Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eliminating Hindrances and Liberation from Samsara (滅障度苦 解脫生死)
Date: May.15.2019
“The cessation of samsara is called cessation and deliverance. It is also called the ever-lasting cessation of our great liability. We must transcend and cross over the Four Currents. Parinirvana is entering a state of tranquility and clarity. We must eliminate our hindrances to deliver ourselves from the suffering of the Four Currents. This means we must eliminate our dust-like delusions of views and thinking. ‘Deliverance’ is liberation from fragmentary and transformational samsara, the two kinds of samsara.”
We must mindfully listen and observe. “The cessation of samsara is called cessation and deliverance. It is also called the ever-lasting cessation of our great liability.” This is something that we spiritual practitioners must mindfully explore. It sounds very obscure and not easily understandable, but in every second and every minute of our lives, we are inseparable from our bodily form. The cessation of samsara is cessation and deliverance. This is how it is with our bodies; from the day we are born, our bodies are constantly going through metabolism. Within the Five Aggregates, our lives are constantly growing and ceasing through metabolism of old cells being replaced. When new [cells] appear, the old ones disappear. This is the structure of our bodies. We are born with subtle and intricate parts. Microorganisms have these characteristics and this way of living, too. It is through the aggregate of action that we, as children, were able to unknowingly, through infinitesimal changes, through the law of arising and ceasing and the passage of time, have these changes in our bodies. Since childhood, through youth and up until now, from youth to middle age and old age, this all began at the moment we were born. Since the instance of encountering [the world], the aggregate of action [results in] this arising and ceasing. This is how life functions. In our everyday lives, without realizing it, we are amidst the subtle and intricate phenomena of arising and ceasing. We have never mindfully paid attention to this, so now, we must be earnestly mindful to pay attention to it. “The cessation of samsara is called cessation and deliverance.” This is the law of arising and ceasing.
When our bodies come to an end, it is the result of “birth and death,” but birth and death are only the coarse appearances we see affecting our bodies. “Ah! [He is] an elderly person.” His label is “elderly person,” but it has only been within these recent years that this person is called “elderly”. Just 10 or 20 years ago, he was still in his prime, and even earlier, he was in his youth. Before that, he was a child. It is the same person. Yet, he has been an infant, a child, a young person and a middle-aged person, and is now from his prime entering old age. With the passage of time, people’s labels are always naturally changing. This is how we come to our birth and death; it is the sign of cyclic existence. So, we must begin to prepare for [death] when we reach old age. Yes, we must begin to make preparations.
In fact, is preparation only necessary when we have reached old age? The Buddha-Dharma also teaches “impermanence”. The most regrettable thing is impermanence; we will never know when it will strike. We do not know. It is not limited to [certain] ages. Whenever impermanence strikes, it is not limited by age. This is also a type of suffering. We are obviously reluctant to die, but if we were to thing about impermanence, we never know when [it will strike]. No person, regardless of age, ever knows which day [impermanence will strike]. This makes people feel nervous. This is also part of the suffering that the Buddha mentioned. Indeed! This is an affliction. It is suffering that causes panic. If we do not understand the principles, then we will live our lives like this, being deluded in the world. When we understand the principles, we will know impermanence by name and understand the suffering of samsara, but we do not know when impermanence will occur. This is life; it brings afflictions!
So, we have troubles and afflictions. “Troubles” are worries. And what are “afflictions”? They are things we cannot let go of. They are different in depth. Yet, whether they are troubles, afflictions or worries, our minds are always uneasy and upset. So, the Buddha said, “This is [all] suffering.” On top of afflictions, there is ignorance. Compared to afflictions, ignorance is even worse because worries and afflictions are about matters that appear in the present, while ignorance is carrying our past along to create [negative] karma in the present. With such ignorance, even when people are wrong, they do not know it. They do not know the principles outside of what they are doing. So, since they do not understand the principles, they continually create [evil] karma and only see the surface of things. In pursuing pleasures, they do not know what [karma] they have created through their actions. They do not see the many sufferings in the world. Not seeing suffering, they only pursuer having what they crave. This is all because they do not know the principles of life.
So, they continuously create karma in their ignorance. In the process of creating [evil] karma, they themselves are wrong but think others are. This ignorance, combined with delusion, has completely covered up the principles continuously, layer by layer. After [the principles] have been covered up, their anger is still overflowing everywhere. So, they are simply impossible t reason with. If [the principles] are not buried, then we are still able to peel off [our ignorance] layer by layer. We can eliminate or decrease our ignorance.
But things are even more difficult with delusions. Delusions are very subtle. We carry them with us when we are born. This is just like “cessation”; the metabolism of the new replacing the old has always been with us since birth. It is the same [with delusions]. So, we bring ignorance and delusion with us. In our way of life, they are very subtle and intricate. When our parents give birth to us, we are unaware of the subtle cessations in our metabolism, where the new replaces the ole. This is what we bring with our bodies and our karmic forces. Karmic forces bring the seeds of ignorance and delusion. Our bodies bring [with them] the law of arising and ceasing, in our metabolism where the new replaces the old. It is only when we reach the end where coarse appearance and actual form are such that we are sick and we wonder if we will live or die, only then, when coarse appearances manifest, will we know that we will actually die. This is how it is for most ordinary beings. But what spiritual practitioners seek is “deliverance” after samsara, being able to be delivered to the other shore. In our everyday lives, although we are in contact with the Buddha-Dharma and know all these principles, have we applied them in our daily living? Have we already cultivated the principles and turned them into good habits? As for past bad temper and habitual tendencies, have we eliminated them? Have we changed our temperament? Have we changed the way we interact with people and handle matters? Do we have the right mindset and thinking? In our everyday lives, after hearing the Dharma, in our dealings with people and matters in life, have we practiced [the teachings]? This is spiritual practice.
Through our spiritual cultivation, we have subbed all our past ignorance and habitual tendencies. Good habitual tendencies and a kind attitude have already become part of our lives. This is engaging in spiritual practice. In our living, we are always forming good affinities. We have formed good affinities. We have transformed our negative affinities and habitual tendencies from the past by resolving past grievances. For those who had a bad impression about us, through what we have [done] in their lives, they have changed their impression of us. What about resentment? Those who resent or hate us have now turned around and become moved by us and feel grateful. “We are getting along really well now!” This is eliminating past negative karmic causes and conditions and [forming] good karmic conditions in the present. We can both take it a step further and talk about the principles with one another. “You should understand how we came to this world in this way. We should engage in practice and accept the Buddha-Dharma together. We should [practice] the Five Paramitas and [attain] the six the paramita, the prajna paramita by simultaneously cultivating blessings and wisdom. We must practice together and encourage each other.” In this way, in this lifetime we can attain the cessation of arising and ceasing, of samsara, and attain deliverance. If this is the case, we can transform ourselves. By transforming ourselves, we will no longer be bound by such karmic conditions and ignorance. We will have “turned consciousness into wisdom.” With virtuous and pure conditions, the conditions of the great vows we formed, we will come to this world again, [bringing] good causes and conditions. If we want to engage in spiritual practice, we must be thoroughly clear on the sequence. “It is also called the ever-lasting cessation of our great liability.” [The great liability] could also refer to these afflictions, ignorance and delusions. When we very naturally use every day in life to seize our time, earnestly change our own attitude and change our bad habitual tendencies, we will know how to give of ourselves in this world. So, I always say, “Seize the time and make use of our life.” How much more time do we have to understand our lives? How much more time do we have, after gaining understanding, to eliminate afflictions and ignorance so that we are free of hindrances and attachments? By treaties people and handling matters like this, we transform the negative affinities that we formed due to ignorance in the past and improve our present. If we do not seize the causes and conditions in a timely manner to correct our state of mind, then once impermanence strikes, we will bring the seeds of ignorance in our consciousness into the next life. So, if we can be very clear on these two phrases, then we will have a deeper understanding in the way we look at life.
So, “We must transcend and cross over the Four Currents. Parinirvana is entering a state of tranquility and clarity”. Parinirvana is great freedom. At the very end [of our lives], we feel very at ease and peaceful. We have no fear or cravings of attachment as we know it is time to rest in peace. Our body and mind has become pure. The wisdom we have will return, will return to a future life, so we are “clear”. We are very pure and do not bring affliction and ignorance with us. We are at ease, tranquil and clear. So, “We must eliminate our hindrances to deliver ourselves from the suffering of the Four Currents”. However, in order to eliminate all hindrances, [we have to know] what obstruct us. People, matter and things obstructs us. If we have no conflict with people, no conflict over matters and no conflicts in this world, then naturally, we can return to the principles without obstructions. So, to be able to do this, “we must eliminate our dust-like delusions of views and thinking”. Regarding views and thinking, “views” are turbidities, our afflictions. “Thinking” refers to our ignorance when our imagination runs wild. “Dust-like delusions” refers to our delusions. “Delusions of views thinking” are our afflictions and ignorance. This is something we must understand clearly. If we are able to eliminate all these afflictions, then we can be “delivered” from fragmentary and transformational samsara, be liberated from the two kinds of samsara.
Our time now as ordinary beings is “fragmentary samsara”. As we begin to engage in spiritual practice, we understand that throughout our lifetimes as ordinary beings, we are in this fragmentary samsara. Throughout our past, present and future lives, we are continually in this cycle. Will we be born into life as a human? Or will we be born into life as an animal? Will we be human or animal? According to our karmic forces, we cycle through these “forms”. So, we must be very vigilant. When we open our eyes, we have been born, beyond our own control, to a new life. We have gone to another realm. This is what we must be very cautious about. So, we have no control over “the fragmentary”. The “transformational” is our state of mind. The transformations of our state of mind are what entice us to create negative karma and fall into the entrapment of ignorance. All of this is very frightening. So, we are all sentient beings lost in delusion. So, we should bring our focus back to know and understand “cessation” the cessation from samsara is “cessation and deliverance”. When we know these things, we can be vigilant and [know that] we must end [samsara]. Since we know the source of the great liability called suffering in life, we must engage in spiritual practice. Speaking of this, this sutra passage is actually closely related to our lives, our present, our future and so on. So, we must be mindful in our spiritual practice.
Next, there are “the Four Currents”. “Current’ means that which flows on without returning”. It is called a “current”. The Four Currents: “Current” means that which flows on without returning. This refers to how sentient beings flow with the current of the three delusions, drifting throughout the Three Realms, unable to return to the other shore of Nirvana. Another name for these is the Four Yokes, which is the same as the Four Raging Currents, the Four Yokes of Ignorance and so on. When sentient beings encounter them, it forces them to endure all kinds of suffering, thus they are called “yokes”.
About the Four Currents, we need to first understand that “[they] refer to how sentient beings flow with the current of the three delusions”. The three delusions are delusions of views and thinking, dust-like delusions and delusion of ignorance. [Distorted] views give rise to afflictions, afflictions give rise to ignorance and ignorance gives rise to delusions. Once we have these, they are like currents that flow down and cannot return. It is hard to bring them back. So, “flowing with the current”, we drift throughout the Three Realms. This is how we drift about in the Three Realms. If we want to return, it is very hard to do. [Since we are] “unable to return”, it will be very difficult to return to the shore of Nirvana and be calm and settled. These Four Currents are also called the Four Yokes or the Four Raging Current. The Four Yokes are what “sentient beings encounter”. These “currents” flow amidst sentient beings and cause them to endure various kinds of suffering. So, they are called “yokes”. This is because they yoke us, like ox-carts and horse-carts. For animals to pull a cart, oxen and horses need this yolk on their backs, between the shoulder and the neck, so that they are connected to the cart. So, for the cart [to be attached] to the ox, there must be a horizontal fixture between them. This is a “yoke”, which is a link. What does it connect to? It connects to sentient beings, just like [the yoke] that connects to the ox or horse. Once [the link] is made, no matter where [the animal] goes, the cart will follow it. As the animals go further and further, carrying more and more things, they will feel heavier and heavier.
They are also called the Four Raging Current, because their karma of delusion surges to form a raging river with currents that sweep away and drown sentient beings.
They are also called the Four Raging Currents, because of their karma of delusions. So, with the karma of delusions, [sentient beings] create these afflictions and ignorance. The karma of delusions becomes heavier over time. It becomes like a gushing spring where [the water] is not gently emerging but jetting forth. It is like a volcanic eruption; once it erupts, we cannot hold it back. When it spurts upward, so much will flow down. This kind of ignorance forms the “currents that sweep away and drown sentient beings”. This is how they flow. In summary, ignorance and delusion lead us sentient beings, lifetime after lifetime, to be [trapped by] this ignorance and delusion, creating suffering and experiencing difficulties. The suffering is unbearable. Luckily, we have heard the Buddha-Dharma and attained a human body, so we really need to cherish this; we have already heard the Buddha-Dharma and also attained a human body, so we must earnestly seize this human body and earnestly use our time well. As each day passes, we lose another day, so we must work quickly. As we listen to a new teaching every day, we must remember it in our hearts. Only then we will be able to gather the Dharma in our hearts and be nourished. We will be able to eliminate afflictions and ignorance and change our past habitual tendencies and attitude. We must diligently advance. To know how to fulfill our responsibilities and know how to change our attitudes, we must engage in spiritual practice. This is a very practical way of cultivation, so everyone, please be very mindful of this.
The previous sutra passage says, “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”.
We must very mindfully seek to comprehend this. This sutra passage has given a clear explanation. Sentient beings must be earnestly mindful. We have already accepted [the Dharma] and are engaging in spiritual practice. Spiritual practice is not just erecting stupas. Erecting stupa and building monasteries, as we talked about previously, [symbolizes] how we must use our practice to make sincere offerings. Wherever the spirit and the Dharma is present, it is the Buddha’s entire body. The [presence of] the Buddha’s entire body means we have already complete building the stupa. So, we must earnestly take the spirit of the Buddha-Dharma in its entirety with us wherever we go so that this complete Dharma will be present there. It is as if the Buddha is present and the stupa is completed. Everyone must remember this well. There are so many sutra passages, and they are all discussing this. The words seem to be about building stupas, so if we do not pay close attention, we will fall into [the limited thinking] of physical stupas. In such a long period of time, only a few passages have been telling us that it refers to a spiritual training ground for conduct. It means we must put [the Dharma] into practice by practicing reverence and living by upholding discipline in our behavior. We engage in spiritual practice for the Buddha-Dharma and for sentient beings to attain fruition. This is equal to building a stupa or monastery. It is the same principle that we must remember.
The following sutra passage says, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse. ‘After I enter Parinirvana, if people can reverently uphold this sutra, their blessings will be immeasurable, as previously described as previously described’”.
This sutra passage is saying that after the Buddha enters Parinirvana, we must uphold this sutra and maintain our practice according to the Dharma.
At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse “After I enter Parinirvana, if people can reverently uphold this sutra”: After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, there would be people who could uphold this sutra and practice and uphold it according to the Dharma.
This is reminding us again using verse. As the Buddha repeated this passage, the principles mentioned before are very important. So, this principle is very important, which is why we must repeatedly seek to understand it. So, [the Buddha] had to repeat it. This is something we must clearly understand.
Next, [the sutra passage] continues to say, “Their blessings will be immeasurable, as previously described”.
Their blessings will be immeasurable, as previously described: People who uphold the Dharma like this have already proceeded to the place of practice and are sitting beneath the Bodhi-tree. “The World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning” means He wished to repeat the essential meaning of what He stated previously.
Everyone, we already know that learning the Buddha-Dharma is something we must truly cherish. We know that the Buddha was already advanced in years and had begun preparing to enter Parinirvana. So, He began to teach this sutra, hoping that this sutra would be everlasting, always remaining in this world. So, the Buddha very much intended for the sutra to remain in this world. So, “[these] people” are very earnest because they know the Buddha’s intent. This means that we must understand the Buddha’s intent. This is because this sutra is cherished and protected in the Buddha’s heart. So, we must be very clear on it. The Buddha took what He guarded in His heart and cared about, this complete teaching, and shared it with all sentient beings. We must be earnestly diligent to put it to use. We must quickly accept it and apply it. The Buddha spent His final [years] mindfully passing down the Dharma to us, so we must understand the Buddha’s intent and enter His understanding and views. This is extremely important. So, it says, “Their blessings will be immeasurable”. We should understand that these spiritual practitioners are as previously described”. They truly respect the Buddha’s intent and are close to the Buddha’s heart. Everywhere they go will be as if the Buddha is alive and His stupa is present, so it is “as previously described”. They are spiritual practitioners in this way. So, “People who uphold the Dharma like this have already proceeded to the place of practice”. For those who uphold the sutra according to the teachings, the Buddha said that their direction has been correct and they have “proceeded to the place of practice and [are] sitting beneath the Bodhi-tree”. It is just like when the Buddha practiced and was nearly complete in His practice. He sat beneath the Bodhi-tree and earnestly engaged in calm contemplation there. Finally, in that moment when He saw the morning star, He became one with the universe and attained enlightenment. This innate enlightenment converged with the universe and became radiant. This happened [under] the Bodhi-tree. Those beneath the tree must have practiced from a faraway place and have now traveled here, to the final point [of their practice]. They rest in this place, gathering and concentrating their minds. When the moment comes, the light of their minds and the light of the stars, the light of wisdom in their minds and the light of the stars in the sky, will come into contact and they will instantaneously attain enlightenment. This is [beneath] the Bodhi-tree. Everyone engaging in practice is waiting for that moment when, in our minds, the light of wisdom begins to fully manifest. At this time, we will be able to sit beneath the Bodhi tree. So, the World-Honored One taught these principles very clearly, restating this sutra passage again.
The sutra passage then continues, “It will be as though they have amply made all kinds of offerings and erected a stupa for my sariras, magnificently adorned with the Seven Treasures, its tower tall and wide, tapering gradually all the way to Brahma Heaven, with trillions of precious bells emitting wondrous sounds when the wind blows”.
This section says, “It will be as though they have made ample [offerings]”. They are able to deeply comprehend the Buddha’s intent in teaching the Dharma, even putting it into practice and cultivating both blessings and wisdom. They have proceeded to the place of practice. These people are already replete [in their practice] and more-or-less familiar with the methods to use. So, of all the offerings that they should make through their practice and actions, they have made the offering of conduct. So, “[It will be as though] they erected a stupa for [His] sariras”. Sariras are the Buddha’s Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) that He has left behind, the crystallized essence of His wisdom. From the material aspect, they are the bones after the Buddha’s cremation, but the true sariras are the Buddha’s wisdom-life, His Dharmakaya. The Dharmakaya is to understand the Buddha-Dharma. The Sambhogakaya (reward-body) the perfection of His cultivation after He was born in this world. When this life ends, the crystallized essence of His spirit and concepts is His sariras. So, [it is] “magnificently adorned with the Seven Treasures”. As for the Seven Treasures, they are [part of] the 37 Practices to Enlightenment which we have already discussed. The Seven Factors of Enlightenment are represented by the Seven Treasures. In the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, every detailed practice is what we must cultivate. This is how we dignify the demeanor of a spiritual practitioner. This is why we must understand the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. If we are able to clearly understand the very detailed matters, then we will be clear. If we can do that, our discipline and demeanor in life will naturally be very dignified in our care. This is making offerings of conduct, when we apply the Dharma that the Buddha taught in our everyday lives.
It will be as though they have amply made all kinds of offerings and erected a stupa for my sariras, magnificently adorned with the Seven Treasure: In this way, they sincerely and reverently make all Four Offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Upholding the sutra with utmost sincerity and cultivating and upholding all virtuous teachings is akin to erecting a stupa for the Tathagata’s entire body and magnificently adorning it with the Seven Treasure.
“In this way, they sincerely and reverently make offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha”. This is using our conduct to make offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. It is to “make all Four Offerings”. In every part of our lives, we should make offerings with our conduct. Look at how the Jing Si disciples all return to our big family and take on every kind of work. They enter and exit in a very orderly way. These are offering of conduct. This is how they come together to create a family. It is the same principle. They are also making “offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha”. In the same way, they are [practicing] in spirit and in action. “[They] uphold the sutra with utmost sincerity”. This means that within this place of practice for true principles, we uphold the rules and discipline and practice according to the teachings, “cultivating and upholding all virtuous teachings”. Everyone practices what is taught according to what should be done, putting the teachings into practice. So, “It is akin to magnificently adorning [a stupa] with the Seven Treasures”. Putting these teachings into practice is like using the Seven Treasures of gold, silver, crystal, coral and so on to adorn [a stupa for the Buddha’s body]. We often read of these things in the sutras. So, we are building a stupa of seven treasures, erecting a stupa for the Tathagata’s entire body”. This is applying the Dharma, practicing according to the Dharma and being one with body and mind. We truly need to use this practice of discipline and this demeanor as offerings. So, “Its tower [is] tall and wide, tapering gradually all the way the Brahma Heaven”.
Its tower [is] tall and wide, tapering gradually all the way the Brahma Heaven: Forming aspirations toward spiritual practice is like erecting a stupa. We must gradually advance to perfection and proceed toward the highest great path. Abandoning the crude to turn toward the fine is symbolized by “tapering”. Reaching the joy of Nirvana is symbolized by “Brahma Heaven”.
We must earnestly be mindful. “Forming aspirations toward spiritual practice is like erecting a stupa”. Gradually, we diligently advance. We must seize the time and make use of our strength in life. We must work hard. This is like how we need to build a foundation to erect a stupa, which is above the ground. [We build] the stupa level by level. In ancient times, for buildings to be very sturdy, the foundation had to be big and they would trim it level by level until reaching the top. As they went higher and higher, the levels of the structure were tapered. This is like constructing a stupa. So, the more we practice, the more refined and purer we become. We must work very hard to do this. “[They] proceed toward the highest great path”. We [should] cultivate the Great Vehicle Dharma, the direct Bodhi-path of the Great Vehicle. This path is very straight. If we stand here and look to the very end of this straight path, we will see how the path becomes narrower and narrower, until at the very end it is too narrow for us to see. This is how it looks from afar, but, in fact, as we walk, it is just as wide. Similarly, when we are at the bottom and we look up to the top, [the stupa] will look smaller and smaller. In fact, it is big. We are just looking from the bottom to the very top. So, the Buddha engaged in practice and attained Buddhahood, which is supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment. So, we cannot see the highest tip because it is so high at the tallest point. This is our direction.
How should we proceed toward that direction? “Abandoning the crude to turn toward the fine is symbolized by ‘tapering.”’ For our crude afflictions, the more we engage in spiritual practice, the more we must abandon the crude afflictions as we go along. Then our very intricate nature of True Suchness will gradually manifest itself. So, as we eliminate all that is crude, the refined will gradually emerge. This is “abandoning the crude to turn toward the fine, [which] is symbolized by ‘tapering.”’ If we have a moment of ignorance, we “turn away from enlightenment to connect with objects of desires.” Now that we already understand that, we must “turn away from objects of desires to connect with enlightenment.” Objects of desires are crude, and enlightenment is intricate. Our nature of True Suchness is very subtle and intricate. So, we must be very mindful to clearly understand the intricacy of cessation. So, it is very refined; the Dharma is very subtle and intricate. So, [we continue] until we reach the joy of Nirvana. When we can reach the point where all crude afflictions have disappeared and we have returned to tranquility and clarity, attaining the joy of Nirvana, freedom and ease, this is Brahma Heaven. Brahma Heaven is very pure. That which is innocent and pure is Brahma Heaven. This stupa, the shape of this stupa, is for hanging bells. Bells are hanging on every level of the stupa.
With trillions of precious bells emitting wondrous sounds when the wind blows: This metaphor compares the wondrous sound of teaching the Dharma to precious bells shaking in the wind. The moment in which thoughts arise is symbolized by “when the wind blows.” Making sounds with the mouth is called “emitting wondrous sounds.”
When the wind blows, these bells will emit sounds. This is how it was in ancient times. Stupas were built so that they had bells hanging. These bells would move when the wind blew and they would emit sounds. This is “the wondrous sound of teaching.” A few days ago, we also talked about how speech is like singing. Because speech has a rhythm, it is like singing. So, we should mindfully listen. We must not treat it as [just] a song to listen to. We must not “listen casually.” The True Dharma is a wondrous sound. If we earnestly listen, the sound is very subtle and wondrous. This subtle and wondrous sound is the Dharma entering our hearts. So, the moment in which thoughts arise is symbolized by the wind. When we give rise to the slightest thought, this is like the wind. When we make sounds with our mouth, it is like a “wondrous sound.” If afflictions stir our heart, the winds of ignorance will rise up, but if we have a tranquil mind, when the wind blows and we move our mouths, [we emit] subtle and wondrous sounds. When I speak now, I do so with a pure heart. So, the Dharma that I teach is something that everyone must mindfully take to heart. If we can take the Dharma to heart, engrave it in our minds and remember it, we will naturally implement it in our lives. When we encounter matters and interact with people, we will know how to apply the principles to matters and things as we deal with people and matters. That is being able to use the Dharma in our everyday lives. So, we must earnestly engrave the sounds into our hearts so that the Dharma will always be in our minds. Then it becomes a stupa of treasures constructed with the Seven Treasures, and the sariras of the Buddha’s entire body will be in our minds.
“There is no need to go far to seek the Buddha on Vulture Peak. Vulture Peak is already in our own minds.” Everyone has a stupa on Vulture Peak. We must earnestly practice in the direction of our stupa on Vulture Peak. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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