Episode 857 – The Buddha’s Grace Is as Deep as the Ocean
>> This is the Buddha’s great grace of teaching and guiding sentient beings to turn delusion into awakening. The World-Honored One’s immense grace is an extraordinary matter; He taught and transformed out of compassion. To benefit all of us, He transformed the unenlightened so we could enter the Dharma of the Great Noble Path.
>> “Now we have truly become Arhats. In all the various worlds of heavenly beings and humans, of Mara and Brahma, we are universally worthy to receive offerings.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> “The World-Honored One’s great grace is an extraordinary matter. He taught and transformed us out of compassion and to benefit all of us. Even over countless billions of kalpas, who could ever repay this?” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4 – Faith And Understanding]
>> The World-Honored One’s great grace is extraordinary: This is the Buddha’s great grace of constantly teaching and guiding sentient beings to abandon ignorance and turn delusion into awakening. Thus it says, The World-Honored One’s great grace is an extraordinary matter; He taught and transformed us out of compassion to benefit all of us.
>> The Buddha has great loving-kindness and great compassion. He teaches and transforms out of compassion, all for the benefit of sentient beings. For a long time, in many places, with firm resolve, traveling everywhere, He Himself suffered to benefit others. His grace is as deep as the ocean.
>> This grace as vast as the sky covers everything in this way. Thus it says, “Over countless millions of kalpas, who could ever repay this?”
>> The World-Honored One’s lifetime of teaching and transforming is all His great grace. This is an extraordinary matter. Starting with the Great Dharma of the Avatamsaka, He prepared to directly show us how to understand our minds so we can realize our nature. But sadly, it was as if we were deaf and mute; we failed to live up to this great grace.
>> The great grace of the World-Honored One: First, the Buddha began by making a compassionate [vow] to relieve the sufferings of the Six Realms and bring the joy of the Four Noble Realms. He led all in the Ten Dharma-realms to enter the Four Great Vows. This is the grace of the Tathagata’s room.
>> Second, the Tathagata practiced the Bodhisattva-path, revealing to us its benefit and joy. He had previously taught us the Great Vehicle. Though we later forgot midway down the path, our wisdom and vow were not lost. The Tathagata’s room brings coolness and warmth. This is the grace of giving joy through great loving-kindness.
>> Third, sentient beings encounter suffering, like the son only looking at the father. The Buddha observes, waiting for a suitable moment. This is like a calf pursuing its mother. He prepares the practices of the Six Perfections to benefit sentient beings. The Tathagata’s room blocks the cold and heat. This is the grace of relieving suffering with great compassion.
>> Fourth, the Buddha, having attained enlightenment, should have enjoyed Nirvana’s unconditioned joy. Nevertheless, He concealed these spiritual virtues and applied the Dharma that those of limited capabilities delight in, the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. This is like sprinkling cold water on our faces to wake us up; this is the grace of the Buddha’s clothing protecting us from the heat of greed and desires.
>> Fifth, He manifested old age as a skillful means to draw His disciples near, giving them a day’s wages. This is the grace of the Buddha’s clothing eliminating the coldness of views and giving warmth.
“This is the Buddha’s great grace of teaching and guiding sentient beings to turn delusion into awakening.
The World-Honored One’s immense grace is an extraordinary matter; He taught and transformed out of compassion.
To benefit all of us, He transformed the unenlightened so we could enter the Dharma of the Great Noble Path.”
The Buddha’s grace is immense, difficult to repay. Although the Buddha manifested the attainment of Buddhahood in the human realm to teach and transform sentient beings, in fact, for many kalpas, the Buddha has been coming here for the sake of sentient beings. He only has this one thought; He cannot bear to let sentient beings suffer. Thus, He repeatedly returns to the Saha World. This is the Buddha’s compassion. He comes to teach and guide sentient beings, hoping they turn their delusion into awakening. With such tremendous grace and virtue, how can we ever repay the Buddha’s grace?
“The World-Honored One’s immense grace is an extraordinary matter.” The immense grace He shows sentient beings is truly extraordinary. With the love and compassion He has for them, He teaches and transforms sentient beings. He absolutely never abandons any sentient beings. No matter how evil they are, or how mischievous they are, the Buddha never abandons them.
“To benefit all of us, He transformed the unenlightened so we could enter the Dharma of the Great Noble Path.” The Buddha’s loving-kindness is immense, infinite. He helps sentient beings to accept the Dharma. If they take the Dharma to heart, they can transform their mindset and improve their behavior. In this way, the Buddha never leaves or abandons sentient beings. Thus, sentient beings must truly know His grace. We must earnestly remember His immense grace.
So, let us look at the previous sutra passage, “Now we have truly become Arhats. In all the various worlds of heavenly beings and humans, of Mara and Brahma, we are universally worthy to receive offerings.”
“We” refers to. Venerable Kasyapa, Subhuti, Katyayana and Maudgalyayana, leaders of the assembly. On behalf of the assembly, they expressed their feelings about following the Buddha in spiritual practice. The Buddha, at the Vulture Peak Assembly, had already expounded the Introductory Chapter, the Chapter on Skillful Means and the Chapter on Parables, teaching them one by one. All those with great capabilities, whether beings of the heaven realm, the human realm, or above the heaven realm, such as the sixth heaven in the desire realm or the Brahma Heaven in the form realm, had already accepted the practices that they must cultivate as Arhats and given rise to Great Vehicle aspirations. They could already subdue heavenly beings, humans, Mara and Brahma. They could subdue them all because those beings were already fully convinced and had accepted their teachings. This was how they safeguarded the teachings and made offerings.
Thus, the next sutra passage further says, “The World-Honored One’s great grace is an extraordinary matter. He taught and transformed us out of compassion and to benefit all of us. Even over countless billions of kalpas, who could ever repay this?”
The Buddha’s great grace is truly tremendous; truly it is extraordinary. The Arhats, practicing according to the teachings, had gradually come to understand and could thus receive offerings and respect from heavenly beings, humans, Mara and Brahma. This grace and virtue was all due to the teachings of the World-Honored One. So, His grace is extraordinary. Out of compassion, He teaches and transforms us lifetime after lifetime, over countless kalpas. He never gives up on or abandons us, but follows sentient beings through the Five Realms and four forms of birth to teach and to benefit us. “We” refers to sentient beings, to all of us. “Even over countless billions of kalpas” is a very long time. So, who can ever repay the Buddha’s grace?
Thus, when it comes to this great grace, “This is the Buddha’s [great grace of] constantly teaching and guiding sentient beings to abandon ignorance and turn delusion into awakening.” This is His great grace
The World-Honored One’s great grace is extraordinary: This is the Buddha’s great grace of constantly teaching and guiding sentient beings to abandon ignorance and turn delusion into awakening. Thus it says, “The World-Honored One’s great grace is an extraordinary matter; He taught and transformed us out of compassion to benefit all of us.”
Sentient beings want to eliminate ignorance and turn delusion into awakening, but isn’t it easier said than done? As we listen to the Dharma, can our habitual tendencies and our afflictions actually be eliminated?
The Buddha always comes to teach sentient beings. Over the last 2000-plus years, there is no telling how many times He has returned to this world. As He goes among people, He is always continually teaching and transforming sentient beings; He has never stopped. It is just that He must adjust to conditions; whatever their causes and conditions, He observes their capabilities and steers the ship of compassion to go among people to transform sentient beings.
Thus, He is “constantly teaching and guiding sentient beings.” He absolutely never abandons nor rejects sentient beings. He never becomes vexed with sentient beings for being stubborn and hard to train, He just single-mindedly teaches and guides us to eliminate our ignorance. This is how the Buddha treats us. In lifetime after lifetime. He continues to teach us, hoping we will turn delusion into awakening. This is His great grace. So it says, “The World-Honored One’s great grace is an extraordinary matter.” This is because of His compassion. He teaches and transforms with great compassion to benefit all of us
The Buddha has great loving-kindness and great compassion. He teaches and transforms out of compassion, all for the benefit of sentient beings. For a long time, in many places, with firm resolve, traveling everywhere, He Himself suffered to benefit others. His grace is as deep as the ocean.
This is the Buddha’s great loving-kindness and great compassion. To act “all for the benefit of sentient beings” takes a very long time. It has taken a long time, since Beginningless time. Over countless kalpas, since Beginningless time, the Buddha has repeatedly come to the human realm for the sake of sentient beings. This is what He has done for a long time. “In many places” means He went to many places. On this planet alone, He was not only in India. He may have gone anywhere in the world. The Buddha may have appeared in any country. In any one of the world’s wealthy countries or in the most impoverished places, He might have manifested to save suffering people. That is also possible. He has been coming and going for a long time and across a vast space, not just in the human realm. He has gone throughout the Five Realms, transforming sentient beings according to their causes and conditions.
The Buddha’s mind is diligent. Diligent means He is absolutely never indolent. At all times, He is constantly seeking the Dharma and transforming sentient beings, widely transforming sentient beings. He is willing to go anywhere, using the same mindset of diligently practicing for the sake of sentient beings. The footprints of His travels, all the places He has been, cover all places [in the world], as He has taught and transformed sentient beings in all places. So, “He Himself suffered to benefit others.” He could endure all sufferings and hardships; He was willing to endure suffering and hard work for the sake of benefiting everyone and teaching and transforming sentient beings. The Buddha treated sentient beings with such grace and virtue. Think about it; this grace is as deep as the ocean!
This grace as vast as the sky covers everything in this way. Thus it says, “Over countless millions of kalpas, who could ever repay this?”
“This grace, as vast as the sky, covers everything in this way.” This is why it says in the sutra, “Over countless billions of kalpas,” over this long period of time, “who could ever repay this?”
The World-Honored One’s lifetime of teaching and transforming is all His great grace. This is an extraordinary matter. Starting with the Great Dharma of the Avatamsaka, He prepared to directly show us how to understand our minds so we can realize our nature. But sadly, it was as if we were deaf and mute; we failed to live up to this great grace.
The Buddha spent so much time on sentient beings, never stopping to rest. He went to countless places, across a boundless area. He worked hard, diligently advancing,, all for the sake of transforming sentient beings. This was so, even in His one lifetime of teaching. More than 2000 years ago in the kingdom of Kapilavastu, the Buddha was born in the palace. After manifesting the attainment of Buddhahood, He gave a lifetime of teachings; this was all part of His great grace ․The World-Honored One’s lifetime of teaching and transforming is all His great grace. This is an extraordinary matter. Starting with the Great Dharma of the Avatamsaka, He prepared to directly show us how to understand our minds so we can realize our nature. But sadly, it was as if we were deaf and mute; we failed to live up to this great grace. In fact, He did not only do this in that lifetime but for vast kalpas and infinite lifetimes, continually teaching and guiding others. In that life, He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood in order to teach and transform. For countless kalpas in the past, He manifested as a spiritual practitioner to continuously go among the people to teach. Now He has already attained Buddhahood, which is an extraordinary matter.
“Starting from the Great Dharma of the Avatamsaka” refers to the time of His enlightenment. In the instant His spiritual practice brought Him to that awakening, He hoped and wanted to quickly let everyone know, “All of you inherently have the innate enlightenment of True Suchness, the same as the Buddha. You are able to, in this world, awaken to the truths of all things.” Everyone innately has this, but sentient beings truly have very limited capabilities, so they were unable to understand. He wanted to let us know, but nothing could be done. So, “It was as if we were deaf and mute.” Sentient beings are still covered in ignorance. Thus, “We failed to live up to this great grace.” From the beginning the Buddha wanted to pass on the true principles He had awakened to to us yet we were unable to take it in and unable to express it. In this way we have truly failed to live up to the Buddha’s great grace.
The great grace of the World-Honored One: First, the Buddha began by making a compassionate [vow] to relieve the sufferings of the Six Realms and bring the joy of the Four Noble Realms. He led all in the Ten Dharma-realms to enter the Four Great Vows. This is the grace of the Tathagata’s room.
How great is the World-Honored One’s grace? Of course, it is truly very great. First, the Buddha made a compassionate [vow] “to relieve the sufferings of the Six Realms.” He “began by making a compassionate vow.” He began by making a vow of compassion to relieve sentient beings from their suffering in the Six Realms. For sentient beings suffering in the Six Realms, He wants to teach them everything to “bring the joy of the Four Noble Realms.” He even “led all in the Ten Dharma-realms.” The Four Noble Realms are. Hearers (Arhats), Solitary Realizers, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas; these are the Four Noble Realms. They engage in spiritual practice; when they began forming aspirations to practice, they comprehended the Buddha-Dharma by listening. “He led all in the Ten Dharma-realms.” He [went] everywhere in the Ten Dharma-realms. The Ten Dharma-realms include, in addition to the Four Noble Realms, the Six Unenlightened Realms. The Six Unenlightened Realms are the Six Realms of sentient beings. So, in the Six Realms and the Four Noble Realms, the Buddha-Dharma has spread everywhere.
He led them to “enter the Four Great Vows,” hoping all could unite with this state of mind. “I vow to deliver all sentient beings. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions. I vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors. I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” These are the Four Great Vows. “I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood” is to continually advance in spiritual practice. This is the grace of the Tathagata’s room. He has guided us into the Tathagata’s room, into the same space as the Buddha so that we can comprehend the Buddha-Dharma.
Second, the Tathagata practiced the Bodhisattva-path, revealing to us its benefit and joy. He had previously taught us the Great Vehicle. Though we later forgot midway down the path, our wisdom and vow were not lost. The Tathagata’s room brings coolness and warmth. This is the grace of giving joy through great loving-kindness.
Second, “The Tathagata practiced the Bodhisattva-path, revealing to us its benefit and joy.” The Buddha came to teach us by revealing the Bodhisattva-path, the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Great Vehicle Dharma helps us approach sentient beings and after we give we experience such joy! But we gave up halfway. We forgot the Great Vehicle Dharma, so after coming halfway, we stopped. “Though we later forgot midway down the path,” nonetheless “our wisdom and vow were not lost.” Our spiritual aspirations still existed. “Our wisdom and vow were not lost.” So, “The Tathagata’s room brings coolness and warmth.” We continue to engage in spiritual practice without creating more negative karma. Engaging in these pure practices is like being in a shelter provided by the Buddha, like being in the Tathagata’s room. In a place of spiritual practice, our lives can be very peaceful and free, a very refreshing feeling. “The Tathagata’s room brings coolness and warmth.” This is the grace of giving joy with great loving-kindness. The Buddha’s great loving-kindness gives sentient beings a place of peace and joy, a place for spiritual practice. This is the Buddha’s grace for sentient beings.
Third, sentient beings encounter suffering, like the son only looking at the father. The Buddha observes, waiting for a suitable moment. This is like a calf pursuing its mother. He prepares the practices of the Six Perfections to benefit sentient beings. The Tathagata’s room blocks the cold and heat. This is the grace of relieving suffering with great compassion.
Third, “Sentient beings encounter suffering, like the son only looking at the father”. As for the teachings the Buddha gave, the disciples did not accept them, like the poor son looking at the father, still unaware that he had a part in the treasure. He still did not know this. So, “The Buddha observes,” “waiting for a suitable moment.” The Buddha observes that sentient beings are only looking and listening, uninspired and not taking action. So, He patiently waits for an opportunity. He is “like a calf pursuing his mother.” He is like a calf chasing his mother; the Buddha makes use of all kinds of methods.
Before, the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links were what He continually taught. Then later, “He prepared the practices of the Six Perfections.” After using all kinds of methods, He began using the method of the Six Perfections. Eventually He taught the Great Vehicle Dharma “to benefit sentient beings.” The Buddha slowly guided them, gradually bringing them in. “The Tathagata’s room blocks the cold and heat.” The Tathagata’s room keeps everyone in it warm so no one will feel too cold nor will anyone have fiery afflictions. This is the “grace of relieving suffering with great compassion.”
Fourth, the Buddha, having attained enlightenment, should have enjoyed Nirvana’s unconditioned joy. Nevertheless, He concealed these spiritual virtues and applied the Dharma that those of limited capabilities delight in, the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. This is like sprinkling cold water on our faces to wake us up; this is the grace of the Buddha’s clothing protecting us from the heat of greed and desires.
Fourth, “The Buddha already attained awakening” and “should enjoy Nirvana’s unconditioned joy. Nevertheless, He concealed these spiritual virtues”. The Buddha attained enlightenment. He had spiritual virtues, but never manifested those spiritual powers. Just like other people, He went through birth, aging, illness and death. However, in His state of unconditioned Nirvana, “He applied the Dharma that those of limited capabilities delight in” so those of limited capabilities could joyfully enter. Thus, they accepted the Buddha’s teachings of the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. This was like “sprinkling cold water on our faces to wake us up.”
“This is the grace of the Buddha’s clothing protecting us from the heat of greed and desire.” It is like clothing that protects us, that helps us understand that we can no longer continue to be greedy. This is the Buddha’s grace toward sentient beings.
Fifth, He manifested old age as a skillful means to draw His disciples near, giving them a day’s wages. This is the grace of the Buddha’s clothing eliminating the coldness of views and giving warmth.
Fifth, He manifested old age “as a skillful means to draw His disciples near.” He gave them the value of a single day’s wage. He also did this with an aged appearance. Like the elder who sought the return of his child, as He grew old. He wanted to pass on the Dharma to His disciples. With various methods and analogies He taught them. This is “the grace of the Buddha’s clothing eliminating the coldness [and] giving warmth.”
The Buddha showed sentient beings an abundance of grace. In order to repay the Buddha’s grace, we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice. By loving ourselves we repay His grace. By giving to others we show our gratitude. In summary, the power of love is found a single thought. I hope everyone will [make use of] this love, this pure and undefiled great love, this love that benefits sentient beings. The Buddha is like this, and we must be as well. We must not allow our aspiration to learn the Buddha’s Way to weaken. We must not let any time go to waste. Therefore, we must always be mindful.