Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Right Dharma Illuminates the Darkness (弘宣正法 照生死闇)
Date: October.10.2017
“Right Dharma can illuminate the darkness of samsara. The spreading of Right Dharma is like the illumination of a torch. The true teachings of the right path never deviate, so they are called ‘right’. The Dharma-treasure among the Three Treasures has the teachings, principles, practices and fruits as its essence.”
Right Dharma is what we all must seek to obtain. There is a vast sea of people and myriads of sentient beings. If [our understanding of] principles goes slightly astray, that slight deviation will take us far off course. Everyone needs Right Dharma; we must clearly discern true from false. Our grasp of the principles must be correct so that we will not go astray in our conduct or our handling of matters. These are the true principles we all must seek. As it is, our life is only a few decades long. Are these few decades a time of suffering or of happiness? If we sort out the suffering and the happiness, was there more suffering? Or was there more happiness? Generally, when we categorize things like this, there is more suffering and less happiness. Some people have wealth and can live comfortably. Yet, they suffer all their life because of wealth. They are constantly pursuing things and can never be satisfied. In life, eight or nine things out of ten will dissatisfy us. Look at all the people suffering in this world; to be able to obtain just a little, they must expend a lot of effort.
Just look at what we are doing in Ecuador now; our method of providing disaster relief is the Cash for Relief program. We hope that they can stand on their own two feet. We hope they can rebuild their homes. We hope that they can open up their hearts and go among people to encourage each other. So, our method in providing disaster relief is to encourage them to find a way rebuild after the earthquake. Although many people’s homes were destroyed, we are encouraging them to rebuild their homes. Right now, many people are unemployed and filled with helplessness and despair. Tzu Chi volunteers came from the US and South America. They began to comfort them and encourage them. They roused their spirit and their strength and invited them to rebuild and to clean up. In doing so, they received 15 USD per day. Everyone was full of gratitude! They did not need a huge amount. [Volunteers] came from as far as the US or South America. The people from these countries were not connected to them in any way; they have no connection to them. Why were they so willing to devote themselves to helping them rebuild after the disaster to encourage them, to give to them, to help them and to care for them? So, when they received 15 USD, they were happy that they could make a living; they had hope again. Now they could rebuild their households. Every day they cleaned up the streets. Every day they removed all of the broken debris, mud and so on. Their faces were filled with joy. They were very happy with 15 USD per day. Now, they are still in action; they are still cleaning up. The first city is already showing signs of recovery. Now, we are in the second city. They are all very grateful for this encouragement. But there are some people who live peaceful lives and possess all they need, have a lot of wealth, but are unwilling to give. They are unwilling to go and help people, nor do they want to have the joy of engaging in these activities. There are many people like this too! These people remain uncaring; they always feel they do not have enough.
During the Buddha’s time, King Prasenajit came to the Buddha one day. The Buddha saw that King Prasenajit looked very tired; he was covered in sweat. What was wrong with the king today? Why did he come to the Buddha looking this way? The Buddha asked the king, “What is the matter with you today? You look different from normal.” The king reported to the Buddha, saying, “Indeed! Today I went to [help settle matters] for the richest man in Sravasti, the man with the most money, the elder Bhadrika, I went to inventory his estate. This is because Bhadrika passed away. He did not have any children. He did not have any relatives [around him]. As he was usually unkind toward his relatives, all of his relatives left him. He was by himself and now he has passed away. I have to inventory his assets and add them to the kingdom’s treasury.” The Buddha then said, “Does he have that many assets?” The king replied, “A lot! He has 80,000 pounds of gold alone, not to mention his other treasures and assets. There is so much. So, I spent this entire day taking inventory of his warehouses, his treasures and his gold. This has made me very tired. But on my way back I saw the abode. Since I was passing by, I wanted to quickly take this opportunity to pay respect to the Buddha and ask the Buddha this question. What were Elder Bhadrika’s causes and conditions? All his life he was very wealthy. But in his everyday life, he was stingy with himself, let alone with others. The cart he rode in was also in very bad shape. The horse that pulled the cart was very skinny. The clothes he wore were of coarse material and the food he ate was very simple and plain. Why was he so rich, but so stingy with others and so unwilling to spend it on himself too? In the end, he passed away. What were Elder Bhardrika’s causes and conditions? Now that he has passed away, I would like to ask the Buddha, where is Bhardrika now? Having passed away, where is his spirit?”
The Buddha said, “He is already crying in the hell of wailing. He wails and cries unceasingly. All day long he suffers in that hell. He is there crying loudly. He is in that kind of hell. This is very frightening! What were his causes and conditions? How could he have been born into such a wealthy family and possess so many assets in this lifetime?” The Buddha then said, “This goes back to the time of Kasyapa Buddha. After Kasyapa Buddha entered Parinirvana, there was a Solitary Realizer who was very advanced in his spiritual practice. He went to an elder’s door to beg for alms. This Solitary Realizer looked very dignified. As soon as the elder saw him, he felt very happy so he sincerely made an offering to him. He filled his alms bowl abundantly. The Solitary Realizer then gave the elder a blessing. The elder was very happy. So, he made a vow to the Solitary Realizer, May I, lifetime after lifetime never fall into an evil path and always be born into a wealthy family.” The Buddha said, “This was the kind of vow he made. After this Pratyekabuddha, this Solitary Realizer, left him, the elder turned around. At that moment, there were many servants looking at him with pleading eyes. You gave such an abundance of food as an offering to that Solitary Realizer. Could you also give us a little reward? This elder suddenly gave rise to a thought of anger. He replied, ‘I just made an offering, and now I regret it. In the future, even if I have money, I will not us this on anybody again, including myself.’” That was it. Sakyamuni Buddha told this short story to King Prasenajit. When [the rich man] first made an offering, although he made a vow to, lifetime after lifetime, be born into a wealthy family, the moment he turned his head, once he turned around, he regretted it. He regretted the vow he made earlier. So, he made another vow. “From now on, even if I have money, I will not give it to anyone, including myself.” This was the vow he made. So, lifetime after lifetime he was born into a wealthy family. However, lifetime after lifetime he was unwilling to share the things he had with others. Although he was rich, he lived like a poor person.
King Prasenajit then asked the Buddha, “Why would someone like him have this mindset of [scarcity]?” He said, “Because he was unwilling to create blessings.” King Prasenajit then asked, “What about his future lifetime? In his future lifetime, will he born into a wealthy family again?” The Buddha said, “All his blessings from the vow he made when he made an offering to that Pratyekabuddha has been depleted by this lifetime. In his future lifetime….” King Prasenajit asked again, “What about his future lifetime? From a long time, he will suffer in the hell of wailing. Even if he came to the human realm again, nothing will go his way. He will always be crying and in pain. He will experience illness and suffering.” If we lack right mindfulness in life, with a slight deviation, we will easily go astray. His causes and conditions for creating more blessings were lost in this way. There is so much suffering in the world. Some people have very large businesses, have a lot of money and assets. That is still not enough for them. They are still in constant pursuit of more. They do not want to do good deeds or do them in name only, without true substance. There are many people like this. There are also many who are very grounded, willing to give and content with only a little.
Look at what we just said about Ecuador. With just a little bit [of pay], the people were very happy and sought to rebuild their homes. How much longer will it take? They do not know, but they are satisfied with what they have. As they are happy, naturally they will feel hope. So, as long as Right Dharma is in our minds, any place we go is a field of blessings that we can cultivate. I just saw a very touching story. Jordan and Germany, these two countries, have both accepted Syrian refugees. There was one family that had been separated. Because of the manmade calamity in Syria, they had to flee. The wife, after enduring many hardships, managed to escape to Germany. Tony, who was the head of the household, brought their son and daughter to Jordan to join his father and sisters. So, the family was split across two countries. Last year (2015), the wife, who was in Germany, suddenly suffered a serious illness. She asked the German government for help. Tzu Chi volunteers came to her. They found out that her family, her children and husband, were all in Jordan. So, they immediately helped her. Tzu Chi volunteers there and in Jordan worked together and quickly looked for the husband and children of this woman living in Germany. Working together in parallel, we found the family. As it turns out, we had already been helping this family for three years in Jordan. Tony, the head of the household, and his father and sisters were a family that receive assistance from Tzu Chi. As it turns out, the workings of karma are inconceivable!
Once we had this information, we worked with the Jordanian government to quickly help them with the paperwork. Because the wife in Germany obtained refugee status there, we had to quickly figure out travel visas in both Jordan and Germany to complete the paperwork needed to enter Germany. So, the Tzu Chi volunteers in Jordan helped with the exit visa. For those three people, we took great care in helping them complete this paperwork. Each plane ticket was more than 400 Jordanian dinars. We prepared everything for them; this took a very long time. In summary, they were finally able to set out. They were to leave Jordan in April. Before they left, Tzu Chi volunteers bought a cake to celebrate their family being reunited. Next day at dawn, they brought them to the airport. They were very, very happy. Within a few hours, the children would be reunited with their mother in Germany, and the family, the husband and wife, would be reunited. Of course, they were very happy. But, Tony’s father was reluctant to part with them. Seeing that his son and grandchildren could go to Germany made him happy of course. But, in Jordan, when the father saw his son off, he wondered if this was the last time they would see each other. They had been trapped in Jordan, unable to return to their home country and living as refugees. He saw that his son and grandchildren could leave this place of refugees and go to Germany, the other place they had dreamed about. Now that their dream had come true, this elderly man was on one hand happy for his son and wished him well. But he was also reluctant to part with him. After he left this time, they might be parted forever. The sisters also cried at the airport. However, the happy family boarded the plane.
We also saw them finally arrive in Germany. The wife came to the airport to pick them up. This had been inconceivable; the wife actually brought a photo of me to the airport. The family was reunited at the airport. I also was united with them there, at that airport in Germany. As it turned out, Tzu Chi volunteers had accompanied the wife to the airport to welcome her family. During the Buddha-bathing ceremony this year, they participated in Germany. The family reunited and participated in the ceremony in Germany together. They are Muslim; they did not change their religion. But Tony said that because of his name; while he was a refugee everyone thought that he was a Christian. So, he was rejected when he asked for help. Only Tzu Chi volunteers supported him. So, he was very grateful toward Tzu Chi. His name is Tony. Many people thought he was a Christian. Because of this, many other charity and religious organizations were unwilling to help him. So, now that he could go to [Germany] and their family was reunited, he was very happy. He wrote a letter, and they translated it. He wrote, “I am very grateful! The volunteers in Germany were the same way [as in Jordan]. He said there was a Tzu Chi commissioner in Hamburg, Germany who cared for his wife. The commissioner frequently came from far away just to see whether his wife was well. She [traveled] from a faraway place to care for her. The volunteers there cared for her in this way. He said, “This was truly…”. Whenever anyone said they were with Tzu Chi, [he would feel] grateful. He expressed his gratitude toward me. He said that the seeds of love were sown in Jordan and Germany. From the mouths of the Tzu Chi volunteers, he heard that Tzu Chi volunteers are spread out all over the world and that each person is a seed. He also learned [how we say] “Each one is a seed”. He said, “The seeds of Tzu Chi cover the world”. He was very grateful for this. This letter was translated into Chinese. Reading this letter, I was also very touched and happy for them. Their family had been reunited. I was also touched that Tzu Chi volunteers, whether in Germany of in Jordan, could come together to fulfill this family’s dream could come together to fulfill this family’s dream. The workings of karma are so inconceivable. The wife in Germany was also taken care of by Tzu Chi volunteers. Her [children] and husband in Jordan were also taken care of by Tzu Chi volunteers. It just happened this way. Did this happen by chance? Or was it because of karma? This family truly has strong affinities with Tzu Chi. So, he was grateful that the seeds of love cover the world that the seeds of love cover the world. Tony’s letter was very touching.
As for the Right Dharma, everyone [can be] in it, regardless of religion. Tony, because of his name, was thought to be a Christian. So, he was rejected. Tzu Chi volunteers do not discriminate based on religion. Where there is suffering, we will help. This is Right Dharma. It can illuminate the darkness of samsara. In this world of samsara, between birth and death there are just a few short decades. In the encounters we have in these decades of life, is there more happiness or more suffering? It could be that this family was a wealthy household in Syria. But in these few years’ time, they have endured all kinds of difficulties. Will they be liberated from this suffering when they get to Germany? Actually, they are still refugees. From there, can they go back to their original home? There was also the pain of his father; will they have another chance to see each other? In this cycle of life, maybe they will never see each other again. That is a possibility.
So, it is said, “Right Dharma can illuminate the darkness of samsara”. We must see clearly. We must not fumble about in the darkness. We must not give rise to ignorance and afflictions in the darkness. This is the way life is. The most important thing is to spread the seeds of goodness to promote Right Dharma. Right Dharma is like fire, a torch. It can illuminate the surrounding darkness so that our surroundings are filled with light. It turns from darkness into radiance. This is promoting Right Dharma. Everyone is kind-hearted and wants to help people escape suffering. “The true teachings of the right path never deviate, so they are called ‘right’”. These principles are in Jordan. The principles of love are in Germany, too; they also have the same principles of love. In Ecuador, Tzu Chi volunteers from the US and Tzu Chi volunteers from South America are also following these principles of love in helping people. “The true principles never deviate, so they are called ‘right’”.
So, “The Dharma-treasure among the Three Treasures has the teachings, principles, practices and fruits as its essence.” This is the teachings, principles, practice and realization. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must accept this religion’s aim and education. We must put them into practice to attain the fruits, this is [what we do with] principles. The principles of love must be put into practice so we can advance forward. This is a road. “The sutras are a path, this path is a road to walk on.” We can see from this that in the midst of suffering, people can be delivered because of love. This is the principle.
Let us look at the previous passage. The previous sutra passage says, “They will, with reverence and respect, safeguard [these Buddha’s] Dharma treasury. Finally, at the same time in the lands of the ten directions, they will each attain Buddhahood. They will all share the same epithet and will be called Treasure Appearance.”
We should still remember that 2000 people had received predictions from the Buddha. Previously, He bestowed predictions on Ananda and bestowed predictions on Rahula. Their lifespan, their lands and so on had already been fully predicted. So, next, He bestowed predictions on these 2000 people. These 2000 people still have to go through a long time of earnest spiritual practice of earnest spiritual practice. It will take dust-inked kalpas. They must likewise engage in spiritual practice in the training grounds of so many Buddhas and, with reverence and respect, safeguard the Dharma-treasury. These 2000 people must spend this kind of time, engaging in this kind of spiritual practice. Then naturally they will attain Buddhahood in the lands of the ten directions at the same time. They will share the same epithet and be called Treasure Appearance.
Likewise, the next passage says, “The Tathagata, One Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened One, One Perfect in Wisdom and Action, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans and Buddha, the World-Honored One.”
All Buddhas share the same path. When each Buddha attains Buddhahood, He must be replete with these ten epithets.
The Ten Epithets of the Tathagata. 1.The Tathagata: This means He journeys to [this world] on the path of True Suchness and achieves perfect enlightenment. 2. One Worthy of Offerings: He is worthy of receiving offerings from humans and heavenly beings.
Tathagata means “He journeys to [this world] on the path of True Suchness and achieves perfect enlightenment.” After [understanding] the principles of Right Dharma and giving of oneself on behalf of all people, in the end, one can attain perfect enlightenment. Perfect enlightenment is to have eliminated ignorance and have a correct direction to become one with the universe. This is called perfect enlightenment.
The second is One Worthy of Offerings. He is worthy of receiving offerings from humans and heavenly beings. We frequently explain this.
The third is Completely Awakened One. He has completely awakened to all phenomena. Of all the things in the world, there is no truth or principle He is not clear on. he is completely awakened and understands. There is no place He does not know, no Dharma He does not understand.
The fourth is One Perfect in Wisdom and Action. Perfect in wisdom and action means having blessings and wisdom, the Three insights and the Six Spiritual Powers, completely understanding all with no hindrances. This is being “perfectly replete with the practice of Three Insights.”
The Ten Epithets of the Tathagata. 3. Completely Awakened One: He has completely awakened to all phenomena. 4. One Perfect in Wisdom and Action: He is perfectly replete with the practice of the Three Insights.
The fifth is Well-Gone One. This means He has “the wisdom of all Dharma as His great cart.” The great white ox-cart is something we talked about a lot in the past. It is the Great Vehicle Dharma. Journeying on the Great Vehicle Dharma, “He travels the Eightfold Path to enter Nirvana.” Our daily living is inseparable from the karma of our body, speech, mind, actions and so on. he does not deviate in any of these. This is the Well-Gone One.
The sixth is Knower of the World. He can understand the matters of all sentient beings and non-sentient beings. those who have feelings are sentient beings. whether human or animal, they are all sentient beings of the world. Non- sentient beings are the world’s mountains and rivers and so on. are they really non-sentient? Actually, they have their own principles. I have often shared this with everyone. As for the world’s principles, conditioned and unconditioned phenomena, He completely understands them.
The Ten Epithets of the Tathagata. 5. Well-Gone One: With the wisdom of all Dharma as His great cart, He travels the Eightfold Path to enter Nirvana. 6.Knower of the World: He can understand the matters of all sentient and non-sentient beings. 7.Unsurpassed Guide: Just as Nirvana is supreme among all Dharma, the Buddha is supreme among all sentient beings.
The seventh is Unsurpassed Guide. Nirvana is supreme among all Dharma. Nirvana is tranquility and stillness. Regardless of how many sentient beings there are, of what kind of turbidities are in the world and of all the afflictions that are among people, they do not contaminate the Great Enlightened One. He is as pure as crystal. Amidst all sentient beings, He remains in a state of Nirvana, which is tranquility and stillness. Sentient beings are troubled, but the Great Enlightened One does not become defiled or influenced by them. He is still in a tranquil and still state. this what the Buddha is like. The unsurpassed, Great Enlightened One, even among the severe turbidities of people, still remains undefiled and greatly awakened.
The eight us Tamer. Sentient beings are stubborn. In teaching and transforming sentient beings, He at times used gentle speech. He observes the kind of capabilities they have and the timing and always teaches according to capabilities. “At other times, He used sincere and urgent words.” When does He use sincere and urgent teachings? When He tells sentient beings, “Stop clinging greedily; life is full of suffering, and impermanence can strike at any time.” This is what He keeps reminding everyone. He is like a good tamer, like a tamer of wild beasts. This kind of teacher teaches lions and panthers and trains them. Lions can learn how to perform too. Even a ferocious beast like this can be trained in this way by the teacher. This is the Tamer. We sentient beings are particularly stubborn, so we need the Tamer to train us.
Ninth is Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans. The Buddha is the guiding teacher of both humans and heavenly beings. He is the guiding teacher of the Three Realms and the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. the Buddha does not abandon sentient beings. he is like a teacher like a father. He is both a teacher and a father, repeatedly returning for sentient beings. so, “He can teach and demonstrate what they should and should not do.” He teaches and guides us sentient beings. we should work earnestly on what we should do and not do what we should not do.
The Ten Epithets of the Tathagata. 9. Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans: The Buddha is the guiding teacher of both humans and heavenly beings. He can teach them what they should and should not do. 10. Buddha, the World-Honored One: The word “Buddha” means. Wise one or Enlightened One. “World0Honored One” means He is honored by the world.
Tenth is the Buddha, the World-Honored One. “Buddha” means the one who knows, or the Wise One. Or, He is the Enlightened One. He is everyone should honor. So, He is called the World-Honored One. These are the Ten Epithets of the Buddha. As Buddhist practitioners, we must be mindful. Although we talk about the Ten Epithets often, we must know that for all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to come to this world, there must be causes and conditions. love is Their causes and conditions. love is Their causes and conditions. this love, never abandoning sentient beings, is the one great cause for which. They come to this world to teach. The world’s sentient beings are deluded. They are constantly lost. So, they make many mistakes. Their many mistakes become pollutants in this world. Right now, earth is burning with a fever. In the earth’s mountains, rivers and lands, the four elements are not in balance. See, in places suffering drought, we can no longer sow seeds of any kind of grain and we can no longer farm the land. Or, when the rain keeps pouring and does not stop, there are landslides and the ground cracks open. So many people have suffered from these disasters. The earth is unbalanced, [causing] earthquakes.
Look at how recently earthquakes and disasters have frequently occurred. Yesterday, Tzu Chi volunteers in Japan came back. They reported that in [Kumamoto] Japan, they had already accompanied the [survivors] for a month. This stage has now come to an end. On the same day, April 16, there had been another earthquake. Ecuador had also suffered an intense earthquake. There the Tzu Chi volunteers were also extremely steadfast and also comforted those frightened by the disaster. They continued to accompany them and continued to encourage them. Every day, they continued to implement the Cash for Relief program. See, this is the Dharma. They used the Right Dharma to pave the path to light up the lamp and illuminate the dark and ignorant minds of sentient beings. they help it shine bright so people know to love and help suffering people. We must work hard on this. we must continue to sow the seeds of goodness and help them spread more widely. We need to work hard on our practice. The Right Dharma that we seek can help us, lifetime after lifetime, to not be defiled by ignorance. It helps to be very clear on the direction of our future lives. It helps us to be very clear.
This is Right Dharma. We must work hard to call on more people, in hopes that this land of ours can return to its natural [state] so everything can live and thrive. As the scientist now say, the earth must cool down. If we want the earth to cool down, people must work hard. It is like those countries in turmoil; they are still in turmoil now, thus many people cannot return home. This is all from a single thought. Once they go astray, “A slight deviation takes us far off course”. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we must learn to focus on each thought. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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