Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Awakening Wisdom with Compassion (以悲啟智)
I often say that our heart, wisdom and consciousness are completely inseparable from our daily living. So, we should always unify our consciousness and our heart. We should guide compassion with wisdom, and arouse wisdom with compassion.
We practice with wisdom and compassion to create both blessings and wisdom. As mentioned, we must repent for our Mind-root. Then we will gain merits and virtues. When the mind is pure, wisdom is produced to guide one’s compassion. Once our compassion is inspired, we should use it to awaken more wisdom, a more impartial wisdom. So, guide compassion with wisdom, awaken wisdom with compassion.
Wisdom has the power to discern the countless matters and phenomena is this world. Seeing suffering inspires our compassion and leads us to serve people. When we see worldly suffering, if we look deeper, through our compassion we can realize completely pure and impartial wisdom.
Thus, compassion awakens our wisdom. So, we have both Discerning Wisdom and Impartial Wisdom. Since compassion can inspire all of our wisdom, we can cultivate compassion and wisdom simultaneously; we can create both blessings and wisdom.
So, our Mind-root can accomplish the Ten Powers and gain insight into the Five Studies.
The Ten Powers of the Buddha:
1. Knowing right and wrong under all conditions.
2. Knowing karmic retribution in the Three Periods.
3. Knowledge of the Samadhi of liberation.
4. Knowledge of relative capabilities.
5. Knowledge of many types of understanding.
6. Knowledge of different realms.
7. Knowledge of all paths.
8. Knowledge from the unobstructed Heavenly Eye.
9. Flawless knowledge of past lives.
10. Knowing how to eliminate habits.
Of the Ten Powers, we have discussed “knowing right and wrong in all conditions”, “knowing karmic retribution in the Three Periods”, and “knowledge of the Samadhi of liberation.”
Now the fourth is “knowledge of relative capabilities.” We should always be vigilant of our minds. Then we can clearly understand people’s various capabilities. All karma is created by the Six Roots. A slight deviance causes our Roots to function negatively. Functioning negatively means that when the eyes perceive form, they give rise to improper thinking and behavior.
It is the same when ears hear sounds, etc. When our sense organs come in contact with sense objects, if our minds are impure, they become negative. But if our minds are pure, the Six Roots become tools for our practice.
In practice, we must benefit others and ourselves. For ourselves, we must develop our Wisdom-life and be more diligent. When we are mindful of the Six Roots, all is clear and our wisdom develops. We will not err in what we see or do. So, we should possess clear wisdom to see the myriad things of every form that we encounter in this world.
What emotions do we have when we deal with others? Are we greedy, angry, ignorant, arrogant or doubtful? Or are we kind, compassionate, joyful and giving? This is all based on our perspective. If purity develops through our wisdom, our Roots will have positive functions and be wholesome and complete.
The fifth is “knowledge of many types of understanding.” In this world, we use our Discerning Wisdom to discern the identity and use of various objects.
In the past, people thought about developing certain products to make life more convenient. But they did not consider the consequences when they introduced these products. As a result, only after these products had been developed for the sake of convenience and everyone had already started using them, did people realize they made a mistake. We continue to drill for petroleum. Although it can be used to create many things in our daily life, it is now causing much damage to the Earth.
This is seeing the present without understanding the consequences. Although we now know, it is already too late. People today are in fear as the Earth is now truly in a crisis from all the industrial pollution. Ordinary beings only see what is in front of them, without understanding the effects. So, we should understand not only the past and not only the present. We should understand what the Earth possesses, that it supports myriad living things that allow us to survive. Underneath the Earth’s surface, our planet contains even greater wealth. But with such knowledge, we should not destroy our planet; we should have a heart of gratitude. With this understanding, we must protect everything, whether it is on the surface or underneath.
Though some people know, they still destroy it, because they are unaware of the consequences. These are intelligent yet unwise ordinary beings, who create a lot of misfortune.
The sixth is “knowledge of different realms.” How many realms are there? In the past we spoke of the 18 Realms. What are the 18 Realms? Everyone should still remember them, the Six Roots, Six Dusts and Six Consciousnesses. Three times six makes 18 Realms. What kind of intelligence do we use to discern our surrounding environment? The Six Roots. We also need to know about the Three Realms of Desire, Form and Formlessness. In our daily living, who can escape the Realm of Form? As ordinary beings, when we face all the various forms of the world, it is hard not to give rise to desires. All these forms exist in our thoughts. Thoughts are formless, but when desires and forms come together, afflictions arise. If we explain it this way, we can understand what the Realms of Desire, Form and Formlessness are.
If you study these realms in the Buddhist Sutras, there are discussions of states of meditation. Actually, in our daily living all of our actions can be meditation. Eating and drinking can be a type of meditation. If you view all external states with a pure mind, you Roots are naturally pure. So we should carefully apply “knowledge of different realms” in our life to understand everything.
The seventh is “knowledge of all paths.” We should know that “knowledge of all paths” is referring to where we are going. Great Magnificent Bodhisattva asked the Buddha from where do Bodhisattvas arise? From the Buddha’s abode. Where do they go? To where sentient beings are. Where do they dwell? Where Bodhisattvas serve. We should understand where we come from and where we are going. What is our direction in life? We need to have a direction, so we set our aspirations and make our vows. Our direction must also be proper.
One who does not know his direction is truly unenlightened. Only confused ordinary beings are unaware of where they are going. With the power of His wisdom, the Buddha can come and go freely. Where does He go? He continues to come into our world, where suffering sentient beings dwell. He manifests in all forms to transform different beings. This is His purpose in coming to this world. Does He ever leave and not return? No. So the Buddha often mentioned infinite Kalpas in the Sutras. Within this long period of time, as sentient beings continued to create karma, He would continue to freely come and go. This is “knowledge of all paths.”
We must be clear about the paths we take. When the Buddha comes to this world, He clearly knows what methods to use, where and in what form He should manifest. He never departs from the Saha-world. He just appear in different forms, in different eras and different locations; He is always in this Saha-world to protect suffering sentient beings.
The eighth is “knowledge from the unobstructed Heavenly Eye”. The Heavenly Eye is unobstructed. Ordinary beings have physical eyes with limited sight. They only see an object and know what it is, but they do not know all the elements that it is composed of, or its usage in this world. It is mentioned in the Medicine Buddha Sutra that on the ground, a blade of grass, a tree, a rock or even soil can be used as medicine.
But ordinary people only see a rock. Rocks can also cure illnesses, if one can differentiate the different types. For example, in the past we often heard about people grinding certain stones into powder to be used as medicine.
You may still remember when we sent relief to North Korea; the people there were eating tree bark. During the relief evaluation, we thought about how to communicate with them. What could we provide that would help them? Should we give them rice, or something else? One volunteer returned with a piece of dry bark to show me, and said, “Master, this is what they eat.”
How did they eat it?
“They would grind it into powder to be mixed with flour or corn meal to make bread.”
So what object on Earth is not beneficial to mankind?
Ordinary people do not understand, yet with His power, the Buddha has “knowledge from unobstructed Heavenly Eye.” An enlightened on understands everything He sees.
The ninth is “Flawless knowledge of past lives”. We came into this world for a reason. What reason? Whatever causes we created, whatever affinities we have formed, we receive the appropriate effects and retributions. This is the karmic law of cause and effect. So, does knowing our past lives mean that our destiny is pre-determined? That would be too pessimistic.
So, the Buddha said that the practice of purity brings flawlessness. We should not continue to regress. Since we understand our past lives, if we continue to regress, that would be a mistake. We need pure, flawless wisdom to know how we came to this world and what retributions we will receive. We should immediately renounce past wrongdoings, repent and return to purity. Each of us possesses a pure, undefiled nature. This is “flawless knowledge.” One transcends the ordinary and returns to the realm of sages.
The tenth is “knowing how to eliminate habits.” I often say that everyone possesses Buddha–nature. Since we already have it, what is there to cultivate? However, we carry past habitual tendencies with us. Don’t I always say that spiritual practice is about eliminating habitual tendencies, removing our bad habits? Then we will realize our intrinsic, altruistic potential. This is the goal of our practice.
The Buddha taught us how to practice. In the Ten Powers, the last power is teaching us to, “know how to eliminate habits.” Ordinary people waver and make mistakes. They clearly know that something is wrong and that they need to reflect and repent. But not long after they repent, ignorance and afflictions arise again. Our Roots, Dusts and Consciousnesses combine and are defiled again. If they function negatively, habits arise and one errs again.
So everyone, in learning Buddhism, we must simplify everything. Time is already running out. We should not dwell on words and be caught up on the different interpretations of the text. If we explain meaning according to the Sutras, every person still has different views, so we should apply the Ten Powers of the Buddha to understand our daily living and enhance our wisdom.
We should guide compassion with wisdom. With wisdom, we need to inspire our compassion. Then, we should use our compassion to develop pure, flawless wisdom so we can apply both wisdom and compassion to truly cultivating blessings and wisdom.
Everyone, learning Buddhism is about eliminating our bad habits. If we can do so, our pure, flawless wisdom will manifest. Then we can gradually transcend the ordinary and approach the realm of the saints and sages. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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