Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Cultivate Positive Conditions and Right Causes (深修善緣正因法)
Date: March.21. 2017
“Deeply cultivate positive conditions and the right causes of Dharma. When the causes have ripened into fruits, we attain liberation. If we have not yet formed good affinities, we should hasten to do good. By plowing and seeding, we will attain the fruit.”
“Deeply cultivate positive conditions and the right causes of Dharma.” We must mindfully seek to comprehend this. In our spiritual practice, we need deep faith. If our root of faith is not very deep, this tree will be very afraid of the wind. If the wind is strong, the tree will be easily blown over. Because this tree does not have deep and extensive roots, a gust of wind can easily knock it down. Thus, our faith is like the tree’s roots; we must have faith, and this root of faith must be deep and extensive so this tree can stand firm. Spiritual practice is the same as this. We begin with the seed being planted in the ground. With wind and air and enough water, the tree gradually grows. This is to say that when we have the cause, we also need conditions. If there is a seed, but there is no earth, no air in the environment and no water, then these conditions will not be fulfilled. There will only be a seed; it will not grow into a tree. It simply remains a seed. So, this seed requires many causes to help it come into being. These causes are similar to how when we engage in spiritual practice, we form aspirations to do good deeds. Without people, matters and things surrounding us, without afflictions and ignorance, how would we have opportunities to engage in spiritual practice? In our surrounding environments, with people, matters and objects, nine out of ten things will not go the way we want. These eight or nine disappointments out of ten things are called conditions. Many people, matters and objects are here to test us. Our seeds, these seeds of virtuous causes, must be able to withstand the many conditions around us which come to challenge us.
Therefore, this seed must inherently be the seed of a great tree, a tree that can withstand challenges. So, this is why we must “deeply cultivate positive conditions.” When nine out of ten things do not go as we wish, it means we do not have positive conditions. Therefore, we must be able to withstand these negative conditions. We must earnestly engage in spiritual practice. Since we had formed this aspiration, we must overcome many negative causes and conditions. In past lives, we somehow formed negative causes and negative conditions with someone. Now in this lifetime, we have understood this. The Dharma clearly tells us that this lifetime, with our circumstantial and direct retributions, we came to this place. Since we were born here, we must have affinities with this place. What kind of affinities? We have both positive and negative affinities. In this place where the Five Destinies coexist, many causes and conditions are mixed together here.
Among the Five Destinies, heavenly beings represent goodness. There are also good humans too. For most people in the world, if there is good, people will follow it. If there is evil, people will go in that direction. This is what the human world is like. Our good aspirations are not firm, but our evil thoughts are not that big either. This state of neither good nor evil is how we in the human world are, lost and deluded sentient beings who follow causes and conditions. In this place where the Five Destinies coexist, under all different causes and conditions, we must have a clear understanding. In our past lives, if we formed negative conditions with someone, when we meet them in this lifetime, they will be like the yaksas and evil ghosts from hell, using all kinds of methods to break our spiritual aspirations. Or they may be as if from the animal realm, not understanding the principles and causing disturbances and so on. Among the Three Evil Realms, the human realm and even the heaven realm, in this complicated place of the Five Destinies, we followed our conditions to come here. We may give rise to a good aspiration of wanting to transform evil beings like yaksas while not being influenced by them, so we use virtuous Dharma to form good affinities with them. For those who are foolish, like animals, we must exercise certain kinds of wisdom to transform them.
If people are like hungry ghosts, they are in extreme scarcity. On their path of life, they are deficient in everything. How can we satisfy them? It depends on how we engage in spiritual practice. By cultivating deeply, we can turn negative conditions into positive ones. These are our right causes. Our minds have a pure intrinsic nature. With these right causes, we return to Right Dharma, “the right causes of Dharma”. From our hearts, we give rise to this aspiration and use all kinds of methods to transform others. This requires deep cultivation. Otherwise, this complicated place where the Five Destinies coexist is our circumstantial retribution. Since we aspired to engage in spiritual practice to follow the Dharma, the principles of goodness, on this Bodhi-path we must earnestly walk in the right direction. If we can do this, with the right causes of Dharma, by cultivating right causes and conditions, when the causes are complete and effects mature, we will naturally be liberated. The liberation spoken of here is to be able to come and go freely, to understand that our purpose in coming to this world is to give rise to Bodhicitta and walk the Bodhisattva-path. It is to come with freedom and go with freedom. Coming and going freely is called liberation.
Yesterday, we talked about the Eight Abandonments. These are processes of spiritual practice. We must completely turn away from evil, turn from evil towards goodness. By abandoning our past evil, naturally, through spiritual practice. “The causes have ripened into fruits.” Naturally we will attain liberation. Being liberated, we can come and go at ease.
So, “If we have not yet formed good affinities, we should hasten to do good.” If we have not formed good affinities with others, we must quickly make use of our time in this evil world of Five Turbidities to find opportunities to form good affinities with everyone.
Perhaps, in the past, we formed unwholesome affinities with others, so things do not go the way we want. We should not complain; we should improve ourselves to form good affinities with others. We should seize the present and never let these good affinities get lost.
So, “If we have not yet formed good affinities, we should hasten to do good.” We must quickly seize the causes and conditions to form good affinities with everyone, seize the opportunities to do good deeds. The is how we seize the present. We are just like someone who plows and plants seeds, like a farmer who plows and plants seeds. The seeds that are sown now will become fruits later. The harvest later will bring many fruits. By working hard to sow now, we can have an abundant harvest next season. This is the same principles; it all begins with a single seed. The right causes of Dharma begin with a single seed. We must put our hearts into cultivating it. We must cherish our surrounding conditions. No matter what the conditions are, we simply must be very pure-hearted and form good affinities, form good affinities with others. Only then will we be able to attain the Eight Abandonments and be liberated.
The Eight Liberations are also called the Eight Abandonments. By abandoning attachments to the pure five desires, they give rise to flawless wisdom. By eliminating delusions of views and thinking in the Three Realms, they abandon ignorance and realize the fruits of Arhatship. To do this is to attain the Eight Liberations.
This is the process of spiritual practice. We must often remind ourselves to not be pulled by unwholesome affinities, leading us to again act out of ignorance and through volitional action give rise to discursive thoughts, thus reproducing karmic forces and ignorance. When we reach the end, isn’t there aging, illness, death and all worries and sufferings? In this way we endlessly transmigrate lifetime after lifetime. This suffering is unbearable!
Therefore, we should be mindful and always remember the methods of the Eight Abandonments. We must remember the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. Only in this way can we truly attain the. Three Insights, the Six Spiritual Powers and the Eight Liberations. This is the direction of our cultivation.
The previous sutra passage states, “[They attained] the Three Insights, Six Spiritual Powers and all Eight Liberations.” This means that we must spend a very long time. Once the seed of our aspiration is formed, for lifetime after lifetime, for kalpas as incalculable as dust particles, we must persist. This is just like when the Brahma kings came from the ten directions to Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha’s place of enlightenment to request the Dharma and the turning of the Dharma-wheel. Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha had remained silent since the beginning. The when causes and conditions matured, He began to respond and first turned the Dharma-wheel. This one turn led to infinite turns. From the first to the second, third, fourth turns, there was an infinite time of teaching the Dharma. The sentient beings transformed were as numerous “as the thousands, millions, billions, nayutas, of grains of sand of the Ganges”.
This is the sutra text we talked about yesterday. This took a very long time. [They attained] the Three Insights, Six Spiritual Powers and all Eight Liberations. The second, third and fourth time He taught the Dharma, as many sentient beings as the thousands, millions, billions, nayutas of grains of sand in the Ganges…
The Dharma, the Dharma-wheel, had already turned. [From] countless kalpas ago, dust-inked kalpas previously, the Dharma-wheel has been continuously turned, because spiritual practitioners such as Sakyamuni Buddha have been teaching the Dharma from then until now. The Dharma that we have now is the Dharma taught by Sakyamuni Buddha, and if we trace back from Sakyamuni Buddha, we find Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, from dust-inked kalpas ago. Clearly, this Dharma-wheel keeps on turning. From His spiritual practice of that time, as one of the 16 princes, all the way to 2500 years ago, when, as Prince Siddhartha of Kapilavastu, He was born, engaged in spiritual practice, attained Buddhahood and turned the Dharma-wheel, all the way until now, we are still inheriting this Dharma.
Clearly the Dharma has, since beginningless dust-inked kalpas ago, remained forever unchanging. The Dharma in Great Unhindered Buddha’s era was like this; the Dharma in Sakyamuni Buddha’s era was also like this. Therefore all Dharma is unchanging; the Dharma is forever present. It is just that we ordinary people are deluded. Our ignorant thoughts connect to external states so that we uncontrollably take action and accumulate much ignorance and afflictions. We are always coming into contact in this way, and then begin to have feeling, craving, grasping and becoming. Thus, we are always in the process of “becoming”. What is becoming? The coming into existence of ignorance. Thus, worries, sadness and distress are always present and never eliminated. Therefore, only by engaging in spiritual practice can we eliminate our ignorance, layer by layer. If we can do this, “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]”. Since the time of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, many have attained Buddhahood. Many spiritual practitioners attained Buddhahood. This has continued up to the present; we can also do the same. By engaging in spiritual practice like this, we can also return to our pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature, our innate awakened nature. Then we will be Buddhas; “Buddha” means awakening. Everyone can awaken and understand the principles. How do we understand the principles and accept the Buddha-Dharma?
The next sutra passage states, “They also remained unaffected by all phenomena and could attain liberation from all Leaks. From then onward, all the Hearers in the assembly were immeasurable, boundless and beyond count.”
They all started in this way. After they heard the Dharma and understood it, all negative phenomena and ignorance in the world were understood by them. They also remained unaffected by all phenomena.
“They also remained unaffected by all phenomena: Like those at the start of the assembly, they remained unaffected by all defiled phenomena. Their minds remained tranquil and clear.”
This began from the start, when the Dharma-wheel was first turned at the start of the assembly. In this assembly, the Brahma kings had come to request the Dharma. Before the Buddha began to teach, starting from the east, then the south, southeast and other directions, all of the eight directions plus above and below, all Brahma kings from the ten directions arrived. Before the Buddha started teachings, the Brahma kings of ten directions reverently requested the Dharma together then Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha opened His mouth and turned the Dharma-wheel. This was the start of the assembly, when the Dharma-wheel began to turn.
“They remained unaffected by all defiled phenomena. Just like that, everyone took the Right Dharma into their hearts. “Unaffected by all defiled phenomena…” This is called “abandoning”. Negative phenomena are defiled phenomena. Defilled phenomena are negative phenomena. So, when we completely abandon defiled phenomena, we will no longer be defiled. Thus, the mind is tranquil and clear. At first, when the Dharma-wheel was first turned, when they started listening to the Dharma, their minds began to completely eliminate these defiled phenomena of the past. They understood more and more that their mistakes must be fixed. Ordinary people keep on making the same mistakes. Our habit is to constantly make these mistakes.
Now, after we have heard the Dharma, we should constantly be vigilant of ourselves. If there are mistakes, we must immediately correct them and repent. We must cultivate for the future and repent the past. This is like at the start of the assembly, when they first heard the Dharma. They formed the firm aspirations to accept the Buddha-Dharma and immediately correct themselves. This way, “They remained unaffected by all defiled phenomena”.
So, “They also remained unaffected by all phenomena,” which means they were unaffected by all defiled phenomena. Their minds were completely pure, so they were already tranquil and clear.
“[They] could attain liberation from all Leaks.” These Leaks are in the Three Realms, the desire realm, form realm and formless realm. All Leaks of afflictions in these realms had been completely eliminated. The phenomena of Leaks in the Three Realms all could not affect them and had been eliminated. “Thus their minds attained freedom, and they were liberated from samsara.”
The Brahma kings had come to request the Dharma. Brahma kings in the form realm still had subtle afflictions that were not eliminated and still had some teachings they did not understand. So, they again requested the Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings in the world. Thus, “They have freed themselves from the phenomena of Leaks in the Three Realms.” This included not only the sentient beings of the desire realm but also the form realm and formless realm. There were still small amounts of Dharma that these Brahma kinds did not completely understand. So, they again requested the Dharma for the sake all sentient beings in the world. Thus, their minds were completely without Leaks. The phenomena of Leaks had been extinguished. They were pure, so their minds were at ease. They were at peace, at ease and liberated, no longer needing to transmigrate in the world due to birth and death, without any control. They no longer needed to do this. They no longer needed to [transmigrate]. In the Five Realms and four forms of birth. They had eliminated [cyclic existence ]. This is what spiritual practitioners must put their hearts into.
So, “From then onward, all the Hearers in the assembly were immeasurable, boundless and beyond count were immeasurable, boundless and beyond count.”
From then onward, all the Hearers in the assembly were immeasurable, boundless and beyond count: This was from the time He began teaching the Dharma right up until the end. All the Hearers in the assembly: These were all of the Hearers in the assembly who had attained the truth.
Since Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha first turned the Dharma-wheel, there had been this assembly of Hearers. The Hearers and Solitary Realizers who had already come in contact with much Buddha-Dharma were “beyond count”, there were many of them.
After the Dharma was first expounded, from the first time, to the second, third, fourth, and so on in this way, it continued on like this until the end, until the Buddha’s final moment. In fact, there is no end. The Dharma will continue on unendingly. When it says “until the end, this refers to matters and appearances.” The time when Great Unhindered Buddha started teaching the Dharma until His Parinirvana is [at the level of] matters and appearances. The true principles continued on, because the 16 princes still continued to turn the Dharma-wheel, engage in spiritual practice, attain Buddhahood and transform sentient beings. Therefore, once the Dharma-wheel turns, it does not stop. “All the Hearers in the assembly” are Hearers who attained the truth; they had already attained the truth. Those who heard and already understood the Dharma were many in number; they were beyond count. Many people have heard the Dharma and much time has passed.
The sutra then continues, “At that time, the 16 princes, who had all become monastics as children and were thus novices (sramaneras), all had sharp capabilities, and their wisdom brought complete understanding.”
When Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha began turning the Dharma-wheel and expounding the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, at that time, the 16 princes were also present at the Dharma-assembly where He first turned the Dharma-wheel. They also heard the Buddha teach the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. They realized and understood, so, “They had all become monastics as children and were thus novices (sramaneras).”
At the time, the 16 princes, who had all become monastics as children: Before that Buddha became a monastic, He fathered 16 sons who, while still innocent children, followed their father in becoming monastics.
So, “All had sharp capabilities”. They all had wisdom and sharp capabilities. They all understood clearly. So, before the Buddha left home, He fathered 16 princes, who all had the pure bodies of children. They followed their father to become monastics and were thus novices (sramaneras).
[They] were thus sramaneras (novices): Sramanera has a meaning of ceasing and kindness, ceasing evil and practicing loving-kindness. When one initially aspires to become a monastic, one will cease all evil and diligently practice loving-kindness.
“Sramanera” means “ceasing and kindness.” “Ceasing” means to eliminate evil. They also practice loving-kindness. Thus they have abandoned and eliminated all evil. Thus, they have abandoned and eliminated all evil. However, “kindness” means they practice all compassionate deeds in the world. So, this is “ceasing and kindness”. That is an abbreviation. “Ceasing” is to cease evil. “Kindness” is loving-kindness and compassion. This is “ceasing and kindness.” “When one initially aspires to become a monastic, it means that One will cease all evil.” With this initial aspiration, they renounced the lay life. So, they eliminated all kinds of evils. By doing no evil and doing all that is good, they are “sramaneras,” which means “ceasing and kindness”. They eliminate many evils and abandon ignorance to begin heading in the direction of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. This is their diligence. This is called “ceasing and kindness.” This is the meaning of “sramanera”.
When they became monastics as children, they were very pure-hearted. They upheld that simple mindset. This was their initial aspiration, how they began. It also means “seeker of stillness”. Sramanera means, “seeker of stillness”
A sramanera is also said to be a seeker of stillness. It is one who makes vows to become a monastic and resolves to seek Nirvana. Sramaneras take the Ten Precepts and follow the rules and etiquette bhiksus practice. This is a name for those who have just become monastics.
That is, after they become monastics, they begin to make vows and resolve to seek Nirvana, hoping to become tranquil and clear. In this way, their minds will no longer be contaminated by ignorance and negative phenomena. Thus they maintain a tranquil and clear mind. This is the purpose of becoming a monastic. Thus, “Sramaneras take the Ten Precepts”. What sramaneras take are the Ten Precepts. Everyone knows the Ten Precepts. “[They] follow the rules bhiksus practice.” Their rules of daily living are like a monastic’s, like the regulations and rules of bhiksus. From childhood, they begin to uphold the Ten Precepts. However, they have the same lifestyle as monastics. The rules, regulations and precepts are the same. After the initial aspiration to become a monastic, one is called a sramanera. Sramaneras are very pure-hearted. They are the purest and most undefiled. They are able to maintain this undefiled mind. This is their initial aspiration.
Even if they are adults, if they have not yet taken the full precepts, they are still called sramaneras. So, the first aspiration of renouncing lay life is the purest mindset. We often say, “Maintain your initial monastic aspirations, and you will surely attain Buddhahood.” So, the initial aspiration of becoming a monastic is like the heart of a child. Sramaneras are already determined to eliminate and abandon ignorance to go in the direction of goodness. This is their initial aspiration. These people “all had sharp capabilities, and their wisdom brought complete understanding”.
These 16 princes already “had sharp capabilities, and their wisdom brought complete understanding”. These capabilities refer to the six senses. The doors of the Six Roots, their six senses, are shut tightly against evil and opened wide for good. Therefore, they could understand many principles.“
“Their understanding was sharp and penetrating.” It was penetrating and not muddled at all. It was already very sharp. This is called having sharp capabilities. They had a mindset of great wisdom, which is complete understanding. “Their wisdom brought complete understanding.” They have understood everything. They had sharp capabilities and much wisdom. Not only were their capabilities sharp, very keen and discriminating, they understood everything. They could hear one thing and understand 100,1000 or 10,000; hearing a little, they had complete understanding. They had these sharp capabilities and much wisdom. Their wisdom was like the ocean; they had so much wisdom.
All had sharp capabilities: Their sharp capabilities and great wisdom all resulted from their having long made offerings to Buddhas and from having formed great aspirations. This explains the virtues of those princes. “
“All resulted from their having long made offerings to Buddhas”. These numerous accumulated, sharp capabilities all came from their past lifetimes. Since infinite kalpas ago, they had continued to engage in spiritual practice and make offerings. In their spiritual practice, they made offerings to the Buddhas. So, they formed great aspirations. This means that the 16 princes, in past lifetimes, had continuously engaged in spiritual practice and made offerings to the Buddha. So, they continuously formed great aspirations and had already accumulated many virtues. These were the 16 princes’ virtues.
So, “All had sharp capabilities” means that “Their Six Senses Organs were pure”. They were undefiled by what they saw, so their capabilities were clear and sharp. They could thoroughly understand many things without hindrances.
All had sharp capabilities: Their six senses organs were pure and their capabilities clear and sharp, so they could understand many things without hindrances. Because they were sharp, they took no joy in provisional vehicles.
The various principles and workings of the world did not obstruct their minds, because their minds were already pure and undefiled. They were just like mirrors; very clear, with no defilements. [In this mirror] one can see external states so clearly and purely, totally indistinguishable from the outside world. These are called sharp capabilities.
“Because they were sharp they took no joy in provisional vehicles.” With such sharp capabilities, they did not cultivate the Small Vehicle practice. When they first formed aspirations, they formed great aspirations. They took no joy in skillful means and small [vehicle] Dharma. They began by taking joy in the Great Dharma. The aspirations they formed were great aspirations. So, “Their wisdom brought complete understanding”. That “understanding” means that “They understood all matters and principles.” All matters and principles could be completely understood without obstruction.
Their wisdom brought complete understanding: ”Understanding” means that they understood all matters and principles. “Complete” means they did not stop halfway. They could understand all inner causes without obstruction.
‘“Complete’ means they did not stop halfway.” They did not stop along the way. They could reach full understanding. Since they engaged in spiritual practice, they would not become obstructed. No matter how many difficulties were in the world, no matter how complicated it is, for them, their minds will not be defiled or obstructed. Without being defiled, they will not become obstructed. As for greed, anger and ignorance, these are not the only things that obstruct us. Even arrogance and doubt can be greater obstructions. So, their minds did not have these obstructions. Thus, “They could understand all inner causes without obstruction”.
Inner causes encompass all matters and principles. When our inner minds have a complete understanding of ourselves and eternal circumstances, we will be completely without obstruction. As Buddhist practitioners, we must use this kind of mindset to practice. Our initial aspiration is very important. We must deeply cultivate this aspiration from the time we formed it.
Otherwise, if we just constantly say that we are engaging in spiritual practice, exactly what practice are we cultivating? Spiritual practice is not just reciting sutras. Spiritual practice is not just meditation. The most important thing in our spiritual practice is our surrounding environment, the people, matters and things. How should we treat others and form positive affinities? We must form positive affinities and create blessed causes. We need to go among people to benefit others, this is called creating blessed causes. As we interact with others and deal with matters, we should have a heart of joy. We must form positive affinities with others and joyfully accept [adversities]. When we accept adversities with ease, regardless of what others do to us, we can treat adversity as a beneficial condition. These are called “beneficial adverse conditions”. This person may have done something to us that goes against our wishes, but even if it is against our wishes, we should also accept it with a joyful heart and resolve it with wisdom to transform evil into goodness; we use gratitude so when adversity tests us, we can accept it. This is our spiritual training ground. Beneficial adverse conditions are our spiritual training ground. So, we must deeply cultivate positive conditions and the right causes of Dharma, this is very important. The most important thing in our spiritual practice is to begin with our own mind. Therefore, we must be mindful to experience the external states of people, matters and objects. We must be careful and accept adversities calmly. We must be grateful for these right causes. In our spiritual practice, through which we transform evil into goodness. We must cultivate the field of our mind well. In cultivating the field of our mind, if we cultivate it patiently and plant the seeds of goodness, then naturally, the karmic effects will mature. When these karmic effects mature, naturally we will attain liberation. With the Eight Abandonments, our ignorance will be eliminated. With favorable conditions, facing good causes and conditions, we must hurry to benefit others and form good affinities. In the future we will not have obstructions, and we will attain great liberation. This is very important. Spiritual practice must be done promptly. If we have not formed good affinities, We must form them quickly. At this time, we mist not miss even one person. When adverse conditions come, we must use wisdom to quickly resolve them and transform them into positive conditions. We must be mindful in cultivating, having sown our seeds of goodness, naturally we will reap the fruit. “One gives rise to infinity, and infinity arises from one”. In this lifetime, we can form many positive affinities and can accept many adversities, which will resolve past issues and allow us to abandon all afflictions. We must walk toward the virtuous door of liberation. To do so, as we engage in spiritual practice, we must put in effort. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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