Episode 850 – Vowing to Seek the Wisdom of the Great Vehicle
>> Ordinary people are not aware that their intrinsic nature contains great prajna. Though they may realize the small fruit of Hearers, ignorance remains within their minds. They seek the Dharma but not wisdom, having no aspiration to attain it. It is not that the Buddha withheld it from us, but that we took no delight in the Great Vehicle.
>> “We clung to liberation from the Three Realms and the troubles of suffering and afflictions, so we abide in our final incarnation, in Nirvana with remainder. With what the Buddha has taught us, we truly attained realizations. We thought that our attainment had already repaid the Buddha’s grace.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> “Though for the sake of the children of all Buddhas we expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood, regarding this Great Dharma, we never aspired to nor delighted in it.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> These verses refer to Subhuti and the others, who represented all Arhats in explaining that before the Lotus [Assembly], they had no intent to seek the Great Vehicle.
>> Though for the sake of all Buddha-children: “Though” here is connected to “we ourselves have attained” in the prior passage. For us, the fruit had been attained; as for the Buddha, His grace had been repaid.
>> During the Prajna Assembly, under the Buddha’s protection, the Great Vehicle sutras and the great causes of the Six Perfections were expounded to all Bodhisattvas so that they could seek the path to Buddhahood.
>> However, we saw all teachings of Great Vehicle Dharma as something extra, so we never aspired to nor delighted in them.
>> We expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood: They helped people with Great Vehicle capabilities use this to cultivate and uphold, and learn from practitioners with great aspirations, seeking to complete the path to Buddhahood
>> Regarding this Great Dharma, we never aspired to or delighted in it: Regarding the Great Vehicle Prajna teachings, we never had any interest or delight.
>> Never: He taught Bodhisattvas the Great Vehicle sutras. In the past, Small Vehicle practitioners respected the Great Dharma as being high above them and out of their reach.
“Ordinary people are not aware that their intrinsic nature contains great prajna.
Though they may realize the small fruit of Hearers, ignorance remains within their minds.
They seek the Dharma but not wisdom, having no aspiration to attain it. It is not that the Buddha withheld it from us, but that we took no delight in the Great Vehicle.”
We all intrinsically have a pure nature. This nature of True Suchness contains great wisdom and prajna. Sadly, we ordinary people are unaware of it. Instead we oftentimes have the sense that. “Listening to the Dharma is about finding ways to escape from samsara and no longer transmigrate in the Six Realms. I will eliminate all my afflictions and no longer contrive affinities.” We may earnestly engage in this practice, but with this capacity we would only be able to attain the small fruit. As we have been recently saying, Hearers and Solitary Realizers have only reached this level.
Hearers eliminate afflictions by applying the Four Noble Truths. Having understood suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, they recognize that suffering comes from causation, which they must bring to cessation; this requires engaging in spiritual practice. “I must practice so that. I will no longer create and thus accumulate ignorance and afflictions. I must put an end to them.” This is the small fruit that Hearers realize. As for Solitary Realizers, they understand the. Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. With an ignorant thought, the Three Subtleties arise, thus each of the subsequent Twelve Links is continuously triggered in turn. Even after reaching old age, illness and death, we will still carry our karma and bring it back with us [in our next life]. This is what happens in the human realm. So, having understood that, we must put an end to the Twelve Links. This is realizing the fruit of Solitary Realizers. This is how Small Vehicle practitioners realize small fruits. However, traces of ignorance still remain.
These last two days we have been talking about escaping the Three Realms. Outside the Three Realms, there are still dust-like delusions, traces of afflictions we have not yet eliminated. So, we must advance to the stage of Bodhisattvas and walk along the Bodhisattva-path. Though we have reached the Bodhisattva-path, we may still have slight traces of afflictions. To address these, we must go among people. Just what is afflicting us? We cannot bear to let sentient beings suffer. So, we go among people to train ourselves, to benefit them and develop wisdom through our interactions with them.
But, Small Vehicle practitioners do not do this. They seek the Dharma, but not wisdom; they do not have that resolve. Wisdom is hidden in our nature of True Suchness. We inherently have great prajna in our nature, infinite wisdom that will never run out. But Small Vehicle practitioners stop [before realizing it]. They are like the poor son who only sought the bare minimum he needed to sustain his life each day. In fact, he was the son of a wealthy family and had abundant treasures. This is like us and our nature of True Suchness [In the parable,] when the elder found his son, he applied wisdom to approach him and gradually guide him.
The story of the poor son is used as an analogy for how we have lost sight of our nature of True Suchness. It is not that this pure nature disappeared, it is just that we have lost our way and no longer recognize our nature of True Suchness. We are also not aware that within our nature of True Suchness lies prajna, which is wisdom. We turned from our awakened nature to come together with objects of desire and ignorance. We are like the poor son who wandered away.
He is an analogy for us ordinary people or for those who lived in the Buddha’s lifetime and were transformed by the Buddha through directly receiving teachings from Him. Some of these disciples were already advanced in their spiritual cultivation. Upon seeing the Buddha, they aspired to become monastics and engage in spiritual practice, then became leaders of the Sangha. Many of them were great Arhats. Among them was Sariputra, foremost in wisdom. The Buddha had already bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon him. In the Chapter of Parables, as you may remember, we read about how the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra. Later, in the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, we read that people at the assembly saw the Buddha bestow a prediction on Sariputra that he will attain Buddhahood in the future. If Sariputra could attain Buddhahood, then there was hope that they could too.
The beginning of the. Chapter on Faith and Understanding mentioned. Wisdom-life Subhuti, Mahakatyayana, Mahakasyapa and Mahamaudgalyayana. Does everyone still remember? They stood up from among the Sangha and came before the Buddha together. On one hand, they repented that in the past, they remained in the state of the Small Vehicle and did not seek the Great Dharma; on the other hand, they expressed their feelings. They shared that in the past they were just like a poor son who, in a moment of immaturity, left that wealthy household to wander about for more than 50 years.” The Buddha is like that elder who would not abandon his son. No matter how much time it took, he continued to pursue and look for him. He kept searching until he found his son.
Similarly, the Buddha came to the human realm for one great cause. He came to open and reveal [the teachings] for sentient beings in the hope that they could realize and enter them. Thus, the Buddha opens and reveals, and the realizing and entering is up to sentient beings. When the Buddha expounds the Dharma, if we can comprehend it, eliminate afflictions and benefit both ourselves and others, then we will have both blessings and wisdom. In this world, we accumulate blessing. Among people, we develop our wisdom-life. By cultivating both blessings and wisdom, we can move forward evenly. This was the Buddha’s original intent.
At this point in the assembly, Subhuti, Katyayana, Mahakasyapa and Maudgalyayana, on behalf of the entire Sangha they led, stood up and said this, “It is not that the Buddha withheld it from us, but that we took no delight in the Great Vehicle. It was not that the Buddha was stingy toward us and refused to give us the Great Dharma; we were the ones who did not accept it. We thought this was only taught for Bodhisattvas and not for us. It was we who ‘took no delight in the Great Vehicle’ and remained in the Small Vehicle Dharma. The fault was not with the Buddha but with us.”
The previous sutra passage states that We clung to “liberation from the Three Realms and the troubles of suffering and afflictions, so we abide in our final incarnation, in Nirvana with remainder. With what the Buddha has taught us, we truly attained realizations. We thought that our attainment had already repaid the Buddha’s grace.” This was what we discussed yesterday.
We thought [all we had to do] was earnestly eliminate afflictions and attain Nirvana with remainder. We practiced according to the Buddha’s teachings, thus “we truly attained realizations.” We had already realized the fruits. “We thought that our attainment had already repaid the Buddha’s grace.” We thought that following the Buddha’s teachings as we engaged in spiritual practice was repaying the Buddha’s grace. This is what these disciples thought in the past.
In the next sutra passage, they went on to say, “Though for the sake of the children of all Buddhas we expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood, regarding this Great Dharma, we never aspired to nor delighted in it.”
They did this for sake of the children of all Buddhas. All Buddhas means not just Sakyamuni Buddha. The teachings of all past Buddhas have been continuously passed down. The teachings we have received have been passed down as if from father to son. “We expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood.” All Buddhas share the same path; in expounding the Dharma, everything They teach is the Bodhisattva Way, hoping that we can earnestly seek the Dharma and the path to Buddhahood. “But when it came to the Great Vehicle Dharma, we were still unwilling to [practice] it.”
This was the [disciples] expressing their thinking. This was in the past, because now they already understood. Sariputra was able to receive the prediction of Buddhahood, so everyone had hope for themselves. Thus, they were happy and jubilant.
These verses refer to Subhuti and the others, who represented all Arhats in explaining that before the Lotus [Assembly], they had no intent to seek the Great Vehicle.
Now they were expressing their old state of mind. So, these verses, the repeated verses, were spoken by Kasyapa. Venerable Kasyapa followed Subhuti’s long-form prose. These verses were stated by Venerable Kasyapa.
So, these verses came from Subhuti and Venerable Kasyapa, as well as Katyayana and Maudgalyayana. They represented all the Arhats in explaining that before the Buddha gave the Lotus teachings, in their minds, “They had no intent to seek the Great Vehicle.” This was their mindset before the Lotus period.
Though for the sake of all Buddha-children: “Though” here is connected to “we ourselves have attained” in the prior passage. For us, the fruit had been attained; as for the Buddha, His grace had been repaid.
Thus [Kasyapa] said, “Though for the sake of the children of all Buddhas….” Here Kasyapa is speaking for everyone. “Though” here refers to how everyone had already attained, had already attained the fruits; they themselves already achieved this. So, we thought that with regard to the Buddha’s teachings, we had already repaid His grace. This was their perspective.
During the Prajna Assembly, under the Buddha’s protection, the Great Vehicle sutras and the great causes of the Six Perfections were expounded to all Bodhisattvas so that they could seek the path to Buddhahood.
So, “during the Prajna Assembly, under the Buddha’s protection” [refers to how] the Buddha was so mindful. “The Great Vehicle sutras and the great causes of the Six Perfections were expounded to all Bodhisattvas so that they could seek the path to Buddhahood.” Though during the Prajna Assembly, the Buddha began teaching. Great Vehicle sutras to all Bodhisattvas, we still thought this was only for Bodhisattvas, not for us. However, during the Prajna Assembly we too heard the Buddha expound. Great Vehicle sutras, teaching the great causes of the Six Paramitas and actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions. The Buddha taught everyone to benefit themselves and others. This was a method of spiritual practice the disciples had also heard and understood.
He taught the great causes of the Six Paramitas. A “cause” is a seed. There are many varieties of seeds. There are seeds of plants, seeds of small bushes and seeds of big trees. There are seeds of many different kinds of trees. Small Vehicle practitioners such as Hearers are like the seeds of plants or seeds of little trees. These kinds of trees cannot grow very big. These kinds of seeds are just like that. There are also seeds of big trees. Although the seeds are small, they are able to grow into big trees. These are the seeds of big trees. The Six Paramitas are also called the Six Perfections. These are great causes, seeds for something big. People who “seek the path to Buddhahood” are those who practice the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha expounded the Great Vehicle Dharma, and people with great capacities could accept it. They were seeking the Buddha’s Way seeking the path to Buddhahood. To reach Buddhahood, they must go through the Bodhisattva-path
However, we saw all teachings of Great Vehicle Dharma as something extra, so we never aspired to nor delighted in them.
“However, we saw all teachings of Great Vehicle Dharma as something extra, so we never aspired to nor delighted in them.” This is something extra. The most fundamental thing to do is to eliminate afflictions. As for transforming sentient beings, that is less important; it is something extra. If we have time, we can practice it. If we do not have time, we focus on cultivating ourselves. We still think we are more important; everything else is extra. We think [the Great Vehicle] is extra and does not have much to do with us. Only if the conditions are present will we do this extra thing; we do not think it is very important.
Thus, “We saw it as something extra, so we never aspired to nor delighted in it.” We see it as something to be done casually. Actually, we must do it earnestly, but we treat it very casually. We think our own responsibilities more important. Transforming sentient beings is beyond this; it is something extra; It is not part of our core responsibility. In summary, this was their thinking. So, “We never aspired to nor delighted in it.” This was the view of these Small Vehicle practitioners in the past; Hearers and Solitary Realizers only sought the [Small Vehicle] Dharma.
We expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood: They helped people with Great Vehicle capabilities use this to cultivate and uphold, and learn from practitioners with great aspirations, seeking to complete the path to Buddhahood
“We expounded the Bodhisattva Way so they could seek the path to Buddhahood.” Thus, “They helped people with. Great Vehicle capabilities.” The Great Vehicle Dharma was assumed by them to be teachings exclusive to Bodhisattvas. Those Bodhisattvas with great capabilities “use this to cultivate and uphold and learn from practitioners with great aspirations, seeking to complete the path to Buddhahood.” They thought that this was only for those with great capabilities, those who seek the Buddha-Dharma and are willing to uphold great practices and make, cultivate and uphold great aspirations. This type of person was different from them. In the past, Wisdom-life Subhuti and the others had these thoughts. They were by the Buddha’s side but believed that He was teaching this tothose who aspired to go into the world and help othersn. So, they thought these words had nothing to do with them. “Regarding this Great Dharma, we never aspired to nor delighted in it.”
Regarding this Great Dharma, we never aspired to or delighted in it: Regarding the Great Vehicle Prajna teachings, we never had any interest or delight.
Regarding this Dharma of saving other people, we felt that it was of no use to us. “Regarding the Great Vehicle Prajna teachings, we never had any interest or delight.” The Prajna teachings they cultivated were. Small Vehicle teachings biased toward emptiness. They were all about emptiness. But regarding the Great Vehicle Prajna teachings, they never had any interest or delight. These disciples simply had no interest in helping others or going among people. They were not interested.
The Great Vehicle Prajna teaches “wondrous existence and true emptiness.” They only understood up to the principles of emptiness; they were unwilling to advance beyond that. That “emptiness” is part of the Dharma of “wondrous existence and true emptiness,” but they were unwilling to delve more deeply. Thus, “We never had any interest or delight.”
Never: He taught Bodhisattvas the Great Vehicle sutras. In the past, Small Vehicle practitioners respected the Great Dharma as being high above them and out of their reach.
“Never” refers to when. He taught Bodhisattvas the Great Vehicle Dharma, the Great Vehicle sutras. “In the past” refers to how in the past. “Small Vehicle practitioners saw the Great Dharma as being high above them and out of their reach.”
In the past, they felt that when the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle Dharma, He was only teaching sutras for Bodhisattvas. Back when they heard it, these Small Vehicle practitioners sought the Small Vehicle Dharma to benefit only themselves. With such capabilities, when they heard the Great Vehicle Dharma, it seemed unfathomable, too far above them. They saw it as high above them, very far from where they were; it was high above them. How can a small plant compare to a big tree? So, they were unwilling to advance further in their practice, Because they believed that life is impermanent, having been born human and having listened to the Buddha-Dharma, they felt they had to earnestly practice and quickly eliminate their afflictions so they would not have to return to the human realm or transmigrate in the Five or Six Realms. In this life, they wanted to quickly be liberated, but there was still such a long road ahead. The Bodhisattva-path was so lofty and distant, so they did not wish to move forward. “I just want to stop here! Having attained this kind of liberation, I am already satisfied.” So, they took no interest or delight in the Great Vehicle Dharma.
As Buddhist practitioners, we know that life is impermanent so we must be proactive. With the Small Vehicle Dharma, we can eliminate our afflictions and put an end to fragmentary samsara. However, is our aspiration that firm? Can we repeatedly return to go among people to seek the Dharma and transform others? Can we sustain this for a long period of time? We must be able to sustain [our aspirations]; only then can we truly eliminate afflictions. If our aspirations are not firm, when we go among people, even though we fear entering samsara again and have eliminated afflictions with the Small Vehicle Dharma, when some kind of [challenge] manifests, our Root Ignorance will manifest again. So, this is not the ultimate;
to reach it, we must continuously train ourselves to withstand all kinds of storms as we interact with people. This is having “non-arising patience.” We have spoken of this before. We must be able to withstand all kinds of friction. We must get through all kinds of challenges. Only then can we truly attain ultimate liberation. Therefore, we must always be mindful.