Light Enlightenment

Chapter Nine

 

Sutra:

Living beings have no recourse and are bound up with sickness.
They sink into the evil destinies by giving rise to the three poisons,
And are continually scorched by great raging flames.
Using a pure mind to save them is his practice.

Commentary:

Living beings have no recourse and are bound up with sickness. “Living beings have no recourse” means that they don’t have anything to rely on. Since they don’t have anything to rely on they give rise to various maladies. “Recourse” also means they are without aid. They have no one to help them. “Sickness” refers to ignorance and affliction which constantly binds them up. Moreover, they sink into the evil destinies by giving rise to the three poisons, because of ignorance and affliction they create enormous amounts of karma. when karma is created then retribution must be undergone. they undergo retribution by constantly revolving in the evil destinies. The evil destinies’ refers to the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras.

Living beings sink into the evil destinies because they produce the three poisons of greed, hatred, and stupidity. Once they’ve fallen into the evil destinies, they still don’t know to repent but instead increase their greed, hatred, and stupidity. Greed, hatred, and stupidity are called the three poisons because they cause one’s original wisdom to be confused and covered over. It’s just like when a cloud covers the sun and causes darkness.

All these unfortunate beings are continually scorched by great raging flames. The fire of ignorance and affliction blazes high and hot, spreads swiftly, and is extremely strong. each flame may be several tens of feet high, or may even reach the heavens. “Continually” means that the more one burns, the hotter one gets. The hotter one gets, the more one burns. that’s just how fierce this fire is! Using a pure mind to save them is his practice. If we’re able to have a pure mind and bright wisdom, then we can save and liberate the living beings in the four evil destinies. This is the kind of practice that the Buddha cultivates and something that we should emulate.

Sutra:

Living beings are confused and deluded, and lose the proper Path.
By constantly walking on deviant paths they enter dark places.
For their sakes the lamp of proper Dharma is lit.
Eternally being a brilliant illumination is his practice.

Commentary:

Living beings are confused and deluded, and lose the proper Path. Living beings are really strange. You teach them to go down the proper path. You take their hand and grab them by the ear and tell them that at all times they should walk down the proper path and stay away from the deviant paths. Not only do they fail to listen, but they deliberately go down the deviant path and turn away from the proper path. That’s why I say that people are strange freaks, because they don’t listen to principle. there’s an ancient saying which describes this situation,

There are roads to heaven, but no one walks them.
The hells have no doors, but people drill their way in.

That is what is meant in the text when it says “confused and deluded”. It means not being able to recognize the proper path.

By constantly walking on deviant paths they enter dark places. “Confused and deluded” is another name for ignorance. Because we have ignorance, we lose the proper path and constantly walk down improper, deviant paths.

For example, some people like to eat good food, some prefer to drink wine, some enjoy dancing, others like to watch strip-tease shows, others are addicted to gambling, while others are hooked on opium. All of these are examples of deviant paths. They’re not proper. But these people don’t need anyone to tell them how to go down improper paths. They can figure out how to go on their own. But if you teach them to cultivate and give them instructions every day on how to bow to the Buddhas, recite Sutras, bow repentance, and recite the Buddha’s name, they don’t listen to the instructions. You tell them to do it, but if they do it, it’s forced and they only do it because they think that they have to. Then as soon as you turn your head they quit. But, you don’t even have to tell them to do improper things. They know how on their own.

For example, left home people aren’t supposed to go see plays, but as soon as a donor gives some of them a little bit of money they go off and see a movie. Left home people also aren’t supposed to take drugs, such as LSD or marijuana, but some of them sneak off and take them. they think that no one knows what they’re up to. They go and try it out. After they’ve tried it out once they still feel that they haven’t gotten the full effects from it, so they try it again and again and never quit. You don’t have to tell them to do these things, they just do them on their own.

For their sakes the lamp of proper Dharma is lit. It’s just for these kinds of living beings, those who are upside down and confused and who enter into dark places, that the proper Dharma lamp is lit. The “dark places” refers to stupidity--being unable to see the light. They are places devoid of wisdom. Being in these dark places is like being in jail.

You shouldn’t think that you’re so free, because in actuality you’re all in jail. Your bodies are jails. You may want to go to the heavens, but you can’t go. You may want to enter into the earth, but you can’t do that either. Why can[t you do whatever you want to? It’s because you’re in jail and there’s no freedom. If you gain genuine freedom, then you can go up into the heavens if you want to. And if you want to enter into the earth, you can do that too. If you want to go to the Dragon Palace, then you can go there. You can go wherever you like. If you have that kind of ability, then you have gained genuine freedom.

If you gain genuine freedom then you can get out of those dark places. “For their sakes the lamp of proper Dharma is lit.” It’s just for these kinds of stupid living beings--who have made a net for themselves and gotten caught up in it--that the lamp of proper Dharma is lit. This net that we bind ourselves in, is just like the process that a silkworm goes through when it ties itself in its cocoon. We’ve all made our own cocoons and are so bound up in them that we can’t see heaven or earth. It’s just for living beings like this that the lamp of proper Dharma is lit. what is the lamp of proper Dharma? It is the dharma which teaches us to leave suffering and attain bliss, to end birth and cast out death, to cast aside the deviant and return to the proper. this Dharma is the lamp of proper Dharma. Eternally being a brilliant illumination is his practice. To always be a bright lamp for these kinds of upside down living beings and to shine into their dark places is the kind of practice that those who walk the Bodhisattva path should carry out.

Sutra:

Living beings bob and sink in the ocean of existence,
Their distress and difficulties are limitless and without end.
For their sakes he builds the mighty Dharma boat.
Taking them all across is his practice.

Commentary:

Living beings bob and sink in the ocean of existence, People are just like fine motes of dust floating around in empty space. They are suddenly high, suddenly low, suddenly they go south, and suddenly they go north. they bob in accord with their karmic retributions. Within the sea of karma they bob and sink and are never still. At all times their lives are in danger. All living beings are tossed about and drowning within the triple realm and the twenty-five existence, and there is no time when they stop.

Their distress and difficulties are limitless and without end. Within the ocean of existence there are a lot of worries, sorrows, suffering, and miseries. A lot of things happen in ways that don’t accord with us. the triple realm is like a burning house, so you don’t want to stay here and become attached to the transitory bliss.

For their sakes he builds the mighty Dharma boat. The Buddha builds the mighty Dharma boat for the sake of those living beings in the ocean of existence. The “mighty Dharma boat” refers to the Way Place, the Bodhimanda. Establishing a Way Place is what is meant by building a mighty Dharma boat. This kind of boat can save limitless and boundless numbers of living beings. Turning the great Dharma Wheel is also what is meant by building a mighty dharma boat. Lecturing the sutras and speaking the Dharma as we are now doing is an example of building a mighty dharma boat.

Now we are establishing a Way Place--preparing it for all people of the ten directions to use--and this is an example of building a mighty dharma boat. Every Sutra has its own wonderful meaning and that wonderful meaning can cause limitless living beings to resolve their minds on Bodhi and rely on the Dharma to cultivate. That is building a mighty Dharma boat. You could say that all the things done at every one of our Way Places are examples of building mighty Dharma boats. This mighty dharma boat can take all living beings from the shore of birth and death, across the flow of afflictions, to the other shore of Nirvana. When the Dharma boat is built well it can save living beings. So this is the time to build mighty Dharma boats. Taking them all across is his practice. To cause all living beings to be completely saved is the kind of practice that people who cultivate the Bodhisattva Way should engage in.

Sutra:

Living beings are without knowledge and cannot see their origin.
They are bewildered, confounded, stupid, and crazed by the danger and hardships they are in.
The Buddha pities them and so he constructs a Dharma bridge.
Causing them to mount it through proper thought is his practice.

He sees all living beings on a perilous path,
Constantly oppressed by birth, old age, sickness, and death.
He cultivates limitless, measureless expedients
And vows to completely save them all, for this is his practice.

After hearing the Dharma, they believe and understand it without doubt or delusion.
And without fear they understand that the nature is empty and still.
He accordingly appears in the six paths throughout the ten directions,
Universally instructing the perplexed masses, for this is his practice.

Commentary:

Living beings are without knowledge and cannot see their origin. Living beings don’t have any genuine wisdom and so they are constantly upside down. They do lots of unreasonable things, and don’t see their original faces. They don’t know how to understand their minds and see their natures, or to return to the root and go back to the source. Living beings and the Buddha are basically the same. It is only because they are confused that they are living beings. All the Buddhas are the same as living beings, but Buddhas are enlightened and so they certified to Buddhahood. What did they enlighten to? They awakened to their origin: to their original substance, to their original nature, their original face.

But living beings are bewildered, confounded, stupid, and crazed by the danger and hardships they are in. “Bewildered” means not being able to recognize principle clearly. “Confounded” means not being able to recognize clearly what is the Way and what isn’t the Way; or what is the proper path and what is a deviant path. They can’t discriminate these things clearly. They become confused and upside down and so obscured about true principle that they end up following along with the false. That is what is meant by “stupid”. Only when you’re stupid do you follow along with what is false. If you’re not stupid then you won’t follow after the false. Some people become stupid to the point that they become crazy. After they go crazy they run about recklessly. Then it is very easy to enter a dangerous path and to have to go through great difficulties.

The Buddha pities them and so he constructs a Dharma bridge. Why does the Buddha explain Sutras and lecture the Dharma? It’s because he sees that living beings are extremely pitiful. Living beings are just like flies. They buzz back and forth and don’t know how to get out of the triple realm. the Buddha sees these pitiful living beings as having to go through a lot of suffering, so he constructs a Dharma bridge for them to help them go from this shore of birth and death, to the other shore of Nirvana. Causing them to mount it through proper thought is his practice. He wants to cause all living beings to have proper knowledge and views, so that they can transcend the triple realm. When they’ve transcended the triple realm, they attain Nirvana with its permanence, bliss, true self, and purity. This is what people who cultivate the Way should mknow and do.

He sees all living beings on a perilous path, constantly oppressed by birth, old age, sickness, and death. Why did the Buddha cultivate the Way? It’s because he saw that all living beings are on an extremely dangerous path. This path is infested with poisonous snakes, wild beasts, tigers, wolves, and lions. It is extremely dangerous to revolve in the six paths of birth and death. The four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death constantly oppress you, and there’s never a time when you ever get free of them. He cultivates limitless, measureless expedients. He cultivates all the expedient Dharma doors. There’s no limit to how many he perfects as he vows to completely save them all, for this is his practice. He vows to completely save and liberate all the upside down living beings, because this is the kind of practice that those who cultivate the Way should carry out.

After hearing the Dharma, they believe and understand it without doubt or delusion. When people who have good roots hear the Dharma they absolutely believe, and understand it, and they do not harbor the least bit of doubt or delusion. they don’t have even a hair’s worth of doubt. And without fear they understand that the nature is empty and still. They understand that the self-nature is basically empty and still. And after hearing this they don’t give rise to fear. He accordingly appears in the six paths throughout the ten directions. The Buddha transforms and appears in accord with the living beings in the six paths and in all ten directions, universally instructing the perplexed masses, for this is his practice. He pervasively teaches all the hordes of confounded living beings and causes them to leave their darkness and attain light. This is the kind of practice that you should cultivate.

Sutra:

At that time, the light passed through a hundred million worlds and everywhere illumined a billion worlds to the east. It illumined ten billion worlds, hundreds of thousands of millions of worlds, nayutas of millions of worlds, hundreds of nayutas of millions of worlds, thousands of nayutas of millions of worlds, hundreds of thousands of nayutas of millions of worlds.

Also there were numberless, limitless, boundless, unequalled, uncountable, incalculable, unthinkable, immeasurable, ineffable worlds to the ends of the Dharma realm and empty space. It was also like this in the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, as well as above and below. Within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas, reaching up to a billion ultimate form heavens. All of these were clearly revealed in this light.

Just as in this place one could see the Thus Come One seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s throne, with Bodhisattvas as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him, so too, in each of those billions of Jambudvipas there were billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha. In each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattva, who was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands, who came to the Buddha’s place.

Their names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called Golden Colored World and others, and the Buddhas they served were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others.

At that time, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of the Manjushri Bodhisattvas in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses:

Commentary:

Shakyamuni Buddha now emits light from the soles of his feet. Each time, the light he emits becomes greater and greater. It more and more perfectly illumines the whole world. After Manjushri Bodhisattva spoke the preceeding verse, then at that time, the light passed through a hundred million worlds and everywhere illumined a billion worlds to the east. It illumined ten billion worlds, hundreds of thousands of millions of worlds, nayutas of millions of worlds, hundreds of nayutas of millions of worlds, thousands of nayutas of millions of worlds, hundreds of thousands of nayutas of millions of worlds.

Also there were numberless worlds. There were so many worlds, like the ones mentioned above, that they couldn’t even be counted. there were limitless worlds. There were so many that they couldn’t even be estimated. There were boundless and unequalled worlds. There is nothing that can compare to how many worlds there were. There were uncountable and incalculable numbers of worlds. There’s no way that any term or name can express the number of worlds to be calculated. You will also find that they are unthinkable. No matter how much you try to think about it, you still won’t be able to imagine them. They were immeasurable and ineffable. There’s not even any way that you could speak about it.

So, how many worlds were there? There were worlds to the ends of the Dharma Realm and empty space. They filled all of empty space, there were so many of them. It was also like this in the worlds in the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, as well as above and below. It was like this all over. There were unspeakable and inconceivable numbers of worlds everywhere. And within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas, reaching up to a billion ultimate form heavens. All of these were clearly revealed in this light. Everything manifested within this light--all worlds, from Jambudvipa on up to the Ultimate Form Heaven, and all places. The light from the soles of the Buddha’s feet shone on everything.

Just as in this place one could see the Thus Come One seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s throne. Within every Jambudvipa they could see Shakyamuni Buddha seated on his Great Lotus flower Treasury Lion’s Throne. He was seated on top of the Lion’s Throne in full lotus, with Bodhisattva as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him. There were Bodhisattvas in number like fine motes of dust in ten Buddhaland the Buddha. So too, in each of those billions of Jambudvipas there were billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattva. There was a great Bodhisattva in every world in the ten directions, Who was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands, who came to the Buddha’s place. They went to see Shakyamuni Buddha beneath the Bodhi Tree, at the Vajra Jewel Treasury.

Their names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called golden colored world and others, and the Buddhas they served were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others. Each Bodhisattva from each world had a Buddha which they served.

At that time, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of the Manjushri Bodhisattvas in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses. In each of the Buddhas’ Way Places there was a division body Manjushri Bodhisattva. From their original Way Places where they were serving their Buddhas, all the division bodies in unison spoke the following verses:

Sutra:

In one thought he contemplates limitless kalpas. He does so without going, without coming, and without dwelling anywhere.

In this way he is able to understand and know what goes on in the three periods of time, And he transcends all expedients and accomplishes the ten powers.

Commentary:

In one thought he contemplates limitless kalpas. When living beings contemplate something, it’s necessary for them to use a lot of effort and time, and they must use their brains in order to figure it out. Now there are computers, but you have to program them first before you can get an answer. But the Buddha doesn’t need a computer. In a single thought he can contemplate all things of the ten directions and three periods of time throughout limitless kalpas. In that single thought he does so without going, without coming, and without dwelling anywhere. He isn’t like us. we have to exercise our mental faculties in order to know about things or about numbers. In a single thought, the Buddha can understand everything in the world and empty space. In this way he is able to understand and know what goes on in the three periods of time, --past, present, and future. He transcends all expedients and accomplishes the ten powers. He transcends all expedient Dharma doors in order to accomplish the ten kinds of powers of the Buddha.

The ten powers of the Buddha

1. The wisdom power of knowing what is and is not the case.

2. The wisdom power of knowing the karmic retributions of the three periods of time.

3. The wisdom power of knowing all the dhyanas, liberation and samadhis.

4. The wisdom power of knowing the superiority or baseness of the roots of all living beings.

5. The wisdom power of knowing the various understandings.

6. The wisdom power of knowing the various realm.

7. The wisdom power of knowing where all paths lead.

8. The wisdom power of the knowledge of the unobstructed Heavenly Eye.

9. The wisdom power of knowing without outflows about former lives.

10.The wisdom power of eternally severing all habitual energies.

Sutra:

In the ten directions he is incomparable and of wholesome renown.
He has forever left all difficulties and is always happy.
He goes everywhere and visits all lands
To broadly proclaim the Dharma which is thus.

For the sake of benefiting living beings, he makes offerings to the Buddhas,
And he obtains a fruit that corresponds to his intent.
He completely accords with and knows all Dharmas,
And pervasively throughout the ten directions he manifests spiritual powers.

Commentary:

In the ten directions he is incomparable and of wholesome renown. None of the renowned people in the worlds of the ten directions can compare with the Buddha. He has forever left all difficulties and is always happy. He has separated from all inauspicious difficulties and so he constantly produces auspicious happiness that is as-you-will. He goes everywhere and visits all lands. He goes to all The Buddhalands throughout the ten directions to broadly proclaim the Dharma which is thus. Representing all Buddhas, he vastly proclaims the wonderful Dharma to teach and transform all living beings.

For the sake of benefiting living beings, he makes offerings to the Buddhas. In order to benefit living beings, he therefore makes offerings to all Buddhas. And he obtains a fruit that corresponds to his intent. Is there any advantage to his making offerings to all Buddhas? From making offerings to all those Buddhas he obtains the reward of becoming just like those Buddhas himself.

He completely accords with and knows all Dharmas, There is not one of the 84,000 Dharma doors that he is not clear about. He has immediate and sharp comprehension of them all--he slices right through them. This kind of wisdom can know the Real Mark of all Dharmas. And pervasively throughout the ten directions, and all Buddhalands, he manifests spiritual powers. Pervasively throughout the ten directions and all Buddhalands, he manifests his great awesome spiritual penetrations and powers. Who is it that can be that way? The Buddha can, because in the past he cultivated all these practices.

Sutra:

From the first time he made offerings to the Buddhas, his mind has been pliant and patient.
He enters deeply into Chan samadhi and contemplates the Dharma nature.
He universally encourages living beings to bring forth the mind for the Way.
By such means as these, he quickly accomplishes the unsurpassed fruit.

Commentary:

From the first time he made offerings to the Buddhas, his mind has been pliant and patient. “From the first time” means the time when he first brought forth the resolve for Bodhi. It refers to the first time he made offerings to the Triple Jewel. At that time, his mind was very yielding, pliant, and patient. “Pliant” means not being stubborn. It means being very easy going. Pliancy is an attractive virtue of cultivating the Way. When you see someone who is constantly compliant and is never hot-tempered, you should imitate him. If you do, you will very quickly have accomplishment and attain your karma in the Way. First and foremost you should not have any temper.

Softness is able to cut through the hard.
Gentleness is able to overcome force.

It is extremely important for those who cultivate the Way to not have ignorance, temper, or stubbornness.

Patience is a priceless gem
But no one knows how to use it.
If one knows how to use it,
Then every affair will go well.

If you’re able to be patient, then your cultivation of the Way will certainly be accomplished. If you can’t be patient, then it will be difficult for you to have any accomplishment. Those who cultivate the Way and resolve their minds on Bodhi should always be compliant, patient, and vigorous, and enter Ch’an samadhi and attain wisdom.

He enters deeply into Ch’an samadhi and contemplates the Dharma nature. If you don’t have any patience or compliance when you cultivate the Way, then you won’t be able to “enter deeply into Ch’an samadhi”. to “enter deeply into Ch’an samadhi” means that you obtain genuine concentration and reception. What is shallow Ch’an samadhi? shallow means that in the beginning your Ch’an samadhi isn’t solid, and so eventually you may retreat. But when you have deeply entered Ch’an samadhi, you are in samadhi at all times. In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down--the four great awesome deportment--you are at all times within samadhi, and can contemplate the Dharma nature. The Buddha constantly contemplates the Real Mark of all Dharmas. If you can understand the Dharma nature, then you can keep from retreating. Why is it that you retreat? It’s because you don’t understand the Dharma nature.

He universally encourages living beings to bring forth the mind for the Way. In cultivation of the Way there is practice proper and there are aiding practices. Practice proper is the actual cultivation that you do. At all times you do the work of cultivation. Aiding practices are those which you do to help others to cultivate, to influence them to practice themselves and to cause them to bring forth the mind for Bodhi. You cause them to bring forth the Unsurpassed Mind for the Way. You help others because in Buddhism you can’t be selfish. So, after you’ve become enlightened, you should cause others to be enlightened too.

Once you’ve certified to the Unsurpassed, Wonderful Fruit, you should cause others to also certify to it. therefore, “he universally encourages living beings to bring forth the mind for the Way.” “Universally encourages” means that he doesn’t make any discriminations or selections when he exhorts others. He would never say, “That living being is close to me, so I’ll encourage him to bring forth the Bodhi mind. and I keep my distance from that person so I won’t encourage him to bring forth the Bodhi mind.” He doesn’t make those kinds of discriminations. He sees all living beings as the same. He sees the great masses as being the same as himself. “If you believe in me, then I will encourage you to bring forth the Bodhi mind. If you don’t believe in me, I will still encourage you to bring forth the Bodhi mind. I will still encourage you to bring forth the Unsurpassed Mind for the Way.” If you can be that way, and not discriminate or make selections, then you can encourage and cross over all living beings, and cause them to produce the Unsurpassed Mind of the Way.

If you tell others to resolve their minds on the Unsurpassed Way, then you are cultivating aiding practices which will also aid you in your own cultivation, because in the process you establish merit. In Buddhism this is what is known as the establishment of merit, the establishment of virtue, and the establishment of writings. “I’m doing well and I want others to do well too. I obtain advantages and I want others to obtain advantages too.” This is how you should universally encourage living beings to bring forth the mind for the Way. “I do this because living beings are the same as myself. They are one with me. And so if there is even one living being who hasn’t resolved his mind on Bodhi, then it’s the same as if I hadn’t resolved my mind on Bodhi.” You must use your faith and wisdom to teach and transform others and cause them to bring forth the Bodhi mind.

By such means as these, he quickly accomplishes the unsurpassed fruit. How can you accomplish Buddhahood? It is by establishing merit and by helping others to accomplish Buddhahood. If you can establish that kind of merit and virtue, then you’ll very quickly obtain the Unsurpassed Fruit. The Unsurpassed, Enlightened Fruit is Buddhahood.

It is the Fruit of the Thus Come One, One Worthy of Offerings, One of Proper and Universal Knowledge, One of Perfect Clarity and Conduct, Well-Gone One, An Unsurpassed Knight Who Understands the World, A hero Who Tames and subdues, a teacher of Gods and People, the Buddha, the World Honored One. That’s the level that you’ll obtain .

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