Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Bring Dignity to Your Spiritual Practice (莊嚴本心道坦)
Date: October. 14. 2014
“True Suchness is where all phenomena peacefully abide. Those who teach the One Vehicle are one with the principles of absolute truth. Understand the mind and realize true nature; great love is also True Suchness.”
Where does our nature peacefully abide? When it comes to natures and appearances, we can see appearances, but not natures. “Nature is always abiding,” but where is it abiding? I want to tell everyone that “True Suchness is where all phenomena peacefully abide.” There are many things we cannot realize simply by thinking about them. If we can conceive of principles but cannot put them into practice, we have not truly [realized] them. If we can both realize and act on these principles, their appearance becomes something we can experience in our daily living. If we can act on them, those principles will be demonstrated. We often say, “If we are in harmony with people and matters, we will be in harmony with principles.” When we are in harmony with principles, we are in harmony with the people and mattes we deal with. This leads to perfect harmony.
So, True Suchness is also all the principles of absolute truth. We must constantly let others know that True Suchness is our basis for being good people. We all have an intrinsic nature of True Suchness, which is the true principles; true principles and True Suchness are the same. Thus, “those who teach the One Vehicle are one with the principles of absolute truth.” The principles of absolute truth are shared [by all]. True Suchness and absolute truth are the same. If our minds can come together with the principles, we will become enlightened. If we unite our principles with True Suchness, then we have attained Buddhahood.
Therefore, when Sakyamuni Buddha engaged in deep and silent contemplation over 2000 years ago, He united His mind with the truths of the universe and purified His body and mind. So, if we can understand principles, we will not be attached to the world’s labels and appearances. There will be no such thing as fame, wealth or status to be proud of nor poverty or hardships to be saddened by. We all intrinsically have a great love which is abundant with True Suchness. And if we are willing to work towards this state it is possible for us to achieve it.
I saw [a report on] the world’s poorest president. Although he is very poor, he is also the most generous. He is the president of Uruguay. After he took office, he refused to move into the presidential palace and even rejected the presidential limo. Every day, he drives his old car to and from work. The car is 25 years old. During the holidays, he travels to a farming village. He came from a farming family and his family is still actively farming. So during the holidays, he works in the fields. He donates 90 percent of his salary to help others. He says he did not need so much money, only enough to get by. How much is his monthly salary as president? Based on last year’s exchange rate, it is NT$370,000.
He says, “I can live on just a little more than NT$30,000. This is what my people live on. If they can live on this, so can I.” Though some people say President Mujica is the poorest president, he says, “I’m not poor. The person who says I’m poor is truly a poor person. If you base it on my possessions, on how many things I own, then that is true.”
Indeed, on his farm he has two tractors and two 25-year-old cars.
Indeed, he only has six million dollars (NT) in [net worth].This is a fact.In the past, he was in prison for 14 years.Because he fought for justice for the people, he was politically persecuted.He was in prison quite a few times.When asked to move into the presidential palace, he declined because he saw it as only a larger version of his cell in the prison.It did not make much difference to his life.So, he preferred to live in his own home where he felt free and at ease.
During the holidays, he farms in the village.This is what makes him most happy and what he most enjoys.So, those who live simply and work hard feel the most wealthy.
He is “one with the principles of absolute truth; ” he is pure and selfless, free of defilements.He is not restrained by fame, wealth or status so he can be completely free and at ease in the world.This is the nature of True Suchness.
Everyone, a Buddha in the world, one who attains enlightenment, is called the Enlightened One.This means His mind was united with the principles.“Contentment always brings happiness, simplicity brings the greatest wealth.”We can all recite these principles.Even though we say we are “content,” we still want nice things when we see them.“Other people have it; I should have it too. We think of ways to attain it. Other people have it; I should have it too.”A person with this mindset still has severe habitual tendencies.If we can say it and then achieve it, we have [returned to] our nature of True Suchness.Not only do we know it ourselves, we can share it with others and live it as a reality in our lives.This is what happens when matters, people and principles converge.
When we are in harmony with people and matters, as well as principles, our life will be in perfect harmony.Indeed, moral character leads to a harmonious life.
When we full develop our moral character, we will have developed our Buddha-character.So, in Buddhist teachings, in the Lotus Sutra, it states,
“The Dharma abides in the Dharma-state; its appearance in the world is ever-abiding.Having understood this at places of practice, the guiding teacher expounds it skillful. Its appearance in the world is ever-abiding. This is the realization of the Buddha Himself that the ultimate reality of the world is ever-abiding.”
It appearance in the world is ever-abiding:
This is the realization of the Buddha Himself that the ultimate reality of the world is ever-abiding.
All appearances of worldly phenomena are inseparable from Dharma-nature.
All appearances of phenomena are the appearances of the ever-abiding nature.
After one attains enlightenment, one sees that the appearances of all things in the world are closely aligned with principles.If there are no principles, there will be no appearances.If there are appearances, then there are [underlying] principles.Thus, all worldly appearances are ever-abiding.This is true, even though we often say, “All things are empty.”When all things are broken down and analyzed, we find that there is nothing that actually exists.This is also a principle.
We constantly name the things right in front of us.What is the floor?Do we know what it really is?What is the floor made of? Wood.Wood is also known as timber, and timber was originally a tree.Tree come from seeds.We can keep analyzing, but what manifests in front of us is the floor.This floor is wood.What about this table?It is also wood.Though they are both wood, they are labeled as different things.
Theses appearances of different shapes and sizes, all of these things we can see with our eyes, all these forms and appearances, are created from our ideas; these are people’s ideas, which our minds can bring into beings.
However, once something is created, it will certainly be destroyed. It goes through formation, existence, decay and disappearance. After something becomes old, it decays. After it decays, it is gone. However, its underlying principle is still there. In an endless cycle, a seed planted in the ground becomes a tree and so on. This is the principle of an unending cycle. Similarly, humans are continuously creating many kinds of names and appearances. This never stops. Because of this, we say there is an “ever-abiding appearance”.
That is, “all appearances of worldly phenomena”, the appearances manifested by all principles, “are inseparable from the Dharma-nature”. Dharma-nature is True Suchness. We have this intrinsic nature of True Suchness, this pure wisdom. But, this wisdom is continuously being defiled. After wisdom has been defiled by ignorance, it becomes worldly knowledge, common knowledge, cleverness and so on. These are all different labels, but ultimately they are all derived from pure wisdom.
So we say, “Appearances of phenomena are inseparable from the Dharma-nature”. Natures and appearances are inseparable. These are two things with one underlying principle. “All appearances of phenomena are the appearance of their ever-abiding nature”. All appearances of phenomena are the appearance of our ever-abiding nature. When we look at external appearances, we are actually looking at an appearance exhibited by our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. I do not know if you can all understand this.
So, “Having understood this at places of practice”. The sutra states, “The Dharma abides in the Dharma-state, its appearance in the world is ever-abiding. Having understood this at places of practice”.
“Having understood this at places of practice: These are the places of enlightenment where one achieves the realization of unsurpassed, complete awakening. It is the spiritual training ground all Buddhas and sentient beings intrinsically have within. It is the ultimate truth in the teachings of all Buddhas, the Completely Awakened Ones, which is that Dharma-nature is inherently empty, and that all sentient beings intrinsically have flawless seeds of Buddhahood.”
A place of practice is “the place of enlightenment where one achieves the realization of unsurpassed, complete awakening”. This is where, in the process of Sakyamuni Buddha’s spiritual practice, after accepting the shepherdess’ offering, He recovered His strength and chose to sit on a rock underneath this tree. Then He made a vow, “Once I sit down, I will not leave until I attain enlightenment”. This place of spiritual practice is called the place of enlightenment, it is the place where the Buddha attained complete enlightenment. It is a place of practice, where He “realized unsurpassed, complete awakening” which is perfect and universal enlightenment. It is called “complete awakening”, which is “unsurpassed”. There are no higher principles beyond those that the Buddha realized. He realized the true principles of the universe. What we ordinary people know, even if we know a lot, are still just worldly matters. Scientific advances are still verifying the principles the Buddha realized in His supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment. This is how science has developed.
Though we can now see many true principles, many scientists still continue their research. Yet, over 2000 years ago, the Buddha’s one sentence covered all this. “Amazing! Amazing! All beings possess enlightened Buddha-nature”. That vast and expansive wisdom was completely revealed in the universe. When the Buddha’s spiritual state opened up at that time, that was His place of enlightenment.
So, that place of practice is where a Completely Awakened One realizes great Bodhi. The Lotus Sutra states, “The Dharma abides in the Dharma-state, its appearance in the world is ever-abiding”. By abiding in the Dharma-state, these principles have reunited with True Suchness. This great and profound Dharma actually comes from our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. These great principles even apply to all worldly froms and appearances. When they abide in the Dharma-state, these kinds of “appearances are ever-abiding”. Where are these appearances abiding? They abide in the principles of absolute truth, which come back to our True Suchness. Only through the nature of True Suchness can one penetrate the principles realized by a Completely Awakened One. This happens at a place of enlightenment, a place to practice awakening which is “the spiritual training ground all Buddhas and sentient beings intrinsically have within”
Sakyamuni Buddha is not the only one with this place of practice. The Buddha told us that the true place of practice “is the spiritual training ground all Buddhas and sentient beings intrinsically have within” We all have an intrinsic nature of True Suchness. We all have an inner spiritual training ground.This is the ultimate truth in the teachings of all Buddhas, the Completely Awakened Ones of all Buddhas, the Completely Awakened Ones.
After He realized this, He knew that this place of practice had “a Dharma-nature [which] is inherently empty”. The Dharma-nature of that place is inherently empty. Our Dharma-nature is inherently empty. What do we mean by “empty”? It means to be without any hindrances. “Everything is without hindrances.” Thus we will not be constrained by any kind of worldly appearance. That is true emptiness. Within true emptiness, there is wondrous existence.
So, we know that “all sentient beings intrinsically have the flawless seeds of Buddhahood. This “flawless seed” is True Suchness. “Flawless” means undefiled; it is True Suchness. That seed of Buddhahood is inherent in all of us. However, we are unenlightened beings, thus “it requires the influence of exceptional conditions to arise.”
True Suchness requires the influence of exceptional conditions to arise. Therefore, the One Vehicle Dharma is taught.
If we want to thoroughly understand, we must begin our spiritual practice anew. In this kind of environment, this evil world of the Five Turbidities, how do we purify ourselves? By living our lives among the people and using matters to train exceptional our minds, using exceptional conditions to complete our practice.
So, I always say that not only do we give unconditionally, we also tell people, “I am grateful because” you provided me with this exceptional condition.” “Thus I can give without any hindrances and attachments.” These are exceptional conditions. This is the ultimate reality of the One Vehicle. This is a true principle.
So, “the guiding teacher expounds it skillfully.” “Having understood this at places of practice, after we completely awaken, we become guiding teachers.”
The guiding teacher expounds it skillfully: The Buddha attained perfect enlightenment and realized the truth at this place of practice, and in particular used it to guide sentient beings.Because He is the guiding teacher of all people, for their sakes He taught skillful means.
The guiding teacher is the Buddha. After realizing perfect enlightenment in that place, with what He achieved and awakened to, He knew the true principles of all things in the universe. Because of this He returned to the world for one great cause He wanted to teach and guide sentient beings. Thus, He was considered the guiding teacher. He returned to teach everyone how to walk this path, how to engage in spiritual practice, what mindset with which to view people, matters and the principles.He helps us to have peace of mind as we walk this road. Thus He is our “guiding teacher.”
The guiding teacher in this world must use various skillful means to lead us all. So, “the guiding teacher expounds it skillfully.” Everyone, we have to understand this I hope you can hear and take the Dharma to heart Remember that there is a person with a high position and great fame. He is not greedy for wealth and status; he just wants to be an ordinary person. He also wants to be one with nature. There is such a president. Therefore, we can all achieve this state Ordinary people can also do this.
So, we call this the Dharma. The way we apply and thoroughly understand the principles is to manifest Dharma in our actions and in our minds. Thus, everyone, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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