Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Take Joy in Tranquility and Practice Diligently (樂靜精進 同行大道)
Date: December.03.2018
“’Bodhi’ refers to ‘the path’. ‘Sattva’ refers to ‘aspirations’. ‘Maha’ means ‘great’. This is because all these people seek the broad and great path to help sentient beings mature. They comprehend perfect and universal enlightenment and have realized great spiritual aspirations.”
Bodhisattvas, we must be mindful. We constantly speak of “Bodhisattvas”. Why are they called “Bodhisattvas”? “Bodhisattva” is a combination of the words “Bodhi” and “sattva”. “Bodhi” can be interpreted as “the path”. What about “sattva”? “Sattva” refers to [someone with] aspirations. As for “maha,” it is translated as “great”. This means that people with aspirations to [attain] the great path are Bodhisattvas. “Bodhi” can also be translated as “awakened”. We usually translate it in this way, which refers to the awakening of those who walk this great path. Moreover, “maha” means great; it describes those with great awakening who enter this path and form such aspirations. If we are speaking loosely, we refer to those with great spiritual aspirations as Bodhisattvas, great Bodhisattvas.
All of these people seek the broad and great path. They are very diligent; they advance with single-minded resolve toward the broad, profound and great path. For a long time, for countless kalpas, they walk upon this path. They are always on this path; upon this path of great enlightenment, they constantly advance diligently. Furthermore, the more we pave and broaden this path, the smoother and bigger it becomes. This is “great spiritual aspirations”. We do not just calmly walk upon this road, but we pave it as we walk upon it. Opening and paving a great path requires a long time. [Bodhisattvas] ceaselessly return to the human realm life after life, all to clear this great path. They constantly clear [the path] and advance forward. They constantly pave and level [the path] to help those who come after them see it so that those behind them can steadfastly walk upon this path. So, this is what those who form great spiritual aspirations are like. This is their aspiration to “seek the broad and great path”. They only have one aim with this aspiration, to help sentient beings attain fruition [on this path]. They wish to aid those who come after them to walk [steadily] and clearly see this path. These are the aspirations of Bodhisattvas is seeking this broad and great path.
Thus, “They comprehend perfect and universal enlightenment.” As they constantly clear and pave the path, its scenery and direction becomes clearer over time. Over a long time, they become more familiar with the environment [along the path], and the scenery of their minds becomes richer. This is seeking the path. Seeking the path is not just about seeking it, but also about paving it. They “seek the Dharma and transform others.” By constantly seeking the Dharma, they constantly experience the beauty of their minds. By ceaselessly moving forward with great effort among people, they can naturally comprehend [the path] in body and mind.
So, we must “comprehend and great path”. This path is one that we ourselves opened. How could we not be familiar with it? We are very familiar. We clearly comprehend the scenery of the path and can walk in the right direction without deviating. This is what it means to “comprehend”. It is the same for us as we are amidst the Buddha-Dharma. Among the principles of the Buddha-Dharma, we receive a phrase and earnestly put it in practice. With this word or phrase, we earnestly seek to comprehend it and apply it in our daily lives.
By grasping one truth, we understand all truths. We already understand this principle. With “all-accomplishing wisdom,” we clearly understand situations we encounter. We know we are physically in this environment, so in what ways can we help others? Through putting the Dharma into practice in everyday life, we are clear about the conditions we encounter. With “profound discerning wisdom,” we can understand the nature of our surrounding environment, how we connect with it and how we act in it. [We understand] what we ought to say, what we should and should not say. As for interpersonal conflicts, in these times of great [change], we must clearly distinguish right from wrong. How do we express [right and wrong] and analyze it clearly? We must profoundly discern and mindfully seek to comprehend it. We must be very cautious in both body and mind. We must be very cautious in both body and mind.
Every day, when our bodies connect with external conditions, whenever we open our mouths to speak, we must unite the principles with people, matters and things. We must not depart from this mindset of “universal equality wisdom”. How can we exercise this mindset? We must do so without discrimination or attachments and completely exercise our altruistic potential to benefit people. When we serve others with “universal equality wisdom,” haven’t we “comprehended the great path”?
If we are in the world with clarity and no confusion, our minds will remain undefiled by the world. We will not give rise to thoughts of greed, thoughts of anger or thoughts of ignorance. This mirror [of our mind] will not be defiled by our environment. Regardless of how unwholesome the conditions may be, this mirror will clearly reflect the unwholesome conditions.
However, upon being “awakened,” we know that once these conditions are gone from the mirror, this mirror will be free of all evil conditions. They will not be there anymore, and the mirror will return to its original state of purity. No matter what worldly enticements there are, what kind of attitude they show us or what kind of matters they use [to entice us], even if fame and status are before us, our hearts will remain free and at ease. No matter how they try to entice us, [these conditions] will not enter the mirror of our hearts; it will only reflect them while remaining undefiled. With this clarity, we will understand completely. Amidst right and wrong, we will clearly understand how to employ our wisdom and use it to clearly discern the principles. Proper things are the principles of the path. Improper things are deviant and “the wring path”.
We will be able to clearly understand and discern them and will be very willing to do what must be done without fearing difficulties. This is the path we ought to travel, so we must clear such a path. [The path] is not for us alone to walk upon; we must be willing to lead everyone to walk upon it too. Thus, we must [pave the path] evenly. “Wrong” refers to ruggedness and dangers. We must push them aside; those who walk in front must push aside those dangerous [situations]. We must be clear on how to lead others to walk on this even road.
We see in Africa that Tzu Chi volunteers are also like this. They are truly walking upon the great Bodhisattva path. Even though they are still ordinary beings, they have already formed this aspiration. [Tzu Chi] has been in Africa for over 20 years by now, in one suffering country after another, in these distant places. Tzu Chi volunteers in South Africa began with Taiwanese businessmen who came into contact with Tzu Chi. They brought this seed [from Taiwan]. Once they brought the seed to that place, these Taiwanese businessmen shared these ideals and this spirit, encouraging and inspiring one another. They [maintain] the perspective that I taught them. When we stand on other people’s land, beneath other people’s sky, what we obtain locally should be used locally to benefit the people there. After they took these ideals to heart, everyone joined together, sharing the same mindset, the same aspirations and the same path. During their time of greatest unrest, Africans were forcing out white people, those of European [ancestry]. Turmoil began to break out. After a long period of oppression, people were longing for change, so they broke out into upheaval.
Thus, for a period of over 20 years, there truly was no peace. There were even big riots, with acts of arson and robbery. Society had become very disorderly. At that time, some Taiwanese businessmen thought. “Perhaps we should [go home]”. Among them was Mr. Huang. Early one morning he called me and said. “Master, I want to leave South Africa and move back to the United Kingdom.” I asked him why, and then he told me his reasons. During that phone call, when it was morning here, I told him, “when we stand on other people’s land and” beneath other people’s sky, “we ought to be grateful and ought to give back to them”.
“Since you have your business there and have already made a lot of money in the past, now, you ought to stay and give back to the suffering locals.” From then on, they all formed aspirations to care for the locals. Even during periods of great upheaval, [our volunteers] still served others, providing them with material supplies to comfort their hearts. Amidst their suffering, these people were helped. They also knew that there was a group of people who were not white people; they were Asian people, ethnically Chinese. They had already made the distinction and knew that these people were good people who were helping them. This was particularly true of those who wore blue and white volunteer uniforms. These people were all helping others. So, they slowly came around. From an extremely rough road, they paved an even one; they cleared and paved this path so that everyone could walk upon it. After that period, as long as a door or a car has the Tzu Chi logo on it, no one will damage that house or car. They have promoted the brand of true love. There was even an instance when a Taiwanese businessman went to South Africa to do business. He was driving a Mercedes-Benz. One time, when he was driving, he had to get gas. He saw a group of young people at [the gas station]. He did not know what they were saying. They were looking and pointing in his direction. He also saw that the gas station attendant quickly walked over to the group after he finished filing his tank. After [the businessman] filled up his tank, he started his car and drove away safely. After he had driven a couple hundred kilometers and returned the same way, He returned to the same gas station to fill up. The gas station attendant was the same individual as before. Upon seeing the car, he said, “You were in great danger this morning”. [The businessman asked], “What was the problem”. The attendant told him, “This morning there was a group of young people who said that because you have such a nice car, you must be very rich. So, they wanted to rob and kidnap you. I quickly went to tell them that since you wear this outfit, you are a good person”.
This [businessman] was confused. “What does me wearing this outfit have to do with anything?” He replied, “This outfit that you wear is blue, with a white collar and white pants. Aren’t you a Tzu Chi volunteer?” He was startled. He thought to himself, “I am not a Tzu Chi volunteer, but I know Tzu Chi”. So, from that moment onward, he as grateful to Tzu Chi.
Upon returning to Taiwan, he told his friend, “Tzu Chi’s uniform is very useful. I was not wearing the uniform. I merely wore light-colored pants and a shirt with white collar, and they took me for one of their volunteers in blue and white. It saved my life!” This is what, upon returning to Taiwan, he told his friend. His friend is a Tzu Chi commissioner. She came and told me this. I said, “You ought to ask him to join us so he can officially wear this blue and white volunteer uniform”. This happened many years ago. This is to tell everyone that we must mindfully begin to clear and pave the Bodhisattva-path amidst hardships until there is truly a path that others can see and walk upon. Those who pave the path are those who have personally walked it.
Ever since then, [Tzu Chi] has been taking root in South Africa. Now the ethnic Chinese, the Taiwanese businessmen, have slowly grown old, and some want to return to Taiwan. Now our activities there rely on the local volunteers. We can see that there are now many local volunteers there. Now we send rice every year from Taiwan to South Africa. They distribute it in June and July. They are genuine, meaning that they are selfless they have already taken the Dharma to heart. However Tzu Chi volunteers act, [the local volunteers] follow. Every year, when they distribute the rice, they choose the poorest villages and the poorest among the poor.
For example, this time (in 2017), they are just starting to distribute [the rice]. But two months earlier, they had to do visits, going to the poorest villages. There, everyone is extremely poor. With so many people, over ten thousand people, how could they choose? They used their wisdom; with sincerity, they first interacted with everyone, told the story of Tzu Chi and spoke causes and conditions. They were also able to explain the law of karma. They have taken the Buddha-Dharma to heart. From the Dharma that I taught, they applied it in the way they spoke and told stories. They took stories of the Buddha-Dharma and connected them with their local stories. In this way, the patiently guided people. They first brought purity to everyone’s hearts and then called upon everyone to engage in volunteer work, [saying], “Those who help others have the cause for the greatest wealth, and serving others is our most joyful reward. So, we must be selfless. We must provide a list of names of those who suffer most, of those families that need the most assistance. Let us go and survey and see so that we can assist those who suffer more than us”. This was the spirit of the local volunteers. Two months prior to the distribution, they divided into groups to [find] the most impoverished people. They used this time to encourage people there, to first establish their volunteer spirit. So, at that place, they distributed to two or three thousand households. They first helped people there develop their volunteer spirit and then held [the distribution]. At that time, when they held the distribution on July 29th, the scene was truly moving. These people who helped others brought the rice there, and prior to the distribution, they did many rehearsals. After they had surveyed every household, they gave the rice vouchers to them and clearly explained [the process] to them. The rice came truck by truck, and volunteers came together one by one and unloaded the [bags of] rice from the trucks, stacking them in an orderly manner. When the truck was unloaded, they used its bed as a stage. [Volunteers] climbed onto the truck and held a program [for the recipients], sharing with them and talking to them. Those volunteers were also very poor. They also came forward to share their own stories, about how they had devoted themselves to working with the other volunteers and caring for those who face greater hardships than they do. They reflected upon themselves; they saw suffering and recognized their blessings. When people who thought that they suffered greatly saw others who were suffering even more, they formed aspirations and willingly volunteers. During this time, as they volunteered and served others, their hearts were extremely joyful. Every one of them stood on the truck’s bed to share [their stories]. So, it was very successful.
They used these methods, and with great wisdom, they brought out many volunteers in this way. From late July to early August, which is winter time [in South Africa], they continually distributed rice, several hundred metric tons of rice. This is truly praiseworthy. This is forming aspirations toward the path. They were first awakened. Amidst suffering, they awakened to the truth of suffering. They realized the principle that “suffering” comes from the accumulation of “causes and conditions”. They clearly understood this, so they were willing [to give]. This means that they did not want to give rise to thoughts of greed anymore. Thus, they eliminated them; they eliminated this desire to possess things. They eliminated it “I am happy without them. I want to serve others. By leveraging each other’s strength, we can also be people who help others. This is how they eliminated [their desire] to possess things so that they could share with others. They walk upon this path with great joy. So, they are spiritually rich. This is what happened in Africa. There are [many] events similar to this. This group of local volunteers are shining bright in Africa. [They] have formed great spiritual aspirations.
Over a long time, starting over 20 years age, they have opened up this great path. They have been able to use this spirit and ideal, expanding to reach a seventh country.
When I speak of this, it warms my heart and makes me very happy. They seek nothing but the broad and great path and also “to help sentient beings mature.” Those who have no rice to eat and are starving now have a chance to smell the fragrance of rice; they are able to enjoy the fragrance of rice during this winter. [The volunteers’ act of] giving is a path in the world. In serving others, they have come to “comprehend perfect and universal enlightenment, how to walk upon this right path. Although they are still ordinary beings, they have already entered the path and are walking upon it. With this seed planted, they must continue walking upon it lifetime after lifetime. So, they have “realized great spiritual aspirations. They know this path that they can walk upon, if we speak of this in worldly terms, this “path” is one all people can walk upon one all people can pave and one all people can open up. We must aim in the right direction and bring purity to people’s hearts. What is difficult about this? So we must be mindful.
They are enlightened sentient beings who have great spiritual aspirations and advance diligently on the great path. It is because all these people seek the broad and great path. all these people are seeking the great path. They have selfless hearts; they have the greater self, not the limited self. They are willing to serve others and have become very mature. They have “great spiritual aspirations” to wholeheartedly benefit sentient beings. they share the same aspirations and serve others in unity.
The previous sutra passage says, “Nor do they remain at the stage of relying on the Human or Heavenly Being Vehicles.
“Nor do they remain at the stage of relying on the Human or heavenly Being Vehicles. They constantly take joy in profound wisdom and are without obstructuins. They also take joy in the teacahings of all Buddhas, advancing wholeheartedly and diligently to seek unsurpassed wisdom.
Sakyamuni Buddha introduced these people. Where did they come from? They emerge from the ground. Where do they abide? “[Is not] the Human or Heavenly being Vehicles. They constantly take joy in profound wisdom.” these people all seek profound wisdom. this wisdom has already entered their hearts. In worldly matters, they have no more hindrances or disputes, none at all.
So, “They also take joy in the teachings of all Buddhas. Even though they have already realized and understood [the teachings] and avoid all disputes while going among people without hindrances, they still constantly “seek the Dharma” and “transform sentient beings” among people nor existence, they walk the Middle Way. They “advance wholeheartedly and diligently continuously “seeking unsurpassed wisdom. These are all great Bodhisattvas.
Continuing on, the sutra states, “At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to restate His meaning, spoke in verse. ‘Ajita, you must know that all these great Bodhisattvas have, since countless kalpas ago, cultivated and learned Buddha-wisdom. They are all people I have transformed and helped to form spiritual aspirations’.”
This passage is even clearer Sakyamuni Buddha now said to Maitreya Bodhisattva, “You must know that the assembly of Bodhisattvas that emerged from the ground, all these people, have been practicing for a very long time. Throughout countless kalpas, they have cultivated and learned Buddha-wisdom. “They are all people I have transformed. Ever since they formed aspirations, they have always been like this, constantly learning the Buddha’s wisdom.
Since countless kalpas ago, [they have] practiced and learned Buddha-wisdom. They are all people I have transformed and helped to form great spiritual aspirations: They practice and learn the Buddha’s wisdom. They are all people whom He personally taught and transformed and helped to form aspirations toward the unsurpassed great path.
Look, there are so many great Bodhisattvas who, over such a long time, have yet to master the Buddha’s wisdom; they ae still continuing to seek it. “They are all people I have transformed. I have personally taught all these people to this point. So, “He helped [them] form aspirations toward the unsurpassed great path. Lifetime after lifetime, He had inspired their hearts. They are like this in every lifetime, [walking] the same path. If they do not complete clearing the path today they will continue to clear it the next day. If they have yet to finish clearing the path in the lifetime, they will continue in the next. For countless lifetimes and countless days and months, they have done this, clearing and paving this path.
Continuing on, the sutra passage states, “These people are my children who abide in this world. They constantly engage in the practice of dhuta. Their resolve and joy is to be in tranquil places. They abandon the bustle and noise of the multitudes and do not take joy in speaking much”.
These people are all like this. What they engage in are practices of dhuta. They very willingly engage in ascetic practices. The Saha World is a world that must be endured. It is [filled with] suffering; it is a world of suffering. If people cannot endure it, then they will seek liberation from it. But these people are able to endure it. This is like how, among those who practiced the Buddha-Dharma, among the Buddha’s disciples, there were some who exclusively engaged in ascetic practices. For instance, what Venerable Kasyapa practiced was extreme asceticism. The practice of dhuta is extreme asceticism.
So, this was what the Buddha said; He praised these people. They were in the Saha World, this world of endurance, and in their practice, they were moreover willing to enter the most impoverished places and live with the most impoverished people, living the same way they do. They ate things that had already gone bad, things that no one wanted, that were thrown away. They did not go house to house seeking alms. When they needed alms, they went among the most impoverished and ate their worst food. They did this willingly; this is how they practiced. This is what the Buddha praised, that in this world that is so hard to endure, they would practice in this way that normal people cannot endure. They were willing to do this, live this way and practice in this manner. Thus, the Buddha praised them, “These people are my children who abide in this world”.
These people are my children who abide in this world: This verse explains how they take joy in tranquility and advance diligently. These are all the Buddha’s Dharma-children who abide in empty space and are different from the other Bodhisattvas.
This verse praises how they take joy in tranquil places. They are setting an example, putting [the teachings] into practice. They are able to endure [the Saha World]. They are not people who go to teach the Dharma everywhere, who cannot put it into action but only talk about it. There are people who cannot do it themselves; they only lecture and instruct others to do things, but are unwilling to give of themselves. Such people are numerous. The Buddha praised those who take action. Unless it is something important, they do not speak about it, but among people, they put it into action. This is how they engage in spiritual practice and serve as role models for spiritual practitioners. As role models, since they engage in spiritual practice, they have to close the door to their hearts, shut out their desires, greed, ignorance and anger. They have to close these doors of their hearts. So, this is ascetic practice. That they can endure and overcome suffering is because they have no ignorance, anger or greed.
The Buddha praised these people. So, “They take joy in tranquility and advance diligently. They are all the Buddha’s Dharma-children”. These people are the Buddha’s Dharma-children who understand His heart. So, Kasyapa “[saw the Buddha] hold up a flower, and he smiled”. The Buddha help up a flower, and Kasyapa comprehended [the meaning]. Thus, he was a Dharma-child. The Buddha transmitted the Dharma. These people “abide in empty space”. They abide in emptiness and do not wish to get reborn into heaven. They abide in the Middle Way, unattached to emptiness or existence; they [abide in] “wondrous existence in emptiness”. These people are not like normal Bodhisattvas. “They constantly engage in the practice of dhuta”.
They constantly engage in the practice of dhuta: Dhuta is Sanskrit. It means “to shake off”. Those who aspire to practice diligently are said to practice dhuta. They practice emptiness and tranquility, shaking off all defilements and afflictions.
“Dhuta” is Sanskrit. It means “to shake off”. This means to completely shake off all defilements. This is just like when we see chickens, ducks, cats and dogs. If they are wet, they give their whole body a shake, casting off the water and drying their bodies. It is similar to this. We must remove filth and defilements from our body and mind. Then, we will have none. In fact, the clothes they wear are often “cast off rags”. They are very dirty, and yet their hearts harbor no filth. Even when defiled things draw near to them, they completely eliminate the filth. They have not afflictions, ignorance or delusions within their hearts. This is “dhuta,” with which they can overcome all desirous thoughts.
They overcome everything. “Those who aspire to practice diligently are said to practice dhuta”. In other words, “They practice emptiness and tranquility”. The practice they normally engage in is “emptiness,” yet they earnestly engage in spiritual practice for the sake of returning to their nature of True Suchness, to “existence,” and reach the state of Buddhahood. This is “wondrous existence in emptiness”. They are role models among the people. All dusts and afflictions are completely gone; their minds are tranquil and clear. Their minds abide in emptiness and tranquility, and in this world, they are very diligent.
So, “Their resolve and joy is to be in tranquil places. They abandon the bustle and noise of the multitudes and do not take joy in speaking much”. They just do it.
Their resolve and joy is to be in tranquil places. They abandon the bustle and noise of the multitudes and do not take joy in speaking much: They resolve to and are happy to abide in empty and tranquil places, abandon the matters of the multitudes, and speak very little.
“They resolve to and are happy to abide in” means that they have resolved to and are very happy and very willing to abide in secluded or tranquil places. They do not want to go to very lively places. They do not want to go to very lively places. They do not. Still, they go among people. When you hear this, you must not misunderstand. Their hearts are tranquil. They are very tranquil. No matter the disturbance, it never enters their hearts. Look at the Buddha. Every time he spoke, there were thousands of people at the assembly. These great disciples did not depart. In every sutra we read, all of the great disciples were among people. So, we can say that their hearts always resided in tranquil and clear places. So, “They abandon the affairs of the multitude.” They let go of all of the troublesome matters of sentient beings. They completely let go of these afflictions and ignorance and these interpersonal conflicts. They let go of interpersonal conflicts and had no need to argue with people. Such disputes cannot be made clear even through discussion. It is better not to speak of them. So, they did not argue with others. To those who did not truly want to listen to the Dharma, they would not teach it, and so they were very quiet.
They would, however, put it into action. What they wanted to say was in accord with others’ capabilities. They used their experiences to explain the Dharma according to others’ capabilities. They were this type of Bodhisattvas. So, regarding the place they abided in, when these great Bodhisattvas arrived, they did not come from above where everyone often saw them. Maitreya Bodhisattva said, “I have never before seen these Bodhisattvas.” They rarely manifested. They quietly went among people, practicing the Middle Way. Such was this group of Bodhisattvas. Their hearts had for a long time safeguarded their aspirations toward the path. They were Bodhisattvas with great spiritual aspirations; they forever safeguarded [their aspirations]. Indeed! We also ought to have great spiritual aspirations and learn all Buddha-wisdom. We can never finish learning it. Since we can never finish learning it, we must make the most of our time and put effort into being mindful to remember the Dharma we listen to. We must actualize it in our lives. We must take the Dharma we hear and apply it in the actions of our lives. How can our body, speech, and mind abide in our vows for the long run? In the conditions we encounter, with “all-accomplishing wisdom,” we must use what [we have] to benefit people. We must put effort into being mindful and use our profound discerning wisdom to find a way to utilize [what we have] and so on. Lately, I have been constantly repeating myself. This is to help everyone remember, to engrave it into their minds, that this Dharma is in our thoughts and speech. Our body, speech and mind is inseparable from the Dharma. We all must apply the Dharma in our daily lives. This way, we will have a way to stand in the right direction. Then we will have a way to spend every minute and every second clearing the path. This is the spirit of paving the path. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
