Episode 807 – Weed Out Delight in the Small to Push Forward
>> During the Agama period, the Buddha kindly and patiently taught according to capacities. The disciples followed His teachings and practiced accordingly, and their minds came to embody faith. Knowing the Dharma, they came and went without difficulties but lacked great aspirations. During the Vaipulya period, He taught the true and the provisional, but it was up to them to accept and uphold it.
>> “Furthermore, as Tathagata-wisdom was opened, revealed and taught for the Bodhisattvas, we ourselves never had such aspirations.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> “Why is this so? Knowing we took delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, He exercised the power of skillful means to teach in ways to accommodate us, but we did not know that truly we were Buddha-children.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> Then he reiterated the meaning of never having such aspirations. It was because The Buddha knew we delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma that He used skillful and provisional means to teach according to our capabilities.
>> It was all to weed out the delight we took in the Small and vigorously spur us to advance forward and resolve to make great vows.
>> We did not know that in the past, when He turned the teachings to hand us His riches, we already were truly Buddha-children of the Great Vehicle, thus we had no resolve to seek it.
>> This is like the poor son who received instructions to receive and be in charge of all those things, but still had no wish to take even a meal for himself.
>> There are several meanings to this passage: Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom. Because we were attached to the wages of Nirvana we had already attained, we had no aspiration to seek the Great Vehicle.
>> Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom.
>> There are several meanings to this passage: Third, we thought the Tathagata-wisdom taught by the Buddha was solely for the Bodhisattvas, so we had absolutely no such aspirations. Actually, the Buddha accommodated our capabilities and nature with the provisional teachings of the Small Vehicle. But though we were stubborn, we were truly Buddha-children.
>> Through the teachings of universal wisdom, they could destroy greed, anger, ignorance and all such unwholesome phenomena, extinguish the suffering of samsara and attain supreme enlightenment. Whether heavenly beings or humans, ordinary beings or noble beings, those still in the world or those who have already transcended it all offer Him respect. Thus, He is called “World-Honored One”.
“During the Agama period, the Buddha kindly and patiently taught according to capacities.
The disciples followed His teachings and practiced accordingly, and their minds came to embody faith.
Knowing the Dharma, they came and went without difficulties but lacked great aspirations.
During the Vaipulya period, He taught the true and the provisional, but it was up to them to accept and uphold it.”
For spiritual practitioners, the Buddha mindfully adapted to our capabilities in order to teach us the principles of spiritual practice. For those with shallow capacities, when they first come in contact with the Buddha-Dharma, the Buddha used the Agama teachings. The Agama sutras are entirely an adaptation to the capabilities of sentient beings. When someone had afflictions, they requested teachings from the Buddha. When someone was suffering, they came to ask the Buddha for relief. The Buddha adapted to their capabilities and to what it was they needed in order to explain the Buddha-Dharma to them. This helped to put their minds at ease and allowed them to be liberated from afflictions. This was the Buddha’s mindfulness in expounding the Agama teachings. He taught according to capabilities, giving teaching to patiently guide them.
For those who followed and stayed with Him in spiritual practice, He also did the same. As He observed these monastic practitioners in the process of their spiritual practice, some were still bound by afflictions. Some of them were new to monastic life and had not yet acquired much Buddha-Dharma. So, the Buddha needed to classify the teachings into categories and give the Dharma according to capabilities. Thus, His disciples followed all these teachings and “practiced accordingly.” They practiced according to the teachings. As they followed the Buddha’s way of teaching, when their capabilities differed, He provided different methods to teach them. So, their “minds came to embody faith,” letting them peacefully engage in spiritual practice.
Without inner faith and acceptance, how can one maintain one’s external practice as a monastic in a monastery? So, those who know the Dharma can come and go without difficulties. He helped them learn the Dharma and accept it. But were they able to apply it? Have we taken the Dharma to heart or is it only on the outside, where we cannot use it? Some people were able to make use of it.
Although Buddha started with the Agama and then the Vaipulya, from the beginning He taught the Great Vehicle. His teachings turned from the Small to the Great, but some spiritual practitioners still sought only to benefit themselves. They had not yet formed great aspirations. So, “with skillful means,” He “taught the true and the provisional.” The Buddha had to resort to using skillful means, but these contained teachings of ultimate reality. The One Reality and the One True Vehicle were also gradually taught with skillful means.
In the Vaipulya teachings, both the true and the provisional were taught. He taught the Great and Small Vehicles in parallel. Do we only want to accept the Small Vehicle and remain stuck in benefiting ourselves? Or have we already understood that we must also benefit others? In this way, how we accept the Dharma and how we uphold it is up to us. The Buddha taught the Dharma according to the capabilities of sentient beings. He put a lot of effort into this; He was very mindful. If we still cannot accept [the Dharma], we are lacking the Buddha’s compassionate resolve to transform [sentient beings]. So, we must always be mindful.
The previous sutra passage states, “Furthermore, as Tathagata-wisdom was opened, revealed and taught for the Bodhisattvas, we ourselves never had such aspirations.”
The Buddha in His wisdom gave teachings to all Bodhisattvas. In the Vaipulya sutras, Bodhisattvas came to request teachings, so the Buddha taught them the Great Vehicle Dharma, opening and revealing the Bodhisattva Way. However, though the monastic disciples also heard it, they did not form aspirations. They felt going among people was not their business. Thus they did not form aspirations.
The next sutra passage states, “Why is this so? Knowing we took delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, He exercised the power of skillful means to teach in ways to accommodate us, but we did not know that truly we were Buddha-children.”
The Buddha knew that although we had an understanding of the Dharma, we still delighted in and stubbornly clung to the Small [Vehicle] Dharma. Therefore, it was in the Vaipulya period that He began teaching the Great Vehicle Dharma. During this time, He started to be more forceful “[He taught] in ways to accommodate us.” He adapted the teachings to our capabilities and guided us. The Buddha cherishes us all as His only son, and He also hopes that His disciples can accept His Dharma and carry on the His wisdom-life. However, we still did not recognize that we truly are Buddha-children. We were still not aware of this. This is providing a further explanation.
Then he reiterated the meaning of never having such aspirations. It was because The Buddha knew we delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma that He used skillful and provisional means to teach according to our capabilities.
Subhuti was describing his state of mind one more time. That is why he said, “Why is this so?” He was saying what was on his mind, that they had delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma Then he reiterated “the meaning of never having such aspirations.” It was because “The Buddha knew we delighted in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma” that He “used skillful and provisional means to teach according to our capabilities.” At this time, the Buddha had already started to use skillful means to patiently guide us. This demonstrates the Buddha’s compassion; with the power of skillful means, He “taught according to our capabilities.” This was all in order to weed out the delight we took in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma
It was all to weed out the delight we took in the Small and vigorously spur us to advance forward and resolve to make great vows.
We must begin to quickly transcend our delight in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma and “vigorously spur ourselves to advance forward.” Now we can no longer remain stuck in only benefiting ourselves. We must no longer be indolent but must move forward diligently and “resolve to make great vows.”
We encountered the Buddha-Dharma in this life, so why don’t we make the effort to quickly take the Dharma to heart? How much longer do we have in this life? We have no idea. So, we must be diligent and make the great vows.
“But we did not know that we are truly Buddha-children.” We were still indolent, because we still did not yet recognize that we all have an intrinsic nature of True Suchness. We originally had abundant family wealth, but we do not know we are children of a wealthy home. So, it says, “We did not know that in the past, when He turned the teachings to hand us His riches, we already were truly Buddha-children of the Great Vehicle, thus we had no resolve to seek it.”
“We did not know that in the past, when He turned the teachings to hand us His riches, we already were truly Buddha-children of the Great Vehicle, thus we had no resolve to seek it.”
We still recall the previous sutra passages where the elder had guided his child. This child who had been wandering outside had, after much difficulty, returned to his own home. Likewise, [the Buddha] opened the treasury vault, the door to the treasury of wealth, for us to see inside. Inside there were so many treasures of every shape and color stored there. “In the past” refers to that time when the Buddha patiently guided us from the Agama teachings to the Vaipulya to the Prajna teachings. He had already been teaching us. It was already the time when. “He turned the teachings to hand us His riches. We already were truly Buddha-children of the Great Vehicle.” By that time, we should have known, however, “We had no aspiration to seek it.” We did not seek it; we did not yet want it. Even though we saw these treasures before us, we still did not want them
“This is like the poor son who received instructions to receive and be in charge of all those things, but still had no wish to take even a meal for himself.”
Earlier, we already mentioned how, although we had seen these things, we still did not feel like they belonged to us. So, we still did not ask for them or take them.
There are several meanings to this passage: Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom. Because we were attached to the wages of Nirvana we had already attained, we had no aspiration to seek the Great Vehicle.
This passage contains many meanings. It means, “First, the World-Honored One knew that we were attached to our desires.” He knew we were ordinary people who had not eliminated our unenlightened mindset. So, we were “attached to our desires,” delighting in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, “so He did not specifically explain to us that we too had a part in the Great Vehicle.” We still continued to play within the Small Vehicle Dharma, thinking only about eliminating our afflictions. “I have already eliminated ignorance. I have already gotten rid of my afflictions.” Benefiting ourselves was the only thing we sought. This is also a kind of desire. Because our minds still craved merits and virtues, we only engaged in spiritual practice for them. The Buddha was aware of this, so He did not teach us the Great Vehicle Dharma nor did He differentiate it for us to understand. At that time, we were not yet able to accept it
There are several meanings to this passage: Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom. Because we were attached to the wages of Nirvana we had already attained, we had no aspiration to seek the Great Vehicle.
“Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom.” Beginning with the Four Noble Truths, the Tathagata’s wisdom was already concealed within. Because we face “suffering,” He started by analyzing it. Its “causation” is the accumulation of afflictions. From that point, He went into the Agama teachings. In the Agama period, He taught the law of karma. These teachings also contain the Buddha’s wisdom.
The Buddha’s provisional teachings already contain. Tathagata-wisdom, but people “were attached to the wages of Nirvana they had already attained.” So, they thought that with the Dharma He taught, they had already eliminated their afflictions and attained that tranquil and still state. Therefore, they were still attached to that state. They “had no aspiration to seek the Great Vehicle.” They felt they had put in hard work and service, so this was enough for them
There are several meanings to this passage: Third, we thought the Tathagata-wisdom taught by the Buddha was solely for the Bodhisattvas, so we had absolutely no such aspirations. Actually, the Buddha accommodated our capabilities and nature with the provisional teachings of the Small Vehicle. But though we were stubborn, we were truly Buddha-children.
Third, it goes on to say, “We thought the Tathagata-wisdom taught by the Buddha was solely for the Bodhisattvas.” They thought the Buddha’s teaching on that state of wisdom was solely for Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas need transcendent wisdom. So, they thought transcending their selfishness, transcending the mindset of Solitary Realizers, was a higher-level wisdom. They thought that this was something the Buddha taught only to Bodhisattvas and that it had nothing to do with them. For this reason, they still had no aspirations. “Actually, the Buddha accommodated our capabilities and nature with provisional teachings of the Small Vehicle.” Yet they were still stubborn and still had not yet understood that they were also Buddha-children.
They thought their capabilities were limited. But at this time, they saw Sariputra receive the prediction of Buddhahood. It turned out that Small Vehicle practitioners could also attain Buddhahood in the future. This future of course was a long time away. Although it would take a long time, they had to start forming aspirations right away. No matter how long it will take, we need to begin to walk the Bodhi-path.
Second, the skillful means and provisional teachings taught by the Buddha already contained the teaching of Tathagata-wisdom.
Through the teachings of universal wisdom, they could destroy greed, anger, ignorance and all such unwholesome phenomena, extinguish the suffering of samsara and attain supreme enlightenment. Whether heavenly beings or humans, ordinary beings or noble beings, those still in the world or those who have already transcended it all offer Him respect. Thus, He is called “World-Honored One”.
So, “Through the teachings of universal wisdom, they could destroy greed, anger, ignorance and all such unwholesome phenomena,” eliminate the suffering of transmigration and attain supreme, unsurpassed enlightenment. Then heavenly beings, ordinary people and sages, whether of the world or world-transcending, would all respect them.
So, if we can really apply wisdom, the Prajna of true emptiness, and then enter the state of wondrous existence, naturally we will be able to achieve the same level as the Buddha. The worldly and world-transcending principles will be very clear to us.
We must know that the Buddha-Dharma is to be practiced in this world. If we are not mindful and do not engage in spiritual practice as humans, in the future, if we are in another of the Five Destinies, if afflictions arise within us in a future life, then afflictions and ignorance will arise life after life. Then we may fall into the Three Evil Destinies. That is why the Buddha asked the disciples to be mindful. We must not indulge ourselves; we need to seize the time and safeguard the door to our six senses.
For example, during the Buddha’s lifetime, after a Dharma-assembly, everyone would come together to discuss the Dharma. One day, a group of senior monks had a discussion after listening to the Buddha’s teaching. They wondered about these “Six Roots” He had mentioned. Do our eyes see external phenomena and hold on to the phenomena? Or is it the external phenomena that entangle our eyes and sense of sight? Do our ears hold on to the sound? Or is it the sound entangling our ears? In any case, when eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, the Six Roots, connect to external phenomena, do external phenomena tie up our Six Roots? Or do our Six Roots themselves entangle external phenomena, causing our minds to be so restless? Which way does it actually work? Everybody joined the discussion.
Citra the elder happened to come in. He saw this group of senior bhiksus discussing the door to the six senses. He found it very interesting, so he stood by the side and listened. Everybody saw the elder arrive. “Elder, what do you think?”
Elder Citra said, “Each of you venerable bhiksus, are so hard-working. The Buddha just finished expounding teachings, and all of you are so diligently discussing them. During your discussion, I was listening to you. In my opinion, it is not the eyes that entangle the external phenomena, and it is also not the external phenomena that entangle our Six Roots. As an analogy, one black ox and one white ox, these two oxen, are bound together by a leather rope. Once the two are tied together, we invite people to see them. Is the white ox tying up the black ox? or is the black ox entangling the white ox? If people see this, I believe that they would say that it is neither the black ox entangling the white nor the white ox entangling the black one. It should be said it is the leather rope that ties these two oxen together.”
The elder continued to say, “This rope is like the greed and desires in our minds. The Buddha often tells us that it is our minds that cause us to connect with external phenomena, giving rise to desires. This is how afflictions arise. Then it is our afflictions that entangle us and multiply our ignorance. It is not our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind that crave the external phenomena of form, [sound], smell, taste, touch and thought. They do not entangle one another. It is our desirous thoughts in between [that entangle both]. Once these desirous thoughts arise, we produce so many afflictions. If I explain it this way, does it sound right?”
These senior bhiksus replied, “You have our sincere admiration! You are indeed one who is knowledgeable and experienced in society, thus you can clearly comprehend the Buddha’s teachings. When a thought of desire arises, we connect with all kinds of external phenomena and produce afflictions.” This really proves that. “Lay Bodhisattvas have great wisdom.”
So, we need to be mindful. I hope that we will always be diligent and continually elevate our wisdom. If we do not transform ourselves in this lifetime, in which lifetime will we transform ourselves? We must not again become stuck in a state of limited resolve, delighting in the Small [Vehicle]. We must always be mindful.