Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Arising and Ceasing of Causes and Conditions (根塵和合因緣生滅)
Date: March.14. 2017
“We observe that sentient beings are infinitely kind and loving. As Roots and Dusts converge, causes and conditions arise and cease. The three natures of good, evil and indeterminate are not set. According to their good or evil thoughts, they create blessings or bring about disasters.”
This is the mind of sentient beings. While traveling around Taiwan this time, in just a short half month, I traveled from the north to the central region. I saw the endearing side of sentient beings, which is goodness and love, that persistent nature of love and goodness. Everything I saw of what everyone was expressing was their persistent loving hearts. There were even quite a few seniors, many of whom are well-advanced in years. Tzu Chi has also been around for 50 years. Over these 40, 50 years, people’s lives have passed in a flash. 40 or 50 years ago, they gave rise to this aspiration to accept the walk the Tzu Chi path and have closely followed me all along the way. Everything that they have done has been the work of this world, and at the same time they accepted the Buddha-Dharma in this world. Their persistent and determined faith is still the same today.
However, now they are old. They are already advanced in years. Yet, they also have this wisdom. Everything they say, every sentence, is so transcendent and liberated. They see birth and death just like going home; they come and go just as we come and go in our daily living. They do not feel fearful of death. They always say, “I am so grateful! I am lucky I found Tzu Chi in this life. I am very content. Luckily, I was still young when I [started] doing Tzu Chi work. Now I am old and my body is ill. The doctor said I do not have much time. I have cancer, but I always feel very content; it is enough.”
I saw how at ease they were when they came to see me. In their youth, they had joined Tzu Chi together, holding hands. Now they are three elderly Bodhisattvas, and that day they were holding hands just the same. The one in front held the hand of the one behind. The one behind held the hand of the one behind her. All three held hands together. Their other hand held a cane. Three hands held canes. One hand held a cane and one hand held a person. They came like this one behind the other. They came over, coming close to me. I said, “Elderly Bodhisattvas, it has been so long since I saw you last.” They said, “You have seen us. Master, every time you come we are always here. We are here every day.” I said, “When I come, why don’t you come out to see me then?” They said, “We do. When you arrive, we want to come see you, but a wall of people is all around you. We are behind everyone.” I said, “Then why don’t you wave your cane and say, ‘Master, we are over here? ’” They said, “There are many young people happy [to see you].” Then, a young person actually replied, “Master, the aunties always come rain or shine.” This elderly volunteer answered me, “That’s right, Master. I remember many years ago telling you, I am so old and useless. You said to me, ‘But you are useful! Do not be afraid of old age. Come out every day and let people see you. That itself is very useful!’” She said, “Master, I listened to what you said. All three of us agreed to go to the branch office every day. Every day we go to the office to show people we are here.” I said, “Then what about today?” She said, “Today we came ‘to be on duty.’” It has been so long since I heard this term “to be on duty.” It is only used by senior [commissioners]. Young people say, “I came for my shift.” Yes, it is a shift. It has been a long time since I heard anyone say, “I came to be on duty.” “You still take turns ‘being on duty?’” She said, “We don’t just come so people see us; we also have work to do! So, if people come and ask me, I am just sitting there for them to ask, I tell them, ‘In the past, Tzu Chi was like that. Now today look at what we have achieved.’”
See, the mind of sentient beings and that of the Buddha are equal; this is that love and goodness. Age does not matter. Moreover, for 40 or 50 years, they have continued without changing; these three still have the same aspiration. They all agreed to join Tzu Chi together. Now, they still came over holding hands. This is “never forgetting the initial resolve,” the resolve they formed at the very beginning. They have taken the Dharma to heart and put it into practice according to the principles. They have weathered the changing times like this. It has been 40 to 50 years. Seeing them, they are treasures of the world and treasures among my disciples. As I keep speaking of these three, it brings that scene to my mind, the three of them holding hands. They all needed to use a cane, and their backs were slightly hunched. This kind of life is one of the highest value.
However, if we look again at our society, it is so vast and has so many people. “As Roots and Dusts converge, causes and conditions arise and cease.” Our Six Roots connect to the states of the Six Dusts. Just talking about sound, the object of sound, some people hear things and act blindly. There are people like this. Whether they are experienced or new [volunteers], they normally have the resolve to do Tzu Chi work. But if they have not taken the Dharma to heart, faced with the criticism in society and the net of ignorance, people hear and are afraid. They begin to cower in fear. Others hear criticism and blindly react to it. Thus they stop [their volunteer work]. These are causes and conditions. When virtuous causes and conditions appear, we form a good aspiration to get involved in society. When people praise us, our mind is at ease and we do things with joy. But with the slightest disturbance, our mind becomes frightened and faint; we lack steadfast faith and sincerity. When we lack faith in ourselves, we regress. Because of the net of ignorance, we begin to stop moving forward. So, when causes and conditions converge, there is arising and ceasing.
I will also say, “Accept the conditions.” When the Buddha was in the world, He also taught this way. Sometimes He would also encounter some in society who would slander Him. There were also some people who, when the Buddha presented His alms bowl, shut every door in the village to Him, forcing the Buddha to eat horse fodder. During the Buddha’s lifetime, He also experienced this kind of life, this net of ignorance.
When Confucius was alive, it was the same. He encountered troubled times and people who opposed Confucius’ teachings. One time, Confucius and his disciples suddenly encountered unrest and were separated. He was all alone in the city. Someone saw Confucius. They clearly recognized him and in a mocking tone said, “Why is there a homeless dog in the city walking all over the place?” Confucius heard and knew in his mind that when people are about to receive teachings, they will always be respectful. But with one vain, unwholesome thought, rumors will quickly spread, causing people to take the teachings lightly and become arrogant with regard to the principles. So, this was the case for sages in the past. Confucius experienced this. Sakyamuni Buddha also experienced this period of hard times.
In particular, it is now the era of the evil world of Five Turbidities. This kind of ignorance and afflictions [spread]. In this time of turbid and confused perspectives. When the turbidity of views causes disruptions, sentient beings face severe defilements. Isn’t this often mentioned in the Buddhist sutras? With the turbidity of views, the defilements in sentient binges’ minds are very severe. There is so much filth. This is called the turbidity of sentient beings.
[The turbidity of] sentient beings comes from the converging of Roots and Dusts, this arising and ceasing of causes and conditions. Sometimes virtuous conditions arise, and sometimes negative conditions arise. When negative conditions arise, virtuous conditions cease. When virtuous conditions arise, negative phenomena cease. This all happens through the causes and conditions of the converging of Roots and Dusts, which leads to endless arising and ceasing. This is what the Buddha taught us. We must have deep roots of faith and firm spiritual aspirations. This is especially true in today’s world.
Next, “The three natures of good, evil and indeterminate are not set.” Are people good or evil? Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature, so of course people are good. But due to later-acquired defilements and habitual tendencies, our pure and undefiled nature of True Suchness has become permeated over many lifetimes, permeated with both good and evil. This resulted in the life we now live. When we are with good people they can influence us. Even for people [permeated by] evil, if they have a good environment, good people and a benefactor in their life to guide them, then these people will also become good.
But, if someone who is good at the start encounters negative conditions, if their environment changes, then even a good person can also be influenced by negativity and give rise to evil thoughts. So, it says, “According to their good or evil thoughts, they create blessings or bring about disasters.”
If we encounter good conditions, as we have an intrinsically pure nature, they converge with our pure intrinsic nature, and we will be able to benefit others in the world. We accept the teaching of the Buddha-Dharma and put the Bodhisattva-path into practice, benefiting others in the world.
But if we encounter negative conditions, our originally good thoughts can disappear as we follow negative conditions, blindly reacting to whatever we hear. Not only will our good thoughts cease, we will also be carried along with the tide, giving rise to calamities. If goodness diminishes, evil will increase. This is because sentient beings’ nature is not set.
With this kind of mindset in the world, people are neither good nor evil; they either follow good or follow evil. Thus, we say “The three natures are not set.” Seeing good, we follow it and do good. Encountering evil, we follow it to commit evil. [If we encounter] neither good nor evil, although we listen to virtuous Dharma, it cannot move our hearts. “I am just happy you are doing it; that is enough.” Then we are unwilling to practice ourselves and create blessings among people. We can say that they are good and take joy in others’ merits.
Yet, if someone sow ignorance and afflictions, “One man’s lie is propagated by ten thousand as the truth.” People blindly follow whatever they hear. Or in hearing it, they [will say], “Is that so? But I used to do it like that. If that’s the case, then I won’t do it anymore. But I am not spreading this [rumor] like others are. This is only what I heard. I think what he said makes sense.” So, they stop, doing neither good nor evil. They are in this kind of state. Thus, we say, “The three natures are not set.” One is our good nature, one is evil nature and one is neither good nor evil. These are called the three natures.
Every year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, we have doctors from around the world, Tzu Chi volunteers who gather together. This is TIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Association). These doctors are people who have joined Tzu Chi. Once a year, they come to Taiwan during the Mid-Autumn Festival to spend the holiday together. This year (2015), doctors and nurses from 22 counties gathered in Taiwan. This group of Bodhisattvas and medicine kings gathered to share experiences at the Jing Si Abode. They shared about how, in their countries, TIMA volunteers go to very remote areas. They go to see patients, not fearing the distance. The patients are unable to come to them. They are poor, old and alone, with no support. Whether in the highlands or the plains, across the ocean or atop a mountain, the volunteers are not afraid of the difficulty. For a certain period of time, TIMA members will go to conduct medical outreach like this. We heard them talk about their medical outreach. Besides very remote areas, within crowded, busy cities, there are also many people who [need help].
I heard a very touching story. It happened in Singapore. TIMA volunteers are truly benefactors for many living in poverty. They are the un-summoned teachers, the benefactors of sentient beings in hardship. In Singapore there was a 76-years-old senior. Although he lives in downtown Singapore, his leg is the size of an elephant’s. When asked how long he had been like this, he could not remember and tried to calculate the years. He also has a goddaughter, because when this senior was young, his wife was very kind-hearted. Although his own children all moved far away, this senior and his wife were very good to others, so there was a girl who was an orphan whom they cared for. Now, she is already grown up and married. So, after his wife passed away, this senior was all by himself. This Mr. Salih lived by himself and had suffered from this illness for many years. When his goddaughter was notified, she came to take care of him. From what she could remember, it might have been nearly ten years. Her godfather already had this illness for nearly ten years. Since his family was poor and he was old, he felt very ashamed. He also did not have any money, so he could only let this illness drag on until his leg began to rot. It would sometimes bleed or leak pus. Blood and pus mixed together would flow out. This is the impurity of the body; blood and pus continually seeped out. For nearly ten years, the house had never been cleaned; it was filthy. Blood and pus were congealed all over the house. It was already in layers on the ground. One could not even see the color of the floor. It was a mixture of blood and pus that had already dried out and stuck to the floor. It was just a tiny room. The garbage in the room along with the impurities from his body were really indescribable.
Seeing this short video, it was as if one could smell the stench just by watching. He lived that kind of life The neighbor living around him felt that this senior really was very lonely. He would not let people get close to him. He had a severe sense of inferiority and would not listen to others’ advice. So later, this case was referred to Tzu Chi volunteers. Our Tzu Chi volunteers along with TIMA nurses and doctors went together in a group to see him. He would not accept our help. It took many days to convince him, going once every three to four days to give him nutritional supplements. The nutritional supplements gave them a chance to go over and over
After nearly three months of communication, he was gradually willing to accept our help and talk with the volunteers, accepting them His leg was wrapped up, giving it the appearance of an elephant’s leg. He had used a piece of cloth, with a layer of newspaper underneath. He was unwilling to let anyone take care of it, but it smelled very bad inside. Only this group of nurses and doctors could approach him. Slowly and gradually, they developed a relationship with him, and after another three months, they were able to get his consent. “Very well, I’ll let you clean.” After another several days they went again and prepared to clean up. He became angry again and would not let people clean up. They again had to put in a lot of effort, continually coaxing him and making him happy Then, he finally agreed reluctantly to leave the house. Everyone, about 30 to 40 people, spent ten hours of time to clean this house. All those dirty things that were totally useless and filthy were moved outside. The floor was scoured clean with a scraper, scraping off layer after layer. After rinsing with water, it was scraped again. It took ten hours. It was not just the floor. There were also the walls and the roof. Everything was scraped and cleaned, swept and wiped In this tiny space, an adjustable bed was set up for him. When this senior came in, he took one look and his eyes opened wide. “Thank you, thank you very much!” “Can we take a look at your leg?” He still stubbornly refused. They had to continue to interact, encourage him. Thus he finally [agreed] and they opened the wrap. Truly, it had already rotted to the point the bone was exposed. Pus and blood came flowing out, so they quickly asked the doctors to take care of it fast. They finally had got his consent. In this way, they started to become close with him. They would often go to look in on him and change the dressings.
Everyone, I am telling you this story now, but I only saw a short video. I saw the were willing to get close to him, unafraid of the stench and filth, unafraid of that person’s illness. They treated him like their dearest relative, with patience greater than for their own family. They loved and cared for him. On everyone’s faces was a big smile; they did not have the slightest hint of aversion. They never rejected or become fed up with him. They never gave up on him. It took such a long time, three to four months of continually bringing nutritional supplements until he was willing to talk to them and another three months to continually guide him. They continuously prepared things so that he had enough to eat, taking care of his nutritional needs. They kept communicating with him, and after several more months, they finally got his permission to clean his house. It took 30 to 40 people ten hours to clean that small house. Think about it, are these just ordinary people? They are Living Bodhisattvas and medicine kings.
This is being infinitely kind and loving. How great is their kindness, how broad, deep and profound? We are unable to express it in words. What can we use as an analogy for such love and kindness in people? We truly have no way to measure it. They have such deep-rooted, solid, steadfast faith and limitless love. With these good conditions of Roots and Dusts converging, [this love] can arise and never cease. For such a long time, they have [worked] continuously.
TIMA has already existed for nearly 20 years with this kind of dedication. If we say that TIMA started with our first clinic, it has already been over 40 years, starting from September 10, 1972 with the first clinic in Hualien, on Renai Road. If we calculate it this way, it has been 45 years. That was the beginning of Tzu Chi Medical Assoc.
The international medical association has also existed a long time. Look at how firm everyone’s faith is. Every country has touching stories of those who draw near to the poor, ill and suffering, to those sentient beings in need. This is a Bodhisattva’s pure land, the spiritual pure land of a Bodhisattva. The world has so many impure defilements, and we contemplate the body as impure, to say nothing of when people get sick and have no one to look after them. For decades of illness, impure things flowed out [of his leg], pilling up in his room. Think of it, this kind of spiritual pure land is the mind of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is our pure and undefiled intrinsic nature. Thus we can go out into this turbid world and not be contaminated by its impurities. We further give rise to a resolve formed of pure and undefiled great love. This is what it is to be a Living Bodhisattva, a benefactor in someone’s life. So, the power of love is great. We must put our efforts into being mindful.
We previously spoke of the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. In the Chapter on the Conjured City, all the Brahma kings came from the ten directions, the eight directions and above and below. All of the Brahma kings gathered together and asked the Buddha to turn the Dharma-wheel. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha began by teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence as He started to turn the Dharma-wheel. All Buddhas share the same path. Why do people come to this world?
We previously spoke of the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. “He then extensively taught the Dharma of the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. Ignorance gives rise to volitional formation and volitional formation to consciousness. Consciousness gives rise to name and form, name and form give rise to the six entrances, the six entrances give rise to contact, contact gives rise to feeling, feeling gives rise to craving, craving gives rise to grasping, grasping gives rise to becoming, becoming gives rise to birth and birth gives rise to the worry, sadness and distress of aging and death.”
This worry, sadness and distress of aging and death are all things we have previously discussed. Everyone should remember this. So, up to “contact,” from one thought of ignorance we give rise to volitional formation. Volitional formation gives rise to consciousness, and consciousness gives rise to name and form. When our affinities with our parents converge, we enter the womb and there is a pregnancy; that is name and form. Gradually, our body is formed, and when the time comes we are born. When we come in contact with the world, it is so painful! When the naked body is exposed to the air, the entire body suffers from being pierced with pain. So, we cry. The first sound at birth is one of crying. It is excruciating pain that pierces the nerves. With pain, we begin to cry. This is the sensation of contact.
Contact gives rise to feeling: When Roots and Dusts converge, we experience our different conditions as adverse, favorable or neither adverse nor favorable. Accordingly different sensations will arise, either of suffering, joy or detachment.
“When Roots and Dusts converge” means that we first form the Six Roots in our mother’s womb. The when we encounter the outside world, the Six Roots make contact with external states. So, when “[Roots and Dusts] converge, we experience adverse conditions.” We were very warm in our mother’s womb. But when we make contact with the outside world, the first thing we experience is the pain of our naked body coming in contact with the air, this kind of adverse condition. Next, our body is washed, and we begin to be loved by our parents. We feel hungry. Quickly [a bottle] is put into our mouth, and we begin to suck. We begin to have sensations of taste. In early times people used licorice root water or brown sugar water. People today immediately let babies drink milk, either cow’s milk or the mother’s milk. In this way, favorable conditions begin to arrive. First, we encounter adverse conditions, then favorable conditions follow.
Or, as we begin to grow up, in our family there are “neither adverse nor favorable circumstances.” That is because [a child] is too young. What are adverse conditions? What are favorable conditions? What does it mean to be against their wishes? Anyway, as infants, these types of conditions do not matter to them. They have no sense of things either going against or going along with their wishes. That is because children do not understand yet. They do not have these kinds of expectations. In an environment they cannot control, they are simply being raised like this. These “adverse, favorable or neither adverse nor favorable circumstances” are each different. So, the children gradually grow up in this way. As they grow up, they begin to know, “I want this” and “I do not want that.” They gradually give rise to more of these feelings. They feel, “I do not want to be in this state” or “I like these conditions” or, “I do not care; whether it is good or bad does not matter.” It is the same. We just talked about good, evil and indeterminate natures. This is like the state we are in as children, neither positive nor negative. When we like or dislike something and so on, these are the differences among the three. We experience sensations of suffering, joy and detachment, believing it does not matter; all these are different states. This is how we grow from the time we are small.
So, “Contact gives rise to feeling. Feeling gives rise to craving.” When we begin to have feelings, we will then differentiate, so we have cravings. So, “toward our own bodies and external conditions” we give rise to greed and desire. This is very simple. You can understand at a glance. So it says, “Feeling gives rise to craving.”
Because we have feelings, we feel “I want this; I do not want this.” When there is “craving,” naturally there will be attachment. With attachment, “This is what I love, and no one is allowed to share. I want to have it all to myself.” This strong craving gives rise to attachment and a sense of self, “This is what I crave.” So, from “craving” we begin to have “grasping.” “I’m taking all this as mine.” This desire to possess has arisen.
Craving gives rise to grasping: Craving is attachment and gives rise to the concept of self and the self’s possessions.
Grasping gives rise to becoming: Once the karmic seed of attachment has ripened, there will surely be future retributions.
Next, “grasping” gives rise to “becoming.” “Becoming” means that we are attached. We have the karmic seed of attachment. Since this karmic seed has ripened, our attachments will continually accumulate. They continue to accumulate from our youth through our middle age to old age. We continually create karmic seeds all our lives. The karma may be good or evil. Good deeds will bring blessings, while evil will bring disasters. When the karmic seeds of good and evil mature, “There will surely be future retributions.” Our eighth consciousness takes in these good and evil seeds. We carry nothing with us when we are born or die except our good and evil habitual tendencies. After our life ends, our good or evil karma follows us into our next life.
So, “Grasping gives rise to becoming. Becoming gives rise to birth.” Once again we are born into our next life. “Circumstantial retributions of future existence are all included in the appearance of the body.” They are all incorporated into our body. Among the four forms of birth, will we bring this karma to become egg-born, womb-born, moisture-born or transformation-born? Will we be [born into the] heaven, human, hell, hungry ghost or animal realm? These are all different appearances. What we create now are the conditions we bring into subsequent lifetimes. “Birth gives rise to the worry, sadness and distress of aging and death.” Aging, illness and death cause us great suffering.
With birth, there will be the illusory appearance of being young and vigorous, and thus the opposite appearance of aging. Whatever arises will cease, thus there is the opposite appearance [of birth], which is death. With birth, there is the suffering of suffering, suffering of decay and suffering of action. These all press in on us, so we have worry, sadness and distress. Therefore, it says that birth gives rise to the worry, sadness and distress of aging and death.
I can truly tell I am growing old. When I traveled this time, [I found out] several people had passed away. One person was seriously ill. When he passed away several family members said, “Master, we are very grateful. When our older, so-and-so, passed away, his last thoughts were of Tzu Chi. He was already prepared and had given instructions. His [memorial] photo and [burial] clothing were all prepared. Then, he instructed his son and daughter-in –law. You need to continue walking the Tzu Chi path on my behalf.”
It was the same in Taipei. This person had taken the right path. Even though he had arrived at the end of his life his mind was without hindrances. He hoped his offspring would continue the work. He passed away with such a clear [state of mind]. We know that he was also very clear on his future.
In short, “With birth, there will be the illusory appearances of being young and vigorous.” We speak of youth; it is an illusion. After several years, he will also be old, so there are “illusory appearances of being young, and thus the opposite appearance is aging.” In the end, we all age. “With arising there is ceasing, and thus the opposite appearance is death.” There is birth and there is death. This is life in this world. We are born and we die. We must seize our time in this world. With suffering, there is the “suffering of suffering” and
“the suffering of decay.” As soon as people are born, there is suffering. Some have even greater suffering. Also, as we grow older, our illnesses and pain increase. More and more things do not go as we wish. This is called the “suffering of decay.” We were very blessed to begin with when suddenly, we find we have nothing at all. There are so many refugees nowadays. Many were wealthy landlords who now have to flee in hardship from their country. Appearances like this are all “suffering of decay.” “Suffering of action” is how we go through life. There is no permanence in life. Amidst impermanence, everything goes through the infinitesimal changes of the aggregate of action. This is called “suffering of action.” Forces push against each other. The second that just passed is followed by the one behind it. Seconds [pass]in this way. The wave behind pushed the wave in front of it. So, “Birth gives rise to the worry, sadness and distress of aging and death.” These are the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.
Everyone, we must put effort into being mindful. “We observe that sentient beings’ hearts have infinite good and evil.” We can be the one who is kind-hearted and loving, a Bodhisattva of infinite love in this world. We must not allow external states and such to entice us as we simply chase after their external phenomena. I hope that we will put down deep, firm roots as we walk the path that we should walk. We must not allow the net of ignorance to keep us in bondage and bring us unbearable suffering. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
