Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Realize the Suffering of the Four States
(覺四相苦恆持正念)
Date:June.11. 2015
“People’s desires are never satisfied. They seek to attain what they do not have and worry about losing what they already possess. Kept in our hearts, this is worry. Expressed outwardly, it is sorrow. Our bodies and minds cannot be at ease. This is what we call distress.”
Life is suffering! The Buddha expounded the Dharma with the goal of helping everyone understand that the source of our suffering is that we never feel satisfied. So, we keep pursuing “what we do not have” until we can attain it. Even if we were to attain what we wish, we would remain afflicted because we would worry about losing it. Worries about gain and loss are all afflictions. If we have these afflictions in our hearts and never verbally express them, they become “worries” that remain on our minds. We sometimes express these worries by crying, which is “sorrow”. Whether we keep afflictions in our hearts or express them outwardly, our body and mind cannot feel at ease. This is what we call “distress”.
So many people suffer for so many different reasons. This makes us unenlightened beings. But many of these things are beyond our control. For instance, in China, we encountered an elderly couple. The wife was already 90 years old, and in a few days, the husband was to celebrate his 86th birthday. The two of them were dependent on each other. Living in such a remote area, going to other places was very inconvenient.
For many days they had been counting down the time until the Tzu Chi volunteers would arrive. They had been counting the days in anticipation. Finally, the day came. The old couple wore the cotton-padded coats given to them by Tzu Chi and walked together to the entrance of the village. They waited there for the familiar figures [of the Tzu Chi volunteers] to appear in front of them. It was still dark and freezing cold when the couple went to the entrance of the village. Eventually, they saw the familiar blue and white uniforms appear.
They were so happy, as if their families had come home to visit them. They quickly led the volunteers to their house. Once there, our Bodhisattva-volunteers treated it as if returning to their own home and quickly tidied up everything. The elderly couple was very happy. The wife said, “I have been waiting for you, and now finally, you have returned.” The volunteers gave the husband new clothing and helped him to put it on. In a few days, “it will be my 86th birthday, and I want to wear new clothes, so I will wait a few days before wearing them.”
The wife saw that these clothes fit him very well and said, “This is great. In your entire life, you’ve never worn anything this nice.” The husband said, “It is good to live a long life. If you live long enough, good things eventually happen.” It sounded like the couple were very optimistic, but seeing that they were so old and frail, that scene was also very bittersweet. Another care recipient was an old man who was over 70 years old and still working very hard.
Actually, before the 1960s, he had graduated from college. He had moved away to the city for school.
After graduating, he got married and had kids.He had two mentally disabled children.They could not talk and could only make cow-like noises all day.They were unable to tell right from wrong, follow directions or speak.They could not manage their most basic needs.
After the birth of the second child, his wife saw that there was no hope for them.So, while the children wren still young, she left the family.
This man stayed and cared for these two children.
Looking back on this old man’s life, when he was still a college student in the 1960s, how could he know his life would end up like this?
Was he suffering?Very much so.But things were beyond his control.So, as Buddhist practitioners, we need to learn to always be vigilant so that we can create blessings for our future, to benefit ourselves and the world.
In the Philippines, because of Typhoon Haiyan, these cities were, in such a short time, completely devastated.Tzu Chi volunteers gathered together there to transport supplies and establish communication, they were constantly resting back and forth.Yet they had no worries, sorrow, suffering or afflictions.Everyone was very happy to do this work.
Bodhisattvas must clearly understand principles.
Even when they go to places of great suffering to give of themselves, they are very willing and happy to do this.This allows their wisdom-life to grow and increases their experience of the Buddha-Dharma.
This is how Bodhisattvas practice in this world.
After we understand what the Buddha taught, when we see others suffer, we know that if we can give to them, that is truly our blessing.When we witness suffering, we recognize our blessings and continue to create more blessings.
This is because, with “great loving-kindness and compassion,” we are “never indolent or tired”.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world with this “great loving-kindness and compassion” so they are “never indolent or tired”.“[The Buddha] always seeks to do good deeds to benefit all and thus is born in the decaying, burning house of the Three Realms”.
This is the vow of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; they are willing to come to this world.Take the Philippines for example.All the Bodhisattva [-volunteers] who went there knew that, after being hit by a major disaster, life there would be very inconvenient.There was no water, no electricity.There was debris everywhere, and everything was in chaos.They were willing to sleep on the ground, to be bitten by mosquitoes and soaked by the rain.They were willing to stay there and endure the suffering along with the survivors.They have the heart of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who are willing to go into places like the burning house or like hell and give to help the living beings there.
All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are willing to enter the decaying, burning house of the Three Realms.
This is because they have “great loving-kindness and compassion,” and are “never indolent or tired”.They “always seek out good deeds to benefit all”.
The sutra passage goes on to state, “[He comes] to deliver sentient beings from birth, aging, illness, death, worry, sorrow, suffering and afflictions, all the dark coverings of ignorance and the fires of the Three Poisons and teach them to attain.
Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
Sentient begins are suffering!They experience birth, aging, illness, death, worry, sorrow, suffering and affliction.No matter how rich you are, how famous you are or how high your status is, in the end, you will still experience illness and death, aging and illness and death.
So, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world for the sake of teaching sentient beings so we can understand what to do in life.Since we bring karmic causes and effects with us, what kind of attitude should we have while facing things in the present?
From this moment on, what kind of mindset should we have so that we will cautiously accumulate [karmic causes] for our future lifetimes?This is what the Buddha came to teach.
He hoped [to save us] form the shore of suffering by using various methods to deliver us to the shore of noble beings.He had to use different methods to help us reach the other shore.
Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is supreme, universal and prefect enlightenment.He taught deluded sentient beings to attain great awakening and great realizations to transcend the state of unenlightened beings and reach the state of noble beings.This is very difficult work.
So, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas continually enter the burning house of the Three Realms to share the suffering of sentient beings. This is how they teach.
“[He came] to deliver sentient beings from birth, aging, illness, death, worry, sorrow, suffering and affliction. We are constantly cycling through the four states of birth, aging, illness and death. We are born from the prison of the womb, we age until we grow weary and decrepit, illness confines us to our beds, and death brings the sorrow of parting. From the time we are born, we each have our talents and abilities. When our time comes and our life is over, it all suddenly returns to nothingness.”
Birth, aging, illness and death are suffering. How do they come about? The four states of birth, aging, illness and death are in constant motion and will never stop. This is continuous process. Birth, aging, illness and death are a series of infinitesimal changes. These infinitesimal changes are beyond our control and time continues to pass like this. Before we were born into this world, where were we? We have karmic affinities with our parents, so when our mother and father came together and their sperm and egg united, we began to slowly take shape in the womb. Over a period of many months, we remained inside the prison of the womb. Being curled up inside such a small space is truly suffering.
Even after the Six Roots and Six Consciousnesses had formed had formed, we still remained in the prison of the womb, all the way until we were born. At that time, the entire family will be very happy. But the baby just cries. This is because, in that moment of birth, our naked body was exposed to the air for the first time, so we felt excruciating pain. The pain stimulated and shocked us, so we began crying. We opened up our mouth and our throats, then this cry came out. The first sound we make is a cry of suffering. Once we open our throats wide, we never stop eating to satisfy the cravings of our mouth and never stop making sounds and creating the karma of speech. We say false things and stir up conflicts. These are the four types of karma of speech, gossip, harsh speech, lies and flattery. After being born and making our first sound, we opened up our mouth to eat. This goes on for the rest of our lives. After suffering in the prison of the womb, when we are born we bring this body for creating karma with us. If the first thing we do is cry from suffering, what is there worth pursuing in this kind of life?
“After we are reborn into a new life, we are without the wisdom to know our past life. We cannot remember it and the good and evil karmic seeds we created are all buried under a covering of ignorance, so we are unaware of them. For a long time we have followed karma to be born, and faced suffering and afflictions. This is the suffering of birth.”
Our ever-changing and unstable life began in the prison of the womb. From that point on, we were destined to age. By the time we reach our old age, we will have created karma for an entire lifetime. We create karma into our old age. However, not everybody lives to be old. Still, by the time we reach our old age, from the moment we are born to the moment [we die], with our mouths, we have consumed so any lives and created so much bad karma. So much has happened by the time we are old, we begin to grow “weary”. Why is our body so different when compared to the body of a young person? Young people have smooth and delicate skin. When we reach old age, our entire face is wrinkled, and our body is bent over. The way we walk is different from the way young people walk. Young people’s steps are so light and grateful. [They] walk so beautifully. The elderly find it hard to take each step. Even when the path is flat and smooth, our unsteady steps can take us off course.
Think about it. In our old age, our body is completely different. “We age until we grow weary and decrepit”. Like an old bell, our body becomes hunched over. This is why we become weary of our body.
“As we age and grow old, our Six Sense Organs deteriorate. We can no longer move freely. This is the suffering of aging”.
I often think, “It was so nice to be young. Now in my old age, this is how things are.” it is not just how others see us, but also how we feel within our body, etc. moreover, we may become ill. We do not need to be old to fall ill. We might be young or middle-aged. Illness does not only happen to the elderly. Of course, falling ill in our old age is normal. Illness confines us to beds, which feels like being in the hell where. “One person fills it, as will many.”
If we visit the hospital, every patient will say, “I am suffering most. The doctor should treat me first.” Suffering from illness is unbearable. Everyone experiences different illnesses. And different pains. Generally speaking, being bed-ridden and apart from other people is great suffering.
Not all who get old fall ill, and not all who fall ill are old, but illness and aging are connected to each other. Once the body’s four elements are not in balance, the body changes and malfunctions. This is the suffering of illness.
When we are so ill that nothing can be done, we will die. In life, no matter how much people are suffering from their illness, they will say, “Please save me, even if it requires major surgery and opening up their stomachs and intestines. Why is that? Because they want to keep living. They do not want to die.
So, death is considered most tragic and painful. Why is it tragic and painful? Because we will leave this body, leave our loved ones and leave everything we have been fighting for in life. The suffering of parting of parting is truly unbearable.
Old age and illness are oppressive, and once the four elements are not in balance, they will eventually disperse. Once the karma for this life has been exhausted, we have no control and pass away. For those who have always cared, seeing this is the most tragic and painful thing. This is the suffering of death.
“From the time we are born,” means after we were born from the prison of the womb, “we each have our talents and abilities.” After we were born, eventually we went to school to master skills. Perhaps we study to gain a lot of knowledge and develop our talents. We may have great potential and be very skilled. But one day, our life will end. Then what? “When our time comes and our life is over, it all suddenly returns to nothingness.” Everything disappears. Think about it, isn’t life suffering? All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world for the sake of delivering sentient beings so they can transcend birth, aging, illness and death and the worry, sorrow, suffering and afflictions that they develop. We have been born into this lifetime and are living this life, but what will happen in our next lifetime? We do not know. However, after learning the Buddha-Dharma, we realize principles from the examples Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have set for us. From the suffering in this world, we comprehend these principles. So, we will be mindful and immerse ourselves in the stream of Dharma.
No matter how turbid or defiled life can be, the Dharma is like water. We can bathe in the stream of the Dharma and thus understand the evil world of Five Turbidities. In this world, there are so many impurities from our afflictions and perspectives. How can we get rid of them? There is one method, to practice the Bodhisattva-path.
Dear Bodhisattvas, we must be mindful. As we head down the Bodhisattva-path, we must walk steadily; that is the right thing to do. Everything in the world undergoes infinitesimal changes, which are beyond our control. The only thing we can do is to be mindful. With discipline and reverence we can stabilize our minds. If we can hold on to our aspiration, it will last forever. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
