Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Five Kinds of Dharma Teachers (五種法師 續佛慧命)
Date: May.01.2019
“Praise to the Buddha, the world’s guiding teacher, who comes to the world to turn the Great Dharma-Wheel. The path to Bodhi is great and direct. He gives the teachings of the Tathagata, the perfect teachings, the true and wondrous principles. He adapts to people’s capabilities to transform them and imparts the profound teachings throughout the Three Periods. His Dharma is subtle and profound and difficult to conceive of.”
We must mindfully seek to comprehend this. We should praise [Him]! [We should] praise the Buddha’s emergence in the world. The Buddha came to the world and became the world’s great, guiding teacher. The Buddha appeared in the world to awaken the wisdom in the human world. If it were not for this, we would not know why humans come to the world. What would the purpose be? This world is perplexing and leaves us at a loss. What is the direction we should go in? We would not know! This all started when Sakyamuni Buddha was born. From His youth to His adulthood, He had many perspectives and thoughts on the world. Thus, He earnestly contemplated this. “Ah! Human life is full of contradictions.” Because of these contradictions, we are trapped by many thoughts of craving and attachment. For the sake of these cravings and attachments, our minds give rise to unresolvable afflictions.
In His youth, He went through this analysis. However, these were only things He could observe very clearly in people’s lives. What are the principles beyond these? What is life for? Why is it that we have this life that is not eternal and all we see is birth, aging, illness and death? The older we get, the more we realize this. From then on, He sought to find a direction. What is it all for? Why are we here? Why are we so miserable? [He thought] particularly about birth and death. Where do our souls go to after life ends? He kept seeking the root source of all this. This is why it is so precious that the Buddha emerged in the world. He was able to contemplate so many things and observe what most people did not think about or observe. He thought about them and investigated where our lives return to, the question of how we come and go.
So, He began to go among people and fully immerse Himself in the natural world, continuously searching for [the truth]. With His aspirations, concentration and mindfulness, He found [answers] and worked hard to realize [the principles]. This is how He attained perfect enlightenment. It is easy to speak of this, but to attain enlightenment is very difficult. We are still very far away from it. The Buddha had already broken through the views and understanding in His mind. Thus, He was able to find [the truth] in the world. Through tranquil contemplation, He could then fully enter a pure, wondrous and profound state. He finally reached complete realization. His life converged with the universe. Thus, His wisdom-life unfolded. The true principles of all things in the universe all flowed into the mind of Sakyamuni Buddha. When He emerged in the world, He began teaching the Dharma. For us, people of our current time, how can we not have reverence toward the Buddha? How can we not give rise to praise for Him? Since the Buddha was able to accomplish this, He came to let us know that everyone can accomplish it. Though we believe that everyone can do it, when we measure His abilities and our own, between what we know that we can accomplish and the Buddha, how great a distance is there? We are so far from His state of realization. How much progress can we make in this lifetime? As we draw closer to the Buddha, how far away is that for us? We must mindfully contemplate this. Although the distance is great, we are on the right path; our direction is the great, direct [Bodhi-]path. This is a very direct path; it is the only one. We must still advance diligently in the same way. Our distance from the Buddha is great, but we must not complain about how far away He is.
Instead, we must reflect on ourselves. We had no revolve to succeed and work hard because we were unwilling to work diligently. We ourselves were unwilling to put in attention, mindfulness or concentration. This means that we have not worked hard enough. Otherwise, as the Buddha has already told us, in terms of time, thousands of kalpas, countless kalpas can be as momentary as a single thought, and infinite yojanas can converge into an instant. Is He really so far away from us? Not at all! He is very near.
For example, regarding the Vulture Peak Assembly, that tangible mountain, Vulture Peak, is still there in that place. Many people make pilgrimages or go to visit. They travel by plane, bus, on foot and so on. They use so many means of transportation to draw near to that country, that place. They climb up the mountain on pilgrimages, finally able to step onto that piece of land. From the platform of the Vulture Peak Assembly, where the Buddha taught the Dharma, they can overlook the surroundings. However, these days, when people go up the mountain on pilgrimages, what is their state of mind? Many of them are just sightseeing. If we really want to go there, we do not need to endure so much trouble using transportation; all we need is our reverent intentions. If we put [the principles] into action, we can build our own Vulture Peak in our hearts. The spiritual Vulture Peak is intrinsic to all.
However, as we mentioned before, to reach Vulture Peak in our minds, we must cultivate seven practices of goodness. In addition to the seven practices of goodness, we have also discussed the Five Paramitas, which must be followed by “the Prajna paramita.” This means there are Six Paramitas to practice. Over a very long time. We must ceaselessly practice these Six Paramitas, these Six Perfections. We must also employ the Seven Excellences by continuously forming aspirations to praise [others], spread and teach the Dharma. Apart from putting the Dharma into action, we Also go among people to help others; when among people, we must also continuously cultivate these Seven Excellences. They are all in our daily life. We have also discussed how the Four All-Embracing Virtues are the easiest.
To put it simply, we must not be calculating, but practice charitable giving. Charitable giving means giving to help others. If we embrace the mindset of giving every day, any great or small effort can help people. There is no difficulty. Simply by speaking, we can always help people. With any action, we can always help people. What is so difficult about these? This is charitable giving. [There is also] beneficial conduct. We must always be considerate of others to help them work well and conveniently. “If you have any problem, you don’t need to feel afflicted. I will help you.” What is the difficulty in [saying] that? It is so easy to practice beneficial conduct. When we speak with people, we can counsel them with “loving speech” which is simply opening our mouths to speak. We must maintain this attitude. Interacting with other people in our daily lives is not difficult at all. These are “the Four All-Embracing Virtues.” They are very simple. Spiritual cultivation occurs in our daily life, in each and every moment.
But between us, there is always “you” and “I”. There are hindrances that divide us. We are pleased and displeased; these are often our mindsets. If we have these mindsets, they increase the distance between us and the Buddha. Thus, this distance grows ever greater. Therefore, we must constantly be mindful, careful and dedicated.
We must frequently praise the Buddha and keep the Buddha in our hearts, constantly contemplating the Buddha’s spirit in coming to the world. He did not come to the world because He has to. He came because the direction of His causes and conditions, meaning He came because of His came because of His vows. So, He has always been willing to be in the world. We should learn from the Buddha’s mindset. Since we are here, we should be at peace. We must fulfill our responsibilities toward people and the environment by giving of ourselves. Why must we give in this way? Let us think of the Buddha again. The Buddha came to the world and dedicated Himself to it, unafraid of hardship. Since we have come to this space, among people, we should also joyfully give of ourselves. We should always use the Four All-Embracing Virtues as we interact with people and deal with matters. Then, since the Buddha is within our hearts, we must constantly praise Him in our hearts. Otherwise, why would we chant the Buddha’s name? Chanting the Buddha’s name is how we constantly praise Him. Since we want to learn from the Buddha, no matter what environment we are in or whom we are with, we must always practice the Four All-Embracing Virtues. Living in this way, our mindset and direction will not go astray, and we will be closer to the state of Buddhahood.
First, the Buddha will be in our hearts. Secondly, our direction will not deviate. So, “Praise to the Buddha, the world’s guiding teacher” does not mean simply praising Him verbally. The Buddha is already within our minds, and He is constantly guiding our direction. So, we “[give] praise to the Buddha, the world’s guiding teacher”. Our direction always [comes from] the world’s guiding teacher; the Buddha is guiding our direction. Thus, there is no distance between us and Him. The Buddha emerged in the human world to turn the Great Dharma-wheel. He taught the great principles in the world.
We have already heard these great principles; not only have we heard them, it is now the time that we are about to enter the Buddha’s understanding and views. We are already within this Great Dharma-wheel. Moreover, the wheel of our minds should have been set in motion by accepting the Dharma. So, as the Buddha turns the Dharma-wheel. He is not far from us. As long as we accept it, the Dharma-wheel turns within our minds. “The path to Bodhi is great and direct”. The Bodhi-path is a direct road without any bends. As we listen [to the Dharma], that is how we put it into action. Implementing the Dharma we hear in our lives and converging matters with principles is something I have repeatedly brought up over the last few days. I hope everyone will seek to understand this. “He gives the teachings of the Tathagata”. This great, direct path directly conveys the Buddha’s great teachings. The Lotus Sutra is guarded and retained in the Buddha’s heart. The Buddha’ original intent, His great, direct path, is expressed here. The teachings of the Tathagata show us this way. What He teaches and what we listen to are “the perfect teachings, the true and wondrous principles”. The Lotus sutra [contains] very complete and harmonious principles. No matter what capabilities [people have] the explanations in the Lotus Sutra can be accepted by them. They are also very applicable in the world. Thus, the Lotus Sutra contains the perfect teachings. The truths of the perfect teachings are “true and wondrous principles”. We must cherish what the Lotus Sutra teaches us. Thus, we must accord to different capabilities, “adapting to people’s capabilities to transform them”.
This is what the Buddha did. This sutra adapts to people’s capabilities and teaches very appropriately. Based on people’s capabilities, the Buddha teaches the corresponding principles. Then, people of these capabilities are able to hear [and accept the teachings]. However, the teachings from this same sutra can also be joyfully accepted when heard by people with greater capabilities. This is the True Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma is philosophy, science and medicine, physiology and psychology; these are all included. The contents of the Lotus Sutra give us many kinds of wisdom which we should cherish greatly. It is a trove of treasures. No matter what we love, we can find it within this. There is something for everyone. It always “adapts to people’s capabilities to transform them”. As long as we want it, it adapts to our needs and we can attain [the teachings]. Therefore, we must praise the Lotus Sutra, because the purpose of the great teachings the Buddha gave was the Lotus Sutra. The “profound teachings” include the Buddha’s teachings from the Three Periods, which began from the Agama, then entered the Prajna, and finally came to the Lotus [teachings]. All these are entirely aimed at helping everyone to go from small to great, from existence to emptiness, and from emptiness and existence to the perfect [teachings]. This sutra was expounded [by the Buddha to teach] the beginning, middle and excellence. This was how He helped everyone to accept [His teachings] very completely. “His Dharma is subtle and profound and difficult to conceive of”. If we are not mindful, we may feel this sutra is vast and profound. Truly, it is vast, so it takes great patience to teach this sutra. Teaching this sutra alone took the Buddha seven years. As for us, we must explain all seven years of the Buddha freely expressing His original intent. Every phrase from the Buddha can inspire extensive discussion. When we think about [how He taught], the great principles for seven years, how are we to analyze them in a way that harmoniously adapts to everyone? As we adapt, can everyone come to accept them?
In truth, it is not hard to explain [these teachings]. There are many descriptions. If we converge these with the principles, they become very simple! Must we build a stupa with the Seven Treasures? There is no need for that. In our daily lives, these seven practices of excellence are the standards for being a good person and for how we interact with people, deal with things, listen to the Dharma and teach it. This is also part of our lives. Our time neither increases nor decreases. Time never gives us an extra second. Even if we make good use of time, we still never lose a second. In short, even if we use the Dharma in the world, time will still pass. And how long is a lifetime? We must always promptly put effort in our practice. We must not waste any time. We must practice with our bodies and minds. Everything we say, everything we do and how we deal with people and things are ways we apply the Dharma in the world and absorb the wisdom of the world found among people. People educate each other; when we give people the right direction, they also help us discover the lessons of the world. This is why we must be very mindful. Depending on the lesson, we must use the appropriate method to resolve their problems. This is how we expand our horizons. By accepting the lessons that appear in the world, we increase our knowledge and wisdom and develop our ability to transform others. The Buddha’s teachings then come to our minds again and again. As the Buddha turns the Dharma-wheel, we promptly turn the wheels of our minds. “You have this affliction; I have this solution.” This is how we seize our time in the world to put the Dharma to use; this requires us to constantly have gratitude in our heart. [His Dharma] is “difficult to conceive of”; this is true. However, while we must be mindful, we do not need to overthink it. Since it is difficult to conceive of, there is no need to waste our mental energy on it. With these teachings, we just need to do the right thing. Therefore, we must be mindful.
The previous sutra passage is about making offerings and praising the spiritual training ground. Many people come to make offerings. As for this section on making offerings, we have already discussed it for a few days. Let us now look at the previous sutra passage.
“There are many drums, musical instruments, pipes, flutes, harps and all kinds of dances and performances. With wondrous voices, they sing and chant in praise. It is as though they have made these offerings throughout countless trillions of kalpas.”
When we look at this place, we can see that there are all kinds of tangible instruments. Wind instruments are played by blowing and produce beautiful sounds. Some are string or percussion instruments. In short, this is all expressed through music. People teach and spread the Dharma. As they spread the Dharma, they use all kinds of sounds, rhythms and tones. As we speak, we intrinsically have eight tones. We have high, low, level and oblique tones. So, producing wondrous sounds is describing how we speak and spread the Dharma in a way that can be accepted joyfully. These are “offerings made throughout countless trillions of kalpas”. In this way, when we speak to transform people in our interpersonal relationships, all our affinities with sentient beings come from our words. Throughout lifetimes, whatever realm we are in, whether in the Five Realms or the Six Realms, it is all due to our affinities with sentient beings that we journey on our karma to go there. In their practice, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas respond to affinities and transform sentient beings.
We respond to our karma by being led by it toward suffering. This is how ordinary and noble beings differ. Yet, we are all together in the same world. The world of ordinary beings is unclear. Their voices create karma of speech, and they use words to hurt and harm other people. But all Buddhas and Bodhsiattvas respond to conditions to transform all beings. They use their voices, wondrous voices to transform all sentient beings by resolving their afflictions. This is how Buddhas and Bodhisattvas produce these [wondrous voices] among people. Those voices are just like music made through percussion, blowing or strumming. These are sounds that respond to what brings joy. So, if we explain these terms in this way, we must not think that in the sutra, when the Buddha was in the world, He had a lot of entertainment in the form of many dance performances and music. It actually refers to voices. All the tangible appearances in the world are forms of description, descriptions of the environment.
So, after everyone has listened [to the sutra], we must turn the wheels of our minds. These environments are not described for us to dwell on how inconceivable they are. They are very simple. We must not complicate things, but simplify them. All music turns into voices which teach the Dharma.
So, the next sutra passage says, “Ajita, after I enter Parinirvana if there are people who, upon hearing this sutra, are able to accept and uphold it, transcribe it and teach others to transcribe it, it will be as though they have built monasteries and used red sandalwood to build great halls, 32 in total”.
The Buddha repeated to Maitreya Bodhsiattva, “Ajita, after I enter Parinirvana in the future, if there are people who, upon hearing this sutra…”. Now, [the Buddha] came to teach the Dharma. After He entered Parinirvana, people would be able to hear this sutra. “This sutra” refers to the Lotus Sutra. [People] are able to accept and uphold it. There may be people able to see and hear it, or, after seeing and hearing it, they may further accept and uphold this sutra through spiritual practice. For people to be able to see this sutra, in that era, He encouraged people to transcribe it. “[They] transcribe it and teach others to transcribe it.” We need to have these object for people to see. So, as we seek to own [these sutras], we also hope that other people will also be able to acquire such sutras to read. Thus, to spread the Dharma, we need tools. If we transcribe the sutras as our won copies, then we can transcribe them again for others. We [must] also “teach others to transcribe it”. Because we alone are unable to transcribe enough copies to provide for everyone, we ask others to transcribe them together with us. This occurred in that era. “It will be as though they have built monasteries”. In this way, by providing for people’s needs and giving them the opportunity to read this sutra, our merits and virtues will be like those from building monasteries. [We will receive] merits and virtues as if we were building abodes for [monastics] to live in. Transcribing the sutra and building houses and abodes for spiritual practitioners produce equivalent merits and virtues.
Moreover, it is like building with reverence and high-quality wood. “[It will be as though they]” used red sandalwood to build great halls. Not only are we building monasteries, we are even building great halls where the sutra is expounded. These [merits] are great in number; this shows that accepting and upholding the sutra brings merits and virtues. But how should we accept and uphold [the sutra]? How many ways are there to accept and uphold it? There are five ways.
The five kinds of Dharma teachers: 1. Those who accept and uphold the sutra. 2. Those who read the sutra. 3. Those who recite the sutra. 4. Those who explain the sutra. 5. Those who transcribe the sutra. The first of the five kinds of Dharma teachers, those who accept and uphold the sutra: Through their power of faith, they accept and uphold the Tathagata’s teachings. They accept [the Dharma] with firm and deep faith and remember it without ever forgetting. These are the Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra.
The first kind accepts and upholds the sutra. They must have “the power of faith”. We must have faith before we are willing to accept and uphold it. “They accept and uphold the Tathagata’s teachings”. When we have faith and have someone we want to follow in practice with faith, we will naturally have the power of faith to willingly and patiently accept and uphold the teachings. “They accept and uphold the Tathagata’s teachings. They accept [the Dharma] in firm and deep faith”. This expresses a willingness to accept and uphold, because we are sincere. Without sincerity, we cannot accept and uphold it. With sincerity, we can accept and uphold it. “They accept [the Dharma] in firm and deep faith and remember it without ever forgetting”. By ceaselessly reciting the sutra to ourselves, we naturally remember it very firmly and keep it in our memories. So, I am telling everyone that we must remember. Over this period, I kept reminding everyone, “We must remember and recall”. We must remember, accept and uphold [the sutra]. “These are the Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra”. We should approach this sutra with faith, believe in the sutra and simultaneously maintain firm spiritual resolve. Moreover, we cannot simply read the sutra; we must also remember it. We cannot simply listen to it, we must memorize it. So, in this way, if we have a very good memory, we can then naturally turn around a share it with everyone. This is accepting and upholding the sutra. They look at the sutra text and read it aloud. Reading the sutra puts us in the proper mindset.
The second of the five kinds of Dharma teachers, those who read the sutra: Sitting with upright minds and bodies, they look at the sutra text and read it aloud. These are the Dharma teachers who read the sutra. The third of the five kinds of Dharma teachers, those who recite the sutra: By memorizing it well, they do not need to refer to the sutra text and can recite it naturally. These are the Dharma teachers who recite the sutra.
When we read the sutra, we must sit upright. As our eyes fall upon [the passages], our mouths will naturally recite the text. Such are the Dharma teachers who read the sutra. What kind of Dharma teacher do we want to be? Some Dharma teachers accept and uphold the sutra. Others are Dharma teachers who read the sutra. The third kind are those who recite the sutra. They memorize it well, so they do not need the text. Therefore, they can naturally recite the sutra. As we read the Great Compassion Mantra or the Prajna Wisdom Sutras, we have no need to look at the text, for we can memorize and recite them. “These are the Dharma teachers who recite the sutra”. These Dharma teachers specialize in reciting the sutra.
The fourth kind explains the sutra. “The meaning of the noble teachings is profound and difficult to understand. Those who can explain and teach them clearly are the Dharma teachers who explain the sutra”.
This requires them to delve deeply into the sutra treasury and understand the meaning within the sutras. They read and recite the sutras themselves, firmly accepting an upholding [the sutra]. So, they can explain the meaning [of the Dharma] so that everyone understands it.
The fifth kind of Dharma teachers are those who transcribe it. In order to pass on the Dharma and transmit the Buddha’s sutras onward, they “transcribe the sutras to spread them widely and circulate the Great Dharma. [They are] the Dharma teachers who transcribe the sutra”.
Dear Bodhisattvas, we must not simply transcribe the sutra. We should make sure to listen to it and earnestly accept and uphold it. We must read, recite and expound the sutra. This is the important part for us. As Buddhist practitioners, we must make use of what we have learned. As we also want to continue the Buddha’s wisdom-life, we must also teach the sutra to the public. Therefore, the Dharma is the wondrous medicine which brings purity to the world by entering the world and treating the world. Therefore, we must be very mindful.
The following sutra passage reads, “Ajita, after I enter Parinirvana, if there are people who, are able to accept and uphold it, transcribe it and teach others to transcribe it…”.
We already spoke of this. We must transcribe it ourselves or teach others to transcribe it.
Ajita, after I enter Parinirvana, if there are people who, upon hearing this sutra, are able to accept and uphold it, transcribe it and teach others to transcribe it: After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who are able to hear the Lotus Sutra and practice it themselves or teacher it to others will have supreme merits.
In our era, we don’t make use of writing as much, but accepting, upholding, remembering and repeatedly teaching and explaining [the sutra] are all still very necessary. But this is not all that there is. We must accept and uphold the sutra in our minds by implementing it in our lives and. We must converge with it in our lives. Have we converged with the Dharma? This is the most important point. In accord with the Dharma, we accept and uphold it and teach and transform all beings accordingly. At this moment, this is what is most needed. “After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, those who would be able to hear the Lotus Sutra and practice it themselves or teach it to others would have supreme merits”. If we do this ourselves and teach to do it, we will likewise have such merits and virtues. But in truth, we need not think too much about how great the merits and virtues are. We should simply do what is right.
Not only do they recite and uphold it themselves, but they also teach others to read, recite, accept, uphold and transcribe it, continuing the Buddha’s wisdom-life. By [upholding] this Lotus Sutra, it will be as though they have entered a stupa of Seven Treasures for the Buddha’s sariras.
“Not only do they recite and uphold it themselves, but they also teach others to read, recite, accept, uphold and transcribe it, continuing the Buddha’s wisdom-life”. We must truly continue the Buddha’s wisdom-life. The Lotus Sutra is the entire body of Sakyamuni Buddha, so I hope we can extend the Buddha’s wisdom-life. “By [upholding] this Lotus Sutra, it will be as though they have entered a stupa of Seven Treasures for the Buddha’s sariras”. This means we must put [the sutra] into action, which is like erecting a stupa of Seven Treasures for the Buddha’s sariras. We must practice this Dharma, so that the Buddha’s sariras are everywhere, and every person has them. “It will be as though they have built monasteries.”
It will be as though they have built monasteries: By transcribing and upholding the sutra, it will be as though they have built temples. The place where the Sangha resides is a monastery.
To transcribe the sutras, accept and uphold them and so on, is just like building temples. This was described in the sutra. Therefore, we must be mindful. “[It will be as though they] used red sandalwood to build great halls, 32 in total.”
Used red sandalwood: This refers to the red bones. Build great halls: This refers to the body. 32 in total: This refers to the bodily marks.
This is how [the sutra] tells us that we must be very mindful. Building stupas and erecting temples is simply a way to protect the Buddha-Dharma and help the Buddha-Dharma flourish. In truth, for all of us, in each person, there is a stupa on Vulture Peak. With a stupa on Vulture Peak in each person, where else should we build temples? A single temple can nourish many people. Among many people, it can exercise many functions. The sariras of the Buddha’s entire body can go everywhere to spread [the Dharma]. We can also use this True Dharma to give of ourselves among people, thus becoming those who truly spread the Dharma and continue the Buddha’s wisdom-life. I hope we can all put our minds into [learning] the Dharma.
I hope that each and every one of us can build stupas with the Seven Treasures, so that this stupa can be found everywhere and in everyone. Every person should have one, and there should be stupas built everywhere. What about transcribing the sutra? As we now speak of environmental protection, where should we transcribe the sutra? Now, we must carve every word of the sutra in our minds. Our minds are like a blank sheet of paper that can never be used up. It is there for us to write out the most important parts of our lives. Our experience is our script, our sutra within this human world. So, when we all transcribe the sutra, we write on this blank sheet within our minds. We must clearly write it with care and store it well. As we repeatedly come and go, this sutra [remains]. Even in a very distant future, it will still be there for us to read and recite to the next generation and the one after that. We do not simply transcribe it on scratch paper, leave the sutra text strewn everywhere and then recycle it as trash, no! We must transcribe it in our hearts and minds, “turning consciousness into wisdom” and returning to our eighth and ninth consciousnesses. From our eighth consciousness, we do not dare hope that every page will be within our ninth consciousness. Yet we hope to turn consciousness into wisdom, so that every sheet is pure and blank, with every phrase of the sutra transcribed, accepted and upheld well in this current lifetime. We use the first five consciousnesses to connect to the external states and analyze them with the following sixth consciousness. When the sutra we hear enters our ear-root, how do our sixth sense, the sixth consciousnesses, accept it? Where do we put it to use? After consideration, when it comes to what we should do, we must quickly devote ourselves among people to do it. After doing that, we quickly store it in our eighth consciousness, because after we have acted, the outcome is stored away. I hope that the treasures we have stored, including our age, the treasure of our lifespan, that everything is pure and neat. Every word is a treasure. As we transcribe and recite every phrase, every phrase can be read in our memories. This is what we must place importance on. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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