Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Returning to the One Vehicle with Skillful Means (方便逗機終歸一)
Date:July.22. 2015
“The Tathagata’s Dharma-nature is perfect. His wisdom is vast like the ocean. All teachings are the same as the One Dharma. Sentient beings accept as much as their capacities can hold. The Buddha established skillful means according to their capacities, but ultimately returned to the True One Vehicle.”
The Buddha has engaged in spiritual practice since Beginningless Time, so there are no afflictions, ignorance, delusions or impurities, etc. that can contaminate His mind. Moreover, since Beginningless Time, all Buddhas’ teachings of wisdom have completely awakened His intrinsic nature of True Suchness so that it is already one with the universe. Therefore, the Dharma-nature of the Tathagata is completely perfect. As we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must learn to [recognize] the perfect Dharma-nature in all things. That means we have already manifested our nature of True Suchness. If we are able to manifest our true nature, that is wisdom.
“His wisdom is vast like the ocean. All teachings are the same as the One Dharma.” The Buddha actually teaches everyone equally. He teaches only the One Dharma; there are no others. He absolutely teaches the same One Dharma. It is just that we sentient beings have varying capabilities. Some people have sharp capabilities while some have dull capabilities. People with sharp capabilities are sharp. They can hear one thing and understand it. Or, “They hear one thing and realize ten.” Some people can even “hear one thing and realize 1000.” These people do exist. People like this must have also learned this in the past. For an unknown number of lifetimes, they have continuously learned and have awakened to these principles. They bring with them a pure and undefiled nature that cannot be contaminated. Every time they come, they reduce the afflictions [that cover it] so they become more pure; thus they are able to return to the human realm.
Take our young volunteers for example; they are very responsible. Some have been volunteering since they were in kindergarten. They wear aprons and help organize books and wipe tables at the Jing Si bookstore. They know how to restock the books and arrange them neatly. One of these children watched the rehearsals of the musical sutra adaptation. While his grandmother practiced sign language, he observed her from the side. Eventually, he could sing along and also perform the sign language. He was even able to help teach others.
Seeing him, I thought, “Even children this young can listen to and accept the Buddha-Dharma.” Not only do they accept it, sometimes when I watch our children’s programs, the teachings flow from their mouths. They can also share the Dharma with people. This is very endearing.
Sometimes I think, this is the pure intrinsic nature of True Suchness. In past lifetimes, this boy had already eliminated his afflictions. After eliminating many of his afflictions, he could develop his wisdom-life. Bringing this with him to his present life, he could accept the Buddha-Dharma. This path seemed very familiar to him. It seemed as if he had said these words before. This time, when he returned to the human realm, he had the causes and conditions, the circumstantial and the direct retributions, to be born to this family to continue his past causes and conditions. There is another child like him in Hualien. On his weekends and holidays, he comes to the Abode and helps with filming. I see him moving the cables.
As his teacher, the cameraman, carries the video camera from place to place, he follows him with the cable in his hands.At the right time, he will quickly grab a blank tape and pass it to his teacher.
Two days ago, I saw him controlling the camera.When a new person went on stage to speak, he could adjust the focus to switch between a close shot and a long shot, between a panoramic shot and a close up.I could tell that he is very experienced and had firm control over the shot.
As I went on stage to speak, I saw him run quickly onto the stage to turn on the lights.He has already become a lighting technician!Not only is he a cameraman, he is also a lighting technician.
He is only in fourth grade this year.Two days ago, more than 600 children from Tzu chi Elementary School and Tzu Chi Kindergarten brought their bamboo banks “home”.
They brought the bamboo banks home to me at the Abode.This time, it was for disaster relief in the Philippines.The children came on stage to speak.Whether they were in first grade or second grade, or third or fifth grade, they all spoke very well.They were filled with compassion as well as wisdom.
One even persuaded her mother and grandmother to adopt bamboo banks of their own and deposit NT$10 every day.This was her arrangement with her grandmother and her mother that they mutually agreed on.
Another child saw the adult volunteers holding fundraisers for the Philippines.When his mother bought cookie rolls from them, he came up with the idea of bringing cookie rolls and bamboo banks to the vegetarian restaurant they usually ate at.
He said he would fundraise with the bamboo bank.Indeed, many people actually donated money.This really boosted his confidence, so he decided to figure out how to give more people the chance to help the Philippines.
He started to go to many stores and tell them, “This bamboo bank can save many lives. It can help the Philippines,” and so on.As a result, five of the stores agreed to adopt bamboo banks, and he collected quite a lot of donations.
These children even shared that we should constantly express our love and that helping people brings the greatest happiness.The older students formed a team that adopted seniors in Shuiyuan, which is in the mountainous area.
Some had difficulties caring for themselves, so these students often helped and cared for them by chatting with them and so on.
They saw that some seniors who lived alone did not eat the food they brought them.Why was that?It was too tough for them to eat.
So, [the students] quickly prepared food that was suitable for seniors. Seeing that a senior did not have hot water, these elementary school students chipped in to buy a water heater for the senior.
Think about this.Doesn’t this show how sentient beings bring their storehouse consciousness from their past life?In a past life, they must have encountered the Buddha-Dharma and created good causes and conditions so that in this life, their circumstantial retributions brought them together at this school where there is an environment that inspires their love.
This is how their storehouse consciousness has gradually awakened and brought them closer to their Buddha-nature.
Then the Buddha expounded the Dharma in the world, He taught the same Dharma to everyone; the teachings were all the same.“All teachings are the same as the One Dharma.”He taught all sentient begins equally with the same Dharma.“Sentient beings accept as much as their capacities can hold.”
What we take in depends on our capabilities.
If our capacities are very pure, we accept the Buddha-Dharma a more quickly, develop a deeper understanding and apply it more widely.
Those with dull capabilities say, “I will just listen along with everyone else. Listening is good enough for me.”If this is what we think, we will not actually learn anything.
This depends on the depth of our understanding, on whether we have sharp or dull capabilities.So, “Sentient begins accept as much as their capacities can hold.”Even though these children are young, they have deeply internalized the teachings.So, whether sentient beings are young or old,their Dharma-natures are all equal.
There are no differences. Our inherent Tathagata-wisdom is impartial and always perfect. It is the same, regardless of age. The Buddha established skillful means suitable for all capacities. How much we accept depends on our capabilities. He “ultimately returned to the True One Vehicle”.
The Buddha began by teachings the Three Vehicles, and actually all of them, even the Hearer and Pratyekabuddha Vehicles, contain the principles of True Suchness, which are the principles of the One Reality. Before entering Parinirvana, the Buddha also reminded us that the Four Noble Truths are the foundation.
Although He began with [the One Vehicle], people could not understand, so He had to teach the Three Vehicles beginning with the Four Noble Truths. But right before entering Parinirvana, He again reminded us that the Four Noble Truths. He again reminded us that the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the Six Perfections are the most fundamental teachings.
So, we say that the teachings of the Buddha “ultimately return to the True One Vehicle”. How much of it we can accept.
The previous sutra text states, “Why is this? The Tathagata has infinite wisdom, powers, fearlessness, all these treasures of the Dharma. He can give all sentient beings the teachings of the Great Dharma but they cannot accept all of it”.
Though we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, our afflictions have covered it so we are unaware of it. In ordinary people, this is known as “karmic consciousness”. We know that we should not lose our temper, but sometimes we suddenly erupt in a rage. Our habitual tendencies are activated more quickly than our nature of True Suchness. Our nature of True Suchness is equal to that of the Buddha’s and is replete with both compassion and wisdom. Yet, our habitual tendencies are still on top. So, when we connect with external conditions, our habitual tendencies, greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt always rush out in front; they are expressed more quickly. This is because our afflictions still bind us and cover our nature of True Suchness. Therefore, we are called Tathagata-in-Bonds; this our Tathagata-garbha consciousness.
[To reveal it,] we must quickly eliminate our afflictions, layer by layer.
The next sutra passage states, “Sariputra, because of these causes and conditions you should know that all Buddha use the power of skillful means to give the One Buddha Vehicle by teaching it as the Three”.
The Buddha said this to Sariputra again [He taught in this way] due to these causes and conditions. What exactly are these causes and conditions? The Buddha purposely called to Sariputra again as a means of getting everyone to pay attention to the causes and conditions. He had mentioned previously.
Sariputra, because of these cause and conditions: The Buddha inspired faith and gave teachings, yet due to sentient beings’ inability to accept all of the Dharma, for those with limited wisdom, He taught the One [Vehicle] as the Three.
In the beginning, the Buddha set up three carts for sentient beings. It is because their capabilities varied that He had to open this Dharma-door of skillful means. The Buddha “inspired faith and gave teachings”. He wanted to tell everyone that there was no falsehood; this was His true intent. He sincerely wanted to teach sentient beings. To help everyone realize [the Dharma], none of His words were false; they were all true. “Yet due to sentient beings’ inability to accept all of the Dharma…”. The reason was that sentient beings’ capabilities were not yet mature and their capabilities varied greatly.
Because of these causes and conditions, for people with limited wisdom. “He taught the One [Vehicle] as Three”. Originally, there was just the One Vehicle, which was to help everyone understand that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, and this Buddha-nature is one with the universe. Things are really that simple. However, sentient beings have limited wisdom and could not understand this. For people with limited capabilities and wisdom, the One Vehicle was taught in three stages, as the Small, Middle and Great Vehicles. This is like how our schools are set up. There are elementary schools, middle schools and universities. In the same way, there are the Great, Middle and Small Vehicles. Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha taught according to sentient beings’ capabilities. He originally intended to teach the One Dharma, but based on sentient beings’ capabilities.He originally intended to teach the One Dharma, but based on sentient beings’ capabilities He “taught the One [Vehicle] as the Three.” Originally, there was only one True Dharma. But then He divided it into the stages of the Hearer, Pratyekabuudha and Bodhisattva Vehicles. Therefore, we should understand that. “All Buddhas use the power of skillful means to give the One Buddha Vehicle by teaching it as the Three.”
In the Dharma, there is only the One Vehicle; originally there was not two or three. It is only because all beings, though possessing the world-transcendent , flawless seed-nature, still have differences of great or small capacity that the One Buddha Vehicle was skillfully taught for them to hear as the Three. “In the Dharma, there is only the One Vehicle, originally there was not two or three.”
All Buddhas actually give only one teaching. We should all believe that there is just one, the One Dharma taught equally to all. This means that He gives teachings to everyone equally. The last of the three carts is the cart drawn by the great white ox. This is like how, when giving things to children we need to distribute the same amount to everyone. So, “There was not two or three.”There are no Two Vehicles or Three Vehicles There is only the One Dharma. So, the Buddha had consideration for sentient beings. Everyone inherently has a world - transcendent, flawless seed-nature. “World-transcendent” refers to True Suchness. Our nature of True Suchness can enable us to transcend the Three Realms. The nature of True Suchness is intrinsic to everyone. We are all replete with this wisdom that we have always had. “Flawless” means that our nature of True Suchness cannot be contaminated by afflictions. Having “Leaks” means we have afflictions. Being “flawless” means we are free from them.
Our minds were originally pure and clean, uncontaminated by afflictions. Everyone has this “seed-nature”. Having this seed means we have the nature of True Suchness. But we sentient beings have varying capabilities, some greater, some more limited. These capabilities depend on whether there is a shallow or thick layer of afflictions over these seeds that are gradually surfacing.
So, “The One Buddha Vehicles was skillfully taught for them to hear as the Three.”Though we may have a nature of True Suchness, though we may have a nature of True Suchness, it has been buried deeply. Now it is in the process of beings awakened and has begun to emerge. This was why the Buddha taught the Three Vehicles. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha constantly wanted everyone to know that we must not stop at the state of Hearers. We must not engage in “casual listening.” We must not stop at awakening only ourselves. We must be inspired to listen and take the Dharma to heart so that we can awaken our nature of True Suchness and go among people to experience the workings of the world.
The more we go among people, the more we will understand the truths of impermanence, suffering, emptiness and no-self. If we can more deeply understand the truths of impermanence, suffering, emptiness and no-self, then we will realize “true emptiness.”
After we realize “true emptiness,” we can penetrate it more deeply by giving without expectations, thus realizing “wondrous existence.” Then we not only transform ourselves by realizing the principles of “true emptiness, with such a mindset,” we can make use of this nature of True Suchness which cannot be contaminated to go among people and transform them.
So, after taking the Dharma to heart, we can realize everything and, at the same time, widely transform and help sentient beings.
Think about this. As Buddhist practitioners, we need this mindset. We must not think that, “If I have a chance, I’ll listen” “If not, so be it.” This cannot, be our mindset. “The Tathagata’s Dharma-nature is perfect”; we must not let it become even slightly chipped. Since we already understand this, we must practice the Three Flawless Studies of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.
Precepts can guard against wrongs and stop evil.We must always engage in “the cultivation of contemplation, and we must concentrate on the Dharma.” I hope we will all carefully protect our minds. The Buddha’s main intent in expounding the Lotus Sutra was to reveal the true appearance of many things in the world to help everyone to realize their one and only nature of True Suchness. Because of this, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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