Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Hall and Lofts of Heaven and Earth (天地堂閣)
Date: April.03. 2015
“The vast universe is like a great house. Perfect in the three elements of enlightenment and the two kinds of virtues, the elder is mature in virtue but is old and frail. The four elements, earth, fire, water and air, are the walls. The world relies on them for support. In the worlds of our bodies and minds, our thinking creates the conditions.”
Do you understand? The universe, the vast expanse of this world, is like a great house, and there is a head of this great household. Lately we have constantly been using causes and conditions and analogies to help everyone understand the world we live in, the principles of the One Vehicle and the workings of our minds. Why do we learn the Buddha’s Way? The Buddha is an enlightened being. What did He awaken to?
He awakened to the principles of all things in the universe. There is nothing He does not know. There is nothing He has not realized. To attain enlightenment, He must not only have one element of enlightenment, but all three. So, He enlightens Himself and others and has perfect enlightened conduct. Thus, He fully became a Great Enlightened One. But in the process of doing so, He also needed to become replete with the two kinds of virtues.
These two virtues are compassion and wisdom. With compassion, we will go among people. With wisdom, we will use the right methods. In this world, there are many methods we must use. With sentient beings’ different capabilities, hardships and so on, we must make use of the right opportunities and methods so we can give to others out of the most genuine love and compassion. So, giving also requires use to seize opportunities; we must experience and understand what this world and the people around us need us to give at this point in time. All this depends on causes and conditions. So, “the three elements of enlightenment and the two kinds of virtues” are perfected through the convergence of causes and conditions. This was the process the Buddha went through. This most recent sutra passage introduces the parable of a great house and an elder.
“The elder is mature in virtue.” We must be replete with this kind of character. “Mature” means something has come to fruition. The elder was already quite old, but starting from his childhood and adolescence, he continuously accumulated virtues. So, he is “mature in virtue.” But this elder, in the natural course of life, has also become old and frail. When we age, our physical appearance starts to decline. This is like how, “The four elements, earth, fire, water and air, are the walls.” This is an analogy for the world, which is composed of the four elements. The four elements are represented by the walls. Walls are an analogy for how the world needs earth, fire, water and air. All people, animals and plants can exist here because there is earth and water. In addition to earth and water, we also need the sun and air. Therefore, earth, fire, water and air are like the great walls that provide support; they must be in harmony for this world to exist, and our lives are dependent on this world.
Earlier we talked about the macrocosm of the world. But take humans for example; our world is a microcosm. This microcosm is the world of our body and mind, where “our thinking creates the conditions.”This is not just true for humans; in the bodies and minds of all animals, “thinking created the conditions”.
How do we change the landscape[e of this world?Through what humans create!Consider the Abode.Based on our needs, in the beginning we only had the small prayer hall in the front and a kitchen.This was over 40 years ago.Once we had a need, we started to build, little by little.As time has passed and causes and conditions have converged, the Abode has grown to accommodate so many bodies and meet the spiritual needs of so many hearts and minds.Therefore, it has gradually expanded according to the needs of bodies and minds.
In this physical world, because of the volunteers’ need for a spiritual home, we have expanded this spiritual place for them.This requires the convergence of “form” and “mind”.Chinese characters are [cleverly] constructed.“Form” at the top and “mind” at the bottom combine to create the character for “thinking”.
Thus mind and form create conditions; our minds have created the conditions around us.So, we can use the needs of the microcosm of our body and how it interacts with our environment as an analogy.
In fact, this analogy is boundless.It can be extended to cover the whole world.The whole world is the same.Everything we create depends on the four elements of earth, water, fire and air.So, the entire world relies on their [balance and harmony].
But on a small scale, the microcosm [of our body] is also inseparable from these four elements.Our bodies and minds, which are small worlds unto themselves, also rely on the [balance and harmony] of earth, water, fire and air.The four elements form the “house” of our body.Earth, water, fire and air also form the “walls” of the world.This is an analogy we can draw.
In fact, everything that is tangible and has form has its origins in unconditioned Dharma, the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle.So, the previous sutra passage also states that, within this great house,
“There were many groups of people, groups of 100, 200, even up to 500, all dwelling within”.
As we mentioned yesterday, ”100” refers to heavenly beings “200” refers to humans.This goes up to “500”.These represent the Five Destinies, heaven, human, animal, hungry ghost and hell.These are called the Five Destinies, out of the Five Destinies, two-fifths of them are good paths three-fifths are evil paths.In the present day, as we look at the entire world, we can witness all of the Five Destinies.
We see suffering like that in the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms, not to mention the actual animals that we can see.For the sake of their palate, people raise animals to satisfy their cravings.
These animals are slaughtered by humans.This is the experience of animals that we can see.
Moreover, mentally, people who are like hungry ghosts and animals are insatiably greedy.They always want more and are never satisfied.So, their lives are very difficult.Their minds are constantly covered by more afflictions, so their suffering is unbearable; they find this world hard to bear.There are many people who face such tremendous suffering in the worlds.
In summary, the Buddha taught, “Life is suffering.”There are many principles about suffering.If we humans truly want to awaken, we must first witness suffering so we can realize how blessed we are.
All the suffering in life can awaken the love in us so we create more blessings.Thus we cherish our blessings and create more.Only after we witness suffering will we know to create blessings.
“The world is the best place for spiritual practice.”We can only attain Buddhahood in this world.This is because Bodhisattvas arise due to suffering sentient beings.By walking the Bodhisattva-path, the awaken to all worldly matters and then naturally attain enlightenment.This is our path as Buddhaist practitioners in this world.
There are so many people in this great house. Then the analogy continues with, “Its halls and lofts are decaying and old; its walls and partitions are crumbling. The pillars are rotting at their bases; the beams and columns are dangerously aslant”.
We need to understand that the “halls and lofts are decaying and old”. The elder himself is already old and frail. Previously we explained that the Dharma flourished in the Buddha’s lifetime. After He entered Parinirvana, there were still true spiritual practitioners. Thus Right Dharma abided in the world. With the Dharma and spiritual practice came the fruits of realizations. This was called the era of Right Dharma. After that came the era of Dharma-semblance. There were many monasteries and temples, in addition to many images of the Buddha and many sutras. Everyone started to translate Buddhist scriptures, so there were plenty of sutras. This was during the era following Right Dharma, the era of Dharma-semblance.
[Since the Buddha’s lifetime,] around 2500 or 2600 years have passed. The era of Dharma- degenaration has manifested. We see people practicing without attaining realizations, engaging in incomplete practices.
In summary, the Buddha-Dharma in the world today is gradually being forgotten. Furthermore, the Right Dharma is no longer seen in this world. However, the Buddha taught that unconditioned Dharma will forever be in our minds. Because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, the three elements of enlightenment will always abide in our minds. We must awaken ourselves and awaken others at the same time. By awakening ourselves and others, we cultivate perfect awakened conduct. These are the three elements of enlightenment.
So, even though we live in the era of Dharma-degenaration, True Dharma still abides in everyone’s minds. Therefore, we must work very hard to preserve the Buddha-Dharma in the world and in our hearts so we can put it into practice. Then naturally, the halls and loft will not decay. We hope this broken house can be remodeled to be even sturdier. At this time, we must be mindful.
With the words used in the analogy, the “hall” is where “smoke from the fires of ignorance gathers”. There are fires of ignorance, and where there is fire there will be smoke. The fire and smoke constantly permeate everything.
Hall: where smoke from the fires of ignorance gathers. This is an analogy using a house on fire. In terms of circumstantial retribution, it is an analogy for the body-root, the root that all other roots rely on.
We often talk about fires. It is not only fires that can harm people; smoke can also cause great damage to the body. When we see fire and very thick smoke coming from the same place that is the appearance of a house on fire. This is analogous to how, in this world, the three major and minor calamities are gradually converging to happen in the same place, the way fire and smoke go together. It is as if this world is on fire. We keep seeing this imagery.
So, “in terms of circumstantial retribution”. Let us change our focus to circumstantial retribution. In this world, on this planet, according to their circumstantial retributions, people are born to different places as different ethnicities. Some people live in Africa and speak languages we do not understand. Their skin color is also different from ours. Europeans also have a different skin color. It is their circumstantial retribution to be born on that continent. We rely on this country and this land of our living. This is all due to circumstantial retributions.
So, this is our “body-root, the root that all other roots rely on”. Let me further explain. We each have our own bodies; our eyes, ears, nose and tongue and so on come together to form our body. Our circumstantial retributions bring our body-root here. Where is this place?
“Hall” is also an analogy for the desire realm, for our circumstantial retribution and way of life in the desire realm, because we have been born into the desire realm. This is also called the “realm of physical existence”,
because on the surface of this world, besides our bodies, we have to rely on many material things to sustain our lives. Without those things, we would not be to continue living. They term “physical” refers to all material things. These things are encompassed within the desire realm. Things that can be seen, including our bodies and all material goods in the world are part of “the realm of physical existence.”This is the desire realm.
Every day, we rely on our bodies to keep living. Our bodies rely on our eyes to see the world, to see every matter and object. We also rely on our limbs to do our work. To walk and carry out other tasks, this is what we depend on. Moreover, there is our thinking. Our thinking complicates things.
What do we really need? Because of this body, we have cravings and desires, whether we crave things or have sexual desires. The origin of disaster begins with the desires of our bodies and gives to many calamities.The desires of our bodies and minds have no end, so in the desire realm, we give rise to much ignorance and afflictions. This is the desire realm.
Loft” is part of a multi-story building. This building is not just one room; it has mant stories and many lofts. “Loft” is an analogy for the desire realm.
Lofts: the form realm. The four elements, earth, water, fire and air, are what the world relies on for support.
The form realm is the four elements, earth, water, fire and air. The world around us, the entire realm of physical existence, depends on earth, fire and air. Only when the four elements are in balance can material things exist in this physical realm.
Even a cup is a physical vessel. Without a cup, we cannot drink water. Without bowls and utensils, we cannot serve or plate our food. A cup, a pair of chopsticks and a spoon can all exist because of the convergence of the four elements, the cup is made our of earth. This basic substance must be mixed with water; that mixture is unbaked earthenware. To finish this product, we must stir up a fire, and for the fire to burn, there must be air. So, only with the balance of the four elements can this vessel come into being.
Everything in this world depends on this. All the forms and material goods we rely on in the realm of physical existence depend on the convergence of the four elements for their existence.
Therefore, the Buddha-Dharma encompasses the workings of many things. All this is the Dharma. Everyone, learning the Buddha’s Way is not only [reading sutras]. Reading texts is not the only source of the Dharma. No. In our daily living, every matter and object teaches us the Dharma. Our every action and every thought converges with this vast universe. Everything is within this great house. In this world, in this universe, we need to penetrate the Dharma more deeply and experience the Buddha’s teachings. If we perfect the three elements of enlightenment and are replete with the two kinds of virtues, then we can realize the principles of all things in the world.
We live our lives in the Three Realms, in this great house that we created.The ways in which the world is changing now are determined by our thinking; we shape the world to be this way. Therefore, everyone, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must meticulously penetrate [the teachings]. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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