Lecturer: Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Purify the Mind, Uphold Dharma (淨心奉法)
We often talk about harmony of the Four Elements. In this world, everything we see, everything we use, starts as a seed. Similarly, the matters we deal with also must have their causes.
For people and matters, the “seed” is the cause. Everything arises as part of cause and effect. We cannot ignore this fact. We need water, but just the right amount. We need sunlight, in the appropriate quantities. We need wind, also in just the right amount. Everything has to be just right. This harmony of the Four Elements results in a rich and fulfilling life. The same applies to people and matters.
To learn Buddhism, we need spiritual harmony of the Four Elements. Besides our mind’s intrinsic nature, we need external helpful conditions like the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Without the Buddha-Dharma, you and I would not be sitting here. This started over 2,000 years ago when the Buddha had the thought that He could not bear to let sentient beings suffer. For the sake of sentient beings, He investigated the wondrous mysteries of life. Thus he engaged in spiritual practice. His practice was very arduous.
Some said He practiced for six years, others said eleven. This 11 includes 5 years of traveling to learn from elders, and six years of ascetic practice. This was because He wanted to understand things. Though many religious teachers came to the palace, He wanted to see what their practice was like for Himself.
India is very big. Traveling on His own two legs, He [visited] 96 different Brahmin groups to understand their practice.
Some people practiced in fire, some in water, some practiced in garbage and only ate unclean things. Some were nude and so on; all sorts of strange practices. The Buddha had to travel to so many places to see for Himself and experience the different forms and styles of religions. I believe this happened when He was 19. At that time, Indians matured very young so He married at 19. He left right when Yasodhara became pregnant. So, He probably became a monk at 19, attained Buddhahood at 31 and entered Parinirvana at 80.
He expounded Dharma for 49 years, but we have to look at the 11 years before that. Think about it, for those 49 years and the 11 before that, He devoted so much time to this, working for Buddhism, for sentient beings. He wanted to establish principles that could be easily explained. So, He resolutely abandoned palace life. He used His body to experience the life of those who suffered. Wherever He went, He spent time among the people to understand them. It was arduous.
So, we must have heartfelt respect for the Buddha. Without the journey He undertook, we would have no Dharma to listen to. So, let us be reverent when we see Sutras and images of the Buddha. Didn’t we discuss this before?
Yes. When we see images of the Buddha, we have to reverently pay our respect. When we see Sutras, we have to treat them as the Buddha’s Dharma-body. So, let us always feel reverence toward. Sutras and images of the Buddha. Reverence is expressed in our appearance. So, maintain a respectful appearance. Otherwise, how else can we show our reverence? We have to express it with our body. With sincere bows and prayers, we demonstrate our reverence.
Therefore, “with reverence and a respectful appearance, we respect the Buddha’s image, and uphold Dharma with pure minds.”
Everyone can understand this. Let us respectfully uphold Dharma with pure minds. If we receive a Sutra, we hold it up high. When we place it on a table, we line it up with the edge. This demonstrates our respect. Do not place it haphazardly or half-on, half-off the table. That is disrespectful. We have to be careful and respectful. That is a true expression of our reverence.
Next, the repentance text continues, “From Beginningless Time until today, we may have held Sutras, which are Dharma, with unclean hands. We may have used vulgar language around them, placed them on the nightstand or were disrespectful when sitting or rising or put them in a box to rot or be eaten by bugs.”
These passages should be very clear. We have to know how we have treated. Sutras and images since Beginningless Time. Sutras are Dharma. Do we respect the Dharma? Perhaps we did not know to respect it in the past. Perhaps we held Sutras with disrespect or unclean hands.
Since Sutras are the Buddha’s Dharma-body why would we touch them with unclean hands? If our bodies, minds or hands are unclean, we should not touch Sutras. This is demonstrating our respect.
We cannot put Sutras in inappropriate places either.
In addition, if we are near a place where Sutras are kept, we cannot speak crude or offensive words. That is also wrong. Seeing the Dharma is like seeing the Buddha. Some people open the Sutras and do not chant sincerely or respectfully. Instead, they speak very offensive or crude words. This shows disrespect.
Some people casually toss Sutras anywhere. Some put them on their nightstand, and are disrespectful while sitting down or getting up. They read Sutras while lying down. That is no right.
Or they do not sit properly. They slouch and begin reading. That is also not right. Or, when they are in the place where the Sutras are stored, their appearance is inappropriate. That is wrong too. Some even put them in a box. In the past, Sutras were placed in wooden chests. If we put them away and do not read them, we have to put bug repellant in there. In the past, people used alum to keep borer bugs away with its scent. So we must put them away carefully. Not only that, we have to take them out often and clean them. Do not let them be eaten by bugs, or rot. That is disrespectful.
So in the Sutras, it is written, “All Buddhas and their perfect and universal enlightenment come from this Sutra.”
“This Sutra” here refers to all classics. All classics can teach us, not just the Sutras. There were many wise sages in China, like Lao-Tzu, Chung-Tzu, Confucius, Mencius and so on Reading poetry and classics is beneficial; they can inspire our wisdom and elevate our knowledge. They are good sources of wisdom, so we should respect them. All Buddhas’ perfect and universal enlightenment refers to the Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi of all past Buddhas. This is supreme perfect and universal enlightenmen. It comes from all Sutras.
If we want to understand and develop our wisdom, we have to be respectful to the Sutras left by all Buddhas.
Everyone assumes Sakyamuni Buddha was the source of the Sutras. Actually, in His past lives, there were other ancient Buddhas. There was a time when He and Devadatta engaged in spiritual practice together. Maitreya Bodhisattva [the future Buddha] also began His practice under this Buddha. Buddhas have existed since beginningless Time, so there are thousands, tens of thousands of
Buddhas described in the Sutras. At the beginning of each year, we prostrate to 1,000 or even 10,000 Buddhas. All Buddhas have existed since Beginningless Time. Sutras contain the fundamental truth. But ordinary people have become lost. The space we live in, the relationships between people, and the entire universe, already contain this truth. But ordinary people do not understand. Wise people know to Investigate, to experience, so they can advance to the next level, to understand the truth of all things.
The times are always changing, so we always need the Buddha in this world. We should not think that 2,500 years is a very long time.
How much time has already passed? in the Human Realm, everyone thinks 2,500 years is a long times. A single day in the Four Heavens of the Four Deva–kings is 50 years for us. One day in Trayastrimsas Heaven. Is 100 years in our world 25 days in Trayastrimsas Heaven would be Over 2,500 years for us.
In the Heaven above that, one day is 500 years in our world. Is this superstition? NO.
Look at the universe and the orbit of planets in the solar system. The rotations of the planets which constitute their “day,”are all different from Earth. So over 2,000years in the Human Realm is an instant or a very short time of the Buddha.
So, when the Buddha manifested in the Human Realm, His lifetime was 80 years long. His time here was actually very short. He could stretch one day into one kalpa, or compress the time of one kalpa into a day. This is the nature of the Buddha’s spiritual world.
Kalpa, Kalpa is a Sanskrit word. It is the biggest unit of time.
It is written in the Lotus Sutra that time in the Buddha’s spiritual world can big very time, and can also be very short. So I often say, “Seize the moment; maintain your resolve forever.” So, when thoughts arise, we want to maintain the most virtuous thought. This thought arises in an instant. We need to stretch that moment into eternity. So, we must follow the Buddha’s teachings. If we deeply understand them we will not be too attached to time. However, we will still cherish time. If we have access to the Sutras, we have the “mother” of all Buddhas. Every Sutra produces enlightenment in us so they are the mothers of all Buddhas, and the Dharma-body of all Buddhas. Therefore, we should treat Sutras like the Buddha. Do not handle Sutras or images of the Buddha with unclean hands or disrespect.
So in summary, please be mindful.
Treat images of the Buddha and Sutras like the Buddha’s Dharma-body. Respect them as if the Buddha were present. So, let us always be mindful.
Be reverent and respectful in appearance, and treat the Buddha’s image with courtesy. With pure minds we uphold Dharma. So, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
