Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Abide in the One Vehicle (唯令住一佛乘)
Date: April. 24. 2014
The Lotus Sutra is all about “the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. The Tathagata gives these teachings to help bring all roots of goodness to maturity. As for Bodhisattvas, this enables them to understand the intent behind the Buddha’s knowledge and views. So, this is called teaching and Bodhisattvas-path.”
This is telling everyone that the Lotus Sutra, in its entirely, explains the principles behind the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. The Tathagata uses these principles to teach and transform all sentient beings and bring their roots of goodness to maturity. Thus they can manifest the Bodhisattva-spirit. The entire Lotus Sutra, all seven volumes and 28 chapters, is meant to teach us sentient beings to return to our pure intrinsic nature.
Then we can go among people, remain undefiled by their afflictions and come and go freely. The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause. He comes to teach the Bodhisattva-path. This should be clear to us by now. He teaches and reveals the Bodhisattva-path to help everyone awaken. Without being on the Bodhisattva-path, we cannot awaken. The Buddha’s enlightened [mind] is as broad as the universe; it is so broad and boundless. Thus, our hearts must encompass the universe, so that we may embrace everything. This is the extent of the Buddha’s views and understanding. The views and understanding of ordinary people are narrow and limited to just those we come into contact with, those we love and those we do not. As for those we love, we become attached to them. This attachment leads to suffering when we are apart in life or separated by death. As for those we do not love, those we hate, meeting with them always brings suffering. We become filled with afflictions because our minds are closed. The Buddha’s one great cause can be summed up with four words, open, reveal, realize and enter. The first of these words is “open,” which is to open our minds, to open our views, to open our thinking, to open everything.
We have previously discussed “ultimate wisdom,” which we all intrinsically have. Because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, the wisdom of True Suchness is something we all have, we just do not realize it. We ordinary people are covered by our ignorance, which has closed off our minds. So, the Buddha must find ways to open our minds and clear away this layer of ignorance. So, “open” means He wishes that our minds, views and understanding can be broad and expansive. Attaining this state of mind is attaining the state of Bodhisattvas.
Thus, the Buddha came to this world for one great cause, open and reveal one principle after another and clearly explain them to us.So, He used “relative wisdom” to evaluate sentient beings and determine our capabilities, so He could give us suitable teachings.
“In the end, there is only one path.”Returning to the Bodhisattva-path is something the Buddha taught us with “relative wisdom”.The Buddha’s knowledge and views lie here.
Are we capable of understanding them?
During the Buddha’s time, there was a young man named Uttara, whose family was very poor.He had neither property nor money, and his parents were very old and both were in very poor health.To take care of them, he begged for alms.There times a day he begged for food to feed them.He saw how the Buddha taught sentient beings and how people listened to His teachings and learned to practice giving and to engage in spiritual practice.
One day he came before the Buddha, bowed respectfully and asked for His advice.
He told the Buddha of his circumstances.He said, “I really only have time to take care of my parents.Their health is poor, so I must tend to their nourishment.I only have time to beg for food for my parents, to sustain their lives.Venerable Buddha, I have no time for spiritual cultivation.Venerable Buddha, moreover, I do not have anything extra to give.So, how can I create blessings?”
The Buddha then gave him a teaching.He said, “You are already creating blessings. You have been begging for food. You have devoted all your time to your parents. By serving them, respecting them and being filial, you are already engaging in spiritual practice.By not abandoning your parents, you are already accumulating virtue.Similarly, as you beg for food at each door to feed your parents, people help you fulfill your filial piety so you are also making good connections.You will receive great blessings in the next life because you are filial to your parents and, by begging door to door, you let people know of your filial piety, which inspires them to give joyful.In this way,you are forming great affinities.So in your next life, you will be affluent.With the same dedication you show your parents, you will help many others.This is one way of walking the Bodhisattva-path.In your next life, you will still walk this broad and expansive Bodhisattva-path.With your filial piety, you are now paying your future Bodhisattva-path.”
This story came from the Buddha’s time.Consider how the Buddha’s teaching affirmed the young man’s filial piety and helped him understand.This is how He opened and revealed teachings.This is “relative wisdom”.The Buddha evaluated this person’s ability, and based on that, He found the young man’s heart very precious.So, He highlighted his strengths to bring him peace of mind, so he would continue to do the right thing.
In teaching this way, He brought about an awakening.
Even such minor matters can be opportunities for teaching.
Revealed for sentient beings to realize:
“[The Buddha] opens and reveals teachings to enable them to awaken and attain realizations. The Lotus Sutra states, [All is to] reveal the Buddha’s knowledge and views for sentient beings to realize.”
The Buddha’s only purpose is to, with His wisdom, knowledge and views, awaken us sentient beings. Before officially teaching the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha told everyone He [only wanted to] open and reveal. His knowledge and views for sentient beings to realize the enter their own knowledge and views. The Buddha’s knowledge and views and those of sentient beings are in fact equal. But sentient beings have layers of afflictions that cover their knowledge and views. The Buddha is here to open and brush away the ignorance of sentient beings, so their knowledge and views can be equal to the Buddha’s.
The following section of the sutra states, “Sariputra, the Tathagata gives only the One Buddha Vehicle as teachings to sentient beings. There are no other vehicles, not two or three.”
The Buddha only utilizes the One Buddha Vehicle, the true principle of ultimate reality. This is also ultimate wisdom and relative wisdom, which are both part of all-encompassing wisdom. Knowledge of all paths, knowledge of all causes and all-encompassing wisdom, are all part of the Buddha’s intrinsic wisdom and can penetrate the Buddha’s knowledge and views. The Buddha sees everything with this all-encompassing wisdom. Then there is also ultimate reality, the principle of the One Buddha Vehicle. This is what the Buddha “give as teachings to sentient beings”. For this sole reason, He comes to teach sentient beings. “There are no other vehicles, not two or three”. There is only One Buddha Vehicle, not two or three.
Ordinarily, we speak of the Small Vehicle, Middle Vehicle and Great Vehicle, Hearer-, Pratyekabudha-and Bodhisattva-vehicle. These are the Three Vehicles. But actually, the Buddha is only teaching the Bodhisattav-path, which is the One Vehicle Bodhisattvas are already close to the level of the Buddha’s wisdom. So, if we are to become Buddhas, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. As in the story I just told, the mindset of being filial to parents can be eventually be applied to all sentient beings. So, [when the young man] has more time and wealth, he will exercise that same level of respect as he charitably gives to all sentient beings. This is the Bodhisattva-path. In the case of Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, they only focus on cultivating themselves and though they have alreadyeliminated desires, cravings, passion and enmity, they have limited the scope of their cultivation because they only practice for their own sake. The suffering in the Three Realms and Six Realms is unbearable, and if we are not careful, we will fall into it. So, these people are scared and simply remain Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. Thus, the Buddha told us we must take the next step and walk the Bodhisattva-path. Buddhist teachings use the lotus as an analogy. The Lotus Sutra also uses the analogy of the wondrous Dharma lotus flower in its title. The lotus flower refers to something that arises from mud yet remains undefiled. In this evil world of the Five Turbidities, among the multitudes of sentient beings, [we must] be like the lotus flowers, untainted by the mud.
The Buddha’s intent is for all of us to not only eliminate our own afflictions but also dedicate ourselves to going among people and teaching them as well. So, He taught only the One Buddha Vehicle. Before, it spoke of teaching the Bodhisattva Way. This section talks about the One Buddha Vehicle, which is walking the Bodhisattva-path.
There are not two or three vehicles, only the One Buddha Vehicle. So, we must walk the Bodhisattva-path.
The Buddha gives only the One Buddha Vehicle: He only wanted ti use the Buddha’s knowledge and views to awaken sentient beings. This is the only teaching that can enable people to attain Buddhahood.
“The Buddha gives only the One Buddha Vehicle” means He only wanted to use the Buddha’s knowledge and views to awaken sentient beings.” This is the Buddha’s intention.
We seem to hear these words every day. Indeed, every day we hear this phrase. He has opened and revealed, but have we realized and entered? Every day [the teachings] are opened and revealed, but have we realized and entered them? If we have not, then we must keep putting our hearts into contemplating these teachings.
So, “He only wanted to use the Buddha’s knowledge and views to awaken sentient beings.” This is the only teaching that can enable people to attain Buddhahood. It is the One Buddha Vehicle.
Next the sutra states, “[He] gives only the One Buddha Vehicle as teachings to sentient beings.”
Therefore, the Buddha just to teach the One Buddha Vehicle, gives many discourses and teachings, all of which can be summed up as [this ultimate teaching].
The One Buddha Vehicle means there are no other vehicles [to Buddhahood], not two or three. There is only the One Buddha Vehicle, there are no two or three [Buddha] vehicle, just the singular pure, undefiled One Vehicle.
This is a simple and uncomplicated matter. So, I tell you every day that the Buddha-Dharma is actually quite simple. But, we sentient beings have many afflictions and many discursive thoughts. Sentient beings have 84,000 afflictions, so the Buddha had to create 84,000 teachings to meet this need and teach according to their capabilities. Therefore, it seems complicated.
But the Buddha purely came to teach the One Buddha Vehicle. He did not originally intend to give the Two or Three Vehicle teachings.
The Buddha does not only want us to stop at the Small or Middle Vehicle. We must not simple listen to or understand the Dharma, we must also put it into practice. What He emphasizes most is putting the Dharma into practice. After we understand it, we must actualize it.
So, we cannot just listen. The Buddha does not speak simply so that people can hear and understand the teachings. This is not His original intent.
[He comes] solely to enable people to abide in the One Vehicle. All Buddhas, for the sake of this great cause, teach the Bodhisattva-path.
Most importantly, He “solely enable people to abide in the One Vehicle.” I hope everyone’s heart abides in the One Vehicle, in the Buddha Vehicle. This means that we can return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature.This is the only requirement. “Solely to enable people to abide in the One Vehicle.” We must return to our intrinsic Tathaganta-nature. This is not complicated; there is nothing else; we must simply return to and abide in the One Vehicle. In conclusion, we must study the Buddha’s Way with a deep and strong faith to understand His purpose for coming to the world.
He clearly tells us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must not only seek it externally, we must actually return to our intrinsic nature and remain in the One Vehicle. Only then are we truly Buddhist practitioners. So everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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