The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds

Chapter One, Part Three

 

Sutra:

With all sentient beings, he knows the preferences of each.
Accordingly, he speaks oceans of Dharmas for them.
The far-reaching phrases and meaning each differ, one from another.
Spirit Replete with Wisdom completely sees thus.  

Commentary:

With all sentient beings, he knows the preferences of each. The Buddha knows what all sentient beings relish and enjoy. He knows their hopes, wishes, and desires. That’s because the Buddha knows the mental stirrings of all beings. He is aware of whatever any sentient being thinks or wants to do.

Accordingly, he speaks oceans of Dharmas for them. “Accordingly” indicates the Buddha appears in the kind of form that will be most effective in liberated any given category of being, and speaks appropriate Dharma for each. The dharma doors are so many that they are as a great ocean. The far-reaching phrases and meanings each differ, one from another. The meanings and principles in each of the words and phrases are enormously vast and extensive, and none of them is the same. They are all different from each other. Each word has its own meanings and principles, and each phrase has its own meanings and principles, so they are said to be vast and great, each differing from the others. Spirit Replete with Wisdom completely sees thus. Day-ruling Spirit Exuding Fragrance of Wisdom understands this and sees it very clearly.

Sutra:

The Buddha emits light, illumining the world.
Those who see and hear rejoice, knowing it will not be in vain.
He reveals the deep, vast place of still quiescence.
The mind of Adornment with Bliss awakens thus and understands.  

Commentary:

The Buddha emits light, illumining the world. The Buddha radiates infinite brilliance to illuminate the world of sentient beings throughout the ten directions. Those who see and hear rejoice, knowing it will not be in vain. Beings who see the Buddha’s light or hear the Buddha’s sound do not do so in vain. They gain meritorious virtue, so their seeing or hearing is not futile. It is not wasted effort that passes casually without resulting in advantages. Those who see the Buddha’s light or hear the Buddha’s sound become happy and endowed with merit and virtue. Seeing the light of the Buddha’s Dharma generates a limitless Dharma wealth of merit and virtue.

He reveals the deep, vast place of still quiescence.The Buddha speaks Dharma from within the light to teach and transform sentient beings. He doesn’t speak just any Dharma; he particularly speaks deep and vast Dharma. It is unsurpassed, deep and profound, subtle and wonderful Dharma. And he shows sentient beings the place of still quiescence, the principle of the bliss of still quiescence, which is Nirvana. The place of still quiescence is Nirvana, which has the four virtues of eternity, bliss, true self and purity. The mind of Adornment with Bliss awakens thus, and understands. Day-ruling Spirit Adornment with bliss understands and awakens to this state, and enters this passage into liberation.  

Sutra:

The Buddha rains down Dharma, boundless in extent,
Which brings happiness to all who perceive it.
Hence, supreme roots of goodness issue forth.
Wondrous Light awakens thus.  

Commentary:

The Buddha rains down Dharma. The Buddha is Sãkyamuni Buddha, and the Dharma he speaks resembles rain. “Dharma rain” also indicates that the Buddha’s speaking of Dharma to teach and transform sentient beings is as when:“Clouds envelop the sky, rain pours in torrents; and sprouts suddenly spring up.”

“Clouds envelop the sky” indicates an overcast day. “Rain pours in torrents.” A large quantity of rain falls and “sprouts suddenly spring up.” The planted crops, receiving the moisture from the rain, quickly send up shoots that grow prolifically. We sentient beings are like this too. The Buddha’s Dharma “envelops the sky”, and then Dharma-rain pours in torrents,” and the good roots of sentient beings spring up suddenly. That’s why the text says the Buddha rains down Dharma, boundless in extent. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha never comes to an end. It is limitless and boundless. The rain of Dharma spoken by the Buddha extends to the ends of space and throughout the Dharma Realm. For that reason it is described as that which brings happiness to all who perceive it. When sentient beings encounter the Dharma spoken by the Buddha, either by seeing it or otherwise meeting it, they are overjoyed. Therefore the conclusion of each sutra states: “They all rejoiced greatly, bowed and withdrew.” Any being who encounters the rain of the Buddha’s Dharma is extremely happy.

Hence, supreme roots of goodness issue forth. From having heard the rain of Dharma spoken by the Buddha, they are very happy. And, being very happy, they generate the supreme grade of good roots. Supreme means the best. These are the very best good roots. The most excellent and surpassingly fine good roots are created from hearing the Buddhadharma. Wondrous Light awakens thus. The mind of Wondrous Light awakens to this state, that of the principle just discussed, namely, how sentient beings create good roots from hearing the Buddhadharma. That is the passage into liberation that Day-ruling Spirit Wondrous Light understands.  

Sutra:

The dharma doors that bring universal entry and the power of awakening,
Cultivated since distant eons past, are all purified.
All this–done to draw in sentient beings:
Spirit Wondrous Medicine understands thus.  

Commentary:

The state of the Buddha that this Day-ruling Spirit Wondrous Medicine understands is described here as the dharma doors that bring universal entry and the power of awakening. The state he understands, namely the dharma door of universal entry, is how the Buddha universally enters into the minds of all sentient beings, causing those beings to bring forth the resolve for bodhi and reap the fruition of bodhi. That kind of dharma door is also called a sort of power of awakening, the strength to enlighten sentient beings. These have been cultivated since distant eons past by the Buddha. Starting from beginningless eons ago up to now, he has been cultivating these practices and eradicating all kinds of faults. He has gotten rid of all faults, so they are all purified. That is, no defiled dharmas are left.

The Buddha’s cultivation of the dharma door of universal entry and his achievement of the power of awakening didn’t happen in a day. It took limitlessly many eons up to now of cultivation in life after life for them to be purified. After they have been purified, then what? All this as just described—the dharma doors, the power of awakening, and the skill of cultivation that achieves purity—must have an aim, a goal. The various dharma doors just described are all done to draw in sentient beings. They are for the sake of drawing in and transforming sentient beings so they can obtain purity. Spirit Wondrous Medicine understands thus. The Day-ruling Spirit of subtle, wonderful and inconceivable medicine understands and has awakened to the state of this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

With various expedients he transforms sentient beings.
All who see or hear do benefit
Are happy–jump for joy!
Day-Spirit Wondrous Eyes sees thus.  

Commentary:

With various expedients he transforms sentient beings. The Buddha bestows provisional teachings to prepare beings for the True Teaching. He uses all kinds of expedient dharmas of skill-in-means to teach and transform sentient beings. All sentient beings who see the Buddha or hear the Dharma spoken by the Buddha do benefit. They all receive advantages. Seeing the Buddha has the benefits of seeing the Buddha, and hearing the Dharma has the benefits of hearing the Dharma. If one can see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, encounter the Sangha, and take refuge with those Three Jewels, one receives even greater benefits.They are happy–jump for joy! The Buddha causes all sentient beings to be so happy that they jump for joy. They are so happy that they forget themselves. Day-Spirit Wondrous Eyes sees thus. Day-ruling Spirit Wondrous Eyes understands this state of the Buddha.

Sutra:

His Ten Powers appear in response throughout the worlds,
Pervading the ten directions of the Dharma Realm.
His substance neither exists nor does not:
Spirit Contemplating All Directions enters thus.  

Commentary:

His Ten Powers appear in response throughout the worlds. Based on the foundation of his wisdom, the Buddha has Ten Powers. The ten wisdom powers of the Buddha are:

1. The wisdom power to distinguish principle from non-principle. The Buddha knows extremely clearly whether things are rational or irrational. He can distinguish what is principled from what is not, what is true from what is not.

2. The wisdom power to know the retributions for karma created in the three periods of time. The Buddha has the wisdom power to know the causes and effects and the retributions for karma created by all sentient beings in the three periods of time, which are the past, present and future. The Buddha is clear about the causes planted by sentient beings and understands the effects they produce. He knows why all sentient beings are born the way they are.

3. The wisdom power to know all dhyanas, liberations, and samadhis. The Buddha knows about all the kinds of dhyanas and liberations, as well as the various samadhis. The Buddha knows not just one dhyana and liberation, but limitlessly many dhyanas and liberations. Because of the Buddha’s unsurpassed, highest state, he can know all kinds of dhyanas and samadhis, and instantly experience them all.

4. The wisdom power to know the levels of the dispositions of all sentient beings. The Buddha can judge the natures and abilities of all sentient beings and know whether they are superior or inferior. He can tell whether sentient beings’ faculties are sharp or dull, and whether their capabilities are superior or inferior.

5. The wisdom power to know the various understandings. The Buddha has the wisdom power to know the various kinds of understandings of all sentient beings. The Buddha completely knows the different understandings of sentient beings as they really are.

6. The wisdom power to know the various realms. The Buddha knows all the different realms. Since sentient beings in the world haven’t realized the Ultimate Reality, their states are all different. However, the Buddha completely knows them as they actually are.

7. The wisdom power to know all the places reached. The Buddha knows all the places where sentient beings can go. If they practice the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds, they can be born in the human realm or in the heavens. If they practice the non-outflow Dharma of the Eightfold Proper Path, they will reach Nirvana. The Buddha knows all of these things.

8. The wisdom power of the unobstructed Heavenly Eye. The Buddha’s Heavenly Eye, which he uses to see the births, deaths, and good and bad karmic conditions of sentient beings, is completely free of obstructions.

9. The wisdom power to know previous lives and nonoutflows. The Buddha is totally clear about the past lives of sentient beings and sages, and he also knows the state of nonoutflows, nirvana.

10. The wisdom power to eternally sever habits. The Buddha has the wisdom to forever cut off all habits. Since the Buddha has perfected self-enlightenment, the enlightenment of others, and the enlightened conduct, he has completely put a stop to all false thoughts, delusions and habits, and they will never arise again.

These ten powers are the functioning of wisdom. Using these wisdom powers, the Buddha is able to manifest transformation bodies in response to the needs of sentient beings and go throughout the worlds to teach them. The Buddha’s Dharma-body pervades the Dharma Realm. Because of these ten wisdom powers, there is no sentient being, no world, and no place in the Dharma Realm that will be unable to receive the Buddha’s teaching.

Pervading the ten directions of the Dharma Realm. In all the other worlds throughout the ten directions, there is no place where the Buddha does not go to respond to and liberate sentient beings. No location in the Dharma Realm is left out. The Buddha’s state is unfathomable. He can exhaustively pervade the ten directions of the Dharma Realm.

His substance neither exists nor does not. The Buddha’s substance is not present anywhere, nor is it absent from anywhere. You cannot say the Buddha doesn’t exist, nor can you say the Buddha exists. The Buddha is and yet is not; he exists yet does not exist. The Buddha’s state transcends the notions of existence and non-existence, and is in a realm beyond explanation.

Spirit Contemplating All Directions enters thus. Day-ruling Spirit Contemplating All Directions and Universally Manifesting entered this passage into liberation.  

Sutra:

Sentient beings flow and turn in danger and difficulty.
In pity, the Thus Come One appears in the world,
Enabling them to wipe out suffering of every kind:
Power of Compassion dwells in this passage to liberation.

Commentary:

Sentient beings include you, me, and everyone else. We are all included in the designation “sentient beings.”You, me, and others are born from a multitude of conditions coming together, and so we are known as sentient beings [literally “multitude-born” in Chinese]. If one condition were lacking, we wouldn’t be born. It’s similar to the way planting grain in the earth requires various conditions. There’s the condition of the sky covering from above, and the condition of the earth supporting from below. Further required conditions are that there be water and soil. Another condition is that there be warmth—the sun must shine; and there’s the condition of coldness—at night it is colder. From such various conditions, grain can be produced. We sentient beings also need all sorts of conditions to be sentient beings. The essential ones are the conditions of a father and a mother who must come together to bring about birth. That’s what’s meant by “sentient beings.”

Sentient beings flow and turn in the world. This life they may be people, but next life they could be horses or cows. They could end up as horses, cows, sheep, chickens, dogs or pigs; it’s not fixed. Or perhaps they were horses, cows, sheep, chickens and dogs in their previous lives, but in this lifetime they’ve come back to being humans. Someone may have been a frog in his last life, or a mouse, some creatures that drew near a Way-place, where they daily heard the recitation of sutras, chanting of the Buddha’s name, and other such pure Dharma-sounds. Hearing those over a long enough period of time, the frog amassed merit and virtue, and so did the mouse. Since they had merit and virtue, they became people, not only did they become people, they even left home and became Bhikshus and Bhikshunis.

A few days ago I saw a left-home person who had previously been a toad, and a left-home person who had been a mouse. As a left-home person, the toad had a great reward of blessings, and was plump and stout. The mouse was skinny, but very intelligent. It may sound like a joke, but it really was that way, even though a spoken account of it seems hard to take seriously. If you really understand, you will know that the Dharma is true, actual, and not false. If after leaving home and being monks they create a lot of offenses, in the future they won’t even get to be toads or mice. If they have created such karma, the toad could turn into a dung beetle in a latrine, and the mouse might end up a worm in urine. They would fall like that from failing to cultivate merit and virtue. On the other hand, if they do have merit and virtue, things will go well, and their reward of blessings will increase. If they lack merit and virtue they will undergo the retribution of suffering. That’s known as “flowing and turning,” flowing back and forth and turning around and around. From being a toad, one becomes a person, and from being a person, one goes on to become a dung beetle in a latrine. One turns back and forth, round and round. If you do a good job, then things will improve each life. If you do badly, you’ll fall more and more with each rebirth.

We don’t have to talk about next life, just in your present life as a person, if every day you are more cheerful, more vigorous, and more resolved on the Way, then you will feel each day is happier than the day before. You will be sending down increasingly deep roots, and as the roots deepen, the foliage will grow all the more prolifically.

If, on the other hand, you don’t cultivate today, don’t apply effort the next day, and are even lazier the day after that, things will get worse day by day. Such behavior will itself proof that you have been like that for life after life.

In your cultivation of the Way, you make spurts of progress and sudden retreats. For every step you take forward, you take two steps backwards. The merit and virtue you cultivate is less than the karmic offenses you create. As a result, you are sure to fall. That’s called “flowing and turning.”On the road of flowing and turning, you are in danger and difficulty. It’s an extremely precarious path. Those of you who have heard the Earth Store Sutrashould know thatit’s like someone who encounters a dangerous road. On that perilous trail there are wolves, bears, tigers, panthers, lions, poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, all kinds of things. If you encounter a poisonous snake, you will be bitten to death by the poisonous snake. If you run into a wild beast, you will be bitten to death by the wild beast. That’s why beings are “in danger and difficulty.” It’s hazardous to the extreme.

In our own actions, we must be careful not to be jealous and not to wish for fame and benefit. If you are jealous, seek fame and profit, and cultivate the Way for the sake of fame and fortune, you are certain to fall. You may fall into the hells, or into the realms of hungry ghosts or animals. Why do we stress the paramita of patience in cultivation? If you can’t be patient, you would be better off dead. There’s no meaning to not being vigorous either. If you don’t understand principle, don’t comprehend the Buddhadharma, then each day will have less meaning, and you will fall lower and lower as each day passes. You’ll keep falling and falling until you end up in the dung pit, the latrine. This doesn’t mean the hygienically equipped lavatories of America . It means a toilet out in the countryside, a hole dug in the ground for human excrement and urine. Over time, it becomes infested with dung beetles. If, as a person, you are unbearably stinky, in the future you will go where there is nothing to smell but stench. Since you are unbearably stinky, all you smell will be foul odors in the latrine. This is very dangerous. Therefore beings are said to be in danger and difficulty.

In pity, the Thus Come One appears in the world. Why does the Buddha appear in the world? The Buddha appears in the world in order to teach and transform such stubborn and incorrigible sentient beings. Why does the Buddha want to appear in the world? The Buddha has pity and concern for all those sentient beings who are mixed up, confused, and unable to wake up. No matter how much you teach them, they won’t wake up. They insist on boring their way into the realms of the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. They seek to be friends with hungry ghosts. They wish to take animals as their parents. They continually yearn to try out the hells. That’s known as being in danger and difficulty. The Buddha out of sympathy and pity for such sentient beings appears in the world, enabling them to wipe out suffering of every kind.He helps all those beings to get rid of all their suffering. Then what will happen to them? They will attain bliss.

To be free of suffering is bliss. People who have no temper do not suffer. They won’t have afflictions or ignorance either. People who do not suffer are truly free. If you have a temper, afflictions, and ignorance, then you are punishing yourself, flogging yourself, and inflicting self-torment. You say to yourself, “You’re so happy, I’ll make it hard for you.” That’s self-punishment. Just as a criminal might be arrested and beaten forty times with a rod, a painful punishment that would rupture his skin and make him bleed, here you are administering that punishment to yourself. If you break the law, you could be arrested and sentenced to prison for several months, several years, or even for life. Those are all punishments. Now no one is punishing you, but you punish yourself and give yourself trouble. Since you don’t get along with yourself, you make yourself suffer. If you can practice according to the teachings, cutting off ignorance and getting rid of afflictions so there is not a trace of temper, then you achieve paramita. Power of Compassion dwells in this passage to liberation. Spirit Awesome Power of Great Compassion dwells in this passage into liberation. He understands and cultivates this Dharma.

Just now when I spoke about the toad and the mouse, some people had doubts and wondered, “How do you know he was a toad? How do you know he was a mouse?” This is very easy. Anyone who works hard at cultivation of the Way can know such things. For example, when an animal is reborn as a person, in its first lifetime after having been an animal, what it was before will appear behind its back. However, you need a wise teacher with clarity of vision to know about this situation. If you want to know, then you should quickly apply effort in cultivation and become a clear-sighted, wise teacher, and this will be known to you. It won’t be hard at all. So, you shouldn’t have doubts about this question.

If you want to know what you were in your previous life, just take a look at the things you do each day, and you will know. If you are inclined to do good deeds and follow the rules, then it’s certain you had good roots in your past life. If you dislike following the rules and doing good, you certainly lacked good roots in your past life. Once you have left the home-life, you must adhere to the precepts and work hard at cultivation. Don’t let a single second pass by in vain. You have a fixed practice, and when the time comes to practice it, you must do so, no matter how hard it is or how tired you are. Even if you are really tired, really suffering, you still have to use effort in cultivating your Dharma. You must be sincere not just for one day, but every day. You have to be patient not just for one day, but every day. You can’t endure it? If you can’t endure it, you won’t pass the test. This is something in which you won’t be able to cheat people even a little bit.

And so, cultivators of the Way, if you see left-home people who follow the rules and hold the precepts very exactly, those are wise teachers. If they don’t hold the precepts or follow the rules, but are always mischievous and naughty, it’s certain they are people who lack good roots. How can you tell what they were in their previous lives? Just see whether they follow the rules. Those who follow the rules all have good roots. Those who don’t follow the rules may have some good roots, but they are throwing them away. Therefore, people’s eyes are mirrors. You direct the mirror outside, but you should also turn it around and introspect. Focus it on yourself. Don’t be like a camera that has great spiritual powers and even greater ability. With one pop of the flashbulb it can take the picture of the person in front of it. But if you tell the camera to take a picture of itself, it can’t. That’s what makes it an inanimate object—it can’t turn its focus around and direct it on itself. However, if you can take pictures of other people and also take your own picture, then you have something going for you. Therefore, cultivators, whether left-home people or lay people, need to reverse the focus and reflect on themselves. If you can do so, eventually your work will succeed. But if you can’t reverse the focus and reflect on yourself, frankly speaking, you’re wasting your time.

Sutra:

Sentient beings are shrouded in darkness, sunken in endless night.
The Buddha speaks Dharma for them, ushering the dawn of understanding,
So that they may attain bliss and vanquish their sufferings:
Spirit Great Light of Goodness enters this door.  

Commentary:

Sentient beings are shrouded in darkness, sunken in endless night. Those beings are plunged into night that goes on forever. What is this talking about? It refers to how, when there is no Buddha in the world, sentient beings are in a world of darkness, shrouded by the darkness of ignorance. Since they are shrouded by darkness and there is no light, for them it is like night. Their being sunken in it means they have fallen into the three evil paths, where there is no light. The three evil paths are the path of hell-beings, the path of hungry ghosts, and the path of animals. Those three evil destinies are brought about by offenses committed through greed, anger, and delusion. Greed leads one into the path of hungry ghosts, anger takes one to the path of hell-beings, and delusion brings one to the path of animals. Animals are incredibly dull and confused, and it is not easy for them to wake up and understand. One falls into those three evil paths as a result of offenses committed in greed, anger, and delusion. That’s described as being “sunken in endless night.” It’s as if it were always nighttime.  

The Buddha speaks Dharma for them, ushering the dawn of understanding. Not only are sentient beings who have fallen into the three evil paths that way, even beings in the three good paths are shrouded by ignorance and lack wisdom. The Buddha sees such sentient beings as extremely lamentable, pitiable indeed. What does the Buddha do for such pitiful sentient beings? The Buddha speaks the Dharma for them so that understanding dawns upon them. He leads all beings away from confusion and back to enlightenment, so that they renounce their deviant ways and follow what is right, bring forth the resolve for bodhi, and ultimately realize Buddhahood. Therefore, the text says “ushering the dawn of understanding.” He helps sentient beings understand true principle, so they do not commit offenses. He leads them to put an end to greed, anger, and delusion; diligently cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom; and truly apply faith, vows and practice. Hence understanding dawns upon them.

So that they may attain bliss and vanquish all sufferings. The Buddha teaches and transforms all sentient beings, enabling them to escape from suffering and achieve bliss. They get rid of all their sufferings, so none remain. Spirit Great Light of Goodness enters this door. Spirit Great Light of Goodness attained this Dharma and entered this passage into liberation. He achieved this state in which he understands how the Buddha appears in the world for the sake of all sentient beings.

Sutra:

The Tathagata’s blessings resemble the void:
From them, all blessings in the world flow forth.
Nothing done is ever done in vain:
Flower Garlands attains this liberation.  

Commentary:

The Tathagata’s blessings resemble the void. All the blessings of the Tathagata are pure blessings, whereas all the blessings that sentient beings have are impure blessings. Impure blessings arise from pure blessings. How great are the pure blessings, ultimately? What are their length and breadth? Do they have limits? No. That’s why the Buddha’s blessings are said to resemble the void—empty space. How much space would you say there is? Does it have an amount? No. It is boundless, limitless, and immeasurable. The Buddha’s pure, world-transcending blessings are that way too. They are just like the void. No amount can be reckoned, and no limit can be found. Hence they are said to be like the void.

From them, all blessings in the world flow forth. Worldly blessings are impure, but impure blessings are produced from pure ones. All worldly blessings arise from the Buddha’s pure blessings. Nothing done is ever done in vain. No matter what you do, you will have the corresponding reward of blessings. It won’t be to no avail. Your reward of blessings is produced from the Buddha’s pure blessings, but it also takes your going ahead and performing that wholesome merit and virtue, doing all kinds of good deeds, establishing various types of merit and many sorts of virtue. If you perform many good deeds, you will have blessings. If you establish a large amount of merit, you will have blessings too. There are also blessings to be obtained from establishing a significant amount of virtue.

Most people in the world only know about blessings in the present, and don’t know about nurturing blessings for the future. Where have your present blessings come from? They have come about from careful planting and nurturing during limitless eons in the past. Since you planted a great variety of good roots, established a considerable quantity of merit, and acted in many virtuous ways, as a result, in this life, you have the reward of blessings, everything is very perfect, and you are successful. That being the case, you ought to continue to base yourself on your reward of blessing from the past to cultivate blessings for the future. That’s known as adding blessings to blessings, continuing blessings on top of blessings. Then your reward of blessings will be even greater in future lives. If, however, you do not continue to do good deeds, establish merit or cultivate virtue, but simply use up your blessings, then in your future lives you will have to undergo suffering.

That’s the reason for the saying, “Enduring suffering puts an end to suffering, whereas enjoying blessings uses up blessings.” These two lines are extremely important. If each of you can remember that by enduring suffering, you put an end to suffering, but that enjoying blessings exhausts your blessings, then you will continue to use effort. You won’t just think of enjoying blessings and avoiding suffering. If you understand this principle, then you have understood the principle of being a person. Therefore, the text says that nothing which one does is ever in vain. Everything you do has its corresponding result. If you plant good causes, you will reap good results. If the causes you plant are bad, the results you harvest will be bad. This is tremendously important.

For example, if you are filial to your parents, your children will be filial to you in turn. But regardless of whether your own children are filial to you or not, you ought to be filial to your own parents. From the traditional Chinese point of view, whoever is filial to his or her parents is the best kind of person.

However, in modern society, there are many who do not practice filial behavior. Why has this happened? It’s because the parents are incompetent parents, and so the offspring they beget are unfilial. In this country, if you advocate filiality, most of the young people will oppose it. But if you urge them to be hippies [Note: This was in 1973] and take drugs, they are delighted and everyone thinks that’s excellent. If you encourage them to go downhill, they think it’s the best thing. Things in this world are very strange! One country says something is legal, but in another country it is illegal, and to do it is to break the law. You can observe how young people in this country who grow their hair exceptionally long are considered progressive, up-to-date, and modern. But in some other countries, excessively long hair is forbidden, and if you let your hair grow that long you break the law. In the same way, one country is displeased with filial behavior, whereas the customs of the citizens in another land welcome the practice of filiality. It’s very hard to explain the way things are in the world, and no single principle can account for them all.

In the past, there was no real Buddhism in the West, but people didn’t feel that was a bad state of affairs. And now that there is Buddhism, people don’t feel that it is particularly good. Living beings are very mixed up. Sometimes they think what is true is false, and sometimes they consider what is false to be true. Consequently, you can’t explain everything, or even one thing, completely in terms of a single principle. And yet, the Buddha can explain things completely. If you commit offenses, you will fall into the three evil paths, but if you perform wholesome merit, you can transcend the Three Realms. That’s why the text says that nothing done is ever in vain. It’s never off in the least. If you plant good causes, you will harvest good results.

Garlands of Flowers attains this liberation. The passage into liberation just described, and this kind of principle, is the dharma door that Day-ruling Spirit Lovely Flower Garlands understands and cultivates.

Knowing how to listen is better than knowing how to speak. If you know how to listen, then when I mention earth, you realize, “Oh, it’s like that in heaven.” If you don’t know how to listen, then when I mention heaven, you just think," Oh, in heaven there are stars and the sun and moon, and it’s just that way.” You won’t understand the questions of earth. What is heaven? Father is heaven. And what is earth? Mother is earth. One’s parents are heaven and earth, and they are living Buddhas. That’s why there is a saying that goes:

If you are not filial to your parents,
The Buddha won’t appreciate your bowing to him.

If you are unfilial to your father and mother, even if you bow to the Buddha, it won’t make him happy. For that reason, you should do your utmost to be filial. Filiality is the basis for being a person. If you nurture the root, the branches and leaves will flourish naturally. That’s why Confucius said, “The superior person pays attention to the root. When the root is established, then the Way comes forth.” A person of high caliber concentrates on what is fundamental. Once what is fundamental is successfully set up, the Way will emerge. What is the root? “Are not filiality and respect for siblings the root of being humane?” Being filial to one’s parents and having respect for and caring about one’s brothers is the root of being humane. Therefore, Buddhists should start from the root. That’s my hope for all of you.

Sutra:

Moreover, Night-ruling Spirit Pure Light of Universal Virtue gained a passage into liberation of great valor resulting from the bliss of still dhyana-samadhi.  

Commentary:

Moreover indicates that the principle under discussion before, but not completed, is being discussed some more, and so there is next mention of the Night-ruling Spirit Pure Light of Universal Virtue. All of these Night-ruling Spirits are the kalyana-mitra, “good friends” of the Youth Good Wealth (Sudhana). They are all Bodhisattvas prior to the Seventh Ground, and are the best friends of the Youth Good Wealth. “Pure Light of Universal Virtue” is the name of this Night-ruling Spirit. “Universal Virtue” refers to how her virtuous nature is all-pervasive. She universally benefits sentient beings, rescues them everywhere, and pervasively inspires them to bring forth the great resolve for bodhi. That explains “Universal Virtue.” She is also called “Pure Light.” Her light is pure and unobstructed. From within her light, further lights appear. There is additional radiation of lights coming from lights. They appear in infinite and unending beams, which is ineffably wonderful.

How can nights have spirits? The text talked about day spirits before, and since there are day spirits, there also must be night spirits. This Night-ruling Spirit watches to see if sentient beings create offenses during the night. If so, she records them, and in the future those beings will undergo their just retributions. Sometimes when she sees that sentient beings’ wrongdoings are slight, she doesn’t record them, and acts as if she doesn’t know. She watches over the three periods of the night: its beginning, middle, and end.

This Night-ruling Spirit gained a passage into liberation great valor resulting from the bliss of dhyana-samadhi. One aspect of stillness means being still and unmoving, and the other aspect means being still and penetrating. As it’s said, “When one is still to the utmost, then the light penetrates.” When you are still to the ultimate point, then the light of wisdom manifests. “When one is still and unmoving, the response accordingly penetrates.” Being still refers to how, “All dharmas from their origin are always characterized by still quiescence.” Stillness also means a still and quiet place. From stillness one can attain the bliss of dhyana-samadhi. One might have dhyana without samadhi, or samadhi without dhyana.

Dhyana is a Sanskrit word translated as “stilling reflection.” It is because you still reflection that you can have dhyana. Without the stilling of reflection, there is no dhyana. Samadhi means unmovingness. Not to move is samadhi. If you move, there’s no samadhi.

One takes the joy of dhyana as one’s food, and dhyana-samadhi appears. When you sit in meditation, that’s called sitting in dhyana-meditation. Dhyana requires seated meditation. If you sit, your skill can emerge. That’s not to say that you fall asleep as soon as you sit down, that you lean against the wall behind you and sleep. That’s not sitting in dhyana-meditation; it’s sleeping through dhyana-meditation. Sleep is not dhyana. For dhyana, you can’t sleep. The bliss of dhyana-samadhi refers to entering samadhi, which is different from sleeping. When you sleep, you have already abandoned your awareness and are no longer cognizant. You sleep all muddled and don’t know anything that’s going on. That’s sleep, not samadhi. When you are seated in samadhi, your back is very straight, and so is your head. You wouldn’t put your head down or have a bent neck. When you enter samadhi, you are seated upright. You don’t fall over to one side.

What does “samadhi-power” refer to? When you enter samadhi, that samadhi has strength to it. The strength sustains your body so it doesn’t slump or slant, bend forward or lean backward. That’s when you attain the skill and power of dhyana-samadhi. When you are in samadhi, you experience a bliss that is inexpressible and indescribable. It transcends mental reflection and consideration. Therefore it is said: “The path of language is cut off, and the place of the mind’s workings is ended.” You achieve that kind of bliss of dhyana-samadhi, a bliss that continues uninterrupted.

There is in addition a passage into liberation of great valor. When you have the bliss of dhyana-samadhi, a valiant resolve arises in you. This is not an ordinary valiant resolve, but a great one, just as the bliss is great bliss of dhyana-samadhi. That valiant vigor is very solid. It is very powerful. No other force can stop it, and so this is called the passage into liberation of great valor. This Night-ruling Spirit Pure Light of Universal Virtue gained such a passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Happy Eyes Observing the World gained a passage into liberation of characteristics of extensive purity and enchanting meritorious virtue.  

Commentary:

The next Night-ruling Spirit is named Happy Eyes Observing the World. Her eyes are always happy. She would never scowl or glare with anger. Her eyes always look happy, and she uses them to contemplate all sentient beings in the world—hence her name. She gained a passage into liberation of characteristics of extensive purity and enchanting meritorious virtue. Her purity is described as extensive because it extends throughout all of space and to the utmost reaches of the Dharma Realm. And since she uses happy eyes to observe the beings in the world, sentient beings are all fond of and enchanted by this Night-ruling Spirit. All sentient beings are characterized by meritorious virtue, and these are characteristics of perfect meritorious virtue. She gained that kind of passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Protecting the World’s Essence and Energy gained a passage into liberation of universally manifesting in worlds to tame sentient beings.  

Commentary:

The next Night-ruling Spirit is named Protecting the World’s Essence and Energy. She protects the essence and energy of all sentient beings, so they do not casually squander or lose their essence and energy—hence she has that name. This Night-ruling Spirit vowed to guard and save the essence and energy of sentient beings.

She gained a passage into liberation of universally manifesting in worlds to tame and subdue sentient beings. She appears in worlds everywhere. “Every evocation penetrates, and no request is unanswered.” Why does she universally appear in worlds? It is to tame and subdue sentient beings. Why do beings need subduing? It’s because sentient beings are stubborn. Their egos are too strong. They are attached to their egos and self-images, and are unwilling to suffer the slightest loss. They feel, “This is mine, and that belongs to me. I won’t let myself take a loss or undergo suffering.” Those are all signs of stubbornness and attachment. This Night-ruling Spirit vowed to tame and subdue such sentient beings, leading them to enter this passage into liberation and obtain its benefits.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Sound of the Tranquil Sea gained a passage into liberation of accumulating immense happiness in the mind.

Commentary:

Sound of the Tranquil Sea: Tranquil means silent, without a sound, and still, the opposite of moving. That is, there are no waves in this sea anymore, so it is called the Tranquil Sea . The sea has also entered samadhi. The sound of the tranquil sea is not heard, and yet it is also heard. It is the sound of silence. Tranquility has no sound. This Night-ruling Spirit is extremely quiet and still. She doesn’t make any noise at night, and so she is the Night-ruling Spirit Sound of the Tranquil Sea.

She gained a passage into liberation of accumulating immense happiness in the mind. The vast, great happiness was accumulated bit by bit, until it became a great quantity. Everyone knows that happiness is a good thing. Sometimes, though, we become sad and depressed. Why do we become unhappy? It’s simply because we have not accumulated immense happiness in our minds. If you could accumulate vast happiness, you would not be depressed. “The spirits and immortals from of old had no other method: they were immensely happy and never worried.” Spirits and immortals are carefree and independent, and their happiness is boundless. Why? It’s because their minds are joyful. Why do we sentient beings suffer and get afflicted? It’s because our minds are sad. So we are not always happy. This Night-ruling Spirit obtained the samadhi of immense happiness and entered the passage into liberation of immense happiness.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Universally Manifesting Good Auspices gained a passage into liberation of being profoundly carefree and endowed with delightful speech and sound.  

Commentary:

The next Night-ruling Spirit is named Universally Manifesting Good Auspices. Everyone likes what is auspicious and dislikes that which is inauspicious. Good auspices are lucky phenomena, as opposed to unlucky events. With auspicious phenomena, things work out just the way you want them to. It’s when everything goes your way. Nothing unlucky happens. If you encounter this Night-ruling Spirit, you’re sure to be lucky and happy. That’s why the Night-ruling Spirit is named Universally Manifesting Good Auspices. She makes auspicious phenomena, lucky signs, appear everywhere. She gained a passage into liberation of being profoundly carefree and endowed with delightful speech and sound. “Profoundly carefree” means being exceptionally free and at ease. “Delightful” indicates a constant feeling of happiness. “Speech and sound” in her name refers to all the words and sounds one hears, which bring immense delight to the mind. That’s the passage into liberation that this Night-ruling Spirit obtained.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Universally Blooming Flowers of Trees gained a passage into liberation of creating a treasury of measureless merriment and fullness of light.  

Commentary:

The next Night-ruling Spirit is named Universally Blooming Flowers of Trees because she can make all trees put forth blooms simultaneously. She gained a passage into liberation of creating a treasury of measureless merriment and fullness of light. This light pervades the Dharma Realm, which is the meaning of “fullness.” That there is a “treasury” of measureless merriment indicates the happiness is infinite and unending. The happiness keeps unfolding layer after layer, and never stops. She entered that kind of passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Night-ruling Spirit Impartially Protecting and Nurturing gained a passage into liberation of enlightening sentient beings and bringing their good roots to maturity.  

Commentary:

The Night-ruling Spirit named Impartially Protecting and Nurturing protects and instructs all sentient beings equally so they can achieve enlightenment and realize the fruition. That’s why she is called Impartially Protecting and Nurturing. She doesn’t discriminate among sentient beings, but rather looks upon them with kindly eyes, and protects, teaches and nurtures them all equally. For that reason the text says she gained a passage into liberation of enlightening sentient beings. She enables sentient beings to open up the knowledge and vision of a Buddha, disclose the knowledge and vision of a Buddha, awaken to the knowledge and vision of a Buddha, and enter the knowledge and vision of a Buddha. Opening, disclosing, awakening to and entering the knowledge and vision of a Buddha brings enlightenment.

Hence the passage into liberation is called enlightening sentient beings and bringing their good roots to maturity. If sentient beings’ good roots are not yet ripe, she vows to save those beings and make their good roots ripen. This covers enabling sentient beings who have not yet planted good roots to plant them; enabling sentient beings who have already planted good roots to have those good roots increase and grow; enabling sentient beings whose good roots have already increased and grown to have those good roots ripen to maturity; and enabling sentient beings whose good roots have already matured to achieve liberation. Therefore, bringing their good roots to maturity means the perfect accomplishment of those good roots. She obtained that kind of passage into liberation.

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