Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Arising and Ceasing of the Five Groups (五眾生滅立願修行)
Date: March.06. 2015
“Listen to the wondrous Dharma Lotus teachings to purify the lotus in the heart. Contemplate the Dharma and go among people to bring peace and happiness. Sustain the power of vows to practice the Bodhisattva-path. A seed contains an ocean of fruits, so our vows can be perfectly fulfilled.”
Do you understand? We listen to the wondrous Dharma Lotus teachings. Isn’t this what we are listening to every day? The Wondrous Lotus Sutra is, among the Buddha’s 40-plus years of teachings, the most wondrous and pure teachings that were hidden in His mind. His mind is as pure as the lotus flower. Actually, every one of us intrinsically has a mind as pure as crystal, which is our pure intrinsic nature. Take lotus flowers growing in the mud, for example. The mud provides many nutrients to the lotus plant, but does not defile the lotus flowers. This world is filled with turbidity, so we must listen to and learn the Dharma. Those who listen to the Dharma will develop a better understanding. These turbidities are also called impurities.
In this world, there are many impure and evil turbidities. When a desire arises in our minds, we give rise to greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, five turbid emotions, five kinds of severely polluted mindsets. These turbidities produce the afflictions of the world. Yet, these afflictions of the world enable us to understand the truth of suffering taught by the Buddha. This is the principle of suffering, which is a continuous cycle.
We spend time among the multitudes of people to better realize the Buddha’s teachings. In this way, we “purify the lotus in the heart.” The more we mindfully listen to “the wondrous Dharma Lotus teachings,” the more the lotus flower in our heart will grow while remaining undefiled by the mud. To contemplate means we need to think mindfully and very deeply. Inch by inch, we must take the Dharma more deeply into our hearts and penetrate its intricacies. We must meticulously think about how to interact with others, so that as we are among them, we can remain very peaceful and happy.
[We live] in this very complicated society, and we want to engage in spiritual practice. If our resolve is not firm, we may easily lose our spiritual aspirations. When spiritual practitioners [fear this], it means their faith is not deep enough. So, we must have deep faith in ourselves. In order to have very deep faith, we must listen, contemplate and practice. We must mindfully listen to the Dharma. After listening to it, we must carefully contemplate it. Contemplating it is more than just listening to it and thinking about whether it is right or wrong. “Oh, it’s right; I know that.” Then the Dharma will be like water that flows through a pipe. Nothing is left behind. So, it is not enough to only “think” about it. We must “ponder” it and plant it deeply in our minds. We must engrave it on our hearts.
After listening to it, we must keep it in our minds so we can carefully contemplate and take each word to heart. The Dharma that we take to heart and comprehend is teaching us to walk the Bodhisattva-path. We must go among people with a firm resolve.
Regardless of what sentient beings do that may cause our minds to stir, we must quickly reflect on our ourselves.Who wanted to engage in spiritual practice?We did.
Since we chose to engage in spiritual practice, we muss take good care of ourselves.What must we care for?Our minds.In life, we give of ourselves to others.Some may say to us, “Oh, that is hard work,. No, it is blessed work.”Thus suffering is turned into joy.
In this world, we do good deeds and benefit others.Then, when others are helped and can transcend their afflictions to be peaceful and at ease, this is what gives Bodhisattvas the most happiness.So, this is bringing peace and happiness.
When we can bring others [to this state] we will also feel at peace.This also brings peace and happiness.Thus, we must earnestly engage unspiritual practice.We must practice and remain firm to sustain the power of our vows.Where does the power of vows come from?From walking the Bodhisattva-path.
If we can do this, as a seed contains an ocean of fruits, our vows will be perfectly fulfilled.
For example, in the past, the Buddha [traveled] to spread the Dharma.It happened that, one time before His arrival in a particular city, the residents of the city happily spread the news.
“Sakyamuni Buddha will soon arrive in our city.”
When he heard this, the ruler of the city was very worried.What was he worried about?In this city, the residents admired the ruler very much.The ruler thought to himself, “If the Buddha, the Enlightened One, comes to my city, perhaps people’s hearts will favor Him over me. When my appearance is compared with His, won’t I be seen as less than Sakyamuni Buddha?”
Because of this, the ruler came up with a plan [to prevent this].
He issued an order, “When Sakyamuni Buddha comes to the city, people who want to make an offering to Him, must pay a tax of 500 teals. Only after paying 500 teals will they be allowed to make offerings to Him.”
So, when the Buddha entered the city, no one was willing to make offerings.At that time, in one of the city’s households there lived an old servant woman.She happened to be holding some leftovers from her master that she was about to throw away.
When she stepped into the back alley, she saw the Buddha and Ananda.Watching them, suddenly, it was as if the door to her mind opened and a ray of sunlight shone straight in.Her mind became illuminated.
When she saw how dignified the Buddha was, and how everyone had shut their doors to Him so their alms bowls were still empty, who felt compassion for them.She looked down at the half-eaten leftovers that she held in her hands.Everything was jumbled together; how could she use them to make offerings?
The Buddha understood what was on her mind.In a wondrous voice, He said to the old woman, “What you are holding in your hands is food that is most precious to me. Just make this offering wholeheartedly.”
The old woman was very happy that the Buddha surprisingly did not reject it and instead called it the most precious food.So, the old woman offered the food to the Buddha and respectfully prostrated to Him.
The Buddha accepted this offering and left with Ananda.Ananda saw the Buddha smile kindly.So, he asked Him, “Venerable Buddha, as you accepted this offering. You seemed to be very happy.”
The Buddha said, “Yes, I was very happy. Because this old woman made this offering with great reverence, in the near future, she will be born in the heaven realm and enjoy heavenly blessings.”
Someone walked past them at this time, and this man, hearing what the Buddha had said, asked, “You are the Great Enlightened One, how can you tell a lie in order to receive offerings? How can she possibly go to heaven by making this kind of an offering?”
The Buddha asked him, “So you think my words were false? Please tell me, is there anything that you have seen in this world that you feel is inconceivable?”
The passerby answered, “Of course! I have seen a tree that was so huge that 500 ox carts could rest under it that 500 ox carts could rest under it. They could be fully covered by its canopy and not be exposed to the sun at all. The rarest thing that I have ever see is this giant tree”.
The Buddha said, “That tree was such a big tree, do you know how that tree came about?”
The person said, “Of course I know. It came from a seed.”
The Buddha then asked, “How big was the seed of this tree?”
The passerby thought for a moment. “Probably not very big”. So, he indicated the size with his hands. He said, “It was probably even smaller than this”.
The Buddha replied, “I cannot believe it, how could such a giant tree come from such a small seed?”
The passerby said. “But this is absolutely true. The seeds of trees are all very small.”
The Buddha smiled and said, “The same principle applies here. That old woman [gave me food] when I was most hungry when I faced great difficulty, when everyone closed their doors to me. Amidst such difficulties, this old woman was able to make an offering with great respect and joy. Out of this reverence and respect, she was willing to give. Wouldn’t you say that this brings great merit?”
When the passerby heard this explanation, he recognized [the Buddha’s] great wisdom. He began to shout loudly. “This is the Great Enlightened One. The Dharma He teaches can benefit people. He is truly a man of great wisdom.” One by one, family after family, opened their doors. They walked out and gathered around the Buddha. When people saw how dignified the Buddha was, they all thought, “I also want to make offerings to the Buddha”. So , everyone went into the city to pay the tax of 500 taels, then they rushed back to make offerings to Him.
The Buddha expounded the Dharma and everyone in the city joyfully accepted it. Everyone’s mind was filled with joy. So, “A seed contains an ocean of fruits”, the Dharma must simply penetrate our minds. If the seeds of wisdom from the Buddha’s mind are spread widely and people’s minds can receive these seeds, each seed can form a cause and produce an ocean of fruits. Thus, a seed a contains an ocean of fruits. Therefore, we must all form Bodhisattva-aspirations and cultivate and uphold the power of vows.
When we go among people to walk the Bodhisattva-path, every day we are sowing these seeds into people’s minds. The previous sutra passage mentions that everyone was very happy. Heavenly beings, humans and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors were all happy. At the Lotus Assembly, they witnessed Sariputra receiving the prediction of Buddhahood. Everyone was happy to witness this.
So, the heavenly lords “restated their meaning”. Thus they said, “Long ago in Varanasi, You turned the Dharma-wheel of the Four Noble Truths, distinctly teaching various Dharma such as the arising and ceasing of the five groups. ”
Soon after the Buddha attained enlightenment, He traveled to Deer Park to turn [the Dharma-wheel of] the Four Noble Truths, which covered all the principles of suffering in this world. He also thoroughly explained how people created karma out of ignorance and afflictions and thus accumulated many karmic causes. He called on everyone to earnestly engage in practice of the Path so they could bring all these afflictions to cessation.
He “distinctly taught various Dharma such as the arising and ceasing of the five groups. Starting then, He distinctly taught everything from the principles of the Four Noble Truths to the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. All of these teach us how to cultivate the path. Adapting to sentient beings’ capabilities, He gave teachings for them to listen to. [Knowing] what they wanted to hear, the Buddha exercised His wisdom for 40-plus years. Thus He spoke of “the arising and ceasing of the five groups”.
“The five groups are described in several ways in the sutras. Some sutras describe “the five groups” as the Buddha’s four or five groups of disciples. How can there be five groups of disciples? Everyone knows about the four groups, but what is the additional group? They are siksamanas. Siksamanas are female neophytes. Among the Buddha’s disciples, in addition to bhiksus, bhiksunis, sramaneras, sramanerikas, there are also siksamanas. These are the five groups of His monastic disciples. These are the five groups. Within these five groups, people are constantly being born and dying. They go through birth, aging, illness and death and live in the midst of formation, existence, decay and disappearance, while their unenlightened minds go through arising, abiding, changing and ceasing. Everyone in these five groups lifes this kind of life.
Other than this description of the five group, there is another explanation. “The five groups” may also be beings in the heaven, human, animal, hungry ghost and hell destinies. These are the sentient beings of the Five Destinies.”
Any being in the Five Destinies may be enjoying blessings; many people enjoy heavenly blessings in this world. But as they enjoy themselves [materially], they still face spiritual suffering. [Worrying about] gains and losses is very painful. These afflictions darken our lives and cause us to feel as if we are in hell. Afflictions entangle us like hungry ghosts, as if we were in the hungry ghost destiny. A mind like this only hungers with greed; it does not recognize the suffering of the world. We may greedily claim things for ourselves, but have no sympathy for those who are suffering. Living in this way makes us no different from animals.
Thus, whether we are talking about the Five Destinies or “the five groups,” we can see them all in the world around us. In order to learn the Buddha-Dharma, we must understand the principles. So, “the five group” also has another explanation, which is the Five Skandhas.
The five groups can also be the Five Skandhas, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. A group means a gathering, thus the arising and ceasing of the five groups is the arising and ceasing of the the Five Skandhas.
The Five Skandhas are, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. “Skandhas” means an aggregate or a gathering. The first of the Five Skandhasis “form.” Because we have this body, we need material things [to sustain it]. Because we have this body, we go through birth, aging, illness and death, feeling the suffering of illnesses.
So, with “feeling,” we have sensations. If we see something pretty and we really like it, we may dream about getting it, day and night. Whether we feel craving for affection or desire for material things, these are all feeling in our minds.
“Preception”lets our imagination run wild. When we attain something, we are afraid of losing it.Then we will take “action.” Whenever we act, we create [karma]. Then all of our good and evil seeds will be stored in our storehouse consciousness. We cannot take anything with us when we die, except karma, thus we continue to be tormented. Because of the Five Skandhas, we constantly experience arising and ceasing. Arising and ceasing, along with birth, aging, illness and death and so on, is a constant cycle.
Arising and ceasing: The five groups are constantly undergoing arising and ceasing.
Everyone, if we simply live life within these cycles, then aren’t we letting our lives go to waste? In the future, where in the Six Destinies where will we end up? We do not know. Thus, we should seize this moment. We all know this. So, our one great cause is to learn the Buddha’s Way to attain Buddhahood. This path is very long, so we must begin immediately to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections. We do this by walking the Bodhisattva-path. We must earnestly and happily help others. This requires us to sustain the great power of our vows as we walk the Bodhisattva-path.
We must believe in the law of cause and effect. Because of the law of cause and effect, a seed contains an ocean of fruits. Therefore, we must have deep faith. Everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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