Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Protecting and Upholding the Dharma-Treasury (護持佛法 深重之願)
Date: September.22.2017
“From the beginningless past until now, all Buddha’s might and power, treasuries of merits and virtues and wondrous wisdom have been unrivaled. We are all no different from them; if we just follow all Buddhas in upholding the causes and conditions of our original vows, then our lifespan will be without limit.”
“From the beginningless past until now….” For each of us, when did our lives begin? Everyone says, “That’s simple. It began when our parents give birth to us.” Is that the case? There was a past before this life. There is a future after this life. [Our life] spans from ancient times up until today. Where were we in the past, before this life? Ever since a long time ago, there have been previous lives before our previous lives, an incalculable number of lifetimes. This has continued from ancient times until today, all the way up to the present. But that is not all. For how long will our future lives continue to extend? For now, let us not talk about the past nor think about the future. The most important thing is to seize the present. Only by having a good present will we have a good future. As are the causes and conditions, so are the effects and retributions. From good causes come good effects! Based on the kind of causes we want to create, we must create the corresponding conditions. In terms of conditions, of course we want to create blessed conditions. The more we go among people and benefit them, the more good conditions and affinities we create. This is what we now need to work hard toward. Having good causes and conditions in this life, we must of course be grateful that we created good causes and conditions in past lifetimes. Thus we are able to meet good people in this life, people we get along with, people we have affinities with. They guide us in the right direction, guide us to widely form good affinities with good people. This is all from the causes in our past lifetimes. It is with those past causes that we create these present conditions. These present conditions enable us to create causes in this lifetime that become effects in future lifetimes. In our future lifetimes where will our direct and circumstantial retributions take us? This is why right now, we must be very diligent. Since we believe in the Buddha-Dharma, since we are walking on the path to Buddhahood, we must earnestly seize the present and create good causes and conditions in the present. If we earnestly form good affinities, we will have good causes. Such good conditions are past causes that have extended to become effects in our present life. Only with these effects in this life can we have those kinds of causes. Thus, we have these good conditions. From the conditions and effects of this life, we form these present affinities.
Now, what we experience are the effects. Everything we did in our past lifetimes becomes the effects we experience in our present life. With these effects in our present life, we then form many conditions, [many affinities]. Then these conditions are extended into effects in our future lives that in turn create future conditions and future causes. These are the workings of causes, conditions, effects and retributions. This has accumulated for many lifetimes, from ancient times until today. The past, ancient times, is a very long time ago, dust-inked kalpas ago. Before dust-inked kalpas ago, there were further dust-inked kalpas. Isn’t that ancient? This was a very distant, very long time ago. Not only was it very distant, it was a very long time ago, a very remote era. This is called “ancient”. How long ago were these ancient times? How long has it been? Thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, several billion years or countless billions of years. This is the meaning of “ancient”. So, the past continues into the present, and the present will extend into the future. So where will we be in the future? Right now, we must earnestly [work toward] this. The past is already in the past; the future is what is very important. In the future, where will our circumstantial and direct retributions take us? Looking at the world now, our circumstantial and direct [retributions] have brought us to a very frightening world but also to a very endearing world. In the future, will we actually go in the direction of an endearing world? Or toward a frightening world? A frightening world is [filled with] poverty and suffering and frequent disasters, natural disasters, manmade calamities etc. These are all circumstantial and direct retributions resulting from our [past] causes and conditions. An endearing world is highly developed, wealthy, safe and joyful, where the four elements are in balance and humans live in peace and harmony. This is in an endearing and blessed world.
The Five Realms can all be found in the same world. Or I should say the Six Realms. Because when the asura realm is included, there are Six Realms. Asuras are found throughout the Five Realms, but right now it looks like there are great numbers of asuras. They can be considered a separate realm. Thus, we talk about the Six Realms.
Asuras easily lose their temper and are full of greed, anger and ignorance. These are asuras. They frequently cause disruptions among people; they have very bad temper. Seeing the slightest shortcoming in others, they are unable to accommodate them. So, they manifest their asura-nature, their anger. Their evil appearance manifests, they speak harsh words and they show a rude attitude. These are the [qualities of] asuras. Right now in today’s world, aren’t there many like this? This includes humans, beings in hell, animals and hungry ghosts. There are asuras among them all. So, we must cultivate ourselves and put effort into being vigilant of our minds. We must eliminate our greed, anger and ignorance, eliminate our afflictions and lack of clarity. We must constantly heighten our vigilance and make vows to create good affinities with all sentient beings. We must train ourselves to be understanding of people and be accommodating as we interact with them. We must be grateful in all situations and always be content in our daily living. If we are able to do this, our world will be very peaceful. We must train ourselves to be this way.
So, “From the past until now, all Buddhas [have] might and power.” This was what the Buddha wanted to teach us. Although sentient beings are very stubborn, the Dharma-power of all Buddhas is boundless. What methods do all Buddhas make use of in order to tame stubborn sentient beings? They speak gentle words. They speak the truth. They do to speak any untruths; they speak no lies. When the Buddha teaches the Dharma, everyone believes in it. The Buddha has awakened to the truths and principles of all things in the world. So, in the Buddha’s mind, He views all beings with compassion. He exercises compassion. No matter how stubborn sentient beings are, no matter how hard they are to tame, the Buddha still thinks of ways to accommodate them, to be understanding. This is the mind of a Buddha. The Buddha-mind is one of compassion, of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity and a willingness to give. This is the mind of a Buddha. So, we must learn from the Buddha. People today call this “the power of gentleness,” using the power of gentleness to educate sentient beings. The gentle can overcome the rigid. It is because the Buddha has “a heart that encompasses the universe and the boundless worlds within it”. There is no place that He cannot [encompass], no Dharma that He does not understand. This is the might and power of the Buddha. The Buddhas in the past were like this; Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, the Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas, Emptiness King Buddha etc. all had this kind of might and power that They used to transform sentient beings. Now, we must work to take the Buddha’s teachings into our hearts. “[Their] treasuries of merits and virtues and wondrous wisdom [are] unrivaled.” To create merits and virtues, we must diligently [cultivate] our minds. We must practice and put in effort to exercise the Six Parmaitas in all actions. Sakyamui Buddha also said that. Ananda took joy in hearing all. In the past, Sakyamuni Buddha delighted in diligently advancing. By exercising the Six Paramitas in all actions, He diligently advanced. Thus, He was able to attain Buddhahood so must sooner than Ananda. Now, Ananda has received a prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha, but he still needs to work hard. He still needs to be very diligent in actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions. Then, after a very long time, he will likewise be able to attain Buddhahood. In the future, when he attains Buddhahood as Mountain-Ocean-Wisdom Free Unhindered King Buddha, his lifespan will be limitless. This is because the Dharma is without limit. Ananda upholds the Dharma-treasury, so the Dharma is without limit. In the future he will be Mountain-Ocean-Wisdom Free Unhindered King Buddha. His lifespan will be limitless. This indicates the Dharma-treasury is everlasting. So, “[Their] treasuries of merits and virtues and wondrous wisdom [are] unrivaled.” These principles and this wisdom are very subtle and wondrous the greater the wisdom is, the greater the principles are. It is the same throughout the entire world. His wisdom is without limit, so the principles are without limit. So, he has unrivaled wisdom. “[His] wondrous wisdom [is] unrivaled.” This is the [true] principles.
“We are all no different from them; if we just follow all Buddhas….” All sentient beings are equal to all Buddhas. Everyone intrinsically has this kind of mind. This treasury of wondrous wisdom is in everyone; it is just a matter of whether we have put in effort, whether we have cultivated virtues. If we work hard on this, internally we will have the ability to, no matter what kind of look people give us, be accommodating and understanding. No matter how sharp or cruel their words, we will be accommodating and understanding. This is an ability. When we interact with one another, how can we form good affinities? To benefit people, to create blessings for them, we must work hard to cultivate virtues. By working hard to cultivate virtues, naturally our “treasuries of merits and virtues and wondrous wisdom [will be] unrivaled. We have always had these! We have always been equal to Buddha. “We are all no different from them”. Everyone is the same. Bad people and good people all have the same Buddha-nature as the Buddha. [Everyone] has it!
Yesterday, [May 8, 2016], [Cheah] Lee-Hwa sent me a picture from Malaysia. It was of the stray dog I spoke of a few days ago. One of our Tzu Chi commissioners was so loving that she gave that dog some food to eat. Then, the dog began to follow her. Every morning when she went to listen to my Dharma-talk, the dog began to follow her there. The commissioner wondered, “Does the dog truly come to listen to the Dharma?” She deliberately drove the car on a long detour. The dog stayed in front of the branch office waiting for her. “How come she drove away?” The dog would not sit in the car, only follow it. She drove the car away, but the dog still ran to the branch office and just waited there. No matter how many times she circled around, he still remained waiting there. He waited until she stopped the car and went inside, then he followed her inside to listen to teachings. He did this for many days. Yesterday was Buddha Bathing Day, so there was no Dharma-talk. First thing in the morning, everyone gathered at the Buddha bathing site for a dress rehearsal. The dog came on his own to the branch office and waited outside the door. No one opened the door, but the dog waited outside. Then a person emerged. The person on duty at the office noticed the dog sitting there, so he said to him, “We have a break today. There is no morning Dharma-talk today”. The dog then made some sounds, as if he wanted to respond. The person on duty at the office said to the dog, “I told you, there is really no Dharma-talk today. If you don’t believe me, they have gathered for Buddha bathing over there. You too can go bathe the Buddha!” But the dog still remained there and let out those sounds. The person on duty called [our commissioner] and told her, “He’s crying. The dog is crying”. So, they quickly opened the doors [to the office]. The dog actually went inside and circled around in front of the Buddha’s image. There really was no one there. After seeing that there really was nothing on the screen and circling around a few times, the dog silently left.
Think about it, this dog is in the animal realm, but He is so determined to hear the Dharma that he had to verify that there really was no one there, that they were really taking a break today before he was willing to leave. The sentient beings in the Six Realms all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. This is something we must believe.
Two days ago, [my disciple] De Mao showed me a video. A soft-shelled turtle had been caught. Later, someone bought him to set him free. A Dharma Master expounded the Dharma to this turtle, telling him, “For all the negative karma created in the past, these were the lines he read, rooted in greed, anger and ignorance since Beginningless Time”, “today I” need to repent. He told the turtle to repent and spoke the Dharma to him. As the turtle listened, he lifted his head. At “repent it all”, he bowed his head and shed tears. He read this repentance verse three times, and three times, [the turtle] shed tears. This was recorded on video. We can see this very clearly at “repent it all”. “For all the negative karma created in the past, rooted in greed, anger and ignorance since Beginningless Time”, we must repent all we have done. At that, he cried. No matter what kind of sentient beings, “we are no different from them”. If we realize [how rare it is] to be born human and to hear the Buddha-Dharma, we must earnestly follow the Buddha’s teachings. we must accept and follow the teachings. So, if we “uphold the causes and conditions of our original vows, then our lifespan will be without limit”. Thus, from ancient times until today, the principles and Dharma have always been here. This is just like Ananda; he upheld the Dharma-treasury. If we can all uphold the Dharma-treasury, the Dharma will likewise be in our life. “[With] causes and conditions, our lifespan will be without limit”. We keep returning, from ancient times until today. As re repeatedly return, the causes and conditions of the Buddha-Dharma and its lifespan remain without limit. The Dharma-treasury will always be there. It is just that we need to earnestly uphold the causes and conditions of our original vows. Otherwise, we make a vow and it quickly leaks away and is lost. We must truly be mindful.
Yesterday throughout the day, people from 35 countries held Buddha Bathing Ceremonies. Altogether over 400 ceremonies were held with nearly 300,000 people attending on the same day. This is what we saw. Just speaking about Taiwan, yesterday morning, it began at Hualien Jing Si Hall. The sun was very hot. This was at about 7 or 8 am, and although it was just the early morning sun, standing for a long time was still tiring. Still everyone said, “Master, we are very grateful that you came out and told everyone that you hope a light breeze will blow gently on us. As it happened, we had a light wind, a gentle breeze. It was very refreshing”. Many people said this. Indeed, I could see the hems on the long robes of the nuns swaying gently. Thus I knew there was a breeze, a light, gentle breeze blowing. At 7 am yesterday morning, we began at the Jing Si Hall [in Hualien]. Taichung and central and southern [Taiwan] also began at the same time. Everyone started in the morning. Kaohsiung and Pingtung both had large ceremonies. They too were very dignified. In central Taiwan, in Taichung, it was held in the plaza near the Tzu Chi Hospital. It was very dignified as well. In Taichung, ceremonies were held at two sites; they were both very dignified and grand. Whether it was at their Jing Si Hall or in that big plaza, it was very dignified. In addition, at Dajia and Qingshui they put in great effort. Looking at the site in Dajia, it felt like a monastic place of practice. there was a great number of people, and their formation was very beautiful. It was the same in Qingshui; it was very dignified. This was true of Miaoli as well. Miaoli’s ceremony was inside a sports stadium; it was also very dignified. From Taoyuan, Hsinchu, all the way up to Taipei, [the ceremonies] were truly very beautiful. In the large area outside the [Xindian] Jing Si Hall, the doctors and volunteers formed the pattern of a Bodhi-leaf; they created a very beautiful picture. In Taiwan, so many people were so mindful and reverent. In Taipei, in addition to Xindian Hospital, ceremonies were held at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and the plaza in front of the city hall. Da Ai TV was able to simultaneously transmit the images from these two places so they were in step with each other. This is really not an easy feat. With modern technology, this magnificence can be [accomplished]. This is the Buddha-Dharma in the world, the Buddha-Dharma [expressed] in this world. As long as people’s minds are in harmony, they can come together and the picture they create will be so beautiful. This is not something impossible. As long as our minds are united, there will be beauty. The Buddha-Dharma is true, and harmony of people’s minds is goodness. When truth and goodness come together, the result is beauty!
Throughout the day yesterday, I was truly grateful, especially to those who had set up the sites. This is a long story. It had taken a very long time. I saw members of the Faith Corps and Tzu Chi commissioners setting up, and it was truly hard work. The weather was blazing how yesterday. It was so hot, yet they were able to bear it, overcoming their physical sensations. On such a hot day, setting up that space allowed them to hold [such a large event]. Truly, their merits and virtues are countless; there is so much to be grateful for.
Now let us look at the precious sutra passage. “At that time, the World-Honored One knew what all those Bodhisattvas were thinking in their hearts, so He told them, ‘Good men, I and Ananda and others were in the presence of Emptiness King Buddha. at the same, we time formed aspirations for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
This is how the sutra passage continues. Sakyamuni Buddha, Ananda and those presently listening to the Dharma were all in Emptiness King Buddha’s presence, engaging in spiritual practice. At that time Ananda and Sakyamuni Buddha simultaneously formed the aspiration to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. “Ananda always took delight in hearing all, while I always diligently advanced. At that time, Ananda only enjoyed listening to the Dharma; he did not diligently advance. As for Sakyamuni Bodhisattva at that time, he not only listened to the Dharma, he also put it into practice and put effort into diligently advancing. “Therefore, I have already attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
So, it is about more than listening to the Dharma, more than upholding the Dharma and taking the Dharma-treasury to heart. It is not just about doing these things. We must also put it into practice. so, Sakyamuni Buddha has attained Buddhahood, but Ananda still needs a very long period of time.
The next sutra passage then says, “Ananda safeguards my teachings will also protect the Dharma-treasuries of all future Buddhas. He will teach, transform and enable all to become Bodhisattvas. His original vow was such, so he received such predictions.
This is how it was. This was what Ananda was like at that time. Now, he was the same, in this life, Ananda likewise protected the Buddha-Dharma of Sakyamuni Buddha. every phrase of the Dharma taught by the Buddha entered Ananda mind. Ananda safeguarded the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury, so he was able to compile the sutras and was able to pass on the teachings.
Ananda safeguards my teachings and will also protect the Dharma-treasuries of all future Buddhas: Now, Ananda was safeguarding Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings. In future lifetimes he will safeguard the Dharma-treasuries of all Buddhas.
This was what Ananda did at Sakyamuni Buddha’s spiritual training ground. He listened to the Dharma and safeguarded the Dharma-treasury. Moreover, “In future lifetimes he will safeguarded the Dharma-treasuries of all Buddhas.” In the future he will also do the same. “He will teach, transform and enable all to become Bodhisattvas.” Ananda will do the same in the future. He will safeguarded the Dharma of all Buddhas. Not only will he safeguarded the Dharma, in the future he will also teach and transform. Lifetime after lifetime, he will teach and transform everyone to help them become Bodhisattvas.
He will teach, transform and enable all to become Bodhisattvas: Over a long time, he will teach and transform countless billions of sentient beings, turning them gradually toward the Bodhis-path to become awakened sentient beings and eventually become Bodhisattvas.
This will take a very long time, from ancient times on into the future. It will require a very long time. So, “countless” names. He will be able to “teach and transform countless billions of sentient beings, turning them gradually toward the Bodhi-path to become awakened sentient beings”. So, this will require a very long time. “countless billions of sentient beings” does not just refer to humans. He will spend such a long period of time in the Six Realms. The Four Forms of Birth and the Six Realms contain so many kinds of sentient beings. I just talked about a dog who loves to listen to the Dharma and a turtle that knew to repent. See, there are so many kinds of sentient beings. so, countless billions of sentient beings will gradually turn Bodhi. He will gradually teach them te return toi Bodhi. Everyone intrinsically has an enlightened nature. So, we hope everyone will gradually encounter the Buddha-Dharma and [enter] the Bodhi-path to awakening to become awakened sentient beings. Awakened sentient beings walk the Bodhi-path, [practice] the Bodhisattva-path. So, [they] “eventually become Bodhisattvas”. These countless sentient beings are gradually taught and transformed. They go from the animal realm, the Three Evil Realms, and gradually improve until they have the causes and conditions to be in the human realm. In the human realm, we unceasingly teach them until they can accept the Buddha-Dharma and actualize the Buddha’s teachings. This will require a very long time of teaching and transforming before they give rise to Bodhicitta and practice the Bodhi-path. This will require great patience.
Thus, “His original vow was such, so he received such predictions”. This was his vow. For a long time, Ananda made vows to safeguard the Buddha’s vows. Back in the time of Emptiness King Buddha, his original vow was to widely deliver [beings]. “In his present lifetime it is still the same”.
His original vow was such, so he received such predictions: Back in the time of Emptiness King Buddha, his original vow was to widely deliver [beings]. In His present lifetime it is still the same. This is like what was said in the Surangama, “As long as a single sentient being has not yet attained Buddhahood, I will not attain Nirvana”.
Ananda’s original vow was not one lacking in diligently advancing; it was just that he kept focusing on continually absorbing the Dharma into his mind, imprinting it onto his mind. This was the vow he made. Lifetime after lifetime, he is willing to safeguard the Dharma-treasury and teach and transform sentient beings. This is Ananda’s vow. From the time of Emptiness King Buddha, he had this kind of vow to widely deliver sentient beings. Now it was still the same. He was now practicing under the Buddha. Now, in this lifetime, he did the same. So, before the Surangama Mantra there is a verse, “As long as a single sentient being has not yet attained Buddhahood, I will not attain Nirvana”. We are very familiar with this. Ananda’s vow was like this verse. “As long as a single sentient being has not yet attained Buddhahood, I will not attain Nirvana”. He was like Earth Treasury Bodhisattva ho said, “Until hell is empty I will not attain Buddhahood”. It is the same thing. Everyone must be delivered. Everyone must encounter the Buddha-Dharma. Everyone must be able to form great aspirations and make vows to walk the Bodhi-path. This was Ananda’s vow.
The Buddha, through constant diligence, had already reached perfect enlightenment, while Ananda always took delight in hearing all. Moreover, he had the great vow to safeguard the Dharma-treasury and teach and transform Bodhisattvas, so he did not immediately enter Nirvana. These are precisely a Bodhisattva’s merits and practices of great compassion. This is the reason why he attained such predictions of Buddhahood.
So, “The Buddha, through constant diligence, had already reached perfect enlightenment.” The Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, in the time of Emptiness King Buddha, right away, in addition to listening to teachings, wanted to continually advance and actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions. He wanted to go among people to widely form good affinities, widely deliver sentient beings and form good affinities. Ananda “always took delight in hearing all. Moreover, he had the great vow to safeguard the Dharma-treasury and teach and transform Bodhisattvas”. He could not allow the Dharma-treasury to be lost. If he attained Buddhahood too early, he was afraid that this Dharma would quickly enter the era of Dharma-semblance and then enter Dharma-degeneration and disappear. So, he hoped it would continue forever, that this Dharma would be everlasting. Ananda made this kind of vow. So, when he attains Buddhahood, Ananda’s lifespan will be limitless. This means the Dharma will always be in this world. Ananda always took delight in hearing all. “Moreover, he had the great vow to safeguard the Dharma-treasury and teach and transform Bodhisattvas”. This Dharma-treasury is what Ananda continually wanted to safeguard so that it can be long-lasting. So, at that time he will be able to attain an infinite lifespan. With this great vow to teach and transform, “he did not immediately enter Nirvana”. Ananda lived for a very long time, until he was 120 years old. When they were about to compile the sutras, everyone said he had not yet attained the fruit. Actually, he retained some [delusion] in order to be the Buddha’s attendant. He wanted to draw near to the Buddha, so he allowed [some] delusion to remain. Very humbly, he safeguarded the Dharma-treasury. From the time of Emptiness King Buddha, he had made this kind of vow. So, this was Ananda’s great vow from a past life. Now, he followed the Buddha. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, Ananda lived to be 120 years old. We discussed this previously. So, “These are precisely a Bodhisattva’s merits and practices of great compassion. This is the reason why he attained such predictions of Buddhahood.” This shows a Bodhisattva’s great vows and compassion in action. Ananda formed Great Vehicle aspirations and made Great Vehicle vows from the start. Although he was among the Hearers, his mind was in fact secretly engaged in Bodhisattva practices; he did the compassionate vows of a Bodhisattva. “Merits and practices of great compassion” were in Ananda’s mind. So, this was the reason why “he attained such predictions of Buddhahood”. What will the state of things be when he attains Buddhahood in the future? The Buddha bestowed this prediction on him, “Your land shall be called Forever Upright Superior Banner.” There, we can constantly see that the Buddha-Dharma very quickly manifests. This is Right Dharma. It will be able to last for a very long time; Dharma-semblance will also last for a long time. In particular, His lifespan will be very long. So, “Ananda was diligent in safeguarding the Dharma. He aspired to widely transform [sentient beings].” He widely spread the aspiration to transform sentient beings. “His vows were solemn; this was his original state.”
Ananda was diligent in safeguarding the Dharma. He aspired to widely transform [sentient beings]. His vows were solemn; this was his original state. Now that he had attained wondrous predictions, what was there to doubt?
The scenery of his mind was originally this way. “Original state” refers to the state of his mind, the original scenery of his mind. So, “Now that he had attained wondrous predictions….” What he had attained was very exceptional. The Buddha bestowed a prediction on him, so there was nothing to doubt. Ananda made this kind of great vow, to protect and store the Buddha’s teachings. In the past, in the presence of infinite Buddhas. It was also Ananda who upheld and took in the teachings of all Buddhas. Life after life, this aspiration never changed, because without the Dharma in this world, the world would be in crisis. So, Ananda’s compassionate great vow was the same as Sakyamuni Buddha’s. It was just that Sakyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood sooner. However, [Ananda] too remains in the Saha World. With his compassion and sense of urgency, [he feels] that before the Saha world turns into a turbid world, he must quickly teach. It has been over 2000 years. Over 2000 years feels like a long time in the human realm. Actually , in Trayastrimsa Heaven, this would only be 20-some days. It is not a very long time. Look at how society and this world has changed. The Buddha hoped that He could quickly respond to the world with the Dharma. Ananda followed Sakyamuni Buddha in coming to this world. When the Buddha was teaching the Dharma, Ananda accepted the Buddha-Dharma. When the Buddha entered Parinirvana, Ananda compiled the Buddha-Dharma, then safeguarded the Dharma-treasury and taught and transformed the Sangha. This continued for a very long time. However, sentient beings have severe karma. The Saha World’s sentient beings have severe karma. It actually did not take very long, 500 years, 1000 years, for things to change. Although we say Right Dharma lasted for 500 years. In fact, already within 120 years, it began to exhibit slight changes. Regrettably this is sentient beings’ severe karma. Ananda always worked to hand down the Dharma. So, the Dharma has remained. We must make good use of the Buddha-Dharma in this lifetime to quickly purify people’s hearts.
The Buddha Bathing Ceremony, for example, [was held] in 35 countries. In addition to people from Taiwan, people across the five major continents who had not heard the Buddha-Dharma were able to [experience] bathing the Buddha. I am sure it is the case also in Africa. When it comes to the Buddha-Dharma, when people’s mindsets are proper, there will be Right Dharma. So, if there is goodness in people’s minds, then the Buddha-Dharma will be in this world. This all depends on us. “People can spread the Way, the Way cannot spread itself”. So everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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