Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Contemplating True Principles and Actualizing the Six Paramitas (實諦理觀六度萬行)
Date: January.08. 2016
“Contemplate true principles so that attachment to worldly love is forgotten. The Bodhi-path is one of lasting compassion and great love. The Dharma can transform all and quell suffering and hardship. Impartial compassion for all is the practice of the right path.”
“Contemplate true principles”; true principles are the Great Dharma of the One Vehicle. We must mindfully delve into and meticulously contemplate these true principles. We humans, because of worldly love, become confused over principles. All the feelings we are experiencing cause afflictions to gather in our minds, forming the current conditions of our life. With the way people live today, laypeople face hardships and worries of lay life; they have their careers, their families and their relationships. They experience happiness when spouses are loving toward each other, when fathers are kind and children are filial. Can we all [build] smooth relationships and bring our families together in harmony by following the principles? Eight or nine families out of ten cannot. Nowadays most households are small because they are unwilling to live with their elders. The elderly have no choice in this; many end up alone, with no one to rely on. If they get sick, of if they are on the verge of death, their children are too far away.
Some parents are very compassionate. [They think,] “I don’t want the children to know. I don’t want them to worry. It’s not easy for them to make the trip home.” But some miss their children and grandchildren and hope to see them. If they let them know, they hear “I’m very busy; if you need to talk, we can talk on the phone. Your father is sick. So take him to the doctor! Come home and see him. He won’t die that quickly! Call me when he’s close to death.” We often hear stories of these kinds of family and parent-children relationships.
When they were young, their parents raised them and successfully nurtured them. They sent them to college and even helped them to go study abroad. All these opportunities came from their parents. But then these children become successful; they have their own families in places far from their hometown. They forget where they came from. There are even people who are more heartless.
Clearly, the children live nearby, and yet their father or mother is living all by themselves. It is hard for them to get around, and when they fall ill, the house becomes filthy, and there is not one to cook their meals for them. Tzu Chi volunteers went to see a person like this, and after building a relationship with her, they asked her, “Where are all of your children?” She began to cry. She took the Commissioner’s hand, put it on her chest and said, “Sister, the children I raised for decades don’t live very far away, but they never come to see me. Sister, you and I are not related, yet you and the other Dharma-sisters and -brothers visit me often and clean the house for me. I’m very grateful to you. Yet I also feel very sad. Why don’t my sons and daughters want to come home and see me?” Her husband was quite successful in his youth. Because of his success, he was often out socializing, so she took care of their home and their business.
“So, when my husband would come home. I would get angry at him. We’d get into huge fights. After I fight with my husband, I’d take it out on my children. But normally I really cherished them. Things just continued to build up this way. My children told me. When we have our own families, we will not come home to visit.
When they spoke to me in anger, I responded to them in anger. So, I told them, You don’t have to come back to see me; even when I’m old, ill or diving, you don’t need to come see me.”
The volunteers asked, “Granny, do you want them to see you? Sister, if I said no, I’d be living. I don’t even know how many grandchildren I have.”
This is so tragic.There is no telling how many families like this are out there now.Her house was filled with trash, and although her neighbors felt bad for her, who could actually take care of her?
In the beginning [volunteers] tried to get her to open the door to her heart and the door to her house.It was not easy to get her to open her door, let alone to let them inside.This relationship was built up over time.
Over and over again, the volunteers asked to help clean her house.It took a lot of gradual communication before she let them clean the entire house allowing them to touch her neighbors’ hearts too.
As these neighbors gradually became closer they told the volunteers, “Don’t worry, brothers and sisters: you don’t have to come by so often. We will drop by more frequently and sit with her. When it comes to her meals we can take turns bringing some food to her.”This is genuine affection.
If they were not I living Bodhisattvas, how would they be able to relieve sentient beings’ suffering?How could they transform people’s hearts and awaken their love?They are indeed Living Bodhisattvas.
Living Bodhisattvas already understand principles.
They “contemplate true principles.”They already understood that in life, the hardships of her old age had their beginnings in her younger days.Because of those conditions and relationships and the karma that she created she ended having children and grandchildren with whom she had no relationship.
[When we encounter] these kinds of lives we must “contemplate true principles”.
If we observe them mindfully and carefully, “Attachment to worldly love [will be] forgotten.”Then, we can learn to let go of this idea of “my” family this concept of “you and I”.The relationship between “you and me,” the issues between two people, will cause [problems] for the next generation.
When [that couple] became unhappy and fought, those feelings turned into hate and resentment.If we understand the true principles we can let go of worldly love and this concept of “you and I”.Then we can tart everyone equally, cherishing them as if they were our own children.We can view all sentient beings with this mindset.
The Buddha said, “All sentient begins are like my only son.”He treated all beings the way He treated Rahula.With a heart like this, He loved all beings.
But He also applied the same love He had for them toward the relatives of His clan.This is an impartial mind.
Only by doing this are we “contemplating true principles so that attachment to worldly love is forgotten.”Only then can we open up our compassion and expand our love to be so great that, “Our minds encompass the universe.”The heart of a Bodhisattva must be one of “long-lasting compassion and great love”.
We must extend our compassion and expand our great love: this is the great and direct Bodhi-path.
This is the only way we can walk this path over the long distance.
Bodhisattvas engage in spiritual practice over countless lifetimes: the path to awakening is very long.We seek the Dharma and transform others.
We continuously seek the Buddha’s Way and continuously transform sentient beings.This is lasting compassion and great love.This is how we walk the Bodhisattva-path.
This makes me think of the imbalance of the four elements and how they repeatedly result in major and minor calamities.When I think about this.I feel that we must seize every moment.
We are running out of time so I feel a great sense of urgency.We must promptly use the Dharma to deliver all beings in order to relieve their suffering and hardship.The only way to relieve suffering and hardship is to purify people’s hearts with the Buddha-Dharma.We must awaken everyone’s loving hearts.Then, everyone will treat each person as if they were a dear family member.
So, “Impartial compassion for all is the practice of the Right Path”. This is the path we need to walk; this is our direction. Even in the simple times when the Buddha lived, He was able to address the future, our present, with its complexities and viciousness that result in the three major and minor calamities. When I think of the Buddha’s wisdom, how can I delay in sharing [these teachings]. I must quickly teach them; I am running out of time even to teach. Though we are simply relying on sutra passages, [the problems in] today’s society were what the Buddha intended to address at that time. His original intention was to point out what life will be like in society in the future. So, through the sutras, we can understand people’s present states of mind. These principles are unchanging; they are true principles, which will never change. So, we must be able to accept them at any time in order to cultivate our compassion and nurture a sense of the equality of all beings. Only then are we walking the true path.
What was the Buddha’s original intent more than 2000 years ago? He hoped we could understand more deeply and not wait too long like Subhuti, Katyayana, Kasyapa and Maudgalyayana. Their mindset was such that they wanted to continue listening to the Dharma, but when it came to walking the Bodhisattva-path and going among people, they felt no interest in that. They only wanted to put an end to cyclic existence and stop transmigrating in the Six Realms. They did not feel this way for no reason. At that time, if they had walked the Bodhisattva-path, who would they transform? India was big; how many people would they come across? Would they encounter many people? Would those people be very complicated? No, they would be quite simple.
So, during that time they engaged in spiritual practice with simple and pure hearts to delve deeply into the principles and understand. However, they did not declare, “I aspire and vow to walk the Bodhisattva-path in the future”. This is the part they were missing. So, the four of them stood up and repented to the Buddha; they fully explained their state of mind.
“[As for] purifying the Buddha-lands and perfecting sentient beings, we took no joy in these. Why was this so? The World-Honored One had helped us to transcend the Three Realms and attain realization of Nirvana”.
The Buddha had continuously emphasized that we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice and eliminate our afflictions. He wanted us to transcend the Three Realms and eliminate our dust-like delusions and the delusions of afflictions. By eliminating our worldly greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, we avoid creating karmic causes and conditions that result in the suffering of this world.
We all come to this world carrying our karma, and only by putting an end to this karma can we achieve Nirvana. This is the course we must work hard to follow.
Next, we discuss, “Furthermore we are now already old and decrepit, so when the Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way that leads to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, we did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it”.
Because they were already old, when the Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way, they thought it was meant for young people or for those who felt inspired. Because of this, they did not develop the will to form great aspirations and make great vows. Because of this, they did not take joy in nor did they want to warmly accept the aspiration of walking the Bodhisattva-path. This was because they had grown old; they repeatedly expressed [this fact].
In this passage, “already old and decrepit” has appeared many times. Clearly, as people age they become more passive. They feel, “I do not have much time left; why do I need to learn so much?” But we need to remember that life is not distinguished by its length. Human life is inherently impermanent; regardless of its length, we must broaden the scope of our lives. We must deepen the value of our life. We can expand the breadth of our life, and as we interact with people at this time, we must quickly form good affinities to prepare spiritual nourishment for transforming sentient beings. Then in our next life, people who see us will feel happy.
The good affinities we form now will be the conditions for future happiness. This is the breadth of our lives. We must seize the present and quickly do the right thing. As for depth, we must listen to the Dharma and develop deep faith and understanding. Doing this depends on our thoughts. Otherwise, when we are truly “old and decrepit”, as our age continues to increase, we may become less active.
The [elders said] they were already old and decrepit. Because they felt old and decrepit, “They thought the Buddha’s Great Vehicle Dharma, which is to teach and transform Bodhisattvas, had no relation to them.” They thought that the Buddha was teaching this for Bodhisattvas, that only Bodhisattvas were the suitable recipients of the Buddha’s teachings and that it had nothing to do with them.
“So, we hope arose within them with regard to it.”
They thought, “Venerable Buddha, when You teach the Bodhisattva-path, that had nothing to do with us; You are teaching other people. Was that really the case? When we listen to the teachings, we may sometime think to ourselves, “When Master talks about greed, anger and ignorance, she is not talking about me. It must be someone else who is greed, angry and ignorant. She could not mean me.” This is how we tend to think. Sometime I give praise, saying, “They form great aspirations, make great vows and are kind toward others.” “She must mean me!” we all choose between the good and bad ourselves, but we must know that we need to actually take in all of it. When we hear positive things, we must take them to heart deeply. When we hear negative things, we should immediately eliminate those faults. The teachings given by the Buddha are like dew drops or rain drops. When land suffers from drought, once it rains every inch of the ground is nourished by its moisture, and the seeds in the ground will naturally sprout.
So, our mind is like a piece of land. When we accept the Dharma, it is as if rain falling all over the land. So, we must be mindful.
“How much more true is this for the four of us and the others?” “Others” refers to how Subhuti was not just representing the four of them in seeking the Dharma and repenting; he was representing everyone at the assembly. Thus he said “[the four of us] and the other.” Aside from Subhuti himself, there were many others who were also advanced in age. “They were already old and decrepit” and had become physically weak.
They are “already old and decrepit;” they had already declined in physical strength. They walked differently, and their posture had changed. Here Subhuti is describing the changes to their body.
“So, when the Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way that leads to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi…”
In regard to the Buddha’s Great Vehicle Dharma, which teaches Bodhisattvas how to actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions and seek the teachings while transforming others, this is not something of which I am capable, nor is it something to which I aspire. So, it does not inspire hope in me, nor any thought of interest or joy whatsoever.
Thus it says: We did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it.
When the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle Dharma, how would they be able to accept that teaching? The Bodhisattva Way requires “actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions.”
Everyone knows the Six Paramitas, giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. But we must also actualize them in all actions. We must go among people, but [interacting with] myriad sentient beings is truly very difficult. At that time, the Buddha said that walking the Bodhisattva-path requires “actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions, seeking the teachings while transforming others” and going among the people. “But this was not what I want to do, nor is it something I am capable of doing.”
So, “It does not inspire hope in me.” They did not have that hope, so they did not wish to diligently advance. They had “[no] thought of interest or joy whatsoever.” They did not seek to do this at all. “Thus it says, We did not give rise to any thoughts of taking interest or joy in it.”That was their mindset.
As Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. Look at today’s society. We cannot just listen to teachings; once we learn the teachings we must adapt them to our current society. Look at the world now; disasters are happening frequently, the three major and minor calamities occur one after another. If you think about it, shouldn’t we be mindful right now to bring the Buddha’s teachings into the world and go among people to transform them in accordance with the era? The Buddha-Dharma is everlasting and unchanging. So, we must accept the Dharma and apply it to our present times. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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