Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Realization of Unlimited Truths (達悟無極之理)
Date: May.26. 2015
“Our minds must be as broad as the universe. Then wondrous and subtle consciousness can contain the universe. By understanding all Dharma, we fulfill wondrous practices. By letting go of the Small and seeking the Great we can steadily practice the path.”
Spiritual practice is not just about only benefiting ourselves; we must expand and broaden our minds. Our minds must be broad and spacious; they must be as vast as the universe. This is truly a boundless and limitless state. So, I often tell everyone that our minds must be broad and our thoughts pure. If our minds are broad and pure, when we interact with people, matters and objects, we can always be accommodating. In this way, aren’t our minds open and spacious?
If we do not engage in spiritual practice with an open and spacious mind, we have no way to achieve the one great cause for which the Buddha came and opened and revealed [the Dharma]. If our minds are not open and spacious, we cannot realize and enter [the Dharma]. So, as the Buddha “open and revealed,” we sentient beings need to “realize and enter”. We must realize how to return our minds to a state that is as spacious as the universe. This is what we need to learn. We should not choose the sheep-cart or deer-cart, out the cart drawn by the great white ox, the ox cart. We do not want to walk the great, smooth Bodhi-path by ourselves. We want to guide other people to follow the same path so we can all reach the state of Buddhahood at the same time. This is way, when we have listened to the Dharma, we must then continue to pass it on. By turning the Dharma-wheel, we can transform sentient beings. When we deliver sentient beings, our minds must not only be open and spacious, but also very meticulous. We can apply various methods to teach according to sentient beings’ capacities. To do so we must enter the teachings with subtle, meticulous wisdom.
“Then wondrous and subtle consciousness can contain the universe.” We must exercise our wondrous, subtle and very meticulous wisdom. We often mention the Six Sense Organs along with the Six Sense Objects and Six Consciousnesses. The Six Sense Organs are very subtle and wondrous.
Look at how the human body is endowed with Six Sense Organs. The eyes are such a small part of the body, but our gaze can take in so much of the world. When I am outside, the external conditions I take in with my eyesight are immensely open and spacious. This is very wondrous! If our eyes are healthy, our optical nerves will work with our eyes to connect with our external conditions. The eye-consciousness alone is very subtle and wondrous.
What does the optical nerve look like? It is very tiny. It is wondrous how incredibly small it is! In our daily living, for us to connect with the environment, there are countless tiny things and many wonderful and delicate processes. Aren’t the Six Sense Organs of the body just like this? Take our nose for example. Something that cannot be seen can still be smelled by our nose. These things we cannot see may smell fragrant or foul. Of course both fragrant and foul smells are sense objects in our surroundings, while each of us, in our body, has different sense organs and consciousness. With our sense organs and consciousnesses, external conditions enter our minds in very intangible ways.
Of course both fragrant and foul smells are sense objects in our surroundings, while each of us, in our body, has different sense organs and consciousness.With our sense organs and consciousnesses, external conditions enter our minds in very intangible ways.
Due to our consciousnesses, we may want everything we see and initiate action to seize it, which creates [karma].In this case, this desire arises from the mind-consciousness.As our desires grow in number, our minds will begin to scheme up ways to take possession of those objects of desire.This will create negative karma.
If we learn the Buddha’s Way and transformed evil into goodness, when our same sense organs and consciousness encounter the same external conditions, our minds will think of ways to help others.
Recently, in the Philippines, there was such a tremendous disaster.
Look at how many people were mobilized!Tzu Chi volunteers dedicated themselves and utilized “wondrous and subtle consciousness”.Everyone was united harmoniously in mutual love and concerted effort.They could not bear for sentient beings to suffer.
In less than 30 days, they worked nonstop to clear the streets one by one, section by section.These volunteers motivated them, body and mind, to clean the damaged areas, section by section, and clear the streets one by one.This required a lot of time; it took more than 20 days it transform this space from a place that was filthy and foul-smelling into one that was clean.
Gradually, a sense of life has returned to this place, and the economy has revived.Stores have opened, and vendors are back on the streets forming little markets.
Look at Project Hope, in particular.Developing those simple prefabricated classrooms took a lot of hard work.
In Taiwan, we spent a very long time researching a way to quickly erect temporary [structures] that would be safe and very comfortable.They could be used to settle people’s hearts and minds.After many years of effort, this year, we were finally successful.
We developed a structure that could withstand wind and rain, and though simple could be used for several years.After researching and developing them here, we could pack them into shipping containers so many could be shipped at the same time.They can be compressed for shipping and then expanded when they arrive at their destination and immediately become sturdy classrooms.
Finally, we have finished developing them.
Each classroom is about 820 square feet, and each container can hold 12 classrooms.By the time the shipping containers arrived, our volunteers had traveled by air, or by land and then by ship; their journey was arduous.Once the shipping containers arrived, they opened them up and erected the classrooms immediately.
In just one day, they erected two classrooms.Though the sun was blazing hot and sweat poured out of them, there were also moments of rain.Were they covered in rain or sweat?They were simply wet.
It was hot, but the rain cooled them down.Why did these people go there to do this?They had no prior connection with that place.Why did they exert so much effort on their behalf?This is truly an example of how “wondrous and subtle consciousness can contain the universe”.With love in their hearts, they could not bear for sentient beings to suffer.This is the heart of a Bodhisattva.
Their hearts are as encompassing as the universe.Time, space and everything in this world are all part of the universe.The universe contains the entirety of the physical world.That is what we call the universe.Our minds can also be one with the entirety of the universe.
As long as we have this mindset and are inspired to “realize and enter” what the Buddha “opened and revealed,” we can actually turn consciousness into wisdom.As ordinary people, we act from our consciousness.Our consciousnesses interact with our environment when our sense organs connect to sense objects.
So, most people respond to external conditions by giving rise to desires and creating afflictions.They confects with each other make things unsafe and contaminate everything in this world.All this arises from our mind-consciousness.
But when we learn the Buddha’s Way and take the Dharma to heart,we can turn consciousness into wisdom. Thus we develop wisdom. We use “wondrous and subtle consciousness that can contain the universe”. When we unlock our wisdom, “By understanding all Dharma, we fulfill wondrous practices. By turning consciousness into wisdom, we can save all suffering sentient beings. From this rough and uneven path, we can pave a road that is smooth and flat.
Recently, I have been telling everyone that we must work on smoothing out and flattening the ground within our minds. Then, if we can pave a smooth path in this world, it will automatically connect with the Bodhisattva-path. As we engage in spiritual practice, “By letting go of the Small and seeking the Great we can steadily practice the path”. With feet planted firmly upon the ground, we must earnestly put the Dharma into practice. Spiritual practice is not just about reading sutras and understanding the Dharma. If we understand the Dharma but do not put it into practice, we will always remain at our starting point, just walking in place. The Buddha did not want us to awaken only ourselves. We must also benefit others.
That is why, in the Lotus Sutra, there is the parable of the three carts. The three carts are analogies. The sheep-cart, the deer-cart and the ox-cart were used to entice everyone to come out. So, the next sutra passage states, “Thus he had this thought”. Because the great elder was so wealthy and had so many treasures, he had this thought.
“I have unlimited wealth, I should not give inferior, small carts to all my children”.
As there were three carts, why did the elder encourage his children to pick the great cart? This is an analogy for teaching the True Dharma of the One Vehicle.
“This is like teaching the One Vehicle Dharma, the way to walk on the smooth and straight Middle Way. This is same as the way the elder fulfilled his wish as a father to give his children what they really want.”
Out of these three carts, why did he want them to choose the great cart? It is because the great cart enables them to “walk on the smooth and straight Middle Way”. The ox-cart can travel upon this very smooth and level road. As for the ox, he is powerful and sturdy. When the ox draws this cart along this broad and open road, he can walk down the center without being obstructed. This elder is wealthy and rich with treasures, so he wanted to give his children what was the best and the safest.
This parale is about how the elder is fulfilling his wish as a father. As a father, he wants to grant the wishes of his children and satisfy them. He wants everyone to enjoy themselves and have what they seek. Fathers in this world have this hope to fulfill the wishes of their children. This is what fathers in this world do. The world-transcending Enlightened One, Sakyamuni Buddha, treats all sentient beings as His only son. He likewise hopes everyone can come in contact with the Buddha-Dharma’s path to enlightenment, and in thought after thought, remain on the Middle Way of the Great Vehicle to benefit themselves and others and to awaken themselves and others to thus have perfect awakened conduct.
So, this is the thought that the Buddha had, “My wealth is infinite”. This refers to His wealth of teachings.
“The movement of the mind flows through the Three Periods. This is called a thought, such as a thought before, a thought after, thought after thought, etc. when our thoughts reach the unlimited truth and transcend the world’s wondrous existence, we will naturally receive the ultimate essence of true emptiness.”
So, a thought is the “movement of the mind”. Thoughts arise from our minds and then begin to flow. After being initiated by the mind, they “flow through the Three Periods”. Thoughts in our minds unceasingly arise and endlessly flow through the Three Periods, the past, present and future. The previous second, the current second and the coming second all follow one another; this is how time works. Our thoughts work in the same way; they never stop arising and are constantly flowing. What was present is now in the past and what was the future is now our present. This is never stops.
So, we need to comprehend this. This is the working of our “thoughts”, such as a thought before, a thought after, thought after thought, etc. this is what our thoughts are like. As Buddhist practitioners, we must keep thought after thought on the present. This means we must be focused and pay attention to our every thought. This is why I continually tell everyone, “Always be mindful”. Only by always being mindful and in a state of concentration with all our thoughts can our thoughts reach the unlimited truth. This is how we reach and experience the ultimate. This unlimited state is boundless and transcends the truths of wondrous existence.
As Buddhist practitioners, we must keep thought after thought on the present. This means we must be focused and pay attention to our every thought. This is why I continually tell everyone, “Always be mindful.” Only by always being mindful and in state of concentration with all our thoughts can our thoughts reach the unlimited truth. This is how we reach and experience the ultimate. This unlimited state is boundless and transcends the truths of wondrous existence. These unlimited truths transcend the principles of wondrous existence. This is the state of the Buddha mind. The spiritual state of the Buddha has already transcended the entirety of the universe. It has gone far beyond it. All Dharma is encompassed in the Buddha’s ocean of enlightened wisdom, so He has completely transcended all of this. Thus He “naturally receives the ultimate essence of true emptiness.”
There is true emptiness, but within that is wondrous existence. With true emptiness, is there any moment in our lives that is real? Everything is illusory. The past has already passed. How we deal with the past depends on our minds, on whether we have wholesome thoughts. Take the Philippines for example. The city of Tacloban was originally a peaceful port. The day before this terrible disaster struck, the city was flourishing and vibrant. Then limitless [atmospheric] forces converged. Together, those atmospheric forces gave rise to powerful winds which were unparalleled. These natural forces could no be withstood, and they destroyed the whole city. Now everything depends on the people and their wondrous an subtle consciousness to give them the strength to come together, rebuild and start over rebuild and start over. This strength comes from love. The power of love is not flimsy Neither the sheep-cart or deer-cart enable us to exercise our strength, so we need the cart drawn by the great white ox. The ox-cart can transport many people because the ox is so sturdy and strong. People with subtle and wondrous wisdom and compassion came together there. They put aside their own work and brought together this great love, which they manifested through their actions. This was how it was possible for so many people who had lost hope become hopeful again and begin to smile.
Look at those children! See, isn’t this an example of the wondrous existence in true emptiness? This [power] is unlimited. It is impossible for us to measure it. This power comes from our minds; it is the power that comes from working together. So, with our minds, thought after thought, we can gather all this love together. Thus “Our thoughts reach the unlimited truth.”
“Practicing the Small Vehicle is only seeking to transcend the desire realm.” This is about awakening oneself only and disregarding what happens in the form and formless realms. Because we did not form those aspirations, we could not reach that state. The Buddha wanted to awaken this subtle and wondrous love in us, unlock it and expand it so that it can encompass all of heaven and earth. So in His compassion, the Buddha gave us the cart drawn by the great white ox.
Practicing the Small Vehicle is only seeking to transcend the desire realm. It lacks the teachings about the dust-like delusions of the form or formless realms. It is not great, thus it is called inferior. The Buddha compassionately gave the great cart equally to all.
This is the mindset of both the elder and the Enlightened One. We must mindfully experience the truths of all things in the universe. We should mindfully become one with them and our minds must be as spacious as the universe. Then this wondrous and subtle consciousness can contain the universe. We must clearly understand all Dharma in order to fulfill wondrous practices. We must let go of the Small and seek the Great. This is the only way to truly put the Dharma into practice. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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