Category: TLS Chapter 4

Episode 748 – We Do Not Recognize Our Pure Buddha-nature

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>> The father searched for his son in vain, while the son wandered from village to village. He arrived in the city where his father lived in his search for food and clothing. Now father and son were both in the same city, on the same land with the same scenery, yet the son did not recognize his father, for he could not see his original appearance.

>>“At the time, the poor son wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities, until finally he arrived in the city where his father had settled.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>>“The father thought constantly of his son. They had been parted for more than 50 years, yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone. He only thought of it himself, and it filled his heart with regret and hate.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> The father thought constantly of his son: A father’s heart never leaves his son. In the beginning they were together, but because the son gave rise to an ignorant thought, all the Five Shandhas stired within him. Replete with 50 evils, the son was parted from the father for more than 50 years as the son drifted to far-off lands. They had not seen one another since.

>> Yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone: This is like how, at the Avatamsaka assembly, the Buddha did not tell the great Bodhisattvas that these practitioners of the Two Vehicles were in fact children of the Great Vehicle. He also never told Two Vehicle practitioners: You have a part in the Great Vehicle. He had never told any of them this.

>> He only thought of it himself. This filled his heart with regret and hate: This “filled his heart with regret and hate.” When it comes to regret, he regretted that he did not diligently teach them in the past so that they had left without being taught.

>> The disciples lacked spiritual aspirations, so they were unable to advance without pause. Instead they confusedly left and could not return. This was the cause for the Buddha’s regret! Here, the word hate means remorse, for the Buddha’s heart is free of hate.

>> From the past until now, the Tathagata had been constantly thinking of his disciples’ great capacities, and His thoughts were always with sentient beings. Thus it says: The father thought constantly of his son.

>> Because they had turned back from the Great, these children drifted in the Five Destinies and even into the asura realm. Thus it says, for more than 50 years.

>> Sentient beings: This refers to all living beings with feelings and consciousness. Born from the accumulation of myriad conditions, they are also called myriad beings.

>> They have also passed through myriad lifetimes, so they are called the myriad beings. Within the Ten Dharma—realms aside from the Buddha realm, all those beings in the other nine realms are called myriad beings.

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“The father searched for his son in vain,
while the son wandered from village to village. He arrived in the city where his father lived in his search for food and clothing.
Now father and son were both in the same city,
on the same land with the same scenery,
yet the son did not recognize his father,
for he could not see his original appearance.”

I think everyone is more or less clear on this. This sutra passage tells us that the young child left his father to lead a vagrant life. From then on, his father searched for him. As the days, months and years passed by, the father gradually grew old, yet he continued searching for his child. His son had left his home at a very young age. He was so focused on having a good time that once he left he could not find his way home. He drifted about, doing in all kinds of things and making all kinds of friends. During this time, he had nothing at all. For several decades, he lived an impoverished life and drifted about. In order to survive, the son did whatever kind of work was available. If there was a task people asked him to do, he would do it. Isn’t this the same way we ordinary people go about our lives?

We ordinary people spend our whole lives busily running around. Sometimes, we do our work very well and become very successful at what we do. Sometimes, we work so hard, yet never achieve any success. With a life like this, we busily run around just to make a living. In order to survive, we may do wholesome or unwholesome things. Driven to make a living, we are constantly moving and working. How often do we see people like this in the world?

Human life is replete with the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness, and from the Five Aggregates arise all kinds of interpersonal conflicts afflictive emotions, leading us to be endlessly entangled. Then all the actions we take, the good and evil karma we give rise to, are stored in our karmic consciousness. Thus, we experience countless births and deaths and are thus one of the myriad sentient beings.

If we are clear on the principles of the Five Aggregates, we can naturally guard against wrongs and stop evil. Thus we must abide in principles, abide in the teachings and principles, to keep control of our physical conduct. The Buddha once told a parable about this. He said there was once a village where a group of children lived. The children there divided the land among themselves. They each had a share of the land and carved out boundaries in the dirt.

Groups of them took some dirt and sand to build houses. They piled up dirt, “This is my home and that is your home. I have a storehouse over here, and over there I have….” They each exhausted their imaginations to build up their houses.

One of them saw what another was doing and said to him, “This isn’t right; you ought to move your boundary back a little. The land I have is not enough; I want another parcel.” The first person said, “My house is already built. Why should I yield my land to you?” They got into an argument. As they pushed each other around, the houses they had built with dirt were completely wiped out. They could not tell what belonged to whom.

As this was happening, an older man who happened to pass by decided to mediate between the children. “Hey children, come over here and listen to uncle. All of you, stand here. Think about it, you all came here to play. This is just a game! This thing you were all playing with, this land, who does it actually belong to?”

The children all shook their heads. “We don’t know whose it is. What did you use to build your houses? Dirt and sand. And now, where are the structures you built?” They looked around carefully. “They were here, but they have been ruined.” The older man said, “That’s right. Aren’t you all good friends?” Everyone nodded their heads yes. “You are good friends, but now you are fighting. What are you fighting for?” They all shook their heads. “You do not know, do you?” He asked again, “You do not know, right? No, we do not.”

The older man said, “You are arguing over dirt, over land that does not even belong to you. Look at all the effort you put into creating these things. Look at what happened to them; as soon as you fell into a slight disagreement, these things were all destroyed. Even after they were gone, you continued arguing. Does that benefit you in any way? No. Now think, are you still good friends?” They looked at each other. One of the older children said, “Yes, we are all still good friends.” At that, all the children quickly gathered. Holding each other’s hands, they drew together. “In the future, let us not [quarrel over] these useless things. They are not worth getting upset about.”

The Buddha stopped here and said, “Isn’t this the case? This is true of everyone. What exactly are the Five Aggregates? In daily living, what is the ‘form’ in our external conditions? Does everyone understand this clearly? They are illusory appearances, temporary unions that will completely disperse in the end. But every single person fights over these illusory appearances and labels. Our lives are also created in the same process, thus we are called the myriad sentient beings.”

Indeed, sentient beings are completely in a deluded state. So, as it says, “The son wandered from village to village.” This is like how we sentient beings wander among the four forms of birth and the Six Realms. We have wandered about in this way because the Five Aggregates have led us, in countless lifetimes, to give rise to discursive thoughts. After much difficulty, we have established this karmic affinity with the Buddha. Perhaps in our mix of good and evil [karma], we have done some good deeds as well. “He arrived in the city where his father lived in his search for food and clothing” means he came to the city where the father lived, to seek clothing and food. In this kind of place, we can seek the Dharma. What we are seeking now is the clothing of dignity and spiritual nourishment.

Yesterday, we discussed the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. This means we have already gradually drawn near the Buddha-Dharma. We take the Path as our nourishment to nurture our wisdom-life. We take the precepts as our clothing; they clothe us in dignity and help us guard against wrongs and stop evils so that everything we do with our bodies keeps us on the path of being a good person. In this way, we slowly draw near and walk on the path laid out in the Buddha-Dharma. Thus, “We arrive in the city of the Buddha in our search for food and clothing.”

“Now father and son were both in the same city.” The son had already entered the city where his father lived. Yet, even “on the same land with the same scenery” although they were in the same city, the son still did not recognize his father. This was because, “He could not see his original appearance.” We all know that we intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. Yet, we are still unable to be one with our nature of True Suchness. This is because we still possess ignorance, still possess afflictions; there is still a layer which separates us. So, we still cannot truly recognize our “father,” nor can we see our original appearance. This is why we sentient beings are still wandering.

The previous sutra passage states,

“At the time, the poor son wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities, until finally he arrived in the city where his father had settled.”

At that time, the poor son was wandering about, searching. In order to make a living, he kept walking, all the while unwittingly drawing near to where his father was.

The following sutra passage states,

“The father thought constantly of his son. They had been parted for more than 50 years, yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone. He only thought of it himself, and it filled his heart with regret and hate.”

The father thought constantly of his son; he thought of him day and night. The father’s heart never left his son, and he had remained in this same land but his son [had left] when an ignorant thought arose in his mind. This is an analogy for “all of the Five Skandhas stirring.”

The father thought constantly of his son: A father’s heart never leaves his son. In the beginning they were together, but because the son gave rise to an ignorant thought, all the Five Shandhas stired within him. Replete with 50 evils, the son was parted from the father for more than 50 years as the son drifted to far-off lands. They had not seen one another since.

The Five Aggregates are the Five Skandhas. Once the Five Skandhas stir, an ignorant thought creates the Three Subtleties, and we end up replete with 50 Evils.

When we see a certain “form,” we give rise to discursive thoughts and begin to commit the Ten Evils. Each aggregate gives rise to the Ten Evils, so the Five Aggregates give rise to 50 evils.

 “Replete with the 50 evils, the son was parted from the father for more than 50 years.” This was the distance between father and son. The Buddha was already in an enlightened state, while sentient beings were still deluded. Thus, they wandered through the four forms of birth and the Five Destinies. In “more than 50 years, 50” refers to the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. “More than” refers to the asura realm. Therefore, we say “more than 50 years.”

Because we “drifted to far-off lands,” we moved farther and farther away, so it was harder for us to see the Buddha. In fact, the Buddha is the father in this story. In this parable, as the son became more undisciplined, he wandered farther away. Yet, the father’s [heart] never left his son, and he always remained in the same place, the original state of True Suchness. The Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings, came and went in the Three Realms to transform them. The sentient beings in the Three Realms, because of the Five Aggregates, keep creating many afflictions and karmic forces, and thus they continue to wander. The Buddha could not do anything about this.

Yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone: This is like how, at the Avatamsaka assembly, the Buddha did not tell the great Bodhisattvas that these practitioners of the Two Vehicles were in fact children of the Great Vehicle. He also never told Two Vehicle practitioners: You have a part in the Great Vehicle. He had never told any of them this.

“Yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone.” This is an analogy for what happened after the Buddha’s enlightenment, when He was in the state of Avatamsaka. Upon attaining enlightenment, He was in a “tranquil and clear” state. But when it came to His awakened state, at that time He still could not “tell the great Bodhisattvas” about the state of Buddhahood because those Bodhisattvas still could not yet experience that enlightened state, to say nothing of heavenly beings and humans. Later on, the Buddha still expounded the Dharma for the whole world. But He could not teach it to the practitioners of the Two Vehicles. Neither Hearers nor Solitary Realizers were able to realize it.

When it comes to the state of Buddhahood, if we do not walk the Bodhi-path of the Great Vehicle, we will absolutely not be able to realize it. Thus, as it says, “He had never spoken of the matter to anyone.” But all of us are “in fact the children of the Great Vehicle.” Everyone is the seed of this Dharma, the seed of the Great Vehicle Dharma; we have always been so. Yet He still could not tell the practitioners of the Two Vehicles that “[Buddha-nature] is intrinsic to everyone.”

When we are still in the process of learning, we would still be unable to understand the core of the Great Vehicle Dharma. At the center of the seed of the Great Vehicle is the original intent of the Buddha; having realized [the truths] of all things in the universe, He wanted to tell everyone, yet He was still unable to do so. Thus it says, “Yet he had never spoken of the matter to anyone.” He could not talk about this yet. So, “You have a part in the Great Vehicle” was something He was still unable to tell people. We all have the Great Vehicle within us, the potential for attaining Buddhahood. “He had never told any of them this.” These things had gone unmentioned so far.

The Chapter on Skillful Means and the Chapter on Parables constantly mentioned the Great Dharma of the One Vehicle. This is truly the seed of Buddhahood. The Buddha had yet to directly express His original intent to us. Though He had not talked about it, it was always on His mind. Every time He expounded the Dharma, even when He gave the Agama, the Vaipulya and Prajna teachings, the Avatamsaka state was on His mind. He still intended to share it with everyone.

He only thought of it himself, and it filled his heart with regret and hate: The Buddha’s heart was filled his heart with regret that he did not diligently teach them in the past so that they had left without being taught.

“He only thought of it himself” means sentient beings still could not understand it; the Buddha could not explain it in a way they could understand, so this “filled his heart with regret and hate.” When it came to regret, He regretted that, “He did not diligently teach them in the past so that they had left without being taught.” He had not thoroughly taught this in the past. These children were unable to be taught, and they had run away at a young age. When teachers are unable to teach their students, sometimes they are filled with self-reproach. The Buddha also had the same kind of thoughts of having “not diligently taught them in the past so that they had left without being taught.”

The Buddha has repeatedly returned to this world; is He really the one at fault? It is we sentient beings who must reflect on ourselves. There is a saying, “Teachers will show the way; the students must walk the path.” But virtuous teachers reproach themselves because they have a strong sense of responsibility. So, we should say, “The disciples lack spiritual aspirations, so they will not diligently advance without pause.”

If the disciples lacked spiritual aspirations, so they were unable to advance without pause. Instead they confusedly left and could not return. This was the cause for the Buddha’s regret. Here, the word: hate” means remorse, for the Buddha’s heart is free of hate.

Now Subhuti understood the reason that the Buddha lamented. Actually, [in the analogy] the child lacked spiritual aspirations and thus did not diligently advance. His disciples were the same way. So, they were compared to the son who had left at a young age. This is why it says that, “This was the cause for the Buddha’s regret”.

“It filled his heart with regret and hate” really means that the Buddha had a deep sense of regret. Here, the world “hate” means remorse and regret because there is no hate in the Buddha’s heart. All His thoughts, as He was in an enlightened state, were free of hate. There was only remorse and regret; there was no hate. With hate comes animosity. When the sutras mention “regret and hate,” they mean remorse and regret. That is how the Buddha felt about sentient beings.

From the past until now, the Tathagate had been constantly thinking of His disciples’ great capacities, and his thoughts were always with sentient beings. Thus it says: The father thought constantly of his son.

Since Beginningless Time, the Tathagata has always cared for sentient beings like a father who misses his children. He also knows each of His children has great capabilities within them and that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. His thoughts were always with sentient beings. Thus it says, “The father thought constantly of his son.” The Buddha knew that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, yet they are stubborn and hard to transform. However, the Buddha never gave up on them. So, He “thought constantly of His [children].”

Because they had turned back from the Great, these children drifted in the Five Destinies and even into the asura realm. Thus it says for more than 50 years.

These children had retreated from the Great, from their nature of True Suchness. Constantly covered by afflictions, they drifted about among the Five Destinies and in the asura realm. Along with the Five Destinies, there is also the asura realm. So, in this way, sentient beings continually drift through [these Six Realms].

Sentient beings: This refers to all living beings with feelings and consciousness. Born from the accumulation of myriad conditions, they are also called myriad beings.

All beings with feelings and consciousness are collectively called the myriad sentient beings. The origin of the “myriad sentient beings” is found in the Five Aggregates. Because of them, they have passed through myriad lifetimes. So, “They are also called myriad sentient beings.” The Buddha works within the Ten Dharma-realms. Setting aside the Buddha realm, there are nine Dharma-realms; these beings are the “myriad sentient beings.”

They have also passed through myriad lifetimes, so they are called the myriad beings. Within the Ten Dharma—realms aside from the Buddha realm, all those beings in the other nine realms are called myriad beings.

Sentient beings drift about in cyclic existence. So, the Buddha repeatedly returned to this world, painstakingly, in the hope that they would gradually come to seek the Dharma and enter the city. He hopes we will not leave once we enter this city. This depends on whether we put our hearts into constantly safeguarding this city. Our father is living in this city, so we need to immediately meet with him and realize our original appearance. To do this, we must always be mindful.

Episode 747 – The Great Vehicle Returns Us to True Suchness

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>> When causes and conditions come together, their workings are difficult to fathom. Fundamental causes are deeply buried, awaiting the coming together of conditions. With pure causes, positive conditions and the seeds of Bodhi, the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle returns us to True Suchness.

>> “[He had] elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number. His trade brought in profits and even reached other lands. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “At the time, the poor son wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities until he finally arrived in the city where his father had settled.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> At the time, the poor son: The poor son in his wanderings eventually happened upon and entered his father’s city. This is an analogy for how we are permeated by the teachings over a long period of time and how we repeatedly encounter the Buddha as He comes and goes through the Three Realms in His transformation-body.

>> So, [The son] wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities. This is an analogy for going through the Three Realms and the Six Destinies, where sentient beings experience all sufferings. With deep and growing disgust toward suffering, they desire to seek escape by observing the villages of the Five Aggregates.

>> He first taught the tranquil and pure state, of the Avatamsaka’s great awakening. This is the eventual arrival in the father’s city.

>> Kingdom: 18 Realms. City: 12 Entrances.

>> The Six Sense Organs: Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. The Six Sense Objects: form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. The Six Consciousnesses come together to make up the Eighteen Realms.

>> The 12 Entrances: These are why the deluded are severely enthralled by form. Through the door of the great noble teachings we can understand form through ten of the sense organs and sense objects, while the mind is only given two.

>> Seeking through the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment is spiritual nourishment for our wisdom-life. Over a long time we continue to learn and practice. This is an analogy to the poor son wandering from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities.

>> Until he finally arrived in the city where his father had settled: Those who practiced the Two Vehicles, planted blessings over many lifetimes, for hundreds of kalpas, they cultivated causes, so they were fortunate to again encounter the fundamental teacher who manifested the Eight Aspects of attaining enlightenment.

>> He first taught the tranquil and clear state of the Avatamsaka’s great awakening. This is the eventual arrival in the father’s city, the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides.

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“When causes and conditions come together, their workings are difficult to fathom.
Fundamental causes are deeply buried, awaiting the coming together of conditions.
With pure causes, positive conditions and the seeds of Bodhi,
the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle returns us to True Suchness.”

In life, once we can thoroughly understand causes and conditions, nothing will make us worry anymore. It is because we do not understand the karmic law of cause and effect that we are so busy running around in this world, taking issue with one another. We like some people but not others, and we have [good] affinities with some but not with others; we constantly give rise to this discrimination. This is suffering! If we can thoroughly understand “[the coming together of] causes and conditions,” we will realize it is indeed incredible. This is truly wondrous and difficult to fathom.

Every day, we experience many causes and conditions. “What a chance of running into this person today! I haven’t seen him in more than a decade. What are the chances!” I had someone tell me this. That person came up to me and said, “Master, I tell you that in the past this person took advantage of me, did this to me….” I told him, “That is in the past. It happened many decades ago. It is incredible that you still recognize him; that shows you still have an affinity!” The person responded by saying, “How could I not recognize him! Even chopped to pieces, I would still know him.”

I asked, “Do you feel such strong hatred toward him?” “It’s not hatred; it’s just resentment.” “Do you need to resent him that much? Haven’t you already gotten past it? Perhaps he did treat you unfairly, but didn’t you manage to get through it safely?” He said, “I guess you’re right! Now that I think about it, it was because of the grief he brought me that led me to change careers and be so successful today.” I said, “Yes! That’s right. You were meant to do this kind of work. Without the aggravation he caused you, how would you have ended up on this path?”

He said, “You’re right. Master, now that you have told me this, if I see him later, I will thank him” [I said], “Right, and he is very dedicated too. He has been successful in business and is very supportive of Tzu Chi as well! You must also thank him for me.”

After a while, the other man actually came in. As everyone met, they shook each other’s hand and chatted warmly. After this, would they continue to take issue with each other? “Causes and conditions [are] difficult to fathom.” Truly, when [people] come together like this, sometimes they bring hatred and resentment. By gently dissolving this resentment and hatred, it can be turned into gratitude. Now they often see each other and go on international relief trips together. They are now companions on the Bodhisattva-path. Sometimes I see them together, happily enjoying each other’s company, and I feel very happy too. So, “When causes and conditions come together, their workings are difficult to fathom!”

“Fundamental causes are deeply buried, awaiting the coming together of conditions.” Sometimes we talk about the causes and conditions in karmic consciousness. Nowadays, people talk about “genes.” In regard to “genes,” [for us as practitioners,] we talk about “causes” and “seeds.” These “seeds” can also be called “karmic seeds.” The seeds of karma can be very deeply buried, but when the time is right, causes and conditions will come together and these seeds will break through the surface.

So, “with pure causes, positive conditions and the seeds of Bodhi,” we must earnestly care for these pure causes. We must take good care of our nature of True Suchness and not allow it to be affected by defilements. Our past afflictions have already covered our nature of True Suchness. Now is the time to diligently peel away these afflictions layer by layer; then we can manifest our nature of True Suchness.

So, to have “pure causes and positive conditions,” we must continue to create good affinities and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We must prevent further afflictions from arising, and we must widely create positive affinities. Think about the two friends I described earlier. In the past, they were business partners, but they hurt each other and developed feelings of resentment and hatred. Then when causes and conditions happened to bring them back together, those negative emotions were resolved. They created good affinities with each other and are now Bodhisattva companions who walk together on the Bodhisattva-path. This is because of pure causes and positive conditions. By eliminating their past afflictive causes and conditions, they returned to pure causes and positive conditions, helping each other cultivate the seeds of Bodhi.

So, “The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle returns us to True Suchness.” We must have faith in and understand the Great Vehicle Dharma and put it into practice. We must turn from darkness to light, turn away from our past afflictions and dedicate ourselves to [creating] good karma. We must earnestly seek out our nature of True Suchness.

Recently we have been talking about a son who left his parents and wandered far away from home. He was completely impoverished and had nowhere to live. He drifted all around the world. His father was looking for him, but he was not looking for his father. He was just eking out an existence.

His father never stopped looking for him. Now they were in the same city and were gradually drawing near each other. The father never forgot his son and constantly thought about him, but the son had forgotten where his home was and even forgot what his father looked like. The son was completely lost.

His father was very wealthy. How wealthy was he? The previous sutra passage states,

“[He had] elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number. His trade brought in profits and even reached other lands. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.”

They traveled abroad to trade, or sat inside their shops to do business. Thus, he was engaged in such a large business, and he also had many close advisors around him helping him manage this family business. He was very wealthy.

As the passage continues, it states,

“At the time, the poor son wandered from village to village, “passing through many kingdoms and cities until he finally arrived in the city where his father had settled.”

This passage shows how the poor son had been wandering around, eking out a living. He had already drawn near this “kingdom and city.” He had passed through many places and had now approached and entered the city where his father lived.

At the time, the poor son: The poor son in his wanderings eventually happened upon and entered his father’s city. This is an analogy for how we are permeated by the teachings over a long period of time and how we repeatedly encounter the Buddha as He comes and goes through the Three Realms in His transformation-body.

“The poor son in his wanderings eventually happened upon and entered his father’s city.”He had already arrived at where his father was and was loitering around outside. He had no idea that this was his father’s house and thus his house as well. He continued loitering there, still not knowing. This is an analogy for us as we are learning the Buddha’s Way. Though we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we have not yet thoroughly understood them. We may have not yet understood their meaning. However, we have the causes and conditions to listen to them and to gradually be permeated by them.

This is like how, in the Buddha’s lifetime, Subhuti and the others expressed that they had been permeated by the Dharma for countless kalpas, that for lifetime after lifetime they had continuously learned the Buddha-Dharma. Thus they had, over and over again, “encountered the Buddha as He came and went through the Three Realms in His transformation-body.” No matter where they were, they were able to live at the same time as the Buddha. These were truly incredible causes and conditions!

They were able to encounter His transformation-body. The Buddha’s transformation-body responds to sentient beings’ needs by appearing in whatever place He is needed. This is His transformation-body. This was something that Subhuti and the others rejoiced over “to repeatedly encounter the Buddha as He comes and goes in His transformation-body.”

“[The son] wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities.” This is an analogy for going through the Three Realms and the Six Destinies, where sentient beings “experience all sufferings. With deep and growing disgust toward suffering, they desire to seek escape by observing the villages of the Five Aggregates.”

“Wandering from village to village” is an analogy for the Three Realms and Six Destinies, the places sentient beings have been led to by their direct and circumstantial retributions. In response to sentient beings’ needs, the Buddha likewise went into the Three Realms and Six Destinies to transform these suffering beings.

Among these sentient beings, some had already faced all kinds of suffering, and after listening to the Buddha-Dharma, they sought to renounce [cyclic existence]. Recognizing that this was suffering, they understood that they had to “observe the villages of the Five Aggregates. Villages” is an analogy for the Five Aggregates. We should all clearly know that the Five Aggregates are form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. In our daily living, we are amidst the workings of the Five Aggregates.

In this way, all day long our unenlightened minds are always wandering through the Five Aggregates. This is like the poor son. Without the Dharma in our hearts, we are extremely foolish and deluded. With greed, anger and ignorance, we wander through the Three Realms and Six Destinies, facing all kinds of suffering. All this is because the Five Aggregates cause us to cling to our delusions so that we fall into these places and become attached [and trapped] in these places. Now that we have begun to observe them, we recognize [their workings]. How have we recognized this? Because after encountering the Buddha-Dharma, we have gradually unlocked our wisdom and have come to observe the Five Aggregates, which are [gathered together like people in] villages. This is the analogy used; from the standpoint of the Dharma, they are the Five Aggregates. To our unenlightened minds, they are like villages. When we see clearly, we see principles; when we do not, we see the appearances of things. Deluded, we are lost in how things appear. Awakened, we see [true] principles and are able to analyze things.

In addition to the Five Aggregates, there are also the 18 Realms.

Kingdom: 18 Realms. City: 12 Entrances.

“The villages [are] the Five Aggregates” and of the kingdoms and cities passed through, the 18 Realms are the “kingdoms,” and the 12 Entrances are the “cities.”

All of these are analogies. What are the Five Aggregates? I just explained them. The 18 realms are the Six Sense Organs, Six Sense Objects and Six Consciousnesses.

The Six Sense Organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. Six Realms: form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts. Six Consciousnesses: the Six Sense Organs, Six Sense Objects and the Six Consciousnesses come together to make up the Eighteen Realms.

Six multiplied by three is 18. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind correspond to form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts. Our consciousnesses begin to function when the sense organs connect with the sense objects. There are six of each. These three sets of six are the 18 Realms.

The 12 Entrances: These are why the deluded are severely enthralled by form. Through the door of the great noble teachings we can understand form through ten of the sense organs and sense objects, while the mind is only given two.

The 12 Entrances: These are why the deluded are severely enthralled by form. Everything that we see and understand is from the 12 Entrances, the reasons we are severely deluded by “form.” They are the Six Sense Organs and Sense Objects, and it is because of the convergence of our sense organs and the sense objects that our consciousness goes astray.

With delusion, we form attachments. If we were awakened, we would understand that when the eyes see things, we give rise to cravings. There is no need to be greedy; our mind-consciousness can make this decision. If we are deluded, we will form attachments. If we are awakened, we can go through the door of the great noble teachings. If our consciousness becomes deluded, then we will degenerate. If we can awaken, we can take the Dharma to heart. If we do not awaken and remain deluded, then we will fall.

So, the 12 Entrances include our ears, eyes, nose, tongue and body. These are the Five Sense Organs. Form, sound, smell, taste and touch are the Five Sense Objects. If we can have a clear understanding of the consciousness that arise in between when sense organs connect with sense objects, we will not give rise to greed, anger and ignorance. Therefore, when we listen to the Dharma, we must develop a clear understanding so that we can take in the Buddha-Dharma and wash away our ignorance and afflictions.

How can we do that? With the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, we can start to develop our wisdom-life. They are our spiritual nourishment. The Buddha came and went through the Three Realms and the Six Destinies because. He had this spiritual nourishment.

Seeking through the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment is spiritual nourishment for our wisdom-life. Over a long time we continue to learn and practice. 喻窮子遂漸遊歷諸聚落，passed through many kingdoms and cities.

With a stable source of nourishment, He was able to pave the great Bodhi-path. Regardless of what is transported on this great Bodhi-path, the foundation of this road must be paved well ․Seeking through the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment is spiritual nourishment for our wisdom-life. Over a long time we continue to learn and practice. So, the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment are paving the way for us. They can help us develop our wisdom-life.

As for Subhuti and the others, they had spent a very long time learning and practicing in this way. Though they described [themselves] as the poor son who had spent a long time wandering around apart from the Dharma, with the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, they had established a solid foundation. This took lifetimes of spiritual cultivation. This took lifetimes of learning and practicing.

So, in the parable, the poor son “gradually wandered from village to village.” In the parable, the poor son gradually wandered about. Very slowly he drew near, drew near to that village. By thoroughly understanding the principles, he had come to this Dharma-city. Gradually, he arrived there, having “passed through many kingdoms and cities.”

Until he finally arrived in the city where his father had settled: Those who practiced the Two Vehicles planted blessings over many lifetimes, for hundreds of kalpas, they cultivated causes, so they were fortunate to again encounter the fundamental teacher who manifested the Eight Aspects of attaining enlightenment.

The poor son had arrived in that place, the place where his father lived. This expresses how “the Two Vehicle practitioners planted blessings over many lifetimes”. Though Hearers and Solitary Realizers still practiced the Small Vehicle Dharma, they had spent lifetime after lifetime drawing near the Buddha-Dharma and avoiding committing evils while cultivating virtuous Dharma. How long did they do this for? “For hundreds of kalpas, they cultivated causes. Hundreds of kalpas” is a very long time. These “causes,” these seeds, were cultivated in this way.

“So, they were fortunate to again encounter the fundamental teacher who manifested the Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment.” It is because they had cultivated these causes and conditions in the past that they could come to the world in a lifetime when the Buddha had manifested in the world. Thus they were able to see Sakyamuni Buddha and take refuge with Him to listen to Him expound the Dharma. They spent a lifetime drawing near the Buddha-Dharma.

He first taught the tranquil and clear state of the Avatamsaka’s great awakening. This is the eventual arrival in the father’s city, the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides.

“He first taught the [awakened Avatamsaka] state.” The Buddha constantly taught about. His enlightened state. Whenever the Buddha gave teachings, they contained what He originally intended to teach, this awakened state He first taught the tranquil and clear state of the Avatamsaka’s great awakening. This is the eventual arrival in the father’s city, the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides. Gradually, everyone came to understand that though the Agama, the Vaipulya and the Prajna teachings explained existence and emptiness, in the past they had either clung to emptiness or existence. Now they had gradually come to realize this and had already arrived in the Buddha’s city, “the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides.” The Buddha forever abides in the Great Vehicle city.

So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we must make an effort to be mindful and pay close attention to causes and conditions. Spiritual practice is not just about listening. “I don’t understand! Not understanding is the same as not listening. Since I don’t understand, I might as well not listen.” That is not right; at the very least, we can remain immersed in the Dharma. There is no telling which phrase will lead us to change our habitual tendencies. With every small negative habitual tendency we eliminate, we draw closer to the Buddha-Dharma and start giving off more of the fragrance of virtue.

I hope that everyone will place great importance on the convergence of causes and conditions. Though these workings are wondrous and difficult to fathom, no matter how deep we plant those seeds, the time will come when they will converge with conditions. Indeed, we have “pure causes and positive conditions.” There are Bodhi-seeds in everyone’s minds. With “the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle,” we must promptly turn from darkness to light. Turning away from afflictions we become pure and return to our nature of True Suchness. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 746 – Acting with Dignity in the Nine Dharma-realms

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>> Through the cause of faith and understanding, we enter the Buddha-Dharma’s ocean of teachings. By engaging in spiritual practice we uphold infinite Dharma-doors. If we desire to go from an unenlightened state to the state of noble beings, faith will first guide us until we give rise to aspirations.

>> He had many servants, chamberlains, assistants and attendants, elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number. He came and went, engaged in profitable ventures and even traveled to all the lands around. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> Elephants and horses represent great power. This is an analogy for the Buddha’s body, speech and mind. Turning the wheel of His Threefold Karma to teach, He crushed to pieces the deluded karma of sentient beings.

>> This is like the Tathagata, who displays understanding through karma of body, expounds the Dharma through karma of speech and discerns capabilities through karma of mind. With these He crushes the afflictions and deluded karma of sentient beings. This is why they are called the three wheels.

>> Carriages: This is an analogy for transformation by the Three Vehicles and the teachings of the Five Vehicles.

>> Oxen and goats beyond number: This is an analogy for how, with worldly forms and appearances, one can display great wealth. This is like shepherds, who consider oxen and goats their wealth.

>> Also, oxen and goats beyond number is an analogy for His magnificence in myriad actions. The Buddha had 84,000. Dharma-treasuries and treasuries of practice.

>> He came and went, engaged in profitable ventures and even traveled to all the lands around: This is an analogy for bringing to fruition the merits and virtues of benefiting oneself and others throughout the lands of the nine Dharma-realms.

>> Merchants: These are itinerant businessmen who take what one place has and sell it in other places that do not have it. Vendors: These are shopkeepers whom customers visit to purchase goods.

>> Merchants and vendors: These are analogies for the many sages of the Three Vehicles who promote the Buddha-Dharma.

>> There were locals. There were those from abroad. There were those who transformed the people here. There were those who spread the teachings abroad. Their numbers were uncountable. Thus it says they were also many in number.

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“Through the cause of faith and understanding, we enter the Buddha-Dharma’s ocean of teachings.
By engaging in spiritual practice we uphold infinite Dharma-doors. If we desire to go from an unenlightened state to the state of noble beings,
faith will first guide us until we give rise to aspirations.”

The Buddha’s wisdom is like the ocean. To enter this ocean of enlightenment, we must earnestly advance. But if we do not have faith and understanding, we will not know which direction to advance in. To develop faith and understanding, we need to [sustain] our initial aspiration. We must have all of this for our minds to be focused in one place. Only with wholehearted focus can we enter the Buddha-Dharma’s ocean of enlightenment.

“By engaging in spiritual practice we uphold infinite Dharma-doors.” To truly enter the Dharma’s ocean of teachings, [we need to learn] innumerable teachings. Thus we call it an ocean of teachings. Our minds must be focused and our resolve firm; we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice and remain steadfast. If we do not earnestly practice or hold fast to our resolve, after a while we will become tired. Our minds will give rise to a sense of irritation. If we can sustain our original aspirations and continue to maintain them firmly, then we will be able to earnestly uphold infinite Dharma-doors.

Thus it says, “We desire to go from an unenlightened state to the state of noble beings.” When we engage in spiritual practice, we hope to [transcend] our unenlightened minds. From our unenlightened state, we admire the state of noble beings, the state of the Buddha. Thus, we really want to enter the state of noble beings. Of course, this road is very long. As we are walking this road one step at a time, if we wonder how long it will be before we arrive, weariness will arise in our minds. Thus, we must quickly give rise to faith again. “Faith will first guide us.” We just need to have faith that each step is taking us closer to our goal; this is faith. So, our faith must be firm. It does not matter how far we have to go; we just need to keep moving our two feet forward. With each step, we advance one step. Our two feet are blessings and wisdom. We must cultivate both blessings and wisdom; only then can we walk steadily on this path.

During the Buddha’s lifetime, once, as He was traveling and teaching, He reached a kingdom called “Southern Mountain” and found Himself at a settlement. On the day that the Buddha arrived, He saw everybody celebrating happily. It was a holiday, and everyone was celebrating. People were drinking themselves into a stupor. As everyone was feeling happy, enjoying themselves and getting drunk, suddenly a spark escaped the bonfire and ignited the surrounding grass. Everyone was still enjoying themselves in their state of drunkenness. Some people though, were sobered up by the fire. They began shouting, “Look! A fire is spreading [to the forest]! It is about to reach our houses!” They yelled this loudly. Those who were drunk realized what was going on. What should they do? Where should they run to? They were still in a stupor. Though they saw the fire and were afraid, they were still in a drunken state. Where should they run to?

As they were panicking, the Buddha, looking peaceful, happened to arrive at this place. A person saw the Buddha and shouted loudly, “Look! The Buddha is in front of us. Let us quickly, with great reverence, ask the Buddha to help us find a way out of this burning forest.” The Buddha was still standing far away, but they reverently implored Him to lead them out of this place. The Buddha slowly approached these people and told them that in life, this is not the only kind of fire they will experience. There are three kinds of fires. What are the three kinds of fires? The fires of greed, anger and ignorance.

A single spark from the fire of greed may ignite a prairie fire. An ignorant thought may easily kindle a fire that burns our body. An angry thought can [also] start a fire, but in our arrogance, we are unable to distinguish between a fire and a plaything. With these three kinds of fires internally, externally we may easily kindle fires that can destroy everything. To escape these fires,

the only way is to calm our minds. That is the course we follow to avoid these fires. As the villagers heard the Buddha say this, without realizing it, their minds became calm. The fire in the forest also gradually died out. Everyone’s minds became still as they calmly listened to the Buddha’s words. Without them noticing, the fire had gradually ceased burning. Luckily, it had not reached their village. When everyone saw that the fire was out and their houses were undamaged, they felt a sense of joy. With gratitude and joy, they prostrated to the Buddha. The Buddha then encouraged them to uphold the Five Precepts to extinguish those three fires. Everyone happily and faithfully accepted this and took refuge with the Buddha.

Ananda and other disciples following the Buddha had seen how big that fire was. How was He able to remain so composed and calm everyone’s minds? Those people were in a drunken state, and when they saw the fire they panicked. They pushed against each other to escape. But the Buddha was able to calm them all down. As they became calm, the fire also gradually died out. This was inconceivable. They asked the Buddha about this.

The Buddha told everyone that spiritual practice takes a long time, and that in our spiritual practice, we must not overlook the virtue of speech. We must not treat it lightly; we must cultivate the virtue of speech. Actions are of great importance in spiritual practice. Our actions must always be in accord with the great and direct Bodhi-path. To have a [dignified] demeanor, we must constantly extinguish the greed, anger and ignorance in our minds and not overlook the slightest thought that arises.

The most recent [sutra] passage expresses this same concept. In the parable that Subhuti is telling, the poor son who had been wandering about was slowly making his way home. The elder had been searching for his son, and he was now slowly drawing near. When the son entered the city, the elder was already there. The elder was very wealthy. “He had many servants, stewards, assistants and attendants.” There were many people who served as the elder’s stewards, assistants and attendants. There were also “elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number. His trade brought in profits and even reached other lands. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.”

He had many servants, chamberlains, assistants and attendants, elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number. He came and went, engaged in profitable ventures and even traveled to all the lands around. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.    

In this city, this elder was very rich. In addition to being surrounded by people, he also had much visible wealth, “elephants, horses, carriages, oxen and goats beyond number.” He also had much wealth coming in and going out; he was involved in trade and was doing business on a large scale. Likewise, this is also an analogy.

Elephants and horses represent great power. This is an analogy for the Buddha’s body, speech and mind. Turning the wheel of His Threefold Karma to teach, He crushed to pieces the deluded karma of sentient beings.

“Elephants and horses” are animals with great power. This is an analogy for how the Buddha turns the wheels of Threefold Karma, body, speech and mind, in order to teach. The carts which elephants and horses pull are very heavy, and the wheels of such a heavy cart must be very big. These wheels can also be used for crushing

This is like the Tathagata, who displays understanding through karma of body, expounds the Dharma through karma of speech and discerns capabilities through karma of mind. With these He crushes the afflictions and deluded karma of sentient beings. This is why they are called the three wheels.

A wheel can be used to carry away many things. What is it used to carry away? This is a metaphor for how the Buddha displays understanding through His actions. The Buddha can make use of body, speech and mind.

With the karma of speech, He can expound Dharma. Look at what happened in the story you just heard. By expounding the Dharma through speech, the Buddha could soothe and comfort people. This is expounding the Dharma with speech. He was able to help these drunk people, these people panicked by the fire, to calm down. This is the power of the Buddha’s speech, or rather the power of speaking the Dharma with the virtue of speech.

The karma of the mind is used to discern. The Buddha can understand and discern the capabilities of sentient beings. Do we have great capabilities? If we do, He will teach us the Great Dharma. If we have limited capabilities, He will give us corresponding teachings. To teach in this way, according to capabilities, the Buddha discerns our capacities. This is the wisdom of the Buddha. Moreover, He is able to make use of His body to manifest a dignified appearance. Thus He can crush the afflictions of sentient beings. In this way, He can push away their afflictions and crush their deluded karma.

The karmic forces created by sentient beings are truly powerful. Without the great power of elephants and horses, without great wheels, it would not be possible to crush our ignorance into pieces. To crush our ignorance. He had to use the wheels of the Threefold Karma, His body, speech and mind.

So this is a cart; “carriages” refers to carts. This is an analogy for the Three Vehicles and the teachings of the Five Vehicles.

Carriages: This is an analogy for transformation by the Three Vehicles and the teachings of the Five Vehicles.

We know the Three Vehicles are. Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. To have the Five Vehicles, we add the heaven and human realms.

The Buddha taught the Three Vehicles to His monastic disciples. He also expounded the Dharma to heavenly beings and humans. To be born in heaven, we must practice the Ten Good Deeds. To be human, we must uphold the Five Precepts. These are the Five Vehicles. This was how the Buddha expressed the power of His love.

Oxen and goats beyond number: This is an analogy for how, with worldly forms and appearances, one can display great wealth. This is like shepherds, who consider oxen and goats their wealth.

In, “oxen and goats beyond number,” the oxen and goats beyond number are an analogy for how, with worldly forms and appearances, [the Buddha] can display great wealth. This is like shepherds, who consider oxen and goats their wealth.

Also, oxen and goats beyond number is an analogy for His magnificence in myriad actions. The Buddha had 84,000. Dharma-treasuries and treasuries of practice.

Thus, “oxen and goats beyond number” is an analogy in the Buddha-Dharma for the Buddha’s “magnificence in myriad actions”.  The Buddha’s wisdom [manifests in] His conduct. By applying His wisdom, He is dignified in all respects. How great is the Buddha’s wisdom? How magnificent is He? This is immeasurable. As this is immeasurable, we use the number 84,000 84,000 is a descriptor for a very large number. In ancient Indian custom, a number that is so large that it cannot be calculated is expressed as “84,000.” This indicates a very large number. Thus, in the Buddhist sutras, we often see the number “84,000.”

In fact, I commonly use this number as an analogy. How much time is there in a day? There are 86,400 seconds. In a normal day, we give rise to [many] thoughts, and the span of a thought can last a lifetime. A single thought that arises may determine the rest of our lives, and we give rise to so many thoughts each day. In one second, we may have gone through many thoughts, to say nothing of so many seconds.

As spiritual practitioners, every thought and every second must be spent on our practice. If we do this the entire day, that is equivalent to 86,400 kalpas in which our every thought is on our spiritual cultivation. So, we should be mindful.

He came and went, engaged in profitable ventures and even traveled to all the lands around: This is an analogy for bringing to fruition the merits and virtues of benefiting oneself and others throughout the lands of the nine Dharma-realms.

“His trade brought in profits and even reached other lands.” His trade was extensive and even reached other kingdoms. He is like a businessman. A businessman will have money that goes in and money that goes out. He did not only do business in the same place; he engaged in trade in other places.

Don’t we see people like this now? When a person’s company has branches in countries all over the world, that means this person has great worldly wealth. However, the Buddha’s great wealth lies in sentient beings in this world. This is like “bringing to fruition [the virtues of] benefiting oneself.” In coming and going, we bring to fruition the virtue of benefiting ourselves and others. Does transforming sentient beings benefit us or does it benefit other people? Actually, coming and going in this world is benefiting oneself and then others. This is how we go “throughout the lands of the nine Dharma-realms.”

The Buddha transforms sentient beings throughout the lands of the nine Dharma-realms. We should be clear about the nine Dharma-realms. They come from the Ten Dharma-realms, the Four Noble and Six Unenlightened Realms. Do you remember them? The Four Noble and Six Unenlightened Realms are the realms of Hearers, Solitary Realizers, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas; these are the Four Noble Realms. Then there are the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost, animal and asura realms; these are the Six Unenlightened Realms. The Buddha is in the Buddha realm, and He teaches and transforms beings of the other nine realms. For different sentient beings, He teaches according to their different capabilities.

“His merchants and vendors were also many in number” With such a big business, inevitably, there will be many people involved.

Merchants: These are itinerant businessmen who take what one place has and sell it in other places that do not have it. Vendors: These are shopkeepers whom customers visit to purchase goods.

Merchants engage in trade, and vendors are shopkeepers. They are people who buy and sell.

Merchants and vendors: These are analogies for the many sages of the Three Vehicles who promote the Buddha-Dharma.

Merchants and vendors are analogies for those who spread the Buddha-Dharma, “the sages of the Three Vehicles who promote the Buddha-Dharma.”

The Three Vehicles are those of Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. The Buddha uses the Three Vehicles to teach sentient beings, and the Three Vehicle practitioners should spread the Buddha-Dharma. Everyone who has heard the Buddha-Dharma should promote it.

There were locals. There were those from abroad. There were those who transformed the people here. There were those who spread the teachings abroad. Their numbers were uncountable. Thus it says they were also many in number.

“There were locals” and “those from abroad.” When both people locally and from abroad come to a place to seek teachings, it is like people coming from all directions to engage in trade. People come here from “abroad” or perhaps people here go abroad to promote the Dharma they know.

Thus we must be mindful. After we listen to and take the Dharma to heart, we must spread this Dharma to other places. So, we must be steadfast here, in our own place of practice. From our own place of practice, we spread the Dharma to other countries. In those countries, there must be dedicated Bodhisattvas to receive it or come here for teachings; they come here on a pilgrimage for teachings, then bring them back and promote them. This is how we can spread the Dharma. So everyone, we must always be mindful.

Episode 745 – The World-transcending Wealth of the Dharma

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>> Worldly wealth is admired by people, and people desire to seize it, yet it is in truth impermanent. Only this path of enlightenment exists forever. The world-transcending wealth of the Dharma is beyond compare.

>> “He had taken up residence in a certain city, and his household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable, with gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass, pearls and the like all stored in his warehouses and vaults, which were filled to overflowing.”       [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> He had many servants, chamberlains, assistants and attendants.   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> In this analogy, the wealthy man had many servants and many managers who had the authority to administer his affairs. These chamberlains, assistants and attendants with great power were countless in number.

>> This is an analogy for the Buddha’s skillful means. They assist right wisdom. The Ten Powers of the Buddha are the chamberlains. The Fourfold Fearlessnesses are His assistants. Thus His great wisdom is perfect, and He is replete with all Dharma.

>> The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes: First: The power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions. Second: The power of knowing all karmic retributions in the Three Periods. Third: The power of knowing all stages of meditation, liberation and Samadhi.

>> Fourth: The power of knowing the quality of the capabilities of all beings. Fifth: The power of knowing all kinds of understanding. Sixth: The power of knowing all kinds of states. Seventh: The power of knowing all paths.

>> The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes: Eight: The power of knowing from having unobstructed heavenly eyes. Ninth: The power of knowing past lives flawlessly. Tenth: The power of knowing how to forever eliminate habitual tendencies.

>> The Fourfold Fearlessness: First: The fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma. Second: The fearlessness of ending all Leaks. Third: The fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation. Fourth: The fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.

>> The Fourfold Fearlessnesses are His assistants. Thus His great wisdom is perfect and He is replete with all Dharma.

>>When He was first enlightened, He taught the Great Vehicle Dharma of the Avatamsaka. Those who listened to these teachings were mostly heavenly beings, Bodhisattvas, etc. These are part of the outer assembly. They are likened to hired servants.

>> Perfecting the Ten Stages of Faith is the cause for entering the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings and practicing with infinite Dharma-doors. If one desires to go from an unenlightened to a noble state, it is faith that first guides one until one gives rise to aspirations. Thus newly-inspired Bodhisattvas are represented by the inner assembly of attendants.

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“Worldly wealth is admired by people,
and people desire to seize it, yet it is in truth impermanent.
Only this path of enlightenment exists forever.
The world-transcending wealth of the Dharma is beyond compare.”

We listen to the Dharma every day. We should be able to understand that worldly wealth is truly impermanent. Worldly wealth brings out our bottomless desires, as well as our countless afflictions. This is how worldly wealth [affects us]. Can anyone ever be satisfied with their wealth? People are never satisfied.

However, they always admire others’ wealth. I have often talked about how, decades ago, I met a woman from a wealthy family. She was indeed very wealthy. Sometimes when I traveled to Taipei, Commissioners would bring her to see me, and she would be adorned in jewels. However, she always had to head home before 3 pm. I asked about the reason behind this, and someone told me, “Master, didn’t you see what she was wearing? Yes, I did. Do you know how much all that is worth? The things she waves around on her three, four fingers alone are worth several million dollars (NT).” At that time, you could buy several houses with that much money. But what did this have to do with going home so early? She said, “Her bodyguards have to change shifts, so she has to rush home.” Did she really have to make life so difficult? When it comes to worldly wealth, some people really envy the wealth they see. However, because of their desires, once they possess some things, they want even more.

One time, the Buddha was in the kingdom of Sravasti. King Prasenajit was a very devout disciple of the Buddha. One day, when he sat in meditation, he suddenly thought of three things that he did not like. What were those things? He did not like aging, he abhorred illness and he hated death so much he could not think further. Birth, aging, illness and death are part of the natural course of life. He knew that when he was born, everyone was very happy. He had enjoyed the comforts of the palace. However, as he grew older, he quietly recalled what things were like in his youth. Without realizing it, he had grown old and begun to look frail. He sensed his body growing weaker. He worried about when he would die. That was what worried him the most. Therefore, he came to the Buddha for guidance.

The Buddha told him, “No one can escape aging, illness and death. If not for aging, illness and death, why would Buddhas need to appear in the world?” Sadly, as everyone goes through aging, illness and death, they remain unaware and thus give rise to many afflictions and create much karma. If people in this world can listen to and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart…. “Only this path of enlightenment exists forever.” If we can awaken after listening to the Dharma and develop our wisdom-life, we will not be bothered by aging, illness and death. We will not feel threatened by aging, illness and death. This is why we need the Dharma; it is the only thing that is everlasting.

This is the world-transcending wealth of Dharma. Most people only seek worldly wealth and neglect the world-transcending wealth of Dharma. They do not know that only the world-transcending wealth of the Dharma is everlasting. After we take the Dharma to heart, we can develop our wisdom-life. That is what can last forever; it is boundless, immeasurable and incomparable in amount. This is something that is truly everlasting. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we truly need to be mindful.

The previous sutra passage states, “He had taken up residence in a certain city.” As the elder searched for his son, he came to this place and stopped there. His child had been drifting about, but he came to be at this city too “[The elder’s] household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable, with gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass, pearls and the like, all stored in his warehouses and vaults, which were filled to overflowing.”

This is the previous sutra passage. The elder was searching for his son. He had so much wealth, and he was already quite old, but he still did not know where his son was. This elder was extremely wealthy. He lived in this city and was quite rich, so he hired many servants, stewards, assistants and attendants.

He had many servants, chamberlains, assistants and attendants.   

“He had many servants, stewards, assistants and attendants.” This is the analogy of a wealthy person. A person who has a lot of money has many servants by his side. He has many family stewards who administer his household and manage things for him. He also has many attendants who carry out tasks for him when it comes to his household, finances and so on. These people have a lot of authority and a lot of influence, too.

In this analogy, the wealthy man had many servants and many managers who had the authority to administer his affairs. These chamberlains, assistants and attendants with great power were countless in number.

The [elder] is similar to wealthy people today. People with a lot of money end up hiring many senior managers and junior managers, each with their own specific focus, responsibility and authority. So, it is said that they “had the authority to administer his affairs.” These were “stewards, assistants and attendants.”

This is an analogy for how the Buddha makes use of all kinds of skillful means to wisely teach sentient beings according to their capabilities. In His wisdom, when the Buddha helped people, He looked at their capabilities to determine how He would teach them. This was the Buddha exercising His skillful wisdom. Thus it is called “assisting” [This analogy] was used to explain how skillful means can assist right wisdom.

This is an analogy for the Buddha’s skillful means. They assist right wisdom. The Ten Powers of the Buddha are the chamberlains. The Fourfold Fearlessnesses are His assistants. Thus His great wisdom is perfect, and He is replete with all Dharma.

“The Buddha’s Ten Powers are the stewards. The Fourfold Fearlessness are His assistants.” Therefore, He was able to achieve the state where, “His great wisdom is perfect, and He is replete with all Dharma.”

Regarding the Ten Powers, they represent ten kinds of power the Buddha possessed and utilized.

The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes: First: The power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions. Second: The power of knowing all karmic retributions in the Three Periods. Third: The power of knowing all stages of meditation, liberation and Samadhi.

Of the Ten Powers, the first one is “the power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.” He had the power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions. We humans do not know how we came to be in this world. But the Buddha knew His causes and conditions for descending from Tusita Heaven into the human realm. Born into the palace, He began to carry out. His one great cause for coming to the world. The Buddha manifested the Eight Aspects here, attaining enlightenment, expounding the Dharma, all the way up until entering Parinirvana. All of these demonstrated the Buddha’s “power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.” He repeatedly steered the ship of compassion into the Six Realms, traveling everywhere to save and deliver sentient beings. This was what He was determined to go and do, unlike unenlightened beings, who have no control [over where they go].

The second was “the power of knowing all karmic retributions in the Three Periods.” This means He understood the workings of karma in the Three Periods. This world goes through the periods of the past, present and future. We come and go in the four forms of birth and the Six Realms. Furthermore, all of our afflictions come from desires, forms and dust-like delusions, which accumulate and come together. This is the Buddha’s clear understanding of the workings of this world. He even explained the karma of the Three Periods, analyzing the past, discussing the present and providing guidance for the future.

Third is “the power of knowing all stages of meditation, liberation and Samadhi.” Therefore, He taught everyone how to transcend dust-like afflictions, ignorance and desires, so as to focus the mind. These were the Buddha’s powers in teaching sentient beings

Fourth: The power of knowing the quality of the capabilities of all beings. Fifth: The power of knowing all kinds of understanding. Sixth: The power of knowing all kinds of states. Seventh: The power of knowing all paths.

Fourth is “the power of knowing the quality of the capabilities of all beings” [The Buddha] knew sentient beings’ capabilities, what kinds of sentient beings they were, the causes and conditions they possessed and the methods necessary to transform them. This shows the wisdom of the Buddha. In order to transform sentient beings, He had to teach according to capabilities. When teaching according to capabilities, He also had to accord with the timing. When the timing or capability is not right, it is difficult to transform sentient beings. Therefore, the Buddha had to understand sentient beings’ capabilities and whether their causes and conditions had matured. With this kind of power of knowing, He could very clearly discern the quality of the capabilities of sentient beings.

Fifth is “the power of knowing all kinds of understanding.” The Buddha could clearly discern the various types of understanding of sentient beings. Do they have great capabilities or limited capabilities? The Buddha could clearly recognize all this.

Sixth is “the power of knowing all kinds of states. All kinds of states” are the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms, even that of spiritual practitioners such as. Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. With His power of wisdom, He could understand all of these states. The Buddha had a clear understanding of all sentient beings and all of their states. If He did not have a clear understanding, He would be unable to teach sentient beings.

Seventh is “the power of knowing all paths.” Does this person have the power to practice the path? Does this person have the wisdom? With a glance, He understood how to teach this person with these capabilities in precisely the most suitable way. This takes mindfulness as well

The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes: Eight: The power of knowing from having unobstructed heavenly eyes. Ninth: The power of knowing past lives flawlessly. Tenth: The power of knowing how to forever eliminate habitual tendencies.

Eight is “the power of knowing from having unobstructed heavenly eyes.” Does this person have a broad perspective? Some sentient beings only see what is around them; they have a very narrow view. Some have great conviction and can make great vows. In accord with their capabilities, the Buddha taught the Great Dharma [For others,] He taught the Small Vehicle Dharma.

The heavenly eye is not about how far we can see, but about our perspective. Our understanding and views are our heavenly eyes. Some people have unobstructed understanding and views, while others’ understanding and views are obstructed at every turn. For people who are narrow-minded and have limited capabilities, engaging in spiritual practice is very difficult. They are obstructed by karmic hindrances.

Ninth is “the power of knowing past lives flawlessly.” He knows past lives; He knows the past, present and future.

Tenth is “the power of knowing how to forever eliminate habitual tendencies.” Tenth is forever eliminating habitual tendencies. Habitual tendencies are hard to eliminate. People often ask, “Why do we need to engage in spiritual practice?” It is mainly to eliminate our habitual tendencies. It is hard to eliminate them because we are narrow-minded and have a limited view of the world. This is why we take issue over so many things, this is why we have so many afflictions and this is why we are covered by so much ignorance. We have so many dust-like delusions and are confused by so many things. This is because we have not yet eliminated our afflictions and habitual tendencies. This is our problem as sentient beings. The Buddha understood sentient beings’ problem. Using these ten kinds of powers, He clearly understood sentient beings and transformed them according to capabilities. These were the powers of the Buddha

He also had the Fourfold Fearlessness

The Fourfold Fearlessness: First: The fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma. Second: The fearlessness of ending all Leaks. Third: The fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation. Fourth: The fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.

First, He had “the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma.” With the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma, the Buddha came to the world. Regardless of the circumstances He faced, His mind was always at ease. This was the case even when other religious practitioners tried to take over and harm the Buddha-Dharma. Since the Buddha was awakened, He was fearless. He had “the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma.”

Second was “the fearlessness of ending all Leaks.” The Buddha had no afflictions. He had already eradicated all of His afflictions, cleared up His dust-like delusions and revealed His nature of True Suchness. Nothing in the world could defile Him, so His mind was completely pure and clean; He had put an end to all Leaks and afflictions, so He feared nothing. If we have ample wisdom, it is precisely enough, neither too much or too little. It is constantly emerging from our minds. Like a gushing spring, this wisdom is inexhaustible.

Third is “the fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation.” The principles of the Buddha could be used to break down many heretical teachings and deviant views. As for the many afflictions of ordinary people, He was able to use all kinds of Dharma to break down these obstructions of afflictions. With all kinds of Dharma, He broke down the obstructions created by heretical practitioners. He felt no fear at all. The Buddha still did everything He could to analyze things for them.

Fourth is “the fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.” Sentient beings suffer so much! King Prasenajit had already accepted the Buddha’s teachings and realized the natural course of life, so he could see through his fear of aging, illness and death. No one in the world can escape the Four Sufferings, but as long as we take the Dharma to heart, we can face death without fear or willingly accept our illnesses.

The Fourfold Fearlessness: First: The fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma. Second: The fearlessness of ending all Leaks. Third: The fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation. Fourth: The fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.

“The Fourfold Fearlessness are His assistants.” This was the wisdom of the Buddha. He was able to perfect His wisdom and be replete with all Dharma. This was the Buddha’s wisdom

When He was first enlightened, He taught the. Great Vehicle Dharma of the Avatamsaka. Those who listened to these teachings were mostly heavenly beings, Bodhisattvas, etc. These are part of the “outer assembly.” They are likened to hired servants.

Perfecting the Ten Stages of Faith is the cause for entering the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings and practicing with infinite Dharma-doors. If one desires to go from an unenlightened to a noble state, it is faith that first guides one until one gives rise to aspirations. Thus newly-inspired Bodhisattvas are represented by the inner assembly of attendants.

Next is the Ten Stages of Faith. The Chapter on Faith and Understanding is focused on faith. Once we perfect the Ten Stages of Faith, we can “enter the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings” and “practice with infinite Dharma-doors.” This comes from having faith and understanding


If our faith is solid and firm, we can enter the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings and cultivate infinite Dharma-doors. This is how we go from an unenlightened state to a noble state. “Faith” has to come first. In order to go from the state of ordinary people to the state of noble beings, we must begin with faith. Faith is the source of the Way and the mother of merits; it nurtures all roots of goodness.

Then next, we must give rise to aspirations. Once we have aspirations, we are like newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They are part of “the inner assembly.” The newly inspired have not been truly liberated. They have just completed the Ten Stages of Faith, so they are likened to “assistants and attendants.” People who just formed aspirations are still part of “the inner assembly”; they have already begun to engage in spiritual practice. But newly-inspired people can perfect the ten grounds of Bodhisattvas. Then, they are likened to “stewards.” Bodhisattvas are capable of helping the Buddha teach and transform sentient beings, so they are called “stewards.” Of course, this requires true spiritual practice.

As Buddhist practitioners, we must proceed step by step. Only with the Ten Powers and the Fourfold Fearlessness will we have the power to gradually approach the state of Buddhahood. No matter how much worldly wealth we have, it can never match up to the world-transcending wealth of the Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Episode 744 – The Blessings and Virtues of the Five Paramitas

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>> In the past during the Prajna period, the Bodhisattva Way was taught. So how can it be true that it was not bestowed upon all until today? For more than 40 years, people had not taken the Dharma to heart. Though unsought, it had now been attained, so they rejoiced happily.

>> “As he grew older in years, he suffered increasing poverty and hardship. He roved in all directions, seeking food and clothing, until eventually in his wanderings he found himself back in his homeland. His father had first come here, searching for but never finding his son.”   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “He had taken up residence in a certain city, and his household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable, with gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass, pearls and the like all stored in his warehouses and vaults, which were filled to overflowing.”       [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> Taking up residence in a certain city is speaking of [the principles]; it is explaining the principles. It is an analogy for the Buddha abiding in the Dharma-city of the Great Vehicle’s equality, where only Bodhisattvas live.

>> The Buddha’s original intent was to teach the Great Vehicle. Thus He abided in the city of the Great Vehicle and sought us there.

>> When speaking of matters, [the city] is used to explain them by being an analogy for the one great cause for which the Buddha manifested in the world. With Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment, He manifested here in response to the world. This is referred to with a certain city.

>> His household was very wealthy: The reward-land where the Buddha’s reward-body lived is the home of the manifest Buddha. He is replete with 10,000 virtues, so the analogy used is that of immeasurable wealth. Thus it says that he was very wealthy.

>> His riches were immeasurable: This is an analogy for the Buddha’s merit and virtue and the flourishing of the Dharma that He teaches.

>> The blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas are referred to as wealth: 1) Giving. Giving resources out of loving-kindness 2) Upholding the Buddha’s precepts. Being vigilant of actions, speech and thoughts 3) Patience. Being unwavering in the face of all things 4) Diligence. Persevering in all that is good 5) Samadhi. Settling the mind in one place.

>> The Buddha’s wealth is the blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas. His treasure is prajna-wisdom. All these guiding teachings are contained in the Great Vehicle. Thus it is called immeasurable.

>> Gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass and pearls are the seven treasures that are analogies for the abundance of the Buddha’s Seven Noble Treasures.

>> The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom.

>> A warehouse is a place of storage. This means he has conditioned merits and virtues that can nurture wisdom-life.

>> His vaults: they refer to unconditioned merits and virtues that bring peace to the Dharma-body.

>> Which were filled to overflowing: When the inside is stuffed, it is called filled Spilling over to the outside, it is overflowing. This is an analogy for the Buddha’s virtues, which are overflowing with perfection.

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“In the past during the Prajna period, the Bodhisattva Way was taught.
So how can it be true that it was not bestowed upon all until today? For more than 40 years, people had not taken the Dharma to heart. Though unsought, it had now been attained, so they rejoiced happily.”

As we all know, both teaching the Dharma and listening to it are very hard work. There are many people of varying capabilities, so one has to teach according to their capacities. Moreover, those who are listening to the Dharma come at different times. Those who come earlier hear the same teachings repeatedly, while those who came later do not hear what was taught earlier. So, in teaching the Dharma, firstly, the Buddha had to teach according to capabilities. Secondly, He had to make sure that everyone heard the same teachings and that all could understand the Dharma. He had to make sure they could listen now and know the teachings that were given in the past too.

There were five periods to the Buddha’s teachings. During the Five Periods, He did not just teach the Agama sutras for 12 years and then stop. In fact, look at how He began with the Four Noble Truths and then continued teaching them until. He entered Parinirvana. Even in His bequeathed teachings. He called on everyone to pay attention to the Four Noble Truths. It is evident that in Buddha’s teachings, in all the sutras that were taught, at any given time, He was always teaching both the Great and Small Vehicles. He observed their capabilities, and depending on their capabilities, He then decided what kind of Dharma to teach. So, from the beginning until the end, this was how the Buddha taught.

Thus, we said, “In the past during the Prajna period…” [One period of teaching] was the Prajna period. Before the Prajna was the Vaipulya. Before the Vaipulya was the Agama. So, the Agama, Vaipulya and Prajna teachings were the teachings that the Buddha gave to His disciples every day throughout His life. Whether they were monastics or lay disciples, the Buddha went over the teachings repeatedly. After giving the teachings once, He repeated them. He unceasingly taught these principles. Did the Buddha actually wait until this assembly to teach the True Dharma of the One Vehicle for attaining Buddhahood? Not at all. Teaching the True Dharma of the One Vehicle was the Buddha’s original intent. He taught it right from the beginning; we were the ones who did not understand it.

When the Buddha began teaching, with the first turning of the Dharma-wheel, He had already completely taught the workings of the world. “How can it be true that it was not bestowed upon all until today?” The Buddha did not wait until this assembly to reveal the entirety of the Dharma. Actually, from the moment He attained Buddhahood right up until the moment He gave the Lotus Sutra. He had been [giving the same teaching]. It was just that we sentient beings were deluded, unable to thoroughly realize His original intent.

So, it says, “For more than 40 years, people had not taken the Dharma to heart.” They just listened, learned and understood. “Did you take it to heart? We are taking it slow.” How long did they have to take it slow? This dragged on for more than 40 years. Subhuti and the others were quite old. They had previously expressed that, having listened to the teachings for so long, they had become tired of listening to them. This was how Subhuti and other leaders of the Sangha expressed what was in their hearts.

Even after more than 40 years, they had not taken the Dharma to heart. They remained biased towards emptiness and did not want to, “having eliminated afflictions, further go among the people to deliver them.” They had no interest in this, so they did not seek to learn it. But now, they understood [that this was essential]. So here, they manifested this appearance of repenting to the Buddha for not earnestly listening to the Dharma.

How can it be possible that they were not earnest? They had all already awakened; how could they possibly not have been earnest? This was their way of teaching future generations. Subhuti meant to awaken the minds of future spiritual practitioners. He hoped everyone would seize the present, cherish the Dharma and and take the Great Vehicle Dharma to heart. Beyond taking the Dharma to heart, we must apply it in our interactions. This was the mindfulness of Subhuti and the others.

So, “Though unsought, it had been attained.” This expressed the joy they felt. “Now, we have formed great aspirations. We have already taken the Dharma to heart and have begun to make [great] vows. Sariputra already received the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha. It will soon be our turn to receive this prediction.” In the past, they did not dare dream of this. Now, they were about to receive this prediction, so they were very joyful.

The previous sutra passage states, “As he grew older in years, he suffered increasing poverty and hardship. He roved in all directions, seeking food and clothing, until eventually in his wanderings he found himself back in his homeland. His father had first come here, searching for but never finding his son.”

When I mention this passage, do you still remember what I said? He suffered “poverty and hardship” for already “10 or 20, or even 50 years.” Having transmigrated between the heaven and human realms and the rest of the Five Destinies, sentient beings allowed the Dharma to leak away and have created much karma in this world. This is what happens in the Five Destinies, and it is signified by “poverty and hardship. Until eventually in his wanderings” means that after this man fell on hard times, in his wanderings, he gradually “found himself back in his homeland.” This means that after encountering the Dharma and understanding it, we begin heading toward and drawing closer to our nature of True Suchness. As the man drew near [his homeland],

“His father had first come here, searching for but never finding his son.” This is another description. The father arrived first, but where? To the Three Realms. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He taught constantly; in the Three Realms, He continued teaching to deliver sentient beings. However, only a few could accept the Dharma; people who could truly realize the Buddha-mind were very rare. Thus this is “searching for but never finding his son.”

The next sutra passage states, “He had taken up residence in a certain city, and his household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable, with gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass, pearls and the like all stored in his warehouses and vaults, which were filled to overflowing.”

Taking up residence in a certain city is speaking of [the principles]; it is explaining the principles. It is an analogy for the Buddha abiding in the Dharma-city of the Great Vehicle’s equality, where only Bodhisattvas live.

“Taking up residence in a certain city” is speaking of [the principles]; it is explaining the principles. It is an analogy for the Buddha “abiding in the Dharma-city of the Great Vehicle’s equality, where only Bodhisattvas live.”

In His compassion, the Buddha treats everyone equally. This is an analogy for that teaching. We intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. We all have this spiritual home in our minds; this is an analogy for the Dharma-city. The source of our nature of True Suchness is the Dharma, and it abides in the Dharma-city. “Where only Bodhisattvas live” means that everyone who lives in this place, in this Dharma-city, is a Bodhisattva. Only those with great vows and aspirations will be able to realize this and thus abide in this spiritual home. If we can realize the Buddha-mind, if we can understand, we will be able to walk the Bodhisattva-path

The Buddha’s original intent was to teach the Great Vehicle. Thus He abided in the city of the Great Vehicle and sought us there.

“The Buddha’s original intent was to teach the Great Vehicle. Thus He abided in the city of the Great Vehicle and sought us there.” So, from His spiritual home, He taught everyone that in order to enter its doors, they must practice the Bodhisattva-path, which is the Great Vehicle Dharma

When speaking of matters, [the city] is used to explain them by being an analogy for the one great cause for which the Buddha manifested in the world. With Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment, He manifested here in response to the world. This is referred to with a certain city.

When speaking of matters, [the city] is used to explain them by being an analogy for the one great cause for which the Buddha manifested in the world. “With Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment, He manifested here in response to the world.” This is referred to with “a certain city.”

He was born in the kingdom of Kapilavastu, and He taught extensively all over India. This was the transformation-body He manifested. The Dharma He taught spread all over the world. This is the analogy of the “city” as far as matters are concerned.

His household was very wealthy: The reward-land where the Buddha’s reward-body lived is the home of the manifest Buddha. He is replete with 10,000 virtues, so the analogy used is that of immeasurable wealth. Thus it says that he was very wealthy.

“His household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable. His household was very wealthy” refers to the reward-land in which His reward-body dwelled. This place, the Saha World, was the place He had vowed to return to. He had not been led here by karmic forces; He came because of His vows. Thus the Buddha saw the Saha World as His reward-land. Because the Buddha made a great vow, to bequeath the Dharma to the world and could practice in accord with it, He Himself also returned to the Saha World lifetime after lifetime. He [manifested] a transformation-body here because this is His home; the Saha World is His home.

“He is replete with 10,000 virtues.” Every time He comes to the world, He is replete with the wealth that the world needs. The wealth we speak of is the Dharma, which He teaches in response to worldly phenomena. He enters the world and gives teachings according to worldly phenomena. Thus, the Saha World is where He manifests, where His great household is, where He makes use of His inexhaustible wisdom in order to transform sentient beings. So, He is replete with 10,000 virtues, exercising both compassion and wisdom. Only with virtue can one transform people, so virtues are compared to “immeasurable wealth.” Thus, it says that He is very wealthy.

His riches were immeasurable: This is an analogy for the Buddha’s merit and virtue and the flourishing of the Dharma that He teaches.

“His riches” are an analogy for the Buddha’s merit and virtue “and the flourishing Dharma that He teaches.” The Buddha had already accumulated much merit and virtue. The Dharma that He teaches is wonderful, vibrant; it is flourishing. There is nothing the Buddha cannot comprehend.

“The blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas are referred to as wealth.” What are the wealth of blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas? These are simply giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence and Samadhi

The blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas are referred to as wealth: 1) Giving. Giving resources out of loving-kindness 2) Upholding the Buddha’s precepts. Being vigilant of actions, speech and thoughts 3) Patience. Being unwavering in the face of all things 4) Diligence. Persevering in all that is good 5) Samadhi. Settling the mind in one place.

Because giving teaches us to be compassionate, we will give material possessions. We must also uphold precepts. Only by upholding the precepts can we guard against wrongs and stop evil and thus avoid creating more afflictions and karma. So, we must be cautious. Upholding precepts is done through the Threefold Karma of our body, speech and mind. So, we must be careful when we speak, be cautious when we do things and take good care of our minds. Spiritual practice also requires patience. No matter what difficulties we face in interacting with people, matters and things, for the sake of sentient beings and our own spiritual cultivation, to awaken ourselves and others, we must remain patient. Our minds must remain unwavering, no matter what. We must not allow people, matters and things to cause our minds to waver.

Fourth is diligence. To persevere in all that is good also requires diligence. With diligence, we can eradicate all evils. In this way, “We refrain from all evil and do all that is good.” We must persevere in order to attain Samadhi. With Samadhi, our mind is stable; thus we can “abide in one place.” Where do we abide? We abide in a focused mind, in our pure intrinsic nature. Thus, the Buddha taught us these five practices so that we could benefit everyone. This is what we call “wealth.”

As for prajna-wisdom, which is pure wisdom, this is what we call “treasure”

The Buddha’s wealth is the blessings and virtues of the Five Paramitas. His treasure is prajna-wisdom. All these guiding teachings are contained in the Great Vehicle. Thus it is called immeasurable.

We normally speak of the Six Paramitas. Here, “The Five Paramitas are His wealth,” and the last, “wisdom,” is His treasure [Wealth] is what we use in dealing with the world. Wisdom is inherently within us, our pure Buddha-nature; this is our “treasure. All these guiding teachings are contained in the Great Vehicle.” To guide everyone, the Buddha used many methods. Whether the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence or the Six Paramitas, all of these guide us to realize the Dharma so we can exercise the power of love to serve others. These all lead to the Great Vehicle, thus it is immeasurable. There is much that we must do, thus there are many methods we can apply.

Gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass and pearls are the seven treasures that are analogies for the abundance of the Buddha’s Seven Noble Treasures.

Gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass and pearls are the Seven Treasures. Aren’t there seven of them? These kinds of wealth represent the Seven Noble Treasures. Just two days ago we discussed how, from “faith” we must give rise to “diligence, remorse” and so on.

The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom

The Seven Noble Treasures are likened to gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass and pearls. “Glass” is probably crystal. All these are considered treasures by people in this world. Actually, the Buddha-Dharma uses these things that people have great attachment to to turn their [thinking] around, so thoughts of greed turn into thoughts of giving. If we want to give, we must build up our inner wealth. Our inner wealth is the treasure of the Dharma. So, we must have the treasure of the Dharma; we must have an abundance of the Seven Noble Treasures. This is a kind of analogy using what worldly people love most; what we spiritual practitioners love most are the Seven Noble Treasures, the Six Paramitas or the Five Paramitas; these are our wealth and treasures.

A warehouse is a place of storage. This means he has conditioned merits and virtues that can nurture wisdom-life.

It is like the field in our minds. We must quickly and earnestly cultivate the field in our minds, so we must sow seeds. If we cultivate the field but do not sow seeds, that piece of land will remain empty. So, engaging in spiritual practice is not enough; we must also benefit others in the world. This creates “conditioned merits and virtues.” These “conditioned merits and virtues” help us nurture our wisdom-life.

His vaults: they refer to unconditioned merits and virtues that bring peace to the Dharma-body.

As for “vaults,” they refer to “unconditioned merits and virtues that bring peace to the Dharma-body.”

“Unconditioned merits and virtues” means we must do more than just act and then store this in the eighth consciousness; we must also store this in the ninth consciousness so as to make use of this and awaken our ninth consciousness, our pure nature of True Suchness. This will “bring peace to the Dharma-body.”

Which were filled to overflowing: When the inside is stuffed, it is called filled Spilling over to the outside, it is overflowing. This is an analogy for the Buddha’s virtues, which are overflowing with perfection.

In “filled to overflowing, filled” means that the inside is stuffed. It is already very full. There are many warehouse and vaults, and there is so much in these warehouse and vaults that they cannot contain it all, so things have spilled over to the outside. This signifies that the Buddha’s virtues are perfect; they are “overflowing with perfection.” This means that in addition to benefiting Himself, He also benefited others. With the Dharma He had understood so well, He delivered Himself and also others. This was what the Buddha did after realizing the truths of all things in the universe. For many kalpas, a very long period of time, He pervaded all the Dharma-realms. The Buddha’s virtue and wisdom permeated the universe and all Dharma-realms. “Though the universe has bounds, His vows were boundless.” This demonstrates the power of the Buddha’s vows. By putting such great vows into practice. His virtues were just as great. So, “The Buddha’s virtues are overflowing with perfection.” They already have pervaded the universe and all Dharma-realms; the Buddha’s virtues exist everywhere. So, we must always be mindful.

Episode 743 – Returning from the Illusory to the True

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>> Human life is like a play, and we are also like travelers merely passing through. We are just temporary names and appearances, pulled along by affinities and retributions. Fathers love and hold on to their children; when the affinities end, they still cling. Passion is a rope that binds us; foolish love becomes delusion.

>> Seeking food and clothing: The hardships of poverty are the lack of food and clothing. This is an analogy for how the afflictions of birth and death pressure us so that we seek to be liberated.

>> The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom.

>> Until eventually in his wanderings: This is an analogy for our initial enlightenment. From our innate enlightenment, the mind’s source, the illusory has arisen from the true. Returning to the true from the illusory is what is called initial enlightenment.

>> The cause is gradual permeation over a long period. With listening and contemplation, we attain wisdom and gradually give rise to goodness; this is called initial enlightenment.

>> Still small：Abandoning his father and running away while still small is an analogy for turning one’s back on the true and following the illusory.

>> Or even 50 years: He found himself back in his homeland. This is an analogy for turning away from the illusory and returning to the true.

>> “So, His father had first come here searching for but never finding his son and had taken up residence in a certain city.”  [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> This is an analogy for how the Buddha originally taught the Great Vehicle to the disciples, hoping to find them in the Great Vehicle. He was unable to do so, so He responded by manifesting in the Three Realms.

>> His father: An analogy for the Buddha who, in His compassion, would not abandon sentient beings. Had first come here: The Buddha, thinking of sentient beings, came and went throughout the Three Realms, manifesting arising and ceasing. So, He had been here a long time.

>> Through the intrinsic and the manifest, the Buddha revealed His transformation-body. Though He had first come to guide this generation of sentient beings and teach the heart of the Great [Vehicle], sentient beings themselves retreated, descending into the flow of cyclic existence in the Six Realms. Thus it says searching for his son yet never finding him.

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“Human life is like a play, and we are also like travelers merely passing through.
We are just temporary names and appearances, pulled along by affinities and retributions.
Fathers love and hold on to their children; when the affinities end, they still cling.
Passion is a rope that binds us; foolish love becomes delusion.”

This is what makes us unenlightened beings; we do not understand the truth of life. Every time we come to this world we stay for only a few decades. We toil our lives away and, throughout this process, endlessly accumulate many afflictive emotions. Life is like a play performed on stage. Some people put on an exciting performance, strong and intense. Some people’s dramas teach us about life. Some people are vicious and violent; their plays are hair-raising dramas. However, the show must always come to an end.

Life is just like a play; we do not know how long it will last. It is as if we are just travelers passing through. Some people rush about busily; other people linger and are reluctant to move on. But no matter what, they are still travelers [passing through] this world. “Traveler” is just a label, and “a play upon a stage” is a label also. In the performances we see on stage, we can see every kind of role, but all of those roles are labels. Some are labeled “parents.” Some are labeled “lovers.” Some are labeled “children.” Some are “relatives”; each person has a different label, and we differentiate them accordingly. Just like that, under certain causes and conditions, we come to know each other and are pulled on stage to play a very important role in each other’s lives. This happens because we are “pulled along by affinities and retributions.”

But when our affinities end, we part ways. Whether the parting is in life or by death, the suffering is always unbearable. This is how life is; we use the ropes of passion to bind ourselves, so we become endlessly entangled in them. Thus, “Foolish love becomes delusion.”

In the Buddhist sutras, there is a story. During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was an elder in the city of Rajagrha. In his old age, he had a son, who was adorable. When his son was seven, though not ill or in pain, one day he suddenly stopped breathing and passed away. The father’s pain was so excruciating that he cried until he fainted, and when he awoke again he continued holding his child and crying.

Several days went by, and still he held on to his son. He refused to let him go. Later, although he clung tightly to the child, his family and friends pulled the child away to be buried. The father was devastated. He searched high and low for his son.

One day he arrived at a monastery where he saw brahmacarins engaged in spiritual practice. He went to them and asked how to find his son again. The brahmacarins did not know how to help him so they told him, “Leave and head south. Keep walking until you reach a river. There is an island in the middle of the river. In that place, several immortals pass through every year, to stay there briefly. If you want to find your son, when the king of hell passes through there, go and ask him about your son.”

This father actually made it to that place and found Yama, the king of hell. He said, “King Yama, I want my son. Give me back my son.” The king of hell said, “Over there is a playground. There are many children there; look for him among them. If he wants to return with you, then you can take him back.”

Thus, he walked on. Sure enough, there was a playground. Recognizing his child, he rushed to grab his hand, saying, “Come on, let’s go home.” The child looked at his father and brushed off his hand; he looked very angry. With this enraged expression, he said, “Father! You foolish old man! I was just a traveler passing through your home. I will have another set of parents in the future. Where is it that you’re trying take me?” With that, he pushed him aside and ran away.

“My child will not return with me. Where should I, this foolish old man, go now?” Then he thought, “I often hear people say there is a Buddha now, and He grants whatever people ask for. I should go find the Buddha.” He turned around and began looking for the Buddha’s abode at Jeta Grove.

When he saw the Buddha, he told Him what was on his mind. The Buddha said to him, “Indeed you are a foolish old man! We are all like travelers passing through. We come to this world because of our karmic conditions. Brought here by karma, the length of our stay depends on conditions we created in past lives. When affinities end, conditions disperse and cease. Once that happens, this leg of our journey is at an end. We ordinary people come and go in this world as we continue this journey. Because of foolishness like this, because of your cravings and attachments, the karma you create continues to increase while you ignore the consequences; this kind of pursuit will only end in suffering.” The Buddha then analyzed for him [the truths of] suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. For this foolish old man who could not bring his son back, He explained the Four Noble Truths. Finally, the man clearly understood. Thus, he began to come to his senses.

This is the reality of life. The Buddha tirelessly continues to give teachings, but we remain in this same state, leaving behind our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature and becoming lost in the Five Realms.

The previous analogy describes the state of unenlightened beings, who experience the Five Realms and four forms of birth. Now, we have come in contact with the Dharma, so from now on it is time for us to seek the Dharma. The sutra continues by stating, “He roved in all directions seeking food and clothing.” He only sought to survive, to have clothes to wear when it is cold and food to eat when he was hungry.

Seeking food and clothing: The hardships of poverty are the lack of food and clothing. This is an analogy for how the afflictions of birth and death pressure us so that we seek to be liberated.

So, he was “seeking food and clothing, until eventually in his wanderings he found himself back in his homeland. His father had first come here, searching for but never finding his son.” Subhuti and the others described [the son as] experiencing “the hardships of poverty.” He was trapped, as if he were bound by ropes; the poverty he was in was a total lack of clothes to wear and food to eat. This is an analogy for the [afflictions of] birth and death. Now, we need to seek the ability to come and go freely and to eliminate our many kinds of afflictions so we return to the world on our vows. Returning on our vows means we hope to go among people to transform them. This kind of cyclic existence is free of afflictions. But presently we still undergo a cyclic existence where we experience many afflictions. So, when it comes to birth and death, we are still very afflicted and afraid. We still have not taken the Dharma to heart. How do we leave this world? How do we come back? This is all arranged by our karma. Thus, we still feel afflicted. This is an analogy for how the afflictions of birth and death pressure us. When we develop an illness, don’t we become worried? But nothing can be done.

So, why is it that we need to take such good care of our lives? In order to benefit people. In order to benefit people, we must seek the Buddha-Dharma and take good care of our lives. When we are healthy, we should take advantage of our good health, energetic spirit and our physical strength to do things and to take the Buddha-Dharma to heart so we can understand the principles. We must [apply] the Dharma of the Seven Noble Treasures. We must make an effort to be diligent. We must earnestly put our hearts into developing our faith. We must be capable of remorse and patience. We must learn to be patient in our interactions and to go among people without allowing them to influence us, to disturb our Right Mindfulness.

The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom.

These are what we need to cultivate. So, seeking food and clothing is [an analogy for] seeking these teachings. We must enrich ourselves with the Seven Noble Treasures, or we will remain in a state where, “The afflictions of birth and death pressure us.” Now that we have the causes and conditions to accept the Dharma, we need to promptly take it to heart. Then, “eventually in [our] wanderings….”

“Eventually in his wanderings” refers to how, as we go through Six Realms, the four kinds of birth and the Five Destinies, our causes and conditions gradually mature

Until eventually in his wanderings: This is an analogy for our initial enlightenment. From our innate enlightenment, the mind’s source, the illusory has arisen from the true. Returning to the true from the illusory is what is called initial enlightenment.

“Until eventually in his wanderings” is an analogy for “initial enlightenment.” In every person there is “innate enlightenment, the mind’s source.” Then, “The illusory has arisen from the true.” From our nature of True Suchness, we gradually gave rise to illusory thoughts; that is, we unceasingly accumulated afflictions from external sources, so that from our nature of True Suchness we began giving rise to afflictions and ignorance.

“Returning to the true from the illusory” is called “initial enlightenment.” By correcting our habitual tendencies and eliminating our afflictions, we will gradually return to our “innate enlightenment.” So, not yet having reached that state means we are still engaging in spiritual practice and that we have begun to draw near that road that leads home. This is “initial enlightenment”

The cause is gradual permeation over a long period. With listening and contemplation, we attain wisdom and gradually give rise to goodness; this is called initial enlightenment.

“The cause is gradual permeation.” The road of spiritual practice is not easy to walk. We must undergo a very long period of continuous permeation by the Buddha-Dharma. So, when we listen to the Dharma, we must certainly be mindful. We must listen, contemplate and practice in order to attain wisdom. With impartial wisdom, we can realize how the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature]. This is a sign that our minds have become more in line with the Buddha’s. Thus we “gradually give rise to goodness; this is called initial enlightenment.”

After we have begun our spiritual cultivation, we should avoid taking issue with people and correct our own habitual tendencies. We are the ones who need to change. We are the ones who must engage in practice. So, by being more accommodating of others, our minds will come to encompass the universe. Thus we gradually give rise to goodness. Nurturing thoughts of goodness in our minds is called “initial enlightenment.” We gradually stop creating the karma of the Ten Evils and create more karma of the Ten Good Deeds. This is what is meant by “gradually”; this is “initial enlightenment”

He found himself back in his homeland: The homeland is our innate enlightenment. All sentient beings have a pure nature. That which transcends all illusory thoughts is what is known as innate enlightenment.

In, “He found himself back in his homeland, homeland” means “innate enlightenment”; it refers to our intrinsic nature, the awakened nature for attaining Buddhahood that we all possess. So, “All sentient beings have a pure nature.” Everyone’s intrinsic nature is pure. But it is due to later influences, our encounters with worldly matters, that we delude our minds. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must “transcend all illusory thoughts,” all of those confused thoughts. Life is like a play, and we are also like passing travelers. We should be very clear on this. As we interact with people, we must not give rise to improper or illusory thoughts. We must transcend these illusory thoughts to gradually return to our innate enlightenment. Our pure nature is our innate enlightenment.

Initial enlightenment is gradual advancement. The gradual advancement in the direction of supreme enlightenment. This is finding oneself back in one’s homeland.

When it comes to the things we understand and the good deeds we do, we must continue to add more. We must strengthen our spiritual aspirations and must never give up on doing good deeds. So, listening to teachings and doing good deeds are the foundation for [cultivating] the Seven Noble Treasures. “Initial enlightenment is the gradual advancement in the direction of supreme enlightenment. Supreme enlightenment” is our innate enlightenment. This is called “finding oneself back in one’s homeland.” Gradually, we have begun to draw closer to our original, pure Buddha-nature.

Still small：Abandoning his father and running away while still small is an analogy for turning one’s back on the true and following the illusory.

Next in our passages is, “Abandoning his father and running away while still small is an analogy for turning one’s back on the true and following the illusory.”

Subhuti and the others used this analogy to talk about their past. For a very long period of time, they experienced the Five Destinies and the four forms of birth. Only with great difficulty were they able to follow the Buddha in spiritual practice, yet they remained attached to the Small Vehicle. So, “abandoning the father and running away” means they “turned their backs on the true and followed the illusory.” In fact, they had turned their backs [on the true] and turned towards illusory thoughts and followed the illusory appearances of the world. In the Five Destinies and as the four kinds of beings, they “turned [their] back on the true and followed the illusory.”

How long had this been going on? They spent “50 years,” which refers to the good and evil realms. Gradually, they developed the opportunity to turn toward the Buddha, to begin “turning away from the illusory and returning to the true.”

Or even 50 years: He found himself back in his homeland. This is an analogy for turning away from the illusory and returning to the true.

Thus “finding themselves back in their homeland” means they now understood that these things were not real. They had spent entire lifetimes in the Six Realms creating all kinds of karma, karma for living in the Six Realms and as the four kinds of beings. Now they had come to know the truth. Gradually they came to know this, which is to say, they “turned away from the illusory and returned to the true.” They returned to their nature of True Suchness

“His father had first come here searching for but never finding his son and had taken up residence in a certain city.

The son had begun to gradually make his way back to his homeland. What about his father? After he left, his father continued to look for him. However, the father was already there [when the son arrived].

This is an analogy for how the Buddha originally taught the Great Vehicle to the disciples, hoping to find them in the Great Vehicle. He was unable to do so, so He responded by manifesting in the Three Realms.

This is an analogy for how the Buddha originally taught the children the Great Vehicle, hoping everyone could understand this Dharma. So, the Buddha had always abided in the Great Vehicle Dharma, had always abided in this city, but His disciples had no interest in the Great Vehicle Dharma. This is “searching for but never finding his son.” Therefore, He “responded by manifesting in the Three Realms.” The Buddha had to manifest in this world or in the Five Realms as one of the four kinds of beings. So, He appeared in the Three Realms to manifest these appearances.

His father: An analogy for the Buddha who, in His compassion, would not abandon sentient beings. Had first come here: The Buddha, thinking of sentient beings, came and went throughout the Three Realms, manifesting arising and ceasing. So, He had been here a long time.

Thus, “his father” is an analogy for the Buddha, who, “in His compassion, would not abandon sentient beings.” He “had first come here” because the Buddha, thinking of sentient beings, came and went throughout the Three Realms. It was for the sake of sentient beings that the. Buddha came and went through the Three Realms, steering the ship of compassion. Thus He manifested birth and death, arising and ceasing. He lived 80 years before entering Parinirvana; this was already a long time. He did not only do this in this one lifetime; it had been this way for many lifetimes. When karmic causes and conditions matured, in this lifetime He was Sakyamuni Buddha. He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood, of Parinirvana and so on in order to teach and guide us.

Through the intrinsic and the manifest, the Buddha revealed His transformation-body. Though He had first come to guide this generation of sentient beings and teach the heart of the Great [Vehicle], sentient beings themselves retreated, descending into the flow of cyclic existence in the Six Realms. Thus it says searching for his son yet never finding him.

Actually, with the Buddha’s intrinsic nature, He repeatedly returns to this world. But sentient beings could never comprehend this. This is “searching for but never finding his son.” Therefore, He had to reveal the “the intrinsic and the manifest” for us. He had “first come here” and had already been transforming and delivering these people for a very long time. His only hope was that everyone would form great aspirations. It was sentient beings who retreated on their own [As described] in the Chapter of Skillful Means, 5000 people paid their respects and left; they left of their own accord, to be lost in cyclic existence in the Six Realms. This is like “searching for but never finding his son.”

So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must truly be mindful. The Buddha [showed us] compassion and love, but unfortunately, due to one ignorant thought, we ended up transmigrating in the Six Realms. We chose to be like the foolish father, the ignorant old man. We must earnestly orient ourselves to our nature of True Suchness and gradually draw near it. We must always be mindful.

Episode 742 – Planting Seeds of Enlightenment

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>> The cause for the attainment of understanding is found first in their listening a long time ago. This is why they celebrated obtaining great benefit and attaining understanding. From recently listening to the extraordinary Dharma of the parables, they understood the Buddha’s intent and obtained the benefit of awakening.

>> “There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, living a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> For perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years: 10 is an analogy for the heaven realm. 20 is an analogy for the human realm. 50 is an analogy for the Five Realms.

>> “As he grew older in years, he suffered increasing poverty and hardship. He roved in all directions seeking food and clothing, until eventually in his wanderings he found himself back in his homeland.”   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> As he grew older in years: This is an analogy for the awakening of our original Great Vehicle aspirations. The Bodhicitta we gave rise to in the past, once planted in the eighth consciousness, remains forever as a seed of enlightenment. Thus, we will once again have the good karmic condition of meeting a Buddha. This is an analogy for our permeated nature.

>> The Nine Consciousnesses: Eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-consciousness are the Six Consciousnesses. The seventh is the adana (manas) consciousness. The eighth is the alaya consciousness. The ninth is the amala consciousness.

>> He suffered increasing poverty and hardship: They had never cultivated impartial wisdom; lacking the Seven Noble Treasures, they were called poor.

>> The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom. Because sentient beings do not treasure these, they are said to be in extreme poverty, and as they are burned by the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings, they are said to be in hardship.

>>He roved in all directions: Transmigrating among the four forms of birth is like rushing about on the treacherous path of birth, aging, illness and death.

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“The cause for the attainment of understanding is found first in their listening a long time ago.
This is why they celebrated obtaining great benefit and attaining understanding.
From recently listening to the extraordinary Dharma of the parables, they understood the Buddha’s intent and obtained the benefit of awakening.”

Actually, we are able to hear the Dharma now thanks to what we did in the past. We probably spent a long time planting [the seeds for] these karmic conditions. Only with the accumulation of these conditions do we now have the opportunity to be at the same spiritual practice center and thus engage in spiritual practice together, encounter the Buddha-Dharma together. And likewise, we are now beginning to listen to and share the most true and wondrous teachings of the Dharma.

This is all because, in our past lives, we were “listening a very long time ago.” A long, long time ago, we formed these causes and conditions so [now] we are able to “attain understanding. The cause for the attainment of understanding,” what allows us to listen and understand now, is the karmic causes and conditions that were created in distant past kalpas.

Since we have these causes and conditions, we should celebrate that we can “obtain great benefit and attain understanding.” It is because of past causes and conditions that we have the affinities to be able to gather together again now and listen to teachings from this sutra together. We should feel very happy at attaining this great benefit of listening to the teachings. For the same reason, Subhuti and the others were also very happy. Though for a long period of time in the past they did not understand the Great Vehicle Dharma, they now had complete faith and understanding. So, they told this parable. “From recently listening” means they had only recently heard these teachings. In fact, the Buddha had already been teaching for more than 40 years. They had listened to Him teach from the beginning, but it was not until the Lotus Dharma-assembly that they truly achieved great understanding.

In the past they all thought, “Looking after myself is good enough. The Buddha is teaching those who have great capabilities to form great aspirations, make great vows and practice the Bodhisattva-path; this has nothing to do with me.” Thus, they did not mindfully [listen] and their hearts were not inspired. Then, when the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, He began to teach directly to these disciples who were constantly by His side. According to their capabilities, He praised the wisdom of all past and present Buddhas and the intrinsic nature of True Suchness that everyone intrinsically possesses. He explained that everyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood. Then He bestowed His prediction upon Sariputra. This brought faith and great understanding; they deepened their faith and their realizations. They began to develop this confidence. So, this all happened “recently.” The Buddha-Dharma that they were listening to now was truly extraordinary Dharma. So, “They understood the Buddha’s intent”; they understood the mind of the Buddha.

At Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly, there were those who had already become Buddhas and, out of compassion, had returned to this world as Bodhisattvas to set an example for others. There were also those like Maitreya Bodhisattva, who would attain Buddhahood in the future, who came to awaken and inspire people. In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Maitreya, who had not yet attained Buddhahood but would do so in the future, and Manjusri, who had already attained Buddhahood as Honorable Dragon King Buddha and had taught seven Buddhas in the past, engaged in a dialogue with each other. Look at how extraordinary the Lotus Sutra is! Many Bodhisattvas who were Buddhas in the past steered the ship of compassion back to this world to support Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly. This is all truly incredible.

Now, in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, four bhiksus that everyone knew and recognized, leaders of the Sangha, expressed how they had neglected the Buddha’s teachings in the past and how, though they were in their old age, they were nevertheless now inspired to form great aspirations. Because of the precious Dharma they heard in the Chapter on Parables, they now understood the Buddha’s intent and that all Buddhas share the same path. By forming aspirations now, they “obtained the benefit of awakening.” They began to form aspirations and put their heart into walking the Bodhisattva-path.

The previous passage states, “There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, living a long time in foreign lands, “for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”

“Small and young” refers to looking only at the surface of things, not really delving deeply into them; this is the cause. Thus this kind of mindset was likened to that of a young and mischievous child who had abandoned his father and wandered abroad for a long time. He stayed away a long time and did not come home. How long did this last? “For perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”

Do you remember which realm “10” is an analogy for? The heaven realm. With the Ten Good Deeds we are born in heaven. What about “20”? The human realm of good and evil. Practicing the Ten Good Deeds leads to heaven. Committing the Ten Evils leads to falling into the hell, hungry ghost or animal realm.

For perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years: 10 is an analogy for the heaven realm. 20 is an analogy for the human realm. 50 is an analogy for the Five Realms.

This is due to [our actions] in the human realm. Everything that happens depends on what we do with our bodies in this world. Every day we exist among the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness; every one of these drives us to practice the Ten Good Deeds or the Ten evils. Therefore, in our daily living, we must always be very mindful!

The next passage states, “As he grew older in years, he suffered increasing poverty and hardship. He roved in all directions seeking food and clothing, until eventually in his wanderings he found himself back in his homeland.”

Over time, this person gradually advanced in age. This period of time spanned from when he was “small and young” and left home to when he was much older “50” years means he had experienced all kinds of hardship. Moreover, he was impoverished; he was already very poor. When we have no Dharma in our mind and it is filled with afflictions and ignorance, then we have truly fallen on hard times. He went everywhere, in “all directions”; “He roved in all directions.” He wandered about in all directions, “seeking food and clothing.” He only sought enough to eat for his next meal. “Until eventually in his wanderings,” with no place to live and no course to follow, he gradually headed back towards his homeland. Let us be mindful in listening to this passage.

As he grew older in years: This is an analogy for the awakening of our original Great Vehicle aspirations. The Bodhicitta we gave rise to in the past, once planted in the eighth consciousness, remains forever as a seed of enlightenment. Thus, we will once again have the good karmic condition of meeting a Buddha. This is an analogy for our permeated nature.

When it says, “He grew older in years,” it means that his original. Great Vehicle aspirations had awakened.  This “original Great Vehicle aspiration” is something we all already have; we all have it intrinsically. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Now this Buddha-nature had begun to awaken. “The Bodhicitta we gave rise to in the past,” that sense of joy we felt upon seeing the Buddha, that Bodhicitta, had begun to stir inside.

It had already been “planted in the eighth consciousness.” We must understand this “eighth consciousness.” How many consciousnesses are there? When it comes to “consciousness,” most sutras only go up to the eighth one, but I have always emphasized to you that there are Nine Consciousnesses. The ninth consciousness is the enlightened consciousness of the Buddha, a pure and undefiled consciousness

The Nine Consciousnesses: Eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-consciousness are the Six Consciousnesses. The seventh is the adana (manas) consciousness. The eighth is the alaya consciousness. The ninth is the amala consciousness.

Let us start at the beginning with the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-consciousness. These are known as the Six Consciousnesses. Whenever we interact with our external conditions, we always use our “body of the Five Aggregates.” When we use our Six Sense Organs to connect with our external conditions, we can either practice the Ten Good Deeds or commit the Ten Evils. After we take an action, it goes through the seventh consciousness, the adana consciousness. This seventh consciousness is continually cultivating and producing [seeds] in the fields of our minds, which causes us to do many kinds of things. The fruits of these actions, the good or evil fruits of the seeds planted, are stored in the eighth consciousness, and thus the eighth consciousness contains both good and evil [karma]. “We cannot take anything with us when we die; only our karma follows us to our next life.” According to the karmic causes and conditions stored in the eighth consciousness, we are reborn and face our retributions. Unenlightened people only make use of everything up to their eighth consciousness.

We have the opportunity to listen to the Dharma, to form aspirations and engage in spiritual practice. But though we engage in spiritual practice, understand the principles, have few desires and are content, our ignorance, afflictions and dust-like delusions have not yet been eliminated or cleansed. Thus, we are still in the state of the alaya consciousness. This is about as far as most of us go. If we can move forward and advance to the point where all of our afflictions are eliminated, we will be like Sariputra, Subhuti, Katyayana, Mahakasyapa and Maudgalyayana. They had completely eliminated their afflictions, and now they awakened their great aspirations, which had been “planted in the eighth consciousness.” Having worked through the sixth, seventh and eighth consciousnesses of ordinary people, their minds were now purified, so they began to awaken their great aspirations. They were drawing near the ninth consciousness. With their understanding, they would not become contaminated again. Thus it was “planted in the eighth consciousness,” this pure and undefiled ninth consciousness.

It “remains forever as a seed of enlightenment. Thus, we will once again have the good karmic condition of meeting a Buddha.” They were drawing near their ninth consciousness. In fact, this is true “wisdom of enlightenment.” The “seed of enlightenment” is wisdom. The wisdom of enlightenment, of all Dharma, the pure Buddha-wisdom; this is all undefiled wisdom. So, we will “once again meet a Buddha.” We already have the karmic conditions to draw near our nature of True Suchness. This is the analogy of “our permeated nature.” Though we have just begun to eliminate afflictions and have just begun to awaken, our nature has already been “permeated” [Having been] “permeated,” we have the chance to draw near our nature of True Suchness and realize the Buddha’s intent.

He suffered increasing poverty and hardship: They had never cultivated impartial wisdom; lacking the Seven Noble Treasures, they were called poor.

The [sutra passage states that], now he was already old, in his 50s; he went from his 20s to his 50s. “He suffered increasing poverty and hardship”. “He suffered increasing poverty and hardship.” This sutra explains that, “They had never cultivated impartial wisdom.” They had attained discerning wisdom, but not impartial wisdom,

in their spiritual cultivation. Everyone knows about discerning wisdom. We know that we should avoid doing this or that, but we are not yet treating all beings as equals. We still have not personally realized what the Buddha said, that everyone is able to attain Buddhahood. We still have not understood that everyone can become a Buddha. So, “They had never cultivated impartial wisdom.” Thus they lacked the Seven Noble Treasures.

The Seven Noble Treasures: Faith, diligence, upholding precepts, remorse, renunciation, patience, and Samadhi and wisdom. Because sentient beings do not treasure these, they are said to be in extreme poverty, and as they are burned by the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings, they are said to be in hardship.

What does it mean to lack the Seven Noble Treasures? It is when our “faith” is not deep, when we are not “diligent” enough, when we practice “upholding the precepts” but are not yet able to uphold the great precepts. As for “remorse,” in our spiritual practice in the past we did not yet feel remorse. While others diligently advanced, we stopped at [that limited state]. This is because we had not yet awakened; we did not yet feel remorse. When listening to the Dharma, we had not reached the stage of joyfully letting go. Perhaps we could not endure being among people, so we lacked patience. Thus our Samadhi and wisdom were insufficient. We are lacking these things.

If we really want to be replete with the Seven Noble Treasures, our faith must grow deeper, and we must be fearless in our diligence. We must courageously advance and directly go among people to widely transform them without being contaminated by their afflictions. This is true diligence. We must uphold the precepts; even though we are in the “mud,” in the evil world of Five Turbidities, we will not be afraid. Thus, we can enter this evil world without being contaminated by its impurities. This is truly the flawless upholding of precepts. This is also a treasure, that of precepts.

Next, we must always have that sense of remorse. To protect ourselves, we must keep a clear conscience and be humble toward others. We should constantly protect ourselves by not giving rise to desires and anger in response to our external conditions. We should constantly minimize our ego and treat others with respect; all of this comes from a sense of remorse. This is also a noble treasure. When we listen to the Dharma, we must be mindful. After we listen, we must joyfully let go so we can give and create blessings for the world. This is also a treasure. Only by taking the Dharma to heart can we develop “patience.” When we are among myriad sentient beings, we must be able to be patient. As we engage in spiritual practice among people, everyone has different habitual tendencies. We must have a open heart and pure thoughts and be understanding and accommodating in order to not become indolent as we interact with people. This is why patience is necessary. It is another treasure that we cultivate. Then we are able to attain Samadhi and wisdom. With precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the Three Flawless Studies, we will not retreat from our spiritual aspirations. These are the Seven Noble Treasures.

Subhuti and the others openly repented that they were not mindful of these seven treasures. Therefore, their Root of Faith was not deep, and they were not thorough in their diligence. Without thoroughly cultivating the Three Flawless Studies, they only looked after themselves, eliminating their own afflictions and not looking after other people. Lacking these qualities, they were considered impoverished. They lacked the Seven Noble Treasures. These noble treasures are methods, so they lacked methods of attaining Buddhahood. “Because sentient beings do not treasure them….” These sentient beings did not resolve to treasure them, so their spiritual cultivation was lacking. They lacked this because they avoided it. So, previously they had said, “We grew weary of listening to the teachings.” They had listened to the Dharma for a long time, and they had become tired. Thus, they were not diligent. When it came to transforming sentient beings, they felt no joy; no joy arose in them. Thus, “They are said to be in extreme poverty.”

Experiencing the Five Turbidities and Eight Sufferings is called hardship. Trapped in this evil world of Five Turbidities, they faced the Eight Sufferings because they were lacking the Seven Noble Treasures. Because of this, “[The son] roved in all directions seeking food and clothing,” He ran around in all directions, seeking only enough for a single meal. This is like transmigrating among the four forms of birth. “He roved in all directions” means going through the four forms of birth. The four forms of birth are egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born and transformation-born [We are all] living this way. Through the four forms of birth, through the cycle of birth and death, we transmigrate in the Six Realms. Thus, we have already experienced many times birth, aging, illness and death in this hazardous world, full of traps.

He roved in all directions: Transmigrating among the four forms of birth is like rushing about on the treacherous path of birth, aging, illness and death.

Therefore, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful. Spiritual cultivation is the result of karmic conditions we cultivated over many kalpas. Let us make the best use of them so that, sometime in the distant future, the day will come when we attain Buddhahood. We must use these treasures, this wealth and abundance of Dharma, to nurture our wisdom-life. We must always be mindful.

Episode 741 – Abandoning Our Father to Stay in the Three Realms

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>> With the accumulation of karma, we will experience rebirth in the Five Destinies. Ignorance keeps us trapped in the Three Realms. With good and evil [karma], we rise and fall with no stability. In a flash, with one thought, the Five Aggregates are set in motion at once, altogether resulting in 50 evils.

“There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, living a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”    [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> The father is an analogy for the Tathagata’s reward-body. In the presence of 20,000 Buddhas past, we were taught the supreme path, so the father-child relationship was established. After the Buddha’s reward-body had ceased the work of transforming beings, we retreated from our great aspirations and were influenced by limited teachings. This is the meaning of abandoning the father.

>> [He] ran away: Running away means covering oneself in ignorance and following cyclic existence in the Six Destinies. It means deviating from the teacher’s teachings while indulging in one’s own desires. It is turning one’s back on awakening to meet with objects of desire.

>> Living a long time in foreign lands: This is an analogy for retreating to and wandering in cyclic existence in the Three Realms. We transmigrate through the Three Realms and the Five Destinies and do not peacefully abide in. Great Vehicle aspirations to purify the lands of the Buddha.>> For perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years: 10 years is an analogy for the heaven realm 20 years is an analogy for the human realm 50 years is an analogy for the Five Destinies

>> Sentient beings create countless varied karma. Thus, We experience rebirth in the Five Destinies; we constantly rise and fall in the Three Realms with no stability. The thoughts of all Buddhas are constantly with sentient beings. However, The thoughts of sentient beings are not with the Buddhas. Thus, they abandon the father and run away.

>> Some ask: When the Buddha left His work of transformation, sentient beings gave rise to delusions. So, it was the father who left his children. Then why does it say that it was the children who abandoned their father? Answer: The Buddha transformed and delivered according to the conditions of the world. Because sentient beings did not respond by accepting and applying [the Dharma], the Buddha’s conditions for responding to the world were extinguished. Thus, it was the children who abandoned their father.

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“With the accumulation of karma, we will experience rebirth in the Five Destinies.
Ignorance keeps us trapped in the Three Realms.
With good and evil [karma], we rise and fall with no stability.
In a flash, with one thought,
the Five Aggregates are set in motion at once,
altogether resulting in 50 evils.”

In this life, our minds are constantly fluctuating. Let us reflect on ourselves and assess what it is we are thinking about each day. Everything we do, the thoughts we give rise to and the karma we create, continuously accumulates over time. If we were to divide our karma into good and bad, in the end, would we have more good karma or would we have more bad karma? The different kinds of karma we have accumulated have led us to experience rebirth in the Five Destinies.

The Five Destinies are the heaven realm, the human realm, and the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. Altogether, these comprise the Five Destinies and are inseparable from the karma we have created. When our karma is categorized into good and bad, we can see the conditions we have for entering one of the Five Destinies. This is how unenlightened beings transmigrate among the Five Destinies.

This is because of ignorance. Ignorance keeps us in the desire realm, amidst our desirous thoughts. When we give rise to desirous thoughts and have desires for everything, one deluded thought will give rise to the Three Subtleties, [and elicit] greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance and doubt. Moreover, we also have dust-like delusions; within our minds there are still many subtle delusions, like grains of sand. It is for this reason that we remain in the Three Realms.

This all comes down to good and evil. So, we can be born in the heaven realm to enjoy heavenly blessings because we created much blessed karma as humans. However, once we deplete our blessings, we still fall into one of the other four realms, the human, hell, hungry ghost or animal realm. Therefore, with good and evil karma, we rise and fall [between the realms]. Being born in heaven does not mean that we will be able to remain there forever. Once we deplete our blessings, we will fall again.

“In a flash, with one thought….” Goodness or evil leads us to rise or fall in an instant. A person might have been good friends with you, but then someone asked him, “Why are you so close to that person?” He says, “Because that is my good friend. Really? Well one time I heard him say that you did this or that to him though he did so many nice things for you,” etc. Hearing this, in the instant of a thought, that person forms an aversion towards his good friend. From then on he feels resentment and hatred. Though the two of you had a good relationship, after hearing only a few sentences, his mind changes in a flash. Likewise, people who were doing good deeds may, because of a few critical comments, change their mindset, stop doing good and start committing evils. All of this happens in an instant, in the span of a single thought. This is why I say that we must take good care of our minds.

“The Five Aggregates are set into motion at once.” We all know the Five Aggregates of form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. These are the Five Aggregates. When a thought of goodness arises, with our [physical] “form” we do good deeds; we put the Ten Good Deeds into practice. If we allow an evil thought to arise, with this same [physical] form, with our body, we commit the Ten Evils. Thus, when one thought stirs, one aggregate leads to one of these sets of Ten. This is so, whether it is “form” or “feeling.” I may be feeling happy. Benefiting others feels great. But if an evil thought stirs, “Why do I have to give to others? Why should I let others take advantage of me?” when this evil thought stirs, this feeling also leads us to commit the Ten Evils.

In summary, when it comes to good and evil, if a good thought stirs, the Five Aggregates are oriented toward goodness, and if an evil thought stirs, the Five Aggregates are oriented toward evil. Therefore, these Five Aggregates result in 50 good deeds or 50 evils. This depends on our minds.

Thus, we must earnestly learn the Buddha’s Way. We must know that we have to constantly observe our minds carefully. In our minds, our innate enlightenment is considered the “father.” This is an analogy for something we intrinsically have in our minds; we intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. This is like a father, something we all have. Then “initial enlightenment” is like a seed. But if we “turn our backs on awakening,” rejecting our innate enlightenment, we will give rise to ignorance. When ignorance arises instead of enlightenment, this means we are not awakened. Not awakening is like “abandoning our father”; we cannot see our original, intrinsic nature, nor our own innate enlightenment.

So, as the previous sutra passage states, “There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, living a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”

This is an analogy for how, although we form a spiritual aspiration, our will to practice may not be very mature. Sometimes our initial aspirations, when they go up against external challenges, are quickly wiped out. If our spiritual practice is limited only to our own immediate situation, we are like a seed that stopped just after sprouting into a tree. Like a small tree, it is still unable to be healthy and strong. It is still immature. It is for this reason that it is described as “young and small”

“[He] abandoned his father and ran away” describes the way we humans are. When we are undisciplined and desire to have fun, we leave our home and do not think of returning. Once we leave, we do not know the way back home. Thus, “living a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”

The father is an analogy for the Tathagata’s reward-body. In the presence of 20,000 Buddhas past, we were taught the supreme path, so the father-child relationship was established. After the Buddha’s reward-body had ceased the work of transforming beings, we retreated from our great aspirations and were influenced by limited teachings. This is the meaning of abandoning the father.

Next we will talk about this passage. The father is an analogy for the Tathagata’s reward-body. In the presence of 20,000 Buddhas past, we were taught the supreme path, so the father-child relationship was established. After the Buddha’s reward-body had ceased the work of transforming beings, we retreated from our great aspirations and were influenced by limited teachings. This is the meaning of “abandoning the father.”

Yesterday, we talked about “abandoning the father” [The father] is an analogy for the Tathagata’s reward-body. The Buddha has three bodies, the Dharma-body, the transformation-body and the reward-body. He manifests the transformation-body in the human realm. This reward-body is a response to the maturing of causes and conditions in this world. Thus, He descended from Tusita Heaven into the palace and manifested in this world; he used the Eight Aspects of Attaining Buddhahood to transform sentient beings. In response to the maturation of causes and conditions in the world, the Buddha came here to be born. So, He came to the world in His reward-body.

As we saw in the Introductory Chapter, there were Sun-Moon-Lamp-Radiant Buddhas, 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp-Radiant Buddhas. Sharing the same name, these 20,000 Buddhas manifested in this world. For one Buddha to manifest is a rare occasion, so for 20,000 Buddhas to come to the world, we can see that this time was truly very long. Over that lengthy period of time, the present Tathagata, the reward-body in this world, Sakyamuni Buddha, had already engaged in spiritual practice in the presence of those 20,000 Buddhas. After each Buddha’s lifetime, after listening to the Dharma, he would respond to the need to go among people and likewise expound the Dharma. Bodhisattvas must be like Buddhas and steer the ship of compassion back to this world, life after life. Thus they walk the Bodhisattva-path and form affinities with many sentient beings. This is how he [practiced] with 20,000 Buddhas. During this whole time, he lived among the people, teaching and transforming them.

For these past 2000-plus years, although we say the Buddha entered Parinirvana, He has not abandoned sentient beings. There is no telling how many tens of lifetimes He has spent in the human realm or how many hundreds in the Six Realms in order to teach and guide us. So many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifested transformation-bodies in this world; they do this life after life. Sakyamuni Buddha has been in this world for countless lifetimes, an incalculable number. He has lived through the lifetimes of so many Buddhas; He appeared in a transformation-body in each of those lifetimes to teach us. Thus, “The father-child relationship was established.” Perhaps in the past we have been. Sakyamuni Buddha’s parents. Perhaps we have also been. Sakyamuni Buddha’s children or grandchildren. He made use of different causes and conditions to save us. Thus, the father-child relationship is used as a simple analogy for the closeness of this connection.

So, “After the Buddha’s reward-body had ceased the work of transforming beings….” More than 2000 years ago, His conditions for transformation ended, so He entered Parinirvana. Sentient beings from that time until now have “retreated from [their] great aspirations and been influenced by limited teachings.” After the Buddha left this world then, when He returns to this world, we have lost the great aspirations we once formed and started from the Small [Vehicle] again. This is “abandoning the father” [It means] we have abandoned our intrinsic nature of True Suchness again; therefore, we have to rediscover our innate enlightenment.

Thus, we always say that life is painfully short. Before our spiritual practice is complete, impermanence strikes at some point, and we stop halfway. Then when we are reborn, we must begin all over again, as we are once again covered by delusion. This goes on, lifetime after lifetime. So, I hope everyone [seizes] this lifetime; if we do not transform ourselves in this life, in which life will we transform ourselves? So, we must take good care of our minds, otherwise we will constantly be “running away” and turning our backs on our innate enlightenment. Thus, we run away “and cover ourselves in ignorance”

[He] ran away: Running away means covering oneself in ignorance and following cyclic existence in the Six Destinies. It means deviating from the teacher’s teachings while indulging in one’s own desires. It is turning one’s back on awakening to meet with objects of desire.

We originally had a pure nature of True Suchness, but we continually gave rise to ignorance, covering our pure Buddha-nature. This is “running away.” This is turning our backs on awakening and walking further and further away. Where are we heading? To “follow cyclic existence in the Six Destinies.”

We still experience cyclic existence in the Six Destinies because we have turned our backs on awakening to meet with objects of desire. Because of this, we become muddled in ignorance, so everything we do is done out of ignorance. This is “running away,” far away [from the right course]. So, we “deviate from the teacher’s teachings” while “indulging in our own desires.” We simply pursue our hearts’ desires. “I do what I want; whatever I want to do, I just go do it.” In this way, we “turn [our] backs on awakening” and “meet with objects of desire.” We are thus entangled in ignorance once again.

When we “turn our backs on awakening and meet with objects of desire” we go against the teachings and commit mistaken actions, so we end up “living for a long time in foreign lands.” We remain forever outside our home.

Living a long time in foreign lands: This is an analogy for retreating to and wandering in cyclic existence in the Three Realms. We transmigrate through the Three Realms and the Five Destinies and do not peacefully abide in. Great Vehicle aspirations to purify the lands of the Buddha.

From the time this person was young, he left his family. He did not know how to come back. He spent decades wandering about, suffering many hardships and becoming filled with afflictions and defilements. This kind of life is an analogy for how we have left our home and abandoned our father and are thus wandering around in cyclic existence in the Three Reams; we are transmigrating in the Five Destinies. We wander through the Three Realms, trapped by our ignorance and afflictions. We have no control over this; we cannot peacefully abide in. Great Vehicle aspirations to purify Buddha-lands.

Therefore, the Buddha constantly emphasized that He was simply teaching us how to rediscover our innate enlightenment, how to find our pure nature again. If we want to find our innate enlightenment, the only way is to earnestly practice the Great Vehicle Dharma among people, without becoming negatively influenced by interpersonal conflicts. Thus, our essence, our intrinsic nature can remain in a state of true purity. This means it is very healthy.

The next lines mention how long this person had been wandering, “for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years”

For perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years: 10 years is an analogy for the heaven realm 20 years is an analogy for the human realm 50 years is an analogy for the Five Destinies

“10” refers to the heaven realm; to be there we must practice the Ten Good Deeds. When a thought of goodness stirs, we practice the Ten Good Deeds and are then born in the heaven realm. In heaven, after we deplete our blessings, we will fall again into the other four realms. In the human realm, the rise and fall of good and evil [thoughts] occur within the workings of the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. When a single thought of evil arises within us, our “form” is replete with the ten kinds of evils. Thus, the Five Skandhas give rise to 50 Evils.

So, regarding form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, the Five Aggregates, if we open our minds and see that all are empty, then “The Five Aggregates are all empty”; we will not take issue over anything. Once we stop taking issue over things, we will not give rise to interpersonal conflicts. If our minds are open and our thoughts pure, this gives rise to 50 good deeds. So, this is where spiritual practice takes place. It is inseparable from the Five Aggregates

“Sentient beings create countless varied karma.” Thus, “We experience rebirth in the Five Destinies”; we constantly rise and fall in the Three Realms with no stability. “The thoughts of all Buddhas are constantly with sentient beings.” However, “The thoughts of sentient beings are not with the Buddhas.” Thus, they “abandon the father and run away.”

Some people say that, “The father abandoned His work of transformation” meaning that after [the Buddha] left the world sentient beings gave rise to delusions, so we should say that the father left his children. They mean that the father left his children, because the Buddha left the world after. His conditions for transformation ended. We should say that the father left his children. So, why did Subhuti say that they “abandoned the father and ran away”? The answer is that the Buddha transforms in response to conditions; it was sentient beings that were not being earnest


Some ask: When the Buddha left His work of transformation, sentient beings gave rise to delusions. So, it was the father who left his children. Then why does it say that it was the children who abandoned their father? Answer: The Buddha transformed and delivered according to the conditions of the world. Because sentient beings did not respond by accepting and applying [the Dharma], the Buddha’s conditions for responding to the world were extinguished. Thus, it was the children who abandoned their father.

I recall telling you that the Buddha once said to Ananda, “As long as sentient beings feel a need, the Buddha can abide here for an entire kalpa. But if sentient beings do not feel a need, His lifespan will last 80 years.” But Ananda did not promptly urge the Buddha to remain in this world. The Buddha continued to ask, “Do sentient beings need the Buddha to remain in the world?” He asked thrice, but Ananda gave no response. Thus, the Buddha said, “If this is so, I will stay for only 80 years.”

Later on, Kasyapa asked, “Ananda, when the Buddha said this to you, why did you not urge Him to remain in the world?” Ananda replied, “Because when I heard Him say that He could abide here for an entire kalpa, I was overjoyed. All I wanted to tell Him was that of course sentient beings needed Him. But it felt as if I was held back by a demon. I could not give the response I wanted.” This was because sentient beings did not feel a need for the Buddha to remain. “Thus, it was the children who abandoned their father.”

In conclusion, we have left the seed of our innate enlightenment behind. If our seed begins to grow but we are still small and young, that is just our initial aspiration. That resolve has not yet matured. I hope that we will all be mindful of this precious Buddha-Dharma. “An ignorant thought creates the Three Subtleties. External states lead to the Six Coarse Marks.” When we give rise to a discursive thought, ignorance will manifest again. When ignorance manifests, our external states will contribute to this state of mind so that we create many afflictions. In summary, when learning the Buddha’s Way, we must return to our innate enlightenment. We need not search far away for it; it is in our own minds. So please, every day, always be mindful.

Episode 740 – Shouldering the Tathagata’s Family Business

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>> Do not have faith in limited teachings, for even a minute deviation can cause a great divergence. Do not learn limited paths, for then you will be like young children. Do not form a habit of indulgence, for this will increase your desires. Do not crave enjoyment, for you will lose your way back.

>> “World-Honored One, I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable to elucidate our meaning.”   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, then lived a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”   [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> This is a contrast to how the [previous] children had first entered the house due to their playing. The father-child relationship is used throughout this and the previous chapter to demonstrate the grace of the Buddha in nurturing His disciples until they matured and to illustrate that the disciples would take up the Buddha’s family business.

>> There was a person: The practitioners of the Two Vehicles likened themselves to children who have shallow and limited views and knowledge. They are lacking a broad perspective, and their ignorance is thick and heavy. Not yet having knowledge, they are called small and young.

>> A person: An analogy for one aspiring to the Great Vehicle. Small and young: Small means weak. Young means little.

>> In the Chapter on the Conjured City, the first fundamental teacher was Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. At that time, He taught 16 young princes to form great aspirations. But, they had only just formed their aspirations and had not yet engaged in spiritual practice, so their roots of goodness were still weak, thus they were called small and young.

>> This confused urchin was foolish and stubborn and firmly in poverty. He abandoned his father and ran away. Abandoned means clinging to the Small and retreating from the Great. The father is an analogy for the Buddha. Abandoning the father is an analogy for turning one’s back on the teachings of the Buddha Vehicle.

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“Do not have faith in limited teachings, for even a minute deviation can cause a great divergence.
Do not learn limited paths, for then you will be like young children. Do not form a habit of indulgence, for this will increase your desires. Do not crave enjoyment, for you will lose your way back.”

When we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must earnestly form great aspirations and make great vows. Once we have aspirations and vows, we should not retreat from them, not retreat from the Great to take up the Small. It is rare to be born human and rare to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. When we are able to hear the truth of the Dharma, we must make an effort to be mindful and not put our faith in limited teachings. Limited teachings prevent our minds from being open and spacious; we will only care about ourselves.

The Buddha taught us that we must open up our minds and widely form good affinities with others. We must create positive affinities with all sentient beings. But if we go even just slightly astray, we cut off our opportunities to form affinities with sentient beings. We should create affinities, not cut them off [“Create” and “cut off” sound similar in Chinese,] but their meanings are very different.

We should eliminate afflictions; that is true. The Buddha taught us to eliminate afflictions. But the afflictions we must eliminate are the ones that arise when we interact with people so that we will no longer be tempted by them, no longer be negatively influenced by them or confused by them. If we do not make use of the Great Dharma, we will go far astray. Thus, “Do not learn limited paths, for then you will be like young children.” In this case, “young” and “children” have nothing to do with age. It means being focused on instant gratification, and in this way obstructing our own lives. So, “Do not form a habit of indulgence, for this will increase your desires.” We must not indulge ourselves. When we let our minds run loose, it is not easy to rein them in.

This happens in our spiritual practice as well. When we listen to sutra lectures every day, it becomes a habit. If we take a break for a few days, to catch up and continue is much more difficult. If we diligently practice from the start, then the more we listen, the more joyful we become. This is because we now understand what we did not before. In addition to understanding our daily living, we also understand the truths of all things in this world. Thus, we continue to take in the fragrance of the Dharma. This “fragrance” is also something that we can cultivate within ourselves. With external fragrances, if we carry a piece of fragrant wood with us, after a while, even if we then take it away, our clothes and pockets will still be permeated by this fragrance. This is an analogy; the same applies to the Dharma. We continuously absorb it, continuously listen. At first we take it in through the sounds, absorbing the words. As we listen to it repeatedly, after a while, we can take the Dharma to heart. From the spiritual refinement of our demeanor and of how we express ourselves through speech, we are already emitting the fragrance of virtue.

So, we must earnestly make use of our time and avoid becoming indulgent; if we are undisciplined, the Dharma in our minds will leak out, leaving us with only desirous thoughts. “Do not crave enjoyment.” If you do, “You will lose your way back.” We must earnestly put our hearts into drawing closer to the Dharma. Not only do we need to get closer to the Dharma, we must let the Dharma get closer to our heart, to enter into our heart.

The previous sutra passage states, “World-Honored One, I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable to elucidate our meaning.”

Subhuti, Katyayana, Mahakasyapa and Mahamaudgalyayana, these four elders, came before the Buddha and repented with utmost reverence for how they had been attached to limited teachings and had no interest in the Great Dharma. They felt that they had missed out on a lot. Meanwhile, they had continued to grow old. Now they finally comprehended the Buddha-Dharma. They wanted to describe this with a parable. What kind of parable would they use? In the next passage, these four elders express what was in their hearts on behalf of the assembly.

“There was a person who, while still small and young, abandoned his father and ran away, then lived a long time in foreign lands, for perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 years.”

In this passage, we know that there was a person who, while small and young, was very mischievous and left his parents. He ran away from his family. He craved having fun, so he left. Without him noticing, he aged from his teens, to his 20s, and up into this 50s. These four elders had already realized that for a period of time in the past they had been like this child who craved fun and enjoyment. The more he played, the further away he went from his family, until 50 years had passed.

This is a contrast to how the [previous] children had first entered the house due to their playing. The father-child relationship is used throughout this and the previous chapter to demonstrate the grace of the Buddha in nurturing His disciples until they matured and to illustrate that the disciples would take up the Buddha’s family business.

People in their 50s are already middle-aged, on the verge of old age. Ever since he left at a young age, he kept playing and going ever further away. By the time he was in a desperate state and wanted to come back, he did not know the road home. He had forgotten the way back. This is an analogy.

In the sutra, in the Chapter on Parables, the elder saw his children in the burning house; this was a parable with a father and his children. Subhuti and the others, in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, also use a father and child as an analogy. In this parable, the child craves having fun, so he leaves his father. In the previous parable, it was the father who, because of his work, went away from the family. But when he came back, the house had badly deteriorated. The children [were still] playing inside, so he quickly tried to save them. Now, in this parable, it was because the child craved having fun that he left the house and then lost the way back. The analogy of the father-child relationship is used in both chapters. This expresses the grace of the Buddha in nurturing His disciples. What did He nurture in them? He nurtured their wisdom-life.

We come to this world because of our affinities with our parents. This is out of our control; we have affinities with these parents, so they give birth to us. When we enter the Buddhist path, it is because we have made this choice. We “delight in the Buddha-Dharma,” so we learn the Buddha’s Way; this is to develop our wisdom-life, to draw near the Buddha-Dharma and to bring ourselves into accord with the Buddha-mind. Because we are learning the Buddha’s Way, we must learn to develop the Buddha-mind. By taking in the Buddha-Dharma in body and mind, we can be disciplined in our actions and flawlessly uphold precepts. In our minds, we grow in wisdom and attain flawless wisdom. In our daily living, we should strengthen our focus and Samadhi. When we are flawless in these “three studies,” we are developing our wisdom-life. Thus, the Buddha’s grace in nurturing us is nurturing our wisdom-life.

On our side, we disciples have the responsibility of shouldering the Buddha’s mission. As Buddhist practitioners, we must shoulder the Tathagata’s family business. In the Buddha’s later years, He passed on this responsibility to Earth Treasury Bodhisattva. When the Buddha left the Saha World, who would take care of sentient beings in the future?

Although the Buddha-Dharma is in this world, people may not accept it, so they continue to create karma and fall into hell. Thus, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva continues to follow those who create karma and suffer negative retributions. He even goes into hell to save them. Because he has these great aspirations and vows, the Buddha chose Earth Treasury Bodhisattva [to shoulder His mission]. He has the patience and fortitude to be willing to follow sentient beings. This is described in the Earth Treasury Sutra.

Clearly, the Buddha entrusted the Dharma to His disciples, so they have to shoulder His mission. They have this responsibility. When you accept the Dharma, your relationship [with the Buddha] is like that of father and son in this world. When your family nurtures you, you must shoulder the family business. A child carries on his father’s mission; that is only right. That is what this parable is about

There was a person: The practitioners of the Two Vehicles likened themselves to children who have shallow and limited views and knowledge. They are lacking a broad perspective, and their ignorance is thick and heavy. Not yet having knowledge, they are called small and young.

There was a person: The practitioners of the Two Vehicles likened themselves to children who have shallow and limited views and knowledge. They are lacking a broad perspective, and their ignorance is thick and heavy. Not yet having knowledge, they are called small and young. In the passage, “There was a person, person” refers to practitioners of the Two Vehicles. The Two Vehicles, as you all know, are the Hearer and Solitary Realizer Vehicles. Solitary Realizers only benefit and awaken themselves. They have also heard the Buddha-Dharma, but they are stuck at this stage. Thus, they are likened to children “who have shallow and limited views and knowledge.” Today there are still many who think, “I just need to take good care of myself. Why do I need to mind all these other matters? It’s unnecessary.” Many spiritual practitioners today still hold these views and understanding.

So, we should form great aspirations and make great vows. Else, our understanding of the Buddha-Dharma will be stuck at a small and young stage. It would be as if we are still in kindergarten, still needing teachers to take care of us all the time and indulge our desires. Then we will not improve. This is “lacking a broad perspective.” We only know the things happening around us. With the Dharma, we only understand how it relates to us, not [how it relates to] what happens in the world or the things faced by sentient beings. This is lacking a broad perspective.

So, very often, “Our ignorance is thick and heavy.” There is still ignorance within us. Though we say we want to eliminate afflictions and eradicate ignorance, that only applies to our immediate surroundings. It is said we only “clear away the snow in front of our door.” If we only take care of ourselves, we are being too superficial. We only care about ourselves and do not think about other people. This is because our ignorance is still heavy.

In our spiritual practice, we must open up to the truths of this world. We must go beyond understanding matters related to our own cyclic existence; we must open ourselves to understanding all matters in the world. So, we do “not yet have knowledge” of many things; there are many things we still do not understand. Thus, we are “small and young.”

A person: An analogy for one aspiring to the Great Vehicle. Small and young: Small means weak. Young means little.

In “There was a person, person” refers to someone who is small and young. But now, they are moving from being small and young to forming great aspirations.

In the Chapter on the Conjured City, the first fundamental teacher was Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. At that time, He taught 16 young princes to form great aspirations. But, they had only just formed their aspirations and had not yet engaged in spiritual practice, so their roots of goodness were still weak, thus they were called small and young.

Being “small and young” also means being “weak.” Small means weak. If you have read the Lotus Sutra, in the Chapter on the Conjured City, there is a story ․In the Chapter on the Conjured City, the first fundamental teacher was Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. At that time, He taught 16 young princes to form great aspirations. But, they had only just formed their aspirations and had not yet engaged in spiritual practice, so their roots of goodness were still weak, thus they were called small and young. The parable mentioned in the Chapter on the Conjured City occurred “dust-inked kalpas” ago. “Dust” refers to sand and dust; this is an analogy for how long that period of time is. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva spoke of [kalpas like] “the sands of the Ganges river”; this is even longer than that.

At that time, there was a Buddha called. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. Before He attained Buddhahood, He was a king. This king had 16 children. Later, he realized the truths of the Buddha-Dharma, so he handed over his kingdom and went off to engage in spiritual practice, eventually attaining Buddhahood. His 16 princes followed in his footsteps. They aspired to become monastics. They were still young at that time, so they were called the 16 novices. Novices are very young monastics. These young children all left the lay life at the same time. After some time listening to. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, these novices also heard the Lotus Sutra. Though they were small and young in age, they started accepting the Great Dharma.

Even though the 16 princes were novices, they had a great ability to understand, so they taught the Dharma on the Buddha’s behalf. Similarly, in our modern times, there is a group of young Bodhisattvas who have aspired and vowed to pass on the Dharma. At the ages of two, three, four or five, they already say they want to protect the Dharma and be the ones to pass it on, etc. Recently, we have often heard them say this, so I cannot help but think of this passage. In the Chapter on the Conjured City, though these 16 princes were small and young, they were also able to take their realizations and use them to teach and transform others. However, because people thought, “These are the words of children,” they would not take their words seriously. Even though they had formed aspirations, they had not yet engaged in spiritual practice. So, “Their roots of goodness were still weak.”

Those who only form aspirations without engaging in spiritual practice would also be considered “small and young.” This is an analogy from a distant time. These small and young people, frankly speaking, also [represent] us today, because at that time, Sakyamuni Buddha was one of those 16 novices. By now, these 16 novices have all attained Buddhahood in [various places]. And we may have been among those the 16 novices transformed with the Dharma. But we only formed aspirations and did not earnestly engage in spiritual practice; this is perhaps the case.

From that time, dust-inked kalpas in the past, for all the dust-inked kalpas until now, we have been transmigrating in the Six Realms. We have done this all the way up to the present. Having that cause, although it seems very tiny, we must now treasure it and be mindful. Then naturally this small seed [will grow]. Within a seed there is a tree, and within a tree there is a seed. We can also say, within a cause is an effect, and within an effect there is a cause. This is the wondrous concept of cause and effect. As long as we have this fundamental cause, we should earnestly treasure it.

This confused urchin was foolish and stubborn and firmly in poverty. He abandoned his father and ran away. Abandoned means clinging to the Small and retreating from the Great. The father is an analogy for the Buddha. Abandoning the father is an analogy for turning one’s back on the teachings of the Buddha Vehicle.

These children are part of another parable the Buddha used to teach us to help us gradually develop our understanding. Returning to the present sutra passage, there was this person who, at a young age, “abandoned his father and ran away.” This was the act of a foolish, mischievous child. Over the next several decades, he left his wealthy family and kept wandering about in the world until he was in his 50s. He was completely impoverished. This person who “abandoned his father and ran away” represents a person who retreats and clings, who clings to the Small and retreats from the Great. This is an analogy for Small Vehicle practitioners. It is very rare that a Buddha attains enlightenment in this world. They had the causes and conditions to follow the Buddha and become monastics, but they were still stuck in the state of the Small Vehicle and had retreated from the Great Vehicle. Even when the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle, they thought it had nothing to do with them. Even though they were by the Buddha’s side, they had not truly entered the doors to

their nature of True Suchness. They still had not entered the door of the Buddha’s original intent. This is what “abandoned” means. Abandoning or leaving the father is an analogy. The father refers to the Buddha. The child refers to the disciples. “Abandoning the father is an analogy for turning one’s back on the Buddha Vehicle.” The Buddha taught the principles, but they did not mindfully accept them. Thus, they turned their back on the Buddha Vehicle. This is like how we have wandered in the Six Realms for so long and how we are now able to encounter the Buddha-Dharma again; this is the same principle. If we do not promptly accept it, we may never be able to enter the Buddha’s doors. So, we must seize every moment and always be mindful.

Episode 739 – Patiently Guide Others by Using Parables

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>> The Dharma is taught with analogies to help us awaken and to treat the pursuit of the five acute afflictions and the karmic retributions of overbearing arrogance. With the parable of the burning house of the Three Realms, we attained the cart pulled by a great white ox. Then the parable of the poor son was taught.

>> “To our surprise today, we unexpectedly heard this precious Dharma. Thus, we profoundly commended ourselves, for we have attained a great benefit. Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> “World-Honored One, I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable to elucidate our meaning.”     [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]

>> Subhuti and the others stated that they had comprehended the parable which the Buddha taught and would use a parable to explain the meaning of their realization. This was because they understood the Tathagata’s compassion in patiently teaching them and that they had been foolish, lingering in seeking only their own benefits.

>> World-Honored One: To express sincere respect, one must follow propriety with deferential and respectful etiquette. Their minds had that resolve, and they comprehended and accepted the teachings, so they had to first state their utmost sincerity.

>> I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable. In the Chapter on Parables, an elder of great wealth was used as an analogy for the Tathagata. He estimated that his wealth was inexhaustible, so it says that he bestowed the great ox-cart equally upon all.

>> Both of these two chapters use the paired imagery of father and children. The Buddha has the virtue of helping His disciples to reach attainment, thus He is compared to a father. The disciples have the merit of taking up and passing down the legacy, so they are compared to children.

>> This chapter uses a poor young son as an analogy for the disciples’ lack of aspirations to seek [to advance]. Thus, it says that they unexpectedly obtained their part in the Tathagata’s treasury.

>> The previous chapter describes the loving-kindness and compassion of the Tathagata as like a father who holds his children most dear. Thus, it says the elder entered the burning house in alarm. This chapter writes that the children were foolish and turned their backs on the father. Thus, it says [the son] hastily left.

>> The previous chapter explains how the Tathagata enticed all the children to escape out of the door of the desires, afflictions and dust-like delusions of the Three Realms. Thus, it said that the father was now outside the door. This chapter explains that the poor son was in fear, doubted his father and dared not enter the door. Thus, it says he stood beside the gate.

>> These sets of fathers and children represented how for 40 years, many roundabout methods were used to give and accept the teachings. Today father and sons were in accord, and the teacher and the path had come together. Thus, these two parables express His intentions. (missing in cheinese section insert)

>> To elucidate their meaning: Their meaning was the desire to explain the compassion of the Tathagata, His patient guidance and instruction and their own foolish state of mind. This was why we say those who are wise use analogies to facilitate understanding.

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“The Dharma is taught with analogies to help us awaken
and to treat the pursuit of the five acute afflictions
and the karmic retributions of overbearing arrogance.
With the parable of the burning house of the Three Realms,
we attained the cart pulled by a great white ox.
Then the parable of the poor son was taught.”

All of you can probably recall the teachings. I have been sharing over this long period of time. From the Chapter on Skillful Means and the Chapter on Parables, we learned how the Buddha did everything He could think of to persuade His disciples to find a way to let go of the Small Vehicle Dharma they had clung to. He tried to guide them to enter the Great Dharma of the One Reality. By this point, His disciples had gradually begun to realize the Buddha’s mindfulness. They had now begun to repent or to reflect on themselves. By opening up their minds, they drew nearer to the Buddha’s original intent. This truly was not an easy feat.

Getting rid of all the attachments, afflictions and ignorance in our lives is indeed not easy. Though the Buddha put a lot of effort into this, it still took more than 40 years for Him to inspire this thought in His disciples. So, when we listen to the Dharma, we learn from those before and inspire those after. We should not forget what we learned previously. We should be mindful of what we are learning now and carry it with us into the future.

“The Dharma is taught with analogies to help us awaken.” The Buddha exerted a lot of mental effort and taught with all kinds of methods over the Five Periods of Teachings. He shared His enlightened state of mind only with the Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas, expounding the Dharma and state of mind of attaining Buddhahood. Next He taught unenlightened beings, guiding them into the Buddha-Dharma. So with the Agama teachings, He gradually led them to understand the karmic law of cause and effect, the Four Noble Truths and so on, as well as the suffering people actually faced, the impermanence of the world, the temporary nature of life etc. [He taught] that by accumulating afflictions, we will be led beyond our control by karmic forces and will thus transmigrate in the Six Realms to face unbearable suffering. He taught all of this for more than 12 years.

But the Buddha did not think that was enough; He needed to quickly go to the next level and expound the Vaipulya teachings to break down their attachment to “existence.” He began to let everyone know that everything is empty, illusive and impermanent. He taught this for eight years. In this way, 20 years had passed. However, it was still not enough; they had only put an end to ignorance and afflictions from desires but had yet to eliminate their dust-like delusions. So, He had to expound the Prajna teachings, about how the Five Aggregates are all empty. He broke down all the subtle and intricate principles related to emptiness. Doing this took 22 years. Next, the Buddha expounded the Lotus teachings. So, the paths He opened up in the past were now all brought back to one broad path.

Whether we are speaking of the Avatamsaka, which was taught over 21 days, or teachings given over 12 years, then 8 years and then 22 years, over such a long period of time, “The Dharma was taught.”

So, in the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha told the parable of “the burning house of the Three Realms.” Inside the burning house of the Three Realms, sentient beings are like young and ignorant children who stubbornly play with fire and are burned by it. Though their father called to them from outside, they did not know to leave the house. So, he set up three carts outside the door. By using this approach, he helped the children inside to run out of the burning house and be saved; they could also personally see the magnificent treasures in the great ox-cart. So, they attained “the cart pulled by a great white ox.”

“Then the parable of the poor son was taught.” As we continue in the sutra, there is a story, the parable of the poor son. In the past, the Buddha put in the effort; now it was time for His disciples to do so. Four disciples, including Subhuti and Maudgalyayana, expressed their thoughts at the same time. They repented and openly expressed themselves. They stated that they were advanced in years and could not have imagined that they would be forming aspirations now; they thought they had reached the end. “To our surprise today, we unexpectedly heard this precious Dharma. Thus, we profoundly commended ourselves, for we have attained a great benefit. Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”

“To our surprise today, we unexpectedly heard this precious Dharma. Thus, we profoundly commended ourselves, for we have attained a great benefit. Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”

 This describes how the children originally did not know there was an ox-cart filled with such an abundance of things. Now they [knew they] had a part in it. So, “Though we did not dare to seek it, this has actually always belonged to us. If we want it, it is ours.” So, they “profoundly celebrated for [themselves].” This was a precious treasure; this was precious Dharma. “We have attained a great benefit.” What they had attained was a tremendous benefit; “Infinite treasures, though unsought, have now been attained.”

The following passage states, “World-Honored One, I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable to elucidate our meaning.”

Now these four disciples, on behalf of all the spiritual practitioners, were about to describe what was in their hearts. In addition, they would emulate the Buddha’s method of telling a parable to express [their realization]

Subhuti and the others stated that they had comprehended the parable which the Buddha taught and would use a parable to explain the meaning of their realization. This was because they understood the Tathagata’s compassion in patiently teaching them and that they had been foolish, lingering in seeking only their own benefits.

In this next part, Subhuti and the others began to describe, to clearly express, that they comprehended the parable the Buddha taught. Thus, in response, they now used a parable to explain the meaning of their realization.

“This was because they understood the Tathagata’s compassion in patiently teaching them.” So, it was to express their gratitude for the Buddha’s compassion and patient guidance. The Buddha had taken into consideration that they could not accept this [directly], so He established all kinds of teachings to discuss emptiness and existence and devised parables for everything. By using these methods, the Buddha was “patiently teaching them,” gradually drawing them in and teaching them. Now that they understood His original intent and His mindfulness in doing this, they expressed that they had been foolish, lingering in seeking only to benefit themselves. They were only attached to self-awakening.

World-Honored One: To express sincere respect, one must follow propriety with deferential and respectful etiquette. Their minds had that resolve, and they comprehended and accepted the teachings, so they had to first state their utmost sincerity.

Out of respect for the Buddha, they addressed Him again as “World-Honored One.”

“To express sincere respect, one must follow propriety.” Subhuti and the others followed worldly etiquette to express [their respect]. So, they called the Buddha, “World-Honored One.” This was what they wanted to express. This is sincerity; they wanted to demonstrate their deepest sincerity and admiration for the Buddha. This was how they expressed themselves with humble and reverent etiquette.

“Their minds had that resolve” meant they would accept the Buddha’s teachings and walk the Bodhisattva-path. They had realized and accepted this, so they wanted to express their sincerity.

Therefore, they said, “I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable” I and the others who are here now would be pleased to employ a parable. In the Chapter on Parables, an elder of great wealth was used as an analogy for the Tathagata. He estimated that his wealth was inexhaustible, so it says that he bestowed the great ox-cart equally upon all.

This passage talks about how the elder of great wealth is an analogy for the way the Buddha treated sentient beings. The Tathagata, in His wisdom, realized the extent of sentient beings’ capacities. So, He “estimated” that He had tremendous wisdom to be given universally to all sentient beings. This is like having infinite wealth which can never be exhausted. This is analogous to the elder. He still had a lot of wealth, so he was able to patiently guide the children by making use of all kinds of methods. The three carts, including the ox-cart, were placed right outside the door to entice them to come out. The elder did this with his great wealth, which represents the Buddha’s great wisdom.

Now, in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, “The four disciples use the parable of the poor son.” The four disciples, including. Wisdom-life Subhuti, Katyayana and so on, all employed this kind of parable to respond to the Buddha with their answer. As the Buddha used parables, His disciples also used a parable in response to express what was in their hearts. They said that, in the past, they only wished to stop at the Small Vehicle and used a parable to reply to the Buddha. So, after comprehending [the Buddha’s teachings], they started to express what was on their minds

Both of these two chapters use the paired imagery of father and children. The Buddha has the virtue of helping His disciples to reach attainment, thus He is compared to a father. The disciples have the merit of taking up and passing down the legacy, so they are compared to children.

Previously, in the Chapter on Parables and now in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, the imagery of father and children is used. The previous parable had the father outside the door, unable to bear the children remaining inside. So, he used all kinds of methods [to get them out]. Now, in the parable of the poor son, it was the child who disobeyed his father and left the family. It also uses father and child as the parable. So, the imagery of father and children is likened to the Buddha and His disciples.

The father saving his children from the house is similar to how the Buddha used all kinds of methods to develop the wisdom-life of His disciples. So, “The disciples have the merit of taking up and passing down the legacy.” Children inherit property from their father; the Buddha’s disciples must also shoulder the Tathagata’s family business.

The disciples should listen earnestly. After listening, they share, “Thus have I heard.” They should continue to pass on this Dharma. These are the duties of people who expound and spread the Dharma, to take responsibility for all Dharma in the world. We must spread it widely around the world

This chapter uses a poor young son as an analogy for the disciples’ lack of aspirations to seek [to advance]. Thus, it says that they unexpectedly obtained their part in the Tathagata’s treasury.

“This chapter” refers to the Chapter on Faith and Understanding. “A poor young son” is used “as an analogy for the disciples’ lack of aspirations to seek [to advance].” Clearly, the Buddha expounded so many teachings, but the disciples were still lost in that one; they still lingered in the Small Vehicle Dharma. They had stopped at the Small Vehicle, seeking only to awaken themselves. By this time, [the disciples] had understood and realized this, so they had “unexpectedly obtained. Actually, we can also attain Buddhahood in the future; Buddhahood is within our reach. Although we are old, we still have this pure nature within us. Now we understand. We have comprehended and discovered that the treasures of True Suchness were already within us”

The previous chapter describes the loving-kindness and compassion of the Tathagata as like a father who holds his children most dear. Thus, it says the elder entered the burning house in alarm. This chapter writes that the children were foolish and turned their backs on the father. Thus, it says [the son] hastily left.

“The previous chapter” is the Chapter on Parables. It “describes the loving-kindness and compassion of the Tathagata.” The Buddha is like a kind father who sincerely wants the best for his children. In the parable of the burning house, we saw how the children foolishly and stubbornly remained in the house; not only were they unafraid of the fire, they treated it as a plaything. Aren’t people nowadays just like them? The elder outside the burning house felt a great sense of urgency; what could he do? He had to come up with all kinds of methods.

This was His “loving-kindness and compassion.” The Buddha’s compassion for sentient beings was filled with genuine sincerity, like what a father has for his children. Among spiritual practitioners, how many can actually comprehend the sincerity of the Buddha’s original intent? After more than 40 years, in His old age, they finally understood that the relationship between a teacher and his disciples was the same as that of a father and his children. The father was so eager to save his children that. “He entered the burning house in alarm”

The previous chapter explains how the Tathagata enticed all the children to escape out of the door of the desires, afflictions and dust-like delusions of the Three Realms. Thus, it said that the father was now outside the door. This chapter explains that the poor son was in fear, doubted his father and dared not enter the door. Thus, it says he stood beside the gate.

Now the Chapter on Faith and Understanding expressed that, “The poor son was still in fear.” Though his father continued to call to him, he still had doubts. This was like the relationship between the Buddha and His disciples. He told them, “You can attain Buddhahood,” but they did not quite dare believe it. The same thing applies here. So, they “dared not enter the door.” Previously, the Buddha wanted them to exit the door of the Three Realms. Now, He wanted them to enter the Buddha’s door of True Suchness, the door to their nature of True Suchness. But the children still had doubts, so out of hesitation they dared not enter. This is a contrast. So, “stood beside the gate” means they dared not enter. This is in the following text

These sets of fathers and children represented how for 40 years, many roundabout methods were used to give and accept the teachings. Today father and sons were in accord, and the teacher and the path had come together. Thus, these two parables express His intentions.

“These sets of fathers and children explained” that for this period of more than 40 years, many roundabout methods [were used]. In His later years, the Buddha was old, as were His disciples. By that time, “Father and sons were in accord.” The Buddha had fully carried out His intent to give teachings to His disciples. The disciples had also realized and taken the Buddha’s teachings to heart

To elucidate their meaning: Their meaning was the desire to explain the compassion of the Tathagata, His patient guidance and instruction and their own foolish state of mind. This was why we say those who are wise use analogies to facilitate understanding.

They wanted “to elucidate [their] meaning” to help us have a better understanding of “the compassion of the Tathagata [and]. His patient guidance and instruction.” With patient guidance, the Buddha educated [His disciples], but they remained in a foolish state of mind. They deeply regretted [wasting] such a long time.

“Those who are wise use analogies to facilitate understanding.” In the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha taught parables not because. His disciples were unintelligent. Parables were taught with great wisdom. They were conveyed and told with great wisdom to explain principles. So, in order to understand this parable, people must also apply wisdom in comprehending it.

So everyone, learning the Buddha’s teachings begins with listening to the Dharma. We cannot forget what we have heard and then start over each day. As we listen to today’s teachings, we must comprehend past teachings. Since sutras are very long, this is the only way to connect everything and take the entirety of the Dharma into our hearts. So everyone, we must always be mindful.