Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Maitreya’s Verse of Praise for the Buddha (彌勒心領 說偈讚佛)
Date: March.19.2019
“It is very rare in the world for a Buddha to be born and open the path to enlightenment. Using great compassion to observe capabilities, He adroitly gives teachings with skillful means. He teaches that the Dharma of absolute truth abides permanently using the metaphor of how the lifespan of His enlightened nature is infinite. He expounded the Lotus Sutra to teach the Bodhisattva Way, and all who heard the wondrous Dharma rejoiced.”
Everyone, please be mindful. If we are not mindful in this world, then, in a flash, time will pass us by. Every word that is said also passes in this way. We must make good use of our time here; what we accomplish depends on how we use it. Taking to heart every word we hear adds to our insight. Thus, we must seize our time and earnestly listen to the Dharma. Everything in the world is encompassed by time, space and interpersonal relationships. Everything that happens is inseparable from these three [aspects]. [When it comes to] time, long ago in the past, what events have happened? When things happened, did they occur in the natural world? Did they occur in a certain space, or did they happen with regards to worldly matters and things? They all occurred at a certain time and in a certain space. Was it a natural event or was it a man-made calamity? These are all included within the world of human experience.
The [space and time] we are discussing now is the era over 2000 years ago when the Buddha was born in India. At that time, [that place] was known as the kingdom of Kapilavastu. That time and space, the kingdom of Kapilavastu more than 2000 years ago, is already in the past. Though this space [in India now] is the same place [where that kingdom existed], they belong to different time periods. At that time, something extraordinary happened. A prince was born in the palace. This was extraordinary! Many households have children, so why was this so special? It was because this prince was not just an ordinary prince [who lived] in the palace and would grow up to be king. No! He was very special. He was born for the sake of this world. For him, the process of growing up was different from that of average people. It was very unique. At a very young age, his views involved a concern for worldly matters and their multitude of contradictions. Over the years, his questions about life’s contradictions increased as he grew up. Reaching his teenage years he finally began to seek [answers]. Worldly matters are so wondrously profound. How are people born into this life? In his youth and as he grow to adulthood, whether people’s way of life and mindset, the process of birth, aging, illness, death or all the inequalities of this world, he contemplated them all one after another. [However], to only pursue knowledge while enjoying the comforts of the palace was not enough for him. So, he wanted to leave and go into nature to find the true principles that he sought. Isn’t this very rare for a young person? With this mindset and resolve, he persevered in his aspiration. He finally left the palace to go into nature and seek the [answers] he wished to understand. So, he searched and searched while engaging in spiritual practice. In this world, out in nature, with his transcendent contemplation and views, he trained his body and mind in this way and finally became enlightened. This may sound easy, but there were many challenges in the process! There, in the natural environment, the Buddha finally opened up the path to awakening. In this world, He opened the world-transcending path to enlightenment. If it were not for this, we would all be lost in this world. If we want to liberate ourselves, we must [learn] how to bring forth world-transcending awakening.
When it comes to transcending the world, if we do not devote our efforts, our lives and our minds to comprehending it, then there is simply no way to understand it. So, when we say “rare,” this is how extraordinary he was.
As a matter of fact, we are also like this, also mindfully trying to comprehend and become awakened. So why is it that we are all still in this world? We are still in this world because we are bound by time, space and interpersonal relationships. Our minds and awakened nature are [covered], layer upon layer, by this “self”. Hence, we are trapped. The habitual tendencies of this “self” have entrapped us. The Buddha used His world-transcending spirit and finally opened up the path to awakening. He did not just leave the palace, but during this time, He saw through all worldly matters by awakening to and comprehending the laws of nature. He completely let go of [the self] and fully understood everything; His greater self [manifested] and He become [entirely] selfless. Only by letting go of this “self” can we become one with the universe. It is only in this way that our world-transcending spirit can converge with the universe. If we carry this “self” with us, then between ourselves and the world, there is still the barrier of “the self.” Our ideas and thoughts are originally intangible and formless; the principles are also intangible and formless. If we continue to cling to this “self,” it become tangible and possesses form; that person is you and this person is me. With such [differences] among people, your perspective, their perspective and my perspective [may] cause obstacles for one another. If we cannot let go of this “self” or see the principles clearly, then we are hindering ourselves and others. We are hindering ourselves from taking the Dharma to heart and becoming one with the universe. These are all self-inflicted obstacles.
What a shame! But this is life, so what can we do about it? Sentient beings are so stubborn. So many of us obstruct ourselves; we are all like this. So, what can we do? The Buddha is already one with the universe. [Because] He has no “self,” He is only [concerned for] all sentient beings. Sentient beings are suffering! We need to use Dharma [that is suitable] for sentient beings to deliver them from their suffering. [Sentient beings] must be saved by sentient beings! So, the Buddha’s heart, which had opened vast enough to converge with the universe also needed to accommodate [sentient beings]. No matter what appearance they take, the Buddha’s heart is like the vast void, such that He can accommodate [all beings]. Sentient beings can transform one another; they only suffer when they cannot be transformed. That is all there is to it. Thus, the Buddha must exercise great compassion. “Using great compassion to observe capabilities, He adroitly gives teachings with skillful means.” He also had to observe their capabilities. The Lotus Sutra expresses the Buddha’s original intent; although the principles of the Lotus Sutra [encompass] what He wanted to say, to freely express His spiritual state was still very difficult. So, since the Buddha’s era, we have the Buddha-Dharma. When [the Buddha] taught these great principles, everyone listened. The principles that we are applying now all originated from the spirit of that time. They enable us all to seek that original truth. The principles are so clear, and people are listening [to the Dharma], yet afflictions and ignorance still remain among us; what can we do about this? We need “great compassion to observe capabilities.” Then [we must] “adroitly give teachings with skillful means.” This is why, in the Lotus Sutra, [the Buddha] employed skillful [means] to teach the Dharma. This is what makes the Lotus Sutra so long. [To teach] the True Dharma, He had to teach using skillful means. If people did not understand. He tried to help them understand. After understanding, could they apply [the teachings]? If it seemed like they could not, then He had to break them down into sections and explain them separately. For such a long time, in so many locations, He used interpersonal relations to teach them. So, sentient beings are difficult to transform; this is truly lamentable! Thus, we must all be very mindful. So, the Buddha “teaches that the Dharma of absolute truth abides permanently using the metaphor of how the lifespan of His enlightened nature is infinite.” He needed many different methods to adapt to the current times. How could He transform sentient beings? In the human world, time is like a long river, long and ever-lasting. [The Dharma] sentient beings can accept is based on their capabilities and affinities.
Although we praise our Living Bodhisattvas, have these Living Bodhisattvas activated their Dharma-nature? Have they activated their own Dharma-nature? While we may have activated our Dharma-nature, forming aspirations is easy but persevering in them is hard. So, we must [test] our resolve, for time is not forgiving. In this world of forms our lifespans are limited. How much time we have is based on our physiology. When our lives began, our lifespans clearly manifested in the world. What can we do? We should encourage one another and [develop] an infinite wisdom-life. So, the Buddha, at this time, gave teachings about His infinite lifespan. In the same way, as the Buddha prepared to enter Parinirvana, He still gave teachings about this infinite lifespan. He wanted to tell everyone to begin exercising their wisdom-life. Our lifespans follow the natural law, but by “turning consciousness into wisdom” when we use our wisdom to practice worldly Dharma, we can transform our consciousness to create pure, undefiled Dharma. When it returns to our eighth consciousness, we can carry these pure memories into our next lifetime and persist [in our aspirations]. This is what we must work hard for and mindfully seek to comprehend. Thus, “He teaches that the Dharma of absolute truth abides permanently”. The Dharma is everlasting, but human life is limited. Our awakened nature is eternal, but our natural lifespans in this world are finite. So, we must exercise the wisdom-life of our awakened nature to truly have an infinite [lifespan]. The Buddha put His heartfelt effort [into teaching] this to us. So, we must be very mindful of it. In this world, the birth of the Buddha was an extremely rare occurrence. Although He [taught] to the world the principles that He discovered so that for trillions of years, infinite Bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles in worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River could know them, are any of us [actually] able to grasp and earnestly transmit them?
[To do so], we must be mindful. We truly need to solidly establish and compile the teachings. As it is, form the Buddha’s time, regretfully, nothing [tangible] remains from that initial era. What remains is compilations of teachings that have been passed on orally by His disciples. Since the Buddha-Dharma was transmitted orally, people lacked a real foundation in their minds, so it was very difficult! Although “the lifespan of His enlightened nature is infinite” what will happen after a long time passes? Even when people talk face to face, there will be miscommunication, so imagine [passing the Dharma down orally]. So, “He expounded the Lotus Sutra to teach the Bodhisattva Way, and all who heard the wondrous Dharma rejoiced”. At that moment, they listened and rejoiced but what about it? Were the people who rejoiced immediately awakened once they listened [to the Dharma]? Did they let go of the self, open their hearts to be understandings and become one with the universe? Did the principles still remain [in their hearts]? People listened and rejoiced. So, sometimes I truly feel that time passes too quickly. It is hard for the Buddha-Dharma to remain.
For it to truly remain in the human world is very difficult. Because everyone has their own comprehension, as each of our lives passes by, we do not awaken to anything and retain this cloud of confusion in the world. So, we must very mindfully seek to realize this.
The previous sutra passage states, “In all the jeweled censers, there was priceless incense burning. Its fragrance naturally wafted everywhere as offerings to the assembly. Above each Buddha, there were Bodhisattvas holding banners and canopies. They ascended in sequence until they reached Brahma Heaven. These Bodhisattvas used wondrous voices to sing infinite verses in praise of all Buddhas”.
We see here that so many Bodhisattvas rejoiced in listening to the Buddha’s teachings. So, they used wondrous voices to sing verses in praise of Sakyamuni Buddha. Even though they rejoiced, everyone had to be very mindful Bodhisattvas who listened to the Dharma rejoiced. The previous passage also states how joyous they were. Everyone held banners and canopies, and each person was very joyful. Their wondrous voices resounded all the way to Brahma Heaven; that was the state [of their joy]. So, after the Buddha had finished teaching, voices of praise arose and resonated to Brahma Heaven. This is “joy filling heaven and earth”. Even heaven and earth felt this joy.
The next passage goes on to say, “At that time, Maitreye Bodhisattva rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, put his palms together and faced the Buddha. Then he spoke in verse”.
This is talking about Maitreye Bodhisattva, whom everyone should still remember. Maitreya Bodhisattva was the one who asked the Buddha to teach about His infinite lifespan. Maitreya Bodhisattva wanted to ask, how is it that so many people have emerged from the ground? Why were there so many of them? There were so many Bodhisattvas who were very experienced These Bodhisattvas had already transformed sentient beings in many places, and they had likewise perfected their character through experience [over many] lifetimes before the present one. As for Sakyamuni Buddha, it had only been 49 years since He attained Buddhahood. In this period of less than 50 years, He taught the Dharma. In more than 40 years, how could He bring so many Bodhisattvas to fruition? This is why the Buddha taught “the Chapter on the Tathagata’s Lifespan”.
The Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, but He wanted to explain how transforming these sentient beings into Bodhisattvas was not achieved in [that lifetime] instead, He had transformed them over counties kalpas before he taught the Dharma there. They had been transformed over many lifetimes; their numbers had accumulated. This was not a matter of this lifetime; these sentient beings had been transformed through the wisdom-life [that He had accumulated] over countless kalpas. To describe how many past lifetimes it took is like how we now describe the number of Bodhisattvas. If we ground countless worlds into dust, the number of these dust particles represents the number of Bodhisattvas present. This is how long this period of time was in the past. This is the same principle as the dust-inked kalpas [that have passed since]. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s era. [The time since] Great Unhindered Buddha’s era is measured in dust-inked kalpas. Sakyamuni Buddha also used the metaphor of countless dust-inked kalpas [to describe] how He transformed so many Bodhisattvas, as numerous as dust-inked kalpas. The Buddha spoke these words from His heart.
We ordinary beings are unable to comprehended this. It is truly incalculable and inconceivable. This is what Maitreya Bodhisattva asked about. Now that these words from the Buddha’s heart have been [revealed], from these numbers we can estimate the length of His wisdom-life. At that place, Maitreya Bodhisattva, through his reverence, realized and was able to understand that this was what the Buddha meant, that [it was with] His infinite wisdom-life that He ceaselessly taught and transformed sentient beings. [Maitreya] realized all of this. So, Maitreya Bodhisattva, as the leader of the assembly, guided them. Thus, they listened to the Buddha describe those countless kalpas, that time and those Bodhsiattvas. With [so much] time and [so many] Bodhisattvas, there [must] have been countless ages; these are what we call kalpas. This is how it came to be that. Maitreya Bodhisattva took charge and led everyone.
At that time, Maitreya Bodhsiatva rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, put his palms together and faced the Buddha. Then he spoke in verse: Maitreya Bodhisattva was the leader of the assembly. He saw that everyone’s heart was already joyful, so he stood up from the assembly to praise the Buddha.
“He saw that everyone’s heart was already joyful.” After watching and listening, the people present in the assembly were joyful. This was the scene that [Maitreya] saw, all their hearts blooming with joy, like flowers. It was as if flowers rained down from the sky, like the joy of receiving a great mission. So, everyone had great joy. Everyone was very happy, so he stood up from the assembly and praised the Buddha. Among the people of the assembly, Maitreya Bodhisattva stood up to praise [the Buddha] in verse.
“The extraordinary Dharma that the Buddha teaches is something we have never heard before. The World-Honored One has great power, and Your lifespan is immeasurable. There are countless Buddha-children, and upon hearing the World-Honored One distinguish and tell of the benefits attained from the Dharma, joy fills their bodies.”
This verse states how “they rejoiced upon hearing the Dharma”. The World-Honored One freely expressed His intent.
This verse describes how they rejoice upon hearing the Dharma. The World-Honored One freely expressed His intent and Maitreya comprehended this in his mind, so he spoke a verse to praise the Buddha’s virtue. The World-Honored One is presently at the stage of the fruition of Buddhahood, while Maitreya is the future Buddha who is cultivate the cause. The present Buddha passed on the Dharma to the future Buddha. This is like a son inheriting his father’s mission. The father creates, and the son interprets and excels in continuing his father’s work. Now the teacher passes on the work to the student for the purpose of benefiting sentient beings.
At this time, the Buddha spoke the words of His heart, to explain His spiritual state. This is what Maitreya was able to intuit. When the Buddha expressed His intent, what everyone heard was only His voice, and what they saw was only their joyous state. Yet, what Maitreya was able to tacitly understand, what he realized, was [the Buddha’s intent]. Maitreya was the one who could intuit [the Buddha’s intent]. Maitreya already realized and understood this, so he spoke this verse. The content of this verse was to praise the Buddha’s virtue. “The Buddha’s wisdom and compassion encompass the true principles of all things in the universe”. Thus, “He praised the Buddha’s virtue”. The Buddha’s virtuous practices, over the course of infinite kalpas, were all to help sentient beings through giving. The virtue gained through this kind of cultivation is indeed very great. Thus, “[Maitreya] praised the Buddha’s virtue. The World-Honored One is presently at the stage of the fruition of Buddhahood”. The World-Honored One had already attained Buddhahood. He “actualized the Six Paramitas in all actions” transforming so many people, guiding them to enter the Buddha’s teachings and comprehend the great path. He had activated so many people’s wisdom and guided the assembly. So, the Buddha’s journey of cultivation brought Him to this lifetime, and in this place, the Saha world, He attained Buddhahood. This is the Buddha’s present state of fruition; His [karmic] “fruit” was formally reaching the state of Buddhahood.
So, “Maitreya is the future Buddha who is cultivating the cause” At this time, Maitreya Bodhisattva was still in the process of cultivation. Because he was engaging in spiritual practice, he had to very mindfully listen to the Buddha’s Dharma and comprehend the Buddha’s intent. He was still planting and cultivating the Buddha-cause and waiting to attain the future fruition of Buddhahood. How long will this take? It will still be billions of years in this world. During this time, Maitreya must continuously remain in this world. [However], is it only Maitreya who continuously remains in this world? No, Sakyamuni Buddha, the previous Buddha, also accompanies him and likewise continuously remains in the world.
In this age, is there a Buddha in the world? Yes, the Buddha’s teachings are still in the world. We must respect the Buddha as if He were here. Sakyamuni Buddha is still in the world. Is Maitreya Bodhisattva among us? I tell you that he is. Now, he must still engage in spiritual practice, cultivating himself among people. He still needs to transform sentient beings and gain more experience. Hence, Maitreya is now [cultivating] the “Buddha-cause”. He is still in practice now, as the Bodhisattva who will attain Buddhahood in the future, so he must [practice] among people. So, “The present Buddha passed on the Dharma to the future Buddha”. In that era, the Buddha began nurturing Maitreya, always directing this Dharma to him in order to pass it on to him. So, “This is like a son inheriting his father’s mission”. Maitreya is just like a child in the world who will carry on his father’s business. So, Maitreya and Sakyamuni Buddha have a master-disciple relationship; the master passes down the Dharma to the disciple who will transmit it, just as a worldly father passes on [his work] to his son. And in the future? “The father creates, and the son interprets”. As the father moves ahead, the son must quickly be mindful in carrying on his father’s mission. He must relate the methods his father used and begin preparing to inherit them. Similarly, Maitreya Bodhisattva had to relate Sakyamuni Buddha’s virtuous practices and His resolution to go among sentient beings and transform them over countless lifetimes. In this way, Maitreya is just like a son taking on his father’s business. With this mindset, he sought guidance from the Buddha on how to pass on the mission of [transforming] sentient beings in the future. What an aspiration!
What the Buddha was doing now, Maitreya had to begin to mindfully receive. This is how “the father creates, and the son interprets”. It should actually be, “The teacher works and the disciple transmits”. It is the same principle. So, they had to act promptly. When the Buddha was still alive, it was fortunate that Ananda was there listening. But after he listened, only Ananda [was able to] pass it on. Everyone transmitted it orally to one another, but did they pass it on correctly? These [teachings] were only transmitted based on the next person’s understanding. Isn’t this too slow? I am also always concerned about this. We must bear witness to this era and write the history for humanity about how the Bodhisattvas of this era practice and the things they do. This is very crucial.
So, we must do this right away. At this time, we must quickly connect [the teachings] and earnestly compile them together. If we can do this, Tzu Chi in the future will not go astray. Time [is of the essence]! We must struggle to make the best use of our time. “The father creates, the son interprets and excels in continuing his father’s work”. Worldly people do this, not to mention those with the mission of transmitting the Dharma. Shouldn’t we elevate our [sense of] mission?
So, “Now the teacher passes on the work to the student for the purpose of benefiting sentient beings”. At this time, on Vulture Peak, Maitreya and Sakyamuni Buddha were truly like this. As we speak now of the teacher and disciple, we are talking about that time. Sakyamuni Buddha was about to hand [the Dharma] over to Maitreya Bodhisattva, like how “the teacher passes on the work to the student”. The time had come to hand over His work, and He began to do so for the sake of benefiting sentient beings. “The extraordinary Dharma that the Buddha teaches is something we have never heard before.”
The extraordinary Dharma that the Buddha teaches is something we have never heard before: The Buddha taught the extremely profound, extraordinary, subtle and wondrous Dharma that they had never heard before. This is praising how the assembly was benefited. This Dharma was extraordinary; from the time He attained Buddhahood until then, they had never heard the Buddha teach it. Now they heard it; thus it was extraordinary.
Here, Maitreya Bodhisattva is speaking; “The extraordinary Dharma that the Buddha teaches.” He told everyone, “is something we have never heard before. The Buddha taught the extremely profound, extraordinary, subtle and wondrous Dharma.” With His spiritual state, how did He bring so many Bodhisattvas to fruition? This is truly extraordinary. “The extremely profound, extraordinary, subtle and wondrous Dharma that they had never heard before” had never been taught before the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha had not yet taught [this Dharma]. Even though the Buddha had attained Buddhahood, He still had not spoken of these matters before. So, it was extraordinary. Here, [Maitreya] is praising the Buddha for giving these teachings at this assembly. He had never taught them before, but now He was teaching them. So, “This Dharma was extraordinary.” “From the time He attained Buddhahood until then, they had never heard the Buddha teach it. Now they heard it; thus it was extraordinary.” Although the Buddha attained Buddhahood and taught the Dharma for over 40 years, the Dharma He taught on that day had never been taught before, but now He taught it. This was truly extraordinary. Thus, “The World-Honored One has great power, and [His] lifespan is immeasurable.”
The World-Honored One has great power, and Your lifespan is immeasurable: The World-honored One has compassion for sentient beings. He has the spiritual power of great wisdom and the lifespan of His wisdom-life is long and extensive; it cannot be measured in numbers.
The great power of the World-Honored One’s lifespan is immeasurable. This lifespan refers to His wisdom-life. For lifetime after lifetime, He never lost it, and He transformed sentient beings [with] it. Only in this way could so many sentient beings become Bodhisattvas. So, “The World-Honored One has compassion for sentient beings. He has the spiritual power of great wisdom and the lifespan of His wisdom-life is long and extensive; it cannot be measured in numbers.” There were so many [that He transformed]. Everyone will be clear from reading this. So, “There are countless Buddha-children.” There were so many Buddha-children.
There are countless Buddha-children:
Bodhisattvas as numerous as tiny dusts are difficult to count and beyond number. This praises the Buddha’s merits and virtues of instructing and guiding the Bodhisattvas to enter the path. They were the countless Buddha-children now in this assembly.
“Bodhisattvas as numerous as tiny dusts are difficult to count.” The number of Bodhisattvas is so great that “[they] are difficult to count and beyond number.” So, this passage is praising the Buddha’s virtue, “His merits and virtues from instructing and guiding the Bodhisattvas to enter the path.” These Bodhisattvas had already entered the path, and all had completely comprehended the Dharma. So, all these practicing Bodhisattvas had cultivated practices and virtues. Over this long period of time, they practiced according to Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings without interruption to this point. “Now in this assembly” there were countless Buddha-children, very many. They had all become the children of the Buddha, completely accepting the Buddha’s wisdom-life. They would all transmit [His] wisdom-life.
So, “Upon hearing the World-Honored One distinguish and tell of the benefits attained from the Dharma, joy filled their bodies.” So, “They heard the World-Honored One make the previous distinctions among [them].”
As we discussed before, there were countless Bodhisattvas, “and the benefits people in the assembly attained from the Dharma” [were different]”. Everyone was able to realize this now, so everyone felt great joy. “They obtained great joy that filled their bodies.” So, we all must mindfully take every word of the Dharma to heart and seek to comprehend it. The Dharma is in our lives, so we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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