Episode 854 – Constantly Uphold the Tathagata’s Precepts
>> Be constantly mindful of the precepts and remember and uphold them without forgetting. To uphold precepts is to not do evil. To guard against wrongdoings and stop evil is to uphold the Tathagata’s precepts; this can prevent evils of body, speech and mind.
>> “World-Honored One, today we have realized the Path and attained the fruit. From the flawless Dharma, we have obtained pure eyes.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> Because our wisdom resonates with the principles, we realize both the Path and the fruit. When the Buddha’s understanding and views are opened for us, we see the principles of ultimate reality.
>>”Throughout the long night, we upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts. Beginning today, we are attaining the fruition.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> Throughout the long night, we upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts: Before, during the long night of ignorance, our wisdom-eyes were covered by delusions of affliction. We continued to cycle through birth and death. This is compared to the darkness of a long night.
>> So, We cultivate and uphold the Tathagata’s pure precepts. We must uphold precepts and absolutely must not violate them. This is upholding the precepts cleanly, remaining as clean as a pure and radiant pearl.
>> Pure precepts are the cause that allows us to attain great effects. Thus it says, Beginning today we are attaining the fruition.
>> As a previous sutra passage states: Precepts are the foundation of supreme Bodhi. Thus, we must wholeheartedly uphold pure precepts.
“Be constantly mindful of the precepts and remember and uphold them without forgetting.
To uphold precepts is to not do evil.
To guard against wrongdoings and stop evil is to uphold the Tathagata’s precepts;
this can prevent evils of body, speech and mind.”
The most fundamental part of spiritual practice is to uphold precepts. We must know and abide by the precepts. We unenlightened beings do not realize that we need to uphold precepts, so we constantly break them. We break them without even realizing it, so we are ignorant and deluded. With ignorance and delusion, we endlessly transmigrate in the Five Realms and four forms of birth. This is because we do not know the precepts. If we do not listen to the Dharma, how will we know the precepts? So, in learning the Buddha’s Way, it is important for us to listen to the Dharma. When we listen, we must take it to heart; with the Dharma we internalize, we must constantly heighten our vigilance. When we are doing the right thing, we must firmly keep advancing in that direction. This is diligence.
So, we must be constantly mindful of the precepts, constantly use them to discipline our minds and “remember and uphold them without forgetting.” We must always remember. We must not hear and then immediately forget. If we do, no matter how much Dharma we hear, it will all leak out. If it leaks out, we regress to the state of unenlightened beings. If our perspective deviates, we regress and become unenlightened beings and create much ignorance and afflictions. In this unenlightened state, we will constantly replicate our afflictions and can easily fall into the Three Evil Realms. So, we must eliminate our delusions of views.
The perspective of unenlightened beings is that everyone else is wrong and we are right. When we [pursue] worldly fame, wealth and status, we do not think about others, only of ourselves.
“Do you listen to the Dharma lectures? I do. I go beyond listening; I also do good deeds. But, if I see the right opportunity, I will try to make a lot of money. No matter what I need to do, if it benefits me, I will definitely do it.” This is not being mindful of the precepts and not thoroughly understanding the Dharma [Some people] think, “I will make more money, and as long as I do some good deeds, I am still benefiting people. Therefore, I should still reap blessings.” But they do not think of the karma they create.
Although they benefit people, they have no restraint; they continuously exploit [the land] and pursue their own personal gain. As long as this is their perspective, [the Dharma] will readily leak out. This comes from having Leaks, which are afflictions. If we give rise to many afflictions and much ignorance, we will regress to an unenlightened state. Not only will we be in an unenlightened state, we will fall into the Three Evil Destinies without any control. It will feel as if we are in the hell realm, or in the hungry ghost or the animal realm. Our suffering in the Three Evil Destinies is beyond our control.
So, after learning the teachings, we must “remember and uphold them without forgetting”; this is very important. To “remember” means to constantly recall, to recall that we must always uphold precepts. We must thoroughly understand that life is impermanent. We do not need to fight for or grasp at things. If we fight too much, we may easily regress to an unenlightened state and fall into the Three Evil Destinies. This leads to suffering. We must not forget this. In life, we must keep the Dharma in mind and
“not do evil,” avoid creating bad karma; this is “to uphold precepts.” If we can practice this, we can be content with only what we need. Why would we need to strive for more than that? If we are not careful and make enemies, that will create a lot of bad karma, which will be very harmful to us. So, our resolve must be firm, and we must uphold pure precepts. Then naturally we will not do evil, will not create negative karma; this is truly upholding precepts. We will immediately be able to resist external temptations. Or if our minds give rise to a thought of greed, we can quickly put a stop to this evil thought. As long as we remember and uphold the precepts, we are “upholding the Tathagata’s precepts.”
We must prevent those actions; when unwholesome things arise, we must stop them immediately. This is “upholding the Tathagata’s precepts. This can prevent evils of body, speech and mind.” So, if we make an effort to uphold precepts, naturally we will be able to guard against wrongs and stop evil. Guarding against wrongs and stopping evil is all about the body, speech and mind, our Threefold Karma. Through our body we take action, with our speech we express ourselves and from our minds we give rise to greed. Greed in our mind affects the speech from our mouth and the actions of our body. If we are not careful, we will create evil karma. If we are always mindful of the precepts and remember and uphold them without forgetting, naturally we will prevent the evils of body, speech and mind.
So, after volunteers join Tzu Chi, when they form aspirations to dedicate themselves in the ranks of Tzu Chi’s large organization, they must go to introductory and advanced training. This does not just apply to volunteers in Taiwan, but all over the world. These are rules based on love. In our great love, we must uphold precepts; this is Tzu Chi’s rule and is also the foundation for practicing and learning the Buddha’s teachings. So precepts are a foundation that is necessary for any large organization. The Buddha’s Sangha also cannot do without them. So, as Buddhist practitioners, this is mandatory homework. In the past, the Buddha placed great importance on the Sangha upholding precepts. In the present day in Tzu Chi, as volunteers around the world are trained, we also place great importance on the precepts. Thus, as everyone learns the Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful.
The previous sutra passage states, “World-Honored One, today we have realized the Path and attained the fruit. From the flawless Dharma, we have obtained pure eyes.”
We need to practice the Bodhi-path. The Bodhi-path is the cause for the Great Vehicle; the Bodhisattva-path is the effect achieved by Bodhisattvas of the One Great Vehicle. So, regardless of whether it is the Bodhi-path or the Bodhisattva-practice, both are subject to the law of cause and effect. To engage in Bodhi-practice, we must put [the Dharma] into action. We must awaken to and understand what is right or wrong in this world, what we can or cannot do. We must do all that is good and diligently go among people to help. We must refrain from all evil and uphold the precepts. This is the only way the Dharma will not leak away.
“Having Leaks” means that as we continually take in virtuous Dharma, it will continually leak out; we will forget it. If we forget it, our perspectives will remain unenlightened, and we will continue to create afflictions and karma. This is the way unenlightened beings are. So, to practice “flawless Dharma” means to eliminate all afflictions and ignorance. When all the Dharma we take in never leaks out, we have flawless Dharma. This is the only way to realize the principles of ultimate reality, the only way to obtain “pure eyes.”
Only with pure eyes can we realize the wisdom of ultimate reality. Then we can see the truth of things and will not be confused by appearances. Upon seeing things and hearing about them, we will be very clear about them; we will know what we should and should not do, what we should and should not obtain. These are the principles of ultimate reality. As spiritual practitioners, what we want to obtain are principles. What ordinary people want to obtain are things. These are very different. The principles are pure; when we use pure eyes to look at all things, the actions we take will be in accord with the principles. This is being pure. This is “the wisdom of ultimate reality.” We do not do things for our own benefit, but for the sake of helping all sentient beings. This is using pure eyes to realize the wisdom of ultimate reality.
If we see things and think, “I want more of this. I want more of that. I want many more things. I want more wealth. I want more recognition. I want even more….” These are all things. These are all illusory. These are all defilements. People with wisdom will recognize that these are all illusory and will not fight to get them; what they seek are principles. This is the wisdom of ultimate reality. If we can be like them and have “wisdom [that] resonates with principles,” our wisdom, our wisdom-life, will truly grow. When it comes to people, matters and objects, we should not look at their tangible substance, but at their intangible principles. In this way, “Our wisdom [will] resonate with the principles” ․Because our wisdom resonates with the principles, we realize both the Path and the fruit. When the Buddha’s understanding and views are opened for us, we see the principles of ultimate reality. So, “We realize both the Path and the fruit.”
We walk the Path, which is the cause of the Great Vehicle; the One Great Vehicle is the fruit of Bodhisattva-practice. So, as we walk the Bodhi-path we also engage in Bodhisattva-practice. We advance in cause and effect at the same time. After awakening, we go among people to help them. This is advancing in cause and effect concurrently. These are the two “feet” of blessings and wisdom. This is realizing both the Path and the fruit. We create blessings and at the same time gain wisdom; in this way, we continue to walk forward. This is realizing both the Path and the fruit. This means “the Buddha’s understanding and views are opened to us.” We understand them. The Buddha’s original intent, everything that He understood when His mind was united with the universe and. His awakened nature merged with True Suchness, is the Buddha’s understanding and views. We now understand what the Buddha realized; “From the flawless Dharma, we have obtained pure eyes.” With flawless Dharma, we have eliminated all our afflictions and can use this clear mind to view everything in this world. We have realized all of this.
Next, we want to understand, “Throughout the long night, we upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts. Beginning today, we are attaining the fruition.”
Throughout the long night, for a very long time, “We upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts.” For how long did they practice the Small Vehicle? In this life, they spent many decades on this, not to mention in their past lives over countless kalpas. The long night is boundless; it has lasted a very long time. They had not yet thoroughly realized [the Dharma], but they had firmly “upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts.” When it comes to precepts taught by the Buddha, the disciples had been upholding all of them to eliminate their ignorance. This is because they recognized suffering and life’s Four Noble Truths. “We understand, so we are vigilant and never forget to uphold the precepts”
Throughout the long night, we upheld the Buddha’s pure precepts: Before, during the long night of ignorance, our wisdom-eyes were covered by delusions of affliction. We continued to cycle through birth and death. This is compared to the darkness of a long night.
In “before, during the long night of ignorance,” the “long night of ignorance” refers to afflictions. Although we have spent a long period of time continuously engaging in spiritual practice, our “wisdom-eyes were covered by delusions of affliction.” Our eyes still seem to be covered by something; delusions of affliction prevent us from attaining a thorough understanding. “We continued to cycle through birth and death.” In our past lives, for infinite kalpas, we have engaged in spiritual practice. But along the way we lost clarity, so we went astray and fell into an unenlightened state, led by our ignorance. This is analogous to a long night, which is so dark we cannot find our way
So, We cultivate and uphold the Tathagata’s pure precepts. We must uphold precepts and absolutely must not violate them. This is upholding the precepts cleanly, remaining as clean as a pure and radiant pearl.
So, “We cultivate and uphold the Tathagata’s pure precepts.” We must uphold precepts and absolutely must not violate them. This is “upholding the precepts cleanly, remaining as clean as a pure and radiant pearl.” We must earnestly maintain purity, self-respect, make an effort to protect our body and mind so they remain as clean as a pure and radiant pearl.
One time, during the Buddha’s lifetime, a group of bhiksus had just passed through a village and were walking through the wilderness. Suddenly, a group of bandits appeared and surrounded them. “What do you want? We are all spiritual practitioners. We have no possessions. What is the use of surrounding us? Although you have no possessions, you are wearing clothes. If I stop someone but come away empty-handed, that is bad for my reputation.” So, he forced the monastics to take off all their clothes. One bandit said, “We should just kill them. Otherwise, if they report us to the authorities, we will not be able to evade punishment.”
But a kinder one among them said, “These monastics are the Buddha’s disciples. They uphold precepts and guard their speech. They will not report our crime and cause us to be arrested by the authorities. So, we should trust them [to follow precepts]. In fact, let’s weave together some grass to wrap them up and bind them on the side of the road.”
The next day at dawn, a group of soldiers were on their way to the city. When they passed by they saw the group of monastics and asked, “Why are you sitting there like that? We encountered bandits. Why are you [still here]? This is only grass. How can it possibly restrain you? We uphold precepts; we do not cross any lines. So, we remained here.” The soldiers quickly gathered clothing for the monastics to wear. This made it possible for them to leave, and they also escorted them back to the abode.
When they saw the Buddha, He praised them, “My disciples! Because you uphold precepts, you had the bandits’ trust. Thus, you escaped with your life. Furthermore, your upholding of the precepts awakened people’s conscience.” These were true spiritual practitioners. This happened during the Buddha’s lifetime. So, to maintain purity and self-respect and remain as clean as a pure and radiant pearl, we need to uphold precepts.
Thus, “Beginning today we are attaining this fruition.” This was what Venerable Kasyapa said. In the past, they remained in the Small Vehicle, but the Buddha taught them with skillful means. In the past, the Buddha also taught the Great Vehicle Dharma. It is just that they did not want to accept it. This continued until the Lotus Dharma-assembly. “Beginning today” means they had now arrived at the Lotus Assembly “[The Hearers] listen to the Buddha’s teaching.” The Hearers had listened to the Buddha’s voice and the Dharma He taught, and they had now comprehended it. “Thus [they] were attaining the true fruition of the achievement of Buddhahood. We have now comprehended. We have now understood. Other than seeking to awaken ourselves, we should also go among people to benefit them and to develop our own wisdom.” This is the true path to attaining Buddhahood, the true fruition.
Pure precepts are the cause that allows us to attain great effects. Thus it says, Beginning today we are attaining the fruition.
So, “Pure precepts are the cause that allows us to attain great effects” We must awaken to the Bodhi Way. “Bodhi” means awakening, but it must be a very pure awakening. So, “Pure precepts are the cause.” We must uphold the flawless Dharma; we must eliminate all afflictions, all Leaks, to be flawless. If a bucket is flawed, no matter how much water you put in it, it will leak out. What remains will be filth. We should clear out the filth and keep the clean water. The Dharma is like water. We must take it into our hearts so our minds can be clean.
Thus “beginning today” means that with what we heard today, we have finally awakened “[We have] attained this fruition.” We understand we must walk the Bodhisattva-path
As a previous sutra passage states: Precepts are the foundation of supreme Bodhi. Thus, we must wholeheartedly uphold pure precepts.
As a previous sutra passage states, “Precepts are the foundation of supreme Bodhi. Thus, we must wholeheartedly uphold pure precepts.” The foundation of awakening is the precepts. Wholeheartedly upholding the precepts is what Great Vehicle practitioners, those who walk the Bodhisattva-path, must do. We must uphold precepts; this is the fundamental duty of a Bodhisattva-practitioner. So, we must always be mindful.