Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Purifying Practices for Attaining Buddhahood (淨修梵行 當得作佛)
Date: October.14. 2016
“We must awaken to the true principles of our nature. The body of our nature is the Dharma-body. The true and pure Dharma of all Tathagatas is deep and clear, ever tranquil and complete. With boundless true merits and virtues, the Buddha [teaches] all Dharma with the nature of equality.”
Everyone, we listen to the Dharma daily, but have we taken it to heart? Have we looked within ourselves to find our [true] nature? What exactly is our nature?
For a long time I have repeatedly emphasized the true principles of our nature. I have continually stressed this. Each and every one of us intrinsically has a nature of True Suchness. I wish for everyone to more thoroughly understand that the true principles abide in our minds. This true principle of our nature of True Suchness pervades the universe and all Dharma-realms. This principle is what we should mindfully seek out. How can the True Suchness within us merge with the true principles of the universe? This is what the Buddha came to the world to teach us, so that when our minds are in a state of purity we can experience the principles of all things in the world. He hoped our minds would be clear so that we understand all things, tangible or intangible, have their own nature; all contain their own principles.
“The body of our nature is the Dharma-body.” We inherently have this nature of True Suchness, which is wisdom equal to that of the Buddha; our minds can understand all things clearly. I hope that in our spiritual practice we can eliminate our hindrances and awaken to the true principles of our nature. We must not allow ourselves to be hindered. We must understand our own nature, which is the Dharma-body. The Dharma-body is the true principles. With it, we can universally grasp and understand the nature of all phenomena. We can understand everything. This is what we strive for in spiritual practice. So, “the true and pure Dharma of all Tathagatas” is the true and pure teachings of the Buddha.
What does the true and pure Dharma of all Tathagatas look like? “It is deep and clear, ever tranquil and complete.” Their minds are very tranquil and serene, just like the surface of a mirror which can reflect an open and spacious state. This mirror of the mind is intrinsic to all of us, but [layer after layer] of ignorance and filth has tainted the mirror and turned it black. Is the mirror itself damaged in any way? It is not damaged at all. Its radiance is retained inside. As long as we can mindfully keep polishing the mirror, it will naturally remain clean. The mirror’s intrinsic quality is to reflect the outside world. The same principle applies to us; our intrinsic nature is deep and clear, ever-tranquil and complete. Everyone intrinsically has it. It is equally present in everyone.
This is why the Buddha wanted all of us to gradually eliminate our ignorance and nurture our wisdom bit by bit. This was the sincere intention the Buddha had towards sentient beings.
“With boundless true merits and virtues, the Buddha [teaches] the Dharma with the nature of equality.” For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha [accumulated] boundless merits and virtues. Lifetime after lifetime, kalpa after kalpa, the Buddha was always mindful of sentient beings. This was His true, original intent. His true, original intent was to come to the world lifetime after lifetime and continually accumulate merits and virtues through internal cultivation and external practice and by treating all sentient beings equally.
The previous sutra passage was the end of a section. It was the end of the long-form prose section in which the Buddha had already finished bestowing predictions of Buddhahood upon Venerable Kasyapa. However, He now repeated [His teaching].
“Wishing to restate His meaning, [He] then spoke in verse. I announce to you bhiksus, with my Buddha-eyes I see that Kasyapa, in a future lifetime after countless kalpas, will become a Buddha.”
He said this to everyone once more. Perhaps some had arrived late, taking their time. They were not earnestly listening to the Dharma; they were taking their time. These people who were taking it slow had not heard. The Buddha in His compassion [felt that ] although they had only just arrived, the prediction for Kasyapa was very important, so He repeated it again for them. Perhaps there were those who had poor memory or who did not have very a sharp understanding, so He repeated it for them again. These were the verses He spoke Kasyapa, in future lifetimes, “[will pass through] countless kalpas.” He still needs to go through a very long time, because he must still meet 300 trillion Buddhas and in Their presence receive the teachings and accumulate merits and virtues.
He still needs to form good affinities with others and undergo training by going among people in order to develop his wisdom. So, he will have to learn from so many Buddhas. Thus, “After countless kalpas, he will become a Buddha.” He, too, will attain Buddhahood in the future.
This is how the verse continues. “In his future lifetimes, he will make offerings to, serve and meet 300 trillion Buddhas, World-Honored Ones. For the sake of [perfecting] Buddha-wisdom, he will cultivate purifying Brahma-conduct and make offerings to the supreme. Two-Footed Honored Ones.”
He must sill undergo this process of making offerings to 300 trillion Buddhas. Since all Buddhas share the same path, he will highly respect all of them. He will revere the wisdom of those Buddhas and cultivate Brahma-conduct at Their feet, just as he did under Sakyamuni Buddha. When he first made his aspirations, he would cultivate purifying practices “and make offerings to the supreme. Two-Footed Honored Ones.” He will use purifying practices to make offerings to each of those Buddhas.
What each Buddha teaches him, he will wholeheartedly accept, uphold and put into practice. These are the most supreme offerings. He does not make physical offerings. With his utmost reverence, he puts the teachings into practice to make offerings to the Two-Footed Honored Ones. They are Great Enlightened Ones, the ones replete with both blessings and wisdom.
In his future lifetimes, he will make offerings to, serve and meet 300 trillion Buddhas, World-Honored Ones. From what he has already done in the past, he will in the future be able to serve and meet many Buddhas 300 trillion: That is the number he will meet.
“From what he has already done in the past, he will in the future be able to serve and meet many Buddhas.” Whether in the past or in the future, he will surely meet many Buddhas life after life. Those Buddhas’ teachings of True Suchness will continually remain in his heart for all his subsequent lifetimes. “300 trillion” is certainly a large number. This is what we must undergo in the course of our spiritual practice.
“For the sake of [perfecting] Buddha-wisdom, he will cultivate purifying Brahma-conduct.” For the sake of [perfecting] Buddha-wisdom, he will cultivate purifying Brahma-conduct: The verses proclaim that by cultivating wisdom with the Dharma, his purifying practices completely encompass the Six Paramitas.
We have often spoken of “Brahma-conduct.” We must earnestly cultivate our wisdom if we want to cultivate purifying practices. We should understand this teaching clearly. “For the sake of [perfecting] Buddha-wisdom, he will cultivate purifying Brahma-conduct.” This is the meaning of repeating the teachings, to help everyone more deeply understand. Wisdom is cultivated through purifying practices. If our mirror is not wiped clean, it cannot reflect the outside world. Only with wisdom can we have that extreme clarity. “Brahma-conduct” specifically refers to cultivating purifying practices. This can only be done through the Six Paramitas of giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. This must be done among people. We go among people in order to attain Buddhahood. To achieve the wisdom of the Buddha, [one’s practice] must “completely encompass the Six Paramitas.” Brahma-conduct does not mean avoiding interactions with others in order to remain pure, no. it requires us to go among others and interact with them without becoming defiled in the process.
So, if we are able to practice giving, as well as upholding the precepts and being diligent and patient, then while we are in this world, we naturally will be able to master our cultivation of contemplation. We must thoroughly understand and earnestly contemplate. What methods can we use as we go among people while not being influenced by them? Cultivating contemplation is Samadhi. Our wisdom arises through the power of Samadhi. This is the Dharma.
So, [he did this] “for the sake of perfecting Buddha-wisdom.” To cultivate Brahma-conduct, we must practice the Six Paramitas, and they must be practiced among others. So, “He will purify his body and mind and cultivate all purifying practices. We must be pure in body and mind as we go among others to cultivate various purifying practices. Without turbidity, how could there be purity? Even amidst the turbidity of others, we must maintain our purity. Doing so takes effort; this is our spiritual practice.
It also says, “The depth and breadth of the Tathagata’s wisdom is like a deep, expansive and bottomless ocean.” The Tathagata’s wisdom is just like an ocean; it is both deep and expansive. The Tathagata’s wisdom comes from “cultivating purifying Brahma-conduct.”
“Cultivating purifying Brahma-conduct” refers to “the practices monastics use to be freed from desires. We must know that every Buddha of the Three Periods becomes a monastic and cultivates purifying practices to attain perfect enlightenment.”
Every Buddha, before attaining Buddhahood, must definitely be a monastic first. Becoming a monastic means that we will forsake limited love and selfish desire, the desires related to having a family. Thus, we are able to concentrate; we must abandon our limited love in favor of great love for all the world’s sentient beings. Generations of Dharma Masters and past and future Buddhas all have to become monastics. Only then could they shoulder the Buddha-Dharma for the sake of the world’s sentient beings.
“Every Buddha of the Three Periods becomes a monastic and cultivates purifying practices to attain perfect enlightenment.” All Buddhas in the past and future are the same. Thus, we say all Buddhas share the same path. It is the same path that everyone walks. It starts with the resolve to engage in spiritual practice. Once they renounce the lay life and become disciples of the Buddha, they become Sakyamuni Tathagata’s great family and work for the world’s sentient beings. When it comes to family, all the world is their family. When it comes to thoughts, all their thoughts were for the world. Thus, Kasyapa will “make offerings to the supreme. “Two-Footed Honored Once. This is because all Buddhas relinquish Their families in order to concentrate on spiritual practice and cultivate Their blessings and wisdom among others lifetime after lifetime. They follow this path for countless kalpas. Therefore, they are worthy of our “making offerings to the supreme Two-Footed Honored Ones.”
They are replete with blessings and wisdom. So, “The mind is what can give offerings to the Two-footed Honored Ones of blessings and wisdom, [to] the supreme World-Honored Ones.” We use our minds to give sincere offerings to the Two-footed Honored One, who have blessings and wisdom. Thus, it is with sincerity that we make offerings and practice according to the teachings.
Next it continues, “He cultivated and practiced all kinds of unsurpassed wisdom. In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddhahood.”
This passage is saying that, through this kind of spiritual practice, through cultivating and practicing all kinds of unsurpassed wisdom, he will, in his final incarnation, attain Buddhahood. Though it may take a very long time, if he continues on wholeheartedly in this way and his mind remains undefiled, no matter how long it takes he will ultimately attain Buddhahood. This is “cultivating and practicing all kinds.”
[He] cultivated and practiced all kinds: Having been deluded for a long time, we destroy our own mind of goodness. Now that we have begun to awaken and understand, we return to our original nature. This is called cultivating. Gradually improving and advancing is called practicing.
[He] cultivated and practiced all kinds. “Having been deluded for a long time, we destroy our own mind of goodness.” So, “Now we have begun to awaken and understand.” This is saying that we, as ordinary people, have been deluded for a very long time, lost in the state of unenlightened beings. Our minds have become defiled, and it is we ourselves who have created our own defilement. By now, we have cause and conditions that enable us “to begin to awaken and understand.”
Now, after having truly listened to the Buddha-Dharma, we have begun to understand all of this. So, “We return to our original nature.” Now that we understand, we recover our pure intrinsic nature.
Our pure intrinsic nature, this pure enlightened essence, is the true principles. Now we understand all of this. “This is called cultivating.” Having understood, we begin to be diligent and put effort into our practice in order to “gradually improve advance.” We advance step by step. Even if it takes a very long time and we have to serve 300 trillion Buddhas and engage in practice under all those Buddhas, as long as our thoughts are pure and we advance step by step, naturally we will recover our intrinsic nature and develop our wisdom. Then, this is “unsurpassed wisdom.”
Unsurpassed wisdom: the wisdom of realizing everything is called unsurpassed wisdom. This refers to how those cultivating the Two Paths and Five Bodhis can attain the Buddha’s unsurpassed wisdom.
“Unsurpassed wisdom” is “the wisdom of realizing everything.” Through practice, we comprehend and understand. When it comes to wisdom, there is impartial wisdom and discerning wisdom. With discerning wisdom, we know right from wrong. When we attain impartial wisdom, we treat all with equality. This equality means we view all with impartial compassion. That is, when we are replete with wisdom, we naturally view all equally with compassion. This is Buddha-wisdom, which we call unsurpassed wisdom. “This refers to how those cultivating the Two Paths and Five Bodhis can attain the Buddha’s unsurpassed wisdom.”
In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddhahood: In his final incarnation of equal enlightenment, he will attain perfect enlightenment. The final incarnation is the lifetime in which one attains enlightenment. Thus it is called the final incarnation.
In his final incarnation “he will attain Buddhahood.” In the end, after achieving Bodhi, he will naturally attain his “final incarnation.” When he returns to the world in his final incarnation he will attain Buddhahood.
Thus, equal enlightenment is reached in our final incarnation; we will then attain perfect enlightenment. At the end of our spiritual practice, we will have eliminated all of our afflictions and all our dust-like ignorance and delusions. Our impartial compassion will have reached its highest level, above “all I have seen in the world.”
This Dharma will pervade the entire universe and all Dharma-realms. “Of all I have seen in the world, there is nothing at all that is like the Buddha.” Wisdom like this marks the attainment of perfect enlightenment. Equal enlightenment is attained. This is when one attains Buddhahood. The power to do this begins in our own minds. This is why we just said that “We must awaken to the true principles of our nature.” We should always try to understand that our nature is something so close to our heart. It is that close. Every day and every moment, our bodies and minds our bodies and minds come into contact with the outside world, which cause us to worry or feel happy. All these are related to external phenomena.
This is to say, in our daily living, there are many things we must interact and deal with. Have we really awakened to our nature? When it comes to the principles surrounding us, have we actually come to understand them?
So, shouldn’t we be very mindful? Only then will we be able to achieve boundless and true merits and virtues and reach a state of [teaching] all Dharma with the nature of equality, of bringing purity to people’s minds. We must all strive for radiance in our minds and not allow our minds to grow dark. This depends on the aspirations we form and whether we use our sincerity to share with and purify sentient beings. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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