Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: All Time Is Inseparable from the Present Thought (古今不離當念)
Date: December.28. 2016
“He first revealed the far-reaching illumination of the Tathagata’s Three Understandings, then He taught the causes and conditions of past lifetimes from dust-inked kalpas ago. We must know that the past and the present are inseparable from the present thought. Apart from this, there are no real phenomena in the past or future that can be attained.”
Going back to Beginningless Time, to Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s time, it was very long ago; such a long time is impossible to calculate. This Buddha, this Tathagata, responded to the Dharma of Suchness to come to the world. At that time, He came to the world in response to that Dharma. Who was this? It was Sakyamuni Buddha.
The analogy here is used for countless kalpas. Countless kalpas ago, the 16 novices listened to the Lotus Sutra. Then they also sat in the place of enlightenment to teach the Lotus Sutra. This already happened countless kalpas ago, before Beginningless Time, and it has continued to the present. This is the “far-reaching illumination of the Three Understandings.”
We should all remember the Three Understandings. There are the Three Insights, then there are the Three Understandings. For Arhats, they are called the Three Insights and Six Spiritual Powers. For Buddhas, they are called the Three Understandings and Six Spiritual Powers. “Insight” means clear understanding. “Understanding” means unhindered comprehension. It is more than just an understanding, it is completely unhindered. It is unobstructed across any length of time, unobstructed across the vastness of space. Whether with universal or specific phenomena, it is completely unhindered. Thus, this is His “far-reaching illumination of the Three Understandings.”
“Far-reaching illumination” means it is unhindered. Regardless of the length of time, regardless of the vastness of space or the complexity of the world, He has penetrated the principles of universal phenomena and completely comprehended the differing phenomena of the complicated attitudes, afflictions and ignorance of the human mind. The Tathagata, the World-Honored One, beginning a very long time ago, countless kalpas of past lifetimes ago, formed His causes and conditions of past lifetimes. He went everywhere creating blessed affinities with sentient beings and experienced the different states of sentient beings’ afflictions and ignorance. So, He could thoroughly understand [everything]. He had already understood the principles, but sentient beings’ appearances differed; their various kinds of ignorance and afflictions were truly numerous, as numerous as dust. Everyone’s causes and conditions had accumulated like dust [-inked kalpas]. These were “the causes and conditions of past lifetimes from dust-inked kalpas ago.” They accumulated over incalculably long periods, over lifetimes, over truly long periods of time, lifetime after lifetime. We should know that the past and the present are inseparable from the present thought, the thoughts we have in this moment. “Apart from this, there are no real phenomena in the past or future that can be attained.” If we depart from the present thought, then there is no need to speak of the past, present or future. There is no need to say anything further if we have no intention of accepting this; we will deny the law of cause and effect. We will not believe in past lives.
In the past, the Tathagata listened to the Dharma, worked hard and in the process never abandoned sentient beings. He went among people to give.
Do you believe this? I believe it. It has been this way since Beginningless Time. Our intrinsic nature of True Suchness has no beginning and no end. There is not time when it began, and there is no time when it will end. This is the Buddha-nature intrinsic to all of us. I truly believe this. I do not know; do all of you believe this? Believing in the past means making best use of the present. Once we seize the present, we must continue it on into the future. Our present thought is our thought in this moment. At every moment, our present thought in every second should be well taken care of. These present thoughts accumulate to form those periods of dust-inked kalpas. In our spiritual practice, we must earnestly be mindful of the present moment. The power of love must be extended from the past into the present and from the present into the future.
The previous sutra passage goes on at length about how heavenly beings set up, at the place of enlightenment, a lion throne. So, “It was fitting for him to sit in this throne. At this time, the Brahma kings rained down all kinds of celestial flowers over an area of 100 yojanas. A fragrant breeze at times arose to blow away the withered flowers while newer ones rained down. Continuing like this without interruption for a full ten small kalpas, they made offerings to that Buddha.”
These were the Brahma kings of the form realm together with heavenly beings of the desire realm; beings of the form and desire realms came to make offerings to the Buddha.
They “rained down all kinds of celestial flowers.” In any case, these heavenly Dharma-protectors came to protect the aspiring spiritual practitioner who would go among people to deliver sentient beings. Heavenly beings and Dharma-protectors came to make offerings to this spiritual practitioner soon to attain Buddhahood.
The next sutra passage says, “Until He entered Parinirvana. They constantly rained down these flowers. All in the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings continuously beat upon celestial drums as an offering to the Buddha, while other heavenly beings played celestial music. For a full ten small kalpas, until He entered Parinirvana, they continued on this way.”
This went on for a very long time, from first sitting at the place of enlightenment, right up until He entered Parinirvana. During this time, from both the form and desire realms, and even from the human realm, He was showered with so many wonderful offerings in His environment. So, it says, “Until He entered Parinirvana, they constantly rained down these flowers.” This mean that His place of enlightenment was continually magnificent, a place guarded and protected by heavenly beings.
“From before He attained Buddhahood,” from even long before He attained Buddhahood, “until He entered Parinirvana, many kalpas passed.” Truly, from the beginning, Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha had to pass through many kalpas, Kalpas as incalculable as dust particles! Over and over again, many people and heavenly beings came to be Dharma-protectors in such a beautiful setting.
“All in the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings,” in order to make offerings, “continuously beat upon celestial drums as an offering to the Buddha.” All in the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings continually came to make offerings to the Buddha.
We often hear of how a single day in the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings is equivalent to 50 years in our human world. Where are the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings? These are the realms that are found in the four directions surrounding Mt. Sumeru.
In the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings, to the east is King Dhrtarastra. King Dhrtarastra of the east protects the land, so he lives on Mt. Sumeru’s gold slope.
This is the land where he lives. To the east of Mt. Sumeru is the place where King Dhrtarastra lives. In the west is King Virupaksa, who “is able to use his pure heavenly eye.” He uses his pure heavenly eye to constantly observe the world while at the same time protecting Jambudvipa. Jambudvipa is our Earth. He observes it with his pure heavenly eye.
The Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings: King Virupaksa in the west is able to use his pure heavenly eye to constantly observe and protect Jambudvipa, therefore he lives on Mt. Sumeru ’s silvers slope.
So, we often say, “There are spiritual beings above us. What people do, heaven sees.” His pure heavenly eye is like this. This is King Virupaksa; with his pure and expansive vision, he observes the good and evil in the world. He protects those who are good, and he protects the Buddha-Dharma. Jambudvipa refers to our Earth, our world. He lives to the west of Mt. Sumeru, on its silver slope.
To the south is King Virudhaka, who can enable one’s roots of goodness to grow He lives on Mt. Sumeru ‘s southern vaidurya slope.
He enables one’s roots of goodness to grow. He teaches everyone to have roots of goodness. Human nature is inherently good, and he supports everyone’s roots of goodness. He not only protects mankind’s roots of goodness, but he encourages them to nurture their roots of goodness. He lives on Mt. Sumeru, on its southern vaidurya slope. To the north is King Vaisravana, who is “famous for his blessings and virtue throughout the four directions”. He can hear the voices of sentient beings from anywhere in the four directions. So, this is why we say we should be reverent, for our voices to resonate so that they reach the ears of heavenly beings.
King Vaisravana is the one among the Four Heavenly Kings who hears the voices of sentient beings on earth. Thus, he lives on Mt. Sumeru’s crystal slope. These Four Heavenly Kings live in the four directions surrounding Mt. Sumeru. Each supervises his portion of the human realm, the good and evil done there, all that humans do on earth. The places the Four Heavenly Kings live are places that are the closet to our Earth. They are very close.
These Four Heavenly Kings live on Mt. Sumeru. With the two superior forms of blessed karma, practicing giving and upholding precepts, the retribution they receive in response is being reborn there. In Sankskrit, it is called Sumeru. In Chinese, it is called Marvelously High.
“Practicing giving and upholding precepts” means they were able to give and to uphold the precepts. This is how they practiced in past lives. By willingly practicing giving and upholding precepts, we too can be reborn in that heaven. This depends on how much we benefit others and how well we uphold the precepts. Depending on our causes and conditions, we can be reborn into these kinds of heavens. Because of all their blessings, the retribution of these heavenly beings was to be reborn there. In Sanskrit, it is called Sumeru. In Chinese, it is called Marvelously High. When we recite the sutras we say, “Even Marvelously High Mountain can be shaken.”
Do you remember? Truly, “Even Marvelously High Mountain can be shaken.” In Nepal [in 2015], in the Himalayas, in that place over 5000 meters high, there was an earthquake that still caused the monasteries there to be shaken. This is saying that the Buddha is saying that in the material realm, when blessed karma is depleted, collective karma will manifest and cause damage. So, most important for us is to earnestly engage in spiritual practice. Why do we wish to transcend the Three Realms? The form realm is filled with material objects, and we create much karma in the desire realm, so we should put effort into spiritual practice.
This is “the Heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings.” “While other heavenly beings played celestial music” means “All of the other heavenly beings in the desire realm” each played celestial songs and music.
Other heavenly beings made celestial music there. We also often see in the media how in the Himalayas there are still many spiritual practitioners. You see them blowing a very long [horn] that emits the sound of a conch. They blow the conch to awaken people’s minds. People’s minds must face toward the Path, face toward the Dharma.
“For a full ten small kalpas, in such a setting, they were continually making offerings.” They beat celestial drums and made music for a full ten small kalpas. “The Four Kings, Yama and other heavenly beings made offerings of celestial music right up until He entered Parinirvana.” This is how they made offerings to the Buddha. “Heavenly beings made offerings of flowers and offerings of music for a full ten small kalpas.” This went on for a very long time. “Until the Buddha entered Parinirvana, they continued in the same way.” It remained like this until the Buddha entered Parinirvana.
“This is how heavenly and human beings manifested their offerings to the Buddha.” Until the Buddha entered Parinirvana, they continued in the same way.
From the beginning of the ten kalpas until the time He entered Parinirvana, think about it, how long must this have taken? The Buddha’s lifespan alone was 540 trillion nayutas of kalpas, which was already very long.
Those past ten small kalpas were also already very long. We know about kalpas right? One small kalpa is one increasing and one decreasing kalpa. If we can calculate the number of years in a small kalpa, then we can figure out ten small kalpas and how long Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha had to maintain His determination and patience until attaining perfect and complete great perfect mirror wisdom.
After attaining Buddhahood, His lifespan was 540 trillion nayutas of kalpas. This was a very long time. We believe the Buddha, and the sutras have already told us that “neither a mathematician nor his disciples could calculate this [amount of time].” It is impossible to calculate, let alone kalpas as numerous as dust particles. That is even more impossible to calculate. In conclusion, this is called Beginningless Time. This time has continuously accumulated since before beginningless kalpas.
We all have the intrinsic nature of True Suchness. We are born with it. However, through ignorance we create karma, and we carry this karma along with our nature of True Suchness. We carry our nature of True Suchness, follow the karma we create through ignorance and are thereby born into subsequent lifetimes.
So, our nature of True Suchness is truly treated wrongfully, becoming covered with ignorance. With ignorance we incessantly create karma, and because of the karma we suffer, we become tormented by suffering in this suffering and torment, we again crate more karma, and it repeats like this for who knows how many lifetimes. We indeed cannot know. We have a rare opportunity in this lifetime to hear the Buddha-Dharma. We should remind ourselves to be vigilant, to take hold of our present thoughts and earnestly safeguard them. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, and during every second, we should earnestly safeguard our thoughts.
Although the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City may seem, at first glance, to be all about these numbers, it is really about us. It is actually intimately related to us. So, be mindful in listening to the Dharma and always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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