Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Workings of Karma are Inconceivable (說法因緣不思議)
Date: June. 27, 2013
The origin of the mind is a pure and endless void, tranquil, peaceful and unmoving. This mind is always content. When the mind feels agreeable and softened, one presses the palms together and pays respect.
Is this our frame of mind? When our mind returns to its original nature, it is not only a pure and endless void but truly very clean, without any defilements. It is broad and open like the vast universe. If we can all be mindful, the mind is actually this broad and open, vast, pure and undefiled. This is the original nature of our minds. But we unenlightened beings often allow too many things to clutter up our minds. When we are asked, “What are you really thinking?” [We respond,] “So many, many things that I cannot explain or clarify.” There is so much that cannot be explained or clarified. Exactly what are these things? They are indescribable. Does the mind truly have so many things that cannot be explained or clarified? Since it cannot be shown or described, then it must be non-existent. So, the mind was originally clean and pure, broad, vast and boundless. However, we unenlightened beings attract a lot of dust. Endless afflictions arise from our minds.
Indeed, the Buddha comes to teach us, so that we can know the mind is truly pure and free [of defilements]. He explained that the state of our minds is truly very broad, open and vast. The Buddha wants to help us understand this so He uses many analogies and even uses worldly principles to lead us back to the Buddha-Dharma. When we view worldly principles with the Buddha-Dharma, we can be in the human realm and remain undefiled. This is the pure Dharma of the mind. Though the human realm is filled with all the complexities of people and matters, the mind of a Bodhisattva is not affected at all. But for unenlightened beings, living in such a complicated environment fills their minds with afflictions. Habitual tendencies cause sentient beings to endlessly suffer. So, they continuously cycle through the Six Realms. Therefore the Buddha tells us, “The nature of your mind is pure.” The original intent of the Buddha is to help all of us understand and realize our true nature. He hopes that once He says it, everyone can understand and comprehend it. The Buddha’s original intent was to [reveal] this true Dharma. But sentient beings could not [understand], so He “pulled the vine to get the beans” and said the same thing in many ways. He says many things to help guide us back to our tranquil, peaceful and unmoving minds. Our nature was originally tranquil, peaceful and unmoving. “This mind is always content.”
If this mind can be content and free of desires, then it is free of afflictions.It is because we have desires that we have afflictions and complications in our minds.This is not difficult to explain.
I keep saying that when the Buddha began to expound the Lotus Sutra, the Middle Way, at the Vulture Peak assembly, many people eagerly gathered there.See, when they all arrived, they sat down and waited.People came successively and sincerely paid their respects.When the Buddha expounded the Dharma,.He always gave great teachings and great Dharma.Therefore, everyone was very joyous.
Under those conditions, flowers rained from the sky and the ground shook in six ways.They explained that their state of mind right then was “agreeable and softened”.They felt no fear at all.
Instead, everyone was very happy.They even reverently “pressed their palms together and paid respect.”When we imagine these conditions, we really yearn for our minds to return to our pure, original nature.This type of “pure and endless void” is “tranquil, peaceful and unmoving”.
“This mind is always content.”“When one feels agreeable and softened, one presses the palms together and pays respect.”Everyone, with this sense of respect and this broad, open, agreeable and softened mindset, we feel so peaceful and free.
In the human realm, our minds are always unstable and fluctuate with afflictions.Thus, unenlightened beings suffer unbearably.But a Bodhisattva’s state of mind is not like this.So, at this point, after the Buddha finished expounding the teachings, He entered Samadhi.Everyone’s minds entered the same state of peace.
As this happened, at that time, the entire assembly of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, human and non-human beings, as well as all minor kings, the wheel-turning sage kings, all attained what they never had before.
They rejoiced, pressed their palms together and wholeheartedly gazed upon the Buddha.
This [describes] the conditions after the Buddha finished expounding the Sutra of Infinite Meanings and entered Samadhi.At that moment, everyone in the assembly entered a state of meditation.Just how many people were at the assembly?And how many types?The assembly included bhiksus and bhiksunis.If we only counted the number of monastics there, the assembly would already be considered a grand occasion.There were also 80,000 Bodhisattvas.You may still remember that besides bhiksus, bhiksunis, ther were upassakas and upasikas.Some Bodhisattvas were monastics and some Bodhisattvas were lay poele.So, the Bdudha’s disciples were divided into the fourfold assembly: bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas.This fourfold assembly belonged to the human realm so they were not referred to as Bodhisattvas here because some Bodhisattvas were monastics and some had not yet become monastics.But they all made the Bdohsiattva-aspiration, established great practices and had great capabilities, so we call them Bdohsiattvas.There were many of them, 80,000 in all.
There were also heavenly beings, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras and mahorageas.In this spiritual training ground, there were humans non-humans.Humans were those of the human realm.Non-humans described the eight classes of Dharma-protectors I mentioned.They were non-humans.There were also “all minor kings, the wheel-turning sage kings.”They “all attained what they never had before”. Under these circumstances, humans and non-humans alike all “rejoiced, pressed their palms together and wholeheartedly gazed upon the Buddha”. We can imagine how pure this spiritual community was, how beautiful those conditions were.
At Vulture Peak, this grand assembly gathered and wholeheartedly gazed upon the Buddha with utmost sincerity and reverence. Everyone pressed their palms together and did not look away from the Buddha's auspicious appearance. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upakikas were the four types of most devout practitioners among the Buddha's disciples.
Next were the yaksas in the heavens; they were speedy ghosts. We often use the phrase, “They are like yaksas; they are so mean”. Indeed, yaksas belong to the retinue of the Four Heavenly Kings. We need to observe the good and evil in people and the law of karmic cause and effect. If people did good deeds in the past , they are good people. Those who did evil in the past but are enjoying pleasures now are still considered evil people.Even though they are enjoying themselves, nothing good can be said about them. As soon as their karma or karmic connections are exhausted, the effects of karma will manifest. There will be no mercy. This [describes] yaksas. They are very quick and nimble. Therefore, they are called speedy ghosts, because they arrive quickly.
Upasaka means to attend. Sake means men. Sika means women. Yaksas are speedy ghosts and part of the retinue of the Four Heavenly Kings .
Among the people ruled by the Four Heavenly Kings, some are yaksas. So we must remember take karmic law of cause and effect. There are [always] spiritual beings above us. We cannot think that no one know what we are thinking and that no one hears what we are saying. Every negative thing we say or do gets recorded, item by item. No matter what spirits are there, everything is recorded, all the good and evil we do in this world. Living in this world, in all that we say or do or think, we must be very careful. In Buddhist sutras, eight classes of Dharma- protectors are mentioned. These Dharma- protectors watch over our realm, over its safety. Besides creating good karma for ourselves, we sentient beings create collective karma. Everything we do is recorded by the eight classes of Dharma- protectors. Therefore, we must always be grateful and reverent.
In the past, haven't I said that we must hold nature in reverence? If we remember to hold nature in reverence, then we will be wary of the karmic law of cause and effect, and we will be cautious in our actions. Then these beings will be our Dharma- protectors.
Next, all minor kings refer to kings of individual kingdoms. At that time in India, each city had a king. Some cities were not very large, but they still had kings. Therefore, they were called minor kings. There were many of these “minor kings”. “Next were the wheel-turning sage kings, four kinds of wheel-turning sage kings in all. This was due to their blessings and virtues. The karmic retributions they received depended on their blessings. There were “gold, silver, bronze and iron wheel-turning kings, these four kinds of wheel-turning kings.
A wheel symbolizes something that could be turned. By turning this wheel, they commanded the four quarters of this world. There were distinctions between the gold, silver, bronze and iron [wheel-turning kings]. Were these minor kings and wheel-turning kings necessarily the disciples of the Buddha? Not necessarily. But they were still blessed enough to be able to attend this assembly. They were considered Dharma-protectors. They were also forming karmic connections by participating in this grand assembly.
Therefore, their causes manifested. They had blessed causes and conditions and the karmic connection to hear the Dharma. So they were wheel-turning sage kings who were able to join the dharma-assembly due to the power of the Buddha.
Because of these causes and conditions, they attended this Dharma-assembly. “All at the assembly marveled that this had never occurred.” Never had everyone gathered at one Dharma-assembly. Everyone in this assembly knew that this was an auspicious appearance that had never occurred before. Whether [they were from] the human realm, were heavenly or non-human beings or were from all the realms of space and earth, the worlds in all ten directions, they all continued to arrive at this assembly. Indeed, this was a rare occasion, so everyone marveled at what had never occurred how could there be such auspicious appearance? It was because the Buddha entered Samadhi and thus such appearances manifested. So everyone happily and “wholeheartedly watched the Buddha.”
All in the assembly marveled that there had never been such auspicious appearances as there were when the Buddha entered Samadhi. So, they praised Him and were joyful. Because they did not yet know the cause, they wholeheartedly watched the Buddha in hope of teachings.
Buddha is the Great Awakened one of the Universe. His spirit and the power of His love already pervade this universe and the worlds in all ten directions. He wanted to carry out His original intent of expounding the great Dharma. However at that time, sentient beings did not respond sincerely and did not know to request that the Buddha expound the great Dharma. Everyone was still lost. Therefore with great effort, the Buddha spent over 40 years slowly guiding them. So much time had already been wasted. Now, He finally began [to expound great Dharma.] in the past, the causes and conditions were not present for the sincere request of such teachings. Without that request, there was no cause for Him to expound this Dharma. “Now the entire assembly gathered here saw all kinds of auspicious appearances, they felt utmost admiration because these appearances were remarkable. Everyone’s hearts held reverence and respect and marveled at what had never occurred before. So, everyone knew to hope for and sincerely request that the Buddha expound Dharma.
Now the entire assembly gathered here, saw all kinds of auspicious appearances, which were remarkable. Therefore with utmost admiration, they whole-heartedly watched the Buddha. With a hopeful heart, they sincerely requested that He expound the Dharma.
After the Sutra of Infinite Meanings was taught, how did these conditions come about? They all had these questions and entreated the Buddha to explain these auspicious appearances to everyone. The auspicious appearances seen after the Buddha expounded the Sutra of Infinite Meanings were very profound and wondrous, so everyone had a sincere desire to know. When we hear the Dharma, we must pursue it and be sincere so the Dharma can enter our hearts. To expound the great Dharma, the Buddha manifested these auspicious appearances to inspire sincerity in everyone. So, let us mindfully experience these conditions. Therefore, please always be mndful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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