Episode 983 – A Pure Mind Pervades the Three Periods
>> We must stop evil, prevent wrongdoings and eliminate ignorance and delusions of views and thinking, plus dust-like delusions. The mind-nature is pure and clear and can thoroughly illuminate time dust-inked kalpas ago. It pervades throughout the Three Periods from beginning to end and across all of the Dharma-realm.
>> “I, with the power of the Tathagata’s understanding and views, observe those things long ago and far away as if they are here today. At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke this verse.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 7 – On the Conjured City]
>> “As I think of past lifetimes infinite, boundless kalpas before, there was a Buddha, a Two-Footed Honored One, named Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 7 – On the Conjured City]
>> The assembly here today had, during the era of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, formed affinities with the 16th novice. Therefore, today, under Sakyamuni Tathagata, they are able to listen to the Lotus [Sutra] and achieve realizations and attain the fruits.
>> “Suppose a man used his strength to grind up all of the lands in the great trichiliocosm and turned all of these grains of earth completely into ink. Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot, continuing on in this way until all the ink from the dust was exhausted.” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 7 – On the Conjured City]
>> Grains of earth: Earth is one of the four elements. It can give life to causes for phenomena of form. Hence these are called grains. Grains of earth refer specifically to the element of earth in the great chiliocosm.
>> Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot: He passes through 1000 Buddha-lands before inking one spot of dust. He passes through 1000 lands: This refers to the realm one Buddha transforms, which is the great trichiliocosm.
>> He would finally ink one spot: For every 1000 lands he passes through, he inks one spot. The 999 lands that he passed over are the lands not inked. There are great quantities of ink and only [small] drops. >> Continuing on in this way until all the ink from the dust was exhausted: From 1000 Buddha-lands to another 1000 Buddha-lands, he again inks one spot. In this way, he exhausts all the ink from the grains of the earth of the lands of the trichiliocosm. This shows how many lands he has passed through.
“We must stop evil, prevent wrongdoings and eliminate ignorance and delusions of views and thinking, plus dust-like delusions.
The mind-nature is pure and clear and can thoroughly illuminate time dust-inked kalpas ago.
It pervades throughout the Three Periods from beginning to end and across all of the Dharma-realm.”
This is to tell everyone that in our spiritual practice we must prevent wrongdoings and stop evil. We must eliminate ignorance and delusions of views and thinking, plus dust-like delusions. On an everyday basis, we must always, in all thoughts, uninterruptedly prevent wrongdoings and stop evil. Since we engage in spiritual practice, when a dust storm is blowing outside, the doors and windows of our minds must be shut tightly. If the doors and windows are not completely closed as dust is swirling in the air [outside], the tables and chairs that we have just cleaned will quickly be covered by dust again; the floor that was just swept clean, because the door was not completely shut, must be swept again. There is so much dust again. The door was clearly closed, so why is there so much dust? How did this dust and dirt manage to get in? Although the door was closed, it was not shut tightly. Our mind is also like this. While we are engaging in spiritual practice, we must uphold the precepts. Upholding the precepts is something we must do. We know we should uphold the major precepts, but sometimes we neglect the small ones. This is why we have not yet eliminated our habitual tendencies. So, in our spiritual practice, we must mindfully guard against wrongs and stop evil.
Spiritual practitioners must be constantly vigilant at all times. We cannot let evil thoughts arise. We cannot, when dealing with people or matters, benefit ourselves at the expense of others. We can absolutely never think like this. To have these kind of thoughts is to have evil thoughts. We must not only not take these actions, we must prevent these thoughts from even arising. This is what is meant by “prevent wrongdoings.” Once we take action, we have committed evil. If we are about to do it, we must quickly stop ourselves. This is what is meant by “stopping evil.”
To prevent wrongdoings and stop evil is to truly uphold the precepts. If we are able to strictly abide by the precepts, we will be eliminating ignorance. We will no longer commit evil deeds nor give rise to discursive thoughts. New [discursive thoughts] will not arise while the old ones are eliminated. By eliminating the old ones and not allowing new ones to enter, we will “eliminate ignorance and delusions of views and thinking, plus dust-like delusions.” This dust is very subtle, very subtle delusions. Delusions are ignorance.
So, in the beginning of the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City, there are many, many layers of causes and conditions, immeasurable and countless, with no beginning and no end. With these causes and conditions, whether positive or negative, we accumulated so much ignorance over a long time. We must eliminate this and not create any new [ignorance]. If we understand this, when we begin to learn the Buddha’s Way, we will not increase our ignorance nor create more negative affinities with others. Negative causes and negative conditions lead to negative effects and negative retributions; thus we are endless entangled. Look at all the suffering in this world! There is really too much! Since we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must remember to stop evil and prevent wrongdoings.
To prevent wrongdoings and stop evil, the most important thing is to eliminate ignorance, delusions of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. We must eliminate all of these and return to our “mind-nature [that] is pure and clear and can thoroughly illuminate time dust-inked kalpas ago.” When we have this purity and clarity, we can very thoroughly illuminate time dust-inked kalpas ago. This is something we should be very clear on. The Buddha had already eliminated ignorance and was not defiled by delusions of views and thinking. So, He has great perfect mirror wisdom; His mind-nature is pure and clear. He is completely clean and pure. What He sees is unobstructed and far-reaching.
“It pervades throughout the Three Periods from beginning to end and across all of the Dharma-realms.” No matter how many countless past lifetimes, it pervades [throughout the Three Periods]. The Three Periods are the past, present and future. The Buddha truly seized the moment and thus thoroughly understood [everything]. This is the state of the Buddha. Since the state of the Buddha was one of complete and thorough understanding, He came to tell us of these wondrous, inconceivable causes and conditions. From Beginningless Time until now, being able to be pure and to frequently listen to the Dharma comes from a deep affinity with the Buddha.
If we are able to understand and know about the Buddha-Dharma now, but we are unable to thoroughly [grasp it] or our understanding becomes interrupted, it must be from one thought of ignorance. We follow our external conditions to continuously pursue these external states, worldly desires and so on. We continuously reproduce ignorance, fall into the Three Evil Destinies and transmigrate through the Six Realms. This is all from subtle causes and conditions. So, the Buddha used His utmost efforts to lead us and help us understand and return to our past causes and conditions.
Thus, the previous sutra passage says, “I, with the power of the Tathagata’s understanding and views, observe those things long ago and far away as if they are here today. At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke this verse.”
Sakyamuni Buddha had great self-confidence. “I have the Tathagata’s understanding and views. I use the Tathagata’s understanding and views,” which is to use a pure and undefiled [mind] to thoroughly understand the universe. “I can understand everything in the past as if it [happened] today.” He could remember perfectly clearly. This was what Sakyamuni Buddha said of Himself.
Because this meaning is very deep, it says, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke this verse.” He worried that they did not understand, so He spoke again. “To restate His meaning [He] spoke this verse.” Using verse form [He] clarified it one more time.
In the next passage, the verses state, “As I think of past lifetimes infinite, boundless kalpas before, there was a Buddha, a Two-Footed Honored One, named Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior.”
The verses further describe how. Sakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, engaged in self-contemplation. “As I think” means that He again calmly engaged in contemplation. He calmed His mind and contemplated past lifetimes. He had been through so many countless kalpas, a very, very long time. This was what He had gone through. “There was a Buddha, a Two-Footed Honored One, named Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior.” This Buddha was already replete in both blessings and wisdom. He had both blessings and wisdom.
How did Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha come to be named Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior? Furthermore this Buddha was replete in both blessings and wisdom [He] was also replete with great spiritual powers and with great power of wisdom. He was “superior to the Three Vehicles.” This Buddha’s blessings, wisdom and spiritual powers were very complete, surpassing those of the Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. So, He was “superior to the Three Vehicles.”
This Buddha, Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior, “3000 dust-inked kalpas ago” manifested in this world. It was 3000 dust-inked kalpas ago that a Buddha appeared. His name was Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior, this Tathagata.
Before He became a monastic, this Buddha fathered 16 princes. These 16 princes were born before Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha became a monastic. These 16 princes also became monastics, practiced as novices and “heard the Lotus Sutra from that Buddha.” They heard the Lotus Sutra from. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. After Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra to them, He entered Samadhi for a very long time. So, after these 16 novices heard the [teachings] of the Lotus Sutra, they took the Lotus Sutra completely to heart, put it into action and with what they learned, went among people to transform sentient beings. They likewise ascended the [Dharma]-throne and, for sentient beings and the assembly, once again taught the Lotus Sutra.
Of these 16 novices, the 16th one, after beginning in this way, continuously engaged in spiritual practice lifetime after lifetime. Now He has already attained Buddhahood. That person is the present Buddha, Sakyamuni. “The 16th novice attained Buddhahood.” He is our present day guiding teacher, “Sakyamuni Tathagata. Those who had listened to the 16th novice expounding the Dharma are the assembly seated here today.” Those seated here today refers to those in Sakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime. Sakyamuni Buddha said, “You who are seated here today were in Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s era. When I taught the Lotus Sutra, we formed affinities that have lasted to this day.”
So, “The assembly here today had, during the era, of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, formed affinities with the 16th novice. Therefore, today, under Sakyamuni Tathagata, they are able to listen to the Lotus Sutra and achieve realizations and attain the fruits”
[The affinities from] the era of the 16 princes have continued to today. “Today” refers to more than 2000 years ago, when Sakyamuni Tathagata bestowed predictions on those in the assembly. Because they had awakened, after the Chapter on Bestowing Predictions, the Buddha again told the assembly of 500 people that they could receive predictions of Buddhahood. Now, He began; there were still 500 in the assembly who would receive predictions of Buddhahood. These were all those who, in the past, formed affinities in the era of those 16 novices. When the Buddha manifested in this world, He first bestowed predictions on them. In the future, these people will be able to attain Buddhahood.
The next sutra passage states, “Suppose a man used his strength to grind up all of the lands in the great trichiliocosm and turned all of these grains of earth completely into ink. Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot, continuing on in this way until all the ink from the dust was exhausted.”
This is talking about the past era countless kalpas ago of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. “Suppose a man used his strength to grind up….” This was such a long time ago. “All of the lands in the great trichiliocosm” would be ground up by his strength, all the lands in the trichiliocosm would be ground. Everything on the ground would become grains and then ink. After passing through 1000 lands, one spot would be inked. We have spoken about all of this before. He “continued on in this way.” This was a very long time ago. All grains of earth became dust.
Grains of earth: Earth is one of the four elements. It can give life to causes for phenomena of form. Hence these are called grains. Grains of earth refer specifically to the element of earth in the great chiliocosm.
“Grains of earth” refers to how. “Earth is one of the four elements.” Of earth, water, fire and air, earth can “give life to causes for phenomena of form.” So, “grains of earth” refer specifically to the great trichiliocosm and is referring to the element of earth.
When it comes to form, all things come from the land. If things spring forth from the land, there is a seed beneath the land. So, all things have causes for phenomena of form. Everything we see has its principles. Physical things have physical principles; this is the phenomena of form. Our lives also follow principles of life; this is also form. “I am this kind of person, this age. You are this kind of person, at this age.” We all undergo childhood and adulthood, youth and old age. Everyone’s physiology is continuously changing. This is the phenomena of form,
to say nothing of the things that we see, the things our eyes come in contact with. Whether it is the light or the background, or the things we are sitting on, or the ceiling we look up to see, these are all phenomena of form. So, [earth is] one of the four elements; all things have the cause for the phenomena of form. They all originate from earth. So, “grains of earth” mean that all things begin in the ground. “Grains of earth” refers to the great trichiliocosm.
Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot: He passes through 1000 Buddha-lands before inking one spot of dust. He passes through 1000 lands: This refers to the realm one Buddha transforms, which is the great trichiliocosm.
The “elements of the earth” are all like this. So, “Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot.” He passes through 1000 Buddha-lands “before inking one spot.” Every Buddha has great Buddha-lands. Thus, he passes through 1000 lands. This refers to the realm one Buddha can transform, which is the great trichiliocosm. He passes through 1000 lands and inks one spot. After passing through another 1000 lands, he inks another spot. In this way he passes through 1000 Buddha-lands. He passes through 1000 Buddha-lands in this way. “Then after passing through 1000 lands, he would finally ink one spot.” This is referring to Buddha’s transformation realm. It is the great trichiliocosm. So, a Buddha’s transformation realm is one great trichiliocosm. Imagine, how large is that? This is an analogy. “For every 1000 lands he passes through, he inks one spot. the 999 lands that he passed over” were the lands that were not inked. “There are great quantities of ink and only [small] drops.”
He would finally ink one spot: For every 1000 lands he passes through, he inks one spot. The 999 lands that he passed over are the lands not inked. There are great quantities of ink and only [small] drops.
The inking was like this. Some places were not inked; not every place was inked. So, after many lands, only one was inked. This is to show there were many dust-inked kalpas
Continuing on in this way until all the ink from the dust was exhausted: From 1000 Buddha-lands to another 1000 Buddha-lands, he again inks one spot. In this way, he exhausts all the ink from the grains of the earth of the lands of the trichiliocosm. This shows how many lands he has passed through.
“[He continued] on in this way until all the ink from the dust was exhausted. From 1000 Buddha-lands to another 1000 Buddha-lands,” going from 1000 Buddha-lands to the next 1000, “he again inks one spot. In this way, he exhausts all the ink from the grains of earth of the lands of the trichiliocosm is exhausted.” This shows that he passed through many lands.
It really was a very great number. There were so many lands that were all ground to dust to ink the land. How much time did this [represent]? The sand on the ground was all considered time. So, it took a very long time!
Thus, this sutra passage really does require us to use great wisdom to understand it. It is telling us that all of us, from Beginningless Time, already have a pure and undefiled intrinsic nature. But we have the dusts of endless ignorance covering it up. So, now we must return to our pure, undefiled nature. As Buddhist practitioners, it is really simple. We must be mindful to realize how to prevent wrongdoings and stop evil. We should not reproduce ignorance. As for the afflictions and ignorance of the past, we must quickly eliminate them, and new ignorance should not be reproduced. This is the most important thing for us to realize. We must always be mindful.