Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Realization of the Lotus Sutra Leads to Pure Bodhi (會道法華淨菩提)
Date: May. 01, 2013
“Completely eliminate all afflictions, all Leaks. Then the mind will be right and pure and you will attain a great field of blessings for the heaven and human realms. This enables the mind to encounter the Way, so your thoughts will be pure and clear.”
This is also saying that, as we have mentioned, a great bhiksu is an evil-ender, demon-scarer, and almsman. An evil-ender eliminates all unwholesome habits. A demon-scarer overcomes the state of demons. An almsman adjusts his mind and makes connections with sentient beings. [To be great bhiksus,] we must end all afflictions. When afflictions and ignorance are eliminated, our minds will be in a state of clarity and purity. When the mind can be bright and pure, it is worthy to be called a field of blessings for the human and heaven realms. When we learn and practice Buddhsim, we are cultivating this great field of blessings. We often talk about the blessed field Sangha. Monastic practice is the work of a great person. Monastic practitioners eliminate afflictions by working hard at cultivating the field of the mind. If the field of the mind is cultivated well, once seeds are sown, from each one can spring an infinite number. Infinity arises from one. Good Dharma and the Buddha’s teachings are all found when one pure thought gives rise to infinite teachings that can transform sentient beings. Therefore, this is the field of blessings for the heaven and human realms. Next, “This enables the mind to encounter the Way.” Our minds need to encounter the Way. As we learn Buddhism, aren’t we supposed to walk the Buddha’s Way? If the way we walk takes us far away from this path, then our minds cannot be pure and we cannot encounter the Way. The mind cannot encounter the Way because it is covered by afflictions. Then “this enables the mind to encounter the Way, so the thoughts will be pure and clear.” Then naturally our thoughts will be very pure. We Buddhist practitioners must attain this state. Earlier we said,
“Such I have heard. At one time, the Buddha dwelt on Vulture Peal, together with the assembly of great bhiksus, 12,000 in all.”
“Such” confirms authenticity. Next, “I have heard” means that it was heard from the Buddha, at one time, at such-and-such place. It was heard by a group of great bhiksus who were very accomplished in spiritual practice. Their virtue was great, many and superior. How many people were there? 12,000 in all. Everyone, in the Buddha’s latter years, at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, there were 12,000 people. These many people can verify the wondrous Dharma that the Buddha expounded at that time. This is how its authenticity was proved. [With such proof,] we can have trust; they verified the compiled wondrous Dharma.
Confirming authenticity-All the wondrous Dharma compiled here was heard at the same time by people of great virtue. This proves that this wondrous Dharma is true and trustworthy.
This is why in the beginning we talked about 12,000 great bhiksus.This is very fundamental because the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra for eight years.At His side, from beginning to end, this many people heard His Dharma at that place 12,000 great bhiksus came at the same time, proving that this wondrous Dharma is the truth, and that we can trust it.Three were so many people who stayed with the Buddha to listen to His teachings.So when Ananda compiled the sutras, [he said], “everyone should trust these”.“At that time you were listening and I was listening.”“So many people were listening.”Therefore this is trustworthy; its authenticity has been proven.They can prove that this sutra is the wondrous Dharma the Buddha taught because 12,000 in all were assembled at that place.
Next is “All were Arhats who had eliminated all Leaks and had no further afflicitons.Having attained benefits for themselves, they severed all bonds of existence.Their minds have attained a state of freedom.”
This is the state of Arhats.They have realized the fruit of Arhat.At what stage can one realize the fruit of Arhat?When one has eliminated all Leaks, one has become an Arhat.
The meaning of Arhats is three-fold.
First is one who destroy thieves.
Second is one who is not to be reborn.
Thrid is one who is worthy of offerings.
To destroy thieves means to destroy the 98 Tempters, afflictions that act like thieves.
To destroy the 98 Tempters is to destroy 98 kinds of afflictions.This is very subtle.So I tell you every day that we should take good care of our minds.Do not let external afflictions pollute your minds.So, we need to always take good care of our minds.This is why I always say, “Be mindful!”
If we are not mindful, afflictions will easily return.
When we destroy thieves, we must get rid of afflictions and defilements.When our minds can attain true purity, then the Dharma can be taken to heart.If our minds are not pure, when the Dharma enters, it will quickly be expelled by afflictions.So we must eradicate afflictions from our minds, then Dharma can enter and abide in our hearts.So, we must all remember to destroy thieves with our thoughts.
There is a saying in Zen Buddhism, “Kill a demon.”“See a demon, kill a demon; see a Buddha, kill a Buddha.”The first part means that, sometimes when our minds are very afflicted, we find many things displeasing.We call that “seeing demons”.When things make us very happy, when we find them pleasing, we call that “seeing Buddhas”.Whether something is pleasing or not, we must immediately eradicate it from our minds.This prevents our minds from being defiled by external conditions.We cannot have attachments.Without attachments, there will be no defilements.
Then our minds can be pure.This is called thief-destroyer.
Next is “not to be reborn,” which is to shed defilements of views and thingking.When all delusions of views and thinking are eliminated, we will no longer be entangled by life, death or karmic retribution.
Not to be reborn means after the defilements of views and thinking are shed, one is no longer entangled by life, death or karmic retribution.
Because of ignorance, most of us are transmigarting in the Six Realms, in an endless cycle of life and death with no way out.Therefore, we must train our minds so we can come and go freely. We learn about living and dying from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return to this Saha World to transform all living beings; they sail back on the ship of compassion. But we ordinary people are led by karmic forces [to face] karmic retributions. We cannot take anything with us, except for karma, as we come and go. Ordinary people cannot transcend karmic retributions because of entanglements of ignorance. So we face retributions life after life and are entangled by them. Do you remember? Not long ago I mentioned that everyone innately possesses Tathagata-nature, the intrinsic nature of the Buddha. So we must eliminate all afflictions. We must resolve not to be reborn and to have nothing arise or cease in our minds. Because we originally had a pure Buddha-nature, since we already possessed it, how could we let it disappear?
So, intrinsically we have a pure Buddha-nature, but it has been defiled by ignorance. Therefore, we must allow this pure Buddha-nature to surface so we can come and go freely. Then we will no longer be entangled by afflictions.
Next is “worthy of offerings, which means one had attained both the virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending afflictions. We must have both. Once both virtues are complete, one can be called a flied of blessings for the heaven and human realms.
One who is worthy of offerings has attained both virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending afflictions and deserves to be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.
Previously, we discussed evil-ender demon-scarer, and almsman. Actually, what we are discussing now, one who destroys thieves, is not to be reborn, is worthy of offerings, mean the same thing. All of them mean we must eliminate afflictions and quell the demon armies, so that we can come and go freely. If we can do this, we will attain both virtues, which are the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of ending all afflictions.
Becoming a bhiksu is the seed, and then Arhatship is the fruit. Bhiksus made the aspiration to leave their homes; they shaved their heads and put on monastic robes. But have they cultivated virtues? Not yet. They already have the appearance of bhiksus. Pertaining to what was previously mentioned, have they already ended evil, have they already scared demons, have they already begged for alms? As an almsman, [in the Buddha’s era] bhiksus had to beg for alms. Were their minds trained? Not necessarily. To be an Arhat, one must be complete in all of this. [Becoming an Arhat] is the fruit. When one has attained virtue of wisdom and ending, when all is complete, one deserves to be called a field of blessings for the heaven and human realms.
Only when we are replete in virtues can we accept offerings from people. The offerings are of wealth, of reverence and of the conduct. Previously, I talked to you about offerings. Offerings of wealth include material goods, clothing, food, housing and transportation. When lay practitioners make material offerings to monastics, it is called offerings of wealth. Offerings of reverence are to pay respect and prostrate to monastics. Offerings of conduct comes after [relate to the teachings]. They give us offerings of wealth and reverence, but do we give them the Dharma? If we give them the Dharma and they practice accordingly, that is their offering of conduct.
As I have mentioned, offerings of are not necessary. “Reverence” is customary. But if we are not virtuous yet allow others to make offerings to us, that is meaningless. Are we worthy of reverence? As we practice, we should know that if we have no virtue yet we receive people’s offerings, that is very wrong. If we are lacking in virtue yet still tell people to respect us, that is also wrong. But we still hope for offerings of conduct. Consider our organization, Tzu Chi. Commissioners and Faith Corps Bodhisattvas contribute both their efforts and money, even their wholehearted devotion. They change in mindset and behavior. They are different from before they encountered the Buddha-Dharma and Tzu Chi. After coming in contact [with Tzu Chi], they abide by [Tzu Chi] Ten Precepts. They need to go through an apprenticeship, intership, and then a certification. They gradually, continuously change their old habitual tendencies, even up until the present. Now with body and mind, they make offering of harmony reverence an conduct. As we can see, these are the offerings contributed by lay practitioners.This is very precious.
Consider the many people who make offerings of conduct with kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity. Typhoon Morakot was a major catastrophe in Taiwan. All Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan mobilized to help. They contributed not just their efforts and money, they provided long-term support because they could not beer to leave suffering beings.Aren’t they Living Bodhisattvas?
This did not just happen in Taiwan. Wherever there were Tzu Chi volunteers, even if they lived in very poor countries, they did their best to help others. Even if an office had only a few Commissioners, they still went out and held donation boxes to conduct street fundraising.
Everyone, this is offering of conduct, to give without asking anything in return. Both lay and monastic practitioners should pass down our Dharma-lineage and open up our Dharma-door.
During this process, we need to “destroy thieves”, which is to eliminate afflictions. “Not to be reborn” means we are not confused because we have quelled the demon armies so no afflictions will enter our minds. Then we start to be “worthy of offerings, and can accept what people offer with their efforts and their love.”We need to have this kind of wisdom to lead. We need to have this kind of discernment so that when we are doing something wrong, we will stop doing it right away. If we keep doing it, that is foolishness. When we proceed with what we must do, that is called wisdom.
Thus, we can deserve being called the field of blessings of the heaven and human realms. As fields of blessings, we can give rise to the Dharma. Then that Dharma can become a seed. “One gives rise to infinity, infinity arises from one.” If we can do this, we can truly be one who “destroys thieves, is not to be reborn and is worthy of offerings.”
Thus, to beg for alms is to benefit all beings. We are begging for teachings because we want to benefit sentient beings.
As for the two virtues, understanding the Ultimate Truth is virtue of wisdom and eliminating all afflictions is virtue of ending.
This is synonymous with Bodhi and Nirvana.
So, the virtue of wisdom and virtue of ending are Bodhi. Bodhi is enlightenment. Nirvana is without arising or ceasing. When our minds can reach the state of no arising and ceasing, we will be great Arhats.
Everyone, bhikshus and Arhats both started by eliminating all afflictions from their minds. We must nurture our will to practice and engage in spiritual cultivation. So everyone, please always be mindful
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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