Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Faithfully and Diligently Apply the Dharma (聞法信受勤精進)
Date:July.03. 2015
“When we hear the Dharma and take it to heart, we can faithfully apply it without doubt. We earnestly put the teachings into practice and uphold them completely. We are attentive and diligent as we engage in listening, contemplate and practicing. We renounce the suffering of the Three Realms and seek the joy of tranquility.”
As we engage in spiritual practice, we must faithfully accept and practice the Dharma. Only then can we put it into practice step by step. When the Dharma enters our minds, we cannot let it leak out. If a bucket holding water has leaks, the water will keep disappearing. Though the water leaks out, the filth remains. This is like us in our spiritual practice; we do not take the Dharma to heart, but still have interpersonal conflicts in daily living. Many objects and matters remain in our minds and lead us to give rise to delusion and create karma. Because we have not taken the Dharma to heart, these afflictions cannot be eliminated and thus endlessly accumulate. The Dharma we take to heart is pure water. We need to prevent dirty things from falling into this water, just as with [the bucket]. So, we must faithfully accept the Dharma, then earnestly practice it.
After hearing the Dharma and taking it to heart, we still must put it into practice. By upholding the Dharma in this way, it will not leak out. We must continue doing this second after second, thought after thought. This is how we can be attentive and diligent in listening, contemplating and practicing. With precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the Three Flawless Studies, we can persevere. This is from listening, contemplating and practicing.
Not only do we uphold the Dharma, we must also diligently listen to more teachings. As we continue to learn more teachings, we constantly advance in the cultivation of purifying practices. We “renounce the suffering of the Three Realms and seek the joy of tranquility.”
Recently, I have spent a long period of time telling everyone that in the burning house of the Three Realms the suffering is unbearable. Moreover, disasters are arising all around us. Fires and other disasters constantly approach us from all sides, but we sentient beings do not recognize suffering. We do not understand that ignorance and afflictions are like fires that we have started ourselves. So the Buddha, in His compassion, manifested in this world in the hope that we will awaken and understand that the karma we create comes from ignorance.
The Three Realms are all in our minds. “All things are created by the mind.” Outside of the mind there is no Dharma; all phenomena, good and evil, are in our minds. So, as we learn the practice the Buddha-Dharma, we must first understand our general environment, the state of the world and the way people live. This is something we must understand. When we do, we understand how everything is related to the Three Realms, to our minds and the good and evil within them. There is no Dharma apart from the mind.
So, learning the Dharma begins with the mind. If we can eliminate evil thoughts, our minds naturally becomes tranquil and still. This is what Buddhist practitioners must recognize.
We must take the Dharma we hear to heart and faithfully accept and practice it. Moreover, we must do so earnestly. Even more importantly, we must uphold it completely. For instance, when listening to the Dharma, if we mindfully listen, by hearing one thing, we realize 1000.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, His disciples were once discussing the Dharma. With everything that the Buddha taught, who had attained the most realizations? They concluded that it was Ananda. Ananda took every word of the teachings to heart and his memory was also quite good. So, everyone wondered about the karmic causes and conditions Ananda created that enabled him to listen to the Buddha-Dharma, to be close to the Buddha as His attendant and to take every word of the Dharma to heart while remembering them all.What were the causes and conditions behind this?
They said, “Let us ask the Buddha.”
The Buddha began by telling everyone that in the distant past, countless kalpas ago, deep in the mountains there was a bhiksu and his young disciple.
This bhiksu hoped that the young disciple would make something of himself, so he determined the young disciple’s homework.Every day he would have to chant the sutras and listen to the Dharma; he also had to go out and beg for alms each day.
The young disciple practiced diligently.He was very interested in the Dharma and enjoyed chanting the sutras.But though his course of study was quite full, he still had to go out and beg for alms each day.
This task distressed him the most.
Sometime when conditions were unfavorable, he could not find people to interact with or people willing to make offerings.Then, by the time he returned, it would be later, so he would not have enough time.
There was not enough time to listen to the teachings and chant the sutras.
One day, it was already quite late, and he had still not received any alms because the karmic conditions were not there.As he walked, he looked at his empty alms bowl and began to cry.
An elder saw this young novice walking along very sorrowfully.“Young master what is bothering you?”
The young novice told the elder his story.
The elder then told him, “If this the case, don’t worry about anything. Just come to my houses every day.”
From this day on, every day the young novice was able to successfully beg for alms and return home with plenty of time to listen to the teachings and chant the sutras.
The Buddha stopped the story here and said to everyone, “Did you know? The young novice was me, Sakyamuni Buddha, and the elder was Ananda.”You see, by helping other people succeed, we are helping ourselves succeed.This was how Ananda engaged in spiritual practice in the past and now he strictly adhered to His mamster’s teachings.He did not allow even a single word to leak out.With this attentiveness and diligence, he listened, contemplated then practiced.Spiritual practitioners hope to transcend the Three Realms, so they seek the joy of tranquility and stillness.This is what Buddhist practitioners must do.
As we mentioned yesterday, we “journey in the Three Vehicles.”There is a sequence to spiritual practice.
The Three Vehicles are the Hearer, the Solitary Realizer and the Buddha or Bodhisattva Vehicles.
These are the Three Vehicles.
So, “With flawless [studies,] roots and powers, [factors of] enlightenment, [Eightfold] Path, liberation, Samadhi and so on, you will attain what you enjoy.”
As we learn and practice the Buddha-Dharma, we must work with other people, coming and going freely like Bodhisattvas.
The Hearers and Solitary Realizers cleanse their minds of defilements and cultivate purifying practices.
The Hearers learn the Dharma by hearing it.The Three Vehicle practitioners each attained what they would enjoy.
Bodhisattvas go among the people, and aside from learning the Dharma and also eliminating the ignorance in their minds, they can also freely come and go among others.
They “further attain infinite peace and happiness”.
After helping the people who need it, when we come home, we feel peaceful and at ease; this makes us Bodhisattvas.
The following sutra passage continues, “Sariputra, if sentient beings who have inherent wisdom hear the Dharma from the World-Honored One, faithfully accept it, attentively and diligently practice and want to quickly escape the Three Realms, seeking Nirvana for themselves, they are following the Hearer Vehicle. They are like those children who left the burning house to seek the sheep-cart.”
This passage tells us that sentient beings have inherent wisdom.Indeed, there is wisdom within each one of us.
Sentient beings have inherent wisdom and in past lives planted the joyous desire for the Three Vehicles and therefore have an interest in one of the vehicles.
Thus the Buddha gives the Three Vehicle Dharma to establish teachings that they would like.This nature is intrinsic to all sentient beings; it is the true cause of our Buddha-nature.
Inherent wisdom is our nature of True Suchness.We all intrinsically have an awakened nature of True Suchness, which is inherent wisdom.
So, “In past lives [we] planted the joyous desire for the Three Vehicles.”In our past lives, we endlessly accumulated this joyous desire foe the Dharma. Those of limited capabilities enjoy listening to the teachings, but allow them to leak away soon after.
Those of average capabilities hear and understand, but only try to benefit themselves. As for those of great capabilities, they listen to the Dharma and understand it so they can eliminate their afflictions, form great aspirations and go among the people. This is because, for a very long time, they have nurtured their own interests. So, “In past lives [they] planted the joyous desire for the Three Vehicles”.
Our interests have been nurtured over the course of our past lifetimes, so we have an interest in one of the Three Vehicles”. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He wished that with a few words He could reveal the confusion of sentient beings. But, it was not that easy. So, He had to adapt to sentient beings’ joyous desires.
“The Buddha gives the Three Vehicle Dharma to establish teachings that they would like. The Buddha taught with the Three Vehicles. He observed what they needed. If they loved listening to the Dharma, then of course He spoke the Dharma for them. Upon hearing it, if their capabilities enabled them to accept it, they could unceasingly eliminate their habitual tendencies. If they could not eliminate them all in that life, they would continue in the next. If they did not accumulate enough [blessings] in a previous life, they must continue in this one.
Throughout our lifetimes, if we learned the Dharma in a past life, we will be joyous when we hear it in this life. If we did not hear the Dharma in a past life, and did not learn it or practice it, then we will have no interest in the Dharma now. This is why the Buddha had to create conditions for transformation in this world. For those who never heard the Dharma, He finds ways to help them happily accept it and enjoy listening to it. For those who had already heard the teachings, He [taught] them how to quickly eliminate their ignorance. For those who only practiced for their own benefit, He inspired them to enjoy the Bodhisattva-path. This is the gradual method that the Buddha used to continuously form karmic connections. This means He finds opportunities to transform sentient beings.
So, the Buddha “gives the Three Vehicle Dharma to establish teachings that they would like. This nature is intrinsic to all sentient beings”, because everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. We all have a nature of True Suchness and all have inherent wisdom within us. The nature of True Suchness and inherent wisdom is something sentient beings intrinsically have. This is the true cause that we all have. This direct cause is our nature of True Suchness; it is just that we have endlessly reproduced afflictions [that have covered it].
Because everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, we can “attain awakening upon hearing the Buddha’s spoken teachings”.
Those who attain awakening from hearing the Buddha’s spoken teachings can understand, but they cannot transform others. They are like those who heard the father say that outside the house were three kinds of carts that would suit their wishes. They have wisdom of hearing; they are diligent with sharp and bold minds.
Because we ourselves have an awakened nature and inherent wisdom, if we listened to the Buddha’s voice and His spoken teachings, naturally we would say, “I understand”. If we did not have an awakened nature, we would not be able to understand.
So, “They can understand, but they cannot transform others”. These are Hearers or Solitary Realizers. These practitioners can understand, but are unable to transform others. They do not have that aspiration and are unwilling. So, as in the parable, they “are like those who heard the father say that outside the house were three kinds of carts that would suit their wishes”
As we have been saying previously, the father was watching from the outside as the fire was already burning the house. The Children were still inside, foolishly playing with fire. So, he set up three kinds of carts outside. “Hurry outside, your favorite things are here. Come out and choose from among them”. Hearing his voice and seeing the three kinds of carts outside, they all hurried out. This shows they have “wisdom of listening”. Everyone has an awakened nature and inherent wisdom thus we have wisdom of listening. However, a moment of confusion made us unaware of the conflicts around us. Upon hearing the Buddha’s teachings, the wisdom of hearing stirs.
So, “[They are] diligent, with sharp and bold minds. Everyone was willing to accept it. So, everyone had already begun to very boldly and very happily run out the door. This shows they have accepted the Dharma. Thus they have temporarily escaped the burning house and are safe.
If we hear the Dharma and take it to heart, we understand the suffering of the burning house. Then we will be afraid and will try to leave. Then we will be afraid and will try to leave. This shows we understand the house is burning. As stated above, Hearers seek the sheep-cart; that is why they run out of the house.
This refers to those who sought the sheep-carts. Their inherent wisdom is the power of the cause. Their ability to hear the Buddha-Dharma is due to the power of spiritual friends. Accepting the Dharma is the power of intentions. Being diligent is the power of sustenance.
Their inherent wisdom is the power of the cause. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we needed karmic connections with others to guide us. This means we need spiritual friends. This is the powers of spiritual friends.
Accepting the Dharma is the power of intentions. When we listen to the Dharma, we can motivate ourselves. Our reverence in accepting the Dharma is the power of intentions.
[With this acceptance], we will naturally be earnest and diligent. When we are inspired, we automatically become earnest and diligent; this is the power of sustenance.
So, “[Those who] want to quickly escape, seeking Nirvana for themselves, are following the Hearer Vehicle.”These fore exceptional powers, these great powers, are for cultivation Nirvana. This makes them Hearers.
These four kinds of powers come from the inherent wisdom within us. Our inherent wisdom us the power of the cause, the power of the direct cause. Our ability to hear the Buddha-Dharma is the power of spiritual friends. We must rely on the voices around us. The Buddha is like a teacher, friend and father, so it is the Buddha’s voice that inspires us.
Now that the Buddha is not this world, after hearing the teachings, we must share them. We must be a spiritual friend to others. “Accepting the Dharma is the power of intentions. We must earnestly inspire ourselves and mutually encourage one another; this must be our intention. In every lifetime, we must earnestly follow up on our intentions.We must be diligent.
If we have even a single thought of indolence, then we cannot continue to advance diligently. If we cannot continue to advance diligently, where will the sustenance. So, we need the “power of sustenance.” The power of sustenance is diligent practice.
If we attentively and diligently practice, we have sufficient sustenance for our wisdom-life. These are four [exceptional] powers. “Relying on these four exceptional powers to cultivate Nirvana” is the Hearer Vehicle.
Nirvana is also translated as crossing into extinction. They have already crossed the river of samsara and extinguished all afflictive phenomena.
Nirvana is also translated as crossing into extinction. Crossing into extinction is crossing over the river of samsara, crossing from the shore of unenlightened beings to the shore of noble beings, the share of the Buddha and enlightenment. This requires that we eliminate afflictions. Only by eliminating afflictions can we reach the shore of noble beings. We have to first recognize suffering to be able to extinguish it.
To bring it into extinction, we need the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. With wisdom, we discern. To discern means to choose and draw distinctions. We can choose between right and wrong; we have wisdom.
By discerning with wisdom, we can destroy and extinguish all afflictions and attain a small part of liberation. This is Small Vehicle Nirvana; with it we can only deliver ourselves from delusions of views and thinking and eliminate fragmentary samsara.
We come into this world because we have lost our wisdom and have grown in ignorance. We engage in spiritual practice reduce our ignorance and grow in wisdom. As we interact with people, we need to discern how to eliminate afflictions in order to attain liberation. This liberation is partial, so that would make us Hearers.
Hearers are Small Vehicle practitioners. With the Small Vehicle Nirvana, we can understand the Dharma but are unable to transform others. If we only understand the Dharma and try to awaken ourselves, we can achieve Small Vehicle Nirvana.
Thus we can “only deliver ourselves.” By [eliminating] “delusions of views and thinking, we will not do things that are wrong, but that is all. We uphold the precepts ourselves, but do not benefit others. This is the Small Vehicle.
The Hearers can only put an end to their desires and afflictions. This is what makes them Hearers. So everyone, in learning Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful and think carefully. We must be always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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