Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Learning the Profound Through the Simple (寄淺而訓深)
Date: December.16. 2014
“A comparison is used as a reference. An example allows one to understand the teaching. Based on one thing, we understand something else. Through something simple, we learn something profound.”
This explains the Chinese character for “analogy,” [composed of “comparison” and “example”]. Having discussed the Introductory Chapter and the Chapter on Skillful Means in the Lotus Sutra, we will now discuss the Chapter on Parables. A “comparison” is used as a reference. When you do not understand something, I will find a way to explain it to you. For example, if I say it is about to rain, [you may ask,] “How do you know that?” Look at how there are many dark clouds in the sky. That signifies that it is going to rain. How do those dark clouds generate rain? It is because one the earth, there is humidity. There is moisture and so on, and when heated by the sun, it becomes water vapor. That water vapor then [condenses into] rain. This is also a comparison and an example.
“Based on one thing, we understand something else.” We can draw on something as an analogy; the principles of many things had to come together to create this phenomenon. Therefore, “based on one thing, we understand something else. Through something simple, we learn something profound.” With something simple, I can help you understand. Actually, simple principles can be very profound truths. For over 40 years, the Buddha did all He could to analyze the true principles of all things, to help everyone thoroughly understand the Three Principles and Four States.
One time, when Sariputra traveled with the Buddha, Sariputra asked the Buddha, “Venerable Buddha, You are always talking about the transformative conditions of begging for alms, that this is a way of benefiting sentient beings. Can you explain the principles underlying this? Based on my understanding, we beg for alms to nourish our bodies so we are healthy enough to engage in spiritual practice. But how can this be considered a way of transforming sentient beings?” The Buddha then gave an example which happened countless kalpas ago. There was an old lady who made her living by producing sesame oil. She collected sesame seeds and extracted their oil. There was a spiritual practitioner who knew that the lady was producing sesame oil. So, he began to beg her for oil [every day].
The old lady asked, “You come here for oil every day. Is it just to sustain your own health, or [is it for something else?]” This spiritual practitioner told the woman, “I beg for oil to make an offering for the Buddha.” This made the old lady feel very happy, so every day, she joyfully gave this practitioner a small cup of oil. In the evening, when this Buddha gave teachings, this oil lamp [provided them all with light].
The months and years passed, and after a long period of time had gone by, this Buddha bestowed a prediction upon the practitioner, “You will attain Buddhahood in the future.” When the old lady heard that this bhiksu had received a prediction for attaining Buddhahood she wondered what kinds of causes and conditions had led him to receive this blessing. The information passed back to her was that this bhiksu, by providing the oil for the Buddha’s lamp every day for many years, had helped many people create good karmic connections.
Had received a prediction for attaining Buddhahood she wondered what kinds of causes and conditions had led him to receive this blessing.
The information passed back to her was that this bhiksu, by providing the oil for this Buddha’s lamp every day for many years, had helped many people create good karmic connections.
This Buddha praised him for this and therefore predicted that he would attain Buddhahood.
Hearing this, the old lady was also very happy.She rushed to see this Buddha and tell him, “Venerable Buddha, the bhiksu’s oil came from me. That was the offering I made to him. So, shouldn’t you also bless me with a prediction for attaining Buddhahood?”
This Buddha said to her, “I blessed this bhiksu with a prediction. When he attais Buddha hood in the future, he will bless you with the same prediction.”
The old lady was very happy to hear this.The Buddha stopped here and turned to Sariputra, “Sariputra, do you know that this bhiksu has already attained Buddhahood? His name was Dipamkara Buddha. That old lady has also attained Buddhahood. She is me, Sakyamuni Buddha.”These are causes and conditions from long ago.This event happened countless kalaps ago seem to embody a very simple principle.However, this simple principle contains a very profound [truth].
Over a long period of time, the things we did in the past and every bit of our merits and virtues are accumulated.As are the causes and the conditions, so are the effects.With the karmic law of cause and effect, no matter how much time passes, these cusses will contuse to accumulate.See, isn’t this an example of how, “through something simple, we learn something profound”?
The Buddha appears in the world and then teaches according to the time and to people’s capabilities.He had to do this with many skillful means, such as analogies and provisional teachings.This helped everybody accept the Dharma and then put it into practice.
Although in the past, the Buddha gave provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles, He actually did so to teach the One Vehicle.
He did this because people’s capabilities are great, average or limited.So, the Buddha had to teach the Three Vehicles, the Great, Middle and Small Vehicle Dharma.He actually did this in order to discuss the One Vehicle.He gave so many teachings, all with the goal of revealing the one true principle, the One Vehicle.
Previously, the Chapter on Skillful Means explained how, in the past, the Buddha gave the provisional teachings of the Three Vehicles, but was actually teaching the One Vehicle.Those with great capabilities and sharp wisdom heard the Buddha open up the provisional to immediately awakened.Those of average or limited capabilities were still deluded and not yet awakened.
Those with great capabilities and sharp wisdom heard the Buddha open up the provisional to reveal the true.From the Captor on Skillful Means, we learned that He taught with the Three Vehicles, also known as skillful means.By opening up the provisional and setting aside skillful means, He revealed the True Dharma to everyone.The Buddha openly talked about True Dharma; this is “opening up the provisional to reveal the true”.
So, these people “immediately awakened”.They had great capabilities and sharp wisdom.Those with great capabilities and sharp wisdom are like Sariputra.However, those of average or limited capabilities were “still deluded and not yet awakened”.
They were still deluded.
When the Buddha was about to teach the True Dharma, “5000 people withdrew”.However, the Buddha still did not give up on those with average or limited capabilities.He still taught with various analogies; the Lotus Sutra contains many parables to accommodate people with these capabilities.Out of great loving-kindness and compassion, He was unwilling to give up on any living being.So, He “established teachings with analogies”.
The Buddha, out of great compassion, did not abandon [sentient beings], so He established teachings with analogies:
A moving tree is used to help people see the wind.The shape of a fan is used to depict a moon.This helps people awaken and understand.Something very easy is used to revel something very difficult.We go from the simple to the profound, turn from the Small [Vehicle] to the Great.
“A moving tree is used to help people see the wind. It’s windy! But you can’t see the wind. Yes you can! See how the tree is moving. If it is moving, that means it’s windy.”This is because the wind can move trees. “The shape of a fan is used to depict a moon.”A half-moon I slice a fully opened fan.The full moon is like the combinatio of two fans; if you combine two half-moons, you will get a full moon.This is how principles [are taught].
If we simplify these difficult principles int something simple, then from these simple principles,we can gain deep and profound realizations. After we have these deep realizations, we will naturally turn from the Small to the Great. This is how analogies work, and how the Chapter on Parables [teaches]. Following the Chapter on Skillful Means, where the provisional is used to reveal the true, at the beginning of the Chapter on Parables, the sutra passage states,
“At that time, Sariputra was jubilant and delighted, He immediately put his palms together and gazed up reverently upon and said to the Buddha, Now, having heard this Dharma from the World-Honored One, my heart is filled with jubilance at having attained what I never had before.”
They heard the [Dharma] from the Buddha. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, He had to speak it aloud. That is why they heard the Dharma from Him. Those who hear the Buddha teach the Dharma [will think], “My heart is filled with jubilance at having attained what I never had before”. This happiness could not be expressed by words. Therefore, “When Sariputra heard the teachings that opened up the provisional to reveal the true, he praised this unprecedented teaching”. He had been listening to the Dharma for 40 years and now the Buddha [was finally] freely teaching the One Vehicle.
“When Sariputra heard the teachings that opened up the provisional to reveal the true, he praised this unprecedented teaching. He was jubilant and delighted. He had listened to the Dharma for over 40 years, and now the Buddha was finally freely teaching the true Dharma of the One Vehicle. In the beginning, he did not know that the Two Vehicle Dharma that he was practicing was actually the One Vehicle Dharma, that it was one of the skillful means for learning the Great Vehicle Dharma. Those with great capabilities such as Sariputra were filled with jubilance and delight, which showed they understood the One Vehicle Dharma. This was the reason for their joy. In the beginning, he did not know the Two Vehicle Dharma that he was practicing…”
He had listened to the Dharma for over 40 years and accepted it from the beginning. The Buddha, with the Middle and Small Vehicles, taught according to people’s average and limited capabilities. So, this was the kind of Dharma that people accepted. They believed that practicing the Hearer and Solitary Realizer methods of practice, they had attained the ultimate fruits. They thought that this was all they would achieve. They did not realize that Hearers and Solitary Realizers also had the great potential of attaining Buddhahood. Having learned this was true, they were very happy because they had not initially known that the Two Vehicles are actually the One Vehicle the Two Vehicles are actually the One Vehicle.
The Buddha used them to pave the road for the One Vehicle, then opened up the provisional to reveal the true. At this point, people understood that the Buddha taught skillful means for the sake of the Great Vehicle. In order to explain the Great Vehicle, He opened the doors of skillful means. Only at this point did people understand the Buddha’s original intent. This is the reason that Sariputra and people with the same great capabilities as he, after hearing this Dharma, were “jubilant and delighted”. This shows that they had opened up their hearts and had thoroughly understood the One Vehicle. This brought them happiness. So they were “jubilant and delighted”.
Sariputra and everyone who understood the truth of this Dharma were all very happy. Everybody was so happy, they stood up. “He immediately put his palms together and gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance”.
They were originally sitting. Now, out of reverence and joy, they quickly stood up and then knelt on the ground. Then they put their palms together and gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance. They watched Him attentively, with great reverence. With gratitude, they put their palms together. By looking up at the Buddha, they expressed their reverence and gratitude. Focusing their gaze on Him showed that they were attentive towards Him. They expressed themselves through this gesture.
“He immediately put his palms together and gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance and said to the Buddha: They used both palms and all ten fingers to show that their minds were focused, that they dare not become scattered. Putting their palms together showed respect. With reverence, they gazed upon the Buddha’s countenance.”
Sariputra was happy from the bottom of his heart. To show his gratitude to the Buddha, he put his palms together. Everyone pressed all their fingers together to show that “their minds are focused; they dare not become scattered”.
Our minds are usually scattered. Now, to show that we want to focus, we rein in our scattered thoughts and put our palms together. This shows that our minds are not scattered. “Putting palms together” shows respect. In Indian culture, putting the palms together shows respect. With great respect, they “gazed reverently upon the Buddha’s countenance”.
“Now, having heard this Dharma from the World-Honored One my heart is filled with jubilance at having attained what I never had before.” They began to tell the Buddha, “Now, the Dharma you have been expounding his penetrated my mind. I am happy, very happy. From the past all the way until the present, I have never heard Dharma like this. Thoroughly understanding it brings me peace. Understanding it brings freedom. Thus I feel very happy. When the sound of this Dharma entered my mind, it subdued the maras of resentment”.
“Now, having heard this Dharma from” “from the World-Honored One my heart is filled with jubilance at having attained what I never had before.”The sound of the Dharma subdued the maras of resentment and destroyed all Leaks.This is the supreme [Dharma] .
So,my heart is filled with jubilance at having attained what I have never before.
Our minds give rise to doubts. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt are the Five Poisons, five poisonous things the exist in our minds. After hearing this Dharma, we understand them. So, when greed, anger, ignorance and so on arise in our minds we can naturally pacify them and completely destroy the maras of resentment. These afflictions will all be eliminated; we cleanse ourselves of Leaks, which are afflictions. Even if we take the Dharma to heart, as long as we have afflictions, it will leak out.
So, the Buddha always cautioned us to cultivate precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, the Three Flawless Studies. He wanted to tell us that when we take the Dharma to heart, we must not let it leak away. Now that we have thoroughly understood and penetrated the One Vehicle Dharma, we can tame the maras of resentment and the ignorance and so on in our minds.
Thus we can sweep aside all our afflictions. We can completely eliminate them. We will have “destroyed all Leaks,” eliminated all our afflictions.
“This is the supreme [Dharma]”. When we thoroughly understand the One vehicle Dharma, we can tame all our ignorance and afflictions. Then our hearts will be filled with unprecedented jubilance.
Dear Bodhisattvas, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we must mindfully go from the simple to the profound and turn from the Small to the Great. The Buddha mindfully [taught us in this way] Because we sentient beings have limited capabilities and wisdom, with our[limited] faith, we have no way to [accept the Buddha’s state]. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, He wanted to directly share the state He realized, but there was no way we could accept it. We must go through a process of learning to eliminate our ignorance and afflictions. Only by doing so can we manifest the pure and undefiled nature of True Suchness that everyone intrinsically has, which is as clear and bright as a crystal. In order to reach this state of mind, we must eliminate our ignorance.
No matter how many teachings there are, their only purpose is to cure the illness in our minds and tell us how to eliminate the maras of resentment.
Even though these teachings differ greatly, the principles of the One Vehicle have always run thought them. From ancient times until now.Therefore, we must believe in them.
The Buddha put His heartfelt efforts into this, so we must remain unwavering and sustain our spiritual aspirations. As for our old afflictions, we must ceaselessly work to eliminate them. Only after taming those afflictions can we remove them, layer by layer. Only then can our pure nature of True Suchness gradually emerge. Take dark clouds, for example. After all the water has precipitated, it will be sunny; this is the same principle. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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