Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Become Pure through Diligent Practice (專心勤修清淨無礙)
Date: December.11. 2015
“The sutra treasury contains all of the teachings of the Tathagata. We must listen to, faithfully accept and focus on diligently cultivating the Dharma. Even if we cannot put an end to our bonds and afflictions in this lifetime, later, with gradual nourishment, the Tathagata’s virtue of wisdom will appear.”
Everyone, please be mindful! The 12 divisions of the Tripitaka have their origins in the Buddha’s lifetime, when He taught according to capabilities. Based on the capabilities of sentient beings and depending on their behavior, the Buddha endlessly exercised His wisdom to come up with different methods to teach them. People in later generations took the teachings given by the Buddha, divided them into categories and compiled them into what we now call the Tripitaka, which are the sutras, rules and treatises.
Of course, the Tripitaka also has subcategories, which are the 12 divisions. The Buddha-Dharma is as deep as the ocean. As it is so expansive and wide, how can we take each of its teachings to heart? In fact, the Buddha-Dharma is very simple. As long as we are mindful, genuine, penetrating and meticulous, by focusing our thinking we realize that the Buddha-Dharma actually only contains a single truth. The true principles of all things in the world are without form or appearance. They can only be experienced by our minds. This is the Dharma the Buddha shared with us.
Our nature of True Suchness is actually hidden inside our minds. So, sometimes it seems like the more simple things are, the more profound the principles behind them are. The most profound principles are actually found in the most simple people, matters and things. There is a test we can do on ourselves every day; we learn so much while listening to the teachings, but is the mindset we have while listening to teachings different from the mindset we have when we are actually working with people? When we are listening to the teachings, our mind is at peace. “I understand what you say. I know what you said yesterday too. You said the same things yesterday. After listening for so long, all of your teachings sound very similar.” Indeed, the teachings are similar and very simple. But every day, our interactactions with people, matters and things bring about a lot of complicated ignorance and afflictions.
So, we listen to and faithfully accept the Dharma. We accept it when we hear it, but are we able to focus on diligently practicing it? That is the key. Right after we say something, immediately we start thinking, “Why did I forget to say this? Why did I have to add that?” This is how, most of the time, in our minds and in our dealings with people, matters and things, what we say and do never seem to go as we intended. So, engaging in spiritual practice is hard; when we try to diligently practice, simply being able to focus can be very hard.
Since this is the case, should we give up? We cannot give up. It is only after much effort that we have been born human and are able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. The causes and conditions have finally converged for [me] to speak and for [you] to listen. “Even if we cannot put an end to you bonds and afflictions in this lifetime,” even if we cannot completely eliminate our afflictions and ignorance during this lifetime, by listening to the Dharma right now, we are planting the seeds for hearing it in the future.
We should continue to be diligent and mindful and continue to cultivate the fields of our minds; if we do not have a good harvest this year, we must contuse next year the more we cultivate this land, the more fertile it will be.
Thus, “later, with gradual nourishment, the Tathagata’s virtue of wisdom” will gradually appear.
As Buddhist practitioners, we need to cultivate patience.The teachings of the Tathagata contained in the sutra treasury are in fact very many; this is because sentient beings have many different capabilities.They have 84,000 kinds of afflictions, and the Buddha addressed each of them.
So, the Dharma is as vast as the ocean.We need to listen very mindfully to the Dharma.
We [should] not fear being unable to do well in our spiritual practice in this life, but we must fear continuing to create conflict in future lifetimes and creating more karma.Hopefully we can follow the Dharma life after life.The Buddha always told everyone about His past lives.
He had to practice throughout all His past lives and all His subsequent births to be able to succeed [in His practice].
This is the same for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.Thus, as Buddhist practitioners, we always need to be meticulous, focused and mindful.The Buddha-Dharma is in our minds.We just need to be mindful and, with our minds, carefully analyze external phenomena.
People who are kind are virtuous friends.People who are unwholesome can provide beneficial adverse conditions.We just have to take good care of our minds and learn from our role modelsThis is because to us, everyone is a Buddha, and everyone is a great treasury of sutras.
The previous sutra passage states, “If there are people without anger, who are upright and gentle, who have compassion for all things and respect for all Buddhas, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”
To beg without anger, we need to make the effort to constantly take care of our own minds.
Greed, anger, delusion, arrogance and doubt are the “five chronic afflictions” that are constantly in our minds.
Anger is also a type of ignorance.If we can eliminate the five chronic afflictions, our minds will naturally become “upright and gentle”.
Don’t we often talk about this?“A straightforward mind is a place of spiritual practice.”There is only one road to reach the goal of our spiritual practice, the great, direct Bodhi-path.This is the only road.
This straightforward Bodhi-path is the Bodhisattva-path.This is the meaning of “upright”.Being gentle is having an open and spacious mind.Regardless of the capabilities of sentient beings, we can find ways to give them suitable teachings.
“Gentle” means as soft as water, which can take on the shape of whatever container it is poured into.This is being “upright and gentle”.
We always say, “The Dharma is like water”: it is taught to sentient beings according to their capabilities.
So, we must “have compassion for all things”.
We must always treat all sentient beings with compassion.We need to treat the Buddha with deep respect, to show “respect for all Buddhas”.
“For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”
In this verse, “all Buddhas” indicates that we must treat everyone in the world as a Buddha.
We must treat everyone with respect.
People who can do this are able to accept this sutra, the subtle and wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma.
The next sutra passage states, “And if there are Buddha-children among the assembly who, with purity of mind, all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions, speak the Dharma without hindrance, for people like this, you can teach this sutra.”
As Buddha-children who accept the Dharma among this big assembly, we should all be exercising a pure mind.Where does this pure mind come from?The meaning of this is that monastic practitioners are not the only sentient beings who can accept the Dharma.All sentient beings who accept the Buddha-Dharma need to uphold the Buddha’s precepts.So, those who “follow the Buddha’s precepts” can be called “Buddha-children”.
Sentient beings who uphold the Buddha’s precepts are called Buddha-children.They practice according to the teachings and will certainly become Buddhas. Thus there are those among the assembly with purity of mind who give rise to pure faith. They no longer have discursive or afflictive thoughts, so they are said to have pure minds.
The Buddha’s disciples are categorized into the fourfold assembly, the male and female monastic practitioners and the male and female lay practitioners. They are all “Buddha-children”, people who have been able to accept the Dharma. These Buddha-children follow the teachings in their spiritual practice. In accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, we are earnestly engaging in spiritual practice. If we can do this, we “will certainly become Buddhas”. If we engage in spiritual practice by following the teachings, we will certainly have the causes and conditions to become Buddhas. We must awaken ourselves, and then we must also transform others.
After we have understood and realized the Buddha-Dharma, we should be able to take good care of others so we can all realize the Buddha-Dharma together. If we can do this, the entire assembly can walk the great Bodhi-path.
Then we give rise to “pure faith”.
After understanding [the Dharma], we can eliminate the afflictions in our minds and pass on the pure Dharma to other people. This is how we “give rise to pure faith”. We give to others unconditionally, not for recognition or personal gain, or to say, “I know how to expound the sutra. I understand many principles so I am able to share them with you but in return you must do this for me but in return you must do this for me”. That is being egotistical and arrogant. We need to steadfastly engage in spiritual practice and, with a pure mind, put what we understand into practice.
There was a lay practitioner who recently joined our Bodhisattva-volunteers on a trip to Gansu province in China. When he came back from Gansu, I asked him, “How was it? How do you feel after the trip?” He said that in Gansu he saw how people living in the mountains face so much hardship. Moreover, there had not been much rain in the last several years, so people could not cultivate the land and were unable to sustain their living.
But Tzu Chi found a way to help them move their village down to a place with land and water. We turned a piece of overgrown land into a habitable place where everyone could enjoy a stable life and live and work happily. Those who have not yet moved down the mountain still live in the same environment that those who now live and work happily used to live in under such hardship.
After seeing all that, when he came back, he told me, “I’ve attained deep realizations”. The same principle applies. All they many teachings we are giving and listening to today all came from what the Buddha said more than 2000 years ago.
But how can we actually open up this great, direct Bodhi-path and furthermore walk this road with a pure mind? How do we walk this road? [The road] is not far; it is in our minds. If we can all follow the principles and after hearing them, turn the wheels of our minds, we can transform our unenlightened minds. This takes mindful spiritual practice. Then naturally, we will be walking this Bodhi-path.
We are surrounded by such a large community of Bodhisattvas who encourage each other and give rise to pure faith so that our minds can be free of discursive thoughts and afflictions. This is a pure mind.
If we are able to go among people without being troubled by afflictions, that is a truly pure mind. We can also motivate people around us to walk the Bodhisattva-path. By developing this kind of skill, naturally we will “no longer have discursive or afflictive thoughts”. A mind without discursive thoughts and afflictions is what we call a pure mind.
Next, “[With] all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions [they] speak the Dharma without hindrance”.
Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the Tripitaka and 12 divisions of teachings so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.
The Buddha used the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka to teach sentient beings based on their capacities. He also used “analogies and expressions” to clearly explain all kinds of Dharma. Within the Dharma, there is deeper Dharma. [To teach that deeper Dharma,] He used examples of causes and conditions. He taught with examples and analogies using many different expressions and methods for the sole purpose of helping us understand. Thus, while the Dharma is actually very simple, in order to explain it become very complicated.
However, without explaining it through so many methods, people would not be able to understand it. Thus we must go among people to understand their many causes and conditions. This is Dharma. We can take one person’s expressions and use it as an example for other people. In this way we use analogies and expressions to “speak the Dharma without hindrance.”
When [the methods we use] to teach the Dharma, either in written text, spoken phrases or so on, are all unobstructed, sentient beings will be able to take the Dharma to heart.
So, “Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the Tripitaka and 12 divisions of teachings.” With the 12 divisions of the Tripitaks, “We can speak the Dharma without hindrance.” By using all kinds of methods to come up with analogies and expressions we can teach the Dharma without hindrance. Then we have the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.
Therefore, since there is so much Dharma, we need to utilize many kinds of approaches. “For people like this, you can teach this sutra.”
People like this have self- respect and practice diligently. If we do not have respect for ourselves, our minds would not be pure, and the field in our minds not be well-cultivated. Then how could we have a harvest, have spiritual nourishment and be able to sow the seeds in other people?
Therefore, we must engage in spiritual practice and transform sentient beings. we must absolutely have respect for ourselves and practice diligently. Not only should we have respect for ourselves, we also need to “love and respect others.”
With this self-respect and diligence, and love and respect for others, we can be each other’s virtuous friends and beneficial companions. For people like this, the sutra can be taught.
For sentient beings, this great Bodhi-path is very wide. If we walk it alone, won’t we feel very lonely? Furthermore, if we do not lead many people to follow us, we will also be unable to walk this Bodhi-path. Therefore, in addition to having self-respect, we also need to have “love and respect for others.” We must constantly form positive karmic connections with sentient beings.
So, as we diligently practice we also need “love and respect for others. In this way, “We can be each other’s virtuous friends and beneficial compassions.”
“For people like this, the sutra can be taught.” People like this are broad-minded. If they understand something, they will immediately share it with you they constantly wish to form positive affinities with you. They will not take issue over trivial matters. They hope to share the teachings they have understood so that they are constantly forming good affinities. Then naturally, other people will listen to them.When they change their mindsets, those people can become benefit friends, virtues friends and compassions. To do this, we must be mindful. When we listen to the Dharma, we must be focused. There is no other methods. If we want to truly comprehend the Dharma, if we want to return to our nature of True Suchness, if we want our pure nature to be one with the universe, then we have ti listen to the Dharma.Developing faith and understanding takes focus and diligence. This is a must.
Of course, spiritual cultivation cannot be completed in one lifetime. We must spend many lifetimes on this. Only then are we true spiritual practitioners. Do not be afraid of how far we have to go, only of being unwilling to take the first step. If we can constantly move forward, we can gradually draw near the Buddha and enter the Tathagata’s wisdom and virtue, His ocean of enlightened wisdom. This is our shared goal. So everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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