Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: The Buddha’s Body is the Dharma-nature(法性為身同為佛子)
Date: December.31. 2014
“Ordinary people, deluded by the Five Aggregates, cling to the phenomena of sense objects. The Buddha’s body is the Dharma-nature of all phenomena. The mind, Buddha and sentient beings are the same. With the same Dharma-nature, we are all Buddha-children.”
We are ordinary people because we are deluded by the Five Aggregates. We all know the Five Aggregates, form, feeling, perception, action and consciousness. Everyone encounters form. Everything we can see, including our bodies, is considered form. Our bodies are constantly connecting with external sense objects of all shapes and colors. Whenever our “eyes, ears, nose, tongue or body” connect with “sight, sound, smell, taste and touch,” the contact we have with these sense objects will cause certain feelings to arise in our minds. These feelings then cause our minds to cling to external phenomena. So, “form, feeling and perception” lead our minds all over the place, “I want things to be this way, and that way.” Once the appearance of external phenomena enters our minds, we experience an endless series of feelings. When external phenomena enter our minds, we have a “perception” of them. If something makes us happy, we want to grasp it. If it makes us angry, we want to get back at it. The “form” in our external conditions arouse “feelings” in us, thus we are always in a positive our negative frame of mind. This leads us to take “action”.
Thus we go through “form, feeling, perception and action.” After taking action, if we have done good deeds, we become happy. We are happy to give and do good deeds. Then these good deeds come back to be stored in our mind-consciousness. If, through our actions, we commit evil deeds, and create many negative karmic conditions, the karma created from these evil deeds and negative affinities will return to our “consciousness”. So, these are the Five Aggregates, which are all about how our bodies experience external phenomena.
“Form” is everything that has shape and form. Everything from our bodies to our behavior are altogether considered “form”. Form leads to feeling, perception, action and consciousness. Everything ends up in our mind-consciousness. So, when our bodies come in contact with external phenomena, all sorts of perceptions arise in our minds, then we act on them. The results of our actions, the karma that we create, is stored in our karmic consciousness. All the good and evil we do is collected in our karmic consciousness. This is what happens when we create karma.
When we create karma we form causes, or seeds, which are then stored in our consciousness. Because we ordinary people are deluded, we are influenced by the Five Aggregates and may be unable to control our actions. Upon seeing a very beautiful girl, a young man will want to pursue her. No matter what his family circumstances are, he may disregard everything to be with her. If they get along well, they may start a relationship, whether his family approves or not, or whether either of them has already started a family, and so on. This creates an improper relationship between them. If this improper relationship continues, it will create problems in the families. When the mind is deluded by external conditions, the actions it leads people to commit are evil.
Evil actions will lead to regret in families or in society.These kinds of external phenomena prevent ordinary people’s minds from being peaceful and free.“The Buddha’s body is the Dharma –nature of all phenomena.”The Buddha is in a state of enlightenment,.An enlightened one’s body is the Dharma –nature of all phenomena.The Dharma-nature goes beyond the phenomena of sense objects, which is the state of ordinary people.In the state of the Buddha, “[His] body is the Dharma-nature.”Dharma-nature is True Suchness; it is our nature of True Suchness.
Additionally, the entire Dharma-realm is His body.It is not only the Dharma-realm; everything, all things in the universe, all images, all sounds and so on, are the Dharma.
Upon the Buddha’s awakening, everything encompassed in His state of mind was part of the Dharmakaya [Dharma-body].So, we must have respect for everything encompassed in this state.
The Dharma-nature exists in all things.Dharma-nature comes into existence based on conditions.To create something that does not currently exist, we must bring together the right conditions for it to come into being.We can see how this thing and that thing are combined somehow to form something that exists.
When something that exists is broken down into its separate elements the thing that was created no longer exists.We are constantly talking about “wondrous existence in emptiness and true emptiness in wondrous existence”.Look at us humans; will any of us exist forever?That is impossible; our lives all come to an end.When causes and conditions end, that person will disappear.Does that mean the person is completely gone?Actually, the person departs this life to enter another.
To “depart this life and enter the next” is to start anew.This is very similar to recycling.To recycle, we sort objects and break them down.After they are sorted, their various components are separated and each returns to their original nature.If they are then reused to produce something, and equivalent elements are brought together again, a similar object will exist again.
So, “wondrous existence in emptiness” simply includes “formation, existence, decay and disappearance” and “birth, again, illness and death”.All this comes from the workings of the mind, where thoughts “arise, abide, change and cease”.This takes place when our minds encounter external phenomena.All material objects go through the states of “formation, existence, decay and disappearance”.
Is there something we use that we will cherish in the same way forever and will never decay?Such things are rare; they probably do not exist at all.We only use a cell phone for a short while before a new model is released.What happens to the old phones?They are thrown away and disappear.Do they really disappear?No.They pollute the earth.
Then we need people with the wisdom to recycle them and break down each of their internal components.So, they go from existence to non-existence.After they are broken down, each of these components, these elements, are separated and return to their original substance.So, conditions will not last flowerer and causes go through countless transformations.
Everything has its own causes and its conditions.This is the Dharma-nature of all things.
The Buddha understood these matters.He understood all of these principles, so as He spoke of true emptiness,.He also spoke of wondrous existence.The Buddha was always analyzing “wondrous existence in true emptiness”.
This Dharma-nature was His body.Everyone has this awakened nature, which is the nature of True Suchness.So, “the Buddha’s body is the Dharma-nature.”[This body] has an awakened life, a wisdom-life, which is everlasting.Thus the Dharma is the Buddha’s body.
So, “ the mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are the same”.The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings all have this Dharma-nature.It is just that we are ordinary people right now and are deluded by external conditions, by the phenomena of sense objects.
The Buddha has transcended these phenomena, this “wondrous existence in emptiness”.
The Buddha understands the principles in our daily living.We do not know them, but Buddha knows them all.He came to tell us what direction we should go in.So, “with the same Dharma-nature, we are all Buddha-children”.
Ordinary people, deluded by the Five Aggregates, cling to external phenomena of sense objects. The Buddha’s body is the Dharma-nature of all phenomena. The mind, Buddha and sentient beings are the same. With the same Dharma-nature, we are all Buddha-children.”
Actually, all of us have this Dharma-nature and wisdom-life. We all known of our pure intrinsic nature. If only we could accept the Buddha’s teachings, we can transform the Five Aggregates, the phenomena of form, and with our clear understanding, it will become a “body that is Dharma-nature”. Then we and the Buddha share this same pure intrinsic nature. The mind, Buddha and sentient beings are equal. “With the same Dharma-nature, we are all Buddha-children”. We are all born from His mouth. The Buddha spoke the Dharma with His mouth. After we accept it, our wisdom-life will grow. This is what Sariputra understood. So, the previous sutra passage states,
“Ah, I cried in bitter self-reproach. Why have I deceived myself? I and the others are also Buddha-children and have also penetrated the flawless Dharma. Yet, in the future, we cannot proclaim the unsurpassed path”.
Originally the principles were equally present in the mind, in the Buddha and in sentient beings. We have penetrated the same Dharma, the Dharma that leads to awakening. So, we are all Buddha-children. This applies to Bodhisattvas, Hearers, as well as Arhats. Even ordinary people can return to their Dharma-nature, which is the same as the Buddha’s. Bodhisattvas form great aspirations and vows, but Hearers and Arhats only seek to awaken themselves. This is the only difference. Now that Sariputra knew this, he reproached himself. If he had formed great aspirations earlier, he would have already become a Bodhisattva and been equal to the other Bodhisattvas. He could have benefited himself and others.
So, now Sariputra understood, “I and the others are also Buddha-children”. He is the same as theses Bodhisattvas. They had heard the same teachings from the Buddha, so he too was one of His Dharma-children. Because he was a Dharma-child, his wisdom grew with the Buddha-Dharma. The One Vehicle Dharma taught by the Buddha was taught in the same way as the [past] teachings. However, Sariputra had cut himself off from the Great Vehicle, the One Vehicle Dharma.
“Now, I and the others already know that we are considered children of the Buddha-Dharma. With the One Reality Vehicle taught by the Buddha, Bodhisattvas will attain Buddhahood and proclaim the unsurpassed path. I and the others will also penetrate the pure flawless Dharma.”
He saw that “Bodhisattvas will attain Buddhahood and proclaim the unsurpassed path”. These Bodhisattvas made great aspirations and vows so they would attain Buddhahood in the future. To attain Buddhahood, one has to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Before attaining Buddhahood, Bodhisattvas must seek teachings while transforming others. The Buddha was still ahead of them, so they have to seek the Dharma from the Buddha and engage in spiritual practice until in the future they attain Buddhahood and can teach and transform sentient beings. So, these Bodhisattvas will attain Buddhahood in the future and then teach the Buddha-Dharma to sentient beings. This is [the practice of] Bodhisattvas.
Sariputra thought to himself, “I and the others will also penetrate the pure flawless Dharma”. They were also listening to teachings there. As they listened, they continued to eliminate afflictions so they could be the same as Bodhisattvas. But he lamented that “in the future, we cannot proclaim the unsurpassed path”. He had also eliminated his afflictions, but he was still unhappy. He lamented that, in the future, he would not “proclaim the unsurpassed path”. His Bodhisattva-mind had not awakened yet, so he could not advance on the Bodhisattva-path”. Then, of course, he would not be able to attain Buddhahood. This was what he lamented.
“He lamented that, in the past, he had listened to the Dharma but was unable to realize it, so in the future, he could not teach this Dharma. Thus he deeply reproached himself and then reflected on himself as to why in the future, he cannot proclaim the unsurpassed path. He lamented that, in the past, he listened to the Dharma but was unable to realize it.”
The Buddha had already given these teachings, but he limited himself to the teachings he first heard, so he could not realize the Buddha’s intent. All the Dharma that the Buddha taught was to encourage people to make Bodhisattva-aspirations. Yet he was “unable to realize it”. He kept holding off on accepting this, so he had not walked onto the Bodhisattva-path. This greatly distressed him.
So many opportunities to save sentient beings had been lost. So, he lamented that though he heard the Dharma, “he was unable to realize it. So in the future, he could not teach this Dharma”. If he had formed aspirations, he would attain [Buddhahood] in the future. “Thus he deeply reproached himself”. Those who formed aspirations were already walking the Bodhisattva-path. Those who had not made aspirations had not yet entered the Bodhisattva-path. When would they finally awaken so that they could attain Buddhahood and teach the Dharma? This was what he lamented.
Thus, he “deeply reproached himself.” He reproached himself because, in the past, he had heard the Dharma without realizing the Buddha’s great, profound principles. He had only focused on worldly teachings, or the Small Vehicle way of liberation. He had stopped there, so he deeply reproached himself for this He “then reflected on himself.” He engaged in self-reflection and self-reproach.
We often hear about the way Tzu Chi volunteers lived before joining Tzu Chi many of them had a temper, behaved badly or were biased in their views.Because of their behavior, they were rejected by other people. After listening to the Dharma, joining the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism and accept the Jing Si Dharma-lineage, they gained faith in themselves and changed their ways. After they changed their behavior, many people around them thought, “How could this person now be like this?” “In the past they behaved very differently, is this the same person?” “I really can’t believe that this person could improve so much.” [They changed] because of the principles. When a person has accepted principles, they can completely change their life.
They do not wait, [saying,] “Ah! My life has been determined I’ll wait to do this in my next life.” If, in this lifetime, you know you are doing something wrong, you must quickly change your ways. Only then will opportunities for change, these good causes and conditions, extend into our next lifetime. If we think, “I hear it and understand, but I’ll wait until later, till my next life, to change, then we have not been transformed by the Dharma.” We cannot be helped because we have not planted the seed for future lifetimes.We have not paved this road in this world. If we do not pave this road, how can we step onto the Bodhi-path?
So, if we can listen to the Dharma now and change our ways immediately, we show that we have faith in ourselves. This is also how we develop our wisdom-life. Only then can we penetrate our Dharma-nature and listen to the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, after we listen to the Dharma, we must reflect upon ourselves and look within. We need to earnestly reflect on whether we have put the Dharma into practice. If we have, we have taken the Dharma to heart.
I and the others are Buddha-children, have the same Dharma-nature and have all listened to and entered [the Dharma]. But we have not received predictions for attaining Buddhahood. So, in the future we cannot proclaim the Dharma.
“But we have not received predictions.” Sariputra said he and the others were also Buddha-children and penetrated Dharma-nature. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, they were listening and accepting it along with the Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas had received predictions of Buddhahood, but what about Sariputra and the others?
“So, in the future we cannot proclaim the Dharma.” If they would not attain Buddhahood in the future, how could they widely transform sentient beings like the Buddha? He had not het formed great aspirations nor gone among the people, nor had he formed affinities with sentient beings. How could he possibly teach the Dharma to transform sentient beings in the future? This was why Sariputra reproached himself. Sariputra then started to take action. He opened up his heart and mind and began to make the [Four] Great Vows. This was Sariputra’s [reslove].
Dear Bodhisattvas, we must be aware of external conditions, as sentient beings cling to the phenomena of sense objects. With everything we come in contact with each day, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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