Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eliminate Deluded Thinking, Perceiving, Recalling (滅除夢妄思想念)
Date: November. 11. 2013
The most important aspect of spiritual practice is to return to our intrinsic nature. Intrinsic nature [is] the ultimate truth; the path to the infinite. Through Dharma-doors, we can learn to understand our intrinsic nature. To experience the infinite Dharma-doors, we must have wisdom. Wisdom is without Leaks. Flawless is [a way to describe] wisdom. As I said yesterday, Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, and everyone was worried. So, He declared that Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva would soon become a Buddha and lead practitioners in their spiritual cultivation. Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva had already attained the ultimate truth, that is to say, he had already clearly understood Flawless Dharma.
So, he “completely understood the ultimate truth that is without Leaks.”
Accomplishing this requires a long period of spiritual practice. I often say that practice takes patience and concentration. We need patience and concentration because, from Beginningless Time, one ignorant thought created the Three Subtleties. The Three Subtleties are very subtle thoughts. One ignorant thought arises and creates greed, anger and delusion. Thus, we become trapped in the Six Realms. Now the karmic conditions are ripe for us to listen to the Buddha-Dharma and begin our spiritual practice. The Buddha said [attaining Buddhahood] took Him three great asankya kalpas of spiritual practice; that is a very long time. If it took Him that long, it will take even longer for us. So, we must know that we need patience and endurance.
Take a piece of clean cloth for example. If we carelessly spill ink on it and [stain it], washing it clean will take a lot of work. Staining it happens quickly, but restoring its purity really takes time. To attain a state in which the “mind has understood it completely,” comprehend the ultimate truth without Leaks,
we must “painstakingly and diligently cultivate all virtues.”
We must be diligent and not afraid of hardship. We have to make an effort to diligently cultivate various virtues. “One who is virtuous, attains”. We must let the Dharma enter our hearts. Virtue comes from attaining the true essence of the Dharma. So, it is the result of diligent practice.So, it is the result of diligent practice.“Painstakingly and diligently cultivate all virtues.”We must continuously engage in spiritual practice every day, every hour, every minute, every second.We cannot let even a bit [of wisdom] leak away.Therefore, we have to practice continuously, be diligent, vigilant and meticulous, every minute and second, continuously.
In summary, we must take good care of our minds and accumulate virtues by internally cultivating and externally practicing.
You may recall that I often say that the Jing Si Dharma-Lineage is a diligent path.We internally cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness.We must be scrupulous in our thinking and take good care of our minds.We must be diligent in our practice.Our interaction with others is spiritual practice.Doing anything is spiritual practice.
Zen Buddhism says, “carrying firewood or water is also meditation.”Meditation is Samadhi.We must have Right Samadhi, Right Knowledge, Right Views, etc.So, in our daily living, we must internally cultivate [virtues] through daily behavior.Our conduct must reflect sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness.We must cultivate [these virtues] in our hearts.For external practice, the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism is the path of working in this world.We must go among people and practice the Four Infinite Minds, loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.They are externally practiced.
Virtue can be achieved through internal and external practice.Aside from attaining virtue through these practices, we must also practice the Three Flawless Studies, precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.What are precepts, Samadhi and wisdom?They represent a return to the teachings of the ultimate truth, which is without Leaks.
To attain ultimate truth, we must realize and experience it through wisdom.Our wisdom comes from precepts and Samadhi, so we can attain the worldly and world-transcending ultimate truth.These are the Three Flawless Studies.Besides precepts, Samdhi and wisdom, we need [to practice] the Six Perfections.
You probably all remember that they are giving, [upholding] precepts, patience, diligence, Samadhi and wisdom.In our spiritual training ground, we must constantly and diligently practice precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.
The Tzu Chi School of Buddhism is a path in this world.We go among people to practice the Six Paramitas.Loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity are tied to these Six Perfections.We must be mindful of this.
As I said yesterday,Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha predicted that.Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva will become a Buddha.
After He attains Buddhahood, “his epithet will be Pure Body and he will also transform countless beings.”
The Dharma-name of Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva, his epithet as a Buddha, is Pure Body.This Bodhisattva created many karmic affinities with sentient beings, so he could transform countless sentient beings.This also shows all Buddhas share the same path.
Every one of Them is very compassionate.Before entering Parinirvana, this Buddha comforted everyone. He told them that they cannot become lax. Since He was about to enter Parinirvana, they must quickly awaken their minds.
“First, He warned sentient beings about beings lax. Then, He entered Parinirvana. To comfort sentient beings in their grief, He predicted who would be future Buddhas.”
This passage exhorts us to be diligent. At the same time, this comfort us. After the Buddha enters Parinirvana, a successor will come to this world to transform people. He already bestowed a prediction on Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva to attain Buddhahood and become Pure Body Buddha. This is how a Buddha comforts His disciples. He also exhorted them all to be diligent because He would soon enter Parinivana.
However, no one should worry because there will still be a Buddha in the world. This is the Buddha's compassion.
“That night the Buddha crossed into extinction, as when wood is consumed and the flame dies. ”
“That night” means that in a very short time, the Buddhas would cross into extinction, “like when wood is consumed and the flame dies”. When firewood is kindled and burned to the end, it becomes ash. The flame also dies. During this period of teachings, He had spent a long time engaging in spiritual practice to attain Buddhahood, then He taught sentient beings in this world.
He even passed the Dharma on to Wondrous Light, so he could transmit it to others. The eight princes had already become monastics and those He needed to teach were taught, so Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddha would enter Parinirvana soon. Then He would be cremated. This is like “like when wood is consumed”. After the kindling is burnt, the flame dies. This is crossing into extinction.
[This is the extinction] of views, thinking and dust-like delusions, which are the three kinds of ignorant and afflicted delusions. Crossing is crossing the two kinds of samsara, fragmentary and transformational.
Sentient beings have much ignorance, afflictions. If we cannot completely eliminate afflictions, how can we attain wisdom? As I have said before, [one time,] as Ananda was with the Buddha, the Buddha told him, “Pick up some sand with your fingernail. Is there more sand under your fingernail or on the land?” Of course, Ananda did not have to think about this “Venerable Buddha, this is very simple. How can the sand under my fingernail compare to the sand on the land?” The Buddha said, “Ananda! Compared to principles of ultimate truth, the teachings you have heard are like the sand under your fingernails. That is all you have heard. The Dharma of ultimate truth is as plentiful as the sand on the land. Conversely, we can say of our practice.
“Yes, I have changed! I understand now!” But we understand a lot less than Ananda did. How much have we changed? Our afflictions are still as numerous as the sand on the land. What we have changed is as little as the sand underneath our fingernails. We talk about the 62 and the Views, but there are more numerous and fine afflictions. So, we have to eradicated them. We know the causation of our suffering and how we accumulate such karmic conditions how we accumulate such karmic conditions. What can we do? We must eliminate them.What must we eliminate? All afflictions. What [causes] our afflictions? Our views. I spent five years on the Water Repentance to continually explain these afflictions. But can the afflictions [explained] in the Water Repentance compare to our dust-like afflictions? No, they are incomparable. So, I have spent many years speaking about human afflictions. How often do thoughts stir in our minds? Very often! So, we must eliminate these views.
Our views and thinking have deviated too much.To engage in spiritual practice is to cultivate our thinking and thoughts, so we can quickly return to our intrinsic nature. We have many thoughts that we need to eradicate, much “deluded thinking perceiving and recalling”.
In the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, we often read about “deluded thinking, perceiving and recalling”. So, we must make an effort to continuously eliminate deluded thinking and perceiving. Aside from delusions in views and thinking, there are dust-like delusions, so many that they cannot be counted.Having delusions means we lack clarity. There are a lot of things were not clear about So, we must clearly understand our views. We must eliminate delusional thinking, perceiving and recalling. Delusions of views, thinking and dust-like delusion of ignorance.Delusion means a lack of understanding. Crossing is crossing the two kinds of samsara, fragmentary and transformational. We unenlightened beings and Small Vehicle saints have not transcended fragmentary samsara, so we experience cyclic existence in fragments.We are currently living in this lifetime. There has been a past and will be a future lifetime. Each of those lifetimes is a fragment of samsara. Right now we experience a fragment of samsara. In the future, there will be another fragment. We do not know how many we have experienced; this is all beyond our control.There is also transformational samsara, which refers to our spiritual transformation, its arising, abiding, changing and ceasing. Before Small or Great Vehicle practitioners awaken, they experience fragmentary samsara.
So, we must transform ourselves “If we do not transform ourselves in this life, when are we going to do it?” Fellow Bodhisattvas we should be mindful. We must seize this time to eliminate delusions of views and thinking.We should transform ourselves and others. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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