Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Exercise Compassion, Wisdom and Samadhi (能仁定慧 悲智雙運)
Date: August. 22, 2013
Learning the Buddha’s Way requires cultivating both compassion and wisdom. These two things are what spiritual practitioners cannot lack. So, we have to always act from our hearts when we go among people to provide for their needs by giving what we have. Sentient beings need either spiritual or material things. Of these two, the more important is the spiritual. When our hearts are satisfied, our living can be very simple and basic. There are limits to material enjoyment. If the heart is not content, no matter how much wealth and material things we have, [our desires] are still endless. The Buddha came to this world, and because of His compassion, He hoped for all of us to have a sense of contentment. How can the heart be content? We must fully grasp the true principles. If we are clear about them, then naturally, our hearts will always be content. So, the Buddha came to the human realm to establish and teach methods that bring contentment to sentient beings. As Buddhist practitioners, these are also the principles we must put into practice. So, His compassion makes Him mighty in loving-kindness, which means He maintains the power of His compassionate vows to not abandon sentient beings. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha is also called Mighty in Loving-kindness. This name reflects what this Buddha wanted to express from His heart, the teachings He wanted to offer this world, and His sense of mission toward sentient beings, which stems from His compassion. He extended His compassion to all sentient beings and created good karmic connections with them.
For a long time, for three asankya kalpas, His spiritual practice was focused on cultivating His compassion. So, He never let go of His compassionate vows and continuously actualized them over incalculably long eons. Sentient beings have many sufferings that cannot be resolved, but the Buddha will not abandon them. Though they are obstinate, stubborn and difficult to reform, the Buddha still adheres to His compassionate vows and does not abandon them.
Aside from compassionate vows, one must also have Samadhi and wisdom. The mind has to be in a state of Samadhi, and one has to have wisdom. I often say to everyone, wisdom helps us distinguish “true” from “false” in this world. This wisdom gives us a type of power. If something is right, we must resolve to do it. If a thing is wrong, we must have the perseverance to eliminate it. This wisdom gives us a type of power. There is also impartial wisdom. The stubbornness of sentient beings can be tamed through [the Buddha’s] gentle patience.
So, Samadhi and the power of wisdom are essential to training sentient beings.Thus, we need to exercise loving-kindness and must have Samadhi and wisdom.We need to make compassionate vows and have the power of wisdom.If we do not abandon our compassionate vows our wisdom can benefit all sentient beings.
One mighty in loving-kindness has compassionate vows to not abandon beings.
One replete with Samadhi and wisdom exercises the power of wisdom to extensively help [sentient beings].
To truly help people in this world requires very hard work.If this is so taxing, how do we do it?
We have to be patient and endure the worst kinds of suffering.Sentient beings suffer so much in the cyclic existence of the Six Realms and still have no awakened from delusion.Sentient beings suffer greatly.So, Bodhisattvas and all Buddhas willingly go among people who suffer the worst kinds of suffering.If they are not mighty in loving-kindness and replete with Samadhi and wisdom, how can they have this power of vows that enables them to enter conditions of great suffering?
What do they in such places?They manifest appearances.They leverage the appearance of suffering beings so they can show everyone, “This is suffering.”“Let us promptly recognize this as suffering so we will be able to free ourselves from it.Beyond this state of suffering, there is a state of freedom and openness, a place that is calm, wondrous and vast.It allows us to be very free so that we are not restrained by afflictions.There is no fear, and there is no suffering.There is a carefree and liberated place.”
How can we get there?“Do what I did.”“I worked to understand many principles.After attaining an understanding, I now share them with you, and I want to tell you how to transcend suffering.Come, follow me and do what I do.Come, walk this path with me.”In this way, we can naturally attain a state of liberation without obstructions and be carefree and at ease.Because the Buddha manifested attaining enlightenment in this world, we now know how to engage in spiritual practice.
By letting go of family ties and being free of attachments, desires, greed, etc. we can eliminate the states of anger and ignorance.
That is, we have to adhere to the principles of the Dharma expounded by the Buddha.
We have to accept them.Once we do, our hearts will be free of worries and will not be bound by afflictions.So, when we share our experience with others, we benefit ourselves and others.
We enter a state of the greatest happiness and our minds have no obstructions.Because we have no obstructions, there is no fear, no afflictions, no greed, anger, ignorance, pride or doubt, and no conflicts or interpersonal disputes, etc.We completely release all these afflictions and are very happy!
So, [whether we experience] great suffering or great joy depends on our attitudes in life.Before, I spoke of how the Buddha, after attaining Buddhood, had ten epithets—Tathagata, Worthy of Offering, Completely Awakened, Perfect in Wisdom and Action, Well-gone, Knower of Worlds, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans, and Buddha the World-Honored One.We must diligently study and learn to live up to these ten epithets.The Buddha is mighty in loving-kindness and replete with ten kinds of virtuous conduct.Shouldn’t we diligently cultivate these ten kinds of virtuous conduct?
In particular, attaining human form is difficult.After finding Buddha-Dharma among humankind, we must develop a great field of blessings in the heaven and human realms.We often say we can see heaven in this world. The wealthy live in heaven on earth. It is difficult for them to learn the way. We can make good use of our wisdom, exercise our loving-kindness and Samadhi. Then through the suffering of the multitudes of sentient beings we can explain the Dharma so that the wealthy, the blessed ones in this world, can accept it. This will inspire their compassion so they can then help those who are suffering. This is their first step toward the Buddha-Dharma, the beginnings of their great field of blessings.
In the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, this is also mentioned in the Chapter of the Ten Merits. So, we have to guide everyone to help those who are suffering, to create a great field of blessings form them.
Sentient beings who endure great suffering and can transform themselves and others to experience great joy are worthy to be the fields of blessings for the heaven and human realm.
Some people suffer from spiritual emptiness; some suffer from material poverty. So, we must be fields of blessings for others. This is also a very important step in learning the Buddha's Way.
Before, I said that the Buddha was endowed with the ten epithets so He went amount people and began to
expound the Right Dharma with goodness in the beginning, middle and end. The meaning is deep and profound. The words are skillful and wondrous, pure without distractions and complete with the marks of pure practice.
After this section of the sutra, Manjusri Bodhisattva told Maitreya Bodhisattva that in the past there was a venerable Buddha, Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant (Buddha), who was also endowed with the ten epithets, and who also expounded Right Dharma to others. His teachings were also divided into the goodness in the beginning, middle and end. What is goodness in the beginning, middle or end? We have to understand that “goodness in the beginning” refers to when the Buddha became enlightened. I have often shared this with everyone. The Buddha was in a state of Samadhi when He saw the morning star. Suddenly, His mind and that star became one. This is, the microcosm and the macrocosm suddenly converged in that moment. I often say the body is a microcosm. Before enlightenment, the microcosm of the human body is an individual entity.But after some time of spiritual cultivation, the body and mind become completely tranquil, still and clear. In this state, they far surpass the microcosm of the immediate self. At that time, in that state of tranquility and clarity, His gaze happened to fall upon that star. Suddenly, His mind and that star became one the micro and the macro. At that moment, His mind was all-encompassing and boundless. Our mind is actually also that wondrous! It is not just limited to this planet, but [can encompass] the wider universe. This is the vastness of the mind. So the Buddha's first words in that moment were, “How amazing!All beings possess the enlightened Buddha-nature”. This was His first thought. When His mind and surroundings became united, His first awakening was that all beings have Buddha’s enlightened nature; He was not the only one.
That is why He always said, “are no different.” In this spiritual state, the Buddha saw that all of us sentient beings can attain Buddhahood, and that we all have this perfect and radiant Buddha-nature.So, He was very joyous, very happy He wanted to quickly share this state with everyone. After this spiritual state arose in Him, all Buddhas of the ten directions and Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas gathered. This was called the Avatamsaka Assembly. Heavenly beings and Dharma-protectors also emerged there. How did such an extraordinary state come about? All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of ten directions were there so all heavenly beings and Dharma-protectors also came. In this spiritual state, the Buddha began to teach the true principles of the universe that He had realized.
His mindset was vast, boundless and encompassed the endless void. With such an open mind, He wanted to share these principles. But the heavenly beings and humans who attended. But the heavenly beings and human who attended could not understand or comprehend them. At that time, the Buddha was truly discouraged and thought about just entering Parinirvana. “Since I have stained Buddhahood, I have such great principles to share. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can comprehend my state of mind, but why can’t the eight classes of Dharma-protectors cpmprehend them? Then what use is my attaining Buddhahood? I should just enter parinirvana.”
At this time, all Buddhas of the past came to comfort Sakyamuni. This was the state of the Buddha that was described in the Lotus Sutra. So all past Buddhas comforted Him and asked Him to exercise His Samadhi and wisdom. “You already made these compassionate vows; now exercise Your Samadhi and wisdom. The multitudes of Sentient exercise Samaghe and wisdom. Still Your mind and apply Your wisdom. Doing this is within Your ability.”
Thus, He was originally going to teach Avatamsaka, which was His path to realization. This was how He practiced and achieved the state of attaining fruition. Throughout many past kalpas, for a very, very long time, this was what He practiced and achieved. It look three asankya kalpas and much hard work to attain this realization. Heavenly beings and humans could not understand. You should know that when other people cannot understand what we say, it is very discouraging.
Truly, the Buddha and people have the same mind. So, He said there is Buddha-mind in human minds. This is so relatable and makes so much sense.
Everyone, we have developed the aspiration to practice, so we must cultivate both compassion and wisdom, exercise loving-kindness and have compassionate vows, we shall never abandon sentient beings. In this evil world of five turbidities, sentient beings are filled with afflictions and lead hard lives. But in the midst of this great suffering, we willingly learn to bestow great joy so everyone can accept the Buddha-Dharma we can all have happiness in our daily living. This requires attaining the Dharma. Only then will we have a sense of Dharma-joy. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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