Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Entering the Wisdom-Door through Precepts (信受持戒入智慧門)
Date: December. 05. 2013
The wisdom of all Buddhas is like the light from a torch. “Wisdom can illuminate the darkness of ignorance, help us realize how to avoid dangers and understand the wisdom-door that the Buddha has opened to transform sentient beings.”
When an ignorant thought arises in sentient beings, the road ahead becomes unclear. We do not know where we came from nor where we are going. Thus at any moment, if one thought goes astray, we may end up thousands of miles off-course. This is how we ordinary people are. Our minds are filled with darkness, but if we can receive the Buddha’s wisdom, the light from His torch of wisdom will illuminate the state of our minds. If our minds can receive the light of wisdom, the roads in our darkened minds can be illuminated. Then naturally we can avoid dangers. If we can sweep away the ignorance in our minds, we will be disciplined and reverent as we deal with things. Precepts can guard against wrongs and help evils, prevent us from having unwholesome thoughts and stop us from committing evil acts. Therefore, when the Buddha’s wisdom has entered our minds, naturally we can thoroughly understand the wisdom-door the Buddha used to transform sentient beings.
Indeed, to understand this wisdom, [upholding] precepts is very important. The Buddha came into the world to transform us, to teach us how to diligently do the things we should do and immediately refrain from the things we should not do. If we can stop ourselves in time from doing things we should not do, our minds and conduct will be upright. “One upright thought destroys 10,000 deviant ones.”
There is a story about wisdom and precepts that took place in a small village. One day around dusk, a handsome young man suddenly appeared [at the door] of a small house. He looked exhausted and told the man of the house, “I am very tired from walking. Do you have any space in your house where I can stay for a night?” The man of the house said, “Young man, I can see that you are very tired. Where did you come from?” The young man said, “I came from the Kingdom of Sravasti. Many people in my country are Buddhists who uphold the Five Precepts. My parents are even more devout than others; One time, I went away for business and I was careless and took a drink. When I returned home, my parents smelled the alcohol on me. They angrily told me that I did not uphold the five precepts and that by violating the one against drinking, I brought shame to the family.So in rage, they threw me out and told me to go far away to self-reflect.”
The man of the house did not know what the Five Precepts were, but he felt that this young man was kindhearted.The man was very hospitable and quickly prepared a room for the young man.After he helped the young man settle in, the owner busily got to work.What was he busily doing?
Every day, this man held lavish ceremonies to make offerings to the three ghosts of wealth, as they would bestow wealth upon the house.His wealth was inexhaustible, therefore, he believed these were blessing conferred upon him by the three ghosts of wealth.So, he made lavish offerings every day.
That night the sky was full of stars, and they young man stayed in his quiet room to mindfully contemplate the Buddha’s Five Precepts.He kept repenting.At this time, the three ghosts had arrived.They were about to reach the house when they could feel a virtuous aura from afar.Therefore, they could not get closer, and they quickly turned around and ran away.
The man of the house saw these spirits of wealth turning and running away, so he quickly called after them, “Oh, you ghosts of wealth, why are you running away without talking the offerings?”As he chased after them, he respectfully asked this question.As the spirits ran away they replied, “Because in your house, there is an honored guest.There are many Dharma-protectors there, so we cannot go near.”
As they spoke and ran, they were terrified.
The man of the house was mystified, so in the morning he asked the young man.The young man said, “The Buddha’s Five Precepts are Right Dharma.Although I broke the precept against drinking, one out of the Five Precepts, I still very reverently uphold the other four and have been continually repenting.Perhaps this why I am surrounded by Dharma-protectors.”
So, the man of the house asked, “What are the principles of the Buddha-Dharma?”
The young man told him what little he knew.Then he said, “I don’t know a lot but you can go to the Kingdom of Sravasti to see the Buddha and the Sangha for yourself.”
The owner decided, “All right, I will go see them.Is it possible that the true principles are so penetrating?”
One that day, he made preparations and then began his journey.The young man moved on to the next city as the man of the house started walking toword Sravasti.
After a day of walking,he saw a single house in the distance.So,he went and knocked on the door.The woman who opened the door looked very proper.She asked him, “What is your business？”He said, “ I want to go to Sravasti.I still a long way to go,but it is getting dark and there are no other houses close by.So,I want to ask you for lodging.”The woman looked reluctant and was very hesitant.Eventually she said, “Honestly,it is not that I am unwilling to help you.but this place is very dangerous.My husband is a man-eating ghost,a demon that eats people. You must leave here as soon as possible, he will come back soon.” The woman kept declining his plea, but he persisted in his request, so she let him stay in a room. In the evening, indeed the man-eating ghost came home. From far away he saw over 20 Dharma-protectors surrounding his house. He became frightened and could not further approach this virtuous aura, so he left.
After the night passed peacefully, the woman told the man who came for lodging, “You must leave quickly. You are very fortunate and blessed that my husband did not come back. So, you must take this opportunity to leave now.”As he stepped outside, he saw many human bones. He became very scared. Then he thought, “This woman is very beautiful if her husband is a man-eating ghost, staying with him must be very dangerous for her. “At home, I have been living in luxury every day. Why should I treacherously continue forward to seek the Five Precepts, whatever they are? Although I want to learn about the Five Precepts, and I have been thinking about what the young man told me, the journey seems so far.”
Once he changed his mind. He decided that he should go home and he might as well take this beautiful woman away from this dangerous place. So, he turned back and said to her, “I am still very tired, can I stay for one more night? I really want to talk to you.” The woman tried refusing him again. But he still refused to leave. Indeed, after the sun set, her husband hurriedly rushed back. The woman saw that her husband was almost home, so she quickly told the man to hide in a wine jar. When the man-eating ghost came back, he said, “Why is there a new human smell here? The scent of this flesh is very fresh, bring it to me quickly!” The woman said, “What do you mean? The house is empty. There are no humans here. As for you, why didn’t you come home last night?” She alternated between a firty and angry tone to accusingly ask him about not coming home.He quickly explained, “I did come home last night, but there was a virtuous aura of heavenly spirits inside and around our house, so I could not come close. I had to leave in a hurry.”The woman then remembered that the man spoke of going to see the Buddha and seeking to receive the Five Precepts. Just what are these Five Precepts? Is just mentioning the Five Precepts enough to scare my husband? So she asked, “Do you know what the Five Precepts are?” He said, “I do, but I cannot say them.”“Why not? You must tell me”
This man-eating ghost could not withstand his wife’s imploring, so he told her abut the Five Precepts. After he explained them, his wife began to recite the Buddha’s name in her mind and developed spiritual aspirations. The man hiding in the liquor barrel also began to repent, realizing that he should have journeyed toward to seek the Five Precepts from the Buddha. So when both of them thought about seeking the Five Precepts at the same time, the heavenly spirits appeared again in over twice their original numbers. Previously, there were about 20, now there were more than 50. They appeared all at once. The man-eating ghost could not endure the aura of virtue, so he disappeared again.
Then this woman called for the man to come out of hiding. She said, “You are very fortunate. My evil husband has left again, you must leave right now.” Now he believed her, so he said, “Since the Buddha’s Five Precepts can bring about such an aura of virtue, why don’t you take refuge with the Buddha, too?” By this time, the woman also realized that every day she lived in great suffering. Now that she knew there was a right path, she [decided to] leave with this man.
On their journey, they met a group of 498 people leaving the Kingdom of Sravasti. They asked the group, “Where are you coming from?”The group said, “We come from the Kingdom of Sravasti. Doesn’t the Buddha reside in Savasti right now?”These people said, “Yes, but we cannot understand His teachings, so we left.”The two of them shared their experiences about how an aura of virtue came from upholding the Five Precepts. After these 498 people heard the story, they thought, “The Buddha is residing in our own kingdom; why can’t we understand Him? As it turns out, if we reverently receive the Five Precepts that are taught, we can attain such great merit and virtue.” So, when they saw that these two people were walking toward Sravasti, these 498 people also turned around to follow them back to Sravasti.
At the Buddha’s abode, these 500 people reverently took refuge with the Buddha. After they took refuge, the Buddha began giving them teachings. The bhiksus found their incredible as they described their experiences. They felt that precepts truly have very inconceivable powers. So, the Buddha told them that a Buddha’s wisdom is difficult to understand. Only when people wholeheartedly believe in, accept and uphold the precepts will Dharma-protectors naturally appear.
So, the Buddha’s “wisdom-door is difficult to understand and enter. It cannot be known by any Heaters or Pratyekabuddhas.”
This is not something easy to understand we should know that the Buddha’s teachings and the Buddha’s wisdom can open the door to the principles of all things in the universe. This is the Bodhi-door to the Right Path. This path is so very broad.
If we Buddhist practitioners can pass through this door, this wisdom-door is “the knowledge and understanding of all things, which is ultimate truth.” We must pass through the wisdom-door to reach the ultimate truth.
This ultimate truth is the gateway to the aura of virtue. So, we must deeply penetrate it. If we can pass through this door, we can thoroughly understand many principles. So, the wisdom-door is a mindset. From this story, we can understand that practicing the Buddha’s Way depends on our minds. If we are reverent, an aura of virtue will surround us.
Therefore, “one thought can destroy all disasters” is also based on the same principle. So, we must always trust in the Buddha’s wisdom. Actually, the Buddha’s wisdom is also the wisdom of sentient beings. We intrinsically have it. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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