Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Four Infinite Minds (四無量心)
Date: December. 20. 2013
“When teachings of the Path are in our hearts, our wisdom will be like the sea. The Four Infinite Minds and Six Paramitas are clever and skillful means to cross to the opposite shore. The Dharma [pervades everywhere and] is vast and great, profound and far-reaching.”
This is to tell everyone that “teachings of the Path [must] enter our hearts.” Don’t we learn the Buddha’s Way to walk the Bodhi-path? We must put it into practice. We need to step onto this land, this path; then we can see the scenery along the road. So, we must experience these conditions firsthand. This happens “when teachings of the Path are in our hearts.” The Right Dharma is what we must pursue, and it [explains] the many things in the world that we do not understand. Through the Buddha-Dharma, we realize that we must seize the present moment to practice the teachings.
So we say, “listen, contemplate and practice.” When we combine these three, we will have “wisdom like the sea.” Since we want to be the Buddha’s disciples, we should be determined to comprehend the great path. Once we comprehend the great path, we will understand how to walk the road the Buddha opened up for us. There are many methods for walking this road because the Buddha tirelessly established various skillful means, analogies and teachings to instruct us on how to accept this Dharma. Then, we still need to practice them among people.
So, while we are among people, we must learn to practice the Four Infinite Minds. Our hearts must be broad and wide open, simple and pure. We must have an open heart and pure thoughts. When [the Four Infinite Minds] are combined with the Six Paramitas, they form the Ten Paramitas. These ten methods can help us comprehend the great path, understand the Buddha’s state of mind we need to accept; hoping that we will go among people.
The Dharma is like the sea, [if we do not go in,] we cannot realize the Buddha’s teachings, “the Four Infinite Minds and Six Paramitas.” We [must] apply it; we cannot realize it simply through words. How can we have “wisdom like the sea”? We must apply the Four Infinite Minds and the Six Paramitas in our lives and as we interact with people. For the teachings of the Path to enter our hearts, we must apply the Four Infinite Minds and the Six Paramitas. Then we “cross to the opposite shore”. We must use the Ten Paramitas to transform ourselves and others. Then from this shore of afflictions, we can safely cross to the other shore, where we can feel peaceful and at ease, free of afflictions.
“The Dharma [pervades everywhere and] is vast and great, profound and far-reaching.” The Dharma is very vast and great. How can we make good use of the Four Infinite Minds and the Six Paramitas among people?The Six Pramitas among people?
We must learn the Buddha’s skillful means.If we do not interact with people with clever and skillful means, we will not be effective.There are many uses of skillful means.
They are “vast and great”.People, matters and objects all inherently contain principles, so there are very many.
[The Dharma is everywhere in space and time;] it is beinningless and endless, very long-lasting.As for discussing the Dharma, there is also no beginning not end.
It extends very far and deep in terms of time.As for breadth, how brad is it?It is inconceivable; it is inconceivably, extremely, infinitely profound.Isn’t this sated in the Sutra of Infinite Meanings?Therefore, it is inconceivable and extremely profound.It is very profound and vast.The teachings contained in this passage alone are enough for us to put our hearts into [studying].
So, the teachings of the Path enter our hearts.Because we accepted the teachings of the Path, we can develop our wisdom.Once we develop wisdom, we can have open hearts and pure thoughts, and as we interact with others, we can cleverly use skillful means and be at ease.If we want to apply many teachings in this world, this is the simplest way to do so.Therefore, we should always be mindful.
Previously, we discussed, “The knowledge and views of the Tathagata are vast, great, profound and far-reaching, limitless and unhindered”.
So, what is “limitless”?The Four Infinite Minds.
The Four Infinite Minds are infinite loving-kindness, infinite compassion, infinite joy and infinite equanimity.The first one is great loving-kindness.
So, infinite loving-kindness is “a mindset of great love”.We need to arouse the great love in our hearts, “the loving thoughts of a Bodhisattva for”.The minds of Bodhisattvas are filled with love.Their great love is selfless, and their every thought is of sentient beings.So, the Buddha, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world solely to transform sentient beings.When they are among others, “[they still] constantly do good and joyous deeds”.They create blessings for people, hoping that everyone will attain happiness.So, Bodhisattvas want to create blessings for this world.This is called great love. Therefore, they “accommodate others’ needs and benefit them”.
Having a Bodhisattva-heart means giving according to he needs of sentient beings.
As long as they have a need, we must continue to initiate [good deeds] and carry out this practice everywhere.In this very vast space, across this universe, we must initiate deeds that benefit sentient being.This means we must help sentient beings attain blessings and joy, and live a peaceful life.So, for sentient beings to benefit, Bodhisattvas need to continuously create space for them to be safe and happy.This is “great loving-kindness”.
Infinite loving-kindness.Loving-kindness is a mindset of great love, the loving thoughts of a Bodhisattva for all sentient beings.
They constantly do good and joyous deeds to accommodate others’ needs and benefit them.
Next, the second is “infinite compassion”.This means Bodhisattvas have sympathy for all sentient beings who face various kinds of suffering.Constantly retaining this compassion, they save and relieve those beings.A Bodhisattva’s heart is just like this, with “great universal compassion”.When others hurt, we ache; when others suffer, we grieve. Because Bodhisattvas and sentient beings are one, their pain causes Bodhisattvas to grieve and their hurt causes Bodhisattvas to ached. This is the “Bodhisattvas’ sympathy for all sentient beings. Because they cannot bear to let sentient beings face various sufferings, the hearts of Bodhisattvas and all Buddhas “constantly retain this compassion”. Within their hearts is only one great cause, which is to continuously save and relieve sentient beings from their suffering. This is the one thing in the hearts of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to save all sentient beings.
They try to save sentient beings and enable them to attain liberation. This not just about the liberation of their bodies but also the liberation of their minds. “Having relieved them from suffering, Bodhisattvas then expound the Dharma for them.” The Sutra of Infinite Meanings also explains how to walk the Bodhisattva-path. After Bodhisattvas save people and help them settled down, they then expound the Dharma. Thus they help body and heart enter the Dharma. We cannot bear to let sentient beings spiritual aspirations weaken, for their Bodhi-seedling to wilt. Therefore, we must use Dharma as water to constantly nourish it. This is also a way of providing relief.
“They save and relieve others, enabling them to attain liberation.” Because the Dharma and our lives are intimately related, physical life and wisdom-life cannot be separated. So, we must have infinite compassion. “Infinite compassion” is what Bodhisattvas have. They cannot bear for sentient beings to suffer, and they have great universal compassion, so they hope everyone can accept Buddha-Dharma and forever practice these teachings.
“Infinite compassion: The Bodhisattvas have sympathy for all sentient beings who face various kind of suffering. Constantly retaining this compassion, they save and relieve those beings enabling them to attain liberation.”
Next is “infinite joy. Bodhisattvas are glad when sentient beings can transcend suffering and attain joy. They feel infinite delight.”
We work very hard to help others and see to it that they can accept the teachings. They may feel confused and conflicted and face other afflictions in their living. But when they accept the Dharma, they can open up their hearts. Once their knowledge and views are open, they will not be troubled by the people and matters in their lives. Therefore, no matter what their lives are like, once they find the [right] direction, their minds will become open and understanding. Because they [accepted] the Buddha’s teachings, no matter what challenges they face, they can transcend. So, what makes Bodhisattvas happiest is to see such things, to see sentient beings transcending suffering and attaining joy. This suffering arises when our hearts cannot get past something. If our hearts can get past it, we will experience no difficulties. So, “then they feel infinite delight.” When they see sentient beings receive Dharma, naturally Bodhisattvas will be very happy. This is called “infinite joy.”
Next is “infinite equanimity. Bodhisattva are connected to sentient beings.” This means when we are among people, we must ‘not give rise to hate or craving”. We cannot feel and aversion toward certain people. We cannot be this way. We must respect every single person. Never-Slighting Bodhisattva [always said,] “I dare not look down on you.” Since we do not dare look down on others, we must respect them. So, why should they causes us to give rise to hate or resentment? We do not need to become hateful or resentful toward them.So, we should treat people impartially, without seeing distinctions. If we can do so, naturally we will feel no resentment nor anger naturally we will feel no resentment nor anger.
So, we often say, “show compassion to all equally.” We must have great kindness and compassion and treat all sentient beings equally. We must cultivate joy and equanimity. We do not only become joyful when we see that others are happy, we also need to not make distinctions. This is what we Buddhist practitioners should work hard to achieve.
Bodhisattvas must always be mindful so that “all sentient beings can attain a state of not giving rise to hate or cravings.” Not only must we achieve this, we need to teach others to do the same. All of us should threat each other impartially, with love and care. Every person is our Dharma-relative. We need to accommodate and love each of them. If I can do it, you can do it too. All of us can do this. This is the wish of Bodhisattvas, as well as what the Buddha taught us. So, we need to let go of anger and hatred, be free of resentment and afflictions. If we can do so, we are in a state of equanimity. This is “infinite equanimity.”
Infinite equanimity: Bodhisattvas wish for all sentient beings to attain a state of not giving rise to dislikes or cravings, to let go of anger and hate, to be free of resentments and worries.
With “great loving-kindness, great compassion great joy and great equanimity, the Four Infinite Minds, naturally we will be unhindered. When we are among people, if we can understand so many teachings, how can we still be hindered? We will be at ease, with unhindered understanding; we will be at ease and one with all matters. If we feel at ease with all things, we will become one. We coexist along with everything in the world. Moreover, with “boundless loving kindness and great universal compassion,” all sentient beings are part of our body, our family. Therefore, we are like lamps, with glows that intersect with each other without obstructions.
Look at this light. No one lamp can give off all this light. Many of them melded together create this brightness. So, the light from different light bulbs and intersects. The same thing happens when the sun rises and the light spread throughout the land.
Unobstructed: They are at ease, with unhindered understanding. They are in harmony, at ease and one with all matters. This is like lamp light merging, without mutual obstruction.
So as we learn the Buddha’s Way, the Dharma must enter our hearts, so our wisdom will be like the sea. Then we need the Four Infinite Minds and Six Paramitas. Furthermore, we need to “understand skillful means and cross to the opposite shore.” What we need even more is “the Dharma that [pervades everywhere] and is vast, profound and far-reaching.” We need to learn to broaden and deepen [our understanding of it] and never separate ourselves from it.
In summary, since we are immersed in the Buddha-Dharma, we must put it into practice. Therefore, we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV - Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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