The Merit and Virtue from First Bringing Forth the Mind

Chapter Seventeen

 

 

Sutra:

It is because he desires to exhaustively know the afflictions of the share of greed, the afflictions of the share of anger, the afflictions of the share of stupidity, and afflictions of the share of an equal share of all of these, and to cut off the root of all afflictions.

Commentary:

This explains why the Bodhisattva wants to bring forth the mind for Bodhi. The Bodhisattva wishes to teach and transform livings, but in order to do so, he has to understand living beings’ root natures. Understanding living beings’ root natures is understanding their desires, what living beings like. And so the text says. It is because he desires to exhaustively know the afflictions of the share of greed. The Bodhisattva wants to understand how much greed and desire each living being has, if they have a lot of afflictions. However, if greed and desire are small, ten afflictions are few. There are those who have greed for fame, and those who have greed for gain. Those who have greed for fame die by fire. Those who have greed for gain die by fire. Those who have greed for gain die by water. Fame harms people and so does gain, but people do not recognize this, so they give rise to greed for them.

There are those who have greed for wealth, greed for sex, greed for food, and greed for sleep. Therefore, wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep are the five roots of the hells. Going back and forth in greed, you don’t know when you will fall into the hells. In the world there are two kinds of people: those who have gred for fame and those who have greed for gain. As one who has left the home life, you may have greed to become a great monk; you may have greed to become a great Dharma Master; and when one becomes old, then one has greed to be an elder monk.

There are those who are greed to be the most famous Dharma Masters in the world, and there are those who are greedy to the most powerful Dharma Masters, that is, with the most money. But they don’t know that being greedy to be an elder Dharma Master is not far from being greedy to be a dead Dharma Master. They don’t know that greedy people die from greed. Those who have greed for sex, die in sex. Those who have greed for fame, die in fame. Those who have greed for eating, die in eating. Those who have greed for sleep, die in sleep. The more one sleeps the more confused one becomes. The more confused one gets the more one wants to sleep, until this reaches the point that one dies in one’s sleep. So the people who fast want to cure their sickness of greed for eating.

Whoever doesn’t wish to solely seek fame should cure their disease of greed for fame. Whoever doesn’t want to have a lot of sexual desire, ever doesn’t want to have lot sexual desire, should break up his or her thoughts of sexual desire. People use thoughts of reverence to get rid of thoughts of sexual desire. You do not want to neglect the practice of reverence. Using reverence to cure desire is the work of the sage.

The sage also has desire, but his desire is to use reverence to cure desire. He doesn’t move with thoughts of desire. He doesn’t let his thoughts of desire run wild. So he is able to become a sage. Regarding wealth, money and don’t pay attention to whether it is true or false. If you see it as false, and yet you still want to keep it, that is permissible. And if it is true, isn’t that even better? If you truly maintain the precept against holding money, that is cutting off one of the five rots to the hells, which are wealth, sex, fame, eating and sleeping, and then you won’t run off into the hells. Wealth, sex, fame, eating and sleeping are the five roots of hell. If you have a lot of money, when you die, you can’t take a single penny with you. So even if you have greed for it, what use is it?

Sex is the manifestation of ignorance. It is practiced by stupid people. So what’s so special about it?

Fame is also false. So I always tell you, if someone asks me what my name is, I say I have many names. One is An Tzu, another is “the living dead person.”another is Tu Lun, another is “the monk in the grave,” and another is Hsuan Hua. All of these names are false names. None are true. Ultimately, want is my true name? My true name is "living being.” And another of my true names is “Buddha.” Why? Because living beings can become Buddhas. I have vowed that I will wait untill all lving beings have become Buddhas before I become a Buddha. Can you say this name is incorrect? I am also called “mind,” because living beings, and the Buddha, do not go beyond a single thought of the mind. So ”mind” is also one of my true names. Mind, Buddha, and living beings- - these three have no difference. So they are my true names. If someone asks you, "who is your teacher?” say,

“My teacher is a living being.”

“Who is your teacher?”

“Buddha.”

“Our minds.”

With the exception of these three, all others are false names. Yet, if you’re attached to these, that is also a mistake. They are all false. So you want to get rid of the affliction of greed and desire that is, the “share of greed.”

The affliction of the share of anger. Hatred means having anger. Why is there hatred? It is because of greed. You hate whoever doesn’t fulfill you wishes or whoever does not satisfy your greedy intentions. When you give rise to hatred, the other person wants to give rise to hatred, the other person wants to fight with you. Perhaps you will die or perhaps you live. When country fights country, it is because of greed. If there there wasn’t any greed and there weren’t two people who are angry with one another, then who would fight with who? No one would be fighting. Fighting between two countries comes about because of the fighting between the rules of those countries.

You feel that the goverment officials of my country have done you wrong, and I feel that your country’s officicals have done me wrong. So there’s mutual dissension and finghting. When there’s mutual dissension and fighting. When there’s mutual greed for each other’s gains, fighting arises. I may have greed for your country’s gains, and you son’t relinquish them to me. Or perhaps you wish to obtain the gain of my country, and I don’t want to cocede them to you. As a result, there is fighting. Countries go to war and the citizens who die are immeasurable and limitless in number. People die just because they wish to obtain a little advantage. This is the affliction of hatred.

Next is the afflictions of the share of stupidity. Stupidity is being stupid and dumb. Stupidity is having no concern for anything, and not having any knowledge of principles. One’s mind is mixed up and confused, without any regard of concern for anything at all. Therefore, one kills, starts fires, or steals. One would do anything. One dies not consider whether it is right or wrong; one just goes and does it. This is the affliction of stupidity, and these are all stupid actions.

And there is the afflictions of the share of an equal share of all of these- - an equal proportion of greed, anger, and stupidity, and others. For example, there is already so much greed, so much hatred, and so much stupidity, yet you open them up and expand them, so that they expand to become one million, or a hundred million afflictions- - so many that they are innumerable! So,the Bodhisattva wishes to know about all these kinds of afflictions, And to cut off the root of all afflictions. The Bodhisattva wises to cut off all the fundamental afflictions. What are the fundamental afflictions? They are greed, hatred, and stupidity. If one were to speak of them in great detail,one could not speak of them to the end, even exhausting the limits of the futrure.

Because the Flower Adornment Sutra is so long, I am just speaking about them in general. But if you know just a little bit then you can expand it and come to understand the many kinds of afflictions. However, you don’t want to keep a lot of afflictions. You want to cut them off. The important point is right here: you don’t keep them; you cut them off. Considering afflictions as being like eating vegetable dumplings that you like is a big mistake!

This year we are beginning a triple Ch’an session. Our Ch’an sessions are a little different than other peoples’. You are all whole heartedly participating in this Ch’an session. During the Ch’an session you don’t want to strike up an false thinking. You want to take your false thinking and beat it to death. Then your wisdom will come forth. You want to turn back to wisdom will come forth. You want to turn back to the origin and return to the source and rediscover your fundamentally existent wisdom.

Every person has wisdom but he or she is unable to use it. If no one tells you how to use your wisdom, then you won’t even know that you have this wisdom. It is just like gold within a gold mine. If you don’t use effort (kung fu). Then the gold connot appear. Now within the mind of each one of us there is true and actual wisdom: just the same as there is gold within a gold mine. If you find it then you can use it. If you are able to use it,then your wisdom light will appear. So the advantage of a Ch’an session is that we can rediscover our fundamentally existent wisdom.

Right now there are still people who are both fasting and participating in this Ch’an session. This is something which has never happened before. I believe there has never been anything like this in the whole world. there have never been people who are so vigorous that they fast and attend a Ch’an session at the same time. This is inconceivable. So everything we do at Gold Mountain Monastery is something which has never been in the world before. These things do things like this in China.

In China the Ch’an session are not Ch’an sessions: they are vegetable dumpling session. They all want to eat vegetable dumplings. In the evening each person gets two big dumplings. Each dumpling is so heavy it weighs a pound. Why do they come to strike up a session? They want to strike at the vegeable dumplings. In the evening in the Ch’an hall they have vegeable dumplings, and also sesame oil. Now we don’t have vegetable dumplings or sesame oil, and we do not eat in the evening, or in the morning either. If you can’t take it, you can go steal a little food to eat. But publically no one eats. This is something which has never happened before in the world. I believe that when the Buddha was in the world, only earnest cultivators were like this.

As to those who are fasting, this is called having patience with what one cannot be patient with. To being with, everyone certainly wants to eat, and those who are fasting are being patient with the desire for food. Further, we are patient with the greed for sex. It is said. The desires for food and sex are natural. "Eating and sexual desire come naturally. As soon as one is born, one understands these things. Sex is a man seeking s woman of woman seeking a man. This longing is not easy to endure. Going without food is not easy to endure and not being involved with the opposite sex is not easy to endure. Yet here we are able to be patient with them. We are able to be patient with all of these problems. We are able to bear what we can’t bear.

By not eating things, although one is hungry, one is forging one’s indesrructible vajra body. If, during this second time, you are able to fast for 36 days, then the third time you can fast for 72 days, and the fourth time you can do it for half of a year. And the fifth time you can fast for one year or two years without any problem.Then if there is a famine, and there is nothing for people to eat, you can sit there in meditation, and you won’t die. You see, isn’t this wondrous? This is just forging away; being patient when one cannot be patient, yielding where one cannot yield, and taking what one cannot take.

One may say, "A man needs a woman, yet I want to be patient with this stuation.” What does “need” means? Don’t debate with yourself saying a mate, it will certainly be unbearable. Yet you want to bear what is unbearable. If you want to cultivate the Way you have to get rid of these bad habits and faults. If you can get rid of these bad habits and faults, then you certainly will become awakened. You will certainly "understand the mind and see the nature.” So this year during our Ch’an session there should certainly be people who will open a great enlghtenment. If no one opens a gteat enlightenment, that’s too pathetic!

So, each person wants to take their false thinking and beat it to death. You con’t want to have false thinking. You should reach the state where "not even one thought is produced, and the entire substance manifests.” You don’t want your six sense organs to move. Movement is just stillness. Stillness is movement. This is called stillness and movement having one entrance. Don’t have false thinking; then this Ch’an session will not be wasted.

Sutra:

It is because he desires to completely know the afflictions of self, the afflictions of what belongs to self, the afflictions of the arrogance of self, and to enlighten to all afflictions exhaustively without remainder. It is because he desires to completely know both the fundamental afflictions and subsidiary afflictions which are produced from upside-down discriminations. It is because he wishes to subdue all afflictions, there being sixty-two kinds of views that arise from the view of a body

Commentary:

It is because he desires to completely know the afflictions of self. If people have a sense of self then they have afflictions, and if one does not have a self, then one has no afflictions. But most people cannot put down the self, and because they cannot put down the self, and because they cannot put down the self, all kinds of affflitions arise. The afflictions of what belongs to self. If you have a self, then you have what belongs to self: “This belongs to me; that is mine; that also belongs to me.” These are all afflictions. The afflictions of the arrogance of self. “arrogance” means being proud. One thinks that oneself has more ability than other people, so one gives rise to a kind of arrogance about one’s ability. This leads to afflictions. The Bodhisattva wishes to understand this, and to enlighten to all afflictions exhaustively without remainder. He is able to enlighten to all afflictions as being empty. They all are non-existent. If you have afflictions, then you have attachments and you will create karma. But if afflictions are empty, then karma will also be empty. All karma is create from afflictions.

It is because he desires to completely know both the fundamental afflictions and subsidiary afflictions which are produced from upside down discriminations. All afflictions arise from greed, anger and stupidity, also from selfishness and ignorance. These are the fundamental afflictions. Upside down discriminations produce these fundamental afflictions, which in turn give rise to subsidiary afflictions. Also, it is because he wishes to subdue all afflictions, there being sixty-two kinds of views that arise from the view of a body. Greed, hatred, and stupidity further give rise to evil views. In general, evil views can be divided into five types, which are:

• the view of a body,
• extreme views,
• views concerning precepts,
• views of views, and
• deviant views.

From the view of a body there arise the 62 kinds of improper views. These are simply baseless theories dreamed up by those of outside ways and heterodox persuasions who have no understanding of what form is, yet cling to these views which are nonsense.

The Sixty-two categories of improper views involve four propsitions with regard to the five skandhas: form, feeling, thinking, activity and consciousness. Applied to the first, the form skandha, the for propsitions go;

• Form is great, I am small: I am within Form.
• Form is small, I am great: Form is within me.
• Form is me.
• I am apart from form.

In order to arrive at 62, the same four proppositions can also be applied to each of the remaining four skandhas (feeling, thinking, activity, and consciouseness), giving twenty views. Each of the twenty can be held in one of the three periods of time (past, present, and future). Add the view of permanence and the view of annihilationism, and that makes sixty-two improper views.

Outline of the sixty-two views

(Each skandha) is great, I am small: I am within (each skandha).

2. (Each skandha) is small, I am great: (each skandha) is within me.  

3. (Each skandha) is me.

4. I am apart from (each skandha).  

4 propositions X 5 skandhas X 3 periods of time = 60

Permanence 1

Annihilationsm 1/62

These 62 kinds of views arise because someone is looking for something to do when there is nothing to do; and because of discrimination, afflictions arise. All of the 62 views are afflictions. If you can subdue these 62 views then you can subdue all afflictions. Do you understand? So you can’t say that they are real. To think there are the 62 views is a false consideration. These views arise from false considerations and they are not real. They are only names without any real meaning. With these names there arise the 62 views and all kinds of afflictions.

The Bodhisattva wishes to subdue all afflictions that arise from the 62 kinds of improper views. Therefore he brings forth the Bodhi mind. You should subdue all afflictions in this way. But you don’t want to think that there are really 62 views. How can one tell that they do not really exist? If you look in the Su Ch'ao you will see the character chi which means to reckon. Yu reckon “form is me. I have form. form is me. I am in form.” Isn’t this right? And so only through discriminations there arise the 62 views. The Buddha,in order to accord with people’s considerations, spoke of the 62 views to break up their afflictions. He said, "since you have 62 views, you have all kinds of afflictions.”

Sutra:

It is because he desires to completely know the afflictions of coverings and the afflictions of obstructions, that he brings forth a mind of great compassion and of rescuing and protecting. And it is in order to cut asunder the net of all afflictions and to cause the nature of all wisdom to be purified, that he brings forth the mind for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi.

Commentary:

It is because he desires to completely know the afflictions of coverings and the afflictions of obstructions. Because of covering,there arise afflictions. Afflictions belong to darkness (yin), and obscurity, like when the sun can’t be seen. The sun belongs to yang. Our basically bright natures are covered by the five kinds of black clouds of greed and desire. An example of this greed and desire is when a man feels he has to go look for a girlfriend, and a woman feels she has to look for boyfriend.

By seeking sonething you become ”covered.” What is covered? The wisdom of your self-nature, and the self-nature’s pure light. This is like the sun in space, which gets covered up by five clouds. This covering causes you to give rise to afflictions, and it is analogous to a man trying to find a girlfriend. Because he looks but can’t find one, he tries all kinds of methods to find one. He runs off to the church to find one,to the flower garden, or to the bus station, or to the grocery store, or to a movie show, or to a musical play, or to a dance. He can’t find a girlfriend, so he gives rise to afflictions. Wouldn’t you say this is a covering?

And there is also anger. After giving rise to the affliction of anger, one sees that there is just no way to find a girlfriend and so one goes to sleep. One only wants to sleep and eat. This is called muddled sleep. When one sleeps until one is totally confused, then restlessness arises. When restlessness comes, one doesn’t know anything. One doesn’t know what is right of wrong. From restlessnes arise more doubts, so that one doesn’t believe anything at all. So because greed and desire are not fulfillid, there arise five kinds of coverings.

Also, there’s another way to explain them. What are the five kinds of black clouds? They are wealth sex, fame food, and sleep. If you have greed for wealth, or sex, or fame, or food, or sleep, you cover up upor own wisdom-nature. Those are the five coverings.

How would you explain the affliction of obstructions? If you don’t know, just that is an obstruction, which produces afflictions like when you say, "I don’t know.” To know it is also an obstruction- -the obstruction of knowledge. The obstruction of knowledge is just not knowing. Because of knowledge, one knows too much, so that what one knows also becomes a kind of obstruction, This is an attachment to dharmas. You may say the affliction of obstruction is a kind of attachment to a self. There are two kinds of obstructions.

You can also add the three obstructions, that is, the obstruction of afflictions, the obstruction of karma, and the obstruction of retribution. Ultimately, how many of these obstructions are there? However many you wish to say. So this is the affliction of obstruction. It’s because there are the afflictions of coverings and the afflictions of obstruction, all of which are very heavy afflictions, that he brings forth a mind of great compassion and of rescuing and protecting. A mind of great compassion is a mind of great kindness and compasion. It is also a mind of sympathy and pity for living beings.

So it is said, ”Compassion pulls beings out of suffering.” It takes living beings out of suffering. This is the mind of great compassion. A mind of great compassion does not see people’s faults. Therefore it is also said, "All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not see the faults of living beings,” which is the manifestation of the mind of great compassion. This is the mind of great compassion flowing forth. The mind of “rescuing and protection”is the mind which rescues and protects all living beings. The Bodhisattva brings forth these kinds of minds.

And it is in order to cut asunder the net of all afflictions. You people do not see this, but people have many afflictions which are mutually intertwine like a net. You net me and I net you. You won’t permit me to get out of the triple realm and i won’t permit you to escape the turning wheel. We are netted and entangled like this,so that within the turning wheel of the six paths, we are unable to get out. To be unable to get is being in the mutual net of afflictions. You afflictions are connected with my afflictions, and my afflictions are also connected with your afflictions, and they mutually produce more afflictions. Now, the Bodhisattva wishes to sever the net of afflictions which ensnares us, and to cause the nature of all wisdom to be purified. It is because he wishes to cause our originally existent, fundamental wisdom nature- - our wondrous, bright, true mind- -to be purified, that he brings forth the mind for anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Because of this he brings forth the mind for Unsurpassed, Right and Equal Enlightenment.

Sutra: 

Disciple of the Buddha, putting this analogy aside, suppose there is a person who in a single thought-moment uses all kinds of superior tasting food, incense, flowers, clothing, streamers, canopies, as well as Sangharamas and supreme and wondrous palaces, jewelled curtains, nets and screens and different kinds of adorned lion thrones, as well as a multitude of wondrous jewels, to make offerings to countless Buddhas in the east, as well as all of the living beings in countless world systems.

Commentary:

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva again calls out, Disciple if the Buddha, putting this analogy aside. Don’t speak of this analogy. Let’s put it aside for now. I’m going to speak another analogy for you. Suppose there is a person. Basically there isn’t such a person, but now let’s hypothetically assume there is a person like this. Who in a single thought-moment, within the time of a single thought, uses all kinds of superior tasting food- -food that is the very best in appearance, scent and taste. It looks very good, tastes very good, and it is very fragrant.

Also, Incense and flowers- -perhaps he uses all kinds of incense, or all kinds of flowers, or all kinds of clothing, or all kinds of streamers and canopies, as well as sangharamas, which are still, quiet places where people of the sangha abide. And supreme and wondrous palaces- - the best palaces, jewelled curtains, nets and screens. Perhaps he uses jewelled nets or jewelled screens and all kinds of adorned articles, such as the seven jewels, to fashion different kinds of adorned lion thrones upon which the Buddhas sit. He offers these as well as a multitude of wonderous jewels these as well as a multiude of wondrous jewels the Bodhisattva uses all of them to make offerings to countless Buddhas in the east, as well as all of the living beings in countless world systems.

Sutra:

He reveres and venerates, worships, and praises them, and he bows to and gazes up at them continuously without cease, passing through countless kalpas. And he exhorts those living beings to all make offerings to the Buddhas, up to the point that after those Buddhas’ extinction, they erect stupas for each one of them. Those pagodas are high and vast as countless worlds, and are made of jewels, and have various kinds of adornments. Within each pagoda there are images of countless Thus Come Ones, whose light shines everywhere in countless world systems, passing through countless kalpas. In the south, north, and west, the four intermediaries, above, and below, it is also like this. Disciple of the Buddha, what do you think? Does this person have much merit and virtue?

The Heavenly Ruler Shakra said, “Only the Buddha can know this person’s merit and virtue. All others are not able to fathom it.”

Disciple of the Buddha, this person’s merit and virtue, compared with the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattva who first brings forth the mind, does not reach a hundredth part, nor a thousandth part, nor a hundred thousandth part, up to the point that it does not reach one part in an Upanishad.

Commentary:

The person in this analogy makes offerings to innumerable Buddhas and all the living beings in innumerable world systems. Then he reveres and venerates, worships, and parises them. He reveres, worships, and praises all Buddhas and venerates beings, and he bows to all of them. This gesture shows a lot of respect and decorum. He prosrtates himself reverently, or perhaps he places his palms together

And gazes up at them. He gazes up at all the Buddhas and he also gazes at all the living beings,continuousely without cease, continuously without ever stopping. For how long does he do this? Passing though countless kalpas- - such a long period of time. And he exhorts those living being- -afterwards he resolves on exhorting all the living beings in those innumerable world systems- -to all make offerings to the Buddhas. He also causes all living beings to make offerings to all Buddhas the same way he himself does.

Up to the point that after those Buddhas’ extinction, they erect stupas for each one of them. After those Buddhas’ extinction, they make offerings to each of those Buddhas’ sharira. So they create this kind of merit and virtue. Those pagodas are high and vast as countless world. These pagodas are so high and broad that no other pagodas can compare with them, and they are made of jewels, and have various kinds of adornments. Within each pagoda there are images of countless thus come ones. Within each pagoda those living beings make offerings to the Buddha images, whose light shines everywhere. The adornments of the Buddha images are made from a multitude of jewles, so their jewelled light shines everywhere in countless world systems, pasing through coutless kalpas.

This all takes place for innumerable kalpas. In the south, north, and west, the four intermediaries, above, and below- - the ten directions- - it is also like this. They are all this way.

Disciple of the Buddha,what do you think? How do you feel about this? Does this person have much merit and virtue?

The heavenly ruler Shakra said- - the heavenly ruler Shakra answered Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva’s question, saying, only the Buddha can know this person’s merit and virtue Only the Buddha is able to know how much merit and virtue he has. All others are not able to fathom it. All the other Bodhisattvas are unable to fathom how much merit and virtue this is.

Disciple of the Buddha, Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva again says: Although the merit and virtue spoken of in the analogy before is a lot, yet, this person’s merit and virtue, compared with the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattva who first brings forth the mind, does not reach a hundredth part. This person’s merit and virtue does not equal a hundredth part of the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattva who first brings forth the Bodhi mind, nor does it reach a thousandth part, nor a hundred thousandth part, up to the point that it does not reach one part in an Upanishad. Even if it is the very greatest number, the highest amount, still, that person’s merit and virtue does not reach a single part of the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattva who first brings forth the Bodhi mind. The converse is also true: it is not greater than the very smallest fraction of the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattva who first brings forth the Bodhi mind. No matter what analogy you use, there is nothing that merit and virtue can be compared to.

Bringing forth the Bodhi mind is wanting to cultivate many of the particular dharmas. To cultivate the Six Paramitas and the Ten Thousand Conducts is the Bodhi mind. No matter what kind of practice it is, if you are able to cultivate it, then it is bringing forth the Bodhi mind. If you are not able to cultivate a dharma, this is not bringing forth the Bodhi mind. This is like when you mentioned the precept of not touching money. If you are a person with money and you maintain the precept of not touching money, that’s truly doing it. If you didn’t have any money to begin with, and you hold the precept of not touching money, since it is the way you were in the first place, would you still count that as maintaining the precept against touching money?

If people have money and don’t want it, if they give their money away and do not keep it for themselves, so that their hands do not even touch money, then they are maintaining the precept of not touching money. Now, can people who have no money be called those who maintain the precept of not touching money? Yes, they can. However, they are already without money, so there is no need to mention it. The Bodhi mind is just cultivating. You know a little, so you cultivate a little. You know two parts, so you cultivate two parts. You cultivate however much you know. That is the Bodhi mind.

Right now at Gold Mountain there are some people who are not following the rules of proper behavior. Therefore I am going to explain this for you. All laypeople should place their palms together when they speak with left-home people, whether or not they are addressing their teacher. Laypeople should have reverence for people who have left the home-life. Nor can you slander people who have left the home-life by calling them demons. If you have this kind of behavior, you should quickly change. You shouldn’t come to Gold Mountain Monastery if you do not change.

You laypeople have your own position. Although you don’t praise the Triple Jewel, you certainly can’t slander the Triple Jewel. To go as far as to slander the Triple Jewel by calling them demons, is certainly impermissible! Everyone must honor the rules of proper behavior. If you do not act responsibly and do not uphold the precepts, or perhaps intentionally act in an improper style so as to seduce people who have left the home-life, that is certainly impermissible! Whoever has this fault should quickly change. If you do not change, then you are not permitted to come to Gold Mountain Monastery.

Return the light and look within and see if you uphold the moral precepts. If you name is brought out in public, it is likely that you will not have the opportunity to come to Gold Mountain Monastery anymore. You came here to learn the Buddhadharma. You didn’t come here to learn to be jealous and obstructive, but it seems that if you are not jealous of this, then you are jealous of that. These kinds of people are not allowed at Gold Mountain Monastery, but will most definitely be welcome in the hells. If you want to fall into the hells, then continue these actions, and in the near future, you will have your chance.

Sutra:  

Disciple of the Buddha, putting this analogy aside, suppose there is a second person who within a single thought, is able to do what the person before him did, as well as the acts of making offerings which all the living beings in countless world systems performed throughout countless kalpas. In thought after thought like this, he uses limitless kinds of articles of offerings, to make offerings throughout limitless kalpas to limitless Buddhas, Thus Come Ones, as well as to all of the living beings in limitless world systems.

Commentary:

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva says, disciple of the Buddha. Let us lay aside the previous analogy and not speak about it anymore. Putting this analogy aside, we will speak another analogy. Basically there isn’t such a person but let us hypothetically suppose there is a second person. Before there was the first person who became resolved on making offering. Now suppose here is a second person, who within a single thought, is able to do what the person before him did, as well as the acts of making offerings which all the living beings in countless world systems performed throughout countless kalpas. In one thought he is able to perform these many acts of making offerings.

In thought after thought like this -- in one thought he is like this and in thought after thought he is also like this -- He uses limitless kinds of articles of offerings, to make offerings throughout limitless kalpas to limitless Buddhas, thus come ones. He uses them in making offerings to the Buddhas who are so many that they are without measure, as well as to all of the living beings in limitless world systems, throughout limitless kalpas. He makes offerings to living beings who are so many that they are without measure, in world systems which are so many that they are also without measure. And he does so passing through great kalpas which are also without measure.

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