Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Endlessly Seek the Path with Mature Capabilities(窮劫求道根利機熟)
Date: December.18. 2015
“We must listen to the Buddha-Dharma, which is wondrous and difficult to conceive of. Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path. We must be more mindful to deeply cultivate meticulous contemplation. We must cease evil and practice good deeds with body, speech and mind. Faith destroys deviant views and thinking; understanding destroys ignorance and delusions.”
Consider this mindfully. We have been listening to this sutra for a while, but how much of the text do we comprehend? When listening to the Dharma, we must try to experience and understand its wondrously profound teachings.
In fact, the more we understand, the more wondrously profound we find the Buddha’s ocean of enlightened wisdom. This is not something that we ordinary people can simply express with our speech. It is not something that we ordinary people can simply listen to and comprehend. It is truly difficult to conceive of.
Yet, the Dharma is just so wondrous and difficult to conceive of; that is why we must make a vow [to learn it]. The most important thing to have is faith. We must have deep faith. If we believe, we can certainly reach the end of this road. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha, for the sake of teaching us the True Dharma, kept the state that He awakened to constantly in His mind for over 40 years. By the time He reached old age, He still had not clearly said what He wanted to; He still had not spoken of how everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, nor helped everyone believe in their Buddha-nature and put it to use. How could He help us exercise our Buddha-nature? By reaching out to us and gradually guiding us onto the Bodhi-path. This way we will truly be to able to go among people without being defiled by them, to go among people and give to others, thus attaining a sense of Dharma-joy. When we have attained Dharma-joy, we will naturally stop clinging to emptiness; we will not cling to emptiness, nor will we cling to existence. By penetrating “true emptiness,” we realize that within it is “wondrous existence”. This is the state of the Buddha, which is steadfast and not influenced by others. This is the state of Buddhahood.
Do you still remember? In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha proclaimed that in teaching the Lotus Sutra, He was freely expressing His original intent. Many people came from all directions to Vulture Peak to respectfully gather around the Buddha.
So the Buddha, “for the sake of Bodhisattvas, expounded the Great Vehicle sutra entitled Infinite Meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way and is guarded and retained by all Buddhas.”
“This Sutra of Infinite meanings, which teaches the Bodhisattva Way,” is “guarded and retained by all Buddhas.” This is the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, which fulfills the Buddha’s original intent to teach the Bodhisattva Way.
“After the Buddha finished expounding this sutra, He sat in full lotus and entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving.”
In the past, regardless of the teaching the Buddha was expounding, when He finished speaking, everyone would joyfully pay their respects and then leave. However, this time, when He finished expounding the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, the Buddha did not rise from His seat. This indicated to everyone that there was more He wished to say. Since the Buddha continued to sit there, nobody dared to “pay their respects and leave,” so everyone remained there, waiting.
The Buddha sat in meditation, but did so for a very long time because He had “entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings,” which is a state of Right Samadhi.
Having finished expounding that sutra, He entered the Right Samadhi of Infinite Meanings, His body and mind unmoving.And from between His eyebrows.He continued to radiate light.This had never happened before.
So, everyone continued to sit anticipating that the Dharma He taught next would be inconceivable subtle and wondrous.
But the Buddha still did not emerge from Samadhi so Maniusri and Maitreva engaged in a dialogue.
Everyone should remember this section of the sutra.I hope that everyone had listened to and retained this sutra all the way from the beginning.
I hope you did not leave any of it behind forgetting the previous teaching while listening to the current one.We must remember all of it.
Although the Lotus Sutra is very long, when we look at the current text. We must refer back to the earlier text so that we will cherish it.Only by cherishing it will we have faith in it.
“Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path.” So we must believe.Faith is the merit that allows us to enter the path.
“We must be more mindful to deeply cultivate meticulous contemplation.”We must repeatedly bring forth that mindfulness and earnestly cultivate [ourselves].
Like a farmer cultivating his fields, we must mindfully cultivate ourselves; we must be mindful to cultivate deeply.We must be meticulous and earnestly contemplate the Buddha-Dharma in detail.We must begin to cease all evil and uphold all goodness in body, speech and mind.We must cease the Ten Evils and practice the Ten Good Deeds.
So, we must “cease evil and practice good deeds with body, speech and mind.Faith destroys deviant views and thinking.”
If we can develop faith, genuine faith naturally we will be able to destroy deviant views, deviant views and thinking.If we are unable to realize [the Dharma], our minds will often go astray.When we go astray, we will deviate.
So, with “faith,” when we develop genuine faith, naturally our afflictions, deviant views and deviant thinking will be eliminated.
“Uderstanding destroys ignorance and delusions.”
Understanding comes after we have faith and actually take the Dharma to heart.So, although we have ignorance and afflictions in our minds, with the Dharma in our hearts deviant views and deviant thinking will not enter our minds.
Don’t we often speak of “guarding against wrongs and stopping evil”?We must promptly stop evil, as well as immediately practice goodness.We are among a group of Bodhisattvas, so we encourage each other to give to those who are suffering in the world.We bring each other encouragement, motivation and joy.
We do not get any material benefit out of this, but rather joy; after we help other people, seeing them relieved of their suffering brings us happiness.This is what we must believe and comprehend for ourselves.
If we do not put the Dharma into practice we will be unable to comprehend it; without comprehending it, out ignorance will cover our minds.Then how will we be able to understand the wondrous principles of the Dharma?Thus, we must be mindful.
The previously sutra passage states, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of [their] characteristics…
The Buddha said, “I will tell you of these characteristics.Here, “characteristics” refers to the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka.From what He taught in the past to what He was teaching now, “The Three were returning to the One.”The Dharma of the Three Vehicles was now returning to the One Vehicle.
So, He said, “I say to you, Sariputra, if I tell you of the characteristics of those who seek the path to Buddhahood, I will not finish in endless kalpas. People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”
To listen to and take in all these teachings, and understand them is not an easy feat.To do this, we must have a firm resolve.Life is painfully short and we pass through the Three Periods in a flash.
So, we must seize every moment.
This must be our mindset as spiritual practitioners.
We must not think we still have a lot of time, that if we do not finish listening in this life we can continue in our next life.In our next life, will we still have the karmic conditions to continue listening?
In this life if we have not fully eliminated our afflictions if we have not firmly taken the Dharma to heart will we have karmic conditions in our next life to be born human? If we are born human in our next life will we have karmic conditions to hear the Dharma?We do not know, because it is a long way off.So, “Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take countless kalpas”.
The Buddha gave so many teachings, so at all times we must unceasingly seek them out. I constantly tell everyone that our daily living is inseparable from the Dharma; people, matters and things are all [encompassed] in the Dharma. If our minds are upright, if we can eliminate our afflictions, then all people, matters and things are teaching us and allowing us to practice the Bodhisattva-path. Over this long period of time, there will be so much [to learn]; this “will not finish in endless kalpas”. If the Buddha-Dharma is constantly on their minds, then, “People like this will have faith and understanding”.Only people like this can develop faith and understanding.
“For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra”.
The Buddha told His disciples at the assembly that only when they come across people like this can they teach the Lotus Sutra. When it comes to the Lotus Sutra, we must study it properly, then naturally we can make use of it in the world, for living in or transcending the world.
Next it states, “They deliver themselves while transforming others”.
[To tell of] those who seek the path of Buddhahood. I will not finish in endless kalpas: They deliver themselves while transforming others and walk upon the great Bodhi-path. They are focused as they establish great vows. Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take endless kalpas.
Those who seek the path to Buddhahood work to transform themselves; and by taking the Dharma to heart, they can transform others at the same time. If feel like I am constantly talking about “walking upon the great Bodhi-path”. This is walking the Bodhisattva-path, which means we must constantly take good care of our pure nature and our inherent kindness. As we interact with every person, we must form good affinities and be constantly grateful and constantly express our respect toward them. We need a heart that “encompasses the universe”; this is love. It is that simple. Is this the path we are walking in our daily living?
This is why we must be focused as we establish the great vows; we must concentrate on them, and we must also put them into practice. All of this takes a long time.
“Those who seek the path to Buddhahood will take endless kalpas”. “Endless kalpas” refers to all time, from long, long ago, from the beginning of time until now, and also on into the future. This “will take endless kalpas”, so our mind and body must not deviate from the Dharma. We must spend all our time on this. Everything we do must accord with the Dharma. We cannot waste any time, nor do things that cause the Dharma to leak out. We must fully make use of every moment to benefit ourselves and others and to transform ourselves and others. This is what we must mindfully seek to realize.
This will take “a long period of time, a great number [of years]”.
Kalpa: A long period of time, a great number [of years], likened to the amount of water in the great ocean. It is an endless amount.
How long is this period of time? It is truly very long. How can it be measured? The Buddha talked about “kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges”. Each grain of sand is a kalpa. How many grains of sand are in the Ganges River? “A great number, likened to the amount of water in the great ocean. It is an endless amount”. It is not just as numerous as grains of sand. It is like the amount of water in the great ocean; it is impossible to measure how much water there is. In the end, we must be mindful.
Everyone formed an initial aspiration at some time. “With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless kalpas [seeking]”.
With that initial great aspiration, Bodhisattvas spend an ocean of endless great kalpas, kalpas as numerous as the desert’s sands, in seeking the Bodhi-path for sentient beings. If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows, one will not finish in endless kalpas.
A Bodhisattva spends an ocean of endless great kalpas [seeking]. This will take a very long time. These kalpas are a numerous as grains of sand. If we count the grains of sand one by one, each grain is a kalpa. If we count the drops of water in the ocean, each drop is a kalpa. This is an analogy for how long the great aspirations formed by Bodhisattvas must last, “until the end of time”. Since we have made the great vows, we must “encompass the universe and pervade all Dharma-realms”. We are not afraid of how long this will take; every day, the Dharma is by our side, so everything we do brings us joy. Then why would we be afraid that this will such a long time? By practicing according to the Dharma, we can play effortlessly in this world. We will do everything willingly. We will do everything joyfully. Thus, why would be afraid of how long we have to spend on spirtual cultivation？ From the time we form our aspirations, we must embrace this mindset of “Just do it” and “Work willingly and accept joyfully. If we work in this way, will we lose will we lose our spiritual aspirations? That would be unlikely as long as we have this mindset.
So, no matter how long it takes, we “seek the Bodhi-path for sentient beings.” It is for the sentient beings that we seek the Bodhi-path; we “seek the Bodhi-path for sentient beings.”
“If one tries to describe the power of a Bodhisattva’s vows…” This is an analogy for the vows of Bodhisattvas. From the time thet from their aspirations the power of those vows will not weaken. This is what is meant by will not finish in endless kalpas.”
To explain all these teachings clearly, even if we take endless kalpas to expound them, we will still be unable to finish, However, if we are willing to from aspirations, this can happen at this very moment.
Thus, the following passage states, “People like this will have faith and understanding. For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”
Practicing and upholding in this way: They undergo long kalpas yet retain their initial aspirations and their capabilities are sharp and mature. People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding. From them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.
We must practice according to this sutra, undergoing countless kalpas while retaining our initial aspirations although we go through countless kalpas, a very long period of time, we must still retain our initial aspirations.
Then our “capabilities [will be] sharp and mature.” We must constantly train ourselves; then naturally our capabilities will become very sharp and keen. No matter what we see, we will understand the principle behind it. When we see things, we will know, are they truly empty? When we see things, we will know are they truly empty? With sharp capabilities, we will be very keen and will be able to quickly understand.
So, with “capabilities sharp and mature, our causes and conditions will quickly mature. “People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding.” When people like this hear the teachings of this sutra, which are so subtle and wondrous, so precious and difficult to understand, they will try to realize the principles of this sutra. However, if we can constantly safeguard our initial aspirations, naturally our capabilities will become sharp, and when we listen to the Dharma, we will hear one thing and realize 1000. As soon as we hear it [we say,] “this reminds me of something from not long ago.” We will realize [the principles] very quickly. Thus, we must constantly go among people to experience and realize the principles and realize the principles [of life].
Then when we listen to the sutras, we can hear one thing and realize 1000. “People like this, when they hear this sutra, will have faith and understanding. Naturally they will believe and understand. “For them you must teach the wondrous Lotus Sutra.”
Everyone, although the sutras are very profound, as long as we are mindful, they are not difficult, nor too deep for us, because they are applicable to daily living. In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus sutra, a beautiful state is laid out before us. The Buddha began by expounding the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. After we all listen to it, we understand that this sutra is all about benefiting people and saving all sentient beings. “Having relieved them from suffering, we then expound the Dharma for them.” This is the power of love. After expounding that sutra, the Buddha then clearly explained to us that the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka are contained within it. This is something we should be clear on.
So, though the Dharma is wondrous and difficult to conceive of, as long as we have faith, we have the merit that allows us to enter the path.” Naturally, if we can deepen our faith, entering the Bodhi-path will not be difficult. By “deeply cultivating meticulous contemplation, we can cease evil and practice goodness. With faith and understanding, we can destroy deviant views and thinking. By destroying them. We completely eradicate the delusions of ignorance.Then won’t we manifest our pure Buddha-nature? So, all of this mean that we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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