Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Six Practices: Ten Dedications Part 7(六行~十回向行七)
Time passes quickly. One day passes after another. However, can we maintain forever the direction and diligence of our practice? Lately, we keep saying that mind, Buddha and sentient beings are the same. Indeed, what is the difference between them? The difference is in sentient beings’ ignorance and deluded actions. Once an ignorant thought arises, we become careless and make many mistakes. If our thoughts deviate, we bring chaos into our family. If all families are in chaos, there will be no peace in the world.
It all beings with a single thought. So we should listen to Dharma every day, and root our actions in our spiritual practice. Listening to Dharma requires critical thinking and practice. We must diligently cultivate our minds and approach everything respectfully; this must be our attitude toward spiritual practice.
Yesterday I also said the sixth of the Ten Dedications is Dedication of treating all sentient beings equally. All Buddhas’ worlds should be the same as sentient beings’ worlds. The worlds we speak of are Buddha-lands. The Tathagata is pure, so a pure mind is Tathagata’s Buddha-land. We believe all sentient beings have a root of goodness like we do and like the Buddha does. This is what you heard yesterday. The seventh Dedication is “Dedication of equally adapting to all beings.”
Seventh of the Practice of Ten Dedications: All sentient beings are endowed with equal natures. There is no disparity. This is the Dedication of equally adapting to all beings.
We must know, if we are adaptable, we can accommodate all sentient beings. However, since everyone has different habits, afflictions, and careless actions, how do we adapt to them all? A few days ago we talked about safeguarding our minds and realizing our Initial and Innate Enlightenments. Our spiritual should be transcendent but we must live among people. Still, we are afraid of being confused and led astray by others. If we can elevate our Initial Enlightenment and strengthen our Innate Enlightenment, we can adapt to people without being confused by them.
When working among people, if we can safeguard our minds, elevate our Initial Enlightenment, and solidity our Innate Enlightenment, we will not be seduced or confused by them.
We must respect sentient beings and Buddha equally. We must have this mindset. “Sentient beings in the Ten Directions are endowed with equal natures. There is no disparity.” All sentient beings have the same nature as we do. We were all originally equal, with no disparity. This nature is not greater in saints or lesser in ordinary people. Everyone is equal. Although I have been saying that Buddha and sentient beings are no different, everyone wonders.
"Can I attain that state?” We are afraid we cannot. So we must continuously dedicate our merits. Dedicate Merits from Small to Large. We must also bring our hearts closer to Buddha’s to understand His state and mindset. Furthermore, we aspire to bring our hearts closer to all sentient beings’ and bring their hearts closer to ours. We seek Buddha’s way and transform all beings
Let our hearts be close to Buddha’s. Then we can approach sentient beings and draw their hearts close to ours. So we seek Buddha’s way and transform sentient beings.
The Buddha-Dharma is endless. We must diligently progress toward the state of Buddhahood. We need to continuously aspire and resolve to engage sentient begins. Thus, we, Buddha and sentient beings are one. We seek Buddha’s way and transform sentient beings. We should always have this attitude. This is Dedication of Merit from Small to Large. So we hope to bring our hearts closer to Buddha’s.
Now that we are “cultivating the True Cause, to perfect the root of goodness, we should know that all sentient begins have the same innate nature as we do”. This means the same thing. We are cultivating the True Cause, as indicated in the aforementioned passage. True Cause is the seed of our Tathagata-nature; we discussed this yesterday. The meaning of the text above, “Now that we are cultivating the True Cause to perfect the root of goodness, is that as we approach our Tathagata-nature, our roots of goodness will continuously develop.” As we have said, “Wisdom comes from experience.” We must experience things to gain wisdom. If we avoid experiences, we are avoiding progress. No matter how much Dharma we have listened to or thought about, if we do not practice it, we can never integrate it into our lives.
Wisdom comes from experience. Experience things to gain wisdom. If we listen to Dharma without practicing it, no matter how much we have heard, we will never perfect the root of goodness.
The key word is “practice.” So we should practice the True Cause to perfect the root of goodness. If we do not practice True Cause and realize our Initial Enlightenment, our true and pure starting point, we will never understand. So, after we realize it, we need to perfect the root of goodness by living among others. Then “we should know that all sentient beings have the same innate nature as ours.” If we understand, then we know that all sentient beings have the same innate nature as ours. Our innate natures are equal.
This world is Tzu Chi’s place of practice. Therefore we need to practice here. The Human Realm is our training ground. Our charity work has already extended to the rest of the world. There are many disasters in this world. Countries are so fragile. Look at the 2004 tsunami in South Asia and the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. So many people endured great suffering. Twelve countries were struck by the tsunami. Though the damage in some countries was not as severe as others’ their suffering was the same. In both Malaysia and Thailand, we saw houses swept away, homes shattered, families broken by death. Though the tsunami hit other nations harder, they felt the same magnitude of suffering.
So Tzu Chi volunteers, living Bodhisattvas, appeared at once in both Malaysia and Thailand. They accompanied aid recipients for several days and provided them with daily necessities. They spent a relatively short amount of time there. They spent more time in areas with widespread damage, such as Aceh, Indonesia. Aceh alone was split into several disaster areas. And in one month, there were earthquakes measuring between 6 and 7 on the Richter scale. Big aftershocks occurred many times in less than two months.
The volunteers there truly felt people’s pain. They lived with them and embraced these suffering people. They comforted accompanied them. With their hands, they gave them what they needed. They treated them gently and respectfully to soothe their sorrows and calm their minds. Then they helped create living arrangements so these people could resume their lives. Tzu Chi volunteers stayed in Aceh for a long time. They took care of their daily needs, their medical needs, and rebuilt their houses. Isn’t that empathy? It is feeling the suffering of all sentient beings as if it were our own. They stayed there to help and rebuild.
We did the same in Sri Lanka. Besides providing emergency medical services, Tzu Chi helped stabilize their living conditions and rebuild their homes for the long term. We thought about how we build our own living environments, so that we could provide them with environments that would match what they liked and needed. We did all we could. The pictures showed a beautiful environment. Sri Lanka was already a beautiful place. The area we chose was pretty high up. It was not on the slopes, but on a hilltop, at a higher elevation. The homes had wide open views. Moreover, people cherished their trees. Three that were hundreds of years old flourished. They could see the ocean, sunrises and sunsets. The land and the air was very clean. We divided the land provided by the government and helped them build houses of over 700 square feet. We also helped them build fences and plant trees. Each unit was a standalone house.
One of our honorary board members, who is also on our architecture committee, said, “The houses looked like villas in Taiwan. So beautiful.” We need to walk the Bodhisattvas-path to experience sentient beings’ suffering. We must understand it to care for and comfort them, and develop a mind that expends affection and spreads great love. Thus we become Enlightened Sentient Beings. Since we have realized sentient beings’ suffering, we want to help those in poverty and hardship, and rescue them from disaster. We want to help these poor families to eacape their difficulties. We hope they will change their lives to leave suffering and attain happiness. Doing so requires sincerity and patience. So, this is also called practicing the True Cause. We need to elevate our sincerity, nurture our roots of goodness, and live among others. If we cannot realize that sentient beings are equal to us and if we do not have empathy, how can we have patience? Who are they to us? When we go to those countries, we humbly when we make requests. We ask workers to meet our standards, manufactures to provide a higher quality of work, governments to provide electricity, water, roads. Why? We are not related to them at all. We come from Taiwan, so we must be humble and patient in working with them. We do so simply out of our sincere love. Understanding sentient beings’ suffering is equally adapting to all sentient beings.
No matter what disaster strikes, we have to throw ourselves into it to help people. Because we respect that all sentient beings are equal to Buddha and to us. Doing so is called the Dedication of equally adapting to all beings. Viewing everyone equally is part of empathy. We not only care about ourselves, but also all sentient beings in Earth.
Earnestly feel and experience the suffering of sentient beings, comfort them with empathy. We view sentient beings, Buddhas, ourselves as equal. This is Dedication equally adapting to all beings.
Everyone, there is no other way to learn Buddha’s teachings. We dedicate Merit from Small to Large. We need to respect initial Enlightenment and stand solidly on Innate Enlightenment. Do not be seduced or defiled by suffering and confused sentient beings. How then, can we help them in their suffering? How can we transform them? We must be equally adaptable to all beings.
Everyone, we need to reflect on this. Then we must put it into practice. Remember, listen, think and practice. So, everyone please be mindful. Do not let sentient beings lose their roots of goodness. Everyone always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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