Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Using Worldly Matters to Train the Mind (藉事練心 持法修身)
Date: October.09.2019
“Life is full of suffering. Suffering comes from impermanence. Suffering arises from a single thought of ignorance, leading to one tragedy after another in the world.”
Life is full of suffering. Every day I hear from Bodhisattvas who formed aspirations to go among people. In [society], every family has its own stories of hardship. Each of these hardships is a sutra of suffering, and each one is worse than the previous one. So, if we earnestly quiet down and consider this, doesn’t the suffering during our short time here arise in a single thought, created from the seed of ignorance?
Thus, the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence must be carefully contemplated. Everything arises from ignorance. Ignorance is a seed. When that seed of ignorance sprouts, we begin to act and [things happen] beyond our control. With the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence, in this lifetime and in our future lifetimes, we create causes and conditions, [which] we continuously accumulate, lifetime after lifetime, in a cycle. Thus, our lives are like a play that continues endlessly, [act after act]. In a stage show, we only act in it temporarily until it ends. When we leave the stage and remove our makeup, we are just like the people in the [audience] or like people [acting] amidst a crowd. [Life is a] dream-like play. So, how can we be clear-minded in our lives? In this short lifetime, we must find ways to protect our minds so that we have no doubts and are not confused. Confusion is delusion. We must not be deluded nor doubtful; we must not doubt the Buddha’s teachings, and we must accept and apply every true principle. We must seek to understand the true principles, and as we listen, we must always contemplate them. This is “listening, contemplating and practicing.”
After listening to the sutra, we must earnestly and mindfully contemplate it. Once we have contemplated, we should realize that if we are diligent, time will quickly pass by. Our short lives are impermanent. How short are [our lives]? When will they [end]? We do not know. All we can do is seize the present moment to “diligently cultivate our field of blessings.”
In cherishing our life, we diligently cultivate our field of blessings. With a love for protecting our environment, we turn suffering into joy. With a benevolent mind, we constantly turn the Dharma-wheel. As awakened sentient beings, we see the world as one family. Life is a stage, and upon this stage, we teach the Dharma. The human mind drifts toward delusion; when we encounter the ship of compassion, we will be delivered [to the other shore].
We must use our limited lifespan to understand the principles. After we listen, we must take action. We must not say, “I [need to] hear it all. Once I am done listening, then I will practice. Once I have studied and graduated with a PhD degree, then I will conduct my research.” No, this is not the way. Our first step must be to contemplate [the teachings]. This is [how] our lives are; [they] run in parallel with time. Although we must make a living, we [cannot afford] to be lacking in diligence. So, we must choose our field of blessings that allows us to diligently cultivate it. We are now in the evil world of Five Turbidities, and during this turbid time, in the society of this world, we have been continuously promoting environmental protection.
In terms of environmental protection, we all know that our external belongings are polluting the Earth. Not only are they polluting the land, but the oceans are also being polluted. In the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountains, piles of trash have been [left behind], unattended. Even on the world’s tallest mountain, this kind of huge trash problem has been created. Regardless of how large the ocean is, trash and plastic are polluting the ocean’s ecosystems, not to mention [the lives of] people in the world. People know that trash is a troublesome issue, but they do not know these worrisome issues are all created by people. If we consider its origin, we can understand this. How can we avoid creating trash? We must start by purifying ourselves.
For the past few days, we have been talking about [being as] “pure as crystal”. [We must] engage in spiritual practice to [become] as pure as crystal by eliminating our filth, ignorance and afflictions. Only then can we “turn suffering into joy”. Otherwise, we only lament the suffering of life, knowing only that it is impermanent, yet we do not know when this impermanence will happen to us. Every day, we know there is “impermanence,” “suffering” and “emptiness”. Yet, we still create evil amidst our suffering. A life like this is distorted. I hope everyone can really take the pure, simple essence of these words to heart. “A love of protecting our environment is like how, when we do recycling work, we not only protect our external [environment] but also the environment of our minds by earnestly not allowing them to become polluted. We should eliminate all filthy and worrisome things in order to protect and reorganize [our minds].
This is “the benevolent mind” that enable us to do charity work, and [which also embodies] “loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.” This is “the benevolence” [of having] “unconditional loving-kindness” and “universal compassion.” When we are always without obstructions, having eliminated our afflictions, then we have equanimity; [this means we can] joyfully let go, without any afflictions or discursive thoughts. This is the lesson we must practice. Afterwards, we must go among people to turn the wheel of Dharma [by teaching others]; having undergone this [spiritual practice], we can apply our compassion and power of vows to do good deeds by going among people to turn the Dharma-wheel. Suffering sentient beings are deluded. When people are suffering, what they need the most is an awakened sentient beings. This awakened sentient being is like [those of us] who love and protect the environment. Externally, we protect [the environment] and [clean] this external filth. [Internally], as spiritual practitioners, we [also] protect our minds, which means we must remover the filth [within us]. We must apply the Buddha’s teachings in our minds [in order to] become awakened. As sentient [beings], we [cannot avoid] going among people, so we must become awakened sentient beings.
As “awakened sentient beings,” where do we encounter [other] sentient beings? [In fact], “We see the world as one family.” So, we must be mindful; we must be mindful that, with our every word, we pave the way, bit by bit, so we must take each section of the path to heart. So, we must clearly understand that “life is a stage, and upon this stage, we teach the Dharma.”
When [Tang] Mei Yun’s [theater company] came here to film at the Abode. I asked [her]. “Why have you come back to film at the Abode? Aren’t you filming [a show] about a Japanese Master? Why are you filming at the Abode?” She said, “We have filmed in Japan, but in the Abode, there is a lot of scenery which is suited to a Japanese temple.” So, she came back here to film our scenery for use in her show, [in an episode of] “Biographies of Eminent Monks.” I saw her wearing her costume and filming outside the abode. Her theater company was filming [scenes here]. I thought, “Indeed, there is a group of people filming outside, and while the scenes they are filming are real, what they are filming outside is [for] a story from more than 1000 years ago.” They came back here to film real scenes for this show. Inside, I was listening to a story from Shenyang, in Liaoning [province].
[This gentleman] was very fortunate, but even though he has led a fortunate life, he did not feel happy. [When he began to] participate in Tzu Chi, volunteers took him to visit a charity case. Which charity case did they visit? There was a [very determined] mother who has two children, [both of whom] have very difficult lives. The elder one weight more than 250 kilograms. Kilograms! He is obese, weighting more than 250 kilograms. [This child] can only lie in bed and do nothing, while his mother has to clean up his excrement and wash and clean his body. And what about the younger child? This child is also obese, weighing more than 120 kilograms. [So], this mother, this single mother, has to face this situation of her two obese children. This is very difficult. This mother also has an illness, called Myasthenia Gravis, which is very serious; she has no strength in her muscles, yet she has to [take care of] these two very heavy children. How can this family go on? When Tzu Chi volunteers discovered [this case], they went to pay a visit. When this fortunate gentleman witnessed what this family’s life is like, he suddenly realized, “There are people whose physical conditions [cause] their families to endure much hardship. [But] I am able to help her. I am a person who can help others.” He had a bit of an awakening, so he corrected his direction and [realized] that he is actually very fortunate to have enough strength to help others.
In life, why are there so many people who are suffering? People who are fortunate also feel suffering. If they are ill, they [think], “I see doctors and take medicine, but they are of no use. My body cannot do anything”. [Yet], seeing this mother, [they think], “I am better off than she is”. When it comes to their family, their living conditions or physical [health], they look around [and compare their situation]. So, our life depends on how we evaluate it. If we have a benevolent heart, we will [view such] incidents in this world [more light-heartedly], as if life is a stage, [by treating life] like a stage, the world [becomes more light-hearted]. In this world, some people gamble to see, “Will I win this game?” When they lose, they raise the stakes even higher, thus losing more and more. Life is like this. By creating more and more evil karma, we will form even more negative affinities. This mother [likewise] came to shoulder this heavy burden. Her body is sick, and when the door opened [to us], her two children are like giant babies, weighing more than 200 and 100 kg. For this mother, to turn their bodies over or to move them is truly painfully difficult. If it is not from our past [lives], how do we explain our karma in this life? However, we can see a group of Bodhisattvas seeking the Buddha-path and transforming sentient beings. The Dharma is in our hearts, [enabling us to live] playfully in the world. Since we have come to this world, we must not take any matter so seriously. If we always think only of ourselves, we will become totally self-absorbed, which [will cause us] misery.
[Instead], we must get beyond ourselves, as if we were acting. [Those actors] came here wearing their costumes, and using this real scenery in modern times, they filmed the eminent monk’s story from long ago. It has already been hundreds of years. If this eminent master returned to this world, how many generations [have passed]? Where would he be? We do not know. Perhaps he is among us; no one can say. So, as we go among people, [we should treat] life like a stage. Because we clearly see life in this way, in everything we do, we must accommodate more people’s capabilities. Because life is a stage, we must earnestly play our parts without any deviation. We must not play the evil character but earnestly arrange our lives very well. We play [ the role] of a Bodhisattva, [acting out] the life of a spiritual practitioner. As we play spiritual practitioners, we must accept everything that has happened in our lives. There is suffering in this life, so we must devote ourselves to relieving [it]. This is also [treating] life like a play.
So, we say, “Bodhisattvas play effortlessly in this world”. Deluded sentient beings’ lives are like a [drama]. [But to live] an awakened life is to play effortlessly in the world. Awakened sentient beings come and go, going and coming, taking the stage and clearly knowing how to play their role. After they leave the stage, they return to their own selves, without becoming confused. This is the same principle. This is “an awakened sentient being”.
So, we must realize that [we should use] this stage to teach the Dharma. This is the same idea as [the show], “Biographies of Eminent Monks”, which we also use to teach the Dharma. In these stories from hundreds or more than 1000 years ago, these eminent monks joyfully studied and deeply entered the Buddha-Dharma. Through what efforts could they pass on the Buddha-Dharma in the world? Now, we take them as role models for teaching the world. They are no longer with us, so we give this role to those who are living now. This is using the stage of life to expound the Dharma. Thus, “Upon this stage, we teach the Dharma”. I always look forward to watching “Biographies of Eminent Monks”. They tell the true stories of these monks’ spiritual journeys. This is true history, not just a fake drama, [for it shows the true monks of history. But life is such that “the human mind drifts toward delusion”. Our minds are always drifting and floating away. Now, we know that we must [work to] calm our minds. As we listen [to the Dharma], we calm ourselves, but when we return to our daily living, our minds again drift toward delusion, destabilizing our lives. Now, what is most important is to encounter the ship of compassion, which will deliver us. In this way, we have encountered the Dharma, the ship of compassion, which is ready to deliver us from this shore [of] afflictions and ignorance, delivering us to the other shore with the Dharma. So, we must earnestly use this ship of compassion. So, [we must] listen carefully.
“The great, perfect mirror [of the Buddha-mind] is pure and clear. [When His gaze] met the cosmic starlight, He resonated [with the universe]. All the sutras taught by the Buddha explain the principles, so we must transcribe them and pass them on to ensure that the Dharma-lineage will never end. We must listen to the Dharma and learn worldly knowledge in parallel.
[The Dharma] is like a great mirror. Whatever this great mirror reflects, whether it is pure or filthy, the mirror itself will remain pure and clear. As the Buddha gazed at the stars in the night, [His mind resonated with] the starlight in the universe, and in that moment, His enlightened nature was awakened. This nature, [which is also] our intrinsic nature, connected with the cosmic starlight, and in that moment of awakened enlightenment, He attained Buddhahood.
The Buddha expounded various sutras, beginning with “suffering” and continuing on to the Wondrous Lotus Sutra we are now [reading]. The Lotus Sutra is the final [teaching] that the Buddha expounded to sentient beings on the Bodhisattva-path [Here], He taught using very clear principles. Whether it was “the law of karma” or “the Four Noble Truths” of life’s suffering, He repeated [them all] because He wanted us to be diligent. By His conclusion, He still wanted us to practice the Six Paramitas. These teachings must be passed on. If we pass it on with speech, it will vanish, so it is most important that we write it down in order to pass it on. Then, “The Dharma-lineage will never end, and it will be continuously passed on”. Often my conversations with [various people] and how I have replied to them has been carefully recorded. Thus, in the future, these people and matters may perhaps still continue on. After we finish speaking, we must take action. In order to gain people’s trust that on a certain day and year, someone said that, this matter requires all of us complete it. If we did not record this, we would have the process, but not the starting point. So, we must make a record of this and continuously to pass it on.
“We must listen to the Dharma and learn worldly knowledge in parallel”. Thus, I wish to tell everyone to first listen to present worldly matters. Then, I want everyone to know and be in spired to care for their minds, so that we can listen earnestly to the Dharma and know how to accept and apply what we have heard.
The following sutra passage says, “Though they have yet to attain the flawless, wondrous body of Dharma-nature, because of their pure ordinary body, all will be reflected within them”.
This is about our bodies. We use our bodies in spiritual practice, so no matter what we are practicing, this practice must begin with our bodies. If we do not have this body, how can we practice? A disposition of spiritual practice is what demonstrates our Dharma-nature. The Buddha told us that everyone intrinsically possesses Buddha-nature. The Buddha is awakened, and the principle of enlightenment is the intrinsic true nature within all of us. This true nature means that everyone intrinsically has this Dharma-nature, this intrinsic awakened nature, which is all the same Dharma. [It is given] different names, [like] “awakened nature” and “Dharma-nature”. [Yet], only when we understand the Dharma can we become “awakened,” so, enlightenment and the Dharma are one. Do we clearly understand this? The Dharma is always with us, it never leaves us. So, we must clearly understand that [within this] wondrous body, [we have] a physical body, Dharma-body, wisdom body, etc. Thus, we can be replete with five bodies. The Buddha practiced using His [physical] body, and though His spiritual practice, He attained His Buddha-body after enlightenment. So, this is “the wondrous body”.
We must earnestly take care of this body. Whatever this body does, we must make sure it is right in order for our physical body to choose wisdom. With knowledge, consciousness and action, we must do good deeds and [behave] correctly. This is practicing according to the Dharma. We must fully apply this process to our body for it to be called a “wondrous body of Dharma-nature because of [our] pure ordinary body.” When our bodies are clean, we will not create evil karma, and we will not distort our lives. Every day, we are in the monastery. Although we are very busy, our activities are all [guided by] Dharma. Every blade of grass, every drop of dew, every place of flower petal, every drop of water contains Dharma. Our actions are also [a form of] meditation, so we are all very earnest.
So, “Because of their pure ordinary body, all will be reflected within them, [means that], as spiritual practitioners, listening to and reading [the Dharma]” creates karma that will [produce] corresponding retributions in the future. People like this are exceedingly virtuous, and by doing good deeds, they will experience these same kinds or [karmic retributions]. We have faith that spiritual practitioners’ process will [produce these results], [according to the way that] different kinds of people act. Within our minds and within the Buddha’s teachings, as we recite the sutras, we will know how to classify them; whether these actions are good or bad, kind or evil, we will be able to classify them just by looking at them; we can classify them in our minds. Thus, they are all reflected in our bodies. This is the same principle.
Continuing on, the passage states, “Furthermore, Constant Diligence, if good men and good women, after the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, accept and uphold this sutra, whether they read, recite, expound or transcribe it, they will attain 1200 merits of the mind”.
[Our discussion of] “the body[-root]” and its 800 merits is now completed. Next, we will discuss merits of the mind. Once again, the recipient of the teachings is Constant Diligence Bodhisattva. So, the Buddha calls out to Constant Diligence Bodhisattva, saying, “If good men and good women, after the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, accept and uphold this sutra, whether they read, recite, expound or transcribe it, they will attain 1200 merits of the mind”. This is “Diligence”.
Diligence: When we use worldly matters to train our minds and uphold the Dharma to cultivate ourselves, we purify our minds to become undefiled and pure; this is what it means to be focused. When we focus our minds on our duties, we are sure to reach the right path; this is what it means to advance [diligently]. Diligence is the pure land of the Bodhisattva-mind.
Diligence here is [an allusion to] Constant Diligence, making reference to the name of this Bodhisattva; [this Bodhisttva] diligently made use of his time and life to [practice] the Dharma. So, to reference this [Bodhisattva makes] “[use of] worldly matters train our minds”. [The Buddha] wanted us all to know that we must work very hard at [everything we do], to uphold the Dharma [and] cultivate ourselves”. [He] wanted to let us know that, in our lives, we must diligently “use worldly matters to train our minds” and “uphold the Dharma to cultivate ourselves”. We must keep the Dharma in our minds. Although we are very busy, only if what we are doing is in harmony with the Dharma are we then able to “purify our minds to become undefiled and pure; this is what it means to be focused”. We must be focused in the many things we do, so that our minds will not be affected by external influences or polluted by afflictions and ignorance, and we can remain single-mindedly diligent. This is being “focused,” without any distractions. So, “We focus our minds and make sure that we are on the right path; this is what it means to advance [diligently]”. We must be very diligent. [Fulfilling our] “duties” ensures that, in everything we do, our actions [are in line with] the right path. This is how we “advance”. Thus, in everything we do, we must apply these few simple words, so that, in our daily living, everything we do and seek [leads us to] this goal. This is what it means to “make sure that we are on the right path”. Then, we will not be lax, and we can advance forward.
So, “Diligence is the pure land of the Bodhisattva-mind”. Diligence is the pure land of the Bodhisattva-mind. We must diligently advance through the course of our daily living.
…after the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, accept and uphold this sutra…: After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, the times gradually turned to the era of Dharma-semblance, which then turned into the era of Dharma-degeneration. In these times, practitioners must uphold the Lotus Sutra.
“After the Tathagata enters Parinirvana, [we must] accept and uphold this sutra. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana,” the times gradually turned to the era of Dharma-semblance. After the Buddha entered Parinirvana, the times gradually turned to the era of Dharma-semblance. In our time, the era of Dharma-semblance has also passed. Now, it has been over 2500 years since the Buddha entered Parinirvana, and the era of Dharma-semblance passed long ago. [Imagine if we were] to see the Silk Road in China, [which extended] from China to India, where Master Xuan Zang traveled for Buddhist scriptures. The mountains along that route, when Buddhism was flourishing, all had images of the Buddha carved into them. The stories told by the Buddha were also carved into the mountains. Caves were created in the mountains to house sculptures of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There were even a series of stories [which could be seen there]. This was “Dharma-semblance”.
[We can still see] these caves and mountains, like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where there were also sculptures that were carved out of an entire mountain in ancient times. [In the name of] passing on the Buddha-Dharma, they used sculptures to express His teachings. This is called “Dharma-semblance”. [Many of] these images, these stone sculptures, have [now] been destroyed. This was like the giant Buddha in Afghanistan; when Steven [Huang] stood on its feet, he looked like an ant. Mr. Wang from our Rhythms Magazine climbed this giant Buddha, climbing up this same Buddha from inside; he climbed up and up until he came out from the ear. From atop this ear, he looked like an ant. Imagine how big that Buddha was!
Several years ago, (in 2001), this giant Buddha was blown up with dynamite. It was [completely] destroyed, both by long-term [exposure to the elements] and the destruction caused by humans. Thus, the era of Dharma-semblance passed long ago. Now, people have even destroyed these sculptures. In the era of Dharma-degeneration, “practitioners must uphold the Lotus Sutra”. As we are in the era of Dharma-degeneration, upholding the Lotus Sutra is truly difficult. [The Dharma was gradually] destroyed during the era of Dharma-semblance not to mention in the era of Dharma-degeneration.
So, “Those who can hear just one verse or phrase of this sutra and comprehend its infinite, boundless meanings [will attain] the great Dharma of retaining and upholding and suddenly achieve total understanding. They will hear one thing and realize 1000”.
Those who are mindful must earnestly seek to comprehend its every phrase and every verse and [to understand] its infinite, boundless meaning. So, we must earnestly seize our time. We must not let time idly pass us by. [I hope that] everyone can mindfully understand that “whether they read, recite, expound or transcribe it, they will attain 1200 merits of the mind”.
This was more or less explained earlier. When our body feels a sensation, it knows whether something is adverse or favorable, painful or pleasurable; we understand these states of pain and pleasure, “when the body and an object are in contact”. When our body connects with our surroundings, there may be adverse or favorable conditions. When our bodies connect with these states, by touching something hard, we know it is hard. If we touch something soft, we know it is soft. “This breeze is very comfortable. This gale makes me feel cold and unwell”. So, these are states that our bodies come into contact with, which are [either] favorable or adverse, painful or pleasurable.
“When the body and an object are in contact, it is aware”. This means that if our bodies do not come into contact with anything, then we do not know whether this object is cold or hot. We are unaware. Only when we touch something hot or cold do we know, “This is hot” [or] “This is cold”. So, it is according to this principle that [we have] this kind of awareness. “When the body and object are separated, it is unaware”.
The body can feel sensations and know whether something is adverse or favorable, painful or pleasurable. When the body and an object are in contact, it is aware. When the body and object are separated, it is unaware. So, among its three portions of merits, it lacks one portion. Thus, we should understand why the body-root has only 800 merits.
“So, among its three portions of merits, it lacks one portion”. Actually, with regard to these three portions [of merits] we are talking about, [we must] have contact, for if we have contact [but] do not do anything, [we attain] no merits. We have this ability, but if we waste our lives and attain no merits, then we have achieved nothing. Whether it is our eyes, ears, nose, tongue or body, if we merely use our ears to listen but do not take the principles into our hearts, then we attain nothing and have no merits. So, even with our “mind,” if our minds are only listening, [merely] watching or listening, but nothing good enters our minds, and we do not aspire to understand the true principles, then our minds likewise have no merits.
In summary, merits come from spiritual practice and [by following] the right path; a slight deviation in our direction will lead us far off course, and then we will attain no merits. So, we must mindfully understand, “why the body-root has only 800 merits.” Our body is for putting [the Dharma] into practice.
“The mind-root is silent, yet all worldly Dharma and world-transcending Dharma are encompassed by it.” Our mind-root knows all kinds of things. “Thus, we know why the mind-root has the full 1200 merits.” “The worldly Dharma” is “practiced by humans and heavenly beings.”
“The world-transcending Dharma” is cultivated by Three Vehicle practitioners. The Dharma practiced by Hearers, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas is called the world-transcending Dharma. So, everyone, please mindfully listen and understand that there are many teachings to accept and apply. If we are not mindful, we will not understand, and if we do not apply what we have heard, then we will attain no merits. So, we must all be more mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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