Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Being Unaware of the Priceless Jewel within (無價寶珠 不知自有)
Date: August.15.2017
“The worldly Five Desires provide for and benefit the physical body. People’s cravings lead to cyclic existence. The world-transcending Five Desires can provide for the Dharma-body. These things that Buddhas take delight in bring Bodhi to fruition.”
We discussed this the day before yesterday. The worldly Five Desires are only about giving our bodies certain feelings. We want to eat good food, wear nice clothes, have nice things and live in nice places. [We want] clothing, food, shelter, transportation as well as recognition, wealth and status. The Five Desires are things that we who live in the world, because we have these bodies, desire and wish to attain. We “provide for and benefit the physical body.” It is because we have this body that we strive [to satisfy] the Five Desires. As humans, no matter the quality of the food we eat, we still have to eat several meals a day. After we eat our fill, several hours later, the food is digested; several hours later, we become hungry again. Throughout our life, this opening beneath our nose, this mouth, can never be filled, no matter how much we put in. But what we stuff into this mouth includes great numbers of living beings. This is to satisfy our craving for taste. So many people, because of the craving for taste, consume the lives of so many living beings. This is the ignorance and delusion of sentient beings. We are unable to comprehend the value of life.
We [focus] on our own life; we want to satisfy all our desires. For example, “What I choose to eat must satisfy my craving for taste. I only eat what I love.” We do not think about anything else, about what we have eaten or the feelings of the beings we ate. We only care about our own sensation. We do not know how it feels to be eaten, to be bitten and chewed; we do not know what this feels life. Living this kind of life, the Five Desires confuse our minds, our mind-consciousness. Our minds are deluded, and our thoughts are distorted. Our Five Roots [connect with] the Five Dusts [and give rise to] the Five Consciousnesses. With our mind-consciousness we contrive affinities. When we see something with our eyes and want it, our mind-consciousness gives rise to greed, resulting in our bodies taking action. When our Five Roots come into contact with the Five Dusts in our surroundings, we take action to fulfill the desires of our mind. The seeds of all karma we create enter into our karmic consciousness. However, we are not aware of this; We are like a drunk person, drunk on the wine of ignorance. [Intoxicated by] the wine of ignorance, we are filled with craving. What we drink is poison; it is contaminated water. Everything we have and everything we create, including our aspirations, thoughts and the atmosphere [around us], is all created under the influence of the poisonous alcohol of ignorance. We are just like a drunk person. This is how ignorant we sentient beings are. This ignorance truly is deep suffering. A single thought can lead us to mutually create karma out of ignorance.
Take this story from China for example. The story is about a laborer in his 30s who traveled from the countryside to the city. He did manual labor there as a construction worker building houses. He did this manual labor in the hope that he could make some money to support his family. But after coming to the city and having worked for more than eight months, in all that time he still had not received any pay. This laborer in his 30s went to his boss and begged him, “I have already been here for eight months, and I have not been able to send any money home. Boss, can you pay me some part of my wages first so I can send it back for my family’s security?” The boss said, “Since you are not going home yet, why are you in such a hurry?” He said, “I am unable to go home, but I can send them money. In my family, my mother has heart disease and hypertension. She cannot be without medicine even for one day. I have already been away for a long time without sending any money home. I also have a child who is eight. To go to school, he has to pay a registration fee. I also have a younger sister. She had a romantic relationship that ended, which traumatized her. Now, she behaves in a crazy manner. She runs around outside all day, completely disheveled. My mother, for the sake of my younger sister, spends all day outside looking after her because she worries she might get into an accident. My mother is also sick herself. Whenever I think about this, I cannot bear it. My entire family needs money. Boss, please pay me part of my wages first.” Even after the boss heard this, he still ignored his request. But the laborer kept begging him. The boss became impatient and asked the guard to escort this laborer out. After repeatedly asking his boss, not only did the laborer not receive any money, his boss had an unpleasant expression on his face. He asked the guard to escort him out. [The worker] was not resentful, just very anxious. “My family is waiting for me to send money!” In a moment of foolishness, he thought, “What can I do so that. I can scare my boss into paying me my wages?” He knew the boss had a son, a six-year-old boy. This laborer felt that this son was the treasure of his boss’ family. “If I take this child away, my boss will have to give me money.” This is committing kidnapping. He grabbed the child and left. The boss and his entire family were very anxious, in particular the grandmother. When after one day they still had not found her grandson, she fell ill. They kept searching, but after more than one day there was still no news. The police also searched every street and alley. However, this laborer, after taking the child, felt very remorseful. He could imagine how they felt. He wanted to send his own child to school, but did not have money. This already caused him anxiety. “This is someone else’s child, someone’s only grandchild. By taking him away, won’t his entire family by very anxious?” The child was so young, so he bought things for him [to eat]. He took very good care of the child. Actually, ordinarily, once he regretted his actions, he could have just left the child and run away. However, he did not do that. He felt, “If something happened to this child, how would I feel?” So, he continued to take care of the child. The police kept looking for the child. When he saw the police, he approached them on his own accord. The police saw that this child in his arms was sleeping very soundly. The police took the child from him. He was a very adorable child. Then, the laborer was arrested and taken into custody by police. However, the worker’s family were very miserable. This laborer was this sole source of support. How would the case be judged? One the day the sentence was to be given, many people gathered at the court, waiting for the judge to hand down the sentence. After the judge banged his gavel, he handed down a sentence of five years in prison. Though kidnapping is a serious crime, he did not physically hurt the child. The child was not injured in the slightest. In addition, the judge took into consideration that at home he had a wife, a son, a mother and a younger sister. So, he gave a light sentence. Still, this was a kidnapping, so he handed down a sentence of five years. After the five-year sentence was announced, the defendant, crying, called out to his mother. “Mother, how will you survive these five years?” Then, in the courtroom, among the plaintiffs, suddenly an elderly voice rang out, and a person raised her hand to indicate that she had something to say. Everybody looked back. It turned out to be the mother of the boss. The mother walked toward the place where the defendant was standing. Then she made three deep bows to the laborer. She said, “My first bow was on behalf of my son. My son did something very wrong. Actually, my son is the true initiator of this crime. This all began with his mistake. It was I who failed in educating my son. My son should not have done what he did. You did eight months of work, and yet he did not pay you anything. This is my son’s fault. The person who should stand there and be sentenced today is my son. He is the source of all these wrongs, but the person being punished is you. So, I bow to you on his behalf. My second bow was to your mother. I am apologizing to your mother. Your family needs you to take care of them, and we have caused you to lose five years. Your mother must be suffering terribly. Because I am a mother myself, I understand the grief of your mother. I am also aware of your mother’s health problems and your family’s hardship, so put your heart at ease. My third bow was to thank you. I thank you for, after taking my grandson, caring for him so well. You did not hurt him even in the slightest. The child neither suffered emotional harm nor physical injury. This adorable child was returned to me safely, I must thank you for this.” The people present all applauded. This elderly woman had a very clear understanding of the correct principles; she was a very wise and compassionate elderly lady. Indeed! Once the sentence was handed down, there was nothing that could be done. However, after the case concluded, the elderly lady told her son that this laborer’s entire family would be under their care. They would take the mother to get treatment and send the younger sister to a mental health institution. The young child needed education, so they brought him to get education in the city. They also gave the laborer’s wife a job so she could support her family.
Think about it; this is about the mind. These people were deluded. Take the boss for example; he was deluded. He hired someone to work, and he had the money. He should have paid them wages every month. Letting eight months pass without paying anything is both greed and delusion. This greed stems from delusion. Another person who was confused was the laborer. He should not have done this. Regardless of the circumstances, things can be worked out through conversation. In addition to begging earnestly, there should be other means for him to get paid. However, he acted impulsively. By taking the child away from his family, he caused anxiety in the family and in their entire community in their entire community. This also is not the right thing to do. This too is ignorance and delusion. These are ignorant and deluded lives. However, we also saw wisdom. That elderly lady truly had wisdom. Not only could she discern good from evil and correctly understand the principles, she also had a very broad and compassionate heart. This brought this story to a very good conclusion. That truly was not an easy feat. Therefore, if we crave the worldly Five Desires, “People’s cravings lead to cyclic existence”. We transmigrate through the Four Forms of Birth and the Five Realms. We transmigrate in this way because of the world Five Desires. In a moment of carelessness, we make mistakes. Among these three people, two of them were careless. Two of them had ignorance and delusion; only one of them had clarity and could discern good from evil, the wise grandmother who was clear on the correct principles. She was a person who had faith in the Buddha and understood the principles. This elderly woman often recited the Buddha’s name. Therefore, the Dharma was in her mind. This means, “The world-transcending Five Desires can provide for the Dharma-body. These things that Buddhas take delight in bring Bodhi to fruition”. Once the Buddha-Dharma is in our mind, a single action can lead people to praise us. The will greatly admire and compliment us. At the end of this court case, the perpetrator was punished according to the law. The elderly lady did not say, “I will bail him out”. Legally, he should receive a prison sentence. But regarding his family situation, she exercised her compassion to help resolve their difficulties. She brought them [to the city]. The one who needed medical treatment received it, the one who needed work was given a job and the one who needed education was sent to school. Think about this; isn’t this the Buddha-Dharma? This is the world-transcending Five Desires, being able to do things that educate others. This is not an easy feat. She knew how to utilize [her time]. With the few short decades she has in this world, she knew how to make the most of them. She knew to have faith in the Buddha and was able to understand the principles. Therefore, she utilized her wisdom. She knew how to benefit those suffering people. She knew how to use a loving and gentle heart to work in harmony with the laws of human society. She knew to use loving-kindness and how to care for and cherish people’s lives. This is all world-transcending Dharma. Although it was such a simple mindset, it came from having great clarity regarding the Great [Vehicle] Dharma. This is what happened in this world. This is an elderly Bodhisattva. This is truly what “Buddhas take delight in”.
The Buddha wants to teach us to do this, to “bring Bodhi to fruition”. This is a person who has achieved realizations; she is an awakened being. Bodhi means awakening. In the world, this is how things [should] be done. This is how we [should] understand the matters of this world. This is what we need to learn.
The previous sutra passage states, “Later his friend encountered him.”
Later his friend encountered him and said these words, “Alas! Great man, how did you come to be like this for the sake of clothing and food? In the past, I wanted to help you attain peace and joy, freely enjoying the Five Desires”.
There was a man who was drunk whose friend had fastened a jewel on his body. His friend then left because he had to take care of some official business. When the drunk man woke up, he left for other places. In this way, he drifted about; it was a life full of difficulties. This was how he lived. Later, the two of them met again. So, “Later his friend encountered him.” Previously, his friend had fastened a jewel on him. This good friend saw this man who was drifting about aimlessly, so he “said these words”. He called to him saying, “Alas! Great man”. The friend was using a very forceful tone in calling to him. “How did you come to be like this for the sake of clothing and food? In the past, I wanted to help you attain peace and joy, freely enjoying the Five Desires. I had already given you what you need to live a decent life, hoping you could freely enjoy the Five Desires”. With the [world-transcending] Five Desires, he hoped he would be able to live a mindful life in this world. He hoped he would seize his time to earnestly apply the Buddha-Dharma in the world and know to feel remorse and to diligently advance. “I have already given you the Dharma in the past, so why are you still like this now?”
The next sutra passage continues with, “On a certain day, month and year, I attached a priceless jewel inside your clothes, and it is still there now. Yet, you are not aware of it. You work so hard and suffer such afflictions just in order to survive. You are extremely deluded”.
[He said,] “Why are you still like this? In the past I already gave you this jewel. But you still look so haggard now. You are still unaware. You are still so lacking in material things and still suffer such afflictions. Your afflictions, ignorance and delusions are still unresolved. You are still seeking just for your own survival and have not yet established great vows. You are truly ignorant.” He friend scolded him in this way.
On a certain day, month and year: This refers to the time of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, which exceeded 80,000 kalpas. This long period of time can be compared to the period of the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas.
“On a certain day, month and year….” This is an analogy for the time of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, that era dust-inked kalpas [in the past]. A very long time ago, Great Unhindered Buddha expounded the Dharma for more than 80,000 kalpas. This was a very long time during which Great Unhindered Wisdom Buddha attained Buddhahood and expounded the Dharma. Moreover, the 16 princes likewise expounded the Great Vehicle sutra. This period of time was also very long. Let us make a comparison in the introductory Chapter, the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas, the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas one by one continuously came to this world. The sun and the moon in the sky, as well as the light in the lamps on the earth, are all there to kindle the light in our minds, to kindle the light in sentient begins’ minds. Why are sentient beings still so deluded and ignorant, lost in the dark? This is the underlying meaning. After reading that part of the sutra, we should have a clear understanding.
I fastened a priceless jewel inside your clothes, and it is still there now: A principles jewel refers in the Buddha-nature. The princes expounded the teachings in order to plant great seeds. It is like fastening a jewel inside the clothes.
“I fastened a principles jewel inside your clothes, and it is still there now. On a certain day, month and year, I already gave you such a valuable thing.” This happened such a long time ago. This refers to what the Buddha did dust-inked kalpas ago. Since Beginningless Time, whether Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha or the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas, throughout those eras, They continuously taught and transformed with the Great Vehicle, taught and transformed with the Great Vehicle, all the way until now. They all gave us the treasure of the Dharma, the True Dharma of the Great Vehicle. This is a principles jewel. They wanted to tell us about our pure nature of True Suchness. “The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in nature].” So, why haven’t we awakened? The “priceless jewel” represents the Buddha-nature we all intrinsically have. “The princess expounded the teachings.” Whether the 16 princes or the 8 princes, they likewise continuously [did this] “in order to plant great seeds.” This was continuous, whether the 8 princes or the 16 princes, whether it was Buddhas or Bodhisattvas transmitting the Buddha-Dharma, they were all spreading seeds of goodness for the sake of the world. Moreover, these are seeds of great kindness. This is like “fastening a jewel inside your clothes.”
This is the analogy. This jewel [symbolizes] how we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature; all these princes symbolize the princes of the Great Dharma, those who extend the wisdom-life of the Buddha. They constantly pass on the Dharma. But some people can understand the Buddha’s intent, such as those who already received predictions. They concealed the Great and manifested the Small, appearing among the Hearers. In particular Purna was like this. Sariputra was also like this. They had all already accepted the Buddha-Dharma. It was just that they manifested as Small Vehicle practitioners among the bhiksus. They followed the Buddha and became monastics to influence the practitioners in the Sangha and educate people [in the world]. This is how all Buddhas share the same path. The jewel is still there inside our clothes. “Inside our clothes” refers to the intrinsic nature buried within everyone.
The jewel is still inside your clothes: This refers to the Buddha directly pointing out the place where inherent Bodhicitta is found and ensuring that these sentient beings will never be ignorant of past causes of [remain] in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, worrying about not having enough to provide themselves.
This refers to “the Buddha directly pointing out the place where inherent Bodhicitta is found.” Everyone has Bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is our enlightened nature. “[He ensured] that these sentient beings will never be ignorant of past causes.” Everybody should know about our causes from past lives. In the past, the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas and Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha [all provided] past causes, long-lasting causes and conditions from past lives, which will always be there. Having formed Bodhicitta, “sentient beings will never be ignorant.” We must never forget this. We must never be covered by afflictions and ignorance “or [remain] in the Small [Vehicle] Dharma, worrying about not having enough to provide for ourselves.” In fact, we only worry about whether we ourselves have enough Dharma. Everybody thought the Small Dharma was sufficient. Now that they heard the Great Dharma, they felt like they were lacking. So, they gave rise to remorse. In the past, they did not accept the Great Dharma the Buddha taught. They only sought to benefit themselves and were satisfied with the Small Vehicle. Now, they did not need to worry about not having enough. In fact, everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. But although they intrinsically had it, they had not discovered it for themselves. “It is still there now”. Up until now, they just worried that they did not have sufficient Dharma. Even now they still felt the same.
It is still there now: This means even thought they were unaware of them, their seeds of goodness have always been there is still there: In the past they heard the One Vehicle Dharma, and their conditioned seeds have not perished.
“It is still there now. Even though they were unaware of them, their seeds of goodness have always been there.” Even if they did not know this, everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. Our Buddha-nature and the Buddha’s Buddha-nature are completely identical. The Buddha knows the true principles of all things in the universe. Actually, if we are mindful enough, we can know them too. It is just that we are not mindful enough; our minds are scattered. Because we are still drunk on ignorance, we still cannot clearly understand this. In fact, our “seeds of goodness have always been there. It is still there now” are words reproaching the way he was now. “In the past they heard the One Vehicle Dharma, and their conditioned seeds have not perished”. In the distant past, in the eras of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha and the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas, they had already listened to the Dharma. They had heard it already and had actually not completely forgotten it. Because they still had these conditions, these conditions from past lives, when Sakyamuni Buddha was born in this world they were able accept the Buddha’s teachings and join the Buddha’s Sangha. So, they should not have completely forgotten what they absorbed in the past. “Yet, you are not aware of it. You work so hard and suffer such afflictions.”
You are not aware of it. You work so hard and suffer such afflictions just in order to survive: You are not aware that you have the Great Vehicle seeds with you. Instead, you learn the Small Vehicle, suffering in vain from hardship and pain just in order to survive.
“I placed the jewel on your body, yet you were not aware of it. Now, you are working so hard to make a living and are constantly worried that you don’t know where your next meal will come from”. This is truly foolish and deluded. We were only seeking to sustain our own lives. “You are not aware that you have the Great Vehicle seeds with you”. We did not know that we have the Great Vehicle seeds. The seeds of the Great Vehicle are in the fields of our minds. As long as we work diligently, won’t we have a bountiful harvest in the fields of our minds? One gives rise to infinity. The Great Dharma is inside our minds, yet we want to learn the Small Vehicle. So, “We are suffering in vain from hardship and pain just in order to survive”. This is how we all are. So, “They are unaware that they possess it and seek the Dharma outside of their minds.” They do not know that they already have this. So, they seek the Dharma outside their minds.
They are unaware that they possess it and seek the Dharma outside of their minds. Thus, it is said that they work so hard and suffer such afflictions just for their own benefit. Thus, it says “in order to survive”.
This is something we all intrinsically have, but we still seek it outside of ourselves. We each have a stupa on the Vulture Peak within, but we still seek [the Dharma] outside ourselves. So, they “work so hard and suffer such afflictions just for their own benefit. Thus it says ‘in order to survive.”’ They only sought to benefit themselves. So, they were Small Vehicle practitioners who only sought to benefit themselves by seeking the Small Dharma. Therefore he said, “You are extremely deluded”. This man was truly very foolish.
You are extremely deluded: It is such a pity; they were truly ignorant and deluded. Deluded as to the Great they turned to the Small, limiting themselves to the conjured city. Thus, it says “extremely deluded”.
“You have always been wealthy. Your mind is rich; you have a priceless jewel.” Everybody intrinsically has Buddha-nature; it is equal to the Buddha’s. The Tathagata-garbha, the great ocean of wisdom, is intrinsically in everyone. With this ocean of enlightened wisdom, in this world, is there anything that we won’t know? We should know all things. It is just that we are not mindful, so we become deluded.
This is like the story I just told; two out of the three people were deluded. Thus, they made mistakes one after the other. See, this is being deluded. “It is such a pity that you truly have ignorance and delusion.” We ordinary people are constantly drowning in ignorance and delusion. “Deluded as to the Great they turned to the Small”. They lost sight of the Great Vehicle Dharma and turned only to the Small Vehicle. They only sought to benefit themselves. They “limited themselves to the conjured city”. This was a mirage, not an actual city. This is living an illusory life. We are attached to this lifetime. Int this life, external states bring us many afflictions. We refuse to let go of all the afflictions we have brought upon ourselves. This is “limiting ourselves to the conjured city”. Throughout our entire life, we have been attached to doing this. So, this is being “extremely deluded.” We do not know about the life before this one or about our future after this life. We do not know the past or the future. We are lost in the present; this is truly being deluded. So, “This means they could not distinguish the Dharma of all matters and principles”. This is being deluded. “They had inverted views and deluded attachments”. This too is being deluded. “They gave rise to all kinds of deviant views, confused and unawakened”. Is this being deluded? Yes, it is. This is what we are all like. We are so strongly focused on the present, attached to our own ways. So, we do not listen to what other people say. There are things to give, things we should do, but we take no action. We are just as foolish and ignorant as the son of that wise mother. When people do work for us, we need to give them something. Why wouldn’t we give them anything? This is ignorance. With this kind of ignorance and delusion, we remain in that state; we are attached to our own ways. We do not do what we should do and refuse to give what we should give. All this comes from ignorance and delusion.
The Buddha taught us so that we would know the principles. We must form aspirations and make vows, [make] the Four Great Vows and [practice] the Four Infinite Minds. The Four Great Vows are vows for our inner cultivation. The Four Infinite Minds enable us to go among people and help others in the world. This is a great path; this is [cultivating] blessings and wisdom. The Buddha taught us this method for moving forward, but we are still stuck in this human society filled with ignorance. We are still lost in this conjured city, immersed in the worldly Five Desires. This is truly very sad. I hope everybody can be very mindful. We need to seize the moment and us es time wisely. We need to earnestly awaken ourselves. For the sake of all sentient beings, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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