Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Lead Sentient Beings to Develop Fearlessness (度眾生到無畏處)
Date:July.１３. 2015
“Bodhisattvas’ affinities are with all sentient beings. With the power of fearlessness, they give rise to compassion. Adapting to the Threefold Karma of all beings, they benefit all with peace and joy and bring them to a stable of fearlessness.”
Bodhisattvas arise because of suffering sentient beings. To give of oneself while among sentient beings is not an easy matter. So, in addition to having compassion, they must have wisdom. On top of having wisdom, they need fearlessness.
Buddha and Bodhisattvas need the courage and willingness to dedicate themselves to helping sentient beings in hardship and in need. Only by giving rise to compassion can Bodhisattvas “adapt to the Threefold Karma of all beings.” Sentient beings are stubborn and hard to transform. However, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have compassion and wisdom. They never give up on sentient beings.
No matter how tiny an animal is, the Buddha likewise respects its life. We often say that the Buddha is the kind father of the four kinds of beings. The four kinds of beings are the egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born and transformation-born. All of these different kinds of beings are taught by Buddha and Bodhisattvas using their love.
How does this apply to human beings? Regardless of their skin color, or their ethnicity or so on, if these beings are suffering, we will put our hearts into respecting them. We respect their culture and way of life. We also use the different languages they speak to adapt to these sentient beings’ environment and way of life. Even with sentient beings’ various desires, pursuits, etc., Buddhas and Bodhisattvas still adapt to them so they can teach according to conditions. In this way, “They benefit all with peace and joy and bring them to a state of fearlessness.”
I recently received some news from Thailand. In mid-February, our school there received a request from the head of the village of Mae Salong Nai, asking Tzu Chi volunteers in Thailand to help another village. That village was 40 kilometers away from Mae Salong Nai. There were nearly 20 thatched houses there. Because it was so dry, a single careless spark completely burned down all of these houses. They were burned to ashes, which left these nearly 20 families homeless, with nothing at all. Despite being an educational institution, the Tzu Chi school [in Chiang Mai] was notified whenever any disaster or difficulty arose in northern Thailand.
Principal Yang, the head of [Tzu Chi Elementary], happened to be there when they received the news. She, along with the teachers and students, 13 people in all, went to that other village. They carried many supplies, including kitchen utensils such as pots, bowls and plates, along with oil, salt, rice and other daily necessities. These 13 people made the 40km journey that was all mountain roads and thus very tiring. They carried the supplies with them up to the mountain for distribution.
The distribution they held was very orderly it was arranged very well. The supplies being distributed were arranged neatly by family. The way [our teachers] comforted and gave to them was very proper and courteous.Their mutual gratitude, respect and love was very touching to see.
Another place where we saw this was Gutemala.The new school year was starting, and in some schools in a mountainous area, the children did not have school supplies.They lacked many things for their schooling.They hoped we would help them.
In Guatemala, there are not many Tzu Chi volunteers, but they do whatever is needed.
Seven people, three Tzu Chi volunteers, one [local] volunteer and three government officials, went into the mountains and found that these families truly led difficult lives.
See, at one of the schools, there were four teachers and over 70 students.These students all came from poor families.Another school had three teachers and over 80 students.Every school had rundown buildings.The children who could consistently go to school were those in the first and second grades.For those in the fourth to fifth grades, they pretty much stop going to school or have to take time off during the harvest season, so they could pick coffee beans to earn money for their studies.
Seeing their situation makes us very sad.The Tzu Chi volunteers felt compassion for them and counseled the parents, “Let the children focus on going to school. We will help them with the things they need. The children need to go to school to have a promising future.So, they traveled such a long road [to help].”
Our Tzu Chi volunteers had to travel back forth on this kind of road.The journey was long and hard, so as they walked they said to themselves, “Bodhisattvas play effortlessly in this world. For the sake of suffering beings, we take these actions willingly and happily receive the effects. We must be grateful; being able to do this is a blessing.”This was how they encouraged themselves and encouraged one another.
This mindset that they have is indeed very touching to see.It is very admirable.
This is the perseverance of Bodhisattvas.With the power of fearlessness, they give rise to compassion for sentient beings.This is their mindset.If sentient beings suffer, regardless of ethnicity, or of any language barrier, with just a few words,Bodhisattvas can provide comfort.
The help them, provide emotional support and so on.
So, “Adapting to all beings’ Threefold Karma, they benefit all with peace and joy and bring them to a state of fearlessness.”
Indeed, in the following sutra passage we can see how Bodhisattvas come to the world and how the Buddha teaches us.His teaching methods are divided into the Great and Small Vehicles.The sheep-cart, deer-cart and ox-cart are analogies for these methods.
So, we read, “Bodhisattvas seek this vehicle.”
What Bodhisattvas seek is the Great Vehicle.
This vehicle is the great ox-cart; this cart is an analogy for Great Vehicle Dharma.
So, Bodhisattvas “are called Mahasattvas,” which are great awakened sentient beings.
These great awakened sentient begins “are like those children who [escaped to] seek the ox-cart”.
They are like those in the burning house; once they came out, there were three carts for them to choose from.They said, “I want the ox-cart.”
To obtain this, they leave the burning house.
This is what makes them Bodhisattvas; they are willing to choose the ox-cart and transform themselves and others.
The following [sutra passage] states, “Sariputra, I am just like that elder who saw that all his children had each safely escaped from the burning house and reached a state of fearsness. He considered how his own wealth was infinite and equally gave a great cart to all the children.”
Once again, Sakyamuni Buddha called on Sariputra in the hope that everyone would be mindful again and raise their spirits to listen carefully.He wanted them to know “I am just like that elder.”He compares himself with that elder.
“[He] saw that all his children” had each safely escaped the burning house but the elder, with a father’s mindset, hoped to help the children obtain even more things.
“He considered how his own wealth was infinite and equally gave a great cart to all the children. “Equally” means the same. As for these children, he wanted to give them the same things, so they each received a great cart. This was the mindset of the elder in giving to his children.
In fact, the mindset of this elder is the mindset of the Buddha. This wealth is an analogy for the Dharma. The Dharma is boundless, as is His wisdom. So, if sentient beings can develop this mindset, they will become rich in the Dharma and have abundant wisdom. This is what the Buddha expressed in this sutra passage.
“This is describing how the elder, knowing all his children had escaped the burning house, considered his own infinite wealth and equally gave a great cart to all the children”.
The elder had infinite wealth. Do you remember what that great cart is like? The great cart contained all kinds of treasures, arranged magnificently in great quantities. This is an analogy for “how Bodhisattvas cannot bear to let sentient beings create all delusions and karma and thus suffer from the oppression of birth and death and sink into the evil realms”.
This is an analogy for how Bodhisattvas cannot bear to let sentient beings create all delusions and karma and thus suffer from the oppression of birth and death and sink into the evil realms. Thus, adapting to capabilities and conditions, they devise teachings. They eliminate all unwholesome teachings and remain in a state of goodness. Then they can help others’ minds attain a state of safety.
Bodhisattvas do not have the heart to let people continue to give rise to delusions, which are ignorance. Because of our ignorance and karma, we cannot avoid suffering from the oppression of birth and death. There are sentient beings in all of the Five Destinies, which are the Five Realms. In the heaven realm, heavenly beings suffer from the afflictions of gain and loss. In the human realm, people suffer from pursuing desires. People in the hell, hungry ghost and animal realms suffer from karmic forces, from the oppression of birth and death. Nevertheless, we humans are constantly in a state of delusion and ignorance, so we continuously create karma, a mix of both good and evil.
Sometimes we give rise to a thought of goodness and create a blessing; this can lead us to be born in the human realm or in heaven.
People with blessings can be born in the heaven or human realm. This comes from doing good deeds. If they do not do good, some among the wealthy will tirelessly pursue thing with bottomless greed. In this world, they may do many things that cause harm to all things in the world or are detrimental to human beings, etc. They have to repay these debts in the future. Perhaps they will end up in the animal, hell, hungry ghost realms, or even in the human realm, to face all kinds of torments. All this results from creating karma out of delusion. Thus they endlessly suffer from the oppression of birth and death. These beings rise and fall, floundering in these evil destinies. What can we do about these kinds of people? Bodhisattvas should “adapt to their capabilities and conditions to teach”.
We make use of their capabilities and karmic conditions; we must make use of these affinities to help them.
Sometimes, when we go to help them, they refuse our help. So, Tzu Chi volunteers have to be mindful and continue to think of different ways to, with patience and love, obtain their trust so that they are willing to accept our help. This is called adapting to capabilities and conditions.
Adapting to their capabilities and conditions means that we try everything we can to get close to them to teach and to help. We try everything we can to help them eliminate their unwholesome practices. There are some people who have been lost form many lifetimes. But [Bodhisattvas] make use of various karmic conditions to connect with them.
In the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism, many people have eliminated their previous negative tendencies and developed the patience to dedicate themselves to going among people; now it is their turn to transform people. They use their own lives as examples.
“Then they can help other’s minds attain a state of safety.” They help people in a state of confusion return to a state of safety and freedom. Thus they are called Bodhisattvas. This is reaching a place of fearlessness; they feel safe and secure. Not only can they transform themselves, they can also transform others. They save themselves, as well as others. This is “a state of fearlessness.” They have already safely returned to their inherently kind nature.
The Buddha lives among the people to teach the Dharma and has the virtue of composure and fearlessness. In transforming sentient beings, He does not fear the difficulty and works undauntedly until sentient beings are safe and at peace. This is the state of fearlessness.
“The Buddha lives among the people to teach the Dharma.” This fearlessness enable Him to teach the Dharma to everyone. He has the “virtue of composure and fearlessness.” The Buddha is without fear; He truly has fearlessness. Because all kinds of Dharma are encompassed in His ocean of enlightenment, He can analyze the principles of all things in the world and can teach the Dharma among the people with composure and fearlessness.
During Sakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, practitioners of over 90 kinds of religious teachings constantly made things difficult for Him. But for the Buddha, even in this situation, “In transforming sentient beings, He has no fear of the difficulties and can work undauntedly. He was not afraid of hardship. He wanted to teach sentient beings and overcome their stubbornness. In particular, those other religious practitioners would not only understand and accept the dharma, they would take refuge with the Buddha. This happened during the Buddha’s lifetime.His wisdom and the power of His vows gave Him the virtue of fearlessness among sentient beings.
“Until sentient beings are safe and at peace means He always helped sentient beings achieve safely and peace. This is accomplished the Buddha’s teachings. He taught ordinary people to help them reach a state of safety and fearlessness.
The following sutra passage states, “He considered how his own wealth was infinite and equally gave a great cart to all the children.”
Seeing all his children and contemplating his own infinite wealth, the elder felt he should give equal amounts. So, he gave them all great carts. Those children who sought the small but attained the great were very happy.
This expresses that after the children came out, the elder immediately thought about all the things he wanted to give them. He wanted to distribute his wealth to them in an equal fashion. He wanted to equally give them the great ox-cart. “Those children sought the small but attained the great.” They originally sought the sheep-cart and deer-cart; they did not realize there was this great ox-cart. This is an analogy. Those children “sought the small but attained the great.”
Indeed, Hearers and Solitary Realizers originally thought their practice was good enough. They never thought that they could also attain Buddhahood. This was the Buddha’s original intent. He hoped that everyone could realize that they are able to attain Buddhahood, that they have a part in it.
So, the Charter on Skillful Means speaks of “limitless and unhindered powers and fearlessness.”
The Charter on Skillful Means talks about limitless and unhindered powers and fearlessness. This is called learning well that net of fearlessness and understanding all illusory phenomena.
This is the wealth of the Buddha, that is like the wealth of the elder. The Buddha has an abundance of wisdom. Thus He is not unhindered by anything, and He has powers and fearlessness. He answers the requests of sentient beings and meets their needs; He gives all He has to them.
So, I hope everyone will mindfully realize the Buddha’s original intent. He wants to help everyone understand that we intrinsically have the nature of True Suchness. When this Buddha-nature converges with nature, our minds will be pure and undefiled. So, we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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