Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Fruition of Faultless Causal Practice (因中無過果上無惡)
Date: November.03. 2016
“He comes journeying on the Dharma of Suchness and manifests in response to the world. Adapting to sentient beings’ capabilities to suit their conditions, He gives teachings of the true principles. The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is level. They put purity and virtue into practice to return to the precious ground of the Tathagata’s nature of True Suchness.”
“He comes journeying on the Dharma of Suchness and manifests in response to the world.” Every Buddha does the same. All Buddhas share the same path; They journey on the Dharma and the true principles to repeatedly come to this world. In accord with the true principles and the Dharma, They come to this world with the goal of transforming this world.
This means that They manifest a body in this world in accordance with causes and conditions. When Their causes and conditions with this world ripen, They manifest in this world. Their goal is Their one great cause.
We frequently discuss this. Their one great cause is to open and reveal, to awaken the minds of sentient beings, to open up and transform their ignorant minds by teaching and transforming them. This is to “open.”
It is to help us understand suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. This is unlocking the door our minds by “revealing” many teachings.
The Dharma of this world is inseparable from the understanding of suffering. The world is filled with suffering! Just take birth, for instance. When a child is born, he cries. When the child is born, his body is completely naked. The shock of coming in contact with air causes his body to experience a penetrating pain. Such pain!
Such suffering! Those who give birth suffer pain. Those who are being born also suffer pain. This is such suffering!
What happens when people grow old? When people grow old, their face becomes wrinkled. Their bones have loosened and shifted, or they experience other conditions. It is so painful! In the end, where will our bodies end up? They become bones, white bones, ashes and so on. Or, they are put in a coffin and sent to the grave. A hole is dug, and this body is buried. In the coffin, the body becomes bloated and grows maggots. It decomposes, dries out and becomes a pile of bones. This is life. How unclean it is!
Yet, we do not think about these things. We merely cling to objects of desire. In this way, we constantly extend [our desires], constantly create karma and constantly multiply our afflictions. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have already thoroughly understood these principles, so they come journeying on these principles. They “come journeying on the Dharma of Suchness and manifest in response to the world.”
They come to this world for this mission, to “open and reveal” the principles to sentient beings. According to sentient beings’ capabilities and causes and conditions, they come to this world to teach. This is how all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest in the world.
But to adapt to sentient beings’ capabilities to resonate with sentient beings’ capabilities, they must teach according to their capabilities and wait for causes and conditions to mature. Only then can they teach the true principles. This is how we sentient beings are.
The Buddha came to this world to transform sentient beings, but He must wait for opportunities and respond to causes and conditions. He also has to adapt to our capabilities. Only then could He give teachings. This truly requires hard work.
So, we must awaken our minds ourselves. As we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, we must quickly form great aspirations and make great vows; then we can walk the Bodhisattva-path. “The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is level. They put purity and virtue into practice.”
We saw that the Buddha bestowed predictions on His disciples as to their [future] circumstantial and direct retributions. If the lands of our circumstantial retributions are all very level, then actually, that means our minds are level. To [develop] a Bodhisattva-mind, we must first level and smooth out our minds. This is describing the ground of our minds.
“The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is level” because “they put purity and virtue into practice.”
We must first purify our minds so as not to be influenced by desires. If we cannot control the desires in our minds, our desires will lead us to take action. When we cannot control our own desires, we will multiply our afflictions. All of these afflictions and ignorance will be like rubble and thorns [in our minds].
So, since we have formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, we must put purity and virtue into practice.We must first purify the ground in our minds and put virtuous Dharma into action.
If our minds are not first purified, even if we do good deeds, we still will not be able to eliminate afflictions and ignorance.Our minds must be purified, so when we do good, we will not attract defiled causes and conditions.
“The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is level. They put purity and virtue into practice.”
Thus, they can “return to the precious ground of the Tathagata’s nature of True Suchness.”
In Chinese, the character for “return” here, and in taking refuge, can be interpreted as “turning from darkness to light”.
We turn from an unenlightened mind toward the direction of the Bodhisattva[-mind].The direction of Bodhisattvas, their end goal, is the Tathagata’s nature of True Suchness.
We must return to our nature of True Suchness.The nature of True Suchness is the true principle.
So, the Buddha-Dharma is actually in our minds; it is actually in our daily living.This is the process of spiritual practice.Through this process, in the future we will become a Buddha,
the Thagata, “Once Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened One One Perfect in Wisdom and Action, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans and Buddha, the World-Honored One.”
The Buddha naturally is replete with the ten virtues, which give Him the ten epithets.
This was mentioned in the previous sutra passage.
Next, in the following sutra passage, it says, “His land will be level, the ground made of crystal, and trees of treasure will make it magnificent. Cords make of gold will be used to border its roads. Wondrous flowers will cover the ground, and everything around will be clear and pure. Those who see it will take joy in it.”
This sutra passage describes how ,when Katyayana attains Buddhahood, His land will be magnificent, just like Subhuti’s and Kasyapa’s circumstantial and direct retributions.This shows the result of their spiritual practice.The landscape of their minds is clean and orderly.
“His land will be level, the ground made of crystal.”This shows “The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is never uneven.”
The ground of Bodhisattvas’ minds is level.
Thus, the land that appears in response is completely level.In particular, this ground is very clean, just like crystal.
“The ground made of crystal” indicates that it is clear and pure.The essence of the land and of the mind is the most precious purity.
We must cultivate our minds to reach this state whether our minds are clean, as clean and clear as crystal.This essence is like that of crystal, such a high quality treasure.
“Trees of treasure will make it magnificent. Cords made of gold…
“Trees of treasure will make it magnificent” is an analogy for “the vows and actions of Bodhi”.Our minds must be this pure, and we must give rise to Bodhicitta.The these Bodhi-vows must be put into practice.
“Cords made of gold” refers “to being centered and upright firm and steadfast, like following the lines”.
This means that our minds must be unbiased. [We understand] emptiness as “true emptiness” and existence as “wondrous existence”. When all substances and appearances in this world are analyzed completely, there is nothing there. This is “emptiness”.
However, within emptiness, there are profound and wondrous principles. These principles “exist”, thus it is called “wondrous existence”.
“Wondrous existence” is Bodhi, the Bodhi-path to awakening. Bodhi is “enlightenment”. Enlightenment must be attained through practice that is in accord with our vows. We must form aspirations and make vows, so that we can practice in accord with them, so we can put them into practice. “Cords made of gold” implies that we have attained realization, that the power of our vows has been manifested, and as we put them into action, we can walk the path without bias.
After understanding the principle of emptiness, we will understand that we must walk the right path and that we must remain firm in our will. We must be like a diamond that cannot be scratched. That is how strong and firm we must be. This is the power of our vows and aspirations.
“Like following the lines” is like a carpenter’s ink line. We often use this as an analogy. When carpenters do woodwork, they cannot do without their ink line. They use a coiled rope that has been coated in ink. They stretch it out and then snap it. Where it hits, since the rope is straight, the line marked by the ink will also be straight. This way, the cut in the wood will be very straight.
So, “This refers to being centered and upright like following a line”.
“[Cords] will be used to border its roads”. The trees are planted in straight lines. So, “The borders of the roads split them into Eight Noble [Paths]”.
This is the Eightfold Noble Path. It goes from the land of ordinary people to the state of the Buddha. The process in between is the Bodhisattva-path. This requires the Eightfold Noble Path.
“Wondrous flowers will cover the ground, Virtues dignify the teaching-body, like flowers covering the ground.”
Wondrous flowers “are very magnificent. The ground is covered with such beautiful and wondrous flowers. This means that the ground of our minds is dignified with many virtues. When we exercise both compassion and wisdom in this world, the virtues of wisdom and compassion will dignify our teaching-body.
The 32 Marks of the Buddha are marks of virtue, which come from the mind. This is “like flowers covering the ground”. It will be very magnificent.
“Everything around will be clear and pure. All surrounding evils are eliminated. People all around cultivate purifying practices. Nowhere is this not complete, thus it says everything around is pure. ”
Everything around” is talking about all evils.
All evils in the surroundings are eliminated, and people all around cultivate virtuous Dharma.
So, evils and filth, all afflictions, are eliminated there. Pure and dignified virtues have already appeared. “People all around cultivate purifying practices”.
When our minds are pure, all that we practice is virtuous Dharma. “People all around cultivate purifying practices”. “Nowhere is this not complete”. We engage in good practices universally, so everything around is “pure”. “Those who see it will take joy in it”. When sentient beings see it, there are none who will not take joy in it.
Those who see it will take joy in it: When sentient beings see it, there are none who will not take joy in it. In the causal ground, Katyayana swept the floors and thus attained a proper and upright appearance. Those who see it will take joy in it. Thus, he will attain the fruit of dignified and pure circumstantial retributions, and those who see him will take joy in him. As is the cause, so it the effect.
“In the causal ground, Katyayana swept the floors and thus attained a proper and upright appearance. Those who see it will take joy in it”. This shows that Katyayana, over many lifetimes, will make offerings to 800 billion Buddhas. Then, there will be another two trillion Buddhas. After each Buddha passes into Perfect Rest, he will construct a [stupa] for each and sweep and clean it.
Thus, he attains a proper and upright appearance. So, all who sees him will take joy in him. Spiritual practice requires continuous cultivation in this way.
“Thus, he will attain the fruit of dignified and pure circumstantial retributions”. When he attains the fruition of Buddhahood, his circumstantial retributions will lead him to abide in a land which is very magnificent and pure. In the place where he will be born, the environment will be dignified and clean. “Those who see him will take joy in him”. Everyone who sees him will take joy in him. “As is the cause, so is the effect”.
In the next sutra passage, it says, “There will be none in the Four Evi Destinies of the hell, hungry ghost, animal and asura realms, but a great many in the heaven and human realms and an assembly of Hearers and Bodhisattvas numbering in countless trillions, all dignifying that land.”
There will be no Four Evil Destinies in that land. The Four Evil Destinies are hell, hungry ghosts, animals and asuras.
There will be no Four Evil Destinies of the hell, hungry ghost, and asura realms: Those with anger descend into the hell realm. Those with delusion fall into the animal realm. Those with greedy thoughts descend to the hungry ghost realm. Those with arrogance fall into the asura realm. In their causal practice, Bodhisattvas have no such faults, so in their fruitions, they are never in the Four Evil Destinies.
If we have a mind of anger, we descend into the hell realm. If we have delusions, we fall into the animal realm. If we have arrogance or flaunt our superiority, we fall into the asura realm.If we have greedy thoughts, we fall into the hungry ghost realm. This is the suffering of the Four Evil Destinies.
“In their causal practice, Bodhisattvas have no such faults.In spiritual,they have no such faults,no greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance or doubt.” They do not have these evils. So, in their causal practice, they have already swept out these evil seeds. “So in their fruitions, they are never in the Four Evil Destinies.”
In the land where Katyayana will be when he attains Buddhahood, there are none in the Four Evil Destinies,
“but a great many in the heaven and human realms.” They are all heavenly beings and humans, the beings from the heaven realm and human realm. There are none in the Four Evil Destinies. “All these heavenly beings and humans are in the good destinies.” They are all good people.
And there is an assembly of Hearers and Bodhisattvas. In addition to heavenly beings and humans, many of them are Hearers. They all delight in the Buddha-Dharma. They not only love listening to the Buddha-Dharma, but they have also formed aspirations to engage in spiritual practice. There are also those who from great aspirations.
“This is the assembly of Great and Small Vehicle [practitioners] who listen to the Dharma.” They are all people who love to listen to the Dharma.
An assembly of Hearers and Bodhisattvas: This is the assembly of Great and Small Vehicle [practitioners] who listen to the Dharma. This is predicting that his spiritual family will be pure and virtuous, because in the pure lands of all Buddhas, there are no evil sentient beings.
“This is predicting that his spiritual family will be pure and virtuous.” This is the prediction of Buddhahood that the Buddha bestowed on Katyayana. The land where he attains Buddhahood will be full of good people. They will be Bodhisattvas and Hearers, who formed aspirations to practice as monastics. They are all his spiritual family and are all pure in heart, they are all people with good thoughts.
“Because in the pure lands of all Buddhas, there are no evil sentient beings.” This is in the pure land of a Buddha.
“[The assembly] numbers in countless trillions, all dignifying that land.” There are many treasures and good people. There are many treasures and good people.
There are countless Hearers and Bodhisattvas that are dignifying this land. “There will be countless Hearers and Bodhisattvas who dignify that land.”
This is Katyayana’s future circumstantial and direct retributions when he attains Buddhahood. This is the land that his circumstantial and direct retributions will lead him to.
This is what “the text first explains.” First, It explains his circumstantial retribution, how dignified and pure his land will be. “Next, It explains that his spiritual family will be pure and virtuous.” But, In this passage, in the predictions that the Buddha bestowed, He did not mention the names of Katyayana’s future land and future kalpa. This may have been omitted by the translators.
So, if it was lost at the source, it will be missing right now. Therefore, we must make great effort to be mindful.
When listening to the Dharma, we must not let it leak away. I often say we must practice the flawless studies.
If we let the Dharma leak away, we will lose it. If we want to find it again, we will have no source we can look for. So, it is the same with learning the Buddha-Dharma. We must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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