Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Those with Deep Roots of Virtue Appear Pleasant (善根深厚 人相具足)
Date: July.01.2019
“Any animal’s head can be appraised and sold at a negotiated price. Only [the selling of] the human head will be despised by all who witness it. When people witness this from afar, they will give rise to anger, calling this horrible, despicable and evil. This head, defiled by pus and blood, is lowly and vile. [Refusing] to do trade with this lowly head is chief among all virtues. By bowing before the Buddha, we lose nothing at all. We must cultivate ourselves to attain infinite virtue.”
Alright, let us mindfully seek to understand this. “Any animal’s head can be appraised and sold at a negotiated price.” We know that, in the past, many people went hunting. Those who hunt also have to sell [what they catch]. Some cut up [the animal] to sell it. They sell the body, [the paws or hooves] and head. There are the people who sell [animals], who cut up their bodies into pieces to be sold, and there are the people who buy them. It is only a human head that people dare not buy; they will even condemn [the seller]. People find this deplorable. How could anyone sell a human head? It is terrible just to look at, and everyone will despise [such an act]. When people witness this from afar, they will give rise to anger. How could someone carry around and sell a human head? This is an incredibly gruesome thing. This is unforgivable. This is horrible; such an act must never be done. Something like this must never be sold. Such acts are deeply divorced from our sense of humanity. Thus, everyone would condemn this, finding it unforgivable.
So, “This head [is] defiled by pus and blood.” It is very filthy, and everyone finds it objectionable. Whether they see it from afar or up close, this is truly horrible, and people find it disgusting. So, “[Refusing] to do trade with this lowly head is chief among all virtues.” If someone wishes to sell such a thing, what sort of price would they get for it? They would not get anything for it. Other items may have a price, but what about a human head? Even if someone wanted to, it is impossible to put a price [on such a thing]. Everyone would find it unacceptable. This will always be the case. “We lose nothing at all.”
Actually, if we only wish to understand this principle, [we can compare] a human head with an animal head. When someone has an animal head, there will always be someone who wants to buy it. This does not disgust them; they want to buy it. A human head is something different. There is nothing to gain from selling a human head. Not only is there nothing to gain, but this is also a great crime. It has always been this way. If we wanted to put a price on a human head, it would be impossible. Not only is it impossible, it is also criminal. This is something no one can accept. When it comes to doing good deeds, there are merits to be gained. However, when it comes to selling human and animal heads, while people are willing to buy animal heads, selling a human head is a crime. No one would be able to accept such a thing.
We have spoken about this before in a previous sutra passage. The Buddhist sutras are full of stories like this. In the past, there was a king. He heard people spreading the Buddha-Dharma, and he gave rise to heartfelt admiration; deeply moved and deeply reverent, he admired the Buddha’s wisdom. His heart gave rise to great reverence. Any yet, he felt at a loss. The Buddha’s time was so distant from his own, over 100 years before him. He felt deep regret. Why couldn’t he have been born during the Buddha’s time? This time was so distant from his own; in his present time, it was unreachable. Yet, the Buddha’s teachings will never disappear. We must have reverence for the Buddha. When we revere Him, He is right here with us, just as if the Buddha were here in this world. No matter which direction [we take], we will find the Buddha there.
Therefore, this king would bow to the Buddha at all times and palaces, paying His respects to the Buddha as if the Buddha were right before him, maintaining this [great] reverence. There was a minister who said, “My king, the Buddha you are bowing to is already so far away from you. Now, He is quite beyond your reach. You do not need to be so reverent!” The king then stated, “Reverence is eternal. Reverence for the Buddha-Dharma is a priceless treasure. The Buddha-Dharma is capable of transforming the human mind, turning people from evil to good. All the peace and beauty in the world emerges from a single thought of goodness. This goodness is found in all the true principles the Buddha taught within the wondrous Dharma. When the Buddha was in the world, people in that era were transformed by the Buddha’s teachings. Inside everyone’s mind is a pure land. [This principle] was passed down in the Buddhist sutras. We must have faith in the Dharma the Buddha taught.”
This minister said, “If the Buddha were here speaking to me personally, perhaps I could believe that. But the Buddha is no longer in our world. He left over 100 years ago already. Who could possibly believe in Him?” The king responded, “You are mistaken. You have no faith in the true principles. What is it that you actually believe?” This minister replied, “Only if something benefits me and helps me in my life somehow in a way that I can see will I believe in it.”
This king was very compassionate; he looked upon this minister as if he were family. So, he said to him, “Come, come, let me tell you something. Find an animal. Any kind of animal is fine. Go to the market to sell that animal’s head. See if anyone there will buy it.” The kind also instructed him, “You must find an animal [head] to sell. You cannot kill it [yourself].” The minister did not think that there was anything difficult about this. Then, he went to the market, collecting the heads of all kinds of animals. He gathered them together and sold them on the street. People bought every kind of animal head since they were cheap. In any case, people bought the heads, and so he went back to report to the king. “My king, this business isn’t so difficult. Although the profits weren’t high, they sold pretty well.” The king responded, “Okay, then could you get a human head and go sell it on the street? But you must not kill anybody. Go find a human head to sell at the market.” The minister’s eyes went wide as he started at the king. “My king, am I hearing you correct?” The king said, “What’s wrong with what I said? Since you can sell an animal head, you can also sell a human head!” This minister then said, “You can’t sell those; it’s a crime! My king, your laws against murder are so strict. There’s no one in the kingdom who would dare kill a person! Why is my king asking me to sell a human head today?” The king said, “Why can’t you sell a human head?” The minister said, “When you pick up a human head, it drips with blood, and when you carry this head, its face is unsightly and disgusting. When people see this, they will surely curse at me. Not only will the people nearby curse me, but even those who hear of it from far away will curse me. Such gore is filthy and despicable. This sort of behavior is vile. This is something that should never be done!” The king retorted, “Weren’t you just saying that the Buddha is far away from us and that worshipping the Buddha-Dharma is useless? People in the world we are in now have so many poisonous ways of thinking? This country of ours if grateful that the Buddha-Dharma is here. Because I implement the Buddha-Dharma here, everyone has love and respect for one another, and our country is peaceful and harmonious. No one would dare to commit murder. Yet, you must understand that this unwillingness to do trade with heads is in itself a virtue. To refrain from taking life is foremost among all virtues. To refrain from taking life is an expression of your love. You love and cherish all people, and so you detest the act of killing. This is the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma uses all kinds of methods to provide analogies and keeps us vigilant. The Buddha whom I revere engaged in spiritual cultivation in the past and attained Buddhahood in this world. Afterwards, He made use of His wisdom to teach according to peoples’ capabilities. The sentient beings in that era accepted the Buddha’s teachings and went on to conquer their afflictions and eliminate arrogance to the point where everyone spread their love [to create] a harmonious and joyful [world]. I want to believe in this, so I use Buddha’s teachings to rule this kingdom. Because I use the Dharma to rule my kingdom, I must constantly pay respects to the Buddha. No matter which direction we take, the Buddha is there. Since I have the Buddha in my heart, the Buddha goes with me anywhere and everywhere, and so I pay my respects to the Buddha-Dharma.”
If we can do this, no one will be able to subdue us. The Buddha is the Great Tamer, endowed with the Ten Epithets. He is the Great Tamer, and even the stubborn will yield to Him. This is due to His principles; His principles can bring everyone into submission, just like how the ferocious beasts of the woods all yield to the great lion. Everyone venerates Him like “the lion” in this way. The principle is the same. So, we lost nothing at all; we cannot allow our deep reverence for the Buddha to diminish, not even in the slightest. The Buddha-Dharma is something that everyone must practice personally. No matter who we are, we must have faith in it and accept the Buddha’s teachings. Once we accept them, we must go further and put them into action and cultivate ourselves. This is what this sutra passage teaches. We should also realize that, as we learn from the Buddha and grow familiar with the Buddha-Dharma, we must constantly engage in self-cultivation and keep our state of mind in check. As for our Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind, we must manage them all well. We must refrain from undisciplined bodily conduct, never fail to keep watch over our karma of speech and never harbor a negative mindset toward others. We have said a great deal about this previously. For us humans, our five sense organs must complement one another in just the right way. Moreover, if we have unknowingly formed good affinities with others, with these good affinities, people will be happy to draw near us when they see us. When we spread the Dharma and teach the Dharma, people will be happy to hear us and will practice according to the teachings. We must do this at all times. People in this present era must cultivate the fruits of their future lifetimes. So, “If we wish to know our future retributions,” we must diligently engage in spiritual practice during this lifetime. In this current lifetime, what kind of person are we, really? Are we someone whom people enjoy being around, or are we someone whom other people criticize behind their backs, plagued by conflicts and aggression? Are we this kind of person? This all depends on our previous lives. Did we criticize others behind their backs? Did we make public attacks on others? If we spent our previous lifetimes this way, treating others ruthlessly whether to their face our behind their backs, if we were this kind of person, then in this life, others will reject us. Thus, in this very lifetime, we must be very careful regarding how we conduct ourselves. “If we do not transform ourselves in this lifetime, in which lifetime will we transform ourselves?” The human form is hard to attain; since we were able to attain this body and encounter the Buddha-Dharma we must protect our body at all costs and make good use of this body to create good affinities with others. This is the meaning of spiritual cultivation. Spiritual cultivation is part of everyday life.
The previous story and the sutra passage I am discussing are both related to what I am telling you now about how we must focus on our everyday life. If we cannot even focus on the present, how can we possibly have faith in the Dharma the Buddha taught in the past? If we do not have faith in the present moment, how can we possibly accept the Buddha-Dharma and pass it on into the future? So, we must believe in it and give rise to faith and understanding deep in our hearts. This is our mindset as Buddhist practitioners.
In the previous sutra passage, [the Buddha] said, “Their noses will never be too flat or too thin, nor crooked or irregular. Their faces will never look grim, nor narrow or long, nor sunken or misshapen. They will be free of all unpleasant features.”
Here, [the Buddha] use many metaphors. As for the lips, nose, teeth and so forth, we have discussed them all previously. In the next passage, [the Buddha] summarizes the metaphors about human facial features. This is what [the Buddha] said.
“Their lips, tongues and teeth will all be magnificent, their noses long, tall and straight, their faces full and perfect. Their eyebrows will be long and set high, their foreheads broad, smooth and even. They will be fully endowed with all the features befitting a human being. In each lifetime they are born into, they will see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and faithfully accept the teachings.
The passage sounds much more pleasant. This is because the Buddha conveys the inherent magnificence of the human face. Previously, He spoke about thick lips, large tongues, blackened teeth, crooked or gapped teeth and so on. That is what the Buddha describe ed earlier. Now, He wished to describe was how their “lips, tongue and teeth will all be magnificent”, all orderly and even. Their “noses will be long, tall and straight, their faces full and perfect”. Their noses will be very straight and their five sense organs very clear and proper.
Their lips, tongues and teeth will all be magnificent, their nose long, tall and straight, their faces full and perfect: The previous descriptions of [unpleasant features] of the lips, tongue, teeth and so forth are different from these [descriptions of pleasant] features that all look magnificent. Their noses will be long, tall and straight, their features dignified and beautiful, their faces full and perfect.
In this sutra passage, the faces described are completely different from those described earlier. The previous [images of] lips, tongue and teeth, when put together, make for a truly hideous face. Such an ugly face, in a word, represents “bad affinities”. No matter how attractive someone is, they can still lack affinities with others. This is the consequence of the karma they created in their past live by always hurting others. In this life, when others see them, they lack any decent, like able features. So, we must be very meticulous when it comes to our actions and behavior and bet very careful of how we treat others. Let us explain this in more detail. [The Buddha] says, “Their noses will be long, tall and straight. Their noses will be very straight and proportional to [the rest of their face]. If you look at someone’s nose right now and the bridge of their nose us too flat, if the nose protrudes too much or is too prominent, it might look disproportional to the rest of their face. People spend a lot of money to adjust their nose through plastic surgery. Only after [the implant] gives a perfect shape do they attach the implant. There are people doing this sort of business of plastic surgery on the nose. This specialty exists, but it is quite costly.
Yet, some people are born naturally with well-proportioned faces. They have very straight noses that are very well-proportioned. Thus, they are “dignified and handsome, which means “their faces are full and perfect”. Everybody loves to be beautiful, and everybody hopes to have very well-proportioned faces.
Thus, “Their eyebrows are long and set high” and “their foreheads broad, smooth and even. The positions of these facial features need to be just right. Their eyebrows and eyes are not crowed together; they are perfectly distanced, so “their eyebrows are long and set high”. The eyebrows are very long and their position is ideal. Their foreheads are broad. From the foreheads alone, they look very beautiful.
Their eyebrows will be long and set high, their foreheads broad, smooth abd even: This sutra passage represents how they are fully endowed with the Six Roots and fully replete with merits and virtues from going among people to create blessings. their sharp capabilities and wisdom represent how they are fully endowed with the mind-root. They will never become mute: This represents the tongue-root. Their noses will be tall and straight: This represents the nose-root.
The sutra passage fully describes the Six Roots. [It includes] the eyes, ears nose, tongue and body and the mind-roots. It particularly [describes] those on the face; they are replete with the five sense organs. [They are] fully endowed with the five sense organs and the Roots. Our eyes connect with the Dusts, and the Dusts let us bring out our Consciousnesses. We are very clear about this.
All in all, we can be very upright, be fully endowed with the Six Roots and “fully replete with virtue by going among people and creating blessings”. Being this healthy and having such a good physique, we ought to go among people more frequently, [applying] “sharp capabilities and wisdom”. We must make use of our body and apply our wisdom as we go among people. Of course, what do we do when we go among people? We bring benefit to sentient beings; this is called [creating] virtuous karma. If we did good deeds [in the past], our past good deeds will naturally manifest in our current appearance. In this way, the appearance of our body and face will not have any defects; they will be perfect.
“They are fully endowed with the mind-root. When we add the mind-root to the Five Roots, we have the Six Roots. “They will never become mute, means that the tongue is in the right position. They will not stutter when they speak and can project their voices well. This means that when we speak, we really need “the tongue-root. The tongue-root is not only for tasting things when we eat; that is not it. It is also for speech. If our tongue are flexible perfectly functioning, then it will be easy for us to speak and project our voice. So, “they will never become mute,” refers to our tongue-root being perfect. It [performs well] in our mouth in one of its functions, allowing us to speak very fluently. Then [the passage] says, “Their noses will be tall and straight. The nose, the nose-root, is also like this. It is on our face and allows us to breathe. We live together others in the same world, sharing the same air. So, we are all breathing the same air. What allows us to live is this fresh air which we breathe in. The nose-root sustains our life. “They will be fully endowed with all the features befitting a human being. They are replete in the body and features of a human being.
They will be fully endowed with all the features befitting a human being: Their mouth, lips, teeth, nose, their five sense organs and facial features, will all look magnificent as part of their direct retribution. From “Their lips, tongue and teeth” onward, [the Buddha] described how everyone with deep roots of virtue will be replete with all these [pleasant] features.
Previously we talked about a person being perfect in his appearance, including the facial features of his mouth, lips, teeth and nose. The five sense organs are all people and dignified. In our lives, this is something which everyone cares about. As for our lives, we are very concerned about our bodies and appearances. This is not just for ourselves; [it also to do with] how people perceive us, whether they are willing to approach us or not. This is not [only] referring to our present life. The Buddha is telling us that as are our causes, so are the conditions. Whatever karmic causes we created in the past will determine our conditions in this lifetime. Do we have such conditions that people feel joyful our unhappy? Whether others feel joy or not depend on whether our appearances make people feel displeased. Or perhaps it is because our appearance may be unnatural or make them feel uneasy and so on. These are all present effects of past causes.
I often tell everyone about causes and conditions. We must have faith in the karmic law of cause and effect. “From ‘Their lips, tongue, and teeth’ onward,” everything refers to these roots of goodness. In the past, were our roots of goodness deep and strong? When it comes to everything we do, have we gone among people to [serve] lifetime after lifetime. Or are we only now about to begin doing this? The past causes become the present effects, and the present causes become the future effects.
So, this is how it relates to our present and future appearances. For things that we experience in the present, we must know [that it originated] in the past. For things we wish to obtain in the future, [we must know that] it depends upon our actions in the present. [For us to be] “replete with all these [pleasant] features” all depends upon what we have done in the past and now.
This sutra passage portrays the merits and virtues of the Six Roots: Sharp capabilities and wisdom represent a keen mind-root. Never becoming mute represents a pure tongue-root. A long, tall, straight nose represents a dignified nose-root. They will see the Buddha with their eye-root. They will hear the Dharma with their ear-root. All the rest pertains to the body-root.
“This sutra passage portrays the merits and virtues of the Six Roots”. When it comes to the merits and virtues of the Six Roots, if we do good, we will receive good retributions in the present. “Sharp capabilities and wisdom” represent a “keen mind-root”. If our mind-root can perceive things very keenly, we react very quickly. Some people react more slowly. With our eyes, when some people see something, they can immediately recognize the situation and the principles existing within it. Some people, however, are slower. Even though they have obviously seen it, they cannot react immediately. We must mindfully seek to comprehend this. If we have sharp capabilities and wisdom [today], this is because we maintain our mind-root throughout our past [lives] and because of the good deeds we carry out. This is why, at this time, no afflictions or ignorance hinder us. Thus, we are very keen.
Continuing on, “never becoming mute” represents “a pure tongue-root”. If our voice is very clear now and people can understand us when we speak, it is our good speech in the past that allowed our voice in this life to be clear, pure and unsullied. This is why it is pure. Since we [spoke good words], we attain purity in this lifetime. Some people may say, “This person’s voice is very [clear]”. Sometimes I have heard [people say], “This voice is so clear”. Indeed! This clear [voice] is pure. How can we obtain a voice like this? We need to earnestly [be understanding]. We might not have known this in the past, so we should start practicing it in this life and try to be understanding with matters that we see. Only when we eliminate our afflictions will we not misspeak, and only then will our tongue-root or voice be very bright and beautiful in our next lifetime. “Their noses long, tall and straight,” refers to an upright and proper nose-root. In previous lives, we were able to go among people and breathe the same air as everyone else; this is how we are all interconnected. We should cherish this world. With this proper bodily conduct, naturally we will have “long, tall, straight noses”. This represents the purity of our hearts. We breathe together with all beings in the world. When it comes to living beings, we all embrace them with compassion and love. This demonstrates profound humanistic love. Being even-minded, we mindfully give of ourselves. This is what it means to have as a facial feature a “long, tall, straight nose” and “a dignified nose-root”. This is saying that when our hearts are not deviant, then naturally what we manifest in the present world are very tall straight and perfect noses. We must clearly understand this. We “see the Buddha” with our “eye-root”. We “hear the Dharma” with our “ear-root”. These [organs] are [part of our body]. They eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue- and body-roots are all on our body. These are all found on our body. We are replete with the Six Roots and see the Buddha and listen to the Dharma. Even if the Buddha is not present, we respect the Buddha as if He were present. This is similar to what we just discussed about respecting the Buddha as if He were present.
In each lifetime they are born into: This refers to the places they are born into according to their retributions in each lifetime, they will see the Buddha. Since they will be able to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma throughout lifetime after lifetime, they will eventually attain Buddhahood. How could such blessings and wisdom possibly be surpassed?
If we can [act] in this way, we will be born into blessed places according to our retributions in each lifetime. Whichever world we are born into, we will have many blessings. If we are able to do good deeds lifetime after lifetime, we will attain dignity in our future lifetimes. It is not just about the dignity of our appearances; we also need to have a good place to live. Otherwise, the place where we receive retribution may be a country that is unsafe or unstable. This also [causes] a great deal of suffering. In this present era, the climate and the four elements are imbalanced. There are many extreme weather events and so on; there are also many things to worry about. This is to say nothing of the many manmade calamities and the impermanence of human life. There is so much suffering. Lifetime after lifetime, we must earnestly overcome [ourselves], adjust how we live today and diligently go among people to do good deeds. This [passage] also explains that, lifetime after lifetime, they will see the Buddha. “They will be able to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, throughout life after life.” This is our aspiration. Only when the world is at peace and the four elements in balance can we be at ease as we see the Buddha or listen to the Dharma; only then can we earnestly practice and uphold the Buddha-Dharma. Only then will we be able to attain Buddhahood in the future.
Everyone, blessings and wisdom require causes and conditions. They require [the conditions of] time, space and people. The karmic conditions must come together. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to [attain] wisdom in its entirety. “How could such blessings and wisdom possibly be surpassed?” How much can we really attain? “They will see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and faithfully accept the teachings.”
They will see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and faithfully accept the teachings: Due to their present virtuous causes, they will attain [positive] retributions in the future. Thus, they will be able to see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and faithfully listen to and accept the Buddha’s teachings.
We can see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and accept the teachings of the Buddha-Dharma at ease. These are all [results of] good causes we attain; we now have the karmic affinities to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. We can also attain future retributions. We must be grateful for the good causes we planted in the past that allow us to hear the Buddha-Dharma now. We must also be grateful to hear the Buddha-Dharma so that we can put it into practice. In the future, we will surely be able to attain [the ability to] listen to the Buddha-Dharma, to extend the Buddha-Dharma and to pass on the Buddha-Dharma. This requires us to have confidence.
“They will be able to see the Buddha, hear the Dharma and faithfully listen to and accept the Buddha’s teaching.” We need to have faith that in the future, we will be able to hear and see [the Buddha]. Those who listen to the Dharma and pass it on truly have faith in and accept the Buddha’s teachings. Everyone, we must be truly mindful. The Buddha-Dharma fundamentally serves to educate us; it is not criticizing us, but teaching us. It teaches us individuals that we need to be dignified and be able to let others feel joy when they see us and be able to accept the teachings of Right Dharma. We can put it into practice. We must be very attentive and deeply enter into the Buddha’s teachings. Otherwise, we are only listening to sutras. We may understand the words and be able to recite them, but if we do not mindfully go deep into [the teachings] to experience them, then we have no way to thoroughly understand them. This is even more the case in the present; we emphasize going among people and putting [the Dharma] into practice on the Bodhisattva-path. We definitely need to create good affinities with people and practice Right Dharma. This is our direction. So, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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