Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The World-transcending Wealth of the Dharma (出世法財無倫比)
Date: January.21. 2016
“Worldly wealth is admired by people, and people desire to seize it, yet it is in truth impermanent. Only this path of enlightenment exists forever. The world-transcending wealth of the Dharma is beyond compare.”
We listen to the Dharma every day. We should be able to understand that worldly wealth is truly impermanent. Worldly wealth brings out our bottomless desires, as well as our countless afflictions. This is how worldly wealth [affects us]. Can anyone ever be satisfied with their wealth? People are never satisfied.
However, they always admire others’ wealth. I have often talked about how, decades ago, I met a woman from a wealthy family. She was indeed very wealthy. Sometimes when I traveled to Taipei, Commissioners would bring her to see me, and she would be adorned in jewels. However, she always had to head home before 3 pm.
I asked about the reason behind this, and someone told me, “Master, didn’t you see what she was wearing?” “Yes, I did.” “Do you know how much all that is worth? The things she waves around on her three, four fingers alone are worth several million dollars (NT).” At that time, you could buy several houses with that much money.
But what did this have to do with going home so early? She said, “Her bodyguards have to change shifts, so she has to rush home.” Did she really have to make life so difficult? When it comes to worldly wealth, some people really envy the wealth they see. However, because of their desires, once they possess some things, they want even more.
One time, the Buddha was in the kingdom of Sravasti. King Prasenajit was a very devout disciple of the Buddha. One day, when he sat in meditation, he suddenly thought of three things that he did not like. What were those things? He did not like aging, he abhorred illness and he hated death so much he could not think further.
Birth, aging, illness and death are part of the natural course of life. He knew that when he was born, everyone was very happy. He had enjoyed the comforts of the palace. However, as he grew older, he quietly recalled what things were like in his youth. Without realizing it, he had grown old and begun to look frail. He sensed his body growing weaker. He worried about when he would die. That was what worried him the most.
Therefore, he came to the Buddha for guidance. The Buddha told him, “No one can escape aging, illness and death. If not for aging, illness and death, why would Buddhas need to appear in the world?”
Sadly, as everyone goes through aging, illness and death, they remain unaware and thus give rise to many afflictions and create much karma. If people in this world can listen to and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart… “Only this path of enlightenment exists forever.”
If we can awaken after listening to the Dharma and develop our wisdom-life, we will not be bothered by aging, illness and death. We will not feel threatened by aging, illness and death. This is why we need the Dharma; it is the only thing that is everlasting. This is the world-transcending wealth of Dharma.
Most people only seek worldly wealth and neglect the world-transcending wealth of Dharma.
They do not know that only the world-transcending wealth of Dharma is everlasting. After we take the Dharma to heart, we can develop our wisdom-life. That is what can last fover; it is boundless,
immeasurable and incomparable in amount. This is something that is truly everlasting.So, as Buddhist practitioners we truly need to be mindful.
The previous sutra passage states, “He had taken up residence in a certain city.”As the elder searched for his son, he came to this place and stopped there.
His child had been drifting about, but he came to be at this city too.
“[The elder’s] household was very wealthy. His riches were immeasurable, with gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, glass, pearls and the like, all stored in his warehouses and vaults, which were filled to overflowing.”
This is the previous sutra passage.The elder was searching for his son.He had so much wealth, and he was already quite old but he still did not know where his son was.This elder was extremely wealthy.
He lived in this city and was quite rich, so he hired many servants, stewards, assistants and attendants.
“He had many servants, stewards, assistants and attendants.”This is the analogy of a wealthy person.A person who has a lot of money as many servants by his side.
He has many family stewards who administer his household and manage things for him.He also has many attendants who carry out tasks for him when it comes to his household, finances and so on, they “had the authority to administer his affairs.”
These people have a lot of authority and a lot of influence, too.The [elder] is similar to wealthy people today.People with a lot of money end up hiring many senior managers and junior managers, senior managers and junior managers, each with their own specific focus, responsibility and authority.
So, it is said that they “had the authority to administer his affairs.”These were “stewards, assistants and attendants.”This is an analogy for how the Buddha makes use of all kinds of skillful means to wisely teach sentient beings according to their capabilities.
In His wisdom, when the Buddha helped people, He looked at their capabilities to determine how He would teach them.
This was the Buddha exercising His skillful wisdom.
Thus it is called “assisting.”[This analogy] was used to explain how skillful means can assist right wisdom.“The Buddha’s Ten Powers are the stewards. The Fourfold Fearlessness are His assistants.”Therefore, He was able to achieve the state where, “His great wisdom is perfect, and He is replete with all Dharma.”
Regarding the Ten Powers, they represent ten kinds of power the Buddha possessed and utilized.
Of the Ten Powers, the first one is “the power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.”
He had the power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.We humans do not know how we came to be in this world.But the Buddha knew His causes and conditions for descending form Tusita Heaven into the human realm.Born into the palace, He began to carry out.His one great cause for coming to the world.
The Buddha manifested the Eight Aspects here attaining enlightenment expounding the Dharma all the way up until entering Parinirvana.
All of these demonstrated the Buddha’s “power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.”He repeatedly steered the ship of compassion into the Six Realms, traveling everywhere to save and deliver sentient beings.This was what He was determined to go and do, unlike unenlightened beings, who have no control [over where they go].
The second was “the power of knowing all karmic retributions in the Three Periods.”This means He understood the workings of karma in the Three Periods.
This world goes through the periods of the past, present and future.We come and go in the four forms of birth and the Six Realms.Furthermore, all of our afflictions come from desires, forms and dust-like delusions, which accumulate and come together.
This is the Buddha’s clear understanding of the workings of this world.
He even explained the karma of the Three Periods, analyzing the past, discussing the present and providing guidance for the future.
“Third is the power of knowing all stages of meditation, liberation and Samadhi. ”
Therefore, He taught everyone how to transcend dust-life afflictions ignorance and desires,so as to focus the mind. These were the Buddha’s powers in teaching sentient beings.
The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes:
First:The power of knowing right and wrong in all conditions.
Second: The power of knowing all karmic retributions in the Three Periods.
Third: The power of knowing all stages of meditation, liberation and Samadhi.
Fourth is “the power of knowing the quality of the capabilities of all beings”. [The Buddha] knew sentient beings’ capabilities, what kinds of sentient beings they were, the causes and conditions they possessed and the methods necessary to transform them. This shows the wisdom of the Buddha. In order to transform sentient beings, He had to teach according to capabilities. When teaching according to capabilities, He also had to accord with the timing. When the timing or capability is not right, it is difficult to transform sentient beings.
Therefore, the Buddha had to understand sentient beings’ capabilities and whether their causes and conditions had matured. With this kind of power of knowing, He could very clearly discern the quality of the capabilities of sentient beings.
Fifth is “the power of knowing all kinds of understanding”. The Buddha could clearly discern the various types of understanding of sentient beings. Do they have great capabilities or limited capabilities? The Buddha could clearly recognize all this.
Sixth is “the power of knowing all kinds of states”. “All kinds of states” are the heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms, even that of spiritual practitioners such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas. With His power of wisdom, He could understand all of these states. The Buddha had a clear understanding of all sentient beings and all of their states. If He did not have a clear understanding, He would be unable to teach sentient beings.
Seventh is “the power of knowing all paths”.
Does this person have the power to practice the path? Does this person have the wisdom? With a glance, He understood how to teach this person with these capabilities in precisely the most suitable way. This takes mindfulness as well.
Fourth: The power of knowing the quality of the capabilities of all beings.
Fifth: The power of knowing all kinds of understanding.
Sixth: the power of knowing all kinds of states. Seventh: The power of knowing all paths.
Eight is “the power of knowing from having unobstructed heavenly eyes”.
Does this person have a broad perspective? Some sentient beings only see what is around them; they have a very narrow views. Some have great conviction and can make great vows. In accord with their capabilities, the Buddha taught the Great Dharma. [For others], He taught the Small Vehicle Dharma.
The heavenly eye is not about how far we can see, but about our perspective. Our understanding and views are our heavenly eyes. Some people have unobstructed understanding and views, while others’ understanding and views are obstructed at every turn. For people who are narrow-minded and have limited capabilities, engaging in spiritual practice is very difficult. They are obstructed by karmic hindrances. Ninth is “the power of knowing past lives flawlessly”. He knows past lives; He knows the past, present and future.
Tenth is “the power of knowing how to forever eliminate habitual tendencies”. Tenth is forever eliminating habitual tendencies. Habitual tendencies are hard to eliminate. People often ask, “Why do we need to engage in spiritual practice?” it is manly to eliminate our habitual tendencies. It is hard to eliminate them because we are narrow-minded and have a limited views of the world. This is why we take issue over so many things, this is why we have so many afflictions and this is why we are covered by so much ignorance. We have so many dust-like delusions and are confused by so many things. This is because we have not yet eliminated our afflictions and habitual tendencies. This is our problem as sentient beings.
The Buddha understood sentient beings’ problem. Using these ten kinds of powers, He clearly understood sentient beings and transformed them according to capabilities. These were the powers of the Buddha.
The ten kinds of powers that the Tathagata possesses and utilizes.
Eight: The power of knowing from having unobstructed heavenly eyes.
Ninth: The power of knowing past lives flawlessly. Tenth: The power of knowing how to forever eliminate habitual tendencies.
He also had the Fourfold Fearlessness.
The Fourfold Fearlessness:
First: The fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma. Second: The fearlessness of ending all Leaks.
Third: The fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation.
Fourth: The fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering.
First, He had “the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma”.With the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma, the Buddha came to the world. Regardless of the circumstances He faced, His mind was always at ease. This was the case even when other religious practitioners tried to take over and harm the Buddha-Dharma. Since the Buddha was awakened, He was fearless. He had “the fearlessness of wisdom of all Dharma.
Second was “the fearlessness of ending all Leaks.” The Buddha had no afflictions. He had already eradicated all of His afflictions, cleared up His dust-like delusions and revealed His nature of True Suchness. Nothing in the world could defile Him, so His mind was completely pure and clean; He had put an end to all Leaks and afflictions, so He feared nothing.
If we have ample wisdom, it is precisely enough, neither too much or too little. It is constantly emerging from our minds. Like a gushing spring, this wisdom is inexhaustible.
Third is “the fearlessness of explaining hindrances of spiritual cultivation. The principles of the Buddha could be used to break down many heretical teachings and deviant views. As for the many afflictions of ordinary people, He was able to use all kinds of Dharma to break sown these obstructions of afflictions. With all kinds of Dharma, He broke down the obstructions created by heretical practitioners. He felt no fear at all. The Buddha still did everything He could to analyze things for them.
Fourth is “the fearlessness of explaining the paths of ending suffering. Sentient beings suffer so much! King Prasenajit had already accepted the Buddha’s teachings and realized the natural course of life, so he could see through his fear of aging, illness and death. No one in the world can escape the Four Sufferings, but as long as we take the Dharma to heart, we can face death without fear or willingly accept our illnesses.
“The Fourfold Fearlessness are His assistants.” This was the wisdom of the Buddha. He was able to perfect His wisdom and be replete with all Dharma. This was the Buddha’s wisdom. When He was first enlightened, He taught the Great Vehicle Dharma of the Avatamsaka. Those who listened to these teachings were mostly heavenly beings, Bodhisattvas, etc.. These are part of the “outer assembly.” They are likened to hired servants.
Next is the Ten Stages of Faith. The Chapter on Faith and Understanding is focused on faith. Once we perfect the Ten Stages of Faith, we can “enter the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings” and “practice with infinite Dharma-doors.” This comes from having faith and understanding.
Perfecting the Ten Stages of Faith is the cause for entering the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings and practicing with infinite Dharma-doors. If one desires to go from an unenlightened to a noble state, it is faith that first guides one until one gives rise to aspirations. Thus newly-inspired Bodhisattvas are represented by the inner assembly of attendants.
If our faith is solid and form, we can enter the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings and cultivate infinite Dharma-doors. This is how we go from an unenlightened state to a noble state. “Faith” has to come first. In order to go from the state of ordinary people to the state of noble beings, we must begin with faith.
Faith is the source of the Way and the mother of merits; it nurtures all roots of goodness.Then next, we must give rise to aspirations. Once we have aspirations, we are like newly-inspired Bodhisattvas. They are part of “the inner assembly.”
The newly inspired have not been truly liberated. They have just completed the Ten stages of Faith, so they are liked to “assistants and attendants.” People who just formed aspirations are still part of “the inner assembly;” they have already began to engage in spiritual practice.
But newly-inspired people can perfect the ten grounds of Bodhisattvas. Then, they are likened to “stewards.” Bodhisattvas are capable of helping the Buddha teach transform sentient beings so they are called “stewards.”
Of course, this required true spiritual practice. As Buddhist practitioners, we must proceed step by step. Only with the Ten Powers and the Fourfold Fearlessness will we have the power to gradually approach the state of Buddhahood. No matter how mush worldly wealth we have, it can never match up to the world-transcending wealth of the Dharma. Therefore, we must be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
