Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Great Vehicle Returns Us to True Suchness (淨因善緣大乘皈真)
Date: January.25. 2016
“When causes and conditions come together, their workings are difficult to fathom. Fundamental causes are deeply buried, awaiting the coming together of conditions. With pure causes, positive conditions and the seeds of Bodhi, the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle returns us to True Suchness.”
In life, once we can thoroughly understand causes and conditions, nothing will make us worry anymore. It is because we do not understand the karmic law of cause and effect that we are so busy running around in this world, taking issue with one another. We like some people but not others, and we have [good] affinities with some but not with others; we constantly give rise to this discrimination. This is suffering!
If we can thoroughly understand “[the coming together of] causes and conditions,” we will realize it is indeed incredible. This is truly wondrous and difficult to fathom.
Every day, we experience many causes and conditions. “What are the chances of running into this person today? I haven’t seen him in more than a decade. What are the chances!” I had someone tell me this. That person came up to me and said, “Master, I tell you that in the past this person took advantage of me, did this to me…” I told him, “That is in the past. It happened many decades ago. It is incredible that you still recognize him; that shows you still have an affinity.” The person responded by saying, “How could I not recognize him? Even chopped to pieces, I would still know him.” I asked, “Do you feel such strong hatred toward him? It’s not hatred; it’s just resentment. Do you need to resent him that much? Haven’t you already gotten past it? Perhaps he did treat you unfairly, but didn’t you manage to get through it safely?” He said, “I guess you’re right. Not that I think about it, it was because of the grief he brought me that led me to change careers and be so successful today.” I said, “Yes, that’s right. You were meant to do this kind of work. Without the aggravation he caused you, how would you have ended up to this path?” He said, “You’re right! Master, now that you have told me this, if I see him later, I will thank him.”
[I said,] “Right, and he is very dedicated too. He had been successful in business and is very supportive of Tzu Chi as well. You must also thank him for me.” After a while, the other man actually came in. As everyone met, they shook each other’s hand and chatted warmly. After this, would they continue to take issue with each other?
“Causes and conditions [are] difficult to fathom.” Truly, when [people] come together like this, sometimes they bring hatred and resentment. By gently dissolving this resentment and hatred, it can be turned into gratitude. Now they often see each other and go on international relief trips together. They are now companions on the Bodhisattva-path. Sometimes I see them together, happily enjoying each other’s company, and I feel very happy too.
So, “When causes and conditions come together, their workings are difficult to fathom.” “Fundamental causes are deeply buried, awaiting the coming together of conditions.”
Sometimes we talk about the causes and conditions in karmic consciousness. Nowadays, people talk about “genes”. In regard to “genes,” [for us as practitioners,] we talk about “causes” and “seeds”. These “seeds” can also be called “karmic seeds”. The seeds of karma can be very deeply buried, but when the time is right, causes and conditions will come together and these seeds will break through the surface.
So, “with pure causes, positive conditions and the seeds of Bodhi,” we must earnestly care for these pure causes. We must take good care of our nature of True Suchness and not allow it to be affected by defilements.
Our past afflictions have already covered our nature of True Suchness. Now is the time to diligently peel away these afflictions layer by layer; then we can manifest our nature of True Suchness. So, to have “pure causes and positive conditions,” we must continue to create good affinities and walk the Bodhisattva-path. We must prevent further afflictions from arising, and we must widely create positive affinities.
Think about the two friends I described earlier.In the past, they were business partners, but they hurt each other and developed feelings of resentment and hate.Then when causes and conditions happened to bring them back together, those negative emotions were resolved.They created good affinities with each other and are now Bodhisattva companions who walk together on the Bodhisattva-path.This is because of pure causes and positive conditions.
By eliminating their past afflictive causes and conditions, they returned to pure causes and positive conditions, helping each other cultivate the seeds of Bodhi.So, “The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle returns us to True Suchness.”
We must have faith in and understand the Great Vehicle Dharma and put it into practice.We must turn from darkness to light, turn away from our past afflictions and dedicate ourselves to [creating] good karma.We must earnestly seek out our nature of True Suchness.
Recently we have been talking about a son who left his parents and wandered far away from home.He was completely impoverished and had nowhwere to live.He drifted all around the world.His father was looking for him, but he was not looking for his father.
He was just eking out an existence.His father never stopped looking for him.
Now they were in the same city and were gradually drawing near each other.The father never forgot his son, but the son had forgotten where his home was and even forgot what this father looked like.
The son was completely lost.His father constantly thought about him, but at the same time was very wealthy.How wealthy was he?
The previous sutra passage states, “[He had] elephants, horses, carriages, even and goats beyond number. His trade brought in profits and even reached other lands. His merchants and vendors were also many in number.”
They traveled abroad to trade, or sat inside their shops to do business.Thus, he was engaged in such a large business, and he also had many close advisors around him helping him manage this family business.He was very wealthy.
As the passage continues, it states, “At the time, the poor son wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities until he finally arrived in the city where his father had settled.”
This passage shows how the poor son had been wandering around, eking out a living wherever he found himself.Gradually, he had arrived at this city.
He had already drawn near this “kingdom and city”.
He had passed through many places and had now approached and entered the city where his father lived.He was already close.
At the time, the poor son:
The poor son in his wanderings eventually happened upon and entered his father’s city.
This is an analogy for how we are permeated by the teachings over a long period of time and how we repeatedly encounter the Buddha as He comes and goes through the Three Realms in His transformation-body.
This is explaining that, “The poor son in his wanderings eventually happened upon and entered his father’s city.”He had already arrived at where his father was and was loitering around outside.He had no idea that this was his father’s house and thus his house as well.He continued loitering there, still not knowing.This is an analogy for us as we are learning the Buddha’s Way.Though we are learning the Buddha’s teachings, we have not yet thoroughly understood them.We may have not yet understood their meaning.
However, we have the causes and conditions to listen to them and to gradually be permeated by them.This is like how, in the Buddha’s lifetime, Subhuti and the others expressed that they had been permeated by the Dharma for countless kalpas, that of lifetime after lifetime they had continuously learned the Buddha-Dharma.Thus they had, over and over again, “encountered the Buddha as He came and went through the Three Realms in His transformation-body.”
No matter where they were, they were able to live at the same time as the Buddha.Theses were truly incredible causes and conditions to repeatedly encounter the Buddha as He comes and goes in His transformation-body responds to sentient beings’ needs by appearing in whatever place He is needed.
This is His transformation-body. This was something that Subhuti and the others rejoiced over.
So, “[The son] wandered from village to village, passing through many kingdoms and cities”. This is an analogy for going through the Three Realms and the Six Destinies, where sentient beings “experience all sufferings”. “With deep and growing disgust toward suffering, they desire to seek escape by observing the villages of the Five Aggregates”.
“Wandering from village to village” is an analogy for the Three Realms and Six Destinies, the places sentient beings have been led to by their direct and circumstantial retributions. In response to sentient beings’ needs, the Buddha likewise went into the Three Realms and Six Destinies to transform these suffering beings.
Among these sentient beings, some had already faced all kinds of suffering, and after listening to the Buddha-Dharma, they sought to renounce [cyclic existence]. Recognizing that this was suffering, they understood that they had to “observe the villages of the Five Aggregates”.
“Villages” is an analogy for the Five Aggregates. We should all clearly know that the Five Aggregates are form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. In our daily living, we are amidst the workings of the Five Aggregates. In this way, all day long our unenlightened minds are always wandering through the Five Aggregates.
This is like the poor son. Without the Dharma in our hearts, we are extremely foolish and deluded. With greed, anger and ignorance, we wander through the Three Realms and Six Destinies, facing all kinds of suffering. All this is because the Five Aggregates causes us to cling to our delusions so that we fall into these places and become attached [and trapped] in these places. Now that we have begun to observe them, we recognize [their workings].
How have we recognized this? Because after encountering the Buddha-Dharma, we have gradually unlocked our wisdom and have come to observe the Five Aggregates, which are [gathered together like people in] villages. This is the analogy used; from the standpoint of the Dharma, they are the Five Aggregates. To our unenlightened minds, they are like villages.
When we see clearly, we see principles; when we do not, we see the appearances of things. Deluded, we are lost in how things appear. Awakened, we see [true] principles and are able to analyze things.
In addition to the Five Aggregates, there are also the 18 Realms.
“The villages [are] the Five Aggregates” and of the kingdoms and cities passed through, the 18 Realms are the “kingdoms”, the 18 Realms are the “kingdoms”, and the 12 Entrances are the “cities”. All of these are analogies. What ae the Five Aggregates? I just explained them. The 18 realms are the Six Sense Organs, Six Sense Objects and Six Conscious nesses. Six multiplied by three is 18. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind correspond to form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts. Our conscious nesses begin to function when the sense organs connect with the sense objects. There are six of each. These three sets of six are the 18 Realms.
The 12 Entrances are why the deluded are severely enthralled by form.
The 12 Entrances: These are why the deluded are severely enthralled by form. Through the door of the great noble teachings we can understand “form” through then of the sense organs and sense objects, while the mind is only given two.
Everything that we see and understand is from the 12 Entrances, the reasons we are severely deluded by “form”. They are the Six Sense Organs and Sense Objects, and it is because of the convergence of our sense organs and the sense objects that our consciousness goes astray.
With delusion, we form attachments. If we were awakened, we would understand that when the eyes see things, we give rise to cravings. There is no need to be greedy; our mind-consciousness can make this decision. If we are deluded, we will form attachments. If we are awakened, we can go through the door of the great noble teachings.
If our consciousness becomes deluded, then we will degenerate. If we can awaken, we can take the Dharma to heart. If we do not awaken and remain deluded, then we will fall.
So, the 12 Entrances include our ears, eyes, nose, tongue and body. There are the Five Sense Organs. Form, sound, smell , taste and touch are the Five Sense Objects. If we can have a clear understanding of the consciousness that arise in between when sense organs connect with sense objects, we will not give rise to greed, anger and ignorance.
Therefore, when we listen to the Dharma, we must develop a clear understanding so that we can take in the Buddha-Dharma and wash away our ignorance and afflictions.
How can we do that? With the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, we can start to develop our wisdom-life. They are our spiritual nourishment. The Buddha came and went through the Three Realms and the Six Destinies because. He had this spiritual nourishment. With a stable source of nourishment. He was able to pave the great Bodhi-path.Regardless of what is transported on this great Bodhi-path, the foundation of this road must be paved well.
Seeking through the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment is spiritual nourishment for our wisdom-life. Over a long time we continue to learn and practice.
So, the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment are paving the way for us. They can help us develop our wisdom-life. As for Subhuti and the others, they had spent a very long time learning and practicing in this way. Though they described [themselves] as the poor son who had spent a long time wandering around apart from the Dharma, with the Eightfold Right Path and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, they had established a solid foundation. This took lifetime of spiritual cultivation. This took lifetime of learning and practicing.
So, in the parable the poor son “gradually wandered from village to village.” In the parable the poor son gradually wandered about. Very slowly he drew near, drew near to that village. By thoroughly understanding the principles, he had come to this Dharma-city. Gradually, he arrived there, having “passed through many kingdoms and cities.” The poor son had arrived in that place, the place where his father lived. This expresses how the Two Vehicle practitioners planted blessings over many lifetimes. Though Hearers and Solitary Realizers still practiced the Small Vehicle Dharma, they had spent lifetime after lifetime drawing near the Buddha-Dharma and avoiding committing evils while cultivating virtuous Dharma.
How long did they do this for? “For hundreds of kalpas, they cultivated causes.” “Hundreds of kalpas” is a very long time. These “causes,” these seeds, were cultivated in this way. “So, they were fortunate to again encounter the Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment.”
It is because they had cultivated these causes and conditions in the past that they could come to the world in a lifetime when the Buddha had manifested in the world. Thus they were able to see Sakyamuni Buddha and take refuge with Him to listen to Him expound the Dharma. They spent a lifetime drawing near the Buddha-Dharma.
He first taught the [awakened Avatamsaka] state.” The Buddha constantly taught about His enlightened state. Whenever the Buddha gave teachings, they contained what He originally intended to teach, this awakened state.
He first taught the tranquil and clear state of the Avatamsaka’s great awakening. This is the eventual arrival in the father’s city, the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides.
Gradually, everyone came to understand that though the Agama, the Vaipulya and the Prajna teachings explained existence and emptiness, in the past they had either clung to emptiness or existence. Now they had gradually come to realize this and had already arrived in the Buddha’s city, “the Great Vehicle city where the Buddha abides.”
The Buddha forever abides in the Great Vehicle city. So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we must make an effort to be mindful and pay close attention to causes and conditions.
Spiritual practice is not just about listening “I don’t understand! Not understanding is the same as not listening. Since I don’t understand, I might as well not listen.”That is not right; at the very least, we can remain immersed in the Dharma. There is no telling which phrase will lead us to change our habitual tendencies. With every small negative habitual tendency we eliminate, we draw closer to the Buddha-Dharma and start giving off more of the fragrance of virtue.
I hope that everyone will place great importance on the convergence of cause and conditions. Though these workings are wondrous and difficult to fathom, no matter how deep we plant those seeds, the time will come when they will converge with conditions. Indeed, we have “pure causes and positive conditions.” There are Bodhi-seeds in everyone’s minds. With “the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle, we must promptly turn from darkness to light. Turning away from afflictions we become pure and return to our nature of True Suchness. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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