Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Use Perfect Enlightenment and Wisdom to Transform Those With Limited Capacities (如來圓覺智度小機)
Date: April.17. 2015
“The Tathagata has perfect enlightenment and great wisdom. He is replete with compassion and true principles. The playful sons foolishly set off sparks and, as the fire surrounded them, they did not know to feel shock or fear.”
The Tathagata already has perfect wisdom and is replete with the three elements of enlightenment. He enlightened Himself and others, and has perfect enlightened conduct. He is replete with compassion and has understood the true principles. However, we ordinary people are like those foolish sons playing. They still did not understand what “principles” are, nor did they try to follow the teachings. These foolish sons did not want to learn and were always causing trouble, not realizing that they were surrounded by danger. So, they felt no shock or fear.
Isn’t this how we sentient beings behave? The Buddha is like the kind father of the world. He is replete with morals and has completed His learning. His knowledge of principles, virtue and His character have all been perfected. But how can He teach the children and other family members who live in this great house? Each family member in this great house has his own habitual tendencies. The children are not very serious, either. This kind father will feel worried and helpless, but will not give up. So, He devised wondrous provisional teachings and skillful means as ways of teaching everyone.
When the Buddha was in this world, the disciple closet to Him was Ananda. One time, Ananda developed a boil on his back. It was abscessed. Medically, this is an “ulcerative carbuncle.” This boil was extremely painful. It has already festered and had to be operated on. The Buddha told the doctor, “Go ahead and operate on him. I will speak to Ananda and divert his attention.”
Sure enough, since the Buddha was before him, Ananda concentrated on listening to the Dharma with the respect he always had. The Buddha spoke to Ananda in the tone of voice He normally used, saying, “Ananda, spiritual practice cannot wait. You must seize the opportunities for awakening. If you want to awaken, your Six Roots must be focused on one thing. As you physically sit here, you must use your eyes and ears in concert.” As Ananda listened to the Buddha speak, he was unaware that the boil was being lanced, and all the pus was being drained. Everything went smoothly.
The Buddha then asked Ananda, “Ananda, did that hurt?” Ananda answered, “I did not feel anything at all. Someone was treating the boil on my back yet I felt no pain at all.” The Buddha turned to the other bhiksus and said, “Be focused when you listen to the Dharma. When Ananda suffered this physical ailment, he focused on the teaching of the Dharma. This allowed his physical suffering to be treated. His treatment was completed [so easily], and he took the Dharma to heart, took the true principles to heart and developed his wisdom-life.”
[In the story of] the Buddha and Ananda, Ananda’s ailment was treated while the Buddha used the Dharma to treat his mind, diverting his attention from his physical pain to listening to the Dharma.So, when we concentrate, we can take the Buddha-Dharma to heart.
Two or three days ago, Chi Hang came back to the Abode from Malaysia.While talking, he mentioned a young volunteer, Cheng Yi, and his life story.He said, “When [Cheng Yi] was born, he had no hands; he was physically handicapped.”
When his parents saw that their child was born without hands, they abandoned him.Another couple could not bear to see this so they brought him home and raised him.As this child slowly grew older, like any typical child, he went to school.He went to elementary, middle, then high school.
However, because he lacked both hands, as he interacted with other children, he could not help but feel inferior.Just before entering college, he happened to come in contact with Tzu Chi volunteers.
They helped him apply for scholarships and constantly encouraged him.He was very smart and studious, so he was accepted into college.However, he was worried.“Once I graduate, where will I work?”
Chi Hang and the other volunteers told him, “Don’t worry about your post graduation plans; come work for Tzu Chi.”He felt very happy and comforted.Once he graduated, he reported to work at Tzu Chi.He was responsible for managing the same field that he had studied, information technology.He was in charge of this from the office.
Whiter the 3-in-1 (documentation) team needed photographs to be uploaded or needed video footage to be edited, he would use his feet to edit the images and videos.He was responsible for all of the typing and documentation.
During the Malaysian volunteers’ previous trip, I asked him, “Are you listening to the teachings? Do you wake up for the morning Dharma talk?”He quickly stood, came before me and said, “When I go back, I will do this diligently. Very well, now that you have promised me, you must go back and diligently learn the Dharma.”
Indeed, when he went back to Malaysia, he woke up early every morning to attend the morning recitation and my Dharma talk.
But as soon as I began the lecture with, “Fellow practitioners,” he would start to nod off and sleep, all the way until, “Always be mindful”.Then, he would wake up.
He said, “This is frustrating, what should I do?”Because I speak Taiwanese, which he could not understand, as soon as I said, “Fellow practitioners,” he would immediately fall asleep.
So, how could he learn Taiwanese?He said he concentrated on listening and focused all his attention on his ears.One day, suddenly, while he focused single-mindedly on listening he heard a “pop” in his ears.
From then on, he could understand every sentence that I spoke.
Following the talk, the volunteers shared their realizations at a study group.Those who understood would take notes.
On that day I taught about “perfecting the three elements of enlightenment,” [which sounds like “three angles” in Taiwanese].
In the group, the volunteers discussed what I said.
One volunteer drew it for everyone, a line going this way, this way, and then that way.There were three angles, a triangle!Cheng Yi explained to him, “Master didn’t say ‘triangle’, but rather ‘the three elements of enlightenment’.”
He had made a note about this He took notes with his feet, taking down every single word.When he showed everyone his notes, he had “the three elements of enlightenment”.
So, is he lacking anything?No. He has all of his six sense organs.
Although he has no hands, his feet were very dexterous.
Chi Hang told me, “His notes are even neater than handwritten ones.They are very clear and orderly.”He took in every sentence I said. Strangely enough, he can only understand Taiwanese when I speak it, not when anyone else speaks it.
Think about this; it is incredible!But it is not that inconceivable.
We must believe the Buddha’s teachings that [anything is possible] when we are completely focused on receiving the Dharma. When we accept the Dharma with sincerity, we can take every single sentence to heart. If we are like foolish children, we will remain mischievous and stubborn, doing as we please and refusing to listen to any directions. If we are like this, in spite of disasters arising on all sides, we will still not be afraid.
This worries the elder of the great house. What method could he use to help everyone accept the Dharma, take it to heart and manifest it in their actions? This is what the Buddha mindfully contemplated.
The previous passage states, “Sariputra, the elder had these thoughts.” The elder was very mindful about this. [He thought], “My body and arms are strong. I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house.”
“My body and arms are strong” is what we discussed yesterday. [In the analogies of] body and arms, “body” represents compassion and “arms” represent wisdom. Having compassion, we think of how to safeguard sentient beings and how to relieve suffering with our two hands. This represents wisdom and compassion.
Compassion and wisdom are expressed by saying, “body and arms [that] are strong”. But what methods should he use? The passage continues, “I can wrap them in a sack or place them on a table and carry them out of the house”.
“A sack”, in ancient India, was something delicate used to hold flowers made of cloth. This container which was wrapped around things is called a sack.
“A sack: In ancient India, this was a container used to hold flowers. It could be used a protect the young and innocent and help bring them out of the burning house. This is an analogy for transforming those with limited capabilities.”
This object is used as an analogy for something used to protect the young and innocent. Very young children can be shielded by [a sack]. “Children” represents those who have limited capabilities and a superficial understanding of the Dharma, so this is an analogy for transforming those with limited capabilities. Next is “a table”. “Table” here can refer to a side table. This is like the table we use to serve tea. It is very small, or like a tray where we place decorative items. This can only hold smaller objects, things which serve decorative purposes. We place small objects on small tables, which we call side tables.
“A table: Small objects are safely placed on a side table. Large objects are safely placed on a long table. Youths in their prime can climb on them and escape the fire. This is an analogy for transforming those with average capabilities.”
“Long table” refers to bigger tables. Heavier objects can be placed on long tables. We can do our work at this table or put heavy objects on it. “Large objects are safely placed on a long table”. This is an analogy for transforming youth in their prime. At this age, they can climb on the table to escape the fire if they cannot escape through the door, they can stack up the tables to escape the fire. This is an analogy for those with limited or average capabilities. The Buddha must be very careful with them. When those with great capabilities hear the Dharma, they can accept and understand it, so He worried most about people with limited or average capabilities. Though they listened to the Dharma, they did not truly penetrate the Dharma or take it to heart.
So, the Buddha said, “If I use my wisdom, I can manifest spiritual powers and the power of wisdom to teach my understanding and views, powers, fearlessness”.
He taught them in these ways, using His wisdom and His spiritual powers, these kinds of abilities, in order to teach. Simply by speaking to them, He hoped that everyone could accept the Dharma. He hoped that everyone could take the Dharma that He taught to heart,
“[enabling] sentient beings to escape the house of the Three Realms, transcend the Four Inverted Views and understand the Five Aggregates.”
Recently, the house of the Three Realms is something you have grown familiar with. The desire realm, form realm and formless realm have been compared to this great house. In the great house of the world, the mindsets and desires of sentient beings connect to the external conditions of the form realm and give rise to greed, afflictions and so on. This is the analogy of the great house.
“[They] transcend the Four Inverted Views”. The Four Inverted Views are permanence, joy, self and purity. We discussed them just a few days ago, so everyone must understand them and correctly comprehend that life is impermanent. There is so much suffering in the world; where is the joy? We must contemplate the body as impure; we must see that everything is impure.
Indeed, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant of [our views] on these four things. The Five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. In the raging Five Aggregates, consciousness comes from external phenomena of form, leading to feeling, perception then action, which enters our consciousness.
Over these past few days, we have discussed how we use our Six Sense Organs to connect with the Six Sense Objects. Our feelings leads us to constantly think. Acting on these thoughts leads us to create karma, which is then stored in our eighth consciousness.
Therefore, we always say that we must mindfully listen to the Dharma. We must clearly understand the Five Aggregates. With various methods, the Buddha taught the Dharma, and we must listen to it mindfully. We must be like Ananda, who had a boil on his back which was painful, swollen and pus-filled. The Buddha said, “Doctor, focus on the operation. I will help Ananda focus on something else by diverting his attention to concentrate on the Buddha-Dharma.” Sure enough, the operation was successful. Ananda’s boil was healed and he had taken the Dharma to heart. This was also a method He used.
Thus it says, [He would] carry them out of the house. Then he thought further upon this again. Clearly, the One Vehicle Dharma is great, yet capabilities for accepting it are limited. This is analogous to the narrow door.
Thus it says, “[He would] carry them out of the house. Then he thought further upon this again. He taught the Dharma in a certain way for those of limited or average abilities, hoping they could hear and hear and accept the teachings, then understand and contemplate them. First He must help them escape the burning house. Then he must help them advance to the next stage. “Clearly the One Vehicle Dharma is great.”
The Dharma of the One Vehicle is very expansive; it is the Great Dharma. But those of limited capabilities are unable to enter it. Why can some people not enter this Dharma? Their capabilities are limited because they cling to the Four Inverted Views and the Five Aggregates. People like this still have many afflictions. The Four Inverted Views and the Five Aggregates are very big [obstacles], so the Dharma cannot penetrate their minds.
Because people cling to the Four Inverted Views and Five Aggregates, it is hard for them to pass through the Dharma-door. Thus it says, “The door is narrow.”
Because their afflictions are great, and the door to their minds is narrow, the Great Dharma cannot enter their minds. They practice only for their own benefit, without wanting to also benefit others. This is their capability. With so many afflictions, the door to their minds is very narrow. The Great Dharma cannot enter their minds; it is difficult to pass through this Dharma-door. They cannot enter this door; they cannot understand it.
Thus, “The door is narrow. In order to open the door of our minds to accept the Great Dharma, we must not amass so many afflictions. If we have more afflictions than Dharma, the Dharma cannot enter our minds. The more afflictions we have, the narrow the door will be. Therefore, we must break through our afflictions so that they do not obstruct the door; only then can we take in the Dharma.
Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners, we must take the Dharma to heart. If not, how can we learn to be like the Buddha and perfect the three elements of enlightenment? That requires us to always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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