(Continued from issue #277)
When Universal Worthy Bodhisattva was performing his duty as the temple’s dining hall attendant (someone who stands by the table, serving and refilling food for monastics), he carried with him bottles and bottles of all the different seasonings. If you like something sweet, he will add some sugar. If you like something sour, he will add some vinegar. If you like something spicy, he will give you some hot pepper. He carried with him a big load of bottles of seasoning. For instance, if someone asks for something sour, he will pour something sour for him. But that person complains, “Hey! I do not want that much! How come you poured too much?” Next, someone wants something spicy. This time, the Bodhisattva doesn’t want to put too much and make this person not want it. He pours a little and the other person yells, “Hey! Some more! This is very little!”This is called “Universal Worthy Bodhisattva’s difficulty in satisfying living beings wishes”. When he gives a lot, they complain that it is too much; when he gives a little, they complain that it is too little. You see, it’s tough. Being a Bodhisattva is not easy as well.
Confucius of China had this to say: “Only women and petty ones are most difficult to deal with.” Women and petty individuals are difficult to handle. In what way? “Too close, they become discourteous.”. Get too close to them and they become unreasonable and unruly. “Too far, they resent.” Keep a distance from them and they resent you. They are difficult to deal with. Probably, Confucius has experienced such dilemma. Being an authority in this matter, his words strike a chord in people’s heart. Bodhisattvas face a similar dilemma too. Treating people too well or too not-well is not in accord with the Middle Way. Hence, it’s difficult for Universal Worthy Bodhisattva to fulfill living beings’ wishes. Ah! It’s not easy to walk the Bodhisattva path. I am so considerate of you and yet you are so dissatisfied. This light cloud of compassion represents the Bodhisattva path.
The light cloud of great wisdom. This wisdom represents the realm of Those Who Enlighten to Conditions, those who cultivated the Twelve Causal Links and became enlightened. He needs great wisdom. What is great wisdom? He contemplates the Twelve Causal Links and knows that all things come into being and eventually cease from being in due time. He suddenly understands the principle of production and cessation, and from his inherent Buddha nature arises true wisdom. So, the light cloud of great wisdom represents the realm of Those who Enlighten to Conditions.
The Twelve Causal Links are: ignorance conditions activity, activity conditions consciousness, consciousness conditions form, form conditions the six entrances, the six entrances condition contact, contact conditions feelings, feelings condition love, love conditions craving, craving conditions existence, existence conditions birth, birth conditions old age and death. This sequence involves conditioning into being. There is another sequence that involves ceasing from being, i.e.: when ignorance ceases then activity ceases, when activity ceases then consciousness ceases, when consciousness ceases then name and form cease, when name and form cease then the six entrances cease, when the six entrances cease then contact ceases, when contact ceases then feelings cease, when feelings cease then love ceases, when love ceases then craving ceases, when craving ceases then existence ceases, when existence ceases then birth ceases, when birth ceases then old age and death cease. If you shatter ignorance, then everything ceases to be. So Those Who Enlighten to Conditions contemplate this phenomenon and shatter ignorance first. Everything comes from ignorance. Once he shatters ignorance, real wisdom is born.
The light cloud of great prajna. Prajna is wisdom. There are three kinds of prajna, namely: 1. literary prajna, 2. real mark prajna, 3. contemplative prajna. Sound Hearers develop contemplative prajna from literary prajna, and reach real mark prajna from contemplative prajna. Having reached real mark prajna, they are certified to arhatship. So, the light cloud of great prajna represents the realm of Sound Hearers.
The light cloud of great Samadhi. Samadhi is Sanskrit; in Chinese, it means concentration. Heavenly beings cultivate the Ten Good Deeds at the highest level and reach the Four Dhyanas and the Eight Samadhis through this power of concentration. The Four Dhyanas are the Fourth Dhyana Heaven, Third Dhyana Heaven, Second Dhyana Heaven and First Dhyana Heaven. The First Dhyana is called the Ground of Leaving the Production of Bliss, the Second Dhyana is called the Ground of Bliss from Samadhi, the Third Dhyana is called the Ground of Leaving Bliss, the Fourth Dhyana is called the Ground of Purity from Letting Go of Thoughts.
There are also the Four Stations of Emptiness:
1. The Boundless Emptiness Heaven
2. The Boundless Consciousness Heaven
3. The Heaven of Where Nothing Exists
4. The Heaven of Neither Thought nor Lack of Thought
Together, these are the Four Dhyanas and the Eight Samadhis. These beings have Samadhi and they cultivate the highest level of the Ten Good Deeds. (There are three levels of the Ten Good Deeds – superior, average and below-average.) In addition, they took the Three Refuge and the Five Precepts. Hence, these people will be reborn in the heavens.
The light cloud of great auspiciousness. Auspiciousness represents the human realm. People want everything to be auspicious. In Chinese, this means luck, such as wishing each other great luck around Chinese New Years in the hope that good things happen. It also means auspiciousness, something lucky. Those who cultivate the average level of the Ten Good Deeds, take the Three Refuges and receive the Five Precepts will be reborn in the human realm.
The light cloud of great blessings. Blessings represent the realm of asuras. There are times when asuras are in the heavens, there are times when asuras are in the human realm, there are times when asuras are in the realms of animals and hungry ghosts. Generally speaking, they also have great blessings. So, this kind of light clouds shines on the asuras.
The light cloud of great merit represents the animal realm. The Buddha emits this kind of meritorious light cloud to eradicate the karmic offenses of all the animals so that they can eventually leave suffering and attain bliss.
The light cloud of great refuge. This represents the realm of hungry ghosts. The Buddha emits this kind of light clouds so that all hungry ghosts will change from being evil to being good, will reform and renew themselves, and resolve to take refuge with the Triple Jewel. Ghosts can take refuge with the Triple Jewel too.
The light cloud of great praise. This represents the realm of hell-beings. With a disposition of praise, the Buddha emits this kind of light cloud. Beings in the hells who see these light clouds will leave suffering and attain bliss, will change for the better and resolve on Bodhi. These ten kinds of light clouds represent the faculties of beings in the Ten Realms. Shakyamuni Buddha emits so many kinds of light clouds to enable living beings throughout the ten Dharma Realms to become Buddhas soon. After emitting indescribably many light clouds that are wonderful beyond words, then what?
He also uttered many wonderful, subtle sounds. There was the sound of dana paramita, the sound of shila paramita, the sound of kshanti paramita, the sound of virya paramita, the sound of dhyana paramita, and the sound of prajna paramita. There was the sound of compassion, the sound of joyous giving, the sound of liberation, the sound of no outflows.
He also uttered many wonderful, subtle sounds. He let out various kinds, not just one, but many different kinds of subtle and wondrous voices. ‘Subtle’ implies that these voices are not too loud and harmonize with one another. ‘Wondrous’ means that it is clear. The Buddha’s voice is very clear, subtle and wonderful. The Buddha speaks the Dharma with one voice; and, all living beings, regardless of their category, understands upon hearing the Buddha’s voice. Even people of different countries hear him and understand what he says. The Buddha speaks with one voice, but the Japanese hears him speaking Japanese; the British hears him speaking English; the French hears him speaking French; the Spanish hears him speaking Spanish. Although they are different languages, they can all be manifested in the Buddha’s one voice. There is no need to translate into many languages. The Buddha’s state is inconceivable. That is why it is said: “The Buddha promulgates the Dharma with one voice and living beings understand according to their kind.”
What is ‘sound’? Sound, a drink. Why? If you understand the sound, it is like drinking in the Buddha’s words. Sound, hidden. Some, big; some, small. Seemingly concealed; seemingly exposed. The Buddha’s state is inconceivable. When the Buddha emits a voice, living beings hear it in different ways. You hear it as this kind of voice, and he hears it as another kind of voice. Originally, the Buddha only utters one voice, but different kinds of beings hear the voice differently.
How far can the Buddha’s voice reach? Mahamaudgalyayana was foremost in spiritual penetrations. He had tried to use his spiritual powers to cross as many worlds as sands in the Ganges River toward the East by looking for the sound of the Buddha’s voice. After traveling as many worlds as sands in the Ganges River, the Buddha’s voice was still as loud as it was when he was in front of the Buddha. So, the Buddha’s voice is inconceivable.
The Buddha now emits so many kinds of voices, not just one kind. How many kinds in total? There was the sound of dana paramita. Dana is a Sanskrit word, in Chinese it means giving. We have discussed about ‘giving’ many times before. There is the giving of wealth, the giving of Dharma, and the giving of fearlessness. Although everyone understands, we can explain the meaning of giving in more depth now. Giving without being attached to the mark of giving is real giving. Giving with attachment to the mark of giving will result in being reborn in the heavens. Giving without attachment to the mark of giving will result in retribution that is free from outflow. Not being attached to the mark of giving means not keeping it in mind. For instance, I gave someone some money and I keep thinking, “Ah, I will reap good retribution for making this donation.” In the end, there is either no reward or the mere reward of being reborn in the heavens, but not the retribution that is free from outflows.
(To be continued …)