Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Principles and Essence of True Suchness (真如理體 寰宇覺道)
Date: September.26.2017
“The Tathagata-garbha contains the path to enlightenment of the universe. The Dharma-treasury of the Buddha contains the principles and essence of True Suchness that can help sentient beings reach the other shore, the Buddha’s ultimate state. [Ananda has], since Beginningless Time, safeguarded the Tathagata-garbha of countless Buddhas’ Dharma-treasuries.”
Indeed! [This speaks of] the Tathagata-garbha. Recently [in my teaching], I keep hoping that when it comes to the Tathagata-garbha, the Dharma-nature of the Tathagata, everyone will have a very clear understanding. Ananda safeguarded the Dharma-treasury. The Dharma-treasury is the Tathagata-garbha. What does the Tathagata-garbha contain? “The path to enlightenment of the universe.” The true principles of all things in the universe are all stored in the Tathagata-garbha. If we understand this, it will be easy to walk this road. So, “The Dharma-treasury of the Buddha contains the principles and essence of True Suchness.” The Dharma-treasury of the Buddha, the Tathagata-garbha, is in fact nothing but the principles and essence of True Suchness, the principles of True Suchness. For the true principles of True Suchness, where can their essence be found? They pervade the universe. Speaking of their essence, everything we see is a convergence of the true principles of the Tathagata. So, True Suchness is the Dharma. Thus, “[It] can help sentient beings reach the other shore, the Buddha’s ultimate state.” We need to realize and thoroughly understand that all these different terms when taken together are inseparable from the principles. The word “principles” can be explained through all these numerous terms. These are the principles of the Buddha-Dharma. They are profound and subtle, without bounds. So, if we are able to understand, we will be able to reach the other shore, the Buddha’s ultimate state. All the Dharma and all these terms are meant to enable sentient beings to experience, realize and understand. This is “helping sentient beings”. These teachings, these terms etc. are truly very numerous. Their number is impossible to calculate. This is because sentient beings have many desires, so they have many afflictions. Thus, there are countless conditioned phenomena. Unconditioned phenomena pervade the universe; they bring about conditioned phenomena because of the desires of human beings. When these phenomena are broken down and clearly analyzed, if we are able to experience and understand them, we will be able to understand the Buddha-nature, the Tathagata-garbha. We will understand that the Dharma-treasury has always contained all these principles. If we understand this, naturally we will reach “the other shore, the Buddha’s ultimate state.” We will be able to depart from the shore of ordinary people and reach the state of Buddhas and noble beings. Leaving the unenlightened to enter the noble, we arrive at the other shore. But for us ordinary people, there is still a great distance to go. How long is this distance? It is like a great river, a great river as vast as the sea. There is a saying, “1000-foot swells rise in the river of cravings. 10,000-foot waves surge in the sea of suffering.” “To avoid the suffering of transmigration,” we must return to our intrinsic nature and be mindful of the Buddha. We must take the Buddha’s mind as our own. We need to take the Buddha’s mind and mindfully bring it into our own minds. In this world, sentient beings have so much suffering. Is there any one of them that the Buddha would be willing to give up on? He only looks at whether or not He has affinities with them; if He does, He can quickly approach them. If the affinities are [weaker], if they have more severe afflictions, the Buddha will have to take a longer time and expend even more effort toward teaching and transforming them. If their causes and conditions have not ripened, then there is “no Dharma to transform them.” However, there is no sentient being that the Buddha cannot transform. If the affinities are not there in this life, He will transform them in the next life. He does not abandon any sentient being. This is why the Buddha came to this world and why He talked about how, for countless kalpas in the past, Buddhas have manifested in this world. He [thus] bestowed the prediction that for countless kalpas in the future, as countless Buddhas appear in the world, [the disciples] must still practice the teachings of all those Buddhas to attain Buddhahood.
This period of time reaches far into the past and extends endlessly into the future. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. It helps us recognize just how great our innate awakened nature is. To comprehend the Buddha-Dharma, we must enter the Tathagata-garbha.
The Tathagata-garbha pervades the universe and contains the path to enlightenment of the universe. It stretches very far into the past. In the past, for a very long period of time, over dust-inked kalpas, over an incalculable amount of time, there has been “the path to enlightenment of the universe”. Since we can now listen to the Dharma again, we must try to understand the past. We must be believe what the Buddha has said, that in the past, many people have upheld the Buddha’s Dharma -treasury, have formed aspirations to go among people to teach the Dharma and have given of themselves for the sake of the world. These are people who have journeyed on the Dharma to return to this world. The Buddha speaks the truth; He does not speak falsehoods. He speaks what is real. We can practice every one of these principles; it is just that we lack patience and that we ordinary people have severe ignorance. Otherwise, how could there be any principle that we would be unable to practice? We must speak kind words and be gentle in our speech. Can’t we be a bit gentler when we speak to people? Can’t we take the Buddha-Dharma we hear and, as someone who listens to the Dharma, share it with other people and apply it in this world? We must speak kind words and engrave the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury in our memory. Not only must we store the Dharma in our minds, we also need to put it into practice, going among people for the sake of the myriad sentient beings. Why then would we get into any interpersonal conflicts? There is no need to oppose one another. We must trust that, among myriad sentient beings, any person we come across has their strengths and is willing to serve others. Those willing to serve others are likewise in the process of spiritual practice; inevitably they likewise still have shortcomings. This is because, as ordinary beings, as they seek the Dharma and put it into practice, they are still at the stage of ordinary beings. Such newly-inspired Bodhisattvas form Great Vehicle aspirations and are willing to give, so we praise them. However, they are still at the stage of ordinary people. Look at Ananda and Purna Maitrayaniputra. It was the same for them. They hid the Great and manifested the Small. The had already engaged in practice for so long. For many lifetimes, they were born into this world. The Buddha could not abandon sentient beings, so life after life He too came to this world. This means that they “inwardly secretly practiced as Bodhisattvas and outwardly manifested as Hearers”. They are still constantly seeking the Dharma; they constantly listen to, teach and spread the Dharma. In this world, we cannot tell who they are. This is because they still [need] affinities. Because causes and conditions have been perfected, they must still go among people to form affinities with sentient beings and to benefit the world. Just like us, they are human beings living among people.
Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha was also a human. Ananda and Purna also lived among people, among humans. They were likewise born of parents; it was just that they had different perspectives and thinking. [The Buddha] was born to a wealthy family, but He saw through the suffering in this world and formed aspirations to engage in spiritual practice. He became known as the Enlightened One. He always been awakened, so He perspectives were different from others’. [Though] born to a wealthy family, He thoroughly realized the world’s impermanence, suffering and emptiness and manifested an appearance of seeking the principles as well as of the attainment of enlightenment. In this way, He transformed sentient beings. This was His process in this world; [He was born] human, awakened and then transformed sentient beings. We are also human. We too should awaken. We too should comprehend life’s impermanence. We too should form aspirations to transform sentient beings. Because sentient beings have much suffering, we should open up our hearts and accommodate everything. The matters of all beings in the world are great while our own views and perspectives are minor. There is no reason to pick out people and say, “This person is not a good person. We should make him leave. We don’t want him among us.” This is wrong! This is not what the Buddha taught. Everyone should accommodate this person, show more care for him and put more effort into guiding him. If we can influence him, that is wonderful. If we cannot, we should remain silent. This reflects how during the Buddha’s lifetime, even with the Buddha teaching personally, there were still disciples with severe ignorance, people who did not follow the rules, in the Sangha. That was why, as the Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, Aniruddha said to Ananda, “Why are you just standing here crying? Time is running out. Hurry and ask the Buddha about the great matters.” “What am I supposed to ask the Buddha about?” “You must ask the Buddha about how to spread the Dharma in the future. You must ask the Buddha about how, when the Buddha is with us, everyone regards Him as our teacher, so when the Buddha is no longer here, what are we going to depend on? What will be our teacher? Currently within the Sangha, while the Buddha is in this world, there are evil-natured bhiksus who do not follow the rules. Even the Buddha has no way to tame them. Who is going to control them in the future? Who can tame them? These are the great matters you must ask about right away!” So, the Buddha answered the questions one by one. Regard the precepts as your teacher. Everyone must respect themselves. Since we engage in spiritual practice in the Sangha, after we understand the Dharma, we must guard against wrongs and stop evil. We cannot allow afflictions from the outside to invade our minds. We must do a good job of protecting our minds. So, ‘Regard the precepts as your teacher’. When people do not follow the rules, you must have be compassionate and accommodate them and teach them. If there is ‘no Dharma to transform them’, you must wait for the [right] karmic conditions”. This is what the Buddha taught. Moreover, [Ananda compiled the sutra]. This was how the Buddha-Dharma was spread; [the Buddha] entrusted this to Ananda. Thus, the Buddha lived to be 80 and taught the Dharma for nearly 50 years. He did this in the hope that everyone would accept and take in the Buddha-Dharma and understand that the path to enlightenment is in fact under our feet, in this present moment, that it is in our own hearts. By turning our mindset around, we can turn from delusion to awakening. This is not difficult at all. The Buddha-Dharma teaches us how to open our minds to accommodate all sentient beings, care for all suffering sentient beings and give without expectations. [The Buddha] repeatedly returns to this world; this is inspires great reverence in us. He has compassion for sentient beings like a kind father and teaches sentient beings like a guiding teacher. [He is] “the kind father of the four kinds of beings and guiding teacher of the Three Realms”. Even if our minds are fettered by desire, as long as we are able to accept the Dharma, let go of our desires and push our afflictions aside, this will allow us to transcend the afflictions of the desire realm. The form realm is our thinking, our afflictions and ignorance. Though we may be free of desires, in our interpersonal relationships there are still many complicated emotions. People’s facial expressions, tone and so on cause our thinking to give rise to afflictions. In this way, within the realm of sound and form, there are still afflictions. Though as monastics we may be without desires, we still have habitual tendencies and afflictions. The Buddha-Dharma allows us to make use of many terms; “the Tathagata-garbha contains the path to enlightenment of the universe”. With every step we take, there is a path that we can walk, and every path is a path to enlightenment. When we walk according to the Buddha’s teachings, how can there be a path that we cannot walk? So, we must experience this. As for the formless realm, we hope that we can transcend it. The formless realm is without appearance and without form. There, we no longer form affinities with others; we no longer contrive affinities. However, this is not the way! The Buddha said we must go among people. We cannot say, “I have eliminated afflictions, I do not have any desires and. I am not part of any interpersonal conflicts. I am afraid to have interpersonal conflicts again, so I want to sever my affinities with people”. This is not the way. The Buddha has told us that if our level of mastery and our merits and virtues are insufficient, any kind of causes or conditions that surface will lead us to give rise to discursive thoughts again. So, we still must go among people. “Afflictions are Bodhi”. We go among people to train ourselves until our [skills] mature so that no matter what kind of challenge arises, it will not cause us to waver. Since we have no desires and no afflictions, there is also no need to sever our affinities with all beings. We must come together with sentient beings. Refusing to abandon sentient beings, we spend lifetime after lifetime saving and transforming them. This is the Buddha’s true goal in coming to this world. So, I hope that in the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury, in the truth of our nature of True Suchness, we can all, from the depths of our hearts, be mindful of the suffering of sentient beings with our every thought. This is the heart of the Buddha. With the Buddha’s heart, we will not abandon sentient beings’ hearts; this is True Suchness. There are so many teachings that “can help sentient beings reach the other shore, the Buddha’s ultimate state”. As se turn the mind of ordinary beings, with our every thought we are in an awakened state. We awaken to the fact that the world is filled with suffering and realize that the world’s myriad sentient beings have created many karmic forces and thus cannot transcend suffering. When the Buddha awakened, He awakened to the matters and principles of all sentient beings and all things. This is what the Buddha awakened to. So, “[Ananda has], since Beginningless Time, for dust-inked kalpas safeguarded the Tathagata-garbha of countless Buddhas’ Dharma-treasuries”. Dust-inked kalpas ago, we were in the Conjured City. This is a very long time. Everything is illusory and transient. No matter how much time has passed, this is the path we are traveling. This process is a long, treacherous road. We must find a way to open up a broad, great path to help everyone enter this Bodhi-path to enlightenment so they do not remain lost on such a treacherous path. This is the Buddha’s vow. He hopes that everyone will form great aspirations and make great vows. So, when it came to Purna Maitrayaniputra, who continually taught the Dharma among people, the Buddha had very high praises for him. He praised him for comprehending the Buddha’s intent. And Ananda? From Beginningless Time, he was able to store the Buddha’s Dharma-treasury [within] and safeguard it. The Buddha praised Ananda [for doing this] for dust-inked kalpas, from Beginningless Time until he attains Buddhahood in the future. He will moreover have a limitless lifespan. Clearly, the Buddha-Dharma, which is without beginning or end, has been stored in Ananda’s mind. Ananda is just an example. If all of us form aspirations like Ananda, our teachings will be without beginning or end, will be without appearance or form and will be in all place. Every place can be the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
So, we have, “since Beginningless Time, safeguarded the Tathagata-garbha of countless Buddhas’ Dharma-treasuries.” The Lotus Sutra taught by Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha and the 16 princes has been continually passed down. The time [since] Great Unhindered Buddha cannot be calculated. “A mathematician or a mathematician’s disciples” would not be able to calculate it. This shows that the principles of the universe and without beginning or end. We should collect them and take them into our Tathagata-garbha, our enlightened nature of True Suchness, our ocean of wisdom. This is not impossible. It is definitely possible. So, we must be mindful. When we listen to the Dharma; we must not let it leak away. We must absorb it into our minds. Sentient beings deserve compassion. Every sentient being deserves compassion. Stubborn people also deserve compassion. We need compassion also for unyielding people. When sentient beings have very severe afflictions and ignorance, they are despised, resented and hated. Think about it! Doesn’t this kind of person deserve compassion? Everyone wants to be someone who is loved, someone who is respected, someone who others are willing to follow. Who doesn’t want to be like this? Who wants to be despised by other people? Who wants to be hated by others? Who wants people to give up on them? When it comes to this kind of person, shouldn’t we have compassion for them? This compassionate mind is the Buddha-mind. So, the Buddha has compassion for sentient beings and does not abandon them. This is why we must put effort into understanding the Buddha’s teachings.
Now let us lock a the previous sutra passage. “When Ananda, facing the Buddha, heard this predictions bestowed on him and heard of the magnificence of his land, his wishes were all fulfilled and he greatly rejoiced in his heart, for he attained what he never had before.
In front of the Buddha, Ananda had already personally received a prediction of Buddhahood.” The prediction the Buddha had bestowed on him surpassed what he had prayed for. Not only will he attain Buddhahood, he will also have a limitless lifespan. Not only will his lifespan be limitless, in his land, “Forever Upright Superior Banner, Right Dharma will last for a very long time.” Dharma-semblance will also last a very long time. Because of this, Ananda was overjoyed. His land will be magnificent, but what he was most happy about was that those who will be taught by him will all be Bodhisattvas. They will all form great aspirations and make great vows. This will be his land and his sentient beings, those he will teach and transform. This was what made Ananda most happy. So, “He immediately recalled the Dharma-treasuries of infinite trillions of Buddhas in the past.”
He immediately recalled the Dharma-treasuries of infinite trillions of Buddhas.in the past. He fully comprehended them without hindrance as if listening to them today. He also became aware of his original vow. At that time, Ananda spoke in verse.
In the past, the Buddha had already taught that Ananda and Sakyamuni Buddha had been fellow practitioners, fellow students, under Emptiness King Buddha. This made Ananda even happier. This had happened such a long time ago. At the time, Ananda suddenly remembered. He recalled how in the past he had [practiced] in the Dharma treasuries of infinite trillion of Buddhas. He had followed so many Buddhas and listened to their teachings; these had all, little by little, entered his mind. “He fully comprehended them without hindrance.” Once he recalled this, [he knew] that all Buddhas share the same path. Among those trillions of Buddhas, every Buddha shares the same path; [he comprehended this] without hindrance. “As if listening to them today….” What he had heard in the past and what he heard now was the same. “He also became aware of his original vow.” He did not only recall how the Dharma taught by past Buddhas and the Dharma taught by Sakyamuni Buddha was the same. He not only recalled this, but he also recalled his original vows. In the past, he had made this kind of vow to safeguard the Dharma-treasury and take the Dharma he heard to heart. [He had vowed to], for a long time in the future, safeguard the Dharma-treasury. Ananda now recalled this and thoroughly understood everything. So, “At that time, Ananda spoke in verse.” Now, Ananda repeated this inverse, to express his intent.
“The World-Honored One is exceedingly precious! He enables me to recall the past. Dharma of infinite Buddhas as if I were listening to it today. I no longer have any doubts and peacefully abide in the path to Buddhahood. Being an attendant is but a skillful means to safeguard the Dharma of all Buddhas.”
Ananda repeated what he had said previously. “The World-Honored One is exceedingly precious!” In this world, a treasure is considered very rare and precious. Things that are rare are hard to encounter. We want a treasure. What is a treasure? What people in this world place the greatest importance on is treasures. But not everyone can have one just because they want it, only those who are very, very wealthy can. A very wealthy person also needs particular causes and conditions to attain a rare treasure. So, this is truly rare and hard to encounter.
The world’s treasures are rare and hard to encounter. Sentient beings with limited blessings, throughout billions of lifetimes, will not be able to encounter Him. Thus, He is said to be precious.
Some people have limited blessings. “Sentient beings with limited blessings, throughout billions of lifetimes, will not be able to encounter Him. Thus, He is said to be precious.” In life after life, will we be poor or wealthy? We do not know. However, most sentient beings, if they have not cultivated blessings, will have neither blessings nor wisdom. What is certain is that, in the Six Realms and Four Forms of Birth, it is truly not easy to attain a life of many blessings. So, “Sentient beings with limited blessings, throughout billions of lifetimes, will not be able to encounter Him.” This is a rare thing; it is very precious. What is the most precious thing in the world? The World-Honored One! “[He] is exceedingly precious! He enables me to recall the past.”
The World-Honored One is exceedingly precious! He enables me to recall the past: The World-Honored One is exceptional and exceedingly precious. He helps me recall the long, distant past. This means He is like a worldly treasure that poor people cannot attain.
Ananda said the World-Honored One is very precious. Indeed, to encounter a Buddha is not an easy matter. From when Sakyamuni Buddha left us until now it has been over 2000 years. Only after another five or six billion years will another Buddha be born in this world. His name will be Maltreya. This is how rare it is. Thus, “The World-Honored One is exceedingly precious.” Ananda praised the fact that it is extremely rare for a World-Honored One to be in this world. “I have already achieved the attainment of living in the sane era as the Buddha. Not only am I in the same era as the Buddha, I can also draw so near to the Buddha. This is truly precious, it is very rare.” This was his praise. It is rare to be so close to the Buddha’s side, to become the Buddha’s attendant and to listen to the Buddha teach the Dharma. Now, the Buddha again “enables me to recall the past.” [Hearing His description] reminded Ananda that originally, distant kalpas ago in the past, he had also made this kind of vow and had engaged in spiritual practice for a long time. Recalling the past, he now understood. So, “The World-Honored One is exceptional.” In this world, in the human realm, The World-Honored One was someone that everyone should have great respect for. He was exceedingly special, a very exceptional, very extraordinary person. Thus, He was called The World-Honored One. This is something “exceedingly precious.” He truly was exceedingly precious. How long does it take for an Enlightened One like this to appear in the world? It is “exceedingly precious.”
“He helps me recall the long, distant past.” This is how Ananda expressed it. He is “like a worldly treasure.” The World-Honored One is like a worldly treasure. When it comes to worldly treasure, “poor people cannot attain [them].” How could someone who is poor attain [treasure]? Their life is already so harsh. For them to attain a precious treasure is impossible. So, for us sentient beings, when the Buddha-Dharma and the principles in our hearts have faded, and there are no principles, aren’t we all like a poor person? In the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, there is the parable of the poor son. Most people are like this. So, for us to truly attain the Buddha-Dharma and encounter the Buddha in this world is very hard. To attain the Buddha-Dharma is not easy. The Dharma has spread throughout the world, but how many are actually able to listen to the Buddha-Dharma? In a world of more than 7 billion people, how many are able to hear the Buddha-Dharma? Moreover, after hearing the Buddha-Dharma, when it comes to truly accepting it and taking it to heart so that it becomes our own treasure, how many of us can take the Dharma into our Tathagata-garbha? How many people can accomplish this? This is to say nothing of living in the same era as the Buddha. It is even more difficult. To keep the Buddha-Dharma in our minds is not easy. Hearing the Buddha-Dharma is already not easy, let alone storing it in our minds, this is even more difficult. But while this is difficult, to live in the same era as the Buddha and draw near Him is even less easy. Isn’t this something exceedingly precious? It is truly exceedingly precious. “The World-Honored One is exceedingly precious.” He is truly exceedingly precious. So, the “[past] Dharma of Infinite Buddhas” is “as if I were listening to it today.” Ananda said that this is exceedingly precious. “Today I have already heard [the Dharma], and every phrase has entered my heart. I have understood it all. The Buddha also told me about the past, so my understanding is even clearer. All Buddhas share the same path. All things in the world are [contained in] these true principles. I understand this. Regardless of how much time has passed and how many Buddhas [I have encountered], I have already memorized all the Dharma, and I understand it all, Today, Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings are exactly the same. True principles are everlasting and unchanging; they are forever. Throughout the ages, they are unchanging.” All Buddhas share the same path. Every Buddha teaches the same Dharma. So, [Ananda recalled] the “[past] Dharma of Infinite Buddhas as if I were listening to it today.” The Dharma of Infinite Buddhas is the same as what we hear today. “It is no different.” It is the same. It is the same as the Dharma that was taught by all Buddhas in the past.
So, we must confirm this. This requires verification. We need to verify that in addition to all Buddhas sharing the same path, the true principles, over trillions of kalpas, are without beginning or end. They never change; they are the same. We now live in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. It is the severe afflictions and ignorance in people’s minds that creates this evil world of Five Turbidities that is filled with disasters. Nonetheless, the principles abide; throughout the ages they are unchanging. The true principles are always the same. In fact, the principles abide in our minds. We all intrinsically have a nature of Ture Suchness, but this nature of Ture Suchness has been covered by ignorance and afflictions. Thus, our minds are filled with darkness, unable to radiate the light of wisdom. So, this is [a result of] ignorance. Nonetheless, the principles will always be there, unchanging throughout the ages.
So, “I no longer have any doubts. Now I no longer have any doubts. My mind has completely opened up.” So, “I peacefully abide in the path of all Buddhas.”
I no longer have any doubts and peacefully abide in the path to Buddhahood: I no longer have any doubts or confusion. I peacefully abide in the path of all Buddhas.
Ananda said,” I am already at peace and can abide in the path of all Buddhas.” This is because he recalled the past. All Buddhas share the same path, now, Sakyamuni Buddha is giving the same teaching. “I can now be at peace”. “As for these lasting, unchanging principles, I now understand them, so I am at peace. Being an attendant is but a skillful means to safeguard the Dharma of all Buddhas.”
Being an attendant is but a skillful means to safeguard the Dharma of all Buddhas: Through the power of skillful means, he served as the Buddha’s attendant to safeguard the Dharma-treasuries of all Buddhas. Infinite Dharma-treasuries manifest in nature. He teaches, transforms and safely settles countless sentient beings.
“So, this was my original vow. I took the Dharma-treasury into my mind because I wanted to draw near the Buddha. So, ‘Being an attendant is but a skillful means.’ To draw near the Buddha’s side, I became the Buddha’s attendant.” In terms of worldly matters, Ananda was the Buddha’s attendant. Actually, this was a skillful means. He drew near the Buddha’s side and absorbed the Buddha’s teachings to “safeguard the Dharma-treasuries of all Buddhas”. This is all the power of skillful means. This is the power of the vows he made in the past. This is the power of the vows he made in the past. “Because I already understand, I recall that in the past, I made this kind of vow.” So, “Through the power of skillful means, he served as the Buddha’s attendant.” This is a kind of skillful means. All Buddhas share the same path, repeatedly returning. This is all skillful means. All Buddhas manifest in response to conditions to transform beings. They all use skillful means in coming to the world. It was the same also for Ananda. He came to “safeguard the Dharma-treasuries of all Buddhas. Infinite Dharma-treasuries manifest in nature.” The treasures of the Dharma manifest in nature. In fact, after the Buddha said these things, [Ananda realized] the Dharma-treasures in nature, the Dharma of all things in the natural world, can be used and applied in response to any time and any capabilities. So, in response to sentient beings’ capabilities and to the time, [he needs to] go among people. This is the Buddha-Dharma. With the principles that the Buddha awakened to, [Ananda] keeps returning to transform beings in response to the time and capabilities. With the Dharma, he teaches [according to] the capabilities of sentient beings. So, he “teaches, transforms and safely settles countless sentient beings.” This was Ananda’s realization with regard to the Buddha and his respect for the Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha. So, it is rare to live in a Buddha’s era, this is something very precious. This led Ananda to recall his past, that countless kalpas in the past he had [learned from] so many Buddhas. Now, as he heard the Buddha’s teachings, his mind was at peace. It turns out that the principles are the same. “Recalling the past, ‘It turns out the principles are the same.’ I can now be at peace. I also know the vows I made in the past.” This is what Ananda expressed. I hope we can deeply comprehend this. Now that we have come to this world, I hope that we can be like Ananda. After listening to the Buddha-Dharma, we should keep the Dharma in our hearts. We must not let it leak away as soon as it enters. We must, in life after life, take every word of the Dharma into our hearts and, in lifetime after lifetime, safeguard the Dharma-treasuries. Listening using skillful means skillfully listening to the Dharma and skillfully sharing the teachings. One who listens to and teaches the Dharma one who safeguard the Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
