Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Dharma-rain Nourishes Everything (法雨滋潤大小乾坤)
Date: November. 27. 2013
“The universe is vast and boundless. The land extensively nurtures [everything]. All grains grow from the same land. Big trees and small plants are all nourished by the same rain.”
This is saying that the universe is vast and boundless; it is immeasurable. Though the land is expansive, it nurtures all grains. The grains all grow from the same land; big trees and small plants alike need nourishment from rain. The Buddha’s mind is like the land in this world; He can use it to nurture wisdom. To develop our wisdom-life, we must experience and understand each of the sutras that comprise the Buddha’s teachings. Then naturally our minds will be united with the Buddha’s mind. Similar to how grains grow from the land, the food for wisdom grows from our minds. Therefore, we must work hard to develop and till the fields of our minds.
So, whether we are speaking of our own mindset, the workings of a microcosm, or the workings of the macrocosm, everything is related to the land and rain. Rain is like the Dharma. We must properly cultivate the land in our minds to take in the nourishment of Dharma-water. Since each of us have already chosen this way of spiritual practice, we must properly care for our mind and properly absorb the moisture from the rain so that our wisdom-life will grow.
We have already discussed before how “the Buddha now radiates bright light to help reveal the meaning of ultimate truth.”
[The light] inspired everyone to seek teachings, [regardless of] capabilities. Whether we engage in Small Vehicle practices or are Middle or Great Vehicle practitioners, the land that is doing the absorbing is our minds, and we all absorb the same water. I hope that the seeds in our land all have the capacity to receive nourishment from the rain. This [metaphor] serves to help us realize the kind of mindset we must have to receive great teachings.
So, we are alive over 2000 years after the Buddha. But we still need to make an effort to understand how, over 2000 years ago, Sakyamuni Buddha taught for over 40 years and used skillful means to transform beings. Then He summed them up in the True Dharma He taught in the last seven years. So, we must make an effort to initiate opportunities [to learn].
As this next passage says, “All of you should now understand, join your palms and single-mindedly wait, the Buddha will let fall the Dharma-rain to fulfill all those who seek the Way.”
We must be mindful of this passage as well.[This passage] reminds us, “all of you should now understand”.Everyone, we must be mindful.To heighten our awareness, we must strive to be attentive to the teachings the Buddha is about to give.
We cannot allow our minds to scatter, even for a moment.We must focus our energy.
So, Manjusri Bodhisattva used these words to awaken everyone “all of you should now understand”.At this moment, everyone must understand that the Buddha is about to demonstrate how all Buddhas share the same path.He is about to freely express the teachings that.He has long-guarded in His mind.We must be very mindful.Not only that, we must be reverent.So, Manjusrt Bodhisattva told everyone, “join your palms and single-mindedly wait”.Because during this time.Manjusri Bodhisattva was answering Maitreya and responding to the doubts in everyone’s minds, he now asked everyone to be mindful and reverently and respectfully wait for the Buddha.
“The Buddha will let fall the Dharma-rain to fulfill all those who seek the Way”.The teachings that Buddha began to expound are like Dharma-water that nourishes the barren fields in people’s minds, which have already dried up.
Though the seeds are already in the mind, and the field is already being managed; now we immediately need rainfall.People need the Dharma much like the land needs water; this is the same principle.The Buddha is about to give teachings, to let fall the Dharma-rain and provide the moisture we need.This can “fulfill all those who seek the Way, fulfill their desire to seek the Dharma fulfill their desire to seek the Dharma”.
To “let fall the Dharma-rain” means “wondrous Dharma will nourish sentient beings”.
So, the “rain” I mentioned previously is the giving of teachings that nourish sentient beings minds.Therefore, we compare it to “rain”.
Since “rain” is the giving of teachings, we can make the comparison that the Dharma can benefit the fields of our minds.The fields of minds need moisture, just as fields of grains and wheat does.An adequate amount of water is needed to extensively nourish the field of the mind.
For those who seek the Vehicles, should they have doubts or regrets, the Buddha will help resolve them completely so that none remain.
“Those who seed Three Vehicles”There are Small, Middle and Great teachings.This is like how there are big trees, small trees, and grass, etc.They absorb different amounts of water but are all nourished by the same rain.The same amount of rain falls on everything.But the plants [absorb different amounts].Do our aspirations liken us to a blade of grass?A blade of grass [only needs a few drop of water], and it will get the few drops of water that it needs to survive.
The Buddha-Dharma is like the rain. If we wish to cultivate Small Vehicle teachings, we will be like a small blade of grass and seek only a small amount of water. On the same land, the differences are found in seeds. That seed is our aspiration. What kind of seed will we plant? The seed for grass? Or do we aspire to plant the seed for a tree? If we plant the seed for a tree on this land, the amount of water a small tree takes in is more than the amount of water a blade of grass absorbs. This is comparable to those of average capabilities. Because they aspire to further understand His teachings, they will delve into them more deeply. These are people of average capabilities. There are also big trees on this land. Some species of trees are very large. They grow from small trees to big trees. As small trees, they absorb the rain and slowly grow larger. On this land, we see some big trees that are truly very large, which can cast a shade over a large area of land. In conclusion, all things grow from the same land and are nourished by the same rain. On this same land, there are different seeds that absorb different amounts of rain.
So, as the passage in the sutra refers to “Those who seek the Three Vehicles”. Depending on our aspirations, we are part of the Small, Middle or Great Vehicles. “Should they have doubts or regrets, the Buddha will help resolve them completely so that none remain.” In this passage, those who aspire to seek the Three Vehicles have come to the Vulture Peak assembly. As the Buddha radiated light and manifested auspicious signs, they all had the same thought: What teachings will the Buddha give? Manjusri Bodhisattva initiated the questions to teach them all “You must know that now the Buddha is about to let fall the Dharma-rain, You must be reverent. If there is doubt in your minds, the Buddha will begin to resolve those doubts.” We must be very mindful. This great Dharma eliminates doubts so that none remain. Thus, there will no questions in your minds as long as of you make an effort to listen to and receive the teachings.
“Those who seek the Three Vehicles with possible doubts or regrets generally fall into three categories.”
“First are those who have just begun to cultivate Small Vehicles teachings.”
“Second are those who are cultivating the Bodhisattva-vehicle.”
“Third are those who have already realized the fruit of the Small Vehicle.”
They are Small Vehicle practitioners. There may be those who seek teachings but have small capacities. Upon encountering the Buddha, they may wonder, “Has my capacity always been this limited? Can I still become a Buddha? Here, I have already received Small Vehicle teachings from the Buddha. Now the Buddha is about to give great teachings, but I only have a Small Vehicle capacity, so I probably cannot attain the great Bodhi-path.” If we see ourselves as a Small Vehicle practitioner, as a blade of grass, is it possible for us to grow into a big tree? Actually, our minds determine the causes, the seeds we plant. We all have the same land [within us] and receive the same rain. So, we must not doubt ourselves and [mistakenly believe] that we are only grass seeds.
Actually, there are also Bodhi-seeds in our minds. So here, the Buddha wanted to eliminate [our idea] that we will always have only small capacities. Really, we just need to make great aspirations.
First are those newly-inspired Bodhisattvas of this Small Vehicle who say, “Because the Buddha taught me the Small Vehicle, I therefore doubt whether or not I can attain unsurpassed Bodhi.”
Second, “those who are cultivating the Bodhisattva-vehicle are still questioning.” They still think the Buddha expounded great Dharma just for them, Great Vehicle practitioners cultivate Great Vehicle teachings. They wonder if Arhats who cultivate the small Vehicle can receive the great Dharma. These are people with Bodhisattva-aspirations who have not yet completed the Bodhisattva-path. They still have a mindset that “rejects the small.”At this Dharma-assembly, there were those who made great aspirations but still felt pride and arrogance. They thought the Buddha expounded the Dharma solely for them and looked down on Arhats and Small Vehicle practitioners, thinking they could not understand [the teaching] .
Second are those who are cultivating the Bodhisattva-vehicle still questioning Great Vehicle teachings.
“It was solely taught to those like us, Small Vehicle practitioners cannot understand it” Third are those who have already realized the fruit of the Small Vehicle. They think to themselves, “I have not yet realized the ultimate, and I regret not starting with Great Vehicle teachings”
Third are those who already realized the fruit of the Small Vehicle.They have realized the fruit, but these Arhats were still lamenting.Though Manjusri Bodhisattva said at this Dharma-assembly that the Buddha was about to give Great Vehicle teachings, those who realized the fruit of the Small Vehicle still thought about how what they have realized was not the ultimate.
So, they “regret not starting with Great Vehicle teachings”. They wondered why they did not form Great Vehicle aspirations [at the outset] and [instead] took a long time to realize the Four Fruits. So, they regret that in the past, their aspiration was not great enough, was not the ultimate. They have realize this now. These three regrets are all “waiting to be eliminated by the Buddha’s great teachings”.
Now they must wait for the moment when the Buddha lets fall the Dharma-rain, to give teachings Nourishing all who seek the Way with Dharma-rain is how He gives teachings. Whether they cultivated the Small, Middle or Great Vehicle, they had questions in their minds that the Buddha would resolve with teachings once He emerged from Samadhi.
We must be very grateful for Manjusri Bodhisattva’s great wisdom in initiating this opportunity to bring all those with different capacities closer together. We will need to be of one mind and reverently and patiently wait. According to Manjusri Bodhisattva’s wisdom, the Buddha is about to give His original teaching.
We must gratefully and reverently receive it. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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