Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The World Is Ever-Changing and Impermanent (世界成壞 遷變無常)
Date: January.04.2019
“There are two kinds of kalpas. The first gets its name from the world of material existence. Its length is determined by how long it takes for this world to go through formation and decay. They are known by such names as the kalpa of formation, the kalpa of decay, the increasing kalpa, decreasing kalpa and so on.” These are all named for the world of material existence. “The second kind is defined by our lifespans. The time of this kalpa is calculated in days, nights, months and years. The cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance is known as a ‘kalpa’.”
We must be mindful. We must listen and take this in mindfully. A “kalpa” is a long time. Within the great space of such a long time, within this very long span of time, is “the world of material existence.” “The world of material existence” is located within greater space, and we can see all the substances and so on contained within it. Take the planet we live on for example. On Earth, everything within it, including all the natural features of the earth, all of the substances within it, all [exist within] time. They undergo [the cycle of] formation, existence, decay and disappearance within time. This greater time within greater space is called a “kalpa”. Within this greater [unit] of time, within this greater space, the material substances contained within include the entirety of every planet. Just speaking of Earth alone, all the natural features of Earth are included, without exception, within this greater [unit] of time.
So, the entire world of material existence, this world of objects, encompasses everything that can be touched or seen. Everything within it is bound to the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. Such a period of time is very long; anything within it has a time when it starts and a time when it ends. Earth itself undergoes formation, existence, decay and disappearance; this is to say nothing of other material objects. Therefore, we must be very clear that everything is included within that [time]. For example, when Earth was “formed,” how long ago did this “formation” take place? For now, we can ignore how long ago this was; the point is, there was a time when it was formed. That initial formation happened during the “kalpa of formation.” Then, it increased and grew. Starting from its “formation,” it grew, and it kept growing ceaselessly. All substances, all the natural features of the earth also slowly grew over time. They became these substances, the natural features of the earth that we can see, the natural world. These all developed very slowly. Living beings and plant life also went through the same process of “formation”. In this process, human life began to form, undergoing “formation”. Lifespans at that time lasted over 80,000 years; people’s lifespans were very long. This was at the initial stage of formation, so everyone was very pure of heart.
During a period of initial formation, everything is in the process of “formation”. Over time, the process of formation settles into “existence”. These material things, whether plants, people or so on, the numerous things that our eyes can see, continuously increase. As they grow, this is called the kalpa of formation and the kalpa of existence. During this period, they are in “formation”. Time continues on slowly for a very long time. When the human lifespan is 84,000 years long, people begin to give rise to discursive thoughts, actions and so on, and they begin to destroy [the world].
From then on, the human lifespan begins to gradually decrease by one year every 100 years. After 100 years, it decreases by one year and continues to decrease in this way. So, the increasing kalpa and decreasing kalpa are parts of the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. The periods of formation and existence are parts of the increasing kalpa. In the eras of decay and disappearance, there is a continuous decrease because a [long] lifespan is less and less assured.
In this evil world of turbidities, the macrocosm of the world suffers destruction by humankind. With the destruction of nature, the natural world slowly becomes imbalanced. As the four elements gradually lose their balance, a kalpa of extremes develops. Being in an era of extremes means that the elements of earth, water, fire and wind are very imbalanced, so there are many disasters. Many natural disasters occur, and human lives are lost in this way. Damages are done by nature, whether from earthquakes, typhoons, floods or fires. Moreover, human minds are continuously imbalanced. This imbalance in the human mind causes people to kill each other and brings harm to humankind. People’s lifespans decrease as a result of natural disasters and manmade calamities. This situation is getting more and more extreme. This is the “world of material existence”. Everything that we can see and touch exists in the world of material existence. This includes us humans; we ourselves are also part of the great, impermanent space of the material world. This is the world of material existence.
The second kind of kalpa is defined by human lifespan. As we have mentioned, all formation, existence, decay and disappearance in the world need time. “Formation” takes time as well. When it comes to time, humans live in this world, so it can be calculated through the length of the human lifespan. [After reaching a lifespan of] 84,000 years, [this lifespan] diminishes every hundred years. [Time] can be calculated in this way, so these kalpas are defined by our lifespan. From a long lifespan, [the lifespan] continuously diminishes until only 100 or even 10 years remain. As a result, we now only live for a few decades. As the days keep on passing, we calculate time this way, [with our lifespan] decreasing by one year every one hundred years. Based on our current lifespan of about 70 or 80 years, it will still be a long time.
But in this long period of time, there is birth and death. Within this long period of time, there are many disasters. Disasters occur constantly, while human beings are constantly being born and are constantly [dying]. [People] continue to be born and die, until eventually [they perish] in large numbers. It will not only be the extreme climate that will bring loss of life. It will not only be the imbalance in the hearts of people in certain countries that will lead to wars within and among countries, resulting in the deaths of waves of refugees. [The world] will be more and more turbid, and people’s minds will be more and more chaotic, until even within families, all objects will be hefted as weapons to kill or harm each other. As people kill one another, we look at the average length of human lives. With so many people dying, of course, it will be as [the sutra] said; our lifespan will be ten years. This does not mean that no one will live past ten. No; at that point in time, there will still be some who live several decades and some who live almost 100 years. But the likelihood of losing one’s life will be very high. Whether due to natural disasters or manmade calamities, with people killing each other and taking life in the world, the [mortality] rate will be very high. This is how we calculate the average [lifespan]. So, we must be very vigilant and also very mindful. This is what it is like in a kalpa, in a very long period of time. Everything we see during this long period of time undergoes cycles of formation, existence, decay and disappearance, or birth, age, illness and death. There will be more and more of this. At this time, the human lifespan is not only diminished by natural disasters and manmade calamities. These days, even mosquito bites can take someone’s life. Infections from germs happen frequently. In this way, life has no guarantee. In the world of material existence, the lifespan is measured in averages. When we explain it in years, we still have to explain using averages.
Of course, this requires great mindfulness. This is all part of the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. Using the human lifespan as an analogy, starting from 84,000 years, one years is subtracted every 100 years. Over this long period of time, many human actions accumulate, damaging the macrocosm of the world. Within that macrocosm, all things will ultimately. Kill and infect each other. The material things of the natural world will continuously be corrupted in this way.
In summary, this is how things generally are. So, we must not think that if we put it this way, we will only lose 1 year after every 100 years, so even after several lifetimes, our lifespan will still be several decades long. This is not the case. The environment will become worse and worse, and it will be more and more turbid, and this crisis will grow more and more severe. This is where we must awaken ourselves and be very mindful.
So, this world, as we have already discussed, is an “endless flow of time”. “Past and present connect with the future to make up time.”
The world is made up of an endless flow of time. Past and present connect with the future to make up time.
The world is also defined by boundaries.
Moreover, the world is ever-changing and impermanent.
That which is impermanent and ever-changing is known as the “world”.
This is how time continues. It flows continuously without ever ceasing. Thus, [time] ceaselessly flows on. In the past, present and future. This is the “world”. From early in the morning to now, without us realizing it, the sky went from being dark until. I now see it already bright. When I came out just now, it was still dark, and now, as I sit here, looking out, the sky has already brightened. Without us noticing, time passed by so quickly. Just now, we were talking about the future. Now, as I sit here and speak, it is the present. What we say in the present passes by and becomes the past. The current moment is merely the future of the past.
Thus, time flows on without stopping. It cannot be pinned down. Because of this, there are “kalpas”, very long periods of time. Short moments accumulate into a long time. The world is defined by boundaries. This place and that place are separated by a boundary line. In the same space, one part can be called a reception room, and another can be an office. You can walk from here to there, even if there is a boundary. The same principle can be applied to the world, where are different countries and places. So, the planet is divided into five continents that are all different. This is how space is divided. “Moreover, the world is ever-changing and impermanent. That which is impermanent and ever-changing” is the world. What is impermanent and ever-changing is the world. In the space of our lives, the “world” as it expands in size, has a boundary. This is called the world, which is defined by boundaries and space.
We must understand all of this very clearly. When it comes to the Buddha-Dharma, if we do not seek to understand these terms and the principles [of the Dharma], then when the Buddha talks about long lifespans, we will be even less able to understand it clearly. Thus, we must know that a lifespan exists within time. It is a matter of time. This is why we must understand how to calculate time. [This time] is very difficult to calculate; it is impossible to calculate. This is why we often use “the Ganges’ sands”, a very large number, as an analogy for that which is impossible to measure or imagine. We need to be very clear about this.
In the previous sutra passage, [the Buddha] says, “They would continue eastward like this until all the dust particles were gone”.
They would continue eastward like this until all the dust particles were gone. All you good men, what do you think? Could the total number of all those worlds possible be contemplated or calculated?
Let us review the previous sutra passage. It tells us to suppose someone were to grind all those worlds into dust particles. This person would keep traveling east over a very long distance and drop one particle of that dust then travel further to another faraway place and drop [another particle]. To finish dropping all the particles in this way, how huge must this world be? This is an expression of how huge the universe we are in is. In this universe, the stars and planets are impossible to count. We discussed this previously. How big is the solar system alone, which includes Earth? It is already immeasurable and contains unspeakable [numbers] of celestial bodies.
I often use a certain analogy. There is a map that is larger than this table. It was brought to me rolled-up, and we unrolled it. A group of processors showed me where the asteroid “Tzu Chi” was roughly positioned [on the map]. They pointed out where Earth was and, starting from the solar system and Earth, where the “Tzu Chi” asteroid was where the “Tzu Chi” asteroid was. This large map was densely dotted with bright spots densely dotted with bright spots showing the celestial objects. When they pointed our [the part] that surrounds our Earth, on this map of the universe, it was just a small corner.
So, I asked a question. “Professor Ip, when it comes to the solar system around our Earth, how many celestial objects does it contain in all?” He took a deep breath and told me, “Master, it is just as you always say, it is inconceivable. It is impossible to count them. Isn’t that what the sutras say?” That was how he answered me.
Indeed, the entire solar system that Earth belongs to is only a [small] corner [of the universe]. Yet it already contains too many objects to count. “In that case, what about all these others?” He said, “It is the same way. They are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and are even more impossible to count. This is the conversation we had that day. So, we have to know that they are “as numerous as the sands of the Ganges”. The worlds that the Buddha spoke of, those He had transformed, are spread over such a vast area. In order to express the lifespan of the Buddha, the greater life within this great space, [in order to express] this idea, we must understand basically how vast these very widespread numbers are.
If we cannot understand them, then we cannot move forward in our comprehension of the principles. So, it is only by thinking through these concepts that we will we be able to take in the principles of the Buddha-Dharma. We must be very mindful. So, “They would continue eastward like this. This is how they place these particles of dust, dropping each one at a very great distance, continually dropping dust particles this way. “All you good men, what do you think?” Think about it. Could these worlds possible be contemplated or calculated? Think about this. [The number] of these worlds would be so great.
Continuing on from earlier, the next sutra passage says, “Maitreya Bodhisattva and the others all said to the Buddha…”. The Buddha had explained this to them, but these Bodhisattvas still did not understand, so they told the Buddha the words in their heart. “World-Honored One, those worlds would be infinite and boundless, impossible to know through calculation and beyond the reach of the power of the mind”. [The number of] these worlds would be very great. There would be no real way to count them and no way to make a mindful effort to understand how vast [this space] would truly be. There is no way to come up with a number for it.
This means that, for this number [of worlds], even “all the Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, in their flawless wisdom, would be unable to contemplate or conceive of their limit or number. We who abide at the stage of avaivartikas would also be unable to comprehend this matter”.
These Hearers and Solitary Realizers had already eliminated many of their afflictions, and they had already put in great effort. They had rid themselves of much ignorance and affliction, and their minds were very pure. However, even in their pure-heartedness, to comprehend the quantity of these worlds, they truly would be unable to contemplate or calculate their limit or number these Hearers and Solitary Realizers would fail to understand “Buddha, you mention so many worlds, but as for us…”. So, [the Bodhisattvas] said, “We who abide at the state of avaivartikas…”. They had already reached a state of non-retreating these Bodhisattvas “would also be unable to comprehend this matter”. What they meant was, “not only do we all have pure hearts, but we can also go among people without being defiled by them. We have seen so many things and understood so much of the Dharma. But what you tell us now, Venerable Buddha, we still have no way to comprehend. So, everyone still struggled to understand.
In the following passage, Maitreya then said, “World-Honored One, those worlds would be infinite and boundless.”
This was what Maitreya said to the Buddha “It is not only Hearers and Solitary Realizers who cannot deeply comprehend this matter. Even our group of
Bodhisattvas is unable to comprehend this. “World-Honored One,” he entreated again, “those worlds would be infinite and boundless. Those worlds would truly be infinite and boundless. We would truly be unable to understand them.
“At that time,” Sakyamuni Buddha began speaking again. The Buddha told all those great Bodhisattvas, “All you good men, I will clarify and proclaim this to you all. I have now begun to proclaim this to you all. Now I have begun to clarify and proclaim this to all of you, to explain this to everyone. Since you still do not understand, I will teach it to you in detail”. Here, after Maitreya repeatedly entreated Him, Sakyamuni Buddha began to express that He would now explain to each of them in detail.
So, the buddha said, “All you good men, now I will clarify and proclaim this to you all. I will begin to tell all of you”.
“All of you good men, now I will clarify and proclaim this to you all: The Budha went on to clarify and proclaim the secret of His original intent from the past. He had yet to fully express his original intent to expound the True Dharma of the One Vehicle, but now He would clearly reveal it.
This means that the Buddha “went on to clarify and proclaim” [this to them]. He again addressed these Bodhisattvas and the Hearers and Solitary Realizers who were present He began to explain it to them in detail. In the past, the Buddha kept His original intent secret. It was not really a secret; He simply could not say it because people did not have the capacity to realize the Buddha’s state of mind or comprehend the words from the depths of His heart. So, from the depths of His heart, He wanted to proclaim His state of enlightenment to everyone. But His state of enlightenment id something that oridinary beings are absolutely unable to accept. So, this became His secret original intent. In the past, He was unable to “fully express His original intent to expound the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. In the past, He was unable to do so. but now, “He would clearly reveal it”. At that time, He already wanted to teach everyone the original intent deep in His heart, the state He had awakened to when He attained Buddhahood. In truth, everyone intrinsically possesses the Buddha’s awakening. What the Buddha can conceive of and realize, every person is capable of realizing. But people have habitual tendencies and ignorance and have not wiped clear the mirror of their minds. They are not yet clear about people, matters or the ways of the world. As a result, they do not do things harmoniously, so they have yet to clearly understand the principles. If we are clear about the principles, we will clearly understand how to deal with matters. There are still areas in which we lack clarity. So, we are still unenlightened beings.
In the following sutra passage, [the Buddha] says, “Suppose all these worlds, whether a dust particle is placed in them or not, are completely ground to dust. If one dust particle represents one kalpas, the time that as passed since I attained Buddhahood would surpass this number by quadrillions of nayutas of asankyas of kalpas.
The Buddha said, “You all say that it was only in this lifetime that I engaged in spiritual practice and attained Buddhahood. “This would mean that it has only been nearly 50 years, that I have only been teaching the Dharma for 40 or so years. Since I attained Buddhahood and began, teaching the Dharma, so little time has passed. “I spent 11 years in spiritual practice. What you see in this way is only the situation in this current lifetime. In truth, I attained Buddhahood a very long time ago. He used these worlds, the dust particles of these infinite words, as an analogy for the time. So, the “number of kalpas” is an analogy for time. The kalpas we just discussed are these “kalpas”. The kalpas of the world of material existence or the kalpas calculated by the human lifespan are all impossible to count. These “kalpas” mentioned are not just about the human lifespan going from 84,000 years to 10 years in the increasing kalpas and the decreasing kalpa. It is not just a single cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance; it is not. These are “dust-inked kalpas. There is not merely “one great kalpa”. There are infinite kalpas over an incalculable period of time. So, since such a long period of time, with each dust particle representing one kalpa, He had already attained Buddhahood. “the time that has passed “since this number by quadrillions of nayutas of asankyas of kalpas. This means it had been a very long time, incalculable billions of years of time. There had been incalculable billions of kalpas. A very long time had passed. This show how long the buddha’s lifespan had been since He attained enlightenment. We have to be clear that “enlightenment,” the true principles, does not refer to [the experience] of an individual. This “enlightened [nature]” has existed since Beginningless Time. This “enlightened [nature]” is shared by everyone. Every person has this “enlightened [nature]” that has existed since Beginningless Time. It is just that we have not put in the effort, and we have yet to attain Buddhahood. Sakyamuni Buddha put in the effort, so He has applied this “enlightened [nature]” throughout lifetime after lifetime and has never lost His direction. Lifetime after lifetime, He has been transforming people.
So, “Suppose all these worlds, whether a dust particle is placed in them or not, are completely ground into dust”. Whether these worlds are marked by a dust particle or not, these numerous worlds are all gathered together. Whether [a particle] is placed in them or not, the dust particles of all these worlds are gathered together. The worlds marked and unmarked by dust particles are all gathered together. They are “all ground to dust. One dust particle represents one kalpa,” including the worlds where a particle is placed and the ones where a particle is not placed. In this way, they are all gathered together, and each particle counts as another kalpa. This means that this time is very long. So, “All the worlds in the eastward journey are ground into dust, and one dust particle represents one kalpa”. In this way, this keeps expressing that the number is very great. “The time that has passed since I attained Buddhahood would surpass this number by quadrillions of nayutas of asankyas of kalpas”.
The Buddha awakened to the principles a very long time ago; He has already awakened to them. So, “the number of kalpas since He attained Buddhahood,” the number of kalpas since He awakened, “would surpass these dust-inked kalpas” by infinite asankyas of kalpas.
The time that has passed since I attained Buddhahood would surpass this number by quadrillions of nayutas of asankyas of kalpas: The number of kalpas since He attained Buddhahood would surpass these dust-inked kalpas by infinite asankyas of kalpas.
This means that His enlightened nature was present from very early on. With the Buddha’s enlightened nature, He had very clear and thorough understanding. We must understand well that the Buddha came and went through infinite worlds. How many times has Earth experience the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance? During this period after His enlightenment, He was always in the human world, within the cycle of formation, existence, decay and disappearance. These principles, this enlightened nature, have always existed. He keeps returning [to this world]. There are [the eras of] right Dharma, Dharma-semblance and Dharma-degeneration. When the Buddha-Dharma no longer exists, [the cycle] again repeats itself. This happens one cycle after another. No matter how long a time it will be or how many times this world of material existence comes into being and ceases to exist, the Buddha’s principles will always exist.
Truly, this evil world of turbidities is a result of the collective karma of humanity. We are already in the era of evil world of turbidities, so there are many disasters. In 2017, in the Caribbean Sea, there were several hurricanes that caused great disasters. Looking at the United States, just [Texas] alone, where Houston is located, this large [state] is several times larger than Taiwan. Over such a vast area, wouldn’t [a hurricane] have little effect? This was not the case at all. Three or four days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, it first left the land and then returned again. When it came back in, it caused even greater damages. Afterwards, before the first hurricane passed, Hurricane Irma came and hit an island belonging to the US, causing serious damage. After those damages, there was another hurricane called Maria that followed. So, there were two hurricanes in quick succession that were both Gategory 4 or 5. They kept coming in this way, causing the eastern side of the Americas another bout of serious damage. The general paths were truly very similar; [the hurricanes] repeatedly damaged approximately the same area.
The country of Dominica and Puerto Rico are both small islands. The disasters caused [by the hurricanes] in those islands damaged 80 or 90 percent of [the islands]. We had not yet been to these two islands. But from the video footage and the messages sent out, it is clear that the situation is very serious.
Just in Dominica, there was severe destruction, including damages to all buildings. Even their prime minister’s home was completely blown apart. We heard the prime minister say, “The [roof] was suddenly blown off, and water instantly rushed into the house”. It flooded inside this house, and the roof was gone too. The house was destroyed. At that time, the prime minister himself said, “I did not know what to do”. He was floating in the water there until the police came to save him. The prime minister told this story himself. It was so powerful. Even if you are the leader of a country, when a hurricane comes in, its power scours the entire island and affects everyone equally. It does not matter if you are rich or poor or how high your position is; people experience disaster all the same. He was also completely helpless. His house was blown apart and flooded with water, leaving him to wait in the water to be rescued. In the end, he was also saved by the police.
This is our world. In this period of a decreasing kalpa, the material things of the world are destroyed. So, this is the “world of material existence” Of the materials in the world, every visible object, none can withstand the imbalance of the four elements. The great power of nature creates great destruction. It is a powerful force. Besides that small island, at the same time, the situation in Puerto Rico was even more severe. Likewise, the island’s population of more than three million instantly suffered terrible damages. It was a huge disaster. In that place, the transportation infrastructure has still not managed to recover and so on.
The locals in particular are suffering greatly. There are so many disasters, whether on these small islands or in Mexico, the neighbor of the US. In 2017, the huge earthquake in Mexico was a truly terrible sight to behold. Even government buildings were completely destroyed. We can truly see that there is much suffering. Everyone, this is “the world of material existence.” These [disasters] are happening in this kalpa of decay. So, I hope that everyone can seek to understand that within this “kalpa,” there is our world of material existence and the state of our lifespans. They are all within this concept of a “kalpa.” A “kalpa” includes all forms and modes of life in the universe. We must pay a lot of attention to this concept of a “kalpa” and be very mindful.
As for time, every second is also a part of time. A kalpa is a very long period of time, while a second is a very short moment of time. However, they also accumulate into a long time. So, a kalpa is also a part of every second. Therefore, we must seize every moment and always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
