Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: All Live in the Same House with One Door (同宅共一門)
Date: April.02. 2015
“A spacious mind encompasses the universe. By being understanding, we can penetrate the Dharma. The world inhabited by all sentient beings is only created by their minds. They all live in this house with one door; this is the greatness of the Dharma of the mind.”
If we are mindful, our minds can be spacious enough to encompass the universe. Then “by being understanding, we can penetrate the Dharma.” We always interact with each other and deal with matters and objects. As we go about our business in this world, is there a day we do not interact with people? Is there a day we are not dealing with matters? What kind of mindset should we use to face them so that we can always be understanding of people, mattes and things? The best way to train ourselves to do this is to always feel grateful. If someone makes us unhappy, we must be grateful. When facing someone who makes us unhappy, someone who always has the exact opposite opinion from us, we may continuously wonder, “Why can’t his opinions be like mine? Why is it that when I want to do something, he creates so many obstacles for me? Why did he treat me so well in the past, but now favors someone else?” If we think this way, we are disturbing our minds and thus we hinder our spiritual cultivation. This is the obstruction of afflictions.
We long for others to treat us well and do not like it when others treat us poorly. This comes out of ignorance. As we interact with people in our daily living, first of all, we must be grateful. Only with gratitude can we be accommodating. Only by being accommodating can we be understanding. So, we have to be understanding, both understanding and grateful. Because we want to engage in spiritual practice, we want to avoid hindering our mind with any kind of attitude we encounter. This is true mastery. This comes from truly being understanding. If we cannot successfully deal with people and matters, how can we achieve the state of understanding everything about the Dharma?
We must learn to broaden our minds, expanding them very widely. Then our minds can encompass the universe. To do this, we must train our minds to be understanding and grateful as we interact with people and deal with matters. If we can do this, people, matters and objects will present no obstacle to us at all; we will successfully deal with all matters. This means we have taken the Dharma to heart.
All sentient beings live in the same world. Everything is created only by their minds. Every one of us lives under the heavens and on top of the earth. Everything under the sky and on the land is in the human world. Humans live in this world. All sentient beings, all animals, as well as plants, all live in this world, on this planet. We live and co-exist together.
But in this world, there is a mix of good and evil. Virtuous people have fewer afflictions in their minds. So, naturally they have more wholesome thoughts, their roots of goodness extend further, and their faith runs deeper. These are [virtuous people] in our world. How have they been able to maintain their faith and wholesome thoughts? That is because in their past lifetimes, they lived with spiritual friends and were likewise permeated with various teachings. They hear the Dharma, take it to heart and can put it into practice, developing their wisdom and wisdom-life.
Some people have many bad habits. In their past lifetimes, they made unwholesome connections and friends; keeping bad company led to all this.So, these bad habits became very ingrained.We are born with nothing and take nothing with us.
But [the karma] we bring from our past lives makes us unhappy to see certain people or makes us biased towards certain individuals.They either feel love, or hatred, or resentment, all kinds of afflictive emotions.This world is so complicated, and people create more and more karma.As the population grows, there will be more of these habitual tendencies.
Thus, the collective karma of sentient beings causes an imbalance of the four elements, resulting in the three major and three minor calamities.These continue to increase in frequency; this is very troubling to us.These calamities are all created by the mind.
We engage in spiritual practice to help to purify people’s hearts.
Purifying people’s hearts is the only way [to bring peace and harmony].So, “They live in this house with one door; this is the greatness of the Dharma of the mind.”
We are all in the same house.Isn’t living under the same sky and on the same land just like living in the same great house?So, describing this lack of harmony in this world, a latter passage in the Lotus Sutra states, “The Three Realms are lied a burning house.”The house of the Three Realms is on fire.How can we escape?There is only one door which is the Dharma, the subtle and wondrous Dharma 40 years after the Buddha began teaching, He opened the great door, which is the Great Dharma of the One Vehicle.This helps every one of us to return to the “greatness of the Dharma of the mind,” to return to our intrinsic Buddha-nature.So, we must be mindful.
We must take the Dharma in with deep faith.This previous sutra passage is probably something you know by heart now.
“In a certain kingdom’s city or a settlement, there was a great elder who was old and frail. He possessed limitless wealth and had many farmlands, houses and servants, his house was spacious and large, and had only one door.”
After discussing it for so many days, I hope that everyone can clearly understand this environment we live in every day and the people, matters and objects within it.Living in this big family, we must mindfully experience everything.
So, “There were many groups of people.”We said yesterday that there were many people.What do we mean by “groups of people”?“Groups of 100, 200, even up to 500, [were] all dwelling within.”
This is only a form of description or an analogy, because in this world right now, the actual population is over seven billion.How can we only say there are “groups of 100, 200, even up to 500”?
This is only an analogy.
All these people fall into five categories, hence “groups of 100, 200, [even up to 500]. It is only due to the stirring of sentient beings’ ignorant thoughts that the world of sentient beings and the distinct appearances of sentient beings in the Five Realms are established. This is also revealing the world created by sentient beings’ karmic forces. Therefore, it is like a great house, where there were many groups of people.”
Yesterday, I roughly explained to everyone that the begins of the Five Destinies co-exist here.We sentient beings act out of ignorance.So, people who cultivate goodness go to the heaven realm.Those who uphold the Five Precepts are born in the human realm.
Those who forego the Ten Good Deeds and Five Precepts and, in fact, do the opposite will be born in the hell, hungry ghost or animal realm.These are the different appearances of the beings of the Five Destinies.
The world created by our karmic forces is thus revealed.Look at the karma we are currently creating.Isn’t this what we see in the world?The beings of the Five Destinies co-exist here, so there are many unwholesome people.As they interact with others, they cannot steadily engage in spiritual practice.
There is a need for everyone to steadily engage in virtuous practices to avoid creating these negative karmic forces.We have to create good karma to protect all sentient beings.We must not collectively create negative karma and disrupt this world.
So, this world is analogous to a great house with many groups of people, This “on egret house” has such a complicated mix of good and evil.In our current time,we are collectively in a tug of war between good and evil. At this moment, we really need more kind people, more people who have developed Bodhicitta. The Buddha made use of His limitless wisdom and the virtues of compassion and wisdom to practice the Six Perfections in all actions as a way of teaching us. He opened the Dharma-doors of the Three Vehicles, the Small Vehicle for those with limited capacities, the Middle Vehicle for average capacities, the Great Vehicle for great capacities. In the end, after over 40 years of teaching, He set aside the Small and Middle Vehicles, throwing open the great door, revealing the Great Dharma. In this “one great house,” with such a complicated mix of people, the Buddha mindfully and patiently guides us, all for the sake of helping everyone comprehend the Great Vehicle Dharma.
“House” also means that “True emptiness houses the supreme meaning”.
This is the Buddha’s state of mind. The state of the Buddha’s mind encompasses great realizations about the universe. It is Great Ocean of enlightened wisdom. The Buddha’s heart and mind are so great [they encompass] all thins in the universe. With wisdom and compassion, He exercises many truths of the supreme meaning. This wondrous existence in true emptiness, this Great Dharma, is what He wanted to help everyone realize.
“If filled with ignorance and afflictions, it is called the burning house”.
If sentient beings are ignorant, their minds are like burning houses. If we can accept the Buddha’s teachings, the wondrous existence in true emptiness and the true emptiness in wondrous existence, we can be free and at ease and can transform sentient beings in this world. This is how we uphold the mission and follow the path. Then though we are interacting with people, we will not be “contaminated” by them. In this state of true emptiness, by taking good care of our minds, we can awaken ourselves, awaken others and cultivate perfect awakened conduct. As for the two virtues, we must perfect the virtues of wisdom and compassion. This is the wondrous truth of the supreme meaning of true emptiness. This is the one Vehicle Dharma of true emptiness and wondrous existence.
When we take this Dharma to heart, our minds will be clear and refreshed. But if ignorance is covering our minds, our minds will be like a burning house, continuously unsettled and pressed by flames. How painful!
So, “one great house” can be used to draw many different analogies; everyone must mindfully comprehend them. It can be an analogy for the Buddha-mind, His wisdom and His blessings. It is also an analogy for ordinary people’s minds, which are full of afflictions. This is because all of us are the same, in that both good and evil are in us. So, “There were many groups of people, groups of 100, 200, even up to 500, all dwelling within”
“Hundred” is a descriptor that symbolizes many, many people. “One” is a small amount. “Hundred” is a hundred-times that.
Right now, in the world, so many “hundreds” of beings are co-existing here. “100 good deeds create one blessing”. Actually, we need to do more than just 100 good deeds to truly benefit this world. These deeds cannot be counted in hundreds, but in tens of millions, not just tens of millions, but countless billions. This is our fundamental duty. So, there are “groups of 100, 200, even up to 500, all dwelling within”. Many people who are a mix of good and evil are living in one place.
This means that all of the Five Destinies are seen in the beings living together in this great house. It means many people live there; there were many groups of people. 100 represents heavenly beings. 200 represents humans. 300 represents animals. 400 represents hungry ghosts. 500 represents beings in hell.
“100” represents heavenly beings. If we perform the Ten Good Deeds, we will be reborn in heaven; this is signified by 100. “200” represents humans. Those who are born in the human realm are still considered blessed. So, we say, “It is precious to be born human”. It is rare to be born human, so they are only “200”. “300” is an analogy for animals. Animals are those who did not uphold precepts and acted against their humanity. Thus, they were reborn in the animal realm.
“400” represents hungry ghosts. Hungry ghosts have insatiable greed; they are constantly hungry. Indeed, in this world, there are many people who have nothing to eat, so there are many in the hungry ghost realm. In addition to the need for tangible food, they have intangible thoughts of greed. All of this make them hungry ghosts. They are never content, never feel they have enough.
Then, “500 represents beings of hell.” There are many people who have fallen into hell. There is great suffering in hell. Consider these numbers from 100 to 500. Heavenly beings are only 100, while those who behave improperly and fall into the animal realm number more.
In this world right now, there are many people who are committing the Five Offences and Ten Evils. Otherwise, why would families be so unhappy? Otherwise, why would there be so many parents facing unbearable suffering? Otherwise, why would brothers sue each other? In this world, many people are unable to get along. This happens in our world. A world like this is not purely a human realm. In fact, it includes the Three Destinies.
The Three Evil Destinies are the animal, hungry ghosts and hell realms. Although they live in the human realm, their hearts and minds are in those states, so they do not abide by morals and ethics and commit various evils. The animal, hungry ghosts and hell realms are created by our minds.
So, inside this great house, this world, there is a mix of good and evil. It really looks like there is so little good and so much more evil. This is why we always say that we must engage in spiritual practice.
The numbers used to make this analogy show that those who do good, create blessings and cultivate the wholesome karma for being reborn in the heaven and human realms are few in number, whereas “those who commit evil out of ignorance, people who act contrary to ethics and loyalty, those people who are “inclined to create unwholesome karma and fall into the evil realms are greater in number.
So, here we see light and darkness. Some people are inclined toward the light, but that only accounts for two out of five realms. The other three are inclined towards evil.
Everyone, we really need to be mindful. Evil is akin to darkness. Darkness prevents us from understanding the principles. Thus, we continue to reproduce afflictions, do negative and unwholesome things and are continuously driven [by our ignorance]. We have to be people who truly understand our direction in life; we have to know where we are going.
So, the beings of the Five Destinies are wandering about, lost in this cycle of birth and death; this includes heavenly beings and humans. When blessings for being in heaven are depleted, heavenly beings will still fall into the human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms.
The sentient beings of the Five Realms, wander through cyclic existence, transmigrating endlessly. They can never escape the Three Realms, so it is said they are “all swelling within.”
We have heard stories about this in the past. Therefore, it is said, “The sentient beings of the Five Realms wander through cyclic existence.” Our lifetimes do not last very long, but the karma we create causes us to wander through cyclic existence. So, “transmigrating endlessly, they can never escape the Three Realms.” We are still in this great house of the Three Realms, the desire realm, form realm and formless realm. Therefore, we have to be mindful as we are “all dwelling within. We sentient beings must use this mindset when we live in this great house. The Buddha comes to this world in the hopes that everyone in this house can abandon evil ways and follow a path of goodness, abandon the darkness to find the bright path, this road illuminated as if in broad daylight. He hopes that all of us can understand this. After accepting so much Dharma, we must awaken ourselves awaken others and benefit everyone. This is the mission of our spiritual practice, so I hope everyone can always be more mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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