Explanationsby Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Seeing, Hearing, and Taking Joy in Others’ Deeds (見聞善行 隨順為喜)
Date: May.24.2019
As time passes, we must listen to the Buddha-Dharma all the more mindfully. The Buddha’s era is a long way away from where we are today. No matter how much time has passed, [as long as] the Dharma and Dharmakaya are here, the Buddha’s lifespan is still ongoing. The Buddha’s lifespan is infinite, yet the principles He left behind have opened up a direction for us [to follow], which is this path. This sutra opens up this path before us, and now we must walk this road. We often say, “The sutras are a path; this path is a road to walk on.” This principle is very clear to us. Every person, every day, needs to walk this road. This road we walk has been surveyed and explored, and the direction of its path has been decided. So, there can only be a road if there is a path. If we wish to draw people in, we need the principles, and they must come from the genuine true principles.
Everyone, in life, we are always so very busy. We wake up early in the morning and figure out how to live our lives and what to do. How do we live our lives? On this day, will we be happy? Will we live joyfully? When it comes to joy and happiness, which things bring us the most happiness? And which things bring us the most anxiety and sadness? No one is trying to figure this out. We just keep on living. Happy things make us roar with laughter and feel like we are on top of the world, and then they are over. Troublesome things bring us afflictions and anger, which accumulate whenever things do not go our way. We have no idea how long [our troubles] will last. Thus, in life, happiness is quick to leave us, while afflictions, confusion and ignorance persist without end. So, we must live carefully and mindfully. During our time here today, in this moment, we should be joyful. I am putting all my mindfulness into teaching, while you all are listening to the Dharma with that same mindfulness. With common aspirations, we meet on the path. We are present in this place, in this moment, yet none of us know what will actually happen afterward. We do not know. However, we must seize the present moment. So, bring your mind back [into focus].
Whether over 2000 years ago or in this present moment, every single moment accumulates into past moments and ushers forth the future. The past in gone, and the future is encroaching upon us every second. We must take hold of the present moment to be able to truly live. So, we must be mindful.
[Let us read today’s verse], “When some people see or hear about good deeds, they follow along and take joy in them. Others neither oppose nor accept them, and they do not take joy in them. In order to do all that is good, we must clearly discern right from wrong. First, we must be able to understand and accept, and then we must contemplate and practice.”
We should mindfully seek to understand this. At any moment, we are seeing. You see me and I see you. We are not just seeing. Now, I am speaking, and you are hearing my words. Do they bring you joy? Do they make sense? If they make sense, that makes me happy, but are we able to put them into practice? Have we formed great aspirations to practice them? Or are we just following along? “These principles are pretty good; I’d be happy to follow in your footsteps!” In a lighthearted manner, we follow along with these good words and walk the right path. This brings us joy. “Others neither oppose nor accept them, and they do not take joy in them”. “Yes, I’ve heard [the Dharma] before. It’s alright, but I just can’t accept it right now. I don’t oppose it; I just can’t accept it. But it’s not bad!” So, they do not take joy in [the Dharma]. “It’s not bad!”
But if we can think a bit deeper, [we’ll say], “In order to do all that is good, we must clearly discern right from wrong. First we must be able to understand and accept, and then we must contemplate and practice.” This requires a much more attentive person. In order to do all that is good, we must clearly discern right from wrong. We must analyze things to discern if they are right or wrong. The principles are wonderful, but do they [lead us] in the right direction? [They do lead in] the right [direction], without ever deviating from it. First we accept them, and then we contemplate them. Then, once we feel they are worth the effort, we completely dedicate ourselves to them. [This passage] takes about three types of people.
One type, “seeing or hearing about good deeds, follows along and takes joy in them.” “That’s great!” But other will say, “That’s great!” with absolutely no interest in doing anything about it. And what about the [third] type. “I will listen more carefully and think it over for a little while. First, I will try to fully understand. Next, I will earnestly contemplate.” This is careful contemplation, with sincerity. This reminds me of the previous chapter, about Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter 17. Prior to Chapter 17, in Chapter 16 [and 15], Maitreya listened very mindfully. In this series of chapters, we can see the presence of Maitreya Bodhisattva. [The Buddha] had Maitreya ask questions and got Maitreya to engage in a dialogue with Him. This is because Maitreya Bodhisattva must take on this great mission in the future, so he was very earnest. This is expressed here.
“In the previous chapter, Maitreya Bodhisattva heard the World-Honored One say that people who accept, uphold, read, recite expound and transcribe the Lotus Sutra will already have infinite merits and virtues superior to those gained from erecting stupas or building monasteries” as offerings.
When it comes to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha had to start making sure this Dharma would be passed down. He could not have everyone going around thinking, “Making offerings to the Buddha will get me merits. Making offerings to monastic will get me merits. Erecting stupas and building monasteries will get me merits.” Now, let us start to think back on [the significance of] “transcribing.” The Buddha was getting ready to enter Parinirvana. Whatever the Buddha said, people would listen, but once they were done listening, there would be no record of His words. So, the Buddha started asking people to keep records. However, in that era, there were no paper or pens. They had to memorize everything. They had to find ways to accept, uphold and memorize the sutras and make simple records of it. So, they had to “accept, uphold, read and recite.” They had to recite it and commit it to memory. When people studied in ancient times, they also emphasized recitation. If you asked me to recite. “The Great Learning” or “the Analects,” even today, I still remember many parts of them very well. This is because I recited them to memory them. So, recitation is just one method. We must “accept, uphold, read and recite.” We must commit [the sutra] to memory ourselves. If people cannot remember it and come ask us about, we must tell them. We must explain it to them. We must clearly understand the principles and explain them to them. [However], what is most important is to “transcribe this Lotus Sutra.” If we do this, our merits and virtues will be infinite! In our international community, whether our Tzu Chi volunteers are from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia, everyone studies transcription. They transcribe the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. This involves transcription, reading and recitation. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings is the essence of the Lotus Sutra, as I have stated. The Lotus Sutra is much longer, so they chose to transcribe the Sutra of Infinite Meanings instead. But it is the same thing! What’s more, if we can take the Sutra of Infinite Meanings to heart, the path will be wide open before us, and this road will be paved nice and even.
So, “People who accept, uphold, read, recite expound and transcribe the Lotus Sutra will already have infinite merits and virtues.” In this way, their merits and virtues, will already be limitless. They will also be “superior to those gained from erecting stupas or building monasteries” as offerings. When we compare the merits of erecting stupas and building monasteries with the merits of transcribing sutras, the merits of transcribing sutras are much greater. This was discussed in the 17th chapter.
[Maitreya] also heard that these people will also be able to practice the Six Paramitas. Before, people had always believed in practicing only for their own benefit. People thought that self-cultivation just meant distancing oneself from affliction and that by not going among people, they could remain undefiled.
“[Maitreya] also heard that these people will also be able to practice the Six Paramitas. Alright, if they can transcribe the sutras, they can also erect stupas, build temples and make the Four Offerings. On top of that, they can also practice the Six Perfections, the Six Paramitas. They can do this.” In the past, everyone thought that followers had to make offerings. This is what they believed in the past. Followers had to build monasteries and stupas as part of the practice of giving. This is also one of the Six Paramitas. This is what people believed in the past. They always thought that their [only] duty was to practice for their own benefit. By listening to the Buddha’s teachings, by earnestly listening, practicing, meditating and contemplating the Buddha’s teachings, they thought they were already working very hard. Only seeking to benefit themselves, “they thought that self-cultivation just meant distancing oneself from afflictions.” They thought that spiritual cultivation was this and nothing more, that they could purify their afflictions through self-cultivation, and that they could remain undefiled by distancing themselves from other people. This was all [explained] before the 17th chapter. Thus, everyone thought this way; this was what they all believed.
But now, from the 17th chapter onward, they began to slowly discuss [benefiting others]. “By being to share in the joy of others’ deeds, one can offer one’s slight support. By seeing, hearing about and sharing in the joy of other’s deeds in this way, how many blessings can one attain?”
“We must be very earnest. “The Buddha teaches, so we must listen and engage in spiritual practice. We can remain undefiled by the world. We practice for our own benefit”. In the 17th Chapter on Distinguishing Merits and Virtues, the Buddha started teaching about how to engage in spiritual practice and giving in order to benefit both oneself and others. The Dharma slowly beings to take on this direction. Chapter 17 distinguishes between [the merits and virtues] of these [approaches]. They might seem very similar, almost identical, but still need to be distinguished clearly? Which merits are considered greater merits? Which merits bring benefit to others? Which merits benefit only ourselves? How do we distinguish between that which benefits others and that which benefits only ourselves? Before Chapter 17, we [saw how] the Buddha slowly employed skillful means to gradually get people to awaken. They gradually came to accept His teachings and started to realize that they needed to benefit both themselves and others. The Buddha’s method of teaching the Dharma was a gradual process that lasted over 42 years.
So, by the time of the Lotus Dharma-assembly, He took on a new, more urgent tone, for the Buddha realized that time does not wait for anyone. He was 72 years when He [started teaching] the Lotus Sutra. Time does not wait for anyone, so He changed His turn and started praising the Great vehicle Dharma by switching over to the Lotus Sutra. To switch to the Lotus Sutra, He had to put forth a lot of effort manifesting light and many auspicious appearances. [Starting with] the Introductory Chapter, the Chapter on Skillful Means, the Chapter on Parables and the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, He continued on and on. How would He explain His lifespan to us? How would He explain how He formed aspirations in the world? How many sentient beings did He transformed? Even though the stupa of treasures appeared, in order for the Buddha’s multiple manifestations to manifest, He still had to thrice transform the Pure Lands in order to expand Vulture Peak. From throughout the ten directions, multitudes of Buddhas arrived along with the Bodhisattvas who emerged that He introduced [to the assembly]; these were all leading Bodhisattvas that came. This went on until Maitreya became very curious. “How did these Bodhisattvas achieve so much? Whose disciples are they?” The Buddha said, “They are my disciples”. Maitreya replied, “How could anyone believe this? Since You attained Buddhahood, only a little over 40 years have passed. These Bodhisattvas are indescribable and incalculable; every single one of them is deeply experienced”. So, the Buddha started talking about how this was a cumulative process spanning the course of many, many lifetimes. To sum things up, the Buddha, in His wisdom urged them to quicken their pace. He urgently encouraged everyone to improve and lamented that His disciples would fail to accept [His teachings].
The doctor hopes to cure illness. But the children so dear to him are still lost in confusion, unwilling to take the good medicine he provides. This doctor’s patients refuse to accept [His medicine]. This truly wonderful doctor and father is so close to them, yet they distance themselves from Him [even though] he has the cure. The Buddha used this metaphor to describe how His closest disciple stagnated by practicing only for their own benefit. When awakened to the Great Vehicle Dharma, even the most ordinary followers can still benefit others and joyfully accept this. But those listening by His side felt that the Buddha’s [current] teachings [did not apply to them]. “What He is teaching now is for others, it has nothing to do with me”. This is where they keep stagnating. So, the Buddha found this very lamentable. This doctor had no choice but to travel far away again. When he was far way, he sent a messenger to tell these children that their father had passed away. We all ought to remember this part of the sutra [very clearly]. Since these children were all sick, the father prescribed medicine for them. They refused to take it, for they were confused, still stuck in that [deluded] state. It wasn’t until their father went far away and sent someone back to tell them he was dead that they began to wondrous. “I am sick; what should I do?” Then they started to seek out the medicine. Although the medicine he left was effective, was it the right cure for their illness? If our doctor is right by our side, taking our pulse and prescribing the right medicine for our illness, we will very quickly recover from our physical suffering. It was just that they were deluded by the sickness in their minds, and so they waited until they realized they were utterly helpless before they took [the medicine]. They did not know the right from false medicine. If we are careless in the way we take medicine or engage in spiritual practice, we won’t get any better; the patient will remain a sick person. If those who take care of a patient would not know what kind of medicine it is either, saying, “It’s medicine! Just take it whenever!” this would be very lamentable.
Everyone, we need to cherish every moment. At this moment, we value our lives, but the only thing that will remain everlasting throughout the future is our wisdom-life. Our memories of what is good, what we should do and what we should learn, must be engraved in our minds. This will nurture our sense of direction and our ability to diligently clear the path and pave this road before us, if we lack direction, we will fail to clear the path and pave this road, we will inevitably reach an impasse. We all need to remind ourselves of this.
Therefore, in this place, we must “share in the joy of others’ deeds. We should look at what others are doing [and say], “Wonderful! He’s doing good deeds’ this is great!” This type of person takes joy in seeing others do [good deeds] and takes joy in supporting them. “You asked me to help you with this.” “Alright! I’ll help you do this good deed.” Of course, this wonderful, but we are not doing much; we are merely offering our slight support. “By seeing, hearing about and sharing in the joy of others’ deeds like this…”. When we see and especially hear about the [good] deeds of others, [we say], “This is great! I will lend them a hand! This is known as sharing in the joy of others’ deeds”. We help others overcome difficulties. How many blessings can a person like this attain?
This is what Maitreya Bodhisattva started to ask when He requested the Buddha to expound [the Dharma] for them again. What would come after the Chapter on Distinguishing Merits and Virtues? Is sharing in the joy also of such great merit? In fact, sharing in the joy is much better than standing around judging people. By sharing in the joy, we are praising them. By not opposing their good deeds and by being able to help them, this is quite good. But the Buddha had His own explanation for this.
Previously, the Buddha distinguished the Merits and virtues of upholding the sutra. Those who can uphold the sutra and cultivate Dharma while simultaneously practicing the Six Paramitas are already extraordinary, but have yet to reach the ultimate stage.
“Previously, the Buddha distinguished the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra. Those who can uphold the sutras and cultivate the Dharma…”. Upholding this sutra us cultivating the Dharma. “…while simultaneously practicing the Six Paramitas…”. We are cultivating the Dharma by sitting here and telling others], “You’re doing good deeds. Wonderful! Wonderful! Do you need me to open the door for you? Okay, I will open it so you can pass through. I still have a lot of stuff to move. Okay, I will help you move it!” Things like this are how we “share in the joy”. So, as for “those who can uphold the sutras and cultivate the Dharma, their merits are discussed in Chapter 17, Those who can uphold the sutras and the Dharma [say], “The Buddha spoke these words to us; we have engraved them into our hearts. We will practice in this exact way. We will cultivate in this exact way. These people “can uphold the sutras and cultivate the Dharma while simultaneously practicing the Six Paramitas, it is not just the Buddha who teaches us how to apply ourselves, in addition to that, we also follow these Bodhisattvas to do good deeds together. This is more than opening doors and moving stuff. Indeed, this requires us to share in the joy of others’ merits and virtues. We also need to practice the Six Paramitas. This means that we must do good deeds on our own initiative, rather than waiting for someone to ask us to. We need to act on own initiative. If we can do this, we “are already extraordinary, but have yet to reach the ultimate stage. We still need the right opportunity and the encouragement of others. This is a passive way [of doing good deeds].
This chapter, the Chapter on the Merits and Virtues of Joy, [starts] “with a single thought of joy”.
In this chapter: With a single thought of joy, we will take action upon seeing others take action. By sharing in this joy, we gain merits and virtues. Only then will we reach the ultimate stage.
We just discussed this “I see it, but I will think about it a bit and consider. Although I approve, I still don’t want to do this with you. I approve of this, but if you ask to participate, I will need to about it. Such people have yet to put forth their own effort. So, now in this chapter it states, “With a single thought of joy, we take action upon seeing others take action. By sharing in this joy, we gain merits and virtues.”
Now, as we watch others do good deeds, we proactively join them in doing good deeds. Whatever they do, we do too. After we do these good deeds, we all feel full of joy. Aren’t Tzu Chi volunteers exactly like this? As they do volunteer work, what is it that they do? “Everyone works so hard; isn’t it tiring? Not at all; we feel blessed! When we share in the joy of doing good deeds together, we feel very blessed. There are so many of us, and we are all blessed. It is only at this point that we can truly say, “Only then will we reach the ultimate stage.” When we “take action ourselves and teach others to take action, seeing them take action will bring us joy. There are different degrees of merits. If we see others doing something we cannot do, we should not make snide, cynical remarks. If we cannot do [what they do], we do not need to praise them, but there is no need to disparage them either. But some people see and hear about [good deeds] and take joy in doing them. If we don’t want to [join in], this is fine, but we must not impede others. This is the right [approach].
In the last chapter, when the Buddha spoke directly about sharing in the joy, He only gave examples of people. Only in this [chapter] did He clearly explain their merits and virtues and reveal the merits and virtues of a single thought of joy. The previous chapter was about this, and this chapter continues accordingly. This is to say nothing of those who accept, uphold, read and recite the sutra.
So, “In the last chapter, when the Buddha spoke directly about taking joy, “spoke directly about taking joy, He only gave examples of people. Only in this [chapter] did He clearly explain their merits and virtues and reveal the merits and virtues of a single thought of joy.” The previous chapter, Chapter 17, said, “If you do this, you will get this kind of merit. If you do that, you will get that kind of merit”. The Buddha randomly picked people and discussed which deeds had which merits and virtues. It was at this point that the Buddha started to discuss merits and virtues, “revealing the merits and virtues of a single thought of joy”. We can praise others, but if we have no sincerity in our hearts, we won’t be able to do it. When we see and hear about others doing [good deeds], we will help them do [good deeds], and we will naturally take great joy in doing so. These merits and virtues arise from a single thought. “The previous chapter was about this, and this chapter continues accordingly. This is to say nothing of those who accept, uphold, read and write the sutra”. This is to say nothing of engraving this sutra into our heart and putting it into practice. From only seeking to benefit ourselves, we now advance to being able to accommodate others. This is certainly progress.
Share in: This is not an intentional act. Rather, this is when we unexpectedly encounter and follow along with the good deeds of others that we hear about. Joy: This is not a mere expression; it is heartfelt happiness and sincere admiration.
To ‘“share in’ is not an intentional act”. We do not think, “They do this so well. We must work together with them”. We do not think in this way. “Rather, this is when we unexpectedly encounter and follow along with the good deeds of others that we hear about”. This is following others and watching what they do. When we see others do good deeds, [we say]. “Great! I commend you! Wonderful!” So, ‘“Joy’ is not a mere expression; it is heartfelt happiness and sincere admiration”. In this way, we begin to praise others. When we see others doing good deeds, we must keep a sincere attitude as we express our care and praise them. We should not say, “People say this person is so good. That’s his own business; good for him”. Even though we do not contradict them, we still lack a joyful heart. With joy, [we will say], “Truly! You’ve done such a great job! How did you accomplish this?” “It’s perfect, I commend you!” With this joy, this “sincere admiration,” we admire others with deep sincerity. This is what it means to “share in the joy”.
Merits: [Merits are] the result of cumulative practice. This is the merit of sharing in the joy of good thoughts. Virtues: The convergence of accumulated merits. This is the virtues of the blessings we accumulate through the merits of quickly sharing in the joy of doing good deeds.
Merits are “the result of cumulative practices”. When we start [practicing], we must do more than enjoy seeing and hearing about [good deeds]. We must be actively engaged and take action. Whether we are doing this alone or with others, in everything we do, we must always [be wary of] our every action, our every word, our karma of body, speech and mind. We are already having these good thoughts, so we must devote ourselves to putting them into action. Thus, “[Merits are] the result of cumulative practice”. We must do more than just talk; we must put the Dharma into practice. For such a long, long period of time, we must keep [practicing] cumulatively in this way. We must keep moving forward in this way. To take the next step, we must let go of the last, moving forward step by step. In this way, we can travel far along this path. This is “the merit of sharing in the joy”.
Virtue is “the convergence of accumulated merits”. When we accomplish everything we set out to do, when we work hard and spare no effort, we won’t even care about merits, though we do gain every bit of them. Do we not reap what we sow? When we do evil, we sow the seeds of evil. When we do good, we sow the seeds of goodness. This is all accumulated over time. Thus, “[This is] the convergence of accumulated merits”. How do we create good and evil karma? How do we build good affinities with one another? It all starts with us. When we understand this, we will surely become a very accommodating person, a very content person.
So, “[These are] the merits of quickly sharing in the joy of doing good deeds”. In this way, our every word and every action will all generate merit. In life, we must always do the right thing. Our good karma and good affinities will converge and come back to us and no one else. When we go to help others, it all comes back to us in the end. On the surface, it looks like that person just received our help, but actually, that person helped us to grow our wisdom-life. Thus, we must always maintain a heart of gratitude. “This is the virtues of the blessings we accumulate”. This “virtues” are “the convergence of accumulated merits. This is the virtues of the blessings we accumulate through the merits of quickly sharing in the joy of doing good deeds”. If we can comprehend this, then everything will become clear to us. I hope everyone gives rise to faith and understanding deep in their hearts. I have already explained the principles simply and clearly to you all. This is “sharing in the joy of merits and virtues”. In Chapter 18, we will begin to delve into the sutra.
The previous [chapters] were about bringing worldly matters back to the Buddha’s principles. To enter into the true principles, we must always seek to understand matters. So, we must always be mindful
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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