Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Extensively Create Good Karmic Connections (廣結善緣 行菩薩道)
Date: November. 21. 2013
As we learn the Buddha’s Way, I hope we can make great aspirations and vows, benefit ourselves and others, and awaken ourselves and others. These are the spiritual aspirations that we, as spiritual practitioners, must have. We often chant the word “Mahabodhisattva,” which means “mind of great enlightenment”. Maha means “big”. Bodhi means “enlightenment”. Sattva means “mind”. So, this word means “mind of great enlightenment”. In particular, those who develop Bodhicitta must “seek a wide and great path and help bring sentient beings to maturity.”
This is how we benefit the self and others simultaneously. In the process of spiritual cultivation, we seek a wide and great path. This is like building a road from nothing. We clearly know its beginning and end, and its course, then we work hard to build it. Just building the road for one person already requires a lot of effort, so why not make it wider at the same time? Then the road that we have walked and paved, can also be taken by many other people. The journey will be safe and swift, and it will lead us to our goad of attaining the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Therefore, we spiritual practitioners are like trailblazers. Those who make Bodhisattva-aspirations seek a wide path, which can be very broad and profound. We can only achieve this by making great aspirations and vows. Not only can we arrive at the finish line ourselves, we can also help others accomplish this. Thus, we help bring sentient beings to maturity. We achieve success while helping others do the same.
As I have mentioned, the path of spiritual cultivation is long. Sometimes, if we do not take good care of our hearts and become lax, we will “cast aside recitations, neglect, forget and fail to comprehend them.” If we do not make an effort to practice, our Dharma-cultivation will decay. Then we will be unable to clearly understand the principles.
Because of this, among Wondrous Light Bodhisattva’s 800 disciples, the one called Seeker of Fame only looked for recognition. He often visited the heads of great clans and cast aside the recitations. Thus he was lax. “Yet he also practiced many good deeds so he could meet countless Buddhas.” This tells us that as long as a person has a good heart and extensively creates good karmic connections, he can still “make offerings to countless Buddhas.”He still showed great respect to the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and the Dharma.He also knew to rejoice in others’ good deeds, which is a merit.“Accordingly, he walked the great path.”The great path leads to developing Bodhicitta, the mind of great enlightenment.Even among spiritual practitioners in the past, inevitably were there who cast off their recitations and neglected, forgot and failed to comprehend them.But he still had a firm spiritual aspiration.
Do you all understand this?Some people may wonder how, if he was lax and craved fame and wealth, he could still have the karmic conditions to meet all these Buddhas.
This is because of the intrinsic nature in us all.His spiritual aspiration, his intrinsic nature, was still there.For a very long time, he had been very respectful and had been following the Buddha’s teachings.He listened, identified with and believed, but his habitual tendency was laziness.This teaches us that we spiritual practitioners must always heighten our vigilance.We cannot make any tiny missteps that will enable our habitual tendencies to resurface.
Great Bodhisattvas manifest in this world as guides and reminders.So as I have said before, as ordinary people, when we first resolve to begin spiritual practice, if we are not firm in our spiritual aspiration and become lazy or greedy, that is defiled conduct in the Era of Dharma-degeneration.This taints our spiritual community.
What we are cultivation are purifying practices.[Look at] this Bodhisattva in the sutras.
Why did he still have the opportunity to be part of this group?Let me tell you, this Bodhisattva’s role was to teach us that we cannot be lax.If everyone in this group was diligent and only one person was lax, greedy and [behaved improperly], this defiled conduct served as a warning to everyone.Human life is played out on a stage.
Bodhisattvas are playing roles on this stage.So, this is how they teach through manifestations.
Based on this passage.I worry that some people are so compassionate that they allow everything.It is true that as we learn Buddha’s Way, we learn to have infinite compassion and be very accommodating.But there are still rules for living in this world.
So, the Buddha developed precepts.When we violate them, we must practice “ksama,” which means repentance.We must ask others to immediately turn around.By asking them to swiftly repent, they can correct their mistakes and start anew.This is truly showing compassion.We must all be self-vigilant and take care of our spiritual aspirations.We must uphold precepts and follow the rules.If we violate precepts and rules, those are acts of defilement.
Developing Bodhicitta is walking the great Bodhi-path, the path to great enlightenment.
We must make an effort to forge this great road.By walking mindfully, we will not create side roads that lead us to become lost.One deviate thought will lead us far astray, so our mindset is very importantSo after we make mistakes, we must promptly change our way.
Then we cantruly “[walk] the great path and perfect the Six Paramitas” Next, “now that he has met the Sakyan Lion, he will become a Buddha later. His name will be Maitreya, and he will widely transform sentient beings in numbers beyond calculation”.
This passage of the sutra states that because Seeker of Fame Bodhisattva had followed everyone in spiritual cultivation, he was replete with roots of goodness and practiced the Six Paramitas. That is walking the Bodhisattva-path. After perfecting the Six Paramitas, “now he has met the Sakyan Lion”. The Sakyan Lion is the Buddha and is an epithet of virtue for Sakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha is fearless and at east in the Three Realms. So, He was like a lion, the king of all beasts.
A lion is the king of all beasts.In the forests, there are many different animals. A big jungle may contain all kinds of living beings. The lion is the most respected. So when the animals hear the lion's roar, they are very fearful. Because the lion is most powerful in the jungle, we describe Sakyamuni Buddha as the king of beasts. So, He is called “the Sakyan Lion”, which is a metaphor. Among people, His wisdom is above all, like the king of all beasts in the forest. In the Three Realms, His wisdom is above all. He is Guiding Teacher of the Three Realms and Compassionate Father of the Four Forms of Birth.
So, one of Sakyamuni Buddha's virtuous epithets is “the Sakyan Lion”. This shows respect. In particular, Seeker of Fame Bodhisattva will eventually become a Buddha. So, this disciple of Wondrous Light Bodhisattva is now among the disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha and will receive a prediction of attaining Buddhahood. This is what Manjusri Bodhisattva said. So, “he will become a Buddha later. His name will be Maitreya, and he will widely transform all sentient beings”. In the future, he will become a Buddha named Maitreya, and he will be able to transform many sentient beings in numbers beyond calculation. We all know that “Maitreya Buddha will be the next Buddha”. This is what Buddhist disciples know. Where is Maitreya Bodhisattva now? He currently lives in Tusita Heaven.
Maitreya Bodhisattva is called the Loving One, meaning he has great loving-kindness. We have just mentioned that he extensively formed good karmic relationships and did many good deeds. This is what is special about this Bodhisattva. Remember what we said before? There were two Bodhisattvas, one devoted to cultivating wisdom, the other devoted to loving-kindness. The one devoted to wisdom was Maitreya, while Sakyamuni was devoted loving-kindness. One sought wisdom for himself, the other disregarded himself and gave fully out of love. So the causes and conditions for one matured first and He became a Buddha ahead of the other. The one who practiced for himself lacked karmic affinities with sentient beings, so he had to wait for his time. In the future, he will become a Buddha when he is replete with karmic affinities with sentient beings.
At this time, he began cultivating loving-kindness. So in the inner court of the Tusita Heaven, a spiritual training ground for Bodhisattvas, many Bodhisattvas are cultivating themselves there, along with Maitreya Bodhisattva, and [learning] to become replete with compassion.
Everyone may think, “Isn’t heaven a joyful place? In such joyful place, how can they cultivate living-kindness?” Although he currently lives in the inner court of Tusita Heaven, he often comes into the world to transform sentient beings. So, coming here is part of his studies, but he still resides in the Tusita inner court.
Maitreya is called the Loving One and currently resides in the inner court of Tusita Heaven. This Bodhisattva will be Buddha in his next life.
Maitreya Bodhisattva currently abides in Tusita Heaven. Tusita Heaven is a spiritual training ground for Bodhisattvas, for those who made Bodhisattva-aspirations to focus on practicing loving-kindness and compassion. If we think about this, Tusita Heaven can be anywhere. I have told you that Tusita Heaven is a Bodhisattva training ground. There is a Heaven in everyone, a Bodhisattva training ground. When we express compassion, we will be a Bodhisattva who will be a future Buddha. This is to say that the more compassionate we are, the more likely we are [to become a Buddha].
Maitreya Bodhisattva comes into the world to work on relieving the suffering of sentient beings. So, his name is Maitreya, which means “loving-kindness.” When we learn the Buddha’s Way, loving-kindness is the first of the Four Infinite Minds, followed by compassion joy and equanimity. So as we develop loving-kindness, karmic affinities with sentient beings. I often say, “Before attaining Buddhahood, first create good karmic affinities.” If we want to create good affinities, we must have loving-kindness he also did many good deeds, so he could meet countless Buddhas.”
When we look at people with a Buddha-mind, everyone is a Buddha. If we constantly nurture our unconditional loving-kindness, we will bring joy to a person even if we are not connected to that person at all.we just need to find a way to create a good karmic affinities. This is what a Bodhisattva does. Everyone has a Bodhisattva-mind. Bodhisattvas must unlock their unconditional loving-kindness and create good karmic affinities with everyone. By doing this, we ae “the loving ones.” Tusita Heaven is within our hearts, and we will be Buddhas in our next life.
Next, Maitreya Bodhisattva will be Maitreya Buddha. This was described by Manjusri Bodhisattva while Sakyamuni Buddha was in Samadhi He recalled a Bodhisattva during the time of Sun-Moon-Radiant Buddha who lived in that environment for a very long time and had lost focus for a while. But he quickly created good affinities with people so he could become a Buddha in the future. He was able to transform countless sentient beings because he had created many good affinities, so everyone became joyful when they saw him and accepted (his teachings) when they heard him.
So when we create good affinities with others, every word [we say] is the Dharma. Without create good affinities, every word we speak creates dispute. This is what I always tell everyone. Without transdorming sentient beings, we will not have good karmic affinities, and will have absolutely no way to attain Buddhahood. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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