Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Without Transformation There is No Virtue (不受大化不含萬德)
Date:February.09. 2016
“The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefit. He secretly felt his strength was insufficient, his capabilities too limited so he could not receive great transformation. He believed he had no part in this, that it was something that he and the others would not be able to accept. Thus, he thought it would be better to seek the limited teachings of the Two Vehicles, and emptiness or existence as one pleasures.”
The Buddha told us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and a pure nature of True Suchness. However, we are always overlooking the fact that we too can attain Buddhahood. Frequently, while engaging in spiritual practice, we abandon our goals for doing so. So, we must often remind ourselves to be vigilant.
First, we must often remember that we already have a nature of True Suchness within; it is not necessary to seek it from elsewhere. It is just that over a long period of time, we have buried it under the dusts of affliction. The Buddha comes to the world to guide us in gradually eliminating our ignorance so that our nature of True Suchness can manifest, bit by bit. He used Dharma-water to ceaselessly cleanse us, helping us to be immersed in it so that this dust will not fly all over the place when the slightest wind of ignorance blows.
Yet, we are still in the process of learning, and only part-way through we think to ourselves, “I have wiped and swept everything clean. Why is there still dust?” We do not recognize that this filth comes from all the dust in our surroundings, that mound of dirt that has not been cleaned up. So, this filth that blows in from outside is something we have not yet sought to understand. This dirt is not just right around us; in places far away from us, there are deserts. This is why the Buddha used different methods to teach and transform.
For Hearers, He taught, “Wipe this way; use water to wipe it clean.” Then He went a step further and let them know, “We must also clean up the filth outside.” This is [what He taught] Solitary Realizers.
Then He told everyone that in a faraway place, there are still deserts. If we can bring water to that desert and irrigate the soil so that we can plant seeds, then it can become an oasis; this is the Bodhisattva-path. Yet we are all only able to eliminate our own personal afflictions. We are unaware of the dust outside our minds, let alone of the deserts far away. This is being in an unenlightened state; we are only focused on ourselves.
So, it is said, “The True Dharma of the Great Vehicle is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain any benefit.” This is like the parable of the poor son. He looked down on himself in the same way, not knowing that originally, he was also a master of this house. It is we who cannot yet open the door of our minds to enter this great room. “It is not a place where Small Vehicle practitioners can obtain benefit. He secretly felt his strength was insufficient, his capabilities too limited.”
This is like how practitioners can feel that their strength is insufficient. “You want me to cultivate Great Vehicle practices and walk the Bodhisattva-Path; how can I possibly do that? Life is painfully short. In my own spiritual practice, I do not even know how to cultivate or attain [realizations]; have I actually attained anything or not? You want me to transform sentient beings, but I am unable to do that.” We do not think we can bear the responsibility for transforming sentient beings, so we dare not take it on.This is our own indolence.
So, “[We] cannot receive great transformation.”A person unwilling to take on responsibility “believes he has no part in this , that it was something he would not be able to accept.”
This is like when the Buddha was teaching everyone and began to expound the Great Vehicle Dharma.
[Subhuti] thought He was just speaking to the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas, that this had nothing to do with him.
He was like those of us with limited capabilities and wisdom.We feel, “If you want me to lead sentient beings, to transform sentient beings, then it is better if I follow the Small Vehicle Dharma.”People like this “thought it would be better to seek the limited teachings of the Two Vehicles.”
If our thinking [is biased towards] “emptinesss,” we think that all things are empty, so we cut off our affinities with sentient beings.Then we will not need to return to this world to be entangled by these karmic affinities.After this life ends, we will not have to be reborn again.In this way, we draw boundaries to create a very limited world for ourselves and then become unable move beyond these boundaries.
We often talk about “a mind that encompasses the universe and embraces the boundless worlds within it.”We are all capable of this, as long as we open the door to our minds.
This is like [our human body]; our two eyes are quite small, but if we just open them and take a look, our vision can actually take in this vast world; we can look so high up into the sky, and we can see so far across the land.From this, we know that within our nature of True Suchness, with all of us, is our mind’s eye.
We have an open and expansive wisdom that can become one with the universe, just like the Buddha.
This is intrinsic to everyone.
Unfortunately, we tend to squint our eyes and narrow down our horizon.In this way, we limit our views.
Otherwise, if we could open up our hearts so our minds encompass the universe, what difficulty would there be in becoming one with the universe?This is an ability everyone intrinsically has, so we should have confidence in ourselves.We must have faith in ourselves in order to delve deeply into the Buddha-Dharma.
The Buddha put is heart into teaching us, so we must put our hearts into accepting this.
Now, the previous passage states, “He secretly had this thought, This must be a king, or something like a king. This is not a place where I could sell my labor to obtain anything.”
This is followed by, “It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood, a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing.”
As the poor son looked inside that place, he felt that the people inside were so magnificent.He did not dare approach them, so he thought to himself, “It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood,” that is, to return to his old way of living, return to a place of poverty and no restraints, where no one placed restrictions on him.Isn’t returning to the old way of living like remaining in the state of the Small Vehicle?Isn’t going back the same as remaining a Hearer or a Solitary Realizer?
Isn’t going back again the same as remaining in a [limited] understanding of karma, the same as just circling around the teachings of illusiveness and emptiness?
This is an analogy for bias toward the principles of emptiness,“ for being solely immersed in the truth of emptiness”.
Whether [a bias toward] either the principle of emptiness or existence, “[This] does not include the 10,000 virtue.”They did not think they had the ability.
Therefore, these Small Vehicle practitioners did not practice good deeds nor did they cultivate wisdom.
This is like how practitioners of the Two Vehicles only tried to benefit themselves and thus lacked the merits and virtues of transforming others.They were unwilling to go among people to transform them.
So, “This is not the treasury of the Tathagata.”
These practitioners must not yet have discovered “the treasury of the Tathagata,” so they were still quite a long way from uncovering their nature of True Suchness.
What was it that resulted in this distance?They lacked the Six Perfections of giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom.
They did not draw near to the stage of walking the Bodhisattva-path and going among people.From the starting point of unenlightened beings, they had finally made their way to being Solitary Realizers and
understanding all principles. They were just missing the stage of the Bodhisattva-path. If they would only go through this stage, they would reach the treasury of the Tathagata and be one with their nature of True Suchness.
So, unable to complete this stage, [they through], “’It would be better to return to a poor neighborhood’”. They would rather go back.
[They were looking for] “a place to put their strength to work”. They wanted a place to apply their strength through hard work. This is an analogy for “the direction of their practice being biased towards emptiness; this is limited wisdom”. Practicing in this way is like walking in place, returning to limited wisdom and not accepting the Great Dharma. “Putting strength to work [for them means] mental and physical diligence and hard work in one’s effort to practice the Path”. They were willing to do these things but were unwilling to go among the people.
“A place” is “where the noble path may be nurtured”.
“This place that the Buddha spoke of is something I understand, a place where I can stay and continue working hard”. But they were unwilling to accept the Great Dharma. They preferred to remain in the state of the Small Vehicle and continue on the noble path taught by the Buddha. This is like walking in place.
Easily obtain food and clothing: Bias towards emptiness is called limited wisdom. Relying on this limited wisdom, Nirvana with remainder is attained. Practice of goodness is called clothing, and practice of wisdom is called food. The small [Vehicle] fruits of blessings and wisdom can all be easily sought, so it talks of easily obtaining food and clothing.
Thus, it says they are biased toward emptiness and the Small Vehicle and rely on limited wisdom. If we practice the Small Vehicle Dharma, that means we are unable to open up our wisdom. Our wisdom will still be so narrow; we will remain circling within our personal limits. This is limited wisdom. “[With it], Nirvana with remainder is attained”.
Because humans are born, grow old and ultimately pass away, they are only willing to focus on their own self-awakening. This is called “Nirvana with remainder”, meaning they have eliminated small afflictions but have not completely eliminated all of their dust-like delusions. They are also engaged in spiritual practice and are also practicing good deeds.
What kinds of good deeds are these? The kind that only benefit themselves.
Good deeds that benefit only us are like our clothing. This wisdom is the cultivation of limited wisdom, the understanding of “birth, aging, illness and death” and “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path”. Knowing these things, we recognize that the world is impermanent. We have this kind of wisdom, but this is all we are able to know; this is all the spiritual nourishment we have.
So, “Small vehicle fruits of blessings and wisdom can all be easily sought”. Small Vehicle fruits of blessings and wisdom are easier to seek; because of this, they were willing [to practice]. “It would be better to find a place where I can put my strength to work and easily obtain food and clothing”. That seems much easier. This was how the poor son felt.
The next sutra passage states, “If I stay here long, they may see me and press me into service, forcing me to work’. Having had this thought, he felt hurriedly”.
He already knew that this place was a very magnificent place, not a place for seeking food and clothing. If he continued to linger there, “If I stay here long, they may see me and press me into service”. Perhaps they would seize him. Then they would force him to work there and perhaps do things he did not want to do. Thinking of this, he became very afraid. He “left hurriedly”, he left right away.
“If I stay here long” refers to aspiring to walk the Great Vehicle path from the very beginning, through countless kalpas. This is “staying here long”.
We do not know when we began to form these aspirations. If we had not formed aspirations in the past, we would not have happened to have encountered the Buddha-Dharma. In this life we would not have formed the grate aspirations to engage in spiritual practice and draw near the Buddha-Dharma. We must have, in the past, a very long time ago, formed these aspirations. So, our initial aspiration must have been to walk the Great Vehicle path. Only thus do we have these causes and conditions. From that beginning until now, a lot of time must have passed. This is “staying here long “.
I originally renounced they cycle of birth and death, but practicing the Great Vehicle involves entering that cycle to learn extensively and follow myriad practices. Thus it says, “They may see me and press me into service”. I originally took joy in the Small, but now beings led to form Great Vehicle aspirations is like being forced to work.
“They may see me and press me into service, forcing me to work”. Here, “me” refers to us. We had originally “renounced the cycle of birth and death”. When we began to engaged in spiritual practice, we knew that cyclic existence was suffering.
Life is painfully short, and we were finally able to form this aspiration, to begin to learn how to cease our “suffering” and our lack of control [over our transmigration] it was for these reason that we wanted to engage in spiritual practice. This was our original thinking. When we first formed aspirations, it was to renounce the cycle of birth and death. However, “Practice the Great Vehicle involves entering that cycle.”
So, if we practiced the Great Vehicle, we would have to re-enter that cycle, because the Great Vehicle is about transforming sentient beings. Life after life, we must repeatedly return to the world. Coming back to the human realm takes a tremendous amount of work and effort in order to go among people without being contaminated by them, to come and go freely. This requires “learning extensively and following myriad practices”.
We have to learn many teachings.So, because of this, “I originally took joy in the Small, but now being led to form Great Vehicle aspirations is like beings forced to work.” [Those disciples] originally only sought to put an end to their cyclic existence, but now the Buddha wanted them to practice the Bodhisattva-path.
At this stage, some spiritual practitioners began to feel a sense of fear because they felt as if they were being forced. “Having had this thought, [they] left hurriedly.” They left because they had this thought.
The one who, on seeing his father’s might, felt fear and regret and thus left is an analogy for those who retreat from their Great Vehicle aspirations. Having had this thought, they abandoned the Great and chose the Small, and so it says, “He left hurriedly.”
They were like the poor son He saw that this elder had such might. Because the elder was surrounded by many people the son felt that he was awe-inspiring and had great power. Thus, he became afraid He “felt fear and regret”; “Why did I end up here?” So, because of this, he wanted to hurry up and leave. This is an analogy for people who have retreated from their Great Vehicle aspirations.
When we originally engaged in spiritual practice we called it learning the Buddha’s Way. But we forgot that we engage in spiritual practice so that we can learn to attain Buddhahood. When we saw this, we became scared. “They abandoned the Great and chose the Small”, and so it says, “He left hurriedly.” Abandoning the Great and choosing the Small it what we humans do.
When we practice, we only focus on ourselves In cultivating the Small Vehicle, we feel it is good enough to just benefit ourselves; this way we can put an end to cyclic existence. Where do we go if we end cyclic existence? Every person is bound by birth and death. If our spiritual cultivation is advanced, and we do not create good affinities with others, that is all well and good, but we still bring [karma] into future lifetimes, and our delusions and ignorance persist. We still have those dust-like delusions.
So, when we come into this world, we are still born human. Then if external conditions tempt us, we will be contaminated by them again.Once we have been contaminated again, we will give rise to a thought of ignorance and create karma once again.
So, if from now on we can constantly train ourselves by going among people, no matter what kind of words we may hear, what kind of looks we may get and what kind of things we may have to deal with we will not be affected by them.
Our spiritual aspirations will be firm, and we will give of ourselves wholeheartedly, without allowing our minds to be troubled by the sights, sounds and issues of sentient beings. Only if we can achieve this state can our spiritual aspirations be considered firm. With firm spiritual aspirations, after we complete this lifetime, this seed will be very strong. Then we will go into our future lives with vows This is “journeying back on our vows.”
Thus, “remaining peaceful and unwavering and strengthening our spiritual aspirations is what we must be able to achieve in this life.” Only then can we “journey back on our vows.” Then we will be reborn with a goal.
Everyone, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must truly learn to take the Great Vehicle Dharma deeply to heart and not return to the Small Vehicle. Only then are we true spiritual practitioners, true Buddhist practitioners. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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