Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eliminate Doubts to Give Rise to Faith(斷疑生信除憍慢)
Date: February. 10. 2014
For all of us, “big mistakes are easy to correct, habitual tendencies are difficult to eliminate. Attachment to the small, bias toward emptiness lead to doubts about the One Vehicle Dharma. They had happily received the Dharma and intended to only benefit themselves. Small Vehicle practitioners have strong attachments and deep doubts.”
In other words, it is easy to correct big mistakes. Killing, theft, sexual misconduct, lies, etc., are very obvious transgressions. In the past, [many people made] these kinds of mistakes in front of others. They confessed their wrongs and made changes. Many people do this, but eliminating minor habitual tendencies is not this easy. They are with us at birth and are continuously influencing us, life after life. Changing these small habitual tendencies is not that easy. But one who is willing to change is a great person. Great people have everlasting resolve. Since they have vowed to change, they will constantly be vigilant of whether their behavior is right or wrong. If it is right, they [continue to] diligently improve. If it is wrong, they immediately correct it.
Therefore, big mistakes are easy to change, but habitual tendencies are hard to eliminate. When we ordinary people realize we have committed wrongs, we must repent; repentance brings purity. But have we truly been cleansed? We still have small habitual tendencies. It is not easy to quickly and completely wash away all of our mental defilements. If we have grievances in our hearts, even though we do not say them out loud, we will still continue to accumulate them. This also leads to afflictions and is also a habitual tendency. We know that we should not take issue with others. And though we may not visibly do so, in our minds we are often constantly taking issue with others. This also leads to afflictions and is also a habitual tendency.
So, as we learn the teachings of the Buddha, we need to be vigilant of this. If we ask ourselves, “Have I changed?”, [we may think,] “Yes, I have changed a lot already.” Actually, we have to ask ourselves, “Have I eliminated my habitual tendencies?” This is most important. So, we must be vigilant of our tendencies and avoid giving in to them. Many of us are attached to the Small Vehicle and biased toward emptiness. Some have attained a high level in their spiritual practice but are just focused on benefiting themselves, “If we do not contend with other people, we will all be at peace. If we have no conflicts over matters, everything will be tranquil.”
By applying this perspective, they feel they do not need to contend with the world. This being attached to the Small Vehicle, only looking after oneself. We must further broaden [our perspective]. We cannot only focus on our own spiritual practice and just refrain from hurting others. We also have to guide others to do the same thing.We must transform ourselves and others.We must purify our minds and teach others to do the same.
We should know that if only one person becomes good, the world will still be in disarray.
There needs to be many good people in this world for it to be peaceful.If we only focus on ourselves, we feel detached from everything else.So, that is bias toward emptiness.
It is “doubt [of] the One Vehicle Dharma”.The Buddha was starting to set aside the provisional teachings, the skillful means He taught in the past and was about to teach the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma.But those attached to the Small Vehicle and biased toward emptiness began to have doubts.
“Isn’t my spiritual cultivation good enough?”“What else do I need to practice?”“Isn’t my mind tranquil and still, in a state of Nirvana?”“In my state of mind, I no longer have any conflicts with others.”“Worldly matters have nothing to do with me.Isn’t my mind already tranquil and still?”“Is there really a state that is higher than this state of tranquility and stillness?”
In the past, as they cultivate Small Vehicle teachings, they were already very happy.
“They had happily received the Dharma.”They felt they had no conflicts with others; they only wanted to benefit themselves.They no longer had afflictions that entangled them with other people and no longer planted evil karmic causes or formed negative conditions.Therefore, they felt that their minds were already tranquil and still.
But even if we do not plant negative causes, are we creating blessed conditions?We must create blessed karmic causes and conditions.Not having negative causes and conditions is a good thing, but we must still plant blessed causes and create blessed affinities.Only then can we cultivate both blessings and wisdom.When we cast off negative causes and conditions, we are cultivating wisdom.
But, we still need to [do good deeds to] create blessed causes and conditions.That is how we cultivate blessings.When we go among people and practice giving, we are creating blessings for them, we cannot just focus on benefiting ourselves.So, “Small Vehicle practitioners have strong attachments and deep doubts.”They are firmly attached to Small Vehicle teachings.Now that they are asked to go to the next stage, to practice the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma to return to their intrinsic Tathagata-nature, they instead have doubts in their minds.These doubts and worries go very deep.This happened as His teachings were in the transitional stage.
So, as we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must always keep an open mind and not be attached to any one stage.
The previous section of the text said.“At that time in the assembly, there were Hearers, Arhats, who ended all Leaks, Ajnata Kaundinya and others, 1200 in all.”These people numbered 1250 in all.Aside from these people, there were also many Hearers and Pratyekakuddhas.
When the Buddha taught, the fourfold assembly always gathered.Aside from bhiksus and bhiksunis, there were lay practitioners, upasakas and upasikas, male and female devotees.They were also at the Dharma-assembly, listening to the Buddha-Dharma.
The capabilities of some of these lay practitioner were very great.After listening to teachings, they also intensely contemplated them, so they could realize [the truth of ] the Dharma.Thus, they can also be considered.Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas.
They have the same knowledge, so they are like Hearers, who ended all Leaks.Even if they did not become monastics, they still listened to and understood the Dharma and were mindful of all things in the world.
Take the lay practitioner, Vimalakirti, as an example.His wisdom was not inferior to Arhats or bhiksus. Thus, upasakas and upasikas were also there.
The fourfold assembly consists of bhiksus and bhiksunis, upsakas and upsikas. They “each had the following thought”.
They were all having doubts. “Had the following thought” refers to their doubts. They had grown used to the previous teachings of the Buddha. They had made the improvements to their minds they needed to make. Since they no longer had conflicts with others, their hearts were very pure, what else did they need to do? What was this wondrous One Vehicle Dharma? Not only did monastic disciples have this doubt, lay disciples also had the same doubts. So, they “had the following thought”.
We will now discuss those who felt this way, starting with Ajnata Kaundinya. What does it means to be a bhiksu? We have to first understand [the word] “bhiksu”. Translated into Chinese, it means “almsman”.
Bhiksus: Also called almsman. “Alms-” means they are seeking something. “-Man” makes this a refined title. They seek the Dharma to nurture their wisdom-life. They seek food to nourish their physical life. A pure life is what they live.
“Alms-” means they seek somethings from others, they ask and beg for things. “-Man” indicated refinement. So, they are called almsmen. “-Men” is a suffix in Chinese that expresses a sense of refinement and status. In Chinese, one with a doctorate is literally a “man of abundant knowledge”. One with a master's degree is a “man with extensive knowledge”. When we call someone a “gentleman,” we indicate that his character is very disciplined, noble and courteous. It is an elegant title, so the suffix “-man” is used. Almsmen are people who “seek the Dharma to nurture their wisdom-life”. From whom do they seek teachings? From the Buddha.
Some monastics [in the Buddha's time] were from [wealthy families] and had lived in luxury. They left that life behind to become monastics with only three pieces of clothing and an alms bowl. But for the sake of their spiritual cultivation, they felt it was very important to seek the Dharma from the Buddha. So, when we learn the Buddha's Way, we are not just trying to transform in this life, just temporarily. No, we want to develop our wisdom-life. So, if we do not seek the Dharma, that is like eliminating our source of food. If we stop eating, we cannot stay alive. So, we must seek the Dharma to nurture and grow our wisdom-life. Thus, we seek the Dharma.
We must also seek food. We “seek food to nourish our physical body”. Our body needs nutrients to sustain itself. Only when we are well-nourished can we seek the Dharma to grow our wisdom-life. So, “almsmen” are those who seek the Buddha-path, the teachings of the Buddha. We also seek food to nourish our body, to sustain our pure living. In particular, we must know that begging for food is a way to make connections. Monks, after receiving Dharma from the Buddha, went people's homes to make connections.People would immediately make offerings of food with great respect. Then the monks would give teachings to the laypeople. This was how they passed on the teachings and made connections. During the Buddha’s lifetime, this was how the monastics lived, so “bhiksus are also called Blessed Filed Sangha.”
They sought the Dharma from the Buddha and then passed it on to laypeople. And when laypeople saw monastics, they became joyful and would give. Benefiting sentient beings is blessing and helping others. How does this practice affect us? It eliminates our arrogance and pride. For monastic disciples, whether bhiksus or bhiksunis, since they live in a monastic community, the first step in their practice is to eliminate arrogance and pride. Some of them were the Buddha’s royal relatives. When royalty engaged in spiritual practice, if they were still proud and arrogant, how could they succeed?
So, in the Buddha’s Sangha, everybody was equal; each had three robes and one alms bowl. To eat, they had to beg for alms and go door to door to benefit others and eliminate their arrogance. This is was a way to be humble and self-effacing. They had to diminish their egos and be humble. [Eliminating] arrogance and pride is the foundation of spiritual practice. “Thus, they achieved refined virtues.”
Almsmen are also Blessed Field Sangha. “They benefit sentient beings, eliminate their arrogance and are humble and self-effacing. Thus, they achieve refined virtues.”
This describes pride bhisus. They are male monastic practitioners. There are also bhiksunis.
Bhiksunis has the same meaning as what is above. It is the term for female monastics who have taken the complete monastic precepts.
The meaning bhiksunis is the same as [bhiksu]. Bhiksunis must also eliminate their arrogance and pride. In the Buddha’s Sangha, everyone was equal. There were bhiksunis with very high status, such as the Buddha’s aunt, or Yasodhara, etc. They all became monastics. In the royal palace, they had enjoyed luxuries and high status. Now that they were practicing in the Sangha, could they still live like royalty? Of course not. As part of our spiritual practice, we must cultivate the concept of equality. Therefore, they are almswomen, bhiksunis. “-Ni” connotes female, hence the terms bhiksus and bhiksunis.
Fellow Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, particularly as monastics, we must be very mindful. As we benefit sentient beings, we must also tame our arrogance. We cannot be attached to the Small [Vehicle] and biased toward emptiness. So, we must go amongst people. This is the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma that the Buddha taught His disciples. Therefore, in our daily living, we must realize the wondrous One Vehicle Dharma. There is no need to doubt it. So, everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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