Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Diligently Accepting and Upholding the Dharma (精勤持法 讀誦說寫)
Date: August.08.2019
“If we do not diligently accept and uphold the Dharma, if we fail to take hold of the passing time and focus on reading and reciting, the seconds will fly by as we fritter away our time and squander our days away. As we waste time without a [solid] foundation, time fades away, and our aspirations toward Bodhi will all be lost.”
Time continues [to disappear] like this, with every minute and second. If we relax our minds for a bit, then we are not focused. So, we must be very mindful and vigilant that in each minute and second, we are always [present and focused]. As each second passes, our minds must be focused. Thus, “If we do not diligently accept and uphold the Dharma,” if we are not diligent or focused in our practice, then our time will simply pass us by. When we do not [manage] our time well, through our negligence, it will escape us in a second. Yes! In a fleeting moment, our minds can become lax.
When time passes and our minds do not focus within [each] second, then “we fail to take hold of the passing time.” This means that our minds [are not present] for every second. In every moment, we must be mindful in our living, not to mention when learning the Buddha-Dharma or reading the sutras. For certain, this is what every one of us must do. Moreover, during the Buddha’s lifetime, when the Buddha was expounding the sutras, there were no sutras to read or pen and papers [with which to] document [His teachings] in real time. [Everyone] had to be focused as they listened to the Buddha expound the Dharma. They had to engrave every line of the true principles in their minds. This is how it was during that era, until the Buddha entered Perfect Rest. His disciples [wondered], “What [will happen when] the people of this generation who have listened to the Buddha’s Dharma are no longer around?” How would the Buddha-Dharma be transmitted? Venerable Kasyapa believed it was necessary at that time for everyone to gather all the teachings that the Buddha taught and compile and reorganize it. But at that time, they did not immediately begin to organize [the Dharma] into books or scrolls. As before, they chose someone who had listened to the Buddha’s teachings and had the best memory, who had taken the Buddha’s every word to heart without any deviations. Everyone already knew that person chosen would be Ananda. Ananda was the most suitable person.
In the past, when Ananda was recommended to be the Buddha’s attendant, he made a request. “Before I became a monastic, I had not heard the Buddha’s Dharma. Now that I am to be the Buddha’s attendant, I am very joyful. However, I hope the Buddha can repeat for me all the Dharma He taught for the last 20 years.” Ananda had the wisdom [to know] that, since he was to be the Buddha’s attendant, he had the responsibility of understanding the Dharma that the Buddha taught. So, because of this, he heard the Buddha teach the Dharma anew. He accompanied the Buddha and was by His side. Anything that the Buddha said to someone, [Ananda] mindfully remembered. This is called “mindfully remembering”. He engraved it in his heart. What the Buddha said to each person, [Ananda] always remembered mindfully. Thus, in his wisdom, Ananda compiled [the Dharma] after the Buddha had passed.
Of course, there are stories [about] this. Everyone has already heard them. In the past, Ananda diligently advanced and upheld [the Dharma] He took every line of the Buddha’s Dharma to heart and did not waste time. Thus, He was able to recount [all] the Dharma that the Buddha taught. This [was how be] “compiled” it. “Everyone, come and listen to what the Buddha said. Thus have I heard...” The teachings that Ananda heard were the Dharma that the Buddha taught. At that time, they began to compile [the Dharma]. This was how they began the first compilation [of the teachings]. So, at that time, people passed down this compilation [of Dharma] orally. Over a long period of time, the great Dharma masters very mindfully used many different ways to record [the teachings]. This was how, one generation after the next, they compiled the teachings completely. [Though] we say that they compiled the teachings completely, this was not possible with just one person. [Many] people were working on it at the same time, so there are often repetitions in the sutras. The Buddha gave a lot of teachings. For the Lotus Sutra alone, there are three versions of it. [The version] we have chosen was translated by Kumarajiva. After the Buddha taught it, people of later generations compiled it, and [Kumarajiva] translated it from Sanskrit to Chinese. In the translation process, many others lent [their efforts] to listen and translate [this sutra]. The process involved many layers. The words can be interpreted as simple or complex; there are different [interpretations].
So, we must truly listen to the Buddha’s teachings. We must be very focused. As we study this sutra, we must truly [align ourselves] with the Buddha’s intent; we must not simply take the text [at face value]. We must consider how the passage we are studying [relates to] the present time and contemplate the environment during the Buddha’s lifetime.
In our present time, if we try to take the circumstances of the past as described in the sutra [ at face value], we will not understand the Buddha’s intent. So, we always say that we must comprehend the Buddha’s intent and share His views and understanding.
We must be very mindful of this. So, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant and not to let time pass by in vain. We must not waste or fail to seize our time. We must not lose focus or fail to be mindful in reading and reciting [ the sutra]. We are not just reading words; we are rereading about [how] the Buddha lived during His era. The Buddha’s mindfulness and intentions as He expounded the Dharma are what we should seek to comprehend. So, if we do not earnestly seize our time and instead are unfocused in our efforts, then we are letting “the seconds fly by.” Time flies by like this, second by second. It is flying by before our eyes. Thus, we “fritter away our time and squander our days away.” [This means that] we do not make good use of our time and waste the time [we have] for that day. “As we waste time without a [solid] foundation, time fades away.” If we only study the sutras [at face value], without a solid foundation, in this way, we allow them to fade away. If we only read the words superficially, then we are unable to comprehend the Buddha-mind and understand His intent. Then, we will be unable to apply the Dharma in the world. So, we must very mindfully seek to understand [ the teachings]. When it comes to “our aspirations toward the Bodhi,” if we do not focus on seeking to understand the Buddha’s intent and instead only read the sutras, then [our aspirations] “will all be lost.” With the time [we have], no matter how many sutras we read, our time continues to pass. As we continuously read, the minutes and seconds pass by and continue to disappear. So, our minds fly away with time. If we simply continue reading the words like this but do not take what we read to heart, then [we miss] the spirit, principles and perspectives, and our [time] continues to pass by like this. In this way, “the seconds will fly by as we fritter away our time and squander our days away. As we waste time without a [solid]” foundation, it “fades away, and our aspirations toward Bodhi will all be lost.” [They] also disappear in time. We must very mindfully seek to understand the Dharma that the Buddha taught. When it was passed on [back then], there was no recording of it at that time. People passed it on by listening carefully. In order to complete all the sutras, they selected one person, Ananda, to compile them from the beginning. He retold everything that he heard and had engraved in his mind.
However, afterwards, many people passed it on by word of mouth. The people who came after had to make sentences out of the fragmented lines. By connecting fragmented lines into sentences, the Buddha’s original intent was slowly replaced by the sutra passages. So, what exactly was the Buddha’s intent? We must be more mindful [to comprehend it]. Although the passages are simple, we must contemplate them deeply. We must be able to understand why the Lotus Sutra, starting with the teaching if the intrinsic, repeatedly [talks about] the Six Roots and Six Dusts, giving so many extensive descriptions. If we only read over them, how does that benefit us? We must be more mindful and turn our thoughts to the Buddha’s intent [as He] expounded the sutras. What was the environment like back then? What was the environment like, and what kind of language did the Buddha use when He taught everyone? Furthermore, what kind of language did everyone [use to] study [the teachings]?
So, we must directly comprehend the Buddha’s language, the Buddha’s understanding and views. Right now, as I tell everyone [about the Dharam], people may think, “How many times did [the Dharma] get passed down? It seems so profound!” Indeed, this is how it was passed down. It was passed down through the generations. This is how the sutras came to be. We cannot say, “Thus, I have heard [directly]. The Buddha-Dharma says…” This is because [the Buddha] has been gone for more than 2000 years. What teachings did the Buddha give? If we could comprehend the Buddha’s mind and understand His intent, then we could clearly understand what these words are expressing.
The Dharma that the Buddha taught is the true principle. We cannot simply say, “I heard this with my own ears.” Nor did it come out of nowhere. “This is the Light-Sound Heaven. This is the Brahma Heavens.” We cannot see these in the world. Since we cannot see these in the world, why did the Buddha teach people about them? In truth, we have already talked about this before.
“As for the sounds of speech up above in the Brahma Heavens, Light-Sound Heaven, Universal Purity Heaven and even Peak Heaven, the Dharma teachers who abide here” will be able to hear all of this”.
When it comes to the Brahma Heavens that we are discussing, how can ordinary beings like us understand the state of the Brahma Heavens? [Beings] in Light-Sound Heaven do not communicate with words, nor do they listen with ears. They see with their eyes; They emit light when they open their mouths and see with their eyes. Are we able to [comprehend] a world like this? We cannot; we ae not able to comprehend this. Yet, this is what the Dharma is. What are the true principles of this teaching trying to convey? It is actually very simple. “As for the sounds of speech up above in the Brahma Heavens…”. The Brahma Heavens are pure; they are pure and undefiled. The purity that the Buddha taught us about requires us to eliminate our various afflictions. When it comes to our many worldly, interpersonal conflicts, we must be understanding of our afflictions. We must not allow these afflictions to remain in our minds and give rise to ignorance. We must overcome them with understanding, and be wholeheartedly grateful. Isn’t this what it means to be undefiled? If we are able to simplify our lives and let the profound teachings enter our minds, we can use [what we learn] from the Dharma to eliminate our afflictions. We ought to be able to do this. This [passage] also tells us about “Light-Sound Heaven [and] Universal Purity Heaven [to address how] our speech must be pure. [We must speak with] pure language, and we must not use filthy and defiled words. With pure words, we can transform people’s minds toward brightness. If we used defiled words, we will pollute people’s minds. When we defiled the minds of others, this causes them to give rise to afflictions. When we pollute the minds of others, our mouths give rise to evil sounds. Thus, [the Buddha] taught us to have pure speech. When we recite the sutra, isn’t there “the Mantra for Purifying the karma of Speech”? This expresses how our mouths must be clean. How can they remain clean? Can we make them clean with water? Can they become clean by chanting “clean”? No. We must remind ourselves that we must transform our minds to become undefiled. We [must] make our minds still in order to purify our defilements. Now, we are in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. Where are these turbidities? The turbidities exist in people’s minds.
So, the Buddha wishes for us to speak with purity, to speak using pure language. This is how [we can] bring purity to people’s hearts. Isn’t this what I say, year after year? I say this all the time! I always pray [for three things]; I pray to bring purity to people’s hearts, I pray for a harmonious society and I reverently pray for the world to be without disasters. I am constantly heightening my vigilance. If we want to purify others’ hearts, we must also speak [in ways] that can help people’s minds to become tamed and straightforward. Does anyone remember that, for a while, I constantly told everyone that the direct Bodhi-path requires our minds to be tamed and straightforward? Everyone should recall this [well]. Having a tamed and straightforward mind [means] that we have the Buddha’s teachings engraved on our hearts. [The teachings] inspire us to awaken our wisdom, to transform our consciousness and awaken our wisdom. This is the Bodhi-mind. So, “Light-Sound” [refers to how], when we speak, this is what we should be like. We must first have this pure and undefiled mindset and understand the Buddha’s mind in order to transform the turbidities in sentient beings’ minds. This is [why it talks about] the Light-sound and Universal Purity Heavens. We are now in the evil world of the Five Turbidities. The evil world of the Five Turbidities is more than just a small area; it is the whole world. So, we say that we hope to spread the sutra throughout the entire universe. This is what we strive [to achieve]. Why must we widely spread the Jing Si Dharma-lineage? The [doors of] the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism must be opened widely. We hope to be able to open it broadly. We must [spread] the Buddha’s spiritual teachings through the principles of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra refers to the Lotus Sutra as taught during the Buddha’s time. We were all on Vulture Peak, listening to the sutra during the Buddha’s time. This is just like being in the time in which the Buddha was alive. Now, the Buddha has [entered Parinirvana], but we are still I the age of [Sakyamuni] Buddha. In the Lotus Sutra, it says that although [He will] enter Parinirvana, He is ever-abiding on Vulture Peak.
In the sutra, we have read that [He is] “ever-abiding on Vulture Peak”. So, in each person, there is a stupa on Vulture Peak. This is what the Buddha told us. When it comes to the pure sound, that sound of purity, it is like a bright environment where there are no defilements or turbidities. These principles are all within [the sutra]. It sounds very complicated when we analyze it, but it is very easy for us to apply. It simply [means] we must take the Buddha-Dharma into our hearts. We ought to understand the Buddha’s mindset and His intent as He expounded the Dharma.
So, “even Peak Heaven” [refers to how] [the sound can reach] more than just one level; we can hear it the same across all levels. When it comes to “the sounds of speech, the Dharma teachers who abide here will be able to hear all of this”. Those who truly listen to the Dharma reverently can learn and spread the Dharma. We must take to heart what we hear and learn. After learning it, we must further spread [the teachings]. Those who listen to and teach the Dharma are precisely t hose who must spread it.
A previous passage also mentioned this. We must take the Dharma to heart and take the Dharma as our teacher. I hope everyone can be very mindful. Although the previous passages may seem very simple, it is complex to explain. [Yet] it is very simple to engrave [the teachings] in our minds. We must simply understand the Buddha’s mindset and intent. That is enough.
That is enough. This is what the following sutra passage says, so we must mindfully listen. When all bhisksus and bhiksunis read and recite the sutras or teach them to others, the Dharma teachers who abide here will be able to hear all of this.
This is saying that when bhiksus and bhiksunis read and recite the sutras or teach them to others, they must be very mindful. Monastics must have a sense of responsibility. To be able to read, recite and uphold the sutras requires a sense of responsibility.
When all bhiksus and bhiksunis read and recite the sutras or teach them to others…: When monastics who renounce lay life read and recite the sutras, they will gain the virtues of upholding the sutras. They will also advise others to teach [the sutras] so that they will all help sentient beings to realize and enter Buddha’s understanding and views.
When we accept and uphold [the sutras], we must be focused from the time we read them. We must put what we learn to use. Since we want to learn [the Dharma], we must put it to use. This is the spirit with which we make our vows. We often talk about “carrying the rice baskets”. Carrying the rice basket for the world” means to take responsibility. If we want to learn and understand [the Dharma], in Tzu Chi, [we do so by] helping the world’s suffering sentient beings. So, we must take on the responsibility of carrying “the provisions” [for all beings] in this world. We must carry material provisions to help those who are suffering by carrying our disaster relief and helping people.
This is like the rice seeds that we distributed to Myanmar in 2019, [thus] allowing “one give rise to infinity”. We also provided [mature] rice in that place, [because the people] were already starving and the seeds could not be planted and grown in time. So, we also handed our rice right away. We provided what was needed right away, as well as what they needed to be self-sufficient in future. We considered their immediate survival and their future needs so that they could support themselves [in the long-term]. It is for this reason that we must carry the rice baskets of material provisions for the world. In order to spread the Buddha-Dharma, we must take up the [spiritual] provisions of the Buddha’s teachings.
So, we take responsibility for “passing on the Buddha’s heart and continuing the Buddha’s aspirations”. This is the sense of responsibility that we ought to have. This is what it means to uphold the sutras. We must remember that it is beneficial to us to teach the Dharma to others; thus, we benefit ourselves, as well as others. This is what it means to “uphold the sutras”. Merits [come from] upholding the sutras. Because we have this sense of responsibility, while we benefit ourselves, we also have the responsibility to benefit others at the same time. [We] have inherited the Buddha’s aspirations and [we must] continuously pass them down like this. So, we [benefit] ourselves and also encourage others to teach. “[The people] I can teach are very limited”. “We must all be mindful and go teach [the Dharma]”.
In the Chapter on the Parable of the Conjured City, we remember how the 16 princes listened to the Dharma mindfully. Then, they each held assemblies for [others] to hear the Dharma they taught. We saw how the first generation passed it to the second and the third generation, thus continuously spreading the Dharma to more and more [people]. Isn’t this what it means to [uphold the sutras]?
We must seek to understand [the Dharma], and after reading the sutra passages, we must then remember it is our responsibility to spread the Dharma. So, we must “help sentient beings realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views”. What is most important is to help sentient beings realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views. What was the Buddha’s intent in coming to this world? [He came] to teach the Bodhisattva Way and to teach everyone to benefit others; [He came] to teach us to benefit people and walk the Bodhisattva-path.
The Dharma teachers who abide here will be able to hear all of this: The teachers who expound the Dharma have such clear wisdom that they hear all things far and near.
“The Dharma teachers who abide here will be able to hear all of this”. They have the intention to read, recite, uphold, transcribe and spread [the Dharma], and so on. These kinds of Dharma teachers are here and “[are] able to hear all of this”. Where is “here”?
Previously, I told everyone that our spiritual training ground is what our hearts. [Within] our spiritual training ground, we can bring the Buddha’s teachings wherever we go. So, as long as our spiritual training ground is in our hearts, wherever we go, we can teach the Dharma there. So, “The Dharma teachers who abide here [refers to how], at any place, there are “the teachers who expound the Dharma”. They expound the dharma for people. No matter where they go, it is the same. There are sounds everywhere; no matter where the sounds they hear are from, they purify them all the same. Even with complicated sounds, [such as] sounds from the hell or animal realms, the sound of mountains, rivers and lands or the tranquil sounds of the heavens, we can hear all these sounds in any place. The Dharma teachers who abide here can hear sounds everywhere. “The teachers who expound the Dharma have such clear wisdom.” Because they are replete in wisdom, they listen, expound, uphold, read, recite and transcribe the sutras and expound them to others, and so on. They do [all of this], over and over again, [taking the sutra into] their hearts. When it comes to this sutra, we must not simply keep the words in mind. The meaning they contain is the Buddha’s intent. When we thoroughly comprehend the Buddha-mind with our minds, then [we will have attained] wisdom. This wisdom is the Buddha’s clear wisdom.
In the past, we have always talked about the three kinds of wisdom, [which are] the wisdom of all Dharma, the wisdom of all paths and all-encompassing wisdom. Everyone should still remember these. So, “all things far and near” refers to how we can hear sounds that are far and near. Whether it is in the hell or heaven realms, we can hear the sounds of all ten directions, and we must seek to understand [all these sounds]. Since we are able to hear [these sounds], we ought to observe the world as a whole instead of only listening to the sounds where we are. When the Buddha said, “There is suffering,” [He did not mean] only one person’s suffering, or the suffering of three or five [people]. It is not the suffering of people in one place. We must expand [our hearts] toward the world and [feel] the suffering of all people.
So, in the Lotus Sutra, since the beginning of the Chapter on Dharma Teachers, we talked about how Dharma teachers must shoulder this responsibility. The Buddha had begun to gather Bodhisattvas and spread the Dharma. When it comes to Dharma Teachers, there are five kinds.
The Chapter on Dharma Teachers speaks of the five kinds of Dharma teachers: 1. Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra. 2. Dharma teachers who read the sutra. 3. Dharma teachers who recite the sutra. 4. Dharma teachers who explain the sutra. 5. Dharma teachers who transcribe the sutra.
“1. Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra”. Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra are those who constantly recall [the Dharma]. For example, I constantly tell everyone that we must remember the past and so on. [Just as we] recall people, matter and things. We must recall the Buddha’s Dharma even better. How far back should we recall? We should recall the time in which the Buddha taught the Dharma. When we are reading the sutras, we must recall the original mindset with which the Buddha taught the Dharma. Only then can we truly uphold the sutra.
Not only must we remember the words, but we must truly recall the Buddha’s intent. “Thoughts” that we keep in our “minds” are “memories”. We must not read the Dharma with the minds of ordinary beings. We must recall back to the era of the Buddha and His mindset then. We must have a sense of mission and persevere [so that] we do not forget it. This is what we ought to be like.
The five kinds of Dharma teachers: 1. Dharma teachers who accept and uphold the sutra remember and retain the sutra without ever forgetting it. 2. Dharma teachers who read the sutra sit with upright minds and bodies as they look at the sutra and read each line aloud.
So, the second kind are “Dharma teachers who read the sutra”. They “sit with upright minds and bodies as they look at the sutra and read each line aloud”. These people are those who read the sutra [aloud]. The sutras are written in words, and we sit upright and begin to [read] mindfully. While our eyes read the sutra, we read each line aloud and clearly enunciate each word of the sutra. This is what “the Dharma teachers who read the sutra” [refers to]. In truth, [we must be like this] when we expound the sutra. We must sit upright and carefully speak about the ways that our minds understand the sutra passages. We must clearly enunciate each line and [relate] the Dharma to the principles of people, matter and things so that it [can be understood] clearly. This is [how we should] “read the sutra”. Our mindset must be very correct to teach the sutra. The principle is the same.
The five kinds of Dharma teachers: 3. Dharma teachers who recite the sutra become so familiar with it through the practice of reading that they can recite it naturally.
Third are “Dharma teachers who recite the sutra,” meaning those who can recite it [from memory]. At the beginning, we must read the sutra [text]. We must read it carefully and thoroughly.
Next, we read and recite the sutra. These Dharma teachers who recite the sutra look at the sutra passages to read them. But once they are familiar with them, they can recite them [from memory]. Many people talk about “reciting the sutra”. When we can recite the sutra, this means that we are very familiar with it and no longer need [to see] the sutra passages. When others are reading [the sutra], we can recite it without looking at the passages.
The principle is the same. We already [know] the words. In the past, we relied on reading the words. Now that we have taken what we read to heart, we no longer need to rely on the words. This is what it means “to recite”. [This means] we are already very familiar with it. So, this is what “recite” [refers to]. These are “Dharma teachers who recite the sutra” If we are to recite [the sutra], we must always remember the meaning behind the words, instead of always just reciting it.
The five kinds of Dharma teachers: 4. Dharma teachers who explain the sutra expound its verses and teach them to others. 5. Dharma teachers who transcribe the sutra transcribe the sutra to spread and disseminate it widely.
The fourth kind of Dharma teacher is called “Dharma teachers who explain the sutra”. Since they already understand [the teachings], they must now explain these passages. Not only that, but with every word in the passages, they must further explain the deep meanings they contain. Thus, [they can] “expound its verses and teach them to others”. Since [these Dharma teachers] already understand this sutra, they analyze [its meaning] so that everyone can understand it. At the same time, they want everyone to also know to read, recite and expound the sutra, [before] teaching it to others. Fifth are “Dharma teachers who transcribe the sutra”. They can transcribe [the sutra]. They also look at, read and recite the sutra. They explain the sutra and also transcribe it. If we can clearly understand these five kinds of Dharma teachers, then, everyone, only then do we truly understand the sutra passages. However, if we only look at the sutra without reverence for the passages, then it is useless and our time is wasted. “The seconds will fly by”. Time will just simply fly by without us truly taking the teachings to heart. So, everyone must be very mindful. We cannot let our days pass by in vain. Whether we are looking at or reciting the sutra, reading or explaining the sutra, or even transcribing the sutra, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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