Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Skillful Teachings of the Three Vehicles (隨順機宜說三乘法)
Date: August. 29, 2013
The Buddha-Dharma must be part of our daily living. When it is not part of our living, what can we gain from it? Truly we will not be able to get anything. So, we must experience the Buddha-Dharma through our daily living.
“The result that is felt becomes the cause; the interconnection of causes becomes conditions.”
Every day, the way we live in our daily living, if our thoughts take us on the right course, they are good thoughts, and there will be a good result. So, sentient beings experience results and before results come the causes.
For example, the kinds of seeds we plant determine the kinds of vegetables we harvest. We plant melon seeds to harvest melons, bean to harvest beans. The beans are the result. The seeds we planted were their causes. So in our daily living, we must speak good words and create good connections, which can come from praising others for their good deeds. So, good causes and conditions naturally yield good results. So, “the interconnection of the causes becomes the conditions.” Here, everyone enjoys each other’s company, shares the Buddha-Dharma with each other, and works together in harmony. A monastery like this creates good causes and conditions. Naturally, this came out of a good result. Results become causes, causes create results. Causes, conditions, results and retributions are a cycle. So, we must remember the law of karma in our daily living.
We talked previously about the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, causation, cessation, and the Path. Our suffering comes from the accumulation of various causes and conditions. So, the painful results in this world are caused by an accumulation of their causes. How can we transcend these sufferings? Only by understanding that we need to eliminate afflictions and ignorance from our minds. Then we will naturally be on the right course. This is the world-transcending cause and effect. If we can understand this, we can further examine how we came to be in this world. This goes back to the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.
The Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence: Ignorance, volitional formation, consciousness, name and form, the Six Roots, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, old age and death.
We start with ignorance. An ignorant thought is the condition for volitional formation, which is the condition for consciousness, and so on and so forth, until we reach the human realm, where there are feelings and cravings. These continue to entangle us throughout our whole lives as we face aging, illness and death. After this, we bring the karma we created [to our next life].Again, we start with ignorance and thus this cycle continues.Our consciousness again brings karma from our actions to the next life, where we develop the Six Roots and so on.This continues our cyclic existence.So this is the “cause” for “contemplating the Twelve Links”.
But how can we understand this clearly?How did we come to this life?How will we leave?Why are we continually entangled?This is why we carefully analyze the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence.
If we can understand the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, we can“realize the principles of Absolute truth”.At this time, we will clearly understand the principles of Absolute Truth and be called “one who was enlightened through conditions”.
A Pratyekabuddha’s method of realization is to “contemplate the Twelve Links”.
We must know that the Buddha manifests in this world for one great cause.Once He is here, He has to adapt to sentient beings’ capabilities, He establishes skillful means and expounds teachings of the Three Vehicles.
The Buddha manifests in this world for one great cause.
According to capabilities and conditions,.He gives skillful teachings of the Three Vehicles and explains the Four Truths and Twelve Links.
He teaches the Four Noble Truths to Hearers and the Twelve Links of Existence to Pratyekabuddhas.Those with even higher capabilities are Bodhisattvas.
They have superior capabilities and are not only attaining liberation for their own sake, but also helping others become more liberated.This is because Bodhisattvas realize that the world is filled with great suffering and sentient beings go through this endless cycle of existence.They realize and recognize this.But what method can they use to awaken others after they are highly awakened themselves?
At the time of the Buddha, there were people of three kinds of capabilities practicing together within the monastic community.One day, the Buddha was in the meditation room at the Jetavana Grove.Several bhiksus came in and told the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, there is a bhikshu named Vaisakha who is expounding the Dharma to everyone in the lecture hall right now.”The Buddha heard this and asked, “What is Vaisakha’s motive for preaching Dharma?”The bhiksus replied, “He is just sharing his realizations of the Buddha-Dharma with everyone.”The Buddha then asked, “What is everyone’s reaction after hearing it?”“Everyone is very happy.After listening to Vaisakha share his insight of the Buddha-Dharma, everyone is very happy.”The Buddha said, “If this is so, when he finishes speaking, please ask him to come to the meditation room.”
After Vaiskha finished speaking, he came and paid obeisance to the Buddha.The Buddha asked him, “What is Vaisakha’s motive for preaching Dharma?Were you really expounding the Dharma to everyone assembled in the lecture hall?”Vaisakha Bhiksu said, “Yes!Venerable Buddha, after I heard your teaching on the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, I really understood it and felt happy, so I wanted to share the teachings with everyone.But, I also hoped everyone could reaffirm their resolves.I want to encourage everyone with my insights so then we would all encourage each other and share our insights.Similarly, after I shared the happiness that I attained with everyone, I feel even happier. Venerable Buddha, was I right to do this?”
The Buddha rejoiced and praised him, “What is Vaisakha 's motive for preaching Dharma?You should internalize the teachings you have understood and properly take them into your heart. Then you should share your understanding of the correct Dharma with everyone. Then everybody will have a chance to receive what you have realized through your capabilities. Sharing these things with other people is the right thing to do.” But, I also hoped everyone many bhiksus had followed Vaisakha into the Buddha's meditation room . They heard the Buddha say, “All bhiksus, Vaisakha was right to share his insights. I hope your will be like him. Listen to the Dharma mindfully, take it to heart, and then share the correct teachings with Vaisakha share his insight of the Buddha-Dharma. But please remember, when sharing the Dharma, you must not discuss or encourage each other with worldly knowledge and worldly views. I hope everyone will pass on the Dharma with right knowledge and right views. Do not reject or criticize based on worldly ways.” This shows that the Buddha had high regard for Vaisakha Bhikshu.
This protects people who can share the Dharma with right knowledge and right views and encourages them to share and preach more. So, He is warning those who do not yet have the right mindsets and are still confused about what is right and wrong to not criticize others in the Buddha's lifetime, in His Sangha. He used all kinds of methods to teach according to His disciples' capabilities.Some had superior capabilities and capacities and could quickly accept [His teachings]. Some were still stuck. This was how things were in that Sangha.
The Buddha manifests in this world for one great cause. According to capabilities and conditions, He gives skillful teachings of the Three Vehicles and explains the Four Truths and Twelve Links. For Bodhisattvas, those with great capabilities, He taught the Six Perfections to enable them to achieve perfect enlightenment.
After everyone understands the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, the sutra then states,
“For the sake of the Bodhisattvas, He responded by expounding the Six Paramitas, enabling them to realize Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi and attain all-encompassing wisdom.”
We must mindfully comprehend this passage. The Buddha did not just want His disciples to understand how they came to be born, why they suffer, and how they could eliminate those sufferings. Not only that, He wanted them to develop great aspirations and make great vows.So, He taught the Six Paramitas for them because those with superior capabilities feel that they should not be the only ones to transcend suffering they must devote extra effort to seek and gain more knowledge and realizations. So “Bodhisattvas vow to transform self and others”.
A Bodhisattva's vow is very great. After transforming himself, he also wants to transform others. So, the Buddha must teach him methods to cross over to the other shore and also to help others achieve a similar crossing. A small boat can only take one person from this shore to the opposite shore. The Buddha wants him to reach that shore but hopes this boat can also bring more people across. These six methods are called the Six Paramitas. These six methods are called the Six Paramitas.
To reach the other shore. We have often discussed these six methods, giving, [upholding] precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom if we do not use these six methods, liberating ourselves from the afflictions of cyclic existence on this shore will be very difficult. After we understand [the Paramitas], we are still on this side of the shore, which is the state of ordinary beings. Because we are in this state, even if we understand everything, when we face challenges, thoughts will still arise.
So, to become truly liberated, we have o do more than just understand the Four Truths and Twelve Links but have not actually achieved liberation. So, we have to the other shore.
For only one person to do this is not enough. So, we use this method for ourselves to cross, and we also help others cross over to the shore opposite cyclic existence leave cyclic existence behind.
The cyclic existence we speak of id the arising and ceasing in our minds which is another kind of cyclic existence.Therefore, we must accept the Six Paramitas into our hearts and open up our minds to encompass everything in the boundless universe. The vastness of our mind can help us cross from this shore to the other and this attain liberation.Thus, they “reach the shore opposite cyclic existence.” This is how they cross.
Bodhisattvas vow to transform self and others, so He expounded the Six Paramitas to them. When they have reached the shore opposite cyclic existence, they have realized supreme, perfect and universal Bodhi and have attained all-encompassing wisdom. They achieve complete Buddhahood.
“They have realized supreme, perfect and “universal Bodhi,” enabling them to realize Anuttra-Samyak-Sambodhi. This is “supreme, perfect, universal Bodhi.” If we can realize “supreme, perfect, universal Bodhi,” we can “attain all-encompassing wisdom” will naturally attain all-encompassing wisdom. “Wisdom” is discernment. If we can clearly discern every matter and object, we have “all-encompassing wisdom” and we have “all-encompassing wisdom achieve complete Buddhahood.
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links Cyclic Existence to help everyone achieve ultimate enlightenment. Then He had to expound the Six Paramitas, the way to perfected and universal enlightenment.
Everyone, to seek the Dharma, we cannot leave this world. If we are apart the life of this world, we cannot practice the Buddha-Dharma. So we must remember, we are all still sentient beings, so “the result that is felt becomes the cause.” When “cause” come in contact with “conditions,” we attained the “results.” The law of karma is an endless cycle.
We must be mindful in our daily living to know that “one ignorant thought gives rise to three subtleties.” These actions will affect the future. There is past, present and future. The furure will become past, then there is another future. It never stops.
So, we must always remind ourselves to be diligent. In our daily living in the Buddha’s lifetime, in His Sangha three kinds of capabilities within the Sangha. Now there are even more.Therefore, the ones who are unable to share right knowledge and views with others must not criticize others or create conflicts with their unenlightened perspectiveis . Hopefully, everyone can understand this. Everyone, please always be mindful!
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)[/u]
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