Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Teaching with Gentleness and Kindness (學善軟心 隨順受教)
Date: October. 22. 2014
In learning the Buddha’s Way, we must learn to be kind and gentle and follow the teachings accordingly. By cultivating ourselves to benefit others, we can abide peacefully in the Right Dharma.
The Buddha has great compassion. To learn His way is to learn His great compassion, which comes from a kind and gentle heart. With this kindness and gentleness, He treats sentient beings the way kind parents treat their own children. There is a common saying, “The Buddha treated sentient beings like Rahula”. Rahula was the Buddha’s child. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He vowed to treat sentient beings impartially and help everyone encounter the Buddha-Dharma so that they could liberate their minds. With this vow, He returned to the palace to transform His father, His aunt and everyone in the palace. The closer the family members were, the more He wished to transform them.
Even Rahula, His young, naive and innocent child, was led by Him to become a monastic. The Buddha’s father was reluctant to allow this because after his own son had become a monastic, he placed all his hopes on this grandson. But because the Buddha deeply loved His son, He wanted him to be immersed in the Dharma.
So, He led His son to be a monastic. This showed that His compassion and love for sentient beings and His son were the same. The Buddha treated sentient beings as His only child. He wanted them all to receive the same teachings. Since sentient beings’ capabilities vary, the Buddha had to think of various methods to teach them. So, He established skillful means suitable for their capabilities.
As we engage in spiritual practice, if we can understand the Buddha’s mind, we must take the Dharma deep into our hearts. We must deeply etch the Dharma in our minds. By “cultivating ourselves to benefit others,” we not only engage in our own spiritual practice, but we also seek to benefit others. This is the kind of practice we must engage in.
Everyone, we do not learn the Buddha’s Way just for our own sakes. Once we learn about the impermanence of life, it is not enough to just see through all things and let go of them. It is not enough to just seek our own awakening, attain our own liberation and have no more afflictions. That is not enough. We engage in spiritual practice to help everyone understand the Buddha-Dharma and the impermanence of life. To be able to understand the Buddha-Dharma, we learn the wondrously profound principles of the cycle of cause and effect and cyclic existence in the Six Realms. We must help everyone clearly understand these principles. More than just understanding them, we must help people take joy in them so they can happily take the Buddha-Dharma into their hearts and deeply penetrate its subtleties and wondrousness. As for ourselves, we must practice until we can attain liberation from cyclic existence in the Six Realms so that we can follow our vows.
What are the vows that we want to follow? The Four Great Vows. We must vow to transform sentient beings. We must vow to complete the path to Buddhahood. If we are willing to transform sentient beings and even “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood,” then won’t all sentient beings in the world abide peacefully in Right Dharma?
Right Dharma is what we all seek.Have we fully taken this Dharma to heart?The correct answer is, “Not yet.”And because we have not, the unknowns about the future prevent us from feeling at peace.So, we must reverently learn to develop the Buddha’s kind and gentle heart.We must form great aspirations, just like the Buddha who, for the sake of future sentient beings whose capabilities vary greatly, came up with many methods to teach according to their capabilities and according to their times.He taught according to time, people and place.This is very important.
We need to cultivate ourselves to benefit others.This is why we must constantly form aspirations and make vows, so that we can abide peacefully in Right Dharma and also enable all sentient beings to peacefully listen to the Buddha’s Right Dharma.This is the ideal we all share.
Previously, we mentioned that all Buddhas, not just Sakyamuni Buddha, but all past Buddhas, did the same thing.They used various causes and conditions, analogies and expressions to teach suitable skillful means.
Then as this sutra passage states, “Now, I do this as well.”Sakyamuni Buddha Himself said this.“In order to bring peace to living beings, I use various Dharma-doors to proclaim the path to Buddhahood.”
He utilized various methods to proclaim and reveal the path to Buddhahood, the path that He had awakened to, so that everyone could understand that the Buddha-Dharma is essential for daily living.This was the Buddha’s vow.So, the Buddha said, “Now, I do this as well.”He was the same as all past Buddhas.
Now, I do this as well in order to bring security living beings:
The Buddha said that.He knew sentient beings had varying capabilities.To accommodate their different roots and conditions, He established provisional teachings that would stabilize and enter their minds.
The Buddha said that.He knew sentient beings had varying capabilities.In order to adapt to their roots, capabilities and causes and conditions, which were all different, all Buddhas, from those of the past to our Dakyamuni Buddha, had to mindfully give provisional teachings and establish skillful means.Theses provisional skillful means first bring peace to sentient beings’ minds so that they can take the Dharma to heart.
Looking at the following sutra passage, you should find it very familiar.It comes from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings.“They abide in a state of bliss that is wondrous and true. With infinite compassion, they relieve the suffering of sentient beings.”
Everyone can recite this from memory.We want to help sentient beings take the Dharma to heart.If they can take it to heart, the Dharma can abide in their hearts forever.I constantly tell everyone, having something deep in our minds comes from taking the Dharma to heart.By doing this, we will always be very happy.
So, if the Buddha-Dharma is in all of our hearts, we will always be very happy because our minds will be free of greed and anger, as well as ignorance and afflictions.There will be no doubts, no conceit and no arrogance.If this is the case, nighters neither the Five Turbidities nor the Five Poisons will be in our minds, which will be pure and undefiled.
This is because the Dharma abides in our minds.Then we only act to benefit ourselves and others.To benefit ourselves is to “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood”.Our only course is our “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood”.To attain Buddhahood, we must first transform sentient beings.
So, when we “vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood” we must go out into the world to transform sentient beings.“Wisdom comes from experience.”If we have pure karmic causes but no positive karmic connections, we still cannot attain Buddhahood. So, to attain Buddhahood, we need pure karmic causes and must also go among the people to form positive connections.
So, if we have pure causes, but no pure karmic connections, we will still be unable to “attain unsurpassed Buddhahood”. No matter how we vow to attain Buddhahood, we will have no way of doing so. Thus, the first of the Four Great Vows is “I vow to deliver countless sentient beings”. The last vow is “I vow to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood”. This process requires us to eliminate our afflictions, which is something we must learn among people. Don’t we “learn by doing, awaken by learning?” “Learning by doing, awaken by learning”, right? This is about [applying] these methods in our daily living.
As we live among countless sentient beings, we must work to transform them. And as we do this, the Buddha-Dharma will appear in this place. When we use skillful means to transform people, we are developing our wisdom. So, we “have Dharma to transform them”. With the Dharma, we can transform sentient beings. Each sentient being has different capabilities. According to this person’s capabilities, we find a way to approach and transform him. For a person with different capabilities, we will find another way. This comes from taking the Dharma to heart so that it constantly develops and peacefully abides in our minds. Thus, transforming people so that they can accept the Dharma brings us great happiness.
I constantly hear that when our Commissioners first form aspirations, they talk about Tzu Chi to whomever they meet. When someone is willing to become a member, they are very happy. Collecting donations of NT$100 makes them happy. One Commissioner’s husband said, “I give you tens of thousands dollars monthly and that does not make you happy. Why does NT$100 from one of your members make you so happy?” She said, “It’s different. When I share the [Dharma] and they accept it and are inspired to give, this is different. What you give me sustains my physical life. What I give them nurtures their wisdom-life”. This is how we help each other grow.
We can “abide in a state of bliss”. If you use the Dharma to transform others and they accept your teachings, this can bring great happiness. So, when we have taken the Dharma to heart, it is indeed “wondrous and true. Only the one who drinks the water knows its temperature”. None of you know how happy I feel as I explain these teachings how happy I feel as I explain these teachings. You cannot know this. And as you listen, are you happy? I do not know that either I am happy to speak while you are happy to listen. This is “wondrous and true”. This [leads to] “infinite compassion”. From our hearts we must give rise to universal compassion. As we want to attain happiness, we also want everyone else to attain happiness. Having non-arising and non-ceasing true principles always abiding in our minds, this is what we want, and we also hope others can attain this state. This is universal compassion.
When the Buddha taught sentient beings, He began by teaching about boundless suffering. Suffering is present throughout our lives. Moreover, birth, aging, illness and death are laws of nature, which are inseparable from the impermanence of life. So, this is the suffering in our lives. The Buddha exercised universal compassion, so after He liberated Himself from cyclic existence in the Six Realms and the suffering of the impermanence of life, He hoped that everyone could attain this state. This is why He went back to transform His father, His clan and His son. He had the same aspiration to transform everyone.
Thus He exercised “infinite compassion”, which is universal compassion, to “relieve the suffering of sentient beings”. He wanted to save suffering sentient beings. So “[it is] the state, stable and joyful refuge for all living beings”. If sentient beings can attain this Dharma, they will be in a safe, stable and joyful place because they have returned to their pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature. Sentient beings’ “safe, stable and joyful refuge” is the True Dharma because it can help us to return to our nature of True Suchness. That is the safest and most stable place.
“They are the safe, stable and joyful refuge for all living beings. They are a source of relief, protection and great support. They are the great guiding teachers for all sentient beings everywhere.”
The Dharma is “a source of relief, protection and great support”. This truly virtuous and wondrous Dharma is what sentient beings can rely on. This is what our minds must return to; we must take this Dharma to heart because that is our best source of support. We also use the Dharma to help all sentient beings find their direction.
So, the Dharma, for any and all sentient beings, is their stable refuge and source of support. “They are the great guiding teachers for all sentient beings everywhere”. With infinite compassion, [Bodhisattvas] hope sentient beings can have something to rely on. And what they can rely on is the Dharma.
We can rely on the Dharma to help our minds feel safe and stable Relying on this Dharma help us head in the right direction without going astray. This requires a great teacher to show us the way.This comes from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. I hope you will constantly review the Sutra of Infinite Meanings to understand its principles.
Indeed, the Sutra of Infinite Meanings gives us a spiritual direction. So, “sentient beings can, from the Dharma, attain stability in their minds. If we can understand these teachings, we can attain peace in our minds and be determined to advance on this path.”
Each of us, when we find the path, and have no doubt that the direction is right, will walk steadily on this path. This is how we walk the Bodhisattva-path.
So, the Buddha “used various. Dharma-doors to proclaim the path to Buddhahood.” The Buddha had to use various methods to find. The Buddha had to use various methods to find suitable teachings for people’s capabilities so they would accept the Dharma and take it to heart. Thus they learn the path to Buddhahood.
[The Buddha] used various Dharma-doors to proclaim the path to Buddhahood: The Buddha, with various expressions and analogies, developed various wondrous, provisional teachings and Dharma-doors of skillful means. This is how He revealed to sentient beings all Buddhas’ understanding and views and the One Vehicle path to Buddhahood.
“The Buddha [utilized] various expressions and analogies” Sentient beings are all different.As I am teaching right now, does listening to me make you happy? Some will say, “Yes, I feel happy.” Which part brought them happiness? None of us can fully know what makes another person happy. Among these various teachings and analogies, [perhaps] there is one part you can accept. There are so many teachings because there is not one that can awaken everyone at once. So, various appearances are used as analogies. This is how the Buddha’s wisdom works.
“The Buddha, with various expressions and analogies, developed various wondrous, provisional teachings and Dharma-doors of skillful means.” He used various wondrous, provisional teachings to guide sentient beings; these are called Dharma-doors. We must enter the room of our Buddha[-mind], then open the door to allow others to enter. So, We must use various methods to say to them, “Please, come in through this door.” We must guide them to the door so they can formally become Buddhist practitioners.
This requires a lot of effort. After they enter, they can truly see the preciousness of the Dharma. Then the true, subtle and wondrous Dharma can truly enter their hearts. “This is how He revealed to sentient beings the Buddha’s understanding and views and the One Vehicle path to Buddhahood.”
When people enter, they calm their minds to earnestly listen “Do you understand?” “This is the Buddha’s understanding and views.” It is the One Vehicle path to Buddhahood; there is nothing else. He hoped that we can listen to the Dharma and see our true nature.He wanted to help us understand that our intrinsic Buddha-nature still exists. As long as we can take the Dharma to heart and walk this path, we can naturally return to our nature of True Suchness.
As I just said, “I vow to transform countless sentient beings.” Our ultimate goal is “to attain unsurpassed Buddhahood.” Meanwhile, we must “vow to end infinite afflictions and vow to learn infinite Dharma-doors.” So, we must accomplish all these things. Once we do, we can return to our intrinsic nature, and all become Buddhas. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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