Episode 591 – Sentient Beings’ Father Relieves Their Suffering
>> “The Buddha kindly responds to the world and comes for one great cause. He has compassion for the four kinds of beings as if they were all His only son. With the power of great loving-kindness, He bestows peace and joy upon them. With the power of great compassionate vows, He relieves their suffering.”
>> They do not think to renounce [suffering] nor seek liberation. Therefore, they head east and west in the burning house of the Three Realms. Though they meet with great suffering, they do not see it as a concern.
>> “Sariputra, the Buddha saw this and thus had this thought, ‘As a father to all sentient beings, I should relieve their suffering, and give them the infinite and boundless joy of the Buddha’s wisdom for them to play with.'”
>> The Buddha is the kind father of the four kinds of beings and views all beings equally as His only son. The Buddha gives sentient beings the Dharma-essence of their wisdom-life, the lineage of awakened sentient beings. He cannot bear for them to sink [into suffering], so He devises teachings according to capabilities.
>> It is like how fathers and sons in this world are part of the same bloodline and family lineage. The Buddha is concerned about. His children’s conduct and karma, whether they are good or evil, wise or foolish, bringing blessings or disasters. He does everything He can to give them joy, and with His compassion, He relieves all their suffering.
>> Sentient beings: This refers to all animals with feelings and consciousness. They are born with myriad conditions, so they are the myriad sentient beings. They also go through myriad births and deaths, so they are the myriad sentient beings. Among the Ten Dharma-realms, all beings in the nine other realms outside of the Buddha-realm are considered sentient beings.
>> The Buddha uses the power of great loving-kindness and compassion. “Bringing joy” is the power of great loving-kindness. “Relieving suffering” is the power of great compassion.
>> The elder was shocked and afraid: He was shocked that the children felt no joy and was afraid they would suffer. Thus, he relieves suffering and brings joy. The fears of the kind father are that his children would dally in the burning house, without being aware or afraid.
“The Buddha kindly responds to the world
and comes for one great cause.
He has compassion for the four kinds of beings
as if they were all His only son.
With the power of great loving-kindness,
He bestows peace and joy upon them.
With the power of great compassionate vows,
He relieves their suffering.”
In the Buddha’s compassion, He responds to the human realm and comes for the sake of the one great cause. He constantly gives teachings, and we also constantly take them in. When I speak about this, I am filled with gratitude. For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha repeatedly comes to the human realm. He comes to do only one thing, to “open and reveal” to sentient beings. He feels that compassion for sentient beings.
With loving-kindness, He hopes everyone can become happy. With compassion, He hopes everyone can be relieved of suffering. With feelings of loving-kindness and compassion, He comes here for the sake of sentient beings and treats them all like His child. His singular intention is figuring out how to immediately relieve that suffering.
From the Dalin Tzu Chi hospital, we heard this following story. There was a family of three there, a father and mother accompanying their daughter, who was only 17 years old. They came all the way from Malaysia to Dalin seeking treatment. Their daughter, a few years earlier, felt some aches and pains in her back, which became more intense as time went on. Though they took her to various doctors, her pain grew worse. This went on for a long time, so they brought her to a large hospital. The diagnosis was neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. In particular, her cancer grew in a place that was very difficult to treat.
They went online to do some research. Where in the world was there a doctor who could treat their daughter? They looked online and found. Dr. Chen Jin-cherng of Dalin hospital, who had successfully treated a case like this. He was their only hope, so the parents brought their daughter there.
But sadly, the area around the tumor was completely covered by cancer cells. The cancer had been spreading for a while. The teams constantly thought of ways to help her. Teams of volunteers and medical staff kept her company. For three to four months, day by day they saw this child gradually approach the end of her life. No matter how much pain she was in, she did not once call out, but with a very weak, very feeble and tiny voice, she kept repeating, “Please save me. I want to keep living.”
Although the parents understood that there was less hope for recovery with each passing day, they did everything they could to keep focused on the preciousness of life. Finally, there was nothing that they could do. When the end was near, they said, “She won’t be able to come home with us, so we have some decisions to make. Can we preserve and donate her organs?”
The doctors were very touched to hear this, but when they checked again, they saw that this neurological cancer had already resulted in other complications, and the cancer had spread throughout her body. Every single organ in her body had been affected, even her corneas could not be donated. Originally her parents hoped that she could be a tiny bit of help to someone in the world, but even this slim hope was gone. The volunteers immediately consoled them, “You’ve already done all that you can.” The parents said, “We are grateful! These couple of months we have spent in Taiwan have brought peace to our hearts. The doctors and the medical teams have done everything they could and so have we. This is the way things are; we understand.” So, their daughter passed away here.
See, life is suffering. This is the torment parents face; without regard for anything else, they even came all the way here in their attempt to do everything they could. Sadly, even though the doctors had the compassion of the Buddha, they could not cure her.
Though her physical life could not be saved, looking at her during those three to four months, it seems that she received the loving comfort needed to soothe her, and her parents were able to let go. [Her father] said, “If we had been in Malaysia when we lost our daughter, the two of us might not have been able to deal with this.” So, in coming to Taiwan, ultimately the parents were the ones saved because they were able to let go in the end. The volunteers often shared the Dharma with them, and the doctors did everything they could. So, they were able to be at peace. After the funeral service was over, again and again they expressed their gratitude. This was also a way of relieving suffering.
I often tell everyone that we have to carefully contemplate and weigh our options. Ultimately, why are we here? What are we taking issue over? And so on. The Three Realms are like a burning house. In this burning house, there are many children who continue to linger and play games. They are not afraid of the fire surrounding them that is getting closer; they do not realize this. They still do not understand; they are not aware, not alert and not afraid. They do not renounce [suffering] or seek liberation. Isn’t this a portrait of our lives?
They do not think to renounce [suffering] nor seek liberation. Therefore, they head east and west in the burning house of the Three Realms. Though they meet with great suffering, they do not see it as a concern.
So, we are still not awakened and do not seek liberation. In the burning house of the Three Realms, “They head east and west.” Just as the sun comes up [in the east], a thought of goodness radiates light. But soon, the darkness comes again, just like how the sun sets in the west. This shows how we sentient beings are not knowing, not aware, with no renunciation nor seeking of liberation. When we are deluded by ignorance, this causes unbearable suffering.
So, the following sutra passage begins again with,
“Sariputra, the Buddha saw this and thus had this thought, ‘As a father to all sentient beings, I should relieve their suffering, and give them the infinite and boundless joy of the Buddha’s wisdom for them to play with.'”
Living beings are one of the four kinds of beings, egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born or transformation-born. Not long ago we discussed that the “four kinds of beings” means that all life forms experience one of these four forms of birth. The infinite numbers of sentient beings are all “viewed equally as His only son.” When facing all the beings of these four categories, the Buddha treats them all like His only child.
The Buddha is the kind father of the four kinds of beings and views all beings equally as His only son. The Buddha gives sentient beings the Dharma-essence of their wisdom-life, the lineage of awakened sentient beings. He cannot bear for them to sink [into suffering], so He devises teachings according to capabilities.
The Buddha gives sentient beings the Dharma-essence for their wisdom-life. This lineage of enlightened sentient beings is what the Buddha has passed on to sentient beings hoping we could all attain the Buddha-Dharma, hoping we could turn from delusion to awakening and remain among sentient beings to spread the Buddha-Dharma and turn the Dharma-wheel. This is because “He cannot bear for them to sink [into suffering], so He devises teachings according to capabilities.” He uses various methods to teach sentient beings. No matter what kind of beings they are, the Buddha never abandons or gives up on them.
An analogy would be a father-son relationship. In this world, fathers and sons are part of the same bloodline and family lineage. The Buddha and sentient beings are connected by this lineage of. Dharma-essence and wisdom-life; but their feelings about each other are the same as a father and son who are related by blood.
It is like how fathers and sons in this world are part of the same bloodline and family lineage. The Buddha is concerned about. His children’s conduct and karma, whether they are good or evil, wise or foolish, bringing blessings or disasters. He does everything He can to give them joy, and with His compassion, He relieves all their suffering.
All parents hope that their children will be well-behaved and hope for them to do great things. All parents hope their child will do something which is beneficial and does not hurt other people.
But sentient beings, or people’s children, may be “good or evil, wise or foolish.” Whether they are good or evil, wise or foolish, whether they bring blessings or disasters, all depends on their minds, on the mind that can bring blessings or disasters. With the power of love, parents teach children to be better and to avoid doing the wrong things. If they do not do the wrong things, they will not go astray. This is why parents continue to teach them and continue to help them stay on the right course. So, parents do all they can to help their children be happy, and with compassion, they relieve their suffering.
The Buddha also hopes that sentient beings can eliminate their ignorance and afflictions, stop creating karma, benefit everyone and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This is the Buddha’s mindset.
All living beings are sentient beings. “Sentient” refers to all animals that have both feelings and consciousness.
Sentient beings: This refers to all animals with feelings and consciousness. They are born with myriad conditions, so they are the myriad sentient beings. They also go through myriad births and deaths, so they are the myriad sentient beings. Among the Ten Dharma-realms, all beings in the nine other realms outside of the Buddha-realm are considered sentient beings.
Sentient beings include ants and insects. When they have stopped somewhere, even if we poke them very lightly, they will immediately run away. They are afraid of being hurt because they have feelings and consciousness. Sentient beings have different forms and different names. Monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs are all “born with myriad conditions,” so “they are the myriad sentient beings.” Pigs have the karmic conditions to be pigs. Cows have the karmic conditions to be cows. Chickens, dogs, cats and so on, all kinds of life forms, have been born with that name and in that shape because of the karma they have created. Depending on what they have done, they have created different causes and conditions, thus they are born as that form. This makes them sentient beings.
“They also go through myriad births and deaths.” These life forms, these living things, constantly experience the cycle of birth and death. A dog was born in the shape of a dog. After that dog dies, he may not be reborn as a dog in his next life. Maybe when the dog dies, he has exhausted his karma for being an animal, so he will be reborn as a human. Perhaps after his karma to be a dog has ended, he will be reborn a cow or a horse. He might still need to toil to repay his debts. That is also a possibility.
This is why we go through countless births and deaths, continuing to transmigrate in the Six Realms. The amount of karma we have created determines the number of lives we live. The kind of debt we owe determines the form and way of life we take on to repay our debt. The more we think about this, the scarier it is. These life forms we see in this world include all beings with feelings and consciousness.
Sentient beings are part of the Ten Dharma-realms. In the Ten Dharma-realms, other than Buddhas, the rest are considered “sentient beings.” The Ten Dharma-realms includes the Four Noble and the Six Unenlightened Realms. The Four Noble Realms are the Buddha, Bodhisattva, Hearer and Solitary Realizer Realms. They are all spiritual practitioners with the goal of transcending the Three Realms. The Six Unenlightened Destinies are all within the Three Realms. The Six Unenlightened Destinies are the heaven, asura, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. These are the Six Unenlightened Destinies.
As I have said here, all beings other than Buddhas are still considered sentient beings. This is because a Buddha has awakened to all principles of the universe. Bodhisattvas are still “seeking the path to Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings.” They are still in the state of sentient beings, still seeking and still saving others. This is what Bodhisattvas do. As for Solitary Realizers and Hearers, they are still seeking the Dharma. Then there are the beings in the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. Those beings are even more unenlightened and are still continuing to transmigrate. So, “Outside the Buddha-realm, all beings in the nine other realms, are considered sentient beings.”
To relieve these sentient beings’ sufferings,
The Buddha uses the power of great loving-kindness and compassion. “Bringing joy” is the power of great loving-kindness. “Relieving suffering” is the power of great compassion.
The Buddha has only one goal, to “give them the infinite and boundless joy of the Buddha’s wisdom for them to play with.” The Buddha wants one thing for sentient beings; He hopes they can be like Him and have the same joy of wisdom. If they can eliminate all their afflictions, they can feel peaceful and at ease. This is the state of the Buddha’s joy of wisdom.
The Buddha did not have any afflictions. Since He has already attained enlightenment, He only has worries but no afflictions. Since sentient beings are still sinking, the Buddha will not let them go; He is still concerned and worried for their sake. So, He repeatedly comes to this world for the sole purpose of giving them the lineage of the Dharma-essence and wisdom-life. The awakened sentient beings, the Bodhisattvas, play effortlessly in this world. The Buddha teaches sentient beings with the same state of mind.
As a previous sutra passage stated, “The elder was shocked and afraid.” Seeing this fire burning on all four sides, the elder was scared. What was he scared of? He was scared that the children would continue to linger in the burning house. So, “The elder was shocked and afraid.” Similarly, the Buddha could not bear for sentient beings to face the various kinds of suffering in the Three Realms. So, He came up with many methods to help relieve their suffering. This is how He “gives them the infinite and boundless joy of the. Buddha’s wisdom for them to play with.”
The elder was shocked and afraid: He was shocked that the children felt no joy and was afraid they would suffer. Thus, he relieves suffering and brings joy. The fears of the kind father are that his children would dally in the burning house, without being aware or afraid.
“Shocked” refers to his shock that they felt no joy. He was shocked sentient beings were not happy. He was “scared” that they would suffer; this also caused worry and fear. Lack of joy is suffering. Sentient beings have few joys and much suffering, that was what the Buddha was most afraid of and what made the elder most shocked and afraid. This was why he wanted to relieve suffering and bring joy. To relieve suffering, he exercised the love of his loving-kindness and compassion. This was where the kind father’s shock and fear led him.
He also feared that “His children would dally.” We sentient beings linger in the burning house and seem to find the fire very entertaining. In this burning house, we are not aware, not understanding, not shocked and not afraid. This is what worries the Buddha the most about sentient beings.
So, “The Buddha kindly responds to the world and comes for one great cause, He has compassion for the four kinds of beings as if they were all His only son. With the power of great loving-kindness, He bestows peace and joy upon them.” With various methods, the Buddha helps bring us peace of mind. Thus we can accept the Buddha’s teachings and freely travel in the ocean of Dharma. This is how the power of the Buddha’s great compassionate vows can relieve the suffering of sentient beings. We must further strengthen our resolve to learn the Dharma. Life is filled with unbearable suffering. Therefore, everyone must be self-disciplined, reverent and always mindful.