A Parable

Chapter 3

 

The Ten Virtues of the Elder According to the Method of Contemplation of the Mind.

The Ten Virtues of the Elder do not go beyond one thought of the mind. According to the method of Contemplation of the Mind, we shall explain them one by one:

1. His name is honored. Where does the Wisdom of Contemplation of the Mind comes from? It comes from the Real Mark. The Wisdom of Contemplation of the Mind is born in the Real Mark. Born into the family of the Buddhas, through the Real Mark, his name is honored.

2. His is of lofty position. He does not give rise to Three Kinds of Delusions: a) view delusion, b) thought delusion, or c)delusions as many as dust and sand. You can also say that they are: a) coarse delusion, b) subtle delusion, and c) delusions of ignorance. Not giving rise to the three delusions means not having these three confusions, no view delusions, no thought delusion, and no delusions as many as dust and sand.

What is meant by "view delusion?" It means that when you see something, you are confused by it. View delusion refers to producing greed and love when faced with a state. When something happens, you give into greed and attachment. Why do you give rise to greed and love? Because you are confused.

Thought delusion means to be confused about the principle and give rise to discrimination. Unclear about the principle, you start giving rise to various kinds of discrimination. These are the easiest kinds of delusions to have.

Delusions as many as dust and sand means that in your mind, there are countless subtle doubts, as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges River.

View delusions are sometimes called coarse delusions. Thought delusions are sometimes called subtle delusions. Delusions like dust and sand are sometimes called delusions of ignorance.

Although the Elder’s genuine wisdom has yet to come forth, since he does not give rise to the Three Kinds of Delusions, he is already wearing the Thus Come One’s robe and cultivating quiescence. This is what is meant by being of lofty position.

3. He has great wealth. How does this relate to contemplation of the mind? In contemplation of the mind, his great wealth is explained in terms of the Three Truths: a) The truth of emptiness, b) the truth of falseness, and c) the truth of the middle way. These Three Truths contain all merit and virtue, and are replete with the wealth of Dharma, the precious storehouse. Therefore, he has great wealth.

4. He has awesome courage. With awesome courage, he uses wisdom to conquer love and views. While contemplating the mind, he has a kind of wisdom which can subdue love and views.

Love is something that everyone has. Views are something which everyone clings to. Without views, there is no clinging. Without clinging, there is no love. Without love, there is no affliction. Why do we have afflictions? It is because of love. In the wisdom of contemplation of the mind, the Buddha conquers the afflictions of love and views. Therefore, he has awesome courage.

5. His wisdom is profound. Previously, the awesome, courageous wisdom has not yet reached the level of being profound. It was only capable of conquering love and views. Now, at the level of profound wisdom, he has united with the Middle Way. The Middle Way illuminates the Real Mark of all Dharmas. He knows what is provisional Dharma and what is real Dharma, and knows this very clearly. The two wisdoms, provisional and real, are just the two Dharmas, provisional and real. He understands the clever provisional expedients and the real Dharmas without obstacle.

6. He is advanced in years. At this time, his ability to cultivate this kind of contemplation enables him to transcend the Seven Expedients listed above. Having transcended them, he is advanced in years.

7. His practice is pure. Cultivating the contemplation of the mind, you observe your own mind and nature. the contemplation of one's own mind and nature is called "superior concentration." It is the highest form of samadhi power. This kind of samadhi power enables one to be without error in the three karmas. In the karma of body, mouth, and mind, one is without error. Therefore his practice is pure.

8. His propriety is perfect. The mind, when encountering causes and conditions or a particular state, does not lose the awesome deportment. One is always in accord with the Dharma's regulations. His propriety and manners are perfect.

9. His superiors praise him. If one is able to cultivate this kind of contemplation, then with deep faith, one can understand the marks of dharmas. This causes all the Buddhas to rejoice. Since they are happy, they praise the cultivator.

10. He is a refuge for his inferiors. If one has cultivated, the gods, dragons, and those of the eightfold division as well as the four assemblies of disciples revere one. Above, didn't the Sutra text say, "Though held in reverence by gods and dragons, they do not find it cause for joy." The gods and dragons come to pay their respects, but they do not disturb one's mind and nature which remain, "Thus, thus, unmoving" This is an indication of one's samadhi power. Because one has samadhi power, those beneath one find one a place of refuge and gods, dragons, and the eightfold division all revere and trust one.

This concludes the discussion of the Elder as an analogy for the Buddha.

"Aged:" It is said that as one grows older, one acquires virtue. Virtue can be spoken of in terms of inner and outer virtue. Inner virtue refers to wisdom. If one has wisdom, one will have virtue. Outer virtue is wealth. With resources, you can cultivate outer virtue. The Elder is very old, and he knows the past and present. He knows what happened in the past and he understands what is going on now. This penetration of the past and present is also an analogy for the Buddha's wisdom virtue.

"And worn:" This means that his strength is deteriorating, although his basic disposition and his determination remain robust. He is very experienced. "Worn" represents the Buddha's severing virtue. Severing virtue is the virtue gained through severing attachments and afflictions. The Buddha is not like us. We find it hard to cut off afflictions and bad habits. However, it is said,

Not severing what should be severed,
One must bear the consequences.

If you should have stopped doing something and you have not, you will have to take the unpleasant repercussions. The Buddha is not that way. He cuts off what he should cut off, because he has the severing virtue. Why does he has it? Because he has the wisdom virtue. Because he has the wisdom virtue, he sees everything very clearly. He would not be confused. He would not see a state unclearly. This represents the Buddha's severing virtue.

"Of limitless wealth:" This is an analogy for the Buddha's unlimited blessings and virtue. It is said that the Buddha is of limitless wealth, because he is adorned with the myriad virtues.

"Possessing many fields:" Fields are where crops are planted; they sustain life. We plant the fields, reap the harvest, and in this way maintain our livelihood. That is the function of fields. The fields here referred to can nourish the wisdom-life of our Dharma-bodies and the life of our wisdom.

How do we cause our Dharma-body's wisdom-life to grow? We investigate Dhyana and perfect our skill in samadhi. that is how we cause it to grow. While cultivating the skill of Dhyana Samadhi, you must simultaneously cultivate Prajna Wisdom. Therefore, the analogy is that of Dhyana Samadhi assisted by the strength of Prajna Wisdom which increases the wisdom-life of the Dharma-body. Such is the meaning of the word "field."

"Houses:" What use are houses? They are places to put our bodies; our bodies live in houses. What does this represent? It represents the "realm of reality" which dwells within wisdom. People live in houses. The Real Mark dwells in genuine wisdom. Thus, the houses are an analogy for the true wisdom of the realm of reality.

In speaking of the blessings and virtue of the Buddha, he has extensively cultivated the Six Perfections and the Ten Thousand Conduct, without failing to cultivate even the smallest, finest conduct. In terms of his wisdom, there is no realm it does not illuminate. There is not one state it does not shine upon.

"And servants:" Servants are those employed to work for one. the Buddha does not actually has servants. They are an analogy for the Buddha's expedient Knowledge and Vision which is perfect and complete. With expedient Knowledge and Vision, he can do anything at all. This means that, among those who turn in the six paths of rebirth, he is able to harmonize the light.

Lights do not struggle with each other. Lights easily mix. In the six paths, coming and going, although the Buddha manifests as undergoing birth and death, still, he is not attached to birth and death. Why does he harmonize the light among the six paths? Because he wishes to accommodate all the many beings with the potential for being taught. He uses expedient methods in teaching the Dharma. He does not teach it straight away, but finds ways "around" living beings. He employs clever expedient devices to teach and transform them. The servants referred to in the text, then, represent this use of expedient Knowledge and Vision, expedient Knowledge and Vision being, as it were, the servants of Real Wisdom.

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