Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Right Faith Gives Rise to Roots of Goodness (正信生善根方便教眾生)
Date: November. 26. 2013
“Faith is the source of the Way, the mother of merits. It nurtures the roots of goodness. Believe in the Buddha’s subtle, wondrous and extremely profound Dharma. Present and past Buddhas share the same path.”
This tells us that we have to develop a truly reverent faith. Only with reverent faith can we cultivate merits and give rise to spiritual aspirations. This is why “faith is the source of the Way, and the mother of merits.” With Right Faith, naturally we can continue to increase the merits of our roots of goodness. We have to have faith. This is how things work. We do our work steadily and practically to help people wherever they are suffering. We share our experiences with them. Even though they may be poor and suffering, we can teach them to do good deeds to accumulate merits and develop roots of goodness. This is how we transform others. When they do not have this understanding, they suffer immensely. When they do have this understanding, naturally they will follow the methods to relieve their suffering. And if they are capable, they can also help others. This is faith.
The Buddha does not come here only to eliminate our suffering. He wants to resolve the confusion, our ignorance of the law of karma, which traps us in the cycle of rebirth. This is what the Buddha came to teach us. He helps us understand our fragmentary cyclic existence and how to remain aware as we experience fragmentary samsara. Then in life, we can come and go freely and our minds will not easily waver. We have faith now, but if we let external conditions influence us, we may lose our spiritual aspiration and faith. With a slight deviation, Right Faith may become misguided beliefs. We must have correct beliefs about the Buddha. The Buddha’s teachings can eliminate our confusion. If we can transcend confusion and attain clarity, we will understand how we come into and leave each fragment of our existence. Then, in our everyday living, there will be no arising and ceasing as changes constantly occur. We can eliminate the suffering caused by the arising and ceasing of thoughts. The present Buddha [taught] this. Actually, so did Buddhas in the past. So, the path of all Buddhas is the same.
We have discussed at length what happened at Sakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma-assembly before He expounded the Lotus Sutra. Fist we taught the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, then He radiated light and manifested auspicious signs. The dialogue between Maitreya and Manjusri also took a very long time. The ancient Buddhas taught the Lotus Sutra at the end of Their lifetimes and so did the present Buddha. This proves that “all past and present Buddhas share the same path.”
To transform people in this world, we must utilize worldly wisdom and matters.We must utilize worldly wisdom and matters.People suffer greatly in this world, so we must immediately help them with their difficulties.We have to cultivate the ability to know what to do and what to say to earn the trust of others.So, “faith” is an important word.
As I have mentioned before, Manjusri Bodhisattva said, “I saw [Sun-Moon-] Lamp Radiant Buddha with such light and auspicious signs.Thus, I know the present Buddha wishes to expound the Lotus Sutra.”
We have already learned there were 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas and “all Buddhas share the same path.”Before entering Parinirvana, They all expounded the Lotus Sutra.Before expounding the Lotus Sutra, They all radiated light and manifested auspicious signs.This happened in the past.As for the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, we know he did the same based on the dialogue between Manjusri and Maitreya.
He was about to expound the Lotus Sutra.“These appearances are like past auspicious sings.They are skillful means of the Buddhas.The Buddha now radiates bright light to help reveal the meaning of ultimate reality.These appearances are like past auspicious sighs.”
This means that the present signs are the same as the auspicious sighs we spoke of earlier.These are “skillful means of the Buddha”.Every Buddha has such skillful means to help people heighten their vigilance.“Since the Buddha is manifesting this different appearance, what kind of teaching will He give?”Therefore, people began questioning.
So, for every Buddha, the Lotus Sutra assembly [is different from] past assemblies where everyone sits down, asked questions and receives immediate answers from Him.
Sometimes, when the Buddha saw that conditions were right, He would convene the assembly to give teachings.This happened in the past.But now, the Lotus teaching He was about to give was a great Dharma and was what He had been guarding in His heart.Thus, He would freely carry out His original intend.
When Buddhas are about to enter Parinirvana, expounding the Lotus Sutra is how They freely give Their original [teachings].Thus, He joyfully and completely shared the Dharma He had kept in His mind.We must recognize that there are times when we want to say things but the time, the people and the place are inappropriate.If these three things are inappropriate, we will not be able to speak our minds.So, we must speak in accordance with the people, the time and the location.
When we speak to someone, we need to know what is troubling the person to know what to say to them.Can we openly speak of anything here?That has to do with the art of speaking.We must speak at the right time and place, and to the right people.This is how we speak properly.If we take these things into consideration and all the factors are right, then [what we speak] is wondrous Dharma.So, before the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, He used these methods to [signal] to everyone that the Dharma they are about to hear is different from past [teachings,] so they must heighten their vigilance and mindfully listen.This is why He radiated light and manifested auspicious signs.Thus, “all Buddhas share the same path”.They all have skillful means.
What is skillful means?It is “a method that matches the capabilities of all sentient beings”.
Ways to teach according to sentient beings’ capabilities are called skillful means.
Some people's wisdom and knowledge are not yet mature. If our teachings is too profound, they cannot understand at all. As for knowledgeable people, if our teaching is too simple, they do not feel that it is worth their time. Therefore, we must teach according to capabilities. When teachings and capabilities are in sync, only then [are the teachings] wondrous Dharma. So, the Buddha observed the world and taught according to the timing and people's capabilities. This is how the Buddha gave teachings. This is skillful means.
These are proper principles [taught with] clever words. This does not mean we can just say anything. Not at all. Skillful means are proper principles that teach people how to be good, how to eliminate afflictions and how to create blessings and virtues and so on. “Refrain from all evils, do all good deeds” is something that the Buddha explains with different methods to guide people. So, these methods are proper and very orderly. They are not haphazard or disorderly; they are very organized and sequential. These skillful means are clever and easy to apply . Do you understand what I am saying? If you do will you apply them to your daily living? These are skillful and clever teachings that we can easily take in and then outwardly express in our actions.
What methods do we express through our actions? Skillfull means, which are clever words expressed verbally. So, they are clever words.“For various capabilities, [He] used proper principles and clever words”. The teachings were not causally given but given according to capabilities. Using sequential and orderly principles, He cleverly taught them. These are called skillful means.
Skillful means: proper principles [taught with] clever words. For various capabilities, [He] used straightforward principles and clever words.
In His lifetime, the Buddha began teaching after He attained Buddhahood. For 42 years, He gradually guided them solely by using these skillful means, straightforward and clever teachings. He taught and guided sentient beings according to their capabilities. So, these are skillful means.
Next, “The Buddha now radiates bright light to help reveal the principles of ultimate truth”. Now, we return to the Dharma-assembly of Sakyamuni Buddha.At the Vulture Peak assembly, Manjusri Bodhisattva said, “Look, the Buddha is still in Samadhi, He is radiating light from between His brows to help people focus their minds”. Because the Buddha was about to teach the principles of ultimate truth, He wanted to strengthen their faith and increase their focus to listen to the teachings. These are “assisting manifestations”. Otherwise, people would not listen earnestly and their minds would wander. If people sit in front of me but their minds are elsewhere, they will not listen carefully to what I say. Then haven't I taught in vain? Haven't they listened in vain?
One day, a young man said that he listened to my lecture in the morning. But at breakfast, when my lecture was broadcasted again, he heard things he did not hear that morning even though he sat in the lecture. The recording proves that I gave this teaching in the morning. However, as the young man listened to the speech at breakfast, he realized he did not hear it all. That is because his mind was elsewhere. Once the mind goes elsewhere, the teachings are cut off. So, as the Buddha expounded teachings, He wanted to remind everyone that now He was about to freely express His original intent, what He really wanted to teach. So, they must listen earnestly and not allow their minds to wander.
Thus, this “helps reveal the principles of ultimate truth.” And I want you to understand, “Now the Buddha radiates light to contrast this teaching with skillful means of the past; now He is revealing the principles of ultimate truth.”
This is what I want to share. In the past, [the Buddha] taught skillful means according to people’s capabilities. When they asked a question, He answered. When He observed something, He told people about it when karmic conditions were mature. In the past, He gave teachings according to their capabilities. Thus, He taught skillful means in the past. Now, “He is revealing the principles of ultimate truth.” Now His teachings are “revealing” He no longer wanted to hide the True Dharma. Now He opened His heart and revealed the Dharma completely so that people could understand the true principles.
He began by saying that everyone can intrinsically has Buddha-nature. But no one had ever experienced what that was. So, first He taught everyone to “Refrain from all evils, do all good deeds”. He helped everyone understand that by planting such causes, they reaped such fruits, that by creating such karma, they faced such retributions.
During this period time, He used many methods to help people understand this. Now, He wanted to verify that they can all attain Buddhahood, that those who will soon attain Buddhahood will gradually appear.
Everyone, when we hear this passage, we realize that skillful means are not taught casually. It is just that our capabilities do not yet allow us to comprehend them.
The Buddha taught us that we intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we have not yet united with our Buddha-nature. So, the Buddha created the Eightfold Noble Path for us to practice. He also gave all kinds of skillful means such as loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, as well as many methods to cultivate blessings and wisdom.
Weren’t the 20,000 Lamp Radiant Buddhas replete with both blessings and wisdom? All Buddhas share the same path, to help us understand all of this. Only after we experience all these things can our Eight Consciousnesses return to the ninth consciousness, our pure Buddha-nature. We have to experience all these things.
Of what the Buddha has taught, how much of it have we understand? We still have not been able to [return to] our intrinsic Buddha-nature. Now He is giving this True Dharma in hopes that we can all [return to] our intrinsic Buddha-nature.This is the True Dharma.
Even though it has been taught, there are still many kinds of Dharma that we must truly make an effort to learn and believe. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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