Category: TLS Chapter 3

Episode 513 – Repay the Buddha’s Grace with Utmost Reverence

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>> “Make offerings impartially and with the utmost sincerity. Practice goodness and benefit others to repay the [Fourfold] Grace. Respect the heavens and love the earth to amass blessed conditions. These are the true offerings to repay the Buddha’s great grace.”

>> “The assembly, seeing Sariputra, in the presence of the Buddha, receive the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, felt great joy and boundless jubilance. Each removed their outer garment and presented it as an offering to the Buddha.”

>> “Sakro-Devanam Indra, King Brahma and so on, with countless heavenly lords, also used wonderful celestial garments, celestial Mandarava flowers, Mahamandarava flowers and so on to make offerings to the Buddha. The celestial garments they tossed aloft remained suspended in the air and spun around by themselves.”

>> Trayastrimsa Heaven: Sakro-Devanam Indra is the lord of these 33 heavens, abbreviated as Sakra or Indra. There were 33 people who cultivated exceptional karma to be reborn in this heaven together and live on the top of Mt. Sumeru. In each of the four directions there are eight palaces. In the center is Indra’s palace. Indra is the king of this heaven. Those in this heaven cultivated blessed karma from upholding precepts and giving. They are superior to those in the four heavens of the heavenly kings.

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“Make offerings impartially and with the utmost sincerity.
Practice goodness and benefit others to repay the [Fourfold] Grace.
Respect the heavens and love the earth to amass blessed conditions.
These are the true offerings to repay the Buddha’s great grace.”

Over these past few days, we have been very happily taking joy in [Sariputra’s] merits, even though it has been over 2000 years. When Sakyamuni Buddha predicted that Sariputra would be able to attain Buddhahood in the future, it was a form of blessing and also a promise that the land in which Sariputra will attain Buddhahood will be very magnificent, with Bodhisattvas as its great treasures. When everyone heard this, they felt very happy. Not only were they happy and wished him well, they also felt very fortunate themselves because everyone can attain Buddhahood. Sariputra had received this prediction, so everyone should also have a part in this.

This is what we discussed yesterday. Attaining Buddhahood takes a long period of [spiritual practice]. Therefore, we must “make offerings impartially and with the utmost sincerity.” Previously, we talked about “showing compassion to all equally.” In our spiritual practice, the Buddha teaches us to cultivate compassion and develop great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy and great equanimity. These are the Four Infinite Minds. With great loving-kindness, we consider all sentient beings our loved ones. This is why we unceasingly do good deeds, unceasingly create blessings and blessed karmic connections to be replete with blessings and wisdom. With blessings and wisdom as our two feet, [we walk through] all our lifetimes. Not to mention, in the Sutra of Profound Gratitude toward Parents, the Buddha said, “This pile of white bones was once my mother and father. Not only were they my mother and father once, we were family in lifetime after lifetime.”

Therefore, we often say that when we are giving to other people, we must be grateful to them, because they help us to succeed [in our practice]. The truth of this world is that every sentient being, every single person, regardless of the appearance they manifest, whether they are our virtuous friends or our unwholesome friends, whether they help us to solidify our spiritual aspirations or prevent us from giving rise to faith, we must be grateful to them.

When Sakyamuni Buddha bestowed the prediction of Buddhahood upon. His disciples at this assembly, He also bestowed this prediction on Devadatta. Devadatta was one of the Buddha’s followers who tried to harm the Sangha. He slandered [the Buddha] at every turn, trying his best to break the group apart. Yet the Buddha bestowed this prediction on him. Although Devadatta was not by His side, He still blessed him all the same and bestowed this prediction upon him. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature,

but we have good, evil and indeterminate [karma]. If afflictions arise in your mind and your mindset changes, then “an ignorant thought creates the Three Subtleties.” When our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body connect with form, sound, scent, taste and touch, this gives rise to desires and leads us to create much karma in the human realm. Thus we endlessly multiply our afflictions. But no matter how many afflictions we give rise to and no matter how much karma we create, our pure intrinsic nature is still there. When causes and conditions mature, we can likewise eliminate ignorance, aspire to engage in spiritual practice and thus attain Buddhahood.

This is [also true of] Devadatta. Although he was an unwholesome friend who spent lifetimes obstructing Sakyamuni Buddha, the Buddha was very understanding and knew. Devadatta was His beneficial adverse condition. So, He was still grateful to him and still considered him family. We must treat everyone in this same way. With a Buddha-mind, when we look at all beings, we see old people as our elderly relatives, people close to our age as our brothers and sisters and people much younger than us as our own children. This is a form of sincerity. Thus the Buddha said, “Show compassion to all equally.”

Everything you give to others is an offering. When we give material things with the utmost sincerity and reverence, that is like making an offering. With the utmost sincerity, we will treat everyone impartially. If we can achieve this state, then we are walking the Bodhisattva-path and developing a Buddha-mind.

So, we must spend a long time doing good deeds and benefiting others to repay [the Fourfold] Grace. Indeed, we must give to others with a sense of gratitude. Not only must we give unconditionally, but we must also express our gratitude. Moreover, we must repay [the Fourfold] Grace. We must treat everyone as if they are our parents. Whether they are from our past life or from our current life, we must treat them with a sense of filial piety and gratitude. Or we can treat them all as our virtuous friends or as our teachers. Every person is teaching us something.

If we can forever sustain our initial aspirations, the Buddha will certainly give us a prediction of Buddhahood when He sees us. That is what happened with Sariputra. Once he began forming great aspirations, the Buddha bestowed this prediction upon him. However, this will not come to be for a long time. What will he do for that long period of time? He will do good deeds and benefit others. As he does this, he sees it as repaying grace and is grateful; this is how he gives. For us to attain Buddhahood in the future, we must pave the road ourselves and absorb the spiritual nourishment we need for our wisdom-life to grow.

So, we must do good deeds and benefit others. This is how we repay the Fourfold Grace. Everyone knows the Fourfold Grace, the grace of parents, the grace of teachers, the grace of sentient beings and the grace of heaven and earth. Out of every person who lives in this world, who has not breathed the fresh air that allows us to grow? Who has not relied on the crops of the land to nourish our physical life? Who has not received the grace of the sun and the rain? Thus, we must repay the Fourfold Grace, the grace of parents, the grace of teachers, the grace of the Three Treasures and the grace of sentient beings. There is also the grace of heaven and earth. So, we must “respect the heavens and love the earth to amass good karmic conditions.”

We must cherish all things; by collecting recyclables and doing environmental protection work, we can care for all things. This is respecting the heavens and loving the earth. As we interact with each other, showing each other gratitude and helping each other succeed is how we amass blessed conditions. If we can achieve this, then we are truly making the offerings with which we can repay the Buddha’s great grace. Whatever the Buddha teaches us, we do. Practicing according to the Buddha’s teachings is how we repay His grace.

By developing our wisdom-life, we are repaying the grace of the Three Treasures. We are grateful for the Buddha and the Dharma because the teachings given by the Buddha can purify our hearts and minds. We must also be grateful to the Sangha. Engaging in spiritual practice alone, one may easily become lax. So, monastic practitioners must gather together. This is the grace of the Three Treasures. For the Dharma to flourish in the human realm, there must be a Sangha. Therefore, we must repay the Three Treasures.

Once we accept the Buddha’s teachings, the Buddha’s Dharmakaya will be part of our wisdom-life. So, we must turn the Dharma-wheel because the Buddha came to the world for one great cause. As His disciples, we are His heirs. So, working “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings” is our fundamental responsibility.

“For Buddha’s teachings” means we must help the Dharma remain in this world and widely spread the seeds of goodness. This is what we do “for Buddha’s teachings. For sentient beings” means that we must dedicate ourselves to helping other people. The Dharma and principles the Buddha taught must be passed on one by one. Thus, we are the heirs of the Buddha, those who will continue the Dharma-lineage. This is our mission, so we must transmit the Dharma and turn the Dharma-wheel. This is a true offering; this offering is to repay the Buddha’s great grace.

When parents have children, they have very high hopes for them. They do not ask much from them; they just hope they will be well-behaved and earnestly study, so that they will make positive contributions to society. This is all that parents want for their children. If we can do this, we can repay our parents’ grace. By the same principle, we must use this kind of “true offering to repay the Buddha’s great grace.” In doing this, we will attain realizations and also benefit others. This is really worth celebrating, so we must have this sense of reverence.

The previous sutra passage states,

“The assembly, seeing Sariputra, in the presence of the Buddha, receive the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, felt great joy and boundless jubilance. Each removed their outer garment and presented it as an offering to the Buddha.”

This is the previous passage in the sutra. As we have said, they were all very happy. They were happy for Sariputra and felt fortunate that if they made an effort to engage in spiritual practice, then they, too, would attain Buddhahood. Whether they were heavenly beings, humans or one of the eight classes of Dharma-protectors, they all took joy in Sariputra’s merits. They were so happy they took off their outer garments as an offering; the garments all whirled through the air.

The next sutra passage states,

“Sakro-Devanam Indra, King Brahma and so on, with countless heavenly lords, also used wonderful celestial garments, celestial Mandarava flowers, Mahamandarava flowers and so on to make offerings to the Buddha. The celestial garments they tossed aloft remained suspended in the air and spun around by themselves.”

This passage mentions that, aside from humans, heavenly beings and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors all being happy [for Sariputra], even Sakro-Devanam Indra, King Brahma and many heavenly lords were all present at this Dharma-assembly. They were all very happy, so happy that heavenly maidens scattered flowers. Aside from using celestial robes as offerings, they also scattered many flowers. There were “celestial Mandarava flowers. Celestial Mandarava flowers” are soft flowers. They are very beautiful flowers. Some are red and some are white; some are large and some are small. The large flowers are Mahamandarava flowers. “Maha” means big. They are very soft and very pretty, and fell down from the heavens like that. They were used as offerings for the Buddha.

This is a description of that joyous state. Flowers were floating in the air, as were so many precious treasures, celestial garments and so on. They were brightly colored, spinning in the air. This signified a celebratory state. They celebrated the prediction bestowed upon Sariputra. Like any festive occasion in the human realm, there were many decorations and the air was full of excitement. This signified that it was a joyous occasion.

Who is Sakro-Devanam Indra? He is the lord of Trayastrimsa Heaven.

Trayastrimsa Heaven: Sakro-Devanam Indra is the lord of these 33 heavens, abbreviated as Sakra or Indra. There were 33 people who cultivated exceptional karma to be reborn in this heaven together and live on the top of Mt. Sumeru. In each of the four directions there are eight palaces. In the center is Indra’s palace. Indra is the king of this heaven. Those in this heaven cultivated blessed karma from upholding precepts and giving. They are superior to those in the four heavens of the heavenly kings.

Trayastrimsa Heaven, as we know, is made up of 33 heavens. There is a story behind these heavens.

Once, there was a very affluent woman. She was very wealthy and very reverent. One day, she saw a very old stupa, which was already falling apart. She saw a Buddha statue inside that had been worn down by the elements. She could not bear this sight, so she sought the help of her 32 good friends. They all pooled their money and were thus able to hire many workers to completely renovate the stupa and sculpt a new golden statue of the Buddha. As a result, many came to believe in the Dharma. She accumulated much merit from what she gave in that one lifetime. Besides rebuilding stupas and temples, she unceasingly did good deeds, benefited others and propagated the Dharma. Based on these merits, she was given a place in Trayastrimsa Heaven.

This heaven lies above the four heavens of the four heavenly kings 1 day in this heaven is 100 years in our realm and their heavenly lifespan is 1000 years. So, those in Trayastrimsa Heaven have long lifespans and great blessings. Because she did good deeds and benefited others and motivated others to do the same thing, this woman led so many people [to that heaven]. This is at the summit of Mt. Sumeru, above the four heavens of the four heavenly kings. There are 33 cities in this heaven. One in the middle and 32 cities around it. The 32 cities are divided into north, south, east and west. In each direction, there are eight palaces 4 times 8 is 32. The palace in the middle is Indra’s because he is the king of this heaven. So, the heavenly lord of Trayastrimsa Heaven, Sakro-Devanam Indra, is also known as the lord of the Thirty-three Heavens. This is Sakro-Devanam Indra.

Then there is King Brahma. King Brahma is the lord of the Saha World. He engaged in purifying practices, thus he became king of the Brahma heavens. He was very protective of all beings. He was also very respectful of the Buddha. So, he was also at this assembly and celebrated that Sariputra received the prediction of Buddhahood.

Therefore, as Buddhist practitioners we must cultivate our minds. As long as our resolve is strong, we can withstand the many challenges posed by the maras. This is also the challenge faced by King Brahma. So, by overcoming great difficulties, we can also be respected by all in Three Realms.

Whether Sakro-Devanam Indra or King Brahma, all of the heavenly lords were joyous and reverent. With Mandarava flowers, they showed their utmost respect.

The celestial robes of these heavenly beings were truly very gorgeous and very soft. With these garments of the highest quality, they made offerings. They also scattered flowers to show respect. The celestial garments that were tossed aloft remained in the air for a long time, whirling in that space. This shows the reverence of heavenly beings. Because they had this great reverence, they made these kinds of offerings. These offerings expressed utmost reverence; they stayed in the air without scattering, spinning by themselves.

We humans must have the same mindset. These are more than material offerings; these represent their happiness and joy that there was one person at this Dharma-assembly who had already received the Buddha’s affirmation. The Buddha had bestowed this prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra, so everyone took joy in this. This showed they all had the same mindset and their hearts were as one. In the whole world, everyone’s hearts and minds are equal. The Buddha, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, taught everyone to show compassion to all equally. This comes from “making offerings impartially and with utmost reverence.”

When we engage in spiritual practice, we must show compassion to all equally. With this true impartiality, we must earnestly make offerings at all times. We constantly make offerings by doing good deeds and benefiting others. Only by giving to others with the feeling that we are repaying them can we treat everyone equally. We even respect the heavens and love the earth to amass blessed conditions. This is the greatest offering we can make to the Buddha. Everyone, this is definitely not difficult. By making an offering with utmost reverence, we express our respect for ourselves and constantly give to others with gratitude, respect and love. Isn’t this the greatest offering we can make? Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 512 – A Heart Filled With Jubilance for Others

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>> “Becoming replete with blessings and wisdom, leads to infinite joy. The convergence of causes and conditions brings happiness and delight. This perfect enlightenment manifests as great freedom. Our hearts are filled with jubilance for others receiving predictions of Buddhahood.”

>> So, “At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, along with heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on….”

>> [The assembly] “saw Sariputra, in the presence of the Buddha, receive the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and felt great joy and boundless jubilance. Each removed their outer garment and presented it as an offering to the Buddha.”

>> Sariputra was the leader of all Hearers and known by all. At this time, in the presence of the Buddha, he received the Buddha’s prediction that in the future he would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

>> “At this time, in the presence of the Buddha, he received the Buddha’s prediction that in the future he would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

>> When those who gathered at that assembly, the heavenly beings, humans and the rest, heard the Buddha bestow the prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra, they felt happy for themselves and for others. The happiness and delight that arises internally is joy. The delight that is manifested externally is jubilance.

>> They felt such great excitement that they removed one of their garments as an offering to the Buddha. This was a demonstration of their reverence for the magnificent Buddha-body.

>> The celestial garments whirled in the air to mark that spiritual, auspicious occasion. This shows that those listening to the Lotus Sutra had the pure heart to transcend the Four Forms of Birth. They could amass wondrous principles, go between the Three Realms and had compassion for living beings; they could not bear to let them be affected by external phenomena and conditions.

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“Becoming replete with blessings and wisdom, leads to infinite joy.
The convergence of causes and conditions brings happiness and delight.
This perfect enlightenment manifests as great freedom.
Our hearts are filled with jubilance for others receiving predictions of Buddhahood.”

To attain Buddhahood, we must cultivate and perfect both blessings and wisdom. If we do so, we will gradually draw closer to our pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature. Because our minds and our intrinsic nature are equal to that of the Buddha, it is therefore often said, “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature].”

We are all equal. But we unenlightened beings have given rise to one ignorant thought that has caused this huge difference. Over many lifetimes and countless kalpas, our ignorance and habitual tendencies have continued to grow. We have no control over our rebirth. We have no idea where we will be born. How did our previous lives lead us here? Where will we go when we leave this life? We do not know, but if we have the karmic conditions to encounter the Buddha-Dharma, even if we live in the least ideal, the poorest and the most distressing places, we can still see the light of dawn every day.

Take Africa, for example. In that place, people there are truly living in poverty and are looked down upon by other people. Though they live that kind of life, there is a group of Bodhisattvas who have spread the Dharma in these countries. This group of Bodhisattvas from Taiwan ended up in that place. Though they went there for business reasons, causes and conditions came together. These causes and conditions allowed them to bring this love from Taiwan to South Africa.

After almost 20 years of hard work, local Bodhisattvas have emerged. With more people, they have more strength, so [in 2013], for their winter relief distributions, they not only went to Zimbabwe and Lesotho, but also Swaziland and Mozambique. [Volunteers from] these five countries distributed the rice from Taiwan to people in their countries.

In Mozambique, because of the [invitation from]. Denise Tsai and her husband, starting [2012], South African Bodhisattva[-volunteers] went there to sow the seeds of Tzu Chi. This couple has been working to cultivate them. The distribution in August of this year was really possible thanks to them. Denise’s husband, Dino, started a group of “Facebook volunteers.” This group of volunteers was a very great help and helped a lot with [transportation]. August 12th was the day the distribution was going to be held in Matendene.

We are very grateful to Michael Pan, Wende Lai, John Wu and many other. Taiwanese Tzu Chi volunteers in Africa. This group of volunteers helped to lead the South African volunteers in Swaziland. After the relief distribution there was over, they immediately rushed to Mozambique for the second day of distributions, which was going to be in Matendene. When they arrived,

that increased the number of volunteers. Then there were also the “Facebook volunteers,” so suddenly there were a lot of people [to help]. Denise started to worry about this; how could they [get] so many people there? She initially wanted to reduce the number of people, but luckily Michael Pan reminded her that. “We can think of ways to arrange transportation so that people can come. We must not lose these seeds of love.” With that, they began to squeeze more people into the same number of cars. The people there are on the “wider” side, so this was very difficult.

The local volunteers close to Matendene said, “We can walk instead.” So, before sunrise, those who lived closer, about four or five kilometers away, walked there and arrived quite early. The trucks carrying the rice also arrived, but they could not make the climb to the distribution location, because the roads were made of gravel and were especially narrow. So, the trucks carrying such heavy loads could not get close to the distribution site. What could they do?

Luckily, there were so many people, including the local residents. They stood in a line of over 80 meters, that even crossed over two walls. Then they [passed the rice] from person to person, all the way down the line. In the videos that they took, we can see a very, very long line. This line of people was truly quite long. Bag after bag of rice seemed to fly down the line. They seemed to float through the air. This was truly a magnificent sight to behold. It was fortunate so many Bodhisattvas appeared at the last minute; thus it was possible to unload so many truckloads of rice in a very short period of time and get them to the distribution site. This was incredible.

See, having the will to do this [can move us forward like] our two feet. With blessings and wisdom as our feet, when we use both together, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far we need to travel, as long as we have love in our hearts, we will definitely reach our destination. Actually, those conducting the distribution did not want it to end. When the volunteers saw how happy people were, they also rejoiced and were willing to continue dedicating themselves. This kind of love and wisdom, and the deep happiness that comes from giving, give rise to infinite joy. So, “Becoming replete with blessings and wisdom leads to infinite joy.”

As they saw the number of volunteers continuing to increase, the happiness they felt was indeed “the convergence of causes and conditions that brings happiness and delight.” Isn’t this kind of human nature equal to that of the Buddha? It is “the manifestation of perfect enlightenment.” When all are replete with blessings and wisdom, the purity and joy in their mind is “great freedom.” They will feel very happy and free. So, “Our hearts are filled with jubilance for others receiving predictions of Buddhahood.” Isn’t this passage in the Lotus Sutra describing just such a state?

In the previous sutra passage, the Buddha had already bestowed the prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra. He gave Sariputra His blessings. “This will be your attainment in the future. Your reward-land in the future will be so prosperous. Those whom you will teach and transform will all be Bodhisattvas, so you should rejoice.”

So, “At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, along with heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on….”

As we explained before, this is the fourfold assembly and eight classes. These humans, heavenly beings, Dharma-protectors and so on were all very joyful.

The next passage of the sutra states,

[The assembly] “saw Sariputra, in the presence of the Buddha, receive the prediction of attaining. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and felt great joy and boundless jubilance. Each removed their outer garment and presented it as an offering to the Buddha.”

This sutra passage is expressing that, while seeing someone receiving such a prediction, they were all very happy because they rejoiced in others’ accomplishments. This was because Sariputra had received the prediction of Buddhahood.

Sariputra was the leader of the Hearers. Everyone was familiar with him. All of the Buddha’s disciples were all familiar with Sariputra. This was because Sariputra was the leader of the Hearers in the Sangha and because he was foremost in wisdom. Thus everyone knew and respected him.

Sariputra was the leader of all Hearers and known by all. At this time, in the presence of the Buddha, he received the Buddha’s prediction that in the future he would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

At this assembly,

“At this time, in the presence of the Buddha, he received the Buddha’s prediction that in the future he would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

Now the Buddha predicted that Sariputra would realize supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. In the future, he could be awakened, but he still had a long way to go before he could attain supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. He has to go among people and continue to give. By engaging in spiritual cultivation in this way, he will accumulate many blessings and wisdom until he is replete with them. At that time, he will attain supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. So, going among people is the fuel for our awakening.

This is just like what I told you a few days ago, about how the lotus grows from the mud and how it beautifies the mud. Similarly, among the people, there are many Bodhisattvas who are brightening up the human realm. We were just talking about South Africa. If we just think about South Africa, we think about how difficult people’s lives are. But now we have heard about such dedicated local Bodhisattvas[-volunteers]. They are not afraid to travel far. They are of the same ethnicity and as poor as the rest of the population. Now, incredibly, there are so many of these people who are jubilant at the idea of doing good deeds. They feel a deep joy and are unafraid of hard work. They are willing to help carry [the rice]; those who have cars lend their cars and those who have strength lend their strength. See, they are the lotuses that bloom in the mud.

In Taiwan, for example, we do not take pride in anything except for our kindness and love. The power of love, the seeds of love and the spirit of love have continuously been spread from this place. We sow seeds of goodness throughout the world. This is because we have the will. So, “supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment” is what we are all striving for.

Why do we give? Because when we are among people, we see suffering and recognize our blessings, and thus we feel very content. Content means we have more than enough, and so we feel like we have the power to help others. Whether what we can give is physical strength or is in the form of material goods, we are willing to offer it to others. This is the beauty [we see in] the human realm. This beauty lies in the power generated by the energy of love.

As for the world we live in, how can we purify it? How can we bring hope to it? With a loving heart. As we continually bring the love in people’s hearts together, blessings and wisdom will crystallize. Then the world can be pure as crystal.

To attain Buddhahood, we must realize the principles of all things in the universe, which is to attain supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. We must turn our minds from the minds of ordinary people into the minds of Bodhisattvas and practice the Bodhisattva-path. Everything we see and hear in the world adds to our knowledge. When the Chinese character for “sun,” representing the light of dawn, is combined with the character for “knowledge” it becomes the character for “wisdom.” When our wisdom converges with the universe, we will attain enlightenment. So, we must cultivate goodness, benefit others and form good karmic connections. Sariputra still has to go through a long period of practice before he can attain Buddhahood.

In that assembly, he was the foremost in wisdom and known to all. So, when everyone heard that. Sariputra received the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha, they all rejoiced on his behalf; they “felt great joy and boundless jubilance.” In that assembly, everyone became joyful from what they had heard. Not only were they happy for Sariputra, they also felt more confidence in themselves. They were also the Buddha’s disciples, and felt, “Since Sariputra received predictions, I will also receive the Buddha’s predictions.” So, they became joyful. They were happy for Sariputra, but actually they were also happy for themselves and each other. “Not only will I also receive such a prediction, others will also receive theirs in turn.” Everyone will have a chance.

When those who gathered at that assembly, the heavenly beings, humans and the rest, heard the Buddha bestow the prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra, they felt happy for themselves and for others. The happiness and delight that arises internally is joy. The delight that is manifested externally is jubilance.

People felt that kind of happiness when Sariputra received the Buddha’s prediction. “In the future, it will be my turn, in the future, it will also be others’ turns.” They felt happy and delighted for each other. How should they express this great joy? These heavenly beings wanted to express their joy, their great excitement. When the door to happiness opened, they were truly very happy. So, they removed one of their garments as an offering to the Buddha. This expressed their happiness and excitement.

They felt such great excitement that they removed one of their garments as an offering to the Buddha. This was a demonstration of their reverence for the magnificent Buddha-body.

Some nobles also removed one of their elegant garments. They did this to express their happiness. At college graduation, some students throw their caps into the air. Isn’t this also an expression of their happiness? These heavenly beings, in the same way, removed one of their garments as an offering. Could the Buddha actually wear these garments? He could not. But this represents a happy atmosphere. Removing this garment expressed how happy they really were. This let the Buddha know they were all happy. When students at their graduation ceremony throw their caps into the air, it means the same thing. This conveys the magnificence and joy of this occasion. These beings wanted the Buddha to know that they were rejoicing in others’ accomplishments.

The garments whirled in the air. They all had beautiful garments that they removed and threw into the air; everyone threw their garments in the air. One could see garments of all different colors whirling in the air. Similarly, at the distribution, when the trucks were not able to get through, people had to form a line to pass on the rice. From afar it looked as if the bags of rice were floating in air.

The celestial garments whirled in the air to mark that spiritual, auspicious occasion. This shows that those listening to the Lotus Sutra had the pure heart to transcend the Four Forms of Birth. They could amass wondrous principles, go between the Three Realms and had compassion for living beings; they could not bear to let them be affected by external phenomena and conditions.

This kind of happiness is an auspicious appearance arising from the heart. It is an analogy for what happened to those who heard the Lotus Sutra. They “had the pure heart to transcend the Four Forms of Birth.” After listening to these teachings, they were happy. The Four Forms of Birth, as we all know, are egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born and transformation-born. These are the Four Forms of Birth. Only humans can achieve [this transcendence]. Humans can help others. Humans can do good deeds, benefit others, form good karmic connections and feel this kind of happiness. Their hearts were already filled with joy. By giving unconditionally, they could bring wondrous principles together in their minds. When wondrously profound principles converge, they “could go between the Three Realms,” the form realm, formless realm and desire realm. Thus they “had compassion for living beings and could not bear to let them be affected by external phenomena and conditions.” Because they felt happy, they could not bear to let others remain in the Saha World and be influenced by its tangible and intangible changes. I often say that every day we can hear and see that the macrocosm of the world is out of balance and the earth is being harmed. The Buddha comes here for one great cause, in the hope that true principles will penetrate people’s minds. When people take them to heart and then put them into practice, they create an auspicious celebration for the world, a very happy occasion.

The Buddha feels compassion for living beings, so He cannot bear to let them suffer from changes in “external phenomena and conditions.” The formation, existence, decay and disappearance of material things are due to the workings of people’s minds. So, we must expound the Dharma to bring purity to people’s minds so that everyone is willing to give to others. Then everyone can help each other to reinforce this pure and undefiled state of mind. That will be the most beautiful world. Achieving this is not impossible. When everyone’s minds are purified, then this world will naturally be a pure land. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 511 – Understand the Mind and Principles of the Buddha

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>> “By understanding the Buddha’s mind, we can be in accord with true principles. With great compassion, we go among the people. With the power of great wisdom, we understand Right Dharma. With great blessings, we attain freedom and ease.”

>> “The Two-Footed Honored One, shall be supreme and without peer. He will be none other than you, so you should rejoice and feel fortunate.”

>> “At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas [were there].”

>> “Heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on.”

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“By understanding the Buddha’s mind, we can be in accord with true principles.
With great compassion, we go among the people.
With the power of great wisdom, we understand Right Dharma.
With great blessings, we attain freedom and ease.”

I want to emphasize again to everyone that as we learn the Buddha’s teachings we need right understanding and right views. Only then can our minds be in accord with the Buddha’s mind.

In the Buddha’s past spiritual practice, He spent countless kalpas in the presence of trillions of Buddhas. Over countless lifetimes, He never stopped doing good deeds, benefiting others and forming good karmic connections. He continuously accumulated these things. Why? For the sake of delivering sentient beings. Forming karmic connections with sentient beings to transform them, this is the Buddha’s mind.

He comes to this world for one great cause and with a mind of great wisdom. His mind must fully and perfectly encompass the true principles of all things in the universe. Lifetime after lifetime, He unceasingly cultivated blessings and wisdom until He reached His “final body,” which is when He finally manifested the appearance of a Buddha. So, for a Buddha to manifest in this world is not easy. Thus we say it is rare to encounter a Buddha.

“By understanding the Buddha’s mind, we can be in accord with true principles,” which are the principles of Absolute Truth. We have to be able to come together with the Buddha’s mind and wisdom. Not only must we understand the Buddha’s mind, we must also be in accord with the truth that He has realized. This is why we must learn the Buddha’s teachings and. His “great compassion, [going] among the people.”

If we have wisdom, we will take good care of our minds as, with great compassion, we go among people to help those who are suffering, both from tangible suffering and intangible suffering. Intangible suffering refers to afflictions. Tangible suffering is the lack of material resources. Both tangible and intangible suffering are unbearable. We may be willing to help them, but we must first have the power of great wisdom and understand Right Dharma before interacting with them so that we will not confused or defiled. This is why we have to work hard.

This hard work is necessary for achieving great blessings. For us to have great blessings, we must form many good karmic connections. Only by accumulating blessings and wisdom can we be at ease and come and go freely. Then whether we are going among people or returning to our intrinsic nature, we can do so with great freedom and ease. We have to be able to go among people without being defiled by them. Thus, “with great blessings, we attain freedom and ease.”

Yesterday, I shared with everyone that. Living Bodhisattvas go among the people and into places with the greatest suffering. Yesterday, we talked about Mozambique. Initially, to carry out our work in this country, many causes and conditions had to come together. After causes and conditions converged, we were able to make a start. We planted seeds of goodness and opened up a road [for helping people].

We also felt very happy as we listened yesterday. Normally, in Mozambique, once it is dark, everyone goes to sleep. But they had taken the Dharma into their hearts, so they wanted to help others by unloading the rice. Normally, they may not eat rice even once a year. Yet, they moved over 2000 bags [of it], each weighing over ten kilograms. In less than two hours, they finished moving them. Everyone still had the energy to sing and dance until it was past midnight. They had this kind of spirit because after receiving [our] help once, they took our love into their hearts and discovered their own spiritual wealth. This kind of spiritual wealth [comes from] the power of the Dharma. So, now it is they who are carrying rice to help others.

This time, they were helping 500 households. These are households of people with AIDS. Some people were not strong enough, so the volunteers immediately walked them to a cooler place where they could wait. Older people also received gentle assistance; volunteers steadied and guided them, and took care of them while they waited. Those who came to receive aid were very orderly. Those who handed out the rice wished people well, those who received it expressed their gratitude. This is how, “with great compassion, we go among the people.” We saw this in the first district where they

conducted the winter relief distribution [of 2013]. Then they crossed into another district; they have begun crossing into other districts, expanding out of their own district to continue their relief efforts. The district of Matendene, [where they held the next distribution,] is very poor and needed our winter relief distribution. Denise Tsai led a group of volunteers into this community. Every day, she carried a computer and brought a chair with her and went among these people to spread the seeds of goodness in this community.

At any time, she could connect to the internet and use the computer to show them how Tzu Chi has conducted distributions in countries around the world. She could also show that, in Mozambique, Tzu Chi had held distributions both last year and this year. She showed these images to everyone and shared about the Tzu Chi spirit with everybody. At the same time, she reminded everyone there that they can be the rich among the poor and can help people who are even poorer than they are, and that the joy of helping others is greater than that of receiving material goods. The volunteers working with Denise had received our help in the past and after having been helped, are now helping others. They are a living example of the cycle of love. Now they are going among people to spread the seeds of goodness.

The next time Denise Tsai went to that community, she brought her daughter. As soon as she arrived there, she saw the children there tying string to small sheets of plastic or plastic bags and flying them in the wind. Watching these children sitting on the ground while they flew these “kites,” she held her child’s hand and thought, “We are so fortunate!”

We often say that we “witness suffering to recognize our blessings.” Those of us who are blessed should not give up on the one great cause. Denise Tsai led her child and took her computer as she went into the poorest communities. For what? For the one great cause, her mission. That is why she is doing all this. Many touching stories have come out of our relief work in Mozambique.

For example, during the preparation stage, her husband received a call from his hometown. He learned that his mother was seriously ill. After receiving this news from 1500km away, he wondered if he should go back and see his mother, or if he should spend these couple of days taking care of all the details for the event. The new volunteers had to be trained and the new rules for the distribution must be clear so that everything would happen smoothly. The culture of holding a distribution takes time and attention to communicate; it requires a lot of training and so on.

But after hearing about his mother’s illness, what could he do? Denise and her husband felt that if his mother’s situation became critical, they absolutely had to go back. They immediately stepped up the training and told them, “You have to pay close attention. I have to tend to something in my family, so I may not be here with you that day. But, I have confidence in all of you that you absolutely can carry out this mission. Everything will happen perfectly.” Denise continued to encourage them in this way.

The day before the distribution, her husband said to her, “Although my mother is seriously ill, for now, she remains in a stable condition.” With the Tzu Chi spirit in him, he said, “Let us set aside personal love for great love. At a moment like this, we should have a broad view of things. There are so many people in need, and for Mozambique, it is rare to have such a big shipment of goods that can be distributed to the poorest people. This is very important for Mozambique. In particular, this love comes to us from Taiwan. Also, the Bodhisattva[-volunteers] from South Africa have repeatedly come here to pave this road for us and to guide us. Now is the time to show our spirit of great love. This is the time to demonstrate it.” So, he decided to set aside personal love and live out great love.

The relief distribution was very successful and the volunteers were very organized. Also, something very rare happened there. Because they often listened to the Dharma, they knew that in the seventh lunar month, our focus is on filial piety. In Mozambique, they do not have traditions relating to this month but because of the example we set in Taiwan, by explaining that it is a most auspicious month and one for being filial, they made a decision to lead the young people to pay their respects to their elders.

So, at the location of the distribution, they advocated washing the feet of elders. In that place, during the distribution, some volunteers led these young people to do this for their elders. They prepared the water, lined up the chairs and led the elders to sit down. Holding the containers of water, they knelt down and then began washing their feet. Some led their own parents to the chairs. After the parents’ feet were washed, the parents and children embraced. This was shocking; in Mozambique this had never had [this ceremony] before.

When these people looked down and saw that bag of rice in their arms, they felt this was something they never had before. But then, they saw young people kneeling down to wash the feet of their parents and afterwards, [embraced them]; parents and children hugged each other. This was a kind of scene that they had never experienced before in their lives, had never heard about and had never seen.

You can imagine this; in a place like Mozambique, they were able to carry out these distributions in a way that was so abundant with Dharma. Furthermore, these things were unprecedented. Think about it, without the Buddha’s mind, how could this be achieved? If people had not been in accord with the principles, how could they have accomplished this? How could they lead a big group of people to create such an orderly and beautiful state? This comes from a heart of great compassion; they are willing to go among people. There is nowhere they will not go; no one they will not transform. No wonder Denise carried a computer and a chair to go among these people on a daily basis. Every day, she spread the seeds of goodness.

This power comes from great wisdom. This kind of spirit is truly very admirable. Because she has understood Right Dharma, she wanted to extend the Jing Si Dharma-lineage all the way to Mozambique. This was her vow; she will open up the Tzu Chi [path] of going among the people to help. This means that people there can do good deeds and create blessings. Denise herself felt very at ease. The more poor people she saw, the more fortunate she felt she was. Hers is not the only story to emerge from there. There are many more. So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, this is what we must learn to do.

The previous sutra passage states,

“The Two-Footed Honored One, shall be supreme and without peer. He will be none other than you, so you should rejoice and feel fortunate.”

In this previous sutra passage, when the Buddha bestowed this prediction, He told Sariputra that in the incalculably [distant] future, after trillions of kalpas, he will attain Buddhahood. The most important thing is [what he does during] these countless kalpas. This period of time is very important, and it includes the time we are now living in. Sariputra has already repeatedly returned to the human realm to go among people to do good deeds, benefit others and form good connections. Perhaps among our Tzu Chi volunteers, Sariputra is also present.

The Sariputra of Sakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime will spend this long period of time creating blessings and cultivating wisdom. Over this very long period of time, he will become the Two-Footed Honored One, and “shall be supreme and without peer.” Among the Bodhisattvas, he will be the most exceptional and attain enlightenment as Flower Light Buddha.

“Who is Flower Light Tathagata? It is you, Sariputra. Sariputra, you should be very happy and have even more confidence in yourself to go among people.”

He also needed to make the Four Great Vows. As I have told everyone, the Four Great Vows are the original vows of all Buddhas. Every single Buddha must carry them out. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions. I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors. I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” No matter how long it takes, they must carry out these vows, lifetime after lifetime. Day after day, they must go among the people. This is the one great cause of a Bodhisattva. Didn’t we see this in Mozambique?

When the Buddha bestowed the prediction of Buddhahood on Sariputra,

“At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas [were there].”

These comprised the fourfold assembly. There were also the eight classes,

“Heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on.”

So many people were in that place, witnessing this for Sariputra. Knowing that Sariputra was able to receive the prediction of Buddhahood, knowing that this was possible for Sariputra, made them all feel this would be possible for them. So, who would be next to receive this prediction?

The Buddha was nearing the end of His life. For the sake of the one great cause, He spent over 40 years using various skillful means to guide people to an understanding of “awakening.” Everyone has an awakened nature. Everyone needs to understand the law of karma. After everyone understood it, He took the next stop of telling them, “You, you, you and you, every one of you can attain Buddhahood.”

For people to attain Buddhahoood, He must first give them a prediction of attainment. So-and-so will have to spend a very long period of time doing certain kinds of things, practicing good deeds, benefiting others and forming good karmic connections. Then in the future, he will attain Buddhahood. After he is replete with blessings and wisdom, and his causes and conditions have matured, he will attain Buddhahood. He will be the leader of his reward-land.

Take Sakyamuni Buddha, for example. His reward-land was the Saha World. This was because of His vow to be here at the most critical moment, prior to the most turbid eras in the human realm, to begin teaching and transforming sentient beings. So, I often share the saying, “Buddhahood must be attained in this world.” Teaching the Dharma in this turbid world is what Sakyamuni Buddha vowed to do. This is a time when people’s minds need to be purified. So, in our communities there is a need for Bodhisattvas who have [vowed] to help in this world.

Sariputra will also return to this world. He will spend a very long time going among the people. At the same time, he must keep his mind pure. Only with bright and clear wisdom can he go among people and not be defiled by them. By coming back repeatedly he will form many good karmic connections. In the future, replete with blessings and wisdom and having awakened himself and others, he will complete the path to Buddhahood.

Everyone, to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we should do the same. It is very difficult to compare ourselves to people who lived over 2000 years ago. We can compare ourselves to what is currently taught, how people currently live, what people currently suffer from and the aspirations people currently form. Look, Mozambique is a place of great hardship. In this poor country in Africa, there are actually Bodhisattvas like this there. Aren’t they truly Living Bodhisattvas? Aren’t they very precious? Aren’t they fulfilling the Buddha’s one great cause in the human realm? With great compassion, they go among the people. This is not merely a description; this is real life. The power of their wisdom is truly admirable.

In summary, regardless of the country, Tzu Chi’s seeds can be found there. The Bodhisattva[-volunteers] in South Africa and in Zimbabwe are also very exceptional. Living Bodhisattvas are like seeds; one gives rise to infinity and infinity arises from one. So, dear Bodhisattvas, we must all aspire to be Bodhisattvas. We must have absolute confidence. It is not impossible as long as we are always mindful.

Episode 510 – Wisdom-life Grows with Sustained Radiance

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>> “Passing the flame from lamp to lamp brightens the illumination on the path. This radiance is sustained from light to light as our wisdom-life grows. Be mindful of the path from thought to thought and transmit the Dharma-lineage. Predictions are passed from Buddha to Buddha so all feel great joy.”

>> The Buddha said: One who beholds another in the practice of giving and then feels joyful after assisting him will gain great blessings. A sramana asked: Would the blessings of the giver be diminshed? The Buddha said: It is like the fire of a torch. If hundreds or even thousands of people would each come with a torch to be ignited by that flame, [then each of these torches] could be used to cook meals and keep a house brightly lit without diminishing the original flame. And so it is the same with these blessings. The Sutra of the Forty-Two Sections.

>> “When Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last for 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

>> “The Two-Footed Honored One shall be supreme and without peer. He will be none other than you, so you should rejoice and feel fortunate.”

>> Ending a section with this verse brings joy. [The Buddha] told Sariputra: Since you have attained my prediction that you will become a Buddha in the future, you should feel glad. This is clearly one of the conclusions from this Dharma-assembly.

>> So, “At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, along with heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on….”

>> How humans, heavenly beings and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors all gathered together to reverently witness. Sakyamuni Buddha bestowing the prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra.

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“Passing the flame from lamp to lamp brightens the illumination on the path.
This radiance is sustained from light to light as our wisdom-life grows.
Be mindful of the path from thought to thought and transmit the Dharma-lineage.
Predictions are passed from Buddha to Buddha so all feel great joy.”

In learning the Buddha Dharma, we must follow the Buddha’s teachings and light a lamp in this evil world of Five Turbidities. How bright can the light from one lamp be? If even one lamp can be lit, everyone can take the unlit candle of their mind and, by bringing it to the flame of this lamp, can light it in turn. Then it can light another lamp, and another. This is how the flame is passed from lamp to lamp. In this way, the Saha World, a place that is so turbid and dark, will have all its roads illuminated, along with their surrounding area.

This is a passage that we read in the sutras.

The Buddha said: One who beholds another in the practice of giving and then feels joyful after assisting him will gain great blessings. A sramana asked: Would the blessings of the giver be diminshed? The Buddha said: It is like the fire of a torch. If hundreds or even thousands of people would each come with a torch to be ignited by that flame, [then each of these torches] could be used to cook meals and keep a house brightly lit without diminishing the original flame. And so it is the same with these blessings. The Sutra of the Forty-Two Sections.

Some people believed that they would only benefit from their own practice. “In my spiritual practice, if I give the Dharma to others, if I turn the Dharma-wheel to share the Dharma with others will this diminish [my own attainment]?” They asked the Buddha this question, and the Buddha answered with this analogy. If one lamp has been lit and many people bring their unlit lamps to this place and use this already lit lamp to ignite their flames, then endlessly pass this flame from lamp to lamp, what do you think would happen? Would the original flame become dimmer? No. Would the surrounding area become brighter? Yes.

By the same principle, if we can understand the Dharma and help other people understand it, we can use the Dharma that we connected with to pave a road. If billions of people pave it instead of just one person, very quickly this road will reach its destination and be paved smoothly and without obstruction. So, with the Buddha-Dharma, if everyone can accept [and share] it with the same spirit as lighting a lamp or paving a road, then as the flame is passed from lamp to lamp, won’t that add to the brightness of this road? The road will also be smooth, and the path ahead will be bright.

So, this radiance is sustained from light to light. The light around us grows as the lamps are lit, one after another. This is just like the way our wisdom grows. We all have wisdom in our minds, and we can collectively pool our wisdom. Think about this. If we were surrounded by people full of blessings and wisdom, won’t this place be like Flower Light Tathagata’s world of Great Treasure Adornment?

In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha began to bestow predictions of Buddhahood on all His disciples. Actually, He had the same experience in His own past lives. He also received a prediction of Buddhahood from past Buddhas. Now it was the same for His disciples. All have the opportunity to attain Buddhahood, so “predictions are passed from Buddha to Buddha.” Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature and has the chance to attain Buddhahood; it just depends on how diligent we are.

We must put our hearts into diligent practice. Some can hear one thing and understand one thing. Others can hear one thing and understand ten or even one thousand or tens of thousands of things. For those whose [capabilities] are less sharp, they will comprehend fewer things. If even more dull, they may need to be guided and taught for a very long time to build a gradual understanding. Thus, people attain Buddhahood in a sequence. The sequence is based on their capabilities, their karmic conditions and the severity of their afflictions. For those with severe afflictions, they need to be gradually cleansed with. Dharma-water over a long period of time.

Where do these afflictions come from? We accumulated all of them ourselves. If we can understand the Dharma sooner, we will create fewer afflictions. The sooner we realize the Buddha-Dharma, [the sooner] we can protect ourselves and grow in blessings and wisdom. When our minds are pure, we will not give rise to more ignorance, and we can immediately begin doing good deeds, benefiting others and forming good karmic connections. In this way, our wisdom will grow unceasingly as our afflictions constantly dwindle. So, we must seize our karmic conditions and do the right thing.

I received some information from a Tzu Chi office in another part of the world that moved me deeply. The news was that in Mozambique the warm light of love is already being spread. As lamp after lamp has been lit, in what was a very dark place, they have opened up a [brightly lit] road. Seeing this, joy arose from the bottom of my heart. Of course, this is a long story.

Previously, we have spoken of the first relief distribution [there]. When we held the distribution in Mozambique, Mr. Michael Pan went, leading a large group of South African volunteers. There were seeds originally from Taiwan and those that sprouted in South Africa. This large group of volunteers went to Mozambique to guide the volunteers there. Of course, in delivering rice to Mozambique, there were many kinds of challenges. They were eventually able to solve those problems to get the rice cleared [through customs]. That is another moving story.

Prior to holding the relief distribution, Mr. Pan spent time with them and instructed them in how to guide people [to receive their goods] in an orderly manner, how to conduct the distribution using the facilities of an elementary school, where to place the people, where to position the rice and how to guide people in. With each of these things, he gave them very thorough instructions. Meanwhile, every person involved in the distribution had to be trained. So, the volunteers who were trained during the last distribution, this time now vowed that they would be Tzu Chi volunteers forever.

This was to be the second round of distributions. When this second shipment of rice arrived, they were notified just before 4pm. Denise, [one of our volunteers in Mozambique,] immediately sent out the announcement, and 21 volunteers gathered within an hour. They all arrived at the warehouse before 5pm. They were there, but the truck kept being delayed. However, everyone there was very happy. At almost 7pm, the sky began getting dark so. Denise quickly coordinated people to cook so that the volunteers would have dinner to eat. That way, when all the rice arrived, they would have the energy to move it.

Denise wanted to make full use of this time. So, she connected her computer to the internet so they could hear me speak. Were they able to understand what I was saying? They could not. But when she played the video, they could see my image and hear my voice. Everyone sat there and watched earnestly as. Denise translated the general idea of my words. This made everyone very happy and they took each word of the teachings to heart.

They finished eating, and it was already past 9pm when the truck with the rice finally arrived. It was very late, but everyone was still happy. There were 22 people including Denise. They carried the rice from the truck to the warehouse and stacked it neatly. They did this until almost midnight. The people who told me this story also said that people in Mozambique usually start getting ready for bed at dusk. This is because, in that country, people are very poor. During the day, they may not have a job, so they end up doing nothing. Then after dusk, everyone goes to sleep. But on that day, [though it was late,] everyone was energetic.

They spent over two hours moving 2000 bags of rice. These 22 people moved all of the bags and then stacked them neatly. They did this very happily and sang as they moved their bodies. As they sang, they danced from side to side. We can recall how the South African volunteers also sing as they walk and move their whole bodies. Think about how happy they must have been, even though it was midnight.

Meanwhile, Denise’s husband worked with some volunteers online to share this story and the pictures on the internet. After they uploaded this, they received much praise, and this was only the beginning. What happened next was really amazing. Isn’t this flame being passed from lamp to lamp? In this dark world of poverty and suffering, [Tzu Chi volunteers] are already paving this road and are gradually continuing to spread the light. This radiance spread from Taiwan to South Africa, and then from South Africa to Mozambique.

See, “This radiance is sustained from light to light as our wisdom-life grows.” Everyone was working happily. None of them complained of being tired. That kind of happiness can be described as “jubilance.” Everyone was full of Dharma-joy. When they saw the material goods that were intended to be used to help others, they did not feel any desire for these things. They felt joyful and wished to do more to help. To “be mindful of the path from thought to thought and transmit the Dharma-lineage” is not at all an easy matter.

So, this is what we must learn when we learn the Buddha’s teachings. We learn how, in any era, with sentient beings in any kind of environment, we can relieve people from their suffering. This is truly the one great cause for which the Buddha came to this world.

The previous sutra passage states,

“When Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last for 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

When Right Dharma becomes extinct [in the future], Dharma-semblance will last for 32 small kalpas. Flower Light Buddha will abide in the world for 12 small kalpas. After Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, the sariras from His body and His Dharma will constantly circulate in the human realm.

Next, the sutra passage continues with,

“The Two-Footed Honored One shall be supreme and without peer. He will be none other than you, so you should rejoice and feel fortunate.”

The Buddha said to Sariputra, “Flower Light Buddha is the Two-Footed Honored One, supreme and without peer. He is one who cannot be surpassed by anyone. Who is that great enlightened one? That will be you, Sariputra. When you attain Buddhahood, you will be Flower Light Tathagata in that place. You should be happy about all this.” This was the blessing the Buddha bestowed on him.

Life after life, he will accumulate blessings and wisdom. Blessings and wisdom are the two feet. He will perfect them both. So, an honorable epithet for a Buddha, the most respectful way to address Him, is “the Two-Footed Honored One.” This is because. He is replete with blessings and wisdom. To attain enlightenment, one must be replete with both blessings and wisdom. One who is replete with blessings and wisdom is the most honored among awakened sentient beings. Among Bodhisattvas, the Buddha has surpassed all. So, He is the most honored among two-footed awakened beings.

Thus He is called “the Two-Footed Honored One” and is “supreme and without peer.” The Buddha is unparalleled because He has surpassed everyone else.

The title “Two-Footed Honored One” means the Buddha is replete with blessings and wisdom. This is already [the end] of this section of verse. After the end of the previous prose section, the Buddha restated His meaning in verse.

Ending a section with this verse brings joy. [The Buddha] told Sariputra: Since you have attained my prediction that you will become a Buddha in the future, you should feel glad. This is clearly one of the conclusions from this Dharma-assembly.

Whenever we speak, we must end with a conclusion. So, these verses were the concluding remarks about the prediction of Sariputra’s Buddhahood. Thus, Sariputra had already received the Buddha’s prediction that he would become a Buddha in the future.

This describes the mindset of both teacher and student. The Buddha is the teacher, Sariputra the disciple. After the teacher blessed the disciple, He said, “You must work hard. You need to have confidence in yourself. You should be very happy.” This was very heartfelt advice.

So, “At that time, the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, along with heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas and so on….”

These are the fourfold assembly and eight classes. At this Dharma-assembly, the fourfold assembly refers to bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. These comprise the fourfold assembly. The eight classes of Dharma-protector are heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas. Those are the eight classes. The eight classes of Dharma-protectors refers to these eight groups.

This passage is about.

How humans, heavenly beings and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors all gathered together to reverently witness. Sakyamuni Buddha bestowing the prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra.

Upasakas and upasikas were representatives of [laypeople] from different societies and countries, and included everyone from kings and high officials to average citizens, rich and poor, with no regard to caste. All kinds of people were gathered together at that Dharma-assembly. This assembly was held over 40 years after the Buddha began teaching. He wanted for everyone to gather together. This assembly was the time to turn from the Small Vehicle to the Great Vehicle Dharma. This was a very special and grand occasion. So, He described all those who were there. In addition to human beings, many other beings knew that this time, the teaching given by the Buddha would be different from those He had given before. It was to be the great turning of the Great Vehicle Dharma-wheel. So, they came to listen to the Dharma.

You may recall from when we talked about the Introductory Chapter how grand an occasion this Dharma-assembly was. It was not only attended by humans, but also by the eight classes of Dharma-protectors. They also all gathered at that place, so it was an exceptional gathering. There, everyone could witness the Buddha bestowing a prediction of Buddhahood on certain disciples. The sight of this cannot really be described in words, but only by analogy. In summary, it was very grand and magnificent.

This is why one must constantly do good deeds, create blessings and form good karmic connections. Then all will eventually receive such predictions, just some sooner than others. Everyone has the chance to attain Buddhahood. Everyone has a lamp in their minds that has not yet been lit. As the flame is passed from lamp to lamp, this radiance will be sustained from light to light. Thus wisdom-life will grow. Being mindful of the path from thought to thought, the Dharma-lineage can be transmitted and predictions will be passed from Buddha to Buddha. Then everyone will be very happy.

At this Dharma-assembly, everyone was happy and filled with great hope. Everyone hoped to receive the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha and they all rejoiced on behalf of those who had. This was a very joyous and celebratory assembly. So, we must always be mindful to truly pass along the Dharma. By doing this, the world will become peaceful. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 509 – Make Offerings of Harmony and Reverence

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>> “With the right mindset and Right Dharma, our path will always be right. With long-lasting compassion and great love, we will walk the Bodhi-path. To make offerings of harmony and reverence, we completely dedicate our bodies and life.”

>> “Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His kingdom will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

>> “When the Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

>> “The ancient noble beings were farther away.”

>> “People can analyze [the Dharma] with relative awareness for a seeming effect.” This is Dharma-semblance.

>> The three periods are Right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. The 500 years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana was the period of Right Dharma. For 1000 years after that, the Dharma people practiced resembled Right Dharma, but was not Right Dharma. So, it was called the era of Dharma-semblance. Thus, it is said, “Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Thus, this era is called Dharma-semblance. Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages….”

>> They are described thus. Bone fragments are “sariras of the physical body.”

>> What about sutras? They are “sariras of the Dharmakaya.”

>> The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated: The wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment, the essence of the lineage, will be passed on like a series of lamps that are successively lit to clearly illuminate all things. Transmitting wondrous Dharma extends this radiance.

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“With the right mindset and Right Dharma, our path will always be right.
With long-lasting compassion and great love, we will walk the Bodhi-path.
To make offerings of harmony and reverence, we completely dedicate our bodies and life.”

Our minds must be oriented in the right direction. If our mindset is correct, then we will not go astray. In Confucianism, Confucius also made a point to talk about “illuminating luminous virtue.” We must “thoroughly study things to understand their principles.” For us to find a way to illuminate luminous virtue in this world, we must [study] all principles and all matters and things to thoroughly understand them.

To be able to “illuminate,” we must first seek knowledge, must first understand. Then with “luminous virtue,” we can penetrate our intrinsic nature. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, isn’t this what we are doing? We all intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. This Buddha-nature manifests as the most penetrating “luminous virtue.” Therefore, for us to “illuminate luminous virtue,” we must clearly understand all external states, matters and things. After we clearly understand them, we must be sincere and have the right mindset.

To be sincere, we must “understand the principles.” When we give to others with utmost reverence, our minds are free of discursive thoughts; we simply do our best to help each other out of the goodness in our hearts. This is how we cultivate ourselves. If we have the right mindset and are sincere, when we do things, everyone will affirm our efforts. If we are in the right state of mind, then the Dharma [we learn] will naturally be right. This is how we engage in spiritual practice. On the path of spiritual practice, we must walk in the right direction. Then naturally, with long-lasting compassion and great love, we walk the Bodhi-path.

We must do this for a long time, life after life. Each Buddha that comes to the world has this characteristic; He extends His compassion because He will never abandon sentient beings. No Buddha is willing to give up on them. They have affinities with sentient beings, so They extend Their compassion and spread great love. This is how They do good deeds and benefit others to form good karmic connections. This will take a very long time.

Thus we say that long-lasting compassion and great love is our Bodhisattva-path. How do we step onto this broad and correct Bodhisattva-path? When do we begin? We must begin right now. As we listen to the Dharma, we must form aspirations right away. Then how do we express that we have begun? By making offerings of harmony and reverence. Harmony and reverence are the offerings we make. When we interact with others, we must do so harmoniously and with reverence. With harmony and reverence between us, we completely dedicate our bodies and life, not only in this lifetime, but also in lifetime after lifetime in the future. We will continue this through all of our lifetimes, starting now.

When the way we lead people and handle matters brings other people happiness, clearly those people have shared the same aspiration, mission, path and practice in the past. So, if the same thing can make all of us happy, then that means we have formed good karmic connections in the past. Will these connections extend into the future? Yes. So, lifetime after lifetime, we must make the same vows, the Four Great Vows. These are not for just one lifetime, but for lifetime after lifetime.

Then in each lifetime we will practice together and live together. We will practice reverence and harmony. “When I see how you help me, I’m grateful to you and. I’m very willing to help you. I will respond to what you propose and help you.” When we help each other and act in concert, there is a sense of harmony and unity of purpose. When our hearts and minds are connected, engaging in practice in this spiritual community will bring us happiness every day. This comes from “harmony and reverence.”

Offerings of “harmony and reverence” take place in a monastic community. We completely dedicate our bodies and our life to learning and practicing the Buddha-Dharma. If we are willing to dedicate our bodies and life, why wouldn’t we be able to make offerings of harmony and reverence to each other? Our society also needs harmony and reverence and so do families. We must vow to do this, starting with ourselves; this is the way it should be.

There was once a village outside of a small town in rural Korea. In this village, everyone lived a very simple life. They were not very well-off and they lived along narrow and winding streets. These streets led all the way up into the hills.

There was one particular street, which was so narrow and winding that at night people frequently had accidents. ․It was easy to stumble and fall there. In the cluster of houses at the end of this street, there lived a family. This family’s house was very run down. But even so, every night when the sun went down, one would hear an old woman calling her husband’s name and asking, “Did you turn on the light outside?” And her husband would reply, “This is such an important matter, how could I forget to turn it on?” Actually, both of them were blind.

Why would an elderly couple who could not see need to turn on the light? Because the street they lived on was very narrow. They often heard people tripping on things and then falling down. So, whether or not the light was on did not make a difference to the two of them, but for the people who could see, this was a great help.

One year, it snowed a lot. There was an old man who lived up in the hills who pulled a cart up this street. The cart was piled high with burned charcoal. He brought this cart of tiny pieces of charcoal all the way up to the doorway of this couple’s home. Then he dumped out the contents on the ground and slowly spread them. He spread this all the way down the street.

In the morning, the elderly couple opened the door and said, “It is not even light out and someone has already covered the streets outside with something that will keep us from slipping and falling as we walk; we feel so grateful. If not for this person, after a large snowstorm, this steep road becomes very slippery this sloped road becomes very slippery. We are so grateful; which kind person laid out this path for us?”

You see, what a heartwarming story this is! This shows people’s mutual reverence and respect. This shows how they cherish this relationship and display their love for each other. This is the way life works. It can be very simple to help others. We must understand the needs of others and then apply the Dharma, apply our methods, to do our best to meet those needs.

In the previous passage, the Lotus Sutra states,

“Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His kingdom will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

Flower Light Buddha is the name of the Buddha Sariputra will become. He will live for 12 small kalpas, which is a very long time. The lifespan of people of that land will be eight kalpas, which is also a long time. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. That is a long time.

A world like that will be so radiant; it will be so blessed. This is what we cultivate in our spiritual practice; this is the kind of world we hope to achieve. We hope that in the future, the world will be like this.

Next, the sutra passage says,

“When the Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas. That Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely; heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them. The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated.”

Right Dharma will abide for 32 small kalpas. After Right Dharma recedes, Dharma-semblance will last for 32 small kalpas. During that time, “The Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely.” In our world, with Sakyamuni Buddha’s sariras, King Ashoka, according to legend, vowed to build over 80,000 stupas so people can make offerings to these relics. In the Saha World, there was really a king like this, King Ashoka.

Several years ago, I heard about a stupa built for Sakyamuni Buddha that was discovered somewhere in Myanmar. Also, a few years ago, the Buddha’s tooth also came to Taiwan. This is also one of His sariras. During the era of Dharma-semblance, these objects were preserved [and venerated]. So, during the era of Dharma-semblance, images [of the Buddha] were prevalent. Both in the human and the heaven realm, everyone respected and made offerings [to these images]. So, “Heavenly beings and humans everywhere will make offerings to them.”

“The deeds of Flower Light Buddha” refers to what Flower Light Buddha will do. “When Right Dharma becomes extinct, Dharma-semblance will last 32 kalpas.” That will be a very long time. During the era of Right Dharma, the teachings, principles, practice and realization will all be correct.

The Buddha personally gave these “teachings.” All of these “principles” were spoken by Buddha. Those who receive the teachings will then put them into “practice.” Whatever the Buddha taught will be what they put into practice.

For example, when Sakyamuni Buddha led His monastic disciples in spiritual practice, He also had to guide them step by step. Those who did not understand had to continue to listen. Was the Buddha only teaching the Dharma for the monastics, or was He teaching it for the world? They listened very mindfully so they could take it to heart and keep it in mind. They even put it into practice and manifested the Dharma in their actions. This was how, with both body and mind, they sincerely engaged in spiritual practice. So, there were many who attained “realization.”

This is the process of teachings, principles, practice and realization. All four were present in the era of Right Dharma, or when the Buddha was in this world. People “experienced it with direct awareness.”

“Direct awareness” is experiencing the present situation. The people, the Buddha, the Dharma were all present in that moment, so they could “experience it with direct awareness.” Thus everyone had a tangible example to follow, and people were able to put Right Dharma into practice and attain realization. There were many spiritual practitioners who were able to do this.

But after the Buddha left this world,

“The ancient noble beings were farther away.”

After noble beings become farther away,

“People can analyze [the Dharma] with relative awareness for a seeming effect.” This is Dharma-semblance.

Because the Buddha left, there was just relative awareness. The Dharma is like this, in the past, people practiced like this, the Buddha said something like this. As esteemed monks and great sages gradually passed away, the people who followed them could only analyze things with relative awareness. “It was more or less like this.” The difference is like saying, “I’m almost as tall as you are. No, you’re not, you’re a little bit shorter.” This kind of comparative analysis is called “relative awareness.” In the past, the Dharma was like this, so we try our best to learn it as it was taught; this is called Dharma-semblance. But how do we try to learn what was taught? All we can do is try our best and use our imaginations to come up with an image of the Buddha.

After the era of Dharma-semblance came the era of Dharma-degeneration, which is the era we are in now. So, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, during the 500 years of the era of Right Dharma, people were able to practice according to the Buddha’s original teachings, as they were still very close. Teachings, principles, practice and realization were put into action.

But after these 500 years, there was an era lasting 1000 years when the Dharma that was being practiced resembled Right Dharma. It was similar, very close. Whether through building stupas or temples, or by creating sculptures and so on, Dharma-semblances flourished. So, this was the era of Dharma-semblance.

The three periods are Right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. The 500 years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana was the period of Right Dharma. For 1000 years after that, the Dharma people practiced resembled Right Dharma, but was not Right Dharma. So, it was called the era of Dharma-semblance. Thus, it is said, “Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Thus, this era is called Dharma-semblance. Since ancient times, many noble beings and sages….”

Ancient times refers to an era when people were very simple and pure. They delighted in acquiring knowledge and learning the Buddha-Dharma. After learning about impermanence, they sought liberation. So, when they understood and believed something, their faith would be deep. This was what noble beings and sages were like. Whether it be Sakyamuni Buddha or Confucius, Lao Tzu or Mozi and so on, that era was when most of these sages appeared.

When it came to learning, or the Dharma, they were all very earnest and worked very hard. People who sought and learned the Buddha-Dharma “understood the path to Buddhahood and transmitted the noble teachings. The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present.” The Buddha’s images were respected, as if He was present. Confucius also said to “respect gods, as if gods were present.” Of course, as Buddhist practitioners, we respect the Buddha, as if He is here. This kind of reverence and love is what we Buddhist practitioners should have.

So, Flower Light Buddha will live in that world for 12 kalpas. It will be such a long time. But though His lifespan will be long, He will still eventually enter Parinirvana. This is why “the Buddha’s sariras will circulate widely.” His body, His body’s remains, the bones that He left behind and other parts of the body He left behind are called “sariras.” These “sariras” were formed through [His] cultivation of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Everyone respected them and recognized how precious they were.

So, in the Treatise on Great Perfection of Wisdom, they are described thus.

They are described thus. Bone fragments are “sariras of the physical body.”

After the body is cremated and bones scattered, these pieces are also called sariras.

What about sutras? They are “sariras of the Dharmakaya.”

Even though His physical body is gone, the Dharma still remains. Teachings are the sariras of the Dharmakaya.

So, we talk about the Dharma-essence of the wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment. For the path to enlightenment, the wondrous Dharma is its essence. The Dharma-essence is in the lineage and the Dharma-lineage must be passed on.

The deeds of Flower Light Buddha will be as I have stated: The wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment, the essence of the lineage, will be passed on like a series of lamps that are successively lit to clearly illuminate all things. Transmitting wondrous Dharma extends this radiance.

The present Buddha passed it onto Sariputra and bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon him. In the future, Flower Light Buddha will pass it on to Firm and Complete Bodhisattva and bestow a prediction upon him in the same way. We can clearly see that the essence of this wondrous Dharma of the path to enlightenment is transmitted through the Dharma-lineage. This is like lighting a series of lamps, so they can light the way. This is how the wondrous Dharma is passed on. Passing on this wondrous Dharma sustains and expands its radiance.

So, with the right mindset and Right Dharma, we will always travel on the right path. Long-lasting compassion and great love are the Bodhi-path. In our daily living, we must “make offerings of harmony and reverence” by “completely dedicating our bodies and life.” This is how, in our lives, we transmit the Dharma-lineage like Buddhas. For the sake of harmony in the world, we must always be mindful.

Episode 508 – With Profound Virtue, Abide in the Right Dharma

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>> “We must firmly resolve to hold fast to our vows. By upholding sincerity, integrity and faith, we can reach the True Dharma. We walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner. To walk this path, we must go among people.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.”

>> That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.

>> “Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

>> With Flower Light Buddha’s long lifespan, He will abide in the world for 12 kalpas. The people who share the circumstantial retribution to live in His land will enjoy blessings. To live during that Buddha’s lifetime, they must have exceptional blessings and virtues. Not only do they live in the same era as Him, they can see Him, listen to and attain the Buddha-Dharma and can enjoy a lengthy lifespan of eight kalpas.

>> That Buddha’s lifetime will be 12 small kalpas. After that Buddha enters Parinirvana, the Dharma will initially flourish. People can experience it through direct awareness. This is the era of Right Dharma. The Dharma will then spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.

>> Right Dharma: It is the proper teachings of the path. Principles that do not deviate are called proper. This is the Dharma Treasure from among the Three Treasures. Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.

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“We must firmly resolve to hold fast to our vows.
By upholding sincerity, integrity and faith, we can reach the True Dharma.
We walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner.
To walk this path, we must go among people.”

When we resolve to engage in spiritual practice, we must uphold our vows and follow the path. Therefore, our resolve must be very firm and we must hold fast to our initial aspiration, that very first thought.

Recently I have been talking to you about initial aspirations. Our initial aspiration must be to deliver sentient beings, [the first of] the Four Great Vows. To deliver sentient beings, we must eliminate our own afflictions. To eliminate our own afflictions, we must learn the Buddha’s teachings. When we understand the Buddha-Dharma and go among the people, we will see all kinds of worldly matters. When we can connect them to the principles, this will develop our wisdom-life. I hope that our wisdom-life will never stop growing. When we unite matters with principles, one day, our wisdom-life and the universe can also be one. That is when we will attain a great awakening.

So, we must maintain our sincerity, integrity and faith. If we can uphold sincerity, integrity and faith, we will naturally reach the True Dharma. When we face [different situations] with our fellow spiritual practitioners, we need to be true, sincere and proper in the way we treat one another. This shows how the Buddha-Dharma is inseparable from the way we live in the world.

There is a saying, “Only when we have perfected our character can we attain Buddhahood.” Therefore, if we seek the Buddha’s teachings because we want to attain Buddhahood, we have to spend a very long period of time, lifetime after lifetime, refining our character. As we interact with people, we must always “walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner.” This is how we interact with everyone when we go among people. Then everyone will be drawn to us because of our gentle manner. A gentle demeanor is something people can see. Being genuine comes from our heart, so we must be upright and straightforward. These are valuable qualities in a person and can help us perfect our character. If we walk the Bodhisattva-path with a mind that is gentle and genuine, then we will awaken and attain Bodhi on this path. Walking the path to awakening will take us to our goal.

Every day, we must walk this path, follow the road that we should follow and do the things that we should do. When we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must have a clear goal. We must head toward this goal every day and every moment. We must never turn away from this path. The road that we walk and the things that we do must not be apart from other people. Walking the Bodhisattva-path among people is the true spirit of learning the Buddha’s teachings.

We normally think, “The people I should transform are those I have karmic connections with.” Of course, the Buddha has also said, “The Buddha transforms those He has karmic connections with.” If we have no karmic connections with people, does that mean we shouldn’t transform them? Not at all. If we have no karmic connections with them, then we must find a way to draw near them and create [good] karmic connections with them, transforming animosity into gratitude. This is not impossible.

A very long time ago, there was a monastic practitioner, an elderly bhiksu. One day he left his temple and went to the city. When he was on his way home, it was already dusk and the sky was almost dark, but he still had a long way to go. Suddenly, there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain. This rain would likely not stop any time soon, so the monk felt that he must find shelter to be safe.

In the haze of the rain, there seemed to be a house in the distance. This made him very happy, and he called for them to open the door. “It is raining so hard. Would you allow me into your home to take shelter from the rain?” This doorkeeper answered, “You should leave quickly. My master has no [fondness] for the Sangha. Whenever a monastic or spiritual practitioner comes, he feels no connection with them, so I believe he won’t take you in.”

The old monk begged him persistently, until the doorkeeper said, “I will go inside and ask my master. Only with his consent would I dare to let you in.” While he went in to ask, the old monk stood outside the house in the pouring rain. After a long time, the doorkeeper finally returned. He said, “I’m sorry. I spoke to my master and asked him, but he will not allow it. I’m sorry, but you must leave now.” The old monk was at a loss, so he said to the doorkeeper, “Please let me in, I won’t enter the house. I’ll wait in the corridor, under the eaves of this corner of the house. Can you let me just huddle there for a while?”

He said, “It’s best that you do not, because my master has a negative affinity with the Sangha,” Since he could not even huddle under the eaves, the monk decided to travel through the night in the pouring rain. By the time he arrived back at the temple, it was the middle of the night. It was still pouring heavily. This was how things went.

Three years later, the master of that house took a concubine. He really adored and doted upon this new concubine of his. She was very kind and liked paying her respects to the Buddha. So, this man accompanied her to the temple. At the temple, as his concubine started paying her respects, he looked around. Why was his name written over there? It was on an altar honoring great benefactors. He thought that this was strange. There was young monk sweeping the floor, so the man asked him, “Excuse me, why is my name on this altar honoring great benefactors?” The monk said, “I don’t know whose name that is. Three years ago, my master came back in the middle of the night, soaking wet from the rain. I only heard him say that ‘Today, there was a benefactor with whom I had no karmic connection with. After he said that, I saw him write something. Then he put this plaque on the altar for honoring great benefactors. Every day, my master pays his respects and prays for negative affinities to turn into good ones.”

Upon hearing this, the man felt very remorseful. “That’s right! Three years ago, my doorkeeper came in and told me that an elderly monk was outside in the rain and would like to take shelter at my house. How could I have felt such an aversion toward monastics? Not only did this monastic not harbor a grudge, he even put my name on the altar and prayed for my longevity and wellbeing.” The more he thought about this, the more remorseful and repentant he felt. From then on, the man became a great benefactor of the temple. This was a wealthy man, the owner of that big house.

So, we often say that we must form good karmic connections with others and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We should show compassion to all equally. Toward those who have helped us, we should be grateful. Toward those who were unwilling to help us or may have even slandered us, we should also be respectful. We must love all sentient beings equally. This is how we show compassion to all equally. Because there was no karmic connection, he needed to resolve that negative affinity and create a positive karmic connection.

So, he is a role model for us. Although this is only a story, this is the type of mindset that we spiritual practitioners must have. So, we should “walk the Bodhi-path in a gentle and genuine manner. To walk this path, we must go among people.” I hope everyone can spend a long period of time doing good deeds, benefiting others and forming good karmic connections. This way, in the future, [these people] will be our spiritual family when we attain Buddhahood. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

The previous passage states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.”

In the future, Sariputra will become Flower Light Buddha. In Flower Light Buddha’s lifetime, His place of spiritual cultivation will be filled with Bodhisattvas. They all have great aspirations and great vows and will still continue to progress diligently, preparing to go among people and transform them, lifetime after lifetime. These beings will all be taught and transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

“That Buddha, while still a prince” means that, before Flower Light Buddha attains Buddhahood, this noble will “renounce his kingdom and worldly glory.”

That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.

In the Lotus Sutra, we read about the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas who, one after another, manifested in the human realm. Because They all unceasingly did good deeds, unceasingly benefited others and unceasingly formed good karmic connections, by the time They reached the lifetime in which. They would attain perfect enlightenment, They would be replete with blessings. Once Their blessings were sufficient, They would be born into the most noble family in the entire kingdom. This is why we must make an effort to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections.

Being born as a prince signifies high noble status. They “renounced kingdom and worldly glory.” Each was born into a noble household, then renounced this noble life and sought the path to attain Buddhahood. They did this in their final body.

The next sutra passage states,

“Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for a lifespan of 12 small kalpas. The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas. When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.”

Flower Light Buddha will abide in this world for 12 small kalpas; His lifespan will be 12 small kalpas, which is a very long time. One small kalpa is already difficult to calculate, much less 12 small kalpas. “The people of His land will have a lifespan of eight small kalpas,” which is also a very long time. So, “when that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.” When that Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas. This is a long time. Thus, Right Dharma can transform many sentient beings.

With Flower Light Buddha’s long lifespan, He will abide in the world for 12 kalpas. The people who share the circumstantial retribution to live in His land will enjoy blessings. To live during that Buddha’s lifetime, they must have exceptional blessings and virtues. Not only do they live in the same era as Him, they can see Him, listen to and attain the Buddha-Dharma and can enjoy a lengthy lifespan of eight kalpas.

When Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world, because the karma of the world’s sentient beings was very severe, His lifespan could not be very long. Only when sentient beings have great blessings can the lifespan of a Buddha be very long. Because the Buddha came to the Saha World, His lifespan was like that of the humans here. So, the Buddha only lived for 80 years. This was what happened to Sakyamuni Buddha. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, Right Dharma abided in the world for 500 years. So, everyone practiced according to the teachings. The monastics lived a life very similar to the Buddha’s when He first started. This was true spiritual practice, so there were many who attained realizations. After 500 years passed, it became the era of Dharma-semblance. This era lasted for 1000 years, and then it gradually entered the era of Dharma-degeneration. This is the era that we are in now; this is the era of Dharma-degeneration. In the Saha World, sentient beings’ karma is very severe. So, the Buddha-Dharma is very short-lived. The life of Flower Light Buddha will be long; it is a blessed retribution to be born in that era.

When we speak of “kalpas,” we explained that the average human lifespan becoming 84,000 years depends on the karma of sentient beings. The lighter our karma is, the longer our lifespan and greater our blessings. The more [bad] karma we create, the more severe our defilements and the shorter our lifespan and the fewer our blessings in the world. In this deteriorating world, there will be more and more poverty. So, in the world we live in now, we see so many natural and manmade disasters, so many countries where the people cannot get by. This is due to our collective karma.

So, “[people] who live in His land will enjoy blessings. [They] live during the Buddha’s lifetime.” They are indeed very blessed. Their blessings must be exceptional; not only do they live during the Buddha’s lifetime, but they can also meet Him and interact with Him.

Actually, when the Buddha comes to the world, not everyone will necessarily see Him, even if they live during the same era. You have all probably heard this example that I have shared. In a city of 90,000 people, only 30,000, one third, knew about Him, saw Him and heard the Dharma. Another 30,000 knew about Him, but did not see Him or hear the Dharma. The remaining 30,000 did not know about Him, see Him or hear the Dharma. See, to live in the same era as the Buddha, to personally see Him and hear Him teach the Dharma truly requires a very great blessing. Not only will they live in the same era as Him, but they will also be able to hear Him teach. Their blessings will truly be great. In particular, some will enjoy a long lifespan of eight small kalpas. Those who live in the same era as Flower Light Buddha are indeed truly blessed. After this Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 kalpas widely transforming sentient beings.

That Buddha’s lifetime will be 12 small kalpas. After that Buddha enters Parinirvana, the Dharma will initially flourish. People can experience it through direct awareness. This is the era of Right Dharma. The Dharma will then spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas, widely transforming sentient beings.

The Dharma will really be flourishing, so in accordance with these guidelines, people will use these methods of spiritual practice. So, “in accordance with” refers to direct awareness. By engaging in spiritual practice in accordance with Right Dharma, they can experience the truth taught by the Buddha. This happens during the era of Right Dharma. Then the Dharma will spread throughout the world. Right Dharma will abide for 32 small kalpas and transform many beings. Even though that Buddha enters Parinirvana, people can still earnestly practice, as if He is still there, and the Dharma will still be transmitted.

Among the Three Treasures, the Dharma Treasure depends on [the transmission of] the Dharma to be maintained. Even though the Buddha is not here, the Dharma sustains His presence here. So, Right Dharma could abide in the world for 500 years because it was healthy and flourishing. So, the Dharma Treasure was sustained for 500 years.

Right Dharma: It is the proper teachings of the path. Principles that do not deviate are called proper. This is the Dharma Treasure from among the Three Treasures. Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.

“Its essence is the teachings, principles, practices and realizations.” Those with teachings, those with principles, those who truly engage in spiritual practice and those who have truly attained realization are the four valuable things that help Right Dharma abide in this world.

The multitude of sentient beings need the Buddha-Dharma for this world. Thus, turning the Dharma-wheel and bringing the Dharma among the people depends on us all sharing the same mission and having a firm resolve. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 507 – Attaining Buddhahood by Perfecting Affinities

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>> “The great Bodhi-path is wide and direct. Awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows. They keep their bodies pure and guard their minds. By perfecting their affinities with all beings, they attain Buddhahood.”

>> “With roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits.”

>> “The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

>> “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.”

>> In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path: Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. From the Buddha, they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. They perfectly benefit themselves and others, and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. By learning well the Bodhisattva-path, they will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

>> A common name for Bodhisattvas is great saints. This means they accomplish great things. They are those with the great mission of seeking the fruit of Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings. Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

>> The final body is one’s final incarnation in samsara. This is their final cycle of birth and death. These Bodhisattvas will be born, then ultimately become monastics and attain Buddhahood.

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“The great Bodhi-path is wide and direct.
Awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows.
They keep their bodies pure and guard their minds.
By perfecting their affinities with all beings, they attain Buddhahood.”

The Bodhisattva-path is indeed wide and direct. It can take us from the state of unenlightened beings very precisely to our pure intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Walking straight forward in this way allows us to arrive safely at our destination. However, we still need to truly achieve an awakening. With this Dharma, if we can awaken, we will start off in the right direction. If we are deluded, if a single thought deviates, we will get lost. We will end up on a winding and roundabout road. This very long detour began because we went down the wrong fork in the road. Thus we became lost, and no matter how far we go, we will not reach our destination.

So, awakened sentient beings are those who have already attained realizations and have already formed great aspirations. They know they must return to this road to attain Buddhahood. Once we make the Four Great Vows, our goal will be to transform all sentient beings. This is because [the first vow is to] “deliver countless beings.”

No matter how widespread sentient beings are, what state they are in, how big of an area they cover, Bodhisattvas’ hearts must be able to embrace them however and wherever they are so that Bodhisattvas can always be mindful and compassionate. They must be mindful because if a single thought deviates, they can be tempted by sentient beings. They wish to transform sentient beings, but can end up being transformed by them. This may happen to us because we have not yet awakened and cannot see clearly, so we are in a state of confusion. We know that the Buddha-Dharma is wonderful, saving people is the right thing to do and that we are very happy when we help others. This is just knowledge.

Why do we need to save others? Why, when we give of ourselves, are we so happy? If our faith is deep, the Dharma will be clear. When faith is deep, the Dharma is clear. Thus, these awakened sentient beings will use their awakening, their understanding of the Buddha-Dharma, to persist [in transforming] sentient beings.

Since we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must go among people just as the Buddha did. However many people there are, however widespread they are, we must also have a state of mind that can adapt to them however and wherever they are so we can maintain the deep faith and clear mind that come from our awakening. Then, when we go among the people, we will be able to exercise our compassion.

We often talk about extending our compassion and spreading great love. We must go among people to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections. All this [comes from] a feeling of compassion. People have feelings, so by making good connections with them, in the future they will be members of our spiritual family who help us perfect our spiritual practice.

So, “awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows.” On this broad and direct Bodhi-path, awakened sentient beings make the great vow to go among the people. However, the human realm is a turbulent world full of temptations and many different beings. Before entering the world of sentient beings, we must make preparations. That is, we must “keep our bodies pure and guard our minds.” We must keep our minds pure. Not only must we keep our minds pure, in all the actions we take we must maintain the purity of our bodies.

By safeguarding our minds, when we encounter interpersonal conflicts, we will be able to apply the wisdom of awakened sentient beings to form good affinities with those people and help resolve the delusion in their minds. We must not get caught up in the whirlpool of confusion and ignorance. Then, while among people, we will not be affected by them. Thus, we can keep our bodies and minds pure. Thus we can perfect affinities with sentient beings and then attain Buddhahood. We must form these perfect karmic connections.

Recently, I have been sharing about this topic. Sariputra received the Buddha’s prediction of Buddhahood. Afterwards, he realized how prosperous his land will be and how magnificent; Bodhisattvas will be its great treasures, and “its ground is made of crystal.” The ground of our Saha World is made of sand, soil, rocks, mud and so on. However, the land of Flower Light Tathagata will have a ground made of crystal.

The “crystal” here is just like the color of the sky in the very early morning. As the sun is just about to rise, there is a golden hue that is very beautiful. The rest of the sky seems very blue, with slight hints of gray. It is such a clear and beautiful sky. It is hard to describe that kind of beauty with language or with something as an analogy. This beauty changes very quickly. No matter how it changes, the color of the sky is always very beautiful.

When we look at a ground made of crystals, if we observe it from different angles, we will find different kinds of beauty. This shows what that land will be like. Indeed, its ground will be made of crystal,

“With roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits.”

It is very beautiful.

“The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

This will be the state of Flower Light Buddha because, in His past, He perfected so many [connections] by helping so many sentient beings. After perfecting these karmic connections and attaining Buddhahood, this is what His future land will be like. Therefore, “perfecting affinities with sentient beings” in order to “attain Buddhahood” is very important.

The next sutra passage states,

“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.”

Let us briefly consider this passage. “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path.” In order for a Buddha to attain Buddhahood, He must [follow] countless Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and forming aspirations. He aspires and vows to follow the Bodhisattva-path.

In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path: Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. From the Buddha, they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. They perfectly benefit themselves and others, and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. By learning well the Bodhisattva-path, they will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.

Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows. When any Buddha or Bodhisattva begins to walk the path to Buddhahood, the first vows he makes must be the Four Great Vows. “We vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” This is the first vow of all Buddhas, from the very beginning to the end, when They attain Buddhahood. So, we always say that once we find the right course, we must follow it precisely. This starts with facing in the right direction. Which direction is the right direction? Moving toward delivering sentient beings. If we do not transform them, then we definitely will not attain Buddhahood. So, we must perfect our karmic affinities in order to attain Buddhahood.

From the Buddha, Bodhisattvas hear the Dharma and aspire and vow to deliver sentient beings. For such a long time, life after life, in the presence of countless Buddhas they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path. Once they learn it, they must put it into practice. So, they must walk the Bodhisattva-path lifetime after lifetime until they perfectly benefit themselves as well as others and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently. The two beneficial conducts are benefiting ourselves and benefiting others; we must practice them simultaneously. Over many lifetimes, we must “learn well the Bodhisattva-path.”

The Bodhisattvas [in this land] will have walked the Bodhisattva-path, lifetime after lifetime. These Bodhisattvas will all be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. Beginning in His lifetime as Sariputra, He has had a spiritual family. He was willing to go among the people and deliver them. By transforming sentient beings in each lifetime, extending His compassion and spreading love, these beings become His spiritual family members. Then lifetime after lifetime, they will follow Him in their spiritual cultivation. So, the text here says, “they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path.”

These Bodhisattvas are all great saints. “Great saints such as these.” Bodhisattvas are also called “great saints” or “ones who open the way.” Bodhisattvas are referred to in three ways. Usually, we call them. “Bodhisattvas,” awakened sentient beings. Actually, Bodhisattvas in the world can also be called “great saints.” So, Bodhisattvas are called great saints. What does it mean to be a “great saint”? Great saints are the people who accomplish great things. This is what makes them great saints. They also have “taken on the great mission of seeking the Buddha’s teachings and transforming sentient beings.” This is what makes them great saints.

A common name for Bodhisattvas is great saints. This means they accomplish great things. They are those with the great mission of seeking the fruit of Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings. Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

They form great aspirations and make great vows. They seek the Buddha’s teachings and transform sentient beings. Thus all the matters involved with teaching and transforming sentient beings are all accomplished. People who make the great vows to do these things in the human realm are called great saints. They are like Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.

Bodhisattvas can also be called “ones who open the way.” That means they have already awakened; they want to go among people in order to perfect their karmic connections. “Ones who open the way” and “great saints” both refer to Bodhisattvas; they are those who work to benefit all people.

The next verse continues, “That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory.” Everybody should remember what the Buddha did before teaching the Lotus Sutra in the Introductory Chapter. This was when. Manjusri Bodhisattva began to describe the past 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. He explained that these 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas shared the same first name and last name and appeared in the human realm, one after another. The very last of these Buddhas, before He left the lay life, had eight sons.

His eight sons, before becoming monastics, governed his kingdom. But after hearing that their father had become a monastic and had even attained Buddhahood, the eight sons also aspired to leave the lay life and follow their father to become monastics. This was in the era of the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. At that time, the princes began to aspire to engage in spiritual practice.

These eight princes all became monastics and went to different lands to deliver sentient beings. The sentient beings that they transformed also continued to follow them. Life after life, they continued to accumulate karmic affinities with sentient beings. Life after life they returned to perfect karmic connections with sentient beings.

Eventually, they attained “their final bodies.” These were their final incarnations in the cycle of birth and death.

The final body is one’s final incarnation in samsara. This is their final cycle of birth and death. These Bodhisattvas will be born, then ultimately become monastics and attain Buddhahood.

In the past, they followed their karmic conditions and spent lifetimes in this world to transform sentient beings. At the very end, they had put an end to their rebirth. They completely eliminated the karmic conditions that would continue their cyclic existence. If they came to this world again, it would be because of their vows, not because they were led here by their karma. So, this is their final body. After attaining Buddhahood, They would enter Parinirvana.

Parinirvana does not have anything to do with death or passing away. “Nirvana” is a state that is tranquil and still, so this is “entering the land of calm illumination.” The Buddha’s mind is already in the land of calm illumination. His mind will always be as tranquil and still as the light of a crystal, which is a very pure and bright light. This is called Parinirvana. The tranquil and still state of Parinirvana is naturally one of non-arising and non-ceasing. A state without arising and ceasing is a tranquil and still state. This tranquil and still state is called a land of calm illumination. After the Buddha attains enlightenment,

His final body is His last incarnation in samsara. This is due to enlightenment. A Bodhisattva who is experiencing his last cycle of birth and death in samsara has completed his Bodhisattva-practices and in the end will attain Buddhahood.

Therefore, for Sakyamuni Buddha, that lifetime in the Saha World was the final body He used to walk the Bodhisattva-path. For countless lifetimes, He had been walking the Bodhisattva-path and this was His final body. So, over 2000 years ago, when Prince Siddhartha was born into the palace, that was the last time He would walk the Bodhisattva-path. To complete it, He would come to the world, become a monastic, engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood. This was to let everybody know that if they want to engage in spiritual cultivation, this is the road to follow.

Why do we need to engage in spiritual practice? Because life is full of suffering; there is so much hardship. The Buddha, having spent time among the multitude of sentient beings had seen all kinds of human suffering. In fact, while Sakyamuni Bodhisattva was still walking the Bodhisattva-path, this was already clear to him. In order teach everyone what it means to attain Buddhahood, He manifested this appearance and lived among ordinary people by being born among them. He was born among ordinary people and with various ways of living expressed what was in His heart to help people understand.

This young prince enjoyed glory, status, wealth and luxuries, but when he saw how people were suffering, he could not bear it. To find a solution for everyone’s suffering, he left the palace. After experiencing many hardships and engaging in ascetic practices, in the end, he sat beneath a tree, surrounded by nature. In this natural state, under the starry sky, he watched the twinkling of the stars. Suddenly, his mind connected with that star; the light of his mind and the light of the star came together and became one. This light opened up his mind completely.

The Buddha manifested this to show us that, like Him, we were born in the state of ordinary people, and all of us have seen the pain and suffering of this world. When we hear the principles taught by the Buddha, we can comprehend His experience for ourselves. So, we also become monastics and engage in spiritual practice. This is how we begin. We must also make the Four Great Vows. To start on the path to Buddhahood, we must make the Four Great Vows. Then for countless lifetimes, we extend our compassion and spread great love. Living among people, we perfect our karmic connections with them. Then we can also walk from the state of ordinary people back to our pure, undefiled nature of True Suchness, which is the land of calm illumination.

We can also achieve this, but it will take a very long time for us to form karmic connections with everyone. This is a very natural [process] and it is not particularly difficult, as long as we can open up and broaden our hearts. The sooner we perfect these karmic connections, the sooner we will attain Buddhahood. The sooner we do good deeds, the sooner we benefit others and the sooner we form good karmic connections. Then once our causes and conditions are perfect, we will return to the Tathagata’s state of mind in the land of calm illumination. So, “in his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.” This is the journey of every Buddha. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 506 – A Mind Clear as Crystal Has Infinite Wisdom

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>> “A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted. Forever sustain a firm and unwavering will to attain the infinite wisdom of the great perfect mirror of the mind.”

>> So, “having made offerings to countless Buddhas perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named. Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

>> “Its ground is made of crystal, with roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits. The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

>> There are precious worldly treasures, like crystals making up the ground, and golden ropes bordering the roads. This signifies the abundance of this reward-land.

>> The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve: A tree with roots so deeply fixed that it cannot be uprooted is firm. An object that retains its original appearance is solid. A mind that is unchanging and unwavering will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate.

>> Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected: This land is pure and undefiled with utmost goodness as its treasure. In particular, Bodhisattvas make the Great Vows and remain firm and solid in their resolve, focusing on practicing the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Spiritual powers come from the mind. A mind that is still can reflect things. This allows us to have insight into past lives, and discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi and thus have no hindrances. These are spiritual powers.

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“A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal
is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.
Forever sustain a firm and unwavering will
to attain the infinite wisdom of the great perfect mirror of the mind.”

This is a very beautiful state of mind. Don’t all of us hope that our minds can be just like this? As long as we can completely eliminate the desires, afflictions and ignorance in our minds, the pure intrinsic nature that we have always had will be revealed. Our pure intrinsic nature is as clear as crystal,

“like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.” Lotus flowers grow in the mud, but lotus flowers will not be tainted by the mud. Instead, the mud provides them with nutrients. These nutrients allow lotus flowers to become more beautiful and bloom even more fully, and make the lotus roots to grow more thick and tender. The two complement each other; lotus flowers adorn the mud with beauty, while the mud supplies the lotus with nutrients. So, they mutually benefit each other.

Bodhisattvas go among people and people provide them with an understanding of the true principles of the world. In this turbid, evil world, every person and every family will experience suffering. Each family faces different suffering. This world is filled with people who cannot let go of their afflictions. Clearly, things are quite simple, but they remain trapped by their [afflictions]. Clearly, this is a very straightforward matter, but they turn it into something complicated. Thus, people have so many different [afflictions].

The minds of Bodhisattvas are very pure, and their wisdom is clear and radiant, because they have made “vows as vast as the universe” and are willing to go among the people; this is their great vow. Because they willingly vowed to go among people, Bodhisattvas’ minds are very calm and still. With the Power of Samadhi and a pure mind, though in this turbid and evil world, they can interact with people without being tainted by afflictions. They are just like lotus flowers.

The minds of ordinary people exist amidst this evil and turbidity; they have every kind of affliction. We often hear, “This is a really simple matter, why do you have to make it so complicated? Ah, because some people say to do it this way, but others want to do it that way.” In this way, the things we need to do will continue to be delayed, minute by minute as time passes by. For such a simple matter, is it really necessary to determine who is right or who is wrong at that moment? We know what should be done. When we listen to the Dharma, we know that this is not necessary. But we do this because of our habitual tendencies;

when we go back to our daily lives, we often [behave this way]. “I feel that what you are doing is wrong, so I am going to tell someone else right away. I am going to tell them what you said.” If we do that, things become even more complicated. We know things are already complicated, but we may still repeat what we hear. We talk about it until it becomes very complicated. Then, we try to go back. “I did not mean it like that.” See, such a simple matter can cause people to overcomplicate things. When people who cause these complications try to express their intent, they muddle things up even more. Thus things become very complicated.

During the era of Master Zhizhe (Zhi Yi), one day, a disciple in his Sangha hurried toward him and said, “Master, I really want to report something to you.” Master Zhizhe said, “Whatever you say must fulfill three conditions. Have you met all these conditions?” [The disciple] said, “I want to report this.” He said, “Fine, but first, is what you are about to say constructive?” The disciple answered, “I’m not sure whether it is constructive or not. I am not sure whether it is constructive or not.”

“Very well, then second, is what you want to say a truth or falsehood?” He answered, “I do not know, because I heard it from other people, so I want to report you. Third, is what you want to say kind or is it mean?” He said, “Honestly, these words are not kind. In that case, do you still need to say it?” Hearing this, the disciple thought, “Indeed, it is not necessary to say this. I do not even know whether it is true or not. Since those words are not kind, why should I spread them?” Everyone, when dealing with matters like this, have we given into our habitual tendencies before?

In life, the Five Turbidities are very severe; in this evil world of Five Turbidities, the whole world is in turmoil and unrest. All of this is caused by our afflictions and our perspectives. Why are the Five Turbidities flourishing so strongly in this era? It is because there are so many unwholesome things that we should not do, yet we have done them and spread [rumors]. We have taken falsehoods and complicated them. Doing these things may not be constructive, but people do not know right from wrong. So, as a result, we have created the Five Turbidities and the Eight Sufferings. This all arises from our mind.

Right now, it is as if we are in filthy mud. But actually, lotus seeds are buried in this mud. We must be like lotus flowers that emerge from the mud but are not tainted. This is how we engage in spiritual practice among people. We go among the people to purify the people, to purify their minds. We must be like this as we learn the Buddha’s teachings.

When we lose our way, to find our way back, we must go among impure and evil people while maintaining a pure mind. We must remain unwavering, and our will must be firm. We must sustain this resolve forever, returning to the initial aspiration we had when we made the Four Great Vows. Our will must also be firm. If we can sustain this mindset and completely clear away all defilements, then the great perfect mirror of the mind will appear. This is how we attain infinite wisdom. For us to attain this state is not impossible. We inherently have it. We just need to work hard to wipe this mirror until it is clean. A simple life is a most wonderful life. So, we must put our hearts into [achieving this].

The previous sutra passage states, “[Sariputra] made offerings to countless Buddhas.” After Sariputra attains Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas in that land can also receive predictions of Buddhahood and continue to bestow them on others. These Bodhisattvas will also have “made offerings to countless Buddhas.” They must also do this for a very long period of time. As for these “countless Buddhas,” I have told you that everyone is a Buddha. We must be grateful and respectful to everyone. So, we treat them as Buddhas and make offerings to them. We work with each other harmoniously, making each other happy. We gather our strength to help others. Then aren’t we interacting with. Buddhas every day? When we bring joy to these Buddhas, we are making offerings. When we help each other succeed, the experience we each gain is the offering we make to each other.

So, “having made offerings to countless Buddhas perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named. Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

As I mentioned before, if we can constantly make offerings to Buddhas, constantly perfect the Bodhisattva-path and constantly purify our minds, and make the Four Great Vows, life after life, our minds will never be tainted, and our Bodhisattva-practice will be uninterrupted. Thus, we are “pure and without flaws,” as our minds have transcended all defilements.

Let us discuss the following sutra passage.

“Its ground is made of crystal, with roads bordered with golden ropes. Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits. The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”

This sutra passage describes that land, the land of Flower Light Tathagata, which is filled with Bodhisattvas. Its ground is made of crystal; everything is adorned with treasures. The roads are bordered with golden ropes. All this signifies the prosperity of this land. The mind of a Bodhisattva should have this kind of abundance.

For Bodhisattvas to attain realization, they rely on the turbidities of the world and the many ignorant and afflicted sentient beings, which help Bodhisattvas’ wisdom grow and strengthen their spiritual aspirations. Thus, we must sustain this [abundant] state of mind. With spiritual wealth, our minds will naturally become pure.

There are “roads bordered with golden ropes” and “multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures that always have flowers and fruits.” Everywhere, whether in the tree tops, in the roots or on the ground, there are treasures everywhere. This is why I constantly tell everyone that we must be understanding. If we are understanding, even when people give us a bad attitude or say harsh things to us, we can shift our thoughts and be grateful to them. We will feel no afflictions or hatred. If we can do this, then there will be treasures everywhere.

There are precious worldly treasures, like crystals making up the ground, and golden ropes bordering the roads. This signifies the abundance of this reward-land.

“There are precious worldly treasures, like crystal forming the ground.” This ground is the most precious thing in this world. The mind of a Bodhisattva must be like this; if in all of our arising thoughts we can be firm and solid in our aspirations, that will be most precious.

The golden ropes bordering the roads are like our precepts. If we can uphold them well, they are golden ropes that define the boundaries. As we give of ourselves to help sentient beings, there must be boundaries in our minds. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the Three Flawless Studies, will keep us from being tempted by sentient beings. We will not cross the boundaries and will fulfill our fundamental duties. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom will safeguard our minds as we practice the Bodhisattva-path among people. This is our reward-land.

Earlier we discussed circumstantial retribution and direct retribution. We want the place where we will be born to be very prosperous. Our current retribution led us to this world. If we are spiritually wealthy, it is because we practice giving. Thus, we need to maintain our spiritual wealth and keep a very pure mindset.

So, “the Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve.” When our resolve is firm and solid, we will be like a tree, with deeply affixed roots. This tree cannot be easily pulled up. It will not be easy because its roots are very deep. Then turning around our Bodhisattva-aspirations will not be so easy, because our minds are firm and solid.

The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve: A tree with roots so deeply fixed that it cannot be uprooted is firm. An object that retains its original appearance is solid. A mind that is unchanging and unwavering will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate.

When we work hard on our spiritual practice, our minds are already very firm and solid. Regardless of the challenges that arise, it will not affect our spiritual aspiration to practice the Bodhisattva-path by going among people.

This is an unchanging mind. An unchanging and unwavering mind will safeguard the roots of goodness of all beings so they will not be severed nor deteriorate. Not only must our own minds be firm and solid, but we must also safeguard other sentient beings. We must take the Buddha-Dharma to heart, and then take the Dharma in our heart and share it with other sentient beings. When we first listen to the Dharma and aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path, inevitably we will encounter difficulties and quickly lose our spiritual aspirations. Not only should we maintain our own spiritual aspirations, but we must also safeguard the roots of goodness of all sentient beings and prevent them from being severed.

Thus, “Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.” If so, Flower Light Tathagata’s pure land will be filled with Bodhisattvas, with their pure and undefiled minds. This is our present state of mind. If our minds can be in this state, then our minds will be like. Flower Light Buddha’s land, which is pure and undefiled, with utmost goodness as its treasure. When Bodhisattvas make vows, they make great vows, so their resolve is very firm and solid.

Therefore, our minds must be diligent and not scattered, free of discursive thoughts. We must be oriented toward the Six Perfections, which are the Six Paramitas, giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. By practicing the Six Perfections our path will be smooth and unimpeded. “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear before us. We understand all Dharma and attain great wisdom.” Among sentient beings, everyone is a sutra to us; each is a Dharma-door. These infinite Dharma-doors appear before us. Every door will lead us to develop our wisdom. But all this must begin with the Six Paramitas.

Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected: This land is pure and undefiled with utmost goodness as its treasure. In particular, Bodhisattvas make the Great Vows and remain firm and solid in their resolve, focusing on practicing the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Spiritual powers come from the mind. A mind that is still can reflect things. This allows us to have insight into past lives, and discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi and thus have no hindrances. These are spiritual powers.

So, spiritual powers come from our minds. This means that our minds and our spirits must be firm and solid. If our spirits are firm, our minds will be steady and free of discursive thoughts. This is what our spirit can be like.

Thus, a mind that is still can reflect things. If our mind is calm, then it will be like a great perfect mirror and all things can be clearly reflected in it. However, the reflection of these states will not taint our minds. If this is our state of mind, then we will have spiritual powers, because a mind that is still reflects things.

Besides knowing how things are now, we can also know their past. We know what material things were in the past, as all things the world are created by convergence. So, we have insight into previous lives; we can remember how things were in the past. This is not impossible, as long we have wisdom and understanding.

“I know the causes and conditions between me and my parents.” This is [insight] into previous lives. Our past karmic connection with them brought us into this world. Because our parents provide us with a good life, we know we must have created very good karmic affinities with them. Thus we help each other. When a child is very well-behaved, parents say, “I know we must have created this connection in a past life. He’s repaying me, and I’m grateful to him.” Whether we are loving ourselves or other people, we are showing each other kindness and gratitude. The result is that, in this lifetime, we are helping each other. This is also insight into previous lives.

We must remember [this insight]. We all have a past and present, and we will also have future. We must remember this. We must make an effort to practice the Bodhisattva-path. So, we can clearly discern causes and conditions. With a still mind, we face conditions with Samadhi. Our minds must have a clear understanding that the reason you are treating me this way today must be because of causes and conditions created in the past. Instead of being petty, we must be grateful. If so, our minds will always be very still. If we can face conditions with Samadhi, we will not waver and will “have no hindrances.” These are spiritual powers.

“Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.” This is what we discussed earlier. “A state of mind as pure and clear as crystal is like a lotus flower in the mud that is untainted.” Everything comes from our state of mind. Whether in the process of being lotus flowers that grow from mud or of forming Bodhisattva-aspirations and firmly adhering to our direction, we must always be mindful.

Episode 505 – Transcend Defilements to Attain Magnificence

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>> “With a pure heart and mind, make the [Four] Great Vows. Resolve to follow the path without regret. Practice the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore. Be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

>> At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse, “Sariputra, in a future era, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

>> “Having made offerings to countless Buddhas and perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

>> Having perfected the practice of Bodhisattvas, one will always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom so everything will be clear, and one’s thorough understanding will be unhindered. This is the use of the ten kinds of powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

>> The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible and unsurpassable. Thus, [having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path.

>> Being pure and without flaws means being free of the transgressions of evil acts, being free of the defilement of afflictions, and abiding in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

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“With a pure heart and mind, make the [Four] Great Vows.
Resolve to follow the path without regret.
Practice the Six Paramitas to reach the other shore.
Be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

We must always maintain a pure heart and mind. Only with a pure mind can we make great vows and sustain our initial aspirations of the [Four] Great Vows. We do not engage in spiritual practice for own sake, but for the sake of all sentient beings. When the world is peaceful, our daily lives will be peaceful. Thus, we absolutely must begin with ourselves by resolving to follow the path.

After we form aspirations and make vows, we must sustain our resolve. There must be no regrets in our minds at all. “Resolving to follow the path without regret” is such a pure and admirable state of mind; every spiritual practitioner should be replete with it.

Therefore, the path we must follow, the methods we use, are the Six Paramitas. We practice giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom until we reach the other shore. This is the direction of our spiritual practice. We must resolve to follow the path and never have any regrets. Thus we practice the Six Paramitas for the sake of the world. Not only can we transform ourselves, but we can also transform others, ferrying them from the shore of ordinary beings to the shore of sages, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. We must travel back and forth between these two. Thus we can “be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

With a pure heart and mind, at all times, we can leave our defilements behinds. We can maintain a pure mind and dedicate ourselves to helping others. We practice the Six Paramitas for their sake and guide everyone so that they can avoid going down the wrong road and can keep moving forward. Naturally, in a state free of defilements, these contaminants will never disturb us again, nor lead sentient beings down the wrong road.

When we listen to the teachings, we may feel like the road is very long and a lot of time still has to pass before we can attain Buddhahood. When Sariputra received the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha, though he was happy that he finally had faith that he would be able to attain Buddhahood, though he believed he would attain it, he still had a long way to go on this path. This will take a very long time and requires countless lifetimes of transforming sentient beings among the people. Thus, he must be replete with the Six Paramitas in order to repeatedly return to this world.

He repeatedly returns from the other shore. This is called returning on the ship of compassion. Returning on the ship of compassion means he goes to the other shore and then comes back. He comes back to engage in spiritual practice, transform people, form good affinities, do good deeds and benefit people. He transforms people and ferries them to the other shore.

To reach the other shore, our ordinary minds must cross the 1000-foot swells of the river of afflictions. Our afflictions are like turbulent waves, so we need to have a guide who knows a way through the waters so that we can avoid these turbulent waves. Thus, we need someone who willingly aspires to subdue sentient beings’ afflictions to help us understand how to calm our minds and eliminate our ignorance. Then, our intrinsic nature can manifest, and we will also aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path. This means we have reached the other shore.

So, lifetime after lifetime, as we repeatedly come to this world, we must practice the Six Paramitas. We repeatedly come back to turn the Dharma-wheel and transform the minds of sentient beings. Once the wheels in their minds begin turning, they will reach the other shore. Because of this, people in society can transcend defilements. They can completely free themselves from afflictions and defilements, so that this world can be harmonious. A harmonious society is a comforting and blessed place. This is the state of Bodhisattvas, a very magnificent state. Everyone who does good deeds is a Bodhisattva. Thus, everyone can “be free of defilements to reach the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas.”

For example, in Indonesia, during the Buddha Bathing ceremony this year (2013), there was a very unique scene right outside the Jing Si Hall. There was a group of people wearing white hats and blue uniforms. These 180 young people wove back and forth through the assembly. This group of 180 youths, dressed tidily, were responsible for guiding people to enter the Jing Si Hall in an orderly fashion. After guiding everyone to their place,

it was the time for the bathing of the Buddha. The youths stood there to direct them on how to stand properly, how to bow respectfully to the Buddha, how to receive the flower, and so on. They were all from an Islamic boarding school, so the students from this school are all Muslims. More than 10,000 of the students there have formed very good relationships with Tzu Chi. Whenever Tzu Chi holds an event, they always come to volunteer.

Look at this magnificent state in the world! These people follow different religions, but the love they share is the same. Interacting with each other out of love is also a way of turning the Dharma-wheel. If people do not separate themselves from others, nor discriminate based on religion, the magnificent state of Bodhisattvas will be in this world.

The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse.” This refers to the section before the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood on Sariputra. He fully explained the subtlety and wonder of the Bodhisattva-path through this world. In order to transform sentient beings.’ Small Vehicle Dharma-wheels into. Great Vehicle Dharma-wheels, He spent a very long time teaching the Dharma to the Sangha. During that time, Sariputra’s state of mind wavered back and forth until he formed aspirations and made vows. The era and the land in which. Sariputra will attain Buddhahood will be magnificent.

At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse, “Sariputra, in a future era, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

This is a very important sutra passage. Because of this, it had to be repeated again so we will not forget. After we listen to it, we must go back to review the Dharma that was taught earlier. This is the way for us to take the Dharma to heart and to remember these teachings. When Sariputra becomes a Buddha in the future, He will be an honored one of universal wisdom, no longer biased toward emptiness. He has already formed Great Vehicle aspirations to go among the people. Once He attains Buddhahood, He will be a honored one of universal wisdom. His wisdom will be completely universal, which means He will thoroughly understand the true principles of all things in the universe. This enlightened one of great dignity will be called Flower Light Tathagata. He will transform countless sentient beings and make offerings to countless Buddhas. This will take a very long time.

“Having made offerings to countless Buddhas and perfected the Bodhisattva-practice, the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path. After countless kalpas have passed, there will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.”

This passage describes the future Buddha, Flower Light. After making offerings to countless Buddhas and transforming countless beings, Sariputra will have perfected the Bodhisattva-practice. Without perfecting the Bodhisattva-practice, how can he attain Buddhahood? In the process of attaining Buddhahood and walking the Bodhisattva-path, he has to be taught and transformed by many Buddhas.

I always tell everyone that we must go among the people, as they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. When we are among the people, we must treat them with gratitude and respect. Sentient beings can help each other succeed. Sentient beings can teach each other. So, when we go among people we can “perfect the Bodhisattva-practice.” Furthermore, we can perfect “the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues.” The Ten Powers come from bringing various kinds of wisdom together. Only when we have these ten kinds of powers will it be possible to train sentient beings.

Having perfected the practice of Bodhisattvas, one will always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom so everything will be clear, and one’s thorough understanding will be unhindered. This is the use of the ten kinds of powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

To “realize the unsurpassed path” he has to perfect the Ten Powers, so that he can go among people without being influenced by them. He can also ferry them from the shore of ordinary people and afflictions to the shore of forming Bodhisattva-aspirations. This requires the merits and virtues that come from perfecting the Ten Powers and realizing the unsurpassed path.

“After countless kalpas have passed” means a long time still needs to pass. The name of that era will be. “Great Treasure Adornment.” The name of that world will be. “Free of Defilements.” This will be a world that has transcended defilements. It is very pure, “pure and without flaws.”

This is in the sutra passage we are discussing today. Making offerings to countless Buddhas requires us to perfect Bodhisattva-practices. To perfect Bodhisattva-practices, we must cultivate what Bodhisattvas must practice. What must Bodhisattvas practice? Do all of you know? The Six Paramitas, giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. Each Buddha must first perfect the practices of the Six Paramitas.

Other than the Six Paramitas, [we must also understand] the Four Noble Truths. We must understand that suffering in life arises from “causation.” With suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, the Four Noble Truths, and the Six Paramitas, we also must understand how people come and go from life through the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. We have discussed them before. How do people become humans? How do we come and go from our lives? Why do we leave and come back in another life? Where do we go when our lives end?

Then, we must “always contemplate all things with the Ten Powers and profound discerning wisdom.” Then we can understand everything because the power of these ten kinds of wisdom are directed at understanding sentient beings’ various kinds of habitual tendencies. Bodhisattvas need to understand these tendencies and how to eliminate them. There are ten of these powers in total,

which all require profound discerning wisdom. This wisdom is very subtle and wondrous. We must exercise our wisdom to observe the afflictions of various sentient beings in this world and know what methods to use to understand the afflictions they have accumulated and how to treat them with the Dharma. Therefore, we must contemplate all things so everything will be clear. “Everything will be clear” means that when everything is clear to us, we understand everything, without obstacles.

So, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have perfected the application of the Ten Powers. To cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must go among people to train ourselves. We must understand their disposition before we are able to turn them back toward their intrinsic Buddha-nature. Ordinary beings must return to their pure Tathagata-nature, and Tathagatas must perfect all these wholesome Bodhisattva-practices. Each Buddha must first cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice of doing wholesome deeds and forming blessed conditions. We must benefit this world and create good affinities with sentient beings.

I constantly tell everyone about the causes and conditions of Sakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva. Maitreya Bodhisattva was very wise. At one time, they engaged in spiritual practice together. How did the Buddha of that time decide the order in which they would attain Buddhahood? He ended up choosing Sakyamuni Bodhisattva first because He was replete with good affinities with sentient beings. So, he would attain Buddhahood before Maitreya. Though Maitreya had wisdom and understanding, he did not form enough karmic affinities. Because his affinities were insufficient, he will attain Buddhahood after Sakyamuni.

Therefore, I constantly tell everyone that we must treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love. If we are always grateful, respectful and loving, we will form good karmic affinities. Before attaining Buddhahood, we must first form good karmic affinities. Then we can be like [Sakyamuni] and attain Buddhahood more quickly.

The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible and unsurpassable. Thus, [having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he will realize the unsurpassed path.

In summary, in order to attain Buddhahood, we must have perfected all wholesome. Bodhisattva-practices and blessed conditions so we can realize the wisdom of ultimate reality and wondrous existence. When we interact with others to do good deeds and form good affinities, we will gradually understand the way life is and the workings of sentient beings. At the same time, this is how we develop our wisdom so we can understand everything.

Because sentient beings’ appearances are connected to the Buddha’s True Appearance, once we realize one, we can understand the other. Sentient beings’ afflictions arise from “causation.” Understanding this, we know we have to go among people in order to walk the path to Buddhahood. Once we have this understanding, we will truly comprehend the workings of things and their principles. The workings of people and matters can be thoroughly understood with the principles of the state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The workings of things are learned from sentient beings, and principles are learned from. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These principles can then be applied to dealing with matters in the world. So, they are “indestructible.” If we can do this, if we can apply the True Dharma in this world, there is nothing that can destroy these truths. This state is also unsurpassable. There is no other teaching that can surpass this true and wondrous Dharma. Because there are many deviant paths, we must apply Right Dharma in this world. No deviant teaching can surpass the Buddha’s Right Dharma, thus, “The state of realizing the workings of things and their principles is indestructible” and nothing can surpass it. Thus, “[having perfected] the Ten Powers and other merits and virtues, he realized the unsurpassed path.”

“After countless kalpas have passed” means spiritual practices like this take countless kalpas, which is a very long time. “There will be a kalpa named Great Treasure Adornment and a world named Free of Defilements, pure and without flaws.” It is free of the transgressions of evil acts.

Being pure and without flaws means being free of the transgressions of evil acts, being free of the defilement of afflictions, and abiding in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

“Pure and without flaws” means we are free of the transgressions of evil acts. We will no longer make mistakes and will not deviate from our course, so we are free of the transgressions of evil acts.

When we are free of the defilement of afflictions, all our afflictions will be eliminated and we can become pure and without flaws. Then naturally we can eliminate all hindrances. Thus, the name of this world will be. Free of Defilements, which means it has no impurities. Free of the transgressions of evil acts, we will be free of afflictions and abide in a clear, pure and firm Bodhisattva state of mind.

So, with a pure heart, we can focus on our initial aspirations and make the Four Great Vows. We must strictly maintain our moral integrity and walk on this path without regrets. We must persevere in actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions and ferry sentient beings to the other shore. When we can free ourselves from defilements, we bring dignity to the Bodhisattva-path we walk. This is something everyone can do. It is not impossible, as long as we have the will. Therefore, everyone must always be mindful.

Episode 504 – Becoming an Honored One of Universal Wisdom

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>> “Buddha-nature is intrinsic to sentient beings and the roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in them. When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature. The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

>> “Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas”

>> “Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

>> “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse,”

>> “Sariputra, in a future life, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

>> To help those who listen to the Dharma remember, the Buddha restated in verses. Sariputra’s one great cause in the future, the beginning of his attainment of Buddhahood and his end in Parinirvana.

>> Here it describes again how Sariputra attained the prediction of Buddhahood: In the future, after countless and boundless, inconceivable kalpas of making offerings to trillions of Buddhas and practicing Right Dharma, Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas and will become a Buddha by the name of. Flower Light Tathagata.

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“Buddha-nature is intrinsic to sentient beings
and the roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in them.
When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature.
The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

This is something I constantly talk about. All sentient beings inherently have Buddha-nature, but we ourselves cover over our nature with ignorance. We have become unenlightened beings and put a great distance between ourselves and the Buddha. Since we intrinsically have Buddha-nature, our roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist. So, starting now, we must find a way to recover our nature of True Suchness. We must also reawaken our wisdom.

“Wisdom” includes both discerning wisdom and impartial wisdom. With wisdom, we can discern between what is right and what is wrong, what is correct and what is incorrect, what is a principle and what is a matter and whether or not people are acting in harmony with the principles. When we encounter interpersonal conflicts, if we have pure wisdom, then we can discern the situation very clearly.

In this era of great turbidity, we have a greater need of discerning wisdom. So, “In these times, we must clearly distinguish right from wrong.” In these. times, if we do not make an effort to be clear on what is right and wrong, then we will easily be influenced by the turbid perspectives of this era and be pulled down and dragged along by them. I often tell everyone that good and evil are in a tug of war. Isn’t that particularly true in this era? Technology is very advanced right now, so it is even more able to cloud our perspectives.

Take television, for example. We can create a composite image. We can find a background and then put people in front of it to make it seem like they were there. Clearly, they were not there, but we can put that scenery behind them. Then the people who see it think that it is real. So, in this great era, our eyes can be led along by that kind of scene, and we will be unable to tell whether it is real. So, now more than ever, we need great wisdom to distinguish right from wrong.

Thus, we talk about having discerning wisdom and impartial wisdom. We always say to “show compassion to all equally.” We must cultivate a heart of compassion, like that of the Buddha’s. The Buddha treats all sentient beings equally and sees every sentient being as His only child. A heart that is so impartial does not [discriminate] at all. No matter how high a person’s status is, how well off a person’s family is, how successful a person’s career is, everyone is equal, because we are all human. This is His compassion.

Haven’t we been talking about this recently? Even the poorest people in the poorest places, though they have no money, they can use their strength to help people in and beyond their own country. Isn’t this true of our South African volunteers? They have faithfully accepted [the Dharma] and used it to turn the wheel in their minds. Not only do they help other people, not only do they work in their own country, but they also go help people in two other countries, in Mozambique and Swaziland. That is not all; they also go to a country which is in the middle of South Africa, Lesotho,

and another country in Africa, Zimbabwe, which is farther away. It is over 1000 kilometers away. Tzu Chi volunteers in those countries seek to learn ways to help their own country, so they go on a pilgrimage to South Africa to learn the methods they use.

You see, South Africa has turned into the place in Africa where the Dharma is taught. This came about because seeds from Tzu Chi in Taiwan were brought to that place to inspire people to realize their spiritual wealth. The people who were poor and suffering were transformed into people who could help others, and the scope of their work is expanding. The number of Bodhisattva[-volunteers] is already in the thousands. And the people they have helped number in the hundreds of thousands.

The winter aid distribution in Africa this year (2013) happened around New Year’s. During the distributions, we saw that in each country, in the poorest areas, the African Tzu Chi volunteers, looked very organized in their various kinds of uniforms. Some were “Bodhisattvas in grey”; others were in the blue and white uniforms. In the midst of all those poor people, they could carry a 20-kilogram bag of rice and still bow deeply. When the poor people came to receive the rice, they also bowed when they took it into their arms. One would say, “Bless you,” the other, “Thank you.” Everything was neat and orderly. Often, when I see these kind of images I wonder, isn’t this Buddha-nature? Isn’t this the root of wisdom?

With the root of wisdom, we show compassion to all equally; this is a seed of goodness. A seed of goodness was sown in that land. Then that seed produced many fruits, which then produce seeds, which sprout into seedlings. The [original] seed will be there forever and will always exist. The seed of goodness is our pure intrinsic nature. So, “roots of wisdom and seeds of goodness will always exist in [us].” And if we can each have faith, “faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits.” If we can cultivate virtuous Dharma, if we can give rise to the root of wisdom, all our doubts will be eliminated.

Wasn’t Sariputra like this? His heart was pure. For countless lifetimes, he unceasingly followed. Sakyamuni Buddha in his spiritual practice. A long time ago, Sariputra had aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path. But a challenging situation caused him to lose his Bodhisattva-aspirations. However, he was able to maintain the purity in his heart. By keeping his heart pure, he was able to be foremost in wisdom. Yet, he was still lacking the great aspiration to walk the Bodhisattva-path among people, to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic affinities. This was what he was missing.

Once Sakyamuni Buddha saw that. Sariputra had now formed this great aspiration, He verified that [this understanding] was correct. Thus all of Sariputra’s doubts were eliminated. He had no more doubts. He would go among the people to help them while sustaining a pure heart, undefiled by his interactions with others. He would do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic affinities. This is the way to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Once his past doubts were eliminated, his causes and conditions matured. Therefore, “When faith arises, doubts cease and conditions mature.

Once faith arises, all doubts are eliminated. Since “doubt” obstructs the path, we must rid ourselves of these obstacles, so that the conditions for attaining Buddhahood can begin to mature. This was the prediction the Buddha bestowed on Sariputra, thus, “The Buddha gave verification and a prediction of attaining perfect enlightenment.”

The Buddha verified this for His disciples, “This is the right thing to do. With this spiritual practice, you must continue on from this point. This is the right direction, so keep going and just diligently advance.” How much farther do they have to go? Very far, because their karmic affinities and blessings are not yet complete. So, they must still go among people to extensively transform sentient beings. Then after a boundless period of time, one day they will attain Buddhahood. So, we must make an effort to be mindful.

Since we have received a prediction of attaining Buddhahood, we must reach a state equal to the Buddha’s. To reach a state equal to the Buddha’s, we must be endowed with the ten epithets. Once Sariputra attains Buddhahood and becomes Flower Light Tathagata, He will live a very long life. However, His time will still come to an end. Eventually, He will bestow a prediction of. Buddhahood upon Firm and Complete Bodhisattva. Each Buddha continues to pass on the lineage like this.

“Sariputra, after Flower Light Buddha enters Parinirvana, Right Dharma will abide in the world for 32 small kalpas” 32 small kalpas is very long time. ․”Dharma-semblance will also abide in the world for 32 small kalpas.”

So, in Flower Light Buddha’s world, people will live long and prosperous lives. Everyone will be a Bodhisattva, and it will be a world of great abundance. Currently, we live among a multitude of people and there are many people who devote themselves to helping the suffering. They give without expecting anything in return. Is Sariputra among them? Are the Bodhisattvas of Sariputra’s Buddha-land all currently in this world? They may be creating blessed conditions by doing good deeds, cultivating blessings and forming good karmic affinities.

Therefore, we must respect every one of our Bodhisattva-volunteers. We must be grateful to each and every one. Not only are people who help others Bodhisattvas, but those people who are manifesting the appearances of great suffering are also Bodhisattvas. This is because if Bodhisattvas do not encounter these conditions of suffering, they will not be able to realize the world’s truths of suffering as taught by the Buddha. And so, they must [help the suffering] out of a genuine sense of love. We must respect every single person.

We must treat everyone with gratitude, respect and selfless great love. Then we see them all as Bodhisattvas. If we can do this, as we benefit people and form good affinities, we will not miss a single [opportunity]. We will be able to do this very thoroughly. This is a very important point in the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha hopes everyone will show compassion to all equally,

which means we must be impartial. Our root of wisdom must be deeply planted so that when Bodhisattvas appear in front of us to challenge and train us, we will not succumb to the challenge and lose our spiritual aspirations. In summary, we must make an effort to treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love. We must do this for a very long time.

The next sutra passage states,

“At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse,”

which is this passage,

“Sariputra, in a future life, will become a Buddha, an honored one of universal wisdom, with the name Flower Light. He will transform countless beings.”

In this part of the sutra, verses appear again. A verse indicates that this part of the sutra is very important. After we hear it, we must not forget it. [Verses] help us remember this sutra passage. The Buddha’s words and. His interactions with Sariputra are things we must deeply commit to memory so those compiling the sutras wanted to repeat this sutra passage. This was to help those who listen to the Dharma remember; those who hear must commit this to memory.

To help those who listen to the Dharma remember, the Buddha restated in verses. Sariputra’s one great cause in the future, the beginning of his attainment of Buddhahood and his end in Parinirvana.

Because all Buddhas manifest in the world for one great cause, when Sariputra attains Buddhahood in the future, it will also be for one great cause. Through the causes and conditions [leading to] this one great cause, he will continuously grow in wisdom-life and form good affinities with others until he eventually attains Buddhahood. After attaining Buddhahood in that future land, he will likewise teach the Three Vehicles and teach with skillful means. He will still give wondrous and provisional teachings. This will be the great cause of his teachings. Even though in that land, everyone will have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, Bodhisattvas must still be taught ways to transform sentient beings in the future. All Buddhas share the same path, and They go through this cycle of teaching.

Every Buddha comes to the world for one great cause. So, [Flower Light Buddha] will do this for 12 kalpas until He enters Parinirvana. Before He enters Parinirvana, He will, from among all the Bodhisattvas, bestow a prediction of Buddhahood on. Firm and Complete Bodhisattva. This is how Sariputra’s journey of becoming a Buddha and his one great cause are described again.

Here it describes again how Sariputra attained the prediction of Buddhahood: In the future, after countless and boundless, inconceivable kalpas of making offerings to trillions of Buddhas and practicing Right Dharma, Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas and will become a Buddha by the name of. Flower Light Tathagata.

So, Sariputra, when he attains Buddhahood in this land in the future, will be an honored one of universal wisdom, be endowed with the ten epithets and will be able to transform countless beings. This was the Dharma that was repeated. In a future lifetime, only after countless and boundless kalpas, he will be able to attain Buddhahood. One cannot simply form aspirations today and attain Buddhahood in one’s next lifetime. No. He must go through lifetime after lifetime, countless kalpas of lifetimes, a boundless and inconceivable number of kalpas. He must also “make offerings to trillions of Buddhas.” Thus he will “uphold and practice Right Dharma.”

As for these trillions of Buddhas, as I was just telling you before, the Bodhisattva-volunteers in this world and those who manifest appearances [of suffering] so that we can help them may include these Bodhisattvas among them. So, we treat all of them as Buddhas. In this way, we can also “make offerings to trillions of Buddhas”

because They are among the people. To put it simply, when we interact with people, we must see ourselves as making offerings to them and upholding and practicing Right Dharma. When we interact with everyone with joyful hearts, a smile can be an offering of joy. When we give a bag of rice to someone experiencing hardship, that is a material offering. These are all considered offerings. Through them we can form good karmic affinities with everyone. By making offerings we form good affinities. Forming affinities is part of upholding and practicing Right Dharma. We still apply Right Dharma to transform sentient beings, to help each other achieve realizations and to gather everyone’s strength to help those suffering and enduring hardships. This is all part of Right Dharma.

This is how Sariputra will fully perfect the path of Bodhisattvas. We must all learn to do the same. Sariputra also has to go through this. In this evil world of Five Turbidities, he also has to dedicate himself, to help all sentient beings, to uphold Right Dharma and walk the Bodhisattva-path. In this way, after a very long period of time has passed, Sariputra will form countless affinities and attain Buddhahood. His name will be Flower Light Tathagata.

This is why we must always be mindful. When among others, we must not become afflicted. We must make an effort to be vigilant of this. We cannot just guard against wrongs and stop evil. Guarding against wrongs means we must not allow our interactions with people and external states to influence our minds. This is called guarding against wrongs. This is not just about refraining from doing bad things. When we interact with other people, we must feel grateful to them. “You are all Bodhisattvas to me. Even if you do not speak kindly to me, I still feel grateful to you.” This is where we engage in spiritual cultivation. This evil world of Five Turbidities is a Bodhisattva training ground.

We must give rise to faith to eliminate doubts. Only in this way will our karmic conditions mature. As we interact with people, we must have faith that everyone in this world is a Bodhisattva. If this is our spiritual practice, we can perfect the Bodhisattva-path and then attain Buddhahood. Everyone, truly, we must always be mindful.