Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Safeguarding the Seeds of Buddhahood (受持法藏 護佛種性)
Date: September.11.2017
“We uphold the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury; this is called the Tathagata-garbha, the principles of the Dharma-nature. He applied provisional and skillful means to let us enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury and arrive at the other shore of ultimate [understanding]. We must accept and uphold the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury and safeguard the seeds of Buddhahood. Our goal is to move toward the Buddha-Vehicle, align ourselves with the source of the goal and enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury.”
How important the Dharma-treasury is! Ananda was the one who upheld the Dharma-treasury. We are fortunate that Ananda was by the Buddha’s side, firstly because he was the Buddha’s attendant and secondly because he absorbed everything that the Buddha taught to the assembly. Drop by drop, every word and every phrase entered Ananda’s ears and was trained deep inside his consciousness. Thus, he upheld the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury. Of course Ananda had, since countless kalpas past, constantly formed great aspirations, made great vows and become permeated by the Buddha-Dharma. He was constantly permeated by the Buddha-Dharma, until finally causes and conditions ripened and Sakyamuni Buddha was born in the world, engaged in spiritual practice, and attained enlightenment. Ananda was closely related to the Buddha; they had close family ties. He was the Buddha’s younger cousin, so he was very close to the Buddha. He understood the Buddha’s living habits, so he became the Buddha’s attendant. [He observed] every aspect of the Buddha’s daily living, how He taught the Dharma according to capabilities and how he interacted with and guided people. [Ananda saw], depending on their capabilities, which attitude He had to use to guide them and, depending on their intellectual, what kind of teachings He had to give them. Ananda saw this with his eyes and heard it with his ears, and it was all stored in his consciousness. He dedicated himself, body and mind, to serve as the Buddha’s attendant. He aspired to take in the Buddha’s wisdom and His Dharma-treasury. This was Ananda. We should always be grateful to him, for without Ananda, how would we today be able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma? So, “We uphold the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury; this is called the Tathagata-garbha, the principles of the Dharma-nature.” All of the Tathagata’s teachings were compiled, in order to help us understand them. This is the Dharma-treasury; it stories the principles of the Dharma-nature. The Dharma-treasury is where the Dharma-nature is stored.
As we can see, we must clearly understand that a treasury is a place where things are stored. A treasury holds many valuable things. Is it a storehouse? Or a treasure-trove? Perhaps it is a great mountain within which there are many precious stones as well as many [valuable] metals. Though invisible from the surface, contained within [that mountain] are all kinds of precious treasures. Each and every one of us intrinsically has the Tathagata’s Dharma-nature of True Suchness. We are all replete with it! These true principles are contained within everything in the world. No matter what it is, every single thing contains principles inside. These principles are invisible, yet are stored within every person’s ocean of enlightened wisdom. We are able to realize them all. It is just that we are enveloped in ignorance, so it is impossible for us to understand them. Nonetheless, the principles are always there. This is because of what is stored. Everything in the universe contains so many principles.
You all probably felt how, last night, past 11 pm, the earth shook. How many tremors were there? All together, there were probably more than 20 noticeable tremors. Why is this? Why are there earthquakes? The earth has its principles. We call them geology. Presently, our geology is not very well-balanced. If our geology was in balance, if the earth element was in balance, earthquake would not be so frequent. Recently, there have been so many earthquakes. Moreover, the earthquakes are getting close and closer to the surface, so they are becoming more and more obvious. What are the reasons for this? There are principles underlying this. These principles include not only geology, but also sentient beings’ collective karma.
Look at Japan. Look at Ecuador. Just recently, [several] earthquakes struck Kumamoto, Japan. Though Japan has a good economy, people in many countries showed their concern. Although Japan has such a strong economy, people are quite concerned. How will they be able to recover and rebuild the homes that have been destroyed? How are they going to rebuild everything that was devastated by those earthquakes? There are still many people in temporary shelters who do not dare return home.
Things are even worse in Ecuador. That country is impoverished, so for them to recover will be even more difficult. How are the people there going to recover? Their president has been going time after time to the disaster areas, making trip after trip to comfort the citizens affected by the disaster. But what means have been proposed to help them rebuild? They now keep appealing to the international community for help. I heard that several of our American Bodhisattvas often go abroad. When disasters strike in other countries, they are responsible for the disaster assessment. There is [Martin] Kuo and [Simon] Shyong as well as some others, perhaps five or six people. They are already preparing to go to Ecuador. They must first go to understand the situation in order to know in what way we can help. The difficulties there are very severe; reconstruction will take [a very long time]. This is a result of the collective karma of the sentient beings there. The earth element was out of balance. When the earth element is out of balance, high-magnitude earthquakes occur. So, all the people living in that place suffer from it together. Disasters resulting from collective karma have now happened in Japan and in Ecuador. People in wealthy countries encounter such imbalance in the earth element, and the same is true for poor countries; such earthquakes devastate the land. The earth’s might is truly powerful. We humans [seem] very insignificant. How can we achieve balance in the four elements? We must take good care of the ground of our minds. We need to bring purity to everyone’s heart, eliminate afflictions and end ignorance. To end ignorance, eliminate afflictions and inspire everyone’s aspirations, we need to have self-discipline. We must all uphold the Dharma and the rules. We must be very cautious in our conduct, bring out our sincerity and interact with people with a mindset of love. So, if we can be reverent and loving, prudent, vigilant and follow the rules, if we can live our lives in this way, the four elements will gradually become balanced. All of this begins with people’s hearts, so we must always be very mindful.
The Buddha’s Dharma-treasury is something we need to make use of. The Buddha-Dharma is stored within our awakened nature of wisdom. We [just] need to activate it; it is intrinsic to everyone. The Buddha came to tell us how to active the principles of the Dharma-nature in the Tathagata-garbha that is intrinsic to us all. This is why the Buddha came to the world, to open up the doors to our hearts and point out to us the principles of the Dharma-nature in the Tathagata-garbha that is intrinsic to us all. He wished to let us know this and [help us] activate [the Tathagata-garbha] deep inside our hearts. This is intrinsic to us all. This is initial enlightenment, the intrinsic awakened nature that we have all had from the beginning. This is initial enlightenment, also called innate enlightenment, the enlightened nature inherent in everyone. This enlightened nature contains an ocean of wisdom, wisdom as vast as an ocean.
In the Three Refuges that we recite daily it says, “I take refuge in the Dharma. [May all] delve deeply into the sutra treasury and gain wisdom as vast as the ocean.” Where is the sutra treasury? Where do we go to delve deeply into it? It is inside our own minds. The Buddha pointed this out to us, so that we ourselves could bring it out from our own ocean of wisdom. We must reflect upon each aspect of our nature and make an effort to experience the ocean of enlightened wisdom inside everyone. This is how these principles become clear to us. So, we must be very mindful.
The Buddha came to this world and “apply provisional and skillful means”. In order to teach us, He used the “provisional”. When causes and conditions had ripened, He was born into this Saha World. His direct retribution, due to His power of vows, was to deliver sentient beings in the Saha World. He chose to be born into a palace as the son of a king. As He grew up, He was respected by all. His thinking was transcendent. He hoped that [people’s] love could extend beyond merely a single family or a single country but all of mankind. He hoped that all mankind could be inspired to realize this principle. So, He left the lay life, engaged in spiritual practice and attained enlightenment. After attaining enlightenment, He then went among people where His influence was great. He was originally a prince, the son of a king so His status was very high from the start. His thinking was transcendent and He had practiced to the point of attaining enlightenment. He was truly awe-inspiring. So, as He traveled around, transforming people through the Dharma, the way He spoke was very different from the way that ordinary people speak. With his very high status, He traveled around, transforming people and teaching the Dharma. So, He influenced ancient India with His great power of persuasion. In particular, He had the support of His father who became a Dharma-protector. He encouraged all of the royal family’s sons to become monastics. This was the greatest way to protect the Dharma. Think about how significant an influence this had! So, this is how the Tathagata “applied provisional and skillful means”. In coming to the world, those were the circumstances He chose for His direct and circumstantial retributions. After attaining Buddhahood, to help everyone understand the true principles, He had to develop skillful means. Sentient beings’ capabilities, as we have continually said in the past, are not uniform. The Small Vehicle practitioners only practiced for their own benefit, so the Buddha had to utilize. His ocean of enlightened wisdom in order to adapt to their capabilities and to teach them. His hope was that everyone would be able to “enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury”. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature; by reflecting upon our own self-nature we can enter this awakened [nature], the awakened nature inherent in everyone. By entering into our awakened nature, we activate our Dharma-treasury. This is what the Buddha wanted everyone to understand. Infinite teachings are stored within the mind of every person. This is our wisdom. If we can open up our views and thinking, if we can awaken in our views and thinking, then for every matter and thing we see, then for every matter and thing we see, we can clearly realize the principles that are contained within. Like this, how could people, matters or things not become clear to us? So, He had to use all kinds of methods, “apply provisional and skillful means”, to teach sentient beings to enter the Dharma-treasury. He hoped that everyone will arrive at “the other shore of ultimate [understanding]”, that from this shore of ordinary beings, the shore of ignorance and afflictions, we will take the Dharma to heart and achieve liberation, thus crossing from this shore to the other. That is the shore of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This kind of abundant, great awakening is what we call the other shore. We now understand. We know this is what the Buddha-Dharma[says], but out [capabilities] still very feeble. We hope to develop our wisdom-life, for only by developing our wisdom-life can we awaken our abundant enlightened nature and reach the other shore.
So, “We must accept and uphold the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury”. Before we gain ultimate understanding, we must accept and uphold the teachings and practice according to them. Whatever the Buddha taught us, we must sincerely accept and uphold His teachings. We must be focused when listening to the Dharma, for only then can we little by little take the Dharma to heart. This is “accepting and upholding the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury and safeguarding the seeds of Buddhahood”; we must safeguard the seeds of Buddhahood. The seeds of Buddhahood arise from conditions. The seeds of Buddhahood require many causes and conditions to come together. We all have the seeds of Buddhahood, it is just that they have been buried. All of us have these seeds of goodness; seeds of goodness are seeds of Buddhahood. Those most pure seeds of goodness have been deeply buried. We must earnestly accept the Buddha’s teachings, “accept and uphold the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury”. When listening, we must be mindful.
For instance, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a time when a boil developed on Ananda’s back. It kept getting bigger and bigger until it was red and swollen and filled with pus. This is an “ulcerative carbuncle”. It was swollen and red. This is what we today call a carbuncle. So, it became big and swollen and filled with pus. It was very painful, a bone-piercing pain! Thus, the Buddha invited a doctor who was famous there at that time. His name was Jivaka. When this famous doctor, Jivaka, saw the large boil on Ananda’s back, he decided that it needed surgery. The doctor said to the Buddha, “Venerable Ananda’s boil requires surgery, but the surgery will be very painful. Ananda cannot bear such a major surgery”. The Buddha told him, “Do not worry. Since surgery is necessary, you must start cutting”. But the doctor, Jivaka, still hesitated, holding the scalpel in his hand. He dared not proceed to make the cut. This was because Ananda was the Buddha’s dearest disciple. Ananda was always so gentle with everyone, so everyone respected and loved him. How could the doctor bear to cut him with the knife? Knowing the concerns of the doctor, how he could not bear [to operate], the Buddha told him, “You need not worry. When Ananda listens to the Dharma, he becomes extremely focused. You can treat Ananda without worries, for I will be teachings the Dharma. I am about to begin now, so Ananda cannot rest; he will be listening closely to the Dharma. Thus, you can put your mind at ease”. As the Buddha began teaching, Ananda sat very close, next to the Buddha. His head raised, he gazed up at the Buddha. He sat there very straight with his head up, peaceful and motionless. What the Buddha taught was how, in life, the body is inherently subject to birth, aging, illness and death, that the body is impure. Thus, we must contemplate it as such. However, when it comes to our wisdom-life, our wisdom-life, our Dharma-essence, is like a diamond. So, everyone felt at peace. Ananda felt at peace, and the doctor also felt at peace. The Dharma-essence is unmoving, like diamond; it is sturdy and indestructible. This is what He told them.
Ananda in particular gazed up at the Buddha’s magnificent appearance. As he listened to the wondrous sound of the Buddha’s Dharma, he felt his responsibility to take every drop of the Buddha-Dharma to heart. So, Ananda sat there, peaceful and motionless. Very quickly, by the time the Buddha finished teaching the Dharma, Jivaka had already cut open. The boil on Ananda’s back and cleaned out all the pus inside. After cleaning out the boil, he applied a medicinal salve. When the Buddha finished teaching, Ananda was very grateful. The Buddha asked, “Does your back still hurt?” Ananda suddenly realized, “My back feels cool; I feel peaceful and free! Jivaka said to him, “Venerable One, I have already cleaned out the pus from your boil. I have moreover applied medicine to it. It should give no more problems.” Ananda suddenly realized what had happened “You have already treated me? I did not feel a thing! Thank you!” He was grateful to the Buddha for using the Dharma to treat his heart and to the doctor for using his medical expertise to treat his body. So, Ananda was filled with gratitude. Think about it; even though Ananda was so close to the Buddha, was so magnificent in his appearance and had such a healthy body, he nevertheless developed a boil, a boil that became so inflamed that it grew as big as a bowl, swollen and filled with pus. If he had not been treated by a doctor, he would not have been able to recover by himself.
So, when it comes to the Buddha-Dharma, it is not the case that just by listening, all of our misfortunes will disappear. “I listen to the Dharma, so I will never die; I will remain forever young. It is not like that! We are still subject to the laws of nature, still subject to our karmic retributions. Is there anyone who is not subject to physical pain and suffering? So, Ananda likewise experienced such illness and pain. The Buddha used this method to treat Ananda; he had him focus on listening to the Dharma. We can see the sense of responsibility Ananda had. It was because he felt responsible that he could listen so intently to the Dharma and take every drop of the Buddha’s teachings to heart. He forget about himself, entered a state where he forget about himself. This is why he need no anesthesia. Actually, they had no anesthesia back then anyway. They performed surgery without anesthesia. Their bodies were no different from ours now, so without anesthesia undergoing surgery was of course very painful. However, Ananda did not feel it. He completely forgot about himself. He felt so cool and refreshed as he took every drop of the Buddha’s teachings to heart.
Truly, [he had arrived at] the other shore of ultimate [understanding].” The Dharna-treasury, “the other shore of ultimate [understanding] was already in his heart. This was because he “accepted and upheld the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury”. His responsibility was to “safeguard the seeds of Buddhahood”. He wanted to protect the seeds of Buddhahood, the intrinsic Tathagata-nature. This is intrinsic to everyone, however, the Dharma is needed to awaken the intrinsic Tathagata-nature within any of us. [The Buddha did not teach] for the sake of a family or a country, but for the sake of the Tathagata-nature inherent in everyone in the world. He wished that everyone everywhere would be able to realize the Buddha-Dharma and accept the Buddha-Dharma. Once we take the Dharma to heart, we must put it into practice and go among people to bring purity to their hearts. He hoped for everyone everywhere to be able to attain the Buddha’s principles and awaken the Dharma-treasury that we all possess deep in our hearts. “Our goal is to move toward the Buddha-Vehicle and align ourselves with the source of the goal.
We uphold the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury; this is called the Tathagata-garbha, the principles of the Dharma-nature. He applied provisional and skillful means to let us enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury and arrive at the other shore of ultimate [understanding]. We must accept and uphold the Tathagata’s extremely profound Dharma-treasury and safeguard the seeds of Buddhahood. Our goal is to move toward the Buddha-vehicle, align ourselves with the source of the goal and enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury.
Our goal is to move toward the Buddha-Vehicle and align ourselves with the source of the goal.” The purpose of the Dharma is for us to take the Buddha-Vehicle. It is not just for us to have the Small Vehicle of Hearers or Pratyekabuddhas. No. We must form great aspirations and make great vows. Our objective must be to move toward the Buddha’s Great Vehicle Dharma. This is what we truly need to practice. only then can we attain Buddhahood; only then can we unlock the Dharma-treasury inside of our hearts. Then we can align ourselves with the source of the goal and enter the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury”. Here, “goal” refers to our objective. By returning to the direction of our intrinsic Tathagata-nature, we align ourselves with the source of the goal. where does this goal, the Tathagata’s Dharma-nature trace its source to? It is intrinsic to everyone. So, “entering the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury” means returning to our own awakened nature. This is what we must put our effort into. However much Dharma I teach, what I really want to tell you is that the nature of True Suchness is intrinsic to us all. I also want to tell you that the Dharma is not something we should seek only outside of ourselves. Seeking it outside is just a method. In fact, what we must use is our own efforts. When we train to master something, the master only teaches us the techniques. To fulfill our potential in the future, we must rely on ourselves. It depends on us to know how to complete the tool that we have learned to make. This is only a method. All we can seek outside ourselves is a method, while mastery is developed inside of ourselves. We want to learn, and once we learn it, we know the way to do it. We first learn other people’s methods, but then we ourselves develop many more methods that we can use ourselves as well as teach to others. The same is the case for the Buddha-Dharma. So, we must all put in effort to experience this ourselves.
The previous sutra passage stated, “After making offerings to 6.2 billion Buddhas and protecting and upholding the Dharma-treasury, you will attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi”.
This is the responsibility Ananda took on. He will attain Buddhahood in the future, but to attain Buddhahood, throughout the process, he will still have to make offerings to 6.2 billion Buddhas. This will take a very long time, but will ultimately result in him attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. These 6.2 billion Buddhas, as I also spoke about yesterday, when understood in terms of our minds, actually represent the 62 Views. They refer to our perspectives and our ignorance. Yesterday, I explained this to everyone in great detail. When it comes to our perspectives, in the course of each day, we go through form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness. Think about it, form, feeling, perception, action, consciousness, the Five Aggregates, each contains four kinds of perspectives. 5 times 4 makes 20. For each of these 20, there is the past, present and future. 3 times 20 makes 60. On top of these 60, we then add the two views of eternalism and nihilism. All these views, these perspectives, make us accumulate all sorts of ignorance. There are also dust-like afflictions that wreak mischief throughout all this. The Buddha wanted us to realize how the Five Aggregates are found in our body and mind and in everything we encounter in our daily living. We must put in effort to experience this. This is all very close to us. Actually, even when extended to 6.2 billion [views], it is all actually right around us. Lifetime after lifetime, we keep turning within the scope of [our views]. Lifetime after lifetime, we keep roiling in all this ignorance, in the turbulent world of temptations. Thus, we have so much ignorance and so many afflictions. If we eliminate these afflictions and ignorance, we will be able to attain supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment. We must all put in effort to realize this.
The nest sutra passage goes on to say, “You will teach and transform 20 trillion Bodhisattvas, as many as the Ganges’ sands, enabling them to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Your land will be called Forever Upright Superior Banner.”
He will need to teach, “teach and transform 20 trillion Bodhisattvas, as many as the Ganges’ sands”. This means that he will go out to inspire everyone to form great aspirations and make great vows, to turn from the Small to the Great. By turning from the Small to the Great, anyone can become a Bodhisattva.
You will teach and transform 20 trillion Bodhisattvas, as many as the Ganges’ sands: Those with the capabilities to be transformed will be as many as the Ganges’ sands. They will all attain Bodhi.
So, “Those with the capabilities to be transformed will be as many as the Ganges’ sands”. Ananda will continually teach them. From the Small Vehicle teachings, they will turn to the Great Vehicle Dharma. All those who previously had been stuck in seeking only their own benefit will turn to the Bodhisattva-path of saving sentient beings. There will be so many people like this, 20 trillion, as many as the Ganges’ sands. That many people “will all attain Bodhi”. All of them will be able to awaken to Bodhi.
Enabling them to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi: He will enable them to attain supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment. They will accept the teachings and cultivate the causes. After attaining the fruit of Buddhahood, they will teach and transform sentient beings, enabling them to cultivate the causes and attain the fruit.
He will “enable them to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi”. He will lead them all to attain supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment. “They will accept the teachings and cultivate the causes”. These people will be able to accept the Buddha’s teachings. Moreover, after attaining Buddhahood, these people, these Bodhisattvas, will be able to form great aspirations and practice the Great Vehicle Dharma to save and transform sentient beings. Earnestly accepting these teachings is their cause. For those who receive the teachings, their spiritual practice is the cause. The causes created by their spiritual practice will be to be just as mindful as Ananda; they will single-mindedly accept and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. This way they too will gradually be able to attain the fruit of Buddhahood. After attaining the fruit of Buddhahood, they will still be able to transform sentient beings. This is passing on the teachings. As Ananda engages in practice to attain Buddhahood, throughout lifetimes of [listening to] teachings by the Buddha’s side, he will continuously spread the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury among people, helping everyone accept it. Those people will accept the causes for Buddhahood. After engaging in spiritual practice accordingly, they will likewise attain the fruit of Buddhahood and then again go on to teach others. Thus, this will “enable them to cultivate the causes and attain the fruit”. This is how the teachings are passed down. We must be very mindful in realizing this.
A seed may be very small, but once this tiny seed falls to the ground it becomes a giant tree. Such a bit tree will continually blossom and continually bear fruit. The seeds from these fruits are then continually spread across the ground. Those tiny seeds then again become large trees, again bear fruit and continually spread like this. This is the same principle. After attaining Buddhahood, Ananda will be called, “Mountain-Ocean-Wisdom Free Unhindered King Buddha and his land will be called, Forever Upright Superior Banner. Your land will be called, Forever Upright Superior Banner.
Your land will be called, Forever Upright Superior Banner: It is called Forever Upright Superior Banner because he uses the Tathagata’s superior truth to guide sentient beings. His land is named according to the Right Dharma and this is what people in the land take refuge in. It is like banners hung in a brahmakestra that make those who see them give rise to reverence.
So, “He uses the Tathagata’s superior truth”. [He uses] the Tathagata’s superior principles to guide sentient beings. After he attains Buddhahood, he will needs to guide sentient beings. “His land is named according to the Right Dharma”. It gets its name from the Right Dharma. His future land will be called Forever Upright Superior Banner. “This is what people in the land take refuge in”. This is like how monasteries or temples fly flags and banners or how, when they hold Dharma-assemblies, they put up banners outside that flutter in the wind. When people see these from afar, they know there is a Dharma-assembly there, that there are spiritual practitioners there who are teaching the Dharma. In “like banners hung in a brahmaksetra,” a brahmaksetra is a temple. In ancient India, when there was a Dharma-assembly, they would fly banners in the air. They still have these in India today. “Those who see them give rise to reverence”. When people saw these, they felt very joyful. After Ananda attains Buddhahood in the future, his land too will be like this. We need to be very mindful regarding this and put effort into understanding it.
So, “According to customs in the Western Regions, those who excel in expounding the teachings…”. The Western Regions refers to India. In ancient India there was a custom where, after a debate was over, whoever won the debate would receive a banner, a “superior banner, “which they would hoist there.
According to customs in the Western Regions, those who excel in expounding the teachings always hold a superior banner. This shows their wisdom is excellent and superior. Venerable [Ananda] was very learned and his understanding was superior in all things. So, the land he will abide in is named Forever Upright Superior Banner.
Actually, when we here have competitions, whether soccer games or other kinds of competitions, the winners will hold up a banner to show that they are the winners. This is the same principle. [In India] it was a symbol to show their “wisdom is excellent and superior”. When this symbol of a country’s superior victor is seen by people, everyone gives rise to joy and respect. Venerable Ananda was very learned “His understanding was superior in all things”. He was very learned. No one was more learned than him, for he was always by the Buddha’s side. Every day and every night, the Dharma the Buddha taught and the rules He set up for living were all absorbed into his mind, into his storehouse consciousness. So, Ananda was very learned, his understanding superior in all things. He had heard more than anyone else, so “The land he will abide in is named Forever Upright Superior Banner”. The Buddha-Dharma is actually always all around us. The Dharma may sound very profound to us, but is actually always there inside of us. True Suchness is also always there inside of us. The Dharma is everywhere in our daily living, in the Five Aggregates of form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. In our daily living, we can feel it at any time, in the things we come in contact with, in our feelings, our thinking and so on. It is all in our lives. Actually, the Buddha-Dharma is able to explain how these things intrinsically are part of each other, converging and acting together. This is what the Dharma teaches us. So, I hope that all of us will mindfully seek to comprehend the Dharma. See, in such a short time, how many earthquake were there? The earth and its principles are impossible for us to fully comprehend, but as soon as there is an imbalance, once [the earth] begins to move, we immediately feel it. In this feeling, the “form” is the earth, and our perception is the “feeling”. So, when we talk about “form,” we refer to everything we see outside of ourselves. Whatever shapes these things have, when our mind sees them and comes into contact with them, each thing gives rise to different feelings, which are all mixed together. If we can start in our daily living and realize how the Dharma functions, our understanding will then naturally deepen; we will penetrate deeper into the principles. This requires us to always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)