Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Developing the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms (四無礙智通達諸法)
Date: December.14. 2015
“The wisdom of unobstructed Dharma is the complete understanding of all teachings and the unhindered discernment of all principles. The wisdom of unobstructed meaning is the knowledge of all teachings and unobstructed comprehension of the principles. The wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric is proficiency in every kind of language and the ability to teach in them at will. The wisdom of unobstructed joy in speaking is the teaching of the Dharma’s meaning perfectly, without hindrance and with joyful eloquence and freedom.”
As Buddhist practitioners, after we have taken the Dharma to heart, we still need to share it with everyone. In order to share it with everyone, we need to have the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms. Of the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms, the first is the “wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.” When we have taken the Dharma to heart, we can comprehend all principles, even to the point where we can categorize the true principles. Then, depending on people’s capabilities, we can find the right method of explaining the principles to them. This is the wisdom of unobstructed Dharma.
The second is “wisdom of unobstructed meaning.” This means that after we have understood all of the principles, we do not merely explain the meaning of texts; we should take the Dharma to heart and penetrate it deeply. This is more than saying, “I understand; I know.” We should take the principles to heart and have unobstructed comprehension of their meanings.
The third is the “wisdom of unobstructed rhetoric.” This is about having mastery of all languages, truly understanding the meanings within and being able to express ourselves. Nowadays, being proficient in all languages is quite difficult. If I speak in Taiwanese, many people do not understand Taiwanese. However, I mainly speak this one language. Being able to teach the Dharma in many languages would be great. Recently, during the summer break, Christopher Yang from the United States was here. In Taiwan, there are also many children just like Christopher. These young children have resolved to listen to my morning Dharma teachings. One day I said to three of these children, “Take the story that I told this morning and study it carefully. Each of you should elaborate on the same story and find your own way of sharing it with me.”
After three days, I said, “Come and tell me the story.” The first boy told the story in Taiwanese. He told the story well. As for the second boy, his Taiwanese was even better! The third, of course, was Christopher. He spoke in Mandarin, and likewise he conveyed the principles of the story correctly. The way each of them told the story was not the same.
When these three youths shared the Dharma, all having heard the story in Taiwanese, they found a way to take the entire story to heart and then retell that story. This is not an easy thing to do.
Next is the fourth wisdom, “unobstructed joy in speaking.” This means that, no matter what we say, if we are able to thoroughly and perfectly explain the Dharma we understand, then these principles will be very applicable. Sometimes, though the principles are applicable, we cannot seem to express them appropriately or in a very complete way. That makes teaching the Dharma more difficult. So, we must have patience. If we did not express it well this time, that is fine. We should keep going and continue to train ourselves. Then naturally we will be able to teach the meaning of the principles in a perfect way, without obstructions.
“Without hindrance” means without obstructions, always having “joyful eloquence and freedom”.These are the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.
The previous 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.”
If we can accept the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle, take it to heart, use it in our daily living and let the Buddha-Dharma nourish our wisdom-life, then we are called Buddha-children.
So, everyone listening to the Dharma is “among the assembly” and engages in spiritual practice with a pure mind.If we listen to the Dharma without a pure mind, we will be unable to take the Dharma to heart.
Also, if we do not have a pure mind, we will easily develop biased or deviant views.This is why we must maintain the purity of our minds.
“[Teaching with] causes and conditions, analogies and expressions” requires using the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.After the Buddha taught the Dharma, later generations took the Buddha’s teachings and divided them into categories.They compiled them into the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka.
In fact, the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka are 12 categories of teachings.They are “all kinds of causes and conditions, analogies and expressions”; these are all included within the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka.They all help us to understand.
Various causes and conditions and analogies allow us to understand the 12 divisions of teachings of the Tripitaka so we can speak the Dharma without hindrance and be replete with the Four Unobstructed Wisdoms.
In addition to understanding the Dharma, we are also able to teach it without obstruction.After we listen, we awaken ourselves; then we must also awaken others.In addition to transforming ourselves, we must also transform others.We even hope that the Dharma will spread throughout the world.By using different languages, we can spread it all over the world; the Buddha-Dharma can save the world.
From Sankrit, an ancient Indic language, the Dharma was spread and then translated into Chinese.From these Chinese texts, we can then explain it in Taiwanese or share it in Madarin.
There are many [volunteers] from abroad who have also been listening to my morning Dharma talks.They tell me, “When Da Ai TV broadcasts the talks. I can understand your teachings.”This is because my lectures have been translated in to both Chinese and English, so they [can be understood] widely.
Being able to understand the Dharma, they can take it to heart.
Every time I see them translating so mindfully.I feel a deep sense of gratitude.
For these words in one language to be able to nourish everyone on the planet, for everyone to see it and understand it, is not an easy feat indeed.
The “Tripitaka” is made up of sutras, vinaya (rules) and abhidharma (treatises).
These three kinds of teachings encompass countless principles.
These are all teachings given by the Buddha, that later generations divided into the sutra treasury, the vinaya treasury and the abhindharma treasury.
These comprise the Trupitaka (Three Treasuries).
The sutras teach the study of Samadhi.
The rules teach the study of precepts.
The treatises teach the study of wisdom.
Those who thus understand the Tripitaka achieve the Three [Flawless] Studies and are given the title “Tripitaka”.
The sutra treasury contains the teachings of the study of Samadhi.
We sentient beings have ignorance and discursive thoughts and tend to go down many side roads.Listening to the Buddha teach the Dharma help everyone return to the Bodhi-path.
To focus our minds and be in Samadhi, we must listen to the sutras.The “rules,” the vinaya treasury, contains the study of the precepts.
In the Buddha’s lifetime, He interacted with myriad sentient beings.Monastics in the Sangha came from all over.Each had different habitual tendencies and different rules for living.Moreover, the Buddha equally accepted disciples from all four castes.
The Buddha allowed them to follow their own rules, but if someone violated the rules for behavior, the Buddha would immediately teach a precept for that person,explaining that they should not commit that wrong and that they should change their ways. In this way, He would establish another precept. We know that people have all kinds of different habitual tendencies. There are so many of them! This is [why there are] rules.
When we talk about rules, we are talking about following discipline. Disciples come from precepts. So, the vinaya (rules) are about the precepts, the study of precepts.
The abhidharma (treatises) are the study of wisdom. Some says, “I will share the things I understand with everyone.” This is like what happens in our study groups. [People share] about the Dharma they have heard and the realizers they attained while interacting with people, matters and things in their daily living.They mutually discuss their experience of how applied the Dharma or the realizations they attained afterward. These can all be discussed.
Because of this those who comprehend sutras, rules and treatises and achieve the Three [Flawless] Studies. They are given the title “Tripitaka.”
“The 12 divisions of the teachings” divides all the teachings from the sutras in to categories. These 12 categories are the 12 divisions of the Buddhist canon, also called the 12 divisions of the teachings.
The 12 divisions of the teachings: Prose, repeated verse, independent verse, analogies, causes and conditions, unrequested teachings, previous ;lives of the Buddha, previous lives of disciples, what never existed before existed before, broad teachings, explanations of doctrine and predictions of Buddhahood.
The first [division] is “prose.” As we read a sutra, when we first open it up, “sutra passages directly teach the appearances of all phenomena.” When the Buddha began teaching a sutra, He was not limited by numbers of worlds or limes; the sutra text just continues on in long-form prose. The sutra we read all [begin] in this way.
The second [division] is “repeated verse.” It repeats the content of the ling-form prose. The verse is a restatement [of teachings] to fill in what may have been unclear earlier. This helps everyone to recognize the importance of this passage and the need to remember it.
1. Preose: Sutra passages that directly teach the appearance of all phenomena. They are unrestricted in number of characters, and because the lines are long, they are called long-form prose.
2. Repeated verse: The Dharma that was expounded before is summarized again in verses later. Since it is a repetition of the teaching, it is called a repeated verse.
The third [divisions] is “independent verse.” It does not follow the content of the pervious long-form process, but stands independently of other verses and texts.
For example, every morning before beginning my lecture on the sutra, I present a verse that I have written. It may not be directly related to the sutra text, but its meaning complements the sutra text I will talk about. This is an independent verse.
The fourth divisions is causes and conditions, seeing Buddhas and hearing the Dharma” or those for “the Buddha to teach and transform.”
These are different causes and conditions behind each sutra that the Buddha taught. For instance, He expounded the Lotus Sutra because He wished to. The joy He experienced upon attaining enlightenment and His subtle and wondrous realizations were what He had wanted to share with us. But we sentient beings were lacking in cause and conditions, so the Buddha had to use all kinds of methods to guide us until His conditions for transforming [this world] were coming to an end and His karmic conditions for remaining in this life were almost over. Then He had to quickly seize the opportunity to give the Lotus teachings. These were the cause and conditions. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is very importance to us.
The fifth is the “previous lives of disciples.” Because the teaching He gave were not very clear to some people, the Buddha constantly drew examples from His karmic connections with His disciples in their past and present lives.
These stories are about the interactions between the Buddha and His disciples and the things that happened in their lives. These are the “previous lives of disciples.”
The sixth is the “previous lives of the Buddha.” These record the causes and conditions of the past lives of the Buddha Himself.
The Buddha also recounted His own past lives as a way of teaching us. He talked about how He drew near many Buddhas and what each of those Buddhas taught Him, all these various causes and conditions.
The seventh is “what never existed before, sutras recording the inconceivable matters of the Buddha manifesting various spiritual powers.”
At times, the Buddha displayed inconceivable spiritual powers of transformation. The Buddha constantly used Himself and an example. Whatever He or sentient beings encountered, such as people, things, etc., He would lead them to think of past causes and conditions. These are “what never existed before.” We find these stories inconceivable.” These are the thing we hear that we have never heard before about the karmic connections between the Buddha and sentient beings.
The eighth is “analogies.” “The Buddha taught with many analogies” He hoped these would enable sentient beings to easily awaken to the principles of the sutras.
In the Chapter on Parables, we previously discussed the burning house, the cart drawn by the great white ox and other kinds of animals. I believed those to be very difficult passages. However, for many of our young Bodhisattvas, it was because of these analogies that they found [the sutra] interesting. The realizations they attained were quite [deep].
After listening, they wrote or drew [the meaning]. Therefore, analogies can help everyone develop a deeper understanding. Teaching with analogies and expressions is very important.
The ninth is “explanations of doctrine.” This refers to sutra passages containing discussion, questions and answers and so on about the Dharma and its principles. [Sutra texts] with questions and answers, commentaries, explanations and so on are “explanations of doctrine.”
The tenth is “unrequested teachings,” such as the Essay on the Meanings of the Great Vehicle, the Udana Sutra or the Amitabha Sutra. These were taught to suit people’s capacities, so for sentient beings with limited capabilities,
“Constantly chant the Buddha’s name in your mind. Because of our capabilities as unenlightened beings, even if we are given countless teachings we will not understand. So, the Buddha might as well just give us a name to keep reciting. Doing that will bring infinite merits, infinite radiance and infinite wisdom.
However, He did not really explain this in detail. He simply described a beautiful environment and spoke of how [chanting] will enable us. These are skillful means. These are “unrequested teachings,” meaning that the Buddha taught them without being asked.
The eleventh is “broad teachings, sutra containing proper, vast and great truths taught by the Buddha.”
The Avatasaka sutra describes the state of the Buddha’s mind, the state of mind He attained after enlightenment, after His nature of True Suchness became one with all things in the universe.The Buddha then used skillful means to teach according to the capabilities of sentient beings, listing out all kinds of teachings.
The twelfth is “prophecies;” These are predictions of Buddhahood.
12. Prophecies or predictions of Buddhahood: These record the predictions made by the Buddha of the epithets Bodhisattvas or Hearers would receive upon their future attainment of Buddhahood.
For example, in the Chapter on Parables, the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood that Sariputra would one day attain Buddhahood and be called Flower Light Tathagata. All of you should remember this; it is a prophecy. This is why the Buddha then said to Sariputra, as it is written in the sutra,
“You, in a future lifetime, after a countless, inconceivable number of kalpas have passed, [Having] upheld the Right Dharma….” Sariputra would have to spend a very long time following and practicing the Right Dharma to fulfill all aspects of the Bodhisattva-path. He must continue to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Then “[He] shall become a Buddha by the name of Flower Light Tathagata.”
Everyone, from this we understand that as we learn the Buddha’s Way, these many kinds of causes and conditions and many kinds of expressions all help us understand the Buddha-Dharma and take it to heart. After we take it to heart, we can transform ourselves and others so our nature of True Suchness becomes one with the truths of all things in the universe. As Buddhist practitioners, we must develop our wisdom-life. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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