Episode 811 – Do Not Remain a Hearer; Vow to Become a Buddha
>> Perfectly enlightened, the Buddha taught them to make vows and not linger as Hearers or follow heretical teachings. In the past, at the Vaipulya assemblies, He was in fact already teaching the Great Vehicle Dharma. When we make vows and put Bodhi into practice, the great path directly takes us to the attainment of Buddhahood.
>> “In this sutra, He expounds only the One Vehicle. When previously, in front of the Bodhisattvas, He disparaged the Hearers and those who delighted in the Small [Vehicle] the Buddha was in truth teaching and transforming with the Great Vehicle.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> “That is why we said that we never had the resolve to seek it. Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us. All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> This accords with the previous sutra passage: Having already attained this, we gave rise to great joy. We felt this was enough. The analogy of attaining joy also matches the previous chapter’s analogy of the joy at attaining the great white ox-cart.
>> Thus we say that, before, we did not know to seek the causes and effects of the Great Vehicle. Although we now know, we still do not seek them, as in fact we already obtained them long before. We are in truth Buddha-children, so how can we not be joyful?
>> Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us: The Buddha is free and at ease with all Dharma, so He is called the Dharma-king. The Chapter on Parables says: I am the Dharma-king, as I am free and at ease with the Dharma. It means that incalculable treasures had been attained without being expected. So it says, [They] have spontaneously come to us.
>> All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained: This refers to Great Nirvana, the Dharmakaya we are all replete with. This is prajna, liberation, permanence, joy, self, purity and so on. These true treasures of infinite merit and virtue are the only great treasures, whether worldly or world-transcending.
>> All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained: This says that since we are like Buddha-children, [we must] take on the Buddha’s teachings and transmit the Dharma-lineage of Buddha-wisdom, which we were originally replete with yet never acted upon simply because it was covered by ignorance.
>> All that should be attained by the Buddha-children and others is what, in the past, at the Vaipulya and Prajna assemblies, all of the Buddha-children should have obtained. We have now already obtained this, so our great resolve is unlocked and used to attain [the fruits] of cultivation. This is the meaning of attaining joy.
“Perfectly enlightened, the Buddha taught them to make vows
and not linger as Hearers or follow heretical teachings.
In the past, at the Vaipulya assemblies, He was in fact already teaching the Great Vehicle Dharma. When we make vows and put Bodhi into practice, the great path directly takes us to the attainment of Buddhahood.”
Do you understand? Perfect enlightenment [comes from] the most complete and perfect teachings. I hope that by receiving these teachings, we can attain perfect realization from the Dharma. This is great perfect mirror wisdom. In the past I have always told everyone that. I hope we can attain wisdom that is truly completely and perfectly enlightened. This is our goal. The Buddha taught for more than 40 years. Beginning with the Small [Vehicle Dharma], the Four Noble Truths, He let us know that life is full of suffering. This is the starting point of spiritual practice. If we do not recognize our suffering, we will not think to transcend this suffering. So, we must examine the question, where does suffering come from?
Thus, the Buddha taught us about “causation,” how we accumulate of all kinds of afflictions. When a discursive thought arises, we connect to external conditions. When we connect to external conditions, we give rise to many thoughts of greed and desire. When greed and desires arise, our minds chase after external things, and we begin to create all kinds of karma through our speech and action. Or, knowing that life is full of suffering, we seek to be liberated. But if we are not careful, we will walk toward a deviant path and develop deviant understandings and deviant views. Then when we want to turn back, it will be very difficult.
Or, if we are clearly on the right path, but we hesitate in one spot and become stuck, unwilling to advance forward, we will only practice for our own benefit. Hearers merely listen to the Dharma. Having learned the Buddha’s teachings, they know to earnestly understand the principles and eliminate afflictions. The Buddha gave them this encouragement, but they thought it was only for people who formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. “He was encouraging those who were interested and willing to go among people to help them. He was saying these things for people like this; it has nothing to do with us.”
So, we must understand that. “Perfectly enlightened, the Buddha taught them to make vows,” which means He wanted us all to form aspirations and make great vows. We must not linger as Hearers or follow heretical teachings. We should continuously move forward. When we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we should follow the way it is taught. From the Agama to the Vaipulya to the Prajna to the Lotus teachings, which are the complete and perfect teachings, we must take them all in.
In the past, He taught us how to look for the principles of the world and how to experience the Dharma. As we live in this world, one thought that forms can cause us to face all kinds of suffering and joy and so on. We must understand the principles and avoid lingering. “In the past, at the Vaipulya assemblies, He was in fact already teaching the Great Vehicle Dharma.” His teachings at the Vaipulya assemblies already contained the Great Vehicle Dharma “[We] make vows and put Bodhi into practice.” At that time we should have been able to start forming aspirations to walk the great, direct Bodhi path until we attain the state of Buddhahood. The Buddha used these methods to teach us.
The Dharma is taught impartially. The Buddha shows compassion to all equally; He considers all sentient beings His children. The Buddha treats everyone the same; it is we who draw distinctions and choose to linger as Solitary Realizers,
stopping with the Small Vehicle Dharma. The previous sutra passage states, “In this sutra, He expounds only the One Vehicle. When previously, in front of the Bodhisattvas, He disparaged the Hearers and those who delighted in the Small [Vehicle] the Buddha was in truth teaching and transforming with the Great Vehicle.”
“This sutra” is the Lotus Sutra; at this assembly the Buddha had one goal, to expound the One Vehicle Dharma. At this assembly, His one and only hope was that everyone would set aside the Small for the Great. By letting go of their Small Vehicle perspective, they could turn toward accepting great teachings. This was the Buddha’s goal in teaching the Lotus Sutra, the One Vehicle Dharma.
But He had started with the Vaipulya teachings in the past. “Previously” means [the Vaipulya period], when “in front of the Bodhisattvas,” He had begun to encourage everyone to walk the Bodhisattva-path and had criticized “the Hearers and those who delighted in the Small [Vehicle].” He began to say that practicing only for their own benefit was not right. So, “He disparaged the Hearers and those who delighted in the Small [Vehicle].” It was during the Vaipulya period that the Buddha began to tell people not to linger in the Small Vehicle Dharma.
In fact, now we know that. “The Buddha was in truth teaching and transforming with the Great Vehicle.” Actually, from the beginning the Buddha wanted everyone to understand that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. However, we unenlightened beings had already been wandering about for so long, in the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. We have gone in a big circle, and now we want to return, go back to our nature of True Suchness. Of course this will not be easy.
Thus, we must be determined and have faith and understanding. By this time, Subhuti and the others already had faith and understanding. In the past, they thought the Buddha was only expounding the Dharma for Bodhisattvas and rejecting Hearers and Solitary Realizers when He praised Bodhisattvas. Now, they knew that the Buddha had always treated everyone the same. He shows compassion to all equally and treats everyone like He treats Rahula.
The following sutra passage states, “That is why we said that we never had the resolve to seek it. Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us. All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained.”
By now, we already know this. We know that at the beginning we did not have this resolve. We thought by eliminating afflictions, we could avoid transmigration through the Six Realms and that we would be satisfied by this. But now, we know [better]. “Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us.” This can truly enrich our wisdom-life. The Buddha had already explained the Great Dharma and told us clearly that this was the path we must take. We are like the elder’s son, who should receive the elder’s wealth. Buddha-children are the same; Buddha-children should attain all of the Buddha’s teachings.
So, what this is saying accords with the previous sutra passage, “Having already attained this, we gave rise to great joy”
This accords with the previous sutra passage: Having already attained this, we gave rise to great joy. We felt this was enough. The analogy of attaining joy also matches the previous chapter’s analogy of the joy at attaining the great white ox-cart.
At this moment, though we had no resolve or expectations, we have already attained all of this. Originally, we never thought we would be able to see so many treasures. Now, not only are we able to see them, but all these things are ours.
This is in accord with the previous passage. We gradually began to understand and have already taken the Dharma to heart. Before, we were content with what we had, but after setting aside the Small Vehicle Dharma, we now feel genuinely happy. This is like what the Chapter of Parables says about the joy everyone felt after attaining the great white ox-cart.
In the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha was telling the story. Now it was Subhuti who told a parable to describe that they were in a true state [of joy]. Originally, they had no resolve to seek this. But now they had attained what they had not even sought, so they were very happy. Thus, “We say that, before, we did not know to seek the causes and effects of the Great Vehicle”
Thus we say that, before, we did not know to seek the causes and effects of the Great Vehicle. Although we now know, we still do not seek them, as in fact we already obtained them long before. We are in truth Buddha-children, so how can we not be joyful?
In the past, [they sought] the causes and effects of the Small Vehicle. They only sought to eliminate afflictions, to avoid being reborn and facing all kinds of suffering. This was all they had sought. So, they did not seek the causes and effects of the Great Vehicle, which is great tranquility, great Nirvana and great liberation. With this kind of great liberation,
we can come and go with ease. We can journey on the Dharma of Suchness to deliver sentient beings in this world. With these great karmic effects, we can come and go with ease. Yet we did not know we should seek them. “Although we now know, we still do not seek them.” Although we now know, we still have not aspired to seek them. “In fact we already obtained them long before.” In fact, the Buddha taught this Dharma long ago. It is just we did not use it. We did not have this resolve, so we were unwilling to make use of it.
If we take the Dharma to heart and manifest it in our actions, if we are willing to take that first step, aren’t we all Living Bodhisattvas? There is so much suffering in the world, and manmade calamities and natural disasters are pervasive. Thus Living Bodhisattvas must promptly emerge. In truth, everyone can do this. But if we do not do this, nothing can be done. So, “In fact we already obtained them long before.” Every one of us has this power; we attained it long ago. We know helping people is our fundamental duty and also that we intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. “We are in truth Buddha-children.” It turns out that for all of us, after understanding this Dharma, our nature of True Suchness will manifest. How could we not be joyful? We feel great joy!
So, “Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us” Today the Dharma-king’s great treasures have spontaneously come to us: The Buddha is free and at ease with all Dharma, so He is called the Dharma-king. The Dharma-king’s treasures have naturally manifested; they are no longer buried or covered. They have always existed.
“The Buddha is free and at ease with all Dharma, so He is called the Dharma-king.” The Dharma-king is very free and at ease with the Dharma. This is because for many lifetimes, beginning an incalculable number of kalpas ago, life after life, He sought the Dharma and transformed others. He has already come and gone many times, freely and with ease. This is because He had internalized the Dharma; He awakened to it and understood. His mind is always pure; afflictions of the Three Evil Destinies, the Six Realms or the four forms of birth will not able to contaminate Him. So, He is always at ease. This is what makes Him the Dharma-king. In the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha said of Himself, “I am the Dharma-king, as I am free and at ease with the Dharma.”
This means that “Incalculable treasures had been attained without being expected” ․The Chapter on Parables says: “I am the Dharma-king, as I am free and at ease with the Dharma.” It means that incalculable treasures had been attained without being expected. So it says, “[They] have spontaneously come to us.” All the Dharma that the Buddha has is actually in our possession as well. All of us have it. This Dharma cannot be measured or calculated. There is a true abundance of this wealth. “It had been attained without being expected” [The son] did not expect that he had always had incalculable amounts of wealth. He had always had it, but he was not mentally prepared for all these treasures to suddenly belong to him. In the same way, we did not realize that we had a nature of enlightened wisdom equal to the Buddha’s. We all intrinsically have this nature of True Suchness. It is a natural part of us; it has always been there. So it says, “[It] has spontaneously come to us.” But actually, it has not come or gone; it has always been there. It is our ignorance that caused us to become lost and cover up our True Suchness.
All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained: This refers to Great Nirvana, the Dharmakaya we are all replete with. This is prajna, liberation, permanence, joy, self, purity and so on. These true treasures of infinite merit and virtue are the only great treasures, whether worldly or world-transcending.
“All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained” As Buddha-children, we have attained what we should attain. This was how Subhuti described himself. He had now thoroughly understood the Dharma that the Buddha taught. Thinking back on the past 40-plus years, it turned out that the teachings the Buddha gave were so complete and perfect and [brought] such freedom and ease. This is what we have already attained in our minds.
“This refers to Great Nirvana, the Dharmakaya we are all replete with. Great Nirvana” is non-arising and non-ceasing; it is great liberation. This is Great Nirvana. What is non-arising and non-ceasing is the Dharmakaya. The Dharmakaya is our nature of True Suchness, our intrinsic nature.
The Dharmakaya is also called prajna. Prajna is wisdom. We all intrinsically have wisdom, but it has been covered by ignorance. Otherwise, with our Dharmakaya, our prajna, our nature of True Suchness, we are intrinsically liberated. But we created the causes and conditions so we faced karmic retributions. We created all this ourselves.
We have always had “prajna, liberation permanence, joy, self, purity and so on.” From the beginning, we have all had these. “The true treasures of infinite merit and virtue” are something we all possess. This Dharma-wealth exists in us all “[These are] the only great treasures, whether worldly or world-transcending.” In this world, we can apply them inexhaustibly as long as we “have Dharma to help us transform.” If we have the Dharma, we can return to transform sentient beings, to deliver ourselves and others. We all have an abundance of wisdom, an abundance of the treasures of merit and virtue. “All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained”
All that should be attained by the Buddha-children is what we have already attained: This says that since we are like Buddha-children, [we must] take on the Buddha’s teachings and transmit the Dharma-lineage of Buddha-wisdom, which we were originally replete with yet never acted upon simply because it was covered by ignorance.
This also means that. “Since we are like Buddha-children, [we must] take on the Buddha’s teachings and transmit the Dharma-lineage of Buddha-wisdom which we were originally replete with.” In fact, everyone needs to transmit the teachings of the Buddha and the Dharma-lineage of the Buddha’s wisdom. Originally, everyone was replete with it, “yet we never acted upon it.” This means we were unwilling to act. As long as we are willing to do it, we are all able to do it. “Simply because it was covered by ignorance” means that sadly, we are covered by ignorance.
All that should be attained by the Buddha-children and others is what, in the past, at the Vaipulya and Prajna assemblies, all of the Buddha-children should have obtained. We have now already obtained this, so our great resolve is unlocked and used to attain [the fruits] of cultivation. This is the meaning of attaining joy.
“All that should be attained by the Buddha-children and others” is what, “in the past, at the Vaipulya and Prajna assemblies, all of the Buddha-children should have obtained. We have now already obtained this”
We now understand this. In the past, at the Vaipulya and Prajna assemblies, the Buddha had already [tried to] help us eliminate our afflictions, so that. “The mind has no hindrances; there are no hindrances.” Once completely purified, our minds should be free and at ease. “Our great resolve is unlocked and used to attain [the fruits] of cultivation” [Thus] we attain great joy. By establishing great resolve and using this Dharma for spiritual practice, we can attain great joy. This joy is the joy of obtaining the Dharma.
When we accept, learn and practice the Dharma, we must be mindful. The teaching is perfect and complete, so we must not deviate from it in the slightest. Thus, we must see the path clearly and not linger as Hearers or deviate toward heretical teachings, as a slight deviation leads us far off course. So, we must always be mindful.