Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Draw near the Dharma and Never Deviate from It (親法不離 修因證果)
Date: Dec ember 29.2017
“We must draw near the Dharma and never deviate from it, the way a shadow follows a form. If we draw near it but do not accept its teachings, our closeness will not be beneficial. By drawing near and following it, we can obtain the teachings of the path and see the Buddha. This way, upon hearing the Dharma, we will be able to comprehend it, cultivate our causes and attain the fruition.”
We must be mindful! “We must draw near the Dharma and never deviate from it, the way a shadow follows a form. If we draw near it but do not accept its teachings, our closeness will not be beneficial.” We must mindfully comprehend this; are we drawing near the Dharma? Every day we prostrate and pay respect to, uphold, recite and read the sutra. We spend our entire day within these words. As we continue to chant and recite them, the sutra’s teachings are all around us. We follow it as a shadow follows a form. Anywhere we go, we are chanting the Buddha’s name. Anywhere we go, we are reciting the sutra. We are as inseparable as a form and its shadow as we chant the sutra and the Buddha’s name. In this way, we draw very close to [the Dharma]. “If we draw near it but do not accept its teachings, our closeness will not be beneficial.” We must mindfully seek to comprehend this. Even if we are in a monastery and say, “I take part in morning and evening recitations. I listen to the sutra every day.” “I do!” In this kind of environment, we are never far from where the sutras are. We are very close.
[However,] “if we draw near it but do not accept its teachings,” if despite being close to [the sutra], we are unwilling to follow its principles, its rules for living, if we are unwilling to follow the Six Points of Reverent Harmony, if we are unwilling to follow the assembly, if we are unwilling to practice together, if we are like this, “Our closeness will not be beneficial.” Though we are in [this place,] we do not take these teachings to heart. Then what is the use of all this? “By drawing near and following it, we can obtain the teachings of the path.” Only then will we be able to see the Buddha. As we draw near the Dharma and are around it, we must follow it. We must follow the people and their way of life. We must follow the rules and accept the Path and the Dharma.
If the Path is to be walked in this way, then this is how we must walk it. If the Dharma is taught in this way, then this is how we must accept it. If we do this, we will approach this path, walk this path and diligently advance along in the direction of this path and its teachings. Then, we will gradually draw close to the Dharma. Slowly, we will take the principles of the Dharma to heart, and our body and mind will become one with the Dharma. If we do this, then seeing the Buddha will not be difficult. So long as we enter the Tathagata’s room and put on the Tathagata’s clothing, what difficulty is there in seeing the Buddha? “This way, upon hearing the Dharma, we will be able to comprehend it.” When we enter the Tathagata’s room, put on the Tathagata’s clothing and clearly understand this Dharma, we “cultivate our causes and attain the fruition.” The Buddha-Dharma teaches us in this way, so as we follow the Buddha-Dharma, as we cultivate the causes in this way, we will accordingly attain the kind of fruition. If we do not follow our causes, if we do not cultivate our causes, then how will we be able to attain the effects?
So, we must be mindful. Spiritual practice is more than just a superficial appearance. In the past, there was a novice who wanted to go and obtain sutras, following in the footsteps of his ancient predecessors by going to the west. He wanted to investigate the west, to see what the Buddha-Dharma was like in India. He requested leave from his master and expressed his determination to go west to obtain sutras. His master consented. “That is fine. When do you plan to leave?” He then said, “I am planning on leaving in a week. In seven days, I think I can set out on my journey.” “Since you want to go west to obtain the sutras, why do you have to wait for another week?” He replied, “The west is so far away from here. I do not know how long the road is. So, I have to ask the straw sandal maker to make some straw sandals for me. I want to prepare a few pairs of straw sandals so that while I am traveling, I can change them as they wear out.” Then his master told him, “Oh, waiting seven days just for a custom order? How about instead, since there are so many dedicated followers, I will call on them for you and inspire them to resolve to give offerings to you.” “That is great too! Master, thank you!” So, his master truly made the announcement. “Someone has formed the aspiration to go west to obtain sutras. He needs straw sandals.” After everyone heard this, they were joyful and eagerly set straw sandals to him. Each person offered a pair. They gave with such enthusiasm that the sandals had already piled up in the corners; there were so many. “There are so many! This will do, it is enough. Don’t bring anymore [straw sandals].”
On that day, a lay practitioner came carrying an umbrella. “I heard our master say that you are going west to obtain the sutras. That is wonderful! I thought that with all the rain and sun, you would be uncomfortable traveling so far, so I brought an umbrella as a gift for you. That way you can protect yourself from the wind and the sun.” “Thank you!” He took the umbrella. “I am very grateful that our master has been so considerate of me.” Later, another person came to give him an umbrella and also gave him blessings for a safe trip and [for the umbrella] to protect him from the wind and rain. Another came, and then another. There were many people sending him umbrellas. A big pile of umbrellas was sent to his quarters. Then the master came. “Have you prepared everything? I have everything I need. Is there anything you lack? No! Nothing! I already have straw sandals. See, there are so many. I also have umbrellas!” “Yes, they were afraid that you would be out in the sun and rain, so everyone was so eager [to help out].” “Yes, they were!” The master then said to him, “I am looking at all these things of yours; although you are sufficiently prepared, you have such a long journey ahead of you, and you will have to cross rivers. I should call on people to gift you a boat.” Hearing this, the novice quickly told his master, “No, no! I do not even know how to bring all these things now. Master, you cannot give me a boat.” The master said, “You need it. If you need to cross streams and rivers and you do not have a boat, how will you cross them?” When the novice heard the master say this, it became clear to him and he understood. He quickly bent down and prostrated to his master. “Master, I understand everything now. As for all the Dharma, our predecessors went west to obtain sutras and have already translated these sutras. I have been a monastic for so many years, but my mind is still empty, and I waste my time every day. The sutras and the Dharma are around me for me to listen to, for me to practice. We have such a good spiritual training ground, but I did not know how to cherish it. I even thought about going somewhere faraway [to obtain the Dharma]. How far was that road I would have traveled? Life is impermanent. So many people have gone west to obtain the sutras. There have been many who had gone, but how many have returned? I also want to go, but for what I want, I have to prepare so many things that are hindrances for me. If I went to seek out sutras like this, there would be so many hindrances. How long would it be until I reach that place? In addition to all these worries, can I be really be safe at that place and bring an abundance Dharma back? Master, I understand now. I will settle down to earnestly learn the teachings. I will earnestly put my heart into the Dharma.”
From this story, we should understand. Where do we need to go to obtain the Dharma? The sutras are always within our minds. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, He had no Dharma to teach. When the Buddha wanted to transform people, there was no one to transform. This is because everyone intrinsically has the Buddha-nature. We all have wisdom equal to that of the Buddha, which neither increases nor decreases. We inherently have spiritual training grounds in our minds. When we have the Dharma in our mind, the entire body of the Buddha is here with us. It is just that we are covered by ignorance, layer after layer of ignorance afflictions and worries. Even if we want to engage in spiritual practice, we have so much to worry about. Other people had good intentions and constantly sent things [for that monk]. But this only became a heavy burden. How exactly should we engage in spiritual practice? We should be mindful! All things are created by the mind, which is replete with all Dharma. Indeed, where else is there to go to obtain the sutras?
So it says, “We must draw near the Dharma and never deviate from it, the way a shadow follows a form.” We have always been surrounded by this Dharma. Not only does it surround us, the Dharma is as inseparable from us as our shadow. [This is] because we all intrinsically have the awakened nature of True Suchness. We all intrinsically possess this, just like our shadow is always with us. however, “We draw near it but do not accept its teachings.” Our ignorance constantly covers and conceals us, it enshrouds us. Our afflictions have isolated our nature of True Suchness. therefore, we seek the Dharma outside ourselves. Actually, this will be of no benefit to us. even if the Dharma were right in front of us, it would be of no benefit to us, because our minds are still covered by ignorance and afflictions. Even if the Buddha were all around us, or the Dharma were by our side, they would likewise have no benefit to us. so, “By drawing near and following it, we can obtain the teachings of the path. Then naturally we will “see the Buddha”.
When we are able to understand that the principles are like this, then we are always amidst the principles; the Dharma of True Suchness is everywhere. We should understand this completely. If we can, by following it, we will obtain the teachings of the path. When we draw near and follow [the Dharma], we will naturally be able to attain this path; we will soon be able to walk upon this road. What road is this? [It is] the great, direct Bodhi-path. It is so direct. From the unenlightened state, we point ourselves towards the Buddha on this straight path and walk along this path. This is called the great, direct Bodhi-path; it is very direct. When ordinary beings align themselves with the Buddha’s heart, we will reach our nature of True Suchness. We should the Buddha’s heart as our heart and [walk] upon this great Bodhi-path. If we do this, how could it possibly be hard to see the Buddha?
So, “This way, upon hearing the Dharma we will be able to comprehend it.” We must do this ourselves; we must also give everyone the chance to listen to the Dharma, to listen to the Dharma with a mind at peace. We must listen to the Dharma with a mind at peace to understand and to cultivate causes of wisdom and blessings. When our blessings and wisdom are complete, we will naturally attain fruition. When we are replete with great compassion, we enter the Tathagata’s room. We must work hard all the time to face the ignorance and afflictions of the world’s sentient beings. We must wear the clothing of patience to face these countless afflictions and ignorance. How can we guide sentient beings to refrain from all evil and do all that is good? We must shield ourselves from evil things and teach the virtuous Dharma. This is what it means to wear the clothing of patience. If we are able take “the emptiness of all phenomena as our seat” and sit peacefully on the Dharma-seat of the emptiness of all phenomena, we will be able to teach the Dharma according to capabilities. The Buddha did this, so we as Buddhist practitioners should also do the same. This is learning the Buddha’s teachings. It is not difficult to learn the Buddha’s teachings.
The ultimate reality of all phenomena vanishes wherever the mind practices and ends in whatever is expressed by speech. This means the ultimate true principles cannot be explained by words, nor can they be thought of by the mind; they are inconceivable.
“With the ultimate reality of all phenomena, the workings of the mind cease and language falls short”. So, this is about the ultimate true principles. This is the emptiness of all phenomena. This is the ultimate reality. Because principles have always been invisible, “With the ultimate reality of all phenomena, the working of the mind cease.” We try to teach the Dharma that we can think of in our minds, try to speak of these teachings. Actually, as we inform everyone about this path and how to walk upon it, this path is no longer withing our minds. We have already expressed the Dharma outwardly. Aren’t our thoughts like this every day? In terms of our thoughts, we put our wisdom into action every day and realize the true principles of all things in the universe, which become one with our enlightened nature of True Suchness. the universe is so big, but our minds are able to embrace it. The true principles of the universe are contained within our consciousness, and we can readily put them to use. Once we have put [the Dharma] to use, it will no longer be kept within our minds. We will constantly put it to use at all times. It comes at any time, goes at any time, and it will always be empty. This is the Dharma. the principles of all things in the world are endlessly available for us to use at will. So, “The workings of the mind cease. We have walked [this path]. As one foot steps forward, the other must let go. We have seen and walked down this path. Now that [this path] is behind us, we have a way to advance and move forward. This is the same principle, “The workings of the mind cease.” We have walked this path. We have understood the principles of this path. But we still have to keep going forward. So, “The workings of the mind cease”. It is the same; the principles we are speaking about now have been taught before.
“Language falls short.” We have spoken of so many principles. Once we teach them, everyone puts them to use. Whichever principles others decide to accept has nothing to do with us. when people choose whether or not to make use of them, it has nothing to do with us. so, “Language falls short.” If we were to stock pile them in our minds, would it mot be like stock piling the straw sandals? Would it not be like stock piling the umbrellas? There is nothing there; it is empty.
So, “Language falls short.” The ultimate true principles “cannot be explained in words. True principles must be experienced. Whatever is taught [connects with] our wisdom, our consciousness, our seventh, eighth and ninth consciousnesses. The Dharma, the pure Dharma is stored within our ninth consciousness. Our pure, undefiled nature of True Suchness is like this; it is like a gushing spring. There are so many teachings that, we cannot completely teach or expound them all. So, these ultimate true principles cannot be expressed in words. If we want to describe these teachings, we must understand them completely. The Dharma is endless in variety, so it can be understood according to people’s capabilities. One phrase of the Dharma, in different environments and different places, will give us different feelings and realizations.
So, with the same Dharma, “The workings of the mind cease.” Different people accept it differently. In different environments, they have different realizations. It is the same. We cannot use language to tell someone, “It is like this.” principles are innately formless and intangible. When we take in this Dharma and put it to use, we can make use of all Dharma from just one phrase. But these teachings cannot be fully expressed through one phrase or word. So, “Nor can they be thought of by the mind; they are inconceivable.” The Dharma cannot simply be taught or conceived of. It is unimaginable and inconceivable. If our minds are only thinking about it and are not applying it, if we are not digesting [the Dharma], then this will make us ill!
In summary, in learning the Dharma, we must mindfully seek to comprehend it. Of course, this requires reaching mastery.
Those noble beings at the first ground of the Great Vehicle and above who have eliminated delusions and realized the truth, through the causal practice of Bodhisattvas, attain the virtuous fruits of all Buddhas. Never deviating from this wondrous Dharma, they can open the Buddha’s understanding and views.
Only “Those noble beings at the first ground of the Great Vehicle and above who have eliminated delusions and realized the truth will have a way to take one phrase to heart and reach comprehension in response to all phenomena. This is what we must put our hearts into. “Through the causal practice of Bodhisattvas” means as Bodhisattvas we must cultivate causes. All Buddhas have attained the fruit of Buddhahood. Bodhisattvas must go among people to see how people’s countless kinds of afflictions and ignorance arise and how to tame this ignorance and these afflictions, how to eliminate these dust-like delusions. “Those noble beings at the first ground of the Great Vehicle and above,” those who form great aspirations and sages can understand this principle. So, they can put the Bodhisattva-path into action and go forward to attain the fruit of Buddhahood. We must “never deviate from this wondrous Dharma, the perfect teachings of the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. So, we must open the Buddha’s understanding and views. The Lotus Sutra teaches us to open the Buddha’s understanding and views, to break through our ignorance andcompletely eliminate it.
We must completely push aside the afflictions that enshroud us. only then can we open the Buddha’s understanding and views.
So, the previous sutra passage says, “If anyone wants to do evil to them and attack with knives, sticks, bricks or stones, I will dispatch and transform people to guard and protect them.”
This was what we said previously. To uphold this sutra, to teach and listen to this sutra and to put the Bodhisattva-path into action are easier said than done! There are many chances of encountering evil words and slander. There are even people who will think of ways to cause harm. There are many chances like this as well. But Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dispatch and transform people. He will naturally dispatch people who can be our benefactors. They will appear before us and come to our rescue “to guard and protect” us. they will come and protect us.
The following sutra passage says, “If those who expound the Dharma are alone in an empty space, in solitude with no human voice around, reading and reciting this sutra, at that time, I will manifest my pure and radiant body. If they forget passages or verses, I will teach them to help them attain keen comprehension. Those who are replete with this virtue or teach to the fourfold assembly or read and recite the sutra in empty places will all be to see my body.”
“In solitude with no human voice around, reading and reciting this sutra” refers to when we are alone in an empty space, when we are by ourselves in an open space where it is very tranquil without the sound of peoples’ voices. In this tranquil place, we should earnestly read and put our efforts and our heart into understanding the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the content of this sutra. This takes a lot of time [to understand].
In solitude with no human voice around, reading and reciting this sutra: If those who expound the sutra are alone in an empty space, in that place, it is tranquil and quiet, with no sounds of human voices. In that tranquil and quiet place, they read and recite this wondrous Lotus Sutra.
When I think back to the time when I was young, there were no people, matters or things that complicated or disturbed [my spiritual practice]. As I engaged in spiritual practice by myself, in that state, I was wholeheartedly immersed in the Dharma. this period of time was truly serene. No one disturbed me. But that time period and the current times are completely different.
Time is fleeting. Now, there are always many disruptive changes. But, when I am teaching the sutra, if is like going back to that period of time. Time can be shortened to feel like just moments, as if it were just yesterday. I can still recall thar time. So, that pure, tranquil and solitary time truly had a sense of elegance. The state of the perfect teachings, this state of tranquility and clarity, cannot be described by words. It is indescribable. [It is like the saying] “Only the person who drinks the water knows if it is hot or cold”. So, “If those who expound the sutra are alone in an empty space, in that place, it is tranquil and quiet, with no sounds of human voices”. There are no sounds of human voices; it is very quiet. It is “In that tranquil and quiet place [that], they read and recite this wondrous Lotus Sutra.” They read this sutra. “At that time, I will manifest my pure and radiant body.”
At that time, I will manifest my pure and radiant body: In this place od solitude, there are no bothersome sounds from human affairs. Pure and clean in body and mind, they read, recite, accept and uphold the wondrous sutra. This is like seeing the Buddha’s radiant wisdom- body.
Yes, this pure and radiant body and that state of manifestation truly cannot be described in words. So, language falls short; “The workings of the mind cease”. It truly cannot be described, but the Dharma still exists. That state of mind, the consciousness still exists. “In this place of solitude, there are no bothersome sounds from human affairs.” In this state, “[they are] pure and clean in body and mind. They read, recite, accept and uphold. The Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. This is truly like entering this state and seeing the Buddha seeing the Buddha’s body, like seeing the Buddha’s radiant wisdom-body. It truly is indescribable. So it says, “This is like seeing the Buddha’s radiant wisdom-body”. This state and these principles are all stored in that pure and clean consciousness. So, “His radiance is His wisdom-body”. This radiance, purity and tranquility, this kind of radiance is very warm and quiet. This is wisdom.
His radiance is His wisdom-body. By cultivating His nature to eliminate dust-like delusions, He unites with the wondrous nature of True Suchness and can manifest His forms everywhere. This is known as the transformation-body. Because they read and recite in peace, they can see the Tathagata’s three virtues of the [Three] Bodies. The three virtues of [Three] Bodies: the virtues of the Dharma-body, of prajna and of liberation.
This is what our bodies and minds can be like. So, we must “cultivate [our] nature to eliminate dust-like delusions”. We should cultivate our nature to eliminate even our dust-like delusions, to say nothing of our afflictions and ignorance. [We must rid ourselves of] afflictions, ignorance and dust-like delusions. In our process of spiritual practice, we return to our intrinsic nature. This means eliminating ignorance and dust-like delusions, and of course, all of our afflictions will be completely eliminated. So, “By uniting with the wondrous nature of True Suchness, He can manifest His forms everywhere. This is the transformation-body. The radiant body is His wisdom-body, which is the Buddha’s understanding and views. [This is] His entire body. So, [He] manifests His form everywhere. Regardless of where we go, we can manifest [His] entire body everywhere and teach the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. The principles always exist.
So it says, “He can manifest His forms everywhere. This is the transformation-body.” The Buddha has the Dharma-body, [reward-body] and transformation-body. The transformation-body is always present. So, we must earnestly engage in spiritual practice and return to our nature of True Suchness, so [our body] can be pure. We must not have afflictions from interpersonal conflicts. We must be completely pure. Our pure intrinsic nature should unite with True Suchness. this way, we can “manifest [our] forms everywhere”. “This is the transformation-body.” , “Because they read and recite in peace, they can see the Tathagata’s three virtues of the [Three] Bodies”. The three virtues of the [Three] Bodies are the virtues of the Dharma-body, prajna, liberation. These are also called the three virtues, so they are the virtue of the Dharma-body, the virtue of prajna and the virtue of liberation. We will be replete with all of these. We must be like this in our process of spiritual practice. In this way, we can attain “flawless wisdom”, which is “the wisdom to contemplate the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the Four Noble Truths.”
People of flawless wisdom contemplate the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the wisdom of the Four Noble Truths. Those who cultivate this kind of wisdom can eliminate afflictions of the Three Realms and be liberated from Leaks and cyclic existence.
We keep saying that the sutras of perfect teachings include the Agama, Vaipulya and Prajna. Although we have entered the perfect teachings, [ we still need] “the wisdom to contemplate the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence and the Four Noble Truths”. We must earnestly come to this point step by step. “Those who cultivate this kind of wisdom can eliminate afflictions of the Three Realms and be liberated from Leaks and cyclic existence.” Everyone should be clear on this. But when they have the aspiration to engage in spiritual practice, “If they forget passages or verses, I will teach them to help them attain keen comprehension.” The Buddha will naturally dispatch and transform people to explain it to us, so that we can completely understand the principles of this sutra. Thus, “If they forget any of the sutra passages, the Tathagata’s power of loving-kindness, will help us completely understand this Dharma. We will naturally attain wisdom. We will be able to comprehend, remember and uphold it. “That’s right! It was like this in the past I read and recited like this, and there was also this course of events of people, matters and things.” This help us remember and uphold without forgetting, so we must earnestly be mindful. “Those who are replete with this virtue or teach to the fourfold assembly….” Some people are already replete with the three virtues, the virtue of the Dharma-body, of Prajna and of liberation. They are replete with these pure virtues. They take the emptiness of all phenomena as their seat. They are liberated. They teach the Dharma to the fourfold assembly in this way. So, in order to expound the Dharma to the fourfold assembly, we ourselves must first cultivate [causes] and attain [fruition]. “Those who attain have virtue.” When we have attained the Dharma and taken it to heart, we will naturally be able to expound this kind of the Dharma to the fourfold assembly. “[Those who] read and recite the sutra in empty places will all be able to see my body.”
[Those who] read and recite the sutra in empty places, will all be able to see my body: If they read and recite this sutra in an empty place, they will all be able to see the Tathagata’s radiant and wondrous Dharma-body.
All we need is to form aspirations like these and have this kind of sincerity. Even if it is one phrase or one verse, every phrase and every verse should be reverently, read, recited, accepted, upheld and explained. We should remember every phrase and verse and read and recite them in this way. “If they read and recite this sutra in empty places, they will all be able to see the Tathagata’s radiant and wondrous Dharma-body.” It was said earlier that wherever this sutra is, the Buddha’s entire body will be there. As long as we are truly sincere and reverently mindful, the Dharma will not leave us; like a shadow following its form, it will always be by our side. When it is like this, “We will be able to see the Tathagata’s radiant and wondrous Dharma-body.” So, we must always be mindful in our daily lives. The Buddha-Dharma is for us to put to use, not merely for us to recite and read. We [may] only recite and read it, but as it said previously. “We must draw close to the Dharma and never deviate from it.” If we only recite, read, expound and listen to it, if we only do this, although [the Dharma is always with us], “We draw close to it but do not accept its teachings.” If we do not accept the Dharma’s teachings, “our closeness will not be beneficial.” Didn’t we just talk about this earlier? We should truly be mindful.
We must have faith that the Dharma was originally very close to us; it has never left us. Since dust-inked kalpas ago it has been like this; the nature of True Suchness has never left us. Throughout lifetime after lifetime, it is like a shadow following its form. Regardless of which realm we transmigrate to, the nature of True Suchness still follows our body. It can be said that we have these karmic conditions, this convergence of causes and conditions, to truly encounter the Buddha and learn the Buddha-Dharma. Although the Buddha entered Parinirvana more than 2000 years ago, we still take Him and the Dharma as our teachers. Sakyamuni Buddha is the kind father of sentient beings, the guiding teacher of the Three Realms, and also like our teacher and father now. We are surrounded by His Dharma. We intrinsically have the nature of True Suchness, so being able to joyfully encounter the Buddha-Dharma, we should embrace there teachings. We must embrace the teachings of this Dharma, uphold the precepts and earnestly practice our disciplines, the Six Points of Reverent Harmony. We should follow the group in spiritual practice and go among people to transform sentient beings. In regards to this Dharma, “By drawing close and following it, we can attain the teachings of the path.” In doing this, we will quickly see the Buddha, because the great Bodhi-path is direct. Although we are unenlightened beings now, we are aligned toward the state of Buddhahood. So, as long as we walk directly on this road, diligently set out and step forward, steadfast and grounded, naturally, “upon hearing the Dharma,” we will “be able to comprehend it, cultivate our causes and attain the fruition.” This is not difficult. As long as we have the will, are sincere, reverent and willing, the Tathagata will reside everywhere around us. This is how it will be, so long as we spiritual practitioners are always mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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