Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Buddha and Sentient Beings are One Family (佛與眾生 原在一家)
Date: April.01. 2015
“Sentient beings’ afflictions are Bodhi. The true nature of ignorance is Dharma-nature. The illusory and empty body is the Dharma-body. All disciples abide in the path of the One Vehicle.”
Our minds were originally pure and undefiled. But as we interact with and are contaminated by the world around us, we are led to give rise to afflictions. These afflictions continue to influence us, so they turn into our habitual tendencies. But if we can turn these afflictions around, they can become Bodhi.
Bodhi also comes from the mind. If our minds are pure, if we are clear, aware and free of afflictions, then isn’t that wisdom? That is awakening. Some have said “Afflictions are Bodhi.” That is correct. When sentient beings brush aside their afflictions, they return to their clear and awakened nature. So, “the true nature of ignorance is Dharma-nature.” The Buddha used the analogy of a banana tree. If we want to get to the heart of the tree, we must peel off every sheath. Each sheath is a layer that we must peel away. In the end, we find that there is nothing in the center. This is what banana trees are like.
So from the beginning, ignorance has had no true nature. Ultimately, ignorance is empty in nature. In fact, “true emptiness” is the nature of the Dharma. This is unconditioned Dharma. Unconditioned Dharma is “true emptiness.” This Dharma cannot be seen, except by bringing together various [elements]. In order for any object to be formed, we must use various principles of matter to piece things together.
I often draw analogies for this with things in our daily living. I am sitting in a chair. What you see here is a table. These kinds of things are made of the same material, but have different names. They also have different uses. Let us say a person has mastered the skill of turning wood into furniture. When I ask him to take his skill out and show me, [he would say,] “Bring me the material, I’ll make something for you.” We must give him some raw material so he can show us what he can do. This shows how, even if the methods are still in our minds, we need to have sufficient cause and conditions; we need to bring together our physical abilities and take the materials provided to us so we can complete the project.
Actually, apart from the materials themselves, there are also the principles underlying them. If we do not have any wood, then how can we make a chair or table? The wood comes from the earth; from a seed and the convergence of various causes and conditions. The same thing applies to ignorance. If we can peel away all of these things, there is nothing there. The principles are the same. A banana tree, after all its layers are peeled away, ultimately has nothing at its core. So, how does ignorance come into being? Ignorance arises when external conditions entice thoughts to stir in our minds. Thus, it is also something that happens in our consciousness, within our mind-consciousness. This consciousness is what we use in each lifetime to interact with the world around us and with other people that mutually shapes our habitual tendencies. I experience what you create. If I am pleased with what you have made, I will follow you and learn from you. Those who have mastered something can teach us to maximize our potential to be able to contribute and benefit sentient beings.
If we follow people of an unwholesome mindset, such as robbers, thieves or hoodlums, if we go along with what they do, that will be disruptive to society and people. It will disturb the peace. So, ignorance does not have its own essence and appearance.
Actually, its true essence, its true appearance, is ultimately Dharma-nature.This Dharma-nature is true emptiness.So, “the illusory and empty body is the Dharma-body”.Our body is illusory.
Consider who “I” am today, who “I” was yesterday, who “I” was over 50 years ago who “I” was over 70 years ago.Which one am “I” really?As time constantly changes, though we are unaware of it, in this state of illusion, we have gradually transformed into the “I” if today.This body is ultimately empty, and its appearance is constantly changing.
So, this is what we often talk about as “unconditioned Dharma”. “Dharma-nature” is unconditioned Dharma.“Dharma-body” is unconditioned Dharma.Unconditioned Dharma consists of the principles; the Dharma-body is our nature of True Suchness.
All things that we can see with our eyes are always changing.
What we cannot see with our eyes will forever remain unchanged.
We often say that what is forever has no beginning or end.There is only our nature of True Suchness.We must understand this Dharma.Why do we sentient beings become afflicted over everything?Afflictions are things we have already created.We already feel them in our daily living.We feel pained; we feel vexed.We have many, many worries.This is a phenomenon we sentient beings all have.
However, if we can mindfully make use of it, if we use it to our advantage, then it is Bodhi.It is an awakening, [so we become] awakened sentient beings.Awakened sentient beings can benefit all beings.
I see so many [volunteers] who are diligently practicing.The [send-off for] Silent Mentors, the meeting of bone marrow donors and recipients and the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, these three major events, were recently scheduled to all happen at the same time.We have seen the Silent Mentors; when they were healthy, they gave for the sake of others.When their karmic conditions [to here] ended, they donated their body to the medical students for study.They turn a “useless” thing into a thing of great use.This is why we call them “Silent Mentors”.
On that day, there was such a dignified procession accompanying them as their body left the university.They have accomplished their life’s work.In this world, that body will never exist again.Meanwhile, another event was occurring elsewhere.
The university held a “Celebration of Life”.
Life is very strange and wondrous.A search commences when a person loses the ability to produce red blood cells and needs to replace his bone marrow.He may need to look among hundreds of thousands of people to find that match.He may not even find this person among his own relatives.
From the body of the other person, the doctors remove the bone marrow, which has the miraculous ability to make red blood cells.
Through another medical procedure, it is then implanted into the body of the person who needs it.This can give him new life.
Then he must wait for many years to make sure his body does not reject it.In this way, something from another person’s body become part of what sustains his life.After several years have passed, when he meets the bone marrow donor [he may say,] “It is your bone marrow in my body.”This is very moving.There were people from other countries on stage.
We have people of Indian [descent], and others.Altogether, they came from 28 [countries].More than 3000 transplants took place throughout 28 countries to save people’s lives.Isn’t this a result of people’s awakening?
Sentient beings have so much suffering, so we need to have this great wisdom in order to be able to save lives.This makes us “awakened sentient beings”.But the people who are inventing these things and conducting this research still continue to experience afflictions.Still, they have acquired this particular knowledge.This is what makes them “sentient beings”.
Sentient beings are afflicted.Many afflictions arise in their minds.
Most people in this world have many afflictions.However, the particular afflictions of any sentient being arise out of their [eighth] consciousness arise out of their [eight] consciousness, called the storehouse consciousness.
The storehouse consciousness amasses the [consequences] of the first seven consciousnesses. The seventh consciousness contemplates. The Six Consciousnesses perceive. The perceptions of the Six Consciousnesses and the contemplation of the seventh consciousness combine to give rise to afflictions, or to Bodhi. This depends on the Six Consciousnesses, on our habitual tendencies. If we have good habitual tendencies, when we perceive the outside world, we will make an effort to be understanding. When we are understanding, our interactions with others will be harmonious.
If we have negative habitual tendencies, even if we see what is clearly a good thing, our minds will develop anger, hatred and jealousy. These are all afflictions. These are the afflictions of sentient beings. If we can transform our habitual tendencies, if we can change the thinking that happens in our seventh consciousness, then we will always be awakened sentient beings. So, I hope that everyone recognizes the importance of the Six Consciousnesses in our seventh consciousness, if we can carefully adjust our habitual tendencies, and thoroughly train ourselves in how we think, then we can train ourselves until we [return to] our nature of True Suchness. What kind of person can train themselves to achieve this state? The Buddha.
The Buddha is enlightened; He perfected the three elements of enlightenment. This is why we must lite to the Buddha-Dharma. So, “All disciples abide in the path of the One Vehicle”. The disciples of Buddha should all return to it. All the Dharma they hear is the One Vehicle Dharma.
Recently, we have been discussing how [the Buddha] hoped that everyone, through various methods, would understand the One Vehicle Dharma. He hoped that people would find a way to understand it and then accept and use it. We discussed this previously, and I hope everyone will be mindful of it.
“Dharma-nature and ignorance are like ice and water. The ice of ignorance is made from the water of the nature of all things”.
Dharma-nature and ignorance differ in the same way as ice and water. In fact, when your look at it, ice is just ice. It is called ice, but its actual nature is that of water. It has the intrinsic nature of water. And actually, once it evaporates, all that is left is emptiness.
Thus, “The water of Dharma-nature can later become the ice of ignorance”. The essence of beginning less ignorance is the Dharma-nature of intrinsic enlightenment.
Everyone, whether our mindfulness is deep or superficial depends on how we experience things. We must experience the Dharma for ourselves. So, in the previous [sutra] passage, “Sariputra”, the Buddha called on Sariputra, “in a certain kingdom’s city or settlement, “there was a great elder who was old and frail”. He had a great house, which contained boundless wealth and riches. There were many servants within it.
“His house was spacious and large and had only one door”. There was only one door in and out of this house. How many people were inside? “There were many groups of people”. This is the [sutra] passage for today.
“There were many groups of people, groups of 100, 200, even up to 500, all dwelling within”.
This is a description. Within this large house, there were very many groups of people, group of 100,200 or even 500 people. This is describing those who rested here, the people who dwelled in this house. This indicates that this house was likely very large. This is an analogy for fundamental consciousness.
As the previous text describes, fundamental consciousness is like the essence of this family home. Buddhas and sentient beings both have this consciousness, because Buddhas and sentient beings were originally from the same family. But they are not one, so it says there were many groups of people.
“Fundamental consciousness is like the essence of this family home”. Fundamental consciousness is our most basic consciousness. We use the essence and appearance of a house as an analogy to describe it. “Buddhas and sentient beings both have this consciousness because Buddhas and sentient beings were originally from the same family.” The Buddha and sentient beings have the same consciousness. They intrinsically have a pure Buddha-nature. This shows that the Buddha was born in the human realm, and everyone in this world is part of one family.
But the Buddha is a Buddha, and sentient beings are sentient beings, at least based on appearances. So, there are many kinds of people in this world, not just one.
The Buddha and sentient beings have the same consciousness and are part of the same family. But, within this large house there is not only “one” [type of being]. Thus, it says, “There were many groups of people”. There are so many people, and all of us have already created different karma. Thus we are all different. So, inside this large house, if we were to refer to people by their titles, there would be fathers, mothers and their children. There would be sons, daughters, grandfathers, grandmothers, great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers.So, how many children are there? In addition, there are also many servants. They were all in the same house and each can be referred to. With different titles. Each had different habitual tendencies.There were many kinds of habitual tendencies.
So, “There were many groups of people.” People in a house can be divided into many [types]. In this way, this family home represents the world, that which is under the heavens and on top of the earth; this is likened to a large house. There is also an analogy for everyone’s intrinsic nature, where each person is like a house. We can also compare the whole world to one large house.
A house can be an analogy for everything, whether big or small. The true essence of the family house is like that of a universe. So, we can treat is as a universe.
The true essence of the family house is like that of a universe. The universe is without appearance. It is not one or many. It is not big or small. It is not square or round. In accordance with how the house can be one or many, big or small, square or round, it can be one or many, big or small, square or round.
“The universe is without appearance. It is not one or many.” Indeed, it is not many nor is it few. Since the universe is without appearance, how can we enumerate it? In fact, the universe is an empty void. The universe “is not square or round.” It is not circular nor does it have four sides, but is in accordance with how the house can be one or many.
The universe is limitless and endless. Look at all the things within in the universe. No matter how many things there are, it can encompass everything. This is true whether there is one thing or many, whether they are big or small.
Look at the building we have crated on earth, there are so many of them. “If sentient beings are not covered by ignorance and afflictions they will have the same pure, true nature.”
If sentient beings were not covered by ignorance afflictions, they would have the same pure and true nature, the same Buddha-nature. Then how would there be any appearance of sentient beings? Furthermore, how would there be the appearance of beings of the Five Realms? Therefore, Buddhas and sentient beings are basically no different [in nature].
If we sentient beings do not have afflictions covering us, we can return to the same pure intrinsic nature, “the same Buddha-nature.” If none of us have any afflictions, we return to having the same nature as the Buddha. Then who would have the appearance of a sentient being? There would be no such appearance, let alone the appearance of one in the Five Realms. The Five Realms are the heaven human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms.There are the Five Realms.
If everyone was a Buddha, then the Five Realms would not exist. So, “Buddhas and sentient beings are equal and not different [in nature].” Everyone, learning the Buddha’s Way help us understand that we are indeed completely equal to the Buddha. It is just that in this world, amidst the large number of sentient beings, the complications of afflictions and ignorance cause us to now experience so much suffering life. In the macrocosm and microcosm it is the same. If we can transcend the obstructions of ignorance, we can understand all principles, large or small. On a large scale, we can penetrate the universe and all Dharma-realms. We can have very broad minds. If our minds are narrow, we will limit ourselves to this world. Then, as we often say, “We will run into enemies everywhere.” This is how small the world will seem.
In summary, we must be very mindful. Our nature of True Suchness is so very pure; we must not allow it to be covered by afflictions and ignorance. Only in this way can we remain free and at peace. So, everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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