Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Spiritual Light Shines Through 18,000 Lands (心光遍照萬八千)
Date: July. 04, 2013
Time continuously passes by with every minute and second. We need to always seize the moment, especially since it is rare to encounter a grand assembly. So, we need to seize this opportunity. When the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, it was at a grand assembly at Vulture Peak. There were many people at this Dharma-assembly. As the Buddha sat in Samadhi, everyone’s minds were filled with questions. How subtle and wondrous would the Buddha’s next teaching be? This was on everyone’s minds. Meanwhile,
Bodhisattvas had attained a thorough realization so they immediately knew that the 18,000 lands all exist in the states of the mind and could be seen in this radiated mind-light. With great compassion, Maitreya began asking. With great wisdom, Manjusri answered him.
Although many people had their own speculations, the Bodhisattvas knew what was happening. They had already thoroughly penetrated the truth. Their thoroughness means they knew that these “18,000 lands all exist in the states of the mind.” They are all actually found in the state of our own minds. If everyone’s minds can be united with the Buddha’s mind, then the Buddha’s radiance, which everyone intrinsically has, can shine so extensively and penetratingly through the Three Periods of Time. It can reach throughout the past, present, future. The Buddha’s wisdom can be this clear and thorough. It spreads extensively to worlds in all directions. The Buddha’s mind-nature, wisdom and light can clearly and thoroughly reach everything.
Actually, everyone innately has the same radiance and wisdom as the Buddha. Thus “all exist in the states of the mind.” These places do not exist elsewhere. They are found in the states of our minds. These 18,000 lands can be “seen in the radiated light.” This means our minds can also radiate [light] to reach the 18,000 worlds so we can thoroughly understand them. So, “with great compassion, Maitreya began asking. With great wisdom, Manjusri answered him.”
Now at this Dharma-assembly, Maitreya Bodhisattva was the initiator. When the Buddha was in Samadhi, everyone had their own views and indeed, there were some people who had questions.
Thus the text says, “Then the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, as well as the heavenly begins, dragons, ghosts, gods, and so on, all had this though: this miraculous appearance of light radiating from the Buddha, who should we now ask about it?”
This was everyone’s thought at that time. What were the causes and conditions for the Buddha to radiate light and manifest signs of miraculous appearance? At this assembly, the fourfold assembly of the Buddha’s disciples, bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, as well as heavenly beings, dragons, ghosts and gods, all had this common though. Who should they ask?Questions began arising in their minds.We have previously mentioned that there were those who were at or beyond the stage of learning.Some had already attained fruition and realization.Some were just beginning to learn.They all gathered at this assembly.
The Bodhisattvas all understood, but the beginning learners still could not comprehend.Those who had not yet reached the necessary state had no way to understand.So at that assembly, some people wondered what these auspicious appearances meant.Who should they ask?
This was their question.Everyone had these thoughts.With their minds on what had just happened, they returned to thoughts of the past.They thought back to the [start of the assembly,] when everyone began gathering as the Dharma-assembly was about to begin.People kept arriving, one after another.After they were seated, the Buddha began to expound [the Sutra of] Infinite Meanings.When He radiated light afterwards, those who understood knew that the Buddha’s meritorious practices of this life were complete, and He would soon enter Parinirvana.So, this was the time to carry out His original intent.
This signified that He would soon manifest complete and perfect Parinirvana.Thus they reflected back, from the present day to the beginning, when the Buddha was born.His lifetime of practice culminated in this moment.This was how they reflected on His life and what led up to this moment as.He was about to carry out His original intent.This was what the Bodhisattvas understood while others did not.So, everyone wanted to ask.But who could they ask?
At that time, Maitreya bodhisattva, wishing to resolve doubts, observed the minds of the fourfold assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, as well as heavenly beings, dragons, ghosts, gods, and others.
Then he asked Manjusri,“What are the causes and conditions of these? Auspicious appearances of spiritual powers, the emanation great light which illumines 18,000 lands to the east so that the majesty of all Buddha-worlds are fully seen?”
This section of the sutra helps us to gain a deeper understanding.At this time of the Dharma-assembly, the Buddha radiated a light from between His eyebrows.We can see that, because of the light He radiated, the assembly could see vast distances, including 18,000 worlds.
Everyone, don’t you think that we could also see these 18,000 worlds in this light?
I previously explained what happens when we thoroughly understand the Buddha-Dharma.We previously used a mirror as an analogy.The function of a mirror is tremendous.Look at a mirror.Its surface is not very big but if we face it toward the mountains, it reflects the entire landscape, all the mountains and rivers.Perhaps there is a place that is dark, that cannot be reached by the sun.But if we turn a mirror toward the sunlight, as the light shines on the mirror, the mirror reflects the light on that dark place.It is as if the sun was directly shining into that dark place.
The Buddha’s spiritual light is just like the sun.When the sun rises, its light illumines everything.
Every place is illuminated by that light.The only exception is something that is covered.Then naturally the sun cannot illuminate it.What covers?Ignorance covers.
I remember there was once a dust storm.When we woke up in the morning and looked they sky, it was completely gray.We could not see the sun when we looked up.When we looked straight ahead, there was definitely a mountain there but we could not distinguish its shape. This was the result of the dust storm. The wind blows the dust. When the land is dry, with a slight wind, the dust can be blown here from far away. Where did this dust storm in Taiwan come from? From Mongolia, Outer Mongolia or Inner Mongolia. Or perhaps from Xinjiang. It is so dry there that no trees or grass grow on the mountains. It is a vast desert. In that place, when a wind begins to blow, the dry sand gets caught in the wind and develops into a dust storm. How far did it travel? Perhaps two or three thousand kilometers before reaching Taiwan. This dust traveled for thousands of kilometers, flying through the air. Such a thick layer of sand even reached us here.
So it could also be said that the ignorance in us sentient beings originated a very long time ago. Since Beginningless Time, one ignorant thought arose and opened the door to 84000 worldly troubles. Why does this door to afflictions continue to remain open? That is because we lack rain and dew. We lack Dharma- water. Perhaps we, unenlightened beings, countless kalpas ago, in some unknown period of time, gave rise to an ignorant thought. Then we turned away from enlightenment. Everyone originally had an awakened nature. But we have already turned against this awakening and began to walk away. Where are we going? Toward the dust of the world, the sensations of the mundane world. So, we ordinary people fell into ignorance, then had no way to turn back.
therefore, we have since turned away from enlightenment toward the mundane. Then for a very long time, we have spent life after life in the Six Destinies. We have sowed blessings, practiced the Ten Good Deeds, and been born in heaven. We upheld the precepts of the human realm, so we have come to this world [again]. Then by doing good deeds and having discipline, we fulfilled our responsibilities in this world. These causes and conditions allowed us to encounter the Buddha- Dharma. Yet we can fall into the trap of ignorance at any time and in any place. Ignorance still manifests constantly. If one thought goes astray, even if it is a slight deviation, we many depart the human destiny again. We may even enter the animal destiny. If we do even worse things, we may fall into the hell destiny. Or if we are greedy and stingy in the human world, we may enter the animal, hungry ghost, or hell destinies. This all comes from the arising of one ignorant thought. When we try to return to our original state of mind, we find we are off course. Thus, we need to study the Buddha's Way. We must seize the moment when causes and conditions converge.
When we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, it is as if a drought-ridden land is finally exposed to rain and dew. The rain and dew will slowly moisten the ground of our hearts. Remember, in the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, “Drops of dew fall to immerse the dusts of desire”. If our hearts lack Dharma- water, naturally our heart will experience drought. Just like the earth, if our hearts experience a drought, it does not matter if a good seed is planted in our hearts.The field in our hearts may lack moisture. There is soil, but with no rain or dew, the seed that is planted on this land cannot sprout and the deeding will not grow. It is impossible.Similarly, if our hearts are not nourished by Dharma-water, even if we hear good words and wondrous Buddha-Dharma even if we have will not be able to apply the teachings. The Dharma will not be able to enter our hearts.Just like a seed that is left on the drought-ridden land, very soon, that seed will be unable to sprout. How can it possibly grow roots?Thus, the root of the Path cannot grow in our hearts.
If our hearts lack the root of the Path, then the tree awakening, the Bodhi tree, is not able to grow. So, our hearts need to be constantly nourished by Dharma-water. We must take good care of our hearts for a very long time. We need to continuously eliminate afflictions and ignorance. Since we have sowed seeds in the field of our hearts, we need to keep removing the weeds. We need to carefully protect the thoughts of our awakened nature, our spiritual aspirations and continuously remove discursive thoughts. We need to take good care of our will to practice and eliminate discursive thoughts. This is the moment we need to seize.
The [teachings of] all Dharma are not only about chanting the sutras. The Dharma needs to enter our hearts for us to promote the meaning of the teaching. Besides benefiting ourselves, we can also use various means to help everyone understand and apply it. This is truly allowing Dharma to enter our hearts. So we can apply it in limitless situations. Then we can radiate the light within our hearts.
Although we sit here, “everyone has a pagoda on their Vulture Peak.” The spiritual training ground at Vulture Peak exists in each of our hearts. We can be like the Buddha and unite with this state of mind to thoroughly understand the Dharma and the teachings expounded by Him in His lifetime.We can absorb these principles. When the state of our mind is this wonderful, a spiritual light emanates from our mind.
Thus, the light that radiates from between the Buddha’s eyebrow should shine into our minds. Our minds and the Buddha’s mind can become one. Then the 18,000 lands are all captured in our minds.So, a wonderful state of mind is really not far off. It is very close. It is within our minds.
In this spiritual training ground, we need to always be grateful. We need to constantly be like Maitreya and ask questions. Sometimes, when somebody asks about something, it creates an opportunity. There should be another [like] Manjusri, who can recount the path he has walked and repeat the words he has heard. We will always find [people like] this around us, whether like “Compassionate Maitreya, who began asking,” or “Great Wisdom Manjusri, who answered him.”
Actually, isn’t everyone like Maitreya, who can ask about the Dharma for us? Isn’t everyone like Manjusri, who can help us explain the Dharma?
Everyone, when learning the Buddha’s way we need to protect and maintain our mental states. We absolutely cannot lose focus at all. We need to constantly seize the moment. In all things, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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