Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Collectively Create Good Karmic Conditions (修三業共成善業因緣)
Date: October. 18, 2013
At this moment, do we have pure minds and clear thoughts? At the beginning of every day, our wisdom-life also awakens. First thing in the morning, we are diligent and working hard. We bow to the Buddha, sit in meditation and listen to teachings. For our wisdom-life, we need moments of growth every day. These moments should be very important. Earlier I discussed how “the Three Insights, Six Spiritual Powers and [37] Practices to Enlightenment are developed.” Everyone should still remember the Three Insights, Insight of Heavenly Eyes, Previous Lives and Ending of All Leaks, as well as the Six Powers. The Three Insights and Six Spiritual Powers are actually one entity. As long as our minds can always remain clear, we can clearly discern all things and principles in the world. In this world, there are many unreal, false and illusory appearances. But we cannot clearly see and distinguish them. As a result, we regard the false as the real and often contend over people, matters and objects in our lives. Thus, we create bad karma.
Therefore, we need a clear and bright mind. So we must develop the Three Insights, Six Spiritual Powers in sequence. This is how we engage in spiritual practice. The order the Buddha gave us for advancement is the Four Noble Truths, then the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, then the Six Paramitas. There is a [similar] order for the practices of the Three Insights and Six Spiritual Powers. If we clearly understand this, naturally we will practice the Six Paramitas, which is to be replete with loving-kindness and compassion.
Loving-kindness, compassion, the Ten Powers and [Fourfold] Fearlessness emerge. Good karmic conditions for sentient beings appear. –Chapter on Virtues, Sutra of Infinite Meanings.
If we are replete with loving-kindness, compassion and the Ten Powers, naturally, we will be fearless. We will be clear about everything. This is like walking during the day, when the road ahead is very clear. We are familiar with each road, so we can see clearly if there are only obstacles on this road. We are also very clear on whether there are bumpy or uneven spots. If there are all very clear to us, then we can walk safely and not be afraid. This is an example using a daily activity.
What about our spiritual path? If we are very clear about the direction of our spiritual cultivation, we have already made great vows and aspirations. If we do so, naturally we need perseverance [to fulfill them]. If we have this perseverance and are replete with the Ten Powers that I previously mentioned, what do we still have to fear?
So, the next passage states, “All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to this land of endurance by the power of their kind and compassionate vows and use Four Infinite Minds to save all beings.”
Everyone knows that the Saha World is a land of endurance, a world that must be tolerated.If we cannot manage to bear it, we will truly feel great suffering.Everyone in this world is a sutra.As we look at others and read the stories of their sutras, we will share [what we learned] with others.Our sutras will be read by others, too.They may then share our stories with others.
Indeed, we each have written a sutra with our lives.We wrote it ourselves.
With our daily behavior, by the way we speak and act both in the past and present, what sutras have we written?We are all [learning from each other].
This is how we come to listen to another person’s life story as told and described by others.If we can listen with pure minds, each sutra is a great teaching because we learn that everyone in this world suffers greatly.
Therefore, we say this is a land of endurance.[Living] in the Saha World requires endurance.So, the Buddha and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas return to this world on the ship of compassion,.He travels on the powers of His kind and compassionate vows.So, He comes to a world that requires endurance and exercises the Four Infinite Minds to save and transform all beings.
I explained the Four Infinite Minds earlier.So loving-kindness and compassion already make up two out of the Four Infinite Minds.Actually, loving-kindness includes joy.The Buddha wishes for all to be at peace, to forever live in stability and happiness.This is loving-kindness as well as joy, infinite kindness and infinite joy.Compassion is equanimity in giving.With infinite compassion, we cannot bear to see sentient beings suffer.
I feel pain when others are hurt.I feel sad when others suffer.The hurt is inflicted on their bodies; the pain is in my heart.When others are suffering, I feel sad.With this unconditional great loving-kindness, we must also have universal great compassion.To relieve the suffering of sentient beings, we must be willing to give with equanimity, continue to give unconditionally and to do so freely and with ease.
“Precepts, Samadhi, wisdom, liberation and liberated views and knowledge.”
We apply precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.Then as we give, we feel a great sense of liberation because we can clearly see everything and are prefect in knowledge and views.The world we live in is just like this; people, matters and objects are illusory and impermanent.But, sentient beings in this land of endurance still experience suffering.We understand these principles, as well as karmic conditions and collective karma.
When we are replete with knowledge and views, we will not cling to anything in our surroundings.Those are liberated knowledge and views.When we give, aside from not asking for anything in return, we also give with gratitude and joy.This is because we are ordinary people in a troubled land.As such, we are truly unenlightened beings.Though we say we are learning the Buddha’s Way and seeking His knowledge and views, we are just starting to learn and to seek this knowledge.
Some people may wonder, “After so many years, how much do I know?”
We need to ask ourselves how much we know.However, after we know, are we bound by the knowledge we have pursued? There is a story about the Buddha and a spiritual practitioner who came to seek the Way. The Buddha saw that he came with reverence, holding a bouquet of flowers as an offering to Him. When he came in front of the Buddha, he reverently knelt and offered these fresh flowers to the Buddha. When the Buddha saw him hold up the flowers. He asked, “Why did you come?” “What do you seek?” As he was lifting the bouquet high in the air, he stopped when He heard the Buddha's question still holding the flowers up. He said to the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, I am a spiritual practitioner. I don't want anything. I just reverently came to seek the Way”.
The Buddha said, “Well, let go. Just let it go”. Then man put down the bouquet of flowers. Since the flowers had been offered to the Buddha, he respectfully put his palms together. The Buddha again said to him, “Keep letting go”. This seeker obeyed the Buddha and let go of his palms that were pressed together. The Buddha said to him again, “Once more, let go”. This practitioner then said, “Buddha, I have let go of the flowers and my palms that were pressed together. What else can I let go of”? The Buddha then said, “Let go of even this thought of seeking the Way. Let it go. Even if it is only a tiny thought, you also need to let it go”. Can everyone understand this principle of letting go?
Once we let go, does that mean we disregard everything and do not need to do anything? Is that really the case? Absolutely not. We must let go of our attachments and anything we are still seeking. If we know the direction toward our goals, are earnest and take steady steps, we can accurately move forward. In our daily living, our Five Senses encounter the Five Sense Objects. If we are diligent, they turn into the Five Spiritual Roots and Five Powers. If we have clear views and understanding when the senses connect to the sense objects, they become Five Spiritual Roots and Five Powers. Therefore, the strength lies in us, and depends on how diligent we are and how free our minds are of attachments. Then we an understand the people, matters and objects in this land of endurance. This is very important. Therefore, we need to exercise Four Infinite Minds to save and transform all beings. In this way our strength can be applies.
Therefore, we are fearless when we understand everything, can practice the Six Paramitas to save all beings, and become replete with Ten Powers. “In Bodhisattvas, the Ten Powers and [Fourfold Fearlessness emerge”. We have nothing to fear when we are among people. “Fearlessness emerges” means that “As Bodhisattvas interact with sentient beings, [they use] the power of fearlessness. “Sentient beings” are all beings with affection. Our affections must be directed to the right place. If it is misdirected, that also causes great hardship. That is why we need to have enlightened affection and work with “sentient beings with the power of fearlessness”.
As Bodhisattvas interact with sentient beings with the power of fearlessness, they give rise to sympathy. [Teaching according to] sentient beings' karma of body, speech and mind benefits them and brings them peace and joy. This is called fearless sympathy.
Among sentient beings, we must exercise the power of our fearlessness. Then we can exercise the Four Infinite Minds among them. So, we “give rise to sympathy and [teach] according to sentient beings. Threefold karma of body, speech and mind.”All sentient beings are pitiable, and therefore, we need to feel sympathy. Otherwise, we may wonder how they came to be so infatuated or deluded by passion. We [teach- according to what sentient beings create out of body, speech and mind. We must first accommodate and understand them. After we understand them, we will patiently guide them and benefit with peach and happiness. We can figure how to bring peace to them, help them become happy and at ease. These are the practices cultivated by Bodhisattvas.As we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must have the Ten Powers and [Fourfold] Fearlessness, as well as loving-kindness and compassion. So, “loving-kindness, compassion, Ten Powers and [Fourfold] Fearlessness emerge.” We must really be mindful, especially about [having] fearlessness. There are four kinds of fearlessness.
The Fourfold Fearlessness are fearlessness in knowing all things, fearlessness in exhausting Leaks, fearlessness in teaching about obstructions, fearlessness in teaching the end of suffering.
We must transform all sentient beings.To interact with people, we must have these four kinds of fearlessness. [First], fearlessness in knowing all things. We must understand all things in the world. If we do not understand them, we will be affected by tangible material things. We must also have fearlessness in exhausting Leaks. All afflictions must be eliminated. This is called “exhausting Leaks.”
If we no longer feel any afflictions, have no greed, anger or ignorance, well we still feel any sense of gain or loss? Nothing will bother us. If we are like this, we will be fearless in giving teachings fearless in giving teachings. Because we know everything and are not attached to anything, we are fearless. Then we have “fearlessness in teaching the end of suffering.”
Life is a state that must be endured; it is full of suffering. Therefore, we must understand the Truth of Suffering, the principle of life being filled with suffering. If we do not understand that life is full of suffering, how can we remove the suffering from life? That is why we must first understand this.
So, fellow Bodhisattvas, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must be among people to learn all [His] teachings and understand all principles. Otherwise, even if I give clear teachings, you will still be confused when you deal with situations. Therefore, we need to learn to do virtuous deeds. We really need to seek the right path to create virtuous karma. This is inseparable from practicing the Five Precepts and ten Good Deeds.
The causes and conditions of good karma arise from following the Five Precepts and doings the Ten Good Deeds. When we create good Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind, we form causes and conditions for good karma.
The Five Precepts and doings the Ten Good Deeds are related to the Threefold Karma of body, speech and mind. If we do good things with speech and mind, everything becomes good [karma] and naturally our minds will be fearless.
Therefore, “loving-kindness, compassion, the Ten Powers and [Fourfold Fearlessness] arise” and we will have suffering strength to go among people in this world to transform all sentient beings. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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