Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Recognize and End Suffering (知苦滅苦 修行於道)
Date: July. 15, 2013
In this world, we have lived countless lives within this cyclic existence. We are completely unaware of how long we have been in this cyclic existence. Cyclic existence is indeed lengthy and endless. As unenlightened beings, we do not know what happened in the past. How many past lives have we lived? Furthermore, can we understand that suffering is the nature of living in this world? In just this lifetime alone, are we mindful of the way we live and what surrounds us? This is a world of endurance, what must be endured is suffering. We have to endure suffering in order to live in this world. But we sentient beings do not recognize suffering, so we willingly stay in this cyclic existence of life and death.
If we recognize suffering, we need to endure it. However, this also requires an awakening. We need to realize that we must endure things in this life to attain our goal in a future lifetime. So, we all need to have an awakened mind and establish a vow to engage in spiritual practice. The Buddha taught us the Dharma for over 40 years. The First Turning of the Dharma-wheel began with “suffering”. He first analyzed the truth of suffering for us so we could recognize it. Only by recognizing suffering can we understand [the need] to seek the Path. So, recognize suffering, its cause, its cessation and the path to its cessation. First, recognize the origin of suffering. Previously, we talked about the cause of suffering and learned that accumulation of various actions committed out of ignorance and afflictions has caused society to become unethical and immoral. This is the cause of suffering, the accumulation of many karmic forces. After knowing this, we need to quickly cultivate the Path. To cease this suffering, we need to cultivate the Eightfold Noble Path. We should know that if we do not recognize suffering, we will not think to eliminate it. So, we need to first recognize it. With recognition comes renunciation. Then we will detest this world and will not want to return again. What do we do if we do not want to return anymore? We must seek to end the causes of our returning.
One who has transmigrated for a long time experiences and faces suffering. There is no end to the cycle of life and death. How can one not prepare for crises in times of peace or not renounce the cycle of life and death?
So, we need to start by understanding the cause of cyclic existence. Once we fall into it, there will be no end. Since ancient times, many people have diligently studied Buddha-Dharma. They could understand the past with the spiritual power of knowing past lifetimes. They knew how past lives came about and that practice in this lifetime requires continuous pursuit of this long path to enlightenment. Speaking of the past, in the ancient kingdom of Kabul, there was a practicing holy monk who already understood cyclic existence.
Yet, he continued to diligently [practice] to seek true liberation.Just understanding was not enough, he really sought to attain true liberation.This man was Venerable Jeyata.He already knew about his 500 previous lives.Meanwhile, two bhiksus from Southern India had been admiring this sag’s virtues.He was very well-known for being virtuous.These two spiritual practitioners arranged to travel together for the long trip from Southern India to Kabul.The trip was arduous, but they finally arrived at the region where the sage practiced.
However, that mountain was tall and vast, how would they find the exact location.Where this venerable one practiced?As they stood there, at the base of the mountain, they saw a dark and thin person who looked frail yet energetic at the same time.They rushed to asked him.He was just about to kindle a fire with branches.They quickly asked him, “Excuse me, fellow practitioner, do you know where the sage lives?”“Do you know him?”He replied, “Who are you looking for?”They said, “Venerable Jeyata.”“Do you know this person?”The person who was kindling a fire with branches answered, “I know him.”“May we ask where he lives?”He pointed, “at the top of this mountain, the third cave is where he lives.”“Oh, thank you!”
These two bhiksus quickly headed toward hat cave.Climbing the mountain was very exhausting, [the top] was quite far.By the time they arrived, they saw a person standing outside the third cave.
This person was actually the same man who had been kindling the fire at the base of the mountain.These two bhiksus saw that he was clearly the same person.“We were at the foot of the mountain earlier.It was hard, but we finally made it to the top of the mountain.How did he arrive before us?”
One of the bhiksus contemplated for a moment and suddenly realized that this man must be Venerable Jeyata.So with great reverence, both of them quickly came before this spiritual practitioner.They bowed, prostrated, paid obeisance and said, “Veneralbe one , clearly you have attained realizations and achieved spiritual powers.Why did you bother to make a fire with such great effort?”This sage had a very dignified appearance.Although he was vey thin, his eyes beamed with vigor.After hearing their question, he kindly answered, “You think that I have spiritual powers.I can heat up water for everyone without great difficulty.But I remember all the suffering.I experienced in my previous 500 lives.”“so, I rather use my limbs to manually kindle the fires to heat water for everyone.If my offering to the Sangha this way can liberate me from cyclic existence, I am wiling.”
He had spent his previous 500 lifetimes as a dog.During that time, he experienced extreme starvation and suffering.In these past 500 lifetimes, he only had a full stomach twice. He said, “Once it was from a drunk person. After he became drunk, he vomited. I ate filthy things he vomited. I got to eat till I was full, but the food was very dirty and filthy. The other meal was from a couple in village. The husband worked in the field while, his wife stayed home to cook. When the rice was cooked, the wife went outside. I took this opportunity to steal rice by eating it right from the pot. I ate till my stomach was full; I was very happy. But the opening of the pot was small. So when I tried to pull my head out, I could not. Then the husband came home. My head was stuck so I could not escape. In a fury, he chopped my head off with a knife. Although I got to be very full, the price I paid was unspeakably painful. He explained the starvation and suffering, he faced in the animal realm, not only the anxiety but the pain. He cried as he talked about the past.
After these two bhiksus heard this, they sighed with regret. They said to each other, “Perhaps in our past lives, we also experienced this kind of suffering, but we forgot. We should prepare for crises in times of peace. Since we are born human now, we can encounter the Buddha- Dharma and engage in spiritual practice. We live in peace now and can carry out our intention to seek the Dharma through spiritual practice. So, we should thoroughly contemplate the karma we have created in the past, the places of suffering we have fallen into, and the unexhausted karma in our future, which will trap us in the Three [Lower] Destinies. These are all possibilities. So we need to quickly renounce cyclic existence and heighten our vigilance”.
Whether we speak of the past, present or future, if we spend time to figure out where our suffering comes from, we can attain the state of non-arising and non-ceasing. What will no longer arise or cease? The mind. Then we will not be vexed by gain and loss. With a sense of gain and loss, we have afflictions. If we do not have that mindset, there will be no arising or ceasing in our minds. Since our minds go through arising, abiding, changing and ceasing, we continuously go through cyclic existence. Thus, birth and death in the mind are the states of arising and ceasing. So, we need to heighten our vigilance. How do we liberate our minds? How can we be liberated from life and heath in the future? It is better to seek to have no afflictions of gain and loss right now. Then our mind can quickly be liberated. We hear that this sage who attained realizations was still very worried about being liberated from cyclic existence. Though he attained spiritual powers, would he completely eliminate samsara and attain liberation? We need to learn from the warnings of our predecessors and renounce aging, illness and death. If we can be like this, the Buddha will abide in this world forever through the Dharma that remains in this world. The Buddha continuously taught us. [All Buddhas] speak to them of Nirvana, the end of all suffering.”
If we can accept and practice the Buddha’s teachings, our minds will be non-arising and non-ceasing. So, we should make good use of time and engage in spiritual practice.
Next, it states, “To those who possess blessings, having in the past made offerings to Buddhas and resolved to seek the superior Dharma, He expounds the way of the Pratyekabuddha.”
Earlier we said after realizing suffering, we should know to pursue the Buddha’s path. When His teachings are analyzed for us, and we understand them, we can end all suffering.Some have made offerings to Buddhas in the past, which means they did this in past lifetimes. Therefore, they still have karmic connections with Them and can still make offerings to Them now. In making such offerings, and in their spiritual practice they have one goal which is to seek the noble teachings. These offerings are not made to gain blessings, but to seek the Dharma of liberation.For them, “[All Buddhas] expounded the way of the Pratyebuddha.” For those with such capabilities, the Buddha expounded the Pratyekabbdha teachings, which is the Law of Dependent Origination. Pratyekabuddhas were usually born in an era without Buddhas.
So, it is often said that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. But our unenlightened minds are deluded and our Buddha-nature is buried under ignorance. Therefore, we are lost and confused.
Thus, we are unaware. Actually, since we have this Buddha-nature, if we made offerings to Buddhas and heard the Buddha-Dharma in past lives, our past afflictions become more diluted. Then if we are born in an era without Buddhas, we can mindfully contemplate the cycle of the four seasons as well as birth, aging, illness and death. By constantly contemplating where life comes from, we realize the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence. So, the Buddha taught the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence for Pratyekabuddhas so they could become awakened on their own.
By contemplating the four seasons of the world, or the four states of human life, they can realize this all started from one ignorant thought, which brought about consciousness, action then name and form. Each condition is linked to the next and is inseparable from birth, aging, illness, death. When people are reborn they are still ignorant so they continue to follow this cycle. This is what the Buddha taught Pratyekabuddhas.
If we seek the supreme Dharma, we must investigate how we came into existence. The ways in which humans live on Earth are closely related to the cycle of the four seasons. So it is often said that time, space and our relations with others are also inseparable from the Law of Dependent Origination.
So everyone, as Buddhist practitioners, we need to work on calming our minds. We have been blessed in the past and had karmic connections with the Buddha. Perhaps we have made offerings to Him so that we are now blessed to become monastics and are able to engage in spiritual practice. Therefore, we need to be mindful of the Law of Dependent Origination. From all things in the world, to our own birth, aging, illness and death, to the people and the people and things we encounter therein, we should not be careless. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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