Episode 375 – Advance in Virtue to Attain Buddhahood
>> “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature].” We must “diligently cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.” The Bodhisattva practice is to walk the Bodhi-path. So, we exercise both compassion and wisdom to attain Buddhahood.
>> “Although I speak of Nirvana, it is not [ultimate] extinction. All phenomena, from the very beginning, have borne the marks of perfect extinction.”
>> “When Buddha-children have walked the path in a future lifetime they will become Buddhas. I who possess the power of skillful means teach the Dharma of the Three Vehicles.”
>> Buddha-children have walked the path: Sentient beings who accept the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children. They walk the Path and advance in virtue in order to attain Buddhahood, therefore they are Buddha-children.
>> Buddha-children have walked the path: Buddha-children is also a common epithet of Bodhisattvas. Because they follow the Buddha’s noble teachings, they give rise to the noble path. They help Buddha-seeds flourish and continue so [the path] never ends.
>> In a future lifetime they will become Buddhas: Lifetimes of spiritual practice ultimately lead to the attainment of Buddhahood. The Bodhisattva-practice ultimately leads to the elimination of delusions. With a true mind, we attain the path to perfect enlightenment.
>> I who possess the power of skillful means: People in the world, in their present life, draw near to wholesome and virtuous friends. By listening to skillful teachings, they give rise to Bodhicitta. This is the power of skillful means.
>> So, He still “teaches the Dharma of the Three Vehicles,” the teachings for Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. Practicing these various methods can “transport us out of samsara in the Three Realms to the ultimate reality of Nirvana.” So, these are the Three Vehicles,
“The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature].”
We must “diligently cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.”
The Bodhisattva practice is to walk the Bodhi-path. So, we exercise both compassion and wisdom to attain Buddhahood.
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must always take good care of our minds. How long will the Buddha abide in our minds? Furthermore, can we view sentient beings with a Buddha-mind? Every single day, we meet other people and interact with the planet. As we come in contact with nature and people, do we bring out our respect for them? Every day, we see many Buddhas because everyone we see is a Buddha, because all of us intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Is this the mindset we have as we interact with people every day? If so, we have remembered that “the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature]”, and because of this, naturally we will always have gratitude, respect and love in our minds. We are replete with these “three minds.”
When we have the Buddha-mind, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom will always abide in our minds. When we exercise both compassion and wisdom, have the “three minds” and [practice] the Three Flawless Studies, we will automatically advance on the Bodhi-path, one step at a time. Won’t we then attain Buddhahood?
Indeed, we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Recently (2012), each day has brought us news. Recently, each day has brought us news from the East Coast of the United States, from the city and state of New York and the other disaster areas. Tzu Chi volunteers all around the world have steadily been mobilizing to raise funds for [hurricane] disaster relief. Our [volunteers] in Malaysia have also responded to our fundraising campaign. They all came together with love to help the disaster victims in the US. Their actions are very touching and adorable, and also prove that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature.
In kindergarten classes, we saw these innocent little children. We thought that in talking with them, the best thing was just to coax them into action. However, they clearly [know what is happening]. In our kindergarten classes, we began to show videos of the disaster area to these children. The teacher then told the children, “Master is calling on people to help. She feels deeply for them because the weather is very cold and many people have been affected by the disaster. Many children also lack clothing and shelter.” Their words evoked empathy in the children. Then the teachers told their students, “Let us sincerely pray that those children can soon have a house to live in” and so on. After the teachers said this to the children, they began to sincerely sing the song “Prayer.”
I saw a four-year-old child who belted out the words to the song and kept crying as she sang. The teacher asked her, “Qin-en, why are you crying?” The little girl, Qin-en, replied, “Teacher, I saw that these children in America were very cold. They don’t have clothes to wear, they have lost their [homes] and they don’t have anything to eat, so they are very miserable. That’s why I’m crying.” She is only four years old. Doesn’t this prove we intrinsically have Buddha-nature? Even a four-year-old child, felt sympathy for them, so she cried.
There was another child, who was five, named Zhi-xuan. As “Prayer” played, she sang along very loudly and her voice overpowered many others. In the entire class, her voice was the loudest. She sang with all her might. The teacher asked her, “Why did you sing so loudly?” She said, “I want to sing very loudly so my voice can reach America. Then those who are suffering can hear my voice praying for them and wishing them blessings.” Look at the sincerity of this five-year-old child. Doesn’t this show that “the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature]”? A five-year-old child can demonstrate this.
Further, at the Philippines’ medical clinics, our CEO in the Philippines told everyone at the free clinic about the hurricane disaster in the US. He told them that a few years ago, after Typhoon Ketsana hit the Philippines, help came to the Philippines from [volunteers in] 40 to 50 countries. Volunteers in the US were among those who raised funds to help them. So in the Philippines, even those who were poor or ill also prayed [for the US] with utmost sincerity and happily donated money to them.
One woman donated all the money she had [with her], a little over 10 dollars. She said, “Although I don’t have much money, I am very grateful that when I suffered from a disaster, so many people around the world helped me. Though the money I donate is very little, it is from my heart.” This is very meaningful. This was the heartfelt wish of a poor person.
We have seen similar things in many places, even in far-off Ireland, where there are two newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They are a couple, Chi Qin and Tzu Heng. When they heard me calling for donations, they promptly applied to the Irish government for [permission] to go out and fundraise. Before the application was approved, as they could not wait any longer, they solicited from their friends and families. They even traveled to New York to join the disaster relief efforts.
Where they live, there are no Tzu Chi volunteers, just these two newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. Every step was hard, but their resolve was firm. They still wanted to raise funds and join the disaster relief work. This was very touching. Think about this, don’t they have a Buddha-mind? Our minds, the Buddha’s mind and the minds of all sentient beings are equal. As long as we diligently practice and advance in precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, we will be able to return to our Buddha-mind.
With love, there is no distance between our hearts so we will seize the opportunity to help. Children understand what is happening and the elderly are even more able to [empathize] with the suffering in the world. Wealthy people will feel love and have empathy. Poor people, though they live in poverty, will still help others. When they work to benefit others, it is particularly meaningful. All kinds of people intrinsically have Buddha-nature. This is something we must mindfully contemplate.
The Buddha mentioned previously that.
“Although I speak of Nirvana, it is not [ultimate] extinction. All phenomena, from the very beginning, have borne the marks of perfect extinction.”
When we talk about “Nirvana,” we do not mean the last day of a person’s life. We are talking about how, every day, we must eliminate all kinds of afflictions and strengthen our spiritual aspirations. By eliminating our afflictions, we are transforming ourselves and thus entering the Bodhi-path. If we eliminate afflictions, Bodhi will arise.
Because we are still unenlightened beings, the moment when we can transcend fragmentary samsara or transformational samsara is still very far away. But every day, we can eliminate the thoughts that bring about fragmentary and transformational samsara and eliminate all kinds of afflictions. This is something we can do in our daily living because “all phenomena, from the very beginning,” were this pure and undefiled. All of us bear “the marks of perfect extinction” and intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We all inherently have a pure Tathagata-nature.
So, the following verses state,
“When Buddha-children have walked the path in a future lifetime they will become Buddhas. I who possess the power of skillful means teach the Dharma of the Three Vehicles.”
As long as, in every moment of every day, we can realize the Buddha’s teachings, though [our body] is a conditioned phenomenon and goes through birth, aging, illness and death, the unconditioned Dharma in our mind will be everlasting. However, this everlasting state of mind has been defiled again and again, so now we must return [to the right path]. We must return to this course. Thus, as Buddhist practitioners, we are considered Buddha-children. By practicing the path and walking this road, we can enter the Bodhi-path. Our every step must take us from the road of ordinary people to the Bodhi-path of noble beings. Those of us who are engaged in spiritual practice are “Buddha-children who have walked the path.” Additionally, this Bodhi-path is very long, so we must walk steadily every step of the way.
Thus the Buddha said, “in a future lifetime they will become Buddhas.” This is what the Buddha said. We must believe the teachings He has given, since He has verified for us that if we follow this path, we can become Buddhas in a future lifetime. If we walk without deviating from this Bodhi-path, ultimately we will become Buddhas, enlightened ones.
“I who possess the power of skillful means teach the Dharma of the Three Vehicles.” For a long time, sentient beings’ minds have been covered by layers of defilements. We have had these habitual tendencies for a very long time. To give us time to learn the Buddha’s teachings, He repeatedly comes back to this world to guide us and show us the way. To do this, He uses all kinds of methods.
We know about the “power of skillful means,” how He teaches according to capabilities. To do this, He “teaches the Dharma of the Three Vehicles.” So, “Buddha-children have walked the path.” This is the route we must take.
Buddha-children have walked the path: Sentient beings who accept the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children. They walk the Path and advance in virtue in order to attain Buddhahood, therefore they are Buddha-children.
“[Those] who accept the Buddha’s precepts” are called “Buddha-children.” If we do not accept the Buddha’s teachings, if we do not accept the rules He gave us, we do not know how to refrain from all evil or how to do only good deeds. What is “evil”? Does it come from the actions of our bodies, the words of our mouths, or the thoughts that arise in our minds? The Buddha analyzes for us how all bad karma arises from a single thought. In the thoughts we think, the words we speak or the actions we take, one stray thought may lead to all kinds of improper behavior. Those [actions] are considered “evil.”
Since we now know about such things, we can take precautions. We call that upholding precepts. We begin by walking the Bodhisattva-path. We awaken ourselves and others and cultivate awakened conduct; with this conduct, we go among people to “walk the path and grow in virtue.” As long as we continue on this road, we will advance [in our practice]. This is how we “walk the path and grow in virtue.” If we do not put [teachings] into practice, our virtues will not grow. So, we engage in practice to accumulate virtue, the virtues of blessings and wisdom.
As for internal cultivation and external practice, if we cultivate our minds, we must put [the teachings] into practice. We must actualize the teachings in order to become Buddhas. This is why we are called “Buddha-children.” Thus “Buddha-children have walked the path.”
Bodhisattvas are also commonly referred to as “Buddha-children.”
Buddha-children have walked the path: Buddha-children is also a common epithet of Bodhisattvas. Because they follow the Buddha’s noble teachings, they give rise to the noble path. They help Buddha-seeds flourish and continue so [the path] never ends.
Their wisdom-life comes from the Buddha-Dharma. “I know what I did in the past is wrong, I will immediately change and [engage in spiritual] practice in the future.” This Buddha-Dharma comes from the Buddha’s mouth. We have received these teachings, so we can develop our wisdom-life and be considered “Buddha-children.” To develop our wisdom-life, we must “follow the Buddha’s noble teachings.” This gives rise to the noble path, which is the Bodhi-path.
We must also “help Buddha-seeds flourish and continue.” We also “seek the path to Buddhahood and transform sentient beings.” This is what Bodhisattvas do. After listening to the teachings, we accept and apply them in our lives. Once we accept and apply them, we teach others. This is also what “Buddha-children” do. We “help Buddha-seeds flourish and continue.” Helping the Buddha-Dharma flourish is everyone’s responsibility.
Only the Buddha-Dharma can save the world. The Dharma that can save the world is found within all of us. We are already here engaging in spiritual practice. Our conduct as spiritual practitioners can create an air of spiritual cultivation. This allows the Buddha-Dharma to thrive and “helps Buddha-seeds flourish and continue.” Then we can unceasingly transform others so the Dharma will forever remain in this world.
Then, “In a future lifetime [we] will become Buddhas.” If we can [practice] in this way, we will become Buddhas in a future lifetime.
In a future lifetime they will become Buddhas: Lifetimes of spiritual practice ultimately lead to the attainment of Buddhahood. The Bodhisattva-practice ultimately leads to the elimination of delusions. With a true mind, we attain the path to perfect enlightenment.
To become a Buddha in a future lifetime, we need lifetimes of spiritual practice. This cannot be accomplished in one lifetime; we need many lifetimes, life after life. We often hear Tzu Chi volunteers vowing to remain on the Bodhi-path, life after life. Indeed, we must do this life after life and engage in “lifetimes of spiritual practice.”
Then we can “ultimately attain Buddhahood.” We have continued to practice from the past to the present, and we will continue to do so. Then in the future, as we continue to [practice], we will ultimately attain Buddhahood. “In a future lifetime [we] will become Buddhas.” No matter how many future lifetimes it will take, we must persist on the Bodhi-path.
“The Bodhisattva-practice ultimately leads to the elimination of delusions.” When we engage in spiritual practice, it is most important to “eliminate delusions.” In our daily living, we have much ignorance and many afflictions. Delusions of views and thinking, dust-like delusions and delusions of ignorance are the three kinds of delusions that completely cover [our minds].
So, when we engage in spiritual practice, we must go among people. This is how “infinite Dharma-doors readily appear before us.” We have to interact with people in order for our delusions of views and thinking, dust-like delusions and delusions of ignorance to be broken down through our interactions. It is only among people that we realize the afflictions of sentient beings are as numerous as dust and sand. Since we have formed aspirations, we must persist in eliminating all kinds of ignorance. This is “the elimination of delusions.” We must not give rise to more delusions or let our thoughts get away from us. We must seize the present moment. To maintain “a true mind,” we must eliminate delusions. Our every thought must be “true.” Only with True Dharma can we attain perfect enlightenment.
Next, “I who possess the power of skillful means.” We sentient beings have many afflictions, delusions of views and thinking, dust-like delusions and delusions of ignorance. How can they all be eliminated? The Buddha has to use the power of all kinds of skillful means to teach us.
I who possess the power of skillful means: People in the world, in their present life, draw near to wholesome and virtuous friends. By listening to skillful teachings, they give rise to Bodhicitta. This is the power of skillful means.
The Buddha’s skillful means are present among us in our wholesome and virtuous friends. So, “by listening to skillful teachings, they give rise to Bodhicitta.” When we listen to what our wholesome and virtuous friends tell us, even if it is just a casually-spoken sentence, we can absorb it with our true mind, with our resolve to engage in spiritual practice. This is another way we learn. If this is our mindset, every time we deal with a matter, it is an opportunity to give rise to the Bodhi-mind.
So, He still “teaches the Dharma of the Three Vehicles,” the teachings for Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. Practicing these various methods can “transport us out of samsara in the Three Realms to the ultimate reality of Nirvana.” So, these are the Three Vehicles,
which are the teachings for Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. There are these Three Vehicles, but actually, the most important thing for the Buddha is for us to practice the Bodhisattva-path. So everyone, the Bodhisattva-path must be walked among people. We must awaken ourselves and others and have perfect awakened conduct. We must believe that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature; even young children can demonstrate this, so what about us? Everyone, we must always be mindful.