Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Transform Others with the Dharma in Your Hearts (自心法度他心)
Date: November. 06. 2014
“A perfectly enlightened mind encompasses the universe. An awakened understanding embraces the boundless world within it. The Buddha used the Dharma in His mind to transform the minds of others, but the minds of sentient beings cannot reach the Dharma.”
I want to share with everyone that, when the Buddha attained enlightenment, He attained perfect enlightenment. He perfectly comprehended all phenomena and awakened to all things in the universe. All true principles were contained in His mind, so His understanding was all-encompassing, embracing boundless worlds. It is said, “The mind cannot be applied in two places.” The minds of ordinary people only function to give rise to greedy clinging. When we see something that is the best, we are greedy for it; we want it to be ours. We want to possess it; this is attachment. However, in the Buddha’s enlightened state, His mind can encompass the universe and all things within it. He understands all people, matters and objects. No matter what appears before Him, nothing can defile His mind. His mind is like a clean mirror. When a condition appears, it is fully reflected. When it disappears, not a trace of it remains in His mind. This is the perfect enlightenment of the Buddha.
He enlightened Himself and others, and has perfect enlightened conduct. Any kind of object, matter or principle can be analyzed by Him in great detail. His mind was so expansive that any place that flying dust could reach, His mind could also reach that place. He could analyze things meticulously, down to a grain of sand; the Buddha could penetrate and analyze the principles of matter underlying even a grain of sand. He could break it down to its most subtle and intricate components. Moving outward, He could expand His mind to the farthest corners of the universe.
When the Buddha first attained enlightenment, He was looking at the morning star when suddenly, the true principles of the universe entered His mind. His mind opened wide to become one with everything in the universe. That was the moment He first attained perfect enlightenment. His mind had just reached a perfect state. At that moment, He wondered how to help everyone understand such a state and know that, indeed, everyone has a pure intrinsic nature that can attain Buddhahood. How could He help them experience, as He had, this intrinsic enlightened nature everyone has? So, “the Buddha used the Dharma in His mind to transform the minds of others.” This was the Buddha’s state of mind.
He came to this world for one great cause, which was this. In the world there are many profound mysteries that cannot be understood. Yet, He understood them and was able to unravel these profound mysteries. He realized that since He could, everyone else could unravel them as well. To unravel them He used this specific method that He had discovered. He wanted to transform others by sharing these teachings with them. However, the Buddha realized that this would not be easy at all. “The minds of ordinary people cannot reach the Dharma.” If all He did was tell people about the true, Great Dharma, could they reach this state of mind? It would be very difficult! This was the Buddha’s state of mind when He first attained enlightenment. For many days, He remained in the same place. In that place, He continued to “contemplate the tree and walk in meditation.” He engaged in contemplation over 21 days as He “contemplate the tree and walk in meditation.”In that environment, between heaven and earth, He felt gratitude for the tree and was mindful of the virtues of the land.
When I first sat in this place of enlightenment.I contemplated this tree and walked in meditation.For three periods of seven days, I thought over matters such as these.The wisdom which I achieved is foremost in its subtlety and wondrousness.
With this state of mind, it was not enough that He awakened and understood everything.
“I am enlightened. I understand everything now.”But after He understood everything, He still came back to this world to show gratitude to each tree and blade of grass.
Living on this land, He was grateful for the virtue of the land and the grace of the trees.
As for each blade of grass, tree, or speck of dust, the Buddha was mindful of their grace and virtue, not to mention those of sentient beings.
The Buddha said that sentient beings have showed Him kindness.This was the Buddha saying that sentient beings had bestowed upon Him much grace and virtue have thought of engaging in spiritual practice.Because sentient beings manifested ignorance, delusion and suffering, it was to relieve their suffering that he began considering how to break through all the attachments and misunderstandings in life that cause this cycle of suffering.
So, in lifetime after lifetime.He explored this path to enlightenment.However, it is impossible for us ordinary people to have such an expansive mind as the Buddha, one that is free of afflictions and defilements.This is what makes us ordinary people.But we can have the same mindset as the Buddha, the willingness to give to others.
However, in the process of giving, interpersonal conflicts will inevitably arise and lead to afflictions and unhappiness.These trebling afflictions bring suffering.
So, though we suffer, we still contribute happily.Suffering still exists; we give happily and willingly, but there are still many interpersonal conflicts and many other challenges we cannot resolve.What about the recipients of our help?Are they happy when they receive it?
I think they are very happy.What about us?We are people who are helping others.We take the Buddha’s mind as our mind.We need to become like the Buddha and develop a very broad and great mind that does not make distinctions based on religion or ethnicity.When sentient beings suffer, we help them.When we give, we feel grateful.
This is the mindset of a Bodhisattva.
As newly-inspired Bodhisattvas, we aspire to develop the mindset of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.If we truly achieve the state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we have reached the next level, which is very different.Bodhisattvas give to all sentient beings with willing hearts and with enlightened love.They treat sentient beings with a mindset that is close to that of the Buddha.He treats all sentient beings like His only son.
After He became enlightened, He wanted to share the Dharma that He attained so others could be transformed, like Him.Unfortunately, the minds of sentient beings cannot reach the Dharma.So, we must constantly reflect on ourselves.
Why are our minds like this?The Buddha can awaken, why can’t we awaken?We still have to follow the Buddha’s teachings and put them into practice.However, we human beings often make progress and then regress.We give rise to joy as well as afflictions.
If we were constantly filled with Dharma-joy, wouldn’t that be great!Therefore, we must be mindful.
Previously we talked about how all heavenly beings came to the Buddha soon after Him after He attained enlightenment.He urgently wanted to share the teachings with sentient beings, yet realized they could not accept it.So, He had a thought, “Since the Dharma is useless to sentient beings, why should I remain in this world?”
In that instant, He wanted to enter Parinirvana.In that instant, Brahma Kings, Sakra-devanam Indra, the four heavenly kings and their retinues of infinite beings emerged in His state of mind.
So, all heavenly beings consoled Him by saying that past Buddhas also had to come up with methods to teach sentient beings. This took place in the Buddha’s mind. They all invited Him to turn the Dharma-wheel.
“At that time, all Brahma Kings, as well as Sovereign Sakras, the four heavenly kings who guard the world, the king of Great Freedom Heaven, and the other multitudes of heavenly beings, with retinues numbering in the billions, reverently put their palms together and requested that I turn the Dharma-wheel. I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle…”.
Now this sutra passage states, “I then thought to myself, were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle…”. Since Their minds were enlightened, past Buddhas had to come up with methods and skillful means for all sentient beings. So, He contemplated this very thoroughly. “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle…”. He could [teach] these sentient beings by continuously praising a Buddha’s state of mind as being one of tranquility and clarity, one that encompasses all things in the universe, that knows and understands everything. This kind of vast and endless, tranquil and clear state was the Buddha Vehicle He wanted to share. “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle…”. He could focus on praising this state and telling everyone that they all possessed it, but for people to open up their minds to this state is not that easy. Why? Because sentient beings are immersed in suffering.
“Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma. They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms”.
Sentient beings do not realize that they can also attain that spiritual state of mind. The Buddha had this inner place of enlightenment, this pure and intrinsic Tathagata-nature. The Buddha had realized the truths of all things. Because He had awakened, He also knew everyone had the same intrinsic Tathagata-nature of True Suchness. He wanted to say to everyone, “You have it, and so do you”. Yet, sentient beings wonder, “How could I possibly be happy? I cannot possibly understand this state. I am suffering!” Sentient beings are always suffering. They suffer from not getting what they want, from things not going as they wish, from birth, aging, illness, death, parting with those they love, meeting with those they hate and the raging Five Skandhas.
No matter their state of mind, when they face reality, not one thing goes as they wish. How could they realize the Buddha’s state of mind, which is pure, undefiled and clean as crystal? How could they possibly realize it?
Thus, sentient beings cannot believe that such a spiritual state exists. Not only they do not believe, they will slander it and fall into the Three Evil Realms. So, if He simply praised the Buddha-Vehicle, that method would not achieve the goal of transforming sentient beings.
“I then thought to myself, “Were I to praise only the Buddha Vehicle. Because the Buddha wanted to fully teach the meanings of all Dharma, He contemplated and planned, never forgetting that instant of enlightenment. He praised the Buddha Vehicle and taught it to transform people”.
So, this explanation is saying, “the Buddha wanted to fully teach”. If the Buddha directly taught His state of mind to sentient beings,it would not have worked.So,after the Buddha went among people, He contemplated and planned. He carefully contemplated and observed their capabilities to teach accordingly. He always recalled the mindset. He attained upon first attaining enlightenment. That mindset would always be there. This was the spiritual state that He wanted to share with sentient beings, but it was impossible; no matter what method they used to contemplate it,they could not experience this state.
So, the Buddha thought of ways to praise the Buddha Vehicle and teach it to transform people. But there were some obstacles. Where were these obstacles? “Sentient beings are immersed in suffering”. Because we are immersed in suffering, we do not have faith and are immersed in the sea of samsara; we are aleady sinking in the sea of birth and death. Basically, we are always suffering in the sea of samsara. All sentient beings feel this pain [because of] “that which causes suffering and afflictions”. All sentient beings suffer and are afflicted. With afflictions and suffering, we do not have a peaceful and free nature. Currently, all sentient beings are immersed in this kind of environment, “unable to believe this Dharma”.
“Beings immersed in suffering would be unable to believe this Dharma: They are immersed in the sea of samsara. That which causes suffering and afflictions leads us to not have a peaceful and stable nature. Thirsts and cravings are hard to satisfy,like a sea that constanly absorbs stream. We are covered in desires, as if drowning in a sea of suffering. Greed, anger, foolishness and delusion are sources of suffering and afflictions. Thus when we hear the Dharma, we certainly will not believe or respect it.”
Every one of us has these thirsts and cravings that are hard to satisfy. It is if we are all constantly thirsty. We are like parched land. Even when water is poured onto it, it is not really moistened. Similarly, when we are very thirsty we keep drinking and gulping down water. Craving are like a sea that absorbs streams. All the river water flows into the sea and the sea just keeps taking it in. This is what our desirous mind is like.
Rivers, streams and creeks all flow into these sea, and the sea absorbs them all. The sea will never be full. This is like being covered with desires. Greed, anger, ignorance and afflictions are great liabilities for sentient beings.
So, when they hear the Dharma, they cannot respect and believe in it. If they cannot believe or respect it, how can they take the Dharma to heart? Instead, “they will slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms.”
They would slander it out of disbelief and fall into the Three Evil Realms: because of their improper views, they slander the Dharma out of disbelief. Thus they deny the law of karma and criticize the Buddha’s Right Dharma. They listen to the Dharma but do not believe or accept it, so they give rise to slander and create negative karmic cause and conditions. This causes them to fall into the Three Evil Realms.
If they hear the Dharma and do not accept or apply it ,only do they not believe it, they will slander it and so on. They do not believe the Dharma, so they deny the law of karma and slander and damage the Right Dharma. Thus sentient beings who do not believe will easily fall into the evil realms.
After hearing the Dharma, they do not believe or faithfully accept it, and instead slander it. This is a negative karmic cause and the condition for creating more karma. With negative causes, conditions and karma, they will ultimately “fall into the three Evil Realms.”
Dear Bodhisattvas, in learning the Buddha’s Way, we must accept it. The Buddha’s spiritual state is so vast and great; “His mind encompasses the universe and embraces the boundless worlds within it.” If we understand the Buddha’s spiritual state, then we will naturally hope that all sentient beings can do the same. After we attain the Dharma, the Dharma-joy that fills us is something we want to share with everyone. Yet, sentient beings are unable to accept it and instead give rise to many afflictions.
Even if attaining this state of mind makes us happy, if we do not know how to teach according each person’s capabilities, we may teach inappropriately. If we try to force the Dharma we enjoy on them, they will not be happy. So, we must use different methods, skillful methods. Otherwise, delivering the Dharma from our mind into theirs will not be easy, because sentient beings’ minds. they cannot reach that state.
The Buddha greatly cherishes sentient beings with this hope; He hopes we can develop the same state of mind [as Him]. This is the same as when we car for people who are suffering. We hope that they can live better lives, that we will be able to help them even more. This is our mindset. Similarly, people who have accepted our help also do their best to give a little bit, so they feel like they are contributing something. Then they also feel very happy. The principle are the same; only the scale is different. Our minds can be opened as wide as the Buddha’s. To have “a perfectly enlightened mind” that “encompasses the universe,” we still have to work very hard. To realize an awakened understanding that embraces boundless worlds, we still need to be very diligent. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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