Introduction

Chapter 1

 

Sutra:

Manjushri,
Again are Bodhisattvas who,
after the Buddhas cross into extinction,
make offerings to the Sharira.

Again are seen Buddha’s disciples,
building stupas, building temples,
countless as the Ganges sands,
to adorn those realms and lands.

The Jeweled stupas, tall and fine,
are five thousand Yojanas in height,
two thousand Yojanas in breadth.
Each stupa and temple is adorned
with a thousand curtains and banners
circling around and wrought with gems,
and jeweled bells which harmoniously chime.

All the gods, dragons, and spirits,
humans and non-humans,
with incense, flowers, and instrumental music,
constantly make offerings.

Manjushri,
All the Buddhas’ disciples,
adorn the stupas and the shrines
making offerings to the Shariras;
spontaneously, the realms and lands
are superbly fine and exquisite,
like the king of heavenly trees
when its flowers bloom.

Outline:

H6. asking about offerings to the sharira

Commentary:

In this passage of text, Maitreya Bodhisattva continues his questioning of Manjushri Bodhisattva concerning the various states which the Buddha caused to manifest within the white hair-mark light. The Buddha had revealed six portents, but Maitreya Bodhisattva did not know the causes and conditions which underlay them.

Actually it is certainly the case Maitreya Bodhisattva was not unaware of them. He deliberately requested the Dharma for the sake of living beings. This is called “manifesting a great provisional device.” He said, Manjushri, again are Bodhisattvas who, after the Buddhas cross into extinction, after all the Buddhas have completed the stillness, have entered Nirvana, the Bodhisattvas make offerings to the Sharira. The word sharira means “efficacious bones” and they represent the true body of the Buddha because they remain after the Buddha’s cremation. When people make offerings to the Buddha’s sharira it is the same as making offerings to the Buddha.

Making offerings to the Dharma Jewel is also the same as making offerings to the Buddha and making offerings to the Sangha Jewel is the same as making offerings to the Buddha. All you have to do is bring forth the resolve and be true to the extreme, without the slightest bit of defiled thought. What is meant by “defiled thought”? It is to make offerings to the Triple Jewel in the hope of obtaining something in return. That’s not making offerings with a true heart.

When you make offerings to the Triple Jewel, you should feel, “making offerings is my responsibility.” Why? I have food to eat. The kindness the Buddhas show towards living beings is limitless and boundless. The Dharma’s kindness to living beings is limitless and boundless and so is the Sangha’s kindness. If the Triple Jewel did not dwell in the world, this world would be completely destroyed. Why? Because if the Triple Jewel was not present, the demon kings would come into the world and destroy it.

So, in making offerings to the Triple Jewel, we should think, “I eat everyday. If no one makes offerings to the Triple Jewel, how could I possibly swallow my food? As one of the Buddha’s disciples I should protect and uphold the Triple Jewel and cause it to be free from all difficulties.” Therefore, making offerings to the shariras is just one way of making offerings to the Triple Jewel.

Again are seen Buddha’s disciples, building stupas, building temples. Stupas are places where people may come and make offerings to the Buddha’s sharira which are housed inside them. Temples are used for making offerings to Buddha images. For example, T’ien Hou Temple here (the Buddhist Lecture Hall) is a place where many spirits are worshiped and so it is called a temple. In this case, we are making offerings to many Buddhas. As countless as the Ganges sands,they do not build one stupa or temple and leave it at that, but they build limitless, countless numbers of them, as many as the Gange’s sands to adorn those realms and lands so that they are extremely beautiful.

The Jeweled stupas, tall and fine,are five thousand Yojanas in height. How tall is that? One small yojana is forty miles; a middle-sized yojana is sixty miles; a big yojana is eighty miles. So, how tall would five thousand yojanas be?

Long ago, when the Buddha was in the world, the following incident took place: There was, at that time, a freak. He was wider than he was tall. He was five feet across and only two and a half, not quite three feet, tall. Do you think he was attractive or not? He was probably about two feet nine or so. He looked like a frying pan, but the sound of his voice was extremely resonant and clear. It sounded like a bell. People did not understand what causes and effects where at work with him, and so they asked the Buddha. The Buddha smiled and said, “In the past, limitless kalpas ago, he was also a Buddhist disciple.

At that time someone brought forth the resolve to build a jeweled stupa which was to be extremely tall. The man said, “Why build such a tall stupa? People won’t even be able to see the top of it, for cryin’ out loud. What use is such a tall one? If you build a stupa, build one, and have done with it. Such a big one is really, in my opinion, utterly useless. Well, I’ll contribute a little something, not a whole lot. I’ll contribute the bell to put at the top of the stupa,” and that’s just what he did. Because he said that one sentence, “Why build such a high jeweled stupa? Don’t make it so tall,” in every life he was born as a dwarf, never over three feet tall. Because he had contributed to the bell, his voice was extremely clear and resonant and sounded like the chiming of a copper bell.”

From this we can see that people cannot just talk casually. If someone wants to build a big temple and you go there and say, “Why build such a big temple? If you make is smaller, it will still be a temple,” in the future you may be very small. People with small bodies should bring forth a big resolve. “I am going to build a big temple!” and in the future you will get a big body. That’s the record for your consideration. Don’t just say whatever you please. If people are building a temple or a jeweled stupa, take care not to go there and criticize it saying it is too tall or too short, too big or too small.

Each stupa and temple is adornedwith a thousand curtains and banners circling around and wrought with gems, and jeweled bells which harmoniously chime. Circulate curtains are streamers of netting which are cylindrical in shape and hang from the ceiling. They may be embroidered with flowers or they may have interstices in them. Banners are streamers made of cloth and hung before the Buddhas as an adornment. When the wind blows, the little bells ring, and all the gods, dragons, and spirits, humans and non-humans, with incense, flowers, and instrumental music, constantly make offerings. Incense refers to various types of incense. They use these things to make offerings to the Triple Jewel.

Manjushri Bodhisattva! All the Buddhas’ disciples, adorn the stupas and the shrines, making offerings to the Shariras; spontaneously, the realms and lands are superbly fine and exquisite, like the king of heavenly trees when its flowers bloom. When the flowers on the heavenly king of trees bloom, they are extremely beautiful and wonderful.

Sutra:

The Buddha sends forth this single ray,
and I and those assembled here
view within those realms and lands,
the various special wonders.

The spiritual might of the Buddhas
and their wisdom is most rare,
emitting a single, pure light,
they can illumine limitless lands.

Seeing this, we have all
obtained what we have never had.
Disciple of the Buddha, Manju,
pray resolve the assembly’s doubts.

Outline:

F2. requesting an answer

G1. statement of matters which are not understood and asking for an answer

Commentary:

The Buddha sends forth this single ray, the white hair-mark light and I and those assembled here, I, and the great assembly, view within those realms and lands, see the territories which contain the various special wonders, Ban ineffable number of them.

The spiritual might of the Buddhasand their wisdom is most rare. The spiritual power of the Buddhas, the strength of their spiritual penetrations and their wisdom is rare; there’s nothing in the world that compares with them.

Emitting a single, pure light,they can illumine limitless lands. They illumine limitless lands. Seeing this, we have all, I myself, and all present in the assembly obtained what we have never had. None of us has ever seen anything like them.

Disciple of the Buddha, Manju, disciples of the Dharma King, pray resolve the assembly’s doubts. I hope that you will resolve everyone’s questions on these matters, so that we may be free of doubts.

Sutra:

The Four-fold multitude with joy
looks up to you, humane one, and to me.
Why has the World Honored One
emitted such a brilliant light?
Disciple of the Buddha, answer now;
resolve our doubts, so we may rejoice.

What benefit is to be gained
by putting forth this brilliant light?
That wondrous Dharma the Buddha gained
as he sat in the field of the Way --
Does he wish, now, to preach it?
or is he going to give predictions?

The manifesting of the Buddha-lands,
adorned with many jewels, and pure,
as well as the vision of the Buddhas
does not betoken small conditions.

Manju, it should be known,
the four assemblies, dragons and spirits,
look to you, humane one, hopefully;
what is it that is to be said?

Outline:

G2. Statement & avoidance of question

Commentary:

Manjushri is evading the question. But the Bodhisattva Maitreya continues to ask. With each question, Manjushri remains silent, however.

The Four-fold multitude with joy. At this time the Bhikshus Sangha, the Bhikshunis, the Upasakas and Upasikas, the four-fold assembly looks up to you, humane one, and to me. Why are all happy and waiting for your explanation. They look up at you, Humane One, and they look at me, because they want us to answer their questions and resolve their doubts.

Why has the World Honored One emitted such a brilliant light? Disciple of the Buddha, answer now; resolve our doubts, so we may rejoice. Enable us to cast out our doubts and become happy. Why are there doubts? Because no one understands or recognizes these states. When everyone understands them they will certainly be happy.

What benefit is to be gained What is it that the Buddha is planning to do in the way of benefiting living beings? By putting forth this brilliant light. He sends out bright light to shine across eighteen thousand worlds to the east, thus making use of the wonderful functioning of his spiritual penetrations.

That wondrous Dharma the Buddha gained as he sat in the field of the Way. The Buddha sat in the Bodhimanda and obtained the wonderful Dharma. Does he wish, now, to preach it? Does he want to speak the wonderful Dharma the Buddha certified to and obtained? Does he wish to speak about it to everyone? Or is he going to give predictions? Or does he want to confer predictions upon everyone? Of the two alternatives, probably the Buddha has one in mind.

The manifesting of the Buddha-lands, adorned with many jewels, and pure. Every Buddhaland is adorned with many precious ornaments. As well as the vision of the Buddhas does not betoken small conditions. The causes and conditions, I believe, are most certainly not trivial ones. They are certainly great, but I do not understand them!

Manju, it should be known, the four assemblies, dragons and spirits, the four assemblies, and the eight-fold division of ghosts and spirits and so forth look to you, humane one, hopefully. They stand at attention with their gaze fixed upon you. O Humane One, what is it that is to be said. What Dharma is the Buddha going to speak? Which of the Dharma is he going to speak? Please, Manjushri, be compassionate and instruct us in this matter.

Sutra:

At that time, Manjushri addressed the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and all the great lords, saying, “Good men, in my estimation, the Buddha, the World Honored One, now wishes to speak the great Dharma, to let fall the great Dharma rain, to blow the great Dharma conch, to beat the great Dharma drum, and to proclaim the great Dharma doctrine.”

Outline:

D5. the answers

E1. the prose section

F1. answers according to his considered opinion

Commentary:

At that time, right then, when the Bodhisattva Manjushri had heard the Bodhisattva Maitreya request that he explain away the doubts, he addressed the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya and all the great lords, all the great Bodhisattvas present in the assembly. He said, “Good men, you who cultivate, in my estimation, according to my calculations, the causes and conditions taking place here seem to indicate that the Buddha, the World Honored One, now wishes to speak the great Dharma, which has never been spoken before!

To let fall the great Dharma rain, just like rain from the sky which moistens all the living beings with potential, i.e. all living beings. To blow the great Dharma conch, to alert all living beings; to beat the great Dharma drum, to cause them all to awaken from their dreams; to proclaim the great Dharma doctrine, to expound the greatest Dharma principle.”

Sutra:

“Good men, I have, in the past, in the presence of other Buddhas, seen such portents. Having emitted this light, they immediately spoke the great Dharma. Therefore, it should be known that the manifestation of light by the present Buddha is also thus. Because he wishes to lead all living beings to hear and understand this Dharma which in the whole world is hard to believe, he therefore manifests these portents.”

Outline:

F2. answers referring generally to what he saw in the past

Commentary:

“Good men, all of you good men, I have, in the past, in the presence of other Buddhas, during the time of other Buddhas in the past, seen such portents. Having emitted this light, they immediately spoke the great Dharma.” Previously there was a discussion of making offerings to the Triple Jewel, but I have not yet finished and have something more to add.

“Why should people make offerings to the Triple Jewel,” you may wonder. “Why shouldn’t the Triple Jewel make offerings to me?”

The Triple Jewel does not make offerings to you because you are not one of the Triple Jewel, and so you are not entitled to receive offerings.

Why should one make offerings to the Triple Jewel? It is because the Triple Jewel provides a place for one to plant blessings. If you would like to seek blessings, you must perform acts of merit and virtue before the Triple Jewel. If you do not make offerings to the Triple Jewel, in the future, when you become a Buddha, no one will make offerings to you. To say nothing of becoming a Buddha, if you don’t make offerings to the Triple Jewel now, even when you leave home to become a monk, no one will make offerings to you. Why not? Because when you were at home, you did not make offerings to the Triple Jewel.

I often think, “Why doesn’t anyone make offerings to me? Ah, it’s because before I left home, I didn’t make offerings to the Triple Jewel. That is why now that I have left home, very few people make offerings to me. I constantly bring forth a heart full of repentance. I am extremely ashamed. So, now, I wish to explain this principle to you, so that you won’t have to be like me and have no one make offerings to you.

By making offerings to the Triple Jewel, one cultivates blessings and cultivates wisdom. To cultivate wisdom, one must print Sutras and propagate the Buddhadharma, or do other types of work to spread the Dharma. Didn’t I mention this before? An example is our present preparation for publishing a magazine, which is all part of cultivating wisdom. If you want to cultivate wisdom, you must support the work of propagating the Dharma. If you want to cultivate blessings, you should make offerings to the Triple Jewel. If you don’t make offerings to the Triple Jewel, then in the future, when you are one of the Three Jewels, no one will make offerings to you, as I just said.

So, now, before you are part of the Triple Jewel, you must support it and take care of it. Cultivating both blessings and wisdom. If you cultivate blessings but do not cultivate wisdom, you are like an elephant wearing a necklace of beads. If you cultivate wisdom but not blessings, you are like an Arhat with an empty begging bowl.

What does that mean? If you merely concentrate on cultivating wisdom and do not cultivate blessings, in the future, when you certify to the fruit and realize Arhatship, no one will make offerings to you.

“But yesterday you said that if someone sat for ten days people would certainly make offerings to them,” you think. “How could it be that a certified Arhat would receive no offerings? I find this terrifying. The Buddhadharma is too dangerous! It would probably be better not to study it at all.”

That may be the case, but if you don’t cultivate the Buddhadharma, you won’t ever become a Buddha. If you want to slide down, do as you please. If you want to become a Buddha, if you think, “I understand the Buddhadharma quite clearly and I shall certainly be diligent and seek progress in my study of it,” then you should break through all the various difficulties and go forward in your cultivation. Cultivate blessings and wisdom. If you don’t cultivate blessings, no one will make offerings to you. If you don’t cultivate wisdom, you will be stupid.

The Buddha is complete in both blessings and wisdom. His blessings are perfect and his wisdom is perfect and so he is known as the Doubly-Complete Honored One. In our cultivation, too, we should cultivate blessings and wisdom. In all circumstances we should cultivate wisdom. Don’t be like the Arhat with the empty bowl who cultivated wisdom, but not blessing. No one makes offerings to him.

If you only cultivate blessings, but not wisdom, then you are like an elephant with a necklace. It may look very beautiful but it is still very stupid. Those of you who study the Buddhadharma should cultivate both wisdom and blessings. You must do so actually and in fact, and not just talk about so doing. If you speak it, it’s the Dharma; if you do it, it’s the Way. This is a point which everyone should know.

Therefore, means “because of this reason,” that is, because Manjushri Bodhisatta said that he had in the past seen limitless Buddhas manifest such portents, how, it should be known that the manifestation of light by the present Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, is also thus. You should know that Shakyamuni Buddha now manifests the white hair-mark light, and it is also just as when the limitless Buddhas of the past were about to speak the great Dharma, to rain the great Dharma rain, to blow the great Dharma conch, to beat the great Dharma drum, and to proclaim the great Dharma doctrine; the principle is the same.

Because he wishes to lead all living beings to hear and understand… Shakyamuni Buddha wants to cause all living beings to hear the Dharma and to understand it--this Dharma which in the whole world is hard to believe. This kind of Dharma is hard to believe. It is difficult for living beings to have faith in it. Why didn’t the Buddha speak The Dharma Flower Sutra before? Why did he first speak the teachings of the Three Storehouses, and expound the Small Vehicle Sutras? It was just because the Great Vehicle Dharma-door is a Dharma which is hard to believe. That is why, as it states later in the text, as soon as the Buddha began to speak the Sutra, five thousand people got up and walked out.

Why is it hard to believe? Because it is too wonderful and too profound. It is hard for people with their ordinary wisdom, to understand it. It is so wonderful, that it is hard for people with their ordinary thoughts, to understand it. They think about it, and they don’t understand it; they ponder it, but they don’t know what it means. So, the Buddha didn’t speak this profound and wonderful Dharma right away.

He therefore manifests these portents. He displays these auspicious signs.

Sutra:

“Good men, it is just as in the past, limitless, boundless, inconceivable Asankhyeya aeons ago…”

Outline:

F3. answers referring extensively to what was seen in the past

G1. showing Shakyamuni Buddha’s similarity with a single Buddha

H1. the time

Commentary:

“Good men, all of you good men, it is just as in the past, limitless, boundless, inconceivable Asankhyeya aeons ago… I remember, it is just like it was in the past, when limitless, uncountable, boundless, inconceivable, that is, they cannot be thought of with the mind or expressed in words, asankhyeya, a Sanskrit word meaning “uncountable ”, aeons ago…

Sutra:

“…there was at that time a Buddha named Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp 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 Subdues and Tames, a Teacher of Gods and People, the Buddha, the World Honored One…”

Outline:

H2. the name

Commentary:

“…there was at that time a Buddha named Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp who appeared in the world.

How did he get that name?

The name of that Buddha has three meanings. The sun represents the Buddhas wisdom, which is like the sun. The sun dispels all darkness and gives light. The moon represents the Buddha’s Samadhi power. The Buddha’s Samadhi power is like the moon in space. The lamp represents the Buddha’s precept power. Every Buddha has completely perfected precepts, Samadhi and wisdom.

Thus Come One , is one of the Buddha’s ten titles. Every single Buddha has his own particular name. Like the Sutras, the Buddhas have specific and common names. This Buddha’s specific name is Brightness of Sun-Moon-Lamp; it is a name which only this Buddha has. The common name is common to all Buddhas. The ten titles which follow are common to all Buddhas, all Buddhas are known by these ten titles.

In the beginning, every Buddha had one hundred million names. Why did they have so many names? What is the use of that? It was because each of the one hundred million names represented their adornment of the ten thousand virtues, their virtuous practices. Later, because living beings couldn’t remember so many names clearly, they were decreased to one hundred thousand names.

But that was also quite a few and so they were again reduced to ten thousand. Ten thousand names were still too many and so they were reduced to one thousand names. Every Buddha had one thousand names, but that was still too many and so they were reduced to one hundred. One hundred proved to be too many; it took too long just to say a Buddha’s name and so they were reduced to ten and all Buddhas had those ten titles, ten common names.

Some people who don’t understand the Buddhadharma say, “Thus Come One Buddha.” In fact, the Thus Come One is the Buddha and the Buddha is just the Thus Come One. They say, “Thus Come One Buddha,” thinking that only one Buddha has the name “Thus Come One,” and that the other Buddhas are not called Thus Come Ones. Actually, every single Buddha is called “Buddha” and “Thus Come One.” Those who don’t understand the Buddhadharma sometimes say very strange things.

What is meant by “Thus Come One?” The Vajra Sutra says, “Because he comes from nowhere and goes nowhere, he is called the Thus Come One.” He neither comes nor goes, and so he is called Thus Come One. You may also explain this title by saying, “Thus” means that, using the Way which is Thus, they come to realize the right enlightenment.

Further, “Thus” means unchanging and “Come” means to accord with conditions. “Thus” is stillness; “Come” is movement. Movement and stillness are one “thusness.” Movement is stillness, and stillness is movement. Movement does not obstruct stillness, and stillness does not obstruct movement. The meaning of the title Thus Come One could be greatly expanded upon, but we shall now proceed to the second of the ten titles.

One Worthy of Offerings, this means that the Buddha should rightly receive the offerings of people and gods. People in the World should make offerings to the Buddha, and people in the heavens should also make offerings to him. He is one worthy of receiving their offerings.

One of Proper and Universal knowledge, proper and universal knowledge means that one understands that the ten thousand dharmas are produced from the mind and are not apart from the current thought in our minds. Understanding that the one current thought in our minds can produce the ten thousand dharmas is said to be Proper Knowledge. To know that the ten thousand dharmas are only the mind, that all dharmas do not go beyond one current thought of the mind is said to be Universal Knowledge. Proper and Universal Knowledge vertically exhausts the three limits: the past, present and future and horizontally pervades the ten directions.

One of Perfect Clarity and Conduct, clarity refers to wisdom. Conduct refers to blessings and virtues. He is complete with blessings and virtues and with wisdom.

Well-Gone One, He has gone to a good place, to the very best place.

Unsurpassed Knight who Understands the World, the Buddha understands all doctrines, both mundane and transcendental, and so he is the one who understands the world. The Buddha is an Unsurpassed Knight. The Bodhisattvas at the level of Equal Enlightenment still have one small, minute particle of production-mark ignorance which they have not yet destroyed. Because they haven’t broken through that one particle of ignorance, one particle of the Dharmabody remains as yet unmanifested. Therefore, although they are Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattvas, they are called Surpassed Knights, because above them there is still the Buddha. The Buddha has reached the level of Wonderful Enlightenment and so he is called the Unsurpassed Knight.

A Hero Who Subdues and Tames, to subdue means to use compassion to teach and transform living beings. Depending upon the kind of dharma-door a living being likes, the Buddha uses just that dharma-door to cross him over. To tame means that the Buddha uses awesome virtue and dignity to control living beings, to receive all living beings. Living beings who see the Buddha are respectful and stand in awe of him. They revere the Buddha’s awesome virtue and are awed by his majesty. The Hero is a great hero, one who subdues and tames all the living beings in the world and so he is known as the Hero Who Subdues and Tames.

Teacher of Gods and People, the Buddha is the master of the gods in the heavens and the people in the world.

The Buddha, the word Buddha means “the enlightened one.” There are three kinds of enlightenment: self-enlightenment, the enlightenment ot others, and the perfection of enlightenment and practice. What is self enlightenment? How does it differ from other kinds?

Those with self-enlightenment are different from common people. Common people are all unenlightened. They have not awakened. They don’t know that there is no peace in the three realms; they are just like a burning house. They don’t know that this world is just like a raging fire and that it is very easy to be burnt to a crisp in it. There is not a single place in the three realms that is peaceful. It is just as dangerous as being in a flaming building. So the common people are not enlightened. Those with self-enlightenment have awakened themselves. They have certified to the attainment of the fruit of Arhatship.

How do those who enlighten others differ from the self-enlightened? Self-enlightenment is the realm of the Arhat. The enlightenment of others is the realm of the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva himself is enlightened, and he thinks that enlightenment is not bad at all; it’s extremely wonderful in fact, and he is very happy. Since he has obtained the subtle and wonderful happiness himself, as well as an understanding of the doctrines of the world, he also causes everyone to obtain this wonder and joy, these advantages. He takes that which he has experienced in his path of cultivation and teaches it to others. He speaks it for them all to hear.

For example, a certain layperson now wishes to be one of self-enlightenment who enlightens others. He is going to the university to lecture on the Buddhadharma. Although he has not claimed to have certified to any particular fruit, he has chosed to bring forth the Bodhisattva resolve: “I know as much as I know, and I am not afraid that people will say I lectured well or poorly. I’m just going to go ahead and lecture.” That is the Bodhisattva heart which, self-enlightened, enlightens others. Besides, I have great faith in what this layperson says. He is very eloquent and takes the principles from Chinese and puts them into English in an inconceivable way. This is just the enlightenment of others. If one can constantly bring forth the Bodhisattva heart and not work for fame or profit and not think, “I’m going to lecture and when I’m done, I’ll be famous,” or, “When I’m done lecturing, I’ll get so much money,” this is self-enlightenment and the enlightenment of others.

Don’t take this matter lightly! Any one of you can become self-enlightened and then enlighten others. I am lecturing the Sutras to you, and although it’s not 100% fine, still, you can expand on what I say. For example, if I lecture one doctrine, you can obtain ten from it and then lecture ten. If I speak about the Thus Come One and say just a little bit, you can investigate the term in the Sutras and find a lot of different ways to explain it, and compare and collate them. I hope that all of you will self-enlighten and enlighten others.

Regardless of whether you are male or female--don't be afraid! Don’t say, “If I speak, will they laugh?” So what if they laugh! Laughter is just laughter after all. Pay no attention to them! “Let them laugh, but I am going to lecture!” You should bring forth this kind of Bodhisattva heart; this is self-enlightenment and the enlightenment of others. Although it is the resolve of the Bodhisattva, it is still not the same as the third type of enlightenment, the perfection of enlightenment and practice. The Buddha is one who has perfected his own self-enlightenment and his enlightenment of others. He has perfectly finished both of these jobs and so he is called a Buddha.

The World Honored One, what is meant by “the World Honored One?” “Honored” means the most lofty, the most venerable, the most highly esteemed. There is no one higher than the one who is honored. “World” means his world. Is the Buddha merely honored by those in the world? No. He is honored by those in and those beyond the world. The people in the world all pay respect to the Buddha, and the people beyond the world also must respect the Buddha. Because he is honored by those in and beyond the world, he is called the World Honored One. If spoken in detail, the title world Honored One could be explained for several years without finishing. Now, I have explained the meanings of the Buddha’s ten titles in a very general way. If you wish to look into them more deeply, you can do so on your own.

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