Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eradicating Ignorance Dignifies the Land (斷除無明莊嚴其國)
Date: November.24. 2016
“In this world, of all the most valuable treasures and precious rarities, life is the one thing that cannot be replaced. Our wisdom-life and ocean of wisdom are even more incomparable. The Buddha gave predictions of cause and effect. That land and kalpa will exist for a long time with many gathered treasures.”
What everyone loves most in the world are precious treasures. The many kinds of exotic treasures are what people seek, what they delight in.
Ultimately, what is it that is most precious? It is life; life is the one thing that cannot be replaced. Living in this world, we can be benefactors in the world or we can be wrongdoers in the world. This is life.
The control of our lives is in our own hands, so which direction will we take? Thus there is a saying, “We cannot take anything with us when we die; only our karma follows us to our next life.” Our karmic forces determine our direction. If our negative karma is heavier and our positive karma lighter, when benefactors appear in our lives, negative people will also appear in our lives. If we have more good karma, we will follow others with good karma to move in the same direction. This is the correct path. If our negative karma is heavier, in past lives we will have followed unwholesome environments so our direction has deviated.
The principle is the same; if we are determined in our intent, naturally as we move in a positive direction, we ourselves will persist and always keep moving forward. This is all determined by a single thought. In our lives, we must continually purify ourselves and get rid of ignorance; if we can do that, “Our wisdom-life and ocean of wisdom are even more incomparable.”
We often speak of wisdom and afflictions. Afflictions actually come from wisdom. If our wisdom is turned around, it becomes afflictions. If afflictive thoughts are turned around, they become wisdom.
A person may have two personalities. It is the same person; he may be such a good person, may be so kind, but when his temper explodes there is nothing in the world that is able to calm him down. Yet, his intrinsic nature is good and kind.
Think about it; it is the same person. How can such a kind person be so bad? People can have two personalities. This all depends on whether or not our wisdom-life is clean. If our wisdom-life is clean, afflictions will not disturb us. This is why I always say that in our spiritual practice, it is only by getting rid of our afflictions that we can purify our wisdom-life. So, now the Chapter on Bestowing Predictions continually tells us that the Buddha gave predictions of cause and effect such as how long the land and kalpa will last. We saw how it began with Sariputra. Then next in the Chapter on Bestowing Predictions came Venerable Kasyapa, then Subhuti, right up to Katyayana. How long will it take them? A very long time, 300 trillion Buddhas, or 800 billion Buddhas, or two trillion Buddhas. In the same way, for a long time they have been continually accumulating the causes they are cultivating until in the end they received the Buddha’s predictions.
So, these were “predictions of the effect.” He looked at their causes; with the causes they had cultivated, the lands they will attain will be magnificent and abundant in treasure. Their lifespans will be long, and their family and followers, all the people living there together with them, will all be kindhearted people.There are the true treasures.When everyone does good, that is the true treasure.
So in the end, what in the world is most precious?If our minds are such that we are at peace with poverty and delight in the Path, then we are living a life of value.If we are never in conflict with others, never in conflict over matters and never in conflict with the world, then this is the most fortunate and precious life.
The previous passage states, “This man, Katyayana will is all kinds of wonderful devotional items to make offerings to all Buddhas. After those Buddhas have entered Parinirvana, he will build stupas of the Seven Treasures. He will also use flowers and incense to make offerings to the sariras.”
This will take a very long time.These are predictions of cause and effect.The process will take a very long time.
The next passage says, “In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddha-wisdom and achieve universal, perfect enlightenment. His land will be pure, and he will liberate countless trillions of sentient beings. People from all ten directions will make offerings to Him. In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddha-wisdom.”
Do you remember who this is talking about?
Katyayana.When Buddhas are in the world, he will serve and make offerings to them.
After those Buddhas enter Parinirvana, he will build stupas and temples for them, then make offerings to those stupas and temples, respecting those Buddhas as if they were alive.He will also keep those surroundings clean.Only after this will he attain Buddha-wisdom and “achieve universal, perfect enlightenment.”That will be his final incarnation.
His land will be pure, and there “He will liberate countless trillions of sentient beings. People from all ten directions will make offerings to Him.”People from the ten directions will all come to make offerings.
This is what Katyayana will attain in the future.
Of course, “In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddha-wisdom.”This will take him a very long time [to attain].
In his final incarnation, he will attain Buddha-wisdom:
With extended cultivation of the causes and uninterrupted upholding of practices, He has no further leaks of the Dharma and respectfully makes offerings.
The fruition will be, in his final incarnation, that he will attain Buddha-wisdom.
To go from an unenlightened state to the attainment of Buddhahood, as we must know deep in our hearts, will rewire the extended cultivation of causes in our spiritual practice.
We must cultivate these good causes over an extended period of time.We need a long time to get rid of ignorance, get rid of habitual tendencies.
This is “extended cultivation [of cause]”.Next is “uninterrupted upholding of practices”.
Without any interruptions, we put the teachings into practice.We also need to [practice] with nothing further, eliminating all afflictions with nothing further.Only with no remaining afflictions will we have “no further leaks of the Dharma”.
With the flawless Dharma of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, and listening, contemplating and practice, we take in what we hear and do not let it leak away.We earnestly practice cultivating contemplation and put the teachings into practice.This all requires a very long time of uninterrupted spiritual practice.
We must also make offerings with respect.
We look upon everyone as a Buddha, respect and make offerings to them.Otherwise, if we think about it, we still have to serve 800 billion Buddhas or as many as two trillion Buddhas.
That will take a very long time.
We should think of how everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, how everyone is a Buddha, and make offerings to them as if they were Buddahs.
“The fruition will be [his] final incarnation.”
In our final incarnation, we have eliminated “fragmentary samsara” and “transformational samsara”.Then in the end, our bodies and minds are pure, and our wisdom will be completely pure and undefiled.This is Buddha-wisdom.
“He will achieve universal, perfect enlightenment. His land will be pure. Universal, perfect enlightenment” means “By cultivating and upholding eventually he will achieve universal, perfect enlightenment and become a reward-body Buddha. His land will be pure.”
This is an exceptional circumstantial retribution.Through the inline merits and virtues he accumulates over a very long time, “eventually he will achieve universal, perfect enlightenment. Universal, perfect enlightenment” is supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment, the highest and most supreme wisdom of a Buddha.He will “become a reward-body Buddha.”Even if he comes to the world again, it will be in a reward-body.
For sentient beings’ sake, when there were conditions to deliver them, He would manifest in the world.This is a reward-body Buddha, just like Sakyamuni Buddha.He manifested in the world to deliver and transform sentient beings. He came to the Saha World, hoping a defiled land could turn into a pure one.
But Katyayana’s future circumstantial retribution will be a land where all the people are good, where everyone is very willing to listen to the Dharma. After listening to the Dharma, they easily form great aspirations, give rise to Bodhicitta and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This will be Katyayana’s land in the future; it will be pure. This is his superior circumstantial retribution.
“He will liberate countless trillions of sentient beings throughout countless lifetimes”. He will spend lifetime after lifetime, countless lifetimes, transforming sentient beings, forming blessed affinities with sentient beings. Naturally this will occur “over a very long time and many kalpas”. Because it will be countless lifetimes, it will be a very long time. “He will work to liberate countless trillions of sentient beings”; he will liberate many of them. “People from all ten directions will make offerings to Him”. People from all ten directions will come to practice this Buddha’s teachings. All will make offerings to Him with the Dharma. So it says, “From the ten directions all humans and heavenly beings will make offerings to Him”.
The Four Evil Destinies do not exist in that land. There are only heavenly beings and humans there, heavenly beings and humans who are willing to listen to the Dharma willing to engage in spiritual practice and form great aspirations. This will be Katyayana’s land in the future.
The next passage says. “The radiance of this Buddha can be surpassed by none. His epithet will be Jambu[nada] Gold Radiance. Bodhisattvas and Hearers who have eradicated all existence, those Bodhisattvas and Hearers in that land, having eradicated all existence, whose numbers are countless and immeasurable, will dignify that land”.
This is saying that the Bodhisattvas and Hearers in that land will already have eliminated all [existence].
“Existence” means ignorance. They have already eliminated all ignorance. “[With] numbers countless and immeasurable, [they] dignify that land”. The Bodhisattvas and Hearers there will be countless and immeasurable and will dignify that land.
“The radiance of this Buddha can be surpassed by none”. This is because “That Buddha’s radiance is like sunlight compared to candlelight. On the great Bodhi-path, he will progress daily”. Moreover, “he will never retreat. His radiance represents wisdom and virtue [that] can be surpassed by none”.
Compare this to candles; no matter how many you may light, their light will never surpass sunlight. In the same way, that Buddha’s radiance is like the sunlight, with “radiance [that] can be surpassed by none”. The virtue of the Buddha after His enlightenment, the radiance of His wisdom and virtue, increases day by day. Moreover, He never retreats.
His radiance is everlasting. The enlightenment of the Buddha is just like the sun in the universe. Radiance represents wisdom and virtue. The Buddha’s wisdom and virtue are everlasting and “can be surpassed by none”. “That Buddha’s epithet will be Jambu[nada] Gold Radiance”.
The Buddha’s epithet will be Jambu[nada] Gold Radiance: Regarding Jambunada Gold Radiance, there is a place with trees growing gold fruits. Their radiance is most superb and wonderful. Thus [that Buddha’s] epithet is Jambunada Gold Radiance Tathagata.
Do you remember the meaning of Jambunada? “Jambu” is a kind of tree. “Regarding Jambunada Gold Radiance, there is a place with trees growing gold fruits”. That is the Jambunada tree. When it bears fruit and the fruit matures, it falls to the bottom of the river. These fruits reveal the sand with a golden luster and make it shine. So, it is “a place with trees growing gold fruits”. This is how it is; gold, depending on the light, becomes even more shiny. So, this “radiance is most superb and wonderful”.
When the fruits of this tree are in the water, they shine with an unlimited golden radiance. “Thus [that Buddha’s] epithet is Jambunada Gold Radiance Tathagata”. This will be Katyayana’s epithet upon attaining Buddhahood in the future.
“Bodhisattvas and Hearers who have eradicated all existence”.
Bodhisattvas and Hearers who have eradicated all existence: There will be no Four Evil Destinies in that land, but only Hearers and Bodhisattvas. Though the Great and Small Vehicle differ, they have all destroyed affections.
The Bodhisattvas and Hearers there will have eliminated all ignorance, so “There will be Four Evil Destinies in that land, but only Hearers and Bodhisattvas”. Everyone there will be a Hearer, those who listen to the Buddha-Dharma. Those will also be Bodhisattvas who have formed great aspirations.
Although “The Great and Small Vehicles differ, Great referring to Bodhisattvas and Small to Hearers, although in that land there will still be differences between the Great and Small Vehicles, all with have eliminated their afflictions.
So, they will “have eradicated all existence. Those transformed by this Buddha, though of the Three Vehicles and Five Natures, will ultimately all return to all-encompassing wisdom. They will have realized the ultimate principle and left behind afflictice emotions, so there is nowhere for dust to alight.”
The principles will flourish there. The people will already have taken all of the principles to heart and will be completely free from ignorance. There will not even be the slightest of defilements there. It will be a place that is totally pure. This represents their state of mind.
So it says, “the Three Vehicles and Five Natures.” We know the Three Vehicles, the Hearers, Solitary Realizer and Bodhisattva Vehicle. These are the Three Vehicles, but here they are divided into the Five Natures.
The Five Natures:
First, set-nature Hearers.
Second, set-nature Solitary Realizers.
Third, Bodhisattva-nature.
Fourth, unset-nature.
Fifth, seedless-nature.
Of the Five Natures, the first is “set-nature Hearers.” “Their causes and conditions do not change, so they are said to have a set nature.” Their causes and conditions are set like this. This is because Hearers are “those who hear the Buddha’s teachings and thus attain awakening.[They] are called Hearers” This is what they hold on to. As they only “cultivate the causes of Hearers, the fruit they realize is that of a Hearer.They do not further seek the path to Buddhahood, so they are called set-nature Hearers.”
They have not formed great aspirations. The second is “set-nature Solitary Realizers. By observing causes and conditions and the arising and ceasing of phenomena, they awaken to the principles of true emptiness.” So, these are called Solitary Realizers.
Second, set-nature Solitary Realizers:
By observing causes and conditions and the arising and ceasing of phenomena, they awaken to the principles of true emptiness. They are also called Realizers of Conditions. As they only cultivate the causes of Solitary Realizers, the fruit they realize is that of a Solitary Realizer. They do not further seek the path to Buddhahood, so they are called set-nature Solitary Realizers.
They have already thoroughly understood that all phenomena of karmic cause and effect and so on are all empty, that all things are illusory and so on. They have awakened by observing conditions, so they are also called Realizers of Conditions. They only cultivate the causes of Solitary Realizers and only seek to awaken themselves, so they realize the Solitary Realizer’s fruit. They do not further seek the path to Buddhahood. Because of this, they are set-nature Solitary Realizers. They will always be Solitary Realizers, for they never seek to advance further.
The third is “Bodhisattva-nature.” “These are enlightened sentient beings.” It says, “Bodhisattvas practice both compassion and wisdom.” They look upon friends and foes equally. They show compassion to all equally.So, they “widely benefit sentient beings.” “They realize the fruit of Bodhi, so they are those with Bodhisattva-nature.”
This is the set nature of Bodhisattvas. They have formed aspirations and never retreat. This is the Bodhisattva-nature.
The fourth is “unset-nature.” The fourth, those of “unset-nature, are influenced by the conditions they encounter.” If they encounter good conditions, then they are influenced by them. “If they draw near Hearers, they practice the Dharma of Hearers.” “If they draw near Solitary Realizers, they practice the Dharma of Solitary Realizers.” “If they draw near Bodhisattvas, they practice the Dharma of Bodhisattvas Nature like these are not set.” Though they engage in spiritual practice, the level of their aspiration fluctuates. They have an “unset-nature”“They each follow what they learn, and this becomes their nature.” “Hence they are those with unset-nature.”
The fifth is “seedless nature.” Those with seedless nature do not have seeds of goodness. “These people deny the law of cause and effect. They refuse to be transformed and are willing to drown in cyclic existence. They do not seek liberation. Thus they are those with seedless nature. ”
This means that they do not have any seeds of goodness in their minds, so they are without causes and conditions; they “deny the law of cause and effect.” Even if the Dharma were right beside them, they would be unwilling to accept it. Those with this “seedless nature” willingly drown in cyclic existence. Those who do not seek liberation are said to have “seedless nature.”
We should be very mindful in spiritual practice. Whether we practice the Great or Small Vehicle, goodness should be our direction, and we should form great aspirations with our goal the attainment of Buddhahood. So, let us always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
