Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Wide Attain Understanding Through Parables (譬喻明義智者得解)
Date: March.20. 2015
For the sake of the one great cause, the Buddha comes to the world and teaches the Dharma, hoping that everyone can penetrate the principles. We must all understand that whether the world faces disasters or blessings is determined by human behavior. Our mind can lead us to do good deeds that create blessings. Our mind can also lead us to commit unwholesome deeds that create [negative] karma. The Buddha’s one great cause in coming to the world was to teach this. He hopes everyone can return to their pure, intrinsic nature of True Suchness. He hopes that all sentient beings will hear and accept the Dharma, therefore He spent 49 years of His life teaching the Dharma.
In the first 42 years, He taught skillful means. In the last seven years, He gave the Lotus and Nirvana teachings. After teaching the Lotus Sutra, He prepared to enter Parinirvana. These were the teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime. At the Lotus Dharma-assembly, among the 1250 disciples who were always following the Buddha, Sariputra was the foremost in wisdom and the leader of the Sangha. He already received the prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha. Yet he remained the same; he still exercised compassion. He cared very much about his fellow practitioners and about future Buddhist practitioners. So, let us look at this passage.
“He requested teachings for his fellow practitioners in fond recollection. He requested guidance for the fourfold assembly to create conditions for transformation. Now receiving the prediction of Buddhahood, he exercised great compassion by making the Four Great Vows to create good karmic connections.”
Sariputra had already received the Buddha’s prediction of Buddhahood, but he still requested teachings for everyone. Thus his request for the Dharma was on behalf of his fellow practitioners. His fellow practitioners were those who had engaged in spiritual cultivation with him.
He made this request in fond recollection of the many years that they had already shared the same spiritual path. He hoped that everyone could be like him and resolve the doubts in their minds so that they could fully and directly accept the Buddha’s teachings about the True Path. Thus Sariputra “requested teachings for fellow practitioners in fond recollection.” He cherished their relationship.
I always say that we must remember our old relationships. As we drink water, we must consider its source. It is the same when thinking about our relationships with those who share our path. With the sentiments between fellow practitioners, when we attain a realization, we hope that everyone else can do the same. This was Sariputra’s request.
“He requested guidance for the fourfold assembly.” In addition to making this request for his fellow practitioners, he also did this for future disciples who will resolve to engage in spiritual practice either as monastics or as laypeople. Sariputra hoped that these people in the future would better understand the great care that the Buddha took in giving teachings and that they would be able to accept them more quickly. So, for the sake of the fourfold assembly in the future, Sariputra requested the teachings. This was how Sariputra felt after he had opened his heart and mind and exercised great loving-kindness.
So, he “made the Four Great Vows to create good karmic connections.” Sariputra, from this Dharma-assembly on, in all his subsequent lifetimes, would go among the people over a long period of time to do good deeds, benefit others and create good karmic connections with all beings.
So, he “made the Four Great Vows to create good karmic connections.”Sariputra, from this Dharma-assembly on, in all his subsequent lifetimes, would go among the people over a long period of time to do good deeds, benefit others and create good karmic connections with all beings.So, he “made the Four Great Vows to create good karmic connections.”This was Sariputra’s mindset.
The previous passage states, “At that time, the Buddha told Sariputra. I did not at first talk about it, but don’t all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, teach the Dharma by means of various causes and conditions, analogies, expressions and skillful means, all for the sake of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi?”
Yesterday we discussed the phrase, “I did not at first talk about it.”The Buddha, after attaining Buddhahood, wanted to share His state of mind with everyone.However, sentient beings did not have the capabilities to accept it. Because of this, He kept the Dharma a in His [mind].
Though He taught with skillful means, analogies and expressions, it was actually [to help them attain].Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Although He had not freely carried out His original intent, didn’t He teach with various skillful means to guide everyone to walk the Bodhisattva-path?This was what the previous passage explained.
The next passage states, “All of these teachings are for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way.”The past [teachings] were given to teach and transform Bodhisattvas, and yet He said, “However, Sariputra, I shall now make use of analogies again in order to further clarify what I mean, for all those who are wise can attain understanding through parables.”
In the past, everything the Buddha taught was for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way; it was in order to teach Bodhisattvas.Therefore He told Sariputra that now, at this Dharma-assembly, “I shall now make use of analogies again.”
He would continue to make use of analogies to further clarify the underlying principles.“For all those who are wise can attain understanding through parables.”Those who have wisdom can attain understanding and realizations through parables.
For some people, when the workings of the world are taught with analogies and parables, they are able to comprehend the principles.These are people with sharp capabilities.
As for Sariputra, he entered the Path through [teachings about] causes and conditions, not analogies.Before, he only knew the provisional teachings, which were skillful means.Now, he understood that they also contained wondrous principles.
Through these causes and conditions, he attained realizations.
So, Sariputra grasped the Buddha’s intent in “teaching the Dharma among all beings”.From causes and conditions and analogies, the Buddha brought out the principles, the truths contained within.In analogies are hinder true principles.So, the Buddha once again used analogies to teach the Dharma among all beings.
All of these teachings are for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way: Sariputra entered the Path through [teachings about] causes and conditions.He realized the Buddha’s intent in teaching the Dharma among all beings.With all these various causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, the Buddha was teaching the Bodhisattva Way.
Furthermore, Sariputra requested, once again, that He explain His one great causes and the reason He had first taught the Three and then the One.
After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He never left sentient beings.He went among them and transformed these true principles into ways of living in the world.He used worldly matters and their principles to draw analogies to the Buddha-Dharma.
The Buddha-Dharma was contained in these analogies.So, this was “the Buddha’s intent in teaching the Dharma among all beings with various causes and conditions, analogies and expressions.”
He used [teachings about] causes and conditions and analogies to help to explain.Every teaching was about the Bodhisattva Way, even when the Buddha taught everyone that they cannot put off being filial to their parents and they also cannot put off doing good deeds.In addition to being filial to our parents, we must love all sentient beings.Isn’t this the Bodhisattva Way?These are the proper ways of treating people.
With these very obvious [examples], the Buddha explained various consequences of the karmic law of cause and effect and drew analogies with various matters, all for the sole purpose of teaching the Bodhisattva Way.He taught everyone how to do good deeds and benefit others and to create good karmic connections with all beings.
So, He now began to do this “once again”.Sariputra requested the teachings again, even though he understood them.This is what the prose, as well as the verse sections, explains.Sariputra requested that “He explain the one great cause and the reason that He first taught the Three and then the One.”
This means that He first taught for the Three Vehicle practitioners. The Three Vehicles are the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles. All sentient beings have different capabilities. Small Vehicle practitioners are Hearers. They depend on their ears to listen to the Dharma and understand principles. Those of average capabilities after hearing the Dharma, are able to realize, through natural processes of the four seasons, the cyclical principles of the world. In addition to understanding worldly principles, Great Vehicle practitioners also understand the true principles of all things and apply them in their interactions with others. With these principles, they “seek the Buddha-Dharma and transform sentient beings”. They take good care of their mind and keep it pure so they can go among people without becoming confused or defiled. This is the Great Vehicle, the Bodhisattva Way. [Perfecting] this takes place through our interactions with other people.
Take our Tzu Chi international Medical Association. (TIMA) Conference for example. This year a doctor [named Patricia] joined from El Salvador. She said that regardless of whether she was treating patients or making outpatient visits; she would tell them stories about Tzu Chi and promote the spirit of the bamboo banks. One of patients at the clinic took the story to heart and began to save small amounts of money in a bamboo bank. When he heard that Patricia was coming to Taiwan, he entrusted her with the donation. The day she came to the Abode, she brought the bamboo bank with her and gave it to the Dharma Masters here.
Think about how far this bamboo bank had traveled. Doesn’t this show that compassion goes beyond ethnicities and nationalities? This love, this compassion of Bodhisattvas, is so far-reaching that a person so far away could also realize this principle. The power of love can connect far away people to us here [in Taiwan]. This is [an example of] causes and conditions. These causes and conditions were the result of a great matter, because of the hurricane at that time, called Hurricane Mitch. In El Salvador and in the rest of Central America, it caused huge damage. So, we had the karmic conditions to help them. From then until now, we have continued to show our great love and compassion to the people there.
Now volunteers have returned and brought back this bamboo bank, which is the sign of a man’s gratitude. This is part of the great cause in the human realm, which is to transform people into Bodhisattvas; everything was “for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way”. He taught the Dharma for the sole purpose of teaching everyone to become Bodhisattvas. Even though people may be far away from us or may be following a different religion, they all still have the same Buddha-nature, the one nature of True Suchness.
Everyone has this same intrinsic nature. As long as we accept the principles, the Bodhi path to enlightenment will be a single, bright and broad path.
“He requested the Dharma for the Three Vehicle practitioners to enable them to more clearly understand their past lives’ causes ad conditions. The analogies and expressions, and the complete process of first teaching the Three and then the One are thus called causes and conditions: all of these teachings are for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way.”
Dear Bodhisattvas and fellow practitioners, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful. In the past, the Buddha taught for the sake of the Three Vehicle practitioners the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles. Sariputra knew that, in the past, the Buddha taught the Dharma for their sakes, so now he was requesting the Dharma for the sake of future Three Vehicle practitioners. At the Lotus Assembly, when he requested the Dharma for the Small, Middle and Great Vehicle practitioners, he was, in fact, also doing this for the sake of future practitioners, those of us who are living now. He hoped the Buddha would explain in more detail so that those in the future could better understand. He hoped that the Buddha would explain causes and conditions from past lives, and analogies and expressions, one by one in great detail. This expressed Sariputra’s intent. This was also the Buddha’s intent when He taught the Three Vehicle Dharma before giving the Lotus teachings. All the time of the Lotus Assembly, the Buddha began to teach the One Vehicle, the Great Dharma. Everything from His initial to the final teaching is known as “the complete process”.
In the beginning, for Ajnata Kaundinya and the rest of the five bhiksus, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. Having begun with those causes and conditions, He was now teaching the Lotus Sutra before in the end entering Parinivana. Sariputra hoped that during this process, the Buddha would explain again these causes and conditions.
“All of these teachings are for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way”. He wanted everyone to better understand that the Buddha taught the Dharma for the sake of teaching the Bodhisattva Way. Even though this is something we put out heart into understanding, it was actually Sariputra’s mindfulness that enables us in the future to better understand. He asked the Buddha to explain in further detail, and the Buddha answered his request.
We know that the Buddha began to [explain it again], and in the future the Lotus Sutra still contains many more analogies and teachings of [causes and conditions]. The Buddha agreed to continue to use analogies and expressions to reveal the true principles.
After Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, over many decades, for the sake of the one great cause, He drew analogies from various causes and conditions: To teach about the Five Turbidities, He gave provisional teachings. If, from beginning to end, His explanations had not been clear, those with average or limited capabilities would not be able to understand.
After Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, over many decades, for the sake of the one great cause. He drew analogies from causes and conditions. He did this to help us understand the Five Turbidities. Everyone should understand the Five Turbidities. We are now living in the evil of Five Turbidities. The turbidity of view, of sentient beings, of life of afflictions and the kalpa of turbidity are present in the era of Five Turbidities.
So, the Buddha appeared at that time in the past, for the sake of sentient beings who will be affected by these turbidities now, in the future. Their views and understanding are impure, so these sentient beings create many afflictions. There is much ignorance in them, so they create much karma.
Therefore, the Buddha had to use various principles of the people, matters and objects of the world to teach and explain to everyone. So, provisional teachings were used throughout the complete process, from the beginning to the end. He still needed to use explain, otherwise, those with average or limited capabilities would not be able to understand.
“Through the truths they understood, He revealed the Dharma they had not understood.” He needed to use various analogies and expressions to reveal the true principles so that everyone who had not understood could gain a better understanding.
Through the truths they understood, He revealed the Dharma they had not understood. A comparison is used as a reference. An example allows one to understand the teaching. Based on one thing, we understand something else. Through something simple, we learn something profound.
These who did not yet understand must [be taught with] analogies. An analogy is both a comparison and an example. “What is long? What is short? What makes it long? What makes it short?” we use analogies to help make these comparisons. Comparisons are used as a reference and examples allow one to understand the teaching. “Do you understand now?” “Yes, I do.”
Analogies help everyone to better understand. “Based on one things, we understand something else.” To explain a particular teaching, we compare it to the workings of a particular thing. “Through something simple, we learn profound. What sounds like a simple teaching is actually a profound principle. Profound principles can actually be found in the workings of things.
All those who are wise can attain understanding through parables.” In summary, [the Buddha] hoped that drawing analogies to things in the world would [help explain] principles we cannot see. These are analogies and [teachings of] causes and conditions. They help us to understand. Those who are wise can understand.
So, in summary, if we have the resolve [to understand], we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
