Episode 14 – Wondrous Dharma Cures Sentient Beings
>> This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.
>> With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.
>> The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings
For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.
Every day is a new beginning. With the Dharma-essence of our morning lectures, we should purify our bodies and minds. This era is an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, as if the sky, earth, weather and people’s minds all seem to be ill. So we need to constantly heighten our vigilance. How do we take good care of our minds? If we do not take good care of our minds, if our mindsets go astray, then nature becomes imbalanced and the weather becomes abnormal. Once the climate is affected, it will naturally result in the imbalance of the four elements of earth, water, fire and air. This is called the imbalance of nature. The blame belongs to humans. Manmade calamities have led to natural disasters.
Things have become abnormal, so problems begin to arise. Machines, human bodies and all plants, including trees and grains, are affected when an abnormal climate causes problems on Earth. This leads to an imbalance of water and earth, so plants grown in soil are damaged by pests. This is also a problem. All these things happen because of imbalances in nature or in the climate. These result in illnesses. Therefore, what is needed is spiritual and wondrous medicine.
This present era is called an era of turbidity and evil. We experience many disasters, in the environment and weather. Human minds are attacked by illnesses. All this needs to be treated with spiritual and wondrous medicine.
When we are ill, we need medicine for treatment, How do we use this spiritual and wondrous medicine to treat ourselves? Several decades ago, many grain crops were damaged by pests. Humans then researched and invented pesticides to treat the pest problem. Is there really a way to treat it? Indeed, I have mentioned that the biological system is very wondrous. Although humans are smart and can come up with methods to treat diseases, viruses and bacteria are constantly mutating to be resistant to the medicines.
Once, several decades ago, I was walking on the ridge of a field outside the Abode. Back then, everyone planted rice. At the side of the road, I saw several pesticide containers lying there. I looked closely and saw many insects; there were many of them. Those were pesticide containers, so there should still be remnants of pesticide inside. Why are there so many insects inside and on the surface of these containers? There was an old man on the side of the field so I asked him. “Sir, have you been spraying pesticide for the past several days?” He said, “Yes, for several days already.”
“I see. Are you using pesticides from those containers?” He said, “Yes. This pesticide is very strong.” Then I asked, “If this is the pesticide you use, how is it possible that there are so many insects living on the container?” He came over and took a look, “Yes. Since I’ve been using it for so long, this pesticide is getting less effective at getting rid of these pests. They return in a short period of time.”
Consider a case like this. Is there really a way to control the illnesses in this world? There is no way to subdue them permanently, to completely cure them. In this era, the era of the Evil World of Five Turbidities, sentient beings’ views and understandings are not harmonious. This is the problem of humankind. Where does mankind’s problem come from? From ignorance. These views arise from ignorance. Ignorance and turbidity are very rampant now. Therefore many turbid and evil problems are arising. Now we urgently need spiritual and wondrous medicines to treat them, to return to balance. We need to achieve balance first to treat the problems completely.
How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.
How can we balance and discipline our minds to accept the treatment of this wondrous medicine? Now what we need is the Buddha. “Only all Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ resolve” can tame all minds, and correct all views, understanding, and ignorance. So right now we really need the resolve of the Great Enlightened One, and of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We need them to return on the ship of compassion back to this world. We need them to return to this Saha World to dedicate themselves to humankind and teach them through skillful means. The Buddha and all Bodhisattvas come to this world to adjust our ignorance and discursive thoughts. Then the minds of sentient beings can be tamed.
With Their resolve, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return on the ship of compassion back to this world to dedicate themselves to humankind and to teach them through skillful means.
In the Lotus Sutra, we find that many Bodhisattvas were Buddhas of the past, return to this world to assist in places of spiritual practice. Consider that Guan Yin Bodhisattva is Clear True Dharma Tathagata from the past. Manjusri Bodhisattva was also a Buddha in the past but has returned to this world. Many Bodhisattvas have already attained Buddhahood. In order to help Sakyamuni Buddha, they return to this world to help Him [the minds of] sentient beings.
But the human population is increasing. So all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas need to be active and dedicate themselves to this world. We need more than just Sakyamuni Buddha. We need all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to continuously return on the ship of compassion, to go among humankind and dedicate themselves, to teach using various kinds of methods sentient beings according to their capabilities. Therefore, the Buddha is the Great Medicine-King and the Dharma is wondrous medicine. Only the Buddha can explain astronomy, geography and psychology such that we ordinary people can become vigilant and take early preventive measures.
So over 2000 years ago, the Buddha explained to us that in this world there is formation, existence, decay and disappearance; this is physics. All the things we see that have shape and form go through these states of existence. There was a day when they were formed, then they exist in this world for a period of time. Then they slowly decay for a while, then they completely disappear.
Every day, of all the things we see, which is not manufactured or produced? Every single thing, whether it is being used or not, is constantly aging, is constantly changing. Consider the flowers and grass before us; their seeds met the right conditions under the soil so the grass or the flower seedlings grew. Then we see the flower seedlings produce buds, then flowers, then eventually they wither and wilt. We also see green grass turn yellow. Within this short time, we see exactly what the Buddha told us, which is that material things form, exist, decay, then disappear.
At the same time, thoughts in our minds arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds can waver at any time. A happy thought that arises can turn into suspicion. Then our suspicion may give rise to resentment, hate, affection or enmity. Our thoughts are constantly changing. When we hold on to our resentment, we begin to hate, develop a sense of enmity. Then we take action, we retaliate, we antagonize each other. This is what we humans do. When people feel hatred and enmity toward others, they may have small issues with individuals. Then those may become large issues that affect the entire society, or even worse, they escalate to affect the entire country.
These kinds of psychologies lead to interpersonal confrontations, disharmony in families, imbalance in society and chaos in the country. All these arise from humans. Once these things happen, there will be many misfortunes and they will flourish and cause destruction and damage. This happens because our minds are not tamed. Who can tame our minds? The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all Buddhas. The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. Subduing the mind requires medicine. What is the best medicine? Dharma. The Dharma is wondrous medicine.
Recently I have often mentioned to you all that this wondrous medicine has always existed. The realizations of the Dharma and the Buddha have existed since Beginningless Time has existed since Beginningless Time. Once the universe came into existence, everything in the endless void was filled with Dharma-nature. The Great Enlightened One of the Universe is constantly applying the Dharma, but we sentient beings are unaware. Therefore wondrous Dharma is wondrous medicine. If we sentient beings elevate our Buddha-nature and live within the rules of Dharma, won’t we all be healthy? Won’t all things in the world be in harmony?
Most people do not know they can apply the Dharma. Bodhisattvas are like kind mothers who nurse and protect. Only the Buddha expounds the Dharma. So when He is in this world, He is the Great Enlightened One and all others are Bodhisattvas. Though they attained Buddhahood in the past, when they come to this world, they also need to maintain respect and reverence for Sakyamuni Buddha as the fundamental teacher of the Saha World. All the Bodhisattvas have accepted Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, and they go out and serve as medicine-kings and nurses. They fill the prescriptions. They accept the medicine, prescribe it, and then accompany these stubborn sentient beings. So Bodhisattvas are good nurses; they are like loving mothers who stand guard by the sides of sentient beings.
We often talk about Bodhisattvas. You are also a Bodhisattva. You formed aspirations and you are helping others. We are all Bodhisattvas. Indeed, we are all Bodhisattvas and have all accepted the Buddha’s teachings. We all apply this Dharma to the world and serve others according to the circumstances. Only with the Buddha as the Great Medicine-King, the Dharma as the wondrous medicine and all Buddhas and. Bodhisattvas as caregivers, is it possible to treat all illnesses of sentient beings.
The Buddha is the Great Medicine-King. The Dharma is the wondrous medicine. Bodhisattvas are kind mothers who nurse and protect. They can treat all illnesses of the earth and of sentient beings.
Therefore the Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifested in this world for the sake of this great cause, for sentient beings. The Lotus Sutra is used to teach sentient beings so we can all become Bodhisattvas. Only when we all become Bodhisattvas can this world become peaceful. So the Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world. May our current application of this Dharma-essence, the discussion of the Lotus Sutra, be timely and suitable so everyone can receive and use it.
For the sake of this great cause, the Buddha manifested in this world. The Lotus Sutra is the spiritual and wondrous medicine for this world.
Right now we must use this Dharma according to this time period and people’s capabilities. I hope we can all accept and use this spiritual and wondrous medicine. If we all put the teachings into practice, won’t this world become more peaceful? So I often remind everyone to be more vigilant, disciplined and reverent. We must faithfully accept and practice the principles in the Wondrous Lotus Sutra as our spiritual and wondrous medicine. May we all mindfully accept and utilize them.