Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Exercise Both the Provisional and True (權實雙運)
Date: January.19. 2015
“When we peacefully abide in flawless Dharma our minds are clear, steady and at ease. When we understand the provisional and true, we wondrously apply both. In this subtle and wondrous state, we peacefully abide in true wisdom.”
The most important part of spiritual practice is taking good care of our minds. If our minds can abide peacefully, then, though we are lost, we can find a path back to our pure Tathagata-nature. So, the mind is very important; it must peacefully abide in flawless Dharma. We are very familiar with [the Flawless Studies], precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Following precepts means that in our daily living, in everything we say and everything we do, we must have discipline. What are the words that are proper for us to say? What are the things that we should do? How do we know if we are on the right course? This is how, in our daily living, we must guard against wrongs and stop evil. This requires following the precepts. If we physically abide by precepts, our minds will naturally be in Samadhi. When our minds are in Samadhi, our wisdom [enables our minds] to be like mirrors that can clearly reflect all phenomena without being led astray by them.
What kind of life is blessed? A blessed life comes from having a mindset that allows us to be very happy. Where does this happiness come from? From right actions and being on the right path. If we follow this road very precisely and do not deviate from our course, then our mind will be very steady. Thus we can be steady and at ease, free of fear, anxiety and worry. This is what makes a most blessed life, not a having lot of money, or great fame or great power. Wealth, fame, power and so on are afflictions that torment our minds. A mind focused on gains and losses will be very afflicted.
We should learn what can help us be most at ease. Even brothers born to the same mother may not necessarily be of the same mind or on the same course. That is very rare. The Buddhist sutras contain the following story. A pair of brothers received a sizable inheritance from their parents. The younger brother diligently ran his business. Even though his business made a lot of money, he still did not feel satisfied. He wanted to grow the family business he inherited to become even bigger, as an expression of his filial piety. So, he added to the fortune he inherited. But the older brother held a different view. The older brother was not attached to fame, wealth or status. Life is too short [to focus on those things]. He also realized the principles of impermanence, suffering and emptiness. So, all he wanted to pursue was spiritual wealth, rather than illusory material objects. This was the older brother’s mindset. He believed that the Dharma helped him understand principles and increased the richness of his wisdom-life. So, he put his heart into cultivating the Path.
One day, when these brothers were together, the younger brother expressed his discontent. He told his older brother, “As the older brother, you’re supposed to set an example for me. Upon inheriting this fortune from our parents we should not just maintain it. We must expand and diversify our holdings to increase our wealth and bring honor to our ancestors.”
However, the older brother felt differently.“There was an affinity between us and our parents. Because of our karmic connection with them, they gave us this body. So, we should make use of this body to live a useful life. When we see people who suffer tremendously from poverty, illness and so on, we must use our parents’ wealth to do helpful, lifesaving work in this world. If all you do is preserve this wealth, that is not beneficial to our parents at all.”
The brothers kept on debating, unable to agree, until the younger brother said, “Since we are unable to align our minds and goals and you won’t help run the family business, you don’t need to be here. You should just follow the road you wish to pursue.”
Thus the older brother renounced the lay life.He was very earnest.
He was very focused on the Path.So, his actions and thoughts were in line with purifying precepts.With a pure mind and disciplined behavior, he calmed his mind down completely so it could be as still as well water, completely free of waves.
The years passed, and after a long period of time, he wondered how his younger brother was doing.He set out to go see his younger brother, and saw that his brother was still the same.
He wanted to find a way to counsel his younger brother to aspire [to help others].
But his younger brother was stubborn.Not only was he unhappy to see his older brother, when he saw his brother’s monastic appearance ignorance arose in his mind.So, he insulted his brother and looked down upon the Three Treasure, saying harsh and negative things about them.The older brother felt very regretful.
Not only did he not transform his brother, he caused him to create karma of speech.He was very anguished.
After he left, he was still worried.After another few years passed, one day on his travels he saw a very skinny ox.Some merchants were bringing salt to market.Salt is very heavy and bags full of them were stacked tightly on the cart.The ox was very old and skinny, he had a hard time pulling this cart uphill.So, as climbed uphill, this ox suddenly collapsed.He was barely breathing.
The monk saw this ox and felt sad for him.He approached the ox, looked at him and contemplated him with his pure heart.It seemed that this ox had the appearance of his younger brother, crying in front of him.The monk spoke to him, “My younger brother! What did I say to you in the past? Can our family’s wealth help you now? You have ended up in this skinny and weak body. Do you have enough strength to pull this cart?”
The ox started to cry.Upon seeing this scene, the merchant found it very strange.The monk asked the merchant, “Please, can you be compassionate and give this ox to me?”The merchant said to the monk, “You are a monk, what would you do with this ox?”The monk explained that his younger brother was once a very successful businessman, who only focused on engaging in trade and preserving his wealth, power and fame.Thus he ended up in the body of an ox and was being tormented this way.
The merchant finally understood the past relationship between the ox and the monk, so he kindly lifted the yoke and gave it to the monk, saying, “Very well, you can take this ox with you”. The monk took this ox back to the place where he engaged in spiritual practice. He treated the ox kindly and explained the Dharma to him every day. After a few years, this ox passed away peacefully. The merchant had also told his business partners the story about the monk and the ox to counsel them to not be so attached to their wealth and to pursue the truths of life instead. The merchant became a very reverent Buddhist.
This story tells us that if our minds are clear, we will be able to see the principles clearly. Awakening and delusion are different roads. These different roads lead to different destinations. The results of walking these paths are different. Therefore, our minds must always remain in a state of clarity and be very peaceful and at ease. On the road of our spiritual practice, we must stick to the Three Flawless Studies of precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. If we can do this, it does not matter whether we learn the Great or Small Vehicle Dharma; the provisional is also the true. So, “We understand the provisional and true, and wondrously exercise both”.
To exercise both [creates] blessings and wisdom. We can benefit others while growing our wisdom. I always say, “Witnessing suffering, we recognize our blessings”. As we observe the conditions of suffering, we must be more diligent in reminding ourselves to recognize, cherish and create more blessings. So, this is a very subtle and wondrous state. Where should the mind peacefully abide? In true wisdom. So, here the sutra passage states,
“The Buddha says that in the past, countless Buddhas who entered Parinirvana have abided in skillful means and likewise given such teachings.”
Countless Buddhas in the past have come to this world and then entered Parinirvana. Countless Buddhas have come and gone like this. Each one peacefully abided in skillful means. For the sake of transforming all beings, They went among them and taught with skillful means. In the end, all sentient beings would return; they would naturally return to the true path because they were patiently guided there. The following passage states,
“The Buddhas of the present and future, whose numbers are beyond calculation, also used skillful means to expound Dharma such as this.”
The Dharma now taught by Sakyamuni Buddha followed the same path as past Buddhas. As He interacted with sentient beings, He also taught with skillful means. Future Buddhas will also do the same. This is how “all Buddhas share the same path”. So, he spoke of “the Buddhas of the present and future, whose numbers are beyond calculation”. They are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. [They] “also used skillful means to expound Dharma such as this”. They will teach in the same way.
We [often] think about how the sutra tells us that a long time has passed before a Buddha manifests in this world. But this passage tells us that in the past there have been as many Buddha as there are sands in the Ganges. In the future there will also be countless Buddhas. After past Buddha entered Parinirvana, people in the future will attain Buddhahood. There are so many of Them. Think about his: isn’t this teaching us that everyone is a Buddha? There are countless numbers of sentient beings, and they all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. So, since we intrinsically have Buddha-nature throughout the past, present and future, this Buddha-nature is always non-arising and non-ceasing.
However, we have deviated from our course; one ignorant thought has led us astray. Take the two brothers for example. They had the same parents but were on different roads with different destinations. Because they were on different paths, ultimately they ended up in different places. Among a group of merchants who worked hard to grow their businesses, only one of them, the big brother, realized that the most practical path in life is to engage in spiritual practice. However many people like him are there? Because of this, we say, “Encountering the Buddha is difficult”. It is very difficult to encounter the Buddha, because to find the right course to safeguard our minds and cultivate precepts and to have the wisdom to comprehend the workings of this world [is not easy]. there are not many people like this, so attaining Buddhahood is very difficult. Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone be a Buddha? This is why it takes a long time. Over this long time, we truly can gradually experience these truths, awaken, and eventually attain Buddhahood.
Because so much times has passed, naturally the people who are described as having attained Buddhahood and gone among people to transform sentient beings are great in number. So, “[This time] has allowed incalculable numbers of beings” to learn the Dharma and become enlightened. After attaining enlightenment, They enlighten and transform others. There are many such enlightened ones.
“This immeasurable length and distance of time has allowed incalculable numbers od beings to learn and practice the teachings of the Path and attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. Their numbers are beyond calculation. This was how things were in the past, and it is how things will be the future.
To learn and practice the teachings is to seek the Buddha’s Way and to transform sentient beings. Those who awaken themselves and benefit others and become unsurpassed enlightened ones are countless in number. The past was like this, and the future will be the same.
So, “They also used skillful means to expound Dharma such as this. In the past, countless Buddhas did this; present and future Buddhas will do the same. They use various skillful means and teach according to capabilities to expound the Dharma and transform all beings. Thus, They “expound Dharma such as this.”
[They] also used skillful means to expound Dharma such as this: Past, present and future Buddhas all share the same path, teaching the True Dharma to sentient beings. But because od one deluded thought, people have deviated from the course, and their way back became winding and roundabout.
Past, present and future Buddhas all share the same path. All of Them, from past Buddhas, to the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, to the future Buddha, Maitreya, all teach in the same way and follow the same road. This road is the great, direct Bodhisattva-path. They are on the road and transform sentient beings with the same method. For the sake of sentient beings, all of Them ultimately taught the true Dharma.
Because sentient beings have lost their way and deviated from their course, they need all Buddhas, the Buddhas of the past, future and present, to devise skillful means. However, to effectively guide them back is not easy. The way back winding and roundabout. Various methods to be used to transform them.
So, past, present and future Buddha also undergo the same thing. “[Through] all kinds of practices, They clearly understand the provisional and the true.” They engage in various forms of spiritual practice.
So, the present Buddha, Sakyamuni, followed countless Buddhas in the past to engage in spiritual practice. Future Buddha will also learn from past Buddhas, engage in spiritual practice and understand all truths and principles. In the process of Their spiritual cultivation,
“all practice” refers to various kinds of methods. As they follow different Buddhas, they engage in various practices in order to realize true peinciples. Once they attain Buddhahood, they can understand the provisional and the true. So, if we can comprehend these principles, we must them apply them in all kinds of practices. After we practice, after we have walked this road, we can attain wonderful realizations.
So, when we hear about something, we can understand the true principles behind it. Though we learn provisional teachings, true principle are contained within them. This is how teachings are skillfully given.
Everyone, as we learn the Buddha’s Way we must be mindful and most importantly, we must return to our pure Tathagata-nature to attain a state of mind that is clear, steady and at ease. Then when we go among the people, we can exercise both blessings and wisdom. When we exercise our wisdom we abide in true wisdom. This is the goal of our spiritual practice. So, we must seize the present moment to realize and understand that we need to just do this. So, everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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