Episode 361 – Vowing to Transform Sentient Beings
>> Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity. Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded. The Buddha made the Four Great Vows and taught clear precepts to eliminate evils.
>> The Buddha, for the sake of His one great cause, opened and revealed the Buddha Vehicle. Yet ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and without wisdom. They learn the wrong things and go astray. When they are confused and deluded, they cannot accept instructions and find it hard to eliminate their delusions.
>> “Sariputra, you should know that in the past I took a vow, wishing to enable all sentient beings to be no different from me.”
>> Sariputra, you should know that: At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra requested Dharma three times. He was one of the initiators. Because of him, the Buddha gave teachings for the assembly to listen to and contemplate.
Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity.
Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded.
The Buddha made the Four Great Vows and taught clear precepts to eliminate evils.
The Buddha taught us that we are living in the era of the evil world of Five Turbidities. The time of the Five Turbidities has been coming on for a very long time. The turbidities have been accumulating and are now at their most obvious. This is why the Buddha keeps telling us, “Sentient beings are foolish, with much turbidity.”
Sentient beings are truly foolish. We do not know how long, how many countless kalpas, we have been transmigrating in the Six Realms. We keep carrying this ignorance with us as we constantly cycle in the Six Realms. We are fortunate to have this human form now, but we happened to be born into this turbid world. We cannot control our unenlightened minds, so we are carried along by the swirling currents of turbidity. This is what the Buddha worries about most. Currently, we sentient beings are still [living] in a time of foolishness and severe turbidity.
“Without wisdom, we learn the wrong thing and become deluded.” We know this world is impermanent and filled with suffering, so we act quickly to seek liberation. Some people deviate slightly and end up thousands of miles off course. They sincerely intended to learn, but sadly they went astray. Some people just focus on this one lifetime, on their career, their family, spouse, children and so on. Encountering the slightest difficulty at home, they try to find a shortcut, go astray and end up following improper views and practices.
Nowadays, we constantly hear about different shrines where people seek answers, seek to eliminate misfortunes and seek to relieve distress. Does this work? Some shrines are just run by ordinary people who “act as spirit mediums” and “lead tours to the underworld.” Can these places really offer helpful answers? Can they really lead us toward the light? This is distorted thinking! They are deluded by improper thinking and practices. When we think improperly and follow improper, deviant paths, we are “without wisdom; we learn the wrong things.” This will further delude our minds.
The Buddha could not bear for sentient beings to remain foolish, with so much turbidity, to lose sight of their wisdom and deviate in their thinking. Because the Buddha could not bear this, since Beginningless Time, He has formed aspirations and made vows. He made the Four Great Vows and [aspired to cultivate] the Four Infinite Minds. He taught clear precepts to eliminate evils. He came to teach us and help us understand what rules we must follow in life to walk on the correct path. If we can walk on the correct path, then we will be safe. Thus, “the Buddha made the Four Great Vows.”
We are all familiar with the Four Great Vows. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions. I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors. I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” Making vows is simple, right? Very simple. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” I ask everyone, “Are you willing?” [and you reply], “I am.” Yet when I ask, “Will you go to places of suffering? I will. It is very dangerous; are you willing? I have to think about it. It will take a long time. I have to see if I have the time.” Do we come up with so many excuses because we put ourselves first?
Take what is happening in New York for example. For example, in New York (in 2012), after this big disaster (Hurricane Sandy), many people had no electricity, water or fuel. Many of us have seen what life was like after this great disaster. After the disaster was over, people’s lives were filled with so much suffering. People, matters and objects have all changed. Even if they want to return to a normal life, that will be very difficult. If they want to eat bread or drink coffee, those may be difficult to obtain.
[We see] so much impermanence at this time. Many other people are safe, but have those people given rise to the thought, “If you have needs, I will meet them”? Are they willing to do this? Many are still “foolish, with much turbidity.” [They think], “These people have nothing to do with me.” They believe they are safe, so they go to the disaster area as tourists, to see the disaster others have suffered. This is all they do. Their compassion has not been awakened.
Yet, there is also a group of people who are not afraid of toiling in the wind and rain. They go to the disaster area and think of all the ways they can help the people. Take Long Island, for example. Long Island was also hit by the hurricane. Most Tzu Chi volunteers were safe, but they were worried about the disaster victims. They gathered together to figure out how to be of assistance. They reached out to the city government and worked with them to distribute leaflets on their behalf to let the victims know if they needed something, necessities were available to be picked up.
Though we were distributing leaflets, we were actually visiting every family to see and assess the situation. This was how we learned what was most needed. Because the weather was cold, and the temperature had already dropped very low, what people needed most was a bowl of hot soup. So, the director of our Long Island chapter quickly called everyone together. Principal Lin of the Tzu Chi Academy even announced to the parents that he hoped everyone could volunteer to come together to make and provide hot corn soup. When the [Academy] parents heard this, they were very moved. After receiving this message, they gathered together one morning before dawn.
Our director and Principal Lin told the parents, “Even if we cannot do much, we can unite our hearts and together, each give the little bit we can.” Everyone agreed, so from then on, they combined their efforts. They began to make hot soup and hot meals, and delivered them house by house.
Holding a bowl of hot soup in the cold weather, some people said it was the most delicious soup they had ever tasted in their entire lives. These wealthy people had enjoyed such luxuries that many delicacies no longer impressed them but when disaster struck, this was better than seafood or delicacies.
The Four Great Vows the Buddha made express that when sentient beings are suffering, we must help them. “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings.” This is the first of the Four Great Vows. Among the multitudes of sentient beings, many people have economic difficulties, and cannot afford three meals a day. Some people are ill, some are disabled, and some are poor and sick. For these sentient beings, life is indeed really difficult. Other people may have a lot of money, but their minds are filled with afflictions. Those [mental] troubles are worse than financial worries. To deal with this kind of mindset, we need wisdom.
We may exercise compassion and respond to their immediate needs with material goods. Or we may exercise wisdom to find ways to teach according to their capabilities. In the face of this major disaster, we must tell people about impermanence, about suffering and emptiness, This is the perfect time to quickly recruit Living Bodhisattvas. This is the perfect time to awaken people’s love. Thus compassion and wisdom must be cultivated simultaneously.
From the Buddha’s time over 2000 years ago, up to today, sentient beings [have been] [suffering due to their] collective karma. So, the Buddha loudly called upon people to truly exercise both compassion and wisdom and make the Four Great Vows to transform all sentient beings.
All sentient beings have countless afflictions. How can we eliminate our own afflictions and teach others to eliminate their afflictions? Those who are transformed help those in the process of transforming, Those who have succeeded transform those who are succeeding; those who are succeeding transform those who have yet to succeed. Afflictions are boundless, so we must find a way to eliminate them.
We must understand the need to follow rules and precepts. How do we eliminate afflictions, learn the Path, or attain Buddhahood? We must understand the precepts. We must know to “refrain from all evils and do all good deeds.” We have to guard against wrongs and stop evils. If something is wrong, we must not do it; we must “refrain from all evils.” To prevent [wrongs], we must follow precepts. So, we must also proactively “do all good deeds” and eliminate all evils completely. This is the only way to save the world; there is no other way. So, we must save our minds.
The Buddha, for the sake of His one great cause, opened and revealed the Buddha Vehicle. Yet ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and without wisdom. They learn the wrong things and go astray. When they are confused and deluded, they cannot accept instructions and find it hard to eliminate their delusions.
The Buddha comes to this world for one great cause. He comes to open and reveal the One Buddha Vehicle to sentient beings. He opens and reveals in the hope that we sentient beings can realize and enter the One Buddha Vehicle. Yet, we ordinary people are foolish, ignorant and lack wisdom. We are truly foolish and ignorant. Sometimes, we will listen with wisdom [and say]. “I understand, I understand.” Then our wisdom surfaces. After time passes, our wisdom becomes submerged again. So, we have knowledge in the short term but remain deluded in long term. This is how ordinary people are “foolish and without wisdom.”
So, when sentient beings’ wisdom is submerged, they learn the wrong things and go astray. As I just said, when they have problems at home, they will not deal with them wisely. Instead, they consult spirits and ghosts. This is because they are confused. This is because their wisdom remains submerged. Living like this is really a pity.
Others are “are confused and deluded.” Not only are they confused, they are also deluded. Not only do they not understand things, they also tend to make things up. They may not understand something, but they use what they have learned to confuse and delude others. This is known as delusion.
How many people are like that in this world? I remember that there was a person in our hospital like this. As the family’s eldest son, he operated a shrine. His younger sister was mentally impaired; not only did she have a low IQ, she also behaved erratically. The effort of taking care of his sister, led to their mother falling ill. This man operated a shrine [and claimed] to help people mitigate their disasters and resolve their misfortunes. Yet, within his own family, his sister’s mind was unstable. His mother became ill from taking care of her and eventually had to go to a hospital.
For this kind of person, we can tell him, “Do not do this kind of thing. Those superstitions are deluded beliefs. Focus on learning and understanding the Buddha-Dharma.” But he would only say, “I can speak to the gods, Why should I learn the Buddha’s teachings?” People like this cannot accept the teachings. Not only are they unable to accept teachings, upholding precepts is hard for them, too. For this kind of person, they continue to drink and gamble. They are unwilling to control their actions. If they do not uphold precepts, getting them to learn the Buddha’s teachings and let go of their delusions is very difficult. Thus they remain deluded, “finding it hard to eliminate their delusions.” These deluded beliefs must be eliminated. For them to give up that improper way of living and make a living legitimately is indeed very difficult.
As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn the Right Path and not be deluded by difficulties. We have been trapped by confusion and delusion, so the Buddha continuously reminds us that we must form aspirations and vows. To put them into practice, we must have the Right Dharma in our minds.
So, for the Lotus Sutra, Sariputra was the initiator who asked the Buddha on behalf of everyone to teach the most profound, subtle and wondrous One Vehicle principles. The Buddha used various methods to strengthen each person’s spiritual aspirations. He started by saying many things to help people understand that in the past He taught skillful means, and now He was setting these aside to enter the subtle, wondrous and true One Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha called upon Sariputra again. Sariputra was the representative of the assembly, so he was known as the initiator.
The Buddha called to Sariputra,
“Sariputra, you should know that in the past I took a vow, wishing to enable all sentient beings to be no different from me.”
He told Sariputra that he must try to thoroughly comprehend the Buddha’s intent, that He only had one vow, to enable all sentient beings to be like Him. However great His own understanding, He hoped all could have the same understanding and also have thorough knowledge of the truths of all things in the universe and the three principles and four states of phenomena. If they can push aside their delusions, “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear before them” [and they will] “attain great wisdom.” Then they can penetrate the great path. This was the Buddha’s intent. So, by learning the Buddha’s teachings, we hope to reach this level.
Sariputra, you should know that: At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra requested Dharma three times. He was one of the initiators. Because of him, the Buddha gave teachings for the assembly to listen to and contemplate.
At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra “requested Dharma three times.” He was one of the initiators. When the Buddha wanted to say something important, He made sure to get everyone’s attention. To get everyone’s attention, He treated Sariputra as their representative and called his name. This was a way to remind everyone to contemplate the teachings they heard. “Everyone, pay attention. Sariputra, as I’m saying these words, everyone must pay attention to them.” After listening for a while, some get tired and may fall asleep. The Buddha may have seen that some people were falling asleep. Thus He said, “Sariputra, pay attention. Listen to the vows I made. Pay close attention.”
Indeed! We must listen mindfully. Though we are listening every day, Buddhist sutras were written over 2000 years ago and their meanings are very deep and profound. When we learn them, do we find them useful or not? I tell you, they are useful. We must use them every day, not just in Taiwan or the places where we are. We want everyone in this world to receive and use this Dharma.
The Buddha made the Four Great Vows. It is not only Sakyamuni Buddha who can do this; we can all make the Four Great Vows. The Four Great Vows can be implemented at any time. Earlier, I mentioned the volunteers in New York. This is the time for every one of them to make use of the Four Great Vows they made.
In summary, learning the Buddha’s teachings helps us to thoroughly understand the impermanence of life. We do not know what will happen at any time. If we are living a good life, we cannot disregard everything else and just indulge ourselves. Then we are confused. Then we lack wisdom; then we are foolish. Thus, we must constantly heighten our vigilance and always be mindful.