Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Cross to the Other Shore and Reach Enlightenment (度彼岸登覺地)
Date: November.29. 2016
“Among the Six Paramitas, prajna is said to be foremost. With utmost sincerity we uphold patience and diligence and cultivate contemplation in tranquility. The true principles of all sutras will manifest before us as compassion and wisdom are both perfected. The paramitas help us to cross to the other shore and reach enlightenment.”
We must be very mindful. In our spiritual practice, we must pay careful attention to constantly returning to the original landscape of our minds. Every day in our lives, we face external phenomena. Yet actually, the landscape of our minds is very beautiful. We should constantly return to and reflect on the landscape of our minds.
As for prajna, prajna is wisdom. The same thing in unenlightened beings is called thinking and perspective, while in noble beings it is called wisdom. It is completely pure and undefiled wisdom. So, among the Six Paramitas, it is said to be foremost. Such is wisdom. For lifetimes, since Beginningless Time, we must be very clear we have always had this intrinsic nature of True Suchness. It is non-arising and non-ceasing and is the same as the Buddha’s. It is neither increasing nor decreasing and is equal to the Buddha’s. We also have this kind of wisdom.
This kind of pure and undefiled wisdom is something everyone has intrinsically. We must certainly believe this. But, although we have this kind of wisdom, in a moment of carelessness, one ignorant thought can create Three Subtleties. So, these very subtle thoughts of greed begin to stir. When these thoughts arise, external states lead to the Six Coarse Marks. All external states, the people, matters and objects in this world, lead us to continually create and reproduce [karma]. What should we do? We must listen to the Buddha-Dharma. Only the Buddha-Dharma tells us the path we walked. The path that we took here will be the path that we use to return.
The Buddha has already attained enlightenment; He already knows all of this, and He has already awakened. Out of compassion for sentient beings trapped in the four forms of birth and the Six Realms, continuously transmigrating, He hopes to constantly return to the human realm, life after life, to transform sentient beings. He did not only come 2000-plus years ago as Prince Siddhartha. In the previous lifetimes of Prince Siddhartha, He had constantly come to this world. When the time and karmic conditions matured, He would manifest a reward-body in response to the needs of this world.
[He was born] in Nepal, in the kingdom of Kapilavastu. He had affinities with His parents, thus He manifested there. After six years of ascetic practice and five years of traveling to seek answers, then a period of tranquil contemplation, He had a sudden realization. All things in the universe returned to the intrinsic nature of True Suchness. This is the absolute truth, the true principles. He realized true emptiness and thoroughly comprehended wondrous existence.
This is prajna. When it comes down to it, everything that exists returns to the true principles. These are the pure and undefiled true principles, without appearance or substance. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. All true principles come back to His ocean of enlightened wisdom. To achieve hits, He had to go through training. With a heart of utmost sincerity He gave to and helped others. He went among people to practice giving, to practice the Six Paramitas. With a heart of utmost sincerity, He saw heaven, earth, people and things as one. With this sincere heart, He went among people [to serve].
If we want to dedicate ourselves to others, we need precepts, patience and diligence. Then we return to the state of calm contemplation. Our minds should always be tranquil and clear, with vows as vast as the universe. In order to return to tranquility and clarity, to the emptiness of the universe, to this kind of open and spacious state, we must go through this process of cultivation.
Naturally, after the Buddha was enlightened, He began to go among people to teach the Dharma. “The true principles of all sutras will manifest before us. The sutras are a path.” If we lead the people harmoniously to walk the Bodhi-path to awakening, put teachings into action and go among the people, this is compassion. If we remain undefiled as we go among the people, this is pure wisdom. So, the [teachings of] “all sutras” and the experience of walking the Bodhi-path to awakening, the Bodhisattva-path that we have walked, are all compassion and wisdom being perfected. Thus we attain great perfect mirror wisdom. This is prajna.
Right now in our Jing Si Hall, from 14 countries, more than 170 people have come back [to Taiwan]. Among them are some special ones from Africa. There are seven countries in Africa where seeds are now being planted. There are also our farmers in Africa, the Tzu Chi volunteers, who are very mindfully cultivating [seeds] in Africa. The causes and conditions for these [farmers] from Taiwan have finally matured. Originally, they went to Africa for business, but their mindsets have changed, and now they are there for Tzu Chi’s missions.
Take Johannesburg for example. Mr. Wu Dongbao lives there. He and a group of Bodhisattva-volunteers work together to feed the poor children. That began in [2014]. At that time, the Johannesburg volunteers went to Lion Park to distribute necessities in a low-income community and mobilize people there. At the same time, a minister was there. This minister saw that Tzu Chi volunteers helped others with sincere love. So, he told them, “There’s a corrugated metal shack over there. You can serve the meals there.” The Tzu Chi volunteers were very grateful for the minister and his advice. So, they made use of that corrugated metal shack.
Then, since more and more children were coming, they worked hard to communicate with the principal. The school’s grounds were so big; could they use the grassy area on the grounds to grow vegetables? The principal also felt that this grassy area could be used to plant vegetables, so he let the volunteers do it. [Tzu Cui volunteers] quickly put out the call and the parents and volunteers came together to farm this plot of land. After [several weeks], the vegetables grew. There was a field of green vegetables. These vegetables can be used to provide meals for these children and provide for poor and suffering people. The volunteers felt such a sense of achievement.
This was the beginning, and now they are able to provide three meals a day to feed over 100 children. The number of volunteers planting vegetables in the garden has also increased to over 30 people. They are very happy planting [the garden]. We can see that something like this requires having a heart of giving and being willing to help others. Everyone was also recruiting volunteers from different ethnic groups. These volunteers who were impoverished were shown their spiritual wealth. They were guided to have such joy and to diligently and sincerely help other people. So, “The true principles of all sutras will manifest before us.”
As long as the principles are taught, we will be able to see them. In the Buddha’s era, when He gave teachings, the true principles similarly manifested. When principles manifest, they are able to be seen. The things that could be seen were truly the perfection of both compassion and wisdom. “The Paramitas help us to cross to the other shore.” Once we reach our destination, going from this shore to the other, we will have reached enlightenment. This was taught during the Buddha’s era, and the disciples completely understood. Upon understanding, they put it into practice, setting off from the shore of ordinary people and journeying on the principles of the Buddha’s teachings. They broke through 1000-foot waves in the river of afflictions to reach the other shore.
This is “reaching enlightenment.” This is the fruit that we can already see. When the Buddha was in this world, He had this relationship with His disciples. When the disciples awakened to the Dharma, they put it into practice, so when then Buddha was in this world, He bestowed predictions on His disciples and mad them a promise. Everyone truly believed the Buddha’s predictions and promises. A prediction is a type of promise about one’s future and the type of karmic retributions one will attain in the future. Everyone sincerely believed Him.
Although there was a long amount of time before the Buddha’s predictions were to be realized, the disciples firmly believed it. So, this passage of the Chapter on Bestowing Predictions, is something we must also firmly believe.
The previous sutra passage states, “He will attain Buddhahood.” Who will attain Buddhahood? Maudgalyayana. Maudgalyayana “will attain Buddhahood, and his epithets will be Tamalapatra Sandalwood Fragrance Tathagata. One Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened One, One Perfect in Wisdom and Action, the Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans and Buddha, the World-Honored One.”
Everyone can recite this. These are the Buddha’s ten virtues and epithets. All Buddhas have completed [these ten virtues]. What about the name of His kalpa? The following sutra passage describes. Tamalapatra Sandalwood Fragrance Tathagata and the name of His land and era the name of His land and era. “His kalpa will be called Happiness-Filled. His land will be called Joyful-Intent. The land there will be level, the ground made of crystal, and trees of treasure make it magnificent. Flowers of pearl are scattered. Everywhere around is clear and pure. All who behold it are filled with joy.
His kalpa will be called Happiness-Filled. His land will be called Joyful-Intent.” We can see that this future land will make people so happy every day. His kalpa will be called Happiness-Filled. His land will be called Joyful-Intent: He uses spiritual powers to captivate the world and teach and transform sentient beings to serve others sincerely and joyfully. Thus, His kalpa will be called Happiness-Filled. His land will be called Joyful-Intent.
This Buddha “uses His spiritual powers to captivate the world.”
Maudgalyayana was foremost in spiritual powers, so in the future, the fruit he will attain, the karmic retribution when he attains Buddhahood, will be reflected in this land. He will also use his spiritual powers to teach and transform sentient beings in this world, so sentient beings will be joyfully persuaded. Because of this, his kalpas will be called Happiness-Filled, and the land will be called Joyful-Intent. He will use all kinds of methods to fill the minds of sentient beings with joy, so they can serve people with sincerity.
In that land, “The land there will be level, the ground made of crystal.” The land there will be level, the ground made of crystal: The ground of a Bodhisattva’s mind is never uneven, so the land of circumstantial and direct retributions that appears in response will be entirely level. The ground made of crystal: The essence and substance [of the ground] is clear and pure like a gem.
In that land, the ground is really level and even. “The ground made of crystal” means that the land is very flat. This is because “The ground of a Bodhisattva’s mind is never uneven.” The minds of Bodhisattvas are all very level. “So, the land of circumstantial and direct retributions that appears in response will be entirely level.” As we walk the Bodhisattva-path, we pave the road with love and make it very level. When Maudgalyayana becomes a Buddha, his land will be like this. The land will be very level and flat, “the ground made of crystal.” Crystal is used to pave the ground. “The essence and substance [of the ground] is clear and pure like a gem.” Crystal is a precious treasure, one of the Seven Treasures. Its essence and substances are pure. If there is some defilement on a crystal, by simply wiping it, it will become clean and can reflect everything. Hence, it is clear and pure like a gem.
Also, “Trees of treasure make it magnificent; flowers of pearl are scattered.” Trees of treasure make it magnificent: This refers to the vows and practices of Bodhi
Flowers of pearl are scattered: From the sky, flowers made of pearls are scattered
Trees of treasure are very magnificent, and the fruit that is picked from them are all pearls. When the pearls ripen, they hang down in strands. Flowers made of pearls are everywhere. This represents the “vows and practices of Bodhi.” The Bodhisattva’s vow [is to walk on] the Bodhi-path to awakening. This is the Bodhisttva-path [Maudgalyayana] walks. He puts it into practice. Since he had long engaged in spiritual practice and served many Buddhas and went among people to transform countless sentient beings, now the fruit [of his spiritual practice] are these trees of treasure and their fruits; there is an abundance of pearls everywhere. So, the fruits that are produced are all pearls. This represents the Bodhi-vow. He is continuously giving rise to Bodhicitta and continuously practicing the Bodhisattva-path.
“Flowers of pearl are scattered” represents his having constantly served. “Everywhere around is clear and pure.” This is very widespread, not just in one place. This is true universally there. “Everywhere around is clear and pure” show that “Everywhere all evils are eliminated. Everywhere purifying practices are cultivated. Nowhere is this not complete.” Over many accumulated lifetimes, he will serve 8000 Buddhas or 200 trillion Buddhas during the Buddhas lifetimes and after the Buddhas enter Parinirvana. He must constantly engage in spiritual practice.
If during a Buddha’s time, while Him, [he uses] the Buddha’s teachings to eliminate all afflictions and evil thoughts and constantly cultivate purifying practices, any place can be a spiritual training ground. Any place can be pure. When he goes among people, he will not be defiled. Any place can be a pure place.
As we see, Tzu Chi volunteers go to very dirty places to help other people sweep and clean. No matter how dirty it is, they are not afraid to go and clean up for people. They clean until the environment is tidy and sparkling. All of this requires a pure mind. “Everywhere purifying practices are cultivated. Nowhere is this not complete.” Wherever we may be, it is the same. In Taiwan, it is like this. Look, It is also like this in Africa. Tzu Chi volunteers all over the world are all serving and giving in the same way.
So, “Everywhere all evils are eliminated. Everywhere purifying practices are cultivated. Nowhere is this not complete.” We must repeatedly go everywhere to constantly serve others. This way, defiled lands will naturally become pure. This is the vow of all Bodhisattvas. “All who behold it are filled with joy.” That which sentient beings see will always be a joyful land.
All in all, the power of love can continually be shared. When we serve others, we give rise to joy. No matter how turbid the external environment is, we will mindfully bring purity to it. No matter how impoverished sentient beings are, if we put our hearts into opening up their intrinsic Buddha-nature that is possessed by all, they will also unlock their great power and use local resources to spread the Dharma locally. These are Living Bodhisattvas.
So, the Buddha bestowed predictions of Buddhahood with the hope that all of us will receive predictions in a Buddha’s spiritual training ground. Therefore, we must simply always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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