Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Planting Roots of Goodness through Giving (深植善根廣行布施)
Date: December.01. 2015
Our life passes with every second and every minute. If we want to mindfully learn the Dharma, we also need time. We need time for causes and conditions to converge. We need each one of them. So, we must make good use of present conditions and promptly seize the time. If even one factors is out of place, if these causes or conditions cannot converge, we will not be able to successfully listen to or teach the Dharma.
I hope that, starting today, we can take every word of the Dharma to heart and constantly spread the Dharma through the world. We are all journeying on with Sakyamuni Buddha’s instant of awakening, and His aspiration to bequeath the Dharma to the world. Ever since then, the Dharma has been passed on to this day. Right now, we must be even more mindful to seize the moment causes and conditions converge to earnestly accept the Dharma.
The Dharma does not discriminate between young and old. Some people say, “I’m so old. How long do I have to listen to the Dharma? I don’t understand it, so can’t I just chant the name of the Buddha?” Chanting the Buddha’s name is good; are we able to chant the Buddha into our hearts? Once we take the Buddha to heart, can we transform our mind into the Buddha-mind? If we only chant the Buddha’s name but do not transform our minds, chanting is just an empty practice.
It is not that people cannot understand. If old people listen mindfully, they can likewise understand. Think about it. In the TV program “Grassroots Bodhi,” many elderly Bodhisattvas have been featured. Some of them are already in their 80s or 90s. These Bodhisattvas listen to my morning teachings and become filled with Dharma-joy. They are likewise able to transform the habitual tendencies they have had for decades. Once they accept the Buddha-Dharma, they begin to practice it diligently.
In fact, our intrinsic nature is everlasting. Whether in this lifetime or the next, this [pure] nature will never increase or dimish. It is no different in the old and in the young, as long as we resolve to accept the Dharma and take it to heart. If we can experience and understand it, then naturally, our mind will start to manifest our Tathagata-nature. We should not worry about old age, but rather that we will not take the first step, that we will not accept the Dharma in time. It is the same with young children.
They may be young, but their minds are very pure and radiant; they have not yet been polluted by society in this lifetime. [Their mind] is like a clear and bright mirror that can reflect the external conditions very clearly and distinctly. Many children we interact with show us that the Buddha-nature is equally in all. So, we should first awaken our faith.
“When our faith is awakened, we diligently listen to the Dharma and practice what we hear. Though we have made great vows, our roots are shallow, so realization is difficult. The One Vehicle carries and transforms us wondrously through provisional teachings and virtuous Dharma.”
So, the earlier our faith is awakened, the earlier we can accept the Dharma. When we accept the Buddha-Dharma, it is most important to be earnestly diligent. This earnestness comes from the heart. When we wholeheartedly accept [the Dharma], when we manifest this sense of reverence, we will be willing to advance in our practice; this is being earnestly diligent.
When we take the Dharma to heart, it is like filling a box with incense. Even if we use up all the incense, the box remains fragrant. As we listen to the Dharma, if we can take more of it to heart, it will remain in our minds. When the fragrance of Dharma permeates our hearts, of course we will always be filled with joy.
So, "we diligently listen to the Dharma and practice what we hear." We must earnestly take the Dharma to heart. We must listen often, and after listening, we must practice.
If we have negative habitual tendencies, after hearing the Dharma we must immediately turn them around. This is turning the Dharma-wheel. We must turn around our unwholesome tendencies. Turning the Dharma-wheel is not just standing on stage and speaking, saying "Thus have I heard" these teachings. People call that turning the Dharma-wheel, but it is more than that. We must be very mindful. When we take in the teachings, we understand them. After understanding them, we must apply them to everything we encounter. This is truly taking the Dharma to heart. Only by turning our minds around and adjusting the way we interact with others are we truly turning the Dharma-wheel.
Furthermore, "Though we have made great vows, our roots are shallow, so realization is difficult". We must understand that although we have formed aspirations and say we want to listen to the Dharma, we all have different capabilities.
Some people, upon hearing a single phrase, can immediately absorb and understand it, from aspirations and make vows. But some people hear the Dharma and say, "The Dharma is very good, but... " The "but" is followed by many excuses, so they are unable to form aspirations. Although they have heard the Dharma, they cannot form any aspirations. There are also some people [who say], "I have already accpted the Dharma and really wish to form asprrations, but my ability to comprehend is quite poor. I have to proceed gradually." Why is that? That is due to karmic causes, which are like seeds. That seed will sorout more slowly if its roots have not yet extended deeply. This is having shallow roots. True principles are indeed wondrously profound.
From hearing one Dharma, we can attain 1000 realizations. We can deduce so much from a single principle. A person with sharp capabilities, if he is taught how to do something, that this corner is made in this way, he can use the same method to make the other three. All four corners are made in the same way. This is how the corners of a table are made. Thus, once we learn how to make one corner, we should clearly know how to make the other three we should clearly know how to make the other three.
It is the same with our awakening; the same principle applies. If we thorougly understand the principles, we will be able to understand and let go. All things in this world are empty in nature; there is no need for us to become attached to them. We must understand that is how our many afflictions come about. In this troubled society, what teachings can we use to resolve people's troublesome afflictions? If the Dharma is always in our hearts, we will aspire and vow [to practice it]. Then naturally our roots will grow deep. If our karmic seeds are planted deeply, we can extensively form [good] karmic connections. Then regardiess of what phenomenon appears before us, even if it is an affliction, we can turn it into Bodhi.
However, those with shallow roots say, "Afflictions are afflictions; they are always bothering me." They are unable to transform their minds. You may remember the young Bodhisattva Yanhe. His younger sister is now in preschool. She comes with her mom and older brother to the morning Dharma tectures. When she heard the passage on "heads aflame," that afflictions are like fires buring our head, she noted down, "The tops of their heads aflame". Beneath it she wrote, "This is punishing ourselves with others' mistakes." "Venting anger is temporary insanity". She wrote down both these Jing Si aphorisms using the phonetic symbois.
Look at this, when this young child takes in the fragrance of the Dharm, by simply hearing this passage from the sutra, these few word, "the tops of their heads aflame" she was able to connect it [to what she knows]. Is't she like a very clear mirror? She can reflect the world around her very clearly. Thus, when we listen to the Dharma, our faith must be quickly awakened so we are able to “diligently listen to the Dharma and practice what we hear ”.
Then, we will be able to form the aspiration and shoulder the responsibility to become one who teaches and transmits the Dharma. This requires great aspirations and great vows. Next, “The One Vehicle carries and transforms us”. The provisional teachings and skillful means are now being turned around; the Three Vehicles are turned back to the One. We need to start using the great white ox-cart. The past teachings of the Three Vehicles, the provisional teachings, were taught to pave the path for the true wisdom of the One Vehicle.
This process of skillful means [was explained]. It was followed by the Chapter on Parables because we need to teach with parables in order to comprehend the virtuous Dharma. These guide everyone to eliminate their former attachments and avoid a bias toward emptiness. We should realize the wondrous principles of true emptiness. In true emptiness there is wondrous existence.
Now we must make use of wondrous existence to come together with our nature of True Suchness. A small deviation will us lead far off course, so we must not deviate in the slightest bit from this Dharma.
The previous sutra passage states, “If there are people with sharp capabilities, who are wise and understanding, learned and knowledgeable, who seek the path to Buddhahood, for people like this, you can teach this sutra”.
This earlier passage explains to us that without mature capabilities and proper faith, people cannot thoroughly understand [this Dharma], so we should not teach it to them. If they deviate in the way they apply it, not only will they not benefit from it, they will actually damage the Dharma in many ways. They will bring pollution to the Dharma and deviate from the teachings. We spoke of many examples of people we should not share [this Dharma] with. Now we are talking about people who have developed sharp capabilities, have wisdom and understanding, are learned and knowledgeable and sincerely seek the path to Buddhahood. These are the kinds of people we should share this Dharma with.
The sutra passage continues, “If there are people who have seen countless Buddhas in the past, have laid all foundations of goodness and are firm and stable in their deep resolve, for people like this, you can teach this sutra. If there are people who have seen countless Buddhas in the past”.
It is truly difficult to encounter a Buddha, but for kalpas since Beginningless Time, we have been extending our roots of goodness. This was the case for Sakyamuni Buddha. In the Introductory Chapter, in the dialogue between Manjusri and Maitreya, Manjusri mentioned Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha. For each of these Buddhas to attain Buddhahood it took countless kalpas; then after countless more kalpas, another Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant would appear. Then after countless more kalpas another Buddha would appear, all with the same name, Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant. This happened over and over until 20,000 of Them had appeared. See, this took a very long time. The [principles] is the same; those who listen to the Dharma and develop deep and strong roots of faith likewise follow Buddhas life after life to learn the Dharma. During each lifetime, they share and transmit the Dharma and then return when they again have conditions to draw near the Dharma and again teach and transmit the Dharma. In this way they passed countless kalpas and encountered countless Buddhas.
Thus, it is said, “If there are people who have seen countless Buddhas in the past”. This clearly tells us that these people have already formed aspirations. They formed these aspirations a very long time ago. This did not only happen in their previous life, but over many lifetimes and over countless kalpas. In life after life, as we listen to, teach and transmit the Dharma, our roots will continue to deepen. Thus we “plant deep roots of goodness.”
Those who have already seen and clearly understood the teachings and have been developing aspirations for a long time have previously planted deep roots of goodness. They have long practiced the virtuous Dharma with countless Buddhas in the past and have widely practiced charitable giving. They are the ones you can teach it to.
We are not saying that simply by listening to, we can automatically attain Buddhahood; not at all. That still practice. When we go to school, we go through the grades one by one, primary school, secondary school then college, and later we can abstain a Ph. D.
In conclusion, this takes a long time. We must constantly cultivate our roots of goodness and constantly be permeated by this Dharma. If we encounter people like this, people with sharp capabilities who can hear one thing and realize 1000 and can even explain the Dharma to others to continue transmitting it, we must believe that they were permeated by teachings in the past.
“[Those who] have seen countless Buddhas” have “widely practiced charitable giving.” They are this kind of person. Charitable giving is not just about giving money; we also must have kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity and must practice the Six Paramitas.
People who have done this “have laid all foundations of goodness.” Since they have given rise to Bodhicitta, they must practice Bodhisattva-path.
Since they are Bodhisattvas who have given rise to Bodhicitta, and in the past, in the presence of all Buddhas, have practiced the Six Perfections, they have laid all foundations of goodness, upheld and cultivated the meritorious roots of goodness, blessings and wisdoms and are firm and stable in their deep resolve.
In the past, “in the presence of all Buddhas,” they have engaged in spiritual practice, “Practicing the Six Perfections.” They are willing to give with loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. These Four Infinite Minds and the Six Paramitas taken together are called the Ten Paramitas. As I have explained before, at the spiritual training grounds of all Buddhas, “They have laid all foundations of goodness, [upheld and cultivated the meritorious roots of goodness, blessings and wisdom.”
We must diligently cultivate the fields of our minds and nurture our meritorious roots of goodness, blessings and wisdom. This helps deepen and strengthen. Our roots of goodness. “For people like this, “you can teach this sutra.” These are the kinds of people that we can teach the One Vehicle Sharma to.
If people have deep faith and no doubt in the True Dharma of the One Vehicle and put it into practice, for people like this you can teach this sutra.
The One Vehicle Dharma is the True Dharma and the Buddha’s original intent. The Buddha had safeguarded this Dharma in His mind for more than 40 years. Now He shares it [at this assembly] we must comprehend the Buddha’s original intent and understand that we must have “deep faith in the law karma.” For countless kalpas, we must have deep faith in the law of karma.
If we do not have deep faith in it, how will we be able to accept that deep roots of goodness are developed over countless kalpas? Thus, we must have deep faith in the karmic law of cause and effect.
Deep faith in the law of karma: they have deep faith in the karmic law of cause and effect, that all their actions are causes, that all they experience is the effects and that good causes develop into good conditions. These are seeds of goodness. Witness suffering and recognize blessings, cherish blessings and create more blessings, continue to extend good causes and conditions and constantly cultivate a mind of loving-kindness. We must never cut off any affinities.
Recently, we have seen many occurrences, whether imbalance in a worldwide level or collective karma shared on an individual level. There are many such manmade calamities. This is due to the karmic law of cause and effect. Because we created this cause, we will experience this effect.
So, in all that we do we must be very mindful. We must truly cherish our blessings and then, to create more blessings, we must genuinely form good affinities. Then we can have good connections with each other. We must never cut off our affinities with anyone, but instead create more [good] affinities.
Many things have come about because the convergence of causes and conditions had led people to face much suffering in life. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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