Episode 363 – Sow Seeds of Goodness for Spiritual Nourishment
>> Bodhisattvas are like farmers. They diligently cultivate the Six Perfections. In the minds of sentient beings, they sow seeds of goodness to yield a harvest of great spiritual nourishment and attain complete wisdom.
>> “That vow, made long ago, has now been perfectly fulfilled. For I have transformed all beings, leading them onto the path to Buddhahood.”
>> “If, whenever I met sentient beings, I ultimately taught them the path to Buddhahood, those lacking wisdom would be puzzled. Deluded, they would not accept the teaching.”
>> “If, whenever I met sentient beings, I ultimately taught them the path to Buddhahood” refers to how the Buddha spent lifetimes paving the path to transformation for sentient beings.
Bodhisattvas are like farmers.
They diligently cultivate the Six Perfections.
In the minds of sentient beings,
they sow seeds of goodness
to yield a harvest of great spiritual nourishment
and attain complete wisdom.
“Bodhisattvas are like farmers. They diligently cultivate the Six Perfections.” The fields that Bodhisattva-farmers cultivate are the fields of the mind. They hope that everyone’s minds can be cultivated and can be free of weeds. They hope all seeds in the land are Bodhi-seeds, filled with [the potential for] awakening and love. This is what Bodhisattva-farmers are cultivating in the minds of sentient beings. As Bodhisattvas, what methods do we use to cultivate these fields? We need “to diligently cultivate the Six Perfections,” which are giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. These are the Six Perfections. [We] apply the Six Perfections to enter the fields of sentient beings’ minds.
We must proactively be un-summoned teachers who cultivate the fields of sentient beings’ minds and then sow seeds of goodness into their minds. Then, we wait until the causes and conditions are mature and their minds “yield a harvest of great spiritual nourishment and attain complete wisdom.”
Analogies and causes and conditions are [teachings that can be applied] in daily living. Everyone has a field in their minds. In every one of these fields, seeds of blessings and wisdom can be sown. Then when causes and conditions mature, the seeds will produce an abundant harvest that can be spread to everyone in the world.
As we discussed yesterday, the Buddha’s vow is to transform all sentient beings in the world so everyone can be equal to the Buddha. However, some people may say, “The Buddha made a great vow, but there are so many sentient beings. How could He ever transform all of them? How could everyone receive the Buddha-Dharma?” The Buddha answered, “I wait for those whose capabilities are mature. Once they are mature, I promptly guide them. All this depends on causes and conditions.” The Buddha did all that He could. In fact, the Buddha helped us understand the concept that we can all attain Buddhahood and prior to attaining Buddhahood, we must form great aspirations. So, we make the Four Great Vows to transform all sentient beings, eliminate all afflictions, seek infinite Dharma and attain the realization of the unsurpassed enlightened state of the Buddha. This is what all spiritual practitioners must do.
This world is a good place for spiritual practice. The Buddha’s teachings are all about the worldly truth of suffering and its causation. Suffering results from the accumulation of various karmic conditions. How can we transcend this suffering? We must often observe suffering, and realize its cause and the principles behind it. We must heighten the vigilance of our minds so we know how to walk the Path.
As we walk on the Path, we can gradually understand the principle of suffering so we can prevent it. Then naturally, we will not create more suffering. As suffering gradually diminishes, the Path will become wider and smoother, so we can slowly walk forward. Over time, we can also attain Buddhahood. Thus, we must understand the principles of the Four Noble Truths.
There are so many manifestations [of suffering] in this world for us to see. Today’s technology allows us to see the entire world. Recently, (November, 2012), we have had video conferences with Tzu Chi USA to learn about their situation. Those Bodhisattva[-volunteers] were in the disaster area. You see, the disaster area spanned New York and New Jersey. These were the most hard-hit areas. Of course, Long Island was also affected. Power outages were widespread and streets were cluttered and hard to travel, so transportation was disrupted.
But Tzu Chi volunteers are Living Bodhisattvas who cannot bear to see people suffer, so they tried their best to overcome difficulties and still gathered together. It was cold, there was no electricity, no water. To satisfy people’s hunger, Tzu Chi volunteers figured out a way to collect ingredients for food. There was no electricity, so they found their way in the dark by lighting candles. They cooked many meals to distribute to victims. With Bodhisattva-minds, they proactively entered people’s hearts. They overcame all kinds of difficulties; under these difficult circumstances, they delivered hot meals to disaster victims.
This is what Bodhisattvas do. Witnessing this suffering in the world, we realize the impermanence of life and, furthermore, how insignificant humans are in the face of the might of nature. If even one of the four elements is not in harmony, there is nothing we can do about it. We are helpless. So when disasters occur, millions of households suffer. Initially, more than eight million households experienced a power outage. Some survivors’ homes were completely destroyed. Not only that, but they could not communicate with others. In a power outage, they could not communicate with their families and friends, to tell their families and friends
if they were safe or in danger. I saw a very touching news report from New Jersey. One neighborhood was very lucky to still have power. In one of the houses with electricity, there was a young girl of only 11, who was already wise and loving. She was suddenly inspired to ask her father to help those who had no electricity. She knew that a lot of people’s cell phones had stopped working since they could not be charged. So, she asked her father, “Can we set up a charging station in front of our house?” Next to that, she even set up a booth providing hot coffee to people. See? Even though she is young, she has great love. Because they were able to charge their phones, they could get in touch with their families to tell them they were safe, or that they needed help, or other similar information. When people had a way to charge their phones, this soothed many people’s uneasiness. Once those who lived in other areas knew that their families and friends in disaster areas were safe, they could find ways to help them. This was very effective.
Who knows how many this young girl helped? For someone as young as her to accomplish such a work of great love is very impressive. She even provided hot coffee in front of her house. The temperature was so low that it reached the freezing point. Some people were displaced because their homes were destroyed; they could only wander around outside. For them to receive this cup of hot coffee was very heartwarming. Therefore, as we can see, this child had love and wisdom, and her father was willing to provide his support. Their actions benefited many people who were very grateful to them.
So, “Bodhisattvas are like farmers. They diligently cultivate the Six Perfections.” We must engage in giving right away; this is one of the methods. We must proactively [sow seeds] “in the minds of sentient beings.” Life is filled with suffering. Many people are needed to eliminate layer after layer of suffering. Whenever there are [sudden] natural disasters, no matter where, there will be people who are willing to promptly alleviate the suffering of others. As “un-summoned teachers,” they promptly give with wisdom and love. Their heart-warming actions sow the seeds of goodness in people’s minds. The people who benefit now may be the ones who benefit others in the future. This depends on all of us to form this aspiration.
In this way, we can “attain complete wisdom.” The Buddha comes to this world to teach us how to create blessings when we witness suffering. When sentient beings are suffering, if we seize the opportunity to give, we are sowing the seeds of the “[spiritual] path” in everyone’s minds. So, if causes and conditions mature, if the seeds have ripened, [people] can attain the “path.” So, we need not worry that, The Buddha wants to transform all beings, but there are so many sentient beings; how could He transform them all?
Everyone has a field in their minds. Everyone intrinsically has this strength, these seeds. As long as we teach and inspire them, their potential can be awakened. Then, people can teach and transform each other. This is the power of love. I hope all interpersonal relationships are like the one between that father and daughter.
Merely delivering material goods by leaving them outside does not show love. That is not enough; we must deliver them in a neat and organized way. This is what Tzu Chi volunteers did. The government asked Tzu Chi to help. The overwhelming love from around the world caused a secondary disaster [of surplus donations]. If we could organize them and put them in order, they could be useful in times of need. So, [the government] suggested we mobilize volunteers to work with the communities and other organizations. So, we talked about recruiting volunteers in hopes of consolidating manpower.
This field of blessings is in everyone. We must seize karmic conditions to [sow seeds]. Then we are Bodhisattva-farmers. Otherwise, normally it is not easy to find a field to cultivate. Moreover, at that moment, when the area most needed the help, by taking immediate action, we cultivated the fields of their minds. So the Buddha,
from what we read yesterday, said,
“That vow, made long ago, has now been perfectly fulfilled. For I have transformed all beings, leading them onto the path to Buddhahood.”
We must seize the opportunity to teach sentient beings. When causes and conditions are mature, we must exercise our strength to quickly transform people so they can comprehend the principles. For countless kalpas, for a very long time, the Buddha has constantly engaged in spiritual practice, continuously formed aspirations and continuously transformed sentient beings.
In each of His limited human lifespans, He used the Small Vehicle to gradually guide people to the Great Vehicle Dharma. At that moment, He wanted to help people further understand the principles of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. In this evil world of Five Turbidities, with so many disasters happening, I hope everyone can recognize our blessings through the suffering we witness. In seeing suffering, we must understand the Path. We must understand the principles, that this suffering comes about because of the accumulation [of causes], so now we must hurry and deal with those accumulated sufferings.
Similarly, in this evil world of Five Turbidities, we must seize every opportunity. Only when we suffer in the evil world of Five Turbidities are we able to engage in spiritual practice. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering beings.” To walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must give when there is suffering. If people are able to awaken and understand, the Buddha will be at peace when. He sees their actions. Seeing everyone willing to accept [teachings] and engage in spiritual practice, He is at peace. “For I have transformed all beings leading them onto the path to Buddhahood.” In this kind of environment, when people awaken, they will walk the Bodhisattva-path.
The next passage of sutra texts state,
“If, whenever I met sentient beings, I ultimately taught them the path to Buddhahood, those lacking wisdom would be puzzled. Deluded, they would not accept the teaching.”
The Buddha [said that] only sentient beings who have karmic affinities with the Buddha can encounter Him. As I have told everyone, in a small city, two-thirds did not have this karmic connection, so they never saw the Buddha. Sentient beings without karmic connections cannot encounter Him or be transformed by Him. Without karmic connections, we cannot encounter the Buddha. Even after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those without karmic connections still cannot hear the Buddha-Dharma. So, the number of sentient beings He can meet is very limited.
But most importantly, He “ultimately taught the path to Buddhahood.” He wanted everyone to receive the teachings He had attained, and to awaken proper faith, right understanding. But sadly, “those lacking wisdom would be puzzled. Deluded, they would not accept the teaching.” Doesn’t this describe the vast majority of people? If they have never listened to the Buddha-Dharma they cannot share it. After listening to it, they cannot follow it accordingly. There are many people like this. They are unable to accept the Right Dharma, to comply with the proper teaching. A slight deviation can lead them far astray, so they will be confused.
This confusion will lead to more confusion as it is spread. So, if the confused try to help others, those people will be more confused. This is what the Buddha worries about most. So, how can we sentient beings be blessed to encounter the Right Dharma? If we are blessed to encounter the Right Dharma, we must develop wisdom. With wisdom, we can faithfully accept [it] with a penetrating mind. Right Dharma must be deeply rooted in the field of our minds. We must plant it carefully. If we spread the seeds on the surface of the land and they are exposed to the sun without absorbing any water, when the wind blows, the seeds will dry out and die.
“If, whenever I met sentient beings, I ultimately taught them the path to Buddhahood” refers to how the Buddha spent lifetimes paving the path to transformation for sentient beings.
He comes to this world, life after life. For the sake of transforming sentient beings, He continuously paved the path with love. This is the Buddha’s compassion.
The Buddha has paved this path and has taught people how to cultivate these fields. So, after sowing the seeds, life after life, the abundant [harvest] they reap [will bear even more] seeds. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings states, “One gives rise to infinity and infinity arises from one.” One seed can continue to create more seeds. Each of you can aspire to recruit Living Bodhisattvas and pass Right Knowledge and Right Views on to another person. When another person is able to absorb it, that person can pass it on to another person. So, one becomes ten, then a hundred, a thousand and then tens of thousands; this is what seeds do. See how a seed can simply continue to multiply in this way.
For a farmer, spreading seeds to plant is very important. We must now aspire to be a farmer of the mind. To be a farmer, we must first engage in spiritual practice and cultivate our own minds. Only then can the seeds we harvest each time continue to be planted correctly. This is how. “One gives rise to infinity and infinity arises from one.” Each of us must be an “un-summoned teacher” who sows seeds of goodness in people’s minds.
So, dear Bodhisattvas, we must form aspirations. A Bodhisattva is not just a name. We must be one in truth and form Bodhisattva-aspirations to be Living Bodhisattvas. I hope everyone will always be mindful.