Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: You and I Both Have the Buddha-Mind (佛心為心我汝不異)
Date:March.28. 2016
“The Buddha has prajna as His mind and is now at a turning point in His teachings. Our mind must embody the Buddha’s mind and follow the Buddha’s intent. He taught the True Dharma for Bodhisattvas, that ‘You and I are no different’. In accord with the principles and the truth, all Dharma is the Tathagata-garbha nature.”
“The Buddha has prajna as His mind.” From this, we know that His state of mind is very pure, tranquil and clear; this is such a beautiful state. It is pure and undefiled, but it encompasses the true principles of all things in the universe. His mind is an ocean of enlightened wisdom. Ever since His enlightenment, He has taught according to the capabilities of sentient beings, first during the Avatamsaka period, [sharing] His pure Buddha-nature.
Then He went among the people. During the Agama period, He taught the karmic law of cause and effect. Gradually, after 12 years, He turned to the Vaipulya teachings.
In the Vaipulya period, He began teaching both the Great and Small Vehicles. From the Small Vehicle, He brought them into the Middle and then the Great Vehicle. After these eight years, He turned to the Prajna teachings.
The Prajna sutras contains many teachings and analyzing how the truth is without substance or appearance and how [causes and conditions] converge to give rise to collective karma in our world.
In fact, all things are without substance or form. After penetrating the principles, the wisdom we attain will help us realize our compassion. By giving without expectations, what we attain is an abundance of Dharma-joy.
So, “Our mind must embody the Buddha’s mind.” In this way, we realize that “Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature.” We have begun to understand this. This is the Buddha’s great compassion. This is what the Buddha-mid is like; when we pool our strength together, the power of our compassion will likewise be just as great and can relieve sentient beings [from suffering]. This is “following the Buddha’s intent.”
The Buddha taught us the Dharma, and we listen, learn and then put it into practice. This is the Buddha-Dharma.
Thus, “He taught the True Dharma for Bodhisattvas, that, ‘You and I are no different.’” The Buddha often taught the Great Vehicle Dharma for Bodhisattvas. So, He often said, “You and I are no different, because the Buddha, sentient beings and the mind are no different [in their nature].
What is the difference between you and me?” We all have the Buddha-mind, and we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, the pure nature of True Suchness. It is just that our awakened nature has been covered by ignorance, afflictions, etc. By now, we have gradually understood that this is how to walk the path of the Dharma.
“In accord with the principles and the truth, all Dharma is the Tathagata-garbha nature.” In accord with the principles, we enter this path and walk on it. Actually, when all of our actions come together with the Dharma we hear, that is our Tathagata-garbha nature.
Everyone intrinsically has Tathagata-nature. As the passage we read yesterday states, “This is what is in my heart, and you must understand my intent.”
Subhuti was describing the Buddha as being like the elder who wanted to approach his child. The elder gradually approached the poor son; he approached him very slowly over time [until] they could share their thoughts with each other. The elder shared that he has a full storehouse, filled with many treasures. “You can enter and leave freely and use anything you like. I am very open with you; all this belongs to you.”This conveys the Buddha’s selfless heart.“He views sentient beiges as His only son.”
Having this state of mind, the Buddha continuously found ways to help us understand all Dharma, His abundance of wisdom.From the simple, He gradually came to the profound.
From existence and the law of karma,
His analyses led to the Prajna teaching that “Everything is empty”.
After the Prajna period, He turned to teaching abut “wondrous existence,” the pure nature of True Suchness.“This is what is in my heart, and you must understand my intent.”
Everyone, we must experience the one great cause for which He came to this world, the Buddha’s original intent.He had always wanted to express that original intent.It was just that sentient beings continued to have varying capacities, so He had to teach according to capabilities.
By the time He was advanced in age, He could no long hold back.Thus He began the Lotus-Nirvana teachings, when He started to analyze how the principles He had taught in the past, had led them here, how they had steadfastly walked this path step by step.Time passes by so quickly, but He always continued to hope that everyone could “understand His intent”.We must understand that the Buddha’s mind is our mind.
We are able to [be like Him].The Buddha comes to this world to save all beings.We are also capable of immediately pooling our love together, of uniting our hearts and our efforts to help sentient beings.
The Buddha can do this, and so can we.But as for the Buddha’s wisdom, this is something we have to learn.Therefore, we must always be mindful.
Next, “Why is this so?”What is going on here?
How was it that the Buddha was able to spend so long teaching according to capabilities?
Why did He refuse to give up on sentient beings?What was His reason?It was His great compassion.
“Why is this so? Now you and I are no different, so be even more mindful to let nothing leak away and be lost.”
After His enlightenment, His first thought was, “How amazing! How amazing! All beings possess the Buddha’s nature of wisdom.”
Because of this, He hopes that everyone can return to their intrinsic nature.
All beings can be delivered, because they all have a nature of True Suchness.Because of this, “Now you can I am no different.”
I have my nature of True Suchness, and you have your nature of True Suchness.You and I are the same, so we are “no different”.There are no differences between us.
“So be even more mindful.”We must have faith in this and must be earnestly mindful.“Let nothing leak away and be lost”; we must not lose this.
Now that we know this, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must take it to heart.It cannot go in one ear and out the other.We must not take it in and immediately forget.We must truly apply and internalize the Dharma.
Life is truly filled with suffering!
So, “The Buddha’s heart is compassion and Prajna; He personally verified that all phenomena are ultimately empty in nature.”
The Buddha manifested in this world as an example, demonstrating the course of life, of birth, aging, illness and death.He showed us how He views and deals with the inequalities and suffering in this world.To resolve these problems, He wanted everyone to better comprehend that all sentient beings must be [treated] equally.Thus we have been talking about “showing compassion equally to all,” the ways in which we can exercise our compassion in order to treat all people and sentient beings equally.
We should not only love other humans, but should love all other animals as well.So, we should not eat the meat of living beings.He wanted everyone to “show compassion equally to all,” to treat sentient beings impartially, because, as the Buddha said, those transmigrating in the Six Realms, or the Five Realms and four forms of birth all have Buddha-nature.
We should really understand this.What the Buddha realized was, “All phenomena are ultimately empty in nature.”They are ultimately empty, yet sentient being keeps creating karma.The Buddha realized that “All conditional phenomena are ultimately empty and still.”
So, I often tell everyone that that the Buddha’s state of mind upon His enlightenment was a tranquil and clear state.It is a state that brings freedom and ease; it is truly wonderful state.
So, “The practices of the Bodhisattvas are for the sake of suffering beings”. They teach and guide us. If we want to reach the same state of ultimate emptiness as the Buddha and same state of ultimate emptiness as the Buddha and return to our nature of True Suchness, the most important thing is that we earnestly cultivate practices for the sake of suffering beings. This is the Bodhisattva-practice.
All conditioned phenomena are ultimately empty in nature. The practices of the Bodhisattvas are for the sake of suffering beings. This is the practice of the great Bodhisattva-path that the Buddha taught, which is to never turn from our initial vow to transform sentient beings. Thus it says, “This is what is in my heart”.
Every day, I say that we must go among people without being contaminated by them. This is like the lotus flower blossoming from mud. A Bodhisattva’s heart is just like this. So, “[It is all] for the sake of suffering beings. This is the practice of the great Bodhisattva-path that the Buddha taught”.
What the Buddha truly wanted to teach us was to walk the Bodhisattva-path. But we must put it into practice ourselves. “[It] is to never turn from our initial vow”, which is to transform sentient beings. Since we have formed these aspirations, we should seize that moment and sustain it forever.
The aspirations we formed in that instant are what we should sustain forever and also what we must put into practice. We must practice among suffering beings to relieve them of suffering.
“This is what is in my heart”. This explains the previous passage we spoke of yesterday, “This is what is in my heart”. This mindset was what the Buddha wanted to teach us. Everyone must “understand [His] intent” and comprehend the great path.
Isn’t this part of the Three Refuges that we chant every day? “I take refuge in the Buddha. May all sentient beings comprehend the great path and form the supreme aspiration”. Isn’t this what we chant both morning and evening?
“I take refuge in the Dharma. May all sentient beings delve deeply into the sutra treasury and have wisdom as vast as the ocean. I take refuge in the Sangha. May all sentient beings lead the people harmoniously without any obstructions”. Doesn’t this tell us that to deliver all beings we must exercise our wisdom and awaken our compassion?
So, we must “comprehend the great path”. We must earnestly comprehend the great path and vow to deliver all sentient beings. We must make this kind of vow. This is inseparable from being replete with the two dignified virtues of compassion and wisdom.
As we are Buddhist practitioners, we must practice compassion and go among people. Everyone manifests suffering for us to see, verifying the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. They allow us to witness the suffering of the world. From each person, we learn a different story, a different sutra. From different lives, we can realize much knowledge and wisdom.
So, “We must be replete with the “two dignified virtues of compassion and wisdom”. The Buddha had already attained Buddhahood;
He was replete with the dignity of compassion and wisdom. He had already achieved these two virtues, so this is what we must learn from the Buddha.
“Wisdom” is “seeking Bodhi”; it is considered benefiting oneself. We must continuously listen to the Dharma and better understand it; this benefits ourselves. “Compassion” is “transforming sentient beings”; this is considered benefiting others. We must put what we learn into practice; only then are we able to achieve the state of being replete with.
Thus, we have begun to learn to “exercise both compassion and wisdom. We seek the Buddha’s Way and transform sentient beings. You can teach Prajna sutras to people like this”.
“You can teach Prajna sutras to people like this, to turn to the Bodhisattva teachings”.
Do you still remember that, previously, in the Chapter on Parables, it continuously states that we can only teach this Dharma to certain kinds of people? If people cannot understand it, we should not teach it to them. There are many things like this that we should understand.
By “teaching Prajna sutras”, the Buddha turned the principles of emptiness into the Bodhisattva-path. After people understood the principles and achieved wisdom, He helped them awaken their compassion. Thus He said, “Now you and I are no different”. This contains four meanings.
“Now you and I are no different: This has four meanings. First, their liberation is no different. Second, their realization of the principles is no different. Third, their teaching of Dharma is no different. Fourth, the father and the son are no different.”
The first is, “Their liberation is no different”. If the Buddha can be liberated and can awaken, we likewise can be liberated and can awaken. If we can have compassion like the Buddha’s, we engage in spiritual practice for the sake of sentient beings. For the sake of relieving the suffering of sentient beings, we engage in spiritual practice and thus awaken.
If we are able to do this, then our liberation will be no different from His.
Thus, “Their liberation is no different.” “Practitioners of the Three Vehicles sit together upon the bed of liberation.”
Whether they are Hearers, Solitary Realizers or Bodhisattvas, these practitioners of the Three Vehicles can begin to move forward, step by step. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature; everyone is equal. They “sit together upon the bed of liberation; they all eradicate delusions of ignorance.
To sit on this bed, there is just one requirement. We must eradicate all delusions of ignorance and not give rise to afflictions or to discursive thoughts.
Second, “Their realization of the principles is no different.” All principles are the same; they are equal. “All Dharma is thus; therefore it is said they are no different.”
All Dharma is the same, whether it is the law of karma, Prajna teachings, Avatamsaka teachings, Lotus-Nirvana teachings or Vaipulya teachings. The principles are all the same. It depends on how we hear and absorb them.
Thus, “All Dharma is thus; therefore it is said they are no different.” Our capabilities determine how we learn and how we practice.
Third, “Their teaching of Dharma is no different.” After “receiving the Buddha’s teachings, they teach and transmit Prajna sutras.” “Thus their teaching is no different.”
We must earnestly accept the Buddha’s teachings. The Dharma has been passed down up till now, for more than 2000 years. This Dharma is not any different, but it depends on people to transmit it. Thus, our mission is to transmit the Dharma, more importantly, to transmit teachings of wisdom.
“They teach and transmit Prajna sutra. Thus their teaching is no different.” We should therefore be mindful.
Fourth, “The father and the son are no different.” At this time, when it comes to the Dharma, “listening to Dharma has led then to understand and transmit the Dharma-lineage.” The father and son’s intrinsic nature are fundamentally no different.
No matter what era we live in, as long as we can experience the Dharma, if we can take Dharma to heart, if we can be one with the principles that the Buddha had awakened to, then the Dharma-lineage is being passed down. Spiritual principles are passed down through the Dharma-lineage. This is like how father and son are fundamentally no different.
Whether bloodline or Dharma-line, blood-lineage or Dharma-lineage, if they can be passed down through generations, then they will not differ.
So, the sutra stated, “Be even more mindful to let nothing leak away and be lost.” We should be mindful and let nothing be lost. This is two meanings. The first is in terms of the teachings. What should be taught? Of course, the Buddha came to teach the Bodhisattva Way and guide everyone to give rise to Bodhicitta and walk the Bodhisattva-path; this must not be lost.
Second, in terms of the principles, “There are things we all intrinsically have and thus cannot be lost.
Everyone intrinsically has a pure nature of true Suchness equal to the Buddha’s; we cannot lose it He told us that we cannot lose our pure nature of True Suchness. Before, He taught us to walk the Bodhisattva-path.
Now, He reminds us that this pure nature of True Suchness is something we all intrinsically have. It is not something people can to teach us, nor is it something other people can give us, nor something the Buddha specifically gave. It is something we all intrinsically have. We intrinsically have wisdom equal to His, this pure and undefiled Buddha-nature. This is something everyone intrinsically has.
So, we must take good care of our nature of True Suchness and avoid allowing it to be polluted. This is something “that cannot be lost.” We must not attract ignorance that [covers] our pure nature of True Suchness.
Thus, “the merits from benefiting both ourselves and others are what we must always maintain. So, “Let nothing leak away and be lost.”
Everyone as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must be mindful. The Buddha-Dharma has always been in our daily living. The awakened Buddha-nature has always been an intrinsic part of everyone’s minds. We must take good care of it to ensure it is pure and does not get lost. Therefore, we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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