Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Fulfillment of Host (主成就)
Date: April. 02, 2013
The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One of the universe. From Beginningless Time until now, for countless kalpas, He has had one great cause. The Buddha truly cares for this world. From Beginningless Time until now, His only wish has been for every person become enlightened, to realize the principles of worldly matters. Although He manifested the appearance of entering Parinirvana, the universe is so vast, and He is actually always in this Saha World. Because He cares for all sentient beings, He constantly appears in this world and will abide here eternally. So as Buddhist disciples, we must hold the Buddha in our hearts. With the Buddha in our hearts, naturally the Dharma will be in our actions. Thus the Buddha eternally abides here to expound Dharma; True Suchness always abides. He is forever in this world, forever expounding Dharma for sentient beings. His True Suchness, His true nature, forever abides. We must all believe that the Dharma we hear flows from the Dharma-sea of the Buddha’s wisdom. So we must believe that the Buddha eternally abides in the world.
The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One of the universe. From Beginningless Time until now, in the present and the past, for countless kalpas, His one great cause is to manifest in this world and eternally stay here to expound the Dharma. True Suchness always abides.
We need to understand, what is a Buddha? We often listen to teachings so we know this, but I still want to tell everyone that a Buddha has perfect virtue. He enlightened Himself, others and has perfect enlightened conduct. A Buddha’s virtuous conduct is perfect, like the full moon in the sky that is perfect on the 15th of the lunar month perfect and complete circle. How is He so perfect and complete? First, He enlightened Himself. Then He works to enlighten others. He does not only enlighten Himself, He also hopes that all sentient beings can have the same state of mind as He does, the same enlightenment. The Buddha truly believes that everyone is equal to Him and has a pure absolute Buddha-nature. Therefore, He firmly believes that everyone can be enlightened like He is and thoroughly realize all things in the world. Thus besides enlightening Himself, He also wants to enlighten others. To enlighten others, He has to work very hard. He has to walk among humankind, so people may come in contact with Him. It is said the Buddha has great conditions to transform others. So regardless of the time, He is always coming in contact with people and creating karmic connections with them.These are the conditions for transformation.
As long as people can encounter the Buddha-Dharma, they will be happy.When they see the Buddha, a sense of joy arises.This is a joyful karmic connection.If such a connection arises in this life, then in the next, there will be conditions for transformation.“Buddha transforms those with such connections.”If one did not create a joyful karmic connection with Him, one cannot be transformed in this life.The Buddha became enlightened in one lifetime.But to enlighten others, for sentient beings to awaken, takes more than one lifetime.He has a multitude of sentient beings [to transform], an ever increasing number, so He continuously returns to the Saha World.He continuously creates karmic connections with and awakens that sense of joy in sentient beings.
The naturally they will accept these karmic conditions that enable transformation.He has to begin with self-enlightenment.Then He can enlighten and transform others so they may gain the same realizations as Him.
Besides enlightening Himself and others, He has to have perfect enlightened conduct.
Self-enlightenment only benefits oneself.Among the fourfold assembly of Buddhist disciples, there are solitary realizes as well.In an era without a Buddha, some can still awaken themselves as long as they have the [right] conditions.They might have encountered a Buddha in a past life, so even though they did not encounter Him in this life, they can attain solitary realization.
How can they enlighten themselves?Through the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter, and all things in the world.Simply by observing the climate and the changing of everything in the land, they can attain enlightenment.But they only enlighten themselves; they lack the conditions to enlighten others.But the Buddha hopes that we are all like Him, that after we enlighten ourselves, we will enlighten others.So every person can truly comprehend the perfect conduct of enlightening self and others.That means when I have attained self-enlightenment, so have you.
My self-enlightenment can inspire you, and you can also enlighten yourself then others.
This is the perfect and complete part of enlightening self, others having perfect enlightened conduct.This conduct refers to what I do once enlighten.You can also do the same once you are enlightened.This is called turning the Dharma-wheel.It is what we mean by truly perfect and complete.
In regards to the Buddha and sentient beings, by enlightening self, others, and having perfect enlightened conduct, we are each other’s teachers.[The Buddha] is called the “teacher of countless lifetimes,” not just one.For countless lifetimes He has been the father of sentient beings, and their teacher,
Fulfillment of Host is signified by “the Buddha”.He had perfect virtue, enlightened Himself and others.With prefect enlightened conduct, he is the teacher of countless lifetimes and father of all sentient beings.
The word Buddha, in Sanskrit, is short for Buddhaya, which means Enlightened One.We shorten that to Buddha.He is an Enlightened One, a Knower.He realizes the true principle of all things in the universe.He knows of past, present and future lives.He knows of past, present and future lives.He knows the Dharma of permanence and of impermanence.Regardless of past, present or future, since ancient times, all things in the world have been impermanent.People in the world say permanence exists.But is the world make of impermanent or permanent phenomena?
Impermanence is true emptiness, permanence is wondrous existence.This Dharma of true emptiness and wondrous existence is very clear in the Buddha’s mind.As for ordinary people, we hear it, know it but we only know the names and terms. We understand this sound. You hear and know the language I speak in, you understand the words of the language. You hear and you know, but that is all. This is very far from through comprehension. So we need to have the aspiration to follow the Buddha for countless lifetimes. In this lifetime, we heard the Buddha-Dharma.
In the next, we hope to still hear it. The Buddha-Dharma guides us toward brightness, toward tranquility and clarity, toward that ultimate state of Nirvana. The Buddha wants us to be like Him and enter the Land of Peaceful Illumination. The state of Nirvana, the Land of peaceful Illumination, is tranquil and clear. He hopes that we can walk alongside Him in this Land of Peaceful Illumination.
Therefore He continuously comes back, over and over, to guide and lead us. We need to make vows. With vows and strength, we create this unbroken connection with the Buddha. The Buddha comes to the world to transform and matter and principle in this world is impermanent. Yet there is true permanence in impermanence. Things are impermanent and ultimately empty, yet there is wondrous existence in that emptiness.Though nothing seeds to be left after we break things down into their tiniest parts, the true nature of those elements still exist. Therefore, we should have strong faith.
Thus He is called the Buddhaya, He is called the Enlightened One, He is also called the Knower, for He knows the permanent and impermanent Dharma of the Three Periods of Time.
The Buddha is the Enlightened One. What does it mean to be enlightened? To be vigilantly aware. We sentient beings are often unaware, unknowing. Why are we unaware an unknowing? Because we do not bother to notice that everything has Dharma and a profound hidden meaning; we do not seek that profound mystery. We only see that the external conditions are like this and do not carefully examine them. Consider this firm and solid ground. Why can’t it withstand wind and rain? Why does it cause many disasters in this world? We do not mindfully consider this. If we mindfully consider this, we will know that sentient beings share collective karma. Why do they have this? Because of their actions. As the population grows, so people’s desire. We keep destroying mountains, rivers and lands. The Buddha has witnessed everything in the world, so he continuously teaches us and included many principles in the sutras. We need to truly believe and penetrate the Dharma. We need to let the Dharma enter our hearts and really think about it, so we can find the source of these principles.
Awareness is only knowing. But to thoroughly realize, that is enlightenment. “To awaken is to reflect on inherent existence of our intrinsic true nature.” Awakening inspires spiritual wisdom; we shine the light of wisdom on our true Tathagata-nature.This true Tathagata-nature is eternal the inherent emptiness of the illusory. Illusions are impermanent.
Look at these things, are they real? The flower and grass will with. Something illusory is not real. Soon they will wither. The flower and grass will without. Something illusory is not real. If it is not real, if it is not real, then what is it? It is the empty. Although you see this not of flowers in front of me every day. So nothing abides eternally. There is no permanence here. So to examine means to understand that the appearance of things is illusory. Many elements combine to form this [object that we] name.
To be enlightened is to examine and to awaken. To awaken is to reflect on our intrinsic true nature. To examine is to understand the inherent emptiness of the illusory.
We buy things we really like. When we buy expensive, valuable things to decorate the house, it looks very grand. But after a flood, those things have to be thrown out. They are now garbage, a pile of trash that we do not know what to do with. These things no longer have different names. They are all considered garbage. They can no longer be used, so they are empty.
Something illusory is inherently empty “Do not pursue the illusory.” Once we know this, we do not need to pursue the illusory. We know that form is inherently empty. The craving between men and women is also inherently empty. After entanglement comes suffering. Many sufferings are created when sense organs interact with form. Thus these many sufferings create delusions in sentient beings. We must awaken to, not purse, [the illusory]. Something real inherently exists.
The Buddha said, “We all intrinsically have this true nature.” This Tathagata-nature intrinsically exists, and is so greater in Buddhas and is no less in sentient beings. There is real existence, wondrous existence, so do not be confused about the truth. We know this is realm this exists, but we do not need to be attached to it. The real ad illusory are completely illuminated, so we clearly know what is real so why does He return to this world? Why has He established so many teachings to transform sentient beings? If He was attached the Buddhahood, he would have entered the Land of Peaceful Illumination after He. But He did not The Buddha was not attached to enlightenment, He did not sentient beings to suffer. So His goal of reaching Buddhahood was for this one great cause, to open and reveal. His views and understanding for sentient beings to realize and enter. This is the Buddha’s greatness. To clearly know what is real and illusory is something the Buddha alone has achieved.
The illusory is inherently empty. The real inherently exists, but do not be attached to the real. To be clear on the real and the illusory is something the Buddha alone achieved.
Only Sakyamuni Buddha can be said to have achieved perfect enlightenment, to enlighten self, others, and have perfect enlightened conduct. This is Buddha-nature, our Tathagata-nature. He was not attached to enlightenment and has also seen through the illusory and thoroughly understood it. He sets example for others to follow by walking among sentient beings to transform them.
Everyone, we must be mindful at all times. We need to examine, realize, and know the true Tathagata-nature. We also need to search inward. If we can find it, we are enlightened and have awakened. Therefore, everyone please work on comprehending the Tathagata-nature. After enlightenment, our conduct must be perfect. Even if we attain some realizations, if we do not practice, we are solitary realize, Hinayana practitioners. That is not a perfect and complete enlightenment. Therefore everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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