Episode 358 – Contemplate the Teachings of Impermanence
>> The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena. In this world, we make use of labels. But taking the illusory as real obstructs the path. With great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom, we are unhindered.
>> He treats others with sincerity and does not deceive those with limited capabilities. He does not crave the benefits of the Dharma and does not envy those who may surpass Him. The Buddha’s mind is pure. He has eliminated all evils and gives teachings with a pure heart.
>> “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”
>> “He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”
>> He has eliminated the evil in all things: The virtue of ending is a synonym of liberation. The Tathagata is free from all afflictions, delusions and karma, completely and with no remainder. This is the virtue of ending.
>> [Buddhas] alone have nothing to fear: The Tathagata attained supreme and perfect enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom. Among all sentient beings, He issued the lion’s roar, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained great liberation. Thus His fearlessness is inconceivable.
The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena.
In this world, we make use of labels.
But taking the illusory as real obstructs the path.
With great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom, we are unhindered.
“The mind is impermanent, and there is no self in phenomena.” The mind is impermanent, and phenomena also have no independent individuality. I constantly say that our thoughts arise, abide, change and cease. Our minds are constantly changing along with our external conditions, so we must take good care of our minds. We must “contemplate the mind as impermanent” and “contemplate all phenomena as having no self.” We must constantly understand these principles. Then we can stabilize our minds and clearly understand the temporary [nature] of labels in the world.
For some time previous to this, I talked about “conditioned phenomena.” In this world, we make use of labels. These temporary labels are not fixed or real. Moreover, there are many languages in this world, with different kinds of writing. There are thousands of languages, and a countless number of words. So, in this world, we make use of labels. Regardless of its name and how it is written, its underlying principle is the same. If we understand its principle, as long as it is a true principle, we can express it in any language. But what form do true principles take? Do true principles have tangible appearances? They are actually intangible, but they are omnipresent.
When speaking of a house that has four sides, it may be square or rectangular. Either structure could be designed by an architect who figures out how big the pillars and how thick the walls should be for it to become a very sturdy and solid house. There are principles [of design] behind this.
We can discuss principles, but they are not tangible things. We can only talk about them, not show them. To carry them out, we can decide on a specific place, a certain location where we can turn the principles into plans and create something with labor. So, “the label” can be considered real, in that it is based on underlying principles. Things that are conditioned and created based on these principles, after many years go by, will eventually decay. For anything with a worldly appearance, [decay] is only a matter of time. But principles will always remain. Because they are intangible, they do not arise or cease. Because they are non-arising and non-ceasing, everlasting, they are “real”; they are true principles.
True principles are empty, because we cannot see them. From principles of true emptiness arise illusory appearances, so there is wondrous existence in true emptiness. Something with “existence” will certainly have the “appearance of arising and ceasing.” These are the principles of conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. What are wondrous existence and true emptiness? To put it simply, they are things we cannot see, things we cannot touch. In this case, should we believe in them or not? If we do not believe in them, we will always “take the illusory as real,” and this will obstruct our spiritual aspirations. Thus, the real teachings of the path are what we must firmly adhere to. Since we believe, our faith must be strong. If we deviate even slightly and take the illusory as real, then we will obstruct our own spiritual practice with improper thinking, views and practices.
Remember how during our volunteer morning assembly, a volunteer said, “Currently in the hospital, there is an 80-year-old grandma who is very ill.” She had a severely handicapped daughter she needed to care for, and she could not bear to leave her. In addition to caring for her daughter, she herself was ill and wasting away day by day. Now she only weighed 28 kilograms. She was terminally ill, but she still could not let [her daughter] go. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),
her son, who was over 60 and very filial, came to care for her every day. One of our volunteers saw this and was very moved, so she chatted with him. She learned that this 60-year-old man was the old woman’s son. He told the volunteer, “Actually, decades ago, I used to drive your master around for a period of time.” He used to work in a financial institution, and his manager was one of our commissioners. Sometimes when his manager did case visits, he would drive his manager and me around as we conducted case visits together. He also had positive feelings toward Tzu Chi.
Later, he left that institution, and he established a shrine to help people eliminate their misfortunes. He did this for a long time. Though he helped others eliminate their bad luck, in his family, he had a severely handicapped younger sister. Caring for her was very taxing for his mother. If this shrine could help others use the power of gods to eliminate their misfortunes, why couldn’t he first eliminate his own family’s misfortunes? This shows the perspectives of sentient beings. If our perspective is not correct, we take the illusory as real and confuse the improper with the proper. Then the Right Dharma is influenced by our improper beliefs. Thus, we are led astray.
Not only did he have improper beliefs, [he also] misled those who asked him to eliminate their misfortune. They hoped for gods to eliminate their misfortunes. Thus, they probably lost out on many opportunities to change their family’s way of life and delayed treatment of their physical illnesses. If some families are not harmonious, if there are poor relationships between parents and children, between spouses or between mother- and daughter-in-law, they may try to eliminate misfortunes and improve their relationships by looking for charms, conducting rituals and so on. This only causes more trouble for their families. Some people try to bring peace to everyone in their families in this way. Perhaps they may even delay the treatment of their illness.
If we stray toward an improper course, there will be obstacles every inch of our way. So, taking the illusory as real obstructs the teachings of the path. This leads us toward impropriety and evil deeds. Therefore Sakyamuni Buddha leads us to “great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom,” so our minds can settle down and abide in the Right Dharma.
If our minds can be still and abide in Right Dharma, “infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear.” We can “attain great wisdom and completely understand all Dharma.” When we have Samadhi and wisdom and are on the correct course, then naturally [our path] will have no obstacles. Thus, the Buddha teaches us to “treat others with sincerity” and “not deceive those with limited capabilities.”
He treats others with sincerity and does not deceive those with limited capabilities. He does not crave the benefits of the Dharma and does not envy those who may surpass Him. The Buddha’s mind is pure. He has eliminated all evils and gives teachings with a pure heart.
The Buddha treats sentient beings with utmost sincerity. If people have limited faculties and capabilities, the Buddha still treats them with open honesty. He does not deceive or lie to them.
The Buddha “speaks the truth, what is real; He does not speak lies or falsehoods,” so He “does not deceive those with limited capabilities” and “does not crave the benefits of the Dharma.” The Buddha openly shares the Dharma with everyone. This is what we must learn to do. We must “not envy those who may surpass us” or be jealous that others may outdo us. We must hope that everyone can understand principles better than us and can do better than us. Only then are we a truly wise person.
We help others succeed, help them surpass us. Only when we take joy in others’ merits can we be constantly joyful. So, the Buddha’s mind is pure, completely free of evil. He “gives teachings with a pure heart.” When the Buddha is teaching the Dharma, His heart is always very pure. He does not seek rewards, fame or benefits, etc. All [His evils] have been eliminated. The Buddha always abides in the true path, the great principles of His wisdom. His mind always abides in that state, so He never has any impurities in His mind. He is always fully in a state of purity, so He teaches the Dharma with a pure heart.
As we have discussed,
“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”
We must have faith in the Buddha. He has such a calm and composed mindset in teaching all sentient beings.
“He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”
Let us examine “eliminated the evil in all things.”
He has eliminated the evil in all things: The virtue of ending is a synonym of liberation. The Tathagata is free from all afflictions, delusions and karma, completely and with no remainder. This is the virtue of ending.
“Eliminating” refers to the virtue of ending. [To cultivate] the virtue of ending is to be free from all greed, anger, delusion, ignorance and so on. All afflictions and ignorance have been eliminated from the Buddha. He is already liberated and not trapped by afflictions. He is already liberated, so He is not teaching for fame or wealth. Not at all. This is the “virtue of ending.”
So, “to eliminate” is to end afflictions. “The evil in all things” refers to many improper practices which may disrupt true [teachings]. So, the Buddha has also eliminated these kinds of improper things. The Buddha only teaches the Right Dharma. The Buddha has realized supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment.
“Universal” means no one can surpass Him. No one has reached a higher level of enlightenment than Him, so we call Him “the Great Enlightened One of the Universe”. In the universe, whose teachings can surpass the Buddha’s? Who among us can surpass the Buddha’s proper and right thinking? Thus, it is “universal.” This means it is supreme; nothing is higher. So, it is called “universal”. It is absolutely certain that it is unsurpassed. “Perfect enlightenment” means it is proper, not biased toward the self or the improper. He had already completely eliminated these things. Thus “He has eliminated the evil in all things.” All biases toward the self and improper practices, all afflictions, ignorance and obstacles are gone, “completely free with no remainder.” They have been completely eliminated. He is very pure; there is not a single remnant left in His heart, so He can give teachings with a pure heart.
“Therefore, in the Buddha-lands of the ten directions….” The four directions, above and below and the four intermediate directions put together encompass the entire universe. “There is only the One Vehicle Dharma,” there is only one subtle and wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma. “There are not two or three.”
This One Vehicle Dharma is the path to Buddhahood. To attain Buddhahood, we must awaken ourselves and others. We must deliver ourselves to the other shore and also bring along many other people to walk this smooth road together until we reach our destination. This is how we truly [practice] the Great Vehicle. If we only awaken and benefit ourselves, we are practicing the Small Vehicle. So, there are not two or three [vehicles]. The Buddha does not hope to deliver one person. He wants all of us to deliver all people. Thus, we must each aspire to transform sentient beings. This is what the Buddha hopes for. This must be done with the One Vehicle Dharma; “there are not two or three.” There are no Two or Three Vehicles.
The Tathagata “alone has nothing to fear.” This is because “the Tathagata attained supreme and universal enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.”
[Buddhas] alone have nothing to fear: The Tathagata attained supreme and perfect enlightenment and has unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom. Among all sentient beings, He issued the lion’s roar, turned the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attained great liberation. Thus His fearlessness is inconceivable.
[He has] “unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.” The Buddha’s wisdom is “all-encompassing wisdom.” In the past, I told everyone that “all-encompassing wisdom” is the Tathagata’s wisdom, which is “unsurpassed and extraordinary wisdom.” No one can surpass the Buddha’s wisdom, which is “all-encompassing wisdom.” This is the wisdom of the Buddha.
So, the Buddha could, “among all sentient beings, issue the lion’s roar and turn the wondrous Dharma-wheel.” The Buddha is often compared to the king of beasts, the lion. When the lion roars, the earth will shake so animals can feel it and all animals will be afraid. The “lion’s roar” is a sound that can move the minds of all people. This describes how. He turns the Dharma-wheel in a way that moves people. “He attained great liberation.” If the Dharma-wheel turns, the wheel in the mind will turn. He “attained great liberation” so He could turn the minds of ordinary people into minds of sages. Thus, “His fearlessness is inconceivable.”
Though many with limited capabilities and wisdom still cannot understand the Buddha’s teachings, despite that, they can still faithfully accept it. The Buddha did not just want to inspire faith, He wanted them to accept [the teachings] as well. Not only must they accept them, they must also put the teachings into practice. Because He teaches sentient beings in this way, His “fearlessness is inconceivable.” He fears nothing. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, His teachings are replete with principles. All things in the world, even the temporary labels we make use of, can also lead back to Right Dharma. The Buddha takes these principles and puts them into terms people can understand, so they can penetrate true principles.
This is what we constantly tell everyone. One Dharma can contain all truths. Thus, there is a saying, “By grasping one truth, we understand all truths.” So, we must understand that “the mind is impermanent and there is no self in phenomena.” If we can all understand that “the mind is impermanent,” since our minds are impermanent, we must seize this moment to focus our minds and not allow our wavering minds to be swayed by names and appearances.
If we thoroughly understand the Buddha’s truth, that “there is no self in things,” then what is truly the “self”? For the sake of the “self” alone, people constantly fight over things. Who should I refer to as “I”? Between her, you and me, which one of us is really “I”? None of us. It is just a label we use in response to worldly phenomena. If we thoroughly understand this, then we know “there is no self in phenomena.” The Dharma is intangible but contains the principles of wondrous existence. No matter what we want to do, if we act according to principles, then worldly appearances will seem firm. If we do not act according to principles, then those worldly appearances will quickly vanish.
So, if we understand that “the mind is impermanent and there is no self in phenomena,” then with this principle, we penetrate the illusory labels of all things and will not “take the illusory as real” and let it obstruct our path. Thus, we must rely on the Buddha’s “great realizations, Samadhi and wisdom.” We must not allow worldly phenomena or improper practices to obstruct us. So, as we learn the Dharma, we must always be mindful.