Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Wondrous Existence in True Emptiness (諸緣聚會 空中妙有)
Date: August.29.2019
“With pure faith and understanding, we will reach a state of tranquility and clarity, free ourselves of all doubts and regrets, give rise to joy in our body and mind and form extraordinary aspirations. Thus, [this state] is called subtle and wondrous. Unfathomable, this is wondrous existence in true emptiness. When various conditions come together, this is wondrous existence in emptiness. All phenomena, when understood, are extremely subtle. Our deluded consciousness is subtle and intricate, arising and ceasing as time flows on.”
We must be mindful; this is the door for entering the path. Only by listening to the Dharma and opening the door to our hearts do we have a way to take in the Dharma we hear. When what we hear seems to be profound, as long as we listen mindfully, we will be able to understand clearly; there will be nothing we cannot understand. So, we must constantly be mindful. “With pure faith and understanding, we will reach a state of tranquility and clarity.” It seems that we talk about this constantly. When it comes to faith and understanding, “Faith in the source of the way, mother of merits.” It is out of faith that we accept [the Dharma]. Having accepted the Dharma, we study it very mindfully and practice according to its teachings. When we understand the Dharma, we clearly know that we can follow this path in this direction. We also understand that our direction is correct and that by following this path, we will eventually arrive at [our goal]. We must understand this very clearly. So, we must have faith. Once we have faith, we must then experience [the Dharma] in depth and investigate this [Dharma-door]. Once the door is open and our path is correct, only then do we begin to follow it. This path which we follow is the source of the way, mother of merits. The source of our aspirations and our diligent progress are without error. Hence, “Faith is the source of the way, mother of merits.” So, with faith and understanding, we must thoroughly [learn the Dharma]. [The teachings of] the Dharma always remind us to remain undefiled by afflictions and ignorance and to keep the ground of our minds pure. This [takes] faith and understanding; we must always keep our minds pure and never allow ignorance or afflictions to disturb us and push them away immediately when they arise. This [requires] pure faith and understanding, so we must be very mindful. If we are able to do this, the ground of our minds will be pure. Not only will the ground of our minds be pure, [but] our energy field will, also. This is like how the air over [pure] ground is also pure. Isn’t the macrocosm of our universe also like this? When the ground is pure, the air will be pure. If the earth is not pure, the air will [also] become polluted. So, [when] the ground of our minds is pure, [our demeanor] will be tranquil and clear; [like] the surrounding atmosphere, it will be tranquil and clear. Thus, internal and external refer to how the ground of our minds within us and the atmosphere around us [must] remain pure, even when we are in a clamorous environment. [Once we attain] “tranquility and clarity,” we will not be disturbed by external conditions. So, “[freed] of all doubts and regrets, [we] give rise to joy in our bodies and minds.” We must maintain this [purity] of mind. For [anything] trustworthy that we can put into practice, we must [do so] diligently. When we encounter something uncredible, we must clearly [discern] right from wrong. If it is “right,” then we must uphold it, and if it is “wrong,” we must distance ourselves from it. We should not have any doubts or regrets. [Because of] doubt, we cannot accept things or we feel uncertain. “Did I do the right thing?” If we always wonder, “Is this right or not?” [This shows] we do not believe in ourselves and are unable to understand external matters. So, if we [lack both] understanding and faith, then we have doubts.
And what about regrets? We may choose [to do something] and do it joyfully, willingly and enthusiastically. [We do so] until the time when someone comes along and says, “This looks very difficult for you. Here, if you wish to benefit [yourself], I will [show you how]. You have to work very hard at this. It is taking too long to attain what you want, so I will take you on another path, and you can attain what you want more quickly.” Then, we begin to examine our current path and give rise to doubts and regrets. “Why have I wasted so much time doing this? I should follow this person and take the other path, which is even [quicker]. I regret being on this path.” This is what it means to have doubts and regrets. Our minds are unstable; we give rise to doubts and lack clarity. If we do not have faith in the path before us, [then we will have] doubts and regrets. In this way, we are unable to make progress. Time passes by all the same, but we continue treading in the same place day after day. Knowing that time passes by like this, we must be even more earnest; we must not allow our time to pass in vain.
If we can make the right choice from the start, then our minds will be [free of] afflictions and ignorance, and doubts and regrets will not enter our minds. We must “free ourselves of all doubts and regrets.” When our bodies and minds are pure, we should not have any doubts and regrets. If we are able to [remain pure], then every day we will “give rise to joy in our body and mind,” and naturally, our lives will be full of joy. “Forming extraordinary aspirations” is an “extremely subtle” [process]. [When] our bodies and minds are pure, our hearts will be tranquil as we listen to the Dharma. As we listen to the extremely subtle and profound Dharma, we must learn to apply it in our lives. When we listen to the Dharma, we must mindfully seek to comprehend it. We form “extraordinary aspirations.”
We must sincerely form aspirations and quickly advance diligently. Those who want to diligent advance are extraordinary rare. It is extraordinarily rare that someone is able to turn the profound Dharma into [something they can apply] to their daily living. [Such people] “form extraordinary aspirations.” For ordinary people, when we speak of forming aspirations, our aspirations are temporary. When we talk about advancing diligently, this only lasts for a few days. When forming aspirations, we ought to [sustain] them for the long-term. How many people can actually form aspirations and continue [on the path]? These people are extraordinarily rare. We must form aspirations and [eliminate] our obstacles; we must [eliminate] the external factors that obstruct us. When we have single-minded resolve in this way, we “form extraordinary aspirations,” which are [very] “rare.” When we can [apply] these pure and undefiled spiritual aspirations in our lives, this is very “subtle and wondrous.” [It is very] “subtle and wondrous” to turn something profound into something simple. In our daily lives, [we may say], “I understand! I know this [already]!” When it comes to the extremely subtle worldly matters in our everyday lives, our bodies and minds will remain at peace. Thus, in our lives, these things can become one with the extremely profound and wondrous Dharma. There is wondrous existence in emptiness and true emptiness in wondrous existence. When it comes to these extremely subtle and wondrous things, we may call them things when they are not things, but this is just how we describe them. Such matters are incredibly rare and wondrous, [yet] we cannot really call them matters, either. They are “the unfathomably” subtle and wondrous [phenomena] in our lives. This “wondrous existence within true emptiness” and “true emptiness in wondrous existence” is very difficult to explain. However, it is inseparable from our lives; how subtle and wondrous this is! So, “unfathomable” [describes] “wondrous existence in true emptiness.” Aren’t we all living our lives amidst this. Aren’t we all living our lives amidst this true emptiness in wondrous existence? Haven’t we discussed this previously? In this space we [occupy], you see me before you, and I see every one of you in front of me. We can see things [everywhere] we look. These things all create obstacles. When I am sitting here, because I am blocking the way, you are unable to see through me to what is behind me; you cannot see what is [behind me]. When something is there, it obstructs [our view]. Depending on the size of an object, it can cover us up. But in a larger space, there are so many [things] that we cannot see because they are extremely tiny.
We cannot see them, so they do not obstruct us. So, they are truly empty; they are so empty that we cannot see them. But even though we cannot see them, they wondrously exist. Consider the air and so on in this world; why is it so hot sometimes? Where does all that heat come from? Modern science tells us that [such phenomena come from the changing seasons].
In the US in 2019, [some place in] California had snow that fell higher than houses. The rooftops [of some houses] were going to collapse due to weight of the snow. This is very unusual. Spring had already come, yet it was still so cold. In the mountains of Qinghai Province, China, in Yushu Prefecture, it was still negative 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, which is very cold. Snow was still falling there, which led to a great disaster. There are three lay practitioners from China who are courageous and diligent Bodhisattvas. They seek for sentient beings to be free from suffering; [they do not seek] peace and joy for themselves. With difficult, they traveled up the mountains, and when they got to the top, they suffered from altitude sickness. Still, they endured these conditions and began to assess the disaster. They went from village to village, checking in on people one after the other and witnessed the devastation. A lot of livestock had frozen to death. People were poor and lacked food supplies. They eagerly awaited someone who could help. The Chinese government was also very concerned. Those who were able to help were very friendly and mindfully led the way. This ensured a safe journey [for our volunteers] to go from village to village to assess the disaster without trouble and understand [the situation of] those who were suffering greatly. They had planned to finish up, but having traveled so far and with others in even greater suffering, they continued on with their assessment. At one or two of the [villages] they visited, they had some very touching encounters.
Over 20 years ago, [in 1996], Tzu chi had provided help there. Tzu Chi volunteers went there wearing their blue and white uniforms. Upon seeing our volunteers’ hats, someone recognized us and said, “It is you! I think I recognize you because of that logo. I think I know you”. He brought the volunteers to his home. Behind a statue of the Buddha on the altar table, he took out something that was very old; it was a voucher. It was the letter and voucher we had given them to pick up relief supplies back then. It was still in good condition, and he kept it on the altar table. Someone else spoke to [the volunteers] and said, “You came over 20 years ago and helped us. [The things I received] are still in very good condition! I am grateful. You gave us many things. Thank you! Back then, you gave me this letter, a voucher to receive materials and an envelopes; I kept them all. I am very grateful to you”. He went to his storage chest, which was like a treasure chest. He pulled out this very secure chest and retrieved [something] from inside. [Our volunteers] saw the [he had also kept] the old envelope that Tzu Chi had given them to notify them of the relief distribution. The [villagers] said, “We are very grateful. It has been over 20 years, and every day we still give thanks in our hearts. We want to leave these things to give to our future generations to give to our future generations. These are all things you [gave] to help us, and we have taken good care of them. They [brings us] great warmth”. This is how our causes and conditions converge. “When various conditions come together, this is wondrous existence in emptiness”.
This [happens within] both time and space. The space is still the same; it is very far away. But that time is already in the past. Over 20 years have passed. This place is very far [from Taiwan], and a lot of time has passed since then. Yet [due to] “wondrous existence”, [even] after more than 20 years, they saw our hats with this logo and recognized it from more than 20 years ago. They immediately remembered [us], and they held onto their gratitude from back then by placing [our voucher] in a place of utmost reverence or storing it away in their safest location. These were two different families, yet they held the same gratitude in their hearts. They held on to this gratitude for a long time, all the way until now. Those memories still remained.
Although that time has passed and [the volunteers] no longer exist in that space, the feelings and memories still wondrously exist. Thus, they are subtle and wondrous. “All phenomena, when understood, are extremely subtle”. Time has passed, but has the space [changed]? There are still many things [like] air currents and the atmosphere that we cannot see. In the freezing cold, even if it has stopped snowing, we still feel very, very cold. Why is there such cold weather, and why is there such hot weather? There is a long distance from the Earth to the sun, which [provides] a wondrous [example] of the aggregate of action. The aggregation of the Earth’s action [causes] it to rotate on its own. Within the great space [of Earth], there are many extremely subtle and intricate [actions]. Sometimes, when the sun rises in the morning, if there is a crack in the door, the sunlight will shine through. From a certain distance, we can see a ray of light. This ray of light looks hazy, and [we can see] all the dust particles moving. These extremely subtle things, due to the focusing of this light, are able to be seen. Actually, we would not normally see these empty and extremely intricate things. [But if] we can pay attention and watch as the sun comes up [and shines] through the crack in our door early in the morning, we can see [the dust in that space]. [Even] within our own [rooms], such subtle and intricate [things are happening]. The Earth revolves and moves like this, and in humans, we undergo metabolic processes. We ourselves are not even aware that these changes are occurring. It seems that I constantly remind everyone about this; we go about our lives within this extremely subtle space, and over a long period of time, we continue to live in the same place. Once something has passed, we return [home]. [But] when something causes extreme suffering in some other place, we mobilize again to go there. In terms of Yushu Prefecture in Qinghai Province, it has been 23 years [since we were there last]. When we returned to this place, although different people [made the trip] they were still Tzu Chi volunteers. They went bearing the same logo, and the local people recognized it. It stirred up their memories. This is so wondrous.
So, “All phenomena, when understood, are extremely subtle”. They understood [who we are] by recalling [the past] when they saw us. “Oh, I still remember the time back then.” Their understanding of phenomena [made them think], “Oh, so that’s it.” Everything [we perceive] is a phenomenon. Even when people face disasters and experience suffering due to extreme changes in the world’s extreme changes in the world’s [climate], these are all phenomena; they are subtle and wondrous worldly phenomena. Spring, summer, fall and winter are the universe’s subtle and wondrous phenomena. When they are in balance, there will be no disasters. When they are imbalanced, there will be illness. People in these kinds of environments live in great suffering. Our bodies are also like this; when the four elements are balanced, our bodies are healthy. When the four elements are not in balance, we will grow ill and suffer. The idea is the same.
“All phenomena, when understood, are extremely subtle”. When our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, our Five Roots, connect with the Five Dusts, the Five Dusts connect with the Five Consciousnesses. When we include the mind, we get the Six Roots, Six Dusts and Six Consciousnesses. We are continuously [bound to] this cycle. This is what takes place in our lives. “Our deluded consciousness is subtle and intricate, arising and ceasing as time flows on.” Our deluded consciousness is extremely subtle and intricate. Day after day, [phenomena] arise and cease as time flows on. This is time.
And what about us? We remain in our deluded consciousness, and our thoughts come and go. Thus, our afflictions and ignorance [arise]; good thoughts arise and cease, and our afflicted thoughts come and go. This is what our lives are like. We may form an aspiration, but when afflictions arise this good thought disappears again.
It is the same idea. Our lives and our ways of living all [result from] “various causes and conditions coming together”. Only with causes and conditions can [phenomena] come together. Whether they are bid or small, coarse or subtle, all things require causes and conditions. So, this is “wondrous existence in emptiness”. What do these causes and conditions look like? Why are they so wondrously profound? There is “wondrous existence in emptiness”. Why is it cold, and why is it sometimes hot? This is something we have not mindfully sought to comprehend. Because of our deluded consciousness, [we remain] in our usual surroundings. In this space [where we focus on] gains, losses and benefits, gains, losses and benefits, we do not consider anything beyond the factors of benefit, gain and loss. So, our deluded consciousness often leads us [astray]. In fact, [this is also] “wondrous existence in true emptiness”. There are still many things for us to understand.
[By using] “the appearances of all phenomena, just by observing something and picking it up, we can analyze it from its most obvious to its most subtle [features]. We can continue to analyze these [features] until there is nothing left. “When understood, they are extremely subtle.” We must understand things so thoroughly that what “exists” becomes “non-existent”. The same things can be analyzed until [we arrive at] emptiness. This is what it means by, “When understood, they are extremely subtle”. In fact, “existence” and “non-existence” are both [created by] our deluded consciousness. Do we understand or do we not understand? Why do we have afflictions? We cannot take them out and show them, for they are extremely subtle. So, [our deluded consciousness] arises and ceases with the passage of time. This is something we should understand.
All things, great or small, contain the universe. As our mind comes to encompass the endless void, we sow the seeds of goodness, storing them deep within the field of our eighth consciousness.
“All things, great or small, contain the universe.” Whether big or small, they all contain the universe, the macrocosm or the microcosm. Thus, “Our mind comes to encompass the endless void”. Our minds are truly very open and spacious. Once we are able to see through everything, our minds can encompass the universe. Within the space of the universe, [to create] this pure land, we must plant seeds of goodness. We must sow seeds of goodness very deeply by storing them within the field of our Eighth Consciousness. This is the ground of our minds. If we can open up the ground of our minds, [then it will be able to] “encompass the endless void”. [When] our minds are open and spacious, then in the broad field of our minds we can sow seeds of goodness and store them within our Eight Consciousness. This is where our memories are; we turn common knowledge into wisdom and store it in the field of our Eighth Consciousness. So, this [sounds] very profound, but it is [something we do] every day. So, we must all be very mindful of this.
The previous passage says, “At that time, the world-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse.”
At that time, the world-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse. “Their noses will be pure. For all things fragrant or smelly in this world, they will be able to smell and know them all….”
Although the previous passage talked about their noses smelling the fragrance, there was a lot that [the Buddha] did not mention in the long-form prose; He had to supplement the things that He was afraid that people would forget. So, He repeated them. “Their noses will be pure. For all things fragrant or smelly in this world, they will be able to smell and know them al…”. From these words alone, we must know what [the fragrance] is like for things that are near or far. We must clearly understand this.
[The Buddha] spoke extensively and went into extremely subtle [detail]. [He used] the convergence of the Five Roots with the Five Consciousnesses and Five Dusts [to help us to] thoroughly comprehend these fragrances. [This], He analyzed the subtleties of this [process] for everyone.
The following sutra passage says, “…such as sumana, jatika, Tamalapatra, sandalwood, the fragrances of agarwood and cassia and the fragrances of various fruits and flowers. They will also know the scents of sentient beings and the scents of men and women. From afar, those who teach the Dharma will smell their scents and know where they are.”
“Sumana, jatika, Tamalapatra, sandalwood, the fragrances of agarwood and cassia and the fragrances of various fruits and flowers…”.
This shows that there ae many, many fragrances. This verse [section] repeats what the long-form prose [said]; it is repeated in verse form.
…such as sumana, jatika, Tamalapatra, sandalwood, the fragrances of agarwood and cassia and the fragrances of various fruits and flowers: The various causal flowers [bear] the various fruits of retributions. To describe the fragrances of non-sentient beings, this verse describes the fragrances of plants, such as flowers, fruits and trees.
This passage, along with the one before, both refer to plants in nature. These are things we can see in nature, which include big trees, grasses and so on. [This is about] the fragrance of plants. The fragrances of those flowers, fruits and trees are all extremely subtle. Taking grass [as an example], a tiny seed will begin to grow by itself when it falls to the ground. Thus, grass seeds continue to propagate. Some of us may have experience in weeding. As we plant the grain seeds by hand, the seeds of the weeds may be buried deep below, so we have to dig them up. For the grains to grow well, we have pull out all of the weeds. But before long, the weeds will come up again. This is very subtle and wondrous. After we put [the seeds] in the soil, planting them deeply in that place, they will grow for generations to come. They will continue to propagate. This is what the Earth is like. Although it is non-sentient, the principles of living organisms are all encompassed within it. So, they also grow [according to] these extremely subtle [principles]. On Earth, [plants] are non-sentient. When it comes to non-sentient [life], no matter how we scold them or call to them, they will not answer us. This is what non-sentient means. “They will also know the scents of sentient beings and the scents of men and women”.
They will also know the scents of sentient beings and the scents of men and women: When these sentient beings give rise to thoughts and do good or evil deeds, the aggregate of action leads to retributions. Thus, they have these bodily scents. These are the scents of sentient beings.
Now we are discussing sentient beings. Others can see the expressions on our faces, which may be joyful and happy or angry and hateful. Everyone can see these expressions in their eyes. The way in which our eyes see things is also very subtle and wondrous. Our eyes are so small, yet we are able to see such a vast area. With our two eyes, we can face thousands of other eyes. How much can one pair of eyes see? How many [unique] conditions can we see? [We can see] so much; how are our eyes able to see so much? And what about our noses? Why are we able to smell the fragrances in our surroundings? Sentient beings are truly able to come into contact with these things and understand them. So, “When sentient beings give rise to thoughts and do good or evil deeds, the aggregate of action leads to retributions”. When we sentient beings give rise to thoughts, is it a thought of goodness or evil? If it is a good thought, we will do good; if it is an evil thought, we will do evil. Thus, when we give rise to thoughts, we do good or evil deeds. Once we give rise to a thought, be it a good or evil thought, we begin to take action. Our actions continuously accumulate, and thus, “the aggregate of action, leads to retributions”. [Though they are] subtle and intricate, [our actions] continuously accumulate, and this continuous accumulation of actions turns into our karmic retributions. So, this is very wondrous. We must understand this extremely subtle karmic law of cause and effect and the bodily [scents]. The virtues we accumulate become a fragrance.
These “bodily scents” are “the scents of sentient beings”. We are able to smell whether, in this aggregate of action, people give rise to virtuous or evil thoughts. When people accumulate virtuous thoughts, the retribution of their aggregate of action is fragrance; they will be fragrant. “From afar, those who teach the Dharma will smell their scents and know where they are”.
From afar, those who teach the Dharma will smell their scents and know where they are: People who teach the Dharma distance themselves from worldly affairs and abide in right mindfulness. This is the meaning behind “from afar”. They will be able to smell their scents and know where all the sentient beings are.
Although those who teach the Dharma may be very far away from this state, we can still accumulate a lot of knowledge. This is also an example of the aggregate of action. Even from far away, they can still understand even very subtle and wondrous [things]. We were just talking about Yushu Prefecture in Qinghai Province. This is very far away from us, and the altitude is very high; it is over 5000 meters above sea level. And how far away is it? It is thousands of kilometers away. Yet, we could still hear their voices and interact with the volunteers there through video conference. Think of this. Isn’t this [an example of hearing] “from afar”? We are able to communicate and understand in this way. Hence, there is no mistake in what the Buddha spoke about spiritual powers. [He made] no mistakes. [We can hear them] “from afar”. They are far away, and we are here, and for all the things they do there and the good deeds that they accomplish, we are also able to feel them. It is the same principle. So, “People who teach the Dharma distance [themselves] from worldly affairs and abide in right mindfulness”. Leaving worldly mattes equates to selflessness. Unlike worldly people, they do not say, “If I serve others, what benefits do I get? I have traveled so far, and I even have to pay out of pocket and endure great difficulties. Once we get there, the altitude will be very high. What hard work!” But why [do we do this]? It is all for the sake of bringing peace and joy to sentient beings. This is all it is for. So, [people who teach the Dharma] “abide in right mindfulness;” they “distance [themselves] from worldly affairs and abide in right mindfulness”. “This is the meaning of ‘from afar’. They will be able to smell their scents and know where all sentient beings are”.
Everyone, I have spent a great deal of time to share this with everyone. I hope that, for everything we sense, we will comprehend it mindfully and apply it in our daily living, in our interactions with people, matters and things. We must always have this mindset; in our interpersonal relationships, we must show gratitude in our interactions. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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