Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Buddha Reveals the Deep and Wondrous Meaning (因此一問 啟深妙義)
Date: November.19.2018
“The Buddha hopes that those who form Bodhisattva-aspirations will uphold their aspirations and follow the path, making this path even greater while maintaining the one same direction. They must establish the power to make great vows and maintain them for infinite kalpas. Throughout many lifetimes, Solitary Realizers and others uphold their aspirations and practice in accordance with the Dharma. Upon spiritual practitioners, the Buddha bestows predictions for the distant future.”
Everyone, please be mindful. The Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, hopes that Bodhisattvas who give rise to Bodhisattva-aspirations will “uphold their aspirations and follow the path, making this path even greater while maintaining the one same direction.” At the Lotus Dharma-Assembly, the Buddha hoped that everyone would be mindful of this. He hoped that everyone would uphold their aspirations and follow the path, for this is truly the greatest direction.
All Bodhisattvas focus on the same aspiration and uphold this aspiration as they follow the path, thus every Bodhisattva is headed in the right direction. [This] “makes this path even greater.” This path is headed in the right direction. Through their diligence and dedication, they open up this great path, “maintaining the one same direction.” Starting from the very beginning, from when they form initial aspirations, they maintain the one same direction without ever deviating. This path is headed in the right direction; they broaden it through diligence and dedication. Thus, they will always maintain the one same direction, making the path broader and greater. So, when it comes to making great vows, I have often discussed with everyone the Four Practices [of Bringing Peace and Joy] with body, speech, mind and, finally, vows. These are the Four Practices. Spiritual cultivation is inseparable from our body, speech and mind. We must maintain great vows from start to finish. This is something that Buddhist practitioners, those who walk the Bodhisattva-path, cannot lack.
We must uphold our aspirations and follow the path. This is the right path, so we must walk it properly. We must put our vows into practice. We must earnestly head in the right direction. From when we make our initial aspirations until attaining Buddhahood, throughout all of this, we cannot deviate even a little bit. So, we must “establish the power to make great vows.” The power to make great vows is very important.
[Our vows] must be long-enduring and reach everywhere into many places, all-pervasive. The Buddha aspired to teach and transform [sentient beings] throughout the ten directions. In addition to the horizontal directions of the four cardinal directions and the four intermediate directions, [there is also] above and below. He hoped that sentient beings everywhere could receive the Buddha-Dharma. So, we must have the power to make great vows, practice and uphold [the Dharma] for a long time and spread it everywhere.
So, “Throughout many lifetimes, Solitary Realizers and others uphold their aspirations and practice in accordance with the Dharma.” Solitary Realizers practice the Middle Vehicle. Everyone knows this. Hearers are Small Vehicle practitioners. Solitary Realizers have already practiced and studied the Buddha-Dharma. They have reached a clear understanding of the law of karma. As for “permanence, joy, self and purity,” they clearly understand these principles as well. Thus, Solitary Realizers are a step above Hearers. However, they still only seek to benefit themselves. The Buddha is always hoping that since Solitary Realizers understand the principles, it is time for them to form aspirations and go among people. Since they clearly understand the principles, they should take up [the mission to] spread the Buddha-Dharma and go among people.
Solitary Realizers, for lifetime after lifetime, have practiced along the path to Buddhahood. However, there is one thing they lack. They are still unwilling to go among people.
Now, the Buddha’s greatest wish and hope is that, since they understand the Dharma, they will go among people. When all is said and done, Solitary Realizers are great spiritual practitioners. They also “uphold their aspirations and practice in accordance with the Dharma.” They also uphold their aspirations, but they only aspire to benefit themselves. They seek to end samsara for themselves and have yet to form great aspirations.
“Uphold spiritual practitioners, the Buddha bestows predictions for the distant future.” At that time, the Buddha’s most important task at Vulture Peak was to encourage everyone and inspire everyone to open their hearts. Because of this, in the first few chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha clearly explained the principles, encouraging His disciples to walk the Bodhisattva-path. He slowly taught them up until the Chapter on Faith and Understanding. At the time of the Chapter on Faith and Understanding, there were four Hearers who already completely understood; they clearly understood the principles. After delving deeply into the Buddha-Dharma, they understood that within themselves was an inexhaustible trove of treasures that did not exist merely for their own benefit. This is just like the poor son, who accepted the Dharma but only used it for his own benefit. “There is more than this. It turns out that I have a lot of treasures that. I can use to benefit myself as well as others, and they will never get used up. They are not just for me alone to enjoy. I should also give of them to others. I too have endless teachings [to give].” Right at that time, they attained awakening. As they began to make great aspirations, the Buddha began to prepare to bestow predictions of Buddhahood upon them. He bestowed predictions upon them in order to strengthen their faith and help them deepen their understanding. This is how the Buddha began to make preparations for these Small Vehicle practitioners. They had formed great aspirations, so He prepared to bestow predictions upon them. All throughout the Chapter on Parables, the Chapter on Faith and Understanding and onward, upon one group after another, the Buddha bestowed predictions several times. This was to constantly encourage and inspire them. They formed aspirations one after another, so the Buddha corroborated this by bestowing predictions upon them one after another. To affirm that they would attain Buddhahood in the future, He bestowed predictions upon them. [To provide His] corroboration and affirmation, [the Buddha] bestows predictions. “Upon spiritual practitioners, the Buddha bestows predictions for the distant future.” “Distant future” means they will [attain Buddhahood] a very long time from now, not in the next lifetime, nor the lifetime after the next lifetime, but in a very long time. When we begin to understand the Dharma, we must begin to walk this path continuously. The road is long, but [the Buddha] tells us we are headed in the right direction. We must broaden this road and keep walking in this direction. Although the road is very long and we still need to work hard, [the Buddha] has attested that we are headed in the right direction and affirmed that we will be able to reach [our destination]. In this same way, we are just like a [runner] about to take off. We know where our goal is. From the very first step we take, we must have faith. As long as we have the physical capacity and run along the track, naturally, we will reach our destination. It is only a matter of time.
“Predictions for the distant future” mean that our direction is right at the start. Since we are able to embrace this direction, we must not deviate from it, but run straight in this direction. The principle is the same. This is an example of one of the “teachings of analogies”.
The teachings of analogies were for Kasyapa and those of average capabilities. The four great Hearers turned from the Small to the Great Vehicle, so the Buddha said to these four people that they would attain Buddhahood in the future. Presently, the Buddha bestowed predictions of Buddhahood for their future.
In the Chapter on Parables, at that time, besides teaching the Dharma to the Hearers, the Buddha also taught it to the Solitary Realizers. Solitary Realizers have a deeper understanding of the Dharma than Hearers do. Thus, they are called “Solitary Realizers”. [The Buddha] encouraged them to “turn from the Small to the Great Vehicle”. They turned away from the Small Vehicle and went towards the Great Vehicle; this is what the Buddha encouraged [them to do].
So, the Buddha told these four people that “they would attain Buddhahood in the future”. Similarly, from the Chapter on Parables and all the way through the chapter on Faith and Understanding, the Buddha continuously encouraged everyone. Beginning with these four people who were willing to form aspirations, the Buddha began to teach everyone about the direction to Buddhahood. This was how the stories about Great Unhindered and the 16 princes and so on came to be. In order to provide analogies about how long ago [they had begun] and how much longer it would take, He used [the stories of] Great Unhindered Wisdom Superior Buddha and Sakyamuni Buddha, who at that time was the 16th prince.
Think about the 16th prince. From that time until over 2500 years ago when Sakyamuni Buddha finally manifested. His attainment of Buddhahood, how much time had passed in this world? It is impossible to calculate. That is why it says [it happened] long kalpas ago. When we engage in spiritual practice, we must be patient and long-enduring. Most importantly, we must have faith.
The Chapter on Skillful Means constantly tells us that we must establish faith. Most of the Chapter on Skillful Means tells us to accept the Dharma with a heart of deep faith and understanding. Because this concerns our wisdom-life, [the Buddha] hoped that we will gain clear and thorough understanding of how we came to be and where we will go in the end, as well as come to understand our nature of True Suchness and return to our state of great awakening equal to the Buddha’s. This great awakening comes when we become one with the universe, when we awaken to oneness.
So, we need to work hard and refine our skills. This is what the Buddha teaches us, and the Buddha speaks the truth; He does not speak lies. He speaks clearly for us so that we can understand. From the very beginning, He helped us understand that we will reap what we sow through our practice. If we wish to real [benefits], then we must engage in spiritual practice. As we engage in spiritual practice, we must be able to walk the path well. No one else can do it for us.
So, now, we must truly be very mindful and steadfastly [advance] in the correct direction. We must clear the path ourselves. No one has cleared it for us; it is for Bodhisattvas to clear. Not only should we clear the path ourselves, as we clear it, we must walk it and diligently, advance along it so that we can reach [our destination]. We also need to clear this path for others so that others, will know that they can walk this path and come to comprehend the principles of this path. Once they understand its principles, when [speaking] to others, they will be able to explain these principles. This is how the principles [are spread]. So, there are those who clear the path, teach the path and walk the path. Those who clear the path teach the path. Those who teach the path walk the path. In the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, didn’t we read about this before? Indeed! So, we must remember that to clear the path and teach the path, we must walk the path. We must work hard to be mindful. So, as long as we all walk this path in the right way, the Buddha will certainly bestow predictions on us.
So, [at that time], He “bestowed predictions of Buddhahood for their future”. At Vulture Peak, the Buddha [bestowed predictions] for their future. No matter how long they had left to go, as long as their thoughts were in the right direction at that moment, the Buddha affirmed them and promised, “You will attain Buddhahood in the future”. Everyone believed the Buddha. The Buddha speaks the truth; He does not speak falsehoods. So, everyone believed that this path is headed in the right direction, and that this is how they had to walk it. We must open the path for ourselves. As long as our direction is right, we must become a person who clears the path, walks the path and teaches the path. This means that we must make vows and be mindful. To clear this path, we need this body. Our body, speech and mind must work in parallel, and we must make this vow. These are the Four Practices. We must remember them.
The previous sutra passage states, “At that time, Sakyamuni’s multiple manifestations, who came from countless trillions of other lands, sat beneath the trees of treasures throughout the eight directions upon the lion’s thrones. They sat cross-legged in the lotus position”.
As we read this sutra passage, it should remind us of the Chapter on Seeing the stupa of Treasures, when the Buddha summoned His many manifestations from throughout the ten directions to return to the Dharma-assembly at Vulture Peak. The Buddha’s multiple manifestations arrived, and they each sat down beneath the trees of treasures. Not only did the Buddha’s multiple manifestations eagerly arrive, but other Bodhisattvas arrived as well. In particular, Bodhisattvas from other lands came and made vows. They vowed before Sakyamuni Buddha that they would be willing to remain in the Saha World to spread the Dharma. Everyone should still remember this. The Buddha said, “Stop! In my Saha World, there are also Bodhisattvas who can take on this task”. This was [the Buddha’s] hope. He hoped that the Bodhisattvas who had heard the Dharma in the Saha World would take on this task. The Buddha had transformed them, so now they had to form great aspirations and go among people. They had taken the Dharma to heart, and now they had to make use of it. This was [the Buddha’s] hope for the Bodhisattvas of this land. After the Buddha said this, the earth quaked and split open. Then, form the ground, countless Bodhisattvas emerged. They slowly rose up into the sky, praised and paid their respects to Sakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Buddha. At the same time, they also paid their respects to all the Buddha’s multiple manifestations. This was the enthusiasm of that scene. They enthusiastically emerged in large numbers into the sky. The Dharma had been gathered together. The Buddha’s multiple manifestations represent the Buddha-Dharma. The atmosphere at that Dharma-assembly was imbued with the Buddha-Dharma. From this land to the other lands, the spirit and ideals of the Buddha’s teachings had pervaded the ten directions. It had already resulted in the spreading of the Dharma. Those who had been spreading the Dharma received the Buddha’s summons and returned, gathering this Dharma together. So, all these Bodhisattvas gathered like clouds at Vulture Peak. We can see that Vulture Peak must have been deeply imbued with the spiritual atmosphere of teaching the Dharma during that time.
So, “Each Buddha’s attendant saw this group of Bodhisattvas”. They saw so many groups [of Bodhisattvas] “emerging from the ground in the four directions of the great trichiliocosm”. They abided in empty space, “Where they each spoke to their own Buddha”.
These attendants asked questions of the Buddha they followed. In the next sutra passage, [the attendants] asked, “World-Honored One, where did this group of infinite and boundless asankyas of Bodhisattvas come from?”
This was what the attendants asked. “At that time, all the Buddhas said to their attendants, Good men, wait just one moment”.
The attendants’ teachers whom they were close with were the Buddha’s multiple manifestations. Every single one of His many manifestations answered in the same way. They answered their attendants, “Just wait one moment, good men”. What they meant was, “You are also a practicing Bodhisattva. You must have patience. Since Mairtreya Bodhisattva has asked [a question], you should listen earnestly and mindfully. Although the Buddha’s many manifestations knew the intent behind their attendants’ questions. They did not answer them directly. They told them, “You should wait a moment, and listen attentively. Listen to how Sakyamuni Buddha answer Maitreya Bodhisattva. They are the same as us; this is just like how we are in this world. Someone asks the main speaker [a question],and before the main speaker can answer, people will ask the people next to them as well. They say, “My question is…”. The one who is really teaching them will say, “Listen quietly. Listen to what the Buddha says. Do not get distracted. You must listen well. Your questions will [be answered] one by one”. This means the Dharma-assembly had to remain very quiet, with everyone listening attentively. This was the scene of the Dharma-assembly where the Buddha expounded the Dharma.
[The attendants] asked, “World-Honored One, where did this group of infinite and boundless asankyas of Bodhisattvas come from?” The Bodhisattvas “who came as attendants turned toward the Buddha they were close to”. The attendants turned to and “asked Them to elucidate the causes and conditions of. They wanted to know their reasons [for coming].
So, “At that time, all the Buddha said to their attendants, Good men, wait just one moment”. All the Buddhas answered their attendants this way. “Wait just one moment, you must be patient.”
Because “there is a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva a Bodhisattva named Maitreya, upon whom Sakyamuni Buddha has bestowed has bestowed predictions of attaining Buddhahood after Him. He already inquired about this matter, and the Buddha will answer it now. You should be able to hear it because of this.
“Wait a moment. A Bodhisattva has already asked about this. This Bodhisattva is one that will attain Buddhahood in the future. Let us listen well to the teachings he requested.” This Bodhisattva is the Buddha’s successor. “The Buddha’s successor” refers to [the next Buddha] after Sakyamuni Buddha. Right now, we are still in the era of Sakyamuni Buddha. There are the eras of Right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. Right Dharma was during the Buddha’s lifetime and during the 500 years after the Buddha’s passing. It was still the [era of] Right Dharma then because, even after the Buddha has passed, His Dharma and spirit still prospered in this world. Spiritual practitioners still practiced earnestly. They still engaged in spiritual practice according to the Buddha’s teachings. However, gradually, people grew more and more lax. Times started to change. Spiritual practitioners differed more and more [from those before]. Each new generation was inferior to the last. Then came the era of “Dharma-semblance”. During the era of Dharma-semblance, there were still monastics. They were still engaging in spiritual practice, but their attitude towards spiritual practice and their level of mindfulness and diligence was much more relaxed. They were not as strict, as serious or as vigilant as before. They were more loose and relaxed. Whatever was left from the past era of the Buddha remained in this way.
The manifestations” of the Buddha, the footprints He left and the stories He told about the Dharma remained. These “manidertations” remained, but what about the “truth”? The minds of spiritual practitioners had already grown lax. More and more, everyone saw only the “manifestations” and not the “truth” of the “intrinsic,” which is our own true practice and our intrinsic [nature]. The principles of the true Buddha-Dharma are for us to cultivate in earnest. They give us our direction.
Presently, we only know the direction, and we are unwilling to put in the work to clear the path. We are unwilling to work hard, so this path is cleared very slowly. We do not put enough energy into it, so we have become lax. When we do not know the importance of clearing own path, then, as spiritual practitioners, we have grown lax. However, the Buddha’s “manifestations” have been passed down continuously. We have these written words. We slowly began to focus on these texts, these words, or on the statues of Buddhas. We became dependent [on these]. We relied upon Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and become more and more lax. Slowly, things changed so that what the Buddha taught as true spiritual practice become dependent upon spiritual powers, He was referring to the power of our minds. What He referred to as “peiritual” had to do with our minds and empowering ourselves to work hard. Our spiritual powers, when put into action, can help us reach the end of this path. But everyone changed this to be about magical powers. The original, true teachings become mystified, we mystified them. What was an extraordinary and noble path slowly turned into a dependency on. “Buddhas to give us blessings” and “Bodhisattva to protect us“. This is a dependency.
If we want to eat a full meal, don’t we need rice? If we want to eat a full meal, don’t we need rice? To have rice, we need farmers to plant it. Farmers need land, a very fertile, good place of land. The land also needs water, as well as farmers to farm it. When farmers farm the land and harvest it to turn the paddy into rice, it must be processed, which requires industrial development. We also need merchants, people to sell the rice so that rice can reach our homes. Once the rice gets to our homes, we also need people to cook it. Once the rice is cooked, we must also have utensils, bowls and chopsticks. We need all sorts of things. We need oil and vegetables in order to have a full meal. We need many people working together to complete this meal for us to have this bowl of rice in front of us and for ys to be able to have convent [access] to food to go in our mouths and into our stomachs. This requires the hard work of [many] people. For people to work hard, these principles must exist first these things must exist first in order to bring this all about. This is also a matter of causes and conditions; this seed, these causes and conditions, must come together to make this possible. So, what we should be grateful for everyday is right here [before us]. It is not as simple as, “This person gave me food to eat.” There is no [individual] who gave us food to eat. This is due to everyone’s hard work.
So, we must be grateful. We must be grateful, for this applies to everything we use in the world. We are able to sit here. In this large space and feel and at ease as we listen to the Dharma. As I am speaking here, it is not just the people here who can hear me.
Right now, people in so many countries can hear my voice at the same time, not just at the Abode. This requires so many people in order to achieve this result. So, we must often express our gratitude. There must be harmony. When I started speaking, since I was asked to place the microphone further up, I did that, but the feedback made it hard for me to talk. So, I kept towering it. Can everyone still hear me after I lowered it? I am not sure about those sitting far away. This makes me think how this distance is a matter of causes and conditions; [the microphone] must not be too far or too close. This is all likewise due to causes and conditions. By the same token, when it comes to principles, each person approaches them from a different direction.
So, everyone must listen mindfully. The Buddha was about to answer everyone’s questions, which all went in different directions. So, they had to be very patient to realize and comprehend [His answer]. Moreover, when He spoke, He needed someone with the right capabilities, who knew to ask questions. Maitreya Bodhisattva has “equal enlightenment”. We have discussed previously that Maitreya Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva who will succeed the Buddha. The Buddha-Dharma has gone from the era of Right Dharma to the era of Dharma-semblance, and from the era of Dharma-semblance to the era of Dharma-degeneration. We are toward the end of the era of Dharma-degeneration. At this time, if we do not quickly return the Buddha-Dharma to its source, then the Dharma really will disappear. We must not continue to stagnate, relying on Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to protect us. We must resolve to become Bodhisattvas. When we resolve to become Bodhisattvas, we can immediately go out and save others so long as the Buddha has given us a direction. We know that life is full of suffering. We know that to the Buddha, the future world was the evil world of turbidities in our current era. This era of the evil world of turbidities, in the Buddha’s era, was said to be [full of] “severely defiled sentient beings”. In this turbid world, the minds of sentient beings are impure. The hearts of sentient beings are severely defiled. [This defilement] comes together to pollute the entire world. The turbidities of this world are very severe. This is what was referred to in the Buddha’s era, over 2000 years ago, as “the future evil world of turbidities”. That future evil world of turbidities is our present [reality]. This is the era when the Buddha was most expecting that everyone would spread the sutras. In the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, the Buddha continuously hoped and wished that the future Dharma teachers would go among people. This is a very difficult process, because in this era of turbidities, people’s beliefs and mindsets are different [from before]; their minds have become defiled. Right now, we must spread the Dharma and return the Dharma to the Buddha’s Right Dharma. Its spirit and ideals are to educate [people]; they are not to be mystified, but sanctified. They should be sacred, not mystical. It is not that the gods will bless me. It is not that I must rely on a god or a Buddha. That is not it. The Buddha gave us a direction. It is we who must work hard to clear the path. We must clear the path for everyone to walk. Spiritual practitioners were once known as those who clear the path, walk the path and teach the path. If only we could return to this level of practice, then we would achieve the hope the Buddha had for His disciples in the Chapter on Dharma Teachers. “There is a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva” named Maitreya “upon whom Sakyamuni Buddha has bestowed predictions of attaining Buddhahood after Him”. Maitreya is the Bodhisattva who will succeed the Buddha. He will attain Buddhahood in the future. He had received affirmation from Sakyamuni Buddha; this had already been confirmed. The Buddha had confirmed this for him, which is equivalent to a prediction of Buddhahood. The principle is the same. He had entrusted Maitreya Bodhisattva with the task of teaching future sentient beings. So, Maitreya Bodhisattva now came to ask questions. This was the logical course of events. Having heard Maitreya Bodhisattva’s questions, the Buddha began to answer. His questions also covered what the attendants asked their teachers, the Buddhas that they followed.
He already inquired about this matter, and the Buddha will answer it now. You should be able to hear it because of this. Since Maitreya asked the World-Honored One before, Sakyamuni will explain it now. The Buddha will answer Maitreya, then you yourself will know.
All the Buddhas, the Buddha’s many manifestations, told Their attendants that since Maitreya Bodhisattva had already inquired about this, Sakyamuni Buddha would soon answer “You all need to wait a moment”. Thus, “Because of this inquiry, He widely revealed the deep, wondrous and mysterious meaning behind [His] lifespan. This is what the Buddha Himself awakened to”. When the Buddha became one with the universe, He was able to clearly understand [this Dharma], while we who listen to it just say, “I know, I know”. But what does our nature of True Suchness truly look like? We do not know this yet ourselves. However, we do have firm faith and understanding. This was what Maitreya was asking about, as well as what the attendants were asking their teachers, the Buddha’s multiple manifestations. The principle is the same.
So, we must mindfully seek to comprehend all this. Our life follows this course, as does our spiritual practice. During their course of spiritual practice, Bodhisattvas must give rise to a heart of great compassion among people. They must also “have no thoughts of harming or killing” “Compassion” is their cause; this is the seed. “This gives rise to different effects”. This is different for everyone because our perspectives are different, but we do share the same compassion. Those we transform also have different conditions. However, with different seeds and different soil and different [methods] of sowing, of course what grows will be different. We may have the same soil, but by sowing different seeds, [what we grow] will come to different heights. “This gives rise to different effects. Thus, they will attain long lifespans”. Every lifetime is different. We cannot transform everyone in just one lifetime. This is because sentient beings are all different; some can be transformed while others cannot. Thus, we must ceaselessly carry on [this work]. We must not allow our wisdom-life to be “damaged or reduced” across lifetimes. Although we come and go [in life], when it comes to our wisdom-life, there is no long or short. This is known as an “unconditioned phenomenon”; it neither arises nor ceases. “Practicing virtuous Dharma and benefiting both ourselves and others” is known as “perfecting a lifespan”. This is what it means to perfect a lifespan. We must ceaselessly carry on [this work].
Because of this inquiry, He widely revealed the deep, wondrous and mysterious meaning behind His lifespan. This is what the Buddha Himself awakened to. What Maitreya asked about was the course of Bodhisattvas’ spiritual practice. They give rise to great compassion for sentient beings and have no thoughts of harming or killing. With this as their cause, this gives rise to different effects. Thus, they will attain long lifespans that will not be damaged or reduced. Practicing virtuous Dharma and benefiting both ourselves and others is known as “perfecting a lifespan.”
As Buddhist practitioners, we must spend a very long time ceaselessly advancing forward to experience [the Dharma]. If we do not personally seek to advance, then all we are really saying is, “I know, I know.” We are just debating the meaning with clever words. We remember what we hear, but we are just regurgitating what we heard. Rather, we must personally clear the path, walk the path and teach the Dharma. Only in this way can we become one with the true principles of this greater universe. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)