Episode 448 – Rare and Difficult to Encounter
>> “This extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma, [has existed] for a long time, for countless kalpas. When we encounter the Dharma, we can then listen to it and spread it. So, we must seize the opportunity in that moment.”
>> “Throughout incalculable, innumerable kalpas, it is also rare that one may hear this Dharma. A person capable of listening to this Dharma is likewise rare.”
>> “[The Dharma is] like the udumbara flower, in which all take delight, which heavenly beings and humans prize, yet which only blooms at the right time.”
>> [The Dharma is] like the udumbara flower, in which all take delight: Udumbara flowers are used as analogies because this flower only appears at the right time and not at any other time. This Dharma also had to wait for the right time.
>> This flower waits for the right time to appear, so it blooms “at the right time.”
>> So, the Lotus Sutra states, “The Buddha told Sariputra that such wondrous Dharma is like the udumbara flower, [its appearance] is very fleeting.”
>> “Is very rare and only appears briefly in a long time.”
>> “An analogy for how long it takes to appear and how difficult it is to encounter.”
“This extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma, [has existed] for a long time, for countless kalpas. When we encounter the Dharma, we can then listen to it and spread it. So, we must seize the opportunity in that moment.”
This is restating what we have been talking about for quite some time, that it is rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma. Nowadays, if we want to listen to teachings, it is not difficult at all. What is most important is whether we can take the Dharma to heart and whether we can put it into practice. This should be most important for us modern-day [Buddhist practitioners], so we must be aware of this.
Our [journey] began countless kalpas ago. “For a long time, for countless kalpas,” we have undergone many cycles of births and deaths. We leave this realm for another. We leave this life for the next. This is how we endlessly undergo cyclic existence in the Six Realms.
The Buddha-Dharma explains this very meticulously. Though those born in heaven live long lives and enjoy many pleasures, unfortunately, because of their karma, once they deplete their blessings, they will eventually fall [into a lower realm]. If they do not listen to the Buddha-Dharma, they cannot increase their blessings and wisdom. So, they transmigrate according to their karma and fall when their blessings are depleted.
The best thing about being born human is that we can hear the Buddha-Dharma and see how the true principles taught by the Buddha manifest in this world. They allow us to witness the truth of suffering [explained] in the Buddha-Dharma.
Because the human realm is filled with many kinds of appearances and many kinds of interpersonal conflicts, we can verify many of the truths of the Buddha-Dharma. This is what we can achieve in the human realm. If we can completely understand the Dharma, we will naturally remind ourselves to do all good deeds and refrain from all evils, and to practice loving-kindness and compassion. When we can inspire our loving-kindness, we will begin to exercise our compassion. With universal compassion, we will devote ourselves to the world, and thus develop our wisdom. We will use our discriminating wisdom and our intrinsic wisdom to dedicate ourselves to helping others and contributing to the world.
Then, we do not need to pray to the heavens for anything. Naturally, our state of mind will transcend even the heavenly realm to be tranquil and clear, and as pure as crystal. The boundless universe will be contained in our sea of enlightenment. Our minds will encompass the universe. This enlightened state of Buddhahood is peaceful and still.
But, ordinary people have not awakened yet, so at present, our minds are limited to the world around us, to what we see and hear, so we are constantly giving rise to conflicting emotions. Thus our minds cannot settle down. This is suffering. So, for a long time, we have fallen into the state of unenlightened beings and have been transmigrating in the Six Realms.
The Buddha, for the sake of sentient beings, comes to this world with one great cause. He gives many teachings to help us develop great respect for the Dharma. In the past, 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas manifested continually in this world to transform sentient beings. They did this just to help us realize that we have always had this nature of True Suchness. So, we must unceasingly protect and care for our pure intrinsic nature and not allow external conditions and ignorance to cover it. So, in the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, the most important takeaway is that our intrinsic nature will always exist.
Just as there have been so many Buddhas who, lifetime after lifetime, listen to the Dharma, practice it and make vows, we can also do the same over a long span of time. We can sustain this mindset far into the future. Over countless kalpas, we can take good care of our minds with the daily spiritual practice of eliminating our ignorance and defilements.
If we can constantly safeguard our minds, then, “when we encounter the Dharma, we can listen to it and spread it. Encounter” refers to when we come upon the Buddha-Dharma. Actually, if we have this mindset, everything we see is the Dharma. All the people meet, regardless of their habitual tendencies, can teach us the sutra of their lives. This sutra may be one of the Agama sutras, the Vaipulya sutras or the Prajna sutras. Each person’s appearance manifests certain truths of life.
So, encountering the Dharma is not difficult. By fully understanding the principles, no matter what kind of people we meet, our wisdom-life will grow, and we can exercise our spirit of learning the Dharma. From every person around us, we can learn the principles of this world and of interpersonal relationships. After understanding the Dharma, we can connect it to worldly matters and appearances. Then we can advance and spread the Buddha-Dharma.
We can see how little control some people have over their lives. They are born into suffering, into poverty or illness. Not only are their families poor, they may suffer from an illness or disability. Life is suffering, and the world is full of manmade calamities. The attitude of just a few people can create collective karma for the whole country. How does this collective karma come about? The Buddha-Dharma teaches that we sentient beings all face circumstantial and direct retributions. Circumstantial retributions are when the negative karma of our past lives matures, thus manifesting collective karma in that place. So, the perspectives of a few people can cause the people of an entire country to endlessly experience manmade calamities. This is sentient beings’ collective karma.
There are also people born in that country who, even before those disasters occur, leave that country and evade those manmade calamities. Therefore, the principles of the Dharma are very thorough. This is not a matter of choice; everything happens because of the law of karma. This is the Buddha’s teaching.
The Buddha-Dharma can help us understand that we must not create negative causes and conditions. By avoiding this, we will only accumulate wholesome causes and conditions. This [grows] the power of our love for each other. As these karmic causes and conditions endlessly appear before us, even when a momentary [opportunity] arises, we will be able to seize it immediately. Thus, over this lifetime and for many more, we will be each other’s benefactors. We can become mutual benefactors who awaken each other’s understanding of the Buddha-Dharma and of worldly principles.
We should be able to realize this. For example, at the board meeting (2013), volunteers from each country shared how they carried out Tzu Chi’s missions locally. In Thailand, there was a college student, whose family was so poor that he could no longer afford to continue his studies. Then, he encountered [a group of] benefactors, Tzu Chi volunteers, who supported him. Now, he is a doctor who wants to give back [to his community]. These are the kinds of karmic affinities we see.
In the Philippines, there was a similar situation; we visited a family there, and during our visit, we discovered an exceptional young woman in the family. She had excelled in school, but her family was in great difficulty. From elementary school to college, she was always among the top in her class. But during college, she felt that her tuition was too large a burden for her family, so she decided to work part-time. Because she was working a part-time job, her school work was affected. Originally, she was on a scholarship, but because of her job, her grades suffered and her scholarship was cut in half. After it was cut in half, she could no longer pay the registration fee, so she borrowed some money. But as she could not continue doing this, she dropped out.
When Tzu Chi volunteers visited her family and learned about this outstanding young woman, they could not bear to let her drop out of school. So, they asked her to be a part of their “cash for work program.” They asked her to come to the regional office and gave her miscellaneous tasks. They also took her on other special case visits. Before going on these case visits, this young woman had been very unhappy and felt the pain of life. It was very rare to see her smile. Yet, by coming to our regional office, she earned more than. PHP200 for her work each day. In our regional office, she came into contact with many people and learned a lot about their suffering. She opened her heart, became happy and focused on her studies. When she graduated, she was third in her class. We can see benefactors like this who help others everywhere we look. In that particular place, they have already helped nearly 1000 people [to attend school]. This is because, in this place, there is this group of Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas have already understood the Buddha-Dharma and are spreading it. They [demonstrate] the Dharma with their lives. So, after listening to teachings we can treat everything in life as Buddha-Dharma. With these teachings, we need to benefit others.
In the Philippines, at every relief distribution, [the volunteers] talk about Tzu Chi. They talk about the spirit of the bamboo banks, while at the same time comforting people’s hearts. They help them change their lives and their habitual tendencies; there are many cases like this. This is how we spread the Dharma. With the Buddha-Dharma, we can help others and also share the Buddha-Dharma with them. In Tzu Chi we say many drops of water form a river and many grains of rice make a bushel. With this spiritual ideal, we inspire them to help other people, as well. Isn’t this encountering the Dharma and then listening to and advancing it? All this is due to causes and conditions. When we encounter the right causes and conditions, if we can seize that moment, each of us can help many people by becoming benefactors in many people’s lives.
So, the previous sutra passage states,
“Throughout incalculable, innumerable kalpas, it is also rare that one may hear this Dharma. A person capable of listening to this Dharma is likewise rare.”
It seems very difficult. As I have just explained to everyone, we know that the Buddha-Dharma is really not rare. It is just that if we have not taken it to heart or applied it in our living, then it is as if we have never heard it. There is no difference in having listened or not if we do not retain the Dharma in our minds. Retaining the Dharma in our minds is truly difficult.
Next, the sutra states,
“[The Dharma is] like the udumbara flower, in which all take delight, which heavenly beings and humans prize, yet which only blooms at the right time.”
This is a kind of analogy. The Dharma in this world is like the udumbara flower. A true udumbara flower, according to the Buddha-Dharma, only blooms once every few thousand years. Thus, “all take delight” in it because it is very extraordinary. It only blooms once every few thousand years, so it is not very easy to see. Thus everyone looks forward to the moment the udumbara flower blooms. They really hope to see it. Not only do humans hope to see it, “heavenly beings and humans prize [it].” Heavenly beings also find the blooming of the udumbara flower to be very extraordinary. Yet, it “only blooms at the right time.” From this description, we know that the udumbara flower is an analogy [for the Dharma]. This flower will only appear at the right time. If it is not the right time, it will not bloom.
[The Dharma is] like the udumbara flower, in which all take delight: Udumbara flowers are used as analogies because this flower only appears at the right time and not at any other time. This Dharma also had to wait for the right time.
An udumbara flower blooms only for a great cause. So, it “only appears at the right time and not at any other time.” When it appears, there must be a major reason that it [has bloomed] in this world. And when this flower appears, it also quickly wilts. So, “at the right time” tells us that it takes a long time for the udumbara flower to bloom, only once every few thousand years. It needs the right causes and conditions to bloom. It is only waiting for all its required conditions to come together. We must mindfully wait for this to happen.
This flower waits for the right time to appear, so it blooms “at the right time.”
What are we waiting for? For the right capabilities and opportunities.
These capabilities and opportunities I mentioned refer to the karmic conditions for encountering the Buddha-Dharma. If we encounter [such conditions], we must seize them right away, for they are like the udumbara flower. So, if we do not seize a good opportunity and let it pass, it will disappear.
So, the Lotus Sutra states, “The Buddha told Sariputra that such wondrous Dharma is like the udumbara flower, [its appearance] is very fleeting.”
The Dharma is like the udumbara flower; it appears and disappears in an instant. “Heavenly beings and humans prize [it], yet it only blooms at the right time. At the right time” means that it only appears after a very long period of time. So, heavenly beings greatly admire the appearance of the udumbara flower. This happens when great capabilities, great opportunities and great conditions are about to converge. But, when great capabilities, great opportunities and great conditions come together, it is up to us to quickly seize the moment. If we can seize that moment, it will be with us forever.
For example, every day, you hear the phrase, “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings.” Many branch offices and service centers have been set up in so many different countries. Some countries have official boards of directors. The Living Bodhisattvas in these countries are only working for one thing, “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings.” Isn’t that what everyone reports on at the board meeting?
“For Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings” are six very simple words. They arose from causes and conditions over 50 years ago when my teacher softly said them to me. In that instant, in that span of a thought, I earnestly and quickly accepted them and my course has never wavered. The thought I had at that one moment has affected the rest of my life. It has already spread to many other countries where so many Living Bodhisattvas have appeared. The Buddha’s ideal world of Bodhisattvas from over 2000 years ago can be seen now in these Living Bodhisattvas. Without hesitation, they walk the Bodhisattva-path of giving to others. The power of their love is truly moving.
So, it “blooms only at the right time. The right time” can mean waiting for a very lengthy period of time. “The right time” can also mean that these true principles will exist forever. However, if they appear only once in a long time, then capabilities, opportunities and conditions have converged. This convergence only happens briefly and then it passes. So, we must seize that moment.
The udumbara flower.
“Is very rare and only appears briefly in a long time.”
Truly, only when causes and conditions are met will this happen. So, this is.
“An analogy for how long it takes to appear and how difficult it is to encounter.”
The time when the udumbara flower appears is an analogy for the sutra passages just discussed, how being born human and hearing the Dharma “is [rare] and difficult.” We discussed this earlier. So, for heavenly beings, the udumbara flower appears once every thousand years in their realm. This is even more rare in the human realm. So, we must seize every moment.
Indeed, everyone is a teaching for us. We must always be grateful towards everyone and respectfully accept the appearances they manifest because they help us understand the principles. The manifestation of principles can be found in every person. Through their interpersonal conflicts, we realize how complicated life is and that we are covered by ignorance because of these kinds of habitual tendencies. These appearances allow us to realize the Buddha-Dharma and recognize what ignorance is.
They also help us see how, after we give, we can change lives and become benefactors to others. This teaches us how to walk the Bodhisattva-path. So, we must always treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love. This is how we can walk the Bodhisattva-path without obstructions. Everyone who appears before us teaches us marvelous Dharma. Dear Bodhisattvas, we must always have respect for this world and be grateful to everyone for teaching us. This requires us to always be mindful.