Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Transforming the Land to Receive His Guests (變土迎賓 華藏淨界)
Date: January.30.2018
“The ground made of crystal and other details reveal the pure state of the Lotus-treasury. Without human settlements, the crudeness and defilements of the Saha World were removed. People with mature affinities remained, while heavenly beings lacked the proper capacities and thus left. What was defiled instantly became pure. Trees of treasures and ropes of gold bordered its roads.”
Listen, read and contemplate. Recall for a moment the places in the east illuminated by the light emitted from between the Buddha’s eyebrows. In every world where a Buddha taught the Dharma, there were countless Bodhisattvas. In the lands where countless Bodhisattvas dwelled, the ground was made of crystal. Trees of treasures, precious curtains and so on adorned the land. This shows that in those lands, the Buddha-Dharma was flourishing. In so many lands, there were Buddhas expounding the Dharma. In places where the Dharma was taught, there were countless Bodhisattvas. In those lands, there were so many Bodhisattvas, and everyone’s heart was very pure, as pure as crystal, with no contamination. Everyone was virtuous. These were such magnificent worlds, worlds in which the Buddha’s manifestations abided and where the Buddha-Dharma flourished. When Many Treasures Buddha’s stupa appeared, Many Treasures Buddha’s voice came from within. On behalf of the assembly, Great Joyful Eloquence Bodhisattva made a request, hoping to see Many Treasures Buddha’s entire body. Sakyamuni Buddha said, “In order to see Many Treasures Buddha’s entire body, Many Treasures Buddha vow is that I must gather all my manifestations from the worlds of the ten directions.” Everyone should still remember this. So, the Buddha wanted to help everyone in the fourfold assembly see Many Treasures Buddha, and Many Treasures Buddha hoped that, as everyone wanted to see His entire body, all of Sakyamuni Buddha’s manifestations would gather in one place. This was their mutual wish. So, in the Saha World, Sakyamuni Buddha began gathering all of His manifestations.
In the process, He had to transform the defilement of the Saha World so it would become a pure land. This is like when we want to invite guests over we have to first decorate our space. We must have a large enough space to be able to accommodate so many people. So, He had to turn this defiled land into a pure land. In this process, He revealed the pure and clear land of Avatamsaka. The lands of Buddhas from other worlds were pure, and this had to be even more so for the place where They would all come together. So, of course this Saha World also had to manifest a pure state. Therefore, it says, “The ground made of crystal reveals the pure state of the Lotus-treasury.” He takes this contaminated place and decorates it to become truly a magnificent land, just like the Lotus-treasury. The Lotus-treasury refers to the Avatamsaka world. The world of the Lotus-treasury was the Buddha’s state when He first became enlightened; His body and mind revealed the Lotus-treasury. That state was the Avatamsaka state. It is tranquil and clear, a dignified and pure state. This was the Buddha’s state of mind. This was how pure the Buddha’s mind was. This was the Avatamsaka state, a pure and clear state. A state like this is “without human settlements.” There are no settlements. Settlements are like our world’s cities, towns and villages, any place where people gather together. Whether it is a town or a city, there are different kinds of buildings. There are dilapidated, impoverished areas, and there are very wealthy areas. But the state of the Buddha is not like this. The Buddha’s state is all the same, all pure. There are no settlements. So, in the Saha World, we must “remove the crudeness and defilements of the Saha World.” The turbidities of this Saha World are very severe. Things are extremely crude because the Saha World is very contaminated. In the human world, we often hear people say that a certain place has beautiful scenery. No matter how beautiful it is, it is not as pure as other Buddha-lands. There are other Buddha-lands. The sutras we discuss often mention the pure lands of Buddhas. The Saha World is the place where the Five Destinies coexist. Of course, in nature, the mountains, rivers and land are very beautiful. However, humans have destroyed them in order to build hotels for tourists to rest in and places for them to enjoy themselves. No matter how beautiful a natural sight is, humans will still destroy it, let alone other kinds of places. So, the Saha World is very crude and defiled.
However, the Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, began to gather all His manifestations, bringing them together in one place. At this time, the many people in the assembly who had the affinities and whose karmic conditions had matured chose to stay. What about the heavenly beings? “Lacking the proper capacities, [they] left.” Heavenly begins did not have the capabilities to hear this perfect teaching. Due to this perfect teaching, Many Treasures Buddha’s stupa had arrived. The Buddha had also begun to gather all His numerous manifestations. So, this place of spiritual practice needed to be straightened up slightly. In fact, this also refers to how these teachings needed to be revealed. The Buddha taught so many chapters in the past, one passage after the other. They all came from the Buddha’s supreme wisdom, the Buddha-wisdom, the wisdom of enlightenment and all-encompassing wisdom. Beginning in the chapter on Skillful Means, the Buddha continually praised the spiritual state of all Buddhas, hoping that everyone would be able to understand the state of the Lotus-treasury. But ordinary people were unable to comprehend this. They did not have enough knowledge, and their capabilities had not yet matured. So, everyone was still unable to comprehend. But Sariputra understood the Buddha’s intent and, on everyone’s behalf, requested the Dharma. The Buddha refused three times. This was because these people’s capacities were still unable to accepting it. Similarly, now “Heavenly beings lacked the proper capacities and thus left.” It is the same principle. The Buddha refused three times. In the Chapter on Skillful Means, Sariputra asked the Buddha once, twice and then a third time before the Buddha said, “Since you have asked three times, how can I not teach it?” As He was about to teach, 5000 people left the assembly.
The same as happening right now. In this passage from the Chapter on Seeing the Stupa of Treasures, originally all heavenly [kings] brought the heavenly beings and the eight classes of Dharma-protectors to this place of spiritual practice. They were very happy to come listen to the Dharma. However, Many Treasures Buddha’s stupa emerged, and everyone saw it. Now, with Many Treasures Buddha’s wish, the Buddha was going to bring together so many people. These heavenly beings did not have the capabilities to be able to accept this. Therefore, they left. So, “Heavenly beings lacked the proper capacities and thus left.” They left. They also felt that since all these people were coming, they wanted to make way for others. They did not have the enthusiasm [to say], “I want to listen too.” They lacked this enthusiasm, so they left.
This is what happened. “What was defiled instantly became pure. Trees of treasures and ropes of gold bordered its roads.” They dignified this place of practice. What was defiled refers to how people’s minds were still unenlightened. Their minds were still contaminated. Some had not completely eliminated [their defilements]. Those without the capacities left. Those with the capacities had mature karmic causes and conditions, so they gathered together. Therefore, in this place of practice there were ordinary people and noble beings. Some had capacities that were very mature. Some had capacities that were not yet mature. Now Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from all directions were coming there to gather. Thus, the contamination was eliminated, and what remained was pure. So, “What was defiled instantly became pure.”
This represents our state of mind. We must truly understand the Buddha’s Dharmakaya. These last few days I have been saying that the Dharmakaya is the true principles. The Buddha’s body, the Dharmakaya, is the true principles. Now for everyone He wanted to bring out these true principles from within His heart. So, He sincerely brought up these true principles. We must experience this; we must eliminate layer after layer of ignorance. Afflictions, ignorance and dust-like delusions must be eliminated layer by layer. Heavenly beings without the proper capacities had to leave. This was because their capabilities were insufficient. Heavenly beings enjoy heavenly blessings. The eight classes of Dharma-protectors did not yet have the capacities to accept the Great Dharma. So, they left. Those who were learning and practicing the Dharma, since they were learning and practicing, had to eliminate ignorance and afflictions. They still had slight traces of ignorance or had not yet completely eliminated their dust-like delusions. At this moment, they had to return to the true principles. It did not matter what they had understood in the past, even in the distant past. “The distant past” refers to for example the very distant era of Many Treasures Buddha, dust-inked kalpas ago, infinite kalpas ago. This was in the very distant past. In the same way, principles are everlasting. No matter how far away or long ago that era was, they remain the same. After the Buddha began expounding the principles, these principles, no matter how extensive, distant or expansive, can still be gathered together in one place. If our body and mind can bring these principles together, everyone’s body and mind will be pure as crystal. Our minds will be as pure as crystal, just like the Avatamsaka state, just like the Buddha’s spiritual state when He first attained enlightenment.
This is the same for all of us. Since we have our nature of True Suchness, the Buddha just needs to awaken it in us. So, we must earnestly work hard. We must eliminate our ignorance. After we eliminate our ignorance, our ocean of enlightened wisdom will manifest. It is the same as the Buddha’s. So, our defiled minds will instantly become pure. Though ordinary people’s minds ae contaminated with ignorance and dust-like delusions, at this time, the Buddha swept these away for us. He wished to help us [take in] all Dharma. Regardless of how long or how far away, these true principles, the Dharmakaya, should be able to converge and gather in the ground of our minds so that it becomes pure. Thus, “What was defiled instantly became pure.” Even if our minds just have tiny traces of afflictions, at this moment we must sweep them away too so [our minds] become pure. Once the mind is pure, “Trees of treasures and ropes of gold border its roads.” This is very valuable. Gold is used for the ropes that line this road. This entire is very level. These ropes, made of gold, to mark its boundaries. This is when we already have minds free of contamination and can guard against wrongs and stop evil. Thoughts of evil have all been eliminated. Thoughts of goodness have all surfaced. This is a completely pure state of mind. This the Dharma taught by the Buddha. Countless Bodhisattvas have manifested. These countless Bodhisattvas listen to the Dharma and then in turn teach it to their followers. The Dharma pervades that land. This is why the Buddha had to gather all of His manifestations together; it was [to purify] the spiritual state of everyone in that place of practice.
So, “In order to gather together the multiple manifestations in the ten directions, this defiled Saha land must be transformed. We must eliminate our discriminating mind to be able to see the true state of ultimate reality.”
This was when the Buddha began to gather His manifestations in the ten directions. This means He hoped we all would have this mindset. Even though we still live in the Saha World, in this defiled land, everyone’s body and mind can be completely pure. We can eliminate the defilements of our mind so there is absolutely no contamination. So, we are “able to see ultimate reality.” Ultimate reality is the true principles. The state of true principles is the true state. Our nature of True Suchness, that truest state, is the spiritual state equal to the Buddha’s. it is the state of the Lotus-treasury. This was the Buddha’s intent.
Now let us look at the previous sutra passage. The previous passage says that the Buddha had already emitted light from between His brows that illuminated the worlds in the east to each of those worlds, those worlds as numerous as the sands of 500 trillion nayutas of Ganges Rivers. There were so many worlds. This describes the principle taught by the Buddha, and the principle of the Middle Way. This light shone in everyone’s minds, and the afflictions as numerous as the sands of 500 trillion nayutas of Ganges Rivers were purified and eradicated. This was because once this light was emitted, it should have shone into everyone’s mind. So, it said the light from between His brows illuminated the places in the east. But did it only shine toward the east? Not only there; “south, west, north, the four intermediate directions and above and below” were all covered by this light. “The light from His tuft of white hair” illuminated those places. This is the same for everyone. When everyone’s state of mind has accepted the true principles, the true principles are like a light. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha are like rays of light that illuminate the spiritual darkness in our mind and turn it into brightness.
The next passage says, “At that time each of the Buddhas of the ten directions said to all His Bodhisattvas. ‘Good men, now I must go to the Saha World, where Sakyamuni Buddha is, and make offerings to. May Treasures Tathagata’s stupa of treasures.”
In the passage before this, the light had already illuminated them. At that time, in the worlds of the ten directions, in each land there was a Buddha. This one Buddha would say to all the Bodhisattvas in that land, would say to all the Bodhisattvas in that land, “Now I must go to the Saha World where Sakyamuni Buddha is. I also wish to make offerings to Many Treasures Buddha’s stupa of treasures.”
This also describes how, although we understand the Buddha-Dharma, we must have even more respect for the Dharma taught by Sakyamuni Buddha now, and also have respect for ancient Buddha, because the Dharma taught by Sakyamuni now is also the Dharma taught by Buddhas from the distant past. All Buddhas share the same path. The same Dharma is passed down in this way. This is to say nothing of Many Treasures Buddha’s vow that, wherever the Lotus Sutra was taught, His stupa of treasures will manifest as a testimony. This is an ancient Buddha testifying to the teachings given by the present Buddha. So, right now we must clearly understand how the past confirms to the present. This means the principles of an ancient Buddha in the past are being used to affirm the present Buddha’s teachings. So, we must pay our respects and make offerings. We should be very clear about this.
The next passage says, “At that time, the Saha World instantly transformed to become clean and pure. The ground was made of crystal and there were magnificent trees of treasures. Ropes made of gold bordered its eight paths.”
This sutra passage brings to surface what we just talked about. The Saha World must become very pure, and nothing is purer than crystal. Crystal has no contamination at all, so it is very pure. What is most precious is gold. Gold made up the ropes that lined the path. This path is an eight-lane path. When we see a road with eight lanes we find it to be very wide, such wide roads are divided by painted [lines]. But in that world, gold was used to make ropes that then divide the lanes. We can see how precious this land is. Its ground is made of crystal, it is adorned by trees of treasures and has ropes of gold as the lines that marks the boundaries of this land. This is truly very orderly. This represents the principles. We must all walk the Eightfold Noble Path. A road in this world can be an eight-lane path, but in the principles of the Buddha-Dharma, there is the Eightfold Noble Path. It is very precious.
So it says, “in order to gather all the Buddha, the Saha World must become very pure. Sakyamuni Buddha had to first exercise His spiritual powers to purify this land. Sakyamuni Buddha had already begun to purify minds of us sentient beings. First He taught that “suffering” has afflictions as its “causation”. This helps us understand that suffering comes from afflictions. So, everyone had already made a lot of effort. Everyone had already cleansed their minds. Their efforts are all aimed at cleansing the ground of the mind. This was the method Sakyamuni Buddha used to help us understand the defilements of our mind and see how we can earnestly clear away the contamination in our minds, this is the Buddha’s spiritual power. He first eliminated the contamination in our minds. This explains how He “transformed the land to receive His guests.”
At that time the Saha World instantly transformed to become clean and pure: In order to gather all the Buddhas, Sakyamuni the World-Honored One, used His spiritual power to first purify the land. This explains how He transformed the land to receive His guests. Transformed the land: This means transforming this defiled land into a pure land. Guests: This refers to His manifestations in the ten directions.
The state of our mind is very contaminated, so we must quickly clean it. After we clean it, the state of our mind will be pure. receiving guests [refers to] taking in new principles. The past principles helped us know the methods for cleaning up our minds. Beginning now, so, there are new principles that we should take in. This is like receiving guests. So, it speaks of “transforming the land.” That is turning this defiled land into a pure land.
“Guests” refers to the Buddha’s manifestations in the ten directions. I keep telling everyone that these [are an analogy for] the true principles. The principles that are spread far and wide in the ten directions must all be brought back together again. We can talk about the Dharma right in front of us, or we can talk about teachings that are more extensive and more expansive. These more extensive and expansive teachings are [derived] from what is right in front of us, from recognizing the Four Noble Truths, understanding the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. Then gradually He further helps us open up to “actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions.” There are so many [teachings] that are so expansive and extensive, boundlessly expansive. In this way, our land turns into a pure land. This requires gathering principles from everywhere. So, “All the Buddha’s manifestations were about to arrive.” The principles were gradually gathered together, and the Buddha again began to reveal ever more expansive, more extensive principles. So, “All the Buddha’s manifestations were about arrive.” They were almost there; the Buddha was starting to teach the Great Dharma. “The Tathagata’s Great Dharmakaya would manifest at the same time. Thus, this defiled land instantly exhibited the appearance of purity.” The Great Dharmakaya of the Tathagata, Sakyamuni Buddha, as well as that of Many Treasures Tathagata were about to manifest. This is because the manifestations of the Buddha had already begun to gather, coming together from the ten directions, forming the body of the Great Dharma, the Great Dharmakaya. The Great Dharma would manifest at the same time. “Thus, this defiled land instantly exhibited the appearance of purity.” This is true even for us ordinary people. With our unenlightened minds, we can also begin to establish our pure land. This is because when we understand the principles, everything is simple and pure. When we do not, things are very complicated.
Recently, I have constantly said that things were originally simple and pure. However, people pursue many things. They have many high ideals and pursue many things. When the ancient engaged in spiritual practice, their practice was down-to-earth. After forming aspirations, [they thought], “I am a spiritual practitioner. According to my lifestyle, I will do my duty. I will engage in the spiritual practice I should and do the things I should do.” Their minds were very simple and pure, free of discursive thoughts.
What about people nowadays? They engage in spiritual practice in name only. They continually feel discontented, feel they do not have enough. However, they do not know what they are lacking. They continue to go about their lives, but it seems as if they ae still looking. They still have not found what will make them feel satisfied. So, with this sense of emptiness in their minds, they have this feeling of dissatisfaction. In the past, engaging in spiritual practice meant leaving the lay life. After becoming a monastic, they left their loved ones behind and followed the monastic community in spiritual practice. Every day, they completed all they needed to do. This was how practitioners upheld their duties. It was this simple and pure. That is a pure land. Without any causes or conditions to entangle them, they could be very pure.
But nowadays things are not like this. So, the Buddha again and again helped us to sweep away our ignorance. [To teach] the discursive thoughts and doubts in our minds, the Buddha came to teach us again and again. This allowed our minds to turn from a contaminated land to a pure land. So, “All people were pure of heart.”
On this pure land, all people were pure of heart and had already received the Buddha’s predictions of Buddhahood. They no longer abided in the Small Vehicle and their hearts were free of defilement, so there was no appearance of this defiled land to be seen.
Now that this pure land had enabled everyone’s mind to become pure, they had “received the Buddha’s predictions of Buddhahood.” Those who had previously already received the Buddha’s predictions “no longer abided in the Small Vehicle” and “their hearts were free of defilement.
Previously, this was discussed in the Chapter on Bestowing Predictions, and the Chapter on 500 Disciples. Receiving Predictions spoke of this too. 1200 people had received predictions. the Buddha had already bestowed predictions on this many people. Those who had already received predictions no longer abided in the Small Vehicle. They had already begun forming Great Vehicle aspirations. They left the Small Vehicle with its focus only on them, with its complicated mindsets, to open the door of their minds to the broad, great path. They were already on the Eightfold Noble Path, the path bordered by ropes of gold. The ground of their minds was already pure and open, and they no longer abided in the Small Vehicle. Therefore, they had already left the contaminations of the mind far behind. So, “There was no appearance of this defiled land to be seen.” Naturally, no appearance of this defiled land remained. It had been eliminated. So, “the ground was made of crystal and there were magnificent trees of treasures. Ropes made of gold bordered its eight paths. These ropes of gold that border the eight paths represent the state of the Lotus-treasury. This is how pure it is “Sakyamuni’s, the World-Honored One’s, true reward-land is intrinsically this pure. Sakyamuni Buddha abides peacefully. His mind is peaceful and at ease. He is always peaceful and at ease. As He returned to this world to attain Buddhahood, He felt afflicted for the sake of sentient beings, he worried about the suffering of sentient beings. it was for this one great cause that He came back to this world. Yet, in fact, Sakyamuni Buddha Himself was still in a pure land. His true reward-land, the place where His spirit abides, the place where His spirit abides, is in fact pure. It is peaceful, a state of ease. It is indeed! He Himslef was very peaceful and at ease. It is just that He could not bear for the hearts of sentient beings to not at ease. They are full of afflictions and create many afflictions and retributions of ignorance. He could not bear for them to suffer retributions. “In order to transform stubborn sentient beings, He manifested in the defiled land of the Five Turbidities.”
In order to transform stubborn sentient beings, He manifested in the defiled land of the Five Turbidities. He now wished to expound the truth, so He revealed the pure land, which was adorned by all kinds of treasures.
This was what Sakyamuni Buddha did in order to transform sentient beings, He came to this filled with turbidity to live together with us all in this place. So, we have talked about “the place where the Five Destinies coexist.” This is the Saha World. The Buddha was in this place where the Five Destinies coexist. He was in the realms of noble beings, still peaceful and are ease. In His mind, there was no gain or loss. It was only the ignorance and afflictions. In sentient beings’ minds that caused the Buddha to feel uneasy. Otherwise, His own mind was peaceful, at ease and pure. So, He abided in the noble realms. Ordinary people are among the Five Turbidities, but while the Buddha came and lived with everyone, His mind was actually still in the noble realms. So, the Six Unenlightened Realms and the Four Noble Realms coexist. The Buddha still belonged to the higher, noble realms. Thus, “He now wished to expound the truth, so He revealed the pure land, which was adorned by all kinds of treasures.” As He was in this world, intrinsically, His mind was actually peaceful and at ease. But now He must quickly help everyone understand.
In the past, everyone had unenlightened minds. Now, many had already received predictions. They had heard many of the teachings they should, and they should have eliminated the Small Vehicle of only benefiting oneself. Rather than just benefiting themselves, they should also benefit others. This is advancing. So, the Great Vehicle Dharma was already revealed. Their minds should now enter the true reward-land. Everyone should, just like the Buddha, enter the true reward-land, the true spiritual state He abides in. The Buddha’s spiritual state is very peaceful and at ease. Thus, the Buddha wanted to reveal and describe this pure land of the mind. “So, He revealed the pure land, which was adorned by all kinds of treasures.” This is because He wanted to turn the defiled into the pure, to turn this impure land, the land of this Saha World, into the Buddha’s land. He wanted to transform the contamination of this place where the Five Destinies coexist and help us advance to the Four Noble Realms. The Four Noble Realms go from the realms of Hearers and Solitary Realizers to the realm of Bodhisattvas and even to the reals of the Buddha. From this defiled land where [the Five Realms] coexist, He guides us to understand the Six Unenlightened Realms, the six kinds of defiled states of unenlightened beings, and then helps us understand the states of the Four Noble Realms to help us advance forward. With our ears, we take the teachings to heart. Starting from the understanding that all suffering comes from the law of karma, He further helps us understand how to liberate ourselves from the sources of suffering. We must benefit [ourselves and] others as we walk on the Bodhisattva-path. We create blessings in the world and absorb wisdom among people. “Without experience, we cannot grow in wisdom.” In this way, we complete our wisdom-life. He now revealed to us that our wisdom-life has always been equal to the Buddha’s, so we must enter the pure land, this dignified state. So, as Buddhist practitioners we must be mindful. This world is impermanent. In this impermanent world, we must earnestly control our own minds and transform the complicated into the simple. Right now, as [monastics] in an environment for spiritual practice, we must do our fundamental duty. Our Pure Practitioners must do the same. We must do our fundamental duty and safeguard our environment. What about lay practitioners? After hearing the Dharma, they understand the principles; [they know] how to take care of their family and change their behavior. After changing, they then care for society. At the same time, they empathize with and have compassion for sentient beings and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Everyone in this world is a Bodhisattva. The fourfold disciples are all able to be peaceful and at ease in this pure Buddha-land. It all depends on whether we accept and take the Buddha-Dharma to heart; [this is a matter of] our own spiritual state. So, it depends on whether we can always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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