Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Buddha-Dharma is Hard to Encounter (佛法難遇當敬信)
Date: November.28. 2014
“It is rare to be born human, and we have been born human. It is rare to hear the Buddha-Dharma, and we have heard it. Even if we are born human and hear the Dharma, if we do not have faith and respect, it will be difficult for the Dharma to be taught.”
This tells everyone that indeed, among the Six Realms, being born in the human realm is difficult. Some say that it is better to be reborn in heaven. But if we are born in heaven, “It is difficult for the wealthy to learn the Way.” We cannot attain Buddhahood in heaven, and we still bring our karma with us to heaven. Once we have depleted our blessings, we will fall again, to the human realm or to the Three Evil Realms. Isn’t there a story about this in the sutras?
A heavenly lord who started showing the five signs of decay sought the Buddha’s help. Before he could prostrate to the Buddha, his spirit left his body and he was reborn in a stable. During the birth, the mare was in such pain she knocked over the owner’s pottery wheel. In a rage, the owner beat the mare with a stick. This caused birth complications, so the colt died and [his spirit] came back before the Buddha. After the Buddha taught him the Dharma, the heavenly lord aspired to take refuge in the Three Treasures. Only with the Buddha-Dharma can we completely eliminate obstructions of karma. If we no longer create karma, there will be no more karmic retributions. So, the Dharma is only found in the human realm. Those in the asura realm cannot draw near the Buddha-Dharma either because their minds are covered by afflictions of anger and hate, which are like a web that prevents them from taking the Dharma into their hearts.
What if we are born in the hell realm? The suffering us unbearable; how could we have chance to find the Dharma? If we are born in the hungry ghosts realm, we will also suffer. We cannot hear the Buddha-Dharma there. How could we listen when we starve and suffer? If we are born in the animal realm, the chances of hearing it are even worse. Therefore, out of the Six Realms, we can only hear it in one, the human realm. Being born human is truly a rare opportunity. In this current lifetime, among this large global population of around seven billion people, the percentage who have truly heard the Dharma is actually quite small. So, those of us who can listen to these teachings must listen carefully and cherish them. Otherwise, even if we are born human and have heart the Buddha-Dharma, if we do not respect and believe in it, it will be difficult for it to be taught.
The Buddha will think about how people’s lack of respect and faith may lead them to create karma of speech. Only those with the capabilities and willingness to respect and believe the Dharma can hear the True Dharma.
In this era, it is very easy to listen to the Buddha-Dharma. When we go online, we can see Dharma lectures, and when we turn on the TV, we can hear teachings. The Buddha-Dharma is already pervasive in this space. It is also in interpersonal relationships. After we have listened to teachings, we can offer mutual encouragement by sharing the realizations and joy we have attained from listening and practicing. When we are filled with Dharma-joy, we can share it to encourage each other. So through our interpersonal relationships, we can grow our faith and thus increase our chances of hearing, respecting and accepting the Dharma. Even those who are not yet Tzu Chi volunteers can, after listening to teachings, persevere in putting the Dharma into practice. A few days ago, I mentioned the school in Taitung, the aquaculture and commercial vocational school.Their principal, Yang Chang-he, happened to turn on the TV one day in 2004.Because of his habit of getting up early, he turned on the TV around 5am, just as Da Ai was broadcasting Wisdom at Dawn.
From that day on, he watched it every day, 365 days a year.Every morning, he tuned in to Wisdom at Dawn.Every day he copied the sutra text from the screen.At work, when he was troubled by interpersonal conflicts, he immediately applied the Dharma he had learned that morning.He works at the vocational school in Taitung.How does he go about educating the youth of today?He applies his own methods.
Every day, he arrives before the students and stands at the front entrance of the school.
As the students arrive, he greets them one by one.When he sees students who dress sloppily, he approaches them to adjust their attire.He has them button their shirts, and pats them on the shoulder, saying, “Remember to dress tidily.”When he sees students who have low energy and look like they have a lot on their mind, he asks them, “What’s on your mind? If you have any problems, let me know. Don’t hold it in.”
He shows this deep sincerity when he interacts with these young people.See, he may not be a member of our Faith Corps or one of our Commissioners, but he has taken the Dharma to heart and applies it in his daily living.By taking the Dharma to heart, it nourishes his mind.
Therefore, after being born human and hearing the Buddha-Dharma, we must faithfully accept and practice it.Only then can the Dharma a become widespread and truly bring purity to people’s minds.
Everyone, the Buddha-Dharma is taught in the world for the purpose of purifying people’s minds.After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He thought of ways to share the Dharma widely and teach sentient beings.As we have discussed, “The Buddhas of the Three Periods spoke the Dharma in such a manner, teaching the provisional before the true.”
The Buddha also taught in this manner.
As the Buddhas of the Three Periods spoke the Dharma in such a manner, so do I likewise now expound the non-discriminating Dharma.
Sakyamuni Buddha said, “I now do the same.”The way He taught the multitudes at this time was the same as the methods of past Buddhas of the Three Periods.There is actually no difference between the True Dharma and the Three Vehicles.If the Buddha had not paved the road with the Three Vehicles, how could we reach the state of Budhdahood?
The next passage of the sutra states, “When all Buddhas appear in the world, it is rare and hard to encounter Them. Even when They appear I the world, it is hard for Them to teach this Dharma.”
This is also letting us know that when Buddhas appear in this world, “it is rare and hard to encounter them.”It takes a long time.In the Buddha’s time, the population of the world was over 200 million.In our current time, the population is over seven billion.
During that time, how many people were there in India?Likely not many.Because of the transportation system at that time, the Buddha had to rely on His own two feet.How extensively could He have actually traveled?Likely not very far.
Therefore, only in places where He appeared could people listen to the Dharma.Now, we actually have more opportunities to listen to the Buddha-Dharma than these who lived during the Buddha’s time.Nowadays, there are many methods [to learn the Dharma], not only through print, but also through television.In this time and space, listening to teachings is so convenient.So, why would we call this the era of Dharma-degeneration?
Let me explain this again.Although more people are listening to the Dharma, compared to the total population, this percentage is still very small.In particular, after they listen to the Dharma, do they respect and believe it?If they do, can they put it into practice?
In modern society the temptation to indulge in desires is very great. So, the odds of the Dharma remaining in our minds are smaller than small. Therefore, it is rare to be born in a Buddha’s lifetime; “it is rare and hard to encounter Them”. This takes such a long period of time. Even in such a long period of time, it is truly rare to personally encounter a Buddha. Therefore it is said, “It is rare and hard to encounter Them”.
“It is rare to encounter Buddhas in this world. It only happens once in a long period of time. Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting. All Buddhas appear in the world, but we are born before or after Them, it is rare and hard to encounter Them, like the chances of a one-eyed turtle surfacing through a hole of a floating plank.”
It is rare to encounter Buddhas in this world. Not only is it rare for a Buddha to appear, even if He is in the world and we are living in the same era, meeting Him in person is not very likely. You may still remember the example I gave of a city in India. Out of 90,000 people, 30,000 people saw the Buddha. Another 30,000 had heard that there was a Buddha in the world. Yet the remaining 30,000 had never even heard of Him, let alone actually saw him. Think about it, encountering the Buddha is difficult even if we live in the same era. So, it is rare to encounter Buddhas in the world. It is already difficult for a Buddha to appear in the world. Even if a Buddha appears, it is hard for Him to teach the Dharma. Teaching this Dharma is not easy because the capabilities and karmic conditions of sentient beings may still be lacking, making it hard for Him to expound True Dharma.
“Like the blossoming of udumbara flowers, those moments are very fleeting”. This is an analogy for how rare it is for people to encounter something. The moment passes by very quickly. That is the why I always tell everyone, “Seize the moment and sustain it forever”. After listening to the Dharma, take it to heart and keep it there forever as you apply it to your daily living. Only then will the Dharma truly be a part of you. Otherwise, no matter how much Dharma you hear, you will not connect with it because you will forget it right after you hear it. It will disappear right after the moment passes. Like water that flows through a pipe, it can disappear and leak away. The underlying principle is the same. So, we must not allow the Dharma to leak away. We should practice the Three Flawless Studies so that it will not leak out.
It is [rare] for the Buddha to come into the world. We are very fortunate to live in an era when He is still transforming people and the Dharma is still in the world. Therefore, we must apply the Dharma now. When someone teaches mindfully, we must listen mindfully.
So, “All Buddhas appear in the world”, but most people are born before or after the Buddha. For us now, we are born after the Buddha, because He left the physical body He had in India many years ago. The only thing we can [see] and accept now is His Dharmakaya. His Dharma still remains in this world. If we accept the Buddha-Dharma, it is like having the Buddha in our hearts. If we cannot, it is the same as living before or after the Buddha’s lifetime.
Encountering a Buddha is truly very difficult. Therefore it is said “It is rare and hard to encounter them, like the chances of an one-eyed turtle”. On the surface of a vast ocean, there happens to be a plank with a small hole eaten through it. A turtle is swimming in the ocean when it suddenly lifts its head and sticks it precisely through the hole in the plank. Think about how incredibly rare this is. This is like the story I shared over last two days about the tiny pores one-hundredth the seize of hair follicles that are basically invisible to the naked eye. Shooting an arrow into this opening would not be an easy feat.
So, “All Buddhas are born into the world”, but “it is rare and hard to encounter Them”. It is truly a difficult feat.
“It is rare and hard to encounter Them: This was as all Brahman Kings stated 180 kalpas have passed without a Buddha. From the time Sakya Buddha left, 5,670,000,000 years must pass before. Maitreya [Buddha] will come into this world. Isn’t this rare? Over a long period of time, Buddhas occasionally come into this world. So, it is rare to encounter the Buddha.”
“It is rare and hard to encounter them”. After the Buddha first attained enlightenment, for a moment He wanted to enter Parinirvana. However, King Brahma suddenly appeared at the Buddha’s sea of enlightenment, at the place of His spiritual practice. He said, “180 kalpas have passed without a Buddha”. Before Sakyamuni Buddha appeared in this world, 180 kalpas had passed. How long is one kalpa? I have shared with you how long a kalpa is. It is hard to calculate how many hundreds of millions of years is in a kalpa. Think about this, 180 kalpas passed without a Buddha in this world. we can see that, before Sakyamuni Buddha was born, there had not been a Buddha for a very long time. After Sakyamuni Buddha entered Parinivana, another 5,670,000,000 years has to pass [before the next Buddha]. Five billion, six hundred and seventy million years before Maitreya Buddha comes to the world. As you see, encountering a Buddha is very rare. This illustrates for us how encountering a Buddha is not an easy matter.
Though we are born after the Buddha’s lifetime, in one of our past lives, we probably lived during His lifetime. During this period of over 2000 years, who knows how many lifetimes we have lived and how many realms we have lived in. We do not know. But, Since we have now encountered and listened to the Buddha-Dharma, we should feel very grateful. This encounter is so rare and precious, so we must be very mindful. Doesn’t it take such a long time?
Therefore, “over a long period of time, Buddhas occasionally come into this world. A very long period of time must pass before a Buddha appears in the world. this expresses that to see a Buddha is truly not an easy matter.
But, this is also telling everyone that Buddha a and Bodhisattvas will appear in this world during kalpas of turbidity. Therefore, we should always treat everyone with gratitude, respect and love because anyone could be a manifestation of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. So, we must always show our gratitude, respect and love.
The passage continues, “Even when They appear in the world, it is hard for Them to teach this Dharma.”
It is hard for Them to teach this Dharma: If a Buddha comes into this for world and the capabilities of sentient beings are not equal, He may not teach this Dharma right away. For 40-plus years, the Buddha had remained silent, with various adjustments and pauses, until He gave the teachings at this moment.
Even when the Buddha appeared in this world, it was still for Him to expound True Dharma. Because sentient beings’ capabilities varied, the Buddha could not immediately carry out His original intent. For sakyamuni Buddha, it took 40-plus years to speak freely. He remained silent on the True Dharma. He did not openly reveal to everyone that they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature nor help them understand and see their true nature. They had to first walk the Bodhisattva-path. Therefore, everyone must always be mindful. Being born into the human realm is not easy, and on top of this there is the vastness of this world and the size of the population. Compared to many people, we are truly blessed to be born human and to hear the Buddha-Dharma.
So, we must seize the present and immediately apply what we have heard. We must be like the principal who tunes in to the Da Ai channel. This is how he accepts the Dharma every day and applies it to his daily living and at his workplace. See, isn’t this how the Dharma will always remain in this world?
If we mindfully accept and apply it, [the Dharma] will be everlasting. Even if we do not accept it, the Dharma will still exist. But we should put our hearts into accepting it and always being mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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