Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Giving Away the Pearl He Had Guarded for So Long (久護明珠 今乃與之)
Date: September.28.2018
In the Introductory Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, there is a verse that goes, “They uphold the purifying precepts as thought guarding a brilliant pearl. They safeguard and uphold the purifying precepts of all Buddhas. This practice of precepts keeps the mind free from defilements and turbidities. They are clear, pure and undefiled, inside and out. Those with the supreme practice of precepts are like pearls as brilliant as the moon.”
The brilliant pearl is a metaphor. Now we will look at the following passage about the king taking the pearl from his topknot to bestow it upon those who can accept it. We must be very mindful. What kind of people are able to accept the pearl? We know that they must “uphold the purifying precepts as though guarding a brilliant pearl.” Throughout countless lifetimes, the Buddha always formed great aspirations and made great vows, vows to engage in spiritual practice. One aspect of spiritual practice is that we must eliminate our afflictions and discursive thoughts to grow our wisdom. We must reduce ignorance and increase our wisdom, constantly eliminating and reducing [ignorance] and constantly growing [wisdom]. If we do this throughout many lifetimes, we will not just reduce what we must reduce; we will thoroughly eliminate it. We will be completely free of defilement, pure and free of turbidities. This will take a very long time, countless lifetimes. We must always maintain this aspiration, which is to make vows to engage in spiritual practice for the sake of all sentient beings.
We do not engage in spiritual practice for ourselves alone; we must do this to benefit all sentient beings. In fact, benefiting all sentient beings is the true way to benefit ourselves. Thus, we must awaken to this great aspiration. Once we awaken to this great aspiration, we must uphold the purifying precepts as if we were protecting a brilliant pearl. We could never put a price on the value of this pearl; we cannot put a price on it because it is invaluable and priceless. Thus, an item of such extraordinary value is not something we can just give away to anyone we please.
This is how the Buddha was. “We must safeguard and uphold the purifying precepts of all Buddhas.” This is the method of teaching everyone the way of spiritual practice to guard against wrongs and stop evils. When it comes to wrongdoings, we must always be vigilant. In everything we say, every step we take and every thought we give rise to, we must keep our body, speech and mind pure. This is how “the purifying precepts of all Buddhas” teach us to guard ourselves. We must not allow our defilements to increase, and we must eliminate our existing [defilements]. We must guard ourselves to prevent defilement and eliminate what we must eliminate. While we are trying to eliminate our defilements, we must not let ourselves become defiled again. First, we must guard ourselves from defilement, and then we must ceaselessly eliminate our defilements.
This is just like these past few days. On June 1, 2017, we started receiving alerts about torrential rain, so Tzu Chi volunteers began to make preparations. Once the weather bureau made this forecast, we all had to be very diligent. Sure enough, as soon as they began preparations, the rain started falling that same night. On June 1, the torrential rain began, leading to sporadic disaster situations, which we started to hear about here and there. The roads were flooded and the rain was strong, and this continued into the next morning. Then, we heard about houses being flooded. Throughout the day, on television, from the footage [on the news], not only did we see floods, but also landslides, where the earth had come crashing down, knocking over walls and destroying homes. One after another, these events were continuously reported on TV. Most TV stations were reporting on this.
In the past, it was only during typhoon warnings that the damage would be this severe. There was no typhoon this time, only lots of rain, so how did it cause so much damage? This was completely unexpected. But when these events occurred and Tzu Chi volunteers received this news, they mobilized immediately. Slowly, the disaster reports came out and they made announcements about assembling. They quickly gathered their forces, and volunteers both near and far who saw [the news] in the city mobilized immediately. We received news that there was still heavy rain and flooding. Should we have gone out at this time? No! The people who give help need to be safe first, and we must not add to [people’s] troubles. We still had to assess [the situation]. When the rain slowed, first we had to see if the roads were blocked and if he bridges had collapsed. If the water does not recede, then it is possible that the roads will collapse beneath the water, which could be very dangerous. So, we could not just go rushing out there. Still, everyone was very anxious to do relief work. The rain was still falling, but when it slowed down a bit, they went as far as they could to take a look, braving the rain to begin [the relief work].
On June 2 and June 3, they began to clean inside the city, in Neihu district. They had to clean the lower floors of buildings, the basements, but due to lack of manpower, they had no way to clean them. Living Bodhisattvas of all ages, even some who were over 70 or 80 old, Faith Corps members and commissioners all set everything aside to join groups both large and small. We saw how, starting from the basement, they formed a human chain passing [the debris] all the way up, step by step. They even carried heavier things on their backs as they climbed up and down each step. How old were they? “This Dharma-brother is 80 years old.” We received another message by phone. An elderly Dharma master from Jin Shan Temple called Tzu Chi volunteers to request assistance. At Jin Shan Temple, the mountain behind them had collapsed into the temple, and the mud had flooded the inside of the temple. She hoped that Tzu Chi volunteers could send a few people to go and help. This message was sent to a volunteer’s phone, and the volunteer quickly asked, “Master, how big is your temple? How many people would you need?” The Dharma-Master said, “Can five or six people come and help me? What is he flooding situation like? What is the damage there?” She described how the mud had poured [into the temple] from all around and told the volunteer its surface area. The commissioner understood and began contacting people. “Can we send 50 or 60 people to go and help?” The Dharma-Master only asked for 5 or 6, but the commissioner asked, “Can 50 or 60 people go to help?” In fact, over 90 people were mobilized! Wow, more than 90 people truly exercised their altruistic potential. Even with this many people cleaning, they still had to go back the next day. So, the Tzu Chi volunteers asked, “Master, why did you only ask for 5 or 6 people?” He replied, “I did not want to ask for too much. With 5 or 6 volunteers, if we cleaned for a week, we could still finish cleaning.” However, with only 5 or 6 people working on such a large area, even a week would not be enough time. Nearly 100 people helped clean. This was very inspiring. Gradually, they spread the word on the web and made announcements. Apart from the over 90 volunteers who arrived, they were constantly receiving messages saying, “We are getting ready to go out as well. We are already on our way.” Our commissioner, who was the coordinator, said, “There are nearly 100 people here now. You do not have to come. We should not overcrowd this place, so you do not have to come.” But they still had to go the next day. Why? There were still many places in need of repair. There were Faith Corps members from all trades. Some worked in renovation or construction. There volunteers went to the places where their expertise was most needed. Just look at them. The stairs were damaged by the flood. The steps outside leading up to the temple were destroyed by the flood, so they meticulously repaired the broken steps. Then, we also saw footage of how even the commissioners moved sandbags up the stairs. Every sandbag weighed 30 kg. They carried each bag on their shoulders up those stairs outside the temple. They climbed those stairs step by step, moving the sandbags from the bottom of the hill to the back of the temple. Because the landslide had destroyed the wall behind the temple, they had to quickly carry the sandbags over and pile them up as a wall to prevent another landslide. Whether they were men or women, these Bodhisattvas were all willing to work so hard. Cleaning [the mud] was already exhausting, but they even carried the sandbags [up the stairs]. They worked until everything was in order. It took two days and many volunteers. They tidied up everything so that the area was completely clean. Not only did they clean the surroundings, they also washed all the things [inside]. They repaired everything that needed to be fixed. As they cleaned the temple, the hearts of the people who served became even purer. They were filled with joy and peace. With so many people to protect this temple, whenever something happens, they will immediately go to clean it up until it is completely clean. This is [practicing] “purifying precepts”. On a larger scale is our natural environment. We must constantly protect our natural environment and keep it safe. The substance and appearance of the land must be protected and kept natural. We must not damage or destroy it. Even if we only destroy a small part of it, almost the entire area will be affected by this small amount of damage. It is just like our own bodies. When our skin has a cut or burn, if we do not immediately tend to the wound, sterilize the wound, stitch it up and apply [antiseptic] ointment, then this wound will begin to fester and become infected. Then, it will begin to rot.
The earth is a solid substance. We have discussed specific phenomena before. Solid objects can be specifically discerned, such as the earth, which is solid. There are universal and specific phenomena. Universal phenomena are things that cannot be seen. They encompass all of the principles. Specific phenomena are what we can see. Everything we can see and touch is called “specific phenomena”. Take this disaster, for example, the rain and the moisture. Due to the imbalance of the four elements, this moisture condensed until it reached a certain point, forming rainfall.
Nowadays, for some places, even though we share the same sky, some countries suffer from droughts. Some places never get any water. but in the great sky, [clouds] keep accumulating and taking in moisture until they reach a certain point, a certain place. When the conditions have been fulfilled there, the rain will fall heavily.
What is it that fulfills these conditions? The collective karma of sentient beings formed this weather by bringing these conditions together. Whether it is the wind or the rain, it all works the same way. So, this time, in this place where the karmic conditions, the karmic forces, came together, there was an unusually large amount of moisture. This unusual amount of moisture all condensed in one place, in a particular region, where it kept growing, resulting in this relentless, torrential rain. Where did the rain fall? This time all of the rain fell in the mountains.
At the weather bureau, the meteorologists conducted an analysis. Before the disaster struck, the weather bureau reported that this storm would take place entirely in the mountains. We can see the physical clouds of moisture; this is water in the form of vapor which condenses. This time it did this in the mountains. The rain kept pouring and pouring, so of course the mountains saw constant landslides. Just look at how, before the flooding started, the Suhua Highway kept experiencing landslides for several days due to the constant rainfall. Over the past few decades, the mountains are slowly being destroyed. Now they have lost their ability to [retain water]. They can no longer hold up against the water. They can no longer retain this much water, so they are bursting. The mountains keep collapsing. This is due to the karma of sentient beings as well as the climate, which has its own meteorological principles. So, they conducted their advance analysis. “The rain will fall in the mountains. It will go on and on without stopping, torrential rain!” Indeed, that was the case. Do we believe in these principles, the invisible principles of universal phenomena? Do we believe in the law of karma? Do we believe in the forces of karma? The collective karma of sentient beings is due to the karmic cycle of cause and effect. The damage we have done throughout the ages has ravaged this body of land.
Now that it is truly wounded, this body is no longer as strong as it was and cannot bear as much as it used to. Not only must it bear so much, but it is also being constantly destroyed. This wounded earth can no longer bear to sustain so many people on its surface who create [negative] karma.
Therefore, we must return to the “purifying precepts”. If we all uphold the “purifying precepts”, we can understand these principles. We will completely understand how everything is a result of karmic conditions and the collective karma of sentient beings. If we are willing to accept the purifying precepts of all Buddhas, then we must earnestly uphold them. If we can uphold these precepts, we can still prevent [this from happening]. We must guard this brilliant pearl by immediately safeguarding these principles. There are universal and specific phenomena. The principles of universal phenomena must be experienced through specific phenomena. We must mindfully experience them, and we must uphold and safeguard them. The [earth] is sick, so we need to help it heal itself. We must also take responsibility for the earth. We must take responsibility for the earth like we take responsibility for our own body. Regarding our body, we must take responsibility for everyone action our body takes and not create evil karma. We cannot merely focus on our personal enjoyment. Our body is a vehicle for spiritual practice, so we must engage in spiritual practice. We should use our bodies to do good deeds instead of only using them to pursue pleasures. We must carefully guard our brilliant pearl. This is our intention. We need to be free of greed, anger and ignorance. In every thought, we must maintain precepts, Samadhi and wisdom as well as listening, contemplation and practice. This is the mindset we need. What about our speech? Our mind has realized [the principles], so we must use our speech to promote the principles and exercise our wisdom. We must put [the principles] into practice. Our threefold karma of body, speech and mind is something that we need to guard well.
This is what the Buddha wants to teach us. “We must safeguard and uphold the purifying precepts of all Buddhas”. He teaches us to uphold the purifying precepts, beginning with our individual actions. Because the earth is our home, we should all encourage and motivate one another. We all share this responsibility. I must do my part, you must do yours, and we all need to work together.
This time, we saw volunteers go to clean up people’s homes, including the homes of some vulnerable families. Some of these people are disabled. When the rain came, the mud flooded their homes. Just their ordinary lives are difficult for them. Who would come to help them now? Their children no longer live in the countryside, so they were unable to rush back there. Perhaps the children have their own families, too, so they could not come to help. Who came to help? The Living Bodhisattvas of the world. They see everyone as their own parents. This is how Bodhisattvas are. All elders are our parents. People around the same age are just like our own siblings. These Bodhisattvas see the whole world as one family, so they went right in. When they arrived, they consoled and embraced the survivors, saying “Don’t be afraid!” We are all here”. Some [volunteers] were even older than they were. They saw an old man who was in his 70s, He was disabled, and [conditions were poor] inside the house.
One of our Faith Corps members was even older than this man. He helped him clean [his house] and even helped him take a shower. After his shower, the Tzu Chi volunteers advised him not to stay there anymore. They quickly contacted social services to come and persuade him. The volunteers also tried o persuade him, begging him to go live in a nursing home, where he would be safe and cared for. This was no easy task. The volunteers kept trying to convince him, so they contacted social services to help take down his information and help him prepare to move to a nursing home somewhere. Finally, the elderly man nodded in approval. As though helping their own elderly family member, they went to help this man. There is no age limit for Bodhisattvas. This volunteer was older than he was, but he still helped him clean and take a shower. This is how they cared for the man as if he were their own brother and helped him settle somewhere safe, so they could have peace of mind. These is their great spiritual training ground. These are Living Bodhisattvas. The is their great spiritual training ground for the truly diligent and all the work they do. Upholding the purifying precepts, they protect all the sentient beings of the world.
“This practice of precepts keeps the mind free from defilements and turbidities. This practice of precepts keeps our minds pure and free of defilements. We give of conditioned phenomena and receive unconditioned Dharma in return. Although everyone was exhausted, their hearts were full of joy, made free by the Dharma. They practiced diligently in their training ground. Despite their exhaustion, they attained an abundance of Dharma. When we see life’s impermanence and the suffering of sentient beings, we give of ourselves to see them receive help and to relieve them of suffering. This is all part of the Dharma. We put what the sutras teach into action and are made free by the Dharma.
Thus, “This practice of precepts keeps the mind free from defilements and turbidities”. Our minds are pure and full of joy. “They are clear, pure and undefiled, inside and out. In this way, our minds are purified and our innermost hearts are purified, too. Through truly diligent practice, we are made free by the Dharma. This is what it means to be someone “with the supreme practice of precepts”. Those who have perfected the precepts are supreme spiritual practitioners. They are “like pearls as brilliant as the moon. In our minds, we all have begun to attain [this pearl] as brilliant as the moon in our mind. This pearl is inside our minds. Once our mind leaves the darkness of ignorance, our mind will be just like the moon, like a brilliant pearl. This is why we must we must mindfully seek to comprehend the following sutra passages. So, we must work hard to be mindful.
The precious sutra passage states, “This Lotus Sutra can lead sentient beings to the wisdom of all Dharma. People in the world who bear much resentment find it difficult to believe in. I never taught this before, but now I will teach it.
Now, He began to “bestow awards based on merits”. For example, over the past forty or so years, everyone had accepted the Buddha’s teachings one part after the other. This is what the Dharma’s principles are like. They realized them through spiritual practice. But the Buddha had another important teaching, like the brilliant pearl in the king’s topknot. Though he bestowed awards based on merits, he had yet to give out this brilliant pearl. This shows that in their spiritual practice, they had yet to reach that level. They had yet to form great aspirations or “actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions”. The Buddha had thought that since no one had attained this realization yet, they would fall to realize the true principles. Now, as He began to teach the “Lotus sutra,” this brilliant pearl would be revealed. This is how the true principles are He would help everyone understand them. This is because “This Lotus Sutra can lead sentient beings to the wisdom of all Dharma”. We have previously discussed the wisdom of all dharma, wisdom of all paths and all-encompassing wisdom. We need the wisdom of all Dharma, Buddha-wisdom, natural wisdom and untaught wisdom.
The principle is the same. This Lotus Sutra is replete with all this wisdom, which we have fully taken into our minds and engraved into our hearts. Thus, it can lead us to “the wisdom of all Dharma. People in the world who bear much resentment find it difficult to believe in. although we understand the Lotus Sutra and have also been able to put it into practice, in this world, there are still many people who do not understand it and bear mush resentment toward it. Our aspirations must be unwavering. We must do what is right and make great vows to take action.
Therefore, we must not allow these people who bear much resentment and find it hard to believe to cause us any harm. We must safeguard the precepts in our minds. Guarding against evil is keeping the percepts. We must remember this.
“I never taught this before, but now I will teach it. If we want to teach the Lotus Sutra, we must uphold the Lotus Sutra, so we will definitely encounter people in the world who bear much resentment and find it hard to believe in.
Therefore, we need this perseverance and these great vows to willingly uphold the Lotus Sutra and put it into practice in the world. Starting with the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, the Buddha kept emphasizing this more and more to help us understand that if we are willing to uphold the Lotus Sutra, the world will present us with many hardships like these. So, we must be mentally prepared. This is what the Buddha teaches us, as if He were giving us an immunization shot. We must strengthen our resolve.
The following sutra passage states, “This is like how the powerful king, having long guarded the pearl, how gives it away. Manjusri, the Lotus Sutra is the secret treasure of all Buddhas, all Tathagatas.
We must look at this and understand it further. This is a continuation of the [earlier] analogy about “the powerful wheel-turning sage king”. We must remember the pearl in the wheel-turning sage ling’s topknot. This is an analogy. This sutra is like the wheel-turning sage king’s [pearl]. He has a topknot on his head, his hair tied in a bun. His hair, combed to the top of his head, conceals a brilliant pearl within. This wheel-turning sage king had always protected this brilliant pearl. He mindfully guard the pearl in [his topknot].
This is like how the powerful king, having long guarded the pearl, now gives it away: The following presents the metaphor of how that powerful wheel-turning sage kind has long guarded the pearl in his topknot and now gives it away.
We must thoroughly understand this. We know that this is just like how the Buddha’s original intent is the Lotus Sutra. The principles of the Lotus Sutra are what He always wanted to teach sentient beings. Because all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, the Buddha shared with us that everyone can attain Buddhahood. But He could not explain these principles all at once in a way that everyone could accept. So, He had to be patient and constantly guide them. At this point, the Buddha said, “Manjusri, the Lotus Sutra is the secret treasure of all Buddhas and Tathagatas”. He again reminded them, “This Lotus Sutra is no ordinary sutra. I will teach it to you, but you must cherish it, for it is unlike any other sutra! It is the secret treasure of all Buddhas and Tathagatas”. Every Buddha shares the same path. Their heartfelt intent is the Wondrous Lotus Sutra. Every Buddha comes to world with the goal of “opening and revealing [the Dharma]” for everyone to “realize and enter”. Everyone has the intrinsic Buddha-nature. This great principle is taught within the Lotus Sutra. This sutra is meant to [teach] everyone to serve and give of themselves to others. This is the great principle.
This “secret, the mission in all Buddhas’ minds, is like the pearl in the topknot”.
This is the mission in all Buddhas’ minds. Every Buddha has this intent. This secret treasure is the Lotus Sutra. This Lotus Sutra is the mission of all Buddhas, so it “is like the pearl in the topknot”. Bound in the king’s hair, this pearl is hidden inside, which represents his status as king. Whether it is a king or a wheel-turning sage-king, they all have this appearance, especially the wheel-turning sage king.
The following sutra passage states, “Among all sutras, it is supreme. I guarded it throughout the long night and did not teach it casually. Starting today, I will give it to your all and widely expound it.” Now, the Buddha has taught [this sutra]. The Lotus Sutra, “among all sutras,” is “supreme”. Since the Lotus Sutra is king of all sutras, it is represented by the brilliant pearl on the king’s head. This sutra is supreme. Thus, “among all sutras, it is supreme”. It is supreme. So, “It is guarded and retained in all Buddhas’ hearts”. It is the Dharma which all Buddhas safeguard.
Among all sutras, it is supreme: Among all sutras, it is supreme. It is guarded and retained in all Buddhas’ hearts. Also, this Lotus Sutra can encompass all. It is the king of all sutras, like the wheel-turning king. Supreme: This is analogous to the top of the king’s head.
“Also, this Lotus Sutra can encompass all. It is the king of all sutras”. The Lotus Sutra encompasses all the sutras within it. With the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha wanted to tell us clearly what the key points of the wondrous Dharma are. This is the king of all sutras, “like the wheel-turning king”. Just like the wheel-turning king, it is “supreme”. It is just like the topknot atop the king’s head. He must carefully guard it. “I guarded it throughout the long night and did not teach it casually”. The Buddha constantly guarded it and did not casually give it away. He carefully protected it. “Throughout the long night of sentient beings’ ignorance, He guarded it carefully in the depths of His mind”.
I guarded it throughout the long night and did not teach it casually: Throughout the long night of sentient beings’ ignorance, He guarded it carefully in the depths of His mind. Without the right people, He would not carelessly transmit or bestow it. For over forty years, throughout the long night of samsara, He guarded it until this moment. So, it says, “He guarded it throughout the long night”. The minds of sentient beings are lost in the long, dark night. This long night is very dark, so sentient beings’ minds are not illuminated. Ignorance and afflictions still completely enshroud their minds. So, the night is very long. We can understand this. “He guarded it carefully in the depths of His mind”. He had to be very vigilant of this brilliant pearl, because before sentient beings fully understood these great principles, He could not give it to them. “Without the right people” means He had yet to find the right people. Though they engaged in spiritual practice, their wisdom and compassion were still lacking. So, “Without the right people, He would not carelessly transmit or bestow it”. He could not casually give it away. So, “He guarded it carefully in” “the depths of His mind”. That is how vigilant He was in guarding this brilliant pearl.
He could not just casually transmit it to anyone. How many people have attained this Dharma? If they could attain it one at a time, then, naturally, they would attain this Dharma. However, we humans are most often unable to reach this level. We do not work hard enough, so we have yet to attain the great principles, especially these wondrous principles. They are not something that anyone gives us; they are in our hearts. We do not work hard enough, so we are still unable to accept this wisdom. We are talking about ourselves. No one can give it to us; [we must find it] in our hearts.
So, [He guarded it] “for over forty years, throughout the long night of samsara”. We humans are all the same, lost in this long night. The Buddha came to the human realm and taught the Dharma for over forty years. It had been over forty years since He manifested the attainment of Buddhahood. He saw that sentient beings were still lost in the long night, stuck in samsara, in cyclic existence. When it comes to “fragmentary samsara” let alone “transformational samsara,” they had not comprehended this either. When it comes to “fragmentary samsara” let alone “transformational samsara,” they had not comprehended this either. They had not even reached the level of “transformational samsara” yet. All sentient beings experience fragmentary samsara. It is beyond our control. When our time comes, we must leave. This is the fragmentary samsara of ordinary beings. Those who engage in spiritual practice must eradicate fragmentary samsara as well as transformational samsara. As for transformational samsara, we must begin to form aspirations, starting with attaining the fruit of Arhatship, then becoming Solitary Realizers and experiencing the impermanence of the world. We must also form great aspirations to begin walking the Bodhisattva-path so we can take the Dharma to heart, comprehend it and become Bodhisattvas of Equal Enlightenment. Through this transformational samsara, we can completely eradicate this darkness and completely eliminate all ignorance.
In short, we are all still engaging in spiritual practice. Most people are still in fragmentary [samsara] and have no control over their life and death. This is the “long night.” The Buddha taught the Dharma for over 40 years. He saw that most people were like this. Therefore, the Buddha began to teach according to their capabilities. Gradually, He transmitted the Dharma and taught according to capabilities. He had always guarded the Lotus Sutra until now. ”Starting today, I will give it to you all and widely expound it.”
Starting today, I will give it to you all and widely expound it: Now at the Vulture Peak Assembly, He knew that the time was ripe and knew the importance of bestowing the Dharma and promoting capable people. So, He said, “I will give it to you all and widely expound it.”
He always taught in accordance with capabilities. Now, the karmic conditions [were ripe]. The Buddha’s karmic conditions [were ripe]; He had to teach it at this moment. “Starting today, I will give it to you all and widely expound it.” He began to teach it openly to everyone at this Vulture Peak Assembly. “Starting now,” at this time, at the Vulture Peak Assembly, “He knew the time was ripe.” He knew that karmic conditions were ripe. So, now He had to teach them. He had to “bestow the Dharma and promote capable people.” He began to teach the Dharma to these people and bestowed predictions upon them, too. At Lotus Dharma-Assembly, in stages, He bestowed predictions upon His disciples to help them understand and form aspirations so that they could demonstrate this. See, He bestowed predictions in many stages. Thus, He “bestowed the Dharma and promoted capable people.” Once they truly understood, the Buddha would bestow predictions upon them. This is “the importance of bestowing the Dharma and promoting capable people.” “So, He said, ’I will give it to you all.”’ Now, He taught in stages. The people accepted it in stages. So, for one stage after the other, He bestowed predictions upon them. This is how the Buddha affirmed for them, “You are doing the right thing; you understand. Now you must advance diligently.” He affirmed that they had accepted the Dharma, realized it and experienced it.
This just like all of us. However much Dharma we understand, we will reap just as many rewards in the form of the insights we gain. Our insights are the Buddha’s rewards. Because the Buddha taught the Dharma, the Dharma has carried on to the present. When we resonate with the Buddha’s intent, we naturally become open and understanding. Once our heart is open, once we understand, we attain realizations, these treasures. The Dharma is a treasure. We must utilize what we attain. This is how we attain treasures. When we serve others, this is like entering the treasure trove and attaining the treasures. We are truly “actualizing the Six Paramitas in all actions.” In the practice of the Six Paramitas, we are taking steps along the Bodhi-path. We have seen the landscape of our minds and relieved sentient beings of their suffering; this is how we gain insights. We have true compassion for people in suffering. We do not just talk about it! We cannot relieve people of suffering just by taking about it. The Dharma provides us with teaching, and while we put these teachings into action, we become filled with Dharma-joy. This is what we gain. This is our realization. So, everything we gain comes from our own actions. Therefore, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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