Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Faith, Vows, and Practice (信願行)
For the last couple of days I have said that good Dharma always surrounds us. We listen to it every day. The Dharma is truly always around us, but our faith has not been firmly established.
I often say that faith is the source of the Way, mother of virtues. It nurtures all roots of goodness. Without faith, how can we foster roots of goodness? We must establish our faith and make vows. In addition to faith, the power of our vows is also important. After believing in the right thing, we must also make a vow. But making vows is still not enough, we must put them into practice.
So I often say, “Keep the Buddha in your mind, the Dharma in your actions, and remain in a state of meditation.” Similarly, if we establish faith, vows and practice, then we are cultivating virtues. If we do not stray from the path, we can remain unwavering, and are already cultivating virtues.
Before we establish faith, vows and practice, it is important that we choose to go in the direction of goodness. If we choose correctly and establish our faith, vows, practice and virtues, then we know our choice was not wrong. When we do not choose incorrectly, we can truly work hard to return to our nature and take good care of our minds. We must make sure our thinking does not stray. If we follow the principles and monitor our thinking, then we are doing the right thing.
How do we sense the direction of our thinking? By whether or not we are grateful for every thing and every person, at all times. We examine ourselves to see if we live in a constant state of gratitude. If we can be grateful in our daily living and always give to others with this mentality, then we can always be happy, peaceful and at ease. This happiness is Dharma-joy.
If we can always be grateful and have the happiness that comes from giving, then we have self-love. We must love and respect ourselves because we have the same virtuous nature as the Buddha. Since we have the same virtuous nature and wisdom as the Buddha, how can we not love ourselves? So we must love and respect ourselves. If we respect ourselves and fulfill our duties, we will live the most free and peaceful life.
Spiritual cultivation is actually simple. But if we do not establish these things, we will not change. No matter how many things we hear, we still remain filled with afflictions. So the next passage tells us that afflictions are obstructing us.
We have obstacles to learning the Tenfold Clarity and the Ten Practices, and to learning the Ten Dedications of Merit, Ten Vows.
I have actually mentioned these terms before. But the Tenfold Clarity I speak of is actually the Ten Faiths. If our mind is moot open and clear, then we cannot establish faith. We must sweep away ignorance and afflictions, and establish the right faith. The Tenfold Clarity is the Ten stages of Faith. I have told you about the 52 Stages to Buddhahood. The first ten stages are the stages of Faith. Faith can help us be “aware of the arising and ceasing of our thoughts.” Having firm faith means that the arising and ceasing of our thoughts is unaffected by external factors. Everyone should remember the Ten Faiths. They are the practices of Faith, Mindfulness, Diligence, Wisdom, Samadhi, No-retreat, Dharma-protection, Dedication of Merit, Precept, and Vow. We have spoken of the 52 Stages to Buddhahood. We start with the Ten Stages of Faith, then the Ten Abiding Conducts, the Ten Actions, the Ten Dedications, the Ten Grounds, etc. Together they are the 52 Stages. I have already discussed them.
Bodhisattvas progress from humans to Buddhas by passing through the 52 Stages, which are the Ten Faiths, Ten Abiding conducts, Ten Actions, Ten Dedications, Ten Grounds, and Equal and Wondrous Enlightenment.
After the Ten Grounds, we must have the Ten Vows. Vows are powerful. If we do not have them, we will continue to have ignorance. I often ask, “What is spiritual cultivation?” It is working with habits. We must foster our positive habitual tendencies. But bad habits often appear, so we must have then strength to control them. We must restrain those bad habits for they are a form of ignorance. So, we must make great vows. Yesterday I also discussed the Four Impartialities and the Four Great Vows.
“I vow to deliver infinite sentient beings.”
“I vow to eliminate the endless afflictions.”
There are Four Great Vows. These kinds of great vows are needed for us to be firm and control our bad habits. This is Vajra-resolve. We must be as strong and firm as a Vajra. We must have a steadfast vow. Otherwise, we cannot eliminate afflictions.
So resolve is very important. Without vows we have no strength. I also often say, “If we maintain our initial vow, we will certainly attain Buddhahood.” If we maintain our initial enthusiasm and resolve, then becoming a Buddha would not be difficult. Every day we watch “Grassroots Bodhi.” We watch these old Bodhisattvas, these recycling volunteers. Look at their environment and bodies. Do they have the most ideal circumstances for doing recycling? Some of them are in poor health. Some have very challenging family circumstances. Others are hindered by those around them. But they are strong in their will, their resolve.
If you ask them, “How do you stay strong?” they reply, “We listen to Master Cheng Yen. Since we have faith, we must put the teachings into practice. And to do so, we must make a vow. Where there is will, there is a way. Since the Master said it, we believe it. If we have a vow, we can overcome any difficulty.” We often hear these words from our recycling volunteers. Whether they are old, young, or ill, etc., we watch them establish faith, practice, and vows. They are very admirable. They are also cultivating virtues. So in summary, making a vow is not difficult.
If we have this will, this strength, then there are no difficulties. If we have the will and strength, we can eliminate many obstacles. With determination, nothing in this world is difficult.
Next, the text says, “We have obstacles to learning the First, Second, Third and Fourth Grounds.” The First, Second, Third and Fourth Grounds are the first four in the Practice of the Ten Grounds. We must eliminate afflictions to reach the Ten Grounds. Besides the first four, there are six other Grounds after that. They are broken up into different levels. “We have obstacles to learning the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Grounds and all views.” These afflictions obstruct our practice of the Ten Grounds. These afflictions not only obstruct the Seven Grounds, they are “obstacles to learning the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Grounds.”
These afflictions are obstacles to reaching, the Ten Grounds. Do you remember the Ten Grounds? The Ten Grounds are the Stage of Joy, the Stage of Defilement-free, the Stage of Radiance, the Stage of Blazing Wisdom, the Stage of Utmost Difficulties, the Stage of Manifestation, the Stage of Far reaching, the Stage of Stillness, the Stage of Excellent Wisdom, the Stage of Dharma-Cloud. There are Ten Grounds in total.
If we reach each of these Ten Grounds, we come very close to the Buddha-land. Sadly, we are easily shaken by afflictions. When that happens, it destroys the Grounds we have accumulated, just like the earth is destroyed by an earthquake. Rebuilding is very difficult. So we must take good care of our minds, like we take care of the land. If we do not take care of the small universe of our minds, it will affect the land of the greater universe.
So if all of find it difficult to take care of only our own minds, how can we take care of the greater universe? Is it truly that difficult? As I just said, it is not difficult. If we can love ourselves and be grateful every day, then aren’t we establishing faith, vows and practice in our daily living? If we establish those things, we are cultivating virtues.
Everyone, let me say this in simple terms. If we love ourselves, if we are grateful at all times, to everyone, for everything, then we can live in harmony and naturally, the world will be safe and free of disasters.
In conclusion, if we want the Earth to be free of disasters, we must start with each person. If we all reach this level, how hard can it be? It will be easy for everyone. But some people refuse to come together to establish faith, vows, practice and virtues. That is where difficulties come from. Buddha-Dharma is this simple, but some people cannot come together. That is why we need so much Dharma, so many skillful means and different terms to explain things. Actually, it is really easy. Attaining Buddhahood is not difficult.
So next it says that because we have afflictions, “we have obstacles to attaining Buddhahood.” What is hindering us? “a million Asanhkyas of afflictions.” Attaining Buddhahood is very easy. The palm and the back of the hand are simply two sides of the same thing. They are both part of the hand, but one is the palm and the other is the back. People say they want to be someone whose palm faces down. What does it mean to have palms facing down? When our palms face down, we can do many things, we can help others. If we palms face upwards, then we are always making requests of others.
Do we want to be someone who is being helped? No. We have all vowed to be someone who helps others. We can help others by pushing them forward a little. If someone pushes us from behind like this, we can easily climb even the highest mountains. We can advance step by step. We do not push with the back of our hands, because there is no strength that way.
So learning Buddhism and attaining Buddhahood is this easy. So how many obstacles are there that hinder our practice of the Dharma? They are as countless as a million Asankhya. Everything is hindered be afflictions. So when we learn Buddhism, we are hindered by so many afflictions. The Buddha came up with as many means for us as there are afflictions that hinder us.
“Our obstacles to practice are limitless and boundless.” So it is very difficult to name them all. When we learn Buddhism, we must truly establish faith, vows, practice and virtues. It is really very simple, as long as we foster self-respect and gratitude in our daily living. Respecting ourselves is our responsibility. Gratitude means we give with a joyous and free mind. If we can do so, all the words and terms of the Dharma in the world cannot match the love and gratitude in our minds. If we can be like this, what afflictions are left in our minds? So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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