Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Fearlessly Teaching the Dharma(說法無畏 具四無礙)
Date: July.17.2017
“Following the Buddha, he had long practiced and learned extensively. He took the Dharma to heart and could teach without obstruction. He skillfully learned the net of fearlessness and clearly understood the Dharma of illusion and reality. Through investigation things and luminous virtue, he reached a state where he remembered all without obstruction, where his learning extended far and wide and he can bear to seek the Dharma while transforming sentient beings.”
“Following the Buddha, he had long practiced and learned extensively.” [Purna] took the Dharma to heart and could teach it without obstruction. How long did he do this? We often speak about this. Recently, I have constantly stressed this so that we all might reach a common understanding of it. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have been coming to the world for a very long time. Furthermore, they appear as bhiksus or Hearers, hiding the Great Vehicle practice of Bodhisattvas. There are causes and conditions behind all of this. They did not do this only in that lifetime. They have been coming lifetime after lifetime, ever since dust-inked kalpas ago. This is like the Buddha and some bhiksus in the Sangha. There were some bhiksus, the senior monastics, who manifested the appearance of Hearers and followed the Buddha in spiritual practice. In that group of disciples, they had strengths and could be role models for the others. In the Sangha, these were the well-respected senior bhiksus. However, they too had their habitual tendencies. They had their weaknesses. They still had unresolved habitual tendencies and weak points, so the Buddha used these opportunities to teach. Then they would also be able to correct these. These habitual tendencies had been accumulated over many lifetimes, so over many lifetimes they had to continually correct them. They had long followed the Buddha’s wishes, thus going among sentient beings. So, they spent a very long time doing this. They had these affinities, so they followed the Buddha, practiced a long time and learned extensively. It was not just during that lifetime, but over the course of many lifetimes. Thus it says they had long practiced. They had constantly been listening to the Buddha’s teachings. For countless lifetimes in the past, they had done the same; life after life they had listened, right up until the present one. So, they “took the Dharma to heart”. By taking the Dharma to heart, they could naturally go out and teach the Dharma.
Among the Sangha, there were these experienced elders, as well as the newly inspired who willingly came to engage in spiritual practice. So, it was those elders, those senior members, who guided and taught them. Whether in their external practice or their inner cultivation, it was the same. They had taken the Dharma the Buddha taught into their hearts, so now, with these newly inspired practitioners, they could teach them the Dharma. In this way, the elders guided the newcomers, just like in a family where the big brothers and big sisters guide and teach their younger siblings. It is the same principle.
So, “He took the Dharma to heart and could teach without obstruction.” Listening to the Dharma is not a short-term affair. It is something accumulated over a long period of time. So he “skillfully learned the net of fearlessness.” He had taken all of the Dharma to heart, the principles of both the universe and our world. Of all the teachings of both the universe and the human world, none were unknown to the Buddha, nor was there any Dharma He did not teach. So, everyone listened to the Dharma. With his wisdom, Purna never let any of the Dharma the Buddha taught leak away. He absorbed it all.
So he “skillful learned the net of fearlessness.” He pulled in everything just like a net, so he “clearly understood the Dharma of illusion and reality.” He could understand the Buddha’s teachings; whether He talked about emptiness or existence, Purna understood all of it. So, he clearly understood the Dharma of illusion and reality, that everything is empty, that nothing lasts for long in the world and that only the principles are everlasting. Because the principles are without form, appearance or substance, they can be everlasting. That which has form, appearance or substance is inevitably subject to the Three Principles and the Four States. We all understand that every material thing on the earth is subject to formation, existence, decay and disappearance. When people come into the world, their bodies are all subject to birth, aging, illness and death. The reason we are unenlightened beings is that our mental states are constantly arising, abiding, changing and ceasing, constantly fluctuating in accordance with external states. Then the Dharma we hear also leaks away like this. The world’s true principles are the True Dharma. As Buddhist practitioners, if we want to understand how all things are illusory and impermanent, then we need to go deeper into the Dharma of ultimate reality. These are the true principles.
By doing this, the Dharma of what is illusion and what is true then becomes totally and completely clear. So, this is “clearly understanding the Dharma of illusion and reality.” Is something true or is it an illusion? We should all be very clear about what constitutes the illusory and impermanent. When we listen to the principles again; we will then come to understand illusory and impermanent worldly Dharma. So, let us be mindful in listening to the Dharma. “Through investigating things and luminous virtue, he reached a state where he remembered all without obstruction.” Everything we see, without exception, is a composite, formed from the four elements converging. As I see each of you and you can also see me, we must know our body is also a temporary union of the four elements. Only when earth, water, fire and air are balanced are we able to survive. If we touch our body, we can see if it is warm. If our bodies are warm then it means we are still living. When we breathe, our breath goes in and out unhindered; our breathing is smooth. When our breathing is smooth, our bodies will be warm. Moreover, our blood must circulate freely. In our bodies, in our physiology, our blood must circulate freely for us to remain healthy. Blood flows like this, just like water. When you look at me, my body is solid. When I look at you, I also see solid bodies. All of us have one head, as well as seven orifices. We all have seven orifices. Although our faces appear differently, we all similarly have eyes, ears, noses and tongues. Each of us are replete with all these things. If we pat our bodies, they are hard, since they are made of bone and flesh. This is the earth element. So, in regard to our bodies, when all four elements are balanced, we say we are in good health. What about the macrocosm? Throughout the universe, throughout space, everything is also composed of the four elements. If the four elements are in harmony, the climate will be favorable, the land will be healthy, there will be sufficient water, the land will be fertile, the air will be fresh and there will be just the right amount of sunlight. If the environment is like this, then everything will be in harmony. So, we “investigate things”. We need to penetrate and understand them. Whether tangible or intangible, all of these things have names, have essence and form. We must be clear about these principles. When we see a table, or a bonsai plant, or any shape at all, all are composites of the four elements. Bonsais are like this too. Whether big trees or small planets, all are inseparable from the four elements. The pots they grow in are also made up of the four elements. With soil, once it is watered, worked by people, warmed by [the sun] and so on, it gives rise to forms of all sorts and colors.
So, in our daily living, anything that we pick up is a material thing composed of the four elements. Therefore, we should cherish everything. So, “investigating things and luminous virtue” means we should cherish al things in the world from the depths of our heart. Not only should we cherish material things, we should cherish people as well. So, in dealing with people, matters and objects, we must be in accord with the principles. Thus, “Through investigating things and luminous virtue, he reached a state.” This is the most important things; with all the principles in this state, he “remembered all without obstruction”. If we can understand, and especially if we take the Dharma to heart, afterwards, we will remember these things forever. This is like when Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world to deliver sentient beings. There are always causes and conditions behind this. Because of the power of their vows and their causes and conditions, naturally when they come to the world, they end up in different lands, with different circumstantial and direct retributions. When causes and conditions come together, they will also come together and work for the sake of one principle, to open up the Bodhi-path to enlightenment, to give sentient beings a stable path to walk upon. “Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings”. This principle requires a source; then all manner of things must come together so people can mindfully sow these seeds of love. When the Buddha came to the world, He used all sorts of causes and conditions to transform and deliver sentient beings, coming this way life after life to [teach] those with whom He had affinities. “Remembering all without obstruction” enables us to extend or affinities from the past all the way through to the present. Without affinities, there would be no way for us all to share this aspiration and work to accomplish this one goal. There must be cause and conditions behind this. So, we need to have “learning extended far and wide”. We must listen and learn constantly. When we understand the Dharma, we can connect to the principles. No matter how long the time or how vast the space, we must listen like this life after life. This way, in the future, we will naturally be able to “bear” it. We will be able to bear shouldering the responsibility for the world, giving to help the world’s sentient beings and “seeking the Dharma while transforming sentient beings”. This is what all of us must put our hearts into. We must seek to experience this.
It is the same for the teachings. Every day I teach here in Taiwan, yet it is transmitted all around the world to wherever Tzu Chi volunteers are. With this technology, the Dharma I am teaching here goes up into “the cloud”. From “the cloud,” the Dharma is then broadcast across the world. As long as people have this technology, they can listen to me even as I am speaking now. Early in the morning, let us see; who has recently been listening to the Dharma with the most diligence? We can see that in Malaysia, across such a large land, from the cities to the remote countryside, everyone there mindfully listens to the Dharma. As this has gone on, there have been so many moving stories. For instance, in our Kuala Lumpur branch, there are many who every day at this time are just like you and I; they wake up very early. Some of them even drive 40 to 50 minutes to get to the Selangor branch to listen to the Dharma. There are even whole families among them, those who come with the whole family to draw near the Buddha-Dharma, to listen to the Dharma.
Beginning three years ago, starting in 2013, every single day they have been getting up so early to listen to the Dharma. They also encourage their children. There are children around the age of ten or so who go with their parents to listen to the Dharma, who come to listen every Saturday without fail. It takes them around 40 minutes by car. They must leave early in order to be on time to start up the computer, join the morning recitation and listen to the Dharma. you know how early this must be! Since these children, have no class on Saturday, their parents bring them along with them. In order to help these children continually be permeated by the Dharma, they find ways of encouraging them. However, the children themselves truly take in the Dharma they hear. Every day they can be seen listening earnestly to the Dharma. They are continually taking notes, copying down the passages they see on screen. An adult may wonder, are children only ten years old really capable of understanding this? They all understand it. They take in and absorb the Dharma and understand it as well as the adults do! Adults will quiz them afterwards, but they are never stumped. All of these children said that by coming to listen to the Dharma, what they learned is to “always be mindful”. This is how they reply. When an adult asked one of them how she practices being mindful, she replied, “I ordinarily try to, quickly and mindfully get my homework done. Only then do I get to watch television. If I don’t finish my homework, then I cannot watch television”. Perhaps in the past, she used to watch television without finishing her homework. After listening to the lectures, she now knows to be more mindful. By “always being mindful”, young Lin Jiaqi has, from her heart, come to realize this. She used to love watching television, yet never finished her homework. From listening to the Dharma, she now understands, “I must finish my homework first. Then I can wholeheartedly watch television”. She is a little Bodhisattva.
There is another who talks like this too. After listening to the Dharma he realized he should not waste time. He is a little older, 14 years old. He said, “I must seize the moment. I cannot be lax or lazy. I need to train my body and my mind”. Yet, having said this, he again said, “I understand this, but it is very difficult! Since it is difficult, I have to try even harder”. You see, he encourages himself! He also knows his weak points. The adults are trying hard in the hope of helping these children continue deepening their experience.
Among them is a Mr. Lin Xinglai. This lay practitioner told us that his aspiration, when he saw these innocent children so mindfully dedicating themselves and how much they were getting out of it, was the help these children to continue to be permeated by the Dharma over the long term. He said he wished to create opportunities that would help them from affinities with me that would last over many lifetimes. He did not want those affinities to be broken. This was his wish. What methods did he use? He would encourage them. After listening to the Dharma, he would take them out to breakfast, then take them for a jog in the park. While helping them train their bodies, he would form connections with them. Then they would make arrangements to do it again the following day. This is how mindful the adults are with them.
Indeed, their numbers are steadily increasing! He started three years ago with about a dozen children all around the age of ten, continually guiding them like this, and their numbers have steadily increased. This is the Dharma. We should find ways to help them to listen over a long time, to help them become steeped in the Dharma. Naturally, he is able to cultivate the children’s desire to seek and learn the Dharma. This is delivering and transforming sentient beings. Mr. Lin is very dedicated. He seeks the Dharma and transforms others, helping them continue over the long run helping them continue over the long run. It is only with dedicated people like this that the Buddha-Dharma and the Dharma-lineage can continually be passed down unbroken. These are the affinities between Buddhas and Their disciples. We have been practicing together for many lifetimes. I also hope that, as we too had affinities with the Buddha in the past, we too can carry on the wisdom-life of the Buddha and likewise continue to transmit the Buddha-Dharma on into the future. Though I am the one teaching now, all of you must listen earnestly, not only here in Hualien. In every country, there are dedicated people serving others, using methods to widely call upon people to come and listen to the Buddha-Dharma. There are so many! In Malaysia alone, there are so many stories that there is no time to continue telling all of them. Truly, all of us must be mindful. Let us look at others and reflect on ourselves and always earnestly try to be mindful.
Let us look at the previous passage, “This man Purna today had, with trillions of Buddhas in the past, diligently practiced this path of promoting and protecting the Dharma of all Buddhas. In order to seek the supreme wisdom, in the presence of all Buddhas, he manifested as a top disciple, well-learned with wisdom.”
Purna Maltrayaniputra was given such praise by the Buddha. Since long ago in the past, not only had he created deep affinities with Sakyamuni Buddha, he had also engaged in spiritual practice in the presence of trillion of other Buddhas, similarly helping [to promote] and protect the Dharma of those Buddhas. This was how Purna Maltrayaniputra, in order to seek the supreme wisdom, wanted to increase his own wisdom, to nurture his wisdom-life. In the presence of those Buddhas, he always manifested the appearance of a bhiksu, one of the top bhiksu disciples, because of his extensive learning. So, listening to the Dharma is very important to be well-learned with wisdom. Learning the Dharma unlocks our wisdom.
Come, the next passage says, “He could teach without fear and enable people to take joy in it. He has never been weary before, and with this he assists in the Buddha’s work. He has already attained great spiritual powers and possesses the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.”
“He could teach without fear and enable people to take joy in it.” With the Dharma the Buddha taught from the past till now, Purna Maltrayaniputra had thoroughly understood all the teachings that he had heard and accepted. So, he was able to “teach without fear.” Whatever you asked him about the Dharma, Purna was never at a loss to answer you. No matter the kind of teaching, he could use all kinds of different methods to answer and convince the person who asked. No matter what kind of person came to challenge him, he never had any fear of them. The teachings he replied with always brought everyone great joy. He could “enable people to take joy in it.” They would be joyful. With everything he taught, since he had attained the Fourfold Fearlessness, those who listened to him could open their minds and understand and would be very happy.
He could teach without fear and enable people to take joy in it: In the Dharma he teaches, he has attained the Fourfold Fearlessness and enable those who hear it to give rise to joy.
The Fourfold Fearlessness is what Bodhisattvas use when they teach and transform sentient beings; they need these four kinds of fearlessness.
When the Bodhisattvas teach and transform sentient beings, they have four kinds of fearlessness: 1. Retaining and upholding without forgetting, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma. 2. Completely knowing the joy of all Dharma, as well as the capabilities, desires, natures and minds of all sentient beings, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma. 3. Skillful in answering questions, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma. 4. Able to sever doubts, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma.
This first is, “Retaining and upholding without forgetting, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma.” As we learn the Dharma, after taking it in, we should retain all goodness and uphold all Dharma. We must be earnest in listening to the Dharma, take all virtuous teachings to heart and never forget the teachings we must uphold. So, we retain all goodness and uphold all Dharma. All that is good and virtuous should be faithfully put into practice. Our past negative habitual tendencies must be quickly eliminated. We must immediately correct our mistakes, change and start anew. This is called retraining all goodness. We should uphold all Dharma. We should never forget any of the Dharma. Since the Buddha taught us these things, we should learn them and never forget them. When we never let the Dharma leak away, we are naturally fearless in expounding it.
The second is, “Completely knowing the joy of all Dharma, as well as the capabilities, desires, natures and minds of all sentient beings, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma.” They can understand sentient beings. What are the teachings that sentient beings are most in need of? They know how to suit people’s capabilities, how to respond to sentient beings’ capacities in order to teach them the Dharma. They adapt to what sentient beings want to hear, adapt to their weak points to make up for them so they can live a life without shortcomings. This is how they teach the Dharma fearlessly, how they teach the Dharma in accordance with sentient beings’ capabilities.
The third is, “Skillful in answering questions, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma.” When people ask, they are able to answer, and answer in ways that make them quite satisfied. So, this is fearlessness in expounding the Dharma.
The fourth is, “Able to sever doubts, they are fearless in expounding the Dharma.” How can these certain things be accomplished? What things need to be done, and how can they be done in accord with the Dharma? They can clearly discern all these things, so they are fearless in expounding the Dharma. These are the four things that Bodhisattvas must be replete in. Then they are fearless.
“The Tathagata has attained supreme, perfect enlightenment and possesses supreme wisdom. Among all beings, He roars like a lion, turns the wondrous Dharma-wheel and attains great freedom.
This is the wisdom of the Tathagata. As Buddhist practitioners, this is where we wish to advance to, to teach all the Dharma without fear and have a thorough understanding of the Dharma. Only by awakening to the Dharma can we as Buddhist practitioners gradually and continuously advance to reach perfect enlightenment, supreme, perfect enlightenment. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is our goal. Having finally reached supreme, superior wisdom, there is no higher level of awakening. So, among all beings, He could roar like a lion. At this point, our Dharma is able to shake people’s minds. We can shake loose sentient beings’ ignorance and afflictions.
For instance, we see certain animals who, if their bodies become wet, will get up and shake their bodies, shake the water from themselves. They violently shake themselves, shake the water from their bodies so that their bodies become dry. By the same principle, when it comes to our minds, if we still have ignorance and afflictions, we need to pick ourselves up, quickly realize what we are doing is wrong, and then shake ourselves to brush all of it off. We quickly shake it off, so what is left is only what is pure, and that is the Dharma. The Dharma is pure. So naturally, we turn the wondrous Dharma-wheel. When we speak, we are at ease. We never make mistakes in teaching the Dharma, so we feel very much at ease. This is “teaching without fear and enabling people to take joy in it.” This is the level we should learn to reach, so that when we teach the Dharma. We never have any regrets nor any burdens on our mind. We are very at ease, because this Dharma is correct. So, we are fearless. “He has never been weary before, and with this he assists in the Buddha’s work.”
He has never been weary before, and with this he assists in the Buddha’s work: He has never had the appearance of being tired, and with the Small [Vehicle] he transforms and helps to promote the Buddha’s work. With the demeanor of all Buddhas in his comings and goings, all of his conduct is doing the Buddha’s work.
“He has never been weary before.” As Buddhist practitioners, we absolutely must never become weary. The more we learn of the Dharma, the more joyful we should become; listen to the Dharma, we gain Dharma-joy. The more we teach, the more joyful we are to teach. The more we listen, the more joyful we are to listen. We can teach very freely, without fear. When we listen, we also become filled with Dharma-joy. “With the Small [Vehicle] he transformed and helped to promote the Buddha’s work.” With the Small Vehicle, he was able to transform and deliver sentient beings as well, thus helping to spread the Buddha’s teachings. With the identity of a bhiksu, the appearance of a Hearer, he was able to transform others in the Sangha by working together with them. On going out, he could deliver laypeople and non-Buddhist practitioners as well. No matter who it was, whether heretical practitioners or ordinary people, he could expound the Dharma to them and help promote the Buddha’s work. With all the things the Buddha wanted to do, he could take the responsibility to go help. “With the demeanor of all Buddhas all of his conduct is doing the Buddha’s work.” In the Sangha, or among the people, we must have a demeanor when coming and going. We do not need to teach or speak out loud; naturally, just with our demeanor we are able to help spread the Buddha-Dharma. When people see how dignified we are, how upright we are in our demeanor, it brings joy to their hearts. When joy and respect arise in people upon seeing monastic practitioners, this is also from doing the “Buddha’s work.” Their demeanor and actions bring joy to people’s hearts and lead them to respect this religious group. “He has already attained great spiritual powers and possesses the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.” He has reached this [state], attaining great spiritual powers. He had to manifest great spiritual powers.
He has already attained great spiritual powers and possesses the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms: He has already transcended cyclic existence and attained great spiritual powers. The Four Unobstructed Wisdoms are as was explained previously.
Spiritual powers refers to having concentration and thorough understanding of all beings and all matters, objects and forms in the world. We will be able to penetrate all of these. He was also able to exercise the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. I explained these earlier, but I wonder, does everyone remember them? The Four Unobstructed Wisdoms also called the Four Unobstructed Understandings.
The Four Unobstructed Wisdoms are also called the Four Unobstructed Understandings or the Fourfold Unobstructed Eloquence: The wisdom of unobstructed Dharma. The wisdom of unobstructed meaning The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric. The wisdom of unobstructed joy in teaching.
The Fourfold Unobstructed Eloquence is also called the Four Unobstructed Understandings. We can use these four methods to explain. With the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms, we are replete with eloquence. This comes from wisdom, so there is “the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.” When we thoroughly understand all of the Dharma, we can teach people without obstruction. As for “the wisdom of unobstructed meaning,” how do we categorize the content of the Dharma? We are unobstructed in this as well, so we are able to share it with everyone. “The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric” is the words and expressions used to express the Dharma and its principles. This is the wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric. With “the wisdom of unobstructed joy in teaching,” we take great joy in always teaching, teaching constantly, teaching constantly with joy. We teach the Dharma for everyone to understand. If we can do this, understand all the terminology of the Dharma, that is “the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.” We never get stuck of this. “The wisdom of unobstructed meaning” is understanding the principles of all Dharma. It is thorough and unobstructed understanding. “The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric” is to master all kinds of languages.” We can use any kinds of words to express Dharma, to freely expound it at will. “The wisdom of unobstructed joy in teaching” is to be eloquent in teaching the Dharma, to be in harmony with principle and meaning. If we constantly take joy in teaching others, we can teach freely and without obstruction.
Dear Bodhisattvas, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must learn this. To be Bodhisattvas, we need the fourfold Fearlessness to joyfully and continually transmit the Dharma. Yet, in order to transmit the Dharma, we still must very mindfully and earnestly listen to the Dharma. For those of us who are so close, if we are not earnest and diligent here, then if we think of those far away, how diligent they are in listening to the Dharma, how they listen every day without interruption, then we will feel we have let them down. Though they are far away, they are so diligent. We are right here, but are we as diligent in listening to the Dharma? Let us ask ourselves and the people around us. Are we that diligent? Have we become lazy and indolent? We should ask each other, ask others and ask ourselves. Have I become lax? Am I really being diligent? If we become lax and lose the Buddha-Dharma, our wisdom-life will deteriorate accordingly. If we are diligent, as we hear it again, we understand and are joyful. Then our conscience is clear every day. We will not feel we have let anyone else down, nor will we feel we have let ourselves down. Then we will feel peaceful and at ease. This is something only we ourselves can really understand, so we must constantly reflect on ourselves. We must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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