Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Perfect Blessings and Virtues of the Wise (依報共修圓滿福德)
Date: November.08. 2016
“Those with the circumstantial retributions to practice together are wise people who have perfect blessings and virtues. They all dwell on precious platforms and rare and wondrous towers adorned with many treasures. Bodhisattvas actualize the Six Perfections in all actions through extended practice and practice with reverence, accumulating provisions of blessings, virtues and wisdom through practice with no remainder and uninterrupted practice.”
As we engage in spiritual practice, are we truly putting the Dharma into practice by doing the things we should? Or, are we unwilling to give to others, only seeking our own gain? Without giving, we will not get what we seek. When we give, even without seeking, we are sure to attain.
We should not be attached to the teachings; if it is something we should do, then we simply do it every day. So, we speak of circumstantial retributions. To attain these circumstantial retributions, we must constantly engage in spiritual practice. We can live in such peace and stability, among people who all mutually support each other, so every day we should give rise to a sense of joy while mutually encouraging one another. This is our circumstantial retribution.
Without these affinities from past lives, if we had not created these blessings, then how could we live in such an environment, in such a time, such a space and with such people, and thus be able to practice together under such conditions? Being able to practice together is due to the past. The affinities we cultivated have been perfected. So, every day we are with these wise people of blessings and virtues.
Worldly blessings are found in the joy we take in giving. We have the heart to give, so whatever people need, we are willing to give to help them. This is giving.
Take Mr. U Thein Tun in Myanmar, for example. Every day before he begins cooking, he puts aside a handful of rice. There are four people his family and they save a handful of rice. As this saved rice accumulates, before long they can fill a plastic container. This way they are able to help others even poor than they are. Even in their poverty, by each family member eating a little less, they are able to help others get a full meal. This is the idea he follows.
This year, in May [2015], he moved [back] into his house. The house he moved into was completely remodeled it so it was like new. Actually, the house is quite simple, with a thatched roof and adobe walls. Nevertheless, he was jubilant, for it is very well-organized, and inside it is relatively spacious. He invited everyone over for a tea party, to come to his house for tea. This was his housewarming gathering. Everyone went to his house to drink tea.
He began telling everyone his story of finding peace in poverty and spiritual abundance. He hopes to lead others in his village to cultivate the fields of blessings together by living frugally and saving so they can thus be able to help others. This is how U Thein Tun transforms others, by using methods like these.
He said, “Every day now, I wear my gray and white [Tzu Chi] uniform.” He said, “I must be very mindful not to get these clothes dirty. My mind now is also just like this uniform I wear. Since joining Tzu Chi, I need to be very careful in my behavior, just like looking after this uniform.”
Indeed! This is a wise person. So, “Those with the circumstantial retributions to practice together are wise people who have perfect blessings and virtues.” Although he is not financially wealthy, every day he nevertheless enjoys the riches of his happiness. He not only practices this himself, but also continually shares his experiences, his accomplishments and what he has learned, thus practicing together with others. He gives everyone in his village a chance to similarly cultivate the fields of blessings, to cultivate blessings, virtue and wisdom. Look at U Thein Tun.
He renovated his house and then very proudly said, “I live in a mansion. I like it so much!” Isn’t this like how “They all dwell on precious platforms and rare and wondrous towers adorned with many treasures”? All kinds of treasures are used as decorations. From his joyful point of view, the entire house is so clean. When the space inside is so clean, anything he displays there looks like a treasure. A contented mind is always happy. This will always be true.
“Bodhisattvas actualize the Six Perfections in all actions” through extended practice and practice with reverence. In the Bodhisattva-practice, besides the Six Perfections, there are also the Four Practices, which all must be practiced extensively. While Bodhisattvas practice, they are always joyful and filled with respect. These are the Six Perfections and the Four Practices of the Bodhisattva.
They also “accumulate provisions of blessings, virtues and wisdom.” In accumulating provisions of blessings, virtues and wisdom, they must “practice with no remainder.” When it comes to good deeds, big or small, they are always willing to give. Thus, there is no “remainder” that slips away. This is “practice with no remainder.” “Uninterrupted practice” means there are no breaks. We just carry on our practice continuously. This is the Six Perfections and Four Practices. This is how we are able to attain provisions of blessings, virtues and wisdom. We must continually accumulate these.
The preceding sutra passage says, “He kalpa will be named Bearing Treasures. His land will be called Treasure Born. The land will be level, the ground made of crystal and trees of treasure will make it magnificent. There will be no hills or pits of any kind, no dirt and rocks or thorns, nor the filth of excrement. Precious flowers will cover the ground, and everything around will be clear and pure.”
We have spoken before of what Name and Appearance Tathagata attains, of what His circumstantial retributions are, and what his land is like. Next it says, “The people of that land will all dwell on precious platforms and rare and wondrous towers. The number of Hearer disciples will be countless and limitless, unknowable through calculation or analogy. The assembly of Bodhisattvas is innumerable, in the millions and billions of nayutas.”
This is starting to tell us about.Name and Appearance Tathagata’s land, how His people all live on precious platforms. They “all dwell on precious platforms.”
The people of that land will all dwell on precious platforms: In his land Treasure Born, the places where the people live are many precious platforms and towers. These all indicate the fruits of virtue accumulated over many kalpas through their causal practice.
“In his land of Treasure Born” means that [Subhuti’s] circumstantial retribution will be to have this land called Treasure Born. All the people in this land will live upon many precious platforms, towers and terraces. “Platforms” are places built higher up. They are called “platforms.” These “many precious platforms and towers all indicate the [fruits of virtue].” They reveal his causal practices over many kalpas, the causes and practices he cultivated and indicate the fruits that accumulated. This is his land of circumstantial retributions.
There will be “rare and wondrous towers” there. “There are all kinds of rare and wonderful towers.” These “terraces and towers are built in layers by grade.” This is an analogy for the 37 Practices to Enlightenment.
In our spiritual practice, it is as if we are climbing a staircase. When ascending a tower, we climb level by level, until we reach the top of the platform, or the top of the tower. It is the same with spiritual practice. “Built in layers by grade” means level by level we continually climb upward. This is like spiritual practice.
The Four Noble Truths, suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, or the Fourfold Mindfulness or the Four Right Efforts and so forth are different levels [we must climb]. With the Dharma, the more we listen, the more we understand.
Form the Small Vehicle Dharma, we move diligently toward the Great Vehicle. So, terraces and towers are all analogies for the 37 Practices to Enlightenment. We must earnestly practice these.
“Through inner cultivation he attained the treasure of the principles of emptiness.” “Treasure” is an analogy. Through inner cultivation, he attained the treasure of the principle of emptiness. Thus externally, there will be the response of the precious platforms’ and towers’ magnificence. Having already accumulated the Great Vehicle’s provisions of blessings and wisdom, he will in response naturally have the circumstantial retributions of rare and wondrous towers and platforms.
We have already understood and have taken the Dharma to heart. In the world, human life is impermanent, and all is illusory. What need is there to take issue over things? There is no need! When we sweep away afflictions and absorb the principles of the Buddha-Dharma, these are treasures which enable us to see things clearly. “Thus externally, there will be the response of the precious platforms’ and towers magnificence.” By cultivating ourselves internally, these appearances will manifest externally. We will feel very comfortable in the places we live. We will by very satisfied and very grateful. These are the places we will live in, so we will feel very grateful.
For anyone who feels satisfied, listening to the Dharma is a treasure. So, “having already accumulated provisions of Great Vehicle blessings and wisdom, we can begin.” We do not necessarily need lots of money to be able to do good deeds. If we are willing to give to help others and cultivate the Six Perfections and Four Practices, we complete our provisions of blessings and wisdom.
So, “In response he will naturally have the circumstantial retributions of rare and wondrous towers and platforms.” If we can achieve this, it is a result of blessings and wisdom. We must regularly cultivate blessings and have wisdom. When it comes to blessings and virtues, how do we cultivate them? We need to practice the Six Perfections. [We also need] wisdom. Blessings and wisdom are just like our eyes, like our feet. Our feet walk upon the road while our eyes watch the road. Only then will we not fall. So, this is like blessings and wisdom; they must be cultivated in parallel. Neither can be lacking.
We cannot cultivate wisdom without cultivating blessings. We cannot cultivate blessings without cultivating wisdom. So, only when we cultivate blessings and wisdom together can we be called Two-Footed Honored Ones. In learning the Buddha’s teachings, these are things we must have.
“The number of Hearer disciples will be countless and limitless, unknowable through calculation or analogy. “There are so many Small Vehicle practitioners.”
The number of Hearer disciples will be countless and limitless, unknowable through calculation or analogy: There are so many Small Vehicle practitioners that their limit and quantity are unknown. Their number is impossible to calculate, and likening it to objects also cannot convey it.
In that land, the land of Treasure Born, there will be so many Small Vehicle practitioners that it will be impossible to count them all. So, “Their limit and quantity are unknown.” There will be so many forming initial aspirations to engage in spiritual practice. The numbers are limitless, impossible to calculate. Their numbers will be such that they cannot even be alluded to by analogy. This “cannot convey it.” One can never count them all.
Next, there will be an “assembly of Bodhisattvas.” There will not just be Small Vehicle practitioners who form initial aspirations there. There will be many Small Vehicle practitioners, but the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas are the same, “innumerable, in the millions and billions of nayutas.”
There will be many Bodhisattvas in the assembly there as well. Practitioners of the Great Vehicle and of the Six Perfections and Four Practices there will also be numerous. So, “Their numbers are impossible to count. Thus it says [the number] is in the millions and billions of nayutas.” “Nayuta” is a very large number, a number which is impossible to calculate. This is because we continually accumulate provisions of blessings and wisdom.
The next passage states, “The Buddha’s lifespan will be 12 small kalpas. Right Dharma will abide for 20 small kalpas, and Dharma-semblance will also abide for 20 small kalpas. That Buddha constantly abides in emptiness to teach the Dharma to the assembly. He liberates countless Bodhisattvas as well as the assembly of Hearers.”
This passage states that that Buddha’s lifespan will be 12 small kalpas, Right Dharma will abide for 20 small kalpas and His [era] of Dharma-semblance will also last for 20 small kalpas. In the material world, one increasing and decreasing kalpa is called “one small kalpa.” 20 increasing and decreasing kalpas is already more than we can possibly calculate. We would never finish; it is such a long time. “The Buddha constantly abides in emptiness” to teach the Dharma to the assembly.
“That Buddha constantly abides in emptiness to teach the Dharma to the assembly: He has realized emptiness and entered the Path, thus He abides in the emptiness of phenomena to teach profound prajna wisdom. He sees penetratingly that the Five Aggregates and self-nature are all empty and has entered the principle of the emptiness of phenomena.
Subhuti was “foremost in understanding emptiness.” The causes he cultivated in the past began with realizing the principle of emptiness. Thus he entered the path of spiritual practice. So, he “abides in the emptiness of phenomena.” Because he had the realization of emptiness as his cause, in his spiritual practice he was always without attachment and without hindrances. But with uninterrupted and extended practice the result was his abiding in the emptiness of phenomena “to teach profound prajna wisdom.”
The Dharma he will teach is profound, for “He sees penetratingly that the Five Aggregates and self-nature are all empty.” “The Five Aggregates and self-nature are empty.” Form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness, none of these principles can actually be held on to. We must make an effort to realize this ourselves. If we do not earnestly try to realize this, we may easily take issue over people, matters and objects. If form, feeling and perception give rise to consciousness, consciousness entangles us and binds us, resulting in much ignorance and afflictions covering us.
So, in our spiritual practice, we must “see penetratingly that the Five Aggregates and self-nature are all empty” and “enter the principle of the emptiness of phenomena.” This was what Subhuti realized.
Moreover, “From this, he can abide in emptiness. All worlds of the great trinchiliocosm are also ultimately empty.”
The worlds of the great trichiliocosm, all material things, no matter how long-lasting, are all subject to “formation, existence, decay and disappearance.” We must understand this principle well.
This is “ultimate emptiness.” “This means that the essence and nature of all conditioned phenomena are ultimately empty.” Anything that you have created, any manmade thing and so on, will eventually decay and disappear.
“For this reason, Name and Appearance Tathagata, who realized the supreme meaning of emptiness, teaches the Dharma to the assembly by also constantly abiding in emptiness.” Though the teachings of those 300 trillion Tathagatas, he will earnestly engage in spiritual practice, practice the “emptiness of supreme meaning” and attain Buddhahood in the future. He will be called Name and Appearance Tathagata. When teaching the Dharma to sentient beings, he will constantly abide in emptiness. When teaching the Dharma so sentient beings in the future, he will similarly use the principle of emptiness to transform sentient beings.
“He liberates counties Bodhisattvas as well as the assembly of Hearers.”
“With the great, still teachings of emptiness, He will deliver all Bodhisattvas.” “Through teachings blased towards emptiness, He will deliver the assembly of Hearers.”
He, too, will teach according to capabilities. Those with great capabilities will be able to accept the Great Dharma He will use the great and still teachings of emptiness to deliver the Bodhisattvas. When He sees those beginning their practice, He will use the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the 37 Practices to Enlightenment, all kinds of teachings, to help them diligently advance level by level. These will used be [to transform] the Hearers.
As Buddhist practitioners, we must mindfully [engage] with the world to achieve realizations. To attain Buddhahood, we cannot think, “With what I practice today, by putting my heart info it in this lifetime, in my next lifetime I will attain Buddhahood.” It is not like this. We must have a great deal of patience.
Everyone, let us not waste time. We must earnestly make use of our “circumstantial retributions to practice [with] wise people who have blessings and virtues.” These wise people are gathered in one place. In our environment, we “all dwell on precious platforms and rare and wondrous towers.” We should all be very joyful. So, let us be “Bodhisattvas who actualize the Six Perfections in all actions through extended practice and practice with reverence.” We should also “accumulate provisions of blessings and virtues and wisdom through practice with no remainder and uninterrupted practice.” Let us all be mindful of our hearts and put the Dharma into practice among the people. Let us always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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