Episode 174 – Completely Understanding Cyclic Existence
>> Fragmentary samsara is the cyclic existence of the physical body in the Three Realms.
>> Transformational samsara is when practitioners of the Three Vehicles transcend the Three Realms and the arising and ceasing of thoughts.
We engage in spiritual cultivation to understand the vital topic of cyclic existence. Cyclic existence is the most painful part of life. So, we learn the Buddha’s teachings to thoroughly understand the great matter of cyclic existence.
Previously, we also discussed about Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha and how when His conditions for transforming this world ended, He announced His impending entry into Parinirvana, Entering extinction is entering Parinirvana. Previously, I spoke of “crossing into extinction” which is eliminating afflictions.
A very important [goal] in learning the Buddha’s teachings is “eliminating delusions of thinking, perceiving and recollecting.” Aren’t we always reading and reciting this in the Sutra of Infinite Meanings? I hope we can eliminate our “delusions” and our “thinking” as well as our “perceiving.” External conditions cause our minds to give rise to many thoughts. In our spiritual practice, we hope to eliminate this thinking, perceiving, recollecting, the “delusions of views and thinking.”
Delusion comes from ignorance and lack of clarity. There are so many things [happening] in the world. In addition to our own delusions of knowledge and views, there are also delusions from external conditions. All forms and appearances arise in our minds and change countless times. Therefore, they are the “dust-like delusions.”
“Dust” is even finer than sand and dirt. After leaving something out with no wind or any other factors, when we come back after two days and touch it, we may not see anything but we [can feel] a powdery texture. This texture finer than sand is called dust. So, the “dust-like delusions” refer to very fine, powdery dust. With afflictions as numerous [as dust], inevitably we live in a state of ignorance and accumulate a lot of karma.
So, after we have created karma, how do we actually leave this body? We go through “fragmentary samsara” because we are still trapped in the Three Realms. Right now we are still in the desire realm and are filled with desires, so we are greedy. We get angry when we do not get what we want. This greed and anger results in ignorance, which, layer by layer, covers [our minds]. So, this is ignorance and dust-like delusions.
Where did this ignorance come from? In our past lives, what affinities did we form with our parents? We do not know if they were good or bad affinities but [we do know] these affinities caused us to be reborn into this family, to these parents. Also, what affinities did we form with our siblings? Because we have these affinities, we were born to these parents. We would not encounter these friends, relatives, classmates without karmic affinities.
So, we wonder what karmic causes and conditions we created in the past to be living in these good or bad conditions now. We may be currently enduring great hardships, and still there is no guarantee whether we will live until tomorrow. We do not know. Ordinary people live in a state of impermanence. The stronger their desires, the more karma they create. Therefore, as ordinary people, we experience “fragmentary samsara.”
Fragmentary samsara is the cyclic existence of the physical body in the Three Realms.
In the Three Realms, our physical body comes from our parents. We live in a state of ignorance, and thus we create more karma. So, this lifetime ends when our karmic conditions end. This period, this lifetime, is a fragment of samsara. If we continue to live this lifetime in ignorance, we will accumulate even more karma and will bring it into our next lifetime as this one ends. Where will our karmic conditions take us in our next lifetime? We do not know. This is “fragmentary samsara.”
We exist in the human realm now. But after this lifetime, we may fall into the animal destiny. That will also be a fragment of cyclic existence. We may also come back to a lifetime of suffering in this world. As long as we are in the Six Destinies, we will live in the fragmentary samsara created as a result of our karma, one period of cyclic existence after another. This is a rebirth in the Six Destinies, or fragmentary samsara. Fragmentary samsara is related to our physical existence.
Transformational samsara is when practitioners of the Three Vehicles transcend the Three Realms and the arising and ceasing of thoughts.
Practitioners of the Three Vehicles are Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. They also exist in this world. Hearers hear the Buddha’s teachings and comprehend His principles. However, their awakening is not complete. These people are Hearers.
Solitary Realizers are born in eras without Buddhas, so they never come in contact with Them. Their intrinsic nature is clearly awakened, so through the four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter and the changes in the climate and the world, they attain realizations. By coming in contact with these conditions, they became awakened, so they are also known as Realizers of Conditions. But their awakening is only limited to impermanence in the world. They still do not clearly understand the principles behind it.
What about Bodhisattvas? Of course Bodhisattvas have the affinity to listen to the Buddha expound teachings, to make aspirations and vows to practice the Buddha’s teachings. Practicing the Six Paramitas as we interact with others is a way to transform sentient beings. By doing so, are Bodhisattvas completely freed from samsara? Have they crossed into extinction? They have not. Bodhisattvas include newly-inspired Bodhisattvas and Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas. Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas refer to great Bodhisattvas such as Guanyin, Manjusri [Bodhisattva], Maitreya [Bodhisattva] and so on.
In the past, Guanyin Bodhisattva was Clear True Dharma Tathagata. He was a Bodhisattva who came back to this world after attaining Buddhahood. Manjusri Bodhisattva had attained Buddhahood as the Honorable Dragon King Buddha. He came back again to transform sentient beings. Not only had he come to transform sentient beings after attaining Buddhahood, but he also taught seven other people who have already become Buddhas. [Those like] Manjusri were ancient Buddhas.
Ancient Buddhas came back to the Saha World and manifested as Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas are not caught up in fragmentary or transformational samsara. They have already achieved perfect rest, a state of tranquility and stillness. But they could not bear for sentient beings to suffer. Though they have left the Three Realms and reached the state of transcendent Bodhisattvas, thoughts still arise and cease in their minds.
Small Vehicle practitioners, such as Hearers and Realizers of Conditions, still experience arising, abiding, changing and ceasing in their minds. They still experience changes that come from even the slight stirring of thoughts. However, Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas experience changes in thoughts that lead them to exercise great compassion to return to the Saha World. Moreover, they can come and go with ease.
We had a recycling Bodhisattva who fell ill one day and came to our hospital in Taichung. When she arrived, some volunteers visited her. “Old Bodhisattva, how are you doing?” She said, “I am old, I will die eventually. Why did you come to the hospital? The main reason I came to the hospital was to ask you to tell my children and grandchildren not to cry for me. When I [pass away] someday, they must not cry. My body should be ‘recycled’ as well.” Since she spoke so lightheartedly, another volunteer then asked, “Old Bodhisattva, you are so carefree. Do you want to go to the western or the eastern pure land?”
She answered after a brief pause, “The Pure Land is in the west, the Crystal Land is in the east. There is no recycling to be done in either place. I am used to living in the Saha World, used to doing recycling work and used to listening to Master’s teachings. I want to quickly come back and do recycling work again. The Saha World is not a bad place.”
Then, our volunteer, also a Bodhisattva, said to her, “I heard Master say this morning that today is an auspicious day, the Jade Emperor’s Birthday. But every day is a good day, like his birthday.” These were the words she told [the elder]. Upon hearing this, [the elderly woman] said, “Oh? Master says today is a good day? That is good.” Then, she passed away. She was so liberated.
How much time did it take? Our volunteer described, “A nurse had come in to draw blood and had to prepare the syringe. It happened then. The syringe was not even ready yet.” That was why she talked to the elder and told her that today was a good day. Then [the patient] said, “Today is a good day? That is good.” Then, she passed away. This all happened in the time it took the nurse to prepare the syringe. That is all. They were chatting happily about where she was going. We can understand this very well.
When I heard about such a Bodhisattva, I was truly very happy, She lived with such ease and had already made vows and aspirations. Her thoughts were beyond living and dying. Where did she want to go? She definitely wanted to return to the Saha World. What does she want to eliminate? The “delusions of views and thinking.” She is not afraid of afflictions.
Living among sentient beings in the Saha World [may give rise to] many afflictions, but if no Bodhisattvas return to transform sentient beings, they will remain deluded and lost forever. This Buddha’s cyclic existence was already ended; He already had perfect enlightened conduct, but He still returned to the Saha World and manifested the attainment of enlightenment. To transform sentient beings, He came to give teachings.
When we talk about samsara, we saw that as Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, He comforted sentient beings out of compassion. Before He left, He even bestowed the prediction of Buddhahood upon Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva, who would later come to transform the world. Crossing into extinction is about eliminating the “delusions of views and thinking,” the afflictions of the mind. But we need to form great aspirations and make great vows.
After we have eliminated afflictions, we must still go among people to train ourselves, to learn sentient beings’ habitual tendencies. Only by knowing the habitual tendencies and capacities of sentient beings are we able to teach according to their capabilities. So, to return to the Saha World to transform sentient beings, we must go among people to understand them and their various kinds of ignorance and dust-like afflictions. Then we may teach according to capabilities.
Fellow Bodhisattvas, the mind is truly very subtle. We worry most about [dying]. Birth, aging, illness and death come with this physical body. With fragmentary samsara comes great suffering. Can we return to this world in our next life? We do not know. What form will we take on in our next lifetime? This fragmentary samsara is full of suffering.
But transformational samsara exists in the mind, based on our vows. If Small Vehicle practitioners vow to keep moving forward and to practice, and if they can form great aspirations and make great vows lifetime after lifetime, they will naturally return to the Saha World because this is their resolve.
So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must truly take good care of our minds. We must go through this transformation. This is something we must clearly understand. There are two types of samsara, fragmentary samsara and transformational samsara. We cannot allow our minds to give rise to thoughts because an ignorant thought creates the Three Subtleties. So, we must very carefully watch out for changes in the workings of our minds. So, everyone, please always be mindful.