Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Distancing Ourselves from All Evil (遠離諸惡 親近善友)
Date: July.30.2018
“In order to cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views and draw near to virtuous friends. If there are people who can, in accordance with the sutra, teach, have faith, observe the precepts, listen extensively, practice giving, have wisdom and help others accept and practice [the Dharma], we must draw near to them and respect them. We must make offerings and draw near to virtuous friends.”
We must be mindful! When we engage in spiritual practice, “to cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice,” firstly, “we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views.” Recently, this is what I have been continuously sharing and reminding everyone of. Now, in the Chapter on the Practice of Bringing Peace and Joy, since we have formed aspirations to willingly accept and uphold the Great Vehicle. Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, we must first realize [its message]. In the evil era of Dharma-degeneration, we will face many difficulties when spreading the Great Vehicle Dharma in this evil, turbid world. There will be many obstacles. All kinds of people, matters and objects will present us with many obstacles. In the previous sutra passage, we read the Buddha’s warning for us that we may encounter many people who will slander us or [spread] unfounded rumors and scandals in order to disturb people’s understanding. Not only those in the evil world of turbidity [who will live] in this environment but even those who practice Buddhist teachings will have different views and understandings when it comes to religion. Speaking of the Great Vehicle and Small Vehicle, Small Vehicle [practitioners] do not know the meaning of Great Vehicle, so they [spread] various rumors and slander it. In the previous sutra passage, this is the warning the Buddha made clear to us.
There is more in the next sutra passage. Apart from having endurance, [we must know] whom we should draw near to and whom we should not draw near to. [We will encounter] many evil and violent places, people with evil and deviant views, “pandakas” and so on, so we must increase our vigilance. The previous passage talked about this. These are concerns for people who will follow the Bodhisattva-path. If our minds are not steady, we could be easily affected in the process. Thus, it first reminds us to be vigilant and of whom should we not draw near to. In the previous sutra passage, [the Buddha] said we must endure when we encounter challenges. The next sutra passage is about people we cannot transform. We should not force an approach on them. We should keep a distance from people with more severe [habitual tendencies]. This is what we previously talked about. However, we should begin to draw near the virtuous as the Buddha earnestly inspired us to do. This was Manjusri’s wisdom and compassion; he was there with the Buddha in this passage. Manjusri Bodhisattvas complemented and elevated [the Buddha’s teachings]. [At Manjusri’s request], the Buddha taught another path for people to find peace. We must endure, or better yet avoid difficulties. Everyone should remember [how] Manjusri listened to the Buddha finish teaching that in the future, there would be deviant views within [Buddhism]. Although we must endure them, enduring is not as good as avoiding them. This is why the Buddha said that we should avoid and distance ourselves from those with “all evil and deviant views.” They must not affect our spiritual aspirations, so we must distance ourselves from them.
Next, there are people we should draw near to. We should draw near to “virtuous friends”. We must carefully choose our virtuous friends. “When we see someone doing good, we follow suit. When we see someone make mistakes, we correct ourselves.” When we meet those who are not good, we should distance ourselves from them; when we meet those who are virtuous, we should follow them. We must draw near to virtuous friends. This is an mentioned in a previous sutra passage, “If there is one who can expound....” If there are people willing to uphold the sutra and teach the Dharma, they can teach us to uphold precepts, to listen extensively, to practice giving and to have wisdom; they “help others accept and practice [the Dharma].” If people can teach the Dharma and guide us like this, we must have faith in them. Our faith must be deep and we must uphold the precepts. The precepts help us to guard against wrongs and stop evils so that we can discern right from wrong. We can tell when people are harmful friends, that we should not draw near to them and that [we must] strive to avoid them. This is the meaning of “precepts”. We must be able to make distinctions. When we cannot transform someone, we must distance ourselves from them. So, [we need] “faith” and “precepts”. We believe in the Buddha’s teachings. With the Great Vehicle Dharma, we go among sentient beings to transform them. The Great Vehicle Dharma is the Buddha’s one great cause; He came to guide sentient beings and show them a direction. We must have deep faith in this.
However, if we want to follow the direction the Buddha has pointed out to us, if we want to practice this Bodhisattva-path, we must first earnestly guard ourselves and keep our state of mind healthy. So, we must uphold the precepts to guard against wrongs and stop evil. To uphold the precepts and have deep faith, we must steady unspiritual aspirations and listen extensively to the Dharma. As we learn more, once we understand it, we have Dharma and will be able to teach it to others. First, we obtain the Buddha’s proper guidance. Once we have understood it thoroughly, we can then guide others to walk in the same direction. This is why we must listen extensively. Only by listening extensively can we help others. So, this is called “giving”. As for “wisdom,” as we go among people, we learn how afflictions and ignorance converge, multiply and becomes suffering. If we do not go among people and do not understand their suffering, how are we supposed to relieve their suffering?
Therefore, we must go into the world to practice giving and serve others. In the process of helping others, apart from listening extensively to take the Buddha-Dharma to heart, we are also learning the worldly Dharma. As we go among various groups of people, we taken in their knowledge. This worldly knowledge helps us attain understanding, and from the Buddha-Dharma we attain pure wisdom. When this pure wisdom comes together with the knowledge of the world, [we can have] “common knowledge” and a “common understanding”. With this understanding, we can then take action. We take action together, practicing the Bodhisattva-path. Those who guide us to accept, uphold and follow this path are virtuous friends.
“We must draw near to them and respect them. We must make offerings and draw near to virtuous friends.” We should draw near to good people. When we are in the company of good people, we must be respectful to each other. Respecting and praising others is also a way to practice giving. Speaking of offerings, we can make offering with our bodies, with our speech, with our actions and also with material goods. Thus, to engage in practice with nothing further, extended practice, uninterrupted practice and practice with reverence are all part of our process of spiritual practice.
So, “We must make offerings and draw near to virtuous friends.” Having virtuous friends is very important. We must learn to mutually give of ourselves. Here and now, we must practice the Bodhisattva-path. But both now and as we move forward, we must not only practice the Bodhisattva-path from the sutras, we must also listen extensively to [all] the Buddha’s teachings. If we listen extensively and take them to heart, this inspires our wisdom. Now, we must put it into practice. “Wisdom helps others accept and practice [the Dharma].” We must accept it and put it into practice.
Aren’t the Tzu Chi volunteers like this? In Ecuador in 2016, there was a major earthquake. It was very strong! It destroyed several counties and cities. It was truly a terrible disaster. When we received this information and saw coverage of it on the news, we immediately thought, “How can we help in the wake of this tragic and terrible disaster?” How could we help them? In assessing the situation, [our volunteers] in the United States were closest. They were five or six hours away by plane, but they were the closest [to the disaster]. Based on our evaluation, we felt that the US [volunteers] were more experienced in international disaster relief. So, we contacted the volunteers of Tzu Chi USA and their international disaster relief team, and they mobilized the charity and medical teams. When they reached Ecuador, they immediately took action. To establish a Cash for Relief program, they approached the local governors and mayors and began working with them. Speaking of the Cash for Relief program, because of our experience in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, many international NGOs has seen us [do this before]. So, in Ecuador, when Tzu Chi USA volunteers arrived, they immediately began their operations. Indeed, they exercised great capabilities. After working with people in several places, the outcome was very good. Those who were helping felt joyful, and those receiving help could now rebuild and clear their homes. Everyone was filled with joy.
In another town, Jama, their mayor, named Angel, came to ask us, “Tzu Chi volunteers, can you visit my town and help us? My town was also one of the worst-hit areas.” In fact, when Tzu Chi volunteers went there, they learned that this town of Jama was indeed one of the worst-hit areas. Now, the mayor had come to them, but after [working hard] for so many days, they needed to take time to rest first. So, they told him, “We will come back to evaluate [your town]. We will try to hurry. If we can do it within our schedule, we will go visit your town. If we cannot make it in time, we will come on our next trip. We have been away from home for many days. Can we come back next time?”
The town mayor, Angel was disappointed when he heard this. His eyes brimmed with tears; he nearly cried. Tzu Chi volunteers’ hearts melted when they saw how this mayor cared so sincerely for the disaster survivors. Our volunteers immediately comforted him. “We will do our utmost to make it work. We will visit you this afternoon.” Angel was overjoyed that. Tzu Chi volunteers were willing to visit, and he accompanied them when they went.
After the visit, Tzu Chi volunteers could tell that the damage in this disaster area was severe. The mayor had been so sincere in [seeking help] for the survivors, and he was moved by how Tzu Chi had comes such a long way on their own to assess the damage for them. So, he was very touched. The Tzu Chi volunteers were also very moved; they were mutually touched by each other. They all decided to meet again right away and were considering taking action the next day. Any unfinished work would continue locally. When the next group of volunteers came, they tole the mayor, “We hope to mobilize 1000 people in three days. With the Cash for Relief program, we will be able to clean this place up”. The mayor was very grateful. “1000 people in three days is fantastic! I am very grateful!”
The next day, Tzu Chi volunteers came [to work], and participants of the Cash for Relief program were already waiting for them there. Even on the first day, the effect was already clear. They worked very effectively. After they finished the work, Tzu Chi volunteers led a sing-along. For [the people] in that place, they inspired enthusiasm among them and expressed their gratitude for them. They told the locals stories of Tzu Chi and how the aid came from the donations of many people. They shared this with them, along with the history of Tzu Chi. They also shared Jing Si aphorisms with them. They led them in singing the song “One Family” and explained [its] meaning to them. In this manner, they sang in English. Everyone was joyful, and they swept away the gloominess of the preceding days. After this huge disaster, everyone felt lost and aimless. They did not know how to rebuild their homes. Tzu Chi volunteers brought a new spirit and their strength with them. Before they began distributing aid, they awakened they joy in everyone’s minds. They were all joyful. When the mayor arrived, he joined them and interacted with the people. They mayor was very touched. He joined us in distributing the relief cash. The Cash for Relief wage was 15 USD for each person per day. This was how much we distributed.
Later, the mayor said, “If there are more than 400 people tomorrow, I will cover [the rest of their wages]. And so it was, starting the next day, they exceeded the goal by 90 people. So, there were 490 people, starting a new day of work. They were in better spirits than yesterday. With the power of Tzu Chi’s spirit and the volunteers’ unconditional great love, it was like they were all one family. [Helping each other] like a family, they also cleaned their own spaces. That day, they participated more actively than the day before. So, another day went by. The mayor was very joyful. As he counted the total, there were 490 people. He said, he must keep his word. He asked his assistant to go back to get money for him. It was more than 1000 dollars. It was 1350 dollars. As [his assistant] returned, he gave the money to the Tzu Chi volunteers. The mayor was very touched by the Tzu Chi volunteers. He was very joyful, so he felt gratitude. Seeing how Tzu Chi volunteers gave of themselves, he thought he should do the same for his people. He paid out of his own pockets to help them. He felt it was the right thing for him to do. He hoped his county could be revived and that all his people could regain their spirits and their strength. Then there would be hope for his country. So, he was joyful and very touched. Another day passed and even more people came the next day. There were more than 500 people on the third day. The mayor was very brave. With more than 100 extra people participating, his financial responsibility was heavier. Yet he remained joyful and grateful. He willingly paid them out of his own pockets, a total of 4200 US dollars. This was how he gave of himself; this was how he took part.
During that time period, when we were in a video conference, I told them, “Since we have mobilized three to four counties over there, we have already given so much. Since this mayor loves his people, in his time of great disaster, how could we let him pay? He has given so much. These 4000 dollars is a great burden to the mayor!” Later on, when our volunteers were ready to [go home], Martin Kuo invited the mayor to meet with them. He counted out 4200 US dollars and handed it to the mayor. He told him that Master cared about him and he could not bear to let him pay so much out of his own pockets. This country still had financial needs so we hoped the mayor would take this money and do things for the people. The mayor was very touched. He said that he would not have dared ask, and he was very grateful for this. He will keep serving his people in the future. This is the power of love, by which virtuous friends inspire each other.
Tzu Chi volunteers are virtuous friends. Wherever we are needed, we must quickly go there ourselves. We not only provide them with material aid, we also give them spiritual guidance and encouragement. They mayor also began to do this. We could see that he truly loves his people. That the Tzu Chi volunteers came together helped strengthen his faith. During the restoration after the disaster, the power of their spirit was very strong, so he was very moved. This is how we draw near to virtuous friends, “have wisdom, listen extensively and practice giving”. Tzu Chi volunteers have received the Dharma, so in their actions and service they are giving unconditionally. They attain great joy from giving. Was it laborious? Yes, it was. But they were filled with Dharma-joy. Bodhisattvas not only benefit and safeguard their own homelands, they also cross borders into other countries to serve people there. This is what makes them Bodhisattvas; they always keep the Dharma in mind. They must exercise their wisdom to bring sincere love to these places and to be able to mobilize the local people. With the “Cash for Relief program”, everyone was able to give of themselves for the sake of their hometown. This raised their spirits and they all worked joyfully. They also listened to our explanation of how we are all one family. Just like the phoenix rising from the ashes, although they experienced a great disaster, they are now rebuilding, and they have reinvigorated their strength. Everyone is united and working in unison. Thus, by guiding them with this wisdom, all the villagers, these disaster survivors, received our encouragement and help. The mayor was deeply touched.
In order to cultivate the Bodhisattva-practice, we must distance ourselves from all evil and deviant views and draw near to virtuous friends. If there are people who can, in accordance with the sutra, teach, have faith, observe the precepts, listen extensively, practice giving, have wisdom and help others to accept and practice [the Dharma], we must draw near to them and respect them. We must make offerings and draw near to virtuous friends.
So, “People who can help others accept [the Dharma] and put it into practice are “virtuous friends that we must draw near to.” Speaking of “respect,” we must respect each other. This is how we make offerings to each other and nourish our wisdom-life. These are [the people] we should draw near to. We should accept and uphold the Dharma [we receive from] our virtuous friends. In sum, virtuous friends are “those who are known to be good people by others.”
Those who are known to be good people by others are virtuous friends. Those who are known to be evil are harmful, unwholesome friends. Those who teach the Dharma to guide us in the direction of virtuous places are our virtuous friends. Also, those who encourage others to have joy and equanimity encourage others to do good.
These are people known to be good by everyone. They are also our virtuous friends. They are our “virtuous friends”. What about harmful and unwholesome friends? This means that everyone knows their behavior is improper, so we must be vigilant. Seeing these harmful and unwholesome friends, we must distance ourselves from them. Those who teach the Dharma to guide us towards goodness are our “virtuous friends”. They can encourage us to do good and help us to be able to give joyfully. They are all virtuous friends who encourage us do good [deeds]. So, we must mindfully seek to comprehend how the power of love brings us all together. When we come together [out of love] it is unconditional, selfless love. Anyone like this is considered a virtuous friend. Thus, society can naturally be harmonious, and the world will become peaceful.
So, in the previous sutra passage it says, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse. ‘It there are Bodhisattvas in the future evil world whose minds are without fear and who wish to teach this sutra, they should enter places of practice and the places to draw near to.’”
We should try to mindfully comprehend the previous sutra passage [which says], “They always distance themselves from kings as well as princes, great ministers and officials, those who engage in brutal and dangerous amusements as well as candalas and heretical practitioners and Brahmacarins.
We talked about this [sutra passage] before. We must be earnestly vigilant and distance ourselves from kings and princes. This refers to relying on power. We do not need to draw near to power or leverage it to increase our own glory. This is unnecessary. We must be steadfast as we engage in our spiritual practice and follow our virtuous path. We do not need to rely on official power.
So, “They always distance themselves from kings as well as princes, great ministers and officials, those who engage in brutal and dangerous amusements as well as candalas and heretical Brahmacarins. We must clearly understand this. “Candalas” are people who slaughter [animals]. “Brutal and dangerous amusements are not proper careers [either]. When we see those in an unwholesome environment, we must distance ourselves from them. When we encounter heretical teachings, evil knowledge and deviant views, we must distance ourselves from them also. This is what previous passage is about.
The next sutra passage continues, “Also, they do not draw near to those who are overbearingly arrogant, who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle in their study of the Tripitaka, bhiksus who break the precepts and are Arhats in name only….”
We must distance ourselves from these people. We must distance ourselves from worldly power as well as from those who exhibit improper behavior in the world. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must know to whom we should draw near and from whom we should distance ourselves. “Also, they do not draw near to those who are overbearingly arrogant, who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle in their study of the Tripitala, bhiksus who break the precepts and are Arhats in name only….” When facing these people, we must be vigilant.
What is “overbearing arrogance?” Those who have yet to realize the noble path but claim to have attained it are arrogant towards others.
Those people have yet to realize the noble path, and yet they claim to have attained it, so they are arrogant towards other. Small Vehicle practitioners are weary of samsara and take joy in Nirvana. Because of this, they practice the path of precepts, Samadhi wisdom. Despite having only a few attainments, they claim to have realized the fruit. These people claim to have attained what they have not attained and claim to have realized. They are known as Hearers of overbearing arrogance.
These spiritual practitioners crave and cling to the Small Vehicle. So, at the beginning, their goal in spiritual practice is to become liberated from cyclic existence. They understand the suffering of samasra, so they hope they can be liberated. Thus, they take joy in Nirvana and earnestly engage in spiritual practice. In spiritual practice, they cultivate “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.” Attaining just a bit of understanding, they think, “I practice the precepts very well, my power of Samadhi is steady and I have already uncovered my wisdom. Thus, they believe they have attained the fruit. These people claim to have realized it the noble path though they have not realized it. They are arrogant towards others. We must be wary of such practitioners. Their practice has led them to become arrogant, so we should not draw near to them! So, “These people claim to have realized what they have not realized.” Speaking of those who are overbearingly arrogant, we must be vigilant of them. So, “They do not draw near to those who are overbearingly arrogant.” As for those being arrogant about their practice, we must not draw near to them.
Also, they do not draw near to those who are overbearingly arrogant, who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle: They should also refrain from drawing near to people who are overbearingly arrogant about their practice, those who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle teachings. Overbearing arrogant: This refers to those who have advanced in the Dharma and become overbearingly arrogant due to this, claiming to have attained what they have not attained.
Those who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle teachings are those who practice in order to receive others’ offerings. This is very lamentable. When they were ordained as monastics and put on the monastic robes, they began to feel elevated in status. We must remind ourselves to be vigilant. As spiritual practitioners, we should humble ourselves all the more. Spiritual practice is a practice of humility. This is something we must cultivate. We must truly endure this arduous work if we want to be called spiritual practitioners. Spiritual practitioners do not say, “I cannot do anything. I am incapable of anything. You are lay people. How could you ask me to anything for you? As lay practitioners, you should be the ones doing things for me.” We cannot be like this. If we have this mindset, we are also among those who crave and cling to the Small Vehicle teachings. As [monastic] practitioners, they believe that they are well-educated and that lay people have to make offerings to them. “You all must serve us because you are lay men and women” and so on. We must be vigilant about this. Engaging in spiritual practice is not about asking others to do things for us, to flatter us or to make offerings to us. It is not like that. We must learn how to give of ourselves. We must understand that sentient beings are equal. All beings are replete with all Dharma, but they have lost their way in it. The Buddha is “the Dharma that awakens sentient beings”. This is because He is awakened, so He is called the Buddha. We must know and earnestly seek to comprehend this. So, we must earnestly remind ourselves to be vigilant. As for those who “study the Tripitaka,” that is, the Tripitaka of the Small Vehicle, they crave and cling to the Dharma and remain stuck in that place. This is what we must be mindful of. Among people like this, there are “bhiksus who break the precepts” and are “Arhats in name only”. These people do not truly engage in practice. This kind of behavior is overbearing arrogance. They all “claim to have realized what they have not realized.”
In their study of the Tripitaka: This refers to people who study the sutras, vinaya and abhidharma of the Small Vehicle canon. Though they study and practice the teachings of the Tripitaka, their capabilities are dull and their wisdom is meager, so they are not friends of Bodhisattvas. They habitually draw near to the Small Vehicle and hinder the spreading of the Great Dharma. So Bodhisattvas must keep far away from them.
“In their study of the Tripitaka refers to people who study the sutras, vinaya and abhidharma of the Small Vehicle canon.” They study the teachings of the Tripitaka, but their capabilities are dull. “Their capabilities are dull” or “their wisdom is meager,” one or the other. This is how those with limited capabilities or limited wisdom seek the teachings as they study the Tripitaka. Because of this, they are not willing to form aspirations to benefit others at all. They only wish to comprehend this Dharma, yet they only know to cultivate themselves. As they engage in self-cultivation, they think, “I am engaging in spiritual practice. I cannot be doing other things.” Then, they need others to make offerings to them. With these dull capabilities and meager wisdom, they do not open their minds or humble themselves.
So, “they are not friends of Bodhisattvas.” They are not friends of Bodhisattvas, so we should not draw near to them. This is what the sutra passage says. “They habitually draw near to the Small Vehicle and hinder the spreading of the Great Dharma.” If we habitually keep drawing near to Small Vehicle [practitioners], if we deviate toward the Small Vehicle, naturally, they will hinder us from spreading the Great Dharma. So, the Buddha told us not to draw near to them.
This is in the Lotus Sutra. So, we can understand from the previous sutra passage that the evil bhiksus and those who cultivate Small Vehicle Dharma will oppose the Great Vehicle Dharma. Spreading the Great Vehicle Dharma will eliminate the Small Vehicle, so those who cultivate the Small Vehicle will hinder and slander the Great Vehicle Dharma. Since this is the case, we must be very mindful to withstand this test.
Therefore, we must distance ourselves from them. As for “bhiksus who break the precepts and are Arhats in name only, although they are bhiksus, they break the Buddha’s precepts. They do not actually have virtue, yet they are called Arhats who have realized the truth.”
They not only have overbearing arrogance and remain in the Small Vehicle, but they also break the precepts. They do not uphold the precepts. In name only, they claim to engage in spiritual practice as bhiksus and monastics. That is all they do. However, on the inside, they break the precepts and “do not actually have virtue. Yet they are called Arhats who have realized the truth.” This is nothing more than an appearance. They pretend to have the appearance of Arhats, but this is only an appearance. They accept offerings, they are overbearingly arrogant and they do not truly engage in spiritual practice. They are “Arhats in name only”. They break the precepts, so they are called Arhats in name only. In fact, they have already broken [the precepts].
So, “Arhats in name only means they are not true Arhats. They are Arhats in name only, and have not truly attained realization.”
They are not [true Arhats]. Now, Buddhism in the world today is truly in quite a lamentable state. There are monks and Arhats in name who still get married and have families. They only research the Buddha-Dharma, yet they claim to [follow] the Great Vehicle. in fact, the true Great Vehicle Dharma requires upholding the precepts and maintaining purity. We have been talking about this. We must uphold the essence of the precepts and keep our bodies and minds pure. Keeping our bodies and minds pure means protecting the essence of the precepts. We cannot be monastics or Arhats in name only! Such “bhiksus who break the precepts and who are Arhats in name only” are not true Arhats. They are [Arhats] in name only. In this evil world of turbidity, in the era of turbidity, these appearances will constantly manifest. So, we must mindfully comprehend how difficult it is to uphold the sutra and how we can break through these many difficulties. How are we to endure them? We must endure them even if it is difficult. We must truly endure them with patience. We must endure them.
So, in the Chapter on the Practice of Bringing Peace and Joy, Manjusri Bodhisattva began to ask the Buddha, “How can we avoid this difficulty? How can we be at peace and joyful when upholding the sutra? What methods can we use?” We must keep a distance from [people like this] and not draw near to them or allow them to affect our minds. If our minds are not steady, we should not draw near to them. If we approach them, various factors will influence our minds. Their appearances, their way of life and people, matters and objects will affect us. We must immediately avoid them. This includes people who [claim to be] spiritual practitioners; we must know how to distinguish them if we hope to accomplish our vows of spreading the Great Vehicle Dharma. This is what the Buddha mindfully taught us. So, we must mindfully accept it with deep faith and use our wisdom to discern [virtuous friends]. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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