Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: A Mind as Steady as the Earth Reveals the Truth (定如地藏 明顯真理)
Date: May.14.2019
“We may live to be 100 years old but never get the opportunity to meet the Buddha. It is better to live a single day where we are able to hear the Great Vehicle Dharma. Our mind must be as steady as the earth, for when the mind is clear, the true principles will be revealed, and we will recognize the Dharma’s true nature, comprehend the great path and grow our wisdom-life.”
We must be very mindful. “We may live to be 100 years old but never get the opportunity to meet the Buddha.” We might get to live a long life, up to 100 years, but if we never get to hear the Buddha-Dharma, our life will be a waste. Even if we do live that long, if we never learn about the true principles, then such an empty existence will be regrettable. Even if we do have a very long lifespan, if we never hear the true principles or any of the Buddha’s teachings, we will never learn about the origins of life or where we will go [when we die]. We will have no way to understand where we came from or where we will go. Even if we live to be 100, we will never understand the impermanence of life. Where we will go in the future? We will not know this either. Thus, “It is better to live a single day...”. If we live to be 100 without ever grasping the principles, this is not as good as living a single day where “we are able to hear the Great Vehicle Dharma.” If we use that day to listen to the Great Vehicle Dharma, our life will be of value. Seeking out the true principles is very important!
Confucius also had a saying that went, “A person who learns the truth in the morning could die that night without any regrets.” This is true! Confucius had great knowledge and wisdom. He placed great importance on the principles and spent his entire life seeking and teaching them. He relentlessly sought out the principles and never stopped sharing what he learned. Still, he would always say, “I still need to seek the principles. I must seek and find the true principles. If, one morning, I hear a single word of truth, I could die that very evening without regrets.” If he heard the truth one day and died that very night, he would have no regrets. Does this mean that Confucius never actually attained the principles? Perhaps he spent his life in constant pursuit of this goal. Perhaps he was in search of the origins of life and where we go at the end of our lives. Only a very noble and wise person would hold the principles in such high regard.
So, even if we live a very long life, we still might never discover the principles. Nonetheless, we still go about our lives each day faced with this vast and open world, where worldly matters continue to afflict us and influence us in so many ways. When people, matters and things trouble us, are we able to find solutions? Are we able to see the bigger picture?
If we keep letting worldly matters trouble us, it is because we are confused and fail to see the bigger picture. We are confused about worldly matters. “Where did I come from, and where am I going?” When this all remains unclear to us, just think, isn’t this tragic? This makes us become worried and nervous. So, we are constantly seeking answers. Where does this lifetime [come from]? Human life is especially impermanent. There is no guarantee of how long we will live. Not everyone lives to be 100. 100 years is just used to represent the general [human lifespan]. From the beginning to the end of our life, if we make it to be 100 years old, by our very last day, everyone will agree [we have lived a full life]. But how many people actually make it to 100? In a word, life is impermanent, and we have no control over when we will die. It is truly beyond our control. Where will we end up? Where we end up and how we will get there are matters completely out of our control.
Why did Confucius seek the principles? “A person who learns the truth in the morning could die that night without any regrets.” Even if all we have is a day, “It is better to live a single day.” If we hear the teachings in the morning, then die that very evening, that would be alright. Compared to living a hundred years without ever understanding the principles at all, our life would be more valuable. If we live for a single day but are able to hear the principles, our life will be more valuable than if we live 100 years without ever understanding them. This is why we must mindfully seek to understand the principles.
So, if we “are able to listen to the Great Vehicle Dharma,” if we can listen, even for a single day, to the Great Vehicle Dharma, it will help us understand [the principles]. While the Buddha spent over 40 years teaching the Dharma, the sentient beings He taught were stubborn and had no way to understand the Buddha’s teachings. So, the Buddha had no choice but to work with their capabilities to give them teachings they could understand. These were not the ultimate teachings, but were merely skillful means. He helped sentient beings accept these first, having them get familiar with these first to spark their interest, so that they might willingly accept them. He had to patiently guide them. People with dull capabilities might spend a very long time stuck in the same place, but even if their capabilities are truly dull, the Buddha will never give up on them. He is always very accommodating in the way He guides others, even if it is a frustrating [process].
For example, there was a time when a group of bhiksus came before the Buddha together. They paid their respects to Him and said, “Venerable Buddha! You are so compassionate. We would like to travel to other places, for we wish to spread the Dharma.”
The Buddha asked them, “Where do you want to go?” “To the north,” [they replied]. The Buddha said nothing. He merely asked, “Does Sariputra know about this? Have you told Sariputra?” “Oh no! Sariputra still does not know about us wanting to go north.” Then, the Buddha told them, “Maybe you should go see Sariputra first, and tell him that you wish to go north to spread the teachings.”
This group of bhiksus did what the Buddha told them to do; they paid their respects, took their leave and went to the place where Sariputra was on retreat. They saw Sariputra and the other bhiksus there, and they also paid their respects to Sariputra and very respectfully told him, “Venerable Sariputra, We wish to travel to the north to spread the teachings. We have already requested leave from the Buddha, but the Buddha told us to come here to ask you. So, we are here now to tell you, most Venerable Sariputra, that we would like to set out on our journey now”.
This is what Sariputra told them. “Since the Buddha told you to come and ask me, I will tell you that people in the north are very well-educated. Moreover, they all take great joy in learning. When they see people coming from other places, especially people close to the Buddha who have studied the path, they will rejoice and ask you about many of the principles. Are you prepared for this? If you go there, and if they ask you about principles, saying, ‘You are the Buddha’s disciples. What has the Buddha taught you?’ How will you respond?” The group of bhiksus said, “We have learned that suffering, emptiness and impermanence are present in all things.” Then, Sariputra asked them, “What if they keep asking you about ‘emptiness’? How will you answer them then?”
They said, “We will answer them by telling them that all forms are impermanent. As they are impermanent, they are thus empty. They are empty because they are impermanent. Impermanence brings suffering. This ‘suffering’ arises from causation.” This is how they would answer them. “‘Causation’ is the accumulation of many different states of suffering. Take ‘form,’ for example. We have this body, so we become ill, but illness is also empty, empty because it is impermanent. So, when it comes to impermanence, if we understand impermanence, we will not fear emptiness. That which is empty cannot cause us pain.”
When Sariputra heard them explain it like this, he exclaimed, “Oh my! My dear Venerable Ones, if you go there, people will ask you many things. But when you just say things like, ‘The sufferer has no self. That which has no self is empty. Since that which has no self is empty, suffering is empty and can thus [be relieved]’ you are just repeating the word ‘empty’. We especially hope that everyone will see things this way, that they can think of pain in this way and see pain as impermanent. This perception would lead to action, which comes from consciousness. Thus, this is also impermanent. These are all impermanent, so pain is therefore empty. However, if you answer them like this, will you truly be able to convince them?” It seemed like [the bhiksus] did not really understand what Sariputra was warning them about, but they were still brimming with confidence. “The teachings we have heard from the Buddha make so much sense. [For example], there is impermanence, suffering and emptiness, form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, so long as we answer them with these principles, this should be enough to explain life to them.” All Sariputra could say t them was, “If you are going to use these principles, you must make sure you are fully prepared.” Still, that group was extremely confident, saying, “We know, we get it already. The human body is inseparable from form,” and since this body has form and appearance, we can ultimately break it down into emptiness. If we explain it like this, it is very clear. Since [form] is emptiness, and this applies to all other aggregates, since feeling, perception, action and consciousness can all be broken down into emptiness, there is really nothing to fear. They are all just an accumulation of causes. We understand pretty much all of the principles”.
And so, they had made up their minds. Since Sariputra could not seem to persuade them, he said to them, “Be careful and prepare yourselves well”. With that, and with great reverence, they paid their respects to him and left.
After that group had left, there was another group of bhiksus together there with Sariputra. Sariputra gave a little sigh and said, “To truly realize these principles, for everyone to genuinely comprehend them, is very difficult indeed!” It’s true! This is what the Buddha taught us about suffering, emptiness and impermanence; anything that has form is impermanent. Within the body, the Five Aggregates all undergo infinite changes and are thus consumed. What about external conditions? The suffering, emptiness and impermanence [we encounter] in the outside world are subject to arising, abiding, changing and ceasing. These principles are truly vast, so if our understanding of them is poor and merely superficial, we really will have no way [to teach them]. If we cannot understand them ourselves, then how are we to analyze and explain them then how are we to analyze and explain them so that others may understand them and realize this Dharma together? So, there is a lot of depth to this story. Regarding the principles of the body and mind, as well as the physical principles beyond the body, the principles of nature and so on, all these principles are contained here within the principles of emptiness and impermanence. But how much time must we spend contemplating before we can truly realize the great path, before we can truly and deeply comprehend the principles of absolute truth? This is not easy to do. It is not as simple as saying, “I know, I get it”, when, in fact, we do not. The Buddha also knew that no one in that group [of bhiksus] really understood, but what was He supposed to tell them? He had no way to reach them, so the Buddha wanted them to ask Sariputra, so that Sariputra might awaken and teach them. But when they arrived before Sariputra, Sariputra asked them repeatedly, “What if they ask you such and such? What if they refute you? What if…?” The group kept answering, “We are very confident. We will be able to answer them like this”. They seemed to be full of confidence, but this confidence was empty and superficial; there was no real substance to it. It was empty. Their understanding of the principles was based only on their ability to memorize them, but there was nothing realize behind it. It was just empty; it was not real. So, this is what Sariputra was worried about, and the Buddha was even more worried, but He knew they would never understand Him. They never really understood Sariputra either, and just took off like that. The Buddha found this truly lamentable.
There was nothing the Buddha could do, and Sariputra had done all he could too. They always had to deal with spiritual practitioners like these. So, [we may] “never get the opportunity to meet the Buddha”. Yet if we fail to truly calm our minds, then even if the Buddha or any virtuous friend is right before us, we will still waste the opportunity. It is better to calm down and spend a day earnestly listening to the principles; even if it is for just one day in our lives, we must be willing to calm down and earnestly take in the Dharma. We should hope to listen to the Great Vehicle Dharma. When we listen to the Great Vehicle Dharma, our mind must be steady. “Our mind must be as steady as the earth”. Our mind must be like the earth. The earth contains many materials and resources. These resources are the earth’s treasury, hidden away within the earth. So, our mind must be steady as the earth. The resources hidden deep within the earth, just as the Buddha taught us, represent our Buddha-nature of True Suchness, which is intrinsic to us all. Actually, within everyone is a rich expanse of earth, the ground of the mind. We must be very mindful; to seek the Dharma, we must seek it within us.
It is not on the surface; we must delve deep within ourselves. The earth might seem very dry on the surface, but if we keep on digging below the surface, we will discover a wellspring.
So, we must have faith that wherever there is earth, there will be water. Thus, “When the mind is clear, the true principles will be revealed”. When we clear our minds, the wellspring of our mind will emerge, and the principles and the Dharma will naturally present themselves. The Buddha pointed this out to us, so we should mindfully accept [His teachings]. We should mindfully accept them and diligently [cultivate] our mind. Where in our mind lies the Dharma? We cultivate the mind through external conditions and use sentient beings as our spiritual training ground. The Buddha told us to rid ourselves of afflictions. What do affections look like? Among sentient beings, afflictions become obvious to us. This is the source of suffering and emptiness. If we spend our entire lives toiling away [in pursuit of] wild desires, it will be as if we are dragged along in chains, and we will lose ourselves. If all we do is chase after fame, wealth and status, this will just bring us suffering. Where do people like this go in the end?
Where do all of their possessions go? People like this are wasting their lives away. Do they understand the principles? They do not even know where they are going, for they lack any sense of direction. [Such a life] is empty, isn’t it? These people work so hard to pursue their desires, but all they do is sow discord. They are bound by afflictive emotions. They approach business as if it were a war, wounding so many people. When their life comes to an end, how much of their wealth, fame and power will they be able to take with them? None of it. But they will take their karma with them, the [karmic] seeds of their afflictive emotions! Dragged along by their karmic forces, they have no control over their direction in life. Lives like these are really tragic. Then there are our “Silent Mentors” who have always had a sense of direction. Our Silent Mentors, while alive, make the most of their life by devoting it to benefit others. After death, [by donating their body to science], they turn something useless into something very useful. Once their memorial service is over, their relatives return to the Abode and tell me, “Thank you, Master!” Because of Tzu Chi’s teachings, we were able to help our loved one fulfill their [final] wish in life”.
Indeed, they know their direction in life and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Once they realize their direction in life, they make up their minds to turn something useless into something very useful by finally donating their body to medical science for anatomy [studies] and research. These people are the wisest of all.
So, “Our mind must be as steady as the earth”. They have already made up their minds. Their aspirations have always been very firm. This is because in their minds, the true principles have been clearly revealed. Thus, they “recognize the Dharma’s true nature”. They have proceeded in the direction of their nature of True Suchness. This is True Suchness, “the Dharma’s true nature”. So, comprehending the great path, they have returned to their wisdom-life. They know how to go and know how to return. This is why, as humans, we must mindfully seek to enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.
So, we need to be very mindful now to enter the Buddha’s views and understanding and return to our nature of True Suchness. Let us mindfully recall how “We may live to be 100 years old but never get the opportunity to meet the Buddha. It is better to live a single day where we are able to hear the Great Vehicle Dharma. Our mind must be as steady as the earth, for when the mind is clear, the true principles will be revealed, and we will recognize the Dharma’s true nature, comprehend the great path and grow our wisdom-life”.
This is our goal in our spiritual practice. We must remember to enter the Buddha’s understanding and views. We must urgently seek out [this understanding]; otherwise, we will not understand anything we hear or find any use in it.This is just like that group [of bhiksus].They thought they [knew] so much and wanted to go to other places to spread the Dharma, but was this the right thing to do? We need to be very mindful of this.
The previous sutra passage said, “You should know that such people have already proceeded to the place of practice”. You should know that such people have already proceeded to the place of practice and are drawing near to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi as they sit beneath the Bodhi tree.
We need to understand the True Suchness of life and comprehend the Buddha-Dharma so as to implement it in our lives, dedicate ourselves to others and learn the principles by dealing with matters. If we can do this, then we have already processed to our place of practice and entered our spiritual training ground. We will be confused no longer, just like our “Silent Mentors”. They all form this aspiration on their own. Understanding the way to make final use of their body, they approach the place of enlightenment.
Thus, they “draw near to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi”. They are like the Buddha who, in the course of His spiritual practice, awakened while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree; awakened while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree; He looked at the stars, attained enlightenment and became one with the universe; theirs is the same awakening. They are already nearing the place of enlightenment.
In the next sutra passage, [the Buddha] said, “Ajita, wherever such good men and good women sit, stand or walk, a stupa should be erected in that place, and all heavenly beings and humans should make offerings to it as if it were the Buddha’s stupa.”
Here, He clearly tells us about these “practitioners”. When it comes the aforementioned “practitioners” whether we rea, recite or transcribe the Dharma, transcribe it ourselves or teach others to do so, whatever we do, we must learn how to spread the Dharma and learn how to put it into practice. If we do this, then we will truly comprehend the principles within the sutra. We will comprehend the sutra’s principles and put them into practice. There are so many people doing this here. In this place, stupas should be erected and offerings made as if the Buddha were present. This is because there are so many people here, united by a common aspiration to walk the path, gathering good thoughts and good deeds together and practicing according to the teachings. This is a place where “people who are truly capable of accepting and upholding this sutra” have gathered together, here in this place. “This is the place of the Buddha’s Dharmakaya”.
Previously, in the sutra, it said that wherever this sutra is, the Buddha’s Dharmakaya is there too; it is just as if the Buddha were there Himself. This is what it said earlier in the sutra. So, as if the Buddha Himself were there, “this is the place of the Buddha’s Dharmakaya”. His Dharmakaya [is here] because this sutra is the Buddha’s Dharmakaya. Thus, “The Buddha’s Dharmakaya pervades all Dharma-realms”. His Dharmakaya pervades all Dharma-realms. For quite a while, we have been talking about how the Buddha-Dharma is everywhere; it pervades the universe and all Dharma-realms. The true principles are everywhere. There are no true principles that are not encompassed by the Lotus Sutra. The perfect, complete principles of both the Great and Small Vehicles are all contained within it.
So, [the Dharmakaya] is everywhere. It is all-pervasive; the Dharmakaya pervades all Dharma-realms. “Those who are able to uphold this sutra are able to resonate with the Dharmakaya”. By upholding this sutra, we will have a way to unite harmoniously with His Dharmakaya and wisdom-life within the sutra, and it will be just as if the Buddha were here with us.
This explains that wherever these practitioners may be, stupas should be erected and offerings made as if the Buddha were present. Wherever there are people who are truly capable of accepting and upholding this sutra, that is the place of the Buddha’s Dharmakaya. Because the Buddha’s Dharmakaya pervades all Dharma-realms, those who are able to uphold this sutra are able to resonate with the Dharmakaya. Furthermore, the blessings, virtues and wisdom of the Sambhogakaya of all Buddhas have all been fully realized in this sutra. [Wherever] there are practitioners who can simultaneously practice all Six Paramitas, a measure of the Buddha’s Sambhogakaya abides in that place.
“Furthermore, the blessings, virtues and wisdom of the Sambhogakaya of all Buddhas…”. The “Sambhogakaya of all Buddhas…” is the fruit of spiritual practice. It is also known as “the reward-body”. In the past, [the Buddha] engaged in spiritual practice endlessly, for such a long time and over so many lifetimes, until He became Sakyamuni Buddha. In response to the Saha World’s karmic conditions, He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood. As a result, He became the Buddha. So, this Sambhogakaya is an accumulation of many causes, the causal seeds of spiritual practice. The final result is known as the Sambhogakaya. Upon attaining Buddhahood, He manifested “the blessings, virtue and wisdom” that come with the attainment of Buddhahood.
For more than 2000 years now, people have been able to have faith in and reverence for the Buddha, and this is due to the Buddha’s blessings, virtue and wisdom. So, these are “all fully realized in this sutra”. In the course of His spiritual practice, the Buddha spent almost 8 years teaching the Lotus Sutra. This sutra is clearly the essence of His teachings, but it also contains what He taught over the course of more than 40 years. That essence is all brought together in this sutra.
So, we must seek to become “practitioners who can simultaneously practice all Six Paramitas”. As we listen to the Buddha’s teachings, we must simultaneously accept and uphold them. We really need to work hard, and we also need to put the Six Paramitas into action. We must practice giving, precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom in parallel. We listen and accept the Dharma now, and we must put it into action right away. We put it into action by practicing the Six Paramitas. So, “A measure of the Buddha’s Sambhogakaya abides in that place”. This is the fruit of His spiritual practice, His Dharmakaya; we have at least experienced a small measure of it. We have also already grasped a small measure of the Buddha’s true principles. Though we may not understand the whole truth, we understand at least a small measure of it. So, when there are so many people together in a place of spiritual practice, it is as if the Buddha’s Sambhogakaya were there. As a result of the Buddha’s spiritual practice, His Dharma is also present there.
Sambhogakaya: Through the wisdom of suchness, we resonate with the state of suchness. Through the external world, we awaken our wisdom, and we shine our wisdom upon the external world. When the world and our wisdom are as one, this is the Sambhogakaya.
So, “the Sambhogakaya” is when we “resonate with the state of suchness through the wisdom of suchness”. This is True Suchness. Our wisdom of True Suchness resonates with the true principles. “Suchness” is our intrinsic nature of True Suchness; it is “the Dharma of True Suchness,” our intrinsic nature. “Through the external world, we awaken our wisdom”. When we perceive the external world, we transform consciousness into wisdom. Then “we shine our wisdom upon the external world”. We apply our wisdom to analyze worldly knowledge and external states. “When the world and our wisdom are as one,” when we bring wisdom and the world together, analyzing the world with our wisdom, we unite worldly matters with the principles. The perfect union of matters and principles is the Sambhogakaya. Thus, [the Buddha] said, “Ajita, wherever such good men and good women sit, stand or walk, a stupa should be erected in that place”. A stupa should be erected there. When He tells us to build a stupa, we should all clearly understand that these are not tangible stupas. He already made this quite clear in an earlier passage, and it is repeated here.
Ajita, wherever such good men and good women sit, stand or walk, a stupa should be erected in that place: This means that wherever these people go, the sutra is there, which also means that the Buddha is there. Therefore, a stupa should be erected there.
This means that wherever these people go, wherever they go or have gone in the past, in all the places they have been, “the sutra is there”. Wherever that is, this sutra’s principles and its spirit will truly flourish there.
For example, after we listen to the sutra, wherever we go, we can start applying the sutra we have heard. Right after my morning talk, [people say], “Oh! I heard this this morning; I heard this before. Now we should apply this principle here. We should apply our understanding of the principles to do these things”. This is how people everywhere respond after they hear the sutra. To implement it among people, we must do good deeds and actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions so that everyone will realize it, understand it and put it into practice. This will happen “wherever we go”. Wherever we have been, “the sutra is there”. The principles exist in these places. The principles are flourishing there. “This means the Buddha is there”. This is because there is a Buddha in everyone. If we all accord with these principles, understand them and also put them into action, we all can become a Buddha in the future. There will be Buddhas in all of these places. So, when we see people like these discussing the Dharma or doing good deeds, we must say, “Bodhisattvas! You are so diligent!” In the same exact way, we must treat them with reverence. Because they are diligent Bodhisattvas, they will attain Buddhahood in the future. So, we should treat them as if they were Buddhas. Wherever they are, we must build a stupa as if the Buddha were still in the world, with the same sense of reverence. Thus, “All humans and heavenly beings should make offerings to it.” This was in the previous passages.
From “good men and good women” onward, [He taught] that a stupa should be erected wherever they exhibit the Four Demeanors, and all kinds of offerings should be made to it as if it were the Buddha’s stupa. Wherever a place is replete with good teachings, a stupa should be erected there and offerings should be made to it as if it were the Buddha’s stupa.
Wherever there are good men and women like this, then heavenly beings and humans should make offerings there as if the Buddha Himself were there inside a stupa. This means that our demeanor must be very refined. Everyone knows the Four Demeanors, walking, standing, sitting and sleeping. Wherever people engage in spiritual practice is a place with a great spiritual atmosphere. Wherever people engage in spiritual practice, there is a stupa there with the Buddha inside it. The Buddha’s Dharmakaya and His Sambhogakaya can be found there, so we must give rise to reverence in our hearts. So, as for “good men and good women,” in this sutra passage, whether the people there are standing or sitting, all the people gathered there are all good men and good women doing good deeds. In this place, “We should erect a stupa and make offerings to it as if it were the Buddha’s stupa.” This means that when we are there, we must revere them as we would revere the Buddha’s stupa. Thus, “There is no need to go far to seek the Buddha on Vulture Peak. Vulture Peak is already in our own minds.” When we see such people, it is as if we are right inside the stupa on Vulture Peak. This is what this [passage] means.
When we revere people who uphold and teach the Dharma, we are revering the Dharma. When we revere the Dharma, we will know that the true principles that the Buddha awakened to are worthy of reverence and faith. When we have faith in the Buddha-Dharma, through our deep faith and understanding, we will be liberated from samsara. So, the Buddha wants us to revere these people as we would revere the Buddha’s stupa.
So, “When we revere the Dharma, we will know that the true principles that the Buddha awakened to” are worthy of respect and faith. If we know the importance of revering the Dharma, we will naturally know that the Dharma the Buddha taught after His awakening is worthy of our faith, of our “deep faith and understanding.” We believe in the Buddha-Dharma, so we must have deep faith and understanding before we can achieve liberation from samsara. Otherwise, even if we live 100 years, we will remain ignorant and confused, never knowing when impermanence might strike, never knowing where we should go next. We will never know, and it will be too late. So, we must work hard to be mindful and mindfully revere the Buddha and the Dharma with faith and understanding deep in our hearts. Faith and understanding are our place of practice.
We have discussed this previously, where we kept emphasizing faith and understanding, for only with faith and understanding can we become proficient in all Six Paramitas. Otherwise, we will just be practicing five of them. Wisdom must also be included in these, so we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
