Episode 1200 – Past Affinities and Intrinsic Nature Always Exist
>> If we fasten a jewel to a conscious man, the man may hear [us fastening it] but not understand. If we fasten a jewel to a drunken man, he would still have difficulty making a living. Great Unhindered Buddha, dust-inked kalpas ago, promoted the Lotus teachings. These were given to the 16 princes to expound again and pass down. The Conjured City is an analogy for how past affinities have not fallen. Fastening a jewel indicates that the intrinsic nature always exists. This means that we all have great capacities, yet prefer to be people of limited wisdom.
>> Upon all those present before the Buddha who listen to the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, if hearing one verse or phrase of it they give rise to a thought of joy, I bestow on all of them predictions of attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
>> The Buddha told Medicine King, “After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, if there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy, I also bestow on them predictions of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
>> After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who accept and uphold this wondrous sutra will be called Dharma masters. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, there will be those who, hearing the Dharma, can instantly give rise to joy, accept, uphold and expound the teachings.
>> The Buddha told Medicine King, “After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana”: The above describes the time when the Buddha was in the world and after He entered Parinirvana.
>> If there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy: This refers to those who hear one verse or one phrase of this sutra and give rise to a thought of joy. A verse is composed of four lines. The power of one verse is as much as that of giving rise to a thought of joy.
>> I also bestow on them predictions of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: I also bestow on them predictions of attaining Buddhahood.
>> I will also bestow on them predictions: In the future, people will hear only few teachings. The Buddha also bestowed on them distant predictions.
>> This shows that for this sutra, whether during His manifestation or after His entering Parinirvana, once people are able to hear it, one verse will open their hearts and one phrase will illuminate their minds. If we give a jewel to a conscious man, the man may hear but not understand. Those who are unaware or have no faith are like a drunken man being given a jewel.
>> This is exactly like the 16 princes sitting in their places of practice as they expounded the Dharma again. Thus, the jewel attained today is the one the novices gave us in the past. The jewel being given today is the cause for the attainment of future disciples.
“If we fasten a jewel to a conscious man,
the man may hear [us fastening it] but not understand.
If we fasten a jewel to a drunken man,
he would still have difficulty making a living.
Great Unhindered Buddha, dust-inked kalpas ago,
promoted the Lotus teachings.
These were given to the 16 princes
to expound again and pass down.
The Conjured City is an analogy for how past affinities have not fallen.
Fastening a jewel indicates that the intrinsic nature always exists. This means that we all have great capacities,
yet prefer to be people of limited wisdom.”
This passage is to remind everyone about the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City, how everyone’s intrinsic nature has, since Beginningless Time, since dust-inked kalpas ago, continually and permanently existed. Our nature of True Suchness is intrinsic; it is beginningless and endless. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha compassionately continued to remind us that we all intrinsically have the Buddha-nature. He hopes that we all make good use of it.
“If we give a jewel to a conscious man” is like [saying] to a conscious man, “Come, I will give you a jewel. When you receive this jewel, you must earnestly seek to experience and understand it.”
We each have a jewel within us, our nature of True Suchness. But we are like this, covered by ignorance life after life. So, there is a jewel within us, but we do not know that the jewel is priceless, that it is very valuable; we only envy others for having a jewel. Actually, we have a jewel within us, but we do not know it.
This is similar to when we listen to the Dharma. We are willing to listen to the Dharma, yet we listen and do not seek to understand it. We are not willing to earnestly and mindfully seek to experience it. Why do we say that the Buddha-Dharma is inseparable from our daily living? We should ask ourselves, “In my daily living, how often in my mind does the thought, ‘This is in accord with the Dharma’ appear?” Actually, the way in which we live is inseparable from the Buddha-Dharma. It is inseparable from the Buddha-Dharma, yet when we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we do not understand it in the context of our daily living. This is something we must mindfully reflect on. We must reflect on why, though we clearly know that the Buddha-Dharma is to be applied to and is inseparable from the human world and that all Buddhas attain Buddhahood in this world, though the Dharma is clearly in our lives, we still do not know or understand it. We listen but do not understand. Even if we are listening, [we say,]. “I know, I know, but I do not really understand.”
We all intrinsically have the nature of True Suchness, yet we do not know that this intrinsic nature of True Suchness has actually been following us life after life, without beginning or end; it never stops. However, unfortunately, in life, a single thought of ignorance stirs up afflictions, and it is due to these afflictions giving rise to our actions that we create the karmic causes and conditions. With the karmic causes and conditions, they lead us, so we do not have control. We transmigrate in the Four Forms of Birth and. Six Realms in this way; everything is beyond our control. This is what we unenlightened beings need to come to realize ourselves; we must reflect on ourselves.
We need to listen, contemplate and practice. Once we listen, we must contemplate mindfully. In our daily living, the mind is inseparable from the Dharma, and the Dharma is inseparable from the Buddha, so the Buddha-Dharma is intrinsically in our lives. If we can do this, then we have the Buddha in our minds, and there is a spiritual training ground in our actions. The training ground of the Buddha-Dharma is in our daily living. But we have not been mindful, or we listen, but do not understand.
It is as if “we fasten a jewel to a drunken man.” A drunken man is already intoxicated so when we put a jewel on him, he does not even know it. “He would still have difficulty making a living.” He has a priceless jewel and yet he continues to wander in destitution. His life truly remains one of poverty; he still has difficulty making a living.
This is about Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha. In the Parable of the Conjured City, [we learned] that Great Unhindered Buddha’s time was dust-inked kalpas before Sakyamuni Buddha’s. Sakyamuni Buddha talked about a time incalculably long ago, using dust-inked kalpas as an analogy. At the time, He “promoted the Lotus teachings.” Back then, Great Unhindered Buddha had begun to teach the Lotus Sutra. After teaching the Lotus Sutra, He entered the meditation room, and the 16 princes began to expound the Lotus Sutra again, passing down the One Vehicle Dharma, which is the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.
The Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra has been taught since dust-inked kalpas ago. It was not Sakyamuni Buddha who [first] taught the Lotus Sutra. Already, a very long time ago, the 16 princes had continuously transmitted the Dharma, passed down the teachings, so that everyone’s memories of it would be strong. That was the time told of in the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City. The Buddha brought up the long past by describing the time of Great Unhindered Wisdom Buddha. So, we know that already in ancient times, the Lotus Sutra was beginningless and endless, coexisting with our nature of True Suchness. It coexists with the true principle of all things in the world. This means we have been one with the universe, been present in the Lotus Period; it means our nature of True Suchness has been fully present, never damaged or lost. It is just that we do not understand.
The fastening of the jewel, the analogy of having a jewel on our persons, shows that our true nature always exists. The truth and everyone’s nature of True Suchness always exist. It is just that, despite all having great capacities and all being able to attain Buddhahood, we sentient beings are willing to let ourselves regress. We are unwilling to, after listening to the Dharma, quickly listen, contemplate and practice, to practice according to the Dharma. After listening, we must experience it and put it into action. Then we can inherit and transmit the Dharma, can go among people to teach and transform sentient beings. We are all able to do this; we all have this potential for goodness, all have this innate ability. We all have great capacities, but we are willing to just be people of limited wisdom.
Everyone just really wants to benefit themselves. They do not wish to have to face the Great Vehicle and walk the Bodhisattva-path of going among people. This is truly a pity! People fundamentally have this intrinsic nature, this innate ability, but we are unwilling to accept [the teachings]. As long as we have deep faith and understanding, there is nothing we cannot do. We should earnestly believe this; this is what the Buddha’s teachings tell us. If we could eliminate our doubts and grow very deep roots in our hearts, let those roots extend deeply downward, then we would naturally flourish upward; this is to “seek the Dharma and transform others.” On the Bodhisattva-path, we must seek the teachings, and at the same time, we must provide for others and be able to expound the teachings we understand, speak of the things we have done.
For instance, a few days ago, some of our Pure Practitioners participated in an [international Buddhist] conference. Everyone was speaking about theories, but we go by [the principle] “say what we do and do what we say.” We have practical evidence and proof of how we apply the Dharma among people. When people are suffering, we apply the Dharma to relieve sentient beings’ suffering. For those who are lost in life, we apply the Dharma to guide them to return to the Bodhisattva-path. We use the True Dharma to talk about what we have seen, what we have heard, what we have done and what we have said. They are thus backed with evidence and proof. These principles are not empty nor without substance or appearance. For that which is empty and has no substance or appearance, we can use all kinds of matters, things and people to serve as analogies for it.
So, the Buddha, in teaching the sutras, gave many analogies. He used these analogies to explain and used the law of karma to analyze things for us. This is because intangible principles require the use of tangible people, matters and things to be explained so that they are clear. This is how we can prove that the Dharma is for us to apply in this world. It helps us understand intangible principles in hope that when we go among people, we have abundant ways to transform sentient beings, “have the Dharma to transform sentient beings.” This is the principle.
For instance, in southern Taiwan there is a Mr. Wang Baoyu. He is still young. He originally was only a hotel employee, but he had a strong desire to advance, and the hotel chairman noticed the way he handled luggage in the hotel; when customers came, he helped them look after their luggage, and that was it. The chairman kept observing this young man, who was so diligent, honest, always smiling with an open heart, easy to get along with people and willing to work. So, the chairman found this talented man and kept him by his side, and he became the chairman’s executive assistant.
For a while, he was praised by everyone, but he still felt that a life of [working] in the hotel was not what he wanted ideally. He hoped to have the chance to be in contact with the general public and more people. So then, having a strong desire to advance, he took English lessons, becoming an English teacher.
Later, he felt that he could have even broader contact with people, so he left to become a radio station host. And so, he was at the radio station for nine years. This lasted until 2014. He was already a donating member at that time, but whenever someone invited him to volunteer with Tzu Chi, he always said, “OK! OK, when I find time.” So, time passed like this, until one year on Mother’s Day, in 2013. He could not go back to celebrate Mother’s Day with his mom. So, on the radio, he told his mom, “Today is Mother’s Day, but I am unable to go back and be with you. So, I will be here in this place, in the radio station, and let people [call in and] request songs to thank our mothers.” He gave a tribute to his mother in this way.
At the time, a taxi driver, who was a Tzu Chi volunteer, heard him. Listening to the broadcast on the radio station, the taxi driver heard him and began to feel that this radio host was very filial. We were about to have a Buddha Bathing Ceremony, so the driver, a Tzu Chi volunteer, called to contact him and said, “We are about to have a Buddha Bathing Ceremony. You miss your mom a lot, and Tzu Chi’s Buddha Bathing [Ceremony] is also a [Mother’s Day celebration]. [You can come] and pray for blessings for your mom. I would like to invite you to join the Buddha Bathing Ceremony.” This was how he began to participate.
When he entered the large venue of the Buddha Bathing Ceremony, he was deeply moved. Thus, he began to get involved with Tzu Chi. He began to form a resolve. In Tzu Chi, he felt he was doing good deeds among people. There were so many brothers and sisters, and what everyone did was for the world’s sake. There were many conditions, many opportunities, to come in contact with people, and he could form good affinities with others. So, he listened to the Dharma, went through introductory and then advanced volunteer training and became very diligent.
Later, he resigned from his job and wholeheartedly devoted himself to Tzu Chi. Over the course of volunteer training, six other [trainees] were his radio show listeners. Actually it should be eight, but there were six who truly became certified. This is going among people and transforming sentient beings. Now, whenever there is a big event, he is very lively and always comes forward to be the host. He truly puts his heart into it! He has always had great capacities. As long as he had the aspirations, he could go from the Small to the Great. His aspirations had always been great ones. He formed Great Vehicle aspirations; he wanted to go among people and form good affinities with others. So, he went from a Hearer to a Solitary Realizer, from the Small to the Great. He went from a bellman at a hotel, all the way to becoming an executive assistant to a chairman. Then he hoped to escape this kind of life working in the hotel and be able to freely form good affinities with more people. So, he was willing to take lessons to learn English, and he became a teacher. Later he served as a radio host.
In this way, he had many listeners. So, he began to advocate for a vegetarian diet. He had his radio show listeners all get together and started some kind of coffee meeting. In any case, this young man, who is only in his 40s, truly had a great mission in mind and made great vows, so naturally, it was not difficult for him to go among people and transform sentient beings. He said, “I just usually say what I do and do what I say. This was what Master said. Everywhere in our daily living is a spiritual training ground.” Indeed! We should take the Dharma and apply it, apply it in our living, apply it among people and use it to transform sentient beings. We have the Dharma to transform them; it is not impossible.
What sentient beings need now is for everyone to form great aspirations to bring purity to people’s hearts. It is a very pressing time now. The Buddha said that the Lotus Sutra was not taught first by Sakyamuni Buddha. It was taught dust-inked kalpas before, during. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s time. All Buddhas share the same path. When a Buddha appears in the world, He must finish teaching the Lotus Sutra by the end [of His life], to let everyone know that they have a jewel on them. “When you listen to the Dharma, I let you know the jewel you were given.” We already have this jewel, but have we used it? If we do not use it, we will not understand. When we use it, this jewel can develop our wisdom-life, enrich our wisdom-life. But we have not used it, so we are like the man who laid down drunk; we are still not rich in our wisdom-life. So, we must be mindful. We all have an abundance of invaluable jewel. We must be mindful!
Come, let us look at the previous sutra passage.
“Upon all those present before the Buddha who listen to the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, if hearing one verse or phrase of it they give rise to a thought of joy, I bestow on all of them predictions of attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
These were 80,000 great beings. “Medicine King! Do you see them? Do you understand? Although the 80,000 great beings do not frequently listen to the sutras, if they are able to listen, to hear in the presence of a Buddha a verse of Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra,” with a verse being four lines, “or one phrase and from one phrase they have even one thought of joy arising in their minds, as they have this kind of affinities, as they have planted these affinities, I bestow predictions on them all.” This is a seed that has entered their minds. So, this is the Buddha’s compassion.
The following sutra passage says,
“The Buddha told Medicine King, ‘After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, if there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy, I also bestow on them predictions of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.'”The Buddha told Medicine King, “After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, if there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy, I also bestow on them predictions of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
He called again, “Medicine King! During my time, if they hear one phrase or one verse and give rise to a thought of joy, I bestow predictions on them. If after I enter Parinirvana, someone hears the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one phrase or one verse, and gives rise to a thought of joy, I likewise bestow predictions on them.” This is the Buddha [talking]. He is everlasting, neither arising nor ceasing, and His great enlightenment is always in the world. After the Buddha had entered Parinirvana, as in our time now, though His physical body entered Parinirvana, His great enlightenment and. His Dharmakaya are ever-abiding. We should now take the Buddha’s teachings and apply them [in our lives]. Whether it is one phrase or one verse, if we take joy in it and take it to heart, we can likewise receive the Buddha’s blessings. This represents the Three Treasures of our nature. “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature].” Everyone intrinsically has an enlightened nature. [We must] accept the Dharma [and realize] the Buddha within us. This is what we must mindfully seek to experience.
So, “After the Buddha enters Parinirvana, those who accept and uphold this wondrous Dharma will be called Dharma masters.”
After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who accept and uphold this wondrous sutra will be called Dharma masters. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, there will be those who, hearing the Dharma, can instantly give rise to joy, accept, uphold and expound the teachings.
The Buddha began to bestow predictions for the future. Regarding the future, the time after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, as Sakyamuni Buddha said, “After I enter Parinirvana, if someone is willing to accept and uphold the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, they will be called a Dharma master, because they will, according to the Dharma, accept, uphold and expound it.” When one listens to the Dharma, takes it to heart, puts it into action, and expounds and transmits it, one is called a Dharma master. This means, after the Buddha enters Parinirvana, if someone, after hearing the Dharma, becomes joyful and is willing to accept and uphold this Dharma, the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, then this person will take the Dharma and the precepts as his teacher. When one takes the Dharma as one’s teacher, one becomes a teacher for others, a teacher of those who practice the Dharma.
This is how we should transmit the Dharma. The Buddha bestowed predictions on us in this way, for a time in His future, which is our time now. If we can take the Dharma to heart, if we can learn extensively the Dharma and its essence, the Dharma’s essence can be applied to our daily living. We can apply it among the many sentient beings who are ignorant and afflicted to help them return to this path, to guide them in [their life’s] direction. In this way, we are also those who rely on, expound and transmit the Dharma. The Buddha bestowed predictions on us in this way, for our time now, after He entered Parinirvana. So, in the Chapter on Dharma Masters, this is the key point. He hoped that everyone values the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the path to Buddhahood. The Lotus Sutra is to help us understand that everyone can attain Buddhahood. It is a path that requires us to put the teachings into practice. It is a path we are able to walk.
So, “The Buddha told Medicine King, ‘After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana….'” This refers to the period after. Sakyamuni Buddha enters Parinirvana.
The Buddha told Medicine King, “After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana”: The above describes the time when the Buddha was in the world and after He entered Parinirvana.
This expresses how, during the Buddha’s time, He had already taught the Lotus Sutra. In the seven to eight years of [teaching] it, He was getting near the time when He was to enter Parinirvana, so He constantly intensified His tone. He kept on hoping that everyone would value the Lotus Sutra, value listening, contemplating and practicing. Everyone needs to put it into action on the Bodhisattva-path. So, from the time the Buddha was alive, until after He entered Parinirvana, He constantly hoped to quickly help everyone know the importance of this sutra, the key point of transmitting it in the world; He felt most urgent about this, because the Lotus Sutra [contains] the Buddha’s original intent. This Lotus Sutra [contains His intent], from when He attained Buddhahood until. He freely expressed it in the end. So, He repeatedly reminded us, hoping everyone would truly put it into action.
Thus, [it says,] “If there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy….” They were like this. When they listened to this sutra, to one verse or phrase, they would have a thought of joy; they would give rise to a thought of joy.
If there are people who hear the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, even one verse or one phrase, and give rise to a thought of joy: This refers to those who hear one verse or one phrase of this sutra and give rise to a thought of joy. A verse is composed of four lines. The power of one verse is as much as that of giving rise to a thought of joy.
A verse is composed of four lines. We often pay respect and prostrate to the sutra. The verses we make prostrations to are four lines each. These are things we understand very well. Each verse contains a wondrously profound teachings, so we should be mindful. A verse composed of four lines has a complete teaching in it. If we can remember this verse in our hearts, in our daily living, with one phrase every day, or a verse every day, we can experience [the truth] in our lives. Among the Dharma and all true principles of the universe, we should be able to know everything. We should be able to comprehend how the Buddha put His heartfelt effort into this.
After the prose passages follow the verses that repeat [the teachings]. These help us remember. The same Dharma must be repeated like this, so that we are very familiar with it, so we can take the Dharma to heart and imprint it in our minds. Everything we do and everything we say, all of our actions, are all inseparable from the Dharma in our lives. This is the Buddha’s compassion and the Buddha’s teachings for us. Look at how long the Lotus Sutra is. The Buddha, with His compassion, worried that we would become indolent. He worried that with such a long sutra, we would not have the heart to recite and read it all the way through and understand it all, that we might not have the patience. So, the Buddha quickly told us, “You just need to listen right away. With even one phrase or one verse of four lines, what you hear can arouse your interest, and from what you hear you can realize and understand.” We can comprehend in our daily living that actually our lives are the Dharma in this four-line verse. He hoped everyone, with regard to this Dharma, would plant these seeds in the fields of our minds. As long as we plant the seeds, we will have the causes and conditions to encounter the Buddha-Dharma again.
This is like what we just said about the young Mr. Wang. He was already a Tzu Chi member and people had invited him [before]. When he became a Tzu Chi member, he already planted the seeds in his mind. So, he listened to the Dharma and knew “Doing good and being filial cannot wait.” He had to go among people and form good affinities. He knew all of this. But, once the causes and conditions matured, during Mother’s Day, as he was hosting the radio show, he asked people for songs thanking their moms. His missed his mom on Mother’s Day. These are causes and conditions! Our Tzu Chi volunteer just so happened to hear it. This Tzu Chi volunteer, a taxi driver, was himself undergoing dialysis. Afterwards, after they met, Mr. Wang was moved by [the taxi driver]. Mr. Wang felt that though the [taxi driver] was not healthy, the man wanted to be self-reliant, so the man drove a taxi and kept on sharing my teachings with his passengers. He was thus able to guide Mr. Wang to join Tzu Chi. Mr. Wang was moved by this man. This is what we call causes and conditions.
Each phrase, each verse are all seeds; they are all causes and conditions. So, “The power of one phrase and one verse is as much as that of giving rise to a thought of joy.” This is how it is; even with one phrase or one verse, when they hear it, they are happy. Whether we speak one phrase or one verse to others does not matter; once others hear it, they are happy; they take joy in it. This is also spreading seeds. Being a farmer of the minds of ordinary people is very good too. [We can] sow the seed of a single thought in people’s minds.
“I also bestow on them predictions of. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
I also bestow on them predictions of. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: I also bestow on them predictions of attaining Buddhahood.
As long as everyone can, in a single thought, accept this Dharma, even a short phrase, one verse or one phrase, this can awaken the joy people have toward the Dharma. For these kinds of people, the Buddha began to bestow upon them predictions for the future, which means that all of them could be called Dharma masters. So now, when we see a monastic, we will call him a Dharma master. Has he spread the seeds of the Dharma in sentient beings’ minds? People who renounce the lay life are referred to as Blessed-field Monastics. I hope we cultivate our own fields of blessings and eliminate our afflictions and ignorance. The Buddha said that those who eliminate afflictions and help sentient beings spread the seeds and plant a blessing are called Blessed-field monastics. Blessed-field Monastics must have the Dharma to share with people who give [them alms]. Thus, they cultivate in each other’s minds, the minds of sentient beings. Everyone should be a farmer of sentient beings’ minds, cultivating purity to people’s minds. The Buddha taught us in this way, hoping we all would take the Dharma to heart.
So, the Buddha said, “I also bestow on them predictions.” He also bestowed predictions, bestowed predictions for the future. Although they had not heard much of the Dharma, the Buddha bestowed distant predictions, predictions for a long time into the future.
I will also bestow on them predictions: In the future, people will hear only few teachings. The Buddha also bestowed on them distant predictions.
It is like those 2000 disciples. It could be that these 2000 disciples had not yet formed Great Vehicle aspirations, but the Buddha also bestowed predictions on them. At the start of the Chapter on Dharma Masters, He asked Medicine King Bodhisattva if he had seen the 80,000 great beings. “Have you seen the 80,000 great beings?” Where are these 80,000 great beings? [They were] the eight classes of Dharma-protectors and those in the world who sought to be Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas and those who sought the path to Buddhahood. For those who have the aspirations, the Buddha bestowed predictions on them all. Of course, for future sentient beings who would likewise accept this Dharma, the Buddha also bestowed distant predictions; He bestowed predictions for far in the future. Now, we can uphold the Lotus Sutra, which means we likewise can become Dharma masters. We can be teachers who uphold, expound and transmit the Dharma.
So, “This shows that for this sutra, whether during His manifestation or after His entering Parinirvana….”
This shows that for this sutra, whether during His manifestation or after His entering Parinirvana, once people are able to hear it, one verse will open their hearts and one phrase will illuminate their minds. If we give a jewel to a conscious man, the man may hear but not understand. Those who are unaware or have no faith are like a drunken man being given a jewel.
Whether in the present or the future, although the Buddha’s time has passed, this sutra will always be in the world, always helping people become Bodhisattvas. So, whether before, during His manifestation or after His entering Parinirvana, this sutra is always everlasting. “One verse will open their hearts.” One phrase can make people happy; one verse can let people rejoice and change their perspectives on life. We often hear about people turning their lives around, changing their perspectives and changing from the past confusion of their lives to being well-grounded now. There are many such stories! This is how “One verse will open their hearts.” As long as we listen and, after listening, implement it in our lives, we can use all kinds of analogies to share this with everyone.
So, “[with] one phrase,” our minds open up entirely. The meanings are so great; [Our minds] are like the sky, completely illuminated and bright.
Just now, everyone was diligently practicing in the morning recitation. When I came out, the sky was dark, but after I finish later, look to the front and you can see the sky is already bright. This means time had passed. Actually, when we listen and take the Dharma to heart, it is like the sky becoming illuminated; our minds become radiant. “If we give a jewel to a conscious man,” it is like saying to a clear-minded man, “Come, I will give you a jewel. Once you receive this jewel, you must earnestly comprehend and understand it.”
“The man may hear but not understand. Those who are unaware or have no faith are like a drunken man being given a jewel.” If we only listen to the Dharma and are unwilling to understand it, to believe in it, then we are like the drunken man. A jewel was put in his [clothes], but he did not know about it and remained very poor, wandering in the streets like that.
So, it is like 16 princes’ era, when they sat at the place of practice, repeating the Lotus Sutra.
This is exactly like the 16 princes sitting in their places of practice as they expounded the Dharma again. Thus, the jewel attained today is the one the novices gave us in the past. The jewel being given today is the cause for the attainment of future disciples.
So, we must know that beginningless kalpas ago, during the 16 princes’ time, we already listened to this sutra at the Buddha’s feet, but we did not apply it. Furthermore, we accumulated ignorance over lifetimes. Therefore, now, “We obtain the jewel today.” The causes and conditions have now matured in this life, and we listen to the sutra again. This is “the [jewel] the novices gave us in the past.” During the 16 princes’ time, we were in the same period as they were. We listened to the sutra the 16 princes taught, and they had already given us a jewel before. So, “The jewel being given today is the cause for the attainment of future disciples.” What we hear today will continue on in the future.
Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be like this. We must understand that we have this jewel on us. From before Beginningless Time, we have already had it. This is just like now; when we listen to the Dharma every day, are we applying it in our daily living? If we are using it, if we make use of the jewel in our daily living, we should be able to spread seeds of goodness and thus continue on into the future. This is so as long as we are always mindful!