Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: A Mind Replete with All Dharma is Vigilant (萬法唯心當警策)
Date: June. 09. 2014
As long as we realize that we intrinsically have a pure, intrinsic nature, as long as we can guard our minds so our spiritual aspirations are not affected by external conditions or led astray, as long as we can protect ourselves in this way, then everything is virtuous Dharma to us. So, “our minds are inherently replete with all Dharma.”
Our minds are inherently replete with all Dharma. Adapting to different capabilities, the Buddha used infinite skillful means to help us accomplish the [good] things we do. To give us this hope, He taught us the Bodhisattva Way.
The Buddha wanted us to understand that our minds should return to the nature of True Suchness. So, when “adapting to different capabilities, the Buddha used infinite skillful means.” “Adapting to capabilities” means that whether or not this Dharma was exactly the same as His original [teaching], as long as we are developing our goodness, we are making progress.
“Adapting to different capabilities, the Buddha used infinite skillful means.” For over 40 years, He utilized skillful means to guide sentient beings to “help us accomplish the [good] things we do.” As long as we are developing our goodness, and do not deviate from this direction, we will be able to accomplish various things that benefit others. We often say, “There are experts in every trade.” We each have a different ability, and our entire society, our entire world needs people with all kinds of skills to benefit it. Considering that we all live in different circumstances, of course the realizations we attain will be different. But as long as we have a pure heart at our core, we can diligently cultivate goodness and the Dharma. This has given us a great sense of hope that sentient beings can definitely walk in the same direction toward goodness and the Right Path. [The Buddha] did this “to give us this hope.” So, “He taught us the Bodhisattva Way.”
The potential we all possess is the Buddha-nature we intrinsically have. No matter what methods we use, as long as we do not go astray, we will still return to our roots and attain the state of the Bodhisattvas. If we continue to make progress and remind ourselves to be humble, we will [fulfill] our potential and successfully serve our function. We can “accomplish the [good] things we do” and help others in this world. This is our hope.
The following story is from the Buddhist sutras. Once upon a time, there were many spiritual practitioners living on a mountaintop. Not far away from this mountaintop was a spiritual practice center. At this practice center, there were two bhiksus who were good friends. One said, “I heard that on the opposite mountain lives an elder named Jeyata. Venerable Jeyata is very advanced in his spiritual cultivation. He is an experienced practitioner, so we should pay him a visit and ask him to share with us his experience of engaging in spiritual practice.” So, these two bhiksus decided to head toward the nearby mountain.
On the way there, they found a tree to sit under and rest. The monastery on that mountaintop, a place with many spiritual practitioners, did not seem far away.However, they did not know exactly where Venerable Jeyata lived among this group of people.At this time, they happened to see an old and frail practitioner.
As the two bhiksus saw that he was collecting and bundling firewood to carry it up the hill, they asked him, “Excuse me, sir.We would like to ask if you live on this mountain?”
”Yes, I do.”“Then do you know Venerable Jeyata?”He said, “I do.”“Where can we find him on this mountain?”He told them, “If you go up the mountain, go to the third cave in the third mountain.”“He lives in the third cave over there.”“Thank you.”
The two bhiksus happily went in that direction.It turned out to be somewhat far.As they reached the third cave, when they had almost arrived, they saw an old man standing there.He sees me very familiar.When they got closer, the old bhiksu turned around and smiled to greet them.The two bhiksus said, “Aren’t you the spiritual practitioner we saw at the bottom of the mountain?”
At that moment, they realized that this man was very advanced in his spiritual practice.
He had achieved internal skills.He was very familiar with the mountain paths and could swiftly move about.Isn’t that a spiritual power?He had arrived before they did; despite his old age, he was still able to move very swiftly.This showed his mastery as a spiritual practitioner.
So, with great sincerity and respect, these two bhiksus prostrated before him.They asked, “sir, are you Venerable Jeyata?”He answered, “Yes, that would be me.”“why are you looking for me?”These two bhiksus did not asked about anything in particular, they just said, “Venerable One, you are a senior practitioner replete with so many virtues.”“In this community of bhiksus, why are you the one who goes down the mountain to personally gather firewood? ”
He answered, “This simple task of gathering firewood is the offering I make to the Sangha and is helpful to the lives of many monastics.Even I if had to use my arms and legs as firewood for them, I am willing.”“But why?” these two immediately asked.He said, “Because I constantly recall the suffering of birth and death in my past.”So they asked, “Venerable One, what happened in your past?”This elder began to explain, “In my past lives, I lived 500 lifetimes as dog.In these 500 lifetimes, I was always starting and lived in run-down places.I never had anything to eat.Last life, I had two full meals.
One was when someone got drunk.He ate a lot and got drunk, then threw everything up so I ate it all.But as I was eating, I was also beaten and severely injured.Thus I experienced unbearable suffering.”
“Another time, [I encountered] a family where the husband was a farmer who went to work early in the morning.The wife stayed home to prepare lunch.When she finished preparing the meal, she had to run out to take care of something.So, I seized the opportunity to go in the house.When I saw the food on the table, I was happy, so I stuck my head inside [the container] to eat the food in side until I was full. But when I tried to pull my head out, I was stuck. I could not pull my head out so I struggled”. The farmer came back then and saw the dog with his head stuck in the neck of the jar. In a fit of rage, he used the handle of his axe to smash the jar, alone with the head of the dog. Thus ended his 500th lifetime as a dog.
At this point, he said, “This was very sad terrifying”.
So, Venerable Jeyata told these two bhiksus, “Young men, always walk on the right path. Even though you are still young, remember to remain vigilant even in times of peace. You live your lives quite leisurely, but you should heighten your vigilance. Once you deviate and lose your footing, falling into a lower realm will bring unbearable suffering. In thinking about my past life and the lifetimes of suffering I had endured, I have decided to serve the monks. Beyond gathering firewood, I am even willing to use my arms and legs, as firewood”.
Having heard this, these two bhiksus. came to a realization. This is [a story about] past spiritual practitioner.
Actually, this reminds me of when we were building the hospital in Dalin, and we entrusted Dr. Lin with leading the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital with leading the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. People came from all over Taiwan to help to set it up, inside and out, as well as to recruit employees.
One day, a young man came to the hospital. He saw an older gentleman cleaning up the bathroom, so he asked, “Uncle, where is the superintendent’s office?” The older gentleman replied, “What will you be doing in that office?” “I am here to apply for a job”. “Go straight down this hallway, then turn into that doorway and you will see the superintendent’s office”. “Ah, I see!”. “Thank you very much.” Then he kept walking.
So, shortly after, that same older gentleman entered the office, but now he was wearing a doctor’s white coat. The doctor came to him and said, “Hello, young man, we just met earlier. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am the person you are looking for”. “Oh! You are the superintendent!”. “Yes, I am”. You see, the superintendent, to ensure that the hospital would be quickly cleaned and tidied up, personally set and example by cleaning it himself.
I also heard of another instance when over 1000 volunteers of the northern region helped with a major cleaning at our hospital in Xindian, Taipei. Hundreds of hospital employees also helped. This very large group of people split up the responsibility for cleaning different sections of the hospital, both inside and outside.
Each was assigned a section. Hospital Superintendent Chao assigned himself to clean the restroom because he wanted to thoroughly understand how to clean the dirtiest of all places, so it could smell fresh and free of odors, and be so clean there was no dust or dirt. This is what leaders must do to they must “accomplish [good] things” by “adapting to different capabilities”. These various skillful means all have to do with leading by example.
“Our minds are inherently replete with all Dharma. By adapting to different capabilities the Buddha used infinite skillful means to help us accomplish the good things we do. To give us this hope, He taught us the Bodhisattva Way.”
Everything arises from a single thought. As a leader, to create the environment we hope for, we must personally bring it about. Isn’t this “teaching the Bodhisattva Way?” Putting [teachings] into practice and leading by example is a part of “humanistic culture”. Humanistic culture refers to our mindset, our morals, virtues, character and so on, and how they manifest in our daily living. So, the Buddha said in the sutra,
“Sariputra, you and others, should single-mindedly believe, understand, accept and uphold the words of the Buddha.”
We must be “single-minded”, which is a mind free of discursive thoughts, a pure mind. Not only do we use our pure minds to believe and to understand, but we must also “accept and uphold the words of the Buddha.”
We should listen to everything that the Buddha teaches and put it into practice.To “accept and uphold” means to put into practice. We must accept and apply it to ourselves to earnestly engage in spiritual practice, to cultivate internally and practice externally.
“For, in the words of all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, there is nothing false. There are nor no other vehicles; there is only the One Buddha Vehicle.”
This shows that “all Buddhas share the same path.” Each Buddha comes to this world and utilizes various means to teach according to capabilities, but in the end, they have no other [purpose]. They only come to teach the One Buddha Vehicle.
“There are no other vehicles.” There is no second or third vehicle, only the One Vehicle. The One Vehicle Dharma is the way to Buddhahood. On the way to Buddha we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. Without walking the Bodhisattva-path, we have not accepted and upheld.
So, “single-mindedly believe and understand” refers to “the principles and workings of things.” In the world we are living in right now, in our lives right at this moment, all things and all principles originate in our mind.
Single-mindedly believe and understand: The principles and workings of things originate in the mind. Thus, we must believe in the truth. When we do something single-mindedly, our minds are focused. The nature of the mind is as pervasive as space. It can freely travel throughout the universe. When dispersed, it can respond to all things. When gathered, it can be focused into one thought. Thus, whether it be good or evil, noble or unenlightened, everything comes from this mind.
“Single-mindedly believe and understand” means we very carefully seek to believe and understand so we may find the “truth.” The “truth” is the principle. We must single-mindedly realize the principles of Absolute Truth. Thus we “believe in the truth.” Through the true principle, we believe in the Buddha’s teachings.
“Single-mindedly” means our minds are focused and free of discursive thoughts.If we have a Buddha-mind and take refuge with the Dharma, we see principles underlying everything, all of which originate in our minds. When our minds are in harmony with all things, we have attained “single-mindedness.
The nature of the mind is as pervasive as space. It can freely travel throughout the universe.” It is as spacious as the universe. There is nowhere it cannot go. Such is our intrinsic Buddha-nature. Since we possess the Buddha-nature, “when dispersed, it can respond to all things. When gathered, it can be focused into one thought.”
Our nature could indeed be described as very broad. When we think about where we want to go, before we move our minds is already there. This is the working of our minds. If we listen intently and gather our thoughts, our minds come back to where we are. This is the working of our minds.
“Thus, whether it be good or evil, noble or unenlightened, no matter whether it is good or evil, it all exists within this mind. Whether we are noble or unenlightened beings is also determined by this mind. So, “everything comes from this mind.”
Everyone, our mind allows us to become Buddhas but it may also cause torment for 500 lifetimes. If we end up trapped in the animal realm for a long time, that would also be caused by our minds. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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