Episode 870 – The Four Unobstructed Wisdoms Deliver All
>> The Buddha skillfully explains the Dharma with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. Explaining matters and principles in proper sequence and timing, He freely taught according to capabilities. With a broad view, meticulous consideration and wondrous, skillful Dharma, He transforms countless sentient beings. He transforms countless sentient beings.
>>”The Tathagata further possesses infinite and boundless merits and virtues accrued over asankya kalpas. Even if you spent countless billions of kalpas, you would still never finish describing them.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs]>>”Kasyapa, you should know that the Tathagata is the king of all Dharma. That which I teach will never be false.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs]>>Kasyapa, you should know that the Tathagata is the king of all Dharma: Being called a king has the meaning of being free and at ease. With the Dharma, the Tathagata is the most free and at ease. Thus, He speaks as the Dharma-king and exhorts us with genuine truth to have faith.
>>”That which I teach will never be false.” The Buddha’s teachings are never false. All are the True Dharma. “Though He responds to people’s capabilities and adapts to the times, all the Dharma He teaches is always true, never false or illusory. This is describing the appearance of the Dharma and explaining why the Buddha came to this world.”
>>As the Buddha taught sentient beings the Dharma, whether He spoke of the illusory or of the true, of existence or of non-existence, each was revealed according to what was suitable and He was free and at ease with each. So, He can turn the Dharma-wheel without being bound by the Dharma. Thus, He is called the Dharma-king.
>>Also, ‘Not false’ means that there is no set way to teach the Dharma with language. If there was a set way to teach that was not false, then as the Buddha first taught that the Small Vehicle Nirvana was the ultimate, then later taught that the Great Vehicle Nirvana was actually the ultimate, how could the previous statement not be false? The previous statement must be looked at as according with capabilities and the latter as according with principles. For sentient beings, each has its own true benefit, thus they are said to be not false.
>>In other words, Each and every thing the Buddha taught is flawless, is the ultimate and is the supreme meaning. Thus, it will never be false.
>>This was all to help sentient beings verify and realize His teachings are not false. Therefore, we know that anything the Buddha taught from the start has never been false.
The Tathagata came to this world to transform sentient beings by teaching the Dharma. In order to achieve this,
“The Buddha skillfully explains the Dharma with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.
Explaining matters and principles in proper sequence and timing, He freely taught according to capabilities.
With a broad view, meticulous consideration and wondrous, skillful Dharma, He transforms countless sentient beings.”
“He transforms countless sentient beings.” This lets us know that the Buddha came to this world replete with everything. To transform sentient beings, He had used His wisdom to encompass and absorb the true principles of all things in the universe within His mind. But, to transform sentient beings, He had to express them. All of the principles [had to be taught] by using His speech to express all of the truths that He had thought of and understood. This is skillfully explaining. “The Buddha skillfully explains the Dharma with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms,” which are the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma, of unobstructed meaning, of unobstructed rhetoric and of unobstructed joy in speaking. These are the four kinds of unobstructed wisdom that the Buddha is replete with.
So, His lifetime of teaching was inseparable from. “Dharma, meaning and rhetoric” and the joy with which He taught everyone, which is called “joyful teaching.” In order to educate us, the Buddha had to teach the Dharma. He had to use all kinds of language and rhetoric. For the Dharma to be taught, there must be an order to it. He had to describe matters; to teach the principles, He had to first talk about people and matters. If matters are accomplished in a harmonious way, we will be in harmony with others. When we are in harmony with people and matters, we will be in harmony with the principles. This is why the Buddha had to use meaning and principles. He used profound meanings to analyze things for us.
So, He “[explained] matters and principles in proper sequence and timing.” He had to see whether the timing was appropriate for imparting certain teachings to everyone. This depends on the occasion and the listener’s capabilities. It depends on this person’s capabilities. Is the occasion suitable? Is it the right time? This must be observed with wisdom. So, to tell a story or explain a principle, there are conditions that must be satisfied. If everything is suitable, with no hindrances, that is the right time to teach the Dharma.
This is because the Buddha has “a broad view, meticulous consideration and wondrous, skillful [Dharma].” With the Buddha’s wisdom, His ocean of enlightened wisdom is so vast, while He observes things so meticulously. How can one benefit sentient beings and enable them to joyfully accept [the Dharma], easily taking the Dharma to heart and putting it into practice? For this, a broad view and meticulous consideration are necessary, as is exercising His wondrous and skillful wisdom. This is how He expounds all Dharma and transforms countless sentient beings.
There are myriad sentient beings. We must use every method possible to experience the truth of the Buddha’s teachings; only then can we go among people to guide them and benefit the world. One person cannot handle all things in the world. What our two hands can accomplish is limited, so we must find ways to inspire the goodness in everyone.
It is also among others that we continually train ourselves. Having accepted the Buddha’s principles, how do we persuade others? How do we guide people? Only by becoming close with many people can we comprehend the meanings of infinite Dharma. After seeing many people, we will know which kind of people need which kind of method to be transformed. This is a way of training. Developing our wisdom by working with people is what we must all work hard to do.
The previous sutra passage states, “The Tathagata further possesses infinite and boundless merits and virtues accrued over asankya kalpas” The Tathagata further possesses infinite and boundless merits and virtues accrued over asankya kalpas. Even if you spent countless billions of kalpas, you would still never finish describing them.
This is the Buddha’s loving-kindness. This loving-kindness and compassion is not limited to this one life. In the past, the present as well as in the future, there are so many teachings. For countless sentient beings, He used infinite Dharma-doors. With all His accumulated merits and virtues, even if we used countless asankya kalpas to describe the Buddha’s merits and virtues, we still would not finish describing them.
Next, the Buddha again said, “Kasyapa, you should know that the Tathagata is the king of all Dharma. That which I teach will never be false.”
This was the Buddha again telling everyone that. “The Tathagata is the king of all Dharma.” We often say that the Buddha-mind embraces the universe and all the celestial objects within it. The Buddha’s mind became one with the universe and could cover all things in the world. Of all true principles, there were none He did not recognize. There was nothing He did not know; He completely and clearly understands everything. Thus, He is “the king of all Dharma. That which I teach will never be false.” None of the Dharma taught by the Buddha is ever false. It is all True Dharma.
So, He is the king, the Dharma-king. The name means that He is at ease, because the principles of all things in the world, as far as the Buddha is concerned, are all completely clear to him. He is clear about everything. He is free and at ease with all Dharma.
When it comes to us ordinary people, just what has happened? Why are there so many mysterious, unnecessary matters with no explanation? What exactly are the causes for these? We become so afflicted by this. But, the Buddha understands all of these things, so He always teach us about them. Now we understand that everything depends upon the law of karma. When something happens, it is because of past causes and conditions.
Without the causes and conditions, there would be no way for someone to have these good circumstances in the world of hearing the Buddha teach the Dharma and joyfully practicing according to the teachings. It is the same for all of us as well. After becoming a monastic and discovering the Lotus Sutra, I was especially happy. That special joy came from deep in my heart, that kind of jubilant joy. When I saw the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, I always felt that this road is the one I will take. But is this a journey one person can finish on their own? It is not. This road is so open, spacious and long. It is not a road one person can walk alone. It has always been a road for all sentient beings, for everyone in this world, to walk together. The Buddha, in teaching the Dharma, wants to reach all sentient beings so everyone can hear the Dharma and everyone can attain Buddhahood. This is the Buddha’s intent.
The principle is the same; when we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must understand that since the Buddha is able to be at ease, He also wants us be at ease in the same way. So, these various methods are all for the purpose of helping everyone take the Dharma to heart, experience it and understand it. Then if we encounter troubling matters, we will be understanding and let them go. Although we may have afflictions, we can immediately let go and settle our minds into a calm state. We must use a steady and calm mind to deal with those troubling matters. Then, we will be able to feel at ease. Otherwise, it will truly be impossible for us to feel at ease
Kasyapa, you should know that the Tathagata is the king of all Dharma: Being called a king has the meaning of being free and at ease. With the Dharma, the Tathagata is the most free and at ease. Thus, He speaks as the Dharma-king and exhorts us with genuine truth to have faith.
So, Tathagata “has the meaning of being free and at ease. Meaning” is talking about the reason. The Buddha is already the Dharma-king. In the Buddha’s mind, the Dharma is already clear. Everything in this world is so complicated; people, matters and objects are all inseparable from the law of cause and effect. But with the Dharma, the Buddha is really at ease. This is what it means by.
“With the Dharma, the Tathagata is the most free and at ease. Thus, He speaks as the Dharma-king and exhorts with genuine truth us to have faith.” He used these kinds of methods because the Buddha Himself is very at ease. He is already quite at ease with the Dharma. So, He used all kinds of methods to teach sentient beings the Dharma. He taught sentient beings that good deeds must be done right away and unwholesome deeds must be quickly eliminated. In this way, He earnestly exhorted and admonished, all with the true principles. He exhorted us to have faith, exhorted everyone to have faith and understanding in the Buddha-Dharma.
The Buddha’s true principles, the Dharma, are what we must have faith and understanding in. Without faith or understanding, we may need to make a long and wide detour, suffering much torment in the state of unenlightened beings. It is great suffering!
“That which I teach will never be false.” The Buddha’s teachings are never false. All are the True Dharma. “Though He responds to people’s capabilities and adapts to the times, all the Dharma He teaches is always true, never false or illusory. This is describing the appearance of the Dharma and explaining why the Buddha came to this world.”
This sutra passage is “describing the appearance of the Dharma.” This was the way in which the Buddha taught the Dharma. For those with Small Vehicle, basic capabilities, He taught one kind of Dharma. For people with great capabilities, He used another kind of Dharma to teach. This is “describing the appearance of the Dharma and explaining why the Buddha came to this world.” The Buddha manifested in this world and began to form a Sangha. The Sangha then began transforming this world
“As the Buddha taught sentient beings the Dharma, whether He spoke of the illusory or of the true, of existence or of non-existence, each was revealed according to what was suitable and He was free and at ease with each. So, He can turn the Dharma-wheel without being bound by the Dharma. Thus, He is called the Dharma-king.”
The Buddha taught the Dharma according to capabilities. Whether He told of the illusory or of the true, it was all true and not false. We must now understand that [His teachings] are “according to what was suitable.” All teachings are taught according to capacities. Even if He wanted to teach someone, “This Dharma is like this,” because the capabilities of sentient beings were insufficient, the Buddha had to first establish skillful means. Establishing skillful means is not something false. The skillful means devised are also true, because in devising skillful means, He used provisional teachings, helping people to first feel at ease before beginning to guide them along this path that will truly bring them to a place of happiness.
He used provisional teachings to approach sentient beings; this is adapting to sentient beings’ capabilities. So, “Each was revealed according to what was suitable and He was free and at ease with each.” Thus, “He can turn the Dharma-wheel without being bound by the Dharma.” The Buddha freely uses the Dharma. As He turned the Dharma-wheel according to sentient beings’ capabilities, He was not hindered by the Dharma. All Dharma is understood by Him. Thus, He is known as the “Dharma-king.”
Also, ‘Not false’ means that there is no set way to teach the Dharma with language. If there was a set way to teach that was not false, then as the Buddha first taught that the Small Vehicle Nirvana was the ultimate, then later taught that the Great Vehicle Nirvana was actually the ultimate, how could the previous statement not be false? The previous statement must be looked at as according with capabilities and the latter as according with principles. For sentient beings, each has its own true benefit, thus they are said to be not false.
It also says, “All the teachings He gave accorded with principles of the Right Dharma, as well as with the capacities of sentient beings.” All the teachings He gave are the Right Dharma, the true principles. Facing different sentient beings, He was able to [teach in a way] that resonated with their different capacities, “so that each received according to his measure” and “obtained true and real benefits from this.” Thus it says this was “not false” [People were able] to understand, experience see through things and let go, dissolving their ignorance. All these were benefits attained
Also, ‘Not false’ means that there is no set way to teach the Dharma with language. If there was a set way to teach that was not false, then as the Buddha first taught that the Small Vehicle Nirvana was the ultimate, then later taught that the Great Vehicle Nirvana was actually the ultimate, how could the previous statement not be false? The previous statement must be looked at as according with capabilities and the latter as according with principles. For sentient beings, each has its own true benefit, thus they are said to be not false.
Also, “‘Not false’ means that there is no set way to teach the Dharma with language.” The Buddha did not have a set way to teach the Dharma. There is no set way to teach the Dharma that absolutely must be followed; no. From when He first began interacting with people, the Buddha was already teaching in accordance with their capabilities. Whatever their capabilities, whatever the time, He would give appropriate teachings. It is not necessary to use those specific rules.
Nowadays, we follow certain rules to give teachings. But as long as people can understand, are able to accept the Dharma, take it to heart and put it into practice, then that is the most appropriate thing to do.
“If there was a set way to teach,” a certain routine to teach, that was not considered false… If there was a set way to teach that was not false, then as the Buddha first taught that the Small Vehicle Nirvana was the ultimate, then later taught that the Great Vehicle Nirvana was actually the ultimate, how could the previous statement not be false? “As the Buddha first taught that the Small Vehicle Nirvana was the ultimate….” In the past, the Buddha taught them that if they accepted the Small Vehicle teachings and eliminated their afflictions, they would ultimately enter Nirvana, would attain tranquility and eliminate afflictions. This is what the Buddha taught the. Small Vehicle practitioners. But then He “later taught that the Great Vehicle Nirvana was actually the ultimate.” We must truly enter the Great Vehicle Dharma to benefit oneself as well as others, not merely practicing to benefit oneself. Benefiting ourselves as well as others is the ultimate True Dharma of the One Vehicle. If this is so, since the Buddha previously said that by practicing the Small Vehicle Dharma they could attain liberation, then later said that only by practicing the Great Vehicle Dharma could they attain true liberation, wasn’t the previous statement false? Was it counted as a falsehood?
“The previous statement must be looked at as [being given] according to capabilities and the latter given according to the principles.” We should put it this way The previous statement must be looked at as according with capabilities and the latter as according with principles. For sentient beings, each has its own true benefit, thus they are said to be not false. The previous statement was given to accommodate sentient beings’ capabilities. Because of their capabilities, this was what they could accept in order to eliminate their afflictions. But even if it was only for their capabilities, the Buddha still helped people thoroughly comprehend principles. Thus, later Great Vehicle teachings were given in order to accord with the principles, to help everyone to understand that the principles were originally like this. To truly return to our nature of True Suchness, we must accord with the principles.
“For sentient beings, each has its own true benefit.” Whether in accord with capabilities or principles, all these [teaching] benefit sentient beings. Thus, they are “not false.” If we do not earnestly help people to comprehend and accept, it is impossible for them enter the principles. They will never understand the principles. So, we must first create good affinities with everyone so they become willing to accept. After they listen and understand, we can guide them into the true principles
In other words, “Each and every thing the Buddha taught is flawless, is the ultimate and is the supreme meaning. Thus, it will never be false.”
Although the Buddha taught with skillful means using the Three Vehicles, they all return to the One Vehicle. The Three Vehicles return to the one great white ox-cart. No matter what teachings the Buddha gave, He ultimately hopes that everyone will comprehend the true principles and the Dharma of the supreme meaning. This is the Buddha’s expectation. “This was all to help sentient beings verify and realize His teachings are not false.” He wants to help sentient beings know that the teachings are not “false. Therefore, we know that anything the Buddha taught from the start has never been false.” This is so for anything the Buddha taught.
This was all to help sentient beings verify and realize His teachings are not false. Therefore, we know that anything the Buddha taught from the start has never been false.
We must know; how much of the Dharma can sentient beings understand? One lifetime is not very long, so how much of the Dharma can we understand? The Buddha-Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, is infinite and countless. The Buddha continually gives to sentient beings over a long period of time. He continually teaches sentient beings and never gives up on them. This grace is truly tremendous.
Sentient beings have a multitude of capabilities so the Buddha used all His effort [to teach]. In the end, it all returns to the supreme meaning. There is only the One Buddha Vehicle. In the hopes that all of us will return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness, He uses subtle and intricate ways to explain these kinds of skillful and wondrous Dharma. He hopes to transform countless sentient beings, not just to have a few who can understand. He hopes we will all realize and understand it. So, this is the Buddha’s grace and virtue. We must always be mindful!