Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Returning from the Illusory to the True (返妄歸真遇向本國)
Date: January.19. 2016
“Human life is like a play, and we are also like travelers merely passing through. We are just temporary names and appearances, pulled along by affinities and retributions. Fathers love and hold on to their children; when the affinities end, they still cling. Passion is a rope that binds us; foolish love becomes delusion.”
This is what makes us unenlightened beings; we do not understand the truth of life. Every time we come to this world we stay for only a few decades. We toil our lives away and, throughout this process, endlessly accumulate many afflictive emotions. Life is like a play performed on stage.
Some people put on an exciting performance, strong and intense. Some people’s dramas teach us about life. Some people are vicious and violent; their plays are hair-raising dramas. However, the show must always come to an end. Life is just like a play; we do not know how long it will last. It is as if we are just travelers passing through. Some people rush about busily; other people linger and are reluctant to move on. But no matter what, they are still travelers [passing through] this world.
“Traveler” is just a label, and “a play upon a stage” is a label also. In the performances we see on stage, we can see every kind of role, but all of those roles are labels. Some are labeled “parents”. Some are labeled “lovers”. Some are labeled “children”. Some are “relatives”; each person has a different label, and we differentiate them accordingly. Just like that, under certain causes and conditions, we come to know each other and are pulled on stage to play a very important role in each others’ lives. This happens because we are “pulled along by affinities and retributions.”
But when our affinities end, we part ways. Whether the parting is in life or by death, the suffering is always unbearable. This is how life is; we use the ropes of passion to find ourselves, so we become endlessly entangled in them. Thus, “Foolish love becomes delusion.”
In the Buddhist sutras, there is a story. During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was an elder in the city of Rajagrha. In his old age, he had a son, who was adorable. When his son was seven, though not ill or in pain, one day he suddenly stopped breathing and passed away.
The father’s pain was so excruciating that he cried until he fainted, and when he awoke again he continued holding his child and crying. Several days went by, and still he held on to his son. He refused to let him go. Later, although he clung tightly to the child, his family and friends pulled the child away to be buried.
The father was devastated. He searched high and low for his son. One day he arrived at a monastery where he saw brahmacarins engaged in spiritual practice. He went to them and asked how to find his son again.
The brahmacarins did not know how to help him so they told him, “Leave and head south. Keep walking until you reach a river. There is an island in the middle of the river. In that place, several immortals pass through every year, to stay there briefly. If you want to find your son, when the king of hell passes through there, go and ask him about your son.”
This father actually made it to that place and found Yama, the king of hell.He said, “King Yama, I want my son.Give me back my son.”
The king of hell said, “Over there is a playground. There are many children there; look for him look for him among them. If he wants to return with you, then you can take him back.”Thus, he walked on.
Sure enough, there was a playground.Recognizing his child, he rushed to grab his hand, saying, “Come on, let’s go home.”The child looked at his father and brushed off his hand; he looked very angry.With this enraged expression, he said, “Father! You foolish old man! I was just a traveler passing through your home. I will have another set of parents in the future. Where is it that you’re trying take me?”With that, he pushed him aside and ran away.
“My child will not return with me. Where should I, this foolish old man, go now?”Then he thought, “I often hear people say there is a Buddha now, and He grants whatever people ask for I should go find the Buddha.”He turned around and began looking for the Buddha’s abode at Jeta Grove.
When he saw the Buddha, he told Him what was on his mind.The Buddha said to him, “Indeed you are a foolish old man! We are all like travelers passing through. We come to this world because of our karmic conditions. Brought here by karma, the length of our stay depends on conditions we created in past lives. When affinities end, conditions disperse and cease. Once that happens, this leg of our journey is at an end. We ordinary people come and go in this world as we continue this journey. Because of foolishness like this, because of your carryings and attachments the karma you create continues to increase while you ignore the consequences; this kind of pursuit will only end in suffering.”
The Buddha then analyzed for him [the truths of] suffering, causation, cessation and the Path.For this foolish old man who could not bring his son back.
He explained the Four Noble Truths.Finally, the man clearly understood.Thus, he began to come to his senses.This is the reality of life.
The Buddha tirelessly continues to give teachings but we remain in this same state, leaving behind our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature and becoming lost in the Five Realms.
The previous analogy describes the state of unenlightened beings, who experience the Five Realms and four forms of birth.
Now, we have come in contact with the Dharma, so from now on it is time for us to seek the Dharma.
The sutra continues by stating, “He proved in all directions seeking food and clothing.”
He only sought to survive, to have clothes to wear when it is cold and food to eat when he was hungry.
So, he was “seeking food and clothing, until eventually in is wanderings he found himself back in his homeland. His father had first come here, searching of but never finding his son.”
Subhuti and the others described [the son as] experiencing “the hardships of poverty”.He was trapped, as if he were bound by ropes; the poverty he was in was a total lack of clothes to wear and food to eat.This is an analogy for the [afflictions of] birth and death.
Seeking food and clothing:
The hardships of poverty are the lack of food and clothing.This is an analogy for how the afflictions of birth and death pressure us so that we seek to be liberated.
Now, we need to seek the ability to come and go freely and to eliminate our many kinds of afflictions so we return to the world on our vows.
Returning on our vows means we hope to go among people to transform them.This kind of cyclic existence if free of afflictions.
But presently we still undergo a cyclic existence where we experience many afflictions.So, when it comes to birth and death, we are still very afflicted and afraid.We still have not taken the Dharma to heart.How do we leave this world?How do we come back?This is all arranged by our karma.Thus, we still feel afflicted.
This is an analogy of how the afflictions of birth and death pressure us.When we develop an illness, don’t we become worried?But nothing can be done.So, why is it that we need to take such good care of our lives?
In order to benefit people, we must seek the Buddha-Dharma and take good care of our lives. When we are healthy, we should take advantage of our good health, energetic spirit and our physical strength to do things and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart so we can understand the principles.
We must [apply] the Dharma of the Seven Noble Treasures.We must make an effort to be diligent. We must earnestly put our hearts into developing our faith. We must be capable of remorse and patience. We must learn to be patient in our interactions and to go among people without allowing them to influence us, to disturb our Right Mindfulness. These are what we need to cultivate.
So, seeking food and clothing is [an analogy for] seeking these teachings. We must enrich ourselves with the Seven Noble Treasures, or we will remain in a state where, “The afflictions of birth and death pressure us”. Now that we have the causes and conditions to accept the Dharma, we need to promptly take it to heart. Then, “eventually in [our] wanderings…”.
“Eventually in his wanderings” refers to how, as we go through Six Realms, the four kinds of birth and the Five Destinies, our causes and conditions gradually mature.
Until eventually in his wanderings: This is an analogy for our initial enlightenment. From our innate enlightenment, the mind’s source, the illusory has arisen from the true. Returning to the true from the illusory is what is called initial enlightenment.
“Until eventually in his wanderings” is an analogy for “initial enlightenment”. In every person there is “innate enlightenment, the mind’s source”. Then, “The illusory has arisen from the true”. From our nature of True Suchness, we gradually gave rise to illusory thoughts; that is, we unceasingly accumulated afflictions from external sources, so that from our nature of True Suchness we began giving rise to afflictions and ignorance.
“Returning to the true from the illusory” is called “initial enlightenment”. By correcting our habitual tendencies and eliminating our afflictions, we will gradually return to our “innate enlightenment”. So, not yet having reached that state means we are still engaging in spiritual practice and that we have begun to draw near that road that leads home. This is “initial enlightenment”.
The cause is gradual permeation over a long period. With listening and contemplation, we attain wisdom and gradually give rise to goodness; this is called initial enlightenment.
“The cause is gradual permeation”. The road of spiritual practice is not easy to walk. We must undergo a very long period of continuous permeation by the Buddha-Dharma. So, when we listen to the Dharma, we must certainly be mindful. We must listen, contemplate and practice in order to attain wisdom. With impartial wisdom, we can realize how the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature]. This is a sign that our minds have become more in line with the Buddha’s. Thus we “gradually give rise to goodness; this is called initial enlightenment”.
After we have begun our spiritual cultivation, we should avoid taking issue with people and correct our own habitual tendencies. We are the ones who need to change. We are the ones who must engage in practice. So, by being more accommodating of others, our minds will come to encompass the universe.Thus we gradually give rise to goodness. Nurturing thoughts of goodness in our minds is called “initial enlightenment”.
We gradually stop creating the karma of the Ten Evils and create more karma of the Ten Good Deeds. This is what is meant by “gradually” this is “initial enlightenment”.
He found himself back in his homeland:
The homeland is our innate enlightenment. All sentient beings have a pure nature. That which transcends all illusory thoughts is what is known as innate enlightenment.
In, “He found himself back in his homeland”, “homeland” means “innate enlightenment”; it refers to our intrinsic nature, the awakened nature for attaining Buddhahood that we all possess. So, “All sentient beings have a pure nature”. Everyone’s intrinsic nature is pure. But it is due to later influences, our encounters with worldly matters, that we delude our minds. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must “transcend all illusory thoughts”, all of those confused thoughts.
Life is like a play, and we are also like passing travelers. We should be very clear on this. As we interact with people, we must not give rise to improper or illusory thoughts. We must transcend these illusory thoughts to gradually return to our innate enlightenment. Our pure nature is our innate enlightenment. “Initial enlightenment” is a “gradual advancement”. Initial enlightenment is gradual advancement.
The gradual advancement in the direction of supreme enlightenment. This is finding oneself back in one’s homeland.
When it comes to the things we understand and the good deeds we do, we must continue to add more. We must strengthen our spiritual aspirations and must never give up on doing good deeds.
So, listening to teachings and doing good deeds are the foundation for [cultivating] the Seven Noble Treasures.
So, listening to teachings and doing good deeds are the foundation for [cultivating] the Seven Noble Treasures. “Initial enlightenment is the gradual advancement in the direction of supreme enlightenment.” “Supreme enlightenment is our innate enlightenment.” This is called “finding oneself back in one’s homeland.” Gradually, we have begun to draw closer to our original, pure Buddha-nature.
Next in our passages is, “Abandoning his father and running away while still small is an analogy for turning one’s back on the true and following the illusory.”
Subhuti and the others used this analogy to talk about their past. For a very long period of time, they experienced the Five Destinies and the four forms of birth. Only with great difficulty were they able to follow the Buddha in spiritual practice, yet they remained attached to the Small Vehicle. So, “abandoning the father and running away” means they “turned their backs on the true and followed the illusory.”
In fact, they had turned their backs [on the true] and turned towards illusory thoughts and followed the illusory appearances of the world. In the Five Destinies and as the four kinds of beings, they “turned [their] back on the true and followed the illusory.”
How long had this been going on? They spent “50 years, which refers to the good and evil realms.” Gradually, they developed the opportunity to turn toward the Buddha, to begin “turning away from the illusory and returning to the true.”
Thus, “finding themselves back in their homeland means they now understood” that these things were not real. They had spent entire lifetimes in the Six Realms creating all kinds of karma, karma for living in the Six Realms and as the four kinds of beings.
Now they had come to know the truth Gradually they came to know this, which is to say, they “turned away from the illusory and returned to the true.” They returned to their nature of True Suchness.
So, “His father had first come here searching for but never finding his son and had taken up residence in a certain city.”
The son had begun to gradually make his way back to his homeland What about his father? After he left, his father continued to look for him. However, the father was already there [when the son arrived].
This is an analogy for how the Buddha originally taught the children the Great Vehicle, hoping everyone could understand this Dharma. So, the Buddha had already abided In the Great Vehicle Dharma, had always abided in this city, but His disciples had no interest in the Great Vehicle Dharma. This is “searching for but never finding his son.” Therefore, He “responded by manifesting in the Three Realms.”
The Buddha had to manifest in this world or in the Five Realms as one of the four kinds of beings. So, He appeared in the Three Realms to manifest these appearances.
Thus, “his father” is an analogy for the Buddha, who, “In His compassion, would not abandon sentient beings.” He “had first come here” because the Buddha, thinking of sentient beings, came and went throughout the Three Realms. It was for the sake of sentient beings that the Buddha came and went through the Three Realms, steering the ship of compassion. Thus He manifested birth and death, arising and ceasing.
He lived 80 years before entering Parinirvana; this was already a long time. He did not only do this in this one lifetime, it had been this way for many lifetimes. When karmic causes and conditions matured, in this lifetime. He was Sakyamuni Buddha He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood, of Parinirvana and so on in order to teach and guide us.
Actually, with the Buddha’s intrinsic nature, He repeatedly returns to this world. But sentient beings could never comprehend this.
This is “searching for but never finding his son.” Therefore, He had to reveal the “the intrinsic and the manifest” for us He had “first come here” and had already been transforming and delivering these people for a very long time. He only hope was that everyone would form great aspirations. It was sentient beings who retreated on their own. [As described] in the Chapter of Skillful Means, 5000 people paid their respects and left; they left of their own accord, to be lost in cyclic existence in the Six Realms. This is like “searching for but never finding his son.”
So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful. The Buddha [showed us] compassion and love but unfortunately, due to one ignorant thought, we ended up transmigrating in the Six Realms. We chose to be like the foolish father, the ignorant old man.
We must earnestly orient ourselves to our nature of True Suchness and gradually draw near it. We must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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