Episode 69 – Enlightened Sentient Beings
>> “Have great capabilities and great wisdom, believe in the great Dharma, “understand great truths, cultivate great practices, establish great causes and attain great fruits.”
>> “There was Vaidehi’s son, King Ajatasatru, with a retinue of several hundreds of thousands.”
>> Who was the cause for [the Buddha teaching] the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life. She was the mother of King Ajatasatru and.
In learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must have great aspirations, make great vows and carry out great missions. Only when we have such aspirations and vows. ․Only when we have such aspirations and vows will we not stray in our pursuit of Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, we must.
Have great capabilities and great wisdom, believe in the great Dharma, “understand great truths, cultivate great practices, establish great causes and attain great fruits.”
Only one who [has all these qualities] may be considered an enlightened sentient being.
Every day, aren’t we hoping to become enlightened sentient beings of this world? Life is full of suffering and hardship. Bodhisattvas steer the ship of compassion back to this world for the sake of sentient beings. Of course, once they have come to this world, they begin by promoting the Buddha-Dharma to teach and transform sentient beings.
When sentient beings feel joy as they first hear the Buddha-Dharma, they are called newly-inspired. They begin to learn, which requires having the karmic conditions and capabilities to encounter great teachings and accept them. These capabilities are [rooted in] previous lives. Although we sentient beings have not attained perfect, universal enlightenment, and do not return to the world out of compassion, we did create these conditions in the past. So, [those who learn the Dharma] have great roots from past karmic causes and conditions. In the past, they learned [these teachings] but did not attain the highest state. Now they have the conditions again, as well as great capabilities and ample wisdom, so they can accept the Buddha-Dharma and believe in it.
Faith is the source of the Way, mother of merits, especially Right Faith. So, with this great Dharma and Right Faith, they can understand the great truths of the Great Vehicle teachings. They not only have faith in them, but can also understand them. Therefore, they can focus on cultivating great practices, which are Bodhisattva-practices. They constantly seek [the Buddha-Dharma] and work to transform sentient beings. So, we seek the teachings while helping others. On one hand, we keep learning and seeking the truths of the Buddha-Dharma. On the other hand, we diligently give teachings to help suffering sentient beings. Whenever we receive correct and good teachings, we must quickly pass it on to other people. This is how we “cultivate great practices.”
Moreover, we must also “establish great causes.” Since we created this cause in the past, it has matured in this lifetime so that we can encounter the Dharma. We need to seize this opportunity and not let it pass us by. By completing our great conditions from the past and creating future causes for sentient beings, we sow seeds of blessings and form good affinities. This is how we “establish great causes.” With such causes and the affinities we have created with everyone, we will “attain great fruits.”
In our past lives, we have not attained perfect, universal enlightenment. In this life, we have come closer to that goal. In future lives, we will be even closer. So as long as we remain mindful and at peace in the past, present and future, we will constantly sow seeds and attain fruits. We continuously accumulate causes and conditions, effects and retributions. These are great seeds and great fruits. In this way we can be enlightened sentient beings, which are Bodhisattvas. They awaken suffering living beings by willingly coming to this world. They also willingly live among people and seek the teachings while transforming others. This [makes them] enlightened sentient beings.
In the Lotus Dharma-assembly, everyone besides those in the Buddha’s Sangha had already made great aspirations and vows. The Buddha felt the causes and conditions were ripe to lead the Sangha in a new direction. He hoped everyone in the Sangha could make great aspirations and establish great vows. So, He started to teach the Bodhisattva Way.
At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, as He began to teach the Bodhisattva Way, 80,000 Bodhisattvas came from all ten directions. [Thus], from all directions came these enlightened sentient beings who had formed great aspirations and made great vows. Then heavenly beings, dragons and their fellow Dharma-protectors also came to this spiritual training ground to help it succeed.
Next, it talks about the humans who were present.
“There was Vaidehi’s son, King Ajatasatru, with a retinue of several hundreds of thousands.”
[Empress] Vaidehi’s son was King Ajatasatru. He had a retinue of several hundred thousand, so there were quite a few people. Since he was a king, naturally he had a large retinue. In particular, this country had many ministers who believed in the Buddha-Dharma. King Ajatasatru represented them. Before King Ajatasatru, there was Vaidehi,
Who was the cause for [the Buddha teaching] the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life. She was the mother of King Ajatasatru and. King Bimbisara’s wife.
The period in which the Buddha expounded Dharma was already the era of King Ajatasatru. Speaking of Vaidehi, how did she initiate the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life? Her name appears here because of her karmic connections.
Before King Ajatasatru was born, according to tradition, King Bimbisara hired a famous fortune teller and asked him to predict what great works the child that Vaidehi was carrying would accomplish for the country in the future. But the fortune teller foretold, “When Vaidehi’s child is born, he will be detrimental to your majesty.” Because of these words, King Bimbisara became constantly depressed. He loved his wife very much, and naturally he anticipated that this child would ascend to his throne in the future. So, he was unhappy every day.
Eventually, the child was born, and the king recalled the fortune teller’s words. An ignorant thought arose, so he picked up the child and threw him down. After the child was thrown to the ground, a maid quickly picked him up. Meanwhile, the king was shocked by his own action. Since he was a pious Buddhist, he should not have behaved like that. He saw that the child was rescued by a maid and was thankful he was not injured, except for his fingers. From then on, he cherished this child because he felt a sense of guilt. So, he lovingly raised this child into adulthood.
Starting from this incident, Ajatasatru was raised in a favorable environment. His parents were kind and benevolent and were very faithful disciples of the Buddha. This country was peaceful and prosperous. So, he was raised in a great environment. After he grew up, [he met] a member of the Buddha’s Sangha, Devadatta, who was also the Buddha’s younger cousin. He was very intelligent and was able to understand the Dharma. However, although he was able to understand it, it could not enter his heart. So, he had very insubordinate thoughts about destroying the Buddha’s Sangha and sought ways to harm or murder the Buddha. There are many similar stories in Buddhism.
This person, Devadatta, was close to Ajatasatru. He flattered Ajatasatru as much as possible and often showed him his spiritual powers. Under Devadatta’s influence, Ajatasatru started to develop a rebellious mindset. Therefore, the two made an arrangement. “You will overthrow the Buddha and become the new Buddha. I will overthrow my father and seize the throne to become the new king.” The two of them conspired to do this.
One time, King Bimbisara left the city. With this opportunity, Ajatasatru began to seal off the palace. When the king returned, Ajatasatru ordered his army to arrest the king and lock him up in prison without any food. Vaidehi was very worried, so every day she cooked up a syrup of sugar and honey and something nutritious. Then she smeared it over the lining of her clothes before she visited him in prison. The king depended on the honey and sugar to stay alive.
During this time, Queen Vaidehi wondered why life was so full of contradictions. Her most beloved child changed overnight and committed these disobedient wrongdoings. She had no way to guide him. She renounced the world, but for the sake of the king and the country, she had to be patient. Her spiritual support came from the Buddha, so she requested the Dharma from Him. That was when the Buddha expounded the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life to help her realize non-arising patience.
He helped her understand that she had to be patient because this world is the Evil World of Five Turbidities. The Saha World must be endured. One must surpass the state of endurance to have non-arising patience. Therefore, she became very mindful [in her practice of] this Pure Land Doctrine, the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life. Because she loathed the Saha World and yearned to go to the Pure Land, she practiced this sutra and attained non-arising patience.
As she practiced and studied Buddha’s teachings by reverently chanting the Buddha’s name and practicing the Pure Land Doctrine, she still regularly brought sugar and honey to the king every day. However, Ajatasatru soon discovered this, so he ordered the prison’s door to be sealed. This prevented Vaidehi from entering the prison.
At the same time, the king, who was also a Buddhist, fell into deep despair. What should he do? With great reverence, he faced Vulture Peak and prayed to the Buddha to save him. When the Buddha learned about this, He sent Maudgalyayana to teach the Dharma to him. Naturally, Maudgalyayana could not enter either. Through the rays of light above the prison, Maudgalyayana used his spiritual power to transmit his voice into the prison.
Meanwhile, King Ajatasatru and his mother Vaidehi were having a meal together. Ajatasatru’s son was very naughty and would not stop playing with a dog. If they wanted him to eat, he said the dog had to sit with him. Because Ajatasatru cared for his son, he said, “That is fine. Come, son, come along with your dog.” When he saw the dog sitting next to his son,
Ajatasatru sighed with regret. He said to his mother, “I am a king, but since I love my son, I am eating with a dog.” Vaidehi was worried and miserable, so she told her son, “Did you know? When you were little, you injured your toe. It discharged so much pus, and it was sore and swollen, so you cried. In order to relieve the pain in your toe after it festered and swelled, to make you more comfortable, your father sucked out the pus and blood from your toe with his mouth.” After Ajatasatru heard this, he was really shocked and felt very repentant. He quickly ordered the prison’s door to be opened so he could invite his father to come out.
It happened that at the same time, Maudgalyayana was telling King Bimbisara that the food eaten by the heavenly beings in the four heavens of the four heavenly kings was much better than the food in the human realm. A sense of greed momentarily arose in the king. He imagined that he was eating such food; he indulged in that fantasy. Suddenly, he heard sound from the outside. Ajatasatru was coming to open the door for him. He suddenly felt frightened, “My son is opening the door. He must be coming to kill me.” That thought suddenly arose. He had been starving for many days so he had no strength. His mind was also fixated on the food eaten in the four heavens of the four heavenly kings. Therefore when he experienced such a fright, he passed away.
From then on, Ajatasatru felt deeply repentant, and at that time, he also became sick. His younger brother told him, “It is not good for you to be like this every day. The Buddha is preaching at Vulture Peak. Why don’t you ask the Buddha to give you a teaching right away?” So Ajatasatru went [to Vulture Peak]. Manjusri Bodhisattva welcomed him and led him before the Buddha to repent his transgressions. Then he took refuge in the Buddha-Dharma. But he was sick and getting worse each day. However, he vowed to uphold the Buddha-Dharma. So, when the Buddha began to teach the Lotus Sutra, it was at that time that Ajatasatru joined the Lotus Dharma-assembly, despite his poor health.
Later, when Kumarajiva translated the sutras, he deliberately listed Vaidehi’s name. This verse is actually not so much about her, bur rather about her son Ajatasatru, who was also at the spiritual training ground. This was done just for people to know that it was she who had the karmic condition to inspire the Buddha to expound the Sutra of the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life; she was the one. Since she was also the king’s mother, her name was listed. That is why this passage mentions. “Vaidehi’s son, King Ajatasatru.”
Everyone, as we learn the Buddha-Dharma, we should make great aspirations and vows. How do we make great vows? In our past lives and now, [in our present] life, we must make great aspirations and cultivate great practices. We should interact with people and take good care of our great causes so that we can attain great fruits. That prevents us from giving rise to thoughts that create hatred and cannot be resolved.
So, another name of Ajatasatru was. Hated-Before-Birth. Before he was born, his father already held a grudge against him. After he was born, a single act created this karmic condition. In summary, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must always take good care of our minds. So, we must always be mindful.