Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Meticulously Contemplate the Dharma-nature (細觀法性平等大慧)
Date: December.30. 2015
“Meticulously contemplate the Dharma-nature of universal and great wisdom. Apart from the Dharma-nature, there is nothing that can give peace of mind. It can bring our minds peace and great Dharma-joy. We must know that Bodhisattvas abide in the home of all Buddhas.”
Where does our mind abide? We often read the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, as when we ask, “Where do our minds come from?” we should all be clear that they “come from the Buddha’s abode.”
Indeed, everyone has a mind equal to the Buddha’s. We all have a Buddha-mind. However, we unenlightened beings are often lost. We do not know at what time we left that spiritual home and began wandering. We no longer know where that home is or how to find our way back. So, we engage in spiritual practice now in the hope that through serious effort, we can return to our original home, which is our nature of True Suchness.
To find this path, our minds cannot deviate from the course. So, we need to “meticulously contemplate the Dharma-nature”. What is the Dharma-nature? The Dharma is eternal and unchanging; it is without shape or substance, yet it is always abiding. Moreover, it is universal and great wisdom. We have a very pure nature of True Suchness. All sentient beings have this intrinsic nature. It is not only in Buddhas, or Bodhisattvas or even human beings; all sentient beings have this same Dharma-nature.
There is a saying, “The mind encompasses the universe and the boundless worlds within it.” Our minds must be like the universe and encompass and embrace all things in the world. This was the Buddha’s state after His awakening. So, He wanted to teach us the Dharma step by step. At that time, more than 2000 years ago, people’s lives were simpler and the population was small. However, ever since the Buddha’s lifetime, we are able to see [more clearly] the greed, anger and ignorance in the human mind. The Buddha already saw people with this nature, people who discriminate and bully the weak. This is human nature.
Under those conditions, the Buddha began thinking about the future. How will people live their lives in the future? This is why He put His heart into seeking the truths of life. At the moment when He reached enlightenment, He became one with the universe. In that space, [His mind] reached into the future, a future of excessive greed in our minds and particularly a future in which spiritual powers would manifest.
These “spiritual powers” that were described during the Buddha’s time have actually become reality in our time. For example, we have a very advanced instrument. This instrument is called the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. Yesterday, we commenced using it.
We saw the instrument and how the person controlling it was on a different machine in a different room.We saw that although he was far away, he was able to use the computer to operate.On the screen, we saw the organs in the patient’s abdomen.We saw how the scalpel and forceps were used to carefully cut into and peel back the tissue.They cut the tissue and grabbed it, layer by layer.This machine can perform many kinds of operations.It is truly amazing.[I wondered,] “Isn’t this what the Buddha called a great manifestation of spiritual powers?”It was even used on a patient in Europe by a surgeon in the United States.He was able to operate across that distance.
Two children, Christopher Yang and Cheng Xin, were in the same car as me.I asked them, “Come, share your feelings. After seeing this way of performing surgery, what have you learned?”
Christopher said, “Technology is very advanced. Some people use technology to earn money, but we are using this technology to save people out of respect for life. All of us have very wholesome intentions. We act for the sake of the patiens’ health, to reduce their suffering from surgery and help them quickly recover.”
A 12-year-old child was able to think in this way.
The other child is ten years old.I asked him, “What about you? What do you think?”He said, “Technology is very advanced. But, sometimes technological advancements can be very destructive. Advancements in technology can save lives. This machine, the Da Vinci Surgical System, can save people. It can make surgery easier for the doctor and help patient recover very quickly. It can also reduce the length of the surgery. It is of very high quality.”
Listening to these two children, I realized that they truly understood what they heard and saw.So, aren’t the [analyses] of these two children “meticulously contemplating the Dharma-nature, which is universal”?If we are “apart from the Dharma-nature,” if we depart from it, our world will become unstable.
Looking at this instrument, it makes us happy because it saves lives.What worries us is [technology] that destroys the land and harms human lives.Nowadays, we frequently hear of manmade calamities and wars.
In modern times, technology has reached such an advanced state.If it continues to advance, what kinds of weapons will there be?So, “Apart from the Dharma-nature, those are nothing that can give peace of mind.” and manmade calamities arise, there will not be a single place in this world where people can feel completely at peace.At that time, humanity will not have any space to breath.
“[The Dharma-nature] can bring our minds peace and great Dharma-joy.”
Nowadays, what is most important is for everyone’s minds to be at peace.So, I always say bringing purity to people’s minds is so important.
In fact, the Three Treasures exist in all of us.We were originally very pure, but as time passed, over countless kalpas we became contaminated.We are like a child who left his family, got lost and cannot find the way back.
Actually, we are like the people in his family too.
Therefore, I constantly talk about the Tzu Chi Dharma-family and how we must quickly bring these Living Bodhisattvas, our Dharma-relatives, back to the family, back to the home of the Tathagata so we can walk the Bodhisattva-path together.
[They] heard from the Buddha teachings they had not heard before.When the Buddha predicted Sariputra would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, they gave rise to a rare aspiration and were joyful and jubilant.
Previously, we discussed how, Wisdom-life Subhuti and the others, these four great disciples of the Buddha, expressed the words in their hearts.They said, “[We] heard from the Buddha teachings [we] had not heard before.”
In the Chapter on Skillful Means, the Buddha praised the Buddha-wisdom.In the Chapter on Parables, all kinds of things in this world were used as analogies for teaching the Dharma.
In particular, in the Chapter on Parables, prediction of Buddhahood upon Sariputra.
Thus, these four disciples felt these were teachings they had never heard. The Buddha bestowing predictions on Bodhisattvas was understandable; but when He bestowed it on a Hearer, that was unheard of He “predicted Sariputra would attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, which is supreme, universal, perfect enlightenment. In the future, Sariputra will attain supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment, which means he will attain Buddhahood. Thus, they “gave rise to a rare aspiration”. Everyone began to form aspirations. Hearing what they had not heard before, they were now filled with joy.
Next, they talked about how happy they were. In this state, they “rose from their seats”. The four of them stood up at the same time. In the past, the Buddha had never expressed these teachings. now that He had expressed them, and the four of them had understood, they stood up at the same time. “They rose from their seats [and] straightened their clothing”. As they stood, they straightened their clothing neatly. This demonstrates reverence.
Thus, “They rose from their seats, straightened their clothing, bred their right shoulder and touched their right knee to the ground. They wholeheartedly put their palms together and bowed out of respect. They gazed reverently upwards and spoke to the Buddha”.
They arranged themselves properly, knelt in front of the Buddha, then gazed reverently upwards at Him. This shows the depths of their respect and expresses their determination, that they had “given rise to a rare aspiration”. They had made up their minds to “let go of their Small Vehicle realizations that were biased towards emptiness”.
“Thus, they rose from their seats, straightened their clothing: This represents letting go of their Small Vehicle realizations that were biased towards emptiness”.
These four disciples had realized the principle taught by the Buddha that “All things are empty in nature”, but they remained at that level. That they now stood up demonstrates that they “gave rise to a rare aspiration”. They came to make vows in front of the Buddha to express the readiness in their hearts.
Thus, straightening their clothing indicates reverence; “Their Three fold Karma of body, speech and mind were all perfectly respectful”.
They demonstrated such reverence with their body, but it actually came from the sincerity in their hearts and mind. With their speech they also expressed their sincere desire [for the Dharma]. Thus, they showed their respect with body, speech and mind. These [early] disciples of the Buddha, including Sariputra, Maudgalyayana and Mahakasyapa, successively came to take refuge with the Buddha after He attained enlightenment, to become monastics in those early years.
“The Hearers in the Sangha usually lived together with the Buddha. Relying on hearing the Buddha’s voice and teaching, the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of ending. Illuminating true principles is the virtue of wisdom. Eliminating afflictions is the virtue of ending. These are known as Bodhi and Nirvana.”
Therefore, in the Sangha, they represented the Buddha and led the Sangha. They also represented the Buddha in traveling and spreading the Dharma. Yet, they were also often found by the Buddha’s side; they “usually lived together with the Buddha”. They were constantly with Him.
So, “[They relied on] hearing the Buddha’s voice and teaching”. They were close to the Buddha, so the sound of the Buddha’s teachings entered their ears; this is how they listened to the Dharma. This is because they were by the Buddha’s side. “They inwardly cultivated the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of ending”.
The virtue of wisdom “illuminates true principles”. This is the virtue of wisdom. [It lets us] brush aside our ignorance and see true principles. This is the virtue of wisdom. “Eliminating afflictions” is the virtue of ending. Now the Buddha was giving the Lotus teachings, so this was the time to from aspirations.
In the past, Bodhi meant the virtue of wisdom and eliminating afflictions was called Nirvana. In the Buddha’s Sangha, His main disciples had achieved this state and mastered these skills; they had already reached this level. Though they had not yet formed great aspirations, they had “illuminated true principles”. They had penetrated them all, as well as eliminated their afflictions. Now the Buddha waited for them to form great aspirations and enter the Bodhi-path.
Next we discuss, “bared their right shoulder”. That was because in ancient India, the right shoulder was usually covered by the robe. To express utmost reverence, they would “bare their right shoulder”. This was how bhiksus expressed their respect toward the World-Honored One.
When they “bared their right shoulder” in front of the World-Honored One, they were expressing their utmost sincerity. Their Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind were united in expressing their sincere respect; this was how they expressed their utmost reverence.
“Touching their right knee to the ground demonstrated their repentance”. What were they repenting? They repented that they had been unable to realize the Buddha’s original intent and that they had only cared about their own escape from cyclic existence. So, this was the manner in which they came before the Buddha First, they expressed their respect. Second, they expressed that because they had remained in the state of the Small Vehicle, they wanted to repent for being unable to realize the Buddha’s Great Vehicle.
[They] touched their right knee to the ground: This means that, when practicing repentance, one should place one’s right knee on the ground. This expresses one’s earnest sincerity.
“[They] touched their right knee to the ground”; this was to demonstrate their utmost sincerity in expressing their state of mind to the Buddha.
“They wholeheartedly put their palms together” to express that “the provisional and true are non-dual, in all actions, they act wholeheartedly.”
By this point, they had already understood that the provisional teachings that the Buddha gave in the past, all those skillful means, were actually taught to pave the way for the Dharma of the One Vehicle. In fact, the provisional and the true are united, although those teachings were skillful means, they were actually taught so that people could enter the ultimate truth; they paved a path to the Dharma of the One Vehicle. “In all action, they act wholeheartedly.” They wholeheartedly put their palms together to show that the provisional and true are united; they would no longer cling to the old teachings but become one with the Great Vehicle Dharma.
Then, as [they] “bowed out of respect and gazed reverently upwards, they were expressing that they knew what they had practiced in the past was the provisional.” In the past, they clung to listening [to the teachings]. Understanding those principles, they eliminated their afflictions. But these were actually provisional teachings given as part of the Buddha’s plan to teach them “Now they had faith and understood.”
Now they believed; now they understood. Thus, they “gave rise to a rare aspiration”. Inspired to form this aspiration, “[They] moved toward the True Dharma of the One Vehicle that the Buddha taught.”
Now that they were ready to listen earnestly, they requested the Dharma from the Buddha. This was what they all hoped to express to the Buddha as they respectfully put their palms together.
[They] spoke to the Buddha: This means that, from their initial enlightenment and entry to the path to their uniting with innate enlightenment today, over this long time, they had understood the Buddha’s compassionate teaching. He was both like a teacher and a father.
This was what they expressed with utmost sincerity. This shows how from “initial enlightenment and entry to the path” they went form not knowing anything, from beings lost, to entering the Buddha’s Sangha. They had followed the Buddha for a very long time and understood the Buddha’s compassion, how He compassionately taught sentient beings. To them, the Buddha was “both like a teacher and a father.” Now, with the proper mindset and a heart of reverence, they requested the Dharma from the Buddha. Clearly, they were very earnest. Though they had followed the Buddha for decades, they were still very respectful toward Him, as close to Him as to “a teacher [or] a father.”
Thus, we must understand that after the Buddha has inspired us, we must put our hearts into comprehending the principles of life. These are not only found in Buddhist sutras; science, philosophy and other knowledge such as astronomy, geography, biology and psychology are all encompassed within [these principles]. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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