Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: All Teachings Return to the One Vehicle (弘揚諸權 終歸一乘)
Date: May.09.2018
“For the sake of the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle, [the Buddha] spread myriad provisional teachings to guide sentient beings to return to the One Vehicle and swiftly attain Bodhi. A model who upholds and resonates with [the sutra] will benefit all sentient beings. This is what it means to resonate with the sutra.”
In order to have a clear understanding, we need to mindfully seek to understand the Dharma. In order for us to expound the Dharma, we must understand its meaning. Not only must we understand the Dharma’s meaning, we also need to give teachings according to capabilities. Whatever sentient beings’ capabilities are, we must prepare to teach them accordingly with an abundance of methods. [This is] for the sake of the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle. All sentient beings have Buddha-nature; this is an invariable principle. The Buddha wanted sentient beings to clearly recognize this and truly have faith; we must have faith in ourselves, in that we all inherently possess the [nature] of True Suchness of the One Vehicle. In other words, regarding the great principles of the One Vehicle Dharma, everyone should be able to clearly understand. This is because everyone inherently has the intrinsic nature of True Suchness. [We all] have the nature of True Suchness, which is the Buddha-nature. The Buddha-nature is our innate enlightenment. Everyone has always possessed this intrinsic nature of enlightenment, which is our nature of True Suchness. As for this nature of True Suchness, our innate, enlightened nature, it is like an ocean, an ocean of wisdom. As long as we open up our nature of True Suchness, once awakened, our enlightened nature will manifest, and we will have wisdom as vast as the ocean. Everyone intrinsically has this. It is not something that others give to us; it is something that we intrinsically possess. We all have this. However, in our minds, we have accumulated so much ignorance and so many afflictions. Thus, our nature of True Suchness is covered by our afflictions. We are always talking about this. The Buddha is always emphasizing this to let us know that the Tathagata-garbha nature, the nature of True Suchness that lies within the Tathagata-garbha, is something we definitely have. It is just that this Tathagata-garbha nature is covered by our afflictions and ignorance. We need to find our nature of True Suchness, which is the principle of the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle. Recently, we have been talking about how “We see the universe in a speck of dust.” Principles are not things we can see! [A speck of dust] is so miniscule, yet it contains the principles of the universe. All the true principles of the universe are contained within a single speck of dust; this is our nature of True Suchness. We cannot see it, but it definitely exists. In order [to help us understand it], the Buddha had to establish teachings. He did this to adapt to our capacities. So, we need to learn His teachings. This is what the Buddha taught us. We need to absorb all the many principles and take them to heart.
Since the Buddha-Dharma contains so many principles, we need to be mindful. Because the Buddha had already attained enlightenment in the world, everyone recognizes the Buddha as the Great Enlightened One in the world. We talked about this two days ago. The principles have always been here. We have all always been able to attain Buddhahood. All Buddhas repeatedly return to this world. Let us take a look at Manjusri Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva. The sutras clearly state that they attained Buddhahood in the past. Manjusri Bodhisattva was Honorable Dragon King Buddha. Guanyin Bodhisattva was Clear True Dharma Tathagata. They had already attained Buddhahood in the past. Now, they were in this world, helping the Buddha to teach and transform sentient beings. This is to help us understand that the Bodhisattvas who already attained Buddhahood and return to the world to help teach are very numerous indeed! Similarly, lifetime after lifetime, Sakyamuni Buddha also came to this world to reveal the teachings to sentient beings according to their capabilities. However, the causes and conditions had not yet matured. In any other time, if He said, “I have attained Buddhahood,” the causes and conditions had not yet matured.
The causes and conditions finally matured when 2000 years ago, in the Kingdom of Kapilavastu, He was born in the palace. He went through the same kind of life as we do. Inside the palace, he enjoyed glory and wealth. Because of His studies, He realized the complexity of the religions of that era, the extreme disparity between the rich and poor and many other [issues] in that era. In summary, the way people lived during that ear enable Him to see all the suffering in the world and experience the impermanence of life. This was not wisdom just gained in this lifetime; He had already accumulated an ocean of enlightened wisdom. Although He received His education in the palace, whenever He saw something in the outside world, as soon as He encountered it, He understood it. He manifested in this state so that he could give up his rank and wealth. This was to help everyone in the world understand that He had this kind of experience, this story, that would continue to be passed down in the world. Everyone would have [a story] to pass down.
In fact, over His course of spiritual practice, His enlightened nature was always there. It was just that He manifested these appearances. Thus, we say He manifested “Eight Aspects of Attaining Enlightenment”. He went through birth, childhood and youth; He considered leaving the lay life, then underwent spiritual practice until He attained enlightenment. Then, He expounded the Dharma to other people and became old. He also suffered from illness and pains, and then He entered Prainirvana. This was what the Buddha experienced in this life; He was the same as us humans. It was just that the Buddha clearly understood that enlightened nature. He always wanted to help us understand that everyone follows the same course as the Buddha. It is just that the karmic retributions we receive are different from His. The Buddha’s karmic retributions were to come to the world and live inside the palace, to have this period of life inside the palace. As for us ordinary people, everyone is born into different families and has different family backgrounds. This shows that everyone has different karmic retributions. However, our Buddha-nature is the same, because everyone follows the laws of nature. The laws of nature are the same for everyone; [we all go through] birth, aging, illness and death. Everyone has different ideas and habitual natures. Some people are very stubborn in nature, while some people are very virtuous, kind, intelligent and wise. Though they may share the same environment, people have different natures. While living inside the palace, the Buddha began to have compassion for sentient begins at a young age. After attaining Buddhahood, He returned to the palace to transform many princes and royal relatives, who all came to engage in spiritual practice. Ananda and Devadatta had the same parents and grew up in the same environment. However, they also had different habitual natures. This is due to many lifetimes of cause, conditions, effects and retributions. So, to sum things up, if everyone earnestly contemplates from this perspective, we can understand our lives more clearly. Everyone is capable of receiving the Buddha’s predictions. Virtuous people and spiritual practitioners can receive the Buddha’s predictions. Evil people, such as Devadatta, can also receive the Buddha’s predictions. However, there are retributions for both good and evil. There will be retributions; take Devadatta for example. Although he did receive the Buddha’s predictions, it was not until after he fell into hell that Buddha bestowed predictions upon him. This was because he had committed so many evils. He harmed the Sangha and even wanted to harm the Buddha. He even wanted to take the Buddha’s life. So, he fell into hell while still alive. This means that he had received his retribution. The Buddha still bestowed predictions upon him. However, for [Devadatta] to attain Buddhahood, it would still take a very long time.
Because Devadatta still had the Dharma in his intrinsic nature, no matter how he was born or how he would die, his intrinsic nature was still rich in the Dharma. However, he did not put it to good use in saving people. He took advantage of the Dharma to become more clever in creating [negative] karma. Because he created negative karma, he fell into hell. If he can make good use of the Dharma to benefit sentient beings, He will attain Buddhahood, become a Bodhisattvas. This is to tell everyone that everyone has the nature of True Suchness. All sentient begins have this nature of True Suchness. All sentient begins have the chance to attain Buddhahood. When certain causes and conditions support them, they can attain Buddhahood. Thus, this is to help us understand “the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle”. [The Buddha] hoped for everyone to understand this. The Buddha bequeathed the Dharma to the world. This is the Dharma the enlightened wise one expounded after attaining Buddhahood.
Now we say, “Thus have I heard”. We are all listening. When “I” hear [the Dharma] like this and when “I” see the Dharma like this, I put my heart into [understanding it]. Now, you are hearing [the Dharma]; afterwards, you will have such Dharma, such knowledge and such understanding. We need to care it into our minds. When we meet sentient beings with different capabilities, we need to use different methods to treat and educate them. Thus, we must “spread myriad provisional teachings”. This means that we need to open the provisional, which is skillful means.
This is just like how yesterday, we listened to some Tzu Chi commissioners share about the Tzu Chi volunteers who visit the prisons three times a week to share the Buddha-Dharma with the inmates. They share my words in the prison. They even encourage the inmates to listen to Da Ai Radio, which broadcasts the sutra teachings so that everyone can listen. When these Tzu Chi volunteers visit these inmates in prison, they talk about the sutras and discuss the Dharma with them; [The volunteers] share the sutras they heard and the Dharma that I taught them. So, gradually these inmates have been transformed [by these Tzu Chi volunteers]. These inmates practice calligraphy in prison. They practice by writing sutras and Jing Si Aphorisms. Their calligraphy is very pretty. Again and again, volunteers bring the writing back. The volunteers also brought back an ox-cart; [an inmate] had carved this animal [sculpture]. I said, “Is this a pig?” The volunteer said, “No, it is an ox”. “How can an ox be that fat?” A cart was attached to the ox. But it did not look like an ox at all; it looked a lot like a pig. That volunteer told me that sculpture came from an inmate who had been in prison since he was 17. Now, he is already more than 30 years old. He has not seen an ox for such a long time. This is a child from the city. At the age of 17, he committed a serious crime, so he was given a life sentence. For so many years, Tzu Chi volunteers have been visiting this inmate. So, he was touched and has become very well-behaved. He puts his heart into writing and drawing. He can do calligraphy and draw, and he can also carve sculptures. We are not allowed to give them very sharp objects to carve with so that they will not harm themselves. So, first of all, he did not have the [proper] tools. Secondly, he had never seen an ox. But he had heard the teachings about the great white ox-cart, the sheep-cart and the deer-cart. After listening to the teachings, he took them to heart. So, since he carved an ox-cart, he carved an ox, but this carved ox really looked like a pig; it was really chubby. I said, “It does not look like an ox at all”. They explained to me that they told the inmate about this, saying, “This does not look like an ox, it looks like a fat pig”. He tired to explain it by saying, “How about treating this as an ox who is well-fed by the Dharma?” So, this ox had turned into something like a pig. They brought it here for me to see. They brought this sculpture here for us to use as a decoration. This is how we go from the skillful teachings to the One Vehicle Dharma. This is how the Three Vehicles, the sheep-cart, the deer-cart and the great white ox-cart, are spread in the prisons.
So, [this is what it means to spread myriad provisional teachings”. [This inmate] has realized what the world is like. “I want to earnestly engage in spiritual practice and eliminate my afflictions”. He said this. This is what this inmate said. For this spiritual practitioner, he knows that it is very unlikely for him to be released from jail during this lifetime. So, he treats being in prison as if he is engaging in spiritual practice as a monastic. He wants to eliminate all his afflictions. He now wants to enter the Dharma-door of the Great Vehicle, so he carved the great white ox-cart. This is how he came to understand it. This also means his enlightened nature has been awakened. This is what we saw and heard yesterday. It was also very touching.
These living Bodhisattvas spread the teachings that they hear on the outside into the prisons in order to transform sentient beings so they will “return to the One Vehicle and swiftly attain Bodhi”. They use the Great Vehicle Dharma [to transform sentient beings]. They begin by opening the door of provisional teachings. After opening the door of provisional teachings. After opening the door of provisional teachings, they then begin to use the One Vehicle Dharma to guide sentient beings to “return to the One Vehicle and swiftly attain Bodhi”. If we can understand the worldly teachings and understand people, matters and appearances, [we will then understand this] everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. However, [this inmate] had been very cruel; at such a young age, in his teens, he committed a serious murder, one that shocked the entire society. We can see how confused he was back them, but now through all kinds of teachings, he has over a long time, gradually been transformed. In particular, the warden also uses the sutras [to help reform inmates] and lets them listen to the sutras on a regular basis. These are all methods [of spreading the Dharma]. Not only do we visit the prisons in person, but we also use modern technology to bring good teachings inside. On a regular basis, Tzu Chi volunteers also visit the prison three times a week. Like this, the Dharma-water has gradually seeped into their intrinsic nature. This happened gradually, after many years, after seventeen to eighteen years. He will no longer have the chance to commit crimes. He constantly engages in self-reflection. Through his self-reflection, he has learned to do no evil. Not, the virtuous Dharma continues to seep into his mind and nourish his wisdom-life. So, he has “returned to the One Vehicle and will swiftly attain Bodhi”. In prison, he comprehended and awakened to his enlightened nature.
Thus, “A model who upholds and resonates [will the sutra] benefits all sentient beings”. This means that we must earnestly uphold the sutra. A model is someone who resonates with the sutra. “The sutra is a path”. He has taken this sutra to heart. So, he has also become a spiritual practitioner and a role model; he has become a role model inside the prison. He works hard at his calligraphy, at reading the sutras and at his craftwork. It is just like he is in a spiritual training ground. We can engage in spiritual practice anywhere. It was also the same for Manjusri Bodhisattva. He could engage in spiritual practice anywhere. Prison can also be his spiritual training ground. For Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, hell was his spiritual training ground. All in all, anywhere can be a spiritual training ground; Bodhisattvas can also go to that place to transform sentient beings. In that place people can also attain Buddhahood or become Bodhisattvas.
Manjusri Bodhisattva transformed sentient beings inside the dragon palace in the ocean. Look at how so many thousand-petaled lotus flowers emerged from the ocean and abided in the empty air. Starting from the teachings of Hearers, he taught until [sentient beings] comprehended the teachings of emptiness of the One Vehicle. We talked about this yesterday. So, this means sentient beings entered the sutra treasury and took the sutras to heart. This is called “upholding and resonating with the sutra” and being a model to benefit sentient beings.
To “resonate” means to resonate with the sutra. [To be] a “model” means we have transformed, transformed evil into good, transformed ourselves from arrogant people into Bodhisattvas who accept the teachings and who have already made great aspirations to practice the Bodhisattva-path. Then we must go on to benefit sentient beings. Only if we can do this are we resonating with the sutra. In order to resonate with the sutra, we need to transform sentient beings. When sentient beings have accepted the teachings, this means they are in accord with the sutra and resonate with the principles of this Dharma.
Thus, matters and principles must come together. If matters are not with us, we are far away from principles. When it comes to evil matters, how can we apply the principles to transform this evil? We must use methods to transform it so that this evil can turn into goodness, which means to come into accord with principles. Then we say ”That’s right. You are doing it the way were taught; that is correct.” It is correct; it is in accord with the principles. The principles is the same “This is what it means to resonate with the sutra.” In order for us to resonate with the sutra, we need to uphold the Dharma. Doesn’t the Chapter on Dharma Teachers tell us to uphold the Dharma? By taking the Dharma to heart, we can become role models. Then, we can benefit sentient beings.
We need to listen to a lot of teachings and be those who listen to and transmit the Dharma to benefit sentient beings. Then, we can be said to “resonate with the sutra.” Only then will we be able to be in accord with the principles.
The precious sutra passage is about Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva and Manjusri Bodhisattva. They engaged in a dialogue to adapt to people’s capabilities. Because many people of [limited] capabilities still did not understand [the principles], Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva purposely showed that he still had a few doubts so that Manjusri Bodhisattva could answer these questions to suit their capabilities. We need to be grateful to Wisdom Accumulated for coming at that time. We should also be grateful to Sakyamuni Buddha for getting Wisdom Accumulated to stay there to meet with Manjusri Bodhisattva so that the two of them could address people’s capabilities. In this way, the Dharma can then suit capabilities to be widely spread so that people can further understand this Dharma.
The two Bodhisattvas conversed according to capabilities. Their meaning was both obvious and implicit. [Wisdom Accumulated] asked, “You have transformed so many sentient beings. Did you expound the meaning of the ultimate truth so that those sentient beings could be easily transformed?”
The meaning of this conversation was both obvious and implicit. In order to reveal the true teachings that are implicit, they had to accord with capabilities. Wisdom Accumulated said, “I do not know, so I am asking you. You tell me this and explain this to me. Not just so I can understand, but so that many people can understand.”
In the same way, at first we could not understand this, but through their conversation, they naturally revealed this principles to us and helped us understand it more clearly. Why? All sentient beings are equal in nature. In order to reveal this, Manjusri Bodhisattva went to the dragon palace in the ocean to teach and transform sentient beings. He demonstrated that all sentient beings are equal in nature.
However, this was difficult to understand. So, Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva had to stay and ask Manjusri about this. Then Manjusri began to reveal this principles to help us understand it more clearly. “[Wisdom Accumulated] asked, You have transformed so many sentient beings. Did you expound the meaning of the ultimate truth? At that place, you were expounding the teaching of the ultimate truth. Were they easy to transform?” This is the previous sutra passage.
Thus, we can completely understand it. “At that time, Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva spoke these verses in praise.” After hearing Manjusri Bodhisattva’ words, Wisdom Accumulated praised Manjusri “‘With great wisdom and virtue, courage and strength, you have transformed and delivered countless beings. Now those in the great assembly and I have all seen it for ourselves. You proclaimed the meaning of ultimate truth, expounded the One Vehicle Dharma and broadly guided all sentient beings, leading them to swiftly attain Bodhi.’” “Manjusri said, while I was in the ocean. All I did was teach the Wondrous Lotus Sutra.”
Manjusri Bodhisattva heard Wisdom Accumulated praising him, so he told Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva, “I was there not only to reveal the Dharma of the One Vehicle.” I was also expounding the Lotus Sutra there. The Lotus Sutra is the king of all sutra the way to attain Buddhahood. At the dragon palace in the ocean, I was expounding the Lotus Sutra not ordinary Great Vehicle teachings, but the Lotus Sutra.” This was to help him better understand that those sentient beings can also accept the Lotus Sutra. These appearances had already manifested. There were many thousand-petaled lotus flowers floating in the empty air.
The following sutra passage states, “Wisdom Accumulated asked Manjusri, ‘This sutra is extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. It is a treasure among all sutras, a rarity in the world. Could there be any sentient beings who, by earnestly and diligently practicing this sutra, have been able to swiftly attain Buddhahood?’”
By asking this question, he wanted [Manjusri] to explain whether the time it takes to attain Buddhahood through practicing this sutra will be long or short. How long does it take? When he taught the sutra there, even if they could hear and accept the teachings, could they really put the teachings into practice? How long does it take to engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood? Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva still had to ask [these questions].
This explains his inquiry into how long it would take one who practices this sutra to attain Buddhahood. Wisdom Accumulated intended to demonstrate that the power of the sutra could help people readily attain the fruit of Buddhahood. So he asked this question to initiate this [process].
Wisdom Accumulated “intended to demonstrate that the power of the sutra could help people readily attain the fruit of Buddhahood”. He wanted to let everyone know whether the course of spiritual practice was fast or slow. Thus, he asked this question.
Wisdom Accumulated asked Manjusri, “This sutra is extremely profound, subtle and wondrous”: The meaning of this Lotus Sutra is extremely profound. The meaning of each word is so subtle and wondrous that it is unsurpassable; it exhausts all the treasuries of a thousand Buddhas. Thus, it says “extremely profound”. It exhausts the subtleties of our nature and worldly phenomena, thus it says it is “subtle and wondrous”.
“Wisdom Accumulated asked Manjusri, ‘This sutra is extremely profound, subtle and wondrous”’. This sutra is very profound; the meanings of the Lotus Sutra are very profound. Its words are especially subtle and wondrous. Every sentence, every word contains subtle and wondrous teachings. They contain very profound teachings, which are subtle and wondrous. Every sentence inside this sutra is full of “subtle and wondrous meaning”. Because its meanings are so profound, thus “the meaning of each word is so subtle and wondrous that it is unsurpassable”. It is so subtle and wondrous that no other sutra can compare to its profundity. ”It exhausts all the treasures of a thousand Buddhas. Thus it says ‘extremely profound”’. All Buddhas, including all past, present and future Buddhas, had used up all of their treasures. To “exhaust” means to use up; it used up “all the treasures of a thousand Buddhas”. All the Dharma of all Buddhas is “extremely profound”. All Buddhas share the same path; the Dharma is very profound. Every Buddha has [followed] the Lotus Sutra in attaining Buddhahood. Only by going through the Lotus Sutra can they attain Buddhahood. So, “it exhausts all the treasures of a thousand Buddhas. Thus it says ‘extremely profound’. It exhausts the subtleties of our nature and worldly phenomena, thus it says it is ‘subtle and wondrous”’. All natures and appearances, all essences, natures, matters, appearances and so on are very subtle and intricate. So, we say, “One speck of dust contains the principles of the universe”. This is what I want to tell you about. The principle is the same.
“It is a treasure among all sutras, a rarity in the world”.
It is a treasure among all sutras, a rarity in the world: It is extraordinary throughout all the worlds. This sutra is wondrous and subtle precisely because it can be considered a treasure among all sutras. Because of this treasure, it can transform all things into the Buddha’s teachings and encompass all sutras so all become sutras of Wondrous Dharma.
The Lotus Sutra is a treasure among all sutras, a treasure among all treasures. It is “a rarity in the world,” the Dharma that is hard to obtain. Even if we can read this sutra, we cannot understand the meaning of this sutra. Even if we can understand the meaning of it, it is still difficult to put this into action. “It is extraordinary throughout all the worlds. This sutra is wondrous and subtle precisely because it can be considered a treasure among all sutras”. So, because of its wondrousness, it is a treasure among all sutras. This is all we can describe with our words. Actually, this sutra can neither be expounded through our language nor fathomed by our minds. It has always been so subtle and wondrous from ancient times to today. We can use the matter of the prison we discussed a moment ago to understand this principle. The principle is the same.
Worldly matters and appearances are shallow. [The sutra] is deep because it exhausts the treasures of all Buddhas. It is so subtle and wondrous and so profound. “Because of this treasure, it can transform all things into the Buddha’s teachings and encompass all sutras so they become sutras of Wondrous Dharma”. In order to turn the Dharma-wheel of this sutra, it truly needs to encompass all the sutras. By encompassing all the wondrous Dharma in this sutra, this sutra is indeed the king of all sutras; it is very subtle and wondrous. “Could there be any sentient beings who, by earnestly and diligently practicing this sutra, have been able to swiftly attain Buddhahood?” Do sentient beings like this really exist? Through diligent spiritual practice, can they swiftly [attain Buddhahood]? Since this sutra is so subtle and wondrous, there are so many earnest sentient beings who are diligently practicing this sutra. Can they really attain Buddhahood in such a short period of time? Do beings like this exist? Wisdom Accumulated Bodhisattva asked an even harder question for Manjusri Bodhisattva to answer. “Are there perhaps any sentient beings who, by listening to this wondrous sutra and by earnestly and diligently practicing it, have been able to swiftly attain Buddhahood?” If everyone puts their heart into it, will they be able to attain Buddhahood swiftly? “It propagates and spreads; its infinite meanings are without end”.
It propagates and spreads; its infinite meanings are without end. It is like a wish-granting jewel that fulfills all our wishes as we please. It is a rare treasure in the world, unmatched by all other sutras. This is in praise of the essence of the sutra.
[Its meanings] are abundant and are flourishing; many principles have spread from it. To “propagate” means that there is a lot. [The principles] are constantly emerging, “spreading its infinite meanings without end”. It continuously gushes out like a gushing spring, never stopping; the infinite meanings never cease [to flow]. How could this Dharma ever be finished? “It is like a wish-granting jewel.” It is like a wish-granting jewel. This saying has existed since ancient times. A wish-granting jewel “fulfills all our wishes as we please. It is a rare treasure in the world.” The principles of the Lotus sutra are like the water of a gushing spring that constantly gushes out without stop. It is like a wishing-granting jewel that fulfills all the people’s wishes. This is a rare treasure in the world. This sutra is just like that. Thus, “It is unmatched by all other sutras.” This passage praises this sutra for being so subtle and wondrous. Thus, we need to mindfully seek to comprehend the teachings of this sutra. If “there are people” who follow this Dharma to diligently engage in spiritual practice, “can they swiftly attain enlightenment?” Now, Wisdom Accumulated wanted to see, “Were there people who followed this sutra, earnestly engaged in spiritual practice, attained swift enlightenment in this life and understood everything? Could people understand the principles behind this sutra? Could they engage in spiritual practice and swiftly understand the meaning of this sutra in this lifetime?” What he meant was, “Even if you have not engaged in spiritual practice, can you understand [all the principles] just by hearing this sutra? Is this possible?” This is what the question was about. This depends on whether the capabilities of those receiving the teachings are sharp or dull. For those with sharp capabilities, as soon as they see this sutra, they will have joy in their minds. The more they study the principles of the sutra, the more their minds are filled with Dharma-joy. This means with this sutra, their capabilities and the principles resonate. Are there people like this? They would be those with sharp capabilities. As for those with dull capabilities, they cannot understand; they just feel that it is so repetitive. Also, [the sutra] is very long and the principles are very subtle and intricate. It is really difficult to comprehend. These are people with dull capabilities. They are unable to accept this. For those with sharp capabilities, not only can they accept this, but they are also filled with Dharma-joy.
Yesterday morning, after giving the morning Dharma talk, I heard that in Changchun, there were 108 people listening to the teachings. They have been doing this for 1000 days. They have been filled with Dharma-joy for 1000 days. It was as cold as negative 21 degrees Celsius. They braved such cold weather in order to listen to the Dharma. Think about this; this is an example of resonating with capabilities. All of them have very sharp capabilities. Because they took joy in listening to the Dharma, they were willing to brave the wind and snow. They had been listening to the Dharma continuously for 1000 days. For a whole 1000 days, they came like this to listen to the Dharma. Think about it; think about this power. This is what is wondrous about this sutra. For people who are filled with Dharma-joy, whose capabilities resonate [with the Dharma], they are able to persevere. Let us think about this; yesterday, there were 108 people. This is really incredible. When I teach this sutra, even though Changchun is so far away, they are also able to listen [to my teachings]. So, we should praise them. These people are all Bodhisattvas with sharp capabilities. They are very dedicated.
Even when I was speaking Taiwanese, in that place, they were still willing to continue to listen. They are truly diligent spiritual practitioners. This is not easy. So, we must all truly always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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