Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Buddha’s Compassion and Earnestness (佛慈慇切引眾開解)
Date: August.18. 2016
“The Buddha’s loving-kindness and compassion led Him to act with deep sincerity. With compassion and earnestness, He opened and revealed the Buddha’s understanding and views. He opened and revealed the true principles so we can awaken to and enter pure True Suchness. He guides all sentient beings to enter the state of Buddhahood.”
Let us be even more mindful to comprehend the Buddha’s original intent. The Buddha’s mind is one of compassion; He has empathy for sentient beings. He acts with deep sincerity because He has compassion for them. So, the Buddha practiced for countless kalpas to reach this goal. Once He attained Buddhahood, His one great cause was to universally give the Dharma to all sentient beings.
This is the Buddha’s loving-kindness and compassion. The Buddha felt that while He had already attained Buddhahood and realized that everyone intrinsically has a nature of True Suchness, unfortunately sentient beings were still filled with afflictions and ignorance. So, the Buddha felt “compassion and earnestness;” it was with earnestness that He gave teachings. He opened and revealed the understanding and views equal to the Buddha’s that everyone intrinsically possesses.
Thus, “He opened and revealed the true principles so we can awaken to and enter pure True Suchness.” He spent a long time on this. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He spent more than 40 years earnestly guiding and teaching according to our capabilities. In this way, the Buddha opened and revealed one teaching after another, pointing out one thing after another, all for the purpose of helping us to realize the true principles. These true principles, these truths, are what He hoped everyone could realize and enter in order to turn from the wrong path they were on toward the path to enlightenment of True Suchness, which is the great, direct Bodhi-path. For this, we need the Buddha to teach us; not only do we need Him to teach us, we also need Him to patiently guide and direct us.
“He guides all sentient beings to enter the state of Buddhahood.” He helps put our minds at ease. He not only gives us teachings, but also patiently guides us. He hopes that all of us can enter the state of Buddhahood, can enter the same state as the Buddha. This is the Buddha’s compassion. He only hopes that all beings can comprehend His original intent and the mindset He opened and revealed. [He hopes] we sentient beings can draw near the Buddha-mind and even be able to realize what He opened and revealed. So, the Dharma opened and revealed by the Buddha is what sentient beings must realize and enter. This was the Buddha’s only wish.
Thus, the previous sutra passage states, “Knowing this, the Buddha, having observed their desires, would protect sentient beings. This is why He would not immediately teach them all-encompassing wisdom.”
Helping sentient beings eliminate the delusions they have not yet eliminated requires teaching according to their capacities, adapting to their great or limited capabilities. Giving them the Dharma is not easy. This was all for the protection of sentient beings.
The Dharma has to be just right so that it will not be twisted or misunderstood; that would not [bring the] benefits of the Dharma. So, for the Buddha’s teachings to benefit sentient beings, He had to observe their capabilities. Could they accept and apply this Dharma? The Buddha needed His disciples to widely transform sentient beings. When His disciples went among people, could they avoid being contaminated? The Buddha had to consider all these things.
So, [the Buddha] “would protect sentient beings.” “This is why He would not immediately teach them all-encompassing wisdom.” He knew that sentient beings would not be able to accept [the Dharma]. So, He had to contemplate this. Only then did He decide to go to Deer Park. Beginning with “suffering, causation, cessation and the Path,” He gave one teaching after another. He did this for more than 40 years. With His understanding of their capabilities, these were to teachings he felt they could apply.
The next sutra passage states, “You and the others, Kasyapa, are profoundly extraordinary. You can understand the Tathagata’s skillful and suitable teachings and are able to believe and accept them. Why is this so? The skillful and suitable teachings of all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, are very difficult to understand.”
This passage expresses that the Buddha was still praising the depth and profundity of the Dharma. To truly comprehend the Dharma is in fact difficult; it is hard to know. When it comes to all things in the universe, all matters, objects and principles, thoroughly understanding them is very difficult!
This is why He continued to praise [the Dharma]. In this next sutra passage, He again praised Venerable Kasyapa and the three others. [The Buddha] praised them again. He even told everyone that the Dharma is extremely profound and difficult to understand, yet He praised Venerable Kasyapa and the other three for being able to understand it.
The Buddha had always praised and affirmed Venerable Kasyapa. In the [Ekotarra] Agama Sutra, there is a passage on an interaction between the Buddha and Venerabel Kasyapa. It tells of when the Buddha was in Jeta Grove and Venerable Kasyapa was at a remote place far away. After traveling a long way, he was finally close to Jeta Grove. Many who did not recognize him felt a sense of aversion toward him; this was because he was dressed in rags. He looked very sloppy, very unkempt.
When the Buddha saw that he arrived this way, He had a thought. How could He help everyone give rise to respect for Venerable Kasyapa? So, when He saw Kasyapa slowly approaching, right before he prostrated and the Buddha said, “Come, come, Kasyapa, Sit here next to me.”
Venerable Kasyapa knelt known before the Buddha very respectfully and said to the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, you are my master, and I am your disciple. How can I sit right next to you?” So, he went to find a seat of his own and sat down. Then the Buddha said to everyone, “After I felt the lay life, I continuously engaged in spiritual practice. I sat in meditation, in quiet contemplation. I had obtained the initial, second and third fruits, until loving-kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity and the truths of all things in this vast universe entered my mind. At the same time, Venerable Kasyapa was also engaging unspiritual practice. He was at about the same level as me. Through silent contemplation, he had also obtained the initial and second fruits and was gradually advancing [in his practice]. As we engaged in spiritual practice, his thinking was more or less the same as mine. It was just that I wakened before he did and was able to become one with all things in the universe; this is called great enlightenment.”
The Buddha affirmed Kasyapa and praised his purity of mind, which was completely different from his external appearance. “You should not be doubtful of him. All of you should respect him. This was the Buddha’s compassion.
The sutra states, “You and the others, kasyapa are profoundly extraordinary.” This sutra passage praise Kasyapa, Subhuti, Katyayana and Maudgalyayana. He praised these fore people. This was because the Dharma was so profound, yet these four disciples had average capabilities. There were also those around them, those of limited capabilities, or Hearers. They all “sat before the Buddha.” These people had all sat before the Buddha, listening to the Dharma. For a long time, they had all listened to verbal teachings of the Dharma, to analogies, expressions, etc..
Still, no one could thoroughly understand, so the Buddha used all kinds of skillful means; He taught everyone with skillful means “His skillful and suitable teachings” were adapted to the capabilities of sentient beings. This was what He did in the past, and now?
Kasyapa and the others “were able to believe and accept them.” So many people were listening to the Dharma, but these four “were able to believe and accept them.”
You and the others, Kasyapa, are profoundly extraordinary: This refers directly to those four of average capabilities and the Hearers by their side of limited capabilities, who all had sat before the Buddha listening to the teachings of expressions and analogies. Since they are able to believe and accept the Tathagata’s skillful means, His skillful and suitable teachings, they no longer lingered with the small fruits. They put aside the provisional to enter the true and turn from the small toward the Great. The Buddha praised them in particular as profoundly extraordinary. Their understanding that the provisional came from the true, and that the Three were revealed from the One, was profoundly extraordinary.
Although in the past the Buddha had given skillful and suitable teachings, now at this time, these four disciples were finally able to “believe and accept” and no longer linger with the small fruits.” The four disciples gave up the Small Vehicle and began to enter the Great vehicle. They had already “put aside the provisional to enter the true and turned from the Small toward the great.” They had turned from the Small Vehicle to the Great Vehicle, so the Buddha especially praised them as profoundly extraordinary,” because they “understood that the provisional came from the true.
They understood that though the Buddha taught the One True Vehicle, to suit sentient beings’ capabilities. He gave provisional teachings. Now they had all understood that “The Three were revealed from the one.” Fundamentally, there is only one kind of Dharma, the One True Vehicle; He just opened it up more broadly, using the Three Vehicles to suit their capabilities.
So, now they all understood that the Buddha gave provisional teachings for the goal of returning to the One Vehicle.
Thus the Buddha praised them as extraordinary. Among the myriad of people at the assembly, these four disciples had already understood. So the Buddha was very happy. “You can understand the Tathagata’s skillful and suitable teachings.” He praised them for understanding. So, this was extraordinary.
This is because they had “the ability to understand, to understand that all Buddhas share the same path to understand that all Buddha share the same path. Understanding the truths of the Buddha is the same as thoroughly understanding the principles of all Buddhas, [taught through] “skillful and suitable teachings.” Are the capabilities of sentient beings able to accept these teachings at this time? What kind of teachings can be taught? So, “They were taught according to capabilities;” their capabilities would determine the Dharma that they could accept.
Thus when the Buddha teaches sentient beings, He did not give fixed teachings. He taught and transformed them according to their capabilities.
You can understand the Tathagata’s skillful and suitable teachings: He praised as extraordinary their ability to understand the skillful and suitable teachings of all Buddhas. As they were taught according to capabilities, there are no fixed teachings.
kasyapa and the others could now believe and accept [it]. Now, they could believe and accept [it]. Today, the Buddha had already “opened up the provisional to reveal the true” and “merged the Three to return to the One.” They were “able to believe, accept and understand” without any defiance. They had already understood; they accepted the Dharma completely.
So, “Without any defiance, [they] could also practice according to the teachings [and] could attain realization of the fruits.” The Buddha verified this for them.
Those that could “end cyclic existence were even more extraordinary.” They had eliminated all their afflictions [of delusions and views]. He saw that they had already attained the fruit of Arhatship. They had eliminated their afflictions and now they were starting to eradicate their dust-like delusions. They were willing to accept going among people and their turbidities to purify sentient beings and guide and teach them. This was the Buddha’s praise for them.
[You] are able to believe and accept them: when today, the Buddha opened the provisional to reveal the true and merged the Three to return to the One, they were able to believe, accept and understand without any defiance and could also practice according to the teachings. They could attain realization of the fruits and end cyclic existence. This is even more extraordinary.
“Why is this so?” “All Buddhas, the World Honored Once, gave skillful and suitable teachings.” Why did the Buddha take the One Vehicle and turn it into the Five Vehicles? To teach according to capabilities. If they are able to accept them, He follows their capabilities, their causes and conditions, to give them teachings.
To teach the Dharma skillfully and suitably means to skillfully follow the needs of sentient beings and their capabilities. This was “the way the Tathagata taught all kinds of Dharma.” Whether partial, complete, immediate or gradual, “All were suited to sentient beings’ capabilities. According to their capabilities, they were all enabled to understand.”
Some people had great capabilities, so the Buddha taught the complete teachings with one voice to help everyone completely accept [the Dharma]. If their capabilities were limited, the Buddha would teach them in stages.
He gave either “immediate” or “gradual” teachings. This was the way the Buddha taught according to capabilities. “Immediate” refers to sharp capabilities, to people with sharp capabilities. As for “gradual” [teachings], those were for people who took things slowly. This was how the Buddha taught skillfully and suitably. “All were suited to sentient beings’ capabilities. According to their capabilities, they were all enabled to understand.”
To One Dharma from the Buddha was received and used according to the capabilities of sentient beings. This was the Buddha’s wisdom in the way that He opened and revealed teachings.
When it comes to the Dharma, the Dharma is in fact very profound and difficult to understand.
[It is] very difficult to understand: The teachings of the Five Vehicles are the wondrous application of the Buddha’s all-encompassing wisdom. Sentient beings who have not yet attained all-encompassing wisdom will have difficulties in understanding, so it is difficult for them to awaken and enter.
[The Dharma] is difficult to understand. Because sentient beings have five kinds of capabilities, the Buddha made use of different teachings. According to their different environments, karmic conditions, capabilities and so on, He gave the teachings of the Five Vehicles. This is the wondrous application of the Buddha’s all-encompassing wisdom so that practitioners of varying capabilities could have a way to thoroughly understand and take the Dharma to heart, then put it into practice in their daily living. Sentient beings who have not yet attained all-encompassing wisdom find it difficult to understand.
So, the Buddha had to teach according to capabilities to help all sentient beings to become equal to Him, to reach the state of Buddhahood. Because it is very hard to understand, it is even more difficult to realize and enter.
So, in the Chapter on Skillful Means, there is this sutra passage, “The wisdom of all Buddhas is extremely profound and unlimited. This wisdom-door is difficult to understand and enter.”
In the Chapter on Skillful Means, this is what the Buddha said.
Dear Bodhisattvas, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must truly form great aspirations and make great vows. “The Buddha’s loving-kindness and compassion led Him to act with deep sincerity.” We must also learn to be like the Buddha, to have loving-kindness and compassion and act with deep sincerity. We should also walk the same path. By respecting our intrinsic Buddha-nature, we can help everyone understand that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature.
So, we must learn from the Buddha, learn to go among the people like Him to guide everyone to earnestly comprehend the Buddha-Dharma and reach the state of Buddhahood, which is to return to our Tathagata-nature. So, we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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