Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Attaining Buddhahood by Perfecting Affinities (圓眾生緣而成道)
Date: February.23. 2015
“The great Bodhi-path is wide and direct. Awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows. They keep their bodies pure and guard their minds. By perfecting their affinities with all beings, they attain Buddhahood.”
The Bodhisattva-path is indeed wide and straight. It can take us from the state of unenlightened beings very precisely to our pure intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Walking straight forward in this way allows us to arrive safely at our destination. However, we still need to truly achieve an awakening.
With this Dharma, if we can awaken, we will start off in the right direction. If we are deluded, if a single thought deviates, we will get lost. We will end up on a winding and roundabout road. This very long detour began because we went down the wrong fork in the road. Thus we became lost, and no matter how far we go, we will not reach our destination.
So, awakened sentient beings are those who have already attained realizations and have already formed great aspirations. They know they must return to this road to attain Buddhahood. Once we make the Four Great Vows, our goal will be to transform all sentient beings. This is because [the first vow is to] “deliver countless beings”. No matter how widespread sentient beings are, what state they are in, how big of an area they cover, Bodhisattvas’ hearts must be able to embrace them however and wherever they are so that Bodhisattvas can always be mindful and compassionate.
They must be mindful because if a single thought deviates, they can be tempted by sentient beings. They wish to transform sentient beings, but can end up being transformed by them. This may happen to us because we have not yet awakened and cannot see clearly, so we are in a state of confusion. We know that the Buddha-Dharma is wonderful, saving people is the right thing to do and that we are very happy when we help others. This is just knowledge. Why do we need to save others? Why, when we give of ourselves, are we so happy? If our faith is deep, the Dharma will be clear. When faith is deep, the Dharma is clear. Thus, these awakened sentient beings will use their awakening, their understanding of the Buddha-Dharma, to persist [in transforming] sentient beings.
Since we are learning the Buddha’s Way, we must go among people just as the Buddha did. However many people there are, however widespread they are, we must also have a state of mind that can adapt to them however and wherever they are so we can maintain the deep faith and clear mind that come from our awakening. Then, when we go among the people, we will be able to exercise our compassion.
We often talk about extending our compassion and spreading great love. We must go among people to do good deeds, benefit others and form good karmic connections. All this [comes from] a feeling of compassion. People have feelings, so by making good connections with them, in the future they will be members of our spiritual family who help us perfect our spiritual practice.
So, “awakened beings make the [Four] Great Vows.” On this broad and direct Bodhi-path, awakened sentient beings make the great vow to go among the people. However, the human realm is a turbulent world full of temptations and many different beings. Before entering the world of sentient beings, we must make preparations. That is, we must “keep our bodies pure and guard our minds.” We must keep our minds pure. Not only must we keep our minds pure, in all the actions we take we must maintain the purity of our bodies. By safeguarding our minds, when we encounter interpersonal conflicts, we will be able to apply the wisdom of awakened sentient beings to form good affinities with those people and help resolve the delusion in their minds.We must not get caught up in the whirlpool of confusion and ignorance.
Then, while among people, we will not be affected by them.
Thus, we can keep our bodies and minds pure.Thus we can perfect affinities with sentient beings and then attain Buddhahood.We must form these perfect karmic connections.
Recently, I have been sharing about this topic.Sariputra received the Buddha’s prediction of Buddhahood.Afterwards, he realized how prosperous his land will be and how magnificent; Bodhisattvas will be its great treasures, and “its ground is mind of crystal”.
The ground of our Saha World is made of sand, soil, rocks, mud and so on.However, the land of Flower Light Tathagata will have a ground made of crystal.The “crystal” here is just like the color of the sky in the very early morning.As the sun is just about to rise, there is a golden hue that is very beautiful.The rest of the sky seems very blue, with slight hints of gray.It is such a clear and beautiful sky.It is hard to describe that kind of beauty with language or with something as an analogy.This beauty changes very quickly.
No matter how it changes, the color of the sky is always very beautiful.When we look at a ground made of crystals, if we observe it from different angles, we will find different kinds of beauty.This shows what that land will be like.
Indeed, its ground will be made of crystal, “with roads bordered with golden ropes”.“Its multicolored trees of the Seven Treasures will always have flowers and fruits.”It is very beautiful.“The Bodhisattvas in this land will always be firm and solid in their resolve. Their spiritual powers and Paramitas have all been perfected.”
This will be the state of Flower Light Buddha because, in His past, He perfected so many [connections] by helping so many sentient beings.After perfecting these karmic connections and attaining Buddhahood, this is what His future land will be like.Therefore, “perfecting affinities with sentient beings” in order to “attain Buddhahood” is very important.
The next sutra passage states, “In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path. Great saints such as these will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and worldly glory. In his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood.”
Let us briefly consider this passage.“In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path.”In order for a Buddha to attain Buddhahood, He must [follow] countless Buddhas in spiritual cultivation and forming aspirations.He aspires and vows to follow the Bodhisattva-path.
In the presence of countless Buddhas, they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path:Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows.From the Buddha, they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path.
They perfectly benefit themselves and others, and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently.By learning well the Bodhisattva-path, they will be transformed by Flower Light Buddha.
Upon first forming their initial aspirations, they will make the [Four] Great Vows.When any Buddha or Bodhisattva begins to walk the path to Buddhahood, the first vows he makes must be the Four Great Vows. “We vow to deliver countless sentient beings.”This is the first vow of all Buddhas, from the very beginning to the end, when They attain Buddhahood.
So, we always say that once we find the right course, we must follow it precisely.This starts with facing in the right direction.
Which direction if the right direction?Moving toward delivering sentient beings.If we do not transform them, then we definitively will not attain Buddhahood.So, we must perfect our karmic affinities in order to attain Buddhahood.
From the Buddha, Bodhisattvas hear the Dharma and aspire and vow to deliver sentient beings.For such a long time, life after life, in the presence of countless Buddhas they hear the Dharma and learn the Bodhisattva-path.
Once they learn it, they must put it into practice.So, they must walk the Bodhisattva-path lifetime after lifetime until they perfectly benefit themselves as well as others and practice the two beneficial conducts concurrently.
The two beneficial conducts are benefiting ourselves and benefiting others; we must practice them simultaneously.Over many lifetimes, we must “learn well the Bodhisattva-path”.
The Bodhisattvas [in this land] will have walked the Bodhisattva-path, lifetime after lifetime. These Bodhisattvas will all be transformed by Flower Light Buddha. Beginning in his lifetime as Sariputra, He has had a spiritual family. He was willing to go among the people and deliver them. By transforming sentient beings in each lifetime, extending His compassion and spreading love, these beings become His spiritual family members. Then lifetime after lifetime, they will follow Him in their spiritual cultivation.
So, the text here says, “they will learn well the Bodhisattva-path”. These Bodhisattvas are all great saints. “Great saints such as these”. Bodhisattvas are also called “great saints” or “ones who open the way”. Bodhisattvas are referred to in three ways. Usually, we call them “Bodhisattvas”, awakened sentient beings. Actually, Bodhisattvas in the world can also be called “great saints”. So, Bodhisattvas are called great saints. What does it mean to be a “great saint”? Great saints are the people who accomplish great things. This is what makes them great saints. They also have “take on the great mission of seeking the Buddha’s Way and transforming sentient beings”. This is what makes them great saints.
“A common name for Bodhisattvas is great saints. This means they accomplish great things. They are those with the great mission of seeking the fruit of Buddhahood and transforming sentient beings. Therefore, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin.”
They form great aspirations and make great vows. They seek the Buddha’s Way and transform sentient beings. Thus all the matters involved with teaching and transforming sentient beings are all accomplished. People who make the great vows to do these things in the human realm are called great saints.
They are like Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva is also called the Great Saint Guanyin. Bodhisattvas can also be called “ones who open the way”. That means they have already awakened: they want to go among people in order to perfect their karmic connections. “Ones who open the way” and “great saints” both refer to Bodhisattvas; they are those who work to benefit all people.
The next verse continues, “That Buddha, while still a prince, will renounce his kingdom and world glory.” Everyone should remember what the Buddha did before teaching the Lotus Sutra in the Introductory Chapter. This was when Manjusri Bodhisattva began to describe the past 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas.
He explained that these 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas shared the same first name and last name and appeared in the human realm, one after another. The very last of the Buddhas, before He left the lay life, had eight sons. His eight sons, before becoming monastics, governed his kingdom. But after hearing that their father had become a monastic and had even attained Buddhahood, the eight sons also aspired to leave the lay life and follow their father to become monastics.
This was in the era of the 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. At that time, the princes began to aspire to engage in spiritual practice. These eight princes all became monastics and went to different lands to deliver sentient beings. The sentient beings that they transformed also continued to follow them. Life after life, they continued to accumulate karmic affinities with sentient beings. Life after life they returned to perfect karmic connections with sentient beings. Eventually, they attained “their final bodies”. These were their final incarnations in the cycle of birth and death.
“The final body is one’s final incarnation in samsara. This is their final cycle of birth and death. These Bodhisattvas will be born, then ultimately become monastics and attain Buddhahood”.
In the past, they followed their karmic conditions and spent lifetimes in this world to transform sentient beings. At the very end, they had put an end to their rebirth. They completely eliminated the karmic conditions that would continue their cyclic existence. If they came to this world again, it would be because of their vows, not because they were led here by their karma. So, this is their final body. After attaining Buddhahood, They would enter Parinirvana. Parinirvana does not have anything to do with death or passing away. “Nirvana” is a state that is tranquil and still, so this is “entering the land of calm illumination”.
The Buddha’s mind is already in the land of calm illumination. His mind will always be as tranquil and still as the light of a crystal, which is a very pure and bright light. This is called Parinirvana. The tranquil and still state of Parinirvana is naturally one of non-arising and non-ceasing. A state without arising and ceasing is a tranquil and still state. This tranquil and still state is called a land of calm illumination. After the Buddha attains enlightenment, His final body is His last incarnation in samsara. This is due to enlightenment. Bodhisattva who is experiencing his last cycle of birth and death in samsara has completed his Bodhisattva-practices and in the end will attain Buddhahood. Therefore, for Sakyamuni Buddha, that lifetime in the Saha World was the final body He used to walk the Bodhisattva-path. For countless lifetimes, He had been walking the Bodhisattva-path and this was His final body.
So, over 2000 years ago, when Prince Siddhartha was born into the palace, that was the last time He would walk the Bodhisattva-path. To complete it, He would come to the world. Become a monastic, engage in spiritual practice and attain Buddhahood. This was to let everybody know that if they want to engage in spiritual cultivation, this is the road to follow. Why do we need to engage in spiritual practice? Because life is full of suffering; there is so much hardship. The Buddha, having spent time among the multitude of sentient beings had seen all kinds of human suffering.
In fact, while Sakyamuni Bodhisattva was still walking the Bodhisattva-path, this was already clear to him. In order teach everyone what it means to attain Buddhahood, He manifested this appearance and lived among ordinary people by being born among them. He was born among ordinary people and with various ways of living expressed what was in His heart to help people understand.
This young prince enjoyed glory, status, wealth and luxuries, but when he saw how people were suffering, he could not bear it. To find a solution for everyone’s suffering, he left the palace after experiencing many hardships and engaging in ascetic practices, in the end, he sat beneath a tree, surrounded by nature. In this natural state, under the starry sky, he watched the twinkling of the stars. Suddenly, his mind connected with that star; the light of his mind and the light of the star came together and became one. This light opened up his mind completely. The Buddha manifested this to show us that, like Him, we were born in the state of ordinary people, and all of us have seen the pain and suffering of this world. When we hear the principles taught by the Buddha, we can comprehend His experience for ourselves.
So, we also become monastics and engage in spiritual practice. This is how we begin. We must also make the Four Great Vows. To start on the path to Buddhahood, we must make the Four Great Vows. Then for countless lifetimes, we extend our compassion and spread great love. Living among people, we perfect our karmic connections with them.
Then we can also walk from the state of ordinary people back to our pure, undefiled nature of True Suchness, which is the land of calm illumination. We can also achieve this, but it will take a very long time for us to form karmic connections with everyone. This is a very natural [process] and it is not particularly difficult, as long as we can open up and broaden our hearts.
The sooner we perfect these karmic connections, the sooner we will attain Buddhahood. The sooner we do good deeds, the sooner we benefit others and the sooner we form good karmic connections. Then once our causes and conditions are perfect, we will return to the Tathagata’s state of mind in the land of calm illumination.
So, “in his final body, he will become a monastic and attain Buddhahood. This is the journey of every Buddha. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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