Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Sentient Beings Hope to Resolve Doubts (古今佛會 眾望解疑)
Date: January.16.2018
“Both ancient and present Buddhas came together. The assembly praised how extraordinary this was. They gazed upon it with sincere reverence, hoping to hear the Buddha teach Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva could not help but speak up and ask a question. He wanted to quickly resolve doubts and sought to eliminate obstructions.”
“Both ancient and present Buddhas came together.” Everyone praised how extraordinary it was. The ancient Buddha was Many Treasures Buddha. Many Treasures Buddha had already attained Buddhahood countless kalpas ago. He was the Buddha of another world. Now, in the Saha World, where Sakyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra, at this time, Many Treasures Buddha emerged from the ground with the stupa of treasures. An ancient Buddha and a present Buddha came together. Everyone was so amazed and joyous. They praised how unprecedented this was, how this kind of scene had never happened before. Why at this time, when Sakyamuni Buddha was teaching the Lotus Sutra and had, in the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, just finished praising people uphold this sutra, did the stupa suddenly appear? This was such an extraordinary event! So, everyone present all praised how extraordinary it was.
We talked about this yesterday. This is the Buddha’s wisdom. [We could see this] from the Introductory Chapter to the Chapter on Skillful Means, from the Introductory Chapter’s radiating light and auspicious signs to the Chapter on Skillful Means when the Buddha praised the Buddha-wisdom as extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. Then, Sariputra began to request the teachings as the most suitable recipient. The Buddha at first said, “Stop, stop; there is no need to speak further.” The capabilities of those who receive this sutra must be very mature. Their aspirations for the Great Vehicle have to be truly awakened. Moreover, they must have extremely deep roots of faith. This is because the Dharma is extremely deep and profound. For infinitely deep Great Dharma, our root of faith must be very deep as well. When our root of faith is very deep and strong, we will be willing to accept [the Dharma] and awaken our intent to follow the Great Vehicle. Then we can resonate with the Buddha’s mind. Only people like this, who are able to accept it, will not give rise to doubt and slander. Slandering this sutra is [the same as] slandering the Buddha’s entire body, because wherever this sutra resides is where the Buddha’s entire body resides. In the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, the Buddha already clearly demonstrated this. So, in the Chapter on Skillful Means, the Buddha continuously taught everyone that this sutra must have suitable conditions, the right people, the right time, the right place. To inspire others according to their capabilities is not easy at all. So at that place, Sariputra requested the Dharma over and over again. So, by the time the Buddha agreed to teach, 5000 people had left their seats. The Buddha said, “It is good that they left.” Since they did not have the right capabilities and did not want to listen, it was better that they left. Thus, the people who remained were those with deep roots of faith; they were those with great potential who would certainly form Great Vehicle aspirations upon listening to [the sutra]. Only then did He agree to teach this sutra, as he could now do so with peace of mind. He began by telling a parable. With the Chapter on Parables and the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, He gradually guided the disciples so they would come to know and understand the teachings of the Small Vehicle Dharma that they had heard in the past. Although the Buddha’s guidance [in the past] was not yet complete and ultimate, they still gave rise to faith and understood the Four Noble Truths, the law of karma and so on. Since they understood, everyone was determined to eliminate their afflictions and did not dare create any more [negative] karma. So, everyone just engaged in self-cultivation; they did not want to contrive affinities anymore. They all held fast to this thought. They were headed in the right direction, but the Buddha still had to entice them further so they could form Great Vehicle aspirations. At first He taught about emptiness and existence. Now He brought the two together. We must awaken ourselves and others, benefit ourselves and others. Once we learn the principles, we will understand to refrain from all evil and do all that is good. Once we understand these principles, we must form great aspirations and go among people to teach and guide sentient beings. The lives of all sentient beings are equal, and everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. This is very important. However, to go among people to teach and transform sentient beings, we must actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions, cultivate blessings and then cultivate wisdom. We have to go among people but remain undefiled, maintain our purity and self-respect, cultivate blessings amongst afflictions and cultivate wisdom amidst people in hardship. This is easier said than done. This requires great spiritual practice. Once by engaging in great spiritual practice will we remain undefiled by others, and continue in our mission to benefit sentient beings. So, we must actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions!
The Lotus Sutra [guides us] in this way to help us understand that people do not only need to have love and respect for other people, but toward animals as well. We must love and protect animals because both animals and humans are collectively referred to as sentient begins. All sentient beings have the Buddha-nature, so we are all equal.
There was a prince in ancient Korea who engaged in spiritual practice, formed great aspirations, made great vows and wanted to seek the Dharma. He wanted to go to Chain to seek the Dharma, so he got in a small boat and sailed along the coast from Korea to China. When he reached Anhui, the boat hit a reef and got stuck. He had no choice but to abandon the boat. He walked along the mountain trails to Jiuhua Mountain. He found a place there and began to engage in spiritual practice. He was very happy on that mountain. The environment was very peaceful so he could simply engage in practice. There were some poets who to search for inspiration and recite poems and write couplets. They found this spiritual practitioner and struck up a conversation. As they got to know one another, they learned that he came from Korea and was from a noble family. They learned that he had come to China to dedicate himself to seeking the Buddha-Dharma. His boat had caught on a reef and could not move, so he stayed in this place. Everyone [wanted to] find out exactly what he understood of the Buddha-Dharma so everyone wanted to listen [to him]. As he engaged in tranquil practice there, this group of people kept coming to request the teachings from him. In this way, people came to know about him, and the lord of the mountain learned about him, so he went to visit this spiritual practitioner. Joy also arose in his heart. The lord of the mountain and his son also admired the Buddha-Dharma and came to draw near to [this practitioner]. They saw many poets also came to visit him often, so they formed aspirations to donate a piece of the land for this spiritual practitioner to build a spiritual practice center. They told the spiritual practitioner, “Go ahead and tell me however much land you want. All the land on the mountain is mine, so just tell me how much you want.” Then the spiritual practitioner said, “It does not need to be big; just as big as this robe’s shadow will be enough.” “ How can that be enough?” The lord of the mountain replied. This spiritual practitioner said, “When my robe casts a shadow under the sun, the area of the land it covers will be enough for me.” So, they agreed to his plan. He tossed his robe into the air, and as the whole robe unfurled in the sky, a could covered the sun, so the entire mountain was shadowed by this could that blocked out the sun. This lord of the mountain was overjoyed and impressed. “This is inconceivable! How extraordinary. I willing to give you the entire mountain, so you can build a spiritual practice center.” Thus, Jiuhua Mountain henceforth became the spiritual practice center for this spiritual practitioner.
In the beginning, it was built simply. There were many people who admired the Buddha-Dharma, so they all came to visit out of admiration. In addition to the people in the nearby mountain towns and villages, all kinds of people went to hear the Dharma. Even in Korea, the monastic community and the common people who took joy in the Buddha-Dharma heard that their prince had arrived in Anhui, China and was admired by so many people. They came to seek the Dharma and hear His teaching. So, monastics from Korea and those who delighted in the Buddha-Dharma also went there out of admiration for him. In a short period of time, the amount of people who came to engage in spiritual practice was large number; there were also many monastics there. But in that place, there were too many people and a shortage of food. So, for a while, as mentioned in the Biographies of Eminent Monks, [there were] “haggard sentient beings in the South.” Everyone wanted to engage in spiritual practice there, so they were all willing to go hungry. However, they took the path as their nourishment. Their aspiration to seek the path was very firm. They were willing to go hungry, but the Dharma would replenish their wisdom-life. There was also a time, when he had to send them away, saying, “Go back, otherwise we will not have enough food.” Although everyone came to make offerings, there were still too many people and not enough food. They were so firm in their resolve to engage in spiritual practice there. Thus, Jiuhua Mountain began to have monastics who engaged in spiritual practice there. This spiritual training center had many monastics, and this spiritual practitioner was very reverent. This spiritual practitioners taught the Dharma for the assembly during the day. According to the legends about. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, it is said that during the night, he went into hell to transform sentient beings. In any case, this is the legend of Jiuhua Mountain.
This spiritual practice center [dedicated to] Earth Treasury Bodhisattva started in this place. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva [said], “Until hell is empty I will not attain Buddhahood.” This was Earth Treasury Bodhisattva’s great vow. In the Earth Treasury Sutra, the Buddha entrusted those sentient beings to Earth Treasury Bodhisattva in hopes that he would make this great vow. For the sake of sentient beings with heavy karma, [the Buddha] hoped Earth Treasury Bodhisattva could turn the Dharma-wheel to transform these sentient beings. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva took on the Buddha’s mission and was willing [to go to] the place with the most hardship, which was hell. “Until hell is empty I will not attain Buddhahood”. So, according the legend everyone tells, in recent times, at Jiuhua Mountain, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva manifested. He was one who had, a long time ago, formed Great Vehicle aspirations and cultivated the Bodhisattva-practice.
The Buddha also told stories about Bright-eyed Girl, the Brahmin maiden, and other stories. These all took place countess kalpas ago. In any case, in all of these legends, the [spiritual practitioner] on Jiuhua Mountain was a manifestation of Earth Treasury Bodhisattva.
In Nepal, the country of Kapilavastu in ancient India, Siddhartha came to the world to attain Buddhahood. This was also a manifestation, Sakyamuni Buddha coming to the world to attain enlightenment. Sakyamuni Buddha, countless trillions kalpas ago, dust-inked kalpas ago, during the age of the 16 princes, at the feet of Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, had attained awakening. He could fully awaken to the principles of the Lotus Sutra. During the age of the Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha, which was countless kalpas ago, an unfathomable amount of time ago, He had continually been amidst the Buddha-Dharma. The true principles have existed for as long as the universe has existed; it is impossible to say how long. When did this universe [began]? We are not able to understand. Scientists now say that. Earth was formed a few billion years ago, but in terms of when the Dharma-realm of the universe formed, scientists cannot calculate this. This is the same idea. The true principles are like this; they cannot be calculated. However, the essence of the true principles is that sentient beings are equal. The true principles are equal, the principles are equal, sentient beings are equal, and the Buddha and sentient beings are also equal.
We read in the Earth Treasury Sutra, which we talked about before, about how sentient beings are creating karma and about the kind of hell that they experience. It is unbearable suffering! There is no way to describe it, so we must mindfully seek to comprehend this. This suffering is indescribable. Thus, the Buddha taught us that as long as we transform our minds, we will be able to discern between good and evil. We can go toward goodness, be undefiled by evil and live a life without ever committing evil. This is if we are clear about the principles.
We see in Mozambique, which is Africa, that after accepting the Buddha-Dharma, at that place, they are also promoting the seventh lunar month as Auspicious Month. We see that they promoted. “Auspicious Seventh Lunar Month”, and adopted a vegetarian diet. How did they manage to do this? It was very endearing. On a piece of sandy land, they invited many people to learn about how a vegetarian diet can protect the earth, keep us healthy, cultivate compassion, create blessings and eliminate karmic obstacles. So, this piece of land also became their stage, where they performed a play. [The play] was about a vegetarian family who ate a completely vegetarian diet. They were friends with a non-vegetarian family who absolutely loved meat, so they ate a lot of meat. One day, the housewife from the vegetarian family, went to find her friend, the housewife from the non-vegetarian family. The two were very happy to see one another. The non-vegetarian housewife was very sincere and forced the vegetarian housewife to stay. She made her stay, holding onto her and not letting her go, saying, “Eating with me here!” So, as a friend, she did not want to go against her friend’s wishes, and so she had no choice but to stay. All the dishes on the table were meat, but for the sake of her relationship with her friend, she are [meat] with her. After she ate and went home, she had diarrhea and food poisoning, so she went to see a doctor. This non-vegetarian housewife also had food poisoning and went to see the doctor. The doctor told them, “You have food poisoning, so take medicine with you and get some rest.” This vegetarian housewife took the medicine and recovered very quickly. But, the non-vegetarian housewife’s food poisoning was more serious, so the doctor told her, “You cannot go home yet. You have eaten this kind of food for a long time, so you have a lot of poison in your body. You will need some time for your body to eliminate the poison. You must eat a vegetarian diet.”
They performed this play. There were a lot of people who watched, so on that day, they prepared 3000 lunchboxes for people to eat. The lunchboxes came from the Great Love Farm. They have a piece of land there where they plant vegetables. From the vegetables they picked, they cooked a simple porridge with all kinds of vegetables, such as Chinese broccoli and so on. They cooked this kind of food, and everyone ate it and really liked it. They said, “Vegetarian food is so simple and so delicious!” During the summer, non-vegetarian food such as meat is difficult to keep. It rots and goes bad easily. So, they thought it was best to be vegetarian. This was how they promoted a vegetarian diet. This can help us cultivate compassion, help maintain our physical health, and help care for the earth. So, feeling that their environment was very suited to a vegetarian diet, they accepted it.
This was not just in Mozambique, but in Malaysia as well. Malaysia’s [story] is also very interesting. Some there used to eat so much fish and meat, but the seventh (lunar) month, during Ghost Festival, they also [began to promote] the seventh lunar month as Auspicious Month. Tzu Chi volunteers worked hard to promote this. Of course, during their promotion, they had an abundance of [programs]. In addition, in southern Malaysia, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, they promoted this throughout the entire month, reciting the Earth Treasury Sutra and advocating for a vegetarian diet. In a Dharma-assembly of tens of thousands, they recited the Earth Treasury Sutra every day. They accumulated a count of ten or twenty thousand as people came to recite the Earth Treasury Sutra every day. In Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, over ten thousand people recited the Earth Treasury Sutra over three days promoted vegetarianism and advocated the spirit of bamboo banks. Everyone was so joyous. This was in Malaysia. The seventh lunar month was such a grand event. All Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized to promote vegetarianism. They also encouraged people to save the money that they would have spent on the Ghost Festival. They could put the money used to buy joss paper into the bamboo banks for charity instead. The whole month, [everyone] was very enthusiastic; this really inspired people.
It was the same in Hong Kong. In short, there were a lot of Tzu Chi volunteers who promoted vegetarianism and promoted the seventh lunar month as Auspicious Month. They also stopped burning joss paper. This proved very popular, many people joined in. We can see from their reports that every place was truly able to change this custom, this idea of worshipping during Ghost Festival, to one of doing good deeds. This is the Auspicious Month of filial piety. It was not easy, but they did it. This is truly commendable.
So, this was the goal of the Buddha in coming to this world, and “opening and revealing” the teachings. Thus, now that the Buddha had already begun to teach the Lotus Sutra, an ancient Buddha came to bear witness that the perfect teachings of the Great Vehicle are the cure for saving this world. The stupa of treassure had emerged from the ground and sounds also emanated from the stupa. So, everyone praised how extraordinary it was; this praise came from the bottom of their hearts. Everyone should know that the stupa of treasures’ appearance represents practicing the Six Paramitas in 10,000 actions, cultivating both blessings and wisdom. This is the meaning of 20,000 li high; this is a metaphor.
The stupa demonstrates the height of the Buddha’s virtue, so everyone praised it and expressed their sincere reverence. When they gazed in admiration at the stupa, which was so high it reached up into the clouds, they were really admiring the Buddha’s virtue. They had fulfilled the practice of blessings and wisdom and had completely actualized the Six Paramitas in all actions. Now, everyone was hoping that they could listen to the Buddha continue to teach. How had the Buddha accumulated His virtues?
So, continuing on, there was Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva. In the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, it was Medicine King Bodhisattva [who was the recipient]. Now the Buddha began [to teach] with Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva as the recipient of the teachings. Next, we will find Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva who saw that everyone was very mature by now and had always looked up to the magnificence of the Buddha's myriad virtues, which reached as high as the stupa of treasures. Thus, Great joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva began to ask on everyone's behalf, hoping "to quickly resolve「their」doubts." He hoped that everyone would attain 「resolution」. He hoped that these doubts, these feelings of wonder and strangeness, could be resolved so they could understand the content of the Dharma and the teachings it encompassed. SO, “he sought..." On behalf of everyone, he sought to eliminate the obstructions of doubt. This is because the Lotus Sutra always reminds us that we must resolve our doubts about the teachings. SO, Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva wanted to help everyone eliminate their doubts. Thus, he came to ask the Buddha to open and reveal [the Dharma].
Open and reveal: By opening and revealing His understanding and views, [the Buddha] leads us to realize and enter His understanding and views. This reveals the Buddha's original intent in appearing in this world. Therefore, opening and revealing to help people to realize and enter is His original intent in appearing in the world.
"Open and reveal" refers to opening and revealing the Buddha's understanding and views. Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva hoped that all beings could, from the Buddha's teachings, awaken to the Buddha's understanding and views. This is the main purpose of opening and revealing.
Let us look at the previous sutra passage, "At that time, the fourfold assembly saw the great stupa of treasures staying in the air and heard the sounds coming from the stupa. They all attained Dharma-joy. Such wonders were unprecedented. They rose from their seats, put their palms together in reverence and withdrew to one side."
We talked about this yesterday. When everyone witnessed the stupa of treasures in the air and heard the sounds coming from it, their hearts were filled with Dharma-joy and happiness. Everyone quickly arose and gathered together in front of the Buddha. With great reverence, they came forth to ask the Buddha to explain. This represents a most reverent sense of closeness. [To express] true reverence, we must draw near [the Buddha]. When our hearts are full of Dharma-joy, we should draw near [the Buddha]. SO, to draw near, everyone direst gathered around to express their admiration. This is to show this kind of closeness. When we attain Dharma-joy, we must draw even closer to [the Buddha]. Then "they withdrew to one side" to continue earnestly listening to the Dharma; this is the kind of bearing that they had.
The next sutra passage says, “At that time, there was a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva whose name was Great Joyful Eloquence. He understood the doubts in the minds of the heavenly beings, humans, auras and others of all the worlds.”
Among the assembly, there was a great Bodhisattva-Mahasattva whose name was Great Joyful Eloquence.
At that time, there was a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva whose name was Great Joyful Eloquence: He was a senior Bodhisattva in the assembly. Due to his profound wisdom, he excelled in expounding all Dharma. Thus his name was Great Joyful Eloquence.
Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva already understood and clearly saw into the minds of everyone in this Dharma-assembly. He knew everyone had doubts in their name. So, Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva, in this Dharma-assembly where the Buddha would continue teaching, was a senior Bodhisattva. Among everyone in this assembly, Great Joyful Eloquence was the recipient of the teachings this time. So, “Due to his profound wisdom, he excelled in expounding all Dharma.” Thus his name was Great Joyful Eloquence.
Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva and Medicine King were of the same kind. They resonated with the Great Vehicle teachings, transmitted and upheld the principles and directives of promoting the sutra to transform the world. Those who did not have the merits as stated in this sutra passage were not qualified to discuss the practice and causes of Bodhisattvas. In this chapter, all Buddhas from the ten directions came together for [the sutra] to be entrusted. Those who did not have unobstructed eloquence were not qualified to present the question.
“Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva and Medicine King were of the same kind.” “Of the same kind” means that they were equal. This is because the Buddha chose Medicine King Bodhisattva as the one to uphold the Lotus Sutra, and now to get everyone to maintain their aspiration, He chose Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva; this was the Buddha teaching according to capabilities. Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva and Medicine King Bodhisattva were equal in level, so he was of the same kind as the Medicine King. “They resonated with the Great Vehicle teachings, transmitted and upheld the principles and directives of promoting the sutra to transform the world.” They were both people who transformed the world with the principles and disciplines; they were Bodhisattvas with great aspirations. This is like the Chapter on Dharma Teachers; we take great compassion as the room, gentleness and patience as the clothing and the emptiness of all phenomena as the seat. [The Buddha taught] these three directives. This was during Medicine King Boddhisattvas’s [dialogue] in the Chapter on Dharma Teachers. These are the directives that the Buddha taught for spreading [the sutras]. These are the principles and guidelines. So, “Those who did not have the merits as stated in this sutra passage were not qualified to discuss the practice and causes of Bodhisattvas.” If their merits were not equal to the level of the following sutra passage, they were not qualified to discuss the practice and causes of the Bodhisattvas that were to be discussed. Actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions is the causal practice of Bodhisattvas. We have talked about this previously. When we have fulfilled the causal practice of Bodhisattvas, we will go toward the fruit of Buddhahood, the state of Buddhahood. So, if we want to discuss the causal practice of Bodhisattvas, we must reach this kind of level. Only then can we discuss this Dharma. So Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva was sufficiently qualified in this way. Thus, he was chosen by the Buddha as the recipient of the teaching.
This chapter is the Chapter on Seeing the Stupa of Treasures, where “All Buddhas from the ten directions came together for [the sutra] to be entrusted." Continuing on in this chapter, all Buddhas throughout the ten directions will come appear [for the Buddha to] entrust this Dharma to future generations. So, those who lacked unobstructed eloquence were unable to ask any questions about the Dharma in the future. Only Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva was qualified to do this. So, the person to respond to the Buddha was the recipient of the teachings. The recipient of the teachings in this Dharma-assembly was Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva. So, “He understood the doubts in the minds of the heavenly beings, humans, asuras and others of all the worlds.”
He understood the doubts in the minds of the heavenly beings, humans, asuras and others of all the worlds: The assembly saw the stupa of treasures but did not know what it was. Such wonders were unprecedented, so they gave rise to doubt. The Bodhisattva was aware of this, so he asked on their behalf.
Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva, as the recipient of the teachings, already understood [the people of] this world “Heavenly beings” are the Four Heavenly Kings and [the heavenly beings] in Trayastrimsa Heaven. We have spoken of this before. In this Dharma-assembly, the world’s humans, asuras and so on all had doubts in their minds. He knew these people had doubts, so Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva wanted to help these people resolve their doubts. Thus he had to ask [the Buddha]. “The assembly saw the stupa of treasures.” These people were the heavenly beings, humans, asuras and others. They saw the stupa of treasures, “but did not know what it was." What exactly was it? They did not know. “Such wonders were unprecedented.”
The previous sutra passage says, “Such wonders were unprecedented." It was strange and extraordinary. Although everyone was happy, this was a very strange occurrence, so it says, “such wonders were unprecedented.” Thus everyone gave rise to doubt. “The Bodhisattva was aware of this.” The Bodhisattva knew this, so he asked the question on their behalf. This was Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva.
Everyone, if we truly want to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must use our mindfulness and wisdom to learn the principles through appearances. As we use the principles to understand appearances, we must use the analogies in these appearances to help us understand the Dharma better. In the Lotus Sutra, we have now reached the Chapter on Seeing the Stupa of Treasures. If we lack transcendent wisdom, it will be very difficult to comprehend these sutra passages. In terms of its appearances [the stupa] is “500 yojanas” or 20,000 li high. How high can an airplane fly? How many meters high? Actually, in terms of this metaphor of 20,000 li, everyone must remember that this is a way to reveal the Dharma; it reveals the height of the Buddha’s virtues. The stupa was there to display His virtues. This is what it means “to display virtues.” [The stupa] reveals the height of the virtues. He had cultivated during His spiritual practice. We must use the wisdom and blessings of actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions. Our blessings and wisdom must be in accord with the capabilities of sentient beings. In our application of the Six Paramitas, we should give according to sentient beings’ needs. From sentient beings lost in ignorance, we must gain wisdom. Among sentient beings in suffering, we should create blessings. By creating blessings and actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions, we will perfect the Bodhisattvas’ causal practice. This is the height of virtue; the height of the stupa is used as an analogy. If we are able to thoroughly understand these principles, then the following teachings will be even clearer to us. Otherwise, if we do not understand these things, we will mystify or mythologize them. We should see them as noble, full of principles instead of treating them as strange and magical. That would cause us to deviate.
So, in the beginning, when Sariputra requested the teachings, the Buddha said, “Stop, stop, there is no need to speak further.” No one was capable of having faith or understanding [in these teachings]. For teachings that are hard to believe or understand, if we deviate, they can easily have the opposite effect on us. So, we must have proper beliefs and understanding to comprehend the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
