Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Fruit of Practice is Great Vehicle Wisdom (教理行果大乘佛智)
Date:July.08. 2015
“In stillness, the Buddha realized and entered the truths of the universe. His natural wisdom resonated with the essence of True Suchness. With the vastness of time and space, He awakened to the ocean of wisdom. He opened and revealed to the world His realizations of the truth.”
I want to share with everyone that the truths of the universe are realized in stillness, which is a very natural state. When the Buddha attained enlightenment, it actually occurred in an instant. That instant encompassed the vastness of time and space. Time and space are very expansive. But while this time is very long, our minds have usually been filled with so many discursive thoughts. Not a second goes by without such thoughts. Because of this, we have so many discursive thoughts. Our pure and awakened intrinsic nature has been contaminated by discursive thoughts.
Therefore, the Buddha manifested in this world to help us understand that spiritual practice is meant to help us return from our discursive thinking to our pure intrinsic nature.
The Buddha lived for 80 years. He was born in the palace and when he became an adolescent, he began to show concern for the affairs of this world. The region of India, at that time, placed people into four distinct castes. There had always been a great disparity between the rich and poor. The poor and low class were known as untouchables and were considered slaves. He saw a big difference between the lives of nobles and of the lower class.
In the face of these circumstances, he showed us that humans should be treated equally. Why did these distinctions exist in the world? In seeking to bring about equality, he left the palace and began his search for the true principles behind the equality of humans. He traveled throughout India to visit many spiritual practice centers.
He listened to 96 kinds of religious teachings to learn the methods they taught. This was a way of teaching us that we must look carefully when we engage in spiritual practice. We must clearly distinguish between deviant and proper teachings. We must clearly comprehend whether this teaching is right or wrong. Over a period of five years, He realized that none of these 96 methods of spiritual practice were quite right. So, he began six years of ascetic practice.
This took a long time, 11 years from start to finish. He did this to make it clear to us that spiritual practice is not a simple matter. First, from this state of unenlightened beings, we must pave a road through the world until we completely understand it. Then we must resolve to cultivate our minds and find a way to connect our intrinsic nature with the matters, objects and principles around us so they resonate with each other. This requires that we undergo the great furnace that is the human realm. We take the matters, objects and principles of this world into our minds.
Then when our minds are no longer influenced by these matters, objects and people, and our conflicts and ignorance have been completely eliminated, we return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness.
The repeated tempering [the Buddha] underwent taught us that this was how we must engage in spiritual practice.So, His causes and conditions came to fruition, and He manifested the attainment of enlightenment.
It was said, in that vast region of India, he gazed at the morning star.This means that this took place before dawn, while it was still dark outside; it was still night.The sun had not risen, so it was still very early [in the morning].
Thus, to engage in spiritual practice, we must rise early to hear the teachings and pay respect to the Buddha.When we rise early, that is truly our time for this.
For people living in today’s society, life is very busy.If we ask them to engage in spiritual practice, when do they have time for it?If we ask them to listen to the teachings, how will they find the time?So, we must take advantage of that time in the early morning.
For example, in Singapore, there is a group of busy entrepreneurs.They aspire to listen to the Dharma, so nowadays, they motivate and encourage each other.When they returned to the Abode, they said, “Whenever we see each other, we ask, ‘Have you [let the Dharma] permeate you today?’”
Seeing each other, they ask, “Have you been permeated?”This means “Have you heard the teachings today?”When I heard this, I was truly joyful! That is because a group of people told me, “We all do this. When we see each other, we ask ‘Have you been permeated?’”“What did you learn from the teachings today? This is what I took away from it.”They discuss the Dharma with each other.They reason things out with each other and motivate each other to apply their realizations to the way they conduct their daily business.
“When my client acted in this way, I thought of this phrase. Then I try to use this teaching to control my mind so that [afflictions] do not arise.”This is most likely how they mutually apply the Dharma to their business.
One of them said, “In the beginning, when asked to rise early to hear the Dharma, I thought, ‘That’s impossible! I’m so busy.”But his friends had invited him.They were his fellow entrepreneurs, and they all had a good relationship with each other.
So he said, “Fine.”He went to bed two hours earlier and got up two hours earlier.He said that he was busy every day, but after work, he would spend two hours watching television, then read a book or magazine.
He said that he cleared out that period of time and went to bed two hours earlier, so he was able to get up two hours earlier.Since then, he has realized how he used to waste those two hours before bed.“By getting up two hours earlier, all the Dharma I hear can be applied in dealing with people and things. So, by getting up early, I am truly growing my wisdom-life. This is the reason that I get up early.”
When the Buddha saw the morning star in the dark, He had also woken up early.When His mind’s eye connected with the star, in that instant, suddenly the entire universe unfolded within His mind.His mind became completely in accord with the whole universe.
So, “In stillness, the Buddha realized and entered the truth of the universe. His natural wisdom resonated with the essence of True Suchness.”
The principles of the universe and the essence of His nature of True Suchness, were united in that instant.At that time, He suddenly achieved a great awakening.
“With the vastness of time and space, He awakened to the ocean of wisdom.”Thus He was completely awakened.From that point on, He contemplated what methods to use to re-enter the human realm and help people progress in their practice from the Small to the Middle to the Great Vehicle.
Small Vehicle practitioners are Hearers.When the sound of teachings enters their ears, they contemplate it to comprehend the principles, which slowly guide them to the truth of how the world, the universe, and all things are ultimately empty.These principles gradually permeate them, until no matter what they see,with a single glance they can understand the principles and appearances of all things, the principles behind these appearances and the principles behind living things. They can completely understand everything with a single glance. This is natural wisdom.
Therefore, we must be grateful to the Buddha for taking great care to do this for us. [He] hoped that all of us would be very meticulous and not waste even one second, one instant. We must be very cautious and mindful with even the tiniest thought over the smallest instant.
As we discussed before, “[Some] sentient beings hear the Dharma from the World-Honored One and faithfully accept it, then earnestly practice with diligence.”
This means that after we listen to the Dharma, at all times, even if it is only for an instant, a second or a minute, we must be mindful of the working of people, matters, objects, nature, etc. We must be meticulous and thorough. Because we listen to the Buddha-Dharma with deep faith, we can be in a state of contemplation to consider the subtleties of all things and meticulously experience them. From the principle of the vast external world, to the principles of the subtlest and we must be mindful and precise. “Focus” means we shed anything extraneous.
As we just discussed, we must enter the furnace to refine ourselves, so that in this extremely complicated world with so many crude and negative [afflictions] from people, matters and objects, we can experientially understand these things, and after thoroughly understanding them, we will find a way to completely eliminate these unrefined and negative afflictions. So, we must “earnestly practice with diligence”.
This earnest practice that we often talk about seems so simple and can be easily described in general terms. Actually this phrase, “earnestly practice with diligence”, includes the characters for “focus” and “constant”, which means we must take what is unrefined and negative and constantly temper it to turn that into refined and exquisite principles. Thus we “earnestly practice with diligence”.
The next sutra passage states, “[They] seek wisdom of all Dharma, Buddha-wisdom, natural wisdom, untaught wisdom and the Tathagata’s understanding and views, His powers and His fearlessness”.
There are so many kind [of wisdom]. We begin by using our thinking to penetrate the Buddha’s understanding and views. We must delve into them in increasing detail, so we must be very mindful. This clearly tells us “to see Buddha-wisdom”. As we have said, “to seek Buddha-wisdom”, it is not enough to simply listen or to rely on external phenomena as assisting conditions. “To seek Buddha-wisdom”, we must also seek “the wisdom of all Dharma”.
They seek the Buddha’s wisdom. Those with the wisdom of all Dharma can realize the ultimate reality of all phenomena. Seeking to realize ultimate reality is inseparable from realizing the nature of all phenomena. Seeking to realize the nature of all phenomena is inseparable from realizing ultimate reality.
We seek the whole of the Buddha’s wisdom. We all intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. As we engage in spiritual practice, we seek the “wisdom of all Dharma” so we can “realize the ultimate reality of all phenomena”. We start with the phenomena of the world, where the “wisdom of all Dharma” helps us to understand the working of everything. There are all kinds of phenomena in the world that we must understand in order to realize the ultimate reality of all phenomena. To seek this ultimate reality we speak of, we must understand all phenomena.
Thus, the wisdom of all Dharma helps us understand all phenomena, so we can realize the ultimate reality of all things. Do all of you understand this? To realize the ultimate reality of all things is to realize all phenomena of the world. All phenomena and all appearances, with True Suchness, become the wisdom of all Dharma. This wisdom is the wisdom of the Buddha.
However, we keep seeking [the wisdom] of all phenomena in external sources. I tell you that this is ultimate reality, [but you say,] “I’m going to go find ultimate reality”. Ultimate reality is in all phenomena, but we ordinary people cannot comprehend that all appearances are in separable from the underlying principles. So, this is part of the analogy that we talked about before, of the burning house. Many people are immersed in that place, wandering about in all directions. But when they are asked to leave quickly, they do not want to leave because they feel they are having fun inside.
So, the elder had to come up with various methods to draw them out. With the three carts, the sheep-car, deer-cart and the ox-cart, he enticed them to come out. Some people may choose the sheep-cart or the deer-cart, but some understand that the great ox-cart is magnificently decorated, bountifully equipped and can also transport companions on the journey. It is so wonderful, so they choose the cart drawn by the great white ox.
In order to get on this cart, we must be replete with the teachings, principles, practice and fruits, and also teachings, understanding, practice and realization. We must be replete with all four.
Right now you are listening to the teachings. If you want to understand them, you must first hear them, then after hearing them, you must understand them. Then after you understand, you must put them into practice. So, “Listen to teachings, understand principles, engage in practice and realize the fruits.”
When we do all four, we are “replete” with them. These four things must all happen, side by side, for us to be “replete.” After listening, in order to truly unite with the principles, we must put them into practice to experience them. If we do not go among people, how can we possibly experience the working of the human realm? If we cannot realize the principles of this world, how can we transcend it to enter the state of Buddhahood? So, we must attain the teachings, principles, practice and fruits. We must bring these four together. This is very important for our spiritual practice and our learning the Dharma.
This is why we “seek the wisdom of all Dharma, Buddha-wisdom, natural-wisdom, untaught wisdom and the Tathagata’s understanding and views, His powers and His fearlessness.” Everything beings with ”teaching.” The Tow Vehicle practitioners refer to Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. They “listen to the Buddha’s teachings.”
Two Vehicle practitioners listen to the Buddha’s teachings, but Great Vehicle practitioners focus on seeking the Buddha’s wisdom is the Dharma-nature possessed equally by all. This equally possessed Dharma-nature is not something that must be sought externally, but is something we all intrinsically possess. Thus those who seek it.
“The Great Vehicle practitioners focus on seeking the Buddha’s wisdom.”The essence of Buddha-wisdom is the Dharma-nature possessed equally by all. We constantly talk about loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity and about showing compassion to all equally Likewise, when Bodhisattvas begin their practice, they form great aspirations. By constantly cultivating the Four Infinite Minds, they go from beings. Three Vehicle practitioners to the state of Buddhahood. They [cultivate everything] simultaneously. When we go from the sheep-cart and deer-cart to the cart pulled by a great white ox, the three kinds of wisdom can be united as one. This refers to the wisdom of all Dharma, natural wisdom and untaught wisdom. When these are combined, this is considered “Buddha-wisdom.”
If we can attain Buddha-wisdom, we will also have untaught wisdom. If you only heart the Dharma, but do not take it to heart or put it into practice, it will be useless. “This equally possessed Dharma-nature is not to be sought outside of ourselves;” it is within us inherently. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature Our surroundings are assisting conditions, but we must engage in diligent practice. We need external causes and conditions to come together, but most important is that we must recognize our own intrinsic Buddha-wisdom.
It is “something we all intrinsically possess.”
So, we seek “the virtue of the Buddha’s wisdom.” In our environment there are so many opportunities for spiritual practice. Through engaging with various external conditions, we can [work on cultivating] our minds. This is how we can, using our environment, eliminate our afflictions, strengthen our spiritual aspirations and realize our Buddha-nature. So, every day we must constantly be mindful and meticulously take the Dharma to heart.
Only then can we go among the people to experience everything mindfully.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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