Episode 872 – Unobstructed Faith and Understanding
>> In seeking the supreme path to Buddhahood, the great fruit of Bodhi, we must attentively and diligently seek the truth and resonate with its principles. We must always deeply plant roots of goodness and deepen our faith and understanding.
>> “I teach all Dharma with the use of wisdom and skillful means. All the Dharma that I teach leads to the stage of wisdom of all Dharma.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs]
>> “The Tathagata observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings and also knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk. I understand this all without obstruction.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 5 – The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs]
>> “The Buddha’s virtue can universally benefit sentient beings of all capacities. The Dharma that He teaches resonates with sentient being’s capabilities so that sentient beings will all sooner or later understand the teachings. And with all the teachings He gives, they will reach the stage of ultimate truth.”
>> The Tathagata observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings: The paths sentient beings accept are different, so the Buddha, by use of skillful means, gives the teachings of the Five Vehicles to accommodate sentient beings. Sentient beings, upon hearing these teachings and principles and practicing and realizing the fruits, will each have a different aim and direction.
>> The Five Vehicles: The Human Vehicle, The Heavenly Being Vehicle, The Hearer Vehicle, The Solitary Realizer Vehicle, and the Bodhisattva Vehicle.
>> [He] knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk: . As for the minds of sentient beings, what they reveal is not difficult to know. However, for kalpas since Beginningless time, roots of goodness and evil set in motion and give rise to action in the depths of the mind. These are not easy to know through observation.
>>The depth of their minds is referring to the Right Dharma, the deep faith in the Right Dharma arising in the mind. Thus they take joy in cultivating all practices of goodness. This is the resolve to walk the great, direct Bodhi-path. This is also called the depths of their minds.
>> We must walk it without obstruction. Only the Buddha can observe and know all these things. [The Buddha] comprehends the thoughts that arise in the depths of sentient beings’ minds. He knows them completely, without obstruction.
>>This is the Buddha’s perfect wisdom. It [comes after] fundamental wisdom [Perfect wisdom] was what He attained subsequent to His fundamental wisdom. The Buddha gives rise to great compassion and works to save all beings. His practice is without obstruction.
“In seeking the supreme path to Buddhahood, the great fruit of Bodhi,”
we must attentively and diligently, seek the truth and resonate with its principles.
We must always deeply plant roots of goodness and deepen our faith and understanding.”
We must always be mindful! Seeking the path to Buddhahood is our common direction. We all share the same resolve, to engage in spiritual practice, and as spiritual practitioners, we must seek the supreme path to Buddhahood. If we practice but do not seek the Path, what is there for us to practice? So, our goal must be the supreme path. What we are seeking is the supreme path, the ultimate, supreme fruit of great Bodhi. Great Bodhi refers to great enlightenment. Since we want to engage in spiritual practice and seek the Path, the goal we must seek is great enlightenment.
We sentient beings are lost; how long has it been, how many kalpas, that we have been this way? We are lost in the Six Realms as one of the four kinds of beings. Without any control, we have carried our karma and remain trapped in confusion. With no way to decide [our destination], we suffer! So, because we know, we must seek; we must seek the supreme path to Buddhahood, must seek liberation. Seeking liberation does not mean practicing only for our own benefit; we must also work to benefit others.
Since we are learning the Buddha’s Way, what we cultivate as Buddhist practitioners is all for the goal of attaining Buddhahood. So, “We must attentively and diligently seek the truth.” We must be attentive and diligent. What we seek is the truth, to “resonate with the profound principles.” We must walk the path of truth and continue to advance on this path until our minds and the principles mutually resonate with each other. This is what we need to learn.
If we can resonate with the true principles, regardless of what difficulties we encounter, we will not be shaken by our afflictions. “We must always deeply plant roots of goodness.” Regularly, over a long, long time, we must continue to plant our roots of faith ever deeper into the ground. We must not be influenced, whether by rumors or by slander, by distortions or false accusations. If we are misled by these “baseless things,” that means that our roots of faith are shallow.
This is like how we were in the past, if the Dharma was not clear to us, or if we did not have faith, or if we had faith with a distorted understanding. Now that we have begun to understand, we need to give ourselves some time, quite a bit of time, for our roots to be able to grow. Then, when a storm comes, we will not be blown over by the winds. In the same way, if we have faith, it must be deep so that we will not have only a partial understanding or simply repeat what we hear others say. If our faith is shaken, we will retreat in our will to practice. We must give our faith a very long time for the roots to grow deep and thick. Our roots must grow firmly so we can have deep faith and understanding.
In order to understand the Buddha’s wisdom and resonate with the principles of the Right Dharma, we must have deep faith and understanding. Without deepening our faith and understanding, we will have difficulty comprehending this.
In the previous sutra passage, it says,
“I teach all Dharma with the use of wisdom and skillful means. All the Dharma that I teach leads to the stage of wisdom of all Dharma.”
In His compassion, the Buddha earnestly and skillfully guided us, employing all Dharma, the wisdom of all Dharma and skillful means to teach us. He did this for sentient beings, all in the hope that sentient beings would be able to experience the stage of wisdom of all Dharma.
The next sutra passage says,
“The Tathagata observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings and also knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk. I understand this all without obstruction.”
The Buddha wholeheartedly hoped for everyone to realize His intention and the Dharma He taught. Sentient beings’ capabilities are all different, so the Buddha adapted to them in order to give teachings. This is how the “Tathagata observed and knew sentient beings and the aim and direction of all teachings.” These teachings were given to all sentient beings, and all who heard them, all who received them, after accepting them, [would wonder,] “Are these considered Small Vehicle,” “Middle Vehicle or Great Vehicle practices?” “What is the direction [of our practice]?” After hearing the teachings, being able to thoroughly apply and realize them is the direction we are advancing in.
So, the Buddha was able to analyze which teachings were suitable for which sentient beings and what they would be able to comprehend. The Buddha “observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings.” If sentient beings have these capabilities, to what extent can they accept this Dharma? How will they be able to make use of it? The Buddha could understand all of this; “[He] knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk.” He also knew the minds of sentient beings and whether their capabilities were deep or shallow. Were their practices without obstruction? That is the wisdom of the Buddha.
“The Buddha’s virtue can universally benefit sentient beings of all capacities. The Dharma that He teaches resonates with sentient being’s capabilities so that sentient beings will all sooner or later understand the teachings. And with all the teachings He gives, they will reach the stage of ultimate truth.”
“The Buddha’s virtue can universally benefit sentient beings of all capacities.” This mean the Buddha’s virtue can accommodate any sentient being’s capabilities. “The Dharma that He teaches resonates with sentient beings’ capabilities. This is the Buddha-Wisdom. The Buddha’s wisdom allows Him to know sentient beings like His own hands so that sentient beings will “all sooner or later understand the teachings.” He understands them very well “[He does this] so that sentient beings will” “all sooner or later understand the teachings.” If, at this time, you could not understand this teaching, He would patiently [teach it to you] again and again, hoping that your afflictions and ignorance would be eliminated layer by layer, and that, bit by bit, wisdom would gradually nourish and enter your mind . This was how the Buddha helped sentient beings to sooner or later understand the teachings. “With all the teachings He gives,” the Buddha dedicated Himself to teaching the Dharma to all sentient beings. His goal at all times was for everyone to thoroughly understand the teachings until they “reach the stage of ultimate truth.” He hoped that we would not give up halfway, that we would all be able to reach the place of ultimate true principles, which is the supreme fruit. This was the Buddha’s most sincere wish.
The Tathagata observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings: The paths sentient beings accept are different, so the Buddha, by use of skillful means, gives the teachings of the Five Vehicles to accommodate sentient beings. Sentient beings, upon hearing these teachings and principles and practicing and realizing the fruits, will each have a different aim and direction.
“The Tathagata observes and knows the aim and direction of all teachings.” The Buddha, the Tathagata, observed sentient beings’ capabilities and observed all teachings. With their particular capabilities, what direction could sentient beings accept? “I have already experienced suffering, so I need to put all my efforts into experiencing how the origin of my sufferings is in the accumulation [of causation].” This is accepting the aim and direction of the teachings. This is the first step; we accepted this as the aim and direction of the Buddha’s teachings. This is just an example.
“The aim and direction of all teachings” means that by looking at them, the Buddha already knew. “These disciples of mine understand “suffering, its causation and its cessation.” Now they were practicing “the path to cessation.” “The paths sentient beings accept are different.” “Different” means varied. Everyone was at different places, “so the Buddha used skillful means.” What were the skillful means He used? They were “the teachings of Five Vehicles to accommodate sentient beings.” Since people’s capabilities were different, the Buddha accommodated their needs by teaching the Five Vehicles.
The Five Vehicles: The Human Vehicle, The Heavenly Being Vehicle, The Hearer Vehicle, The Solitary Realizer Vehicle, and the Bodhisattva Vehicle.
What are the Five Vehicles? The first of the five is the Human Vehicle. Only as humans can we practice the Dharma. For lay practitioners, the Buddha first taught them. They need to uphold the Five Precepts to retain their human form and not lose it. In this life, they can hear the Dharma. If next life they can be born human, then they can continue to do good deeds, hear the Dharma and engage in spiritual practice.
The Heavenly Being Vehicle means practicing the Ten Good Deeds so that we can enjoy the pleasures of heaven in the future. However, Buddhahood cannot be attained in heaven. In heaven we enjoy ourselves to the utmost, until the Five Signs of Decay appear, signifying our heavenly blessings are depleted and that we will once again fall. This is the Heavenly Being Vehicle.
We uphold the Five Precepts [to remain human] and practice the Ten Good Deeds to be born in heaven. As for those in the Hearer Vehicle, they practice the Four Noble Truths to attain Arhatship and become liberated. 這是「聲聞乘」。This is the Small Vehicle. For Solitary Realizers, what they practice is the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. Practicing the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, they may attain the fruit of a Pratyekabuddha. If people practice the Six Perfections, then they are practicing the Bodhisattva Vehicle.
Therefore, we uphold the Five Precepts [to remain human] and practice the Ten Good Deeds to be born in heaven. The Four Noble Truths lead us to Arhatship, while the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence lead us to the stage of Solitary Realizers, to become Pratyekabuddhas. Bodhisattvas practicing the Six Perfections will attain the fruits of Buddhahood. These are the Five Vehicles. Depending on which of these five tools we prefer, we make use of that method. The Dharma is like a tool meant to transport us. The fastest is to go by plane, or we can travel at a normal speed by car. There are fast cars and slow cars, but they are all vehicles; it just depends which we want to use. Which Dharma we accept will determine which fruit we attain. This was why the Buddha “used the Five Vehicles to accommodate sentient beings.”
In His compassion, the Buddha established various teachings for sentient beings. “Sentient beings, upon hearing these teachings and principles, [will practice them].” Upon hearing these teachings and principles, if we would like to come back as a human, we need to earnestly uphold the Five Precepts. In this way, we practice the principles and remain firm in not violating the precepts, in following these teachings and principles. This is practicing them, putting them into action. If we want to walk the Bodhisattva-path and practice the Dharma, then we must begin by putting it into practice. This is how we will attain realizations. The causes [we create by] walking this path will lead to the fruits of Buddhahood.
“By practicing and realizing the fruits,” “[we] each have a different aim and direction.” Of those who listen to the Buddha’s teachings, some wish to cultivate the fruit of human realm, and some want to attain the fruit of heaven. This depends on the aspirations each of us make and the methods we choose to employ. “Each has a different aim and direction.” Since everyone adopts different practices, 各人所得到的大、小乘的道理不同。the principles we attain will also vary.
[He] knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk․ [He] knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk: As for the minds of sentient beings, what they reveal is not difficult to know. However, for kalpas since Beginningless time, roots of goodness and evil set in motion and give rise to action in the depths of the mind. These are not easy to know through observation.
[He] knows the depths of sentient beings’ minds and the paths they walk․The Buddha knew sentient beings’ deepest thoughts. When it comes to sentient beings’ minds, “what they reveal is not difficult to know.” If we want to know what sentient beings are like, when we interact with them [we see], “He is not careful with his words.” “This person’s mindset is such that,” “while he goes along with what we say now,” “later on he stirs up all kinds of conflicts,” “then perpetuates this antagonism” . In this way, our habitual tendencies are expressed very obviously. Understanding these kinds of habitual tendencies is not that difficult. This person is a certain way, so finding a method to teach this person is relatively simple.
“However, for kalpas since Beginningless time, roots of goodness and evil have set in motion [action].” This is talking about our minds. Since Beginningless Time, we have continuously been permeated. Over this long period of time, all kinds of good and evil, all these roots, have grown deep in our minds. They are very deep. So, they “give rise to action in the depths of the mind.” If our roots of goodness are deep, then we will resonate with the Dharma faster. Once we understand and resonate, our faith will become more firm. If we brought evil karma from the past, and this evil karma appears again, we may cut off our own roots of goodness. With these kinds of negative habitual tendencies, if our environment changes and we give rise to these kinds of thoughts, our roots of goodness will be severed. This kind of subtle and intricate mindset is not that easy to observe. But the Buddha’s wisdom allowed Him to “know through observation.” If sentient beings had good and evil capacities and natures, the Buddha knew that completely through His observation. He was completely clear and understood.
The depth of their minds is referring to the Right Dharma, the deep faith in the Right Dharma arising in the mind. Thus they take joy in cultivating all practices of goodness. This is the resolve to walk the great, direct Bodhi-path. This is also called the depths of their minds.
What we understand and have faith in is the Right Dharma. Our [faith in] Right Dharma arising in their minds. This is rooted very deeply. In the depths of their minds is Right Dharma.
The Buddha-Dharma must be applied in daily living. The true Buddha-Dharma is found in our lives; outside our daily living there is no Dharma. We should be able to understand this. So, what we say and do in this life, our words and actions, should be spoken and performed correctly. We must not have such complicated thoughts or use kind words to mask unwholesome intentions; that is not right. We often do not have good intentions yet are good at saying nice things. Our words and thoughts and behavior are all totally different. This is not the depths of our minds; it is shallow and crude. What we must develop is the “depths of our minds.” We need to have deep faith and understanding and earnestly uphold [the precepts].
“[This] is deep faith in the Right Dharma that arises in the mind. Thus they take joy in cultivating all practices of goodness.” We must have deep faith in the Right Dharma. Then naturally, everything that we do will be joyful and happy. I am happy to do good deeds. I have overcome so many difficulties just to do good deeds. “This is what makes me the happiest. They take joy in cultivating all practices of goodness. This is the resolve to walk, the great, direct Bodhi-path.” This is also called the “depths of their minds.” Regardless of what practices we cultivate, we must use our loving hearts and directly practice the Bodhi-path.
We must walk it without obstruction. Only the Buddha can observe and know all these things. [The Buddha] comprehends the thoughts that arise in the depths of sentient beings’ minds. He knows them completely, without obstruction.
All thoughts that we give rise to can only be understood by the Buddha. “He knows them completely, without obstruction.” This means that when it comes to sentient beings, the Buddha has complete understanding.
This is the Buddha’s perfect wisdom. It [comes after] fundamental wisdom [Perfect wisdom] was what He attained subsequent to His fundamental wisdom. The Buddha gives rise to great compassion and works to save all beings. His practice is without obstruction.
“This is the Buddha’s perfect wisdom. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. “It [comes after] fundamental wisdom [Perfect wisdom] was what He attained subsequent to His fundamental wisdom.” As for His innate enlightenment and enlightened wisdom, it took the Buddha a long period of time of practicing this path to return to the pure wisdom of fundamental True Suchness. So, it is called “subsequent wisdom,” the wisdom which is attained subsequently without obstruction. “The Buddha gives rise to great compassion and works to save all beings. His practice is without obstruction.”
We need to learn the Buddha’s patience. This is how He traveled this path to reach the end without any obstructions. This was all to transform sentient beings. So, we must be grateful for the Buddha’s grace and always be mindful.