Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Distant Causes of the Promotion of Dharma (今日助宣 實遠有因 )
Date: June.20.2017
“Purna displays in this manifestation and now, in this place where I am, helps me to teach. Also, in the presence of Buddhas long ago, he helped those Buddhas to promote the teachings. Today, his helping me promote the teachings is the manifest. In truth, this comes from distant causes; his past helping to promote the teachings is the intrinsic. The intrinsic may be recent or distant.”
This text seems to be very similar to yesterday’s. Yes, it is very similar, but a slight difference results in a wide divergence. Everyone, if we are not mindful, we may say that all Purna did was display this manifestation of engaging in spiritual practice at Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly. The appearance he manifested was of a Hearer with limited capabilities, practicing the limited teachings. We might think this is all.
In fact, this was the manifestation he displayed, as one among the Buddha’s Sangha now in this place helping [the Buddha] to teach. This was how his recent manifestation appeared, as a Hearer living in the Sangha. He engaged in spiritual practice together with all the other Hearers, but he could likewise teach and transform them. Did he merely appear at Sakyamuni Buddha’s spiritual training ground? If we look [back] a little further we can see how. “Also, in the presence of Buddhas long ago, he helped those Buddhas to promote the teachings.” Sakyamuni Buddha told us that Purna not only helped in that present lifetime; in fact, he also did so “in the presence of Buddhas long ago.” For a very, very long time, in the presence of countless Buddhas, he assisted those Buddhas in teaching and transforming sentient beings. Clearly Purna Maitrayaniputra had profound capabilities and distant causes and effects. He was actually more than what our eyes could see, just another Hearer among the disciples. He was more than that. There was also his past lives and before. “Today, his helping me promote the teachings is the manifest. In truth, this comes from distant causes.” Today, at Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly, helping Sakyamuni teach the Dharma was merely displaying a manifestation. This was the appearance he displayed; this was a manifestation. A human lifespan is short, not long-lasting; this is only one lifetime.
Each lifetime is a manifestation; it is simply a process we all go through. It is the same for all of us. How long can we actually stay in this world? A short time, only a few decades. This is only one manifestation. In any case, we have come to the world before. Purna’s original vow in the depths of his heart was to come and transform sentient beings. He took on this manifestation and came in this form to the world so that he could devote himself to others, so that he could help the Buddha spread the Dharma and teach and transform sentient beings. A single Buddha only has so much strength. He needs a group of disciples, each one manifesting with a different method and different way of living to transform those sentient beings they had affinities with.
Sentient beings’ capabilities all differ. Some enjoyed Sariputra’s foremost wisdom. Some enjoyed Maudgalyayana’s vast spiritual powers. Some enjoyed listening to Purna as he analyzed the Buddha-Dharma. Each of the 10 great disciples had their strengths. Each had a specialty. So, this was all to help the Buddha teach and transform sentient beings. Purna Maitrayaniputra in particular kept very close to the Buddha’s intent. He understood that he must go among the people with the right understanding and right views of the Buddha-Dharma. He needs to have a very proactive spirit in continuously going among the people to draw near to sentient beings. No matter how stubborn sentient beings were, with his spirit of perseverance, he went among the people to guide and teach them. This was what Purna did in the world. He was the disciple closest to the Buddha’s intent.
So, this was the manifest. In this life, he displayed this manifestation. Actually, he displayed this manifestation in this life because in the past he had already accumulated many causes, the seeds for following and learning from the Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha was one of the 16 princes, and for dust-inked kalpas. He constantly returned to the world to likewise follow and learn from his teachers. In every lifetime, he followed [Buddhas] help them by teaching and transforming sentient beings. So, “In truth, this comes from distant causes.” The true principle underlying this is that with past causes and conditions, there are present effect and retributions. These effects are to be born in the same place, in the same era, going in the direction, with the same mission. Seeing the world filled with suffering again, once again they will resolve to seek, to search out the wondrously profound principles. This is the mission we share. The causes and conditions that allow awakening come at different times. Sakyamuni Buddha’s karmic conditions were unique, he had engaged in spiritual practice for a very long time and the causes and conditions that led Him to form aspirations were unique. He had formed aspirations in the place of greatest suffering, and His karmic conditions were always exceptional. Thus, in the era of Great Unhindered Buddha, and even before Great Unhindered Buddha’s era, He had accumulated countless causes and conditions. it was with these exceptional karmic conditions that He always continued to seek out the Dharma. This is “[the] truth”.
Long ago in the past, countless kalpas before, a bvery long time ago, this cause existed. In the past, [Purna] likewise had these causes and conditions. “His helping to promote the teachings, is the intrinsic origin.” This did not just apply to Purna Maitrayaniputra.Sakyamuni Buddha was also the same in the past. He unceasingly learned and practiced the Dharma in the presence of all Buddhas. He unceasingly helped all Buddhas successfully teach and transform sentient beings at their places of spiritual practice.
For example in the era of the 16 princes, after Great Unhindered Buddha finished teaching the sutra, next, those 16 princes likewise continued proclaiming and explaining the Lotus Sutra. this is the same idea.
It means that since we have all formed aspirations, we must be single-minded in our resolve, persevere and never give up. We must never let [the Dharma] leak away, never let a single second slip by. We must be single-minded in our resolve.
Sakyamuni Buddha taught His disciples like this; in the [Ekotarra] Agama Sutra there is also a passage like this. The Buddha said to His disciples, “To engage in spiritual practice, you must settle your mind. Do not allow your mind to be unsettled so that before you even receive any Dharma, it runs in every direction without setting down in any place. You must settle your mind.” So, when the Buddha was in the kingdom of Sravasti at Jeta Grove with the Sangha, one time He told His disciples, “My disciples! As your engage in spiritual practice, earnestly focus your body and mind on one place. Body and mind must be brought back together in one place. Do not let them run around for no reason. If you often let them run in all directions, this will create five kinds of hindrances for your spiritual practice.” He explained the five kinds of himdrances this way. First, if it often happens that our body and mind are not in one place, we will often run around outside. This way, we lose the chance to listen to or to again review the Buddha-Dharma. So, our body and mind must be settled in one place. After listening to the Dharma, we must review it so that we will not easily forget it.
Second, if our mind is often not in this place, or if we are always going out and coming back, we will easily forget the Dharma we heard. We will not be able to take the Dharma to heart; we hear it, then it leaks away. The Dharma we heard will leak away.
Third, if we are unable to settle our mind in the proper mindset, if our mind is constantly rushing around, if body and mind always running around outside, we will only take joy in those external actions and have no thought for inner stillness. Then the dharma will never be able to help us settle our mind and our thoughts. The Dharma cannot settle in our mind.
The fourth has to do with spiritual practice. we have already been practicing for a while and hope that our mind can settle in samadhi and thus attain wisdom, but we never seen to maintain this state for long. For a while, we seem to be stable and settled, but after a period of time, we run out again. We are unable to sustain this for long. So, our power of Samadhi is easily dispersed. If all we do is run around outside, that will be very damaging to us.
Fifth, with all the Buddha-Dharma we heard before, we are unable to truly actualize it in our minds. If there is no Dharma in our mind, there will definitely be no Dharma in our actions. So, we often talk about “listening, contemplation and practice,” and “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.” to be without Leaks, we must be very mindful in listening to the Dharma. We must settle our body and mind, not allow them to run around everywhere all day. If our mind is never settled in any place, then we will suffer the five kinds of harm the Buddha mentioned.
So, the Buddha told everyone, “Sa Buddhist practitioners, we must be determined in our resolve. we must focus our minds in one place and earnestly listen to and cultivate the Buddha-Dharma. This is what the Buddha told the bhiksus.to repeat once again, we were just speaking of how running around leads to five kinds of harm if we can concentrate and settle our body and mind ibn one place, we can cultivate five kinds of merits and virtues.
The first kind is that we can attain the benefit. If there were things we did not understand before, by listening to the Dharma, we can no understand many deep and wondrously profound principles. If we can settle our body and mind, we can take all the Dharma we hear to heart. Things we did not understand before are now completely understood.
Second, once we have attained the great ideas of the Buddha-Dharma, we will never forget what we have seen and heard. We will never ever forget them. Once we take the Dharma to heart in this lifetime, we will not forget it even in future lifetimes.
Third, with all the Dharma that we continuously hear or see, by learning one thing we will understand ten. When we understand what the Buddha taught, we will not simply hear one teaching and understand that one teaching. By hearing one thing we can thoroughly understand ten, hundreds, thousands of principles. We often say, “By grasping one truth, we understand all truths”. If we can earnestly settle our minds and concentrate on accepting and upholding teachings, “By grasping one truth, we understand all truths”. The principles we understand will be many.
Fourth, our minds will be settled; our minds will forever be in a state of Samadhi. There will be Samadhi in our daily living, and Samadhi in our actions. Our daily living and our actions will inseparable from this state of Samadhi, our minds will always be settled.
Fifth, we will attain Right Samadhi and never retreat from it. These are the five kinds of merits and virtues.
Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we must take the Dharma to heart. If we practitioners do not take it to heart, we will forever remain unenlightened beings, always cultivating the Dharma, yet always letting it leak away. If we are like this, we will never know why we come, nor ever know why we go. Coming to this world is one leg of the journey; we are just passing through. During these few short decades, how do we walk this path? Though we are only passing through, we still must walk the path well. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas display a manifestation in the world to teach us. Their time here is also limited. Fragmentary life by fragmentary life, they follow our fragmentary samsara to come again and again. We sentient beings have no control over our fragmentary samsara, these short fragmentary lifetimes. All Buddha and Bodhisattvas come to the world to display a manifestation. They manifest in this era, with the people living in this present time, who have lives filled with afflictions. They dedicate themselves amidst afflicted lives to find ways to teach us. This is displaying a manifestation; it is not coming with karma. So, for a long time, they have been coming and going like this. The present we speak of actually comes from distant causes of long ago. Looking at the present, we see conditions extending long into the future. According to the karmic law of cause and effect, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use pure causes and pure conditions when they interact with sentient beings. They do not use defiled causes and conditions to teach and transform sentient beings. As sentient beings, we are filled with afflictions. With conditions of ignorance, karmic obstruction, we bring karma with us to the world to suffer all kinds of painful retributions. What is the reason that our interpersonal relationships are filled with so many difficulties? Why are our interpersonal relationships so full of inexplicable afflictions and ignorance, and why do we hurt and injure each other so? This is because we are unenlightened beings! It is because unenlightened beings continually harm one another inexplicably that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas continually manifest in the world.
Now, Sakyamuni Buddha and Purna Maitrayaniputra had displayed these manifestations in the Sangha. But before the Buddha would bestow a prediction of Buddhahood upon Purna, He wanted to first describe his merits and virtues. This was because [Purna] constantly went out to help promote the teachings. But the Buddha had just told everyone that they should not wander around everywhere. How could He explain this? This was different! When unenlightened beings wander everywhere, the Dharma leaks from their minds. Who among us is not still an unenlightened being? When we do not listen with settled minds, we cannot take the Dharma to heart. Are we really at the same level as Purna Maitrayaniputra? Maitrayaniputra, when he listened to the Dharma, always heard one teaching and understood hundreds, thousands of principles. With the Dharma taught by the Buddha, he comprehended the Buddha’s original intent. He understood the Buddha’s meaning and, through the Dharma the Buddha taught, was clear that the Buddha-Dharma must be in his every thought and action. While the Buddha remained in one place, he traveled on the Buddha’s behalf, going to remote areas to teach and transform sentient beings. Haven’t we spoke in the past of how he went to the most wild, uncivilized place. Sentient beings there were subdued by him and at the same time formed aspirations to practice, to leave the lay life. Purna then brought them to the Buddha’s side to be taught by Him. When Purna went out to spread the Dharma, it was completely different from an ordinary monk who just wanted to wander around.
So, a light deviation can take us far off course. We cannot think just because we heard that Purna went out and taught the Dharma and was praised by the Buddha that we too can just go out and teach the Dharma. It is not the same! Purna was already a Bodhisattva. He manifested as a Hearer and came to the world to help spread the Buddha-Dharma. This is completely different. We should mindfully seek to comprehend this!
Let us look at the previous passage. “He diligently protects and helps to promote my teachings. He can reveal teachings to the fourfold assembly to benefit them and bring them joy. He is replete with the ability to explain the Buddha’s Right Dharma and greatly benefits fellow practitioners of purity. Setting aside the Tathagata, none can compete with his limitless eloquence”.
This describes Purna Maltrayaniputra. He was very diligent in protecting, upholding and helping to spread Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings. Among the fourfold assembly, the Dharma that he taught always made everyone very happy. We spoke about all this yesterday. So, “He is replete with the ability to explain the Buddha’s Right Dharma.” The Dharma the Buddha taught was not understood by everyone when they heard it. When Purna Maltrayaniputra heard the Dharma, he could hear one things and understand hundreds, thousands of things. He could analyze the principles taught by the Buddha in hundreds, thousands of ways until everyone could understand. So, “He is replete with the ability to explain the Buddha’s Right Dharma.” He already understood the Dharma very well, so he could benefit fellow Brahma-practitioners. “Setting aside the Tathagata, none could complete with his limitless eloquence.” He had manifested as a Hearer among other Hearers. In the form of a Heater, he earnestly listened to the Buddha’s teachings and understood them. Actually, he already understood all of the Buddha’s teachings.
Now, today we will discuss the next sutra passage, which says, “You must not think that Purna can only protect, uphold and help promote my teachings in the past, he was also in the presence of nine billion Buddhas, protecting, upholding to promote the Right Dharma of those Buddhas. Among those who taught the Dharma then, he was also foremost.”
This has already helped us get clearer. “You must not think” is letting everyone know, saying that everyone should know this, that they must not say that Purna only helped at Sakyamuni Buddha’s place of practice and only helped promote [Sakyamuni’s] teachings. He did more than that. You must not think this Purna had been with all Buddhas in the past and had helped those Buddhas spread their teachings. Purna was not the only one who did this. As we just said, Sakyamuni Buddha did this too; in the course of spiritual practice, He had helped Buddhas spread the Buddha-Dharma. Purna was also one such person. So, we cannot “take Purna’s present appearance as a Hearer as who Purna is.” We cannot think Purna is just like us, sitting at the feet of the Buddhas and listening to Him teach and in this way understanding the Buddha-Dharma. We must not think this. We cannot take his present appearance as who Purna really is.
Do not take Purna’s present appearance as a Hearer as who Purna is. Then you will miss the true Purna. Today the Buddha revealed the profoundly distant origin of the intrinsic and led his fellow practitioners to not view him as his recent manifestation.
If you take this appearance to be who he is, “then you will miss the true Purna”. The true Purna is not the bhiksu of the Small Vehicle we see. The true Purna is hidden within. The one with vows in the depths of his heart is the true Purna. So, if we took his present appearance and thought he was merely one of the Hearers, then we would lose sight of the true Purna.
So, we say do not judge people by their appearance. We cannot just look at his external appearance; actually inside he carried the wisdom and ability of his true self. We cannot just say that he was just another Hearers. We cannot think that. Now the Buddha was using the truth to help everyone understand. “Today the Buddha revealed his profoundly distant origin of intrinsic.” He told the truth about Purna, the true Dharma he had always had, his talents, his past and his present. He revealed the truth so that everyone would know.
So, He “revealed his profoundly distant origin of the intrinsic.” Purna’s origins were profound and distant. This “led his fellow practitioners to not view as his recent manifestation.” He explained to the bhiksus that they cannot just see him as the present Purna. His fellow practitioners must use a different, more respectful attitude when they look at him. Purna was not just an ordinary bhiksu who left the lay life to listen to the Dharma He had already transcended that His capabilities were very profound He should not be simply be seen as his recent manifestation.
“In the past, he was also in the presence of nine billion Buddhas, protecting, upholding and helping to promote the Right Dharma of those Buddhas.”
In the past, he was also in the presence of nine billion Buddhas, protecting, upholding and helping to promote the Right Dharma of those Buddhas: In distant kalpas in the past, he had also been in the presence of Buddhas, lovingly protecting, upholding, practicing and helping to promote the Dharma of all Buddhas. The Buddha was saying that Purna not only stayed with Him to help transform others, but had also, in the presence of past Buddhas, helping those Buddhas to transform others. Today, his helping to promote the teachings is the manifest. His past helping to promote the teachings is the intrinsic.
He had already, in the presence of nine billion Buddhas, protected, upheld and helped to promote [Dharma]. “It was not merely in this present lifetime that he protected and upheld my teachings. He has done this in the presence of nine billion past Buddhas, since a very distant time in the past.” Over this long period of time past, there have been many countless billions. He was in the presence of nine billion Buddhas. Over this long time, in the presence of each Buddha, Purna would demonstrate “lovingly protecting, upholding, practicing and helping to promote the Dharma of all Buddhas.” Purna, for countless kalpas in the past, did this in the presence of nine billion Buddhas, just the same as he was doing now, listening to and helping to promote the Dharma, delivering sentient beings in remote areas. For Purna Maltrayaniputra, this was “the intrinsic”. He is fundamentally this way in the presence of each Buddha, he would help Him in this way, aiding in spreading the teachings. So, the Buddha that Purna, Purna Maitrayaniputra, had “not only stayed with Him to help transform others. He did not just do this for me, Sakyamuni Buddha. He helped me, and also with Buddhas in the distant past, he helped to promote the teachings.” So, “Today his helping to promote the teachings is the manifest.” This was only a part of the process. “In this lifetime, I, Sakyamuni Buddha, have come to this world. Purna has always practiced together with me, and we have taught sentient beings together. He is only displaying a manifestation now to help teach and transform. In fact, his past helping to promote the teachings is the intrinsic.” This means since distant kalpas, this has been his original vow. Ever since distant kalpas ago, since Great Unhindered Buddha’s era, since the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas’ era, for infinite, countless kalpas, he has been in the presence of nine billion Buddhas. This was “the intrinsic”. “The intrinsic may be recent or distant. His distant intrinsic origin was remote and hard to measure.” This “intrinsic” origin is from very long ago. Indeed, neither we, nor a mathematician and his disciples, could possibly measure or calculate when his intrinsic origin came about.
The intrinsic may be recent or distant. His distant intrinsic origin was remote and hard to measure. It is truly difficult for others to believe. Today He cited the recent intrinsic origin of nine billion Buddhas to enable people to give rise to faith.
So, “It is truly difficult for others to believe.” It is very difficult for everyone to understand how long ago those distant kalpas actually were. “So, today He cited the recent intrinsic origin of nine billion Buddhas.” This was still considered the recent origin. “Nine billion” was still a number that could be calculated. Actually, [this origin] was incalculable. “His distant intrinsic origin was remote and hard to measure”. It was very profound and distant, something very long ago. With Purna Maitrayaniputra, if we want to race his origins, we would have to go very far back. Sakyamuni Buddha now simply cited a number, nine billion Buddhas. This was still considered recent. So, he hoped everyone would believe this. We may want to calculate how far back his intrinsic origin goes, but previously, in the Chapter on the Conjured City, Sakyamuni Buddha had already described how even a mathematician or mathematician’s disciples could never calculate it. It was a number impossible to calculate. The principle is the same.
In this way, “Among those who taught the Dharma then, he was also foremost.” He was also like this in the past. He was foremost among those who taught the Dharma. He was like this in the presence of every Buddha. This was Sakyamuni Buddha describing how Maitrayaniputra was unsurpassed in this way. Among all of the spiritual practitioners, it was only he who was foremost among those teaching the Dharma.
He was also foremost: In his ability of profound eloquence, he was not only outstanding in his present lifetime, but in truth had alone been shining throughout the ages. In the times of those nine billion Buddhas, with so many attendants and followers, for the teachings to have spread widely, how could there be no virtuous and able people? Purna had been through those times and was still praised as being foremost. We can know from this how deep his inner realization must have been.
“In his ability of profound eloquence, he was not only outstanding in his present lifetime.” He stood above the rest, truly. Indeed, among so many disciples, only he was foremost in teaching the Dharma. He was not just like this in this life. For countless kalpas in the past, an amount of time impossible to calculate, in the presence of past Buddhas, he had been like this as well. He had been like this since a time so ancient it is impossible to calculate. In the presence of nine billion Buddhas and all those people it was the same; he was always foremost. This is what everyone needs to understand. Purna had been among so many people so many virtuous and noble people; they were also there, but he was [always foremost]. Purna Maitrayaniputra had gone through such a long period of time at the training grounds of so many Buddhas and among all those virtuous and noble people, yet he was always foremost. He always ranked number one in teaching the Dharma. So, we should not judge people by their appearance. Although he remained among the others, still remained among the Hearers, the Buddha singled him out for special praise. We should look upon Purna Maitrayaniputra with a different kind of respect. Among the Buddha’s retinue of 1250 disciples, among the ten great disciples constantly by Him, he was the only one among those ten who received such recognition and praise from the Buddha. This was because of how well he understood the Buddha’s intentions. In speaking about Maitrayaniputra, at the beginning I told everyone he was the one most able to understand the Buddha’s intent, to teach the Dharma closest to the Buddha’s and dispel sentient beings’ ignorance and confusion. Among the disciples the Buddha taught, He was least worried about Purna. The Dharma Purna taught and his behavior never deviated, so he was a god disciple. Thus, “His inner realization was deep.” We can understand that we must not judge him by his outer appearances, calling him a Hearer with limited capabilities. We must not do that. He only manifested this way to deliver those with whom he engaged in collaborative work. In fact, his inner realization must have been very deep, not something we ordinary people can understand. So, he is someone who, among the Buddha’s disciples, is a role model who we should earnestly learn from. Therefore, let us always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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