Episode 455 – Resonate with the Buddha’s Heart
>> “From ancient times until now, the Dharma has been this way. Out of infinite virtuous Dharma, the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles. According to people’s capabilities, He gave suitable Dharma to transform their minds. When the Dharma resonated with their minds, they would comprehend the Dharma.”
>> “Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”
>> Sariputra, you should know, “the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.”
>> Sariputra, the wise one with suitable capabilities should know that this is how all Buddhas teach the Dharma. First They use trillions of skillful means, then They reveal the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.
>> By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable: All Buddhas, according to capabilities, teach trillions of skillful means. If we do not learn the provisional and true teachings of the Buddha, we will not understand what it means to open the provisional to reveal the true.
>> These are the skillful teachings all Buddhas taught out of loving-kindness and sympathy according to capabilities and conditions. But these were actually taught for the sake of the One Vehicle, the great direct path to enlightenment. This was what all Buddhas originally intended to teach.
>> The Buddha, with trillions of skillful means, gave wondrous provisional teachings and guided sentient beings tirelessly. Observing that they had matured in capability and could accept the Great Dharma, He opened the provisional to reveal the true. When disciples who follow the Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and listen to the Dharma are ready to understand, all Buddhas teach them the suitable Dharma.
>> But those who do not study it, will never come to understand this: He lamented the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they have seen the Buddha and Sangha, they refuse to believe and accept [the Dharma]. Those who do not study it will definitely not be able to understand.
“From ancient times until now, the Dharma has been this way.
Out of infinite virtuous Dharma, the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles.
According to people’s capabilities, He gave suitable Dharma to transform their minds.
When the Dharma resonated with their minds, they would comprehend the Dharma.”
I always tell everyone that the Dharma never changes. These principles have been the same from the beginning until now and will remain so even into the future. The principles of all things in the universe also remain the same. Though unconditioned Dharma cannot be seen or touched, if we can continue to eliminate the ignorance in our minds, then the clarity of our intrinsic nature will gradually grow and manifest. We will feel the Dharma drawing closer to our hearts.
All of us must depend on the Buddha’s infinite virtuous Dharma. He had to devise many ways of giving teachings. With the Three Vehicles, the Small Vehicle, Middle Vehicle and Great Vehicle, He taught according to sentient beings’ capacities so that we could be mindful and gradually comprehend the Dharma. This shows the Buddha’s compassion; He always adapted to sentient beings.
What do the hearts and minds of sentient beings need? To adapt to the way we live in this era and figure out how to suit our capabilities, the Buddha had to exercise His wisdom. He could not bear for sentient beings to be lost in mundane matters of the evil world of the Five Turbidities and remain unawaken. So, the Buddha exercised His compassion, and thus had to also apply His wisdom; He exercised both compassion and wisdom.
After we sentient beings receive the Dharma, if we do not take it to heart, then “no Dharma can transform them.” This does not mean the principles are not there; The principles exist, but we are unable to understand them. With compassion and wisdom, the Buddha devised ways to transform us. We listen but then we forget. After hearing it, we do not retain it. Why do we not hold on to it? Because of our habitual tendencies. The Dharma we have heard is great, but when our six sense organs connect with the six sense objects in our conditions, the conditions influence and change our minds.
Since we aspire to engage in spiritual practice, we must be very careful about this. When we take the Dharma into our hearts, we must engrave it in our minds. People in ancient times had a saying, “To forever remember something, I will engrave it on my mind.” They do not just place it there; they carve it in deeply. This is the way to take the Dharma to heart.
Although the Buddha taught skillful means, [what He taught was] actually True Dharma. These principles form this path, which is a road. The Buddha can only tell us the principles of the path; He can only point us north, south, east or west, send us in the right direction. Then who will build this road? We have to build this road ourselves.
Knowing the right direction, we have to work hard. For every inch of this wild road, we must pull the weeds, inch by inch. Once the rocks and weeds are cleared away, it will be easy to walk this road. We must then put our hearts into paving the road to make it smooth. So, this path leads to enlightenment; it is the Bodhi-path. We sentient beings must start by paving a road through this world in the way we work with people and matters. In our daily living, are we on the correct course? Are we living in line with the Dharma that we hear? We must pay close attention to all this. If the things that we do are consistent with the Dharma that we hear, then we are walking on the path to awakening, the Bodhi-path. We need to use this road through the world to connect with the Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path we can connect with has come from countless eons in the past. No matter how ancient the teachings are, the principles remain the same today. We can still apply those principles today.
Indeed, these ancient principles have not changed. However, people living in this modern era do not try to comprehend them. Over 2000 years ago, people wrote and compiled the sutras and used very profound words. Fortunately, there were sages and great teachers who unceasingly expounded the Buddha-Dharma. So, as the times changed, the Buddha-Dharma became more illuminated. Now, the Buddha’s teachings have been passed down to us in this era of advanced modern technology. We must put our hearts into realizing how this path has been walked in the world. With the advanced technology we have today, we can increasingly verify [the truths realized by the Buddha]. The more clear they are to us, the closer we draw to them. So, by paving this road, we get closer to connecting with the Bodhi-path. This great path has always been very direct.
We must, step by step, strengthen our aspirations to walk the path. When we take the Dharma to heart, it is like engraving it on our minds. When we resonate with it, we will understand it because our minds are in harmony with the principles. “Resonance” is more than just meeting something, it is taking it deep into our hearts. Nowadays, when people do business or work on some project, it is very important for them to have a contract. We sign an agreement to describe the terms of our collaboration. These words are written down in an agreement as proof of our resonance. So, when the Dharma resonates with us, when we take the Dharma to heart, it will be imprinted in us forever. Then we know; this is how to walk this road. The vows we make are also like this; we follow our vows to walk [this path]. When our vows converge with our strengths, the Dharma will become very clear in our minds. This is called comprehending the Dharma.
The previous sutra passage states,
“Those who are remorseful and pure will resolutely seek the path to Buddhahood. For people such as these. I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.”
As I said yesterday, part of remorse is being humble. How deep has our previous learning been? In the past, we may have been lax and in many respects, not measured up to others. Now, we must be earnest and practice diligently. This is a true sign of repentance.
We often hear people say, “I feel so remorseful!” If they feel remorse, they must confess it. After confessing it, they must repent and eliminate all their bad habitual tendencies. As for the Dharma we are receiving right now, we must accept it with a very pure heart. Thus can we be considered as one who has resolved to seek the path to Buddhahood. Likewise, as Buddhist practitioners, we must have firm spiritual aspirations. There are many Tzu Chi volunteers like this.
We heard (2013), Yulan, a volunteer from Malaysia, passed away. The news made me very sad. ․She has been in Tzu Chi for 20 years. In 1993, she learned about Tzu Chi. Encountering Tzu Chi made her very happy. She never married and was fully dedicated to Tzu Chi. She took on much of the administrative work for Tzu Chi in Malaysia. She worked on everything from humanistic culture and administration to case visits and international disaster relief. In particular, from 2006 to 2008, she made multiple trips to Sri Lanka. She taught the staff in Sri Lanka how to conduct case visits and give to others. She shared the Jing Si Dharma-lineage and the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism. This one woman, firmly establishing her faith, devoted herself and made multiple trips there.
Indeed, every day she worked there she would write an account of the construction progress in Sri Lanka, the conditions in that country, the suffering of its people, and the innocent and pure youths there who were willing to volunteer with Tzu Chi. She described many things vividly, and left us with a clear history of Tzu Chi’s work in Sri Lanka, which has become a part of the Tzu Chi archive.
She truly lived courageously. In 1997, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she first learned about it, she could not accept it. Later, when she came back to Taiwan, I told her, “This is how life is, but you should not waste a second of it. You need to positively accept things and live in peace with your illness. When you need treatment, focus on being treated. When you need to work, focus on working. Your body may be sick, but you cannot let your mind get sick.” She truly let these words resonate in her heart.
During all these years, she was constantly paving a road for the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism and constantly helping to transmit the teachings of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage. However, she passed away on June 7th. Before she passed, she remained very active. As long as she was able to go outside, she did. As long as she could talk, she shared her experience with others. She said, “During these last critical moments of my life, I want to keep sharing with everyone, even just for one more minute or second.”
Even the care recipients she assisted came to visit her as well, one after another. Whether her visitors were Dharma-relatives, or people she had helped in the past, she greeted them all with a smile, very much at ease, despite being gravely ill. With her every word, she expressed her hope for everyone to help transmit this Dharma-lineage and pave this road through the world. She made full use of her life, up to her last breath. Having observed her journey, I am truly touched by this woman. She “resolutely sought the path to Buddhahood.” She truly resonated with the Dharma and engraved it on her mind.
So, for people like this, “For people such as these, I extensively praise the path of the One Vehicle.” Since her mind never left the Dharma, she took it with her when she passed on and will bring it back when she returns. The Dharma has been deeply engraved on her mind.
So, next, Sakyamuni Buddha continues in the next passage,
Sariputra, you should know, “the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable. But those who do not study it will never come to understand this.”
Sakyamuni Buddha again called out to Sariputra, so everyone who hears the Dharma would know that the Dharma of all Buddhas has been like this from ancient times until now.
Sariputra, the wise one with suitable capabilities should know that this is how all Buddhas teach the Dharma. First They use trillions of skillful means, then They reveal the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.
We sentient beings cannot realize the Dharma of all things in the universe, so the Buddha must use trillions of skillful means to slowly guide and teach us.
You are able to see me speaking here right now. In other parts of Taiwan and across the world, others have the opportunity to see the same image. Once they turn on the computer, no matter where they are, they can also listen to me teaching the Dharma.
They, too, can hear what I am saying right now. You see, this phenomenon is what the Buddha spoke of as spiritual powers. This includes the power of the heavenly eye, of the heavenly ear and of transporting oneself. He already mentioned something like this over 2000 years ago. The principles of the world are so wondrous. Indeed, with the right capabilities, trillions of principles will be clear to us. However, we lack understanding, so the Buddha had to start from the beginning and explain what the principles are. Thus He said that skillful means are also true principles, but because we are paving a road in this world, He teaches us how to be good people and how to pave this road.
If we do not pave this road, how can we connect to the Bodhi-path? There are trillions of methods for paving a road. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. “By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable.”
By means of trillions of skillful means, I teach the Dharma that is suitable: All Buddhas, according to capabilities, teach trillions of skillful means. If we do not learn the provisional and true teachings of the Buddha, we will not understand what it means to open the provisional to reveal the true.
According to people’s capabilities and the conditions they had encountered, at the right place and time, He explained things to everyone and taught them. For those who wanted to learn, they would have the opportunity.
“But those who do not study it,” if they do not want to learn or do not have this resolve or cannot accept it, “will never come to understand this.” This is what the Buddha told Sariputra, who as the wisest, was the recipient of the teachings. When He called to Sariputra, He was calling on all His disciples to awaken, to listen earnestly and to thoroughly understand that all Buddhas teach in the same way. First, They make use of various means to patiently guide people. Only later on do They tell everyone what these teachings ultimately lead to. Doing this requires the use of various methods. These are the skillful teachings of all Buddhas.
These are the skillful teachings all Buddhas taught out of loving-kindness and sympathy according to capabilities and conditions. But these were actually taught for the sake of the One Vehicle, the great direct path to enlightenment. This was what all Buddhas originally intended to teach.
At this time, Sakyamuni Buddha was teaching in the same way that all past Buddhas had. Out of loving-kindness and sympathy, He taught sentient beings according to their capabilities. Actually, He was teaching all this for the sake of the direct path of the One Vehicle. He gave many teachings with the sole purpose of helping everyone build a proper road in this world that would connect directly to the Bodhi-path. This was the original intent of all Buddhas.
Trillions of skillful means were suitably taught. All Buddhas taught according to capabilities with trillions of skillful means.
The Buddha, with trillions of skillful means, gave wondrous provisional teachings and guided sentient beings tirelessly. Observing that they had matured in capability and could accept the Great Dharma, He opened the provisional to reveal the true. When disciples who follow the Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and listen to the Dharma are ready to understand, all Buddhas teach them the suitable Dharma.
However many phenomena exist in the world, the Buddha had to use as many methods to explain them to everyone. Whatever habitual tendencies sentient beings have, He taught ways to address each one of them. If they had trillions of habitual tendencies, He used trillions of methods to teach according to their capabilities.
So, He hoped everyone would understand that. He taught with these kinds of skillful means. Those disciples who studied with the Buddha naturally had the capabilities to be able to [resonate with] His mind. In the past, He had adapted His teachings to them. Now, these sentient beings could directly hear what was in His heart, which was the True Dharma.
Next we will discuss how “those who do not study it, will never come to understand this.”
But those who do not study it, will never come to understand this: He lamented the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they have seen the Buddha and Sangha, they refuse to believe and accept [the Dharma]. Those who do not study it will definitely not be able to understand.
This was what the Buddha lamented. Although some people’s capabilities had matured, there were still those whose had not. This was what the Buddha lamented, the stubbornness of sentient beings. Though they had met the Buddha and became part of the Sangha, some still refused to study and still could not accept the True Dharma. They could not realize it.
In conclusion, to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must resonate with His mind so that we can directly reach our nature of True Suchness, which is to return to our pure intrinsic-nature. Therefore, I hope that everyone can experience this great Bodhi-path. Actually, we need to begin by developing a sense of remorse. We must realize that the Dharma has been this way from ancient times until the present. Have we taken the most important things to heart? If we have, they will be useful for the rest of our lives. By applying the Dharma until the end of our lives, we can remain clear-minded. In the end, we can remind others that we have all agreed to continue this work in our future lives. If we can do this, then we have truly internalized the Dharma.
Dear Bodhisattvas, we must train our minds this way. “When the Dharma resonates with our minds, we will comprehend the Dharma.” That is how we return to our Buddha-nature. Therefore, we must always be mindful.