Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Sariputra’s Magnificent Reward-land (離垢為地報土莊嚴)
Date: February.04. 2015
“To ultimately attain the Buddha’s perfect and wondrous enlightenment, we start as Bodhisattvas, as awakened sentient beings whom sentient beings rely on. Then we can attain direct and circumstantial retributions.”
The goal of spiritual practice is to attain Buddhahood. We begin from the state of ordinary people, then we move forward, step by step. When we hear the Dharma, our wisdom-life grows, and we reduce our afflictions accordingly. In this way, we diligently advance in our spiritual practice; our wisdom-life grows day by day, and our afflictions are eliminated bit by bit. This is like wiping a mirror every day, hoping this mirror will be so clean and bright that it will reflect its surroundings very clearly. When this mirror is completely clean, suddenly the reflection of our surroundings will manifest clearly. The Great Dharma of all things in the universe will pour into our minds so that everything we see and hear will be Dharma. This is called “wondrous enlightenment.”
All principles of tangible or intangible things will be encompassed within our ocean of enlightenment, a state of perfect and wondrous enlightenment. Isn’t this the goal of spiritual practitioners? Although we are now still ordinary people, Bodhisattvas also begin as ordinary people. To attain Buddhahood, we must first enter the Bodhisattva-path. “We start as Bodhisattvas, as awakened sentient beings.” Awakened beings are called Bodhisattvas. They already understand the Buddha-Dharma and with the Dharma extensively create affinities. They go among sentient beings to help them resolve their delusions, however sentient beings’ discursive thoughts, impurities, conflicts and so on will not affect the minds of Bodhisattvas. They can maintain their resolve and vows without losing their spiritual aspirations. Thus they are awakened sentient beings.
They are not Bodhisattvas for one lifetime only. Lifetime after lifetime, they walk the Bodhisattva-path. Haven’t we been talking about this these few days? In Sakyamuni Buddha’s past lives, He engaged in spiritual practice in the presence of over two trillion Buddhas. Sariputra was not receiving the Buddha’s prediction of Buddhahood, and an incalculable amount of time will need to pass [before he attains Buddhahood]. Clearly, after our first steps as a Bodhisattva, we must continue down this road for many lifetimes and come to this world for the sake of the people. We must have this firm resolve.
So, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must learn how He comes to this world for one great cause. We must also follow the Buddha, lifetime after lifetime, to likewise come to the world for one great cause. This great cause is to transform sentient beings, teach them and relieve their suffering while also guiding them to eliminate delusions and walk along the Right Path.
There are so many sentient beings [to help], so we need the determination of a Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva-path is what people rely on. Will people be able to understand principles? Will they have conditions to be transformed? That depends on Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas have an affinity with sentient beings. With the exact same teaching, if person A says it, no one accepts it, but if person B says it, people partially understand and if person C says it, these simple words can help resolve all the issues in their minds. They understand it completely. This is because of their strong karmic connection. Once he says it, people can understand, all this depends on the strength of their karmic connections.
Besides forming good connections, we must form strong connections, lifetime after lifetime Bodhisattvas also continue to create causes and conditions, life after life.They create causes for attaining Buddhahood and conditions for awakening until they have attained direct and circumstantial karmic retributions, which have been be accumulated, bit by bit, through doing things in a wholesome way.
Take Sariputra, for example.He had already received a prediction of Buddhahood from the Buddha and aspired to be someone sentient beings can rely on.Therefore, his future direct retributions and circumstantial retributions will [eventually] lead him to Buddhahood.
We talked about this before.Once Sariputra attains Buddhahood, he will be named Flower Light Tathagata.He will be endowed with the ten epithets.“One Worthy of Offerings, One Who Is Perfect in Wisdom and Action, the Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Guide, the Tamer, Teacher of Heavenly Beings and Humans, Buddha, the World-Honored One.”
These are ten virtuous epithets.Virtue is something we must attain through action.When we are replete with all virtues, we will be endowed with the ten epithets.That is when we will attain Buddhahood.He will attain Buddhahood because of his circumstantial retribution and direct retribution.A land is a place on relies on.
So, “This land shall be called. Free of Defilements. The land will be even, purely adorned, tranquil, prosperous and abounding with heavenly beings and humans. Its ground shall be made of crystals, with eight intersecting roads, bordered with golden cords.”
Just reading this sutra passage, we can feel how magnificent this place is and how enjoyable it is.Life there is tranquil.Everything is very prosperous, and everyone is very happy.“Abounding with heavenly beings and humans.”Heavenly beings are already wholesome beings who cultivate goodness.This land is like the heaven realm.Its ground shall be made of crystals, In particular, the eight intersecting roads, the roads that lead in all eight directions, are all very straight.These roads intersect in such a well-arranged manner.In contrast, in the human realm, we build many roads and each intersection is highly dangerous.
In the land where Sariputra will attain Buddhahood, this country is called “Free from Defilements”.The name literally means it is completely pure and without defilements.That means that the defilements of afflictions have completely been purified.
This is a Buddha-land.
His land shall be called “Free of Defilements:”
Free from the defilement of afflictions, it is a pure Buddha-land.
The second of the ten grounds of Bodhisattvas is the ground of freedom from defilement.With the purifying practices of precepts, we can be free from the defilement of afflictions.Thus it has this name.
This kind of Buddha-land is one where the people living there are also free of defilements and have eliminated all their afflictions.
People like this live in this land.
For Bodhisattvas, the second of the ten grounds is the ground of freedom from defilement.We have discussed the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattvas before.What is the first ground?The ground of joy.
To follow the Bodhisattvas-practice, we muss have open hearts, broad minds and pure thoughts and dedicate ourselves to helping people.Regardless of the interpersonal conflicts in the world, or the severity of the defilements or the impurity of the people, matters and objects, Bodhisattvas must always have joyous hearts.
When Tzu Chi volunteers conduct home visits, we may encounter households with people who are poor, sick, disabled and so forth.
One particular man had not cleaned his home in a long time.
He had not bathed in a long time.His hair was in tangle of knots; it was a huge mess.Seeing this, these volunteers, these Bodhisattvas in the world, could not bear to see him suffer.
So, they immediately helped him clean up. There are mice, cockroaches and even snakes in the house. They saw a cockroach nest; that scared them. Then they saw a mouse den. All the mice ran out and crawled into their pant legs, crawled into their pant legs, so they kept stomping their feet and shaking their legs until the mice ran out. We have also seen these kind of images. They are truly Living Bodhisattvas to clean a house like this. There was even filth overflowing from the toilets. The pipes were blocked so there was a backflow and the whole room was filthy. The water also kept rising.
Tzu Chi volunteers, including the doctors and their families who were helping out, since the water had flooded over the ground, needed to use buckets and ladles to slowly scoop up the water until the ground was dry. Then they cleaned the toilet itself, slowly scooping things out and clearing it, until it was unclogged. Finally they wiped the toilet until it was shiny and bright. The floor, the walls and the ceiling all were thoroughly cleaned. These volunteers are truly Living Buddhas and Living Bodhisattvas. They could not bear for someone to suffer among this filth, so they thoroughly washed his body, cut his hair very neatly and dressed him in a fresh change of clothes. At the same time, they comforted him. Over a long period of time, with love and patience, they comforted him. They gradually helped him understand principles and chant the Buddha’s name to take the Buddha’s mind into his own. By rescuing and guiding sentient beings like this, these Bodhisattvas do this work willingly and with joy. This is the first Bodhisattva ground. From the first Bodhisattva ground, we need to advance to the second ground.
The second ground is the ground of freedom from defilement. To cultivate the mindset of Bodhisattvas, we must serve willingly and joyfully and must constantly take good care of our mind so that it remains pure. When it comes to defilements such as greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt, we must take care so that they will not get close to our minds. We must keep them away. This is the “ground of freedom from defilement”.
So, Sariputra needs to spend a very long time to perfect his karmic connections with sentient beings. At the same time, he has to take good care of his mind so that the discursive thoughts and defilements of this world will not cause him to waver. Then, in the end, his circumstantial retribution will lead him to a land where. In the future these will be this beautiful land called “Free of Defilements”. This is the second Bodhisattva ground. It is completely pure. Its people all upholds precepts, fulfill their duties and manage themselves with precepts. This is how they free themselves from the defilements of afflictions.
Everyone who lives there is very pure and very loving. They are heavenly beings and Bodhisattvas. We can imagine just how magnificent and wealthy this land is.
Next, it states, “the land will be even, purely adorned”. It is very smooth and adorned very purely. This is a way of dignifying the land. With circumstantial and direct retributions, this pure land is able to be even and centered.
“With circumstantial and direct retributions, we obtain a pure land that is even and centered. When we are free from the wrongdoings of evil actions and free from the defilement of afflictions, we are in a state of purity. This freedom from afflictions comes from eliminating and being liberated from obstructions.”
If a person’s mind is tranquil and stable, then naturally the way they live and the environment they live in will reflect that. For this to happen, first the leader of that place must have this mindset. Then when people gather together, they will adopt the same state of mind, and their surroundings will be the same way. Therefore, our surroundings and our minds are closely related. If we can be free from evil deeds and wrongdoings and eliminate the defilements of afflictions, we will be in a pure state. If we uphold precepts, we can keep ourselves from committing wrongdoings and can eliminate all afflictions. Then no things and no interpersonal conflicts can hinder our spiritual practice and diligent advancement. With nothing to defile our minds, our lives will be tranquil and prosperous. This is like a wonderful land where heavenly beings and humans reside. It is a place of complete purity and tranquility, unlike this world, which is filled with danger.
Actually, when that time comes, Sariputra’s land will be very pure, very tranquil and very prosperous, free of the Four Evil Destinies.
“Therefore this land is completely pure, tranquil and prosperous. There are no Four Evil Destinies. There are only good destinies for sentient beings, thus it abounds with heavenly beings, humans and is filled with Bodhisattvas.”
The Four Evil Destinies are the asura, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. None of these Four Evil Destinies exist there. There are only good destinies for sentient beings. So, this is a country full of virtuous people. All its people will all be like heavenly beings, very kind and content with everything. “Abounding with heavenly beings and humans” and filled with Bodhisattvas, “its ground shall be made of crystals with eight intersecting roads,”
This land is already free of filthy things and defilements. Not only are the surroundings pure, but everyone’s minds are also pure.
Its ground shall be made of crystals, with eight intersecting roads: This shows purity and freedom from defilement. A crystal is bright and radiant. This eight intersecting roads represent the practice of the Eightfold Noble Path.
“Its ground shall be made of crystals” Just how pure is it? It is as pure as crystal. We have also seen families that are wealthy, or fancy venues that pave the floor with tiles or marble polished so rightly that people can see their reflections in it.This is a kind of metaphor, especially when something is as bright as crystal.
In this world, “crystal” is a precious treasure. It is treasure found in the mines. The eight intersecting roads represent the practice of the Eightfold Noble Path. If we can really make an effort to practice the Eightfold Noble Path, we will head toward the right direction. Then nothing will be able to hinder our minds. Like the eight intersecting roads, our path will be very broad and unobstructed.
So, our minds must be on the right path. Next, it states, “bordered with golden cords”. When we want to build a wall in this world, we choose from cement, bricks stones, mounds of soil and so forth. However, the land where Sariputra will attain Buddhahood is so prosperous it has “golden cords;” gold is used to make ropes. Everyone follow the rules and keeps within these borders. Everyone’s behaviors is very proper, so it is “bordered with golden ropes.” Gold is used to mark the borders. This is because all of them are able to live in such a place of abundance.So, they must “persevere in cultivating blessed causes and earnestly form blessed conditions.”
They must persevere in cultivating blessed causes and earnestly form blessed connections. By putting wisdom into practice and cultivating a pure mind, they will reach a very magnificent land. Thus, it says “bordered with golden cords.”
Sariputra must cultivate many blessings and form many connections in the future. He must also “put wisdom into practice and cultivate a pure mind.” He must cultivate wisdom in his actions and take good care of his pure mind.Then he will “reach a very magnificent land.”
In the future, the place where he will attain Buddhahood will be a prosperous land such as this. So, to learn the Buddha’s Way, we must have a goal. We must continue until we attain Buddhahood. We all intrinsically have the Buddha-nature and as long as we free ourselves from defilement, purity will manifest. Everyone can manifest a perfect and wondrous enlightened nature. Therefore, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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