Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Fearful and Worried Before Being Called (未得唱名心懷憂懼)
Date: November.02. 2016
“They were like a hungry man who wants to eat; he eagerly looks forward to delicacies. He encounters a king’s feast, yet, not having been summoned, he does not dare to eat. Though they heard this confirmation, their names had not been called to receive predictions. Not knowing the name, epithet, kalpa or land, they were worried and fearful.”
We listen, see and know. If previously we were mindful, we should now be clear. The three [disciples] looked forward to receiving predictions from the Buddha. Venerable Kasyapa had already received a prediction; the remaining three, Katyayana, Subhuti and Maudgalyayana, still looked forward to the Buddha telling them clearly whether they would also attain Buddhahood. Now they waited, like a person who is very hungry. When he sees something he can eat, he would have such expectations, such longing; he would hope he can eat at once.
Let us imagine this. People with an empty stomach see many exquisite things, all delicacies of the highest quality. Where do they see these things? At a king’s feast. This is when a king wants to provide everyone with a meal. A very sumptuous [meal] is placed in front of them. Yet they have been waiting for the king’s call for a long time. Thus, everyone is hungry while looking at the delicacies in front of them. This is an analogy.
This is an analogy for how they all saw that Venerable Kasyapa had received a prediction of Buddhahood. There were still these other three, Subhuti, Katyayana and Mahamaudgalyayana. Their minds were uneasy. “Will my name be the next one that the Buddha will call? Though they heard this confirmation, their names had not been called to receive predictions.” They had heard that Kasyapa was predicted to attain Buddhahood in the future. Although they had heard this, they had not yet been called to receive predictions of Buddhahood. “Not knowing the name, epithet, kalpa or land, they were worried and fearful.”
None of them knew. They wondered, “Will I attain Buddhahood? When I attain Buddhahood, what will be my epithet as a Buddha? What will my [Dharma-]name be? How long will it take to attain Buddhahood? What will my lifespan be after attaining Buddhahood? As for the sentient beings that I will transform in my land, what kind of people will they be?” They did not know yet, so they were anxious.
These three were constantly hoping that they could be like Venerable Kasyapa and experience receiving a prediction of Buddhahood, to have the feeling of receiving a prediction.
In the previous sutra passage it says, “If You know the depths of our hearts.” This was the mindset of these three disciples. “I have now formed aspirations to directly reach the nature of True Suchness. The Buddha should understand this.” Their hopes came from “seeing those who received predictions”; they hoped the Buddha could verify this for them and bestow predictions of Buddhahood. It “is like being sprinkled with ambrosial dew, dispelling the heat and bringing coolness.”
This is like being anointed with ambrosial dew so it enters our hearts. Ambrosial dew is sweet and is also the elixir of immortality. Receiving ambrosial dew is like awakening our never-increasing and never-waning immortal nature of True Suchness. If we awaken our nature of true Suchness, that is dispelling the heat and bringing coolness.”
When ambrosial dew is taken to heart, it helps us to thoroughly understand. Deep in our minds, we have received the Dharma, as if a dense cloud of Dharma-rain has nourished our minds. The ambrosial dew awakens. We already understand this, and the Buddha already understands our minds.
The next sutra passage states, “This is like a man from a country in famine who suddenly encounters a great king’s feast. He is full of doubt and fear and dares not eat immediately. Only if he receives the king’s instruction will he then dare to eat.”
This is what they resembled, a starving man who comes from distant lands and is very hungry. He has walked the road for a long time when he suddenly encounters a great king’s feast. No one has told him that he can eat, so he hesitates.
This is an analogy for our self-doubt and fear; we still doubt ourselves, because we are just like someone from a country in famine. We happened to come upon the moment a great king was calling for a feast. “Rare dishes of many flavors cover the table and precious food is abundantly laid before him.”
Although there is delicious food spread out on the table, [the man] has not received the king’s command. The king has not called his name to summon him, so he does not dare to begin eating. “Only if he gets the royal orders summoning him will be dare accept the meal.” If his name is called and he is summoned, then he will dare to begin. Only then will he dare to begin eating.
“This is like a man from a country in famine who suddenly encounters a great king’s feast. This is an analogy for the Small Vehicle lacking the ultimate True Dharma of the Great Vehicle. A great king’s feast is an analogy for the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle, the Dharma of the Great Vehicle.”
Small Vehicle practitioners practiced only for their own benefit; that is the Small Vehicle Dharma. As for the abundant Great Dharma although they had listened to the Buddha teach it, their faith in themselves was not sufficient. Thus, they were still anxious. Though they heard the Buddha bestowing a prediction of Buddhahood on Venerable Kasyapa, the others had not yet received predictions. Was it because the Buddha did not believe in them that He had not yet summoned them to receive predictions? They had this anxious mindset.
“A great king’s feast” is an analogy for the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle, the Dharma of the Great Vehicle. It is like a great king’s feast, very rich and plentiful; this wondrous Dharma is abundant. It had already been placed before them. They had already realized this, but they had not yet been summoned by the Buddha to receive predictions of Buddhahood.
Thus, “They were full of doubt and fear.”
Now, they were anxious, as if they had seen plentiful food but dared not to eat [it]. “This describes their worry over their own lack of Great Vehicle roots of wisdom.” The Buddha had not yet verified this for them, so they were still worried that they did not have the Great Vehicle roots of wisdom. “Their insufficient share of natural gifts” means they were worried that they lacked natural gifts. “This was why they dared not accept the cultivation of the Great Vehicle and the practice of the True Dharma.”
The Buddha had not yet given them confirmation, so they dared not say that they would actually go among people.
They had aspirations but did not yet dare to put them into action.
“This was why they dared not accept the cultivation of the Great Vehicle and the practice of the True Dharma.” They needed the Buddha to verify for them before they would dare to act. “Only if he receives the king’s instruction will he then dare to eat.” Plenty of food was in front of him, but the king had not summoned him to eat. He did not dare to eat; it was just like that.
“Only if he receives the king’s instruction will he then dare to eat. This means that if we receive the Buddha’s prediction, we will rejoice in our attaining Buddhahood. Only on receiving the king’s instruction to eat does the man from a country in famine dare to eat at the king’s feast.”
If they could receive predictions from the Buddha, then they would be joyful. They would then really believe that they could attain Buddhahood. They would dare firmly walk the Bodhisattva-path, because they know that to attain Buddhahood they need to walk the Bodhisattva-path. So, “receiving the king’s instruction to eat” is the analogy of the king summoning them to eat. This would be like the Buddha bestowing predictions of Buddhahood on them. When they were sure they could attain Buddhahood, they would be able to start taking steps to do so. It was just like this.
So, “[Then] the man from a country in famine dares to eat at the king’s feast.” The man who came from a country in famine only dares to eat upon the king’s instruction. In the same way, Small Vehicle practitioners may suddenly want to turn from the Small to the Great, but they want someone to give them confirmation before they are able to turn. This how Small Vehicle practitioners can begin to turn from the Small to the Great.
The next sutra passage states, “We are also like this. All our thoughts had the errors of the Small Vehicle. We did not know how we should attain the Buddha’s supreme wisdom. Though we heard the Buddha’s voice telling us that we could attain Buddhahood, our minds were still filled with worry and fear, like the man who dared not eat immediately.”
Now, their state of mind was like this. “All our thoughts [were like this].” When they thought of the past, they recalled how they practiced the Small Vehicle. So, “we are also like this. All our thoughts had the errors of the Small Vehicle. We disciples are like that hungry man. All the time, our thinking was the cause, influenced by the errors of the Small Vehicle”.
They always heard the Buddha say, “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]. They often heard this, but they still did not dare to accept it. “We disciples are like that hungry man. All the time, our thinking was the cause, influenced by the errors of the Small Vehicle.” What they had practiced was the Small Vehicle. They always thought to themselves, “I am a Small Vehicle practitioner.” When the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle, they thought it was not for them, so they did not dare to have faith.
“We did not know how we should attain the Buddha’s supreme wisdom. In our hearts, we did not know how the practice in order to attain the Buddha’s supreme wisdom.”
They did not know how to attain the Buddha’s supreme wisdom. They truly struggled in their hearts; they stuck to the Small Vehicle but listened to the Great Vehicle Dharma. How should they practice? So, they had conflicting emotions.
Thus, “We heard the Buddha’s voice telling us that we could attain Buddhahood.” They heard the Buddha’s voice telling them they all could attain Buddhahood, that they were equal to the Buddha and intrinsically had Buddha-nature. This was what the Buddha said “This refers to the teachings He gave. In order to reveal the meanings of the Dharma, these were the analogies He used.”
They heard the Buddha’s voice. For over 40 years, He was always teaching the Dharma. When teaching the Great and Small Vehicles, the Buddha always taught according to capabilities. Lay Bodhisattva-practitioners with great capabilities were able to benefit others after hearing. They were able to put the teachings into practice.
But those who renounced the lay life only wanted to eliminate afflictions. After eliminating afflictions, they still needed to form great aspirations and practice the Great Dharma. This is the root of their spiritual practice, the root of attaining Buddhahood. So, using His voice, the Buddha began to expound the Dharma to sentient beings of the world. Thus the Buddha used many analogies.
The Buddha-Dharma is very deep, so people, matters and things are used as analogies. “The Dharma and analogies clarify the profound truth”. The Dharma and analogies were used to clarify the profound truth, the true meaning that the Dharma encompasses.
The Hearers were just there listening. The Buddha hoped they could take the Dharma to heart and eliminate afflictions, so they could attain Buddhahood in the future. After eliminating afflictions, they could then walk the Bodhisattva-path, which is the path to attaining Buddhahood. In order to attain Buddhahood, they must first eliminate afflictions and then form great aspirations. This is the path to attain Buddhahood.
Though we heard the Buddha’s voice telling us that we could attain Buddhahood: The Buddha’s voice: This refers to the teachings He gave and the analogies He used in order to reveal the meanings of the Dharma. These are also called parables, or Dharma-analogies, or Dharma-parables. They enabled all Hearers to attain Buddhahood.
However, the Small Vehicle practitioners still could not understand, so, “Our minds were still filled with worry and fear like the man who dared not eat immediately.” They had not been called to receive predictions; they did not know what their name, lifespan, land or family and followers would be. “The sentient beings I must guide in the future, what kind of capabilities will they have?” They did not know any of this, so they were worried and fearful. “Is it because my root of wisdom is not enough that the Buddha does not want to bestow predictions on me? Or is it that it is not my turn yet?” They did not know When their turn would come, so they were anxious, as if they were not able to eat yet. In their minds, “They dared not shoulder the responsibility.” They dared not shoulder the responsibility to say, “I am going to transform sentient beings.” This is like the king’s feast, they dared not eat. This is the same principle.
Our minds were still filled with worry and fear, like the man who dared not eat immediately: Not having their names called to receive predictions, not knowing the name, epithet, kalpa or land, they were worried and fearful. They dared not shoulder the responsibility. This is like the man who encountered the king’s feast yet was not summoned by name, thus he dared not eat.
As Buddhist practitioners, we must always be mindful. The Buddha was very eager to teach us. He took the deep principles and clarified them using people, matters and things. People, matters and things are in this world. Interpersonal relationships are how afflictions are formed. In people’s minds and thoughts, afflictions are stirred up. This is because of past habitual tendencies that have accumulated.
Now, we must eliminate afflictions. We also must eliminate our habitual tendencies and our ignorance. We must walk the Bodhisattva-path. If we want to attain Buddhahood but we do not walk the path, we cannot attain it. To attain Buddhahood, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path and eliminate our afflictions. If not, “When trying to transform sentient beings we are instead transformed by sentient beings.” We originally want to go among people and transform sentient beings, but instead we may be influenced by them. We may be misled by ignorance, afflictions and habitual tendencies. Then not only would we not uphold virtuous Dharma, we would also practice unwholesome teachings. This would be very troublesome.
The Buddha hoped that His disciples could eliminate their afflictions and truly go among people. Now, they would go among people. Lay Bodhisattva-practitioners practice the virtuous Dharma. They accumulate positive causes and conditions so in a future lifetime they will be able to accept the Buddha-Dharma and form aspirations to renounce the lay life. As they practice, they too will eliminate afflictions and form great aspirations to go among people. This was the Buddha’s intent.
He taught the Dharma to reveal the true principles. He used analogies so we could understand. The Buddha exercised both compassion and wisdom, so we must be very grateful for His grace. We must earnestly cherish this moment in our lives and seize this opportunity. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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