Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Pure Causes and Karma Bring a Pure Land (淨因淨業淨土現)
Date: February.06. 2015
“With a pure heart, the reward-land will be pure, and pure causes will be stored in our consciousness. Wholesome seeds will come with blessed conditions. All causes and conditions are planted in our hearts. A seed contains an ocean of fruits. Fruits have their origin in seeds.”
This is what I want to share with you. If our hearts are pure, then our future circumstantial retributions and direct retributions will take us to a very pure place. The world we now live in is considered very evil and turbid. A pure land is free of these turbidities. Therefore, we must engage in spiritual practice to eliminate these turbidities so that [this land] will become pure. Sentient beings can collectively create pure karma. Everyone can purify their minds and then all their future retributions, both the circumstantial and the direct, will be pure.
“Pure causes will be stored in our consciousness.” Everything we do must create pure causes. In everything that we do each day, in every thought we have, in every move we make and so on. If we can keep our minds pure every day, then our conduct will benefit everyone. By doing this, every seed we create will be wholesome and pure. These will be stored in our eighth consciousness. These causes will come with blessed conditions. How can we create wholesome causes? This depends on creating good karmic connections and blessed karma.
Good affinities will result in good effects. With good karmic effects, our karmic retribution is to be in a pure and undefiled [place]. So, good karmic effects bring us to a reward-land of pure causes; this is dictated by our circumstantial retributions. So, causes and conditions are both planted in our hearts. Within the field of our minds, every seed, every good cause and good condition, is created by our minds and then collected in our mind-consciousness; each is stored in our consciousness. Therefore, we must be mindful of our causes and conditions. There is a saying, “A seed contains an ocean of fruits. Fruits have their origins in seeds.” This refers to how we are constantly creating causes. These causes actually lie within seeds; these are very tiny and intricate things. I often say, “A thick-trunked tree comes from a tiny seed.” This means that a tiny thing can spread out and grow into something very big. When a tree is fully mature, it will produce flowers and an abundance of fruits. Its fruits will be bountiful. Each of these fruits contains a seed. But that tiny seed alone can, after the passage of some number of years, produce an abundance of fruits every year.
So, “a seed contains an ocean of fruits. Fruits have their origin in seeds.” These fruits, no matter how many fruits have been produced over how many years, when we trace the fruits back to their origin, they in fact all go back to that initial seed. This is like how Sakyamuni Buddha formed His aspiration several billion kalpas ago and engaged in spiritual practice in the [presence] of countless Buddhas. Life after life, He engaged in spiritual practice and made these vows for the sake of saving and transforming sentient beings. This aspiration was the seed. This aspiration is a pure cause.This very pure seed, this cause, is kept forever in His storehouse consciousness.
Sakyamuni Buddha had already [connected with] His ninth consciousness.We often talk about how.We ordinary people only reach the eighth consciousness.Every action we take continues the karmic cycle of cause and effect and is stored in the eighth consciousness.At the end of our lives, when we leave this world, we cannot take anything with us except [the karma in] our eighth consciousness.Thus we cannot control how we transmigrate in the Six Realms.This will continue life after life until all the seeds have become completely pure, flawless and untainted.Then we reach the ninth consciousness.
This is a state unreachable by ordinary people.It requires many lifetimes of continuously purifying the seeds and accumulating blessing and wisdom.Blessings come from benefiting people.
Wisdom comes from giving unconditionally.The untainted and joyful connections we form are called affinities formed in the Dharma.For these to form it takes many, many lifetimes.This is how “fruits have their origin in seeds”.
In the end, [we reach] the source of these pure causes, which is our nature of Tue Suchness.This is why we always say that when we learn the Buddha’s Way, we must take good care of our minds.Therefore, we must always be mindful.
As I have previously explained, the previous sutra passage describes how.Sariputra will attain Buddhahood in a pure land.
That pure reward-land is free of defilements, completely without filth.It is very magnificent and has trees made of the Seven Treasures and so on.There is an abundance of fruits and flowers, etc.Flower Light Tathagata will also make use of the Three Vehicles to teach and transform sentient beings.This is form yesterday’s passage.
Today we will discuss it again, “Sariputra, when you manifest as a Buddha, although it will not be in an evil world, because of you original vows, you will teach the Three Vehicles”.
This tells us that when Sariputra becomes Flower Light Tathagata, when he attains Buddhahood in the future, his reward-land will be very pure.Its ground will be paved with jewels, and it has golden cords for its borders and rows of trees made of the Seven Treasures.Furthermore, it is filled with heavenly begins, humans and Bodhisattvas.So, why will Flower Light Tathagata still teach the Three Vehicles in such a place?
We live in the Saha World, where sentient beings’ minds are filled with defilements and covered by a thick layer of afflictions.For the Buddha to transform sentient beings, it was indeed very hard work, because of their severe afflictions.
He told everyone to let go of everything, to eliminate their habitual tendencies, to no longer be greedy and to completely let go of anger and resentment, as well as love, hate, passion and animosity.This was by no means easy.So, this is why we live in an evil world of Five Turbidities.
The Buddha’s wondrous Dharma of One Reality is something we cannot directly experience; we cannot directly realize our true nature.But when Sariputra becomes a Buddha in the future, the land of Flower Light Tathageta will be so pure.Everyone will be wholesome, like heavenly beings.Heavenly beings had to do the Ten Good Deeds in the human realm.Only by doing the Ten Good Deeds could they be reborn in the heaven realm.
Bodhisattvas have selfless love.Thus, this peaceful land is called “Free of Defilements”.
When all afflictions are eliminated, there are no evil destinies.If everyone does good deeds, how could there be evil destinies?
Why will He still teach the Three Vehicles in that place?This is because of His “original vows”.Because of the vows He originally made, He will end up doing this.
He originally vowed that, when He becomes a Buddha in the future, He will be teach the Three Vehicles to transform sentient beings.There is a very long story behind this.
In the Great Compassion Empty Treasury Sutra, there is a passage describing Sariputra’s past lives.
The Great Compassion. Empty Treasury Sutra states: Son-of-Body spent 60 kalpas practicing the Bodhisattva-path. Because the Brahmin asked for his eye and then spat and stomped on it, Son-of-Body became angry and regressed to being an unenlightened being.
This took place a long, long time age 60 kalpas ago, Sariputra was a respected elder at that time. When this elder learned the Buddha’s Way, he aspired and vowed to practice the Bodhisattva-path and to give everything for the sake of sentient beings. After the formed this aspiration, he gave material goods to help the impoverished and suffering. He started giving away all his wealth over a long period of time until he had no more material things left to give. All he had left was himself He said, “Since I have given everything away, all I have left is my body. If any person or any sentient being needs any part of my body, I am willing to give it”.
At that time, a heavenly being saw that there was such a king-hearted person in the world. This person had formed Bodhisattva-aspirations, but were these aspiration really firm? So, this heavenly being took the form of a young man and appeared before this elder, crying and weeping. [The elder asked,] “Why are you crying?” “What is troubling you?” The young man then said, “I have spent all of our family’s money trying to treat my mother’s illness. I have asked every doctor and they all say that my mother’s illness is very rare. Although they have prescribed medicine for her, a catalyst is needed. I need a human eye. The eye is the catalyst for her medication”.
When the elder heard that an eye was needed, he thought, “An eye? How is that difficult? I’ve already vowed to walk the Bodhisattva-path, so I am willing to give my head, eyes, marrow and brain to other people”. So, he stuck his hand into his eye socket and took his eye out. “Quick, take this eye to act as a catalyst for your mother’s medicine”. Then the young man said, “Oh my, why were you in such a hurry? I didn’t get to tell you which eye I needed. You pulled out your right eye, but the doctor said we have to use a left eye”. [The elder said,] “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” “Because you were too hasty”. [The elder agreed,] “You’re right, it’s my fault”. “Okay then, since I have taken out an eye, I can also give you my left eye”. So, he took out his left eye and gave it to the young man.
The young man took it from him, put it up to his nose and gave a loud sniff. “Hm, why is this eye so smelly? How can I use this for the medicine?” He deliberately threw it to the ground forcefully and then stomped on it with his foot. Even though the elder could not see, he could still perceive what happened. “Ah, sentient beings are so terrible!” And just like that, “I no longer want to walk the Bodhisattva-path. I just want to practice for my own benefit”. When this thought arose, he lost his aspiration to walk the Bodhisattva-path.
So, although he had followed Sakyamuni Buddha, life after life, and engaged in spiritual practice in each one, even in this lifetime, after listening to the Buddha’s teachings for more than 40 years, he was still attached to a bias towards emptiness. He will was very strong. He held onto that attachment and would not let it go, until Sakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra and constantly challenged Small Vehicle practitioners by saying these were provisional teachings, then continued to praise the Great Vehicle as the Dharma He wanted to teach, the True Dharma. Only then did Sariputra begin to realize this. For this reason, he again aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path he again aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path. Having again aspired to walk this path, he vowed that after he attains Buddhahood, [he] will also use the Three Vehicles to teach and transform sentient beings.
So, Sariputra vowed once again to attain Buddhahood and that once he does, he will teach the Three Vehicles. Therefore, “because of his original vows, he will teach the Three Vehicles.”
This was Sariputra’s original vow.in the future, he will attain Buddhahood. Though it will take a long time before he can attain Buddhahood, this original vow will always be there.
Sariputra’s original vow was like this, as was Sakyamuni Buddha’s He first used skillful means to transform and guide Sariputra.
Sakyamuni Buddha had also used skillful means to transform sentient beings. In the future, Sariputra will also use the Three Vehicles to teach the Dharma to transform sentient beings. As we said about causes and conditions, “A seed contains an ocean of fruits; fruits have their origins in seeds. This also comes from an [original] cause.
No matter how much time has passed, this tree continues to produce plenty of fruits. No matter how much time has passed, when we trace each of those [fruits and] seeds back to that very first seed, we find that it was that pure vow, our pure, undefiled intrinsic nature being awakened. The transformation-land where Sariputra will attain Buddhahood, where Flower Light Tathagata will teach and transform sentient beings, is a country that is free of defilements.
This means it is already pure. Since it is of defilements, it is free of the turbidities of this Saha World.
Free of defilements: without the filth of this Saha World.
Even: Without the rocky ups and downs of this world.
Pure: without the turibity and evils of this realm.
Peaceful: Without the avnormal droughts and floods of today.
Presently, in our Saha world, we can see trash everywhere. There are mountain of garbage everywhere. So, our environmental protection volunteers have continued to promote purity beginning at the source. This means we must be free of defilements.
However, Free of Defilements, the land where Sariputra will attain Buddhahood, will be so very pure and even. Not only is it free of filthy things, it will be very smooth. It is unlike our world, with its rocky ups and downs. It is free of the turbidity and evils of this world.
So, the people will live there peacefully unlike this world, which disquiets people’s minds. That land will have the goodness and beauty of heavenly beings. Like heavenly beings and Bodhisattvas, that world will be good and beautiful, free of the ugliness of the Three Evil Destinies.
With the goodness and beauty of heavenly beings and without the evil and ugliness of the Three Evil Realms, this land will be as pure as crystal and have golden ropes as its boundaries to make coming and going convenient.
People in the world we live in have committed many evils. The asura, hell and hungry ghost realms, the Three Evil Destinies, are all created by people in the human realm. That land, Free of Defilements, will be as pure as crystal and have golden ropes as its boundaries. So “with a pure heart the reward-land will be pure.” If we can keep our hearts pure, then we will also find ourselves in a very pure place in the future. We must always remain vigilant of our hearts.
The engage in spiritual practice, aside from our [actions in] daily living, if we do not take good care of our minds, where will our direct and circumstantial retributions take us in the future? This all depends on our minds. So, we must seize the present moment and always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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