Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Fully Comprehending Meanings and Principles (不迷現境 通達義理)
Date: October. 10.2019
“The mind-root allows us to learn the Dharma, enabling us to give rise to understanding. If we wish to understand our own consciousness, we must remain undeluded by and unattached to our present circumstances. Then, we will fully comprehend infinite meanings and principles. We must purify our mind-root and transform consciousness into wisdom.”
We must all be mindful. Everything in our lives involves the mind-root. Our thoughts and ideals become the direction [be set] for our future, and our current mindset becomes the direction of our actions. If we can understand this clearly, then [we know] we must take good care of our minds.
Previously, we discussed that among the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, some have 1200 merits and some have 800 merits. Each “root” is different. The body [encompasses] the Five Roots of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, each of which has its own function. Among the Five Roots of the body, aside from the body itself, the other four roots are [located] on the body.
From head to toe, our body forms the complete body-root. But in spite of this, it has only 800 merits. Why is this? This is because our body, aside from being [the place where] all the other roots gather, its only other function is our sense of touch. Through touch, [we can tell whether something is] cold or hot. Our sense of touch gives of [these] sensations. Otherwise, if we cover up our ears and eyes, or our entire face, will we know anything about the outside world? No, we will not. “[But these roots] are all on our body. Even if we cover our eyes and ears, [they] are still a part of our body. Why can’t we [use them to sense anything]? With my ears covered, I cannot hear. With my eyes covered, I cannot see.” So, the body alone does not have much function; our body only has its sense of touch.
However, aside from [the Five Roots of] our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, which have their respective functions, there is also the mind. Indeed! [This is] our mind, our mind-root. Before we act with our body, we first contemplate [our potential actions]. Our minds [encompass] the past, present and future, and this consciousness is also a part of our body, [so] it must also have some application. [Thus, based on] the past, present and future, [our mind] is able to direct [our actions]. As we think about something, we may desire to possess it, and [in this pursuit], our minds may cause us to do many unjust things. Conversely, we can realize the value of helping others and that being of service to the world [creates true] value in our lives. [Then], we can willingly vow to go among people; this also [happens in our minds]. The only difference between these mindsets is a matter of deviation; a slight deviation will take us far off course. When we go in the right direction, we can exercise the true value of [our lives]. When we go in the wrong direction, we will spiral downward, and our future karmic retributions will cause us unbearable suffering that is totally out of our control. This is also [determined] by our mind-root; whether [our retributions] are good or bad depends on our thoughts.
We previously discussed [the story of] a mother in a very disheartening [situation]. She had a pair of twins who were once [healthy], adorable children. However, as time passed and the children grew up, they grew increasingly larger in size, but their intelligence did not develop. So, for more than 20 years, the older son’s IQ was only that of a one-year-old, while the younger son’s IQ was only that of a seven- or eight-year-old. [Today], the older son weighs over 200 kg, and the younger son weighs over 100 kg. This single mother has to face all of this [alone]. Think about it; these are the present karmic retributions. What kind of karmic seed resulted in this fruit? We have discussed before how karmic seeds from previous lifetimes lead to karmic fruits in one’s present lifetime. This is what life is like. After suffering for [more than two] decades, positive karmic conditions [enabled] a group of Bodhisattvas to come in and care for, accompany and guide [this mother] to help her come to terms [with her situation]. This mother started to smile again, and after opening her heart, she accepted the volunteers and dedicated herself to Tzu Chi. Slowly, she realized the importance of forming good affinities with everyone. Now they are all promoting [the initiative] to gather [small individual donations] to help others. She willingly formed this aspiration, and with every [small donation she gathers], she [renews this] aspiration every day. She knows that helping others with love means doing good deeds, and having replaced her afflictions [with love] and eliminated her resentment, her life has naturally transformed. Her older son, who was over 200 kg, was sick for some time, and before long, he passed away. The mother knew that her child had a rare illness, so she donated his body for medical research so that an autopsy could be performed to [better] understand the nature [of the illness]. [Through] the guidance of Tzu Chi volunteers, she understood the suffering of life and knew that, since her son’s illness was rare, donating [his body] to medical research would also be a form of giving. Otherwise, if she simply buried all 200 kg of him, what would come of that? Instead, by transforming her mindset, she was able to exercise her wisdom and the potential to benefit people. Perhaps, her son’s body [can help] doctors to discover the source of this illness. This is possible. Wouldn’t that create countless merits?
So, “The mind-root allows us to learn the Dharma.” The mind-root allows us to learn many teachings [about] the past, present and future. We may [think of] something that we crave; in the present, as we [think of] this thing from “the past,” we find that we desire it in “the present.” So we act on [this desire]. What is the result of this action? We become deluded for a time by the [potential of obtaining it] in “the future.” We [focus] only on [obtaining] this thing. It already exists, and upon seeing it, we later have the desire for it, so we go to grasp it. These are the views and understanding of unenlightened beings, who do not consider the consequences. When something is right before our eyes and we give rise to thoughts [of desire], what is the result? We have not even considered this. This is what our mind-root is like. However, with our mind-root, we can also learn the Dharma. If our mind-root tends toward goodness, we can learn the Dharma. The Buddha understands the true principles of all things in the universe, that all things have their origin and that they have principles hidden within.
He respected this [natural] law, so He abided by the rules [in order to] understand life and how to handle people and matters. By understanding one teaching, He thoroughly understood thousands more. This is also accomplished by the mind-root. When we are confused, we create karma, but if we have the chance to meet a benefactor who can guide us to enter the Buddha-Dharma, then the Dharma can help us to see things clearly in the present so that we do not face negative retributions in the future.
[Once] we understand the Dharma, we can “give rise to understanding.” When our minds understand the Dharma, all the teachings will enable the resolve and wisdom in our minds to become even clearer; these two support each other mutually. So, we must be mindful. We must understand that the mind-root requires the help of external conditions. What we learn from our external conditions [can enable] our minds to comprehend many teachings. When we see one thing, our minds enable us to realize countless other principles. “If we wish to understand our own consciousness,” if we wish to understand our mind and our consciousness, then we must simply “remain undeluded by and unattached to our present circumstances.” If we wish to understand our own consciousness, we must give rise to the [mindset] that we cannot become attached to our current circumstances. Presently, we are all ordinary people, so we do not see things clearly. Since ancient times, we have remained deluded, lifetime after lifetime. In this lifetime, in this world of our karmic effects, the affinities we form and the karmic fruits we receive are determined by the law of cause and effect, which is totally beyond our control. This is like the mother [we just discussed]. Before meeting Tzu Chi volunteers, she did not know why she encountered such circumstances. [Besides] her two sons, when she went in for a health exam, she found that she has myasthenia gravis. Even with little strength in her body, she [still] has to help her two sons, who were both extremely heavy, [with all of their daily needs]. For over twenty years, she suffered immensely due to her lack of strength to [handle these things]. Not only did she lack strength in her body, but she also had to face this kind of situation. [Her son’s conditions] were something she had to face by herself. If we think about it, these are present results from past causes and conditions. Now, we already know that, with the present guidance of Bodhisattvas, she is no longer confused by her circumstances. She is no longer confused, so she can understand. Shortly thereafter, the older son, who weighed over 200 kg, passed away. [Now], with the right mindset, [she took this opportunity] to help others. Thus, she “remained undeluded by and unattached to [her] present circumstances”. Without these benefactors to guide her, how would she have dealt with her son’s passing? She would not have known how to handle it. [But with the guidance of] these benefactors, she was more easily able to understand and [take the opportunity] to do a good deed by donating [her son’s body to research] in order to benefit others in the future.
By allowing [doctors] to perform and autopsy and understand the illness in the present, [she helped to] create blessings in the future. Because of this, people in the future will be able to more fully understand [this illness] and care for patients who are suffering from it. This is how we can “fully comprehend infinite meanings and principles”. There are many of us who have experienced similar situations, in the past, we did not understand things and felt lost among people, matters and things, not to mention being confused about the principles. Now that we understand, we can “fully comprehend infinite meanings and principles”. Having discussed the Lotus Sutra for so long, we have heard so many [stories] about people, matters and things that [help us] to understand much better now than we did before we listened [to the Sutra]. Now, no matter what circumstances we face, we can “transform consciousness into wisdom”. How can we transform it? How can we transform “all-accomplishing wisdom” into “profound discerning wisdom”? How can we enter [the state of] “great perfect mirror wisdom”, where our minds are like a mirror? We must “transform our consciousness into wisdom”.
Once we see external conditions, we must transform our consciousness into wisdom to understand them. For instance, [in 2019, Cyclone Idai] devastated eastern Africa, [people there are] truly suffering! In the past, I always felt that there is much suffering in Africa that requires our help, but our causes and conditions had not yet matured. This time, when [Cyclone Idai] devastated three African countries, we truly wanted to help them and we had the causes and conditions to go there. Once we saw [the situation], we could pick the most appropriate country to help. Then, we began to appeal to people and continuously inspired people’s love. We often talk about “soliciting love”. We used this opportunity to solicit love, and [people] in 55 countries and regions already have donated various amounts, bit by bit. They are willing to give every drop of their efforts to Africa. With this “pure mind-root”, we were unaffected by [dissenting] voices and by the few people who [wished to gossip]. We did not mind them; we still inspired love and goodness in many people who were willing to join [our efforts]. In this way, they supported the very meaningful [efforts we made to this end]. This is “transforming consciousness into wisdom”. With what ordinary people call knowledge, [they say], “I know there is a lot of suffering. I know, I know. However, the conditions are too serious, so we cannot make an impact; there is no need [for us to go]”. This is what ordinary people [call] knowledge. However, by transforming knowledge into wisdom, we know that everyone has some love [to give]. These causes and conditions can inspire love, and with [the love in] everyone’s hearts, this can [create] the karmic conditions [to help]. This is a great opportunity, so we are not going against causes and conditions; we are helping to benefit those who are suffering. This is what Bodhisattvas do.
Indeed, orienting ourselves toward goodness is the Bodhisattva-path that the Buddha taught us. We must all be mindful and use pure mind-root to dedicate ourselves to going among people in a meaningful way.
The previous passage says, “Furthermore, Constant Diligence… [which is a reminder that] we must be diligent in doing good deeds. So, in this passage, as the initiator, the Buddha says, “Furthermore, Constant Diligent, 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”.
Indeed, when it comes to these teachings, now that the Buddha has entered Parinirvana, we must follow these principles and continuously pass down, accept and uphold the Buddha’s teachings. We must transmit the principles ever more broadly, so we must continuously read and recite [the sutra]. Only then can we understand them. We must read, recite and listen to it, and once we understand it, we must then continuously transmit it. By passing down this sutra in this way, we will attain 1200 merits of the mind. With our mind-root, [we must proceed] in the direction of goodness. We must continuously spread the Dharma, the principles of love, to inspire love in everyone [so that] [we can work] to relieve the suffering of others. This is what we must diligently [practice].
The following passage says, “With their pure mind-root when they hear even just a single verse or phrase, they will fully comprehend infinite, boundless meanings. Having understood these meanings, they will be ab le to expound that single phrase or verse for as long as month, four months or even a year.
Thus, the passage says, “with their pure mind-root…”. When our mind-root is free of afflictions, completely purified and completely free of ordinary being’s knowledge, then, [with] t he wisdom of Bodhisattva, all of our thoughts and perspectives will be pure. [We practice] t he Six Paramitas, with our pure mind-root, we actualize the Six paramitas in all actions and do not have any discursive thoughts. This is because we “brush away the dust from the fleshly union of the four element that is our body-root”.
With their pure mind-root: The brush away the dust from the fleshly union of the four elements that is their body-root and practice the teachings of the right path to attain the pure, transcendent sense organs.
When it comes to our bodies, if we go about our lives as ordinary beings, then we have a “physical body”. With this body that our parents gave us at birth, we think like ordinary beings and create layers of karma and afflictions due to our unenlightened minds. [This], we have both the bodies and minds of ordinary beings. Now, in order to purify our mind-root, we must brush away the dust [of ignorance]. This “dust” [is like] dust particles. [Although] our mind is [inherently] pure, it is simply covered by layer after layer of this “dust” from our external [environment].
Now, we understand that we must put forth effort to [practice] the Buddha-Dharma in order to eliminate these layers upon layers of the “dust” of our ignorance and afflictions, wiping them away to purify [our minds]. This is like how [our bodies] are a “fleshly union of the four elements”. The four elements are earth, water, fire and wind, and our body is a union of four elements. When we are overheating, when [our body] is hot and has a fever, this is an imbalance of the fire element. “Why is this body so cold and stiff?” This happens when a person has passed away. Whether cold or hot, it is the same; if there is a [serious] imbalance, we cannot keep on living. For us to be able to breathe, the wind element must be in balance.
We mentioned this in our discussion of the nose. For us to breathe smoothly, we inhale fresh oxygen and exhale turbid air. [Breathing normally] means our body is healthy. This is when the wind element is in balance. If we have trouble breathing, then there is an imbalance of the wind element.
There can also be imbalances of the water element. [An example of] an imbalance of the water element is when our body has trouble with waste excretion. Then, our body will become ill. [Another example] is when we get a blood clot, which may lead to a stroke and so on. When there are no moving liquids in our body, there is an “imbalance water element”. When the water element is not balanced, [our health] becomes imbalanced. For our body [to function normally], we need “water” for it to be in balance.
When it comes to our bodies, some people gain wright [uncontrollably]; this is the imbalance of the earth element. There is a medical condition called “sarcopenia,” which is the continual loss muscle mass; this is a type of disease, which is another example of an imbalance of the earth element. Our bodies are [surrounded by] “dust particles;” living as unenlightened beings in this world causes the four elements in our bodies to become imbalanced in their union. This fleshly body [can] create both good and evil deeds. We can make use of this body, clean it up and [practice] the teachings of the right path. We must quickly learn the Dharma and understand the various principles within [it]. Then, we can follow this Bodhisattva-path and attain pure, transcendent sense organs.
When it comes to “transcendent sense organs, they function [according to the principles]. Their every movement [accords with] extraordinary principles and inspires the actions of our bodies and minds. This is the result of all good karmic conditions.
The sutra passage says, “When they hear even just a single verse or phrase, they will fully comprehend infinite, boundless meanings”.
When they hear even just a single verse or phrase, they will fully comprehend infinite boundless meaning: The Buddha-Dharma is so profoundly subtle and wondrous that just a single phrase contains so many meanings. To understand a verse or phrase well, we must turn it over in our mind. Until we fully comprehend it. Then, we will grasp infinite, boundles meaning.
If we fully comprehend the principles within the Dharma of this sutra, even just a single verse or phrase [has meaning]. Take the Lotus Sutra for example; after reading an entire section of long-form prose, we might forget [parts of it]. So, it is repeated for us in the verse section. A single phrase or verse can trigger our memory. “Oh, I understand!” With a section of the [long-form] prose, the verse helps reinforce our memory. So that we thoroughly understand the infinite, boundless meanings and principles. The Buddha-Dharma is profoundly subtle and wondrous; just a single phrase contains so many meanings. Contained within one short phrase are many, many principles. “To understand a verse or phrase well, we must turn it over on our mind”.
With the long-form prose, we must read mindfully. With the verses, we remember things again and earnestly [commit the teachings] to memory; this is so that is so that we can keep the Dharma in our hearts and not forget it. We must turn it over in our minds. Our mind-root is like the Dharma-wheel. After fully comprehending the teachings ourselves, we must turn it over to others. When we fully comprehend without obstructions, “then, we will grasp infinite, boundless meanings”.
Having understood these meanings, they will be able to expound that single phrase or verse…: Having understood it themselves, they will be able to expound the meanings of that single phrase or verse to other people.
The sutra passage goes on to say, “Having understood these meanings, they will be able to expound [the meanings of] “that single phrase or verse…”. In the long-form prose section, we already understand [these teachings]. Once we understand them, [the Buddha says], “There is no rush; once again, I will restate what I said in the verse section”. When the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, for every section He taught in long-form prose, He restated it again in verse. [He repeated] every phrase and every verse so that we could clearly understand [them all]. “Having understood it ourselves, once we have understood it, we will be able to expound the meanings of that single phrase or verse to other people, using the short passages and verses. If we share the long-form prose with others, it may be too long, so we can instead choose to [share] a line of verse from [this section of] the sutra, [were explained in] the long-form prose section. It is easier for us to remember and teach the Dharma in sequence. This is how the Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way. In the Lotus Sutra, He specifically [restated His meaning] in verse following the long-form prose to enable us to pass down the teachings more easily.
…for as long as a month, four months or even a year: For as long as a second, a minute, an hour, a day or even a month. One year consists of four seasons. Thus, one year consists of 12 months“.
…for as long as a month, four months or even a year”. [To understand] these teachings, we must take time to earnestly and mindfully read them. We must continuously and repeatedly read them. Whether for a month, four months, a year, we must [read] every second, every minute, every quarter of an hour, every hour, every day, every month and every year. We must do it for 12 months a year, regardless of the season. For us, the four seasons are spring, summer, fall and winter.
To the west, in India, [a year] consists of three seasons, “the rainy season, hot season and cold season” [There, a year is not] divided into four seasons.
When we [consider] whether there are three or four seasons in a year, when we make use of our time to read and recite earnestly, we will naturally attain many realizations.
When they expound a single phrase or verse for as long as a year, their one nature of True Suchness encompasses and retains all Dharma, and they give suitable teachings at the appropriate times. How can all these meanings be explained in just a single season or a single year? A single grain of dust, when analyzed, contains both past and present Dharma capable of describing everything in the trichiliocosm. If we tried to expound the meanings of a single word, even if we went through an entire ocean of ink, we would fail to exhaust them fully within this time.
“When they expound a single phrase or verse for as long as a year, their one nature of True Suchness encompasses and retains all Dharma”. We read, recite and teach [the meanings], continuously and repeatedly. As we teach it, we are strengthening our awakened nature. Our nature of True Suchness is our awakened nature which encompasses all Dharma. The more we teach the Dharma, the more we increase [our understanding] of it, and thus, we can take in [all Dharma]. In the beginning, we can explain a short phrase with the principles we understand and share them with others this way. However, as we continue to explain, [we may say], “Within this same phrase,” “there is further meaning within”. As we previously discussed, [we must] “retain all teachings, uphold all goodness”. The phrases in the sutra encompass all teachings, and if we can uphold the sutra, then we can apply these teachings in our [spiritual] practice. Thus, we say the Buddha-Dharma is unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. We must “give suitable teachings at the appropriate times”. No matter how we teach it, the Dharma is true; we can make use of it in whatever way. “How can all these meanings be explained in just a single season or a single year?” These meanings cannot be explained in a month or a year. We cannot finish explaining a single phrase. Even when we analyze a single grain of dust, each particle contains the Dharma past and present. No matter how detailed we analyze the principles, there are still more that we can analyze; no matter how [much] we analyze them, there are still even more subtle principles within that we can analyze. The “past and present Dharma” is capable of describing many things in the trichiliocosm. If we analyze a single grain of dust, it can describe all matters in the trichiliocosm. “If we tried to expound the meanings of a single word, even if we went through an entire ocean of ink, we would fail to exhaust them fully within this time”. We actually have many things to explain. Even for a single word, we could use an entire ocean of ink, and [it would not be enough to] write out our understanding of this word and the meanings it contains. If we were to write them out, even if we went through an entire ocean of ink, [we would fail to exhaust them]. Everyone, this is a very subtle, wondrous and remarkable [task]. If we are diligent, we can accomplish many things. With the correct mindset, we can serve all people in the world by doing infinite, boundless good deeds; this is [all determined by] the mind. We cannot see it, but once we give rise to this mindset, we can serve the world in endless ways. In the same way, when I ask you all to apply the Dharma, it is because it contains inexhaustible teachings and very profound principles. Everyone, we must always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
首頁 
