are children. Children must respect their father. Following these moral principles in life depends on making these distinctions. If we can do this in our family relationships, then naturally our friendships will be harmonious. If we have harmonious friendships, then in the society and in the world, we will be able to follow the same principles. In summary, the Buddha comes to this world solely to teach us all to return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. The Buddha has to spend a long time to patiently guide us.

But sentient beings are lost, clinging to their delusion without awakening. This is why the Buddha sighed. So, the sutra text we read before states, “The elder was…shocked and afraid.” He was very afraid, very worried, very fearful. He could only watch as the earth became an evil world of Five Turbidities. People’s minds are in great chaos, so they constantly create much negative karma. The planet may be on the verge of destruction, thus it is compared to a burning house.

The fire, the disasters, are arising on all sides. So, the father is very frightened, very worried. He continuously called out to them. Then he set up sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts outside to give these children what they wanted, what they would delight in. The elder treated these children the same way the Buddha treats sentient beings.

The children each said to their father, “You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.”

Worldly things can be used as analogies for the Buddha-Dharma. People in this world always pursue the material objects they desire. Spiritual practitioners are the same way. They likewise are attached to the Dharma they feel they need to cultivate to quickly attain liberation. Some people seek blessings. Other people seek other things. They do not understand the principles very well; they just follow whatever teachings they hear. If they learn the Dharma this way, their minds will be in chaos. Some people look for things to believe in and end up on deviant paths.

A group visited me; one was the father of a well-to-do family. He brought his son along with him. This child had always seemed to be a little slow. So, his parents consulted spirits and prayed to the Buddha and so on. They reached the point where they brought the child to see me.

When I saw the child, I asked, “How is he?” His father said, “He’s much better now.” I asked, “What brought about the improvement?” He said, “I bring him when I do recycling work.” So, I asked the child, “When you do recycling work, are you happy? Yes, I feel happy. Can you sit still when you do the work? I like doing it, so I can sit still.” I said, “He answered me very well. Why do you think there is something wrong?” His father said, “He has improved since he started doing recycling. But, he still seems kind of slow.” I said, “Being slow is better than doing bad things. I give him my blessings.”

See, they sought help [from spirits]. The child was born this way; no matter what they tried, things stayed the same. The important thing was his environment and how to help him develop an interest. Although he may have limited abilities, there is also wisdom within him. Again, I asked him, “Why do you want to do recycling work? I want to save the Earth.” He understands that we must save the Earth. He answered me very smoothly. Why would they think he is slow? It is just because his family is very wealthy and they had placed their hopes on him. But this was their karmic condition.

The Buddha came to give us many teachings, to help us achieve a natural understanding that all these things are beyond our control. However, we must be our own master. We cannot control the causes and conditions we created in our past lives. We must make use of the effects we face in this lifetime to create our future. With the right karmic causes and conditions, we have the opportunity to be transformed. If we sever our roots of goodness, even if the Buddha-Dharma was right before us, “There is no way we could be transformed.”

This is why we must find a way to do good deeds. In our present lifetime, we control our own direction. Why can’t we take action ourselves? The Buddha-Dharma is right before us; why can’t we earnestly accept the Right Dharma?

We must live in the world as it is. We must not live in an illusion, seeking help from things we cannot see. We must stay grounded and focus on interacting with people. When we give of ourselves and help others, they receive help and we attain happiness. Aren’t these very solid and practical things? This is what the Buddha taught us to do. We must understand the Dharma ourselves, and we must walk the path ourselves.

The sheep-cart, deer-cart and ox-cart are analogies for the Three Vehicles. Small Vehicle practitioners hear the Buddha’s teachings, but they only know them; they cannot form great aspirations. Middle Vehicle practitioners understand principles but they focus on protecting themselves. Only Great Vehicle practitioners can transform themselves and others. Those who awaken themselves and others attain perfect awakened conduct.

So, the Buddha gave the analogies of the sheep-cart and deer-cart. Consider sheep and deer. Their legs are so thin, how could they possibly pull a cart? See how sturdy the ox-cart is! An ox pulling a cart can carry a heavy load. His four legs are very powerful, so he can steadily move forward step by step. When the ox arrives, so does the cart. This is like transforming oneself and others.

The three carts are analogies for the Three Vehicles, based on people’s capabilities. The Buddha observed what sentient beings sought. If people did not have the strength, He gave them the deer-cart or sheep-cart. But if they had the aspiration and the strength, the Buddha taught them the Great Vehicle Dharma. Those who learned the Great Vehicle Dharma and made great vows walk the great and direct path. This is the Great Vehicle Dharma. Based on their capabilities and inclinations, the Buddha gave them teachings accordingly. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. “This enabled sentient beings to accept and apply them based on what they like.” Depending on what they needed and the extent of their abilities and strengths, the Buddha gave them teachings that they could take and apply.

Of the Three Vehicle [practitioners], those with higher capabilities would pick the ox-cart because they were willing to lead that big cart. Those with more limited capabilities think, “I just want to lead a sheep-cart.” Their choice depends on their capabilities; what they accept is based on what they like. These are all methods of spiritual cultivation. “The One Vehicle is the ultimate reality of all things.” In fact, the Buddha’s goal in coming to the world was to do one thing, to teach the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle so we can return to the truth of nature, our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. This can only be done by those who achieve comprehension with the mind.

“[You have] sheep-carts, deer-carts, and ox-carts. Please give them to us now.” The Three Carts: The Three Vehicles are skillful means devised to be taught according to capability. This enabled sentient beings to accept and apply them based on what they like. The One Vehicle, the ultimate reality of all things, can only be comprehended with the mind, not expressed with language.

Those with greater capabilities can realize the Buddha-mind.

When the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, He opened up His mind to freely express what He wanted to say. This was the Buddha’s wisdom. But, this just means that He spoke it, not that the listeners have the capability and wisdom to accept it. Just because the teachings are spoken does not mean they will be able to accept them. After a teaching is given, and they listen, “Did you understand? Yes. Do you understand this Dharma? I will gradually comprehend it.” Saying “gradually” means that they heard the Dharma but did not take it to heart. This applies to many people who hear the Dharma.

In summary, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, what we need to do most is awaken our compassion. Only when our compassion has been awakened can we become one with all sentient beings. Then we will respect and love nature and live in harmony with all sentient beings. Only then will there be harmony in this world and balance among the four elements. This is returning to our intrinsic nature.

The Buddha is compassionate. Because we have different capabilities, He made use of different methods, the Small, the Middle and the Great Vehicles. He taught the Dharma in this sequence to help teach and guide us. This comes from His provisional wisdom. Now, we also need to use provisional and skillful means to devise various teachings to help everyone come together. Then we can be guided by the True Dharma to go among and give to others. In conclusion, as we learn the Buddha-Dharma, we must seize the moment and always be mindful.

Episode 563 – Goodness Creates Conditions for Transformation

---

>> “Sentient beings who develop goodness in their hearts have the karmic condition to be transformed. If they cut off their goodness, they cannot be transformed. The Buddha skillfully taught the provisional by expounding the. Three Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings could avoid being harmed by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings.”

>> Then, the elder saw that all his children had safely made their way out and were all at the crossroads, sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles. His mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.

>> “The children each said to their father, ‘You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts Please give them to us now.'”

>> The children heard that their father would give them what they wanted, which is an analogy for teachings given according to capabilities. Instead of the three carts the children wanted, their father actually only gave one great cart.

>> If sentient beings have goodness in them, then they have the conditions to be transformed, and responding to their capacities and conditions, the Buddha manifested a body accordingly. For the practitioners of the Bodhi-path, the Buddha set an example to guide them to connect to True Suchness and achieve a Buddha-body of universal enlightenment.

---

“Sentient beings who develop goodness in their hearts
have the karmic condition to be transformed.
If they cut off their goodness,
they cannot be transformed.
The Buddha skillfully taught the provisional
by expounding the Three Vehicle teachings
so that sentient beings could avoid being harmed
by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings.”

Is this world filled with suffering or joy? In this lifetime, we may have been born into karmic conditions which cause us tremendous suffering. However, by taking the Buddha-Dharma to heart, we realize we are blessed, so we become happy.

Though some are born to affluent families, they still feel, “I still don’t have enough. I still have many afflictions, so I feel I’m suffering.” Some people are poor but feel very content.

Recently, we have been talking a lot about a group of people in Africa who have always lived in poverty. Would you say they are suffering? These people are truly Living Bodhisattvas who have manifested in this world and been subjected to the poverty faced by everyone in their countries. They shared stories of how they had faced great difficulties in their lives, and how they came in contact with Tzu Chi and realized the joy that comes from helping others. They helped other people to understand, “I have accepted these volunteers’ teachings and have taken them to heart. I put them into practice as well. I also go out and help people. This is what I gained.” In this way, they clearly proved that even poor people are able to help others and thus live a rich and abundant life. Whether people experience suffering or joy depends on how they accept their life.

Several years ago, there was a senior Tzu Chi Commissioner who brought her good friend to see me. If we compare the two of them, the Commissioner was cheerful and full of smiles; she was very happy as she spoke, while the other seemed to be in low spirits. She frowned and constantly said, “You are so blessed to volunteer with Tzu Chi. Over these years, I have seen how happy and blessed you are.” The Commissioner replied, “You were the one who introduced me to Tzu Chi. Now I have to bring you here.”

I said to her, “You joined us very early on. I thank you for bringing this Commissioner into Tzu Chi. But what about you?” She replied, “I am embarrassed. At that time, my business was doing very well so I was really busy.” I said, “What about now?” She said, “I am embarrassed because at that period of time, my husband said business is booming in China, so we gradually moved our manufacturing from Taiwan to China.”

By that point, the story poured out of her. She spoke of how, over these past few decades, her husband shifted his life away from Taiwan and gradually spent more time far away in China. He did not want to come back. When she went to visit him, she found that her husband had established another family there. When she came back to Taiwan, she could not accept what she had seen and felt a deep resentment toward him.

They had started this business together and built it up from nothing, expanding it greatly. They had worked side by side and built a good life for themselves. When they shifted their manufacturing to China, and their son grew older, the son slowly distanced himself from her. His behavior grew worse; he took drugs and committed all kinds of crimes. Then she found out about her husband’s affair. So, she became someone this Commissioner now counseled and cared for. The Commissioner said, “She was overcome, so she tried to commit suicide several times. Now I keep her close to me.”

I said, “Now it is your turn to bring her into Tzu Chi.” The Commissioner said, “There has been some improvement, she is participating in our recycling work. However, her child hasn’t changed and her husband hasn’t come back.” This is the way this woman’s life is; it is filled with unbearable suffering. In the past, was she blessed or was she suffering? While she was dreaming about the future, her husband was establishing a family in China. She was in Taiwan, still having wonderful dreams. This is the way life works.

So I say, “Sentient beings who develop goodness have the karmic conditions to be transformed.” That Commissioner had goodness in her heart. Her friend had told her, “With Tzu Chi you can help save lives by donating a little each month. Look at all the people who are donating; even NT 5 or NT 10 can save people.” It made her very happy to see this, so she became a Tzu Chi member and began volunteering. Gradually she became a Tzu Chi Commissioner. Now, she is over 80 years old. She is healthy and has a blessed family life. She has also continued to help other people. Her volunteer work still makes her happy. So, once goodness arose in her heart, the karmic conditions were right, and she was able to be transformed by the Dharma. Then she was able to save and transform others.

“If sentient beings cut off their goodness,” if their roots of goodness are severed, they cannot be transformed. Indeed, the woman who complained all the time had also been a Tzu Chi member. I do not know if she has continued to donate. Regardless, now this Commissioner is caring for her. This woman is having a very hard time. But fortunately, she has a precious benefactor. This Commissioner she had introduced to Tzu Chi in the past is now her benefactor and has led her to join in with recycling work. We often hear similar stories [in Tzu Chi].

During the Buddha’s lifetime, He saw how these stubborn sentient beings were suffering, yet not aware of it. For people like her, the Buddha “skillfully taught the provisional.” He used many methods, including the karmic law of cause and effect. [I asked her,] “Do you understand? Yes, I do. Since you understand, have you awakened? It is difficult! Whenever I think about this, I feel hateful and very angry.” This woman knew what it meant to be awakened, but whenever she recalled what happened, she was not able to awaken from her hate. She was still trapped by it. Not even the Buddha could do anything about this.

Still, the Buddha continued to teach with various methods in the world, hoping that one day people will become awakened. Even if they do not awaken in this lifetime, at least He has planted a cause in them. Thus He expounded “the Three Vehicle teachings.” Do these people have roots of goodness? If they do, they have the karmic condition to be transformed. If they have severed their roots of goodness, they really cannot be transformed. Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms. If they give rise to kind thoughts, they may be born in the heaven realm or with great riches in the human realm, as the wealthiest among the wealthy. If their roots of goodness are severed, they will fall into the Three Evil Destinies, the hell, hungry ghost or animal realm. Or they may be the poorest among the poor and face unbearable suffering as humans. So, the Buddha taught the Dharma in the hope that their karmic conditions would mature so they would no longer be harmed by the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings.

See, isn’t this world like a burning house? I have been talking about the parable of the burning house, an analogy for sentient beings’ severe afflictions. Our habitual tendencies are quite severe. Though the elder kept calling to his children, “My children, please get out immediately,” these children were still deluded and remained in the burning house. Therefore, the elder came up with many methods [to entice them to come out]. Similarly, Sakyamuni Buddha gave many teachings, all to help deliver every sentient being, to help them all escape this burning house.

The previous sutra passage states, “Then, the elder….” He had been yelling to his children, telling them that outside the burning house were rows of sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts. They were already outside. He told them, “Your favorite things are outside. Come on! Get out of the house.” Hearing that their favorite things were outside, they became motivated [to leave]. They began competing with each other to get out quickly. This signified that people were slowly starting to awaken and diligently practice eliminating their afflictions. By eliminating afflictions and turbidities, they could immediately leave this burning house.

Then, the elder saw that all his children had safely made their way out and were all at the crossroads, sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles. His mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.

Only after accepting the Dharma could they let go of their afflictions and rush out nimbly, diligently and courageously. Therefore, at that time, “The elder saw that all his children had safely made their way out and were all at the crossroads, sitting out in the open.” They were safe because they had already accepted the Buddha-Dharma. The crossroads were the truths of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, the foundation for learning the Buddha-Dharma. They had recognized the suffering in this world.

When we think about this carefully, we realize we suffer the moment we are born. We felt excruciating pain when we left our mother’s womb, when our raw flesh came in contact with the air. That shock all over the body cut us to the bone. That trauma to our nerves caused us to cry out. All babies cry when they are born. That is suffering. However, our memories of this faded away. Gradually, we move from being children to being teenagers, then young adults and middle-aged. Then we move from the prime of life into old age. Our time in this world is painfully brief; our lifespan is very short. If you are from a wealthy and noble family, after enjoying yourself, what are you left with? You will still have afflictions. You may not worry about food, clothing or housing, but you will still worry about growing old and falling ill. Worst are the afflictions surrounding death; the older you get, the closer that day comes. How can we say that we experience no suffering?

Not to mention, over the course of our lives, the people we love cannot always be by our side. This is “suffering of parting from those we love.” At the same time, we constantly encounter people we do not like. We keep hearing and seeing them, which deeply vexes us. This is “the suffering of meeting those we hate.” They may be our family, friends, etc., or someone we do not want to see, yet we end up constantly hearing their name or seeing their person. We resent them, yet always hear how successful and happy they are. In this way, other people’s success can vex us deeply. This is “the suffering of meeting those we hate.” There are various kinds of suffering in our minds, like the suffering of the raging Five Aggregates. How can we possibly say we are free of suffering?

Since we are suffering, we need to understand the causes of our suffering. We must first understand [the Four Noble Truths]. “This is suffering; you should know it. This is causation; you should end it” and so on. The cessation of suffering is what we must attain and the Path is what we must practice. Doing this is the foundation of learning the Buddha’s teachings. After everybody accepted the Buddha-Dharma and understood the Four Noble Truths, they left and “safely made their way out.” So, they were “sitting out in the open.” As long as we understand the suffering of the world and the fundamentals of the Buddha-Dharma, we can gradually eliminate afflictions so that “[We] have no more obstacles.” The road of our spiritual practice will no longer be obstructed. Therefore, “[The elder’s] mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.” This is what we discussed previously.

The following sutra passage states,

“The children each said to their father, ‘You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts Please give them to us now.'”

After these children had emerged from the house, they said to their father, “You agreed to give us the various things we love. What exactly are you going to give us?” This means they were beginning to ask their father for certain things. Similarly, we Buddhist practitioners seek something from the Dharma; we know we must seek it. The meaning of this sutra passage is that. “The children heard that their father would give them what they wanted.” When the Buddha gives us what we desire, that means He is teaching, that He is giving us the Dharma. When He teaches, what kind of capacities do we have to accept it? He must teach according to our capabilities.

The children heard that their father would give them what they wanted, which is an analogy for teachings given according to capabilities. Instead of the three carts the children wanted, their father actually only gave one great cart.

Were these children [suited to be] Hearers? They would seek the sheep-cart and be taught about the various sufferings in life for them to earnestly contemplate. Those with higher capacities were taught how they came to be born human. They could earnestly contemplate the. Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence are for people with the capabilities of Solitary Realizers. People with great capabilities were taught the Six Perfections. The Six Perfections allow them to transform themselves and others. They practice giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom, which is the practice of the Bodhisattva-path. This is the cart drawn by a large white ox. The ox-carts were very big. With these large ox-carts, they could not only can transport themselves but also transport others.

These ox-carts [were very] large. A few days ago, we talked about how, in Myanmar, when we provided disaster relief, we found out the farmers had to borrow rice seeds. This was why the farmers remained poor. In addition to providing them with seeds, we also provided them with guidance. They had a bountiful harvest, and, not having to repay anyone for the seeds, they could even donate a part of their harvest to Tzu Chi so we could help other people. They loaded the extra rice onto an ox-cart and brought it to us as a way of giving back. This is what Great Vehicle practitioners do. After they were saved and reaped a bountiful harvest, they wanted to help other people.

This shows sentient beings’ [differing] capacities. Some people just want to save themselves and do not think about saving others. Some, after hearing the Dharma, just want to take things slow; thus there are many Hearers. Many people have heard the Buddha-Dharma, but a fewer number put it into practice.

There are also quite a few people who, after hearing the Dharma, only seek to awaken themselves. In the end, to have people who accept the Dharma and put it in practice by giving and transforming sentient beings is the Buddha’s true goal in tirelessly expounding the Dharma in the world. This is symbolized by, “Their father actually only gave one great cart.” The elder did not just want to give them sheep-carts and deer-carts. The elder intended for every child to have a great cart, which was the ox-cart. So, if sentient beings develop goodness, they will have the conditions to be transformed. This is an analogy for how, “responding to their capacities and conditions, the Buddha manifested a body accordingly.”

If sentient beings have goodness in them, then they have the conditions to be transformed, and responding to their capacities and conditions, the Buddha manifested a body accordingly. For the practitioners of the Bodhi-path, the Buddha set an example to guide them to connect to True Suchness and achieve a Buddha-body of universal enlightenment.

The Buddha comes to the world in response to sentient beings who have the capabilities and karmic conditions. So, He manifested in the human realm as a role model for spiritual practice. He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood. He did this to teach us how to walk the path of spiritual practice. “For the practitioners of the Bodhi-path, the Buddha set an example to guide them to connect to True Suchness and achieve…universal enlightenment.” In this way, He helped everybody understand that they intrinsically have Buddha-nature and have the potential to attain Buddhahood.

If we walk the same path, we will naturally discover our nature of True Suchness. To do this, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. We must go among people so we can realize the principles of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. Only by doing this can we learn how to eliminate our afflictions and have a way to move forward steadily along the Bodhisattva-path. Then we return to our nature of True Suchness, our original enlightened nature.

So, I always say that if we pave a smooth road in this world, it will connect with the Bodhi-path. This is the Bodhisattva-path we must walk. Living Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings. Wherever there is suffering, Bodhisattvas will appear. When Bodhisattvas appear, people have a chance to be saved and delivered. There must be capabilities and conditions; this must continue so we can transform each other. Dear Bodhisattvas, we must be mindful every day; we must always be mindful.

Episode 562 – To Leave the Burning House,

---

>> “Unselfish great love brings great peace and happiness. Understanding and purity bring infinite joy. If we are content with few desires, we will not be greedy or attached. By embracing the world, we bring about utmost harmony.”

>> At that time, all the children heard their father say that there were precious toys which suited their desires, so their minds became emboldened. Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing, they competed to get out of the burning house.

>> “Then, the elder saw that all his children had safely made their way out and were all at the crossroads, sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles. His mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.”

>> The elder deeply contemplated his great house where disasters had sprung up on four sides all at once. He repeatedly thought of ways to save his children. Yet they were attached and unaware and did not want to leave. Now he saw that all his children had gotten out safely.

>> “This is also like Great Vehicle practitioners who have entered the first ground.” They can attain non-abiding Nirvana, eliminate all obstacles of knowledge and subdue all afflictions. Thus it says they were sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles.

>> His mind was composed because his children had all made their way out. His children were no longer obstructed, so the father felt composed. Once his mind was at peace, he was very happy; the father’s mind was calm and at peace. Full of joy means that the elder had no worries and no more fears.

---

“Unselfish great love brings great peace and happiness.
Understanding and purity bring infinite joy.
If we are content with few desires, we will not be greedy or attached.
By embracing the world, we bring about utmost harmony.”

Everyone, a heart that loves selflessly is very broad and expansive. If our hearts are broad and expansive, when we interact with people, everything will be harmonious. A harmonious world is very peaceful and happy.

This state is not unattainable. As long as we are understanding of others and pure in heart, we can treat others with great sincerity. We will treat each other without any suspicion and without any jealousy, in this way, just as when among friends, we can talk about anything. We have nothing to hide, nor do we have doubts about each other. See, isn’t this a wonderful way to live? To be this way, as we interact with each other, we must be content and have few desires.

If we are content, we feel that we have plenty. It is because we are discontent that we are always afraid of not having enough. Once we give rise to desires, our greed will be boundless. We never feel that we have enough; we never experience abundance. Therefore, we must reduce our desires. It is fine to simply have enough. This means we must not be greedy or attached. If we are not greedy or deluded by our desires, we will constantly live in a state of abundance. Then won’t our mind’s wisdom be clear?

Our minds must be expansive; not only must we accommodate each other, our minds must encompass the universe. As we live on this planet, however vast the world may be, our minds must be just as big. Since we coexist with the rivers and the land, not only must we love people, we must also love the sky, the earth and all of nature. If we can do this, we will not be greedy and thus not cause damage. If we do not damage nature, naturally, the world will be safe and peaceful. A natural state is most beautiful.

If everybody can follow the laws of nature and accord each other the proper degree of respect as they interact with each other, ethical behavior will come naturally and be clearly apparent to them. By “illuminating luminous virtues,” we will naturally “rest in the utmost goodness.” These are all very natural principles.

Let us look at an example in Myanmar. On the 14th, 15th and 16th day of the seventh lunar month, their tradition is to hold a Festival of Lights. For this festival, over these three days, everyone goes the temples to pay respect to the Buddha. They also kowtow to and pay respect to their parents. They treat their teachers in the same way; they prostate to their teachers as a sign of respect.

Tzu Chi volunteers had the causes and conditions to go into Myanmar in May 2008, after that country was hit by [Cyclone Nargis]. The wind and rain had caused a huge disaster, so Tzu Chi volunteers went there and began to provide material assistance while also sharing our spirit and principles with the people there. Then our volunteers discovered that the people there had such great traditions and such wonderful rituals. So with these conditions, we went into the schools to motivate the students to study and to understand the sutras, to understand the principles of the world.

Therefore, this year (2013), as they paid respect to the Buddha and to their teachers, Tzu Chi volunteers led these children to express the principles that they had learned and understood; they taught them to make sandwiches and desserts so that by making food themselves they could understand the hard work their mothers do. We let the children make the desserts themselves. Once they were done, they held the dessert with great respect, walked toward their parents and then knelt down to offer it to them. At the same time, they told their parents, “Thank you for raising me; I’m very grateful.” As the mothers and children held each other, the mothers all cried and

the children repented to their parents. “In the past, I didn’t know better. So my attitude and the way I talked to you were often disrespectful. I also caused you to worry.” The children expressed their true feelings and repented their ways in front of their parents. Their parents had never felt so close to them, hearing them repent so honestly and express their love so clearly. The hearts of their parents opened up. They had been worried about their children, but now seeing their mature understanding, the parents felt at peace.

So, if we sentient beings can return to our pure hearts and follow the principles and the laws of nature, wouldn’t we all feel infinite joy? As we interact with people, if we give to each other with selfless love, we will feel great peace and happiness. We must be understanding of each other and remain pure in heart. If we live a pure life and stay on the path of ethics and morality, won’t we be very happy? Won’t we feel safe and peaceful? So, the only way to be peaceful, happy and free of afflictions is to be content and have few desires.

If we do not have greed or attachments, then naturally we will remain pure in heart, very kind and undefiled. If we can do this, the world will be wide open to us. If our minds are as expansive as the world, then the world will be very harmonious. To achieve peace and joy is not difficult, as long as we have the will. As long as our minds are pure and free of greed and attachments, we will enjoy a most wonderful life. If we all have broad minds and pure thoughts, the world will be very peaceful.

The burning house of the Three Realms is what the Buddha worried about the most. Because human minds are complicated and we have severe afflictions and impurities, we have gone off the path of ethics and morality. Thus we continually give rise to afflictions. Consider the elder with the burning house. When he sees the house on fire, doesn’t he feel uneasy and worried? Doesn’t the Buddha feel the same way?

Therefore, these sutra passages revolve around this burning house. This great house had already caught fire, so the elder continuously called out. He yelled to everyone, “Come out quickly. It is dangerous inside, come out!” However, the children still could not understand. They saw him, but could not hear what he was yelling. Even if they heard him, they were still unaware. Their minds were still afflicted, confused and dulled. So, with these teachings, whether the father’s calls or the Buddha-Dharma, either they could not hear it, or they heard but could not understand. This is what we ordinary people are like. We live in this evil world of Five Turbidities, where disasters frequently arise, yet we are still unaware.

Thus, for us sentient beings living in the world now, we all must awaken immediately. The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, all the children heard their father say that there were precious toys which suited their desires.”

At that time, all the children heard their father say that there were precious toys which suited their desires, so their minds became emboldened. Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing, they competed to get out of the burning house.

Now they had heard what he was saying and saw that, outside the burning house, there were many precious toys in the open field. There were sheep-carts, deer-carts, various other treasures and great ox-carts lined up outside. The carts were all decorated beautifully. Everybody felt, “These are the things that I want,” so everybody quickly rushed out.

Thus, “Their minds became emboldened.” Now they all wanted to get out, so they pushed and crowded against each other. They began to realize that to get through the door of the burning house, there was only one condition, that they let go of their afflictions. Once we have eliminated afflictions, we will then rush and race to get out. This means that everybody has practiced earnestly and eliminated their afflictions. Then with pure minds, we can diligently progress.

This next sutra passage states,

“Then, the elder saw that all his children had safely made their way out and were all at the crossroads, sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles. His mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.”

When we get to this sutra passage, everything suddenly lightens up.

The elder deeply contemplated his great house where disasters had sprung up on four sides all at once. He repeatedly thought of ways to save his children. Yet they were attached and unaware and did not want to leave. Now he saw that all his children had gotten out safely.

The elder saw that these children had finally heard his words. Seeing the things they wanted, they had begun to emerge from the house.

This tells us that the elder had engaged in deep contemplation. Fire had arisen on all four sides of the great house; all kinds of disasters had broken out. As a previous sutra passage states, “All at once, a fire broke out.” In fact, this represents an imbalance of the four elements. All kinds of disasters arise in this evil world of Five Turbidities. This great house was in a state of severe turbidity. The beams and pillars had deteriorated. The fire, this disaster, had arisen on all sides. The Buddha, or the elder, had already left the burning house but saw that the burning house, this world of the Three Realms, was truly surrounded by danger. The Buddha, as the kind father of the world, could not bear for His children to remain inside and suffer pain, harm and hardship. So, He did everything He could think of. He deeply contemplated this, using all His effort. This house was already unsafe, so He kept wondering, “How can I save them?” He contemplated this question again and again. But again and again,

the stubbornness of the children and the ignorance of sentient beings were very severe. They still did not want to leave the burning house. The path to leave the burning house was right in front of them, but no one chose walk this broad and bright path. However, the Buddha was compassionate, so He was determined to teach the True Dharma, the path of the One Vehicle. Because of this, in His old age. He began to expound the True Dharma. Then it just depended on whether people were willing to accept it. The True Dharma is the Bodhi-path, which is the Bodhisattva-path. He had seen that everybody had begun to accept and understand [the Dharma].

He saw that “all his children had safely made their way out.” They came out and were all at the crossroads. They had arrived at a safe place where they could then go in all directions. They were now out in the open field and could see a clear and bright road in that place. So, [the crossroads] is an analogy for the Four Noble Truths.

We must reconnect with our initial aspiration for listening to the Dharma. Everybody must thoroughly understand that. “This is suffering; you should know it.” Everyone should know, “This is causation; you should end it.” Everyone must know that they must eliminate their afflictions. Therefore, everybody must understand suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. We must know how to walk this path in order to be safe and at peace. So, Small Vehicle Practitioners rely on the principles of the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths are the foundation for the Great and Small Vehicles. However, Small Vehicle practitioners stop here. They only rely on the principles of the Four Noble Truths. Once they reach this stage, they stop, “sitting out in the open”; they sit down in peace and comfort. This is an analogy for how, with their wisdom, they have realized the Four Noble Truths, and that is all.

“This is also like Great Vehicle practitioners who have entered the first ground.” Indeed, the Four Noble Truths are the first ground in entering the Great Vehicle. Therefore, we continually talk about suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, which are the foundation for practitioners of the Three Vehicles to learn the Buddha’s teachings. This is not only the stage the. Small Vehicle practitioners have stopped at, but also the first ground for. Great Vehicle practitioners who are practicing the Bodhisattva-path.

Thus, they can attain non-abiding Nirvana. After passing through this stage, they have no obstructions and can keep going until their minds are in Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of tranquility and stillness. With an undefiled mind, they pass these crossroads. This means they have already accepted the principles of the Four Noble Truths. After passing this road, their minds are still pure as they courageously move forward.

“This is also like Great Vehicle practitioners who have entered the first ground.” They can attain non-abiding Nirvana, eliminate all obstacles of knowledge and subdue all afflictions. Thus it says they were sitting out in the open; they had no more obstacles.

“Eliminating all obstacles of knowledge” means that they have completely eliminated all afflictions covering their minds. This is what Great Vehicle practitioners do. People who practice the Great Vehicle Dharma will also sit out there in the open. At the crossroads, they will sit comfortably. After they have eliminated their afflictions, they will sit down calmly and comfortably. This represents how Great Vehicle practitioners will no longer face any obstacles. There are no other obstructions. Since they have put an end to “causation,” and eliminated all kinds of afflictions and attachments, now they are on a bright and broad path, which is the Bodhisattva-path. This is what Great Vehicle practitioners do.

Therefore, the Four Noble Truths are the foundation for the Great and Small Vehicles. These are the things that we must understand, that we must practice and that we must eliminate. They are indispensable. Then “[We] no longer face any obstacles.” If we can do this, we will no longer have any more obstacles. “His mind was composed and full of joy and jubilance.”

His mind was composed because his children had all made their way out. His children were no longer obstructed, so the father felt composed. Once his mind was at peace, he was very happy; the father’s mind was calm and at peace. Full of joy means that the elder had no worries and no more fears.

Actually, we should not give the Buddha cause to worry. Once we have accepted the Dharma, we should follow the course laid out in the teachings. If we follow the principles, naturally, our minds will be very happy, open and peaceful. So, [when we practice] the Dharma, “Unselfish great love brings great peace and happiness.” If we take the Dharma to heart, then our minds will naturally be very open, peaceful and full of joy. If the Dharma is in our hearts, we will be understanding of everything. If we are understanding, our relationships will be genuine and pure. This will make everyone happy.

So, we must be content and have few desires. That means we must take the Dharma to heart, only then can we be content and have few desires. Otherwise, ordinary people, because of the arising of evil thoughts, will constantly produce afflictions. They will be unable to escape through the door, because they still carry many afflictions. Once they let go of their afflictions, they will be able to safely exit the burning house and everybody will feel peaceful and at ease. Whether they were Great or. Small Vehicle practitioners, they had arrived at a safe space and were diligently practicing the Buddha-Dharma. If we can reach a harmonious state that embraces the world, the Buddha will be at peace and rejoice as the elder did.

In summary, as Buddhist practitioners, we need to truly take the Dharma to heart. Once we take it to heart, we must put it into practice and apply it in our daily living. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 561 – We Learn the Teachings of the Path

---

>> “With our wisdom-life and Dharma-essence, we make the great vows. Unwilling to let sentient beings flounder, we seek to transform them. We clearly contemplate right and wrong and eliminate afflictions. We learn the teachings of the path to escape the burning house.”

>> “Of these, there are many kinds, sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts, outside the door right now for you to play with. You should quickly leave this burning house;”

>> “At that time, all the children heard their father say that there were precious toys which suited their desires, so their minds became emboldened. Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing, they competed to get out of the burning house.”

>> All the children took joy in what suited their minds and their hearts’ desires. This is similar to the Three Vehicle practitioners in how they sought the teachings that suited them and made them happy. They heard that there were sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts for them to play with, which all suited their desires.

>> The sheep-cart that some children went for is an analogy for the Hearer Vehicle. “They can only transform themselves; they cannot transform others.”

>> The deer-cart describes the Solitary Realizers. People who practice the Solitary Realizer Vehicle “can transform themselves and uphold the Dharma.”

>> Then there is the ox-cart. The ox-cart describes the Bodhisattva Vehicle. People practicing the Bodhisattva Vehicle not only transform themselves, they can universally deliver sentient beings.

>> “Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing,”

>> “They competed to get out of the burning house.”

>> Due to the Buddha’s teaching of skillful means, they accepted the teachings according to their capabilities and diligently advanced. By starting to put them into practice they were able to leave the burning house of afflictions.

>> “Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing” is an analogy for how they became courageous and diligently practiced good deeds.

>> They have promptly stopped committing evil and rejected the creation of negative karma to renounce the burning house of the Three Realms.

---

“With our wisdom-life and Dharma-essence, we make the great vows.
Unwilling to let sentient beings flounder, we seek to transform them.
We clearly contemplate right and wrong and eliminate afflictions.
We learn the teachings of the path to escape the burning house.”

This physical life is our vehicle for learning from the Buddha. With this body and our existence in this lifetime, we are fortunate to have heard the Buddha-Dharma. So, we must earnestly seize this opportunity and make use of this body and this lifetime to earnestly absorb the Buddha-Dharma. We must spend our lifetime diligently practicing. Then the Dharma-essence that we attain will invigorate our wisdom-life.

Life is filled with suffering, and ordinary beings flounder in the Six Realms. Since we have been born in the human realm, in this realm, we will experience both suffering and joy because they coexist in this world. Moreover, good and evil are intermixed. So, the human realm is the place where the Five Destinies coexist. The Buddha has compassion for sentient beings who live where the Five Destinies coexist and where good and evil are intermixed. This place is truly very hazardous, so out of His compassion. He came for one great cause, to transform us all. Transforming sentient beings is very hard work. He tried everything He could to teach us to clearly understand right and wrong so that we would be able to eliminate our afflictions. So, we must “learn the teachings of the path.” The Buddha teaches us how to practice and how to choose the correct path.

Among the six paths to choose from, He tells us which one to follow, the human path, because only in the human realm can we hear the Buddha-Dharma, and it is in this realm that we can put it into practice. When we choose to engage in spiritual practice, the human realm is where we can put the Bodhisattva-path into practice. Only humans have this opportunity. So, we have already attained a human existence, which was not easy. This gives us the chance to hear the Dharma and engage in spiritual practice. This is what gives us the opportunity to escape the burning house of the Three Realms.

Over these past few days we have discussed how the elder had arranged, outside the door, all the things the children would want. Those things were the three carts. Sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts were all arranged outside so that people could immediately come and choose one. “Which cart appeals to you the most?” Thus everyone quickly left the burning house. “When you escape from the burning [house], you can choose from among these carts. So hurry up and come out.”

․”Of these, there are many kinds, sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts, outside the door right now for you to play with. You should quickly leave this burning house;”

“then I will give you whichever you desire.” When I read this sutra passage, I recall a recent report from Myanmar (in October, 2013), a very touching true story. In Thanlyin Township in Myanmar, there is a Buddhist temple. Outside the temple, there were many ox-carts; around one or two hundred ox-carts. A group of Tzu Chi volunteers had been invited there by some of the farmers.

Though they were invited as guests, the Tzu Chi volunteers brought tarps with them as gifts for the farmers. When these farmers cut down the rice stalks, they do not have big open areas like we do with which to spread out and dry the rice. They do not have these, so after they cut down the rice stalks they used to leave them in the paddies and wait for them to dry before harvesting them. Then if it rained, the stalks would soak up water. Therefore, Tzu Chi volunteers quickly prepared large tarps for them so that when they finished cutting the stalks, they could put the tarp under the stalks to protect them from the wet ground.

After they were invited, Tzu Chi volunteers prepared these tarps as gifts, along with red envelopes [of blessings and wisdom]. When they arrived, they saw [an amazing sight]. “Wow! There are so many ox-carts here!” The farmers had neatly piled up bags of rice in a corner of the temple. They had already harvested this rice and wanted to give back to Tzu Chi.

I heard that, on average, each bag contained almost 22 kilos of rice. Tzu Chi volunteers could distribute the rice to help farmers who were living in poverty. Normally, the farmers had to borrow rice seeds, and the interest they had to pay was very high. If they borrowed one or two bushels of seeds, after the harvest they would have to repay the loan with two or three bushels of rice. Each time, after harvesting the rice and repaying their debts, they would barely have enough to eat. Thus, they were trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Tzu Chi volunteers had been in Myanmar since 2008 when extreme winds and rain created a large-scale natural disaster. That was when our relief efforts began. Besides bringing them timely material assistance, we also considered how we could stabilize their lives. They were all farmers, and we learned that they had to borrow rice seeds for planting. Every year after the harvest, once they repaid this debt, they would not have much rice left. This is why we decided to donate rice seeds to them. We bought the best rice seeds we could and provided fertilizer as well. At the same time, we continued to interact with them. The farmers saw that Tzu Chi volunteers provided not only temporary assistance, but ongoing care as well.

When we distributed rice seeds to them, we told them about the spirit of the bamboo banks. Thus the farmers absorbed this Dharma and wanted to find a way to give back. Over the last couple of years, these farmers have given back every year so that Tzu Chi volunteers could go to a different village every year to distribute aid to other poor farmers. This happened again this year. More than 200 farmers brought their harvest in ox-carts.

This is such a wonderful thing. Isn’t this the essence of the Dharma? The Dharma has entered their hearts. In their daily living, though they do not lead comfortable lives, they are still willing to give to others. They have already transcended their state of living in poverty and needing help. Now that they have transcended it, even though they are not very wealthy, they are still able to help others. They have spiritual wealth in their hearts, which is the Dharma. This is how we can develop our wisdom-life and take the Dharma into our bone marrow. Thus we can live out our wisdom-life.

The next sutra passage states,

“At that time, all the children heard their father say that there were precious toys which suited their desires, so their minds became emboldened. Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing, they competed to get out of the burning house.”

This sutra passage continues to describe these children who, though in the burning house, were still deluded and did not immediately leave. They were having fun in the burning house and did not realize that the fire could harm them. This is similar to people in the world who cling to their objects of desire, not realizing that their desires are very harmful. Thus they remain deluded and unawakened. Perhaps we have heard the Buddha-Dharma, but after hearing and accepting it, we still have attachments and cling to what we think we need. This applies to all sentient beings in the Three Realms.

The Buddha feels for them, because sentient beings are lost in the desire, form and formless realms. Even if they are not attached to material things, they may have a bias toward certain teachings. They may be attached to what they think they need without realizing that it is only a part of the process they need to go through. The Buddha paved a path of skillful means for them to walk on. But before they had reached the safe and broad path, they stopped on this path of skillful means.

Thus the Buddha had to think of more methods. He told everyone, “Come out quickly! There is something even better outside. It is what you need, so come out quickly!” Thus the sutra states, “All the children heard their father say there were precious toys which suited their desires.” They knew that what was outside was better. Thus they all quickly came out. This showed that “all the children took joy in what suited their minds.” These things happened to be what they were looking for. These were “what suited their desires.” When everyone saw that what was outside was what they truly wanted, they began leaving the burning house.

All the children took joy in what suited their minds and their hearts’ desires. This is similar to the Three Vehicle practitioners in how they sought the teachings that suited them and made them happy. They heard that there were sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts for them to play with, which all suited their desires.

This is the analogy of the three carts. The three kinds of carts, sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts had been arranged outside so that the children could see them with their own eyes. More than just hearing what their father said, they could actually see that outside the house, the carts that they wanted were lined up there. They could take these carts and go wherever they wanted to. This made them happy because this suited their minds and their desires. This is an analogy for the Three Vehicle practitioners and how they each sought suitable teachings which delighted them.

When Bodhisattvas hear the Buddha teach the Dharma, they know that, by walking the Bodhisattva-path, they can make great vows. Those who take the ox-cart take joy in the Great Vehicle Dharma and can transform themselves and others. Each kind of cart meets a certain need. What Solitary Realizers need is the deer-cart. What the Hearers need is the sheep-cart. These are all carts, which can be played with and taken wherever they want to go. So, carts are used as analogies. With these carts, they can attain [what they want]; they can play, “which suited their desires.” The sheep-cart that some children went for.

The sheep-cart that some children went for is an analogy for the Hearer Vehicle. “They can only transform themselves; they cannot transform others.”

They can only transform themselves. They know to “refrain from evil” but they have not achieved the state of “doing all good deeds.” They understand karmic cause and effect, but they do not know how to further realize the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. They do not yet understand the principles behind how to come into and leave this world.

The deer-cart describes the Solitary Realizers.

The deer-cart describes the Solitary Realizers. People who practice the Solitary Realizer Vehicle “can transform themselves and uphold the Dharma.”

They are able to transform themselves and will work hard in their cultivation of the Dharma so they can uphold their precepts. Thus they “can purify their own minds.” This is the deer-cart. They awaken only themselves. They only care about the purity of their own bodies and minds and do not care about anything else.

Then there is the ox-cart. The ox-cart describes the Bodhisattva Vehicle. People practicing the Bodhisattva Vehicle not only transform themselves, they can universally deliver sentient beings.

This is the analogy of the great ox-cart. These are analogies for the Dharma, for the Great, Middle and Small Vehicles. The Great Dharma is suitable for sentient beings with sharp capabilities. Upon hearing a teaching, they can instantly realize that they intrinsically have Buddha-nature. However, to return to their intrinsic nature, they must walk the Bodhisattva-path. They are Great Vehicle practitioners with sharp capabilities. They can realize the Buddha’s intent, so they aspire and vow to deliver sentient beings. In the process of transforming sentient beings, they are also transforming themselves. By transforming themselves and others, they can perfect their conduct. This is the ox-cart.

“Their minds became emboldened.” They had already seen that the things outside were what they wanted. So, they summoned up their courage and became brave and energized.

“Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing,”

they all wanted to get out.

“They competed to get out of the burning house.”

This tells us that because of the Buddha’s skillful means, His skillful methods of teaching, they “accepted the teachings according to capabilities.” He devised these teachings in accord with their capabilities. Because these teachings suited their capabilities, everyone found what they were looking for and began to diligently practice.

Due to the Buddha’s teaching of skillful means, they accepted the teachings according to their capabilities and diligently advanced. By starting to put them into practice they were able to leave the burning house of afflictions.

Hearers have their practices that they must diligently cultivate. Solitary Realizers have their practices that they happily cultivate. Bodhisattvas have their practices which they have awakened to. So as the Buddha taught according to capabilities, everyone could apply those teachings. Everyone was diligently advancing and “by starting to put them into practice,” by putting the teachings into practice, taking the Dharma to heart and manifesting it in their actions, they were able to “leave the burning house of afflictions.”

“Pushing and crowding each other, rushing and racing” is an analogy for how they became courageous and diligently practiced good deeds.

Once courage arose in their hearts, they began to diligently advance. They began to take action and engage in practice, so they courageously and diligently advanced. Once they started moving, they were only afraid of falling behind.

But for people who chose the sheep- or deer-cart, the Buddha still wanted to help them realize that they were only awakening themselves. Yet, they diligently practiced since they had accepted the Dharma. Thus they could slowly attain realizations and still have opportunity to shoulder this mission. So, they had “promptly stopped committing evil.”

They have promptly stopped committing evil and rejected the creation of negative karma to renounce the burning house of the Three Realms.

Whether they choose the sheep- or deer-cart, Small Vehicle practitioners have stopped committing evils; they will not do it again. Though they have not earnestly benefited others, at least they are benefiting themselves and “purifying their own minds.” They will no longer be confused and degenerate again. This is how the Buddha made use of skillful means, these three methods, the Small, Middle and Great Vehicle Dharma, to teach everyone. These helped everyone reject the creation of negative karma. We must immediately reject wrongdoings and courageously walk the path to doing good. We must reject what is not good and courageously and diligently practice on the path to doing good. This is how we can “escape the burning house of the Three Realms.” So, this “pushing and crowding each other” is about pushing aside all the bad things. Then we will have a clear road to diligently walk. So, we rush and race to diligently advance.

So, as Buddhist practitioners, it is very important to be mindful. We must earnestly take in the Dharma so that it becomes a part of us. The Buddha told us that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. The principles are always there in the world around us, so at any time we can take them as our Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 560 – Awaken Yourself and Transform Others

---

>> “We take the Buddha’s awakened state as our aspiration and keep His loving-kindness in our hearts. We awaken ourselves, transform others and make great vows. We meticulously contemplate the wisdom of suchness.”

>> The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy. So, he told them, “The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”

>> “Of these, there are many kinds.”

>> There were many kinds of things.

>> “Outside the door right now for you to play with. You should quickly leave this burning house; then I will give you whichever you desire.”

>> The ox-cart mentioned is big and the ox is strong. It can carry many things. So, those who appreciate it are likened to those with great capabilities. The sheep-cart and deer-cart are [pulled by animals] with average or weak strength. Those who appreciate them are likened to those with average or limited capabilities.

>> The Buddha’s original intent is to teach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. There was originally no second or third vehicle. But since sentient beings like the Three Vehicles, they do not know they are skillful means and do not progress after attaining realizations.

>> “Those who practice meditation can be greedy for the joy of Samadhi.” Those studying the teachings’ meaning can become attached to the wondrous language.

>> But they did not know that the Tathagata wanted to enable sentient beings, with these teachings adapted to their abilities, to escape from samsara and no longer wallow in the Six Realms.

>> These three carts are analogies. The ox-cart is an analogy for the Great Vehicle, the quest to realize fundamental Dharma-nature.

>> Acquire “subsequently attained wisdom.”

>> The Two Vehicle practitioners, as they have not yet realized the Dharma-nature, cannot attain this cart. But because they have heard of this ox-cart, they can proceed from this and finally attain it.

---

“We take the Buddha’s awakened state as our aspiration
and keep His loving-kindness in our hearts.
We awaken ourselves, transform others and make great vows.
We meticulously contemplate the wisdom of suchness.”

Don’t we engage in spiritual practice to take the Buddha’s mind as our own? This is what I often say. To develop a Buddha-mind, we first awaken to the workings of the world. If we do not understand worldly matters, how can we possibly take the Buddha’s mind as our own?

The Buddha’s enlightened state is so tranquil and clear. Living among people, the Buddha does not consider gain or loss. He only works for His one great cause, to share His state of mind and His insights with everyone, so that He can inspire everyone to reach the understanding that everyone has the same awakened state as Him. This awakened state is the same in all of us. So, we must constantly “take the Buddha’s awakened state as our aspiration.” We must quickly find our own Buddha-nature. This is our vow as Buddhist practitioners.

We learn the Buddha’s teachings because we want to attain Buddhahood. So, now we must “learn by doing.” By being diligent in our learning, we “awaken through learning.” We must have this kind of mindset to diligently advance in our practice. This is our vow. What we want to learn is to have the same state of mind as the Buddha “and keep His loving-kindness in our hearts.” Our hearts should be compassionate like the Buddha’s.

The Buddha considers all beings as His only child. He treat the Four Kinds of Beings impartially. He “shows compassion to all equally” because He sees them all as equals. He treats them all like His children. So, with His loving-kindness, He coexists harmoniously with all life. In this world, and in our relationships, there is no need to differentiate between different ethnicities. We are all part of the universe, one of the Four Kinds of Beings.

So, we have to awaken ourselves. In addition to ourselves, we also hope that everyone in the world can be like the Buddha and have a broad and open mind, one that is truly tranquil and clear and pure like crystal. We want to reach that kind of state. So, we must establish our resolve and make great vows to transform all sentient beings. When we hear the Dharma, we must share it with everyone. When sentient beings are suffering, we must help them mindfully.

How mindful must we be? We must engage in meticulous contemplation. At all times we must be very meticulous as we contemplate the wisdom of suchness. The “wisdom of suchness” is the nature of True Suchness. This is intrinsic to all of us; we all have this nature that is of one essence with the Buddha’s understanding and the Buddha’s enlightened state. If we meticulously examine the Buddha’s teachings and mindfully seek to comprehend them, there is nothing we cannot achieve. We will be able to find a way to merge our minds with the Buddha’s mind and feel the same compassion; we will look at all sentient beings with that same compassion.

Look at how modern technology has verified the Buddha’s wisdom. Throughout the Buddhist sutras, it is said that when those who practice the Bodhisattva-path save sentient beings, their “head, eyes, marrow and brain were all given to others.” When we hear this, we may wonder, “Is that possible?” Yes, it is. As part of our Mission of Medicine, we have a “bone marrow donor registry” and a “bone bank.” People are willing to donate, so, when a match is found, they are able to do so.

In 2010, in Singapore, there was a young mother whose child had just entered elementary school. She suddenly felt unwell, so she went for an exam. The doctor’s diagnosis shocked her. The only thing that could save her was chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. But could they find the right match? This was the beginning of her suffering.

In Singapore, although they found two matches, those two people were not willing to donate. She had felt a glimmer of hope, but very quickly her hopes were dashed and her whole family was very sad and in deep despair.

But the hospital told her there was still Taiwan. So, they sought assistance from Taiwan. In Taiwan, after a period of constant searching, three people were found who were suitable donors. One of them was willing to donate, so her hopes were raised again.

The bone marrow donor was in Taiwan and the recipient was in Singapore, so it was as if her salvation came out of thin air. Think about it, didn’t the Buddha say, “Head, eyes, marrow and brain were all given to others”? Now if some of us are willing to donate our organs after we die, the whole body can be of use. Even the bones can be removed and stored. Even the skin can be removed and stored. Then patients who need them can make use of them.

Whether it is the heart, liver, kidney etc., everything in our body can be used to save others. This is the Buddha’s 2000-year-old wisdom; it is that meticulous and thorough. After more than 2000 years, in our present time, medical technology is capable of making this happen. From this we can understand that the Buddha-Dharma can be verified in this world. It is intimately related to our lives, so we should take the Buddha’s awakened state as a concrete goal of our spiritual practice.

All in all, making the great vows requires a certain state of mind. Since we are learning from the Buddha, we must contemplate very thoroughly. “Meticulous” means very thorough; we must use very comprehensive wisdom to earnestly contemplate. Thus we listen, contemplate and practice. As we listen, contemplate and practice, we must earnestly put our hearts into returning to our pure nature of True Suchness. This is why we must always be mindful as we learn the Buddha’s teachings.

After reading the previous sutra passages, the Buddha seems like the “kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings.” He treats the Four Kinds of Beings in the Three Realms as His own children. These children were undisciplined, mischievous, deluded by the things that they like. They did not quickly leave this dangerous place and time was running out, So, the father used various methods [to draw them out]. Right outside the door he placed many precious toys to entice them to quickly come and take them.

“If you do not come out quickly, it will be too late for you to get any of this. If you miss out on this, you will regret it.” This is the general idea of the previous passage.

The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy. So, he told them, “The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”

Now we will talk about,

“Of these, there are many kinds.”

What exactly did he place outside?

There were many kinds of things.

There were “sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts.”

“Outside the door right now for you to play with. You should quickly leave this burning house; then I will give you whichever you desire.”

“Everyone, hurry up and come out. Look outside, there are sheep-drawn carts, deer-drawn carts and ox-drawn carts. See, all the things you love are right outside. Hurry outside, these are gifts that I want to give you. It is dangerous inside; come out to safety. Then you can choose to take any one of these things.”

This was how the father enticed them. This means that when we compare the ox to the sheep and deer, of course, the ox is very strong. Because the ox is strong, the cart he pulls is very large. The ox-cart is bigger. This is like people with great capabilities. This cart is the Bodhisattva Vehicle, the Great Vehicle. These people willingly leave [the burning house]. Once they encounter the Buddha-Dharma, they choose the Great Vehicle Dharma. They walk the Bodhisattva-path and go among people to transform sentient beings. They must have the strength and willingness to pull a big cart.

The ox-cart mentioned is big and the ox is strong. It can carry many things. So, those who appreciate it are likened to those with great capabilities. The sheep-cart and deer-cart are [pulled by animals] with average or weak strength. Those who appreciate them are likened to those with average or limited capabilities.

As for the sheep-cart or deer-cart, they are used for fun. They are smaller and people who appreciate them are likened to those with average or limited capabilities. These are the Middle Vehicle and Small Vehicle. As we said earlier, Bodhisattvas form great aspirations, establish great vows and transform sentient beings. If one is a Solitary Realizer or Hearer, one will only seek to awaken oneself. This is like picking the deer-cart or sheep-cart.

Now, they had all come outside, so everyone could play. This shows that the Buddha’s original vow was to help everyone transcend the Three Realms, the desire, form and formless realms. The desire realm is our desirous thoughts. The form realm is everything in the realm of physical existence. If there are desires in our minds, material objects in our external conditions will entice us and cause afflictions to arise. Though we cannot see and touch them, these [formless] afflictions fill our minds. These are the Three Realms.

The Buddha hoped that everyone can transcend the Three Realms, turning desire into love and turning selfish desires into selfless great love. If we can do this, we will use the material objects around us to save and transform sentient beings. If we help others without any expectations, our hearts will be pure. This Bodhisattva state of mind is a pure formless realm. They had quickly gone out of the door, but out of their compassion, they wanted to save and deliver sentient beings. So, they went in again to save and deliver them. They are Bodhisattvas.

This was the Buddha’s original intent; He only wanted to teach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. The Buddha’s original intent was to help everyone return to their intrinsic Tathagata-nature. As part of this process, they must walk the Bodhisattva-path and go among people. They must keep their hearts pure, free of expectations and attachments. Only by developing this state of mind would they be able to “comprehend the great path” and realize the true principles of this universe.

This is what the Buddha hoped to teach us, so that we can open the door to our wisdom and be one with the universe. This kind of awakening reveals the principles of the One Vehicle. Originally, there were not even Two [Vehicles], so how could there be Three Vehicles? We have the Two Vehicles and Three Vehicles because the Buddha observed that sentient beings had varying capabilities. This is why He developed the Three Vehicle teachings. In the Buddha’s original intent, there is actually just the One Vehicle, that which helps everyone return to their pure intrinsic Buddha-nature.

The Buddha’s original intent is to teach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. There was originally no second or third vehicle. But since sentient beings like the Three Vehicles, they do not know they are skillful means and do not progress after attaining realizations.

“There was originally no second or third vehicle.” They were taught according to sentient beings’ interests. It was according to their preferences and inclinations that the Buddha established the Three Vehicle Dharma. But people did not understand that these are skillful means. They clung to the state of a Solitary Realizer and to attaining realizations.

In fact, to truly attain realizations, we must practice the Bodhisattva-path and experience the compassion of the Buddha’s mind. Then this is a true realization. But people do not realize that they are practicing skillful means, and “do not progress after attaining realizations.” They think that just by sitting in meditation, they will be able to awaken and attain realizations. It is not that easy! But nowadays everyone says that this is what Buddhist practitioners should do. So, we have to really be mindful and follow the Buddha’s teachings.

“Those who practice meditation can be greedy for the joy of Samadhi.” Those studying the teachings’ meaning can become attached to the wondrous language.

These are all attachments. “But they did not know” that these are teachings that the Tathagata gave sentient beings in order to teach according to their capabilities.

But they did not know that the Tathagata wanted to enable sentient beings, with these teachings adapted to their abilities, to escape from samsara and no longer wallow in the Six Realms.

People do not understand, so they are still in the burning house and do not try to get out. To help draw these people out, the Buddha used various skillful means in hopes that everyone can escape samsara and not be attached to or stuck in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

These three carts are analogies. The ox-cart is an analogy for the Great Vehicle, the quest to realize fundamental Dharma-nature.

This is the only one that can help us return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness and.

Acquire “subsequently attained wisdom.”

By attaining this subsequently attained wisdom, the things we comprehend through taking action, we can perfect the fruit of Buddhahood. That is all-encompassing wisdom. At the beginning of our discussions, we constantly mentioned “all-encompassing wisdom,” which is Buddha-wisdom and our intrinsic nature of True Suchness.

As for the cart itself, the ox is very strong so the cart is very large. The cart is like “subsequently attained wisdom.” Because the ox is so strong, imagine how many things we can fit in the cart. It can indeed carry heavy burdens.

Then the passage continues, “You should quickly leave this burning house; then I will give you whichever you desire.” Everyone must hurry up and get out. This is directed at the Two Vehicle practitioners.

The Two Vehicle practitioners, as they have not yet realized the Dharma-nature, cannot attain this cart. But because they have heard of this ox-cart, they can proceed from this and finally attain it.

People with great capabilities practice the Great Vehicle and are already free. As they want to shoulder the Tathagata’s mission, they have already escaped [the burning house] and go among people to save and transform them. Those who are still inside are attached to the state of Samadhi and attached to the words. They claim to be studying, but they are still attached to this place and remaining within their own limits. They do not want to earnestly contribute. There are two kinds of people like this. Solitary Realizers are one; Hearers are the other. Both practice for their own benefit. Buddhist practitioners like this have “not yet realized the Dharma-nature.” This means they have not yet experienced it.

They “cannot attain this cart”; they cannot yet do this. They do not want to pull this heavy burden, so they choose the sheep-cart or deer-cart because they do not want a big responsibility. When they engage in spiritual practice, they only care about their own liberation. Therefore, it is impossible for them to attain the ox-cart.

“But because they have heard of this ox-cart….” They have heard about the Great Vehicle, but they are unwilling to practice it. There are many people like this, and they end up choosing the sheep-cart or deer-cart. Whether they choose the sheep-cart or deer-cart, it is fine as long as they can get out. The Buddha felt that the priority was to get them out right away. Once they make an effort to accept the Buddha-Dharma, there is hope for them.

Even if we are Solitary Realizers or Hearers, in the long run we can also form aspirations. At least we understand the law of karma and will not create negative causes and conditions.

In summary, the Buddha-Dharma is wondrous, so we must always be mindful.

Episode 559 – The Freedom Found in the Six Paramitas

---

>> “Bodhisattvas in the world play effortlessly without any hindrances. Purifying the mind brings joy; benefiting others is best. By perfecting the Six Paramitas, we can deliver ourselves and others and freely travel between the two shores, those of noble and of ordinary beings.”

>> The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.

>> Or the Six Perfections, to deliver them to the other shore. To “deliver” means to cross the sea of samsara and reach the other shore. We must cross the sea of samsara and reach the other shore, which is to reach the shore of Nirvana.

>> So [the elder] told them, “The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.” Practitioners of the Three Vehicles who were fortunate enough to draw near the Buddha were led out by Him with skillful means. Otherwise, their greed and attachment to the burning house of the Three Realms would make it difficult for them to escape. This was worrisome and if nothing was done, it would be too late for regrets.

---

“Bodhisattvas in the world play effortlessly without any hindrances.
Purifying the mind brings joy; benefiting others is best.
By perfecting the Six Paramitas, we can deliver ourselves and others
and freely travel between the two shores, those of noble and of ordinary beings.”

Living Bodhisattvas effortlessly play and travel through this world without any hindrances. Isn’t this a very wonderful state?

If we are able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma, form aspirations and walk the Bodhisattva-path, nothing in this world can hinder us. Depending on our state of mind, we can go among people to transform, help and save suffering sentient beings. To do all this without hindrances is truly something we must all pray for. So, our minds must be pure. If our minds are pure, whenever we give to others and see that their difficulties have been resolved, this will bring us the greatest happiness. We do not ask for anything else. This is why we talk about a pure mind. A pure mind will not greedily expect anything.

The happiness and peace of sentient beings bring happiness and peace to Bodhisattvas. So, when we form Bodhisattva-aspirations, we always have to hold on to this mindset, to happily give without expectations. When we do this, it is called actualizing the Six Paramitas. The Six Paramitas are giving, [upholding] precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. These are six requirements for walking the Bodhisattva-path.

With all of these necessary conditions, we will be able to transform all sentient beings and help end their suffering. Although we say we are transforming or saving others, we are in fact, also transforming ourselves, because we are still in the state of ordinary beings. This is why we must form Bodhisattva-aspirations. We need to learn from the Buddha, learn the Great Enlightened One’s state of mind. We must travel from this shore to the far shore, to go from the state of ordinary beings to that of noble beings and from having the mind of an unenlightened being to being able to experience the mind of the sages. In between these states lies the river of afflictions. We must cross it to go from this shore to the far shore.

On the Bodhisattva-path, if we have these six necessary conditions, then we will be able to cross from this shore to the other shore and then return to this shore so that we can deliver other people to the far shore; we can travel back and forth freely and unhindered. This is why we must form Bodhisattva-aspirations. It is possible to experience this state of freedom while living in the human realm.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, every summer there was a retreat for the Sangha. One year, after they wrapped up their summer retreat, disciples from all the monasteries traveled to the Jetavana abode. Once the Buddha saw that all His monastic disciples had arrived, He was very happy, so He asked everyone, “During the three months of your summer retreat, did things go well?” In unison, they answered Him, “Yes, they did.”

The Buddha then asked, “Did you lack anything in those three months?” They all answered, “No, we did not. All our daily necessities were provided by the local lay disciples. They gave us ample support. We are grateful that Your virtue has allowed us to practice in peace and [inspired] the lay disciples to reverently support us. So, all of us are very grateful for. Your virtue, because it has safeguarded us so that we can practice in safety.”

Ananda saw how the disciples from all over gathering together brought the Buddha great happiness as He listened to their experiences from their three-month summer retreat. Everyone was full of gratitude and Dharma-joy. At that moment, Ananda wondered, “What kind of karmic affinities did the Buddha form with sentient beings in the past? He has so many disciples who feel gratitude, respect and reverence toward Him; the monastics diligently practice and the lay disciples support them out of great compassion. In His past lives, what kind of vows did He make and what spiritual practice did He engage in so that He could form so many good affinities with so many sentient beings?”

He could not help but raise these questions and asked the Buddha to teach on this. The Buddha smiled and answered Ananda, “All my disciples, listen carefully. This began countless kalpas ago, an incalculable number of eons in the past, when I was in hell.”

“In hell, there were many instruments of torture. People who had committed crimes fell into hell and faced truly unbearable suffering. One instrument of torture used by prison guards was an iron cart heated until it was red. They would partially flay a person and stretch out his skin and tie it to the iron cart. Two people would be attached to each iron cart by their skins, and then they would be told to pull it. The iron cart was tremendously heavy and had been heated until it was red-hot. If they could not pull it, the prison guards would whip them. Whether the guards hit them with a rod or a whip, their suffering was tremendous.”

“Among those being punished this way was one who could not take it anymore. He simply collapsed. The other person saw that his companion had collapsed and that the prison guard was continuing to beat him until he would stand up and continue pulling the cart. So, this other person said, ‘Let me do it by myself I can put in more effort and take his place Please be compassionate and spare this person who is suffering so much.’ The prison guard was very fierce and hateful. He said, ‘You cannot even save yourself, yet you want to save this other person.’ Out of anger, he hit him with both rod and whip. This person who was still pulling the cart with his flayed skin gave rise to this one thought, causing him to be beaten with both whip and rod at the same time. Thus he passed away.”

“Upon his death, he was born in heaven. From heaven, he saw the human realm. He looked back on everything that he had experienced in the human realm, on all the karma he had accumulated, which led him to fall into hell and experience tremendous suffering. From that moment on, he aspired to willingly go anywhere in the Six Realms; wherever there was a need and sufficient conditions, he would go to transform people.”

The Buddha stopped at this point of the story. Facing the crowd, He called out to Ananda. “Ananda, you know, this person who wanted to save others even as he was being punished, this person who was beaten to death by the prison guard, do you know who he was? That was I, Sakyamuni Buddha. From the time I formed that aspiration in hell until this lifetime, I have repeatedly returned to the Six Realms with great ease. This is how I walked the Bodhisattva-path over many lifetimes.”

The Buddha told this story about how. He was inspired to form His aspirations by the tremendous suffering He experienced in hell. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings.” The Buddha enlightened Himself and others. He had already attained enlightenment, but He still renewed His aspirations because. He did not want sentient beings to create karma in the human realm and thus fall into the Three Evil Realms to suffer. So, the Buddha advocated the Six Paramitas, the practice of these six methods.

To practice giving, we must give of ourselves. Once we recognize the needs of sentient beings, we devote ourselves to helping them. This is the first step. In addition to giving, we must uphold precepts, have patience and be diligent so that we can achieve Samadhi and wisdom. We must practice all six. So, in order to “freely travel between the two shores, those of noble and of ordinary beings,” we need to apply a world-transcending spirit as we unceasingly carry out our mission in this world traveling freely back and forth.

In the previous sutra passage, the elder, the kind father, could not bear to let his children remain in the great house without knowing they needed to get out, without knowing they needed to leave immediately. So, the elder had to think of a way. He put the children’s favorite things right outside the house to entice them to come out.

He yelled loudly, “Everyone hurry and come out.” He said, “If you don’t hurry up and quickly come out of that burning house, if you don’t come out quickly, you won’t get any of these things. If you don’t get any of them, you will really regret it. So hurry up and come outside!” The children heard him calling and knew their favorite things were outside, so they thought, “I should hurry up and go out.”

The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.

This represents how people prefer spiritual practices that are suitable for their capabilities, that are suited to what they need. So at first, He taught the Four Noble Truths because, with their capabilities, people could accept it. Later on, the Buddha taught the Six Paramitas,

Or the Six Perfections, to deliver them to the other shore. To “deliver” means to cross the sea of samsara and reach the other shore. We must cross the sea of samsara and reach the other shore, which is to reach the shore of Nirvana.

This is a state of tranquility and stillness, the land of calm illumination. Calm illumination is a very radiant state. It is also a state of tranquility and clarity. Such is the shore of Nirvana. With our spiritual practice we can go from the mental state of afflictions all the way to a very pure state in which afflictions do not cause our minds to fluctuate. That is a most tranquil state of mind. So, to cross into that state, there are six methods to use, which are giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom.

The Sutra of the Benevolent King also mentions that we must practice the Six Paramitas and the Four All-Embracing Virtues. Everyone’s practice must include the. Four All-Embracing Virtues. Everyone should know that these are charitable giving, beneficial conduct, loving speech and working together.

These are the Four All-Embracing Virtues. In fact, the people we interact with are our colleagues in working together. Whenever we meet someone, whenever we work with someone and so on, we have the opportunity to transform them. Therefore we must all work hard to “transform through working together.” Since we are all living together in this world, we must transform whomever we meet. Then, in all that we do, we must benefit all beings; we need many people to come together with the single resolve of helping everyone. That is called “beneficial conduct.”

What about “loving speech”? This is the Dharma that is taught. We always say that. “Dharma-children are born of the Buddha’s mouth.” The Dharma comes out of the mouth. For everyone to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must constantly talk about the Dharma the Buddha taught. Then the Dharma will remain in the world. We have already taken the Dharma to heart, so if we keep the Dharma in our minds, we speak it whenever we open our mouths. Then we can persuade people to form aspirations and make vows. That is called “loving speech. Loving speech” is something we must constantly give to others. Nowadays, what sentient beings need the most is to have their minds nourished with Dharma-water. So, Dharma-water is what we need to give them right away. The giving of the Dharma is something we must give to all sentient beings. So, we need the Six Paramitas and the Four All-Embracing Virtues in all of our actions. They are the key methods for walking the Bodhisattva-path.

Next, we focus on the elder’s worries. He worried that if the children did not come out, what was he supposed to do? So, he used all kinds of precious toys and unusual objects to tempt them. What did the children need? This is similar to how the Buddha developed all kinds of Dharma-treasures according to sentient beings’ capabilities.

But eventually there was this urgent need for Him to proclaim this most important teaching and for everyone to come receive it right away. Otherwise, it would be too late. The next passage states, “If you do not come take them, you will regret it later.” If they did not come out quickly to earnestly receive the Dharma, the True Dharma of the One Vehicle, they would regret it later. This was what the Buddha told sentient beings who were receiving the Dharma and learning the path.

So [the elder] told them, “The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.” Practitioners of the Three Vehicles who were fortunate enough to draw near the Buddha were led out by Him with skillful means. Otherwise, their greed and attachment to the burning house of the Three Realms would make it difficult for them to escape. This was worrisome and if nothing was done, it would be too late for regrets.

These “practitioners of the Three Vehicles” were “fortunate enough to draw near the Buddha.” People who are fortunate can live in an era with a Buddha. They are fortunate to encounter Him in His lifetime. So, “They were led out by Him with skillful means.” Because they lived in the same era as the Buddha, they could hear the Buddha-Dharma from Him. We should be very happy for them that they had the karmic conditions to do this. The Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings, developed skillful means to patiently guide everyone out of the Three Realms.

In conclusion, whether we encounter the Buddha-Dharma or not makes a big difference. If we encounter the Dharma, we can be Hearers and can understand the karmic law of cause and effect. Upon hearing it, we will be more restrained because we have understood the law of karma. Although we cannot completely purify our minds, we know the concept of cause and effect. This is the state of Hearers. If we are Solitary Realizers, we already clearly understand the principles that life is impermanent, there is no self and so on. We understand the principle of emptiness, but we still need to go one step further. Besides “true emptiness,” we must quickly realize “wondrous existence,” that everyone can attain Buddhahood.

We must seek to attain Buddhahood and feel an urgency to awaken; we must go among people without being defiled by them. We have to advance to this higher level. Only then can we develop a tranquil and clear mind. Otherwise, all we can do is say, “I’m already pure,” but when we are affected by external conditions, we will degenerate again.

It would be better to return to this world where we must live with these conditions, so we learn to keep our lives from being influenced by external conditions. We must not be affected by the gain and loss we experience in life and thus give rise to [discursive] thoughts. If we keep our minds calm and steady, that is the state of Samadhi, which is also one of wisdom. If we have this kind of wisdom, we will not be tempted by other conditions. So, when we learn from the Buddha, we must be thoroughly mindful.

Everyone in the burning house must quickly come out. There are precious treasures which we must seize right away. That is the Dharma. The most precious principles of the One Vehicle is the path we can take to escape the burning house of the Three Realms. So everyone, we must always be mindful.

Episode 558 – The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence

---

>> “One ignorant thought initiates the Twelve Links. Volitional formation and consciousness lead to name and form and the six entrances. These lead to the causes of contact, feeling, craving, grasping and becoming, which lead to the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death.”

>> “The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”

>> “The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”

>> The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence: These links drag sentient beings to transmigrate in the Six Realms and Three Periods. The order of these causes and conditions begins with ignorance leading to volitional formation. Volitional formation leads to consciousness, consciousness to name and form. Name and form lead to the six entrances, and the six entrances lead to contact. Contact leads to feeling, feeling to craving, craving to grasping, grasping to becoming, becoming to birth, and birth leads to aging and death.

---

“One ignorant thought initiates the Twelve Links.
Volitional formation and consciousness lead to name and form and the six entrances.
These lead to the causes of contact, feeling, craving, grasping and becoming,
which lead to the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death.”

These verses basically describe the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. How does life come about, and where is it headed? How did our past lead us here? We do not know. In the future, where will we go? That is even more difficult for us to know. But the Buddha came to the human realm to help us understand how we come and go from this world. So, we must be mindful.

As we live through each day, life seems very peaceful. Nothing is really happening and we are not consciously aware of many things happening around us. A lifetime is measured in decades, which is a very short period of time. Moreover, impermanence may strike at any instant, so we may not even have decades. Therefore, we must not idle away our days by not consciously living our lives. That would be such a pity.

So, we must understand the. Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. First, we start with the Four Noble Truths. After we understand the Four Noble Truths, we must go one step further to understand how we came to be born human by following our past [karma]. After our karmic causes and conditions converged in our past life, they eventually dispersed and we thus came to be born in our present life.

I may ask, “What did you do in your past life?” But I would not just ask you this, I would also ask the same question of myself, “What did I do in my past life?” I would say the same thing as you, “I don’t know.” But at the present I do know where I was born in this lifetime. Where did I come into the world? This I know. I know who my parents are and the type of karmic connection I have with them. If you ask me how I came to leave my family and become a monastic to engage in spiritual practice, I know the causes and conditions behind that. This is because in this life, no one knows me better than myself.

So, throughout the course of my whole life, over these many decades, my life has gone through many changes. What exactly is changing throughout my life? My thoughts. All of us have so many thoughts. Who knows how many thoughts can arise in a day? Fortunately, my mind back then led me on a very clear and open road. By paving well my path in the world, I entered the Bodhi-path.

But most people may remain in a state of ignorance. Every day, their thoughts arise out of ignorance. This ignorance leads to other conditions. What does it lead to? It leads to volitional formation, which leads to consciousness, which leads to name and form, which lead to the six entrances, which leads to contact, which leads to feeling, which leads to craving, which leads to grasping, which leads to becoming. These are all causes, which then lead to birth, aging, illness and death. These are the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence.

Yesterday’s sutra passage states,

“The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”

That elder, the father, kept calling on his children to come out, but they were immersed in that environment. Although he said that the fire was all around them and that they must get out right away, the children treated the fire as something pretty and fun.

This is like watching the wildfires in Australia (in 2013) on television. They have been burning for seven, eight, nine days and cannot be extinguished. We are worried about them, but when we watch it on television, at night, when the sky is burning red, it seems so beautiful. This is similar to when we see illusive and unreal states. The true state now in Australia, where the fire is actually burning, is a terrifying scene. Moreover, if we see the fires in daytime, we see how the smoke and fire continue to rise. Seeing that makes us worried.

People who are actually there can see the actual situation, just as the Buddha sees the True Dharma behind all things. We must recognize the severity of such disasters, that they must have been caused by something. There must be underlying causes and conditions. If the fires were not caused by the high heat, the dry tree branches, or the wind blowing and causing them to brush up against each other and give off a spark, then the cause must have been manmade, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This is a real situation and real people are actually there. They will investigate the cause of this fire.

Since we are somewhere far away, it can feel like what is happening there has nothing to do with us. Technology allows us to see the images there. See, it may seem very beautiful to us. This is what ordinary people are like. All the images that we see are illusive, so we do not know to be scared.

The father sees how his children are like this, lost and mesmerized by that illusive and unreal state, unable to escape that hazardous situation. He knows they each have different preferences, so he uses various methods to call out to them and draw them out.

So, “The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences.” A father knows his children best. No one knows the children’s minds better than their father, just like how the Buddha understands the capabilities of sentient beings better than anyone. This is the same principle. Sentient beings each have their own pursuits and desires, so He taught skillful means according to their desires and capabilities. This principle is the same.

The following passage then states, “So, he told the children….” The elder knew the desires in their hearts, so he started talking to them.

“The toys you like to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not take them, you will regret it later.”

He told them they must [come out]. What they needed, what they craved and what they wanted were all outside. “Come; come quickly! If you do not hurry up and come out, you may not get what you want. If you miss out on this, you will regret it.”

The elder knew what they liked, just like how the Buddha understands our capabilities. Thus He began by teaching the Four Noble Truths. Everyone who wants to listen to the Dharma, who wants to understand the principles of life, first needs a good foundation. Whether they have great capabilities, average capabilities or limited capabilities, they all must first have this basic understanding. So, He began by teaching suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. The Four Noble Truths were His first teachings. We must take great care to understand this most fundamental teaching.

So next, we need to know that to understand suffering, we must understand where suffering comes from, and what the origins of suffering are. Causation is something we create at every moment. But these causes are accumulated over the Three Periods, past, present and future. Currently, throughout the course of every day we are constantly accumulating them. What we accumulate now will affect our future. Are we accumulating good causes or evil ones? Accumulating goodness is a state of mind. Every day, we do good deeds and benefit others. Every day, we form good connections with people. Thus we accumulate goodness. If every day we give rise to afflictions and every day we behave improperly, then we will constantly form negative connections. Thus we accumulate evil. Whether we are accumulating goodness or evil, we are accumulating causes. Where will they [manifest]? In our future lifetimes.

So, the karma we accumulated in previous lives led us to this life. If in this life, we are still in a state of ignorance, we will accumulate similar karma, which likewise affects us; in this life, we do not know when impermanence will manifest. Then, we “cannot take anything with us,” but we bring the karmic causes and conditions we have accumulated into our future lives. These are the Three Periods. Everyone talks about the. [Twelve] Links of the Three Periods. The links of the Three Periods all begin with [ignorance]. How many links are there? There are 12 links.

Sentient beings [come into being] because of these links. Beginning with ignorance, each of these links leads us and pulls us to another link. This is how, in every life, we experience cyclic existence in the Three Periods. Not only do we experience cyclic existence, we also transmigrate through the Six Realms. In the Three Periods and the Six Realms, these karmic links lead our way. These causes and conditions arise in sequence, and we follow this order of causes and conditions.

The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence: These links drag sentient beings to transmigrate in the Six Realms and Three Periods. The order of these causes and conditions begins with ignorance leading to volitional formation. Volitional formation leads to consciousness, consciousness to name and form. Name and form lead to the six entrances, and the six entrances lead to contact. Contact leads to feeling, feeling to craving, craving to grasping, grasping to becoming, becoming to birth, and birth leads to aging and death.

These links are arranged in an order, beginning with ignorance. Ignorance is that initial thought. In the beginning, I told everyone that an ignorant thought may arise in a second, and the most critical moment in our whole lifetime may be that one second. In that second we can give rise to a thought that affects our whole lifetime. That one thought is an ignorant thought. Once ignorance stirs, it gives rise to greed, anger and delusion. Once we give rise to greed, delusion will follow. This is all due to that one thought.

Once an ignorant thought arises, the cycle of the links will begin. These links will lead us along. Being ignorant is like being blindfolded and being led by someone else. So, ignorance leads to volitional formation. Thus we begin to take action. Volitional formation leads to consciousness. This starts with taking action, so we often talk about the Six Sense Organs and Six Sense Objects. When we connect with our external conditions, our eyes see forms, and we desire certain forms. When our ears hear sounds, we desire certain sounds. If we hear something, a comment that makes us unhappy, we will react. This is how conflict arises.

When we crave things, we will try to take them. If we cannot take them easily, we try to find other ways, so we end up fighting over things. This is all volitional formation, kinds of actions. Our ignorance leads us to behave in certain ways. Thus, ignorance leads to volitional formation.

After we act, the karma we create is stored in our consciousness. In our eighth consciousness, all the good and evil we have ever done is stored there as seeds. After we act, there is a result. The fruits of our good and evil deeds are seeds, which are collected in the eighth consciousness.

Consciousness leads to name and form; once karma is created, it is beyond our control. We had formed affinities with our parents, so when our previous life ended, we came to this one. “Ignorance” leads to “volitional formation,” which leads to “consciousness.” The seeds planted in our “consciousness” will lead us to a certain pair of parents and a certain place. This is how we ended up where we did. So, “consciousness” leads to “name and form.”

“Name and form” is when a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg converge. We do not yet have human form. Before we have fully taken shape, this is called “name and form.” This lasts until we have our hands and feet. In the womb, we gradually develop and begin to have mind-consciousness, the Six Sense Organs; this is the “six entrances.” The “six entrances” means that, in addition to our feet, hands and head, our consciousness also starts to develop as “name and form” leads to the “six entrances.” These six entrances take shape, leading to “contact,” sensory contact. Once we begin to have mind-consciousness, when the time comes, we come into contact with the outside world.

Do you know the depth of the pain we experience at birth? When children are in their mother’s womb, they are like a ball of raw flesh. They have absolutely no contact with the air outside. It is only when they are born that they suddenly come in contact with the air. Their entire body is completely bare, without anything to protect them. Having never been exposed to air, the pain of that exposure shocks their system. So, when all babies are born, they cry. This is because the moment they are born, they feel a piercing pain all over their body. This shock to their nerves causes them to cry. This comes with “contact.”

“Contact” leads to “feeling.” Being exposed to this world, we start to develop feelings, like pain. The feeling of being exposed to air is very painful, so we cry. After this beginning, [these feelings continue] from infancy into adulthood. As babies we already have desires. When we are hungry, we will cry. When we are being nursed by our mother, we automatically start sucking. We suck the milk because of our “craving. Craving” is when we begin to pursue things. This starts when we are infants.

As soon as we learn to walk, when we see other people’s things we try to take them. Give a toddler something, [and they say,] “I don’t want this; I want that.” They are already picky. This starts when we are little. Humans are like this; we start by craving small things, then we discriminate, become picky and fight over things. Starting from a young age, though both siblings get a share, one will try to take whatever the other has. From the very beginning, life is like this. “Feeling” leads to “craving,” and “craving” leads to “grasping.” We try to take things.

“Grasping” leads to “becoming.” Once we have something, that leads to “becoming.” What comes into being? Good and bad karma. Are you grasping things to do something good? You may need something right now to save people. Then something comes to be; what is it? You become loving; the other person becomes grateful. In their actions, those who give do so with love, and those who receive feel grateful. The opposite is thinking of all the ways you can take what another person has and make it your own. If you take things from other people, if you do it out of a negative intent, an unwholesome mind, out of greed, the person you took things from, the person you fought with, will resent and hate you because he has nothing. This creates karma of hatred and resentment.

So, “grasping” leads to “becoming,” good and bad karma coming into being. This leads to “birth,” giving rise to various things. After we finish creating good and bad karma in this lifetime, when this life is over where will we go? In future lives we will be born, we will grow old, we will become ill and we will die. From the ignorance in our past lives, we created karma that led to our present life. And in this life, we ignorantly create more karma, which will lead us to our next life. In this way, “birth” leads to aging, illness and death.

We need to understand this and comprehend how the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence connect to each other. Then we realize the principles of true emptiness. Indeed, this started with just a single thought. It is just a thought, so it is completely empty. But if we act on it and create a lot of karma, we will fill our lives with suffering. We have accumulated many [causes], so we [transmigrate] through life after life. If we can understand this, we have realized the principles of true emptiness. Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners we must first understand the Four Noble Truths and the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 557 – Learn the Law of Karma and the Four Noble Truths

---

>> “All Four Forms of Birth arise from causes and conditions. Every arising thought creates positive or negative karma. Uncontrollably we bring seeds of karma with us. Ignorance, volition and consciousness give rise to birth and death.”

>> “The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”

>> “So, he told them, ‘These toys for you to play with are rare and difficult to obtain If you do not come take them, you will regret it later.'”

>> What the Buddha told them: He urged them to practice and uphold the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, “This is suffering; you should recognize it. This is causation; you should eradicate it. This is cessation; you should attain it. This is the Path; you should practice it.”

---

“All Four Forms of Birth arise from causes and conditions.
Every arising thought creates positive or negative karma.
Uncontrollably we bring seeds of karma with us.
Ignorance, volition and consciousness give rise to birth and death.”

All living beings are born through the Four Forms of Birth. The Four Forms of Birth are egg-, womb-, moisture- and transformation-born. Apart from us human beings, there are many kinds of living, moving beings. They all go through the Four Forms of Birth. We all know about the womb-born. We humans and other mammals are womb-born. Cows are like this; they are born very naturally from their mothers’ womb. Sheep are also womb-born. Once a ewe gives birth to a lamb, lambs are known for then kneeling to drink the ewe’s milk. It is very natural for the lamb to do this.

There are many other womb-born creatures. Other than womb-born animals, many animals are born from eggs, chicken, ducks, birds and so on. Animals which fly are egg-born. Some fish give birth to many eggs at once.

In this world, no matter where they live, all living beings come from one of the four kinds of birth, egg-, womb-, moisture- and transformation-born. All creatures come into being through one of these four forms. These four forms all have their own causes and conditions; they arise from karmic cause and effect.

The Buddha said, “All living, moving beings have Buddha-nature.” These four kinds of beings all have Buddha-nature, just like us humans. Whether they are cows, dogs, pigs, sheep or any other animal, they all have Buddha-nature. We saw a of an old female chimpanzee. When she saw her owner doing chores, she copied him. She did the same chores her owner did, in the exact same way. She wrung the cloth, washed the windows and swept the floor. Whatever her owner could do, the chimp could do the same. Do you think she is an animal or a human? She could pretty much do what humans could do.

In circuses, monkeys can ride bikes and go around buckets and hoops. Their tricks are just as good as human tricks. Many different kinds of creatures can be trained in the same way. Dogs can guide their blind owners to safely go where they need to go. The dogs stay with their owners and guide them along a safe route. Think about this. Isn’t their nature close to human nature? If so, then their nature is close to Buddha-nature.

There are many stories like this regarding animals. We can clearly see that all living beings have Buddha-nature. How did we come to be born human? How did animals come to be born in the animal realm, to be slaughtered at the whim of humans? The environment they live in is so very different from that of humans. What is the ultimate cause behind this? Causes and conditions. We often talk about causes and conditions in relation to the Six Realms. People who do good are born in the heaven realm or in heaven on earth. Even if you cannot see the heaven realm, there is heaven on earth.

Many people enjoy great comfort and luxury. They are born with a silver spoon in their mouths. In this world, they are born to a good family that is well-off. They grow up in that environment and are nurtured with care. The environment they live in feels like heaven. If they have a love for cars, they will have many cars six to seven, maybe more than ten vehicles. They are willing to polish the cars all day and cannot bear to let other people touch them. They are attached to these cars.

One of our honorary board members used to live like this. After joining Tzu Chi he knew he did not need to be a slave to his cars.

Every day he was polishing his vehicles. Every day he worked on a different car. Sometimes he went for a drive. He had no purpose except to drive. After driving it, he did maintenance on the car once he was home. The next day, he switched to another car. I asked him, “How many cars do you have?” He replied, “There are seven days in a week. I drive a different car every day. So you have to polish seven cars in one day?” He said “I enjoy polishing the cars.”

“How much is a car worth? Almost NT 7 million. That is one of the cheaper ones. If almost NT 7 million is cheap, what is the most expensive? Over NT 20 million. Doesn’t this take a lot of work?” After a while, he told me, “Master, now I understand what you were telling me. I’m going to sell all my cars. I’ll just keep one.” One day I asked him, “What are you going to do with the money? I will donate to international relief or some of our other missions.” I said, “This creates countless merits.”

There is another Tzu Chi volunteer like him. He greatly enjoys fine cuisine. He said that I can name any creature that flies, swims or runs, and he would have already eaten it. One time, upon hearing about a famous dish somewhere, he got on a plane to go there and eat it. After living that way, now he is a vegetarian and often shares his story with other people.

His life changed. Why did it change? Because he understood the principles, that the form of birth we experience depends on our causes and conditions. We cannot simply choose for ourselves. It depends on the thoughts that arise in our minds and the positive and negative karmic conditions which we create. After letting go of this body where will we be born in our next life? Will we be womb-born? Will we be egg-born? Will we be moisture-born, transformation-born? We do not know; it is beyond our control. All we can do is take good care of our minds. When thoughts arise in our minds, will we do good deeds, or will we benefit others? We may do good deeds and create blessed karmic conditions. But what if we commit evil deeds? That creates negative karmic conditions. In the unwholesome environment thus created, if we commit evils, then with those negative karmic conditions, the power of this karma will naturally drag us into the evil realms.

We can end up in this world, in the animal realm. We can see all kinds of animals in our world. What if we want to see hungry ghosts? Nowadays, information is easily accessible. So many sentient beings are starving, starving to the point of being skin and bones. They have no muscles. On Da Ai TV, we often see images of sentient beings who suffer from starvation. In the hell realm, there is the hell of iron beds. If we are financially stable and have good karmic conditions, when we are sick we can go to the hospital so that people can take care of us. But some illnesses, no matter how much care we receive, are still impossible to diagnose, and even if a cause is found, there may be no way to treat it. The patients feel like they are on an iron bed. “My suffering is the worst. I have no sense of the suffering experienced by the patient next to me.” It is as if they are in the hell of iron beds. In particular, people who have had their feet or hands amputated, or tongues removed, or were burnt by fire and so on, don’t they feel like they are in hell on earth? This is a result of negative karma. We follow our karmic conditions; it is beyond our control.

See, in this world there are people who are so wealthy they are like heavenly beings. In this world, there are people so tormented by suffering it is as if they are in hell. With these good and evil realms, we do not need to talk about evil realms beyond this world; we can already see them in this world.

So, we must understand the principles. When we are born, “Uncontrollably we bring seeds of karma with us.” When we see people living in luxury, we may think, “If I knew, I would have been born in that family.” Is that possible? Even if we knew, it is still impossible, because even if we knew, we would have had to create good karma in our past lives and not evil. This had to be done in our past lives. “Uncontrollably we bring seeds of karma with us.” We bring good and bad karma with us; we have no choice about this. We have already brought it with us to this life.

Since we have brought karma with us already, now that we have the chance to hear the Dharma, we must change our life. When will we change our life? If we change now, we will reap the results in our future life. If we do not find this life ideal, we should be motivated to change it. If we enjoy this life we should remain vigilant and not deplete our blessings. No matter how much money we have in the bank, eventually we will spend it all. So, we must create blessings for our future lifetimes right now.

What happens in this life is beyond our control. Since we are born human, we are still very blessed, so we should always be grateful. Born human in this lifetime, we are able to hear the Buddha-Dharma and live in Taiwan, which is a great place. We should feel grateful every day.

For ordinary people like us, “Ignorance, volition and consciousness give rise to birth and death.” We have talked about how the Buddha came to this world to share with everyone that they have the potential to attain Buddhahood. But to achieve this state of mind, we must fulfill certain conditions like purifying our minds. Our minds can be purified if we mindfully engage in spiritual practice.

Sakyamuni Buddha was not born enlightened. It took Him five years of traveling and six years of ascetic practice in order to realize the truths of the universe. So, this was the process of spiritual practice that He underwent and the life that He lived. He manifested an example for us, teaching us how to engage in spiritual practice. But actually, He had spent lifetimes over countless kalpas engaging in spiritual practice.

He had already attained enlightenment and His state of mind was as clear as crystal, very pure, tranquil and clear. It was one with the universe. But there was no way for Him to share this state of mind with everyone. So, He had to devise various skillful means according to sentient beings’ capabilities. Thus He taught the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.

The previous sutra passage states,

“The father knew his children, that they each had their own preferences for all kinds of precious toys or unusual objects, which would surely bring them joy.”

He had already understood sentient beings’ capabilities, so He gave them suitable teachings. Only people who willingly draw near the Dharma and listen to it can realize the Buddha’s teachings.

The next passage in the sutra states,

“So, he told them, ‘These toys for you to play with are rare and difficult to obtain If you do not come take them, you will regret it later.'”

Knowing what these children needed and what would bring them joy, the elder called to them loudly. These children were still inside the burning house, not realizing they had to get out. No matter how he yelled, they merely watched him, not realizing they had to get out. The elder had to devise other skillful means. Knowing what these children liked and what made them happy, he called out to them, “Come here. Let me tell you something.”

“These toys for you to play with are rare and difficult to obtain. If you do not come take them, you will regret it later.” He said, “Come quickly, because out here, there many more fun things than there are inside. If you do not quickly leave the house, you will miss out on getting your hands on these very rare and precious things. Then you will regret it.” This was how he called out to his children. He yelled to them loudly in hopes that they could quickly escape the place that was catching fire.

This is why he yelled. This is like how. “[The Buddha] urged them to practice and uphold the teachings of the Four Noble Truths.”

What the Buddha told them: He urged them to practice and uphold the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, “This is suffering; you should recognize it. This is causation; you should eradicate it. This is cessation; you should attain it. This is the Path; you should practice it.”

The Buddha teaches the Four Noble Truths, the truth of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. From the beginning, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. Do you know about the different kinds of suffering sentient beings experience in this world? “This is suffering; you should recognize it.” This world is a place full of suffering. Everyone in the human realm faces suffering.

How much suffering is there? Everyone experiences some sufferings equally, such as birth, aging, illness and death. After we are born, we slowly grow up and mature. Then we become old. As we age from adolescence, young adulthood to middle-age, we each live in different environments. Some suffer because of their living situation. Some suffer because of their ignorance.

Children who are spoiled grow up to be playboys; they do not understand the principles of the world, so they think others always treat them wrongly. People like this crave many things. If they cannot attain those things, they give rise to afflictions, hate and so on. This is also suffering. What happens when it comes to relationships? If a man loves a woman, he will keep pursuing her by any means possible. During that process, he suffers from not getting what he wants or not being loved by the person he loves. So, [we suffer from] not getting what we want, parting with those we love and even meeting those we hate. Therefore, the Buddha said. “This is suffering; you should recognize it.”

Everyone should know that life is suffering. Contemplate this meticulously, think about this calmly. Is there anything that can make us happy forever? There is not one thing that can make us happy forever. Things are impermanent and constantly changing, and moreover, there are many sudden accidents and unexpected disasters. These cause unbearable suffering. We must understand this. The Buddha said, “This is suffering; you should recognize it.”

“This is causation; you should eradicate it.” Suffering arises due to our attachments. It is because we have attachments that, when in these situations, we take issue over things and give rise to afflictions. When we see something good, we fight for it and want to take it. Oftentimes, when people see jewelry they want to steal and snatch it.

How much damage has acquiring these treasures caused our natural environment? We know that to find these gems people blow up mountains and caves. That is how they discover these precious stones. This is “causation.” Accumulating these causes in the world has led to an imbalance of the four elements. The destruction caused to the earth happens because of people’s minds. This leads to the creation and accumulation of karma. We must put an end to this causation; otherwise, if we keep accumulating karma, we will create endless suffering for people in the future. Who knows where we will end up in our next life? We have no idea. So, “This is causation; you should eradicate it.”

We must not only eradicate it, we must reach a state of “cessation.” In this life, we cannot be greedy any more. At the same time, we cultivate purifying practices in order to understand these principles. This is the state of cessation; our greed and desires must cease. Not only must we refrain from acting on them, even our minds must be cleansed of them. So, “This is cessation; you should attain it.”

“This is the Path; you should practice it.” This is the Path; we must earnestly practice it. The Buddha told us about these principles and paved a road for us to walk on. The Four Noble Truths help us understand how we came to this world. In coming, what factors did we accumulate that led us to be born human? This teaching was followed by the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths so that everyone can hear and understand the law of karma etc. He used skillful means and analogies in order to teach the Four Noble Truths. Many principles and many truths about the law of karma can be found in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. But to realize how we came to be human, we need to understand the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.

Everyone, the Four Noble Truths can help us understand many things. Explaining the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence will take more time. So, I ask all of you to, at this time, understand the Four Noble Truths first. Then I will explain the sequence of the Twelve Links. So everyone, please always be mindful.