Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Penetrating Gaze of Dharma-eyes (深觀真俗大乘法眼)
Date: May.15. 2015
“The natural order of the world fosters the growth of all living things. After dry days, the dew that forms at night allows seeds to sprout. The gentle breeze brings relief and eliminates fiery afflictions. With the Dharma-water and the cool breeze, we eliminate ignorance.”
The natural order of the world automatically supports the growth of all things. Therefore, we must always be grateful that all things in the world, in accordance with laws of nature, provide us humans with everything we need in order to live. See, with the turning of the four seasons, all things on earth grow in accord with the climate and the time. But because humans act out of ignorance, the macrocosm of this world has lost its harmony. Still, in some places, thought the climate is such that the day is quite dry, dew forms at night. Small grasses and flowers can grow as long as there is dew, which can sustain their seeds in the soil.
Growing crops in these places is still difficult, but there are many kinds of seeds that can grow. As long as there is dew, it can keep them alive. I still remember that many years ago, I heard about a place in Chile where no rain had fallen in many years. However, in that small village, people had the wisdom to use netting to collect the dew. During the day, they quickly pull down the nets with the dew on it and collect the dew in buckets. This provides them with enough water for a day.
The world is indeed an amazing place! We cannot feel the dew and often do not notice it. But when we get up early in the morning, even if it has not rained the night before, if we look outside in the morning, just as the sun is about to rise, and carefully examine the leaves and especially the tips of the grasses, we can see how the dew has condensed and collected on their tips. If we keep watching carefully, those dew drops will fall. So, the earth can absorb the dew thanks to the flowers and grasses. This dew collects, then fall onto and moistens the earth, nourishing the roots of the grasses and flowers. This is a natural cycle of the world.
So, “After dry days, the dew that forms at night allows seeds to sprout.” If the seeds planted in the earth are nourished by this moisture from the dew, they will be sustained and will be able to sprout. This is the natural order of things.
This is an analogy for how, if each of our minds is nourished by Dharma-water, the seed in our mind, this nature of True Suchness, will naturally sprout. If the pure mirror in our minds is cleansed with Dharma-water, its surface will be clear and bright. On those days when it is very hot, “the gentle breeze brings relief”; we need a gentle breeze to blow. When it is hot and stuffy, it feels miserable. If the air in a place is not really circulating, it feels suffocating, because there is not [fresh] air. There is no fresh air because there is not breeze. [Openings for] air would allow a breeze to come in. If everything is closed off, if everything is sealed off, no air can get in.That makes everything stuffy.
The same thing happens to us when we have not taken the Right Dharma to heart.If we are able to open the door to our minds, we can allow a breeze to enter so that we can come in contact with the fresh air.This relieves the fluffiness and makes it easier to breathe.
With fresh air, we can breathe more smoothly.The same principle applies to our minds.
Thus, “The gentle breeze brings relief”; it helps to dispel our dreariness.This is the Dharma eliminating our ignorance.So, it “eliminates fiery afflictions”.
A slight breeze can bring complete relief from our ignorance and afflictions.When we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we can eliminate our afflictions.You may be worried about having a lot of work.
But instead of just sitting there worrying about all the things that have not been done, giving rise to afflictions, why don’t you get up and with the time you have and the strength you have, do as many things as you can?
Just do it!
If all you do is continue sitting there, looking at how much there is to do, you will just throw up your hands [in defeat].
As you sit there, you only worry about how things will never get done.
The same applies to a space.So many things have been stockpiled in there and need to be organized.As time steadily slips away, if we just stand there and continue to stockpile afflictions, we will never be able to deal with them and will never feel relief.There is only one thing to do; we realize that we need to get up and take action.With the strength and time we have, we do as much as we can.
Won’t this help us reduce the number of things that are causing us afflictions?
If we make use of the time we have and our diligent practice to sweep away our afflictions, we can purify our minds.The Dharma-water is an important part of this.
With the Dharma-water and a cool breeze, we can take the Dharma to heart and have the help of assisting conditions all around us.Then, naturally our ignorance can be eliminated.Our afflictions and ignorance will naturally be eliminated.We can reduce our afflictions and even completely purify our minds.
Awakened sentient beings:These are Bodhisattvas.
By deeply contemplating the Two Truths, 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.
The Buddha comes into this world for the sole purpose of awakening sentient beings.The Buddha used various methods, such as the Five Vehicles and Three Vehicles.
He taught people how to live in this world and how to be born in the heaven realm.
He also explained how we can purify our minds, the teachings for Hearers that lead onto the path of awakening.He also explained the laws of nature and the principles of true emptiness and wondrous existence.
Solitary Realizers can realize how everything is ultimately empty in nature.Others can understand this principles and also help other people understand true emptiness, and how sentient beings have attachments.
Therefore, they go among the people to help.By keeping “true emptiness” in their minds, they realize “wondrous existence” among people.
By witnessing suffering, causation, cessation, the Path and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, realizing all the ways suffering can come about, they can share these principles with everyone.Since they witness various kinds of suffering, tangible and intangible, whether material or arising from the mind, etc., they dedicate themselves to helping others; this is the Bodhisattva-path.
Bodhisattvas are awakened sentient beings.After being taught and transformed by the Buddha, Bodhisattvas always deeply contemplate the Two truths, absolute and worldly.
The Buddha wanted to help everyone understand this
Bodhisattvas have already accepted this teaching.So, true emptiness and wondrous existence are absolute truth and worldly truth.
Absolute truth is true emptiness.Worldly truth is the way this world works.It is truly incredible!
Why is your mind the way it is?Why do you take these actions?Why can’t you change your habitual tendencies?
Why?There are so many questions.This is why the Buddha devised methods to open up our minds and awaken our wisdom so we can understand the principles and practice according to them.
If we can do this, we will be a moral and virtuous path. This is what He taught to sentient beings, so that we have a way to eliminate our afflictions.
First, habitual tendencies of views and thinking must be eliminated. If our perspectives and thinking are on the right track, naturally our-like delusions, all those subtle bits of ignorance, will disappear along with deluded views and and thinking. By staying on course, our dust-like afflictions will be eliminated.
Nowadays, we often hear about a place that is stricken by a dust-strom, they must cancel fights and put a stop to air traffic. People must also be more vigilant as they drive because they cannot see very far. See, human actions have already caused this pollution in the air and the environment around us. This is similar to our dust-like delusions. All of this is created by sentient beings, cause great suffering for everyone.
But awakened sentient beings, Bodhisattvats, have already brushed away their afflictions and even their dust-like ignorance have been cleaned away. Because they have attained pure Dharma-eyes, they can see everything clearly and distinguish right from wrong, so they no longer give rise to afflictions and ignorance as they interact with other people. Thus they are Bodhisattvas.
Pure Dharma-eyes: The Small Vehicle Dharma-eyes is the initial fruit. It can see the teachings of the Four Noble Truths. The Great Vehicle Dharma-eye is the initial ground. It perceives true non-arising Dharma. These are Dharma-eyes.
Bodhisattavas start with the first ground and may have advanced all the way to the tenth, which is also close to the state of Buddhahood. These awakened sentient beings have accepted the Buddha-Dharma in the world and have penetrated the wisdom of true emptiness and wondrous existence. Therefore, they can see all things very clearly. It is as if their surroundings are clear, free of haze and pollution, so they can see very far and all states are clear to them.
Seeing everything in the world in this way is called seeing with Dharma-eyes, which are penetrating and can see very clearly. This helps develop Bodhisattva-wisdom, so all principles are distinct and uncontaminated. This is the state of Bodhisattvas.
The previous sutra passage mentioned how the Buddha lined up three carts outside the burning house and then watched all the children come out. At this point in the teachings, the Buddha said, " Sariputra, at that time the elder... " He called to Sariputra again and told him how the elder equally gave each child a great cart " Sariputra, you should know that after the children left the house, they asked their father for the things he had promised them." At this moment, what the elder gave these children was, in the end, not just the sheep-or deer-cart. In the end, he gave them all the same thing, a cart drawn by a large white ox. He was like a father dividing up an inheritance among his children. Even child received the same portion. Even child received an equal amount and ended up with the same thing. So, this great cart was given to all equally. The all received the same thing, a very large cart with an abundance of wealth.
The next passage states, "These carts were tall and broad, decorated with all kinds of treasures, surrounded by railings and hung with bells."
This we can all understand. What we read here can be easily understood. How large were these carts? These carts were tall and broad, and adorned with many treasures and adorned with many treasures. They were decorated all over, " surrounded by railings " . All around the carts were beautiful decorations; the ox-cart had railings all around them " [They were] hung with bells" . The cart was tall and hung with bells. The ringing of bells was also a way to decorate and beauty the cart. As the cart moved, sounds could be heard. The tinkling of the bells was very soothing for the people in the cart, and wherever the cart went, people would hear this and know that a wealthy person was passing by. The sounds of the bells were beautiful. All this created a sense of magnificence.
The Dharma-eyes I mentioned earlier [come from] the Great Vehicle. As Buddhist practitioners, if we learn the Great Vehicle Dharma, we will have a great cart like this which has already been wonderfully decorated. The great cart is tall, so we can sit up high. Our vantage point is broad and far-reaching; that is like having Dharma-eyes and being able to see far and wide.
If we are sitting at a lower vantage point, wherever we look, our vision is obstructed. But if we can sit up high and look down, we can see very far away. This is like having Dharma-eyes. Our perspective, the scope of what we can see from high up, is [very expansive].
Those with the Dharma-eyes are Bodhisattva. Their perspective is on a higher lever than that of Solitary Realizers. They are at the first Bodhisattva ground and have attained non-arising patience. They are at the state of non-arising patience. Hearers and Solitary Realizers focus on their own awakening and are afraid to come in contact with others. But those who form Great Vehicle aspirations make the four Great Vows, [such as] “I vow to deliver the countless sentient beings.” they have decided to go among people. But if we want to go among people, patient is a necessity. We must practice the Six Perfections.
In addition to giving and upholding precepts, the Six Perfections include patient. Only with patient can we develop diligence, Samadhi and Wisdom. We need to give to others and so on. We must also preserve the purity of our minds. When we go among people to give them material things, the Dharma, etc., we need to have patience, the strength and virtue that comes from patience. Among the multitude of sentient beings, many have severe afflictions and an unwholesome character. Not only will they not repay kindness, they will respond to it with resentment and hate.
If we do not have patience, patience arising from Dharma, how can we continue walking this path? So, with the Great Vehicle Dharma-eye, Bodhisattvas can see through and clearly understand that sentient beings tend to be filled with afflictions and ignorance.
They understand that this is very normal. Equipped with patience arising from the Dharma, they will not allow sentient beings’ afflictions to affect their spiritual aspirations. This is the “Great Vehicle Dharma-eye.”
Those noble practitioners who turn from the small to the Great are able to be called Bodhisattvas. Though they have yet to attain the Dharmakaya, as they have made Great Vehicle aspirations, they will practice the great vehicle teachings and will not retreat back to the Small Vehicle.
People like this can see through things. They are able to withstand torment. They are able to withstand jealousy. They are able to withstand insults and abuse. They can withstand all of these because they have the Great Vehicle Dharma-Eye. They have already attained non-arising patience. This is the Dharma-eye. They have turned from the Small to the Great.
In the past, they were Small Vehicle practitioners, Hearers and Solitary Realizers, who wanted sheep-carts and deer-carts.However, the Buddha wanted them to turn from the Small to the Great. He did not want them to stop with the sheep-carts and deer-carts. He did not want Hearers and Solitary Realizers because they have always had this magnificent, powerful, tall and broad cart. The Buddha exercised His wisdom to draw everyone out of the burning house to a place that was open and safe. Then He gave everyone such great carts, which are the Great Vehicle Dharma.
Therefore, we Buddhist practitioners must open up and broaden our minds. The Dharma that we must seek is the Great Vehicle Dharma. We cannot stop with the sheep- and deer-carts. We all have cart a drawn by a great white ox. This is the Great Vehicle that the Buddha hoped all of us would attain. So, I hope you will always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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