Episode 221 – Wear the Armor of Diligence
>> “Rely on the Dharma as a teacher in
everything. Draw near and abide in the Dharma. Remember to be mindful of the
Buddha’s teachings. Draw near and diligently practice unsurpassed Dharma.”
>> “Suppose that non-retreating Bodhisattvas, who numbered as many
as the Ganges’ sands, wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together, they also
would not understand it.”
>> Non-retreating Bodhisattvas: Even those who have reached the tenth
ground find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. If among those who
reached the Tenth Ground, there are some who have not ended all Leaks, they
also would not understand it.
>> The Bodhisattvas’ Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of
freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing
wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the
ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of
excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.
>> “Bodhisattvas who have reached the tenth ground still have traces
of Leaks and delusions of thinking.”
“Rely on the Dharma as a teacher in everything.
Draw near and abide in the Dharma.
Remember to be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.
Draw near and diligently practice unsurpassed Dharma.”
This tells us that we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher. In our daily living, [as we face] the laws of nature, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher.
The laws of nature are also Dharma. Whether there is heavy wind or rain, or intensely cold weather, we must be grateful. These are the laws of nature. No matter how much wind there is, we must always be grateful. After it passes and we are safe, we feel grateful. When we hear the rain, we must also feel grateful because rain is water, which, for the world around us and for our bodies, is the source of life. What would happen to the world, to the mountains, rivers and land, if there was no water? So, when we hear the rain, we must be grateful to rainwater for nourishing sentient beings. When things happen according to natural laws, we must give rise to a sense of gratitude.
Think about when the sun is out. The sun illuminates everything, but in the summertime, it can be very hot. Even so, we should still be grateful to the sunlight it provides to all things in the world. The sun[light] can even disinfect things so that all living things in the universe can be healthy. So, we must also be grateful for this.
Every day, we need to be grateful for each of the four elements. The law of nature is our teacher and helps us live in safety and with gratitude. All this is encompassed in “relying on the Dharma as a teacher.” Phenomena in nature are constantly teaching us.
From morning until nighttime we must be self-aware every day. Time just keeps passing; it is impermanent and never stops. We cannot capture any moment in time, nor abide in it forever. The seconds keep flowing by. Thus, this heightens our vigilance to make good use of our time by staying close to the Dharma, so that our wisdom-life can develop. This is what we must rely on. Our minds must abide in the Dharma [because] our wisdom-life is reliant on the Buddha’s wisdom. We rely on the Dharma to grow our wisdom-life, so our wisdom-life must abide in the Dharma. Thus, we “draw close to and abide in the Dharma.”
“Remember to be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings.” We must be mindful with every thought. That means, with our every thought, we must “remember” it and keep it in our minds. After listening to the Dharma, we cannot just let it pass and forget it. That is not the way. After we listen to the Dharma, we must take it into our minds and always remember it. Other things, such as interpersonal disputes, can be quickly forgotten. The Dharma is something we must definitely remember. It must stay within our minds so that we will never forget the Buddha’s teachings.
During our time in this world, we can draw near the Buddha-Dharma to help us understand “This body is a Buddha.” In this lifetime, in these physical bodies, in our minds, we already intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must really draw near to it. The Three Treasures of our nature are found in our bodies, minds and daily living. Therefore, we must be diligent and focused. This is the unsurpassed Dharma.
Thus, in our daily living, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher. No matter what kind of circumstances we are in, we always need to, with utmost reverence, contemplate all things in the world and the Dharma that is hidden within them. If we can thoroughly understand them, inside and out, we will be like the Buddha, who, after attaining enlightenment, could assemble the true principles of all things in the universe within His mind. Indeed, we are just like Him. If we are always mindful, the truth of all things in the universe can also be collected in our minds.
This is why I kept saying earlier that the Buddha is constantly reminding us. He also encourages us to be diligent. Even if those with the wisdom of. Sariputra, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas, came together to try to understand the Buddha, they would only know the least bit of His wisdom. Actually, probably even less than that. This is also to encourage us. Even Sariputra, Pratyekabuddhas and newly-inspired Bodhisattvas could not accomplish this. However, we must not retreat from our spiritual aspiration for this reason. We must know we intrinsically possess Buddha-nature. We must believe that we can draw near to our own enlightened Buddha-nature equal to the Buddha’s. So, we cannot give up. This is also an encouragement for us.
As the next passage of the sutra says,
“Suppose that non-retreating Bodhisattvas, who numbered as many as the Ganges’ sands, wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together, they also would not understand it.”
There are many “non-retreating Bodhisattvas.” If they all pooled their minds to contemplate and seek the Buddha’s knowledge and views, they still would not understand it.
What are “non-retreating Bodhisattvas”? Those are Bodhisattvas of the tenth ground. Bodhisattvas [progress through] the Ten Grounds. Even those who have reached the tenth ground would not understand the Buddha’s wisdom.
Non-retreating Bodhisattvas: Even those who have reached the tenth ground find it difficult to fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. If among those who reached the Tenth Ground, there are some who have not ended all Leaks, they also would not understand it.
They have advanced from the first ground to the tenth ground without retreating. Yet, these Bodhisattvas still have the slightest Leaks. So, there remains a bit they cannot understand.
The Bodhisattvas’ Ten Grounds: The ground of joy, the ground of freedom from defilement, the ground of radiating light, the ground of blazing wisdom, the ground of overcoming difficulties, the ground of manifestation, the ground of far-reaching practice, the ground of stillness, the ground of excellent wisdom and the ground of Dharma-cloud.
What are the Ten Grounds? The first is “the ground of joy.” When we form aspirations and make vows, or after we have listened to teachings, thoughts of joy arise in our minds. We need this joy to develop aspirations and create more blessings with our existing blessings. We must create more good affinities and plant more good causes. So, in this lifetime, we must promptly understand causes, conditions, effects and retributions. Such Dharma helps us when we live in the Four Noble and Six Unenlightened Realms, so that we will remain cautious and safeguard our minds well. Thus, we will not fall into the Six Unenlightened Realms again but will go toward the Four Noble Realms.
Next is “the ground of freedom from defilement.” Again and again, we ordinary people easily form aspirations but find it difficult to persevere. Because we had one ignorant thought, afflictions obscure our minds. We have a tendency to become afflicted. When we become joyful, we know to do good deeds and take advantage of good karmic conditions. But while forming this aspiration is easy, it is also easy for things in our external conditions to shake up our spiritual aspirations so that we stop advancing on the Bodhisattva-path. This is because there are still defilements and afflictions in our minds.
On this ground, we must constantly be vigilant. As we do good deeds, we willingly help others. But we must always be vigilant of people and matters and interpersonal disputes so that we do not allow them to disturb our practice of the Bodhisattva-path. We must stay away from these disputes. So, we call this, “the ground of freedom from defilement.”
Third is “the ground of radiating light.” Our ignorance obscures our minds. If we can remove this ignorance, when our minds are pure, naturally our wisdom will manifest. This is “the ground of radiating light.” We can use our external conditions to reflect on and illuminate ourselves. So, we must rely on the Dharma as our teacher, regardless of whether our surroundings are conditioned or unconditioned. Unconditioned phenomena are natural. Conditioned phenomena are manmade. Whether something is conditioned or unconditioned, on this ground we can remove ourselves from it. Then naturally our wisdom-life will continuously grow.
Indeed, when we clearly separate ourselves from interpersonal disputes, we will remain firm in our spiritual aspirations. If we can discern right from wrong, we are at “the ground of radiating light.”
When there is no darkness in our minds and ignorance has no influence on us, we are at “the ground of radiating light.” Next is the “ground of blazing wisdom.” Beyond just radiating light, [at this stage] it is even brighter. It can help us see the path ahead, so we can keep moving forward. Actually, this path is very broad, and when we form Bodhisattva-aspirations, many people will instantly respond, so together, we can do countless good deeds. When we practice the virtuous Dharma and move forward with body and mind illuminated, we are on “the ground of blazing wisdom.” This light does not just illuminate us, it also illuminates others. If we clearly know our minds, we can guide others. We can be like a lamp that shines inwards and also radiates outwards. This is “the ground of blazing wisdom.”
“The ground of overcoming difficulties” is where we practice what is difficult to practice. Being a Bodhisattva is not that easy. We must overcome many difficulties and achieve our missions. Whatever difficult or negative things there are in our external conditions, we use our steadfast mind against their pull. By exerting more strength, we can win. This is “the ground of overcoming difficulties.” When we overcome difficulties, we are victorious. This is the mindset we must have as we engage in spiritual practice.
The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters states that spiritual practice is like putting on battle armor to enter the battlefield. Our minds are constantly at war with evil and deviant thoughts. Thus, before the Buddha attained enlightenment, He had to vanquish an army of maras. This is the same thing. Thus, on “the ground of overcoming difficulties” we must overcome all difficulties and practice what is difficult to practice.
The sixth of the Ten Grounds is “the ground of manifestation.” After we have overcome difficulties, the road becomes smooth. Then comes “the ground of far-reaching practice.” Since the road is smooth, we must pick up the pace as we walk forward. Once we aim ourselves in the right direction, we must be diligent. As we walk the path, we must not be influenced by the scenery. So, we cannot be lax. We must unwaveringly and diligently move forward. Our spiritual aspirations must not waver, and no matter how difficult things get, we must remain unshaken and overcome them.
Next is the ninth ground, “the ground of excellent wisdom.” We must cultivate blessings and wisdom. Doing good deeds brings blessings. When we earnestly do good deeds, we create blessings for the world. [We also have to cultivate] wisdom. When Bodhisattvas are replete with both blessings and wisdom, they are on “the ground of excellent wisdom.”
Next is “the ground of Dharma-cloud.” When we reach “the ground of Dharma-cloud,” there are no hindrances in our surroundings. If we walk through the cloud, we can pass through it unhindered. But as I just said, even Bodhisattvas on the tenth ground still have a little bit of ignorance. Because a little bit remains, that is also like being covered by a cloud. Though we may walk in it without hindrances, we still cannot see through it to know the color of the sky behind it. Is it blue or gray or some other color? So, there still remains the slightest bit [of ignorance]. Thus, it is said,
“Bodhisattvas who have reached the tenth ground still have traces of Leaks and delusions of thinking.”
They still have slight Leaks and delusions of thinking. They still have delusions of views and thinking. Bodhisattvas have overcome everything, but there are still slight obstacles in their thinking that they have not completely penetrated. This is what non-retreating Bodhisattvas are like. Numbering as many as the sands of the Ganges, they “wholeheartedly sought that wisdom together,” but “they also could not understand it.” This means they are still slightly [obscured].
They want to go from the. Bodhisattva realm in the Four Noble Realms to the Buddha’s realm but still have a slight bit of delusion in thinking. Thus, we must be mindful, form aspirations and contemplate the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattvas. Since we have formed aspirations, we must advance diligently. After overcoming all difficulties, we can walk the great Bodhi-path in peace, without being affected by challenges. Thus, we cultivate both blessings and wisdom. Even if we reach “the ground of Dharma-cloud,” there are still wisps of fog. Yet, we know that we are slowly getting closer to [our goal]. Therefore, we must always be mindful.