Episode 95 – Returning to Our Intrinsic Nature
>> Completely eliminate ignorance, then. Samadhi and wisdom will clearly manifest. With absolute and wondrous Truths, uphold a state of no Leaks. With the pure wisdom of prajna, we return to our intrinsic nature.
>> The manifested Buddha in the world had an appearance that arose and ceased. The intrinsic Buddha abides forever. The Buddha in our minds, like a dignified stupa or temple is adorned with great virtues.
>> “There are also Bodhisattvas who expound teachings on extinction, giving various kinds of teachings to countless sentient beings. I also see Bodhisattvas who contemplate the nature of all phenomena as lacking the mark of duality, as being empty as the void.”
>> “I also see Buddha-children, whose minds are free of attachments, use this wondrous wisdom to seek the unsurpassed way.”
>> “Manjusri, again there are Bodhisattvas who, after the Buddha crossed into extinction, made offerings to His sariras. I also see Buddha-children who built stupas and temples, as countless as the sands of the Ganges to adorn these lands”
>> “jeweled stupas, tall and fine, 5000 Yojanas in height, that extend exactly 2000 Yojanas in width. Each stupa and temple is adorned with a thousand banners, curtains laced with gems like dewdrops, and jeweled bells that chime harmoniously.”
>> “All heavenly beings, dragons and gods, humans and non-humans [came] with incense, flowers and instrumental music, constantly make offerings.”
>> “Manjusri, all these Buddha-children made offerings to the sariras by adorning the stupas and temples. The natural state of the land is exceptionally wonderful and exquisite, like when the flowers open and unfold on the king of heavenly trees.”
Everyone has an intrinsic Buddha-nature, [meaning] we were originally pure. When our nature is unobstructed and undefiled, Samadhi and wisdom will clearly manifest. Everyone, if our intrinsic nature can remain pure, if we can eliminate ignorance and defilements, won’t Samadhi and wisdom manifest?
Completely eliminate ignorance, then. Samadhi and wisdom will clearly manifest. With absolute and wondrous Truths, uphold a state of no Leaks. With the pure wisdom of prajna, we return to our intrinsic nature.
Earlier, I had already spoken of the Bodhisattva’s Six Perfections. These six methods can transport us from the state of ordinary beings to the state of noble beings. So, we must use these six methods to transform ourselves and others. Only giving, upholding precepts, and having patience and diligence can restore our Samadhi and wisdom. Don’t we learn the Buddha’s teachings and seek the Dharma with the hope of attaining Samadhi and wisdom? So, to return to our intrinsic nature, we need to reach [a state] of Samadhi so wisdom can manifest.
This pure wisdom is everyone’s intrinsic Buddha-nature. If we can all manifest our intrinsic nature, [we realize] “absolute and wondrous Truths.” We can then discover and comprehend the true principles of all matters in the universe.
I often say that the Buddha is the Great Enlightened One of the universe. Thus, He can thoroughly comprehend the true principles of all matters. So, He is called the Great Enlightened One.
The universe has very many, tens of thousands of things and principles. This is truly wondrous! We ordinary beings come in contact with people, matters and objects every day. Yet, we have not realized that amidst these many people, matters and objects that keep us in a state of afflictions, there are also many wondrous true principles. Ordinary people [suffer from] ignorance and afflictions but do not realize that ignorance and afflictions contain many wondrous principles.
Isn’t there a saying, “Afflictions are Bodhi”? On the surface, they seem to be afflictions, but if we thoroughly analyze them, they are replete with wondrous true principles.
I remember sharing this story about a young disciple with everyone. Every single day, he asked his teacher the same question. “Master, what exactly are the true principles of the human realm?” The master explained to him every day, “True principles are found within non-attachment.” But this young disciple repeated this every day, every week. Every day he asked his master this question.
One day, in resignation, the master replied, “Today you can leave these mountains and take this rock to the market and put it on display. If someone asks you how much this rock is worth, tell them ten dollars. But, if someone wants to buy it from you, you are not to sell it. You must bring it back.” This young disciple then carried the rock from the mountain all the way down to the market. He displayed it in a very crowded area.
Someone thought this novice monk was very cute, so he crouched down in front of that rock and asked, “Young master, this rock you are watching over, is it for sale?” He said, “Yes, it is. I am waiting for someone to buy this from me.” This person then asked, “How much does it cost?” He said, “I don’t know.” Looking at this young monk, the person felt deeply for him and thought, “I’ll buy it right away so you can go home. I’ll buy it for ten dollars.” [The novice monk] said, “I see, ten dollars.” Then he carried the rock home.
His master then said, “Tomorrow, you will take this rock to the same place and display it again. No matter how much someone wants to pay for it, you are to still bring it back.” Thus, he left for the market at daybreak. One person made an offer of 1000 dollars to buy it. “Why did he offer so much?” [thought] the novice monk. “First 10, now 1000? Why is there such a big difference?” He carried the rock home again.
He did the same thing the following day. He was in the same place, and again someone made him an offer. Now, he was offered more than 10,000 dollars. This novice monk felt, “For this much money, I should really sell it, but master wants me to bring it back home.” So, he carried this rock home again. The master then asked him, “This rock of yours, how much is it really worth?” The young monk said, “Somewhere between 10 and 10,000 dollars. Indeed, I do not know how much this rock is really worth.”
The master then said to him, “Nothing in the universe has an exact value. The most accurate measure depends on the person’s loving heart, the extent of his love.”
“The first person saw you and wanted you to quickly return to your spiritual practice. To do so, he was willing to buy a rock, which is worth nothing, for 10 dollars.”
“The next person felt that since you did not sell the rock for 10 but carried it home, then the rock must be worth more than that. [He believed that] monastics do not lie, so he decided to offer a higher price when he saw you the next day. So, this also expresses a kind of love. This love is a craving for something valuable. He thought that this rock must be worth a lot of money. This is the illusory (attachment) of sentient beings.”
“Then the same rock received an even higher offer. This person saw that you are a monk. He did not know whether this rock was valuable. But, he saw you going back and forth between the mountain and the market with it. For a monastic practitioner to go back and forth and for 1000 to be insufficient, he concluded the monastery must be in difficulty. So, in order to protect the Buddha-Dharma, he offered a very high price for the rock. This thought of protecting the Dharma was free of attachments. He only had one intention; he hoped to protect the Buddha-Dharma. His valuation was free of attachments.”
The novice monk [finally] understood. In the end, the worldly value of an object depends on the mind. Indeed, it depends on the mind. Actually, the value of all worldly things is the same. On Da Ai TV there is a program, Calling Professor Marvelous, which helps children learn principles. To teach them science and the value of all things in the world, we created this program.
One day, this program was talking about paper. Where does paper really come from? Originally, paper comes from plants. Trees, grass, even bamboo husks can be used to make paper. Rocks can also be made into paper. Even a hard object such as a rock can be ground into powder and mixed with other things to become soft paper. Also, people can use it repeatedly. See, the same rock can have practical uses and the value of a practical object.
So, can’t we say that all things in the world contain these wondrous principles? So, to have “absolute and wondrous Truths and uphold a state of no Leaks” depends on each of us and our wisdom. If we can return to the state where things are understandable and clear and Samadhi and wisdom can manifest, then very naturally we will comprehend the true principles of all things.
The Buddha, with His flawless wisdom, contemplates formation, existence, decay and disappearance in the world. These four words already contain the true principles of the universe. Already, we can comprehend formation. The way the earth forms and abides contain wondrous truths about material objects. But after humans discovered these objects, people became excessively greedy. So, they cause decay. In the end, after decay and destruction, comes the moment of disappearance.
But the Enlightened One is not like them. He does not destroy. Instead, He already understands and realizes that all things in the world have inexhaustible potential. Everything has a greater use and contains true principles. This is His wisdom, which is truly free of greed and afflictions, so it is pure.
Thus, “with the pure wisdom of prajna, we return to our intrinsic nature.” What we should seek is the Buddha’s wisdom, the elimination of ignorance. Then, in ourselves, we will discover this pure wisdom of prajna. This is the wisdom of a state of no Leaks. With the pure wisdom of prajna, we can return to our intrinsic nature.
So, I keep saying to everyone, “The manifested Buddha in the world had an appearance that arose and ceased.” The Buddha appeared in this world, and also experienced birth and in His old age, He entered Parinirvana. This Buddha manifested the appearance of birth, aging, illness and death, an appearance that arose and ceased when He came into the human realm. However, the intrinsic Buddha abides forever in this world.
The Buddha is always in our minds, like a magnificent temple or stupa. Earlier, we talked about giving, upholding precepts, having patience and diligence, etc. These are all tangible. When we engage in spiritual practice, we need to do so through tangible methods. [Some may wonder], since our intrinsic nature [makes us] all Buddhas, why do we need the appearance of monastics? This helps us focus on our search for Truth, and allows us to renounce our worldly affinities. Then, we will no longer be bound or entangled by affinities that are otherwise impossible to sever. So, manifesting the appearance of a monastic allows our minds to become even more pure.
The manifested Buddha in the world had an appearance that arose and ceased. The intrinsic Buddha abides forever. The Buddha in our minds, like a dignified stupa or temple is adorned with great virtues.
After understanding this, next,
“There are also Bodhisattvas who expound teachings on extinction, giving various kinds of teachings to countless sentient beings. I also see Bodhisattvas who contemplate the nature of all phenomena as lacking the mark of duality, as being empty as the void.”
Everyone, by understanding what I just said, we know that the teaching on extinction is really about how all things are tranquil. They have just been disturbed by people. Why are there afflictions between people? Afflictions hold wondrous principles within, so Bodhisattvas and Buddhas continuously come to this world to expound all kinds of Dharma for sentient beings. Some teach skillful means. Some point directly at our true nature, using all kinds of teachings to help everyone understand that all Dharma-nature is like an empty void.
“I also see Buddha-children, whose minds are free of attachments, use this wondrous wisdom to seek the unsurpassed way.”
Those with sharper capabilities are more receptive. With minds free of attachments, they seek wondrous wisdom, which is used to seek the unsurpassed way. True Buddhist practitioners have always sought subtle and wondrous wisdom. If we can comprehend this wondrous wisdom, then we will attain the unsurpassed way. Maitreya Bodhisattva told Manjusri Bodhisattva what he understood of the appearance of the Buddha after He expounded the Dharma.
Then, Maitreya told Manjusri Bodhisattva,
“Manjusri, again there are Bodhisattvas who, after the Buddha crossed into extinction, made offerings to His sariras. I also see Buddha-children who built stupas and temples, as countless as the sands of the Ganges to adorn these lands”
and so on.
This was the process of spiritual practice. We have already discussed this in the previous passage. We have to understand that spiritual practice, aside from giving, making offerings to sariras, etc., also include building etc., also includes building.
“jeweled stupas, tall and fine, 5000 Yojanas in height, that extend exactly 2000 Yojanas in width. Each stupa and temple is adorned with a thousand banners, curtains laced with gems like dewdrops, and jeweled bells that chime harmoniously.”
This is an offering to monasteries. Adorning things is a means to show, with tangible, physical objects, that the Buddha-Dharma resides in this place. The monastery and stupas represent the Buddha’s supreme virtues. Everything there is meant to teach sentient beings by inspiring reverence through appearances.
Next,
“All heavenly beings, dragons and gods, humans and non-humans [came] with incense, flowers and instrumental music, constantly make offerings.”
This shows that not only humans, but heavenly beings, dragons, ghosts and gods, etc., come to this world to make offerings to the Buddha.
“Manjusri, all these Buddha-children made offerings to the sariras by adorning the stupas and temples. The natural state of the land is exceptionally wonderful and exquisite, like when the flowers open and unfold on the king of heavenly trees.”
This tells everyone that this place is very beautiful and magnificent. This was constructed by people to manifest the wonder of the Buddha-Dharma. To summarize, Buddhist practitioners tangibly present a dignified appearance. The same applies to the intangible spiritual training ground in our minds. We must dignify our mind’s training ground. So, everyone, we must always be mindful.