Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Eliminate Old Doubts Today (惜疑今解願承擔)
Date: January.05. 2015
“Past losses highlight today’s gain. Past questions highlight today’s understandings. Past doubts and regrets are being completely eliminated today. Listening to the teachings of today leads to realizations and the acceptance of the mission.”
Recently, we have been constantly talking about Sariputra’s heart and mind. He had felt a deep sense of loss, a sense of regret and self-reproach. This was because he had a deep realization of how the Buddha comes to this world and does His best to patiently guide everyone. Those with suitable capabilities and wisdom, as soon as they encounter the Dharma, will form aspirations. They hear the Great Dharma, develop great aspirations, make great vows and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This is what people with sharp capabilities and great wisdom would do. If people have average capabilities, by listening to the same teachings of the Buddha; their understanding would be that in life, all things arise because of causes and conditions and cease because of causes and conditions; both arising and ceasing are subject to karma.
So, realizing that life is impermanent, they engage in spiritual practice. For people with limited capabilities, everything is suffering. “Suffering” comes from “causation,” the accumulation of ignorance and afflictions. In order to eliminate “suffering,” they must bring about the “cessation” of afflictions. In order to eliminate these afflictions, they begin to work hard. They learn how to quiet their minds and how to eliminate their ignorance and afflictions. This is the extent of their understanding; they have not vowed to attain supreme Buddhahood. Though people are listening to the same Dharma, they have different realizations. Sariputra had followed the Buddha for decades. Now he realized that he had remained in the state of average or limited capacities. This was what troubled him the most. He blamed himself. Therefore, “past losses” refer to how, even though the Buddha had taught the Dharma for such a long period of time, he still had not accepted the principles of attaining Buddhahood, he could not realize them. However, at this moment, during the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra finally realized his past mistakes, which highlighted the gains he attained today. He finally felt, “Now I have realized this and understand.” Hearing this Great Dharma made him very happy. He felt jubilance and delight for attaining what he had never attained.
Therefore, he examined how he had “past questions” about the Great Vehicle Dharma, because he doubted whether he could possibly attain Buddhahood. But now, the Lotus Sutra “highlighted today’s understanding.” After hearing what the Buddha said, he realized he could accept the Buddha-Dharma, that he had the capabilities to be able to accept the Buddha’s teachings and also enter the Bodhi-path to eventually attain Buddhahood. Because of today’s awakening, all the questions in his mind were resolved, they were “completely eliminated today.” Now, all those doubts had been eliminated. “This is the road to attaining Buddhahood. This road is the Bodhisattva-path, which is open to everyone.” Now the only thing that was missing was forming great aspirations and making great vows. So, starting from today, he did not doubt himself. He clearly understood and accepted the teachings. So, “listening to the teachings of today leads to realizations and the acceptance of the mission.”
Now that he knew this road he began to take on responsibilities.
What did he take responsibility for?The Buddha’s teaching of transforming all beings.So, starting from this moment, after realizing the teachings, he became responsible for them.
During the Lotus Dharma-assembly, Sariputra continued to repent and express his regrets for not immediately understanding the Buddha-Dharma in the past.He also felt that he had wasted his time in the past.He deeply regretted this as well.
The previous text states, “The 80 types of wonderful characteristics, the 18 Distinctive Dharma, merits such as these are all lost to me!”
The previous passages praised the Buddha for cultivating good deeds and thus attaining blessings that made Him magnificent.
One hundred good deeds create one blessing, and one hundred blessings create one Mark.The Buddha was perfectly replete with the 32 Marks.So, with His 32 Marks and 80 types of wonderful characteristics, the Buddha, from head to toe, had a prefect appearance.Whether He was speaking or silent, moving or still, His every movement, His every word, everything He did, brought happiness to the people who saw Him.
Naturally they wanted to take refuge with Him, which meant to turn from darkness toward light, to willingly change their old habitual tendencies and to vow to do good deeds in the future.
Taking refuge also meant they would rely on the Dharma taught by the Buddha.When we take the Dharma to heart, we can transform it into action and thus follow in the footsteps of the Buddha.This is how the appearance of the Buddha inspired people to love and respect and takes refuge with Him.
This is due to the 80 types of wonderful characteristics.In addition, the 18 Distinctive Dharma comes from the wisdom of the Buddha.
This is wisdom that the Two Vehicle practitioners, the Middle Vehicle and Small Vehicle, could not yet thoroughly understand.
There are a total of 80 kinds.If we can bring together these 18 kinds of wisdom, that means we have attained Buddha hood.
The Lotus Sutra continuously tells us that we definitely can achieve this; definitely reach a state equal to the Buddha’s.
This was what Sariputra had finally understood, so he praised the Buddha.
“Merits such as these are all lost to me!”“Me” refers to Sariputra.
He could not yet attain any of these.
So, the next passage states the following, “When I walked in meditation alone, I saw the Buddha among the people, renowned in the ten directions, widely benefiting sentient beings. I felt that I had failed to receive this benefit and had deceived myself.”
From this sutra text, we can experience Sariputra’s state of mind.
Sariputra said, “I have not yet attained these things.”Why has he not attained them yet?He had not attained the 32 Marks of the Buddha, 80 types of wonderful characteristics and 18 Distinctive Dharma.He had failed to attain them.It seemed that he had not yet realized how to attain Buddhahood.This described Sariputra’s past.
“When I walked in meditation alone, I saw the Buddha among the people.”Sariputra was very diligent, and engaged in practice among the Sangha.He constantly engaged in spiritual cultivation and, whether he was sitting or walking in meditation, he would always think of and always see the Buddha going among the people.
Sariputra said, “When I walked in meditation alone, I reflected on myself and contemplated how I and all Bodhisattvas once collectively practiced the Buddha-Dharma. Every time the Buddha was in the assembly, He extensively taught the Great Dharma.”
This was how he engaged in contemplation.When he quieted his mind, he recalled how the Buddha went among the people to teach the Dharma.He admired how the Buddha was always surrounded by disciples who reverently listened to Him teach.
Actually, he was also among the people; with the Bodhisattvas listening to the Buddha teach.They all heard the same Dharma, but Bodhisattvas cultivated the Great Vehicle. Though he was part of the same assembly where the Buddha extensively gave teachings, he remained in the state [of the Small Vehicle]. Because He went among the people, the Buddha was “renowned in the directions, widely benefiting sentient beings”. This was what Sariputra reflected on again. Whether they had accepted the Small Vehicle, Middle Vehicle or Great Vehicle, everyone at the same Dharma-assembly ended up with different understandings, but everyone was equally happy. By giving teachings in such a perfect way, the Buddha was “renowned in the ten directions” and was “widely benefiting sentient beings”.
“The Buddha’s understanding and views were renowned in the ten directions and widely benefited sentient beings. He taught the Great Vehicle Bodhisattva-path to save and help living beings and. ”
The Buddha was giving the great teaching. The great teaching, or the Great Vehicle, is the Bodhisattva Way. The Buddha’s original intent was to teach the Bodhisattva Way from the start. But because people had different capabilities, some people could not understand it and only accepted what made them happy. The Buddha’s goal in coming to his world is to save and help living beings”, to transform sentient beings. So, “I felt that I failed to receive this benefit and had deceived myself”. Again, Sariputra sighed and spoke a few regretful words. Other than constantly praising the Buddha, he also mentioned feeling that sense of loss.
“I felt that I had failed to receive this benefit and had deceived myself: As I and the others are the only ones who did not attain any of the Buddha’s blessings, virtues and wisdom at all, I now know how self-deception led me to attain the Small Vehicle and consider it the ultimate.”
The Buddha actually wanted to teach everyone to attain Buddhahood from the very beginning. However, Sariputra and others had the perspective that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were their own distinct category. So, they distanced themselves from the Bodhisattva-path in the past, as well as the way to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the Dharma taught by the Buddha; the Bodhisattva-path that leads to the attainment of Buddhahood, was not something [Sariputra], put an effort into accepting, realizing or putting into practice. Therefore, he “failed to receive this benefit”.
So, as he quieted his mind, he reflected upon himself. He silently contemplated how he lost out on opportunities and wasted his time. “[I] had deceived myself”. Indeed, it was he who had delayed himself. He wasted his own time and even deceived himself. It was obvious that he could attain Buddhahood. It was obvious that he had the strength to walk the Bodhisattva-path. It was obvious he had a love with which he could transform sentient beings. Why did he keep all this from himself? He was deceiving himself. By imposing limits on himself, he cut himself off from the Bodhisattva-path and from making great aspirations. He established these limits for himself.
So, he said, “I had deceived myself”, thinking he was almost the same as the Buddha because he was foremost in wisdom. This was what he lamented. “I and the others are the only ones who did not attain any of the Buddha’s blessings, virtues and wisdom at all”. At this moment, he understood he did not attain any of the Buddha’s blessings, virtues and wisdom at all. The Buddha repeatedly returned to go among the people.
So, for infinite kalpas, lifetime after lifetime, the Buddha never left sentient beings. That kind of goodness and the resultant blessings, gave the Buddha this magnificent appearance. This was the Buddha’s blessed virtues and wisdom. What about Sariputra? This was why he was feeling very remorseful. So, “I now know how self-deception led me to…”. We must each engage in self-reflection. This reflection must begin with each of us. We let our own minds deceive us. We lie to ourselves. We think we are close to Buddhahood, but if we have not walked the Bodhisattva-path, have not cultivated blessings or virtues, then we lack true wisdom, Great Vehicle wisdom.
So, “I felt that I failed receive this benefit”. Sariputra was thinking about how he had none of these virtues and wisdom. At this time, he understood that “I attained the Small Vehicle and considered it the ultimate”. After attaining the Small Vehicle, Sariputra thought it was the ultimate. He thought that it was enough and that he was very close to the state of the Buddha. So, Sariputra was very upset. Therefore, he began to form great aspirations, make great vows and walk the Bodhisattva-path, so he could draw near the state of the Buddha.
When Sariputra reflected on himself, he felt that he was “renowned.” He thought that his name was well-known in the five regions of India, that everybody knew about him. The five regions of India are its east, west, north, south and central regions. These are known as the five regions of India. In summary, they cover all of India.
Sariputra thought everyone in India knew about him. He thought his name was widely known. However, the name of the Buddha “was renowned in the ten directions.”
The Buddha’s name was wodely known in the world. Everyone knew about Him. The Buddha’s title, the Enlightened One of the World, was known throughout the entire world. Everyone knew about Him. Sariputra was known in India. He was satisfied with being known in India and felt that this meant he had enough virtues. He never thought about how the Buddha’s name was renowned throughout the ten directions. He was still very far from the state of the Buddha.
Only now did he realize how far he had to go. The Buddha was incomparable; how could he compare himself to the Buddha? The gap between them was simply too large. Where did the gap come from? From [not walking] the Bodhisattva-path. So, he blamed himself and sighed about “failing to attain this benefit.”
Nothing can be compared to the Buddha. Therefore I reproach myself for failing to attain this benefit. While I was attached to benefiting only myself, the Buddha widely helped all beings in the heaven and human realms.
He had spent decades following the Buddha but he and others were only attached to benefiting themselves. Each sought to awaken himself while the Buddha widely helped and benefited all beings in the heaven and human realms. The Buddha’s aspiration was to benefit the heaven and human realms. This included the heavens, the earth and all sentient beings; all beings of the Six Realms need the Buddha-Dharma to be taught to them.
“Today I deeply contemplated and pondered.” To deeply engage in self-reflection, to ponder and contemplate, is to analyze.
And today I deeply contemplated and pondered how the enlightened nature of the Buddha’s mind pervades the entire universe. I thought about how the expansiveness of my own mind and understanding and views cannot even compare. It is not that the Buddha had deceived me. It was my own fault that I did not want to learn the Bodhisattva Way and did not make great aspirations. I deceived and lied to myself. This is my fault.
“The enlightened nature of the Buddha’s mind pervades the entire universe.” Because the Buddha’s mind is so vast, His enlightened nature pervades everything, the entire universe. “I thought about the expansiveness of my own mind and understanding and views. Because the capabilities of his mind was so small, he understanding and views were very limited. So, how could he compare himself with the Buddha? “It is not that the Buddha had deceived me. How could the Buddha have deceived him? No, it was his own fault. It was his own mistake. “I did not want to learn the Bodhisattva Way and did not make great aspirations. I had deceived and lied to myself. This is my fault.”
Everyone, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we truly should earnestly mindfully realize it. The Buddha expounded the Dharma equally to all. Sariputra now continued to blame himself and share his regrets. So, we must leave this lesson for our descendants. We must not be that arrogant. When listening to the Dharma, we need to always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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