Episode 473 – By Not Understanding the Buddha
>> “In the past, Sariputra had served the Buddha, from begging for alms in villages, to engaging in spiritual practice in forests. But though he followed the Buddha physically, he did not follow or understand His mind. Now he finally reached an understanding of ultimate reality.”
>> “When I walked in meditation alone, I saw the Buddha among the people, renowned in the ten directions, widely benefiting sentient beings. I felt that I had failed to receive this benefit and had deceived myself.”
>> “Constantly, day and night, every time I contemplated this matter, I wished to ask the World-Honored One whether or not my practices were correct.”
>> Constantly, day and night, [I] contemplated this matter: This means he could not understand. He wanted to respectfully ask the Buddha to verify whether or not the spiritual practices he engaged in would cause him to lose out on the Great [Vehicle] Dharma.
>> For a long time, he constantly surmised that he had failed to attain the. Great [Vehicle] Dharma of benefiting others. He reflected on himself and thought about how he truly could not compare to the Buddha. He wondered if His practice had gone astray, and whether his practices were correct or not.
>> The Buddha actually gave teachings impartially. It was he who did not learn the Bodhisattva Way. He did not form great aspirations and instead clung to the. Small Vehicle Dharma of benefiting himself. So, he wondered about and regretted what he lost.
>> Whether his practices were correct or not: If they were incorrect, he missed out on this opportunity. Even if they were correct, he was still not the same as Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas received praise but he and the others were scolded. Therefore, day and night he contemplated this. Now he listened to the Buddha’s fitting teachings.
“In the past, Sariputra had served the Buddha,
from begging for alms in villages,
to engaging in spiritual practice in forests.
But though he followed the Buddha physically,
he did not follow or understand His mind.
Now he finally reached an understanding of ultimate reality.”
We are still talking about Sariputra’s mindset. I have been discussing his state of mind in hopes of bettering our understanding. Sariputra was foremost in wisdom and had followed the Buddha for a very long time. In the Buddha’s 40-plus years of teaching, Sariputra had mostly been by His side.
But after more than 40 years, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, the Buddha set aside skillful means for the direct. Beginning with this moment, Sariputra began to doubt himself. “Have the spiritual practices I engaged in been in accord with the Buddha’s mind? The Buddha always praised Bodhisattvas, but will I ever become a Bodhisattva?” Thus, he kept doubting himself.
“In the past, Sariputra had served the Buddha.” He had followed the Buddha closely. Now he questioned whether, though he had always been close to the Buddha, he was just mirroring the Buddha’s actions in His daily living. Was this all that he had done? Maybe he had not understood the Buddha’s mind. Sariputra reflected on himself, and felt he had not yet followed the Buddha’s mind. He still had not understood the Buddha’s intent. What the Buddha taught and what he had realized were totally different; he had only focused on self-awakening. He was not yet like the Bodhisattvas who had heard the same Dharma but could apply it in different ways and could form great aspirations and vows.
Then, at the time of the Lotus Dharma-assembly, he finally “reached an understanding.” He attained some realizations about how he had not been in accord with the Buddha’s mind. Now he finally understood that, though the Buddha constantly expounded the Dharma with provisional teachings, they actually contained wondrous Dharma within. He gave wondrous and provisional teachings, “wondrous” meaning true principles and “provisional” meaning skillful means. Thus, skillful means contained true principles. This was what Sariputra was thinking; this was what he finally understood.
In this sutra passage, we must have a deep comprehension of how. Sariputra continued his self-reflection. The previous sutra passage states,
“When I walked in meditation alone, I saw the Buddha among the people, renowned in the ten directions, widely benefiting sentient beings. I felt that I had failed to receive this benefit and had deceived myself.”
Sariputra reproached himself for his arrogance. “I thought that I was already able to realize ten things when the Buddha taught one. People always praised me as foremost in wisdom. I thought I could understand all Buddha-Dharma. When He says one thing, I can realize ten things.” This was how he deceived himself. This was his self-reproach.
Yesterday I also mentioned how. Sariputra felt, because he was foremost in wisdom, that he was renowned in all five regions of India. Everyone in India knew him and had heard his name. However, the Buddha was “renowned in the ten directions.” His name had spread in the ten directions and everyone in the world knew about Him. How could he compare himself to the Buddha? This is what we discussed yesterday.
The following sutra text states,
“Constantly, day and night, every time I contemplated this matter, I wished to ask the World-Honored One whether or not my practices were correct.”
As Sariputra engaged in spiritual practice, he always had this doubt. He had followed the Buddha in the past. The Buddha was always widely benefiting others, so in his mind, he had given rise to these kinds of doubts.
For example, they spent some time in a village where they often saw a very young girl who was not much more than ten years old. This girl wore tattered clothing and seemed to be in poor circumstances. They watched her beg. She looked very forlorn, but those who gave her things grew fewer and fewer in number. People felt that if they gave her something whenever she appeared, they would have to support her indefinitely. So, gradually, this girl began to go hungry because no one wanted to give her any food.
At this time, the Buddha told Ananda, “Ananda, give that girl something to eat.” After doing so once, twice, thrice, five times, Sariputra began to disapprove. He thought to himself that the Buddha always encouraged people to give, to make offerings to the Sangha and the Buddha. Why then did the Buddha always ask Ananda to share their food with this girl whenever they saw her? Sariputra did not approve of this. This was something that had happened in the past.
But at this time, the Buddha was teaching the Bodhisattva Way, that all sentient beings are equal so everyone must broaden their loving hearts to benefit all sentient beings. As Sariputra contemplated this, he inevitably thought about the past and how, when the Buddha went among people, He showed such great compassion for them, and not just in words. When He encountered this girl, He felt compassion and told the Sangha, Ananda in particular, to share some food with her. As he recalled this, Sariputra realized how narrow his heart had been. While the Buddha was benefiting sentient beings, he still disapproved of it. That was Sariputra’s mindset back then. So, he began to think about the past, day and night. No matter how small the matter was, Sariputra would ponder it.
He understood that the Buddha benefited people not just by giving them teachings. His teachings taught everyone to put their hearts into giving. Sentient beings suffer because they did not create blessings in the past but created evil causes, thus they lack blessed conditions in this lifetime. They suffer from poverty and no one is willing to give to them. Though they suffer hardship, no one has sympathy for them. This is due to what happened in past lifetimes. Although the Buddha wanted everyone to know how our past lifetimes [affected the present], when He saw those who were suffering from their karmic retributions, and lacked physical nourishment, the food to sustain their lives, the Buddha still encouraged people to give to them. This is walking the Bodhisattva-path.
We must be able to give away tangible things. After we see how these things put people at peace in body and mind, we feel joy; this is the Buddha’s teaching. When we give from our hearts, we begin with small things. Our stinginess and deviation from the Dharma also began with a tiny thought that closed off our minds. Although this sounds very simple, Sariputra finally realized that a single thought of close-mindedness hindered him from cultivating good deeds and the Bodhisattva Way. So, Sariputra said. “Constantly, day and night, every time I contemplated this matter….”
As we always say, those who have money can contribute money, those who have strength can contribute strength. Those with no money can also contribute strength. We have gone beyond this now. We are still saying that those with money give money, those with strength give strength. But now as we help the poor, we share with them, “You have wealth in your hearts” and also tell them how to discover that spiritual wealth. So, when we help them, we encourage them by teaching them the spirit of the Bamboo Banks, 50 cents can save people; 10 cents can also save people, so long as people renew this aspiration every day. Drops of water can, when gathered together, fill a whole barrel. This is the concept.
This year (2013) we have seen how the. Bodhisattvas in South Africa continue to “transform everyone they meet.” As I continued to watch their story, I continued to be very moved. They continued to move forward and brought the volunteers from Harrismith with them to visit the poor and teach them how to interact with those in need. After the volunteers visited each family, their neighbors were very curious about them so they followed our Bodhisattvas from Durban and Harrismith. Thus more and more people joined them.
As they all walked together, the volunteers told them, “My life has also been filled with suffering. After volunteering with Tzu Chi, I became happy. I have seen people who suffered more than me.” As they walked, they used the opportunity to speak to those who had just joined them. As these experienced volunteers walked, they used this opportunity to guide those who had followed them. So, they were also teaching the Dharma. They taught them with their own [realizations] and led them to see teachings in other people. So, they learned to “read” those sutras.
They visited many families [whose situations] were very heartbreaking to see. Among them, there was an old grandmother who had to take care of a four-month-old infant. Our volunteers wanted to know what happened, so the neighbors further explained their suffering. The mother was actually only 17 and had been orphaned at a young age. She was like a homeless girl. Eventually, she met a young man. They entered a relationship and had a child. Then they found out the young man had AIDS. They still had this baby. After birth, the baby remained with the grandmother. The young man died. Then this young mother was led astray by some other villagers. So, she left the family. As these volunteers listened to her story, some of them cried along with this grandma. Some said, “How could her life be so sad?”
Then they heard someone say they had brought the baby’s mother. She was a very skinny, petite young woman. Her appearance was very dirty and sloppy. Everyone shook their heads when they saw her. Then, Gladys Ngema (Tzu Di), the lead volunteer who is one of the more senior Bodhisattvas in Durban, immediately began to counsel this young woman. The volunteers told this young woman, “Come back and watch over this family. Come back and take care of your child.” When her neighbors saw how warm-hearted and loving the volunteers were, they came forward to say, “I live nearby. I can come and help this family. Don’t worry. I will help you to take care of them.” So, in this village, more volunteers emerged.
There are many poor families like this. In these places they inspired people to volunteer and follow [in the Tzu Chi volunteers’] footsteps. Their volunteer work makes them very happy. There are many stories like this one. They are truly able to “transform everyone they meet.” On this trip to visit impoverished areas, they encountered 35 people who aspired to help others. They signed up immediately, which meant that we immediately had 35 new volunteers. So, this is how Living Bodhisattvas emerge in this world.
In Sariputra’s lifetime, many people lived in poverty. The Buddha wanted people to help them by practicing the Bodhisattva-path. At that time, Sariputra did not really understand, so he constantly wanted to ask the World-Honored One. “He wanted to respectfully ask the Buddha” to verify whether the way he engaged in spiritual practice was correct.
Constantly, day and night, [I] contemplated this matter: This means he could not understand. He wanted to respectfully ask the Buddha to verify whether or not the spiritual practices he engaged in would cause him to lose out on the Great [Vehicle] Dharma.
This was the course he was on, but was it right? As we just discussed, he sometimes had doubts in his mind that he did not speak of. That was when he practiced Small Vehicle Dharma. Now he felt he should raise this question. “I wished to ask the World-Honored One whether or not my practices were correct.”
For a long time, he constantly surmised that he had failed to attain the. Great [Vehicle] Dharma of benefiting others. He reflected on himself and thought about how he truly could not compare to the Buddha. He wondered if His practice had gone astray, and whether his practices were correct or not.
For a long time, for decades, he listened to the Buddha’s teachings and saw Him put His heart into saving people. As he did, the same question always came up, and he constantly contemplated whether or not his thinking was correct. In the past, he had just wanted to awaken himself, eliminate his ignorance and no longer create karmic connections. This was his thinking in the past. When he saw the Buddha encouraging people to give, he did not feel the same way. But now he felt he had to ask, “Have I strayed from practicing the Bodhisattva-path?” Thus he “failed to attain the. Great [Vehicle] Dharma of benefiting others.” He had already lost sight of benefiting others. He only wanted to benefit himself, not others. Wasn’t that his loss?
“He reflected on himself and thought about how he truly could not compare to the Buddha.” In retrospect, he truly could not compare; his thinking was indeed flawed. Now, he had finally understood that the Buddha taught impartially. He understood that the Buddha truly gave teachings impartially. It was he who did not learn the Bodhisattva Way. It was Sariputra himself who did not want to learn the Bodhisattva Way or form great aspirations. He had clung to the Small Vehicle Dharma of benefiting himself. So, he wondered about and regretted what he lost.
The Buddha actually gave teachings impartially. It was he who did not learn the Bodhisattva Way. He did not form great aspirations and instead clung to the. Small Vehicle Dharma of benefiting himself. So, he wondered about and regretted what he lost.
He had always wondered, “Why do we still have to help other people?” He always questioned this. Now he questioned himself, “Why do I not help others?”
This was his self-reproach. So, he asked the Buddha “whether or not [his] practices were correct.” Was the way he had engaged in spiritual practice the reason he lost sight of benefiting others? He had engaged in spiritual practice to eliminate afflictions and avoid creating karmic connections with others. Was that the right thing to do or not? Now he constantly wanted to ask these questions.
Whether his practices were correct or not: If they were incorrect, he missed out on this opportunity. Even if they were correct, he was still not the same as Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas received praise but he and the others were scolded. Therefore, day and night he contemplated this. Now he listened to the Buddha’s fitting teachings.
If his practices were not correct, Sariputra would clearly know that he lacked the karmic conditions to be a Bodhisattva. Everyone can attain Buddhahood, but if he did not walk the Bodhisattva-path, he would not have created karmic connections with sentient beings, would not have the karmic conditions to become a Bodhisattva, and would not create blessings. Thus his practice would be incorrect. If his practice was correct, if he was correct in benefiting himself, [then why] were Bodhisattvas praised while he still had to practice the Small Vehicle, asking for alms every day, not forming any good karmic affinities? Sometimes he was even criticized. So, “He and the others were scolded”; people would reject them. “Therefore, day and night he contemplated this.” Because of this, he spent day and night in contemplation.
Now he heard the Buddha say that. He taught according to dispositions, so Sariputra’s doubts were gradually resolved. We must be very mindful of Sariputra’s mindset; I hope every day all of us will try to realize it. So, we must always be mindful.