Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Gathering People to Spread the Sutra (募持經人 弘宣廣化)
Date: April.02.2018
“The 80,000 Dharma-treasuries cannot match the perfect, wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle. How could the Six Spiritual Powers possibly compare with Many Treasures, Sakyamuni and His manifestations? In this evil world, we are able to listen to the Dharma of wondrous existence and true emptiness. With the essence of ultimate reality, we can inquire into the fruits of enlightenment from the causal practice of the One Vehicle.”
We must be mindful! There are 84,000 Dharma-treasuries. In the past we have talked about the 12 divisions of the Tripitaka and its 84,000 teachings, as many as the Ganges’ sands. All these many sutras “cannot match,” do not measure up to, “the perfect, wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle.” This is because, with all these many sutras, wondrous existence is the essence refined from [all their teachings on] existence and emptiness. For more than 40 years, the Buddha taught about emptiness and existence. He gave many teachings, varying teachings of emptiness and existence according to people’s capabilities; this is how the Buddha taught and transformed. So, He taught according to capabilities, giving countless [teachings]. Whether these teachings were about “existence” or “emptiness,” in His mindfulness, the Buddha never neglected even a single sentient being. He used all kinds of [teachings] to help people with different capabilities. This is why [He devised] “80,000 Dharma-treasuries,” so many teachings. The Buddha then incorporated all these teachings into the perfect and wondrous Lotus Sutra. It is the essence of the Buddha’s wisdom. So, how could the Six Spiritual Powers possibly compare with Many Treasures, Sakyamuni and His manifestations?
Speaking of the Six Spiritual Powers, what are spiritual powers? As we mentioned previously, “The nature mind is called ‘spiritual’”. “Our wisdom-nature is called ‘power’”.
The natural mind is called “spiritual”. Our wisdom-nature is called “power”. Our natural wisdom-nature thoroughly illuminates all without hindrance. This is referred to as “spiritual powers”. This means that the Tathagata, with useful provisional and skillful means, accords with and adapts to our capabilities, manifesting Himself freely; this is unfathomable.
If we can be mindful of these, [we know] they are not strange supernatural powers. They are very ordinary, the natural, pure nature possessed by everyone. This wisdom-nature is intrinsic to everyone, so these spiritual powers are innate in everyone. We just need to purify ourselves. This is like a great perfect mirror which reflects mountains as mountains and water as water. Everything in the world is reflected by this great perfect mirror wisdom state of mind. So, in “our natural wisdom-nature,” “natural” refers to how it has always been there. It “thoroughly illuminates all without hindrance.” This is great perfect mirror wisdom. All appearances are reflected in this great perfect mirror wisdom. So, “This is referred to as ‘spiritual powers’.” This is what is known as spiritual powers.
However, we sentient beings remain covered in ignorance. So, the Tathagata already, “with useful provisional and skillful means, accords with and adapts to our capabilities.” The Tathagata’s mind is free of discursive thoughts. It is clear, like a polished mirror. He knows which teachings suit sentient beings’ capabilities. Thus, the Buddha delivered and transformed sentient beings according to their capabilities. Thus, it says adapting to their capabilities, He “manifested freely”. When it comes to transforming a certain person, which teachings to use to match his [capacities] is something that, as unenlightened beings, we cannot imagine or explain. Thus, it says that “this is unfathomable”; [it is impossible] for an unenlightened mind to fathom the mental state of the Buddha. The wisdom of the Buddha’s mental state is like a clear, unstained, great perfect mirror. The mirror in the Buddha’s mind is extremely clear and bright. And what about ours? Ours is hazy. The mirrors of our minds are covered by layer upon layer of afflictions, ignorance and dust of delusion. They cannot clearly reflect external states. After the Buddha attained Buddhahood, everything became completely illuminated for Him. If we can understand this, then shouldn’t we be clear? So, there is no way our ordinary minds can compare with Sakyamuni’s or Many Treasures Buddha’s state of mind after They attained Buddhahood. Add to that [Sakyamuni Buddha’s] manifestations. The Buddha’s manifestations had already completely and thoroughly understood this sutra, taken the sutra to heart and come together with the Dharma. So, the teachings are the Buddha’s manifestations, distributed throughout the ten directions. For Many Treasures Buddha to manifest, His wish was for Sakyamuni Buddha to bring His manifestations, to bring all the teachings, together. So, we can say that this wondrous and perfect One Vehicle Dharma is the enlightened spiritual state of the Buddha. The treasury of 80,000 teachings cannot compare with this perfect teaching.
For us unenlightened beings, if we listen to the entire treasury of 80,000 teachings but have not yet understood the perfect, wondrous Dharma, we cannot compare; we cannot compare; we cannot complete to Many Treasures Buddhas, nor can we compare to Sakyamuni Buddha. We cannot compare to those who have heard the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Sutra and have thoroughly understood emptiness and wondrous existence. When one understand these principles, one is said to be a manifestation [of the Buddha].
“In this evil world, we are able to listen to the Dharma of wondrous existence and true emptiness.” We have heard this principle of wondrous existence and true emptiness in this evil world with our own ears. In particular, we have been able to hear this perfect and wondrous principle that brings emptiness and existence together. This is the perfect teaching of wondrous existence. This expresses the hope that in an evil world, like this evil world now, we can have the chance to listen to this perfect teaching, the wondrous principles of true emptiness. “With the essence of ultimate reality, we can inquire into the fruits of enlightenment from the causal practice of the One Vehicle.”
If we can do this, if we can use our ears to hear the teaching of ultimate reality, hear it and take it in, then, after taking it in, if there is something we are not clear about, we can inquire about it. In the end, when Sakyamuni Buddha had already grown old, He instructed them to quickly ask about what they did not understand. If they still did not thoroughly understand the essence of ultimate reality, then they should hurry to ask about it. In “the fruits of enlightenment from the causal practice of the One Vehicle,” the causal practice of the One Vehicle is actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions. This is the only path to Buddhahood, the singular great direct Bodhi-path. So, if we are not clear, if we do not understand, then we should quickly ask. If we can do this, our causal practice can be very thorough. Everyone knows what the causal practice is. Our causal practice is the Bodhisattva-path; it leads us in the direction of the fruit of Buddhahood. So, let us all be mindful in seeking to realize this.
The previous sutra passage says, “After I enter Parinirvana, if one were able to reverently uphold such a sutra as this then that would be considered difficult.”
This is the previous sutra passage. This previous passage reminds us of the Buddha’s hope that after He entered Parinirvana, everyone would be able to reverently uphold this sutra. However, when we form aspirations to accept and uphold this sutra we will meet with many difficulties. We have already discussed this in the past.
Next, [the Buddha] said, “For the sake of the path to Buddhahood, throughout countless lands, from the beginning until now, I have widely taught many sutras, and among all those sutras, this sutra is foremost. If one can uphold it, one is thus upholding the Buddha’s body.”
This means, “In the past, all the sutras that I taught throughout my lifetime were for the sake of the path to Buddhahood, were for the sake of the path to awakening. I taught according to capabilities. For the countless [different] capabilities, “I have given countless teachings”.” [To accommodate] the state of mind of countless people, I have taught the Dharma according to their capabilities, over the course of many lifetimes in every land, in different countries and nations.” The world is large. The Buddha is not born in India every lifetime. Over the course of countless lifetimes, He has been born in different countries. In this way, He is born in response to His affinities. Thus, Sakyamuni Buddha [was born] in countless lands. [This happened] “From the beginning until now.”
In the past, He did this until He attained Buddhahood, and He will still continue on into the future. “I have widely taught many sutras, and among all those sutras, this sutra is foremost.” He wanted this sutra to be continuously passed down. Among the many sutras, this sutra, the Lotus Sutra, is foremost. “If one can uphold it, one is thus upholding the Buddha’s body.” Accepting and upholding this sutra is the same as accepting and upholding the Buddha’s body. This is because wherever this sutra may be, the Buddha’s entire body will be there. In the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, we already talked about this. So, upholding the Lotus Sutra is the same as upholding the Buddha’s body. It is as if the Buddha was [here] teaching the Dharma. It is the same principle.
So, the following sutra passage says, “All you good men! After I enter Parinirvana, who is able to accept, uphold, read and recite this sutra? Declare your vows before the Buddha now.”
Here, “all you good med” refer to those listening at that assembly. This was how the Buddha reminded them and instructed them; these were His final instructions. This was because He would soon enter Parinirvana. The Buddha’s life in this world was nearing its end. At this time, this was truly for the sake of the future evil and turbid era of Dharma-decay. “His intent was to entrust [this sutra] to them.” This was the original intent that He had long harbored in His heart and has wished to freely express all along. He had always wanted to let everyone know that; they must place great importance upon this sutra; it is perfect and complete. The essence of the Buddha’s 12 divisions of the Tripitaka is found in the Lotus Sutra. He wanted to teach the Bodhisattva Way, the great, direct Bodhi-path, the causal practice of Bodhisattvas. The direct Bodhi-path is the causal practice of Bodhisattvas. If we can continually advance along this path, diligently moving forward, we will reach the state of Buddhahood. This was what the Buddha was concerned about, so He earnestly and deliberately reminded them and entrusted [this sutra] to them.
All you good men! After I enter Parinirvana: He told the entire assembly about the time after He would enter Parinvirvana. The Buddha’s worldly life was about to end, so for the sake of the evil and turbid era of Dharma-decay, His intent was to entrust [this sutra] to them.
It continues by saying, “Who is able to accept, uphold, read and recite this sutra?” The Buddha was now recruiting people. He was petitioning them, exhorting them. He needed people; it was time to gather people and gather hearts. He hoped that everyone would form aspirations. He was asking everyone to form great aspirations and make great vows to uphold this sutra. “He was gathering people to uphold the sutra.” He was exhorting them to earnestly accept the teachings of this sutra.
So, “He asked the entire assembly”. He was soliciting everyone, asking if there was anyone who was willing. “Is anyone brave enough to make these great vows?” Was anyone willing to uphold this sutra? Was anyone brave enough to make great vows to enter the world? Was anyone willing “to uphold this sutra”?
“Undertake” means to take on responsibility, to take on “promoting [this sutra] and widely transforming people”. How many were ultimately willing to do this? How many were willing to form aspirations? The Buddha was very earnest. He wanted to gather people to form aspirations. He wanted to heart those in that place, those sitting before Him, form aspirations. This was the Buddha’s ardent hope for sentient beings!
Who is able to accept, uphold, read and recite this sutra? He was gathering people to uphold the sutra. He asked the entire assembly if anyone was brave nough to make great vows, uphold this sutra and undertake the responsibility of promoting it and widely transforming people.
“Declare your vows before the Buddha now”. They should come before the Buddha and make vows to the Buddha. The Buddha was now asking for people, asking them to form aspirations, hoping that at this time they would be willing to form aspirations, that at this time they would come before the Buddha and declare, “I am willing! I am not afraid of how sentient beings here are stubborn and hard to train! I am not afraid!” This is courage. “Who is will to bravely come forth and make vows like this?” He wanted them to make vows.
The next sutra passage continues, “This sutra is difficult to uphold. If someone upholds it even temporarily, I will rejoice and so will all other Buddhas. Such people will be praised by all Buddhas. This is courage! This is diligence!”
The Buddha had already talked about how this sutra is truly difficult to uphold. The 12 divisions of the Tripitaka and the 84,000 Dharma-doors can be accepted and upheld by all of us; this is not difficult. But to uphold this this sutra is truly very difficult. This is because this sutra is the combination of the essence of all 12 divisions of the Tripitaka. To thoroughly understand it and take it to heart and then be willing to put it into practice, to teach it and model it by putting it into practice, is very difficult indeed. “If someone upholds it even temporarily….” Even though human life is short, if, with all our might, we [carry out] this great aspiration even for a short time, all Buddhas will rejoice. As long we give rise to this thought, regardless for how long, all Buddhas will rejoice.
Not only will Sakyamuni Buddha rejoice, all other Buddhas will rejoice as well. Since all Buddhas share the same path, all Buddhas will rejoice because we have taken the Buddha-mind as our own. When we truly have the Buddha-mind, our every thought is on sentient beings. For sentient beings to be saved, this sutra is needed. This sutra is the essence of the perfect, most wondrous Dharma.
So, if anyone is willing to form aspirations, even just temporarily, all Buddhas will rejoice. Thus, we understand that this sutra is difficult to uphold, but it can still be done; this is truly not easy. It requires us to dedicate ourselves completely.
“Upholding it even temporarily” means that “in every inhalation, we do not abide in the [5] Skandhas or [18] Realms and, in every exhalation, we are not entangled by our affinities with sentient beings; when we turn this sutra constantly, beyond doubt, we will have light reflecting back on our minds”. If we “respect the Buddha’s words” and uphold and recite them even temporarily, all Buddhas will rejoice and praise us.
This is referring to dedicating our whole lives, every exhalation and inhalation, every breath. Throughout this time, we will not abide in the Skandhas and the Realms action and consciousness. Within the Five Skandhas, as long as we are able to breathe, our mental state must remain pure. We must not force affinities with sentient beings. When we can go among people to teach the Dharma without becoming contaminated by them, we are “upholding it even temporarily”. This is the kind of people we need to be. “Upholding it even temporarily” does not mean if we form an aspiration right now that the Buddha will rejoice just like that. Whether our lifespan is long or short, we need to dedicate our entire life. After listening to this Dharma, [we must be vigilant of] the Five Skandhas, form, feeling perception, action and consciousness. For as long as we breathe, we need to go among people and remain uncontaminated by them while we give of ourselves while we give of ourselves to help them. This is what I have been telling everyone for a very long time now. Life is short.
We must truly hurry [to make use of] the Five Skandhas, form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. Throughout this life, as we come together with external states, since we have made vows to go among people, we must not become defiled by them; this is known as “upholding even temporarily”. Life is painfully short; it goes by in a flash. Thus, we must always preserve purity of mind. This is also “upholding even temporarily”. “When we turn this sutra constantly, without a doubt, we will have light reflecting back on our minds.” We must constantly keep turning the wheel of our minds. As long as we keep giving with reverence, as long as we keep giving with reverence, the day will come when it will come back to us. This is why we must be mindful.
Such people “will be praised by all Buddha”. If we can do this, we will be praised by all Buddhas. We need to be very mindful of this. Those who uphold the Lotus Sutra in the era of Dharma-degeneration will always be praised by all Buddhas.
In this era of Dharma-degeneration, in a turbid and evil world like this, for us to uphold the Lotus Sutra is truly not easy. Therefore, we will “always be praised by all Buddhas.” Listening to this sutra is not easy. We need to be able to always mindfully listen without interruptions and without leaks. We must not let the Dharma leak away; we must carve it into our hearts. If it does not leak out but remains in our hearts, then, whenever we see someone, the things we say will never be far from the essential meaning of the Lotus Sutra. This is because everything in the Lotus Sutra is taught in response to capabilities throughout our daily living.
This is something we must be very mindful of. In the era of Dharma-degeneration, we must never lose sight of this we must never lose sight of this. Moreover, we must always act accordingly, with body and mind in unity. Thus, our threefold karma returns to one.
Our speech must all be true principles, our actions must accord with the Bodhi-path and our minds must be directed toward the Buddha’s path to awakening. In this way, the three return to one. This is always what the Buddha praised the most. Thus, we will “always be praised by all Buddhas”. We will also be in thoughts of all Buddhas. So, “This is courage!” being able to do this means we have courage; it is truly being courageous.
This is courage! This is diligence!: To be able to do this difficult task is what it means to be courageous. To practice wholeheartedly and tirelessly is what it means to be diligent.
This sutra is so difficult to uphold. Not only must Dharma be in our every thought, every word from our mouths also contain the Dharma in its meaning. When we see someone, our intent must be teach to their capabilities. For this, the Buddha needs our hearts to be inseparable from the essence of the Lotus Sutra. So, in this way we should be courageous in both listening to the sutra and in teaching the sutra. We must not only teach; what we can teach, we must do. We must act according to what we teach. We must always be mindful of this.
Our words must be expressed in our actions and we must act according to the principles. These principles are the path for us to walk on in order to return to and abide in the Dharma. So, to teach and transform, to transform and deliver, to lead everyone to purify their minds, we must always use this method. In our speech, we always teach the Dharma, advancing with every step and evert thought. This is what we need to do. This is the meaning of being courageous and diligent.
“To be able to do this difficult task…” This is very difficult. We are still unenlightened beings. In every thought and in every word, for us to put [the Dharma] into action, to practice what we teach and to be able to keep our minds on the Bodhi-path is truly not easy. To be able to do this requires courage. “To practice wholeheartedly and tirelessly” means not becoming lax, whether in listening or teaching the sutra. Putting [this sutra] into practice in the world and helping others without ever stopping or becoming indolent is having “diligence”. As for “courage”, this is used to praise those who can uphold [the sutra] because “they have achieved the superior practice”. This is the most superior kind of practice.
Courage: He praised those who are able to uphold it as having achieved the superior practice. We must use this path to discipline ourselves from within to attain the power of fearlessness. Diligence: This means our minds do not retreat or yield but thoroughly practice the teachings of the path.
The ability to listen, to teach and to put the Dharma into practice is what the Buddha is praising. He is praising those with courage; this is having the superior practice. So, “We must use this path”. This true path is very important. We have to follow this true path. We must “discipline ourselves from within”. When it comes to our own minds, we must be responsible for them ourselves. We must take good care of them and be courageous from within. We must discipline our minds well and not let them become scattered. When we are among people, we must remain very determined and take good care of our minds.
Otherwise, when we encounter external conditions, we may lose our focus and, as the surroundings tempt us, become separated from this very important path. A minor deviation can lead us far off course, and it will then be a very long road back. So, when we ourselves are on the path of the “superior practice” of the True Dharma, we must be able to endure people’s afflictions and ignorance. We must discipline our minds and thoughts and be able to endure challenges and persevere in our direction. So, we “attain the power of fearlessness”, fearlessness in teaching the Dharma. We are fearless and without hindrance. When we are promoting and spreading this sutra, we must be replete in the Fourfold Fearlessness. In expounding the Dharma, we must be replete in the principles so that we can go among people without fear. This means we must not let anyone lake is waver. Thus, we must be diligent. Our minds can never retreat; we can never allow the world’s mara-realm of afflictions to subdue us. Our hearts must be courageous. We must be diligent. We must never surrender in this evil world. Even with so many [negative] influences, we must still persevere. With firm spiritual aspirations, our mindset will naturally be very resolute.
Thus, we “thoroughly practice the teachings of the path”. We do everything to practice the teachings of this path.
So, the next sutra passage says, “This is what it means to uphold the precepts and be an ascetic practitioner. Thus they will readily attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood.
They uphold all precepts and practices and correct themselves internally and externally” through the Three Combined Precepts. We spoke of this earlier. This means that, in our everyday life, we need the precepts of all virtuous Dharma, the precepts of the dignity of our demeanor and the precepts of benefitting the sentient beings; these are the precepts for embracing sentient beings.
This is what it means to uphold the precepts and be an ascetic practitioner: They uphold all precepts and practices and correct themselves internally and externally through the Threefold Combined Precepts. Facing our dust-like disturbances without fear is the Bodhisattva-path. Upholding vows and engaging in causal practice is entering the Buddha Vehicle.
What methods and regulations should we use to guide sentient beings? We must first uphold the Dharma ourselves before we can teach others. Only by upholding the precepts ourselves will we be able to teach those precepts to others. We must never abandon any of the sentient beings of the Dharma-realms, so our hearts must remain accepting and open to firmly uphold the Threefold Combined Precepts. We must persevere in these many teachings. In body and mind, we must maintain a dignified demeanor and a compassionate and charitable attitude to bring all the many sentient beings together.
We must definitely maintain the dignity of our body and mind etc. as we deal with the myriad sentient beings. We must practice what we teach and uphold precepts and virtue in order to guide others to have discipline.
So, “Facing our dust-like disturbances without fear is the Bodhisattva-path”. We are not afraid. We do not fear becoming defiled by people in this turbid and evil world. We are not afraid. This is because we have already prepared our minds well. To practice the Bodhisattva-path, we first must be replete with the Dharma, this perfect and wondrous True Dharma. We are inherently replete with it, so as we put it into practice, we are willing to go among people. We have already prepared ourselves mentally and physically, so we go among people.
Whatever defilements we many encounter there, we can still actualize the Six Paramitas in all our actions. When it comes to the path of the causal practice of Bodhisattvas, we still follow it without deviating from it. So, we must make vows. “Upholding vows and engaging in causal practice is entering the Buddha Vehicle”. To practice the Bodhisattva-path means to uphold great vows and engage in causal practice. To walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must first make vows, first establish great vows to advance straight along the Bodhisattva-path of causal practice, to diligently advance and never deviate. This is how we reach the Buddha Vehicle. We must understand “ascetic practice”. Ascetic practice is to “relinquish dusts and abandon desire, to purify our dusts and free ourselves of defilement. [We] uphold the Fivefold Dharmakaya”. This is something all of us need to know.
Ascetic practice: Through relinquishing dusts and abandoning desire, we purify our dusts and free ourselves o defilement. By upholding the Fivefold Dharmakaya, we liberate our bodies from our dust-like disturbances and purify ourselves. Because afflictions defile us, they are called “dust-like”. Because they can disturb people, they are called “disturbances”.
Ascetic practitioners are monastics who engage in ascetic practices. This is like Mahakasyapa, who engaged in a lifetime of ascetic practice. He renounced all desire for food and drink and all worldly material comforts of this world. He lived the most austere life. Those who lived like this were known as ascetic practitioners. They gave little thought to how they dressed, ate, lived or acted. They wanted to demonstrate that, since they had abandoned the lay life, they were now unaffected by the Five Desires. They only did what they needed to survive, treating their bodies as vessels for practice. To listen to Dharma, to realize the principles, this was all they [hoped for]. They had given up everything else.
So, they had already “relinquished dusts”. They had given up their families and no longer had any material possessions or thoughts of desire. So, they “purified their dusts and freed themselves of defilement”. Afflictions would never again contaminate their hearts. This is in regard to desire. “By upholding the Fivefold Dharmakaya….” Do you know? Precepts, Samadhi, wisdom, liberation and liberation’s understanding and views, these form the Fivefold Dharmakaya. We spoke about this earlier.
“We liberate our bodies from our dust-like disturbances and purify ourselves.” We are liberated from dust-like disturbances. We no longer have any desirous thoughts for anything in this world. “Because afflictions defile us, they are called ‘dust-like.’” They are all called dusts. Afflictions and defilements are all called dusts. These worldly afflictions are all very fine and subtle, just like dust particles; they are so numerous. These are called “dusts”. “They can disturb” our minds and cause us to become very afflicted. These are all worldly matters. People’s ignorance, people and matters all obstruct us like this. Our own minds cause us to remain continually stuck in ignorance. This is something we must pay close attention to.
Next it says, “Thus they will readily attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood.” Thus they will readily attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood: We will swiftly attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood. It is through our intrinsic nature that we will attain and perfect our wisdom-body without needing to be awakened by others.
If we can do this, if we can uphold this sutra, observe the precepts and uphold ascetic practices. This is to be an ascetic practitioner. In this way we can completely rid ourselves of worldly material desires and “will readily attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood”. The Buddha taught us that, from our hearts we should rid ourselves of all ignorance and afflictions. If we can do this, we “will swiftly attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood”. This does not mean that we have to be like Mahakasyapa. No. It means we must be firm in our aspirations and not allow afflictions and disturbances to enter our hearts. If we can do this, we will “swiftly attain the unsurpassed path to Buddhahood.” ”It is through our intrinsic nature that we will attain and perfect our wisdom-body without needing to be awakened by others.” This is something we can experience for ourselves. It is not something someone else can give us; it is something we intrinsically possess. It is just that our afflictions keep coming to disturb us. We allow so many defilements from external ignorance and afflictions to disturb us. It is not that afflictions come to disturb us; it is we ourselves who stir up these afflictions.
Eliminating our afflictions is not something someone else can do for us. Even the Buddha cannot eliminate them for us. The Buddha can only give us the Dharma. We must use the Dharma in our own minds so that, when we encounter external states, we can use the Dharma to eliminate our afflictions. Afflictions are just like defilements; they are dust-like disturbances. It is we ourselves that have these afflictions that make our minds very turbid. These impure things disturb our minds. These are “dust-like disturbances." We must be very mindful if we are to realize this. This is not something someone else can give us; it is something we must aspire to do. We must make vows and work hard to rid ourselves of these afflictions, this ignorance. Only then will we be able to establish great vows.
The verse above states that “We must make vows to uphold the sutra.” The previous verse states that we must make vows to uphold the sutra. [It also discusses] the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra even temporarily. Respecting the Buddha’s words and upholding and reciting them even temporarily will cause all Buddhas to rejoice and praise us.
We should form aspirations and make vows. We must rid ourselves of these afflictions and make great vows to uphold this sutra. “[It also discusses] the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra even temporarily." We just talked about [upholding the sutra] even temporarily. This does not mean that just because we listen for a little while today, all Buddhas will rejoice; it is not like this. After listening and taking in the Dharma for our entire lifetime, we will understand the principles of form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, the Five Skandhas. By disciplining ourselves from within, we will remain undefiled as we go among people. For as long as we breathe, for as long as we live and breathe, we will always uphold this sutra. This is the meaning of “temporarily.” Life is inherently temporary. We temporarily live and breathe. But as long as we breathe, throughout our life, we can uphold this sutra. We should not underestimate the great merit and virtue of doing this, even temporarily. “Temporarily” means as long as we breathe. In our daily living, we are amidst the Five Skandhas; the Five Skandhas are all empty. When we thoroughly understand the principles of form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness, we will naturally no longer be defiled by dusts. Thus, we should mindfully try to realize this. "Respecting the Buddha’s words” means greatly respecting the Buddha’s teachings. “Upholding and reciting them even temporarily” will cause all Buddhas to rejoice and praise us. So, we must be mindful. Even though it is “temporarily,” we must be mindful as we listen to the sutras. “Temporarily” means “as long as we breathe.” I hope that we all, for as long as we breathe, will clearly understand the principles of the Five Skandhas. All the shapes and colors of the world, whether sound or shape or form, [all have] these principles. After form comes feeling, our sensations. Then action is when we take action. In form, feeling, perception and action, we must always return to the mind. We must earnestly accept this; this is something we must understand clearly. Then the Threefold Combined Precepts will naturally reside in our minds. As long as we breathe, we must always be mindful.
So, we are now about to finish this chapter, so we must all always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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