Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Constantly Practicing Patience and Empathy for All (常行忍辱 哀愍一切)
Date: October.01.2018
“This praises the two kinds of patience, patience with what arises and with phenomena. Patience with what arises means enduring all sentient beings angry scolding, beating or insulting. Patience with phenomena means enduring the disasters and harm of the natural and non-sentient world, such as cold, heat, wind, rain, hunger, thirst, aging and illness. Being able to remain peaceful and unwavering with these two kinds of patience is known as being at the stage of patience.”
We must mindfully seek to understand this! Beginning from the present passage, [the teaching] is restated in verse. So, we must be very mindful. Important teachings need to be repeated. Patience is very important. There are two kinds of patience; patience with what arises and patience with phenomena. Patience with what arises means “enduring all sentient beings.” We must have patience to endure all sentient beings. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas must have patience to be able to endure these stubborn sentient beings that are hard to train. In lifetime after lifetime, for the sake of sentient beings, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas repeatedly return [to this world] to teach sentient beings because they cannot bear to give up on them. But sentient beings are stubborn and hard to train. What can [Bodhisattvas] do? They need to have loving-kindness, compassion and patience. Loving-kindness and compassion are always accomplished by patience. They are unwilling to give up on [sentient beings]. This is just like parents in this world. No matter how the children misbehave, the parents will still have unlimited hopes that their children will become good, that their children will be obedient, and that their children will succeed. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have the heart of a parent, so they need to have patience. [Their] loving-kindness and compassion are replete in this patience in order to endure these sentient beings who are stubborn and hard to train. So, this is “patience with what arises.”
It is [enduring] sentient beings and all sentient beings’ actions. As we mentioned previously, if we want to uphold the Lotus Sutra and spread the Lotus Sutra to future generations, we need to have this spirit and cultivate ourselves to master this skill. No matter how sentient beings treat us with “angry scolding, beating or insulting,” when these things occur, we must still persist without giving up. We must definitely carry on [our efforts]. For these stubborn [sentient beings] with such a vicious and evil nature, Bodhisattvas and all Buddhas can still patiently endure [them]. They still employ a mind of loving-kindness and compassion, using the power of wisdom to find a way to help these stubborn sentient beings who are hard to train transform their anger into gentleness. It is their hope that they can help [sentient beings] turn around, transforming viciousness into goodness. For all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, this is the great skill that they must use.
So, this is called “patience with what arises.” They must be able to endure. In the world, there are myriad kinds of sentient beings. Yet, perhaps just due to some causes and condition, [there are afflictions]. So, we constantly say that we must believe in the law of karmic retribution. Otherwise, without previous grievances or resentment, why is that when they hear a name, see someone or hear someone praising others, some people give rise to discursive thoughts? They cannot bear to hear people praising others and cannot bear [to see] others do good deeds. Not only do they not want to participate, they also use all kinds of methods to sabotage and slander [good people]. What is the reason for this? No one is able to figure it out. We can only look at this as, “Oh, this is karmic causes and retributions!”
When the Buddha faced Devadatta, He was just as helpless. He also used karmic causes and retributions to explain it to His disciples. Furthermore, Devadatta still received predictions of Buddhahood from the Buddha. We can see the kind of broadmindedness He had. This is called patience; it is “patience with what arises.” No matter how stubborn sentient beings are, we must always have the patience to endure them.
The next one is “patience with phenomena”. The phenomena refers to “enduring the disasters and harm of the natural and non-sentient world, such as cold, heat, wind, rain, hunger, thirst, aging and illness.” This requires patient endurance. It means that in the realm of nature, whether there be cold winds, freezing snow or overwhelming heat, we must patiently endure. We see this in our Living Bodhisattvas. In any place, in any country that has disasters, no matter if that country has cold winds or freezing snow, they are the same. In the winter aid distribution, they quickly prepare very warm items and an abundance of material things so that people can dress warmly, be well-fed, obtain sufficient nutrition and so on. They need to make sufficient preparations. No matter how far or remote the area is, they still travel across mountains, traversing difficult paths such as very dangerous mountain roads.
Several months ago (in 2017), we saw those who returned from Haiti after completing relief distributions there. There was a typhoon, a cyclone, which created a huge disaster in Haiti. Tzu Chi volunteers quickly prepared to give aid. Wow! Those roads were very difficult to travel on. They used trucks to transport these materials. It was very dangerous, especially since those trucks were not very good. The wheels broke down half-way there. It was such a large truck traveling on these mountain roads. There were slopes and precipices. A mountain was on one side and a precipice on the other. [The truck] was climbing the mountain, driving on dirt; there was no asphalt. It was a very difficult road. If the truck had broken down there, what could have been done?
Moreover, along the same road, on their way, robbers dashed out to rob them. The driver quickly took the goods in the back and unloaded some of them as fast as possible. He let some goods fall onto the road. When these robbers saw the goods which fell onto the road, they busied themselves with taking the items, and so the truck was able to drive away. So, this truck was making this journey to transport these items. For this journey, it did not matter how difficult the natural environment was or what the climate was like there. It was very hot. The sanitation was poor, the climate was hot, the road was difficult and dangerous to travel on, but they were still unaffected by this natural environment. These people were so poor; this was why they gave rise to the idea of robbing. Due to poverty, they had to rob to survive. Despite such an environment, [our volunteers] still pressed on forward.
After they returned, I asked them, “In the future, do you still want to go there?” This was what I asked them. Si Cheng (James Chen) answered, “These people are suffering greatly. If I think of these people, I cannot bear to not go back there.” You see, these are Bodhisattvas. [They have] the Buddha’s heart, take the Buddha’s heart as their own. They have the Buddha’s heart and a Bodhisattva’s practice. They must have patience, enduring patience. No matter if sentient begins are stubborn or the climate and natural environment are harsh, they have the Buddha’s heart and a Bodhisattva’s vow. They must still have patience and continue forward. Because the Buddha and the Dharma are on their minds, they must endure cold, heat, wind, rain, thirst, old age and sickness. This is “patience with phenomena”.
In fact, this was a very hard road to travel on. We must also do the same in the world and form Bodhisattva-aspirations. Despite our illness or suffering, we cannot bear [to see] sentient beings suffer even more than us. So, we continue on our path. When there is cold wind and snow, we still must go in scorching heat, we must still go.
Look at our Bodhisattvas. Some of them are in poor health, and some of them have serious illnesses. They already know they have cancer or other kinds of illnesses, but even in these situations, they do not retreat in their Bodhisattva-aspirations. With “bodies suffering from severe illness,” they still want to be the boatman of the ship to transport people. For themselves, no matter what the ship is like, they still want to transport people. If they themselves can make it, in the same way, they can carry others there. This is how the master boatman, despite suffering from severe illness, still wants to ferry people to the other shore.
So, this is exercising patience. These last few days (in June 2017), in northern Taiwan, heavy rains damaged many people’s homes. The mud flooded their homes. It was very difficult to clean it out. A ground of great Bodhisattvas seized this as a great spiritual training ground for diligence. They did it for the sake of the Dharma. This was their mindset; with the Dharma in their mind, with the Buddha’s heart and the Bodhisattvas’ vows in their mind, they exercised these teachings and entered the spiritual training ground of diligence. They treated this environment of suffering sentient beings as a spiritual training ground for diligence. This is how they went there to clean up. There was one household in particular. This person was just over 70; he had just turned 72 years old. In fact, this person had already been accompanied by volunteers from Tzu Chi for several years. It was not at all easy to change his temper. He lived all alone and was not very mobile. He had a very bad temper and was very unsociable. He had a wife and children who did not want to be with him, so they left. Tzu Chi volunteers went into this environment. Wow! It smelled terrible! They all wore N95 facemasks. The foul stench made it unbearable to approach. The stench even penetrated their facemasks. But since they were already there, they made the best of it. They needed to clean. A big ground of people helped clean for him. He had been hoarding for a long time. He tossed whatever he ate [around the house]. The entire inside of the home was completely filled with garbage. Outside there was another mountainous pile. In this way, everyone helped the cleanup effort. This clean-up was really hard to endure. Our media volunteers approached out Bodhisattvas and asked about it. [One volunteer], Mr. Wang, said, “Since we formed the aspiration to come and came willingly, we must deal with it, overcome [difficulties] and adapt ourselves. We put ourselves in his shoes. How can anyone live in this kind of environment?” With such a mindset, they put themselves in his situation. Since they were already there, they made the best of it. They endured this kind of environment. They had to endure and quickly clean for him. With everyone’s collaboration, this big ground of people quickly cleaned for him. They cleaned and removed the clutter which had piled into a small mountain outside. Moreover, a volunteer older than this man helped him bathe. After bathing him, one of our commissioners who was also older than him gradually and gently advised him, saying, “You live here all by yourself, and there is no one to care for you. Before long, this place will look the same as before. You cannot live here. I tell you, you should move to a nursing home. I will help you contact them. If people from social services come later, you must promise them you will go”. It was just like an elderly mom talking to her son. She was very gentle and loving, gradually pleading with him. He finally nodded his head. This is how he reciprocated. He reciprocated the Tzu Chi volunteers by saying, “You have cared for me for so long. You care so much about me”. His approval made the Tzu Chi volunteers very happy. This home had already been cleaned, and he was preparing to move to the nursing home. In a case like this, think about it, isn’t this “patience with what arises”? This sentient beings was so stubborn. Only bodhisattvas could endure this. They had already spent several years bringing him things etc. so that he could survive. It was just that he had a bad temper and would not take any advice. This time, dozens of volunteers worked together to plan and carry out [this cleanup]. He also knew his living environment was unsuitable, so he finally agreed to go to a nursing home. This was the greatest reward for the Tzu Chi volunteers.
Look, this is how we need the patience to endure. We must patiently train ourselves by interacting with these people. In these conditions and environment, [the training] enables Bodhisattvas to complete their diligent practice. This became a spiritual training ground, where we formed a good affinity. There is also “patience with phenomena”. As we just mentioned, there are places like Haiti, where we have already been offering aid for several years. In these places, there are poor people as well as stubborn people. However, we have not given up on them. [Volunteers] repeatedly return to the place. Tzu Chi volunteers are there for the long term. So, with this “patience with phenomena” we maintain hope, for we cannot bear to give up on that place. We have seen that they really have no way to live. With this compassion in their minds and this Dharma, [our volunteers] willingly travel back and forth 60 to 70 times in the span of a few years. This is no easy feat. So, despite wind and rain etc. and despite pain and illness in our own body, we must still endure! As long as we still have one breath left, as long as we can move our body, we make the best use of our body; it is a vehicle for spiritual practice. For every extra day we serve, we gain another day; each time we give of ourselves, we form another good and blessed affinity. So, we must endure and make good use of our body. This is how we cherish our body and do not let our days pass by in vain. Then there are “disasters and harm of the natural and non-sentient world”. Besides these sentient [beings], besides all these sentient beings and people, these stubborn sentient beings we must endure, we must also endure our own body; we must be able to stand this suffering. It is like when several [volunteers] were cut and scraped by glass or pricked by nails. TIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Association) was luckily there as well and was able to quickly treat them. After receiving first aid, they continued working until they had to take a tetanus shot. Then, they still continued to work. Is this right? I was also very worried and told them to go to the hospital for a more thorough examination just in case. During this time, I was very worried. Speaking of our natural environment, we are now in a world of turbidities. There are abnormal and extreme climate patterns. We never know when something may happen. So, being among people or being in nature is the same; we need to understand the phenomena and patiently endure. So, how can this evil world of Five Turbidities restore its harmony? How do we bring these cycles back into harmony and balance the four elements? The only way is to bring purity to people’s hearts. So, we must understand the Dharma. We must have “patience with what arises” and “patience with phenomena”. We must patiently endure. We must bring purity to people’s hearts and help everyone understand the principles. When there is purity in our hearts, when we are content with what we have and live our lives abiding by the rules, then gradually nature and the four elements will go back to harmonious and balanced cycles. So, we definitely need to “be able to remain peaceful and unwavering with these two kinds of patience”. “[This] is known as being at the stage of patience”. Bodhisattvas must be like this. Whether it is hot or cold, rain, old age, illness and so on or natural disasters, we must patiently endure. We must calmly abide in these circumstances. It is like those volunteers who returned after completing their work. They returned and reported, “All is well. Everything went smoothly”.
Those who served in the front line and those who supplied them in the back all worked together closely and they were joyful; when it finished, everyone was still at peace and unwavering. This “is known as being at the stage of patience”. In the grounds of Bodhisattvas’ minds, there is patience. Why do they have this enduring patience? Because “[They] feel sorrow and empathy and cannot bear for sentient to suffer”.
“He feels sorrow and empathy and cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer, so He gives rise to thoughts of great loving-kindness and compassion. Out of compassion, He covers and protects all sentient beings. The Tathagata, with His heart of loving-kindness and His virtue of compassion, leads all sentient beings to be liberated. Feeling sorrow refers to compassion. Feeling empathy refers to loving-kindness.”
This is loving-kindness and compassion. As we just mentioned, stubborn sentient beings and nature’s environment can all be endured. We simply cannot bear sentient beings’ suffering. How come this group of people is willing to go to such dangerous places, is willing to go to such dirty places, is willing to overcome the weariness of their own bodies, is willing to go and serve like this? There is only one answer. They cannot bear sentient being’s suffering. It is as Mr. Wang just said, “I put myself in his shoes”. Yes, just because of this, he was willing.
So, because of this, “He gave rise to thoughts of great loving-kindness and compassion”. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have this mindset. So, “out of compassion, he covers and protects all sentient beings. he not only gave rise to great loving-kindness and compassion. [Mr. wang] also truly used his actions to express this mindset. He covered and protected the recipient with “the clothing of gentleness and patience”. This clothing is not just worn by us. We also want to cover others with it. It is like when parents see their children [and think] “Are they cold?” “It is very cold!” They warm up their own clothing and envelop the children with it. It is the same principle. “Out of compassion, He covers and protects all sentient beings”. This is like how adults care for children. They will use their own body heat to quickly envelop the children [in warmth]. This is “covering and protecting all sentient beings”. it is a parent’s loving heart for child. “The Tathagata, with His heart of loving-kindness and His virtue of compassion…”. This is the Tathagata’s vast compassion. His heart is full of compassion. “Universal compassion” is treating everyone as if they were our own children. This is the way that we care for them. It is this kind of “Virtue of compassion”. It is the virtuous practice of universal compassion. This is the Tathagata’s heart of loving-kindness and Virtue of compassion.
This is how He treats sentient beings. So, He “leads all sentient beings to be liberated”. He only has this one thought, the hope to transform and liberate sentient beings from their difficulties. This is the heart of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
So, with loving-kindness and compassion. He patiently endures many hardships in the world. He patiently endures to protect sentient beings, in the hope that they can attain the Dharma be able to correct their faults and understand not to create so much ignorance or afflictions anymore. They must change from the past and cultivate for the future. He hopes to teach and guide sentient beings to change from the past and cultivate for the future. This is the Buddha’s great loving-kindness and His heart of compassion and virtue. He hopes that all sentient beings will be transformed and liberated. This is the meaning of “sorrow”.
“Sorrow” refers to “compassion”. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have this heart of compassion for sentient beings. “Empathy” refers to “loving-kindness”. We hope sentient beings will attain blessings, be liberated from suffering and attain blessings. How do they attain blessings? We teach them how to create blessings.
So, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world to teach and transform sentient beings. Using a heart of compassion, they teach and transform sentient beings. So, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must patiently endure to be able to repeatedly return.
In the Dharma that we read and heard previously, “This is like how the powerful king, having long guarded the pearl, now gives it away. Manjusri, the Lotus Sutra is the secret treasure of all Buddhas, all Tathagatas. 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 you all and widely expound it.”
Everyone should still remember this. The next sutra passage states, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke this verse.” Because this passage is very important, it must be restated in verse. “Only those who constantly practice patience and feel sorrow and empathy for all are able to expound the sutra praised by the Buddha.”
These guiding principles were previously explained to everyone. “Only those who constantly practice patience and feel sorrow and empathy for all are able to expound the sutra praised by the Buddha.” We must mindfully seek to comprehend this. So, “At that time, the World-Honored One wishing to restate Hid meaning…”.
This shows that the long-form prose has been concluded and He wished to restate this important passage. “The World-Honored One wished to restate the extremely profound meaning of bringing peace and joy with vows.
At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke this verse: The World-Honored One wished to restate the extremely profound meaning of bringing peace and joy with vows. “Profound” means transcending worldly sentiments. “Extremely” means of ultimate depth. Thus He spoke in verse.
He wanted to mark a new announcement to help everyone remember their power of vows. Everyone and made vows, but it does not end with making vows. When we make a vow, if we do not put it into action, even if we make thousands of vows, they are completely useless.
So, vows must be put into action. This is very important. So, He restated the extremely profound meaning of bringing peace and joy. How do we avoid difficulty? How do we endure when in difficulty? All of this is Dharma, and He explained it section by section for us.
“Profound” means transcending worldly sentiments”. This [love] is not just our worldly affections. It even transcends these worldly affections. Beyond our own biological relatives, we must not only love those related to us; even to those unrelated to us, we must extend our compassion by spreading great love lifetime after lifetime. This [love] is everywhere. And have long-lasting compassion and great love, we must transcend [limited love]. “Profound” means transcending worldly sentiments”. “’Extremely’ means of ultimate depth.” We should know these principles are very profound; they are impossible to explain. They are truly very profound. If we are able to comprehend what we hear, then we must do so and not forget. What we comprehend must be applied in our everyday lives. We must not neglect it and put it aside. So, [in regards to] “sentiments,” ‘Prifound’ means transcending worldly sentiments.” We must take this very profound Dharma and apply it in our everyday lives. Because it is profound, we must remember it. So, it is profound, very profound; this is called “extremely [profound]”. [Our] compassion must be very long-lasting and moreover very deep. So, because of this, [the Buddha]restated this sutra passage. If we can understand even just “patiently endure” and “sorrow and empathy, these are very profound principles. We should earnestly put them to use. This is why He restated it in verse.
So, “Only those who constantly practice patience and feel sorrow and empathy for all…”.
Only those who constantly practice patience and feel sorrow and empathy for all: Constantly practicing patience means that when they are in adversity and face being slandered, scolded, afflicted or harmed, they have no hatred or resentment in their heart. They are patient in the face of humiliation and can always peacefully endure because they feel sorrow and empathy for all sentient beings.
We must be very mindful. Regarding this patience, “constantly practicing patience means that when they are in adversity and face being slandered, scolded, afflicted or harmed…”. If we encounter this kind of environment, we must be patient. Our mind must not harbor hatred. If we encounter such situations, what situations are these? Being slandered or scolded. When people slander, insult or scold us, in such situations, they may find various ways to slander or harm us. In these situations, our mind must remain calm. No matter what hardship we face, we must still give of ourselves. We persist without giving up; we must be even more mindful and give them even more. This is “having no hatred or resentment in [our] heart”. We do not hate them and still seek to help them. “They have no hatred or resentment in their heart. They are patient in the face of humiliation.” No matter how people slander us, we must not let it influence us. If it is right, we just do it. When they slander us, if we did not wrong, we have a clear conscience. Therefore, without any guilt, naturally, we will not feel humiliated. So we will still help them when they are in difficulty. Our mind feels peaceful and at ease. We have no hatred; we are still at ease. [We] “can always peacefully endure”. No matter how they treated us in the past, we will not harbor any hatred. We will do even more for them to see. We will do even more so they can feel it.
So, this is “sorrow and empathy”. [It is] “feeling sorrow and empathy for all”. When sentient beings do this, we must be even more mindful. So, “[They] are able to expound the sutra praised by the Buddha”. We need to have this mindset in order to continuously receive and uphold the sutra taught by the Buddha.
So, “People such as these can, in the turbid and evil world of Dharma-degeneration, expound the sutra praised by the Buddha, the Wondrous Dharma Flower Lotus Sutra.”
This is what we must do. We need such patience. What the Buddha teaches and praises, what He safeguards in His mind, the pearl that is continually safeguarded at the top of His head, is this wondrous Dharma. The Buddha ha safeguarded it like this. Now, He has begun to teach us. We must use this mindset of patience and endurance and sorrow and empathy for sentient beings so we can [persist] in the turbid era of Dharma-degeneration. The Dharma is now in decline. The world has [accumulated] evil turbidities. In these times and in this environment, to expound this Dharma and practice it is very difficult; it is not easy. Still, as long as we have patience and the mindset of sorrow and empathy, we can naturally expound the Wondrous Lotus Sutra praised by the Buddha in this environment. We must always patiently endure.
The next sutra passage states, “In the future era of Dharma-degeneration, when those who uphold this sutra are among lay practitioners, monastics or non-Bodhisattvas, they must give rise to compassion. Those who do not hear or have faith in this sutra suffer a great loss.”
For people like this, we must give rise to a compassionate heart. In the era of Dharma-degeneration, it is very difficult to uphold this sutra.
In the future era of Dharma-degeneration, when those who uphold this sutra are among lay practitioners, monastics or non-Bodhisattvas: Those who uphold this sutra, in the era of Dharma-degeneration, will be among lay practitioner, monastics or even those who are not learning to be Bodhisattvas.
Those who uphold this sutra may encounter people who also engage in practice. Whether monastics or lay Bodhisattvas, though these people practice Buddhism, when they encounter the teachings of the Bodhisattva Way, they are not willing to accept it. As for those who uphold the sutra, since we are upholding this sutra, we will face this kind of practitioners who do not seek to hear this sutra. Not only do they not want to uphold this sutra, they also do not want to listen. We should then give rise to compassion. Everyone should understand this.
They must give rise to compassion. Those who do not hear or have faith in this sutra suffer a great loss: For people such as these, they must give rise to compassion. Regarding this wondrous sutra, people who cannot hear it from a teacher, ask about it, have faith in it or understand it suffer a great loss.
Though they engage in spiritual practice, they are not interested in this sutra. They do not hear, listen nor ask about it. We have also mentioned this previously. So, “They must give rise to compassion”. We must have compassion for these people. Because these people are unwilling to listen or believer in this sutra, it is a great loss for them. Sadly, they will lose this opportunity, the opportunity to hear the wondrous Dharma. So, we must give rise to a compassionate heart for them, because these people are pitiful. We must think for them and find a way to help them give rise to a heart of joy toward this Dharma.
So, as for “Regarding this wondrous sutra, people who cannot hear it from a teacher, ask about it, have faith in it or understand it” we have already mentioned this before. For these people who are unwilling, this is a great loss. We should give rise to a heart of compassion and think of methods of [teaching] them.
So, “When I attain Buddhahood, I will apply all skillful means to teach this Dharma, helping all abide in it”.
What this sutra passage means is that once we have attained the path to Buddhahood and we ourselves are upholding the Lotus Sutra, we gain understanding. Since we understand, we should find ways [to share]. “When I realize the path to Buddhahood,” then we have attained this Dharma. This refers to what the Buddha said previously. The wheel-turning king is an analogy for the Buddha. In the end, he has not yet taken out the bright pearl. The Lotus Sutra has not been taught yet.
What about us now? The previous passage states that now at the Vulture Peak Assembly, the Buddha has already begun to teach it. So, now we have already begun to hear it. At the Vulture Peak Assembly, starting from the Introductory Chapter, the Buddha began to manifest appearances etc. in order to reveal this sutra for us to hear. As for how profound its contents are, He had already explained it to us by using the Sutra of Infinite Meanings as the essence of the Dharma. He first explained to us that in the Lotus Sutra, He was about to analyze very profound principles. After hearing Manjusri Bodhisattva’s and Maitreya Bodhisattva’s narration regarding this, we could see that this sutra, the Lotus Sutra, is [treated with] much caution. Those who listened to the Lotus Sutra felt “I will attain the path to Buddhahood”. Since the Buddha is truly teaching this sutra for us in this way, He has already revealed skillful means to lead us.
I will apply all skillful means to teach this Dharma: He will apply all kinds of suitable skillful means for the sake of teaching this extremely profound and wondrous Dharma.
“To teach this Dharma,” He used skillful means to lead us to this place and began teaching this sutra. So, “He applies all kinds of suitable skillful means.” In the past, He used these skillful means. Now, for our sake, He is “teaching this extremely profound and wondrous Dharma” in the hope of “helping all abide in it.”
Helping all abide in it: He helps those who hear it abide in the Dharma. ”Those who do not hear” refers to people like this who do not hear this sutra.
As we abide in this Dharma, we also hope that everyone will be able to do it. Even those who do not want to listen, ask, believe or understand it will have an opportunity to enter and abide in this Dharma. They will be able to share this Dharma, enjoy its nourishment, teachings and transformation.
So, “He helps those who hear it abide in the Dharma.” We find ways so that after listening, they can continue to experience it. “Those who do not hear refers to people like this who do not hear this sutra.” “Those who do not hear” are those who are unwilling to hear. In this case, it is a great loss. They will lose the opportunity to hear the wondrous Dharma. They have not heard such an important teaching.
[The sutra] continues, “As a parable, a powerful wheel-turning king, on seeing his soldiers have achievements in battle, rewards them with all kinds of things, elephants, horses, chariots, items to dignify their bodies as well as fields, houses, settlements and cities.”
This sutra passage is about how the king sees the power of his soldiers. Those dispatched generals, foot soldiers etc. have put in great effort. When they begin to battle on the battlefield, their effort is like the effort we put into our spiritual practice. We must be very diligent to thoroughly understand the Dharma teaching by teaching. This is an analogy for the Tathagata. The Tathagata is compared to a wheel-turning king. Likewise, “on seeing his soldiers have accomplishments in battle, he rewards them with all kinds of things.” This Dharma has already been given. What is given are “elephants, horses, chariots, items to dignify their bodies as well as fields, houses, settlements and cities.” The rewards are given based on accomplishments. Some receive an elephant or a chariot. He gives them what he can. This is the vehicle that is given to them. The foot soldiers have already received elephants and horses that they can use. The foot soldiers were accomplished in battle, so now they are given elephants, horses and items to dignify their bodies.
They not only receive elephants and horses but also magnificent clothing. We have described this previously. They are not just given very magnificent clothing. They are also given fields and houses. Depending on their accomplishments, rewards are given accordingly. Some are given more than fields and houses. If their accomplishments are even greater, then they are given settlements and cities.
They are given a town or a city. The king officially appoints them as the ruler. We have explained these [rewards] one by one. Everyone, in this way, speaking of the Dharma, we must go among people to understand it and practice patient endurance. Since we engage in spiritual practice, we must have patience. This may be towards sentient beings and their habitual tendencies. There are such “turbidities,” so many afflictions and such heavy ignorance because sentient beings are so stubborn.
Since we want to attain Buddhahood, we must have a sense of mission. We journey on this Dharma to bring purity to this world; [we need] to open, reveal, realize and enter. Over 2000 years ago, the Buddha attained Perfect Rest, but His Dharmakaya is still in this world. The Dharmakaya must be “opened and revealed” to sentient beings. This Dharma must be spread for sentient beings to be able to receive it and be able to understand it. The spirit to open, reveal, realize and enter is still present.
So, we must spread this Dharma and bring it to the minds of sentient beings. We must face sentient beings with enduring patience. We must endure all sentient beings and more. This is because in our mind, we have sorrow and empathy for sentient beings. We give rise to the Buddha’s heart and the Bodhisattvas’ power of vows, so we will not give up on sentient beings. This requires sorrow and empathy. Facing sentient beings, we must truly be mindful for them and help them. So, we must sustain our initial aspiration. Then we will naturally attain Buddhahood. Therefore, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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