Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Joy of the Liberation of Samadhi (禪定解脫之樂)
Date: July. 16 . 2015
“Bodhisattva-practitioners distance themselves from the five desires and all afflictions. They cultivate contemplation and concentrate on the Dharma. Practicing earnestly, diligently, and sincerely, they seek realization of the Buddha Vehicle. This is the teaching of Samadhi, wisdom and liberation.”
As I have often mentioned, many afflictions begin with the five desires. The five desires are found in external conditions, and the thoughts that arise in our minds are all due to these five desires. The five desires attract countless afflictions, so we must put our hearts into eliminating them. Then we can distance ourselves from afflictions. So, we must, “cultivate contemplation and concentrate on the Dharma.”
“Cultivating contemplation” is meditation. “Concentrating on the Dharma” is Samadhi. The Bodhisattva Way, in addition to eliminating the five desires and distancing ourselves from afflictions, is also about practicing meditation and Samadhi. “Gathering wood and carrying water is meditation.” We can practice meditation in our daily living, which is to regularly “cultivate contemplation.” We must earnestly contemplate our role as spiritual practitioners, contemplate every word that we speak, contemplate every action that we take. In our body, speech and mind, in all aspects of our daily living, we must earnestly think about how we can engage in spiritual cultivation. To do this is to be in a state of “meditation,” and meditation is “cultivating contemplation”. What about “Samadhi”? “With minds clear and tranquil, vows as vast as the universe,” that is the state of Samadhi. This comes from “concentrating on the Dharma.” Bodhisattva-practitioners must diligently and earnestly cultivate this state. We must earnestly practice with a sincere heart. Having sincerity, integrity, faith, steadfastness is our fundamental responsibility. This is the only way we can “seek realization of the Buddha Vehicle,” which are the teachings of precepts, Samadhi, wisdom and liberation. This is all part of learning the Buddha’s Way.
If we engage in spiritual practice among people, we must have a firm grasp on our spiritual ideals. Across the world, we see Living Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattva[-volunteers] can be found in all of countries they have emigrated to. With the Dharma in their hearts, they aspire and vow to practice among the people. Regardless of the hardships, they are willing to put the Dharma into practice.
For example, in Malaysia, in a place called Tampin, there was a family that faced great adversity. People who lived in the village despised them, “They are stingy and hard to get along with. They are facing great difficulties, and originally we wanted to help them. But not only were they unwilling to accept help, they abused us verbally.” This is the reason that this family was unwelcome in the village and was much despised.
In 2007, Tzu Chi volunteers took on this case and began to visit this family. The husband had been sick with cancer for many years and was bedridden. On the day they went to visit him, the first thing they saw was that his house was simple, crude and messy. This man was of Chinese descent, and his wife was of Indian descent. The man had an older sister staying with them who was mentally ill and had cataracts and could no longer see. The couple had two children. The wife worked odd jobs outside the home, but the work was not stable. Two members of the family were ill.
One was mentally ill and had to be kept at home and had to be provided with their meals a day.The other was bedridden and was very bad-tempered.Then the two children had to go to school.So, you can imagine the hardship that this family was going through.
Tzu Chi volunteers observed their situation.
When they took on this case and saw their lives, they could not bear to let them continue suffering.Although the people in the village were opposed to us helping them, Tzu Chi volunteers decided to help them anyway.
The first step in our log-tem process was to mobilize Tzu Chi volunteers, Faith Corps members, Commissioners and other volunteers, to clean the inside of their house and straighten up the exterior.They cleaned the place until it was neat and tidy.
Afterwards, the volunteers visited them monthly.They would carefully hold him and carry him to transport him to the hospital.
Then there was his sister.She grunted and shouted all day long.She could not see and was mentally ill.All her yelling made the neighbors unhappy.So, the volunteers tried to get her eyes treated.
Then, after the cataract surgery was performed, they got her into a nursing facility.
Does this mean their work was done?No, the volunteers continued to stay with them.
The wife still had to work.The two children were in the second and fifth grades.The children needed people to care for them, too.
Tzu Chi volunteers who lived closest to them brought three meals a day to the children.
This is the love and meticulous care shown to them.
Oftentimes, they would take the wife and children to the hospital to see the husband, so the children could visit with their father and maintain their bonds of familial love.
They kept on doing this until last year, when the husband passed away in April of 2013.
After he passed away and his body was being brought home, a long procession of Tzu Chi volunteers accompanied his body and set up a dignified memorial altar for him.
Then they began to chant for him.Many volunteers helped, so his funeral arrangements were very organized.
The villagers who saw all this thought, “This organization is truly amazing! They gave to them with sincerity, patience and love for so many years.”So, the villagers greatly admired this the Bodhisattva[-volunteer] who took responsibility for this case shared that, “The Bodhisattva-path is difficult to walk, but it can be walked.”
Seeing the mother and the children with peaceful smiles on their faces brought the volunteers an indescribable sense of joy.
Only through personal experience, by putting the teachings into practice, can we feel this ourselves.
So, cultivating the Bodhisattva-practice is indeed very difficult.But as long as we take those first strides, it will not be that difficult.
However, Bodhisattvas must distance themselves from the live desires and eliminate afflictions.
No matter what anyone says about us, we are still willing to give to others.Then our minds will be free of afflictions, and our hearts will be pure.This is the mastery of meditation and Samadhi.
So, we “cultivate contemplation” and “concentrate on the Dharma”.This state of meditation and Samadhi come from the teachings of the Great Vehicle.This is also “seeking realization of the Buddha Vehicle. This is the teaching of Samadhi, wisdom and liberation.
Since we want to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we hope that we can attain Buddhahood, that our minds will be like that of the Buddha’s” and be one with the universe.This is “realization”.
“Realization of the Buddha Vehicle” means we realize this awakened state with the teachings of Samadhi, wisdom and liberation.So, we should constantly be mindful in learning how to develop stillness and Samadhi.We must practice this mindfully.
The previous sutra passage states, “All these sentient beings are my children.”We must have a perspective like this, where our minds are open and expansive.The Buddha looks upon all sentient beings as if they were His own children.This is the ultimate impartiality of the Great Vehicle Dharma.
We never see people as others, as unrelated to us.In fact, all sentient beings in the world are connected to us.We look upon them as part of our family.
The Buddha looked upon all four kinds of beings as if they were His only son, so wouldn’t He feel that way about all humans?This is the teachings of the Great Vehicle, where “attaining Nirvana is not exclusive to certain individuals. I help them all cross into extinction with the Tathagata’s Nirvana.”
He hoped that everyone could be saved. He hoped that everyone could be transformed. This was the broad-mindedness of the Buddha. In the next sutra passage it states,
“Those sentient beings who are beings liberated from the Three Realms will be given the tools that bring happiness of Samadhi, liberation and so on, which all Buddhas have. These are all of one appearance and of one kind, praised by all noble beings, and can give rise to pure and wondrous supreme joy”.
The Buddha taught sentient beings in the hope that everyone could eliminate afflictions and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This was the Buddha’s intent. He hope that sentient beings could be “liberated from the Three Realms”.
To be “liberated from the Three Realms,” they must enter the door of the Buddha’s teachings. By entering this door, they can naturally be liberated from the Three Realms. To this end, [the teachings] “are given”; everything is given to them. Because He has infinite riches, He wants to give all of this wealth to everyone equally; thus He impartially gives great teachings. He gives all of these to sentient beings so they can achieve the same state of Samadhi and liberation as all Buddhas. Samadhi and liberation bring happiness.
See, helping people brings great happiness. You can see that from the case I just shared. So, “the tools that bring happiness” are these methods. “These are all of one appearance and of one kind, praised by all noble beings”. These teachings are all equal, of the same appearance and the same kind. They are praised by everyone.
“Praised by all noble beings” means these methods are praised by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and “can give rise to pure and wondrous supreme joy”. If we are able to achieve unification with this state, we will have pure and wondrous joy and happiness!
“Sentient beings [are] liberated from the Three Realms”. This means that, “Within the Three Realms, afflictions, afflictions, worries and suffering are raging”. Within the Three Realms, these are so many things that cause afflictions. “Worries, sadness, suffering and vexations make us feel as if we are on fire.”
I often tell everyone that the Three Realms are three states in our minds. Our desires, our perceptions of conditions and the ignorance and afflictions in our minds are the Three Realms of our minds. In life, every one of us has so many afflictions. Only by practicing the Buddha’s teachings and understanding the principles do we have ways [of resolving them].
So, the sutra states, “[They are] given the tools that bring happiness, of Samadhi, liberation and so on, which all Buddhas have”. The Buddha, in His compassion, teaches sentient beings in the hope that everyone will experience awakening equally. The teachings He gave all came from His original intent. His hope is that everyone will be able to live in a state of Samadhi and liberation and be peaceful, at ease and happy.
In fact, Samadhi, as I mentioned, is “cultivating contemplation”. In our minds, we must constantly engage in this kind of thinking. In the state of our minds, the things we say and the conditions around us, we should clearly distinguish right from wrong. Is this something we should say? Is this something we should do? Should our minds give rise to this affliction or to this ignorant thought? This is “cultivating contemplation”. Samadhi comes from “concentrating [on the Dharma]” and “cultivating contemplation”. It is a state of “concentration and insight”.
Samadhi: Meditative Concentration. It is the unity of concentration and insight or the non-dual state of Samadhi and wisdom.
Our normal state of mind is often in great turmoil. If we take all those scattered thoughts and bring them back to one place, this is a state of “concentration and insight”. “It is the unity of concentration and insight”. This means bringing our thinking back together. Then we can be in the “non-dual state of Samadhi and wisdom”. This is Samadhi.
“Samadhi” can be translated as “cultivating contemplation”. This means we think about and study the conditions we encounter. We need to focus our minds and mindfully delve deeply into the Buddha-Dharma. We need to filter our external conditions, concentrate on investigating them and keep the Buddha-Dharma in our hearts. This is what it means “The single-minded observation of an object is meditation”.
Let us earnestly think about the things we see. Do we need to desire them? If these things are just put somewhere that we can see them that is good enough. Why is it necessary to possess them ourselves? We see and understand that this is a diamond, that this is jade, that these are pearls. These are the names of precious objects; this increase our knowledge. Actually, it is not enough to add to our knowledge of them; we need to contemplate them.Think about it, to extract that piece of jade, extensive damage was done to the mountain. Do you know what to takes to mine diamonds? Such a big area has already been ruined in order to obtain those diamonds.
In conclusion, a woman wearing millions of dollars of jewelry has caused millions of dollars of damage to the mountains, rivers and land and created much karma.
So, when we look at things, what kinds of concepts are we suing to examine them? “Single-minded examination of phenomena is meditation.” We must apply this level of investigation. When we look at everything, at people and matters, we understand; we must find those we should help and curb our desire for what we do not need. This is the meaning of “investigation” or “the single-minded investigation of an object.” We need to apply this in our daily living.
“[Samadhi] is also translated as concentration.” We must practice concentration. Samadhi is a state of concentration. “It is carefully meditating on something with the still and tranquil essence of the mind. Having still thoughts that are one with the environment is Samadhi.”
Samadhi is a meditative state of concentration.The essence of our mind is True Suchness. Our nature of True Suchness is still and tranquil. With it, we can discern whether or not we should do something. This is the meaning of “carefully” we must understand through cautious analysis.
“Having still thoughts that are one with the environment is Samadhi.” We have wholeheartedly resolved to engage in this practice. So, we must maintain this state of Samadhi and be resolute.
Then the text explains, “These area all of one appearance and of one kind, praised by all noble beings, and can give rise to pure and wondrous supreme joy.” This is the “one appearance.”
One appearance: The essence of sentient being’s minds is the True Suchness of the One Reality. The teachings of the Tathagata are the principles and appearances of the One Reality. This is the same as True Suchness; it has no complication or contamination.
If we can cultivate contemplation and concentrate, this method of Samadhi, concentration and insight, when we see thing and make decisions about people matters and objects, our minds will no longer be scattered. This is called “one appearance.”
“One appearance” is the “essence of sentient beings’ minds.” It is our nature of True Suchness. In sentient beings, there is “the True Suchness of the One Reality.” Our intrinsic nature of True Suchness is the One Reality.
The essence of sentient beings’ minds is the one appearances. One appearances is the essence of sentient beings’ minds. One Reality is the ultimate truth of True Suchness.“The teachings of the Tathagata are the principles and appearances of the One Reality. Hasn’t everything the Buddha taught us been about how to return to our nature of True Suchness? [Our nature is] “the same as True Suchness; it has no complication or contamination.” It is free of defilements. “One kind” refers to harmonious and permanent joy.
One kind: Harmonious and permanent joy, the pure and wondrous supreme joy. These merits of one appearance and one kind are the foundation of sentient beings’ virtue. This can give rise to unsurpassed Dharma-joy.
We should always be in a harmonious state. We must understand “permanence, joy, greater self, purity.” As I said yesterday, this is the state of the Buddha, one of “pure and wondrous supreme joy.” This is the most pure and most exquisite joy. “These merits are of one appearance and one kind.”
These are the merits that we have attained through inner cultivation and outer practice. They are the “foundation of sentient beings’ virtue.” They are the foundation of all virtues and the merits of “one appearance and one kind.” They “can give rise to unsurpassed Dharma-joy.” To achieve this, our minds must be in a state of Samadhi.
For instance, no matter how people may hinder us, once we have made a decision to help people, we must help them, regardless of what external obstacles we may encounter. This is also the merits of one appearance and one kind, which are the foundation of all merit. Only through Samadhi, wisdom and liberation can we achieve “permanent, joy, greater self, and purity,” a pure, exquisite and wondrous happiness.
So, dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must be focused and reverent in our practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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