Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Giving Rise to Compassion and Forming Great Vows (起悲思惟誓無量心)
Date: December.03. 2016
“In this way, Great Unhindered Buddha gave rise to compassionate contemplation. With universal compassion for sentient beings, He widely transformed the world. Likewise, the present Buddha sat for 21 days in calm contemplation. Wishing to transform all, He formed the aspirations of the [Four] Great Vows and [Four] Infinite Minds.”
Although His spiritual practice took a long time before He could give rise to compassionate contemplation, once His mind began to give rise to compassion, He could enter Samadhi and cultivate contemplation. He entered a state where He was one with the universe. This is “unconditional loving-kindness and universal compassion,” the compassion of being one with sentient beings.
Once He began cultivating contemplation, “With universal compassion for sentient beings, He widely transform the world.” This mindset is so important. “Likewise, the present Buddha sat for 21 days in calm contemplation.” Both the past Buddha, Great Unhindered, and the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, did this. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha set at His place of enlightenment from the first to the tenth small kalpa. This was a very long time!
The present Buddha, Sakyamuni, spent 21 days in calm contemplation for the sake of one great cause, to widely transform sentient beings. When this thought arose, He spent 21 days in calm contemplation. He wanted to transform all sentient beings. He formed the aspirations of the [Four] Great Vows and practiced the Four Infinite Minds. These aspirations had arisen in His mind. Thus, I have often said that Buddha engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings. Right now, we have these causes and conditions. We already know that everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. How do we converge with and fully understand the true and wondrous principles? Sentient beings each have causes and conditions.
Take Sariputra, for instance. Sariputra was waiting for the opportunity to transform sentient beings. Once in the city of Sravasti, there was a wealthy elder. The more everyone praised him as being wealthy, the more importance he placed on money. He was very stingy and could not let go. Because he had money, he was admired by everyone, which led him to want more and more.
While in Samadhi, Sariputra learned of this elder and decided to transform this elder. One day, before the elder closed his gate, Sariputra entered through the open door. When this elder saw that this monastic, Sariputra, had come in, he was very unhappy and chose to ignore him. After this elder finished his meal and water was brought to him to rinse and wash, the elder intentionally walked down to where Sariputra was with his alms bowl and spat the water he rinsed his mouth with into Sariputra’s alms bowl. But Sariputra continued to smile and respectfully bowed and left. Sariputra held this bowl in his hands that contained the water from the elder’s mouth. Sariputra’s mind was not affected at all. “In the past, he must have created blessings, so he is able to be wealthy in this life, but he has now become lost in this life. He is very stingy and greedy and treats practitioners with such arrogance; he will suffer unimaginably in future lives.”
Was there any way to help this elder? Holding the alms bowl, he thought, “What should I do with this water?” He had an idea; he could take some dirt, pour out the water into the dirt pile and mix it around. He could use this mud to pave the ground where the Buddha would pass by or stop. Once he thought of his, he carried it out. The Buddha saw Sariputra’s actions and understood his intentions. Sarputra and the Buddha very calmly and easily smiled at one another in understanding.
The elder had spat his dirty water into Sariputra’s alms bowl, but saw how Sariputra remained polite and did not get angry at all. He saw how Sariputra walked out with such serene steps. This led the elder to become very frightened. He was afraid Sariputra would do bad things to him. So, he sent his servant to follow close behind Sariputra and observe what he was doing. He followed him to the place where the Buddha and Sariputra met [and saw Sariputra pave the ground].
Sariputra put his palms together, and the Buddha smiled and said, “I understand your intentions. Let us pray for this elder and holp that life after life, he will do good and have the karmic conditions to listen to Dharma.”
After hearing these words, the servant quickly returned, reported back to the elder and repeated word for word what he had seen and heard. After the elder listened, he felt very repentant. He felt how compassionate these two were, so he brought all his family and followers and his servants to the abode to repent and take refuge with the Buddha.
This is how Sariputra transformed this Brahmin elder. He understood that in order to attain Buddhahood, he must go among people to observe sentient beings.
Given the afflictions and ignorance sentient beings have what methods could be applied to transform them? This is what we have to learn and practice.
The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, heavenly beings from Trayastirmsa Heaven, first, for the sake of that Buddha, placed a lion throne beneath the Bodhi-tree. The throne was one yojana in height. On this throne, that Buddha would attain Anuttara [-samyak-sambodhi].”
The heavenly beings set up the seat for Him. Before this Buddha attained Buddhahood, He had already understood the principles, but there was still something missing; He was not yet able to converge with and fully understand the intangible true principles. At that time, He was still under the Bodhi-tree, where heavenly beings had placed a throne for Him. This was before He attained Buddhahood. At this point, His compassion arose, and He began to cultivate compassionate contemplation.
The next sutra passage describes that it was fitting for Him to sit there. This all began at that time. “It was fitting for Him to sit in this throne. At this time, the Brahma kings rained down all kinds of heavenly flowers over an area of 100 yojanas. A fragrant breeze arose at times to blow away the withered flowers whiled newer ones rained down. Continuing like this without interruption for a full ten small kalpas, they made offerings to that Buddha.”
The heavenly beings saw this Buddha start to develop compassionate contemplation. So, “It was fitting at this time for Him to go sit in the throne of Bodhi.” In this place, they set up this throne, so in this way He sat down on it.
The Bodhimanda (place of enlightenment) where the Buddha attained Buddhahood was in the kingdom of Magadha, beside the river Niranjan.
Beneath the Bodhi-tree, upon the Vajra throne, Vanerable Sakyuamuni attained Buddhahood. Thus, this is the Bodhimanda.
“The Bodhimanda [is] where the Buddha attained Buddhahood.” So, where was this place? Sakyamuni Buddha’s Bodhimanda was in the kingdom of Magadha, beside the river Niranjan under a Bodhi-tree, upon the Vajra throne, which was placed there by heavenly beings. In this very natural scene, a stone under the Bodhi-tree, a very flat-surfaced stone, was the Vajra throne. This is in our Saha World Sakyamuni Buddha’s Bodhimanda was very natural. There was this tree, and there was also a flat rock. This was where the Buddha sat. “Venerable Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood [here].” So, that place was called a Bodhimanda Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha sat in the same way in the past.
“At this time, the Brahma kings…” Who were the Brahma kings? Brahma can be translated as “free of desire” or as “pure.” That is the meaning of Brahma kings. They are “wondrous and perfect in body and mind,” very dignified physically and mentally. Their minds are peaceful and perfect and “[did] not lack awe-inspiring demeanor.” They are very dignified, and their demeanor was not lacking “and are pure in upholding precepts.” They uphold all precepts.
Additionally, they have a clear awakening. This Brahma King came to understand the principles and was able to “lead those in the Brahma heavens.” He leads those in the Brahma heavens.
So, in the Lotus Sutra, there is such a passage that states, “[He is] the ruler of the Saha World. The great Brahma Sikhin is the lord of the great trichiliocosm.” It means “the ruler of the Saha World [is] the great Brahma Sikhin.” That is that Brahma king’s name.
The Brahma kings: “Brahma” can be translated as “free of desire” or as “pure.” It means that those heavenly kings are wondrous and perfect in body and mind. They do not lack awe-inspiring demeanor and are pure in upholding precepts. Additionally, they have a clear awakening, so they lead those in the Brahma heavens. In the Lotus Sutra, he is called the ruler of the Saha World. The great Brahma Sikhin is the lord of the great trichiliocosm.
Trayastrimsa Heaven’s lord is Sakro-devanam Indra, but the lord of Braham heavens is Sikhin. The great Brahma Sikhin is the lord of the great trichiliocosm. In [Chinese tradition], there is the Jade Emperor and the God of the Three Courts. The Jade Emperor should be similar to Sakro-devanam Indra, while the God of the Three Courts should be like this great Brahma Sikhin, who is a Brahma king.
“At this time, the Brahma kings rained down all kinds of heavenly flowers over an area of 100 yojanas. Drifting down from the heavens were celestial flowers of four forms, over an area of 100 yojanas on all four sides.”
Starting from the Introductory Chapter, there were many celestial flowers. “There fell from the heavens a rain of Mandarava [and] Manjusaka flowers.” Large and small varieties among the four kinds of flowers came from the heavens. Similarly here, these flowers of four forms fell from the heavens “over an area of 100 yojanas on all four sides.” These flowers fell from the heavens on four sides, meaning that as He sat at this place of enlightenment, on all four sides, fragrant flowers of four forms fell. Not only were there flowers of four forms, but also “a fragrant breeze [that] arose at times to blow away the withered flowers.”
A fragrant breeze arose at times to blow away the withered flowers while newer ones rained down: During this same period of time, a fragrant breeze would come and blow away the scattered flowers that had withered, as more fresh flowers rained down.
The flowers were falling from the sky, and after they fell and slowly withered, in the midst of this was a fragrant breeze that gently blew. This breeze that blew in was fragrant because all around were trees that bore flowers. As it blew the flowers, it became very fragrant. For [any flowers] that withered, a slight breeze would blow them away. Once these wilted flowers were blown away, new flowers would fall down again. This is such a beautiful scene!
The fragrant breeze blows away the wilted flowers “while newer ones rained down. More fresh flowers rained down.” When these old flowers were blown away, fresh flowers rained down again. This is a very beautiful scene.
“Continuing like this without interruption for a full ten small kalpas, they made offerings to that Buddha. Not yet revealing Himself as the Buddha, that Buddha sat for 10 kalpas.” “Heavenly beings constantly rained down flowers as offerings.”
These ten small kalpas were a very long time. Yet, we have not yet been able to converge with the true principles and True Suchness. During this time, in the surrounding conditions, the air was very good, whether rain fell or a fragrant breeze blew in these conditions, fresh flowers rain down, old ones are blown away. Offerings are endlessly made by heavenly beings. This is the offering of the natural world. “In the heavenly realm, the Buddha sat at His place of enlightenment in the form realm, or the realm of physical objects, or Brahma heavens,” they “rained flowers to make offerings” until He entered Parinirvana. This is an analogy for Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s time. In the process of His spiritual practice, He similarly had to be in natural conditions, this state of natural formations. He used this as an analogy.
Material objects exist in the material world. The things you can see, conditions and objects, make up this world The world a Brahma king rules is the natural world. What we refer to as the natural world is this realm. Practitioners came to this place, which is the best for practicing; this is the place where He sat. In the great natural world, flowers floated down in the wind. In these conditions, with the fragrance of the flowers in the air, it should have been a very beautiful scene.
Before this Buddha attained Buddhahood, He possessed this kind of mental state, and He understood all of the principles. What He still lacked was the principles behind True Suchness, the natural world and all things. He had yet to converge with all of the these. This was the only thing He lacked. But how could He comprehend these? What was still missing? While He was replete with the Dharma, He had to awaken His compassion and bring together His compassion and wisdom. Wisdom is [knowing] the principles, and compassion is putting them into action. With compassion, He is willing to go among people.
Wisdom is innately possessed principles. When compassion and wisdom converge, we will develop universal compassion. “With universal compassion for sentient beings, He widely transformed the world.”
In the time of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, He also cultivated compassionate contemplation. “He started to go among people with this mindset.” Similarly, Sakyamuni Buddha was waiting for His disciples to form such great aspirations and make great vows. He was also waiting for this mindset.
All in all, we humans innately have the place of practice at Vulture Peak within us. So, why should we look outside? We have to let this innate place of enlightenment truly show its ability to deliver sentient beings. This is our goal. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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