Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Recalling Initial Aspirations of the Great Vows (復憶初心)
Date: January.29. 2015
“The Buddha ardently and deeply hoped that His disciples would work hard and be diligent, recall their initial aspirations of the Great Vows transmit the Buddha-mind and carry out His original intent.”
In the Buddha’s heart, He ardently and deeply hoped that all sentient beings in the world will be able to realize their intrinsic Buddha-nature and return to their nature of True Suchness. The Buddha hoped that everyone, from the moment they form that initial aspiration, would very earnestly and diligently practice. We must always, with our every thought, recall our initial aspiration. What was that initial aspiration? The [Four] Great Vows. This is what the Buddha earnestly taught us. What are the [Four] Great Vows? They are vows to deliver sentient beings and attain Buddhahood. Without delivering sentient beings, we cannot attain Buddhahood. This is the realization that I have recently shared with you repeatedly. This is also the Buddha’s original [teaching].
The first time the Buddha turned the Dharma-wheel, He wanted everyone to recognize that the world is [full of] suffering. Because of the afflictions that cause suffering, we have created various kinds of karma and, as a result, face various kinds of retributions. Thus we cannot escape suffering. Ever since teaching the truths of suffering, causation, cessation and the Path, the Buddha has hoped that everyone will walk the Path and take this road back to the intrinsic Buddha-nature we all have. To take this road back, we must turn from delusion to awakening. We must further understand the many causes of suffering.
We ordinary people have, since Beginningless Time, gone through billions of lifetimes. Since we have been deluded for such a long time, how many afflictions have we given rise to in this world? Between all of our lifetimes, there is “a veil of darkness”. So, what were the external conditions of our previous life? What kind of karma did we create? Were we good people who created blessings? Were we evil people who created [bad] karma? We have forgotten about all of this. We are deluded, so we suffer. As for all the sufferings accumulated in the past, we do not know what they are; we have already forgotten them. Since we are now engaging in spiritual practice, we must return from this state of delusion back to the path of awakening. We must first understand the causation of suffering.
Within the multitudes of sentient beings, don’t we find portraits of our past lives? They are in front of us, talking to us right now. Their habitual tendencies may have been our tendencies in our past lives. We see them enduring all kinds of suffering, yet they do not recognize that they are suffering, so they continue to create karma. Perhaps we were just like these people in our past lives. So, the karma we have accumulated, is of all different forms and varieties. Sentient beings are countless, and so are their sufferings and so are their appearances. Despite the countless kinds of sufferings and countless different appearances, there are also countless awakened ones. Thus, among the multitudes of sentient beings, we can attain realizations and continuously accumulate them.
From the deluded state of ordinary beings, among the people, we can gradually awaken and advance [in our practice]. This is how we walk the Bodhisattva-path. If we do not interact with people, we cannot awaken and understand. There is no other way to attain Buddhahood. There is only this road, this Dharma-door; we must walk the Bodhisattva-path. Therefore, we must “recall [our] initial aspirations of the Great Vows.” We need to recall and constantly contemplate this. With our initial aspiration, we made the Four Great Vows.
Everyone knows these; we must deliver sentient beings.We must eliminate our afflictions.We must earnestly, mindfully learn.We must never give up on attaining Buddhahood.This was our initial aspiration.We must transmit the Buddha-mind and carry out His original intent.His mind and His original intent was an ardent and deep hope that everyone can be delivered, can eliminate their afflictions and can return to the path to enlightenment.Everyone must share the responsibility for doing this.
Actually, spiritual practitioners often lose their spiritual aspirations.However, if we uphold precepts as we engage in spiritual practice, naturally, there will always be Dharma-protectors by our side who remind us to be vigilant.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, there was a bhiksu who lived in the tranquil woods.He strictly upheld the precepts.All of his time was spent in the woods; he rarely went among people.He regarded upholding percepts as his goal.This went on until one day, he thought to himself, “My mind is already free of hindrances and free of entanglements. I have successfully upheld precepts, “I’m very satisfied with this. In my spiritual practice in this life, this state of mind, this level [of attainment] this state of mind, this level [of attainment] is the state I am most satisfied with.”
However, in the forest, the Dharma-protector who guarded those who upheld precepts could read his mind.For a spiritual practitioner to have this mindset was wrong and improper.So, this heavenly being appeared before the bhiksu and said, “Bhiksu, I respect you for vigilantly upholding precepts. That is why I became your Dharma-protector. But your thoughts have gone astray; you have made a mistake. You must not be content with this tranquil state. This is improper and not correct. Because you have these thoughts, it means you are greedily clinging to your own personal pure state. You disregard the sentient begins of the world.
The Buddha’s intent was to transform sentient beings far and wide. He hoped everyone could return to their pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature. Transforming sentient beings is a road and you are just marching in place. Though you understand that life is illusory, you still do not understand that the karma created by sentient beings exists and leads to existent suffering and hardship.”
At that moment, this spiritual practitioner suddenly awakened.
“Of course, doesn’t the Buddha hope His disciples can awaken themselves and transform others?”If we are in Samadhi because we uphold precepts but still lack wisdom, we will not experience and become awakened by the suffering of sentient beings around us.Indeed, we cannot return to our intrinsic Tathagata-nature and will only remain marching in the same place.
If we do not from affinities with sentient beings, how ca new attain both blessings and wisdom?Therefore, when we engage in spiritual practice, we must make the Great Vows.
The previous sutra passage states, “Sariputra, in the past, I taught you to vow to follow the path to Buddhahood. But you have completely forgotten this, and then you say that you have already attained Nirvana.”
Doesn’t the story I just told illustrate what the Buddha said in this passage?The Buddha earnestly taught sentient beings to vow to follow the path to Buddhahood.But though sentient beings are willing to engage in spiritual practice, they may still forget their vows in the process.Or, we may think, “I have already eliminated my afflictions. I am already engaging in spiritual practice. That is good enough for me. I have already transcended my afflictions, so I have attained Nirvana. I have already transcended my afflictions by practicing the Dharma.”
Actually, transcending afflictions is not the same thing as truly awakening.We must return to our intrinsic Tathagata-nature and connect with that awakened nature in order to attain true awakening.
The next sutra passage states, “Now, again, I wish for your recall the path you have practiced according to your original vows. For the sake of the Hearers, I expound this Great Vehicle sutra by the name of Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower and teach the Bodhisattva Way that has been guarded and retained by Buddhas.”
Finally, this passage has come up. The Buddha said, at this time, “In the past, this is what I have taught you. I hope everyone will vow to follow the path to Buddhahood. However, you have forgotten [what I taught], so now I will teach it again. I hope each of you can recall the past and remember our state of mind when you first aspired to engage in spiritual practice”. Of course, we began as Hearers. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, with our ears we accepted what we heard; we accepted the words He spoke. With our ears, we heard and accepted the Dharma.
So at this assembly, the Buddha began to expound the Great Vehicle sutra by the name of “Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower”. Now, He would “teach the Bodhisattva Way”. The Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra was the best path to awakening and Buddhahood the best path to awakening and Buddhahood that the Buddha had been wanting to teach. The Buddha had looked forward to this day; the day when He could turn the Dharma-wheel and deliver the Dharma He realized into people’s minds. This is what the Buddha had guarded and retained. So, this sutra passage expresses the Buddha’s hope that we would be very mindful.
“Now the Buddha wanted to enable His disciples to recall their original vows. Because of the Great Vows they made in the causal ground, today they have attained these fruits. Now that we are seeing these fruits, we must recall our original vows.”
The original intent of the Buddha was for His disciples to constantly recollect the “Great Vows they made in the causal ground”. Causal refers to the first seed in our minds, that very first, initial seed. We made the Great Vows at that moment. That initial aspiration is to engage in spiritual practice to deliver sentient beings and eliminate afflictions by attaining realizations among people.
If we can take good care of that “seed”, “today [we will] have attained these fruits”. Without taking care of the “cause”, how can we achieve the “effects”?
I always say that a thick-trunked tree grows from a tiny seed. We should all know that this giant tree came from that “cause”, which is seed. As this tree grew, it also bore many fruits. These fruits will turn into “causes”. As for the Bodhi-seed, as long as we take good care of it, it will eventually become a Bodhi-tree and will always bear Bodhi-fruits. The Bodhi-fruits will become seeds, and those seeds will then become Bodhi-trees. In this way, this cycle of causes and conditions will continued as long as we take good care of the seeds.
So, “Today they have attained these fruits”. Today, we are able to understand the origins of the cause of Buddhahood. The Buddha means the Enlightened One. The cause of His enlightenment began in this way, with an initial aspiration. Since we have this beginning to our awakening, we must turn back from delusion to awakening. To go from delusion to awakening, we must walk this road through the world. Then we can connect with the Bodhi-path. So, “Now that we seeing the fruits”, we must recall our original vows”.
The Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra for our sakes. So, we must be like Hearers and listen to the teachings with our ears. The Dharma comes out of the Buddha’s mouth and those teachings must enter our hearts. We must make an effort to listen to the Buddha expound this Great Vehicle sutra.
“Hearers: They are the disciples of the Buddha who practice the Small Vehicle Dharma. By hearing the Buddha’s verbal teachings, they realize the principles of the Four Nobel Truths and put an end to their delusions of views and thinking. This puts them on the path to Buddhahood. It is for the sake of Hearers that He now expounds the Great Vehicle teachings.”
Hearers are those who have not thoroughly understood or realized the Dharma. They are Small Vehicle practitioners. So, this is what a Hearer is. The Buddha now taught the Great Vehicle Dharma for the sake of the disciples who were Hearers; this was the Dharma for those who practiced the Small or Middle Vehicles. At that time, many Bodhisattvas were also at the assembly. Guanyin, Manjusri, Maitreya and so on were all at that Dharma assembly. But the Buddha specifically targeted Hearers and other Small Vehicle practitioners so they could witness how the Bodhisattvas who practiced the Great Vehicle Dharma were still going among people to seek the Buddha’s Way and transform sentient beings.
So, “Hearers” are spiritual practitioners who practiced the Small Vehicle Dharma; they are practitioners of the Dharma. They heard the Buddha give teachings and realized that principles of the Four Noble Truths. After realizing the Four Noble Truths, they put an end to the afflictions of views and thinking, to those delusions. After we end the delusions of views and thinking, we begin to move toward the path to Buddhahood. The ignorance, perspectives and thinking of the multitudes of sentient beings will not disturb our minds. If we can practice diligently among people, we have achieved true mastery. This is the path to Buddhahood, which was begin taught for Hearers.
Since these disciples were [at the assembly], the Buddha expounded “the Great Vehicle sutra” by the name of Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower and taught the Bodhisattva Way”. The name of the sutra is the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. The Buddha even told us the name of the sutra. This was the Dharma He had guarded and retained. It was very valued and cherished by the Buddha. For more than 40 years, he had earnestly and carefully safeguarded it within His mind.
“So, this Dharma is the one great cause that all Buddhas have safeguarded and recalled.” All Buddhas are of the same mind. They guarded and retained the wondrous Dharma, which teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma, teaching the Bodhisattva Way. The Great Dharma that the Buddha guarded and retained can benefiting sentient beings ”
Benefiting sentient beings is the one great cause of the Buddha for coming to this world. Therefore, He had to teach sentient beings how to reach the estate of Buddhahood. The Buddha worked very hard, very earnestly and very diligently. He deeply hoped that all sentient beings could accept and take the Dharma to heart.
So, the meaning behind guarding and retaining was to protect it from being invaded by external evils and to allow internal goodness to arise.
When we encounter external disturbances, they must not be allowed to enter our minds. We must protect our initial aspiration and continue to grow our roots of goodness so that they will grow stronger with every single thought. This is the way to protect our wholesome minds and our aspirations to engage in practice, which was to achieve self-awakening and to awaken others.
We must protect pour minds] so that wholesome thoughts will arise with every thought. This is the only way for us to diligently advance. We cannot just say, “I have formed aspirations. I do have that resolve. It is in my heart and mind.” Simply protecting it is not useful. We must unceasingly give arise to wholesome thoughts. This is how we guard and retain. Just protecting our aspiration is not enough, we also must also retain them to allow them to grow with every thought.
The Buddha taught the Great Vehicle in the hopes that Hearers and people with great capabilities and wisdom would quickly recall their original vows of walking the Great Vehicle Path.
This took place at the beginning of the Buddha’s expounding of the Lotus Sutra. At the beginning of this sutra, the Buddha had already given a name to this Great Vehicle sutra, “Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower.” He hoped everyone would recall their initial aspirations. This was very important.
So, the Buddha ardently and deeply hoped that His disciples would diligently advance. We must return to and recall our initial aspiration in making the Great Vows, transmitting the Buddha-mind and carrying out His original intent. The Buddha freely expressed His original intent, so we must mindfully accept [this responsibility].This is how we, as the Buddha’s disciples, repay His grace. We must be grateful for the Buddha’s [compassion] towards sentient beings.
If we are grateful, we must diligently practice. So, diligence beings with our initial aspiration, which we must guard and retain. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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