Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Ten Epithets of the Unsurpassed Tathagata (如來無上 十號具足)
Date: September.07.2017
“One of the Tathagata’s Ten Epithets is One Worthy of Offerings; He has eliminated all evil, so He is worthy of receiving offerings from humans and heavenly beings. Thus, He is named One Worthy of Offerings. The Tathagata has completely purified Himself of all dust-like delusions and eternally upholds pure causes and [creates] fields of blessings. His supremely pure mind is worthy of receiving material offerings. Thus, He is named One Worthy of Offerings.”
Everyone, we must be mindful. We must constantly be mindful of the Dharma. Indeed, in this universe, we cannot see the intangible principles. The principles constantly remind us that the world and the land are impermanent and fragile. This is what the Buddha taught us. He taught this to help us understand that life is impermanent and the land is fragile. When will impermanence strike in our lives? We cannot know.
During the morning recitation, probably everyone felt it. An earthquake occurred at 4:51 am. Suddenly, there was some shaking. I thought to myself, this is such a coincidence. I happened to be reading reports about Ecuador. In the reports from Ecuador, I saw [buildings reduced to] ruins. That too was an earthquake. On April 16 (2016), an earthquake struck. Presently, providing relief there is still very difficult. In an instant, houses collapsed. [In the photos], everything in sight is ruins. There were many people in [those photos]. Were they there for disaster relief or were they survivors of the disaster? When they see their homes reduced to rubble, they must feel so much grief. When I looked at that photo, I saw a vast, endless expanse of broken tiles and debris from collapsed houses. There were also many people. That scene is a warning for us. Just as I was looking at the photo, before I could even read the explanation, suddenly the earth shook. I deeply felt that this is impermanence. This impermanence, the shaking of the earth, is now known through modern science to be thermal energy being released. This happens because there is thermal energy underground. How would we have known this in the past? Now we have these terms for it. When thermal energy is released, the tectonic plates will move. This leads the plates to collide with each other. When the movements are more forceful, the magnitude is higher due to the release [of energy]. We can see that these serious events [originate] with what is hidden underground. Why is this happening so frequently?
Yesterday morning, as everyone was sitting in meditation as I was about to speak, there was an earthquake too. Later we found out that the quake was of a magnitude over 3 with epicenter not far from Hualien. Everyone was safe, so we were grateful! Now, as for the quake we just felt, where was its epicenter? We do not know yet. So, we must constantly seize every moment. The Buddha came to the world to teach the Dharma to sentient beings. This was to help us understand that in this world the four elements must be in harmony. The four elements must be in balance. We need the four elements in the human body to be in balance, and we need the four elements in the greater world to be in balance as well. When the elements are in balance in this world, we will have favorable weather. When the four elements of the body are in balance, our bodies will be in good health. They have to be in balance. We also need balance in our minds. Only when our minds are in balance can our minds be in good health.
In summary, these principles are very profound. In life, we live in this stage of confusion. We do not know that [the principles] are so intimately connected to our body, so closely tied to the way we live. When it comes to our lives and our bodies, we do not know when impermanence will strike. We see Tzu Chi volunteers who likewise suffer from the pain of illness.
Look at [a volunteer] from central Taiwan. She is originally from Changhua, but she is now in Taichung. When I went to Taichung’s Year-end Blessing, I met this woman, Chen Bihui. Many of our Bodhisattva-volunteers were pushing her in a wheelchair. They seemed very close, surrounding her in such a way that this group of people [seemed to be] protecting her. They wheeled her over to see me. She was still quite young. I asked, “What happened to you? You are so young, but you have this group of people much older than you pushing you over here in a wheelchair.” She smiled and said, “Master, I am very grateful. These Dharma-sisters are like my moms; they want to help me fulfill my wish. I am here to express my gratitude to you and to tell you that because I listen to the Dharma, there is no resentment in my mind. I am very happy every day; I live with a heart of gratitude.” This was what she told me. I asked, “So what happened to you?” Another volunteer spoke for her, saying, “Bihui is a very strong girl, she is very filial. When her younger brother and mother were ill, when they fell ill one after the other, she was always there to care for them both. After a very long period of time, her younger brother and mother passed away, one after the other. Then her father fell ill, and she focused on caring for him.” For a young age and into her 30s and 40s, throughout that period, she had to deal with seeing her loved ones being tormented by the pain of illness. She continuously cared for them. She is very strong. She also went through advanced volunteer training and was certified as a Tzu Chi commissioner. She put her heart into doing charity work with Tzu Chi. She said that originally she was very resentful. “I am such a filial child. Why do I have so much [bad] karma? Why did this happen to my family?” etc. When her father fell ill, she took care of him too. But then one day, when she woke up early in the morning, suddenly her whole body became stiff. What kind of illness was it that made her unable to move her whole body? Her whole body had gone stiff. Lying there, she kept struggling. She struggled for a very long time. Finally, after much effort [she could move]. She rushed to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor right away began to diagnose her. “What you have is a very rare disease. You have multiple sclerosis.” She had suddenly developed multiple sclerosis. Starting from her optical nerves and down into her spine, she had suddenly developed an inflammation. This is called transverse myelitis. This was something she had not heard of; it is rare. This was how it began. She went into a panic. She felt that her whole life, she had never done anything bad. From a very early age, ever since she was a young girl, she had [taken care of] her family. She had cared for her mother, her younger brother and her father. In the end, she herself developed this illness. She felt very conflicted; it was very hard on her. Initially she felt some resentment, but later she listened to the Dharma. She listened to the teachings I shared. Gradually she realized there were people who suffered even more than her. She [felt] fortunate that she had joined Tzu Chi. She felt fortunate to have this big Tzu Chi family coming to her help. Since she has this illness, she hopes to be able to donate her body so that in the end, the doctors can use it for research. Therefore, she must starry very strong; she must take care of her body so that it can remain in very good shape. Every day, she struggles with her illness. She said, “I must learn to be friends with it; I must peacefully coexist with it.” Sometimes, when she has an attack of paralysis, she cannot even control her urination. Her whole body becomes stiff. Then, she needs medication and treatment to gradually recover. She has experienced a severe attack of paralysis four times. After each attack, she found the strength to stand up again. Eventually she became wheelchair-bound, without mobility in her whole body. Still, sitting in her wheelchair, she asked people to wheel her to the recycling station. At the recycling station because her feet had no strength, she would remain in the wheelchair while someone brought plastic bottles over to her. She would use her hand to lift her foot and use her foot to flatten each bottle. It was very had work. Yet she persisted in this; whether her foot could flatten the bottles or not, she put all her heart and strength into it. With perseverance, she did this again and again. Finally, she did not need to lift her foot with her hand; she could lift her leg and stomp down, lift and stomp down. She kept doing this until she could stand up. It took a lot of effort for her to stand up. She would circle behind her wheelchair to support herself with it to start walking forward. In that place, we saw her doing this on video. She called out, “Master, you disciple can walk!” Supporting herself on the wheelchair, she walked forward. She said this came from her perseverance. Her perseverance comes from the Dharma. So, every day she listens to the teachings. She is very mindful. She was [originally very resentful]. For such a long time, [she had cared for others]. She is now 50 years old. She cared for her mother, for her younger brother and then for her father. Her youth was spent in the company of illness. Then her loved ones died, one after another. Who would have thought she would develop this illness? She was very resentful! Thankfully, she had the Dharma. Thankfully, she had Bodhisattva-companions, this group of Tzu Chi volunteers, who surrounded her in this way. They doted on her and took care of her. I told her, “Congratulations, congratulations!” “Master, why are you congratulating me?” “Karmic obstacles from many lifetimes have been repaid in one. Maybe in your past lives, you had formed these kinds of affinities. Now, in this lifetime, what you have experienced is that your past causes and present conditions have all been resolved. So, in your next life you will be free and at ease”. She said my words gave her great encouragement. So, every day, she perseveres in listening to the Dharma. Indeed, the world’s is filled with so much suffering.
Sometimes, the land is not in balance, so it quakes. If everyone is safe, if it is just an ordinary release [of energy], we need to be very grateful! It is just like our bodies. If we feel a slight discomfort, we must be grateful too. Such pain of illness in our bodies alerts us to impermanence. So, we must accept the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha could attain enlightenment because. He spent lifetimes in this kind of environment. Over those countless lifetimes, countless kalpas, what kind of suffering didn’t He experience? He experienced all kinds of suffering. Through all these kinds of suffering, He experienced many principles. With perseverance, He faced impermanence. With wisdom, He experienced [the deeper truth of] conditioned phenomena. Our bodies came from our parents. It is the karmic forces we have created that shape the experiences we have in our lives. There have been so many things that, one by one, have been accumulating lifetime after lifetime. In this way we have accumulated so many afflictions and feelings. The amount of afflictions and ignorance we can resolve is the amount of wisdom we accumulate. This is what spiritual practitioners do. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas go among people and experience so much suffering. In response to people’s suffering, we give. Through our interaction among people, we ourselves also experience much suffering. When we can accept it, when we can resolve it, on one hand we eliminate karmic obstacles and stop creating sources of disasters, on the other, we accept and awaken to [the Dharma]. we experience, understand and awaken; this continually keeps accumulating. See, isn’t this spiritual cultivation? Isn’t this eliminating karmic obstacles? For some people, when karmic obstacles arise, their minds fall into disarray. They keep complaining. But for Bodhisattvas like [Bihui], when impermanence strikes in this world, since they have listened to the Dharma, they remain healthy in body and mind. Although [Bihui] has physical disabilities and her illness often flares up, she can get through it. She then uses her story to teach everyone that this is the suffering of life, the suffering of this impure body. She helps people understand the suffering from impermanence in life, the suffering from the course of nature. Her body experiences so much suffering, but she is always smiling. She willingly and joyfully accepts [her pain]. She still goes among people. She still does her work as a Tzu Chi commissioner. She is never absent from her recycling work, and she never misses Dharma-talks or group studies. So, everyone cares for her. Many people dote on her, love and care for her. They treat her better than her own family could. Although she has hardly any family left, she has a group of Bodhisattvas, her Dharma-family. Every day, we see her happy. This is what we must understand. So, the Buddha’s enlightenment came about in this way. After attaining enlightenment, He must be replete with the Ten Epithets.
The Ten Epithets are “the Tathagata, One Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened One, One Perfect in Wisdom and Action, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans and Buddha, the World-Honored One”.
These are the Ten Epithets. One Worthy of Offerings is one who has eradicated all evil; only then is one worthy of offerings from humans and heavenly beings. Do you know how long it takes to end all afflictions? For dust-inked kalpas, we must unceasingly engage in spiritual practice and unceasingly give. We must experience all kinds of sufferings and form all kinds of good affinities with sentient beings. Thus, one of the Ten Epithets of the Tathagata, “One Worthy of Offerings” is about eradicating evil. When evil is eradicated, when it is eradicated life after life, only then can we be “worthy of offerings from humans and heavenly beings”. Without going through dust-inked kalpas of spiritual practice, we are truly not worthy of people’s offerings. Now He had attained Buddhahood and was worthy of offerings from the world, because He was replete with Buddha-virtues. Thus, He was called “One Worthy of Offerings”. This is due to the Buddha’s virtues. His virtues of blessings and wisdom.
The Tathagata has completely purified Himself of all dust-like delusions and eternally upholds pure causes and [creates] field of blessings. His supremely pure mind is worthy of receiving material offerings. Thus, He is named One Worthy of Offerings.
“The Tathagata has completely purified Himself of all dust-like delusions and eternally upholds pure causes and [creates] fields of blessings”. The Tathagata had already attained enlightenment. For lifetimes, He experienced much suffering. For lifetimes, He delivered infinite sentient beings. So, He went among people to transform all beings and eradicated much dust-like ignorance. We always talk about ignorance and afflictions. Ignorance that is obvious is easy to eliminate. Very subtle [ignorance] is hard to eliminate. This subtle [ignorance] includes our habits, our habitual tendencies. Habitual tendencies are very hard to eliminate. They are “dust-like”; they are very, very subtle. There is no telling when, in our minds, our habitual tendencies will manifest through thoughts, actions, etc. These are all very subtle. But Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and practitioners must lifetime after lifetime work to eradicate all ignorance and all afflictions. Even dust-like delusions must be eliminated. Only the Tathagata had reached the state of having “totally purified Himself of all dust-like delusions”. There is no trace of dust-like delusions left. So, He “eternally upholds pure causes.” This cannot be achieved in a short time. It takes a long time, dust-inked kalpas. He repeatedly returned on the ship of compassion and manifested to deliver sentient beings, coming and going. While among sentient beings, He remained undefiled but He created many blessings. So, He “eternally upholds pure causes. He gave unconditionally and created many fields of blessings. For this, He is worthy of followings. His supremely pure mind is worthy of receiving material offerings. He has reached a supremely pure state of mind, the state of supreme. universal and prefect enlightenment. Having this pure mind and this kind of virtues, He is worthy of offerings. So, this is “Tathagata, One Worthy of offerings,” He has been able to achieve this state and is revered by humans and heavenly beings. thus, He is called One Worthy of Offerings. Clearly, spiritual practice is not that simple. Is just prostrating, making offerings and chanting. Considered to be spiritual practice? No. We have to undergo so much torment in this world and still maintain our will to practice. We must also achieve a state where we have no complaints and feel no resentment. We must be a role model for everyone. We must also maintain our body well; then in the end, this body can still continue to benefit people. Take Bihui for example; with what she is facing, we must not think that this is due to severe bad karma and so on. we must not think this way. We must give rise to respect for her. Spiritual cultivation requires us to overcome many obstacles in life through our practice. thus to achieve supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment, to be replete with the Ten Epithets of the Buddha we must go through this same process.
Come, let us take a look at the previous sutra passage. “At that time the Buddha told Ananda, ‘in a future lifetime you will attain Buddhahood and your epithet will be Mountain-Ocean-Wisdom Free Unhindered King.”
The next sutra passage continues, “Tathagata, One Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened Ones, One Perfect in Wisdom and Action, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans and Buddha, the World-Honored One”.
When the Buddha was bestowing predictions, we see these words. although we have read these sutra passage, have we taken them to heart? Who can be called the “Tathagata”? how did the Buddha come to receive so many people’s respect and admiration? We must gain a deeper understanding. Regardless of the sutra, when it speaks of the Buddha, the Ten Epithets are always mentioned. Whenever the Ten Epithets appear, we must review them. This is because we wish to emulate the Buddha. “Tathagata” means “He journeys to [this world] on the path of True Suchness and achieves perfect enlightenment. The path of True Suchness means that in this world, among the Four Forms of Birth and Six Destinies, we must clearly understand these principles. If we do not enter those realms, how can we comprehend the experience of that realm? We truly need to experience this. When I tell you that it is very cold, you may wonder, “What do you mean? It is very hot.” Right now, sitting here, it is springtime. If I tell you it is very cold, we cannot feel that right now. In the winter, without anyone telling you, you would say, “Today is very cold! This is truly experiencing the cold of winter, how the temperature falls. It is so cold here, but we also see places even colder than here. Most people, in their lives, have clothes to out on when it is cold, house to live in and windows they can shut. wealthy people can turn on the heat. Having these things depends on whether we have blessings or not.
However, there are people [out on the streets]. They might be homeless, without permanent shelter, or they may be refugees. At the end of last year (2015) and the beginning of this year, didn’t we keep talking about thus? [The refugees’] experience, their suffering, is not something we have experienced. So, we cannot know their suffering. We keep talking about suffering, but we do not know the taste of suffering. By the same principle, that the Buddha understands is because He had these experience in His past lives. Lifetime after lifetime, that He understood the world’s conditioned and unconditioned phenomena was because He had had personal experience with it all. This is the Dharma of True Suchness. The world’s phenomena, whether tangible or intangible, had all been experienced by Him. Those who have experienced all of these are called “those who have walked the path.” This is journeying on True Suchness.” this is the True Dharma of this world. They come and go on this path. In this way, they go among people to experience everything and thus attain perfect enlightenment.
Therefore, every time we talk about it, it is different. This is how expansive the principles are. We cannot use a single example to cover them all. [Realizing] the world’s true principles, the Dharma of True Suchness, is a very long path; we must journey along it and awaken through this experience. This is the meaning of “Tathagata”. The who journeys on the Dharma of True Suchness to this world to teach and guide sentient beings is called “the Tathagata”.
The Ten Epithets of the Buddha. 1. The Tathagata: This means He journeys to [this world] on the path of True Suchness to achieve perfect enlightenment. 2.One Worthy of Offerings: He is worthy of receiving offerings in the human and heaven realms.
“One Worthy of Offerings is worthy of receiving offerings in the human and heaven realms.” He is worthy of offerings in the human and heaven realms. This is because he has accumulated so many. blessings and virtues.
Third is “completely Awakened One”. He has awakened to [all truths] of the universe. As we just discussed, [His mind] is so open and spacious that all conditioned and unconditioned phenomena, all kinds if principles, are understood by Him. “He has completely awakened to all phenomena. Of all phenomena, there is none He does not understand. So, He called the “Completely Awakened One”. Recently, we have been discussing conditioned phenomena, tangible phenomena formed by convergence as well as intangible [principles]. Every kind of object has its own underlying principles. When we only look at its external appearance, we do not know what principles are contained within it. It contains more than just one principle. It is likewise inseparable from the convergence of the four elements. These [underlying] principles are completely understood by the Buddha.
Fourth is “One Perfect in Wisdom and Action.” This means He understand everything. He comprehends everything; He is completely clear. In the Buddha, this is called “Understandings”. In spiritual practitioners, Hearers and Arhats, it is called “Insights”. Whether Understandings or Insights, the Buddha is replete in both.
The fifth is “Well-Gone One. With His wisdom of all Dharma as the great cart, He travels the Eightfold Right Path to enter Nirvana.” We often discuss the Eightfold Right Path. “Right” means there is no deviation. The Right Path does not deviate toward evil.
The Eightfold Right Path: Right views, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness, right Samadhi.
In the Eightfold Right Path, first is having “right views”. This means “to be able to see the true principles”. This refers to what we all see, the right views that we must constantly discuss. Second is “right thinking”. Not only must we have right views, we must also contemplate. We must cultivate contemplation and earnestly focus our minds. We must not deviate. A slight deviation can take us far off course. Third is “right speech”. When we speak, we must speak true words, have speech free of falsehoods. The Buddha speaks what is true, what is real. He does not speak falsehoods. This is right speech. As Buddhist practitioners, this is what we must learn. We must not speak lies or falsehoods.
1. Right Views: Having the ability to see true principles. 2. Right Thinking: Having a mind free of deviant thoughts. 3. Right Speech: Not speaking of unreal or false things. 4. Right Action: Remaining pure and doing all good deeds.
Fourth is “right action”. In our conduct, we must take pure, right actions. We must not be selfish. Fifth is “right livelihood”. This is “begging for sustenance according to the Dharma”. When the Buddha was in the world, [His disciples] had to beg for alms every day. First, this allowed them to transform affinities by drawing near all sentient beings. Second, this cultivates a nondiscriminating mind. This is spiritual practice. This is right livelihood. Nowadays, we do not need to beg for food. We can sustain ourselves through our work. However, we must not take what is not ours to take. This is our right livelihood. Sixth is “right diligence, cultivating all practices of the Path without distraction”. We must wholeheartedly cultivate the Dharma we should cultivate. We must not be distracted and indecisive. When we have chosen a teaching, we must single-mindedly focus on diligently practicing it. Seventh is “right mindfulness”. We must focus on recalling the virtuous Dharma. We must always remember that we must cultivate the virtuous Dharma. We must not allow a slight external [adversity] to cause our minds to deviate and thus lose our focus on the virtuous Dharma. We must always uphold the virtuous Dharma.
5. Right Livelihood: Begging for sustenance according to the Dharma. 6. Right Diligence: Cultivating all practices of the Path without distraction. 7. Right Mindfulness: Focusing on recalling the virtuous Dharma. 8. Right Samadhi: Wholeheartedly dwelling on the principle of true emptiness.
Eight is “right Samadhi,” “wholeheartedly dwelling on the principle of true emptiness.” Although in this world, there are many matters and things, we absolutely must carefully control our minds. All things are impermanent and everything in the world is illusory. Thus, we will not give rise to thoughts of greed. Without greed, there will be no anger and no ignorance. So, our minds must abide on the Eightfold Right Path. This is the meaning of “Well-Gone One”. We can come and go, be it in our thinking or behavior, thoughts or speech etc., without obstacles. We can come and go freely. This is called “the Well-Gone One”. This is traveling the Eightfold Right Path.
The sixth is “Knower of the World”. He can understand all sentient beings and non-sentient things. Sentient or non-sentient, He comprehends all. The seventh is “Unsurpassed Guide”. “Unsurpassed Guide” means, “just like Nirvana is unsurpassed in all Dharma, so is the Buddha unsurpassed among all sentient beings”.
“Unsurpassed” refers to supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment, which is Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. His mind is always in a state of tranquil Nirvana. Although He is going about His daily living, His mind is still tranquil and clear. This is the spiritual state of an awakened sage. Ordinary people give rise to discursive thoughts. Only the minds of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can, in this turbulent world of temptations, remain tranquil and clear. Thus He is called the “Unsurpassed Guide,” one who has attained unsurpassed realizations. The eighth epithet is “Tamer”.
The Ten Epithets of the Buddha. 8. Tamer: The Buddha sometimes uses soft and gentle words and sometimes uses harsh and urgent words so He can tame all people and guide them onto a good path.
At any time, the Buddha [was able to] use “soft and gentle words,” and at any time, He [was able to] use “harsh and urgent words”. At times, with stubborn sentient beings, He needed to use gentle speech. If they were very confused and indolent, He would use harsh and urgent words to guide them and goad them. He taught and transformed sentient beings according to capabilities by using all kinds of methods. This is to “tame all people and guide them onto a good path”. Sentient beings are just like all animals; each kind of animal has a different nature. To tame the minds and natures of each kind of animal, the Buddha had to help them using different methods. Just speaking of the human species alone, human minds and natures represent all the different kinds of habitual tendencies of all sentient beings. So, the Buddha always spoke of “delivering sentient beings”. This means, although [some] sentient beings look human, they still share the same nature as animals. With the Buddha’s enlightened wisdom, no matter what kind of person we are, He can find a way to deliver us and to educate us. The ninth is “Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans”.
The Ten Epithets of the Buddha. 9. Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans: The Buddha is the guiding teacher of humans and heavenly beings. He can teach and demonstrate what they should and should not do, guiding them onto the path to Buddhahood. This is a general term for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They are also called “great guiding teachers”. They use the right road to demonstrate still and tranquil Nirvana. This is the path of non-arising and non-ceasing that enables people to attain unconditioned and everlasting joy.
The Buddha is the guiding teacher of humans and heavenly beings. He can teach and demonstrate what they should and should not do, guiding them onto the path to Buddhahood. It is a general term for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They are called “Teachers of Heavenly Beings and Humans”. In addition to the Buddha, Dharmakaya Bodhisattvas can also teach and transform both humans and heavenly beings. In both the heaven and human realms, they can teach and transform people, [explaining] what they should and should not do “Refrain from all evil”. “This is evil, so you must be very careful. Do not commit transgressions”. The door of afflictions in our minds must not opened because of this. He taught us to guard against wrongs and stop evil. He taught us all kinds of ways to prevent this. “This is work that you should not do. Don’t do it. Do not give rise to discursive thoughts! Be vigilant of yourself!” and so on. This is what the Buddha taught in the heaven and human realms. He taught us to “do all that is good”. Everything that benefits sentient beings, that can bring peace to the world, that brings the four elements into balance and brings peace to humanity is considered good deeds. These are things we should do. The Buddha uses all kinds of methods to tame the minds of sentient beings. This is what Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the great guiding teachers, [teach as] the right road. We must walk on the right road; the right road is the great, direct Bodhi-path. This is the proper road used to demonstrate still and tranquil Nirvana, the path of non-arising and non-ceasing. They help all of us to know there is this road, help us know which things we must not do and which things we must diligently practice. We must return to this road. Once on this road, our minds are already tranquil and clear; this is the path of non-arising and non-ceasing “This everlasting path is right here!” They hope we will follow this path. Thus, as we come and go, we are on the path of non-arising and non-ceasing. There is no arising or ceasing. We are not dragged by karma into the next life, and it is not karma that causes our lives to end. It is our vows. We are not subject to karmic forces. Thus, we are free. Our whole world opens up, and we can be one with all things in the universe. This is “still and tranquil Nirvana, the path of non-arising and non-ceasing”. This is how the Buddha taught us we can have everlasting joy. We can be ever peaceful and happy.
As it is, this early in the morning, [we worry about] the magnitude of the earthquake. Although we do not know this yet, fortunately, [nothing happened]. So, we must be grateful. If there was more imbalance [ in the elements], then there would be unbearable suffering. Think about that [commissioner]. See how, from a very young age, until she was in her 40s or 50s, all she saw was people suffering from illness. Then illness befell her as well. She has thoroughly understood what kind of attitude to have in facing the suffering from her illness, how to face her own experiences and how to open the door to her heart. Every day, she smiles as she interacts with people, matters and objects. This is great mastery of patience. What she experiences is suffering, but despite the suffering, she uses the Dharma to transcend her suffering. Then the suffering will not continue to linger. She is already suffering from physical illness. If her mind were also tormented, that would bring even more suffering. This is how to take the Dharma to heart. Life is filled with so much suffering. Liberating ourselves from suffering requires us all to always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
