Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Diligently Practice All That Is Good (薰法入心 勤修萬善)
Date: August.16.2019
“We blend all kinds of fragrant powders to make one incense pellet. This is an analogy for how one principle contains the infinite Buddha-Dharma. As these Bodhisattvas practice all Paramitas, the fragrance of the Dharma permeates their minds. Thus, in their every thought, they constantly think of the Six Paramitas, and they practice them diligently. This is how a single Dharma-door contains millions of principles.”
We must mindfully listen; we must understand how the nose, our noses, should be utilized in our spiritual practice. Why do they only smell fragrance or stench? We must employ our nose-root in our spiritual practice. [This idea is captured in] the analogy of [blending] “all kinds of fragrant powders to make one incense pellet.” It is just like taking all the world’s [plants], taking flowers or trees with their own scents, and grinding them down into pellets.
This analogy also shows how a single teaching contains infinite Buddha-Dharma. [This is like how] we gather all kinds of fragrant plants to produce [incense], by grinding them into powders, mixing these powders together and forming them into pellets. Each pellet contains countless fragrances that have been blended together. This is like how a single teaching contains [many] infinite principles, [which all comprise] the Dharma. The Buddha’s teachings were meant for this world. In this world, there are all kinds of people, matters and things. The Buddha, with His infinite principles, [knew] what teaching to apply in order to treat ordinary beings’ countless afflictions. The [idea] is the same. The Buddha’s teachings are so many that they are impossible to count, and [the Buddha] combined them all to teach all sentient beings. “These Bodhisattvas practice all Paramitas.” These teachings that the Buddha gave to His disciples were the paramitas He wanted them to practice.
Didn’t the Buddha teach us that we must practice the Six Paramitas? Isn’t this the case? [We must practice] “the Six Paramitas” in all actions. We must respond to sentient beings’ various hardships and needs. We must respond to sentient beings’ needs [in order to] resolve their various hardships. Thus, to go among people and transform them is [how we practice] “the Six Paramitas” in all of our actions. [In response to] the needs of countless beings, we must apply infinite teachings to help them.
The following [passage] states that “the fragrance of the Dharma permeates their minds. Thus, in their every thought, they constantly think of the Six Paramitas, and they practice them diligently.” This is how we must continually absorb the Dharma as we learn the Bodhisattva Way. Everyone knows [the phrase] “to be permeated with Dharma.” When we listen to the Dharma often, it is like we are near to something very fragrant. When we draw close to it, our clothing will [also] become very fragrant. If we spend the entire day in a room where perfumes are produced, when we come out, people will ask, “Why are you so fragrant? Where have you been? I just came from [a perfumery]. Oh, no wonder you smell so fragrant!” Thus, we are permeated by the fragrance of Dharma. When we are permeated with Dharma-fragrance, people may say, “Why are you so cultivated?” [We can respond], “I always listen to the Dharma. Principles come from hearing the Buddha-Dharma. No wonder you clearly understand the principles. It is because you listen to the Buddha-Dharma.” Thus, “the fragrance of the Dharma permeates [our] minds.” Once we have absorbed the Dharma like this, it will then be within each of our thoughts; our every thought will [contain] Buddha-Dharma. When we apply the principles of the Buddha-Dharma to matters and things, they will easily come together, and everything will converge accordingly. So, because of this, nothing in our lives will depart from the principles. “Constantly thinking of the Six Paramitas” means the teachings are naturally in our minds. Thus, in response to all things in this world, the teachings will naturally arise in our every thought. It is not that, when we want to do something, we quickly flip through [the sutra] and read [what it says] before telling people, “The sutra says this.” This is not necessary, for we have already taken the sutra to heart.
The sutra is the path. We are already walking upon this path and already understand every other path [as well]. This is [what is meant to] “constantly think of the Six Paramitas.” We already understand the rules of giving, upholding precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom. When we encounter various people, who need us to give charitably, we must give them the Dharma. We must lead them in the right direction so that they too can take the Dharma to heart. When someone is in need of daily necessities, we are willing to freely give our resources. When people have difficulties, we must willingly dedicate our strength and efforts to help them. [To do] this is very significant, for it is like this that we should give. So, all of this is [how we practice] giving. Whether we give wealth, Dharma or fearlessness, we must all give [selflessly]. When we uphold the precepts in our daily living, then no matter what environment we are in, we will be patient and know how to endure so that we can fulfill our duty. This is like when we rescue [disaster survivors]. When a country experiences a disaster or some place is experiencing hardship, the process of [providing aid] is very difficult. To complete [our mission], we need patience, forbearance and so on in order to be able to finish our work. To do this, we must recognize that [this work] is very difficult but we must still be willing to do this hard work, so we must be determined to complete it. We must not say, “This is so [hard]! I cannot bear to continue working.” Doing the right thing is a mission. However hard it is, we must complete this mission. In our present and future lives, we must [practice] giving, upholding the precepts and being patient. As Buddhist practitioners, if we have not endured suffering and have not encountered many difficulties, then we are not [truly] engaging in practice. [If we fail to do this], then our thoughts will constantly be [elsewhere], so we [abandon] what we see here. We will see countless things which will constantly distract us, and we will never be able to remain focused. Then, we will leave our work undone. How could we call this spiritual practice? Besides giving, upholding precepts and patience, we must also engage in contemplation. This is Samadhi or can contemplation.
When we can calmly contemplate, we can attain Samadhi. Only then can our minds become firm. Thus, as Buddhist practitioners, we must diligently advance. Regardless of any difficulty, we must be diligent. So, we must “practice them diligently.” Whether it be giving, upholding precepts, patience or Samadhi, whether we are meditating or contemplating, we must do so diligently. When it comes to [practicing] diligence, if we determine something is right, we just do it. This is being diligent. This is how we practice the Six Paramitas in all of our actions. When we need to be diligent, we must be diligent. To be diligent, we must listen to the Dharma, so that its fragrance permeates our hearts. “Thus, in their every thought” means that through our every thought, we endlessly [find ways to practice] the Six Paramitas in all of our actions. We must not give up, but “practice them diligently.” Then, when we encounter difficulties, we will be able to overcome them by diligently [advancing], step by step. If we can do this, [we can see how] “a single Dharma-door contains millions of principles.” To do so means we understand that one Dharma-door enables us to [access] millions of principles. We always say that, “The Jing Si Dharma-lineage is a path of diligent practice.”
We must ceaselessly engage in calm contemplation about why we engage in spiritual practice. Why should we go amount people? Since we dedicate ourselves to going among people and engaging in spiritual practice, how can we not [traverse] this path diligently? So, this is the Jing Si Dharma-lineage. As we walk the Bodhisattva Way, we must always practice the Six Paramitas. It is [in this sense that] a single Dharma-door contains millions of principles. This Dharam-door is the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism. Tzu Chi’s goal and direction is to accord with all principles. Whether it is the various forms of giving [which comprise] our Charity mission, or our [mission of] Medicine, which saves lives according to whichever illness the patient has. As for the [mission of] Education, we must adapt to differing abilities. From youth to adulthood, learning progresses ceaselessly in stages. Whether they are adolescents, juveniles or infants, [we must] adapt to children’s capabilities. Thus, [we] educate them at each stage. This is the Tzu Chi School’s [practice].
And to [help] society, we need Humanistic Culture. All four missions require the Humanistic spirit. They contain countless principles. This world and our societies cannot do without these four missions that, together, comprise our goal. These Four Missions already accord with infinite and countless [principles], which encompass all things in the world. Thus, “Jing Si Dharma-lineage is a path of diligence. The Tzu Chi School is a road through the world.” So, we must continuously take the Dharma to heart. “The fragrance of Dharam permeates [our] minds.” Only in this way will each of our thoughts give rise to the Six Paramitas. Our diligent conduct [accords with] the Dharma. The Dharma is inseparable from people. So, we must the Dharma to people; we must not stay isolated from them. So, we must diligently practice the Six Paramitas in all of our actions.
It is thus that “a single Dharma-door contains millions of principles”. We must work hard to understand this and learn the direction of our spiritual practice. This teaching of the Bodhisattva Way [calls] us to go among others at all times with ceaseless diligence. Speaking of diligence Tzu Chi people around the world regularly listen to the Dharma.
(In 2019), at the same time, there were [people] in seven countries from more than 50 locations, who practiced diligently together at the same time. More than 20,000 people were online at once. Isn’t this like “Bodhisattvas gathering like clouds”? Modern technology uses the cloud, which enables [people in] every country, every location [to gather] at the same time. Whether it is night or day, we are able to see and hear [everyone], and what they share and what we share can be all brought together. Thus, for all 20,000 or more of us, this is how mindful we all are. As we follow the Bodhi-path, we must mindfully encourage others so they can value the Dharma and we can all practice diligently together. So, we must be very mindful.
In this sutra passage, it tells us that, “Furthermore, Constant Diligence, if good men and good women accept and uphold this sutra, if they read, recite, explain and transcribe it, they will attain 800 merits of the nose”.
In this section of text, the Buddha spoke to Constant Diligence Bodhisattva. Suppose there are good men, meaning those who wish to seek the Dharma, and good women, who accept and uphold this sutra, willingly dedicating themselves to the Lotus Sutra; they are willing to listen to it, and after listening, to teach it and pass it on. Then, these people who accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra, whether by reading, reciting, explaining or transcribing it, will attain [these] 800 merits. They are thus able to “attain 800 merits of the nose”. This also means that they willingly engage in spiritual practice. When they practice the Lotus Sutra, they can understand a great deal. Once we can practice it and have faith in it, we will attain [these] merits of the nose. What kind of merits are these?
It explains this next. The sutra says, “With this pure nose-root, they will smell all the various fragrances above and below, within and beyond the great trichiliocosm, such as the fragrance of the suman flower, the fragrance of the jatika flower, the fragrance of the mallika flower, the fragrance of the champaka flower, the fragrance of the patala flower, the fragrance of the red lotus flower, the fragrance of the green lotus flower, the fragrance of the white lotus flowers, the fragrance of flowering trees, the fragrance of fruit trees, the fragrance of sandalwood, the fragrance of agarwood, the fragrance of Tamalapatra, the fragrance of tagara…”
There are so many kinds of fragrant trees, flowers, grasses, and soon. Continuing on, the sutra passage says, “… and millions of various fragrances blended into incense, whether in the form of powders, pellets, or fragrant oils. Those who uphold this sutra while abiding in the world will be able to discern them all”.
We have mentioned many kinds of fragrances, and these are many [others] we have not named. There are also many kinds that we have not named. Millions of these various fragrances are blended together and ground into powders [to form] powdered incense. This powdered incense can be made into pellets, “fragrant oils” or lotions, which can be used for anointing. Some are powders to be scattered. Some are pellets to be eaten. Others are oils for anointing. We can [produce] all of these. These incenses are all useful to us, whether for medicinal or decorative [purpose].
…and millions of various fragrances blended into incense, whether in the form of powers, pellets or fragrant oils: Millions of different fragrances are blended into incense in the form of fine, fragrant powders, round incense pellets or fragrant oils for anointing the body or ground.
So many of these things are used, [so here, they are referred to as], “millions of different fragrances”. There are so many that it is not only difficult to describe them, it is also [impossible] to name them all. Millions of them are blended together to form one kind of incense. Thus, a single incense[pellet] can contain millions of fragrances. Whether they are ground into powders, made into pellets or mixed into oils, they can be used to anoint the body or sprayed or scattered upon the ground. Incense takes all [these forms]. These fragrant materials can be made into incense with many uses.
When we spread wide our one mind to focus on doing thousands of good deeds, this is like the fragrant powders. When we unite thousands of virtues in one body, this is like blending various fragrances into incense pellets. When we practice all that is good to perfect our virtue, this is like blending thousands of various fragrances into incense.
“When we spread wide our one mind to focus on doing thousands of good deeds, all of these [principles] converge with our minds, and our minds can [allocate] them to various [undertakings]. Then, we can then do countless kinds of good deeds. Each fragrance is like one Dharma [teaching]. We must take thousands of teachings to heart and spread them by doing countless good deeds. This methods [is the focus of] this analogy.
So, “[Just] like the fragrant powders, we unite thousands of virtues in one body.” If we grind everything into powders, these blended fragrant powders are like “thousands of virtues [united] in one body”. They are all contained in our body, just like “various fragrances blended into incense pellets” and [used to] anoint one’s body; all of these fragrances are [applied to] one body. Thus, the analogy of [fragrant] powders made into pellets follows the same principle. We must take millions of principles to heart and then spread them through thousands of good deeds. Thus, the accumulation of countless good deeds [within] one person [follows] the same principle. This is like the powder [of many fragrant] [substances] which is formed into pellets. When we take myriad virtues to heart, this is what nurtures us. It is the same principle. Thus, “We practice all that is good to perfect our virtue”. Anything of virtue, we must absorb entirely. [When we can] practice myriad principles, goodness will become concentrated within us. Therefore, “We must practice all that is good.” We practice all that is good, [applying] myriad principles. We must dedicate ourselves. If we do not practice one principle, we lose one virtue. Where is this principle? [It is found among] sentient beings. [To go among] suffering sentient beings is the direction of a Bodhisattvas’ spiritual training. [Thus], we gain wisdom through experience. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we gain more experience, [which increases] our wisdom. So, [we must] “practice all that is good, meaning we do not do bad things. Good things [come from] good deeds, so we [must] “practice all that is good to perfect our virtue”. When we talk about “merits and virtues, internal cultivation brings merits, while external practice brings virtues. So, we must store a lot of the Buddha’s teachings within our hearts. Then, as we go among people and serve them, the experiences we gain become virtues the experiences we gain become virtues.
So, when it comes to [these] fragrances, we must be able to comprehend [those we detect] as we go among people. Bitterness, bittersweet, fieriness and so on, all these exist [out there], and we must seek to understand them all [as we go] among people. “Those who uphold this sutra while abiding in this world will be able to discern them all.”
Those who uphold this sutra while abiding in this world will be able to discern them all: In this way, their discernment will be free of error. Thus, it says they will be able to [to discern] them all.
We must go and live among people. How can say that we are practicing if we are only benefiting ourselves? Spiritual practice requires us to go among people. If someone [tells us], “You are very cultivated, what makes [this so]? [They] are praising us. This is because [we] go among people and deal with people and matters very smoothly and harmoniously. This is how everyone can sense that we are said to be very cultivated. If we do not go among people, then [how] could [say that] we are cultivated? Indeed, cultivation is attained among others. So, we must constantly remember that Bodhisattvas practice [by going] among people. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha taught us the Bodhisattva Way. This is the Dharma that we must uphold. “Those who uphold this sutra while abiding in this world” refers to [those who] live among others. Being among others is the best training ground. This is what it says in the Lotus Sutra.
So, whatever people, environments and [feelings we encounter], this is what we must realize. People often say, “Once I entered this environment, only then did I like what it felt like. So, in our spiritual practice, we must be willing to engage [with the world]. Our nose dose not just smell fragrance or stench, in this world, we can think of spiritual practice [in terms of] smelling with our nose.
So, [if we can] “discern them all,” we can understand people, matters and things [in] all kinds of states. “In this way, our discernment [will enable us] to discern right from wrong, and we “will be free of error”. Whether something is fragrant or has a stench, we must learn to discern good and bad smells. Before, our elders used to teach us, “You need to be smart! You must know good smells from bad. What they meant to say was that we also needed to discern good and evil, to know right from wrong. This was what older generations taught us.
Now, for us modern people, we do not teach this phrase anymore. However, the Buddha is also [our elder], and this is what He told us, to let us know that our nose-root can be used, not only to smell fragrance and stench, [but also] to distinguish right from wrong. We must learn to distinguish them so that we “will be free of error;” we will not mistake them.
Continuing on, the passage states, “They will also be able to discern and identify the scents of sentient beings. Aside from the fragrances of plants, we also need to discern “the scents of sentient beings”.
These are “the scents of elephants and horses, the scents of cows, goats and so on, the scents of men and women” and “the scents of boys and girls”.
We need to learn to discern all of these.
They will also be able to discern and identify the scents of sentient beings, such as the scents of elephants and horses, the scents of cows, goats and so on: Their bodily odor is known as their scent. Identifying their characteristics is considered “smelling their scant”.
This means that, whether it is an elephant, a horse, a cow, etc., whatever kind of bodily scent it has, whatever kind of scent it has, we can discern it by its smell. “Oh, this is the scent of an elephant”. We need not see it, nor hear its sound. We do not need to see its physical form; we will know that it is the scent of an elephant, a horse or sheep. We can train our nose to smell the scents of different living beings. This is “their bodily odor”. The bodily odor of every animal or living being “is known as their scent. Identifying their characteristics is considered ‘smelling their scent”’. About this animal, we can know what form it takes, how it breaths and so on. We can then approximate what its living condition is.
…the scents of men and women, the scents of boys and girls…: “Men and women” refers to the scent of couples in the world. “Boys and girls” refers to the scent of young children. By using their nose, they will be able to identify the scents of all things.
Besides animals, there are also people. [There are] “the scents of men and women” and “the scents of boys and girls”. These are people’s [scents]. If there is a child, is he a boy? Or is she a girl? Or is it an even older male or female? Is it a young boy or girl, or is it an older child? They know and can distinguish the scents of men and women by their odor. [They can also discern] the scents of children and those of infants. Simply by approaching them, they can tell, for they can understand by smelling the scent. “Men and women refers to the scent of couples in the world”. [People] like this can also tell whether a man and woman are a couple, whether this pair are [husband and wife]. In this way, they can also smell this. Not to mention that they [can discern] [the genders] of young children by their smell. “This man and woman, this couple has already been married”. They can tell this through smell. “This man and woman are married. Oh, [I can tell that] they are not yet married by the [pure] scent of their bodies”. They are able to make this distinction. So, “By suing their nose, they will be able to identify the scents of all things”. Such people can identify fragrance and stench. So, if we are mindful, our nose can also develop this ability. We often hear of people with rare abilities. People may train only their nose [so that], whether it is a plant, animal or person, they can distinguish this by smell. They can also tell whether someone is married or not.
So, this is to say that, through cultivation and focus, we can naturally discern many things. As our body converges [with the principles], we need to mindfully seek to comprehend them so that our organs can be of use to each other, and they can all have [such] abilities. These abilities are not impossible if we can unite our organs with the Dharma. Our bodies are able to bring many various fragrances together. So much virtue can converge within one’s body [through] self-cultivation. When the Dharma converges with one who learns the Buddha’s teachings, [it takes the form of] the Six Paramitas. [Such a] person must practice the Six Paramitas and experience [them] in all actions. They must go among people and enter this Dharma-door. Only then can they extend their wisdom-life. This is like when we talk about our “Jing Si Dharma-lineage” and “Tzu Chi School of Buddhism”. For our Dharma-lineage to carry on, we must open this door wide. This is our purpose. This is what it means.
In our spiritual practice, when we choose this Dharma, we must not be afraid of difficulties. This Dharma-door [requires us to be] totally among people, not isolated from people. Being among people causes affliction, so we must [be able to] overcome our afflictions. This is what makes us Bodhisattvas. So, everyone must be very mindful; we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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