Episode 276 – The Wondrous Dharma Is Rare and Precious
>>”The Buddha, for one great cause, carefully pondered [the right conditions] to freely express His original [teachings]. He skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma, so those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.”
>> So, the Buddha told Sariputra, “This wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time. Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.”
>> Udumbara means “good omen” and “auspicious response.” The flower is reddish-yellow and grows in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka. It blossoms once every 3000 years. The flower blossoms for only an instant. Therefore, things that are rarely seen or easily disappear in this world are said to be as fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower. Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.
>> Then He said, “Sariputra, you and the others must believe. The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”
“The Buddha, for one great cause,
carefully pondered [the right conditions] to freely express His original [teachings].
He skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma,
so those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.”
This is the Buddha’s state of mind. He comes to this world for one great cause. He returns on the ship of compassion solely to guide sentient beings onto the right course. In the past, He taught the Dharma according to people’s capabilities. As for the true wondrous Dharma He realized, “He remained quiet for a long time.” For a very long time, He did not reveal it all. He just kept it in His heart and continuously and meticulously pondered whether the karmic conditions of time, space and [His] relationships with people had all been fulfilled. So, this was the time to freely express and discuss it.
In the past, He was concerned that those who were not receptive to the teachings would develop a misunderstanding that would take them continuously down the wrong path. Therefore, He still considered not speaking it yet. But now, this was the time, so He very carefully and thoughtfully contemplated and considered ways to instill this Dharma in people’s minds. This required the Buddha to use. His most meticulous wisdom to give teachings. What He taught was the wondrous Dharma, and every word could penetrate the hearts of those who were listening. This was very important. If something was said but could not be accepted by the audience, then wasn’t it spoken unnecessarily? Or, if people misunderstand what they hear, will that slight error lead them far off course?
So, the Buddha was very careful and “skillfully contemplated ways to teach the wondrous Dharma.” Only now had the karmic conditions matured. The time, place and people were exactly right. At this time, the Buddha believed that. “Those with deep faith and sharp capabilities will benefit.” Those with sharper capabilities are better able to listen to and understand the Dharma.
We have mentioned that the 5000 people who could not understand the Dharma had already left. The Buddha believed that those who remained to seek and listen to the Dharma would be very attentive and would naturally benefit from it. The Buddha believed this was the right time.
So, the Buddha told Sariputra, “This wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time. Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.”
Before the Buddha taught the Dharma, He again reminded and alerted Sariputra by saying, “This wondrous Dharma,” meaning the Dharma He was about to expound was very subtle and wondrous, extremely profound. Therefore, the listeners must be very attentive. Although all Buddhas continue to give teachings, for them to expound the wondrous Dharma is “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This tells us that for Them to give the most profound teachings and for people to hear and understand it is very difficult.
They are constantly giving teachings, but are we mindfully listening? When we are listening attentively, every word of the teachings is wondrous Dharma. It is “taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time.” They constantly give this teaching, but if sentient beings’ capacities are insufficient, they will find it difficult to realize and comprehend the wondrous Dharma.
So, “when it is time” has two interpretations. One is that it is being taught at all times. Another is that this wondrous Dharma is only taught at certain times. This is telling us that the mind can pervade the Three Periods, which means those of us listening to the Dharma must realize [the importance] of mindfulness. If we mindfully listen to the Dharma, every word of it is wondrous. If we are not mindful, though all Buddhas are giving wondrous teachings, they go in one ear and out the other, and we just treat them as sounds. We do not take them to heart and do not apply them in our daily living. If the Dharma does not penetrate our hearts, we have not really connected with the essence of those teachings.
When we listen mindfully, every teaching contains wondrous principles. If we can truly recognize this, in the 86,400 seconds of each day, each second contains subtle, wondrous Dharma. However, we are very careless, and lax [in our practice]. So, though this Dharma passes by our ears and is in front of our eyes in our daily living, we allow this wondrous Dharma to slip past us every minute and second.
So, now the Buddha told Sariputra, “Sariputra, this wondrous Dharma is taught by all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, when it is time.” He was saying that the Dharma is always in our daily living. But with our current capabilities, the moments when we can connect to the Dharma are “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This is the Dharma, but though we try to remember the Dharma, so we can apply it throughout our lifetime, we may [retain it] for only an instant. We may hear very good Dharma but may not register it in time before it is gone. This is because of our [insufficient] capabilities. We constantly let the Dharma leak out. The time we have to truly absorb the Dharma and keep it in our hearts is as brief as the appearance of udumbara flowers.
Now, let us examine udumbara flowers. This is a very incredible flower; it rarely blossoms. Seeing it blossom is very rare. Udumbara is a Sanskrit word that means “good omen.” It is also called the “flower of good omens.” This flower responds to auspicious signs of the times. Only when something miraculous is about to happen does the flower blossom. So, [udumbara] also means “auspicious response.” Only when there is something auspicious in this world does the flower blossom. So, this flower is called “good omen” and is also called “auspicious response.” Therefore, it is very precious.
Its flowers are very beautiful and can be either red or yellow. It grows in the Himalayas, on Mt. Sumeru. Aside from there, it also grows in Sri Lanka. Although this plant exists, it rarely blossoms. How often does it blossom? According to [legends,] it blossoms only once every 3000 years. Otherwise, it only blossoms when something auspicious is happening in the world.
And when it does blossom, it happens very briefly. Perhaps when no one is looking, it will open to quickly reveal the flower and then immediately close. So, it appears very briefly. Thus, this flower is rarely seen in this world. It is rare for people to see it. So, “those moments are very fleeting.” It happens in a flash. So, in this world, what is very rarely seen and quickly disappears, anything that occurs like this is described as “fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower.” This is a way to describe something that rarely appears in the world and once it appears, quickly disappears. Therefore, it is very precious.
The Buddha-Dharma is the same. The Buddha-Dharma exists in the world, and worldly principles are inseparable from the Dharma. These principles of the world are what the Buddha analyzed when He came to this world. Many worldly principles can be found in our daily living. But we ordinary people, though our daily living is filled with teachings, allow these teachings to disappear from our perception and understanding. Clearly, the workings of the world are inseparable from the Dharma; the Dharma is always present in the world. But when we encounter it, we are unaware of it, just like the appearance of an udumbara flower. The Buddha is always teaching principles, but the moments that our minds can be connected to the Dharma are as “fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower.” Principles are heard but not retained. To attain this precious, respected Dharma is indeed very difficult.
Though He taught according to capabilities, everything He said was a true principle, but our capabilities may not be sufficient [to grasp it]. Some people can hear something very simple and attain realizations and understanding from it. This flower, the udumbara, blossoms in our hearts. The everlasting udumbara flower will always be in our hearts.
Udumbara means “good omen” and “auspicious response.” The flower is reddish-yellow and grows in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka. It blossoms once every 3000 years. The flower blossoms for only an instant. Therefore, things that are rarely seen or easily disappear in this world are said to be as fleeting as the appearance of an udumbara flower. Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.
“Because it is rare for Buddhas to expound this sutra, we use this analogy.” The Buddha was telling them that He was about to teach the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. “Unsurpassed, profound and wondrous Dharma” refers to the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma “is rare to encounter in billions of kalpas.” We have also made offerings to infinite Buddhas. Since Beginningless Time, we have had roots of goodness. We have been engaging in spiritual practice as. Sakyamuni Buddha’s fellow practitioners. “All Buddhas, the Tathagatas, [teach this] when it is time,” yet we have not realized this Dharma so far. Is it because it “is rare to encounter in billions of kalpas?” So, we need to be mindful.
The Buddha compares the [appearance of]. True Dharma to “the blossoming of udumbara flowers; those moments are very fleeting.” This reminds us to be vigilant. The teaching may be gone in an instant. If we miss it, we cannot comprehend it. Every teaching is True Dharma. It matches our capacity in that instant. If we miss that moment, the wondrous Dharma would not enter our minds at all.
So, the Buddha warned everyone that. He was about to start teaching. He told Sariputra that all Buddhas are constantly teaching this, but “like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting.” We must pay close attention to this phrase and mindfully comprehend it. Honestly, it is a bit profound.
So everyone, in our minds, the Dharma is disappearing just like this. This is because we have Leaks. So, next we must cultivate the Three Flawless Studies, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, at the same time, as well as listening, contemplating and practicing. Only then can we take the Dharma to heart.
Then He said, “Sariputra, you and the others must believe. The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”
Everyone, we all need to believe this. Nothing the Buddha says is unreal or false. It is all True Dharma. So, the Buddha worried that we sentient beings, while listening to the Dharma, may continue to give rise to doubts. As we listen to the Dharma, we must be filled with respect and faith. He worried that listeners at the Dharma-assembly did not have sufficient faith. So, the Buddha said, once again, “You and the others must believe. “The words that Buddhas preach are not unreal or false.”
In this sutra, the Buddha repeatedly told everyone that all Buddhas’ words are not unreal or false. He was worried that those at the Dharma-assembly would not carefully ponder the Dharma after listening to it. So, He wanted them to listen, contemplate and practice with respect and faith. After they listen to it, they must ponder it and put it into practice.
In this sutra, the Buddha continuously reminds us that we “must believe.” We need to have faith in, ponder, be mindful of teachings and put it into practice. He repeated these instructions, hoping that we will listen to the Dharma and always be mindful.