Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Mahayana Nurtures Sentient Beings (洪注大乘潤眾生)
How can we be calm in both our internal and external states? Our minds are always being enticed by our surroundings. Internal and external states attract each other, so our minds cannot calm down. Furthermore, ignorance flies around like dust, because our spirit is experiencing a drought.
So every day we need to nourish ourselves with Dharma-water. If we practice Dharma, it benefits our minds, just as dry fields are benefitted by rain and dew.
So this section of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings states, “Tiny drops fall to cover the dust of desire. Let in the liberating wind and eliminate fiery afflictions. Douse ignorance with the refreshing Dharma. The stream of the Mahayana nurtures all beings.”
We learn Buddhism to attain this state. As ordinary beings, the fields of our minds are dry and lack the rain and dew of Dharma-water. A dry land cannot produce anything. When a land is that dry, it will crack open. Just as the soil needs water, the fields in our minds surely need Dharma-water.
Actually, our bodies also need water. According to medical experts, of the Four Elements, water accounts for most of our physical makeup. About seventy percent of our body is water.
I remember when I was young, I heard some older people discussing the proportion of ocean to mountains to land. Some said, “6 parts ocean, 3 parts mountain, 1 part field.” Clearly oceans are of the water element. When we look at this planet from space, it is blue. This signifies that the place we live in is full of life because it has ample water. Water is vital to humans, and the fields of our minds certainly must not be left to dry out. So, we need Dharma-water. It nurtures us like rain and dew.
During the summer, the sun dries the land and it cracks. If the mind blows, dust and sand fly up. We can compare this to our minds. At night, dew will settle the dust and sand. So when the morning wind blows gently, the dust and sand will not fly everywhere.
So “tiny drops fall first.” In the morning when there is dew and the ground is wet, they “cover the dust of desire.”
Our ignorance arises out of greed, which opens all the doors to desire. Once those doors open, ignorance manifests. So, it is most important to keep the field in our minds nourished with water. Dharma-water must remain in our minds.
If it is very hot, we have to “let the liberation wind in.” When it is stuffy sand hot, we sweat. So, we must truly see our body as impure. When we sweat, out body feels sticky if a light wind blows before we start sweating, it will cool and refresh our body and mind. Then we will have no afflictions.
Let us always keep our minds free of afflictions. Many external conditions create fiery afflictions. This is like an oppressive heat that is hard for us to endure. In our minds there are also many people and matters that are hard to endure. So, if we want to attain self-liberation, we must have that liberating wind. Then we can “eliminate fiery afflictions with refreshing Dharma.”
Dharma can refresh us and “douse ignorance.” Let us eliminate all ignorance, either with Dharma-water or with liberating wind. Hopefully our minds will encounter conditions suitable for us to tame our ignorance.
Then of course, the “great rain of the Mahayana nurtures all beings.” We have to develop our Mahayana spirit, which is to walk the Bodhisattva-path and work among the people. It is like the planes outside flying overhead every few minutes. Aren’t these challenging conditions? When sentences are interrupted or repeated, how can you listen to them? Moreover, “Wisdom at Dawn” is broadcast globally. We do not want the noise of planes in our global broadcast. So, the person speaking must adapt to the sounds of overhead planes. They come every two minutes so sentences are edited together around the noise. The editors must have patience. They have to eliminate noise and patiently edit the sentences together.
Without the Mahayana spirit, even listening is challenging. It is harder for the speaker and editors. They must find ways to send a very refined sound all around the world. Then Dharma-joy and understanding will arise in all the listeners. This requires a Mahayana spirit.
Whether we are talking about winds or drops of dew, we are talking of regulating our minds. As for “nurturing sentient beings,” if we can liberate ourselves from afflictions and establish our will to practice, naturally we can nurture sentient beings.
Sentient beings are afflicted in many ways and do not understand the principles. So, if we can obtain the Dharma, we understand the principles. But if only we understand, it is not enough I hope all sentient beings can obtain the Dharma. One seed can produce infinite seeds; infinity can arise from one. If one person can understand the principles and explain them to more and more people, on produces infinity; infinity arises from One Dharma. Then many people can understand the truth at once.
The text continues, “We may have used false magic or illusions to praise ourselves, claiming we have attained the Four Meditations and Four Formless Samadhi.”
Nowadays, people lie a lot. Not only do they hide things from others and cheat them, they even lie to themselves. They think they have worked hard and gained some special powers. They want people to know that they are different. “I already know many things and already have many magical powers. Because I train myself, I have special abilities you do not have.”
Some people praise themselves, affirming their own ability to live simple lives. They say, “My spiritual practice is great, I live simply without desires and crave nothing. I live a simple life and have undergone very arduous spiritual practice. I can endure vexations and hard work.” This is all about spiritual practice. To practice, one must be patient and have stamina.
You often hear me praise Tzu Chi volunteers’ ability to endure resentments, vexations, and hard work. I see you comfort sentient beings with love. This is what life is about. Wherever there is pain and suffering, regardless of how bad people may smell, or how dirty their surroundings may be, we willingly give with all our love to help these suffering sentient beings. This is true endurance of hard work, vexations, and love. These are concrete actions that ordinary people are capable of doing.
However, some people delude others with fallacies. They say, “I can go of everything. I have reached the level of the Four Meditations of the Form Realm.” Although Tzu Chi volunteers endure hard work, resentments, and vexations, they do not say they already attained Samadhi or attained any of the Four Realizations. But some people will claim this. They do not give to help others, but they think they have attained enlightenment through their practice. They practice for themselves and think they have attained the Four Meditations and Four Samadhis. They perform trickery to delude others. This is”false magic or illusions. They are fake.
Some people used to practice distance healing. Is that real or fake? We do not know. Can people really treat patients this way? Sometimes they will mislead people. Sometimes when we listen to mediums they say, “The spirits have come ! The Buddha is here! I can see... I hear…”
Or they may make many predictions. They talk about our past lives, what karma we are experiencing now, what retributions we will face, and so on.
Many people are deluded by this. When we ask some people with severe depression, “How are you?” they might say, “I hear voices.”
Have they also gained some special powers?
People need to face reality in their daily living, not demonstrate powers to delude people, or claim, to have attained the Four Meditations or Samadhis. In this chaotic and challenging world, who truly has this ability? No one. So do not be deluded by them.
Next, “[we claim to have mastered] Anapana and the 16 Observances and reached the levels of Srotapanna and Athat.”
This is all part of the process of our practice. To attain Samadhi, we practice Anapana and the 16 Observances of Practice. These are the levels of the practice of Samadhi.
For example, Srotapanna, Sakrdagamin, Anagamin and Arhat are the Four Realizations of Hinayana.
To reach the next level, we must pass through these stages of meditation. Anapana is a method of meditation. In the early stages we count breaths. We have previously talked about how we progress through the early stages of m meditation and continue on. The 16 Observances of Practice include. Four Practice for each of the Four NobleTruths.
For example , there are four practices for the Truth of Suffering . They are the Practices of Suffering, of Emptiness, of lmpermanence and of NO-Self. To further explain the Four Practices of Suffering is beyond us right now. It is not something we can easily realize.
Aggregation of Suffering also has four practices. They are the Practices of Aggregation, Causes, Conditions, and Arising.
Cessation of Suffering also has Four Practices. Cessation, Exhaustion, Wonder and Escape.
The Truth of the Path also has four practices. They are the practices of Path, Rightness, Tracks, Vehicle.
These four groups of four stages are the 16 steps needed to arrive at the very subtle state of Samadhi. Sometimes if we pursue these when we meditate, we may become obsessed. So we should practices slowly and steadfastly. While working with others and confronting reality, we need to be able to calm and still our minds. We have to nurture our minds with Dharma-water. Do not be easily tempted by external conditions to give rise to afflictions and flames of worry. We have to used Dharma-water or liberating wind to nurture our minds so that the slightest of winds will not kick up the dust of ignorance and anger. This is how we control our minds. We always nurture them with Dharma-water.
Among the Ten Evils, the easiest to commit is lying. The text we just read was about lies. People believe they have great spiritual powers. To actually attain them without going through those detailed steps is impossible. Do not be easily deluded by lies.
So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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