A Parable

Chapter 3

 

Sutra:

“And he says to them, ‘All of you should take no pleasure in dwelling in the burning house of the Three Realms. Do not lust after vulgar and evil forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tangible objects. If you attach to them greedily and give rise to love for them, you will be burnt. You should quickly escape the Three Realms and attain the Three Vehicles: the Hearer, Pratyeka Buddha, and Buddha Vehicles.’”

Outline:

N2. Correlation of praising the three carts as rare.
O1. Correlation with Demonstrating Turning.

Commentary:

And he says to them, Shakyamuni Buddha says...This phrase was added by the Venerable Ananda when he compiled the Sutra. All of you should take no pleasure in dwelling in the burning house of the Three Realms. He is talking to the thirty children and five hundred people. He is also talking to you and me and all living beings of the present. Do not go thinking that we are being left out. We are included in the phrase, “All of you.”

He says, “Do not think it is such great fun living in the burning house. It is really miserable. In the realm of desire, the form realm, and the formless realm, the sufferings are extreme. It is not fun and games by any means.” Here, the Buddha is talking about the first of the Four Holy Truths, the truth of suffering. Do not delight in it. It is suffering. There are limitless kinds of sufferings, but living beings take suffering as bliss. That which is obviously bliss they take as suffering.

For example, sometimes in the world, if you are competent, you can take bad situations and make them turn out for the better. If you do not know how to do things, then in doing good things, you make a mess of them. Suffering is suffering, but living beings take it as a form of bliss. Basically, something may be blissful, but they take it as a form of suffering. Living beings are characterized by this kind of inverted thinking. Living beings are inverted, and in their confusion they do not know to turn back. They walk down the road of confusion without ever looking back. That is the truth of suffering and so here, all living beings are told not to hang around in the burning house.

Do not lust after vulgar and evil forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangible objects. Do not be greedy. Do not lust after the vulgar, the coarse, the vile, the rotten. What is rotten? The suffering! The affliction! It disturbs our minds and natures, and erodes our wisdom, making us stupid. The five sense objects are also called the five desires. “Forms” refer to visible matter, what is in front of us and has material form. Sounds, smells, tastes, and tangible objects also delude our minds. Some beings are deluded by forms. Some like to listen to music. Others like to smell fragrances or taste things. Others like physical contact. People are defiled by these states. They are not clear and pure. The realms of the five sense objects confuse living beings completely. But if you can have no thought with regard to these states, then:

If you see affairs and awaken, you can transcend the world;
If you see affairs and are confused, you fall beneath the wheel.

If, in a situation, you can wake up, that is just transcending the world. But if the situation gets out of hand and gets control over you, you will fall. I always say,

The eyes see forms, but inside there is nothing.
The ears hear defiling sounds, but the mind knows it not.
Facing a situation, to have no thought
Means that you are not turned by the state.

This means that you control the situation and not vice-versa. If you reach this level, then the objects of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangible objects cannot move your mind. If you see them and give rise to greed and love, then you have been confused by the state.

If you attach to them greedily and give rise to love for them, you will be burnt. If you give rise to love and attachment, you will be burnt. Most people think that love is very important. Really, it is the very thing which keeps you from ending birth and death and becoming a Buddha. The nature flows out and becomes emotion. Emotion flows out to become desire. This emotional love is the root of birth and death and the source of outflows. If you can be without thoughts of emotional love, you can attain to the non-outflow state. As long as you have emotional love, you cannot attain to the state of no outflows.

You will be burned by the fire of love. Love is a total burn. This refers to the second of the Four Holy Truths, that of origination. If you have emotional love, you will give rise to afflictions. If you have no emotional love, no thoughts of love and desire, there is no affliction. Why do you have emotional love? It is because you see your body as too important. You want to indulge in physical pleasures and this is the greatest of all mistakes. Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated bitter practices in the Himalayas. Why? Why did he go to realize the Way beneath the Bodhi Tree? It was just because he was able to sever once and for all the thoughts of love and emotion which all worldly people possess. He got rid of them and was thereby able to certify to the fruit and sever all afflictions. He said,

This is suffering, its nature is oppression.
This is origination, its nature is seduction.
This is extinction, its nature is certification.
This is the Way, its nature is cultivation.

This was the first turning of the Wheel of the Four Holy Truths, the Demonstrative Turning in which he pointed the Four Truths out to living beings.

You should quickly escape the Three Realms, and attain the Three Vehicles: the Hearer, Pratyeka Buddha, and Buddha Vehicles. He said, “You, that is you, plural, all of you should quickly escape. Do not linger in the Three Realms. Get out right now. Move! The more you dilly-dally around the farther you will fall. Escape the burning house and attain the Three Vehicles.”

The Hearers cultivated the Dharma of the Four Holy Truths and awakened to the Way when they heard the sound of the Buddha speaking Dharma. Pratyeka Buddhas are also called Conditioned Enlightened Ones. In the spring they watch the white flowers bloom and in the fall they watch the yellow leaves fall. Seeing the natural process of growth and decay, they cultivate the Dharma of the Twelve Conditioned Causes and attain the fruit. When they are born during the time when a Buddha is in the world, they are called Conditioned Enlightened Ones. When they are born at a time when there is no Buddha in the world, they are called Solitarily Enlightened Ones. Pratyeka Buddhas, most of them, live deep in the mountain valleys and have little contact with the outside world. They cultivate on their own to certify to the fruit.

The Buddha Vehicle is the vehicle of perfect enlightenment. Enlightenment is of three kinds: self enlightenment, the enlightenment of others, and the perfection of enlightenment and practice. The Buddha Vehicle surpasses the Hearer, Pratyeka Buddha, and Bodhisattva Vehicles.

The Dharma Flower Sutra says,

There are no other vehicles;
There is only the One Buddha Vehicle.

Previously, the Three Vehicles were provisional Dharmas. Only the Buddha Vehicle is real Dharma. Now, in the Dharma Flower Assembly, the Buddha opens the provisional to manifest the real. He sets expedient Dharmas aside in order to manifest the genuine Buddha Vehicle.

Sutra:

“I now give my Pledge for this and it shall never be proved false. You need only diligently and vigorously cultivate. The Thus Come One using these expedient means leads all living beings.”

Outline:

O2. Certification Turning.

Commentary:

In the second turning of the Three Turnings of the Four Truths, the Buddha testifies to his own attainment of certification. He says,

1. This is suffering, I already know about it. I do not need to know anything more.

2. This is origination. I have already cut it off. I do not need to cut it off anymore.

3. This is extinction. I have already certified to it. I do not need to certify to it anymore.

4. This is the Way. I have already cultivated it. I do not need to cultivate it anymore.

Shakyamuni Buddha says, “I now give my pledge for this. I guarantee this matter.” What matter? The matter of becoming a Buddha. That is, if you cultivate according to the Great Vehicle, I guarantee that you will become a Buddha. I give you my word. And it shall never be proved false. You need only diligently and vigorously cultivate. All you living beings should use your energy to go forward with vigor, practicing the Great Vehicle Dharma. In the Great Vehicle, one opens the provisional to reveal the real. But you must diligently cultivate. If you are not diligent and vigorous in your cultivation, although it is the Great Vehicle, it will not benefit you. It is like speaking about food and not eating it, or like counting someone else’s money. There is a saying,

If all day long you count up other’s wealth,
When you have not got a half a cent yourself--
If you fail to cultivate the Dharma,
You are making the exact same mistake.

The Shurangama Sutra says, “It is like only speaking about food which will never make you full.” If you go to a restaurant and merely read the menu without ordering anything to eat, saying¸“This is really good. And that is even more delicious. And that is a supreme treat!” Your stomach will still be empty. You cannot get full by talking about food.

You cannot get rich by counting up other people’s money. A bank teller counts up several million dollars a day, but none of it belongs to him. When he gets off work, not a dollar is his. This verse is pointing to the fact that if you just have an intellectual understanding of the Buddhadharma, but do not cultivate according to its methods, you might as well be counting someone else’s money. You are making the same mistake. You gain nothing for yourself. If you sit at home sighing over how good Italian bread is or French bread--especially with butter and cheese!--it does nothing for your stomach. You cannot just talk and not do anything. If you want any results, you have to put in the effort. Otherwise, you attain nothing.

You must be vigorous with your mind and your body. This means bowing to the Sutras, reciting the Buddha’s name, reciting the Sutras, meditating or reciting mantras. In general, you have to keep occupied, because if your minds do not have anything to do, they get unreliable and start doing a lot of false thinking. They are like monkeys. Monkeys are always goofing off, running east and west, up and down trees all day long. Our minds are the same way. We have to give them some work to do and then they will settle down. One must not only be vigorous with the body, but with the mind as well. Keep your thoughts to one point. The Buddhadharma has to be actually practiced. It is useless to merely talk about. So I often say,

Spoken wonderful, spoken well,
If you do not walk down it,
It is not the Way.

You have to put in the work, then, you can attain benefit. This requires vigor.

The Thus Come One using these expedients leads all living beings. The Thus Come One uses the expedient Dharmas of the Three Vehicles to lead living beings. You might even say he “cheats” them. How is this? He does not cheat us in a false way, but in a true way. He cheats us right into ending birth and death! If he did not cheat us, we would not know how to end birth and death. How can we prove that the the Buddha cheats living beings? The Buddha is the great Elder. The children in the house are all being burned by the fire and the Elder says, “Hurry and come out! I have sheep carts, deer carts, and ox carts! They are right outside the door!” But in reality, there are no sheep, deer, or ox carts. Children like to play with the carts and when they hear about them, they run out of the house and escape the fire. The Elder thinks, “Well, I have so much wealth, I might as well give them a cart.” He gives them each a great white ox cart.

In the beginning, he was using an expedient device to lead the children out of the burning house. Later he gave them the great carts and he was no longer being expedient. He was opening the provisional to reveal the real. The Buddha set aside expedient to teach the genuine Dharma in the same way. “Lead” in the text carries the meaning of “to entice.” This is like the time the Buddha saved the child with his empty fist. The child,unaware of the danger, went crawling towards a well and was about to fall in.

The Buddha used an expedient method. He said, “Little child, come back. I have here in my hand a piece of candy. Come on, I will give it to you!” Kids love candy and so the child scrambled back. Did the Buddha have a piece of candy in his hand? No. He saved the child with his empty fist. Although he did not have candy in his hand, he eventually went and got a piece for the child and so he did not cheat the child after all. That is what is meant by the phrase “to lead.” He uses expedients, giving living beings what they like, in order to teach and transform them. Living beings play up to each other for selfish reasons, but the Buddha uses their fondnesses to teach and transform them. We are all living beings, do not forget.

“I do not want Shakyamuni Buddha to cheat me,” you say.

Then, keep on being a living being for a while. Hah! If you feel you have not been one long enough, then continue to be one. If you do not want to be a living being, if you think, “Now I want to understand the Buddhadharma and become a Buddha,” you will have to let Shakyamuni Buddha “cheat” you. You cannot avoid it.

Sutra:

“He further says, ‘You should all know that the Dharmas of the Three Vehicles have been praised by the sages. They will make you free, unbound, and self-reliant. Riding on these Three Vehicles, by means of non-outflow roots, powers, enlightenments, ways, dhyanas, concentrations, liberations, samadhis, and so on, you shall amuse yourselves and attain limitless peace and joy.’”

Outline:

O3. Exhortation Turning.

Commentary:

In this, the third of the Three Turnings of the Four Truths, the Buddha exhorts his disciples to do what he has done. He says,

1. This is suffering. You should understand it.
2. This is origination. You should cut it off.
3. This is extinction. You should certify to it.
4. This is the Way. You should cultivate it.

He further says, ‘You should all know that the Dharmas of the Three Vehicles have been praised by the sages.’ The Buddhas of the past have praised them. The Buddhas of the present praise them. The Buddhas of the future will praise them. All the Buddhas throughout the three periods of time and the ten directions have used the Dharma-doors of the Three Vehicles as expedients to entice living beings. So they are praised and lauded by all the Buddhas. They say, “These Dharmas are the most wonderful. They are rare and hard to encounter.”

They will make you free, unbound, and self-reliant. What is freedom? When you attain to natural wisdom, that is freedom. When you have not attained to natural wisdom, you are not free. What is natural wisdom? You might say that it is the wisdom of knowing the minds of others. That brings freedom. Unbound means that one leaves upside-down dream thinking far behind and so one is unbound. This refers to the attainment of the highest wisdom by which one can put everything down. That is being unbound.

Self-reliant means that one relies on nothing and in one’s heart, one seeks nothing. “Not relying” means that when this life is over, one does not undergo further existence, because when one has ended birth and death, one has no future becoming, no future birth. Not to be born again, not to undergo future existence is to be self-reliant, to depend upon nothing. One should not rely on others. Here we speak of two aspects: There is that which relies and that which is relied upon. That which depends is the self-nature. That which is depended upon is birth and death. When there is no more birth and death, the object of reliance is gone, so there is no more reliance.

When one is self-reliant, one seeks nothing. This means that one has done what one has to do. One has established one’s pure conduct. One has succeeded in one’s cultivation. One then seeks nothing, because one has attained all one’s wishes. At the level of self-reliance, one certifies to the fruit, ends birth and death.

Riding on these Three Vehicles, by means of non-outflow roots, powers, enlightenments, ways, dhyanas, concentrations, liberations, samadhis, and so on. This refers to the Five Roots, the Five Powers, the Seven Limbs of Enlightenment, the Eight Sagely Way Shares, the Four Dhyanas, the Eight Concentrations, and the Eight Liberations, and so on.

To explain the Five Roots once again, the first is faith. In studying the Buddhadharma, you must have faith. Otherwise, you will gain no response. Vigor is the second. You have to make vigorous progress. Do not get lazy in the Dharma assembly. Do not follow your own inclimations to be lax. You must be vigorous. The third is mindfulness. You must always be mindful and never forget what you are doing. Also, you need the root of concentration, the fourth, and lastly, the root of wisdom. Those are the Five Roots. “Root” means that they bring forth the growth of our good roots. From the Five Roots, Five Powers grow, the powers of faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.

“Enlightenments” refers to the Seven Limbs of Enlightenment: Selecting a dharma Vigor, Happiness, Light ease (casting out), Renunciation, Samadhi and Mindfulness These are also known as the Seven Bodhi Shares.

The Eightfold Path (Eight Sagely Way Shares) consists of: Right views, Right speech, Right thought, Right action, Right livelihood, Right vigor, Right mindfulness and Right samadhi. The Eightfold Path has been explained, so listing the names will suffice.

“Dhyanas” refers to the Four Dhyanas. There are three heavens in each of the first three dhyanas and nine heavens in the fourth dhyana. The gods in the heavens of the fourth dhyana cultivate Dhyana Samadhi, but people can also attain the states of the dhyanas.

Although I explained the Four Dhyanas when I lectured on the Earth Store Sutra, I feel people did not gain a clear understanding. Thus, I will go over them once more.

Those who attain the state of the first dhyana have merely attained a state. Not only the gods who dwell in the dhyana heavens, but even people who cultivate the dhyanas can enter the concentration of the first dhyana when they sit in meditation. The first dhyana is called “the joyous ground of leaving production.” They leave afflictions behind and give rise to happiness. This happiness transcends all human happiness. Why don’t they give rise to afflictions? Because they have attained this kind of happiness and take the joy of dhyana as their food. Those who attain the state of the first dhyana feel very satisfied and comfortable all day long. Their bodies have never felt better. The pleasures of sexual intercourse are nothing compared to this feeling. This happiness makes them feel that anything less is quite common place. From the perspective of medicine, there is a quote from the Chinese medical texts:

When the moon wanes at the root of heaven, one comes and goes freely,
Experiencing springtime in the thirty-six palaces.

The human body is divided into thirty-six major portions, and at that time they are all extremely blissful. “Springtime” represents happiness. However, no one in the field of medicine really understands this. Everyone reads it, but few know what it is talking about.

The Ground of Joy of Leaving Production occurs when you sit in meditation, but also continues when you are not sitting. Walking, standing, sitting, and reclining, you are enveloped in this happiness. The more you cultivate this state, the more it increases. Then, as you are sitting, two hours seem like a couple of seconds. Or you can sit for two days and feel like it has only been five minutes. The Venerable Master Xulao sat on Zhungnan Mountain for eighteen days in this kind of state. All you need to attain this state is to meditate sincerely. It is not that hard. It is not hard at all, especially for young people. If you do not meditate or cultivate, then of course, you cannot attain it. But if you work hard and cultivate you will attain this state of the first dhyana.

This is not something just belonging to the gods. You, in your ordinary human body can attain this state provided you cultivate. There is nothing very special about it. It is very common, very ordinary. It is the first step in cultivation, just getting in the door. It does not mean that you are real high or anything. For example, a few days ago I said that there was someone here in our lecture hall who had attained this state. But it is only the first step on the journey. If you wish to attain the real advantages, you have to work extremely hard, and pour on the effort and go forward to certify to the sagely fruit. Just do not stop at where you are.

The second dhyana is called the Ground of the Joy of the Production of Concentration. In this time of happiness, you must not become greedy and attach to it thinking how fine it is. Once that happens, you come to a standstill and this is of no use. Remember you are cultivating concentration! Do not let the state move your mind, but keep you mind always in concentration. They say,

The dragons are always in samadhi.
There is no time they are not in samadhi.

Walking, standing, sitting, and reclining, one should remain in concentration and not let the mind become caught up in external conditions. Do not let the mind run outside to climb on conditions. The mind should be like still water, deep and clear, translucent and still. Then, as you continue to meditate and cultivate, not only will your pulse stop, but your breath will stop as well. You can sit there for any length of time, but it will seem like a very short time. However, you still have thought. In the first dhyana you have not very much concentration going; in the second dhyana you have gotten a bit of concentration and your breath stops, but you have not stopped thinking yet.

You may be sitting there for some time when you suddenly think, “How long have I been sitting?” With that false thought, you come right out of samadhi. Before you had that false thought, you sat for a long time without knowing how long it was--no mark of people, no mark of self, no mark of living beings and no mark of a lifespan. As soon as thought arises, “Hmm...there is something I meant to do. I have got to go to a bank a little later and see how much I have got in my account. Then, I am going to go buy some vegetables. Let us see, what shall I have for lunch today?” As soon as you have these false thoughts, you come out of samadhi and your thought has not stopped.

The third is called the Ground of the Wonderful Bliss of Leaving Joy. In the first dhyana one is happy. In the second dhyana concentration arises, but this concentration is not separate from happiness. The joy of dhyana remains in the state of the second dhyana. In the third dhyana one leaves happiness behind and obtains a wondrous, never-before-experienced, inconceivable, subtle bliss. One leaves behind the state in which one takes dhyana as one’s food and is filled with the joy of Dharma. This happiness is the happiness of the heavens. Is is not something experienced by human beings. If you want to try it out, work hard at your dhyana meditation.

The fourth dhyana is called the Pure Ground of Casting Out Thought. In the third dhyana thought stops. Although one does not give rise to false thinking, thought has not been entirely cast out until one reaches the fourth dhyana. In the fourth dhyana one puts thought somewhere else entirely. In this state, the afflictions of the guest-dusts have been completely purified. However, this does not mean that one has certified to the fruit of sagehood. It is merely the attainment in cultivation of a state of “light peace.”

To the four dhyanas one adds the four formless samadhis to attain the eight concentrations. The four formless samadhis are:

1. The samadhi of the station of boundless emptiness.
2. The samadhi of the station of boundless consciousness.
3. The samadhi of the station of nothing whatsoever.
4. The samadhi of the station of neither perception nor non-perception.

The heavens of these four stations are called the heavens of the formless realm. The gods dwelling in the formless realm have only consciousness; they have no material form. The four are also called the Four Stations of Emptiness, because they are formless.

There are Eight Liberations:

1. The liberation in which inwardly there is the mark of form and outwardly form is contemplated.

2. The liberation in which inwardly there is no mark of form and outwardly form is contemplated.

3. The liberation in which the pure body of wisdom certifies to the complete dwelling.

Add to these the liberations of the four formless samadhis:

4. The liberation of the station of boundless emptiness.

5. The liberation of the station of boundless consciousness.

6. The liberation of the station of nothing whatsoever.

7. The liberation of the station of neither perception nor non-perception.

Then add:

8. The liberation of the samadhi of the extinction of the skandhas of feeling and thought. These are also called “eight castings off the back.” This means that one “gets afflictions off one’s back” and attains liberation.

To explain them in more detail:

1. The liberation in which inwardly there is a the mark of form and outwardly form is contemplated. This means that within you, you still have thought of sexual desire. People are just people after all. When they just begin cultivating, they cannot avoid the problem of sexual desire. You may wish to cut off this desire, but you have previously planted the seeds within you of desire and so you still have these thoughts and feelings. Inwardly, there is the mark of form. One counteracts this desire by the contemplation of outward form. What form?

One uses the contemplation of the nine signs and the contemplation of impurity to look at outward forms. Once you understand the impurity of all forms, you would not be attached to the marks of for, i.e., you would not form sexual attachments. You will thereby attain this first liberation. If you are attached, you cannot be liberated. This means that you have to put everything down in order to be free. As long as you cannot put it down, you would not be free. How do you put it down? You must first see through it, see it for what it really is. Then, you can put it aside. If you cannot see through it, you would not be able to put it down. As long as you cannot put it down, you would nt be free. So, you first cultivate this contemplation.

2. The liberation in which inwardly there is no mark of form and outwardly form is contemplated. Those who apply effor for a time will, without realizing quite how, get rid of thoughts of sexual desire. Is that enough? No. You must continue to contemplate external forms. As you look at the most beautiful woman, you realize that eventually she will get old and die.

There are nine contemplations of a rotting corpse:

a) Tumefaction. When that lovely woman/man dies, her/his body will first swell up.
b) Secondly, it will turn a mottled green color.
c) Then, it will start to rot.
d) It will break open and discharge blood.
e) It will ooze flesh and pus.
f) It will be devoured by birds and beasts and insects.
g) Its remains will be in a dismembered condition.
h) Finally, it will be nothing but a skeleton,
i) Which will fnally turn to ashes.

Thus, the four elements it was originally composed of will each return to where they came from. The element earth will return to the earth. The water will go back to the water. The fire will return to fire, and the wind will go back to the wind. It is all empty once again. You contemplate one person like this, a hundred, a thousand, a million. Once you understand this contemplation of impurity--be they male or female, depending on your preference, you would not lust after them. The absence of lust is liberation.

3. Having broken through these marks of form, you then reach the next level of liberation in which “the pure body of wisdom certifies to the perfect dwelling.” Since you have seen through it and put it down, you obtain the pure wisdom body. You then certify to the perfect dwelling. “Perfect dwelling” is just liberation, that is, dwelling in purity’s original substance.
Next, you become liberated with regard to:

4. Emptiness
5. Consciousness
6. Nothing whatsoever

7. Neither perception nor non-perception, that is, the Four Stations of Emptiness.

8. Finally, you attain the liberation of the samadhi of the skandhas of feeling and thought. At that time, your consciousness is just about to be extinguished, but has not quite yet been extinguished. After eighty-thousand great eons that consciousness will arise again. Therefore, although one obtains the stations of emptiness and so on, one has not yet ended birth and death. The attainment of the samadhi of the extinction of feelings and thought is not the end of birth and death either. In the four dhyanas and the four stations of emptiness plus the samadhi of the extinction of the skandhas of feelings and thought, we have the nine successive samadhis.

The text continues with “samadhis.” There are three kinds of samadhi: the Samadhi of Emptiness, the Samadhi of Signlessness, and the Samadhi of Wishlessness. To explain these three kinds of samadhi in detail would take a great deal of time. For now we shall just give their names.

You shall amuse yourselves and attain limitless peace and joy. By cultivating this skill, you attain the joy of dhyana as your food and are filled with bliss of Dharma. So you are extremely happy. Sporting in Dhyana Samadhi, you attain limitless peace and happiness. This means if you attain the Nirvana of true emptiness, you forever leave all troubles and disasters. With no troubles or disasters, your happiness and peace are unlimited.

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