Issue 290

Where do good and evil come from? It comes from each living being’s karmic retribution. When living beings’ evil karma matures, they see the Ghost King Evil Eyes; when their good karma matures, they see the Ghost King Kindhearted. Whether evil karma or good karma, when it ripens, it needs to make a turn. When evil karma ripens, it turns into good karma; when good karma ripens it sometimes turns into evil karma. If we were cultivating the Buddhadharma, we will not be turned by good or evil karma; instead, we will only walk toward good karma and not turn to evil karma. We will not go astray and end up at the mountain of knives, the cauldron of oil, or the tree of swords.

Why do we need to study the Buddhadharma? We want to flip heaven and earth, shatter them both. What does this mean? Heaven represents good karma; earth represents evil karma. Reverse the good and evil karma of heaven and earth, walk down the path of goodness and not the path of evil. If you do that, the evil ghost kings will be rendered useless and the good ghost kings will be jobless. As such, they will have to retire because they have no work to do.

I am very unhappy with recorders when I explain the sutras. Why? While the recorder is busy working, it makes some of my refuge disciples dependent on the recordings. They become lazy. No one is personally taking notes. In the past, everyone is attentively taking notes, writing a lot of notes and remembering very clearly. Now, no one takes notes any more. They don’t listen with attention and they forget what they have read. Pretty soon they will return to me everything that I explained to them, forcing me to retire. Since both good and bad ghost kings are useless, I as a Dharma Master am useless too. So, I can’t let the good ghosts and bad ghosts retire. If they have no job to do, then I have no job too. I would not have any sutra to lecture on. Without sutras to lecture, there will be no people listening to lectures. Without people listening to lectures, what is the point of being a Dharma Master?

At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha said to Dharma Prince Manjushri Bodhisattva Mahasattva. Manjushri Bodhisattva is also called Wonderful Virtue Bodhisattva and Wonderful Auspiciousness Bodhisattva. Why is he called Wonderful Virtue? He was born with ten auspicious signs:

1. brilliant light lit up the entire room;

2. sweet dew overfilled the place;

3. seven gems welled forth from the earth;

4. hidden treasures magically opened up;

5. chickens gave birth to phoenixes;

6. pigs gave birth to dragons;

7. horses gave birth to Qilins;

8. cows gave birth to mythical beasts;

9. Millets in the granary turned to gold;

10. elephants had six tusks.

He is called Wonderful Virtue because he had these ten inconceivable wonders. He is called Wonderful Auspiciousness because he was born with these ten kinds of auspicious omens.

Actually, this Bodhisattva is no longer a Bodhisattva but a Buddha. He became a Buddha in the past named the Venerated King Buddha of Dragon Seed. He has become a Buddha in the past. Is he a Buddha now? He has become a Buddha in the present too. What is his name as the present Buddha? He is called the Buddha of Accumulation of Treasures of Happiness Filled with Mani Jewels. His land is the World of Happiness in the north.

Manjushri Bodhisattva is the Buddha of Accumulation of Mani Jewels. Although he has become a Buddha, he came back astride the vessel of kindness, concealing greatness and manifesting as small, as Manjushri Bodhisattva. According to the Lotus Sutra, Manjushri Bodhisattva is the master of Shakyamuni Buddha’s master. How come? The Buddha of Light from Sun and Moon Lamps had eight sons, the youngest became a Buddha named Burning Lamp Buddha. Burning Lamp Buddha’s master is Dharma Master Wonderful Light. Who is Dharma Master Wonderful Light? He is Manjushri Bodhisattva. Shakyamuni Buddha was Burning Lamp Buddha’s disciple; he received the prediction for Buddhahood from Burning Lamp Buddha and became a Buddha in this life.

In terms of generational hierarchy, Manjushri Bodhisattva is much more senior than Shakyamuni Buddha since he is the master of Shakyamuni Buddha’s master. Now that Shakyamuni Buddha came to be a Buddha, Manjushri became Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple.

See how Bodhisattvas are devoid of all marks. They do not have discriminations and differentiations. For them, there is neither big nor small, high nor low. When I lectured on the Vajra Sutra, I often told you that “The Dharma is equal and level, none is superior or inferior.” Now that we are in this room lecturing on the sutras and explaining the Dharma, who knows maybe some of you have been my masters and/or disciples in the past. Now you are studying the Buddhadharma. If whoever amongst you has truly attained the Way and virtue, become enlightened and realize Buddhahood, I may bow to you as my master. The Buddhadharma is inconceivably wonderful. Herein lies the wonderful aspect of Wonderful Virtue and Wonderful Auspiciousness. Once you understand, then “Being apart from all marks, lies the myriad dharma.” If you do not understand, then “Attached to marks you are wrong in every turn; attached to the unconditioned you fall into emptiness.”

When I lecture on the sutras, I speak extemporaneously. Sometimes my explanations shatter the heavens and sometimes quake the earth; but I do not care whether the sky collapses or the earth caves in. I do not care for anything; there is nothing. All dharmas are without the mark of self, the mark of people, the mark of living beings, the mark of life spans. So, what is the flourishing of the Buddhadharma? What is the decline of the Buddhadharma ? When is the period of Dharma Proper? When is the period of Dharma Ending? Everything is illusory. Some say, “Dharma Master, you confuse me.” I meant to confuse you. If you understood, you would not listen to my sutra lectures. OK, let me keep explaining this confusing sutra.
Bodhisattva Mahasattva. Mahasattva is a great Bodhisattva. Who is this great Bodhisattva? Manjushri Bodhisattva. Shakyamuni Buddha asked Manjushri Bodhisattva, “As you regard these Buddhas who have come to the heavenly palace, Bodhisattvas, gods, dragons, ghosts, and spirits from this land, this world, and other lands who are now gathered in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, do you know how many of them there are? Do you know how many buddhas have come to the palace in the Traystrimsha Heaven to listen to me speak the Earth Store Sutra? How many Bodhisattvas? How many ghosts and spirits? Do you know the exact number? Why do I ask you? Because you have great wisdom, true wisdom and wisdom that thoroughly penetrates the source of the Dharma. Now let me ask you, do you know how many? Tell me! Please respond.”

Manjushri said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, even if I were to measure and reckon with my spiritual powers for a thousand eons, I still would not be able to know how many of them there are.”

The Buddha told Manjushri, “Regarding them with my Buddha Eye, their numbers cannot be exhausted. Those beings have been taken across, are being taken across, will be taken across, have been brought to accomplishment, are being brought to accomplishment, or will be brought to accomplishment by Earth Store Bodhisattva [Ksitigharba] throughout many eons.”

Manjushri said to the Buddha…Earlier, Shakyamuni Buddha asked Manjushri Bodhisattva, do you know how many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, ghosts and spirits there are? Manjushri Bodhisattva told the Buddha, “World Honored One, even if I were to measure and reckon with my spiritual powers for a thousand eons. . . Were I, to take one thousand eons, to estimate and guess that number using my spiritual powers and wisdom, I still would not be able to know how many of them there are. I would not know that number.”

The Buddha Shakyamuni told Manjushri Bodhisattva, “Regarding them with my Buddha Eye…Observing with my Buddha Eye…what is a Buddha Eye? A Buddha Eye is like a thousand suns that are omniscient, seeing and hearing everything. The Buddha Eye is replete with all functions and is the manifestation of all wisdom. There are four other eyes: the Flesh Eye, the Heavenly Eye, the Dharma Eye and the Wisdom Eye. One verse describes them comprehensively:

The Flesh Eye penetrates obstructions;

The Heavenly Eye penetrates without obstructions;

The Dharma Eye contemplates the secular;

The Wisdom Eye understands true emptiness;

The Buddha Eye is like a thousand suns,

It is the same at the source but shines on different things.

The Heavenly Eye sees everything thoroughly and clearly, without any obstructions.

The Flesh Eye penetrates obstructions. What is the flesh eye? It can see everyone and everything. The Flesh Eye is not the eyes we typically use to see, there is another Flesh Eye. The Heavenly Eye and the Flesh Eye are on opposite sides. Not only can the Flesh Eye see things inside the house, it can also see things outside the house, regardless of how far. As long as you want to, you can see it. If you do not want to, of course you will not see it. Although you can see, it’s best if you do not. Why? Everything you see constitutes a thought. It is better to have less thoughts than more thoughts. One less false thought is better than one more false thought. Using the Flesh Eye to see and observe things all come down to thoughts, although this kind of thought is somewhat different from most people’s thoughts. Although different, there is nothing advantageous to it. Even when you can see, you should not look. This is the Flesh Eye that penetrates obstructions. This means it can see through every item despite obstructions.

The Dharma Eye contemplates the secular. The Dharma Eye perceives secular truths, which are the typical worldly situations. If you have opened your Dharma Eye, you need not hold a sutra to read the sutra. All you need to do is open your Dharma Eye and you can see all the sutras and limitless Dharma treasures filling the dharma realm to the end of empty space. As long as you have the purity of the Dharma Eye, you can thoroughly contemplate the true mark of all dharmas. This is the Dharma Eye that contemplates the secular.

The Wisdom Eye understands true emptiness. The Wisdom Eye contemplates emptiness. Secular truths are false truths because they are not substantive. Real truths are about the understanding of true emptiness. The Wisdom Eye understands true emptiness; it comprehends the true marks of all dharmas and true emptiness.

The Buddha Eye is like a thousand suns. The Buddha’s eyes are as bright as a thousand suns. It is the same at the source but shines on different things. Although it sees different things, its fundamental substance is one.