Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Wisdom Reflects Like a Mirror (意存寬純 智明如鏡)
Date: August. 07, 2013
Time slips away easily and cannot be paused. So, as each minute and second goes by, we must constantly cherish our time. In fact, as Buddhist practitioners, our goal is to attain enlightenment. In order to achieve Buddhahood, we must faithfully receive the Buddha’s teachings. We must have utmost sincerity to faithfully and unwaveringly accept His teachings. It has been over 2000 years since the Buddha’s time. But the Buddha-Dharma was not only expounded by Him at that time more than 2000 years ago. He has been a Buddha for asankhya kalpas. As I mentioned earlier, His Buddha-nature has never been defiled. We sentient beings are constantly contaminated as we transmigrate within the Six Realms.
Therefore [we are covered] by a lot of ignorance, layers upon layers. So, to understand the Buddha’s true nature and His manifested wisdom, we still have a long way to go. It has been a very long time since the Buddha attained enlightenment. There are also many Bodhisattvas who follow Him to teach sentient beings in this world. In sutras, we often read that both Manjusri and Guanyin Bodhisattvas had already attained Buddhahood but returned to this world to help Sakyamuni Buddha transform sentient beings. We often read about past Buddhas in the sutras. Now, Sakyamuni Buddha is here. Others followed Him to transform sentient beings. In the Lotus Sutra, we even read that there are Buddhas of the past, present and future. The past and future Buddhas were both at the Lotus Sutra Dharma-assembly to help Sakyamuni Buddha reveal Mahayana teachings.
At that time, Manjusri addressed Maitreya Bodhisattva Mahasattva and all the noble beings. “Good men, as I surmise, the Buddha, the World-Honored One, now wishes to expound the great Dharma, to let fall the great Dharma-rain, to blow the great Dharma-conch, to beat the great Dharma-drum, and to proclaim the great Dharma-doctrine.”
As I mentioned previously, the Buddha was still waiting for sentient beings to realize and enter [His teaching]. In this era, if we cannot differentiate right from wrong, how can we realize and enter the teachings? Sakyamuni Buddha was not the only person there. There were also many Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and all Buddhas came to this Dharma-assembly. There, the Buddha radiated light, expounded the “Lotus Sutra without speech” and entered the Samadhi of Infinite Meanings.Many people were waiting the Buddha manifested an amazing appearance, which was different from His previous lectures.What Dharma was the Buddha going to expound?Many people still did not know.
At this time, there were two Bodhisattvas there one was Maitreya Bodhisattva and the other was Manjusri Bodhisattva.Maitreya Bodhisattva had already been predicted to become a Buddha.
After five to six trillion years, he will attain Buddhahood in this world.It sounds like a very long time.
However, in order to attain.Buddhahood, one must experience many things.It takes three great asankhya kalpas.An asankhya kalpa is a very long period of time that is innumerable and incalculable.[What we consider] the past and the present are part of this long period of time.
Therefore, after over 2000 years, Sakyamuni Buddha is still our fundamental teacher today.
The teachings of our fundamental teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, still exist in the Saha World.
So, future Buddhas still need to continuously come here to learn.
So over 2000 years ago when the Buddha was alive, He gave Maitreya Bodhisattva a prediction that he will becomes a Buddha in the future to transform sentient beings in this world.Maitreya, when translated into Chinese, means “the Compassionate One”.He [embodies] compassion.
Sentient beings in the future will have an even greater need for a Buddha with such compassion to come to this world.The name of our Buddha, Sakyamuni, is translated as “Mighty in Loving-Kindness”.He has great abilities and knows that sentient beings are difficult to change and train.It takes perseverance, patience and ability.So He must be mighty in loving-kindness.The Buddha had to wait for sentient beings with perseverance, patience and endurance.Even after revealing His teachings, He still had to wait for sentient beings to accept what He taught, for them to realize and deeply penetrate His true teachings.The supreme and subtle Dharma is truly wondrous.It was as if within the radiated light exist the vastness endlessness and subtlety [of Dharma].
Therefore, sentient beings must always enter the Buddha-Dharma with utmost sincerity.This steadfast faith is [required].Now, of these two Bodhisattvas one was the Compassionate One and had an abundance of compassion.With this kind of realization, he will bring blessings to sentient beings in the future.If all present sentient beings attain realization, in the future when the Compassionate One, Maitreya Bodhisattva, returns to this world, there should be even more enlightened people.When the world will be even more blessed.
However, at this Dharma-assembly, when he saw that everyone had questions, he could not help but stand up.Consider the oddness of this Dharma-assembly.Who could give everyone an explanation for why the Buddha had this appearance of radiating light?Before expounding the Dharma for everyone, the Buddha manifested this auspicious appearance.What was the reason for this?Ordinary people could not understand this.They had to find someone full of wisdom who had previously attained Buddhahood.
Everyone knows that Manjusri Bodhisattva is the teacher of seven ancient Buddhas. In the past, He attained Buddhahood and was knows as the Honorable Dragon King Buddha. So he had been a Buddha and had also taught seven people who had then attained Buddhahood.
Many Buddhas from past asankya kalpas were disciples of Manjusri. People who become Buddhas in the future do so because of his power and grace. In this world, just as all children have parents, Manjusri is the parent of all those on the path to enlightenment-Alms Bowl Sutra.
We should know that in order to attain Buddhahood, it takes asankya kalpas, three incalculable eons of the past, present and future. Although it takes such a long time, there were seven people who received his teachings and had attained Buddhahood. He was also a Buddha himself. Therefore, Manjusri Bodhisattva was foremost in wisdom among the Bodhisattvas and disciples who followed Sakyamuni Buddha.
Indeed, all Buddhas share the same path. Respect for one another is what all Buddha teach. He also manifested at this Dharma-assembly. So on behalf of sentient beings who will have affinities with him in the future, Maitreya Bodhisattva stood up to ask Manjusri Bodhisattva a question. He hoped that through Manjusri 's wisdom, everyone would develop a stronger belief since everyone trusted him. So, now he wanted to tell everyone,
“Kindness and compassion is the universe, wisdom is the light of the sun and moon. A kind heart has boundless compassion. With pure and broad thinking, wisdom reflects like a mirror. Unenlightened beings do not easily believe in these great teachings. Only Buddhas can realize the ultimate”.
This is like Maitreya Bodhisattva's compassion, which will be ever-lasting in this world.In the future, he will return to the Saha World and shoulder the mission of transforming sentient beings. If more people can attain realizations now, transforming future sentient beings will be easier. Since that will also be his responsibility, he found someone whom everyone believed in and whose wisdom is like the light of the sun and moon. Because our minds are dark, we repent to eradicate the darkness and ignorance there. The darkness and ignorance need to be illuminated by the light of the sun and moon. Then we can eliminate our delusions and darkness.
If our minds are in darkness and the road ahead unclear, where will we end up? A slight deviation leads us far off course. A slight deviation leads us far off course. So Manjusri Bodhisattva began answering Maitreya Bodhisattva's questions.We can imagine that these two Bodhisattvas had kind thoughts and boundless compassion.
The broadness of their minds is all-encompassing and boundless. Like Sakyamuni Buddha, they are the great enlightened ones of the universe. With that vastness, they knew all Dharma and understood all matters. Therefore, they had to manifest this form to multitudes of sentient beings. Those who consider themselves Bodhisattvas came to help the Buddha teach and transform. Because they were kind, at this Dharma-assembly, they applied their compassion, radiance and wisdom to help others achieve understanding. This was their intent. For instance, Maitreya Bodhisattvas has infinite and great compassion.
All Buddhas in the past, present and future are the same. “with broad and pure thinking, their wsdom reflects like a mirror.”This describes Manjusri Bodhisattva. The vast and infinite Dharma is complety encompassed and captured in his mind. All things in the world could be held in his mind.
So, this is a wisdom that reflects like a mirror. Having this great perfect mirror wisdom is like having a very clear mirror in front of us.
Therefore, unenlightened beings do not easily believe in this great teachings. But we need to believe in them. What is the Buddha going to teach? Hasn’t He explained everything in the past 40-plus years? Is there any Dharma that is more advanced than what He had already taught for over 40 years? Everyone had these questions. Having Dharma more subtle and wondrous than what was taught over the past 40 years is not easy.
Therefore, questions arose in everyone’s mind because the Buddha radiated light and only the Buddha and Buddhas. Only those with the state of Buddhas can thoroughly realize this.So when we listen to the Dharma, we need to be very mindful.
Let us review the previous passage from the sutra. At that time, Manjusri addressed Maitreya Bodhisattva Mahasattva and all the noble beings.
“At that time, Manjusri Because Maitreya Bodhisattva started asking to help resolve everyone’s questioning and establish everyone’s faith, Manjusri Bodhisattva began to answer.”So, “At that time, Manjusri addressed Maitreya Bodhisattva Mahasattva and and all noble beings.” His answer was not only for Maitreya Bodhisattva, but also for all the great beings “All the great beings” refers to many other Bodhisattvas.So his answers at that time were directed to Bodhisattvas.Only one at the state of Bodhisaattvas can understand Mahayana teachings, so his audience was Bodhisattvas. “Good men, as I surmise”, refers to his deep and meticulous contemplation.“Surmise” means to think very attentively
The Buddha, the World-Honored One, now wishes to expound the great teachings, to let fall the great Dharma-rain, to blow the great Dharma-conch, to beat the great Dharma-drum, and to proclaim the great Dharma-doctrine.
This Dharma is so profound and broad. At this time, Manjusri Bodhisattva began offering answers. At the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, in the conversation between these Bodhisattvas, we can see their compassion and wisdom.When we see the state fo Bodhisattvas, [we see] comprehend [great teachings]. Earlier it states, “Only Buddhas can realize the ultimate”. This great teaching cannot be understood by ordinary people. “Do you understand what you hear?”“Yes,” “Do you really understand?” “Uh, let me take my time”. There are many people like this. “Do you understand?” “Yes, and we will work even harder” .That is the right answer.
In conclusion, every Bodhisattva and all Buddhas came to the world for one cause, to open and reveal the teachings.But not all sentient beings have realized and entered the teachings. The Buddha is mighty in loving-kindness. With perseverance and patience, He still awaits. Finally, at that time, the causes and conditions were probably ripe.His conditions for transforming this world were also about to end, so He had to expound the Buddha-Dharma and freely carry out His original intent. This was the time. So fellow Bodhisattvas, we need to form great aspirations and make great vows. Always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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