Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Sutra Encompasses the Five Teachings (總記三乘 廣收五教)
Date: December 22.2017
The sound of rain outside is so loud. It rained all through the night. Truly, the four elements are out of balance. While some places hardly get any rain, other places have too much, causing disasters or many other inconveniences. This is how it is in our current era. There are so many imbalances. To [restore balance], everyone must be sincere and maintain constant vigilance in our lives. How should we live our lives? We need to live with our minds at peace. We need to live in harmony with others. If we can bring balance to our minds, if people can live harmoniously, if everyone orients their minds toward kindness, then through the balance in people’s minds, the whole world and the climate will also come into balance.
This is because, as the Buddha said, “All things are created by the mind.” Indeed! All things in this world depend upon a single thought within people’s minds. With a single thought of working diligently toward goodness, everyone has this same thought of goodness, so naturally, we can avert disasters and be at peace.
I am going to share a story with everyone of how, with our minds in harmony, we can avert disasters. In 2008, in January, the first month of the year, a car accident occurred in Taipei city. This car crash was truly a traffic accident that happened in the blink of an eye. There was a small pickup truck stopped alongside the road. Everyone surrounded it and saw a person underneath the truck. There was a pool of fluid, a pool of bright red fluid. Everyone thought that it was blood. They all said, “There is no way that this person under the truck can survive. What about the driver? Where did the driver go?” Some people said, “The driver was very nervous when he came out. He immediately called 119 for an ambulance. Then he disappeared. We don’t know where he went.” Everybody was standing there, talking about this incident, unable to find the driver. The ambulance quickly arrived. As soon as it came, the person beneath the vehicle crawled out. When he came out, his entire body was red. Everyone said, “Oh my! This person is covered in blood, yet he was still able to crawl out by himself.” The ambulance had arrived, as well as the police. They examined him and [found that] he was safe and sound. There was nothing wrong with him. Nothing wrong? What had just happened? How did his body get all red like this? It turns out that it was [chili] sauce. He was a farmer riding a bike, carrying chili sauce to deliver to his customers. When he came across this pickup truck, he was careless and his bike careened to the side, so he was hit by the truck. The farmer bent over to get under the vehicle and see how much [sauce] he had lost. He crawled under the vehicle to check. When the driver came out, he thought he had run this person over, so the driver panicked and immediately called [for an ambulance]. But where did the driver go? The ambulance was there. The doctor was there. The police were there. Everyone watched this farmer come out and the doctor did not find anything wrong with him. Everyone was amazed.
Suddenly, they heard that someone had jumped off the fourth floor. The police immediately turned around to look. At a construction site behind them, sure enough, someone had jumped from the building. They saw the driver on the ground, but there was another person lying there too. That person was an elderly man. He was a construction worker. He was a bit old. While he was making his rounds at the construction site, he saw [the driver] about to jump out off of the building. There was not enough time for him to call anyone for help. So, he immediately ran over, catching him with both arms. He was able to catch the person. So, the driver was fine. The doctor checked on the elderly man, and two of his ribs were broken. So, they immediately sent this elderly man to the hospital. The driver was fine. The farmer under the truck was also fine. The construction worker was sent to the hospital.
On the morning of the next day, the driver went to visit this elderly man. The elderly gentleman said, “I am fine. I only broke two ribs.” People asked the driver, “Why did you jump off the building?” It turned out that the driver was very poor. His entire family depended on him to survive. He worked as a driver to make money to support his family. He thought that for this accident, he would have to compensate the victim. He had no money for that, so he got the idler to kill himself. People asked him, “Since you had decided to die, why did you even call 119?” He said, “What if that person could be saved? I had to call someone to come save him” The old construction worker heard him and said, “You have no money, and you are working to feed your family. I can understand how hard it is to support your family. Please not worry. I am fine and will be discharged. You do not have to pay for my medical expenses. I can be discharged. I just have two broken ribs. Don’t worry about money” Though the farmer had suffered significant losses, losing a large bucket of chili sauce in this car accident, when he heard how the driver had to support his family, and that because of what had happened he wanted to die as he would not have money for compensation, the farmer could not bear to ask the driver to compensate his losses. [The farmer] said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I also escaped a brush with a fate. If I had worse luck, I might have been hit by a bigger truck. If I were hit by a [bigger] truck, I would have probably been killed. So, I have to thank you for letting me escape that fate. I apologize for causing an accident that almost [made you take your life]. I need to thank you!”
As for the elderly gentleman, the old construction worker, somebody asked him, “You were injured while saving someone’s life. Were you scared? Do you have any regrets?” He replied, “It is our responsibility as humans to save others. If we see someone who is about to die and do not save them, can we be called human beings? If he wanted to jump again, out of this building right now, I would still try to catch him.” He did not have regrets.
This is human nature; these three people all have good consciences. If everyone in this world were like this, if everyone had a good conscience and showed understanding and forgiveness to one another, wouldn’t the world be a very happy place? Although this is just a simple story, it shows the beauty of humanity. All humans intrinsically have Buddha-nature. Therefore, we must mindfully seek to comprehend this world; the intrinsic nature of human beings is actually very beautiful. It seems that the rain has just about stopped, so let us hurry up and look at the passage.
This sutra “records in entirety the Three Vehicles and encompasses the five teachings. It exposes and ultimately clarifies that the practices of the Hearers are far from the path to Buddhahood. So, it reveals the Buddha’s views and understanding, directly entering into the Buddha-wisdom.”
This passage tells us that this sutra, the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flowers Sutra, comprises the teachings of the Three Vehicles as well as the five teachings. It encompasses the principles of the Three Vehicles and the five teachings. Thus, the Three Vehicles and the five teachings are all included in this sutra. It also “exposes”; it has opened the door of the perfect teachings, leading us to a clear understanding. The Buddha decisively and clearly told us that those who practice as Hearers practice the Small Vehicle Dharma, the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links, of Cyclic Existence. During the Agama period, these were the Buddha’s teachings. He only guided everyone to enter the Buddha’s door. He insured kindness within everyone and helped everyone understand that the world is full of suffering, that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and that human nature is inherently good. He taught many principles about the world and society to bring out teachings of the Buddha-Dharma, the Three Vehicles and the five teachings. The Small Vehicle merely guided everyone to gain clear understanding of the suffering in this world and the karmic law of cause and effect. However, the practice of the Hearers was still far away from the Path to Buddhahood. The Hearers understood that the world’s suffering comes from the continuous reproduction of ignorance and afflictions, such that we create many karmic causes and effects. They understood these things very clearly. Therefore, they were determined to eliminate their afflictions. They also decided to isolate themselves from others, to no longer create affinities with anyone.
Because of this, they were still far away from the Path to Buddhahood. They had merely entered the door which enabled them to understand the appearances of the world. The appearances of the world were like this, filled with suffering, ignorance and afflictions, which were constantly being reproduced. [The Buddha] led them to understand this. However, for the Buddha, the most important thing was for Him to guide us to return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Our intrinsic nature of True Suchness is one with the universe. However, the Hearers were still far away form the principle that would allow them to discover their intrinsic nature and be one with the universe. So, this is why “They are far from the path to Buddhahood. So, it reveals the Buddha’s views and understanding, directly entering into the Buddha-wisdom.” Now, the Buddha had exposed and explained this. He opened up the past doors of skillful ,means to help everyone gain a clear understanding. Furthermore, He now introduced the perfect teachings of the One Vehicle to help everyone clearly understand that if they only remained at the [stage of] Hearers or Solitary Realizers, they were still far away [from the path]. Therefore everyone needed to continue to advance diligently toward the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. The Buddha directly revealed. His views and understanding [to sentient beings]. This path is the Bodhi-path to enlightenment. He guided everyone to directly enter the Buddha’s wisdom. This is [what He explained] “regarding all sutras taught by the Tathagata, in terms of their meaning and direction. This means that He wanted us to clearly understand the meaning of the teachings as well as their direction, whether they are shallow or profound, near or far. The teachings of the Hearers guided them to enter the door.
Regarding all sutras taught by the Tathagata, in terms of their meaning and direction, they differ in being shallow or profound. To give sentient beings an orderly course of spiritual practice, He established the five teachings.
For Hearers and Solitary Realizers, the meaning and direction of their teachings was a shallower one. They had just entered the Dharma-door and had only begun to understand the Buddha-Dharma of the world. The Buddha-Dharma in the world is there to help is clearly understand that the world is full of so many conflicts, that the world is dull of so much suffering and so many afflictions. This is only the beginning; we have just begun to understand. We have just entered the Buddha’s door, so the meaning and direction are shallower. There are also more profound teachings. Profound teachings enter directly into the Buddha’ understanding and views. These are the profound teachings. These profound teachings include the principles of all people, matters and things in the world. Body, mind and the principles converge; becoming one with the universe like this is very profound, extremely profound. These are extremely profound and true principles. Don’t all of you constantly read the Sutra of Infinite Meanings? Yes! It is extremely profound. This is the Buddha’s understanding and views. So, shallow and profound teachings are different. The Buddha wanted us to understand this, so He clearly revealed these principles to us. When the Buddha began to teach the Lotus Sutra, he clearly revealed these principles for everyone to understand that they should not linger in the past, in the Agama period, or remain at the Vaipulya or Prajna periods. We should advance one teaching after the other. This was to “give sentient beings an orderly course of spiritual practice.” This was the sequence that the Buddha used in order to guide sentient beings. So, the Buddha established the five teachings. The order of the five teachings is the following.
1. The Small Vehicle teachings. 2. The initial teachings of the Great Vehicle. 3. The ultimate teachings of the Great Vehicle. 4. The immediate teachings. 5. The perfect teachings.
The Small Vehicle teachings are like the Agama. It took 12 years to teach the Agama teachings. These teachings are meant to help ordinary people understand the Buddha-Dharma in the world. They help us clearly understand suffering, causation, cessation and the Path. It also lets us know that everything in the world is a result of the accumulation of afflictions and the law of karmic cause and effect. [The Buddha] spent 12 years teaching the Small Vehicle teachings.
After that, He taught the Vaipulya and Prajna. The Vaipulya is the Great Vehicle. The Vaipulya and Prajna are the initial teachings of the Great Vehicle. They begin to guide everybody into the Great Vehicle. In the Agama teachings, He taught the Dharma of existence. After that, He led us to understand that we must not become attached [since] as we analyze it, everything returns to emptiness. There is birth, aging, illness and death. Eventually, everyone returns to “emptiness”. Everyone is the same everything has a beginning and an end. Once it reaches the end, there is nothing left. This is called the initial teaching of the Great Vehicle. As they analyze them, all things that exist ear ultimately empty. This is the Dharma if emptiness. The Vaipulya and Prajna are the initial teachings of the Great Vehicle. We must not be attached to “existence”. We need to regard “existence” as “emptiness” and let everything go.
However, if this is all we do, we will be biased toward emptiness. The Buddha had yet to expound the great Dharma of the One Vehicle. This was the ultimate teaching of the Great Vehicle. At the end came the perfect teachings of the Lotus Sutra. It encompasses the previously mentioned Small Vehicle and Great Vehicle. From existence to emptiness, He brought us back to the perfect teachings. Within the five teachings, there are also the immediate teachings and perfect teachings. The immediate teachings were for those with sharp capabilities. For those with great capacities, He could directly expound the Great Vehicle Dharma. once He let them hear it, they would comprehend it immediately. As soon as they heard it, they could awaken; this is called the immediate teaching. This was for people with sharp capabilities. For people with these capabilities, the Buddha did not need to start with the limited teachings. He could directly expound the Great Vehicle teachings to them. There are the immediate teachings. He also needed to teach universally according to with people’s capabilities. He had to patiently guide them. If they received immediate teachings, this meant that their capabilities were sharp, and they would accept them very quickly. However, they might lack patience, for forming aspirations is easy, but perseverance is difficult. Ultimately, they would still end up with the perfect teaching. The perfect teaching is the Lotus Sutra. It encompasses the Small Vehicle teachings, the initial teachings of the Great Vehicle, the ultimate teachings of the Great Vehicle, the immediate teachings and the perfect teachings. [This sutra] perfectly encompasses all of them. These are called the five teachings.
[The Lotus Sutra] contains the Three Directives and the five teachings. The Three Directives are “entering the Tathagata’s room, wearing the Tathagata’s clothing and sitting on the Tathagata’s seat.” These are the Three Directives. Starting from limited teachings, level by level. Time after time, people can build a stable foundation. Then the teachings will be complete. Everyone will be able to accept the teachings will have no doubts and be determined. With Samadhi and perseverance, they will be willing to go among people and shoulder the responsibilities of the world without ever losing their spiritual aspirations. this is a perfect teachings. They will not retreat on the Bodhisattva-path. This is what we have said before; they will be very close to the state of noble beings and Buddhas. They will almost at the state of Buddhahood.
Let us listen to the previous sutra passage. “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning spoke in verse.” The previous sutra passage says, “Those who wish to abandon indolence must listen to this sutra. It is rare to hear this sutra and rare [to encounter] people who have faith in and accept it.”
If we truly want to abandon our indolence, we must listen to this sutra. It is rare to hear this sutra. However, to have faith in it and accept it, to be able to form aspirations to put it into practice is truly not a simple matter.
So, the following sutra passage continue to say, “It is like a thirsty person in need of water who digs into a high plateau. All he sees is dry earth, and he knows that the water is still far away. As he gradually sees the moist earth and mud, he is certain that the water must be close.”
This person has already put in a lot of effort. Starting from dry earth, he has been working hard. He had been continuously digging, continuously looking for the source of the water. Dry soil means the water is still far away. After he sees the moist earth, he knows he is close to the water.
This is an analogy for carrying our afflictions as we engage in spiritual practice. If our afflictions are still there, if we have yet to eliminate our afflictions and ignorance and want to engage in spiritual practice, we still remain within the ground of dry wisdom. [The ground] is still dry, and we have yet to discover the water of the principles. The water of Dharma has yet to nourish the field of our minds. Therefore, we should be very mindful.
We need to abandon indolence; we must not be indolent. Only then will we “gradually see the moist earth and mud” and “be certain that the water must be close”. The water is already very close to us. So, [He says,] “Medicine King, you must know that people like these….”
Medicine King, you must know that people like these: The Buddha called compassionately to Medicine King. People like these are all the newly-inspired Bodhisattvas.
Out of compassion, the Buddha worried that everyone might be tired after having listened to the teachings for such a long time. So, He called again, “Medicine King”. This was to tell everyone, “Don’t fall asleep!” “Come, pay more attention and listen carefully”. It is the same principle. So, the Buddha, out of His compassion and because this is very important, always reminds us to heighten our awareness and earnestly listen to the teachings. Therefore, He called to Medicine King Bodhisattva once again. Out of compassion, the Buddha, called Medicine King saying, “People like these are all the newly-inspired Bodhisattvas.” “You must know” [means] Medicine King must know that these people are newly-inspired Bodhisattvas.
“Medicine King, you must know that people like these who have not heard the Lotus Sutra are still far from the Buddha-wisdom. If people hear this profound sutra, it ultimately clarifies the teachings for the Hearers. It is the king pf all sutras. Once they have heard its truth and contemplate it, you must know that these people are near to the Buddha-wisdom.”
Medicine King! If these newly-inspired Bodhisattvas have not heard the Lotus Sutra, they are “far from the Buddha-wisdom.” They are still very far away from the Buddha-wisdom.
For example, when these Hearers listened to the sutras, they listened to the Agama, Veipulya and Prajna. If they did not proceed to listen to the Lotus Sutra, [their practice] would still not be very complete. So, they were far away from the Buddha’s wisdom because they had not yet been able to hear [this sutra]. Because they had yet to hear “this wondrous Lotus Sutra, they were still far away from the Buddha’s wisdom.
So, “If people hear this profound sutra, it ultimately clarifies the teachings for the Hearers. It is the kind of all sutras.”
If people can hear this profound sutra, which is the king of all sutras, after they hear this sutra, they themselves can know, can ultimately understand that the teachings for the Hearers, is far away from this sutra. So, “If people are able to hear this profound sutra” [refer to] the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the kind of all sutras. [The Buddha] emphasized this here once again. The Hearers need to earnestly seek to comprehend this; this sutra is the kind of all sutras.
This sutra records in entirety the Three Vehicles and encompasses the five teachings: Thus, it says “it ultimately clarifies teachings for the Hearers.” It reveals the Buddha’s views and understanding and directly enters the Buddha-wisdom.
[This sutra] “records in entirety the Three Vehicles”. From the beginning to end, it combines all three teachings from the Agama, Veipulya and Prajna, combining them all together to enter into the perfect teachings. Thus, it “encompasses the five teachings”. It combines the Three Vehicles and the five teachings all together. Thus it “ultimately clarifies the teachings for the Hearers”. Now there are no longer any distinctions between Small and Middle Vehicles. Now, the Small and Middle Vehicles have all been merged together as the perfect teaching of the Great Vehicle. So, “It reveals the Buddha’s views and understanding and directly enters into the Buddha-wisdom.” Now the Buddha has begun to lead everyone to understand the Buddha’s understanding and views and the Buddha’s wisdom. This Dharma and the principles of all things in the universe are all already encompassed within our enlightened nature of True Suchness, which is pure and undefiled. The Buddha’s understanding and views are all encompassed withing [our intrinsic nature]. This very sutra is meant to help us to realize this. “Once they have heard its truth and contemplated it, you must know that these people are near to the Buddha-wisdom.”
Once they have heard its truth and contemplated it, you must know that these people are near to the Buddha’s wisdom: Having heard this teaching, they truly and mindfully contemplate it. Having heard it, they can contemplate it; having contemplated it, they can practice it. You must know that these people are near to the Buddha-wisdom.
Everyone needs to have patience, mindfulness and deep faith to comprehend these principles. “Truly” refers to genuine and sincere principles. This is the essence of Dharma. we need to truly comprehend and embrace the essence of the Dharma. we need to contemplate it mindfully. We must earnestly contemplate. We must cultivate still contemplation. We need to earnestly contemplate. People like this are very mindful with respect to the Dharma and the Dharma-essence. People like this are near to Buddha’s wisdom. When we listen to this kind of teaching, we need to contemplate it mindfully. Our minds are inseparable from the Dharma. The Dharma is in our lives. The Dharma exists within our daily living. The Dharma exists in our every word. Whether tangible or intangible, all things contain the Dharma. we need to be mindful as we contemplate its essence.
“Having heard it, they can contemplate it; having contemplated it, they can practice it.” We need to be able to listen to, contemplate and practice the Dharma like this. we need to put effort into comprehending and understanding [the Dharma]. “You must know that these people are near to the Buddha-wisdom.” They are already close to the Buddha’s wisdom.
The following sutra passage continues. “Those who teach this sutra must enter the Tathagata’s room, wear the Tathagata’s clothing and sit on the Tathagata’s seat. They must go among people without fear to teach them all individually.”
This sutra passage continues, “Those who teach this sutra must enter the Tathagata’s room.” If there are people in the future who are born after the time of the Buddha who wish to teach this sutra, they should give rise to great compassion and enter the Tathagata’s room.” Our heart need to hole a vast, infinite amount of great compassion. We must accumulate a great amount [of compassion] so that we can enter the Tathagata’s room, naturally. A heart of great compassion is the Buddha’s heart; with it we naturally, we will have begun to enter the Tathagata’s room and take the Buddha’s heart as our own. The Buddha’s heart encompasses the universe. The open and spacious Buddha-mind is one of great compassion. The Buddha revealed to Medicine King Bodhisattva the Three Directives for Promoting this Sutra. He used “entering the Tathagata’s room, wearing the Tathagata’s clothing and sitting on the Tathagata’s seat” to explain this to Medicine King Bodhisattva.
The Buddha revealed to Medicine King Bodhisattva the Three Directives for Promoting this Sutra. These are the three guidelines for spreading the wondrous sutra during the era of Dharma-decay. Furthermore, the Three Directives are the Dharma-door to our true nature.
In order to promote the sutra, we need to uphold, read, recite, transcribe and expound the sutra. We must be replete with these Three Directives. “These are the Three Directives for spreading the wondrous sutra during the era of Dharma-decay.” This is after the Buddha enter Parinirvana. He was very concerned about how, after this time, the sutra would continue to be passed down. Therefore, the Buddha emphasized in the Chapter on Dharma Masters, that in order to promote the sutra, we need to uphold, read, recite, write and expound the sutra constantly. However, in order to promote this sutra, we need to be replete with great compassion and great patience. We must empty ourselves of everything and transcend this word. However, we must understand the wondrous Dharma very well. These are the Three Directives. Furthermore, the Three Directives are the Dharma-door to our true nature. They are to let everyone [return to] our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. the Dharma-door of the Three Directives teaches us how we can return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness, our original enlightened nature; it is a pure and undefiled Dharma-doors. “Those who aspire to promote this sutra must possess great loving-kindness and compassion to cover and protect all sentient beings.”
Those who aspire to promote this sutra must possess great loving-kindness and compassion to cover and protect all sentient beings. Through great loving-kindness, they can give sentient beings happiness. Through great compassion, they can relieve sentient beings of suffering. Covering beings in kindness and compassion is a metaphor for entering the Tathagata’s room.
Those who as aspire to read and promote this sutra should not just read, recite, write and expound this sutra. They need to be replete with great compassion and know how to help everyone understand and help everyone put the teachings into practice and walk the Bodhisattva-path to “cover and protect all sentient beings.” They must be able to comprehend the Bodhisattva-path and save people. [Bodhisattvas] cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer. They cannot bear to let sentient beings suffer danger or hardship, and so they must constantly go to teach people and provide relief. To do this, they must go among people. So, we must “possess great loving-kindness and compassion to cover and protect all sentient beings. Through great loving-kindness, they can give sentient beings happiness.” Through great loving-kindness, they can bring peace and happiness to sentient beings. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings says, “Having relieved them from suffering, [Bodhisattvas] then expound the Dharma for them.” They lead sentient beings to reach as safe, stable and joyful refuge, a source of relief and protection. Isn’t this the essence of the Lotus Sutra?
So, this is the meaning of great loving-kindness. “Through great compassion, they can relieve sentient beings of suffering.” When sentient beings are suffering, loving-kindness and compassion is like a covering that can protect sentient beings. The principle is the same. So, those with great compassion are willing to give of themselves to help others and save and transform sentient beings, which is “covering them with clothing”. This is just like “covering beings in kindness and compassion”. “Beings” are living beings; they all need our protection. “Entering the Tathagata’s room” is a metaphor for having a heart of great compassion.
“Putting on the Tathagata’s clothing” means that those who the spread the sutras, who promote this particular sutra, “should practice patience” and protect all sentient beings from evil obstructions and unwholesomeness such as afflictions. This is a metaphor for using the clothing of gentleness and patience.
We can see that life is filled with turbidity. Can we see how ugly human beings really are? We look beautiful from the outside, but our minds are full of afflictions and ignorance. We are full of the Five Turbidities and thoughts of the Five Poisons. This is the reality of our lives. Once these thing flare up, they can truly cause many troubles in the world. Life is filled with suffering and hardship. Therefore, we need to protect ourselves. We need to guard against wrongdoings and put an end to evil. These wrongdoings, things that are incorrect, need to be stopped from happening. When evil things are happening, we need to stop them immediately. This is what it means to “[cover] up the unwholesome obstructions of sentient beings, as well as their afflictions. We need to stop these [evils] and help people change their states of mind, hoping they can transform their afflictions into thoughts of Bodhi. This is what it means to cover and protect. This is a metaphor for using the clothing of gentleness and patience. This means that this clothing can cover up and prot4ect everything. As for “Sit upon the Tathagata’s throne, for those who promote this sutra in particular, “they need to sit on the seat.”
Sit on the Tathagata’s seat: People who promote this sutra sit on the seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. Only when our minds abide peacefully in emptiness can we bring peace to ourselves and others. Also, there is no self who can teach. This is likened to sitting on the seat of the emptiness of phenomena.
All phenomena are empty. There is nothing in this world that we should be hindered by. Once something is done, it is done. There is nothing for us to caught up in. We “sit on the seat of the emptiness of all phenomena. Only when our minds abide peacefully in emptiness can we bring peace to ourselves and others.” If our minds can abide peacefully in the emptiness of all phenomena, once we give of ourselves, we will not [be attached] to a self that can do so many things. So, we will not be arrogant. There is also no one whom we have helped who has become successful; there is no such person. As long as they are at peace, we rejoice with them. If they are [living a stable life], we should rejoice with them. So, “we bring peace to ourselves and others”. We do not take issue over it. If others have achieved success or stability, we should rejoice with them. So, “Also, there is no self who can teach”. This is a metaphor for how “There is no Dharma to speak of”. We teach the Dharma all day, yet do not see any Dharma to be taught. We transform people all day, yet do not meet any people to transform. Once we have taught it, that is all. Once if has passed, it is gone. We just hope everyone can accept the teachings. Actually, there is nothing worth being attached to. So, there is no self who can teach. There is nothing special about this. So, once we teach something, we just hope people can apply it. “This is a metaphor for sitting on the seat of the emptiness of phenomena.” This, “They must go among people without fear to teach them all individually”.
They must go among people without fear to teach them all individually: when they go among people, they are without fear. They expound it for all, teachings individually.
While going among people, we must have no fear. This is how the Dharma is; no matter how it is expounded, we teach it with peace of mind. When everyone comes to listen, we will expound it for all, individually.
In summary, we need to be mindful of the Dharma and calm our minds. We need to delve deeper into the Dharma, one teachings at a time, from the shallow to the profound. We need to thoroughly understand the principles of the Dharma. we must follow the Three Vehicles and the five teachings in sequence. As we are listening to the Dharma, we also need to put the teachings into practice. If we can do so, we can be peaceful and at ease. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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