Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Give Provisional Teachings to Reveal the True (施權顯實歸於佛乘)
Date: May. 09. 2014
“The unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma is rarely encountered in billions of kalpas. Now that I can see, hear and accept it, I vow to understand the Tathagata’s true meaning.”
Everyone, this passage is something which all Buddhist practitioners can immediately recognize. It is the “Verse for Opening a Sutra.” We have the “Verse for Opening a Sutra” because Dharma Masters in the past, before they expounded a sutra, would recite this “Verse for Opening a Sutra.” They said it at the beginning of the sutra to remind everyone to cherish these teachings and to help everyone recognize the teachings as unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma.
For the 12 Divisions of the Tripitaka to be explained, it would take tens of thousands of texts and treatises. Each of these is unsurpassed, extremely profound, subtle and wondrous Dharma. Whenever we listen to teachings from the sutras, we must be reverent and respectfully because they are “rarely encountered in billions of kalpas.” Since they are so rarely encountered and we now have attained this precious teaching, we have attained what is rarely attained. We have attained it, and we can see it. We can see this sutra, and we can read and recite it. And, if when we read and recite it ourselves, we do not truly understand it, now we can also listen to others explain it to us. Dharma Masters can explain it to us, help us to comprehend the sutra text and verify our understanding of the text for us. For those teachings we do not comprehend, they can guide us toward understanding. So, this is a very precious opportunity.
After we understand the principles in the sutras, we have to uphold and practice them. In listening to the teachings, we must take them to heart. In accepting the Dharma, we must apply it to our actions and “vow to understand the Tathagata’s true meaning.” “Without experience, we cannot grow in wisdom.” If we listen to, but do not practice the Dharma, we will be unable to understand it. Thus, we must vow to work in the world in order to experience the Dharma. Sometimes no matter how we hear something, we cannot understand it. Yet if we are mindful in working with others, then maybe we will see the principles in [action].
Yesterday was what most people call the Hungry-Ghost Festival. For us Buddhists, it is the last day of summer. Summer is the period of time in nature when many living beings are busy reproducing. So, there are many bugs and mosquitoes. The weather is very hot and it rains very often, or it may be windy. The Buddha made use of summer as a time to gather everyone to listen to the Dharma.This retreat also gave lay practitioners opportunities to create blessings.Monastics could focus on listening to teachings and lay practitioners could make offerings to them while coming into contact with the dignity of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.This was how the Buddha exercised compassion and wisdom.
During that era, the Buddha would hold retreats during the summer.For those three months, He saw His disciples mindfully and diligently leading disciplined lives to listen to teachings a realize the True Dharma.After three months passed, the season would end, and the Buddha would be very happy.That marked the end of summer.
Yesterday at our Abode, we also did the same because we are continuously promoting and advocating ways to bring the Right Dharma to the people and lead them to eliminate their superstitions.We want to open the door to the Right Dharma to help them penetrate folk tales.Sometimes, folk tales can confuse people and block their way to wisdom.But we want everyone to resolve their confusion so that they can see the True Dharma.
Recently, the international community has been discussing the Greenhouse Effect, which brings imbalances in the four elements and disasters around the world.To deal with this imbalance, I hope we can bring harmony to people’s minds.To bring harmony, we must first eliminate superstitions.We need to have proper beliefs and seek knowledge and understanding from the Dharma.After we understand the Buddha-Dharma, then naturally our relationships will be harmonious and our living will be disciplined.This all starts with our minds.So, we are constantly promoting the Right Dharma.
Recently, I have been very pleased to see that people are indeed beginning to accept Right Dharma.Everyone knows they must change and turn away from folk tales and superstitions.Things are slowly changing.This makes us very happy and very grateful.
In these past few years, Tzu Chi volunteers have continuously promoted and advocated this.We are very glad to see that the Right Dharma has entered people’s minds.
I am very grateful that so many Tzu Chi volunteers have made this happen in communities all over Taiwan.In each community they remind people that blessings do not come from sacrificing animals, but instead from reverent prayer.This has become very widespread.So, the Dharma is very rarely encountered.“Now that we can see, hear and accept it, we vow to understand the Tathagata’s true meanings.”
The Buddha comes to this world for the sake of sentient beings, to inspire them to eliminate their confusion and ignorance, the deeply-rooted ignorance they have accumulated in cycling through the Six Realms that is now piled up layer upon layer.
The Buddha comes to this world, life after life, and takes on different forms to give teachings.
As I have constantly said, the Buddha comes to this world for one great task, to “open, reveal, realize, and enter” the Buddha’s knowledge and views. He hopes that all sentient beings may have the same knowledge and views as Him. He hopes that we know everything He knows. He can understand the truths of the universe, and He hopes that we can all attain the same level of understanding. However, this is not easy at all. We can certainly become the Buddha’s equal. So, once we realize this, we must work diligently toward that goal.
Forming aspirations is easy. The most difficult part of spiritual practice is “sustaining our aspirations”. We need to persevere. We must hold on to and diligently fulfill our vow every day and accept the Buddha’s teachings constantly. If we can keep doing this, someday we will be like the Buddha and take the Buddha’s knowledge and views into our minds. We have not yet completely understood the Buddha’s compassion.
The Buddha, “with various causes and conditions, with analogies and expressions, has proclaimed all Dharma to sentient being; these teachings are all for the sake of the One Buddha Vehicle”.
We have read this sutra passage earlier as well. Indeed, when we speak of causes and conditions, these various causes and conditions are truly endless in number. Each of us has different causes and conditions. The same was true during the Buddha’s era, so when He gave teachings, He also used causes and conditions to explain the Dharma. There are causes and conditions between people, as well as between people and matters, and between people and their environment. There are also causes and conditions in the past, present, and future. All these are “various causes and conditions”.
To help sentient beings achieve a deeper understanding, He utilized various “analogies and expressions”. If we did not understand one example, He would use another one. Would we understand that example? If we still did not understand, He would come up with other examples. Out of His compassion, He would not give up on any one of us. So, He continuously utilized analogies and various methods. So, “the Buddha comes to teach the One Buddha Vehicle”.
All Dharma He teaches is the One Buddha Vehicle to help everyone become the same as Him. Since the Buddha can understand it, He hopes we can all attain Buddhahood and achieve the same understanding as Him. All the various causes and conditions He uses are to teach the One Buddha Vehicle. Even when He gives analogies and expressions, He is still teaching the One Buddha Vehicle. So, He uses provisional teachings to teach the One Reality. For the One Buddha Vehicle, He gave the Three Vehicle teachings. When the causes and conditions are suitable, the Buddha combines the Three Vehicle Dharma back into the One Vehicle Dharma. This is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
Analogies and expressions: The Buddha taught the One Buddha Vehicle but the assembly could not understand and realize it. Therefore, He used the three carts and one cart as an analogy. The giving of the first three carts is the giving of the provisional teachings. Later, the giving of the great cart is the revealing of the true teachings.
The Buddha now always teaches the One Buddha Vehicle. But this time, “the assembly” gathered there could not understand and realize it”. They still could not comprehend it. So in the Lotus Sutra, there is an analogy of three carts. This is in the later sutra passages. He talks about the three carts. The three carts are actually a sheep cart, a deer cart, and a big white ox cart. They were chosen to appeal to sentient beings, so that they could easily pick one. As long as it got them away from the burning house, from that dangerous place, they were free to choose any cart.
So, the three carts are used as an analogy. Actually, in the beginning, the Buddha compared Himself to an elder, who, when his house was burning, said, “Everyone, get out quickly!” But most people were like naive children; they thought it was fun to play with fire. They did not know to be afraid of it.So, the elder felt somewhat helpless. He had to use these carts, [which the children] would want to play with, to call to the children from outside the house, “Come out! Hurry up and come out! Look, these things are even more interesting! Hurry up! Come out quickly! You can take your pick of any of these things.”
The children turned around and saw that these were better things to play with, so they quickly left that very dangerous place. The fire was still burning but when they saw more interesting things outside, they quickly ran out of the house. They did not run of fear, but because there were more interesting things.Whether they liked the carts pulled by sheep, by deer, or by a big ox, the elder let them choose, as long as they were willing to come out and temporarily escape to a safer place.
The elder told them, “I do not really want to give you a small cart, I want to give you a big cart. With this big cart, in addition to just driving yourself around, you can also drive many people around the world steadily and with ease.”
This analogy is telling us that by “giving the first three carts, [He] was giving provisional teachings.” The three carts are analogies for skillful means. “Later, giving the great cart” refer to how He gave the biggest cart last. [After] Hearer and Pratyekabuddha [Vehicles] was the most important, the Bodhisattva [Vehicle].
For Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, He attracted them with skillful means. But the most important thing He wanted us to do was to walk the Bodhisattva-path. That is the way for us to transform ourselves, as well as transform others. So, “with various causes and conditions,” and “with analogies and expressions,” He wanted to solely teach us to just transform ourselves and others at the same time. Transforming others is also a way to help us to perfect our own spiritual cultivation. This is the Buddha’s compassion.
Dear Bodhisattvas, as Buddhist practitioners, we must learn the Great Vehicle Dharma and use it to develop aspirations and vows. We live together on this land.If people’s minds are in chaos, then order will be disturbed. Even the climate’s order will be in chaos. On the one hand, we must diligently listen to the Buddha-Dharma, and on the other, we must put it into practice, eliminate superstitions, and lead people to the Right Dharma. So, all of us must now diligently put the teachings into practice.
I am grateful to each of you for being mindful and loving, and for sharing the same mission to promote Right Dharma amongst people. To do this, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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