Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Draw Near to the Buddha’s Knowledge and Views (近佛知見之法)
Date: February. 03. 2014
“The Buddha’s grace and Dharma-essence nurture our wisdom-life, so we can readily attain the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle. [Cultivate] precepts, Samadhi, wisdom. Always be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings. By developing our knowledge and vies, we can return to our true nature.”
We must always be mindful of the Buddha’s grace, which nurtures our wisdom-life. This is like being grateful to our parents for nurturing our physical life. We must recognize that our parents gave us life and acknowledge their kindness in raising and caring for us throughout this lifetime. The Buddha gives us wisdom-life, which lasts life after life and can help us thoroughly transform ourselves. This means He helps us to completely eliminate all ignorance and afflictions in our minds and return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature. Then we can reach a pure and undefiled state of non-arising and non-ceasing. This is what we must be grateful for.
So, the Buddha kindly gives us Dharma-essence to nourish our wisdom-life. “So, we can readily attain the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle.” If we can be more mindful, we can give rise to great Power of Faith and really believe in the Buddha’s teachings, faithfully accepting and practicing them. If we can do so, in our daily living, we can change our habitual tendencies and return to our pure intrinsic nature. If we do this, we will soon be able to encounter and help each other connect with the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle and return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature. Hence, “we can readily attain” the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle. Of course, we must cultivate “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.” We must uphold precepts and maintain Samadhi. Following rules is very important. If we want to drive a car, we need a road. If we want to drive a bigger car, then we need to choose a wider road. So, we must uphold precepts, because precepts are the roads we follow. If we have this great enlightened Bodhi-path, naturally we can advance in our practices.
What do we practice? Samadhi. Our mind constantly fluctuates, is never stable. This is the nature of unenlightened beings. Because our minds contain ignorance, affliction, greed, desire and so on, our minds cannot be at peace. Now that we have found our direction and this broad path to enlightenment, our minds need to be at peace.By being in a state of Samadhi, we can determine our future direction.
The open road is already there; we just need to decide on our direction.Then we will not keep wondering, “Should I go in this direction?”“Or, that direction?”We may feel uncertain about our direction, and with even the slightest deviation, we can end up far off-course.This all depends on our minds.If a single thought deviates, we will lose our power of Samadhi.So, we must remain in Samadhi.The word “Samadhi” does not only apply to sitting meditation.Not at all.
“Precepts” guide our actions in daily living.“Samadhi” is the state of peace we maintain as we interact with people.In our daily living, we cannot deviate from our path, the wide road of precepts.If we want to drive, we need a road; if we want to engage in spiritual practice, we need precepts.Then we must choose which practices to cultivate.If we only seek to awaken ourselves, we have limited capabilities and wisdom and are on a narrow path.If we want to awaken ourselves and others, benefit not only ourselves but others as well, we must have great capabilities and must walk a broad path by upholding great precepts.
How do we uphold them?With every single thought, we uphold precepts in our daily living.With every thought, we uphold precepts as we deal with people and things.As we interact with people, do we abide by precepts?When we hear displeasing words, do we commit the [evils] of speech?Do we treat others with contempt, with a mindset of pride or arrogance?Only by interacting with people can we engage in spiritual practice to train our minds.We must always be vigilant of our perception of people, matters and objects.
Are our hearts and thoughts on the right path?This will allow us, as we interact with people, to uphold the great precepts in our minds.This also applies to Samadhi.
When we encounter external phenomena, are we tempted by those objects of desire?
When we see people with great power, influence and money, do we give them preferential treatment?Do we flatter them.If we do, that is not right.Do we look down on those who ask for our help or purposely ignore them?Do we not greet them?If we refuse to greet or pay attention to them, this is also not right.We must “show compassion to all equally”.Because we are compassionate, whether we encounter the poor or the rich, we must quickly reach out to them with our sincerity, integrity, faith and steadfastness.
This is how we transform sentient beings as we interact with them.
For the poor, we must make an effort to uplift their hearts, so they will not lose their will or feel inferior.By elevating them in this way, we help them realize that they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature and that the poor have the same power as the rich.
When we encounter the rich, they may be conceited and arrogant.We must find a way to help them realize that the rich can be poor in other aspects of life.Rich people may be lacking in many other respects.
How can we help them realize their abundance, and that if they feel rich, naturally they will have the power to help others? This is also a way we can reach out to and transform others. This is how we “show compassion to all equally”. To have this kind of power, we cultivate “precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom”.
“Wisdom” can be used to discern. Part of wisdom is discriminating wisdom. In this world, in all things, we use wisdom to discern right from wrong. After we clearly understand the matter at hand, we develop and elevate our wisdom. So first, we analyze matters, then we elevate our understanding to deal with them impartially. Then we can return to our pure intrinsic nature.This is the power of “precepts, Samadhi and wisdom”. For us to attain precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the only way is to “always be mindful of the Buddha's teachings”. All we need to do is to practice according to the Buddha's teachings. When we do this, we “develop our knowledge and views”. We want our knowledge and views to be on par with the Buddha's. As mentioned in previous texts, the reason our knowledge and views are so distant from the Buddha's is because we still have not put [His Dharma] into practice. We have not yet exercised our great capabilities and wisdom.
Therefore, from now on we must remember to [cultivate] precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. In every moment, we must take the Dharma into our hearts. Not only that, we must steadily practice it and move forward, step by step. This is how we can come closer to having the knowledge and views of the Buddha. So, we must “develop our knowledge and views”.
How can we achieve this? What skills do we need to develop. This goes back to the same saving, “Return to our true nature”. We live in a very complicate world. After we understand His teachings, [we realize] He is telling us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. So, we need to quickly reflect on ourselves and take care of our pure Buddha-nature. Our nature has been covered by ignorance. So, when we go back to look for it, we must brush aside our ignorance.
Previously, the sutra stated,“The Buddha used the power of skillful means to reveal the Three Vehicle teachings so that sentient beings, who are attached to everything, may be guided and released”.
Indeed, sentient beings, “are attached to everything”. “Attached to everything” means no matter what we see, what circumstances we are in and so on, all our attachments lead to afflictions. Whether we cling to fame, money, affections, cravings or interpersonal relationships, we have many attachments.
Our intrinsic Buddha-nature is the same; it is just like a small mirror. If we clean its surface, we can use it to reflect our surroundings as they are. However, it is still relatively small. If we have a great big mirror and wipe it very clean, it can reflect a broad vista. Our surroundings are the same, but if our mirrors are small, you may reflect one part of the surroundings and I may reflect another part of the surroundings. We all reflect a different part because we do not all have the same focus. This is why we each have a different state of mind, we each have different attachments.
So, “sentient beings are attached to everything.” Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms and cannot transcend them because they are attached to all things. So, to begin our spiritual cultivation, we must first let go of our attachments. If we can all let go of our attachments, we will see what the Buddha realized, the truths of all things the universe. So, when our minds are equal to the Buddha’s, it can reflect all truths like a great mirror.
So, “sentient beings are attached to everything.” Sentient beings transmigrate in the Six Realms and cannot transcend them because they are attached to all things.
Sentient beings are attached to everything: Sentient beings cannot transcend because they are attached to all things. Attachments give rise to delusions, karma and suffering, which lead to cyclic existence. When the heart is entangled with things, it is attached to them and cannot leave them. Craving, clinging and unwillingness to let go are all attachments.
We cannot transcend cyclic existence because we each have our own ideas, understandings ways of thinking. Therefore, we each create our own karma. We deviate from the path and often create bad karma, which results in many afflictions. Therefore, we cannot attain liberation. This is because we “are attached to everything.”
Because we have attachments, we will continuously give rise to delusions, karma and suffering. When we cannot resolve our delusions we wonder, “How can this be? Clearly, I did things to get this result, but why did it turn out that way instead?” we do things a certain way because of our attachments. Because we are attached to the wrong things, the results will not go our way.
So, because of our attachments we create karma out of ignorance, and as a result, we suffer. Our suffering then gives rise to more suffering. Because we are unwilling [to let go], we give rise to even suffering. How do we transcend this cycle? All of this has to do daily living and our thinking and understanding. When we have emotions, they entangle and bind us tightly, so we cannot open our hearts.
This comes down to our hearts and affections. The affections in our hearts are like ropes; they are very complicated. They constantly tie us down. So, what do these ropes tie us to? To people, matters and objects. Therefore, we cannot escape or be freed.
So, the sutra states that, for people like this, the Buddha “extensively proclaimed teachings. With countless skillful means, He guided sentient beings, leading them to transcend all attachments.”
By giving different kinds of teachings and using many skillful means, He guides people who are set in their ways and heading in the direction.
So in summary, we must all be mindful in our daily living. We must all cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. When we interact with others we must uphold great precepts, cultivate great Samadhi and develop great wisdom. To do this, we must have a great Root of Faith. In learning Buddhism, this is the best way to draw near to Buddha’s knowledge and views. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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