Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Resonating with the Buddha’s Wisdom (契佛智慧蒙佛授記)
Date: November.03. 2016
“The Buddha’s wisdom reaches true emptiness and wondrous existence of the aggregate of action. He came for the sake of one great cause, to open and reveal to sentient beings so they can realize the Buddha’s understanding and views. Resonating with the Buddha’s wisdom, they look forward to receiving predictions.”
We must deeply comprehend and mindfully seek to understand that with the Buddha’s wisdom, He has already become one with the true emptiness of the universe.
The universe’s true emptiness and all existence, all things, matters and principles, are entirely contained within the Buddha’s wisdom. The Buddha’s wisdom permeates the entire universe.
So, “The Buddha’s wisdom reaches true emptiness” yet also “wondrous existence of the aggregate of action.”
Throughout countless kalpas, everything He did was for sentient beings. So, lifetime after lifetime, He exercised the merits that He had accumulated. Wondrous existence is something very intricate, wondrous and subtle. That which is accumulated over many lifetimes is called an “aggregate”.
This “aggregate” is the continual accumulation of this wondrous existence over many lifetimes. Wondrous existence is blessings, virtues and wisdom. This accumulated aggregate of action gathers all blessings, virtues and wisdom.
This “action” is an extremely subtle thing. I often tell everyone that relationships, space and time are all experiencing infinitesimal changes.
“Aggregate” means accumulation. The principle of all things in the world is that the convergence of many subtle things determines their arising and ceasing. Therefore all arising and ceasing happens through the aggregate of action. This is wondrous existence.
The Buddha with His wisdom made use of space and time and continuously came back to this world to life after life to create causes and conditions, blessed causes and blessed conditions, among the people and perfect His wisdom among the people. This continual accumulation is what we call “wondrous existence of the aggregate of action.”
Why did He do this? He came for one great cause. His one great cause was entirely for the sake of sentient beings. So, life after life He opened and revealed [the Dharma] for sentient beings in the hope that sentient beings can awaken to His understanding and views.
However, sentient beings are [covered by] ignorance and afflictions. Clearly, the Buddha-Dharma is right in front of us. We know that by changing our thoughts, we can transform evil into good. By opening the door of our hearts, how could there be any resentment, enmity of hatred? How could there be these kinds of mindsets?
When our hearts are open, we will have no greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance or doubt. We will naturally hold no grudges. If we can accomplish this, we will have the Buddha’s understanding and views and will have eliminated our afflictive emotions.
Once we all resonate with the Buddha-wisdom, the Buddha can bestow predictions on us. Among the disciples of the Buddha, some had already realized this. However, if we think about it, the Buddha was getting advanced in years, and the disciples who had been with Him for over 40 years were also aging. They were already quite advanced in age when they began forming aspirations. They expressed that, “We have now understood this seed.We have resonated with the Buddah’s wisdom and understood it. We have experienced and understood the Buddha’s wisdom and the Buddha’s mind. The practices we cultivated in the past enabled us to get rid of our afflictions. Now, we form great aspirations and make great vows. Thought in this lifetime we are already old, we can begin again in the next life.”
So, the previous verse says,
“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 sutra verse makes the analogy of someone from a poor country who has nothing to eat and has traveled a very long way.He comes to this country and [when he gets there], he is suddenly invited to a king’s feast.
He thinks, “Is all this abundant food really for me to eat?”He does not dare to eat because the king had not yet issued a command.Thus, he does not dare to eat.
This is like how, in their spiritual practice the disciples had practiced in this way.In the past, they only sought to awaken themselves and had already eliminated their afflictions.Now, the Buddha used a stronger tone to teach them.They now understood and formed aspirations.They comprehended the Buddha’s intent.
However, the Buddha had previously bestowed predictions of Buddhahood on Sariputra and later also on Venerable Kasyapa.
“What about us? We too have attained the same realizations as Venerable Kasyapa. Why has [the Buddha] not called upon us yet?”
It was like they had an abundant meal right in front of them.They already knew that their wisdom was equivalent to that of the Buddha, that the true principles of the universe and all things in the world are like this.They had understood these things, but was their understanding very thorough?
If their understanding was thorough, would they have the chance to attain Buddhahood in the future?Now they wanted to hear the confirmation straight from the Buddha’s mouth that they too could attain Buddhahood.
Now they needed the Buddha to verify this.
So, “We are also like this. All our thoughts had the errors of the Small Vehicle.”
They thought of their practice of the Small Vehicle in the past, which was only about benefiting themselves.
“We did not know how we should attain the Buddha’s supreme wisdom.”
Actually, they did not know how to experience the truth of the Buddha-mind.
So, “Though we heard the Buddha’s voice telling us that we could attain Buddhahood…”
Although the Buddha often taught that everyone could attain Buddhahood, they themselves were unable to comprehend the Buddha-mind.
So, their “minds were still filled with worry and fear, like the man who dared not eat immediately.”
In their minds, they were still uncertain about whether they could attain Buddhahood in the future.Because of this, they dared not enter the Bodhisattva-path.If they entered the Bodhisattva-path and went among the people, they feared they would be influenced by people.
So, they were “like the man who dared not eat immediately.The king has not indicated that I can eat, so I dare not eat.”
This is like if the Buddha did not confirm that whether they can attain Buddhahood in the future; they would not dare enter the Bodhisattva-path and would not dare go among people.This is what we talked about yesterday.
Now the next passage of the sutra states,
“If we could receive the Buddah’s predictions, we would quickly be put at ease and rejoice. The heroic and courageous World-Honored One constantly wishes to bring peace to the world. We pray Your will bestow predictions on us, like tellign the hungry man to eat.”
This was [their thinking].Only when they attained the Buddha’s predicitons would their midns be at ease.“We would quickly be put at ease and rejoice.”
If we could receive the Buddha’s predictions, we would quickly be put at ease and rejoice:
If the Buddha calls our name to bestow on us a prediciton of Buddhahood, at that time, we can be joyful and be put at ease.
We would quickly be put at ease and rejoice in cultivating Great Vehicle practices to attain the fruit of Buddhahood.
At that time, they would naturally be at ease.
“We would quickly be put at ease and rejoice,” then “cultivate Great Vehicle practices”.
Then, their minds would be at ease, and they could calmly take big steps to go among people and walk the Bodhisattva-path.In the future they could move toward the state of Buddhahood.
Their direction would be certain, so they would be willing to enter among people.
After walking the Bodhisattva-path, it will be time to realize the fruit of Buddhahood.
So, “The heroic and courageous World-Honored One constantly wished to bring peace to the world. The World-Honored One expounds the Dharma” to bring peace and stability to all beings, not to mention all [the disciples].Their minds were not yet at ease; they trembled in apprehension.
They had not yet received the Buddha’s predictions so their minds were not at ease.
How could they be at peace?
“The Buddha with His compassion wants to bring peace to sentient beings in the world, and we are already engaged in spiritual practice, but before we receive the Buddha’s predictions, we are still not at ease and must wait until He bestows predictions on us”.
So, “We pray You will bestow predictions on us, like telling the hungry man to eat”.
By this time everyone had listened to the Dharma. The Dharma they had heard was subtle, wondrous. “Today we have heard wondrous Dharma and predictions of Buddhahood”. Since this is so, after listening to the Buddha-Dharma, we have already taken it to heart. Then if we could receive the Buddha’s predictions, it would be like that hungry man encountering a very sumptuous feast; so, it is “like telling the hungry man to eat”.
They had engaged in spiritual practice for so long. They had practiced up until now and had already realized the true principles. They thoroughly understood the Buddha’s principles. They knew they should seek not only to benefit themselves, but also to benefit others.
So, they knew they must walk the Bodhisattva-path. They understood this. As long as the Buddha verified for them that after walking the Bodhisattva-path, at the end of the path lies Buddhahood, as long as the Buddha would verify this for them, then their minds would be put at ease. The verse passage is now finished.
Next comes the long-form prose. “At that time, the World-Honored One knew the thoughts in the minds of all His great disciples and told the bhiksus. This man Subhuti, in his future lifetimes, will serve 300 trillion, nayutas of Buddhas”.
This is very fair. For Venerable Kasyapa to attain Buddhahood, how long will it take? He must “serve 300 trillion Buddhas”.
It is the same with Subhuti. In the future he too will “serve 300 trillion, nayutas of Buddhas. A “nayuta” is a great amount. We have already grasped what the prior verses say. Now the prose begins again. This is so we know that previously it was Kasyapa receiving predictions. .
Now it is “this man, Subhuti, in his future lifetimes. Among the predictions bestowed on Subhuti”, this is “the predictions of his cause and effect”. Now he is cultivating the cause.
What will the effect be in the future? We have already told the story of Subhuti. When he was born, his home was completely emptied. At the time he was born, the treasures in the storehouses disappeared. Even more amazing was that when his mother first became pregnant with him, her [understanding] of worldly matters and things suddenly became more open. She did not take issue over any matter or thing. As she looked upon all things, she saw that they were empty and still.
Subhuti: Also called Born of Emptiness. While still in his mother’s womb, he knew the [truth] of emptiness and stillness. He is also called Venerable Good Manifestation because when he was born, he manifested a good appearance.
This was when his mother was pregnant with him. When he was in her womb, his mother’s behavior [changed]. She did not take issue over anything she saw. She saw how everything was merely a convergence [of causes and conditions]. She had the wisdom of emptiness and stillness. When he was in the womb, his mother began having this kind of wisdom.
When he was born, suddenly all the family treasures in the storehouses disappeared. Everyone was panic-stricken. His father invited a fortune-teller and learned that this was in fact an auspicious sign. Form the time Subhuti was conceived until the time he was born, there were manifestations of virtuous principles. So, he was given the name Good Appearance.
Subhuti’s other name was Good Appearance. He “will serve 300 trillion, nayutas of Buddhas”. Here, “nayutas” refers to these trillions.
These “trillions” refers to an incredibly large number; and inconceivable, immeasurable, incalculable, number, too large to be measured. This is a “nayuta”.
Nayuta: It refers to trillions. With the way numbers are used in everyday life, it is 100 quintillion.In the number system used in the sutras, every large number is the result of the previous number multiplying itself. Thus 100 million times 100 million equals 10 quadrillion, 10 quadrillion times itself is 100 nonillion. 100 nonillion times itself is 10 vigintillion. That number is called nayuta.
A “nayuta,” in terms of the numbers being used now, refers to the amount 100 quintillion. It “refers to [an amount of] 100 quintillion.”
It means a huge number beyond description. So, starting from 100 million, in the sutras, every huge numbers is the result of the previous number multiplying itself. “100 million times 100million equal 10 quadrillion. 10 quadrillion times itself is 100 nonillion. 100 nonillion times itself is 10 vigintillion.”As we keep multiplying like this it refers in a “nayuta.”
This means we must continually go among people lifetime after lifetime. We must face countless sentient beings and create good affinities, accumulate very many causes and from very many affinities, the number of them is countless and immeasurable.
We must do this for a very long time. The number is immeasurable and incalculable, unimaginable, inconceivable and uncountable. This number is so great. We must do this for a very long time.
During that long period of time, 300 trillion Buddhas will appear in the world. 300 trillion Buddha will appear in the world for 300trillion Buddhas to appear in the world? This is telling us that as spiritual practitioners. We must be patient. We must have great patience. We always speak about patience, about the need to patiently endure. If we are patient, we do not fear the long time. We never need to calculate the time.
We just do it, this is like many of our recycling Bodhisattvas. When our Da Ai television reporters go to see our recycling Bodhisattvas and ask, “Grandpa, grandma, how long have you been doing this? They say, “Master told us to do recycling so started doing it.” “It has been more than 20 years now. Grandpa, you are so old, do you still want to continue doing this?” “As long as I am alive, as long as I live and breathe. I will keep on going till I take my last breathe, or until I can’t do it any longer.”
See, so many recycling Bodhisattvas are like this. They are all advanced in years but they say, “As long as I live, I will do it until my last breathe.”
There are so many sentient beings, and so many of them are suffering. How much longer do we have to save them before the world’s suffering ends? We must always give of ourselves and do as much as our strength allows. However much time as we have, we must continue doing it for that long.
So, in order to practice the Bodhisattva-path, we need to practice the Six Perfections. Among the Six Perfections, “patience” is to patiently endure long periods of time. Since we have taken the Dharma to heart, seeds of goodness have begun sprouting in our hearts. We must take good care of this Bodhi-tree of ours.
In this world, to be able to give is a blessing. So, we must continuously benefit others and cultivate giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. We must earnestly cultivate contemplation.
We need to contemplate and concentrate our power of Samadhi and wisdom, so that in the end we naturally will attain the fruit of Buddhahood.
Thus, we need not calculate when this will occur, but rather, we must always seize the present moment and sustain it forever. If something is right, we just do it, and we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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