Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Become Bodhisattvas, Attain Great Ease (菩薩成道得大自在)
Date: November. 05, 2013
Every day, I ask all of you the same thing. “Is your mind tranquil and clear? Are you taking good care of your mind?” We have to do this at all times, every day, to be a spiritual practitioner. The work of a spiritual practitioner is to take good care of the mind so that it is as tranquil and clear as a pure mirror. Has dust and filth tainted our mirror? We must care for it at all times and immediately wipe off [dust and filth]. Inevitably, in our daily living there is bound to be friction with others due to words and actions, so we must constantly self-reflect. We must apologize quickly for anything we just did. And if we allow ignorance to stir our minds, we must quickly change our ways. This is what we must work on every day.
There is nothing mysterious about spiritual practice. It is just part of our daily living. So, the purpose of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings is to purify our minds. Our mirror must be pure and clear in order to illuminate other people. The principles of the Dharma are extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. We must first let [the Dharma] into our hearts, so we can have a sense of playfulness and ease in our interactions. But, we must be very earnest while we maintain this attitude of playfulness. We have to be serious about the principles, which are extremely profound subtle and wondrous. They are deep and vast beyond measure. But their subtlety and wonder are found in our interactions. So, principles can be subtle and wondrous. We need to be serious, but as we interact with people, we have to adopt a playful attitude and carry out our roles well.
Right now, we are playing the role of a spiritual practitioner. As such, we must have a sense of mission, which is to transform sentient beings. To do so, we must teach according to the capability of sentient beings. They vary in their capabilities, and no single method will be suitable for all of them. We must use different methods for those of different capabilities. This is also like playing. This is what the sutra said before; now it states,
“Some display the spiritual power of transporting oneself by jumping up and flying, or by freely going in and out of water or fire.”
The Sutra of Infinite Meanings discusses our spiritual state. The “spiritual” part of the spiritual power of transporting oneself resides in our minds. When our spirit and principles are in harmony with external phenomena, we can achieve complete understanding. This is called “realized the power of being anywhere.” We often hear volunteers share their realizations.
In the hospital they see the impermanence of life, birth, aging, illness and death and so on.They see and realize the truth of the Dharma, and learn to recognize the impermanence of life.To see the source of illness and suffering, they must go into that environment to experience the sufferings in life.So, they see, realize and recognize suffering.After they comprehend and realize it, they have thorough understanding.
So, they “realize the power of being anywhere”.
The spiritual power of transporting oneself is realizing the power of being anywhere or the power to appear anywhere at will.Just by thinking it, they can instantly appear in any land of the ten directions.There are endless possibilities.
So, they also have “the power to appear anywhere at will.Jumping up and flying” conveys great freedom.What is “the power to appear anywhere at will?”I will sit here and talk to you about Da Ai TV right now.Mentally, image of Guandu and the Da Ai building already surface in my mind.See, my mind is in Taipei already.This is called “jumping up and flying”.Jumping up is an action.Flying means leavinghere and going elsewhere.I believe that if you have been to that place, you will probably think about it as I describe it.If you have been to that place, you understand my reference right away.
Your mind and mine are already [communicating].You and I are both sitting here, but we can independently arrive at the same place.This is “have powered to appear anywhere at will”.“Just but thinking it,” with the stirring of a thought, we arrive there.This is how our spirit, our minds freely interact with external conditions a without obstructions.This is how “some display spiritual powers of.
Freely going in and out of water or fire.Freedom has a sense of ease.Therefore, after they behold their true nature, they can go to any state, anywhere”.
A Bodhisattva who attains the Way is called One who Attained Great Ease.
As for “freely going in and out of water or fire,” water and fire are part of the four elements, earth, water, fire and air.The physical world is composed of water and fire, and also of earth and air.Previously, we discussed the mind; now we are talking about the body.This freedom is a sense of ease.Tzu Chi volunteers can also recite this saying, “Blessings are the joy we gain through giving.”“Wisdom is the freedom we gain from being understanding. ”
If we rare understanding, nothing in this world can afflict us.What makes us most happy in this world?Being able to accomplish things makes us happiest .Not be able to accomplish things gives us afflictions.”So, to have blessings means we can accomplish everything we want to do.Therefore, “blessings are the joy we gain through giving.”
“Wisdom is the freedom we gain from being understanding.”The meaning can be found here we are at ease when we are understanding.This passage states, “Therefore, after they behold their true nature, they can go to any state, anywhere.”
If we comprehend the Buddha’s principles, we use our wisdom-eyes to observe our self-nature.We turn the light of wisdom back toward ourselves.Where there is dirt, we quickly wipe it clean; where there is error, we quickly correct it.When we purify our mind, we behold our true nature.Then we “can go to any state, anywhere”.We can go up or down, to the past, present or future, to here or there.No phenomenon can hinder us.
So, a Bodhisattva who has attained the Way is called “One who Attained Great Ease”
That “epithet” refers to freedom. So, we must make an effort to comprehend what this world we live in is really like, what the Buddha’s state is like and what an unenlightened being’s state is like. We must be mindful at all times.
The Buddha, having given the Lotus teachings, caused the assembly to rejoice. Later that very day, He made an announcement to heavenly beings and humans.
What follows in the Lotus Sutra is “the Buddha gave the Lotus teachings”. After Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, He caused the assembly to rejoice. After He emerged from Samadhi, He expounded the Lotus Sutra. After listening to it, many people were very happy. In the past, they were taught how to recognize the Four Noble Truths. Then in order to know how they were born and where they go after they die, they had to study the 12 Links of Cyclic Existence. In the past, they were told to work on these. But now, they Buddha tells them that, having engaged in spiritual practice for themselves to understand the principles, they now must practice the Bodhisattva-path. After they awaken themselves, they must quickly awaken others. This is the principle of the Lotus Sutra.
Many teachings about awakening others had already been given, so people were very happy. Not only could they awaken themselves, they could also awaken others. This naturally made them happy. “Later that very day, He made an announcement to heavenly beings and humans.” Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha, upon seeing that people were receptive, could awaken themselves and others and were happy after listening to the Dharma, felt at peace.
On the day He finished expounding the sutra, “He made an announcement to heavenly beings and humans.” The Buddha is a teacher for heavenly beings and humans, father to those of the four forms of birth. This applies to all Buddhas. Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha was and now so is Sakyamuni Buddha. These Enlightened Ones have attained a great awakening, so They deserve to be called teacher by the fourfold assembly. Even heavenly beings take refuge with Them, Mara, non-Buddhists and even Sakra-devanam Indra and King Brahma Sakra-devanam Indra is still in the desire realm. King Brahma is still in the form realm. In short, the Buddha is a teacher for the Three Realms, a father to those of the four forms of birth.
So, those [He made and announcement to] include “[those who] dedicated their lives to Him”. They had all taken refuge with the Enlightened One and accepted and practiced His teachings. So, this was a very perfect Dharma-assembly. They were all “His disciples”. They all called the Buddha their teacher. So, He is Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans.
He was not just a teacher of the fourfold assembly. All beings in the heavens, in this world, Mara and non-Buddhists, Indra, Brahma, heavenly dragons, also dedicate their lives to [Him] and accept and practice His teachings. So, they are His disciples. Therefore, He is the Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans.
“The meanings of the ultimate truth of all things has already been expounded for all of you. And now at midnight, I shall enter Parinivana.”
I have spoken to you all about the ultimate truth of all things. In addition to humans, heavenly beings and those of the Three Realms, even Mara came to take refuge. This was a very perfect Dharma-assembly. So the Buddha told everyone about “the ultimate reality of all things”.
“Ultimate reality’ means it is not an illusory or false appearance. It is true, not illusory or false. All appearance is without appearance refers to the basic embodiment of all things.”
“Appearance” is truly “without appearance.” Really, what is appearance? I often use wood as an example. Where does wood come from? From a seed, which converges with conditions such as soil, water and air and so on. It grows from a tiny seeding into a great tree. After decades, this tree is chopped down and becomes a part of people’s lives. In our environment, we have trees over our heads (ceiling), we have trees all around us (walls) and we sit on trees (wooden floors). It is in everything we see. This desk was also a tree. We can classify all these things as trees. But can we call them trees? A window is also framed by wood. Walls are also made of wood. But we call this the window frame, the wall and the floor, and so on each has a different name and appearance.
This appearance is actually illusory. This is not its true name nor its original appearance. Nothing in this world has a true form. Take a flower, for example. Similarly, it [came from] a flower seed, with the appearance of a seed. But where does a flower seed come from? From the flower. After the flower has bloomed and withered, the seeds it contained [falls out]. The seed, along with all the necessary conditions, then becomes a flower.
So truly, the ultimate reality is wisdom, not the fruition we see. These source of true principles is ultimate reality. The ultimate reality is that “all appearance is without appearance and “refers to the basic embodiment of all things.” The basic essence of everything is called Dharma-nature.
What is call Dharma-nature, what is called True Suchness, what is called ultimate reality, are all essentially the same thing.
All the teachings given by the Buddha use labels and appearance to describe the Dharma-nature at its source. So, the ultimate reality is Dharma-nature. This name of Dharma-nature is ultimate reality. So, “[It] is called True Suchness.” Dharma-nature can be called True Suchness. True Suchness means returning to our true nature.
What do we look like in this lifetime? What did we look like in our previous lifetime? We do not know. What will we look like the next life time? We are not clear about that either. But we have a true nature without beginning or end. This intrinsic nature or true principle is called the nature of True Suchness. It is also called ultimate reality. So, there is only intrinsic body. No matter what phenomenon it is, it has a True Suchness, an ultimate reality. True Suchness, is Dharma.
So, “it is intrinsic body of all Dharma.” It is called Dharma-nature.
We call Dharma-nature “the ultimate reality.” In summary, we still have to use appearances to understand all things. Within appearances, there are subtle and wondrous principles. So, the Buddha-Dharma is extremely profound. We have to use our great perfect mirror wisdom to realize and comprehend it. If not, the more we hear, the more confused we are. So, to return to our true nature we must realize True Suchness. This is how we can truly [integrate] principles of daily living with our minds. So, it is extremely profound, subtle and wondrous. We must seriously apply these principles to our minds and in our interpersonal interactions play effortlessly in this world. In short, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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