Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Enter the Door of Bodhisattva Practice Together (同入菩薩行門)
Date: May.14. 2015
“Through teachings, practice and realization, we enter the Dharma-nature of the Great Vehicle. This is the door to the Bodhisattva-practice of the One Vehicle. Upholding precepts and goodness brings blessings in the human and heaven realms. Heretical teachings and deviant views are not the door to the True Dharma.”
This tells everyone that as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must accept it through teachings, practice and realization. We must learn all the teachings that have been given. After learning them, we must teach them to others. Once we have teachings, we must have a practice. If we do not practice what was taught, wouldn’t that be the same as not having been taught at all?
So, we must put the Dharma into practice. This is the only way to truly integrate what we have learned. Once we have taken it to heart, the skills we have mastered will be a part of us. When we clearly understand the methods we have learned, we can take the skills we have mastered and teach them to others. Both the person learning and the person teaching are inspired from deep in their hearts; thus the teachings are passed on. This is what we do as Buddhist practitioners.
Take teaching children, for example. Howe do children grow up? From the time they are born, they live with people. They can learn simply by watching the way their parents behave. In their childhood, they copy the way their parents treat each other. When they begin to attend school, what the teacher teaches, the atmosphere, etc., endlessly gives rise to certain feelings and realizations in them, causing them to endlessly develop certain habitual tendencies. Therefore, our environment is also very important, whether we are talking about our spiritual practice center or mundane surroundings. Regardless of the environment, it is teaching us.
There was a news report from the state of Maryland in the United States about a man who was more than 50 years old. He had been seriously injured in a car crash. After he was treated, the doctor announced that the man would only have the speed capabilities of a two-year-old child. The doctor said that his language skills might be stuck in this stage for the rest of his life.
When this man was very young, he had begun to raise a pair of parrots. Following his accident and after his treatment, these two birds took turns keeping him company. Furthermore, they would talk to him constantly. They never stopped chattering; this was a regular occurrence. When the time came, the birds would switch shifts.
After some period of time passed, the man suddenly uttered a sentence. Although his enunciation was not clear, he began to speak two or three sentences, constantly working on his pronunciation. Gradually, his words became clear. From this beginning, 14 years later, he could speak clearly again.
After all this happened, the man made a vow. He was grateful to these birds for helping him regain his powers of speech, so he made a vow to raise parrots. If parrots were abandoned by their owners, he adopted them. He also came across stray parrots, who knows who had raised them? There were also parrots who were ill or injured. He cared for them all.He said that this was a way of paying them back.See, aren’t humans just like all other living beings?
The Buddha spoke of the four kinds of beings womb-born, egg-born, moisture-born and transformation-born.The four kinds of beings are all different, but their intrinsic nature if the same.So when we learn the Buddha’s Way we must learn to show compassion to all equally.All living beings are equal, [deserving of] respect, gratitude and love; this is our intrinsic nature.
The Buddha taught us in the hope that we can return to our pure, intrinsic nature.Therefore, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must put it into practice.If we learn but do not practice, it will not be possible for us to experience the ultimate reality of our environment.The ultimate reality of our environment is the true principles.
The Buddha-Dharma teaches us the principles of all things and living beings in the world.We need to thoroughly understand them, so after we are taught, we must put our hearts into experiencing them.To do so, we must put them into practice, feel them for ourselves and attain our own realization.This is [the cycle of] teachings, principles, practice and realization.These are the four steps.
If we are Buddhist practitioners but lack teachings, we cannot understand the principles.If we understand the principles, we must put them into practice.That is the only way to attain realizations and take the Dharma to heart.This is the Dharma-nature of the Great Vehicle.Where must we enter?Through the Great Vehicle Dharma.
The One Great Vehicle is the door to the Bodhisattva-practice.This is the goal of Bodhisattvas, and the Six Perfections are their tools.
The Six Perfections allow us to transcend our ignorance and the state of ordinary people to ascend to a pure and undefiled state.
The Six Perfections are cultivated among people.This is why Bodhisattvas must interact with people.There are all kinds of people in the world, and if we can realize the Buddha-Dharma, naturally we can interact with them.
If we can give to others without beings hindered by our environment, we can cross the river of afflictions and reach the opposite shore.
This is accomplished with the Great Vehicle Dharma.This is the only door to the Bodhisattva Way, and only by passing through this door can we truly return to our intrinsic nature.
For our spiritual cultivation, the Buddha opened this Dharma-door.
Sentient beings are in a state between delusion and awakening.
How then, can we fully awaken?The Buddha had to give us many methods.Aside from the Three Vehicles we have discussed, there is in fact a fourth and a fifth vehicle.In addition to the Hearer, Solitary Realizer and Bodhisattva Vehicles, there are the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles.
The Human Vehicle teaches us how to be a good person.How do we behave properly.By upholding the Five Precepts.If we are able to uphold the Five Precepts, we will not lost human form. If we can
abide by them,we can be reborn in the human realm.
Among the Five Precepts, in addition to not killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct or lying, we cannot drink alcohol.
Think about this, not lying is very difficult.Cultivating virtuous speech is not that easy.
Moreover, this world is so complicated; sometimes we cannot share the truth and we need to tell white lies.When we hear one person speak ill of another, saying very negative and hurtful things, and the target of those words ask us, “Was that person badmouthing me to you?” we would say, “Not at all, he was not speaking ill of you. Furthermore, he was very complimentary of you, saying how lucky he was to have you teach him.”To help preserve harmony, we may skillfully tell lies.
Then there is not killing.Even if we do not directly kill, can we indirectly kill?This is what most people do.Even if you do not personally kill what you eat, you have asked or helped others to do so.This also creates the karma of killing and thus breaks this precept.This is not abiding by the precept of “not killing”.
There is also stealing.“Can you avoid stealing for another person?”
“Yes, I won’t be a thief; I will keep my hands clean.”However, we may have ill-gotten wealth. Out of our desire to make money, even if you are clearly making a nice profit, you may lower the quality of your item and sell at a higher price to make money. If our profit is unreasonably high, that is ill-gotten wealth. Therefore, stealing is not just about robbing another person obtaining wealth by unjust means is also considered stealing.
Refraining from killing and stealing are not easy, not to mention sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct can lead to all kinds of misfortune.As for drinking alcohol , "Is it easy to quit drinking?" "Very difficult". Abstaining from alcohol is also very hard! So, upholding Five Precepts cannot be considered an easy matter. However, if we can uphold them, we can be reborn as a human our future lifetime.
To reach the heaven realm we need to practice and teach others practice the Ten Good Deeds. The Ten Good Deeds include three of mind, four of speech and three of the body. These are the Ten Precepts or The Good Deeds. So, these are the Human and Heavenly Being Vehicles.The Buddha did not only teach the Five Vehicles. There are the Five Vehicles.
Thus, " Upholding precepts and goodness brings [blessing] in the human and heaven realms ". To uphold precepts is to learn and practice the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds, Then naturally we will reach the state of Hearers and Solitary Realizers, eventually aspiring to walk the Bodhisattva-path.
This is why I always tell everyone, "We must path a smooth road through this world in order to connect with the Bodhi - path in order to connect with the Bodhi - path". This is accomplished through the Five Vehicles. "Heretical teachings and deviant view and not the door to the True Dharma". When we learn we the Buddha's Way we must develop Right Understanding, Right View and cultivate Right Dharma. We must not deviate at all.
In our spiritual practice, the smallest deviation will lead us far off course. I hope that as we learn the Buddha's Way and the Dharma, we will learn Right Understanding, Right View and perfect awaking. That is the only way to attain Buddhahood. "Buddha" means "enlightened". So we must learn the path to enlightenment. Moreover, it must be the Drama of perfect enlightenment; there cannot be the slightest deviation.
Earlier, we talked about the burning house. How could the children be drawn out? If they are mixed up and mistaken about the door to the Dharma, or if they deviate toward a heretical path, then they will not be able to escape the burning house. If they do not follow the Right Dharma, they would find the door that leads outside.
The Children each said to their father, "You said that you had many fun toys, such as sheep-carts, deer-carts and ox-carts, Please give them to us now"
The previous passage mentioned that once the children have escaped the burning house, escaped the burning house, they began to plead with their father "Father, you should give us what right now." He said" All this is for you. Choose whatever you want
"The next passage states, "Sariput, at that time, the elder equally gave each child a great cart."
Giving this "great cart" equally shows that when he gave things to the children, he would give them treasure in equal amounts. He gave each child the same thing, the biggest thing he could give them, a "great cart".
The father gave all his children treasures in equal amounts and ultimately gave them a great cart. This means that only the one Great Vehicle, the Bodhisattva teachings, can encompass the nine Dharma realms.
He told them, "The sheep- cart and deer-cart are very small. Let me tell you, the great cart will be most helpful to you. Ultimately, it will benefit you the most ". This father actually gave his children so many things. He did not give them just a few things, but a great number of things. This is an analogy for the Great Vehicle Dharma, which is the Bodhisattva Way.
The Buddha encouraged everyone to quickly practice according to the teachings. He had [safeguarded] the One Reality Vehicle in His mind. The One vehicle Dharma is truly the Great Dharma. This shows the mindfulness of the Buddha. More than 40 years ago, because sentient beings had varying capabilities, He had to devise the Five Vehicles and the Three Vehicles in order to teach them. Most importantly, they converge in the One Vehicle. The One Vehicle is the Bodhisattva Vehicle, the state of Bodhisattvas.
In term of the Bodhisattva grounds, those from the first ground and above, who have realized the non-retreating state, are called true Bodhisattvas. Before this, those who are newly-inspired are called seeming Bodhisattvas.
Haven’t I said this to everyone before? We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we cannot yet return to it. Where is this intrinsic Buddha-nature? At the beginning, we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice. To cultivate the Bodhisattva-path, we start with the first ground.
Previously, we have discussed the Ten Ground of the Bodhisattvas. The first state is about being joyous. When we learn the Buddha-Dharma, we must do so very happily. Then when we listen to the Dharma, we will be filled with Dharma-joy. We start with being joyful; this is the first ground. Bodhisattvas all start with the first ground, then through diligent practice, they will naturally reach the tenth ground and realize the non-retreating state.
Before this, they are newly-inspired. By their appearance, it is apparent that they have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations. But carrying them out requires mastery. How can those skills be mastered? Though they are happy to the Dharma, they also have to put it into practice. From this first ground, they take their initial steps. Where should they go? Among the people this makes them “awakened sentient beings.”
When we accept the Dharma, we feel happy and thus take the dharma to heart. The Buddha taught us to have unconditional loving-kindness and universal compassion. We must understand the teachings and take them to heart. But how do we apply unconditional loving-kindness to help everyone live a blessed life?
We must practice universal compassion until our mind is one with everything in the world and we become one with the four kinds of beings. The love we equally have for everyone is universal compassion. In the world of sentient beings, we will understand how they experience suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.
Not only must we love other humans, we must love the four kinds of beings equally. This is what makes us awakened sentient beings.
Awakened sentient beings: This is what Bodhisattva are. Be deeply contemplating the Two Truth, absolute and worldly, they further eliminate habitual tendencies of views and thinking and dust-like delusions. They attain pure Dharma-eyes and Bodhisattva-wisdom. Thus they have reached the state of Bodhisattvas.
Bodhisattvas deeply contemplate the Two Truths, the absolute and the worldly.
They must clearly penetrate all universal truths as well as the principles of living in the world. Their next step is to eliminate the afflictions of views, the afflictions of thinking, and the afflictions which arise from delusions. There are countless, dust-like afflictions. As awakened sentient beings, we must constantly eliminate these afflictions. By interacting with sentient beings, we can experience many principles, this is how we eliminate dust-like afflictions and dust-like delusions. This is how we will obtain pure Dharma-eyes. Then we will look to everything in a completely in a completely different way from ordinary people.
Ordinary people have greedy, clinging love, but after we awaken we instead cherish [all things]. Whatever our eyes see, we will cherish but will not crave as our own. Instead, we will try to protect these things. This comes from having “pure Dharma-eyes.” If we clearly penetrate the principles of everything we see, naturally we will love and protect them. This is how we develop Bodhisattva-wisdom.
We must learn how to walk this path, then we can walk without obstacles. This is what the Buddha gives to all beings.
The great cart is the Bodhisattva-path, the path of awakened beings. the Buddha taught us to walk this path, so we must mindfully accept this teaching. If we can, our way will be smooth and unobstructed and we will reach our destination. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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