Episode 6 – Lotus Sutra Preface (5)
>> Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated?
>> Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow.
>> Ours and others vows and practices will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana
>> On the day we die, Right Mindfulness will arise. We will face Amitahba and all of the noble assembly. In that instant, we will be born into the lotus flower. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood.
Without expectations, we have no thoughts of gain or loss. Without thoughts of gain or loss, we have no afflictions. Without afflictions, we feel at ease. Isnt this the state we seek as spiritual practitioners? Ordinary people harbor expectations every day. They expect something in return every time they do something or give to others. Such people are unenlightened beings. In our spiritual practice we need to achieve the state of having no expectations. Does this mean that we do nothing? Not so. We have to do things. Furthermore, we have to do them earnestly, even carefully, reverently, and with commitment. Since we have come into this world, we need to be earnest about everything we do. Do not spend your life in a daze or a state of confusion. Consider Sakyamuni Buddha. When He lived in the palace as the crown prince, He enjoyed great luxuries. Yet He was not influenced by desires. When He was very young, He wondered why there were relationships and cravings, why some people were rich and some were poor, why all these phenomena existed in this world. Ever since His youth, He had been constantly, silently contemplating the reason the phenomena existed. This was His earnestness. In our spiritual practice, we should be like the Buddha and earnestly contemplate in silence. We should consider why people come to this world to lead hectic lives, to quarrel, to create enmity and hatred, to oppose each other. Why go through so much suffering? For what? It is all because of expectations and desires. The mind harbors desires. Fame, wealth, property and sensual enjoyment are all things that people desire. In pursuit of these things, thoughts of gain and loss arise. So we have to contemplate this. After we understand it, our minds need to be free of expectations. This is conscientiousness. After we have thought things through and gained clarity, we will have no expectations. No matter how hard we may have to work, we will do so without expectations. We are very reverent. We do not seek anything for ourselves, but for all sentient beings in the world. So we need to be self-disciplined and reverent. We need to have aspirations, make great vows, spread great love and extend our compassion. All this is done unconditionally. This is the highest state of spiritual attainment. However, having no expectations does not mean being lazy, but to be reverent, self-disciplined and committed. As we give to others, we should harbor no expectations. Then we will have no thoughts of gain and loss. If we are free from any sense of gain or loss, we will have no afflictions and may truly be at ease and free. When we are in this state, our bodies and minds will be pure, then naturally, our pure causes will grow.
Earlier, didn’t I say:
Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated?
This is what we are working toward. We need to repent for the past. We need to be reverent in the present. We reverently repent the countless grave transgressions created in the past, present and future with our Threefold Karma. We also hope to eliminate them, one by one. So after we repent, we will not commit more transgressions. This is how we can eradicate them, by not committing any more evils after repenting. If we have already eliminated all afflictions, we have cleansed ourselves. Once our bodies and minds are purified, we can furnish ourselves with the Buddha-Dharma, wisdom and good affinities. Our bodies and minds are like a house in which the colors have faded. Once we are able to clean its rooms and redecorate it, those surroundings will be very beautiful. Then we can live there with peace and ease. What can we use to furnish this house? We can use blessings and wisdom. We need to create blessings in our daily living. We must always feel gratitude, respect and love. This state of mind creates blessings. If we create blessings without expectations, if we give without expectations, we will have wisdom. When we use wisdom to furnish our spiritual mind, we adorn ourselves with blessings and wisdom. Naturally, pure causes will grow. Since we have created blessings, cultivated wisdom and created many good karmic connections, our continuous giving to others is without expectations or any sense of gain or loss. These are all causes and conditions of purity. In this world there are conflicts and disputes filled with craving, hatred, passion, enmity etc. You may have been born into a great family that you adore. But in the future, in your next life, or the life after, or the one after that, your parents in this lifetime may become your son or daughter. In the life after that, you may become husband and wife. But in the life after that, you may become sworn enemies. This happens because ordinary people create impure karmic affinities. Impure affinities result in entanglements. All this is inescapable. We transmigrate in the Six Realms precisely because of impure affinities. Even those who do the Ten Good Deeds and are born in heaven cannot escape defiled affinities. We say we must practice in the human realm to attain Buddhahood, because we can witness so much in this world. We can also hear the Buddhas teachings and learn to purify the body and mind. When we cleanse the body and the mind, our bodies will become very pure, our minds can also become very pure. If we create blessings to benefit people and do not create further impure affinities, we will attain Buddhahood more quickly. Therefore, affinities are very important. When the body and mind are pure, pure causes grow. This is what we need to understand. To purify our body and mind, we must have no expectations or any sense of gain or loss. Without afflictions, we are naturally at ease. Then the body and mind can be clear and pure, and can develop pure causes. Therefore, we must earnestly take the words of these sutras to heart. We need to sincerely contemplate them. Be self-disciplined, reverent and committed. We must always be mindful. The Chant of Dedicating Merits in the Lotus Sutra Preface states,
Our bodies and minds will be pure our delusions and obstacles eliminated. We will be dignified by blessings and wisdom, and our pure causes will grow.
Then it states,
Ours and others vows and practices will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana.
May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path enlightenment, so as to realize the fruits of nirvana. This verse is about making vows. Whether we make vows ourselves, or whether others make them, we are all practicing together on the same path. I have such a vow and others probably have the same vow. It is not just a vow or a wish. We are already putting it into practice. This is called acting on a vow. Since we are learning the Buddhas teachings, we aspire to be closer to the state of the Buddha. Earlier I mentioned that as we prostrate to the sutra, word by word, we are moving a step closer to the Buddha and the Vulture Peak Assembly. If we can do things in our daily living with the same reverent mindset, then we are also creating pure affinities and growing pure causes. To give without expectations, we give with the same reverence as practicing the path, acting on a vow or prostrating. Acts of reverence are not limited to engaging in ceremonies at temples. Actually, our daily behavior can already bring us closer to our vows. Thus, we act out our vows. In our daily living, every day, the thoughts that stir and the actions we take are the means of acting out our vows. We change our habitual tendencies by engaging with people and matters. These interactions urge us forward. These are ways of acting out our vows will be quickly perfected and fulfilled. We hope that every day, every moment, the vows we put into action with body and mind will get closer and closer [to being achieved]. Working together in harmony like a perfect crystal sphere is the Tzu Chi practice. As we carry out our vows together, we should be as pure and clear as a crystal. I hope everyone has this mindset. May all Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We hope to always encounter the Buddha, or enlightened beings who come to this world so we can always be together with them. Therefore here it states, May all. Tathagatas always abide to expound the Dharma. We need to be respectful at all times. Respect the Dharma, and the Dharma will be there. Respect the Buddha, and the Buddha will be in our heart. We will rejoice in all merits and dedicate them towards the path of enlightenment so as to realize the fruits of nirvana. With respect, our vows connect to Buddhas, Bohisattvas and the Dharma at all times. This creates merits and virtues. If we do not cultivate our minds, how can our outward actions and words captivate the minds of others? How can we be respectful when others speak? If we do not exert our efforts, other people will not respect us, nor will we respect others. So let us humble ourselves, be courteous to others. To humble ourselves is a merit, to be courteous to others is a virtue. We should rejoice in all merits and virtues. No matter who created them, we will praise those who have achieved them. We should not hinder others spiritual aspirations. Not only do we not obstruct them, we rejoice in and praise others at all times. We dedicate [the merits] toward the path of enlightenment, from ourselves to others. We need to work very hard ourselves and be respectful of others. In this way, we are dedicating merits to Bodhi, which is enlightenment. We need to enlighten ourselves, and we need to enlighten others. Enlightening ourselves and others is also called dedicating all merits. To realize the fruits of nirvana refers to permanence, joy, self, and purity. Seize the moment and maintain your resolve. To us, this thought of joy, this thought of purity, is everlasting, not temporary. I hope we can seize the moment and perpetuate this happiness, this Dharma-joy. This is called permanence and joy, or happiness. When we do not have a sense of gain or loss we will naturally be free and at ease. Without expectations or any sense of gain or loss, naturally we will feel free and realize the fruits of nirvana because with pure causes we have pure effects.
On the day we die, Right Mindfulness will arise. We will face Amitahba and all of the noble assembly. In that instant, we will be born into the lotus flower. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood.
May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood. Of course, since we are all unenlightened beings, when we pray, we still have expectations. What do we seek? That On the day we die, we can remain in that wonderful state, that our mindset will be very upright and not be distracted by external conditions. In our daily living, when cravings and desires invade our mind-consciousness, what kind of karma do we create? As we are about to die, a certain kind of state will manifest and entice us. If we follow it, we may fall into hell or fall into the animal realm. We do not know. That is why we hope that on the day we die, Right Mindfulness will manifest. We need to uphold this thought of goodness, so we know where we are heading. Ordinary people lack the ability to determine in which realm they will be reborn. It is all unknown. With the advanced technology of today, we can see that many who are on this same Earth are suffering. Think about it. Once we leave this physical body, will we come back to this spiritual community, will we come back to a world with a harmonious climate and a peaceful society? We do not know. This is why we need to take good care of our minds right now. We need to correct our habitual tendencies, and purify our thoughts. Then we will be very clear about what we want to do when we come back again. We still want to create the same pure causes and blessed conditions, so we can continue on this same path in our future, a path of pure causes and blessed conditions. This happens when Right Mindfulness will arise. I really hope that we will truly practice Right Mindfulness. So in the instant we die, it will arise and we will have the freedom to determine where we want to go. May all sentient beings also attain Buddhahood. All sentient beings, including us, can attain Buddhahood at the same time. The only way to do so is to bring purity to everyone’s hearts so each may attain enlightenment. If we are reborn in the Western Pure Land, we are not there to enjoy it. After we finish learning we still need to return to the Saha World. Therefore, if we repent with reverence, refrain from creating negative affinities, and develop pure causes, then naturally things will go according to our wishes. So after we have made our vows, we will take refuge with and pay respect to the Three Treasures. We need [to find our innate] reverent mindset. Being truly reverent, self-disciplined and committed are all very important qualities. Once we reach that state, the mind harbors no more expectations or thoughts of gain, is without afflictions and is naturally at ease. With a pure body and mind, naturally the pure causes will grow. Growing our pure causes is extremely crucial. All the sutras and treatises point the way to Buddhahood. We must purify body and mind and develop pure causes to be able to achieve Buddhahood. Therefore, we must constantly take good care of our mind so it will not be defiled by afflictions. This requires us to always be mindful.