Episode 24 – The Fulfillment of Time
>> The long river of time has flowed on as the sun and moon continue to rotate in their orbits. Ordinary people calculate the time, attached to whether it is long or short.
>> Fulfillment of time is signified by “at one time.” Things in the world wait for the right moment to come together. To promote the Great Vehicle Dharma, one cannot go against good timing. Therefore, proper timing can fulfill things..
>> When the teacher and students come together, it is time to speak and hear the ultimate.
>> We do not state the year, month or day. We say “one time,” which refers to the time the Buddha expounded the Dharma from the beginning till the end of one sutra assembly.
>>Kalpa is a Sanskrit word. It is translated as an era, a long period of time. Ordinary terms such as year, month, day cannot be used to represent such extremely long periods of time.
>> Countless kalpas can be shortened into one kalpa. Heaven and earth can be extended or shortened. All objects, time and space are encompassed with no exceptions. All are summed up by “at one time.”
>> In principle, when the mind encompasses all phenomena, wisdom and principles are united and noble and unenlightened beings are of one nature, it is time to reveal the fundamental.
>> This was the time when He was expounding the Lotus Sutra, when time was ripe to transform and teach. It is like being in the middle of the day. Everything is illuminated. It was the time for all Hearers to receive Buddha’s blessing and assurance on when they would attain Buddhahood.
The long river of time has flowed on as the sun and moon continue to rotate in their orbits. Ordinary people calculate the time, attached to whether it is long or short.
How long is time? There is no way to measure it because it is like a long river. If the source is very distant, the water will have come from very far. Indeed, how long has time existed? We do not know how much time has passed. Time flows as the sun and moon rotate in their orbits. People on Earth really make an issue out of time. But noble beings speak of time as if it was eternal, unlike we unenlightened beings, who fuss over our time. A week is seven days and we have to rest for two. When there is a holiday, we rest for a few more days. This way of fussing over time is truly pitiable.
With time, we can fulfill all things. Taking time off is not living to life’s extent. If we take time off and are not truly living our lives, then that time is wasted. Therefore time is something we must cherish.
I often say that sometimes, while we are fast asleep here, on the other side of Earth, people in the USA are just starting their day. The kingdom of Kapilavastu in the Buddha’s time was in present-day Nepal. I do not know what the time difference is between there and here. That is very hard to track. Indeed, to gain everyone’s faith, Ananda always referred to the times he heard the Buddha speak as “one time.” Thus, we do not need to worry about whether that refers to Taiwan time or US time.
This means there is only one time. We do not need to argue over the exact year, month, hour or minute. So we should know that “at one time” is used in the sutras for us to understand that “to have things in the world come together requires waiting for the right moment.” All the things in this world can only come together at the right time. “When one promotes the Great Vehicle Dharma, one cannot go against good timing.” Thus, during the time the Buddha widely spread the Great Vehicle Dharma, the Lotus Sutra, there was certainly no way to go against this good timing.
If the Lotus Sutra was immediately expounded after the Buddha became enlightened, in a time when people did not understand the Dharma, that would have been the wrong time to do so. So the process moves from a time of gradual to immediate to perfect teachings, as people connect with it and eventually understand the Buddha-Dharma. Teachings go from gradual to immediate to common to perfect. This is the time to perfect the expounding of the Dharma. So it requires the proper moment, the exact right time, for things to be fulfilled. “At one time” is one of the Six Fulfillments.
Fulfillment of time is signified by “at one time.” Things in the world wait for the right moment to come together. To promote the Great Vehicle Dharma, one cannot go against good timing. Therefore, proper timing can fulfill things.
So we choose the time “when the teacher and students come together.” Teachers are those who speak. Students allow them the opportunity to speak. So “when the teacher and students come together, it is time to speak and hear the ultimate.” Those who want to speak happen to have this time to do so. Those who want to listen are also willing to listen at this time. This is a great time, especially at our Abode. In terms of expounding sutras, this time is the best time. At dawn before sunrise, activities have not yet begun. So, during this time, no miscellaneous things are happening. You can focus on listening, and I can also be focused on speaking. So, this is the proper time.
When the teacher and students come together, it is time to speak and hear the ultimate.
It took the Buddha eight years to expound everything from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings to the Lotus Sutra, up to the Nirvana Sutra. In which year should Ananda say He spoke them? The Buddha did not refer to a specific year, so Ananda simply said “one time.” There is no need to refer to year, month or day. It is universally called “one time.” So, the word “one” refers to the time when the Buddha expounded the Dharma. This is the time the Buddha spoke, not when others spoke. This was when a sutra assembly was held. In the Lotus Sutra Dharma-assembly, the Buddha expounded the Dharma. So “one” refers to one Dharma-assembly, from its beginning to its end. From the time He began expounding the Lotus Sutra all the way until the end, that is all called “one time.” This is the common usage of the phrase “one time.”
We do not state the year, month or day. We say “one time,” which refers to the time the Buddha expounded the Dharma from the beginning till the end of one sutra assembly.
We often use “as long as heaven and earth exists” to indicate a very long period of time. But when we refer to time in the Buddha-Dharma, we often use “kalpa.” Immeasurable number of kalpas is a very long time. The meaning of kalpa, when translated, is a very long duration of time.
Time also has very short units of duration. Even minutes or seconds are included. In terms of the short duration of time, what is the shortest period? It is within a single thought 60 counts comprise a moment of thought. It is truly very short. Thoughts in our minds arise and stir very quickly. When I mention India, even though it is so far away, your mind is already there. So when you know [something], thoughts will arise. When sound is emitted, thoughts instantly arise; this takes almost no time. So, when we talk about time in this world, we say an instant, the space of a thought, which are all included in [the concept of] time. So an incalculable number of days and months, an extremely long period of time, is a kalpa.
Kalpa is a Sanskrit word. It is translated as an era, a long period of time. Ordinary terms such as year, month, day cannot be used to represent such extremely long periods of time.
So if we understand the principles of this world, how can we determine what is long or short? We should know that a long time begins with a single thought. Today we have sutras to read and hear and principles to understand because the Buddha “at one time expounded the teachings.” Starting from that time, the Buddha passed on the principles of countless kalpas from the past to that time, that one time.
The Buddha often mentioned Beginningless Time, a time without a beginning. Since we have no way to calculate when everything began, we call that Beginningless Time. Time is calculated in kalpas. So, the minds of noble beings can shorten or extend time because they are in a state of True Suchness. No matter how much time has passed, the world of True Suchness exists in every brief moment. This brief moment can be extended into a boundless future. This is called wisdom. This is called True Suchness.
Time has this quality. What about space? The minds of noble beings are not limited to this place, to Earth. They encompass the universe. So, space is without limits and encompasses all things with no exceptions. Thus the mindset of noble beings can encompass all things. So, a mind can encompass the endless void and be as limitless as the sands of the Ganges. In this boundless Dharma-realm, in the Buddha’s mind, everything is included. Both time and space are encompassed in “one time.” No matter which country Buddha-Dharma is in, whether the heaven or human realm, it is always viable.
Countless kalpas can be shortened into one kalpa. Heaven and earth can be extended or shortened. All objects, time and space are encompassed with no exceptions. All are summed up by “at one time.”
In the Earth Treasury Sutra, the Buddha taught the Dharma in Tusita Heaven. One day in Tusita Heaven equals 100 years in the human realm.
So in Tusita Heaven, He expounded the Dharma for His mother. After He gave one teaching, four months had already passed in this world. In that place, not even one day had passed, yet months had already passed in this world. So when we say “one time,” that applies to the Six Realms. It includes the heaven realm, the human realm and the entire universe. In terms of worldly matters, everything has its time and space. Indeed, worldly matters and objects operate according to time and space.
But what about in terms of principles? There is no end to principles. The Buddha’s mind eliminates all boundaries, encompasses everything completely. The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature]; in their wisdom, they can penetrate all things and can unite space, time and principles. So whether they are unenlightened or noble beings, they are the same. This happened because the Buddha began to reveal the fundamental. What is the fundamental? The True Suchness of all sentient beings and the Buddha. Everyone has had it since the beginning; True Suchness is intrinsic to everyone. So when True Suchness comes together with that time, it is called “one time.” The Buddha expounded the Dharma at a time
when conditions and people’s capabilities were ripe for Him to teach and transform them. When the Buddha is in this world, He must respond to present worldly matters.
In principle, when the mind encompasses all phenomena, wisdom and principles are united and noble and unenlightened beings are of one nature, it is time to reveal the fundamental.
“When time was ripe to transform and teach.” This refers to when the time was almost ripe for. Him to come to this world to teach and transform, and for people’s capabilities to accept Him. “It was like being in the middle of the day” when the sun is high in the sky at noon. At noon, the sun is in the middle of the sky. It shines on everything, from tall mountains to riverbeds and canyons etc. The sun casts no shadow. When the sun is in the middle of the sky, it shines on everything. This was also the time when the Buddha gave blessings to all Hearers.
This was the time when He was expounding the Lotus Sutra, when time was ripe to transform and teach. It is like being in the middle of the day. Everything is illuminated. It was the time for all Hearers to receive Buddha’s blessing and assurance on when they would attain Buddhahood.
We practice to attain Buddhahood. But when can we become enlightened? The Buddha confirmed for them, “If you continue to practice like this you will understand the principles. In this lifetime and subsequent lifetimes, by maintaining and extending principles, you will attain Buddhahood after countless kalpas.” He gave each a blessing for becoming a Buddha. “So-and-so, in the future, after a long time has passed, at such-and-such time, you will attain Buddhahood. After attaining Buddhahood, you will teach and transform in such place for such amount of time.”
Now we are still in the Dharma of Sakyamuni Buddha. Right now we are in the era when Dharma-semblance and. Dharma-degeneration intersect. So, we must act right away since. Dharma-semblance is about to pass and and Dharma-degeneration is fast coming. If we do not quickly pass down the Buddha-Dharma, soon this Dharma will disappear. Time continuously trickles by so we must make good use of time. No matter how much we can understand, we must receive and uphold in faith. “Thus [have I heard]” is telling us that we must believe that there was a time when the Buddha expounded the teachings. So now is the time when conditions and capabilities have already matured, and Hearers will receive blessings to become Buddhas. During this process, the Buddha explained clearly. This was the time when He needed to explain clearly. So this was “one time,” the fulfillment of time.
Everyone, we cannot waste this time. We must seize every moment. Otherwise, based on how ordinary people measure time, it just keeps trickling past. We cannot have the ordinary mindset of clocking in and clocking out. If we are calculating time like this, and waiting for holidays, such a life is indeed very sad. We should have the mind of noble beings, which can extend or shorten [time]. This deep truth about time is something we should comprehend. Every single moment is part of “one time” and is very precious. So everyone, please always be mindful.