Light Enlightenment

Chapter Nine

 

Sutra:

Anyone in the ten directions who seeks the Dharma with unchanging zeal
And cultivates merit and virtue to the fullest extent.
Can completely eliminate the two marks of existence and non-existence.
Such a person is one who truly sees the Buddha.

Commentary:

Anyone in the ten directions who seeks the Dharma with unchanging zeal. People who cultivate the Way should search out a Good Knowing Advisor. They should look for good friends and seek a Bright Teacher. “Good friends” means good companions whom you can cultivate the Way with. “seeking a Bright teacher” means looking for a Good Knowing Advisor to teach and transform you. It’s not that you search in one place to find a Bright Teacher. You must search through the worlds of the ten directions for one. You should certainly seek out anyone who has more wisdom than yourself and take that person as your Good Knowing Advisor. Then you can get to understand your mind and see your nature.

Who is a Good Knowing Advisor? what are good friends? If you draw near to a person who diligently cultivates precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, you have found a good friend. He is a Good Knowing Advisor. If you get close to someone who has greed, hatred, and stupidity, then you have found an evil friend, an Evil Knowing advisor. You should study the dharma with good ones and you should refrain from drawing near evil ones. You should stop evil and counteract wrong-doing.

Stop going down the wrong path. Look for the dharma throughout the ten directions. remember, the ancients forgot themselves for the sake of the Dharma. They endured thousands of hardships and millions of sufferings. they weren’t afraid of difficulties. They singlemindedly sought the Dharma. they always went forward with vigor and never retreated. They had a true desire to cultivate. “With unchanging zeal” means that no matter what kind of difficulty and hardship comes up, he never changes his intent in seeking the Dharma. Through difficulty and hardship he still seeks the Dharma.

And there may be someone who cultivates merit and virtue to the fullest extent. It’s not enough just to seek the Dharma; you must also have merit and virtue. If you don’t have merit and virtue, but you only have the Dharma, then it’s easy to catch a demon. there are heavenly demons, earthly demons, human demons, material demons, sex demons, and demons of your own mind. There are your own demons and demons which come from the outside. Because you cultivate the Way, they come to “polish” you to refine your skill. If you weren’t cultivating the Way, then they wouldn’t bother you. So, you say, “Oh, then I don’t dare cultivate the Way.” If you don’t cultivate the Way you won’t accomplish the way. You also won’t amass any merit and virtue. Anyone who cultivates the Way is a most worthy person in this world.

If you have the Way then everyone honors you.
If you have virtue then everyone respects you.

Way-virtue is extremely important. One should cultivate the Way and cultivate all kinds of virtue. To cultivate all kinds of virtue means that one benefits and helps others come to accomplishment, to be perfected and full. The Buddha is called the Buddha because he perfected the three enlightenments and is replete with the ten thousand virtues. Why is it that we haven’t become Buddhas? It’s because our merit and virtue isn’t complete. But, even when your merit and virtue is complete you can’t be self-satisfied. If you’re arrogant you’re asking for trouble. If you’re humble you’ll receive benefit. It’s not permissible to be arrogant. If you feel that you’re the greatest, then it’s all over for you.

Those of outside ways think that God is the greatest, that there is only God, and that no one else can be God. They believe that all people in the world can only serve God. If that’s the case then I don’t want to serve God. Let God be the godhead and be a solitary god all by himself. Why do I say that? Because he’s not fair. He’s too dictatorial. He won’t let anyone else become God.

Look how it is among people. There are Emperors, but eventually each one retires and another Emperor takes his place. But how can there always be only one God who never dies and remains God forever? That’s too unreasonable. this is a democratic country where everyone has an opportunity to become President. If only one person could become President and no one else could, it would be a dictatorship. Total dictators simply don’t stand the test of time.

Why is Buddhism so awesome and great? It’s because everyone has the opportunity to become a Buddha. Anyone who can cultivate can thereby accomplish Buddhahood. If you don’t cultivate, you can’t become a Buddha. It’s not like Christianity where no matter how much one cultivates and believes in God one will never be able to become God. One must always remain beneath God. god says, “I’m God and I am going to stand on your head.” If that’s the way God is then he’s not even as good as a ghost, not to speak of a god. Even ghosts don’t stand on people’s heads. God may want to be dictator but that is a totally unprincipled ambition. I don’t care how many people disagree with this expose.

Frankly, if you don’t agree, that’s okay. Just bring up the reasons for you disagreement and we can debate about it. Any Christian throughout the ten directions to the ends of empty space, no matter who you are, can come and debate with me about this. I’m waiting. The things that I’ve said don’t slander anyone. I am simple investigating True Principle. True Principle is level and equal. There is no selfishness within it and it does not bring benefit to any one particular individual. True Principle doesn’t belong to any one person. Everyone has it. It is public and not for only one person.

And can completely eliminate the two marks of existence and non-existence. “Existence” here refers to those who are arrogant. “Non-existence” refers to those who have inferiority complexes. “The two marks” refers to existence and non-existence; to the mark of people and the mark of self; the mark of living beings, and the mark of a life span. to “completely eliminate them” means that one doesn’t fall into existence or into emptiness. Falling into emptiness is what is meant by non-existence, and falling into existence is what is meant by existence. The two marks of existence and non-existence are also known as the two extremes. The absence of the two extremes is the Middle Way.

The Middle Way is when true emptiness produces wonderful existence, and wonderful existence produces true emptiness. You may say that it is empty, but it has wonderful existence. You may say that it exists, but it has true emptiness. True emptiness doesn’t obstruct wonderful existence. And wonderful existence doesn’t obstruct true emptiness. When one cultivates, one cultivates true emptiness and wonderful existence. One doesn’t need to look outside. Without true emptiness one can’t become a Buddha. And without wonderful existence, then why cultivate? It’s because there is wonderful existence that one should cultivate. It’s true enough that basically there isn’t any thing--that’s true emptiness--but when you cultivate you discover wonderful existence. That’s why it is said:

True emptiness isn’t empty; it has wonderful existence.
Wonderful existence doesn’t exist; so it’s also called true emptiness.

One can “completely eliminate the two marks of existence and non-existence.” In light of that, neither existence nor non-existence can be established. They’re gone. Done away with. Swept clean. That’s the original face.

Basically, there’s not a single thing, so where can the dust alight?

Don’t add a head on top of a head or ride a donkey to look for a donkey. Don’t go all over the place looking for your head. Don’t be like Yajnadatta who looked into the mirror and saw that there was a head on the person in the mirror, whereupon he jumped to the conclusion that he had lost his own head. He was so upset by it that he went crazy, and went running around asking everyone where his head was. He was really nuts. He didn’t lose his head to begin with, but he went around claiming that he didn’t have one. He looked in the mirror and saw that the person in the mirror had a head and then just assumed that he didn’t have one.

If you can do away with the two marks, then such a person is one who truly sees the Buddha. If you’re able to sweep away all dharmas and separate from all marks, then you’ll see your original face. That is to truly see the Buddha. You see the fundamental pure and true Buddha of your self-nature.

Sutra:

Anyone who goes to all lands everywhere in the ten directions,
Broadly speaking the wonderful Dharma to cause its meaning and benefit to flourish,
Who dwells in reality’s limit, without being moved or shaken,
Is a person whose merit and virtue is equal to the Buddhas’.

Commentary:

Anyone who goes to all lands everywhere in the ten directions, broadly speaking the wonderful Dharma to cause its meaning and benefit to flourish, who dwells in reality’s limit, without being moved or shaken, is a person whose merit and virtue is equal to the Buddhas. People who cultivate the Way should produce vast, great minds. They should teach and transform living beings everywhere, and cause them all to accomplish Buddhahood. However, people who cultivate should also forget others and have no self, so that although they teach and transform living beings there isn’t a single living being that they teach and transform. That’s what it means to “forget others.” To “have no self” means that basically one doesn’t calculate on behalf of oneself. In every word, thought, and deed one should make transference to living beings of the Dharma Realm.

So this verse talks about those who go to all Buddhalands of the ten directions to teach and transform living beings, “broadly speaking the wonderful Dharma to cause its meaning and benefit to flourish.” Such a one goes to every country and constantly and vastly speaks the Wonderful Dharma. When causes and conditions present themselves, one speaks the Dharma. “Wonderful Dharma” refers to the Dharma which is appropriate. If it isn’t appropriate then the wonderful isn’t wonderful. If it is appropriate then even what basically does not seem wonderful becomes wonderful. To make the Wonderful Dharma “flourish” means to bring about all beneficial and meaningful affairs which bring benefit to all living beings. There is a saying:

There is nothing I won’t do, as long as it has benefit.

It’s my job to do beneficial deeds. We should employ absolutely all expedient means in order to teach and transform and benefit all living beings.

If one “dwells in reality’s limit, without being moved or shaken,” then one has samadhi. One dwells within the principle substance of the Real Mark, and dwells in true principle. “Reality’s limit” refers to true principle. “Without being moved or shaken” means that one has samadhi. If one has samadhi then one is not moved or shaken by anything. But if one doesn’t have samadhi, then no matter what happens one will be moved and shaken. If one has samadhi then one is:

Thus, thus unmoving, constantly clear and bright.

It is also said:

When faced with states one is without thought.

In that case, the person turns the state and the state doesn’t turn the person. Such a one “is a person whose merit and virtue is equal to the Buddhas’.” If you can have that kind of samadhi-concentration, so that you’re constantly unmoved no matter what state arises, then your merit and virtue and the Buddhas’ are the same. 

Sutra:

The Thus Come One turns the sublime Dharma wheel.
Each turning is a share of Bodhi.
Anyone who hears it and can enlighten to the Dharma nature
Is a person who will constantly see the Buddhas.  

Commentary:

The Thus Come one turns the sublime Dharma wheel. “Thus Come One” is one of the ten titles of the Buddha. The Thus Come One doesn’t come from anywhere and doesn’t go anywhere, and so he is called the Thus Come One. He comes and yet doesn’t go. He doesn’t come and he doesn’t go; therefore he is called the Thus Come One. “Turns the sublime Dharma Wheel” refers to the Dharma that the Buddha speaks. “Dharma” consists of the Three Storehouses and Twelve Divisions.

The Three Storehouses are:

1. the Storehouse of Sutras

2. the Storehouse of Vinaya

3. the Storehouse of Shastras

The Sutra Store describes and reveals the study of concentration. The Vinaya Store describes and reveals the study of precepts. And the Shastra Store describes and reveals the study of wisdom. Sutras, Vinaya, and Shastras are precepts, samadhi, and wisdom. They are the means to diligent cultivation of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom and they put to rest and eradicate greed, hatred,, and stupidity.

What are the Twelve Divisions? They are:

1. Prose

2. Verses which reiterate the Prose

3. Transmitting of Predictions

4. Interpolations

5. Speaking the Dharma Without Its Having Been Requested

6. Discussions of Causes and Conditions

7. Analogies

8. Past Lives

9. Present Lives

10.Writings Which Explain Principle in an Especially Expansive Way

11.Dharma Which Has Never Been spoken Before

12.Commentaries

The Twelve Divisions of the Sutras can be briefly explained as follows:

1. Prose refers to the long lines of Sutra text.

2. Verses Which Reiterate the Prose restate the meaning of the previous lines.

3. Transmitting of Predictions occurs when the Buddha gives predictions to the Bodhisattvas or Arhats, saying, “In a future time, in such and such a world, in such and such a kalpa, you will accomplish Buddhahood.” He gives the prediction way ahead of time and tells the person how long his life span will be and what his name will be after he becomes a Buddha.

4. Interpolations are verses that have no relation to what comes before or after them. They are interjected into the Sutra at certain points.

5. Speaking the Dharma Without Its Having Been Requested. Most of the sutras were spoken because someone requested them. Without a request for them, the Buddha wouldn’t have spoken them. But there were a few Sutras that the Buddha did speak without having someone request them. For instance, The Buddha Speaks the Amitabha Sutra was spoken without request.

6. Discussions of Causes and Conditions tell about the causes and conditions leading to the speaking of the Sutra. For example, the Shurangama Sutra was spoken because Matangi’s daughter lured Ananda into her house with a mantra, formerly from the Brahma Heaven, in order to seduce him, with the intent of destroying his precept-power. Fortunately the Buddha knew what was happening and so he spoke the Shurangama Mantra and sent Manjushri Bodhisattva to recite the mantra and bring Ananda back safely so that he wouldn’t break the precepts. That’s one example of causes and conditions.

7. Analogies are the use of comparisons and parables to explain the Dharma.

8. Past Lives tell of the past events of cultivation that happened to the Buddha or to the great Bodhisattvas.

9. Present Lives tell about the lives of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

10. Writings Which Explain Principle in an Especially Expansive Way. The Great Means expansive Flower Adornment sutra belongs to this division.

11. Dharma which Has Never Been Spoken Before. Some Sutras are referred to in this way because they contain principles that had never been spoken and which no one knew about.

12. Commentaries are discussions and they belong to the study of wisdom. Sutras belong to the study of samadhi, and the Vinaya belongs to the study of precepts.

This explanation of the Twelve Divisions of the Sutras certainly isn’t like the explanation you get from those who don’t understand the buddhadharma. If you ask them what the Twelve Divisions of the Sutras are, they say things like, “The first division is the Wonderful dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, the second division is the Vajra Sutra, the third division is the Amitabha Sutra, the fourth division is the Sutra in Forty-two Sections.” They go on like this saying a lot of sutra titles until they’ve said twelve of them. This kind of explanation is totally incorrect. The Twelve Divisions of the Sutra Texts include the entire Tripitika. The entire Tripitika doesn’t go beyond the Three Storehouses and the Twelve Divisions of Sutra Text.

The Buddha turns the Sublime Dharma Wheel to speak the Three Storehouses and Twelve division of Sutra Text. But all speaking of the Dharma is called turning the Wonderful Dharma Wheel. For instance, now at our locations we are building great Dharma bridges, and great Way Places where we constantly lecture the Dharma and turn the Dharma Wheel to teach and transform living beings. The Dharma Wheel should never stop turning. As you know, the water in the rivers flows on every day. So too, the Sutras at our locations are lectured every day. To lecture the Sutras and speak the Dharma is what is meant by turning the Wonderful Dharma Wheel. Each turning is a share of Bodhi. To turn the Wonderful Dharma Wheel in every Way Place is to plant the cause for Bodhi and reap the fruit of Bodhi. “The share of Bodhi” refers to the cause for Bodhi. Your own enlightenment is your share of Bodhi.

Bodhi is a Sanskrit word which means to awaken to the Way. If you awaken to the Way then you have your share. Anyone who hears it and can enlighten to the Dharma nature is a person who will constantly see the Buddhas. After you’ve heard the Dharma you’re able to awaken and understand the Real Mark of all dharmas, and the Dharma Nature of all dharmas. The Real Mark of all dharmas is true emptiness, because true emptiness is wonderful existence. This “is a person who will constantly see the Buddhas.” This kind of person will always see the Buddha’s Dharma body. And he will always understand the Dharma that the Buddha speaks--the teaching and transforming that he does--and will become enlightened by means of the turning of the Buddha’s Wonderful Dharma Wheel.

Sutra:

If one does not see the ten powers as empty like an illusion
Then although seeing them, one does not see, but gazes like a blind person.
The Buddha can not be seen by one who discriminates and grasps at marks.
Only when one finally relinquishes attachments will one be able to truly see.  

Commentary:

The meaning of these four lines of verse is really fine. If one does not see the ten powers as empty like an illusion. When you see the Ten Powers of the Buddha you should not be attached to what you see. If you can see them in that way then you can truly see them, but if you become attached to them then just the opposite is true--you don’t really see them at all. If you don’t see the Ten Powers of the Buddha as being like an illusion or like flowers in empty space, then you have become attached to them. That is not the correct way to view the Ten Powers. If one sees them and think they are real.

Then although seeing them, one does not see, although one perceives the Ten Powers of the Buddha, one doesn’t understand that they are basically empty and have no appearance. “One does not see” means that one doesn’t truly understand, but gazes like a blind person. What does a person without eyesight see? He sees blackness. This doctrine is spoken of in the Shurangama Sutra. You can’t say that a blind person can’t see anything, because he can see darkness. He can see, but he can’t see clearly. All he can see is darkness. He can’t see light. The same is true of the kind of person referred to in this quatrain, for although he sees the Buddha’s Ten Powers, it’s as though he hadn’t seen them because he doesn’t understand their wonderful functions.

The Buddha can not be seen by one who discriminates and grasps at marks. Why does it say that? Because your seeing and not seeing the existence of the Buddha’s Ten Powers or the non-existence of the Buddha’s Ten Powers are all manipulations of the discriminating mind. If you use the discriminating mind to see the marks of the Buddha then you haven’t seen the Buddha. You haven’t seen the original self-nature, the pure Buddha, the Buddha’s true Dharma body. Only when one finally relinquishes attachments one will be able to truly see. If you can separate from all attachments then you will be able to see the Buddha’s Dharma body. That’s true seeing.

Sutra:

Living beings follow their karma with its multitude of differences.
In and beyond the ten directions it is difficult to see them all.
The Buddha’s body is unobstructed and pervades the ten directions.
It also cannot be entirely seen.

For example, in emptiness there are limitless lands
Which pervade the ten directions and do not come or go.
Their production, dwelling, destruction, and extinction are all without a place of reliance.
The Buddha pervades all emptiness in much the same way.  

Commentary:

Living beings follow their karma with its multitude of differences. The Buddha’s light shines everywhere to the ends of empty space and the Dharma Realm. And living beings’ karmic obstacles also fill up empty space and the Dharma Realm. It’s a good thing that karmic obstacles don’t have any form or substance. Just one person’s karma would completely fill up empty space. It would obliterate empty space, because living beings have too much karma. The power of living beings’ karma fills up empty space and the Dharma Realm. And the Buddhas’ wisdom power--their light--also fills up empty space and the Dharma Realm. There are lots of kinds of karma that living beings create and so karma is said to have a “multitude of difference.” But all the karma-power of living beings can be placed in one of two categories: good karma or evil karma. If you create good karma then you’ll receive a good reward and if you create evil karma then you’ll receive an evil retribution.

This reminds me of a funny thing that happened. This incident shows how quickly a person’s mind can be turned by a state. I was sixteen years old at the time. There is a Chinese custom of putting up matches couplets in celebration of each new year, that is also observed in Way Places of left home people. The couplets are composed of auspicious phrases, written with the hope that the new year will be auspicious too. So, every home would have a couplet framing the front door. The temples also followed this worldly custom and displayed matched couplets written on red paper. Most people wrote auspicious things, but I wrote lines of Dharma. So this particular time what did I write? I wrote:

Wisdom like the sea

And I wrote it free style with total abandon, as if it had been written by someone who was crazy. But when people saw these characters, they were really taken with them and said the “grass” writing was superb. There was a Shramanera at the temple who stood there staring at the red paper and reciting, “Wisdom like the sea, wisdom like the sea, wisdom like the sea.” He was impressed with the way characters were written. So he just kept reciting it over and over again. I was standing behind him and I said, “Your karma is like the sea.” When he heard that he got really angry, and said, “How can you tell me that my karma is like the sea?” And then he accused me of scolding him on New Year’s.

I said, “Hey, don’t get mad. I said that you karma is like the sea and I’m sure you’ll agree with me. You certainly won’t oppose what I’ve said.”

“Why not?” he asked.

I said, “There are two kinds of karma--good and evil. When I said just now that your karma was like the sea, do you know if I was referring to your good karma being like the sea or you evil karma being like the sea? If I told you that I was referring to your good karma being like the sea, what would you think?”
He said, “I’d bow to you.”

I said, “Just look at yourself. You went through all these changes on account of one word. Because I didn’t say clearly whether I was referring to your “good” karma or your “evil” karma, you got mad at me. As soon as I clarified my meaning, you want to bow to me. If you don’t have enough samadhi to handle a comment like that, what Way are you cultivating?”

“What should I do?” he asked.

“Forget about both good karma and evil karma. Then you’ll be doing it correctly. You’re really stupid because you were turned by words.”

He said, “yes, yes.”

After that he told everyone that so-and-so had a lot of wisdom. “Just by changing one word he caused me to go from being angry to being happy.”

I hope that all of you who study the Buddhadharma will not be turned by states, but will instead be able to turn the states. that’s true samadhi power. The karma of living beings fills the ten directions. Inside it fills the body and mind, and outside it fills the world. In and beyond the ten directions it is difficult to see them all. “Them” refers to the living beings who follow their karma. The Buddha’s body is unobstructed and pervades the ten directions. The Buddha’s dharma body is also unobstructed and it also fills up the ten directions. It also cannot be entirely seen. Like living beings’ karma, so too, the Buddha’s Dharma body cannot be entirely seen.

For example, in emptiness there are limitless lands which pervade the ten directions and do not come or go. This is an analogy. In emptiness there are limitless and boundless worlds, there are limitless and boundless earth, and limitless and boundless Buddhalands which neither come nor go. They merely pervade the ten directions. Their production, dwelling, destruction, and extinction are all without a place or reliance. They are produced, they dwell, they are destroyed, and they are empty, and there’s no place of reliance. The Buddha pervades all emptiness in much the same way. The Buddha’s Dharma body which pervades empty space is also like this. It’s just like the earth in empty space.

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