Happily Dwelling Conduct

Chapter 14

 

Sutra:

“They exist only because of causes and conditions and are produced from inversion. Therefore, it is said that constantly delighting in contemplating such characteristics of Dharmas is called the second range of association of a Bodhisattva.”

Outline:

L3. Conclusion

Commentary:

The phrase in the previous text which read “(They...) contemplates all dharmas as empty...,” is the general characteristic. The eighteen phrases following that, which begin “as characterized by actuality,” are the specific characteristics. They, all those various characteristics, exist only because of various kinds of causes and conditions and are produced from inversion. Therefore, it is said that constantly delighting in contemplating the characteristics of Dharmas in this way is called the second range of association of a Bodhisattva Mahasattva. He should always enjoy contemplating all the different characteristics of dharmas mentioned above, and see everything as empty. This is the second place to which Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas should draw near.

Sutra:

“At that time, the World Honored One, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke the following verses:

“If there is a Bodhisattva,
In the future evil age,
Who, with a fearless mind,
Wishes to speak this Sutra,
He should enter the range of practice,
And the range of association.”

Outline:

H2. Verses
I1. Statement in verse

Commentary:

At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha, the World Honored One, wishing to restate his meaning, spoke the following verses. He wanted to explain the meaning in more detail, and so he spoke again, this time using verses.

He said: If there is a Bodhisattva in the future evil age, a Mahasattva who practices the Bodhisattva Path and has brought forth the great Bodhisattva resolve, who, with a fearless mind, wishes to speak thisDharma Flower Sutra, he should enter the range of practice and the range of association. He should enter the range of happily-dwelling conduct practiced by the body, and appropriate places of association.

Sutra:

He should always stay away
From kings, as well as princes,
Great ministers, and officials,
Brutal and dangerous performers;
From chandalas, along with
Externalists and Brahmacharins.

He should not draw near to
Those of overweening pride,
Who are attached to the Small Vehicle,
And study the Three Stores.

Nor should he draw near to
Bhikshus who are breakers of the precepts,
Arhats in name only,
Or to Bhikshunis
Who like to play and laugh,
Those deeply attached to the five desires,
Or seeking quiescence in the present.

Nor should he draw near Upasikas.
Should such people come
With good hearts
To the Bodhisattva
To hear of the Buddha Way,
The Bodhisattva, then, may
Without apprehension
And without expectations
Speak the Dharma for them.

He should not draw near
Widows, maidens
Or unmanly men,
Nor should he be familiar with
Or close to them.

He should also not draw near
Butchers, meat-cutters,
Hunters, or fishermen,
Or any who kill for profit
Or sell meat as their livelihood,
Or those who traffic in female flesh:
Such people as these
He should not draw near.

He should take care never
To draw near to those
Engaged in dangerous, violent sports,
Nor to actors and performers
Or prostitutes and the like.

He should not, while in a secluded place,
Speak the Dharma for women.
While speaking the Dharma,
He should not joke or laugh.

When he enters the city to seek alms,
He should go with another Bhikshu,
Or, if there is no other Bhikshu,
He should single-mindedly recollect the Buddha.

Those are what is called
The ranges of practice and association;
By resort to these two ranges
He can preach in peace and comfort.

Outline:

I2. The explanation in verse
J1. Verses defining drawing near to in terms of staying away from

Commentary:

He, the Bodhisattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva Path, should always stay away from kings, as well as princes. He should remain distant from kings and their crown prince sons. He also should not draw near great ministers and officials in government, or brutal and dangerous performers. This includes those who practice martial arts or who perform in spectacles where martial arts are used. He should stay away from chandalas—butchers who slaughter pigs, cattle, sheep, and so forth—along with externalists and Brahmacharins. He should not associate with people who cultivate externalist dharmas, including Brahmans who are Brahmacharins.

He should not draw near to those of overweening pride, who are attached to the Small Vehicle, and study the Three Stores. He should not get involved with people who cultivate dharmas of Hearers and Those Enlightened by Conditions. They are those who do not bring forth the resolve for the Great Vehicle. The Teaching of the “Three Stores” is the Teaching of the Small Vehicle. The people being talked about exclusively cultivate the principles of the Three Stores Teaching.

Nor should he draw near to Bhikshus who are breakers of the precepts, Arhats in name only. He should stay far away from monks who violate the precepts, and from those who pretend to be Arhats but who are Arhats in name without the Way-virtue of Arhats. He should not draw near to them, or to Bhikshunis who like to play and laugh. He should shun Bhikshunis who break the precepts and who like to play and tell jokes. He should avoid those deeply attached to the five desires of forms, sounds, scents, tastes, and objects of touch, and to wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, or seeking quiescence in the present. This refers to people who are only interested in attaining passage into quiescence in this life. Nor should he draw near Upasikas. He should not draw near such people.

Should such people come, meaning people as just mentioned, those of overweening pride, those Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas or Upasikas who break the precepts, chandalas, the butchers, with good hearts, that is, if they come seeking the Way, seeking to draw near the Triple Jewel, to the Bodhisattva, to hear of the Buddha Way, the Bodhisattva, then, may without apprehension and without expectations speak the Dharma for them. They should not try to exploit the situation. They should have no greed and no hopes for offerings as they speak Dharma for them.

He should not draw near widows, who have lost their husbands, unmarried maidens who have not become intimate with men. Or the five kinds of unmanly men listed in the text: those who are unmanly from birth, unmanly through dysfunction, unmanly through jealousy, unmanly through physical transformation, or unmanly through switching back and forth. Nor should he be familiar with them or close to them. He should not be friends with them. He should also not draw near butchers, meat-cutters, hunters, or fishermen, or any who kill creatures for profit or sell meat as their livelihood, or those who traffic in female flesh—women who dress themselves up to engage in improper activities. Such people as these he should not draw near. He should not associate with these kinds of people.

He should take care never to draw near to those engaged in dangerous, violent sports, nor to actors and performers or prostitutes and the like. He should avoid those who study martial arts and use their skills to spar with one another, performers, and improper women.

He should not, while in a secluded place, speak the Dharma for women. He should not be alone with a woman, whether in a secluded spot or behind a screen where others cannot see him. While speaking the Dharma, he should not joke or laugh. He should not explain the Dharma on the one hand and joke around on the other. When he enters the city to seek alms, he should go with another Bhikshu, He should not go alone. Or, if there is no other Bhikshu, he should single-mindedly recollect the Buddha. When he goes out on his begging rounds, a cultivator of the Bodhisattva Way should not go unaccompanied. He should take another Bhikshu with him. If he must go by himself, he should act properly and respectfully recite “Namo Amitabha Buddha” or Namo Shakyamuni Buddha.”

Those are what is called the ranges of practice and association; by resort to these two ranges, he can preach in peace and comfort. These are (1) the range of practice or cultivation and (2) the range of association. By means of these two, he can comfortably and fearlessly speak the Dharma for the multitudes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When you recite the Great Compassion Mantra, you should be sincere. Then our Way-place will be successful. If you are not sincere, it would not be successful. When it comes to Way-places, the bigger the better; they should be able to hold several hundred thousand people, like a great military camp. A military camp can house several hundred thousand people, and our great Way-place will also be able to hold several hundred thousand, several million, and even several tens of millions of people.

You should all make vows to establish Way-places. Do not be afraid of too many Way-places. The more Way-places there are the better. If every home became a Way-place, that would be even better. If every single person became a Way-place unto himself, that would be the best. If every country became a Way-place, that would be very good, until the entire world itself was a gigantic Way-place and no one killed, stole, committed sexual misconduct, lied, or took intoxicants. Sellers of alcoholic beverages would starve!

Sutra:

Further, he does not practice
Higher, middle, or lower Dharmas;
Nor conditioned or unconditioned Dharmas,
Real or unreal Dharmas.

He does not distinguish
Between men and women;
He does not obtain any Dharma
Nor does he know or perceive any.

This is what is known as
The Bodhisattva’s range of practice.

All the Dharmas whatsoever
Are empty, non-existent,
Without permanence,
Neither arising nor extinguished;
This is known as the Wise One’s range of association.

It is through inverted discrimination
That Dharmas exist or not exist,
Seem real or unreal,
Created or uncreated.

If, in a quiet place,
He cultivates and collects his thoughts
Peacefully dwelling, unmoved
Like Mount Sumeru,
Contemplating all Dharmas
As having no existence,
Like empty space,
With nothing firm or solid,
Uncreated, not coming forth,
Unmoving, not retreating,
Dwelling always in one mark,
This is called the range of association.

Outline:

J2. Verses about neither drawing near to nor staying away from

Commentary:

Further, he does not practice higher, middle, or lower Dharmas. The Bodhisattva who cultivates the Bodhisattva Way must not practice the higher Dharma, the Bodhisattva Vehicle, nor the Middle dharma, the Vehicle of those enlightened by conditions, nor the lesser Dharma of the Hearers. Nor conditioned or unconditioned Dharmas, real or unreal Dharmas. He cultivates none of these. He does not distinguish between men and women. “Men” may be said to refer to wisdom and “women” to Samadhi. Wisdom and Samadhi are basically the same thing, one cannot make artificial distinctions between them. He does not obtain any Dharma. As the Heart Sutra says, “There is no wisdom and no attainment.” Nor does he know or perceive any. In his mind there is no knowledge of all dharmas; his eyes perceive no dharmas. His mind is reined in to a single place and this is what is known as the Bodhisattva’s range of practice.

All the Dharmas whatsoever are empty, non-existent. Originally there is nothing at all. Without permanence. He contemplates the marks of all dharmas as devoid of permanence. Seen as impermanent, there is no attachment. Without attachment, one obtains liberation. Neither arising nor extinguished; this is known as the Wise One’s range of association. This is the place to which a wise Bodhisattva should draw near.

It is through inverted discrimination that Dharmas exist or not exist, seem real or unreal. One discriminates this dharma as real, that dharma as unreal.

Created or uncreated. One discriminates the marks of dharmas in this way.

If, in a quiet place, he cultivates and collects his thoughts, peacefully dwelling, unmoved like Mount Sumeru. He dwells in a still, quiet place, cultivating his body and mind, dwelling in the real mark of all dharmas as not arising and not moving, like Sumeru, the King of Mountains, unshakable and immovable. Contemplating all Dharmas as having no existence. Originally there is no dharma which can be obtained. Like empty space, with nothing firm or solid. Empty space has no substance in itself and so is not “solid”. Uncreated, not coming forth, unmoving, not retreating, dwelling always in one mark. The prose section above says “having no existence,” so how can one dwell in the “one mark”? Because there is neither a mark nor a non-mark—and just that is permanently dwelling in one mark. One always dwells in the mark of neither existence nor non-existence. This is called the range of association. This is the range of what the Bodhisattva draws close to in cultivation.

Sutra:

If a Bhikshu,
After my Nirvana,
Enters into this range of practice
And range of association,
When he speaks this Sutra,
He will have no fear.

Outline:

I3. Clarifying how the conduct is accomplished
J1. Statement of how the conduct is accomplished

Commentary:

If a Bhikshu, after my Nirvana, enters into this range of practice and range of association, when he speaks this Sutra, he will have no fear. Shakyamuni Buddha says, “After I enter Nirvana, if a Bhikshu enters into this kind of Bodhisattva cultivation and range of association to speak the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, he will have no fear or expectations. Why would he not be afraid? Because he has no expectations. If one has expectations, one will be afraid. It is said, “when you arrive at the place where you seek nothing, you will have no worries.”

Sutra:

When a Bodhisattva
Enters a quiet room
And with upright mindfulness
Contemplates Dharmas in accord with principle,
Arising from Dhyana concentration
He may for the sake of kings,
Princes, ministers,
Brahmans and such
Teach, transform, and expound,
Speaking this Sutra
With a tranquil mind
And without fear.

Outline:

J2. Statement of how the conduct is accomplished to attain peace and happiness.

Commentary:

When a Bodhisattva enters a quiet room and with upright mindfulness contemplates Dharmas in accord with principle, arising from Dhyana concentration, he may for the sake of kings, princes, ministers, brahmans and such teach, transform, and expound, speaking this Sutra with a tranquil mind and without fear. If a Bodhisattva enters into a quiet room and with proper mind contemplates the doctrine of the Buddhadharma.

So it would be a good idea if, before you lecture on the Sutras, each of you could sit quietly for an hour or half an hour to quiet your false, random thoughts and to cultivate your concentration. Then from your quiet concentration, you will gain insight into certain principles that will help you to explain the Sutra. This is the best method for lecturing on the Sutras. Therefore, with proper thoughts, you can recollect the principles in the Buddha’s Sutras and, in accord with the text, you can contemplate and explain the principles in the Sutras. Coming out of Samadhi, you can speak the Dharma for kings, princes, ministers, and common people, teaching them the unsurpassed, wonderful principles of the Dharma Flower Sutra. Your mind will be very peaceful and happy and you will have no fear.

Sutra:

Manjushri,
This is called the Bodhisattva’s
Peaceful dwelling in the first Dharma,
And he may, in the future age,
Speak the Dharma Flower Sutra.

Outline:

J3. Conclusion in verse

Commentary:

Manjushri, this is called the Bodhisattva’s peaceful dwelling in the first Dharma, and he may, in the future age, speak the Dharma Flower Sutra. You should know that this is the first step in the Bodhisattva’s development in cultivating the Bodhisattva Way. The Bodhisattva who can cultivate in this way in the future age, the Dharma-ending Age, can speak the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.

End of Happily-Dwelling Conduct of the Body.

Sutra:

“Manjushri, after the Tathagata’s Nirvana, in the Dharma-ending Age, if one wishes to speak this Sutra, one should dwell in this happily-dwelling conduct.”

Outline:

G2. Happily-dwelling conduct of the mouth
H1. Prose
I1. The statement

Commentary:

Shakyamuni Buddha says, “Manjushri Bodhisattva, previously we were talking about the peaceful, happy conduct of the body. Now we are talking about the kind of verbal conduct the Bodhisattva should cultivate. After the Tathagata’s Nirvana, after I, Shakyamuni Buddha, go into Nirvana, in the Dharma-ending Age, in the future, if one wishes to speak this Sutra, the Dharma Flower Sutra, one should dwell in this happily-dwelling conduct. He should secure himself in the teachings of this chapter on Happy-Dwelling Conduct.

Sutra:

“Whether one is expounding upon the Sutra orally or reading the Sutra itself, one should take no delight in speaking of the faults of people or of the Sutra, nor should one hold other Dharma Masters in contempt, nor speak of the good or bad qualities, the strengths or weaknesses of others. With regard to Hearers, one should not mention them by name in order to speak of their faults, nor should one speak of them by name to praise their excellence. One should not harbor resentment or jealousy.”

Outline:

I2. The explanation
J1. The conduct of “stopping”
K1. Not speaking of faults
K2. Not slighting others
K3. Not praising and not disparaging
K4. Not harboring resentment

Commentary:

Whether one is expounding upon the Sutra orally or reading the Sutra itself, explaining it or reading or reciting it, one should take no delight in speaking of the faults of people or of the Sutra. Do not speak of the deficiencies either of other people or of the Sutra text. In speaking the Dharma, the Buddha takes his audience into account and dispenses the Dharma in accord with the potential of the listeners. He prescribes the medicine of dharma in accord with the “illnesses” of living beings. There is nothing fixed as “wrong” or “incorrect.”

Nor should one hold other Dharma Masters in contempt, nor speak of the good or bad qualities, the strengths or weaknesses of others. He should not belittle others, the Sutras or other Dharma Masters, saying either they speak well or poorly. One should not talk about the good or bad points of others.

With regard to Hearers, one should not mention them by name in order to speak of their faults. You should not single out Hearers by name for purposes of criticism, as in America where children call their parents by their first names. That is very disrespectful. Those who have left home and those at home cannot call each other by their first names. You can use their formal names and the title Dharma Master, but you cannot use their familiar names.

For instance, you may say Dharma Master Heng Chyan or simply Dharma Master Chyan and Dharma Master Ning. You should not call your Dharma-brothers by their familiar names, and you certainly must not address your teacher by his name. Those of you who do not understand the Buddhadharma say, “This is Dharma Master To Lun,” or “This is Dharma Master Hsuan Hua.” That is really disrespectful. It would be even more disrespectful if you just address me as “To Lun”; that is simply to “cheat the teachers and destroy the patriarchs”; It is totally irreverent and unfilial.

Therefore, in the future you must remember not to call your Dharma-brothers by their familiar names, like this: Guo Ning Shi, Guo Chyan Shi, Guo Syan Shi, or Guo Syou Shi. You should address them as Dharma Masters and use the last word of their formal names, for example: Dharma Master Chyan, Dharma Master Ning.

Initially, when I told the laypeople to address left-home people as Dharma Masters, one of you opposed and said to the little Shramanera, “Do I have to call you Venerable?” As a layperson, he felt that it was demeaning to himself to address the left-home people as Dharma Masters. That is a big mistake.

Therefore, even when left-home people are addressing one another, they should not use the familiar name, such as “Guo Yi” or “Guo Syou” because only one’s teacher is supposed to use that name. If you call others by their familiar names, you are being disrespectful to them, and they will in turn be disrespectful to you. If you call her Guo Syou Shi, she will return the favor by calling you Guo Chyan Shi. Westerners have not studied this and are not knowledgeable on this point. I am telling you now and you should understand this and not call your Dharma-brothers by their familiar names.

You should not call the Dharma Masters of the Small Vehicle by their names, nor should you praise them or speak about their good and bad points. You must not bring up their names and criticize them saying, “I saw him break a precept! I saw him eat meat and drink wine; then I asked him why he did it, and he denied it. He is not a cultivator! He lied!” You should not gossip about people in this way.

Nor should one speak of them by name to praise their excellence. Legitimate praise is okay, such as when I praise a certain Dharma Master. Even though I do not have a particularly close relationship with him, I praise him because he is truly a Bodhisattva. If someone is truly good, you can praise them. But you should not use their name. Just speak in general terms, praising their cultivation. If you praise them by name, if they truly are good, everyone knows it and does not need to hear you say it; if they are not good, then people will accuse you of lying.

One should not harbor resentment or jealousy. One should not gossip about other people’s faults and evils, praise others, or hold grudges against others, disliking them no matter what they do. If you harbor resentment against someone, you will be biased against him and treat him badly, always having a bad impression of him.

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