Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Absolute Truth Never Changes (真諦常住)
We must always increase our will to practice.
Everything arises from causes and conditions; everything causes due to causes and conditions. This arising and ceasing never stops; only Absolute Truth is ever-abiding.
Everyone, everything truly arises from causes and conditions. Only when causes and conditions converge can things form. All things are [based on this] principle, they are inseparable from this principle. This principle exists when conditions converge; as they disperse this principle no longer applies. So, things arise when causes and conditions meet.
Right and wrong depend on causes and conditions. But the Dharma exists to treat what is wrong and help us return to the Truth. It helps us correct mistakes and brings us back to the Truth. Whatever the worldly matter, people will see it as right or wrong. So, this also ceases due to causes and conditions. If we can clearly recognize the principle of causes and conditions, evils and wrongs will naturally disappear and the principles of Absolute Truth will appear. But if we allow ourselves to attract and gather evil causes and conditions, they will harm our understanding of the truth.
Arising and ceasing are opposing forces. When something arises, it exists. When something ceases, it is gone. So, there is arising and ceasing, good and bad. What method do we use to select the pure and true principles? Everything continually arises and ceases. Time also arises and ceases, thus there is past, present and future.
There is no unchanging past. There is no unchanging future. There especially is no unchanging present. So, the Buddha told us, “Everything continually arises and ceases.” Things never stop arising and ceasing. But Absolute Truth is ever-abiding. Whether we look at the past, present or future, true principles are ever-abiding. Since the time the Buddha started explaining the source of the principles, they have been passed down, up to today. They have existed for a very long time. If people follow these principles, not only will they have lasted 2,000 years, but 5,000 or 10,000 years in the future, as long as people follow these principles and society’s way of life, then these principles will still be passed down. These principles will still exist in some way. They are not limited by time.
So, they are eternally abiding. Everyone, please be mindful. Good and bad causes and conditions are opportunities for good evil practices to arise. If our hearts eternally abide in Right Dharma, naturally negative causes and conditions will never have the opportunity to converge. Good causes and conditions will always multiply. This depends on whether we understand principles.
If we understand them, Absolute Truth eternally abides. The Buddha expounded the Sutras so that everyone could understand these principles forever. Therefore we must respect them and not look down on them. Thus, this section of the repentance text says, “We may think lightly of the Buddha’s words, slander the Mahayana, praise the Sravaka. For these countless and boundless transgressions” we must “repent completely.”
This means that, besides protection the Sutras, we must not think that after we read them, we can claim to understand everything with our worldly knowledge and mundane cleverness. Nor can we think lightly of the Dharma and “respect deviant teachings,” because we have heard many things.
Even among those who study Buddha-Dharma, there are some who lose their way. If they “respect deviant teachings, they have strayed.”
Perhaps some “slander the Mahayana.” They disrespect the Mahayana teachings, but they “praise the Sravaka” and think just listening to Sutras brings merits and virtues. They practice by only reciting Buddha’s name, or listening to Dharma, and will not do anything to create more karma. They think working with others is Forced Affinity, and creates karma.
I remember when Tzu Chi started, many people said, “You cultivate blessings, but not wisdom.” “Everyone has their own karmic causes and effects. They were destined to endure pain and suffering and face the torture of poverty and illness. If you help them, you have disrupted cause and effect.” People used to say that.
So, I would say, “Them how do you explain the Four Immeasurables of kindness, compassion joy and equanimity?” So to summarize, in all of the Buddha’s teachings.
He started by telling everyone, “Listen to the teachings. Listening once can remove all karmic obstacles. Recite the Buddha’s name. One recitation will eliminate many disasters. Then you will not transmigrate in the Six Realms. You will go to the Western Pure Land after death.”
That is what He told those whose capacities were relatively limited. This allowed them to start understanding Dharma and begin believing in the Buddha. If they recite His name, He is in their hearts. Then they will not do bad deeds.
These words are targeted at those people.
But we have heard about, see and interacted with a group of volunteers from South Africa; their skin color may be different, but their vow is the same as ours. Although they are Catholic of Protestant, now they believe in the Buddha’s principles.
They believe in the Dharma and universal love. They hope to spread Tzu Chi’s teachings of love all around the world.
So, they sign with their hands and sing, “Spread Master’s teachings of love all around the world.” You see, they have that aspiration. They understand, through Protestant and Catholic teachings, the same truth on universal love. But they live in a country with a great disparity between the rich and the poor. They see social unrest and many suffering people.
Tzu Chi volunteers embraced them with love and gave with loving sincerity, so they were touched. They spoke of the great kindness they received that helped them endure a tough time when they had the fewest resources. These volunteers also guided and educated them. They were taught skills to make a living. Vocational centers were established so they could all learn skills that they could use to find jobs.
At this point, over 14,000 families are able to support themselves without assistance. They can make a living. This changed their lives. So, during the first three months they received help and listened to the volunteers’ principles. Then they understood that there were more people with even greater hardships, and that they could help those who were worse off than them. They wanted to become those who give to others, not people who need help from others. Although their families were still poor, they had more than enough energy and love, so they began working with Tzu Chi volunteers.
These African bodhisattvas are so dedicated. Look at how they care for others, especially those with AIDS. Even medical facilities abandon and reject AIDS patients, and their family members a dare not approach them.
But look at our Tzu Chi volunteers, this group of African Bodhisattvas. Look at how they work with each family, including those abandoned because they have AIDS. They cherish and take care of them with love. They are Catholics, and Protestants, but when they send off the dead, they stand with other Tzu Chi volunteers and recite Amitabha as well as Hallelujah.
This is to remind the deceased of their faith in Catholicism. But since they have also received Buddha’s teachings, so they must not forget that either. Tzu Chi had taught them that once they die, they should quickly return. So, they recite Amitabha with Tzu Chi volunteers as they circumambulate the Buddha to send off the deceased. Look at this group of African volunteers whose love is unconditional and unselfish. AIDS is communicable, but they are knowledgeable about it
“We just need to not let open wounds come in contact with their blood or saliva. As long as we are careful about this we are safe.” You see, aren’t they very wise? They know to be careful. They give with love. So, they are not simply listening, they are actually doing things. Besides treating AIDS patients, they also adopt children with AIDS. At their “guardian factories, they train others how to make clothes.” We provide them the materials to make clothes. Then they give the clothes they learned to make to children with AIDS. So these children have new clothes to wear and can live an innocent and carefree life, like ordinary children. They often go to care for these children They provide them with clothes, resources and love. They also care for elders living alone. The do not have AIDS, but they are old, ill or handicapped with no one to take care of them. See, they do not only listen to the Dharma and the principles for their own salvation and benefit. No, they also help others.
We also find many people like this in Taiwan, and in Malaysia, too. We help those with no money receive kindly dialysis. After we take care of their health problem, we help them return to a normal life and to make a living. Then, besides working and taking time for dialysis, they also become volunteers. See, doesn’t this transform their causes and conditions? We must not allow negative conditions from the past to create more negative causes. Once they exhaust negative conditions, we must help them plant positive seeds. This is truly why the Buddha came to the world.
So, remember the Four lmmeasurables. Have great loving–kindness and compassion; do not be slanderous. The Mahayana [follows ] the Four lmmeasurables. Have unconditional loving–kindness and universal compassion. Develop great joy and equanimity among people. But if someone’s understanding is wrong, he will be slanderous. He will slander the Mahayana Dharma. He will have many reasons for seeing flaws. So, some people are slanderous.
They “try to find bones in an egg.” They look for flaws. They look for them constantly and then use them for slander. They actually twist the truth. They only praise the Sravake teachings. They truly commit serious transgressions, which are infinite and boundless.
“For these infinite and boundless transgressions, we repent completely.” So, do not go astray when learning Buddhism. We know that in this world, all things arise from causes and conditions. Things arise when causes and conditions meet.
The reason we encounter good or bad conditions is that we already created those causes in the past. Whether we meet good or bad people, even if they are bad people, if we are not connected by causes and conditions, they will not hurt us. And if we meet someone who everyone else thinks if great, Perhaps one sentence creates disagreement, or they find our appearance unpleasant, so an incident occurs. This is the same. If we did not create bad affinities, naturally we will not be hurt even when we are among a bad crowd.
Look at Venerable Master Hui-neng.
During his escape, he spent some time with robbers. But he was not harmed. He stayed pure and took care of himself. He protected his life and avoided doing bad things or being influenced by others. He kept the pure and true principles of the Buddha protected in his heart. So, once he could be free from those robbers, he thought about how to transform them.
This is the Dharma, the Truth. It will not change regardless of environment. The Truth will stay true, no matter how much time passes. Even in a bad environment, It remains the Truth. It will not change. It is like a precious pearl. If it falls into a cesspool, as long as you can find it and then use water to wash it, it is still that same precious jewel. It will not be defiles by the excrement. This is the same principle.
So let us protect this seed, this pure thought, this nature that is as loving as the Buddha’s. In this way, this Truth will abide eternally. Everything continually arises and ceases, but Absolute Truth abides eternally. Everyone, we must mindfully realize this principle. Spread love all around the world; this is a principle. Spread Dharma all around the world; that is also a principle. This is the loving mind of Mahayana. So, do not slander it.
Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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