Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Suddenly Awakening in This Very Lifetime (利根勤修 一生頓證)
Date: May.11.2018
“It is hard to fully express through ink and pen the wisdom and virtue of a thousand Buddhas. It is extremely deep and hard to fathom, truly profound and inconceivable. The extent of His nature is subtle and hidden; this is His wondrous intent. The wisdom of all Buddhas is profound, subtle, wondrous and infinite.”
We must be mindful! In fact, if you were to try to write in words [the Buddha-wisdom], you would never finish. You would never be able to finish writing about the virtue and wisdom of a thousand Buddhas. Even if you used all the words in the world, used all the pens and ink in the world, to try to clearly convey in writing the Buddha’s wisdom and virtue, it would be incredibly difficult! The wisdom and virtue of a thousand Buddhas is profound and difficult to fathom. It is not only profound and difficult to fathom, but difficult even to conceive of. There is no way to fathom it, for it is indeed profound. There is no way to estimate, put into words or even contemplate the wisdom and virtue of the Buddha. In addition to His “wisdom,” there is His “virtue,” which is what He did, His spiritual practice, how He gave of Himself for others. This is His wisdom and virtue.
This is how we are as Buddhist practitioners; in our daily lives as ordinary people, we have so many things to do we cannot finish. The Buddha, who lifetime after lifetime used His wisdom to help sentient beings, similarly had countless things to do, more than He could finish. So, virtue is something that we accumulate over the long term. After we give, this accumulates; this is wisdom and virtue.
Over so many dust-inked kalpas, having come and gone countless numbers of times, His [wisdom and virtue] are profound. They are truly profound. This is called “truly profound and inconceivable. The extent of His nature is subtle and hidden; this is His wondrous intent.” [He did this] to the extent of His nature. The intrinsic Buddha-nature is possessed by all. Yet the pure nature of the Buddha remains hidden. We all intrinsically possess it as well. Our Tathagata-garbha consciousness, our nature of True Suchness, still remains hidden. The Buddha had already rid Himself of afflictions. He was also totally free of delusions. He had already used the full extent of His nature, all of the Tathagata’s nature and appearances, to give teachings to us sentient beings. Although He taught sentient beings, sentient beings, we unenlightened beings, need to further investigate these things that we understand for they are all still so extremely intricate; they are all still so extremely profound. So, the objective of the Buddha-Dharma is very subtle and wondrous. How can such a subtle and wondrous objective possibly be described by using pen and ink? How can it be fathomed or conceived of? It is our natural intrinsic nature. It [exists] throughout the universe. In fact, the true principles contained within all things in the universe are our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. This exists within everyone. It is also called Tathagata-garbha nature, as well as our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. The Tathagata-garbha is the intrinsic nature of True Suchness. This has always been inherent in everyone.
However, if we try to describe it in writing, if we just try to talk about the process of the Buddha’s spiritual practice, the way the Buddha gave to sentient beings, the inconceivable Dharma that He attained, if we only write or talk about it, truly, no matter how much we say, we will have no way to realize it. We are only discussing it, writing and talking about it, but we must be putting it into practice. “The wisdom of all Buddhas is profound, subtle, wondrous and infinite.” He realized this by putting it into action. To understand it took many lifetimes of continually taking action. This “virtue” came from inwardly cultivating His nature and outwardly practicing virtue. If one does not put it into practice oneself, then there will be no way to comprehend it.
So, if we only talk about the Dharma, deriving and writing out more and more [meanings], the more we write about and discuss it, the more we feel the Buddha’s virtue and the Dharma we hope to teach will proliferate into so many principles.
Endless truths spring from a single principle. To bring to fruition the extremely profound and unprecedented Dharma, He taught according to what was appropriate, but the intent was still difficult to understand. Retaining and upholding the ultimate truth, the principles of the Middle Way, it is unsurpassed by all other sutras.This sutra is subtle, secret, extremely profound and difficult to comprehend. If people follow it and practice it diligently, they can attain immediate awakening in this life.
When it comes to the true principles of all things in the universe, to the intrinsic nature of True Suchness that is intrinsic to all of us, it is impossible to truly ever describe it in words. So, it continues to spring forth and proliferate. It continues to arise and emerge like this. “Endless troughs spring from a single principle.” Even if you talk about just “a single principle,” with that single principle you can analyze so very many things that you will never finish.
So, as we said yesterday, when it comes to principles, “By grasping one truth, we understand all truths.” To thoroughly understand the principles we must take them deeply to heart. If we do not thoroughly understand them, if we never take these principles to heart, then however much we write about things, however much we teach or listen to the teachings, we will still not realize them for ourselves. So, for us to ”bring to fruition the extremely profound and unprecedented Dharma, He taught according to what was appropriate, but the intent was still difficult to understand.” By truly knowing a single principle, we can explain so many things. The principles can all be covered by “the door of retaining and upholding”.
Yesterday we talked about these “Dhahran-doors”. Through the door of retaining and upholding, we “retain all teachings and uphold all goodness”. These are things that are emphasized in the Buddha-Dharma, these Dhahran-doors. These are methods we can use to understand the Dharma, the teachings and goodness. This virtuous Dharma can protect all sentient beings under heaven.
We talked about this before. Upon the earth alone, upon the five continents, how many human beings are alive? There are different ethnicities and cultures, different people who all have different habitual tendencies. We can take this as an analogy. We should know, if we want to adapt to sentient beings, is language an obstacle? Indeed, it is! Language is a barrier. If we only use a single language to teach the Buddha-Dharma, it will be impossible for everyone to understand. We must still mindfully learn it, then we must translate what we have learned. Translating is by no means easy! Actually, if we can thoroughly understand even a single principle, we can find a way to express it in any language. If we do not understand the principle, then even if we speak the same language, that principle will never be taken to heart. If we do not enter the dhahran-door, even if we speak the same language as others and they can thoroughly understand everything, even if they can understand what we say, if they cannot understand the principle, then “there is no way”. There will be no Dharma to transform them.
Ultimately, the principles are very profound. In regard to their form, there are so many different languages. There is English, then there is French, then there is Portuguese; there are so very many of them! When it comes to the [Buddhist] writings, an outsider may look and them and wonder, “What exactly does it all mean? We do not know what this is?” Even when it comes to just reading these texts, they can read them forever [and not understand]. When we talk about these writings, these are merely “forms”. “It is hard to fully express through ink and pent the wisdom and virtue of a thousand Buddhas.” We preciously talked about this. This means that if we remain stuck on the words and appearances, it is difficult [to understand]. “The extent of His nature is subtle and hidden.” Actually, regarding this nature and appearance, when people developed writing, they did it according to their own principles. There are different ethnicities of people, so these different ethnicities, developed their own forms writing. When it comes to our Chinese characters, they are very beautiful! When we analyze the characters we can see how the forms of the characters evolved in many ways. They very earliest pictographs written on oracle bones, tortoise shells used to foretell the future, continually evolved and developed into the Chinese characters that we use now. Just from the forms of those ancient characters we can learn so much about those ancient times, about how people expressed themselves and how they communicated with one another. We also use the written word to be able to communicate information. How do we pass on information?
During ancient times, the forms of the characters they used then continually evolved into what we use today, into the language that all of us use today. In Taiwan we use traditional Chinese characters, but now a simplified version is also used. They wanted to simplify the language, so simplified Chinese became quite popular, not only on the Chinese mainland, but in Malaysia, in the Philippines, in Indonesia and in other places as well. Now, in Canada, it is fashionable to use simplified Chinese. They use simplified characters when they learn Chinese there. These written forms of the language evolve along with people’s natures, yet the principles contained within never change. This is why we say that the matters of the world are always changing, but the principles never change. The world’s forms and appearances are continually changing, but the principles are forever unchanging. [The Buddha’s] objective never changes. This is the wisdom of the Buddha. The nature of True Suchness we all possess is forever unchanging. It is our unenlightened nature that changes, so the appearances of our nature are changing.
These are habitual tendencies; the appearances of this nature keep changing. As for the intrinsic nature of True Suchness, the nature of True Suchness is unchanging. We need to distinguish clearly between these. As it is, the habitual natures of people really are changing these days, so our written language is changing as well. The spoken language is also gradually changing. Sometimes when we listen to young people speak, we cannot even understand what they are saying! They have their own slang that is completely different from our generation’s the one that came before them.
However, the language of our older generation is filled with the principles! I hope that our youth respect this. There are the principles. The principles, this beauty, is what we must preserve. So, these matters are truly very intricate. We speak of the door of retaining and upholding. Through this was “retain all goodness”. With anything that is good, we must safeguard and preserve it. We “uphold all teachings”. These are the true teachings that we must earnestly put into practice, that we must continually safeguard. And for all the humans who are suffering, regardless of ethnicity, the Buddha-Dharma serves to rid everyone of suffering. If tangible things make people suffer, we should help them to be rid of this [suffering]. For people’s intangible afflictions, we must teach and guide them. This was the Buddha’s objective in coming to the world, to adapt to its many different kinds of people.
However, though He revealed and taught us these true principles, these unchanging ancient principles, “the intent was still difficult to understand”. The Buddha wished to “bring to fruition then extremely profound and unprecedented Dharma”, but had to adapt to people’s different ways of life, to teach “according to what is appropriate”. To teach the Dharma according to capabilities. The Buddha responded to the world’s people, not only the people of China and India, but to the people of the world everywhere.
In any case, wherever we are in the world, humanity’s principles are always the same. These principles of the Dharma are what the Buddha, the Enlightened One, and the rest of sages tried to teach us. Every country in the past has each given rise to its own sages. This has always been happening in the world since ancient times. Although their languages may have differed, all of them still talked about that very same nature of True Suchness, the Tathagata-garbha. These sages appeared everywhere like this. The principle is the same.
So, we should “retain and uphold the ultimate truth, the principles of the Middle Way”. The principle of the Middle Way is actually the same wherever you go in the world.
The Lotus Sutra is the Great Vehicle Dharma. It is the principle of the Middle Way, the one found throughout the Lotus Sutra. So, “The principle of the Middle Way is unsurpassed in any other sutras”. “The sutra” refers to the Lotus Sutra. It is subtle, intricate, extremely profound and difficult to comprehend. This sutra is truly subtle and secret. Several days ago, we also talked about this. It is so profound that it is impossible to fathom. This subtlety and secrecy means the whole is contained in a speck of dust. It is extremely subtle and intricate. It is so subtle and intricate, so tiny, that you will never be able to seek it. When we use our eyes to look at it, it is all empty space, but within that space are infinite numerous of microorganisms. We cannot see any of these; they are things so subtle and secret. So, it is subtle, secret, extremely profound and difficult to comprehend. Thus we should “follow” follow it and practice diligently. We know this principle. Because no one lives forever each chooses to research in their own way. So, there are some who study microbiology, who specialize in research. To see things that ordinarily cannot be seen, people invented the microscope, but now even a microscope is not strong enough. The greatest mysteries of the universe are now explained not in terms of atoms, but in terms of quanta. What do these things ultimately look like? These are really very profound.
During the Buddha’s era, He described these things as “extremely profound and wondrous, difficult to contemplate and comprehend”. This is profound, subtle, mysterious and difficult to conceive of. This is how the Buddha described it to humans, and it is indeed like this. So, if people “practice it diligently, they can attain immediate awakening in this life”. Is this something we can accomplish? This was exactly what.
Wisdom Accumulate Bodhisattva had doubts about. It was already so hard to comprehend, so intricate and difficult to understand that people had to practice very diligently! Who knows how many lifetimes it would take to thoroughly understand it all! How could an eight year old in the dragon palace of the ocean, the daughter of the dragon king, be taught and transformed so that she could possible understand it? This was Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva’s doubt. It was not just Wisdom Accumulated ’s doubt; all of us sentient beings have this doubt. The Buddha, at that time when Wisdom Accumulated was wanting to return home, understood that together, Manjusri and Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva would be able for reveal for sentient beings an even deeper level to the Dharma. They could increase our understanding. He needed these two great Bodhisattvas, one an ancient Buddha come again the other an attendant for an ancient Buddha, to discuss the Dharma together.
So, as these teachings are extremely subtle, mysterious and difficult to understand, without these great capabilities, the great capabilities of great Bodhisattvas, others could not ask the right questions or be able to give the correct answers. [That Dharma] was so subtle and mysterious that no one else could possibly reveal its intricacies. Thus, the Buddha had Wisdom Accumulated stay so that he might meet and converse with Manjusri Bodhisattva.
Therefore, those thousand-petaled lotus flowers emerged from the dragon palace in the ocean and then the two began discussing the principles. This was all in order to “expound and spread the True Dharma of the One Vehicle, the principles of the Middle Way, which are free of falsehoods and delusions.”
We must expound and spread the True Dharma of the One Vehicle, the principles of the Middle Way, which are free falsehoods and delusions. For both noble and ordinary beings throughout the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, their intrinsic nature is one and the same. This is known as the truth of One Reality.
We must truly and thoroughly understand this. We should not take the Buddha-Dharma to be merely about the karmic law of cause and effect. It is not only that! Cause and effect is a principle, yet cause and effect is very profound! It is not just what we ordinary people speak of when we talk about the three periods of cause and effect. We can sometimes be mistaken and can cause people to become deluded. So, we should be very mindful. When it comes to its content and its principles, we should be very clear about these. This is “the True Dharma of the One Vehicle, the principles of the Middle Way, which are free falsehoods and delusions.” We do not want to be deluded.
We should be mindful to understand that the Buddha-Dharma is so incredibly profound. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is like this; we know how profound its teachings are. It is so incredibly intricate. We see the world in a speck of dust. This is how truly profound the principles are. So, in order to not have any illusory or deluded thinking, we should put effort into rectifying ourselves so we can understand the principles. “For both noble and ordinary beings throughout the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, their intrinsic nature is one and the same. This is known as the truth of One Reality. They may be sages, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or ordinary people like us humans, or they may [live] in the Six Realms. The Six Realms are the heaven, human, asura, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms, including the Four Forms of Birth the womb-born, moisture-born, egg-born and transformation-born. As long as they have life, their intrinsic nature is one and the same. We are all fundamentally the same; we all have this principle, the Tathagata-garbha nature, the nature of True Suchness. We all have this principle within us. So, “[In] the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, their intrinsic nature is one and the same. This is known as the truth of One Reality.” This is the wisdom of the Buddha. It encompasses so much. Think about it, how can we explain it? It is inconceivable! Actually, each kind of being has its own spiritual nature. Each different form of life has its own different spiritual nature. We talked about two dogs yesterday. Dogs can either help each other, or they can kill each other; either is possible. Human too can either help one another or they can kill one another. All living creatures in the world are the same. Different life forms [can be help each other]; people can save other animals and animals can save people as well. We have seen many incidents where animals have also saved people. It is spiritual nature that connects us. We should try to understand this clearly.
So, Manjusri seized upon the opportunity to talk about the way he taught and transformed in the ocean. The previous sutra passage says, “Manjusri said, ‘There is a daughter of the dragon king Sagara who is only eight years old. She has sharp roots of wisdom. She excels at understanding the various roots, deeds and karma of sentient beings and has attained dharana.’”
The daughter of the dragon king was only eight. She had sharp roots of wisdom. “She excels at understanding the various roots, deeds and karma of sentient beings. All of various roots of sentient beings, their different capabilities, the good and evil karma they created, an eight-year-old child was able to understand all these. This is because she had by then attained dharani. This eight-year-old dragon girl had already attained dharani, meaning she already attained the door of retaining and upholding the Buddha-Dharma. She had understood everything. She could “retain all teachings and uphold all goodness.” So, her heart was pure and simple. This is what the dragon girl had by then attained.
The next passage below says, “As for the entire profound and secret treasury that all Buddha teach, she has been able to embrace and uphold it. She has deeply entered into Samadhi and thoroughly comprehended all Dharma. In the span of an instant, she gave rise to Bodhicitta. She attained the state of non-retreating and unobstructed eloquence.”
This is because she has attained dharani, the door to retain and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. She had already attained those, so when it came to the profound principles that all Buddha teach, she could understand all of them. She could accept and uphold the secret treasury contained within the Buddha-Dharma. The secret treasury is not secret, it is the profound and mysterious Buddha-Dharma. The intricacies of the Buddha-Dharma were very clear to her. This was because she not only knew them, but also accepted and upheld them. She had already put them all into practice. She not only understood them, but had put them into practice.
As for the entire profound and secret treasury that all Buddhas teach, she has been able to embrace and uphold it: Everything that all Buddha teach is part of the secret Dharma-treasury of the wisdom of all Buddhas. This extremely profound and secret treasury can only be understood by those in the state of Buddhahood. This Dharma-door cannot be comprehended by ordinary beings, yet she was able to embrace and uphold it in its entirety.
“Everything that all Buddha teach is part of the secret the Dharma-treasury of the wisdom of all Buddhas.” It is so profound and mysterious. It remains hidden because it is so secret. All of the profundities hidden within the Dharma-treasury had been completely understood by her. This extremely profound and secret treasury can only be understood by those in the state of Buddhahood. This Dharma is not something that can be understood by ordinary people. Because this Dharma is so profound and mysterious, it is something only Buddhas have any way of understanding. Even Bodhisattvas up to the stage of Equal Enlightenment have not quite completely understood it.
However, the dragon girl had already reached the stage of a Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment. This is not something that we as ordinary people are able to understand, so it is called “the secret Dharma-treasury”. Only Buddhas can thoroughly understand it. So, “She has deeply entered into Samadhi and thoroughly comprehended all Dharma”.
She has deeply entered into Samadhi and thoroughly comprehended all Dharma: This shows that she was replete with wisdom and Samadhi. She excelled at entering deeply into [the principles] and had fulfilled the wondrous causes of Bodhisattvas. She immediately realized the ultimate fruit and thoroughly comprehended all Dharma. Because she was able to accept and uphold this extremely profound and secret treasury of the Wondrous Lotus Sutra, she deeply entered into Samadhi.
The dragon girl thoroughly understood the dharanis so she had comprehended everything. She had realized these principles and had taken them all deeply to heart in Samadhi. It was through Samadhi, with an undisturbed mind, that she could come to such clear realization. So, she had come to understand all the teachings. This means that through Samadhi one can come to thoroughly understand; one can become replete in both Samadhi and wisdom. To become replete in both Samadhi and wisdom, one of course needs to observe the precepts. When it came to the precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, she had already cultivated these over the course of many lifetimes, for many kalpas. This is how she became replete in the precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.
“She excelled at entering deeply into [the principles] and had fulfilled the wondrous causes of Bodhisattvas”. She had entered deeply into these. These extremely subtle, intricate and mysterious principles were all completely understood by her. She had understood them all, so, she had “fulfilled” them. “Fulfilled” means all were [complete]. She had fulfilled all of the principles, and perfected and completed so many of them. By practicing the Bodhisattva-path, she completely fulfilled the Bodhisattva-cause of actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions. This is the “wondrous cause”. The Wondrous cause is the Bodhisattva-practice. Having perfected and completed this, she had “immediately realized the ultimate fruit”. The ultimate fruit requires extremely sharp wisdom, very perfect and complete wisdom. This is what she had already attained. She had “thoroughly comprehended all Dharma”. So, she thoroughly understood all of the teachings.
“Because she was able to accept and uphold this extremely profound and secret treasury of the Wondrous Lotus Sutra” means this was because she was able to accept and uphold this sutra and practice this sutra’s practice of the Middle Way, which is the Bodhisattva-path. When the principles of “emptiness” and “existence” have all become clear, then amongst “wondrous existence” we can practice the Bodhisattva-path. This is the Lotus Sutra. “She deeply entered Samadhi”.
Actually, “Samadhi” can be translated as “the cultivation of contemplation”. We spent a long time in the past explaining “the cultivation of contemplation. The cultivation of contemplation means to contemplate the [external] phenomena that we encounter”.
Samadhi: This is translated as the cultivation of contemplation. This means to contemplate the [external] phenomena that we encounter and investigate the meaning behind them. Recently, it has been translated as “meditative contemplation”. When our mind and body are tranquil and still, we will realize the nature of all phenomena, thoroughly comprehend their appearances and be able to examine and contemplate their meaning.
Whatever situation we encounter, our mind should always be very pure in dealing with it, so that we can investigate why such circumstances have arisen. What kind of mental state could have created these kinds of affairs? These are all things we want to understand clearly. We must understand the greater environment, the macrocosm, and the smaller environment, the microcosm, the psychology of our mind. We wish to experience and understand all of these. We do this by “the cultivation of contemplation”. Another translation of this is “meditative contemplation”. Our minds must be pure; they must be tranquil and clear. Our minds must be very still so we can earnestly consider all things. For us ordinary people, our minds are always so quick to become agitated. When we hear something that makes us happy, we become beside ourselves with joy. If something displeases us, we become angry. We are always so impetuous. Bodhisattvas are not like this. They earnestly engage in meditative contemplation, so, “mind and body are tranquil and still”.
When it comes to our minds and our bodies, we should constantly quiet them and settle them. We should not be impetuous. This is also a kind of meditation! This is why we say that “Carrying firewood and water is also meditation. Whatever we do can be a meditation. Whatever we say can be a meditation”. The word “meditation” means “the cultivation of contemplation”. It is “meditative contemplation”. It means to make our mind and body, our mind as well as our body very tranquil and still.
So, we “realize the nature of all phenomena”. Only through this do we have the way to realize our Tathagata-garbha nature. When it comes to all phenomena, everything in the world, whether people, animals or any living thing, microorganisms, plants, etc., all possess this nature within them. We must be mindful to realize this. So, we “thoroughly comprehend their appearance”. What kind of an appearance is it? This branch has dried out, but even dry, it still has a beautiful form. We use it for decoration. It originally was a tree and that tree came from a seed. It went through many stages in the process. So, having gone through so many stages over an unknown amount of time, it became a branch in the shape it is. We see the beauty in it, so we take it, put it upon a table and call it a decoration.
It is the same principle. So, we talk about the appearance of phenomena, the nature and appearance of phenomena. This is known as form and appearance. Everything contains principles within it. So, we are “able to examine and contemplate their meaning.” We can meticulously contemplate the principles within these, either on a superficial level or on a level that is much more profound. So, “In the span of an instant, she gave rise to Bodhicitta.”
In the span of an instant, she gave rise to Bodhicitta: She understood clearly and, replete with virtue, swiftly attained realization. In an instant, she gave rise to supreme Bodhicitta. In that instant, the dragon girl attained Buddhahood. It describes the shortness of time to show how swiftly she attained realization.
Her state of mind was naturally like this, and because of this, she could give rise to Bodhicitta so swiftly. Because her state of mind was so clear, since she could discern right and wrong so clearly and thoroughly understand the principles, she achieved realization right away. So, “She understood clearly and was replete with virtue, thus she swiftly attained realization." When it came to “virtue,” she was extremely replete in it. She was very clear in her understanding, very replete in her virtue. She was so replete in “virtue” because she had of course been engaging in spiritual practice for endless kalpas right up until then.
So, “She swiftly attained realization.” Because she was replete in all “virtue,” when she listened to the Dharma, she could immediately understand it. This occurred “in an instant.” It was very fast, in a very short time, that “she gave rise to supreme Bodhicitta.” In this way, she very quickly gave rise to supreme Bodhicitta. It happened “in the span of an instant.” This is the dragon girl. Manjusri Bodhisattva wanted to tell of how the dragon girl attained Buddhahood very quickly. Of course, this happens later in the passage.
This “instant” happens later in the passage, when the dragon girl quickly attains Buddhahood. This all happens very quickly. She thoroughly understood the principles, so very quickly, “She attained the state of non-retreating and unobstructed eloquence.”
She attained the state of non-retreating and unobstructed eloquence: Her mind had realized the state of non-retreating. As a Bodhisattva, she attained great eloquence. When it came to the Dharma of the Great and Small Vehicles, she [could teach] sentient beings according to their capabilities, helping them all to understand thoroughly, until they were free of doubts or hindrances. This is the meaning of “unobstructed eloquence.”
The dragon girl was unobstructed in eloquence and had quickly understood the principles and had quickly been able to attain Buddhahood. She had already attained the dharani-doors and because of this she swiftly understood all of the teachings. Because of all she understood, she swiftly attained the stage of non-retreating. So, she attained “unobstructed eloquence. Her mind had realized the state of non-retreating.” Because she had long ago reached the stage of non-retreating, when aspiration arose within her, she “seized the moment and sustained it forever.” These were the aspirations that she had right in the beginning. In the instant that aspirations arise, we seize hold of them and perpetuate them eternally so that they never change.
So, “Her mind had realized the state of non-retreating.” She had reached the stage of non-retreating. She had seized the aspirations that she formed in that instant and never changed from them. She had always been pure like this. So, she had reached the stage of non-retreating.
“As a Bodhisattva, she attained great eloquence.” She had reached the stage of a Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment, so she had attained unobstructed eloquence. Having thoroughly understood all the principles, “When it came to the Dharma of the Great and Small Vehicles, she [could teach] sentient beings according to their capabilities, helping them all to understand thoroughly until they were free of doubts or hindrances.” In regard to these principles, she had no doubts or hindrances. Her state of mind was one of total understanding, so in her eloquence she was unobstructed. This means that forming aspirations to realize the fruit all lies within the span of a single instant.
Forming aspirations to realize the fruit all lies within the span of a single instant. This means that by practicing one thing, we practice everything; by ending one thing, we end everything; by realizing one thing, we realize everything. It is like cutting through thread or dyeing a piece of fabric. Since Bodhi can be attained in an instant, how could there be any stages of advancement?
When we form an aspiration, we seize it in the moment and sustain it forever. We should seize our aspiration in that moment and then uphold it forever, so that our aspiration never changes. Thus, we never depart from that one instant. This means that “by practicing one thing, we practice everything; by ending one thing, we end everything; by realizing one thing, we realize everything.” This means that by understanding one principle, we can then understand 10,000 principles. It is like cutting or dying a piece of thread. If that thread becomes entangled, we quickly cut that mess of thread with a knife. We take it and cut it off. If we dye something that has never been dyed, it absorbs the color very quickly, but if we do not dye it, then the color remains plain. Dye is absorbed very quickly. If there is colored dye in a pot and you dip some fabric in very quickly, then it immediately absorbs the color. The principle is the same.
So, “By ending one thing, we end everything; by realizing one thing, we realize everything.” As long as we seize the moment and sustain it eternally, that aspiration is always there. So, “Since Bodhi can be attained in an instant, how could there be any stages of advancement?” We do not necessarily need to go through the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles in sequence. When we first encounter the Dharma, we can form Great Vehicle aspirations and cultivate the Great Vehicle Dharma. We begin by cultivating all practices. Through the door of retaining and upholding we can uphold all of the teachings, which means we practice all of the teachings. We cut through all afflictions and never become defiled by them again. To “realize” means we understand; these principles we awaken to will be forever engraved upon our hearts. They continually accumulate like this until we are completely pure and free of obstructions. This is when the mind becomes pure.
So, all of us should try to mindfully realize and understand the principles. By grasping one principle, we understand 10,000. If we only sit there discussing and debating, it will only trouble our own minds. So, we should always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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