Episode 1366 – Many in the Saha World Are Corrupted by Evil
>> “The state of Buddhahood is the distant intrinsic. [The Buddhas] have benefitted all beings throughout the Three Periods. The Dharmakaya is ever-abiding, transforming countless beings without end. It is beyond past or present; it was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning. Noble beings seek awakening throughout kalpa after kalpa, while deluded beings indulge in their desires.”
>> These people did not have sufficient spiritual strength, so it was hard for them to endure this evil world. They aspired to go to different lands in other places to advance and teach the Dharma. They feared that in the world of endurance, it would be hard to tame sentient beings, who are corrupted by evil. This corrupts their virtuous nature, causing them to become people who create and accumulate negative karma. They have overbearing arrogance and claim to have attained when they have not.
>> “At that time, the 500 Arhats among the assembly who had received predictions said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, we will also make vows to go to different lands to widely expound this sutra.'” [Lotus Sutra, Chapter 13 – On Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra]
>> “There were also 8000 people at or beyond the stage of learning who had received predictions who rose from their seats, put their palms together, faced the Buddha and made this vow.” They said, “World-Honored One, we will also go to other lands to widely expound this sutra.”
[Lotus Sutra, Chapter 13 – On Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra]
>> Why is this so? Because in the Saha World, many people are corrupted by evil. They harbor overbearing arrogance and are shallow in merits and virtues. They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery. They are insincere at heart.
[Lotus Sutra, Chapter 13 – On Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra]
>> Why is this so? Because in the Saha World, many people are corrupted by evil: They have so many flaws and are so corrupted. Moreover, they are stubborn and evil. Corrupted: This means they are debased. Evil: This refers to the turbidities of greed, anger, ignorance, deviant views and so on. Corrupted by evil: This refers to people whose virtuous nature has been corrupted and who create and accumulate negative karma. Virtuous nature: Regarding the cultivation of virtue, this means that all the myriad beings, on top of our intrinsic nature, have both good and evil. This is our innate capacity for delusion or awakening.
>> Overbearing arrogance: Once they are able to advance slightly, they will be arrogant toward others. When Venerable Sakyamuni was about to expound the Lotus Sutra, there were 5000 people who harbored overbearing arrogance in their minds. They said, “We all have realized the wondrous fruits already, so why must we listen to the Lotus Sutra?” Thus, they each left their seats and departed.
>> In the Lotus Sutra’s. Chapter on Skillful Means, it says: “As He said these words,” “among the assembly were bhiksus, bhiksunis,” “upasakas and upasikas,” “5,000 in all,” “who rose from their seats,” “prostrated to the Buddha and left”.
>> These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained when they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.
[Lotus Sutra, Chapter 13 – On Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra]
>> Shallow in merits and virtues: If their merits and virtues are shallow, their capacities and virtues from good causes will all be shallow as well. Even if they do a few good deeds, they will all have Leaks. This is why they will not be able to accord with their nature.
>> They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery: They are delirious with rage. They are tortuously disingenuous. Their anger harbors greed and ignorance which obfuscates their wisdom-nature. Devious flattery: This means using clever words and a contrived manner to ingratiate oneself to others.
>> They are insincere at heart: Because the people of this land are corrupted by evil and have many faults such as these, [the disciples] vowed to seek to transform beings in other places. They are insincere at heart: They do not mean what they say, so they are “insincere.”
>> They are replete with all these evils and are deceitful and untrustworthy. Thus it says they are insincere at heart. Because they are insincere, it is hard to expound the Dharma [to them]. So, [these disciples] vowed to go to other worlds and different lands to “widely expound this sutra.”
>> The 500 Arhats and 8000 other people, though they had received predictions of Buddhahood, were still attached to comfort and ease. They feared samsara, so they wished to go to the pure lands and stay far away from the land of defilement. This is because they had yet to eliminate their habitual tendency to seek Nirvana. They still had a discriminatory mindset from their attachment to the Dharma. From this, we know that in this world, the evil world of the Five Turbidities, when it comes to shouldering the burden of the Tathagata’s wisdom-life, timid and weak people of limited aspirations are definitely incapable of undertaking this task.
“The state of Buddhahood is the distant intrinsic.
[The Buddhas] have benefitted all beings throughout the Three Periods.
The Dharmakaya is ever-abiding,
transforming countless beings without end.
It is beyond past or present;
it was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning.
Noble beings seek awakening throughout kalpa after kalpa,
while deluded beings indulge in their desires.”
We must mindfully seek to comprehend this! The Buddha came to this world, [following] the same path that all Buddhas share. They all spent many kalpas in the distant past and continue to spend lifetime after lifetime seeking the true principles of the wondrous Dharma. Most importantly, They go among people to transform sentient beings. They are the Awakened Ones. They have done this for a very long time, for lifetime after lifetime without rest, all with the same mindset, which is to seek the Dharma and attain awakening. Their goal is to go among people and transform sentient beings. So, whether in the past, present or future, They will never stop doing this. Throughout the “Three Periods,” the past, present and future, they will always seek to benefit and teach sentient beings in the hope that sentient beings will awaken to what the Buddha awakened to.
The Buddha comprehended and awakened to the principles and He hoped that sentient beings would likewise be able to comprehend the true principles of the universe. So, the Buddha was always very affirming of the fact that the Dharmakaya is intrinsic to us all. The Dharmakaya is the principles, the principles that everyone intrinsically posses. Since ancient times, the principles have always existed and so has everyone’s awakened nature. So, the “Dharmakaya is ever-abiding.” Externally, this is known as “the principles”; within people, this is known as “True Suchness.” When our nature of True Suchness and the principles of the external world can come together, that is the true Dharmakaya. That is the attainment of Buddhahood. Unfortunately, we humans always place the principles outside of ourselves, while our nature of True Suchness is obstructed by the ignorance that we create. So, we are unable to bring together “awakening” and “principles.”
It was precisely because of this that the Buddha spent countless kalpas seeking the Dharma and constantly going among people in hopes that we would all be able to comprehend and accept that everyone intrinsically possesses the innate enlightenment of True Suchness. He taught all the principles of the external world so that our innate enlightenment of True Suchness would be able to come together with these principles. This was His goal. Since this is the case, “The Dharmakaya is ever-abiding”; the principles are forever present and the nature of True Suchness is intrinsic to everyone. It has been like this since Beginningless Time. So, throughout lifetime after lifetime, the Buddha came ceaselessly to this world, “transforming countless beings without end.” In the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, [the Buddha] was everywhere. He did this for accumulated lifetimes, dedicating Himself to His one great cause.
So, “It is without past or present; it was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning.” This was a very long time ago; how long a time? It is endless; thus it is “without past.” And what about the “present”? What time is considered the present anyway? “Present” during the Buddha’s time is what we call the past; it was over 2000 years ago. So, we are unable to say “past” or “present.” As for our future, we must be mindful, work hard to accept the Dharma, put it into practice and ensure that the Dharma will continue to abide in this world. People of the future will say that our present is the “past” as well. To sum it all up, in the present, we call the time of the Buddha the “past,” and our present is what people in the future will call the past.
Thus, “It is without past or present; it was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning.” What does kalpa mean in “kalpa of disappearance”? Everyone knows what a small kalpa is. A human lifespan of ten years keeps increasing until it reaches 84,000 years, and then it decreases again. How long does this take? Then 20 small kalpas make a medium kalpa. Four medium kalpas make a great kalpa.
But for the world to go through [the cycle of] formation, existence, decay and disappearance takes a very long time before it gets to the kalpa of disappearance. Once it is time for the kalpa of disappearance, this world will be empty, with nothing left. Everything will be completely destroyed. Once everything is gone, the earth will begin anew.
In fact, the “kalpa of disappearance” is still not the “beginning.” Before the kalpa of disappearance, [the world] also went through the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. After the period of disappearance, [the world] slowly began to form and start the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance again. Of course, this stretches across a very long time. So, it says, “It was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning.” This is not called “the beginning,” either, because before then, there was another cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance.
But the principles still exist. It is only because the principle exists that there can be the [cycle of] formation, existence, decay and disappearance. After disappearance, all things in the universe will begin [anew]; plants and other things will slowly spring into existence. Animals and people are like this. The principles are present in all of this. The principles are unhindered by the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance because they have no form, substance or appearance. Thus, “It is without past or present; it was there before the kalpa of disappearance, which is still not the beginning.” This principle is without beginning or end. It has no beginning and no cutoff.
People intrinsically possess the nature of True Suchness, But it is not just people; everything that we see possesses its own intrinsic nature. We have discussed this over and over again. Indeed! So, it is just that our nature of True Suchness cannot come together with the true principles. Sakyamuni Buddha’s innate enlightenment came together with the true principles. He attained Buddhahood because, for accumulated kalpas, He persevered in seeking the true principles.
Thus, “Noble beings seek awakening throughout kalpa after kalpa.” Noble beings are like this. He began long ago in Beginningless Time. By understanding one thing, He realized 1000. He knew that humans live life lost in confusion. So, He continued to accumulate the true principles lifetime after lifetime. He went among people to transform sentient beings, and when causes and conditions matured, He manifested the appearance of attaining Buddhahood so that we would all be able to understand the true principles of all things in the universe. This is how the Buddha came to this world, tirelessly opening and revealing teachings to sentient beings in hopes that they could awaken and enter them and that our nature of True Suchness could come together with the principles.
The method He taught us was to practice the Six Paramitas. The Six Paramitas are giving, precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. These six methods respond to the needs of all sentient beings on Earth to become tens of thousands of methods. Because sentient beings propagate ignorance and create suffering without limitations, they thus face suffering and afflictions. The true principles exist amidst these afflictions. The Buddha wants everyone to go among people, amidst their afflictions, so that we will be able to comprehend the source of our afflictions and how the true principles arise. This all comes from a single thought. This helps us to comprehend how awakening also comes from a single thought.
So, “Noble beings seek awakening throughout kalpa after kalpa.” Deluded beings [are deluded] because they are always mired in desire. A thought of desire gives rise to delusion. So, we begin to have greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt and constantly reproduce ignorance. Thus, we must mindfully seek to comprehend this. However, the Buddha, in this present lifetime, that is, right now, and the Buddha’s Dharmakaya, His wisdom-life, still live on in this world, because [the Dharma] we are using right now is the Dharma that Sakyamuni Buddha taught us anew. Before Sakyamuni Buddha, sentient beings were truly unable to comprehend that their nature of True Suchness must come together with the true principles. No one was able to understand this. Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world to teach us the Dharma. So, using different teachings to suit different capabilities, He went among people to teach us, helping us to gradually understand.
With all the countless sutras and discourses, some awaken sooner, some later. But this is not complete awakening. “I know, I know. I understand the Dharma taught by the Buddha. Once I understand it, I take down notes.” We can talk about what our notes say, but we still lack a complete understanding of the true principles. Our nature of True Suchness has yet to converge and resonate with the true principles. So, our present “knowledge” is different from the Buddha’s “awakening.”
The Buddha’s spiritual strength was tempered among people lifetime after lifetime. To become such a precise tool, it had to be refined in the flames. Are we able to bear the tempering of the furnace time and again, this process of tempering and hammering, so that we can become a precise tool? The Buddha has already gone through this process, overcoming difficulties lifetime after lifetime, never wavering from His vows and aspirations. Are we able to do this as sentient beings of this world?
These people did not have sufficient spiritual strength, so it was hard for them to endure this evil world. They aspired to go to different lands in other places to advance and teach the Dharma. They feared that in the world of endurance, it would be hard to tame sentient beings, who are corrupted by evil. This corrupts their virtuous nature, causing them to become people who create and accumulate negative karma. They have overbearing arrogance and claim to have attained when they have not.
In this world, with these sentient beings, “These people did not have sufficient spiritual strength.” We are in this world, and while listening to the Dharma is good, we still have yet to establish such firm aspirations. “Forming aspirations is easy, but persevering in them is hard.” We always feel that, “It is all about me. It is all about what I love,” so we go back to putting ourselves first. With this mundane mindset of an ordinary being, we will be unable to transcend the mundane. Our spiritual strength is insufficient and we keep putting ourselves first. We are unable to let go of our “limited self” to abide within our “greater self.” [Our spiritual strength] is so limited. So, most of these people “did not have sufficient spiritual strength.”
Because this world is difficult to endure, “They aspired to go to different lands in other places.” We have read this passage before. Many people had received the Buddha’s predictions. We saw the 20,000 Bodhisattvas make vows before the Buddha. In the Buddha’s Sangha, those who received predictions were the 500 Arhats and the 8000 at or beyond the stage of learning. They willingly made vows before the Buddha. “Venerable Buddha, we are also willing to uphold this sutra. But when it comes to spreading this sutra, we do not dare remain in this world. We want to go to other worlds, different lands, and teach the sentient beings there.”
Yes, there are other worlds and different lands. Our scientists have looked at the sky and seen the planets there, orbiting around the sun. Earth is also planet in space. This planet orbits around the sun while revolving on its own [axis]. One orbit takes 365 days, which is one year. This is the Earth’s orbit. In fact, even closer to the sun than Earth is the planet Mercury. Mercury takes 88 Earth days to orbit [the sun]. It takes 365 days for us to orbit [the sun]. This means that one year for the planet Mercury is only 88 [Earth] days. On Earth, this is more than two months, but not quite three months. This is another world.
On Venus, one orbit takes 225 days. This is also not quite as long as a year on Earth. So, that is yet another world. Beyond Earth is Mars. For Mars to complete one orbit around the sun, it takes 687 Earth-days. That is over a year, almost two years. On Saturn, this takes over 29 years. That is how far away that planet is [from the sun]. There is also the planet Uranus. For it to complete one orbit, it takes 84 Earth-years. On Neptune, which is extremely far away from the sun, one orbit around the sun lasts 165 Earth-years. This is yet another world.
Science has proven that there are other worlds. Everyone made vows to go to these places, but is there actually life in these places? Are they in the kalpa of disappearance now? Or are they going through formation and existence? Right now, we are still not sure. Science is very advanced. We can go to Mars. We can go to Venus. We can go to the moon. But it seems that those places are like vast deserts. There seem to be mountains with the traces of rivers and valleys, but they have yet to find life there. Could the places they have landed actually be places with people?
The surface of our Earth also has many vast deserts. The places they have landed in are endless deserts. Perhaps they did not land at places with [living beings], with animals and plants; we are not sure. We do not know any of this. Only the Buddha knows. The Buddha said to everyone, “Besides this world, there are still other worlds.” These disciples knew that there were other worlds.
However, they had all lived in this world. They knew that this world is full of suffering, and that sentient beings here are stubborn. All they knew was that this world was like this. Though the Buddha spoke of other worlds, they did not know if the sentient beings of these other worlds were also just as stubborn. On Mercury, which has 88 days per year, if there were sentient beings there, would they be even more stubborn than we are? We do not know this either! But these people had only seen that the sentient beings of this world were stubborn and hard to tame, so they were frightened and afraid. Thus, they made a vow. They were willing to make vows, but they were not willing to remain in this place. They wanted to go to other worlds.
They did not realize that it is not so bad here. Instead they thought, “I want to switch to another place. It must be much better than here.” Not necessarily. We still have the Buddha to teach the Dharma to us in this world. Since the Buddha is in this world, we must be content with what we have. For the sake of the stubborn, lost and confused sentient beings of this world, we must earnestly make vows. For the sake of our surrounding environment, we must earnestly work to eliminate [suffering] for people who are suffering in this world. We should make vows to serve them. So, for these people, their spiritual strength was insufficient. This is an evil world that is difficult to endure, so while they willingly made vows, they still wanted to go to other worlds. So, they wanted to go to other places to spread and teach the Dharma.
Many people have this kind of thinking. I work here, but I want to go to a different place. I want to try a new place; maybe I will do even better there. Not necessarily! The principle is the same. So, everyone feared that. “In the world of endurance, it would be hard to tame sentient beings, who are corrupted by evil.” So, for the sentient beings in this world, what does it mean to be “corrupted by evil”? It “corrupts their virtuous nature.” Their virtues, morals, ethics and so on have been completely corrupted. This is our world today. So many people have lost their ethical principles. Their moral view has been completely corrupted. So, these people were very afraid and did not dare remain in this land to spread the Buddha’s teachings. This is because the people of this land “create and accumulate negative karma.” So, they are very hard to teach and transform.
These people have overbearing arrogance. “They have overbearing arrogance and claim to have attained when they have not.” They are very stubborn. Teaching them the principles is not easy at all. So, these people “claim to have attained when they have not.” This previous [sutra] passage helped everyone understand even more clearly. We need to understand why they wanted to go to other worlds. Yes, there are other lands and other worlds. But we do not know how many.
The previous sutra passage says,
“At that time, the 500 Arhats among the assembly who had received predictions said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, we will also make vows to go to different lands to widely expound this sutra.'”
They made vows to go to other lands. It was not just these 500 [Arhats]. “There were also 8000 people at or beyond the stage of learning who had received predictions.” There were 8000 people at or beyond the stage of learning. “Beyond the stage of learning” means that everything they were supposed to learn, they had heard and had learned. This is being “beyond the stage of learning.” As for “those at the stage of learning,” they had just begun to enter the Buddha’s door. They had just begun their quest. They had formed great aspirations, but had yet to attain true mastery. This is known as being “at the stage of learning.”
“There were also 8000 people at or beyond the stage of learning who had received predictions who rose from their seats, put their palms together, faced the Buddha and made this vow.” They said, “World-Honored One, we will also go to other lands to widely expound this sutra.”
They followed those in front of them in saying that they did not dare to remain in the Saha World. They were also willing to go to other worlds to spread the Buddha’s Wondrous Dharma Lotus Sutra.
The following [sutra] passage says, “Why is this so? Because in the Saha World, many people are corrupted by evil.” This Saha World truly is hard to endure. These people are very evil. So, “They harbor overbearing arrogance and are shallow in merits and virtues. They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery. They are insincere at heart.”
Why is this so? Because in the Saha World, many people are corrupted by evil. They harbor overbearing arrogance and are shallow in merits and virtues. They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery. They are insincere at heart.
This world is full of so many problems. “[People are] corrupted by evil, so why would I dare to remain here?” Among the people of this Saha World there is so much evil, so much corruption, so many flaws, so many negative habitual tendencies and such awful mindsets. [People] are very stubborn and evil. So, they did not dare to remain here.
Why is this so? Because in the Saha World, many people are corrupted by evil: They have so many flaws and are so corrupted. Moreover, they are stubborn and evil. Corrupted: This means they are debased. Evil: This refers to the turbidities of greed, anger, ignorance, deviant views and so on. Corrupted by evil: This refers to people whose virtuous nature has been corrupted and who create and accumulate negative karma. Virtuous nature: Regarding the cultivation of virtue, this means that all the myriad beings, on top of our intrinsic nature, have both good and evil. This is our innate capacity for delusion or awakening.
So, “corrupt” here means “debased.” This is corruption. “Evil” refers to greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, as well as deviant views and so on. These turbidities are very heavy, so they are “corrupted by evil.” Their virtuous nature has been corrupted. Spiritual practitioners cultivate virtues. But those who are corrupted by evil are not only unwilling to cultivate virtue, but even commit wrongdoings and slander and so on. This kind of person is “corrupted by evil.” Those who “create and accumulate negative karma” are also many. They destroy good things. Evil things destroy the good things. Evil people eliminate good people. This is what they were afraid of.
As for “virtuous nature, Regarding the cultivation of virtue, this means that all the myriad beings, on top of our intrinsic nature, have both good and evil.” In fact, it is the same with plants. [Some plants] can be used as medicines to treat people’s illnesses, and there are other plants that will hurt you if touch them. There are plants like stinging nettles. If you touch them, your body will have an allergic reaction and swell. If you eat them, they will poison you and kill you very quickly; there are many like this. So, poison is also extracted from plants. Thus, people are likewise both good and evil. In fact, everything on Earth has both good parts and bad parts. So, “This is our innate capacity for delusion or awakening.” We all have this.
“They harbor overbearing arrogance.” They know only a little, but think that they know so much, so “They will be arrogant toward others.” They show off to others, thinking they are so great themselves. They look down on others; there are people like this.
Overbearing arrogance: Once they are able to advance slightly, they will be arrogant toward others. When Venerable Sakyamuni was about to expound the Lotus Sutra, there were 5000 people who harbored overbearing arrogance in their minds. They said, “We all have realized the wondrous fruits already, so why must we listen to the Lotus Sutra?” Thus, they each left their seats and departed.
So, “They harbor overbearing arrogance.” When Sakyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, there were also people like this who harbored this mindset of overbearing arrogance. Even when the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, there were 5000 people who paid their respects and left [the assembly]. Why did those 5000 pay their respects and leave? They felt the Buddha was teaching something that they already understood. They continued to praise this Dharma for being wondrously profound, praising the Buddha’s thoroughly enlightened nature, [but said], “I already know all these things.” These 5000 people had this kind of “overbearing arrogance.” They also felt that they were just about equal to the Buddha in wisdom. “What the Buddha knows, I pretty much know too.” So, “They said, ‘We all have realized the wondrous fruits already.'” They felt they had already attained realization and awakening, “So why must we listen to the Lotus Sutra? I know most of this already. Why should I stay and listen?” So, “They left their seats and departed one by one.” They each left their seats and departed one by one.
So, the Lotus Sutra’s Chapter on Skillful Means talks about this. In the Chapter on Skillful Means [it says], “As He said these words, among the assembly were bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, 5000 in all, who rose from their seats, prostrated to the Buddha and left.” Those 5000 people were like this. This is how it is described in the sutra.
In the Lotus Sutra’s. Chapter on Skillful Means, it says: “As He said these words,” “among the assembly were bhiksus, bhiksunis,” “upasakas and upasikas,” “5,000 in all,” “who rose from their seats,” “prostrated to the Buddha and left”.
These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave, and they had such overbearing arrogance that they claimed to have attained when they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay. The World-Honored One remained silent and did not stop them.
“These people’s roots of transgressions were deep and grave.” Because of this, they had obstructions. So, when the Buddha began to teach the wondrous Dharma, due to these obstructions, they left. It is because they had obstructions. What were their obstructions? Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, these things came to obstruct them. The sutra says it like this. “They claimed to have attained when they had not and to have realized what they had not. With faults such as these, they could not stay.” Because of these obstructions, they all missed out on a great deal. This was due to their own individual shortcomings. It had nothing at all to do with the Buddha. Those who listened awakened, while those who did not became lost. It had nothing to do with the Buddha. However, the Buddha was still at ease. “It is better that they left.” The Venerable One did not stop them. “If they want to leave, let them leave.” He quietly allowed them to leave. “It is better that they left.” It was good for them to leave like this. This way, they would, after listening, go take action out of deviant knowledge and views or say some things that were not true. A slight deviation takes one far off course. [The Buddha] felt, “Alright, if they do not want to listen, it is better if they leave.” So, He said, “It is better that they left.” This is from the Chapter on Skillful Means.
So, people [of the Saha World] “are shallow in merits and virtues.” Being “shallow in merits and virtues means their capacity for good causes and virtuous deeds” and so on will all be very shallow. “Even if they do a few good deeds, they will all have Leaks. This is why they will not be able to accord with their nature.”
Shallow in merits and virtues: If their merits and virtues are shallow, their capacities and virtues from good causes will all be shallow as well. Even if they do a few good deeds, they will all have Leaks. This is why they will not be able to accord with their nature.
Engaging in spiritual practice requires hard work. If someone has no desire to work hard and is also unwilling to benefit others, such a person will be very shallow in merits and virtues. Thus, their good causes and virtuous deeds will be insufficient.
Good causes direct us toward the Bodhisattva-path of benefiting others while going among people. When it came to these causes, these seeds, they were completely lacking, having very few. So, this is why they got up and left. This was because they were shallow in merits and virtues. They did not create any merits or virtues, so these were very shallow. Thus, “Even if they do a few good deeds, they will all have Leaks.” They do a few good deeds and engage in a little bit of practice and feel that they have already done so much. Serving others with expectations like this, expecting rewards for serving, is what it means to “have Leaks. This is why they will not be able to accord with their nature.” These are not the deeds we would do with a thorough understanding of the principles and our nature of True Suchness. No.
So, “They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery.”
They are angry, confused and engage in devious flattery: They are delirious with rage. They are tortuously disingenuous. Their anger harbors greed and ignorance which obfuscates their wisdom-nature. Devious flattery: This means using clever words and a contrived manner to ingratiate oneself to others.
These people are contaminated with anger, so they have afflictions and ignorance. Anger is ignorance. Ignorance is turbidity. This kind of turbidity begins from anger. They engage in devious flattery. “They are delirious with rage. They are tortuously disingenuous.” This means they do not treat others with honesty. We often say that a genuine mind is where spiritual training takes place; having an open heart with pure thoughts is our nature of True Suchness. But these people are not like this. They are covered by ignorance. They treat people in a disingenuous way, with a mindset full of expectations. So, “anger” contains “greed and ignorance.” Because of greed and ignorance, they become angry. Because of this, their “wisdom-nature” becomes “obfuscated.” Our nature of True Suchness has impartial wisdom. We must uphold wisdom and transmit loving-kindness. With wisdom, we will understand how to bring forth our loving-kindness. So, anger, greed and ignorance obfuscate our wisdom-nature, enshrouding it. Our ignorance covers our nature of True Suchness. This makes people disingenuous.
This disingenuousness involves using clever words and a contrived manner. Someone may be really good with words, and may also be very good at teaching the Dharma. But does their virtuous nature come through in their actions? Or does it not? Do they simply use their clever words and contrived manner to please people? This is something we must mindfully comprehend.
So, “They are insincere at heart.” A mind like this has no sincerity.
They are insincere at heart: Because the people of this land are corrupted by evil and have many faults such as these, [the disciples] vowed to seek to transform beings in other places. They are insincere at heart: They do not mean what they say, so they are “insincere.”
So, “Because the people of this land are corrupted by evil and have many faults such as these….” Because they have so many faults, so many, the [disciples] did not dare to remain here; they wanted to make vows to go to other lands. This is because we who are living in this Saha World are very weak-willed. Even spiritual practitioners are very weak-willed. [They] “have many faults such as these.” So, they vowed to go to other places. They were afraid, fearing they did not have enough courage and diligence. In His courage and diligence, the Buddha constantly served others in this world. To be able to attain Buddhahood, spiritual practice must begin from sincerity, sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness. If we are insincere, all we will have is words and no heart. This is what it means to be insincere. We must mindfully seek to understand this.
They are replete with all these evils and are deceitful and untrustworthy. Thus it says they are insincere at heart. Because they are insincere, it is hard to expound the Dharma [to them]. So, [these disciples] vowed to go to other worlds and different lands to “widely expound this sutra.”
So, “They are replete with all these evils.” They are so evil, so we must have sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness and “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” We must be courageous and diligent. But if we are lacking in sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness, we will have all kinds of evils and become “deceitful and untrustworthy.” This is insincerity. They have no faith. So, “They are insincere at heart” because their aspirations are not firm. They do not dare to face this world. This world is turbid, and sentient beings are severely defiled. Even spiritual practitioners fail to be courageous and diligent. How can we in this world have Dharma to transmit?
So, “Because they are insincere, it is hard to expound the Dharma [to them].” It is because our own hearts are very insincere. So, we must speak words that are true. In fact, it is very difficult to teach the Dharma. So, “[These disciples] vowed to go to other worlds and different lands to widely expound this sutra.” We must teach the True Dharma, but other people might not accept it. We must have this sincere mind to accept the Buddha’s teachings and put them into practice even with great difficulty. This is also very difficult. So, because of this, the Buddha wanted to recruit people for the sake of the Dharma.
So, the previous sutra passage says that those “500 Arhats and 8000 other people, though they had received predictions of Buddhahood, were still attached to comfort and ease.” They were very attached. They remained the same, “still attached to comfort and ease.”
The 500 Arhats and 8000 other people, though they had received predictions of Buddhahood, were still attached to comfort and ease. They feared samsara, so they wished to go to the pure lands and stay far away from the land of defilement. This is because they had yet to eliminate their habitual tendency to seek Nirvana. They still had a discriminatory mindset from their attachment to the Dharma. From this, we know that in this world, the evil world of the Five Turbidities, when it comes to shouldering the burden of the Tathagata’s wisdom-life, timid and weak people of limited aspirations are definitely incapable of undertaking this task.
So, “They feared samsara” and wished to go to the pure lands. They still hoped to go to another, easier place. “I would be too busy here. I want to go to a more relaxed place where I can still engage in spiritual practice.” They were all like this!
So, “This is because they had yet to eliminate their habitual tendency to seek Nirvana.” They still sought comfort and ease. So, “They still had a discriminatory mindset from their attachment to the Dharma.” They were still attached to the Dharma. They had not practiced enough. So, “From this, we know that in this world, the evil world of the Five Turbidities, when it comes to shouldering the burden of the Tathagata’s wisdom-life, timid and weak people of limited aspirations are definitely incapable of undertaking this task.” People with limited aspirations are incapable of undertaking this task. It definitely requires great aspirations and vows. Do not be afraid. With courage and diligence, we will be able to undertake this task. Otherwise, it truly cannot be done.
Everyone, life is painfully short. But after all, we have accepted the Buddha-Dharma in this world. The Buddha gave His heartfelt effort for the sake of sentient beings. He also understood that in this world, so many sentient beings are “corrupted by evil.” In this world, there are even spiritual practitioners who lack great determination and great courage. So, starting from the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, the Buddha continually recruited people, seeking people to accept the Dharma, while knowing full well that accepting the Dharma is no easy task. Although sentient beings are stubborn, spiritual practitioners must train them until they genuinely eliminate their attachments to the Dharma, to the self and to others, until they eliminate them completely; this truly is not an easy task. So, since we are Buddhist practitioners, we must wholeheartedly form great aspirations. However, forming great aspirations requires great understanding. So, we must always be mindful.