Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Dharma Nourishes Virtue (法味潤德)
In learning Buddhism, we should always listen, contemplate and practice. If we listen to the Buddha-Dharma often, our minds will remain tranquil. Tranquility will arise from knowing the principles.
When we know the principles, no worldly turmoil will be able to affect us, because we are able to comprehend all Dharma. This ability comes from hearing the Dharma. So, hearing the Dharma will bring joy.
Hearing the Dharma brings boy. As the sound of Dharma enters the mind, the taste of Dharma nourishes our virtue and feeds our Wisdom-life.
We should truly listen to the Dharma mindfully. If you just sit here every day while I put my heart into sharing with you and are not mindful in listening, you will only hear words. Often, the ears of ordinary beings hear mundane or ordinary speech and turn it into afflictions. With doubtful and improper mindsets, people create afflictions as they listen. So, how can we calm the mind?
So, we must listen to the Buddha-Dharma with a strong resolve to engage in spiritual practice. If our resolve to practice is firm, every sound we hear is the sound of the Dharma. Look at all the things on this Earth. Perhaps a small breeze moves a tree, just before dawn. With the streetlamp out front, and the slightest breeze moving the tree, a shadow is cast on the wall. Though the sky is still dark, the breeze and the tree allow us to feel the virtue of the land and the beauty of all things.
We will be grateful to have been born on this Earth with the existence of night and day. In the daytime, we can see everything clearly. We can see many things from far away, and can experience the vastness of the land.
At night, like now, when it is not yet light out, we can experience a state of purity and tranquility. It is quite serene. So, we understand that the more we focus, the sounds of the land and all phenomena in the universe will nurture our minds. If our thinking is clear and pure, we can smell many fragrances.
So, the fragrance of virtue permeates everything. Wherever you go, there is an unspeakable joy that arises from the Dharma. The taste of Dharma nourishes our virtue. Our minds are free from afflictions, and we feel Dharma-joy and meditative bliss. So, as the Dharma nurtures our virtue, it naturally nourishes our Wisdom-life.
Don’t we always hope to develop our Wisdom-life? As the days pass, we continue to age. In life, we all wither and grow old. But if we awaken our Wisdom-life, it never grows old and it never withers. It will remain forever pure and new. Because of our [limited] wisdom, there are many things in this world that we have yet to penetrate, that we have yet to fully understand. There is still much that we do not know. So, our Wisdom-life will continue to grow when our minds are quite. As we walk the path of the Buddha, if we listen to the Buddha-Dharma with a tranquil mind, our wisdom will naturally develop.
So, we should be joyful when we hear the Dharma. When our minds are still, all things, people and matters will become completely calm, lucid and clear. What afflictions then can disturb our minds?
We have discussed the Ten Powers of the Buddha. With this ten-fold knowledge, He possesses a power that is lucid and clear. It is completely clear, with no defilements. That is the nature of this power. We have talked about the Ten Powers, now we will cover the Five Studies.
May the merits and virtues of repentance enable my Mind-root accomplish the Ten Powers and gain insight into the Five Studies. The Five Studies are the five sciences of ancient India:
1. The Study of Language and Grammar
2. The study of Arts and Crafts
3. The Study of Medicine
4. The study of Logic
5. The Study of Religion (Inner Studies)
The first is the study of language and grammar. How do we make sounds and use language? Depending on the sound, we should be able to discern whether a person is strong and full of vitality, whether their body is healthy. When they speak, we can tell whether their mind is clear, or whether they are full of afflictions, and so on. This is all perceived through sound. With language, we can analyze the things in life.
With this study of language, not only can we understand things and distinguish good from evil, etc., additionally, some people are able to understand many different languages and sounds.
There is a story in the Sutras about a practitioner who was hired by a group of seafaring merchants to transport their goods. These merchants were his employers. One day they docked the boat to eat lunch. For lunch, they gave out some rice balls. This porter took his and went off to the side, to sit under a tree. As they began to eat, the birds started to sing. The porter suddenly laughed and shook his head. Others who watched him thought he was going mad because he was eating by himself while laughing and shaking his head. When they asked him what was going on, the porter was silent.
But they kept asking him, and after the merchants asked him three times, the porter answered, “I just heard the birds say that there is a treasure hidden somewhere [near here].” When he heard the birds share this, the porter felt that he did not want any treasure, so he just laughed and shook his head. Even birds can be quite intelligent, let alone humans. The birds told him that it was hard work to haul goods for others so he should find that treasure instead. But as a spiritual practitioner, worldly material goods did not entice him, so he laughed at the thought.
But the others were intrigued. They felt that it was taxing and risky to travel the seas in order to trade goods for profit. Since a treasure existed, why not try to obtain it? They also thought that although the porter said he was not interested in obtaining wealth, he might secretly seek the treasure in the future. They had this greedy thought and plotted to kill the porter.
They told him they were thirsty and asked him to go over and fetch some water. As he bent over to scoop some up, they pushed him into the water and quickly left with their horses and carts. As the porter struggled in the water, he watched the group of people leave and wondered what to do.
At that moment, he realized that a single evil thought can cause people to disregard all relationships and murder one another for material gain. As he was struggling in the water, a large log floated by, so he climbed onto it and drifted downstream with the current. After a while, the group of men thought that the porter must have drowned. So, they returned to look for the buried treasure. After digging in the area, they found it and quickly started to fight over it.
As the porter drifted, he heard a lot of commotion as the men fought over how to divide the treasure they just found. He realized then that in life, this kind of mindset can be truly terrifying. So, he renounced worldly ways of making a living, and vowed to fully commit to spiritual practice.
This is all about sound; like the sound of the birds talking. We only hear chirps, but they are actually communicating. Ordinary beings cannot understand; only those with special abilities can. Besides the language of humans, some people can understand the sounds of the Earth and learn its principles. This is all included in the study of language.
Next is the study of arts and crafts. With such studies, one is dexterous and knows how to do many things. One understands the methods and can do either heavy or detailed work. There are many things in the world for us to enjoy. There is artwork made of wood or stone. There are statues of the Buddha for us to revere. There are chairs for us to sit on. These are materials of the land that were transformed into objects for people to respect, enjoy and use. This is all arts and crafts. So, this is called the study of arts and crafts.
Then there is the study of medicine. Besides being a doctor, one also understands everything about medicine. In our medical school, there are many departments, general medicine, pharmacology, rehabilitation, etc. There are many specialties for the different parts of the body, including speech therapy and linguistics. So, the study of medicine is focused on the human body.
Next is the study of logic. This is the understanding of principles. All things have an originating cause. Without a cause, how can we talk about how things arise? Logic not only applies to our reasoning, but also to our speech. When we are speaking, we always have a reason. “Why do say that? It’s because…“ There is always a reason why something is done. However, we should be very clear about the causes of why we do something. Then we will seize the time to do what is proper. This is the study of logic. Logic is not only be used in reasoning.
In our daily living, we have to consider why someone did something, or why someone said something. Why? There is always a reason. So, why do we practice spiritually? To be free from the bonds of afflictions, to purify our minds, to transcend the ordinary, and to approach the state of the Buddha and sages. There is a reason why we practice.
To summarize, our daily living is inseparable from logic. We should be clear-minded and not be lured by temptations or give rise to evil thoughts and actions.
In everything we do, we must be very clear. We should do what is proper, and not do what is improper.
Next is lnner Studies. That refers to religion. We cannot know others without knowing ourselves. We must first come to understand ourselves. There is a phrase, one is clear and pure inside and out. Our minds should be very clear. Since we have begun our religious practice, we must keep our thoughts pure. If our minds are not clear, how can we interact with the external world? If the mind is impure, how can we help others be pure? We cannot guide others without transforming ourselves first. So, we must achieve clarity inside and out. This is why we study religion. Religion allows us to return to our intrinsic nature. Every religion teaches us how to benefit others with unconditional Great Love. We must first love ourselves, and take care of our own minds. Do not allow your mind to be confused or allow your actions to err. That is the true purpose of studying religion. Therefore, we must completely understand the Ten Powers and the Five Studies. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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